March 7, 2002

PAGE 16

NFL

After losing middle linebacker Sam Cowart to free agency Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills didn’t take long to fill their void in the middle, signing former St. Louis Rams starter London Fletcher (pictured above).

The Bills struck a five-year deal with Fletcher Wednesday afternoon worth $17 million, including a signing bonus of $4 million. Fletcher, 26, is expected to make the deal official Thursday. Cowart also signed a six-year deal worth $31 million with the New York Jets Wednesday.

The Jets also officially resigned middle linebacker Marvin Jones Wednesday in an effort to keep their linebacking corps up to strength.

S PORTS

■ Sports Clipboard. . . . . . .15 ■ By the numbers . . . . . . .14

By Eladio Jaimez The Pan American

Now that the basketball regular season is over, the postseason awards have started coming in.

Bronc head coach Bob Hoffman was one of the first to garner an award.

Hoffman was named Independent Coach of the Year

by CollegeInsider.com Tuesday, following an impressive 20-win season.

“I didn’t expect it at all,” he said. “It is definitely an honor for this team and the program. If we didn’t have the players, these awards don’t count.”

In his third year as head coach, Hoffman led the Broncs to a 20-10 record with a 12-2 record at The Fieldhouse. The

20-10 mark is the best since the 1989-90 season, when the Broncs finished 21-9 under coach Kevin Wall.

UTPA hired Hoffman in September 1999 to bring “unquestionable integrity and character” to the team after a series of program problems. He was also brought here to win games.

In three years, Hoffman has recorded 44 wins. His predecessor, Delray Brooks, accumulated only eight wins in two years before being relieved of his duties.

In Hoffman’s first year, the Broncs ended a 64-game road losing streak against Oral Roberts University with a 79-62 win over the Golden Eagles Jan. See COACH page 15

Eladio Jaimez/The Pan American Sophomore hurdler Rashaad Ben practices for the outdoor track season, which gets under way March 15. The Broncs travel to San Antonio to compete in the UTSA Whataburger Classic. As a freshman, Ben broke the school record in the indoor 55meter hurdles with a time of 7.57 at the Texas Tech Open. He also broke the outdoor record in the 110-meter high hurdles with a time of 14.74 at the Oregon Invitational.

■ Bronc jumpers saddened at fellow vaulter’s death

By Mike Gonzalez The Pan American

Following an extended battle against colon cancer, Alice Bauer (shown above), one of the founding members of the LPGA Tour, died at the age of 74.

Bauer, who died at the home of her sister, Marlene Bauer Hagge, was one of 13 women who founded the LPGA tour. Bauer won the South Dakota Amateur when she was just 14, but never won an LPGA tour event. Her best season was in 1956, when she ranked 14th on the LPGA’s money list. Hagge, who was also a founding member of the LPGA, was recently elected to the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Sometimes athletes love a sport so much it takes an injury to pull them off the field.

Ex-Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin was removed on a stretcher after injuring his neck on the hard surface of Philadelphia’s Veteran Stadium in October 1999.

He decided to retire only after family and friends persuaded him that there’s more to life then football.

The same goes for former basketball star Isiah Thomas.

He played 13 years for the Detroit Pistons and retired Eladio Jaimez/The Pan American after tearing his Achilles tenBronc pole vaulter Jeff Martzell practices at the don in 1993.

UTPA track Tuesday afternoon. Martzell said Unfortunately, injuries can he’ll continue with the sport despite the recent sometimes lead to permanent death of Penn State’s vaulter Kevin Dare.

VOICE

CAMPUS NEWS

Vaughn: Pole vaulting not overly dangerous

LPGA

Campus How do you feel regarding the deployment of U.S. troops to various foreign countries in the fight against terrorism?

Page 4

Coach, player garner awards

tragedy. Kevin Dare, a member of the Penn State University men’s track and field team, died Feb. 23 during an indoor track and field meet. Dare, who struck his head on the ground while attempting a pole vault, was pronounced dead a short time later.

University of Texas-Pan American track and field coach Ricky Vaughn knows that the chances of an injury in any sport exist, but he doesn’t see the pole vault as an overly dangerous event.

‘I don’t think it’s any different than any other sport,” Vaughn said. “A basketball player can get his legs knocked out and hit his head.

A volleyball player can take a line drive into the face.

It’s the nature of what we

do.”

The Bronc pole vaulters— senior Rachel Drury and freshman Jeff Martzall— were saddened to hear about Dare’s death.

“I’ve heard of accidents before, but it’s the first time I’ve heard of someone dying at a collegiate level and it’s upsetting,” Drury said.

Martzall recalls being shocked after hearing about Dare’s death via a phone call after coming home from practice.

“It’s kind of sad to hear because you usually don’t hear about pole vaulters dying,” Martzall said. “If you don't know what you’re doing, there’s a lot of risk in the sport.”

Martzall started jumping in See POLE VAULT page 14

THURSDAY

Give life, give blood.

In an effort to curb a desperate shortage, United Blood Services will team up with two UTPA student organizations to host three campus-wide blood drives.

The first blood drive will be hosted by the Student Government Association March 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Library Corridor.

SGA will host another blood drive March 21, again from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Library Corridor.

United Methodist Campus Ministry will host the final blood drive April 2 from noon to 5 p.m. in the United Methodist Campus Ministry Building.

According to Jennifer Lopez, community relations representative for UBS, 70 blood donors are needed daily to keep up with demand Valley-wide. “ We have been coming up short daily,” Lopez said. “ We have had no response to previous appeals, and now we are facing a severe shortage.”

Students and staff interested in donating blood must eat prior to donating and bring picture identification.

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March 7, 2002

BORDER Beauties

An Inside Look: Opinion ........................................2 ■ News ............................................3 ■ A & E............................................7 ■ Sports ........................................16 ■

Page 8

T h e S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r o f T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Te x a s - P a n A m e r i c a n

Curandero shares spirit healing

By Belinda Reyes The Pan American

Don Alberto Salinas, a practicing curandero (or folk healer) from Edinburg spoke to anthropology students in Dr. Glazer’s Mexican-American Folklore class Friday, March 1.

Glazer, professor of anthropology, invited Salinas to class to talk about his life as a curandero, which relates to several topics in the course.

“I invited Salinas because I wanted to go beyond the lectures and give the students an event in which they could experience a living example of Mexican American folk healing,” Glazer said.

Salinas presented videos of his healing and works that included undoing witchcraft and spells. He also channeled the spirit of El Nino Fidencio to the class.

Several students participated in a limpia, or a spiritual cleansing, during the event.

“I participated in the healing for a limpia just to experience what people believe in for actual [spiritual] cleansing,” said Tami Valdez, anthropology major.

Salinas has been a practicing curandero since 1979, when the spirit of Fidencio, a folk healer

from Espinazo [Nuevo Leon, Mexico] spoke to him through a 16-year-old girl and told him that he was a healer from the past.

“I had been going to spiritual sessions and [visiting] a spiritual healer, and he would channel past Indian shaman spirits. At this particular session there were several mediums that were invited and I didn’t know too much about that,” Salinas said. “Nino Fidencio manifested himself into this girl and he invited me to say a prayer and something came into me and I felt that he brought me close to God.” After that experience, Salinas said he felt the need to research Fidencio’s life, since he did not know much about him. He searched for information regarding the healer and discovered that he was buried in Espinazo, Mexico, northwest of Monterrey.

After that, Salinas said he felt the need to make an altar [shrine] in his house honoring Fidencio.

“I had this wanting desire to try to serve this holy man’s spirit,” Salinas explained.

Jose Fidencio Sintora Constantino was born in 1898 and was a famous Mexican curandero in the1920’s. The name ‘El Nino’ came from his healing ability, and Fidencio was compared to the

Celeste Tello / The Pan American

SPIRITUAL CLEANSING -- Don Alberto Salinas, an independent Fidencista, channels the spirit of ‘El Nino’ Fidencio in a Mexican-American folklore class and gives an anthropology student a limpia, or cleansing.

Christ child of Catholicism. As a young peasant boy, he showed a gift for healing and had knowledge of medicinal plants, as well as an affinity with the supernatural, according to an on-line article

from National Catholic Reporter.

Fidencio died in 1938 and was buried in his home in Espinazo.

“His spirit has taught me how to pray over people and aid See HEALER page 5

Women’s history month virtually unnoticed Elizabeth Martinez The Pan American

March has been designated Women’s History Month across the country but the precence of this celebration in the Valley is minimal.

The National Women’s History Project (NWHP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing the accomplishments of women throughout history.

NWHP, which was founded in Santa Rosa, Calif. in 1980, petitioned Congress to establish the month of March for national celebration of women.

The popularity of women’s history celebrations has reached campuses and communities across America. For nearly 20 years, the University of Texas-San Antonio has celebrated the month. This year’s events include lectures, workshops, films, readings and exhibits spotlighting influential

women. The Women’s History Coalition of MiamiDade County in Florida had a memorial to Julia S. Tuttle, founder of the City of Miami, as part of Women’s History Month.

Although Women’s History Month has turned into a major focal celebration in other areas, the University of Texas-Pan American will not be participating in this celebration.

Jeanette Broshears, director of Student Life and Transition Services, said that UTPA will not be specifically celebrating Women’s History Month, but instead will touch on women’s health issues at the student health fair on April 10.

“We did have activities last year but since both events are two weeks apart from each other we decided to combine the two,” said Broshears. “We found that both were trying to go out and contact the same agencies and attract the same students.”

Broshears said that there will be stickers and liter-

ature regarding women’s history available.

After several calls to various departments at UTPA, public libraries and museums, the Edinburg and McAllen Chamber of Commerce and the University of Texas-Brownsville/Texas Southmost College, the lack of Valley events commemorating women’s history was apparent.

South Texas Community College is the only local educational institution celebrating the month.

Barbara Mayo, chair of the Women’s Studies Committee at STCC, gave a list of activities planned to honor women.

“Inherently, men have written history. Most history is written by men about men,” Mayo said. “This is not about men against women, it’s about understanding the significant contributions of women.”

On March 6, Ed Garcia, art instructor at STCC, will present “TALK,” a discussion about the artist See WOMEN page 5

PAGE 2

March 7 2002

Celebrating 50 years 1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539 (956) 381-2541 Fax: (956) 316-7122 http://www.panam.edu/dept/panamerican 50th Year – No. 21

Editor Matt Lynch mlynch@panam.edu

News Editor Cristina Reyna creyna826@aol.com

Copy Editor Melissa Ciomperlik ciomperlik@yahoo.com

A & E Editor Ashley Brooks

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 university.

Letters policy

Magrew2@hotmail.com

Sports Editor Eladio Jaimez ejaimez@panam.edu

Layout Designers Gabriel Hernandez Cristina Reyna Celeste Y. Tello Reporters Blake Daniels Jaime Garcia Jr. Mike Gonzalez Elizabeth Martinez Linda Martinez Dagoberto Perez Nikki Ramirez Belinda Reyes Cristina Reyna Cesar Trevino Photographers Anna Stwora Mary Zuviri Advertising Dagoberto Perez Circulation Jesus M. Gonzalez Advertising Coordinator Juanita Sanchez Adviser Dr. Greg Selber

Letters to the editor must include your name, address, and phone number.

They will be printed at the discretion of the editor.

Readers with disabilities may request an alternative format of this publication at The Pan American business office.

For special assistance to attend any event listed in this publication, contact the coordinator of the event at least one week prior to the advertised date.

OPINION

March 7, 2002

letters

■

editorials

■

cartoons

Fulfilling a vital responsibility March 12.

It’s not the Super Bowl or the Grammys, but the date should mean much more to Valley residents than both those events combined. March 12 is the day we exercise our right to vote.

March 12 is the day we choose those who will represent us in our government. It is the day we elect members of our communities to be our voices in the halls of democracy, doing something which sets us apart from citizens of many other nations around the globe.

Or is it?

Like many rights and freedoms we have come to enjoy in this country, most Americans have long taken for granted the right to vote. It is often said that those rights we choose not to exercise are those rights which we forfeit.

Many citizens, especially college students, feel they have perfectly sound reasons for not participating in our democratic process. From not caring about elections to not knowing about the issues, the excuses of non-voters are many.

But talk is cheap. The simple fact of the matter is that without citizens who are willing to vote, the democratic process falters in its first and most important step. So many complain about the politicians who represent us, and are dissatisfied with their backgrounds, records or political stances. Rather than being active participants in one of the greatest experiments in government, many of us would rather sit on our hands and talk about how the system let us down.

In reality, though, when citizens don’t vote, it is the CITIZEN who lets the system down.

Who selected the officials so many of us complain about? Those who forfeit their right to vote also forfeit their right to voice their disapproval.

The only way to change the system is to change the system. We have the fundamental power to reward and to remove our leaders and representatives. The right to vote allows Americans the ability to re-elect politicians

who we feel adequately represent us and remove those from office who don’t hold up their end of lofty campaign bargains.

As schedules get more hectic and lives become increasingly filled with tedious details, we forget the trials and tribulations of those before us who secured those rights now so easily take for granted.

Through the struggles of men and women throughout history, voting, a privilege that was only granted to a very select few in the 1770s, became a right for every American to enjoy.

The 19th Amendment guarantees that for women.

Former President Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas illustrated perfectly the necessity of exercising the right to vote in the working democratic process when he said, “The command of the Constitution is plain. There is no moral issue. It is wrong, deadly wrong, to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country.”

Gay denim day provokes stern response To the Editor: I would just like to pose a question to the campus organization GLOBAL. GLOBAL posted many signs around campus promoting “Wear jeans if you are gay” on Thursday, March 7. I would like to know what purpose this served. By picking a general clothing item, which much of the public wears, such as jeans, it would not make sense that GLOBAL was trying to show group affiliation, or stand together as one, but merely to create a reaction.

I witnessed several people show looks of confusion when reading the signs, and one person ripped one down. These signs are comparable to one that would say, “If you are a Nazi, wear a T-Shirt.” Everyone wears T-shirts, therefore this serves zero purpose, except to incite a reaction out of those who happen to be wearing a T-shirt and not be a Nazi on that day. I feel that GLOBAL using jeans to indicate homosexuality is in poor taste, and should have picked an article of clothing that was more spe-

cific, such as a certain color, to promote their group as a growing part of the community. I commend the work GLOBAL has done to bring homosexuality to the forefront of society, but disagree with the way they have handled themselves here.

On Thursday March 21 all readers of The Pan American wear shoes.

Samuel Cook Senior, Mathematics

NEWS Enhanced research capabilities envisioned

By Eladio Jaimez The Pan American

UTPA: Vision of Success SECOND IN A CONTINUING SERIES While the growth of the University of Texas-Pan American is evident with a glance at the campus and its buildings, the university prides itself on various academic programs which have been added.

In the past few years, UTPA has also encouraged faculty to that end, and geared much of the school’s money toward research.

The university is committed to becoming more engaged in research, and created a new position to be filled by June.

Vice President for Academic Affairs Rodolfo Arevalo said the new Associate Vice President for Research will assist faculty involved in research. The new VP will spend much time out of the office working with federal agencies to help faculty involved in research.

“This new person will host workshops on grant writing, for example,” Arevalo said.

“They would spend a lot of time in Washington [D.C.] trying to get our name out there. We need these agencies to recognize us when we need their help.”

Arevalo said UTPA has submitted a couple of proposals for grants to conduct research in partnership with other universities.

“We’re looking at more and more co-op projects,” he explained.

Currently the university is awaiting response to a proposal for $7 million to conduct research in high energy physics with the University of Texas-Brownsville and Cornell University in upstate New York.

Another proposal in the wings deals with environmental work along the Rio Grande.

UTPA, along with Indiana State University and Texas A&M University, submitted a bid for $12 million in hopes of getting this project under way.

“They’ll be mapping and looking at environment problems along the river and coast,” Arevalo said. The UTPA Center for Subtropical Studies, various faculty, and the Coastal Studies Lab in South Padre Island will be involved in the project.

Arevalo said UTPA gained more money in federal grants in 2001 than in his first three years at the school.

“My first three years we generated $1.5 million,” Arevalo said. “Last year we received about $9 million.”

