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Adrienne Sparks Sta Photographer

First Copy freeVolume 13, Issue 2

Oct. 4, 2010theAccent.org

Texas Gun LegislationSchool Campus Gun Violence

1999

HB 1035 allowing gunson campus failed

1995

74th Legislature

passed the Texasconcealed carry bill.

April 20, 1999

Littleton, CO.15 killed, 23

others wounded at

Columbine High School.

Sept. 28, 2010

Austin, TX. Gunman

entered campus and

took his own life

Feb. 14, 2008

DeKalb, IL. 6 killed, 17

wounded 17 at

Northern Illinois

University.

April 16, 2007

Blacksburg, VA. 33

killed, 15 wounded

at Virginia Tech.

Aug. 1, 1966

Austin, TX. 16 killed at the

University of Texas at Austin when

a lone gunman red onto campus

from the campus clock tower.

1997

HB 2855 allowing gunson campus failed

2009

SB1164 and HB 1893

allowing guns on

campus failed

UniversityCenter opens inFredericksburg

Religious experience inspires novel

Controversy over handgunson campus reignited

news criMeandsaFetYnews education

arts literature

Faculty and donors celebrated the opening o the Hill CountryUniversity Center (HCUC) on Sep. 23 in Fredericksburg.

T e HCUC program began at Fredericksburg high school in 2003in portable trailers. Since then, the program has expanded due to thesupport o HEB, exas ech, Austin Community College, Concordia,and Angelo State.

T e center was ounded by the Hill Country Foundation in 2003to cater to the needs o traditional, non-traditional, and economicallychallenged students who might not be able to a ord to go studyelsewhere at a our year institution.

Students rom di erent socioeconomic backgrounds can cometo the University Center and have access to the same education theywould receive at a regular our-year University at a much lower pricewithout having to leave home, according to Jimmy Sparks, executivedirector o the HCUC oundation.

Stationed on a 68 acre campus on the outskirts o Fredericksburg,

the acility eatures six classrooms, two lecture halls, a science lab, acomputer lab, bookstore, and support space or both students and thenine sta members that are currently employed in the Hill Country.T e academic structure o the HCUC is a noncompetitive courseschedule, meaning that no institution o ers the same major.

Students who do not have transerable credit may begin bytaking ACC core curriculum classes that are applicable to the 4year university o their choice, and when the prerequisite classes ortranser are complete, they can be advised on a transer. A er theprocess o advising, students have an opportunity to choose a major.T e end goal is to attain a our year university diploma in a smaller,community oriented environment.

Elizabeth Olvera, a business major at the HCUC, grew up in asmall town 15 miles outside o Fredericksburg. She graduated rom aclass o 37 students and attended University o exas at San Antonioor her rst year o college, but said that because o the class size sheelt like she didnt even want to go to class.

I was not used to the class size and it was intimidating, Olverasaid. A er hearing about the HCUC acil ity, she immediately enrolledbecause it reminded her o her home environment. By going to

HCUC I can stay in the town that I eel comortable in meanwhilegetting the same education that I would anywhere else.

Plans or expansion are a topic o discussion or the HCUCboard and with a 68 acre campus, there is lots o room or potentialadvancement, according to ACC Executive Vice President MaryHensley. Students have received their degrees and have become rstgeneration college graduates through the programs o ered by HCUC.

Dr. Julie Martenson, the exas ech Director o O -Campus-Sitessummarized the goal o the multi-institution program, At HCUC,you can take a dusty old transcript, or no degree at all, and honecurrent job skills or begin anew- gaining a competitive edge in an everdeveloping and challenging job market.

Sidney Frost is living proothat anythings possible. At 73years old, he currently holdsthe title o Austin Lyric Operasinger, worldwide traveler,ex-Marine, devoted husband,Austin Community Collegecomputer science proessor, andElder at his church. And, withthe recent publishing o his rstnovel , he can now add novelistto the list.

One day, my pastor saidsomething about us havingdreams about things we wantto do, and he told us to just goahead and do it, just try it andsee what happens. I elt like thatwas enough to do it, Frost said.

In 2006, he began takingonline writing courses through

Writers Digest, and ouryears later, was nearing thecompletion o his rst novel.

Where Love Once Lived, a ctional Christian romancenovel, ollows lives o Brianand Karen and their journeyto reignite their love witheach other and, ultimately,God. Former students at theUniversity o exas at Austin,the college sweetheartsexperience a period oseparation when Brianmysteriously leaves town or 30years.

He comes back to Austinlooking or that eeling that hehad beore that eeling o loveand all. But it turns out thatwhat hes missing is the love oGod, and thats what he nds,Frost said.

Frost, who, like Brian, grew

up in Austin and attended U,drew inspiration rom his ownlie experiences to develop thecharacters and themes depictedin the novel.

When Brian nds out hismother has Alzheimers, hedrives up to his church and hesits out in the parking lot andlearns how to pray again. T atreally happened to me, Frostexplains.

Published last August,Where Love Once Livedhasbeen deemed an instant success.In 2007, it won rst place inthe inspirational and spiritualcategory o the S outhwestWriters Contest and rst placein the romance category othe Writers League o exasContest.

