To Our San Marcos City Councilmembers and City Managers,
My friend and fellow parent, Denise Rogers, is the mother of three children from Taylor, Texas, who are kind, intelligent, respectful people who love others and are well-loved in return.
Award-winning journalist Anita Miller Byley, who dedicated more than four decades to telling the stories of the people of Hays County, died October 26 with her husband David Byley and family by her side at Ascension Seton Hospital in Kyle.
On September 1st, state Republicans’ dangerous, radical vigilante law went into effect—designed to end Roe v. Wade protections in Texas, cutting off access to care for almost all across our state.
Recently, an opinion piece appeared in The University Star about the Bobcat Cares Emergency Grant. The piece was entitled “Bobcat Cares aid was haphazardly distributed”. Several points raised in the piece expressed a misunderstanding of the application and awarding process. I believe it is i…
Over the years, Student Government has turned from the voice of university students to a complete laughing stock. The institution that it once was held great persuasion and respect throughout the university.
Hi Toni,We read your opinion article regarding Spin’s recent partnership with the City of San Marcos and The University of Texas and wanted to take the time to address the concerns you mentioned.Spin prides itself on offering a sustainable way for residents and visitors to get around San Mar…
The president of Texas State doesn’t care about the students, only the money the school is making. COVID-19 is not a joke. Not all students are there to learn; there are some who just go to party. Last year, my son had a roommate per semester, and they only went to school to party. They…
I am a parent of two Texas State students, and I would really like to ask all Texas State students to please be careful as you move around your campus. When I noticed the numbers gradually picking up yesterday, I wanted to share a part of a parent’s concern and what a parent may have…
I’m writing in regard to the very disturbing allegations about coach Danny Kaspar made by Jaylen Shead and other players. I’m very glad to know that the university is taking this seriously and has started an investigation with the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX. As a history prof…
I have two children attending Texas State. One of which lives in the dorms and the other one has an apartment nearby the university. Aside from the concerns of a roommate getting or being sick, my concerns are with my children’s safety as they change classes, referring to the disinfecting of…
I just watched Jaden’s documentary “First Black” and it is wonderfully done. However, it is inaccurate in one place. The first Strutter top officer was Brittany Hunter. You can argue semantics, but by not recognizing her you are diminishing her role in the Strutter organization. A role that …
Have you thought about what’s it like being a college student during the pandemic of COVID-19, also known as “corona?” And not only that, but also what it is like being considered an “essential worker” during said crisis that’s killing thousands globally and hindering the economy and our soc…
I graduated in December 2019 with my master’s degree in social work. I’ve applied to over 50 jobs, endured 9 interviews, completed 3 writing exercises, and received 0 offers. I made networking a priority, I had multiple internships in my field of interest, and I have held positions that offe…
Editor’s note: The following letter has been edited for content and clarity. As the “long in the tooth” historian quoted in Gabriella Ybarra’s article on the Cape’s Dam controversy, I want to take the opportunity to step back out of the weeds and look at the entire field. Ms. Ybarra did a ve…
Conservation is a passionate talking point for students given our proximity to rivers and wildlife at Texas state. And unless one is anti-science or working to make a quick buck, we all understand the gravitas of climate change. Yet it is not merely the actions of individuals which need to c…
Dear Editor, I want to applaud columnist Jacob Montgomery for his column “Western Philosophy Alienates Black People.” Mr. Montgomery tackles an important and awkward conversation currently understated in the classroom. He is correct in the assessment that philosophers of Color are not repres…
By Byron Augustin, D.A. Gary Beall, Ph.D. Steven A. Beebe, Ph.D William Brittain, Ph.D. David R. Butler, Ph.D. Nancy Chavkin, Ph.D. Ian Davidson, D.M.A. Frank de la Teja, Ph.D. Dennis J. Dunn, Ph.D. Michael Forstner, Ph.D. Dittmar Hahn, Ph.D. Robert Mclean, Ph.D. Donald Olson, Ph.D. Max Wars…
By: U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett As midterms closeout and finals loom, paying for college and avoiding student debt can be scarier for Bobcats than even the most challenging coursework. Fortunately, some federal student financial assistance is free—but you have to ask for it first. The …
By Jim Blackburn In 2015, the Texas Legislature gave the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District additional territory and responsibility for regulating groundwater withdrawal from the Trinity Aquifer in a portion of Hays County. It is important to know the District protects Bart…
Recently, The University Star published a very well-constructed (column) by columnist Thomas Dunlap about excessive noise levels in the Albert B. Alkek Library. We appreciate his effort to bring these concerns to everyone’s attention and call for resolution. By and large, library patrons in …
By Gene Brown I grew up feeling different and I always told people were going to accept me, but it was always because of my sexuality, never my race. Last week, I attended a work event, which meant I had a media pass for priority seating of different panels. I sat waiting in the media…
Trigger warning: this story has graphic content that can be sensitive to some people. By Camelia Juarez I am now a senior at Texas State and I fucking love this school, minus the fact we don’t have a great football team and have not been collecting accurate data on assault victims. I am angry the…
Byline: U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) Welcome to campus, Bobcats, both new and returning! Whether you are learning your way around campus or embracing your last year, we need thoughtful leaders like you. I implore you to get involved. As a member of Congress representing much of S…
Dear Editor, To exclude a corporation or group for not sharing the same ideas and beliefs as your “inclusive group” is so obviously ridiculous, I am embarrassed to have to point it out. Let us say that one is on a conservative campus and the powers that be decide to ban Starbucks because they do…
Dear Editor, As we all know, food insecurity is a huge problem that many Americans face every day and it is sad to say it is happening to our students at this university as well. Many students who do not make ends meet fall short when it comes to eating a properly balanced diet. I…
Dear Editor, The outpouring of love and support for Ms. Susie while she was in the ICU and hospice was so beautiful! She had so many visitors and well-wishers that the staff at hospice told us they had never seen anything like it. And that was during spring break! It was very kind of the…
Yet again, Student Government has found itself at the center of vitriol and rancor. From impeachments to resignations, the organization has become both a lightning rod and a regular eyesore for students – as well as the University more broadly. Earlier in April, a proposed resolution was in…
Student Government recently received a letter from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Student Body President, Vice President, and Cheif of Staff. I am sharing it with the Student Body of Texas State because I would like to re-emphasize that the legislation Senator Newman and I …
Dear Editor, I was one of the senators who voted in favor of banning Turning Point USA from campus. I owe it to my student constituents to understand why. When the piece was first introduced, I took my time to read it and to understand what message, what goal the authors intended with the piece….
