The Paisano Volume 48 Issue 11

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The Paisano shows you how to get, how to get to Avenue Q p8

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Spurs win third strait division title p10

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

{SINCE 1981}

Volume 48

April 9, 2013

Issue 11

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PASEO

UTSA

Liberal arts degrees losing ground to STEM

UTSA will begin the transition to a tobacco-free campus on June 1, 2013. The transition will run until June 1, 2014 during which time smoking will be only allowed on select surface parking lots.

Matthew Duarte News Editor

news@paisano-online.com

Will Tallent / The Paisano

Two Kaufman County prosecutors have been gunned down on two separate occasions over the last two months.

Over 200 dancers participated in FTK’s fourth annual Dance Marathon.

U.S. Residents of Mayflower, Ark. have filed a class action lawsuit against ExxonMobil after thousands of barrels of crude oil spilled into a residential neighborhood.

World Tensions have continued to increase with North Korea, with the communist state increasing activity at their nuclear facilities, despite warning from the US and South Korea, along with withdrawing workers from joint work facilities with South Korea.

CAMPUS

Just Dance!

FTK Dance Marathon raises over $40,000 for childhood cancer assistance Erin Boren

Assistant to the Editor news@paisano-online.com For the Kids (FTK), the largest UTSA organization and largest studentled philanthropic group in San Antonio, raised a total of $40,455.63 during their fourth annual 18-hour dance marathon, which started at 7 p.m. Friday, April 5 and ended at 1 p.m.

Saturday, April 6. The funds benefit, the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, and families with children battling cancer. This year’s total was a $5,000 increase from last year’s dance marathon.

Established by the Leadership Challenge class in 2009, FTK’s purpose is to create strong leaders through hands-on experi-

ence running an organization. This year, however, FTK is transitioning from a registered student organization on campus to a full non-profit organization in San Antonio.

“It all started because we wanted to make a difference,” said Andy Linares, morale overall chairperson with FTK. “Yes, we’re college students; yes, we’re getting degrees, but having the ability to do something bigger than yourself—it adds meaning,” Linares said.

FTK operates on a small budget, funded by membership and operational donations. All other funding is passed directly on to the allocation committee, which is made up of FTK members and doctors from the Children’s Hospital of San

Antonio.

“Families battling childhood cancer are the prime beneficiaries of FTK,” said Linares. “FTK is here to maximize the money that goes to the kids, so all the donated money goes straight to them.”

Linares explained that the money goes directly to the families’ personal needs, not to scientific research, and helps with anything from gas to utility bills. “It’s basically an emergency fund because parents miss work.

We want the family to focus on the child and worry less about the bills.”

The marathon consisted of dancers, those who stand for the entire 18-hour period; moralers, those who provide support and enSee FTK, Page 4

CITY History This week in 1981, the first university level Air Force ROTC unit in San Antonio was announced to start at UTSA.

Sports The UTSA baseball team will play at CSU Bakersfield April 12- 14. Softball will play New Mexico State in Las Cruces, N.M. April 12 and 13.

Student housing headed downtown Marcia Perales Intern

news@paisano-online.com Students attending class at UTSA’s downtown campus will be able to choose to live in one of two student housing options, both of which are projected to be open by the fall 2014 semester.

“Mayor Castro called for the creation of 5,000 new housing units and 13,000 new jobs in downtown, and, as part of their SA 2020 Plan, commissioned a consulting group to deal with

the student housing marketing demand,” said Harrison Pierce, chair of Student Government’s Downtown Student Community Affairs Committee.

“A lot of the universities don’t have housing in the downtown area and the reason for [the housing] to get pushed was actually initiatives from the city,” Pierce said.

The two options are a co-op housing development, which has yet to be named, and the Peanut Factory Lofts at 1025 S. Frio St. The co-op housing will only house UTSA students,

while the Peanut Factory will lease to both students and San Antonio residents.

The San Antonio ExpressNews stated that “there is no student housing available to 6,860 students who attend UTSA’s downtown campus” and called for downtown improvements.

“This project is part of the Decade of Downtown initiative, which aims to bring growth to the city’s west side,” according to KENS 5.

See DOWNTOWN, Page 4

“Everything in the future is heading towards science, technology, engineering, math.”

Brandy Alger

Coordinator for Engineering Outreach Times reported that only seven percent of all eighth graders in the U.S. reached an advanced level in eighth grade math, compared to the 47 percent in South Korea and 48 percent in Singapore.

“These numbers are a disgrace, honestly,” Rankin said.

“We wouldn’t tolerate it if it was one of our sports teams competing internationally. The whole country would be up in arms.”

According to Raymund Paredes, Texas Higher Education Commissioner, jobs in STEMrelated fields are in high demand. “We have a shortage of basic scientists, particularly in the physical fields, chemistry and physics,” Paredes said to lawmakers at a recent hearing.

“We have a shortage of physicians, a shortage of pharmacists and we’re projecting a shortage of veterinarians who treat large

Will Tallent / The Paisano

Texas

UTSA’s College of Liberal and Fine Arts (COLFA) has seen its funding increase by 22.4 percent over the last four years, a respectable amount for the university’s largest college both in terms of enrolled students and number of awarded degrees. So why did the College of Science, which accounts for only 17 percent of all students, have spending increase of over 35 percent?

Many leaders in higher education believe that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)-related fields will be at the center of job growth in the coming years. The current CEO of the Math and Science Initiative and former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at UT-Austin Mary Ann Rankin believes, “The lifeblood of our country is innovation and the creation of new knowledge and technology.”

Rankin, in an interview with the Texas Tribune, acknowledges that the U.S. is no longer a leader in science and math related fields: “In the era of Sputnik, there was this urgency around math and science and achievement in these areas, which sparked everybody’s interest and commitment. Somehow, we’ve lost that.”

For example, the New York

animals. We have a shortage of high-skilled fields across the board.”

In an interview with the Texas Tribune, Tom Luce, former United States Assistant Secretary of Education for Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development and current chairman of the National Math and Science Initiative, stated, “We have about 3.5 million unfilled jobs in this country at a time of high unemployment because we don’t have enough skilled workers.”

“Everything in the future is heading toward science, technology, engineering, mathematics,” explained Brady Alger, coordinator for Engineering Outreach at UTSA’s College of Engineering. “Even if you do fine arts, you still have to know math.”

Because STEM degrees have taken on a new importance, degrees in the liberal and fine arts field have taken a backseat when administrators look to bring in new talent. This has been the case at state schools such as UTSA, and at liberal arts colleges as well.

“I think that the main issue here is that we tend to lose focus on the other aspects that bring strength to our society,” said Rosalyn Huff, who represented COLFA in UTSA’s Student Government Association (SGA) last year. “The main thing that people focus on is ‘What do

I want to get paid for?’”

While many liberal arts colleges have shifted more toward STEM enrollment, some have not been so fortunate. Lon Morris, a two-year college in Jacksonville, Texas, was forced to close in 2012 due to a lack of enrollment. According to the San Antonio Express-News, Richard Vedder, director for the Center for College Affordability, predicted that similar colleges will “wither away.”

