TUESDAY
October 26, 2021 VOLUME 111 ISSUE 12 www.UniversityStar.com
DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911
'Enron, 20 Year Later' McCoy explores leadership, impacts of wrongdoings SEE PAGE 4
Offensive woes leads to football's fifth loss of the season
Opinion: Students shouldn't be afraid to change majors
Opinion: Halloween isn't a pass for cultural appropriation
SEE PAGE 7
SEE PAGE 6
SEE PAGE 8
HALLOWEEN
San Marcos celebrates spooky season By Sarah Hernandez Life and Arts Editor starlifeandarts@txstate.edu
Jack-o'-lanterns, candy and costumes will fill the streets of San Marcos this Halloween weekend as residents and businesses celebrate the spooky season with events for every age and interest. Families and students alike can kick off the weekend at San Marcos City Park to celebrate the annual Farmer Fred's Harvest Fall Carnival. Hosted
FORENSICS
by San Marcos Parks and Recreation, this free event will be on Friday, Oct. 29 from 5-8 p.m. and will include carnival games, a haunted trail walk, concessions, a barrel train ride, a costume contest and more. Jessica Ramos, recreation manager, said she looks forward to seeing attendees enjoy the different parts of the carnival at this long-standing event that has become a family favorite among San Marcos residents. "I think one thing about Farmer Fred's is that it has become a family
tradition for a lot of people," Ramos said. "They really look forward to it ... [the festival is] in a beautiful space right by the river and it's really become a family tradition for people. I think people really missed it last year." Since the carnival was canceled last year due to the pandemic, Ramos said she is excited to see the community back together to celebrate Halloween at this annual event. "We're just excited to have that community spirit again and be able to host this for our families in our
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community," Ramos said. "A huge part of the event is our volunteers, which oftentimes are university students. And so that is a whole other aspect to this is connecting those university students with our families in our community ... we really appreciate having our Texas State students that come and get to know the kids in our community, which is always fun." Registration to participate in the carnival's costume contest and to SEE HALLOWEEN PAGE 5
EXTINCT SPECIES
Local experts call for environmental change following extinction of Gambusia By Arthur Fairchild News Reporter
A replica skull of Australopithecus afarensis faces a hallway along with other hominin replica skulls, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, in Evans Liberal Arts. A. afarensis is an extinct species of australopithecine which lived from about 3.9–2.9 million years ago in the Pliocene of East Africa. PHOTO BY DOUGLAS SMITH
Texas State's Forensic Anthropology Center studies human remains By Destany Fuller News Contributor
Texas State's Forensic Anthropology Center offers students, law enforcement and researchers across the world the chance to learn more about the human body and its decomposition process. The center is located on 26 acres and is spatially the largest facility of its kind in the world. Also known as the "body farm," the Forensic Anthropology Center is a place where researchers and students can engage in the study of forensics by learning about facial reconstruction, body decomposition along with how to identify human remains. "For students, [the Forensic Anthropology Center] is one of the few in the world where you can actually get hands-on experience doing this kind of research," Director of Forensic Anthropology Center Daniel J. Wescott said. "We have a large skeletal collection ... so most of our students are interested in becoming forensic anthropologists or associated with law enforcement ... as far as research, the research is just phenomenal. There are numerous aspects of research that can be done and most of that is multi-disciplinary research." A few of the center's workshops that assist and
train law enforcement include K9 Human Remain Detection, which is dedicated to providing participants and their dogs access to training scenarios such as full body burial and complete surface remains. The K9 Human Remain Detection workshop exposes dogs to human remains varying in size and decomposition level. Since the center's formal opening in 2008, research has been performed on nearly 650 donors. The human remains donated to the facility are set in various scenes and scenarios so that they may be evaluated in different cases such as in sunlight, shade and graves. "We get about 60-70 donors a year which means our students, even our master's students that are here for two years, they can actually see the decomposition process of 100 bodies or more," Wescott said. "Which is more than most professionals have seen that have been in the field for a long time ... the fact that we have human remains that we can utilize for this kind of research instead of having to use some kind of proxy, like pigs, is extremely valuable." In addition to the number of human remains donated each year, 1,000 living people have preregistered as donors to be researched under the Forensic SEE FORENSICS PAGE 2
