The Paisano Vol. 45 Issue 6

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

02.15.2011 Vol. 45 Issue 6

The

Paisano

Professor’s theft leads to concern Dan Rossiter

P10: Baseball preview

See THEFT, Page 4

Students have trouble affording college tuition Dyan Lofton

paisanonews@sbcglobal.net Tuition seems to be spiraling upward yearly at The University of Texas at San Antonio since spring of 2008 and college affordability is a major concern for students. As tuition continues to increase, students are frantically looking for avenues to keep their tuition covered.

In spring of 2008, a Texas resident or military person paid approximately $3,338.45 as a 15-hour full-time student, while non-residents paid $7,508.45 for the same amount of hours. As for the 12-hour part-time student, he or she paid $2,843.45 as a Texas resident or military person, and a non-resident paid $6,179.

For spring of 2011, a Texas resident or military person paid approximately $3,951 as a 15-hour full-time student, while nonresidents paid $8,601. As for the 12-hour part-time student, he or she paid $3,361.75 as a Texas resident or military person, and a non-resident paid $7,083.75.

Junior accounting major Jacory Brasfield says, “I’m not too fond of the increase in tuition, but I do understand that it’s something that needs to happen. As the university grows and expands, funds are needed for that expansion” Brasfield said.

“I’m glad I get to be apart of something epic here at UTSA.” The biggest fees and charges that students pay each semester are the student service fee, athletics fee, university center fee, medical services fee, recreation center fee, undergrad advising fee, tuition as a Texas resident or a non-resident, automated services charge, and the library resource charge.

See AFFORDABILITY, Page 4

Egyptian professor and student discuss events at home Ramsey Rodriguez Dan Rossiter

paisanonews@sbcglobal.net “The source of their pain is in unemployment, poor services making a graft in the city and money,” says Dr. Mansour ElKikhia about the thousands of Egyptian protestors fighting for a better way of life. “Forty percent make less than two dollars a day while one percent makes 50 million.”

Fatimah Aboueisha, a junior studying biology, who lived in Egypt up to the age of 12, says that “[Egyptians] have been living under emergency law,”

something that is generally reserved, in other countries, for times of extreme national danger, namely being under attack by another country. Prior to the 18-day riot, emergency law allowed for police to search a person’s home without a warrant or reason.

“You couldn’t visit a neighbor after eight o’clock,” Aboueisha adds. “Everything the government did, you could not question.”

Factors such as these led to the massive demonstrations that ended in President Hosni Mubarak’s resignation this past

Mansour El-Kikhia and Fatimah Aboueisha.

Friday. After nearly 30 years in power, Mubarak relinquished control of the country to the armed forces. Eighteen days of consistent protesting against the government paid off as the Egyptian activists got what many have waited for.

See EGYPT, Page 4

Routes 93 and 94 no longer free Angela Marin

paisanonews@sbcglobal.net As of June 1 UTSA students, faculty and staff will be required to pay to ride VIA bus routes 93 and 94 to commute between the main and downtown campuses.

Students, faculty and staff will have the option of paying regular fare or purchasing a discounted VIA pass. UTSA previously had a contract with VIA where commuters could ride these routes by simply presenting a UTSA ID card. Costs associated with this contract were paid for with student transportation fees.

Via will discontinue free services after June 1.

“Because of economic conditions, most public transit sys-

tems are being forced to cut services or raise rates, or a com-

bination of both,” Transportation Services Manager James Strahan said. “When VIA indicated a need to raise rates, UTSA evaluated the cost effectiveness of the existing contract with them and determined that it would be too expensive to continue.”

VIA was unable to provide the university with an exact figure of how many individuals used routes 93 and 94 to travel between main and downtown campuses, but estimated that several hundred UTSA students and employees use the service.

See VIA, Page 3

Happy big three-oh, Paisano!

Sergio Rios

paisanofeatures@sbcglobal.net

T

he first office - a gutted bakery - resembled an abandoned warehouse more than a newsroom, but it was an upgrade from the last place: a sparely furnished trailer home around a deserted strip of Babcock Road.

That new office, the remains of the American European bakery, was a shell of a building with only a few rough (but solid), wooden benches too heavy to carry out when the site was cleaned out overnight.

But in a short time this small space in the Campus South Shopping Center quickly became home to a proudly independent student newspaper, The Paisano.

This is its story: its volunteer staff, its humble beginnings and its remarkable trajectory. It is

also a story of perseverance, dedication and most importantly, a voice.

In the summer of 1973, four years after the Texas Legislature authorized the development of an upper level university in San Antonio as a part of the University of Texas System, UTSA held its first set of classes at the Koger Executive Center for 670 students. Sometime after UTSA’s seven original buildings were completed in 1975, a series of governing polices, the Memoranda Series, established the university’s policies and operational procedures. The series, now known as the HOP (Handbook of Operation Procedures), included Memorandum 66, which stated that the university would not support, or fund, any student publication.

“It was a mutual thing, the administration did not want to support the student newspaper

and the students didn’t want to have those strings attached,” said Steven G. Kellman, English professor and 30-year member of The Paisano’s Advisory Board.

In the latter part of the ’70s, however, two independent publications sprouted but were short lived. Mother Earth, UTSA’s first independent publication, lasted a semester; the second, The University Times, published for three.

In the fall of 1980, a new English professor spotted a flyer posted on a bulletin board that read: “A university should not be without a student newspaper.”

There, in that moment, the seed of a successful independent student newspaper had finally found its soil.

Very soon after, as the idea gained momentum, a small group began to gather regularly at the home of who would become the newspaper’s first ad-

paisano-online.com

File Issue

P6: ‘Fuzzy Valentine’

Egyptians protesting in Cairo for the removal of president.

Mark Muniz\ The Paisano

P7: A Vampire Musical

On Jan. 24, Michael Burns, a graduate student and business instructor at UTSA since 2005, reportedly stole close to $3,000 worth of audio equipment from the Business Building’s Liu Auditorium. According to officials, Burns admitted to the theft after being caught on a campus video camera.

This is only one example of the thefts committed recently by university faculty and staff, both at UTSA and across the nation. Only a month prior to the Liu incident, a tenured professor at University of Maryland – Baltimore County, Francis NunooQuarcoo, confessed to staling $10,000 from the university.

A similar theft was also uncovered at Purdue University only a week ago. Two tenured faculty members were discovered to have been misappropriating funds during a 2010 university audit. Though specific amounts were not disclosed by university officials, they did admit that at least one of the professors involved had been siphoning university funds for 10 years prior, at the time of discovery.

AP Photo

paisanonews@sbcglobal.net

First issue of The Paisano 1981. vertising manager, Glenda Marcus. By then, the former advisor to the University Times, Sydney Plotkin, had agreed to participate as the group’s co-advisor, a title he held until his departure from UTSA in 1982.

See ANNIVERSARY Page 9

P2

The Paisano

February 15, 2011

0 0 1 $ E V A S SIGN & EBRUARY 28 & SAVE $100 SIGN A LEASE BY F

apply online today spaces are ďŹ lling fast for fall 2011

THE OUTPOST SAN ANTONIO.COM

great location to campus. resort-style amenities. private bedrooms & bathrooms. individual leases.

210.694.4777 | 6802 UTSA BOULEVARD LIMITED TIME ONLY. SEE OFFICE FOR DETAILS.

Riots Continue Allison Tinn paisanonews@sbcglobal.net

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a column titled “Revolutions are Contagious” and once again this statement has been proven to be true.

This past week thousands of men and women gathered in Rome’s Piazza del Popolo to protest against Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi who has recently been tried for hiring an underage prostitute.

Berlusconi, 74-years-old, has been accused of having sex with 17-year-old belly dancer.

Berlusconi has been known to hold lavish parties at his home with women.

Italians have been protesting in more than 200 cities across Italy, and are moving for the Prime Minister to resign. It has been said that Berlusconi is not worried about the protests saying that it simply just politics.

Algerians are also moving for President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to be removed from office, who has been ruling Algeria since 1999.