Arevalo said these initial research projects serve as starting points or baby steps toward UTPA establishing itself as a more legitimate research institution in the country.

“There are a lot of possibilities for this university becoming a major research university in South Texas,” Arevalo said.

He said that UTPA could become a legitimate competitor for major federal grant money in the future, but will probably never be able to compete with “tier 1” schools like the University of Texas-Austin and Texas A&M University.

“We can definitely be a tier 2 school,” Arevalo said. “Meaning we would be very research-intensive.”

The notoriety gained and the money procured would also help the school establish more graduate and doctoral programs, Arevalo See SERIES page 7

SPORTS CLIPBOARD

sports

Reynosa gallops into town EDINBURG - The University of Texas-Pan American Bronc baseball squad reached a twoyear agreement to play three exhibition games against the Reynosa Broncos of the Mexican League. The game will mark the start of the Baseball Border Series.

The Broncs will host Reynosa in the first game of the series, March 15 at 7 p.m. at Edinburg Baseball Stadium.

The agreement states both squads will play at each other’s home stadium, with one game played here and the other at Reynosa’s Adolfo Lopez Mateos Park.

The game comes at an opportune time for both squads. The Broncs have nine days off between a game against Notre Dame at the Round Rock Express Tournament on Sunday, and a home contest against Kansas University March 19.

The Broncos open their 2002 campaign with a road game against the Tecolotes of Nuevo Laredo March 20.

The Broncs met the Broncos in an exhibition game two years ago, with Reynosa coming out victorious, 6-3, before 4,746 baseball fans at Jody Ramsey Stadium.

Broncs to ride Round Rock Express

Page 15

By the numbers BASEBALL BRONC LEADERS Batting Average Juan Saenz Adam Farek Matt Eichel Matt Sisk Tony Ortiz Jarrod Maddox

.500 .417 .400 .361 .346 .312

Homeruns Matt Eichel Matt Sisk Jarrad Maddox Sean Flynn

2 2 1 1

RBI Matt Sisk Jarrad Maddox Marr Eichel Tony Ortiz Skip Weast Sean Flynn Jonathon Mason

10 8 5 5 5 4 4

Runs Matt Eichel Jerome McCoy Jonathan Mason Sean Flynn Bruce Kennedy John Lopez

12 11 7 6 6 6

TEAM NUMBERS Batting Average

.260

Homeruns

6

RBI

55

Hits

137

Runs

70

GOLF BRONCS MOE O’BRIEN CLASSIC

EDINBURG - The University of Texas-Pan American will face some formidable opposition this weekend when it participates at the prestigous Round Rock Express Classic.

The Broncs play three games in three days at the Dell Diamond, home of the Round Rock Express.

UTPA is slated to play the Bobcats of Southwest Texas State Friday morning at 11. They take on the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian Saturday evening at 7, and the Fightin’ Irish of Notre Dame Sunday afternoon at 2.

The Broncs take a lackluster 2-14 record into the tourney. The Irish (4-3) currently rank 24 in the Collegiate Baseball and Baseball Weekly/ESPN polls. TCU (6-7) plays a series against Texas Tech before arriving in Round Rock, and SWT (11-5) swept a two-game series a against the Broncs last month.

Seniors Justin Dowd and Frank James will start the games against the Bobcats and the Irish, respectively. Dowd brings an 0-2 record with a 12.76 ERA. James boasts a 2-3 record and 5.65 ERA. Brownsville native Travis Parkergets the nod against the Horned Frogs on Saturday. The southpaw holds a dreadful 0-5 record and 10.38 ERA. The Broncs’ next contest after the tourney is a home series against Kansas University.

Koziell named top in Southland PLANO - For the third time this season, a Bronc earned the Southland Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week honor.

Filip Koziell was chosen for his play last week against the University of Louisiana-Monroe and Centenary College.

He went 4-0 last weekend, winning twice in each match as the Broncs fell to ULM, 5-2. He defeated Centenary, 6-1, in pairs.

Koziell defeated Mark Edney of ULM, 6-2, 6-2, at number three singles Saturday. He teamed up with freshman Jeremy Salvo to defeat Bart Dabrowski and Stan Nevolovich, 8-2, at number two doubles.

Sunday, Koziell recorded two victories against Centenary.

The Canadian downed Mark Lewis, 6-4, 6-3 at number three singles. He teamed up with Salvo again and moved to number one doubles. They defeated Jimmy Allen and Todd Killen, 8-4.

The Broncs (4-4, 2-1) return to action when they play Gonzaga in San Francisco March 14.

Golfers come in ninth LAKE CHARLES, LA –The University of Texas-Pan American’s men’s golf team tied for ninth place at the Moe O’Brien Memorial Golf Tournament, hosted by McNeese State University at the Lake Charles Country Club. The tournament was reduced to two rounds due to inclement weather.

The Broncs shot a 313 on the second and final day, and their 36-hole total of 615 tied them with New Orleans. Oklahoma City won the tournament with a score of 580.

Junior Omar Halldorsson led the Broncs, shooting a second-round score of 75. He finished with a 36-hole total of 149, and tied for 18. Freshman John Huerta shot an 80 Tuesday and tied for 28 at 153. Sophomore Ben Piper also shot an 80, and tied for 45 at 156. Senior Santiago DeLarrea shot a 78 and tied for 55 at 157, while junior James Aleman shot an 83, and tied for 67 at 162.

The Broncs will return to action when they visit South Carolina-Aiken for the Cleveland Collegiate Tournament March 17.

Hits Matt Sisk Jerome McCoy Bruce Kennedy Jarrad Maddox Tony Ortiz

COACH

22 14 11 10 9

Omar Halldorsson John Huerta Ben Piper Santiago DeLarrea James Aleman

75-75-149, tied for 18th 73-80-153, tied for 28th 76-80-156, tied for 45th 79-78-157, tied for 55th 79-83-162, tied for 67th

continued from page 16

15, 2000.

Despite his accolades, Hoffman is the first to point out that the players are the reason the Broncs completed one of the most successful seasons in Bronc history. Senior guard Mire Chatman had one of the best seasons ever by a Bronc, and is now getting recognized for his efforts. CollegeInsider.com named Chatman Independent Player of the Year on Monday.

He finished the regular season averaging 26.2 points a game and 3.6 steals.

The scoring average ranked him third among NCAA Division I players and he was fourth in steals.

Marshall Rogers has the top single season average 36.8 in 1975-76, Bruce King is second (31.0 in 1973-74), Greg Guy is thid (29.3 in 1992-93), Fred Taylor is fourth (27.8 in 1969-70), Rogers is fifth (26.7 in 1974-75).

“Any awards at the end of the year come out of great team play,” Hoffman said. “If we didn’t have the kind of season we did, Mire wouldn’t get the awards.”

Wednesday, Chatman was named to the Division I All-Defensive team by the same on-line magazine.

On two different occasions, he recorded eight steals in a game during the season.

Hoffman said Chatman deserves every award he’s gotten to date, as well as any others he has yet to receive.

“He did everything that was asked of him last year,” Hoffman said. “He never complained. He could have taken a different road. We’re very proud of his attitude. He was always looking for the

best interest of the team.”

Even after receiving his awards, Chatman still credits his team and looks at the team’s success when assessing the season.

“It was a great season having the 20 wins. We’d like 25, but we’ll take 20 any day.” Chatman said. “We met our goal of 20 wins, and I had a great season.”

Hoffman and Chatman hope their 20win season can entice the National Invitational Tournament inviting committee to send an invite to the Broncs.

“We’re still hopeful,” Hoffman said.

“The pairings come out on Sunday, and all we can do is hope. We’ve been holding individual workouts since the last game.”

With the success of the team comes questions about whether Hoffman will eventually move on to coach elsewhere.

After coming to UTPA, he experienced immediate success, notching 12 wins his first season, causing his stock as a Division I coach to rise.

“I haven’t had any offers,” Hoffman said on the possibility of coaching elsewhere. “We’re really excited about the upcoming season and the new recruits.

We have a great nucleus coming back.”

Junior guard Kevin Mitchell said despite losing players of high-caliber status like Chatman and center Marcus Quinn, next season should be just as exciting and expectations will be high.

“We’re losing some strong players,” Mitchell said. “We’re going to work hard over the summer and be as good as we’ve ever been. We have confidence coming back.”

sports

March 7, 2002

POLE VAULT

Page 14

continued from page 16

elementary school, and feels it takes a couple of years to perfect the pole vault.

“I’ve been jumping since the fifth grade, and by the time I got to high school, I was starting to get the proper form down,” Martzall said. “It’s totally a learning process. If you go to camp they [coaches] won’t let you just grab a pole and get off the ground, because you have no idea. There’s a couple of week periods where you have to go through training, learn the drills, run with the pole and plant the pole.”

On Monday, Dare’s parents were guests on “Good Morning America,” asking the NCAA to do something to keep pole vaulters safer. But according to Vaughn, there’s not much the NCAA can do.

“I don’t know what they [NCAA] can do to protect them [pole vaulters], “ Vaughn said. “Anytime you’re on a fiberglass pole going upside down, there’s going to be accidents.”

Drury has been pole vaulting for many years and agrees with Vaughn.

“I’m not sure if there’s an exact way to create a rule that would protect pole vaulters,” she admitted. “What kind of rule would you possibly make? It should be up to the coaches whether they want to send their vaulters out there.”

Safety is Vaughn’s number one priority on the track and field, and he feels he can determine whether an athlete can pole vault or not.

“There are ways that as a coach you

can spot whether an athlete whether can pole vault, “ he explained.

At the 2000 Olympic Trials, pole vaulter Lesa Kubishta almost lost her life after falling in the box during an attempt.

Since Dare’s tragic death, she has decided to wear a helmet for protection, but Drury and Martzell will not take that step.

“I don’t think a helmet is really going to help if you land in your head from 15 or 16 feet,” Drury said.

According to Martzall, a helmet will be more trouble than it’s worth.

“I personally can’t vault with a helmet on because it’s more of a distraction,” Martzall said. “There’s not much it can help. In Kevin’s [Dare] case, he landed on his head on the box, and his neck was broken.”

With the Broncs competing in several more meets starting Friday, March 22, both Drury and Martzall are neither concerned nor scared to compete in the pole vault.

“Honestly, not much is going through my mind except for how I’m going to vault,” Drury said. “I’m not going to think on how someone else vaulted.”

On the other hand, Martzall said he intends to move on, but will be just a little more cautious, following the news of Dare’s death.

“I’m going to try and focus on my technique and do as well as I can and keep myself safe,” Martzall said.

PAGE 3

NEWS

■ Campus Voice . . . . . 4 ■ Leadership Seminar. . 6 ■ Campus Life . . . . . . 12

Hispanic cultural capital gains multiply

By Jaime Garcia Jr. The Pan American

Eladio Jaimez/The Pan American

AT CROSSROADS: Bronc skipper Reggie Tredaway leads his baseball squad into the Round Rock Express Classic with a record of 2-14. Tredaway’s club faces nationally ranked Notre Dame in the tourney. Texas Christian and Southwest Texas State will also participate. The Broncs are off to one of the worst starts in school history, and are now pretty much out of postseason contention.

Critics are calling this the decade of Hispanics. The 1990s seemed to introduce the dominating force of African-Americans to American culture and politics, and the same thing could be happening for Hispanics. The term “ dominate” by social definition means that members of that race are widely seen in the large groups of society that are commonly recognized as socially relevant, such as demographic representation, media, politics, and sports.

Last decade, African-Americans displayed a rise and a strong stand in these four areas, and their cultural capital, or power, seemed to increase.

Now, statistical numbers are pointing in another direction, that of Hispanics. In all four societal categories, Hispanics are securing a stronghold, and social commentators predict that this is only the beginning. But to avoid confusion, it is imperative to understand the two terms designated to Spanish culturally based peopleHispanics and Latinos.

The Romans coined the term Hispanic originally in 204 BCE to represent inhabitants of the area known now as Spain and Portugal. The U.S. government of the 1970s gave birth to the technical term Hispanic, as any person who was born into any Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas or who could trace heritage back to Spanish ancestry. This term can fit snugly into the representation of races including Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Dominicans, among others.

The term has a close relative. The word Latino is used by some to classify what many will consider Hispanics. The term has given rise to an erroneous myth that the two terms come to represent two different Spanish races. Or, to produce a fork that creates a dichotomy used to disunite a single race. In truth, they both have come to represent the same race or races. The cause for some confusion between the terms lies in the originality of the two terms. Because the Romans coined the term in Europe, this might convey a Eurocentric view that has come to be despised by many in Latin American Countries. What then is the difference between the two? Absolutely nothing.

Demographics The 1980 U.S. Census revealed that Hispanics were the fastest growing group in the U.S. and were soon to become the largest minority group. Twenty years later, it is evident that Hispanics are, in fact closing in on acquiring the position as the largest ethnic group in America. According

to the web page US Hispanic.net, “Between 1990 and 1997 the U.S. Hispanic population grew from 8.9 percent in 1990 to 11.1 percent in 1997. Overall, the U.S. Hispanic population increased over 32 percent from the 1990 census. It went from 22.4 million in 1990 to an estimated 29.7 million in 1997. This was more than 1 million individuals per year.”

Hispanics today represent nearly 15 percent of the U.S. population, 35 million nationwide and are the largest minority group in the United States, narrowly besting the American black population of 34 million. On a local statewide level, the McAllen Monitor, published an articled last year in which the headline read, “Hidalgo the seventh largest county in Texas with 48 percent jump from 1990.”

The article goes into meticulous detail to elaborate on the rise by stating that according to the statistics released by the Census Bureau, “569,463 people now call Hidalgo County their home. That’s 185,918 more than in 1990 when the population was 383,545.” Of those 569,463 Hidalgo County residents.” According to the piece, 503,100 people identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino. Other numbers that pose great interest in demographic conversations on a national level and are provided by the US Hispanic.net are: ■ Hispanics are in every state.

■ Five states are more than 15 percent Hispanic and four states are more than 10 percent Hispanic.

■ Ten states and the District of Columbia are more than 5 percent Hispanic.

■ Twelve states account for 88 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population.

■ Another twelve states account for 8 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population.

■ The remaining twenty-seven states account for 4 percent of the U.S. population.

The numbers and statistics listed above give great closure to the fact that Hispanics account for a large number in national, state, and county levels. Texas and California contain 53 percent of the nation’s Hispanic population.

Media Media play a large role in today’s world, placing individuals in the limelight and granting nation wide exposure. Here, media focuses mainly on television and advertisement. American television has shied away from treatment of the traditional family, and even rarer is the appearance of a Hispanic family. Prior to this year, Hispanics could be placed on the endangered species list for television. ‘American Family’ is a new television sitcom on PBS and is the first “Hispanic-driven series on a

major network in the 50-year history of broadcasting television.” According to Ruben Navarrette, commentator for the Dallas Morning News, the series is an attempt to “capture the complexity of what it means to be Mexican-American in the United States.” Although the series was rejected by CBS, PBS is airing it, giving Hispanics the opportunity to appear on another social giant-media.

Hispanics are also making other inroads in the entertainment scene. Last year, CBS aired the first ever ‘Latino Grammys’ displaying a rise in musical Latino influence in America. On this night, one of the most significant observations was NSYNC singing in Spanish, which according to Daniel Aragon Ulibarri of US Hispanic.net, “will do much to raise the self-esteem and create positive perceptions of Hispanic youth among themselves and their peers.” He added that the major accomplishment of the ‘Latino Grammys was that it “put Latino achievement and the Spanish language on an equal level with English.”

Finally, Hispanics can be spotted on newspapers and magazines, especially in fashion advertisements.A San Antonio Express-News article last month titled ‘Latin Accent,’ Hispanic models can be seen sporting the latest fashion trends for large retailers such as Macy’s West. The article states, “Retailers such as Macy’s West are recognizing the Latin influence by hiring Hispanic models to show off apparel in catalogs and advertising.”

The article goes on to suggest that the Hispanic male is into designer labels today.

To reinforce this notion, the article goes on to say that in 1999 the Hispanic male, spent an estimated $12 billion on apparel, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor.

