04-04-2023

EDITORIAL

Main Point: Verification doesn’t equal credibility

By Editorial Board

As of April 1, Twitter is requiring a paid subscription to Twitter Blue to have a verification checkmark on a profile. The University Star will not be paying to verify our organization on Twitter.

The gold checkmark for verified organizations is $1,000 a month and an extra $50 per month for affiliated accounts such as professional profiles for each reporter at a news organization. The Star will not be paying for this verification either.

The Star’s editorial board believes that paying for verification lessens the once-earned status of a blue checkmark which we no longer view as a symbol of credibility.

Per the new Twitter guidelines, The Star's tweets will no longer appear to our followers on the “For You” page. We will continue to use Twitter to share our news-gathering and reporting as usual, as it is still an important tool to reach our audience.

SEE EDITORIAL PAGE 4

PROTEST

Texas State says farewell to Common Experience

By Bella Vogiatzis Life and Arts Contributor

After nearly two decades of impressive accomplishments and unwavering commitment to the Texas State community, the Common Experience is coming to an end.

“Sadly, beginning this June, the Common Experience and Common Reading programs will no longer be happening at Texas State,” Erika Nielson, Ph.D., director of the Common Experience, said.

The Common Experience Committee has not yet been told what prompted this decision, but its members hope to get answers soon.

The program, which has been recognized both statewide and nationally, has just under a month left to carry out its legacy, and Nielson is reflecting on its accomplishments and dedicated mission throughout the years.

The program was recently named the number one academic support program in Texas, a feat it was able to accomplish despite a low budget.

The Common Experience's low budget has not held it back from success. The program has labored to serve its community while executing a lot with a little.

Since its creation in 2004, the Common Experience has always kept one idea at the forefront of its operation.

“We hope to welcome first-year students," Nielson said. "That’s our primary goal. Events are for everyone, but we really want to focus on creating a community for our newest students.”

The program has consistently offered students, faculty, staff and community members 200-300 events per year, according to Nielson. She said those events are thoughtfully geared toward a common theme, and they all have a shared goal of support and conversation. The theme for the 20222023 school year is Systems Thinking.

As rewarding and uplifting as a good turnout can be, the committee's biggest priority lies in what attendees take away from the events.

The Common Experience has done much more than host events. The mandatory university seminar course, US1100, is part of the program, and Nielson has strived in her time as the director to make it resourceful and enjoyable for students.

When planning past US1100 courses, Nielson asked students directly how they want to learn. Whether it was through traditional lectures and textbooks, podcasts, blogs or documentaries, Nielson wanted students to be engaged and interested so they could learn to the best of their abilities.

Youth-led Texas organizations take over the Capitol for legislative session

By Samantha Guerrero News Contributor

On March 29, over 300 Texas youth walked down the streets of downtown Austin. Holding up their signs and walking in solidarity they chanted, "The people united will never be defeated."

The Youth Capitol Takeover, an event planned by nine Texas organizations, took place during the legislative meeting on Wednesday to give students a chance to see the Capitol, a legislative session and to learn how to make their voices heard. Bills presented during this session like ones on student voting rights, climate change and transgender rights, have concerned many students across Texas.

Students were bussed to the Capitol from several cities across the state including Houston, Laredo, San Antonio and San Marcos.

Joslynn Sanchez, a political science senior and policy intern for the organization Deeds Not Words, said that the day started at 10 a.m. with training for students.

"We spoke about the process of organizing and how it has long-term goals," Sanchez said. "We had an emphasis on asking [students] to not burn out and definitely take care of yourself because this isn't necessarily easy work."

Sanchez said that the training also gave students tips on how to be more involved in their advocacy with lessons on tabling and how to speak to representatives.

"We emphasized that [student's] work and their presence in something like an advocacy day matters," Sanchez said. "We also went over how to be optimistic about organizing and getting involved because it's one step in a bigger process."

SEE

Local San Marcos tattoo artist portrays art through Buddhism

By Haley Velasco Assistant Life and Arts Editor

From the age of seven, Jerry Lee, owner of Jerry’s Tattoo Shop in San Marcos, knew what he was destined to do. By 22, he was working as a tattoo artist under manager Jason Pool at Black Point Tattoos in San Antonio.

In 2015, Lee took a break from tattooing to fix the luxury car he had bought his girlfriend that she damaged by driving it into a telephone pole. His attempt to not lose thousands of dollars on the car resulted in arguments with Pool about Lee’s absence from work. Lee ultimately lost his job, he and his girlfriend broke up and she left with his dog. He didn't know where to turn, so he went to a place he least expected to patch his problems: a Buddhist Temple.

An old client had called Lee about another tattoo, but he declined as he was wary of revisiting the negative experiences associated with rejoining the industry from

which he was terminated.

The client suggested Lee go to the Rissho Kosei-Kai Buddhist Center of San Antonio (RKSA). Instead, Lee went to a mental health clinic where he said he did not find the help he was looking for. That's when he turned to Rissho Kosei-Kai.

“The lady evaluates me and she goes ‘well, there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re just stressed because you lost your girlfriend and your job,’ and she didn’t think I needed medicine or anything and I just needed to find peace,” Lee said. “That was a waste of my time. I get in my truck. I go up to the stop sign and it’s either left to go home or right to continue to the temple. I really don’t like not doing what I said and I told my client that I was going to check it out, so I did.”

