Education Connection

Vol. 1 Issue 1

EDUCATION CONNECTION

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Education Connection

EduCation cOnnection N T E N T S

Introduction .....................................3 Safety NOT Guaranteed...................4 Are you afraid of the dark?..............8 Adverting Tragedy..........................10

That Don’t Impress Me Much.......12 CAMP to a Future...........................16

Education Connection is a monthly student publication aimed at providing in-depth quality evaluation of all aspects of education Writer/Editor Writer/Photographer Writer/Photographer Writer Writer

Justin Elizalde Kassy Lara Xavier Alvarez Amanda Garcia Jay McCallum

Quizlet: Helpful or Hurtful?..........17 A 21st Century Approach..............18 Seed of Synergy.............................20

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Vol. 1 Issue 1

I N T R O D U C T I O N

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his year has been one for the history books. The announcement of free tutiton from the biggest Hispanic-Serving-Institution in Texas is by far the biggest accomplishment. Yet, education still has its fair share of issues to work on.

Student safety has been questioned multiple times with the lack of patrol officers on both Brownsville and Edinburg campuses in the evening or even students being injured or killed when crossing the street. Some buildings on the Edinburg campus can’t even be locked in the event of an active shooter. Tsk tsk, UTRGV. The value of going to college still remains a big question to incoming and current students wondering if their degree is even going to pan out.

With a ever competitive job market, some graduates are resorting to finding any job that will just hire them.

The age of the internet has allowed much advancement in the way we approach education. It has created a pathway for students who once weren’t able to get into the classroom due to work, kids, or jobs, the opportunity to expand their knowledge.

Like with all good intentions, bad follows right behind. Websites like Quizlet have created the mindset that studying is a thing of the past since most answeres are available online. That comes in the question, are instructors to blame?

The CAMP program continues to serve miPhoto by Justin Elizalde grant farm workers 20 years later as a opportunity for higher education. The program serves to allow students to not have to worry about struggling through college while also showing them there is a life beyond the Valley.

Lastly, there are some positives that have come in eduation. Fore example, without higher education, we wouldn’t be allowed the opportunity for things like conservation. Dr. Andrew McDonald has found the answer to begining the conservation of an area of the Rio Grande Valley that while not many may know, is crcuial to our area.

UTRGV continues to grow and with growth comes learning lessons. We are proud to present you the first edition of Education Connection.

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Education Connection

Safety

NOT Guaranteed Photos and Story by Xavier Alvarez

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Vol. 1 Issue 1 rosswalks are designed to safely direct pe-

tors in causing the accident, according to court documents.

destrians who are crossing a road. They are

The driver who hit Castillo, Carlos Valdez Jr., testified

engineered with signs along the road warn-

that neither the sign nor the crosswalk markings contributed

ing drivers about potential pedestrians, precautionary tactics

to his failure to stop. Valdez mentioned that he had stopped

implemented to prevent any sort of vehicular-pedestrian ac-

for pedestrians at the same crosswalk “many times” and that

cidents.

“it was second nature at [that] point.” When asked whether This does not mean one’s safety is guaranteed.

any of the allegations Castillo had made, such as obstructed yield signs or faded pavement markings, were contributing

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg

factors to him hitting Castillo, Valdez said “no,” court docu-

has crosswalks around the main campus on West University

ments show.

Drive, North Sugar Road, West Schunior Street and North 4 th Avenue with West Van Week Street cutting through the mid-

Despite being hit, Castillo’s lawsuit against the

dle. Those are five potential roads a person could be killed

school and city had little leverage as his riding over a cross-

crossing on their way to class.

walk automatically put him in the wrong.

In September, an 18-year-old man was struck cross-

According to the UTRGV’s Department of Environmen-

ing Sugar Rd. and University Dr. by a female driver, according

tal Health, Safety and Risk Management, “it is recommended

to CBS 4 News. Luckily, the man only sustained some minor

that cyclists dismount their bicycle when crossing at a cross-

injuries and the driver did not flee the scene. Not all students

walk.” To this day, many students and bicyclists disregard this

are as fortunate.

rule along with other safety standards such as jay walking.

Carlynn Beatty, a 19-year-old Texas A&M University-Commerce sophomore student, was walking home early in the morning on Sept. 14 with her college roommates on campus when she was struck by a vehicle. An intoxicated 17-yearold, drunk and high on cocaine and Xanax, fled the scene after the crash. Beatty was airlifted to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston under critical condition. She had up to four extensive surgeries before succumbing to her injuries a few days later.

In Beatty’s case, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. In other instances, not everything is as black and white.

