UTSA On April 12, the 9th annual African American Studies Symposium will take place in the Denman Ballroom on Main Campus. The theme of this year’s symposium is “The Power of Story”. It will feature presentations by contributors to A History of African American Autobiography edited by UTSA’s Joycelyn Moody for Cambridge University Press.
TEXAS-SIZED PAY DISPARITY: UT-System executives make millions.
UTSA lecturers receive lowest salaries in entire UT System.
U.S. Joseph Medicine Crow, last war chief of the Crow Tribe in Montana, has died at 102. He was known for being a historian of his peoples’ history, works including a firsthand account of what life was like on Indian reservations. According to The New York Times, Mr. Medicine Crow was the last person to have heard direct oral testimony from people who were present before the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. Among many reasons, he was infamous for stealing 50 Nazi warhorses during World War II. Mr. Medicine Crow received the Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2009.
The UT System Board of Regents approved hefty increases for senior UT System officials and university presidents’ bonuses in the past year, leading some to make six figures. The Board is the governing body for The University of Texas System, composed of nine members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. Known as incentive payments, the bonuses are a part of a plan that the regents adopted in 2012.
See Page 4
World
The Panama Papers are an unprecedented leak of approximately 11.5 million files from Mossack Fonesca, the world’s fourth biggest offshore law firm. Obtained by an anonymous source, the files were shared with media outlets across the globe by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and German newspaper, Güddeutsche Zeitung. A slew of world leaders, including Vladimir Putin, have been exposed by the leak for using secret shell companies and offshore accounts. While nothing blatantly illegal has been revealed in the leak, such companies and accounts are often used to conceal the origin and ownership of financial transactions.
Science
2016 International Dark Sky Week will run from April 4 to 10 in connection with Global Astronomy Month. The intent of the week is to draw attention to light pollution and ways to combat it. According to National Geographic, the planet Mercury will be visible along the skyline an hour or so after sunset. This is remarkable since the small planet’s proximity to the sun results in it drowning in the solar glare. The crescent moon will guide skywatchers to the faint planet Friday evening.
Graphics by Randi Gillmore
3D bioprinter prints living cells Trans Day of Visibility:
awareness and art
Lyanne Rodriguez Staff Writer
Marina Vences
@ThePaisano news@paisano-online.com
The UTSA biomedical engineering program has obtained a rare machine that is capable of printing tissues and can possibly regenerate organs. The acquired device is a new development in regenerative medicine, and UTSA is currently the only Texas university that has this type of technology. The piece of equipment formally called the Envision-TEC 3D-Bioplotter System, or better known as a 3D bioprinter, resides in assistant professor of biomedical engineering, Dr. Teja Guda’s laboratory. The device is often compared to an average 3D printer, but unlike a 3D printer, it is able to print living cells and can keep them from dying. This is possible because the bioprinter functions without high pressure or heating. The new technology is predicted to eventually offer benefits such as preventing amputations, transplanting organs and regenerating tissues. Dr. Guda explains a driving factor to his current research, “a large amount of this research is inspired by the ability to restore wounded soldiers coming back from war so they don’t have amputations and have better choices in terms of regenerating tissues.” Dr. Guda and his team of undergraduate and graduate students have already
Staff Writer
@Marina_vences news@paisano-online.com
The device is often compared to a 3D printer but, unlike a 3D printer, this machine prints living cells and keep them from dying.
started testing the 3D bioprinter with silicone. They have recently printed a silicone jawbone by using a CT scan of a man’s jawbone that was injured in a rodeo accident. Dr. Guda will soon move on to printing skeletal muscle, bone grafts, salivary glands and organ tissue using extracted cell samples from lab rats. Dr. Guda and his team will essentially develop their own materials with embedded living cells. “What our lab focuses on is creating inks with living cells so we can put them into the machine,” says Guda. The cells will be loaded up into small syringes that will be inserted into the bioprinter. The device will then print out the tissue material layer by layer and which will allow for fine, delicate and intricate construction of the organ or tissue printed. Once printed, the tissue will be transplanted into the animal to determine if the tissue will work like the original tissue. The challenge of the process will be to make sure the tissue’s cells remain alive and that the tis-
Andrea Velgis, The Paisano
sue maintains its shape. Dr. Guda explains that although this technology now exists with the 3 bioprinter, there is still progress that needs to be made to better understand how tissue regeneration can be achieved, “with biology, the science usually takes a while to catch up, so it’s not so much a technology problem as it is a science and clinical problem to ensure that people have safe solutions for regenerative medicine.” While Dr. Guda’s research is in its beginning stages, there are great prospects to this new technology. He believes that transplantation of simpler tissues will become achievable in about four to five years. When it comes to more complex organs such as livers, hearts and kidneys, Dr. Guda believes the printed organ transplantation will be possible in about a decade. According to Dr. Guda, the bio printer is a building block for the progressive future of regenerative medicine.
Transgender people are 9 times more likely than cisgender people to commit suicide; but transgender people with a strong support system are 82 percent less likely to attempt suicide, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA. Student organization Intersections, held an art exhibition in the Sombrilla on Thursday, March 31 for Transgender Visibility Day. The art featured several paintings and poems about the lives and experiences of trans people and their allies. The exhibition was open to submissions from both trans people and cis-gender people to be inclusive. Senior political science and Mexican American Studies major Bryant Andrade Meza says the group decided on an art exhibition because it was the best medium to show the trans presence on campus. For Meza, the Trans Day of Visibility is about emphasizing trans experiences, “I think the effect we will have on campus is one that does exactly what Trans Day of Visibility is supposed to do, remind the UTSA community that Trans people exist. I hope to build in someway a better relationship between non trans and trans people in the UTSA community.” Meza hopes that the event will bring awareness to trans
issues and open a dialogue that will answer questions people might have. “I think people forget that these are artistic people, people that have a creative outlet, we want to sort of normalize trans people in society, to make it a more welcoming environment.” Junior pre-business major Emmanuelle Taylor Maher (who prefers the pronouns “they/ them”) said the “T” in LGBT is often ignored by both people in and out of the community. They wants to ensure that people know there is still progress to be made regarding LGBT rights, “a lot of people— allies, gay and non trans people believe that after gay marriage has been legalized we don’t need to make any more LGBT strides but it’s kind of comparing apples to oranges — it’s not the same.” Though Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) was a win for marriage equality activists, Maher believes there is still more to be done. According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS), conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and National Center for Transgender Equality, 41 percent of trans people have attempted suicide in their lifetime, in comparison to 4.6 percent of the general US population.
