TV Land Coming together through television
Pages 4-5
February 7, 2013
Volume 69, No. 17
Student Injured at Party
Page 3
Java Update INFO
UTPA security disables JAVA Page 2
Chicano Studies
National conference to be held at UTPA Page 6
Sports Update Latest news in Bronc sports Online
Influenza
Reporter Victoria Villela examines how to avoid the flu Online
Photo illustration by Adrian Castillo and Francisco Rodriguez/The Pan American
UTPA.edu compromised, restored By Daniella Diaz The Pan American
panamericanonline.com
Usually UTPA.edu’s front page is filled with links and graphics displaying the newest upcoming events, but the page was hacked and left without that information Jan. 2. A hacker (whose handle was not disclosed by UTPA)
found vulnerability in the code of the front page and posted a simple message. “This website was hacked by (undisclosed name).” When University officials learned of the hack after various reports, they took the front page down at 1:21 p.m. Feb. 2. Afterwards, Information Tech-
nology officials and the information security officials ran a series of scans to locate the vulnerable codes and updated the system to prevent similar attacks before the front page was republished early the next morning. “The code was a tool for someone to use against us,” said Victor Gonzalez,
the University security engineer. “It is our job to make sure vulnerabilities are discovered and eliminated, and we don’t give the (hackers) time to do it.” Joe Voje, the chief information security officer,
did not want to release the handle of the hacker because he believed sharing the identity might encourage future problems. “Some people want the notoriety and they want to brag about it,” Voje said.
Continued on Page 3
2
opinion
February 7, 2013
COMIC
Concerning catholicism Elizabeth Espinosa
Multimedia Editor While the Bible specifically forbids playing with a pigskin (Leviticus 11:6) and only vaguely speaks about homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22), the Valley is 59 percent Roman Catholic and
yet it seemed pretty interested in Super Bowl Sunday. But acceptance of the LGBT community, however, seems to be lagging behind the rest of the country. In the classes required before becoming a confirmed Catholic, students around the Valley are being taught that God, who is all loving and accepting, is not OK with two lesbians wanting to solidify their love through marriage. But don’t waste any tears on
the LGBT community because its members have continually demonstrated the ability and determination to attain rights for themselves, even in the face of strong and entrenched opposition. The Catholic Church, however, is in trouble. Especially in the Valley, Catholic leaders have refused to adapt to a modern day mentality - love is love, no matter the gender of the participants. And without that adapta-
tion, Catholicism will rapidly lose the young generation, and slowly disappear. So for the good of the Valley and the world as a whole, locals must adapt because Catholicism is needed. It does offer lifelong guidance and comfort for many and it produces some good in the world. Now if only we could remember that God will love us and we can love all in return.
Francicso Rodriguez /The Pan American
JAVA Has hole, UTPa patches By Karen Perez The Pan American After online hackers discovered a security hole in the popular software platform Java, UTPA’s Information Securities department disabled Java plugin for Internet Explorer from UTPA computers Jan. 12. An alert was also sent to students and faculty on the same day regarding Java’s vulnerability. Java, a programming language and computing platform created by Sun Microsystems in 1995, powers programs such as games and business applications. It runs on more than 850 million personal computers worldwide, according to the website of Java’s parent company, Oracle Corporation. The nationwide online threat was reportedly caused by attackers with a high-end crimeware toolkit known as Blackhole. Dubbed as a “New Year’s gift” by its creator, who goes by the nickname “Paunch” in an underground forum, the attack on Java 7 update 10 was reported Jan. 10 by an independent malware researcher online. The threat was confirmed by researchers from security firm AlienVault that same day. In response to Java’s zero-day exploit, Joe Voje, UTPA chief information security officer, said the first step taken was to disable Java plug-in from UTPA centrally managed computers for non-trusted zones, browsers attempting to access a non-UTPA owned or contracted web site). “People usually install software they don’t always need,” Voje said. “Not all websites require Java nowadays. We recommend that students keep track of software they use and need.” The term zero-day refers to an attack that exploits a previously unknown vulnerability before the owner of the software knows about it. “In a ‘zero-day’, the software
vulnerability has been identified but does not have a direct path,” Voje explained. “It’s basically in the wild.” Voje said a zero-day attack gives someone the ability to put malicious codes on a website. The individual who was using the vulnerable Java version would then browse to a website and the malicious code would be pushed to the computer. Potentially a backdoor can be installed in the computer and the hacker could then have access to the individual’s personal information. He said it was confirmed that the current version of Java used by UTPA was not affected by the exploit. UTPA’s computer systems did not experience any malicious activity and no confidential information from the University was compromised as a result of Java’s vulnerability. Java’s zero-day, which can potentially be found in operating systems such as Microsoft Windows, Mac, and Linux, can result in electronic crimes, such as identity theft, spear phishing (which is an email fraud attempt that targets organizations’ confidential data) and malware, which is software that damages computer systems. Java also experienced a similar zero-day exploit back in August 2012. In an article in Computerworld, Patrik Runald, security research director at Websense, said his team found more than 100 unique domains with the Java exploit. Due to Java’s many security issues in the past, Voje said Information Securities will continue to monitor the situation. As a result of the recent scenario, representatives of Oracle issued a new and safer update for Java with a patch Jan. 13 in which its security settings are set higher. Another update was made Feb. 1 to address 50 security vulnerabilities. Voje expressed that Java’s patches
explain why there haven’t been many exploits. “Oracle is a very large and successful software company,” UTPA’s Voje expressed. “I am confident that they will eventually address these particular security issues and continue to provide useful software to the Internet community.” However, UTPA’s Information Securities still suggest that computer users disable or uninstall Java from their web browsers at home. If some people might still
use a personal firewall and disable features one don’t need on the computer and enable them only when one does. He also recommended people keep track of their online activity. “We encourage people to remain alert while online and be careful with what you keep on your computer and share,” Voje said. “Always be mindful of what you do on the Internet.” Jerald Hughes, a computer information systems professor at UTPA, believes it’s OK to trust Java as long as students stay cur-
PHOTO OF THE WEEK The Baptist Student Ministry gave out free peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pamphlets to students on the quad Jan. 6. “We wanted to share the spiritual bread, not only the physical,” freshman marketing major, Gabriela Guajardo (pictured), said.
