NEWS
REMOVAL OF HIS GRANTS IMPACT RESEARCH PAGE 3
LIFE & ARTS
SPORTS
SERVICE PROJECT SUPPORTS HOMELESS POPULATION
BOBCATS LOOK TO WIN HOMECOMING GAME AGAIN
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PAGE 9
TUESDAY
October 7, 2025 VOLUME 115 ISSUE 9
FOOTBALL
A LOOK INSIDE THE VIRAL MOTORCYCLE TRADITION By Ayden Oredson Assistant Sports Editor
Lauded in the history of college football lie many traditions that fans cherish. Among those are the dramatic entrances of the teams. Virginia Tech has Enter Sandman, Colorado has Ralphie’s Run and now, Texas State has its own: the motorcycle moment. Before kickoff, after the Texas State Marching Band finishes the fight song and the Strutters and cheerleaders twirl and rally into position, the sounds of a revving Harley-Davidson Street 750 motorcycle echo throughout UFCU Stadium from the South Endzone Complex. Shortly after, it accelerates right onto the field, where the rider leads the charge for the football team to enter in theatrical fashion. What makes the tradition unique is that the rider is always different: from Boko to alumni alike. Ultimately, the rider who tends to generate the most hype before the start of a game is University President Kelly Damphousse, creating a first home game tradition.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JEN NGUYEN | DESIGN EDITOR PHOTO BY AYDEN OREDSON | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Texas State President Kelly Damphousse leads the walkout prior to kickoff versus Eastern Michigan, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, at UFCU Stadium. The Bobcats won 52-27.
UNIVERSITY
SEE TRADITION PAGE 9
‘There is currently no academic freedom in Texas’
TXST on track to reach R1 status
UNIVERSITY
By Arabella DiChristina Assistant News Editor
By Ryan Claycamp News Editor
Texas State continues to meet R1 research institution requirements, with three new doctoral programs now accepting students. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education defines R1 institutions as having high research activity, spending at least $50 million annually, and graduating 70 doctoral students a year for three consecutive years. Texas State is set to achieve this status by 2027. Vice President for Research Shreekanth Mandayam said Texas State is expected to reach $180 million
The announcement of system wide course audits by the Texas State University System (TSUS) on Oct. 1 has sparked fear among faculty teaching about gender and LGBTQ+ studies. The call for audits comes less than a week after Texas State University removed an LGBTQ+ communication studies class from the course registry and the Texas Tech System moved to limit discussion in its universities. It also follows the firing of an A&M professor for discussing genderidentity in class, which led to the resignation of the president of A&M.
SEE RESEARCH PAGE 3
Course audit sparks fears about academic integrity, job security in faculty “As part of our commitment to academic excellence, and in light of recent inquiries about course offerings, we are asking each campus to conduct a collaborative review of its academic courses, programs, and syllabi,” John Hayek, TSUS Vice Chancellor for Academic and Health Affairs, wrote in an email to the chief academic officers of each TSUS university. “This effort will strengthen our academic mission and affirm the core academic values central to our institutions and system.” According to Sandra Pantlik, vice president for marketing and communications at Texas State, the audit is currently ongoing.
History Professor Jessica Pliley, who teaches about the history of women, genders and sexualities, said she heard about the audit from reading the news, not through the university. “There’s been zero official communication from the provost’s office. I mean, there was one single email telling us that our course descriptions needed to match the content that we taught,” Pliley said. “But other than that, there has been no communication.” While the TSUS letter doesn’t explicitly mention LGBTQ+ classes, or any other classes, as examples of what the audit is seeking to remove,
SEE LGBTQ+ PAGE 2
EVENT
Sacred Springs Powwow continues to guide people through culture By Carlene Ottah Life & Arts Editor
Among the warm sun and soft winds, Juan Leyva stood behind Spring Lake. A steady drumbeat played as Leyva blew into a conch shell, and an audience turned to honor each of the seven directions in Coahuiltecan: ota-ume, se’ta, we’fta, haya’mta, Uxuāl Xanāl, Tāp Tāi and naxasāl, “We ask that you send prayers and good thoughts to the water, to the ancestors that are here, wherever you come from and who you represent and who you are connected with,” Leyva, an Indigenous Cultures Institute (ICI) volunteer, said. The Sacred Springs Powwow, which
occurred on Oct. 4-5 this year, honored the Native ancestors who lived and died around the area, bringing together the art, tradition and languages of many Native cultures for an annual, two-day event. It began in 1995 when musician Lucky Tomblin first produced it in San Marcos. This year marked the 15th anniversary since the ICI asked permission from Tomblin and his wife to reinstate the powwow as an annual event. Since then, it grew into a large event filled with traditional drumming and dancing, food and craft vendors, and MEG BOLES | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR educational programs. An Oklahoma Feather Dancer participates in the dancer grand entry in full regalia at the Sacred Springs Powwow, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2025,
SEE POWWOW PAGE 8 at The Meadows Center. The Oklahoma Feather Dance also known as the “Fancy Dance,” is a popular dance at powwows.