See Trans, Page 2
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NEWS
April 5 - April 12, 2016
Exploring security in the Cyber Age Johnee Jasso
“It is our obligation to make sure that the
Staff Writer
@johnee_tech news@paisano-online.com
“UTSA is a campus that happens to have a handful of resources for people within the LGBTQ community” said President of Intersections, Bryant Andrade Meza. Photos courtesy of Bryant Andrade Meza
Trans Day of Visibility showcases art at Sombrilla continued from page 1 . Freshman psychology major Finnegan Sean Geafy Madison hopes that with the Trans Day of Visibility, young trans people can see that life is worth living. “Statistically we have a short life span before we kill ourselves so seeing these things can possibly stop someone from committing suicide,” said Madison. Madison explained the meaning behind his painting, which he described as a blue person with eyes facing genitals, to illustrate the idea that “most people reduce a trans person to their genitals, it’s about genitals, when gender actually has nothing to do with that. I identify as a gay trans man, and going on Grindr you see men who write ‘no trannies’ in their bios because they’re so focused on geni-
tals. And even straight men will refuse to date trans women who have even had bottom surgery because they’re so obsessed with what is or has been there that people can’t see past that in their idea of gender.” Meza said that there are many resources available on campus for anyone in the LGBT community. “UTSA is a campus that happens to have a handful of resources for people within the LGBTQ community… the Office of Inclusion and Community Engagement, Counseling Services, as well as professors who have gone through the Ally Training, which can be distinguished by their Ally Training Sticker in front of their office. Even if the professor doesn’t have the tools themselves, they have the knowledge to who
to direct them to. “ Intersections hopes that their group will provide a space for students to safely explore and find their gender identities, whatever that might be. Maher wants Trans Day of Visibility to let people know that gender expression is up to them: “ people need to know how you identify, whatever your gender expression might be it’s all
Society has reached the dawn of the Cyber Age. Banking, Healthcare, Education – all of these industries use the internet to allocate their services to the underprivileged. Social media uses the internet to bring acculturation to anyone with an internet connection. The college of education and human development hosted Cyber in Society to explore what cyber means, and examine the impacts and risks of cyber on technology and society. Cyber in Society was presented by Colonel Cedric Leighton. Colonel Leighton is the Founder and Chairman of Cedric Leighton Associates and Cedric Leighton International Strategies, a D.C, -based global strategic risk and cyber risk consultant company. He also served as the Deputy Training Director for the National Security Agency (NSA), the Squadron Commander for the 316th Training Squadron and the Deputy Director for Warfighter Support and Integration. Cyber is a term of, relating to, or characteristic of the culture of computers. According to Colonel Leighton, “when we take the term cyber and move it into cyberspace – the interconnection between human beings through computers and telecommunication without regard to physical geography – we can communicate with anyone in the cyber world, which brings
promise of global connectivity is a promise for good and is a promise that will actually make the world a better place.” Colonel Cedric Leighton Former
Deputy
Training
us into the Cyber Age – the time in which we live.” Of course, the impacts of cyber on technology and society are tremendous. Colonel Leighton interprets the number of internet devices to exceed the human population. According to Google’s Eric Schmidt, five billion people will soon be connected to the internet. By 2020, seven billion people will use 35 – 50 billion internet devices. The risks of cyber on technology and society are even greater. US Intelligence reports that the cyber threat is number one in its 2016 Global Threat Assessment – the fourth year in a row. There are several reasons cyber risks are so high. Technically speaking, cyber protection is inadequate – firewalls are breached, antivirus software is ineffective, and there are ever-increasing data compromises. Colonel Leighton reports that 1 million malware variants are around every day. Societally, nation states and international organizations are losing power, whereas non-state actors – Google, Facebook, cyber criminals, ISIS – are gaining power. Cyber threats include hacktivists such as “Anonymous,” who uses computers and computer networks to promote a political agenda;
Director
for
the
terrorists in cyberspace; and state-sponsored cyberattacks, such as the cyberattack on Sony Pictures by North Korea. Cyber-attacks have costed the US at least 500 billion dollars. One example is the Syrian Electronic Army’s hack of AP’s twitter feed. The hack reported a false story of the White House exploding, which resulted in a $136 billion loss in US stock markets. Colonel Leighton’s call to action is education. There is no doubt that the Cyber Age is a great thing, but in order to prevent catastrophe from arising, Colonel Leighton states that “we have to be very careful to make sure that we understand the types of attack vectors that are out there, that we don’t make them as easy as they are right now and that we make sure to control all the bad actors no matter where they come from, because we cannot afford to let them (cyber threats) win. It is our obligation to make sure that the promise of global connectivity is a promise for good and is a promise that will actually make the world a better place.”
EOS
TITLE IX
UTSA’s Office of Equal Opportunity Services is responsible for receiving and investigating complaints of discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual assault and sexual violence.
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and its implementing regulations prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities operated by recipients of federal financial assistance; this now includes sexual harassment and sexual assault.
EOS also implements policies, procedures and training related to sexual violence and intimate partner violence (IPV) as required by the reauthorized Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (SaVE), incorporated into VAWA.
Title IX also covers relationship abuse on the basis of sex, gender or gender stereotypes. Title IX applies to public and private educational institutions receiving federal funds, including the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Freshman and Incoming Transfer Students: Look for this symbol in your ASAP account to read and acknowledge UTSA’s Sexual Assault Policy.
Students, faculty, staff or visitors who have experienced or witnessed discrimination, acts of possible sexual harassment, sexual violence, or intimate partner violence should contact the Title IX Coordinator or EOS for guidance. SEXUAL VIOLENCE = SEXUAL HARASSMENT SEXUAL HARASSMENT = DISCRIMINATION
Resources
Leonard Flaum, EOS Director/Title IX Coordinator Office Phone: (210) 458-4120 Office Email: eos.office@utsa.edu website: www.utsa.edu/eos Office: North Paseo Bldg. 5.130 UTSA Police Department Women’s Resource Center Student Health Services Student Counseling Services San Antonio Rape Crisis Center
(210) 458-4242 (210) 458-6829 (210) 458-4142 (210) 458-4140 (210) 349-7273
24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE
NSA
Upcoming Events: Spring 2016 Sexual Assault Awareness Month—Day of Action (Apr) Rowdy Wellness Week (Apr)
Fall 2016 Rowdy Wellness Fair (Oct) Domestic Violence Awareness Month (Oct)
NEWS
3
April 5 - April 12, 2016
G.O. to the Rec! Lyanne Rodriguez Staff Writer
@ThePaisano news@paisano-online.com
Rowdy Vote registers student voters Katelyn Wilkinson
Students form lines to register to vote for the 2016 presidential election.
@KatelynMarie11 news@paisano-online.com
courage voter participation. Sophomore Sean Rivera, a multidisciplinary studies major and the president of the Secular Student Alliance, said his organization has been registering voters for a while, but alone the group has not had the success Rowdy Vote has had. Rivera explained that he registered about 40 students in a month of tabling with only the Secular Student Alliance. However, the combined organizations of Rowdy Vote registered approximately 35 students in a single day. “There is no doubt that we will increase voter involvement on campus more than any single organization ever could. I’m happy that we have the opportunity to join together and do this as a team,” Rivera said. Since its first tabling session a month ago, Rowdy Vote has registered 51 stu-
Staff Writer
Several student organizations have teamed up to form Rowdy Vote, a nonpartisan coalition dedicated to increasing student voter turnout for the presidential election in November. The idea for Rowdy Vote came from Coogs Vote, a voting coalition at the University of Houston. The coalition at UTSA is comprised of several student groups including the Secular Student Alliance, Intersections, Mexican American Studies Student Organization, College Democrats, College Republicans, Student Government Association, MOVE San Antonio and Texas Rising. The coalition registers voters, provides voters with polling information and hosts events, such as oncampus block walks to en-
dents. Rae Martinez, an organizer for Texas Rising, said Rowdy Vote is so effective because of its peerto-peer communication. “When students at UTSA talk to each other about voting, as peers, and when the information about voting is easily accessible by the student body, student voter participation will increase,” Martinez said. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 25 percent of 18-24 year olds in Texas voted in the 2012 presidential election, nearly the lowest voter turnout rate for this age group in all 50 states. Rowdy Vote seeks to increase this number. Bryant Andrade Meza, a senior political science and Mexican American studies major and the president of Intersections, said that Rowdy Vote encourages voting among students who are un-
Photo courtesy of Bryant Andrade Meza
interested by providing information about candidates, registering voters and training others to register voters. In short, Rowdy Vote makes it easier for students to vote by providing them with the information and tools necessary for voting. “This coalition will definitely have an impact,” Meza said. “There’s power in numbers, and I honestly feel that we as a coalition have the people power to create the change people talk about doing through voting.” Rowdy Vote has planned several events: a volunteer deputy voter registration training (April 5) tabling (April 20) and a block walk (April 23.) UTSA will have an early voting site for the November elections.
UTSA women now have a program that caters to their interests in a comfortable, judgment-free workout environment. The UTSA Recreation Center’s Outdoor Pursuits’ new program is called the GO! (“girlsonly”) Program. GO! was initiated in Fall 2015 and is a woman-centered program that aims to get more women involved in Outdoor Pursuits activities. The GO! Program’s founder and graduate assistant at Outdoor Pursuits Melanie Johnson said, “I wanted to begin this program to increase women’s participation in Outdoor Pursuits events and trips. Outdoor pursuits activities have often been male dominated, and I felt that some women might feel intimidated by this. The GO! Program can help bring in more female participants. By participating, women can
meet other women with similar interests in the program’s trips and events.” The GO! Program will have a rock climbing and yoga event on April 9, at the Rec’s rockwall. The free, girls-only event entails a yoga class from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and rock climbing from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event will have all women instructors as well as some advanced women student climbers who can encourage and advise beginner climbers. The GO! Program has also offered girl-specific trips. Last semester, the program hosted a girlsonly paddle boarding and yoga trip to Austin, TX. This semester in early February, the program hosted a river-canoeing trip to the Guadalupe River. Outdoor Pursuits offers some of these trips at a low-cost. The costs of the trips are dependent on certain factors and can vary by trip. For specific information on trips including costs, contact Outdoor Pursuits at (210) 458-6720 or visit campusrec.utsa.edu/ outdoor-pursuits/trips.
