April 2, 2009

TRACK & FIELD’S FERRIS GREAT WEST CHAMP, SEE PG. 16

Volume 65, No. 25

THE PAN AMERICAN

April 2, 2009

ACADEMICS

College split delayed by presidential transition

By Ana Villaurrutia The Pan American Sometimes the best-laid academic plans bump up against the harsh realities of the real world. Edwin Lemaster, dean of the College of Science and Engineering, along with many others, has felt for some time that a split into two colleges could be beneficial for the burgeoning college.

However the ongoing economic recession and attendant administrative budget crunching have postponed the proposed change indefinitely.

Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Paul Sale explained that the current turnover of presidents and the recent budget crunch led to the delay.

“Because the new president will have a vision about how the college

should grow, it would not be optimal to do a split right now,” Sale said.

The plan would divide the college into two colleges with biology, chemistry, physical science, and math in the science college and all engineering programs and computer science in the engineering college.

The idea of splitting the college had been tossed around since the sciences split from what was then the

SAFETY

College of Arts and Sciences in 1995 and formed the engineering program in 1996.

It wasn’t until 2008, however, that the push toward division was really mobilized, when Lemaster announced his retirement effective in 2010 to the College Council and presented the idea. Council chair and mechanical engineering professor Javier Kypuros said the idea was too vague for full

faculty support.

“Most people were in favor, but without some plan as to how it would go about, faculty are a little apprehensive,” said Kypuros, adding that the staff would like more administrative response. “We would like to hear from the provost.”

The College Council favored the split by a lean margin, and Kypuros

See SPLIT || Page 5

Smoke in lab causes emergency response

By Ana Villaurrutia The Pan American

Brian Silva/The Pan American

LATENIGHT EMERGENCY - University police and Edinburg firefighters communicate and patrol the engineering building after smoke in a lab sparked an emergency response last night.

ACADEMICS

There was a little excitement on campus Wednesday night. Seven fire trucks arrived at the scene in response to an emergency alarm, after smoke started pouring out of an over-heated oven in the engineering lab in the Engineering building The incident happened when a natural fiber called kenaf from a student’s research project was put in an oven to dry. The oven was set at a higher than normal temperature, however, and a normal procedure in the lab turned into an emergency situation.

Police were notified and an officer pulled the alarm in the building, which brought the Edinburg Fire department to the south side of

building at 10:05 p.m.

“There was no fire, just an accident,” Deputy Fire Chief Ubaldo Perez said. “Materials were drying in the oven and there was a possibility that the temperature was too high.”

The lab and engineering building were re-opened around 11 p.m. and no damage was reported to the oven or on any piece of material near the machine. No injuries were reported and the smell of burnt material is said to have cleared a few hours after the building was reopened.

UTPA students Donghan Kim and Joon Mo Sung first discovered the fire while studying at the lab at around 10 p.m.

“I smelled a bad smell coming from the oven,” said manufacturing

See SMOKE || Page 5

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Electronic course evaluation Literacy roundtable provides insight pilot study takes flight

By Brian Silva The Pan American

By J.R. Ortega The Pan American End-of-semester, paper course evaluations may be a thing of the past if a pilot study by the Office of the Provost at The University of Texas-Pan American engenders positive feedback from students and faculty.

A taskforce which was established

INDEX

last fall made up of faculty representatives from each college, members of the Student Government Association and personnel from Information Technology, is contributing electronic evaluation for both pre- and post-pilot testing.

The study will run until the end of

See PILOT || Page 5

OPINION PG. 2

Last Friday, as part of FESTIBA, the university hosted a roundtable discussion with several leaders of literacy organizations from across the state. The Student Union Theater, was near full to capacity, and many in attendance were librarians from schools and municipal libraries across the Valley.

NEWS PG. 3

Also present in the crowd were several deans, department chairs and UTPA Interim President Charles “Chuck” Sorber, for the event moderated by anchor Letty Garza of KRGV-TV. Congressman Ruben Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, who chairs the U.S. House Subcommittee on Higher Education, led discussions about literacy programs and their effect on Valley children.

ARTS & LIFE PG. 11

In his opening remarks, Hinojosa announced that the South Texas Literacy Coalition was well on its way to helping improve reading ability in the Valley.

“We have to find a way to engage our children with literacy,” he said.

“It’s very important to make it a success.”

The coalition recently completed its first year. It’s made up of literacy

See ROUNDTABLE || Page 5

SPORTS PG. 13

Page 2

THE PAN AMERICAN

Letter to the Editor

April 2, 2009

Illustrated Opinion

SGA Prez: ‘Paper should carry positive attitude’ “It must be said, though, that we must admire UPB’s effort to raise the school’s spirit and pride” (March12, 2009 The Pan American, Editorial Pg.2) was clearly the only statement of your article in which you talked positively about the University Program Board (UPB).

It amazes me how you wish to judge and criticize the work of those who try to improve student activities and exposure to our university. You discourage the efforts of those few active students, who mind you, are the majority who read your newspaper. I wish you had this same passion to be heard and had applied to be in SAAC, before belittling their judgment on how to spend money, because they are the same people who fund your newspaper.

You state how students as a whole shouldn’t have been made to carry this debt burden. Well, students who don’t read the newspaper shouldn’t be made to carry the debt burden left from all the unused and unread

newspapers at the end of each week.

Yes, your newspaper is free, but at least UPB is making an effort to repay SAAC. You also emphasize that students will not be enthusiastic enough to generate a 5,000 ticket sale, while using the power of the press to negatively influence the student body’s views on this concert. The quality of the concert that will be presented is well over 25 dollars, but you would rather spend your time instigating this situation, instead of promoting its affordability.

The Pan American is an essential attribute to this university, but I wish your work would carry a different attitude. I understand your position on questioning departments and organizations, but may your work not burn your bridges.

Marcos Silva SGA President Psychology Major

Vol 65, No. 25

April 2, 2009

Illustration by Anthony Salinas

Opinion

Don’t mess with the TEXAS Grant Brian Silva Managing Editor

1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539 Phone: (956) 381-2541 Fax: (956) 316-7122 EDITOR IN CHIEF J.R. Ortega / eortegaz5@utpa.edu MANAGING EDITOR Brian Silva / basilva1@utpa.edu ASSOCIATE EDITOR Ana Villaurrutia / alvillaurru@utpa.edu A&L EDITOR Laura Garcia / ldgarcia2@utpa.edu ASSISTANT A&L EDITOR Isaac Garcia / izek_el@yahoo.com SPORTS EDITORS Gregorio Garza / ggarzaz26@utpa.edu Pedro Perez IV/ pperez@utpa.edu PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Ben Briones / ben.briones.jr@gmail.com DESIGN EDITOR Roy Bazan / rbazanzz@utpa.edu ADVISER Dr. Greg Selber / selberg@utpa.edu ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE Anita Reyes / areyes18@utpa.edu ADVERTISING MANAGER Samantha Quintana / spubs@utpa.edu

**Delivery** Thursday at noon The Pan American is the official student newspaper of The University of Texas-Pan American. Views presented are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the paper or university.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Pan American accepts letters of 300 words or less from students, staff and faculty regarding recent newspaper content, campus concerns or current events. The Pan American reserves the right to edit submissions for grammar and length. The Pan American cannot publish anonymous letters or submissions containing hate speech or gratuitous personal attacks. Please send all story ideas to thepanamerican@ gmail.com.

Individuals with disabilities wishing to acquire this publication in an alternative format or needing assistance to attend any event listed can contact The Pan American for more details.

It’s tough times for our nation, and for my fellow students. But we have to give props to the Texas Legislature for working hard to find a funding resolution for both the university and its students.

One item on the Senate Higher Education Committee’s agenda that must be called to attention is the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s proposal to restructure the TEXAS Grant.

Since Hidalgo County’s unemployment rose to 10.1 percent in February, it has become a little bit tougher for students to find jobs outside of the university. The increasing lack of employment makes it all the more important for students to have access to the TEXAS Grant.

The proposal by the coordinating board would switch the grant from need-based to merit-based.

If this measure were to become law it would have a significant effect on Valley students, including most of those at UTPA. About 80 percent of our students are eligible for financial aid, and a sizeable chunk of them are able to receive the TEXAS Grant.

These students receive the grant

because they are economically disadvantaged, but transforming it to a merit-based foundation would only allow UTPA students who do well academically to receive funding.

This sort of switch would greatly benefit those institutions that have high-achieving students, like Rice University, which already have great heaps of money. What about our university? UTPA funds would deplete at a significant rate since financially needy students would no longer be able to afford tuition without the assistance of the TEXAS Grant.

This would be absurd. We shouldn’t make it harder for those us who are financially challenged. In fact, the opposite should be done: increase the availability of the TEXAS Grant and other forms of financial aid.

Besides, there already is a meritbased mechanism built into the TEXAS Grant program. All students who receive it must receive a satisfactory academic progress mark on their record to continue getting funds. If students don’t complete the majority of their courses, or fail them, funds are then suspended.