Susan Gonzalez The Pan American
#UTPA Tweet at and follow us @ThePanAmerican
I’m starving to death but I have no idea where to go to get food :( #utpa #lost #feedme - @AlexandraAnn15
INFO
Carlos Flores/The Pan American need Java to access certain web- rent and update by downloading sites, Voje suggests doing so with its latest version. He said all softsafety precautions. Blackboard, ware ages and becomes vulnerfor example, might require Java. able over time. “Basically, don’t trust any Students can continue to use the software safely by adding software, until you have good Blackboard as a “trusted site” in reason to think it’s OK,” Hughes the settings section of the web said. “You know where it came / The Pan American from, the software company has browser, he explained. Francisco Rodriguez Another alternative for users a good reputation, you’ve looked who need Java for certain appli- at the reviews, you got it from a cations is to activate Java in one trustworthy place and your probrowser and unplug it in anoth- tection software has scanned it for safety.” er browser for everyday use. According to Hughes, the This is not the first time UTPA’s Information Securities hardest part about staying safe online is keeping up to date. has experienced similar risks. “When Java, Firefox, Adobe, “It’s an ongoing battle,” Voje said. “But zero days are not all or any of your software wants to common. Patches usually fixes update, do it,” Hughes said. “All flaws before they are known by the antivirus software suites now come with a piece which scans the public.” To prevent becoming a vic- the websites you’re going to and tim of an online exploit, Voje warns you if they look dangerurges computer users to patch ous—use it.” and update their system when available. He said people should
What’s up with the paper plates, cups and plastic utensils at the cafe? #UTPA - @urawizardharry_ #UTPA needs to get on board with their wifi. It keeps going off and on causing me to send tweets in the wrong order! Lol. - @gyhthyg
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Vol. 69, No. 17
The Pan American
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Editors-in-Chief:
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Sports Editor:
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Arts & Life Editor:
Lea Victoria Juarez
Photography Editor: Adrian Castillo
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Karen Villarreal
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The Pan American is the official student newspaper of The University of Texas-Pan American. Views presented are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the paper or university.
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February 7, 2013 January 31, 2013
hacked Continued from Page 1 “That’s why we try to limit the names. We don’t want to feed into that and give people credit, which can give them the desire to do it more.” SAFE DATA Voje said the University has found no proof that data was stolen from the University during the attack because there is no student data tied to that web server. A server is hardware that hosts a website. “We’re still doing the analysis on what happened,” he said. “We really don’t believe that anything was stolen or taken. Some files were deleted but we’re analyzing what those were and what the impact was.” Basically, only utpa.edu was affected. My.utpa.edu was not affected because the two websites are on different servers and
Gray hat hacker: A person who hacks but their intentions are not clear
my.utpa.edu is written in a different code that’s more secure, according to Voje. The hack damaged the page’s code, but University officials were able to restore it back to its full capabilities. “This is like someone keying your car in the parking lot,” Voje said. “Someone has destroyed something that you own that’s nice, but you can get it fixed.” WHO IS IT? Gonzalez traced the hacker’s Internet protocol address, or the numerical label assigned to the device used for the attack, to Ankara, Turkey. But this doesn’t pinpoint the hacker exactly be-
White hat hacker: A person who hacks intending to improve security
What happened to AJ? UTPA student severely injured, Facebook whirlwind ensues By Karen Antonacci and Charles Vale The Pan American
cause they could have routed the hack through another IP address to avoid being caught. There are three kinds of hackers: black hat, white hat and gray hat hackers. A white hat hacker attacks a system on behalf of its owner to find vulnerabilities, and a gray hat hacker is between the lines of a black hat and white hat hacker because they sometimes act legally and sometimes they don’t. Voje considered the UTPA hacker a black hat hacker because the person attacked the website maliciously. He believed that the culprit wasn’t specifically targeting the University, but instead looking for a website with vulnerabilities and UTPA was most likely the first one that came up According to the Texas Administration Code, it is illegal to access a computer, computer network or computer system without the consent of the owner. The penalty for hacking a computer can range from a Class B misdemeanor (up to 180 days in county jail and/or a $2,000 fine) to a first-degree felony (five to 99 years in a state prison and/ or $10,000 fine). Gonzalez believes the situation could have been a lot worse and is glad it wasn’t. “They could have redirected the page to malware, displayed offensive words or images,” he said. “They could have done whatever they wanted.”