Photo courtesy of UTSA Campus Recreation
4
NEWS
April 5 - April 12, 2016
As salaries increase, so does tuition Alyssa Gonzales News Assistant
@alyssargonzales news@paisano-online.com The aim of the incentive payments was to reflect progress in meeting annual and three-year performance goals. The performance goals range from improving graduation rates to increasing fundraising. The Austin AmericanStatesman reported that the regents claim the bonuses “infuse higher education management with a business-oriented flavor.” These bonuses come simultaneously with the announcement of the UT Regents’ approved tuition increases for all 14 system institutions. UTSA tuition will increase $291 for undergraduates and $239 graduate students as of Fall 2016. Joe Izbrand, associate vice president for UTSA communications and marketing, stated in an email that UTSA president Ricardo Romo and his leadership team are developing a plan for how the additional revenue will be applied. Two of the system executives who received the biggest incentive payments are Mark Houser, the UT System’s CEO for university oil lands in West Texas and Scott Kelley, the Executive Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs. Mark Houser, who signed off on the leasing of university owned lands for
fracking purposes received a $425,000 bonus, increasing his salary to $1.5 million. Scott Kelley, a member of the group that proposed tuition increases for the UT System, received a $100,964 incentive payment, increasing his salary to $555,325. William Henrich, president of the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, received an $189,790 bonus, bringing his salary to $1.2 million. UT System spokeswoman Jenny LaCoste-Caputo said in an email to the Austin American-Statesman that tying compensation to results has been a long and successful strategy in corporate settings. Seth Hutchinson, vice president and organizing coordinator for the Texas State Employees Union, stated that these bonuses, paired with the tuition increase, would hurt the overall quality of public education. “Universities are microcosms of what’s going on here in the world, increasing the inequality from those on top and those at the bottom,” Hutchinson said. “The Texas Legislature and Board of Regents need to promote high quality institutions that are affordable for working and middle class students.” This salary gap in raises is not an unfamiliar situation for UTSA. In an email to the Paisano, a faculty member who did not feel comfortable being named explained that lecturers in their position “ make below poverty level wages. Many
of us are on food stamps, even though we have PhDs. My salary for two upper-division courses is spread out over a 12-month period. I make less than $500 per month. The corporatization of the university system is the main reason for the lack of concern for the basic survival of lecturers. Like the assembly line workers in a factory, we get paid the least, while helping maintain the factory and helping the people in power get richer.” Izbrand explained that the university encourages an open dialogue and told the Paisano that it’s hard to respond to “a generalization that comes from an anonymous source.” When pressed on how the difference in status between adjunct professors and tenured faculty members might affect their willingness to speak out, Izbrand said, “The university values the opinion of all our faculty, whether they be adjunct or tenured.” According to Chronicle Data, some full-time lecturers at UTSA make $25,182 annually, the lowest lecturer compensation in the 14 campuses in the UT-System. Broadly, faculty raises within the UT System average around two or three percent — a stark comparison to the executives’ and presidents’ raises, ranging from 18.9 percent to 40.5 percent. According to 2015 Chronicle Data, UTSA instructors/ lecturers make $25,182 annually; the average annual salary for an assistant professor at UTSA is $71,883
Anytime Fitness: Hired to inspire! About the Job Share our passion. Help fuel our amazing growth! The Anytime Fitness located at 1604 & Hausman near UTSA is seeking a highly motivated individual with a passion for helping others improve their lives through health and fitness. Industry experience is not required, but first-rate people skills and a selfmotivated work ethic are! Work in a fun, upbeat atmosphere where every day is different. This is a part time position to start, but full time is a possibility if needed or wanted. h2i (hired 2 inspire): A perfect applicant will be available 2 or 3 evenings per week, be a team leader, have a passion for health and fitness, and most importantly, be a great representative of our brand! To be considered for this position, you must be a high-energy selfstarter, have an extroverted personality, be a good motivator/coach, and enjoy sales, marketing, and building great culture in the club. Requirements: A good candidate will enjoy working in a health club environment, have a friendly, outgoing personality, and genuinely care about helping others. Interested applicants may scan their resume to sanantoniotx8@anytimefitness.com or deliver it in person at 8202 N. Loop 1604 W., San Antonio, TX. 78249
“Many of us are on food stamps, even though we have Ph.D.s. I make less than $500 per month. The corporatization of the university system is the main reason for the lack of concern for the basic survival of lecturers.”
Students G.E.A.R. up for robotics
Faculty who wishes not to be named to protect position at UTSA
while the average annual salary for associate professors is $83,241. Professors average $118,728 annually. Before 2003, the Texas Legislature passed HB 3015 that set and regulated tuition for all public institutions. The Legislature later relinquished that power to the respected public institutions Board of Regents. At the same time, the Legislature cut funding to public institutions, causing tuition to more than double since 2003. According to Hutchison, the legislature sent a clear message: raise tuition. “There’s a mentality that you have to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and that leaves a lot of Texans behind because a lot of people don’t have boot straps,” Hutchinson said, “this is going to make it harder and harder for working middle class people to get a quality education.”
Ethan Pham, The Paisano
Kassandra Alanis Contributing Writer
@kassalaniss news@paisano-online.com At UTSA on April 2, a G.E.A.R. (Getting Excited about Robotics) competition was held in which 3rd-8th graders competed in their own divisions for the winning title. The students spent 6 weeks preparing for the challenges. This year’s challenge was “Time Warp,” which was set in a laboratory devastated by an attempt to create a time machine. The competitors had to create a robot that could complete the mission objectives to retrieve artifacts that came through the vortex, deliver artifacts to the containment area, retrieve caps for vortices, shut down time circuits, remove debris from reactor, cap vortices and cap the reactor. This robotics competition
provides students with an opportunity to explore science and engineering in a fun, safe environment. “It is very surprising and impressive how these young kids are being exposed to this technology at such a young age,” volunteer and senior mechanical engineer Jesus Camarillo said. “They are coming together to prove their ideas.” G.E.A.R, locally operating since 2006, has been run by iTEC (The Interactive Technology Experience Center) since 2009. iTEC was established in 2007 to introduce visitors to S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math). iTEC seeks to be an inspiration to young people by creating an environment to explore and learn about the different fields of S.T.E.A.M. To continue reading, visit www.paisano-online.com
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NEWS
5
April 5 - April 12, 2016
Campus Carry Timeline 2004 Utah becomes first state to enact concealed campus carry laws on its college and university campuses.
2012 Colorado passes concealed campus carry for colleges and universities.
2013 Kansas and Arkansas pass laws to allow concealed campus carry.
2014 Idaho joins states that allow concealed campus carry.
January 2015
— Exclusive to The Paisano —
UTSA's mission unchanged, despite campus carry
Op-ed
by Kathy Funk-Baxter, Vice President for Business Affairs and Task Force Chair, Steve Barrera, UTSA Chief of Police and Task Force Vice-Chair
Texas SB 11, proposing concealed handgun carry on college and university campuses, is first received by the Texas Secretary of State, Carlos Cascos.
January 29, 2015 UT Chancellor McRaven pens letter to Gov. Greg Abbott in opposition to Texas SB 11.
June 13, 2015 Texas SB 11 is signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott.
September 2015 UTSA President Ricardo Romo appoints a task force to make recommendations on the implementation of SB 11.
November 2015 Survey is conducted by UTSA professors Dr. Walter Wilson and Dr. Bryan Gervais on faculty, staff, student concerns regarding SB11.
December 9, 2015 Campus Carry Task Force presents preliminary recommendations and asks for additional input at two different forums.
January 2016 UTSA SGA hosts listening panels.
This week, the campus carry task force will make its recommendations to President Romo on the implementation of Senate Bill 11 at UTSA. The measure, which takes effect on August 1, 2016, allows for the authorized carrying of concealed weapons in permitted areas on public university campuses. Texas is the eighth state in the U.S. to allow concealed carry at
public universities. Three percent of the state’s residents are concealed handgun license holders. It’s important to note that the law is not open carry. It will still be against the law to display a visible weapon while on UTSA’s campuses. The legislation allows the university president to enact “reasonable rules and regulations” but the rules may not either “generally prohibit” or “have the effect of generally prohibiting”’ license holders from carrying concealed handguns on campus. President Romo convened the task force in the fall. It includes several students, staff members and faculty, along with administrators from some key areas of the university. Our responsibility was to develop recommendations for a plan that included determining what, if any, exclusion zones should be established. The recommendations that the task force will make are the product
Advertise In The Paisano!
July 2016
education and training programs related to campus carry. We understand that it is not possible to please everyone with the plan we will present to President Romo. However, as a public university, we have an obligation to uphold the law. Without question, though, our foremost priority remains the wellbeing of every student, faculty and staff member, and visitor to campus. President Romo will issue a university policy later this month. The implementation of this law and a campus carry policy has evoked strong feelings on both sides of the issue. However, we should not let it divide our campus community or distract from our mission. It should not deter anyone – student, faculty or staff – from taking full advantage of the diverse ideas, opinions and opportunities at UTSA. That is what defines us as a university of excellence.
