10 26 2005 by The University Star

E ARLY VOTING BEGINS TODAY Students registered in Hays County cast their Ballots in the LBJ Student Center, 3rd Floor Lobby 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and tomorrow

TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS

www.UNIVERSITYSTAR.com

OCTOBER 26, 2005

WEDNESDAY

VOLUME 95, ISSUE 26

Blackboard updates system after login security questioned

Taking the

plunge

By Eloise Martin News Reporter

Program gives middle school teachers underwater experience By Danea Johnson News Reporter

aturday marked the end of the 2005 Dive Into Science program sponsored by Texas State’s College of Science. The program, which has had nearly 50 participants in the last ﬁve months, is designed to provide ﬁfth-through eighth-grade teachers with practical experience regarding physics and chemistry concepts — underwater. The seventh session of the program began at San Marcos’ The Dive Shop before participants went for See PLUNGE, page 4

Tiffany Searcy/Star photos

ABOVE: Travis Brown measures his group’s balloon during an “investigation” into Boyle’s Law in Spring Lake on Saturday. The same test was conducted in The Dive Shop’s pool earlier in the day, and the participants compared the differing water temperature results. RIGHT: Dive Into Science program instructor Nelson Koeck ends the afternoon with a solo dive to a underwater cavern in Spring Lake while participants watch from glass-bottom boats. The Dive Into Science program offers professional development hours to middle school science teachers by conducting demonstrations of scientiﬁc laws.

Texas State has increased the level of security provided for the login process of Blackboard. The increase came in the form of encryption on Friday, one day after an article in The University Star reported unequal levels of security in Blackboard, Webmail and CatsWeb applications. The article addressed two students’ concern about the lack of a secure socket layer, or SSL, for the login process of Blackboard. SSL can be seen during login at the bottom, right-hand corner in the form of a padlock symbol. Both CatsWeb and Webmail are encrypted with SSL, but Blackboard was not at the time of publication. SSL was added to the Blackboard login on Friday when the information was brought to the attention of Dr. C. Van Wyatt, vice president for Information Technology. Wyatt said he had been out of town during the week but said changes were made when he became aware of the lack of security. Wyatt said there should not have been an unencrypted Blackboard login. “It should never have been an issue,” Wyatt said. “Any major application that we use on login should have that seal; it’s a general principle.” Wyatt said when the university ﬁrst began to use Blackboard, it did not contain features that made it a security threat. He said when the use evolved, the application of SSL should have been considered but was overlooked. SSL was applied to the login one day after the article was run. Wyatt said the immediate step showed how simple the application was and that it could have been done at an earlier time. Wyatt said that although new security measures have been made by the university, students will still need to continue safe computer practices. “Maintaining conﬁdentiality and privacy of your own information is a collaborative effort,” Wyatt said. He said students and other users should understand that with increasing technology there is no way to fully protect computers against potential threats. See SECURITY, page 4

Health Careers Job Fair offers employment opportunity for all majors By Andrea Gonzalez Special to The Star Growing by leaps and bounds, the health care profession is always in need of great employees. Understanding this need, Career Services and the College of Health Professions has teamed up to present the Texas State Health Careers Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday in the LBJ

Student Center Ballroom. “Although this is a specialized job fair, we encourage all students to attend,” said Josie Garrott, Career Services associate director. “The employers may be from the health ﬁeld, but they will have other opportunities available (for people in non-health related ﬁelds.)” Thirty prospective employers will be in attendance, including the San Marcos Treatment Center, Seton Healthcare

George’s cancels freestyle battle in favor of World Series viewing party By Leah Kirkwood News Reporter The Student Association for Campus Activities canceled the Step Up Freestyle Battle previously scheduled for 8 p.m. at George’s today and instead will sponsor a combined Open Mic Night and World Series viewing party in its place. “Since the World Series is going to be on, we ﬁgured people would want to watch it, so we’ll have it on and during commercials open the stage to performances,” said Brandon King, SACA ﬁne arts coordinator. But hip-hop fans should not be disappointed just yet. King said his organization is working to schedule some sort of freestyle event

for Nov. 30, and emcees still have the chance to be heard at George’s today. The microphone will be open to all sorts of performers who are looking for an audience. “I wouldn’t mind watching a game on campus,” said Dave Villela, nutrition senior. “We were going to watch it at a bar anyway.” Open Mic performances will take place on a small stage at the front of the venue. “I think it’s a good place to watch the game because we have a big screen,” said Grace Burgess, George’s cashier. The game will also be shown on several of the smaller televisions placed all around the room See SERIES, page 4

Today’s Weather

Sunny 78˚/ 52˚

Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 41% UV: 7 High Wind: SE 9 mph

Network and Central Texas Medical Center. “This will be an opportunity to sell themselves (to an employer),” said Laura Daniels, College of Health Professions academic adviser. Employers will be looking to ﬁll a variety of jobs and juniors and seniors from the College of Health Professions and their various programs including health administration, physical and ra-

diation therapy and respiratory care are in particular demand at the fair. “Without a doubt, this would be a great opportunity for networking,” Daniels said. Freshmen and sophomores who have not yet decided on a major will ﬁnd assistance at the fair also. “Students considering a health profession will have an opportunity to talk to all departments in the College of

Health Professions,” Garrott said. Information will be provided on the area of study, and discussion of the wide array of career choices will be available. As with any career fair, proper etiquette should be maintained. Those juniors and seniors who are actively job seeking are encouraged to wear professional attire, bring their resumes and See FAIR, page 4

No bones about it; prof lives for the dead Professor solves mysteries using forensic science By Eloise Martin News Reporter Jerry Melbye is not afraid to face the dead — in fact, he goes in search of it. The Texas State professor has spent much of his life as a forensic archeologist, determining the causes of a victim’s death in cases that are either mysterious or may involve foul play. He has also created new classes for students who are eager to learn his techniques on solving mysteries using human bones. Melbye is a specialist in human skeletal biology or as he calls himself, “a bio-archeologist.” He has participated in numerous archeological digs and said he has dug up more than 1,000 dead bodies. Although Melbye spent years studying anthropology while earning his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degree, he said he found his interest for forensic an-

thropology 20 years ago. “Because of my experience with pre-historic populations, I could identify age, sex and stature of more recent skeletons,” Melbye said. “Soon I discovered that there was a lot more, and I became involved in the broader sense of forensic science.” Melbye is one of only 56 certified forensic scientists in the world and is also a member of The American Academy of Forensic Sciences. While at the University of Toronto, Melbye created the first forensic anthropology course in Canada. The success of the class led to his creation of a forensic science program that offered the first bachelor’s degree in forensic science in Canada. The program combined professors from molecular biology, epistemology, botany, chemistry, psychology, statistics and anthropology. Melbye was soon called on by forensic scientists to aid chief coroners in the examination of bodies. He worked several cases, surveyed crime scenes and was soon on the advisory board to the Center of Forensic Scientists in Canada.

Two-day Forecast Thursday T-Storms Temp: 77°/ 53° Precipitation: 50%

Friday Sunny Temp: 77°/ 50° Precipitation: 20%

Monty Marion/Star photo Professor Jerry Melbye explains some of the intricacies of the human skeleton as they relate to the ﬁeld of forensic anthropology, in which he is considered an expert. Melbye said his years of working with pre-historic populations and his time spent with police at crime scenes lead him to obtain information on animal behavior. “Coyotes and other animals that are predators look at humans as means,” he said. He began to use his knowledge

Inside

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of animal behavior in addition to the examinations of the bodies to ﬁnd other clues. Melbye said he is able to use animal patterns to search for clues and bones that are not at the site with the body. Squirrels, for example, will take See BONES, page 3

To Contact The Star: 5 11,12 6-9

PAGE TWO

communityhappenings

The University Star

Wenesday in Brief

Oct ober 26, 2005

Trolley tour to explore San Marcos history On Nov. 5, relive the history of San Marcos in the Living History Trolley Tour. Take in the beautiful scenery and historic sites in a pilgrimage guided by the “spirits” of General and Mrs. Edward Burleson, the town’s founders. The tour costs $5 and departs promptly at 2 p.m. from the Tanger Outlet Visitors Center. The grand ﬁnale showcases the Millie Seaton Collection of Dolls and Toys located in the Augusta Hofheinz House.

This “Recorded Texas Historical Landmark” is a turn-of-the century home overﬂowing with more than 8,000 dolls from all over the world. One lucky passenger will receive a $25 gift certiﬁcate from Tanger Outlet Center. The tour is sponsored by the Heritage Association of San Marcos, Tanger and the San Marcos Convention and Visitors Bureau. For information and reservations, call (512) 396-3739. — Courtesy of San Marcos Convention and Visitors Bureau

News Contact — Kirsten Crow, starnews@txstate.edu

Calendar of

An eye on history Hope Alvarado, mass communication senior, takes shots of the LBJ Student Center for Bobcat Update Tuesday afternoon in preparation for Texas State’s upcoming celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Higher Education Act, which was signed here by SWT alumnus and President Lyndon Baines Johnson.

EVENTS Clubs & Meetings Wednesday Lambda of Texas State will hold its regular meeting in the LBJ Student Center, Room 3-11.1. For more information, please contact Lisa Hellmer at (512) 245-3219 or e-mail Lambda_ TxState@yahoo.com.