The grant is a tremendous asset and tool for the university to use in attracting more students to the school, getting them to take more classes, and

graduate on time. It needs to not only be fully supported by all Texas legislators, but also needs expansion.

State Rep. Veronica Gonzalez of McAllen has the best position when it comes to funding this institution and its students: it needs to be comprehensive. She thinks we need to sustain the state’s main need-based grant, increase the grant’s appropriations, and then increase formula funding directly to the university.

We must realize that we guide this ship through one of the worst storms of the century. We won’t receive much more than any other higher education institution. But I’m appreciative of the fact our legislators are fighting hard for us.

Our politicians aren’t the only ones who are working nearly ‘round the clock to better our school. School administrators have been busy providing testimony to the various legislative committees to educate them on our school’s needs. Student Government Association members have provided the UT System and legislators with students’ thoughts on various legislative issues.

Working together as a team, we will keep the TEXAS Grant and accomplish much more, and we will succeed in benefiting our school and the Valley region.

Dates to Know: Teachers Job Expo Friday, April 3 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

UTPA Field House April 2, 2009

ASSIST registration begins for fall 2009 Monday, April 6 ASSIST Web site

THE PAN AMERICAN

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F INANCIAL

Credit-card readers still not ready for swiping

By Alejandra Martinez The Pan American Thirsty but have no change? Want a drink but can’t break a bill?

It’s a common campus problem that The University of Texas-Pan American’s Business Affairs and Coca-Cola tried to improve by adding a credit/debit card machine to the glass fronts of vending machines. However, shortly after the extra devices were installed in early

March, the service was put on hold.

The idea was first thrown out when Coca-Cola representatives visited UTPA back in January and met with people from the Division of Business Affairs. The company requested that card readers be installed on their machines around school, as they have been at several other campuses across the country.

The university agreed with the idea.

“It’s really just an effort to not only increase sales but also prevent

mechanical problems that can occur by using changers and coin mechanisms,” said Director of Auxiliary Services Leticia Benavides.

The readers were shipped by a Coca-Cola representative from Houston and were delivered and installed on 12 coke machines on March 6. However, students never had the chance to use this new payment method, and found the reader slots taped shut and labeled “out of order” almost immediately.

As it turns out, Coca-Cola installed the devices prematurely, without notifying Auxiliary Services. Following the placement of the devices, Benavides received a call from her contact in Houston who informed her that the machines were up and running.

“Since it was going to be a reader device, we needed to make sure there were security checks in place, so we referred it to Information Security,” Benavides said. “I have re-

quested from Coca-Cola that they either de-activate or remove the card readers until that assessment has been performed.”

Because these readers are handling sensitive information such as credit card numbers, Information Security wants to ensure the transactions are safe and cardholders’ identities are protected. Thus a preliminary risk assessment must be conducted.

See CREDIT || Page 6

INFRASTRUCTURE

University bookstore undergoes renovations

By John Gallagher The Pan American The UTPA bookstore is close to reaching its 40th birthday, and with this milestone, its middle-aged interior will receive a face lift.

The bookstore was built in the 1970s and still contains many of its original floors and fixtures. Robert Cantu, assistant director of Auxiliary Services, said he believes the renovations will help fashion the store’s image as a more trendy, collegiate atmosphere and contemporary building.

“Students nowadays are astute consumers, and walking into a dusty bookstore doesn’t lend itself to a good retail environment for our students,” Cantu said about how the bookstore will be transformed.

The Follett Higher Education

Group is the company that provides UTPA its college textbooks, but the organization also has a specific architectural division for renovations and remodeling.

The company provided the design and layout of the new-look bookstore, and UTPA contractors carried out the production of designs.

Luis Cavazos, a 20-year-old English major from Brownsville, is surprised at the store’s current atmosphere.

“It seems like it’s going to be good,” he said. “I want to see it when it’s completely finished.”

The new store will not increase in size, but changes will include a new tile floor, carpets, textbooks and merchandise fixtures, furniture, paint, and wall graphics.

See BOOKSTORE || Page 6

Hector J. Garcia/ The Pan American

TRENDY - The UTPA bookstore is undergoing several renovations including new shelving, flooring and new wall fixtures to create a more student-oriented atmosphere for the nearly 40-year-old building.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Parking permits now on ASSIST Diaper drive aims to aid

By Matthew Flores The Pan American The start of any semester brings that dreaded day for many students when they can look forward to long lines and sore feet after having been in line for an insurmountable amount of time to pay for permits or appeal parking tickets.

Those days may come to an end for many students that find themselves out of the line and now online.

Students can find the online parking permit service in their ASSIST accounts under the “UTPA Services”

tab.

Aside from requesting a parking permit online students are also able to submit a parking citation appeal in cyberspace according to UTPA Parking Services Manager Melissa Sandoval.

This type of appeal may be considered by students that cannot make it to an appeal hearing in person and will receive their appeal results online or in the mail.

If a student wishes to make an appeal in person they can go to the university police department and fill out an appeal form and meet with an

appeals officer to discuss their ticket.

If a student cannot make an appeal in person, they can go online and fill out an appeal by visiting the ASSIST Web site, clicking on student services, enter their student ID and pin, then select “parking citation appeals”, then fill out the form and submit. Results of the appeal will be given out by e-mail or mail.

Sandoval said filing an appeal online would not be different from doing it in person.

“The appeals would be treated the same, but in person you would get

See PARKING || Page 6

poor Valley communities

By John Gallagher The Pan American

An innovative drive for the month of April aspires to raise supplies for needy families, but instead of the usual array of canned food, it’s diapers.

Senior Julissa Barrera, a 21-year-old communication major from Mission, is in charge of the drive, which is aimed at aiding poor communities in the area. The inventive idea came to Barrera

when she was brainstorming ideas for her senior project, which had to be aimed at helping the community.

“I thought it would advocate for children and families that don’t have the means to properly supply their kids,” she said.

Avance-RGV, a non-profit organization that serves low-income and impoverished Rio Grande Valley families that live in colonias,

See DRIVE || Page 6

Page 4

ADVERTISEMENTS

April 2, 2009

April 2, 2009

NEWS

Page 5

SPLIT continued from Page 1 added that the idea had the potential to improve the college.

“The college has grown, in student majors, and grown in research…if we split it will help us give more attention to each department,” he said.

Since the creation of its engineering program in 1992, and the construction of the engineering building in 1996, the number of engineering majors reached 613 and now has reached 1,400, which is about half the population of the college. At the start of the semester the college was growing faster than the other five colleges at UTPA. THE DELAY A feasibility study on the split was

planned for the spring semester, however it was never executed.

The split carried an estimated cost of from $300,000 to $400,000. In the normal process, the provost hears the Council verdict and then makes a recommendation to the president, and the deal goes from there. However, given the unfolding transition from former president Blandina Cardenas, who retired in January, to a new president, Sale believed that a large administrative change in the college would not be preferable for now.

“For the split we’d have to redesign a new administrative suite, we would have to pay for an administrative assistant, look for two new deans,” he said. “Such an administrative change

PILOT continued from Page 1 the semester and the new technique will take effect in the fall depending on results.

“Other universities are using electronic course evaluations,” said Ala Qubbaj, overseer of the pilot proposal and study. “We’re testing how students are going to receive it and how it’s going to be received by the faculty.”

According to the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment at The University of Texas at Austin, many of UTPA’s peer institutions have replaced paper evaluations or are making the transition to what the division calls electronic course instructor surveys.

Earlier this year, the taskforce convened and reviewed different vendors according to Qubbaj.

The taskforce recommended “Survey DIG,” a student evaluation software that that works hand-in-hand with the BANNER system.

The software is easy to navigate, paperless and more convenient for users and gathering analysis and information.

With that, Qubbaj added the cost saving and labor-effective operation are extremely beneficial.

SGA President Marcos Silva said the pilot evaluation is a more environmentally friendly and convenient.

“I think it’s a great initiative, other universities utilize this method, and it’s to the benefits of the students,” he said.

“We are also getting away from the paper version, which is less hassle to our professors.”

Qubbaj said feedback from students and faculty about the electronic process is expected and that he feels an electronic process would be easier.

“On average, we do evaluate 2,500

courses per semester. Enrollment ranges from 10 to 120; you can imagine the time/labor currently put/spent to shuffle these packs of papers back and forth between various offices/departments on campus,” Qubbaj said. “In fact, many evaluations get lost and/or misapplied in that process.

Some students do not complete course evaluations, leaving professors more in the dark than students may think.

“Student course evaluations are a major element in the evaluation of faculty in the area of teaching effectiveness, which affects both faculty merit and tenure/promotion,” Qubbaj said.

Margaret Rivera, a senior art and anthropology major at UTPA, said she sees the environmental awareness this could bring, but feels the paper evaluations are better.