Thousands of people have gotten together to march the streets of Algeries every Saturday until reform has taken place within the government.

This past Saturday 5,000 Algerians showed up to march.

Not only are revolutions contagious but also so is success.

More countries from oppressed governments are standing up for their rights knowing they have a chance to have their voice heard.

P3

Animal Defense League gives animals second chance AFFORDABILITY: in ‘My Fuzzy Valentine’ adoption event Incoming students Cliff Perez

paisanonews@sbcglobal.net The Animal Defense League (ADL) has been holding a promotional event called “My Fuzzy Valentine” (January 29 – February 20) where they’re encouraging potential adopters around San Antonio to find their soul mate.

A select group of cats will be available for adoption for a reduced fee of $25. Adoption fees for select dogs are reduced to $30. All ADL animals are spayed or neutered, microchipped and up to date on their vaccinations.

The Animal Defense League has already seen an increase of visitors since the event began.

One of the main goals for the event is helping some of the older pets find homes.

“Puppies are almost assured of going home pretty soon. It’s those long-time residents that are here that we really put these events for to find them a home,” said Hugo Vital, Communications Manager of the ADL. The ADL is the oldest true nonkill shelter and has been around since 1934. They were founded “for the prevention of cruelty to animals; to promote kind and humane treatment of animals; and to aid and assist the enforcement of laws enacted for the prevention of animal cruelty.” Every animal that the ADL rescues will remain at the facility until they are adopted. Under no circumstance will the ADL euthanize any animal at their facility.

The ADL rescues animals three different ways. First, the shelter will take any stray animals from the public, although people are encouraged to call ahead before

Mark Muniz\ The Paisano

Hot Off The Press

NEWS

The Paisano

February 15, 2011

Cute critters like these are available for adoption at only $30. bringing in an animal. Second, the ADL accepts owner surrendered animals or owners that are unable to continue caring for their animal. Last, the ADL takes animals from different shelters around the San Antonio area, which includes kill shelters.

The ADL houses cats, dogs, puppies and kittens, and at any given moment can have 250 to 350 animals. The ADL closely monitors their intake of animals to ensure the safest, securest and most comfortable environment.

Their facilities also house a strong veterinary staff that helps to treat all of the animal’s medical conditions. Part of the rehabili-

tating process includes a foster network that helps to take in the animals until they’re restored to full health and ready to be adopted. This also includes neo-natal fosters for puppies or kittens that need to be bottle-fed. All these foster homes are completely on a volunteer basis and are part of a vast network of people who willingly give their time to help rehabilitate these animals.

The adoption process is fairly easy and can be completed anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. You will be asked to checkin at the front desk, walk around the shelter, socialize with the pet and complete an application.

If the potential owner is living in an apartment complex or rental home, the shelter will verify with the management that the pet is being moved into a petfriendly environment. After that, you are free to take home your new best friend.

The ADL is non-profit and receives no funding from the federal, state, or city government.

They rely heavily on donations and grants from the public in order to maintain their services.

People interested in donating to the ADL can go onto the website to donate at www.adltexas.org.

The ADL is located on 11300 Nacogdoches Rd, San Antonio, TX 78217. To find out more information about “My Fuzzy Valentine” or other ADL events you can check out their website or call 210-655-1481.

worry about having to pay for room and board From page 1 While some of these fees have changed by a few dollars, other areas have increased by a few hundred dollars. A complete fees list can be found under your account summary on ASAP. “Tuition in UTSA is at a good price as of right now compared to other school in Texas like that of UT and A&M. Some other universities just set a standard tuition cost no matter what,” freshman marketing major Ari Quinones, said. “What most freshman are concerned about is room and board, the fact that UTSA makes a freshman who wants to live on campus his/her first year buy a meal plan, which is about one-fifth of what the tuition is.” Quinones said, “Both the tuition and meal plan [should be] optional.”

“Students should fill out their FAFSA by our priority deadline of March 15 so that they are considered for the healthiest award packages that would assist in paying their tuition and fees,” Assistant Vice President of Student Financial Aid of Enrollment Services Lisa Blazer said.

“However, beyond that, we are in somewhat of a limbo period due to state proposed cut backs in grant programs (41 percent or $6 million) and possible cuts to the federal PELL Grant program to fund UTSA students in eleven-twelfths. We must wait until those decisions have been made to determine our 2011 and 2012 awards to students.”

Check us out

paisano-online.com

P4

NEWS

The Paisano

THEFT: Students begin to

EGYPT: Citizens see success from protests

worry about trust they have for professors

AP Photo

From page 1

From page 1 Though elation pulsed through the crowd still congregated in the country’s town squares, many Egyptians remain wary of the military’s control.

“Parties don’t win by 90 or 95 percent of the vote and his party has been winning by this margin for years,” Dr. El-Kikhia said recalling on Mubarak’s constant manipulation of the government.

Whether it was through imprisoning his opponents or throwing elections, Hosni Mubarak kept the citizens of Egypt under emergency law for almost three decades, suppressing minor oppositions in the past. By controlling the media outsourced from the country, Mubarak was able to keep most of Egypt’s problems silent to the world. However, with dire living conditions and little to no support, the youth of Egypt rallied together and took a stand against the status quo.

“It is their revolution,” Dr. ElKikhia said. “We take [having our voice heard] for granted [in America], with only ten to twenty percent participation. Over there, they have a government that does not serve the people.”

Thanks to the recent globalization of the World Wide Web, Egyptians were informed about the protests taking place. Activists and demonstrators utilized the internet, Facebook, and Al Gezira throughout the 18-day protest to gain international support in their endeavors. Over the course of the two and half weeks, countries rallied alongside the young Egyptians calling for change.

They were met with a harsh backlash, as Egypt’s president hired thugs and used the military to clear streets. Three hundred Egyptians have lost their lives during attempted crowd disbursements. However, curfews and militia forces could not stop the overbearing power of the thousands of activists remaining in market squares and plazas

Egyptian military steps in to try and keep peace in the nations capital. through the ensuing protest. Videos throughout Mubarak’s resignation speech show Egyptians waving their shoes in the air and calling out “He must leave.” Their wishes have been granted as elections will be held this September for a new president.

Aboueisha says that, “the day he left, my sister texted me. She said, ‘He stepped down.’ I went crazy. I ran out of class… I went psycho! I was telling everybody, ‘He stepped down!’ People didn’t know what I was talking about, of course, but I felt like the world knew what I was talking about.”

As the 20 million citizens that were in the streets return home, Aboueisha comments that “the youth [are] going back and cleaning the streets… They’re getting involved. They’re painting back [the graffiti-covered walls].

They’re fixing everything. They know this is their country, so they’re making those changes.”

Egypt’s call for a change in government is part of a recent chain reaction in the Middle East, beginning with the uprising in Tunisia in mid-January resulting in President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s resignation after 23 years in power. Demonstrations for change have started in Yemen as well as protestors call for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down from a 32 year reign. Hope and ongoing persistence have become the light as things begin to look brighter in the Middle East.

“It took ten years for this to happen,” says Dr. El-Kikhia with smile. “This is the power of youth and American youth should take an example from what’s going on in the world. It’s your world; it’s your life.”

VIA: bus fare change leads class scheduling issues From page 1 “It came to a point where, with the rate increases that we’re looking at, we were probably looking in the neighborhood of $300 to $400 dollars per person,” Strahan said. “The administration looked at that and decided that we get a better value by paying per semester for a student pass.”

Some students don’t agree with the decision.

“It will be an inconvenience for me because I only need to use the bus service for school, not to travel anywhere else,” senior accounting major Alba San Miguel said.

“I think it’s easier to just include it in tuition and fees” freshman political science major Steven Nsien said.

Communication Department Chair, H. Paul LeBlanc, who teaches courses at the main and downtown campuses, says riding the VIA bus is convenient for him because it allows him to secure his parking spot on the main campus when he needs to visit both sites in a single day.

“I know that, in terms of the communication department, we do have students taking classes at both campuses and rely on some mode of transportation to get between those

February 15, 2011

campuses,” LeBlanc said.

