Happenings: Feria del Mariachi

Annual festival celebrates music
of Mexico, young performers

Texas State’s Mariachi Nueva Generación will perform at the Feria del Mariachi concert March 23.

By Audrey Webb

The origin of the word mariachi has been the source of some debate. Some linguists believe it comes from the French word mariage (marriage), while others claim its origin is in the name of the wood commonly used for dance floors in Mexican dance halls. If you want to know the true meaning of mariachi, we suggest you leave the lingo wrangling to the historians and just attend this weekend’s 14^th annual Feria del Mariachi.

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. 

Texas State Voices: Callie Gordon

22 Before 22

By Callie Gordon ’12

After four years of all-nighters, group projects and tubing trips, my college experience is over. Over. It feels strange even saying it now and I don’t think it will feel true until I wake up in two weeks and realize that I won’t be walking through the Quad and printing my schedule moments before class.

Texas State has seen my worst and made me my best. College has challenged my beliefs, my character and possibly every thought I’ve ever had. I’ve learned what it means to be tenacious, learned how to adapt. If you challenge yourself every day, you will be amazed by what you will become in four years. I joke all the time that the things I accomplish daily would bring tears to the 18-year-old version of myself.

Freshmen, get ready. It isn’t easy. You’re going to cry and you will surprise yourself when you look back. But don’t quit. Show up, sit in the front row, and ask questions. You’re about to learn a lot. Here are my suggestions for making the most of the next four years:

Happenings: University Galleries Summer Exhibitions

Campus art galleries showcase wide variety of local, national talent

The exhibition “Homegrown” will feature works by  artists from Eye of the Dog Art Center in San Marcos.

By Callie Gordon ’12

At Texas State, you don’t have to walk far to see changes on campus. Look inside the Joann Cole Mitte Building, where Texas State’s School of Art and Design is housed, and you’ll see even more — the University Galleries at Texas State undergo a makeover each month when new art arrives to be shared with art lovers and students alike.

Mary Mikel Stump, the gallery director, wants a variety and breadth of work available to viewers. “If someone comes for one show, I want them to not have to wait long before they can come back and see something different,” she says.

The galleries, which are free and open to the public, feature art by students, alumni, local artists, and creators from around the country and the world. On Saturday, June 23, the University Galleries will hold an opening reception from 5-7 p.m. for their newest exhibitions, Homegrown and Swarm.

Happenings: Summer Camps

Wide-eyed. Wild. Wonderful.
It’s summer camp at Texas State!

Attendees test water samples in a university laboratory — one of the many hands-on science activities offered by the Aquatic Sciences Adventure Camp.

By Billi London-Gray

The bustle of San Marcos slows as the temperatures rise and thousands of Texas State University students leave the city for their hometowns. But the bustle on campus continues as hundreds of new students — from toddlers to high schoolers — flock to Texas State for summer camps.

Creativity flows at Texas State summer camps, just as pure water flows from the San Marcos springs. Inquisitive young minds gather on campus each summer to explore their passions and discover new ones with the guidance of university faculty and staff. Texas State’s unique Aquatic Sciences Adventure Camp exemplifies this experience.

Alumni: Roger Sellers

Sellers embarks on music world, heads to Texas State’s MR Fest

By Catherine Harper

Roger Sellers (Photo by Jake Marx)

Texas State University grad Roger Sellers says he’s living the dream. With constant tours around the country as a professional musician, Sellers is doing what he loves for a living: traveling and making music.

“There are few people in the world that get to do what they love while traveling,” Sellers says. “Travel is the number one best part of being a musician for me. It’s so fulfilling and changes your entire perspective on life.”

Having graduated from Texas State in May 2011 with a bachelor of general studies degree focusing on music, business and media studies, Sellers has risen to the top all on his own. As the writer, performer, director, producer and engineer of his music — which meshes genres of folk, Americana, electronic and dance — he has expanded his influence from his original scene in San Marcos to the world beyond. 

