Overcrowding at Texas State requires some RAs to share rooms with freshmen
By Jacquelyn Burrer News Contributor
Due to Texas State’s recordbreaking freshman class and a lack of on-campus housing, some Resident Assistants (RA) are now required to live with a student roommate if
needed based on availability. At the start of the fall semester, there were 52 freshmen living with their RAs as their roommates on campus. As of Sept. 9, that number now sits at 22 students, according to Bill Mattera, Director of Housing and Residential Life (DHRL).
TXST loses almost $1 million from canceled debate
By Emma Hall News Contributor
Texas State University lost approximately $975,000 million in preparation costs to host a presidential debate, which was ultimately canceled in June.
Texas State announced it was scheduled to host the first of three presidential debates this election season. Three months before the Sept. 16 debate, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) released Texas State from its contract, following the Biden-Harris campaign refusing participation in all CPD-hosted debates.
Although the university first estimated the cost to be $5 million, after further examination through other universities, the final estimated cost to prepare the site to host the debate was about $10 million, according to Eric Algoe, executive vice president for operations and chief financial officer.
Algoe said the university planned to raise funds for the debate through state grants and donations but halted those efforts in June. Texas State canceled the fundraising campaign before securing the necessary money.
Mattera said the department plans to relocate all freshmen living with a resident assistant (RA) to different rooms. The timeline for this change is still unclear but the goal of completing it is the end of the fall semester.
“We want the RA to go back to having the room because that’s our
preference,” Mattera said. “The other piece is that the student wants to get settled. If they’re living with an RA roommate in Sterry [Hall] and they get reassigned, we want to get them there, so they can start building the community and getting settled as soon as possible.”
Give them hell: students form first co-ed spirit fraternity
By Jamin Ochoa Life and Arts Reporter
On Texas State Bobcats football game days, a group of students fill section 119 of UFCU Stadium. With X’s painted over their eyes, large doll-like smiles painted on their faces and “Texas State” spelled out on their abdomens, they cheer a reminder that San Marcos is the Bobcats “hell house.”
Hellcats is the first co-ed spirit fraternity at Texas State. It was started by Joaquin Marquez, an animal science junior and Hellcats director of leadership. He envisioned the organization to be a fraternity designated to supporting anything athletics. The organization prides itself on having pride and spirit for the Bobcats and getting students involved both on campus and in supporting athletics.
“I love athletics, and I love going absolutely crazy in the student section,” Marquez said. “We embody everything that Texas State Athletics has to offer as far as traditions and spirit and pride in our university.”
Andrea Tablada, pre-med freshman and Hellcats pledge, is excited about the fraternity. She supported athletic events in high school, and a goal of hers was to join an organization like Hellcats in college. Tablada said she realized it’s more than going to games and having fun, as she found a sense of community.
“You have to have pride in your school, and you have to have some type of connection and belonging,” Tablada said. “If you go to Texas State, I feel like you’re here for a reason.”
By Cara Cervenka Life and Arts Reporter
On Sept. 19, two brothers saw their musical dream come to life. What started as an idea to support local artists evolved into a night of food, music and fun that left a lasting impression on the community.
Bobcat Jump featured a diverse lineup of musicians from genres like rock, country, folk and rap. Locals attended the festival from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. It invited artists of varying experience levels and styles to perform, with the goal of fostering community and celebrating San Marcos’ vibrant music scene.
Sammy Wells, history senior, and Marshall Wells, computer information systems alumnus, are local musicians familiar with the San Marcos music scene. Planning Bobcat Jump since this August, the brothers founded the event with
the intent of creating a memorable music festival that fosters community.
“We thought it’d be fun to try and make something of our own, invite all of our friends who also play music and just try to make a fun night,” Sammy said.
Throughout the night, attendees experienced a constant flow of live music. The artists had staggered performance times to ensure that every act got a chance to perform for a crowd.
“[Musicians] love the music they’re making, and they love playing for people in this town because it’s a community,” Sammy said.
Marshall was instrumental in organizing the event. He worked with alcohol vendors and restaurant managers, created fliers and stickers and distributed no-charge cards.
Hellcat pledges Kendyl White (Left) and Kyle Moore (Right) cheer on the Bobcats, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 at UFCU Stadium.