Hispanic households spend, on average, $1,290 per year on apparel compared with, $1,128 for non-Hispanic households. They [Hispanics] also spend more on men’s clothes: $391 per household, almost $70 dollars more than non-Hispanics. The article added that “Anglo consumers are starting to think Latin, inspired by the crossover appeal of Hispanic personalities such as Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Alex Rodriguez.”

Politics Although Hispanics have already been recognized as being the fastest growing U.S. minority group, their appearance in politics has lagged a bit in the past.

However, since the 1960s more and more Hispanics have gradually been noticed in campaign after campaign, owing to the work done by the Chicano movement of that period. A web page on Hispanic influ-

ences on culture and politics recognizes Sen. Joseph Montoya of New Mexico, and Representatives Eligio de la Garza and Henry B. Gonzalez of Texas, along with Edward R. Roybal of California, as the first four Hispanics to be elected into Congress, sparking a beacon of opportunity for oncoming Hispanic candidates. From this period onward, one could take notice of the significant increase in Hispanic involvement in politics, local and national.

As the web page states, in 1980, there were six Hispanic Americans serving in the U.S. Congress. By the late 1990s that number had increased to 20. In addition, hundreds of Hispanic Americans were elected as state officials, mayors, county and municipal officials, and school board members. In 1988, Lauro Cavazos became the first Hispanic Cabinet member when President Ronald Reagan appointed him secretary of education. Reagan’s successor, George Bush, kept Cavazos in this post. He remained secretary of education until 1990.

In 1990, Antonia C. Novello became the nation’s first Hispanic surgeon general, and Henry Cisneros went from being the mayor of San Antonio to a job as leader of Housing and Urban Development.

Currently on the state level, two Hispanic candidates, Tony Sanchez and Dan Morales, are battling for the Democratic slot in the October gubernatorial race. Another, Victor Morales, is running for the U.S. Senate post vacated by Phil Gramm. The fact that two Hispanic candidates are running in the same race displays and fortifies the notion that Hispanics are sporadically and surely rising up in the political arena.

Sports What do the names Roberto Alomar, Oscar de la Hoya, and Chi Chi Rodriguez have in common? They are all famous Hispanic athletes. Before the 1960s, the sport of baseball was predominantly white.

After blacks broke their color barrier in 1947, Hispanic players began to join the league. Roberto Clemente, a Puerto Rican who made 3,000 hits and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972, was one of the forerunners of this group.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, last season Latinos made up 17 percent of opening day rosters, up from 8 percent about 10 years ago. With 57 players, the Dominican Republic had the biggest presence in major-league baseball, followed by Puerto Rico (28), Venezuela (20), and Mexico (8). Some of the key players on teams that made it to the playoffs this year are from Spanish-speaking countries. On a more recent note, Derrek See HISPANICS page 6

THE PAN AMERICAN

March 7, 2002

Campus VO I C E

How do you feel regarding the deployment of U.S. troops to various foreign countries in the fight against terrorism? – Anna Stwora

Charles Strong Pharmacy Sophomore I think that the presence of U.S. troops in other countries is somewhat unnecessary, and I feel that one of the main reasons that they are in other countries is to distract U.S. citizens from domestic problems (i.e.

Enron).

Rebecca Salazar Clinical Nutrition Sophomore I think that the presence of the U.S. troops is somewhat confusing. The decision that our troops should be at stake falls on our president.

David Conner Economics Junior I think it is good to send troops to various places as long as there is some progress in preventing further acts of terrorism.

Nina Olivieri Finance Senior I think it is a good idea because so long as the United States keeps their arms crossed not doing anything about it, domestic attacks are going to keep occurring.

Marc Garza CIS Junior I think it is necessary in order to prevent further attacks.

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March 7, 2002

THE PAN AMERICAN

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THE PAN AMERICAN

March 7, 2002

CAMPUS LIFE

■

What students are doing at UTPA

Florida internships loom Students: We’re going to Disney World

By Nikki Ramirez The Pan American

Students all over the world are now preparing to be recruited for the Walt Disney World Internship, a college program to help students with fundamental knowledge and skills of the hospitality and service industry.

The program is offered to students throughout the world at colleges every fall, spring and summer semesters, and approximately 25 students from the University of Texas-Pan American are accepted into the internship each semester.

Any student interested in the program must first attend an information session where questions about the internship are answered and students can schedule interviews with Disney representatives. The internship is available to students in all majors who have a grade point average of at least 2.0.

According to Susie Alvarez, Cooperative Education coordinator, the students selected are involved in all aspects of the Walt Disney World theme park in Orlando, Fla. “All facets of the theme park is what they are involved in and the reason for that is so the students can have the relationship skills with the customers and interact,” Alvarez said. ”We want the students to acquire those interpersonal skills once they finish the internship.”

Melissa Barrera, former UTPA student, participated in the internship and felt it was a benefit to her.

“The internship did benefit a lot, since I am majoring in hospitality,” Barrera said. “ I went ahead and applied for the hospitality program and was able to work for an extremely successful company and met people from all over the world.”

Students who attend the program can earn up to 18 college credit hours and

must also attend a series of educational programs which are taught by Disney cast members as well as industry and contentarea experts with advanced degrees.

There are four different theme parks within Walt Disney World and over 20 resorts that students can work at.

Students work 35 to 45 hours a week and earn $6 per hour. Jobs include working at food stands, gift shops and some students are selected to perform in the shows that Disney offers.

“The individual has to be ready to work; it’s not all about partying in Orlando,” said Alyssa Sparks, a senior majoring in sociology at TAMUK. Students are given free admission into the theme park and are able to participate in the activities there. They are provided transportation and living expenses are subsidized by Walt Disney World.

Alvarez explained that in her time of employment at UTPA the Walt Disney World college program has been very successful.

Hispanic group has diverse operation; celebrating 73rd year of activism

By Cristina Reyna The Pan American

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) District XIII Council of the Lower Rio Grande Valley celebrated “Reflections 2001” Friday evening in McAllen with an awards ceremony and banquet.

With over 700 councils across the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC is the oldest and largest Hispanic organization in the United States.

The organization serves all Hispanic nationality groups and includes all men and women of Hispanic origin who are legal residents of the United States and its territories, according to the LULAC national Web page.

LULAC was founded in 1929 when the Knights of America, the Order of the Sons of America and the League of Latin American Citizens came together in Corpus Christi to form the League of United Latin American Citizens, which celebrated its 73rd anniversary in February.

The mistress of ceremonies at Friday’s celebration was Lupe SilvaAboud, candidate for Hidalgo County District Clerk. Although Silva-Aboud

is not a member of LULAC, she acknowledges that the organization’s platform is education and civil rights.

LULAC advocates the advancement of the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health, and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through communication-based programs.

The service organization has a permanent national office in Washington D.C. and seeks to influence national policy.

Brent Wilkes, National Executive Director of LULAC, explained that the organization has young adult councils, which are university-based student chapters that focus on issues facing college students today, including emphasizing the Hispanic vote.

In addressing low Hispanic voter turnout among college students, Silva-Aboud explained that peer pressure is what makes the vote happen.

“I think a lot of professors are taking the responsibility to remind students to go out and vote but young people need to get out there and take the lead,” Silva-Aboud said.

She added that a mass walk-a-thon would assist in boosting the voter turnout of college students.

“If someone would organize a

group of young people to go vote by doing a walk from Pan Am to a voting booth, even if it were only 20 or 30 people, it would make a difference,” Silva-Aboud said.

LULAC has implemented several programs in South Texas which focus on such issues.

Wilkes said that with the Job Training Partnership Act, the McAllen Communication Technology Center (MCTC) was able to put into effect the “welfare to work” program.

The program, implemented in June of 2001, trains Hispanics who are on welfare and assists them in finding work. These strategies include meeting the demands of employers who need dependable labor and preparing participants to be qualified job candidates.

Also in effect is the Young Leaders Project in Corpus Christi, which focuses on middle and high school students assisting them in course selection and scholarships, said Wilkes.

He added that the program currently benefits 2,000 students.

“With such programs being implemented throughout South Texas, LULAC continues to contribute to the Hispanic population and its future accomplishments,” Wilkes said.

Recent grads struggle with slow economy

By Celeste Y. Tello The Pan American

With the economy in recession for the past 18 months, many people are finding it difficult to attain a decent salary or even employment.

After an unprecedented nine-year growth cycle, the economy slowed in 2000 and got even worse with the collapse of the high tech-boom and the disaster of Sept. 11.

Graduating students are no exception to those feeling the effects of the slowed economy.

“A recession is likely to have an adverse impact on the labor market and on graduating students,” said Dr. Alberto Davila, chair of the Department of Economics and Finance.

Davila cited a recent study done by USA Today which stated that people from 22 to 30 years old are having a harder time finding employment.

According to the study, the unemployment rate for recent graduates is 9 percent. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for the country is 5 percent. The unemployment rate for the Valley alone is 12 percent.

Omar Rodriguez, a University of Texas-Pan American graduate received his bachelor’s of Business Administration in December 2001. He has yet to attain employment.

“I haven’t had a lot of luck because it seems like there are more people searching for jobs than there are actual jobs that are available,” Rodriguez said .

Rodriguez added that he believes his being right out of college put him at a disadvantage because he had not procured the experience that employers are looking for.

Davila added that according to the study, the lack of employment opportunities has led more students to opt for self-employment.

An economic recession affects more than employment rates. Salaries also are affected by a downturn in the economy.

“When we have a sluggish labor market, the impact is for salaries to stabilize, stay steady, or even fall,” Davila said .

A Dillard’s employee who wished to remain anonymous described the company’s recent downsizing in an effort to reduce the salaries that retail employees earn.

Most retail employees earn a commission salary by meeting sales quotas.

“In the past month and a half about five employees who had worked for the company for five years were fired,” said the employee.

Despite these findings, Career Placement Services at UTPA still offers activities that assist students in finding employment and negotiating salaries in the business world.

On Feb. 28, CPS hosted a “Salary Negotiations” seminar presented by Kevin Rutherford, senior vice president of human resources for Garden Ridge.

Rutherford discussed tactics that students could use to circumvent the adverse effects of the sluggish economy on salaries.

He stated that the best way to increase a salary offer is to use references to determine the usual salary.

References that he described as useful were Department of Labor Statistics, placement offices, and salary surveys.

WOMEN

HEALER continued from page 1

continued from page 1

Frida Kahlo. Following Spring Break, three foreign films will be showcased to honor women. The public is welcome to view “Two Women,” an Iranian film, on March 18, “Dream Life of Angels,” March 20 and “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” on March 22. At the STCC downtown campus, the play, “Una Juegar Singular” will be presented April 4.

Mayo was a lecturer in speech communication at UTPA from 1995 to 1999. She was also a member of what was then the women’s issues committee which is now the women’s resource center. The women’s resource center is used as an information outlet and is part of Student Life and Transition Services . Mayo was surprised to hear that UTPA has no organized plans to celebrate Women’s History Month since there have been in the past.

“I think it would be an important thing to have,” Mayo said. “We honor Black History Month and other awareness issues and women make up at least half of the population. Yet, what do we hear about their contributions in history?”

George McLemore, an associate professor of communication at UTPA, will be teaching a graduate course on gender in the media in the Fall semester. He believes the celebration of women in history will bring a heightened knowledge which will lead to the improvement of society.

“The reason we have Black History Month is because we still as a society need to think in a very public way about different groups in society that still do not have the social and economic power men do,” McLemore said.

“It’s important to remember how recently

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the idea of women being equal was,” said McLemore, who demonstrated this by describing how his mother was only six years old when women gained the right to vote in America in 1920.

“That’s how close we are,” McLemore said.

“We are two generations removed from when women were viewed as less than human.”

McLemore was just as surprised as Mayo to hear about the lack of activities to increase the awareness of women’s history on campus.

“I think it’s terrible that Pan Am is not doing much to recognize the significant place of women in American society,” McLemore said.

Understanding Women’s History “Just as African-Americans and Hispanics have events and heroes, whether it is Martin Luther King Jr. or Cesar Chavez, we should have the opportunity to celebrate their (women) uniqueness,” said McLemore, who believes that women such as Amelia Earhart and Gloria Steinem can become heroes.

A book titled, “Teaching Yourself Women’s Studies,” by Joy Magezis, elaborates on understanding women’s history.

“Women’s History is like a wondrous, rediscovered quilt. Its beauty lies in its diversity of texture, form and color; offering us the depth and width of knowledge of our sisters throughout the world and throughout time...

Our warm and comforting quilt helps us to learn about our past and brings us together through understanding...Women’s history is looking at the stories and achievements of all women... examining it with our own eyes we not only gain insight into the past, but we gain power and knowledge about the present.”

Women in History There are several important women in American history that made major achievements which have helped improve the position of women in society.

On August 26, 1920 the Nineteenth Amendment of the Constitution was signed into law and women’s suffrage became a reality. Susan Brownell Anthony was an advocate of the women’s suffrage movement and is known as the mother of the 19th Amendment. On May 20, 1932, Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. During the Civil War, Clara Barton aided wounded soilders and later founded the American Red Cross. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was the first First lady activist who broke tradition by holding her own White House press conferences. At these conferences she allowed only female reporters. Dorothy Dandridge was an actress, singer and dancer. She was the star of “Carmen Jones” and “Porgy and Bess.” In 1935, anthropologist Margaret Mead published “Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies,” in which she challenges Western assumptions about gender relations. Margaret Sagner supported women in power of their own bodies by founding the American Birth Control League which became, in 1942, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 1942.

These are only a few names of the women that have contributed to American history.

These are women who are recognized during Women’s History Month.

[them] in prayer and help them with problems,” Salinas said. “It was a calling for me [to give and devote my life] and I needed to dedicate my life to serving the Lord and channeling the spirit of El Nino.”

Salinas said he channels Fidencio’s’ spirit to help cure traditional folk illnesses as well as conventional ailments ranging from cancer to alcohol or drug abuse. He prays over the sick for spiritual healing. Salinas also advises people to always seek professional medical help, because his purpose is to help through spiritual and miracle healing.

“I don’t provide a diagnosis for illnesses and problems, we pray for people with illnesses,” Salinas said. “ We get all kinds of people that come here, poor people, well-to-do people and if they have a medical condition, we find out if they are getting a medical attention. When they need medical attention, we insist that they see doctor.”

Kay Brittain, a graduate student who earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from UTPA, has been researching and observing Salinas for her dissertation on the life of a curandero.

“I observe the people [who seek Salinas], I have seen some wonderful healing. Actually witnessing a curandero or spiritista of Fidencio is really interesting,” Brittain said.

THE PAN AMERICAN

March 7, 2002

Leadership seminar examines issues

By Melissa Ciomperlik The Pan American

Cheryl Cambridge presented a leadership seminar on diversity in the Student Union Theatre on March 4 titled “Sister-toSister/Brother-to-Brother.”

Approximately 40 people participated in the seminar, which examined issues impacting the personal and professional success of men and women in the workplace.

Cambridge, the manager for workforce diversity for Boeing Satellite Systems in Los Angeles, currently serves as a member of the University of Texas-Pan American Engineering Advisory Board.

That entity advises the administrative head of the engineering program on matters concerning the preparation of engineers for industrial employment or employment with the government, according to Dr. Edwin LeMaster, associate dean of the College of Engineering.

University students, faculty and staff awaited her presentation and were hopeful that she would provide useful information during her presentation.

“I’m here to get a head start on Career Day and to meet a representative from Boeing,” said Rogelio Rios, senior mechanical engineering major.

“I think that Cheryl Cambridge has much to offer UTPA. She is a very motivating and inspirational woman who will be able to give our students a unique perspective on diversity and how to relate to others,” said Amanda Propst-Cuevas, coordinator of Student Life and Transition Services.

“We are really interested in working for Boeing,” said Tomas Garcia, senior mechanical engineering major.

LeMaster introduced Cambridge and said that she has been a longtime supporter of the UTPA engineering department.

Cambridge began the seminar by asking everyone to sit at the front of the theatre, setting the mood for the interactive nature of the seminar. She said that the “neat thing” about UTPA is that a large percentage of the people are Latino.

