“I was mentally, physically and financially impacted by the situation,” Maya said. “I couldn’t focus on my school assignments or my finals. I couldn’t breathe properly. I got extremely sick and even devel oped bronchitis, for which I was taking seven different medica tions at one point.” Although the damage left by the mold has since been ser viced, the students were given no other option but to continue living in the unit while repairs were made. Maya disclosed that they suffered hundreds of dollars in damages, and were at no point given the option to terminate theirWhilelease.The Reserve offered to relocate Maya and their room mates, no progress was ever made by management on the matter. In Texas, rental units are required to provide tenants with liveable conditions or allow them to break their lease if this is not the case. With instances specifically pertaining to mold, the complex must investigate and remove the mold within a reasonable amount of time, usu ally considered to be seven days. “The apartment should have conducted full investigations into the matter,” Maya said. “It should not have been our responsibility to purchase testing kits. Student apartments take advantage of young adults who are new to adulthood and apart ment life. I should not have been looked down on for asking them to do the right thing and ensure that their complex is liveable.” Maya is not alone in their struggle with off-campus student housing, as a large number of other students have taken to Twitter, Yelp and other sites to share their own negative encoun ters. The Paisano has reached out to The Reserve for comment on the situation but has not heard back from management.
After developing symptoms of mold exposure, including upper respiratory distress and ultimately bronchitis, Maya and their roommates decided to take matters into their own hands by purchasing a mold testing kit.
Chloe Williams/The Paisano “[I’m] looking forward to meeting new people and getting used to the environment. I’m really excited for internships and — you know — just kind of like getting into the culture of UTSA.”
Iliana Carrillo Politics and Law Q: What are you looking for ward to the most this semester?
Mold spots among top aboutconcernshousingconditions
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“I’m [a part of] the CAP pro gram, so this was honestly I think one of the closer campuses to home, [be]cause I come from Houston. I really like this cam pus … I came to visit it during my senior year, and I thought it was really pretty compared to the other campuses, which were a little farther away. I felt it was more similar to how I am as a person and the people here resemble me a little bit more.”
Read the full article in the Arts & Life section on Page 6
By Mason Editor-in-ChiefHickok By Jessica McLaren Assistant News Editor
“I chose to come to UTSA because … on my market days or on my tours, the community just seemed awesome — super welcoming, super friendly, really down to earth and really just competent and helping stu Laradents.”ScaccianPsychology
Photo Courtesy of the Office of Sustainability
New bike share initiative transportationalternativeoffers
Vice Versa Coffee & Records serves as the perfect study spot as well as a place to hangout with friends. The business also houses and sells a collection of records curated by its owner.
Q: How are you campus?enjoying Diya Patel Biology, pre-med track “I love [the] environment here and the people are so nice, so I think that’s what I love most about it.”
Q: Why did you choose UTSA? Mason ComputerMorseScience
The Office of Sustainability is set to unveil a new bike share program available to students and faculty. Starting on Sept. 6, users will have the opportunity to rent bicycles to commute to and from their vehicles or their classes.Theprogram — aptly called “BeakCycle” — will introduce 19 bikes across 11 locations on the Main Campus. Users must download the app “On Bike Share” to rent the bicycles. The bikes will be freely available to the UTSA community, with certain caveats. The bike racks guide users through how to access and return the bicycles — bikes must be returned to a BeakCycle kiosk. The Office of Sustainability is starting this project, among other transportation projects, due in part to a $407,000 Con gestion Mitigation and Air Qual ity Improvement Program grant through the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Dr. Jennie Yoshimoto, Senior CoordinatorSustainabilitywiththe Office of Sustainability, spoke about what the TxDOT grant will help with on campus. “The grant is to [es sentially] improve air quality, so it would help to reduce ground-level ozone, improve con gestion [with traffic] and to promote healthy habits. One arm of that is promoting biking on campus through our BeakCycle bike share program, through the semester rentals that we have partnered with Outdoor Pursuits, through the on-campus bike shop and through the mobile bike repair shop,” Yoshimoto said. The shopmobileaforementionedbikerepairissetupinsideof a UTSAbranded Tesla Model Y. Yo shimoto hopes to use the shop as a means to access bicyclists at the Downtown Campus and community events around San Antonio.LaniMay, Director of Sustainability at UTSA, spoke about the bikes from an ac cessibility perspective and the location choices for the pilot program.“Accessibility is a big issue for me personally. That was one of the things we wanted to do was to make people [be] able to get around the campus. Originally we wanted to put [the bikes] in the commuter lots, but Campus Services does such a good job with shuttles and bringing students in. So we wanted to start the process on the interior of campus,” May said. Watch the full video on YouTube at Paisano Online COFFEE& EVENRECORDSHOTTER
Ethan Concales Civil Engineering “I’m enjoying it. I’m just explor ing right now, looking at all the classrooms, seeing where I’m at and just trying to find every thing.”
See ‘When you walk on cam pus, it becomes your neighbor hood, you start to feel like a community.’ An increasing number of UTSA students are voicing complaints about their experiences while living off-campus, including adverse living conditions and hostile encounters with management. Several residents have even turned to social media to emphasize the complications they have experienced while living in student housing. One student in particular — Maya, endured serious plumbing issues after moving into The Reserve, managed by Asset Living Maya explains that they first became aware of the complications, including leaks and blocked pipes throughout the kitchen and bathrooms in August of 2021 after moving into their unit. In October, they suffered a massive flood that resulted in severe water damage throughout the apartment. Maya made multiple attempts to communicate with management about having the damage repaired but ultimately had to leave for Austin to spend Thanksgiving with their family.Upon returning to The Reserve in time to prepare for finals week the students were faced with what they believed was black mold. After continuously being told by The Reserve that they had no reason to worry, Maya took to Twitter to share photos of the damage caused by the floods and what appears to be spots of mold on the drywall and vents.Maya explained that The Reserve has repeatedly failed to take their concerns seriously, insisting that the damage was from previous floods and the mold spots were just dust. Maya further shared that the management team made these claims without investigating the damage in the apartment. Rather than handling the issue in a timely manner, they focused more on the discrepancies between the four roommates’ stories and insinuated that their claims were not truthful.
