Q&A with a UTRGV Tennis Player

Conque replied. “About 25% are from the Rio Grande Valley. … Our commitment is to always start at home and our coaches are committed to that. So now, fast forward and look at the potential of another 130 to 140 opportunities between those two sports, [football and swimming and diving]. We will start at home and recruit our student athletes locally first, and then work our way out.”

Conque said this gives high school students in the Valley a chance to see themselves wearing a Vaqueros jersey. UTRGV President Guy Bailey focused on the swimming and diving programs, saying he is excited to see local talent thrive where it was brought up rather than have students seek opportunities elsewhere. The president also touched on concerns students raised during previous town halls stating that the art facilities at the university need attention. “The space that art has in Brownsville is very poor, very poor quality,” Bailey said. “We’re aware of it and it’s sometimes not very central. We can’t simply pass a fee to have to have a new art space. … But we think we do have a

solution that we’ll be announcing soon.” While university leaders expressed excitement for the referendum’s passing, others at the university expressed different sentiments after the announcement.“It’s unfortunate and, you know, I’m not going to say I’m surprised,” said Juan Almaguer, a graphic and web design senior, after the results were posted. “I always had a feeling that regardless of whatever efforts I and other students had in advocating against it, that it was ultimately going to pass.” Almaguer said he advocated for denial of the referendum throughout the week and was disappointed to see how he was silenced by members of the SGA and a students group on Facebook. He said at a town hall he was interrupted multiple times and said his posts in opposition of the referendum were removed from the UTRGV student Facebook page followed by the page’s administrator blocking him. “So it’s also very contradicting because a lot of UTRGV’s thing is that, you know, is that students have a voice,” Almaguer said. “But that’s not really true.” The graphic and web design senior said the next step for students should be to advocate for an audit of the vote. “Because as far as I’m concerned, SGA is not to be trusted,” Almaguer said. The next step in the Athletics Fee increase is to present it to the UT System Board of Regents in 2022 for approval.

Battle on the Beach

by Omar E. Zapata