About Us
The University Star, also called The Star, is the student-run news organization at Texas State University and one of the oldest publications in the state. The Star provides news and information on issues affecting the university, as well as the San Marcos community.
The first issue of The Star was published in February 1911 by student Fred W. Adams, son of the founder of Adams Extract and Spice Company. At the time, Adams was milking cows, carrying wood for his room and board, and selling his father’s extracts to pay for an education at a small teacher’s college in the Texas Hill Country.
Adams, who was 20 years old at the time, made a proposal to the college president and assured him that Adams would absorb any printing costs that advertising didn’t cover. In exchange, the president allowed Adams to keep the profits.
With student body approval, the newspaper became the documentation tool of the institution’s history. The name of the paper, The Star, can also be traced to Adams who noted in his diary, “The Star rose again all right today.” And, it has been rising each day on the institution’s grounds ever since.
The Star has published steadily from 1911 through the Great Depression, two world wars, as well as the Korean, Vietnam and Gulf Wars. Lyndon Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, served as the summer editor of The Star in 1930.
Mission The University Star strives to uphold the following non-negotiable core values:
- Accuracy
- Impartiality
- Honesty and integrity
- Inclusivity and fairness
- Transparency and accountability
- Humanity and public service
As a student-led publication, we view our newsroom as a learning experience and strive to uphold the highest standards of journalistic ethics. We aspire to the goal of encouraging constructive conversation among our campus community and serving as a forum for discussion and debate.
Vision
Journalism is an act of civic responsibility. We see our work as a public service that is necessary for any community to thrive, because knowledge is empowering.
The University Star is editorially independent from Texas State University, meaning fellow students make all the decisions about what to cover and how. The university has no say in our content. Period. Our journalism is by students, for students. We also venture into San Marcos to cover the issues that are important to the community that hosts our university because the two are so interconnected.
Location
The University Star is located in the Trinity Building on the Texas State University campus at 203 Pleasant Street. Our main phone number is 512-245-3487. Email is [email protected].
News
The Star has the largest newsroom covering San Marcos. Our student journalists cover a range of issues from health care, immigration, transportation, sports, and local government.
Events
The University Star hosts the Star Stories event each year to highlight the first-person stories of those in our Texas State community. This event is held annually during Mass Comm Week in October.
The University Star also hosts Soapbox Soundoff once a month on The Quad to educate students on their First Amendment rights and encourage them to voice their concerns.
Volunteerism
Our students regularly volunteer in our community having participated in Bobcat Build, Sights & Sounds, and Great Texas River Cleanup events both in fall and spring.
Distribution
The Star prints 4,500 newspapers each Tuesday during the long semesters that are distributed at locations across campus and the city of San Marcos. The organization also has a website UniversityStar.com, a weekly subscription e-newsletter, as well as a social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The Star added an app in the fall of 2018 that can be downloaded for free in the app store.