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Vol. 65, Issue 1 5 | Arts & Life 7 | Sports UTSA football to defend conference title Public providingpantryfor the people: Community pantries provide food for less-fortunate THE PAISANO August 30 - September 6, 2022Est. 1981
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Alongside the launch of the BeakCycles on Sept. 6, the Office of Sustainability will be hosting an outreach event between the softball fields and tennis courts on Brenan Avenue. Yoshimoto spoke about the goals for the “Theevent.goalis two-fold,” Yoshi moto said. “One is to encourage students and staff to try out the new BeakCycle bikes. We’ll have Brenan closed for the day. People can come; we can show them how to do the app and help them get registered. Then they can cruise up and down Brenan as well as take their bike[s] to streetuseddeveloping.howstaffaevent]ofBrenanfutureopinionfocusesoutreachtheshimotoAdditionally,class.”Yospokeaboutsecondhalfoftheevent,whichonpublicaboutthedevelopmentofAvenue.“Theotherpurposeit[theoutreachistoreallygetfeelofstudentandopinionsabouttheyseeBrenanBrenantobeanexterioroncampus,and
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Musicians from the San Anto nio Symphony — which recently dissolved — have come together to form a new group called the San Antonio Philharmonic. This comes almost a year after musi cians of the Symphony went on strike in light of disagreement with management over cutting the size of the orchestra as well as pay cuts for musicians. The new season for the Philharmonic will consist of 13 concerts, including 10 classical and three pop concerts. The group will perform at the First Baptist Church of San Antonio starting on Sept. 16. More information about the Philharmonic can be found on their website. On Thursday morning, city officials cleared a homeless en campment under Interstate 37 at Brooklyn Avenue in downtown San Antonio. It was estimated that anywhere from 25 to over 100 people were living there.
State of the City:
now as campus has expanded, it is an interior street. So it’s a perfect opportunity for placemaking, because what we really want to do is promote Brenan as a pedes trian and bike-friendly corridor,” Yoshimoto said. Yoshimoto spoke about the future hopes that alternative, more sustainable modes of transportation flourish as the UTSA campuses inevita bly“Asgrow.the campus expands, we really don’t want to have cars at the interior of campus,” Yoshi moto said. “So having those al ternative transportation methods to do the last mile commute. You would park and leave your car on the exterior of campus and then be able to have transporta tion [available] to get to your final destination.” May spoke about transporta tion being one of the ways in which you can avoid the moni ker of UTSA just being a “com muter campus” and that buying into campus life is important. “You know most campuses [have you] leave cars on the outside and try to get you to walk on the inside; they do that because they try to build a walkable campus. They don’t want parking lots all over the interior because that begets you as a ‘commuter campus.’ People come to campus and then they drive out. You treat it as a community college. Everything we do on campus, the clubs, and the services at Stu dent Affairs is always moving away from the idea of a commuter campus. Transportation is one way of doing that. When you walk on campus, it becomes your neighborhood, you start to feel like a community,” May said. Students and staff are encouraged to at tend public outreach events listed below. Brenan Ave. Event: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tues, Sept. 6, BeakCycle Launch and Placemaking Opinions — we’ll be set up in the field between the softball field and tennis BrenancourtsAve. Placemaking Workshops:3:30p.m. Wed, Sept. 7, HEB Student Union: Bexar Room 11:30 a.m. Thurs, Sept. 8, Biotechnology Sciences and Engineering Building 2.102 Please RSVP on Rowdylink. Week of 08/30/2022
your
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The San Antonio Express-News reports that the plot, which is owned by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), will be partly leased to a developer. According to mysanantonio. com, an unknown abortion rights activist put up a message on the Torch of Friendship in downtown San Antonio that read “Abortion Pills By Mail Aidac cess.org,” which directed the reader to a website that provides online consultation to obtain abortion pills by mail. The mes sage has been removed as of Friday, Aug. 26. A petition asking for North east Independent School District (NEISD) to undo its ban on books has now gained close to 15,000 signatures. This comes after the San Antonio school dis trict was one of the districts re ported to have banned the most books in the state of Texas. A to tal of 431 books were examined by NEISD, of which 119 were ultimately removed prompt ing backlash against the district from the ACLU as well as the district’s own teachers’ union, mysanantonio.com reports. Many of the books removed are a part of a list circulated by Texas Rep. Matt Krause. Affairs Office. If accessing VIA U-PASS, contact UTSA Campus Services at
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OPINION
Editorial The rise of electric vehicles
By Nate ContributingHennekeWriter
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does two things that are harmful to the political landscape we share as Ameri can citizens. One, it can result in a phe nomenon known as the backfire effect, which has shown that correcting misin formation might actually increase belief in the very misconception that has been corrected. Two, censoring misinforma tion spread by political figures removes the possibility for healthy political discourse, which should be found at the heart of any successful democracy. Without the presence of misinformation on Twitter, users are presented with a limited scope of the political landscape which will undoubtedly influence the decisions made by the potential voter. Debunking misinformation has be come something that individuals need to do when deciding who they are vot ing for. Politicians using social media to spread misinformation should be a clear indication of the values of that politician, so why is censoring them the reaction from social media platforms? Voters need to take more responsibil ity in educating themselves properly, rather than blaming platforms like Twitter and Facebook for not adequate ly moderating political information. If voters would take the time to do quality research regarding current events and the officials they might vote for, the level of education of voters in the poll booth would undoubtedly be higher than the current situation in America. In summary, misinformation should be present online because it presents potential voters with a true view of who they are voting for. Censoring those responsible for the misinfor mation does more harm than good, because the risk of the backfire effect is more dangerous to the political landscape than silencing a politician making false claims about topics like COVID-19. Censorship should never be a reaction to misinformation, and the actions of Twitter against Repub lican officials has created a division between the two primary parties in the United States, one that must be mended before the political landscape can tran sition from a warzone to an intellectual utopia of democratic debate.
The class of 2022 graduated with their degrees and pursued their dreams. Four years of growth, triumph and strain honored with their name on a piece of paper. The special moments are shared with friends, families and classmates. If lucky, their moment is shared with celebrities and public figures. Earlier this year, New York University’s (NYU) class of 2022 graduated with Taylor Swift, who received an honorary doctorate degree. Universities across the nation have granted celebrities and notable figures an exemption of a college degree called an honorary doctorate. An honorary doctorate is recognized by a distinctive achievement in a particular field and/or contributing to the community with their talent and awareness. Long college hours accumulating for a degree is not required for the honorary doctorate, only a force of change in a community. For years, public figures and celebrities have been awarded their honorary doctorate commencementthroughwhere they participate in the ceremony with a awardeddoctoratewithSwiftAward-winningThisspeech.year,GrammyartistTaylorcausedanuproaradebateonhonorarydegrees.NYUTaylorSwiftan honorary doctorate of fine arts for her contribution to the music industry and community during their spring commencement. Swift delivered a speech for the graduating class during the ceremony as well. In her speech, Swift highlighted the lack of higher education she pursued since she began her music career fairly early in her life, “I never got to have a normal college experience per se. I went to public high school until 10th grade and then finished my education doing home school work on the floor of airport adohonorarylegitimatetodoctoratetonewaWomenofGrammys,notablehercontinuesSwiftterminals.”has—and—todedicatelifetomusicwithawardssuchastheSongwriterHallFameandBillboard’sinMusictonamefew.Thoughwithherstatus,peoplebeginwonderifanhonoraryisaninsultstudentspursuingadoctoratedegree.Recipientsofthedoctoratedegreenothavetocompletecollegedegreeoran exam to be nominated. Their service justifies the rollercoaster that is the college student experience. Some may not know the feeling of stress and tension during finals week, as well as forming, curating and publishing multiple peerreviewed academic articles. It is an insult for scholars who obtain extensive information on a subject that has been studied for years, if not decades. Scholars who devoted their time and money for a title before their name. A sense of privilege undermines and divides the title of an honorary doctorate and a doctoral degree. Students may not have the opportunity to begin their doctoral degree because of the cost of tuition and cost of living. The average amount of student debt for a doctoral degree is $159,625. It is a massive number for first generation students, students who study in an out-of-state university or any student for that matter. To present honorary doctorate degrees to public figures is essentially a PR move to gain traffic for the university. While some call it inspiration, because celebrities influence the choice of people’s educational future, an honorary doctorate devalues the work ethic students dedicate themselves to.
