09 14 2005 by The University Star

FAIRWAY FLYERS

EXORCISM ON TRIAL

Verdict is in on courtroom horror drama: TERRIFYING

Taking the sandtraps and plaid hats out of the world’s quietest sport

SEE TRENDS PAGE 6

SEE SPORTS PAGE 10

TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS

www.UNIVERSITYSTAR.com

SEPTEMBER 14, 2005

WEDNESDAY

VOLUME 95, ISSUE 8

Contradictory accounts of confrontation leave questions University to review facts of Sunday conflict between police, students By Kirsten Crow News Editor and Ashley Richards Assistant News Editor

A confrontation between local law enforcement agencies and students attending the African American Leadership Conference early Sunday morning has produced conflicting reports from students and officers. While student accounts involve police officers arbitrarily tasing and arresting students in the LBJ Student Center Parking Garage and bus circle, University Police Department Chief Ralph Meyer said the incident was sparked by an aggravated assault on a

BUTTING

OUT OF

public servant following the AACL after-party hosted by the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Meyer said Tommy Davis, an undecided health professions sophomore, was involved in a verbal dispute with another student attending the party early in the evening. Meyer said police ofﬁcers took Davis outside and spoke with him, eventually convincing him to call a friend to pick him up. Davis conﬁrmed he was involved in a verbal dispute during the party but

said the conflict was only a verbal confrontation, not physical. Davis said one officer told him he would look for his friends and his ride home inside the party, while another officer told him to “walk to Austin.” Davis, without a car, waited for his ride. Meanwhile, Meyer said there was another confrontation at about 12:30 a.m. in the LBJSC Ballroom. “They were pushing and arguing back and forth,” Meyer said. “That

THE QUAD

By Suzann Torres News Reporter Former U.S. president and Southwest Texas State alumnus Lyndon Baines Johnson will stand among students once again, after a proposal for a commemorative bronze sculpture of LBJ was approved by the Texas State University System Board of Regents while meeting on Aug. 25 and 26 at Sul Ross State University. In February 2004, the AsLyndon Baines sociated Student Government Johnson introduced legislation to construct the sculpture, to be placed near The Quad. Originally, the plan was for the statue to be in the center of The Quad by the fall semester of this year, to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Johnson’s signing of the Higher Education Act in 1965. The act allowed colleges and universities to provide financial assistance to students of postsecondary and higher education. ASG president, Jordan Anderson, said they ran into some roadblocks, but after discussing the proposal at ASG meetings, the legislation was eventually passed. After university administration approved the proposal, the TSUS Board of Regents met and authorized university officials to begin seeking designs for the statue. The budget for the project is not to exceed $100,000, which is set to cover all the expenses for the sculpture including design, casting, finishing, transportation and installation. Funding for the sculpture will be drawn from the Student Service Fees reserve fund. “The reserve fund is like a backup or savings account that we try to have at all times,” said Kate Robbins, executive assistant to the vice president of student affairs. Robbins said students would not pay any extra fees for the construction of the sculpture.

Courtney Addison/Star photo

By Emily Messer News Reporter

Tiffany Searcy/Star photo

Contrary to rumors that the University Police Department is issuing citations to those who fail to comply with the smoking ordinance set in place by the Associated Student Government, no citations have been issued for people smoking in designated nonsmoking areas such as The Quad. Under the University Policies and Procedures Statement, the University Smoking Policy states that individuals and management ofﬁcials who fail to follow or enforce the Texas State smoking policy are subject to disciplinary action. The reviewers of the policy added the procedure for disciplinary action, which was approved by the senior reviewers, al-

MtvU and David call upon college students to aid in ‘curbing’ global warming By Clayton Medford News Reporter

improve the environment through conservation. After his offers of “We’ve heard loud $30 to “help a semiand clear from colretarded individual to lege students that change a tire” fell on global warming is a deaf ears, Curb Your concern,” said general Enthusiasm creator manager of mtvU, and star Larry David Stephen Friedman, Larry David has donated the Toyin a telephone press ota hybrid he drives conference Tuesday. on the show to help curb global “They want to take action and warming. what Laurie is doing is starting A project spearheaded by a movement.” David’s wife Laurie, StopGloLaurie, a trustee of the NabalWarming.org has partnered tional Resources Defense Counwith mtvU in a yearlong vir- cil, believes the misinformation tual march on Washington. about global warming has exThe march will consist of daily acerbated the problem, and the informative e-mails sent to sub- lack of awareness among young scribers and will focus on motiSee MTVU, page 3 vating college students to help

Today’s Weather

95˚/73˚

See CONFRONTATION, page 4

LBJ to rejoin student body as bronze sculpture near The Quad

RIGHT: “No smoking” signs between Old Main and the LBJ Student Center remind students not to light up while walking across campus, in an effort to help reduce secondhand smoke concerns. BELOW: Matthew Roseberry, advertising senior, smokes outside the Evans Liberal Arts Building, a practice that is no longer allowed in The Quad.

Mostly Sunny

could have gotten out of control.” Meyer said that though friends of the students arguing broke up the altercation, ofﬁcers decided to end the party. However, Tywaun Watkins, sociology senior, said there was no ﬁght. “There were no verbal or physical confrontations between the students,” Watkins said. Students reported Alpha Phi Alpha ending the party, but Meyer said it was

Precipitation:230% Humidity: 63% UV: 10 Very High Wind: S 11 mph

though it was not the intention of ASG to take disciplinary action for violations of the policy. Both ASG and university ofﬁcials see the enforcement of the policy as an opportunity for students to police themselves. “It was never our intention to have the (UPD) enforce any type of ban,” said ASG President Jordan Anderson. Anderson said he does not believe that Texas State President Denise Trauth intended for UPD to issue citations for those who smoke in areas such as The Quad, the Alkek Library breezeway and the Academic Service Building breezeway. Vincent Morton, assistant dean of stuSee QUAD, page 3

See BRONZE, page 3

Texas State commuters from Austin take passenger seat to battle high gas prices used to “I spend about $30 a week on By Dan Querejazu Special to The Star

With gas prices soaring to record highs in recent weeks, Texas State commuters are feeling it where it hurts the most: their wallets. Unlike most students who can walk, ride a bike or hop on a bus to get to campus, for commuters the only way to school is the highway. “I used to spend about $30 a week on gas,” said Duncan McKinnon, an anthropology senior who drove to school four days a week from North Austin. “Now I’m spending $45 to $50 a week.” Students with larger vehicles can spend $70 to $80 a week, which has many commuters searching for alternatives. “I’m taking the shuttle this

gas. Now I’m spending $45 to $50 a week.”

— Duncan McKinnon anthroplogy senior

semester and I’m also looking for other students to car pool with on certain days as well,” McKinnon said. Andrew Nenque/Star ﬁle photo The university’s Austin Intercity Connector Shuttle, which As gas prices increase, so does the strain on commutruns to and from Austin eight ers. In response to an increase in riders, the Austin-Texas times a day, is becoming popu- State bus route has increased its number of stops and now includes stops accessible from Capital Metro routes. See COMMUTERS, page 3

Two-day Forecast Thursday Partly Cloudy Temp: 95°/ 73° Precipitation: 20%

Friday Isolated T-Storms Temp: 96°/ 71° Precipitation: 20%

Inside

TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS

Classiﬁeds 9 Comics 8 Crossword 8 News 1,3,4

Opinions Sports Trends

To Contact The Star: 5 9,10 6-8

PAGE TWO The University Star

Wednesday in Brief

September 14, 2005

starsof texas state Gail Russell, an English junior, and Desserae Shepston, an anthropology graduate student, are counselors at the Writing Center. For the past two weekends, Gail and Desserae have traveled to Louisiana to assist in the hurricane relief effort. After initially working the overnight shift in a Lafayette shelter for evacuees, they discovered the organization Noah’s Wish in Slidell, which has been rescuing abandoned pets from evacuated homes and trying

to reunite them with their owners or ﬁnd them new homes. Gail and Desserae cleaned, fed and walked some of the 700 pets housed by the organization. They plan to take another trip to Louisiana to help care for the animals before they are placed in new homes. The Star recognizes these two Bobcats for their commitment to service. To ﬁnd out about assisting Noah’s Wish or adopting an abandoned pet, visit noahs-wish.org.