“Spirituality” Discussion Series – with HU Chant Weekly Thursday night meetings, 7:00–8:30 pm Main Campus, UC 2.01.30 (Magnolia Room)
April 7, 14, 21
Sample topics: ● Spirituality and Soul Travel ● Spirituality and Love ● Spirituality and Dreams
Info: Mitziani: rbo233@my.utsa.edu Justin: 832-244-6502 www.Eckankar-Texas.org
February 2016 UTSA submits its campus carry plan to UT- System for review.
of many months of thoughtful work. To develop a list of reasonable exclusion zones, we reviewed existing legislative requirements, laws, penal codes and accreditation standards. We conducted research, looked at best practices from universities in other states that already allow campus carry, and carefully listened to the UTSA community. We held many campus forums and received hundreds of email comments. Throughout the process we made every effort to be transparent, inclusive and diligent. Some of our recommended exclusion zones include areas where minor children receive services, health care centers, laboratories with combustible, flammable or dangerous materials, campus locations serving alcohol and shared housing units. We also are making suggestions about safety
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UTSA to install lockers and signs around campus.
August 1, 2016 Texas SB 11 goes into effect.
Assembled by Mia Cabello, Gaige Davila, Claudia Jimenez Sources: UTSA.edu/campuscarry, Texas Tribune
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April 5 - April 12, 2016 6 OPINION The Paisano Eliminating concussions will cost contact sports Editor-in-Chief: Mia Cabello
Managing Editor: Randi Gilmore
News Editor: Caroline Traylor Arts & Life Editor: Brayden Boren Sports Editor: Brady Phelps Web Editor: Michael Turnini Photography Editor: Fabian De Soto
Editorial
Last Friday, Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov, who played 52 games with the San Antonio Rampage this season, received a concussion in an extremely forceful collision with forward Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, a player known to hit hard whenever given the opportunity. Wilson delivered a hit that would have caught Zadorov squarely in the chest had Zadorov not lowered his head just a split-second prior to the contact.
The hit was delivered cleanly and the contact with Zadorov’s head was deemed incidental because the principle point of contact was the chest, per the NHL Department of Player Safety. From the league’s perspective, the onus was on Zadorov to make a quicker decision with the puck so he could brace for the contact that was about to occur. This brings up an interesting discussion that applies not only to profes-
preventative measures to curb concussion rates in a student athletes are slowly being implemented as well. Banning only intentional contact to the head will not eliminate concussions; only eliminating contact will eliminate concussions. In addition to the fact that tackling, hitting and fighting will inevitably entails some amount of incidental head contact – even if the rules forbid it – it is now common knowledge that concussions can be caused by contact not only
to the head, but also to the body. As long as the public supports the institutions that set standards when it comes to the safety of contact sports, they will become only marginally safer. As long as rugby and football allow tackling and hockey allows hitting and fighting, concussions will occur. As long as concussions occur, lives will be permanently altered, ruined or cut short as a result.
CHOOSE BRAIN POWER, NOT FIRE POWER
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sional ice hockey, but any contact sport at any level of play. There is a certain amount of danger that is implicit to any contact sport, and that threat of danger is part of sports’ appeal to their fans. The NHL and NFL have no incentive to fundamentally change the way their games are played because they are more profitable than ever, and there is never a shortage of players lining up for their chance to play in one of these leagues. At the collegiate level,
Commentary by Mia Cabello
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By next week the UTSA Campus Carry ASSISTANTS Task Force will have subAssistant to the Editor-in-Chief: mitted its revised, final Claudia Jimenez recommendations for Dr. Ricardo Romo’s approval. Assistant to the Managing Editor: If approved, the recomGaige Davila mendations will be submitted to the UT System Board News Assistants: Alex Birnel, Alyssa Gonzalez of Regents for final clearance. Arts & Life Assistants: Not one of the recomAnnette Barraza, Elizabeth Davis mendations will make our Sports Assistant: campus any safer in August, Anthony Suniga when the campus carry law Web Assistants: goes into effect for all Texas Kat Joseph, Ricardo Rodriguez public colleges and universities. Photo Assistants: Because there is no realEthan Pham, Andrea Velgis istic, pragmatic, legal, cenMagazine Assistant: trist method to allow civilUrub Khawaja ians to carry firearms on a college campus —UTSA Business Assistant: is not safe. College is not Will Stransky a safe place. College-aged Distribution Assistant: modern American adults Kevin Prichard are — statistically and historically — not the safest
STAFF
demographic to hang out with. A lot of us are crazy. More of us are weird — in both wonderful and unfortunate ways. Statistically, three percent of Texans have concealed carry licenses (CHLs). How many of these men and women attend UTSA? One day, one of these men — the majority of CHL holders are male — could save your life. But so could I. And it wouldn’t be with a gun. As living, breathing, minds-of-gray-matter human beings with access to education, knowledge — learned inside and outside classrooms — is the strongest, most pragmatic tool to combat an armed assailant in a hostile, college setting. Realistically, it’s more likely for one to outsmart, out-maneuver an assailant than to outshoot him.
Historically and generally, people who have concealed carry licenses are not criminals. In fact, most of them are perfectly friendly, law-abiding citizens. Resist the urge to profile and maltreat people with differing (hopefully developing) views. Bringing weapons to public institutions of higher learning will be legal in Texas (as of Aug. 1, 2016), but it will never be right, responsible or smart. If guns could make colleges safer, funds would have been directed to campus police departments — departments that will require additional funding that will be siphoned from existing funds in order to equip itself for the campus carry changes. Campus carry — SB11— is the stupid idea that could. Maybe our Texas legislators can reminisce of college days when they longed
to pack a Glock among their back-to-school luggage. Amid tube socks, boot cut jeans, and the Bible. Maybe. The passage of and the support of campus carry legislation signals distrust in (and disconnect with) other members of society. Every day the decisions that we, as adults, make individually affect the lives of the individuals in our community. And guns are not the only method for death. Living is a liability; so keep good company and in good spirit. Improvements and safeguards to the community require a collective, sensibly non-combative approach, not an esoteric, isolationist one. Perhaps carrying a gun makes carriers feel safe. Situations perceived as real may become real in their consequences, but perception is not reality: depend-
ing on the severity of the situation, a legally concealed weapon may be as powerful in protecting an individual as a bedtime story, however sharp a shooter that individual may be. CHL holders: a gun will make you no more safe on campus than it will make you a hero on campus. Be advocates for responsible gun ownership by opposing this piece of legislation. And if the most compelling reason for bringing a weapon on campus is because you can, consider the scores of other, equally immature and unwise, things to do instead — off campus. Leave your gun at home.
__________________
Mia Cabello is Editor-inChief of The Paisano.
Justice Lovin, Christopher Breakell, Robert Avila, Marina Vences, Johnee Jasso, Lyanne Rodriguez, Memorie Johnson, Katelyn Wilkinson, Raquel Alonzo, Chris Herbert, Aidan Watson-Morris
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Steven Kellman, Jack Himelblau, Sandy Norman, Stefanie Arias, Diane Abdo, Red Madden 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. The Paisano is distributed on all three UTSA campuses — Main, Downtown and the Institute of Texan Cultures. Additionally, Paisano publications are distributed at a variety of off-campus locations, including Tri-point and a variety of apartment complexes near the UTSA Main Campus. All revenues are generated through advertising and donations. Advertising inquiries and donations should be directed to:
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Learning teamwork through trial and error Guest Commentary by Victoria Flores It only took me 24 years, six years at UTSA and an advanced graduate course to figure it out. What is success and how is it measured? On April 2, 2016 the UTSA Graduate School of Social Work students enrolled in an Advanced Community Practice course and put on the De Colores Family Fun Run. The class had 3 objectives: 1) area beautification, 2) organize a final event (De Colores Family Fun Run) and 3) have a fit walk in the community every week. The overall goal was to incorporate fitness and nutrition in an area where there were many health risk factors. The class had been preparing for the event
since January, but on the morning of the race, it was as though we were improvising. The race was supposed to begin at 8 a.m. and we were still setting up at 7:52. The registration table was not prepared, the DJ was late, the running route was not ready, the volunteers were not in place and the color stations were not prepped. As I looked around, I expected the class to be panicked or have a pessimistic attitude about how things were not going according to plan. Instead, I saw every person engaged in a task and smiling. By 8:30 a.m. we managed to get it together and the race started. The atmosphere was absolutely beautiful. The participants had huge
smiles on their faces as they ran, the volunteers cheered and the social work students assumed their positions. What really stood out was that as I looked around, none of the students really appeared to be working. This was because every single student was dancing to the music the DJ was playing and cheering every runner on as they passed them. We danced our hearts out until the race was finished. After the event, our professor took each individual student and asked us what we thought about the class and the race. I paused, because I did not know how to answer this. On one hand, we were very unorganized and started late, but on the other hand,
everyone appeared to have a great time. I thought back to the beginning of class, when he informed us that the 17 students in the class would have to work together to put on the final event. If you have ever worked in a group, you know how difficult it is to work in a group with just 3 or 4 students. Throughout the first few classes, I immediately realized how different we all were. I was not enthusiastic to be working with those who seemed to have negative attitudes and whose personalities clashed with mine. Yet, each week I grew fonder of each person, noticing his or her strengths. By the time the final event took place, every classmate had a special place in my
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heart. To sum it up, teamwork is simply learning how to focus on a group member’s strengths and having a positive attitude. To sum it up even further, teamwork is learning how to dance together with a smile on your face. If the final result is not quite what you expected, does that really mean you are not successful? I will leave that for you to decide. Throughout your life you are going to have to work in groups. Just remember to dance with your group and you will be just fine.