“But when you get into the workforce, it just isn’t like that,” Cambridge said. “You may not see another Latino for months. You may not see one for another year.”

Cambridge said that there is a way to handle being out of your comfort zone, while being away from people you know and trust.

“When you leave here today you are going to learn how to embrace and support one another,” she promised.

She called on two audience members and gave them five minutes to get to know one another in a personal way and find out “who they really are,” because this type of activity may be helpful in the workplace.

The two participants reported on what they had learned about each other and Cambridge suggested ways to make a person feel comfortable while you are talking to or about them.

“You can make a person feel comfortable by clapping for them or by placing a hand on their shoulder to make them feel a little more at ease,” Cambridge said.

She called on students to share their thoughts and feelings on relationships gone

awry.

Some students expressed difficulties concentrating on school work while dealing with relationships, and others offered advice.

“When you are in a relationship, you aren’t supposed to change who you are. You both should fit together like a puzzle,” said one participant in the seminar.

“Don’t let your life be dictated by a relationship,” Cambridge said.

In addition to relationships, she also talked to students about money and the stress it causes college students. When asked for a show of hands, more than 10 students raised their hands, showing that they were in credit card debt or had student loans.

Cambridge suggested that students get a summer job or internship in order to gain experience and make money. She also encouraged students to go to Career Day and to leave there with a job.

The 29th Annual Career Day was held March 5 in the UTPA Fieldhouse. Over 40 businesses and organizations attended, offering students jobs, internships and a means to become familiar with their organization.

“Managers like to hear real life stories,” Cambridge advised. “Go to Career Day with a stack of resumes and don’t leave there until they are all gone.”

She said that participants should not be afraid of taking a risk to better themselves.

“I’ve seen so many of you [students] stay in the Valley and lose that chance for diversity,” Cambridge said. “I challenge all of you to step out of the box and stop and take a look at your life.”

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HISPANICS

Parra and Jennifer Rodriguez, two Hispanics took home a gold medal each from the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah.

Hispanics are making a mark in the areas of sports no one ever suspected that they would venture into. Hispanic Magazine states in an article on the two Hispanic speed skaters, “How did two Hispanics find success in a frigid, grueling sport dominated by Wisconsinites, Minnesotans, Canadians, and Scandinavians? How did a Cuban American and a Mexican American learn to love the ice?” Hispanics in sports also raises the Hispanic fan base throughout the nation. An example of the rise in Hispanic fans as a result of a prospering number of Hispanic athletes is the ESPN move to create ESPN DEPORTES, a “four-to-six hour block of programming fed to affiliates for free each Sunday night.

The television block was created in response to the huge Hispanic fan base.

So there are several areas where Hispanics are making progress in becoming cultural contributors. Less high-profile but no less important ones include education, folk culture, literature, family focus, and community volunteering. With an increased demographic representation comes more chances to be recognized for achievements that were being carved out long before social critics established the trendy notion that a decade can be embodied by a particular ethnic group. This may be the Decade of the Hispanic. But every day offers another opportunity for any ethnic group to contribute both as a group and as American individuals.

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March 7, 2002

THE PAN AMERICAN

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Arts & Entertainment

March 7, 2002

SERIES

The

CULTURE CLUB What students like to read, listen to and surf.

Priscilla Canales Junior International Business Book: “The Stand” by Stephen King Website: guess.com Movie: “Bridget Jones’ Diary”

Joe Grass Junior Engineering CD: The Calling Book: Anything by John Grisham or Tom Clancy Movie: “Road Trip”

Clarissa Martinez Freshman Journalism Book: “Angela’s Ashes” by Frank McCourt Website: themonitor.com Movie: “Riding in Cars with Boys”

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said. Becoming more research-oriented and offering a wider array of post-graduate degrees go hand-in-hand, and he indicated both ideas help each other in an ongoing basis.

UTPA currently offers three doctoral degrees, in Educational Leadership, Pharmacy, and International Business, plus several master’s graduate programs. However, Arevalo hopes the addition of new doctoral and graduate programs will help the university reach its long-term goal of becoming more researchbased.

“All efforts are directed at bringing in more graduate students,” Arevalo said. “Graduate students help with research. They can crunch data or analyze information.”

He said UTPA faculty has had more opportunities to do research in recent years, and the university has begun to fund such projects in

creative ways.

“We’ve increased the number of graduate assistantships here,” Arevalo said. “We want to focus on getting faculty to involve undergraduates.”

Arevalo said UTPA would never neglect its undergraduate programs while trying to upgrade its post-graduate programs.

“We don’t want to divorce our undergraduate programs,” he insisted. “The undergraduate programs will help develop the master’s and Ph.D programs.”

Arevalo stressed the importance of developing a high-caliber research institution and getting more than just graduate students involved.

“Knowledge doesn’t all occur in the classrooms,” he opined. “It also happens outside.

We need to develop quality across different levels of the university.”

NEXT: VISITING THE COLLEGE DEANS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 7

Around Town Valley Nature Center trip along the Rio Grande March 9 at 9 a.m.

Tickets: Tickets are $15 per person, checks can be made payable to the VNC Event: Boat birding field trip along the Rio Grande.

Watch for Osprey, Sora, Hook-billed Kite, Altamira Oriole and other native birds.

Place: Meet at the VNC parking lot at 8 a.m. in Mission Call: (956) 969-2475 63rd Annual Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show March 13-17 Tickets: Tickets purchased before March 12 are $20 for adults and $10 for children. Season tickets (allowing entry to all five days of the Show) bought after March 12 will be $25 for adults and $12 for children. Ticket prices do not include the $2 parking fee.

Place: Mercedes McAllen Symphonic Band in ‘Director’s Choice Concert’ March 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: Tickets are $5 per person and available at McAllen Chamber of Commerce, Melhart Music Center and at the door.

Place: McAllen Civic Center Call: (956) 542-4341 Unplugged Acoustic Night March 20 at 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Info: Auditions for performers will be held March 7 from noon-5 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for performers and free refreshments will be available for all in attendance.

Place: Student Union Theater

■ BorderFest . . . . . 8 - 9 ■ Culture Club . . . . . . 10

Student’s Eye View UTPA student and film director / producer Christopher Carmona has made history with his latest production, ‘Dog’s Eye View,’ and plans to send his work to several film festivals around the state

By Elizabeth Martinez The Pan American

Christopher Carmona, a UTPA English literature major from Donna, is the second person in the history of the Rio Grande Valley to make a feature about the Valley and film it locally. The way he came to make this unique contribution is almost as interesting as the film itself.

He was part of an eight-person company called DIDK Productions, which traveled around the Valley last year performing coffee house tours in venues such as City Cafe, Millennium and Kafecito’s in McAllen. They performed various Shakespearean works, raising almost $1,000 in donations with the premiere performance. The tour ran for 18 months, or enough time

to raise enough money to begin their first project.

Around that same time, Carmona was hospitalized due to a kidney infection.

Following a hospital stay, he was under the influence of morphine, used to subdue his pain. While dazed from the medication, Carmona wrote the story which became the basis for his movie, “Dog’s Eye View.”

After eight different revisions, the script was completed and the group began shooting the movie during the summer of 2001.

“We decided to do ‘Dog’s Eye View’ because it was simple and didn’t require a lot of different locations or actors,” Carmona said.

The film is a story about a guy with three girlfriends, all named Rosie. It begins on a day when everything goes wrong and his adulterous ways are unveiled.

Carmona calls it a “comedy and fun film to watch.”

The project took about three months of shooting and one month of editing.

Fred Garcia of McAllen, who completed the first film in the Valley in 1994, provided inspiration to Carmona, whom he met in 1998 and with whom he developed a mentoring relationship.

“He basically took me under his wing and taught me what he knew,” Carmona said. “He also taught me what he learned from his mistakes.”

“Chris is not a dreamer who has these egotistical views,” Garcia said.

“He’s part of a completely new generation.”

Garcia called this new generation the Mexican-

“

With recognition, they know who you are and what you want to do, so if it doesn’t work out, you can come back with another project and people will remember you.

- Christopher Carmona

”

American Nueva Onda, which means “New Wave.” He describes artists in this generation as people who simply want to be individuals not fixated on ethnicity.

“Fred broke the bar-

rier for us,” said Carmona, who used Garcia’s film, “Pain Flower,” as a learning tool. “I always wanted to be a filmmaker and Fred showed me that it was possible.”

The premiere screening of “Dog’s Eye View” will be held at South Texas Community College on Thursday, April 11 at 8 p.m., sponsored by the Writers in Literary Discussion Club at STCC. Following the premiere, Carmona plans on touring the film around the Valley to gain exposure and to measure the level of its success. He also plans to enter “Dog’s Eye View” in several film festivals, such as CineSol held this summer at South Padre Island, South by Southwest in Austin,

UTPA student and film director

and Cine Festival in San Antonio, in hopes that the film will be picked up by a major studio.

By submitting “Dog’s Eye View” to festivals, Carmona hopes that a number of positive things will happen.

“If a major studio like MGM gets interested in the movie, they could show it theatrically,” Carmona said. “This is what everyone wants.”

If this doesn’t occur, the exposure of the film will gain him recognition in the film industry and within the local community.

“With recognition, they know who you are and what you want to do, so if it doesn’t work you can come back with another project and people will remember you,” Carmona said.

“This process can take years,” he added. “For example, the independent film, ‘Amores Perros,’ was made in 1999 and it is barely getting recognized in the Oscars in 2002.

“You just have to keep submitting it until it gets picked up,” said Carmona, who compares the process to getting a book published.”

In the meantime, he plans to work on other projects, and the coffee house tours will begin performing again later this semester to raise money for future projects.

“We’re still at the beginning,” Carmona said. “All of this is new and a learning experience.”

Arts & Entertainment

March 7, 2002

Border Festivities Despite chilly winds and cool temperatures, the 26th annual BorderFest, presented by Kraft Foods and featuring the theme “A Salute to Africa,” took place Feb. 28 through March 3.

Hidalgo’s BorderFest began Thursday, Feb. 28 on the U.S./Mexico border with festivities at the HidalgoReynosa International Bridge. Hidalgo Mayor John David Franz, and Reynosa Mayor Serpio Cantu Barragan shook hands and exchanged gifts.

Many visitors went and enjoyed the four-day event which featured a parade, carnival, folkloric dancers and a beauty pageant.

Fifteen stages located throughout the festival were home to nearly 500 performers. At the Miller Lite Pavilion Stage Thursday evening, a dinner was held honoring the 2002 Border Texan of the Year, retiring U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm.

Several African-themed groups were also part of the festivities, including Yemojah, a percussion based dance group, and the Black Diamond Acrobats.

According to Franz, being exposed to something like the African-themed groups was an opportunity in itself.

During the day and into the night, crowds of people gathered at the H-E-B Concert Zone to listen, sing, and dance to live performances featuring Amanda Perez, La Contra, Ramón Ayala, Solido, Intocable and many others. Hidalgo’s Ayala and Solido of Rio Grande City, were recent Grammy winners.

Throughout the four days, the entertainment was continuous in different areas of the grounds. A carnival was also featured at the event, providing plenty of rides and games. A variety of foods, from funnels cakes to onion blossoms, played a big part in the festival as well.

“The food is what brings me here,” said Johnny Gonzalez, a resident of Pharr. “I love the giant turkey legs and curly fries.”

Unusual crafts, including glass blowing and snake skinning, were also on display. Featured shows included endangered cats of the world, reptiles of the world, habitat Peru, and hypnotist Ken Whitener.

According to BorderFest officials, although a cold front moved through early Saturday evening, a record-setting 15,000 people attended the festival.

“On Saturday it was really cold but I had to come and see the shows. I never miss BorderFest,” said Amador Ayala, a resident of Alamo. “The rock wall climbing exhibit is something everyone has to try. It just gives [you] a rush.”

~ Linda Martinez

“

It has meant a great deal to me.

Actually, it [competing] has helped me grow to be a better person.

”

- Evon Hebner Pageant contestant

(Right) - Miss BorderFest 2001 Isabel Campos crowns the new Miss BorderFest 2002 Santos A. Gonzalez.

(Below) - (From left to right) Fourth runner-up Aissa Beth Rodriguez, third runner-up Deborah Infante, Miss BorderFest 2002 Santos A. Gonzalez, first runner-up Christina Guerrero and second runner-up Regina Maldonado, pose after the awards ceremony.

Page 8

March 7, 2002

BORDER

Arts & Entertainment

Beauties Photos by Anna Stwora

Audience members from all across the Valley watched as Santos A. Gonzalez, a 17-year-old Weslaco High School senior, was crowned Miss BorderFest 2002; This year’s pageant set the all-time record for the number of contestants

By Belinda Reyes The Pan American

The crowning of Miss BorderFest 2002 and Miss Hidalgo 2002 wrapped up the celebration of the annual Borderfest festival in Hidalgo on Sunday, March 3.

The pageant was centered on the BorderFest 2002 theme, ‘A Salute to Africa.’

Twenty-five contestants competed for the title of Miss BorderFest, while six competed for the Miss Hidalgo crown.

The girls danced the opening number in their sportswear costume to ‘Man...I feel like a woman,’ by Shania Twain. Their sportswear costume reflected the theme or their personal background.

Mistress of ceremonies was Lilliana Pina, former Miss Hidalgo 1997, coordinator and a chairman of the pageant committee.

“I took over the pageant, thanks to Ruth [Hinojosa] and Joe Vera. They told me to basically coordinate the girls,” Pina said.“This year made history [for the pageant] and was the biggest contestant [turnout] ever.”

Pina said that last year there were a total of 15 contestants, and the number increased to 31 this year.

The winners of this year’s competition are expected to make several appearances in Valley parades and events, including an invitation to compete in the Queen Citriana pageant in Mission.

Miss BorderFest will rep-

resent Duchess of International Goodwill while Miss Hidalgo will represent Periwinkle, Pina said. Each winner will also receive a scholarship toward the college of her choice.

Santos A. Gonzalez, a 17-year-old senior from Weslaco High School, was crowned Miss BorderFest 2002, and Orfelinda Marichalar, a 16-year-old junior from Hidalgo High School, was named Miss Hidalgo 2002.

“I am really honored and happy that I am going to represent BorderFest throughout the year,” Gonzalez said.

Marichalar said she was both honored and surprised to win the title.

Evon Hebner, 17-year-old junior from La Feria High School, said she was honored to have been part of this year’s competition and that it helped her bond with the other competitors instead of competing against them.

“It has meant a great deal to me.

Actually, it [competing] has helped me grow to be a better person,” Hebner said.

Girls that placed at Miss BorderFest were fourth runner-up, Aissa Beth Rodriguez; third runner-up, Deborah Infante; second runner-up, Regina Maldanado; and first runner-up, Christina Guerrero.

Runners up for Miss Hidalgo were second runner-up, Juanita Llanos, and first runner-up, Annette Perez. Last year’s queens were Isabel Campos, Miss BorderFest 2001 and Michelle Viramontes, Miss Hidalgo 2001.

Campos said that she was happy to pass the crown on to another lucky girl.

“I’m sure that the [new queen] is really excited, and I am glad to pass the crown on to her. I know how she feels,” Campos said. “I had a wonderful year

Page 9

this year and I ended it well and passed it on to a good girl.”

Miss Campos, a 17-year-old junior from McAllen High School, is currently Miss American United States Teen 2001 and was recently crowned Miss McAllen 2002.

She represented the

Duchess of International Goodwill at the Texas Citrus Fiesta for BorderFest and will be on the court next year as Princess of Orange Blossom. She is also Miss McAllen High School 2002 and will compete for Miss Texas High School 2002.

Campos will represent McAllen at the 2003 Miss Texas Teen USA and says her platform is education because she wants to be a teacher.

The judges for the event were Adrain Arriaga from AAA Realestate, Joyce Deuser, JC Penny Store Manager and Alvaro Gonzalez from Merril Lynch.