Lee grew up on the West Side of San Antonio and learned the ropes of tattooing from a prison inmate at the age of 15. With a rough childhood surrounded by motorcyclists and drugs, Lee already didn't have a strong faith in spirituality or religion, especially after going through a long line of bad luck in 2015.

(Left) Rapper, writer, actor, activist, author and philanthropist Common gives a speech, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019, as part of Common Experience’s LBJ Distinguished Lecture Series at Strahan Arena. (Right) Former Director of the Common Experience Twister Marquiss (left) and Common address questions, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019, at Strahan Arena.

Jerry Lee stands alongside his traditional Japanese artwork, Thursday, March 30, 2023 at Jerry's Tattoo Shop.

Texas State senior political science major Joslynn Sanchez teaches her group how to drop bills, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at the Capitol Building.

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA GUERRERO

PHOTO BY HALEY VELASCO

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ChatGPT sparks debate on academic integrity in class

By Christian Martinez News Reporter

Technology is coming to college campuses in a new way with the artificial intelligence software ChatGPT. Professors express that this tool is both a blessing and a curse in their classrooms.

Released in November, ChatGPT's website was created by the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence company Open AI. Since its release, the program has become a site for students around the nation to use on schoolwork and essays among other tasks.

Katelyn Hammack, a graduate instructional assistant in the Department of English, said the plagiarism technology that the department uses can detect when an assignment has been written by ChatGPT.

"I think a lot of students don't know how user-friendly Turnitin is on our side," Hammack said. "It will tell me if the submission came from Chegg, if it came from a different university or even from Wikipedia."

Turnitin is an anti-plagiarism software that detects if someone has used another person's words or work for their written assignments. The software flags anything that seems unoriginal from the work submitted and alerts the professor. Many college campuses including Texas State have it built into websites used for turning in assignments.

Hammack said that if the software becomes too much of a problem for her future classroom, she will consider switching to strictly handwritten assignments only.

"Even if you allow students to write by hand at home, they can still use the technology to cheat," Hammack said. "That's a slippery slope that we're going down. I honestly believe it will have to be a case-by-case situation."

Open AI has warned people that their technology can produce false information, including biased responses. The company states that if the software is used to write something for the user, it could be incorrect.

Ross Feeler, an English professor, said that the department is already hosting meetings about what to do with the new AI.

"We had discussions about it at the beginning of the semester and there have been continued discussions about it throughout the year," Feeler said. "We talked about either trying to cut off [ChatGPT] use or trying to incorporate it in a way that students can understand its limitations."

ACADEMICS

Using an AI software to complete essays and other written assignments without permission is considered cheating by professors. Feeler thinks ChatGPT is a great tool, but can also be a hassle for professors.

"On one hand I think the technology is amazing," Feeler said. "I think I'm somewhat in awe of the technology and also quite annoyed by the possibility that I have to put in these extra measures to keep students honest."

Feeler believes that there could be potential benefits to AI in the classroom and hopes that it won’t be used only in negative ways.

"I think it is possible that students use it as a tool and not just as a replacement," Feeler said. "Maybe students are using it to clarify a series of points or to gather information and then they are applying their own style or voice alongside of that."

ChatGPT helps users with almost anything, from answering multiplechoice questions to creating news articles in a matter of seconds. The software can also correct coding problems, papers and other written assignments.

According to a college survey of 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students by Best Colleges, 45% of students have used ChatGPT. Of the college users, 50% said they have used AI to complete assignments and exams. 61% percent of students believe that this new technology will become the new normal for the world.

From the same survey, students were asked if AI tools should be prohibited in educational settings. 38% percent said

no, 35% were neutral and 27% said yes. Vangelis Metsis, an associate professor of computer science, said he knows professors who have caught students cheating with ChatGPT. If a student is caught using AI to do any type of schoolwork without instruction from the professor to do so, they will face disciplinary action according to the Texas State academic honor code.

The code states that cheating means "purchasing or otherwise acquiring and submitting as one’s own work any research paper or other assignment prepared by another individual or by a firm."

"I have heard of instances where other professors have encountered such situations [of cheating]," Metsis said. "The main concern is that students might use the tool to complete assignments or exams without genuinely understanding the underlying concepts."

Metsis gave examples of how this new technology has the potential to be something great for students, and how the future of the classroom looks for universities.

"AI-powered tools like ChatGPT can be integrated into curriculums to provide tailored feedback, helping students to better understand and apply the material," Metsis said. "As we learn more about the capabilities and limitations of these systems, we will be able to integrate them into the learning process in a more productive way."

For more information on ChatGPT, visit its website, www.openai.com.

Texas State to offer a solution to overpriced textbook costs

By Lucciana Choueiry News Contributor

Beginning in fall 2023, Texas State will partner with BookSmart in an effort to alleviate financial stress on students with regard to paying for required textbooks.

Currently, students spend an estimated $790 on books and supplies in a nine-month period for all their classes. Many students end up buying books through other, more expensive platforms once the semesters start and the bookstore runs out.

Madison Garza, a nursing junior, said she spent $450 this semester on

books from Amazon and from previous students who had taken the same classes.

"If I can rent a book, I’ll rent a book, but most of the time we have to write in our books so I can’t really do that," Garza said. "Buying books on Amazon is also always more expensive than renting so I always try to get them from seniors."