PHOTO BY JAMIN OCHOA
PHOTOS BY KATHERINE REA, PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SARAH MANNING
(Left) McKenna Wells and her band, The Trips, perform a song during the Bobcat Jump event, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at Railyard Bar and Grill. (Right) Marshall Wells and his band, The Trips, performs for Bobcat Jump Music Fest, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at Railyard Bar and Grill.
ILLUSTRATION BY JARELL CARR
SMTX adopts highest budget in a decade
By Eleanor Munoz News Reporter
At its Sept. 17 meeting, the San Marcos City Council approved the city’s budget of more than $300 million for fiscal year (FY) 2025 and set the new tax rate amount.
The adopted operation budget of $342 million is $21 million more than the adopted budget for FY 2024. The fiscal year will last from Oct. 1, 2024 through Sept. 20, 2025. Most of the increases for the $112.9 million general fund, which is the largest fund and supports core services of the city, are related to personnel and one-time uses of funds.
According to Mayor Jane Hughson at the Sept. 17 city council meeting, several years ago city council decided to increase their police and fire staffing.
“We’re closer than we have been [to being caught up] in such a long time,” Hughson said. “It’s allowing us to have more on our homeless outreach team and more mental health officers helping us reach a lot of goals that we have.”
Councilmember Jude Prather said at the Sept. 17 city council meeting the budget will help investments in city parks and infrastructure, such as the new San Marcos City Hall located across East Hopkins Street from the current city hall, while increasing public safety through additional personnel.
San Marcos’ FY 2025 general fund includes new positions added for city personnel such as police officer, crime analyst and master technician for
emergency vehicles-- there are a total of 14 new or reclassified positions. The general fund also set aside a total of $4 million for the new city hall.
San Marcos’ property tax rate for FY 2025 is 60.30 cents per each $100 of taxable real property, which will be lower than the no-new-revenue tax rate. According to the Texas Comptroller, the no-new-revenue tax rate is the rate that generates the same amount of tax revenue for the city from properties taxed in both the current and previous fiscal years.
As the current property tax rate is below the no-new-revenue tax rate, there is a loss of potential revenue for the city because San Marcos hasn’t set a tax rate below the no-new-revenue rate since 2013.
“Usually you’re at least trying to bring in an equal amount [of tax revenue] to what you brought in
the prior year or even below it,” San Marcos City Manager Stephanie Reyes said at the Sept. 17 city council meeting. “The taxpayer is who’s benefiting here.”
At the meeting, Council member Mark Gleason said tax revenue can remain stable despite bringing in less money because San Marcos’ expansion generates additional revenue, reducing the burden on individual taxpayers.
The population of San Marcos in 2023 was 87,111 according to Josh Daspit, associate professor of management at Texas State, compared to 67,553 in 2020 as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Matthew Flynn, assistant professor of finance at Texas State, said for cities, taxes can be a balancing act between the benefits of getting more revenue while not causing residents
to leave.
“Municipalities are going to be reluctant to raise taxes because they want to create an attractive environment for businesses and people to come in and move there,” Flynn said. “Ultimately that’s going to be your main revenue driver is if you have more people in the area.”
While property tax rates stayed the same since last year, the rates for SMTX Utilities and Resource Recovery went up by $13.46 on average from last year, a 5.5% increase. SMTX Utilities includes electric, water and wastewater.
According to Director of Finance for San Marcos Jon Locke at the Sept. 3 city council meeting, the Citizen Utility Advisory Board recommended the 5.5% rate increase for electric rates to exceed the legal minimum for Debt Service Coverage on July 25.
The Debt Service Coverage measures the amount of operating revenue needed to cover debt. According to the Texas Bond Review Board Data Center, San Marcos is currently $471,800,000 in debt.
Tristen Pride, an urban and regional planning senior, said despite having a history of struggling to meet his utility payments, he thinks the city is ultimately doing the right thing to keep up with their profit margins with inflation but wishes the city would be more aggressive in recouping their sales tax deficit.
“Any time that they raise their price [of utilities], it should always come with educational materials on the city’s existing [financial assistance] programs created for this,” Pride said.
Texas law requires trauma-informed care at Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center
By James Phillips News Reporter
Texas Senate Bill 1841 (SB 1841) updated standards for family violence shelters like the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center (HCWC), mandating they formalize their existing practices to remain operational in the state, effective Sept. 1.
