November 29, 2016

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 29, 2016 VOLUME 106 ISSUE 16 www.UniversityStar.com

Assaults spark fear among Texas State students; Trauth responds

By JeriLynn Thorpe Senior News Reporter @jerilynnthorpe Members of the Texas State community have been victims of various assaults on campus this year which has increased fear and insecurity among students.

Since the beginning of 2016, there have been 27 assaults on campus ranging from homophobic to sexual to even clown related incidents. Though the number has decreased since 2015, which had a total of 45 assaults, students are still feeling uneasy.

Carlos Javier Rodriguez, theater junior, said he does not feel safe on campus or in San Marcos.

“I’m really disappointed in what’s been happening at Texas State,” Rodriguez said. “I fear every day that I will get assaulted or hit. I don’t want to live in that kind of fear. I don’t think that anyone would.”

Rodriguez iden-

tifies as gay and Hispanic. With these two traits combined, Rodriguez said it was his parents’ worst fear for him to be a victim of assaults when he entered college. After recently learning of a male Texas State student who was attacked upon leaving the LGBTQIA bar, Stonewall Warehouse, in high heels, Rodriguez said the situation is unfair.

“In a country where we literally say, ‘home of the brave, land of the free,’ how free can we be when we are scared to step out of our own home,” Rodriguez said.

Some students have become anxious due to the recent election of President-elect Donald Trump. To address the safety of students from diverse backgrounds on campus, President Denise Trauth sent an email to the student body Nov. 28, stating that she holds tight to the “core mission and values” of the university and prohibits any acts of violence and un-

equal treatment.

“I want to reassure all that we have taken, and will continue to take steps that allow us to maintain an academically vital, safe, and sacred space that promotes civility, dialogue, discussion, debate, and the free and unfettered exchange of ideas, opinions thoughts and theories,” Trauth said.

While some assaults have been due to sexual discrimination, Texas State students have also faced the threat of clowns. In October, Bobcat Village was plagued by a person in a clown costume who assaulted a female resident.

Breanna Deculus, management freshman, lives at Bobcat Village and said she finds the situation crazy.

“I’m a freshman, and I’m scared to live on campus,” Deculus said.

“It doesn’t feel comfortable that we are paying to live on campus. If there are people able to assault

someone in student housing, where’s the University Police (Department)?

I’m going to be moving off campus where there is better security.”

Rolando Belmares, University Police Department sergeant, said UPD take every report of assault very seriously.

The UPD is working to increase its visibility and have recently hired extra officers in order to patrol more places at the same time.

Belmares said that there are many programs and initiatives the UPD has set in place to give students a better sense of security such as Bobcat Bobbies, a safety escort service, and Krav Maga, a free self-defense class.

Additionally, Belmares said that the UPD advertises to stay in well-lit areas and walk in pairs.

Trauth said university officials are taking measures to decrease harmful and threatening situations on campus with enhanced

45 Reported assaults 27 Reported assaults in in 2015.

2016. police patrol, providing safety tools and resources in times of need and continuing conversation of concerns through public forums.

Rodriguez said his best piece of advice for Texas State students, the LGBTQIA community and young women, is to ‘be brave,’ in the wake of these attacks.

“There are certain things that are out of my hands, but there are some things that I can take control over, and it’s about picking your battles,” Ro-

driguez said. “At the end of the day, we are going to make it through this war. It’s just so important to remember.”

Trauth reminds students with a hopeful endeavor that she will strive to protect and represent the voices of the Texas State community.

FOOTBALL

2016 football season nearing its end

By: Autumn Anderson Sports Editor @aaautumn_ The 2016 football season is coming to a slow end for Texas State.

The Bobcats have played 11 of the 12 games for the season, and have managed to defeat only two teams on

the schedule.

Texas State opened its season against Ohio University, and set a positive tone after winning 56-54 in over time.

However, that promising start quickly faded.

Following that win was a loss against No. 24 Arkansas and another loss against No. 6 Houston.

In both of those games, the Bobcats didn’t score a single touchdown—only one field goal.

Texas State hosted

Incarnate Word for its Pink Out game Oct. 1, and added the only other win the team would see this season. The Bobcats overpowered the Cardinals 48-17.

After that, the season seemed to spiral downward. The latter half of the 2016 season has been nothing but low-scoring losses for the Bobcats.

Texas State lost to Georgia State and Louisiana-Monroe on the road.

Following that, the Bobcats returned to San Marcos for their Homecoming game—only to lose to Louisiana-Lafayette 27-3.

Nothing changed after Homecoming. Texas State lost to Appalachian State, Idaho, New Mexico State and Troy. The Bob-

cats faced Troy this past weekend on Nov. 26 and took a 40-7 loss.

“It’s kind of a broken record,” coach Everett Withers said in the last Texas State football luncheon. “We come out early and play well early.

(We) struggle in the second quarter, get behind and can’t recover.”

Texas State has one game left on its 2016 schedule. The Bobcats will host Arkansas State at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3 for Senior Day. Texas State’s losses have given the team a 0-7 conference record and a 2-9 overall record. The Bobcats are sitting dead last in the Sun Belt Conference standings after losing seven straight con-

ference games.