Miss BorderFest 2002 Santos A. Gonzalez

Arts & Entertainment

March 7, 2002

Border Festivities Despite chilly winds and cool temperatures, the 26th annual BorderFest, presented by Kraft Foods and featuring the theme “A Salute to Africa,” took place Feb. 28 through March 3.

Hidalgo’s BorderFest began Thursday, Feb. 28 on the U.S./Mexico border with festivities at the HidalgoReynosa International Bridge. Hidalgo Mayor John David Franz, and Reynosa Mayor Serpio Cantu Barragan shook hands and exchanged gifts.

Many visitors went and enjoyed the four-day event which featured a parade, carnival, folkloric dancers and a beauty pageant.

Fifteen stages located throughout the festival were home to nearly 500 performers. At the Miller Lite Pavilion Stage Thursday evening, a dinner was held honoring the 2002 Border Texan of the Year, retiring U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm.

Several African-themed groups were also part of the festivities, including Yemojah, a percussion based dance group, and the Black Diamond Acrobats.

According to Franz, being exposed to something like the African-themed groups was an opportunity in itself.

During the day and into the night, crowds of people gathered at the H-E-B Concert Zone to listen, sing, and dance to live performances featuring Amanda Perez, La Contra, Ramón Ayala, Solido, Intocable and many others. Hidalgo’s Ayala and Solido of Rio Grande City, were recent Grammy winners.

Throughout the four days, the entertainment was continuous in different areas of the grounds. A carnival was also featured at the event, providing plenty of rides and games. A variety of foods, from funnels cakes to onion blossoms, played a big part in the festival as well.

“The food is what brings me here,” said Johnny Gonzalez, a resident of Pharr. “I love the giant turkey legs and curly fries.”

Unusual crafts, including glass blowing and snake skinning, were also on display. Featured shows included endangered cats of the world, reptiles of the world, habitat Peru, and hypnotist Ken Whitener.

According to BorderFest officials, although a cold front moved through early Saturday evening, a record-setting 15,000 people attended the festival.

“On Saturday it was really cold but I had to come and see the shows. I never miss BorderFest,” said Amador Ayala, a resident of Alamo. “The rock wall climbing exhibit is something everyone has to try. It just gives [you] a rush.”

~ Linda Martinez

“

It has meant a great deal to me.

Actually, it [competing] has helped me grow to be a better person.

”

- Evon Hebner Pageant contestant

(Right) - Miss BorderFest 2001 Isabel Campos crowns the new Miss BorderFest 2002 Santos A. Gonzalez.

(Below) - (From left to right) Fourth runner-up Aissa Beth Rodriguez, third runner-up Deborah Infante, Miss BorderFest 2002 Santos A. Gonzalez, first runner-up Christina Guerrero and second runner-up Regina Maldonado, pose after the awards ceremony.

Page 8

March 7, 2002

BORDER

Arts & Entertainment

Beauties Photos by Anna Stwora

Audience members from all across the Valley watched as Santos A. Gonzalez, a 17-year-old Weslaco High School senior, was crowned Miss BorderFest 2002; This year’s pageant set the all-time record for the number of contestants

By Belinda Reyes The Pan American

The crowning of Miss BorderFest 2002 and Miss Hidalgo 2002 wrapped up the celebration of the annual Borderfest festival in Hidalgo on Sunday, March 3.

The pageant was centered on the BorderFest 2002 theme, ‘A Salute to Africa.’

Twenty-five contestants competed for the title of Miss BorderFest, while six competed for the Miss Hidalgo crown.

The girls danced the opening number in their sportswear costume to ‘Man...I feel like a woman,’ by Shania Twain. Their sportswear costume reflected the theme or their personal background.

Mistress of ceremonies was Lilliana Pina, former Miss Hidalgo 1997, coordinator and a chairman of the pageant committee.

“I took over the pageant, thanks to Ruth [Hinojosa] and Joe Vera. They told me to basically coordinate the girls,” Pina said.“This year made history [for the pageant] and was the biggest contestant [turnout] ever.”

Pina said that last year there were a total of 15 contestants, and the number increased to 31 this year.

The winners of this year’s competition are expected to make several appearances in Valley parades and events, including an invitation to compete in the Queen Citriana pageant in Mission.

Miss BorderFest will rep-

resent Duchess of International Goodwill while Miss Hidalgo will represent Periwinkle, Pina said. Each winner will also receive a scholarship toward the college of her choice.

Santos A. Gonzalez, a 17-year-old senior from Weslaco High School, was crowned Miss BorderFest 2002, and Orfelinda Marichalar, a 16-year-old junior from Hidalgo High School, was named Miss Hidalgo 2002.

“I am really honored and happy that I am going to represent BorderFest throughout the year,” Gonzalez said.

Marichalar said she was both honored and surprised to win the title.

Evon Hebner, 17-year-old junior from La Feria High School, said she was honored to have been part of this year’s competition and that it helped her bond with the other competitors instead of competing against them.

“It has meant a great deal to me.

Actually, it [competing] has helped me grow to be a better person,” Hebner said.

Girls that placed at Miss BorderFest were fourth runner-up, Aissa Beth Rodriguez; third runner-up, Deborah Infante; second runner-up, Regina Maldanado; and first runner-up, Christina Guerrero.

Runners up for Miss Hidalgo were second runner-up, Juanita Llanos, and first runner-up, Annette Perez. Last year’s queens were Isabel Campos, Miss BorderFest 2001 and Michelle Viramontes, Miss Hidalgo 2001.

Campos said that she was happy to pass the crown on to another lucky girl.

“I’m sure that the [new queen] is really excited, and I am glad to pass the crown on to her. I know how she feels,” Campos said. “I had a wonderful year

Page 9

this year and I ended it well and passed it on to a good girl.”

Miss Campos, a 17-year-old junior from McAllen High School, is currently Miss American United States Teen 2001 and was recently crowned Miss McAllen 2002.

She represented the

Duchess of International Goodwill at the Texas Citrus Fiesta for BorderFest and will be on the court next year as Princess of Orange Blossom. She is also Miss McAllen High School 2002 and will compete for Miss Texas High School 2002.

Campos will represent McAllen at the 2003 Miss Texas Teen USA and says her platform is education because she wants to be a teacher.

The judges for the event were Adrain Arriaga from AAA Realestate, Joyce Deuser, JC Penny Store Manager and Alvaro Gonzalez from Merril Lynch.

Miss BorderFest 2002 Santos A. Gonzalez

Arts & Entertainment

March 7, 2002

SERIES

The

CULTURE CLUB What students like to read, listen to and surf.

Priscilla Canales Junior International Business Book: “The Stand” by Stephen King Website: guess.com Movie: “Bridget Jones’ Diary”

Joe Grass Junior Engineering CD: The Calling Book: Anything by John Grisham or Tom Clancy Movie: “Road Trip”

Clarissa Martinez Freshman Journalism Book: “Angela’s Ashes” by Frank McCourt Website: themonitor.com Movie: “Riding in Cars with Boys”

Page 10 continued from page 2

said. Becoming more research-oriented and offering a wider array of post-graduate degrees go hand-in-hand, and he indicated both ideas help each other in an ongoing basis.

UTPA currently offers three doctoral degrees, in Educational Leadership, Pharmacy, and International Business, plus several master’s graduate programs. However, Arevalo hopes the addition of new doctoral and graduate programs will help the university reach its long-term goal of becoming more researchbased.

“All efforts are directed at bringing in more graduate students,” Arevalo said. “Graduate students help with research. They can crunch data or analyze information.”

He said UTPA faculty has had more opportunities to do research in recent years, and the university has begun to fund such projects in

creative ways.

“We’ve increased the number of graduate assistantships here,” Arevalo said. “We want to focus on getting faculty to involve undergraduates.”

Arevalo said UTPA would never neglect its undergraduate programs while trying to upgrade its post-graduate programs.

“We don’t want to divorce our undergraduate programs,” he insisted. “The undergraduate programs will help develop the master’s and Ph.D programs.”

Arevalo stressed the importance of developing a high-caliber research institution and getting more than just graduate students involved.

“Knowledge doesn’t all occur in the classrooms,” he opined. “It also happens outside.

We need to develop quality across different levels of the university.”

NEXT: VISITING THE COLLEGE DEANS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 7

Around Town Valley Nature Center trip along the Rio Grande March 9 at 9 a.m.

Tickets: Tickets are $15 per person, checks can be made payable to the VNC Event: Boat birding field trip along the Rio Grande.

Watch for Osprey, Sora, Hook-billed Kite, Altamira Oriole and other native birds.

Place: Meet at the VNC parking lot at 8 a.m. in Mission Call: (956) 969-2475 63rd Annual Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show March 13-17 Tickets: Tickets purchased before March 12 are $20 for adults and $10 for children. Season tickets (allowing entry to all five days of the Show) bought after March 12 will be $25 for adults and $12 for children. Ticket prices do not include the $2 parking fee.

Place: Mercedes McAllen Symphonic Band in ‘Director’s Choice Concert’ March 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: Tickets are $5 per person and available at McAllen Chamber of Commerce, Melhart Music Center and at the door.

Place: McAllen Civic Center Call: (956) 542-4341 Unplugged Acoustic Night March 20 at 7:30-9:30 p.m.

Info: Auditions for performers will be held March 7 from noon-5 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for performers and free refreshments will be available for all in attendance.

Place: Student Union Theater

■ BorderFest . . . . . 8 - 9 ■ Culture Club . . . . . . 10

Student’s Eye View UTPA student and film director / producer Christopher Carmona has made history with his latest production, ‘Dog’s Eye View,’ and plans to send his work to several film festivals around the state

By Elizabeth Martinez The Pan American

Christopher Carmona, a UTPA English literature major from Donna, is the second person in the history of the Rio Grande Valley to make a feature about the Valley and film it locally. The way he came to make this unique contribution is almost as interesting as the film itself.

He was part of an eight-person company called DIDK Productions, which traveled around the Valley last year performing coffee house tours in venues such as City Cafe, Millennium and Kafecito’s in McAllen. They performed various Shakespearean works, raising almost $1,000 in donations with the premiere performance. The tour ran for 18 months, or enough time

to raise enough money to begin their first project.

Around that same time, Carmona was hospitalized due to a kidney infection.

Following a hospital stay, he was under the influence of morphine, used to subdue his pain. While dazed from the medication, Carmona wrote the story which became the basis for his movie, “Dog’s Eye View.”

After eight different revisions, the script was completed and the group began shooting the movie during the summer of 2001.

“We decided to do ‘Dog’s Eye View’ because it was simple and didn’t require a lot of different locations or actors,” Carmona said.

The film is a story about a guy with three girlfriends, all named Rosie. It begins on a day when everything goes wrong and his adulterous ways are unveiled.

Carmona calls it a “comedy and fun film to watch.”

The project took about three months of shooting and one month of editing.

Fred Garcia of McAllen, who completed the first film in the Valley in 1994, provided inspiration to Carmona, whom he met in 1998 and with whom he developed a mentoring relationship.

“He basically took me under his wing and taught me what he knew,” Carmona said. “He also taught me what he learned from his mistakes.”

“Chris is not a dreamer who has these egotistical views,” Garcia said.

“He’s part of a completely new generation.”

Garcia called this new generation the Mexican-

“

With recognition, they know who you are and what you want to do, so if it doesn’t work out, you can come back with another project and people will remember you.

- Christopher Carmona

”

American Nueva Onda, which means “New Wave.” He describes artists in this generation as people who simply want to be individuals not fixated on ethnicity.

“Fred broke the bar-

rier for us,” said Carmona, who used Garcia’s film, “Pain Flower,” as a learning tool. “I always wanted to be a filmmaker and Fred showed me that it was possible.”

The premiere screening of “Dog’s Eye View” will be held at South Texas Community College on Thursday, April 11 at 8 p.m., sponsored by the Writers in Literary Discussion Club at STCC. Following the premiere, Carmona plans on touring the film around the Valley to gain exposure and to measure the level of its success. He also plans to enter “Dog’s Eye View” in several film festivals, such as CineSol held this summer at South Padre Island, South by Southwest in Austin,

UTPA student and film director

and Cine Festival in San Antonio, in hopes that the film will be picked up by a major studio.

By submitting “Dog’s Eye View” to festivals, Carmona hopes that a number of positive things will happen.

“If a major studio like MGM gets interested in the movie, they could show it theatrically,” Carmona said. “This is what everyone wants.”

If this doesn’t occur, the exposure of the film will gain him recognition in the film industry and within the local community.

“With recognition, they know who you are and what you want to do, so if it doesn’t work you can come back with another project and people will remember you,” Carmona said.

“This process can take years,” he added. “For example, the independent film, ‘Amores Perros,’ was made in 1999 and it is barely getting recognized in the Oscars in 2002.

“You just have to keep submitting it until it gets picked up,” said Carmona, who compares the process to getting a book published.”

In the meantime, he plans to work on other projects, and the coffee house tours will begin performing again later this semester to raise money for future projects.

“We’re still at the beginning,” Carmona said. “All of this is new and a learning experience.”

THE PAN AMERICAN

March 7, 2002

Leadership seminar examines issues

By Melissa Ciomperlik The Pan American

Cheryl Cambridge presented a leadership seminar on diversity in the Student Union Theatre on March 4 titled “Sister-toSister/Brother-to-Brother.”

Approximately 40 people participated in the seminar, which examined issues impacting the personal and professional success of men and women in the workplace.

Cambridge, the manager for workforce diversity for Boeing Satellite Systems in Los Angeles, currently serves as a member of the University of Texas-Pan American Engineering Advisory Board.

That entity advises the administrative head of the engineering program on matters concerning the preparation of engineers for industrial employment or employment with the government, according to Dr. Edwin LeMaster, associate dean of the College of Engineering.

University students, faculty and staff awaited her presentation and were hopeful that she would provide useful information during her presentation.

“I’m here to get a head start on Career Day and to meet a representative from Boeing,” said Rogelio Rios, senior mechanical engineering major.

“I think that Cheryl Cambridge has much to offer UTPA. She is a very motivating and inspirational woman who will be able to give our students a unique perspective on diversity and how to relate to others,” said Amanda Propst-Cuevas, coordinator of Student Life and Transition Services.

“We are really interested in working for Boeing,” said Tomas Garcia, senior mechanical engineering major.

LeMaster introduced Cambridge and said that she has been a longtime supporter of the UTPA engineering department.

Cambridge began the seminar by asking everyone to sit at the front of the theatre, setting the mood for the interactive nature of the seminar. She said that the “neat thing” about UTPA is that a large percentage of the people are Latino.

“But when you get into the workforce, it just isn’t like that,” Cambridge said. “You may not see another Latino for months. You may not see one for another year.”

Cambridge said that there is a way to handle being out of your comfort zone, while being away from people you know and trust.

“When you leave here today you are going to learn how to embrace and support one another,” she promised.

She called on two audience members and gave them five minutes to get to know one another in a personal way and find out “who they really are,” because this type of activity may be helpful in the workplace.

The two participants reported on what they had learned about each other and Cambridge suggested ways to make a person feel comfortable while you are talking to or about them.

“You can make a person feel comfortable by clapping for them or by placing a hand on their shoulder to make them feel a little more at ease,” Cambridge said.

She called on students to share their thoughts and feelings on relationships gone

awry.

Some students expressed difficulties concentrating on school work while dealing with relationships, and others offered advice.

“When you are in a relationship, you aren’t supposed to change who you are. You both should fit together like a puzzle,” said one participant in the seminar.

“Don’t let your life be dictated by a relationship,” Cambridge said.

In addition to relationships, she also talked to students about money and the stress it causes college students. When asked for a show of hands, more than 10 students raised their hands, showing that they were in credit card debt or had student loans.

Cambridge suggested that students get a summer job or internship in order to gain experience and make money. She also encouraged students to go to Career Day and to leave there with a job.

The 29th Annual Career Day was held March 5 in the UTPA Fieldhouse. Over 40 businesses and organizations attended, offering students jobs, internships and a means to become familiar with their organization.

“Managers like to hear real life stories,” Cambridge advised. “Go to Career Day with a stack of resumes and don’t leave there until they are all gone.”

She said that participants should not be afraid of taking a risk to better themselves.

