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Roadrunners fail to earn bowl game bid
Vol. 56, Issue 15
Est. 1981
December 5 - January 9, 2017
The Paisano
Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio Community /ThePaisano
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Tuition increase proposed By Sam De Leon Co News Editor
UTSA’s Tuition and Fees Committee will soon send its proposal for a tuition increase to UTSA President Taylor Eighmy and then the UT System Board of Regents. With relatively no change in tuition and fees for the past six years, administrators felt it was time for a tuition hike. The committee will submit two options as part of its tuition and fee proposal. The only difference between the options is the differential tuition charge for College of Engineering (COE) and College of Business (COB) students. Under the differential proposal, COB students would see an increase of $42 per semester credit hour (SCH) and COE students could experience an increase of $55 per SCH. The differential tuition rates would only be charged to students taking upper level courses in the COB and COE. Students earning a business minor would have to pay the differential tuition for their COB classes; there is no minor in the COE. Also included in the proposal is an increase of $1 per SCH in the athletics fee, an increase of $1.50 per SCH for the automated service fee, a transportation fee
increase of $9 and an increase in the student service fee of 39 cents per SCH. Designated tuition could also experience increases as a part of the proposal. For in-state residents, tuition would increase $6.15 per SCH for undergraduates and $8.66 per SCH for graduate tuition rates. For nonTexas residents, the increases would be $27.73 per SCH for undergraduates and $33.33 for graduate students. Earlier this year, Eighmy announced his initiatives to strategically plan his vision for the university. Included are plans to further renovate different parts of the university and hire faculty which will accelerate UTSA’s status as a top-tier institution. In achieving this goal, many administrators spoke about the need to increase the financial resources at UTSA, resulting in a Tuition and Fees Committee formation to examine the issue. At the end of October, Eighmy presented outlined plans to research and advance UTSA’s sustainability and fiscal health. He appointed a 34-person Tuition and Fees Committee co-chaired by interim vice-provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Mauli Agrawal and Vice President of Business Affairs Kathryn Funk-Baxter.
President Eighmy addresses students about the Tuition and Fees Proposal. Heather Montoya/The Paisano
“The university is committed to the success of our students,” said Funk-Baxter. “Our tuition increase will be utilized to provide for the continuation of those efforts we have already started, to provide additional student aid as well as additional projects being identified by Dr. Eighmy’s presidential taskforce on student success.” The committee itself is composed of student and faculty leaders from various colleges on campus. The committee was set to audit UTSA’s current tuition structure and look into various tuition plans, such as differential tuition and guaranteed-rate
plans. Any change discussed in the committee would take place beginning Fall 2018. One proposal for a tuition and fee increase came from the dean of the college of business, Dr. Gerry Sanders. Sanders wanted to fund four strategic initiatives: enhance course availability, enhance direct assistance to students, increase internship opportunities and create new active learning spaces. He called for a “differential” tuition rate for the College of Business students. “It makes sense that the administration would want to raise rates for the College of Business students since we do have many
resources,” said Angela Sanchez, graduate accounting student. “But at the same time, a large portion of UTSA students are business students. I think that with there being so many business students, the amount those students pay should cover most of the resources available to us.” Another call for differential tuition came from Dr. JoAnn Browning, dean of the college of engineering. Browning noted the need for engineering to “spend more time in labs and the need for teaching and research techniContinued on page 3 See “Tuition and Fee Increase”
Women in STEM at UTSA By Heather Montoya Assistant News Editor
The Paseo returns to normal following latest white nationalist controversy.
Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons
White nationalist activity under investigation By Gaige Davila Co-News Editor
In light of the white supremacist group Patriot Front’s hanging of a banner on UTSA’s main campus, UTSA Police Chief Gerald Lewis says campus police are prepared if more incidents occur, including if Patriot Front or other extremist groups demonstrated physically on campus. “We have to respect First Amendment rights, and as long as (groups) are expressing those First Amendment rights in a responsible and appropriate and safe manner, then we won’t interfere,” he said. “Will we monitor it? Absolutely. Would we be able to handle it if something additional happened? Absolutely.” UTSA Police Department is currently investigating to determine who hung the banners on campus and the department is increasing security patrols on campus. Security camera footage from the night of the incident is still being reviewed. Lewis said that because the investigation into who hung the banners is still active, the security footage cannot be released. “If you give away information from an ongoing investigation you jeopardize that investigation,” Lewis said. “The review of that video has not stopped.” “Whether we will actually be able to identify who’s responsible for this, that
may not happen,” Lewis said. “If someone goes out with a purpose and they disguise themselves, if they wear a mask, if they wear a hood, or gloves, those things make it a little harder to determine and identify that person.” In response to the banner, the United UTSA Coalition sent a letter to the Office of the President on Nov. 27. The letter claimed that President Eighmy’s response to the banner “(failed) to adequately address the very real and serious threat and racist hate groups such as Patriot Front pose to the entirety of the student body,” further calling the address “performative gestures that seek to alleviate the administration’s burden of addressing this issue without providing any immediate or effective solution to the presence of fascist and white supremacist hate groups on campus.” The group demanded the university administration issue a formal statement denouncing white supremacist groups; refuse permission for people to “spread fascist and white supremacist rhetoric to the UTSA campus”; for the university to make a “concerted and visible effort” to discover who hung the banner; to release security camera footage of the incident; an open line of communication into disciplinary Continued on page 3 See “Increased campus security”
Professionals working in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) believe there needs to be a greater push for recruiting women in their fields. According to Nicole L. Beebe, Melvin Lachman distinguished professor, associate professor in cybersecurity and director of The Cyber Center for Security & Analytics, a significant workforce gap exists in STEM fields, especially in cybersecurity. “We don’t have enough people doing the work or teaching people to do the work. Without adequate representation of females, we will never close the gap on the millions of cybersecurity professionals needed in the field.” Demographics provided by UTSA’s Office of Institutional Research show that in the fall of 2016, 45 percent of students enrolled in the sciences and 19 percent of students enrolled in engineering were women. However, that same semester, only 26 percent of faculty in the sciences and 10 percent of the faculty in engineering were women. Anders Horrocks, UTSA alumna and current cybersecurity consultant for Ernst & Young, felt fortunate to have had a mix of female and male professors when she
was a student at UTSA. “What I appreciate most about the male professors in information systems at UTSA is that they never talked down to me or treated me any different because I was a woman pursuing this major,” Horrocks said. “In fact, most of them were super supportive and encouraging because they understood the value of getting women involved in cyber.” The lack of female STEM professors can be discouraging for women wanting to enter STEM fields. “It is hard to recruit and retain any demographic in any field if the mentors and role models in the field don’t reflect a target demographic,” said Beebe. The lack of women in STEM is not going unnoticed. Initiatives and organizations exist that encourage women to enter STEM fields and help them connect with each other. “Ernst & Young has an initiative to get more women involved in cyber. I’m also a part of an internal company organization called Women in Cyber and a larger group called Women in Tech,” said Horrocks. Adriana Arredondo, a junior biology major, feels greatly impacted by her female professors. “I am doing my concen-
Women are pushing for greater involvement in the male dominated STEM field.
Continued on page 3 See “Women in STEM”
Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons
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Tuition and fee increase
UTSA John Quarles, associate professor of computer science, has partnered with “Gamerz 4 Vets,” a local non-profit, where his students will create a video game for disabled veterans. The partnership allows students to learn about accessible gaming while helping veterans who have physical disabilities or mental illness. Each group of four to five students will create a game tailored to the needs of a veteran with whom they will be partnered.
Texas
continued from page 1 cians.” The College of Engineering’s differential tuition rate would substitute the Tech and Instruction Support Fee. “Logically it makes sense,” said freshman biomedical engineering student Jacob Garcia. “We cost the university more so we should pay more. However, I hope this does not deter future engineering students from pursuing the degree.” Several other fee increases proposed over 2019 are the student service fees, athletic fees and transportation fees. The student services fee is currently split between student affairs and
academic affairs, which total about $9.5 million in expenses. The student service fee does not cover all of the expenses, and UTSA pays for a portion of it out of a university reserve savings account. The athletic fee increase was called to boost factors such as ticket sales initiatives, brand recognition, merchandising and costsaving measures. The university believes it can increase the recognition of the university and, as a result, improve the recruitment of faculty, students and community outreach. UTSA’s athletic budget is currently the third from the bottom of the teams in Conference-USA West. The transportation fee will
cover the 33 buses and estimated 2.2 million riders of those buses service. Students currently pay $20 a semester for the transportation on and off-campus. An increase in this fee was previously proposed and supported by students; however, the proposal failed in the Board of Regents meeting and was not instituted. “The increases could mean many things to students,” freshman cybersecurity major Luis Fraire said. “I think that it would be a huge setback for students who decided to pursue a higher education. Tuition is already high enough and the only thing keeping many of us here is financial aid, so an increase would surely affect our opportunity to enroll.”