The Bobcats’ next opponent, Arkansas State, sits in third place in the conference with a 6-1 record. If the Bobcats can win against Arkansas State, they may be able to move up to 10th place in the conference.

Although this season has been struck with losses, Withers thinks it is something the team can overcome.

“It’s just one of those things we’re going to have to grow up and fight through as a football team and as a program,” Withers said.

Putting aside all of the hard losses, there are positive things that have come out of this season for the Bobcats. Sopho-

more running back Stedman Mayberry is leading Texas State with 602 rushing yards, averaging 52.27 per game. Mayberry has also scored five touchdowns for the Bobcats this season.

Senior quarterback Tyler Jones is having a good season despite the losses.

Jones has attempted 338 passes, completing 219 of them. Jones is also throwing at about 65% and has completed 11 touchdown passes.

With only one game left, the Bobcats cannot turn this season around.

However, the stats show student-athletes have been putting in the effort.

The slate will be clean once again after Dec. 3.

SAFETY

Sanctuary Campus petition presented at biannual Round Table

By Rae Glassford Assistant News Editor @rae_maybe Texas State students and faculty members participated in an open dialogue with selected university officials at the Bobcat’s United Round Table hosted by Student Government on Monday, Nov. 28.

“Round Table gives students the opportunity to sit down with the administration and have their questions, comments and concerns addressed directly,” said Colton Duncan, political science junior and director of programs & marketing for student government.

“It offers a service that other universities may not have. When I first got here I was very surprised at how engaged the faculty and administration are with student life, and how

much they care about the wellbeing of students.”

Notable attendees included President Denise Trauth, Provost Eugene Bourgeois, Attorney for Students Shannon Fitzpatrick and Vice President for Student Affairs Joanne Smith. The event was likewise attended by university officials from Athletics, Transportation & Parking Services, Housing & Residential Life and the Student Health Center, as well as representatives from oncampus dining facilities.

Round Table takes place once every semester to facilitate open dialogue between the student body and the administration.

Monday night’s event distinguished itself from previous Round Tables in that many of the people in attendance arrived with the intention of addressing concerns specific to

minority groups at Texas State.

“I came to follow up on a previous meeting we had with administration a few weeks ago,” said Natasha Edwards, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at Texas State. “It was similar, but much smaller.

I wanted to follow up on further dialogue.”

The discussions held at President Trauth’s and Provost Bourgeois’ table were focused on issues involving minority student groups, including minority representation on campus, the frequency with which minority faculty members are hired and the recent petition to have Texas State University officially designated as a Sanctuary Campus.

“I’m here on behalf of my organization, to support the petition to

make this a Sanctuary Campus,” said Julia Estrada, musical theater senior and president of the League of United Latin American Citizens. “As a Latino-serving institution devoted to diversity, it should be our objective to represent all students, including undocumented ones.”

The petition itself focuses on ensuring the future of students whose college education has been provided for by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, an immigration law enacted by the Obama administration.

“DACA students receive support from the national government to pursue higher education,” Estrada said. “To receive DACA status, students have to have a clean record and are fingerprinted, so universities have

a list of DACA students who go there. If the upcoming presidential administration comes after undocumented students for deportation, we want to know that the university will protect the names of those students.”

Also in attendance were members of the Student Community of Progressive Empowerment, as well as Benjamin Swenson-Weiner communication studies graduate student, who wrote the first draft of the Sanctuary Campus petition.

“People who are here illegally might be in danger of having their DACA status revoked by the incoming executive administration; we want to make sure those individuals are protected,” Swenson-Weiner said.

“This petition calls for protecting vulnerable populations; that wording

was left vague for a reason. Protecting undocumented students could be the first step in creating a safe haven, but it won’t be the last.”

The petition asks that the university refuse to release student information. However, the Sanctuary Campus designation is not a legal status, so the ultimate effectiveness of the measure has been called into question. Be that as it may, the spirit behind the petition remains relevant, Weiner said.

“Coming here was a way to humanize the petition, to provide faces, to demonstrate that we’re willing to have dialogue with the administration,” Weiner said.

2 | Tuesday, November 29, 2016

NEWS

The University Star Bri Watkins News Editor @briwatkins17

UniversityStar.com @universitystar

CAMPUS

LIFESTYLE

Center sees Give back this holiday Counseling spike in appointments season through local organizations

By Katie Burrell News Reporter @KatieNicole96

Photo Courtesy of San Marcos Police Department.

By Stacee Collins Assistant Lifestyle Editor @stvcee As the holiday season approaches, students, residents and local organizations plan to give back to the community as a way to spread Christmas cheer.

In addition, volunteers can assist with gift-wrapping from 6-9 p.m. Nov. 29, and Dec. 6, 8 and 12.

Those interested can call Scott Johnson at 512754-2271 or Laray Taylor at 512-754-2270.

Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center Adopt-A-Family

In addition, they can help out as stage assistants or be a part of the costume crew.

For more information, those interested can contact volunteer coordinator Catherine Marler at catherine@sights-nsounds.org.

