TUESDAY April, 4, 2023
VOLUME 112 ISSUE 25 www.UniversityStar.com
UNIVERSITY
Texas State says farewell Main Point: to Common Experience
EDITORIAL
Verification doesn’t equal credibility By Editorial Board
As of April 1, Twitter is requiring a paid subscription to Twitter Blue to have a verification checkmark on a profile. The University Star will not be paying to verify our organization on Twitter. The gold checkmark for verified organizations is $1,000 a month and an extra $50 per month for affiliated accounts such as professional profiles for each reporter at a news organization. The Star will not be paying for this verification either. The Star’s editorial board believes that paying for verification lessens the once-earned status of a blue checkmark which we no longer view as a symbol of credibility. Per the new Twitter guidelines, The Star's tweets will no longer appear to our followers on the “For You” page. We will continue to use Twitter to share our news-gathering and reporting as usual, as it is still an important tool to reach our audience.
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By Bella Vogiatzis Life and Arts Contributor
After nearly two decades of impressive accomplishments and unwavering commitment to the Texas State community, the Common Experience is coming to an end. “Sadly, beginning this June, the Common Experience and Common Reading programs will no longer be happening at Texas State,” Erika Nielson, Ph.D., director of the Common Experience, said. The Common Experience Committee has not yet been told what prompted this decision, but its members hope to get answers soon. The program, which has been recognized both statewide and nationally, has just under a month left to carry out its legacy, and Nielson is reflecting on its accomplishments and dedicated mission throughout the years. The program was recently named the number one academic support program in Texas, a feat it was able to accomplish despite a low budget. The Common Experience's low budget has not held it back from success. The program has labored to serve its community while executing a lot with a little. Since its creation in 2004, the Common Experience has always kept one idea at the forefront of its operation.
STAR FILE PHOTO
“We hope to welcome first-year students," Nielson said. "That’s our primary goal. Events are for everyone, but we really want to focus on creating a community for our newest students.” The program has consistently offered students, faculty, staff and community members 200-300 events per year, according to Nielson. She said those events are thoughtfully geared toward a common theme, and they all have a shared goal of support and conversation. The theme for the 20222023 school year is Systems Thinking. As rewarding and uplifting as a good turnout can be, the committee's biggest priority lies in what attendees take away from the events. The Common Experience has done much more than host events. The mandatory university seminar course, US1100, is part of the program, and Nielson has strived in her time as the director to make it resourceful and enjoyable for students. When planning past US1100 courses, Nielson asked students directly how they want to learn. Whether it was through traditional lectures and textbooks, podcasts, blogs or documentaries, Nielson wanted students to be engaged and interested so they could learn to the best of their abilities.
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STAR FILE PHOTO
(Left) Rapper, writer, actor, activist, author and philanthropist Common gives a speech, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019, as part of Common Experience’s LBJ Distinguished Lecture Series at Strahan Arena. (Right) Former Director of the Common Experience Twister Marquiss (left) and Common address questions, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019, at Strahan Arena.
PROTEST
Youth-led Texas organizations take over the Capitol for legislative session By Samantha Guerrero News Contributor
PHOTO BY SAMANTHA GUERRERO
Texas State senior political science major Joslynn Sanchez teaches her group how to drop bills, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at the Capitol Building.
On March 29, over 300 Texas youth walked down the streets of downtown Austin. Holding up their signs and walking in solidarity they chanted, "The people united will never be defeated." The Youth Capitol Takeover, an event planned by nine Texas organizations, took place during the legislative meeting on Wednesday to give students a chance to see the Capitol, a legislative session and to learn how to make their voices heard. Bills presented during this session like ones on student voting rights, climate change and transgender rights, have concerned many students across Texas. Students were bussed to the Capitol from several cities across the state including Houston, Laredo, San Antonio and San Marcos. Joslynn Sanchez, a political science senior and policy intern for the organization Deeds Not Words, said that the day started at 10 a.m. with training for students. "We spoke about the process of organizing and how it has long-term goals," Sanchez said. "We had an emphasis on asking [students] to not burn out and definitely take care of yourself because this isn't necessarily easy work." Sanchez said that the training also gave students tips on how to be more involved in their advocacy with lessons on tabling and how to speak to representatives. "We emphasized that [student's] work and their presence in something like an advocacy day matters," Sanchez said. "We also went over how to be optimistic about organizing and getting involved because it's one step in a bigger process."
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TALENT
Local San Marcos tattoo artist portrays art through Buddhism By Haley Velasco Assistant Life and Arts Editor From the age of seven, Jerry Lee, owner of Jerry’s Tattoo Shop in San Marcos, knew what he was destined to do. By 22, he was working as a tattoo artist under manager Jason Pool at Black Point Tattoos in San Antonio. In 2015, Lee took a break from tattooing to fix the luxury car he had bought his girlfriend that she damaged by driving it into a telephone pole. His attempt to not lose thousands of dollars on the car resulted in arguments with Pool about Lee’s absence from work. Lee ultimately lost his job, he and his girlfriend broke up and she left with his dog. He didn't know where to turn, so he went to a place he least expected to patch his problems: a Buddhist Temple. An old client had called Lee about another tattoo, but he declined as he was wary of revisiting the negative experiences associated with rejoining the industry from
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which he was terminated. The client suggested Lee go to the Rissho Kosei-Kai Buddhist Center of San Antonio (RKSA). Instead, Lee went to a mental health clinic where he said he did not find the help he was looking for. That's when he turned to Rissho Kosei-Kai. “The lady evaluates me and she goes ‘well, there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re just stressed because you lost your girlfriend and your job,’ and she didn’t think I needed medicine or anything and I just needed to find peace,” Lee said. “That was a waste of my time. I get in my truck. I go up to the stop sign and it’s either left to go home or right to continue to the temple. I really don’t like not doing what I said and I told my client that I was going to check it out, so I did.” Lee grew up on the West Side of San Antonio and learned the ropes of tattooing from a prison inmate at the age of 15. With a rough childhood surrounded by motorcyclists and drugs, Lee already didn't have a PHOTO BY HALEY VELASCO strong faith in spirituality or religion, especially after Jerry Lee stands alongside his traditional Japanese going through a long line of bad luck in 2015. artwork, Thursday, March 30, 2023 at Jerry's Tattoo Shop.