Vol. 66, Issue 2
Est. 1981
September 5 - September 12, 2023
THE PAISANO
Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio Community /PaisanoOnline
/ThePaisano
paisano-online.com
@ThePaisano
@paisanomedia
UTSA to pay $670k for underreporting campus crimes By Jessica McLaren News Editor
P
resident Taylor Eighmy shared a message with the campus community on Aug. 29 regarding UTSA’s settlement with the Department of Education (DOE). The settlement was offered after an audit of the university’s campus crime reporting uncovered 55 inadequately reported crimes between 2015 and 2017. The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, or Clery Act, requires all colleges and universities who participate in federal financial aid programs to publish annual data concerning the number of reported crimes that occurred on or near its campuses. To ensure compliance with the law and promote safe college campuses, the U.S. Department of Education Office of the Inspector General (OIG) performs random reviews of the Clery programs and processes that take place at institutions of higher education nationwide. In the fall of 2019, the OIG conducted an audit on UTSA which revealed that the university had inadequately reported at least 55 out of 173 eligible campus crime
incidents between Jan. 2015 and Dec. 2017. According to the final report, the university failed to implement effective internal controls related to its reporting of Clery Act crime statistics during those three years. In his response to the audit, Eighmy described two factors that contributed to UTSA’s lack of effective Clery processes at the time: high staff turnover and a lack of internal expertise regarding Clery Act compliance. These issues have since been addressed, as explained in an email Eighmy sent to students, faculty and staff in 2020. The outcome of the settlement, posted publicly by the DOE last month, requires UTSA to pay $670k in fines in addition to the corrective measures the university has taken. According to the notice, UTSA’s fine was the largest imposed in fiscal year 2022. “Our commitment to providing a safe and welcoming campus environment where all Roadrunners can study, work and live is resolute, and we take that responsibility very seriously,” Eighmy
‘Peanut Butter Parking’ Campaign
Kylar Royer/The Paisano
By Kaitlyn J. Grace Staff Writer As UTSA students and faculty headed into the Fall 2023 semester, issues with AirRowdy left them unable to connect to the campus Wi-Fi. The connectivity issues not
the university shared they will not be issuing a media statement on the matter. More information regarding the 2015 through 2017 Clery audit and the actions UTSA has taken to address the issues can be found at utsa.edu/compliance-and-riskservices/.
By Jessica McLaren News Editor Last week, The Paisano sat down with student body president Zachary Nepote to discover how the Student Government Association (SGA) plans to support the needs and interests of UTSA’s diverse student body. Here is what we learned. Driven by his desire to give back to the community, Nepote joined SGA in Fall 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I wanted to find a way to improve the experience around me but also get to help other people,” Nepote said. “I was inspired by the chance to improve our college experience and enhance what we already have here, but also speak for those who feel like they’ve been underrepresented.” When speaking about the university’s unique student body, Nepote stressed the importance of representation within SGA. The senators, who are elected by the student body each semester, represent their college and classification and serve as an advocate for student interests and needs across campus. These senators meet with their respective colleges and other university partners monthly. Senators also serve on committees that cover a wide range of issues across campus, including core curriculum, dining, student affairs, sustainability and more. “The committees we serve on deal with all aspects of student life, whether it’s to the academic side or the social side, like in student affairs,” Nepote said. Nepote further explained that every student at UTSA is considered to be a member of SGA, and he encourages students to attend their biweekly general assemblies so that their voices are heard. The
first general assembly will be held in the Harris (2.212) and Travis Room (2.202) on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 5:30 p.m. “[At UTSA,] being a freshman doesn’t mean that you’re eighteen. Being a sophomore doesn’t mean you’re nineteen. We have nontraditional students [and] military students. Through SGA’s representation, we’re able to cover a wide variety of different groups,” Nepote said. “With [our general assemblies] being an open forum, [and by] welcoming students to be able to go there and express their concerns, it allows for those needs to be met.” Nepote described several initiatives that the association has been working on since before his election. On UTSA Giving Day, SGA partnered with Wellbeing Services to provide students with free men-
Eric Trevino/The Paisano
Finally, the program asks that the donations are not in glass containers. Paying for your citations is fairly simple — all eligible citations and donations at the Main Campus are to be taken to Campus Services (MS 1.01.52) during their operating hours, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students at the Downtown Campus can submit their donations at FS 2.424C during the same hours. Kevin Price, Senior Associate Vice President for Campus Services, shared his excitement for the campaign on the Business Affairs webpage. “We’re thrilled to bring back the Peanut Butter Campaign this year so that we can continue to make a positive impact while enhancing the campus experience for all Roadrunners.” Overall, this event has provided a creative and fun way for students and staff at UTSA to learn about the university’s parking services while providing aid to our on-campus food pantry. For more information on the Peanut Butter Parking Campaign, visit utsa.edu/campusservices/.
