TUESDAY AUGUST 23, 2022 VOLUME 112 ISSUE 3 www.UniversityStar.com
DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911
Meet Kelly Damphousse
Hidden Gems on Campus
SEE PAGE 2
SEE PAGE 5
Football Gallery
Opinion: Teachers Deserve Better
SEE PAGE 8
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See Page 6-7 Texas State social work junior Lucy Ross (left) and social work junior Lita Tijerina enjoy Dunkin's coffee in between the first day of school classes, Monday, August 22, 2022, at Jones Dining Hall. PHOTO BY VANESSA BUENTELLO
FOOD
Give pizza a chance: Valentino's reopens on The Square By Brianna Chavez Life and Arts Contributor
In 2018, Valentino's, a beloved pizza joint on The Square officially closed its doors. As of June, however, the restaurant has reopened and the smell of classic pepperoni pizza brings in old and new customers alike. After Thanksgiving in 2018 the owners of Valentino's at the time quietly closed the restaurant and sold the building. It was on its way to being occupied by a
T-Mobile or a Starbucks, leaving the legacy of the restaurant to be forgotten. It sounded like the end for the pizzeria until Industry co-founders Cody Taylor and Harlan Scott were given the chance to help breathe new life into Valentino's in July 2020. "Cody and I have opened a lot of restaurants, from seafood to big wine lists," Scott said. "But Valentino's is a 40-year-old brand, so it's been the most challenging thing we've ever done."
Valentino's, located on The Square, offers an outside seating and bar area, Monday, August 22, 2022, in San Marcos. PHOTO BY VANESSA BUENTELLO
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Bobcat sports: A 20212022 year in review SPORTS
By Carson Weaver Sports Editor
The Texas State athletic department exceeded expectations during the 20212022 school year, with an end result of the school's second-ever Vic Bubas Cup, an award given to the top athletic department in the Sun Belt Conference. Under the helm of Athletic Director Don Coryell in his first year leading the department, the Bobcats beat out South Alabama for the award and won two regular season Sun Belt Championships in baseball and men's basketball. Texas State also had eight different teams place in the top four of the Sun Belt Conference in their respective sport. As President Kelly Damphousse begins his first year at Texas State, he recognizes the accomplishment the Vic Bubas Cup represents. Named the tenth president in April, Damphousse understands the importance of the athletic department on a college campus. "Athletics is so important to the modern American university," Damphousse said. "For many people, the only thing they know about the school is the athletics program."
For the athletics department, the praise from Damphousse is more than deserved. Academically, more than half of the teams had a team GPA higher than 3.0 with 126 student-athletes achieving a 3.5 GPA or higher, and 50 student-athletes earning a 4.0 GPA. The athletic performance of the Bobcats mirrored their academic success. Bobcat football finished its 2021 campaign with a 4-8 record. The season consisted of three one-score losses that built on the frustrations of Bobcat fans, but the team had solid individual performances despite its overall finish. Junior runningback Jahyml Jeter played in all 12 games while leading the team in rushing touchdowns with eight. His teammate in the backfield, sophomore running back Calvin Hill, started all 12 games, led the team in rushing yards (714), and finished top-10 in the Sun Belt Conference in rushing. Overall, however, head coach Jake Spavital said the team has not been playing up to their expectations and standards. "I think we've done a great job over the last three years of developing a culture," Spavital said. "We've gotta make huge strides as a team from an efficiency standpoint... we have not been playing up to standards and expectations that we have."