In a study by Michigan State, professor Roger Balwin claimed the number of “true liberal arts colleges,” defined as those colleges that award less than 60 percent of their degrees in professional fields, is rapidly declining. In 1990, by Balwin’s count, there were 212 liberal arts colleges, but today, that number is just 130.

See STEM, Page 6

ARTS 99 problems but a snitch ain’t one as Quiddich takes off at UTSA. Page 7

NEWS

2 April 9, 2013

With fifty days left, heavy legislative lifting done Associated Press news@paisano-online.com

Ninety days into the 83rd Legislature, lawmakers are working quickly and with little rancor, but with 50 days remaining there is still plenty of time for hot-button issues.

This session’s spirit of bipartisanship was apparent last week when Republicans and Democrats in the House joined together to block public school vouchers for private school tuition, and both sides agreed to withdraw their amendments to micromanage women’s health programs. Earlier this session, Democrats joined the Republican majority with near unanimity in both chambers to approve a new state water fund.

Both the Texas Senate and the House of Representatives have passed their versions of the state budget, the only piece of legislation they really have to pass, a full 30 days earlier than in 2011.

So far, House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst have tamped down the biennial culture war at the Legislature in favor of focusing on essential government responsibilities, such as education, public safety, justice and regulation.

A healthy revenue forecast also means lawmakers don’t have to fight about trimming the budget.

But lurking in the committees are a number of measures on guns, abortion and sex education that could bring back the bitter partisanship that marked the last time lawmakers came to Austin. How fiercely those battles are fought will signal whether the extreme conserva-

tive wing of the party, personified by tea party activists, will continue to dictate the GOP agenda in Texas.

Texas is one of a handful of states where lawmakers are responding to the Connecticut school shooting by expanding access to guns and where people can carry them. Bills to reduce the training requirement for a concealed handgun license and to allow guns in more schools and sporting events have passed out of committee and may soon find their way to a floor vote.

Since many Texas Democrats support gun rights, these measures will likely pass, but not without spirited resistance.

Republican lawmakers have an array of anti-abortion bills that will likely lead to pronounced battles. Among the proposals are a ban on abortions after 20 weeks, extraordinary equipment requirements for abortion clinics and highly restrictive rules for prescribing abortion-inducing pills.

This is where average Republicans will try to demonstrate their bona fides to social conservatives. The anti-abortion lobby is among the most powerful at the Texas Legislature and they issue widely read scorecards.

Defending abortion rights is equally important to Democrats, who will do their best to paint the measures as affronts to women’s rights.

Conservatives have long made attacks on Planned Parenthood part of their stock speeches, but a new twist this session is an attempt to ban Planned Parenthood materials from sex education classes in public schools.

Contraception has always been

a far greater part of Planned Parenthood’s mission than abortion, but now conservatives have introduced legislation to eliminate Planned Parenthood from having any influence at all, part of a national conservative goal to destroy the group.

Republican leaders will have to decide how to balance the need to appease the rightwing of their party, while not allowing it to go so far that they alienate middle-of-the-road voters.

As politicians look to the 2014 primary, they are trying to figure out whether it will be another 2010, where the tea party trounced moderates, or whether it will be more like 2012, when many Republicans self-destructed in the general election by moving too far to the right.

One indicator of the tea party’s strength was apparent in the votes last week over how the state should spend its money.

Tea party legislators proposed dozens of amendments to cut funding for arts, cultural and incentive programs in order to spend the money elsewhere.

Those measures lost consistently with fewer than 30 supporters out of 95 Republicans in the House.

The legislative session may be where lawmakers do their jobs, but it’s also where they lay the groundwork for the next election. So far, the Republican majority has focused on doing the necessary rather than the attention-getting.

The question is whether getting the hard work done in the first 90 days will lead to greater bipartisanship for the last 50 days, or does it clear the way for the real fighting to begin?

Bills seek to improve women’s health, but limit number of health clinics David Glickman News Assistant

news@paisano-online.com Two bills have been proposed in the Texas Legislature that, if passed, would severely restrict abortion access for Texas women.

The first, SB 537, “would require all abortion clinics in Texas to meet the same physical requirements as ambulatory surgical centers, even if they do not perform surgical abortions,” according to the Huffington Post. This would mean that abortion facilities would have to meet new standards, such as expanding their clinic rooms to larger sizes and installing pipelines for general anesthesia even if the clinic did not use them.

The second, HB 2816, would require all abortion clinics to get admitting privileges from a local hospital within a 30 mile radius, according to KUT News Austin.

Currently, admitting privileges include the right of a clinic to admit a patient immediately to

a hospital if a procedure were to go wrong.

Of the current 42 abortion clinics in Texas, the two bills would effectively close or severely affect 37 of them. According to the Texas Tribune, “37 abortion clinics in Texas would not be in compliance under the new regulations.” The bills would largely affect women in rural areas, as the five clinics that would not be affected would be in major metropolitan cities: Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio.

The bills have been criticized by pro-choice groups as being purposely created to cause the closing of Texas abortion clinics.

“Proponents of this bill are not really concerned about women’s health,” Carla Holeva, CEO of Planned Parenthood of West Texas, said in a statement.

“This bill places numerous requirements on health centers, requirements that do nothing to improve the health or safety of women.”

Supporters, on the other

hand, claim the bills are necessary to protect women’s health.

“When we talk about safety, we find that abortion clinics are not up to par,” Texas Right to Life Director Elizabeth Graham said to KUT. “They don’t have hallways, many of them, that are wide enough for gurneys to fit through. So when there is a botched abortion or an abortion complication, the abortion clinics are ill-equipped to respond to an emergency situation.”

Another bill, titled the “Preborn Pain Act,” has been proposed as well, which would allow abortions only up to the 20th week of pregnancy, as opposed to the present rule of up to the 27th week of pregnancy.

Currently, though, no progress has been made on this bill.

More than 72,000 abortions are performed annually in Texas. No deaths from complications related to abortion have been reported to the state since 2001, according to The Texas Tribune.

by COLFA Senator Rosalyn Huff to have UTSA support this legislation. It was passed by the general assembly in early March,” Chad Sundol, president of UTSA’s Green Society, said.

“Second, we have collected petition signatures from the student body and are actively getting the students to call their legislators and the committee members to show their support of the bills.”

Sundol said the main oppositions to this bill will be the Texas Retailers Association and the Texas Beverage Association, “who believe in the status quo of curbside recycling.”

The Texas League of Conservation Voters (TLCV) commissioned a report saying that the bill could reduce litter by as much as 80 percent and could create up to 2,300 jobs in the state.

In a statement on the report, Rodriguez said, “This study demonstrates a beverage con-

tainer deposit program is a job creator that will have a dramatic impact on economic development and substantially increase recycling in Texas.”

David Weinberg, executive director of the TLCV, said, “It would be difficult to get it passed at this point in time in Texas.” This is because beverage producers and retailers are typically opposed to depositrecycling legislation, according to Weinberg.

The House bill had a public hearing in the Environmental Regulation Committee on March 26 and now is awaiting a vote by the committee. The Senate bill has been sent to the Senate Finance Committee and is not yet scheduled for a vote.