The Student Government Association has already drafted resolutions showing their support of the increase in the student service fee, athletic fee, automated student service fee and transportation fee. However, the athletic and transportation fee are both subject to a student referendum, meaning they need student votes to be approved officially. For further information about the options and examples of the charges for students, visit the Tuition and Fees Committee’s website at utsa.edu/financialaffairs/TuitionFees/proposals.html. Students can also contact their SGA representatives to voice their concerns about increases to tuition and fees.
The Texas House of Representatives approved a new sexual harassment policy on Dec. 1. The new policy includes language that strengthens protections against abuser retaliation; more detail on actions that constitute sexual harassment; specific steps for reporting inappropriate behavior and ways for victims to seek help. All House employees are required to have antisexual harassment and antidiscrimination training before the year ends. The policy cannot require individual lawmakers to have training, but records of who attends the training will be kept and are subject to public information laws.
U.S. President Trump’s expected announcement to shrink two of Utah’s national monuments, Bear’s Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, led to thousands of protesters rallying at the state’s Capitol Building.The two monuments currently protect about 3.2 million acres of land. Leaked documents show that Trump plans to reduce Bear’s Ears National Monument by nearly 85 percent and reduce Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by nearly half.
World Protests over the disputed count of votes from last weekend’s presidential election between Salvador Nasralla and the current president, Juan Orlando Hernández, led to the Honduran government imposing a 10-day curfew. Anyone found outside between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. is susceptible to arrest. The protests began after Nasralla lost the lead when the counting of votes stalled, eventually losing the election to Hernández.
Business The U.S. Senate voted 51-49 in favor of a tax reform bill worth about $1.4 trillion. Negotiators from the Senate and the House will begin meeting on Dec. 4 to agree on a legislation that will be sent to both chambers for approval before being sent to the president. House Speaker Paul Ryan said he will keep the House in session past Dec.15, Congress’ scheduled day to adjourn, to get the tax reform passed.
These trash compacters, found all over campus, are projects of the first Green Fund at UTSA.
Ethan Pham/The Paisano
Green Fund reintroduced by UTSA SGA By Ben Shirani Distribution Manager
UTSA may soon reinstitute student-mandated contributions toward a Green Fund. A proposal of the Tuition and Fees Committee would add a student services charge earmarked for projects, intended to make UTSA a more sustainable and environmentally friendly campus. In 2009, the Texas House of Representative’s 49th district congressman Elliott Naishtat authored HB 3353, signed by the Texas Governor, limiting the period of time during which UTSA was authorized to charge a student fee called the “Green Fee” to support a UTSA sustainability initiative called the Green Fund. In 2015, the UTSA Green Fee was removed from student fees. In response, the 2015 UTSA Student Government Association’s 39th General Assembly drafted proposal GA #102. The proposal would reinstate the $5 Green Fee through a vote by the
student body to be passed up to the University President. The 2015 resolution by Ileana Gonzalez and Andrew Hubbard was passed by majority vote in the General Assembly but fell victim to a fate similar to the 38th General Assembly’s Resolution #105, which asked that Texas legislature take action to remove the prohibition on the Green Fee. Neither resolution passed by the general assembly was acted on by UTSA administration or Texas legislators. With no action taken on either of these SGA resolutions, HB 3353 has effectively put the UTSA Green Fund on hold. “UTSA under Romo’s presidency took a ‘wait and see’ approach before bringing back the Green Fund, and obviously with his departure, nothing’s been able to be done until recently. A little over a month ago, Eighmy asked myself and another SGA member to pitch re-introducing the Green Fund through the Tuition and Fees Committee, and the process has gone from there,” Anthony
Increased campus security continued from page 1 actions taken against those who committed the banner hanging, if caught; a diversity statement, signed by UTSA’s administration, in commitment to implementing a diversity and sensitivity training program; and a commitment to a more diverse faculty and staff. President Eighmy’s response to the letter, posted on UTSA Today, attempted to address the concerns. Initiatives planned, as listed in order of demands the United UTSA Coalition made in their letter, are issuing a joint statement with San Antonio college and university presidents and Mayor Ron Nirenberg; implementing policies similar to UTAustin’s regarding groups that are not affiliated with the university demonstrating on campus; stating that review of security camera footage is ongoing, yet inconclusive; increasing the number of cameras on campus, along with increased campus patrols; issuing a diversity statement developed by the Diversity and Inclusiveness Advisory Council; forming a Campus Climate Council; launching a “strategic initiative”
to increase campus and staff diversity next spring; and the forming of a Bias Response Team to “identify and communicate bias incidents on campus.” Along with added personnel, the piloting of Rowdy Watch Student Patrol, a UTSAPD-launched program where UTSA students provide walking and golf-cart escorts from one on-campus location to another; check the security of buildings; check bicycle racks for unsecured bicycles; and report on lighting and other safety issues has been implemented. “This is not something that will be resolved overnight,” Jazmyne Brooks, NAACP chair, said. “However, we left the meeting knowing that positive and tangible change is actively being made and Dr. Eighmy is reaching out to students, faculty, staff and the greater San Antonio community to be apart of this process.” Individuals were detained Sunday night at Texas State University and given criminal trespassing warnings by campus police after seen posting white supremacist flyers around campus. None of the people in the group of five were students.
Govea, co-author of the 42nd’s GA #103, said. On Nov. 9, the SGA voted on a renewed effort to reinstate funding for UTSA sustainability efforts and the UTSA Green Fund. Resolution #103 by majority vote. The resolution, authored by Anthony Govea, Jerry Sharp III and Joe Sanders, highlights some of the key successes of the UTSA Green Fund while it was still being funded between 2009-2015, including installing hydration stations around campus where students can refill water bottles instead of purchasing more plastic containers; converting the Sombrilla fountain to use recycled water; installing solar-powered trash and recycle compactors; solar panel installations; and a University garden. Freshman SGA Senator Alyssa Perez said, “I think by next semester sustainability really will be an impact factor.” Senior public health major Aisha Collins said she didn’t mind the increase in the student fee.
“I know tuition is high, but I feel like five dollars would be fine.” Since the passage of HB 3353, universities have had to be creative to get funding for sustainability initiatives. “One issue that has caused a lot of confusion is that in order to satisfy the HB 3353 legislation, universities can no longer collect the fee that pays into the Green Fund under the old Green Fee line item,” Govea said. Resolution #103 passed in support of a five-dollar tuition increase under a new line item called the “Tuition Fee for Green Fund.” The new line item was approved by the UTSA Tuition and Fee’s Committee on Nov. 15 to replace the now empty Green Fee line item and is now in the hands President Taylor Eighmy for approval. Before the Green Fund is reactivated, the funding still needs to be approved by the Office of the University Chancellor and the Board of Regents.
Women in STEM continued from page 1 concentration studies in neurobiology because I want to follow the steps of Dr. Isabel Muzzio.” Idalia Aguilar, a sophomore cybersecurity major, shares similar thoughts on women professors in STEM fields and finds them inspiring. “They make us think that if they can do it, we can also do it,” Aguilar said. “It demonstrates that we shouldn’t feel intimidated by men because we can also work in this field and be confident about it.”
“They make us think that if they can do it, we can also do it. It demonstrates that we shouldn’t feel intimidated by men because we can also work in this field and be confident about it”
- Idalia Aguilar
According to Horrocks, discrimination has historically occurred and continues to occur today. “There’s plenty of horror stories out there. You can find them in news articles and by talking to most women in the field; my female professors at UTSA had a few of their own.” However, Horrocks believes that society is changing and is beginning to value women and the diversity they bring to the STEM field. “I actually had more marketability finding a job because I brought a much needed diversity,” said Horrocks. Arredondo does not feel intimidated entering into a male-dominated field, she feels a sense of power. “I feel equal to the male students in this field because science sees no gender. We are all able to achieve our goals.” “Just go for it and not be intimidated,” Horrocks said. “If this is something you love doing, don’t let anyone tell you not to do it. Plus you’ll make really good money and you get to work on all the cool stuff.”