Students encounter Wi-Fi disruptions during first week back
said in the message posted to UTSA Today last month. “Over the last five years, we have since taken substantial remedial actions and process improvements to ensure ongoing compliance with the Act.” The Paisano asked UTSA to comment on the settlement with the DOE. However,
SGA President discusses student representation and current projects
By Naydine De La Fuente Staff Writer After a three-year pause, Campus Services has teamed up with the Whataburger Resource Room to bring back UTSA’s Peanut Butter Parking Campaign, an initiative that allows individuals on campus to pay for their parking citations with a jar of peanut butter. This campaign is applicable for ‘Runners who were issued parking citations between Monday, Aug. 28th and Friday, Sept. 1. Eligible citations include parking without a valid or proper permit with a $25, $50 or $100 charge. A 40 oz or 80 oz jar of peanut butter, depending on the given citation, is all that is needed to pay off the ticket. To ensure your citation is forgiven, there are specific rules that are required for the Peanut Butter Parking event. First, donations must be given within 14 days of the citation issue date, and the campaign only allows for one donation per person. Next, appealing the citation forfeits any eligibility of paying off the citation with a donation. Campus Services and the Whataburger Resource Room are also accepting allergen-friendly donations, such as sun butter and other kinds of nut butter.
Lauren Hernandez/The Paisano
strual hygiene products. Over the summer, they used the funds to purchase several carts full of products to “promote menstrual equity within the Student Union areas.” When asked about their efforts
only disrupted students’ ability to study on campus, but also interfered with in-class activities. “There’s always been issues with the Wi-Fi,” said Gabriella Penfiel, a digital communications student at UTSA. “I feel like we’re a big enough campus and have enough money to where we should have better Wi-Fi. Especially since we’re using it every day.” This is not the first time UTSA’s AirRowdy has created problems for students. In 2018, The Paisano reported that students had difficulty connecting to AirRowdy. In 2022, students complained again about the student and guest Wi-Fi failing to authenticate, which resulted in students turning to platforms such as Reddit to find solutions.
to encourage sustainability, Nepote explained that many of these initiatives were derailed back in 2020 with the pandemic. “Now that we’re in the position we’re in now, we are exploring [our options]. We are gauging what students are interested in in terms of sustainability and how we can improve that on campus.” The Paisano interviewed Nepote back in April after he was elected student body president. In this interview, Nepote discussed his three main goals for the academic year — the student worker visibility initiative, increasing student organization engagement and expanding open education resources. In last week’s interview, we asked for an update on these projects: “[SGA] will continue to work with Student Affairs, the Library’s Open Education Resources office and other various university departments to represent the interests and dire needs of our unique student body,” Nepote said, explaining that these projects are ongoing initiatives. “We are excited to share updates regarding our further progress throughout the academic year.” Nepote encourages students to get involved, either by attending their general assemblies, visiting their storefront or by applying for one of their open positions on RowdyLink. “If you have the care for other people on campus who care for enhancing student life, student experience and of course the quality of our education. We are welcoming.”
Students feel that the lack of a secure Wi-Fi connection is affecting their grades. “It disconnects me whenever I need it during class, especially if I have classes that take online quizzes, and that affects my grade so it’s just been terrible,” said Luis Juarez, an environmental science major. Kendra Ketchum, Vice President for Information Management and Technology at UTSA, released a statement saying that University Technology Solutions (UTS) would be working on resolving the issues. However, many students are still encountering Wi-Fi instability. See Wi-Fi on page 2