Paisano Plus — Fall 2014, Issue 1 by The Paisano

PLUS

PA I S A N O

INDEPENDENT STUDENT MAGAZINE FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO

Are you being exploited? P. 8

Fashion Tailgating tips Awesome playlists Take the Fall quiz FALL 2014, ISSUE 1

UTSA Streetstyle Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pulling your strings? Perfect playlists

Contents 6 Not your

average professor*

10 This is how

we do it: Tailgating

12 QUIZ: How

into Fall are you?

13 Serving up

some serious ice cream

UTSA STREETSTYLE:

Th is Fa l l’ s B est L ooks F rom A roun d C a m pus It’s no secret t hat a lot of students at UTSA have some interesting fashion. Paisano Plus contributor, Maria m Ada mje went on t he hunt to f ind some great looks and ask, “W hat does fashion mean to you?” Here are some responses:

For more UTSA streetsyle looks visit our blog, Fashion Pass, on paisano-online.com

“I feel like fashion is something (used) to express yourself and everyone has different styles. It’s cool to see how other people put things together...I don’t really have a style. One day I could be edgy, or the next, something completely different.”

“For me, fashion is a means of expressing myself. I feel that people should always represesnt themselves the way they want to be looked at. I try to incorporate a lot of things into my style like vintage and prints. I try to be really original but not too crazy. I wouldn’t put my style under a name. I just do whatever I’m feeling that day, and I try to make my closet full of different types of styles so I can be really versatile.” — Toe Udegbue

Photo: Mariam Adamje

—Jayda Bennett

Jimmi Hendrix

“Fashion is the way that I show who I am...It’s sort of just casual chic.”

Photo: Mariam Adamje

Louie Escobar Photo: Madiana Jones

Photo: Madiana Jones

Brandon Johnson

—Pricilla Vital

“Fashion to me is expressing how you’re feeling in the moment... My style is eclectic, hippie, indie, and then some of everything.”

Jordan Mkwanazi

—Jasmin Hunt

“Wear what you want to wear. Don’t let anyone hate.”

Photo: Mariam Adamje

Photo: Madiana Jones

Photo: Mariam Adamje

— Geoffrey Hillner

“We just wear this for our culture. This is what our tradition is back in Kenya…We’re used to wearing these kind of clothes—we’re not used to wearing pants and all those things. It feels comfortable. My parents are from Somalia, but I was born in Ke-

nya because there was a war. (My parents) ran away from Somalia and came to Kenya, and we lived in a refugee camp... Most of our families are in Somalia, so they send (clothes) from there to us.”

—Ghaida Ali

Photo: Mariam Adamje

— Lulley Waliyow

“I love to wear glasses every time, and sometimes I love to wear colorful clothes.”

Photo Courtesy of Emily K. Lloyd Photo Courtesy of Emily K. Lloyd

Photo Courtesy of Emily K. Lloyd

Emily Lloyd: Not your

s rain beat down her face, professor Emily Lloyd remembered that her job wasn’t always easy. Despite the tough days, when she looks into the eyes of primates thriving in their natural environment, she knows one thing: this is a dream come true. From her home in Oxford, England, Lloyd has traveled to over 20 countries from around the world — Norway, Spain, Morocco, Kenya, Egypt, Israel, India, Laos, Cambodia and Guatemala to name a few. “My bachelor’s degree is in zoology,” Lloyd said, recounting her impressive fieldwork: working with bottlenose dolphins in Hawaii, surveying butterflies in Kenya, coral reef surveying in Australia and, of course, volunteering at a primate rehabilitation center in Thailand. “I was the quarantine coordinator,” stated Lloyd, “responsible for integrating newly rescued gibbons into life at the center.” Lloyd’s volunteer work contributed to the center’s first successful reintroduction of a gibbon family back into the wild. Lloyd was then led to Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Thailand. She joined a research team that was responsible for habituating (the process of acclimatizing monkeys to a certain area or environment)several groups of Phayre’s langurs, a type of leaf monkey, and collecting data for their long-term socioecological research project. After deciding to pursue graduate school, Lloyd moved to the United States—specifically Texas—in order to work with her PhD advisor. She then spent 18 months living in the Udzungwa Mountains National Park in Tanzania collecting behavioral and ecological data on the Sanje mangabey monkey, which is a little-known known primate species. It was the Sanje mangabey monkey that led Lloyd to Texas. “I came to Texas specifically to work with Dr. Carolyn Ehardt, who is my Ph.D advisor, because I was very interested in working at her field site in Tanzania with the Sanje mangabey.” After traveling to so many places and experiencing numerous adventures, picking a favorite place may seem like a tough challenge for Lloyd, but she can definitely pick one that sticks out more than the others—Thailand. “Thai people are very welcoming. There’s lots of fantastic food and beautiful beaches, and I met my husband there!” When she’s not with primates, Lloyd is squeezing in as much culture as she can.

