March 30, 2021

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TUESDAY MARCH 30, 2021 VOLUME 110 ISSUE 8

www.UniversityStar.com

DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911

Opinion: Sexism has no room in academics

Rap artist shines light on Black women empowerment, truth through 'unrelenting' music

Baseball secures first series victory of season against ULM

Parks & Recreation Advisory Board raises concerns with Lions Club lease

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FEMALE WRITERS

Leticia Urieta, MFA alumna and Austin Bat Cave program manager. PHOTO COURTESY OF LETICIA URIETA

Charlene Caruthers, current MFA student and aspiring author. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLENE CARUTHERS

Nour Al Gharowi, current MFA in poetry student.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NOUR AL GHAROWI

Bonnie Cisneros, MFA alumna and published writer. PHOTO COURTESY OF JORGE CAMPOS

Amanda Scott, MFA alumna and Porter House Review editor. PHOTO COURTESY OF AMANDA SCOTT

'A LABOR OF LOVE'

MFA women express inclusivity, culture through writing By Andie Mau Life & Arts Contributor As part of Texas State's Master of Fine Arts in creative writing program, female writers of all backgrounds have routinely gathered around a table in Flowers Hall to engage in challenging debates, construct innovative narratives and hone their individual crafts. The program seeks to provide students with feedback on their writing from accomplished authors, community peers and networking opportunities with various industry publications. Stanislav Rivkin, an alumnus and coordinator of MFA, says the program serves as a starting point for students’ professional writing careers. Rivkin says students will sometimes complete their very first manuscripts for a book or collection of poems as a thesis.

“The MFA is not a stopping point,” Rivkin says. “If anything, [MFA] can be a launching point…Hopefully, the skills you gain in the MFA will allow you to continue improving your work and continue to develop as a writer throughout your life.” Amanda Scott, an MFA creative and technical writing alumna, has been published in journals such as the Crab Orchard Review, Entropy, Gulf Coast, Juked, New South and The Common. Since 2018, Scott continues to work with the program as editor of the MFA literary journal, Porter House Review. "Luckily, through the MFA program, there are readings that anybody can attend that host well-known and acclaimed writers. That's usually a great way to get exposure," Scott says. "One of the most amazing things I've been a part of is Porter House Review...We wanted

to create a space where we felt like we could showcase work, and it could feel appreciated and live on a beautiful [website]." Scott, a bi-racial woman, says she is most inspired by the stories around her and wishes to shed light on underrepresented voices, which she believes includes female South Texas writers. “For me personally, I think because I grew up in such a multicultural city. I was always aware of all the variety of stories and experiences that exist in the world,” Scott says. “I've started to explore that a bit more because there are a lot of family stories that I know and that I want to, in my own way, share.” Scott is currently working on a new novella, a memoir of her coming-ofage in Houston. She hopes to continue fostering graduate students through

Porter House Review and establish meaningful connections with new upand-coming writers. “I think a lot of writers feel like it is a labor of love, but it’s also [the] work that you're doing,” Scott says. “So we felt like [paying writers] was really important just to be a part of that community of journals that values writing and shows [it] through taking care of the writers.” Bonnie Cisneros, an alumna of the MFA program in creative nonfiction and a Tejana author, published “Bienvenidxs a San Anto: A Literary Guide to My Beloved City” through the Porter House Review and other essays in El Retorno, Chicana/Latina Studies, Buckman Journal, River Teeth and El Placazo Barrio Newspaper. Cisneros' work was also included in the anthology “Creative Contemporary Nonfiction” by Debra Monroe, an

SEE FEMALE WRITERS PAGE 5 BOBCAT CARES

FOOTBALL

Students convey satisfaction, frustration after Bobcat Cares funding By Arthur Fairchild News Contributor

Texas State sophomore defensive lineman DeOnte Washington (93) pushes on training equipment during practice, Saturday, March 27, 2021, at Bobcat Stadium. PHOTO BY KATE CONNORS

Football looks to improve in trenches during spring practices By Sumit Nagar Sports Editor Coming off a rollercoaster season in which the team went 2-10 overall and 2-6 in the Sun Belt Conference, Texas State football began its first week of spring practice on March 23-27. The football program gained more exposure last season with multiple nationally-televised games and wide receiver Jeremiah Haydel headed for the NFL Draft, but none of it was enough for the returning coaches and

players who felt the team missed key opportunities for success. Head Coach Jake Spavital's goal for the offseason was to have offensive and defensive lineman gain a significant amount of weight to provide a formidable presence in the trenches. "That's where it's won," Jake Spavital says. "The profile of the o-line and d-line's training changed drastically here. I think they're big — they're a lot bigger...It's a violent game, it's a combative game and you got to win the line of scrimmage."

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The dispersal of the $9.4 million Bobcat Cares grant, intended to provide financial relief to students impacted by COVID-19, was met with mixed responses from students, some grateful for the aid and others not satisfied with the amount of funding they received. Money for the grants was provided through the federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) as part of the CARES Act. Over 15,000 students received funding from the grant, which was distributed to students in two rounds — the first issued to select recipients on March 5 and the second on March 12. Students received between $300 and $800 if deemed eligible. Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships Christopher Murr says funds were distributed in two rounds in an effort to not overload the office and give the university time to respond to questions and problems students might encounter when receiving grants. Students were required to apply through the Bobcat Online Scholarship System (BOSS). The application was open from Feb. 15 to March 3. In contrast, the application for the 2020 Bobcat Cares grant required students to answer a set of questions detailing how the pandemic impacted them financially.

Brittney Heibel, an agriculture graduate student, was granted $450 in the second round of relief funding after months of unemployment. She says she was grateful for the aid.

"COVID HAS BEEN REALLY HARD. I WAS LAID OFF FROM MY JOB, AND I’VE BEEN UNEMPLOYED FOR A COUPLE MONTHS. AS A STUDENT, YOU HAVE A LOT OF EXPENSES. I PAY FOR CLASSES AND BOOKS AS WELL AS RENT AND ALL THAT IS HARD TO DO WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE ANY INCOME."

-BRITTNEY HEIBEL,

AGRICULTURE GRADUATE STUDENT “COVID has been really hard. I was laid off from my job, and I’ve been

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