The San Marcos gambusia (Gambusia georgei ) has not been seen since 1983. After decades of failed searches for the fish, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined the San Marcos gambusia to be extinct, along with 22 other species. With the proposed extinction of the native San Marcos fish, local experts are calling for an increase in habitat protection and environmental accountability from residents. The San Marcos gambusia was usually less than 1.6 inches in length and had a dark stripe alongside the dorsal fin. The species was only found in the San Marcos River and was listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1980 due to the impacts of pollution, bottom plowing (a farming method where subsoil is brought to the top and buries the previous top layer), vegetation cutting and population decline. Director of Texas State's Aquatic Biology B.S. Program Timothy Bonner has worked with The Meadows Center to monitor the local fish community twice a year through mass samples of fish populations. He describes the loss of the San Marcos gambusia as a concern and believes humans are responsible for the sustainability of native species. “At some point, if the [San Marcos gambusia] was 25% abundant in the water and now it’s less than 1% or gone that raises some red flags," Bonner said. “Humans are responsible for making sure that the species that are found in these areas can maintain healthy populations in the future.” Approximately 0.5 miles of the San Marcos River was deemed as critical habitat for the San Marcos gambusia. The fish has only been found in the upper section of the river near Rio Vista Dam, located by the U.S. Geological Survey gaging station downstream from Thompson's Island. SEE EXTINCT SPECIES PAGE 2
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2 | Tuesday, October 26, 2021
The University Star
NEWS
Timia Cobb News Editor starnews@txstate.edu
FROM FRONT EXTINCT SPECIES
Trinity Building 203 Pleasant St. San Marcos, TX 78666 (512) 245 - 3487
Editorial Staff Editor-in-Chief: Brianna Benitez stareditor@txstate.edu News Editor: Timia Cobb starnews@txstate.edu Life & Arts Editor: Sarah Hernandez starlifeandarts@txstate.edu Opinion Editor: Hannah Thompson staropinion@txstate.edu Design Editor: Viviana Faz stardesign@txstate.edu Multimedia Editor: Natalie Ryan starmultimedia@txstate.edu Engagement Editor: Eryka Thompson starengagement@txstate.edu Podcast Editor: Rasika Gasti starpodcast@txstate.edu
Public & Internal Relations Nadia Gonzales PIR Director starpr@txstate.edu
Full-Time Staff Director: Laura Krantz, laurakrantz@txstate.edu
While the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has only proposed the extinction of the fish, Thomas Hardy, a biology professor and chief science officer at The Meadows Center, said mass sampling of fish populations almost always lead to an accurate representation of fish populations and species in San Marcos. Hardy believes if the San Marcos gambusia was still in the water, the fish would have been found already. "With that kind of intensive sampling if [the San Marcos gambusia] was there, they would have found it. People have been collecting collections and they never found it," Hardy said. “The level of effort to find it was sufficient enough The San Marcos Gambusia was proposed extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife that [they] were relatively confident it’s gone." Service. The species was only found in the San Marcos River and has not been seen The extinction of the native fish since 1983. is likely a result of interbreeding PHOTO COURTESY OF TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE between the San Marcos gambusia and Gambusia affinis (western mosquitofish) as well as habitat alterations from human activities such as Spring Lake Dam, Sewell Park and the removal of river vegetation for swimming, according to Hardy. Other species native to San Marcos such as the Texas blind salamander, fountain darter and the Comal Springs riffle beetle, have been categorized as endangered. With less water flowing in the springs, along with population growth and increased use of groundwater, these species have become endangered. Woody Welch, a San Marcos resident, is an advocate for habitat protection and the promotion of permaculture, the practice of growing Old Main stands above Spring Lake, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at the Meadows Center. food in a self-sufficient and sustainable PHOTO BY DOUGLAS SMITH way. Welch is popular for his YouTube channel, Earth Repairman, a channel that educates viewers on how to be self-sufficient in Organizations such as The Meadows Center are working growing food. to maintain and stabilize the local environment and its Welch believes more species will fall into extinction if native species through initiatives such as the Edwards actions are not made and taken immediately. Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan. Through this initiative, “This fish and the blind salamander that I’ve actually seen the center is practicing bank stabilization, constructing have touched me deeply that’s why I live this life," Welch river access areas, planting native plants and removing said. “Humans are actively causing an extinction event and invasive species. its human-induced." “We need to ensure that other native species do not go According to The Meadows Center, the upper portion extinct by making sure we maintain flows in the river and of the San Marcos River is categorized as one of the most making sure that we are not altering habitats that lead to biologically diverse aquatic ecosystems in the southwestern their destruction," Hardy said. “It’s a story that is repeated U.S. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Texas Parks over and over again whether it’s a fish, a butterfly or a plant. and Wildlife Department have listed eight species that live Habitat destruction and introduction of nonnative species in the San Marcos region as endangered or threatened. can often result in unintended consequences.”