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August 30 - September 6, 2022 opinion@paisano-online.com | 3
On Aug. 25, California set to end the sales of gasoline-powered cars by requiring all new ve hicles sold in the state by 2035 to be either electric or plug-in electric hybrids. While California is moving faster than anyone when it comes to rais ing the standards for electric vehicles, many other states have adopted California’s zero-emissions requirements. This raises many questions. Why do we need electric vehicles? It is all part of an ambitious, yet necessary, plan to fight climate change by pushing for a zero-emission future. Electric vehicles promote a cleaner environment, which is the main selling point for these vehicles. Not only that, electric ve hicles also save a large sum of money because the driver is not having to constantly stop for gas. Why do people disagree with the surge of electric vehicles? While it is true that electric vehicles are on the come up, there is still a large number of people who refuse to participate in the movement. The purpose behind electric vehicles seems like a sus tainable solution in the long run, but the execution is harder than it seems. Electric cars only made up 3% of the total car sales last year. Car companies are hop ing to release more affordable electric vehicle options within the next few years, but for that to happen elec tric cars will have to make batteries cost-effective. Another factor that stops people from purchasing an electric car is the fact that they do not travel as far as gas-powered cars. People fear they will not make it to their destination before running out of battery, so they opt for gas-powered cars because they are more reliable as vehicles. What should Texas do? Unfortunately, Texas is one of the states that struggle with accepting the idea of electric vehicles. Why is this unfortunate? Because while California is pushing for zero emissions and promoting a cleaner environment, Texas is still being polluted. While it seems absurd to purchase an electric car when you could purchase a cheaper gas-powered one, it all makes sense when you look at the bigger picture. Owning an electric car means less maintenance work, fewer gas fees and less pollution. So, not only will you be saving money for the future, you will also save the planet. Electric vehicles are on the rise and the world is better off because of it.
Commentary Censorship in American politics
Camila Martinez Rivera/The Paisano
The political landscape of the United States is as volatile as it is divided. So cial media platforms like Twitter have become a warzone, where users must tread lightly or they could fall victim to the rampant misinformation that in habits social media. But is misinforma tion truly as harmful as some say it is? And does suspending and/or banning users spreading it do anything to reduce harm? I believe that misinformation has a place in politics and society as a whole, and that suspending politicians who spread misinformation only works toward radicalizing their followers further.The suspension of politicians who are actively in office from platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube has only been going on for about two years. In that time, seven politicians have been suspended, all of whom are Republican. It is easy to believe that all suspensions and bans on Twitter have been on Republican accounts, as all of these instances of Twitter censoring misinformation have been regarding Jan. 6, 2021 or COVID-19. While to some this seems completely justified, there are also Twitter users who feel like their representatives are being targeted by Twitter. When one group is being unequally affected by the efforts to minimize the spread of misinforma tion, it creates a not-so-united United States of America; where one side feels they are being silenced, and the other feels that their views are the only valid politicalCensorshipstance.has done more to divide the United States than misinformation has. Regardless of political stance, censorship should never occur. This is not because of infringement on the First Amendment, like some want you to believe. Instead, I think censorship should never be an option because it
Do honorary doctrate degrees devalue earned doctoral degrees?
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Chloe Williams/The Paisano Malaki Lingg Web BusinessStaff Luke DeMario | Business Manager Business@paisano-online.com Mason Hickok | Editor-in-Chief Editor@paisano-online.com Laynie Clark | Managing and Opinion Editor Manager@paisano-online.com and Opinion@paisano-online.com Gauri Raje | News Editor News@paisano-online.com Riley Carroll | Arts & Life Editor Arts@paisano-online.com Luke Lawhorn | Sports Editor Sports@paisano-online.com Kaitlyn Rosas | Multimedia Editor Multimedia@paisano-online.com Chloe Williams | Web and Social Editor Web@paisano-online.com Socialmedia@paisano-online.comand Camila Martinez Rivera | Photo Editor Photo@paisano-online.com Madison Peters | Copyediting Coordinator Copyediting@paisano-online.com Omar Ceja | Staff Maddie Cortez | Staff Amanda Sellers | Staff Dafny Flores | Staff Eric Trevino | Staff Malaki Lingg | Assistant Web and Social Editor Jessica McLaren | Assistant News Editor William Barnes | Assistant Multimedia Editor Marcela “Mars” Soria | Assistant Multimedia Editor Dustin Vickers | Assistant Photo Editor Grace Robinson | Assistant Photo Editor Assistant Editors
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Commentary
Laying a shooter to rest: Where is the line between morality and ethics?
