Happenings: VATS Golf Tournament

Veterans Alliance at Texas State to host golf benefit for local VFW

Veterans Alliance at Texas State (VATS) is a chartered student organization that supports student-veterans.

By Billi London-Gray

The Veterans Alliance at Texas State (VATS) is sponsoring its third annual golf tournament on Friday, April 19, at Quail Creek Country Club in San Marcos. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 3413, located in San Marcos.

“The VFW has a long history of supporting the surrounding community and providing veterans with a voice in local, state and national government,” says Jeremy Casselberry, a Navy veteran and president of VATS.

Happenings: Peace Paper Project

Artists to bring transformative papermaking process to campus

Detail of a print on handmade paper by participants in the Peace Paper Project

By Billi London-Gray

As an artistic activity, papermaking dates back nearly 2,000 years to ancient China. The process of creating paper by hand — pulping fibers into a watery slurry, then straining the slurry with a screen to form the sheet of paper — has not changed much in the intervening millennia.

As part of the 2012-13 Common Experience theme, “A Global Odyssey: Exploring Our Connections to the Changing World,” Texas State University will help students and the community explore the art of papermaking by welcoming the Peace Paper Project to campus April 11-16.

Around Campus: The University Star

Campus newspaper shines light, trains up-and-coming journalists

By Andrew E. Osegi 

Tucked away in the cozy Trinity Building on the Texas State University campus, dedicated students write, manage and edit their way to success through journalism.

The Trinity Building on the Texas State campus is University Star headquarters.

The University Star covers happenings and issues on the Texas State campus and in the San Marcos community. Published every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the Star distributes approximately 8,000 copies in and around the San Marcos area to keep local citizens and students informed.

Founded in 1911, the Star’s mission since its inception has been to embody the voice of Texas State, a task that falls to the 120 student reporters, photographers, designers and members of the student editorial board who work together to produce the paper. Given the multitude of honors and awards the Star has received over the years, they accomplished their mission regularly.

Holidays: Winter Break

Make the most of opportunities during the winter break

By Andrew Osegi (@AEOsegi)

Spend time with family and friends over the winter break! Share your plans and ask them for ideas.

Once students turn in that final project or test, feelings of freedom can be exhilarating until school starts again in January. It’s tempting to coast through the time off, but the winter break is an ideal time for students not only to recharge, but also to look for opportunities to advance themselves academically and professionally.

First and foremost, if you have a chance to visit family and friends during the holiday season, do it. Spending time with people you care about is beneficial to the weary mind of a busy student. Friends and family are powerful generators of happiness.

While you’re visiting, sit down with your family and have a serious conversation about what you plan for your future. No matter what your standing — entering freshman or graduating senior — it never hurts to examine your ambitions and share your plans with those who know you best. Your family may have ideas or advice that can help you reach your goals or find new opportunities.

Happenings: International Education Month 2012

Learn to go global during International Education Month

Students from the International Studies Association hosted a multicultural food fair on campus.

By Andrew Osegi

Here at Texas State University, November is an exciting month. Not only are students looking forward to heading home for Thanksgiving break, but they also have an opportunity to engage with different cultures from around the world during International Education Month.

Similar to the federally sponsored International Education Week (held Nov. 12-16), International Education Month aims to connect diverse members of the Texas State community by educating students about the global nature of the world in which we live and work.

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: Common Experience 2012

Common Experience cultivates conversation on global connections

This map of Facebook friendships helped inspire the 2012 Common Experience theme “A Global Odyssey.”

By Callie Gordon ’12

In 2004, President Denise M. Trauth implemented a unique program to foster a campus-wide intellectual discussion. Eight years later, the Common Experience has become a unifying affair for Texas State students, staff, faculty and friends. This yearlong series of events, conferences, speakers and screenings is an opportunity for students to become more active in their educational experience.

“Early on, the vision was to connect entering students to a shared conversation,” Trauth writes on the Common Experience website, “but it quickly grew to include upper-level classes, student support services, campus activities, performing arts and the San Marcos schools and community.”

This year, the Common Experience addresses an increasingly relevant issue: globalization. The 2012-2012 Common Experience theme — A Global Odyssey: Exploring Our Connections to the Changing World — was created to foster the community’s examination of the many international relationships that affect our daily lives.

Happenings: Rally on the Square

Local businesses promote Bobcat football fanfare with ‘Rally’

Rally on the Square invites Bobcats and Red Raiders to enjoy San Marcos before the big football game.

By Amber Kahla

Local business are inviting the Texas State University community, Bobcat fans and our Red Raider guests to the first annual Rally on the Square, an evening of fanfare and fun before the big game.

In honor of the Texas State football team’s first home game on Sept. 8, Bobcat and Red Raider fans will gather for a common purpose before their respective teams face-off on the gridiron. The game will mark the first time the Bobcats play in the newly expanded Bobcat Stadium and the first game of the Western Athletic Conference.

Around Campus: Essential Tips

Being a Bobcat: Essential Tips for a GREAT Texas State Experience

The Rising Star of Texas

By Andrew Osegi

To the incoming freshman, the transfer student, the misinformed undergrad or the curious prospect, Texas State University can be a maze of hills, stairs, majors and student orgs. To help you navigate that maze, you need some essential insider knowledge.

With input from a few fellow students, I’ve compiled the following tips to help you make the most of your Texas State experience. These secrets can greatly impact your time at Texas State. Remember them, and you’ll do just fine.

Around Campus: Bobcats move to FBS

Bobcats’ move to FBS advances university’s mission to excel

Go, Cats, go!

By Andrew Osegi ’14

Texas State University has taken another step forward in its quest to be nationally recognized as a top tier institution by achieving Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) status in NCAA Division I athletic competition.

Alongside the university’s designation as an Emerging Research Institute in January 2012 and as a Hispanic Serving Institution in 2011, Texas State’s move to the FBS — when the university joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) this summer — was a landmark achievement.