“I think paper will be [better] because some people don’t have time with their busy schedules,” she said.

Rivera added that she was not aware evaluations affected a professor’s merit scores, and said information like that should be relayed to the student population.

The task force thinks that the number of students filling out evaluations would rise if the new system were implemented.

“Response, return rate is the main challenge with electronic evaluations as compared with the paper/pencil one,” Qubbaj said about making the electronic transition.

Students who participate in the pilot study before April 12 are automatically entered to win 1 out of 10 new Ipod Shuffles.

ELECTRONIC COURSE EVALUATIONS March 30 - April 12 · Log in to UTPA ASSIST self-service using username & password · Click on Student Services. Click Student Records .Click on Student Evaluations link. Click on Evaluation link next to the course you wish to evaluate. Click Submit.

is very disruptive, it can cause a disruption in funding.”

With universities nationwide anticipating a decrease in funds this year, such a move in hindsight seems a distant possibility.

Lemaster met with Interim President Charles Sorber in mid March and presented the idea to him, but the proposal met with little success.

“Basically he had the same position of the provost,” Lemaster recalled.

“Splitting the college without the proper resources would be a mistake, and should be reserved for when the university has proper resources.”

In order to split, the college would have to go through the approval process at the college level, then get

through the UT System and finally the Texas Higher Education Coordinating board.

STICKING TOGETHER For now the college has gone through none of those steps of approval. However Lemaster remarked there was value in keeping the college together.

“You can collaborate on certain projects and exchange more easily,” he explained. “Having all of those students makes for a very rich research experience and it’s not quite so easy if you have separate colleges.”

Associate Dean John Villarreal advises Lemaster on the science half of the COSE. He likened the college’s

benefit from staying together to the House of Representatives.

“Like the House of Representatives, the bigger you are the more clout you have,” said Villarreal. “Usually when you have more constituents you have more emphasis on the things that matter most (such as getting research grants and scholarships) a bigger group may have more funding.”

Sale said though the move was not given the go-ahead, the college should still work productively.

“In the science and engineering (college) we have highly productive faculty whether or not the split occurs,” Sale said. “We’re not going to let it diminish our need to support the faculty in their work.”

ROUNDTABLE continued from Page 1

Ben Briones/The Pan American

PASSIONATE - Congressman Ruben Hinojosa (middle) speaks about the Valley literacy programs while Mike McCoy of The Meadows Foundation and Carol Rasco, president of reading is fundamental look on. organizations, like public libraries and schools.

Several panelists remarked that one of the main solutions to literacy problems lies in the home. Among those was Reading is Fundamental President Carol Rasco, who commented about parents’ roles in a child’s life.

“The first and most important teacher for a child is the parents,” she said. “They must have the wherewithal to say that they are the first and main teacher for their child.”

She explained that the answer to improving literacy has always been parental involvement.

“Our early education efforts won’t work unless the parents are involved,” Rasco said.

Adding to that, Garza commented that not every child has the same dream and that all children should be provided the resources to achieve their dreams.

“Some students dream of being rockstars and singers, but others dream of being authors,” she said.

Film director Juan Carlos Frey,

also a panelist, said it’s important to tell children of their community’s own history. He said there are some negative connotations to Mexican American history and that some view it as not as important.

“It is necessary to tell our true history,” he said.

Hinojosa concluded the conference by telling the audience about the importance of Hispanic mentors.

“We need more Hispanic role models for our students,” he said.

“We need to show our students where they fit in society.”

SMOKE continued from Page 1 engineer major Doghan Kim. “We thought it was just an experiment but we saw it getting more smoke.”

The students, who said they were alone in the lab, noted they were not worried but decided to take action and call someone they thought would help.

“I didn’t know the school police so my friend called his roommate, who knew the number, and he called them,” Kim recalled.

Health and Safety inspector and volunteer fireman Sayeed Waddud was at the scene, and explained that

to disperse smoke, the firemen set up fans directed toward the exhaust pipe above the oven.

“That exhaust pipe usually moves any smoke out of the room, but in this case it got too hot,” Waddud explained. “We’re moving it out so the smoke isn’t trapped in that room.”

Deputy Perez said the students that discovered the smoke could have have also pulled the alarm and then called university police.

“They (the students) could have,” said Perez. “They need to pull the alarm if they see fire or smoke.”

The supervisor of the lab, mechanical engineering professor Robert Jones, was also called in.

Wednesday night, Jones could not yet clarify why the oven was set at such a high mark. He estimated it registered 190 degrees Celsius, when 80 degrees to 90 degrees Celsius would be normal.

“It was in there for a research project,” Jones said. “I don’t know exactly what happened, if it was a student playing with it or if it was just higher than normal. We’ll find out in the morning.”

Page 6

April 2, 2009

NEWS

CREDIT continued from Page 3 When the machines will be re- card readers and doesn’t think they ready for use “You can risk your identity. are necessary.

“It’s just $1.25, is still pending completion of the It’s not safe and the bank can I’d rather just go to the Student evaluation by Information Secu- charge you extra fees. It’s not Union and buy it,” said the communirity. A date has not necessary.” cation studies mabeen provided yet. jor from McAllen.

More informaAnother stution and further Denise Ramirez dent was simply documentation Communication studies major concerned about provided by Cocaprotecting her information.

Cola has yet to be reviewed.

“You can risk your identity,” But as Business Affairs and Information Security scramble to communication studies major Deready the machines, reps have re- nise Ramirez said. “It’s not safe, and ceived mixed reviews from students the bank can charge you extra fees.

It’s not necessary.” around campus.

However, Adriana Martinez, an Brenda Villarreal, a junior at UTPA says she wouldn’t use the English major from Pharr, had noth-

PARKING continued from Page 3 ing but high praise for this new service.

Martinez was one of the few who got to use the service before it was de-activated.

For her it was a smooth transaction. Martinez said it was as simple as swiping the card and pushing a button.

“It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. It was really fast and easy,” she added. “I stuck around to make sure my information didn’t stay there and that no one else could use it. It all cleared.”

Based on the recommendation from Information Security, Auxiliary Services will let Coca-Cola know whether to activate the card readers or remove them altogether.

to interact with the appeals officer, rather than have an appeals officer read the submitted appeal online then make a decision,” Sandoval said.

“The reason for the online appeal is to accommodate students who cannot come in and set up an appointment in person. In person the student would get the appeal result right there and then.”

The online parking permits request service has been available for four years, but now it is available through ASSIST under student services.

“This service is offered online at most universities to students to make the registration process easier and even billing or paying the tuition is available online. This service facili-

tates the whole registration process for students.”

Students can appeal any citation they receive and the appeals officer will determine if their appeal is a valid one.

Though these services are meant to meet student convenience, Marc Flores, a senior English major, does not believe he would need to use the online service and has no complaints about long lines.

“I waited until the second week of classes to get my permit and I was in and out in about five minutes. There was not really a long line when I went,” he said “The form that you have to fill out (for the parking permit) is only half a page and the whole process does not take long.”

BOOKSTORE continued from Page 3 DRIVE continued from Page 3 The remodeling was authorized

by Vice President of Business Affairs James Langabeer, and about $200,000 was allocated for the store project from the Auxiliary Services Department.

Though the bookstore is in some disarray at the moment, with missing fixtures, carpets and furniture, students can still utilize the facilities by requesting desired merchandise such as caps and gowns or textbooks from the store.

The books or merchandise will be pulled out of a storage warehouse and brought to students in the

bookstore.

The renovations are scheduled to be completed by April 10 if everything goes according to plan.

Members of the team think students will be pleased after the work is done.

“We understand we cannot shut the store down, we will continue to provide services for our student population,” Cantu said about the bookstore’s mission, regardless of the renovations. “And if you walk in the store later this year you’ll suddenly find yourself in a high-end retail store.”

or unincorporated communities that may lack working water and sewer systems and adequate housing, will benefit from the donated diapers.The drive will run for the entire month. Student organizations that wish to help out can drop their diapers off in Room 305 in the University Center.

Barrera said donated diapers should be store-bought and in their original packaging. Loose diapers will not be accepted for donations.

To curry favor, a cash prize will also be offered to the organization that is most active in collection.

“I have a $100 cash prize to the organization that donates the most diapers, it’s an incentive for clubs who are involved in the drive,” Barrera said.

Her plan is to go to organization meetings and present the cause. She also wants organizations that intend on donating to sign an agreement that they will strive to give at least 200 diapers.

Two hundred diapers isn’t a large number considering a single package from Wal-Mart can contain up to 80.

Robert Garza, a 22-year-old

sophomore nursing major from Edinburg and president of the American Sign Language Club, intends on donating to the cause.

“ASL is about helping the community, and I thought that this would be our chance to help the community in a different way,” he stated. “I’d like everyone in the club to donate at least four to five packages.”

Barrera’s goal for the drive is 10,000 diapers. She hopes that through the compassion of clubs and other individuals the goal will be reached by the end of April.