In 2013, back when UTRGV was the legacy institution known as The University of Texas-Pan American, there was a student struck while riding his bike through a crosswalk on Sugar Rd. The student, Mason Castillo, filed a lawsuit against

A student remains mounted on his bicycle crossing on Sugar Rd. in front of Troxel Hall dormitories while two students utilize designated crosswalks.

the city of Edinburg and UTPA. Castillo alleging that faded crosswalk marks and the position of a yield sign were key fac-

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Education Connection West Schunior Street is a notorious site of jay walk-

on my brakes and it seemed like he didn’t see me, or he just

ing between the Zone 3 parking lot, ROTC and the Medical

wasn’t paying attention. Either way, if I hit him, I wouldn’t

Education Building. The road is also dangerous due to the

have been in the wrong, I just would’ve felt really bad.”

rising morning sun blinding drivers who are traveling east-

A 2018 article by UTRGV The Rider mentions that

bound.

campus police were to begin fining jay walkers. Raul Mun“When I come down [Schunior] in the mornings, I

guia, UTRGV Chief of Police, said that sanctioning those who

sometimes can’t see because the sun is hitting directly at my

commit crossing violations could help campus police end this

eyes,” Ricardo Sanchez said. “What’s crazy is some (pedestri-

student behavior.

ans) don’t look when they cross too, and I think that’s very

“Our goal is to maintain a safe campus,” Munguia

dangerous.”

said. The fines for a violation can reach up to $500.

Jay walkers also plague the UTRGV Brownsville cam-

The article also mentioned another instance where a

pus and as Justin Elizalde, a UTRGV junior, says it has caused

student bicyclist was hit by a staff member’s car when cross-

many near misses.

ing the university’s Recreation Center crosswalk. The student

“I remember one time at night I was leaving my eve-

suffered a bruised ankle.

ning class coming down University Blvd. and I almost hit a

male student,” Elizalde said. “It was not as lit as it is now,

The fines must not have had an impact on

student behavior, if they were truly implemented. Many stu-

and he was coming through the median and was hidden by

dents still jaywalk to their class and continue violations of

the palm trees. I was going 30 miles an hour and I slammed

road safety regulations.

Safety continues to be an

issue among students and those driving through the campus roads. It is up to individuals to take responsibility for their wellbeing. The best way to stay safe is to follow regulations, such as dismounting a bike and looking both ways before walking on a cross walk, and if any questions need to be answered, students can visit the Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management page on the university’s website.

Two students jay walk across Sugar Road as oncoming traffic approaches. A student crossing this same road was hit back in 2013 and atttempted to sue for damages and lost.

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Vol. 1 Issue 1

THE DO’S AND DONT’S OF CROSSWALK SAFETY

A student crossing on West Schunior St. in front of ROTC building.

This has become a pressing issue in student safety as drivers are not required to stop for thses pedestrians

Students crossing using designataed crosswalks on Van Weeks St. from a student parking lot.

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Education Connection

ARE YO U AFRA ID O F T HE DA RK? Photo by Ty William Wright for the New York Times

Two female students walk from together from their classes at Ohio State University.. Though convient for modern-day students, night classes have brough on new concerns of campus safety as the ever-looming threat of what can happen when the sun sets down on campuses across the country and here at home in the Rio Grande Valley.

Ana Guzman, a University of Texas Rio Grande Valley student, expressed her concerns about being on campus at ight classes have their benefits. They are easier night. for those who work during the day and more convenient for those who would prefer not to “I don’t really have any other option,” Guzman says. “I be up at the break of dawn for class. They also offer flexibility work all day and the only way to really get my degree is through that classes during the day might not have. Night classes fit the night classes. The number of stories I’ve heard from other girls needs of many, but there are cons that some may not consider. scares me. I’m a little paranoid about being here at night. I try Most would worry about the length of their days becoming lon- to always have someone walk with me, but obviously that can’t ger or whether or not they can even stay up long enough to get always be guaranteed.” through the class, but one aspect to consider is nighttime safety.

On Oct. 24 2019, UTRGV sent out a notification alertA number of college campuses are open and allow any- ing students that a female student had been sexually assaulted one to walk around without having to prove whether they are in the parking lot on Oct. 22. According to the UTRGV’s 2019 students or not. This means all types of people can be walking Security and Fire safety reports, there were six reported cases around campus and nobody would be any wiser. But it’s not of stalking, two cases of rape, and two cases of fondling on the always strangers that are the culprits. 80% of campus crime is Edinburg campus in 2018. committed by students according to the Clery Center for Secu“Knowing that most of these attacks are by students rity on Campus. The threat gets more serious at night with less that go here is so unsettling. I always worried about this being people around.

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By Amanda Garcia

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Vol. 1 Issue 1 an open campus. Anyone can be walking around, you know? But to know it’s the people that are actually enrolled here is scary.”

Guzman says the reports did little to ease her worries. “Sure, there’s less reports, but that just makes me think about what goes unreported.”

supposed to be okay with coming out here at night and knowing only one person is out there to try and protect us? During the day it already takes them more than half an hour to arrive for little things like a dent in your car. The parking ticket people work faster than them. So how is that any help when I’m being attacked? You can’t just tell someone to hold off for a minute so the cops can get a head start.”

The University Police have a Frequently Asked Question page in which they answer students’ concerns over how to stay safe at night that include always having a friend with you, not using headphones, and to walk in well-lit areas. They also include their number in case you need an escort to your destination.

UTRGV has also endorsed the use of Campus Shield, an app that “adds an additional layer of safety to your campus experience.” Not all students are aware of this app, though. In a Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) presentation by the UTRGV Police Department, there were twenty-one students in the room. When Yamile Sarkis, a police officer for the city of Edinburg, asked about whether or not they knew about the Campus Shield app, only three raised their hands.