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Ring Ceremony Fall 2017 Majed Abdulaziz Sean Ackels Monique Aguilar Tyler Aguilar Destiny Albert Sarah Alexander Natasha Aljach Marcel Allen Edilberto Alvarez Mariana Siller Alvarez Briana Andazola Stephanie Andrieu Matthew Angotti Allen L. Anguiano Gladys Arce Maria Arellano Angel Arellano Jr. Chris Arias Jose Arredondo Adriana Arriaga Amber Arriaga Monika Ayala Miranda Baca Green Daniel Ball Joshua Balli Melissa Barraza Jared Barrera David Barreras Joshua Basquez Cristian Baumann Andrew Beckendorf Isabella Beltri Carlos Benavides Jade Bermea Kailyse Besse Jesus Bislar Megan Black Marianela Boggio William Bojorquez Caitlin Brazil Sean Briggs Zackary Buck Patrick Buckon Keith Buechner Karen Buenrostro Samuel Burnside Jose Bustillo Fidencia Caballero Aja Calderon Kara Calix Luis Camacho Shelby Cano Jacqueline Cantu Ramiro Cantu III Zochil Carbajal Miguel Cardenas Mireya Carmona Rose Casarez Deidra Casas Jacqueline Castellanos Crystal Castillo Valeria Cedillo William Cerda Elizabeth Chan Genesis Chapa Karen Chavez Sydney Coaston Willie Cochran Kara Coffey Keeley Coker Mikayla Coldewey Daniela Collazo Tyler Conard Anson Cone
Steven Corbin Luis Cordero Lizette Cordova Jorge Correa Alexa Cortes Vanessa Cortez D’Andria Cox Christopher Crenshaw Maghally Dávila Juan De La Garza Sara De Leon Taylor-Marie Delarosa Pedro Diaz Trang Do Catherine Dominguez Lindsey Donohue Ashtyn Dougherty Melizza Duncan John Dye Lorin Elizalde Ruben Elizondo Jayknala Ellis Justin Escobar Samuel Escobar Ruth Escobedo Jonathan Espinosa Bianca Esquivel Idalid Esquivel Lesly Esquivel Ventura Cecilia Farias -Ruiz Sam Fisher Parker Fitzgerald Emily Flanagan David Fleurant Anthony Flores Christ Flores Elizabeth Flores Jubilee Flores Lauren Flores Santiago Flores Manuel Flores III Analise Foltz Marina Fonseca Shiloh Fraijo Gabrielle Franco Brandi Fuentes Megan Fuentes Pedro Fulgencio Perla Galvan Alexis Garcia April Garcia Celia Garcia Gabriela Garcia Jacob Garcia Jazmin Garcia Liana Garcia Lorenza Garcia Marissa Garcia Patricia Garcia Stephanie A. Garcia Stephanie B. Garcia Victoria Garcia Vienna Garcia Raul Garcia Jr Robert Garret Justin Garza Aaron Gatewood Briana Gavito Davis Gill Kayly Ginsberg Zena Gittens Alexis Gonzales Henry Gonzales Kassy Gonzales
Nicholas Gonzales Daniel Gonzalez Juan Gonzalez Peter Gonzalez Veronica Gonzalez Victor Gonzalez Zachary Guajardo Mario Gueraa II Adriana Guerrero Javier Guerrero Patsy Guillen Tifani Guzman Mercedes Harris Jordan Harrison Allison Hartley Catherine Hauer Quintin Heard Cody Henry Alexander Hernandez Cynthia Hernandez Derrick Hernandez Irma Hernandez Luke Hernandez Payton Hernandez Stephanie Hernandez Kaitlyn Hesseltine Hannah Hinojosa Alexander Hoggatt Sharnell Holden Jessica Hong Andrea Ibarra Robert Irwin Yousef Ismail Corriesha Jackson Brenda Jaimes Stephanie Jalomo Adam A. James Ashlynn James Brittany Jasper Raymond Johnson Raegan Joiner Dorian Jones Robert Jones Mervat Kamel Hassan Karam David Keim Sarah Kelton Michael Kill Paul Klaerner Kody Klein Aaron Knapick Lauren Knuffke Herbert Kraus Daniela Krotzer Adam Kudla Ernesto L. Christian Nicholas Laduca Fernest Lagneaux Amanda Lamont Caleb Lansdale Cynthia Lara Aaron Lejeune Alejandra Leos Tommy Lias Isaac Libson Daisy Lopez Janette Lopez John Lopez Julie Lopez Mia Lopez Samuel Lopez Kayla Lowery Abran Lozano Maria Lugo
Alexandra Magana Andrea Magana Anissa Maldonado Erika Maldonado Laura Mancha Enrique Manjarrez Nicholas Marquez Crystal Martinez Holly Martinez Linda Martinez Michael-Lee Martinez Rachel Martinez Samson Mathew Melissa Mathews Paul Mathis Andrea Matos Alexander McCastor Edward McDaniel IV Loni Mendez Alina Mendoza Fritzi Meraz Laurie Meza Andrew Milburn Edward Miller Catherine Milton Victor Molina Heather Moltz Roberto Mondragon Mario Montemayor Nathalie Montes Evan Moore Daniel Morales Danielle Morales Elvira Morales Marina Morales Jonah Moran Alejandro Moreno Brandi Morrell Zachary Morris Christine Motl Jacob Munoz Jimie Murdoch Zackary Murphy Jessie Nanes Gabriela Narvaez Nataly Navarro Annalyssa Navarro-Schwener Jimmi Nelson-Reid Kylie Newbern Charles Nystrom Daniel Ochoa Elizabeth Ochoa Chan Phillip Ochoa Manuel Olivares Jeremiah Olivo Gabriel Orona Monica Orozco Kimberly Padilla Adrianna Padron Anthony Palacios Brittany Palacios Michael Palacios Shivam Patel Jacorey Patterson Michelle Paz Carla Pekar Alixzandra Pena Cynthia Perez Erica Perez Joel Perez Oscar Perez Raymond Perez Roberto Petitto
HISTORY COMES
FULL CIRCLE Congratulations Roadrunners!!