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On May 24, 2022, an armed Salva dor Ramos entered Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, taking the lives of 21 people before police intervention led to his death. Following the after math, Ramos’ autopsy was completed on May 27. From that point, it allegedly took one month for service and cremation arrangements to be made. During that period of time, multiple local funeral homes refused service to the family of the shooter, claiming they did not want to deal with him. It took until late June for an out of town funeral home to take on the task of Ramos’ arrangements. This situation brings up an interesting question: do funeral homes have the right to refuse service like this? Ramos’ body was being stored by the Bexar County coroner’s office for nearly a month. Some could claim it is unethical for a funeral home to refuse service to anybody. Don’t we all deserve after-death arrangements? Though I do not share this sentiment, the denial of funeral services could be viewed as unfair towards his family, who would still be looking for closure after his death. Ramos injured count less individuals and fatally shot 21 people that day, 19 of whom were elementary-age children. This means 19 of the victims were no older than the age of 12. The Uvalde massacre was the dead liest school shooting in Texas history; Salvador Ramos is a monster, pointblank, no exceptions.Funeral homes have every right to refuse to give him a service. Under federal law, a private business has every right to refuse service to anybody, as long as it does not violate the 1964 Civil Rights Act and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act. I do not believe refusing service to a mass shooter is discriminatory. Another aspect to consider is how overworked the funeral homes in Uvalde are going to be. Those funeral homes had to service 21 families of the victims in the massacre; would they want to add one more to that list, especially that person holding sole responsibility for the other 21 funerals? That would be a disgusting situation, families would be appalled and it would be a mockery towards the victims. Under no circumstances should the refusal of funeral services for Salva dor Ramos, or any mass shooter, to be unethical.Ifinterested in donating, go to the Moving Forward Foundation website. As a first-time commut er, I had never experienced the hour-long trek most UTSA students endure to arrive at class on time until this Half-an-hoursemester. before my class began, I arrived on campus anticipating a parking fiasco; however, I harshly underestimated the severity. At a ripe 9:30 a.m., I entered the catastro phe through Barshop Bou levard and made my way to the Brackenridge Lots. After spending nearly 30 minutes in seemingly end less, bumper-to-bumper traffic, I looped around the clustered Bauerle Lot and resorted to East Campus, which seemed to contain the only vacant parking spaces on the entirety of the UTSA Main Campus property.Tosay the least, I was not expecting to pay $173 for a parking pass, just to have a 15-minute walk to the 22fairwestDowntownincludeofwithatsity-wideeredUTSACampusservice.tageapartmenthalfwellForStudiesMultidisciplinarybuildingeveryday.thatprice,Imightaswalkamile-and-a-frommyoff-campusortakeadvanofThe‘RunnershuttleAfterreachingouttoServicesandParking,IdiscovthatthetotaluniverparkingcapacityUTSAis15,056spaces,13,789permitssoldasAug.29.ThesestatisticsMainCampus,Campus,SouthCampusandHemisCampus.“OnMonday,AugustthroughThursday, August 25 (the first week of classes), we observed: During peak on-campus traffic times, there were ap proximately 2,000 unused Student Commuter parking spaces in Brackenridge Lot 4 and 5, the East Campus Lots and the Barshop Bou levard Lot,” UTSA Campus Services Assistant Vice President Clay Haverland reported.While this information is certainly interesting, commuters such as myself are looking for reliable, easily accessible and plentiful parking without having to endure a 15-minute walk in the excruciat ing Texas heat. UTSA needs more parking available closer to campus, the biggest question is: Where? With consideration of the native ecosys tem situated between the Bauerle and East Campus lots, an en vironment lot should be constructed in this area. To satisfy both parking and preserva tion, UTSA should consider building a permeable pavement park ing lot that leaves room for plenty of native grasses and trees and provides our ‘Runners with ample park ing opportunities.
By Riley Carroll Arts & Life Editor Riley Carroll/The Paisano Opportunities
The Abdo Steven Kellman Jack Himelblau Stefanie Arias Sandy Norman Sofia Garcia to Time: Every Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Editorial is the official opinion of The Paisano editorial board. Commentaries the opinion of
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© 2022 The Paisano The University of Texas at San Antonio’s Handbook of Oper ating Procedures states in 5.03 that: The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) will not exercise control over the format or content of Student Pub lications, but will regulate distribution on campus. Student Publications will be free of censorship and advance approval of copy, and their editors and managers are solely responsible for editorial and content policies and decisions. Editors and managers of Student Publications will not be subject to ar bitrary suspension/expulsion or removal from their positions within a Registered or Sponsored Student Organization (Student Organization) by the University because of student, faculty, administrative, or public disapproval of editorial pwolicy or content. Student Organizations that distribute Student Publications are afforded the same rights and privileges as Student Organizations that do not
Time and time again we hear stories about women being shamed for engaging in something that is merely a natural process: breast feeding. Although public breastfeeding is legal in all 50 states and there are laws to protect mothers, we still hear about incidents of women being shamed in restaurants, department stores and on airplanes for feeding their babies. Moth ers who are confronted about public breastfeed ing are often told to cover up, feed their baby in the restroom or flat out told to leave establishments. Why are people still squeamish about the thought of seeing a mother feed their child in public? Unfortunately, the stigma around breastfeed ing is due to the sexualiza tion of breasts. As we all may know, breasts tend to have dual functions which include being body parts that are involved in sexual activity and attraction, but they also provide milk and nurture children. Although the sexual function of breasts is culturally determined rather than an inherent fact, the perception of breasts as sex organs impacts the perception and treatment of mothers who use their breasts as milk-producing organs. This censure is not about seeing breasts, since breasts are ubiquitous in fashion, advertising and media in Western countries. The discomfort with breast feeding in public seems to be driven by a conflict between women’s sexuality and their maternal role. In a time when celebrities bare nearly all and are celebrat ed for it, why is society so against regular women using their breasts as they were meant to be used? Raising a baby can be a challenging task, and every parent’s journey is unique. Some parents are able to solely breastfeed, some only bottle feed and there can be a combination of the two. Those mothers who choose to breastfeed see the multiple benefits that come along with it. Studies have shown that both the mother and the baby benefit from breastfeeding in many ways, such as protection against some diseases like pneumonia and types of cancers.Ifyou are familiar with newborns, you likely know that all they do in their early life is eat, cry, sleep and potty. Eating takes up a majority of their day, with infants feeding anywhere between eight to 10 times a day, sometimes as often as every hour. It is perfectly normal for babies to need to eat regularly throughout the day. Besides needing to eat, breastfeeding can also have non-nutritional benefits. Most of the suckling at the breast is just for comfort or nurtur ing. Have you ever heard a screaming baby on a flight? Allowing them to suckle in public and be nurtured can also prevent their ears from popping, keeping the baby at bay.All in all, it is not as simple as asking a mother to cover up and nurse in the restroom because some cannot revert their gaze and be respectful. Just like their mothers, babies want to eat practically everywhere they go.
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Public breastfeeding: Innate or indecent?
“Purple Hearts” is now streaming on Netflix.
San Antonio community pantries provide food for less-fortunate neighbors
By Laynie Clark Managing & Opinion Editor
Q: What inspired you to open Spin Art Nation?
UTSA graduate, Peter Carollo, co-owns paint studio Continued on Page 6. [are] a lot of different techniques ...”
Q: What did you study at UTSA? What was your major? A: “Well, the major I finished with was communications. I started with education ... and then I went into the business college ... then I landed in communications, which I really clicked with more than anything else ... I specialized [in] public relations, which I really enjoy.”
Q: When did Spin Art Na tion open? A: “We opened with Axe Master first, in December 2021, and then Spin Art [Nation] opened [in] March 2022.”
A: “[What] a lot of people say when they hear about anything involving the word ‘art,’ is ‘Nope, that’s not me, I am not artistic.’ I’m the exact same way. I’m performance artistic, [and] I am articulate, but fine art is not my forte. When I did this, for me, it was strangely trans formative, that there’s no direc tion. I didn’t go in with a goal. I just got paint[ing] and started making a mess. And the great thing about this, if you don’t like it, cover it with more paint and start again. For me, that was really nice. I enjoy — and I think a lot of people here enjoy the process of mak ing art. Where it differs is that [spin art] is something that you get to take home, that you’re actually proud to hang up. Not only was it fun doing it, but it looks cool. It’s literally the only piece in the world that looks like it. It’s super fun and it’s something that people wouldn’t necessar ily expect. It just kind of goes back to that elemental kid phase when we played in the sandbox. There [were] no rules, and this is kind of that in adult form.”