Vice President of Finance and Support Eric Algoe said the biggest issue with textbooks is providing the best materials for a reasonable price.

"We want to balance that ability for faculty to select the best materials that are going to help our students the most with the fact that some of these materials

can be very expensive," Algoe said.

As a nursing student, Garza said she is required to have eight textbooks that run at high prices. She said cost is one of the biggest problems she runs into when finding her books.

"I think to help students there should be textbook scholarships and stuff like that because if you’re adding it up, that is nearly $1,000 per year for books, which is very expensive considering we are also balancing tuition," Garza said.

BookSmart is a digital textbook program that claims to provide undergraduates with more cost-efficient and quicker access to all materials required by their courses. Students would pay $249 per semester and have all their materials accessible to them digitally through Canvas. The program is estimated to save students approximately $12 million in its first year compared to purchasing a newly printed book.

Vice President of Student Success Cynthia Hernandez said it is important for students to not only have books accessible to them but also be able to get them before their classes begin so they don’t fall behind.

ILLUSTRATION BY JEZ BROWN

Texas State health sciences sophomore Kassandra Villarreal (left) checks the price of a textbook in The Bobcat

located on the

floor of LBJ Student Center, Friday, March 31, 2023.

FROM FRONT PROTEST

MOVE Texas' Hays County Regional Coordinator Jay Beck said that the main goal of the event was to promote education.

"We want to just make sure that people can actually see the place where change is made and laws are made," Beck said. "We want them to see that we have a right to be in this space just as much as any lawmakers do."

After training, students walked to the Capitol together to listen to speakers from different organizations in attendance. They held signs in the air and ensured that their cheers were heard across the building.

"We had people talk about their experience in voting and why being equitably represented matters

FROM PAGE 2 ACADEMICS

across all issues," Sanchez said. "Voting is a very intersectional issue because it affects all the other issues that matter to young people in Texas."

Beck said that young people speaking out at the rotunda and being involved is very important to MOVE Texas' cause.

"It's super important for I think young people and students especially to see that not only this change happening but we can be a part of that change in really significant ways," Beck said.

Elle Johnson of the Austin Liberation Youth Movement spoke about the juvenile criminal justice system in their speech.

"It should not be up to the state to decide what to do with our loved ones," Johnson said. "This room is

Hernandez spoke to a group of student leaders who said there is a struggle to find course materials for reasonable prices so they resort to using untrustworthy sites that can provide free PDF versions of texts, but often end up spreading viruses to students' devices.

"We really want to take one less thing off their plate of having to figure out where they can get the most inexpensive materials," Hernandez said. "BookSmart really simplifies this process and mitigates these barriers for students."

This is a "voice in a choice" program, which means students would also be able to opt out of BookSmart if they feel they would save more money and access books easier without it.

Assistant Vice President for Financial Aid and Scholarships Christopher Murr said the cost of attendance for students is based on the published cost of tuition and fees as well as periodic student surveys regarding the expenses of their housing, food and other components.

full of youth ready to make a change."

During her speech, the communications manager of MOVE Texas, Tori Falcon, said that she hopes to continue a fight to protect the earth and environment.

"Young people are the moment and the movement," Falcon said. "They are uniquely positioned to lead all frontiers for a better world."

Each speaker stood at the podium intending to make their causes known. Some speakers also brought their art to the podium with slam poetry and drag performances.

"The speeches were really awesome," Sanchez said. "I think we had a good variety of speakers that kind of talked about these different topics that were definitely relevant to the youth that was there at advocacy day."

Students were then led in groups to speak to representatives and to learn how to "drop cards" on house bills using kiosks stationed around the Capitol.

"Dropping a card is essentially when a bill has its hearing in the Senate or the House, an individual constituent can say they are for it or against it without having to testify in front of people," Sanchez said. "You can go to the Capitol and drop a card which just digitally states your opinion."

Beck said that the event had been in the planning stages for about a year before turning into a reality.

"We've come to the Capitol before. We've done lobby days and our advocacy team has been fighting against these laws since springtime has come around," Beck said. "But this huge day of action just takes a lot of planning takes a lot of collaboration with other organizations."

According to Sanchez, the event went according to plan and had a good turnout.

"Seeing other people access their state government and their representatives for the first time in their lives because a lot of them came from so far away showed me that I think that this advocacy had a very big impact on them," Sanchez said.

Beck said that she hopes the students learned that they belong in their legislation.

"I feel like we think of the Capitol and even voting is like this big and scary thing," Beck said. "It's only that way because people try to make it big and scary so that young people don't get out and vote. They're trying to put up barriers to keep us out. I think when we break those barriers ourselves and say, 'hey, no I belong here' is when students feel empowered."

"A student’s financial aid is first applied to their registration bill with the university. Any financial aid and scholarship funds in excess of that bill can be used to help cover their other education-related expenses," Murr told the Star in a written interview.

Tru Brown, a criminal justice freshman, said she has high expectations for BookSmart and hopes this platform will ease some financial stress in her life and help her have a more smooth-sailing experience buying textbooks.

"I’m expecting more accessible prices and to get the correct textbooks for the correct classes at a reasonable time," Brown said. "If my professor posts the syllabus with the required textbook, I expect to see that reflected in my Canvas through BookSmart within the next few days."

Algoe said BookSmart would hopefully be a long-term solution to the problem of overpriced textbooks by continuing to assess the costs of these materials every year and changing them accordingly.

