New apartment complexes are constantly being built around San Marcos, and Texas State’s growth and demand for student housing are able to fill hundreds of additional bedrooms each year.

There are currently eight multi-family housing projects under construction and 13 under consideration for future development, according to a May status report released by the city. The projects include expansions to existing apartments and the construction of new housing complexes. Most apartments in San Marcos that opened last fall or will open this fall have pre-leased more than half of their units, according to their leasing representatives. 

Matthew Lewis, director of planning and development services, said the occupancy rate of existing apartments in San Marcos is high. 

The City of San Marcos will soon be able to save money on a variety of services as a result of entering into a water supply agreement with a San Antonio company last month.

Members of the San Marcos City Council approved two water resolutions during their May 7 meeting. The first resolution allows the city’s participation in a cooperative purchasing arrangement with the San Antonio Water System. The second resolution awarded a contract to Wachs Water Services for the purchase of a water valve assessment, improvement and asset information program for the Water/Wastewater Utility, which will cost $123,517.50.

Tom Taggart, executive director of Public Services, said interlocal agreements and resolutions are common for governmental entities. The agreements allow governments to purchase through each other’s water systems, saving the city money.

Lyndon’s U Club is the only restaurant on campus and could be replaced by Au Bon Pain. It is located on the first floor of the LBJ Student Center next to Blimpie’s and open to all students, faculty, staff and guests.

While sales at Lyndon’s U Club continue to disappoint, Chartwells is exploring the idea of replacing the establishment with the national chain Au Bon Pain.

City councilmembers are considering amending the 2012-2013 fiscal year budget to authorize the addition of four new firefighters and one new police officer to San Marcos’ police and fire departments.

Councilman Jude Prather, Place 2, said the amendment originated from staffing issues at the San Marcos Fire Department, and the city’s police team needs an additional officer in response to the growing community. Prather said some firefighters are having to work overtime, and another police officer would make the city safer. The city’s budget would be amended to authorize $226,650 of funds for the additions.

“Every year our city grows, and as we grow our need for public safety grows with it,” Prather said.
Prather said it is “extremely unlikely” the amendment will not pass. The search to find people to fill the new posts has already begun, he said.

Students stood together in front of Harris Dining Hall Friday, took off their clothes and proceeded to run through campus.

The student made star that was intended to sit on top of Jackson Hall is being stored in a warehouse temporarily due to safety concerns.

An array of miscellaneous items lay in a warehouse on Ranch Road 12 waiting to be used. Outdated computers sit clustered together on a shelf. Chairs stacked one on top of the other tower over supplies for Bobcat Build, and brooms, wheelbarrows and shovels await tasks to complete. In the middle of the inventory of unused objects, a star rests unassumingly.

Sitting disassembled in the warehouse, the star is stored with other university items that are currently unneeded or without homes. The star is propped against a metal shelf, broken down into two pieces. When put together, the pieces will form a star that spans almost 18 feet tip-to-tip.

Students who opt for a low cost degree plan may receive a minimalistic and nontraditional approach to their education, according to some administrators.

A $10,000 degree plan that does not cover room and board, textbooks or additional costs and fees has been adopted at one school in the Texas State University System. An across-campus, low-cost degree plan would be impractical and detrimental to the student experience, said Debbie Thorne, associate vice president for Academic Affairs. However, Thorne said there are plans for a new low-cost degree in the College of Applied Arts,

Thorne said there are early talks of bringing a model of the $10,000 degree plan to the Department of Occupational, Workforce and Leadership Studies, which is aimed toward nontraditional, returning adult students. The degree plan would be beneficial for students under the program.

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has teamed up with the Gault Archaeological Project to dig up the truth behind an ancient civilization.

The Gault Site, located in Bell County, is home to evidence of the Clovis people, believed to be the first inhabitants of the Americas. Michael Collins, anthropology research associate professor, said archeologists have found new evidence of inhabitants predating the Clovis people at the Gault site, but the discovery has its critics. The chemistry department is working to prove the authenticity of soil deposits that could substantiate the claims there was a civilization older than the Clovis people.

The chemistry department is protecting and preserving the soil deposits excavated from the Gault site by embedding the samples in a plastic polyester resin. The soil samples are believed to be more than 13,500 years old and are so fragile they must be hardened with a mixture of chemicals, Collins said.

Mike Machado, maintenance employee, removes graffiti from the rear of the Trinity building. Facilities workers remove the graffiti as quickly as possible.

Vandals have repeatedly left their mark on the Texas State campus in graffiti, which is both illegal and costing the university manpower and money to clean up, officials said.

In recent months the word “look” is being tagged around campus, and the University Police Department is looking to find the individual or individuals responsible. UPD Captain Daniel Benitez said the first case of graffiti was reported in October 2012, and the end of January 2013 had the most recent.

University President Denise Trauth spoke with nine students during her Open Door session Wednesday about topics ranging from sustainability to Texas State’s buses.

The Open Door session is held once per semester. Joanne Smith, vice president for Student Affairs, attended the student meetings with Trauth. Each student received private one-on-one time to discuss individual issues with the administrators. Trauth said this was a bigger turnout than in previous sessions.

Ashley Mendoza, health care administration senior, is a commuter from Austin who takes a Bobcat Tram Interurban bus from the Highland Mall stop to campus. Mendoza said she attended the session to talk to Trauth about the cancelation of the bus service.

“I’m here to complain about the (interurban tram) being shut down,” Mendoza said. “Apparently they did a survey, but when people took it, they thought it was to improve buses.”