The Paisano Volume 47 Issue 22 by The Paisano

A look at the changing Middle East: Page 4

Are you ready for a zombie apocalypse: Page 6

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

October 16, 2012

Volume 47

Runners suffer first defeat

Issue 22

UTSA to phase

out CAP program Magalieh Acosta Staff Writer

Richard Castillo/The Paisano

news@paisano-online.com

Sophomore tight end Cole Hubble and the UTSA Roadrunners suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of the Rice Owls, 14-34. UTSA was the last unbeaten team in Texas this season. See Page 7 for more.

Construction keeping pace with UTSA’s rapid growth Intern

news@paisano-online.com UTSA will soon be home to a host of new buildings, athletic complexes, additional housing for future students and several new parking garages. The overall goal of these projects is to promote campus growth in what UTSA is calling the Master Plan. “UTSA’s master plan is an integral part of this university’s direction,” said UTSA President Ricardo Romo, on UTSA’s website. “It reflects the values, goals and priorities of an institution that is becoming a premier public research university. It is my hope that this master plan will serve as a catalyst for the university’s growth.” According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, “The new Academic and Administrative Office Building supports Closing the Gaps’ (CTG) goal to increase participation rates by promoting an increase in fulltime equivalent (FTE) enrollment at UTSA. This increase in FTE enrollment is best explained by the impact that the project has in the CTG goals of success and excellence. The addition of classroom and class laboratory space will provide much needed capacity that allows more flexibility for students to schedule and enroll in the courses needed to complete a degree in a timely manner.” The Closing the Gaps’ plan is directed at closing educational gaps in Texas as well as between Texas and other states. The plan was adopted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in 2000. “UTSA received the maximum score for usage efficiency of class lab and classroom space and has an academic space deficit of 1,247,026 sq ft,” according to the Adjusted 2011 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Space Projection Model. This is the second

highest space deficit among state universities according to the Legislative Appropriations Request from the University of Texas at San Antonio to the Governor’s office and the legislative budget board. While UTSA uses its space efficiently it is clear that space is running out. Space for additional classrooms and laboratories could increase

course offerings each semester. Classes are sometimes cancelled because the university does not have the space to accommodate additional students. To address rising student needs, space will be assigned for 14 classrooms on the first floor of the North Paseo Building Phase I, along with research labs on the second floor. This building

is designed to address deficits in administrative, classroom and lab space. The North Paseo Building Phase II behind the University Center between the McKinney Humanities building and North Parking Garage was completed Oct. 8, 2011. See Construction, Page 2

Photo Courtesy of UTSA

Lorilee Merchant

When completed, the North Paseo Building phase I will house 186,000 square feet of research labs, classrooms, lecture halls and administrative offices.

UTSA will phase out of UT Austin’s CAP system within the next 10 years. The phase-out is designed to boost UTSA’s own retention and graduation rates. UTSA is currently the number one destination for CAP students. The University of Texas System created the Coordinated Admission Program (CAP) to broaden admission options to students interested in attending the University of Texas at Austin, according to UT’s Be a Longhorn webpage. The program gives students who were initially denied admission to UT Austin a chance to enroll at UT Austin if they attend another UT system university their first year and meet specific academic benchmarks. Of the 824 CAP students enrolled in UTSA this fall, only one-third are expected to stay at UTSA, according to UTSA Vice President of Admissions George Norton. On average, only six percent of those CAP students graduate within four years. “The CAP students do affect the current 12 percent four-year graduation rate… they come here with the intention of leaving,” Norton said. “About one-third stay, one-third go to UT Austin, and the other one-third either go elsewhere or drop out.” In order to stay on the path towards Tier One status, UTSA incorporated the Graduation Rate Improvement Plan (GRIP) in late 2011. The goal of the plan is to improve retention and four-year graduation levels. However, about 70 percent of CAP students leave UTSA after their first year, according to GRIP. That percentage represents about one-fifth of all freshmen and lowers UTSA graduation and retention statistics by 10 percent. “The institution wants to spend its resources on UTSA degree-seekers,” Norton said. Former CAP students have their own opinion on the change. “I personally think it is a good change for the university, but I don’t feel UTSA should completely eliminate CAP,” said UT economics major Alyssa Levine. “It brings in a lot of students to the college and a lot of my fellow classmates stayed at UTSA because they liked it so much.” Levine attended UTSA in the fall 2009 and transferred to UT Austin the following year. Although she understands the reason for the change, Levine admits to having mixed feelings. “I would be upset if I were an incoming CAP student.” In fact, Levine’s younger sister, undeclared freshman Cassidy Levine, was affected by the change. Although Cassidy was interested in CAP, UT did not offer UTSA as an option for her. Instead, she was offered UT Brownsville and UT El Paso as CAP school options. Although Cassidy finds the change “bittersweet,” she said Tier One status “benefits UTSA because… more people are going to want to come to study here.” The admissions department is aware that CAP students provide revenue and tuition that will be lost once the program is discontinued; however, the university has a plan to counter that loss. “We plan to be recruiting UTSA degree-seeking students to take CAP students’ place,” Norton said. The university also hopes to “convert” UT hopefuls to UTSA students. “Keep in mind, CAP students didn’t get into UT. Austin is not even in the picture,” Norton pointed out. “Although we love the Longhorns, we want students to be Roadrunners,” he said.

News

The Paisano

October 16, 2012

Construction: Master plan moving UTSA towards tier one

UTSA’s Master Plan (above) was established in 2007 to be a vision for future growth as UTSA; existing facilities are shown in brown with future buildings in orange. San Saba Hall (right) is scheduled to be completed this summer and will house more than 600 students. The Park West athletic complex (below) will be home to much of UTSA’s athletic programs after its completion in July of next year.