FROM FRONT FORENSICS
About Us History: The University Star is the student newspaper of Texas State University and is published every Tuesday of the spring and fall and once a month in the summer semesters. It is distributed on campus and throughout San Marcos at 8 a.m. on publication days with a distribution of 3,000. Printing and distribution is by the New Braunfels HeraldZeitung. Copyright: Copyright Tuesday, October 26, 2021. 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. Deadlines: Letters to the Editor or any contributed articles are due on Monday the week prior to publication. Corrections: Any errors that are in the pages of The University Star and brought to our attention will be corrected as soon as possible. Visit The Star at universitystar.com
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Anthropology Center. After donor bodies are removed from the center, they are processed at the Osteology Research and Processing Laboratory and are kept in the permanent Texas State Donated Skeletal Collection. Skeletal remains inside the lab are eventually used for future scientific research and education. Because of the body donation program, students and researchers have the opportunity to work with actual human cadavers rather than animal proxies. Victoria Soto, an anthropology graduate student, said working with the center is a great opportunity. Soto has wanted to participate in Texas State's program since high school. "I knew this was a school I wanted to go to, and I'd do anything I could to make that happen," Soto said. "I can't even tell you what all I do in a week because there's so much opportunity ... I interned here last summer, and even that, just as an intern for six weeks or something there was just so much available at all times." The Forensic Anthropology Center interns participate in a variety of workshops including Human Remains Recovery, Entomology and Taphonomy and the Forensic Anthropology Methods workshop. Additionally, interns help with the center's day-to-day operations which entails processing of skeletal remains and data management. Select students have the opportunity to participate in identifying remains of undocumented border crossers found in Texas. Wescott said given the unique opportunity to study real human remains, the center's process must be organized. "We're different than a medical school in which if you donate to a medical school, you're embalmed, it gets dissected during a class and then you're cremated and returned," Wescott said. "For us, we get the body, and it undergoes decomposition research and is used to train people
A poster promotes majoring in anthropology, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, in Evans Liberal Arts. PHOTO BY DOUGLAS SMITH
Postcards from across the world hang on a door, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, in Evans Liberal Arts. PHOTO BY DOUGLAS SMITH
how to do proper recovery of remains. For more information about Texas After that it's processed down to a State's Forensic Anthropology Center skeleton, in that process students get and its various workshops visit https:// to learn their osteology and human www.txstate.edu/anthropology/facts/. variation ... then the skeleton is retained, and it's used over and over in research projects."
Tuesday, October 26, 2021 |3
The University Star
MULTIMEDIA
Multimedia Editor: Natalie Ryan starmultimedia@txstate.edu
Texas State senior setter Emily DeWalt (17) sets up the ball for one of her teammates, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at Strahan Arena. The Bobcats won 3-0 against Coastal Carolina University. PHOTO BY LAUREN LIGUEZ
Texas State criminal justice senior Rodolfo Vega talks to students at The University Star's Star Stories event about his experience with mariachi music that got him where is he today, Tuesday, Oct.19, 2021, at the Performing Arts Center.
Texas State volleyball team celebrates after scoring a point against Appalachian State, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, at Strahan Arena. The Bobcats won 3-1.
Texas State mascot Boko shows his team spirit at the volleyball game against Coastal Carolina University, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at Strahan Arena. The Bobcats won 3-0.
Texas State Professor Dr. Claude Bonazzo Romaguera talks to students at the Star Stories event about not giving up on their dreams, Tuesday, October 19, 2021, at the Performing Arts Center.