And its no wonder; Frostsknack or writing came to him

at an early age.All through high school and

college, I knew I had a talent orwriting. Id write term papersor my riends. On the aptitudetest, I always scored high on thewriting part, but the counselorswould say, Youre not going tomake any money doing that soI was looking or some othercareer. I tried lots o d i erentthings until I ound computers,and Ive been doing that eversince, he said. But I always hada eel or writing.

Fans oWhere Love OnceLivedcan expect several sequelsto the book, which Frost says hehas already begun working on.

His second novel, Vengeanceis Mine, is in its nal edit andwill be released soon. A briesynopsis o it can be ound onhis website, sindeywrost.com.

It started out as a normaluesday or sophomore CarlosMarin. Around 7:45 thatmorning, he headed to thePerry-Castaneda Library on the Universityo exas in Austin campus to print out an essay or hisEnglish class.

Marin was not aware that just een minutes later,he would be escorted away rom the six- oor buildingby of cers rom the Austin Police D epartment.

T ey told me there was an armed suspect in thebuilding, he said. I just roze.

T e gunman, Colton ooley, was a 19-year-oldmathematics major at the University o exas atAustin. Armed with an AK-47 assault ri e, ooleywalked across 21st street donned in a black skimask. According to police, he shot the ri e severaltimes beore enter ing the sixth oor o the PCL andcommitted suicide.

I dont think he intended on hurting anyone,said Andy Fernandez, a member o the LibertarianLonghorns at U.

T ough no other injuries were reported, theincident has sparked a erce debate regarding thecontroversial issue o gun-control on college campuses.

Guns dont belong in places where the publichas reason to believe that they are sae. Im talkingpublic institutions or education, churches thereare just places where you do not expect the need tobe armed to protect yoursel in that setting. T ats notthe purpose, said Linda Young, special assistant to thePresident o public a airs at ACC.

Like Young, ACC campus police of cer Don Mayesbelieves that college campuses are not the appropriateplace or concealed weapons.

Campus is a place to study, not worry about things.You just never know. Some people get arrogant withguns, and some people get cocky. Its just not the place,

Mayes said.T ose opposed to gun-control argue that the issueis simply a matter o sel-deense.

Concealed handgun license holders are notkicking down doors. T eyre not storming intobuildings. T eyre not chasing bad guys through darkalleys. T eyre not engaging in stand-o s with snipershiding in a building somewhere. T eyre not policeof cers. T eyre just trained to use concealed handgunsas sel-deense, said Scott Lewis, an ACC student andmember o Students or Concealed Carry on Campus(SCCC).

Our contention is that these gun bans need to bebased on reason and logic. T ey need to be based onmore than this emotional, visceral reaction againstguns on campus, and thats really what most o thearguments are. Most o the arguments against itare the same arguments people have made againstconcealed carry everywhere else, but its allowed. Andthese horri c scenarios that people predict i you let

concealed carry on campus, they havent played outanywhere else in the state o exas, and theres no

reasonto assumetheyll play outon campus, hesaid.

exas lawcurrently prohibits guns oncampus. Section 46.05 o the exas ConcealedHandgun Law states that concealed weaponsare illegal on the physical premises o a schoolor educational institution whether the schoolor educational institution is public or private,unless pursuant to written regulations or writtenauthorization o the institution.

During the legislative session starting inJanuary 2011, the issue o gun control is expected toheat up again a er the e ort to al low guns on campusailed last session.

o acquire a concealed handgun, a person must be21 years o age, pass a background check and completea ten-hour training course.

Anyone at U anyone at ACC could passthe test without ever having picked up a gunbeore. Even I passed the test, and I had never useda gun beore. T ey shoot at eight paper targetsacross the room. T is no way resembles real liesituations, said John Woods, a ormer Virginiaech student who graduated just three weeks a erthe shooting.

Woods, who now attends U as a graduatestudent, advocates or gun-ree zones inexas.

On campus, thereare misunderstandings

and ghts, and theworst you have onyou is a pen. I justworry with guns thesituation could be alot worse.

For CarlosMarin, experiencinguesdays incidenthas reaf rmed hisbelie that gunsshould remain ocampus.

No one but awell-trained of cialshould be allowedto have a gun oncampus, he said. Istudents had them, it

would just make meeel unsae.

FANTASTICARCADEDEBUTSINAUSTINpg. 9

GUIDETOTHETEXASBOOKFESTIVALpg. 10FINDTHEBESTFOODCARTSINAUSTIN pg. 7

NETWORKING Elizabeth Olvera (right) introduces herselfto Adjunct Professor Ross Bigelow (left) at the celebration ofthe opening of the new Hill Country University Center. Bigelowcurrently teaches geography at ACCs Fredricksburg campus.

SIDNEY OF ALL TRADES Computer Science Proessorand published author Sidney Frost poses or his picture.

STUDENT REACTION Reportersinterview a University o Texas student shortly

ater Colton Tooley f red gun shots and killedhimsel on UTs campus.

Elizabeth Brown Sta Designer

Austin Nicholas Sta Photographer

graphic by Elizabeth Brown

Hilary ShepherdStaf Reporter

Hilary ShepherdStaf Reporter

Austin NicholasStaf Writer