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plexes. It is set for completion by July 2013. Park West Athletic Complex Phase 1, located adjacent to the UTSA Main Campus near 1604 and Hausman Road, is currently under construction. This will include a new soccer field and track stadium, along with parking and other related infrastructure. Phase 2 of Park West will include the football practice facilities, baseball field, tennis courts and softball field. Phase 3 will include a new 10,000-12,000 Convocation Center and an area with bars and shops. Construction for Phase 2 and Phase 3 has not been scheduled at this time. East campus will be left to its original state, as it is home to the Edward’s Aquifer Zone and endangered species habitats. Most of the new construction will take place in Central Main campus and UTSA Park West. The North Paseo Buildings Phase I and II will be located in the Leon Creek North district of the Master Plan, which will link up with John Peace road and library. The John Peace Quadrangle will connect Loop 1604 to the entrance of the North Paseo, providing access to Sombrilla Plaza. The Master Plan was conceived in 2007. However, there is no set date for full completion of the Master Plan, as new demands are being met. “There was supposed to be a new science building already constructed,” said Espinosa, “but there was an immediate need for more classrooms, so the science building has been put on hold.” Staff, students and administration are witnessing changes around campus as construction begins on several buildings. Sidewalks, parking lots and roadways have been uprooted and roped off since the beginning of summer, resulting in even more trouble with parking and traffic. Regardless of the inconveniences, great things are in store for the university.

Photo Courtesy of UTSA

This building houses administration and academic functions, as well as offices, conference rooms and facilities support spaces. In August 2014, a new addition to the North Paseo will be completed adjacent to the North Paseo Building Phase II. The new five-story addition will contain administration staff offices that are currently located off campus. “The building will be approximately 186,000 square feet. Administration offices that are currently in lease space will be housed on the fourth and fifth floors,” said Engineering and Project Manager Robert Espinosa. “By moving Human Resources and other administration, such as Financial Affairs and parts of Admissions and Registrar, out of those leased spaces, they will not have to worry anymore about paying rent,” Espinosa said. According to Espinosa, sources of funding for this project will come from various resources, including “permanent university funds, unexpended plant funds, other local funds and designated tuition” as well. Disruption during the construction of the North Paseo Building Phase 1 seems to be minimal. The construction site “has been fenced off and there is minor pedestrian path reroutes,” said Espinosa. “The utility infrastructure has the most disruption due to utility lines from the physical plant building to the site,” Espinosa said. “This work is for telecom installation, electrical feeds, supply and chill water, as well as sanitary sewer lines. We will be rerouting pedestrian paths and temporarily closing off drive lines on Cook Drive.” Other construction projects include San Saba Hall, which will be a new student dormitory, housing 618 students. It will be located at the center of UTSA Main Campus between Chaparral Village and Laurel Village housing com-

Photo Courtesy of UTSA

From Page 1

The Paisano

October 16, 2012

News

Race and income influence who votes in Texas Associated Press

news@paisano-online.com More than 17 percent of the people who register to vote never make it to the ballot box, and according to new research, these people tend to be poor or uneducated. Research also suggests, however, that more of these people would vote if officials made it more convenient. The most basic duty of any candidate is to get supporters to the polls, and researchers at Austin Community College and Texas State University dug into 2008 voter data to better understand the people who register but don’t vote. “We wanted to show the folks that are (trying to get out the vote) a scientific study of who isn’t voting,’’ explained Peck Young, director of the Center for

Public Policy and Political Studies, which sponsored the study. ``If you just take the people who didn’t vote in 2008, but were registered, they could change the outcome of the state.’’ The 2.3 million non-voters in Texas broke down as 34 percent Hispanic, 5 percent African American and 61 percent everyone else. The first surprise of the study was that neither gender nor the length of time someone has been registered influence whether someone made it to the polls. The statistics also showed that Hispanics remain disproportionately more unlikely to cast a ballot than other groups. Assistant Professor Blake Farrar at Austin Community College and Texas State University Professor Hyun Jung Yun found that Hispanics between 35-44 years old were staying away at much higher rates than other groups,

an indication that they have difficulty taking time off from work. Young Hispanics, between 18-44 years old, also voted in much lower numbers than other ethnic groups. The study, though commonly performed by political consultants in secret, was the first of its kind performed statewide by political scientists. Campaigns use this kind of analysis to strategize how to win elections. “There is a pattern that would tend to indicate that, especially when you look at African Americans and Hispanics, there is a tendency to think they’ll be Democrat,’’ Young explained. ``The overwhelming number of them are Anglo, and there is no guarantee they will swing the state over to the Democratic Party ... and you’ve got to believe that because some of them have never voted before, they’re simply independents.’’

Young has worked on political campaigns and voter turnout efforts for 40 years, mostly for Democrats. He explained that many people feel a duty to register to vote, but not necessarily an obligation to cast a ballot. Some don’t care about politics, others don’t like the candidates, but he said many face other barriers. “The way you get new voters to participate is that you make it easier,’’ Young said. ``The fundamental reason a lot of these people don’t vote has to do with economics. When you’re a breadwinner, but you’re winning your bread by working long hours and at maybe more than one job, you need a window of opportunity.’’ Early voting in Texas is open from Oct. 22-Nov. 2, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. That time period is shorter than other states, some of which al-

low early voting a month ahead of the Nov. 6 election day. Previous studies have shown education as the number one indicator of whether someone is likely to vote. Peck adds that life experience also plays a role, with older people more likely to cast ballots. Convincing younger, uneducated people to vote has always proven difficult, he added. “They wouldn’t be non-voters if it was easy,’’ Young added. More than 13.1 million Texans had registered to vote by July 1, and that number is likely to grow to more than 13.5 million. That’s 71 percent of the voting age population of 18.2 million people. If 2008 is any indication, only 8 million Texans will decide who wins the election in November.

