Univeristy's Spring Break affects local businesses

Texas State University enrolls over 30,000 students, which is over half the San Marcos population. When half of a town’s population leaves for a week, things change.

When students left town for Spring Break this March, many local businesses had decreased sales.

"Business was incredibly slow. We anticipate it being slow, but this year was the slowest it’s been in four years,” Lauren Morrow, waitress at Café on the Square, said. The restaurant prepared less homemade foods, like their salsa, in anticipation of the decline in business and never kept a full staff during the week of Texas State’s Spring Break.

The lack of students in San Marcos also caused a decline in business for The Coffee Pot. Amber Jones, barista, said that The Coffee Pot also cut shifts, ordered less food ingredients and even closed early some nights.

“It’s been really slow. Business went down a lot because most of our customers are students who come here to study,” Jones said. “Anytime school is not in session, we get really slow.”

Stores at the outlet malls were greatly affected by the university’s Spring Break. Jennifer Miller, manager of the Bath and Body Works Outlet, said that business was slower during the week of Spring Break. Bath and Body Works also decreased shifts to save

the company money.

“As far as employees go, Texas State took Spring Break before the other schools. That week wasn’t bad for us, so we just didn’t need as many employees,” Miller said.

However, business wasn’t bad everywhere during Spring Break. Monica Espinoza, leasing and marketing manager for Westfield Apartments, said that the apartment office was busier than ever. The complex signed over 65 percent of their pre-leases during Spring Break, making over half of the complex ready for move-in in August.

“I guess everyone thought it would be slow and that they’d beat everyone, but everyone had the same idea, to go look for an apartment,” Espinoza said. “We were really busy almost every day over Spring Break.”

The week after spring break is also hard on businesses and employees. Jones said that last week was stressful because the café was busy.

“It’s the busiest it’s ever been right now because of tests after Spring Break,” Jones said. “For me, it’s stressful because I’ve been working the busiest shifts. But I make better money.”

According to Miller, last week was hectic for stores at the outlet mall, due to the fact that surrounding schools in Austin and San Antonio were just starting their Spring Breaks. Bath and Body Works was particularly busy last week. Miller said that the managers at Bath and Body Works had to work longer hours because the sales associates were in school during the day.

“We actually had to bring in associates from the other [Bath and Body Works] stores for critical times, like from noon to 6 p.m.,” Miller said, “But it was a big boom for business. We cleared our deficit. But Texas State’s Spring Break decreased our sales.”

Miller said it would be more beneficial for business if Texas State had the same Spring Break as other schools.

“Last year, it went much smoother. We could give people more hours when they could actually work. I know it stressed a lot of the girls out to have to focus on school and the needs of the business last week,” Miller said.

Miller also said that even though Texas State’s Spring Break is over, the store stays relatively busy.

“This week we’ll get a lot more Spring Breakers from other states,” Miller said. “For us, March is a madness in general.”

Local residents display "Guaranteed Healthcare" sign during a march in Austin, TX

On Sunday, our nation made a historic leap in some direction as the health care reform bill passed in Congress, however speculation towards which direction this bill will take is under some debate throughout the nation.

Local San Marcos residents, including Texas State students and staffers, are particularly incensed about the impact this bill will have on the future of the country and their own.

With so recent a pass for reform of the entire health care system in the United States, it’s difficult to tell at this point what the future will hold. The long bill includes provisions for reform and expansions of health care to 32 million Americans that are uninsured. For a number so large, local residents both young and old seem not to have any idea what is to come or what is included in the reform. In Texas, the number of uninsured citizens goes up to 6.1 million Americans.

For Dr. Carranco, the director of the Texas State University Student Health Center, the sight of so many Americans being turned away by hospitals or insurance companies for expensive illnesses or pre-existing conditions that were not recognized was a shame. For Carranco, the extended coverage has a great impact on both the health care profession as well as for American citize

ns including young people aged 19 to 25.

Texas State Student Health Center

“Young people are some of the highest uninsured in our nation,” Carranco said. “This is interesting in that they are the healthiest citizens, however they must be the most responsible in their future with so many provisions for young people. I’m happy that the country is taking steps to provide insurance to all of its citizens."

