Cars cruised by as students and locals relived the memories and history of some of San Marcos’ oldest buildings.

Roselynn Newton, assistant professor in the School of Art and Design, assigned students in her typography class to project phrases onto older buildings the night of March 22 in the San Marcos community. Grafik Intervention displayed the histories of the buildings in different styles of font.

Communication design students set up an exhibit called Grafik Intervention. This display showed revamped, run-down buildings in the Dunbar Historic District and was presented on March 22. Students projected type and animation onto the buildings using the façades as their canvas.

During a game of pool, Steve Smith talks with his friends about techniques, memories and his autobiography: “Through the Eyes of the Lizard.”

Smith started playing pool when he was 14 after he became bored with bowling. He soon discovered a natural talent for the game and pursued it. Smith later moved to Dallas to play pool, where he got the nickname ‘Lizard.’

Smith said he thought it was time to write about his exploits after moving to San Marcos. “Through the Eyes of the Lizard” is a memoir of his life focusing on the years as a pool player, and the game in a metaphysical way.

“Smith has a sense of calmness and self-confidence. He’s in this kind of zen during the game,” Harry Platis, Pool Hall of Fame inductee, said. “He doesn’t care about the pressure. He just plays the game effortlessly and wins.”

There are million and one things to think about when searching for an apartment. A major factor when searching for an apartment is tram routes. Many apartment complexes have a bus stop, or one close by. Whether the stop will lead to a pleasurable ride is a different story.

Buses are most crowded in the mornings and around lunch, when students are returning or going to class. The buses can get to full capacity before reaching all the stops.

“I live at (The Lodge at Southwest), and sometimes the bus is so full they’ll drive right by,” Riley Hargrove, education senior, said. “I have to be at the stop early in the mornings just in case the first one doesn’t stop.”

Waiting on the buses can make students late.

Route 26-Wonder World is considered to be the worst. It takes around 45 minutes to make a full circuit. The first stop is at Cabana Beach, which quickly fills the bus. There are at least seven other stops after the previous pick-up.

Actors searched for the true meaning of faith, love and relationships Tuesday night in Geoffrey Nauffts’ play “Next Fall.”

The play, put on by the department of theater and dance, opened Tuesday evening and runs through March 9 each night at 7:30 in the Theatre Center.

“Next Fall” focuses on the five-year relationship of Luke and Adam, who are Christian and Atheist respectively.

“The main struggle is of Luke and Adam trying to find commonality in their relationship,” said Tracy Arnold, director and theater graduate student. “It even boils down to Adam asking Luke, almost telling him, to love Adam more than God. And because Luke is a devout Christian, he just can’t.”

With this extreme difference, Luke and Adam’s relationship affects the beliefs of all the characters. Brandon, longtime friend of Luke, has a different idea of how being gay affects his Christianity. As the play progresses, Brandon’s opinions begin to soften and change.

Families prepare for an adventure-filled weekend, setting up tents as they get ready for kayaking and cooking marshmallows.

Lyndsey Davis, director of outdoor education, said the parks and wildlife department created the Texas Outdoor Family program to teach families how to camp. Workshops were established three years ago when a study showed the average age of park visitors was 47.

Ryan Spencer, lead instructor and geography graduate, said the survey showed a whole generation had skipped going to state parks.

“We needed to find a way to encourage people to visit and see all that the parks have to offer,” he said.

Overnight workshops are located across the state. Equipment is provided for each camper. Participants are only asked to bring enough food for the weekend and a sleeping bag. It costs $65 for six people.  Visitors may be whole families or groups of friends.

John Casares, Staff Photographer

A Texas State student is diving into the political world to help a former San Marcos mayor move up in the political realm.

Tyler Johnson, intern, is on the campaign trail with Susan Narvaiz (R), who served as the mayor of San Marcos for three terms and is running for a congressional seat to represent District 35. 

Johnson said he first met Narvaiz as a student liaison for city council. 

“I had weekly interactions with her to talk about student-related issues, anything from student housing to recycling,” Johnson said. “During that time I got to see her leadership style and how passionate she was for the community.”

The Texas State Sleep Center is staying up to help students rest easy.

The Sleep Center was established in 2005 to provide students within the department of respiratory care with the experience they need in the professional field.

The Texas State Sleep Center, located in the Health Professions Building, works with students in the Department of Respiratory Care as an academic outlet while serving the San Marcos community.

“There is a mandate requiring students in this major to get experience at a sleep center,” Gregg Marshall, sleep center chair,  said. “There also wasn’t a sleep center to service the people in this area, so we decided to establish one on campus.”

Sara Hickman, a nationally acclaimed musician, rolled into San Marcos to strum out the tunes that won her the title, “Musician of Texas,” from the Texas Legislature, Wednesday night.

Sara Hickman performs Feb. 22 at the Price Senior Center in San Marcos. Hickman will follow Willie Nelson in becoming the “Musician of Texas.”

Hickman laughed and performed to audience members in an intimate folk music presentation at the Price Seniors Center as part of the Encore University Performing Arts Series.

Tim Mottet, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications, said Hickman was selected to perform by Catherine Supple, who appreciates people willing to share their talent with others.

The Climbers Coalition of Texas State is geared up for a semester of activism and exploration.

Patrons of the university’s climbing wall had mentioned the idea of a climbers’ organization before. However, the coalition didn’t get started until a climbing wall staff member went on a trip.

“I went to a lot of places outside of Texas to climb, and I kept seeing Access Fund logos,” Duy Le, Climbers Coalition president , said. “They do a lot to protect rock walls and I wanted to help.”

The Access Fund organization works to preserve rock walls and keep them open to climbers. They talk with legislators to get safety regulations on federal land, and educate private landowners about what they can do to help.

While climbing is considered a recreational sport, that is not the focus of the coalition.

Students pulled out old dresses and dingy tuxedos for the Bike Prom at Tantra Coffeehouse Saturday.

The Bike Prom, based on similar events in Austin, was held to raise money for the Texas State Cycling Team.

Buzz n’ Bangs performs Feb. 18 at Tantra Coffeehouse during Bike Prom, an event held to raise money for the Texas State Cycling Team.

Colin Bromley, president of the cycling team, said the event included a “cheesy” photo booth. They played tracks from Queen and other ‘80s hits to keep with the prom theme.

Gift cards from Gumby’s Pizza and Zookas Burritos and bike merchandise from The Hub were put in raffle drawings to raise money for the club.