AAtlanta-based art fran chise, Spin Art Nation has made its way to San Antonio with a UTSA alumnus as a co-owner. With a mind for entrepreneurship and a passion for working with people, Peter Carollo has made a career out of providing people with unique experiences at Spin Art Nation. Spin art, generally referred to as a type of “action art” or “action painting,” is a style of painting which intentionally emphasizes the abstract process of painting, elevating the artistic method to a component as es sential as the finished work. The concept of emphasizing the process of creating artwork lends itself to practicing being in the moment; and Spin Art Nation under Peter’s direction and care ensures a carefree, cre ative and even stress-relieving moment.
On top of the generous donors who drop off canned goods and non-perish ables, numerous volunteers have hosted supply drives in support of the pantry. “At the pantry, I accept pantry food items as well as produce and drinks that can be placed in the fridge,” the pantry owner said. “Many folks also drop off clean clothing, shoes, toiletries [and] un housed neighbor kits that have shampoo, toothpaste, body wipes, bandaids and snacks. For the Christmas toy drive, the organizer @maricreative managed to col lect over 100 donations of toys and gave them all out in one afternoon.” More than ever, the Westside com munity pantry owner expressed the importance of lending a helping hand to neighbors whenever possible.
Food insecurity is an ever-increasing issue within the United States. Ap proximately 10.5% of U.S. households were food insecure in 2020, 22.5% of all children in Texas faced food insecurity at some point and one in four children in Bexar County are unsure of when they are having their next meal. To combat this growing issue, good samaritans across San Antonio have opened nearly a dozen community food pantries. These pantries operate 24/7 by maintaining outdoor storage for goods where locals can donate items or take products as needed. “Initially, [our goal] was to provide food to the community,” the Westside Community Pantry owner explained. “I think another goal that has emerged since starting the pantry, aside from food ac cess, is also this idea of mutual aid [and] community care. The community pantry started right before the Texas freeze and in the midst of the pandemic and both of these events highlighted not [only] failed leadership at the state and national level, but the necessity and the history of com munities coming together to take care of each other and provide each other with basic needs and care. It has been really beautiful and radical to see the pantry be come its own living entity and to see the community take ownership of it. I think a goal for me now is to be connected to the people and places that create opportuni ties to engage in community care.” The San Antonio pantry network, started by @jovitapantryandfridge on Instagram, has grown to boast over 10 pantries throughout the city. “I know creating food access is a big part of the pantry network, which was started by @jovitapantryandfridge,” the pantry owner mentioned. “They operate [on] anarchist and socialist principles and … have fundraised to help purchase and set up volunteers with a pantry and fridge to operate.” Drawing inspiration from the @jovi tapantryandfridge folks, the San Antonio native running the pantry enjoys giving back to their community. “I [was] born and raised in San [Anto nio],” the pantry owner remarked. “Be ing a part of this network is a way to care for the community I love and call home and also honor the legacy of radical color collectives who have engaged in commu nity care and mutual aid for generations. And I get to be connected to other folks who engage in community care as well.”
The Westside Community Pantry’s flexible hours allow for working indi viduals to come and go at their leisure, whenever they need access. “I know it is a daily occurrence and weekends see the most traffic, and I also hear folks late at night when they’re get ting off [of] work or when it’s cooler to travel on foot to see what’s available at the pantry,” the pantry owner added.
Eric Treviño/The Paisano Grace Robinson/The Paisano Madison Peters/The Paisano Eric Treviño/The Paisano Netflix’s ‘Purple Hearts’ explores the line between love and politics
A: “Oh man. Really being able to follow the whole process through. Yeah, it’s another Thursday to us, it’s just another party, we’ve had five this week; but to them, it’s their first time and probably only time, they’ll all be here together as a group, and they want everything to go really well. So, to be able to answer all their questions and relieve them and say, ‘Hey, we’re gonna handle this, all you guys have to do is show up, try to wear close-toed shoes, and then we’re good to go and we’ll take care of everything else.’ Being able to see that thing come through and eventually, about 20 minutes after they get here, they get to relax.”
August 30 - September 6, 2022 arts@paisano-online.com | 5
By Sarah Ofsdahl Contributing Writer
UTSA alumnus-owned business: Spin Art Nation
A: “[My partner is] the one that invented the whole concept and brand. I think the genesis of this kind of started as one TikTok video on a Russian You Tube channel or something like that. I honestly didn’t under stand it at first. Once we had the tables in and we got our paint I did the first one and I go, ‘Ah, okay. This clicks.’ There was this ‘Aha’ moment [and] I said, ‘Okay, this is really fun [and] stress relieving. It’s like a rage room. But without the rage.’ It’s still a really cool expression of creativity.”
Maybe your answer is different after watching this movie, may be it’s not. Either way, at least you got to witness a predictable modern love story.
Public pantry providing for the people
Q: When you first started doing spin art, did you find the process particularly in spiring, or is there something about the process that you think is unique to art?
Arts & Life
Passion over politics
“You know you can let a guy help you and still be a femi nist?”Falling in love — can you do it with someone who is politically different? A question asked by many but answered by few. We are rarely shown a couple that sustains a happy relationship while standing on different sides of the political spectrum. I, like many, find it almost impossible. “Purple Hearts” is a lovesick film — based on the novel by Tess Wakefield — with an underlying tone of political discourse. The fiery feminist, Cassie Salazar, played by Sofia Carson, is an aspiring musician with forthright thoughts and views that lean to the liberal side of things. Nicholas Galit zine, on the other hand, plays a Marine soldier named Luke who is preparing to deploy to Iraq with his fellow conserva tive soldiers. The two meet and are immediately at odds with one another until their poor financial situations bring them together in a substandard way. As the film progresses, Cassie and Luke are seen navigating this new relationship all while dealing with issues of their own: him being a recovering addict drowning in debt and her having Type 1 Directordiabetes.Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum perfectly portrays the juxtaposition of the political standpoints through the pres ence of different flags hanging from Cassie’s balcony. The beginning of the film shows the Pride Flag and the Black Lives Matter Flag, but halfway through the film, Cassie hangs an American Flag next to both of them — symbolizing the blending of perspectives. As more symbols arise, we see Cassie begin to understand Luke politically, but what about the other way around?
By Malaki Lingg & Riley Carroll Assistant Web Editor & Arts & Life Editor
Q: What is the most re warding part about owning Spin Art Nation in particular?
