Mirror that is.

Lubbock is home to the legendary Buddy Holly, relentless dust storms and now… beauty-obsessed women.

That’s right… beauty obsessed.

InStyle magazine teamed up with FourSquare to bring their users a ranking of the ten most beauty-obsessed cities in America. FourSquare is a social media network that lets you tell friends and family where you are by documenting your whereabouts through “check ins” at those places.

FourSquare tallied data from its 15 million users to find out which city’s users are checking into the most beauty stores like Ulta or Sephora.

Lubbock ranks number two on the beauty-obsessed city list, ahead of New York City, San Francisco and even Las Vegas. Second only to Fresno, California, which boasts five beauty schools and multiple beauty retailers, the question could be posed…why Lubbock?

Lubbock radio station Blake FM even calls the ranking “weird.” On the station’s web site, Kidd Manning wrote “What is it about Lubbock, Texas that would make it the number two most beauty-obsessed city in the nation?”

Devin Schubbe, a junior advertising major at Texas Tech, said while it may surprise others, she knows exactly why Lubbock is so vain.

“I’m sure it has a lot to do with the college crowd,” Schubbe said. “FourSquare, just likea lot of social media sites, is focused on a younger demographic and Lubbock has that demographic.”

According to uncertified enrollment numbers, Texas Tech reported 32,327 students in Fall 2011.  Of those enrolled 29,058 were Texas residents and that’s where Schubbe, a Dallas-area native, said the beauty-obsession comes from.

“Lots of the girls here at Tech are from Houston, Dallas, Austin, image-conscious places,” Schubbe said. “That’s just how we grew up.”

But Dr. Jeff Larsen, an associate professor in Tech’s psychology department, said the beauty obsession isn’t as harmless as it seems. “I can’t imagine how it’s a good thing,” Dr. Larsen said, “particularly if it leads to unhealthy behaviors such as eating disorders and sun tanning.” And what’s concerning are the girls, like Schubbe said, who just grew up that way. “Our personalities become crystallized in our mid-twenties,” Dr. Larsen said. “So people obsessed with beauty then are presumably likely to be obsessed with beauty later.”

So whether you think it’s just a fun polling or a serious social problem, one thing is clear…

Lubbock is beauty-obsessed.

Well, at least according to FourSquare.

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Delbert McDougal, CEO of McDougal Companies and Master Developer of the downtown revitalization project said downtown Lubbock can be renewed to mirror Times Square.

“There are a lot of things that can be done which could really mirror (Times Square) with the theaters and the expectations of downtown and even to the type signage,” McDougal said. “Would it not be great to mirror Times Square? I think with vision we can do that, there’s no question about that.”

McDougal said the project will be similar to the Overton project, and even though it seems hard to believe it can become a reality.

“People like something different, but people are reluctant to do anything that is not part of the old plan,” McDougal said. “But as time goes on and you even heard this in the Overton project ‘it will never take place.’ Well it did. So in downtown Lubbock, we’ll do the same thing.”

According to McDougal the downtown revitalization project will cost over $1 billion and it will take place in 12 different phases. The first three phases will kick things off and they will run from Avenue Q all the way to I-27.

As McDougal explained the remaining phases will revitalize the Depot District and parts of 19^th Street. It all begins with phase one.

Putting all the utilities under ground.

City engineer Neil Welch said the goal of phase one is to make the alleys more pedestrian accessible and so far it’s on time and under budget.

“Phase one will cost a little over $2 million it’s projected to be finished in August and so far we are working along and we will finish it on time,” Welch said.

McDougal said that after phase one is completed, different builders will begin construction and in phase two and three the change will be noticeable.

“You are going to see really a city within a city, you are going to see new apartments like we did in the Overton. You are going to see the four-story apartment projects,” McDougal said.  “You are going to see additional hotels that will mirror the Overton hotel because of its proximity to the federal building and to downtown.”

McDougal said the project is targeted to Texas Tech students and employees downtown.

