NEWS
LOCAL BUSINESSES FACE UNCERTAINTY AFTER HUB CUTS PAGE 2
SPORTS
SENIORS HONORED AS SOFTBALL SWEEPS SERIES PAGE 10
LIFE & ARTS
HONORS COLLEGE DEAN RETURNS TO TEACHING PAGE 11
TUESDAY April 28, 2026
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 30
UNIVERSITY
ALKEK OPEN 24/7 Hours to be extended for finals season
ABEL BARCENAS | STAR PHOTOGRAPHER
Students walk up the steps of Alkek Library, Thursday, April 23, 2026, at Texas State. Alkek will be open for 24 hours a day from April 29 to May 13.
By Fernanda Sauceda News Contributor
Alkek Library will be open 24 hours, starting April 29, after Student Government advocated for the change since spring 2025. Alkek will be more accessible to students for finals week, offering a safe study place for night owls who prefer studying late at night.
The initiative responds to requests from many students, however it will lead to some changes in the staffing and safety procedures, according to student government. Abby Myers, former student body president and psychology senior, said when she campaigned for president, students requested to have the library open for 24 hours through student surveys
and outreach. Myers said her main concern when introducing the initiative was how it would affect student workers, but she has full faith in the Alkek administration to take care of its staff. “My goal in introducing this is obviously not to harm the student workers that we have,” Myers said. “It’s generally to ensure our student
EDITORIAL
body understands that their needs are being heard.” Myers said this is a pilot program and Student Government will get statistics from the time period to determine if expanding the hours is worthwhile. “It’s also been discussed quite heavily, and so my hope is that this trial run will go well, and that way we can look into this being a long
term solution” Myers said. According to Darell Schmick, associate university librarian, Alkek plans to hire graduate students through Handshake to take over any the night shifts at the library. Graduate students are being hired since they are wanting to pull from older applicants.
SEE LIBRARY PAGE 2
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Star Divas sashay away TXST introduces new women’s basketball head coach
By Editorial Board One of The University Star’s editorial board’s goals this year was to create content that Texas State students wanted to see and felt represented them. We hope we did that this year and set up the future editorial boards to be able to continue. Star Divas is our editor chat name, but we think this name represents much more than just a chat, but a mantra of our year. Everything we’ve written, photographed, broadcast, designed and posted, we’ve done with confidence and tact. The year started with a bang in July 2025, when Texas State agreed to join the Pac-12 Conference in the next school year. The decision actually happened on the same day as our summer print produc-
By Luke Landa Sports Reporter
AIDEN FRITSCHE | STAR PHOTOGRAPHER
The University Star staff poses with their paper, Sunday, April 19, 2026, at Old Main. They were holding The Valentines Day Edition of the paper.
tion, so the news got to be our above-the-fold front page story with an awesome photo illustration. That paper ended up being our first of many that were hard to find on campus due to everyone picking it up. Two weeks before school started, the Divas went to
University Camp to teambuild and bond before starting on the crazy year. This set up the foundation for us to work together and be more collaborative than ever before.
SEE EDITORIALPAGE 4
As a new era prepares to embark at Texas State with its move to the Pac-12, a new head coach will guide the women’s basketball team into its next chapter. Chris Kielsmeier, who was hired on March 31, was officially introduced as the new head coach of Texas State women’s basketball on the morning of April 24 at Strahan Arena by Athletic Director Don Coryell and University President Kelly Damphousse. Kielsmeier takes over the program from Zenarae Antoine, who left San Marcos
as the team’s all-time winningest coach with 225 wins after 15 seasons. Despite this impressive statistic, the Bobcats, have not seen much success recently, finishing with a record below .500 every season since their regular season title in 2023. After Antoine exited the program on March 9, becoming the new head coach at Mary-Hardin Baylor, Texas State looked for a new leader with a proven track record of success, according to Coryell. “We prioritized experience and results, seeking somebody who already understands the formula for building and sustaining a
SEE COACH PAGE 10
San Marcos removes painted crosswalks CITY
By Arabella DiChristina News Editor
ISABELLE CANTU | ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
A painted crosswalk at San Antonio Street and Fredericksburg Street, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in San Marcos, Texas.
San Marcos removed the decorative crosswalks and curb extensions downtown to comply with a statewide directive on April 22. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) requested the removal, following Gov. Greg Abbott’s regulations in October 2025, eliminating pavement markings that do not meet the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (TMUTCD).
According to the regulations, non-standard surface markings, signage and signals that do not directly support traffic control or safety are strictly prohibited, including the use of symbols, flags, or other markings conveying social, political or ideological messages. Billy Fields, professor of political science, said he worked with sustainability students on extending green alleys, a sustainable alleyway that uses the design and vegetation to manage stormwater
and create a public space, last semester as a service learning project. “One of the things that the students found was that the murals in downtown San Marcos were really fantastic and created a sense of place,” Fields said. “... increasingly what you found is that street murals are a way to help create a place, to slow traffic and to make neighborhoods safer.”
SEE MURALS PAGE 3