Centers like the HCWC, the only family violence shelter in San Marcos, are now required to provide trauma-informed training for their staff while offering voluntary support services for survivors. This means victims cannot be forced into care by others or be required to use specific services to receive shelter, according to SB 1841.
“Trauma-informed in regard to a service or service model means that the service... is provided in a manner that recognizes and responds to the signs and symptoms of trauma... to a victim of family violence to better support the victim and promote the victim’s choice, trust, dignity, connection and healing,” the SB 1841 law stated.
Melissa Rodriguez, CEO of HCWC, said SB 184 heightened the expectation for centers like hers to provide trauma-informed care.
“These standards formalize the current practices of HCWC,” Rodriguez said. “So [SB 1841] means that we’re going to be more intentional about how we’re [providing care].”
SB 1841 mandates centers provide not only temporary shelter but also a range of services for victims, including economic support, mental health care, child and housing advocacy, as well as peer and professional counseling.
One of the key issues addressed by the law is the requirement for violence centers to implement trauma-informed care practices.
According to its website, HCWC is a “non-profit that offers free and confidential services... to victims of family violence, dating violence and child sexual abuse who live, work or attend school in Hays and Caldwell Counties.”
Before this bill passed, all HCWC staff were trained to provide trauma-informed services. Now, Rodriguez herself will be undergoing extra trauma-informed training.
Individuals are able to anonymously seek temporary housing and trauma care from the center without the fear of being reported to law enforcement or other legal organizations such as Child Protective Services (CPS).
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Copyright: Copyright Tuesday, September 24, 2024. 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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Lucciana Choueiry
INFOGRAPHIC BY EVA BOWLER
Because Texas State does not have enough on-campus housing to accommodate all freshmen and RAs living on campus, DHRL uses three flexible housing options for when they are over capacity: convertible lounges, hotel rooms and RAs having roommates.
Bailey Sloas, an art education freshman at The College Inn, found out in June that instead of having two other freshmen as her suitemates, her RA would be her suitemate.
“Both of us were pretty scared,” Sloas said. “Not scared enough where I’m like, ‘I don’t want to do this.’ I was just like, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen’.”
Sloas said while the situation is unusual, she has enjoyed living with her RA even though it’s not the traditional college experience.
“I think it would be fun to live with four girls total, so we can be a little fun friend group,” Sloas said. “I’m not saying that I don’t love my RA, she’s great, but it would be the full experience to be living with four girls. That’s what I was expecting.”
In 2022, RAs were compensated for having a roommate with a flat rate of around $100-150 regardless of whether they had a roommate for two weeks or the full semester, according to former RA and Texas State alumna Regina Macias. However, according to the 2024-25 RA employee agreement, RAs no longer receive additional compensation for having a roommate.
“They told us, ‘You just have a roommate now,’” Macias said. “We tried to address the idea of letting [the RAs] live together to eliminate that awkwardness. We’re at the same [power] level, so if the issue arises between [another RA] and I, then there isn’t that weird power dynamic.”
After Macias was assigned a freshman roommate in fall 2022, she came back to her dorm room smelling like marijuana during the first week of school.
“One of the things [DHRL was] very clear about is you should treat them like every other resident,” Macias said. “That’s really awkward to live with somebody and be like, ‘Hey, also, I’m gonna call the cops’.”
Macias said when the RAs were told they were receiving roommates in fall 2022, there was not
FROM FRONT ELECTION
much training on how to navigate these situations aside from informing the RAs of the new policy.
“I was also 21 at the time, so another concern I had [was] I have a life outside of this job,” Macias said. “I just turned 21, [and] I’m not going to stop living my life because of this, but then I can’t come in obviously coming straight from The Square into my own room because I have a resident there.”
Tabby Keep, another former RA from fall 2022 and Texas State alumna said she and her freshman roommate got along well despite the “weird power dynamic.”
“We were very chill with each other, but we pretty much just lived our own lives and chitchatted every now and then,” Keep said. “It really did feel like we were friends. There wasn’t anything that needed to be addressed. But if there was a situation... I think that dynamic would just not be good at all.”
Mattera said while RAs living with student roommates can create an awkward situation, being an RA creates a power dynamic between peers that can be difficult to navigate regardless of roommates.
“The RA job itself is this conundrum that exists,”
Mattera said. “The thing that I keep stressing to the RAs is our goal is to get these folks out of these rooms as quickly as possible.”