average professor*

*anthropologist, explorer, monkey lover

“There are so many places I want to go to and things (I want) to see that I try to cram in as much as possible. Usually by the end of a trip, all I want to do is relax and read a book.” Being a world-adventurer, Lloyd willingly offers a piece of advice to aspiring international travelers: “Don’t bring anything you would really hate to lose.” With the worries of your belongings at bay, Lloyd then recommends soaking in the culture. “Try learning some of the local language. People will always appreciate it.” Experiencing new places while working is an opportunity that Lloyd considers herself lucky to have. Nevertheless, Lloyd doesn’t let her

busy schedule cloud what’s most important: “I always have to fit in a trip back home every year to Europe to see my English and French family.” As fun and exciting as Lloyd’s life may sound, she admitted that the life of a traveler can be taxing. “It can be tough if you are away from your friends and family for really long stretches of time, especially if you have to miss important events back home like weddings or birthdays.” Getting the opportunity to travel and experience new cultures are some things Lloyd loves, but she admitted, “My absolute favorite part is watching the monkeys.” Observing primates in rainforests, and soaked with rain at four in the morning reminds Lloyd that not every day is perfect.

Facing nasty weather and camping in a tent for weeks on end can be challenging. “There are days when it is really tough work,” Lloyd stated, “but the monkeys make it all worthwhile!” Living a life dedicated to what she loves, Lloyd represents an embodiment of chasing dreams and embracing life’s moments. As a professor of anthropology, Lloyd lets her love for travel and passion for her job shines through to inspire her students to reach for their goals. Even on the rainy days, Lloyd remains grateful: “I have always loved studying animal behavior, and it’s a dream come true to watch primates in the wild.” Words: Kate Kramer

“

“ Photo Courtesy of Emily K. Lloyd

There are days when it is really tough work, especially if it is raining hard...but the monkeys make it all worthwhile!

Who’s pulling your strings?

Words: Mia Cabello Photo: Marcus Connolly

raduation is neither an end-all nor a fix-all; most students want more and undoubtedly need more than a degree to achieve success. While the paths to success vary, the universal desire to succeed renders college students vulnerable to jobs that may be counterproductive, less than optimal and even detrimental to their longterm goals. “I’ve been told repeatedly that getting a degree doesn’t necessarily mean you will get a job,” says UTSA junior Emily Canupp, a technical writing intern at a local construction firm. “I’ve also observed that employers are looking for experience too, so I sought an opportunity that would give me an advantage over the students who only graduate with a degree.” An emphasis on the value of networking is well meaning: students with strong communication skills and previous work experience have a competitive edge in the job market. A growing, controversial presence on college campuses nationwide, some pyramidal multimarketing companies (MLMs) may capitalize on college students’ anxieties about their futures, pander to their financial frustrations, ambitions, eagerness and naïveté. “Multi-level marketing (MLM) is a purported income opportunity,” states a Consumer Awareness Institute business report. “Persons recruited into a pyramid of participants make ongoing purchases of products and services, and recruit others to do the same…in an endless chain of recruitment and personal consumption in order to qualify for commissions and bonuses to advance upward in the hierarchy of levels in the pyramid.” Members of WakeUpNow, an MLM marketing company, join through social networks, in-person recruitment and a $100 monthly subscription to the company’s online platform. Subscription to the company is twofold: new members, also called independent business owners (IBOs), act as both consumers and distributors of the company platform. Encouraging its new members to begin recruiting others immediately, WakeUpNow waives the subscription cost for IBOs who recruit three additional subscribers, called downline distributors. The goal is to use all personal social networks