Jesus Cahue, an undeclared major at Texas State and a full-time call service employee in San Marcos, shared this optimism towards the bill and felt that the nation was taking a great leap forward. From a personal perspective, his trouble with the health care system in his life previously made him very pro-reform, including a battle with the state of Texas over his younger sister's diagnosed condition of lupus. His younger sister won this lawsuit and was rewarded with social security, however Cahue wondered strongly about the well-being of other impoverished families.

"I feel that a big weight has been taken off for my family and myself, and that reform is truly a big gain for our nation," Cahue commented. "For families who don't have money or resources and don't have the coverage they need, this is a huge step forward."

Among the troubles that this nation faces, Cahue expressed some concern that the United States, as an extremely developed country, has not made health care a public option before now which has caused the uphill battle we face. For Jonathan Monjaras however, a Geography major at Texas State and an employee at Gap at the Tanger Outlets in San Marcos, there is much concern in the public option of health care for the United States as a nation compared to other nations.

"I feel that this country is attempting to move towards a public health standard as seen in Europe or Canada,” Monjaras said. “I don’t feel that this will work, particularly for health insurance companies, since they have much smaller populations than our country. I feel it will be much more difficult for our country’s health care to expand to quite the size of our nation.”

Many other Texas State students expressed some doubts towards the new health care bill and its provisions as a public option as well, including Aaron Hilton, an undeclared major at Texas State and self-proclaimed political activist. According to Hilton, the long provisions in the bill will be very difficult for the country to work out but he feel s that it is a necessary step for our country to move forward.

"I am very scared about government control, so I have my doubts about the bill," Hilton said. "However, the nature of providing health care to the disenfranchised and telling a four year old child that they can have treatment is something I stand behind."

Most students, while not being completely certain on the provisions of the bill, agree that the bill will have a great impact on their lives in the future. Dr. Carranco agreed, and felt that the nation as a whole could benefit from being more responsible as citizens with coverage.

"One must only look at history to learn about how the bill will be implemented, with provisions such as social security and Medicare having undergone the same process," Carranco said. "Over decades I feel this will be a good reform for the economy and our future. There will be extended coverage, more doctors and work, and the nation will be more healthy and productive.”

Obama signs Health care bill; Pete Souza, The White House

It’s Not Binge Drinking, It’s St. Patrick’s Day

By Taylor Penn

Every year St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated worldwide and Bobcats around San Marcos are no exception to the festivities.

St. Patrick’s Day is traditionally a celebration honoring Saint Patrick and Irish patriotism. Nowadays, this holiday has evolved into one of the largest days for alcohol consumption in the United States. Local festivities are held around all the neighborhood restaurants and bars in San Marcos.

The Square is a common hangout for many locals and students in the area on this day. The bars there are slammed all night with people adorned in all their flashiest green attire and accessories. Some of the bars are even packed throughout the daytime, and Sean Patrick’s Irish Pub is no exception.

Sean Patrick’s has an Irish theme and is a definite hotspot for St. Patrick’s Day crowds. The restaurant started to get crowded as early as noon and stayed bustling with activity throughout the night.

Aris Oglesby is a senior at Texas State and has never celebrated the holiday prior to this most recent one.

“It was so much crazier than I thought it was going to be,” said Oglesby. “We got out around 3 p.m. and some of the bars already had lines to go inside. This is definitely a party I’ve been missing out on.”

The Green Parrot in San Marcos is another bar on the Square that has record crowds on this holiday. Cole Belz is a Texas State graduate and bartender at Green Parrot and explains why St. Patrick’s Day is a great night to work even though the party scene is calling his name.

“I make crazy amounts of money every year working St. Patrick’s Day,” said Belz. “The bar itself had around $12,000 in revenue, which is more than we had on Halloween regardless of it being on a Saturday. It’s for sure a good night to avoid the temptation to party even though everyone is out.”

Not everyone is having such a wild and fun time during the holiday; some people are angered by how crowded places can be. Jennifer Eaton, Texas State fashion merchandising senior, expresses her annoyance of her experience this past year.

“I’ve been out for this day the past 4 years,” said Eaton. “Every year it seems to get more and more crowded, but this last year was ridiculous. We were going places to just wait in lines and could barely ever make it up to order a drink.”

It seems that both good and bad things come out of this holiday, which has grown to become a massive binge drinking party. William Greenwell is a Texas State economics senior and TeleNetwork network administrator. He jokes about how pathetic other employees look when coming in the next day to work.

