03 23 2006 by The University Star

TORAH ON TOUR

LIGHTER AND BRIGHTER

SEE TRENDS PAGE 8

SEE TRENDS PAGE 9

Hasidic reggae superstar brings Youth to Austin

Start ﬂexing your thumbs for Nintendo’s new DS Lite

TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS

www.UniversityStar.com

THURSDAY

MARCH 23, 2006

Three hospitalized after car collision Wednesday morning By Kirsten Crow The University Star A head-on collision early Wednesday morning sent three of the four occupants in the two vehicles to the hospital for what officials called serious injuries. The collision occurred at about 1 a.m. on Aquarena Springs Drive in front of the Korner Food Store when the driver of a gold Cavalier traveling outbound crossed over the yellow divider line into the incoming lane, striking an oncoming black Lexus ES300 head-on, said San Marcos Police Department officer Sam Myers. The accident drew almost a dozen SMPD and UPD squad cars in addition to ambulances, a fire truck and wreckers. Three of the four occupants in the vehicles were taken to Brackenridge Hospital following the accident for injuries Myers described as serious, but not critical. At least two of the occupants in the Lexus were members of the Texas State men’s golf team, said Ron Mears, director of sports information. Myers said the male driver of the Lexus had broken his leg in several places and the female backseat passenger had flown forward into the windshield upon impact. Police officials said they were unsure if she had not been wearing a seatbelt, or if she may have been wearing one very loosely and slipped out during the crash. The third passenger, John “Bobby” Hutcherson, exercise

VOLUME 95, ISSUE 65

The Skeleton Crew SWEEPING THE AREA: (Left) Standing side by side, forensic anthropology students and regional law enforcement officers sweep a field in a line search looking for signs of disturbed earth or piles of branches and stones in a simulation for finding a buried body. The line search was only one of the educational activities offered during The Advanced Body Search and Recovery School on March 10. (Below) Anthropology professor Jerry Melbye removes forensic evidence for indentification and analysis as students and sheriff’s deputies look on.

and sports science junior and member of the golf team, was not transported to the hospital. Hutcherson, who has received all-state, all-region and all-conference honors in golf, said he and his companions were headed to Taco Bell after playing a tournament in Lufkin earlier in the day when the collision occurred. He said the driver of the Lexus was Todd Parks, exercise and sports science junior and member of the golf team. He said on Wednesday afternoon that Parks suffered two fractures in his leg, but had just come out of surgery and was doing well. Mears said Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act guidelines prevent the athletic department from releasing the names of the students involved in the accident or their current statuses. “I don’t even know what their injuries are, other than they are not life-threatening,” Mears said. Myers said the driver of the atfault gold Cavalier was unable to remember the accident Wednesday morning. Ofﬁcers did not smell alcohol on any of those involved, and Myers said there will be no subsequent investigation by SMPD. The accident occurred in what was once a turning lane in front of the Korner Food Store, but was changed last year to a third lane running inbound. An accident report identifying the driver of the Cavalier and the female passenger in the Lexus was not available at press time.

Forensic workshop trains students, police to uncover hidden bones By Leah Kirkwood The University Star

hen police uncovered the grave of a 14-year-old girl, they knew the case would be tough one. The crime scene was old and badly scavenged by predators, leaving only bones and bits of clothing behind. That’s when investigators called forensic anthropologist and visiting anthropology professor Jerry Melbye to utilize his expertise in crime scene data collection in the case. The same crime scene was reconstructed at a local ranch for last week’s Advanced Body Search and Recovery School. This was just one

part of the four-day course that also included demonstrations in forensic entomology, cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar. The Texas State anthropology department and the Hays County Sheriff ’s Office teamed up to instruct law enforcement officers and anthropology students in the latest methods of solving homicide cases. “It’s a combination of police training and student training,” Melbye said. “Students interested in forensics put this on as a training course for the police officers.” This workshop was the first of its kind held at Texas State, but Melbye See SKELETON, page 4

Mark Decker/Star photos

Roundup persuades residents to take care of warrants By Ashley Richards The University Star

Emily Messer/Star photo TWILIGHT TRAFFIC ACCIDENT: John “Bobby” Hutcherson, exercise and sports science junior and member of the Texas State golf team, talks with San Marcos Police ofﬁcer Sam Myers and Cpl. Kelly Ernest. Hutcherson was one of the passengers in a black Lexus ES300 that was hit in a head-on collision early Wednesday morning.

disposition on the ticket.” Williams said most of the people who were still in the area went to court before the roundup, communicated with the municipal judge and dealt with the warrant. Others whom officers could not locate are likely not in the city anymore, Williams said. — Howard Williams “The people we were lookSMPD Chief ing for might not even still be around, or they were hiding,” Williams said. a warrant. At some residences, officers “It worked remarkably well, as knocked on the door and got no you see from the numbers from answer, but later in the day rethe court. We got people to go cords showed those people had in and made people make some made their way into the court disposition on their ticket,” Wil- and dealt with the warrant, Williams said. “I don’t care if people liams said. go to jail. We would much prefer While Williams said SMPD if people would go in when they will no longer focus a concenget a citation and make some trated effort on finding people

t worked “I remarkably well, as you

No arrests or pick-ups were yielded from the San Marcos Police Department’s participation in the March 4 warrant roundup of Central Texas. However, after SMPD announced its participation in the roundup on Feb. 19, defendants addressed 501 warrants in the city. “We had a lot of warrants addressed that would have not have been otherwise,” Susie Garcia, municipal court administrator, said. The lack of arrests on the day of the roundup was not a concern of SMPD Chief Howard Williams, who said he cared only about people taking some sort of action to resolve any ignored citations that resulted in

see from the numbers from the court.”

with warrants, they will still run routine checks during trafﬁc stops. Garcia recommended that anyone with a warrant make an effort to communicate with the court before the planned hiring of a deputy marshal. She also said people who worked out a payment plan or any other agreement with the court should realize any default on the agreement could result in another warrant being issued. “We are going to be hiring a deputy marshal, which one of their functions will be to follow up with these people who have these outstanding warrants,” Garcia said. “We haven’t even put it out there yet. Probably in April sometime is when we will bring that person on, but it is coming.”

Student’s grievance aired, ordinance concerning vehicle idling passed By Clayton Medford The University Star Criminal justice senior Howard Smith spoke about his bad experiences dealing with his neighborhood association and city ofﬁcials at the San Marcos City Council meeting on Tuesday. Smith purchased a home on Pearce Court in San Marcos in 2003 when he was 19 years old. He alleged that Councilman Gaylord Bose, who was chair of the Greater Castle Forest Neighborhood Association when Smith bought the house, harassed him and his roommate. “The ﬁrst encounter I actually had before I even had a chance to meet

“I

— Howard Smith criminal justice senior

any of my neighbors or anything was actually from the president of our neighborhood association, (who was) Councilman Bose at the time. It was kind of disheartening because I was actually walking out with a roommate, taking out the trash, beer boxes, et cetera. The ﬁrst

Today’s Weather

Mostly Sunny 64˚/35˚

IDLE ORDINANCE: The San Marcos City Council passed a new ordinance prohibiting vehicles heavier than 14,000 pounds from idling for more than ﬁve minutes within the city limits to reduce emissions for air quality, among other reasons. Vehicles caught in trafﬁc are exempt from the ordinance.

t was kind of disheartening because I was actually walking out with a roommate, taking out the trash, beer boxes, et cetera. The ﬁrst thing he said to us was, ‘If you are going to do that, you need to do it elsewhere.’”

Precipitation: 20% Humidity: 45% UV: 9 Very High Wind: N 16 mph

thing he said to us was, ‘If you are going to do that, you need to do it elsewhere,’” Smith said. Smith said the negative experience made him feel unwanted and almost drove him from the city.

Two-day Forecast Friday Sunny Temp: 68°/ 36° Precipitation: 0%

Tiffany Searcy/ Star ﬁle photo

See IDLING, page 6

Saturday Saturday Temp: 73°/ 42° Precipitation: 0%

Inside

TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS

News ..............1-7 Trends ...........8-12 Comics ............ 12 Crossword ....... 12

Sudoku ............ 12 Opinions .......... 13 Classiﬁeds ....... 14 Sports ......... 15,16

PAGE TWO The University Star

Thursday in Brief

March 23, 2006

starsof texas state Texas State senior Katie Ann Trahan was named both the Aeropostale/Southland Conference’s Pitcher and Hitter of the Week after helping lead the Bobcats to a three-game sweep of Sam Houston State during a mid-week series. Last week, Trahan won both of her starts against Sam Houston State, surrendering only two runs in 14 innings of work while striking out 11. She has now won six of her last seven starts and is 11-5 for the year.

In the three-game series, Trahan batted .429 (3-for-7) with two runs, four RBIs and a home run. In the third and ﬁnal game of the series with the Bearkats, Trahan’s walk-off, three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh improved Texas State’s home record to 6-0. Trahan also won the league’s pitcher of the week honor earlier this season. — Courtesy of Media Relations

News Contact — Kirsten Crow, starnews@txstate.edu

Calendar of

Fighting off the cold

STARS OF TEXAS STATE POLICY Do you know someone at Texas State who has recently celebrated a great achievement? Nominate your choice to appear in The Star as a “Star of Texas State.” Write an e-mail to starletters@txstate.edu with the subject line “Stars of Texas State,” and include your nominee’s name, his/her relationship to the university, contact information for yourself and your nominee, and a brief description of the achievement. Also include a photo of your nominee if available. Accepted nominees will be featured at the top of Page Two.

EVENTS Clubs & Meetings Thursday Facing the Fear: An Anxiety/ Panic Group, will meet from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Counseling Center. Earth First will meet at 4 p.m. in Evans Liberal Arts, Room 312. New members are welcome. Monday Men Against Violence meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in LBJ Student Center, Room 3-10.1. Tuesday The Chapel of Divine Mercy will be praying at 6 p.m. in the Catholic Student Center’s Chapel.

Events Tuesday Bobcat Pause will be held in the LBJSC Teaching Theater at 5:30 p.m. in honor of Texas State students, faculty and alumni who have passed during 2005.

Arts & Entertainment Thursday Southwest Baroque Ensemble will perform at 8 p.m. in the recital hall. Tickets are $2 for the general public and $1 for students. Hill Country Artists Series will feature pianist John Salmon: The Music of Dave Brubeck, at 7:30 p.m. at the Hays CISD Performing Arts Center in Kyle. Tickets are $10 for the general public and $5 for students and senior citizens. James Houseﬁeld, associate professor of art and design, will have a lecture on “Billboard as Public Art,” from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. at the Joann Cole Mitte Building, Room 2121. Saturday Jennifer Beauregard will perform a senior clarinet recital at 2 p.m. in the recital hall. Fredy Solis will perform a senior clarinet recital at 4 p.m. in the recital hall. Jeffrey Keys and Wallace Stan-

ley will perform a joint junior recital at 6 p.m. in the recital hall. Sunday

WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES

Faculty percussion artist Eric Martin will perform at 2 p.m. in the recital hall. Tickets are $2 for the general public and $1 for students. Amanda Shelton will perform a junior voice recital at 6 p.m. in the recital hall. Monday Faculty artists David Pino, clarinet player, and Frances Wedd, pianist, will perform at 8 p.m. in the recital hall. Tickets are $2 general public and $1 students. Tuesday Adam Booker will perform a junior bass recital at 8 p.m. in the recital hall.

Miscellaneous Thursday There will be a Bobcat Build information meeting in LBJSC, Room 3-7.1. Individuals and group members must stop by between 5 and 8 p.m. Tuesday Financial Aid will host a Tax/ FAFSA session from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Alkek Library. Wednesday Financial Aid is hosting Senior Sendoff to learn to consolidate your loans 10:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the LBJSC.

CALENDAR SUBMISSION POLICY Calendar submissions are free. Send submissions to Calendar of Events at starcalendar@txstate.edu or call (512) 245-3487 for more information. E-mailed press releases will not be accepted. If using e-mail, please submit as a simple bulleted list of essential information. Submissions are on a ﬁrst come, ﬁrst served basis and notices for weekly meetings need to be submitted every week they will take place. The University Star reserves the right to refuse entries or edit for libel, style and space purposes. Deadline: Three working days prior to publication.

Monty Marion/Star photo Recreational administration senior Rolando Esparza pours a cup of free hot chocolate for students on Wednesday in The Quad while promoting Outdoor Recreation’s Adventure Trip Program. For information on upcoming activities and trips, contact the Outdoor Center at (512) 245-2004.