“Texas tech is the driving force of anything that is going to happen downtown, but when you add to the work force there’s 22,000 people working in the downtown area every day,” McDougal said. “When you add that to the medical industry it’s natural for downtown to become a vital source again.”

McDougal said since a big part of the project is targeted to Tech students there will be many new apartments as well as retail shops and a new movie theater.

“One of the first things will be a theater in the downtown area, and then the new apartments which would bring in your restaurants, strip centers, just shopping center areas that would really make it to have all of the things available were people would want to be and live around,” McDougal said.

Welch said the downtown revitalization will not only be Red and Black but also green – meaning environmentally friendly.

“They are looking at building more green buildings and green office buildings, making the whole area more eco-friendly,” said Welch, the city engineer.

Melody Starr, a graduate Tech student, said it sounds like it will be a big project and this might help lower unemployment in Lubbock.

“I think it will be a very big investment and it can create more jobs for people,” Starr said.

Starr said even though she didn’t know about the downtown revitalization project she thinks it’s cool – but believes it’s not worth the time and money.

“I’m not sure the population in Lubbock could use a mini version of Times Square downtown,” Starr said. “I think it will take a long time to renovate downtown and I don’t think the investment is worth it – and if it is then it will take a long time to see the payback.”

McDougal explained that any investment the city would put in would be multiplied in return and the only thing the city is involved in is to get all underground utilities in place.

“The city would most likely issue bonds,” McDougal said. “However the money would be recovered as you bring in new properties, the taxes from those new properties will actually fund that money back to the city as it moves forward.”

“A project of that nature (will take a) minimum of 10 years and quite honestly by completion you will see close to 15 years,” McDougal said. “The phases will move at the count of a snails’ pace for a while until we can get the utilities underground so we can start rebuilding the area.”

McDougal said that in the Overton project around 400 new jobs were created and for this project he expects to see thousands of new jobs because the people are basically there.

“When you start bringing all of the people back into downtown you could be talking about literally thousands of new job opportunities in the area,” McDougal said. “Lubbock is truly the city to watch for over the next 25 years.”

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Striet from Lubbock, has been playing Chess for six years and competes for national rankings within the USCF (United States Chess Foundation).  He hoped to add trophy number eleven to his collection at this latest tournament hosted by Tech’s Susan Polgar Institute for Chess Excellence (SPICE).

The event took place on Saturday, April 14, in the Matador Room in the Student Union Building.  This was the largest turnout SPICE has had yet with over 140 participants enrolled to play for the weekend.

Competitors traveled from as far away as El Paso to be at this event. The event hosted students grades K-12, some being rated and unrated games.

Matt Ugarte, an 18-year-old senior from El Paso Texas Burgess High School, attended the tournament for the first time.  “Chess is all about staying calm and not showing emotion throughout the game, you have to let your opponent think you are always calm.”

Susan Polgar knows her next move. She will be taking a job in St. Louis at Webster University. The catch is all seven of her Grand Masters are following her lead in the move due to scholarships being offered. St. Louis is considered the chess capital of United States according to the Associated Press. It’s also home to an elegant chess club which opened in 2008.

“I feel like my leaving is timely, it is the swift kick Texas Tech needed to get the funding chess needed”, said Polgar at Saturday’s tournament.

Being ranked the in top fifteen women to ever play chess, she helped Tech become a chess powerhouse after she was hired in 2007. Polgar was also the first woman to break the gender barrier, qualifying for the Men’s World Chess Championship at the age of 16. She is a grand master, as are all seven members of her “A” team of chess players.

All of them will be transferring with her.

“I have accomplished a lot,” Polgar said. “Fifteen national championships with Tech, two regional and two state titles.  I am optimistic that Texas Tech will strive in chess. Although I am sad about leaving I feel like I am leaving a legacy.”

Although Texas Tech is losing the namesake of the SPICE Institute, the Knight Raiders will remain.  That’s the name of the chess club on campus, which predated Polgar’s arrival .

