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.

Parking Services officials should consider allowing student permit holders to utilize the Performing Arts Center Garage without paying the current hourly rates.

The first two floors of the new parking garage on Edward Gary Street opened for free parking from Jan. 2 to Jan. 13. The garage is available not only to students, faculty and staff members, but to the public as well.

According to a Jan. 17 press release by the city, nine of the total garage parking spots are reserved. These reserved spaces are likely for campus officials or professors. In addition to the availability of more than 400 spaces, the location of the parking garage is ideal for campus accessibility. The garage is located near a number of residential halls and academic buildings and should provide ample parking for students, faculty and staff members.

The recent ban on the public display of alcohol in city parks will discourage residents and visitors and harm business and tourism profits if San Marcos does not communicate the new rules effectively.

The recently-enacted ordinance seems good on the surface as an effort to foster a cleaner, more family-friendly atmosphere, while still allowing visitors to consume alcohol in the river. However, it sounds as though there is a bit of a gray area regarding the transport of alcohol in and out of the water.

According to a Jan. 15 University Star article, those wishing to bring alcoholic beverages to Rio Vista Park or City Park will have to enter and exit through designated points. These check points must be clearly marked and visible so river-goers are able to locate them. Residents and visitors come to the parks to have an enjoyable experience and do not want to worry about abiding by confusing rules and regulations.

City officials and river-goers alike must embrace and recognize recently renewed state-level conservation efforts to preserve the endangered Texas Wild Rice.

Zizania texana, otherwise known as Texas wild rice, is a federally endangered plant that grows exclusively in the waters of the San Marcos River. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, the plant was categorized as endangered by the U.S. government on April 26, 1978. The wild rice is a perennial grass that thrives in the upper two miles of the San Marcos River. The spring-fed waters of the Edwards Aquifer produce ideal conditions for the rice to grow. The plants can be seen flowing under the river’s surface and poking out of the water in large bunches.

Bobcats should remember to keep their focus on finals as the fall semester wraps up.

With finals only days away and winter break not too far behind, it can be somewhat difficult to stay on track and find motivation. The end of the semester not only signals exams and projects, but could mean major grade changes if students do not keep up with their studies. As a student, you may find yourself drowning in stress during these next few weeks, but remember—surviving finals is not an impossible task.

The basic essentials for a good study session include organized notes, lecture slides, handouts and other class materials. However, even with preparation, studying may be difficult for some. If that is the case, it is important to quickly develop a reliable, simple study process for final exams.

Students should remember to take full advantage of their professor evaluations at the end of the semester.

As fall classes begin to wrap up, many students may want to express strong opinions about particular professors and courses they have taken over the past few months. It is important that students use the professor evaluations to adequately measure the efficiency of lectures and learning methods within the classroom.

According to Texas House Bill 2504, all public higher education institutions have been required to publicly post certain information regarding their undergraduate academic programs since 2009.

This includes items such as teaching evaluations, class syllabi, departmental budgets and other pieces of information. The data must be readily available for any person to view on the university website, and it is updated as changes are made.

Students should be allotted more time to determine whether or not to renew a lease with a particular apartment complex for the upcoming year.

Although it is still early in the school year, many students are already facing something many feel would be better left until next semester—apartment lease renewal deadlines. It can be daunting to decide where to live nearly a year in advance of the upcoming academic year. For some students, this may be the first time they will have the opportunity to live off campus.

A large amount of apartment and housing communities in San Marcos are geared toward Texas State students. Convenient and comfortable student accommodations are something many have come to expect from these companies. Throughout the city, there are a variety of scheduled deadlines for lease renewals at student housing complexes.

Despite recent struggles on the playing field, Texas State football supporters should not be quick to throw the Bobcats on the backburner.

Following a great first conference win against the Idaho Vandals, it felt as though the Texas State football program would be a definite force to be reckoned with. However, over the past few weekends of game play, fans have seen the Bobcats fall to San Jose State University, Utah State University and most recently Louisiana Tech University.

It could be fairly easy for some to simply forget about the Bobcat football team and set their sights toward the upcoming basketball season instead. But, it is important to look at the reasons behind the losses before giving up faith in the football team altogether.

San Marcos is in dire need of more music venues and events to bring a greater variety of musical talent to the community.

Throughout the years, San Marcos has been a hub for a number of musicians, from big-time country singer George Strait to members of the rock band Blue October. In addition, some Texas State students have also gotten their musical start here. There have been a variety of places for local artists to play, including Cheatham Street Warehouse and Texas Music Theater. However, a larger number of venues in the city and a more diverse set of performers would certainly be appreciated.