Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio
08.24.2010 Vol. 44 Issue 1
The
Paisano
Celebrating Thirty Years of Independent News with a Brand New Design Weekly Beak
‘Think Green Fund’ approved
G.I. Jobs names UTSA a militaryfriendly school
UTSA launches Campus Alerts UTSA has launched the new Campus Alerts website. The site was developed to keep students, faculty, staff and the general public informed on the status of the university during emergency situations. Managed by the UTSA Office of Business Continuity and Emergency Management and the Office of Communications, the site is a single source for information on UTSA closures prompted by inclement weather, health and other emergencies, and construction and maintenance work. The goal of the one-stop site is to help reduce confusion by eliminating duplicate messages on various UTSA websites. Linked from the UTSA home page, the website will offer a unified official voice for UTSA with information from campus organizations, departments and outside partners. Particularly important during emergencies, the site can be updated quickly and easily with clear, concise details.
AP Photo
The University of Texas at San Antonio recently was named by G.I. Jobs Magazine a militaryfriendly school for 2011. The honor ranks UTSA in the top 15 percent of all colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide and features more than 1,000 schools doing the most to embrace America’s veterans as students. More than 7,000 schools in the United States were considered for the list. Schools are chosen after years of research and compiling survey results. UTSA had 1,342 veterans enrolled during the spring 2010 semester and 1,283 in the fall of 2009. As a military-friendly school, UTSA will be included with a G.I. Jobs basic listing in the “2011 Guide to Military Friendly Schools,” which will be published in September 2010, as well as a basic listing online at MilitaryFriendlySchools.com. The list makes it easy for students to find the military discounts, services and programs offered by each school. “UTSA obviously is interested in recruiting military students,” said Joe DeCristoforo, UTSA assistant vice president and university registrar. “We’re thrilled to be honored by G.I. Jobs, but the true honor is that veterans are choosing UTSA for their education.”
Christopher Connell paisanoarts@sbcglobal.net
Editoral Photo: The proposed construction of a mosque near ground zero has sparked debate, even at the Paisano. See Mosques & Men, Page 6.
See GREEN, Page 5
Nine faculty members honored for teaching Christopher Connell
paisanoarts@sbcglobal.net Seventy-two faculty members from various University of Texas institutions were recognized Aug. 11 by the Board of Regents for outstanding teaching and will share $2 million in awards. Nine of those faculty members are from UTSA. “On behalf of myself, Provost John Frederick and the entire UTSA community, I want to extend my hearty congratulations to these nine faculty members,” UTSA President Ricardo Romo said. “We are so pleased to see their accomplishments in the classroom are being recognized and celebrated, and we thank them for the dedication they show to our students every day.” Kolleen Guy, associate professor of history, said that she was nominated for the Regents award last year and did not win. “This year I felt very confident. Nonetheless, I was giving
a lecture in the Netherlands and kept getting e-mails from people congratulating me, but I was up for a couple of different awards so didn’t know what they were congratulating me for. It took another week before I got any official letter,” Guy said. Guy’s expertise focuses on food products that go global. “In class, I talk about the development of cultures of food abundance such as in the US) and pockets of dearth (places where we see periodic famine). These things are connected with environment and, as our global environment changes, so, too, do food regimes. I also teach about the culture of food--how food gets linked to our identities,” Guy said. Thomas Cannon, senior Marketing lecturer, said that he has a simple teaching philosophy: “Employers don’t care about theory. They want employees who know how to get things done,” Cannon said.
UTSA winners of 2010 UT System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards: (top row from left) Diane Abdo, Sazzad Bin-Shafique and Thomas Cannon; (middle row) Kolleen Guy, Maria Kaylor and Alycia Maurer; and (bottom row) Mary McNaughton-Cassill, John Morris and Richard Utecht. Photos: Courtesy of UTSA Today.
Stem cell researcher generates neurons Christopher Connell
paisanoarts@sbcglobal.net Assistant Professor Doug E. Frantz of the College of Sciences’ Department of Chemistry has received the Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Fund’s 2010 “Young Investigator Award.” The award will distribute $450,000 over the next three years. Frantz is the first UTSA researcher to receive the award.
Frantz, along with Drs. Jay Schneider and Jenny Hsieh of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, will synthesize drug-like molecules that target stem cells and could help treat heart disease and brain cancer. The drug-like molecules are referred to as isoxazoles and pyrazoles. Frantz’ research shows promise. Using synthesized isoxazoles, Frantz’ team was able to induce both cardiogenesis and
neurogenesis in various stem cell lines (both embryonic and adult stem cells). Cardiogenesis is the development of the heart in the embryo, and neurogenesis is the process by which neurons are generated in the brain. “We are also studying pyrazoles since they are structurally similar to isoxazoles, but may have improved drug-like characteristics,” Frantz said. “We have generated some preliminary data on using our
small molecules to go after cancer stem cells as well as a potential new treatment paradigm for brain cancer,” Frantz said. Many people have the misconception that stem cells are blank cells that have the ability to become any other type of cell. Actually, Asst. Professor Doug E. Frantz See STEM CELL, Page 5
Source: UTSA Today
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Football Update
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The Think Green Fund, a $5 increase in fees, to support green initatives at UTSA, passed earlier this month. When the fund was up for proposal by only 980 of the over 29,000 UTSA students voted. The proposal was supported by Young Democrats, Green Society, ReEnergize San Antonio and Students for John Sharp. The proposal was strongly opposed by UTSA Republicans and Young Americans for Liberty at UTSA. During the proposal process, three
Road to Success Paisano-Online com
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Scott Pilgrim
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