Saturday Alpha Lambda Omega Christian Sorority Inc. and Unlimited Praise will be holding a Women’s Conference, “Living a Grace-Filled Life.” Registration begins at 9 a.m. in the LBJSC Teaching Theater. Sunday

Crosstalk Student Ministries meets for worship and relevant teaching at 8 p.m. in the Alkek Teaching Theater.

The Balding Baritone & Friends will take place at 3 p.m. in the Recital Hall. Tickets are $2 for general admission and $1 for students.

Thursday

Monday

Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship will hold its weekly meeting at 8:30 p.m. in Old Main, Room 320. Everyone is welcome. Contact (512) 557-7988 or mail@texasstatechialpha.com for more info.

Sexual Assault & Abuse Survivors Group will take place from 5 to 6:15 p.m. For information or to sign up for groups, call the Counseling Center.

Texas State Baha’i Association will have a mulitifaith devotional at 7:30 p.m. in the Falls Hall 2.5 lounge. The topic will be superstition.

Events Wednesday Bible Study will be held at 8 p.m. in the CSC lounge. ACOA/Dysfunctional Families Group will take place from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m. For information or to sign up for groups, call the Counseling Center at (512) 245-2208. A Saxophone Studios recital will take place at 2 p.m. at the Recital Hall. FREE Writing Center Workshop: Quotations, Citations and Plagiarism will take place from noon to 1 p.m. in Flowers Hall, Room G09. For more information, contact the Writing Center at (512) 245-3018. FREE Writing Center Workshop: Developing a Strong Thesis will take place from 4 to 5 p.m. in Flowers Hall, Room G09. For more information, contact the Writing Center. Thursday The American Society of Interior Designers will have a Spaghetti Bonanza and Haunted House Scare from 5 to 9 p.m. at the San Marcos Fazoli’s and a haunted house trip in Kyle after dinner. Everyone is invited. For more information, contact johnyminnick@hotmail.com, or call (512) 867-5309. A Health Careers Job Fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the LBJSC Ballroom. For more information, contact LaTonya Croskey at (512) 2452645. “The Rock-Praise & Worship” will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the CSC chapel. Facing the Fear: An Anxiety Group will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. For information or to sign up for groups, call the Counseling Center. Friday Lambda of Texas State will be hosting a Black & White Bobcat Ball beginning at 7:30 p.m. A $1 discount will be given to those attending wearing black and/or white. Music Lecture Series presents “New Means of Establishing Tonal Progression in 20th Century Music” featuring Dr. Paolo Susanni, music theorist, at 8 p.m. in the Recital Hall. Free admission.

Catholic Student Center will have a Vigil Mass for the feast of All Saints’ Day at 7 p.m. in the CSC. Tuesday Catholic Student Center will have free lunch for all students from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. “Attaining Contentment” An Educational Series takes place from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. in the LBJSC, Room 3-6.1. War Support Group: Helping Students Cope will take place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in the LBJSC, Room 5-1.10. An All Saints’ Day Mass will be held at 5:15 p.m. in the CSC chapel.

Campus Sports Wednesday 2-for-1 Wednesdays student green fees at the Texas State Golf Course with a Texas State ID. Intramural Bowling entries due at the Student Recreation Center by 5 p.m. Thursday Campus Recreation hosts Moonlight Float at 8 p.m. at the San Marcos River. Intramural Tennis singles entries due at the Student Recreation Center by 5 p.m. Friday Fabulous Friday Green Fees. Student green fees for faculty and staff with a Texas State ID.

Miscellaneous Thursday Houston Wire & Cable will hold interviews for inside sales representatives in the LBJ Student Center, Suite 5-7.1. Tuesday Job Shadowing Registration will begin and will continue through Nov. 18 in Career Services, located at the LBJSC, Room 5-7.1. CALENDAR SUBMISSION POLICY Calendar submissions are free. Send submissions to Calendar of Events at starcalendar@txstate.edu, or call (512) 245-3487 for more information. E-mailed press releases will not be accepted. If using e-mail, please submit as a simple bulleted list of essential information. Submissions are on a ﬁrst come, ﬁrst served basis and notices for weekly meetings need to be submitted every week they will take place. The University Star reserves the right to refuse entries or edit for libel, style and space purposes. Deadline: Three working days prior to publication.

Spencer Millsap/Star photo

CRIME BL TTER University Police Department Oct. 22, 3:45 a.m. Driving Under the Influence/ Aquarena Springs Drive A police officer made contact with a vehicle for a traffic stop. Upon further investigation, a student was arrested for driving under the influence and transported to the Hays County Law Enforcement Center to await magistration. Oct. 22, unknown hours Criminal Mischief: Less than $500/Elliot Hall A student reported to a police officer that university property had been damaged. This case is under investigation.

Oct. 22, unknown hours Burglary: Vehicle/Wood Street Garage A student reported to a police ofﬁcer that her personal property was stolen from her vehicle. This case is under investigation. San Marcos Police Department Oct. 24, 8:39 a.m. Criminal Mischief/700 Willow Ridge Drive Criminal mischief, substantial inconvenience. Victim advised that several signs were placed on her vehicle and chocolate syrup was squirted on the residence.

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

Weirdest Commute Contest rewards strange ways to save The Commute Solutions Coalition of Central Texas is celebrating the end of this year’s Commute Solutions Month with an event that could only happen in Austin. It’s the second annual Weirdest Commute Contest. On Friday, people are invited to arrive at Republic Square Park using their weirdest forms of transportation, with the three weirdest commutes winning prizes. First prize is a Dell DJ mp3 player. Last year’s event included bicycles of every variety, an accordion-playing unicyclist, a contestant on a motorized barstool and more. In addition to crowning the weirdest commuter, winners of the 2005 Commuter Challenge will be announced. This year, a record number of Central Texans took the Challenge and tried an alternative to their usual solo drives to work. They rode the bus, carpooled, vanpooled, walked, biked and teleworked. Special awards for businesses with outstanding employee participation will be awarded along with the individual prizes. Festivities begin at 11 a.m. at Republic Square Park, at the corner of Fifth Street and Guadalupe Street. KGSR will broadcast live from the event and Mangia Pizza will be on hand with free food. The Commute Solutions Coalition works throughout the year to encourage drivers to try alternatives to the typical solo drive to work. Commute Solutions of Central Texas is a business/government partnership that promotes the education of commuters in the region. For more information, contact Candace Baker at (512) 974-2778, or visit www. commutesolutions.com. — Courtesy of Commute Solutions

www.UniversityStar.com

City Beat Medical professionals to speak to San Marcos community AzulCare Physical Therapy will be holding one of its quarterly health and wellness presentations titled, “Arthritis Pain Relief: Advances in Spine and Orthopedic Care” at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 10 in the gym area of the AzulCare facility. Three medically certiﬁed practitioners, Dr. O. Atilla Onan, Dr. Greg Westmoreland and Marcus Trejo, P.T., will be speaking at the event. AzulCare’s health and wellness presentations allow for medical professionals to speak to the community about interesting health-related topics. AzulCare’s health and wellness presentations are open to the entire community. People who attend these presentations feel more educated and intrigued about how to live a healthier life-

style. They also get the chance to meet new people and have complimentary refreshments. “Our last presentation by Dr. Santos (who has a family practice clinic in San Marcos) was on nutrition and it was very informative to everyone who came,” Trejo said. “It not only gave our attendees a chance to learn about staying healthy, but the opportunity to interact with new people and have free food,” said ReGina Rodriguez, marketing manager at AzulCare. Students, professors and other staff members interested in receiving more information about the event should contact Rodriguez at (512) 353-5600. For more information, visit www.azulcare.com. — Courtesy of AzulCare Physical Therapy

NEWS

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

The University Star - Page 3

A pioneer for civil rights, Rosa Parks dies at 92 By Cassandra Spratling Detroit Free Press DETROIT — People worldwide are mourning the death of the woman known as the mother of the civil rights movement. Rosa Parks died Monday evening at her home in the Riverfront Apartments in Detroit, her spokeswoman and longtime friend Elaine Eason Steele said. “She went away peacefully,” Steele said. Parks was 92. Steele and Parks’ physician, Dr. Sharon Oliver, were present. Swanson Funeral Home in Detroit is handling the arrangements. The humble black woman made history by refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Ala., bus

on Dec. 1, 1955. A black person refusing to move so a white person could sit down was almost unheard of back then. But soon the world heard of Parks’ quiet act of courage. Her refusal ignited a ﬁre that spread until racial segregation was burned out in the United States. Her simple act of deﬁance earned her worldwide acclaim, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s highest award — the Spingarn Medal — the Congressional Gold Medal awarded by former President Bill Clinton and a peace prize in Sweden. After she was arrested, black people in Montgomery refused to ride the city’s buses. They walked or used a well-organized car pool put together by the city’s black churches. They boy-

QUIET SOLITUDE

cotted the buses for a year and created a model of mass protest unlike anything that has been seen since in the United States. Freedom ﬁghters across the world were inspired by her courage. She was born Rosa Louise McCauley on Feb. 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Ala. Although people generally associate Parks with the boycott, her activism began years before the Montgomery bus action and continued until her health failed her in recent years. She was one of the ﬁrst women to join the NAACP in Montgomery in 1943. For several years, she served as secretary of the Montgomery branch and adviser of its youth council. She long had a special affection for young people, even though she and her husband,

she usually did not speak. Her last public appearance was at a 90th birthday celebration at the Detroit Opera House on Feb. 14, 2003. She appeared on stage brieﬂy while the audience joined in singing “Happy Birthday” to her. However, she was too weak to sit through a concert. Earlier that day, at a private reception, she was named an honorary member of the Links, an international service group of black women. She never got caught up in her celebrity. “I had no idea when I refused to give up my seat on that Montgomery bus that my small action would put an end to the segregation laws in the South,” she wrote in Rosa Parks: My Story. “I only knew that I was tired of being pushed around.”