Gail Russell

Desserae Shepston

News Contact — Kirsten Crow, starnews@txstate.edu

Calendar of

EVENTS Clubs & Meetings Wednesday Want to volunteer? Need community service hours? The ﬁrst Student Volunteer Connection meeting is at 5:30 p.m. at the LBJ Student Center, Room 3.5-1. FREE PIZZA!!! The Network meets from 6 to 8 p.m. in the LBJSC, Room 310.1. Thursday Alcoholics Anonymous meets from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. in LBJSC, Room 3.12.1. Orchesis Dance Company auditions are at 5 p.m. in the Jowers Center, Room 178. Please wear form-ﬁtting clothes.

Campus Sports

The American Marketing Association is having Michelle Carswell, general manager at Tanger Outlet Mall, at 5:30 p.m. in the LBJSC, Room 3-14.1. Free food and drinks provided. Dress is business casual. For more info, visit www.business.txstate. edu/ama. Writing Center Workshop “Researching the Web” is at 4 p.m. in Flowers Hall, Room G09. For more information, contact Bearden Coleman at (512) 2453018. Thursday FREE Writing Center Workshop “Professional Writing” is from 2 to 3 p.m. in Flowers Hall, Room G09. Open to students, staff and faculty. Please contact Bearden Coleman at (512) 2453018 if you plan to attend. CALENDAR SUBMISSION POLICY

2-for-1 student green fees at the Texas State Golf Course.

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 ﬁrstcome, 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.

Thursday FREE salsa dance class from 8:10 to 9:10 p.m at the Student Recreation Center.

Events

Krissy Rohde cheers on one of her classmates during a water aerobics course taught by Clare Brice at the Aqua Sports Center. Brice, who has taught the course since 1986, said, “(Water aerobics) gets your heartbeat up, and it’s good for ﬂexibility as well as strengthening.”

Wednesday

Whitewater Wednesday meets at 1 p.m. at the Outdoor Center. Register by 12:30 p.m.

On This Day...

Splishing and splashing

STARS OF TEXAS STATE POLICY

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

1789 - The U. S. government took out its first loan. 1898 - Hannibal Williston Goodwin patented celluloid photographic film, which is used to make movies. 1922 - In El Azizia, Libya, the highest shade temperature was recorded at 136.4 degrees Fahrenheit. 1977 - The first diesel automobiles were introduced by General Motors. 1988 - Forecasters reported that Hurricane Gilbert’s barometric pressure measured 26.13. It was the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere. 1993 - Late Night with Conan O’Brien premiered on NBC. 1993 - Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization signed their first major agreement. The PLO was granted limited self-government in the Gaza Strip and in Jericho. 2001 - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell named Osama bin Laden as the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Limited commercial flights resumed in the United States for the first time in two days.

Linda L. Smith/Star Photo

CRIME BL TTER University Police Department Sept. 11, 1:45 a.m. Aggravated Assault Against a Public Servant/LBJ Student Center A police ofﬁcer was assaulted by a student while attempting to execute an arrest. The student was arrested and transported to Hays County Law Enforcement Center for magistration. Sept. 11, 2:46 a.m. Public Intoxication/ Bobcat Village Apartments A police ofﬁcer made contact with a student who appeared intoxicated. Upon further investigation, the student was arrested for public intoxication and transported to

HCLEC for magistration. Sept. 11, 3 p.m. Property Damage/ San Marcos Hall A student reported to a police ofﬁcer that at 9 p.m. on Aug. 30 a resident from another room banged on the walls causing her property to break. A report was made of the incident. Sept. 11, 9:16 p.m. Information Report/ Alkek Library A police ofﬁcer was dispatched to the Alkek Library for an elevator rescue. A student was rescued without harm.

San Marcos Police Department Sept. 12, 8:25 a.m. Theft/1305 N. IH 35 Burglary of a vehicle, theft under $20,000. Sept. 12, 12:21 a.m. Criminal Trespass/ 1200 Aquarena Springs Drive Criminal trespassing of a habitation. Sept. 13, 3:18 a.m. Public Intoxication/ 135 Long St. Female subject was arrested for public intoxication.

CPAAA slates big garage sale Saturday The Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association will hold its annual garage sale from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the San Marcos Police Department at 2300 S. Interstate 35. The garage sale, featuring a wide variety of great buys and collectibles, will be held in the air conditioned bay at the rear of the station. The public is encouraged to come out and support the CPAAA, a citizens group that provides support for the department. The CPAAA is composed of graduates of the Citizens Police Academy who assist the police department and raise funds for equipment, police dogs and other projects. For more information, contact Crime Prevention Ofﬁcer Pete Weaver at (512) 754-2270.

Crime stoppers: UPD: 2457867, SMPD: 353-TIPS

— Courtesy of the City of San Marcos

STUDENT HEAL TH CENTER

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

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

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.

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NEWS

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

The University Star - Page 3

QUAD: Initiative aims for students to self-police nonsmoking policy CONTINUED from page 1

dents, said the enforcement of the university policy regarding smoking on campus is up to the individual faculty members or staff who review individual cases and that citations would be issued only as a last result. “We’re not trying to get people fired or thrown out of school; we just realize secondhand smoking is a concern,” Morton said. Morton said the smoking ban is a student initiative. “We expect people to police themselves,” Morton said. Morton said if one student sees another student smoking in nonsmoking areas, they should inform the smoking student on the policy. If the student refuses to comply, then action should be taken to inform the university on the noncompliance. UPD Chief Ralph Meyer said the university police are not looking to issue citations to those smoking in smoke-free zones. “We ask for people’s compliance,” Meyer said. “We expect students to police themselves and take care of it.” Meyer said UPD has encountered at least one violation of the designated smoking areas policy when some students were smoking in The Quad during the first week of school. Meyer said one of the UPD officers approached the students and informed them about the policy. The students then put out their cigarettes, said thank you and left the area. Meyer said he did not know but assumed the students were unaware of the university policy. No citations were issued. Some students do not under-

e’re not “W trying to get people

ﬁred or thrown out of school; we just realize secondhand smoking is a concern.”

— Vincent Morton assistant dean of students

stand the policy because they said the university is sending mixed signals in certain nonsmoking areas. Cheryl Adams, interdisciplinary studies sophomore, said an ashtray placed directly under the nonsmoking sign outside the Alkek Library confuses smokers. “It’s kind of like ‘don’t smoke here, but here’s an ashtray,’” Adams said. Adams believes the ashtray may have been placed under the sign to encourage students to throw out their cigarette butts, but she added that the policy was still silly. “People throw the rest of their trash on the ground, but they don’t get rid of vending machine,” Adams said. Adams said the policy should Courtney Addison/Star photo also list times in which the An electronic marquee located between the Evans Liberal Arts Building and Flowers Hall reminds students of the no-smoksmoking is not permitted. ing policy in The Quad. “If there’s not anyone around, who is it going to hurt? If it’s 11:30 or 10 p.m., and nobody’s smoking area and refused to science sophomore, said that posed to smoke,” Strauss said. in the designated nonsmoking around, it (would) make more comply with the policy that a although he is a nonsmoker, “There’s not that many covered areas. sense if there (was) a time lim- citation should be issued. he is not fond of the smoking places they can smoke if it’s “If they want to look old, it,” Adams said. “That’s being blatantly rude policy. raining.” that’s their business,” Strauss Adams agreed that if some- or rebellious,” Adams said. “It’s a stupid policy. It’s outStrauss said he didn’t have a said. “It’s a bad, nasty habit, but one was smoking in a nonAaron Strauss, computer doors; where else are they sup- problem with people smoking that’s their life.”