to recruit the most new members possible. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) names an emphasis on recruitment, especially in multi-level marketing companies that incentivize recruiters with monetary compensations, as a hallmark of a pyramid scheme. To profit at the lower rungs of product-based pyramid strategies, distributors must recruit more company distributors, thus elevating their positions in the pyramids. In addition to recruitment bonuses, compensation plans and new customer bonuses are standard in pyramidal MLMs. Named in over 160 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaints, Vemma Nutrition Company, a controversial MLM that targets student recruits, has a significant university presence. The complaints claim that Vemma deceives young adults who feel disfranchised and disillusioned by the current economy with get-rich quick promises, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer. The publication assessed the complaints after filing a Freedom of Information request. High payoffs, however, are neither guaranteed nor sustainable. WakeUpNow, Vemma and other MLMs that operate on pyramidal concepts are structured to short-change the lower tiers. Upline compensation and recruitment bonuses shape the pyramid. More

Pyramid companies capitalize on college students’ vulnerabilities and connections than 75 percent of Vemma affiliates earn less than $2,000 a year. The average annual income for the top one percent of Vemma affiliates ranges from $30,000 to $2,418,131, according to the company’s 2013 Income Disclosure. Eighty-two percent of WakeUpNow’s distributors (IBOs) have an average annual income of $0.00, according to a WakeUpNow 2013 Income Disclosure Statement. The top one percent of the company receives average annual incomes between $28,300 and $655,000. The pyramidal concept spreads like wildfire—at first. But the limited number of possible recruits within the distributor pool of networks stifles “success.” As networks deplete, companies move from city to city and campus to campus. “The pay plan (of MLMs) is heavily stacked in favor of those at the

highest levels in the pyramid,” says a Consumer Awareness Institute evaluation of MLMs. “The vast majority of participants spend more than they receive and eventually drop out to be replaced by a stream of similarly misled recruits.” So why recruit students? The financial strain on students leads them to be open to alternative, unconventional methods for making money— and making a lot of it, fast. Members can do just that – if they have good networks—claims a WakeUpNow distributor and local college student, who collects over $2000 a month from his on-campus WakeUpNow recruitment. Desperate, ambitious and social: a combination that makes some students easy, irresistible bait. Social may be a college student’s most attractive quality—at least to a network-dependent MLM. Each student who buys into the company brings his or her social media network—a databank of potential new recruits, customers and money that the pyramid depends on. “It’s something of an unholy trifecta,” says UTSA senior Gabriel Diamente about the recruitment practices of network-marketing MLMs. “Students are beneath the poverty line (if we were classified as working adults), open to suggestion and eager for a taste of success and the ability to prove themselves.” The allure of earning big attracts some students to one of the largest student recruiters in the nation, Vector Marketing Corporation, a singlelevel direct sales company that sells CUTCO Cutlery. College students represent 85 percent of Vector’s sales force, according to Vector’s website. Cognizant of the financial needs and wants of the college-aged demographic, Vector specifically targets students, recruiting at thousands of colleges and high school campuses across the nation. “It’s just the way we’ve always done things,” says Pauline Gonzales, a Vector Marketing district manager about Vector’s primary recruitment focus on students. “This opportunity speaks highly to students. They are the ones that need an opportunity like this, and they can excel at it really fast.” Vector awards $40,000 in non-academic

Continued on page 12

TH I S I S HOW W E DO IT:

tailgating Wit h homecom i ng r ight a rou nd t he cor ner, you may find yourself setting textbooks aside and gearing up for football games. Even if you a r en’ t a n avid spor t s fa n , foot ba l l season br ings excit ing adventures — namely tailgating. Fun and relatively simple, tailgating is one of the greatest college traditions. It’s a time to get pumped up for the game while hanging out with great friends. A f r a i d y o u r t a i l g a t e w i l l b e a f l o p? H av e n o fea r. Th rough some i nvest igat ion , Pa isano Plus has asked students to give advice on what makes a successful tailgate.