PHOTO BY LAUREN LIGUEZ
PHOTO BY LAUREN LIGUEZ
PHOTO BY LAUREN LIGUEZ
PHOTO BY LAUREN LIGUEZ
Rapper Callmesolstice performs for the crowd, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at San Marcos Fest. PHOTO BY DOUGLAS SMITH
4 |Tuesday, October 26, 2021
The University Star
LIFE & ARTS
Sarah Hernandez Life and Arts Editor starlifeandarts@txstate.edu
'Enron, 20 Years Later'
ENRON
McCoy explores leadership, impacts of wrongdoings By Aidan Bea Life and Arts Contributor McCoy College of Business hosted “Enron, 20 Years Later,” on Oct. 19, a virtual panel discussing fraud, ethics, regulation and the future of accounting as a result of the 2001 Enron scandal. The panel was headlined by Sherron Watkins, the former vice president of corporate development at Enron and the whistleblower that brought down the Texas energy giant. As a result of her actions, Watkins was named one of Time Magazine’s 2002 People of the Year and has gone on to be an advocate for leadership and ethics. She now serves as an executive in residence at McCoy College of Business. The panel was moderated by Evan Smith, the CEO and co-founder of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. The event was hosted by McCoy College of Business Dean Sanjay Ramchander and McCoy College of Business Associate Dean for Faculty and Research Alexis Stokes. Enron was an energy company based out of Houston that, at its peak, claimed $101 billion dollars of revenue and was named Fortune’s “America’s Most Innovative Company” six years in a row. After its 2001 accounting scandal, the company was left bankrupt and defunct, and its 29,000 employees found themselves unemployed and stripped of their retirement savings. Enron’s downfall was a result of Watkins exposing the company’s unethical and illegal business practices which included misleading investors, misrepresenting earnings and modifying balance sheets. Through her experiences, Watkins wants to help others understand the dangers of reckless ambition and the pitfalls that can come with it. “I have a cautionary tale,” Watkins said. “I have far too many friends, or former friends and colleagues, that are felons. The Department of Justice was very successful and over a dozen Enron executives went to prison and there’s over two dozen that are felons. I usually try to discuss the fact that the dark side of innovation is fraud, and the dark side of a charismatic leader is malignant narcissism.” Other panelists included Michol Ecklund who serves as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Callon Petroleum, Nate Cannon, an associate professor of accounting at Texas State and Stephanie Solansky, an associate professor of management at Texas State. According to Cannon, one the most notable legacies of the scandal was the passing of laws like the Dodd-Frank Act in the U.S. and similar laws around the world. “Thinking back, what I find truly remarkable and captures the zeitgeist of the time, [the legislation] passed the Senate 99-0 and passed the House 4233,” Cannon said. “Knowing what you know about the clinical atmosphere — that doesn’t happen. Especially for something this big.” He also said a large number of auditors left the industry after the scandal, which turned out to be a good thing as the quality of auditing has improved since then. “Some of my colleagues have done studies showing that when this legislation passed, nearly 50% of all auditors that were auditing public companies disappeared. They stopped,” Cannon said. “That’s a huge impact. We’ve done research to show that those that left were of lower quality. By a number of metrics that we can look at, the quality has gone up since then.” Solansky, who specializes in leadership communication, said after the scandal, stakeholders no longer trust companies outright and expect to be kept in the loop. She calls this the “post-trust era” and said it has been amplified by the rise of social media. “We are at a time, as a result of this post-trust era, where stakeholders simply expect authenticity and transparency from businesses,” Solansky said. “Trickery has kind of been exposed.” From Ecklund’s perspective, Houston
Inside McCoy Hall School of Business. STAR FILE PHOTO
I HAVE FAR TOO MANY FRIENDS, OR FORMER FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES, THAT ARE FELONS. THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL AND OVER A DOZEN ENRON EXECUTIVES WENT TO PRISON AND THERE’S OVER TWO DOZEN THAT ARE FELONS. I USUALLY TRY TO DISCUSS THE FACT THAT THE DARK SIDE OF INNOVATION IS FRAUD, AND THE DARK SIDE OF A CHARISMATIC LEADER IS MALIGNANT NARCISSISM,” -SHERRON WATKINS, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT AT ENRON AND ENRON SCANDAL WHISLTEBLOWER