April 2, 2009

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THE PAN AMERICAN

April 2, 2009

By: Andrielle Figueroa Usually when someone thinks of a fighter they picture a massive, scary, tough guy with drool oozing from his mouth. Being hit in the face and head repeatedly cannot add brain cells, surely.

Breaking this stereotype is Melissa Rendon, a 25-year-old elementary teacher. Working her nine-to-five job really doesn’t set her apart from most teachers. Really what it comes down to is her evening job, training as a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter.

What is MMA? It is a mixture of different styles of fighting which include boxing, Jiu Jitsu, Judo, and Thai boxing. Though the contact sport pulls from these styles, fighters do not have to limit themselves to moves from these sports. It has become the fastest growing sport in popularity in the past decade.

Rendon graduated from The University of Texas-Pan American in 2006 with a double major in political science and sociology. She is ending her first year of teaching at Airport Elementary in Weslaco, but is going on her fifth year of Muay Thai training.

Muay Thai (Thai kick boxing) is Rendon’s specialty but it is not sanctioned in the state of Texas which makes it hard for her to find places to practice it. She has competed in a Muay Thai Smoker (glorified sparring session) in August 2007 in San Francisco and two fights in Monterrey last February.

Practicing for these events with her training team Thai Champs takes up most of Rendon’s time.

“I train every day,” Rendon said. “I work until 4:30 and then right after I come to the gym and practice until 10, and every Saturday morning.”

With fighting comes practice and sweat, and undoubtedly lots of aches, pains, and frequent gashes to the face and body. Fortunately, Rendon has been blessed to have avoided permanent marks so far.

“These guys (Thai Champs) have trained me to protect my face so I have never had anything noticeable on my face.” Rendon continued. “You work through it, you wear tennis shoes because you can’t put a fractured toe into heels.”

Rendon has always been competitive. As a child

Photos by: Ben Briones Layout by: Roy Bazan

she played many sports, and expresses a love for Muay Thai that is clear. Why would the teacher not want to be a fighter, and quit her day job?

“What stops me from fighting full time is that I have to make a living,” Rendon added. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my job because I love working with kids, but the fact of the matter is, teaching is what pays the bills.”

Though she can not pursue her dream full time, she still has many goals in the sport even if her fighting career does not last for long.

“My goals are not as a fighter but more as an ambassador to the sport to be the female face out there,” Rendon said. “I am a normal person from the Valley…if I never fight another day and one fight affected someone else’s life then I was successful.”

With Rendon’s small stature of five feet and friendly demeanor, many who know her seem to be surprised that she is a fighter.

“People who see me outside of the gym see another girl, I like to shop and get my nails done when I can,” Rendon giggled. “So when they find out I fight they say, ‘you’re kidding right?’

They don’t believe me, and I say, ‘No, really I am.’”

Although she is full of laughter and high energy, Rendon doesn’t want people to feel that being a female should interfere with the sport at all.

“This past Saturday a girl told me, ‘But you’re so pretty why would you want to fight?’” Rendon said. “That’s the mindset I want to change, you just have to want to do something to do it.”

Though fighting competitions like the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) do not have a women’s division, groups like Elite XC and STRIKEFORCE do include these fights.

These events include female fighters such as Tonya Evinger, Julie Kedzie, and Gina Carano, all atheletes Rendon looks up to.

UFC is the world’s leading mixed martial arts sports association according to the Ultimate Fighting Championship site. Leagues like Elite XC and STRIKEFORCE follow the UFC’s footsteps but are not as well known. The sport made television waves in 1993 with the Ultimate

Fighting Championship on Pay-Per-View, which began the slew of teams and television shows based on MMA that we see today.

Rendon will be fighting at the South Texas Fighting Championship “6 Evolution” event starting at 8 p.m. on April 11 at the McAllen Convention Center, where she will be sponsored

by Xavier De Leon, editor in chief/president of Valley Motion Magazine.

The main event will be fought between Kani Gregoire and Joseph Daily; Daily is a part of Thai Champs with Rendon.

Daily, 20, a Weslaco native and an education major at South Texas College, getting ready for his fight this month Daily gives tips that he has learned from Thai Champs training.

“If you want to pursue a career I suggest that you work on your ground game (fighting on the floor).” Daily said. “You can be the best striker in the world but if they get you on the ground then that’s it.”

Currently Rendon and her boyfriend Mike Valle run Thai Champs, where they teach training classes focusing on Muay Thai and MMA at Mighty Joe’s Gym, located on 340 S. Texas Blvd in Weslaco.

Starting their Thai Champs project in January 2008, Rendon and Valle train children starting at the age of 4, Thai Champs “Little Warriors,” high school state wrestlers, and college wrestlers.

Valle, a 32-year-old from Weslaco, has been a trainer for about two years and a fighter for four; he believes that the male-dominated sport has room for female fighters.

“Anyone who is willing to train hard and work can do it,” Valle continued. “I have known Melissa for three years… MMA is growing for women and it is a great opportunity for her.”

After stepping into MMA fighting, Rendon believes that there will be a lot of days that will make a fighter want to quit getting hurt and working long hours are all a part of the process. The only advice she can give is, “Make sure you do it with all of your heart, expect it to hurt and you are going to cry from frustration...you just have to get past your comfort zone.”

April 2, 2009

THE PAN AMERICAN

Page 9

Page 8

THE PAN AMERICAN

April 2, 2009

By: Andrielle Figueroa Usually when someone thinks of a fighter they picture a massive, scary, tough guy with drool oozing from his mouth. Being hit in the face and head repeatedly cannot add brain cells, surely.

Breaking this stereotype is Melissa Rendon, a 25-year-old elementary teacher. Working her nine-to-five job really doesn’t set her apart from most teachers. Really what it comes down to is her evening job, training as a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter.

What is MMA? It is a mixture of different styles of fighting which include boxing, Jiu Jitsu, Judo, and Thai boxing. Though the contact sport pulls from these styles, fighters do not have to limit themselves to moves from these sports. It has become the fastest growing sport in popularity in the past decade.

Rendon graduated from The University of Texas-Pan American in 2006 with a double major in political science and sociology. She is ending her first year of teaching at Airport Elementary in Weslaco, but is going on her fifth year of Muay Thai training.

Muay Thai (Thai kick boxing) is Rendon’s specialty but it is not sanctioned in the state of Texas which makes it hard for her to find places to practice it. She has competed in a Muay Thai Smoker (glorified sparring session) in August 2007 in San Francisco and two fights in Monterrey last February.

Practicing for these events with her training team Thai Champs takes up most of Rendon’s time.

“I train every day,” Rendon said. “I work until 4:30 and then right after I come to the gym and practice until 10, and every Saturday morning.”

With fighting comes practice and sweat, and undoubtedly lots of aches, pains, and frequent gashes to the face and body. Fortunately, Rendon has been blessed to have avoided permanent marks so far.

“These guys (Thai Champs) have trained me to protect my face so I have never had anything noticeable on my face.” Rendon continued. “You work through it, you wear tennis shoes because you can’t put a fractured toe into heels.”

Rendon has always been competitive. As a child

Photos by: Ben Briones Layout by: Roy Bazan

she played many sports, and expresses a love for Muay Thai that is clear. Why would the teacher not want to be a fighter, and quit her day job?

“What stops me from fighting full time is that I have to make a living,” Rendon added. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my job because I love working with kids, but the fact of the matter is, teaching is what pays the bills.”

Though she can not pursue her dream full time, she still has many goals in the sport even if her fighting career does not last for long.

“My goals are not as a fighter but more as an ambassador to the sport to be the female face out there,” Rendon said. “I am a normal person from the Valley…if I never fight another day and one fight affected someone else’s life then I was successful.”

With Rendon’s small stature of five feet and friendly demeanor, many who know her seem to be surprised that she is a fighter.

“People who see me outside of the gym see another girl, I like to shop and get my nails done when I can,” Rendon giggled. “So when they find out I fight they say, ‘you’re kidding right?’

They don’t believe me, and I say, ‘No, really I am.’”

Although she is full of laughter and high energy, Rendon doesn’t want people to feel that being a female should interfere with the sport at all.

“This past Saturday a girl told me, ‘But you’re so pretty why would you want to fight?’” Rendon said. “That’s the mindset I want to change, you just have to want to do something to do it.”

Though fighting competitions like the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) do not have a women’s division, groups like Elite XC and STRIKEFORCE do include these fights.

These events include female fighters such as Tonya Evinger, Julie Kedzie, and Gina Carano, all atheletes Rendon looks up to.

UFC is the world’s leading mixed martial arts sports association according to the Ultimate Fighting Championship site. Leagues like Elite XC and STRIKEFORCE follow the UFC’s footsteps but are not as well known. The sport made television waves in 1993 with the Ultimate

Fighting Championship on Pay-Per-View, which began the slew of teams and television shows based on MMA that we see today.