“It’s an extremely helpful app,” Officer Sarkis starts, “You might think that you can just call 911 when you have an emergency, but adrenaline is rushing, and you can’t always get ahold of yourself. With the app all you have to do is hold it down and it’ll call us. It sends us your location; it allows you to text. It’s a very important tool to have.”

The app includes features such as an emergency button that sends accurate location information to police in an emergency, the option to text if calling is not ideal, and FriendWatch - a setting that allows you to pre-set a timer that notifies emergency contacts if not disabled after the time limit.

Jessica Molina, a UTRGV student, has been going to night classes on both campuses for three years. She didn’t know about the Campus Shield app until this Fall semester.

“I just don’t know if the app is enough,” Molina says.

“I’ve seen men following girls around at night. I think about what would have happened if I wasn’t there to start walking with them all the time. An app isn’t going to help when someone bigger than you is restraining you. It’s good to have, don’t get me wrong, but maybe for smaller emergencies like a flat tire or something medical. What I wish there was here at school was a stronger police presence.”

Molina notes that during the day she sees police walking all around campus, but once night comes, she can’t recall a single moment when she’s seen any.

“I was listening to a discussion in my class and one of the students said there was only one officer assigned for this whole campus at night. Just one. How is that safe? How are we

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Education Connection

adverting tragedy

preparing for mass shooting saves lives to ward of shooters. Desks can be thrown if the person can do so. It should continue to be stressed, that unless necessary no one should engage an active shooter.

By Kassy Lara

The prevalence of school shootings has taken center stage in collective conversations of people. Some lawmakers and the public are attempting to find ways to prevent causalities in mass shooting Officer Dan Sanchez of the Edinburg Police Department since the day of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999.. Com- states engaging a shooter should always be “a last resort…” He conbinations of law enforcement experts and educational professionals tinues, “you are not Rambo. Leave the engagement of the shooter to have developed procedures and tips to follow if a person is caught the trained officers unless it is a life or death situation.” up in a school shooting. While nothing is guaranteed, following the While trying to escape a shooting situation or engaging with advice of experts can greatly increase a person’s chance of survival. a school shooter seem like the good options, they often do not work Schools are buildings composed of many hallways and as well as people think. Many times, the best option is finding a serooms. This makes getting through one almost like trying to navigate cure place to hide, such as a supply closet. Shooters are often looking a maze. The confusion can be amplified by the shock and adrenaline for easy targets. These are those running aimlessly through hallways one may experience in a life-threatening situation. One of the most or are not very well hidden. Most shooters will not go rummaging important things a person should be aware of in order to be safe through every possible hiding space to find their next victim. As notduring an active shooter situation in a school is knowing where all the ed, schools have many different rooms, meaning ample amount of exits are, along with secure places to hide. spaces to hide.

“It is always smart to be aware of exits at all times.” Alex Often hiding is a good idea, but sometimes leaving the Mata, a UTRGV security guard says. “Maps of the school are located space is not an option. This may be because the shooter is nearby or everywhere and online as well…” he continues. “Knowledge of exits because those hiding are unaware where the shooter is. In this case is the difference between life and death in any emergency, especially the best thing to do would be to barricade a hiding place. a school shooting.”

“Classrooms are filled to the brim with objects that can barThis may seem like an obvious piece of advice, but it is im- ricade a door.” Dr. Jerry Polinard, a UTRGV political science professor, portant to be noted none the less. If a situation does occur the best says. “Unfortunately, professors are not provided keys to classrooms chance at survival is simply to completely remove yourself from the so locking doors is not an option. Because of this, the next best solushooting altogether. tion is barricading.”

Even though it is never recommended that someone engage and active shooter, there may be a time where confrontation is necessary. These situations are rare during a mass shooting, but if engaging is the only option it is important to know what options a person has. Everyday objects that a person brings to school may become weapons in a fight for survival. Backpacks, especially those filled with textbooks, may become a blunt object used to fend off an attacker.

Straps on the bag makes it easy for it to be swung or thrown if need be.

Other objects which may provide protection are things such as pencils and pens. Often, they have pointed tips which may be used to injure a shooter. For those who are capable, heavier objects may also be used

Things like desks, chairs, tables, bookshelves and other things are what Polinard references as items that can be used to barricade a door. There are even companies that are developing door jams that fit on the underside of a door or in the swing arm above the door.

School shootings, or any form of mass shooting, are chaotic and unpredictable events which have the capability of ending numerous lives. There are no sure ways to stop a mass shooting but there are ways to reduce the numbers of casualties if proper training is followed. Listening to advice from experts may make all the difference in the survival of one of these events.

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Vol. 1 Issue 1

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Education Connection

That don’t impress me much why college graduates are finding it harder to begin careers

Photos and story by Justin Elizalde

weight and balance, fuel loads, things like that.”

wo model Boeing 767s sit on a glass shelf inside a curio cabinet. Just below the planes is a model semi-truck with a FedEx branded trailer. Other memorabilia fill the cabinet and each piece tells part of the story of John Alan Ramiro, senior operations manager of Ground and Air Operations for FedEx Express — but just call him John. Ramiro is a part of an America long past when experience was a college degree and working hard guaranteed you movement in a career. Now, college students are graduating with alarming amounts of debts and no clear path to start their careers. The biggest cause is students lacking what Ramiro had, real world experience.