Mattera said DHRL’s goal is to have enough housing inventory to eventually house the entire first-year class and be able to house upperclassmen students who want to stay on campus while not having to use any flexible housing options.
“We were planning to do significant fundraising,” Algoe said. “There’s also a grant program through the Office of the Governor that helps Texas communities bring in large-scale events like this that we had submitted an application for. Most of the funding we hoped to have used for this never really materialized because we found out [the debate] wasn’t going to happen.”
The university was going to spend this $10 million on hotel rooms, temporary and permanent facility changes and upgrading technology, Algoe said.
To apply to be a presidential debate host site, Algoe said Texas State also paid CPD $2.7 million. After the debate was canceled in June, they were refunded $1.8 million. Even though the debate was canceled with three months to spare, Texas State had already spent about $75,000 on hotel rooms for the candidates and CPD staff.
“The [CPD] really doesn’t give you a lot of detail in terms of what
it takes to host a debate,” Algoe said.
“We were guessing when we came up with the $5 million number, an educated guess based upon conversations with other universities that had [hosted debates] in the past.”
Although the school lost about $975,000, including the $900,000 non-refunded amount for the host application and $75,000 for the hotel rooms, Algoe said the debate helped the school gain experience and traction.
According to Algoe, the original announcement that Texas State would host the first of three presidential debates in November 2023 reached over 5.3 billion worldwide media impressions.
Texas State planned 12 political science and mass communication courses during the summer and fall semesters to highlight the process of the debate. Students were still able to enroll in those classes, however their content changed.
Debra Price, assistant professor of practice and PR program coordinator,
wrote the MC 4320 and MC 4376G classes shifted focus in an email statement to The Star in June.
“Students are now working on communication campaigns to encourage civil engagement among students on campus,” Price wrote.
“Our goal is to help inform and empower students to participate in civic engagement and play a role in shaping their communities.”
Although the debate cancellation cost Texas State close to $1 million, for some students the main loss was the experience.
Averyann Guggenheim, president of the College Democrats at Texas State, said the debate would have been a good opportunity for new voters to get involved in politics through the campus.
“I was just disappointed,” Guggenheim said. “I thought it’d be a great opportunity for incoming freshmen to possibly get the chance to see or be a part of this big political event. It’s so important for incoming freshmen to learn how to be a good voter
and why voting is so important.” For Carly French, president of the College Republicans at Texas State, the cancellation dulled the excitement toward the election.
“I feel like a lot of students were really looking forward to the possibility of having the prospective presidents come to our campus just for exposure and for the experience of students ourselves,” French said.
In a written interview with The Star, Lisa Lloyd, Texas State’s vice president and chief of staff also wrote that the university’s greatest loss was the experience the students would have received.
“The debate would have given students the opportunity to experience firsthand political processes unfolding,” Lloyd wrote. “It would’ve given them a chance to observe the complexities of a presidential debate, and how it shapes public discourse.”
Mary Brennan, dean of the college of liberal arts and member of Texas State’s presidential debate committee said media professionals would have been on campus leading up to the debate.
“I can’t even think of the national reporters going around campus, taking pictures of Sewell Park and talking to students on the quad,” Brennan said.
Brennan said the biggest part of the experience for students would have been those who would have gotten to volunteer in the arena.
“I would say we might be interested in doing it again in the future,” Algoe said. “That decision hasn’t been made and there’s no offer out for us to do that but I think that’s the best measure of ‘did it go well or not’.”
Scan the QR code for more information on the presidential debate cancellation.
GRAPHICS BY TANNER BROWN
INFOGRAPHIC BY DEVON CREW
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.
Main Point: Overpopulation causes housing issues
By Editorial Board
On Sept. 12, Texas State announced the overall enrollment for the fall 2024 semester surpassed 40,000, breaking the previous record of 38,849 set in 2016. In addition, the university is housing its largest freshman class for the fourth consecutive year in a row.
Though Texas State officials flaunt these numbers, continuous record-breaking enrollment brings problems for students who must deal with overcrowding. The main issue lies within housing, both on and off campus.
Even though first-year student enrollment is increasing, Texas State housing still requires new freshmen under 20 years old and with fewer than 30 credit hours to live on campus. The class of 2028 has a whopping 8,165 students.