COMMUTERS: Students seek out car pooling, BRONZE: 36th president may be the first in a series school shuttle services as alternatives to driving solo of famous alumni figures CONTINUED from page 1

CONTINUED from page 1

Although the original plan was to place the statue in the center of The Quad, no ﬁnalized spot has been designated for the statue. “It should be as close to The Quad as possible,” Anderson said. “The statue will be life-sized. LBJ was six-foot-four, so students can see how tall he actually was, and it will depict LBJ at the age he would have been as a student here.” More sculptures of university alumni may appear in the future. For example, sculptures of country singer George Strait and Olympic gold medalist Charles Austin would be placed in other spots around campus. These sculptures would also depict both men at the age they would’ve been as students of the university. The statue of LBJ will mark the ﬁrst in the possible series. “A new sculpture would be constructed every couple of years,” Anderson said. “There are no set plans for this. It’s just an idea.” Some students, however, think the statues are a waste of time and money. “The use of $100,000 on a statue is a misappropriation of funds,” said Liz McIvor, bio-

chemistry junior. “Ask any academic department if they’d like $100,000, and I guarantee they’ll say ‘yes.’” According to the Senate resolution titled “A Tribute to LBJ,” which can be viewed online at the ASG Web site, “maintaining a connection between the university and its most famous and distinguished alum is important not only for historical preservation but also for adding stature to the university.” Texas State remains the only university in Texas to graduate a U.S. president or vice president. “I think it’s good that they’re trying to keep the alumni associated with the campus, but that money could be used better in other departments to buy supplies or even for a mascot scholarship because I didn’t get anything as a mascot,” said Candi Baize, interdisciplinary studies senior. The university is currently soliciting project proposals from interested artists and sculptors. A selection committee will review all proposals and make a decision. No speciﬁc date is set for the completion of the new sculpture, but the deadline for proposals is 4 p.m. on Sept. 30 in the Physical Plant building, Room 143.

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lar among many commuters. It costs $3 each way, a total of $30 a week to commute Monday though Friday and is a thrifty alternative to driving. The shuttle completely changed its route for the fall semester, adding stops in North and South Austin, which link to Capital Metro routes, and new stops in Kyle and San Marcos. This, combined with skyrocketing gas prices has increased the shuttle’s ridership 44 percent over the spring semester to an average of 201 passenger trips

a day. “While the hope is that many of these riders are here to stay, gas consumption is relatively inelastic. If the price of gas begins to stabilize or come down slightly, we are likely to see some folks that were drawn to the bus return to their car,” said Paul Hamilton, manager of shuttle services. “Naturally, we’d like to see as many stay on as regular riders as possible.” Commuters make up a large portion on the Texas State’s student population, living across Central Texas from San Antonio to Pﬂugerville. Texas State is-

sued 18,500 commuter parking permits in the last ﬁscal year, but those numbers may drop as many students are looking to car pooling as an alternative to driving. “I would love to start a car pool,” said Chris Bean, a political science junior who commutes from South Austin. “When I drive to school on I-35, I see all of these cars with Texas State stickers in the window and just one person inside them, like mine. It’s stupid.” While some students resort to standing up in class and yelling if anyone wants to car pool

with them, or to posting notes on bulletin boards, help is available online through Web sites such as carpoolconnect.com and erideshare.com, which allow users to search for potential partners by either starting point or destination. Hurricane Katrina left many of the nations’ oil reﬁneries along the gulf damaged, which helped gas prices reach their all time high this week, according to the latest Lundburg report. Gas prices are expected to remain more than $3 a gallon this month, with no drop off in sight.

MTVU: Youth urged to join virtual march on Washington CONTINUED from page 1

people is dangerous. However, she has faith that college students will take up this cause and effect change. “I don’t think there is an issue that will affect college kids more. With extreme weather and ﬂooding, it becomes a public health issue,” Laurie said. “College students have always been the ones to take up causes and show that they are able to change policies.” When asked about the direct effects of global warming on

our environment, Laurie turned to Hurricane Katrina. “Nobody’s going to say Katrina was caused by global warming, but it causes oceans to warm. When Katrina passed over Florida, it was a Category 1. Once it passed over the Gulf of Mexico, it had become a Category 4, and the Gulf of Mexico is very warm water.” Laurie hopes college students can overcome the dissemination of bad information and years of inaction in the U.S. Congress before the situation becomes critical.

��

“We are going to run out of oil at some point, and we need to prepare. Warren Buffett has used the analogy that Noah got the warning of the ﬂood and then built the ark; he did not wait for the ﬂood,” Laurie said. Laurie’s husband David, a former stand-up comedian, writer at Saturday Night Live and cocreator of Seinfeld, responded to questions with his trademark abrasively cynical wit. “I just want to clarify that (Laurie) didn’t tell me about my car being donated,” Larry said. “I walk into work and my

assistant says ‘What are you going to do about a new car?’ and I said ‘What the hell are you talking about?’” The silver Toyota that Larry drives in the HBO sitcom has been in several story lines, including one in which his ﬁctional wife Cheryl, played by Cheryl Hines, becomes frustrated at the unkempt state of the front seat. When asked about whether or not he will clean the car before it is given away, Larry said that he has “not agreed to clean it yet.”

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NEWS

Page 4 - The University Star

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

CONFRONTATION: Student, police statements differ in arrests, tasing CONTINUED from page 1

the UPD officers’ decision. “With the intensity of the crowd, we decided to close the party down because of the progression of the events,” Meyer said. It is after the party began dispersing, however, that police and student accounts diverge greatly. Meyer said after about 20 to 30 minutes, everyone was outside. Approximately 200 to 300 students attending the event were just outside the door of the LBJSC Parking Garage elevator at the parking payment booth. “(The officers) were still there, and we were still inside (the LBJSC Ballroom) and somebody from outside said they needed to come out,” Meyer said. When officers came outside, Meyer said, officers witnessed several disturbances in the crowd. After about five minutes on the scene, additional UPD units were called in. “(The officers) went outside, and there were different disturbances where people were arguing back and forth, and we were trying to clear out the group,” Meyer said. “We had like three or four at a time. We would go break up one, and there would be one somewhere else.” Watkins, however, disagreed, saying that everyone was going home. “There were no confrontations between the time the party ended and the whole incident,” Watkins said. “There were no conflicts outside the party between students.” Davis said after his friends Christian Prater, mass communication junior, and Chad Gordon, finance junior, were handcuffed and placed in the back seats of police vehicles, he approached an officer to ask why they were being detained. Meyer said Gordon and Prater were detained because of different alleged disturbances.

Davis was subsequently arrested for public intoxication and criminal trespass, although Davis said he could not leave the site because his friends — who were supposed to give him a ride home to Austin — had been arrested. Meyer, however, said Davis was arrested at a later time. It was while UPD Officer Nathan Watkins was attempting to break up one of the disturbances, Meyer said, that the alleged aggravated assault occurred. “Mr. Joseph Stewart came forward, and there was an exchange of words, and he struck Officer (Nathan) Watkins in the face,” Meyer said. In response to the alleged assault, UPD requested assistance from the city. Meyer said a Taser was placed against Stewart’s back, but the instrument wasn’t discharged. “We told him he was going to be tased, and he cooperated,” Meyer said. Other student accounts dispute Stewart striking the officer. Reports previously taken from students do not include Stewart striking an officer, and Davis said it did not happen. After Stewart was arrested, Meyer said Bryan Ware, premass communication junior, was arrested for allegedly interfering with Stewart’s arrest. “Ware was pushing Officer Watkins,” Meyer said. “He was interfering with the arrest.” It was at that time, Meyer said, that Ware was tased. Ware is the only student Meyer said was tased, despite student reports that Stewart, also, was tased. “Stewart was on the ground and Officer Watkins was putting handcuffs on him and Ware was putting his hands on (the officer.) That’s when (San Marcos Police Department Officer Dave Campbell) used his Taser,” Meyer said. Students said Ware was arrested after merely asking the cause of his friends’ arrests, and that Ware never touched the of-

ficer. “No, (Ware) did not touch the officer,” Davis said. “The only person Bryan Ware came in contact with was a friend who was trying to pull him away from the area.” It was after Ware’s arrest that Davis was arrested, Meyer said. “We had given (Davis) four or five times to leave,” Meyer said. “We waited until a friend of his came to leave, and evi-

ed. “You can look back at it and say, sure, we only needed six officers, but at that time we didn’t know,” Meyer said. Warren “Joe” Dukes, premass communication sophomore, witnessed the arrests and said the number of police officers on the scene intensified an already bad situation. Shalanda Gilford, history senior, agreed that the increased

ou can look back at it and say, “Y sure, we only needed six ofﬁcers, but at the time we didn’t know.”