The film has received a mix of adoration and backlash from its viewers. While some are able to ignore the political differ ences and just bask in the aura of romance, others are dumbfounded by the blatant lack of aware ness in Luke. Not once does Luke make an effort to understand Cassie. Instead, he just gets angry and waits for Cassie to conform to his norms — similar to every other toxic relationship. The po litical blending is very one-sided, which makes you wonder if every politically divided relationship is the same: with one person sacrificing more than the other. So I ask again: Falling in love — can you do it with someone who is politically different?
Q: Is there a student dis count? A: “Yeah, why not? Let’s make a student discount. We [have] never officially had one but certainly, we can do a 10% student discount for UTSA students or really any college students. Bring a student ID and we’ll get them all set up.”
“In thinking about the Texas grid, forced poverty on our communities, we are going to need to continue to rely on each other rather than solely wait on leadership to care or change policy,” the pantry owner concluded.
The Westside Community Pantry is located at 3203 W Houston St, San Anto nio, TX 78207. To learn more about the Westside Community Pantry or donate, please refer to the Westside Community Pantries resources guide or the pantries listed in the San Antonio Community Resource Directory.
See “There
With the fall semester in full swing, the need for reliable and enjoyable study locations is a necessity. Opened just two months ago in Saint Paul Square by the Alamodome, Vice Versa Coffee & Vinyl Records checks off every box fora great experi ence.The owner of Vice Versa, Vin cent Guerrero, grew up on San Antonio’s Westside where he fell in love with breakdancing in Saint Paul Square. Guerrero has now come full circle by owning a business where he used to dance.“When I was younger, I would come with my friends,” Guerrero remarks. “I was like 16 and we would bring our little camera and we would try to make dance videos and break [dance] … but we would always get kicked out by security. So I think growing up, it made me want to be here even more — you know — as a kid you could kick me out, but now I’m here and have a business. I can do what I want.” Not only is Vice Versa Coffee & Vinyl Records a coffee shop and study space, it also features a listening space where you can enjoy Guerrero’s personal collection of vinyl and a wall full of records available for purchase.“Mybiggest thing is comfort ability and feeling welcome,” Guerrero said. “I want anyone and everyone to be able to come in here and feel like they can hang out. They can speak at a normal volume and they could work or study or just kick it with their friends ... I want people to feel like they’re home because, basically, it kind of is a house. It’s like a community thing like I own it, but it’s not mine. It’s everyone’s.”
A: “Yeah, absolutely. En trepreneurship and having my own business was always an idea that I knew I enjoyed. In high school, I started doing magic professionally. It started out as a hobby, and then be came a really expensive hobby, and then a hobby that paid a little bit, and then a hobby that paid a lot. That really opened me up. [Performing magic] was a huge opportunity to re ally be able to see at a massive scale, how that business works and how people carry them selves while I still have my job to entertain.”
YouthfulRecordsFool
By Regina ContributingRobertsWriter
Q: What is the most dif ficult part of the business?
A: “Yeah, absolutely. Our spin artists over here, they’re really important to kind of start that experience on a nice level, where [people are] confident about what they’re about to do. There [are] a lot of different techniques, we provide [the customers with] different tools and their spin artist is going to walk them through and say, ‘Here’s everything that we have available to you. I can show you how it works and give advice.’ Like, if you’re going to use the pendulum swing, overload on paint. Use way more than you think you’re going to use because that’s gonna give that really cool water [looking] effect. Or the leaf blower – say if you do a lot of paint – especially white with any color or black with any color, the white is going to steal those pigments away and you’re going to get that really cool shaded smoky look. If [they] have any questions, we’re always one hand away and that’s our goal.”
Q: Do the instructors help with inspiration?
I’m a child I’m young and inexperienced I’m naive and guidable Easy to fool Easy to lie to For lies will always be truth to Imejust want to be taken care of Someone to care for me as much As I care about everyone else Someone that will notice That my eyes are dark not be cause of nature But because the hope, lights and Haslife been drained out And not even the sun can give them light My eyes hurt all the time I grew before I knew I was pushed into the world with no parachute I took a hard fall And I never got to learn how to catch someone else So all I can do is stand there And watch them fall Hope they will accept my help to cure their wounds Learn how to rate their pain That is the best I can do Until I’m able to fix what others broke Alex Hanks/The Paisano
By Chloe Williams Web & Social Media Editor
Q: Are there specific life events or inspiring events that you would suggest as a good idea for students specifically to come in for?
A: “Back when I was a student – all the problems I had – nothing was fo cused on helping myself. I think that’s a great thing that’s come from this – a lot of that self-care and mental health and I couldn’t be more sup portive of that. I love that. The great thing about this [is] we have people come by themselves to throw axes or come by them selves to do spin art, it doesn’t necessarily have to be with a group. There is something really nice and stress-relieving about just being with yourself, pop[ping] some head phones in [and] not doing it for social media, not doing it for everyone else. I think a lot of pressure – especially nowadays – with social media is putting up that facade. And you know, look at this cool thing I’m do ing. You don’t have to worry about that. There’s no pressure. Come by yourself, come for whatever – whatever floats your boat.”
A: “I guess what’s coming next – what we’re looking for next, what we’re looking to do. A big request that we’ve been getting a lot lately is rage rooms. I love the concept, I love the idea. Myself and my partner, we’re always going to conventions and seeing what’s next. We really have to keep our finger on the pulse and then figure out the business later. Because that’s the cool thing about entertainment — normally work first [and] play later. With [entertainment], you have to play first – that’s im portant. You got to fall in love with it and say, ‘This is great,’ and then worry about the busi ness afterward which is kind of counterintuitive. It has to be fun and then you can make a business out of it. Next year [there] could be a totally new thing that comes and sweeps the market, and it might only exist for two years, but we’re gonna be there.” Spin Art Nation is located at 8015 Bandera Rd, Suite 105, San Antonio, TX 78250. Con tact Spin Art Nation by email at FairUTSACarollowebsite8505.comsupportsa@spinartnation.orbyphoneat210-799-VisitSpinArtNation’satspinartnation.com.willhaveatableattheFall2022PartTimeJobonAug.31.
Q: Did you picture yourself as a business owner growing up?
“So it’s Vice Coffee, but the actual business is Vice Versa,” Guerrero said. “So upstairs, it’s Vice. Downstairs, we have a basement we call Versa.” Vice’s menu features an ar ray of options including coffee beans from a local San Antonio roastery, What’s Brewing, and house-made pastries by Hal’s Bakery.ViceVersa has quickly be come one of my favorite places to work, study and hang out with friends. My personal rec ommendations are the Matcha Rose Lemonade and Matcha Cinnamon Rolls. While this is a little further away than other spots near UTSA, I definitely think Vice is worth the drive.