BONES: Professor digs forensic archeology CONTINUED from page 1

small bones up into trees where they then fall to the ground. Coyotes will drag larger bones away from the body. “It is more complex when you are dealing with a skeleton,” Melbye said. “A body is one piece of evidence; a skeleton is 206 bones that could be scattered.” Melbye said one challenge of a forensic scientist is to determine the age of the remains. One main indicator of age is teeth. He said forensic scientists are often able to look at teeth on a skeleton and determine if it is of modern forensic interest. If it is not, police know they are not searching for a live killer. “Teeth pre-1900s from most populations, including our own, had extreme wear from the grit in their diets,” Melbye said. “Now, with canned and processed foods, there is not nearly as much wear.” He said another giveaway for a modern skeleton is fillings. The oldest skeleton he has seen with fillings came from the late 1700s. Melbye said one of the most interesting cases was that of “Julie,” which he worked on 10 years ago in Ontario, Canada. “Julie” had been missing for close to five years when a farmer found her in a wooded area. Melbye was asked to examine the body, but he did not go

STUDENT HEAL TH CENTER

Need a prescription? To transfer a prescription from your family doctor or pharmacy call (512)245-3590.

alone. He was allowed to bring 25 of his students to do a major excavation of the gravesite. Melbye said the evidence was astonishing. “We found her hip joint fully intact,” he said. “We also found her underwear about 40 feet from the body.” Melbye said the preserved hip joint was evidence that an animal had not removed her underwear during scavenging but that a human had removed it. This, in addition to other evidence, proved sexual assault had been involved and led to a higher murder charge. But Melbye said forensic science still has room for new research and new ideas. “It’s not like the old days where one detective walks around looking for ﬁngerprints,” he said. Although Melbye said he watches television shows such as CSI, he said it is only to be entertained. “It’s not realistic; it doesn’t show the big picture,” Melbye said. “Forensic science is a lot of scientists working in a very tight area of high expertise.” Melbye came to Texas State after retiring to ﬁll a vacancy as a visiting professor. He has since come out of retirement, is now a full time professor and has begun working with Texas law enforcement. Although he has already worked close to 35 cases in the 18 months he has been in Texas, he said he is still

“A

body is one piece of evidence; a skeleton is 206 bones that could be scattered.”

— Jerry Melbye forensic archeologist and Texas State professor

waiting to gain complete trust of the officers. “I love Texans; they like to know you before they let you take a case,” Melbye said. “I have gotten invited to more barbecues here so they can get to know me before they will give me their bones.” Melbye does all of his casework in Texas for free. He has also created an Advanced Search and Recovery of Human Skeletal Remains School that will begin in March. The program will teach law enforcement officers how to handle cases that deal with skeletons. For students who want to learn more about cases with bones, Melbye has added classes to the Texas State roster that allow students to learn about forensic anthropology. These courses include an introduction course, forensic osteology, forensic techniques and forensic identification, in addition to other courses in the same

area. In these courses, students are able to complete facial reconstruction from a skull, analyze real cases, participate in search and recoveries, learn to determine the age and sex of a skeleton and examine various gunshot and knife wounds. Jack Flanders, anthropology senior, has taken three classes with Melbye and is currently in his skeleton in forensic medicine class. Flanders said he learned the most about forensic anthropology in Melbye’s human osteology class in which students study the human skeleton. He said his favorite activity was when his class excavated a skeleton last spring. “We had to ﬁnd the pieces and wash them off,” Flanders said. “Then we had to sex it and age it.” Flanders said he likes Melbye as a professor because he is enthusiastic about his work. He also said Melbye has been working in the ﬁeld for so many years, and his experience shows in the classroom, and he is always available to meet with students, Flanders said. Flanders said he hopes to follow Melbye’s footsteps and teach osteology while working with police in forensics on the side. “I love the science aspect of it, it’s really interesting to me,” Flanders said. “For me, it just clicks.”

Health Career Fair & Information Day THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27

LBJSC BALLROOM - 10AM-3PM UNDERGRADUATE

Spencer Millsap/Star photo Trey Kunz, a wildlife biology junior, takes a moment to study algebra Tuesday afternoon outside Alkek Library.

the late Raymond Parks, never had children of their own. He preceded her in death in 1977. In 1957, Rosa and Raymond Parks moved to Detroit to ﬁnd work and to escape harassment that continued after the boycott. In Detroit, she worked ﬁrst as a seamstress in a factory and then in 1965 began working as an assistant to U.S. Rep. John Conyers, a Detroit Democrat. She retired in 1988. In 1987, she and Steele created the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development. It was a way to honor her husband’s memory and continue working with young people. Parks’ health had been declining for the past several years. She made rare public appearances and when she did,

Clinical Laboratory Science Communication Disorders Health Information Management Healthcare Administration Radiation Therapy Respiratory Care Social Work

We carry a wide range of products including birth control, allergy, and over-the-counter medications. Be prepared to provide the following information from your prescription label: • Your name, address and phone number • The name and phone number of your previous pharmacy • The prescription number • The name of the medication We accept Cash, Checks, American Express, Visa, Mastercard, and Bobcat Bucks.

Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Car e, Inc

Health Services Research Healthcare Human Resources Physical Therapy Social Work

CERTIFICATE

“At the Student Health Center I get super fast prescription service and there is virtually no wait.”

GRADUATE

Communication Disorders Healthcare Administration

Long Term Care Administration Healthcare Administration Biostatistics Epidemiology Health Informatics

Various health organizations from across Texas will be represented to discuss possible employment and internship opportunities. For more information contact: Career Services at (512) 245-2645 www.careerservices.txstate.edu

For more information contact: College of Health Professions Academic Advising Center at (512) 245-3506 www.health.txstate.edu/advctr/ Sponsored by: The College of Health Professions Academic Advising Center & the Ofﬁce of Career Services

NEWS

Page 4 - The University Star

SECURITY: New login encryption protects users CONTINUED from page 1

“You don’t ever get ahead of the curve,” Wyatt said. “John” and “Dan,” the two Texas State students who brought the potential problem to the public but wish to remain anonymous, said they have seen the changes to the login process. John said he realized the new security had been added Saturday. He said he was surprised to see SSL on the login. “I didn’t expect anything to

happen,” he said. Although John said he considers this a good step for security, he said he does not expect the effects to be noticeable. “This is going to protect people,” John said. “We won’t see it help, but now we won’t see the problems.”

ONLINE: https://tr.txstate. edu/security/

FAIR: Career Services offers mock interview appointments CONTINUED from page 1

have either their student ID or know their ID number. Garrott also advocates researching any employer you are interested in on-line for the added beneﬁt of being familiar with their company. A complete list can be found on www. careerservices.txstate.edu. “Always be ready for questions and perhaps an informal interview,” Garrott said. Students who may not feel adequately prepared for the

job fair may come by Career Services for assistance with their résumé or to set up an appointment for a mock interview. “I know students can be nervous (about the job fair), but it’s important to remember that the employers are excited to talk to students,” Garrott said. For more information on the Texas State Health Careers Job Fair, contact Career Services at (512) 245-2645, or visit the LBJ Student Center, Room 5-7.1.

SERIES: Campus bar to combine game with an open mic night CONTINUED from page 1

so everyone is sure to have a good view. While Villela said he felt that a World Series viewing party at George’s sounds like a good idea, he pointed out that the on-campus bar lacks promotion. “I actually just found out there was a bar here on campus, and I’ve been 21 for six months,” Villela said. George’s is a large, wellequipped bar on the bottom ﬂoor of the LBJ Student Center across from Chick-Fil-A

and Blimpie. The space was opened in Fall 2004 and has been hosting student-related events ever since. The bar is open from 9 a.m. until midnight Monday through Thursday but closes at 5 p.m. on Fridays. George’s boasts six pool tables, a ping-pong table and several arcade games. George’s serves snacks such as nachos, buffalo wings and cheese sticks at reasonable prices. Bartenders begin serving beer and margaritas at 5 p.m. and sodas and other refreshments are sold all day.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

PLUNGE: Science program provides hands-on training CONTINUED from page 1

their final dive at Spring Lake. “This is where science is; it’s not in a classroom,” said Deborah Koeck, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, referring to Spring Lake as participants began their final investigation of the year. “(Spring Lake) is the best freshwater diving environment around,” Koeck said. Dive Into Science investigations designed by Koeck demonstrate scientific principles such as Boyle’s Law, Archimedes’ Law and refraction. “She is doing great things with the program that are both fun and educational,” said Hector Flores, dean of the College of Science and avid supporter of the Dive Into Science program. Flores is not a certified diver, although he does snorkel, and neither were many of the participants, as the program does not require a scuba certification. Some had never even swum prior to participating in the program, Koeck said. The exercises done in the program are called investigations, not experiments, be-

“(T

he program) is a lot of fun and helps put deﬁnitions into words and visuals.”