__________________ Victoria Flores is a graduate of psychology student at UTSA.
Letters must be fewer than 400 words and include the writer’s name, classification or title and email address. The Paisano reserves the right to edit all submissions.
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OPINION
7
April 5 - April 12, 2016
Professors cancel class without warning or worry Commentary by Randi Gilmore Commuting to campus can be one of the most infuriating experiences UTSA students endure during their time as Roadrunners. Battling for a decent parking spot, being on guard for campus police, trying to predict when a shuttle will arrive — the headache is never-ending. However, students continue to face these challenges in order to attend their classes. Students spend an astronomical amount of money on tuition, fees, parking permits, books; the list goes on. Students sacrifice their time, finances and on many occasions, their sanity to successfully complete their course loads. After all these sacrifices, wouldn't you think professors would try to acknowledge, respect and alleviate some of these stress-inducing situations when possible? One prime example of
a college-life-made-easier UTSA amenity is BlackBoard Learn. It’s safe to say that most Runners have experienced their fair share of annoyances with this virtual learning system, but it is hard to argue that BB doesn’t make it easier for a professor to send out messages to specific courses — mass email made easy! With a program that allows a professor to send a message to their students in minutes, why wouldn’t they use BlackBoard to effectively contact their students with class updates — namely when they decide to cancel a class? Don’t get me wrong, on the rare occasion I get a notification from BlackBoard saying that one of my classes is cancelled, I let out a sigh of relief and use that time to work on other things I am behind on in life. However, when I allot time to prepare for a class,
The mythology of the superhero lives on Commentary by Justice Lovin With “Batman vs. Superman” DC Comics has issued its response to Marvel’s apparent superhero movie monopoly, promising its own barrage of as many movies as it can manage to put out. And why? Because it is profitable and there’s a demand for it. This demand is nothing new. It is a new version of an old institution: the myth, and like old myths, these movies reflect and reinforce the value system of the society that produces them. Take Superman, for example; the paragon of power. The myth of Superman is an examination of the ethics of power, in magnitude and in responsibility. The story asks, among other things, whether or not an individual, even such an individual as Superman, can be trusted with absolute power. The superhero myth claims “yes,” to broad public support, and with ever stronger enemies to fight. Why not? Perhaps because it’s a myth, and therefore not real, but only a means of interpreting reality. There are no Supermen in real life and no Doomsdays, but because we make them for ourselves we can act as though there are. It is easy to look back and say ‘Zeus, crazy. How could anyone have believed that stuff?’ But one does not have to believe there is a Zeus to accept the morals of stories about him, and, similarly, one needn’t believe that superheroes
exist to accept the moral of the superhero’s quest: that good and evil exist as absolute categories, rather than social constructs, and that they are as innate to the universe as is gravity. Inextricably tied to the mythology of the hero is the mythology of the villain; the notion that where there is good there must also be evil. This is not true. Superheroes do not fight crime; they fight criminals. Whereas crime is the product of social organization, these myths make it out to be the product of an innate human evil that does not exist, and by pretending that it does we demonize the most needful members of our society and perpetuate the conditions that produce criminal behavior. The point here is not that we should stop watching superhero movies, but that we should do so more carefully. Mythology is a ubiquitous component of culture and a valuable one, which is why just as important as good and evil are is whether we are active or passive in creating the narratives by which those terms are defined.
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Justice Lovin is an English major and a staff writer at The Paisano.
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commute almost an hour to San Antonio, fight parking, trek halfway across campus only to arrive to class to find a carelessly taped sheet of paper saying, “Professor so-and-so’s Class is Cancelled,” I become agitated and feel dismissed without warning. As a graduating senior who works, is involved with multiple student organizations and trying to figure out what post-college life will entail, my time is insanely valuable. If I am going to be late to a class or I know I need to leave a class early, I always email my professor out of respect for their time. I don't think it is irrational to ask for the same courtesy from professors in regards to my time as a student. I understand emergencies happen and it is not always pos-
sible to communicate in times of distress, but this printout, eviction-style notice has become a tasteless class cancellation trend
wide Golden Rule: respect your students’ time as you would like yours to be respected. Randi Gilmore is the Managing Editor of The Paisano.
Microwave in JPL food court leads to deadly hallway pileup Satire by Robert Avila Over a hundred students, faculty and visitors found themselves trapped in the hallway through the JPL food court, shortly before noon last Thursday. The pileup began when the only microwave in the food court, set up in the middle of the busiest part of the hallway, began to experience traffic after an incident involving a student not warming up food properly. “He put his lasagna in the microwave without covering it with a napkin,” explained student Manny A la Carte, who first reported the event after trying to warm up his burrito. “What kind of animal does that? Something like this was bound to happen.” While experts were called to clean up the hazard, the delay led to a line exceeding dozens of students waiting to microwave their leftovers and to heat up their ramen noodles. The pileup began when the line began to bunch, creating minor blockage. At 11:50 a.m. heavy traffic from classes exiting the Main Building began to congest the hallway. Suddenly, the situation became deadly as the two groups collided. “It was my fault. I was texting and walking,” stated Dee Strackted, who was at the front of the accident during the collision. “They warn you about it (texting and walking), but it’s not until you’re trapped under hundreds of your peers in a hallway that you truly understand.” Traffic entering from the Sombrilla coming down the stairs from the JPL began clogging the hallway almost
among UTSA professors. Professors, perhaps we should instate a campus-
immediately after the first collision, causing students to fall on top of each other, slam into the walls and jam all entrances and exits to the area. High school student Angela Dawson totaled her 2016 blue Jansport backpack, leaving her frightened of college and giving her a new sense of value for her life. “I was already struggling to decide where to go to college when I got caught in the pileup,” she explained, having toured the campus with a group of her classmates. “Once I was trapped underneath the guy in my math class and my economics teacher, I knew that college wasn’t for me. Life is too short — things like this happen all the time.” Yellow caution tape and wet floor signs were placed around the pileup to detour oncoming traffic and to allow emergency assistance to tow students, dragging their damaged bodies out of the pile. The microwave has yet to be fully cleaned; however, as the only microwave, is still in continued use. Fifteen students were taken to Student Health Services after sustaining minor injuries. The other 38 faculty and visitors injured could not be treated due to the health center’s policy, and were given Band-Aids and told to suck it up.
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Robert Avila is an English major with a professional writing concentration and staff writer at The Paisano.
Photo Poll
What do you know about the new campus carry law and how it will affect UTSA? "I know that anyone will be allowed to bring a concealed gun to campus. I don't think this will be positive in anyway."
Linda Steward
Freshman, multidisciplinary studies
"From what I understand it's a new law to allow students to have guns on campus at anytime. I think this is a safety concern because you don't know how certain people will react. Students shouldn't have to feel unsafe and worry about a gun being pulled on them."
Jillian Piepenburg
Sophomore, modern languages
"I know that it's very ambiguous on where people can actually carry concealed weapons. Each school has its own decision of where they'll allow the weapons. I don't think it will affect UTSA too much. The people who are not in favor might be more taken aback or frightened by people who choose to carry their concealed guns."
Jorge Herrera
Senior, computer science
"It goes into effect in August and anyone with a handgun license can carry a handgun on campus and it has to be concealed. It essentially won't affect UTSA at all on a day to day basis. I myself am a concealed license holder."
Zach Mayo
Freshman, history
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"I know it just went into effect and I am not for it. I feel like since I don't own a gun and I never want to own one, it just makes me feel uncomfortable at school. If I start seeing them I won't feel safe on campus."
Faith Lovejoy
Freshman, business
Photos and quotes by Claudia Jimenez, The Paisano
8 Arts & Life Events Calendar: Wednesday 4/6 10 a.m. Rowdy Wellness Health Fair UTSA faculty, staff and students are invited to UTSA’s free bi-annual health fair. The fair will teach about the importance of early detection, health maintenance, stress reduction, research, innovation and staying fit.
