TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 VOLUME 112 ISSUE 7 www.UniversityStar.com
DEFENDING THE FIRST AMENDMENT SINCE 1911
Life & Arts: Austin Film Festival SEE PAGE 2
STUDENT LIVING
Overpopulation force freshmen to hotel living
Sports: TXST Water Ski Club SEE PAGE 4
Multimedia: Star Snaps
Opinion: Hidden Tuition Fees
SEE PAGE 5
SEE PAGE 6
COMMUNITY
By Nichaela Shaheen News Editor Each year before the beginning of the fall semester, frantic parents and excited students fill the dorm halls of Texas State during move-in day. This year, the move-in day looked different for some students. Instead of finding the crowded halls of a dorm, they found themselves swiping keycards to enter hotel rooms. On Sept. 23, the Office of Media Relations at Texas State confirmed the largest freshman enrollment at the university. The record-setting freshman enrollment of 7,573 students is a 14% increase over the past year. While the number of students increased, the number of dorm rooms available did not. About two and a half miles away from campus, freshmen like Jayden Booker, a business major, are spread throughout three floors of a Holiday Inn along with resident assistants (RA) for each floor. They all share a common sentiment about the inconvenience and little communication they have with Texas State and the Department of Housing and Residential Life (DHL).
We don’t get any emails other than when they tell us it’s time to move or that they found a space for us.” - Jayden Booker, a business freshman
Hula halau Kae'epa Hawaiian dancer Noenoe Dyer performs on the street during The Mermaid Capital of Texas Fest, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, in Downtown San Marcos. PHOTO BY VANESSA BUENTELLO
Mermaids swim through the streets at annual Festival and Promenade By Marisa Nunez Life and Arts Editor
The sound of music, the smell of food and the sight of mermaid couture brought the community together for its sixth annual Mermaid Festival and Promenade on Saturday. Organized by the Mermaid Society of Texas, The Mermaid Capital of Texas Fest has been an annual San Marcos event since 2016. Founder of the Mermaid Society of Texas, July Moreno, was inspired by the rich mermaid history of San Marcos that traces back to the Aquarena Springs amusement park to create The Mermaid Society. “We don’t get any emails other than The organization's main goal is to raise when they tell us it’s time to move or that awareness of the San Marcos River, and they found a space for us,” Booker said. the Mermaid Festival, its biggest event, Texas State requires all freshmen under the age of 20 years old with fewer than 30 credit hours to live on campus. For students like Isaiah Theus, a business administration freshman, living on campus was something he looked forward to. “I was excited to be on campus and close to my classes, I’m pretty sure I would’ve definitely been able to make more friends if I was on campus,” Theus said. “It changes having to take the shuttle back and you can’t be on campus too late because the shuttle stops at certain times. That’s the big difference for sure.”
SEE STUDENT LIVING PAGE 3
does that by utilizing San Marcos' title as the Mermaid Capital of Texas. “The mermaid for San Marcos just puts San Marcos on the map," Moreno said, "It’s truly unique in that way people expect a mermaid in maybe coastal towns, but in San Marcos, maybe to some people, it doesn't make sense which gives us an opportunity to talk about that and why that's important for us. There we go into segue into talking about our San Marcos River.” Lauren Vecchio, an education alumna, has lived in San Marcos for seven years but had never made it out to Mermaid Fest. She was eager to attend the Mermaid Fest for the first time this year dressed in full mermaid gear from head to toe. Vecchio was also in the promenade
that started at the corner of CM Allen and Cheatham St. The parades festivities continued at the Downtown Street Faire. Vecchio said the mermaid symbol in San Marcos makes her appreciate the city for its uniqueness and small-town big culture feel. "A town needs something to come together for and I think what better thing than the mermaid itself," Vecchio said. "It's so mystic everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I love it. I feel like the idea of a mermaid and a unicorn and all those special things, I feel like that's what San Marcos is to everyone that comes here." Moreno's goal for the Mermaid Fest is to have people across Texas, the U.S. and the world celebrate San Marcos' unique culture like they do other popular festivities such as San Antonio's Fiesta and New Orleans' Mardi Gras. She is already halfway there as San Marcos residents are not the only ones who show up to enjoy the magical event.
SEE COMMUNITY PAGE 2 Local artist Ana Carolina displays her paintings in her pop-up booth during The Mermaid Capital of Texas Fest, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, in Downtown San Marcos. PHOTO BY VANESSA BUENTELLO