alumni.utsa.edu/ring • #UTSARing
Jo Pierson Sasha Pinson-Hamilton Hannah Pocaro Erika Poitevien Margaret Pokua Vanessa Ponce Nicholas Powell Asaiah Puente Adrian Pulido Bianca Pulido Javian Quinones Eduardo Quiroz Andre Ramirez Carolina Ramirez Diego Ramirez Daniel Ramirez Jr Felicia Ramirez Gustavo Ramirez-Ruiz Damaris Ramiro Eduardo Ramos Jennifer Ramos Nicholas Ramos Ashlee Rangel Natalie Ransom Brinton Ratcliff Eric Ray Courtney Raygosa Alexis Renteria Joshua Reyes Stephanie Reyes Bianca Reyna Chase Richter Anthony Riojas Dakota Rivas Aaron Robles Olivia Robles Corrie Rodriguez Dylan Rodriguez Esly Rodriguez Irving Rodriguez Jorge Rodriguez Juan Rodriguez Juan O. Rodriguez Julia Rodriguez Makala Rodriguez Maryann Rodriguez Pablo Rodriguez San Juanita Rodriguez Vionette Rodriguez Madison Root Leslie Rosas Sharon Royall Alexis Rubio Aaron Ruiz Adrian Salazar Marissa Salazar Natalie Salazar Priscilla Salazar Saeed Saleh Seth Sampson Kaylea Samsel Alexa Samstad Lorenzo Sanchez Melissa Sanchez Rebecca Sanchez Savannah Sanchez Irvin Sandoval Christina Santos Lisa Santos
Jewelle Saucedo Duke Schneider Jake Schneider Samantha Serino Erik Serrano Dee’Sha Shular Angel Sierra Cordero Silva Travis Sims Charles Smith Alex Snow Giannina Sodano Jaime Solis Nicholette Solis Katherine Solowski Kasey Spier Hunter Steele Jessica Stevens David Stickley Christopher Stier David Stockton Anthony Strickland Justin Suarez Amanda Subia Greta Swanson Andre Taeuber Jonathan Tanguma Alicia Taylor Ashley Terrazas Danielle Throneberry Alexis Torres Lisette Torres Lauren Townsend Adriana Trejo Elise Trevino Thomas Trevino Kaitlyn Trouten Zachary Truesdale Juan Valadez Clarissa Valdez Efrain Vasquez Vanessa Vasquez Gabriel Vazquez John Velasquez Sonia Velez Lesly Ventura Hannah Villareal Connor Villarreal Joel Villarreal Benito Villegas Andrew Walkup Deninne Watson Haley White Monchella White Kelton Wilkins Trace Wine Kiana Withlock Kelly Woods Sierra Wyncoop Brytany Ybarra Matthew Ybarra Joshua Ysaguirre Bahar Zendehdel Erica Zertuche Lyandra Zulaica Alan Zuniga
D E C E M B E R 5 - JAN U ARY 9, 2017
The Paisano
Editor in Chief: Isaac Serna Managing Editor: Ethan Pham News Editors: Gaige Davila Samuel De Leon Arts & Life Editor: Enrique Bonilla Sports Editor: Frank Leal Web Editor: Ricardo Rodriguez Photography Editor: Chase Otero Magazine Editor: Samantha Ceballos Multimedia Editor: Kat Joseph Senior Copy Editor: Jessica Salinas Editor in Chief’s Assistant: Kenyatta Battle News Assistants: Heather Montoya Vincent Valdez Arts & Life Assistant: Katrina Clements Sports Assistant: Connor Zimmerlee Web Assistant: Brandon Armstead Photography Assistant: Ricky Galindo Magazine Assistants: Natalia Brookens Diana Amaya Multimedia Assistant: Oscar Torres Business Manager: Will Stransky Marketing Manager: Valery Assad Marketing Assistant: Maya Halabi
Social Media Coordinator: Kristy Olson
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Andrea Trejo Advertising Marketing Liaison: Jenelle Duff Distribution Manager: Ben Shirani
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Aidan Watson-Morris, Carlos Hughes, Danielle Throneberry, Justice Lovin, Helen Stransky, Wylie Kurkendall, Raquel Zuniga, Sofia Trevino, Ryan Thompson, Leah Feneley, Cade Brashear, Kimiya Factory, Joseph Mabry, Briyah Phillips, Eric Pitty, Karen Gracia, Taylor Zamora, Mackenzie Dyer, Vivian Gullien, Emily Hubbard, Robin Molina
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opinion University Star eclipsed
— CONTRIBUTORS —
Josh Zollicoffer, Diego Lopez, Lizvette Hernandez, Audrey Vela, James Ayala, Noel Montenegro, Mauro Vasquez
— ADVISOR — Diane Abdo
— ADVISORY BOARD — Steven Kellman, Jack Himelblau, Sandy Norman, Stefanie Arias, Diane Abdo, Red Madden
The Paisano is published by the Paisano Educational Trust, a non-profit, tax exempt, educational organization. The Paisano is operated by members of the Student Newspaper Association, a registered student organization. The Paisano is NOT sponsored, financed or endorsed by UTSA. New issues are published every Tuesday during the fall and spring semesters, excluding holidays and exam periods. The Paisano is distributed on all three UTSA campuses — Main, Downtown and the Institute of Texan Cultures. Additionally, Paisano publications are distributed at a variety of off-campus locations, including Tri-point and a variety of apartment complexes near the UTSA Main Campus. All revenues are generated through advertising and donations. Advertising inquiries and donations should be directed to: 14526 Roadrunner Way Suite 101 San Antonio, TX 78249 Phone: (210)-690-9301 © 2017, The Paisano The University of Texas at San Antonio's Handbook of Operating 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 Publications, 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 arbitrary 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 policy or content. Student Organizations that distribute Student Publications are afforded the same rights and privileges as Student Organizations that do not distribute Student Publications.
Commentary
Editorial Our neighboring student newspaper, the University Star at Texas State University, is facing a potential coup de grâce after a (now former) writer’s column was accused of advocating the murder of white people. The article, titled “Your DNA is an abomination,” which was ill-received by some of the Texas State University community, gained traction on Twitter and was picked up by several conservative news outlets. Texas State University’s president publicly condemned the column, and the Texas State SGA president, Connor Clegg, called for defunding the paper if the editorial board was not fired. This response is counterintuitive to the university’s purpose: being a space where ideas can be expressed freely and interrogated, never silenced. Our own opinion section receives numerous critiques and letters to the editor; in the past, if criticisms towards an article were well-written and constructive, we published them in the following issue. Some of these criticisms sting. After numerous rounds of edits on the copy desk, then final top edits, the feeling of not having our message conveyed effectively, or disagreed with, can be discouraging. But it’s part of the equation of free expression. Reader responses are our checks and balances.
Just as we can practice the First Amendment by having a free, independent press, readers practice their First Amendment rights by voicing their opinions of our content. We’ve embraced this open discourse with our readers since our inception nearly 37 years ago. Independent journalism exists because of the First Amendment, but it does not mean there are no limits to what we can say. The intent behind someone’s message matters. The University Star’s column, in our opinion, did not have malicious intent. That doesn’t mean it did not deserve the criticism it received. However, the threat of silencing the publication via defunding has had a chilling effect on the paper, equal to censorship. Clegg’s suggestion for the University Star to maintain its operations without student funding “like any other paper” is a disturbing move to extinguish critical thinking and open discussion on campus. We hope the University Star does not lose university funding. But if they do, maybe it’s time for total independence from the university. The Paisano has always operated as an independent student publication, as the only independent student newspaper in Texas. It’s worked well for us, but not without its challenges. Either way, it’s worth a try.
— MARKETING STAFF — Ethan Pham, Will Stransky, Jenelle Duff, Ray Hagimoto, Kat Joseph, Andrea Trejo, Maya Halabi
Burnt out
Participation trophies are bad Commentary
By Frank Leal Sports Editor
When I was no more than four or five years old, my father and I played football together on the living room carpet. I would try and score, and time after time I would be stopped. I would cry, scream and throw myself on the floor in tantrums of frustration. My mother would sigh. “Why can’t you just let him win?” My mom would ask. “Because,” he’d say. “He has to learn how to lose.” If I ever wanted to win, I was going to have to earn it. In life, losing is inevitable. Everyone loses from time to time. Whether it’s not getting into a certain college, striking out with girl or guy you liked or anything in between, we all take losses. In both life and sports, you learn, not from winning, but from losing. If nobody ever failed, there would be no motivation to succeed. So how can kids learn from losing when they’re
being made to believe that they’ve won all the time? Participation trophies in youth sports are like a cancer, spreading throughout our society and ruining the beauty of competition. It’s a joke and quite frankly an embarrassment that the baseball team who won the championship game and the team that went 0-15 receive the exact same award at the end of the season. People argue that awards such as these build a kid’s confidence, but it’s a false sense of confidence. Participation trophies are helping mold a generation into an entitled and, unmotivated group of young people. Participation trophies eliminate all sense of competition. If “everyone always wins,” then there’s no motivation to get better. Throughout life, competition lives at every doorstep. When applying for a job, not everyone is hired because “everyone’s a winner,” there’s one winner, and that’s it. Kids who grow up receiving participation trophies feel a sense of entitlement towards that job position when, in reality, they don’t deserve it. More than anything, winning is a feeling all kids should experience at one time or another. However, if you never lose, then you really
By Jessica Salinas Senior Copy Editor
Experiencing stress while attending college is a normal occurrence, and because stress is normal, students often fail to recognize signs and symptoms of a completely different condition—burnout. Burnout is characterized by a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion that is caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Burnout occurs when you feel overwhelmed and are unable to meet constant demands. You begin to lose interest and motivation as stress continues to build. Student burnout usually appears as extreme exhaustion, depression, negative feelings about oneself and the inability to do necessary tasks; it reduces your productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical and resentful. It is real and not an excuse. Many people—instructors, family members and even students themselves—don’t believe in burnout. They think students are being lazy. Burnout is real, and it can cause students to fail courses and drop out of school. It is an emotional, mental and physical problem that needs attention from the sufferer and occasionally a therapeutic professional. Over time, you lose energy and start to slow down. The next thing you know, you’re procrastinating on your coursework. You may even start taking incompletes for some of your assignments or classes because you can’t find the energy to do them. Signs and symptoms of burnout exist along a continuum. Chronic fatigue: lack of energy and feeling tired; in later stages, physical and emotional exhaustion, drained and depleted and feeling a sense of dread. Insomnia: early symptoms, include trouble falling asleep and staying asleep; later symptoms, persistent nightly ordeal Forgetfulness: impaired concentration and attention; you can’t get work done, and everything begins to pile up. Physical symptoms: chest pains, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal pain, dizziness, fainting and headaches. Increased illness: more vulnerable to infections, colds, flus etc.