CRIME BL TTER University Police Department March 21, 1:07 a.m. Alcohol: Open Container/ Strahan Coliseum Parking Lot A police officer made contact with a student acting suspiciously. Upon further investigation, the student was issued a citation for open container. March 21, unknown hour Theft under $20,000/ Music Building A student reported to a police officer that university property had been stolen. This case is under investigation. March 21, 8:05 p.m. Possession of Marijuana/ Jackson Hall While serving a warrant, a police officer arrested a student for possession of marijuana and transported to Hays County Law Enforcement Center to await magistration.

March 22, 12:23 a.m. Alcohol: DUI Minor/ CM Allen A police officer made contact with a vehicle for a traffic stop. Upon further investigation, a student was arrested for DUI minor and transported to HCLEC to await magistration. March 22, 3:05 a.m. DOC: Noise/Comanche Hills Apartments A police officer was dispatched for a noise complaint. Upon further investigation, a student was issued a citation for disorderly conduct: noise. San Marcos Police Department March 21, 4:55 p.m. Forgery/630 E. Hopkins St. Forgery at Wal-Mart. March 21, 1:35 p.m. Theft/1716 Hofheinz St. Female reported PSP stolen.

Crime stoppers: UPD: 245-7867, SMPD: 353-TIPS

In the article “Students set sights high with help of Upward Bound,” printed in Tuesday’s edition of The University Star, the name of University of Texas-Pan American counseling specialist Beula Flores was misspelled.

Library Beat Namesake to be present at Wittliff Gallery’s 10th anniversary gala This semester, the Wittliff Gallery of Southwestern & Mexican Photography began its 10th year of “instructing, illuminating and inspiring” on the seventh floor of the Alkek Library. Once considered an undiscovered treasure, it has developed into a high-profile creative center sought out by students, faculty, researchers and visitors — and is now hailed as home to one of the most significant collections of contemporary Mexican photography in the world. In 1996, the Wittliff Gallery opened its doors with an impressive exhibition of work by artists in the collection, including Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Russell Lee, Mariana Yampolsky and Graciela Iturbide. The gallery has had more than 13,000 images by more than 150 photographers. If you have yet to discover all the gallery has to offer, don’t miss the next event on Saturday. Meet Bill Wittliff and see

the exhibition based on his second book with UT Press, La Vida Brinca (“Life Jumps”). The evening begins at 7 p.m. Help yourself to refreshments while viewing more than 60 evocative pinhole-camera photographs. At 8 p.m., enjoy an informal discussion and question-andanswer session with Wittliff, Stephen Harrigan and Elizabeth Ferrer, authors of the book’s introductory essays. A book signing will follow. La Vida Brinca will be for sale for $54.13, tax included. Please R.S.V.P. if you’d like to attend: E-mail wittliffgallery@txstate.edu or call the Special Collections Department at (512) 245-2313. Admission is free. To access exhibit hours and the event calendar, to learn more about the photographs, to tour the exhibits or to conduct research using the growing reserve library of books, journals and ephemera, visit the Wittliff Gallery online at www.txstate. edu. — Courtesy of Alkek Library

Surveying the damage Two native Bolivian women look at the damaged Hotel Riosinho in La Paz, Bolivia, on Wednesday. The hotel is one of two downtown La Paz buildings attacked by terrorists on Tuesday. Bolivian police arrested two people in connection with the attacks.

Patricio Crooker/ KRT

NEWS

Thursday, March 23, 2006

The University Star - Page 3

Scholar program funds students studying the sciences By Marquita Griffin The University Star Twenty-one Texas State students continue to reap the benefits of their membership in the Houston-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, a scholastic program. HLSAMP is a program funded by the National Science Foundation that provides monetary assistance to students majoring in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. HLSAMP is in its sixth year at Texas State. Susan Romanella, director of the Collaborative Learning Center, said the sponsors of the program recognized the need to fund programs that motivate and financially support students with STEM majors. “There is a grave concern that the amount of students graduating with degrees in the sciences is consistently declining,” Romanella said. Texas State is in an alliance with Rice University, Texas Southern University, University of Houston, University of Houston-Downtown and University of Houston-Victoria in order to increase the number of students graduating with bachelor’s degrees, but Romanella said the effort is nationwide as well.

“More than 40 universities participate in this program,” she said. Students accepted into the program are awarded $1,500 each semester, which is renewable for ﬁve years. The scholarship is only renewable if each scholar meets the Plan of Action. The Plan of Action requires scholars to enroll in a minimum of 12 hours, maintain an overall and major GPA of 2.5, attend ﬁve workshops per semester, meet with their mentors each semester and dedicate time to tutoring at the Collaborative Learning Center. “These requirements may seem overwhelming initially,” Romanella said, “but these students are extremely motivated and dedicated. I have not had a problem with them feeling too pressured.” Naureen Wahed, senior scholar and manufacturing engineer senior, said to remain stress-free, scholars must be punctual in meeting the requirements of the program. “It’s a bad idea to wait until the last minute to attend all your workshops,” Wahed said. “I kept up with everything since the beginning of this semester. Waiting until April would have been a mistake.” Romanella said the require-

“T

his program will open doors of tremendous opportunity.”

— Susan Romanella director of the Collaborative Learning Center

ments are not simply rules of HLSAMP, but a means to help the scholars succeed both academically and professionally. “This program will open doors of tremendous opportunity,” she said. David Delgado, scholar and physics senior, agreed about the opportunities provided through HLSAMP. “(HLSAMP) is very beneﬁcial to your future,” Delgado said. “I have had numerous chances to meet people and network through conferences put on by HLSAMP.” Networking is a common desire among many graduating seniors; it provides a student with professional contacts who may be able to help the graduate get a job or even employ the graduate. Wahed said the requirements

also provide “experience that actually looks good on a résumé.” One of the requirements of the scholars is to choose a track — research, internship or conference. Each one of these tracks provides the scholar with profound contact with some aspect of his or her field of study. “Research experience just looks beautiful on our résumés,” Delgado said. “Yes, you will put a ton of work into this program,” Wahed said, “but the bottom-line is this: You will get it all back with all the benefits you receive.” Lissette Gomez, scholar and biology senior, said she was informed about the program through a friend, and she is glad she joined. HLSAMP not only awards scholarships, but it provides motivation, support and lifelong benefits for any student with a science, technology, engineering or mathematics major. Wahed said she has already experienced some of her benefits. “I have met people who used to be scholars here (Texas State), and we stay in touch to this day, even though they have graduated,” she said. “They are all professionals in their fields, and I have even received an offer from one of them.”

Healthy Relationships Week aims to promote positive discussion around campus, community By Robert Best The University Star Healthy Relationships Week, a program that aims to create discussion about relationships and diversity among the Texas State community, kicks off next week with a series of events ranging from comical to somber subjects. The weeklong event opens with an art contest in the Gaillardia Gallery on Monday. The artwork entered will appear in the gallery throughout Healthy Relationships Week, and the winner of the contest will receive an iPod nano. The submission deadline has passed, but students and faculty are both welcome to attend the event from 7 to 9 p.m. Each day of Healthy Relationships Week has a theme and Monday’s is “The Art of Relationships: Deﬁning and Living.”

“W

e tried not to supply too many rules and regulations so that students feel open to convey any feelings they may have about any type of relationship that they have encountered.”

— Nathan Rome Student Health Resource Center student intern

Nathan Rome, Student Health Resource Center student intern and member of the Healthy Relationships Week committee, said the art should deal with relationships. “We tried not to supply too many rules and regulations so that students feel open to convey any feelings they may have about any type of relationship that they have encountered,” Rome said.

“The Violence of Relationships” will be covered at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the LBJ Student Center Ballroom. Representatives from Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center, along with their associates, will lead a discussion panel over different aspects of sexual assault. The week will continue on Wednesday with “The Humor in Relationships.” At 7 p.m., The 40 Year Old Virgin will be played in

www.UniversityStar.com

the LBJ Teaching Theatre. “The movie will put a fun spin on relationships, and there will be a discussion afterwards,” said Julie Eckert, peer education coordinator. Students will be able to get information in The Quad from different San Marcos community organizations on Thursday. “The Facts About Relationships” theme will allow students who are concerned about their relationships or sexual health to get information. The Quad will also be home to the “Healthy Relations Fair” that day. The fair will feature Jeopardy-style games that relate to relationships, and students will have a chance to win prizes. “The events will be both educational and fun,” Eckert said. “Healthy Relationships Week will educate students who have misconceptions about relationships.”

HLSAMP is one of the few organizations that allows freshmen to join their first semester in college, and Delgado said allowing freshman to apply “helps take out the fear” of beginning college as a science, technology, engineering or mathematics major. “Most freshmen are unsure of how to succeed, and this program makes sure they do,” Romanella said. “We have mentors who help them figure out what they want to do, when they want to do it and how they want to do it.” Romanella said the required workshops are also helpful for the scholars. The next workshop, “Everything you always wanted to know about graduate school, but were too afraid to ask,” is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. on April 6 in the Roy F. Mitte Complex, Room 4202. This workshop is an extension of a previous workshop that also discussed graduate school. This first workshop featured the faculty’s perspective about graduate school, but the workshop on April 6 will feature a panel of graduate students at Texas State giving their perspective of graduate school. “I think the scholars will appreciate the advice from graduate students,” Romanella said. “The icing on the cake of this

program is its continuation into graduate school.” Alliances for Graduate Education in the Professoriate is the continuation of the HLSAMP program. According to the organization, “AGEP is designed to support graduate enrollment of science, technology, engineering and mathematics students, Ph.D. degree completion and academic excellence for all.” AGEP is also funded by the National Science Foundation. Although HLSAMP’s purpose is to ﬁnancially support STEM students, Romanella said the scholars are the core of the program. The HLSAMP Web site has a link dedicated to the 21 scholar’s proﬁles and tutoring schedules. “(The scholars) are the ones who keep the program going and worthwhile,” she said. “Any students interested should apply; there’s nothing to lose, but plenty to gain.” For more information, visit the HLSAMP Web site at http://www.cs.txstate. edu/~hlsamp/, or contact Susan Romanella by telephone at (512)245-7464 or by e-mail at sr23@txstate.edu.

Bobcats encouraged to join in five-mile walk for heart health By Robert Best The University Star The American Heart Association Heart Walk is scheduled for Saturday at Bobcat Stadium. This will be the second consecutive year Texas State has hosted the event, which will include a ﬁve-mile walk beginning at Bobcat Stadium and traveling through Sewell Park. Following the non-competitive walk’s conclusion, there will be entertainment, health screenings, children’s activities and free food. The Heart Walk is designed to raise money for the prevention of heart disease. The proceeds support research and heart-healthy lifestyle programs. Texas State has donated close to $1,000 so far and the number is rising. Several Bobcat athletes signed up for the event and the athletic department is urging students to join. “Texas State athletes have ac-

cepted the challenge to help ﬁght heart disease and stroke by participating in the annual event,” said Ron Mears, director of athletic media relations. For a $100 donation, students will receive a Heart Walk TShirt. When the donation amount goes up, so do the matching prizes. For those wishing to dig deep, a donation of $10,000 or more will yield a Marriott gift certiﬁcate and The Destination upright luggage case. Also included are a Panasonic TV/DVD and a home theater system. More than 60 million Americans have heart disease and it ranks as the No. 1 killer in the United States. “My grandfather died from heart disease and so do millions of other people,” said Blaine Williams, undecided junior. “I got some friends to donate with me because it truly is an important cause.”

Page 4 - The University Star

NEWS

Thursday, March 23, 2006

SKELETON: Anthropology students bone up on forensic science at body recovery school CONTINUED from page 1

Mark Decker/Star photo INTO THE WOODS: Hays County Sheriff’s Ofﬁce deputies and Texas State students head into the woods during their search for forensic evidence. The inaugural workshop at Texas State was a training session for both ofﬁcers and anthropology students.

said two others are already in the works. The $450 police fees and $300 student fees for the course went to research in the field of anthropology. “They are already asking us about other schools because it’s been such a success so far,” Melbye said. Attending officers came from several different police forces and sheriff ’s offices — some local and some as far as Hidalgo County and Pasadena, Texas. The course helped fulfill the 40 hours of training required in the course of a two-year period officers need to advance in rank and receive special licenses. “I know we do at the very minimum 40 hours a year. That’s at least double the minimum,” said Travis County Deputy Sheriff Joseph Flores. Travis County Detective Billy Poole said the training is required only for officers in specialized fields, such as crime scene or homicide units. Nine Texas State anthropology students, six graduate students and three undergraduate students made up the “Skeleton Crew,” which helped Melbye with the four-day school. “A lot of us have thesis topics that pertain to what’s being talked about this week,” said Adam Richards, forensic anthropology graduate student. The students buried and hid human remains for the dogs and police officers to find. “We laid out clues that (course participants) are going to look at in the next couple days,” Rich-

“A

lot of us have thesis topics that pertain to what’s being talked about this week.”

