TUESDAY
September 7, 2021
VOLUME 111 ISSUE 5
www.UniversityStar.com
DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911
A breakdown of Texas State's parking, transportation services
Opinion: Live Oak Hall construction makes oncampus parking worse
Opinion: The 1836 Project erases the history of communities of color
After season-long hiatus, club sports are back and fully functioning
SEE PAGE 2
SEE PAGE 5
SEE PAGE 5
SEE PAGE 6
VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball star capitalizes off of name, image, likeness By Aidan Bea Sports Reporter
KATE CONNERS AND NATALE RYAN
As Texas State volleyball star Janell Fitzgerald enters her senior season, not only is she striving to become a four-time Sun Belt champion, she is also looking to promote herself and grow her brand in ways she was previously unable to. On July 1 the NCAA, after years of deliberation, lifted its rules preventing athletes from profiting off of their name, image and likeness (NIL). Now, collegiate athletes, such as Fitzgerald, are able to sign endorsement deals and use their status as public figures to make money while still retaining their eligibility. However, there are still some rules athletes must follow. For example, athletes cannot use any university branding or images in their own endorsements and must report all deals they engage in to their university
to ensure they are within the NCAA’s requirements.
For Fitzgerald, the change in NIL rules is more than making money; it is about exercising her freedoms and preparing herself for the future after her collegiate career is done. “Professional athletes are able to do it and they put just as much work in as we do,” Fitzgerald said. “I believe that we as [collegiate] athletes, I mean we work hard, we should be able to show how hard we work and be able to profit off of that.” Since the rule change, Fitzgerald has launched her own line of merchandise and partnered with companies such as Crossnet, NovaShine along with various clothing and beauty brands, advertising products to her 119,900 TikTok followers and 18,300 Instagram followers. Fitzgerald’s personality and energy seem to be what attracts companies to her. On the court, she is known for hyping up her teammates and has been credited with starting the dances the team does during breaks in the action.
SEE VOLLEYBALL PAGE 6
FILM
San Marcos to celebrate diversity, creativity at fifth annual Lost River Film Fest By Sarah Hernandez Life & Arts Editor starlifeandarts@txstate.edu
Spanning four days and two cities, the San Marcos Cinema Club will present its fifth annual Lost River Film Fest to showcase the talent and creativity of the region's independent cinema. This year, the event will take place from Sept. 9-12 in San Marcos and Lockhart, Texas. Since 2017, the Lost River Film Fest has been designed to present and promote indie films exploring concepts of art and social justice. Every year, the festival's lineup includes films, filmmakers and events that celebrate diversity within the community. "We have a lot of queer films, a lot
VOTING
The festival is scheduled for Sept. 9-12 in San Marcos and Lockhart.
of films about immigration. We even have a lot of films from people who are from like Iran [and] India," said LeAnn Jackson, the programming director at the San Marcos Cinema Club. "I think it's awesome to showcase that and to celebrate filmmakers from everywhere, every corner of the world, [every] sexuality." Jackson started working for the Lost River Film Fest as a volunteer two years ago. Now, as programming director, she said she enjoys getting to dive deeper into planning the event and experiencing the
inclusivity and creativity of it all. "I also want to just say it's an opportunity for us as a crew as well to explore our own creativity," Jackson said. "It gives us a chance to dig into our minds, and to also come up with stuff for the festival. So I think it's all-around a whole thing ... it's really touching. I think it's just an opportunity for us to come together and really just explore and see what we can do for the community." To carry out its mission of inclusivity, the festival will showcase films featuring topics such as immigration,
criminalization, criminal justice and the LGBTQIA+ community. The festival aims to celebrate diversity not only through the actual films but through the diverse lineup of filmmakers, writers and directors featured. Jordan Buckley, the festival's director, said while planning the event, they wanted to ensure the films they recruited were a good match for what the festival stands for. "One slogan that we've kind of had as an organization since our get-go is, we're a film society that cares both about film and society," Buckley said. "You know, we hope that often we can showcase films too that ask hard
SEE FLIM PAGE 4
State representative seeks to expand voter accessibility By Destany Fuller News Contributor
Since 2019, State Representative for Texas House District 45 Erin Zwiener has challenged Texas legislation in an attempt to pass a bill that allows college students to vote with their school-issued identification as well as other standard forms. Zwiener, who represents Hays and Blanco County, has filed House Bill 118 twice and is now working to have it passed by state lawmakers for the third time. If approved, the bill will grant college students the option to vote using their student IDs, expanding the state's election code which currently bans individuals from using student identification cards to vote.
Despite two unsuccessful attempts to get the bill passed, Zwiener continues to work alongside organizations such as MOVE Texas, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that focuses on building political power for the young people of Texas. According to The Texas Politics Project, only 32.1% of voters ages 18-24 voted in the 2020 Presidential Election. Zwiener said she's not giving up on the bill and believes it's too important to let die. "I'm going to keep filing this bill until it's passed," Zwiener said. "Young voters Hays County voters wait in line to vote in the general election, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, participating in the process is essential. at the Performing Arts Center at Texas State. When someone starts voting young DOUGLAS SMITH they become a life-long voter." Zwiener said school-issued IDs should be acceptable because they are SEE VOTING PAGE 2
Whether you plan or cram, find your study jam.