Rendon will be fighting at the South Texas Fighting Championship “6 Evolution” event starting at 8 p.m. on April 11 at the McAllen Convention Center, where she will be sponsored

by Xavier De Leon, editor in chief/president of Valley Motion Magazine.

The main event will be fought between Kani Gregoire and Joseph Daily; Daily is a part of Thai Champs with Rendon.

Daily, 20, a Weslaco native and an education major at South Texas College, getting ready for his fight this month Daily gives tips that he has learned from Thai Champs training.

“If you want to pursue a career I suggest that you work on your ground game (fighting on the floor).” Daily said. “You can be the best striker in the world but if they get you on the ground then that’s it.”

Currently Rendon and her boyfriend Mike Valle run Thai Champs, where they teach training classes focusing on Muay Thai and MMA at Mighty Joe’s Gym, located on 340 S. Texas Blvd in Weslaco.

Starting their Thai Champs project in January 2008, Rendon and Valle train children starting at the age of 4, Thai Champs “Little Warriors,” high school state wrestlers, and college wrestlers.

Valle, a 32-year-old from Weslaco, has been a trainer for about two years and a fighter for four; he believes that the male-dominated sport has room for female fighters.

“Anyone who is willing to train hard and work can do it,” Valle continued. “I have known Melissa for three years… MMA is growing for women and it is a great opportunity for her.”

After stepping into MMA fighting, Rendon believes that there will be a lot of days that will make a fighter want to quit getting hurt and working long hours are all a part of the process. The only advice she can give is, “Make sure you do it with all of your heart, expect it to hurt and you are going to cry from frustration...you just have to get past your comfort zone.”

April 2, 2009

THE PAN AMERICAN

Page 9

Page 10

ADVERTISEMENTS

April 2, 2009

Dates to Know: Valley Symphony Orchestra Today, 8 p.m.

McAllen Civic Center April 2, 2009

THE PAN AMERICAN

Silverstein April 11, 7 p.m.

Las Palmas Race Park Page 11

THEATER

‘Wait Until Dark’ offers murder, mayhem, defiance

By Russen Vela The Pan American “Wait Until Dark,” a 1966 play written by Frederick Knott, was as scary a horror play ever performed. It packed thrills and chills with an emotionally charged climax, leaving the audience shrieking with terror.

Movie buffs might recognize it in the 1967 film starring Oscar winner Audrey Hepburn. And now, after dedication, discipline and long hours put in by a brilliant cast and crew of The University of TexasPan American theater department, the latest version of “Wait Until Dark” which premiered March 27 to rapturous applause from the audience. The acting and overall tone of the play proved yet again victorious in thrilling and chilling the crowd.

David Carren, professor of Theater/ Film/TV, directed “Wait Until Dark” and chose the play for its suspense.

“I have always been a genre writer,” Carren said. “I like genre material and I like plays which have lots of drama and suspense and can scare the audience.”

He explained the plot: a life-or-death situation in which the lead character who is blind finds courage and understanding in order to survive. The mystery thriller’s heroine is Susy Hendrix. She is a blind Greenwich Village housewife who becomes the target of three thugs searching for heroin hidden in a doll which her husband, a photographer, transported from Canada as a favor to a woman who has since been murdered.

Murder, harassment and mayhem ensue, but it was the final act of defiance from Susy that thrusts not only the thugs but the audience, into total darkness as the stage lights are turned off. With this,

TOM GRABOWSKI DISTRESS CALL - Rachel Saldaña tries to get a hold of the fire department as her panicked character smells smoke. the sightless Susy levels the playing field.

The play premiered on March 27, and ran until March 29.

The rehearsal process for the play took about six weeks. Everyone from the cast to crew worked long hours to make

the play as suspenseful as the original, and the work paid off.

“The cast and crew have worked very hard,” said Carren. “We worked during the night because some of us have class during the day, and the cast and crew is

doing other projects besides this one. So everything was lit up.”

Saldaña also said that she had to preit was tough, but we worked hard, and tend not to look at anybody, and tried to the outcome should be rewarding.”

Carren, who graduated from the Uni- lead with her ears instead of her eyes versity of Texas at Austin with a bach- when the other actors were rehearsing elor’s in journalism, has written and or performing with her.

Sophomore communication major produced over 200 films and television shows in the last three decades. His cred- Jessica Zapata and her boyfriend Richits include “Star Trek: The Next Genera- ard Ramirez, sophomore biology major, tion,” “Stargate SG-1,” “Diagnosis Mur- were in attendance and were thrilled der,” “Murder She Wrote,” and “Walker, about the overall experience of viewing Texas Ranger.” His work on the CBS their first play at UTPA. “I was so scared, the climax was inseries “Capitol” earned him a Writer’s tense,” Zapata said.

Guild Award nomination.

The McAllen native admitted that she Casting for the play was done in February and with eight speaking roles, really doesn’t care for plays in general, the actors fought off sleep with lengthy but when she had heard that “Wait Until rehearsal nights to dive deep into their Dark” was being staged, she felt a cercharacters and bring them to life. Rachel tain interest to check it out.

Ramirez on the other hand has been a Saldaña, a senior theater major was cast as the lead role of Susy, and captured the fan of plays and was surprised at how scary “Wait Until Dark” was. terror and courage brilliantly.

“I was pleasantly surprised with the en“When I heard that the department was going to do this play, I got really ex- tire performances from the cast,” he said.

“Everyone was on top cited,” Saldaña said.

“I mean this charac- “I would close my eyes and of their game.”

Along with “Wait ter; this whole play is envision the blackness of my Until Dark,” Carren thrilling and intense. also had to balance To play a blind per- eyes being closed.” the last throes of the son is really a unique popular and critically experience for me.” lauded film “The Red The Mercedes Rachel Saldaña Queen,” which denative investigated Lead actress buted on March 22 at more about the blind world and spoke to people who knew blind the Carmike Theater in Edinburg. When people so she could get the emotions and asked how difficult it was to bring two productions off at roughly the same time, Carcharacteristics right.

“Every day before we started re- ren sighed and said it was hard work. He hearsal I would meditate,” Saldaña said. worked on the play at night, and promoted “I would close my eyes and envision the and worked on the film during the day.

“I don’t recommend anyone do this blackness of my eyes being closed, so that when I opened them, I could act as at home,” he said humorously. “It’s all if everything was black when in reality worth it, especially for the department.”

CAMPUS

Political satire troupe The Second City to visit university

By Marco Carbajal The Pan American It holds all the promise of a night to remember; an exhibition of comedic geniuses in the making, a side of political satire and a dollop of social commentary on top.

The Second City invades the AllAmerican City on April 8 at 7 p.m. as the Student Union presents a free two-hour comedy block of hijinks and hilarity. The event is part of “Arts at the Union,” an initiative to bring more cultural, musical and theatrical entertainment to The University of Texas-Pan American.

Delma D. Olivarez, associate director of the Student Union, says the Union looked up the group online and contacted the agency that represents them for the chance to bring them to campus.

“The performance material is spon-

taneous and pulled from current headlines,” Olivarez said. “The Second City’s live comedy provides a very unique opportunity that most of our students would have to travel to see.”

Known for its distinctive comedic style of blending improvisation and sketch comedy, The Second City got its start in Chicago during the 1950s as a cabaret-style revue founded by a group of University of Chicago students. Its satirical name was derived from a 1952 article about Chicago in The New Yorker

by A. J. Liebling.

The Second City Theatre first opened its doors in December 1959 on North Wells Street in the Windy City and has never looked back. As the demand for the new genre of comedy grew, so did Second City, opening training and instruction centers in Chicago, Los Angeles and

Toronto. The training centers offer workshops in improvisation, acting, directing, comedy writing and even music.

Famous alumni include Tina Fey, Mike Meyers, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carrell, Horatio Sanz, Tim Meadows, Neil Flynn, Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, Adam McKay, Jason Sudeikis and Bill Hader.

In addition to having theaters in Chicago and Toronto, the organization also boasts productions that tour domestically and internationally.

Josh Miller, company manager of touring and theatricals for The Second City, says shows are usually two acts with a 15-minute intermission in between. Actors then close with a 10- to 15-minute improv set comprised of new or original material.

Miller also adds that the advantage of taking the shows on the road allows

people who aren’t in Chicago or Toronto to get to see a show from some of the funniest people around before they’re bona fide comedy stars.

“Name a comedy show and we’ll have alumni on their staff, if not performing on the show, writing for it, directing it, or producing it,” Miller said.

“The actors that you will see could very well go on to the same kinds of careers.

There’s a pretty good chance you’ll see that person on TV or in movies soon.

That’s a really cool thing to say you saw that person perform at your college.”

Brooke Bagnall, a Chicago transplant from North Carolina, is a Second City alumnus and has been an actor in the touring company for over a year.

Bagnall compares improv to a sport in which one observes and repeats until it becomes second nature. She also adds

that college audiences are ideal for this particular genre.