— Adam Richards forensic anthropology graduate student

ards said. The case laid out for the search and recovery school closely resembled the one Melbye helped solve years ago while working in Toronto, Canada involving a 14year-old girl. “The essence of this case that was so important is I identified an articulated hip joint. This means that the hip joint is in place as if the person was alive,” Melbye said. Melbye found the girl’s underwear about 40 feet away from the body in good condition without damage from wolves. This evidence, along with the fact that the girl’s hip joint was still in place, allowed Melbye to determine she was not wearing them at the time of her death. “I was able to determine the crime was a sexual attack, and any death caused in the commission of a sex act is first-degree murder,” Melbye said. The forensic evidence Melbye gathered at the crime scene helped garner a first-degree murder conviction. For their help with the course, the Texas State students attended all the lectures and demon-

strations for free. Three University of Texas anthropology students enrolled in the Advanced Body Search and Recovery School as well. “We’re all excited to have all these people in forensics from all over,” Richards said. On Sunday, participants heard hour-long lectures on topics such as geographic profiling, the body search, and underwater search and recovery at the LBJ Student Center on Texas State campus. Texas State professor Kim Rossmo lectured on the investigative strategy he invented called geographic profiling. Geographic profiling uses computer software to help locate serial murderers, rapists and arsonists based on the locations of their crimes. His methods are now used internationally. The next three days consisted of demonstrations and field exercises held at Grady Early’s 140-acre ranch. Early is a retired Texas State computer science professor who has friends in the anthropology department. “About four or five years ago, I got interested in anthropology and began taking some courses,” Early said. “I just got fascinated by it.” Early considers himself a math and science man, but decided to try some courses in liberal arts. “I’ve always heard that anthropology is the most scientific of the liberal arts, or the most liberal of the sciences,” Early said. See FORENSICS, page 6

NEWS

Thursday, March 23, 2006

The University Star - Page 5

IDLING: Vehicles more than 14,000 lbs. subject to new idling ordinance CONTINUED from page 1

Mark Decker/Star photos HUMAN OR ANIMAL BONES: (Above) Texas State professor Jerry Melbye excavates a potential gravesite to remove any remains that can be used for cadaver identiﬁcation. (Right) Biology graduate student Terrie Simmons studies bones she found along a dry creek bed during the Advanced Body Search and Recovery School. Forensic anthropologists must be able to identify more than just human bones — they must also possess a basic knowledge of animal bones.

Smith urged the council to look into what he called ridiculous practices of the Fire Marshall’s Ofﬁce in reference to code enforcement. Those actions, he said, are having similar effects on his attitude toward the city. The purpose of the citizen comment portion of council meetings is to allow residents to ask council members to place an item on a future agenda. Since Smith made his comments during the citizen comment portion of the meeting, the council could not respond to his allegations. Several phone calls made to Bose were unreturned at press time. The council also approved an ordinance prohibiting certain types of vehicles from idling for more than ﬁve minutes within the city limits. City Manager Dan O’Leary said the city, along with several other areas in Central Texas, agreed to adopt similar ordinances meant to reduce air pollution caused by idling vehicles. “We agreed to a plan to help

reduce emissions for air quality, and this is one of the ones that we agreed we would do,” O’Leary said. “So this would be an ordinance that would actually prohibit a vehicle of 14,000 pounds or more from idling for more than five minutes at a time … in San Marcos. There is a similar ordinance that all the jurisdictions in Central Texas have passed.” Violations of the ordinance could result in the owner of the vehicle receiving up to a $500 fine. Bill Gill, director of air quality planning at the Capital Area Council of Governments, spoke to the council about the numerous exemptions in the ordinance. “I think there are about 10 to 12 exemptions built into this rule because of the recognition that there are many cases where the vehicles will need to idle — if they’re caught in traffic, obviously, if it’s an emergency vehicle, if it’s a vehicle that needs to operate the primary engine to run mechanical devices to do its job,” Gill said.

Page 6 - The University Star

NEWS

Thursday, March 23, 2006

FORENSICS: Maggots, beetles can hold keys to cadavers’ DNA CONTINUED from page 4

Early allows Melbye and the anthropology students to use his home to decompose animal carcasses and perform a number of other experiments. Although he is two courses away from a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, Early has no plans for a career in the field. Monday began with a demonstration in forensic entomology on Early’s ranch. Jeff Tomberlin, assistant professor of forensic entomology at Texas A&M University, gave an insect collection demonstration off monkey remains Melbye put out the night before. Insects found on a human body help investigators determine the amount of time since the victim’s death. Tomberlin provided his onlookers with a handout on what to collect, how to collect it and how to preserve it on Sunday in a lecture. He instructed the crowd to collect 10 to 15 species of each maggot or beetle because there may be a high rate of variation. Tomberlin also said maggots will carry the DNA of the human it feeds on. Even if the body is no longer around, the remaining maggots can provide important clues to solving the case. Some states, such as New Jersey, are initiating standards of procedures for forensic entomological collection at crime scenes. “Entomology is old, but this is new,” Tomberlin said. “Part of my job is to make sure you know it.” John Mosley led the San Marcos Area Recovery Team cadaver dog demonstration. As is often the case at crime scenes, wolves scavenged the human remains intended for the cadaver dog demonstration sometime Sunday night, so Melbye provided two smaller, older human samples instead. Mosley shrunk the dogs’ search area significantly as a result. Mosley said the dogs are driven to find the bodies in an attempt to be rewarded with their toys. When the dogs locate human remains, they sit and stare at their handlers.

inding a body can be very tricky, “F and line searches are done by police often. It’s my experience cops are fond of having a forensic anthropologist along.”

— Jerry Melbye anthropology professor and forensic anthropologist

“Being cadaver dogs, they are taught to never ever, ever, ever touch the sample,” Mosley said. The SMART handlers performed the search three separate times with three different dogs: Quinta, Tinka and Bock. Each dog found the sample of human leg quickly, but required more time to ﬁnd the placenta sample. “Dogs are weak on placenta scents, but the reason we train them on it is for the ‘dump the baby in the dumpster’ routine,” Mosley said. Mosley said that the handler’s training is just as important as the dog’s training for successful body recovery. After lunch, the school moved to the San Marcos Cemetery for a ground-penetrating radar demonstration, and then to the university’s archaeology lab for metal detector techniques. Tuesday morning, the group conducted a line search on Early’s property to ﬁnd the buried human remains. All participants, except the skeleton crew, lined up an arm’s length apart from one another and slowly moved forward searching the ground in front of them for any clues to the location of the victim’s grave. “Finding a body can be very tricky, and line searches are done by police often,” Melbye said. “It’s my experience cops are fond of having a forensic anthropologist along.” Melbye reminded his team to look for areas of disturbed earth and piles of branches or stone, which criminals often pile on top of the burial site. The search came to a halt several times for areas of disturbed earth and animal bones before the team found a human skull. Melbye said coyotes often scavenge the shallow graves murders bury their victims in, and it

is common to find the skull as far as 200 yards away from the grave. “Coyotes play with skulls just like a dog plays with a ball,” Melbye said. The group quickly located the grave on a hillside a few feet from the skull. After lunch, the search party laid out a grid from the grave down the hill and received instruction in mapping the position of the body. The last day of the course was reserved for analyzing crime scene data, forensic evidence and instruction on the detective’s job. The group worked together to solve the crime scenario using the knowledge they gained throughout the week. Melbye also discussed his plans for a Texas State Body Ranch where students will have the opportunity to work with real human bodies in different disposal scenarios. “We’re pretty excited about this, and we’ve gotten a lot of support from the university,” Melbye said. The university has yet to find land for the ranch, but once Melbye’s dream is realized, the ranch will be protected from trespassers by a high barbedwire fence. Melbye said several people already offered to donate their bodies to the project, and anthropology students will learn a lot from the project. “The body donations are strictly for science,” Melbye said. Police officers often uncover crime scenes where evidence has been disturbed by predators or natural forces, making the case difficult to solve — but for officers who took the course from the man some call “Dr. Bones,” it may be a little easier to unearth the truth that lies beneath the surface.

NEWS

Thursday, March 23, 2006

GM makes offers to 126,000 workers in massive buyout effort By Rick Popely and Jim Mateja Chicago Tribune CHICAGO — General Motors Corp., the United Auto Workers, and the auto giant’s biggest supplier, Delphi Corp., agreed to a deal to pay roughly 126,000 workers to leave their jobs in what is believed to be the biggest corporate buyout ever. As part of the agreement, GM, awash in $10 billion in red ink, is offering buyouts to its entire hourly work force of 113,000. Another 13,000 workers at bankrupt Delphi will get retirement offers. The bold and historic move is the biggest acknowledgement yet that the automaker, which employed nearly 500,000 union workers in the United States 20 years ago when its market share was 40 percent, is no longer the force it once was in the auto industry. Toyota Motor Corp. sits on GM’s bumper, ready to overtake the Detroit-based automaker in worldwide sales as early as this year. The move also signals that the days of guaranteed, high-paying auto jobs that helped build the Midwest’s rock-solid middle class throughout several decades is nearing a tumultuous end. Thousands of such jobs will be replaced with new ones that pay a fraction of current wages as GM and other domestic automakers adjust to smaller roles in a new global economy. “(GM) has too many plants and too many people, both white and blue collar,” said Burnham Securities analyst David Healy. “The attrition of its labor force has been running from 4 to 6 percent a year, and that’s not enough. “Its overhead structure supports a company that has a 30 percent share of the market when GM has a 25 percent share and nearly 25 percent of its (manufacturing) capacity is not working.”

That’s why GM is enticing United Auto Workers members to retire with buyouts of $35,000 to $140,000, depending on the employees’ age and length of service. After posting a $10.6 billion loss last year, the bulk of it in North America, GM is racing to trim at least 30,000 union jobs by 2008 in a downsizing that includes closing nine plants and eliminating about 20 percent of its production capacity — or roughly one million vehicles a year. GM on Wednesday wouldn’t say how many employees it expects to take the offers. It recently jettisoned its plan to eliminate the jobs mainly through attrition because it realized it didn’t have time for that during weeks of complex negotiations with the UAW and Delphi. The situation is made more tenuous by the bankruptcy of Delphi, a move that still has the potential to push GM itself into bankruptcy. Delphi, which was once part of GM, warned in a statement on Wednesday that it still plans to file motions in bankruptcy court on March 31 to void its union contracts if workers don’t agree to lower wages and benefits. Talks continued Wednesday between Delphi and its unions. UAW members at Delphi make $65 an hour in wages and benefits, the same as GM workers, and Delphi has said it wants to slash that to less than $25. The unions have threatened to strike if Delphi files to void their contracts. A strike could halt GM’s production within days because it depends on Delphi for critical parts for its North American-built models. A strike that lasts a few weeks could spell doom for GM. Analysts estimated Wednesday that the buyouts and pension liabilities from Delphi would cost GM $1.8 billion to

$2 billion. GM previously said it would spend about $1.7 billion on eliminating jobs and closing plants, though the amount could increase as workers agree to retire. David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research, said the buyouts are GM’s only route to lowering costs. “The cost of a full-time worker is about $130,000 a year, but when you get them to take early retirement the cost falls to about $50,000,” Cole said. “When the worker actually reaches retirement age (and collects Social Security), it falls to about $20,000. So there is a lot of payback to GM here.” Getting GM workers to retire also will open positions at GM for about 8,500 Delphi and GM workers in the “jobs bank,” where union members on permanent layoff get paid for not working or for doing community service. Delphi, which spent $400 million last year on the jobs bank, has said it will try to eliminate it in bankruptcy court. Cole said the settlement provides a road map on how to resolve two major uncertainties, the relationship between Delphi and GM and whether GM would be able to downsize its workforce. He also said the deal “has defused the potential for a strike. No one wanted one. It was an available tool, but not a viable option.” However, Merrill Lynch analyst John Murphy said “the risk of a strike has not been eliminated” and noted that GM still faces several major issues, including trying to sell a majority interest in its GMAC ﬁnance unit and the prospect of continued operating losses in North America this year. GM lost nearly $5.9 billion in North America last year. Murphy estimated that GM will spend “well in excess of one billion” in buyouts for its workers.

The University Star - Page 7

PET OF THE WEEK PURRING PARTNER: Chip is a playful gray and white neutered cat looking for a loving owner to care for him. If you are interested in adopting Chip or would like more information, contact the San Marcos Animal Shelter at (512) 393-8340. Chip’s identiﬁcation number is 30158.