“Over half of our office called in sick,” said Greenwell. “The other half barely looked alive coming in. I felt terrible all day at work but I’m still glad I made it out.”

The Bobcats show that they can hold their own in celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. “The day is a great excuse to come out, forget about your worries for a night and just have a green beer,” said Oglesby.

Save Green, Go Gruene

Many college students look for something fun to do over Spring Break but not everyone can afford to go to Cabo San Lucas. Some students choose to save some green by visiting Gruene, Texas for a unique Spring Break experience.

Gruene, Texas is a historical district located on the Guadalupe River about 15 miles south of San Marcos. Gruene offers unique shopping and dining and a look into the past. The town’s location on the Guadalupe River makes it a good place for recreational water activities.

Gruene is home to Gruene Hall, Texas’ oldest continually operating dance hall, which has nurtured many talented country musicians including Texas State alumnus George Strait.

Michael Hayes, a regular patron of Gruene Hall, has been coming to the dance hall since the eighties.

“There are shows seven days a week,” said Hayes. “Saturday and Sunday there are two shows and they are usually free. When I first started coming here we used to go out back and play horseshoes all the time.”

For a list of upcoming shows at Gruene Hall, visit www.gruenehall.com.

Another attraction in Gruene is the Gristmill River Restaurant. The Gristmill was once a cotton gin but has been converted to a large restaurant. The restaurant’s outdoor seating overlooks the Guadalupe River, giving guests a unique, scenic experience.

Alan Nelson, who has worked at the Gristmill for a year and a half, says the restaurant draws a large, varied crowd, especially in the summer months.

“Usually Spring Break marks the beginning of our busiest season, which lasts through the summer and into the fall,” Nelson said. “We feature Americana food in relaxed, scenic environment. We get guests ranging from tourists who are here as part of their vacation to locals who can’t get enough of our great food.”

Gruene also has other dining options including Adobe Verde, also a former cotton gin, which specializes in Mexican food and seafood. Mozie’s Bar and Grill is known for its sliders, garlic fries, and garlic crusted chicken.

The Guadalupe River brings a lot of visitors to Gruene as well. Orlando Cantu, an employee of the Gruene Antique Company, sees a lot of activity on the river.

“In the summer the river is a big attraction,” said Cantu. “You have people coming in starting in June and they’re here through August. During the off-season you have kayaking and other river activities going on. There are a lot of places on the Guadalupe to rent tubes, but Rockin’ R is the biggest one.”

Rockin’ R River Rides has four locations to rent tubes or rafts, four retail stores, three campgrounds, and more. For more information about what Rockin’ R has to offer, visit their website at www.rockinr.com.

The Gruene Antique Company offers a wall-to-wall selection of antiques. Sarah Klinkenberg, a senior at Texas State who works at the store, says they offer a wide variety of antique items including furniture and collectibles.

Gruene is also home to the Gruene General Store, which is fashioned after a traditional general store. The store sells a wide variety of homemade foods and unique gifts. The Grapevine, another store in Gruene, sells a wide selection of wines produced in Texas.

Klinkenberg describes Gruene as a place where people from a variety of backgrounds can come together to enjoy everything the town has to offer.

“Gruene’s small town charm attracts tons of people every year, and during the summer people come from all over the world to visit,” Klinkenberg said. “It is a really neat town with a ton of things to do. It’s historic and beautiful and I think that’s why so many people visit. So many come back every year.”

For more information on Gruene, Texas, visit their website at www.gruenetexas.com.

Spring Break Excites More Than Just College Students

Written by Marylea Brown

Freshly shined loafers and beach sandals. Pinstripe suits and tank tops. Leather belts and pierced midriffs. A special time of the year.

Everyday thousands of people enter and exit airports across the nation. During the first few weeks of March eager students flood the terminals on their way to Spring Break vacation.

Photo courtesy of California Aviation Alliance.

Incoming crowds of teenagers grant airport faculty and flight attendants a refreshing change to the typical workday. William Bridges, security officer at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport enjoys the short period of time when Spring Breakers arrive.

“Always checking in men and women with suits and briefcases gets boring,” said Bridges. “It is nice to see the less serious faces of enthusiastic kids every once in a while.”

Having fun is just as important during Spring Break as is safety. Parents rely on the airlines to ensure full security and speedy travel for their sons and daughters.