never win either. Had I never felt the pain of losing the championship game for my team after botching a ground ball, then I never would’ve been able to feel the joy of hoisting the championship trophy with my baseball team the next year. In both life and in sports, there’s always sunshine after the storm. You learn from failures and losses and build upon them to get better and eventually succeed. But if you’re taught that you can never fail, then you never feel the joy of truly succeeding. Participation trophies also send
Loss of appetite: not hungry and skipping meals. Anxiety: early, mild symptoms of tension, worry and edginess; later may become so serious that it interferes with work, productivity and problems in one’s personal life. Depression: mild sadness, hopelessness and feelings of guilt and worthlessness. At worst, feeling trapped, severely depressed and thinking the world would be better off without you. Anger: interpersonal tension and irritability; eventually, angry outbursts and serious arguments Signs: Cynicism, detachment, loss of enjoyment is at first mild, pessimism and isolation Detachment – general sense of feeling disconnected from others and one’s environment. Signs: ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment Feelings of apathy and hopelessness; nothing is going right and nothing matters as well as increased irritability. Lack of productivity and poor performance; chronic stress prevents productiveness, and a lack of productiveness leads to incomplete projects and an ever-growing to-do list you can’t climb out from. Student burnout is more common than you think. Students face an overwhelming amount of pressure. You strive to do the best you can in courses and completing coursework, this in addition to other responsibilities such as work, family or extracurricular activities. Many students feel as though there aren’t enough hours in a day, so they begin to sleep less, eat less and cut out social activities. All these factors contribute to burnout because they deprive a person of essential recovery time. So how do you avoid burnout? Prioritize your coursework and homework for better time management. Don’t waste time on unnecessary tasks; this will give you the ability to do the things you need to do as well as the things you want to do. Know your limitations. There are many things you want to accomplish at one time, but sometimes, it’s just not possible. Decide what’s more important to you now. Schedule time for yourself. This will allow you to release tension and bring down stress levels, so you can be more productive when you start working again. Designate time to meet a friend, exercise or meditate. You’ll end up burned out, or worse, without a release for tension.
a message to the kids that do win. Seeing that their hard work didn’t pay off and earn them anything more than the kids who did not, those kids will then lose motivation to work hard and succeed in life. At the end of the day, “trying your best” isn’t always good enough. Kids shouldn’t be rewarded for simply showing up and trying. The concept is simple. Winners get trophies, losers don’t. As the great Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t everything… it’s the only thing.”
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ARts & Life
GET involved Local organization uses its platform to get millenials out to vote.
T
By Ryan Thompson Staff Writer
here is a particular group of individuals who hold a great deal of power they don’t know they have. This group is the most racially diverse generation in American history. They are said to have a high tolerance for diversity in race and other social and ethnic groups. This particular group is the future of American politics. This group is the millennial generation, and they hold the significant power of voting, because they are the largest living generation. However, this group has exhibited high rates of voter apathy, which generally indicates a lack of care for politics exhibited through their low voter turnout rates–one being the 15 percent of eligible Millennials who voted in the 2014 gubernatorial election. Many organizations have tried to combat this issue but to no avail. However, the San Antonio grassroots non-profit organization Growing Empowered Together (GET) is trying a different approach—an art-based approach that enlists the help of film and social media to present relevant voter issues to millennial voters. “Millennials are the focus of our work. They’re the future of this city, and we value their personal stories, their challenges and their opinions about the public policies that affect them. Sadly, not enough young people are civically engaged, in part because they feel that their voices aren’t heard or don’t matter to decision makers,” says executive director of GET Lauren Browning. GET has an all-female team made up of local multitalented individuals, as well as an all-youth film crew that works and trains in broadcast production at the City of San Antonio’s television studio. As part of their efforts, GET has created and produced Millennial Matters, a monthly television show
that highlights important social issues that are most salient to the progressive millennial San Antonio community. The show has brought some of San Antonio’s sharpest, most outspoken and artistic leaders to the forefront through the show which currently airs on Public Access Television. This month, Millennial Matters will shine a spotlight on San Antonio’s vibrant LGBTQIA community with their episode titled “From the inside, OUT.” “Our city’s queer community is perhaps even more diverse than that of other major cities, because of San Antonio’s predominantly Latino population,” says Browning. The LGBTQIA community is at the forefront of many of the most germane social movements of today, from woman’s rights to the transgender bathroom wars. “This year, the Texas Legislature attempted to pass a slew of bills that would be highly discriminatory to the LGBTQIA community, perhaps most notably the so-called ‘Bathroom Bill.’ Unfortunately, hate crimes, bullying and harassment against members of the LGBTQIA community have also risen sharply. Some of these unfair actions have directly impacted our friends, colleagues, families and neighbors,” continued Browning. The episode will delve into the lives, thoughts and beliefs of two LGBTQIA youth who are leading highly constructive lives. With their down-to-earth and everted approach, GET expects to provide viewers with a panorama that will stand to eliminate fear and immobilize support for the LGBTQIA community. On Saturday, Dec. 15, GET will host an open screening and film chat at La Botanica bar. The screening will rally special guests Robert Salcido, a proud Latino and LGBTQIA activist; episode hosts spokesperson Denise
Hernandez, transgender activist Ashley Smith, and queer artavist and owner of La Botanica Rebel Mariposa. This isn’t just a regular screening. It will consist of a raffle for an awesome undisclosed prize, the rousing sounds of awardwinning DJ Donnie Dee, a chance to meet and greet several prideful organizations and a chance to try an original mixed drink made exclusively for the event. If you’re looking for an event to inundate yourself in an atmosphere that will facilitate an aura of acceptance, openness and warmth, this is the event for you. “We hope to increase support for the LGBTQIA community by showing that, as President FDR said, ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,’” said Browning. For those 21 and over, GET is offering this event free of charge, although any donation, large or small, is appreciated. The event begins at 6 p.m. For more information about the event, GET can be found on Facebook @GETTexas. Photo courtesy of GET Texas
Executive director Lauren Brown.
Cast & crew. From right: Rebel Mariposa, Caitlin O’Brien, Ashley Smith, Kathy Miner, LaurenBrowning, Melody De La Garza, B.Kay Richter, Denise Hernandez.
Photo courtesy of GET Texas
LAN in the big D EDM fest returns to Dallas for eighth year. By Ethan Pham Managing Editor
Above & Beyond performs at Lights All Night in 2016.
Photo courtesy of Sergio Cardona
Dallas will end 2017 with the largest end-of-the-year music event in Texas and throughout the southern United States. Lights All Night, which will be held in the Dallas Market Hall on Dec. 29-30, will celebrate its eighth annual festival with over 40,000 attendants. The two-day event will feature some of the biggest names in Electronic Dance Music (EDM). Day one will be headlined by returning Lights All Night artists Bassnectar, who recently released part two of his Reflective EP, and Porter Robinson, who is also expected to have something new in store for his fans. Also headlining day one is DJ and producer Illenium, who released his second album Awake in September. Some
other EDM artists who will accompany the headliners on day one include Liquid Stranger, Drezo and Wongo. Ookay will also be performing. Plus, there will be hip-hop performances from rappers Ugly God and Smokepurpp. Day two of Lights All Night will headline the unidentified Marshmello, one of the biggest EDM acts in the world. Additional headliners for day two include trap artist NGHTMRE and Seven Lions. Other EDM performances from day two will include Morgan Page, TOKiMONSTA, Destructo, Black Gummy, AC Slater and more. There will also be a performance from Houston rapper Maxo Kream. Lights All Night, which will spend its third year at the Dallas
Market Hall, will have two large outdoor areas, various Dallas and Fort Worth food vendors and free water stations in the expanded facility. Single-day and two-day general admission passes are currently on sale as well as VIP passes. VIP passes will offer perks such as viewing areas, expedited entry, VIP bars, private restrooms and more. The festival will also include many performing artist and merchants, who are primarily based in Texas. Lights All Night is expected to end the year big for all its festival goers. For more information on attending Lights All Night, visit lightsallnight.com.