— Rebecca Kuhr education senior and lab instructor

cause there is not a real control variable, Koeck said. “(The program) is a lot of fun and helps put definitions into words and visuals,” said Rebecca Kuhr, education senior and lab instructor. On Saturday, participants conducted one of the program’s main investigations, Tiffany Searcy/Star photo exploring the relationship between vol- Group members endured approximately 15 minutes in crisp, 71-degree water ume, pressure and temperature — Boyle’s during Dive Into Science’s afternoon investigation. Law. The participants were divided into two teams with different duties, such as recording the measurements. One team The investigation is relative to what the courses offered through the Office of used a red balloon while the other team body does as it descends into water. As a Continuing Education. The expansion used a pink balloon. person descends underwater, thus increas- will include a “Discover Dive Into SciThe investigation entailed each group ing the pressure, the lungs begin to col- ence” course worth six continuing educameasuring the circumferences of their lapse. Conversely, ascending from depth tion credit hours, a 35- to 40-hour Dive balloons — each originally inflated to the causes the lungs to expand, which is why Into Science course offering open-water same volume — at different depths under- divers must continue breathing in and out scuba certification by the National Assowater, first at The Dive Shop and then at so no air is trapped, causing the lungs to ciation of Underwater Instructors and an Spring Lake. overexpand. Advanced Dive Into Science course still in With the knowledge that The Dive Participants also have to take a pre and the planning stages. Shop’s pool is between 83 to 88 degrees, post-test with questions such as “Why Teachers who participate in the expandand Spring Lake’s temperature is a con- does pressure in water increase at a con- ed program will be certified to instruct stant 71 degrees, participants were able to stant rate as you descend?” Dive Into Science programs themselves. demonstrate that volume of the balloons Koeck and Cindy Nyland, grant specialOnce the formal lesson plan is comdecreased proportionally with increased ist and Koeck’s assistant, have found that pleted, all international certifications for pressure and increased proportionally with participants perform much better on the Dive Into Science instructors will be held temperature. The program is designed to post-test after completing an investiga- at Texas State. help teachers bring scientific principles tion. The program is funded by a $300,000 into the classroom through concrete exThe Dive Into Science program will grant from the Texas Higher Education amples like this one. reorganize next year into three separate Coordinating Board.

Ride the Tram. Make a difference. NEW Expanded Austin Commuter Schedule starting October 31! NEW Lap

For your convenience we’ve added expanded service to the TxTram Austin Intercity Connector. Due to overwhelming demand and a ridership increase of over 40% from the Spring semester, TxTram has added another route lap leaving the LBJ Student Center at 2:15 pm starting October 31, 2005.

Visit

www.aux-srvcs.txstate.edu/tram for detailed, up-to-the-minute route and schedule information 24 hours a day.

TxTram is part of Auxiliary Services at Texas State UniversitySan Marcos, a member of the Texas State University system.

OPINIONS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

quoteof the day

”

“At the time I was arrested, I had no idea it would turn into this. It was just a day like any other day. The only thing that made it signiﬁcant was that the masses of the people joined in.”

— Rosa Parks (1913-2005) Source: Associated Press

Wednesday, October 26, 2005 - Page 5

Opinions Contact — Joe Ruiz, staropinion@txstate.edu

THE MAIN POINT

Rosa Parks to be remembered as a leader of revolution Rosa Parks has passed. The 92-year-old civil rights icon died Monday evening at her home in Detroit, Mich. Parks is best known for a single act of defiance on Dec. 1, 1955, that sparked the fight for the elimination of one of the vilest and most disturbing trends in our nation’s long history. In Montgomery, Ala., nearly 50 years ago, the then 42-year-old seamstress refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white man, defying orders from the bus driver to do so. Shortly following, Parks was arrested for disorderly conduct. Four days later, she was convicted and fined $14. For the following 381 days, a boycott of the Montgomery bus system, organized by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ensued until the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed a lower district court’s ruling that the Montgomery bus system’s segregation rules were unconstitutional. Parks’ act and its influence didn’t end there. Her demeanor and stature in the community led her to be called the “mother of the civil rights movement.” That movement led to the eventual signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 by Southwest Texas Teachers College alumnus and President Lyndon B. Johnson. Her influence didn’t end with the passage of that law. Throughout the remainder of her years, Parks participated in marches on Washington — in support of the Voting Rights Act and against apartheid in South Africa — and served as an inspiration to many people throughout the world. With those ties to Texas State, The University Star believes the university or its community should organize a remembrance of sorts for the late Parks. While a candlelight vigil may not bring peace on earth and spark an immediate end to racism, it can serve as a reminder of what we as Americans have already accomplished with regard to equality as well as how much more needs to be done. “But when that white driver stepped back toward us, when he waved his hand and ordered us up and out of our seats, I felt a determination cover my body like a quilt on a winter night,” Parks once said. As you read this editorial this autumn morn, take a moment to observe the campus surrounding you. Take a moment to notice the blending of race and ethnicities and think about how at Texas State, with determination of our own, might represent the best of all that is right and good with this country; take a moment to remember how that one act of defiance nearly 55 years ago sparked a revolution, and think about what that revolution has done for you today. Her family, friends and nation will no doubt miss Parks, but rest assured that she left this world better than she found it, and that is one goal any member of the human race can always strive to achieve.

Megan Kluck/Star illustration

ASG out of line to take stance against Prop. 2 On Monday self or the fact that night, the Aspeople support sociated Student the amendment Government barely is not what I have passed a piece of a problem with, legislation titled but the fact that I “Vote NO to Disbelieve that ASG crimination” citing has no jurisdiction Proposition 2 and or business decidRACHEL ANNE its possible ban on ing the views of FLETCHER gay marriage as the entire school Star Columnist discriminatory. is what I take issue This legislation, with. authored by ASG ASG is a repreSen. Jeff Moody, calls for the sentative student body. The eradication of discrimination senators from the different based on sexuality at Texas concentrations represent State, for ASG to contest their respective student Proposition 2 as discriminagroups, and I do not believe tory, as well as ASG taking it that the extremely small upon themselves to educate majority that passed the bill people about the proposed adequately represents their amendment. constituents. In an unofﬁcial In addition, the legislation sample poll done by ASG states, “that the Texas State adviser Jude Prather, only 51 Associated Student Governpercent of the sampled stument encourages all students dent population voted against and faculty to vote “no” (on Prop. 2 showing that this isProp. 2)…on the basis that it sue is extremely controversial, attempts to exclude a segment and the student body is very of both our university and divided. our community.” ASG will As for ASG assuming the also send copies of this legrole of educators on Prop. 2, islation to numerous school how will they educate? Is it and state administrators such their place to take a platform as President Denise Trauth, for the school and encourTexas Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. age people to vote against the Gov. David Dewhurst, as well proposition? Sen. Israel Ruiz as many other state represenraised a good point when he tatives and the Texas Board stated that there are already of Education Representative groups, such as LAMBDA Dan Montgomery. and the Activists for Sexual Surprisingly enough, the Minorities that are educatcontent of the amendment it- ing people and advocating

against Prop. 2. I think there is a distinct lack of opportunities for opposing voices on a school wide platform to educate for their side. I see this as a form of discrimination, and is that not what sparked this debate in the first place? In addition, Sen. Katie Kasperzak pointed out that when this piece of legislation is sent to school administrators as well as influential state politicians, many of whom support this proposition, it could possibly damage our relationships with these people, and once again does not sufficiently represent the opinions of the entire University. This bill also claims that the current “definition of marriage serves only to satisfy the beliefs of mainstream religious groups.” The issue of gay marriage has morphed beyond a purely religious battle and is now a political war. It is a person’s constitutionally given right to hold their religious beliefs, mainstream or not, and for this piece of legislation to say that this religion-based proposition is “state-sponsored discrimination” is ludicrous. It is as equally discriminatory to single out an individual’s religious beliefs as discriminatory. Additionally, when Sinclair claimed that someone should take down the

names of those who vote against the legislation to show who discriminates, he himself was discriminating. Those in ASG who voted against this legislation have a right to; it does not prove they are discriminatory, they are just exercising their right to vote as they choose. I myself have numerous issues with Prop. 2. While I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, who am I to deny the happiness of others? If I could line veto and amend parts of Prop. 2 to provide for a type of civil union for homosexual couples, I would. I agree with the statement that this amendment is attempting to defend the “sanctity of marriage” and I support that, but I also see incidences like Britney Spears’ 55-hour Vegas marriage and the extremely high divorce rate as just as defamatory to the institution of marriage. Whatever your beliefs, I encourage everyone to vote regardless of the outcome. Yet, there are two sides to this issue, and I do not think it is the place of ASG or any other school organization to decide on a public front for the entire university on such a controversial and divided issue. Fletcher is a pre-mass communication sophomore.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month warns: Take care of yourself Kirthmon F. Dozier/Detroit Free Press Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks waves after being honored in the U.S. Capitol with the Congressional Gold Medal in June 1999. Parks died of natural causes at her home in Detroit on Monday.

Rosa Parks (1913-2005)

The Main Point is the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board. Columns are the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily reﬂect the opinions of the full staff, Texas State University-San Marcos Student Media, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Texas State University-San Marcos. Letters policy: E-mail letters to starletters@txstate.edu. Letters must be no longer than 300 words. No anonymous letters will be printed. We reserve the right to edit for grammar, spelling, space and libel. We reserve the right to refuse obscene, irrelevant and malicious letters. All e-mails must include the name and phone number of the letter writer. Students should also include their classiﬁcations and majors.