Texas State has 22 on-campus dorm locations and three off-campus apartment-style locations. In total, there are 5,685 beds on campus and even less when factoring in beds occupied by Resident Assistants
By Faith Fabian Assisant Opinions Editor
It’s been over four years since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, changing the lives of people everywhere. Texas State returned to normalcy, but COVID-19 is still affecting students.
With the fall semester back in full swing and Texas State’s enrollment at a record high of 40,678, students need to protect themselves and others from COVID-19, as it is still dangerous for at-risk members of the community.
To detect whether there is a re-emergence of COVID-19 in San Marcos, the city monitors the concentration of the virus in its wastewater at the San Marcos Wastewater Treatment Plant.
According to COVID-19 wastewater monitoring, the virus concentration per liter of sewage is at the highest it has been since January, at 1,449,261 copies per liter. The concentration steadily increased this summer, but the largest spike happened Aug. 8 to 27.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those who have diabetes, asthma and any other respiratory-focused conditions
(RA). Based on the number of freshmen, this is clearly not enough.
Over 1,000 beds were added to campus with the completion of Alamito and Cibolo halls. Despite this, many students were left without a bed at the beginning of the semester and were required to room with an RA or spend the beginning of the year in a hotel.
“We have 82 RA rooms that can hold a roommate,” Bill Mattera, executive director of Housing and Residential Life, said. “So all of those would have been assigned at some point, but very likely most of those folks never moved into those rooms because we started signing out pretty quick.”
Though RAs agree to a potential roommate in their contract, freshmen don’t have the power to say no. This situation creates an uncomfortable dynamic for both parties. Freshmen with RA roommates most likely feel on-edge, while the RA feels they are on the clock 24/7.
Along with this, many students are living in study rooms that were converted into dorm rooms. Though these solutions are often temporary, they are unethical as they place students in a room not built to be lived in.
“There are a lot of students on this campus who make their decisions because of finances really late in the process,” Mattera said. “These temporary flex options allow us to get a student on campus because we know there will be students who don’t show up.”
The University of North Texas, which has similar enrollment to Texas State, also requires first-year students to live on campus. However, students can choose to commute and live off campus. At Texas State, only students whose permanent address is 60 miles or less from campus can apply to live off campus, which Mattera said is already “an overly aggressive, too large radius.”
are still at risk of getting sick and facing serious health risks, despite the virus being less dangerous than it was in 2020.
“Community immunity” is cited by The University Health Center as preventing COVID-19 from being as deadly as it once was. However, with students from all over the world coming to Texas State, many find themselves contracting COVID-19.
Even for healthy students who can handle catching COVID-19 without serious health risks, it is a detriment to academic performance. COVID-19 symptoms at their best include congestion and a runny nose, but at their worst, students can find themselves with fever, nausea and vomiting, body aches and migraines. Extreme fatigue, as reported by The Cleveland Clinic, can even last for several weeks.
Along with problems on campus, off-campus housing has also been difficult for students. On Dec. 18, 2023, Texas State finalized the purchase of Sanctuary Lofts and Vistas from American Campus Communities. The apartments, now known as Balcones and Cypress apartments, were purchased with the intention of housing upperclassmen who wanted to live close to campus.
As of fall 2024, “less than 50” freshmen live in these apartments across the 1,700 available beds, though none are rooming with upperclassmen, according to Mattera.
This situation highlights a larger issue created by Texas State’s record-breaking freshman class, which has strained available housing options. Although Mattera attributes accommodations to freshmen living in Cypress and Balcones, the Department of Housing and Residential Life should not have promised these complexes would be upperclassmen-only.
With 120 students still waitlisted for on-campus housing as of August, it’s clear that despite backup plans, housing demand far exceeds supply, leaving many students without the accommodations they expected.
Mattera said in the future, Texas State hopes to provide more accommodations and housing is doing the best it can at the moment.
“We are looking to have enough housing inventory to house the full first-year class, be able to house upper-class students that want to stay with us and not have flexible housing options,” Mattera said.
Despite the goals Texas State has moving forward, administration must be mindful of the fact that actual humans are taking the weight of enrollment numbers. Housing is not an easy situation for anyone but students deserve to be comfortable on campus. With overcrowding, it’s not possible.
Dr. Sarah Doss, Director of University Health Services, said fatigue has been a common symptom amongst students.
“We’re seeing a lot of fatigue and headache, and a lot of sore throats,” Doss said. “[Students] should stay home until [their] fever is gone for a full 24 hours without using medication, and in addition to that, stay home until symptoms have improved.”