was affected the most by the Enron scandal. The company helped the city grow industrially and helped shape what it is today. Despite how things turned out at Enron, she still thinks the city has benefitted from the scandal. “I think about this story from many angles, both as a lawyer and an executive of an energy company, but also as a Houstonian,” Ecklund said. “I’ve lived here since 1993 and reflecting on the journey that we’ve been on as a city has been really interesting for me. [When I was in college] getting a job at Enron was the pinnacle. It was full of innovation and was a place to go and learn and be a part of making a difference … Enron put Houston on the map. The '80s were very tough for our city and the energy industry. I really think it’s through Enron that the country and the world began to see Houston through a different lens.” Watkins compares the story of Enron to Formula 1 racing, a sport that was once very dangerous, but thanks to innovation and regulation, has become safer. Where Formula 1 succeeded, Enron failed. Enron limited its risk management and control departments to the point of having no real power. The company and those in charge ignored potential risks in pursuit of profit and image. “In the long run, we were destined to fail because we removed the safety and control features,” Watkins said. Watkins criticizes not only the company itself but the media in the events that transpired. She said that people both within and outside the company were so in awe of the supposed success of Enron that no one looked deep enough into what was actually
going on. As a result of Watkins’ bravery in exposing Enron’s malpractice, whistleblowers are now rewarded for their actions. As part of the Dodd-Frank Act, whistleblowers receive a percentage of the federal fine a company must pay. Watkins said this incentive to expose wrongdoings within a business not only encourages whistleblowers themselves but encourages others to help their
cause. “One thing I’m very happy about is the Dodd-Frank whistleblower award program,” Watkins said. “The [Securities and Exchange Commission's] Office of the Whistleblower has been in existence for 10 years now. They’ve fined companies $3 billion; they’ve given out over $1 billion in whistleblower awards. That has attracted legal talent to the cause of the whistleblower.” While Watkins is celebrated as a hero, not all whistleblowers are. She said that she is “the only whistleblower with a good story," meaning most whistleblowers are shunned and vilified for their actions. Despite the risks and fallout of whistleblowing, the "Enron, 20 Years Later" panelists believe that as a result of the scandal, the public, companies and whistleblowers themselves are much safer from fallout than they were 20 years ago. “Ultimately, Enron is a personal story,” Ecklund said. “There are many individual people who were so severely affected by the rapid decline [of Enron]. That’s where I go back to other elements of the law that have put in place protections that can limit that significant impact to any one person or any one entity to a very large degree … I think having those rules in place puts a floor on what the ripple effect can be on other people and other entities in our society.”
Public Hearing Public hearing for the campus community to comment on the proposed tuition and fee increase for the 2022 and 2023 academic years.
Thursday, October 28, 2021 4:00 p.m. LBJ Student Center Room 3-5.1
All members of the university community are invited to participate in this discussion with Provost Gene Bourgeois and other members of the President’s Cabinet.
Tuesday, October 26, 2021 | 5
The University Star
LIFE &ARTS
Life & Arts Editor: Sarah Hernandez starlifeandarts@txstate.edu
FROM FRONT HALLOWEEN volunteer to work the carnival games, help with the costume contest and set up and tear down the event are open through Thursday at http:// sanmarcostx.gov/3255/Farmer-FredsHarvest. Hosting its first Halloween event, Stellar Coffee Co. plans to celebrate the holiday Friday evening with Stellar Spooktacular, a night of live music, costume contests and spooky drink specials. The event will take place from 4-11 p.m. at Stellar Coffee Co. located at 232 N LBJ Drive #101. Darby Wirt, general manager, said she hopes Stellar can make this event an annual occurrence and the coffeeshop a Halloween hotspot for college students looking for something fun and laid-back to do. "We've always wanted to be a place where people under 21 can come in because that's not super common in San Marcos, especially on the Square," Wirt said. "Everybody can come. 18 and up can come to shows and hang out, they can drink coffee. 21-yearolds can drink beer and you know, get their fill before they go out on the Square." The first annual Stellar Spooktacular will feature live music from local artists like Marcellus Unknown and Summer Rental. More information can be found on Stellar's Instagram, @stellarcoffeeco. Live music lovers can also head to Ragnar's on the Compound on Oct. 30 to celebrate Frights and Sounds, a Halloween festival featuring live music, vendors, food trucks, street performers and fire spinners. Mitchell Meitler, a co-creator of the event, and his partner have hosted Frights and Sounds officially for two years and are happy to bring it back in person. The decision to hold the event on Halloween comes from their interest in the holiday and the opportunity to host something for adults that is not necessarily family oriented.