Spencer Millsap/ Star photo

TRENDS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

Thursday, March 23, 2006 - Page 8

happeningsof the weekend san marcos

Thursday Cheatham Street Warehouse – Mark David Manders Lucy’s – Muldoon, The Canvas Waiting Riley’s Tavern – Back Porch Mary The Triple Crown – Subtle Creeps, Grudgeweary, Mind Divided

Friday Cheatham Street Warehouse – The Hudsons Lucy’s – Jack Ingram Riley’s Tavern – Donny Taylor Band The Triple Crown – The Lemurs, The Warning

Saturday Cheatham Street Warehouse – Django Walker Lucy’s – Chris Vicious Presents… Riley’s Tavern – The Swindles The Triple Crown – Ampliﬁed Heat, Ugly Beats

Trends Contact — Kyle Bradshaw, starentertainment@txstate.edu

HIP HOP HASID

A.D. Brown/Star photo illustration

Reggae grooves of Matisyahu bring Jewish spirituality to the masses By David Michael Cohen The University Star AUSTIN — It was 6:28 p.m. on a Friday — five minutes before sundown — and Sony’s hottest new music star was facing the very real prospect of having to leave his luggage out on the street for the next 24 hours. The Sabbath was about to start, during which Orthodox Jews are forbidden to carry anything outdoors, and Matisyahu Miller was having trouble finding the bed-and-breakfast where he had reserved a room 10 minutes earlier for himself and his father, Bob Miller. Matisyahu, 26, was in town to play at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q the next night, March 18, while touring for Youth, his third compact disc and his first studio effort for the Sony label Epic. He had planned to stay with his father at the Chabad House on 21st Street and Nueces Street — the center of Jewish outreach to the University of Texas for the Lubavitch branch of Hasidic Judaism with which Matisyahu is affiliated. But when they arrived there late Friday afternoon, they found the house too crowded with visitors in town for South by Southwest, rabbis visiting to take part in Chabad’s

celebration of Purim on March 15, and, of course, Jewish UT students hoping to spend Shabbos with the reggae superstar. As the Millers tried to get their luggage in the door at the bed-and-breakfast a block north of Chabad, a bewildered female guest explained to them that this was not the Star of Texas Inn. A phone call by Matisyahu confirmed that his reservations were actually at another location. The proprietor of the Star of Texas walked down to meet Matisyahu, after which it was a mad dash to get the luggage into the hotel and find his credit card to pay for the room before the Sabbath descended. Not the kind of situation you’d expect to find an artist whose album just debuted on The Billboard 200 at No. 4, but then everything about Matisyahu defies expectations. Born Matthew Miller and raised in White Plains, N.Y., within the liberal Reconstructionist movement of Judaism, he had rebelled against the extra class time required by the Hebrew school his par-

ents made him attend and was almost kicked out several times for disrupting classes, according to the bio on his Web site. Nor did he feel engaged in his public high school classes; instead, he learned to beat-box while hanging with hippies in the back of class. Matthew’s inner spiritual quest began with a camping trip to Colorado after high school and took many strange turns, from a sojourn in Israel to following Phish on a national tour, to a wilderness tour in Oregon where he honed his reggae and hip-hop sound, to the hippiefriendly Carlebach Shul, a syna— Matisyahu gogue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. A chance meeting with a Lubavitch rabbi in the park led Matthew to explore and eventually dedicate himself to Hasidic teaching and the discipline of Jewish law and to change his name to its Hebrew equivalent, Matisyahu. These disparate inﬂuences have given Matisyahu’s performances a paradoxical quality that was very much in evidence at Stubb’s on March 11 and

o them, “T it’s all about the music.

Nobody freaks out that I don’t play on Shabbos.”

the next night at Warehouse Live in Houston. Both venues were the scenes of a most unlikely sight: sold-out crowds of hip 20-somethings dancing, hopping and chanting along for an hour and a half with the bearded, black-hatted Lubavitcher on stage. Matisyahu’s tzitzis — the ritual knotted tassels that hang from the shirts of observant Jewish men — danced in the air like dreadlocks as he commanded the audience’s applause with his energetic stage performance and piercing vocals, all while nursing an inner ear infection. Such a broad appeal seems a small miracle in itself, given his very particular religious subject matter, but somehow Matisyahu seems to be able to bridge the gap. For example, at the Houston show the crowd was all rapt attention while he crooned “Shir Hama’alos” — Psalm 126, which is sung before the grace after meals on Jewish holidays — completely in Hebrew. And two uncomfortable-looking Hasidim could be seen smiling wryly in the back of the packed club as Matisyahu led thousands of mostly non-Jewish audience members in chants of “Build up the Temple one brick at a time!” and “We want Moshiach (Hebrew See MATISYAHU page 12

Motion City Soundtrack wows Emo’s audience Maira Garcia The University Star Their songs are easy to sing along with and even easier to dance to, so it’s no wonder there was a room full of people was when Motion City Soundtrack took the stage at Emo’s on March 7. The band, known for its infectious power-pop punk songs and a singer with tall hair, played a sold-out show at its Austin stop for their current headlining tour. While spectators were just getting warmed up, watching opening acts on the main stage, things were a little quieter on the Motion City Soundtrack tour bus. Bassist Mark Taylor sat toward the back looking calm and collected despite the noise blaring at the bus from the venue. Taylor joined the band after the ﬁrst album, I Am The Movie, was released on Epitaph Records, almost three years ago. Their quirky single, “The Future Freaks Me Out,” became an underground hit and

has come to deﬁne the band for fans, as it portrays their sense of humor and strangeness. “Before I actually joined the band, I had the earlier version of I Am the Movie, and I would listen to it all the time,” Taylor said. “This song is so much fun to listen to, which is weird to say now that I am in the band.” Since then, Motion City Soundtrack released Commit This To Memory in the summer of 2005, a collaborative effort between all the members of the band. Although the band was pleased by the results, music critics didn’t seem to think the same. This hasn’t stopped the band from selling out shows nationwide or getting a spot on the main stage at this year’s Warped Tour. “It’s like putting your baby out there for the world to put its hands on,” Taylor said. The band’s music is ﬁlled with heavy doses of pop and interesting noises from keyboardist/Moog player Jesse Johnson. Lyrics from vocalist

Justin Pierre about cinema, phobias and even more melancholy subjects, such as in their single “Hold Me Down,” helped expand their musical repertoire. “If you look at some of the other material, a lot of lyrics are a bit more serious and sometimes pretty aggressive lyrics disguised under a fun-

sounding song,” Taylor said. This is what makes Motion City Soundtrack so captivating to listeners. Their ability to intermix dark lyrics with upbeat melodies gives them a broad fan base. People don’t just listen to them play their shows, because the audience becomes a part of See SOUNDTRACK, page 12 COMMITTED:

Motion City Soundtrack made a stop at Emo’s in Austin in support of their second album, Commit This To Memory, which was produced by Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus.

Courtesy of Stunt Company Media

TRENDS

Thursday, March 23, 2006

The University Star - Page 9

Instrumentals maybe the only thing that saves Plague Dogs from dying By Stephen Lloyd The University Star

Courtesy of Too Pure Records FABULOUS: Stereolab’s Fab Four Square was released on March 7. The band will perform at 9 p.m. on Friday at LaZona Rosa.

Fab new release from Stereolab n Fab, we ﬁnd this band fresh and Iband better than ever. It’s amazing that a that has been making music for By Sam Ladach-Bark The University Star

During the past decade, the name Stereolab has been synonymous with synth-pop. These indierock junkmusic ies helped review pioneer this ✯✯✯✯ now-popular style of muStereolab sic and have Fab Four Suture influenced Too Pure/Begcountless gars Banquet bands over the years. Their 2006 installment, Fab Four Suture, brings fans everything they love about the band and much more. It is a compilation of pre-released and limited edition EP’s that have been released since Fall 2005. In Fab, we ﬁnd this band fresh and better than ever. It’s amazing that a band that has been making music for almost a decade and a half still ﬁnd ways to reinvent its sound. Fab is all about layers and forging into unknown electronic territory, in which the band brings

almost a decade and a half still ﬁnd ways to reinvent its sound.

so much more than just a traditional Moog synthesizer. By borrowing themes from previous work and fusing them into the compilation, this may be some of their strongest work since Loops and Dots. “I Was a Sunny Rainphase” shows their new afﬁnity for well-organized electronic beats as it creates a scattered backdrop for the band’s time-honored vocals and synthesizer. Laetitia Sadier’s soft, dreamy voice has not changed a bit since starting the band with Timothy Gaine in 1990. On the opener “Kyberneticka Babicka Pt. 1,” Sadier paints an ethereal futuristic landscape without words. Fab also gives the listener immense diversity, from the poppy beat of “Get a Shot Of the Refrigerator” to the experimental quirky sound of “Vodiak,” while “Whisper Pitch” stretches their legs further with concise use of horns and guitar to cool the

listener off. Within the songs themselves, wonderfully crafted transitions keep things crisp. And for hard-core fans, Fab also delivers Sadier’s sexy French lyrics in “Window Weirdo.” With this being the ﬁrst album Stereolab has released since being dropped by Warner Brothers, this fearless U.K. group has proved they could never be counted down and out. Their listeners, who probably span several generations, have found their indie-rock heroes back in saddle and apparently fully recovered from background vocalist Mary Hansen’s tragic death in 2002. Judging from this solid compilation of classic Stereolab infused with all new techniques and genres, we can look forward to much more from these synth-rock icons. Stereolab will perform songs from Fab Four Suture at 9 p.m. on Friday at La Zona Rosa in Austin.

Athens, Georgiabased Heroes S e v e r u m ’s second album Plague Dogs is infectious. The jagged music danceable review rhythms ✯✯✯ recall the Heroes Severum pogo-ready Plague Dogs sounds of Two Sheds Music the ’80s. The crunchy, distorted guitar is reminiscent of Iggy Pop and SleaterKinney. And then the band brings the funk a-la Sly and The Family Stone. The first track, “Let’s Go Swimming,” which feels shorter than eight minutes and 37 seconds, seems tailor-made to be a single. But that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad song. The driving, funky rhythm is infectious and the coronet adds an interesting ska-like sound to the mix. Around half of “Party Next Door” is a hypnotic, funky instrumental. Rhythm guitar fuzz lumbers around in the background as the thinner, clearer lead guitar shows off in front. The vocals of guitarist/vocalist Eric Friar, when they do kick in, don’t help the song. It’s in a talk-sing style much like that of Cake, but the difference is that Cake has managed to pull it off. “I Can” features lead vocals by guitarist/vocalist Mandy Branch, and while they aren’t as flat as Friar’s, her slight twang doesn’t fit the music. It doesn’t seem altogether organic. But as before, the energetic, funky instrumentation redeems the song. The vocals on “And Introducing…” are layered and actually serve the song well. The

song also has a drum-heavy, fractured rhythm that are reminiscent of Primus. The saxophone on “A Sick Dog” gives the song a jazz ﬂavor, but one that’s closer to Tom Waits than to John Coltrane. The tempo, which is more laid back than on the rest of the album, helps achieve this as well. The vocals this time around are softer and more multi-faceted also. The ﬁnal track, “The Great Auk,” is the least-funky song on the album, featuring steady, monotone guitar strumming and soft keyboard blips, all of which are reminiscent of bands like The Cure and Joy Division.

But Friar’s dissonant vocals offset this once again. The song is eight minutes and 37 seconds long but is nothing but silence after around ﬁve minutes. But then Branch’s a cappella and slightly echoed vocals begin. Her twang works well here, as she appears to sing a completely different song in the style of old American folk. It’s certainly an interesting and unexpected way to end this album. Despite the clash between the vocals and the instrumentation, this is an enjoyable album. And ultimately, the odd vocal style, among other aspects, creates a sound that’s unique from other funk-rock bands.

Courtesy of Team Clermont DOG SHOW: Heroes Severum’s second album, Plague Dogs, serves up crunchy rock with added funk and jazz ﬂavors.

TRENDS

Page 10 - The University Star

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Rock band opens up about music influences By Jessica Tenery The University Star Like the Ramones, The Pixies and The Replacements, Squint’s main purpose is to do one thing — rock. This Louisiana quartet artfully fuses punk, alternative and pop while leadvocalist Dane Adrian delivers unbound energy onstage. Squint’s latest CD, Tinsel Life, is a collection of catchy tunes and brooding lyrics. “Anthem for Closure” and “Shadow Shadow” are just a couple of songs that will induce listeners to move along to the catchy melodies. Songs from Tinsel Life have also graced episodes of MTV’s Road Rules and The Real World. The band recently made a couple of stops at Stubb’s and Dirty Dog and is continuing to make their mark on Austin’s music scene. Squint recently returned to Austin for South by Southwest and the Heart of Texas Music Festival. In a recent interview, Adrian answered questions about the band and what it’s like playing in Austin. The University Star: What other bands influence you the most and why? Dane Adrian: Being a group of four members, we have a wide range of influences. I know if you ask the drummer, Tote, who his biggest influence is, he will tell you Indiana Jones — not a band, the movie character. As far as the rest of the band goes, The Pixies are probably the predominate influence on the band. The melodies and sounds they use on their records haunt us. Another big one is The Replacements. We always have sort of identified the most with this band as they aren’t really punk rock and they aren’t really radio rock. I think we fall into that same spot. The Ramones, Soul Asylum, Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, The Decendents, Our Lady Peace all are big influences. Star: How would you describe your music?

