Although the use of drones is a much-debated topic across the nation, Texas State officials should continue using these devices for research and consider implementing more to monitor crime and high-traffic areas.

According to a July 11, 2012 University Star article, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department awarded the River Systems Institute at Texas State a $260,000 two-year grant to conduct drone-based research. In the same article, Thom Hardy, research professor at the River Systems Institute, said the university seeks to determine whether drones could save money and provide more safety than manned flight operations.

Hardy and other staff at the River Systems Institute have already used a battery-powered unmanned aerial vehicle to conduct environmental research. The lightweight vehicle could sometimes encounter problems with strong winds and other environmental factors, but the drone has nevertheless proved to be a valuable asset.

Although many students see summer as a time to relax, taking classes during the break can greatly increase a Bobcat’s ability to graduate in four years.

For some college students, summer classes could be the extra boost needed to graduate on time. Only approximately 58 percent of first-time, full-time college students attending universities in 2004 attained their bachelor’s degrees within a six-year time frame, according to information from the National Center for Education Statistics. One way students can help accelerate their degree plans is to supplement fall and spring course loads with additional classes during the summer. The summer I and II semesters fit normal 14-week classes into just five weeks, allowing students to quickly get course credits out of the way.

Students seeking apartments with convenient access to campus for the fall semester should do their best to avoid complexes on and around Aquarena Springs Drive at all costs.   

If students are looking to save time and money while in college, the College-Level Examination Program is a simple way to knock out basic coursework.

The College Board, the organization responsible for developing the AP and SAT tests, created CLEP. CLEP allows students to test out of certain classes while earning college credit and is offered in many introductory-level and advanced subjects at Texas State, including chemistry, English, math and history. According to statistics on the College Board website, 2,900 universities recognize CLEP, and tests are administered in more than 1,700 centers.

Students are not limited in the amount of exams they are able to take, giving the opportunity to almost completely test out of basic coursework. Students who pass an exam are granted the corresponding number of credit hours and no longer have to take the semester-length course.

Texas State should seriously consider utilizing student-run farms to raise educational opportunities and research, better establish the brand of the university and increase profits.

Primarily rurally-located universities throughout the nation have supported student-run farms as businesses on their campuses. The most notable one is the Berkey Creamery, which is run by Pennsylvania State University staff and students. The ice cream, sherbet and cheese are made in conjunction with the College of Agriculture Sciences at the university. Half of the milk used comes from a 225-cow herd at Penn State’s Dairy Production Research Center. Students are involved at the storefront with sales and production and on the farms and laboratories with research. There is even a hands-on ice cream making class in the agriculture department. Not only is this business sustainable, but it is the largest university creamery in the nation.

It is obvious the university administration needs to take serious steps to resolve the lack of communication regarding the solicitation of student, faculty and staff input for decision-making matters.

Students, faculty and staff deserve a voice in decisions about the future of Texas State with the rapid growth and change occurring in several areas across campus. Recently, however, many top administrators have done a poor job gathering input about new proposed policies, especially when it comes to transportation issues.

To avoid becoming a statistic in robbery, a sexual assault or other violent crimes, you need to survive. That may mean putting up enough of a fight to get away. Sounds simple right? Let’s be clear. Do not put up a fight if someone is holding a gun on you demanding your car. Give up the car and let the police and your insurance sort that out.

But if you are in a bad situation, you need to act in a way to escape. To be safe, you should consider a class in Krav Maga.

Recently, a team of highly-trained public relations practitioners and I participated in a Krav Maga crash course led by Otto Glenewinkel and Jerry Rosado, University Police Department employees, on campus. None of us had ever received self-defense training prior to this undertaking, so the instructors were working with very raw students. 

The state legislature needs to re-evaluate and approve the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act and stop the industry from having free reign over students and residents in critical situations.

Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured residents in the nation, according to a March 9 Texas Tribune article. A Medicaid expansion would drive down the amount of money students spend whether through healthcare costs for those on Medicare or state taxes. Legislators should not beat around the bush with the issue of Medicaid and should focus on re-evaluating the issue with the goal of providing more with health coverage.

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.

Contrary to popular belief, students are not sardines.

The campus will soon be packed even tighter with students when the co-enrollment program with Austin Community College begins in fall of 2014, according to a March 7 University Star article. The program is designed to acclimate ACC students to Texas State before transferring by allowing them to live on campus while taking classes at both locations.

This Pathway Program has good intentions but will be detrimental to students at both Texas State and ACC.