Rick Perry’s plans for higher education include more $10K degrees, tuition freeze for freshmen and funding based on graduation rates David Smith Intern

news@paisano-online.com Governor Rick Perry recently called for universities to begin freezing tuition for incoming freshman while encouraging universities to offer $10,000 degree plans. Perry has also suggested that the Texas Legislature consider a performance-based funding model for universities, where 10 percent of funding would be dependent on the universities’ graduation rates. According to the Texas Tribune, freezing tuition for freshman would only be in effect for their first four years of school, likely defaulting to a higher rate after that time. “Implementing these measures will meet the growing demand for higher education in a way that provides encouragement for

students to complete their degree in a timely fashion and with financial certainty,” said Perry. This approach has been tested at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). UTEP President Diana Natalicio told the Texas Tribune that, although her school offers a “one price for four years” option, most UTEP students prefer to pay as they go instead, as many are working their way through school and do not plan to finish in four years. Mandating this approach may also lead to colleges giving an increased per-year tuition rate to account for expected future increases in tuition. Many universities around Texas, including UTSA, have looked into offering $10,000 degree plans. “There’s a lot of innovative ideas that are being discussed at universities across the state on how best to do that and the $10,000

degree is one of those,” said UTSA Chief Communications Officer Joe Izbrand. “We are evaluating that scenario among others. It’s very early on in the process,” he added. According to the Texas Tribune, State Rep. Dan Branch (R-Dallas), has expressed concern about the $10,000 degree, urging policymakers not to sacrifice quality for affordability. “It’s a really expensive education if you pay money and don’t get educated,” he said. Texas Commissioner of Higher Education, Raymund Paredes, expressed his uncertainty to the Texas Tribune. “It is good to have anything that calls attention to the fact that we can’t continue on this unsustainable path of increasing tuition and fees, but it’s a mistake to think you can do it with equal ease or the same amount of difficulty at all institutions.”

However, funding universities based on graduation rates is another method for reinforcing the push to get students through college quickly and affordably. “Research has shown a student who completes their degrees in four years academically does better and incurs less financial cost,” said Izbrand while discussing UTSA’s Graduation Rate Improvement Plan (GRIP). Graduation rate has already been a focus of the UT system since Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa unveiled his Framework for Advancing Excellence policy in 2011. The UT system has also implemented an incentive program that currently amounts to additional pay for presidents whose schools meet these goals. There are currently no plans to extend these incentives to other administrators; however, the Texas Tribune reported that Cigarroa admitted the cur-

rent incentives are a good start. “We want to do everything we possibly can to keep college education affordable,” said Izbrand. However, Izbrand went on to state that affordability “needs to be balanced against doing everything we can to ensure a quality education for students.” He explained that the decisions made by the Texas Legislature will have a big effect on what colleges will do next, as the state needs to first decide how much money will be allotted for grants and funding for higher education. “It’s really important for all of us... to watch with interest what will happen in the state legislature this coming year,” Izbrand said. The next session of the Texas Legislature begins this January.

Paseo

The Paisano

October 16, 2012

David Glickman

Staff Writer paseo@paisano-online.com The situation in Syria, on a political, militaristic and foreign policy level, is one of the most complex, and important, global issues today. What was once a relatively clear cut issue of civilians protesting and rebelling against President Bashar al-Assad and his government has morphed, over the last five months, into a civil war that has brought Turkey, the U.S., and the United Nations into the tangled equation. With excessive fighting and violence expanding across the region and the possibility of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) becoming involved it is important that Syria be viewed under the proper lens and understood in all of its complexities. Protests against the current Syria regime began in March of last year, as an extension of the larger Arab Spring protests that had been ongoing, within the region. The protesters were initially peaceful in nature, but by April, al-Assad, despite removing the country’s decade long emergency laws and promising reform, had sent in the military in an attempt to break up and stop the protesting. This lead to large scale bombing and shelling of towns, villages, and neighborhoods believed to be housing protestors or rebels. After months of these military attacks, the rebels became increasingly organized and armed, slowly fighting back against the military as they entered areas using a form of guerilla warfare. The Free Syrian Army has been fighting against the military forces since, going so far as to launch large scale assaults on the capital city of Damascus and the coastal city of Aleppo. During this time, at least 17,000 Syrians have died according to the UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon, though the number has been estimated as high as 21,000 according to

human rights groups monitoring the country. The global community has also gotten involved. Several countries such as the U.S., the U.K., and France condemned the actions of the Syrian government and imposed various sanctions on the country as well. However, problems have arisen from imposing global pressure on Syria. Russia and China remain strong allies of Syria, vetoing all U.N. Security Council resolutions that have been brought up. Russia has further been criticized for their continued selling of arms to Syria as well. As of last week, another global dimension developed as fighting in Syria spilled over the border into Turkey. Despite warnings by the Turkish government to contain the violence, the Syrian government did not, and Turkey, in turn, began to bomb Syria in retaliation. These skirmishes have continued to the point that the airspace has been shut down in both countries. This latest development is especially critical to the U.S. Until now President Obama and his administration have taken a relatively hands-off approach to the Syrian conflict, the strongest political action being sanctions against Syria. Obama, in April, said that the U.S. would only become involved if Syria if the U.S. began “seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. That would change my calculus; that would change my equation.” Mitt Romney has held a similar, if more vague stance than the president, stating that he does not support a nofly zone over Syria, a stance also supported by the Obama administration. Should violence between Turkey and Syria escalade further, with the U.S. and Turkey both existing as members of NATO, the fighting may force the U.S. into the position of entering the conflict and launching military campaigns against Syria.

Associated Press

Syria: the verge of war

Egyptian protesters rally outside of the United States Embassy in Cairo, Egypt and remove the American flag after. Protests were in response to the video “The Innocence of Muslim.”