In 1988, Flying Tigers was acquired by Federal Express which became the world’s largest full-service cargo airline. Ramiro started as the equivalent of his previous position with FedEx which is a ramp agent, the highest paid hourly position. He rose quickly through the ranks as he says FedEx is a believer of quick promotion, so long as you have the education and experience.

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“FedEx is very big on promotion from within,” Ramiro said. “At that time, you had to have a two-year Associate’s degree or equivalent. Your military time counted as part of the count of the equivalent and work experience. You had to have two years college and four years’ work experience minimum. So, if you started from scratch you would have to have eight years with the company from the day you walked in.”

Coming from a small town in Texas, Ramiro’s life has taken him on a journey just like the packages that pass through his facility in Harlingen, Texas.

Ramiro graduated from high school in 1984 and immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army. He wanted to go to college and even had the grades but funding his education was just something that was not possible at the time. His parents couldn’t afford to send him to college so he joined the armed forces as a way to guarantee a future for himself.

“Back then it wasn’t as easy to go to college,” Ramiro said. “It wasn’t as easy to get the funding to go to college. You either had a GI Bill or your parents had money or could apply for loans. But back then you needed to have credit to get a loan, they weren’t just going to give you a student loan. So, it was a little more difficult. There were a lot of people that went to college but not like now.”

He says less than 50% of his graduating class attended college. The Army provided Ramiro with a stable income and training and something he could have made a career out of. But just three-and-a-half years into his service, fate would lead him to the woman he would later marry, Anjelica. Before he asked for her hand in marriage, he asked a more important question — did she want him to reenlist? He felt the decision should be theirs because any decision they made he believed should be made as one. She didn’t envision herself as a military wife so after his time was up, he was honorably discharged.

TIGERS CAN FLY? After his discharge, Ramiro set his sights on finding a job that would provide for him and his new wife and the family that they planned to have. At 22, he started with Flying Tigers, the U.S.’s first scheduled cargo airline, out of El Paso, TX. His training with the Army helped to prepare him for his new role.

A glass curio cabinet sits filled with FedEx memorbilia and awards given to John Ramiro. His paths in life have taken him on a 31 year journey with the company and he feels he would make the decision again.

“It was difficult to find a job at first,” Ramiro said. “It’s always easy to find a new job when you have a job. It’s harder to find a job when you don’t have a job, that’s still true today. I started with Flying Tigers as a load master with them because I was a certified load master in the military. I would process loads,

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Vol. 1 Issue 1 Ramiro says that because of his time with the company and his training he was able to meet the standards of promotion and move into a manager track that would then lead him to his current role. FedEx offers its employees tuition reimbursement as a means to 1.) motivate their employees to continue their education while not worrying about expense and 2.) to ensure that they can possible utilize their employee’s education in the company. He says it has helped to promote a loyalty to the company but they are not held to any sort of binding agreement to stay. Work experience and loyalty is something Ramiro says is not something all too common now.

AN ECHOED SENTIMENT Although inspiring, Ramiro’s success story isn’t a unique one. As we stand in an eclectic mix of modern, traditional, and contemporary furniture at the Lack’s Valley Furniture Galleria in McAllen, the Rio Grande Valley’s staple for fine furniture, Hector Padilla recalls how he started at the company over 30 years ago in 1985.

When he was just 16 years old he started at the Lack’s Auto and Home Supply warehouse in Harlingen. After graduating from Harlingen High School in 1984 and never gave college a second thought. The son of migrant workers, Padilla knew the labor of success. He would later become a delivery driver leading to warehouse manager and as the company expanded he became a store manager for Lack’s Valley Furniture in Harlingen, later McAllen, then Brownsville, and now is the current Director of Customer Service and Sustainability out of their Pharr offices.

“It wasn’t always easy and sometimes you think back if you made the right choices.” Padilla said. “Dad instilled in us that when there is a will there is a way. Mom came from a small ranch town in Linares, Nuevo Leon, Mexico and she worked until she became disabled due to her vision. They taught all of us to always work and work hard.

“I teach my daughters that every chance I get because although I found success in my life, it’s not something that is heard all too common now. Amanda, my oldest, graduated from Schreiner University and now she works at a law office down in McAllen. When she was looking for work she wanted to start immediately start at a mid-level. I told her that no one starts climbing a mountain from the middle. You start on the ground and work your way up. She has learned that though college has helped it, it’s not the defining force for finding a job.”

WHAT’S CHANGED? Ramiro and Padilla made it without college so what’s changed? According to the United States Census Bureau, 25.5% of people ages 25+ living in Texas in 1999 completed a bachelor’s level degree. That number rose by 1.2% a decade later in 2009 to 26.7% of Texas residents attaining a bachelor’s level degree. Today, roughly 27% of Texas has a bachelor’s degree or higher. The number has only increased by one percent more or less over the past 20 years.

A recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of college enrollment and work activity of recent high school graduates in 2018 shows that although roughly 75% of students who recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree were employed, they would be less employable than students with an advanced de-

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gree. Ramiro says hirability is still based on the age-old belief that a good candidate needs to show an employer experience, skills, and good work ethic, something that he feels not many students have.

“Say you’re going to college and it came down to two candidates and Candidate A has worked for FedEx all through college Candidate B hasn’t,” Ramiro said. “Candidate B graduated top of his class but Candidate A who worked with FedEx through college may have graduated middle of the road, but he graduated.

Who do you think we’re going to higher for a manager’s position? We’re going to higher the person who has work experience and he understands what’s going on. Here’s the biggest problem, a bachelor’s degree now is the same as a high school diploma, it doesn’t mean anything. Because you walk in the door and a lot of the young people who get their bachelors’ degree and think they need to be the boss, the problem being, they don’t know anything. You have no work experience, much less in this industry. (FedEx) Express is regulated by every government agency out there. We deal with Federal Aviation Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation, everything you can think.

“We have people, engineers, that are hired off the street because they are difficult to attain and they’ll hire them off the street with no working knowledge. I know more than they know. Actually, they’re useless to me.” ­ — John Ramiro “So, you have no experience nor do you have leadership. Candidate A may have started as a handler and moved up to a courier or started as a handler and moved up to a take leadership positions within the handers. You’re gaining leadership experience because you’re learning to lead people. So that person that comes in, not only do they have the degree that we helped them get, they have a working understanding of what’s going on even if it’s just here in this area. Every location is similar but also unique depending on the type of customers you have, whole nine yards. You know what’s going on. Plus they also have a basic leadership skills that we can work off of versus the guy coming off the street that was in college the whole time who never had a job, never possessed any type of leadership skills, we have a blank page here with no type of knowledge of what they possess as far as if they can be built up where as our candidate has been working for us the entire time so we’re going to help them along.”

THE REAL COST With the push on people to go to college, is the enormous price tag and lack of job security worth it anymore? Well, that may depend on who we ask.

According to the US Census Bureau, in 1999 the median household income was $41,994 has since steadily increased by roughly $10,000 every decade. However, that’s likely due to rising cost of living combined with inflation. The gap between

Education Connection

John Ramiro becomes a certified load master in the Army which is the stepping stone to land a job with Flying Tigers after discharging.

He says this Army training is what was able to guarantee him a job and he states that these necessary skills are what many graduates lack. college degree holders and high school graduates has remained roughly the same at about $18,000 more with a degree. As students prepare for graduation, the looming fear of student loans and becoming a part of the workforce is on the minds of many like Senior Viviana Garza, 21, who will be graduating from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in the fall of 2019 with her Bachelor degree in Mass Communication. She has attended various job fairs aimed at graduating seniors and has left feeling more worried than confident.

“It’s really crazy how little I was able to find anything,” Garza said. “Almost none of the jobs they were showing at these fairs were in my field and those that were wanted at least some level of experience. I worked while I was in school but I only did a year in something related to what I want to do which is advertising and public relations. I applied at Target just to get my foot in the door somewhere while I find work. I went for an interview and I even told them a white lie that I wasn’t graduating with

my degree yet just so I could stand some sort of chance of getting in because they automatically assume I’m going to want some crazy pay. I don’t, I just want to work.”

Companies like Target and FedEx prefer to hire someone with experience in the industries they service or at least a basic working knowledge of it. However, as Ramiro points out, it’s difficult to hire a candidate that lacks work experience and has never worked through college because they often hold unrealistic expectations.

“I deal with a lot of customers and a lot of people that have positions because they have a degree,” Ramiro said. “We have people, engineers that are hired off the street because they are difficult to attain and they’ll hire them off the street with no working knowledge. I know more than they know. Actually, they’re useless to me.” When asked about the cost of training and the cost to a company he explained, “In some ways it does (cost a com-

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pany to train a fresh employee versus a seasoned employee). They have to set caps on the salary. If you get somebody that’s an experienced engineer they’re not going to take an entry level position.

These are positions for people who we take straight out of college to get some working knowledge and you’re out of there because the demands engineers have with us are very high. Of course, they’re lazy — bottom line.

People coming out of college, coming out of high school are lazy. It’s entitlement. There’s a lot of it because they’ve been babied all their lives.

They’ve been told ‘they deserve’. The only thing you deserve is what you work for. I’m not saying everybody’s like that. I’ve got 160 employees and I’ve got a handful of them that I could get rid of today, but they fill the void. They’ll never go anywhere with the company, but they do enough to keep the other ones from killing themselves. And you’ll have others that come in they kill themselves everyday they do more. They go above and beyond. If companies

Vol. 1 Issue 1

MORE MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS?

Source: U.S. Census Bureau Mean household income continues to rise since 1999. However, most of the rise is due to increased cost of living combined with inflation. On average, a person graduating with a bachelor’s degree can expect to make $23,000 more than that of a non-degree holder.

think they can build their business model without discretionary effort, they’re a fool. If everybody did exactly what they were supposed to do and never gave a little more, they’ll never make it. Discretionary effort plays a big role in it.”

stuck to it. The only way you changed your job, and you felt bad about doing it, was because you offered an opportunity that you didn’t have a possibility of getting at this other company. And when you left that company, they hated to see you go.

