Texas State is once again changing athletic conferences.

University officials held a press conference Wednesday morning to announce all Bobcat sports will begin play in the Sun Belt, effective July 1, 2013. The move gives Texas State its third athletic conference membership in three years. 

The announcement comes a year and a half after Texas State declared its move to the Western Athletic Conference. The Bobcats, which are currently a member of the Southland Conference, will play the 2012-13 season in the WAC, before moving to the Sun Belt for 2013-14.    

Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson said Texas State is “a perfect fit” as the league is expected to lose North Texas and Florida International to Conference-USA.

“While the Sun Belt may lose (some) of its members in the coming days, Texas State is a tremendous replacement for the Sun Belt,” he said. “Our goal is to regionalize.”

The University of Texas unveiled a plan to install two fluoride-free drinking fountains on their campus. UT heralded this plan as the “first in the nation,” but Texas State’s water fountains have always been fluoride-free.

Water fluoridation is the process in which fluoride is added to water by the government. This fluoride is added to prevent tooth decay, but has become controversial over the years due to concerns about how safe the compound is.

Robert Love, UT public affairs graduate student, was the author of the bill passed by UT’s Student Government to install reverse-osmosis water fountains on their campus, thus making the water fluoride-free.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board named Texas State in January the eighth Emerging Research Institution in Texas. The title granted the university eligibility for state funding through the Texas Research Incentive Program as early as 2014.

The university may experience a change in public perception as the end of the semester brings “the end of the beginning” to a close, as University President Denise Trauth told Texas Tribune.

Provost Eugene Bourgeois said emerging research status might be the final step in debunking Texas State’s reputation as a “party school.”

“Now, people will look and see we compare very favorably,” Bourgeois said, citing Texas State’s high-ranking slot — fifth — on the list of Texas public university graduation rates.

An information session will be held Thursday to discuss the construction of several South Campus projects that will result in temporary roadway closures, detours and alternative parking options around campus.

The South Campus Construction Traffic Flow and Parking Logistics session will be today, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the LBJ Student Center room 3-14.1. The session will explain construction plans for the new Recital Hall and Theater Center, the University Drive Parking Garage, the South Chill Plant and several other projects. Construction workers are currently building the Undergraduate Academic Center and carrying out renovations for Commons Hall, Brogdon Hall and the Lampasas Building.

Texas State officials recently compiled a strategic plan to outline five broad academic goals with several specific items aimed at enhancing the university over the next five years.

Provost Eugene Bourgeois presented the strategic plan on April 10. Each of the academic departments, programs, institutes, centers and offices developed updated initiatives for the specific areas over the past year.

The five main goals cover a variety of topics to further the university’s mission for quality education. Items include promoting academics with distinguished faculty, contributing to economic and cultural development, furthering a student-centered successful educational experience, attracting a diverse campus population and managing resources effectively.

Cancer is not the only thing James Yates has been battling since January.

Yates, management junior, withdrew from Texas State after receiving news on the second day of the spring semester he had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer in the lymph nodes, spleen, liver and bone marrow.

He moved back to his native Beaumont within the week to undergo treatment surrounded by his family, but there was one loose end in San Marcos. His apartment complex, The Edge, refused to let him out of his lease until mid-April.

“I told them I was leaving,” Yates said. “I got diagnosed with cancer. I can’t help it. I would stay if I could, and they told me that they would not let me out of my lease. They didn’t show any sympathy at all. It was just the lease.”

The Student Association for Campus Activities’ more than $200,000 budget is being funded through LBJ Student Center service fees.

SACA’s budget is dispersed through several different line items, including Pride and Traditions, which is used for planning Homecoming and Riverfest. Specific line items for marketing, tailgate, George’s programming, films and entertainment are also included.

Michelle Lopez, associate director of Campus Activities and Student Organizations, said student officers and advisers are consulted when the budget for each fiscal year is being prepared. They are asked if money for certain line items needs to be re-allocated. She said the money can be moved around the different programming categories, but the bottom-line dollar amount does not change.

Texas State students have access to thousands of resources at Alkek Library, but some may not be aware another source of information is available through streaming video services.

The library both owns and has access through subscription to about 5,000 streaming videos from 34 databases covering topics from architecture and art to psychology and world history.

Scott Pope, librarian, said there is no limit to how many videos students can watch.

“The videos use the same technology as YouTube. So, more than one student can watch a particular video at one time,” Pope said. “Students can get a lot of information without having to check out several videos from the library, and it is definitely an advantage to have for the Round Rock campus and distance-learning programs.”

Some people swim with a shirt on. For TJ Perry, three shirts were necessary to give him power over a condition called gynecomastia that he struggled with his whole life.

According to the Mayo Clinic, gynecomastia is the swelling of breast tissue in men. Gynecomastia is not often seen as a serious medical issue, but can be a social hindrance for adolescent boys.

Perry was heavyset during his childhood and accumulated a large amount of body fat. He lost most of the weight by his teens, but maintained about 12 pounds of fat on his chest.
After consulting doctors, Perry was diagnosed with gynecomastia.

Perry said he was teased because of his conditions, and his self-esteem was extremely low.  

“I was insecure about talking to girls. I had the same thing they have,” Perry said. “It was a big self-esteem downer. It hurt on the inside.”

The Clear Springs Apartment complex will close its doors to residents in May of 2013.

The university-owned complex located next to Sewell Park is closing because it is not currently in compliance with fire codes. Rosanne Proite, director of housing and residential life, said it would be cost prohibitive to add the necessary fire precautionary equipment to bring it to code.

“When you have an old building and start renovating, there’s a certain dollar amount that you reach when other requirements start to kick in,” Proite said. “We thought it would be better to close the building than to spend the money.”

Proite said rent rates would have to be raised to a price greater than what most people would want to pay if the renovations were made.

She said the current residents were notified in advance of the closing so they would not be caught by surprise.