Egypt: assembling a democracy Hector Torres

Staff Writer paseo@paisano-online.com On Sept. 11, the same day that Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others were killed at the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya protesters also scaled the walls of the United States Embassy in Cairo, Egypt. The facility was nearly devoid of personnel and no one was hurt, though the American flag inside the compound was torn down and replaced with an Islamist banner, all as Egyptian riot police stood by and watched the crowds swarm the embassy. The official response of the Egyptian government, in power for little more then two months at the time, was through Twitter. “Egyptians rise

The Middle East: Countries in Turmoil Countries along the Northern strip of Africa cope with political uncertain-

Libya: marked by instability Council Royal

Contributing Writer paseo@paisano-online.com Recently the Libyan coalition in parliament has collapsed and the Prime Minister, Mustafa Abu Shagur, has been removed in a vote of no confidence. On Oct. 14, the Libyan parliament elected a new prime minister, Ali Zidan, another former independent congressman. Zidan will presumably lead the country for the next 20 months. He has stated that the priority of his government will focus on security and political stability during this transitional stage. This turmoil is an accumulation of events started by the Arab Spring, which overthrew long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who had ruled since 1969. The revolution started with peaceful protests on Feb. 15, 2011 in Benghazi, Libya’s second largest eastern city, where Gaddafi’s security forces brutally suppressed these protests. The revolution would continue to be centered on Benghazi until the capitol Tripoli was taken by rebel forces later in August 2011. The Obama administration and the Democratic Senate were major proponents of intervention in Libya. Republican House of Representatives were

very critical of the administration’s stance towards intervention. They repeatedly said that the Obama administration did not provide evidence for a military intervention in Libya. After military action was authorized by President Obama, the House continually tried to pull out of the Libyan conflict by using the War Powers Act to stop the war’s funding, but the mission was nonetheless unsuccessful. With the help of other NATO countries, the Libyan rebels eventually took Tripoli in late August, and Gaddafi was killed on Oct. 20 2011 by rebel forces. With a government torn apart by political turmoil, Libya focused on holding elections for prime minister. One potential candidate was UTSA professor of political science Dr. Mansour El-Kikhia. El-Kikhia, whose family had strong political ties in Libya, was strongly opposed to the Gaddafi regime. El-Kikhia’s father was the first prime minister of the eastern region of Cyrenaica, where Benghazi is located, and his cousin was the Libyan Foreign Minister under Gaddafi, but he defected and was killed for this in 1993. Libya’s most widely publicized incident was the terrorist attack on Sep. 11, 2012 which killed Ambassador Chris Stevens. This attack is now officially called a pre-planned

terrorist attack by the Department of Defense. The attack was carried out under the veil of a series of protest done over an anti-Islamic film called “Innocence of Muslims,” made by Nakoula Basseley. Soon after the attack, Benghazi protesters, angry over the attack on the U.S., overran the Islamist bases and drove them out of the city. The Libyan president quickly followed their example and decreed that all revolutionary militia groups must submit to the government or be disbanded. The attack was devastating for the U.S. and appalled many students at UTSA. Boyd Garriot, a sophomore economics major, considers the death of Ambassador Stevens to be “an absolute tragedy.” “I believe we should condemn the attack as both the U.S. and Libyan governments already have,” he says. When it comes to foreign intervention, Garriot believes the U.S. should use military force “only in retaliation, never in aggression. If we treated all countries with more respect and less drone strikes, we would see fewer acts of terror like the one in Benghazi,” he says. To read more about the reaction to the events in Syria see: paisano-online.com

up to support Muhammad in front of the American Embassy. Sept. 11,” read the Arabic feed of the Muslim Brotherhood, the ruling party of Egypt. It was not until Sept. 14, after a terse call from President Barack Obama, that Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi appeared on state television, asking for calm and offering condolences for the embassy attack. This chain of events shows the complications that have arisen, both internally and internationally, since the 2011 ouster of former President and dictator Hosni Mubarak during the Egyptian Revolution, a chapter of the so-called Arab Spring. The events that set the stage for the current situation in Egypt began decades ago. On Oct. 6, 1981, members of his own military assassinated thenPresident Anwar El Sadat, who was the

originator of unpopular policies such as the Camp David Accords that normalized relations with Israel, a major enemy until that point. As Sadat’s hand-picked Vice President Hosni Mubarak became head of the Egyptian state and ruled the country firmly, following populist policies but strictly prohibiting most forms of dissent, including the existence of opposition parties and Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood. In spite of semi-liberal economic policies and substantial American financial aid, after three decades of rule, Mubarak’s Egypt was in dire straits.

To read more about how Egypt plans to assemble a democracy see: paisano-online.com

The Paisano

October 16, 2012

Editor-in-Chief: Katy Schmader

Managing Editor: Stephen Whitaker

Interim News Editor: Matthew Duarte

News Assistants: Natalie Frels David Glickman

Paseo Editor: Sarah Gibbens

Arts Editor:

Erica Cavazos

Arts Assistants: Valeria Perez Jennifer Alejos

Sports Editor: Rex Castillo

Sports Assistant: Sheldon Baker

Photo Editor:

Alyssa Gonzales

Photo Assistant: Will Tallent

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Staff: Daniel Crotty, Victor Hernandez, Valeria Rodriguez, Katy Glass, Valeria Perez, Bridget Gaskill, Hector Torres, Christina Coyne,

Contributing Staff: Chris Butler, Julian Montez, Ethel Asberry, Leann Acuna, Lictor Leal, Cory Franco, John Poplawski, Randy Lopez, Council Royal

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Steven Kellman, Mansour El Kikhia, Jack Himelblau, Sandy Norman 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:

Editorial

Is it time for the Border Crossing statue to emigrate to a new location? Arthur Danto, American art critic and philosopher, argues that in order for a piece of work to be considered art it must satisfy the following criteria: it has to have a subject that projects an attitude or point of view that engages an audience’s participation into filling in what is missing within the art. The work in question also requires an art historical context. “Border Crossing,” the massive sculpture in the center of the main campus, does not fulfill all of these criteria and should be removed. “Border Crossing” is a familiar image between the MS building and the Sombrilla. The statue of a Mexican migrant family traveling across the Rio Grande into the United States has