Wednesday 4/6 10 a.m. Frost Distinguished Lecture Series feat. Harvey E. Najim Harvey E. Najim, founder and chairman emeritus of Sirius Computer Solutions, will present the keynote address at the Frost Distinguished Lecture Series. It will be presented by the UTSA College of Business. It is free and open to the public at UTSA’s main campus in the Liu Auditorium (BB 2.01.02).
Friday 4/8 5 p.m. Maverick Music Festival Maverick Music Festival returns for the fourth year on April 8 & 9, 2016 at the Maverick Plaza in downtown San Antonio. This year, the festival once again brings premiere talent to the Alamo City with the announcement of Grammy award-winning headliners, The Flaming Lips and Public Enemy. The initial artist lineup also includes The Church and The Drums, Mother Falcon, Wild Child and more to come. This festival attracts local, national and international talent. It will take place at Maverick Plaza in La Villita (418 Villita Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205); Tickets range from $50 to 150.
Saturday 4/9 6:30 p.m. 17th Annual NIUTSA A 15-year tradition at the UTSA Downtown Campus; the Frio St. Bldg 1.406 - Riklin Auditorium. This event is Pre-Fiesta family-friendly festival with live music, food, drinks and games that is open to the public. It will kick-off with the Mariachi Alegres de San Antonio (two members are UTSA students, and will be followed with the “Street Corner Symphony”, an acapella group as seen on NBC’s The Sing Off.
April 5 - April 12, 2016
ARTS & LIFE
‘Now would be a good time for a beer...’ CELEBRATE NATIONAL BEER DAY THIS WEEK WITH EVENTS AROUND THE ALAMO CITY Photo Courtesy of Olivia Wilson
Brayden Boren Arts & Life Editor
@ThatBorenGuy arts@paisano-online.com Listen up 21 and overs: it’s time to drink like a Texan. National Beer Day is April 7, and the opportunity to enjoy a cold brew has never struck at a better time, besides that party you went to last night. Or, come to think of it, that keg stand you did two weeks ago on a dare. Okay, so say you’ve done your fair amount of drinking. What’s so special about National Beer Day? National Beer Day celebrates the glorious day in 1933 that people could legally buy, sell and drink beer again after a 13-year prohibition on liquid courage. The CullenHarrison Act, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 22,
1933, allowed people to buy, sell and drink alcohol in the U.S. again. The law went into effect on April 7, 1933. On the first day of legalization, over 1.5 million barrels of beer were consumed. That’s, like, 50 frat parties worth of alcohol consumed in one night. In honor of this Thursday, take a glance at some of the deals and events around town that many bars are offering to celebrate this momentous time in human history. And remember: no drinking and driving. It’s the best way to celebrate responsibly. April 5: Golden Age of Homebrewing (202 Lamar St) Ever wonder who exactly a “Homebrewer” is, or what exactly they have to do with beer? From 6 to 9 p.m., join local beer writer Jeremy Banas and Alamo Beer’s
Eugene Simor, along with local Homebrewing groups the San Antonio Ceveceros and Bexar Brewers, as they explain the brewing process and try samples from beers around San Antonio. April 6: “Brewed In the 210 Screening” @ Witte Museum (3801 Broadway St) “Brewed In the 210” is a brand new documentary that highlights San Antonio area brewers and local businesses that have contributed to the growth and revival of handcrafted beer in the Alamo city. This event is free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $5 that will be shared by the filmmaker, SABW and the Witte. Authentic San Antonio craft beer will be available for purchase during the event from 7 to 10 p.m., so bring those IDs
April 7: Southerleigh Fine Food and Brewery (136 E Grayson St Southerleigh at the Pearl will be celebrating National Beer Day this Thursday with specials on beer flights. What’s a beer flight you ask? It’s simple; a beer flight is a number of small beer glasses each containing a different type of beer, allowing you to try multiple samples of quality beer in a modest quantity. From 11 a.m. to midnight, a four-beer flight will cost $5, while an eight-beer flight will cost $8. Selections will range from local craft breweries to Southerleigh’s own concoctions made in-house. April 7: Spurs Night w/ Branchline Brewing (11224 Huebner Ste 204)
The San Antonio Spurs will be facing their second road test against the top NBA team the Golden State Warriors this Thursday at 9:30 p.m. Branchline Brewery is serving up a cask of their Silver & Black IPA to show hometown support, along with free pizza served during the game for all patrons starting at 7 p.m. April 8: Freetail Mario Kart Grand Prix @ Big Hops Bitters (226 W Bitters Rd Ste 108) Save that blue shell for later and make your way to Big Hops Bitters at 6 p.m. for a tournament of epic proportions: showing who is the best Mario Kart racer deep in the heart of Texas. The event will also offer up a special cask of Piñata Protest, prizes for Mario Kart winners and an actual piñata full of goodies.
‘Reasons to Be Pretty’ asks the hard questions
San Antonio’s newest Playhouse production brings laughs, drama Review
Brayden Boren Arts & Life Editor
@ThatBorenGuy arts@paisano-online.com Pulitzer prize-winning poet Edna St. Vincent Millay once stated “Beauty is whatever gives joy.” Observing the arguments and revelations between characters in Neil LaBute’s newest drama-comedy “Reasons to Be Pretty,” one could also conclude that beauty can be whatever drives you mad. “Reasons to Be Pretty,” showing this weekend at The Playhouse in San Antonio, follows the seemingly normal life of Greg (Ty Mylnar) as he traverses the close-knit relationships within his circle of friends, including his workplace buddy Kent (Nathan Thurman), his wife Carly (Ashley Greene) and most importantly, his girlfriend Steph (Laura Michelle Hoadley). When Greg’s offhand comments to Kent about how his new female coworker’s pretty face surpasses that of his current girlfriend Steph get back to her, she is appalled and hurt by Greg’s comments. Despite his meaning no harm, this leads to their subsequent break-up. Just as Greg is learning to deal with his own relationship problems, Kent and Carly enter the picture with problems of an unspoken infidelity with a new girl in their own relationship. This begins to seep into Greg’s simple life and complicates his emotions even further.
As they struggle to overcome the lies, cheating and betrayals of everyday relationships, the friends must each answer an important question: what is the worth of being “pretty,” and why does it matter? LaBute has crafted “Reasons to Be Pretty” as a critique of our shallow obsession with ourselves and pre-conceived notions of beauty: millennial ideas that are often projected from the audience onto the characters. Your humble reviewer would often find himself laughing at the silliness of Greg’s fight with
Steph over a trivial comment that in theory wasn’t disparaging towards her appearance, while also feeling sympathetic towards Steph and her not-so-uncommon problem many women face in regards to feeling pressure put on by society’s obsession with impossible beauty standards. The sets, simple and unfettered, reflect the blue collar ethos of the characters’ lives as their repartee takes place within the confines of warehouse break rooms, outside bars and at baseball fields. Steph holds down a job as a hairdresser
Photo Courtesy of The Playhouse SA
at the beginning of the play, while Carly operates as a security guard at the same place Greg and Kent work as warehouse movers. Conversations reflect the teetertotter struggle between intellectual and working class, with broad discussions referring to the importance of “TV Guide,” who Clarence Darrow is and why Greg is always reading classic literature like Poe and Hawthorne. Of course, you need actors who can realistically show the nuance of a script that deals with real-life emotions, blue-collar ethics
and even a macho dug-out fight. Ty Mylnar plays main character Greg with a surprising amount of versatility, traversing the complexities of the character as he grows from shy boyfriend to scorned lover to exasperated, not-so-nice guy. Laura Michelle Hoadley navigates Steph’s transformation well from shrieking scorned lover to recovering emotional wreck, and Nathan Thurman’s puppy-dog frat-boy act is deceptively charming and reveals layers of machismo and insecurity beneath his lithe and tall figure, even if the relationship with Greene is questionable due to the small amount of time spent with the two of them on set together. Does the play fully answer the question of its title? Not quite. Each character is afforded a monologue of some kind that deals with the many modern complexities of relationships in an age where infidelity is just a text message away, though LaBute could better get his message across more subtly through conversations and intimate moments between characters. Arguments are said to be their own art form, and the play is full of them; but it’s the little moments, where Greg relays Kent’s infidelities to Carly with human interaction, putting her hands in his, that show the human spirit can be reason enough to be pretty. Tickets for the play’s last weekend are available this Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.
April 5 - April 12, 2016 9 ARTS & LIFE UTSA professor writes ‘Slow Takes a Long Time’
I n s p i r i n g s t o r y o f o r p h a n ’s ‘ s p e c i a l ’ l o v e g o e s n a t i o n w i d e rating, reads, “Beautiful adoption story told from the child’s point of view with contributing comments from his parents, sister, teachers, social worker and others who are part of his adoption journey.