— Ralph Meyer University Police Department chief

dently, he didn’t leave.” Meyer said Davis was intoxicated and was involved in disturbances. “Mr. Davis was arrested for public intoxication and criminal trespass because he didn’t leave earlier. He kept things agitated,” Meyer said. In the midst of the chaos, Ware’s girlfriend, a University of Texas nursing junior, was knocked to the ground. Some students reported that officers were responsible. “I saw officers running toward her, and then she was on the ground,” Davis said. Meyer said he had no knowledge of the incident. Students said SMPD officers arrived toting shotguns and ostentatiously cocking them in the crowd. Meyer said the shotguns were actually less-than-lethal weapons — long rifles that shoot beanbags. Regardless of contradictions in stories between students and UPD, a point of contention remains the use of force by UPD. “In all, as things progressed, there were probably 25 officers there before it was all over with,” Meyer said. Meyer said it was easy in retrospect to speculate that fewer officers might have been need-

number of officers was unnecessary. UPD did not use excessive force, Meyer said, because the only force used was against Stewart when he allegedly struck an officer and the tasing of Ware, who was allegedly interfering with the arrest. “The Taser weapons were pulled, but the crowd cooperated,” Meyer said. “That’s a lessthan-lethal instrument. The crowd respected the Taser.” He said the Taser used on Ware was appropriate. “He was physically putting his hands on the officer, and the other officers did not know what he would do,” Meyer said. Meyer also said the incident did not involve racial profiling of the primarily black crowd, despite several students who said the incident would never have happened with a different group of people. “That had nothing to do with it,” Meyer said. “We had a large group of people who were having disturbances; it doesn’t matter who it was.” Additionally, Meyer said UPD was only there to disperse the crowd from the LBJSC Parking Garage. “We weren’t there to bully or harass the students,” he said.

As a result of the incident, Meyer said he wanted to work with other groups on campus. He said he has already had a meeting with the Ofﬁce of Multicultural Student Affairs, and UPD is in the process of discussing the incident with Alpha Phi Alpha through Sherri Benn, assistant vice president and director of Multicultural Student Affairs. Joanne Smith, interim vice president of student affairs, said the university will issue a statement by Wednesday. She said she has already been in meetings with UPD and SMPD and is in the process of acquiring videotapes from SMPD squad cars that may have recorded the confrontation. Smith said the university is planning on meeting with leaders of the AALC and the National Panhellenic Council. At this point, she said, the university is collecting information to complete a detailed review of the situation. “The important part of this is dialogue — dialogue of what occurred and dialogue of how we can do it differently in the future so we don’t have to be in this situation,” Smith said. Smith said plans for future events may involve meetings between UPD and host organizations prior to the events themselves. “We’re concerned about the health and welfare of everybody, in every situation,” Smith said. “We want to make sure there is effective communication between the police departments and the students who are hosting the event.” While Smith said the university will try to resolve the situation, one student wasn’t as optimistic. “It doesn’t matter what we say because the cops are going to do whatever they want,” said Corey Duncan, undecided professional sophomore. Another student disapproved of the use of Tasers. “You can’t just go around tas-

ing people. The Tasers are no joke,” said Caleb Cox, wildlife biology junior. Carlos Orozco, undecided freshman, said UPD was part of the problem in the situation. “(The police officers) were probably the reason it got so violent,” Orozco said. Meyer said the situation was not optimal. “It is unfortunate this incident got out of hand,” Meyer said. “We wouldn’t have reacted the way we did. The only reason there was any force was because one of the participants struck our officer. We were satisfied with slowly trying to get (the students) dispersed, but when (Stewart) struck the officer, that’s what ignited the whole thing.” Prater said it is unfortunate that the spotlight placed on the conference focused on the incident Sunday morning instead of the purpose of the event. “It is unfortunate that on a campus with a black population of 6 percent, when positive things happen, we only focus on the negative,” he said. Watkins said he has concerns about future AALC events. “This was a college leadership conference with our future leaders of tomorrow,” Watkins said. “People may be afraid that at the next leadership conference this could happen again.” Meyer, although speaking for the department, was not present Sunday morning and did not allow officers who were present to comment. Hays County Sheriff ’s Department public information officer Mike Thielen said two deputies arrived at the scene, but they did not take any action because the situation was already under control. Repeated phone calls to SMPD on Monday and Tuesday remained unreturned. Gordon did not wish to comment for the story. Gordon and Prater were not arrested but were detained and later released.

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OPINIONS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

quoteof the day

”

“Judges are like umpires. Umpires don’t make the rules; they apply them. The role of an umpire and a judge is critical. They make sure everybody plays by the rules. But it is a limited role. Nobody ever went to a ballgame to see the umpire.”

— Chief Justice nominee John Roberts, responding to question during the second day of his Senate conﬁrmation hearings. (Source: CNN.com)

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - Page 5

Opinions Contact — Joe Ruiz, staropinion@txstate.edu

THE MAIN POINT

AALC incident raises concerns regarding enforcement methods As accounts continue to trickle in regarding Sunday morning’s confrontation between local law enforcement forces and attendees of the African American Leadership Conference, many of the details remain clouded by contradictions and unconfirmed accusations. It is clear, however, that the response by law enforcement officials far exceeded what the situation, if any existed, called for. Student accounts of the situation to which the University Police Department originally responded range from a verbal altercation from conference attendees inside the LBJ Student Center to no fighting whatsoever, while the UPD account cites multiple nonspecific “disturbances” in the parking lot and bus circle. This was the threat that UPD Police Chief Ralph Meyer said brought about 25 officers — including UPD, San Marcos Police Department and Hays County Sheriff ’s Department — to the scene and led to multiple arrests and Tasers and other weapons being drawn on students. The appearance of additional officers from multiple agencies on the scene may have destabilized and added confusion to an already tense situation — as several student witnesses have charged — rather than restoring order. The use of Tasers by local police also raises concerns. The one Taser use Meyer reported was by an SMPD officer on Bryan Ware, a student who allegedly pushed an officer trying to make an arrest, though according to eyewitness accounts, Ware never touched the officer. If Ware did push the officer, and this was considered a threat justifying the use of the Taser, it seems strange that Joseph Stewart, who Meyer said punched an officer in the face, was not tased, according to UPD. The agencies involved must also quickly recognize and properly deal with the racial implications of their response. Officers did not draw weapons on an out-of-hand fraternity party or tailgate party but on a crowd of students leaving an alcohol-free, university-sponsored event — most of them black. There’s no denying that it looks bad for the agencies. As one eyewitness said, “Many black students on the Texas State campus do not feel safe at a school they pay to attend.” Recognizing the possible consequences of this incident for the image of the university and the city, the agencies should launch immediate public investigations to make sure officers’ responses were proportional to the situation and that the race of the students did not factor into their decision making. SMPD should also review its policies on Taser use and make sure all officers know the proper circumstances for drawing or discharging a Taser. Opponents of the weapons have argued that because they are nonlethal, law enforcement officers may use them more liberally than they should. The department should be doing everything in their power to disprove this contention. It is time for local law enforcement to restore the community’s faith in it. 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.

s e t o u q s m pu Compiled by Ashley Richards

Do you think Tasers are a good alternative to lethal force for officers, or do you think they encourage police to use force more often than necessary? “I think it encourages officers to use excessive force instead of finding other alternatives.” — MELISSA ROYER English senior

“I think both. I think they’re a great alternative, but police ofﬁcers use them whenever they get the opportunity. I know there’s times they use them when they probably shouldn’t.” — KELTON LONG management junior “I don’t think it would encourage violence more. I think Tasers are a good thing. It’s better than using guns.” — DEVIN BAGGETT undecided freshman

The University Star

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

Jeff Cole/Star illustration

State should stay out of bedroom ing why this would Welcome to 2005 affect you or why — the year of legalized bigotry (poit should bother tentially). you if you aren’t Many of you may homosexual. Well, not be aware of who is to say that this, but on Nov. 8 once we allow BRYNN LEGGETT we are set to vote our government on an amendment to make secondStar Columnist to the Texas Consticlass citizens of tution banning not one group (aponly same-sex marriage but proximately 43,000 same-sex also “any legal status identical couples in Texas, according or similar to marriage.” to an article published by the In the second section of the Houston Chronicle in May), bill, HJR 6, there are stiputhat another group won’t later lations allowing room for be prohibited from receiving people to appoint guardians some basic right that other and “arrange rights relating to Americans might be taking hospital visitation, property, for granted. and the entitlement to proOnce the rights of one ceeds of life insurance policies faction of our society are without the existence of any threatened, the rights of the legal status identical or simiwhole society are at stake. lar to marriage.” The issue of Give power-hungry, tunneltaxes is not mentioned once. visioned bureaucrats an inch, The reason this is proband watch them steal a mile. lematic is because when two Don’t get me wrong; I am people are married, the recog- in favor of a strong central nition of that legal status by government and laws by the government allows them which we all must equally to receive a cut on their taxes. abide. Without basic rights By not allowing same-sex and laws outlined in writcouples the right to “any legal ing, easily accessible to the status identical or similar to public and justly enforced, marriage,” the amendment our civilization’s strength and would, in turn, prohibit stability would be weakened, same-sex couples from ever and corruption would more getting the aforementioned easily seep into the fault lines tax cuts. Thus, many opposed of our leadership. That said, to the bill have come to dub it though, I am also a supporter as the “gay tax.” Indirectly, the of equal rights and holding bill is, in fact, doing just that. our government accountable So you might still be for the actions it may take, scratching your head wonder- with or without our approval.