The second of three presidential debates between 44th President Barack Obama of the Democratic Party and presidential-candidate Mitt Romney of the Republican Party will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 16. For two hours on that night, the American people at home, and an audience at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, will watch Obama make funny facial expressions while Romney begs the moderator for one last point. Afterward, the political pundits will banter back and forth about who won the debate and what it means for the election in three weeks. I watched the first debate, but I have to say I was not impressed with either candidate’s performance and their inability to observe time limits. I am intending to vote in the election. I just don’t know if Obama and Romney have done enough to warrant my vote. I am not really a politically leaning person. I like choice and if I only have to choose between two candidates, I am limited in exerting my right to vote as I see fit. If only there was another party that had a candidate who could garner

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stood in the central plaza since 1996. It was erected during UTSA’s art commission project to bring art to the campus under former President Samuel Kirkpatrick. The piece has been controversial since its erection, even provoking the College Republicans into bringing a resolution to the Student Government Association in 2006 to remove the statue as a part of the university’s beautification. But does the statue meet Danto’s criteria? Yes, but only in part. The piece has a subject and a point of view. Artist Luis Jimenez created “Border Crossing” and dedicated the piece to his father who crossed the Rio Grande into the United States in 1922. It rep-

resents the struggle for a better life, no matter what form it takes. The statue has a subject. But “Border Crossing” misses the mark in its inability to engage an audience. The figures are not aesthetically pleasing and blend into the surrounding buildings. In the past, it might have been a site for protests, but now it is a little more than an obstruction in the walkway. UTSA has outgrown “Border Crossing.” None of the other criteria matter if the statue has become invisible. “Border Crossing” has outlived its usefulness. It should be replaced with more engaging public art.

Commentary I want more than two parties to vote for

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In the October 2nd issue, the Paisano reported that Café College had been named for a former UTSA professor when Manuel Berriozabal is still a professor at UTSA. The Paisano regrets the error.

enough votes to make things interesting. What we need is a third party that can go toe-to-toe with the Dems and Reps. Something like the Whigs or the Bull Moose Party might need to be reborn in some way to challenge the two-party monopoly. I won’t bore you with the whole history of those parties but at one time, they had viable presidential candidates and, in the case of the Whigs, had victorious presidential campaigns. The Whigs had their glory years in the 1840s, about the time Texas joined the Union. They were against expansion to Texas, as they were also against expanding slavery. In spite of this they had four presidents between 1841-53. Two of those died in office. The Whigs fell apart around 1853 with some members starting the Republican Party that exists to this day since 1855. The Bull Moose Party had only one presidential candidate, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, who ran exactly 100 years ago. He ran as a third party candidate after the Republican Party nominated William Taft for reelection over him. Neither man won that year. Roosevelt garnered enough votes to cost Taft the election and the Democrats won with Woodrow Wilson, who served two terms and led the United States in World War I. Teddy decided that his eight years in the White House from 1901-08 were enough as he chose

not to run again in 1916 and the Bull Moose Party faded away after that year. Those are just two of the many parties that have come and gone and tried to take a piece of the political pie that the blue and the red have hogged for years. Maybe the time has come for them to be reborn in some fashion. It will be hard, as the current political system has almost institutionalized the Democrats and Republicans as parties. Add to this the sheer volume of money that these two parties receive and put behind candidates and the place for a third party seems to be non-existent. It will take a galvanizing candidate like a Theodore Roosevelt to lift a third party from obscurity to bronze medal. If a third party can get enough support among the people it could then challenge the status quo of Democrat and Republican. A presidential campaign where we had more than two choices would mean we would have to actively research the candidates, which would lead to more Americans becoming involved in politics. It won’t be this year, but eventually there might come a day when America can find room at the election table for a third or fourth party.

Alternate Reality: by: Michael Carroll

Stephen Whitaker Managing Editor

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The Paisano

Opinion

Border Crossing Statue

This Week in UTSA History October 21, 2008: Campaign Conclusion is only formality The following is an excerpt from a commentary by Nick Hargis on the 2008 presidential campaign that ran in the Paisano on Oct. 21, 2008 The Debates are over and Election Day is approaching rapidly. The remaining weeks before Nov. 4 are a blip in this laboriously long election season. The debates were weak and the candidates robotic. After those “debates,” I was left wondering why I watched politics the other days of the week when all I heard was stump speeches broken up strategically. With the stability of the McCain campaign matching that of the stock market, Barack Obama has this thing wrapped up tighter than Al Gore’s lockbox. If you think John McCain has a chance of attaining 270 electoral votes then you are exercising willful ignorance. The point is that the candidates never even lit the fireworks that were waiting for a flame. Before the presidential election began, I had a feeling that this was going to be one of the most exciting times of my life. I was hoping for these gentlemen to get into an extremely intriguing debate of ideals and theory of how to run the government, along with sharp attacks, during the debates. Instead I was handed a suspension of campaign (that failed miserably by the way) and the rhetoric of Washington being broken. This is not news; Washington was broken long before George Bush got there and will continue to be broken under Obama. Here is a news flash for folks: both campaigns are riddled with lobbyists, both campaigns took a lot of donations from commercial banks and financial institutions, both campaigns play the same Washington politics they denounce. When the topic of the bailout bill came up, neither candidate brought up the fact that $250 billion of pork barrel spending was put into that legislation for it to be passed. After it failed in the House the first time, the bill was pumped with pork for wasteful allocations of our tax dollars, and then was passed. Neither candidate would talk about the bill being merely a psychological attempt at stabilization of the markets. Does it not seem like Washington politics when a bunch of elected officials get together to use our money to help people who donated to campaigns? Both candidates voted for this bill; most of the money goes to commercial banks and Wall St. institutions, and both candidates took money from those being “bailed out.” That sounds like Washington at work to me. Nick Hargis Staff

Arts&Life

The Paisano

Zombie Response Team: SA has their protection.

Do you have their skills?