Two girls dressed as Jack Skellington and Sally from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" smile for a photo at the 2019 Farmer Fred's Harvest Fall Carnival. PHOTO COURTESY OF SAN MARCOS PARKS AND RECREATION
"I'm in a pop-punk band and he's in a metal band and a metalcore man. So, we kind of have that interest in Halloween movies and whatnot," Meitler said. "And it's a really fun holiday for us. So we decided just to keep the tradition going and have something on our favorite holiday." Although their interests lie mainly in punk and metal music, the all-day event will feature artists and bands from other genres as well such as hiphop, rap and EDM. The festival will kick off at 4:30 p.m. on the indoor stage at 6900 Ranch Road 12. Tickets for Frights and Sounds will be available to purchase for $15 the day of the show. More information can be found on the
Frights and Sounds Facebook page, @frightsandsounds. Those in search of something spontaneous to do on Halloween can look no further than Skydive Spaceland San Marcos and its annual Halloween Boogie happening on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31. In skydiving, a "boogie" is an event where licensed skydivers get together to show off their skills and try out new tricks. Office Manager at Skydive Spaceland Whitney Hughes said although the event will be attended by professionals, first-time divers who want to make their first jump with tandem skydiving and those who just want to watch expert skydivers perform are welcome to join in on the
fun. "Although the event is geared toward licensed skydivers, we are always open to divers with no experience who want to try something new," Hughes said. The Halloween Boogie will feature live music, fun jumps with organizers and a skydive slip n' slide on which professional skydivers will land. More information about the event and registration for first-time jumpers can be found at https://sanmarcos. skydivespaceland.com.
6 |Tuesday, October 26, 2021
The University Star
OPINIONS
Hannah Thompson Opinion Edwitor staropinion@txstate.edu
Opinions in The University Star are not necessarily those of our entire publication, Texas State University’s administration, Board of Regents, School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Student Publications Board.
CHANGING MAJORS
Students shouldn't be afraid to change their majors By Hannah Thompson Opinion Editor staropinions@txstate.edu
Throughout high school, I had my life centered on pursuing a career in journalism. My senior year, I was editor-in-chief of the yearbook club, head writer for my school’s news club and a director for my church’s live stream. My ultimate goal was to be a photojournalist and my next step was to major in journalism. Once I came to Texas State, I decided to major in electronic media, which only lasted for a semester. That first semester of college was filled with discontent and self-reflection. I had to face the reality that changing majors, and derailing a life plan four years in the making, might be the best option. While it is a big decision, it's okay for students to change majors as it can ultimately lead to a happier and fulfilled future. After all, the U.S. Department of Education found that 30% of undergraduates changed their majors at least one time within three years. Additionally, one in 10 students changed their major more than once. We come into college with only an idea of what it is we want to pursue and who it is we want to be. However, it's not until we're actively engaging in those ideas that we learn what we like and dislike. Mia Agudelo, a marketing freshman, has questioned whether she should change her major to education and pursue a career as a teacher. After taking some classes, she wasn’t sure if she was interested in everything that marketing entailed. But the fear of wasting time and falling behind that comes with switching majors concerns her. “It’s scary. I’m afraid to like get behind. What if I don't end up even
JORDAN TAYLOR
liking education and you know it’s a waste of time?” Agudelo said. “What if I decide that this is what I want to do?” The fear of wasting time is a valid one, and it’s one that can be costly in a literal sense. Changing your major could mean extending your time at college and, in turn, spending more money on tuition. However, a more recent study by Ellucian indicates 28% of students had their graduations delayed by two or more semesters after changing their majors. Therefore, not too many people end up paying much more than one semester's worth of tuition. Samantha Corral, a middle school education senior, had originally planned to be a high school teacher. This plan required her to take a computer science class that she ended up struggling in. Switching to middle school education allowed her to bypass this requirement. However, she feared the switch hindered her opportunity of becoming a high school teacher or even a professor. “After talking to the advisors, they
were like no you don't once you get your diploma in it, after you take your test, you can always test into high school teaching,” Corral said. “If you’re unsure about [switching majors], I’d always talk to the advisors or maybe ask a friend.” Texas State offers academic advising for first-year students, exploratory students and by major. If you need advice on whether you should make the switch or not, this might be your first step. Hannah Yetter, an anthropology junior, transferred to Texas State as a biology major and political science minor. Like Corral and Agudelo, she wasn’t fond of the classes she was taking for her major. She eventually learned about anthropology and how it combined her favorite aspects of her major and minor. Looking back on it, she’s glad she made the switch. “There was a fear of feeling kind of like I failed. Like, you know, you set off to do this one thing and then to kind of change your mind kind of feels like
accepting defeat,” Yetter said. “I kind of view it now as like, if I had stayed with that major I would have failed myself ... if you think you’re unhappy with what you’re doing, switch to something that brings you joy." This idea of failure was not one that I was unfamiliar with. I had spent so long going after one academic and career goal that I was scared to admit that I wanted to give up on it. At the end of the day, I realized that I enjoyed my history minor more and took a leap of faith. After all, why waste money and time continuing down a path I didn’t enjoy? Although it delayed my graduation date by a semester, the cost was worth it. - Hannah Thompson is a history senior. The University Star welcomes Letters to the Editor from its readers. All submissions are reviewed and considered by the Editor-in-Chief and Opinion Editor for publication. Not all letters are guaranteed for publication.