Hays County Food Hays County Brown The Hays-Caldwell Bank program Santa Women’s Center offers an Although the Hays The Hays County Citizens Sheriff ’s Academy Alumni Association coordinates the Brown Santa program each year.

Those interested can deliver food and toys, start a food drive, wrap presents, donate, adopt a family and more.

Some of the scheduled events include fundraising and donation booths at Sights & Sounds of Christmas from 5-11 p.m.

Dec. 3-4, gift-wrapping from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Dec. 13 and sorting and delivering food and toys Dec. 20 respectively.

For more information on how to get involved, those interested can call program coordinator Dennis Gutierrez at 512393-7877 or email him at dg1203@co.hays.tx.us.

Operation Santa

Blue

The city of San Marcos partners with the police department every December for the Blue Santa program. The nonprofit program has been up and running for 44 years, and aims to bring every less-fortunate child in San Marcos a present for Christmas.

Last year, the Blue Santa program provided presents for approximately 1,400 children. To get involved, those interested can donate money or unwrapped gifts—excluding stuffed animals—to the police station through Dec. 14.

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Adopt-A-Family program allowing donors to directly assist needy families.

Donations are accepted in cash or gift cards from Wal-Mart and Target. Donors will receive a photo of the gifts and a thank you from the caregiver. In 2015, the center provided Christmas gifts for 111 children.

For more information on how to donate, those interested can contact Brooke Bernhagen at 512-396-3404 or email her at Bbernhagen@ hcwc.org.

Southside Community Shelter Adopt-AFamily

The Southside Community Shelter started taking applications for its Adopt-A-Family program Oct. 15. However, the program is always looking for donations.

The shelter’s efforts have helped low-income families receive Christmas presents throughout the years. Those interested in donating or volunteering can contact the Southside Community Shelter at 512-396-7003.

Sights & Sounds of Christmas volunteering

Students or residents can become elves for a weekend at Sights & Sounds of Christmas in San Marcos. Those interested in volunteering at the festival can help out in various areas—they need only visit the website to access the volunteer site and registration page.

Volunteers can assist at drink stations, the kids’ zone, the scavenger hunt, the cotton candy booth or the festival’s entry gates.

County Food Bank’s major program of the year is during Thanksgiving, the local organization plans to have Christmas events to give back to the community.

Jason Kamimoto, volunteer services coordinator, said the Hays County Food Bank is still in the process of working on an official partnership with the Central Texas Medical Center for a Christmas program.

“We’re interested in giving out some holiday bags for the community,” Kamimoto said. “At the moment, that is all we have planned. We might have more coming up.”

Kamimoto said 2016 will mark the first year the bank will coordinate this specific program.

For more information on how to volunteer, visit the Hays County Food Bank website or contact volunteer services manager Holly Hood at 512392-8300, Ext. 222.

Fall and winter is a busy time of year for the Counseling Center at Texas State, and is especially busy this semester.

The university has had protests, deaths and multiple assaults occur within the fall 2016 semester.

“We are doing the best we can to address these requests during this busy time in the semester and require all questions to be submitted first via email at least 24 hours in advance,” said Dr. Hillary Jones, a psychologist at the Counseling Center.

The Counseling Center receives calls and emails from students daily, and treats them by level of severity. According to its website, the center has four levels in which they label a student’s need before granting an appointment.

Level one is for emergencies. If a student is contemplating suicide or has considered hurting another individual, that person is considered a level one case and is seen

the same day. Level two is for urgent needs. If a student has lost someone, been assaulted or is under extreme duress that person will be seen the same day.

Level three is designated for issues such as anxiety and depression.

These students can call early in the day and make an appointment. The initial appointment lasts 15 minutes and allows a counselor to determine how the center can proceed with the student’s needs.

Level four provides students with one-time appointments. If someone needs to make a large decision, a referral to seek help elsewhere or is asking for advice regarding a friend, the center can still make time to see the student as needed.

These policies are maintained during the Counseling Center’s busy season, but students often see a longer wait and endure longer response times.

“I considered using the counseling center when I transferred to this school,” said Michelle

Pitrucha , psychology senior. “I was looking at different options to deal with stress.”

Pitrucha decided not to use the center, because she would have been required to wait two to three weeks for an appointment.

Janee Scioneaux, psychology senior and peer mentor, said she has referred students to the center and they have reported waiting a week at most. Scioneaux said she has seen it work for students who have suffered tragedies and stress.

To use the Counseling Center, a person must be currently enrolled in the university. The center offers group, couples and individual counseling. To initiate an appointment a student can call or visit.

Due to the amount of students requesting appointments, the Counseling Center has temporarily replaced initial consultations with onehour appointments as of Nov. 3. Additionally, the Counseling Center will refer students to outside resources if it is unable to provide timely assistance.

The Counseling Center is located on the 5th floor of the LBJ Student Center.

PHOTO BY JENNIFER CHACON | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Keep up with Volunteer Opportunities

For those interested in volunteering, Serve San Marcos is an organization dedicated to linking residents to volunteer opportunities.

Users are able to search for opportunities, quickly register and check service hours online. The organization’s website has a volunteer calendar with dates, locations and times of local opportunities.