Happenings: MR Fest 2012

MR Fest takes the local stage
with Texas State’s KTSW 89.9

By Catherine Harper

Every year in April, the San Marcos Square comes alive with the sound of jangling guitars, frantic drumbeats and the shouts of frenzied fans. My Radio Fest — also known as MR Fest — takes the stage once again April 26-28.

MR Fest, a 3-day music, comedy and arts festival now in its fifth year, is sponsored by KTSW 89.9, Texas State’s “Other Side of Radio” station. With 14 venues, 98 artists, a market place and an artist’s village, this year’s MR Fest promises to be bigger than ever before.

Happenings: Black History Month

Black History Month looks
to the past in remembrance

Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and Black History Month.

In 1915 — half a century after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States — historian Carter G. Woodson and minister Jesse E. Moorland set out to document the struggles and achievements of black Americans and other peoples of African descent. In 1926, they hosted the first national Black History Week, spurring nationwide celebrations.

The founders chose the week of Feb. 12 as Black History Week — which eventually became Black History Month in the 1960s — to honor the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, who had been leaders in the fight to abolish slavery.

In 1976, Black History Month was officially recognized by President Gerald R. Ford, who stated that the celebration was important to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Black History Month honors the past and looks to the future each year to remember this fight for freedom. Check out Texas State’s Black History Month events:

• Last Chance for Eden: Conversations about Race, Sex and Privelege, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 1-3 p.m., LBJSC 3-13.1
• A Day in the Life of Poverty, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 6:30 p.m. (Contact MSA for location details: 512.245.2278.)
• Box 13 Collective: Right to Assemble, Art exhibition opening reception, Thursday, Feb. 9, 5 p.m., JCM Gallery II
• My Family Portrait, Thursday, Feb. 9, 7 p.m., LBJSC 3-15.1
• Red’s Lounge, Friday, Feb. 10, 7 p.m., LBJSC George’s
• Texas State Desegration Black History Picnic, Saturday, Feb. 11, noon to 4 p.m., Calaboose Museum, San Marcos
• Black History Month Movie Night, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 7 p.m., LBJSC Ballroom
• “Calling All Worshippers” Gospel Fest, Saturday, Feb. 25, 6 p.m., Centennial Hall Teaching Theater

For a deeper look into Black History Month, learn about the integration of Texas State. Read more about prominent figures and events celebrated by Black History Month below.

Happenings: Brown Bag Research Seminar

Noon event to explore the impact
of pregnancy and parenthood

By Mary Kincy

Teen pregnancy and its impact on relationships as observed by a Texas State researcher is the topic of an upcoming Brown Bag Research Seminar.

Chelsea Houska dropped out of her South Dakota high school during her senior year to give birth to a daughter. Thanks to popular MTV reality show “16 and Pregnant” and its spinoff “Teen Mom 2,” she has done so before an audience of millions.

Not every teen who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a child does so in the spotlight,  however — and it is with these young women, who begin their journey as mothers in relative anonymity, that Dr. Michelle Toews, an associate professor in the Texas State University’s School of Family and Consumer Sciences, works.

Toews will share observations and information gleaned from five years of working with local teen parents during a Center for Multicultural and Gender Studies Brown Bag Research Seminar that will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, in the Family and Consumer Sciences building, room 177. The event is open to the public.

Around Campus: Hiking Spots

Before classes begin, take a hike
in the beautiful Texas Hill Country

Texas State students hiking at Canyon Lake

San Marcos is bathed in sunshine about 275 days a year — and today is one of them. Before the spring semester begins, take advantage of the great weather and get lost on one of the many trails near the Texas State University campus.

These are our top hiking destinations, arranged by distance (nearest to furthest) from campus and including total mileage of trails, so you can plan an hour or a full afternoon of outdoor fun.

Purgatory Creek Natural Area in San Marcos — 5 miles of trails
At 463 acres, San Marcos’ largest parkland tract includes upland meadows, canyon bluffs, juniper thickets and winding shady paths under live oaks. Start from the Prospect Park trailhead near campus or the ADA-accessible Purgatory Creek trailhead. Click here to download a map of the San Marcos Parks System.