Last week’s bombing incident at the Boston Marathon and the related shooting at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology should not shake students’ faith in the strength of their country.

Many news outlets, including The Huffington Post, CNN and Time Magazine, have all compared the bombing at the Boston Marathon to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in some way. Although the horror in Boston did not come close to the tragedy that day, images of the carnage and bloodshed littering Boylston Street April 15 continue to flood the media. Experiencing the terror in Boston firsthand was one of the most jarring events of my young life. 

Students who want to see their creative goals become a reality should consider taking advantage of the Kickstarter website to generate funds and support for project ideas.

Kickstarter is an online platform where several projects involving art, food, music and everything in between can receive funding. Participants post their ideas and plans on Kickstarter in an attempt to gain community funding and support, both of which are vital to launching projects. According to Kickstarter.com, the website became open to the public April 28, 2009 and has since helped 44 percent of posted projects reach their funding goals.

The state of Texas offers a variety of veteran benefits programs to students, but legislators must consider expanding coverage of the Hazlewood Act to serve a greater population.

One of the largest veterans benefit programs offered by the state of Texas is the Hazlewood Act. It provides veterans, spouses and children the opportunity to attend an eligible Texas educational institution with up to 150 hours of exempt tuition and a considerable amount of additional fees covered. This act is greatly beneficial for the education and financial future of many students who have parents that are veterans.

The economic sequester may seem like a confusing web of financial information to some, but it is important students become well informed and contact their local representatives about the proposed budget cuts.

Congress passed a law in 2011 that stated arbitrary and automatic budget cuts would occur if legislators could not agree on a deficit plan, according to a statement by the White House. A series of budget cuts were then put into effect March 1 after Congress failed to come to a consensus on reducing the deficit by $4 trillion. The cuts are concentrated across the board, affecting everything from military readiness to public health initiatives, educational training and employment. Every state is affected in some way, and without action from Congress, the effects of budget cuts known as the sequester will become increasingly harmful.

Since social networks and websites are quickly saturating college education, students need to learn to adapt and properly utilize digital media to maximize their educational experiences.

It is not uncommon to see people tweeting, blogging or performing any other kind of electronic task related to the online world during classes across campus. Education today has been completely infiltrated by social media and all it has to offer in terms of communication and the efficient spread of information. Students are frequently asked to archive their classwork on some sort of online platform such as WordPress or Tumblr and stay informed through Twitter. Newspapers and other reliable sources of information have also joined the social media world, causing professors to integrate these forms of communication into their teaching methods. Pinterest was mentioned as a tool for outreach and making a presence in social media in a Feb. 15 Forbes article.

Texas State should support the implementation of the Violence Against Women Act and work to make campus a safe and supportive place for victims of sexual and relationship abuse.

According to a Feb. 28 Huffington Post article, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the Senate’s bipartisan version of the Violence Against Women Act, a bill that protects women against domestic and sexual violence. Controversy erupted within the House because the Senate’s Violence Against Women Act version contained some provisions for victims of abuse including the LGBT community and immigrant women that were not fully supported by certain members. However, despite the disagreements and some removed provisions, the bill is headed to President Barack Obama’s desk and will likely be signed into law very soon.

Texas State students need to find ways to manage high stress levels as coursework and tests begin to pile up in the coming weeks.

Students who decide to embark on the journey of higher education will likely encounter distress at some point. College students are constantly hammered with lofty expectations, huge course loads and a number of different responsibilities outside of school. The amount of stress students experience is tremendous, and the resulting negative effects are becoming more apparent.

According to a Feb. 8 Huffington Post article featuring a 2012 study by the American Psychological Association, the generation with the highest reported stress level is the millennials. The millennial group, which includes those who range in age from 18 to 33, reported experiencing a 39 percent increase in stress during the past year, according to the same article. This information can easily resonate with the Texas State students who are categorized as millennials.

President Denise Trauth should work with other university officials to create a more accessible Texas State atmosphere that will enable students to express their comments and concerns openly with administrators.

Students are invited to speak with Trauth during four pre-scheduled events including Open Door sessions, the Associate Student Government Round Table and a Cat Chat discussion this semester. These events are devoted to addressing student issues and concerns. It would seem as though Trauth was doing everything possible to reach the student body. However, this does not seem to be the case.

Although it would be wise to bring back the Bobcat Tram Interurban services in the future, removing the routes is a step in the right direction toward tackling issues here in San Marcos first.

Texas State will no longer be providing bus services to the Kyle/Austin and New Braunfels/San Antonio areas beginning Aug. 26, according to a Jan. 31 campus-wide email. The decision to cancel the interurban tram was partly made with the justification that transportation services could focus on better serving the student community living in San Marcos.

The university’s transportation services have been struggling for a period of time, which has become obvious since the end of the past fall semester. Texas State enrollment numbers have been steadily increasing with a total growth of 30.1 percent over the past decade, according to a Sept. 19 press release.

Amid excitement surrounding the finalization of the Texas State football rosters, fans should be optimistic and gearing up to support the Bobcats this upcoming season.

News broke Jan. 27 from the Rivals-affiliated BobcatReport Twitter account that former Notre Dame and Arkansas pledge Jamel James, cousin to NBA star LeBron James, committed to Texas State during a scheduled visit. He will be teamed up with a few other big names on the current list of dedicated recruits, including running back C.J. Best. Best is cousin to NFL running back Jahvid Best, adding another bit of prestige to the commit list. James and Best, along with their other fellow commits, could make a huge impact on the field for the upcoming football season.