“My mom and dad didn’t trust me and my girlfriends to drive all the way from

Austin to South Padre on our own” said Laura Alvarado, a junior at Austin Community College. “We had no choice but to take a flight instead.”

Bridges believes air travel is a safer alternative to driving long distances.

“When kids chose to drive to their destination there is a greater possibility of drinking and getting the party started on the road,” said Bridges. “When they’re on a plane there is no chance of getting arrested for DWI or worse.”

While shorter than a car ride, flights can still get very uncomfortable. Over Spring Break, cabin crews share light-hearted laughs with their vacationing passengers to keep them happy. For flight attendant Cindy Hatley her job means more to her than passing out the salted peanuts.

“It is important for the crew to remember that most children and teens on Spring Break are not used to flying often,” said Hatley. “I love helping guests take their mind off the fact we’re thousands of feet off the ground.”

Flight attendants will often crack jokes over the intercom to calm the nerves of others. “We told passengers there was a man onboard who had never flown before and was celebrating his 100^th birthday,” said Hatley. “Everyone was clapping and looking around for him until we revealed it was the pilot!”

Not everyone has such positive experiences at the airport. Flights are frequently overbooked, late or cancelled due to weather and technical difficulties. Senior Marine Biology major at The University of Texas Louise Downs was stranded for five hours in San Francisco at one of the U.S.’s busiest international airports.

“The pilot on our flight said there was a technical problem and SFO couldn’t track and coordinate flight paths,” said Downs. “We had to wait at the terminal because they were only using one runway for all incoming and outgoing flights.”

One aggravated passenger can affect the mood of everyone around them. Flight attendants try to identify this early on to avoid problems after takeoff.

“When a flight is delayed we will usually give out snacks and refreshments as quickly as possible,” said Hatley. “Feeding someone’s appetite can also feed their peace of mind.”

Handling rude guests is one thing. Handling unruly teenagers is another. Security Officer at the Los Angeles International Airport Damien Rousse knows Spring Breakers can be a hard crowd to manage.

“Many young people don’t pay attention to our instructions during check-in and security checkpoint,” said Rousse. “Either because they are too distracted by their electronics, or they get a kick out of challenging authority.”

When a brave few vacationers attempt to test the patience of airport security, it doesn’t take much to get escorted to their office.

“We have a low tolerance for any individual that becomes aggressive, loud or starts using too much profanity,” said Rousse.

Most people on Spring Break just want to have a good time and the airport gives students the opportunity to meet others on their way to the same destination.

“On my flight to Padre Island, I sat next to a group of people that were headed to the same beach as my friends and I,” said Alvarado. “We ended up partying together for a lot of the trip and made great friendships that will hopefully last a long time.”

Spring Breakers enjoy a live show on Coca Cola Beach in South Padre Island.

Students Spend Spring Break Close to Home

By Micah Maxwell

When the words “Spring Break” come to mind many people think of weeklong parties on the beach, extravagant cruises or trips to other various vacation hot spots around the world.

Since the downturn in the economy, however, many students had to cut back on their Spring Break expenses by staying home, working or going on local day trips to various parks, lakes or beaches.

Benny Castro, political science sophomore, is a student who spent his Spring Break locally due to the drop in the economy and the higher gas prices.

“I spent my Spring Break camping at Garner State Park,” Castro said. “My original plan was to go on a cruise to Cozumel, but after I came back to reality I decided on Big Bend National Park. Gas costs and time issues made that trip impossible, so I settled for Garner."

Garner State Park is located in Concan, TX, about two hours west of San Marcos. The park runs along the Frio River providing a convenient and scenic place for fishing and swimming. The park also has miles of hike and bike trails, a mini golf course and paddleboat and kayak rentals.

Castro said he chose to visit Garner State Park because it had everything he wanted and was cheap compared to many other campsites in the area.

“The cost was around $20 a night for two people’s admission and overnight camping fees,” Castro said. “Plus, I had never been there before, so it was a good opportunity to explore and find a good campsite to come back to that is near home.”

Laura Bomersbach, early education freshman, also spent her Spring Break locally.

Bomersbach believes that staying local is more reasonable than taking extravagant trips and that it gives more time for students to spend with family they don’t get to see.

“This Spring Break, I went home to San Antonio and hung out with my sisters,” Bomersbach said. “We didn’t do much, but it was nice being able to spend some time with them since I don’t get to see them very often any more.”