AN EYEFUL: Lead singer Dane Adrian and guitarist Matt Fredrickson of the band Squint rocked the crowd last Friday at the Dizzy Rooster during South by Southwest. Squint’s eclectic mix of alternative rock, pop and punk has brought them many followers.

Spencer Millsap/Star photo

DA: Well, we are a rock band. That is the simple answer. Diving deeper into it, I guess we are an alternativerock band with a definite punk influence and definitely a lot of pop influence. So I guess if you had to label it: alterna-poppunk band. How’s that sound? Kinda silly, let’s just go with rock band! Star: Some bands claim that the Austin music scene is too competitive. Do you agree with that? How hard is it to break out into the music scene? DA: We’ve traveled the whole country and haven’t found another place like Austin, Texas — that is for music in general.

Austin is to live music as Nashville is to country music. This is both a wonderful and a terrible thing. From the perspective of the general public, having hundreds of bands playing every night is awesome. From a band’s perspective, or actually a touring band’s perspective, it makes going to Austin difﬁcult, as it’s hard to make a buck in Austin. Plus, it seems that everyone you meet in Austin is in a band; you can’t sell CD’s and shirts to people in bands. So it can be difﬁcult. This being said, we still love the town and the people. Television is a blessing and should be fully embraced by Austin — no other town I’ve been to has their

own music television station. Amazing. Star: How do you come up with ideas for your song lyrics? And who does most of the song writing? DA: Matt (Fredrickson), the guitarist, writes 99 percent of the music, and I write all the words. I’ve tried to let others take a crack at writing our words at times when I’ve hit a block, but I just hate to sing other people’s words, seems insincere to me. When I’m singing, I’m running through each experience again in my head. I’m a million miles away in my head, reliving each experience, which answers the

ﬁrst part of your question. My words almost always come from personal experience. Lately, I’ve been writing more about insight, or what I’ve learned from an experience, which is a little bit different. I like for the listener to be able to walk away from a song and say, ‘That is a song about that’ or ‘Wow, I never thought about it that way.’ Star: What do you like most about playing in Austin? What do you like most about playing in Louisiana? DA: I think what I like most about playing in Austin is that when you actually get a crowd, or walk off stage and get a

compliment or sell an album or shirt to someone — you feel like you won. There is so much music going on around you, every bar has a band and no cover charge, and dollar shots, and dueling pianos and … well, you get the picture … if you actually get through to someone through all that commotion and competition, then you feel like you actually accomplished something. As far as Louisiana goes, it’s our home state. We have so many fans that are also friends, feels like home every time we play. Plus, whenever we play in Louisiana we get to do something we rarely get the opportunity do — sleep in our own beds.

Prince reclaims the crown with 3121 By Brian McCollum Detroit Free Press We knew Prince had it in him; it was just a matter of time. 3121, the Minneapolis s t a r ’ s Mo t ow n music Records review debut and ✯✯✯✯ full-fledged Prince return to the 3121 major-label Motown Records world, is a phenomenal work from front to back — a record that should immediately deliver him to the mainstream stage after years in the creative and commercial wilderness. Cool, funky and teeming with hooks, the album reprises the vintage Prince sound and style without any forced retro clumsiness. It’s the culmination of a re-energized career overhaul that’s been at least two years in the making. Prince released plenty of good music after his notorious 1996 split from Warner Brothers, but often, you needed a little luck and a lot of digging to ﬁnd it amid what became a sprawling mass of uneven releases. 3121, tight and cohesive, quickly eliminates the dilemma. That clichéd complaint about contemporary pop albums with “only one or two good songs”? Not applicable here. Each of these 12 tracks stands strong on its own; any could have ﬁt comfortably on a Prince album circa ’84-’87. With the throwback funk-psychedelia of 2004’s Musicology as its launching point, the new record dives even deeper into Prince’s roots — and into the nether regions where sexy, slinky tunes come soaked in double entendres. It’s clear from the opening title track, with its lusty chorus and Black Album-era groove, that the 47-year-old artist isn’t letting his new emergence as a Jehovah’s Witness stop his oldschool carnal urges, and the musical ambrosia is all over 3121. Creative experiments are all

well and good, but it’s been ages since Prince put together a collection of material this aesthetically consistent, and that’s refreshing. Much of his ’90s work was either congested with sound or minimalist to a fault; here he’s judicious with the layering, crafting distinctive soundscapes while letting the arrangements breathe. He has achieved the balance once so distinct to his work, creating sounds that are interesting for the sake of being interesting, but without overwhelming the songs themselves — in this case such melodic, dance ﬂoor-ready standouts as “Lolita,” “Fury,” “Black Sweat” and “Love.” As the disc rolls into its closing tune, the delicious ’70sstyled soul-funk of “Get On the Boat” with sax man Maceo Parker, you realize just how easy Prince has made all this look. He tosses out the classic Prince material so easily, it’s as if he’s deliberately taunting a decade’s worth of naysayers: “See, I could always do this stuff with my eyes closed.” But that doesn’t mean he seems bored. Far from it: On 3121, to the beneﬁt of all involved, Prince sounds like he’s having more fun than he has in years.

Nicolas Khayat/Abaca Press THE FORMER ARTIST: Prince, shown at the 2004 Rock And Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York City, released his new album, 3121, on Tuesday.

TRENDS

Thursday, March 23, 2006

The University Star - Page 11

Eyes on action rather than plot in Hills By Nixon Guerrero The University Star In yet another chapter in the remake book ✯✯ that is movThe Hills Have ies today, The Eyes Hills Have Dir.: Alexandre Eyes really Aja doesn’t bring Stars: Ted Levine, anything too Aaron Stanford new to the Rated: R cinematic table. To be honest, all that is really improved upon from the 1977 original is the makeup and effects, and boy does it pile them on. But all that means, still, is that Hills is a mere admirable effort with temperate success that will, undoubtedly, evade viewer’s memories as quickly as it had arrived. It’s hard to recommend a movie that has little to nothing to offer, as far as top-notch horror goes. You can’t really say that this movie was a new concept by any means. It’s even harder to not be biased toward a remake. But we need to remember that there are — although limited — good remakes out there, such as King Kong, The Thing, Night and Dawn of the Dead, but the torrent of hapless ones greatly outnumbers the good. Hills tells the story of the Carter family, whose father, Bob (Ted Levine), just has to take the scenic route through the Californian desert during

film review

ut unfortunately, the ﬁlm’s B attempt to establish sympathy and connection for the family in the ﬁrst 30

minutes didn’t entirely succeed. So, as a result, we really don’t care about what happens to the family. their vacation. Here’s what I don’t understand: How scenic can the desert really get? Once you’ve seen one hill, haven’t you pretty much seen them all? So as the family is making their way though the desert, Bob realizes they need gas. They stop at the closest one possible and meet the creepy-as-hell gas attendant. I think it might be the same guy from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or The Children of the Corn or, maybe, even from Race with the Devil. The gas attendant lets Bob know that there’s a shortcut through the hill valley, and it’ll cut his travel time a couple of hours. After heeding the grease monkey’s advice, the family sets off to their doom. What else is new? To make a long movie short: The truck breaks down. The men venture off to ﬁnd help. One does not return — well, he doesn’t return looking the same as when he left. The family is watched, and eventually attacked, by psychotic people that live in the hills. In these scenes, we witness horriﬁc stuff,

truly bloody and gory violence. But unfortunately, the film’s attempt to establish sympathy and connection for the family in the first thirty minutes didn’t entirely succeed. So, as a result, we really don’t care about what happens to the family. And while all this violence is going on, there’s this little deformed or disfigured girl running around doing absolutely nothing for the film. Superfluous casting and writing? I think so. All in all, yes, there are some great FX shots and sequences, but that stuff never makes a movie good. It can only make a good movie better. The ’77 classic was meant to explore the dark recesses of the seemingly innocent mind that most would not figure to venture into the dark, and it really forced the audience to look inside itself and ask, “Could I accomplish the necessary evil to survive, to save my child, to live on?” The remake somehow lost sight of that and ultimately became a sad caricature of its wonderful predecessor. THE HILLS ARE ALIVE: Emilie De Ravin plays a member of the Carter family who is attacked by psychotic hill people in the horror remake The Hills Have Eyes.

Courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Courtesy of Nintendo NOT SOLD IN STORES: While Nintendo’s DS Lite has not been released in the United States, it can be purchased online at auction Web sites like eBay.

Touching gets better: Nintendo readies DS Lite By Bill Rix The University Star While Nintendo’s R&D team may be looking toward Cupertino for now, Japanese store owners are looking down the street at the long lines of eager customers. On March 2, most stores in Japan found themselves sold out of the new Nintendo DS Lite before they even opened their doors. Still, gamers stood on end for blocks just to get a chance to snag one of Nintendo’s new portables, a revamp of their current ﬂagship model, the Nintendo DS. Like the Sony PSP, the Nintendo DS Lite is region-free, meaning that it can play game cartridges made speciﬁcally for other countries. For example, one could insert and play the North American version of a game like Mario Kart DS just as easily as the Japanese version. Even though the DS Lite has not been released stateside, one can be acquired from Internet retailers such as Lik-

Sang or auction sites like eBay. Lik-Sang currently lists the DS Lite at $199.90, so expect to pay a bit extra if you have to have a new DS Lite right now. Arguably, the biggest draw of the DS Lite is the improved backlight, which, in photos and reviews, is leaps and bounds brighter than the current DS system. Gamers can expect 15 to 19 hours of game time on the lowest brightness settings, and ﬁve to eight hours on the brightest. The same four-hour charge time still applies to the DS Lite, but near 20 hours of gaming time on the lowest settings is comparable to the 10 hours one can get out of a normal DS. Aside from being more luminescent, the DS Lite is also 21 percent lighter and 42 percent smaller in volume than the normal DS. Although smaller in size, the screen area remains the same. However, the D-Pad is slightly more than 15 percent smaller, but the A, B, X and Y buttons remain the same size. Fans of the DS will also be glad to hear

that they can put down their chopstick, as the unbearably hard-to-handle stylus has also been beefed up. The DS Lite styli are 1 centimeter longer and 1 millimeter larger in circumference. Additionally, the stylus is now stored in the unit horizontally, rather than vertically as it is in the current DS unit, which makes for a more visually appealing unit. Aesthetically, the DS Lite looks like Apple rather than Nintendo designed it. The basic model is “Crystal White,” and the two other available colors, “Enamel Navy” and “Ice Blue,” are covered in lucite, the same synthetic polymer used on iPods to give them the acrylic look and feel. When the DS Lite unit is closed, it looks sleek and compact, compared to the bulky, ugly look and feel of the current DS. While there is no set date for a North American release of the DS Lite, most speculate that U.S. gamers can expect shipments in early quarter two to late quarter three.

TRENDS/DIVERSIONS

Page 12 - The University Star

✯Star Comics

Thursday, March 23, 2006

MATISYAHU: Stubb’s performance

brings breakout year full circle CONTINUED from page 8

for “messiah”) now!” A.J. Wright, a 28-year-old reggae fan who builds surfboards in San Diego, became interested in Matisyahu after hearing him on the local independent radio station and flew into Austin for the Stubb’s show. He summed up the attitude of many in attendance: “Music’s music. All of reggae’s religious. In one shape or form they’re talking about a higher power. You’ve got to put it in your terms, not necessarily what they think. But that’s what music is. You put it in your terms, in your context.” Matisyahu expressed similar sentiments the night before when addressing the congregants at Chabad: “To (fans and peers within the reggae community), it’s all about the music. Nobody freaks out that I don’t play on Shabbos.” Though a fiery and commanding presence onstage, Matisyahu is surprisingly demure in person. Outside of the few minutes he spent answering questions about his career on Friday night, he spoke little during the Sabbath. And during the Chabad prayer services, notorious for their emotional exuberance, the lanky, 6-foot-4 musician stood aloof, praying silently, while the other young men sang and danced in an energetic circle, slamming their hands on the lectern in religious rapture. The sold-out performance at Stubb’s brought the artist’s breakout year full circle. It was here, in February 2005, that Matisyahu recorded his hit live CD, Live at Stubb’s, which went gold earlier this month and the single from which — “King Without a Crown” — got him massive MTV exposure and radio play across the nation. Asked why the Crown Heights-based musician chose this unlikely venue — so far from home and as famous for its pork ribs as for its music — to record his live album, Matisyahu attributed it to “divine providence,” adding that the providence of executives at JDub Records played a large part as well. He said the nonprofit label, with which he parted ways earlier this month, wanted to prove that his sound could be successful outside the Jewish

A.D. Brown/Star photo MAT MUSIC: Up-and-coming reggae artist Matisyahu performs at Stubb’s BBQ in Austin on March 11.

community. “They wanted to record at the most non-Jewish place possible,” Matisyahu said. “They didn’t want it to be ‘Matisyahu Live at Mende’s Bar Mitzvah.’”