August 30 - September 6, 20226| arts@paisano-online.com
Continued from page 5 SA Gems: Vice Versa Coffee & Vinyl
Local coffee shop expands business repertoire Chloe Williams/The Paisano Chloe Williams/The Paisano Chloe Williams/The Paisano
Vice Versa Coffee and Re cords is located at 123 Heiman St, San Antonio, TX 78205. Their hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Q: How many employees do you have at this location?
‘There [are] a lot of different techniques, we provide [customers with] different tools ...’
Guerrero has certainly suc ceeded in creating a comfortable space for the community. In the short time since Vice Versa opened, they have already taken part in several local events. Most recently, they hosted a fundraiser for Buckle Bunnies, an organization supporting abor tion access. A large portion of their proceeds were donated to help fund abortion access across Texas.Another notable feature of Vice Versa is the basement. While it isn’t open to the public quite yet, Guerrero is in the pro cess of transforming this area into a jazz bar and speakeasy that is expected to open in late September or early October.
For more information about Vice Versa check out their Ins tagram @viceversa.sanantonio and stay tuned for their upcom ing events and jazz bar opening.
A: “Right now, I think we have 10. We have a hiring event coming up that we’re really excited about. A lot of our staff works for Spin Art [Nation] and Axe Master and the mobile side. It really allows us to be able to give a lot of hours and opportunity – a lot of flexibility.”
Q: Is there anything else that you wanted me to ask you or that you would like to have included that I didn’t cover?
A: “It’s an entertainment spot. Inflation is going up [and with] talk of recession, enter tainment is always the first to go. You’ve got hospitals, taxes, mortuary – those are all rock solid, not going anywhere. Entertainment is the first [to go]. That adds quite a bit of pressure. Luckily, we’ve had a great staff. We were able to give them more hours, that’s really important to me. But generally, making sure that staff is happy is a really big goal for me and that’s wildly difficult. Growing up and see ing how other staff worked and what we talked about [and] what was appropriate – it’s changed, and it changes with each generation.”
UTSA hosted Texas Southern (0-2) on Aug. 21, where they dominated both periods and won big 7-0. The ‘Runners scored within the first 11 minutes with a goal by Alissa Stewart, assisted by Kloza. UTSA would score three more times in the period, going into halftime up 4-0. The dominance continued as UTSA scored three more goals, having to taled 39 shots in the game to TSU’s one. Six different ‘Runners scored, with Stewart being the only one with two goals and Marlee Fray being the only scorer as a substitute.
UTSA volleyball goes 1-2 in season opener
Camila Martinez Rivera/The Paisano
Sasjah Dade setting up a play. Ryan Garza/The Paisano
UTSA soccer yet to lose
UTSA football to defend conference title
August 30 - September 6, 2022 sports@paisano-online.com | 7
By Luke Lawhorn Sports Editor
The footballaareRoadrunnerscomingoffrecord-settingseason.How ever, now faced with a tougher schedule there are higher expecta tions to meet. After records being broken all of last year and the national exposure, will UTSA football take a step back? The ferenceout-of-congamesfor UTSA are the toughest they have ever had, with the first game being against No. 24 Houston. The follow ing week, the ‘Runners travel to West Point to play a frisky Army team who beat UTSA in the 2020 season. They will then play in Austin against the Texas Longhorns, who could very well be nationally ranked when these two teams meet. Playing these traditional schools with a historic pedigree will be a challenge in which the ‘Runners could find themselves down 0-3. UTSA, like any other college, did lose key players to the NFL draft. Leading rusher Sincere McCormick, star cornerback Tariq Woolen and lineman Spencer Burford are just a few of the familiar faces gone. Even if UTSA were to go 0-4 at worst case in their out-of-conference games, they can still compete for the conference championship with their eight con ference games. Only two of the teams the ‘Runners play this season (Western Kentucky and University of Alabama-Birmingham), had a winning conference record last season, which cushions UTSA’s schedule and will help them get back to defend their title. Despite all the negatives, UTSA had not only the best recruiting class in program history but also the best class in C-USA. Transfer Zahquan Frazier was the highest graded player in UTSA history and can also help replace Woolen, who is now a Seattle Se ahawk. Saying UTSA’s football team going 11-1 again or better is the only way to meet the expectations, expect to be disappointed. However, if they were to go 8-4 or 9-3 while defending their conference title, that would be meeting the expectation. After going to bowl games in head coach Jeff Traylor’s first two seasons, finally winning that game will mean more than going 8-0 in conference play. Retaining the championship title with a bowl victory will determine whether this season’s expectations are met or if they fall short. Houston and UTSA are coming off 12-2 records and both teams had the same amount of exposure for a non-power 5 school. Both team’s quarterbacks are also returning, with Frank Harris for the ‘Runners and Clayton Tune for the Cougars. Houston was also ranked sixth in the nation last year for total defense, which will give the Roadrunners’ offense fits with a new running back. However, if UTSA were to win against Houston, they could find themselves ranked, especially if the momentum carries into week two and they beat Army. With the new school year starting, the UTSA students and fans will now have something to look forward to every week until December, starting at 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 3 against Houston.
Sports
By Luke Lawhorn Sports Editor
The Roadrunners (1-2) are back in action this season after traveling to Tuscaloosa, AL. in the Crimson Tide Invitational on Aug. 26-27. The ‘Runners are coming off an 8-16 season, and though they did lose some key athletes, they maintained most of the team, who are now a year older and will show their maturity in conference games. UTSA played a familiar opponent in the season opener against Southern Miss, who they went 0-2 against last season. The first set was a back-and-forth match, having 10 different lead changes. However, the ‘Runners lost the set 25-23 and never trailed by more than two. Southern Miss took that momentum into the second set, immediately going up 4-0. Though UTSA kept the score reasonably close, they ended up losing 25-21. Southern Miss did not look back and dominated a majority of the third set. The final was 25-16, with junior Cansu Gunaydin having 11 kills with an ace, while junior Amanda Ifeanyi had 10 kills with three blocks. A few hours after going 0-1, the Roadrunners went up against Alabama (2-0) for the second game of the tournament. UTSA again lost 3-0, despite only being outscored 7768 for all three sets. Freshman Carolina Krueger led the team with eight kills and two blocks, and Gunaydin had six blocks. The ‘Runners, now down 0-2 for the season, had a chance to pick up their first victory the next day. The third opponent in the tournament was McNeese State (0-3), who also saw them selves down 0-2 thus far. In the first set, McNeese and UTSA went back-and-forth with runs, with UTSA ultimately winning 25-23. The second set started slowly with errors and no team getting momentum; however, McNeese pulled away to win 25-21, tying the series 1-1. Now playing a best-of-five series, the third set became more important. The ‘Runners went up early and maintained a lead until McNeese came back to tie the game at 21. UTSA won three of the next four rallies, winning 25-22 and going up 2-1 in the series. Much like in the previous set, UTSA let McNeese on a run to make the game more competitive, winning by only one. UTSA won four straight rallies to win the set 25-20, and the se ries 3-1. UTSA outscored McNeese State just 96-90, showing how close these matches were. Junior Alicia Coppedge led the team with 15 kills and three blocks, while Gunaydin and freshman Katelyn Krienke recorded nine kills a piece. UTSA will now look ahead to the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic on Sept. 2-3 where they will play UTRGV, North Dakota State and Louisiana-Lafayette.