According to NPR, a similar law was also proposed in 2011, but failed to pass, and that, currently, 10 states that have passed similar “bottle” bills.

State legislators seek incentive for recycling used water bottles Council Royal Staff Writer

news@paisano-online.com Two Bottle Bills, designed to decrease litter by offering monetary incentives for recycled bottles, have been introduced in the Texas House of Representatives and in the Senate.

State Representative Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin) introduced HB 1473 to the House and State Sen. Rodney Ellis (DHouston) introduced SB 645 to the Senate. The bills would require that bottles be refundable for five or ten cents. The refund would come from a deposit paid when the bottle is purchased.

The bills also intend to make potential environmental improvements, such as improving water quality and reducing pollution.

“The Green Society student organization has taken the initiative to gain support for the ‘Bottle Bill.’ First, I authored a resolution that was sponsored

NEWS

3 April 9, 2013

NEWS

4 April 9, 2013

FTK: Funds benefit families of childhood cancer patients From Page 1

The event began with a variety show put on by the kids for the dancers, and included an “Athlete Hour,” in which the children were able to hang out with UTSA athletes. The families weren’t present the entire time, but generally stayed through the evening and returned for Family Hour the following morning at 11 a.m.

“The kids have so much energy—you can’t believe they have cancer,” said Linares. “It’s wonderful because they get to leave the hospital and be a kid again.”

During Family Hour, families with children battling cancer shared their experiences with the dancers, who, at that point, had been standing for 16 hours. While the mood was more somber, dancers are fueled and energized by the stories shared and motivated to continue, Linares said.

The Big Reveal, which happened promptly at 1 p.m. Saturday, announced the total funds raised by the event and culmination of the year.

FTK members host a variety of other events year-round to raise funds and childhood cancer awareness. They host a fashion show in the fall, Zumba sessions each semester, flash mobs and other energizing events “to get people excited for the marathon,” according to Linares.

Each year’s events are given an overall theme, with this year’s being “Believe in Possibilities,” announced at the “Hero in You” fashion show this past November.

“It was an honor to stand with my fellow Roadrunners in the fight against childhood cancer, and it was all because of the vision and hard work of FTK here at UTSA,” said Dunn.

“We’re not scientists or doctors, but we are students that can cause change,” said Linares. “With the help of our community, we can give these families hope that one day we will vanquish cancer. Until then, we will continue to believe in possibilities and keep on dancing.”

Will Tallent / The Paisano

couragement for the dancers; volunteers, those who help with jobs from security to food dispersal; and lastly, the families directly benefitted by the funds.

This year, there were 210 dancers, and according to Linares, almost half of the dancers came from different schools. The dance marathon brought in Terry Scholars from all over the state and interest from all over West Texas.

“Participating in FTK meant everything to me,” said Zack Dunn, who volunteered as a moraler during the event.

“Their cause and how they go about working towards that goal is something that I truly admire and am inspired by.”

“It’s a roller coaster—high moments, low moments,” Linares said . “It’s a spiritual journey for the dancers, moralers, volunteers and everyone in the organization. Even as an FTK chairperson, after three years it still hits me like the first time.”

DOWNTOWN: Projects within walking distance of UTSA’s Downtown campus From Page 1

According to the ExpressNews, a city-commissioned study concluded that there will be a “projected rise in student populations at six key universities in the area over the next 10 years, support the demand for student housing in the downtown area.”

Lori Houston, director of the Center City Development Office, said, “We don’t envision the city building student housing.

We envision the city facilitating the building of student housing in this area.”

The co-op student housing, which will be the first in San Antonio, will consist of “about 2025 units and are approximately three and a half blocks away,” said Pierce.

The Peanut Factory Lofts will be “converted into a 98-unit condo with more than 40 per-

cent of the units designated as student housing, making this the first off-campus housing project for UTSA downtown,” as reported by KENS 5. “Rent is expected to average around $1,000 per month.”

“How many students you could put into the apartment— those kind of features are very important,” said Vice Provost of UTSA Downtown Jesse Zapata.

“Proximity, I think, is going to be a big issue.”

The location is within walking distance from the UTSA downtown campus, about one-half block away.

Councilman David Medina, who represents District 5, where the Peanut Factory Lofts will be located, said that, “This step is in the right direction and we need to keep heading in that direction.”

Keyser Marston Associates, Inc. (KMA) prepared a student

housing market demand assessment report, which evaluated demand for off‐campus student housing and identified strategies to implement student housing developments downtown.

According to the ExpressNews, “A student survey at UTSA downtown showed 85 percent of students want to live close to campus, and of that number, 69 percent would prefer to live within six blocks.”

Pierce said that the feedback is positive and that there are students who are showing interest in the fact that student housing will be available downtown. “It is hard to make the commute back and forth between the campuses, and especially if all your classes are in the downtown campus, it makes living there a little easier,” Pierce said.

Come write for The Paisano meetings every Wednesday at 6 p.m.

14545 Roadrunner Way

Over 200 dancers participated in FTK’s fourth annual Dance Marathon.

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Tuesday, May 14, 2013 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Meeting Assembly Room and Lobby Buena Vista Building, BV 1.338

UTSA Downtown Campus

A Catholic and Marianist Liberal Arts Institution

RSVP by May 13 to Karen.Metz@utsa.edu or, for more information, call the Department Office at (210) 458-2533.

Free parking is available.

http://copp.utsa.edu/public-administration/home/

OPINION

5 April 9, 2013

{The Paisano} Editorial Editor-in-Chief: Katy Schmader

Assistant to Editor:

Ban on tobacco should go up in smoke

Jennifer Alejos

UTSA’s smoking policy is slated for change. The University recently moved forward in supporting a tobacco-free and smoke-free campus.

The proposed policy explains beginning June 1, 2013 smokers will be allowed only on surface parking lots excluding, Ximenes Avenue lot, Ford Avenue lot, Laurel Village lot as well as the parking lots around Monterey Building at the Downtown campus. This policy begins a one year transition to a

Wilfredo Flores Janae Rice

Commentary

Erin Boren

Managing Editor: Stephen Whitaker

News Editor:

Matthew Duarte

News Assistants: J. Corey Franco David Glickman

Paseo Editor: Sarah Gibbens

Arts Editor:

Arts Assistants:

Sports Editor: Sheldon Baker

Sports Assistants: Delaney Marlowe Mario Nava

Photo Editor: Will Tallent

Photo Assistant: Vince Cardenas

Web Editor: Natalie Frels

Web Assistant: Amanda Dansby

Business Manager: Jenelle Duff

Senior Copy Editor: Alyssa Torres

{Staff Writers} Bridget Gaskill, Christina Coyne, Randy Lopez, Alex Camacho, Shelby Hodges, Stephanie Barbosa, Council Royal, Julia Brouilette, Paulina Rivero-Borrell, Nick Castillo

{Staff Photographers} Ruth Olivares, Alyssa Gonzales

smoke-free campus.

The UTSA campus will be completely tobacco-free and smoke-free on June 1, 2014.