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Near orbit Student researcher sets his sight on the stars.
Photo courtesy of Aldo Sepulveda
McDonald Observatory. By Ray Hagimoto Marketing Staff
A single email has the power to drastically change the course of one’s career. Junior undergraduate physics major Aldo Sepulveda discovered just how much an email can change one’s life when he was accepted into the University of Texas at Austin’s TAURUS summer research program. What followed was an extraordinary summer and a life-changing experience. Applying for a research position is a daunting challenge for any undergraduate student, but with advice from UTSA faculty members, Sepulveda managed to secure himself one of the six spots available in the TAURUS program where he worked with Dr. Brendan Bowler, measuring the dynamic mass of the exoplanet host star HR 8799. This young star hosts four exoplanets whose orbital motion has been continuously monitored since their discovery nearly a decade ago. For Sepulveda, the most challenging part of the program was learning how to code in Python. “When June came around, we
were thrust into an intense Python workshop that really pulled me out of my comfort zone, because I had no previous applied programming experience going into the summer. It was a really valuable experience because that gave me the necessary tools to excel in this type of research.” Armed with this new skill, Sepulveda set out to fit orbits into data collected by astronomers at various observatories in order to fill a gap in astronomers’ knowledge of HR 8799. Prior to efforts by Sepulveda and Bowler, astronomers only had model-dependent estimates on the mass of the host star at the center of HR 8799. Now, their contributions have provided a model-independent mass for the star–a key piece in the puzzle to more reliably constrain the age of HR 8799–ultimately allowing astronomers to have a better understanding of how exoplanets form, revealing information about how planets in our own solar system formed. Following the summer, Sepul-
veda has been invited to present his research at the Southwest Research Institute, the American Astronomical Society meeting in Washington D.C. and the Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium at Rice University. He was also afforded the opportunity to visit W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii and get hands-on experience observing with NIRC2, a near-infrared imaging instrument that utilizes the adaptive optics system at Keck. In all, Sepulveda said the experience was life-changing. “I was craving my first research experience in the field and further direction for a career in astronomy. What I got from this summer was that and so much more. I gained a substantial exposure to the larger community in the field of astronomy and found that the culture is very appealing to me. I met and made connections with many wonderful people in all stages of their astronomy careers. Overall, I developed stronger confidence in both my interest in career astronomy and in my own abilities.
Sepulveda at the W.M. Keck Observatory
Photo courtesy of Aldo Sepulveda
Sepulveda and his adviser, Dr. Brendan at the University of Texas at Austin.
Photo courtesy of Aldo Sepulveda
The growth and learning that I accomplished over this summer could only come from an experience like this, certainly not from a classroom.” Sepulveda hopes his story will
encourage undergraduate students with little or no research experience to pursue summer programs. Maybe they too will have a lifechanging experience.
Donde pa NYE? Check out where to ring in the new year in San Anto. By Leah Fenely Staff Writer
San Anto aka Spurs Nation aka The 210 on NYE.
Chase Otero / The Paisano
Get your glitter covered party hats and your cliché 2018 glasses on–it’s time to count down the New Year. Every year, San Antonio celebrates the momentous occasion of a new year and the opportunity for new beginnings. Partygoers can attend the free public party in San Antonio’s Hemisfair Park, which draws locals and visitors alike out onto the city streets to bring in the New Year. The Celebrate San Antonio event promises to be larger than ever in honor of the city’s 300th birthday, with headline performances by REO Speedwagon and Pat Benatar, so be sure to bring your leg warmers for this ‘80s throwback. The event begins at 5 p.m. and also provides other live music options, food and a spectacular fireworks display at midnight to bring an end to 2017. If you are not looking forward to the crowds but want to see a fireworks display, you can take a short drive to the South Texas Maize in Hondo, Texas. If you are from San Antonio, you probably
remember this ranch from your elementary school field trip days, so their New Year’s Eve event is sure to bring a dose of nostalgia along with family-friendly fun. The corn maize has been removed, but the country entertainment is still available. You can take a hay ride, ride the Cow Train, shoot the Apple Cannon and jump on the two Corn Poppers (jumping pillows). The gates open at 5 p.m., and general admission is $10. There will also be a concession booth, which will sell all the fair favorite food options and a firework show, which will begin around 10 p.m. and last until the gates close at 11 p.m. Staying in the city is also a great New Year’s Eve option, with parties happening at every bar across the city. Just travel to San Antonio’s Southtown, where you can bar hop down the N. Saint Mary’s Strip. Be sure to stop at the Brass Monkey for their New Year’s Eve party that kicks off at 9 p.m. and features $2 drinks. The Brick at Blue Star art complex is also hosting a New Year’s Eve dance
party. The Brick House Bash begins at 9 p.m. and ends around 1 a.m. If the party scene is just not for you, watching the ball drop in New York City’s Times Square from the comfort of your own home is a classic New Year’s Eve favorite. Gather a few of your close family and friends, pop a champagne or wine bottle and watch as the sky lights up on the first day of a new year. And if you partied too hard this New Year’s Eve, go cure your hangover at Nectar Wine Bar and Ale House’s Pajama Jammy Jam New Year’s Day Brunch. They will have the cure you need with free Pedialite shots, a ‘90s playlist and special hangover breakfast plates. Brunch lasts from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., with hangover food favorites–biscuits and gravy, corned beef hash, bacon, sausage and eggs as well as items from their regular brunch menu. So, this New Year’s Eve be sure to celebrate however suits you best, because you should always start the New Year in a positive way. Happy 2018 everyone!
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Reel Talk
Cassette tape makes a comeback.
Cain Cox, owner of Dagger Death, posted with his tape duplicator.
Listening to tapes: the tangibility of tapes and cassette players adds an entirely different element to listening to music.
Enrique Bonilla / The Paisano
Ryan Smith, owner of Yippee Ki Yay Records with mascot, Jerry the Jackalope.