Black hat hacker: A person who hacks to exploit security weaknesses
3
AJ Chapa, dressed in a gray shirt and tight jeans, joined three other dancing men on top of a long, wooden picnic table at a Phi Kappa Theta fraternity party early Sunday morning. The table had been used for games of beer pong and Chapa appeared to be unsteady on his feet as he climbed up, according to a video shown to The Pan American by a source who wishes to remain anonymous. And then, according to accounts of those who attended the party, he fell off, head first. The source said that after Chapa dipped low for a dance move, “he went to get back up but he like, pushed himself up too hard, thinking there was more table and there wasn’t because he was already at the edge.” Rudie Lynn Bustamante, the 21-year-old president of the Choral Intensity Show Choir, corroborated the story. “It was almost as if he just walked off the table,” she said. “He probably didn’t know where he was.” Below the table was a concrete patio, which the source said Chapa hit without attempting to break his fall. “I had never seen anything like that, you could even hear the bang on the ground from how hard he hit his head,” Bustamante said. FACEBOOK’S ROLE Chapa was transported to McAllen Medical Center via ambulance and later flown to University Hospital San Antonio for surgery. He sustained several severe fractures to his head, according to his mother, Monica Hamilton. Meanwhile, a Facebook group called Help AJ Chapa formed and started circulating a message stating that Chapa was beaten at the party for being openly gay. “One of the stories being spread is that he fell off a table,” the description of the group said at one point. “It has now been confirmed that this is NOT true and he was beaten severely.” The group spread rapidly, collecting over 500 likes and several comments by the end of the day Monday.
Hamilton, her cousin Dominique Garcia and AJ’s long-time friend Stephanie Casas all expressed belief that something more insidious led to the injuries. “(His injuries) just don’t go with the little story that he fell off a bar or whatever,” Hamilton said Monday. Monday night, however, Hamilton said she and her family were unaware of the Facebook group. The group’s message had gathered speed and many were commenting, incensed, at the mention of a “hate crime” at a UTPA frat party. George Dean, director of local online magazine Ouch My Ego, posted a link to the magazine’s Paypal account, saying people could contribute monetary donations
It was almost as if he just walked off the table... He probably didn’t know where he was. - Rudie Lynn Bustamante Party attendee
meeting of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Alliance to assure them the administration was aware of the uproar about Chapa’s injuries. That afternoon, the President’s Office released a statement asking students not to rush to judgment about the incident, and containing quotes from Chapa’s father. “I would like to state that at no time did we commu-
are divorced...AJ’s mom is not going to let this go.” Shortly after, the Facebook group was set to secret and then deleted. Dean received a request for a refund from one of the 17 people which donated money. “The family made it known that they didn’t want any fundraiser efforts going on without them being involved and I didn’t want
I would like to state that at no time did we communicate that this incident was a hate crime or that we had confirmed that his injuries were due to an altercation.
- AJ’s father
Statement from University to help Chapa’s family with medical bills. When she was reached Tuesday morning, Hamilton said she disapproved of people she felt were trying to use Chapa’s injuries as a call to action. “There is a group of people that want to use my
nicate that this incident was a hate crime or that we had confirmed that his injuries were due to an altercation,” the father wrote. At Moonbeans Coffee in McAllen Tuesday night, members of the Facebook group met to discuss further action and Hamilton
There is a group of people that want to use my son for their own cause and to make him a martyr. - Monica Hamilton AJ’s mother
son for their own cause and to make him a martyr,” she said. “If he fell, I can accept that, but how did he sustain those injuries?” THE AFTERMATH Later that day, UTPA President Robert Nelsen visited the regular Tuesday noon
sent her cousin as an envoy. Various fundraisers were discussed at the meeting, according to Garcia. “(What happened at the party) is all rumors. The only person that knows is AJ, but his mentality right now is back like it was in his childhood.” she said. “The mom and dad
people to think it was not going to the family,” Dean said of the $277 that was raised. “I refunded everyone so they could choose to donate through, I guess, more proper channels.” Hidalgo County Sheriff Guadalupe “Lupe” Trevino said Wednesday that while the case is still under investigation and while there is a preliminary conclusion that Chapa fell off a table, the matter will not be resolved until they speak with the 21-year-old philosophy major himself. But according to Hamilton, Chapa fades in and out of consciousness and doesn’t remember the details of the incident. “He just remembers sitting down with a beer,” she said. Norma Gonzalez, Lea Victoria Juarez and Michelle Garcia also contributed to this report.
The thrill of the seasons
Page 4
THE PAN AMERICAN
Story by Lea Victoria Juarez It’s Sunday night and Edinburg native Freddy Vela’s apartment living room is crammed with about 14 other people. They’re on the couch, sprawled across the floor and gazing at the television set. As 8 p.m. approaches, the chatter of the party begins to die down. The closing credits of the current show roll. Vela,
along with viewers across the nation, await the start of the newest episode of the hit television show The Walking Dead. AMC network’s original zombie apocalyptic series took the world by storm when it premiered in 2010. The show, spawned from a six-year comic book series, had 15.2 million total viewers the night of the fall
February 7, 2013
Connecting through television and TV culture
Design illustration by Karen Villarreal, Francisco Rodriguez, Eduardo Gamez and Carlos Flores 2012 mid-season finale for its third season, according to AMC. “Some people don’t have the proper channels, so instead of downloading it any type of way, we just all get together at my place,” said Vela, an alum nus with a bachelor’s in theater/TV/film. “It’s pretty cramped, but it’s all worth it for the show.”