“The Knights are not going anywhere, Susan and S.P.I.C.E can do what they want” said Dr. Haraldur “Hal” Karlsson, advisor to the Knights since 2003. “I plan on continuing for a while.”

Karlsson is a professor in Geosciences at Texas Tech and has been working closely with Polgar since the beginning of her term.  They have been recruiting on tournaments and to support each others’ organizations. “If Susan wants to leave for a better opportunity then that is her choice, and by all means go for it!”

Current chess player and Tech student Ananya Roy, 20, plans to stay at Texas Tech. “I was recruited from Corpus Christi on a scholarship,” said the junior Political Science major. “And I know that all the remaining team members that are staying here are doing so because they have to finish school, like me, and are too far in to pick up and leave.”

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Dr. Michael Galyean, current dean, took office on April 1. He said he has been involved with Tech for the past 14 years and has been interim dean since July when Dr. John Burns retired after a 40-year career with Texas Tech and a five-year stint as dean. The transition from interim dean to acting dean was relatively easy due to his familiarity with the school.

“I was already familiar with important people on campus,” Galyean said. “I also had a good idea of how the college was meant to operate and where the college was headed for the future. I have had a much easier time making the transition than other candidates might have.”

The selection process began in September when a job posting was posted on Tech’s website and various other educational career sites. Tech Provost Bob Smith was put in charge of the selection process. A committee made up of faculty, students and various agricultural personalities from the Lubbock area were given the duty of selecting the new dean.

Loni Woolley, a senior animal science major from Grandview, Texas, was one of two students selected for the committee. Woolley said she was recommended by a professor to be a part of the committee.

“It was very intimidating to be in charge of someone’s future like that,” Woolley said. “I was the only undergraduate on the committee and I was nervous to be sitting next to the Provost and Chancellor. It was a great learning experience, though.”

Dr. Steve Fraze, professor of agriculture, was also part of the selection committee. Fraze said the selection process took around six months to complete. Fraze said Skype interviews were a part of the selection process.

“We subjected all of our semi-finalists to a Skype interviews,” Fraze said. “The whole committee sat in one room and we had a two hour video interview with each candidate. I’ve never been on the website before and it was cool to use it during our selection process.”

During the selection process, the final three candidates were brought to campus for a weekend-long interview. Galyean said his weekend interview was set up a little differently because he was already on campus.

“I took over as interim dean in July after Dr. Burns left,” Galyean said. “I was obviously on campus during the selection process and my weekend interview was spread out over a week in order to accommodate the committee and their schedules. I did enjoy the slower pace of a week interview compared to a weekend interview.”

Woolley said she appreciated the chance to represent the undergradutes of her college. There was also a graduate student on the committee. “I was honored to represent the voices of my fellow classmates,” Woolley said. “I have heard in class or the halls things my classmates were looking for in a new dean. I tried to remember this when making my selection and I think we accomplished that.” She said the best-rounded candidate was selected.

Galyean said he selected three areas of agriculture for the college to concentrate on during his time as dean: Cotton production, sustainability and water issues.

“Lubbock is under a tremendous drought right now,” Galyean said. “I was also here last summer during that drought. It is very important to the college as a whole to look at these issues concerning water because it doesn’t look like it is getting any better.”

Galyean said he is looking forward to getting local Lubbock farmers involved with the college. He is also trying to get various other colleges and their agriculture programs to work together on projects with Tech.

“Texas A&M has a strong agriculture department,” Galyean said. “Our college has built a relationship with that school and we are planning to work with them in the near future. I also want to get Lubbock involved with the college and I think that could be a great partnership for the future.”

Fraze said Galyean was hired because he was the total package. Galyean was familiar with the university and was the best fit out of the remaining three candidates that were brought to campus. Fraze said Galyean has gotten off to a good start.

“I have already seen Dr. Galyean make moves to better the college,” Fraze said. “Revising curriculum is always a pain but Galyean has taken on the responsibility well and I am looking forward to some of the things he has in store.”