October 16, 2012

Local Events: Tuesday, Oct. 16 6 p.m. Art Instruction: “Sketching in SAMA’s Gallery”

The San Antonio Museum of Art (200 W. Jones St.) will hold free evening classes of “casual instruction” based on local works in their museum. Those interested in attending are asked to meet at the front desk of the building. For more information visit their website <http:// samuseum.org>.

Wednesday, Oct. 17 8 p.m. Film Screening: “Harold and Maude”

The Friendly Spot (943 S Alamo) will be screening the cult classic “Harold and Maude” on their outdoor screen. The film is a dark comedy about Harold, a young man who is fascinated with death. His life is forever changed when he meets 79-year-old Maude at a funeral. Admission is free. For more information about the Friendly Spot, you can visit their website at <http://www.thefriendlyspot.com>.

Thursday, Oct. 18

Courtesy of the Zombie Response Team

10 a.m. Exhibit: “America’s Finest”

Members of the Zombie Response Team (clockwise from left: Dan Parker, Joshua Garcia, Morgan Barnhart and Eric Brightsen, with Robyn Triesch as a zombie) know that if you can survive the zombie apocalypse, you can survive anything.

Rex Castillo Sports Editor

arts@paisano-online.com Their mission is to protect and sever. That’s right. A mission to sever the zombies that threaten the lives of San Antonio residents. The Zombie Response Team (ZRT) is a survivalist group dedicated to educating people about different tactics to survive a potential zombie apocalypse. “Our motto is ‘if you can survive the zombie apocalypse, you can survive anything,’” says Morgan Barnhart, cofounder of ZRT. In December 2010, Barnhart and a group of zombie enthusiasts started ZRT in San Antonio, and the team’s membership has consistently grown since. ZRT’s lessons and techniques are based on research from the U.S. military and other survival classes from organizations such as the Red Cross. Barnhart and her fellow zombie fighters truly want to educate on these tangible skills. “We aren’t just taking the zombie theme because we know it’s popular. It really wasn’t our intention to reach out to people through zombies; we just like zombies,” Barnhart says. “This just happens to be a really great way to

reach out to people.” ZRT is very active in distributing its survivalist message through most social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) and podcasts, all available through its website. Recently, the team made an appearance at the 2012 Texas Comic Convention in San Antonio. Barnhart and ZRT are also currently working on a series of ZRT training DVDs for their members. Some of ZRT’s lessons include building a “bug out” bag and training with several weapons. ZRT also teaches alternative ways to build a fire and water filtration and sanitation techniques. ZRT’s model of the “bug out” bag (a portable survival kit) is based off military standards and contains enough food, water and other survival items to last over 72 hours. ZRT also produces its own products that include standard ZRT clothing, badges and survival essentials like a ZRT machete. In just two years, ZRT has already received several appearance requests from across the country, including interviews in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, ZRT hasn’t been able to fulfill all the requests, but the team members are ready to expand ZRT’s message. “The zombie genre is interesting right now because a couple years ago, it was big, and now it’s gotten bigger

Zombie Con 2012 Jennifer Alejos Intern

arts@paisano-online.com This Saturday, the dead will walk again. San Antonio Event Center welcomes all flesh-eating enthusiasts to the first annual Zombie 2012: The Apocalypse. The convention, which was created by zombie-lover Martin Cuellar, is set to take place on Saturday, Oct. 20, at the San Antonio Event Center (8111 Meadow Leaf). Fans of everything zombie-related can expect big thrills from fellow zombie enthusiasts. Zombie Con will feature artists, exhibitions, food and live music, and that is only the beginning of the list. Hardcore fans can win a prize of $1000 for dressing up as their favorite fiend from any horror movie or video game. “We’re looking for people that have the most creative costume,” says Cuellar. “We really want people to get into the character of their costume.” Cuellar admits that the possibility of a zombie apocalypse is unlikely, but he feels that it is fun to celebrate anyway. Cuellar, along with his family, coordinated the event six months before its debut. His daughter, Jessica Cuellar, is in charge of their social media activity and their official event website. The Cuellar family has organized

different conventions in the past, such as an anime-themed event, but this is the first time they have attempted to do a zombie convention. Cuellar was inspired by some of the other conventions happening around the country and felt that San Antonio needed to show their zombie pride as well. “I’ve been a life-long zombie fan,” Cuellar says. “I thought it was time to do something different for San Antonio.” In his plans for next year, he would like to expand the convention to a two or three day event. “It’s all about using the zombie apocalyptic theme to bring out the creative side of people,” Cuellar says. college ski & boArd week breckenridge • Vail • beaver creek keystone • Arapahoe basin

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and bigger,” Barnhart says. “So we have been getting a lot of press and more people interested.” Barnhart and the rest of ZRT members currently have full-time jobs on the side. They do hope, however, that this response team will one day be their main source of income. ZRT is fully funded by its current members. “We really don’t care about profit, but we want to do this on a full-time basis,” Barnhart says. “I honestly love having discussions with people about survival at our meet-up groups. The best part about it is finding those people and having a real conversation about survival and learning from each other.” The team is currently fund raising to build a ZRT training facility through <indigogo.com>. The funds from the website will help ZRT hire qualified instructors who can add to ZRT’s zombie survival techniques. The Halloween season is the busiest time of the year for the team, and ZRT will be out patrolling the streets during this year’s Zombie Walk on Oct. 28, a perfect opportunity for the team to apply their zombie hunting training. For more info on ZRT, visit <zombieresponseteam.net>.

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The McNay Art Museum (6000 N. New Braunfels Ave.) will showcase upcoming artist Vincent Valdez, one of the youngest artists to exhibit solo at the McNay Art Museum. Valdez’s work shows a representation of the struggles humans face. The exhibit includes paintings, drawings and prints about the experiences of combat veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Valdez’s work will be on exhibit through Jan. 27. Tickets range from $5 - $10 but will be free from 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. on Thursdays.