“It seems a bit problematic from the standpoint of course scheduling.

The downtown campus may have classrooms available for classes, so they would like us to schedule more classes down there. We can schedule classes there but if students are not going to go because they can’t get down there easily, due to the parking situation or costs of the bus --- that poses a problem.”

“We’re just trying to look out for everyone as we’re trying to make our budget work long-term,” Strahan said. “We were paying all of this money and you could only ride the 93 and 94 [routes], but now, by paying this amount for a pass, you can ride anywhere VIA goes. It’s a good thing for those who use it.”

The student cost for a Semester Pass is $35 and VIA currently offers passes for fall and spring. Semester Passes can be purchased at the University Center on the Main Campus or at the Student Activities office at the Downtown Campus.

Faculty and staff have the option to purchase the Half Fare pass at $15 or the Big Monthly Pass at $30. These can be obtained at VIA’s website at www.

VIAinfo.net.

What is most disturbing about these thefts is the employees committing them. They are not newcomers to their respective universities; they are employees who have been with the university for years.

In Burns’ case, not only had he been working for UTSA for five years prior to the incident, but he also received the Ambassadors’ Amber Award – an award reserved only for those who “[have] a positive influence on student’s educational experience,” according to Burns’ online CV. An employee in the College of Business, who requested to remain anonymous, said that “Burns was one of the most requested instructors in the business department. The students loved him.” A quick look at his profile on RateMyProfessors.com confirms

this. Burns received a 4.6 out of 5 on his overall quality, far outranking the overall UTSA campus rating of just 3.45.

With the amount of trust that students give their instructors, actions such as these could potentially have significant negative effects on a student, especially if the professor was someone they admired or looked up to.

Jackie Lewis, a sophomore double majoring in English and psychology, had this to say: “I’ve gotten to know some of my professors, and I’ve put a lot of trust in them. I trust what they tell me and I would like to think that they deserve that trust. If they break that trust [like Burns did], I think I’d have a hard time trusting other faculty members [in the future].”

This incident has raised questions

about university security.

Asia Kopp, a junior in education, feels like more could be done to keep university investments safe. “I think there’s more they could do. I think they need more security cameras… or at least an alarm system to [alert officials] if someone takes something.”

Lewis agreed with there being a need for added security, though insisted that any security improvements should not come at the cost of education.

In the end, the most effective way to prevent theft and general criminality is to have a vigilant populous.

I think they need more security cameras… or at least an alarm system to [alert officials] if someone takes something.”

Write a letter to the editor!

First five printable letters will receive TWO FREE MOVIE TICKETS!!!

Send letters to: paisanoeditor@sbcglobal.net

February 15, 2011

The Paisano

Editorial

Joseph Tidline

You know the greatest difference between us and the generation that went through the Great Depression?

To recover from their respective recession, they pretty much had to sacrifice to be able to rebuild and prosper. For the generations that followed, from the Baby Boomers to the Facebook generation, we are in a position in which we must sacrifice to recover, and yet, our selfish mentality and detriment to anything being taken away from us could very well cost us what we hold dear.

On Monday, President Obama presented his budget for the next fiscal year, a whopping $3.73 billion and a record $1.645 trillion deficit to follow. The issue at hand is that without any serious tax increases to compensate for the extended Bush tax cuts on the rich, the Republican Congress has sought to implement more budget cuts to important social programs, in particular health care, education, and non-defense spending.

Since our elected representatives seem to only be focusing on a rather minute part of the overall

Editor-in-Chief: Managing Editor: Vanessa Elizarraras

News Editor: Allison Tinn

Features Editor: Joey Alabbassi

Arts Editor: Ruben Mercado

Sports Editor: Stephen Whitaker

Photo Editor: Burk Frey

Graphics Editor: Robert Calcagno

Ads Manager: Kevyn Kirven

Business Manager: Jenelle Duff

Interim Web Editor: Dan Rossiter

Interns:

Dyan Lofton, Angela Martin, Ramsey Rodriguez, Sergio Rios

Staff: Megan Lovelady, Graham Cull, Samantha Burns, Nina Hernandez, Kristoffer Hellesmark, Brandon Hawkins, Kristin Acosta, Dana Messer, Vagnie Bradley, Paty Castro, Melanie Canales, Victor H. Hernandez, Marie Ullrich, Robyn Bramwell, Kayla Larsen, Dan Rossiter, Cliff Perez

Contributing Staff:

Travis Walts, Dylan Crice, Maritza Avilar, Micheal Gardiner, Mark Muniz, Katie Schnader, Charles Horvilleur

Advisor: Diane Abdo

Advisory Board: Steven Kellman, Mansour El Kikhia, Jack Himelblau, Sandy Norman, Matt Stern The Paisano is published by the Paisano Educational Trust, a nonprofit, 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. All revenues are generated through advertising and donations. Advertising inquiries and donations should be directed towards:

© The Paisano 14545 Roadrunner Way San Antonio, TX 78249 Phone: (210)690-9301 Fax: (210)690-3423 E-mail: paisanoeditor@sbcglobal.net

Send letters to:

paisanoeditor@sbcglobal.net Letters must be less than 400 words and include the writer’s name, classification or title and telephone number. The

Paisano reserves the right to edit all submissions.

The Paisano encourages new comic submissions!

Send to

paisanoeditor@sbcglobal.net

Check us out online for web exclusive articles, blogs and content at:

paisano-online.com

The Paisano

OPINION

Sacrifice is only way to combat deficit budget, failing to consider any cuts to the defense budget, Medicaid, or Medicare. Rather than trimming or reforming these institutions that are the actual culprits of bankrupting the country, the Republicans and the Tea Party pundits want to slash programs that weren’t even properly funded to begin with.

We’ve already seen the ramifications in our own state; with reductions to financial aid and educational reform, up to 7,000 students that may have qualified for a Pell Grant will instead go penniless and dependant on high-interest credit in a system that can’t control the rise of college tuition.

A recent Letter to the Editor stated that it was reckless and spiteful of us to criticize the Tea Party. While we do not mean to generalize a specific political group, the fatal flaw of the Tea Party is the lack of hindsight of their members. If they were serious about budget reform, they should take a page from their groovy counterpart, the Libertarians, and slash the very programs that many of their elder constituents depend on

like Social Security.

That program and others could very well cripple this country’s recovery, putting our economy and society on a monetary limbo, but no one wants to do something serious so as to not piss off the retirees and the aging baby boomers.

We understand the right to what we own and what is owed to us.

And no one likes taxes even though we’re the least taxed, developed country in the free world. However, the solution to the budget is rather simple: either implemThe ent some serious cuts in the federal entitlement programs and defense spending or just bite the bullet and raise taxes.

Cutting it where it counts is not the way to fix the deficit. Sacrifice and the willingness to let go of a marginal amount of our capital is the only way we get out of debt. Because the current solution is like a person in credit card debt that stops going to Starbucks but gets a new sports car on a weekly basis.

Letter to the Editor Don’t judge a group by its tactics

This letter is in response to Cliff Perez. I’d like to point out a few things about your article that maybe you should take the time to look back over before you make such rash assumptions.

I’m an officer in the Atheist Agenda, and helped plan and organize the Smut for Smut campaign. And while yes, the campaign is meant to catch attention, we don’t do it solely for the attention. The pornography part of it is meant to grab the attention, but the underlying meaning of the event is to make people actually question their beliefs and be able to defend them.

Some religious folk go around bible thumping, when they really don’t even know anything about their holy book. They conveniently look over the bad parts of their holy texts, and only preach about how wonderful their God is and how it’s all about love. The truth is, all holy texts contain things worse than what is found in pornography.

Secondly a fight to the death so maybe we can all die, really? Being compared to the Westborough Church is quite the offense to me as an openly gay man. The WBC is in no way like us. They only promote hate. We promote thought and

questions. To say that a group that promotes the death and execution of gays resembles us completely irrational. We don’t hate anyone, we aren’t preaching to anyone and we aren’t shoving our beliefs in peoples faces.