"When we think long-term, faculty adoption of quality teaching materials is still the solution here," Algoe said. "Our library and many of our academic affairs leaders are working with faculty every day to assist them in the whole process of allocating good and affordable teaching materials."

Hernandez said she believes the platform will provide students with the best deals for books without having them look for deals on their own and end up buying the wrong version or getting scammed.

"Saving that time, energy, stress and also demystifying a 'hidden curriculum' for first-year students, those things that you don’t know how to navigate because you didn’t have to worry about navigating them before now, is our one true goal with all of this," Hernandez said.

ILLUSTRATION BY AFAAF ALNAHAS

MOVE Texas communications manager Tori Falcon gives a speech about the environment during the rotunda speeches, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at the Capitol Building.

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA GUERRERO

The Main Point is an opinion written collectively by The University Star's Editorial Board. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of our entire publication.

FROM FRONT SOCIAL MEDIA

According to Pew Research Center, 23% of Americans use Twitter, and roughly 69% say they get their news from the site. Several news organizations, such as The New York Times, have also stated that they won't be subscribing to Twitter Blue, meaning that those who find their news on Twitter will begin to see fewer of those tweets due to the “For You” restrictions.

Often, student media outlets can be viewed as having less broad coverage than other publications not connected to a college campus. However, The Star's coverage reaches beyond the scope of the Texas State campus, a community of over 50,000 people.

As a student news source, The Star's stories are about Texas State and its students. Still, we also cover local elections, city council and other stories affecting the San Marcos community. The University Star is the only news outlet in the area that caters to both communities.

GOVERNMENT

We believe that the over 17,000 followers we’ve accumulated on Twitter through our community and campus-centered journalism reflect our trustworthiness as a news source to those communities we serve.

We also believe our Twitter following speaks more toward our reliability as a news organization than a monthly fee of $8. The blue checkmark now symbolizes, instead of years of credible journalism, a willingness to spend $8.

According to the Twitter Help Center, Twitter Blue is a service meant to “elevate quality conversations” on the platform. Some of the features of a subscription include editing tweets after they’re posted, using NFT profile photos and publishing tweets that are longer than 280 characters.

Though not everyone who decides to pay for Twitter Blue is guaranteed a checkmark, allowing anyone to have the opportunity chips away at the credibility

the platform once held. Despite what Twitter advertises, quality conversations are in danger. The app has become a pay-to-play platform.

Users will likely begin to see the recognizable blue checkmark on every corner of the platform. Every user who pays for the subscription will be placed under review to receive the check, but the only criteria are that the account must be active, older than 30 days and “non-deceptive.” The former verification, known as the legacy verification program, had to be met by a higher standard of criteria. Accounts had to be authentic, notable, active and fit into a category or subcategory. As a news organization, The University Star fits all these criteria.

Troll accounts can abuse the Twitter Blue subscription by creating accounts impersonating prominent figures. Some troll accounts, such as one for George W. Bush, have already appeared. The blue checkmark is still associated with

reliability, which means these fake accounts can get away with more than usual.

Twitter stated that any account not clearly labeled as a parody would be permanently suspended without warning. This policy has the potential to bring more problems to the platform. There is a chance that Twitter won’t be able to catch every account that needs to be suspended or credible accounts may be wrongfully suspended.

High-quality information such as that which comes from credible news sources will be drowned out by content that someone has paid to display on users' Twitter Home page.

Our audience ought to be able to see our tweets without The Star’s payment for Twitter Blue. As a student media outlet with a large audience, keeping our communities informed is at the forefront of our mission. Diminishing our line of communication with them on Twitter is the start of censorship.

Proposed state bill has no place in collegiate sports

By David Cuevas Opinions Contributor

A bill presented by the Republican party that will extend the restrictions on the already established House Bill 25 will prohibit transgender student-athletes from competing in collegiate sports in Texas.

The extension infringes on the human rights of transgender student-athletes as it will disallow transgender males from playing on college men's sports teams and transgender females from playing on women's college sports teams. The bill will also prevent transgender athletes who attend universities outside of Texas from competing in games against Texas schools.

This bill forces transgender student-athletes to make the difficult decision of choosing between the sport they love playing or being able to live life as the person they truly are.

Transgender men and women's identification should be respected as their choice as this is a human right's issue. Politicians shouldn't stoop to using sports as a way to force transgender student-athletes to abide by their own beliefs which is precisely what HB 25 accomplishes.

The NCAA has yet to take action against the bill despite it directly affecting its teams. A total of 25 Texas universities partake in NCAA competitions; Texas State is one of them. Texas State currently has no transgender athletes competing on any of its sports teams which means it isn't directly affected by this bill, but this could change.

State Rep. Valoree Swanson authored HB 25 in October 2021. The bill mandates that student-athletes ranging from kindergarteners to high school seniors who participate in interscholastic competitions only play on sports teams corresponding to the gender identification on their birth certificates.

Another requirement for the bill is that studentathletes must present the certificates that were given to them at the time of their birth as a way to showcase what gender they were born as and determine whether they will compete in men's or women's sports.

Swanson has said HB 25 is to "protect fairness in women's sports."

HB 25 officially went into effect on Jan 18, 2022. A little over one full calendar year later, Texas lawmakers have their eyes set on collegiate athletics.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has supported this new bill, vowing that collegiate transgender student-athletes will not be permitted to compete in sports in Texas.