It is our job, as responsible members of a democratic society, to keep the government in check and to think long and hard, scrutinizing every change that might be made to existing laws, before letting it make broad and near-irreparable infringements on our rights, such as is very possible if HJR 6 is passed. While Section 2 of the bill may sound like a nice little gesture toward compromise, the costs of appointing guardians and appointing agents (legalese for getting your partner recognized in the eyes of the law as your benefactor in case something happens to you), are far more expensive than it would cost to get a basic civil union or common law marriage — another reason for the “gay tax” nickname. Some supporters of the bill claim that same-sex marriage should be banned because it opposes Judeo-Christian family values and makes a “mockery of the institution of marriage.” While these statements might sound like they have good intentions at heart, they are perfectly hypocritical. I ﬁnd that game shows like Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire, which aired on Fox in February of 2000, are far more offensive to the oh-so-sacred institution. I also don’t believe for one second that a person’s sexual orientation can be the sole

criteria in making him or her considered a “bad” parent. There are far more heterosexual parents instilling harmful values — and injuries — in children every day that I find far more a threat to the growth and improvement of humanity than I would find placing a child in the care of a same-sex couple. I also find it rather disheartening how biased and bigoted the law can be when it comes to gay rights (and/or discrimination). In fact, I view parents instilling anti-gay, or any other discriminatory values, in their children as more of a threat to our nation’s future and family values than a same-sex couple raising potentially more openminded and loving children who might have more of a propensity to embrace each other’s differences. I think it goes without saying that loving your neighbor as yourself includes allotting your neighbor the same rights as those you give yourself. Hellfireand-damnation talk will have no place in my house. Manipulating people’s feelings and values by instilling fear of the unknown is wrong and so is telling people who they can and cannot marry solely because of their sexual orientation. Leggett is a mass communication sophomore.

California legislature should not ignore law bill. Though much California law CHICAGO TRIBUNE of the political does not allow opposition to the marriages beEDITORIAL legislature’s action tween same-sex reflects a simple partners, and and unfortunate animus that ban has been affirmed toward homosexuals, the by the people: In 2000, they governor made the correct approved a ballot initiadecision. tive that barred the state Not everyone would agree from sanctioning same-sex with California’s frequent marriages. Proposition 22 reliance on direct democracy declared, “Only marriage to address major policy isbetween a man and a woman is valid or recognized in sues, but once the people California.” have spoken so unequivoThat measure passed with cally, the legislature ought the approval of 61 percent of to respect their choice. To the voters. Yet just five years do otherwise is to render the ballot initiative process later, the legislature has deirrelevant, which can only cided the will of the people on this subject deserves to alienate the legislature from be ignored. Recently, by a the people it is supposed to single-vote margin, it beserve. came the first legislature in Supporters of the meathe nation to act on its own sure say public opinion to permit gays to marry. (In has softened considerably Massachusetts, gay marriage since 2000, and a recent poll came about from a ruling by found Californians split evenly, with 46 percent supthe state’s highest court.) porting same-sex marriage The legislature’s vote, however, became moot when and 46 percent opposing it. If sentiment has truly shiftGov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would veto the ed, though, it would make

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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more sense to take the issue back to the voters. Overriding the choice they made at the polls practically invites an angry backlash. This is not the first time that public officials in California have chosen to flout what the people decided. Last year, the mayor of San Francisco decided Proposition 22 was unconstitutional and issued more than 4,000 marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The state Supreme Court said the city had overstepped its authority and nullified those licenses. Schwarzenegger has been ridiculed for saying the question of same-sex marriage should be resolved by the people or the courts. But in the California context, that makes perfect sense. It’s the right of the people there to pass laws by ballot initiative. It’s the obligation of the courts to decide whether those laws, like statutes passed by the legislature, are compatible with the

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state constitution. A lower court recently ruled Proposition 22 was unconstitutional, and the state Supreme Court will have to make the ultimate judgment. In the meantime, the needs of gays and lesbians in California have not exactly been ignored. Not only does the state ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, it has a domestic partnership law that allows same-sex couples to register with the state and get almost all the rights that marriage affords under state law. This is nearly indistinguishable from the civil unions permitted in Vermont. But the people of California have made it clear that while they have no problem with domestic partnerships, they are not ready for samesex marriage. Schwarzenegger is wise to abide by their decision, since the legislature would rather not. This editorial originally appeared on Sept. 10. The University Star is the student newspaper of Texas State University-San Marcos published Tuesday through Thursday during the fall and spring semesters. It is distributed on campus and throughout San Marcos at 8 a.m. every other Wednesday of Summer I and II with a distribution of 6,000. Printing and distribution is by the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. Copyright September 14, 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 do you think of the Jackie O sunglasses making a fashion comeback?

“They look OK on girls, I guess, but they remind me of Mugatu from Zoolander.” — Scott Fournier accounting freshman

“I wouldn’t wear them, but they look nice on some people.”

“I don’t like them personally. They remind me of grandma glasses.”

— Denet Delgado political science junior

— Kattie Davis pre-social work junior

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - Page 6

Compiled by Christina Gomez; Photos by Kyle Bradshaw

Trends Contact — Christina Gomez, starentertainment@txstate.edu

THE EXORCISM OF EMILY

ROSE questions a variety of beliefs I

file defense lawyer n The Exorcism of Emily Rose, film Erin Bruner (Linthere is much review ney, Kinsey). Father more than meets the Moore is accused of ✯✯✯ negligent homicide, eye when it comes to 19-year-old college The Exorcism of resulting from the controversial exorfreshman Emily Rose. Emily Rose The flipside of Emily Dir.: Scott cism he performs on is something so fright- Derrickson Emily (Carpenter, White Chicks), which ening, only she could Stars: Laura Linney, Tom kills her. bear to witness it. Emily comes from Directed and co- Wilkinson, Jenwritten by Scott Der- nifer Carpenter a sheltered rural rickson, the film Rated: PG-13 home with several breaks from the cinesiblings and a loving matic mold from othmother and father. er psychological thrillers. It She and her family are also questions the idea of demonic devout Catholics. Her dream possession and the possibility is to become a teacher, and of supernatural forces inhab- she has the opportunity to atiting our world with frighten- tend college with the help of a full scholarship. ing visuals and effects. Once at college, Emily has Based on true events, the story is told in a series of her first terrifying hallucinaflashbacks during the trial tion accompanied with conof Father Richard Moore vulsions during the night. (Wilkinson, In the Bedroom), Neurologists diagnose her who is defended by high-pro- as epileptic due to the con-

vulsions that leave her body twisted and her pupils eerily dilated to their utmost extent. As visions of demons appear to her everywhere, her episodes become more frequent and intense, and psychologists diagnose her as psychotic. Her medication, which is supposed to be a cure-all for her symptoms, fails to work. As Emily’s illness progresses, she begins to lose faith in her medication and turns to Father Moore, her parish priest, for guidance. He concludes that Emily is possessed by demons and attempts to exorcise them. Unfortunately, he fails, and Emily dies. The Exorcism of Emily Rose attempts to question her death with a science versus spirituality approach. Erin, who wants a promotion at her law ﬁrm, reluctantly takes the case, despite her agnostic views. As the case progresses, she begins to won-