“Unfortunately, every year that goes by it gets harder to control our overhead costs and operations because people aren’t willing to step up. So, the percentage each year goes down and, in some ways, depending on how you view things some people view it as a good thing. Because that opens WHAT NOW? doors for you to come in and be valuable within the Ramiro exmarket. Doesn’t mean plains that yearly the you’re more credible, cost of his overhead doesn’t mean you know operations rises as he more, just means you’re has less and less people willing to step up to the willing to step up and plate. Anyone who goes take control. He says it’s into the workforce now because less people are and shows discretionary loyal to their work and effort or willingness to more loyal to their own learn can be taught. I bottom line. don’t mean to be tak“Companies en the wrong way. You struggle now because should value education people are not willing to but you shouldn’t come go above and beyond,” out of college, high Ramiro said. “They have school, even the miliSource: U.S. Census Bureau no loyalty, they’re loyalty tary trying to come in Bachelor degree attainment continues to rise inthe United States but many graduates are being faced is to their paycheck and you with the difficulty of finding a job in a tough market where having employable skills, not just education, like you should be able to see people changing jobs come in and run it because is becoming a greater neccessity. constantly now. Whereas you have no experience.” before you got a job and

GETTING A BACHELOR’S

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Education Connection

Quizlet: Helpful or Hurtful?

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley student. “I just memorize the answers for the questions and go down from what I have to what the site has which makes it really easy for me to study with”.

This however can create problems because Quizlet is not verified or monitored for accuracy. Students don’t realize this when they are reviewing the answers and are often left with the short end of the stick when it comes time to grading.

“I remember I was using Quizlet for my art history final and I was finding almost everything on there,” Audrie Montemayor, a Texas State Technical College student, said. “Then when I submitted my test I saw my grade and my jaw fell. I had failed it almost completely and when I went back to review the answers Quizlet had versus what the book said, it was all wrong.”

Michell Godinez, a UTRGV Mass Communication instructor, explains that the site can be useful, if used correctly by the student.

Photo by Kassy Lara A UTRGV student using a Apple TV to search for answers to a test on Quizlet, the popular online studying wesbite. Many students turn to Quizlet as an aid in tests because more often than not, answers are on there.

By Jay McCalum The age of the internet has brought many advancements in our day and age. It allows us to quickly connect to a person across the globe, order groceries from the convinenve of our home, and allowed for studying in high school and college to take a step into the modern age with the creation of Quizlet.

Quizlet is a website and app that helps you study for anything and everything. You create an account and begin creaeting a study set. The study set then allows you to study with digital flashcard, create games, and take mock tests to better prepare for your next quiz or test.

But this has also created a modern day problem with students utilizing the website to be able to quickly type in a question from a test or quiz they are taking and likely finding a study set with the answers inside.

This is likely due to the use of the same material at other campuses across the country using the same material and instructors creating their tests or quizzes from the book’s provided test bank. Not all students use the site to cheat, some just use it to verify what they are studying.

“Quizlet is really resourceful when it comes to studying for exams,” explains Melissa Vergara, a

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“I think when used as a study tool it can be helpful, but if some are putting up entire exams with answers then I don’t condone it,” Godinez said. “Students are using it to find answers instead of looking at their notes or reading their textbooks. It’s just an easy way out.”

The term “Quizlet-proof” has become a term used by some instructors that make sure to create their own questions and answers for exams to prevent students from cheating. There have even been computer applications like LockDown browser which completely lock a student into a test once it’s begun.

“When I was taking a history class during my first year of college, my professor explained that we can use online sources but we really weren’t going to find much stuff online because he made sure you couldn’t find them,” Kate Wallace, a TSTC Education student said. “He also said to use our notes because that’s what the notes are for. I even had some classes that made us use LockDown which was frustrating because I had to have it on my computer but I understand the need for it.”

Vol. 1 Issue 1

a 21st century approach

Photo by Justin Elizalde Deciree Deciga, left, and Malorie Castillo study for a nursing exam final. Their course is a hybrid course with a portion of the course dedicated to traditional lectures and the remaining portion of homework is assigned through Blackboard. Some students feel this helps in the long run to eliminate waste and being able to take time to fully understand the subject matter.

By Jay McCalum

hybrid course. Yet, she does recall the days as a student in a hybrid course.

When students think of college, most would picture the idea that Hollywood has given them. Large lecture halls full of , professors that chant Socrates or mathematical equations as easy as reading the instructions on a cake box, and students having lunch in the quad.

“The way my teachers structured it was in person they lectured, they asked you questions on the readings you were assigned and you did some type of activity in class,” Galvan explained. “Over that week with no class then you would do your own research and assignment in connection with the reading.”

This is not always the case and taking college courses has adapated the the twenty-first century. The inclusion of technology has allowed universities and colleges to create online and hybrid courses. An online course is designed to be completely internet-based with all assignments, readings, lectures and exams turned in on a website called Blackboard which is the student’s hub to all their courses.