We encourage people to come to us, not go door to door selling our ideas. People will willingly come to us to discuss their thoughts and question our thoughts. We promote intellectual debate, while WBC promotes burning people, like me, at the stake.

Thirdly, we didn’t ask for the camera crew. They are a group of students who approached us and asked us if they could film stuff about the campaign and about the group for a project they are doing. We don’t starve for attention.

Granted, we bring a lot of attention, but we aren’t starving for it. Grabbing someone’s attention is the only way you’re going to get them to ask questions.

Much like a business strategy in advertising, you have to grab people’s attention to make them want something. We use our means of “marketing” to make people want to come ask us, “Why?” We invoke people to question themselves and

look within themselves to look at their beliefs and analyze things they have never thought of before.

Lastly, we aren’t against living in harmony. Obviously religion and lack-thereof is always going to exist within our universe. Some of our members may be a little more prone to say that they personally are anti-religion, but that’s not the group’s mind as a whole.

Much like the UTSA community regarding religion, within the Atheist Agenda we all have different views on religion. We don’t generalize an entire group, because everyone is diverse. Hence why I said earlier some bible thumpers don’t know about their own holy texts.

I hope you read this Cliff and reanalyze what you wrote. I am all about free speech however, so say what you want to say, but you have to expect criticism from any end.

Much like we continue to conduct our event, but we openly expect to receive criticism like yours. Oh, and next time, give the pun advisory before you give the pun.

The Tea Party is simply a political organization that is concerned about the direction of the country and wants to return the country to a more sustainable spending level before we find ourselves in a depression or going down the same road that the UK went down in the 1960s.

I have never met a Tea Partier that displayed opposition to the current administration based on anything other than policy. Unfortunately, those that are opposed to the Tea Party ideologically cannot

Photo Poll What do you think about the UTSA shuttle service?

AJ Carnall

Senior / Engineering “I don’t use it often. When I do, it comes around frequently enough. The drivers are friendly.”

Andrew Linares Sophomore / Business “They’re packed sometimes.

People are almost falling out.”

Ashley Labarbera Sophomore / Psychology “I think the shuttles are efficient. They help with parking.”

Joe Engel Sophomore Atheist Agenda Officer

The Tea Party is not a hate group I am writing regarding an editorial in the February 8, 2011 edition of the Paisano regarding the Atheist Agenda’s “Smut for Smut” campaign.

In this article, the author cites the Westboro Baptist Church and the Tea Party as examples of hate organizations. While no one, themselves included, would argue that the Westboro Baptist Church is anything but a hate organization, I must take exception to the Tea Party’s characterization as a hate organization.

P5

find a legitimate argument against it and their only response is to call it racist.

Even though I have only been loosely associated with the Tea Party in the past, I feel as though everyone involved or even loosely involved with the Tea Party was being called racist by associaton, and I cannot stand by idly while that happens.

Ethan Nagai Senior / Engineering “I think it’s pretty reliable.

Parking isn’t that great, though.”

Ryan Cooper Freshman

The Bird Seed by Megan Lovelady Rosa Navarro Junior / Math “I don’t use the shuttles.”

Rosie Nguyen Senior / Health “I like it. You don’t have to fight for parking.”

Photo Poll by Burk Frey

P6

OPINION

The Paisano

February 15, 2011

Letter to the Editor Spreading tolerance with hate and violence This letter is directed to Cliff Perez regarding his, “Atheists preach the ‘good word’” commentary article.

There’s something I’ve noticed about people who use the word ‘tolerance’ to make a point; they often don’t take their own advice. In your article covering ‘Atheist Agenda’s’ ‘Smut for Smut’ campaign, you took the time to call me racist, homophobic, radical and to associate me with the Westboro Baptist Church among other ‘hate spewing’ comments in some sort of Orwellian effort to show how tolerant you are.

I am a student here at UTSA and am a member of the Tea Party. I’m not religious, actually – I’m an atheist, but I wouldn’t be caught dead anywhere near the ‘Atheist Agenda’

trolls, so it’d be hard to compare me with radical members of a religious (or anti-religious) cult. I’m a member of the gay conservative group (although I am straight) GoProud and am a supporter of the Log Cabin Republicans, so it’d be hard to call me homophobic.

You could call me a racist if that makes you feel good, but you’d have to claim that I am racist toward whites, blacks or some other race because I just happen to be Mexican-American.

And regarding the Tea Party being radical, please explain to me how advocating for lower taxes, less deficit spending and more individual liberty is radical? If that is what is considered radical these days then

this country is in more trouble than I thought.

I agree with your point on the Atheist Agenda kids, they are evangelical atheists and as far as I’m concerned they‘re ‘live-in-person internet trolls’ who insult people to garner attention. But while Atheist Agenda targets only one large group of people; religious folk – you speak of tolerance and slam several groups of people in your article.

If you really want to know about the Tea Party, feel free to ask me although I doubt you’d be interested in educating yourself about us. I am used to having people like you sit atop your mountain and randomly throw bombs at people like me simply because you believe what the

television tells you. But if you’re really trying to be tolerant, maybe you should take another look at yourself and keep in mind that a large and diverse group of people attend this school and read your paper.

You tend to lose credibility on the subject when your article is full of hate. Inarticulate slam articles like this are one of the reasons I don’t take your paper very seriously and as a proud student here at UTSA I’d much rather read something intelligent in the school paper in-between classes.

the Grammy’s as Lady Gaga was delivered in a giant egg?

If so, you’re probably like the millions of Americans who are hooked on the jiggle of Kim Kardashian’s tush, Justin Beiber’s journey through puberty, the amount of cocaine in Charlie Sheen’s nose, and stolen goods in Lindsay Lohan’s purse (and/or cocaine in her nose).

Yes, America has been bitten by the gossip bug, and judging by the amount of websites, magazines, blogs, and photos of pantiless women, gossip isn’t going anywhere.

While gossip isn’t a new phenomenon, smartphones have allowed information to pass quicker than any era before. Honestly, most

of the rich and famous much more interesting, but we’re all just being branded by these celebrities and gossip websites with their images, merchandise, and mind control.

Think about it for a second. Ladies, would you really look at yourself in the mirror after looking at some pictures of a celebrity and think you’re fat with dumb clothes, if you didn’t have a celebrity to compare yourself with? Let me save you some throwing up. You will never look like celebrities, so believe you’re beautiful, put your underwear back on, and spend time enjoying your life.

Honestly, I must say that I sympathize with the celebrities. I’m pretty sure that many of us would have trouble explaining our actions

there’s always somebody outside your door with cameras to follow you around everywhere, and the stalking is completely legal. You would hate to see your face plastered on websites with no makeup or quotes from some lady talking about your sex life and the kid that you planted in her belly.

Wouldn’t you hate to attend an award show and have some crazy person throw a microphone in your face and ask you about your outfit or some love connection with a random person you’ve never met?

Maybe some of you aspiring celebrities think this would be a great life, but I’m here to tell you that I wouldn’t want that life at all.

Facebook has already made us into mini-celebrities in our little

a global scale without the ability to un-tag yourself from a magazine or website?

The privacy settings on Facebook have kept me from looking like Charlie Sheen to my family and Facebook friends. Celebrities have no privacy settings for their life, so maybe we should all give them a break when they do something crazy. After all, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t party with Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan if there weren’t cameras around.

Sudoku

Jordan Markwell

The first 5 Commentary letters to the Celebrities take over the world one blog at a time editor will win Were you com- people don’t care about anybody’s to the public if they were under the worlds that have to monitor our images from parents, families, expletely enam- relationship status, but if Cameron microscope. free movie Think of all the things that you’ve boyfriends and girlfriends, and posored by the live Diaz feeds popcorn to Alex Rodridone lately that you wouldn’t want sible employers. Now can you imagcoverage from guez, everybody wants to know. tickets! the red carpet at Maybe most people find the lives anyone to know. Now imagine that ine having to monitor this image on

Cliff Perez Staff Writer

Send letters to:

paisanoeditor@ sbcglobal.net

ARTS

The Paisano

February 15, 2011

P7

San Antonio gets a Taste of ‘The Cure: The Vampire Musical’ New local production offers different take on the vampire genre Robert Calcagno

While one could say that “The Cure” is coat-tailing on the vampire-romance bandwagon, it has considerably more intriguing and deeper themes than any other “Twilight”/”True Blood” knockoff.