The Paisano argued on Sep. 4, 2012 that President Romo’s task force needed to consider a compromise when crafting a policy to create a tobacco-free campus.

This is no compromise.

A survey by the American College of Health Association

in Spring 2010 reported that of the 34, 208 students surveyed from 146 post-secondary institutions, 16 percent of undergraduate students had smoked a cigarette in the past 30 days from the time the survey was performed.

If these statistics are still accurate, of the 30,474 students who enrolled in the fall of 2012, 4,876 students smoke. This number does not even include tobacco use among faculty, staff, or post undergraduate

It was 43 years ago this week that the United States launched its third mission of lunar exploration, a mission that is more famously known as Apollo 13. Because of an explosion on one of the rocket’s oxygen tanks, Apollo 13 became the second most famous moon mission, after Apollo 11’s landing on the moon in 1969, thanks to the successful return of the three astronauts to earth. After Apollo 13 failed to accomplish its mission, there would be four more successful moon landings till 1972 when the United States

Comics

turned its attention from the moon.

In the past, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) looked at returning to the moon with the Constellation program of the late 2000s; however, that program was cut in favor of other space programs.

On April 6, Democratic Senator Bill Nelson from Florida revealed a program that would use a robotic spaceship to capture a small asteroid and park it near the moon. The asteroid, it is argued by proponents, would provide a place for astronauts to train for future missions to Mars or the moon.

Nelson, the head of the senate science and space subcommittee, told the Associated Press that President Obama has set

aside $100 million in the 2014 budget for the asteroid project to get underway.

The robotic ship would be ready to capture a small asteroid by 2019 with crews of four astronauts practicing exploration on it by in 2021.

“It really is a clever concept,” Nelson told the AP. “Go find your ideal candidate for an asteroid. Go get it robotically and bring it back.”

I won’t argue his point that it’s a clever concept. It would be a great moment for the United States if we became the first nation to successfully pull an asteroid close enough to our planet for the purpose of training astronauts. It would be another feather in America’s space exploration cap and another place for further international

Vulpes Vulpes by: Christopher Garcia

Julian Montez, Philip Taele, Eric Mondragon, Jasmine Rodriguez, Beth Marshall, Pete Torres, Renee Rendon, Mary Caithn Scott, Chance McDevitt, Chris Rodriguez, Mark Zavala, Aaron Zachary

{Contributing Photographers}

Scott Cochran, Katherine Kish, Craig Garrison

{Interns} Amanda Dansby, Janae Rice, Erin Boren, Sheldon Baker, Marcia Perales {Ads Manager} Kevyn Kirven

{Advisor}

Diane Abdo

Working Your Way Up by Joseph Wright

Steven Kellman, Mansour El-Kikhia, Jack Himelblau, Sandy Norman The Paisano is published by the Paisano Educational Trust, a non-profit, tax exempt, educational organization. The Paisano is operated by members of the Student Newspaper Association, a registered student organization. The Paisano is NOT sponsored, financed or endorsed by UTSA. New issues are published every Tuesday during the fall and spring semesters, excluding holidays and exam periods. All revenues are generated through advertising and donations. Advertising inquiries and donations should be directed towards:

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ers, but also has practical disadvantages. For example, will campus police have enough offices to enforce the policy?

How will the university punish offenders?

Students and staff who want to smoke during their time on campus can’t unless the university creates designated smoking areas that are a safe distance from nonsmokers—a clear compromise.

Houston, It’s one step backward for mankind

{Contributing Writers}

{Advisory Board}

students.

The university is invested in creating a healthy and safe environment for its students, faculty and staff, but the university consists of adults who have the right to make their own decisions about their body. The university does not have that right.

Smokers know that smoking tobacco, regardless of its form, is unhealthy.

But prohibiting the use of tobacco on campus not only infringes on the rights of smok-

collaboration in space.

However, I think there are better ways to prepare future astronauts for exploration of Mars or the moon. The robotic space ship and the ability of astronauts to do space walks on asteroids will be this era’s version of the Saturn V rocket that took man to the moon from 1969-72 and the moon landings that inspired a country.

But the question remains: is bringing an asteroid closer to earth or the moon for study really pushing the envelope as much as those pioneers of the Apollo program?

Rather than trying to bring an asteroid closer to us, which could lead to potential problems if said asteroid got loose and headed for earth or the moon, we should be trying to

develop a craft that takes humans to the asteroid. We have always tried to be on the cutting edge of innovation, but this idea, while unique, isn’t really that innovative. We aren’t going farther than the moon and we aren’t getting any closer to Mars. Instead, we are settling for close-by exploration. The asteroid program wouldn’t be continuing the tradition of exploration that has always been part of the American experience, it would be creating a new tradition of armchair voyaging, which in that case, really doesn’t seem like exploration at all.

Stephen Whitaker Managing Editor

Commentary

Be thankful for school After going to school since age 5 or 6 it’s easy to feel burned out and to look at college as more of a chore rather than something to enjoy. Feeling worn down and tired of assignments, projects and homework is understandable, but it’s important to remember that being able to further one’s education is something to be excited about—even grateful for.

This does not mean college is an easy task. To earn a bachelor’s degree is to complete at least four years worth of college courses. Some courses will be easy A’s and some will require countless hours of outside-ofclass work. When the stresses of school are mixed with a necessary job or extra-curricular activity it becomes challenging to get everything done. Just remember that this is a good thing; the sense of accomplishment that comes along with these responsibilities is priceless.

College is a huge expense.

As tuition prices continue to rise, the stresses of paying for school, along with a place to live and food to eat escalate as well; however, think of how much it will pay off in the relatively near future. Getting a higher paying job is going to make it so much easier to conquer those student loans. It may take a few more years to get rid of the debt than it took to accrue it, but it will still be worth it.

If that isn’t enough motivation to get excited about school then just consider the amount of people in the world, and even in this country, that don’t have the option to go to college. If they heard how much college students complain about getting up early for class, completing countless assignments and being stuck with unreasonable professors, they might be a little irritated with our attitudes.

It makes us look selfish and lazy when we can manage to get through school, but constantly post Facebook statuses about how much of a chore it is. I will definitely agree that the hard work that is required in college is not fun, but it isn’t necessarily supposed to be.

We are all guilty of having these feelings and when things pile up with work, school and maintaining a social life, it is understandable to feel overwhelmed. Nevertheless, it is important to remember to also appreciate the opportunity, even though it means working a lot harder to pay your way through school and losing sleep to balance a busy schedule. As the end of the semester approaches and finals become more prominent, think about the great opportunities that come along with having a college degree. Knowing that working hard now will open doors later should make those all-nighters and cram sessions worth while.

Beth Marshall Contributing Writer

editor@paisano-online.com

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

The Paisano reserves the right to edit all submissions.

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PASEO

6

Sarah Gibbens Paseo Editor

paseo@paisano-online.com As the Texas Legislature sits in session, many Texans are questioning the future of diversity in Texas education.