The University Star 601 University Drive, Trinity Building San Marcos, TX 78666 Phone: (512) 245-3487 Fax: (512) 245-3708

You’ve probably SHEENA BARNETT and knowledgeable been bombarded Daily Mississippian about their health. with informaWe as women U-WIRE tion about breast have our own cancer this month special health — probably because it’s Breast concerns we should be aware Cancer Awareness Month. of, and we should be ready to But that information take on these concerns now. doesn’t mean much when The risk of cancer, includyou’re in your early 20s. You ing breast and female cancers, tend to think cancer won’t increases with age, but young ever happen to you, or if it adults get cancer, too. does, it will happen when Unfortunately, I have you’re older. friends who have either Don’t feel bad — we all passed away from or have had tend to think that way. How cancer or who have had to go could we get cancer? We’re through extensive tests beyoung and healthy. cause of abnormal cells. But the scary fact is that A friend of my family cancer — or any major health passed away last fall from a problem — can happen to female cancer, leaving behind any of us at any age. her husband of more than 10 I’m not here to scare you years and her 7-year-old son. into going to the doctor or She passed away in her early into worrying yourself to 30s, having fought the disease death about your health. for more than ﬁve years after However, everyone out she was diagnosed in her midthere — especially wom20s. en— should be concerned At least two of my friends

Editor In Chief..................David Michael Cohen, stareditor@txstate.edu Managing Editor..................................Joe Ruiz, staropinion@txstate.edu News Editor......................................Kirsten Crow, starnews@txstate.edu Assistant News Editor.................Ashley Richards, ar1225@txstate.edu Trends Editor..............Christina Gomez, starentertainment@txstate.edu Photo Editor...........................Courtney Addison, starphoto@txstate.edu Sports Editor...................................Miguel Peña, starsports@txstate.edu

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have undergone surgeries to remove abnormal or precancerous cells, and fortunately they are healthy today. I have been diagnosed with my own health problem, which I will be treating the rest of my life. All of these problems would not have been detected had my friends and I not gone to the doctor or known our own health well. Though I’m no doctor, I believe knowing your own health is important. You know when you feel healthy or when you feel under the weather. You know when something’s just not quite right. And when something’s not right, go to the doctor. Though it can be terrifying to visit a doctor’s ofﬁce and have the doctor tell you that something’s wrong, it’s also very powerful. When I was diagnosed, I wasn’t scared. I felt liberated. Finally — you know what,

Account Executive................................Ana Kulak, ak1094@txstate.edu Account Executive..................................Lindsay Lee, atlas@txstate.edu Account Executive.....................Lindsey Randolph, lr1068@txstate.edu Student Business Manager................Robby Silva, rs1237@txstate.edu Publications Coordinator..Linda Allen, starbusinessoffice@txstate.edu Publications Director..............Bob Bajackson, stardirector@txstate.edu Visit The Star at www.UniversityStar.com

if anything, is wrong, and YOU have the power to do something about it. You can choose your treatment options. In many of these cases, if cancers or other problems are detected early, you have many more treatment options. Take power into your own hands. Get yearly check-ups and talk to your doctor about your health. When you have knowledge, you have power. Know more about your own health and if you think something is wrong, go to the doctor. Know if there is something wrong with you, and take charge to take care of your health. To rip off MTV’s AIDS program, “Knowing is beautiful.” Take charge of your life and your health. This column originally appeared in The Daily Mississippian on Tuesday.

The University Star is the student newspaper of Texas State University-San Marcos published Tuesday through Thursday during the fall and spring semesters. It is distributed on campus and throughout San Marcos at 8 a.m. every other Wednesday of Summer I and II with a distribution of 8,000. Printing and distribution is by the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. Copyright October 26, 2005. 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.

TRENDS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

trendythoughts

What are you dressing up as for Halloween?

“Party Boy — pink thong and tear-away strip pants. I’m gonna dance around in a thong.”

“I’m going to dress up as a girl.”

“My guy friends are going as doctors. Me and my girl friends are going as nurses.”

— Chris Chandler, physics freshman

— Shota Kitazono, international studies sophomore

— Marty Leal, pre-mass communication junior

Wednesday, October 26, 2005 - Page 6

Compiled by Kyle Bradshaw

Trends Contact — Christina Gomez, starentertainment@txstate.edu

Theron reveals true talent in

EXPLODES ON THE

BIG SCREEN The lights in the Grave, Doom is packed musty hallways are film with action, guns and flickering, and the review elaborate computer flashlight on your gun graphics, keeping it true ✯✯ is fading out. You think Doom to its video game beginyou hear something Dir.: Andrzej nings. from behind so you Stars: Dwayne The film, starring turn around, and all Johnson, Karl Ur- Dwayne “The Rock” you see is a shadow. ban, Rosamund Johnson, Karl Urban Swing back around, Pike (Lord of the Rings triland you are eye-to-eye Rated: R ogy) and Rosamund with a slimy monster Pike (Die Another Day), with a long, blooddepicts the Rapid Redripping tongue. sponse Tactical Squad, a group of It’s too late to shoot. hardened Marines, on a mission Doom, the PC video game con- to find what’s wrong at the Oldusidered by the gaming industry vai Research Station, a remote as the defining example for first- scientific facility on Mars. person shooter games, has made The squad is led by the una metamorphosis into the latest compromising Sarge (The Rock) science-fiction, action-thriller who leads his men on a searchfilm. Directed by Andrzej Bart- and-destroy mission turned killkowiak, who directed the films all rampage of the quarantined Romeo Must Die and Cradle 2 the facility. They are followed by Sam

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures Doom gives the audience a ﬁrst-person perspective of the action that is reminiscent of camera angles used in the video game.

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Grimm (Pike), a forensic archaeologist researcher at the station, who must copy research data on the 24 chromosome. Grimm is the estranged sister of one of the squad members, John (Urban) or “Reaper” who resents his sister’s choice of workplace because it is where their parents died in a rockslide. Doom is filled with gory violence, with the first scene showing an arm being severed by an elevator door and a scientist ripping off his own ear in fright. Audience members could be spotted jumping at the sight of an unexpected mutant around the corner or a screeching animal in an air vent. The film is filled with big guns and a montage of the first-person shooter perspective, just like the video game. However, the first-person sequence comes at an awkward transition toward the end of the movie; it should have been placed in scene clips throughout the film instead of all at one time. Doom leaves a few moments of confusion for the average viewer, such as the purpose of the yellow pills and background information on the Arc, the portal from Earth to Mars. These are understood by people who have played the video games but should have been explained more for those who haven’t. Doom was released at an ideal time and provides enough jumps and scares for a Halloween fright. Unless you are a big fan of the game, grab a different movie ticket come Nov. 1. — Maira Garcia

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North Country is a two hours of the film is compelling and eye- film an extremely well-acted, opening story that review wonderfully shot and ranks with some of the and brilliantly ✯✯✯✯ scored directed story that’ll just stronger and uplifting North Country women cine-tales of the Dir.: Niki Caro make you feel the pain, past: Joan of Ark, Norma Stars: Charlize the goodness and all the Rae and Silkwood. rest of the kaleidoscopic Theron, Frances What struck me about McDormand, emotions these women the film was how re- Woody Harrelson go through. We cut to Josey’s first cent all of this was. You Rated: R day at work in orientawould think that sexual harassment hasn’t been tion and on tour. Set in tolerated since the ’60s. But the the women’s locker room, Josey is actual nationwide issue wasn’t welcomed and is in the company settled until 1991 — less than 15 of a handful of other women years ago. new-hires. Her boss is upfront The reality-based story takes about how the mining business place in a snowy Minnesota town is a man’s world, and they’re only in 1984 and is about the first-class there because the government action suit in American and eco- says they should be. After the orinomic history, in which a handful entation is a tour of the facilities of women sued a goliath mining and job placement for each of the company on the grounds of sexu- women. al harassment. These women, one Their boss opens and holds the in particular, set a precedent that locker room door, like a gentleis thankfully still effective man (you’d think) and as the Charlize Theron is Josey Aimes, women pass, Josey hears their an attractive Minnesota woman boss utter a word, that I know whom, after being beaten by her for a fact, all women hate to be unemployed husband for the last labeled in regards to their genitatime, decides to take her kids, leave lia in the one of the more vulgar, the house and start a new life. She upsetting means. And with that arrives at her parents’ house to try the utterance portends a string of to think things over. lewd and degrading happenings Her friend, Glory (Frances to come. McDormand), tells her that she Josey’s job is all right at first. works at the strip mines and She gets her own money and buys “drives truck” and makes a pretty food, clothes and gifts for her two good living at it. She goes on to let children Karen and Sammy. She Josey know that the mines are hir- even makes enough money to get ing, and Josey is intrigued. approved for a loan and to buy a Josey decides to get a job at the house for her family. mine. Her mother (Sissy Spacek), This happiness quickly gives in a 1940s state of mind, tells her way to the coming work-related that she should work things out events. Josey and her female cowith her man, “He is your hus- workers are outnumbered 30 to band. If you get a job … well, one. The men in the factory walk you’ll just shame him.” This is all a thin line between flirting and the motivation Josey needed. just overt sexual perversion and Now, what’s to occupy the next cruelty. Some of the women find

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phallic toys in their lunch boxes; others are toppled over in the first company porta-potty. Sure, that seemed like a fun joke, but when you’re on the butt end of it and find yourself broken, covered in the blue excrement of the men who did this to you, it’s not very funny. Josey is not to tolerate these actions any longer. She drives for hours to get to the president of the company to file a complaint. After a few seconds of entering his office, he comments that she should spend less time in the beds of her male co-workers and more time improving her job performance. With the powerful hurting those with no power, she turns to attorney friend Bill White (Woody Harrelson) and says that she wants to sue the company on the ground of sexual harassment — something that’s never been done before. White at first declines but then realizes that he could be a part of something that has never been done, so he accepts. While all this is happening, the jokes at work turn violent and equally vile. One scene shows Josey’s female co-workers turning their backs on her walking into their locker room that’s painted with human feces. “It’s your mess,” one of them says to her, “start cleaning.” Sadly, this movie opened at No. 5 at the box office. Most have heard of Theron’s Oscar-worthy performance, but that is not enough. People need to go see her live her role with the utmost passion; look into her sincere, life-story-telling eyes and realize you’re in the presence of one of today’s more gifted, beautiful and moving actresses.