Friday, Oct. 19 7 p.m. Comedy: Nerdcore

Nerdcore Comedy Show is a free event at Game Over Videogames (602 NW Loop 410) that features parodies of video games, comics and everything that’s geek savvy. Alex Ansel, Michael Suarez and others bring their hit show, which was currently at San-Japan, to San Antonio for this one-night only event.

Saturday, Oct. 20 12 p.m. Convention: Zombie Con 2012

Zombie Con 2012: The Apocalypse will be held at the San Antonio Event Center (8111 Meadow Leaf Dr.) starting on Oct. 20. The convention will feature 15 live bands, artists, vendors, food and even a costume contest with a grand prize of $1000. So channel your favorite rotting zombie idol and unite with fellow zombie-lovers. Tickets are $10 - $20. For more information on vendors and guests visit <http://zombiecontx.com>.

Sunday, Oct. 21 12 p.m. Exhibit: Prints of the People

The McNay Art Museum (6000 N. New Braunfels Ave.) presents Prints of the People: The Taller de Grafica Popular, an exhibit that features work from Mexico that takes a strong stance toward social issues that occurred in 1937. General admission is $5 - $8. Admission is free on Thursdays after 4 p.m.

Fo r t h e we e k ’s f u l l c a l e n da r, v i s i t : www.paisano-online.com

Scary lessons at UTSA A course that satisfies horror fandom

Jennifer Alejos Intern

arts@paisano-online.com The zombie craze has “infected” many UTSA students. In the fall, UTSA offers a course called Horror Text and Theory—where students explore many popularized horror films and books available—exclusively to English seniors and honors students. What’s on the syllabus, you might ask? Only one of the biggest zombie shows that’s on cable! That’s right— “The Walking Dead” is one of the topics for discussion. Many of the students in the Horror Text and Theory course say that the class has opened their minds to the world of horror film culture. English major Mandy Newell says, “I wanted to stop being a wuss and try to watch these movies, so I signed up for the class.” On watching horror movies, she says, “It’s always more fun to watch them at night.”

While some students feel that a zombie apocalypse is the least of the world’s problems, English major Taryn Frisceec, who recently went through a zombie-shooting course at San Antonio’s Tactical Safety Institute, says that if the horrific event were to happen, she would be ready. “If I had a rifle and there was a zombie apocalypse happening, there’s a 17 out of 20 chance that I will shoot you in the head. “I always really enjoyed watching horror films and the idea of being scared. I thought this class would be a really fun exploration of looking at horror stories,” Frisceec says. UTSA assistant professor Dr. Kinitra Brooks, who calls herself a “die-hard fan of horror fiction,” says, “I didn’t expect the class to be full. I didn’t think there were weirdos like me who liked that kind of stuff.” (To read the rest of this story, go to <paisano-online.com>.)

The Paisano

October 16, 2012

Rice snaps UTSA’s streak

Sports Work In Progress Thank the Aggies Stephen Whitaker

Burk Frey/ The Paisano

Managing Editor sports@paisano-online.

Running back David Glasco II hustles to the endzone for the Roadrunners only touchdown against Rice. Glasco had 73 all-purpose yards in UTSA’s first loss of the season.

Stephen Whitaker Managing Editor

sports@paisano-online.com Entering Saturday’s game with the Rice Owls, the UTSA Roadrunners were one of 16 undefeated teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season. The Owls made sure that when the Roadrunners left Rice Stadium early on Saturday evening that it was with their first loss of 2012. The Owls offense ran the Roadrunners defense up and down the field en route to a 34-14 victory. The loss snapped the Roadrunners’ six-game winning streak dating back to last season. In front of a homecoming crowd celebrating the centennial of Rice University, the Owls put on an impressive performance. To pay homage to the great Rice teams of the Southwest Conference, the 2012 Owls dressed in retro 1950s Rice football jerseys. The Owls ran the ball 58 times for 301 yards. Rice running back Charles Ross was responsible for more than a third of the total rushing attack with 117 yards. The Owls also threw for 182 yards to finish the day with 483 yards. “We got it handed to us today,” Head Coach Larry Coker said. “Give them credit, they took care of the football. They made plays and we didn’t.” The Owls thwarted the Roadrunner offense, holding them to 95 yards on the ground, the lowest output by UTSA this season. The UTSA defense contained the Rice offense in the first quarter, with the Owls able to muster only two field goals off the leg of All-American kicker Chris Boswell in the first quarter. The Owls defense hounded the Runners in the first half as well and did not allow the Roadrunners to pick up a first down until their third offensive possession of the day. “Things are not going to get easier,” Coker said. “We are going to have to

play more physical.” The Owls scored the first touchdown of the day with 10:53 to play before halftime when running back Luke Turner threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Donte Moore on his first collegiate throw giving the Owls the lead 13-0. Roadrunners offense finally scored some points with a Kristian Stern 20-yard field goal with 3:16 before the half. The 10-point halftime deficit would grow before the Roadrunner offense had a chance in the second half. The Owls offense marched the opening drive 75 yards and wiped nearly five minutes off of the third quarter clock en route to a one yard touchdown run by Turner Peterson that put the Owls up 20-3. The Owls defense forced a threeand-out from the Roadrunners offense on their next possession. The Owls running game extended Rice’s lead with only three plays into their drive when quarterback Taylor McHargue rolled 44 yards for another Owls touchdown that made the score 27-3 with 8:19 left in the third quarter. A sense of life came to the Roadrunners when they had the ball next. The offense drove 75 yards and scored their only touchdown of the game on a 36-yard screen pass from quarterback Eric Soza to running back David Glasco II followed by a successful twopoint conversion run by Glasco. With the Roadrunners down 27-11, the defense made a stop on the Owls next offensive turn when Erik Brown intercepted a McHargue pass intended for wide receiver Dennis Parks. The Roadrunners would get as close to the endzone as the Rice 13 yard line before being forced to kick a field goal that drew the Roadrunners to within 13 points of Rice, 27-14. The Roadrunners were unable to put up anymore points after Rice scored another touchdown early in the final quarter, giving them a 34-14 advan-