The world doesn’t stop for COVID-19 anymore, and students contracting it are falling behind in class due to symptoms.
Levi Hernandez teaches English 1310 for mostly freshmen. They said already this semester, two students were unable to attend class due to COVID-19.
“I don’t want you in class if you are sick, no matter what,” Hernandez said. “A lot of people get sick and miss
class. They don’t test and they might have COVID and not even know it.”
When it comes to catching up with coursework, Hernandez said they provide most materials on Canvas, but that may not always be enough.
“In certain classes, just looking at the missed slides is probably not going to make up for the missed [class] content,” Hernandez said. “It’s best to actually talk to the professor during office hours, or get a friend’s notes.”
Students must take measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on campus.
“The most effective way to stop the spread is to stay home when you’re sick,” Doss said. “The next most important thing is the vaccination.”
The Student Health Center now offers the latest COVID-19 vaccination to all students. Students can make an appointment by calling the Student Health Center at 512-245-2161.
No one is invincible, and students must recognize what is at stake when it comes to spreading COVID-19.
- Faith Fabian is an English junior
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-Alec Fairbanks
ILLUSTRATION BY SHREYANI PULIGAL
Hellcats follows the Greek life structure. There are plans for bigs and littles, tailgates, social gatherings and other events associated with Texas State’s sororities and fraternities. Marquez chose to implement this because he envisioned a sense of community within the fraternity allowing future members to socialize together as a family.
Marquez said he also wanted Hellcats to stray away from the traditional stereotypes of Greek life in some aspects. There are 200 pledges rushing the fraternity, with them ranging in gender, cultural background and sexual orientation.
“I wanted a place where people who didn’t feel comfortable going through the whole rush or recruitment process for a normal sorority/fraternity had a home with the Hellcats,” Marquez said.
Although Hellcats’ primary goal is to support athletics by attending events in masses, it plans on
FROM FRONT MUSIC
“I think the thing that seems like the most amount of work is when you have the idea of something, but you don’t have the plan,” Marshall said. “Once you plan something like this and you visualize the tasks and write them down, it’s not so daunting.”
Marshall said despite being part of the workforce, he will always make time for performing. To him, organizing an event like Bobcat Jump felt like a natural fit. Marshall saw the event materialize as he moved from one task to the next.
Sammy said San Marcos is the perfect place for young musicians to start their careers because the community is profoundly supportive. The brothers’ experience with the live music community, playing at almost every San Marcos venue for crowds of different sizes, is why they decided to give other musicians a chance for exposure.
Curtis Rowe, country rock singer/songwriter, performed with his band Arbordae at the festival. He has played professionally for one year and is pursuing a masters in creative writing. He said he jumps at an opportunity to play with other San Marcos musicians anytime he can.
“While it’s fun to do music for yourself and promote yourself, any opportunity to be part of a team of musicians — whether they’re from completely different genres — we tend to find common ground on the ability to express ourselves through music,” Rowe said.
doing more. The organization partnered with Hays County Food Bank, meaning its members will volunteer and send monetary donations to the food bank throughout the year.
Claire Samuels, psychology junior and Hellcats director of philanthropy, recognizes the importance of giving back to the community and how community service should go hand in hand with pride. She said college life can be chaotic and disruptive, and community service is a way for students to hold themselves accountable and give back to residents who continue to support students.
“Texas State and San Marcos are known for having a good relationship when it comes to supporting one another,” Samuels said. “Giving back to [the community] and doing different volunteer opportunities allows us to support them back.”
Marquez wants Hellcats to have an impact at
Texas State and believes it is on the right track. The fraternity gained support from President Kelly Damphousse and other community pillars on campus. Marquez is proud of all the organization could achieve in its time.
Marquez also hopes traditions unique to Hellcats will encourage others to join the organization. One of these is its saying “heat em’ up, give em’ hell,” which is meant to be a play off of “eat em’ up cats.” Another is their seemingly “hell”-inspired face paint and Texas State’s letters painted on pledges’ bodies. He wanted the organization to not only radiate Bobcat pride but also incite a sense of fear and nervousness in Texas State’s opponents.
“The name Hellcats is intimidating,” Marquez said. “I want universities to think they are going to lose. Of course, with every sporting event, we’re gonna give them hell.”