“I’ve seen so many of you [students] stay in the Valley and lose that chance for diversity,” Cambridge said. “I challenge all of you to step out of the box and stop and take a look at your life.”

Page 6

HISPANICS

Parra and Jennifer Rodriguez, two Hispanics took home a gold medal each from the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah.

Hispanics are making a mark in the areas of sports no one ever suspected that they would venture into. Hispanic Magazine states in an article on the two Hispanic speed skaters, “How did two Hispanics find success in a frigid, grueling sport dominated by Wisconsinites, Minnesotans, Canadians, and Scandinavians? How did a Cuban American and a Mexican American learn to love the ice?” Hispanics in sports also raises the Hispanic fan base throughout the nation. An example of the rise in Hispanic fans as a result of a prospering number of Hispanic athletes is the ESPN move to create ESPN DEPORTES, a “four-to-six hour block of programming fed to affiliates for free each Sunday night.

The television block was created in response to the huge Hispanic fan base.

So there are several areas where Hispanics are making progress in becoming cultural contributors. Less high-profile but no less important ones include education, folk culture, literature, family focus, and community volunteering. With an increased demographic representation comes more chances to be recognized for achievements that were being carved out long before social critics established the trendy notion that a decade can be embodied by a particular ethnic group. This may be the Decade of the Hispanic. But every day offers another opportunity for any ethnic group to contribute both as a group and as American individuals.

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continued from page 3

March 7, 2002

THE PAN AMERICAN

Page 11

PAGE 12

THE PAN AMERICAN

March 7, 2002

CAMPUS LIFE

■

What students are doing at UTPA

Florida internships loom Students: We’re going to Disney World

By Nikki Ramirez The Pan American

Students all over the world are now preparing to be recruited for the Walt Disney World Internship, a college program to help students with fundamental knowledge and skills of the hospitality and service industry.

The program is offered to students throughout the world at colleges every fall, spring and summer semesters, and approximately 25 students from the University of Texas-Pan American are accepted into the internship each semester.

Any student interested in the program must first attend an information session where questions about the internship are answered and students can schedule interviews with Disney representatives. The internship is available to students in all majors who have a grade point average of at least 2.0.

According to Susie Alvarez, Cooperative Education coordinator, the students selected are involved in all aspects of the Walt Disney World theme park in Orlando, Fla. “All facets of the theme park is what they are involved in and the reason for that is so the students can have the relationship skills with the customers and interact,” Alvarez said. ”We want the students to acquire those interpersonal skills once they finish the internship.”

Melissa Barrera, former UTPA student, participated in the internship and felt it was a benefit to her.

“The internship did benefit a lot, since I am majoring in hospitality,” Barrera said. “ I went ahead and applied for the hospitality program and was able to work for an extremely successful company and met people from all over the world.”

Students who attend the program can earn up to 18 college credit hours and

must also attend a series of educational programs which are taught by Disney cast members as well as industry and contentarea experts with advanced degrees.

There are four different theme parks within Walt Disney World and over 20 resorts that students can work at.

Students work 35 to 45 hours a week and earn $6 per hour. Jobs include working at food stands, gift shops and some students are selected to perform in the shows that Disney offers.

“The individual has to be ready to work; it’s not all about partying in Orlando,” said Alyssa Sparks, a senior majoring in sociology at TAMUK. Students are given free admission into the theme park and are able to participate in the activities there. They are provided transportation and living expenses are subsidized by Walt Disney World.

Alvarez explained that in her time of employment at UTPA the Walt Disney World college program has been very successful.

Hispanic group has diverse operation; celebrating 73rd year of activism

By Cristina Reyna The Pan American

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) District XIII Council of the Lower Rio Grande Valley celebrated “Reflections 2001” Friday evening in McAllen with an awards ceremony and banquet.

With over 700 councils across the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC is the oldest and largest Hispanic organization in the United States.

The organization serves all Hispanic nationality groups and includes all men and women of Hispanic origin who are legal residents of the United States and its territories, according to the LULAC national Web page.

LULAC was founded in 1929 when the Knights of America, the Order of the Sons of America and the League of Latin American Citizens came together in Corpus Christi to form the League of United Latin American Citizens, which celebrated its 73rd anniversary in February.

The mistress of ceremonies at Friday’s celebration was Lupe SilvaAboud, candidate for Hidalgo County District Clerk. Although Silva-Aboud

is not a member of LULAC, she acknowledges that the organization’s platform is education and civil rights.

LULAC advocates the advancement of the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health, and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through communication-based programs.

The service organization has a permanent national office in Washington D.C. and seeks to influence national policy.

Brent Wilkes, National Executive Director of LULAC, explained that the organization has young adult councils, which are university-based student chapters that focus on issues facing college students today, including emphasizing the Hispanic vote.

In addressing low Hispanic voter turnout among college students, Silva-Aboud explained that peer pressure is what makes the vote happen.

“I think a lot of professors are taking the responsibility to remind students to go out and vote but young people need to get out there and take the lead,” Silva-Aboud said.

She added that a mass walk-a-thon would assist in boosting the voter turnout of college students.

“If someone would organize a

group of young people to go vote by doing a walk from Pan Am to a voting booth, even if it were only 20 or 30 people, it would make a difference,” Silva-Aboud said.

LULAC has implemented several programs in South Texas which focus on such issues.

Wilkes said that with the Job Training Partnership Act, the McAllen Communication Technology Center (MCTC) was able to put into effect the “welfare to work” program.

The program, implemented in June of 2001, trains Hispanics who are on welfare and assists them in finding work. These strategies include meeting the demands of employers who need dependable labor and preparing participants to be qualified job candidates.

Also in effect is the Young Leaders Project in Corpus Christi, which focuses on middle and high school students assisting them in course selection and scholarships, said Wilkes.

He added that the program currently benefits 2,000 students.

“With such programs being implemented throughout South Texas, LULAC continues to contribute to the Hispanic population and its future accomplishments,” Wilkes said.

Recent grads struggle with slow economy

By Celeste Y. Tello The Pan American

With the economy in recession for the past 18 months, many people are finding it difficult to attain a decent salary or even employment.

After an unprecedented nine-year growth cycle, the economy slowed in 2000 and got even worse with the collapse of the high tech-boom and the disaster of Sept. 11.

Graduating students are no exception to those feeling the effects of the slowed economy.

“A recession is likely to have an adverse impact on the labor market and on graduating students,” said Dr. Alberto Davila, chair of the Department of Economics and Finance.

Davila cited a recent study done by USA Today which stated that people from 22 to 30 years old are having a harder time finding employment.

According to the study, the unemployment rate for recent graduates is 9 percent. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for the country is 5 percent. The unemployment rate for the Valley alone is 12 percent.

Omar Rodriguez, a University of Texas-Pan American graduate received his bachelor’s of Business Administration in December 2001. He has yet to attain employment.

“I haven’t had a lot of luck because it seems like there are more people searching for jobs than there are actual jobs that are available,” Rodriguez said .

Rodriguez added that he believes his being right out of college put him at a disadvantage because he had not procured the experience that employers are looking for.

Davila added that according to the study, the lack of employment opportunities has led more students to opt for self-employment.

An economic recession affects more than employment rates. Salaries also are affected by a downturn in the economy.

“When we have a sluggish labor market, the impact is for salaries to stabilize, stay steady, or even fall,” Davila said .

A Dillard’s employee who wished to remain anonymous described the company’s recent downsizing in an effort to reduce the salaries that retail employees earn.

Most retail employees earn a commission salary by meeting sales quotas.

“In the past month and a half about five employees who had worked for the company for five years were fired,” said the employee.

Despite these findings, Career Placement Services at UTPA still offers activities that assist students in finding employment and negotiating salaries in the business world.

On Feb. 28, CPS hosted a “Salary Negotiations” seminar presented by Kevin Rutherford, senior vice president of human resources for Garden Ridge.

Rutherford discussed tactics that students could use to circumvent the adverse effects of the sluggish economy on salaries.

He stated that the best way to increase a salary offer is to use references to determine the usual salary.

References that he described as useful were Department of Labor Statistics, placement offices, and salary surveys.

WOMEN

HEALER continued from page 1

continued from page 1

Frida Kahlo. Following Spring Break, three foreign films will be showcased to honor women. The public is welcome to view “Two Women,” an Iranian film, on March 18, “Dream Life of Angels,” March 20 and “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” on March 22. At the STCC downtown campus, the play, “Una Juegar Singular” will be presented April 4.

Mayo was a lecturer in speech communication at UTPA from 1995 to 1999. She was also a member of what was then the women’s issues committee which is now the women’s resource center. The women’s resource center is used as an information outlet and is part of Student Life and Transition Services . Mayo was surprised to hear that UTPA has no organized plans to celebrate Women’s History Month since there have been in the past.

“I think it would be an important thing to have,” Mayo said. “We honor Black History Month and other awareness issues and women make up at least half of the population. Yet, what do we hear about their contributions in history?”

George McLemore, an associate professor of communication at UTPA, will be teaching a graduate course on gender in the media in the Fall semester. He believes the celebration of women in history will bring a heightened knowledge which will lead to the improvement of society.

“The reason we have Black History Month is because we still as a society need to think in a very public way about different groups in society that still do not have the social and economic power men do,” McLemore said.

“It’s important to remember how recently

Page 5

the idea of women being equal was,” said McLemore, who demonstrated this by describing how his mother was only six years old when women gained the right to vote in America in 1920.

“That’s how close we are,” McLemore said.

“We are two generations removed from when women were viewed as less than human.”

McLemore was just as surprised as Mayo to hear about the lack of activities to increase the awareness of women’s history on campus.

“I think it’s terrible that Pan Am is not doing much to recognize the significant place of women in American society,” McLemore said.

Understanding Women’s History “Just as African-Americans and Hispanics have events and heroes, whether it is Martin Luther King Jr. or Cesar Chavez, we should have the opportunity to celebrate their (women) uniqueness,” said McLemore, who believes that women such as Amelia Earhart and Gloria Steinem can become heroes.

A book titled, “Teaching Yourself Women’s Studies,” by Joy Magezis, elaborates on understanding women’s history.

“Women’s History is like a wondrous, rediscovered quilt. Its beauty lies in its diversity of texture, form and color; offering us the depth and width of knowledge of our sisters throughout the world and throughout time...

Our warm and comforting quilt helps us to learn about our past and brings us together through understanding...Women’s history is looking at the stories and achievements of all women... examining it with our own eyes we not only gain insight into the past, but we gain power and knowledge about the present.”

Women in History There are several important women in American history that made major achievements which have helped improve the position of women in society.

On August 26, 1920 the Nineteenth Amendment of the Constitution was signed into law and women’s suffrage became a reality. Susan Brownell Anthony was an advocate of the women’s suffrage movement and is known as the mother of the 19th Amendment. On May 20, 1932, Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. During the Civil War, Clara Barton aided wounded soilders and later founded the American Red Cross. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was the first First lady activist who broke tradition by holding her own White House press conferences. At these conferences she allowed only female reporters. Dorothy Dandridge was an actress, singer and dancer. She was the star of “Carmen Jones” and “Porgy and Bess.” In 1935, anthropologist Margaret Mead published “Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies,” in which she challenges Western assumptions about gender relations. Margaret Sagner supported women in power of their own bodies by founding the American Birth Control League which became, in 1942, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 1942.

These are only a few names of the women that have contributed to American history.

These are women who are recognized during Women’s History Month.

[them] in prayer and help them with problems,” Salinas said. “It was a calling for me [to give and devote my life] and I needed to dedicate my life to serving the Lord and channeling the spirit of El Nino.”

Salinas said he channels Fidencio’s’ spirit to help cure traditional folk illnesses as well as conventional ailments ranging from cancer to alcohol or drug abuse. He prays over the sick for spiritual healing. Salinas also advises people to always seek professional medical help, because his purpose is to help through spiritual and miracle healing.

“I don’t provide a diagnosis for illnesses and problems, we pray for people with illnesses,” Salinas said. “ We get all kinds of people that come here, poor people, well-to-do people and if they have a medical condition, we find out if they are getting a medical attention. When they need medical attention, we insist that they see doctor.”

Kay Brittain, a graduate student who earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from UTPA, has been researching and observing Salinas for her dissertation on the life of a curandero.

“I observe the people [who seek Salinas], I have seen some wonderful healing. Actually witnessing a curandero or spiritista of Fidencio is really interesting,” Brittain said.

THE PAN AMERICAN

March 7, 2002

Campus VO I C E

How do you feel regarding the deployment of U.S. troops to various foreign countries in the fight against terrorism? – Anna Stwora

Charles Strong Pharmacy Sophomore I think that the presence of U.S. troops in other countries is somewhat unnecessary, and I feel that one of the main reasons that they are in other countries is to distract U.S. citizens from domestic problems (i.e.

Enron).

Rebecca Salazar Clinical Nutrition Sophomore I think that the presence of the U.S. troops is somewhat confusing. The decision that our troops should be at stake falls on our president.

David Conner Economics Junior I think it is good to send troops to various places as long as there is some progress in preventing further acts of terrorism.

Nina Olivieri Finance Senior I think it is a good idea because so long as the United States keeps their arms crossed not doing anything about it, domestic attacks are going to keep occurring.

Marc Garza CIS Junior I think it is necessary in order to prevent further attacks.

Page 4

March 7, 2002

THE PAN AMERICAN

Page 13

sports

March 7, 2002

POLE VAULT

Page 14

continued from page 16

elementary school, and feels it takes a couple of years to perfect the pole vault.

“I’ve been jumping since the fifth grade, and by the time I got to high school, I was starting to get the proper form down,” Martzall said. “It’s totally a learning process. If you go to camp they [coaches] won’t let you just grab a pole and get off the ground, because you have no idea. There’s a couple of week periods where you have to go through training, learn the drills, run with the pole and plant the pole.”

On Monday, Dare’s parents were guests on “Good Morning America,” asking the NCAA to do something to keep pole vaulters safer. But according to Vaughn, there’s not much the NCAA can do.

“I don’t know what they [NCAA] can do to protect them [pole vaulters], “ Vaughn said. “Anytime you’re on a fiberglass pole going upside down, there’s going to be accidents.”

Drury has been pole vaulting for many years and agrees with Vaughn.

“I’m not sure if there’s an exact way to create a rule that would protect pole vaulters,” she admitted. “What kind of rule would you possibly make? It should be up to the coaches whether they want to send their vaulters out there.”

Safety is Vaughn’s number one priority on the track and field, and he feels he can determine whether an athlete can pole vault or not.

“There are ways that as a coach you

can spot whether an athlete whether can pole vault, “ he explained.

At the 2000 Olympic Trials, pole vaulter Lesa Kubishta almost lost her life after falling in the box during an attempt.

Since Dare’s tragic death, she has decided to wear a helmet for protection, but Drury and Martzell will not take that step.

“I don’t think a helmet is really going to help if you land in your head from 15 or 16 feet,” Drury said.

According to Martzall, a helmet will be more trouble than it’s worth.

“I personally can’t vault with a helmet on because it’s more of a distraction,” Martzall said. “There’s not much it can help. In Kevin’s [Dare] case, he landed on his head on the box, and his neck was broken.”

With the Broncs competing in several more meets starting Friday, March 22, both Drury and Martzall are neither concerned nor scared to compete in the pole vault.

“Honestly, not much is going through my mind except for how I’m going to vault,” Drury said. “I’m not going to think on how someone else vaulted.”

On the other hand, Martzall said he intends to move on, but will be just a little more cautious, following the news of Dare’s death.

“I’m going to try and focus on my technique and do as well as I can and keep myself safe,” Martzall said.

PAGE 3

NEWS

■ Campus Voice . . . . . 4 ■ Leadership Seminar. . 6 ■ Campus Life . . . . . . 12

Hispanic cultural capital gains multiply

By Jaime Garcia Jr. The Pan American

Eladio Jaimez/The Pan American

AT CROSSROADS: Bronc skipper Reggie Tredaway leads his baseball squad into the Round Rock Express Classic with a record of 2-14. Tredaway’s club faces nationally ranked Notre Dame in the tourney. Texas Christian and Southwest Texas State will also participate. The Broncs are off to one of the worst starts in school history, and are now pretty much out of postseason contention.