Premiering at the Woodlawn Theatre this past weekend, the vampiric rock-opera incorporates an elaborate set design involving a turntable centerpiece, a live band and aerial choreography by ZFX to present a musical that’s truly unique in its own right, even if it tends to have some conflicted themes.

An official selection of 2009’s New York Musical Theatre Festival, we follow the story of Gray (Matt Lieber), a failed writer suffering through another battle with cancer, as he’s taken alongside his friend Alex (Ben Carlee) into a nightclub in an abandoned sanctuary that is in fact the haven of the last-surviving vampires.

As the two characters interact and mingle with these bloodthirsty nightcrawlers, questions of love and immortality are raised as an even greater fight for survival between the old patriarch Vladimer (Kurt Wehner) and the violent usurper Rypien (Brian Carmack) is set in motion.

The creator of the musical, New York playwright Mark Weiser, believes that the underlying theme of vampirism is the cost of immortality.

He wanted to explore that aspect more so than the more primitive, lustful appeal of these creatures of the night.

Among the main characters, that’s certainly true. There’s a reserved intimacy among them that lends a sense of genuine doubt and aspirations. The novice vampire Sasha (local musician Mars Wright) sees his “condition” as a chance at a new life, a prospect that appeals to Alex, leading the two to elope with one another. On the opposite spectrum is Unique (Ashtyn Sonner), who craves a walk out in the sun after her “condition” is forced upon her and sees a way out with Gray, both romantically and literally.

And yet that’s where the conflict in themes occur, mainly in the usage of the company.

If the characters are deep, even articulate souls, it seems odd when they’re surrounded by relatively mindless sensual deviants. It’d appear as if the vampires from Twilight suddenly turned into bats in the third book for no explainable reason.

As the play is still a work in progress, as it is tentatively scheduled for an off-Broadway premiere in Spring 2012, I would hope that the roles of the company are further developed or at least kept within the reserved approach to vampirism that the musical captures quite well.

Also, the character of Anya, played

Photo courtesy of Ashlee Jordan Pryor

paisanoarts@sbcglobal.net

Vampires from “The Cure” celebrate a new night, led by the rebellious Rypien (Brian Carmack)

by Jovi Lee, seems underdeveloped or the victim of the editing room considering that in a play comprised of six main roles she doesn’t have her own song or monologue.

Aesthetically, the musical’s a site to behold. Incorporating the exterior castle left over from the Woodlawn’s recent production of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and a newly installed lighting system, the sanctuary is one of the most impressive local sets I’ve ever seen, even featuring a second floor with a live band I wish was incorporated more seamlessly with the music.

But is the music good? For the most part, the songs work, includ-

ing the techno-infused “In Here”, the empowering “Forever Burn”, and the love ballad between Unique and Gray as their relationship consummates. The most powerful song, though, is “New Religion” sung by Sasha, a song that transcends the story and can be applied to anyone’s personal struggle, which is the ultimate achievement for a musical song.

Matt Lieber does an admirable job as Gray, capturing the everyman aspect of his character. Brian Carmack, curiously the only blonde among a coven full of brunettes, brings bravado and intensity to the dangerous Rypien. However, the fan-favorite of

the play will likely be Ben Carlee’s turn as Alex, bringing an extremely refined voice and jovial pizzaz to a musical that plays almost exclusively to the dramatic.

San Antonio should consider itself fortunate to have our own sneak preview at a high-flying Broadwayquality production. With a few fluffs and tucks here and there, this play may just make it.

The play will be running through March 13, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. at 1920 Fredericksburg Rd. Tickets run at $22; bring an issue of The Paisano with you for two dollars off.

27TH ANNUAL

DIPLOMA DASH 5K SAN ANTONIO CIT Y C H A M PI O N S H I P R AC E

Saturday, February 26, 2011 Convocation Center, UTSA Main Campus

7 a.m. Registration

8 a.m. Race starts

Chip-timed race

Early registration ends February 10!

0 1 $ SA

USTTUDENTS

R S 1Y ATION E D U I INCL I ASSOC IP N SH ALUMMEMBER

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

utsa.edu/dash

REGISTER ONLINE AT:

active.com

FREE g n i k c Che ! s y a P t a h T ee fr l il st is t n u o c c a g in k Our chec k c a b sh a c ¢ 0 1 s er b em m and pays ! se a h c r u p d r a c it eb d y er ev on

I-‐10 @ UTSA Branch 14410 I-‐10 W. (Next to Costco)

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Diploma Dash

Benefits scholarships for UTSA students and alumni programs.

DipDashPaisanoBW.indd 1

UTSA students and employees are eligible for membership.

paisano-online.com 1/14/11 3:49 PM

Join online – rbfcu.org 210-‐945-‐3300 | 1-‐800-‐580-‐3300 Federally insured by the NCUA

ARTS

P8

The Paisano

February 15, 2011

Paisano Eat & Drink

Every week the Paisano reviews a different local restaurant. This week, we review...

Wu r z bac h I ce Ho use: Nice Pla c e t o C h ill O u t paisanoarts@sbcglobal.net

In the tradition of old Texas taverns, the Wurzbach Ice House offers its customers a comforting environment with a wide selection of alcohol.

With over 120 domestic and imported beers, the Wurzbach Ice House’s bar manager, Rudy, assures me that their ranges of liquor and beer are ever growing.

“We keep expanding. We just added two more beers recently,” said Rudy. “Our bar is full service. We got all the essentials but we’re expanding that every day as well.”

When you walk into the bar, picnic tables line the windows that wrap around three quarters of the bar.

Jukebox music plays at a volume where conversation isn’t a strenuous activity. A couple of dart boards and pool tables are accompanied by a ping pong table on the left side of the building. A diverse crowd sits around the bar chatting with bartenders and enjoying their drinks. The long bar resides in the middle of a large, open area. Neon signs wrap around the bar in the middle of flat screens.

Located at the corner of Ironside and Wurzbach, directly behind Popeyes, the Wurzbach Ice House opened Jan. 4 of this year and has already begun to see its share of regulars.

“We’ve been consistent and getting [more] consistently busy by day,”

“I think what sets us apart is we have a corner bar atmosphere.

We don’t let it get too old or Charles Horvilleur/The Paisano

Ramsey Rodriguez

said Roland. “Everyone in the bar has been here non-stop.”

Owner Roland wanted to bring over the ‘ice house’ theme from another bar he owns in Austin.

“I think what sets us apart is we have a corner bar atmosphere,” Rudy said. “We don’t let it get too old or young and the non smoking factor [helps].”

I went to check out the night life of the bar on a Friday and was happy to see a wide age range of people sitting at the bar and around tables.

young.”

Rudy Owner of Wurzbach Ice House

Everyone was having fun, watching the Spurs game and joking with the bartenders working that night.

People played ping-pong and pool.

Even a small group of Maverick’s fans formed at a flat screen across the bar floor.

The bartenders, although constantly walking around to check on customers, still found time to shoot the breeze and laugh along with patrons. In the comforting glow of the neon lights, people ordered drinks, personal oven made pizzas and re-

A look at customers hanging out inside Wurzbach Ice House. quested cash for the jukebox.

I found myself at the Wurzbach Ice house the following night. The Saturday crowd was substantially younger than the one on Friday, however, this in no way meant that anyone was out of hand or annoying. Much like the night before, people filled the bar and tables with plenty of room to spare.

Bar patrons joked amongst themselves and with bartenders as music

played in the background. It took little time to get a drink even with only three bartenders working. The staff is very friendly and laid back.