Lesli Hicks, a history professor at UTSA, adopted her son with special needs from China in 2001. She chronicles the trials and tribulations of her newfound joy in her new book, released last week. Photo Courtesy of Lesli Hicks
Andrea Velgis Staff Writer
@ThePaisano arts@paisano-online.com Lesli Hicks wrote a story about her son, and it’s anything but ordinary. Hicks, a history professor at UTSA, adopted a baby boy with special needs from China in 2001. Her son, Dang Guole, was abandoned due to China’s one-child policy and was placed in an abusive fosterfamily before meeting the Hicks. Hicks’ most recent work, “Slow Takes a Long Time: A ‘Special’ Orphan’s Meditation on Love and Appreciation,” is told from the lens of her son, and was released nationwide last week. “I would say I definitely
applied my UTSA training as a historian to write this book... A historian needs analytical skills to assess material, and I listened and observed my son as scientifically as I could to ‘divine’ the story of his past—information that wasn’t in the documents we received upon his adoption.” Hicks decided to write this book when she and her husband learned that the second baby they adopted was intellectually disabled. She hopes this story will reveal that specialneeds children have more emotional depth than society believes. She began writing this book in 2011 when she heard a teacher use the term “mentally retarded” to describe her son’s challenges—which
include trauma and a stutter. “I hope this story can help educators in the specialneeds field (and we have many aspiring teachers at UTSA) or families who are surprised with specialneeds children. There clearly is so much more to them than society initially might believe,” Hicks stated. “There are so many loving families and teachers out there, and they all have helped us discover who our son is, as well as resources to support him. I would be honored if this book helped future teachers consider their ‘special’ students as more than their diagnosis or diagnoses.” A review on Amazon written by M. Hudock, who gave the book a 5 star
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With great care, the author takes you through her son’s adoption experiences from China to the United States, the strangeness of his new life, the memories from his old life, the challenges of becoming a family and all the complications that come from educating a child who doesn’t fit any of the easily definable categories.” Traditional adoption books focus on the parent’s side of the story, but this book is about the child. Adoptive parents and parents of children with special needs will find this book a great comfort. Hicks is currently doing research for her next book about a high school classmate who took a “surprising path.” Meanwhile, Hicks might write a follow-up book about her son, since “Slow Takes a Long Time” is set during the period of exploring her son’s specialneeds offerings, which was years ago. There are new stories about her son to be written and read. “Slow Takes a Long Time” can be purchased for $11.99 on Amazon.
“A historian needs analytical skills to assess material and I listened and observed my son as scientifically as I could to ‘dvine’ the story of his past—information that wasn’t in the documents we received upon his adoption.”
Photo Courtesy of Lesli Hicks The cover for Lesli Hick’s book “Slow Takes a Long TIme: A ‘Special’ Orphan’s Meditation on Love and Appreciation.”
ARTS & LIFE Maverick Music Festival brings the big guns this year 10
April 5 - April 12, 2016
‘The Flaming Lips,’ ‘Public Enemy’ headline two-day festival this weekend Preview
Elizabeth Davis Arts & Life Assistant @ThePaisano arts@paisano-online.com
Photo Courtesy of Maverick Music Festival
Maverick Music Festival is returning to La Villita Historical Arts Village this Friday and Saturday for its fourth annual music fest, and features headliners Public Enemy, The Flaming Lips, The Drums, Bright Light Social Hour, Reverend Horton Heat, The Church, Wild Child, Young Fathers and more – and you don’t want to miss out. The La Villita Historical Arts Village has seen its fair share of artistic success and innovation over the past century – or rather – the past three centuries. The village located just north of the River Walk began as one of San Antonio’s first neighborhoods. During the early nineteenth century, La Villita served as the barracks for many of the soldiers enlisted in the Spanish Army, and even played a pivotal role in the Texas Revolution Battle of the Alamo. The La Villita community then saw degradation during the proceeding decades. The once grand and historical monument had been reduced to little more than a shantytown by the 1930s. In 1939, San Antonio mayor Maury Maverick declared the area an arts village, stating,
“Today (La Villita) stands as a forlorn ghost of vivid life and stirring events. Once the scene of art and culture, time has brought it down to a vile slum. Early steps must therefore be taken for its re-creation. Tomorrow it will stand as a symbol of the accomplishments and sacrifices of the past, and as a light pointing to the future.” Mayor Maverick, who
“The La Villita Historical Arts Village has seen its fair share of artistic success and innovation over the past cen‑ tury ‑ or rather ‑ the past three centuries.” was also responsible for the commencement River Walk project, called for an immediate revitalization of the community, and he was determined to see the sphere thrive once again through Latin American art. Eighty years later, Mayor Maverick’s vision has certainly come to fruition. The live musical landscape has exploded in San Antonio over the past five years, including the celebration of the first
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Maverick Music Festival in 2013 and the renovation of venues like Paper Tiger and Alamo City Music Hall. The first Maverick Music Festival hosted Texasnative acts like nineties grunge-gods The Toadies, Gary Clark Jr. and Girl in a Coma, and tickets to the event sold out almost instantaneously. Maverick took hold in the Alamo City, and over the next two years, the event grew in sheer size (eventually expanding to two days) and numbers. This year’s Maverick Music Festival spotlights 40 bands and DJs over the course of two days and three stages. Events kick off this Friday – with a detailed schedule set to be released later in the week – spotlighting Public Enemy, The Drums, Bright Light Social Hour, The Last Bandoleros and ten other acts. On Saturday, attendees can catch The Flaming Lips, The Church, The Octopus Project, Wild Child, The Reverend, Horton Heat, Mother Falcon, Chulita Vinyl Club and Fea, to name a few. Both single-day and two-day passes are available for this year’s fest, and options do include general admission and VIP (which provides attendees with raised concert-viewing areas, designated VIP restrooms and complementary food service). For more information or to buy your tickets, visit maverickmusicfestival.com.
SPORTS
11
April 5 - April 12, 2016
UTSA Club Quidditch loses to Baylor in Consolation Cup final to end season
Roadrunners go 7-1 in two-day national tournament
UTSA CLUB QUIDDITCH Shelby Rose Contributing Writer
@_ShelbyRose_ sports@paisano-online.com Expectations were high as UTSA Club Quidditch (25-11-14) traveled to San Marcos this weekend to compete in the Division II Nationals held at Texas State. The tournament is also known as the Consolation Cup as it is comprised of 27 teams who failed to qualify for the 60-team Division
I Nationals, which will be held in South Carolina later this month. UTSA was not playing at full-strength as team members have been battling injuries – one player suffered an ACL tear in the fall, another suffered an ear laceration, and multiple players sustained ankle injuries. However, the Roadrunners still dominated, winning seven straight matches before being defeated 11090 by Baylor in the final. “Everyone came in with
different skills and just meshed together so well,” said senior Kinesiology and Athletic Medicine student and UTSA Club Quidditch Coach Azeem Hussain. “There were countless examples of how well the team meshed together this weekend despite not having a full roster.” On Saturday, the Roadrunners came out strong during pool play and ended the day with a 4-0 record. Their first game of the day was against the Minnesota
UTSA has had a quidditch team since 2012. A member of the International Quidditch Association and U.S. Quidditch’s Southwest region, UTSA Club Quidditch has made three Quidditch World Cup apperances.
Joshua Andrews (left) completes a snitch grab to snag a win at the 2016 Consolation Cup, hosted by Texas State University.
