VOLUME 103, ISSUE 20
www.UniversityStar.com
TUESDAY
Defending the First Amendment since 1911
OCTOBER 8, 2013
VIDEO | UniversityStar.com
OPINIONS | Page 3
Photo Walk: The Worldwide Photo Walk was a contest held last Saturday in which photographers captured images of their assigned towns on foot.
The Main Point: Despite the defeat in Lafayette, the football team has given Bobcat fans many reasons to expect a bowl game this year.
UNIVERSITY
get out of town:
‘Modified hiring freeze’ discontinued
LOCKHART ‘Texas Barbecue Capital’
By Rebecca Banks News Reporter
Texas State officials have ended a twoyear long “modified hiring freeze” after recieving the university’s largest increase in state funding in the past 10 years. In fiscal year 2011, university officials created a “modified hiring freeze” that restricted the ability to hire new faculty and staff members due to limited funding from the state legislature. Bill Nance, vice president for Finance and Support Services, said the university recently received an increase in state funding because of heightened enrollment and more students taking credit hours. Nance said in fiscal year 2011, the “modified hiring freeze” was enstated as a part of the university’s proposal to handle state funding reductions. “We were all asked to prepare a plan as to how we were going to cope with cuts in state funding,” Nance said. Gordon Thyberg, assistant vice president of Budgeting, Financial Planning and Analysis, said the state legislature determines the amount of funding each university receives based on semester credit hour rates. Funding is awarded based on a formula from the General Appropriations Act.
“We wouldn’t plan on imposing that ‘modified hiring freeze’ again unless we get some sort of dire consequences from the state or some directive to again put in some sort of savings plan.” —Bill Nance, vice president for Finance and Support Services Thyberg said the university received an approximate $9.6 million increase in general revenue appropriation from state funding for the current fiscal year. The university received $88.58 in state funding per semester credit hour for fiscal year 2014. The adjusted amount for inflation for the university was $67.23. The university had $81.20 per credit hour and $62.56 for the adjusted inflation amount in 2013. “We wouldn’t plan on imposing that ‘modified hiring freeze’ again unless we get some sort of dire consequences from the state or some directive to again put in some sort of savings plan,” Nance said. “Right now, I don’t see that in the horizon.” John McBride, assistant vice president of Human Resources, said the “modified hiring freeze” did not completely eliminate the ability to add new employees, but restricted and monitored the hiring of new faculty and staff members. McBride said approval from the as-
See HIRING FREEZE, Page 2
Lockhart is home to the oldest continuously running library in Texas, famous barbecue restaurants and antique stores.
Austin Humphreys | Photo Editor
The barbecue capital of Texas sits only about 18 miles outside of San Marcos. Lockhart is a small historic town, frequented by both students and families looking to enjoy a day trip or a weekend getaway. Continued on Page 4
ATHLETICS
Athletes’ academic performance higher than average By Michelle Balagia News Reporter
According to a recent study, Texas State student athletes have higher GPAs than the overall campus population and other athletic programs in the state, which officials credit to support from faculty and staff members. The study, conducted by the Athletic Academic Center at Texas State, shows the average overall Texas State cumulative GPA was 2.77 with a graduation success rate of 57.3 percent. Student athletes at Texas State had a cumulative GPA of 2.81 with a graduation success rate of 69 percent. Texas State athletes also have higher graduation success rates than student athletes at other public schools in the state, according to the study. “We looked at all Division I institutions that have football. We took out Baylor, Rice, SMU and TCU because they are all private institutions,” said Matt Phelps, student development specialist with the center. “As
of the 2004 cohort year, Texas State had the highest average graduation success rate of student athletes among public schools that offer football in the state of Texas.” For example, Texas State had higher athlete graduation rates than Texas A&M and Texas Tech University, Phelps said. He credited this success to the support from faculty, staff and students across campus. The information in the study was taken from a five-year period called a cohort. The cohort is used because not all students graduate at the same rate, Phelps said. The Athletic Academic Center provides study hall hours and academic advisers, and sends out progress reports three times per semester to student athletes, Phelps said. “Being a student athlete, we have numerous resources to help make us successful in the classroom,” said Molly Ahrens, Texas State volleyball senior. “Along with mandatory study hall, our academic advisors help us stay on top of our grades and assignments, so we have no