“College students are savvy and smart, and they are usually some of our most vocal audiences,” Bagnall said.

“Our show is smart, funny and not afraid to say the things that we aren’t supposed to say in public. College students appreciate that, and their energy makes the show even more fun.”

Bagnall counts fellow alums Fey, Gilda Radner and Amy Sedaris as her comedy heroes, and says that despite long travel days and flight delays, traveling the globe doing shows she is proud of, with funspirited people make it all worthwhile.

Admission to the performance is free and the show begins at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Theater. For tickets, special accommodations or more information, call 316-7989.

Page 12

ARTS AND LIFE

April 2, 2009

T LIFE

South African teens seek adventure over academia

By Isaac Garcia The Pan American

Ben Briones/The Pan American HARD WORKER - While touring the Valley, Marlize Smit has been too tired during her leisure time to enjoy a night out. Smit is looking forward to enjoying a movie at the theater.

As Marlize Smit prepares funnel cakes and beverages at a carnival located on the corner of 29th Street and Expressway 83 in McAllen, nothing appears out of the ordinary until her accent is noticed as she politely thanks customers.

Smit, 19, originally from Limpopo, a province in South Africa, has been touring since February with a carnival that travels around the United States and Canada.

“After I graduated school I wasn’t sure what to do with myself,” Smit said.

“I read in a brochure of a touring carnival that traveled the States and I thought it sounded fun, so I came with a handful of other South Africans around my age.”

One of the persons traveling from South Africa along with Smit is 19-year-old Danie Van Dyk, who takes turns operating the carnival rides with his co-workers.

“We all came pretty much on the same pretenses,” he said. “After school we weren’t really sure what we wanted.

I want to travel and visit Canada. I’ll tell you this much, the weather here is pretty similar to that of South Africa.”

South Africa is in the southernmost part of Africa and is predominantly black with only about a nine percent white population. With a working democracy, its climate is moderate with yearly averages in the low 40s to high 80s. Most notably, South Africa garnered global attention when then political activist Nel-

son Mandela was released from prison after 27 years of being incarcerated.

Mandela later became president from 1994 to 1999, and was one of the leading forces fighting against apartheid.

Despite traveling so far, Smit and Van Dyk, both Anglo Africans have not experienced a real sense of culture shock.

“I wasn’t surprised at all by how different things were when I got here. I mean sure there are some differences but culture is great here and I’m not at all shocked by it,” Smit said. “The only thing I am shocked by is how much Americans and Mexicans are able to eat. Back home we eat smaller portions; it’s funny.”

Fluent in two of South Africa’s 11 official languages, English and Afrikaans, which is a descendant of Dutch and is spoken by roughly 6 million people in South Africa, Smit is excited to be catching on to some Spanish words.

“So far I just know the numbers 1 through 10, but give me a little bit of time and I’ll pick up on more words.”

This marks Smit and Van Dyk’s first tour with the carnival. Smit plans to dedicate at least two years to the effort as it travels North America.

“It’s not just about being away from home…it’s about experiencing something different and learning along the way,” Smit said. “People back home always asked me what I was going to do with my schooling and I see this as an experience that teaches me things as I travel North America.”

Having been in the United States for a little over a month, Smit hasn’t ventured far from her living quarters as the carnival traveled from Zapata to McAllen to date.

“I actually can’t tell you where I am staying I just don’t know the location.

How sad is that? To go out we need taxis so we just hang out in our bunkhouses,” she said. “We haven’t the time to do anything. We always stay up late due to work.

I am planning on going to a pool bar in the city or to the cinema when I get a chance.”

Smit left her family behind in Limpopo, but has only one drawback.

“I have my mum, my dad and my sister who I miss very much,” she said.

“My sister is getting married this weekend. I don’t regret coming here but for that one day I am going to regret not being there for her.”

A good meal is one commodity that Smit has come to miss quite often.

“In South Africa I would eat a proper meal with lots of meat and steak and maybe some chips,” Smit said. “I actually miss vegetables. Can you believe that?

Here I usually have to eat burgers and microwave dinners-- at least it’s fast.”

Though they are enjoying their sojourn through North America, both the teens say they plan on returning to South Africa and possibly take up studies.

“I love it here, the people are nice, the place is nice, everything but the wind is nice,” Smit said. “I do plan on returning home and possibly studying photography at the university.”

Dates to Know: Women’s Tennis

Vs. Stephen F. Austin April 4 Orville Cox Tennis Center April 2, 2009

THE PAN AMERICAN

Rockin’ Easter

April 8, 3:30 to 9 p.m.

WRSC “The Rock”

Page 13

TRACK AND F IELD

Green and Orange return home with 13 Top-10 finishes

By Ramiro Paez The Pan American Dave Hartman knew what he was getting into when he got hired as new head coach for the University of Texas-Pan American men’s and women’s track and field team.

He inherited a program that was without a mentor since December, and the task of filling the leadership void became even more complicated when former assistant coach Hugo Cervantes, the go-to director for several athletes on the squads, resigned last month. The situation could have made Hartman’s job difficult but because of a relentless program whose work ethic and commitment has been evident from the start, the transition has been rather smooth, he says.

“We very fortunate to have a close-knit group of experienced veterans as our team leaders, which has been a great asset for me being hired in the middle of the season,” Hartman said. “They have really carried this team and I am fortunate to have them.

“Speaking for the whole team, we have a great group of extremely hard-working young men and women who may not be extremely talented, but what they lack for in talent they make up for it in hard work and just pure grit.”

The Broncs and Lady Broncs have been on a roll as of late, garnering impressive performances throughout the

season, including racking up several top-10 finishes, setting personal bests and breaking school records. The unit has not skipped a beat even after enduring a coaching hiatus in the past four months.

The men’s and women’s team each captured third place at the Great West Indoor Championships March 1, and second and first, respectively, at the Cactus Cup in Kingsville March 21.

Junior distance runner Gilroy Martinez says changing leadership has not affected the team’s capabilities, but that the season’s journey was more dicey because the replacement came during mid-year.

“It’s the coaches not knowing what we have, our potential,” said Martinez, who placed seventh in the 1,500-meter run at the Victor Lopez Bayou Classic last week in Houston. “They kind of have to come up with a different way of coaching us.

With our old coach (Cervantes), he used to know everything about us; how strong we were and what we feel weak in. This new coach, he doesn’t know as much so I guess he just has to learn more.”

When he was hired for the position, Hartman, 36, says he was told by several people he was inheriting an experienced group of individuals, including several members from the 2008 Great West Conference men’s cross-country championship team.

The program’s strong mindset doesn’t

surprise Hartman because each athlete wants to accomplish individual goals. But now he wants to offer them some consistency and support they have lacked in recent months.

“I look at some of these athletes and they’ve already had, in their short careers, multiple coaches. That’s one thing we want to change,” he said.

Hartman, a California native, is in his 12th year of coaching and spending seasons at The University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas A&M and The University of Georgia. During his running career, he was named an All-American at Villanova University and finished at UTSA, where he was named the conference’s Outstanding Male Track Athlete in ’96.

Hartman’s vision for the men’s and women’s track team extends beyond even his own expectations. But he is also a realist. Helping future athletes toward berths in the NCAA Championships, plus All-American accolades, won’t come naturally, but with the dedication the team has shown this season it might become reality.

As for the last two months of competition this season, Martinez says it’s a simple formula.

“If we just keep pushing ourselves, its (performances) going to stay the same,” Martinez said. “We’re still doing a lot of miles, we’re still putting in the work, we’re not slacking off.

We’re still working hard.”

Isaac Barrientes/The Pan American

OBSTACLE COURSE - Freshman biology major Karla Garza practices for competition. She placed 16th in hurdles with fellow Bronc Sara Hernandez sixth during the Victor Lopez Bayou Classic.

TENNIS

Women drop two matches, men drop conference outing to Arlington

By Ramiro Paez The Pan American During a recent afternoon practice, juniors Luisa Cantu and Stephanie Willerding were the most noticeable players on the court as the two exchanged heavy conversation during the team’s warm-up drills.

Cantu of Tamaulipas, Mexico, and Willerding of Ontario, Canada, shared a light, comical discussion, mirroring the bond the two international players share on the court.

Cantu and Willerding were two members of the 2007-2008 team which finished with the program’s best all-time single-season record, 17-8.

Former coach Rob Hubbard, who resigned to take the head coach position at University of Maryland Baltimore County in December, was selected as the Division I All-Independent Coach of the Year and led five players to the All-Independent

team last season.

It was definitely a season to remember but after losing three key seniors in Silke Buksik, who finished with a 19-3 overall singles record, and Brazilian natives Julia Cirne-Lima and Giana Oliveira, the returning Lady Broncs knew it would be a difficult task to repeat.

“I think last season’s team was one of the best team’s that the school has ever had,” Cantu said.

“We were really close teammates.