SB 1128, filed by Republican Sen. Dan Patrick, has the potential to lessen diversity in higher education by discouraging ethnic studies. Many concerned Chicana and Chicano voters have likened SB 1128 to the Arizona ban on ethnic studies.

“I feel that this is an attack on the rising demographic of Texas, a good way to disempower an entire community is to take away their past.”

Maribel Hermosillo

senior history major In 2010, the state of Arizona passed House Bill 2281, which explicitly stated that state school districts were banned from teaching courses that “promoted the overthrow of the U.S. government, promote resentment toward a race or class of people, are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group, advocate ethnic solidarity.”

This bill followed legislation that had previously angered Latinos by allowing law enforcement to demand to see identification of anyone they suspected to be an illegal immigrant.

Latino activists are now taking up a similar fight against a ban on ethnic studies in Texas.

SB 1128 would effectively disqualify ethnic studies from counting toward a core history credit at any public institution of higher education.

The bill would instead require students to take courses in Texas and American history.

While this bill would not affect students already enrolled in public institutions, those looking to enroll as 2014 freshmen would have to adhere to the new law.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center, Texas is 38 percent Latino. Unfortunately, for these residents, their legislators

are more conservative about areas of ethnic policy. The 2012 GOP platform opposed multicultural studies, stating that it was too “divisive.” Conservatives point to the National Association of Scholars as support for their exclusion of ethnic studies.

In a study of the history curriculum at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M, the National Association of Scholars found that the “focus on race, class and gender often tended to crowd out the teaching of U.S. history as a whole.” The report also claims that university professors have attempted to cure America of its “prejudice and bigotry” by overcompensating with studies that focus on “a struggle of the downtrodden against rooted injustice.”

An anthropologist from the University of Washington and alumn of the University of Texas at Austin, Devon Peña believes that legislators are simply seeing a uniquely white point of view. Peña posted on an Arizona activist blog that the EuroAmerican (white) experience is being misrepresented as the “one true measure of the history of the nation or state.”

Patrick’s SB 1128 does not directly address ethnic studies.

It clarifies that core curriculum can be satisfied only by a class in American or Texas history.

However, San Antonio Express-News columnist Elaine Ayala wrote that the intent of 1128 is much more racially charged than it initially appears. She writes that when the bill is heard and amended, “it’s likely to morph into what its authors truly intended: an attack against ethnic studies, including Mexican Studies, African American studies and other programs developed in the last half-century.”

Maribel Hermosillo, a senior history major at UTSA and local activist, had the opportunity to meet in the office of Sen. Dan Patrick with the activist group, Los Librotraficantes, urging them to remove the bill.

Hermosillo states that, according to Patrick, “the history of communities of color and our role in shaping this country is irrelevant.”

“I feel this is an attack on the rising demographic of Texas; a good way to disempower an entire community is to take away their past,” Hermosillo believes.

“We need to stop this bill.”

STEM degrees: colleges shift funding to the sciences

Will Talent / The Paisano

Conservative policy threatens ethnic studies

April 9, 2013

According to the Center for Workforce and Education, STEM degrees often yield the most stable rates of pay, which many see as the determinant for the value of a degree.

From Page 1

Local liberal arts colleges are no exception, based on data from the National Center for Education Statistics. About 25 percent of degrees awarded at St. Mary’s University in 2011 were in professional fields; that number jumps to more than 30 percent at Trinity University and more than 40 percent at the University of the Incarnate Word.

Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) was on par with St. Mary’s and in 2011, awarded about a quarter of its degrees in professional fields. Founded in 1895, OLLU has seen its attendance drop by nearly 600 students since President Tessa Martinez Pollack took over the university in 2002. To help stave off losses and to prevent tuition increases, Pollack eliminated a dozen degree majors last fall, most of them liberal arts majors. This included what many saw as integral parts to the university’s mission, such as a degree in religious studies.

Many of the majors cut by OLLU had an enrollment of less than 5 students, and the university was expected to save around $350,000. However, Pollack was fired from her job this past February 2013, a sign that many liberal arts colleges are still proud of their historical ties and see a role for liberal arts degrees.

Tyler Tulley, a religious studies major at OLLU, organized student protests when his de-

May 29, 2013!

gree and others were cut. By firing Pollack, Tulley said, in the San Antonio Express-News, he believes that the school’s trustees have “the university’s best interests at heart.”

“We’re approaching the future with a somber attitude,” Tulley went on to say. “We have the liberal arts to save.”

Vedder believes that the recent focus on STEM degrees is too expensive, according to the Express-News, since they require money to recruit top-tier faculty members and labs.

However, Baldwin made a sharp contrast between liberal arts colleges and public research institutions in the Express-News.

Recalling recent events at OLLU, Baldwin remarked of UTSA that “all of a sudden you’ve just become a mini version of the University of Texas at San Antonio instead of a distinctive liberal arts college in San Antonio.”

Unlike OLLU, UTSA has added liberal arts degrees in light of the recent push for STEM majors. For example, a global affairs degree was recently added to the Department of Political Science and Geography, a part of COLFA. What makes UTSA different is its status as a public research university. Such colleges are not necessarily known for cultivating a liberal arts curriculum– according to the Huffington Post, “they (research universities) produce 70 percent of

scientists, engineers and physicians and two-thirds of U.S. campus research.”

But unlike a private college, public universities are subject to funding from the state and those funds are decreasing for colleges across the country. According to a report by the National Science Foundation, state support for over 100 major research universities dropped 20 percent between 2002 and 2010.

However, some politicians– particularly Republican governors and congressmen– have recently advocated the merits of STEM degrees while downplaying the value of liberal arts.

Notably, North Carolina Gov. Patrick McCrory has stated that he would base the cost of a degree at a state school on postgraduation employment rates.

“It’s not based on butts in seats but on how many of those butts can get jobs,” McCrory said to radio host Bill Bennett in January. Although the education and political science major said he enjoyed his own education, McCrory was steadfast in his belief that the state should be able to regulate the prices of individual degrees.

“If you want to take gender studies, that’s fine, go to a private school and take it,” McCrory said. “But I don’t want to subsidize that if it’s not going to get someone a job.”

This sentiment is not limited to North Carolina–Florida Gov. Rick Scott has expressed

similar beliefs.

“We’re spending a lot of money on education, and when you look at the results, it’s not great,” Scott said in 2011. “Do you want to use your tax money to educate more people who can’t get jobs in anthropology?

I don’t.”

Brandy Alger is a student in the College of Engineering and frequently speaks to high school students to encourage them to seek degrees in STEM fields. Still, she believes that although STEM degrees may be more valuable, the degree shouldn’t necessarily cost less.

“I don’t think it should be cheaper, but I think there should be more scholarships as incentive,” Alger said. “We don’t just need more engineers and scientists. We do need people who can read, who can write, who can do art.”

Meanwhile, in Texas, Gov. Rick Perry has made a push for $10,000 degrees. The call for cheaper degrees is a result of increasing tuition costs and a perceived inability for students to find a job after graduation and pay back their student loans.

Although not specifically geared towards STEM and other professional degrees, very few of the $10,000 degrees currently offered are for liberal arts degrees, wrote the Texas Tribune.