Cansu Gunaydin serves the ball. Julia Maenius/The Paisano
The Roadrunners were on the road for the first time this season on Aug. 25, where they beat Texas A&M-Commerce (0-3) 2-0. At the two-minute mark of the game, junior Sasjah Dade scored a goal, with junior Kiran Singh and Kloza with the assist. The ‘Runners scored again in the second period, credited as a team goal. UTSA again outshot Commerce 9-4, combining 75 shots in the first three games and just 12 for the opponents, shutting out all three opponents. Big 12 opponent Kansas State (1-2-1) came to San Antonio as the fourth team to play UTSA this season, where the Roadrunners got their first victory over a Power 5 school in program history. The ‘Runners again had another early goal, with Singh scoring off of a corner kick at the six-minute mark of the game. Starting the second period down 1-0, Kan sas State would tie the game. With less than three minutes left in regulation, Dade scored a goal assisted by Singh to put UTSA back in the lead, and they ultimately held on to win 2-1. UTSA’s offense is very aggressive, and their defense has been limiting the number of shots opponents are able to take.
The ‘Runners will go on a Florida road trip where they will face Stetson University in DeLand on Thursday, Sept. 1, then South Florida in Tampa on Sunday, Sept. 4.
By Luke Lawhorn Sports Editor
After going 10-5-4 a season ago and losing the second game in the Conference-USA tournament, the Roadrun ners came out this past week and went 3-0-1. The ‘Run ners also got their first win over a Power 5 opponent (Kansas State) in program history. For the season opener, the ‘Runners hosted Houston Baptist (0-0-1) on Aug. 18. The two teams tied 0-0, but UTSA had 27 shots at the goal to HBU’s six. UTSA looked very aggressive, but unfortunately came up empty-handed for the first game. Senior and captain Isa Hernandez led the team with five shots, while fifth-year senior Kendall Kloza and sophomore Anna Sutter had four shots each.
Commentary
Each team will elect five attackers, five defenders and a goalkeeper. Some of the advantages of using this system rather than penalty shootouts are that more players get to compete and it showcases their skills. In short, there is not a perfect solution to break the tie in a soccer match, but there are other alternatives to improve the overall gameplay and preserve the nature of the sport, rather than relying on luck to decide who wins. for podcasts, blogs, photo galleries and more:
Frank Harris (left) returns as the starting quarterback for the Roadrunners and Lucas Dean (right) is the starting punter. Both were selected to the Conference-USA preseason first team (Pro Football Network). Julia Meanius/The Paisano
UTSA cross country setting a new standard
After hundreds of miles logged throughout this past summer, the men’s and women’s cross-country teams are ready for their season opener, which is on Friday night Sept. 3. 10 months ago the men finished eighth at the Conference-USA Championships while the women finished 12th, deeming it a disappointing season. Though every team in any sport has its ups and downs, the cross country teams are waiting for their “ups” to be during the conference championship season. With all athletes now a year older and coming off a good recruiting class, the momentum is des tined to switch in the Roadrunners’ favor. Both men and women filled up their roster with promising talent. The men in years past always had a relatively young roster. Still, with key transfers, additions to the depth, along with all the returners increasing their experience, the team will be able to be more competitive. Senior and three-year captain Harri son Wade said that the addition of three transfers and three true freshmen makes the team closer in talent, and adds to the depth when an injury does occur. “The team is closer than it has been in previous years,” Wade said. “There are the two or three guys up front, a gap, a couple more guys, then another gap. This year, we run more together.” Having the slower run ners catch up to the top runners helps the team in scoring, which is what UTSA has lacked in the last several seasons. Another key is to do all the little things: such as lifting weights, work ing out the core, keeping up the mileage and stretching. After a long summer and during an even longer season, it is easy to slack off. When asked about his mindset for the season, Harrison said he is more focused on enforcing the standard and maintaining it all season long. “I want to keep the standards up this season. Every one has to keep giving perfect effort.” The women have also added recruits, and with three-year Captain Abby Balli returning, they will be focused to be in the top half of conference competitors. The Roadrunners have a five-race schedule including the conference meet. With a pair of races in San Antonio and another pair in College Station, the ‘Run ners look to redeem themselves after a disappointing season and shock the rest of Conference-USA.
Picture this scenario: you have been playing a game of soccer for 90 minutes, but ultimately, the score is tied. After all of the hard work you have put in running up and down the field shooting, crossing and passing, the end score will come down to a single kick. Unfor tunately, the odds of your team winning do not even amount to a 50/50 chance. Now, factor in the coin toss at the beginning of the game that determines which team kicks first. If your team loses the coin toss and kicks second, your chances of winning have decreased to 40%. This is because the team kicking second is hav ing to play catch-up for the rest of the match. In a penalty shootout, each team will take turns shoot ing at the goal from the penalty mark. The goal will be defended by the opposing team’s goalkeeper only. Then, each team will have different kickers take five shots at the goal. The team with the most successful kicks will be the winner. If the score is still tied, the shootout will continue until there is a victor. When a game comes down to a penalty shootout, it can be intense. However, this way of breaking the tie between two teams completely conflicts with the true nature of soccer. By using this tie-breaking process, it becomes one player versus another. However, soccer is meant to be a team sport. Soccer consists of the players working to gether and maintaining communi cation to win the game. If a game comes down to a penalty shootout, one bad kick or one good save can completely alter the results of the game. The shootout does not depend on skill, but rather on pure luck. If the keeper dives the wrong way, you could pass the ball any where along the ground and score.
By Luke Lawhorn Sports Editor
Another downside to penalty shootouts is when you are the unlucky one defending the goal. As you stand between two white sticks and a player fires at you from 12 yards, you’ll experience five times the stress, and your whole team will be infuriated if you do not dive to protect the goal. Looking back in history, this was the best alternative for breaking a tie between the two teams. Before penalty shootouts were integrated into the game, ties would often be bro ken by either a coin toss or a replay. The problem with a coin toss is it is unfair and is based solely on luck. Replays were not a good option either as they took more time and were physically more taxing on players. Obviously, there are going to be flaws in every alternative to penalty shootouts. However, there are other options than what we currently have in place that stay more true to the nature of how soccer is meant to be played. One popular alternative to penalty shootouts is Attacker Defender Goalkeeper (ADG). ADG pits an attacker against a defender and a goalkeeper with 20 seconds to score. ADG is similar to a penalty shootout but differs by including more members of the team.
Penalty shootouts need to go
August 30 - September 6, 20228 | sports@paisano-online.com
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