“The games are always on and we’re hopefully going to have a big screen in the corner,” Roland said. “[We’re] working on a patio to wrap around the outside of the bar in the spring.”

The Wurzbach Ice House offers

drink specials every night with Happy Hour going on from 4:00 p.m. till 8:00 p.m. Thursday night is their College Night with $1 off all drafts. If you’re looking for a fun night out and want to try something new, Wurzbach Ice House should be on your list of places to go. Prices are quite moderate to the atmosphere created here.

Prices are really quite moderate to the atmosphere created here.

2011 Spring Film Festival brings culture to campus Katy Schmader

paisanoarts@sbcglobal.net

Diversity. Passion. Illegal immigration. Lust. Arranged marriage.

War. Life. Relationship. Crime. All of these words could be used to describe the 2011 Spring Film Festival showing on campus March 4th through 9th.

Dr. Ellis-House, a French professor at UTSA picked all five movies with the explanation that “the films were chosen to represent the diversity of today’s French cinematography and to reflect upon a number of social issues including

migration and multiculturism that are pertinent to French and American societies.”

The festival is a theoretical melting pot of issues, problems and emotions that everybody can relate to. A dash of lust and human interaction from the perspective of a girl going to high school starting fresh in a new city. “The Beautiful Person”, or “La Belle Personne” looks at love and relationships through young innocent eyes, enticing the audience with entangling

images of first love and lustful raw romance. Flowing well into the relationship between friends and arranged marriage, “Le Chant des mariees”, or “The Wedding Singer” paints the struggles of a friendship trying to survive during the time of Nazi occupation of Tunisia.

We can relate to the denial and fear of the protagonist of “La Fille du rer”, or “The Girl on a Train” trying to escape her ugly past. “Welcome” looks at illegal immigration from the eyes of a refugee, speak-

ing loudly to the political issues we are having in our own backyard.

The festival ends with “35 rhum” or “35 shots of rum,” one last look at intertwined relationships and life as a whole. The issues covered in these films not only take you all over the world but also our own backyards. Beautiful pieces of work that speak to the individual no matter the audience.

Students have taken it upon themselves to have a huge part in this ongoing event. Everything

short of picking the films was done by students.

Screenings of all five movies will be held in the Science Building and Retama Auditorium. Admission is free, food will be provided and you are supporting your fellow students. Is there any reason for you not to go?

Film schedule:

WELCOME by Philippe Lioret 2008 Science Building 2.01.12; Saturday March 5 at 7 P.M. LA FILLE DU RER / THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN by André Téchiné 2008 Science Building 2.01.12; Saturday March 5 at 5 P.M. LA BELLE PERSONNE / THE BEAUTIFUL PERSON by Christophe Honoré 2008 Science Building 2.01.12; Saturday March 5 at 3 P.M. Retama Auditorium, UC 2.02.02; Sunday March 6 at 5 P.M.

LE CHANT DES MARIÉES / THE WEDDING SONG by Karin Albou 2007 Main Building 0.106; Friday March 4 at 6:30 P.M. Retama Auditorium UC 2.02.02; Sunday March 6 at 7 P.M. Wednesday March 9 at 7 P.M. 35 RHUMS / 35 SHOTS OF RUM by Claire Denis 2008 Science Building 2.01.12; Saturday March 5 at 1 P.M. Retama Auditorium UC 2.02.02; Sunday March 6 at 3 P.M., Wednesday March 9 at 5 P.M.

FEATURES

The Paisano

February 15, 2011

P9

ANNIVERSARY: Paisano celebrates 30 years of student news From Page 1

“During one of those meetings at Glenda’s house,” Abdo recalls, “a student from Mexico said, ‘Let’s call it The Paisano.’ ” Then, as she tells it, “someone asked, ‘What’s a paisano?’ ” “Like a countryman... someone from the same part of the county... it’s also a slang term for roadrunner,” he explained. Just like that their project had a name - The Paisano.

At around the same time, the newspaper established a line of credit with San Antonio Press, a commercial printing firm, who presumed that The Paisano was owned

by Abdo, rather than by volunteer journalists still struggling to maintain a consistent revenue flow and on Jan. 13, 1981, volume one, number one of The Paisano read, “Snappy Snack pledges improved vending services.”

Even with the line of credit, The Paisano still needed office supplies, so they danced.

Modest decorations adorned the walls and a few sparsely placed tables flanked the dance floor that looked like it had been oiled for a bowling competition.

The night’s event at the Braun Road dance hall in northwest San Antonio was The Paisano’s first fundraising event. That evening, though, the off-white building with a capacity of 250 didn’t reach capacity, not even close. A dozen students showed.

“However,” Abdo retells with a sense of pride, “many people bought tickets because they wanted to support their local newspaper...so we actually made a little money.”

The Paisano was printed bimonthly during the spring and fall semesters.

During the first semester, the staff met at the advertising manager’s home and laid out the newspaper on the dinning room table at managing editor Yolanda Saldana’s trailer home.

However, the line of credit was almost exhausted as the little known newspaper had difficulties selling advertisements and gathering operational revenue.

As the advertising revenue steadied after two years of publication, The Paisano staffers set their eyes on finding and renting an affordable office space. After some deliberation, James Lifschutz, owner of Campus South Shopping Center, agreed to rent 14525 Roadrunner Way for $200 per month. This location, now part of Roadrunner Bookstore, would be The Paisano’s newsroom for the next 13 years.

The following school year, The Paisano began printing in broadsheet,

the traditional format associated with formal journalistic publications (i.e., the long, vertical sheet you’re holding now).

Although the newsroom was still not a traditional one, the students took pride in calling this bakeryturned-newsroom, home. The walkin freezer became a dark room used to process the paper’s photographic film.

The counter served as a makeshift storage shelf and those heavy, wooden benches became desks for the editors.

Even the greenish cement floor was given character when white lines were painted to resemble a tennis court. Years later, Dane Schiller (now at the Houston Chronicle),

would arrange for a truck full of used office furniture to be donated

by Southwestern Bell (now AT&T).

In 1986, The Paisano was invited

to move its offices into a brand new facility. Naturally, they declined.

“When the University Center was first opened, The Paisano was invited to have its offices there,” Kellman explained, “but the editors decided that they did not want that kind of connection to the university, so they stayed off campus.”

“We prided ourselves on [being independent], even if it meant we had very limited resources and really had to bust our tails,” Schiller said.

Soon enough, though, the proud independent organization - and all its members - would be tested.

In the late 1980s, the AIDS virus was one of the most discussed and covered issues in America; it had been identified and its root cause determined earlier that decade.

However, in the spring of 1989, UTSA still refused to hold educational seminars on AIDS or to distribute condoms through its Student Health Center, though the contraceptive had already been proven to reduce the risk of infection. This decision was made by Dora G. Hauser, Dean of Students at the time, who The

Paisano interviewed in January of 1989. “[The Paisano] asked [Hauser], ‘Why do you refuse to include this in the Health Center?’, ”Abdo recalls.

“Then she said, ‘because there is no proof that condoms help...prevent the spread of AIDS.’” The Paisano, then, in defiance of the university, partnered with the Student Representative Assembly (now SGA) and the San Antonio Area AIDS Foundation to promote AIDS awareness on campus. Together, a plan was made to produce an AIDS awareness brochure, attach a free condom and include the brochure on the Valentine’s Day edition of The Paisano. UTSA’s administration learned about the plan and quickly challenged the publication.

“I called the Student Press Law Center in [Washington] D.C.,” Abdo recalls, “and they said that [UTSA] couldn’t stop us from distributing the paper, as long as we adhered to

Then 1982

Diane Abdo

Now 2010

First editorin-chief John Johnson at the Paisano’s 25th anniversary party

its distribution regulations.”

The next day, the media picked up the story and The Paisano was thrust into the national spotlight.

of patience.

Change was coming, though, and it was good news.

Matt Stern, a young freshman in 1990, introduced the newspaper to its first computer: A Macintosh SE featuring a one-megabyte hard drive with a floppy disk port.