Jennifer Carpenter plays a possessed college student in The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

der if the spiritual world does, in fact, exist after a series of strange events take place. The film’s visual effects are chilling, especially when it comes to horror sequences involving Emily’s visions, which are frightening and disturbing at times. The effects still have realism to them and do not necessarily try to create fantastical creatures. The Courtesy of Sony Pictures makeup artistry, Tom Wilkinson plays Father Moore, a priest on trial for the murder of such as the many Emily Rose, and Laura Linney is Erin Bruner, his agnostic defense lawyer. wounds that Emily suffers during her pos- Brisbin, the film’s use of col“Orange is representative session, is amazing. According or was inspired by a series of of terror, maroon of inquiry to production designer David Francis Bacon paintings. and white of hope. These are the foundation colors for the whole story,” Brisbin said. The colors play out beautifully and intensely throughout the movie and add to the visual special effects by separating each of the film’s climactic moments. Unlike other horror movies and thrillers, The Exorcism of Emily Rose feels real. The acting is far superior to other films in the genre, particularly by Linney and Wilkinson. Carpenter also displays her aptitude for looking freakishly possessed, without overacting. What makes the film so compelling is that it allows the audience to decide whether or not they believe evil forces exist. It raises questions and arguments of what actually happened to Emily, yet it does not give any definite answers. Those are left to the viewer. Do not get The Exorcism of Emily Rose confused with The Exorcist, because the films have completely different perspectives. Although both involve the theme of possession, The Exorcism of Emily Rose comes from the perspective of questioning the supernatural and less of wanting to leave the audience in complete horror. Courtesy of Sony Pictures — Maira Garcia

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TRENDS

The University Star - Page 7

GARDENER

cultivates activism through gripping narrative

them) that lead up to that stands strong on two fine film would be oversaturated in Constant Gardener. Without its came to this film, it was hard to Despite its weak her murder. It’s during performances by Fiennes and its continuous out-pouring of agendas, it would be too shal- make up my mind; such is the title, The Constant film the film’s intense and Weisz and an admirable screen- opinions. low. Without its tragic romance, nature of the beast that is poliGardener unfolds as review masterful second half play (based on the novel by I don’t know if there could it would be too preachy and, in tics. an enthralling po✯✯✯ when Justin slowly sheds John La Carré) by Jeffery Caine. have been any other way to turn, wouldn’t be much of a litical thriller, with an added dose of The Constant his shy-guy skin in hunt Without these elements, the approach the making of The story at all. That is why, when it — Kyle Bradshaw murder mystery. It Gardener for his wife’s killer. The holds onto its po- Dir.: Fernando plot thickens and grows litical agenda with Meirelles more and more complia tightly clenched Stars: Ralph cated as it winds its way fist but rarely strays Fiennes, Rachel through the saddening from its fascinating Weisz but sometimes beautiful narrative. However, Rated: R African landscapes. But it’s hard not to feel saying anything more somewhat reserved about a film in terms of story would dispel that aims to preach its sermons the mystery that glues the film in addition to telling a story. together. That’s not to say that I disagree Director Fernando Meirelles with what the film has to say. (City of God) knows how he But, like the recent racial-strife wants The Constant Gardener to drama Crash, it’s difficult not be told and brings it to life with to feel manipulated by some of a consistent, unwavering voice. the film’s slightly “easy” turns However, sometimes that voice of events. I mean, how is it that undermines the gut-wrenching when a man asks his enemy a and truly effective love story. question, he seemingly, without The film communicates its resistance, gets all of the infor- message thoughtfully through mation he needs? the heartbreaking African scenThe man asking all the ques- ery, where children are starving, tions is Justin Quayle (Fiennes). their parents are dying of AIDS He’s a content, mild-mannered and few people other than TesBritish diplomat whose main sa seem to really care about it. area of interest (other than his During Justin’s journey through wife) is his backyard garden. Kenya, there are some brilliantly His wife, Tessa (Weisz), is a po- written scenes intertwined with litical activist, who more or less some lazier ones that provide proposed to him so he would the answers he needs but withtake her to Africa where she can out much struggle. At times, it use his government position even feels like Meirelles wants to make her voice heard. Now, to speed up Justin’s mission just I’m not giving anything away so he can get to the more politiby saying Tessa is murdered cally charged moments involvduring one of her expeditions. ing pharmaceutical companies Her death is discovered during and their role in disease-filled Photo courtesy of Focus Features the opening sequence, and the Africa. However, The Constant film’s patient first half depicts Gardener is still a wonderfully After his wife Tessa, played by Rachel Weisz, is murdered, Justin Quayle, played by Ralph Fiennes, hunts down her killer in the events (or at least some of shot and excellently acted film The Constant Gardener.

Plot rings familiar, but still funny, in The Man The Man, starring and being in the wrong Jackson and Levy, film place at the wrong time is a better comedy review leads Andy (Levy), a than its trailer sugsupplies sales✯✯✯ dental gested. While not man, to become intimately involved in a the greatest movie, The Man there are some fun- Dir.: Les Mayﬁeld criminal investigation. ny parts, and overall, Stars: Samuel L. He ﬁnds himself forced Eugene to pose as an internathe movie stays en- Jackson, Levy tertaining. tional dealer of stolen Rated: PG-13 It’s a cop movie guns. The bad guys with an Odd Coutake the bait, and soon ple-ish twist, which is typical Derrick (Jackson) is berating of most action cop movies. A Andy, threatening him and bad case of mistaken identity even causing him mild bodily

harm in order to get him to play along and help set up the bust. The plot itself is so typical that even Derrick has his badge taken away at some point in the movie. Of course, as usual, he solves the crime while on suspension, much to the bad guy’s misfortune. Levy, best known as the dad from American Pie and his roles in

Christopher Guest ﬁlms like Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show, plays what he plays best; the friendly and caring but hopelessly nerdy type. Jackson also does what he does best; the no-crap-taking, bad dude. These two diametrically opposed personality types are the soil for which most of the successful jokes take root. This is because Jackson can play this

role in his sleep, just as Levy can play the nerd he’s done in many past ﬁlms. These two actors are in familiar territory, and their solid performances actually raise The Man from a hum-drum action movie to a not-so-bad comedy that’s easily worth the price of a matinee.

Movie Ratings Key No stars – Must skip 1 star – Bad, fails overall 2 stars – Mediocre, wait for DVD 3 stars – Good, few ﬂaws 4 stars – Outstanding, must see

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TRENDS

Page 8 - The University Star

Distinctive voices

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

✯Star Comics THE CAT BIRD SEAT

BY JEFF COLE

Strutter dances to the tune of teamwork so contagious. I I never loved footdon’t even know ball season until how many times this year. Football I’ve arrived at season is all about a game feeling instant gratificarather lethargic, tion. In the spring and by the time semester, we work everyone starts on the same dancshouting “start es ultimately for ABBY MINICA the bus!” and the spring show. Entertainment wildly jingling During the fall seColumnist their keys in the mester, we’re pracair, I’m screamtically churning out ing like a crazy a different dance every week and more im- lady right there with them. portantly, getting to per- Then, there are the moform them just about every ments when I realize how week. Beyond getting my I am a part of this huge “performance fix” every tradition. Forty-four StrutSaturday, there’s the high- ter lines before me have energy atmosphere that is danced on the field and

have felt that same rush of adrenaline we feel when we do our “Strutter Yell” while strutting onto the ﬁeld. I love football season. I love that when I’m dancing with my girls in front of all those people, whatever frustrating things or individual problems that may have happened at practice that week just fade away, because all that matters is that I’m a part of this team. We will be following Abby every Wednesday as she dances and high-kicks as a Texas State Strutter. For more information on the Strutters, check out www.txstrutters.com.