To continue reading this article go to www.paisano-online.com

ARTS&LIFE

7

Will Tallent / The Paisano

April 9, 2013

Quidditch players throw a quaffle into a goal while balancing a broomstick in between their legs.

Wingardium Leviosa: quidditch takes on new heights Stephanie Barbosa Staff Writer arts@paisano-online.com

On a windy, cloudless Sunday, a group of UTSA students attached six large hula-hoops to PVC pipes on each side of a grassy field.

The hoops of these tall structures

are their goals for today’s quidditch practice. Roadrunner Quidditch is a team of energetic and enthusiastic UTSA community members of different backgrounds who have come together to play one of the newest and fastest growing sports in the United States.

Quidditch is no longer a fictional

sport reserved for wizards on flying broomsticks. The co-ed sport was made popular by author J.K. Rowling in her acclaimed series, Harry Potter, and was adapted for ground play by Middlebury College in 2005.

The team is in its second semester at UTSA as Roadrunner Quidditch.

Quidditch is considered a full con-

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tact sport, but in order to play all players must hold a broomstick between their legs, leaving them with only one free hand to pass, score and pummel opposing players with balls called bludgers.

Christian Seth, a kinesiology major who is sitting out to recover from a quidditch related injury, yells out to a player during their regular drills, “Don’t say you’re sorry! Tackle him!” while two other players shout out at the same player to “get angry!”

The team’s co-captain and keeper, Craig Garrison, joined Roadrunner Quidditch as soon as it was formed.

“I had a couple of friends that were playing already and I had already seen some videos of people playing quidditch. I played in the summer last year with the UT Austin team and I had a blast.

It seemed like a sport that I was athletic enough to play and every one was having a good time. They were all very friendly,” he says.

The sport combines aspects of rugby, soccer and even dodgeball.

There are three types of balls implemented—a quaffle, three bludgers and a snitch.

Each team consists of seven players—three chasers, two beaters, one keeper and one seeker.

In the world of mortal quidditch, the snitch is simply a fast and cunning runner who typically carries a tennis ball in a yellow sock attached to the back of his or her shorts, often resembling a tail. A seeker of either team must successfully snatch the snitch, earning 30 points for their team and ending the game. The snitch is just another touch of whimsy in the game as he or she taunts players and entertains fans.

Learning the sport has introduced many challenges to new Roadrunner Quidditch players. Some players say that people are ultimately surprised with how difficult and rough the game can be. Seth says the hardest part of learning the game is getting accustomed to the broomstick.

“My first day out here I would just fall. It was like a little kid learning how to walk,” he says.

Established during the fall 2012 semester, Roadrunner Quidditch

currently competes as a community team. Last October, the team became a part of over 800 official quidditch teams in the International Quidditch Association (IQA). Since 2005, the IQA has hosted the Quidditch World Cup every year, where collegiate teams from across the U.S., and from a few other countries, have competed.

This month Roadrunner Quidditch will compete in the World Cup in Kissimmee, Fla. Some quidditch players like the sport because of Harry Potter, while others like it simply because of the athletics. Nevertheless, the spirit of Harry Potter shows during the Quidditch World Cup. “Each game will have a couple of improv comedians commentating. It’s competitive, but fun and ridiculous at the same time,” says Seth.

Harry Potter and quidditch fans arrive dressed in costume and kids play their version of the sport called Kidditch. The World Cup also features live bands, owls and even butterbeer.

The team’s president, JD Beck, says, “The main thing we want to do is start advertising on campus.” The team became an official UTSA organization on March 15, and as of April 7, the team is now a club sport on campus.

As a UTSA organization, they now have permission to use the UTSA logo and can start advertising on campus to recruit new players. As a club sport, they also benefit from practicing on the fields at the Main Campus Rec Center.

Roadrunner Quidditch captain and chaser Luke Langlinais says, “We want to eventually have two teams: an A and a B team. We’ll have the UTSA Quidditch team and then Roadrunner Quidditch will be the B team.” Official IQA rules authorize a maximum of 21 players on one team roster, so breaking up into two teams will allow other players, UTSA alumni or other community members, to be a part of the sport.

Garrison says, “I get asked the question a lot: ‘Do you fly?’ I usually tell them that it feels like I’m flying.”

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ARTS&LIFE

8 April 9, 2013

{Local Events} Tuesday, April 9 9 a.m. Exhibit: “Why We Came”

Janae Rice / The Paisano

The Institute of Texan Cultures (801 E César Chávez) presents “Why We Came: The Immigration Experience.” The exhibit explores the various challenges of immigration as well as the process of leaving a home for a new one. Admission is free for UTSA students.

Anything can happen on ‘Avenue Q,’ from relations between puppets and wild antics to wacky musical numbers.

‘Avenue Q’ delivers laughs while teaching post-collegiate life lessons Janae Rice Intern

arts@paisano-online.com Like many recent college graduates, Princeton is unemployed and looking for some guidance in his life. He also happens to be a puppet living on Avenue Q. “Avenue Q,” a musical written by Jeff Whitty, shows the life of puppets and humans living together while dealing with unemployment, poverty, relationships and being in the closet. The musical takes place on Avenue Q, a run-down part of New York where the characters live.

Princeton, played by Isaak Olson, is a newcomer to the neighborhood who just gradu-

ated from college and finds himself lost and without a job. Kate Monster, an aspiring teacher who wants to create a school for monsters like herself and is played by San Antonio native Jovi Lee Gonzales. Brian, a neighbor, dreams of being a stand-up comedian and his fiancée Christmas Eve is a therapist with no clients.

Other characters including Nicky and his roommate Rod, also played by Isaak Olson, who struggle over roommate issues like dirty dishes and Rod’s secret of being gay. The whole building is run by Gary Coleman – the Gary Coleman from “Diff’rent Strokes” – who is grappling with his former child stardom. Coleman is convincingly played by Tiffany Nichole

Greene.

“Avenue Q” is known as being an R-rated version of “Sesame Street” with its use of puppets, vocabulary, cartoons and songs, but it has some life lessons underneath the adult jokes.

“The Internet Is For Porn” and even though no one likes to admit it, “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” are some of the songs that make audiences laugh and that teach a lesson.

The actors flawlessly transition from different characters, which is no doubt difficult considering they are acting, singing and puppeteering all at once. Some of the entertainment comes from just seeing these actors change their voice and puppet mannerisms from

one character to another.

Gonzales portrays Kate Monster, a sweet and innocent aspiring teacher and Lucy (a.k.a Lucy the Slut), a femme fatale puppet after Princeton, the hero. Although the two characters are vastly different, Gonzales’ transition from each character is seamless, and each character’s singing voice is distinct. It sounds like it could have come from two different performers.

“Living in a character is a lot fun. It’s fun to jump out of your own skin and be somebody else,” says Isaak Olson. “It was definitely a challenge when we first got here and had to learn how to do puppeteering. It’s constantly improving. You’re constantly learning new ex-

pressions and reactions.”