The organization’s page may have some Christmas-related opportunities popping up soon, so those interested can check the calendar frequently to discover how to give back this holiday season.

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4 | Tuesday, November 29, 2016

OPINIONS

The University Star Mikala Everett Opinions Editor @mikala_maquella

UniversityStar.com @universitystar

GENDER

Marriage does not equate to weakness

By Bridgett Reneau Opinions Columnist @bridgelynnn Young people today do not aspire to marriage.

Ask any millennial to describe his or her dreams and goals, and marriage will likely not make the list. The aspirations of my generation pertain to financial success, professional accomplishments and personal advancement.

Granted, none of these intentions are negative. It is wise to be driven in the realm of practicality, and sensible to be focused on individual maturation. However, my generation blatantly and continuously disregards the importance of relationships with others in favor of our own agendas, and in doing so, we forfeit the experience of forming important bonds with other people.

The act of neglecting interpersonal relationships is a bigger problem now than it has ever been. We would rather stay adamantly focused on our own success than invest time in others, especially in a romantic sense. While I am not suggesting that people ought to neglect their own dreams in favor of a relationship, I do believe aspiring to be mar-

ried is not a goal that should be discredited.

Women are often led to believe, in this day and age, if they aspire to be in a committed relationship and eventually marry or become a mother, they are somehow doing themselves a disservice. In present-day media, women who are single are portrayed as powerful, successful and confident, while women who are in relationships or marriages are often characterized as submissive, weak-minded and unlucky.

Historically speaking, this depiction is not incorrect.

Ian Millhiser, Justice Editor of Thinkprogress.org, blames the sad depiction of married women on laws that were passed centuries ago.

“The common law treated a wife as financially subservient to her husband,” said Millhiser. “Although single women enjoyed the same property rights as men, a married women lost her ability to make financial decisions the moment she said ‘I do’.”

Millhiser said that early Americans defined women and marriage by the woman’s lack of economic freedom. Today, we still define our worth by our economic state.

Women who are financially sound are considered

to be more worthy of personhood than those who are not, or who rely on their husbands for financial security.

This is ultimately what makes marriage seem a little sketchy—if a woman’s money is not her own, then is she really her own person?

Yes, she is.

Everyone is a person, regardless of whether they are financially independent or not. Furthermore, being married does not equate to a woman’s lack of financial autonomy. Countless married women make their own money and could easily support themselves if they chose to do so.

We are no longer living in a nation that defines marriage as an institution where a wife is below her husband.

When we consider the progression of marriage as a whole, and the implantation of gay marriage in our society, the point is moot. We have progressed exponentially as a nation in the realm of how we define legal partnership, and we ought to work on bringing our personal viewpoints surrounding marriage up to date with our current legislation regarding the issue.

Being married, or aspiring to eventually enter a partnership, does not equate to

ILLUSTRATION BY ISRAEL GONZALEZ

feminine weakness. The entirety of the issue is subjective, and we must remember this when considering marriage as an institution.

It is entirely possible and admirable to aspire to professional and personal success while concurrently desiring to be married. There should be no shame for a woman or man choosing to declare that.

I urge people in my gen-

eration—especially women—to be unafraid of the vulnerability it takes to declare marriage as a goal. The idea of matrimony is nothing to be scared or ashamed of, instead it is something that ought to be celebrated and aspired to.

Marriage does not equate to a loss of autonomy; it is a system of love and mutual support in which both partners stand by and support

each other. I find it perplexing that my generation does not value the possibility of a lifelong friend, partner and lover. Life sucks, and you need someone to love.

localize Medicaid programs, give local governments more flexibility and create a system in states that will guarantee insured individuals continuous coverage where it was previously uncertain.

Trump will not accomplish his healthcare plans easily or quickly, but according to his website, he plans to attack the job on day one—a lofty goal which is easier said than done.

To repeal Obamacare, Trump cannot simply commission Congress right away.

First, he will need 60 votes in the Senate. According to an ABC news article on the matter, he may not even be

able to accomplish that during his first 100 days in office.

If Trump is patient and tenacious, he will likely be able to change the entirety of the healthcare system, making the process of obtaining affordable insurance a reality for more Americans.

I believe Trump will be able to keep his promise to provide free-market inspired healthcare.

Hopefully, it is the only promise he will keep.

- Bridgett Reneau is a psychology junior

HEALTHCARE

Donald Trump’s silver lining

By Katie Burrell Opinions Columnist @KatieNicole96 Donald Trump’s recent election has had United States citizens up in arms. However, in the midst of protests over the President-elect’s promises to “build the wall” and his threats on Muslim immigration, we may have found a silver lining to the countless atrocities: the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The ACA, commonly known as Obamacare, had grand intentions. The policy was designed to allow people to maintain their cur-

rent insurance plans if they chose to do so and to give uninsured Americans health insurance. While this seems like a beautiful solution to a costly problem, many Americans are opposed to the plan and have struggled under new regulations.

In 2014, CNN reported one of many cases where Obamacare went wrong.

According to an article by reporter Wyatt Andrews, a man lost his family doctor of 14 years due to Obamacare stipulations.