This will negatively affect sports teams as if a team's best or most important player identifies as transgender, they will not be able to travel to Texas to compete in the games. This could very likely result in a loss or losses depending on the sport and have a major impact on the team's overall season.

A single loss could cost a team the opportunity to clinch a postseason berth, play in a conference championship game and ruin an entire season's worth of hard work and dedication all due to HB 25.

According to the Texas Tribune, 77 Texas House Republicans signed the bill as co-authors giving it more than the required amount needed to pass the 150-member House. Along with Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has also said its passage was his priority.

Texas is not the only state passing laws that will affect transgender student-athletes. 17 other states have passed similar laws or restricted transgender athletes from competing in sports.

Sports are not meant to exclude athletes for any reason whether it be gender identification, race, religion or political beliefs. Sports are a way for athletes and fans to come together in unity to partake, watch and enjoy the sports they love and are passionate about.

Excluding student-athletes because of how they choose to identify themselves will cast a black cloud over the sports community by ruining the showmanship and grand spectacle that it presents. Lia Thomas is a prime example of this.

Thomas, a transgender swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania and Texas native, was referenced by Abbott during his speech on barring transgender athletes.

Thomas competed on the men's swim team at Pennsylvania before transitioning, which caused her to move to the women's team, where she has dominated the pool by breaking records and racking up national titles.

Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines, who has competed against Thomas, has garnered national attention for loudly speaking out against transgender women competing in women's sports and, like Abbott, has targeted Thomas in her attacks.

Gaines spoke on Twitter, claiming Thomas stole a championship from a "hard-working woman" and said the NCAA is responsible for allowing it to happen.

Gaines considers herself a "women's sports activist" and continually speaks out against trans athletes despite no longer competing as of last year.

The Texas Tribune reports that the NCAA has

permitted transgender women to participate in women's collegiate sports as long as they've had a minimum of one year of testosterone suppression medication for treating gender dysphoria, which is how Thomas was able to compete.

However, the NCAA Board of Governors created a new policy that will officially take effect by the 20242025 season. This new policy will allow each sport to determine whether or not trans athletes can compete individually, and it will be a requirement to report athletes' testosterone levels to the NCAA.

This decision ultimately came after the controversy and backlash from anti-trans activists such as Gaines caused by the NCAA allowing Thomas to compete against women.

According to EducationWeek, last year, the Biden administration proposed explicit civil rights protections for LGBTQ students but has not spoken as of this month on whether or not this will also apply to transgender athletes.

Now, time will only tell what the future holds for collegiate transgender athletes in Texas and the United States, as the NCAA's rules are currently being left up to states to decide as they lack clarity.

- David Cuevas is a journalism junior

The University Star welcomes Letters to the Editor from its readers. All submissions are reviewed and considered by the Editor-in-Chief and Opinions Editor for publication. Not all letters are guaranteed for publication.

ILLUSTRATION BY JUNIPER FLOYD

Opinions in The University Star are not necessarily those of our entire publication, Texas State University’s administration, Board of Regents, School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Student Publications Board.

LIFE & ARTS

FROM FRONT TALENT

Shop in the fall of 2019 and began making amends with distanced friends, including Pool who began working at Lee's shop last year. He now works at Jerry’s Tattoo Shop and Calaveras Tattoos in San Antonio.

Pool said he saw a major change in Lee's attitude and determination to become a better tattoo artist after his involvement in Rissho Kosei-Kai.

“He has always had a good work ethic, but I really saw him applying a lot of stuff to tattooing that I had never seen,” Pool said. “I really saw him learn a bunch of stuff on his own about that, I really saw him develop in that way and I just saw him become a lot more mature and more insightful. Self-awareness is a hard thing to come by sometimes and I really saw a lot of that really grow in him.”

Clint Porter, a former tattoo artist at Jerry’s Tattoo Shop, became inspired by Lee’s passion for using skin and spirituality as a medium for art and felt that Lee’s passion for tattoo artistry spread throughout the shop.

“One of the things that I admire about Jerry is that he claims real estate on the skin,” Porter said. “He’s not afraid to take up a whole arm, leg or body for that matter. I’m not a big Japanese tattooer, but just seeing how he puts on his passion in the culture of tattooing is really contagious.”

In the future, Lee hopes to be able to leave the shop to his colleagues to revisit RKSA more often. For now he remains optimistic about the changes that come his way.

Lee had no idea that a tiny home on an acre of land would be the place of his turning point. At RKSA, Lee listened to sermons, analyzed stories from the sutra and participated in Hoza, a circle group that gathers to resolve personal struggles.

What started as Lee visiting at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings, observing every lesson with a sense of confusion, turned into a seven-year-long commitment to Buddhism and a new sense of hope.