tage which they would take with them to the final whistle. The paid attendance at Rice Stadium was 28,677 with a strong contingent of UTSA fans. “It was a good turnout from our fans,” Coker said. “Our fans will be with us and we have to respond and stay positive.” “These guys (the fans) were great. It felt like a home game coming out here,” said Roadrunners linebacker Steven Kurfehs. “It really fires you up and we had a lot of energy.” Following the loss, the team kept their heads held high. “It’s tougher competition and that’s how we grow. It will be a learning experience if we use it the right way. If we go in tomorrow with a bad attitude then it won’t be. We have to learn from our mistakes and get better,” Soza said. “Rice is a good team, they have some great players,” Offensive Coordinator Kevin Brown said. “They showed us what we need to do to get better. We have to flush it down and start over tomorrow.” The Roadrunners return to WAC action on Saturday when they host the San Jose State Spartans in the annual homecoming game at 1 p.m. in the Alamodome.

This weekend marked the first time in school history that UTSA played one of the original eight teams of the old Southwest Conference (SWC). While not known for its football program now, Rice was once a regional power in the old SWC. By playing against Rice, UTSA has now officially joined the family of big-time college football programs in Texas. It will be interesting to see whether a rivalry develops between UTSA and the school also known as the “Harvard of the South” when UTSA joins Rice in Conference-USA next fall due to their geographic proximity of each other. After the game, the Marching Owl Band and the Spirit of San Antonio had a friendly battle of the bands that has the potential to become an annual event. The Roadrunners will be linked to Rice through conference affiliation next season, but another school in Texas had a hand in making that possible. UTSA is linked to another old Southwest Conference power, the Texas A&M Aggies. We owe a debt of gratitude for the Aggies deciding to secede from the

Big XII and join the Confederate States of America (CSA) 2.0 or the South East Conference (SEC). Were it not for the Aggies joining a conference across the Sabine, UTSA might be scrambling like Idaho and New Mexico State to find a lifeboat from the sinking WAC. You’re going to want to hear this. When the Aggies left the Big XII with Missouri (SEC only lacks a school in Virginia and North Carolina for the CSA 2.0 to be rebooted as a football conference), it opened the door for TCU (another former SWC member) to leave the Big East Conference without ever having played a game there. TCU leaving the Big East with West Virginia (I hear Morgantown is not too far from here) and coupled with the move of Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the Atlantic Coast Conference next year meant that the Big East needed members. The Big East found those members in the form of the University of Houston and Southern Methodist University, both former SWC members. The conference that those two will leave in 2013 is Conference-USA, the future home of the Roadrunners. It will be a long time before UTSA and Texas A&M meet on the football field but they already have quite a relationship. After all, it is thanks to A&M chasing more Franklins in the SEC that opened up a tidal wave of movement for other schools in Texas and elsewhere. So the next time you see an Aggie, tell them thank you for moving; it opened the door for us.

WAC Football Standings

UTSA

WAC 1-0

Overall 5-1

Utah State

1-0

5-2

Texas State

1-0

3-3

Idaho

1-1

1-6

Louisana Tech

0-0

5-1

San Jose State

0-1

4-2

New Mexico State

0-2

1-5

2 8

Sports

The Paisano

October 16, 2012

Cole Hubble: a natural born football player David Smith Intern

sports@paisano-online.com

Alyssa Gonzales / The Paisano

“You could say I was born with a football in my hands,” says Roadrunners’ tight end Cole Hubble, and that definitely wouldn’t be far from the truth. Hubble comes from a football family. His father, Rocky Hubble, played defensive end and offensive guard for Oklahoma University before going on to play for the Kansas City Chiefs, a team Hubble still roots for. Hubble said his father stopped playing before he was born, he would have really liked to see his father play. His uncle, Robert Hubble, also a tight end played for Rice University and later for the San Francisco 49ers and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana. Hubble says it’s been good to have his uncle as a role model for learning more about the position. Hubble didn’t start playing the game as a tight end and has said that the biggest challenge for him was “learning all the different positions.” At UTSA, he has also played linebacker and on Hubble drags a Northwestern Oklahoma State defender for a Roadrunners touchdown. special teams. Injuries have recently been a hurdle in their ranch in Bandera. this new UTSA football team. When for him. Hubble was out for six weeks “He’s a legend in Bandera,” Coker asked what motivates him to continfor his collarbone, six months for his said. Hubble played quarterback at ue to lay it all on the line every week, labrum and another two months for his Bandera High School, where he went he responds “love for the game. Only hamstring. He’s only been back in the 3A all-state and was District 29 MVP job you can go hit someone as hard game since Aug. 5, and working hard as a junior. He grew up living with his as you can and get a pat on the back to make up for lost time. parents and his brother. for it.” “He’s a tough player,” says Head Coach Hubble is now a sophomore studying After graduation Hubble hopes Larry Coker, who has been working kinesiology. Being a full-time student to find a spot in the NFL, so he can hard to find the right position for Hub- and playing college football leaves little keep playing the game he loves. He ble. Concerning the move to tight end room in his schedule for other things. understands life doesn’t always go as Hubble said, “I feel it’s perfect.” Coker He says that most of the guys on the expected. Nothing will keep Hubble admitted that one of the areas he feels team do not have girlfriends, but if they out of the game. “I want to coach,” the team needs work is with its receiv- do they are usually high school sweet- Hubble says, “stay in the game.” ing corps. Hubble’s strength as a catch- hearts. Hubble notes, “If she was speing tight end will hopefully prove valu- cial, I could make the time.” able in that endeavor. Hubble is focused on being the best Hubble is a San Antonio native, living player he can and hopes to set a good either in his family’s place in Medina, or example for the incoming players to

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