Audiences relate to the show’s characters (even if they are puppets), with songs such as “What do you do with a B.A in English,” “It Sucks to Be Me” and “I Wish I Could Go Back to College.” Performances were memorable, and the songs were so funny and catchy, theatregoers will be singing them long after they have left the theater.

‘Avenue Q’ will play at the Cameo Theatre (1123 E. Commerce St.) Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. Tickets are $20-$30. Call (210) 212-5454 or visit cameocenter.com for tickets and more information.

Wednesday, April 10 8 a.m. Event: “Coffee with the New President and Vice-President of LGBT Chamber” Madhatters Tea House and Café (320 Beauregard) will be hosting a small event for people to meet and chat with the new LGBT Chamber of Commerce President Ruby Resendez and Vice-President Robert Salcido, Jr. as the two discuss their plans for 2013. The event is open for members and non-members alike.

Thursday, April 11 12 p.m. Exhibit: “Transitios” Artpace (445 N. Main Ave.) presents “Transitios,” a group show dealing with various aspects of dissonance in Mexican culture.

Artwork featured in the exhibit is provided by the Changarrito Project, which consists of roughly 1,000 works by 328 artists.

Admission is free.

Friday, April 12 8 p.m. Comedy: Shayla Rivera Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club (618 N.W. Loop 410) will host comedians Shayla Rivera and Nat Baimel. Rivera co-starred in Comedy Central’s “Comedy Rehab.” Admission is $15. For more information or to buy tickets, visit lolsanantonio.com.

For the week’s full calendar, visit: paisano-online.com

SPORTS

9 April 9, 2013

SA Missions open 20th season at Wolff Stadium, win two out of three against Tulsa Drillers Mario Nava

Assistant Sports Editor sports@paisano-online.com Wearing a Missions practice shirt and shorts, new Manager Rich Dauer seemed right at home in Wolff Stadium, throwing baseballs to his players during batting practice. Beginning his first season with San Antonio, Dauer brings an extensive baseball resume with winning experience, yet he believes there are more important lessons to be learned about life in the game of baseball.

“My main message, I mean If I had a message, I would really hope the players that I have an opportunity to oversee not only become better players but better people,” Dauer said during a media session inside the Missions dugout. “That you can come to the ballpark and not have your best stuff but make a difference in other people’s lives that you run across, the people in the stands, the people that go out of their way to help you.”

Dauer spent the previous seven seasons with the Colorado Rockies before being offered the Missions manger position by the San Diego Padres. He brings 26 years of professional baseball knowledge both as a player and a coach.

The timing of Dauer’s arrival might be what the Missions organization needs following a 60 win season and a dead last fin-

ish in the Texas League South Division. The Missions also said goodbye to manager John Gibbons, who is now the Toronto Blue Jays manager.

This season, the Missions have expectations to get back to winning and boasts a promising pitching staff led by ace righthander Donn Roach (11-2, 1.88 ERA). According to the Padres

“I would really hope the players that I have an opportunity to oversee not only become better players but better people.”

Rich Dauer

Missions Manager website, Roach is currently in their top 15 ranked prospects, as he has developed into an effective sinkerball pitcher.

“I’ve always grown up being told that pitching and defense is the key to winning,” said Roach, who recently pitched 2 2/3 innings in the Alamodome for the Padres against the Rangers.

Returning to the Missions is catcher Eddy Rodriguez, who was part of the 2011 Texas League championship team.

Rodriguez has seen firsthand what type of pitchers will be on display for San Antonio.

“We got an unbelievable pitching staff,” Rodriguez said.

“I think we are going to be a team that’s based around pitching and defense, and if that holds true, everyone has always heard it, pitching and defense wins championships.”

The Missions staff also includes Josh Geer (7-10, 104 Ks) who started 20 games for San Antonio in 2012; Kevin Quackenbush (3-2, 0.94 ERA) who collected 27 saves in Single-A Lake Elsinore, and Tyler, Texas native Burch Smith (9-6, 3.85 ERA).

While Wolff Stadium has not always been considered a hitters’ ballpark, the Missions will look to use their speed to score.

“With my speed and Dauer’s way of thinking of how to score each time on a base hit to center or right, he’s going to wave us in,” said outfielder Reymond Fuentes. Fuentes tallied 35 steals last season in 136 games with San Antonio.

With much to be figured out, Dauer is bringing a hardworking mentality to the Missions.

“Hustle is one of those things that’s been lost in baseball, and I think that Richie [Dauer] is going to put that back into this team,” said Rodriguez.

Courtesy of SA Missions

SA Missions start season with new manager

The San Antonio Missions play the Tulsa Drillers for the second series of the season on April 11-13 in Tulsa, Okla.

Missions win opening series 2-1 over the Tulsa Drillers Mario Nava

Assistant Sports Editor sports@paisano-online.com In their Texas League series opener, the San Antonio Missions welcomed the first home crowd of the season. The Missions beat the Tulsa Drillers, 7-1, on both April 4 and 6 and lost 2-1, in 13 innings on April 5 to the Drillers. It was Missions’ starters Donn Roach (1-0), Jose De Paula (0-0) and Burch Smith (1-0) who led the charge with a combined 16 scoreless innings over the weekend series.

The Missions new manager, Rich Dauer, collected his first ever Texas League victory on April 4, in his debut after being hired by the San Diego Padres.

Dauer was pleased to get the victories, but he’s still getting to know his team.

“I’m really getting to see these guys pretty much for the first

time under the lights in a game that counts,” Dauer said. “We got stuff, we got a lot of stuff.

If you let them pitch and catch the ball, it’s going to be fun to watch.”

On Thursday April 4, Missions pitcher, Roach, pitched five innings and allowed one hit along with four strikeouts and a flurry of groundouts.

“It’s really cool to be the first guy they want to go out there and throw and be the opening day starter, it’s an honor and privilege,” Roach said after the game.

Game two of the series was a different story: the Missions struggled at the plate scoring once in 13-innings.

Missions outfielder Reymond Fuentes was the only effective hitter during the loss with three hits and he drove in the only run of the game. He finished the series 5-for-14 with three

stolen bases.

In the rubber game, San Antonio regained their timely hitting and aggressive base running style that eluded them during the previous game. Making his Double-A pitching debut, Smith controlled the game with a three-hit, five-inning outing.

He had five strikeouts and one walk.

Tommy Medica, who finished the series 4-for-12, started the offense for San Antonio with a solo home run in the second inning and then added an RBI double in the third.

The games with the Drillers marked the beginning of San Antonio’s 20th season at Wolff Stadium. visit Paisano-online.com for more information on the Missions, Spurs and other local teams.

SPORTS

10 April 9, 2013

Courtesy of SS&E

‘Runners sweep Seattle two games to zero; third game cancelled

Will Tallent / The Paisano

Sine the 1976-77 NBA season, the San Antonio Spurs have won 19 division titles, which is the most of any team during that time span.

Spurs clinch third division title in a row Sheldon Baker Sports Editor

sports@paisano-online.com

The Roadrunners are currently ranked seventh in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) with a WAC record of 4-4 and an overall record of 18-13.