As the first cable series in television history to reign as the biggest show of the fall season, The Walking Dead is just one of the programs that has become part of a culture, linking people together like TV has since the 1950s. “I think like 80 percent of America watched when Lucy had her baby in I love Lucy. Television early on
was bringing us together,” said theatre/film/TV professor David Carren. “By the late ‘50s everybody had a TV set. Everybody was connected.” The black and white sitcom, following a married couple in New York City, was television’s mostwatched show for four of its six seasons. It peaked with the Jan. 19, 1953, epi-
sode in which Lucy gives birth to Little Ricky, receiving a 71.7 rating. In television’s early days, people walked around humming the tune of theme songs from shows such as I Dream of Jeannie and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., but today it’s productions such as Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey and Breaking Bad that
THE PAN AMERICAN
February 7, 2013
stir up conversations in the masses. “Something happens and it’s all over the Internet in a matter of minutes. Especially with (The Walking Dead), it creates those water cooler moments that haven’t been created in a really long time,” 28-yearold Vela said. “I really think that this show does that very well in creating
that ability to connect with other people that you have never met before.” Vela, a GameStop store manager and selfproclaimed television aficionado, explained that it’s popular TV shows like The Walking Dead that can make even perfect strangers instantly click. “At my store I get a lot of customers and I ask
them, ‘Are you a fan of The Walking Dead?’ and they’ll say ‘Yes,’ and we can have a good 5, 10 minute conversation about what we think is going to happen,” Vela explained. Science fiction enthusiast and UTPA alumna Alyssa Trevino explained that not only do people connect with one another, but a connection with the characters develops, reeling viewers further into the story. She drives around in her 2010 Chrysler Sebring with a license plate frame that states “My Other Car is a Tardis,” referencing her favorite show, Dr. Who. The BBC hit is based on a regenerating alien time lord who travels through space and time saving the world through a “portal potty” called a Tardis. “It’s easy for people to get attached to characters. No matter the character, I think we find a piece of ourselves in them,” the Mercedes native said. Carren explained that although TV shows have been creating bonds for decades, people weren’t always able to easily relate to the characters or their neighbor. Women and minorities were often portrayed with token representations if they were on television at all. It wasn’t until the rights movements became a part of culture that the content on screen changed. “TV reflected a White, Protestant world in the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s,” the former TV writer and producer explained. “Television looks a lot more like we all do now and offers ideas that appeal to more now. There’s a wider audience for television in a way because of that.” Without this particular cultural shift, certain aspects that Trevino looks for in a series wouldn’t exist. “Most of the shows that I watch are very feminist. I love when TV shows embrace feminism culture, especially with Buffy,” she said referring to the 1990s science fiction show Buffy The Vampire Slayer that featured a female protagonist. Another aspect of television Trevino enjoys is how it can serve as a momentary ticket out of her everyday routine. “I also like to escape from reality I guess. Television kind of helps me with that,” she said. “It also helps
me concentrate. I don’t know how that happens, but when I was in school I’d always have to have something in the background while doing homework.” Living vicariously through characters in stories is a trait that people have been doing for centuries, according to Professor Carren. He believes that the idea of television began in the Bronze Age when stories were told around the fire inside a stone home. “When we first started the very beginnings of civilization, everyone lived in a house together,” he explained. “The oldest person of the house would be the storyteller. They would keep everybody entertained, calm and collected throughout the night with their stories until everyone went to sleep.” With television as the modern day storyteller, according to Carren, the only thing that has changed is that now people get their stories from a glowing, moving picture box. “People love stories,” he said. “People don’t want to live in the present, they want to escape from reality. Reality is always going to be boring to some degree. We want adventure and excitement.” While Vela admits that he talks strategy, attemptiing to put himself in the character’s position, playing the “What would you do?” game, he believes The Walking Dead offers a very real and relatable feeling. “It’s about this small community and this one man being alone in the world. It’s just about having that sense of feeling alone,” he said. “I think the show does a really good job in creating that atmosphere where there is no help. You are the help.” Television has advanced from film to high definition and with threedimensional technology making its way into movies and on TV, Carren thinks the connection between the audience and on-screen stories is here to stay. “I don’t think it’s going to go away, at least not in the foreseeable future,” he said. “If we have collapse of civilization, somewhere along the line we may not have food or water or air, but I think one of the last things to go would be TV because it keeps us together.”
Page 5
The thrill of the seasons
Page 4
THE PAN AMERICAN
Story by Lea Victoria Juarez It’s Sunday night and Edinburg native Freddy Vela’s apartment living room is crammed with about 14 other people. They’re on the couch, sprawled across the floor and gazing at the television set. As 8 p.m. approaches, the chatter of the party begins to die down. The closing credits of the current show roll. Vela,
along with viewers across the nation, await the start of the newest episode of the hit television show The Walking Dead. AMC network’s original zombie apocalyptic series took the world by storm when it premiered in 2010. The show, spawned from a six-year comic book series, had 15.2 million total viewers the night of the fall
February 7, 2013
Connecting through television and TV culture
Design illustration by Karen Villarreal, Francisco Rodriguez, Eduardo Gamez and Carlos Flores 2012 mid-season finale for its third season, according to AMC. “Some people don’t have the proper channels, so instead of downloading it any type of way, we just all get together at my place,” said Vela, an alum nus with a bachelor’s in theater/TV/film. “It’s pretty cramped, but it’s all worth it for the show.”