We kind of got in the idea that we could win every single match.

Leaving that successful season and coming into a new season with a new team is really hard.

But the experience that we all had was something that was going to be hard to repeat because it was a pretty good season.”

This year, the women are nowhere near last season’s record as they sit at 2-13. They are coming off a three-game road swing in Houston

last week, suffering 7-0 defeats to Lamar and Rice, and a 5-2 decision to Houston.

Cantu says several factors have contributed toward the rough year.

Hubbard’s resignation, new arrivals, and women playing at different positions in the rotation are reasons she mentioned.

Interim head coach Chris Gill said he took a more laid-back approach when he assumed the head coaching responsibilities, unlike Hubbard’s intense, hands-on tactics.

The new leader wanted the Lady Broncs to take the initiative toward the value of winning.

“I think what it breeds is an environment of ownership,” Gill said.

“I want the team to feel that they have some sense of ownership; that they’re just not playing. That they’re actually here so that when we are out there playing, we understand we’re playing for ourselves.

It’s nothing that is engineered or

forced; it’s something that is tangible. It hasn’t come easy, but I think they’re starting to get it.”

Willerding knew the ’08-’09 campaign would be completely different with half of the lineup gone, and figured the year would serve as an adjustment period.

“In the beginning, we weren’t as close as a team,” said Willerding, who has vigorously competed at the No. 1 spot after playing in the No. 4 rotation last year. “Now, we’re coming together and I think the freshmen (Malin Anderson, Reetta Raty, Andrea Salvetova) are finally seeing what college tennis is about because it is a learning experience.”

The season is winding down for the Lady Broncs with only two games remaining. Both will be played at the Orville Cox Tennis Center, plus the National Independent Tournament April 17. Cantu says the team is already looking ahead to the future, but will try to

conclude the year on a sound note.

“As much as we want to win, it’s hard to set that goal right now because we only have one win the whole season,” Cantu said. “As a goal, it’s do the best in your match and try to support your teammates.”

BRONCS The men’s tennis team dropped two matches against the University of Texas-Arlington Sunday and Laredo Community College Tuesday, leaving the Broncs at 5-12 for the season.

Sophomores Aswin Vijayaragavan and Andrew Irving collected the only points for the Broncs against the Mavericks, while Beau Bernstein defeated his opponent in Laredo’s upset over UTPA. The team will return to action April 11 against Lamar University, in the program’s regular-season finale before the Southland Conference Tournament April 24-26.

Page 14

SPORTS

April 2, 2009

WELLNESS CENTER

Military Academy sponsors rock-climbing competition at WRSC

By Gregorio Garza The Pan American

Hector J. Garcia/The Pan American

ROCKY ASCENT - Izak Ramirez, sophomore nursing major, struggles as he climbs up tough obstacles Friday.

With muscles tense and sweat dripping, students attempted to climb the rock wall at the Wellness and Sports Recreational Complex dubbed “The Rock” last Friday and Saturday, clinging on to dear life. Though the WSRC has held rock-climbing competitions once a semester since it first opened, this one is different.

Alongside students of the University of Texas-Pan American were cadets from the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen. The competition took place over two days with each day focusing on a single style of climbing, basic rock climbing, or top-roping and bouldering.

The competition was sponsored by the MMA. The school has supported the partnership between the two schools for the last two years.

In top-roping, an anchor is set up at the top of the climb with a rope running through; one end is attached to the climber and the other to the belayer, whose purpose is to keep the rope taut and to prevent long falls. In addition to the top-roping competition, lead climbing can be done for more points. This is the practice of climbing with the rope attached directly to the climber from the belayer. Lead climbing is considered more difficult and thus worth more points in competition. Bouldering

is where the climber goes up without the aid of a rope and is a technique usually limited to short climbs.

DAY ONE Across the rock face, pieces of tape marked specific routes and lanes for the competitors. Points were given based on the style of climbing: leading, timed, or following a set path that was previously laid out. Following the path was worth a set number of points depending on the path, and in timed climbing, the climber could use any path or means to get to the top in the best time. Points were deducted when one ventured outside their lane or fell.

In joint competition with MMA, UTPA students faced off against new competitors. “Since they are an Academy, I expect more of a challenge,” said sophomore nursing major Izak Ramirez, a two-year climber from UTPA. Though “The Rock” is nothing new to MMA students, the UTPA facility took some getting used to.

“You guys (UTPA) have this amazing rock face and we have this… it’s basically wood planks with poles stuck on them. So, there is a big difference there,” said Cole Ducote, a junior from MMA. “We go here mostly, the main reason being this is probably one of the best facilities and a lot of the other schools show up for this competi-

tions,” Ducote said.

UTPA students swept the top three for the regular climbing competition with Oscar Barrenechea taking first place, Ramirez taking second and freshman Emmanuel Martinez from Sullivan City placing third.

DAY TWO Six routes or paths were set up, each worth a certain number of points varying with the difficulty. A total of six climbs could be done for scoring, and each could be tried three times, with the last try counting for score.

A climb consisted of an attempt to overcome the route in question. Each route could only be done twice for points however.

When the competition was over, Michael Whittenberg from MMA held first place with a score of 150. Martinez from UTPA placed second with 112 and MMA student Dylan Joslin was third with 107.

Competitions are held at the WRSC for local schools and UTPA students, with different activities held during the year. For last Halloween, the WRSC put on “Rockin’ Horror” Oct. 30, where it invited community members to climb the wall. The School for the Blind was invited as well to come climb the wall, which the instructors at the WRSC prepared for by wearing blindfolds to understand how it would feel to climb without seeing the path.

April 2, 2009

SPORTS

Page 15

BASEBALL

Season hardships continue as Broncs drop to 5-24 record

By Kevin Stich The Pan American

Isaac Barrientes/The Pan American

MOUND MEETING - Coach Manny Mantrana heads to the mound as catcher Nick Spears (left) and pitcher Anthony Garcia wait during Friday’s match against the New Mexico State Aggies.

New uniforms have done little to help the 5-24 record that the Broncs have tallied this season, as the program tries to work its way out of a sevengame losing skid that started in late March.

Last week the University of TexasPan American baseball team played host to a three-game series against nationally ranked New Mexico State University (25-3). UTPA fell to the No. 24 Aggies in three straight games on three consecutive nights.

A warm Thursday evening at the Edinburg Baseball Stadium saw the home team get down early as pitcher Shane Janecka surrendered five runs in the first three innings.

The Broncs found some hope in the sixth when first baseman Garrett Bivone homered, putting the score at 6-2. It was his second homer of the year for a team that has only hit .275 all season.

After a single run in the eighth, New Mexico State held an 8-3 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. However, center fielder Bonham Hough, who has sat in for the injured Billy Donaho, hit a line-drive home run -- his first of the season -- to left field bringing in three runs and pulling the boys to within two.

Two runs later, with the game tied at eight apiece the teams went into extra innings, but it took only one run to put UTPA away after Aggies shortstop Bryan Marquez scored on a passed ball

in the 10th.

After the game, the atmosphere was numb as the few loyal fans, hopes dashed by a game that broke spirits, found themselves in a Novocain-like induced state. Even head coach Manny Mantrana’s voice seemed to be more lukewarm than usual.

“They played well today,” Mantrana said. “They came back against a quality team… They fought, they battled, they came back against probably the best team we’ve faced all year.”

Friday night looked to be a repeat of Thursday, but cold bats plagued the Broncs as the team could not summon a comeback and suffered a 9-3 setback.

Saturday played out no different as UTPA dropped a 7-3 decision, despite a strong seven inning seven-strikeout performance by pitcher Scott Wingo.

After a team huddle, a disheartened tone in his voice, Wingo expressed some disappointment with his performance.

“It felt good that I hung in there for that long and competed with these guys,” said Wingo, whose record in now 1-3. “They’re one of the best teams we’ve played all year. I had a little bit too many walks than I wanted to have, but a hit here and there and a play here and there and we should win that game.”

With two days rest, Tuesday the team headed to Beaumont to face Lamar University (19-10) in a doubleheader.

In the first game, helped by an Abraham Garcia homerun in the fifth, his first of the season, the Broncs built a 6-4 lead going in to the bottom of the

ninth and looked poised to pick up a much needed win. But Lamar drove in five runs in the final inning, all of which came off homers to hand UTPA a 9-6 defeat.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Garcia homered once again to give the team a 1-0 lead, until Lamar ripped off six runs of it’s own to take a 6-1 advantage. UTPA responded by putting four on the board, including a Hough homer, but its contention was short-lived when in the sixth inning the Cardinals produced six runs and sealed the deal on a 12-5 victory.

Garcia batted .500 in the two games including two homers, while pitchers Tim Tefft and Nathan Molina both picked up losses in the affair, putting their records at 0-2 and 1-4 respectively.

Facing many questions about the lackluster success of the season, Mantrana’s mantra seems to be that Rome was not built in a day, as he stated in December when he took over.