— Nixon Guerrero

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. In North Country, Charlize Theron plays a Minnesota woman who sues a mining company for sexual harassment.

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NORTH COUNTRY

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presents author

Scott Johnson

Mr. Johnson, a Texas State author, will be reading from his book “An American Haunting”. In addition to “An American Haunting,” he has written “Deadlands” and “The Mayor’s Guide to the Stately Ghosts of Augusta.” He also writes a column, “Cold Spot” for the Horror Channel. Copies of his books will be available for purchase and signing.

Monday, October 31 from 1:30 - 3:00 pm

Treats will be served.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

TRENDS

The University Star - Page 7

Billy Idol gives us some of that ROCK ’N’ ROLL music

By Stephen Lloyd Entertainment Writer

There are very few rock stars left who actually act like rock stars. Fortunately, one of those few is Billy Idol who is back in ﬁne form, as his show at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q attests. As soon as he sang the lyric “In the devil’s playground with an idle mind,” starting off the set with the old school punk of “Super Overdrive” from his 2004 album Devil’s Playground, the cold Austin night was no longer an issue for the crowd, a mixture of aging punks, young punks and everyone in between. Devil horns shot up into the air and bodies began to move. It was ﬁtting that Idol, and his band started the set off with this song, track one from Idol’s comeback album on his comeback tour. They played several songs from the new album, including “Scream” the de facto sequel to “Rebel Yell” and the metallic “Body Snatcher” showcasing bassist Stephen McGrath’s talent. Sarah Kerver/Abaca Press Naturally, Idol’s biggest Billy Idol performs during the 2005 South by Southwest hits garnered the most cheers from the crowd. Idol and the Music Festival in Austin on March 16, 2005.

band rocked straightforward versions of “White Wedding,” “Rebel Yell,” “Flesh for Fantasy” and “Dancing with Myself,” as well as the ballad “Eyes Without A Face.” Idol himself picked up the acoustic guitar for several numbers, including the pop ﬂavored “Plastic Jesus” and the uplifting “Cherie,” both from Devil’s Playground. Also performed were “Sweet Sixteen” and the ﬁrst song Idol wrote upon moving to America in 1981, the punchy “Hot in the City.” It was clear that Idol’s guitar skills barely stretched beyond a rhythm capacity, but that didn’t matter because his distinctive singing voice more than made up for it. The set included a couple covers, one being an amped up version of The Doors “L.A. Woman.” The similarities between Idol and Jim Morrison were even more evident when they played this. Idol changed the L.A. in the lyrics to Austin and the crowd ate it up, even though that sort of thing is quite a cliché when it comes to live rock concerts. And ever since Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast Idol has been

performing a version of Randy Newman’s “Louisiana” in tribute to the victims. The other part of this keyboard and voice driven performance was keyboardist Derek Sherinian, formerly of prog-rock band Dream Theater. Towards the middle of the show the band left the stage, leaving lead guitarist Steve Stevens with hair like The Rolling Stones’ Ron Wood touching a static ball, by himself. But for what he was about to do, he didn’t need any support. Strapping on and plugging in his nylon-string acousticelectric guitar, he played what could best be described as ﬂamenco on speed, concluding this solo jam with Led Zeppelin’s “Over The Hills and Far Away.” This truly showed Stevens’ prowess and drove home how truly underrated he is. It was an unexpected yet awesome performance. Idol and the band played two encores, one of the highlights being “Kiss Me Deadly,” a song by Generation X, the punk band that Idol fronted in the mid to late ’70s. The show closer was an extended version of “Mony Mony” that saw

four guitars playing by the end — not only Stevens and Idol, who played a short and jagged bluesy solo on a very punk, battered and stickered Gibson Les Paul Jr., but Sherinian and drummer Brian Tichy as well, who engaged in a guitar duel with Stevens. After a climactic ending, Idol, shirt gone at this point, introduced the band and then they left the stage among an uproar of cheers. The reason why this concert — and Idol’s music in general — was and is so well-received is that it’s pure unadulterated rock. No hyphens. No pretense. Just good time rock music with an edge, punctuated by Idol’s trademark sneer and Elvis Presley meets Jim Morrison meets Johnny Rotten vocal delivery. And despite usual concert incidents such as short altercations and drunken beer splashing, the crowd remained positively into the music, cold be damned. This showed the power and talent of those on the stage and of live music in general. If artists like this continue trekking across the country playing shows, the institution will deﬁnitely survive.

Director Marc Forster produces yet another hit movie with Stay Sam Foster, played Director Marc Forby Ewan McGregor, is a ster takes audiences film stiff, by-the-book psyon a whirlwind ride review chologist in New York. through the world between conscious Stay ✯✯✯ He is content living a and subconscious Dir.: Marc Forster pretty typical professional life, besides the in his newest release Stars: Ewan Stay. Forster gained McGregor, Naomi fact the he is shacking up with his former suihis fame in 2001with Watts, Ryan cidal patient, Lila who is the blockbuster Mon- Gosling ster’s Ball and contin- Rated: R played by powerhouse ued to rock the box Naomi Watts. When offices with his 2004 he picks up a patient hit Finding Neverland. For Stay named Henry’s (Ryan Gosling) he teams up with the hugely case after the patient’s current successful film producer, Ar- therapist becomes strangely ill, non Milchan. Milchan holds a their quiet life takes a dramatic myriad of titles under his belt turn and rocks their boat hardwhich include Pretty Woman, er than they could have ever Fight Club and this year’s mon- imagined. ey-maker Mr. and Mrs. Smith Once learning of Henry’s -just to name a few. With these plan of to take his own life the two movie geniuses in the cred- night before his twenty-first its, it was a given that Stay was birthday, the doctor makes it going to be just as successful. his top priority to keep him

alive. As Sam delves deeper and deeper into his patient’s subconscious, the line between the living world and after life becomes dangerously unclear. The more Sam obsesses over Henry’s visions and hallucinations, the more their worlds become confusingly intertwined and twisted. Soon Sam begins to bring his work home, and Lila becomes increasingly interested in Henry’s case. She feels close to Henry due to her own struggles with suicidal thoughts. Not long after, she too becomes sucked into Henry’s mind and finds herself fighting to find a way to discern dream and reality; a concept that has become frighteningly hazy. Before long, it is impossible to determine who’s mind is actually being picked during their meetings.

Aside from the main stars in this ﬂick, the co-star line up holds a few heavy names. Jeneane Garofalo of The Truth about Cats and Dogs and The Cable Guy and Bob Hoskins from Hook and Maid in Manhattan play colleagues of Dr. Forster. With an all-star cast and such credible directors, Stay is bound to make an impression on and ﬁnd favor with audiences of all tastes and ages. — Jolyn Huntzinger Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox A sudden hailstorm is only one of many strange occurrences endured by Sam (Ewan McGregor) and Lisa (Naomi Watts) in Stay.

Better than hairballs.

infuse

Page 8 - The University Star

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

What makes this town so special? Vote for your favorites in San Marcos! Turn in this ballot to The Star ofďŹ ce in the Trinity Building or vote online at www.universitystar.com by Thursday, November 3. All ballots will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 Visa gift card. All faculty, staff and students of Texas State are eligible to enter.

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TRENDS

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

✯Star Comics The Cat Bird Seat

By Jeffrey Cole

The University Star - Page 9

Distinctive voices Strutter season coming to an end

Prop Dance Repeat We performed our prop routine again for the game against Northwestern State University because we decided weeks before that it would be a little too hectic to learn a dance on Monday and have it “performance ready” by Saturday. Since we were doing the same dance, last week’s practices were quick and productive, so we swapped Saturday morning practice with the band for a Saturday morning team picture.

Erin Leeder

Random Acts of Violence

ABBY MINICA

cidents happen, and that just sucks, but then there was the other part of me that had to wait in the semi-cold (I get cold easily!) for half an hour longer than I was expecting. In the end, the picture was snapped with everybody in it, and that’s what matters.

Entertainment Columnist

Team Pictures and Sub Arctic Temperatures Each year, the team picture is taken at some spot on campus with all of us in our uniforms, and this year, our team picture was taken in front of The Fighting Stallions on campus. It was a little cold outside — well, chilly enough to wear our uniform jackets for the picture, but with how short our skirts are, the jackets don’t make much of a difference as far as warmth goes. What was supposed to take about 15 minutes actually lasted about 45 minutes due to some new girls accidentally sleeping in. A part of me felt bad for them because ac-

End of Football Season Approaches So we showed up to the stadium Saturday evening in our shiny turquoise tops, prepared for halftime and excited for the game — and what an exciting game it was! I am so proud of our football team this year. Sometimes, I’m more excited about the game than performing at halftime. On Saturday, there is no home game, so we already have Friday practice marked as “NO practice!” and this means a free weekend. Only two more halftime performances are left for the Strutters in 2005; football season sure is ﬂying. We will be following Abby as she high kicks as a Texas State Strutter every Wednesday.