As the first cable series in television history to reign as the biggest show of the fall season, The Walking Dead is just one of the programs that has become part of a culture, linking people together like TV has since the 1950s. “I think like 80 percent of America watched when Lucy had her baby in I love Lucy. Television early on
was bringing us together,” said theatre/film/TV professor David Carren. “By the late ‘50s everybody had a TV set. Everybody was connected.” The black and white sitcom, following a married couple in New York City, was television’s mostwatched show for four of its six seasons. It peaked with the Jan. 19, 1953, epi-
sode in which Lucy gives birth to Little Ricky, receiving a 71.7 rating. In television’s early days, people walked around humming the tune of theme songs from shows such as I Dream of Jeannie and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., but today it’s productions such as Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey and Breaking Bad that
THE PAN AMERICAN
February 7, 2013
stir up conversations in the masses. “Something happens and it’s all over the Internet in a matter of minutes. Especially with (The Walking Dead), it creates those water cooler moments that haven’t been created in a really long time,” 28-yearold Vela said. “I really think that this show does that very well in creating
that ability to connect with other people that you have never met before.” Vela, a GameStop store manager and selfproclaimed television aficionado, explained that it’s popular TV shows like The Walking Dead that can make even perfect strangers instantly click. “At my store I get a lot of customers and I ask
them, ‘Are you a fan of The Walking Dead?’ and they’ll say ‘Yes,’ and we can have a good 5, 10 minute conversation about what we think is going to happen,” Vela explained. Science fiction enthusiast and UTPA alumna Alyssa Trevino explained that not only do people connect with one another, but a connection with the characters develops, reeling viewers further into the story. She drives around in her 2010 Chrysler Sebring with a license plate frame that states “My Other Car is a Tardis,” referencing her favorite show, Dr. Who. The BBC hit is based on a regenerating alien time lord who travels through space and time saving the world through a “portal potty” called a Tardis. “It’s easy for people to get attached to characters. No matter the character, I think we find a piece of ourselves in them,” the Mercedes native said. Carren explained that although TV shows have been creating bonds for decades, people weren’t always able to easily relate to the characters or their neighbor. Women and minorities were often portrayed with token representations if they were on television at all. It wasn’t until the rights movements became a part of culture that the content on screen changed. “TV reflected a White, Protestant world in the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s,” the former TV writer and producer explained. “Television looks a lot more like we all do now and offers ideas that appeal to more now. There’s a wider audience for television in a way because of that.” Without this particular cultural shift, certain aspects that Trevino looks for in a series wouldn’t exist. “Most of the shows that I watch are very feminist. I love when TV shows embrace feminism culture, especially with Buffy,” she said referring to the 1990s science fiction show Buffy The Vampire Slayer that featured a female protagonist. Another aspect of television Trevino enjoys is how it can serve as a momentary ticket out of her everyday routine. “I also like to escape from reality I guess. Television kind of helps me with that,” she said. “It also helps
me concentrate. I don’t know how that happens, but when I was in school I’d always have to have something in the background while doing homework.” Living vicariously through characters in stories is a trait that people have been doing for centuries, according to Professor Carren. He believes that the idea of television began in the Bronze Age when stories were told around the fire inside a stone home. “When we first started the very beginnings of civilization, everyone lived in a house together,” he explained. “The oldest person of the house would be the storyteller. They would keep everybody entertained, calm and collected throughout the night with their stories until everyone went to sleep.” With television as the modern day storyteller, according to Carren, the only thing that has changed is that now people get their stories from a glowing, moving picture box. “People love stories,” he said. “People don’t want to live in the present, they want to escape from reality. Reality is always going to be boring to some degree. We want adventure and excitement.” While Vela admits that he talks strategy, attemptiing to put himself in the character’s position, playing the “What would you do?” game, he believes The Walking Dead offers a very real and relatable feeling. “It’s about this small community and this one man being alone in the world. It’s just about having that sense of feeling alone,” he said. “I think the show does a really good job in creating that atmosphere where there is no help. You are the help.” Television has advanced from film to high definition and with threedimensional technology making its way into movies and on TV, Carren thinks the connection between the audience and on-screen stories is here to stay. “I don’t think it’s going to go away, at least not in the foreseeable future,” he said. “If we have collapse of civilization, somewhere along the line we may not have food or water or air, but I think one of the last things to go would be TV because it keeps us together.”
Page 5
6
arts & life
February 7, 2013
homecoming
events calendar
Feb. 11 through Feb. 17 marks UTPA’s annual Homecoming week. Extended calendar available at panamericanonline.com.