According to John C. Goodman, a Forbes contributor, Obamacare’s original intent was to help unin-

sured Americans gain access to insurance. However, the reality of the act is unfortunate: 90% of the uninsured in 2016 will be exempt from the mandate.

Trump’s former opponent Hillary Clinton intended to maintain the basic premises of Obamacare while working out some of the kinks— a method which seems feasible but cannot come to fruition.

Trump intends to dismantle the act entirely. According to his website, Trump wants to replace the ACA with his plan, Health Savings Accounts. The HSA plan will allow Americans

to purchase insurance across states, which would open the insurance market and create competitive pricing. This would also give Americans more options when it comes to insurance providers.

People spend thousands of dollars throughout their lives on insurance and outof-pocket medical expenses, so when given the option to privatize their insurance in a competitive market, many Americans will likely take it.

Consumerism is driven by competition and options, and privatized healthcare will strengthen American faith in the healthcare system.

Trump’s HSA intends to

-Katie Burrell is a mass communications sophomore

GENDER

Don’t forget Flint: Michigan still dealing with water crisis

ILLUSTRATION BY ASHEE BRUNSON

By May Olvera Opinions Columnist @yungfollowill Flint, Michigan’s water crisis

has not been resolved.

The issue has not received major news coverage for months, and most celebrities have stopped speaking

The University Star Editor-in-Chief..................................................Emily Sharp, stareditor@txstate.edu News Editor.........................................................Bri Watkins, starnews@txstate.edu Sports Editor.........................................Autumn Anderson, starsports@txstate.edu Lifestyle Editor......................................Denise Cervantes, starlifestyle@txstate.edu Opinions Editor.........................................Mikala Everett, staropinion@txstate.edu Multimedia Editor..................................Lara Dietrich, starmultimedia@txstate.edu Copy Desk Chief.....................................Claire Abshier, starcopychief@txstate.edu Design Editor...........................................Jessica Strickland, stardesign@txstate.edu

out about it entirely. However, Flint remains in disastrous condition and while the social media sympathy has passed, the water crisis

continues.

Flint was once a booming industrial city, but today stands as a testament to the failures of capitalism and the struggles faced by poor people of color. America’s lack of interest in the city’s water crisis speaks volumes of the country’s attitude towards marginalized communities.

According to CNN, 41.6 percent of Flint’s residents live below the poverty line and over half of the city’s population is black. The median household income in Flint is $24,679, while the rest of Michigan has a median household income of $49,087.

In March of this year, an independent panel appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder concluded that a blatant disregard for poor and marginalized communities contributed to the government’s slow response to complaints about contaminated water. Had Flint’s population been primarily white, perhaps Gov. Snyder’s office would have treated the entirety of the water crisis more seriously.

It has been over 400 days since Flint’s water was publicly declared undrinkable.

The most immediate and widespread solution has been to provide people with water filters for their tap wa-

ter, however, in many older and more impoverished homes these filters are incompatible with sinks, making them virtually useless.

There are a handful of stations located around the city that give out bottled water to those in need. The problem is, without transportation, time or the physical ability to collect these bottles, it is still impossible for the most marginalized of citizens to have access to clean water.

At first, the superficial unity that arose between Americans dissatisfied with their government was seemingly sincere and beautiful; however, in plenty of ways it was not true solidarity. Undeniably, people rallied behind a poor community of color and demanded justice—but justice for whom?

Anti-government sentiments inundated almost all commentaries regarding the water crisis, but in retrospect they now seem like projections of general and personal dissatisfaction with the State and not actual concern for the people of Flint. Once again, the material suffering of people of color has been used as a tool for the advancement of privileged white Americans.

Citizens of Flint continue to be denied access to water as you read this. No, your

two weeks of hashtags did not work. Your retweets did not change anything. Water bottle donations may have had a more immediate impact, but they still won’t give the most marginalized citizens access to water.

Only immediate and direct action will bring rapid change to Flint. To secure the rights and standards of living for the least privileged, we must endanger those rights of the most powerful. White allies like myself must put our safety on the line for that of our less privileged siblings. If our most impoverished cannot drink clean water, their governor and congressmen should not have access to it either—and that should apply across the board to all issues faced by impoverished Americans.

We must strive and strategize to provide tangible change for those who need it most in America. If the implications of racism and classism drawn from people’s growing indifference to Flint make you uncomfortable, stand united and act.

- May Olvera is a journalism junior

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Tuesday, November 29, 2016 | 5

LIFESTYLE

Denise Cervantes, Lifestyle Editor @cervantesdenise

UniversityStar.com @universitystar

FASHION

FMA Semi-Annual Fashion Show showed students how to style today’s items

By Trista Castillo Lifestyle Reporter @tristaaaaa Business professional and game day attire were found on the runway at the Fashion Merchandising Association’s semiannual fashion show Nov. 21 held in the LBJ Student Center Ballroom.

The semi-annual fashion brought in a full house as audience members gathered for the showcase.

Kasandra Arteaga, fashion merchandising sophomore and President of FMA, said organizing the show took a lot of time and effort.

“This fashion show

was a beautiful chaos and that’s something we like to say in FMA,” Arteaga said.