Hello, I would like to submit this letter to the editor in response to the TPUSA legislation. It is a sad reflection on the state of free speech on our college campuses when groups like College Democrats and the Student Government are trying to remove a conservative student group from campus…
AN OPEN LETTER TO CHARTWELLS AND THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT FOOD SERVICES COMMITTEE (FSC): I am specifically speaking to Chin-Hong Chua, Richard Yennerell, Michael Giese, Sarah Williams, Steven Granados, Crystal Harris, Marisol Casas, Alberto Trujillo, Richard Guerrero, Jeania Brandon, Joe Lopez…
To Whom It May Concern: My name is Andrew Pyle and I’m an LGBT rights activist in Hays County, Texas. I have been a member of the United Methodist Church since August 2018 and I have been proud to be a Christian my whole life. This past week, I was very disappointed to hear about…
Hello, I am writing to you in reference to Naomi Wick’s environmental article, “If They Throw Confetti, Don’t Let Them Walk.” I commend Naomi on her boldness in content and professionalism in execution. She raises an important yet consistently overlooked issue on our campus and delivers her …
Every Bobcat has their own way of walking to and from classes–some meander slowly and take in the never-ending freeform orchestra of people, animals and nature interacting amongst one another; some lock eyes with their screens and intuit the path ahead by some miracle; some stake out meeting…
Dear Editor: Humankind has reached a moment of existential crisis. We are already locked in for global warming that will have catastrophic effects and we are on a slippery path to our own extinction. The 2018 Special Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns uneq…
As Student Government elections are approaching, we the presidents of the Interfraternity Council, Multicultural Greek Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Panhellenic Council would like to take a moment to clarify some misleading messages about the fraternity and sorority life commun…
To Whom It May Concern: On January 29th, 2019, The University Star released an article titled “Turn down the music and turn up the podcast.” After thorough examination of this article, the KTSW student management team has recognized that the article inaccurately reflects the values of KTSW a…
Dear Naomi Wick, I read with interest your opinion entitled “Float Fest Does More Good Than Harm for San Marcos.” I found the article fascinating because, while I was the main antagonist of the article, you never made an effort to contact me to ask my side of the story. So, here it is, in…
Dear University Star, My name is Emma Lytle, and I am the President of the student organization, Healthy Cats, here on campus. I read through the University Star published on January 22, 2019, on Health and Wellness and am writing to address the following two articles. In Ivy Sandoval’s arti…
About a month ago, I read an article in the opinion section of the University Star discussing the high suicide rate among college students—nearly 2% as of 2017 with over 40% of all students suffering from depression according to the New York Times. The student writer accredited depression am…
Our inexorable march to poverty and struggle is lunch conversation fodder; as students, we’re all too familiar with financial juggling and the ubiquitous daily gouging associated with college. “Affording” college is a myth of yesteryear wrapped up in “bootstraps” language meant to deride the…
The United States has begun its ascension into the holiday season, where warmth, joy and thankfulness are expected to reach an all-time high. Although people feel this coercion of gratitude, it is still imperative that we reflect on our lives. Personally, I can not help but see a greater amo…
Mr. Edison’s take in the Nov. 6 issue of The University Star, that students should be involved in the granting of tenure to faculty, does not take into account the complex process involved, nor does he consider that students are not adequately equipped with the judgement required to make thi…
Editor’s note: The author of this letter has requested to remain anonymous due to possible retaliation. Their identity has been verified by student editors in person. Dear Editor, Tuition costs are steadily rising. So, students may wonder how their tuition dollars are spent. Given that the u…
Dear Editor, Your Main Point piece in The University Star Volume 108, Issue 07 from October 9, 2018 titled “Students should have more say over tuition fees” has a major factual oversight. In the article, you state that “[o]ut of these 13 fees, only one fee, the student service fee, is under …
Dear Editor, A recent opinion piece in The University Star Volume 108, Issue 4 from Sept. 18, 2018, regarding parking issues on campus grabbed my attention. The piece claimed the solution to the lack of parking spots could be solved by banning freshman from parking on campus. I disagree with…
Dear Editor, Growing up, I was always under the impression that college was going to be this big, wonderous, inclusive environment for people of all stripes. While Texas State is mostly successful on that part, I feel it- the administration, student body, faculty, etc. -has fallen drasticall…
Dear Editor, To the student body that is mad, distrustful or even just annoyed at their student government, thank you. I thank you with the deepest sincerity. I am an elected student government representative and I am so glad you are angry with us. I see your anger and I am here for it. I…