ONLINE: www.txstrutters.com.

Good Night fails to show audience the true emotion of Red Scare Good Night and Good to help bring down Luck, the new Red Scare film McCarthy at the height docudrama from direc- review of the Red Scare. That’s tor/writer/star George ✯✯✯✯✯ it — that’s the premise. Clooney is a film that Good Night and It’s deceptively simple, is easy to admire but Good Luck considering how much nearly impossible to Dir.: George Clooney crams into love. the film. Clooney It’s well-intentioned, Stars: David It doesn’t take a geto be sure, but some- Strathairn, Robert nius to see a parallel thing’s missing from Downey Jr. between McCarthy’s the film; the whole pro- Rated: PG tactics and the manner duction feels a little bit in which the Bush adtoo tidy — a little bit ministration silences too choreographed. There’s no critics. Clooney is a liberal, but real excitement here. As a civics he’s too smart to use the film to lesson, it’s a success. However, as advance his own political agena drama, Clooney’s film leaves da. He’s much more interested something to be desired. in examining the power of good The movie is a competently journalism, and, by extension, executed, if overly reverential, pointing out that it no longer valentine to the bygone era exists. when the American newsman It would seem that a film was a shining beacon of integri- about an icon like Murrow ty. Yes, it is obvious Clooney has would be a slam-dunk, especialpassion and knowledge about ly in this era of irresponsible (or his subject. His father, Nick, was just plain disinterested) televia newsman in Kentucky, and sion journalism. While exposing George grew up in the news- our modern media irresponsiroom, and it shows. Clooney’s bility is a noble goal, Clooney’s script (which he wrote with tone is so damn solemn it nearly Grant Heslov) knows the ca- derails the entire thing. dence and shorthand of how We are treated to innumernewsmen speak. It lends the able scenes of journalists doing dialogue a remarkable air of the right thing, even though authenticity. Clooney has stated what they are fighting for is publicly that Edward R. Mur- somewhat vague. Clooney never row, the crusading CBS journal- elaborates on the threat that ist at the heart of this film, was McCarthy poses and the power one of his boyhood idols, a true that he wields. When we see American hero who was willing Tailgunner Joe, he looks like to take an unpopular stand. On what he was: a tired, old drunk this score, Clooney is correct; screaming from a soapbox, a Murrow was arguably the great- common bigot driven by haest American journalist, televi- tred and loathing. We never get sion or otherwise, of the 20th any sense of the power he held century, and a man who enlight- over the media. People unfamilened and informed America iar with McCarthy’s power will during our time of need. From likely be wondering why a mahis infamous rooftop broadcasts jor network is so afraid of a man during the Battle of Britain to who, at least in the movie, looks his on-air battles with Sen. Jo- like an easy target to take down. seph McCarthy, Murrow estabThe cast is good, but they lished himself as television’s don’t help Clooney convey the conscience during its infancy. fear and desperation their realHe was an eloquent man who life counterparts must have been was never afraid to prod au- feeling. Strathairn, an introspecthority to try and get a rise out tive character actor I have long of the establishment. He wasn’t admired, hits all the right notes a muckraker, but rather, an in- as Murrow. As written, though, quisitive mind who believed in the Murrow character may be the principles upon which this a little too reserved, a bit too country was founded. introspective. Admittedly, he Clooney’s film focuses on the was supposed to be a beacon of latter series of events, showing us strength and a calming force in the chronology of how Murrow the CBS newsroom, but Cloo(David Strathairn) and his loyal ney takes things a bit too far. We team of CBS reporters managed never get to see the man behind

the icon. Was he scared of McCarthy? Did he want this fight? Was he at all motivated by his own liberal politics? The answer to all these questions is yes, but you’ll have to read a Murrow biography to figure it out. The movie makes token attempts at answering these questions, but it never satisfies our curiosity. The supporting cast is impressive, but they aren’t put to good use. Patricia Clarkson and Robert Downey Jr. are largely wasted in a useless romantic subplot. Only Ray Wise, in an Academy Award-worthy performance as CBS correspondent Don Hollenbeck, manages to make you feel the devastation McCarthy’s words could inflict. On a technical level, the movie is a triumph. Clooney and director of photography Robert Elswit made the wise choice to shoot the film in stark black and white, which only adds to the documentary feel of the film. The atmosphere is claustrophobic; nearly every scene takes place in the stark CBS newsroom, cloaked in shadows and smoke. Clooney uses suffocating close-ups to further heighten the tension. Much has also been made about how Clooney chose not to hire an actor to play McCarthy, instead relying on the archived footage of McCarthy, effectively letting the senator hang himself. It is during these scenes that the real horror of McCarthy’s actions come out. We also get riveting footage of Arkansas Sen. John McClellan and attorney Joseph Welch famously standing up to McCarthy in hearings, effectively dooming the senator. This stock footage has more impact than anything in Clooney’s script. For all of its narrative shortcomings, the film deserves to be seen, if only because it will show an entire generation raised on the talking heads of cable news what a real newsman looks like. It’s a simple, straightforward retelling of how an American hero stood up and did the right thing during a time when nobody wanted to take a stand against evil. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to be a hero. — Ray Gustini Badger Herald

Tuesday’s solutions:

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

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. David Strathairn stars as broadcast legend Edward R. Murrow in Good Night and Good Luck.

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�� All classified ads are charged 20¢ per word. Ads may be emailed to starclassifieds@txstate.edu. Check your classified ad for accuracy. Any changes must be made by the second day of publication. The deadline for all classified ads is noon two business days prior to publication. Classified ads must be paid in advance unless credit has been established. Refunds will only be given when a classified ad has been paid by credit card. The Star reserves the right to refuse, edit, and discontinue any classified ad at any time without prior notification. Classified ads will be edited for style purposes. Classified ads that do not note heading, will be put under the appropriate heading. All classified ads are published free, on-line at www.universitystar.com. Since this is a free service, posting is not guaranteed. While The University Star attempts to screen ads for misleading claims or illegal content, it is not possible for us to investigate every ad and advertiser. Please use caution when answering ads, especially any which require you to send money in advance.

Wednesday, October 26,24, 2005 - Page 10 33 Wednesday, August 2005 - Page

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

SPORTS

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

The University Star - Page 11

New year, new quarterback, same results for Dallas Cowboys

Spencer Millsap/Star ﬁle photo Junior Frankie Flores will be one of many Bobcat cross country runners competing in Saturday’s highly anticipated SLC Championship in Natchitoches, La.

Texas State cross country poised for SLC Championship By Adam Schoenky Sports Reporter The Texas State cross country team has already had quite a successful season by most standards — but don’t tell them that. After enduring a season’s worth of long practices, grueling meet and intense training, the team still has only one ﬁnish line in mind. The Bobcats have placed ﬁrst as a team in the last two meets in which they competed, as well as boasting James Ortiz, the Southland Conference cross country Athlete of the Week for two weeks in a row. Despite the huge strides the team has taken, the emphasis throughout the season has been on the SLC Championship, to be held Saturday at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La. Originally, the event was scheduled at Lamar University in Beaumont, but it had to be moved due to damage caused by Hurricane Rita. The format of the cross country season is such that there is no accumulation of points or records as teams progress through the several meets of the season.

They give teams an opportunity to set their rosters and fine-tune themselves. After finishing in the top 20 at last year’s conference meet, Ortiz has been on an unstoppable hot streak coming into the meet, and a strong performance from him on Saturday would give the Bobcats a good chance of accomplishing their goal of a good conference showing. Standing in the way are two of the conference’s perennial top finishers, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin State. SHSU will no doubt be looking for revenge after their men’s team finished second to the Bobcats at the Texas State Classic. While coaches and athletes have been pleased with the results so far, they have remained vigilantly focused on competing for the title of Conference Champions. It seems that they may have hit their stride at just the right point. “We know that this will be our best competition, and we’re just going to go for it,” said freshman Francisco Avelar. “We’ve been training through meets and having good practices, and we’re just trying to peak at the right time.”