Kenedy Narro, a UTRGV student, has taken online classes and prefers them since she can go at her own pace and not have to rush.

“I usually finish everything on time and quick as well since the professor puts more readings,” said Narro. “I tend not to procrastinate which helps with my grades coming out high”.

Hybrid courses were designed to be the sweet middle allowing for instructors to lecture traditionally in a classroom or hall and then have students complete assignments, tests, quizzes, and discussion questions online.

College courses have come a long way over the years with some online classes started being offered in the early 2000s, it now helps students plan their schedules and make it easier.

Michell Godinez, a UTRGV Mass Communication instructor, explains that the two courses can be convenient if the student is serious.

Jonathan Cruz, a University of Texas Rio Grande Valley student, enjoys what hybrid course are and what they offer for students.

“If a student is organized, an online class may be more convenient due to the fact that they can review material and submit assignments on their own schedule,” Godinez said.

“I honestly like the idea of hybrid classes because it allows students to see the professor and hear a lecture in person then turn in an assignment online,” Cruz explained.

Ayla Galvan, a English instructor at UTRGV, has never taught a

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Education Connection

CAMP to a future 20 years of service to migrant farm workers

By Justin Elizalde

T

he Statue of Liberty was a symbol of the start of a new life in a land of freedom and opportunity. Like the statue, the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) is a shining beacon of opportunity to migrant students attending The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

CAMP is designed to serve university freshmen who come from a migrant/seasonal farm worker background transition from high school to higher education. CAMP utilizes academic services, personal guidance and financial assistance to help students develop the skills necessary to succeed in their first year of college or university.

Dr. Beatriz Becerra-Barckholtz, executive director for UTRGV’s College Access Outreach Programs, said the program provides book scholarships and monthly stipends to qualifying students, who must complete monthly requirements. “They have to meet once a week with their mentors and they have to go to tutoring and prove they are attending,” Becerra-Barckholtz said.

Transitioning into college life is difficult for some and Beccera-Beckholtz says her program understands those issues. CAMP provides meetings with counselors, mentors, and directors in order to address any needs a student may have.

“It’s important to note Edinburg services 70 students and Brownsville services 55 students,” Beccera-Beckholtz said. “Sometimes we get students that come to our programs outside the area, so we offer up to 20 dorm scholarships for CAMP Brownsville. We believe this is part of what makes a student successful.

If they are close to campus they don’t have to be driving in and it relieves some pressure.”

“For academic needs, we would require them to possibly go to tutoring three times a week instead of two,” Beccera-Beckholtz said. “If they asses that they need help financially, then they look at potentially advancing the stipend.”

She explains that CAMP works on a case-by-case basis. “We have the ability to help them. We want them to see CAMP as an extended family.”

The opportunities don’t just end on campus. Every year, CAMP takes their students on a road trip to visit larger institutions like the University of Texas at Austin or Texas State University in San Marcos, TX. Beccera-Beckholtz says this is part of the program’s objective to expose the students not only to educational opportunities beyond a bachelor’s degree, but to a life beyond the Valley.

CAMP is made possible through a $2.125 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Education which funds five years’ worth of services. According to Beccera-Beckholtz, UTRGV has two grants thanks to the legacy institutions The University of Texas - Pan American and The University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College. In total, UTRGV receives 4.25 million dollars to fund CAMP at both institutions.

“Some of these students have never left the Valley,” Beccera-Beckholtz said. “Most of these students leave to work in the fields so when we take them to Austin, it’s an interesting experience because most of them are scared with things like traffic and class sizes, and they say ‘we couldn’t come to school here.’ — Our

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Vol. 1 Issue 1

Photo by UTRGV CAMP program Students in the College Assitance Migrant Prorgram at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley are afforded opportunites to attend college while also being able to continue working in migrant seasons. Students are also exposed to a life beyond the Valley in hopes of getting them motivated to continue their education into post-baccalarueate programs. goal is to push them to believe it is possible for them.”

The individual support is proven to help the students succeed, so CAMP is expected to provide this in upholding the USDOE’s accountability standards; CAMP is rated on whether students successfully complete 24 hours within their first year in college, and whether they reenlist for their sophomore year.

CAMP has been meeting those standards for over two decades in the Rio Grande Valley. The first CAMP grant was received by UTPA in 1972. From 1985 to 1999 there was a lapse in service so the program ceased. In 1999, the program was officially re-funded and has been continuously funded for the past 20 years.

This trip allows the students to experience a new culture and experience outside of university grounds. But for some however the experiences can be overwhelming.

“One of the trips we took them to P.F. Chang’s in Austin and they felt so awkward they were just like fish out of water,” Beccera-Beckholtz said. “One of the students said ‘ma’am quando van a traer las tortillas? (when are they going to bring the tortillas?) and I said ‘there are not tortillas here’ and she said ‘pos no nos gusta’ (well then we don’t like it.) We had to buy them pizza later on that night because most did not like the food but that’s ok because that’s part of exposing them to new things that they wouldn’t try on their own. The fact that we’re able to provide them with that opportunity is awesome.“

“With just new acquisitions, we’ve brought in over $30 million to the institution and we’re so proud of that because all of those monies go to the needy students and we have a lot of them in the Rio Grande Valley,” Beccera-Beckholtz said.