SOUNDTRACK: Punk rock band

discusses future in music industry CONTINUED from page 8

the band, singing every song right along with Pierre. The band feeds off the energy as well, with every member jumping around the stage, shaking their ﬁsts in the air and moving their heads to the beat. Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, who produced Commit This To Memory, helped the band simplify their music and make it easier to play live, according to Taylor. “He would tell us, ‘You don’t have to sing the whole song.

FOR RELEASE MARCH 23, 2006

THE Daily Crossword ACROSS 1 Units of radiation 5 Valli of "The Third Man" 10 Strong desire 14 Screen symbol 15 Diminish 16 Shade of blue 17 Start of Napoleon quote 19 Shuts off 20 Organism requiring oxygen 21 Bobbsey twin 22 Wine character 23 Gets the tab 25 Big name in potato chips 27 Unvarying 30 Part 2 of quote 35 Asserted, formally 36 Show on TV 37 Boyer of baseball 38 Over the hill 39 Singer Judd 42 Hawaiian tuna 43 Poker action 45 Born as 46 Anna of "Nana" 47 Part 3 of quote 50 D.C. old-timers 51 Winglike components 52 Fulda tributary 54 Type of school 57 Recipe abbr. 59 Sluggish 63 Reindeer herder 64 End of quote 66 Curved molding 67 Creepers 68 "The Time Machine" race 69 Bambi, for one 70 Sea eagles 71 Farmer's place? DOWN 1 Dove or Moreno 2 Tooth problem 3 Active person 4 Eavesdropped

Edited by Wayne Robert Williams

You can get to this part and play instrumental for eight to 16 bars,’” Taylor said. The band heeded the advice even though it was a style they were not used to. “Our songs are crammed with vocals; Justin has no room to breathe,” he said. Instead the band opted for more instrumentals and textures using pianos, extra guitar solos and harmonizing vocals, and the entire production was made to sound bigger. The heavy reliance on Pierre’s unique falsetto has been replaced with more emphasis on

the music as a whole. This has given the band extra energy for their shows and a chance to display instrumental talents. Motion City Soundtrack plans to return to the studio in the fall to record their third album, with big expectations as the rise of pop punk continues thanks to bands like Fall Out Boy and Hawthorne Heights. Taylor tries not to think of the band’s rising success, but takes it all in stride. “It’s a dream come true for me,” he said. “I get to do what I love to do, and not many people get to do that.”

my latest tunes Entertainment Editor Kyle Bradshaw reveals what he’s been listening to this past week.

5 Passage between buildings 6 Actress Myrna 7 Victor's cry 8 National park in Alaska 9 Where events occur 10 Implement 11 Casino town 12 Gallivants 13 Otherwise 18 Roundball letters 24 Start of a dig? 26 Org. founded in 1858 27 Wear 28 God of Islam 29 News services 31 Maine college town 32 Pac. pact 33 Waters or Merman 34 Riders' controls 39 Welfare 40 Hawaiian bird 41 __ to say

Parachutes Coldplay

Paul Simon Paul Simon

Five Leaves Left Nick Drake

Favorite track: “Don’t Panic”

Favorite track: “Duncan:

Favorite track: “Time Has Told Me”

SU DO KU Complete the grid so that every row, column, and 3-by-3 box contains every digit from one through nine inclusively.

Wednesday’s solutions:

44 Red fish 46 Used an aerosol 48 Indigenous 49 Subordinate's affirmative 53 Always, to a bard 54 Trudge

Go to www.UniversityStar.com for today’s answers.

55 56 58 60 61

Latest fad Fencer's foil Actor Sean Pineapple firm Organic compound 62 Simon or Diamond 65 Victory sign

OPINIONS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

Thursday, March 23, 2006 - Page 13

quoteof the day

”

“Assuming that both spouses are competent, neither one is a master possessing the power to override the other’s constitutional right to deny entry to their castle.”

Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in his opinion following the court’s 5-3 decision which puts limits on ofﬁcers searching for evidence without a warrant when multiple owners of a home disagree on their consent to search. (Source: The Associated Press)

Opinions Contact — Joe Ruiz, staropinion@txstate.edu

THE MAIN POINT

Procrastination not a crime, but it can land you in jail Since the city of San Marcos announced its involvement in Central Texas’ warrant roundup Feb. 19, more than 500 people in the San Marcos area took the time to make arrangements and resolve their outstanding warrants. “It worked remarkably well, as you see from the numbers from the court. We got people to go in, and made people make some disposition on their ticket,” San Marcos Police Chief Howard Williams told The University Star. “I don’t care if people go to jail. We would much prefer if people would go in when they get a citation and make some disposition on the ticket.” For those still saddled with outstanding warrants, the extra $500 fee tagged on for a failure-to-appear charge could be spent on more worthwhile expenses than settling a debt with the city or other agencies. “Don’t let the fact that you don’t have a lot of money in your pocket stop you from taking care of this,” Williams said in a Feb. 22 story in The Star. “If a warrant has already been issued, if you’ll just go down to the court and take care of it now, nobody’s going to arrest you for showing up to the court to take care of the ticket.” The law enforcement agencies aren’t on a mission to pack jail cells; they just want to get rid of this backlog of paperwork. None of the 501 warrants that was resolved ended in arrest, which you might face if you haven’t yet taken care of the warrant from that traffic stop or parking ticket last year. The need for a dedicated effort to resolve these outstanding warrants, of which the city alone had more than 8,500 as of Feb. 16, can serve as a microcosm of society’s penchant for procrastination. During registration periods and around the first week of fall classes, it’s not abnormal to see lines of people outside the Parking Services office trying to get their permits. It’s also normal to see lines waiting to pay registration at the Cashier’s Office. Even when finals come around, people wait until the last possible minute to start massive term papers, start projects or even remove the shrink-wrap from their textbooks. While drops in grades might seem bad, they can’t really compare to being arrested because you forgot, or waited too long, to resolve that ticket for speeding on Interstate 35. Basically, we as college students should recognize and accept that we need to be more mature in our decision-making. If you haven’t yet resolved your outstanding warrants, do so before it’s too late. The Main Point is the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board. Columns are the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the full staff, Texas State University-San Marcos Student Media, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Texas State UniversitySan Marcos.

Bush’s actions call for impeachment I’ve come to The two overthe conclusion whelming traits of that George Bush’s presidency W. Bush is the have been hubris and stupidest carindifference. Hubris bon-based life is, of course, foolform on the ish and overbearing planet. I mean pride. The indifferSEAN WARDWELL the man never ence should be selfStar Columnist was College Bowl evident. Looking at material to begin the videos provided with, but his by The Associated ability to boldly go where no Press it is obvious that Bush imbecile has gone before just just didn’t give a damn about leaves me awestruck. Bush New Orleans. He looks like a truly is the space program of guy that thought he landed dumb. He goes out into the his dream job only to discover void further and faster than that he actually had to work. the rest of us. He’s just … out Listen to him talk about Iraq. there. According to him, it’s all The only proof I need sunshine and gumdrops with of this is the incident with absolutely no chance of civil a United Arab Emirates war. However, I think when company looking to manthey start blowing up each age operations at six major other’s mosques, it pretty American ports. Thankfully, much means it’s on. the deal is off, and it has been So, going back to the misdiscussed ad nauseum, but management of the port deal, still, the political side of it was Bush, once again, thought his so badly handled I’m honestly re-election (or should I say shocked. election) gave him a free ride Am I being harsh? Perhaps — people who have approval I am. Sometimes in politics ratings as low as his don’t get it is difﬁcult to separate the free rides though. Approval personal from the political. ratings aren’t everything of There have been good men course, but when Bush has and women that suffered, been polling in the mid-30s because they just trusted the for the past few weeks. I think wrong people or just didn’t it says something — somehave charisma. Usually, histhing like, “we don’t like or tory vindicates these people, trust you anymore.” Take that and we ﬁnd a later respect for for a test drive and see where them. I don’t see Bush in that it gets you. category though. Now, Bush is saying that

because the port deal fell through, it will hurt American business. Well, in Bush’s bizarro world I can see how that might be true. However, I see American companies having control of American ports as a good thing. I mean it’s not like they are any more or less safe given the inexcusable state of port security in this country, but I like the semantics of it. I’m going to throw this out there and see how it resonates. I believe Bush should be impeached. I know, I know, he didn’t commit the horrible sin of getting blown by an intern in the West Wing, but nobody had to die when Clinton lied. That’s all I’m saying. When a war is started under clearly false pretenses (“We know he has weapons of mass destruction,”) that to date has cost more than 2,000 American lives, and who knows how many innocent Iraqis (yes, they exist) it’s time to dust off article 2, section 4 of the Constitution and see what applies. Already, I can hear the shrieking of the people that still like him. I can hear the same tired old cries of “liberal media,” or better yet, “traitor.” Sorry folks, but that dog just won’t hunt anymore. It isn’t that he’s a Republican, or a religious conservative. It’s the fact that he is incompetent, thoughtless and careless. For Bush, it’s always someone

else’s problem, someone else’s fault or especially, someone else’s kid coming home in a box. We simply can’t elect the leader of the free world based solely on the fact that people would want him over for a barbecue. At this point, I’d be skeptical of Bush’s ability to actually throw a good one. Look at this country in 1999 and look at it now. One looks a lot better than the other. And no, it isn’t just the attacks. Given Iraq, given Katrina, given the CIA leak, given the energy task force, given the wiretapping of American citizens without a warrant and given the literally hundreds of other things Bush has done, I do not feel he should be allowed to continue on as president, nor should Cheney be allowed to continue as vice president. I can live with Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert stepping in until 2008. At the very least, I wholeheartedly support the measure introduced by Sen. Russ Feingold to censure Bush. At the end of the day, Bush simply cannot be allowed to walk way from all this with a bloody ﬂag waving in the breeze. Sadly though, I think that’s what’s going to happen. For an independent people, we can be quite docile when the mood strikes us, and that’s too bad.

Academy Awards recognized great movies; go see them OK you ’Cats al this year’s Oscars were of Bob, Spring not bad. Jon Stewart did Break is over, a fantastic job although and instead of his roasting of the audigoing on my ence went over with the usual chubby viewers at home than it man dream did with the actors in the tour of all the audience. The attack ads SHAWN A. best barbeque voiced by Stephen ColFREEMAN places in Texas, bert and the bit about Star Columnist Missouri and gay cowboy movies beNorth Carolina, I stayed home ing nothing new were great. and had some art spoon fed to The best lines of the night: me. The Academy Awards are “Wow, I can’t wait till later, over, so I spent the week going when we see ‘Oscar’s salute to to see as many films nominatmontages,’” and “For those of ed for an award as possible. you keeping score at home, Of course an Oscar nomiMartin Scorsese: zero Oscars. nation or win is in no way a Three Six Mafia: one.” And was guarantee of greatness — see it was just me or was Jennifer Titanic. Nor is the lack of one Garner hotter than usual for any good reason to assume a one or two big reasons? movie will not be good — see Unfortunately, we had Trainspotting or A Perfect another example of the best World. The Academy generally picture Oscar going to a film gets it right though, and if you that should not have even been are going to create your own nominated. Crash simply has little film festival, the list of no business being on that list. films nominated for best picIt is so obvious and sophoture is a good place to start. moric (sorry sophomores) As an awards show in gener- and, like many entities that

attempt to pass for social commentary today, only speaks in sound bites and worst-case scenarios — Bill Maher, I’m looking in your direction. The only scene worth mentioning is the one in which the father gives the daughter his cape of protection to help her feel secure. A Hollywood movie of any quality will have at least one eerie coincidence that can only happen in the movies — or fables concerning lions, mice, thorns and paws. Crash operated almost solely on these, which are unlikely in a city of four thousand let alone a city of four million. The real difﬁculty of the Academy Awards is that there is an overwhelming amount of evidence to sift through now. As this applies to the movies, there are so many movies out there now that not only ranking them from best to worst is an almost impossible task, simply seeing all of them is at least a part time job. It would have taken someone 1158

hours to see all 579 movies released in 2005 assuming the average movie length is two hours. Compare that to the 26 hours of movie released in 1955, or even the 74 hours of movie released in 1975, and you begin to see what I mean. If you worked 20 hours a week for 52 weeks in a row, you would have worked 1040 hours. Watch two movies a day five days a week for the entire year, and then tell me which one is the best. The difficulty in making this distinction recognized, it is my opinion that Capote should have won the award with Walk the Line, Good Night and Good Luck, Brokeback Mountain and perhaps Syriana, following in that order. I know Munich was the other nominated film, but it also could have been left off. Honestly though, that fifth spot is iffy. I say Syriana but would have been happy to see a movie like The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada or even The Weather Man in that spot.