When I sat down to write, I was going to talk about what big a difference Drew Bledsoe has made to the Dallas Cowboys this season. I was going to talk about how he was such an upgrade over Vinny Testaverde from one NATHAN BROOKS year ago that saw the 40-yearSports Columnist old quarterback throw more interceptions than any other quarterback in the league with 20. However, after the last two weeks Drew Bledsoe has started to look like, well, Vinny Testaverde. Drew Bledsoe is still the fifth-highest rated quarterback in the NFL with a 94.9 rating and is third in the entire league in passing yards and fourth in touchdowns. However, in his last two starts, Bledsoe has fumbled the ball four times and thrown three interceptions, while throwing only two touchdown passes. More importantly, the Cowboys offense has scored only 26 points in their last two games against the second-worst defense in the league by the New York Giants and an average defense from Seattle. On Sunday against Seattle, Bledsoe threw for only 136 yards, was sacked four times and fumbled the ball twice. He also threw two interceptions including one coming with five seconds left in regulation. Seattle defensive back Jordan Babineaux intercepted Bledsoe’s pass intended for Terry Glenn and returned it to the Dallas 32-yard line, which set up Josh Brown for a game winning 50-yard field goal as time expired. Last season, Testaverde and the Dallas offense turned the ball more than 37 times, which ranked them fifth worst in the entire league. This season, the Cowboys have only turned the ball over 12 times, but six of those have come in their last two games. Dallas has also fumbled the ball 17 times this season, with eight coming from Bledsoe. Drew Bledsoe is on pace to throw 14 interceptions this season, which isn’t a bad number, and is a big improvement over Testaverde’s 20 last season. However, he is on track to fumble the ball 18 times, which is more than twice the amount of fumbles Testaverde had in 2004, when he had eight. Turnovers were a huge reason Bill Parcells second season in Dallas was a complete and utter failure. The Cowboys were the sixth worst team in the NFL with 37 turnovers and fifth worst with a 15-turnover margin. This season, Dallas is on pace to turn the ball more than 27 times, a number not good enough to get them back to the playoffs in the league’s toughest division in the NFC East. The Cowboys defense has made an amazing turnaround from last year’s miserable season that saw them rank 16th in total defense surrendering over 330 yards per game and 25th in scoring defense at 25.5 points per game. This year, after

switching to a 3-4 alignment, the Cowboys have put the “D” back in Dallas. They rank seventh in total defense allowing only 292.6 yards per game, and 10th in scoring at 17.7 points per game. The Dallas defense has also held the NFL’s top scoring offense from the New York Giants and the leagues top overall offense from Seattle to a combined 26 points the last two weeks. However, with their offense hitting the skids, their defensive performance has gone virtually unnoticed. “You gotta score touchdowns to win,” said Cowboy receiver Keyshawn Johnson to Mickey Spagnola of DallasCowboys.com. “Field goals ain’t going to get it done, man. The last few weeks we just haven’t ﬁgured out how to score. Just can’t continue to keep doing this.” Keyshawn hit the nail right on the head. Ten points isn’t going to win a whole lot of football games and neither is the quarterback play of Drew Bledsoe over the last two weeks. Bledsoe’s interceptions alone cost the Cowboys six points against the Seahawks, just enough to make the difference between a win and a loss.

Standings & Schedules SLC Volleyball Standings SLC

Overall

W L

Stephen F. Austin 13 0 Sam Houston St. 10 2 9 3 TEXAS STATE 8 3 UT-San Antonio McNeese St. 6 3 4 8 La. Monroe 4 8 Northwestern St. Lamar 3 6 UT-Arlington 2 8 Southeastern La. 2 9 Nicholls St. 0 11

21 12 11 11 11 9 6 5 4 6 0

2 9 9 7 7 13 14 16 15 14 12

This week’s games

FRIDAY, Oct. 28 *McNeese St. @ UTSA *Lamar @ TEXAS STATE *Nicholls St. @ La. Monroe *SE La. @ NSU *UT-A @ Sam Houston SATURDAY, Oct. 29 *SE La. @ La. Monroe *McNeese St. @ TX STATE *Nicholls @ NSU *Lamar @ UTSA *UT-A @ SFA *CONFERENCE GAME

5 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 5 p.m. 6 p.m. 7 p.m.

SLC Soccer Standings SLC

Stephen F. Austin Northwestern St. TEXAS STATE Sam Houston St. La. Monroe McNeese St. Southeastern La. Nicholls St.

6 5 3 3 2 1 1 0

0 1 2 3 3 3 5 5

Overall

W L

13 10 6 3 9 4 3 2

3 5 9 11 7 9 10 11

SATURDAY, Oct. 29 *McNeese St. @ NSU 7 p.m. *SE La @ TEXAS STATE 7 p.m. *SFA @ La. Monroe 7 p.m. SUNDAY, Oct.30 1 p.m. *SH St. @ La. Monroe Centenary @ McNeese St. 1 p.m. *Nicholls St. @ TX STATE 1 p.m. *CONFERENCE GAME

Ron Jenkins/Fort Worth Star-Telegram Dallas Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe leaves the ﬁeld after the game with the Seattle Seahawks, as a fan taunts him with a jersey. The Seahawks defeated the Cowboys, 13-10, Sunday at Qwest Field in Seattle, Wash.

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QB, 6 -5, 230, Sr. Dallas

DL, 6-5, 307, Sr., Chicago, IL

Had a hand in all four of Texas State’s touchdowns in a battle of Southland Conference unbeatens. Ran for two touchdowns and passed for two more in Texas State’s 31-16 win over Northwestern State. Completed 11-of-26 passes for 167 yards while rushing for 73 yards on 11 carries. Ran for gains of 26 and 16 yards during Texas State’s ﬁrst scoring drive which he capped with a threeyard touchdown pass. Scored on touchdown runs of 11 and 5 yards while his second touchdown pass covered 22 yards.

Credited with five tackles in the Bobcats’ 31-16 win over preseason SLC favorite Northwestern State. Set the tone of the game with a tackle for loss and on the next play was credited with a sack when he forced a quarterback fumble that hemmed Northwestern State inside its own 10. The Bobcats would get the ensuing punt near midfield and would drive for their first score. He was also credited with a quarterback hurry in the victory. Texas State held Northwestern State to 282 yards of offense, including just 83 yards passing.

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SPORTS

sports snortsquotes from the sports world

THE UNIVERSITY STAR

“If I take another 95-mile-per-hour shot to the head again, I’ll do more brain damage than I already have. ... I don’t need any more headaches. ” —Kyle McLaren of the San Jose Sharks on the use of visors in the National Hockey League after the injury to Toronto Maple Leaves captain Mast Sudin on opening day. (Source: ESPN.com)

Wednesday, October 26, 2005 - Page 12

Sports Contact — Miguel Peña, starsports@txstate.edu

Bobcats road hopes botched at Stephen F. Austin By Chris Boehm Sports Reporter

Danny Rodriguez/Star ﬁle photo Sophomore Brandy St. Francis spikes the ball during a Sept. 13 game against the University of Texas-Arlington. The Bobcats lost 3-1 against Stephen F. Austin State University on Tuesday in Nacogdoches, where St. Francis totaled two kills and12 attacks. The Bobcats play Lamar University at 7 p.m. Friday at Strahan Coliseum.

Revenge proved sweet for Stephen F. Austin, which knocked off Texas State on Tuesday to remain undefeated in Southland Conference play. The Bobcats fell to the Ladyjacks three games to one (30-28, 22-30, 2630, 24-30), in the teams’ first meeting since last November’s conference championship. “They outplayed us tonight,” said assistant coach Zach Shaver. “They delivered some tough serves (Tuesday night).” SFA held the upper hand over Texas State in all facets of the game, finishing on top in kills, blocks and aces. The Ladyjacks’ offense produced four players with double-digit kills, led by freshman Lauren Railey’s 23. “They played better defense, and just out-blocked us,” Shaver said. Game one at SFA’s Johnson Coliseum went to Texas State, which jumped out of the gates with 20 kills in the first period to a two-point victory. The Ladyjacks’ defense proved the difference in the game, as Texas State was held below it season hitting average, posting a .200 for the match. A telling sign Tuesday was Liz Nwoke’s 18 kills at the expense of a .197 average. Freshman Lawrencia Brown paced the team on offense with 19 kills. The outside hitter also contributed 15 digs and two blocks. Fellow freshman Emily Jones provided the other bright spot on the night, notching 12 kills on .571 hitting. The middle player also scored five blocks. “Emily performed well, especially on the block,” Shaver said. “She definitely was a highlight of the match.” SFA moved to 12-0 in SLC play, reeling from the opening game loss to take the next three. The Ladyjacks benefited from two players with 20-plus digs, paced by league leader Stephanie Figgers’ 28. “She’s the best libero in the league,” said head coach Karen Chisum. Game two saw SFA get up 2-0, holding a slim but consistent one or two-point lead throughout the second period. Up 16-14, the Ladyjacks

put together a 7-1 run to take a commanding eight-point that held to the end. Texas State now sits at 9-3 in the SLC, 11-9 overall. The Bobcats have six league matches remaining on the schedule, with a second-chance against SFA coming at home on Nov. 5 “The match was what we expected,” Shaver said. “They came out and played tough defense and capitalized on their opportunities.” SFA again jumped ahead by two to start the third period, but the Bobcats rallied to a 7-3 lead following an Ashley Stark (ﬁve kills) attack. An SFA error made it 13-9 in favor of Texas State, forcing the Ladyjacks to call a timeout. Out of the break SFA notched three unanswered points to cut the lead to one, eventually going on an 11-6 run to win by four. In the deciding game four, the teams played close until SFA scored

six straight points to go up 21-16. The clubs traded points from that point on, with the Ladyjacks eventually claiming the match. After a successful 3-2 road trip, Texas State returns home this weekend for dates against Lamar and McNeese State. Lamar sits at just 3-6 in conference, having cancelled matches due to the season’s storms. McNeese provides the greater challenge, currently ﬁfth in the standings at 6-3. The Cowgirls’ offense is led by Trisha Seale, fourth in the Southland at 3.86 kills per game. Sophomore Jessica Strama paces the team with 4.91 digs per game, good for third among league players. “SFA turned it up in games two and three, and we just didn’t serve well,” Shaver said. “Now we have time to go back to the gym and just prepare for the weekend.” Game time is 7 p.m. for Friday, with Saturday’s match set for 4 p.m.

Jeremy Craig/Star ﬁle photo Senior Elizabeth Nwoke, shown here during the season opener against Morgan State University on Sept. 12, attempted to help the Bobcat’s in Tuesday’s game against Stephen F. Austin with a total of 18 kills.