The show kicked off with the business professional portion of the show.

Retailers such as JC Penny, Banana Republic and DKNY were shown throughout this portion of the show.

“We bring in a bunch of retailers and we style their outfits,” Arteaga said “The stylists’ job is to make the clothes fresh for college students by still keeping the integrity of the brand.”

Scarfs were a staple during Banana Republic’s bracket in the business

casual portion of the show.

DKNY, a unisex brand, modeled men’s blazers, which could also work well for women.

After the business professional portion of the show, the Everyday Day Wear theme began.

Models walked down the catwalk in JC Penny clothing representing fall shades. The brand HCO SMTX featured vests and flannels.

After the everyday wear portion there was a short intermission where the Harambee dance team performed two hip hop routines for the crowd.

Analisa Esther, dance sophomore, said the Ha-

rambee dance team a group of passionate performers.

“We love performing for all types of crowds and this has been a really good experience,” Esther said.

Joiya Denni, nutrition and wellness freshman, said ‘Harambee’ stands for unity and the preparation for the performance was stressful and scary.

“It is always nerveracking but it’s so much fun to perform and it is always worth it in the end,” Dennis said.

Esther said during rehearsals she marveled over the stylists and models.

“This fashion show is

so awesome. I love it, and it has honestly been so inspiring to watch it come together,” Esther said.

After the Harambee dance team performed there was a different performance by an acapella group, The Echoes.

Arteaga said the audience enjoyed the intermission performances.

“I feel like having the Harambee dance team and The Echoes just gave this show that extra ‘umph’ and we are just so excited and happy,” Arteaga said.

After the intermission and performances, the last part of the show was named ‘Game Day.’ All of the models in

this segment were styled in the brands such as Barefoot Campus Outfitters and River Rose.

Models threw Barefoot Campus Outfitters T-Shirts into the crowd while walking the runway.

Madison Worley, fashion merchandising senior and vice president of FMA, said the semi-annual fashion show was a success.

“I am more than excited about the turn out,” Worley said. “I was expecting a lot of people, but I guess when you see it in real life, it’s like ‘wow’.”

140 people have played pickleball at the Activity Center. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the more popular days, and a record-setting attendance of 28 players attended the past two programs.

Marilyn Brister, San Marcos resident, has been playing pickleball at the Activity Center for a year and half.

“It’s fun. It’s really good exercise and I’ve made friends here,” Brister said.

“It’s important to keep your muscles toned, stay mentally sharp and be with other people.”

Brister said she has enjoyed socializing with the other players, especially when the center hosted luncheons after the games.

“I like it because you learn it, and at first you’re timid, but then you learn

how to hit it,” Brister said. “When the guys hit it hard, and you hit it back to them, it’s a real good feeling.”

Admission is free for Activity Center members.

Resident nonmembers are charged $3.25 and nonresident nonmembers pay $4.25 to play.

Riali said the membership fee is reasonable, so most pickleball players have become members to save money.

“We would like for it to get bigger and possibly do some tournaments,” Riali said.

Kissing Tree, the new 55-and-up housing facility located on the corner of North Frontage road and Aquarena, will incorporate six outdoor pickleball courts. Riali said the development

manager expects the Activity Center to have an increase in pickleball players once the facility is up and running next spring.

Along with pickleball, monthly luncheons, bingo sessions, seminars, Monday game days, dances, hiking and more is offered for senior citizens at the Activity Center.

“Senior citizens are a big part of our community,” Riali said.

“San Marcos is one of the top places to retire, so we want to make sure they have some fun activities.”

For more information or a free first session, call 512-393-8275.

COMMUNITY

Pickleball is growing in popularity

By Stacee Collins Assistant Lifestyle Editor @stvcee

Adults in San Marcos gather three times a week and stay in shape with an up-and-coming sport called pickleball.

As one of America’s fastest growing sports, pickleball is a hybrid between badminton, tennis and pingpong.

Players use paddles to hit a wiffle ball over a net and score points against the opposing team. The all-ages activity can be played as doubles or singles.

The San Marcos Activity Center offers pickleball for adults from 9-11 a.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The local sport has become so popular that the center has had to add extra

courts.

“We started off with just two courts, and eventually added another,” Nick Riali, recreation programs specialist at the San Marcos Activity Center said. “We were getting so many people, we had to add three more courts.

Now, we have six total.”

Ed Beyster, San Antonio pickleball ambassador, wanted to expand the sport to different communities.

So, he introduced the sport to San Marcos two years ago.

“I originally branched out because I wanted to get it started in more areas,” Beyster said. “The growth in San Marcos has been unbelievable.”

Riali said he hosted a pickleball clinic to see if there would be enough

interest among residents.

“Once we did that, we decided to purchase the nets and the paddles,” Riali said. “The people who went to the clinic came, and we continued to advertise it. It just took off from there.”

Riali said kids are allowed to play alongside their parents. However, pickleball is primarily a sport for senior citizens.

“It allows senior citizens to get exercise without it being too hard on their bodies,” Riali said. “It’s not as strenuous as tennis, running or weightlifting.

You get a pretty good cardio workout.”