“Everybody has to be a little patient.

We can’t turn around eight straight losing seasons without giving us a chance to bring in the recruiting class we choose,” he said. “We signed a good early class in November and we’re recruiting some kids now so that we can sign on April 8.

So our first recruiting class is going to be a good one and you’ll be able to see the difference. As far as next year, it’s going to be a huge turnaround.”

With 18 games left in the season UTPA heads to Houston to face The University of Houston April 3 in another three-game series.

WOMEN’S GOLF

Wet field, rain puts pressure on Lady Broncs, who finish 17th at meet

By Sara Hernandez The Pan American The beginning of this week wasn’t pleasant for the University of TexasPan American women’s golf team.

After several hours of rain in Hot Springs, Ark., the Lady Broncs struggled to close the UALR Women’s Golf Classic, where they finished 17th out of 21 teams with 988 strokes.

“It’s been our worst tournament of the year,” men and women’s golf director Ofelia Lopez said. “We didn’t play to the best of our abilities; we didn’t go out there thinking we could win.”

Senior Mariale Camey had the best score for the Lady Broncs with 243. After finishing the first two rounds with 82 and 77, the Guatemala native closed the second day with an 84 that placed her tied in 47th and tied with teammate Bronwyn Sandberg, also a senior.

Fourteen spots behind Camey, Sandberg finished the first two rounds in 42nd (81, 80), but hit an 82 in the last round that tied her with her teammate.

“We were disappointed,” Sandberg said. “We are all very talented individuals but we’re still working on managing our pressure.”

Sophomore Haley Hocott finished the first two rounds tied in 65th with a score of 165, but came back in the

Ben Briones/The Pan American

EYE ON THE BALL - Senior Bronwyn Sandberg practices her drive at Los Lagos Golf Course. Sandberg tied with Mariale Camey for 47th place in the UALR Classic with the Lady Broncs placing 17th overall. last round with an 82 that helped her jump two spots with a punctuation of 247 (81, 84, 82).

Freshman Sarah Kothny added 257 in the first two rounds and tied in 92nd by the end of the first day, but improved five places and finished tied in 87th with an 83-point third round.

With a score of 259 (91, 86, 82), freshman Maria Jose Camey placed 93rd of 104 competitors.

Although three out of five Lady Broncs progressed from the first to the second day, the effort wasn’t enough for they were already too far behind playing on the soaked courts of the

Diamante Country Club.

“We tried to come back, but instead of contending, we had already dug ourselves in a hole,” Lopez said.

UALR won the competition with a score of 927, while Kelsey Kipp of the University of Missouri Kansas City took home the individual title with

221 strokes.

The second-year director mentioned that this week’s trouble will be a learning experience for the players, who will close the season with two very important championships.

“We have to learn how to fight going out, not being afraid,” she said.

“We have to embrace it and go out from hole one, day one.”

The Lady Broncs will have three weeks of preparation before heading to Houston to compete for the Great West Conference Championship April 20-21. Then they wrap up the season at the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship to take place May 8-10 at Port St. Lucie, Fla. “We’re excited for those two tournaments, we want to end this season strong,” Sandberg said. “We’re looking optimistic about working hard these next three weeks of preparation.”

Lopez concluded that despite the setbacks, the effort put forth in practice will carry over in the last weeks of the 2008-2009 season.

“They are ready for conference and minority,” Lopez said. “Their hard work is gonna pay off because they want it so bad, but they have to be winners to start playing from round one and they’re not doing it.”

Page 16

THE PAN AMERICAN

April 2, 2009

FEATURE

By Pedro Perez IV THE PAN AMERICAN When people talk about throwers for the Lady Broncs, Delilah Johnson comes to mind especially recently because the early 1990s All-American was inducted into the Bronc Athletic Hall of Fame in February.

But this year the University of Texas-Pan American women’s track and field program has a new thrower making a name for herself, San Antonio native Amanda Ferris.

Ferris began the indoor season with a 12th-place finish at the Leonard Hilton Memorial but by the time the Great West Conference Championships arrived she came home with two conference titles for shot put and weight throw.

For the senior Ferris, hard work and discipline have paid off for her on the track. She knows what needs to be done to be successful and is most proud of her progression at UTPA. “When I left for college I thought it was going to be high school again,” Ferris admitted. “I’m glad that I did move away from home because it made me find myself and become a new person.”

Ferris also said she didn’t think people have to change but they need to find a way to develop themselves in life and find out who they really want to be. She believes

Sports Commentary

she found it at UTPA. Off the track Ferris is an everyday college student. She attends most university related events, and on Thursdays she and her friends, which include some of the members of the track team, get together for an evening of entertainment.

“There’s a couple of TV shows we get together for every Thursday like ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’” Ferris said. “Our group of friends will get together, make dinner and just hang out.”

In the summers Ferris practices her lifelong dream while coaching summer track for the McAllen Parks and Recreation program.

She tries to maintain a relationship with her athletes, making sure they are doing well and succeeding at whatever they’re doing.

For the moment Ferris is also a student teacher at Nikki Rowe High School in McAllen. Being at Rowe opened up another opportunity for Ferris because one of her mentors there, Lupe Sosa, is the track and field head coach for the Warriors.

“I’m helping with the girl’s track and field there,” Ferris said.

“It was a good pairing because I get to see all the experience with the student teaching and hopefully I can become head coach some day.”

And some day is on the way for this throwing star who has competed for four years. First-year

UTPA Dave Hartman said he’s saddened that Amanda won’t be around anymore.

“As happy as I am for her I’m also a little disappointed we’re not going to have her next year,” he said. “I realize that we’re not only going to lose a great athlete but somebody that has been a great role model for the younger athletes on our team so we’re appreciating what we have now.”

Ferris also knows that she couldn’t have done it alone. Her performances this year have shot her reputation through the roof and she pays a lot of the credit to first-year assistant coach Jennifer Leatherman.

“She has great workouts and she’s a good motivator to push you because she’s been there and she’s thrown that far,” Ferris said of the former five-time AllAmerican. “She knows what it takes so she’s just been there to keep pushing us.”

W i t h the outdoor season in full swing Ferris is focusing her

training for the NCAA Regional Championships May 29. This is her second time qualifying for the event and her ultimate goal is to advance to the AT&T USA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. Ferris qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships at the Cactus Cup in Kingsville, Texas in the shot put and hammer throw.

She marked a 47-8.0 and 180-3 respectively.

“I qualified for regionals my sophomore year, my junior year I missed it by three inches and my first senior year I got hurt so I redshirted,” Ferris said. “But now I’m back!”

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Sports rants: From blow ups to ramblings

By Gregorio Garza The Pan American The unforgiving truth in sports is that for every winner, there is a loser. And while blame for losing can be thrown every which way, it will eventually stick somewhere. Losing big games creates emotional responses and in today’s digital media age, also to the almighty sports rant.

Sports rants are creatures all on their own, with several telltale signs that announce them as they are unleashed on the masses.

Of course, there is the sheer volume, but it is more than just a raising of the voice. It is the tone of hysteria from someone on the edge. Then there is the repetition, saying one word over and over and over again, drilling that word into the public’s mind. And lastly, there are the ramblings that don’t make sense, yet are heard nonetheless. Let’s look at some of the top sports rants that exemplify these qualities.

VOLUME: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=m_N1OjGhIFc This one is a hard one to pick but it has to go to Dennis Green because of the complete reversal of his demeanor.

The normally soft-spoken Green with the Arizona Cardinals in 2007 exploded with anger after the Cardinals lost to the Bears despite having a 23-3 lead over them going into the 4th quarter, Oct. 16, 2006. The often repeated, “They are what we thought they were,” exemplifies the emotion that Green harnessed.

REPETITION: http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI Nothing says repetition like the press conference Allen Iverson held while he was with the ‘76ers in 2004, after missing one practice. In the space of 2 minutes and 22 seconds, he mentioned “practice” a total of 25 times. During the conference, you can hear the press start to break out in laughter as they realize what was going on; Iverson himself began to realize it but nothing could stop him. Thankfully, he didn’t stop, so we were graced with one of the all-time best rants.

RAMBLINGS: http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=aoMmbUmKN0E Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy says the famous line, “Come after me!

I’m a man! I’m forty!” during his tirade at a press conference Sept. 22, 2007 after Oklahoma State won against Texas Tech.

An article was written in The Oklahoman by reporter Jenni Carlson that, according to Gundy, criticized one of his athletes and belittled him. Gundy explodes and tells the reporter, who went unnamed, that he hopes someday they have a child who gets belittled and criticized. Maybe that way the reporter would realize how difficult it is to console them. Gundy told the press rep that if she were a parent, she would never have written such an article.

While losing is never fun, and neither is watching your team lose, we can enjoy the aftermath of such rants that follow.

These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sports emotion, but as long as sports are played, there will always be such scenes to enjoy.