Critics are calling this the decade of Hispanics. The 1990s seemed to introduce the dominating force of African-Americans to American culture and politics, and the same thing could be happening for Hispanics. The term “ dominate” by social definition means that members of that race are widely seen in the large groups of society that are commonly recognized as socially relevant, such as demographic representation, media, politics, and sports.

Last decade, African-Americans displayed a rise and a strong stand in these four areas, and their cultural capital, or power, seemed to increase.

Now, statistical numbers are pointing in another direction, that of Hispanics. In all four societal categories, Hispanics are securing a stronghold, and social commentators predict that this is only the beginning. But to avoid confusion, it is imperative to understand the two terms designated to Spanish culturally based peopleHispanics and Latinos.

The Romans coined the term Hispanic originally in 204 BCE to represent inhabitants of the area known now as Spain and Portugal. The U.S. government of the 1970s gave birth to the technical term Hispanic, as any person who was born into any Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas or who could trace heritage back to Spanish ancestry. This term can fit snugly into the representation of races including Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Dominicans, among others.

The term has a close relative. The word Latino is used by some to classify what many will consider Hispanics. The term has given rise to an erroneous myth that the two terms come to represent two different Spanish races. Or, to produce a fork that creates a dichotomy used to disunite a single race. In truth, they both have come to represent the same race or races. The cause for some confusion between the terms lies in the originality of the two terms. Because the Romans coined the term in Europe, this might convey a Eurocentric view that has come to be despised by many in Latin American Countries. What then is the difference between the two? Absolutely nothing.

Demographics The 1980 U.S. Census revealed that Hispanics were the fastest growing group in the U.S. and were soon to become the largest minority group. Twenty years later, it is evident that Hispanics are, in fact closing in on acquiring the position as the largest ethnic group in America. According

to the web page US Hispanic.net, “Between 1990 and 1997 the U.S. Hispanic population grew from 8.9 percent in 1990 to 11.1 percent in 1997. Overall, the U.S. Hispanic population increased over 32 percent from the 1990 census. It went from 22.4 million in 1990 to an estimated 29.7 million in 1997. This was more than 1 million individuals per year.”

Hispanics today represent nearly 15 percent of the U.S. population, 35 million nationwide and are the largest minority group in the United States, narrowly besting the American black population of 34 million. On a local statewide level, the McAllen Monitor, published an articled last year in which the headline read, “Hidalgo the seventh largest county in Texas with 48 percent jump from 1990.”

The article goes into meticulous detail to elaborate on the rise by stating that according to the statistics released by the Census Bureau, “569,463 people now call Hidalgo County their home. That’s 185,918 more than in 1990 when the population was 383,545.” Of those 569,463 Hidalgo County residents.” According to the piece, 503,100 people identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino. Other numbers that pose great interest in demographic conversations on a national level and are provided by the US Hispanic.net are: ■ Hispanics are in every state.

■ Five states are more than 15 percent Hispanic and four states are more than 10 percent Hispanic.

■ Ten states and the District of Columbia are more than 5 percent Hispanic.

■ Twelve states account for 88 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population.

■ Another twelve states account for 8 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population.

■ The remaining twenty-seven states account for 4 percent of the U.S. population.

The numbers and statistics listed above give great closure to the fact that Hispanics account for a large number in national, state, and county levels. Texas and California contain 53 percent of the nation’s Hispanic population.

Media Media play a large role in today’s world, placing individuals in the limelight and granting nation wide exposure. Here, media focuses mainly on television and advertisement. American television has shied away from treatment of the traditional family, and even rarer is the appearance of a Hispanic family. Prior to this year, Hispanics could be placed on the endangered species list for television. ‘American Family’ is a new television sitcom on PBS and is the first “Hispanic-driven series on a

major network in the 50-year history of broadcasting television.” According to Ruben Navarrette, commentator for the Dallas Morning News, the series is an attempt to “capture the complexity of what it means to be Mexican-American in the United States.” Although the series was rejected by CBS, PBS is airing it, giving Hispanics the opportunity to appear on another social giant-media.

Hispanics are also making other inroads in the entertainment scene. Last year, CBS aired the first ever ‘Latino Grammys’ displaying a rise in musical Latino influence in America. On this night, one of the most significant observations was NSYNC singing in Spanish, which according to Daniel Aragon Ulibarri of US Hispanic.net, “will do much to raise the self-esteem and create positive perceptions of Hispanic youth among themselves and their peers.” He added that the major accomplishment of the ‘Latino Grammys was that it “put Latino achievement and the Spanish language on an equal level with English.”

Finally, Hispanics can be spotted on newspapers and magazines, especially in fashion advertisements.A San Antonio Express-News article last month titled ‘Latin Accent,’ Hispanic models can be seen sporting the latest fashion trends for large retailers such as Macy’s West. The article states, “Retailers such as Macy’s West are recognizing the Latin influence by hiring Hispanic models to show off apparel in catalogs and advertising.”

The article goes on to suggest that the Hispanic male is into designer labels today.

To reinforce this notion, the article goes on to say that in 1999 the Hispanic male, spent an estimated $12 billion on apparel, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor.

Hispanic households spend, on average, $1,290 per year on apparel compared with, $1,128 for non-Hispanic households. They [Hispanics] also spend more on men’s clothes: $391 per household, almost $70 dollars more than non-Hispanics. The article added that “Anglo consumers are starting to think Latin, inspired by the crossover appeal of Hispanic personalities such as Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Alex Rodriguez.”

Politics Although Hispanics have already been recognized as being the fastest growing U.S. minority group, their appearance in politics has lagged a bit in the past.

However, since the 1960s more and more Hispanics have gradually been noticed in campaign after campaign, owing to the work done by the Chicano movement of that period. A web page on Hispanic influ-

ences on culture and politics recognizes Sen. Joseph Montoya of New Mexico, and Representatives Eligio de la Garza and Henry B. Gonzalez of Texas, along with Edward R. Roybal of California, as the first four Hispanics to be elected into Congress, sparking a beacon of opportunity for oncoming Hispanic candidates. From this period onward, one could take notice of the significant increase in Hispanic involvement in politics, local and national.

As the web page states, in 1980, there were six Hispanic Americans serving in the U.S. Congress. By the late 1990s that number had increased to 20. In addition, hundreds of Hispanic Americans were elected as state officials, mayors, county and municipal officials, and school board members. In 1988, Lauro Cavazos became the first Hispanic Cabinet member when President Ronald Reagan appointed him secretary of education. Reagan’s successor, George Bush, kept Cavazos in this post. He remained secretary of education until 1990.

In 1990, Antonia C. Novello became the nation’s first Hispanic surgeon general, and Henry Cisneros went from being the mayor of San Antonio to a job as leader of Housing and Urban Development.

Currently on the state level, two Hispanic candidates, Tony Sanchez and Dan Morales, are battling for the Democratic slot in the October gubernatorial race. Another, Victor Morales, is running for the U.S. Senate post vacated by Phil Gramm. The fact that two Hispanic candidates are running in the same race displays and fortifies the notion that Hispanics are sporadically and surely rising up in the political arena.

Sports What do the names Roberto Alomar, Oscar de la Hoya, and Chi Chi Rodriguez have in common? They are all famous Hispanic athletes. Before the 1960s, the sport of baseball was predominantly white.

After blacks broke their color barrier in 1947, Hispanic players began to join the league. Roberto Clemente, a Puerto Rican who made 3,000 hits and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972, was one of the forerunners of this group.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, last season Latinos made up 17 percent of opening day rosters, up from 8 percent about 10 years ago. With 57 players, the Dominican Republic had the biggest presence in major-league baseball, followed by Puerto Rico (28), Venezuela (20), and Mexico (8). Some of the key players on teams that made it to the playoffs this year are from Spanish-speaking countries. On a more recent note, Derrek See HISPANICS page 6

PAGE 2

March 7 2002

Celebrating 50 years 1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539 (956) 381-2541 Fax: (956) 316-7122 http://www.panam.edu/dept/panamerican 50th Year – No. 21

Editor Matt Lynch mlynch@panam.edu

News Editor Cristina Reyna creyna826@aol.com

Copy Editor Melissa Ciomperlik ciomperlik@yahoo.com

A & E Editor Ashley Brooks

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 university.

Letters policy

Magrew2@hotmail.com

Sports Editor Eladio Jaimez ejaimez@panam.edu

Layout Designers Gabriel Hernandez Cristina Reyna Celeste Y. Tello Reporters Blake Daniels Jaime Garcia Jr. Mike Gonzalez Elizabeth Martinez Linda Martinez Dagoberto Perez Nikki Ramirez Belinda Reyes Cristina Reyna Cesar Trevino Photographers Anna Stwora Mary Zuviri Advertising Dagoberto Perez Circulation Jesus M. Gonzalez Advertising Coordinator Juanita Sanchez Adviser Dr. Greg Selber

Letters to the editor must include your name, address, and phone number.

They will be printed at the discretion of the editor.

Readers with disabilities may request an alternative format of this publication at The Pan American business office.

For special assistance to attend any event listed in this publication, contact the coordinator of the event at least one week prior to the advertised date.

OPINION

March 7, 2002

letters

■

editorials

■

cartoons

Fulfilling a vital responsibility March 12.

It’s not the Super Bowl or the Grammys, but the date should mean much more to Valley residents than both those events combined. March 12 is the day we exercise our right to vote.

March 12 is the day we choose those who will represent us in our government. It is the day we elect members of our communities to be our voices in the halls of democracy, doing something which sets us apart from citizens of many other nations around the globe.

Or is it?

Like many rights and freedoms we have come to enjoy in this country, most Americans have long taken for granted the right to vote. It is often said that those rights we choose not to exercise are those rights which we forfeit.

Many citizens, especially college students, feel they have perfectly sound reasons for not participating in our democratic process. From not caring about elections to not knowing about the issues, the excuses of non-voters are many.

But talk is cheap. The simple fact of the matter is that without citizens who are willing to vote, the democratic process falters in its first and most important step. So many complain about the politicians who represent us, and are dissatisfied with their backgrounds, records or political stances. Rather than being active participants in one of the greatest experiments in government, many of us would rather sit on our hands and talk about how the system let us down.

In reality, though, when citizens don’t vote, it is the CITIZEN who lets the system down.

Who selected the officials so many of us complain about? Those who forfeit their right to vote also forfeit their right to voice their disapproval.

The only way to change the system is to change the system. We have the fundamental power to reward and to remove our leaders and representatives. The right to vote allows Americans the ability to re-elect politicians

who we feel adequately represent us and remove those from office who don’t hold up their end of lofty campaign bargains.

As schedules get more hectic and lives become increasingly filled with tedious details, we forget the trials and tribulations of those before us who secured those rights now so easily take for granted.

Through the struggles of men and women throughout history, voting, a privilege that was only granted to a very select few in the 1770s, became a right for every American to enjoy.

The 19th Amendment guarantees that for women.

Former President Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas illustrated perfectly the necessity of exercising the right to vote in the working democratic process when he said, “The command of the Constitution is plain. There is no moral issue. It is wrong, deadly wrong, to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country.”

Gay denim day provokes stern response To the Editor: I would just like to pose a question to the campus organization GLOBAL. GLOBAL posted many signs around campus promoting “Wear jeans if you are gay” on Thursday, March 7. I would like to know what purpose this served. By picking a general clothing item, which much of the public wears, such as jeans, it would not make sense that GLOBAL was trying to show group affiliation, or stand together as one, but merely to create a reaction.

I witnessed several people show looks of confusion when reading the signs, and one person ripped one down. These signs are comparable to one that would say, “If you are a Nazi, wear a T-Shirt.” Everyone wears T-shirts, therefore this serves zero purpose, except to incite a reaction out of those who happen to be wearing a T-shirt and not be a Nazi on that day. I feel that GLOBAL using jeans to indicate homosexuality is in poor taste, and should have picked an article of clothing that was more spe-

cific, such as a certain color, to promote their group as a growing part of the community. I commend the work GLOBAL has done to bring homosexuality to the forefront of society, but disagree with the way they have handled themselves here.

On Thursday March 21 all readers of The Pan American wear shoes.

Samuel Cook Senior, Mathematics

NEWS Enhanced research capabilities envisioned

By Eladio Jaimez The Pan American

UTPA: Vision of Success SECOND IN A CONTINUING SERIES While the growth of the University of Texas-Pan American is evident with a glance at the campus and its buildings, the university prides itself on various academic programs which have been added.

In the past few years, UTPA has also encouraged faculty to that end, and geared much of the school’s money toward research.

The university is committed to becoming more engaged in research, and created a new position to be filled by June.

Vice President for Academic Affairs Rodolfo Arevalo said the new Associate Vice President for Research will assist faculty involved in research. The new VP will spend much time out of the office working with federal agencies to help faculty involved in research.

“This new person will host workshops on grant writing, for example,” Arevalo said.

“They would spend a lot of time in Washington [D.C.] trying to get our name out there. We need these agencies to recognize us when we need their help.”

Arevalo said UTPA has submitted a couple of proposals for grants to conduct research in partnership with other universities.

“We’re looking at more and more co-op projects,” he explained.

Currently the university is awaiting response to a proposal for $7 million to conduct research in high energy physics with the University of Texas-Brownsville and Cornell University in upstate New York.

Another proposal in the wings deals with environmental work along the Rio Grande.

UTPA, along with Indiana State University and Texas A&M University, submitted a bid for $12 million in hopes of getting this project under way.

“They’ll be mapping and looking at environment problems along the river and coast,” Arevalo said. The UTPA Center for Subtropical Studies, various faculty, and the Coastal Studies Lab in South Padre Island will be involved in the project.

Arevalo said UTPA gained more money in federal grants in 2001 than in his first three years at the school.

“My first three years we generated $1.5 million,” Arevalo said. “Last year we received about $9 million.”

Arevalo said these initial research projects serve as starting points or baby steps toward UTPA establishing itself as a more legitimate research institution in the country.

“There are a lot of possibilities for this university becoming a major research university in South Texas,” Arevalo said.

He said that UTPA could become a legitimate competitor for major federal grant money in the future, but will probably never be able to compete with “tier 1” schools like the University of Texas-Austin and Texas A&M University.

“We can definitely be a tier 2 school,” Arevalo said. “Meaning we would be very research-intensive.”

The notoriety gained and the money procured would also help the school establish more graduate and doctoral programs, Arevalo See SERIES page 7

SPORTS CLIPBOARD

sports

Reynosa gallops into town EDINBURG - The University of Texas-Pan American Bronc baseball squad reached a twoyear agreement to play three exhibition games against the Reynosa Broncos of the Mexican League. The game will mark the start of the Baseball Border Series.

The Broncs will host Reynosa in the first game of the series, March 15 at 7 p.m. at Edinburg Baseball Stadium.

The agreement states both squads will play at each other’s home stadium, with one game played here and the other at Reynosa’s Adolfo Lopez Mateos Park.

The game comes at an opportune time for both squads. The Broncs have nine days off between a game against Notre Dame at the Round Rock Express Tournament on Sunday, and a home contest against Kansas University March 19.

The Broncos open their 2002 campaign with a road game against the Tecolotes of Nuevo Laredo March 20.

The Broncs met the Broncos in an exhibition game two years ago, with Reynosa coming out victorious, 6-3, before 4,746 baseball fans at Jody Ramsey Stadium.

Broncs to ride Round Rock Express

Page 15

By the numbers BASEBALL BRONC LEADERS Batting Average Juan Saenz Adam Farek Matt Eichel Matt Sisk Tony Ortiz Jarrod Maddox

.500 .417 .400 .361 .346 .312

Homeruns Matt Eichel Matt Sisk Jarrad Maddox Sean Flynn

2 2 1 1

RBI Matt Sisk Jarrad Maddox Marr Eichel Tony Ortiz Skip Weast Sean Flynn Jonathon Mason

10 8 5 5 5 4 4

Runs Matt Eichel Jerome McCoy Jonathan Mason Sean Flynn Bruce Kennedy John Lopez

12 11 7 6 6 6

TEAM NUMBERS Batting Average

.260

Homeruns

6

RBI

55

Hits

137

Runs

70

GOLF BRONCS MOE O’BRIEN CLASSIC

EDINBURG - The University of Texas-Pan American will face some formidable opposition this weekend when it participates at the prestigous Round Rock Express Classic.