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Wednesday, September 14, 2005

DISC: Flying high on the university green CONTINUED from page 10

the games follow the same set of rules. The holes are actually metal baskets with hanging chains to catch the discs. The initial “drive” is taken from a designated tee area. Each subsequent throw is taken from just behind the spot where the disc came to rest. Each throw is added to the player’s tally. As with stick golf, each hole is given a par rating. A common strategy for a parthree hole, as in golf, would be drive (long throw toward the basket), approach (midrange throw to the “green”) and putt (short throw into the basket). Your hole is scored when the disc has come to rest in the basket of the target. The two most common throwing techniques are the forehand throw (aka side-arm) and the backhand throw. Of the two, the backhand style is most familiar to new players and is the most common. A righthanded player performing a forehand throw will generally hold the disc in his right hand and throw the disc with the palm of his hand

facing the direction of the throw. A right-handed backhand thrower will throw the disc with the back side of his hand facing the direction of the throw. John Miller feels “the side arm throw, if practiced, is more acurate and more powerful.” Many disc golf enthusiasts claim that disc golf is the fastest growing sport in the world. To get started playing disc golf, players only need two things: a putter and a driver. Many professionals will have more; there is an immense variety of disc models, plastics and weights available, with different designs optimized for driving, approaching, putting, curving left or right at different points in the ﬂight, staying low to cruise under trees, throwing into the wind, etc. At a minimum, however, the driver and the putter is all you need. The driver is for the long range shots, and the putter for after you have gotten close to the basket. Sundance Records and Tapes, Inc., located at 202-B University Drive, sells an assortment of disks at about $10 each.

The University Star - Page 9

VOLLEYBALL: Bobcats earn first SLC victory CONTINUED from page 10

head. Brown (3.15 kpg) jumped back into the mix minutes later to register a key score that gave Texas State a 28-26 advantage. “All of us coaches have different philosophies,” Chisum said. “You can let a player play through her struggles, but as the head coach I thought it would be better if I took Lawrencia out. She was able to take a deep breath and focus, and help us on offense.” The teams traded points until UTSA’s Brittany Hildebrand made the score 29-29 to force a second match point (a team must win by two). Brandy St. Francis responded for the Bobcats to kill the last two vollies. “We knew that we had to step up our game for conference,” St. Francis said. “We just tried to pick it up after losing the first game.” St. Francis paved the way over the final three games, tallying 12 kills and leading her team with six blocks. “This was a big confidence booster,” St. Francis said. “We had lost a lot of heartbreakers lately, and we wanted to be playing tighter than we had.” With the crucial game-two victory fresh in their minds, the Bobcats strung together six straight points to open the third

ballers shouldn’t go unnoticed

period. But momentum can only get you so far; the Roadrunners again fought their way into the game, going on a 14-8 run to tie the score. Texas State clung to a one-point lead over the final minutes of the game, before a Daniel Meagan kill tied the game at 27. A Liz Nwoke kill and the Daniel error quickly set the Bobcats up for a match point, ending it on a Karry Griffin kill. By the time game four rolled around, UTSA’s visiting fans were sulking and silent as reality began to set in; it would be a long, sad trip back to the Alamo City. Texas State again jumped out in front, to the tune of a 7-3 lead. The game was highlighted by an incredible defensive play from setter Christina Melvin, who threw herself (and her knees and elbows) to the hardwood to save a UTSA attack. The play personified the mood of the game. “When we play UTSA it’s always a battle,” Chisum said. The Roadrunners would once again make a game out of it, picking away at the lead and eventually going ahead 28-27 before calling it a night. Texas State faces off against the UTA Mavericks Saturday at Strahan Coliseum. Game time is 7 p.m.

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RELIEF: Charity efforts from CONTINUED from page 10

washed away, you can’t help but be impressed, especially when so many others in the sports world haven’t. The NBA has already raised millions of dollars for those affected by Katrina through donations by owners and players, and “Operation Rebound,” a fund raising initiative by the Player’s Association. Billy Hunter, an NBA Player’s Association representative has said that they will raise at least $2.5 million through “Operation Rebound” to help victims put their lives back together. At a press conference held on Sept. 6 to announce the launch of “Operation Rebound” NBA star Stephon Marbury, broke down into tears during a speech where he described his anguish for the thousands of people who were killed and the thousands of others left homeless. “Just giving money, that’s nothing. You’re supposed to do that. It’s just about the way we treat people,” said Marbury, choking on tears. In the last couple of years, the NBA has taken on an image of a league full of thugs, criminals and egomaniacs. However, they have been the only pro-

fessional sports association to raise millions of dollars out of their own pockets and actively aid in the Hurricane Katrina efforts. Stephon Marbury has said he is going to donate $1 million of his own to the cause, which matches what the entire NFL has donated to this point. Major League Baseball hasn’t done anything more than recognize the events with Red Cross stickers on batting helmets in recent games and passing buckets around stadiums asking fans to donate. The league has done a lot in the past for others as well. Last season, the league donated more than a million dollars to Tsunami relief efforts for Southeast Asia and, in 2001, the league donated more than $3 million dollars to the victims of the 9/11 attacks. Also, current players like Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Tracy McGrady and Alonzo Mourning have raised millions of dollars for Boys & Girls clubs, cancer research and other charities across the nation. These deeds have seemed to go unnoticed, but when the league and its players have stepped in so quickly, even faster than the government, it can’t be overlooked.

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Wednesday, August 24, 2005 - Page 33

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.

Email Classiﬁeds starclassiﬁeds@txstate.edu

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ACCIDENT WITNESS Did you see a bike/car accident at the intersection of Sessoms & LBJ Wednesday, August 24, about 7pm? Please call: 392-2415

SPORTS THE UNIVERSITY STAR

sports snortsquotes from the sports world “For this incident, I don’t want to be credited as an individual who does police work. I want to be credited as a Miami Beach police ofﬁcer.” —Shaquille O’Neal, center for the Miami Heat and part-time police enforcement ofﬁcer on his recent assistance in a citywide chase. (Source ESPN.com)

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - Page 10

Sports Contact — Miguel Peña, starsports@txstate.edu

Texas State takes home game victory over Roadrunners By Chris Boehm Sports Reporter

Jeremy Craig/Star photo Sophomore Brandy St. Francis spikes the ball into UT-San Antonio territory as the Bobcats bounce back from Tuesday’s ﬁrst game defeat to win 3-1.

Texas State vs. UTSA Sept. 13, Strahan Coliseum Texas State | ATTACK |SET| SERVE |SRV|DEF| BLOCK |GEN Bobcats GP| K E TA PCT | A |SA SE| RE|DIG|BS BA BE|BHE ----------------------------------------------------------------------------2 Jones, E........ 4| 4 2 9 .222 | 1 | 0 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 2 0 | 2 9 Nwoke, E... 4| 15 1 40 .350 | 1 | 1 1 | 2 | 9 | 0 2 0 | 0 10 Grisham, J...... 4| 1 0 3 .333 | 32 | 2 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 0 0 | 1 11 Brown L... 4| 13 4 33 .273 | 0 | 0 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 2 0 | 0 12 Grifﬁn, K...... 4| 4 4 21 .000 | 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 2 0 | 1 13 St. Francis, B 4| 12 0 20 .600 | 0 | 3 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 6 0| 0 3 Bruggeman, S 1| 2 1 5 .200 | 0 | 0 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 0 0| 0 4 Ramirez, A........ 4| 0 1 1 1.000 | 0 | 0 0 | 2 | 15 | 0 0 0| 0 5 Melito, D....... 2| 0 1 1 1.000 | 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 0 0| 0 7 Weigle, A......... 1| 0 0 1 .000 | 0 | 1 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 0 0| 0 8 Stark, A....... 1| 1 0 2 .500 | 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 0 0| 0 16 Fletcher K....... 4| 8 2 19 .316 | 2 | 0 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 2 0| 0 17 Melvin, C... 4| 0 0 1 .000 | 16| 0 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 0 0| 3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------Totals.............. 4| 60 16 156 .282 | 52 | 7 9 | 12 | 60 | 4 16 0| 7

Score by period Texas State.... 21 31 30 31 UTSA............ 30 29 28 29 UTSA | ATTACK |SET| SERVE |SRV|DEF| BLOCK |GEN Road runners GP| K E TA PCT | A |SA SE| RE|DIG|BS BA BE|BHE ----------------------------------------------------------------------------4 Hunter, J........ 4| 15 4 39 .282 | 0 | 1 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 0 0 | 1 5 Hiser, A... 2| 0 0 0 .000 | 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 0 0 | 0 6 Daniel, M...... 4| 13 4 36 .250 | 3 | 2 2 | 2 | 13 | 0 0 0 | 0 9 Hildebrand, B... 4| 8 7 28 .036 | 3 | 0 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 0 1 | 1 10 Prior, V...... 2| 2 3 8 .125 | 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 0 1 | 1 14 Picard, C 4| 15 3 24 .500 | 0 | 3 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 0 1 | 0 16 Rocheleau, T 4| 0 1 1 1.000 | 0 | 5 4 | 1 | 12 | 0 0 0| 0 21 McMillan, E........ 4| 1 0 1 1.000 | 1 | 1 3 | 0 | 19 | 0 0 0| 1 23 Srickland, D....... 4| 8 0 16 .500 | 57| 0 1 | 0 |13 | 0 0 0| 2 44 Emelogue, J......... 3| 10 4 4 .300 | 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 0 0| 1 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------Totals.............. 4| 72 26 173 .266 | 64| 12 13| 7| 74 | 1 0 3| 7