GAME PLAN 10

Thorough planning. Senior Mary Trevino has learned this lesson the hard way. “Tailgating isn’t something you can just wake up and do. You need to plan it and think about everything you might need.” From tongs for the food to tents for shade, the more you plan, the better the event will be. Make a list and check it twice. And then check it again. Mentally picture yourself at the tailgating party and think of everything you’ll use. Then pack it all up and put it in your car the night before.

Be it music or TV, having entertainment before the game can pump up your group. Freshman Rose Liddel recalls her first tailgate experience, “Our idea was that we would tailgate and watch the game on the TV. We forgot the TV, but luckily someone thought of turning the truck radio on, so we still had a great time and were able to catch the game.” Don’t forget to pack up all the tech essentials. Things like extension cords can become life-savers. The great thing about tailgating is that people really come together. If you forget your source of entertainment, you can bet that another party will share theirs.

MEDIA

It can make or break the experience. “Not only do you need food,” junior Justin Valdez advises, “But you need enough of it!” Having a variety of food choices is paramount for ensuring that everyone who stops by your party will enjoy themselves. “Meat, meat, meat,” sophomore Brian Grant chimes in. “You can’t go wrong with meat.” Having everyone bring a dish can alleviate the cost, ensure that enough food is available and make sure that all appetites are satisfied.

GROUP EFFORT

Even if all else fails, the people you are with can make the experience great. Senior Raul Mendiola recommends: “Surround yourself with good company and you’ll never have a horrible tailgate.” Invite all of your friends and consider combing your party with other friends’ parties. The more people you have, the better it is. “I’ve actually left one tailgate party for another that had more people there,” Senior Zachary James says. “I didn’t really know the people I joined, but I still had a great time.”

>FOOD

B E E R>

“Beer. Lots and lots of beer. All types of beer. A tailgate isn’t a tailgate without friends and beer,” graduate Ana Arcolas says. Similar to food, if everyone brings a pack of their favorite adult beverage, no one will have to shoulder the weight of the cost, and everyone will have something they like. In the words of senior Jessi Zettler, “Grilling, drinks, and great friends,” are all that’s needed if you want to ensure a great tailgate.

Continued from page 9 scholarships a year to its top student employees. Rather than scholastic achievements, a student’s performance with the company merits the award. “If they (students) are willing to work hard for them (scholarships), then we are willing to donate money for their future,” Gonzales says. A dicey business with no guarantee of success, Vector sales representatives (also called independent contractors and associates) pay for their travel expenses, lease show products and rely on commission and bonuses from product sales. If associates are unable to sell their CUTCO, they forgo future job placements, company advancement, bonuses and a portion of their commissions. “Any one worth his salt in the kitchen will tell you that you only really need two knives,” explains a UTSA student who is a former Vector sales representative. “I had to ignore that

knowledge to get a larger sale.” “Also keep in mind that appointments for CUTCO are strictly referral based,” continues the student. “When setting appointments, you can never actually mention ‘knives’ or the product itself.” Aggressively promoting their network-dependent companies, student-salespeople fatigue contacts with pitches, and their social lives may suffer. Company-encouraged recruitment and sales quotas exhausts the networks of its lowertier members and the members themselves. Depletion of the associates’ networks deflates individual earning potentials. “One customer called her friend in front of me and told her she would never speak to her again because she allowed private information to be given to a salesman who brought a bunch of sharp objects with him,” the UTSA student and former Vector associate continues, “and I was promptly kicked out of the house.” Former UTSA student and WakeUpNow distributor Hannah Creswell attributes network

How into Fall are you? After the long brutally hot months of summer, Fall is finally upon us. Some people are obsessed with this season while others roll their eyes. Which are you? Take our quiz to find out. If you could, you’d wear boots and jeans year-round. Pumpkin carving parties are the best kind of parties. Hayrides aren’t just for kids. You try to live off of Thanksgiving leftovers for as long as you can (even though it only lasts you a day). Halloween is your favorite holiday. Scary movie marathons are the only kind of marathons.