“Once you understand what’s going on, they stopped and took their time to help you out, so now you’re expected to stop and help the next poor unfortunate soul that’s walking through the door,” Lee said. “Then when you start to meet one really hurt person after another, the things that are in your life that are bothering you really don’t seem as bad as they do.” Lee was starting to heal. He opened Jerry's Tattoo

Take Back the Night, MC'd by Ebony Stewart: 6:30 - 8 p.m. April 3 at LBJSC

Big Love by Charles Mee: 7:30 p.m. April 3 - 7 at Mainstage Theatre

Student Body President and Vice President Inauguration Ceremony: 3 - 4 p.m. April 11 at The Quad

National Transgender HIV Awareness Day, hosted by ODS: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. April 18 at LBJSC

My Barking Dog, directed by Jane Johnson: 7:30 p.m. April 21 - 2 3 at the Theatre Center (Room 106)

Earth Day Festival, hosted by Office of Sustainability: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. April 22 at Spring Lake Hall

2023 Choreographers Showcase: 7:30 - 9:30 p.m April 27 - 29 at Jowers Center (Dance Studio #178)

Gallardia Fest: 5 - 9 p.m. April 28

At RKSA, Lee also developed a love for traditional Japanese art. He had been interested in it before but found a new appreciation for the mythical figures that represented things like hope and protection. Tattooing these creatures also gave him the opportunity to foster his spirituality in his art.

At the end of March, Lee curated an exhibit in his studio of personal paintings including art that encapsulates his time at RKSA. Lee is still a member but has not been able to visit as much as he wants due to his commitment to his shop.

He said he is still doing what he was inspired to do at the temple: teach.

"The Temple told me over and over that I was an amazing teacher and I should be teaching people how to do things," Lee said. "I have now taught six or seven people how to tattoo now. I have also shown them a different way to their life than they had prior to meeting me. I try to make sure that every time I show them something like that, there's a really deep-rooted lesson involved."

He believes the most important lesson he has learned is that change will happen regardless, and it is important to keep turning the pages rather than fear the next chapter.

“Things are going to change, you don’t know which way they’re going to change, who you’re going to meet or where you’re going to go,” Lee said. “I could not have told you when I lost my job with Jason seven years ago that I would be owning my own tattoo shop and employing him. You never know which way the cookie is going to crumble.”

FROM FRONT UNIVERSITY

The Common Experience team values students, and it has always communicated directly with them to cater to their interests and needs. Their long-lasting success, in part, is due to their endless student feedback.

Isabella Moran, a marketing senior, said she is sad to see Common Experience go. She said US1100 gave her the opportunity to make new friends who she still keeps in touch with.

“I like that we have that class just to get to know each other,” Moran said.

Moran also found the Common Experience events to be beneficial and intriguing. The most memorable event for her was attending the LBJ Distinguished Lecture Series in 2019 where Common, an Emmy, Grammy and Oscar winner, spoke.

“I thought it was really exciting that they got someone so well known to come to our school because that doesn’t really happen,” Moran said. “I found it very interesting just because it was another source of education that was, like, given to us, and we get those tickets for free since we’re students.”

Since 2005, the Common Experience has invited important and well-known figures to speak about various topics and experiences for its LBJ Distinguished Lecture Series. Past speakers include Maya Angelou, John Quiñones, Isabel Allende, Michelle Obama and Common.

Keke Palmer was set up to be Common Experience’s next guest speaker, Moran said. The event was called off just days before its announcement after the Common Experience committee was notified that this semester will be the program’s last.

Moran, who has worked with people involved with Common Experience, learned about the Keke Palmer event from Nielson in the Undergraduate Academic Center, the building where Moran works and Nielson's office is located.

“It would be a good idea to bring her because she’s doing very well in her career, and I think a lot of people can take away from that,” Moran said.

Unfortunately, students will not get that opportunity, but Moran is unsure if the calling-off of the event is related to Common Experience’s abrupt end.

Like Moran, Maria Reese, a computer science freshman, believes US1100 benefited her as a first-year student.

“It taught me about the campus,” Reese said. “I think it's useful. It taught me about resources. It taught me about a lot of resources.”

Reese attended her first Common Experience event, "Learning to Manage Your Stress," last Monday in LBJ. Nielson said spring events will continue to happen as scheduled until the end of this semester.

Nielson is proud of what she and the Common Experience Committee have been able to accomplish in the time they were given, but she wishes they had more of it. The team remains committed to doing everything it can in the time leading up to the program’s last day.

The Common Experience Committee will have its final meeting and reception on May 2. It will host previous event speakers, award significant contributors from over the years and celebrate the program’s accomplishments. The location is to be determined.

“There will be remarks at [6 p.m.], but there’ll be a come-and-go event from [5-8 p.m.] to remember and celebrate what we’ve done in the past 19 years," Nielson said. "2024 would have been the 20th year anniversary of Common Experience.”

Regrettably, the Common Experience will not make it to the outstanding milestone, but it has certainly left its mark on the Texas State community.

For a schedule of Common Experience events for the remainder of the semester, visit www.commonexperience.txst.edu/events.

PHOTO BY HALEY VELASCO

Jerry Lee sits in front of his shop, Jerry's Tattoo Shop, Thursday, March 30, 2023.

To view Lee’s print and tattoo art on his Instagram scan the QR code.

BY EVA BOWLER

Texas State ODS to host virtual event for Autism Awareness Month

By Bianca Thomas Life and Arts Contributor

The Office of Disability Services (ODS) will host an event called “Understanding Students on the Autism Spectrum” to discuss ways in which students and faculty can create a system of support and inclusion as more students on the spectrum come to Texas State. The event will take place at 11 a.m. on April 6 via Zoom.

Lori Wischnewsky, a doctoral student whose focus is on nonacademic support programs, said there has been a massive increase in autistic student college enrollment over the last 10 years and that those numbers are rising. Wischnewsky believes that the best thing students and faculty can do to help autistic students said. "We think every

autistic student looks a certain way but that’s just not the case.”