For the next three semesters, the editors took turns learning PageMaker, at the time not much more than a basic word processor with a few design/page layout features.

The entire editorial staff gathered around a six-inch, gray-scale monitor to develop the newspaper. The payoff was huge. “[The Paisano] saved enough money from not having to pay San Antonio Press extra for having them

“The experience I gained at The Paisano was just as important as my formal coursework at UTSA and probably much more.”

Stephen Brown, PhD

“When I graduated in May 2000, I honestly had no idea what the job market held for me.

After just a few interviews, I was offered a Technical Writer position with a prominent consulting company.”

Rachel Hill Noll

Left: The editors of 1993. Right: The editors of spring 2011.

“It’s like the entire country was looking at The Paisano,” Stephen Brown, a former Paisano features editor remembers. “We were just students, but we were able to capture the attention of the entire nation.”

On the day that The Paisano was to be distributed, news crews from all over the city arrived on campus, anticipating a confrontation between the administration and The Paisano.

Much to their surprise, however, freshly printed Paisano copies had secretly been transported out of the San Antonio Press and were in the campus’ distribution stands before the day’s first class at 8:00 a.m.

The Paisano staffers proudly watched from their classroom windows.

“We didn’t want to be the news,” Abdo recalled. “We wanted AIDS awareness to be the news.”

The following days were a frenzy.

Television crews visited The Paisano’s newsroom, a national radio show interview was conducted, the Texas Monthly’s Bum Steer Award was received and a few kind words from the San Antonio Express News were published.

Rick Casey, a columnist for San Antonio Express News (now with Houston Chronicle) wrote, “Can you imagine how embarrassed, we, San Antonio newspaper professionals are? For years we have prided ourselves in doing whatever it takes - from contests to outrageous headlines - to bust circulation, only to be shown up by a bunch of UTSA students. Why didn’t we think of enclosing free condoms?”

1989 was a good year.

The lights at the old bakery-newsroom stayed on every other Monday.

Inside, generations of rowdy Roadrunners paced the newsroom with scissors in one hand and three-inch wide columns of text in the other.

Some laid comfortably on the floor, others still gathered around those benches left behind from the bakery days. Somehow, in every workable surface of that squarish room, the long, tedious process of designing a newspaper always got completed with scissors, grid paper and plenty

do the newsprint and corrections,” Stern recalled, “that by [1992], The Paisano was able to buy three upgraded Macintosh computers with 12-inch screens.”

The three Macintosh computers reduced the design/editing phase of production so drastically that, within weeks, The Paisano was able to begin publishing weekly, a tradition that continues today.

“We put out a regular Paisano on one week,” Abdo remembers, “and

the next week we put out ‘The Paisano Plus.’”

The Paisano Plus was a less-formal, arts and entertainment publication printed in a smaller tabloid format. But after a semester of good reviews, The Paisano began printing the regular newspaper weekly, with The Paisano Plus as an insert.

“So for a while, instead of having an Arts & Entertainment section... we had a Paisano Plus,” said Rene A. Guzman, now staff writer at the San Antonio Express-News.

In the fall of 1992, The Paisano printed its first full-color photograph, a large picture of the men’s basketball Southland Conference Champions, the UTSA Roadrunners.

Finally, in early 1994, The Paisano reverted back to its original, fivesection format, as it remains today.

Much more recently, at the regular staff meeting, a now grey-haired Diane Abdo appeared from behind a beige wall that splits the new office

Former features editor Mary Tuma and ads manager Analicia Jarmillo Former managing editor Kim and husband Jack

paisano-online.com

Moving day 1993 Former editor-inchiefs Brian Wheeler and Trish

“The Paisano welcomed me with open arms despite my lack of experience and formal journalism training. It provided the cornerstone on which I could build my journalism career. At The Paisano I learned by doing.”

Meena Thiruvengadam in two.

With a sincere smile and a few lines around her mouth that exude wisdom, she calmly asserted herself and began to repeat the phrase she’s been saying for the past 30 years.

“Remember why The University Times didn’t succeed,” she begins, pausing for a split second as if to ensure that every ear in the room was listening, then continues. “It didn’t succeed because it never planned for the next semester or the next year. Remember that.”

But The Paisano did; it planned back at Glenda’s house in the early ’80s and when it moved into the old bakery in ‘82. It adjusted when it moved two doors down in ’93 and when it purchased two-thirds of an acre in ’08 for a new building. Finally, it ensured its future when the Paisa-

no Educational Trust, an IRC 501(C) (3), was formed as the publisher of The Paisano. And when it awarded the first scholarship of $200 in the late ’90s.

Now, The Paisano has an alumni fundraising committee, an advisory board and a board of trustees established to oversee its finances. On campus, The Paisano is sponsored by the Student Newspaper Organization.

Perhaps most remarkably, The Paisano Educational Trust now awards over $20,000 a year in scholarships.

This history, which began as a flyer posted in a bulletin board, is sprinkled with stories of triumph, perseverance, dedication and most importantly -- a voice.

The Paisano

February 15, 2011

SPORTS

P10

For the Glove of the Game Schedule of powers, young team cause for excitement in baseball Stephen Whitaker

A tougher non-conference schedule in which all but one game will be played at Nelson Wolff Stadium and a talented team have given the Roadrunners the materials for a successful 2011 campaign.

Whatever happens along the way in 2011, the Roadrunners’ most important step to take is building chemistry.

“I think what I am looking forward to is how this team comes together on the field,” Head Coach Sherman Corbett said. “We have more depth this season than we did last season.”

That depth is most important in the Roadrunners’ pitching staff, a staff that was hit hard by the injury bug in 2010.

“The pitching staff is one area we were pretty thin last year,” Corbett said. “Injuries put guys in different roles that they maybe shouldn’t have been in.”

On the staff, the loss of Matt Crocker, a 12th round choice of the Colorado Rockie, may be the toughest for the Roadrunners. Crocker, a lefty out of Kingwood, started eight games for the Roadrunners posting a 2-3 record with a 5.17 earned run average with 42 strikeouts and only eight walks.

“The biggest loss probably was Matt Crocker on the mound. He was

Work in Progress A look back, a look forward Stephen Whitaker paisanosports@sbcglobal.net

This Saturday, the Paisano will celebrate it’s 30th birthday.

Although the Paisano’s actual birthday is January 13, we felt it would be nice to have the party in February.

This week’s issue highlights 30 years of history at the Paisano.

It got me wondering, what was going on in the world of sports in 1981.

When the Paisano was born, there were only 26 teams in Major League Baseball. The Texas Rangers were 15 years away from their first postseason trip. The Houston Astros were the defending National League West Champs and had fought hard with the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. The Phillies won en route to the 1980 world title.

On the Hardwood, 1981 marked the first time that three NBA teams played in Texas. The Dallas Mavericks were born for the 1980-81 season; they would finish 1567. The Mavericks brought the NBA to 23 teams. The other two Texas teams did a little better. The San Antonio Spurs finished with a 52-30 record, and the number two seed out west. The Houston Rockets would finish 40-42, but got hot in the playoffs to earn the franchise’s first trip to the NBA finals where the Boston Celtics topped them in six games. It was the first trip to the finals by a team with a losing record in the regular season.

In 1981, Texas football teams were up and down.

The Dallas Cowboys finished the season 12-4 and lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game. The Houston Oilers fell to 7-9 after three years near the top of the AFC. Read the rest of “Work In Progress” @ paisano-online.com

FilePhoto

paisanosports@sbcglobal.net

Outfielder Matthew James finished 2010 with a .237 batting average.

continuing to improve, we didn’t expect to lose him,” Corbett said. “But we have people who can come in and fill some holes.”

While the biggest loss might be in the pitching staff, the biggest gain may just come in the form of Riley Good. The outfielder from Godley, Texas, will provide the Roadrunners a left-handed bat to set the table for other hitters.

“I am really looking forward to see Riley Good,” Corbett said. “He is a prototypical leadoff hitter, something we haven’t had in a while. I am looking forward to see what he does.”

