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TUESDAY APRIL 13, 2021 VOLUME 110 ISSUE 10
DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911
www.UniversityStar.com
Opinion: Texas State needs to fund all sports equally
The Wittliff Collections honors life of legendary Texas author, exhibit donor
Softball misses recordbreaking opportunity in series loss to South Alabama
A family affair: San Marcos food trucks dish out culture, flavor
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DOGS
Dogs enjoy day out in animal shelter program By Brooklyn Solis Life & Arts Reporter With wagging tails and slobbery smiles, pure excitement is filling the hearts of San Marcos Regional Shelter rescue dogs as volunteers storm in to partake in its Dog's Day Out program. The new program allows approved volunteers 18 or older to "borrow" a shelter dog for a day. Volunteers take dogs around San Marcos for walks, hikes, grabbing "puppuccinos" or car rides. The program is a way for dogs to leave the shelter after spending most of their time cooped up in kennels. Sophia Proler, San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter program coordinator, says Dog's Day Out is a great way for the community to familiarize itself with the
dogs outside of a sheltered environment. “A lot of our larger breed dogs don’t show very well at the shelter,” Proler says. “They’re in a smaller kennel, they are cooped up and you may not realize just how cute and wonderful they are until you get them out on the trail. It’s a really good opportunity to lower the stress of the dogs, to get a little exercise as a volunteer and to meet new people out on the trail or at dogfriendly restaurants and patios, so the pup can maybe find their forever home.” For some dogs, Dog's Day Out is the only way they are allowed to stretch their paws, get active and show off their friendly personalities. Dianne Witter, a San Marcos resident and firstVolunteer Jen Harris pets rescue dog Hank during Dog's Day Out, Sunday, April 11, 2021, at San Marcos time volunteer of Dog’s Day Out, spent her Easter Regional Animal Shelter. Sunday with Rainbow, a rescue dog who she says was PHOTO BY NATALIE RYAN
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VOLLEYBALL
VOLLEYBALL PREPARES TO SERVE HISTORY IN NCAA TOURNAMENT By Aidan Bea Sports Reporter Following the 2020 season, in which Texas State volleyball won its third consecutive Sun Belt tournament title and finished 30-8 overall and 15-1 in conference play, the team has its sights set on the first round of the NCAA tournament scheduled to begin on April 14. The team enters the tournament as the No. 28 seed and will match up against the Utah Valley University Wolverines. Head Coach Sean Huiet and the rest of the team are motivated and feel they are poised to make school history. “We’ve only gone to the second round one other time,” Huiet says. “This group wants to do something Texas State hasn’t done. That’s what drives [the players] and that’s what makes it fun to coach them.”
A St. David's School of Nursing student administers a COVID-19 vaccine during a drive-thru vaccination clinic.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. MARLA ERBIN-ROESEMANN
The Bobcats celebrate following a kill from Texas State junior outside hitter Kenedi Rutherford (1) during the second set against TCU, Thursday, March 18, 2021, at Strahan Arena. The Bobcats lost 3-1. PHOTO BY KATE CONNORS
"THIS GROUP WANTS TO DO SOMETHING TEXAS STATE HASN’T DONE. THAT’S WHAT DRIVES [THE PLAYERS] AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES IT FUN TO COACH THEM." -SEAN HUIET,
HEAD COACH, TEXAS STATE VOLLEYBALL
Typically, the NCAA tournament takes place in the fall, but this season it was pushed back to accommodate teams and conferences that did not play in fall 2020 due to COVID-19. Texas State has been in-season since August with only a two-month break after the team won the conference championship on Nov. 22. Junior setter Emily DeWalt says the team placed an emphasis on mental preparation, as it knew COVID-19 would alter its operations. “We’ve obviously had to have a different mindset coming in,” DeWalt says. “Usually in the spring we train, and you don’t have to compete as much.
Nursing students, faculty assist in vaccination efforts By Ricardo Delgado News Reporter
The Bobcats celebrate sophomore outside hitter Caitlan Buettner's (10) kill to score a point against the University of Texas at Arlington, Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, at Strahan Arena. The Bobcats swept the Mavericks 3-0. PHOTO BY KATE CONNORS
Coming in we were super excited we had the opportunity to compete again.” The Bobcats went 6-6 in the spring portion of the schedule and played some big-name opponents, including the University of Texas at Austin and Baylor University. After starting the spring 3-1, Texas State lost five straight matches. Though the team was discouraged after the losses, Huiet says he knew the spring matchups would test his players. “We had a little bit of a lull there, but that was probably our hardest stretch. We played eight games in 14 days against Big 12 opponents,” Huiet says. “We had to work their minds a little bit and give
them some rest, but they pulled through, and we are playing really good volleyball right now.” Junior outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald says the team is a “little banged up” due to the length and nature of this season, but she feels, despite the struggles, the team is in great shape heading into the tournament. “It’s nothing we can’t handle,” Fitzgerald says. “We have lots of depth on our team, and we’ve become mentally and physically stronger because of all of this. We’ve gotten a lot closer than we have been in the past.” Last year, Texas State lost to the University of California at Santa
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With COVID-19 vaccines becoming readily available throughout the state, nursing students and faculty from Texas State's Round Rock campus are playing an active role in administering vaccines throughout the university's surrounding areas. Partnering with Baylor Scott & White Health, nursing students and faculty at St. David's School of Nursing at Texas State - Round Rock have administered vaccines through drive-up clinics. The school's goal is to ensure many of its students are offered the opportunity to volunteer and provide vaccines to the public. The partnership came to fruition after Dr. Marla Erbin-Roesemann, director and professor at the School of Nursing, asked the chief nursing officer of Baylor Scott & White Health if nursing students in the area could volunteer at vaccination drives since students were already at risk working on the frontline. Students administering vaccines do not have to be registered nurses. However, faculty or nurses must supervise students, including when students are observing vaccine administration. Erbin-Roesemann says students who volunteered were vaccinated beforehand on behalf of the nursing school’s healthcare partners. “I'm thankful for my students
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