The event's speakers include Director of ODS Gavin Steiger and Clare Duffy, supervising psychologist at the Texas State Counseling Center.

ODS is dedicated to ensuring that students with disabilities get equal access to all university programs and activities through the coordination of academic accommodations and support services.

Harlan Ballard, outreach coordinator for ODS, said the objective of the virtual event is to teach people about autism.

“The objective is [that] when people come to this presentation they will get to learn about autism,” Ballard said. “They’ll learn to recognize some of the symptoms of students on the This event is not only a way for students and faculty to learn more about what autism looks like and how to support those with it, but it is also a way for students and faculty to learn more about ODS and how it supports students. Anusha Chintapilli, an ODS outreach graduate assistant, shares that she, like many other students, did not learn about ODS until her last second semester and she hopes that this event will allow students to get to know

about the services that are available to students.

“Whenever we conduct an event, many students will come and say we didn’t know about this office,” Chintapilli said.

Wischnewsky also agrees that attending these events will benefit the students and allow them to learn about what ODS does for students.

“ODS does an amazing job,” Wischnewsky said. “I highly recommend students attend these events. They just have so much information and are a great resource on campus.”

Student-led ensemble works to preserve country and western music

By Connor Ek Life and Arts Contributor

Bobcat Country, a student ensemble consisting of music students and nonmusic students, celebrates Texas heritage through performances of classical and contemporary country. With Jordan Stern, music school lecturer, at the mast of the ship helping organize shows and conduct practices, the group aims to play some good ol' country and push to set an example for Texas music in schools.

Bobcat Country's mission statement is to perpetuate and preserve country music, to help students develop skills to become gigging country western musicians and to provide entertainment to Texas State and surrounding communities. This is outlined by Stern.

Stern, also known as "Professor Honky-Tonk" by his students and colleagues, is a jack of all trades in western instrumentation as well as a seasoned professional musician, helping lead students into their own professional music careers.

"We're starting real grassroots with the idea of 'let's get together, let's play some music,'" Stern said. "I try not to tell them exactly what to play."

Stern said country music is arguably the biggest genre for live performances in Texas. As the "ringleader" of Bobcat Country, he believes that the program has the potential to become a course of study at Texas State. Especially given the starstudded alumni in the university's registry like George Strait.

"Eventually I'd like to see this grow into a course of study," Stern said. "And the idea is that just from a standpoint of commercial viability."

Bobcat Country practices are split into two groups: Western swing and contemporary country. With a band for each genre, the range of classics for the Western swing falls under songs like "Amarillo by Morning" by George Strait, and the contemporary group croons on modern ballads like "Your Man" by Josh Turner.

Each group is made up differently of the same members, like Shane Cruz, a music education sophomore and the president of Bobcat Country, who is a resident pedal steel player for both groups.

Cruz is at first a percussionist. Balancing pedal steel for both groups, Cruz has his feet in both ponds. Bobcat Country began last semester, and Cruz said he enjoys his time as president while things are still getting settled.

State as a music education major was just the next step.

Like Stern, Aviles would like to see the group turn into something bigger.

"It's things like this that'll trickle down into high schools, especially," Aviles said. "This was definitely like Stern's passion project. He wants it to be a class and I think it just became an outlet for all of these kids that just wanted to do country music and now that we're performing and things like that, especially in the music school, everyone's like, 'well, can I join Bobcat Country?'"

For Stern, turning something like Bobcat Country, a freelance ensemble group, into a professional class would help prepare its students for a real-life application of their skills beyond a four-year university.

"That should be our job as a music school," Stern said. "To get as many people involved as possible regardless of major. Find a way for people to come here and feel like they're involved. Connected to their community, they're connected with each other. They're performing for people."

"Me and Dr. Stern here started this, maybe it was probably early last semester," Cruz said. "I'm the president of the organization, but there's some other [things] we're still trying to figure out. Things are going well, and everybody's still excited to come."

The group has always been open to inclusion for every musician, and for a push to have a bigger representation of country traditions at Texas State. Kristen Aviles, music education sophomore and social media coordinator for Bobcat Country, is a proud supporter of seeing more of this curriculum appear in Texas schools.

Being involved in music as early as middle school, Aviles prides herself on her involvement in music being almost second nature. Growing up in Houston, Aviles has been involved in country or rodeo culture her whole life and attending Texas

Bobcat Country playing their first on-campus gig, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, at George's.

We've kind of been given these stereotypes in the media. We think every autistic student looks a certain way but that's just not the case."

LORI WISCHNEWSKY Doctoral student

That should be our job as a music school. To get as many people involved as possible regardless of major. Find a way for people to come here and feel like they're involved. Connected to their community, they're connected with each other. They're performing for people."

JORDAN STERN Music school lecturer

It's things like this that'll trickle down into high schools, especially. This was definitely like Stern's passion project."

KRISTEN AVILES Music education sophomore

To register to attend “Understanding Students on the Autism Spectrum” scan the QR code.

To keep up with Bobcat Country's Instagram, scan the QR code.