Photo courtesy of Cain Cox
Photo courtesy of Oscar Moreno
By Enrique Bonilla Arts & Life Editor
In the past few years, we’ve seen huge losses to the musical world: musicians, producers and singers who had profound influences on music today. These artists were part of a different era of music, one controlled through switches, cables and magnetic tape. An era before the autotuning and the millennial woop. These artists of the past blazed paths through creating great music, but the byproduct of this path was the creation of analog music. Records. Cassettes. CDs. The boom of vinyl has exploded records and record players back into a spotlight. According to the 2016 Nielsen report sales, vinyl and cassette sales reached 13.1 million units sold compared to 6.1 million sold in 2013. The interest in tangible audio formats is back on the rise, and as more of our beloved entertainers pass on, these tangible objects become mementos. Across the country, we are seeing a resurgence of labels that are focusing on the release of such formats. At the forefront of this
resurgence is vinyl, which has had massive commercial success for both large labels and small labels. Although still considered niche in size compared to digital audio, vinyl records topped their highest point in over 25 years according to a report by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2016. As LP sales grew in the 21st century, the sales of cassette tapes remained relatively stagnant since their drop in sales in 2008 to around $1 million in total sales. This has shifted in the past few years. “Probably the thing that has enlarged our business is more than anything is the return of music to the audio cassette–the retro movement. There is the nostalgia of holding the audio in your hand,” says Steve Stepp, president of National Audio in an online video published by Bloomberg. National Audio has stepped up to the plate to bring this revival to the cassette. The almost 50 year old cassette manufacturing company has taken the bulk
small psyche/garage rock focused label based out of San Antonio, releases music through cassette, CDs and records. Their first record for Paris band Bacon Fudge was released on tape in 2014. “I think largely within the realm of music I’ve worked in, cassettes are definitely growing still. It kind of became a big thing with Burger Records in the late 2000s. They almost single handedly kickstarted a movement back to that. Burger Records, hardcore punk and other scenes have revitalized it in a lot of different ways,” said Ryan Smith, owner of the Yippee Ki Yay. Smith has released several San Antonio acts on his label, including The Bolos and Junkie and opened up his label family to include international artists such as Las Piñas (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and Baby Jesus (Halmstead, Sweden). Speaking on the resurgence of tape, Smith said, “I think cassettes are a physical artifact that you can pick up, hold and put it in–it takes more effort to listen to it, but it’s also something where it’s affordable where a kid who may not have $20 to get a vinyl LP or $12 to get a CD can spend $5 to get a cassette that comes potentially with a download card. They’ll still get access to that album, and its even cheaper than you would get it on iTunes, and it comes with this goofy artifact that you can collect and hold. It’s almost more than the music. It’s truly an artifact. It’s a piece of art. Somebody had to put thought Chase Otero / The Paisano
of business brought on by the music industry’s revived interest in cassettes. It serves as the largest manufacturer of blank cassettes and offers duplication services as well. If you’ve picked up a tape made in the past 17 years, there is a big chance it has passed through National Audio. This is a bittersweet moment for the company. As of 2014, their supplier of magnetic tape in South Korea stopped making the material. The Week reported earlier this month that National Audio plans on making their plant a manufacturer of magnetic tape, so cassettes made in spring of 2018 will be using the first tape made in the US. The cassette has been resilient in the face of rising digital music subscription services such as Spotify and Apple Music, which lead the mainstream music industry in sales. Cassettes simply refuse to die. This is the case for several small labels that are active in today’s underground and touring music scenes. Yippee Ki Yay records, a
Tapes are a unique addition to your music library. They provide a different sound, carry a unique asthetic, are cheap, and fun to collect. Listed here are Sudden Attack’s S/T, The Flex’s Don’t Bother With The Outside World, Toner’s LP + EP, Whitney Houston’s 1985 S/T, Sangune Eagle / Oppression split, and Temple of Angel’s S/T–music from 1985 to 2017.
into the color, the art itself, the layout...the design of it overall. It’s not just a tool for conveying data and information which is the music. It’s truly part of the release itself in an art form in and of itself.” Being cheap and easy to reproduce makes it an ideal format to release, especially if you’re starting to put together a record label. This is the case of 18 year old Cain Cox and his label Dagger Death based out of Denver, Colorado. Cox is representative of the younger generations who will be tasked with learning the technologies of analog audio. Cox is proactive with this. “Depending on the the band and what they want to release, I order blank tapes from either National Audio or another small company. At first, I did my duplication through a small company here in Denver, but I was able to acquire duplication equipment on my own, so now I duplicate in house. As for J-cards, I print them here in Denver at a printing store, and all the layouts I do myself. Most of the process is done at home, primarily because I like the work and I like keeping my label handson and in-house,” says Cox. Cox goes onto explain why he was interested in this format and where it is going. “When I got into tapes, what I wanted were old death metal demos because I just thought they were cool. And the sound of tapes with the crackle in the back was always rad to me. I started making tapes and the label because I wanted to be able to support bands but I’m also not rich so I can pay for bands to release stuff on tape because it was so much cheaper and cassettes are still a large part of the metal community and I honestly think they are getting bigger I mean, Tyler the Creator released his new album on
cassette, and he is huge.” Dagger Death is also the newest branch of Cox’s DIY projects. The young entrepeneur also released his own zine under the same name as his label, which has included active bands in today’s metal scene including Spectral Voice (Denver, CO) and Gatecreeper (Phoenix, AZ). It is clear cassettes are here to stay. Walkmans are cheap and easy to find at thrift shops or antique stores. Cassettes are equally easy and cheap to find at your local record shop, online or at the merchandise stand at shows. Hogwild Records, Friends of Sound and Imagine Books & Records are all local shops that carry cassettes. Bandcamp.com is filled with up and coming acts and labels that release cassette. Texas is booming with labels that release cassettes. Check out Rat Tail Tapes (SATX), Dead Weight Tapes (SATX), Yippee Ki Yay (SATX), Red River Family Records (ATX), Holodeck Records (ATX) and Screwed Up Records & Tapes (HTX). Many local bands are also riding this wave of cheap high-profit merch including Junkie, The Bolos, Elnuh, Cosmic Behemoth, Haunter, Sudden Attack, Death Cult, Amygdala, MeduSSSa, Creep Stare and P I N K O to name a few. Support your local scene. Buying a cassette as opposed to a record or CD is different in effect because cassette sales typically go straight to a label or artist. Billboard reported that 46 percent of cassette sales were direct-to-consumer sales in 2016. This holiday season give the gift of tape. Not only do you give the gift of music to someone, but you directly support the artists and labels of tomorrrow. Music that may one day be a memento to a nostalgic older you.
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Sports Roadrunners fail to earn bowl game bid UTSA’s football season officially comes to an end
Roadrunners celebrate around receiver Josh Stewart after a touchdown.
By Connor Zimmerlee Sports Assistant
C
oming off a 2016 season in which they made a bowl game for the first time in school history, the UTSA football team came into this season with high expectations. Not only were there preseason talks of going to another bowl game, but the possibility of a conference championship seemed within reach. By the end of a season filled with ups and downs, UTSA finished the season with a 6-5 record. Despite winning six games, the ‘Runners will not go to a bowl game. This season, 81 teams were eligible for a bowl bid. With only 78 bowl slots available, three teams would fall short, including UTSA. Looking to prove themselves as a serious threat in Conference-USA, the ‘Runners started off strong in non-conference play. After their season opener against Houston was cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey, UTSA went on the road to Waco to face Baylor to begin the season. The ‘Runners were heavy underdogs
going into the game, but shocked the country by pulling off a 17-10 upset victory. By beating Baylor, the ‘Runners claimed their first win over a Power Five school. Following the win over Baylor, the ‘Runners looked dominant over the next two non-conference games against Southern University and Texas State. Against Southern, the UTSA offense exploded for a whopping 55 points, while the defense only allowed 17. The ‘Runners were led by quarterback Dalton Sturm, who completed 19 of 22 passes for 292 yards and four touchdowns. Facing rivals Texas State, UTSA again was dominant and made things look easy in a 44-14 win on the back of 174 yards and a touchdown from Jalen Rhodes. On the heels of an impressive 3-0 start in non-conference play, UTSA looked to start conference play on a strong note against Southern Miss. The offense was again firing on all cylinders, as Sturm threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns. However, the ‘Runners defense could not stop Southern Miss running back Ito Smith, who totaled 178 of the teams 246 rushing yards. A furious late comeback attempt would fall short, as the ‘Runners would
QB Dalton Sturm rushes for a big gain against Texas State. Ricky Galindo/The Paisano
Chase Otero/The Paisano
ultimately fall 31-29 to the Golde Eagles for their first loss of the season. Following the heartbreaking loss, UTSA looked to avoid back-to-back losses heading into the game against North Texas. The offense struggled early in the first half but woke up during the second quarter to take a 17-16 into the half. UTSA’s defense kept the team in the game for much of the second half, as the offense struggled to get production going. The UTSA defense would take the field with a minute left in the game tasked with protecting a 26-22 lead. However, they allowed a go-ahead touchdown with 20 seconds left in the game to fall 29-26. After back-to-back close losses to start conference play, UTSA got back on track against Rice and UTEP. Looking to dispel the offensive struggles they had been dealing with, the ‘Runners, led by Tyrell Clay’s dynamic 153-yard performance, thrashed Rice. On the defensive side of the ball, it was the Marcus Davenport show as he totaled 11 tackles and returned a fumble for a touchdown in the 20-7 UTSA win. The ‘Runners carried the success into their game against UTEP. They earned 31 points due to a dominant 205
yard performance on the ground. A dynamic offensive performance, which was backed by a stout defensive showing, led UTSA to a 31-14 victory to bring the team within one game of bowl eligibility. Heading into the final four games of the season, the UTSA offense appeared to be back on track at the perfect time. However, the offensive woes were on full display during the final stretch of the season. In three of the final four games, the ‘Runners only managed to score more than 14 points once. On the other side of the ball, the USTA defense played extraordinarily well, but the offense was unable to take advantage. Despite the offensive difficulties during the final stretch, the ‘Runners still managed a 9-7 victory over Marshall behind the leg of Jared Sackett to gain their sixth win of the season before falling to Louisiana Tech in the final game. On Dec. 3, UTSA was informed they had not earned a bowl game bid despite their six-win season. With the departure of key seniors such as quarterback Dalton Sturm and defensive end Marcus Davenport, the future of UTSA football is uncertain. UTSA football will return in the fall of 2018.