Wittliff Collections celebrates anniversary of classic Chicano film
By Megan Weise Life and Arts Reporter
The Wittliff Collections at Texas State reunited Director Severo Perez and two co-stars of the classic Chicano 1994 film “...and the earth did not swallow him” for its 30th anniversary on Sept. 19.
“...and the earth did not swallow him” is based on the famous 1971 autobiographical novel, “...y no se lo tragó la tierra”, by Tomás Rivera, Texas State alumnus. In the novel, Rivera shares the experiences and struggles of Mexican American farmworkers in the 1950s.
Steven Davis, literary curator and book series editor for the Wittliff Collections, said the book is a story about an experience not often told or shared.
“[The novel]’s really like a postmodern novel because [Rivera’s] life as a migrant farmworker was so fragmented and fractured, [and] the novel reflects that...[through] a series of flashbacks and remembrances,” Davis said. “Nobody
thought you could film a book like that, and this determined, very resolute Severo Perez [thought he could.]” Davis first met Perez shortly after joining Texas State’s staff in 1994, and the two stayed in touch since. Davis’s first impression of Perez was his focused and highly artistic demeanor. During the event, Perez said it was difficult to watch the film for five years, and it took 30 years for him to view and appreciate the film.
Despite Perez’s criticisms on his work, “...and the earth did not swallow him” gained international critical acclaim and was nominated for the National Film Registry in 2023 by Congressman Joaquin Castro, according to the Wittliff Collections. Carlos Estrada, filmmaker and assistant professor, moderated the event.
Scan the QR code to continue reading the story.
Carlene Ottah
PHOTO BY NATHALIE YANEZ
Co-Stars Marco Rodriguez (left) and Rose Portillo (right), talk about their experience being on set in the “and the earth did not swallow him” acclaimed film, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at The Wittliff Collections in Alkek Library.
Tyler Watts (Left) shreds the guitar with his band, The Bottomless, for students during the Bobcat Jump music festival, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at Railyard Bar and Grill.
PHOTO BY KATHERINE REA
September 24, 2024
“I’ve been blessed”: Volleyball Head Coach Sean Huiet surpasses 100 career TXST wins
By Hope Monte Sports Contributor
Head Coach Sean Huiet celebrated not only his team achieving a 3-0 sweep against Texas A&M Corpus Christi, but also his 100th career win at the helm of Texas State volleyball Friday, Sept. 20 at the UTEP Tournament in El Paso.
Huiet is no stranger to success after spending nearly 20 years with the team and stepping up to the head coach position in 2019 following Karen Chisum’s retirement.
Regardless of the numbers, Huiet said reaching the 100-win milestone reflects his long journey with the program and represents the growing culture of Texas State volleyball.
“I’ve been blessed to be able to be here and have a really good staff [and] really good players around us,” Huiet said. “So every victory has been not just me—I wouldn’t get to 100 wins if I didn’t have a really good team.”
Huiet said reaching the milestone, let alone becoming head coach, is something he would never have imagined when first stepping into the program so many years ago.
“Texas State has made this huge jump [since] I’ve been here, and so being a part of that process has been awesome. I probably would have told myself [in 2006] to just go with
the flow and see what happens,” Huiet said. “So I’ve been, like I said, a blessed man to have been here for this long.”
Texas State’s success is rooted in Huiet’s approach of getting each coach involved in team development, giving the program the tools to bring Huiet to such a large milestone.
“[I’ve been] with Sean since he became the head coach, it’s pretty
exciting to see all the work and time and energy that he’s put into this program for him to reach that milestone this early,” Associate Head Coach Keith Anderson said. “He’s good at getting to know people and bringing people together, and with that, he’s able to get our teams to win and love each other.”
Fifth-year setter Ryann Torres said Huiet gained respect and appreciation
from his players and built a culture among the team.
“He knows balance, and when we come into the gym he knows it’s go time,” Torres said. “He’s very strategic as well during games on the sidelines. He’s a smart man.”
Huiet spent 13 seasons as the assistant coach to Chisum. Huiet said she impacted his coaching development by encouraging him to lead and work with the team.
According to Huiet, his relationship with Chisum during those years built the foundation he now stands on as head coach.
“I don’t want to be controlling; I don’t want to be a micromanager type leader, [I want to] set them up and say, ‘Hey, like there’s a million ways to skin a cat. What do you think is a good idea? What do you think will help this program?’” Huiet said.