Professional Memberships
Associated Collegiate Press (ACP)
College Media Association (CMA)
College Media Business and Advertising Managers (CMBAM)
Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA)
Awards and Honors
2020
Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Awards National
Editorial Writing finalist
Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Awards Region 8
Editorial Writing winner
Best Use of Multimedia winner “Pegasus School” Bayley Bogus, Jaden Edison, Morgan Byers
Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Division I
First Place, Special Edition Print Design “Year in Review,” Staff
Second Place, In-Depth Reporting “University officials attempt to fill gaps in Clery reporting,” Jakob Rodriguez
Second Place, Headline Writing, Staff
Second Place, General News Photo “Cite and Release,” Rebecca Harrell
Third Place, Editorial “Texas State, Do Your Job,” Staff
Third Place, General News “Free Speech Feud,” Sierra Martin
Third Place, Documentary Video “Flaka: The Legacy of Brihana Landrum,” Jaden Edison and Rebecca Harrell
Third Place, Photography Environmental Portrait “Memorial Day,” Jaden Edison
Third Place, Overall Design Website, Staff
Third Place, Sports Page Spread Design “Sept. 24, 2019,” Molly Gonzales
Third Place, Interactive Graphic “Iconic Village Plans,” Sawyer Click
Honorable Mention, Interactive Graphic “Sexual Assault Crimes Timeline,” Camelia Juarez
Honorable Mention, In-Depth Reporting “Haven Only Knows,” Laura Figi
Honorable Mention, Editorial Cartoon “Luv is Luv,” Lindsey Taylor
Honorable Mention, Sports Feature Photo “Homecoming Celebration,” Jamie Dorsey
Honorable Mention, Cover Design Newspaper “Oct. 15, 2019 issue,” Molly Gonzales
Honorable Mention, Overall Design Newspaper, Gloria Rodriguez
Texas Auto Writers Harold Gunn Journalism Scholarship
Jaden Edison
2019
Associated Collegiate Press Story of the Year
Fourth Place, Sports Game Story, Colton McWilliams
Finalist, Editorial, Staff
College Media Association Pinnacle Awards
Second Place, Best App/Plugin of the Year
Headliners Foundation
Stuart Long Scholar, Carrington Tatum
Darrell K. Royal Scholar, Jakob Rodriguez
SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards Region 8
General News Reporting winner, “Keep Quiet,” Carrington Tatum
Feature Writing finalist, “Sutherland Springs: Evil Did Not Win,” May Olvera
General Column Writing finalist
In-Depth Reporting finalist
Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Division I
First Place, Interactive Graphic, “Clegg Administration Timeline,” Jessi Spain, Garrett McGinley, Sawyer Click
Second Place, Cartoon Strip/Panel, “Procrastination,” Stephanie Cloyd
Third Place, In-Depth Reporting, “TPUSA Allegations,” Sawyer Click, Jakob Rodriguez, Katie Evans
Third Place, Print Ad Campaign, “Soapbox Soundoff,” Megan Hicks
Third Place, Cover Design Newspaper, “He’s Out,” Vivian Medina
Third Place, Special Section Design, “Apartment Guide,” Vivian Medina
Honorable Mention, Feature Page Design, “San Marcos Stars,” Vivian Medina
Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Onsite Competition Open Division
First Place, Sports Writing, Jakob Rodriguez
First Place, Sports Action Photography, Jaden Edison
Second Place, Editorial Writing, Samantha Guerrero
Third Place, Feature Photo, Sierra Martin
Honorable Mention, Copy Editing, Claire Partain
Hearst Journalism Awards Program
Breaking News, 17th place, Sawyer Click
2018
SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards Region 8
Breaking News Finalist
General Column Writing Finalist
Best Non-Daily Newspaper Finalist
SPJ Mark of Excellence Awards National
General Column Writing Finalist, Tafari Roberts
College Media Association Pinnacle Awards
Best Breaking News Story finalist, May Olvera and Bri Watkins
Associated Collegiate Press, Louisville Conference 2018
Sixth Place, Best of Show for websites with more than 10,000 students
Seventh Place, Best of Show for four-year weekly newspaper
Freedom for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) Commit to Expression Campaign
Third Place, Soapbox Soundoff event
Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Previously Published Division I
First Place, Feature Writing, May Olvera and Bri Watkins
First Place, Best Online Engagement Strategy, Staff
Second Place, Best Use of Social Media in Breaking News, John Lee
Second Place, Overall Newspaper Design, Vivian Medina, Gloria Rivera, Lauren Nelson and Elizabeth Oxford
Third Place, Op/Ed Page Design, Elizabeth Oxford
Honorable Mention, Environmental Portrait, Josh Martinez
Honorable Mention, General News Photo, Emily Sharp
Honorable Mention, Feature Page Design, Lauren Nelson and Vivian Medina
Honorable Mention, General News, Shayan Faradineh
Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Onsite Competition Open Division
First Place, Editorial Writing, Carrington Tatum
Second Place, Feature Writing, Denise Cervantes
Honorable Mention, Best of Show, The University Star