Nick Castillo Staff Writer

sports@paisano-online.com The past three weeks haven’t been easy for the UTSA baseball team. The Roadrunners dropped three straight weekend series and two weekday games heading into the series against Seattle.

“These are moments that all teams will go through throughout a season. Even the best ones will lose some games and be embarrassed or not play their best baseball, but the good ones will figure it out and figure out a way to turn it as a positive and get better,” said UTSA Coach John Marshall.

The ‘Runners were able to “figure it out” by getting a much

needed series victory, sweeping both games against Seattle.

In Game 1, on April 5, UTSA starting pitcher Brock Hartson pitched a gem. Hartson allowed only one run on six hits in seven innings of work. The ‘Runners offense helped Hartson by scoring eight runs on thirteen hits.

Second baseman Jesse Baker was a catalyst for the offense.

Baker hit a home run and had three RBI’s on three hits. UTSA defeated Seattle 8-1 in game 1.

UTSA’s offensive production carried over to game 2, on April 6. The ‘Runners scored eight runs on ten hits Saturday afternoon. UTSA’s Horacio Correa III, Mike Warren, John Welborn all hit two RBIs which propelled the ‘Runners to an 8-4 victory against Seattle.

The Roadrunners were scheduled to play a third game versus Seattle, but the game was cancelled due to inclement weather. The game will not be made up.

With the cancellation of the game, the ‘Runners were able to capture their first sweep since the opening weekend versus Air Force. The ‘Runners are now 4-4 in Western Athletic Conference (WAC) play which puts them in fourth in the current overall standings.

UTSA (18-13, 4-4 WAC) returns to San Antonio to face Texas A&M Corpus Christi, (18-12) Tuesday night, at 6 p.m. at Roadrunner Field. {For further UTSA baseball coverage follow us at paisanoonline.com}

The San Antonio Spurs won their third consecutive Southwest Division title by beating the Atlanta Hawks, 99 – 97, on Saturday, April 6 The Spurs secured the victory without Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in the line up. Parker is suffering from a neck injury and Ginobili, a hamstring strain.

Tim Duncan, however, played like the classic superstar of old.

He scored 31 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, blocked four shots and dished out three assists. It was Duncan’s fifth game scoring 30 or more points this season, and it was his thirty-fourth double-double of the season.

When asked about Duncan’s performance, Head Coach Gregg Popovich said, “Tim Duncan saved us. He is such a professional. We’re so lucky to

have him here for as long as we have. He’s an ultimate professional and he rose above a lot to do it. We had some guys that haven’t played much that busted their butts.”

The victory wasn’t very pretty, but while a banged up Parker and Ginobili sat out, probably until the playoffs begin, other Spurs stepped up. Kawhi Leonard recorded his second consecutive game with 20 or more points, 23. He also pulled down six rebounds, and handed out four assists.

“Kawhi has been great with the guys being out. I think it’s good that we’re starting to make him more of a focal point in the offense because he can play on both ends,” said Spurs guard Stephen Jackson.

DeJaun Blair was a spark off the bench. He scored 11 points, recorded seven rebounds and had two assists. And not to be outshined, Matt Bonner blocked four shots, a career

high for the Red Rockett.

Atlanta Head Coach Larry Drew decided to sit Hawks starters Al Horford, Kyle Korver, Josh Smith and Devin Harris because of the back-to-back schedule for the Hawks.

Bench players John Jenkins and Mike Scott combined for 55 points; Jenkins scored 23 and Scott had 22.

Fox Tech alum and current Atlanta Hawk Ivan Johnson scored 14 points. He also had the duty of guarding Tim Duncan.

“That is a match up isn’t it?

Ivan is a guy that gives up a lot of inches, but Ivan is a competitor.

He is going to take a challenge whoever he guards. He was up pressuring but Tim is still Tim,” said Drew of Johnson’s match up on Duncan.

The Spurs play again on Wednesday, April 10, in the Mile High City of Denver against the Nuggets. Tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m.

SPORTS

11 April 9, 2013

The Roadrunners drop two of three games Assistant Sports Editor sports@paisano-online.com In a rain-soaked weekend against the Utah State Aggies (8-29, 2-7 WAC), the UTSA Roadrunners (20-16, 5-4 WAC) softball team failed to capture another Western Athletic Conference (WAC) series win. The ‘Runners were scheduled to play two games on Friday, but due to inclement weather game two was suspended during the first inning which forced the teams to play a double header on April 6.

UTSA dropped the first game on April 5, 2-1 in extra-innings and lost the continuation game, 1-0. In the final game of the series, the Roadrunners finally ended their four game losing streak with a 5-4 win.

During the first game, UTSA struggled against Utah State starter Noelle Johnson, who nearly pitched a one-hit shutout, until ‘Runners designated player Samantha Beeson hit an RBI double with two outs in the seventh to extend the game.

Johnson had six strikeouts and one walk.

Heading into the extra frame, UTSA starter Alyssa Vordenbaum gave up a walk-off RBI single to designated player Kassandra Uchida that gave USU the victory. Vordenabum allowed only two runs despite the Aggies’ nine hits.

Aggie’s pitcher Mandy Harmon had a 1-18 record for the season, yet proceeded to throw seven scoreless innings against the ‘Runners for her second win. Harmon had eight strikeouts tying a season high, which gave USU its first shutout of the season.

‘Runners pitcher Haylee Staton was the hard-luck loser.

She pitched six solid innings and held the Aggies to only one run on eight hits with four strikeouts and one walk.

Utah State’s only run came in the second inning, when center fielder Rachael Hunsaker dropped down an RBI bunt single to score a runner from third.

In the two losses, UTSA hitters were a combined 6-for-49 against USU pitchers, severely stunting the excellent UTSA pitching performances.

The final game of the series was closely contested, but UTSA broke out a much needed five run, nine hit performance to end the series. Vordenabum (8-7) got some redemption with a win, and Staton (9-6) came in to get the final two outs and her third save of the season.

The ‘Runners scored two runs in the first inning on left fielder Victoria Birdwell’s RBI single, when second baseman Courtney Buchman stole home on a double steal attempt.

Both teams were then kept off the scoreboard until a wild seventh inning. UTSA scored three runs on leadoff hitter Darian Blake’s RBI triple and first baseman Jolene Graham’s two-run double that put the ‘Runners up 5-0.

With a win in sight, UTSA allowed Utah State to rally back.

The Aggies scored four runs, with all runners attributed to Vordenabum, even after Staton replaced her. Staton, with bases loaded and two outs, got a pop up to end the scare and helped UTSA escape with the victory.

Despite recent losses, UTSA is still third in the conference.

They now have a chance to make up some ground in a key series with the first place New Mexico State Aggies (26-13, 8-1 WAC) at NM State Softball Complex in Las Cruces, New Mexico. First game is April 12 at 7 p.m. {For further UTSA softball coverage follow us at paisanoonline.com}

Will Tallent / The Paisano

Mario Nava

The Roadrunners head out on the road for nine games. UTSA plays again on April 13 in Corpus Chrisiti against Texas A&M-Corpus Chrisit. The ‘Runners then travel to Reno for the Nevada Classic.

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12 April 9, 2013