Bomersbach added that her family took a day trip to Corpus Christi at the end of the week because it was much closer than any other beach.

Corpus Christi is located on the Gulf of Mexico and consists of nine island beaches, as well as two city beaches. The city is also home to the U.S.S. Lexington, a naval aircraft carrier from World War II, the Texas State Aquarium and the largest remaining natural barrier in the world, the Padre Island National Seashore.

Kelli Condina, interior design freshman, also went home for Spring Break but said it wasn’t her first choice for a spring break destination.

“I went home to Georgetown, but only because I had to since the dorms were closed during the break,” Condina said. “Georgetown is about 30 minutes north of Austin, so I went to Austin a few days of the week, just to roam around and try to find interesting things to do.”
Condina felt the economy only affected her Spring Break because she didn’t have the money to go to the beach or somewhere out of state.

“I would have liked to go to the beach, but it’s kind of hard to do that when you don’t have any money to spend on things like that,” Condina said. “Besides, it’s not fun to go on a trip like that by yourself. A lot of my friends go to other schools besides Texas State, so most of them were still at school during our break.”

Other students took the chance to go out of state for their break.

Caroline Cook, Texas State junior, is one student who spent the first half of their break out of state in Denver, CO, but she believes the trip wasn’t worth the time or money she spent.

“I was excited we got to go to Denver for break, but it was really hard for me to get off work for that many days,” Cook said. “Sadly, our trip wasn’t even worth losing the hours and money. We didn’t get to go skiing, like we had planned, so most of our time was spent in our hotel or at bars. I would have rather stayed near Austin and gone to the rivers or to the SXSW music festival."

Spring Break trends are rapidly changing for most students, but that doesn’t mean fun isn’t an option. Most communities offer entertainment and fun things for families to do for a small price and more students are choosing to find fun things to do locally before they spend the time and money on big, expensive trips.

Keeping Weirdo's Weird

Comedians and musicians entertained both young and old this Spring Break at Austin’s own Weirdo’s bar and grill.

TAG talent agency and rock station 93.7 KLBJ hosted the event in support of local Austin artists. “We just wanted to create an environment where we have artists entertaining other artists,” said Landon Kash, one of the event coordinators.

The afternoon was divided into two parts. The first half consisted of five comedians doing stand up gigs and filling the crowd with laughter. The second half was occupied with music from some prestigious local Austin bands.

Stand-up comic Jimmie Roulette headlined the comedy section. James Heflin attended the event and said Jimmie was his favorite act of the afternoon. “[Jimmie] was so hilarious. All of [the comics] were, but he was the best,” Heflin said.

Several bands were featured as entertainment including the Josh Langston Band, Muchos Backflips, and Neilio. The style of music ranged from country, to rock, to electronic. There was even a DJ spinning tunes all day inside near the bar.

Winston Bee, frontman for Muchos Backflips, said this was the closest his band had ever come to playing the SXSW music festival. “Technically we’re part of that festival,” Bee said. “Only I think we’re having more fun here with everyone who came out than we would downtown with all the crowds from SXSW.”

Families were also able to enjoy Weirdo’s volleyball courts and sandboxes. Children built monuments in the sand while parents joined with strangers to play volleyball. The afternoon weather was accommodating to athletics occurring simultaneously with the event.

Jackie Gonzalez enjoyed a game of Frisbee with her younger sister. “We got here early to see the stand-up [comics], but now that the bands are playing we can get a little exercise and just enjoy the music,” Gonzalez said.

Weirdo’s is well known in the Austin community as a venue that supports local music and artists. They recently updated the stage on their balcony to accommodate larger bands and produce better sound for the audience during events.

TAG Talent, a sponsor of the event, is one of the leading acting agencies in Austin. Their talent have appeared in productions of True Blood, Friday Night Lights, and many others.

Austin rock radio station 93.7 KLBJ co-hosted the event along with afternoon radio personality Charlie Hodge. KLBJ airs classic and new rock music, and Hodge hosts his own afternoon show on the station from noon to 3 p.m.

Hodge announced on his talk show that he would like to organize more events at Weirdo’s in the future. “It’s a great little venue and we had a lot of fun while we were there,” Hodge said.

Weirdo’s is located at 12408 North Mopac Expressway near the Parmer intersection. More events are planned to take place at Weirdo’s in the future beyond spring break. The next event will coincide with the SXSW music festival.