OF THE BRONCS Feb. 11 ACLASH night of music, food and games to kick off Homecoming week Participants: UTPA residents
7 p.m. - Troxel Lawn
FAT TUESDAY Feb. 12 The announcement of Homecoming King and Queen during a Mardi Gras celebration Participants: UTPA community
11:30 a.m - 1 p.m. - Quad
HOMECOMING PARADE Feb. 12 Prizes awarded to best decorated means of transportation at UTPA’s first Homecoming parade Participants: UTPA community
Noon - Quad
BATTLEwillOFfaceTHE BANDS Feb. 12 Musicians off on stage and the crowd decides the winner Participants: UTPA community
6 p.m. - Quad
Feb. 13 PRE-VALENTINE’S DAY PARTY Chocolate desserts, drinks and Valentine’s Day-inspired music, poolside Participants: UTPA community
6 p.m. - 7 p.m. - WRSC pool
Feb. 13 SAILESH: HYPNOTIST SAILESH has performed around the nation, Canada and Europe. Participants: UTPA students, general public
7 p.m. - Student Union
Feb. 14 BRONC IDOL UTPA’s third annual Bronc Idol singing competiton Participants: UTPA students, general public
Noon - Student Union
Feb. 15 CORONATION BALL
Homecoming King, Queen and Royal Court will be presented Participants: General public
8 p.m. - Student Union
Feb. 16 UTPA CAR SHOW
Highlighting vehicles from each decade Participants: General public
3 p.m. - 7 p.m. - Parking lot F
social Studies National conference to be held at UTPA By Xander Graff-Spektor The Pan American The University’s MexicanAmerican Studies program is set to host the 2013 National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Conference Feb. 21-23, an event designed to discuss ethnic issues and the theory of where knowledge comes from. NACCS is an annual conference hosted by various universities since 1974. It usually brings together groups dedicated to Chicano and Latino studies, but this year will also include topics and issues such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender concerns, along with instructional methods taught in schools. “This year’s theme, Chican@ Studies Ahora!, is to highlight the role of the community in teaching, researching and general scholarship,” said conference co-chair Sonia Hernandez, a history professor at UTPA. “It is a dialogue between faculty to discuss how to get the community involved in education.” The conference will kick off Feb. 21 in different areas around campus starting 9 a.m. Part of it will discuss recent controversies involving ethnic studies at colleges around the country, prominently Arizona. “The conference is a political act of what happened in other states,” said Marci McMahon, MAS director and conference co-chair, who teaches English. “As a field, ethnic studies has a 50-year history. Our conference honors the rich scholarship and research of Chicano studies.” There will be workshops available to help with writing, career-making and usage of knowledge tools. Speakers will discuss their research findings, past experiences and artistic, literary and musical movements in the Latino community. Eva Ybarra, a female accordionist, well known as La Reina de la Acordeón (the Queen of the Accordion) will perform Feb. 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the UTPA Ballroom for Noche de Cultura (Night of Culture) with her conjunto, a group of musicians from South Texas consisting of bajo sexto (12-string guitar), acoustic guitar and accordion. She will hold a conjunto workshop Feb. 23 at 10:30 a.m. in the ITT Ballroom. The series will also feature four leading scholars of Chicano studies programs, includ-
ing Aida Hurtado, from the University of California - Santa Barbara, speaking five times during the conference as a discussant, workshop facilitator and presenter of Chicana Scientists’s Testimonios on the Life Course that Led Them to Becoming Scientists. This will be in the ITT Ballroom Feb. 22 at 2:15 p.m. She will also moderate the Testimonios and Community-based Pedagogies Plenary Luncheon
the last NACCS conference at UTPA was in 2004. There will be a total of about 250 panel presenters and about 20 invited speakers from around the country this time around. “It’s great because it’s international. We look forward to hot lobbying, shaking hands and meeting people,“ said Dagoberto Ramirez, a 56-year-old graduate research assistant at the Center of Bilingual Studies. “I want
Feb. 23 at noon in the UTPA Ballroom along with Marcos Pizarro, San José State University. University of Utah professor Dolores Delgado Bernal will also be a workshop facilitator and keynote speaker during Conference Opening Plenary and Dinner Feb. 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the Ballroom. Last year at the NACCS Tejas business meeting, held at STC, UTPA was chosen to host the 2013 conference after submitting a strong proposal, said McMahon, who added that the University had the funding to host it. According to McMahon,
to meet people I can cooperate with. It’s a good opportunity to network. It’s a great thing Pan Am is hosting this.” Ramirez will present his findings on how the personal background of school staff shape the policy of the school. His presentation is titled Towards Implementing Culturally Relevant Curriculum: How 17 Words Inspired Research, and will be Feb. 22 at 3:45 p.m. in ARHU 181. Ramirez is part of a panel studying culturally relevant curriculum and study of the theory of knowledge, which includes Mark Noe, English professor and graduate adviser. He explained the importance of
cultural relevancy in pedagogy, when students learn from the background of locals, importing knowledge and skills in the classroom from their surroundings. He mentioned the canal building structure of the Valley as an example of industrialization that students could read in books and relate to. “Use industrialization of the U.S. and relate it to the Valley. We invented the 1015 onion, a big sweet onion,” Ramirez said. “Ironically enough, the Weslaco road 1015 is where the Texas A&M Research Center is. Don’t tell the kids to leave their story outside” Last year, the Tejas regional branch was hosted at South Texas College and University of Texas at Austin. “Also, perhaps most importantly, we wanted to hold NACCS Tejas this year at UTPA because we are in the midst of gaining support for our Mexican-American Studies program on our campus,” McMahon said. Among the speakers is Los Angeles native, Helena Maria Viramontes, a creative writing professor at Cornell University. She has written some of the most important books in Chicana history, according to McMahon, including The Moths and Other Stories (1985) and Their Dogs Came with Them (2008). She will read and have a book signing Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. in the ITT Ballroom and a writing workshop earlier at 11:15 a.m. in EDUC 3.204. The conference is free to all students and faculty, as long as they register online or in the Borderlands Room EDUC 3.204 on the third floor. There will be a full program booklet on the NACCS website Feb. 10. There will be a dinner Feb. 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the UTPA Ballroom and the Morning Plenary: The State of Mexican American Studies in Texas, follows at 9:30 a.m. in the UTPA Ballroom. The NACCS awards ceremony with Dean Dahlia Guerra will take place Feb. 22 at 5:30 p.m. in the UTPA Ballroom. The last event to take place will be Eric Wiley’s award-winning documentary Crawling with Monsters Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. in studio theater ARHU 107 after the NACCS Tejas business meeting at 3:15 p.m in EDUC 2.216B.