HALLOWEEN COSTUMES
Halloween isn't a pass for cultural appropriation By Hannah Thompson Opinions Editor staropinion@txstate.edu With Halloween around the corner, costumes are once again appearing on store racks. There are timeless options such as superhero and princess costumes, but more unsavory options as well. When looking through costume options, one can easily come across costumes that are based on the cultures of people of color. Using other people’s cultures for Halloween costumes is culturally appropriative and disrespectful. The first case I saw of this recently was costumes of Romani people from Spirit Halloween. However, the term "Romani" wasn’t used on the store's website, but a commonly used slur. This g-word was given to the Romani people by Europeans, as their darker features were thought to be attributed to Egyptian descent. In reality, the Romani came from Northwest India with 10-12 million Romani people currently living in Europe today. Throughout history, the Romani people have faced persecution. They were forced into chattel slavery for 500 years and 70-80% of the Romani population were killed in the Holocaust. After all of this, caricatures of the Roma culture continue to be perpetuated through Halloween costumes. Black people have faced persecution as well. When it comes to Halloween costumes centered on Black people, there's always the concern of blackface. Blackface in costumes tends to reinforce the historical idea that Black people are property whose looks and aesthetics can therefore be used as entertainment. The concept of blackface is a legacy of minstrel shows that dehumanized Black people. Shayla Johnson, a microbiology sophomore, finds the appropriation of Black culture in Halloween costumes to be offensive. “Sometimes there’s a lot of African prints from Dashikis from people who know nothing about the culture, or the history or the importance of it,”
ASIA ALCALA
Johnson said. During the civil rights and Black Panther movements in the U.S., the Dashiki held a particular symbolic significance. It symbolized both a rejection of normal western culture and a prideful acceptance of Blackness. However, the strength of the Dashiki as a political symbol died down once white counterculture groups subverted its original meaning for aesthetic purposes. Using Blackness for aesthetic purposes isn’t something that's been left in the past. There’s been criticisms of celebrities stealing from Black culture, as well as blackface. “The Kardashians are a great example. Especially with blackface, their outfits you know switching skin tones, manipulating yourself to look a certain way maybe it's not malicious but you still have to be educated in what you’re thinking,” Johnson said. Kim Kardashian alone has seen her own set of controversies. After having appeared several shades darker in KKW Beauty promotional photos, some claimed Kim Kardashian was participating in blackface. She later took the photos down and apologized. However, this isn’t the only incident that has occurred. There’s also the time
Kim Kardashian wore Fulani braids and called them "Bo Derek braids." While Black women are considered unprofessional when wearing braids, it’s considered trendy or fashionable when white women wear them. Moreover, it’s disrespectful to other people’s cultures to rename hairstyles, fashions or items that have been around before they were made trendy. Her controversies extend into Halloween as well. In 2017, Kim Kardashian dressed up as Aaliyah and was criticized for dressing up as a Black woman. Although some may argue that she was not doing blackface, Julianne Hough's Crazy Eyes costume definitely was. With over 2,000 results for "Native American costume" on Amazon, it's fair to say Indigenous people are also victims of cultural appropriation. The painful realities of Native American history should never be erased by Halloween costumes. Native American children were forced by the U.S. to assimilate through boarding schools in the 1800s. Children were stripped of their Indigenous names and some were even known to die in these institutions. Within the same century, the Trail of
Tears occurred. Thousands of Natives died after being removed from their land and being forced to walk thousands of miles without food or help. Nearly 15,000 Creeks were removed from their land in Alabama and Georgia, and only around a fifth survived the trip to Oklahoma. Along with taking away aspects of a group’s culture, it’s also important to note the ones that people assign to certain groups when it comes to costumes. For example, Native costumes are usually styled after this violent time period in 19th century American history. With this in mind, it seems irreverent to go as far as to sexualize these costumes as well. Especially when these costumes are likely modeled after ghost dance shirts, a garment meant for spiritual protection against violence. With Halloween only days away, students on college campuses have likely started celebrating early. In an effort to discourage and prevent cultural appropriation from happening on their campuses this Halloween season, some universities, such as the University of Utah, have sent out newsletters advising students what is and what is not considered an appropriate costume. Similarly, Princeton has held a seminar about cultures and costumes. There are many costume options available, therefore it would be odd to decide to dress up as another person’s culture. If you’re unsure if your costume is appropriate, why take the chance of disrespecting a culture? It’s not appropriate to perpetuate stereotypes or steal ethnically important styles just because it’s Halloween. It’s a holiday where everyone should have fun dressing up, and not feel uncomfortable by seeing caricatures of themselves. - Hannah Thompson is a history senior. The University Star welcomes Letters to the Editor from its readers. All submissions are reviewed and considered by the Editor-in-Chief and Opinion Editor for publication. Not all letters are guaranteed for publication.