room for failure.” Phelps said the center receives progress reports from professors who have student athletes in their classes. The professors answer questions about student athletes in their classes regarding excessive student absences, test grades and course marks, according to Phelps. Phelps said athletes have university officials looking out for them to make sure they are successful students. “Our office has the resources, but it is the coaching staff that requires these student athletes to come get study hall hours,” Phelps said. “They have to be here anywhere between eight to 10 hours a week, every week, every semester.” The study broke down cumulative GPAs by teams, indicating women’s golf players have the highest GPA of any Texas State athletic team. Women’s golf players had a cumulative GPA of 3.48 for the 2012 to 2013 academic year, .71 points higher than the student body average. Phelps said golf coach Mike Akers checks in on a weekly
basis to see how well his team members are performing in their classes. “Credit has to go to Coach Akers,” Phelps said. “He recruits not only great golfers but also great academic students. Coach Akers and I communicate constantly about mentor meetings and grades coming back from classes. He is extremely active in the students’ lives.” The study showed in nine out of the 14 semesters recorded in the study, walk-on athletes had a higher overall GPA than scholarship athletes. According to Phelps, walkon athletes have a higher GPA because of their academic background before joining a team. Phelps said walk-on athletes who join a team in the middle of their collegiate careers already have some credit hours completed beforehand. The study only recorded the GPAs of walk-on athletes while they are on Texas State teams. Walk-on athletes’ GPAs are more likely to improve after joining a team because they take advantage of the resources the center offers, Phelps said.
CITY
Residents vocalize mixed reactions to shooting center plans By Scott Allen
News Reporter
The construction of a new gun range on the Hays and Comal county line is set for completion next month, but is receiving mixed feelings from community members. The County Line Shooting Center, located on Old Bastrop Highway, broke ground on construction July 1 and will open in mid-November. The shooting center is still not open because of ongoing construction, unreceived permits and hiring of staff, but some families who live near the range say they are upset about its location. Others in the community are excited for the convenience of the new range. Sheliah Schneider, a resident who owns a home near the shoot-
ing center, is concerned the gun range will negatively impact the value of her land. “I worry about the property value of my home,” Schneider said. “A bullet will travel over five miles, and my home sits about a half a mile from where that gun range is.” Dean Murphy, owner and operations manager for the County Line Shooting Center, said guns with longer bullet trajectories are not allowed on the range. “The smallest caliber gun (bullets) can travel one mile unimpeded,” Murphy said. “The larger ones can go up to three miles, and there are two guns that can travel up to five miles, but we’re not allowing those at the range.” The house with closest proximity to the shooting center is just under a half mile away, but the
dirt built up around the range to help prevent stay bullets meets state requirements, Murphy said. His wife Lisa Murphy said safety is stressed on the range, and they make sure the minimum state requirements are exceeded. “The back berm has to be 20 feet, and ours is 22 feet,” she said. “The side berms have to be 8 feet and ours are 9 feet.” A range safety officer will be on site for each shooting course. Officers are not required to be present for the courses by the state, but the Murphys said they are taking the additional precaution to ensure the safety of their family and the nearby residents. “We started this (range) for our two sons who are in 4-H and scouts,” Dean Murphy said. “We just want to give back to the community.”
Danielle Charles | Staff Photographer
The range will eventually offer free firearm safety classes to those interested in increasing gun education in the area, the Murphys said. The usual hours of
operations at the shooting center will be from 10 a.m. until “dusk,” they said. Lisa Murphy said the earliest
See GUN RANGE, Page 2