Letters policy: E-mail letters to starletters@txstate.edu. Letters must be no longer than 300 words. No anonymous letters will be printed. We reserve the right to edit for grammar, spelling, space and libel. We reserve the right to refuse obscene, irrelevant and malicious letters. All e-mails must include the name and phone number of the letter writer. Students should also include their classiﬁcations and majors.

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Editor In Chief..................David Michael Cohen, stareditor@txstate.edu Managing Editor..................................Joe Ruiz, staropinion@txstate.edu News Editor......................................Kirsten Crow, starnews@txstate.edu Assistant News Editor.........................Jason Buch, jb1163@txstate.edu Trends Editor.................Kyle Bradshaw, starentertainment@txstate.edu Photo Editor......................................A. D. Brown, starphoto@txstate.edu Sports Editor...................................Miguel Peña, starsports@txstate.edu

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The University Star is the student newspaper of Texas State University-San Marcos published Tuesday through Thursday during the fall and spring semesters. It is distributed on campus and throughout San Marcos at 8 a.m. every other Wednesday of Summer I and II with a distribution of 6,000. Printing and distribution is by the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. Copyright March 23, 2006. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The University Star are the exclusive property of The University Star and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the editor in chief.

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FOR RENT

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FOR RENT-APTS LANGTRY APARTMENTS-205 CRADDOCK. Located only minutes from campus and the shuttle route. Great move-in specials on 1/1 and 2/2 bedroom apartments in a quiet community. We offer free washers and dryers in each apartment and we are pet friendly. Get in on the Look and Lease Special and receive $225 off or a FREE IPOD! Call us today at (512) 396-2673. Look for us at the TXState Housing Fair. SINGLES WANTED! Bishop’s Corner at 1409 Bishop has a 1 bedroom for $395. Quite, small complex. Water/waste water and trash paid. Visit legacyrealestate.biz and call Legacy Real Estate 665-0350 LARGE 2/1.5 AVAILABLE NOW at Heritage Square. Call Jenna at 512-351-5948. TWO ROOMMATES NEEDED, Campus Colony Apts, 3/2, W/D, low low rent, ideal location, walk to class. Call 832-398-2412. ROOMS NEXT TO CAMPUS free internet, cable, and other free utilities $325-$375 call 392-2700.

FOR RENT-APTS

APARTMENTS NEXT TO TEXAS STATE now leasing for May and August. Beautiful wooden ﬂoors, no shuttle or parking worries. Rooms, 1B, 2B, 3B and roommate matching. Free internet, cable and some utilities. $300-$605 per person. 392-2700 APARTMENTS FROM $375/MO. Near stadium. Gas, water paid. 353-5051. 3 BEDROOMS WITH 3 FULL PRIVATE BATHS. Extra large kitchen, washer/dryer, fridge, dishwasher, 3 carports, storage building, and FREE phone-cable-high speed internet. $845. Agent, (512)665-8788. HUGE 2/2 PRE-LEASING for mid May-April at Heritage Square. Call Jenna at 512-351-5948.

FOR RENTCONDO/TOWNHOMES 1006 HAZELTON 3BD/2.5B, W/D, nice view, great location, huge backyard $950 month. Call 512-558-1091 $785 2/2.5 TOWNHOUSE. 3 blks from TXState. Preleasing for 5/20 and 8/20. Free HBO, Road Runner, full-size W/D. www.windmilltownhomes.com for ﬂoor plans & prices. 396-4181.

FOR RENT-DUPLEX FOR RENT DUPLEX 3br/3.5ba 107 Cedergrove (on bus route). Fenced backyard/pets ok. $1050 per month. 512-351-7499. 3/2/2 DUPLEX ON SAGEWOOD. $1050/mo., W/D, bus route, lg yard. Call 512-791-4324 DUPLEX NEXT TO TEXAS STATE. Modern, excellent condition. Large 5b/2.5b; upstairs, $1700. 3b/1.5b; downstairs, $1100. 757-0399 SAGEWOOD DUPLEXES pre-leasing for 6/1 &8/1, bus route, 3/3.5 garage, W/D inc., Call 512-699-9759 DUPLEX FOR LEASE for immediate move-in. 2/1 at 1107 Marlton for $625 per mo. Easy terms. Call Legacy Real Estate 665-0350. 519 HUTCHISON DUPLEX ready for immediate move-in. 2/2 for $650. East bike ride to campus or just walk. Visit legacyrealestate.biz and call Legacy Real Estate 665-0350.

FOR RENT-HOUSES LARGE 1B/1B, newly-remodeled house in country surroundings. Free parking next to campus. Available May. Free deer lease, internet, cable, water & garbage. $680 per mo. 392-2700

FOR SALE 5/3/2 HOUSE FOR SALE quite neighborhood, close to Texas State, immaculate excellent condition, tile/wood and approx. 2700 square feet. $179,000 fenced yard, San Marcos. 757-0399.

FOR SALE

WEIMARANER PUPS-cute and smart. Tails and dewclaws docked. Shots current. Active dogs for active people. $225. Call (512) 653-1141.

HELP WANTED THE ALLNITER DINER, now hiring for all positions. Apply in person, 2-4pm, weekdays. GRUENE RIVER GRILL is hiring for all kitchen positions. Pay based on experience apply in person at 1259 Gruene Rd, New Braunfels, 830-624-2300. JOHNNY ROCKETS “The Original Hamburger,” located at Prime Outlet Mall, is now hiring for all positions! Have fun at work and be a part of the team that serves fun food with a 50’s flair. Food service experience desired but not necessary. Please come to our open interviews scheduled Mon.-Thurs. from 1-6 pm in Suite 915, or apply online at www.JR305.com LOOKING FOR EXPERIENCED WAITSTAFF. Must work weekends. The MotleMenagerie Tea Room, Kyle, 512-268-4188. WWW.TEXASARABIANHORSES. COM needs riders, groomers, a web developer, ranch hand, and photo models. Apply online. LITTLE GUYS MOVERS is now hiring for full/part-time movers. Must have current DL, HS diploma, and ability to move things with your mind. Students welcome. Flexible schedules. Apply in person at 205-C W. San Antonio St. in San Marcos. MANAGED SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE -teleNetwork is currently seeking applicants for positions in the dynamic and fast paced field of Managed Application Services Support. Full and Part Time positions are available with flexible scheduling at our Austin and San Marcos call center locations. Apply on-line today at http://www.telenetwork.com/careers WANT TO MAKE MONEY WORKING IN AN UPBEAT ENVIRONMENT? Apply in person for waitstaff/ host(Ess) at the best place to eat in Gruene. Gruene River Grill, 1259 Gruene Rd., New Braunfels 830-624-2300. EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT. FT/PT. www.relocate-texas.com WAITRESSES, CASHIERS, COOKS, ft/pt at well established restaurant, excellent benefits, group health insurance, 401K plan, apply in person New Braunfels Smokehouse, 140 Hwy 46, M-F anytime BOBCATSNEEDJOBS.COM WE NEED Paid Survey Takers in San Marcos. 100% FREE to join. Click on Surveys. !BARTENDING! Up to $300/day. No experience necessary. Training Provided. Age 18+ ok. 800-965-6520 x 157.

HELP WANTED

TECHNICAL SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVE - teleNetwork is currently seeking TSRs to provide technical support for dialup and DSL customers. Full or Part Time positions available with ﬂexible scheduling at our Austin and San Marcos call center locations. More information and online applica tion available at http://www.telenetwork.com/careers 2 FULL TIME LEAD TEACHERS. CDA minimum req. Bilingual preferred. Part-time teacher positions also available M-F 2:30 - 6:30. Quality Child Development Center in Kyle. 512-405-3700 or fax 512-405-3701. www.rockinghorseacademy.com. SEEKING WAIT STAFF & ENTERTAINERS with a fun loving attitude who enjoys working in a party atmosphere. AM/PM, PT/FT, ﬂexible schedules. Great $$$! Apply Sugar’s 404 Highland Mall Blvd. E., Austin (near Highland Mall) 512-451-1711 BE A DELL STUDENT REP - Earn $12/hr. Make your own hours and gain amazing experience for your resume! Position starts immediately. Go to www.repnation.com/dell to apply. HELP WANTED for Vineyard establisment and maintenance. Basic plant knowledge preferred. Call 512-461-1876. HELP PROTECT YOUR friends, family, and members of your community from identity theft. Good training, great pay. Call Troy (512)750-7405. MACHINE OPERATOR, 2ND SHIFT/WKND. $12/hr. Engineer major preferred. Call Caldwell Manufacturing at 398-4549 or fax resume 398-9046. TOP BOYS SPORTS CAMP IN MAINE! PLAY & COACH SPORTS*HAVE FUN*MAKE $$$. All team & individual sports, All watersports, hiking/climbing, A&C. TOP SALARIES, Free Room/Board/Travel. Apply online: www.campcobbossee.com. Call: 800-473-6104.

MISCELLANEOUS THINKING OF BECOMING AN M.D.? Get expert advice from a Professor who has served many years on the Admissions Committee of a Texas medical school. Call or e-mail Dr. Jeffrey Kreisberg, (210) 867-2436; jkreisberg@satx.rr.com, for costs and a questionnaire. TUTORING in self-defense, guitar, ﬂying (ground school), writing, and scholarship, etc. Downtown San Marcos. Dr. Reed Harp. 512-787-7855. TANCO TANNING MEMBERSHIPGold package-17 mo.; $225 or best offer. Call (254) 292-0926. WE PAY UP TO $75 per online survey. www.cashtospend.com ATHLETIC, OUTGOING MEN for calendars, greeting cards, etc $75-200/ hr, no exp. needed, (512)684-8296. HORSEBACK RIDING LESSONS: close to campus. English/Western. Visit www.texasarabianhorses.com

ROOMMATES SEEKING MALE ROOMMATE, big room, nice house, cheap rent, close to West Campus. Contact Jim at 512-757-1731.

SERVICES MATH TUTOR. BSc Math, MSc Physics;. $15 per hour. Call 665-1286.

SUBLEASE SUBLEASE – FEMALE ROOMMATE NEEDED for bedroom B of 2BD/2bath at The Outpost Apartments. Call Meghan at (281)797-0238, or e-mail MJ1078@txstate.edu for more information. FEMALE ROOMMATE NEEDED for bedroom of 2BD/2BA at The Exchange. Available beginning May through August. $515/mo; all utilities paid, except electric; W/D; on shuttle route; pets allowed with deposit. Call 281-814-2489.

WANTED DID YOU KNOW THAT THE UNIVERSITY STAR CLASSIFIED ADS APPEAR ON-LINE FREE OF CHARGE? Place your ad TODAY by calling 245-3487, coming by the Trinity Building or by emailing starclassiﬁeds@txstate.edu WANTED: USED CARS, TRUCKS, VANS. Any condition. Running or not. If you have something to sell please call Willis Mitchell. 512-353-4511.

SPORTS

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Bobcats to take the bases in threegame series against McNeese State By Nathan Brooks The University Star After nearly needing a boat to escape Nacogdoches on Monday, Texas State is back home this weekend after weathering torrential downpours to face McNeese State for a three-game series. Winners of ﬁve straight, the Bobcats come in with an 18-11 record overall and a 5-1 mark in league play, good for second place in the Southland Conference standings. “I feel we have been playing pretty consistent of late,” Coach Ricci Woodard said. “That is something that we have been looking for all year, but after a 10-day lay off, I hope we can keep that up.”

A major reason behind the Bobcats’ success is the play of allconference pitcher/designated hitter Katie Ann Trahan. In the circle, the senior has dominated the opposition, leading the conference with 11 wins, 130 strikeouts, four shutouts and a 1.13 ERA. At the plate, Trahan is batting .279 with one home run and eight RBIs and is second on the team with a .414 on base percentage. “I wish I had a lot more Katie Ann Trahan’s,” Woodard said. “She is such a competitor. She wants the ball in her hands every time out [to pitch] and the bat in her hands every at bat.” First baseman Kristin Gunter has carried the load offensively for Texas State, leading the team

Monty Marion/Star photo UNDERHANDED SCORCHER: Junior Sarah Lancour pitches during softball practice Wednesday afternoon. The Bobcats will play a three-game series against McNeese State starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday and then again at noon on Sunday.

“I

feel we have been playing pretty consistent of late. That is something that we have been looking for all year, but after a 10-day lay off, I hope we can keep that up.”

