Bobcat Build Continues To Benefit San Marcos and Texas State

By Carlos Marquez III
Senior News Reporter

Bobcat Build is an annual community service event which encourages Texas State students, staff and faculty to complete several service projects in San Marcos to thank the local community for its continued support of the university.

Student volunteers tackle outdoor projects such as landscaping, playground clean-up and green space pick ups.

The event serves as both a service event and as a social event as the project enables participants to develop meaningful relationships with area residents, community leaders and nonprofit organizations.

Bobcat Build participant Betty Richards has lived in San Marcos for 54 years. Richards says that she appreciates seeing students serve the community.

“I think it’s wonderful that the college students come and help the residents in San Marcos,” Richards said. “It makes me feel better about the kids, the quality of the kids that go to school here.”

Richards also says that it is important for students to serve the community while they are still a part of it.

“This is our town,” Richards said. “And I know that the majority of them come and go to school here and then leave but while they’re here I think it’s very important that they be involved and know what it’s like to live in a town with thousands and thousands of extra cars. Anyways, this year I’m very pleased with the work that was done.”

Texas State Construction Science Major Adam Vianes says that the service event helps connect Texas State Greek Organizations with the community and also helps combat the negative stereotypes associated with fraternities.

“I feel like it’s important for ODPhi to participate, just because one of our main links is service and it’s just a good thing, to give back to the community, you know, especially for people who can’t do the work themselves. I feel like it teaches us to care for the people that are in need,” said Vianes. “It’s important for our brothers to do this, just because it brings us down to earth and you know, we’re not just here partying. It gives us like a purpose.”

There were over 300 work sites at this years event and Bobcat Build recruitment coordinator Julia Henderson says that she was grateful for the huge amount of people who helped make the event a success.

“I actually was really, really proud of everyone that came out, especially our response team,” said Henderson.

“They were really patient with us because we did have a good couple hundred people on standby waiting to be sent out to job sites, because we had a response team set out for people that weren’t going to show up for the day of, because you have to kind of plan for that when you’re talking about math and thousands of people, so I don’t think we’ve ever had a response team that big. On my part, I’m really really happy and proud of this year’s turnout, in the case of volunteers.”

Henderson also reported that more data on the turnout of the event will soon be collected.