THE PAN AMERICAN
February 7, 2013
Page 7
CALENDAR OF EVENTS FEB. 11-17
Monday, Feb. 11 DIY BRACELETS Student Union Commons 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. CHOCOLATE YOGA Wellness & Recreational Sports Complex Studio 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. CLASH OF THE BRONCS FESTIVAL Troxel Lawn 7:00 p.m. WINDOW DECORATING Student Union All Week
Tuesday, Feb. 12 FAT TUESDAY Quad 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. HOMECOMING PARADE Quad 12:00 p.m. BATTLE OF THE BANDS Quad 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 13 PRE-VALENTINE’S DAY PARTY Wellness & Recreational Sports Complex (Outside Pool Area) 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. SAILESH: THE WORLD’S BEST HYPNOTIST Student Union 7:00 p.m. ALUMNI MIXER PAST. PRESENT. FUTURE Alumni Center, (2402 S. Closner, Edinburg) 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 14 BRONC IDOL Student Union 12:00 p.m. UTPA MEN’S BASKETBALL GAME & BRONCS DEAN CHALLENGE UTPA Fieldhouse 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 15 UTPA CORONATION BALL Student Union 8:00 p.m. ALUMNI BALL Health & Physical Education II (HPE II) Bldg. 6:30 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. HALL OF FAME MIXER ITT Bldg. 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 16 ALUMNI CHAPTER BREAKFAST Alumni Center 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. FALL IN LOVE WITH UTPA WRSC and other locations 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. HALL OF FAME INDUCTION LUNCHEON UTPA Ballroom 11:00 a.m. BRONC MADNESS TAILGATE Parking Lot F, UTPA Main Campus 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
www.utpa.edu/homecoming
ALUMNI COOK-OFF Parking Lot F, UTPA Main Campus 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. UTPA CAR SHOW Parking Lot F, UTPA Main Campus 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. UTPA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. UTAH VALLEY UTPA Fieldhouse 4:30 p.m. UTPA MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. HOUSTON BAPTIST UTPA Fieldhouse 7:00 p.m. SAM WILLIAMS TRIBUTE UTPA Fieldhouse 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 17 CLASS OF 1963: 50+ REUNION BRUNCH UTPA Ballroom 10:30 a.m.
8
February 7, 2013
weekly updates
men’s tennis
Beat the Laredo Community College Palominos, ranked No. 7 among junior colleges, 4-3 Feb. 1 in home opener Lost to the University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners 4-3, Feb. 3 at home
Chris King (left), Val LaMantia Peisen, Veronica Gonzalez and UTPA President Robert Nelsen present the $275,000 William D. Peisen Endowed Scholarship during the Western Athletic Conference Feb. 6 for future University soccer players. The UTPA women’s soccer team will start in 2014 and men’s soccer in 2015.
It’s official
Ismael Melendez/The Pan American
Women’s soccer program to start 2014, men’s 2015 By Norma Gonzalez The Pan American
The University of Texas-Pan American’s emerging women’s soccer program will begin play in 2014 and the return of the men’s soccer program will take place in 2015 after an 18-year hiatus, according to Athletic Department officials during a press conference Wednesday. The announcement of the impending programs was first accidentally made public by president Robert Nelsen at the Dec. 19, 2012 press conference, where the University accepted the bid to join the Western Athletic Conference. “Also at this very same podium we announced we were starting men’s and women’s soccer, which actually was not part of the script. Dr. Nelsen got caught up in the moment,” said Athletic Director Chris King about making the news public earlier than planned. FACILITIES Although it is certain the University is getting soccer, it is still uncertain where the new complex will be built and how soon it will undergo construction. The new development will not only serve the soccer programs, but will also facilitate track and field and other events, according to King. The University’s new endeavor carries a hefty price tag. The new soccer and track and field complex is anticipated to be a multi-million dollar project, according to Athletic Department officials, who plan to reach out to the community for the funds to start the project. “We have got to look to host other events on campus and not just soccer and track and field events, so to make this vision a reality we will need assistance from the community,” King said.