ILLUSTRATION BY MEAGAN WALTERS

PHOTO COURTESY OF BOBCAT COUNTRY

From TXST art students to business owners

By Abby Russell Multimedia Contributor

Kiana Valtierra and Mikayla McDonough both graduated from Texas State in 2022 with degrees in ceramics. They took their art and made a profit from it. Valtierra and McDonough both operate their own small businesses, where they sell their homemade art online and in markets around San Marcos. Valtierra's company is called Kirc Studio and McDonough's is Catnip Studio. They both find their businesses to be successful and expressed their gratitude for the growing community of people that support them and their businesses.

PHOTOS BY ABBY RUSSELL

(Top right) A photo of Kirc Studio's art displayed for sale, Saturday, March 4, 2023, at the San Marcos farmers market. (Middle) A photo of Catnip Studio's art displayed for sale, Saturday, March 4, 2023, at the San Marcos farmers market. (Bottom right) Texas State ceramics alum Kiana Valtierra purdly displays her art for sale, Saturday, March 4, 2023, at the San Marcos farmers market. (Bottom left) Texas State ceramics alum Mikayla McDonough sets up her booth, Saturday, March 4, 2023, at the San Marcos farmers market.

FOOTBALL

Spring practices underway

By David Cuevas Assistant Sports Editor

Texas State football made its return to the gridiron this week for the first time since December as spring practices are officially underway. The team wrapped up its first week of padded practice Saturday and will have a total of 15 practice sessions leading up to the spring game on April 22.

When he took the podium at his weekly press conference, head coach G.J. Kinne had one word to sum up the practices: physical.

“I thought today was a really good day, probably one of the more physical practices I’ve ever been a part of,” Kinne said. “We were tackling today. The pads are popping. I wanted to see the guys get out there. I wanted to see defense tackle, I wanted to see running backs run through the arm tackles.”

Kinne said he likes what he has witnessed from his team so far in the early stages of spring practice.

“The energy is really good. Guys are communicating really well, the effort is there, the energy’s there and that’s what we can control right now,” Kinne said. “We’ve got new schemes on both sides of the ball. There are going to be some things that we correct in the film room, but I think the energy and effort is really good.”

According to Kinne, the position group that has stood out the most to him through the first week of practice is the cornerbacks.

“The cornerbacks have really stood out to me,” Kinne said. “We’ve got a bunch of really talented guys in that group. They're practicing hard, they're competing with each other. There's real competition in that room which is good to see.”

Kinne had high praise for senior cornerback Kaleb FordDement who transferred to Texas State in January from Washington State.

“Kaleb Ford-Dement [is] a really, really good player,” Kinne said. “Really smart. The speed part is there. Coach Gregg had a prior relationship with him at Kilgore Junior College and he went off to a couple different spots and we were able to get him back here... he has great leadership qualities, the speed, the physicality. You can just tell the game slows down for him.”

Like Kinne, Ford-Dement also enjoyed the energy and level of physicality of the team’s practice and said it felt invigorating to finally be able to put on the pads again.

“We were really only supposed to go one live period today and we ended up going live the rest of practice so that shows the kind of mentality our coaches have and the kind

of mentality that our team has,” Ford-Dement said. “The energy — you could just feel like it from the defense. It wasn’t just one person. Everyone on the defense was giving it so that energy was going throughout the whole group and we just fed off each other.”

Despite the cornerbacks impressing the most early on, it’s the quarterbacks who have drawn the most attention. There is currently a three-man competition for starting quarterback between junior Malik Hornsby, sophomore C.J. Rogers and junior Ty Evans.

While a starter most likely will not be named until fall practices, Kinne likes what he has seen from all three quarterbacks.

“I think all three are doing really well,” Kinne said. “It’s early in the scheme so it’s one of those situations that they’re still learning how we want to do things and the footwork and where their eyes are supposed to be. I think C.J. had a really good day today. I thought Malik did some good things and the same with Ty. All three guys are progressing you want to.”

Offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich said that there have been growing pains with the new coaching staff, but he's liked what he's seen from the quarterbacks' room.

“All three of those guys and our fourth guy in the room, Derek Mata, have all been great,” Leftwich said. “We’re going through some bumps in the road. Anytime you install a new offense that’s new for the quarterback, new for the receivers there’s a lot of growing pains that go with that but all those guys have been super willing. Their attitude and mindset to attack every day and get better has been great.”

One of the most important tasks Kinne wants to accomplish during spring practice is to have his offensive players adjust to the various different types of tempos that are a part of his fast-paced offense. So far, it’s been a bit of a work in progress according to Kinne.

“It’s going okay. We got to do a better job of substituting and picking up the signals and understanding the different paces and different tempos that we run on offense,” Kinne said. “But I think for the most part, the guys are buying in and that part has been really good to me.”

Texas State football warms up together before spring practice, Saturday, April 1, 2023, at Bobcat Stadium.

Texas State football warms up together before spring practice, Saturday, April 1, 2023, at Bobcat Stadium.

Texas State senior cornerback Kaleb Ford-Dement runs in between practice drills, Saturday, April 1, 2023, at Bobcat Stadium.

(Top) Senior wide reciever Julian OrtegaJones rounds up the team and chants encouraging words, Saturday, April 1, 2023, at Bobcat Stadium. (Middle) Texas State football head coach G.J. Kinne walks through rows of players as they warm up for spring practices at Bobcat Stadium. (Bottom) Texas State junior quarterback Malik Hornsby throws the ball down the field at spring practices at Bobcat Stadium.