7 or less: You couldn’t care less about Fall. In fact, it’s just the second to last season until the year is finally over. What’s a PSL anyway?

Living by the awesomeness that is the PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte). You’re furious when Christmas takes the spotlight before December. You don’t get annoyed when you have to “fall back” and reset your clocks. Halloween decorations > Christmas decorations Thanksgiving is one of the most underrated holidays. You take pictures at pumpkin patches seriously.

8-14: You appreciate Fall and in fact, look forward to it. Is it your favorite season? No, of course not, but you definitely can’t imagine a world without it.

marketing’s poor reputation to two issues: the stigma of the sales industry and plain ignorance. “Nobody wants to feel like they are getting sold, or like they are selling someone on something else,” Creswell says. “The second reason (that network marketing gets negative attention) contributes to the first reason, and it is ignorance…. The ignorant person sees what we do as selfish, because they themselves are selfish—classic projection.” The distributors (IBOs, enrollers, affiliates, associates and sales representatives who comprise the bottom and middle portions of the pyramid) rarely profit and have a ninetynine percent exit rate, the Consumer Awareness Institute reports. Ignorance aside, it is mathematically impossible for everyone to profit within network marketing MLM models—those at the bottom of the pyramid fund those at the top and lower level distributors are disposable and easily replaced.

You rick-or-treat with no shame. Deciphering a corn maze is no laughing matter. Playing football outside (and not passing out of heat exhaustion). Black Friday is more than just a sale—it’s a sport. You’re angry at the trees when they don’t change colors. Your Halloween costume has been planned out since June. You actually like pumpkin ale. Your Halloween parties are the stuff of legends. You talk about Fall so much, your friends beg you to shut up.

15 or more: Loving fall is such an understatement it practically offends you. You live for Fall and plan your entire year around it. Who cares about Winter?

t r d

Serving up some serious ice cream Words: Anelia Gomez-Cordova Photo: Marcus Connolly

he families, couples and groups of friends who visit Brindles encounter a cool, sweet vibe. Inside, you can sit at a table, a cozy chair or one of their loveseat couches. Their music selection creates a laid-back atmosphere, and the volume is low enough that conversations can be carried out while the store continues to welcome new customers. The service is just as great. You can sample ice cream flavors before you order, and the workers suggest great options. If deciding between two flavors is difficult, a small cup allows you to enjoy both for only $3.65 Located at 11255 Huebner Road and only a 12-minute drive from UTSA’s Main Campus, Brindles Awesome Ice Creams and Espresso Bar is a must-visit if you are an ice cream, gelato or coffee lover. With best-selling flavors like Azteca — a bold chocolate ice cream containing touches of vanilla and cinnamon — Red Velvet and Coffee Heath, Brindles does not limit their customers’ choices. As for gelato, a refreshing and popular pick is Hibiscus Lemon Ginger. If shakes are your thing, give the Red Velvet and Brindle — butterscotch fudge crunch flavored ice cream — a try. It has a creamy and delicious texture, occasionally interrupted by crunchy bits that adds richness. Brindles drink options include soy and chai shakes as well as smoothies. If you are craving a cup of coffee instead, Brindles offers a variety of choices. Most of the cappuccinos and lattes are priced around $3.25, but if you stop by the Half Price Books store next door first, you can bring your receipt to the register for a “half

price coffee.” If it’s too hot outside, why not give their Affogato a try? It is a tasty compromise between the hot and cold cravings, consisting of ice cream topped with espresso and whipped cream. Regardless of your ice cream or drink choice, you are sure to enjoy it. Although Brindles does

not have a website, they do have a Facebook page and a profile on Urbanspoon.com as well as Yelp.com. Brindles is open daily, Sunday through Thursday from noon to midnight, and Friday to Saturday from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.