If Good can get on base and middle of the lineup hitters can bring him in, half the battle will be won. The other side of the battle will come in

the transition from starting pitcher to relief pitcher.

“I think we have good starters,” Corbett said. “If they can get us good innings early in the game, I feel good about our middle relief.”

If the Roadrunners make it to the ninth inning with the lead, Corbett can be confident that his closer will get the final three outs.

“We have experience in the closer position in Zach Calhoun who is the [UTSA] career saves leader,” Corbett said. “We are hoping he can fill that spot once again.”

A big part of whether the Roadrunners score runs will be the play of sophomores Ryan Dalton and Daniel Rockett. Dalton was named Freshman of the Year last season and enters the season as a member

of the All Conference Second Team.

Both Dalton and Rockett have benefitted from a summer in the Hawaii League.

“They have become more mature and stronger,” Corbett said. “They played well in the Hawaii summer league. I think we will see them take on bigger roles and become better players.”

Rockett is a name that should be familiar to the Roadrunner faithful.

His brother, 2008 SLC player of the year Michael Rockett, set the conference record for hits in a career with 337. The similarities end with the last name.

“Not a whole lot of similarities in the two [brothers], Daniel may have a chance to hit for a little more power being a little stronger. I think he is a little more disciplined at the plate,” Corbett said. “Michael had a knack for getting hits but he was much more of a free swinger than Daniel was.”

With youth in the lineup and experience on the staff, the Roadrunners could contend for a Southland title.

As it is they are predicted to finish sixth in the Southland Conference.

We have enough talent and abilities to get ourselves in the top part of the conference,” Corbett said.

“We want to compete for a conference championship. The pieces are there; it is just a matter of how we handle our roles and how our guys come together.”

The Roadrunners schedule outside of conference is tough. The Roadrunners will welcome perennial powers Texas A&M, Baylor and Oregon State to Wolff Stadium. In addition to Houston and Notre Dame, the Roadrunners will play a fourgame series against Saint Josephs and play their lone non-conference game at Roadrunner field against St. Edwards.

“Anytime you can beat a quality opponent that is good for confidence, Corbett said. “I think it is important that we go out and play well against those teams.”

The Roadrunners open the season Friday with a four-game series on the road at Louisiana-Monroe.

2011 Non-Conference Notes

Tough Slate: UTSA will play five opponents who won 30 games last season.

Welcome to San Antonio: The Roadrunners will welcome traditional powers Texas A&M, Baylor, Oregon State, Houston and Notre Dame to the Alamo City.

Greetings from Wolff: The Roadrunners will play all but one non-conference game at Nelson Wolff Stadium.

Road Trip: The Roadrunners will hit the road to visit Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico, Texas, and Baylor. and Texas Tech in San Angelo.

Roadrunners top Ladyjacks, 65-61 Stephen Whitaker

paisanosports@sbcglobal.net With four players scoring in double-figures, the Roadrunners held off a late run to top the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks 65-61 in Southland action from the Convocation center.

The Roadrunners entered the game at 10-12 overall and 6-3 in conference. The Ladyjacks came into the tilt at 8-14 overall and 5-4 in Southland play.

For Amber Gregg, there was added motivation to beat the Ladyjacks.

“It was really good; beating SFA anytime is really good,” Gregg said.

“Especially since last year they cut down our nets; it left a bitter taste.”

The Roadrunners entered the game without leading rebounder Ashleigh Franklin, who was unable to play due to personal events. The door was open for other Roadrunners to shine.

“I told the kids it was an opportunity to step up,” Rippetoe-Blair said. “I thought we did [step up] as a group.”

Guard Alysse Davis started the show for the Roadrunners when she hit a three-point field goal on her first shot and put the Roadrunners ahead early 3-2. The Ladyjacks answered by using an Amina Sawyer layup and a free throw from Courtney Conwright to go back up 5-3 with 16:26 remaining in the half.

In the next five minutes of play, the Ladyjacks held on to the slimmest of leads before guard Jermini Malone put in a layup that gave the Roadrunners the lead at 15-14 with 11:13 left.

The Roadrunners then began a run that saw the lead grow to 18-14 before the Ladyjacks began a run of their own that saw the lead change yet again.

The Ladyjacks run came at a time when the officials were calling even the slightest tie-up a jump ball, and the teams changed possession four times in three-and-a-half minutes.

By the time the run was over, SFA had regained the lead. It would be their last lead of the game at 22-18 with 6:13 left before the half.

Career training. Money for college.

And an entire team to help you succeed.

Serving part-time in the Texas Air Guard, you’ll have an entire team of likeminded individuals who want to help you get ahead. You can choose from nearly 200 career specialties, and develop the high-tech skills you need to compete in today’s world. You also train close to home, all while receiving a steady paycheck, benefits and tuition assistance. Talk to a recruiter today, and see how the Air Guard can help you succeed.

Read the rest of UTSA vs. SFA At paisano-online.com

paisano-online.com 10058_ANG_PaisanoNews_6.5x10.5in.indd 1

11/3/10 2:17 PM

SPORTS

P11

The Paisano

February 15, 2011

Time out with the coaches: Rae Rippetoe-Blair

Women’s basketball coach leads team to new heights on the hardwood

Burk Frey/ The Paisano

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of stories on UTSA coaches.

it ever since.

When not coaching, Coach Rippetoe-Blair is____?

I like to spend time with family and friends. Whether it be golfing or whatever. I enjoy a lot of outdoor activities; I ride a Harley. My husband and I both enjoy playing golf.

Golf is a crazy game; one day you can play great and the next day not.

It is such a mental game.

If you couldn’t be a coach, what profession would you have chosen?

I have no idea. At the time I

couldn’t see myself doing anything else. I still can’t see myself doing anything else.

Who has been the biggest influence on you?

Probably my family; my mother probably the most. I had a lot of great mentors; my first boss that hired me as a head coach was a great mentor to me at a young age.

Where is the best place you have ever visited, as a coach, player or just to visit?

My favorite place is San Antonio, probably travel-wise is Australia.

What is your favorite moment in sports that you were a part of?

There are so many of them, I can’t think of just one.

Rippetoe-Blair facts

11 seasons at UTSA 187-135 record at UTSA Four trips to SLC finals (2003, ‘06 ‘08 ‘09) Two Conference Championships(‘08 ‘09) Next Week: Men’s Head Coach Brooks Thompson

In the Week Ahead: Men’s Basketball Wednesday Feb. 16 UTSA vs. McNeese Cowboys, 7 p.m.

Women’s Basketball Saturday Feb. 19 UTSA vs. Nicholls Colonels, 7 p.m.

Rae Rippetoe-Blair is 187-135 at UTSA

Stephen Whitaker

paisanosports@sbcglobal.net For the past 10 seasons a familiar face has patrolled the sideline during UTSA Roadrunner basketball games. Rae Rippetoe Blair has guided the Roadrunner women from the bottom to the top of the Southland Conference in her tenure. But what does she do off the court. The Paisano recently sat down with coach Rippetoe-Blair to talk about life off the court.

What is the best part about being a coach at UTSA? I think it is developing the young players into who they are. I enjoy seeing these young ladies grow up and go out into the world.

When did you decide to become a coach?

I was in my fifth year of college, I had said all through college I wanted to be a businesswoman. I had my business degree and had been interviewing for jobs. I realized this isn’t what I want to do, I want to coach. I was fortunate to go right into college coaching. I have been in

LOW RATES START AT $405/MO paisano-online.com

P12

The Paisano

February 15, 2011

NOW OPEN

STOP BY FOR A TOUR TODAY

SPACES GOING FAST FOR FALL 2011 • APPLY TODAY

GREAT LOCATION—WALK TO CLASS + RESORT-STYLE AMENITIES + PRIVATE BEDROOMS FULLY FURNISHED TOWNHOMES + INDIVIDUAL LEASES + UPGRADED INTERIOR FINISHES

FACEBOOK.COM/VILLASATBABCOCK

210.641.0573 | 14333 BABCOCK ROAD

paisano-online.com