Exciting as the milestone is, Huiet said he isn’t quick to get caught up in labels and remains focused on his mission as a coach, growing a family culture and reaching bigger goals like a Sun Belt Championship.
“I think the biggest piece of advice I got when I got the head job was just don’t change, be who you are,” Huiet said. “You got the job because of who you are.”
TXST golf aims to repeat success after 202324 campaign brings Sun Belt Championship
By Grace Darcy Sports Contributor
After winning the Sun Belt Conference Championship in the 2023-24 season, the Texas State women’s golf team has its sights on a repeat of last season’s success.
Beyond winning the Sun Belt last season, the Bobcats had a high ranking and saw players become individual and stroke-play winners.
Before the season began, the Bobcats lost four golfers–– three to graduation and one to the transfer portal.
“[Winning the Sun Belt] is going to be tough, especially with the younger team, but that’s definitely the goal still,” Head Coach Par Nilsson said. “It’s more about how we finish than how we start.”
This season, Texas State signed freshmen Allie Justiz and Ella Salama, who made their collegiate debuts at the McGuire Invitational.
“I have been waiting for that moment for a long time,” Salama said. “It was different [than what I’m used to] because when you play a normal golf tournament, you’re playing just
for yourself, and now we played for the team. It was fun to play for the team because you felt like you’re not alone and there’s bigger things to achieve than just your own score.”
For the rest of her freshman collegiate season, Salama said she aims to lower her scoring average, improve her mindset and have fun.
“I just hope I can improve mentally because I feel it’s the part of my game that needs improvement,” Salama said. “You’re a freshman only once, so [I want to] make the most out of this whole year.”
With such a young team, senior Mattingly Palmer said she’s noticed a different atmosphere this season.
“Last year we had a really successful year, and it was challenging because it’s awesome to have a good team, [but] it makes it harder to play,” Palmer said. “So, it’s hard mentally if you don’t make a tournament or don’t get to travel.”
After the first tournament of the season, Texas State began working together to improve its putting.
Palmer said she believes working together as a team will strengthen the Bobcats’ bond and positively impact
Texas State’s overall performance throughout the season.
“I think just working together as a team to build upon what we each individually need to improve [is important],” Palmer said. “Right now, that’s putting, so [we’re] working together as a team to get those stats better.”
Going into their second tournament of the season, the Bobcats are looking to improve as a team.
“Obviously, the results are important, but I think it’s even more important that they keep learning on a little bit more of a long-term basis to get ready for the spring and postseason golf,” Nilsson said.
Texas State volleyball Head Coach Sean Huiet coaches junior middle blocker Bailey Hanner (20) and senior setter Ryann Torres (14) through a timeout during the game versus Lamar, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, at Strahan Arena.
PHOTO BY KOBE ARRIAGA
The Texas State women’s golf team celebrates winning the Sun Belt Conference Championship, Thursday, April 18, 2024, at the Lakewood Club in Point Clear, Alabama.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TEXAS STATE ATHLETICS
Texas State President Kelly Damphousse gives a speech to students in attendance at the International Welcome event, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, in the LBJ Grand Ballroom. The event welcomed international students, scholars and professors to meet and connect with other interna-
students on campus.
This Week at Texas State
Three members of Grupo Folklorico Ocotochtli wearing ribbon dresses pose for a selfie before dancing at Viva TXST, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, at the LBJ Student Center. Established in 1983, Grupo Folklorico Ocotochtli shares the culture of Mexico through dance.
Austin native Adilene Vera brings her business, Pearly Whites, to San Marcos to gem locals' teeth, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, at the Vanilla Bean Market.
Scan the QR code to view the gallery online.
PHOTO BY ALLISON DRINNON
The Bottomless band performs on stage during the Bobcat Jump music fest, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024, at Railyard Bar and Grill. Bobcat Jump was an event for students featuring performances from up to 14 different artists and bands.
PHOTO BY KATHERINE REA
Texas State business management junior and ranchera singer Pablo Cardona performs a series of songs during Viva TXST, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, at the LBJ Student Center. Cardona has performed at football games during half-time and plans to participate in TXST’s Got Talent Show this fall.
PHOTO BY ROSEY MENDOZA
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PHOTO BY KHANG LE
PHOTO BY ALLISON DRINNON