The Broncs play three games in three days at the Dell Diamond, home of the Round Rock Express.

UTPA is slated to play the Bobcats of Southwest Texas State Friday morning at 11. They take on the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian Saturday evening at 7, and the Fightin’ Irish of Notre Dame Sunday afternoon at 2.

The Broncs take a lackluster 2-14 record into the tourney. The Irish (4-3) currently rank 24 in the Collegiate Baseball and Baseball Weekly/ESPN polls. TCU (6-7) plays a series against Texas Tech before arriving in Round Rock, and SWT (11-5) swept a two-game series a against the Broncs last month.

Seniors Justin Dowd and Frank James will start the games against the Bobcats and the Irish, respectively. Dowd brings an 0-2 record with a 12.76 ERA. James boasts a 2-3 record and 5.65 ERA. Brownsville native Travis Parkergets the nod against the Horned Frogs on Saturday. The southpaw holds a dreadful 0-5 record and 10.38 ERA. The Broncs’ next contest after the tourney is a home series against Kansas University.

Koziell named top in Southland PLANO - For the third time this season, a Bronc earned the Southland Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week honor.

Filip Koziell was chosen for his play last week against the University of Louisiana-Monroe and Centenary College.

He went 4-0 last weekend, winning twice in each match as the Broncs fell to ULM, 5-2. He defeated Centenary, 6-1, in pairs.

Koziell defeated Mark Edney of ULM, 6-2, 6-2, at number three singles Saturday. He teamed up with freshman Jeremy Salvo to defeat Bart Dabrowski and Stan Nevolovich, 8-2, at number two doubles.

Sunday, Koziell recorded two victories against Centenary.

The Canadian downed Mark Lewis, 6-4, 6-3 at number three singles. He teamed up with Salvo again and moved to number one doubles. They defeated Jimmy Allen and Todd Killen, 8-4.

The Broncs (4-4, 2-1) return to action when they play Gonzaga in San Francisco March 14.

Golfers come in ninth LAKE CHARLES, LA –The University of Texas-Pan American’s men’s golf team tied for ninth place at the Moe O’Brien Memorial Golf Tournament, hosted by McNeese State University at the Lake Charles Country Club. The tournament was reduced to two rounds due to inclement weather.

The Broncs shot a 313 on the second and final day, and their 36-hole total of 615 tied them with New Orleans. Oklahoma City won the tournament with a score of 580.

Junior Omar Halldorsson led the Broncs, shooting a second-round score of 75. He finished with a 36-hole total of 149, and tied for 18. Freshman John Huerta shot an 80 Tuesday and tied for 28 at 153. Sophomore Ben Piper also shot an 80, and tied for 45 at 156. Senior Santiago DeLarrea shot a 78 and tied for 55 at 157, while junior James Aleman shot an 83, and tied for 67 at 162.

The Broncs will return to action when they visit South Carolina-Aiken for the Cleveland Collegiate Tournament March 17.

Hits Matt Sisk Jerome McCoy Bruce Kennedy Jarrad Maddox Tony Ortiz

COACH

22 14 11 10 9

Omar Halldorsson John Huerta Ben Piper Santiago DeLarrea James Aleman

75-75-149, tied for 18th 73-80-153, tied for 28th 76-80-156, tied for 45th 79-78-157, tied for 55th 79-83-162, tied for 67th

continued from page 16

15, 2000.

Despite his accolades, Hoffman is the first to point out that the players are the reason the Broncs completed one of the most successful seasons in Bronc history. Senior guard Mire Chatman had one of the best seasons ever by a Bronc, and is now getting recognized for his efforts. CollegeInsider.com named Chatman Independent Player of the Year on Monday.

He finished the regular season averaging 26.2 points a game and 3.6 steals.

The scoring average ranked him third among NCAA Division I players and he was fourth in steals.

Marshall Rogers has the top single season average 36.8 in 1975-76, Bruce King is second (31.0 in 1973-74), Greg Guy is thid (29.3 in 1992-93), Fred Taylor is fourth (27.8 in 1969-70), Rogers is fifth (26.7 in 1974-75).

“Any awards at the end of the year come out of great team play,” Hoffman said. “If we didn’t have the kind of season we did, Mire wouldn’t get the awards.”

Wednesday, Chatman was named to the Division I All-Defensive team by the same on-line magazine.

On two different occasions, he recorded eight steals in a game during the season.

Hoffman said Chatman deserves every award he’s gotten to date, as well as any others he has yet to receive.

“He did everything that was asked of him last year,” Hoffman said. “He never complained. He could have taken a different road. We’re very proud of his attitude. He was always looking for the

best interest of the team.”

Even after receiving his awards, Chatman still credits his team and looks at the team’s success when assessing the season.

“It was a great season having the 20 wins. We’d like 25, but we’ll take 20 any day.” Chatman said. “We met our goal of 20 wins, and I had a great season.”

Hoffman and Chatman hope their 20win season can entice the National Invitational Tournament inviting committee to send an invite to the Broncs.

“We’re still hopeful,” Hoffman said.

“The pairings come out on Sunday, and all we can do is hope. We’ve been holding individual workouts since the last game.”

With the success of the team comes questions about whether Hoffman will eventually move on to coach elsewhere.

After coming to UTPA, he experienced immediate success, notching 12 wins his first season, causing his stock as a Division I coach to rise.

“I haven’t had any offers,” Hoffman said on the possibility of coaching elsewhere. “We’re really excited about the upcoming season and the new recruits.

We have a great nucleus coming back.”

Junior guard Kevin Mitchell said despite losing players of high-caliber status like Chatman and center Marcus Quinn, next season should be just as exciting and expectations will be high.

“We’re losing some strong players,” Mitchell said. “We’re going to work hard over the summer and be as good as we’ve ever been. We have confidence coming back.”

PAGE 16

NFL

After losing middle linebacker Sam Cowart to free agency Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills didn’t take long to fill their void in the middle, signing former St. Louis Rams starter London Fletcher (pictured above).

The Bills struck a five-year deal with Fletcher Wednesday afternoon worth $17 million, including a signing bonus of $4 million. Fletcher, 26, is expected to make the deal official Thursday. Cowart also signed a six-year deal worth $31 million with the New York Jets Wednesday.

The Jets also officially resigned middle linebacker Marvin Jones Wednesday in an effort to keep their linebacking corps up to strength.

S PORTS

■ Sports Clipboard. . . . . . .15 ■ By the numbers . . . . . . .14

By Eladio Jaimez The Pan American

Now that the basketball regular season is over, the postseason awards have started coming in.

Bronc head coach Bob Hoffman was one of the first to garner an award.

Hoffman was named Independent Coach of the Year

by CollegeInsider.com Tuesday, following an impressive 20-win season.

“I didn’t expect it at all,” he said. “It is definitely an honor for this team and the program. If we didn’t have the players, these awards don’t count.”

In his third year as head coach, Hoffman led the Broncs to a 20-10 record with a 12-2 record at The Fieldhouse. The

20-10 mark is the best since the 1989-90 season, when the Broncs finished 21-9 under coach Kevin Wall.

UTPA hired Hoffman in September 1999 to bring “unquestionable integrity and character” to the team after a series of program problems. He was also brought here to win games.

In three years, Hoffman has recorded 44 wins. His predecessor, Delray Brooks, accumulated only eight wins in two years before being relieved of his duties.

In Hoffman’s first year, the Broncs ended a 64-game road losing streak against Oral Roberts University with a 79-62 win over the Golden Eagles Jan. See COACH page 15

Eladio Jaimez/The Pan American Sophomore hurdler Rashaad Ben practices for the outdoor track season, which gets under way March 15. The Broncs travel to San Antonio to compete in the UTSA Whataburger Classic. As a freshman, Ben broke the school record in the indoor 55meter hurdles with a time of 7.57 at the Texas Tech Open. He also broke the outdoor record in the 110-meter high hurdles with a time of 14.74 at the Oregon Invitational.

■ Bronc jumpers saddened at fellow vaulter’s death

By Mike Gonzalez The Pan American

Following an extended battle against colon cancer, Alice Bauer (shown above), one of the founding members of the LPGA Tour, died at the age of 74.

Bauer, who died at the home of her sister, Marlene Bauer Hagge, was one of 13 women who founded the LPGA tour. Bauer won the South Dakota Amateur when she was just 14, but never won an LPGA tour event. Her best season was in 1956, when she ranked 14th on the LPGA’s money list. Hagge, who was also a founding member of the LPGA, was recently elected to the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Sometimes athletes love a sport so much it takes an injury to pull them off the field.

Ex-Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin was removed on a stretcher after injuring his neck on the hard surface of Philadelphia’s Veteran Stadium in October 1999.

He decided to retire only after family and friends persuaded him that there’s more to life then football.

The same goes for former basketball star Isiah Thomas.

He played 13 years for the Detroit Pistons and retired Eladio Jaimez/The Pan American after tearing his Achilles tenBronc pole vaulter Jeff Martzell practices at the don in 1993.

UTPA track Tuesday afternoon. Martzell said Unfortunately, injuries can he’ll continue with the sport despite the recent sometimes lead to permanent death of Penn State’s vaulter Kevin Dare.

VOICE

CAMPUS NEWS

Vaughn: Pole vaulting not overly dangerous

LPGA

Campus How do you feel regarding the deployment of U.S. troops to various foreign countries in the fight against terrorism?

Page 4

Coach, player garner awards

tragedy. Kevin Dare, a member of the Penn State University men’s track and field team, died Feb. 23 during an indoor track and field meet. Dare, who struck his head on the ground while attempting a pole vault, was pronounced dead a short time later.

University of Texas-Pan American track and field coach Ricky Vaughn knows that the chances of an injury in any sport exist, but he doesn’t see the pole vault as an overly dangerous event.

‘I don’t think it’s any different than any other sport,” Vaughn said. “A basketball player can get his legs knocked out and hit his head.

A volleyball player can take a line drive into the face.

It’s the nature of what we

do.”

The Bronc pole vaulters— senior Rachel Drury and freshman Jeff Martzall— were saddened to hear about Dare’s death.

“I’ve heard of accidents before, but it’s the first time I’ve heard of someone dying at a collegiate level and it’s upsetting,” Drury said.

Martzall recalls being shocked after hearing about Dare’s death via a phone call after coming home from practice.

“It’s kind of sad to hear because you usually don’t hear about pole vaulters dying,” Martzall said. “If you don't know what you’re doing, there’s a lot of risk in the sport.”

Martzall started jumping in See POLE VAULT page 14

THURSDAY

Give life, give blood.

In an effort to curb a desperate shortage, United Blood Services will team up with two UTPA student organizations to host three campus-wide blood drives.

The first blood drive will be hosted by the Student Government Association March 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Library Corridor.

SGA will host another blood drive March 21, again from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Library Corridor.

United Methodist Campus Ministry will host the final blood drive April 2 from noon to 5 p.m. in the United Methodist Campus Ministry Building.

According to Jennifer Lopez, community relations representative for UBS, 70 blood donors are needed daily to keep up with demand Valley-wide. “ We have been coming up short daily,” Lopez said. “ We have had no response to previous appeals, and now we are facing a severe shortage.”

Students and staff interested in donating blood must eat prior to donating and bring picture identification.

■

March 7, 2002

BORDER Beauties

An Inside Look: Opinion ........................................2 ■ News ............................................3 ■ A & E............................................7 ■ Sports ........................................16 ■

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T h e S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r o f T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Te x a s - P a n A m e r i c a n

Curandero shares spirit healing

By Belinda Reyes The Pan American

Don Alberto Salinas, a practicing curandero (or folk healer) from Edinburg spoke to anthropology students in Dr. Glazer’s Mexican-American Folklore class Friday, March 1.

Glazer, professor of anthropology, invited Salinas to class to talk about his life as a curandero, which relates to several topics in the course.

“I invited Salinas because I wanted to go beyond the lectures and give the students an event in which they could experience a living example of Mexican American folk healing,” Glazer said.

Salinas presented videos of his healing and works that included undoing witchcraft and spells. He also channeled the spirit of El Nino Fidencio to the class.

Several students participated in a limpia, or a spiritual cleansing, during the event.

“I participated in the healing for a limpia just to experience what people believe in for actual [spiritual] cleansing,” said Tami Valdez, anthropology major.

Salinas has been a practicing curandero since 1979, when the spirit of Fidencio, a folk healer

from Espinazo [Nuevo Leon, Mexico] spoke to him through a 16-year-old girl and told him that he was a healer from the past.

“I had been going to spiritual sessions and [visiting] a spiritual healer, and he would channel past Indian shaman spirits. At this particular session there were several mediums that were invited and I didn’t know too much about that,” Salinas said. “Nino Fidencio manifested himself into this girl and he invited me to say a prayer and something came into me and I felt that he brought me close to God.” After that experience, Salinas said he felt the need to research Fidencio’s life, since he did not know much about him. He searched for information regarding the healer and discovered that he was buried in Espinazo, Mexico, northwest of Monterrey.

After that, Salinas said he felt the need to make an altar [shrine] in his house honoring Fidencio.

“I had this wanting desire to try to serve this holy man’s spirit,” Salinas explained.

Jose Fidencio Sintora Constantino was born in 1898 and was a famous Mexican curandero in the1920’s. The name ‘El Nino’ came from his healing ability, and Fidencio was compared to the

Celeste Tello / The Pan American

SPIRITUAL CLEANSING -- Don Alberto Salinas, an independent Fidencista, channels the spirit of ‘El Nino’ Fidencio in a Mexican-American folklore class and gives an anthropology student a limpia, or cleansing.

Christ child of Catholicism. As a young peasant boy, he showed a gift for healing and had knowledge of medicinal plants, as well as an affinity with the supernatural, according to an on-line article

from National Catholic Reporter.

Fidencio died in 1938 and was buried in his home in Espinazo.

“His spirit has taught me how to pray over people and aid See HEALER page 5

Women’s history month virtually unnoticed Elizabeth Martinez The Pan American

March has been designated Women’s History Month across the country but the precence of this celebration in the Valley is minimal.

The National Women’s History Project (NWHP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing the accomplishments of women throughout history.

NWHP, which was founded in Santa Rosa, Calif. in 1980, petitioned Congress to establish the month of March for national celebration of women.

The popularity of women’s history celebrations has reached campuses and communities across America. For nearly 20 years, the University of Texas-San Antonio has celebrated the month. This year’s events include lectures, workshops, films, readings and exhibits spotlighting influential

women. The Women’s History Coalition of MiamiDade County in Florida had a memorial to Julia S. Tuttle, founder of the City of Miami, as part of Women’s History Month.

Although Women’s History Month has turned into a major focal celebration in other areas, the University of Texas-Pan American will not be participating in this celebration.

Jeanette Broshears, director of Student Life and Transition Services, said that UTPA will not be specifically celebrating Women’s History Month, but instead will touch on women’s health issues at the student health fair on April 10.

“We did have activities last year but since both events are two weeks apart from each other we decided to combine the two,” said Broshears. “We found that both were trying to go out and contact the same agencies and attract the same students.”

Broshears said that there will be stickers and liter-

ature regarding women’s history available.

After several calls to various departments at UTPA, public libraries and museums, the Edinburg and McAllen Chamber of Commerce and the University of Texas-Brownsville/Texas Southmost College, the lack of Valley events commemorating women’s history was apparent.

South Texas Community College is the only local educational institution celebrating the month.

Barbara Mayo, chair of the Women’s Studies Committee at STCC, gave a list of activities planned to honor women.

“Inherently, men have written history. Most history is written by men about men,” Mayo said. “This is not about men against women, it’s about understanding the significant contributions of women.”

On March 6, Ed Garcia, art instructor at STCC, will present “TALK,” a discussion about the artist See WOMEN page 5