Tuesday, October 26, 2021 | 7
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SPORTS FOOTBALL
Texas State sophomore quarterback Brady McBride (2) runs around Georiga State defenders to find an open teammate upfield, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, at Center Parc Stadium. The Bobcats lost 16-28. KATE CONNORS
Offensive woes leads to fifth loss of the season
leading rusher for the Bobcats with 17 attempts and 78 yards for an average of 2.7 yards a carry.
By Carter Bordwell Sports Contributor
Texas State football (2-5 overall) lost its fifth game of the season against the Georgia State Panthers (3-4 overall) 1628 on Oct. 23. The Bobcats came into the game as the clear underdogs and ended the game with what was originally expected. Texas State started the game off strong with a 12 play 39-yard drive that was capped off with a 41-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Seth Keller. The Bobcats put another scoring drive together with a 10 play 50-yard drive that, again, ended in a 41-yard field goal from Keller, giving Texas State a lead of 6-0. The Texas State defense was solid early in the first quarter, but Georgia State made a seven play 99-yard drive that led to an 18-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Jamyest Williams. Senior placekicker Noel Ruiz earned Georgia State an extra point, putting the Panthers up 7-6 at the end of the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, Georgia State extended its lead to 14-6 after a three play 53-yard drive was capped off by a 35-yard passing touchdown from junior quarterback Darren Grainger to sophomore receiver Jamari Thrash. Texas State answered back with a 12 play 69-yard drive that ended in an eight-yard rushing touchdown from junior quarterback Brady McBride. Keller earned the Bobcats an extra point, making the score 14-13. The touchdown resulted in a dead period where no team scored until the third quarter. Offensively, the Panthers stopped the scoring drought for both teams with a seven play 67-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 28-yard touchdown rush by Williams, his second rushing touchdown of the game. The Bobcats failed to get the ball into the end-zone of their opponents’ territory throughout the game including an 11 play 66-yard drive that ended with another 31-yard field goal from Keller. The final score of the game came when Georgia State had an 11 play 75yard touchdown drive that was capped off with a 27-yard reception by senior tight end Aubry Payne. Georgia State was able to run the ball at will on the Texas State defense with a total of 298 yards and two rushing
Texas State sophomore punter Seamus O'Kelly (99) punts the ball back to Georgia State during the second half of the game, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, at Center Parc Stadium. The Bobcats lost 1628. PHOTO BY KATE CONNORS
Texas State junior wide receiver Marcell Barbee (18) attempts to catch the ball in the endzone during the game against Georgia State, Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, at Center Parc Stadium. The Bobcats lost 16-28. PHOTO BY KATE CONNORS
touchdowns. In comparison, the Bobcats only had 123 yards and one rushing touchdown. McBride couldn’t seem to get comfortable in the pocket being sacked
three times and hurried six times, while Grainger was only hurried three times. McBride ended the game 27-47 with 255 yards no touchdowns and one interception. McBride was also the
Texas State will return to action on the road versus the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns at 11 a.m. on Oct. 30 at Cajun Field. The game will air on ESPN+.
8 |Tuesday, October 26, 2021
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