“Those who want to see UTPA soccer become a success can make an immediate impact with the help and assistance of this track and field complex.” The Athletic Department officials will form a soccer fundraising committee in the next couple of weeks, which will be made up of community members and alumni to raise private funds for the complex. Additionally, the department is currently looking for the Broncs’ first women’s soccer head coach, as the job was officially posted after Wednesday’s press conference. The department hopes to have a candidate to take the reins of the new program by May 1. The search for the men’s head coach will start later this year. “We do want someone who has the ability to take a program from scratch and build it into a winning program,” King said. WAC Both women’s and men’s programs will compete at the NCAA Division 1 level, like the men did from 1987 through 1997. Only two Texas schools, Southern Methodist University and Houston Baptist University, competed in NCAA Division 1 men’s soccer last year. In the fall, Incarnate Word University, which also sponsors men’s soccer, will transition into Division 1. Once the University’s soccer program kicks off in 2015, UTPA will be the fourth Texas school with a Division 1 team. When men’s soccer first emerged on campus, it started as a club team in 1970. Seventeen years later Pan American University went on a 10-year run as a Division 1 team, with an overall record of 56-82-6. The WAC previously included football as its core sport, but because it no longer offers it due to conference realignments,
representatives had to choose a new core sport. Other institutions already offered soccer so it was an easy decision, King said. “There are great times ahead for Bronc athletics,” he added. “The enthusiasm surrounding my athletics program, with gaining membership into the WAC and today’s announcement of Bronc men’s and women’s soccer, it’s a level I personally never witnessed in the four years since I’ve been in the Bronc athletics.” Bringing soccer back to the Broncs has been a goal at the University for years, but it seems like now was the best time for the University to act on it, according to the president. “When I got here, it was one of the very first things we started working on,” Nelsen said. “We had to work on getting gender equity first and we finally got the gender equity, to where we had enough women’s sports. Once we got there we added another sport. That’s soccer.” With the impending merger between UTPA and the University of Texas at Brownsville and the addition of a medical school, it is still uncertain what the effect will be on the two schools’ athletic programs, but both Nelsen and King assure that the merger will not alter the latest news of soccer and the WAC. “It won’t be affecting it at all, it just makes us stronger and moving in there we will be remaining Division 1 as we are now,” Nelsen said. “But we’ll be able to recruit better down in Brownsville, we’ll be able to recruit better up in Starr County and we’ll be able to recruit better throughout the Valley.” LOCAL TALENT According to Jorge Cavazos, a UTPA alumni and former Bronc soccer player, the talent among
high school soccer teams throughout the Valley has improved in the past 10 years, reflected by the four state high school championships local teams have brought home. “It’s very important because most of our kids in high school, the ones that we’re coaching, don’t have anywhere else to go but San Antonio or further north,” said Cavazos, who coaches the Weslaco High School boys’ soccer team. “But now that we have the program here, it’s very important for our kids, for them to stay here in the Valley.” Because there are only three other in-state universities that offer Division 1 soccer, Nelsen hopes this attracts more students to attend UTPA. “It means an awful lot to the community because kids here start playing soccer when they’re young and they play it all the way through,” he said. “I want all of the young soccer kids all throughout the Valley. So it’s an amazing opportunity for them. It’s also something that’s ingrained in the Valley.” Val LaMantia Peisen, a partner of L&F Distributors, made a $275,000 donation to establish the William D. Peisen Endowed Scholarship for Intercollegiate Soccer, which will provide a minimum of one scholarship for women’s soccer and one for men’s soccer each year. Most importantly, applicants must have graduated from a Valley high school. “I think we’ll have big turnouts for the games, I think that the students will want to see their fellow students,” the president said. “They’re going to be able to recruit here locally and so you can cheer on your local stars and it really is about community. We’re going to start with a winning season.”
Lost 6-1 against Nicholls State University in the Southland Conference opener, Feb. 5 at home Junior Victor Alves was named Southland Conference Player of the Week Tuesday. Alves went 4-0 in Friday and Sunday’s matches and helped lead the Broncs to a 4-3 victory over defending NJCAA champion Laredo Community College.
women’s tennis
Michelle Garcia/The Pan American
Lost to Texas State University 7-0 Feb. 2 in San Marcos Lost to the University of Texas at San Antonio 2-5 Feb. 3 in San Antonio Home opener is Feb. 10 against the University of Louisiana at Lafayette at 11 a.m.
men’s basketball Beat Chicago State University 68-65 Saturday, getting over .500 for the first time since the 2008-09 season Lost 75-73 in overtime to the University of New Orleans Feb. 6
Michelle Garcia/The Pan American
women’s basketball
Lost 81-75 in overtime to the New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders Feb. 2 Senior Bianca Torre of Harlingen broke the program record for career steals in the first half of the game Lost 71-62 against the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners Feb. 6 at UTPA Field House
men’s golf Finished in 13th place among 14 teams at the Rice Intercollegiate at Westwood Golf Club with a final score of 913 Feb. 5
track and field Martin Casse led the Broncs with a win in the mile run at the Red Raider Open, hosted by Texas Tech University Feb. 2 Freshman Jasmine Brooks broke the University’s women’s indoor track and field program record (7.31) for the 55-meter dash twice, first with a time of 7.28 and again with a time of 7.24