On Sept., 24 UTSA lost a member of its community; Elton Smith. The university’s 61 year-old publications director was shot and killed in his home. According to the San Antonio Express-News, Smith’s son shot his father in the abdomen during an argument.

As publications director he was responsible for overall operation, budgeting and creative direction for the publications office. His office worked on the university magazine, Sombrilla; the UTSA research magazine, Discovery; and college magazines including Ovations for the College of Liberal and Fine Arts, UTSA Business for the College of Business and Catalyst for the College of Sciences. He was also in charge of  programs for Commencement and the President’s Scholarship and Awards Dinner.

According to those who knew him, Smith was someone worth knowing. He was a hard worker, and those who worked under him loved his as a boss.

Many of us were not aware of who Smith was and what he did for this university.

As much as we complain about parking, old classrooms and other negative aspects of our campus, the truth is that we have a staff who works hard to make this university a place people want to be.

UTSA has grown tremendously in the past decade, and not just in population. We  now have more buildings, more food options and more space in general. As students, we don’t realize who is behind all these improvements, we just see them happen.

Perhaps we should take the time to get to know our administration. Gaining a successful college experience is not just about parties and grades. The people who work for UTSA have a lot to do with that, and they should be recognized for it.