The Independent Student Newspaper of Sam Houston State University Vol 119— Issue 3
Thursday, Septermber 1, 2011
UH Baptist Church concert recap, pg. 4
File Photo
Football season begins today, pg. 7
Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian
INDEX
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Police crack down on PI’s By Hugo Lopez Contributing Reporter
Huntsville Police (HPD) arrested eight people for public intoxication and University Police (UPD) arrested three people for PI on August 25. When bars and clubs close, police are on the parking lots of businesses, such as Shenanigans & Confetti’s Beach Club, trying to see if the individuals walking out are intoxicated or not, then arrest those who are intoxicated. “Students got to calm down and not get wasted when they go out,” Oscar Marquez, junior business major, said. “Some people walk out and fall, so the police will arrest them. Just don’t do anything dumb while walking to your
a
Christian Pratt | The Houstonian
STRICTLY ENFORCED. The Huntsville and University Police Departments are cracking down on alcohol- and drug-related offenses. The 2 departments reported a collective 25 alcohol- and drug-related offenses between August 25 and 28. The above graphic reflects the August 28 weekend reports, with PI standing for Public Intoxication and DWI for Driving While Intoxicated.
friend’s car and the cops won’t mess with you.” Some students avoid the risk entirely. “I’ll rather drink at my
apartment or at a friend’s apartment, because I know nothing bad will happen,” Marvin Craig, junior kinesiology major, said.
“It is illegal to be drunk in public, so we enforce the law,” Deputy Chief James Fitch of UPD said. According to daily police
Dry county under fire
Three fires broke out around Walker County Tuesday, one of which involved a structure. As of 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, one fire had grown to 500 acres and was 80 percent contained. The county has been under a burn ban since February 28.
activity reports released by HPD, most arrests in Huntsville are due to alcohol- and marijuanarelated offenses.
“If we can determine that [an] individual is a hazard to himself or others then we have to arrest them,” Fitch said.
Important Parking Info The orange parking lot next to Elliott T. Bowers Stadium will be closed Thursday in preparation for the football game at 6 p.m. Those with orange permits may: - park in blue lots - park in green lots - take a special shuttle, running from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. from the satellite lot The satellite lot is located at the corner of the IH45 north feeder road and Lake Road, also known as the old Hillcrest Ford Dealership. For those taking the shuttle, it will be dropping off and picking up students at the dead end next to the CHSS building. Parking will return to normal on Friday morning.
Jessica Gomez | The Houstonian
Erin Peterson | The Houstonian
HOT STUFF. Three fires were reported Tuesday afternoon, one of which, located in northwest Walker County grew to encompass 500 acres and 80 percent containment as of 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
File Photo
City approaches Stage 2, University learns to conserve If Huntsville reaches a Stage 2 water shortage... Non-essential water use: water uses that are not essential or required for the protection of public, health, safety, and welfare, including: - irrigation of landscape areas, including parks, athletic fields, and golf courses, except otherwise provided under the Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan; - use of water to wash any motor vehicle, motorbike, boat, trailer, airplane or other vehicle; - use of water to wash down any sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts, or other hard-surfaced area; - use of water to wash down buildings or structures for purposes other than immediate fire protection; - flushing gutters or permitting water to run or accumulate in any gutter or street; - use of water to fill, refill, or add to any indoor or outdoor swimming pools or Jacuzzi-type pool; use of water in a fountain or pond for aesthetic or scenic purposes except where necessary to support aquatic life; - failure to repair a controllable leak(s) within a reasonable period after having been given notice directing the repair of such leak(s); and - use of water from hydrants for construction purposes or any other purposes other than firefighting.
Ways to save
By McKinzie Brocail Senior Reporter Due to increasing drought conditions, Sam Houston State University has voluntarily begun to cut back its irrigation levels in anticipation of a Stage Two water shortage in Huntsville. If levels rise from the current Stage One conditions, university athletic fields and campus grounds will no longer be watered. According to Carol Reed, Huntsville Public Utilities Director, much of the surplus watering comes from sprinkler and irrigation systems. “These complexes pay a lot of money to have nice landscaping, and since we are under voluntary restriction, they aren’t going to risk losing it,” Reed said. Sam Houston State University has its own, separate irrigation meter.
This allows for our groundskeepers to manage the sprinkler systems themselves. “We’ve reduced [sprinkler] cycles and changed [their] times to evenings to maximize the… use of the water,” said SHSU President Dana Gibson, Ph. D. Thus far, Reed said, the influx of students returning to SHSU from being home over the summer has not severely affected the number of gallons used. A large number of students live in off-campus apartment complexes, which use their own irrigation meters. These systems, Reed said, are large factors in the consistently high water usage levels. Huntsville is required to develop a new drought contingency plan every 10 years with the newest plan passed in 2009. Currently, numbers that were factored into the plan assume there is more water stored than is
actually available. Reed said the consequence of a nonworking well contributes to that difference. A recent main water break, nearly 75 water line breaks since April, and Tuesday’s fires are also factoring into the shortage. To reach Stage Two levels, the City has to use 10.6 million gallons, or more, for 10 consecutive days. Huntsville has exceeded 10.6 million gallons six times in the past 10 days and currently has an average of 10,444 gallons. The city has had voluntary restrictions in effect since the beginning of summer. As it approaches Stage Two levels, residents are being diligently urged to conserve water wherever they can. The city asks citizens to reduce water usage when watering lawns, washing motor vehicles, buildings, and other tasks that use excessive amounts of water.
Visit the EPA online at http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/water_efficiency/tips.html for additional ways to conserve water at home and work.