Davenport chases after the UAB quarterback.
Ricky Galindo/The Paisano
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The controversy around NCAA athlete compensation By Josh Levario Contributing Writer
Division I university sports teams will generate an estimated $9 billion this year. However, only the top 20 of 230 programs will pull in more than $100 million, most won’t even break more than $20 million. The debate on whether or not college athletes should be paid a salary has been going on for decades now. With so much revenue, there has to be enough to pay athletes wages in addition to scholarships, right? When you dig deeper into it, there are some complications. The NCAA maintains a strict use of amateurism; on their website they state “amateurism is crucial to preserving an academic environment in which acquiring a quality education is the first priority.” Due to this, the rules regarding athlete compensation are strict. Foremost, athletes are not permitted to use their likeness to sell autographs or be affiliated with a brand. They are also not allowed to accept gifts from unaffiliated parties such as sports agents and corporations. An example of this is the 2005 scandal that rocked the University of Southern California. That year, two star athletes, Reggie Bush, a running back and Heisman Trophy winner, and O.J. Mayo, a star basketball player, were both caught accepting gifts from sports agents. This was a direct violation of the amateur rules set by the NCAA. As a result, their amateur status was stripped and Reggie Bush had to forfeit his Heisman trophy, and USC was forced to vacate all of their wins for the 2005 season.
Another obstacle for athlete compensation is the problem of how the money would be distributed to athletes across the board. While men’s football and basketball constitutes the majority of revenue pulled in by NCAA sports, it would be unfair to compensate only a fraction of the athletes participating. It would be a more difficult task to determine how much each player gets paid. Do All-Americans warrant more money than their counterparts? Do sports that bring in less revenue have the option of paying their players the same amount that football or basketball players would get? This would have to be heavily regulated and would change based on whatever school the athletes attend, as every school brings in various amounts of revenue. And of course, the argument that has always been at the forefront of this debate: athletes don’t need monetary compensation; a free education is enough. When people think of scholarships, most assume that all athletes get fullrides and don’t owe anything to the school. However, most universities have a set limit on the amount of full-ride scholarships they can give out, so not everyone gets through college without paying. Some form of monetary compensation could help them out and keep them from having to take out loans. There have been arguments that paying a salary would be a bad idea, due to college students generally having little knowledge when it comes to finances and would encourage reckless behavior. Nonetheless, the debate will continue on. Athlete compensation is years ahead, if it happens at all. The NCAA would have to change their rules or dissolve completely for it to ever become reality.
USC running back busts through the hole.
James Santelli/flickr.com
Men’s basketball off to solid start Freshman duo leading young squad By Frank Leal Sports Editor
Heineman shoots a three over a defender.
Jeff Huehn/UTSA Athletics
Athlete of the week: Carlie Heineman By Frank Leal Sports Editor
Throughout her basketball career at UTSA, Carlie Heineman has been lethal from behind the arc. She’s made 140 three-pointers during her time as a ‘Runner, and with most of her final season still to go, that number will only grow. Heineman improves her game every season, and she’ll work to continue that trend as the 2017-2018 basketball season gets underway. Heineman was raised in San Antonio and began playing basketball through her church when she was only in the second grade. Immediately, she fell in love with the game. “I just really loved basketball from the get-go and always just stuck with it,” said Heineman. Heineman attended Marshall High School for her first three years of high school. In her senior year, she attended Brennan High School, where she averaged 12.4 points per game and was an integral part of the team’s run to the state semifinals. At the end of the season, Heineman was named to the 2014 all-state team. Born and raised in San Antonio, Heineman was a Roadrunner in the making.“I committed to UTSA my sophomore year of high school,” said Heineman. “I wanted my family to see me play, and I wanted to be able to see my sister play in high school as well,” said Heineman on her decision to stay close to home. “I just thought it’d be a good fit for me,” she said. Away from the hardwood, Heineman is currently in graduate school studying English. “I love to read and write, so I always wanted to do something in that department,” said Heineman. Although she is an English major, Heineman has plans to potentially become a basketball coach. “Originally I wanted to teach and coach, but now I’m thinking of coaching at the college level,” said Heineman on her career aspirations. “I love the
game, I love studying the game and I like working with other people to teach the game of basketball,” said Heineman. In her limited free time, Heineman enjoys spending time with her dog Jax. “I like to play with him, and we go on walking trails and things like that,” said Heineman. Her other hobbies include reading, watching Netflix and listening to music. “I really like country music,” said Heineman. “Nobody seems to like it, but I really like country music.” Before every game and every practice, Heineman goes through her unique preparation routine. “I always put on my left sock, then my right sock, then my left ankle brace, and my right ankle brace, then my left shoe and my right shoe,” said Heineman. “I just have to do it in that order, or I feel like something is off.” When it comes to hidden talents, Heineman claims not to have any. “If I do have a hidden talent, I haven’t discovered it yet,” said Heineman with a laugh. “Aside from basketball, I’m not that talented.” With her final season now underway, Heineman says traveling with the team is what she’s enjoyed the most about playing basketball for UTSA. “It’s cool to get to fly out and go to different places around the country. Last year we went to Oregon, and this year we get to go to California,” said Heineman. “Basketball has made me a better leader and helped me develop perseverance and determination,” said Heineman. “Because I play basketball and I have for so long, I’m able to work with all kinds of people. I think that’s really important for life in general.” Next time you’re able to catch a UTSA women’s basketball game at the Convocation Center, keep an eye out for number 31. With over 75 percent of her career points coming by way of three-pointers, you’ll be sure to witness Heineman splash home a couple of threes.
After the departure of both Gino Littles and Jeff Beverly at the end of the 2016-2017 season, many UTSA fans were left with a sense of uncertainty about the future of Roadrunner basketball. After posting a 14-19 record in 2016-2017, Head Coach Steve Henson needed to overcome the loss of two of his key players. With a young team, nobody knew what to expect from UTSA basketball. So far in the new season, UTSA is off to a 5-4 start in non-conference play. UTSA basketball has also continued their dominant play at home. The ‘Runners are a perfect 3-0 this year when playing in the Convocation Center. Jeff Beverly averaged nearly 16 points per game for UTSA last season. When he left to play for Iowa State, Beverly left a big offensive void the ‘Runners had to fill. Many fans seemed to think the offensive production of the team would decline without Beverly, but that hasn’t been the case thanks to two breakout freshmen. Freshmen Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace have exploded onto the scene and produced big numbers offensively for the ‘Runners. Wallace and Jackson stepped up to help fill the offensive void and have stolen the show in a big way. Wallace scored 22 points in his UTSA debut, and he has already scored over 20 points in three different games early in the season. Wallace has
Jhivvan Jackson scans the floor.
started all nine games for UTSA so far, and he has already made 24 three-pointers this season. Wallace has also racked up 25 assists and averages almost three per game. On the defensive side of the ball, Wallace has totaled 12 steals and five blocks in only nine games. Jackson isn’t a starter, but he’s been electric off the bench. Jackson leads the team in scoring with 16.1 points per game so far, and is shooting 40 percent from three-point range. He also averages just over 22 minutes of playing time per game for the ‘Runners. Together, the freshman duo average over 30 points per game and are shooting 38 percent from the field. The two freshmen, along with sophomores Giovanni De Nicolao and Byron Frohnen, have proved to be the heart and soul of the team thus far. Although the season is still young, the 20172018 UTSA men’s basketball team has wiped away concerns regarding their offense. In the first nine games alone, UTSA has scored 90 or more points in four contests, including a big 125-point performance in a win over Ottowa in which six different players scored in double digits. Conference play doesn’t begin until after Christmas, but if this early seasonn performance is any indication, the Roadrunners will have a real shot to compete in Conference-USA. UTSA men’s basketball hasn’t had a winning record since 2013. With the team riding on the backs of a young core, they just might break that streak.
Jeff Huehn/UTSA Athletics