Vinyl composition tile that tested positive for asbestos is being removed from Elliott Hall Building A.

The renovation was ongoing as of press time. In an effort to maintain the health and safety of students, faculty and staff, the university works to identify, inspect and test all university buildings that have or may have asbestos-containing materials. Buildings constructed prior to 1980 may have asbestos-containing materials. These buildings include Hornsby, Burleson, Arnold and Laurel halls, among others.

Don Compton, Facilities Planning, Design and Construction associate director, said the fact that on-campus buildings have been made with asbestos-containing materials is not merely a rumor.

“While we are well aware of asbestos, that does not mean people are being exposed,” Compton said.

Friends and family would joke that San Antonio-based filmmaker Aaron Lee Lopez was a “mutt” as a child. With blonde hair and light skin, Lopez physically defies traditional Hispanic features.

In 2004, the joke was on them when the Texas State alumnus’ childhood dream of starting a production company became a reality.

The kinesiology major said he founded Mutt Productions after his success working as a production assistant, editor, producer and stunt assistant on some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbuster movies and television series, such as “John Carter,” “Inception,” “The Hangover,” “Grindhouse” and “Parenthood,” among others.

The full-service production and post-production company recently expanded its San Antonio facilities to help grow and advance the local film industry in Texas.

Tantra Coffeehouse will no longer host outdoor live music.

Founder and co-partner Nathan Todd confirmed the business’ Facebook statement posted last week amid the sound of live music Saturday at Tantra Coffeehouse’s 6th Birthday Party and Barbecue.

The news came as a shock to some customers, who commented on Tantra’s Facebook post.

“Big mistake. The awesome Tantra music scene is what made me do the half hour drive to come hang out. Adios guys,” said Christopher Lyerla in a comment posted on the coffeehouse’s Facebook page.

However, fans of the venue’s Wednesday Bluegrass Night can rejoice. Todd said the popular free show will continue as normal because it is suitable for all ages, and bands perform at a low volume, making it easy to host.

Despite past noise complaints, Todd stressed that the business’s decision to forgo live music had nothing to do with the City of San Marcos or neighboring buildings.

Pieces of orange loquat and banana spun in a blender attached to a stationary bicycle as a Texas State student sat on the seat and pedaled.

Texas State and San Marcos organizations celebrated the 2012 Earth Day on April 18. The Quad was filled with displays of handmade energy-efficient devices, movie screenings, nature walks, petitions and donation requests.

Katherine Tritsch, geography-resource and environmental studies senior, was responsible for the “bike machine blender.” She said her inspiration came from members of a permaculture community in Oregon during her six-week nature and heritage tourism internship through the Texas State department of geography.

Members of the Oregon permaculture community had created a bicycle-powered washing machine.

“Permaculture’s very DIY: do it yourself,” Tritsch said. “Use the energy that you have available to make the things that you need.”

The light from the Exxon Mobil Tiger Tote convenience store bathroom buzzed overhead as Liz stared at the cheap plastic stick in her hand. It was 2005. She was a 16-year-old high school junior.

Abby Johnson, former Planned Parenthood director and anti-abortion advocate speaks on March 29 at the San Marcos Activity Center. Johnson’s experiences at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Austin changed her views.

She was pregnant.

As Liz walked out of the building and into the parking lot, passing oblivious customers, she said she found herself at a standstill.

“It’s your decision, but I’d like you to have an abortion,” Liz remembered hearing from her former high school sweetheart and boyfriend of more than two years.

Seconds passed.

The elderly Cameroonian man was an alcoholic and diagnosed with diabetes and prostate cancer. He was also the nicest man Austin Helms, Texas State alumnus, had ever met.

Helms came to the English-speaking province in the Republic of Cameroon as a Peace Corps volunteer. There, he encountered the Cameroon native who would become his best friend.

Helms said he was invited by his best friend’s son to be inducted into the community, even though the elderly man was unable to attend the ceremony due to illness.

He remembered wearing the traditional clothing, kneeling in front of the “fawn,” or chief, and receiving a Cameroonian name during the induction ceremony.

Helms received a new name: Nchunefor, which translates to “The Mouth of the Fawn.” From that point on, he was officially a member of the community he had helped as an agricultural volunteer for 27 months.

I have to reiterate how un-tech savvy I truly am. Case in point: I resisted adding text messaging to my AT&T service plan until last spring. I also used a flip phone until it could not flip anymore. My free phone upgrade was an AT&T Pantech. I believe it’s the most basic of its kind. I have the ability to access the internet, but I’ve been leery because of the phone’s small screen. I’ve utilized the camera on my phone to take candid snapshots of family members, but the quality isn’t that great.

However, my recent acquisition of the AT&T Pantech Burst has brought me one step closer to the 21st century and has alleviated most of my hesitation about smart phone technology. I didn’t know the difference between 3G or 4G phone speeds before using the Pantech Burst because I didn’t have prior experience with a 4G phone.

Fulbright Scholar Nita Novianti wore a black hijab, like other women in attendance, during her presentation at the Islam and Women’s Rights event Tuesday night in the LBJ Student Center.

Bisma Shoukat, social work sophomore, dresses Lorena Lozano, anthropology freshman, in a hijab March 27 at the LBJ Student Center.

Novianti’s presentation, “Veiling and Women’s Rights in Islam: Look at Me, Not My Veil,” sponsored by the Texas State Muslim Student Association, was not met without some mild hostility.

A short unexpected debate occurred during her presentation. It was started by an audience member who wanted to know how a covered woman was beautiful and if she was speaking only on behalf of women in the Middle East.

A tray of herb pesto canapes and a bowl of kale salad sat on Elizabeth Wills’ kitchen countertop, alongside glasses of kefir mojitos and mugs of Sunfire Super Foods’ Chocolate Bliss at Monday’s San Marcos Raw Food Meetup potluck dinner.

Becky Patterson said her herb pesto canapes, which consisted of sliced cucumbers, homemade pesto, tomatoes and black olives, have been a long time coming.

Elizabeth Wills, host of San Marcos Raw Food Meetup potluck dinners, presents a homemade kale salad at Monday’s meetup.

Patterson said she has experimented with various raw food dishes and tasted those of others at the group’s potluck dinners for more than three years.

For some Texas State students, the decision to sign an apartment lease was determined by the cost, amenities, friends and scenery. For others, the decision was made based on the apartments’ close proximity to campus.

Brian Fremaux, psychology senior, lived in Versailles Apartments from August 2009-May 2011 because he could walk and ride his bicycle to campus.

Fremaux said his friends lived in the apartment complex. When one friend moved out, he took the opportunity to live in the two-bedroom, almost 1,000 square feet space so there would be no worry about finding a parking space on campus.

He said there were many perks to living at Versailles Apartments, the trees that surrounded his apartment, the complex’s easy-going atmosphere and close proximity to Treff’s Tavern.

“The neighbors were always friendly and down-to-earth,” Fremaux said. “It’s not ‘college-y.’ It was more mature younger people (living there), which was nice.”