Happenings: Bobcat Build 2013

Bobcats build good will with
San Marcos residents

Bobcat Build is one of the largest student-run volunteer events in all of Texas.

By Audrey Webb

Every guest knows it’s common courtesy to say thank you to your host. That’s the basic premise behind Bobcat Build, an annual volunteer event that salutes the citizens of San Marcos for hosting the Bobcat family in their hometown.

Bobcat Build volunteers perform a variety of tasks based on requests made by San Marcos citizens. In last year’s event, approximately 3,400 students, staff and faculty members participated in a variety of 168 community-building activities, such as weeding a community garden to washing windows to painting a house to removing debris from a vacant lot. 

Around Campus: Renegade Roses

Renegade Roses make rugby
focus for friendship and fun

Renegade Roses is a Texas State student organization that supports the Renegade Rugby team.

By Karina Garcia ’14

Renegade Roses is a student organization at Texas State University composed of a diverse, fun-loving group of women who enjoy supporting the Texas State Renegade Rugby team and staying involved in the community. Established in 2005, the group attends both home and away rugby games, participates in community service events, stays involved on campus and requires mandatory study hours.

Around Campus: La Bella Vida

‘La Bella Vida’ talks beauty of
Texas State life on YouTube

By Catherine Harper

Cristina Ochoa, electronic media senior, is a former executive producer and co-host of "La Bella Vida."

For the past three years, Texas State electronic media student Cristina Ochoa says she’s been taking care of her “baby” — a student-run television show called “La Bella Vida.”

“The show has saved me and it’s been my joy,” Ochoa says. “It has a special place in my heart because it’s helped me so much as a Texas State student.”

“La Bella Vida” — which means “The Beautiful Life” in Spanish — is currently in its seventh semester on-air as a variety talk show directed toward Texas State students. The show is posted on YouTube every Wednesday night.

As a former executive producer and co-host on the show, Ochoa’s vision for the show has been to impact current and future Texas State audiences.

“We try to be the voice of Texas State,” Ochoa says. “The show appeals to the perspective of what a Texas State student would want to hear and what they do.”

Happenings: Spring Break Job Search

Be the best you can be: Use spring break to prepare for success

Whatever your major, Career Services can help you climb to the top.

Successful people often say that the road to success is paved by doing something you love, taking chances and acting on your ideas. With spring break coming up at Texas State, there’s no better time to set yourself up for a bright future when you’re not soaking up the sunshine.

Whether you’re getting in the groove of your freshman year or spreading your wings to fly in May or December, getting prepared for the future can only play to your advantage. Spring break gives you time to investigate and explore your career interests, by job shadowing or gaining new experiences, making it easier than ever to get up and go on your career path.

Allison Birk, a career advisor at Texas State Career Services, offers tips for turning your spring break opportunities into career success.

Around Campus: Sociology Club

Sociology Club raises student
awareness with social science

Sociology Club member Gabriel Walker showcases the club's 2011 T-shirts.

By Catherine Harper

The Sociology Club at Texas State University prides itself on being a “different kind of club,” according to former president Chris Jordan. Centered around all facets of sociology, the study of societies, the Sociology Club provides its members with a broader insight into their daily lives and the world in which they live.

The Sociology Club is an active student-run organization in the College of Liberal Arts that is open to all students with an interest in sociology. With guidance by student officers and faculty advisor Bob Price, a professor of sociology at Texas State, the Sociology Club provides students with opportunities to learn and gain experience through sociology on campus.

Spotlight: H-LSAMP Scholars Program

H-LSAMP guides star scholars
to shining achievement

Gabriel Hurtado and Miguel Cazares (from left to right) are scholars in the H-LSAMP program.

By Catherine Harper

For more than 12 years, the Houston-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (H-LSAMP) Scholars Program in the College of Science and Engineering at Texas State University has helped students establish careers in scientific and technical fields. For Gabriel Hurtado and Miguel Cazares, scholars in the program and seniors at Texas State, H-LSAMP has led to a world of opportunity.

“I’ve learned that [H-LSAMP] is about diversity,” says Cazares. “It’s about all the diverse people that go into technical fields, and the many opportunities that are there.”

Happenings: Bobcat Build 2011

Bobcat Build puts student to work helping San Marcos community

Participants in the 2010 Bobcat Build

By Britney Munguia

Thousands of Texas State students will fan out across the city of San Marcos on April 9 to paint houses, repair playgrounds and plant flowers for their neighbors.

Bobcat Build is a community service project designed to cultivate a positive relationship between the university and the San Marcos community.

Happenings: Bobcat Build Fall Carnival

Bobcat Build hosts fall carnival to bring community together, raise funds

The student organization behind Texas State’s annual Bobcat Build, the university’s most popular service event, is hosting a fall carnival Saturday, Nov. 13, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Sewell Park. Funds raised by the carnival will be used for Bobcat Build service projects in April, when students go to sites throughout the San Marcos community to lend a hand.

“Bobcat Build is an event that brings together students and community members in a day of service,” says Laura Christie, director of the Bobcat Build Student Planning Committee. “Our hope is that the carnival will become an annual event to help Bobcat Build promote our goal of building community throughout the year.”

The event will feature a performance by GoDanz San Marcos and music by KTSW, as well as game booths, a Velcro wall, concessions and contests. Just for kids, there will be a moon bounce and rides on the Wiggle Waggle Train. There is no admission fee, but tickets will be sold for game booths and concessions purchases. In case of rain, the event will be moved indoors at Jowers Center.

Bobcat Build personnel will be assisted by volunteers from 24 other student organizations. The carnival will be the culmination of efforts from across the Texas State student body.

“We want the carnival to be an opportunity for Texas State and the San Marcos community to build a stronger relationship,” Christie says. “Everyone is invited.”

Bobcat Build 2011 is scheduled for Saturday, April 9. Jobsite submission forms will be available to the community in December, and volunteer registration will begin in January 2011. For more information about Bobcat Build, visit www.bobcatbuild.txstate.edu or email bobcatbuild@txstate.edu.