T h e p e r f e c t p l ay l i s t Rowdy Radio is now an official, registered new student organization, and we are ready to make history! Rowdy Radio is about you: “Your Station. Your Voice.” We play what you want to hear. The station will broadcast all genres of music. Members of the organization can become “Playlist Creators” and will compile the musical

content for specific time slots. Check out the sample playlists below. Each has been carefully crafted and is catered for different tastes of music. — Alex Flores Director of Programming, Rowdy Radio

Editor-in-Chief: Sarah Gibbens

Special Issues Editor: Jade Cuevas

Managing Editor: Jakob Lopez

Photo Editor:

8Morning Mix

Some chill music to wake up to, becaus e waking up is the hardest part of the day for any college student. 4No Diggity - Ch et Faker 4Buzzcut Season - Lorde 4The A Team – Ed Sheeran 4The Cave - Mum ford and Sons 4Riptide – Vance Joy 4Marching On – OneRepublic 4Paradise – Coldp lay 4Jackie and Wilson – Hozier

Marcus Connolly

Web Editor:

Michael Turnini

Senior Copy Editor: Paul McIntier

Ads Manager:

Edidiong Adiakpan

Business Manager:

#WCW 7

nesday! Woman Crush Wed B/Soul music. of the queens of R& A playlist in honor At Last - Etta James3 na Simone3 Feeling Good – Ni y Houston3 ne hit W Somebody ith W e nc Da na an IW No Scrubs - TLC3 ’s Child3 Survivor - Destiny a Keys3 ici Al th A Woman’s Wor er - Mariah Carey3 We Belong Togeth Nicki Minaj3 J, Ariana Grande, Bang Bang – Jessie i Adichie)3 oz Ng Chimamanda at. (fe e nc yo Be – s ***Flawles Follow @ThePaisano and @UTSARowdyRadio on social media to hear more about them this Fall.

8Que Caliente

Some hot latin mus ic, because we all kn ow it is hot in San 4Como La Flor – Antonio! Selena 4Suavemente – El vis Crespo 4Ven Bailalo – An gel Y Khriz 4Lo Que Paso, Pa so - Daddy Yankee 4Vivir Mi Vida Marc Anthony 4Loca – Shakira (fe at. El Cata) 4Reggaeton Latin o – Don Omar, Fa t Joe, LDA & NORE 4Noche de Entierro (Nuestro Amor) – Daddy Yankee, He Father, Luny Tune ctor El s, Tainy, Tonny Tu n Tun, Wisin & Ya ndel & Zion

Friday Flows 7

ones. st from your headph Sick rhymes to bla judge. n’t wo we g, pin Hey, if you start rap Who Dat - J. Cole3 3 A Milli - Lil Wayne 3 n) ea Oc k an Fr at. est & JAY-Z (fe W e ny Ka 3 ar ild m W e La - Kendrick No Church in th Backseat Freestyle aj3 in M i ck Ni Did It On ‘Em – Tom Ford – JAY-Z3 Up – Drake3 0 to 100/The Catch nye West3 Black Skinhead – Ka mbino3 Ga ish ild Bonfire – Ch nica)3 tro ec El Jay & ar Kendrick Lam at. (fe an Se g Bi – l Contro

{ The Paisano }

Lizzette Rocha

{Writers} Mia Cabello, Rebecca Conejo, Jade Cuevas, Alex Flores, Anelia Gomez-Cordova, Kate Kramer

{Photographers} Mariam Adamjee, Madiana Jones

{Cover Photo} Marcus Connolly

{Advisor}

Diane Abdo

{Advisory Board}

Stefanie Arias, Jack Himelblau, Steven Kellman, Sandy Norman The Paisano Plus 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. All revenues are generated through advertising and donations. Advertising inquiries and donations should be directed towards:

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