Players from San Antonio, Austin, Kyle and Buda travel to San Marcos to participate in the center’s program.

Riali said approximately

ATHLETICS

The University Star

Tuesday, November 29, 2016 | 6

LIFESTYLE

Denise Cervantes, Lifestyle Editor @cervantesdenise

UniversityStar.com @universitystar

FASHION

6 DIY ugly Christmas sweater ideas

By Stacee Collins Assistant Lifestyle Editor @stvcee

If chestnuts are roasting, marshmallows are toasting and that one uncle is

wearing the tackiest, ugliest Christmas sweater of all time, the holiday sea-

son is upon us.

Ugly Christmas sweaters are back in season,

so here are a few ways to make one and take home the winning title at the

Frocket Sweater

annual holiday party.

Rudolph Sweater

For the parties where you don’t want to set your drink down, use these DIY instructions to create the multipurpose sweater of the year.

Find a red or green sweater vest from Goodwill or another resale shop.

Use an old oven mitt or buy one—preferably with a cheesy holiday saying plastered on it.

Learn how to use a sewing machine or get grandma to hand sew the oven mitt on the sweater.

Place your hot chocolate or spiked eggnog in the pouch for safe keeping during the party.

Christmas Tree Sweater Some students are away from home for the holidays, and can sometimes go through the season without a Christmas tree. Luckily, these DIY instructions can show them how to become a Christmas tree.

Buy a forest green sweater from a local thrift shop.

Take a trip to Hobby Lobby and browse the decoration aisle for items.

Wrap and hot glue gold or silver tinsel around the sweater. Hang ornaments from the sweater.

Get the perfect tree topper, such as a star or angel.

Position your arms in a triangle above your head and hold the tree topper in your hands. Congratulations, you are now a Christmas tree.

But, do you recall the most ugly sweater of all? Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had a very shiny nose—smack dab in the middle of your fuzzy sweater.

Find a brown sweater from Goodwill or WalMart. Then, scavenge around Hobby Lobby to find red, white and black felt.

Cut out two circles of white felt for the eyes, and two smaller black circles for the pupils. Cut out a red circle for Rudolph’s nose. Hot glue the items onto the sweater.

Hot glue cardboard cylinders from toilet paper rolls along the arms of the sweater to create Rudolph’s antlers.

Help Santa guide his sleigh tonight.

Stuffed Animal Sweater

Matching Group Sweaters

Mom probably has loads upon loads of Christmas decorations she might want to throw out from last year, and this is the perfect opportunity to grab ugly sweater materials.

Go through that old box of outdated, wornout Christmas decorations to find a big stuffed animal or plush toy—the bigger, the better.

Hot glue the massive figure in the center of the sweater.

Add more items to surround the centerpiece, like jingle bells or gift bows.

Walk into the ugly Christmas sweater party like you own the place.

If your friend group is irreplaceable, follow these DIY instructions to coordinate your ugly Christmas sweaters.

Hop in the car and take a group trip to Goodwill, Hobby Lobby and probably somewhere to eat too.

Buy the same color and style of sweater, and then figure out what design your squad wants to go for.

Purchase the necessary supplies for group sweaters.

Align the sweaters up side by side. For a reindeer design, hot glue the animal’s head onto the first sweater, then the middle of its body on the center sweater and the legs onto the third sweater.

Add some tinsel, fluff and other decor to spice up the group sweaters.

Bow Sweater If someone wants to become a human present, he or she can follow these DIY instructions.

Buy a sweater of choice from a local thrift shop or Wal-Mart.

Find the biggest bow humanely possible from Hobby Lobby, Michaels or another store.

Hot glue the giant, colorful bow onto the sweater.

Add some LED lights to give the crowd a show.

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The University Star

Tuesday, November 2 9, 2016 | 7

SPORTS

Autumn Anderson, Sports Editor @aaautumn_

UniversityStar.com @universitystar

VOLLEYBALL

Women’s volleyball season recap

By Lisette Lopez Assistant Sports Editor @Lisette_1023 The Texas State women’s volleyball team finished its season at third in the Sun Belt Conference.

The Bobcats were second in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference behind Arkansas State, who was second in the conference.

The Bobcats also had a nine-game win streak in the beginning of the season. The team only lost three conference games this season against Coastal Carolina, Little Rock and Arkansas State.

Texas State hosted the Chanticleers, and lost in the annual Pink Out Game. In the game against Coastal Carolina, the Chanticleers came out on top with a score of 3.

The last two games the Bobcats lost were in Arkansas.

In the game against Little Rock, the Bobcats lost 1-3. The Trojans were able to put Texas State’s winning streak to an end in this match.

The last match played between these two teams took place in San Marcos, with the Bobcats sweeping Little Rock 3-0.

The last match lost was against the reigning champions, Arkansas State. Texas State was able to put an upset against the Red Wolves earlier in the season winning 3-1, however the Bobcats were not able to put a stop to the losing streak.

The Bobcats lost to the Red Wolves 3-0. This was the last game of the conference where Texas State would lose a match.

Texas State was able to make it into the Sun Belt Conference Championships, and were the No. 3 seed in the tournament.