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Education Connection

SEED OF SYNERGY UTRGV Professor awarded funding for cross-border bio-conservation collaboration

By Justin Elizalde

Changing the Focus

Biodiversity is the Earth’s artistic canvas. Just take a mo-

Unfortunately, according to McDonald, this is one of the

ment and imagine no other color but grey, all but just one species least studied provinces of the Americas and one of the least studied of animal. It’s frightening to think but that’s what is happening

areas of Mexico.

to our world’s biodiversity. Regions of the world that were once

“We have this need to study so we can prioritize our con-

abundant with plant and animal life have become barren. It’s

servation activities and efforts and money, our limited resources,”

even happening in our own backyard - the Rio Grande Valley is in

McDonald said. “We have one of the least under-

a critically endangered area.

stood and rarest biotas of the world disappearing

The University of Texas Rio Grande

within a human generation and we need to get

Valley is located within a biological region

on it.”

called the Tamaulipan Biotic Province (TBP).

McDonald, an ethnobotanist – a person

The TBP is an area of 54,600 square miles that

who studies the practical use of plants in human

stretches from Del Rio, Texas down to Browns-

civilization – states that as it stands, a large area of

ville and out to the base of the Sierra Madre

the TBP has been drastically reduced.

Oriental, encompassing the northern part of

“Unfortunately, in South Texas we now

Tamaulipas, Mexico.

basically have 2% of its original distribution, and

This important geographic area con-

in Mexico it has gone from about 80% cover to

cerns Andrew McDonald, Ph.D., associate pro-

20% cover since about the mid-80s,” McDonald

fessor in UTRGV’s Department of Biology.

said. “It’s just disappearing before our very eyes before we even have

“We have a unique biota here,” McDonald said. a chance to study it. Part of it is due to agriculture conversion, ranch-

“The creatures here are found nowhere else in America, and in fact, ing, and urban sprawl - which is a big thing here.” the creatures found here have one of the smallest distributions in a

Let’s shake on it

bio-geographic province.

McDonald knew that more needed to be done to study

“In conservation, almost all the activities are in the birds and

the area, so he reached a hand across the border. He and Arturo

mammals. If we get diversity of healthy plant communities - that’s the

Mora Olivo, Ph.D., director of the Institute of Applied Ecology at the

closest assurance you have to conserving animals because they de-

Universidad Autonóma de Tamaulipas (UAT) in Mexico, have been

pend on specific plants.”

awarded a total of $27,130 from ConTex, a joint initiate between the

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Vol. 1 Issue 1 University of Texas System and Mexico’s CONACYT, the equivalent

and McDonald’s database will be the catalyst to opening a world be-

of the U.S.’s National Science Foundation. ConTex aims to promote yond our borders. He hopes this will be what the world needs to reasbi-national efforts for academic and research collaborations be-

sess where conservation efforts should begin.

tween Texas and Mexico.

“As it stands right now we do a lot of guessing to do our de-

“When I got here that was one of my main goals,” McDon-

cisions,” McDonald said. “With a modest sum, we’re going to be able

ald said. “I wanted to establish a link with our compañeros. It’s never to database. We’re going to have international workshops to get the been developed. We need more data and plant collection along the institutions collaborating with one another. border.”

“We’re using this as a model to expand this network from With this grant, McDonald and Olivo will be able to begin

Tamaulipas and Edinburg to include herbaria in northeast Mexico.

sharing a cross-border herbarium – a collection of preserved plant This includes Linares, Saltillo, Monterey, and Tampico. Northwest Mexspecimens – of the TBP. Both institutions have a modest amount of

ico has developed a consortium with Arizona State, so we are spear-

data on these complex issues and flora. The joint herbarium will cre- heading this for northeast Mexico and the U.S.” ate a baseline that has never been established.

“The idea is to get the two herbaria together and database all of our hard data,” McDonald said. “Every specimen has a label with the date, the site, ecological data. And the only way to share that data, historically, was to go there (Mexico), and we’ve never gone there.

Planting the seed

Now, researchers will have the technology to database that information and have it accessible on both sides of the river.

“We’re using Symbiota, a data basing platform that was developed by the NSF,” McDonald said. “There’s been a lot of investment in these platforms such that we can make information available at the touch of your keyboard.”

Symbiota allows biological communities to create and share resources that serve their communities. McDonald says this program will be what allows him and Olivo to communicate their data with one another.

Dr. Andrew McDonald, an ethnobotanist and biology professor at UTRGV, observes a species of plant in his herbarium that he will begin sharing oration between the two institutions. He says that one of the goals of with The Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas to create a cross-border the project is to begin to bring students together from both UTRGV herbaria. He hopes this will begin the conservation of the Tamaulipan Biotic Province that has been diminished over the past three decades. and UAT to have conversations and do joint projects to make informed McDonald states the grant will help plant a seed of collab-

decisions in conservation. The grant is set to last for about one year

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