Quidditch is UTSA’s first and only club sport that is both co-ed and full-contact. Shelby Rose, The Paisano
Nice Quidditch Club, a community team based out of Minneapolis. Nearing the end of the match, Minnes. and UTSA were tied 90-90 (at 10 points a score) before Roadrunner senior Joshua Andrews secured the Roadrunners’ 120-90 win with a 30-point snitch grab. The Roadrunners three other wins on Saturday came against Lake Effect – Tempest (150-80), University of California – Los Angeles’ B-Team (130-50), and Stephen F. Austin University (130-40). UTSA went into Sunday’s bracket play as the No. 1 seed with an undefeated 7-0 record and outstanding 380-point differential. Being the top seed meant a first-round bye for the Roadrunners, so their first matchup of the day was with Sam Houston’s B-Team in the second round. The easy 120-40 win catapulted UTSA into a quarterfinal matchup with Stanford University; however, that was the last time the Roadrunners would dodge adversity. The hard-fought match against Stanford came down to a final snitch grab by Andrews for the Roadrunners’ win (80-40). UTSA then met up with Marquette University in the semifinals. As Marquette led the Roadrunners 120-100, Andrews made the winning play again – a 30-point snitch grab that ended the match at 130-120. The final challenge for UTSA was the marquee championship matchup against Baylor. At its start, the match was low-scoring, which upped the pressure for the Roadrunners to get on the board
Shelby Rose, The Paisano Evidenced by the injuries UTSA sustained this season and in the program’s short existence, quidditch is more physical than many people realize.
and take home the gold. Points piled up on the board as both teams gained momentum, but the score never made it out of snitchrange (a differential greater than 30 points) and the match came down to a snitch grab. The fight to the snitch was brutal, and unfortunately for UTSA Club Quidditch, Baylor got there first to seal the victory that won the 2016 Consolation Cup. Despite the Roadrunners’ heart-wrenching 11090 loss, their performance throughout the tournament proved that they could compete with great strength and determination while playing an entertaining and physical brand of quidditch. “Everyone put the team first and understood that we were working together as a family,” said Hussain. “All
the big hits we landed were an added bonus.” Going into next season, UTSA Club Quidditch hopes to earn a bid for the Quidditch Cup to compete for the title of best quidditch team in the nation. Coach Hussain believes that the dominant performance in a national tournament should provide helpful experience and build confidence going forward. “The big thing to take away from this last tournament, despite the loss at the end, is understanding just how good we are, said Hussain.” “We should be confident and comfortable playing our game against anyone,” he continued. “I think morale has been raised, and we have high hopes and expectations going into next season.”
UTSA drops 2-of-3 to Florida International
Roadrunners surrender 20 runs in two losses at home UTSA BASEBALL Tucker Reaves Contributing Writer
@PaisanoSports1 sports@paisano-online.com A three-game series against the Florida International University (FIU) Panthers (15-16, 4-5 C-USA) started with promise on Friday, April 1, but ended with disappointment when the Roadrunners fell 8-4 in the rubber match on the following Sunday afternoon. Sunday’s loss was the Roadrunners’ eighth loss in the last nine games. The series started off well for the Roadrunners, as they won game one 6-0 with strong pitching performances from senior Aaron Burns from Jarrell, Texas and junior Andre Shewcraft from Pearland. However, things quickly took a dive as the Roadrunners lost Saturday’s game by a score of 12-to-4. Sunday’s game went scoreless until the Roadrunners took a 2-0 lead when a single by junior catcher Mason George in the bottom of the fifth inning allowed two runners to score. The fifth inning was the
last in which junior Karl Craigie appeared on UTSA’s mound. Craigie ended the day having given up five hits and two runs in five innings pitched. The Panthers responded immediately, putting up three runs in the top of the sixth. The Roadrunners put runners on second and third base in the bottom of the sixth, but failed to score – a crucial missed opportunity for a potential momentum swing. In the seventh, the Panthers had a three-run home run and a single home run to take a 7-2 lead. UTSA failed to create offense for the second inning in a row. Trailing 8-2 in the final inning, UTSA found a glimpse of hope for a comeback as C.J. Pickering hit a single with the bases loaded to make the score 8-4. However, the runs came with two outs already in the bottom of the ninth, and the Roadrunners failed to get on base again. Senior pitcher Patrick Herbelin, who gave up three runs on three hits in one inning pitched, took the statistical loss for the Roadrunners on Sunday. When
asked about the team’s recent struggles, UTSA Head Baseball Coach Jason Marshall immediately turned his attention toward the mound. “We’re not throwing strikes. That’s the key,” stated Marshall on Sunday. “I told the team, ‘change happens when we start getting ahead in the count and we have the upper hand on the mound.’” The Roadrunners (11-16, 2-7 C-USA) travel to San Marcos on Tuesday to take on Texas State (18-10, Sun Belt Conference). They will then return home and play a three-game series against No. 5-ranked conference opponent Marshall (15-11, 5-4 C-USA) starting on Friday, April 8 and concluding on Sunday, April 10.
Brady Phelps, The Paisano
12
April 5 - April 12, 2016
Oklahoma players gather around former assistant coach Steve Henson to strategize before a home game in November 2014.
SPORTS
Photo courtesy of Ty Russell, University of Oklahoma Athletics
HELLO, HENSON
Kansas connection shapes UTSA basketball future Brady Phelps Sports Editor
@Paisanosports1 sports@paisano-online.com
than the next-worst team, Southern Mississippi. The departures of Jeromie Hill, Keon Lewis and KajBjorn Sherman last summer dropped the Roadrunners’ offensive efficiency from fifth to 12th place among C-USA’s 14 teams. The decrease in production contributed to the Roadrunners’ fall from ninth to last place in C-USA; however, the Roadrunners struggled defensively even before those three players left.
On Friday, April 1, UTSA Athletics announced Steve Henson as the new head coach of the UTSA men’s basketball team. “(Henson) brings an outstanding résumé as a collegiate coach, along with a great record of achievement as a player at the collegiate and professional levels,” said Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Lynn Hickey in a press release. “Coach Henson is a quality man who has the ability, passion and work ethic to build UTSA into a competitive Conference USA (C-USA) program.” Henson’s hiring came roughly three weeks after Brooks Thompson, who held the position for 10 seasons and compiled a 133-178 record, was fired. Thompson’s most successful stretch was between 2008 and 2012 when UTSA competed in the Southland Conference – he led the team to four straight winning seasons and an NCAA tournament appearance in 2011. Last season, the Roadrunners finished last in C-USA with a 5-27 record and according to sp or t s -reference.com, posted a conference- worst net rating (point differential per 100 possessions) of negative 20.23 – six points lower Ty Russell, University of Oklahoma Athletics
In each season since joining C-USA in 2013, UTSA has finished either last or next-to-last in defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions). In that time, the team has posted a 27-65 record for a .293 winning percentage. Henson was a point guard and multi-sport athlete at Kansas State University from 1986 to 1990. In addition to being one of the most reliable starters in the program’s history, he also competed in the javelin, high jump, discus, pole vault and 1,500-meter run events for Kansas State’s track and field team. According to UTSA Athletics’ press release, Henson “still holds all-time program records for assists (582), assists per game (4.58), freethrow percentage (.900), minutes played (4,474), minutes per game (35.2), starts (118), consecutive games played (127) and consecutive starts (118).” In 2013, Henson was inducted to Kansas State Athletics’ Hall of Fame – an accomplishment he and Hickey have in common. Hickey was inducted as a result of her tenure as Kansas State’s women’s basketball coach from 1979-1984. During that time, she coached the team to a 125-39 record and two national tournament appearances. After graduating in 1990 and being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 44th overall pick in the NBA Entry Draft, Henson had a seven-year professional career including stints with the Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trailblazers and Detroit Pistons, as well as three years in professional
Photo courtesy of Ty Russell, University of Oklahoma Athletics Steven Henson (left) and Lon Kruger (right) have coached together for the past 12 years: seven at University of Nevada - Las Vegas and five at the University of Oklahoma.
leagues in Greece and Italy. In 1999, Henson began his coaching career as an assistant to University of Illinois Head Coach Lon Kruger. Henson and Kruger’s relationship dates back to Henson’s collegiate career; Kruger was the Wildcats’ coach for each of Henson’s four seasons at Kansas State. After a season with Kruger in Illinois, Henson spent two years with the Atlanta Hawks – first as an advance scout, then as an assistant coach – before returning to the NCAA as an assistant coach for the University of South Florida in 2003. He then reunited with Kruger and spent seven years (2004-2011) as an assistant at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). And when Oklahoma hired Kruger in 2011, Kruger brought Henson along. In Henson’s five seasons in Oklahoma, the Sooners accomplished four con-
secutive 20-win seasons, improved their record each year and reached the Final Four this year for the first time since 2002. The Sooners entered the Final Four as a No. 2 seed before being eliminated by Villanova on Saturday, April 2 in a historically lopsided 44-point loss – the biggest margin in Final Four history. According to an Associated Press article regarding Henson’s hiring, Henson “helped mentor the Sooners’ guards,” most notably Buddy Field, who twice received Big 12 Conference Player of the Year honors. Henson’s work ethic and knack for developing lasting professional relationships, evidenced by his consistent elevation to leadership positions, made him a coveted first-time head coach candidate. “(Henson’s) relationship with the players is second to none, his work ethic is
unbelievable and he has an interest and ability to get out in the community and represent (UTSA) in a firstclass way,” said Kruger. “I think he’ll be a great partner for Lynn Hickey. She’s fantastic, and those two knowing each other going way back will contribute to their doing terrific things.” “There are many people to whom I’m grateful that have helped me reach this point,” said Henson, “and I would not be here without each and every one of them. My family and I are looking forward to connecting with the people of UTSA and San Antonio.” A press conference will be held on Friday, April 8 to officially introduce Henson. As is the case with any coaching position, the U.T. System Board of Regents must approve the hiring before it is finalized.