First up was the quar-

terfinal game against South Alabama, the No. 6 seed. The Bobcats upset the Jaguars sweeping the match 3-0.

West Division of the Sun Belt Conference.

They ended the season with a 21-12 overall record, and a 13-3 confer-

ence record.

The Bobcats were the No. 3 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Championships. With achieving high rankings as a team, some individuals stood out this season.

Right before the championships, three Bobcats landed All-Sun Belt Conference honors.

Kelsey Weynand, senior outside hitter, was named to the 2016 All-SBC First Team. Along with Weynand, Erin Hoppe, junior setter, and Lauren Kirch, senior middle blocker, were named to the 2016 All-SBC Second Team.

At the end of the championships, Jaliyah Bolden, junior middle blocker, was named to the 2016 Sun Belt Conference Championship All-Tournament team.

Bolden helped her team in the tournament with having 37 kills and just eight errors on 68 swings for a .426 attack percentage.

In the semifinal game against Coastal Carolina, Bolden had a match high of 21 kills on a .425 attack percentage.

Micah Dinwiddie, freshman libero, helped lead her team to the championship tournament, and also made an impression in the divi-

sion.

For four weeks in a row, Dinwiddie was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Week.

Dinwiddie had a career high of 35 digs per game against UT-Arlington in regular season. In the quarterfinal match against South Alabama, Dinwiddie had 11 digs per game and helped her team get to the semifinal round.

Before the season ended, Head Coach Karen Chisum announced the early signing of three student athletes.

Three new additions to the Bobcat team will include setter Brooke Johnson and midle blockers Tyeranee Scott and Effie Zielinski.

These new Bobcats will bring something fresh to the team, and will start their Bobcat career in the coming 2017 season.

Texas State advanced to the semifinal game where they would play the No. 2 seed Coastal Carolina.

In the semifinal, the Chanticleers upset the Bobcats and eliminated Texas State from the championship tournament with a score of 3-1.

Texas State finished its season second in the

that’s when I pulled the emergency brake.”

There was traffic on the other side of the road, and the bus was nearing a hill before Reed pulled the emergency brake.

The only motivation that got Reed to pull the brake wasn’t being a hero or saving the day, it was simply fear.

“I was scared for my life,” Reed said. “I just reacted different, I did something about it rather

than being a deer in headlights like everybody else.

It was a traumatic experience.”

Every person involved experienced a life-threatening situation. However, only five people were taken to the hospital, and all five were discharged the same day. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries in the accident.

Of the five people who were taken to the ER, only one was a player,

which was Elijah King, junior wide receiver. Although King went to the hospital, he was fine and walking around later that day.

The Texas State football program faced a dangerous and traumatic event, but the fact that everyone involved is fine, healthy and living to tell the story is what matters most.

Star file photo.

FOOTBALL

Game day bus wreck

By Autumn Anderson Sports Editor @aaautumn_ People are screaming.

Glass is flying through the air.

A bus is speeding with no sign of stopping.

This is the situation that the Texas State football program was unexpectedly thrown into.

On Nov. 19, the Texas State football players, coaches, cheerleaders, administrators, trainers and videographers were all traveling to the Bobcats’ final road game of the 2016 season against New Mexico State.

However, a regular bus ride soon turned into a nightmare.

Russell Reed is a videographer for Texas State football, and experienced this traumatic event first hand.

Texas State occupied three buses traveling to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Reed, along with the cheerleaders, administrators and the rest of the videographers, were all on the third bus.

It seemed to be a normal day, a not-too-long bus ride to a bordering state, until something out of the blue occurred.

Reed was sitting on the bus relaxing with his headphones in when he noticed the speed of the bus was unusually fast.

“The first thing I noticed was how fast we were coming up on the bus ahead of us,” Reed

said.

No one really knows if the bus driver fell asleep or not, or what caused the driver to pick up speed.

“Everyone has those heart stopping moments,” Reed said. “What was different about this was that I kind of got the hint that we weren’t going to slow down.”

According to Reed, the third bus sped up to about 70 mph but slowed to about 35 mph once it

it too closely, scraping the side of the bus and breaking off the side mirror.

The third bus was still in motion, going about 10 mph. People occupying the moving bus were begging the driver to stop, and to put this scary situation to an end.

“He (the driver) was unresponsive towards us,” Reed said. “When people were yelling at him to stop he literally said ‘I can’t.’”

slammed into the back of the second one. The second bus was hit from behind three more times after that, busting the windshield.

Finally, after being hit several times, the driver of the second bus realized that the bus behind him was not going to stop, so he pulled to the side of the road. The third bus flew by them, and headed for the first one.

The third bus was going so much faster than the first bus that it passed

This was when something clicked in Reed’s head. The bus was still moving, and the potential for more damage was rising.

Reed asked the driver to stop one more time, yet he received the same response of “I can’t.”

“Immediately it snapped in my head and I jumped up and was asking him where the emergency brake was,” Reed said.

“He said ‘I don’t know I can’t feel it,’ that’s when I automatically thought ‘oh okay, he’s in shock’ and

Photo courtesy of Russell Reed

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