— Ricci Woodard head softball coach

with a .365 batting average, ﬁve home runs and 17 RBIs on the season. The senior is in her second season with the Bobcats after transferring from Texas A&M and has made tremendous improvements at the plate after batting just .235 last season. “Kristin is capable of being an All-American. After transferring last year she obviously didn’t produce the way she wanted to or the way we wanted her to, but you’ve seen that she is really capable of producing at a high level,” Coach Woodard said. McNeese State comes in at 1014 overall and 2-4 in conference action, but the Cowgirls have won four of their last six games, including two wins against UTSan Antonio who were previously undefeated in conference play. “Jessica Denham does a great job for them on the mound,” Woodard said. “She is a great competitor, and I believe she threw every inning against UTSA last week. The key for us will be to get on the board early.” Denham (5-9, 2.32 ERA) won the 2005 Southland Conference Tournament MVP last year after tying a conference tournament record with ﬁve complete games and four victories. At the plate, freshman Kristi Hanan leads the team with two home runs and 16 RBIs, while batting .267. First pitch of Saturday’s double-header is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Bobcat Field, with game two slated for a 3 p.m. start. The series wraps up at noon on Sunday.

The University Star - Page 15

Intramural playoffs to be exhausting for players, exciting for spectators By Joshua Zapata The University Star It may not be the NCAA Final Four, but with Spring Break behind them, students are now looking to the Men’s Division A intramural basketball playoffs as a chance to flex their skills on the court. At 7 p.m., the first round of playoffs will get under way with the best teams at Texas State competing for the winning title. One of the most competitive aspects of playoffs is that the different rounds will be held within days of each other adding the strain of fatigue. This change of pace will add a new element to the games, as the teams with more depth will have the advantage over the squads with a less of a talent pool. All eight teams will have to play hard but also smart, as any injury could potentially ruin their chances to win the subsequent games. However, before playoffs commence, The Dynasty and Average Joes will be battling for the last remaining playoff spot. This match will be an exciting and grueling game for the two teams desperately trying to make the first round of playoffs. The winner of the game will not have too much time to celebrate, as they will be playing 09’s Finest the next day. This situation puts a lot of pressure on both teams, as they will be viewed as the playoff ’s underdogs. If the winner is able to turn a first-round victory, they will become the team to beat in the semifinals. This competition reminds many students who will be participating and spectating that the start of school brings more than homework, stress and tests. The games promise to be the some of the most competitive and interesting held at the Student Recreational Center. Last year’s defending champions, Ballin’ Outta Control, will have a hard time grabbing this year’s title as they enter the playoffs losing their last game to one of best teams in the league, Just Do It. Finishing the season with a 4-1 record, BOC will be facing the undefeated No Limit

David Racino/Star photo TWO UP: Senior public administration major Scott Friedeck tries to add to The Dynasty’s lead in their game against the Average Joe’s on Wednesday night.

in the first round at 8 p.m. today. This game will be pivotal because it will be pitting the defending champions against the 2006 undefeated powerhouse. These seasoned winners will need the confidence and intimidation factor of last year’s win to help them pass their loss. If they are able to defeat No Limit, they will have an equally diffi-

cult time beating the winner of the Team Ramrod and Elev-8 game. Whatever the outcome, being a spectator to these games will be an interesting and fun experience for the audience. Most importantly, fans of basketball will see their peers play in some highly competitive and entertaining games.

SPORTS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

sports snortsquotes from the sports world “Nobody who was shooting dice wanted to get a dance.” — Dante Culpepper, newly signed quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, not so tactfully defending his actions during the Minnesota Vikings Love Boat escapade. (Source: ESPN News)

Thursday, March 23, 2006 - Page 16

Sports Contact — Miguel Peña, starsports@txstate.edu

Baseball drops second straight to UTPA in late game comeback Broncs rally in seventh, eighth inning to take another win on the Bobcats’ home field By Chris Boehm The University Star

to second during the next at-bat, with Schramm throwing the ball into center field to score Lozano. Alamia brought in Gilmer on a sac-fly to tie the score, setting the stage for Flores’ game-winner. “This is something we just have to learn from,” Harrington said. “When you’re winning these things don’t happen, and you get that out. We’ll go back to practice; I’ll do a better job getting these guys ready to play.” Texas State led by four runs at one point, following a tworun fifth inning. Following a leadoff groundout by Schramm, Thomas Field singled to center then, scored on double to deep left center by Heath Keel. The Bobcat shortstop was ruled safe when UTPA catcher Brady Hon-

his is something we just have “T to learn from. When you’re winning these things don’t happen,

Texas State blew a four-run lead Wednesday afternoon to bow out to UT-Pan American 5-4, going 0-2 in the series following a myriad of defensive mistakes in the seventh and eighth inning. “It’s just one of the deals where we haven’t been able to close out — Ty Harrington games,” said Luke Cannon. “Ofhead baseball coach fensively we haven’t been able to put teams away when they’ve been struggling. (UTPA starter eycutt failed to catch his cutoff non went 1-2 and extended his Ryne Foster) should not have man’s throw, which was well hitting streak to 16 games. The been in the game as long as he ahead of Field. Jones knocked in mark leaves him 5 shy of the was.” Keel on his second hit of the day, team record, set back in 1999. B. J. Boening stepped onto the a line-drive single to center. “I’m not really thinking about mound in the seventh with a 4Jones led the team offensively the streak. This year (Har0 lead, but could only muster a with a 2-5 night, while Can- rington’s) given me a chance to strikeout before giving up two runs, on a Louie Alamia double and passed ball. Alamia moved to third on a Boening wild pitch, then scored when catcher Lance Schramm could not corral a 3-2 pitch to Zach Smith. Having cut the lead in half, the Broncs went ahead in the eighth when an Osiel Flores sacrifice to right scored T. J. Gilmer. Texas State committed three crucial throwing errors in the inning, one a night when head coach Ty Harrington chose to give some of his regular starters a day off. “I fully have confidence in the guys out there,” Harrington said. “(Playing sparingly) does at times have an affect on (a player’s performance), but as an athlete you have to seize your opportunity, both for yourself and your team. This isn’t something I expected. We haven’t had a defensive blow-up like this in a long time.” Bronco Chris Lozano led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on a bunt single from Jason Buhagiar. Pitcher Justin Fiske, who had stopped Monty Marion/Star photo the bleeding in the seventh, then RUNNING THE FIELD: Texas State freshman in-fielder Thomas Field, seen here rounding second made an errant throw on a pickoff to second base, putting men base, got two runs and two hits in four at bats during Wednesday night’s 5-4 loss against UT Panon the corners. Buhagiar broke American in San Marcos.

and you get that out. We’ll go back to practice; I’ll do a better job getting these guys ready to play.”

be in the lineup everyday, and that’s made a big difference compared to last season,” Cannon said. “Anybody that’s played baseball knows that it’s a mind game. Confidence is the biggest issue to hitting at this level. Everybody has the talent; it’s about who has the confidence to get in the box and do it everyday.” The Bobcats used six pitches in total after Steven Siers and Chris Armijo both pitched 3 shutout innings apiece before the seventh and eighth inning debacle. “I thought Steven did a fine job and pitched three solid innings in his first time out in a while,” Harrington said. After initially getting to Foster, Texas state could not hit the Broncs relievers, who combined to give up just two hits and a walk over the final four innings. “I’ll give them one thing. They have pretty good pen,” Cannon said. “We just couldn’t finish them off in the end. Sometimes people are lackadaisical against a team like UT-Pan Am, one that we’re supposed to role over. But I know Friday we’re not going have a problem getting up for McNeese (State) in a conference game.” Texas State takes on the Cowboys in a three-game series starting Friday in Lake Charles, La. MSU is 13-8 overall and 1-2 in the Southland Conference. “This is a big conference series for us, and we’ve got to refocus to start winning again,” Harrington said. “Sunday we get a two-out hit to win the game, and then we drop two to a team we shouldn’t. So it can turn around very quickly.”

Texas State will take on Rice Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on their home ﬁeld.

Brijalba, Hutcherson clean up at recent competition Men’s, women’s golf get tune-up before SLC tournaments scheduled for April By Chris Boehm The Univeristy Star Christine Brijalba and Bobby Hutcherson each picked up their second top 10 finish of the spring season in their respective tournaments with both the men and women set for one final tune-up before Southland Conference tournaments begin. Brijalba’s three-round, 10thplace score of 232 led the Bobcats, which as a squad placed fifth at the UT-San Antonio Rowdy Round-Up at the Buckhorn Golf Course, which was held Monday and Tuesday. Oklahoma City won with a score of 914, 33 strokes ahead of Texas State, which hosts the Bobcat Classic April 3 and 4 at Plum Creek Golf Course in Kyle. Texas State scored a two-day total of 610, good for 10th in a

pool of 12 at Stephen F. Austin’s Crown Classic, also held Monday and Tuesday. The Bobcats travel to Bossier City, La. for the Hal Sutton Invitational, which is set for April 3-4 as well. Hutcherson entered Tuesday tied for fifth after shooting a 71 in Monday’s opening round, but ended up sharing eighth with Missouri State’s Brian Bennett, following a 77 a day later. MSU, which had all five of its players in the top 25, took the event’s top spot with a score of 592. The women’s finish was its highest of the spring, as the ’Cats had three golfers place in the top 20: Brijalba, Anessa Thompson and Jennifer Crawford. Thompson and Crawford were part of a four-way tie for 18th, as both recorded their second top 20 finishes of the season.

Chase Barnes tied for 25th in the Crown Classic, recording scores of 75 and 77. It was the second top 25 ﬁnish for the sophomore, and a recovery of sorts after a 73-80-81 showing in his last outing, the Louisiana Classics. The freshman Brijalba has led the women the entire spring season, averaging a 76.7 per round with a win in the March 10-11 Northern Illinois University Springlake Invitational. The El Paso native notched scores of 70 and 69 to claim the event, held in Sebring, Fla. After their respective outings in early April, the men and women get set for the SLC tournaments. The men play April 17-19 in Houston, while the women play from the 10-12 of the same month. The course has yet to be determined.

Photo courtesy of Media Relation Photo courtesy of Media Relation FOUR: Bobby Hutcherson was able to turn a second-round ﬁnish in a tie for eighth place at the Crown Classic.

ABOVE PAR: Christina Brijalba ﬁnished in a tie for 10th at the UTSA Rowdy Round-Up in on Tuesday in Comfort.

UTPA 5, TEXAS STATE 4 March 22, San Marcos UTPA Texas State

R H E 000 000 230 — 5 10 1 002 020 000 — 4 8 3

UTPA

AB R

H RBI BB SO

Gilmer 2b Alamia lf Flores rf Smith 1b Whittlesey pr Brooks 3b Garcia dh Powers ph Honeycutt c Lozano ss Bartosh ph Shives pr Talley rf Buhagiar cf Autrey ph/cf

4 4 4 3 0 3 3 2 3 3 0 0 0 2 3

0 3 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

Texas State

AB R

H RBI BB SO

Keel cf Jones lf Cannon rf Merrell 3b Wood 1b Garza dh Bunn dh Babcock ph Guest 2b Crumpton ph Schramm c Bednarek c Field ss

4 5 2 3 4 2 1 1 3 0 3 1 4

2 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2

2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1

E - Smith(2); Wood, D.(1); Schramm, L.(1); Fiske, J.(1). DP - UTPA 1. LOB UTPA 14; Texas State 7. 2B - Alamia 2(6); Smith(5); Keel, H.(5); Field, T.(3). HBP - Merrell, C.. SH - GILMER(4); BROOKS(3); TALLEY(2). SF Alamia(2); Flores(1); Cannon, L.(4). SB Gilmer(5); Whittlesey(4); Autrey(4); Keel, H.(6); Jones, K.(8).

UTPA Foster Guerra Morales Haines

Texas State Siers Armijo Boening Fiske Gembler Hart

R ER BB SO

5.0 2.0 0.1 1.2

6 1 1 0

4 0 0 0

R ER BB SO

3.0 3.0 0.2 0.2 0.2 1.0

2 3 2 2 0 1

0 0 2 3 0 0

4 0 0 0

0 0 1 0 0 0

2 0 0 1

1 2 1 1 2 0

0 4 1 2

3 1 2 0 1 1

Win — Morales (2-4) Loss- Fiske (2-2) Attendance: 218

WP - Boening, B. 2(2). HBP - by Morales (Merrell, C.). PB - Schramm, L.(2). Pitches/strikes: Foster 72/43; Guerra 33/22; Morales 7/5; Haines 21/13; Siers, S. 47/28; Armijo, C. 57/35; Boening, B. 25/14; Fiske, J. 18/9; Gembler, K. 14/6; Hart, M. 15/11. Umpires - HP: Rodney Langford 1B: Tom Jenkins 3B: Rick Miller

It's delicious!