The volleyball team is coming together just in time to defend its Southland Conference, as the Bobcats won their league opener Wednesday night against UT — San Antonio, 3-1. The win snapped a six-match losing streak. Texas State dropped game one 30-21 before rallying to take the next three by two points each. The Bobcats were coming off a 0-3 weekend tournament in Arizona, dropping matches to Auburn, Northern Arizona and Arizona State. “I felt good about the way we played Arizona State that ﬁnal game (over the weekend),” Chisum said. “We might have lost, but the girls came in with a lot of conﬁdence afterwards.” Texas State was given all it could handle from its biggest rival, UTSA. The Interstate 35 showdown featured tough performances all around, rabid visiting fans and questionable calls to end the match. With game four knotted up at 28 and Texas State up two games to one, Bobcat freshman Lawrencia Brown attempted an attack to the left corner of UTSA’s side of the net. The ball seemed to clear the foul stripe, but the corner judge signaled a kill. The Roadrunner bench, sitting right in front of the area in question, erupted off its seats to argue its case. “Conference is a totally different atmosphere,” Chisum said. “It was a great win, and huge for the kids to start 1-0.” The protests changed nothing, and another close call on an Amy Weigle ace concluded the contest. The Roadrunners opened game one with an 8-4 run, taking advantage of a game-high .382 hitting percentage. Connie Picard (15 kills, .500 hitting percentage) led UTSA on offense, with three other Roadrunners registering 10 or more points. Texas State scored two points to make it 6-10, with UTSA responding by go-

ing on a 8-0 run to blow the game wide open. The Roadrunners capitalized on the Bobcats’ inability to consistently receive serves. UTSA notched 12 on the match. “Early we struggled with serving and passing,” Chisum said. UTSA looked to be in complete control after decidedly winning game one, until the defensively-challenged Bobcats won a hard-fought, gritty second period to turn the match around. “We will eventually start digging some balls,” Chisum said. “They played better defense, but we played better offense and put up a better block (12 team blocks).” With the score 8-5, Texas State went on a 9-3 run to pull ahead. Just as quickly, though, the Bobcats reverted to earlymatch habits and forgot how to return a serve. The Roadrunners used four aces to cut the deficit to 27-26. The only thing saving Texas State at that point was UTSA’s penchant for mistakes, as the Bobcats scored six of their final 10 points on errors. With the game on the line, Chisum removed a struggling Brown from the lineup for part of the final stretch. The freshman had been having trouble defending the Roadrunners’ serves, and the coach, felt she needed time to clear her See Volleyball, page 9 SLC Women’s Standings

Volleyball Southeastern La. Sam Houston Northwestern St. UT-San Antonio Lamar TEXAS STATE UT-Arlington Stephen F. Austin McNeese La.-Monroe Nicholls St.

SLC

Overall

W L

0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

3 2 1 3 1 2 2 7 2 4 0

4 6 4 5 10 6 6 2 3 5 1

Disc golf remains true to its college roots By Shawn Pearcy Star Reporter When one thinks of college sports, the usual culprits come to mind: football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and track and field. Rarely would one think of disc golf as a college sport. Disc golf, however, started in college, specifically in the 1940s at Yale and Dartmouth Universities. The pie tins from the products of the Frisbee Pie Company were thrown like flying saucers. The Frisbee name was later lent to the manufactured disc we all know and love. Several games branched off, such as recreational Frisbee, ultimate Frisbee and of course, disc golf. The first formal disc golf course was designed and installed in 1975, the same year that Professional Disc Golf Association was founded. Many cities now have disc golf courses. Shawn Pearcy/Star photo Austin boasts six courses scattered across town, New BraunA group of Texas State students and San Marcos residents play a game of disc golf Tuesfels has one course and even the day afternoon on the course next to the Student Recreation Center, located on West Camlittle college town of San Marcos pus. has one. The Windy Hills 18-

NBA stars show class by donating time and money to relief efforts in Space City By Nate Brooks Sports Reporter

said, in an article on ESPN.com. “As professional athletes, we’ve This weekend saw been very privileged, the very best of what and this is one way we sports can offer, can help take care of and I’m not talking our own.” about college footWith Hurricane NATE BROOKS ball or the opening Katrina victims in the Sports weekend in the NFL. stands whose tickets I am referring to were paid for by various Repoerter Kenny Smith’s Charplayers and organizers, ity Basketball Game NBA stars like Kevin on Sunday at the Toyota Center Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tracy Mcin Houston. The current TNT Grady and Lebron James put on basketball analyst and former a show they would never forget. Houston Rocket put together the Overall, there were 30 NBA event to raise money and donate players who participated in goods for the victims of Hurrithe event. Prior to the game, cane Katrina. the players delivered their own “The game is a show of our truckloads of goods to local vicsupport and solidarity for those tims of Hurricane Katrina. affected by this disaster,” Smith Each player donated more

than $10,000 worth of goods, and all the tickets sold went entirely to the relief efforts. The game raised more than $1 million and provided goods to those in need. However, according to an article by Ric Bucher from ESPN The Magazine, former NBA player Carlos Rogers wasn’t impressed by the player’s actions. “It bothers me when the celebrities and the NBA guys come in for the cameo,” Rogers said. “Money is the easiest thing for us to give. It’s time that is most valuable to these people.” Rogers must have missed the event that saw the players not only give money in large amounts but time as well. All the players participating in the game didn’t just give a minimum

of $10,000 worth of goods to victims, but they handed them out to the victims of Katrina in person. Players spent hours with those affected by the hurricane, handing out food and water, signing autographs and talking to victims. Players such as Kevin Garnett even took time out to play football with kids. Even if Rogers and others weren’t impressed by the NBA player’s actions, at least they actually took action. There have been a handful of players from the NFL and MLB that have taken part in relief efforts but not at the magnitude of the NBA. When 30 NBA stars give time and money to these individuals who’ve had their lives literally See RELIEF, page 9

hole Disc Golf Course is located adjacent to the Student Recreation Center on West Campus. This hilly course takes great advantage of the available land. Almost every hole requires at least one difficult/skilled shot to make birdie. The shorter holes are deceivingly difficult. There’s a map near the practice basket, which is very useful, since the layout of the course may be a little confusing the first time it is played. John Miller, a San Marcos resident and avid disc golf player, said he has played on many courses in Austin, Florida and on the Texas State campus. Miller said the Texas State course easily ranks above others. “The course here in town was the first course I had ever played, and so it has to be my favorite. The courses here in Austin and San Marcos are full of hills and trees, where as the Florida courses are flat and mostly clear, so they were less fun in general. I’ll take the Central Texas courses any day. In fact, my only true

hole in one was on the Texas State course.” Dave Wojohowitz, another local resident and disc golf hobbyist, said he got his start with Frisbees while living in Italy in 1978 at age of 12. It was then that he got ahold of one of the few Frisbee discs that were just beginning to sell there at the time. This early introduction to the fly disc later sprouted in to a love for disc golf. Having played here in town, in Austin and in Houston, he agreed with John, by saying that, “the Houston courses are too flat. Once I played in Austin, I could not go back to the flat courses; they are too easy, too boring.” Just as in golf, one must attempt to score under par, the standard number of strokes set for each hole on a course. In “stick golf ”, as disc golfers call it, one must hit the ball to the designated hole with clubs, but in disc golf you throw your discs to the target. Other than that, See Disc, page 9

LeBron James was one of the many NBA stars who participated in Kenny Smith’s Charity Basketball game at the Toyota Center in Houston in order to beneﬁt survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Phil Masturzo/ KRT