March 06, 2014

Wedding planners

UTPA offers event coordinating course

Pages 4-5

March 6, 2014

Volume 70, No. 22 Photo and story by Susan Gonzalez The Pan American

ONLINE CONTENT

panamericanonline.com

Arrive Alive

National driving safety tour visits UTPA

Road Trip

UPB to take students to California

SGA results from latest election

Track and Field

First WAC Championship

Soccer Tryouts

The PanAmerican YouTube channel

For 16 years, Rosalinda Montero called Venezuela home. So when the junior dietetics major spoke to a college friend still living there, she was distraught to hear what her friend had to say“this is hell.” This prompted her to raise awareness of the protests occurring in the country with the help of the Latino Theatre Initiative (LTI). “She told me ‘you know what...everything is sad. This is hell,’” said Montero, who is currently a McAllen resident. “‘Everything is wrong. We cannot handle this. The house in front of my house is ashes.’” ECONOMIC ROOTS According to a presentation given by the UTPA Political Science Association (PSA) Feb. 28 in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Building, Venezuela is no stranger to conflict. The country has had an increased amount of protests occurring throughout 2014, but this is not the first time its has happened. After the election of Hugo Chavez to the presidency in 1998, clashes between Chavez supporters, or “Chavistas,” and those who opposed his rule would persist beyond his death. Supporters of Chavez, who served as president for 14 years before his death in March 2013, cite the significant reduction in inequality, poverty and malnutrition that occurred during and after his term, according to a recent article by BBC News. Critics accused him of running a dictatorship while in office, due to an extremely centralized government. In addition, the economy of the country suffered after his death. The country has one of the world’s largest fiscal deficits, highest inflation rates and fastest-growing debt, according to a March 2013 article by Bloomberg Businessweek. “It’s complicated. This thing has been going on for a while,” Montero said of the increasing conflicts in the country. “At the beginning, they just had the normal problems that any country has, so not a lot of people were concerned about it.” These economic concerns have contributed to the recent

Venezuelan protests hit close to home for UTPA student

protests. In addition, current president, Nicolas Maduro, has struggled to fix the country’s economy. Montero, who has about 90 percent of her family

still living in the Latin American country, has been hearing about their living conditions. “They’re not letting food come into the country,” Mon-

tero said. “They also aren’t distributing (products) to the supermarkets. They don’t have the simple goods that people need- toilet paper, toothpaste,

rice, chicken, something that is simple. People started getting tired, which contributed to the protests.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

2

opinion

March 6, 2014

Pedestrian Plan Public Meeting MARCH 17TH, 5:30PM‐7:30PM UTPA ITT Building 1201 E University Dr., Edinburg, TX The HCMPO Pedestrian Plan is open to public comments. The plan focuses on providing a safe, accessible, and connective pedestrian network within Hidalgo County. The public commenting period is open from February 5th to March 19th, 2014. El Plan de Peatones está disponible para comentarios públicos. El plan se enfoca en proporcionar un sistema peatonal conectivo, seguro y accesible dentro del Condado de Hidalgo. El período para comentarios públicos estará abierto del 5 de Febrero al 19 de Marzo, 2014.

Hidalgo County Metropolitan Planning Organization 510 S Pleasantview Dr, Weslaco, TX 78596 956-969-5778 | info@hcmpo.org |www.hcmpo.org

The Pan American

Letters to the Editor

thepanamerican@gmail.com

The Pan American accepts letters of 300 words or less from students, staff and faculty regarding recent newspaper content, campus concerns or current events. We cannot publish anonymous letters or submissions containing hate speech or gratuitous personal atacks. Please send all letters to:

1201 West University, ARHU 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539 Phone: (956) 665-2541 Fax: (956) 665-7122

Editor-in-Chief:

thepanamerican@gmail.com

Susan Gonzalez

News Editor:

Vol. 70, No. 21

Andrew Vera

Sports Editor:

Marco Torres

#UTPA

Arts & Life Editor: May Ortega

Photography Editor: Jon Nutt

I can’t seem to focus in my studying!! #utpa #6thfan -@_howdydarlin

Design Editor:

Francisco Rodriguez

Multimedia Editor: Michael Aguilar

Social Media Editor: Tweet at and follow us @ThePanAmerican

Why wants to go watch Dangerous Liaisons with me It’s gonna be good #6thFan #UTPA -@waldolove1000 Took a great nap in the library. -@ LudyGeex3

WOOOOOOHHHH!!!!!! Aced my physics AND cal 2 test this week!!!!! -@TheDamaso Eng test today... I dont work well under pressure! Like, the last 10 minutes I finally know what I’m gunna write! :p Haha! #UTPA #6thFan -@WhiteLightning

Jose S. DeLeon III

Copy Editor:

Victoria Valdez

Adviser:

Dr. Greg Selber

Administrative Associate: Anita Reyes

Advertising Manager: Elva Ramirez

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.

news CONFLICT INSECURITY Montero said the lack of safety has also prompted protests. According to an article published this year by The Guardian, 24,000 murders occurred last year, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Only 19 percent of people in Venezuela said they felt safe walking alone at night, as stated in a Gallup poll. “Students are suffering because of this,” Montero said. “Insecurity, violence, you can’t go to school after 6 or 7 p.m. It’s not safe. People who go to school at night are afraid.” Perhaps nothing brought more attention to the increased violence than the death of former Venezuelan beauty queen

March 6, 2014

Continued from page 1

Monica Spear, according to the PSA presentation. The nation highly values beauty queens, as Americans idolize movie stars or athletes, according to NPR, making the death of Spear significant and shocking to its citizens. Spear and her ex-husband, Thomas Henry Berry, were driving in Venezuela in January of this year when their car broke down and the pair was targeted by armed robbers. The 29-yearold soap opera star and Berry were killed and their 5-year-old daughter was wounded in the process. According to Montero, the government isn’t helping, but only perpetuating the violence that already exists. At student protests, the government has

used force when it wasn’t essential, she said. Students attempted a peaceful protest in Caracas, Venezuela less than two weeks ago, only to have tear gas and force used against them by

clash at 13, but that number has increased to more than 50 since then. “(The students) aren’t even armed,” she said. “They just have notebooks, or papers, saying

You don’t think it can happen here...but you never know. People used to think that about Venezuela. One day it can happen.” - Rosalinda Montero Venezuela native

police and the National Guard, according to BBC News. Venezuela’s Attorney General, Luisa Ortega, placed the initial number of deaths as a result of this

they just want to go to school. And the government responded (violently). It’s really hard. The government is trying to pretend nothing is going on. They don’t

Spreading health By Andrew Vera The Pan American As more than 1,000 community members from Peñitas filled the hallways of Dr. Javier Saenz Middle School Saturday morning, UTPA nursing students provided flu shots and health screenings, among other services, to this community located nearly 20 miles west of UTPA. Participation in the 12th annual health fair accounted for 20 percent of the students’ grades for the course, Community Health Nursing 4504, which is a five-week process that includes the students choosing a community and assessing its health care needs. According to Health Fair Coordinator and UTPA lecturer

Nancy Nadeau, a lack of access to services and little knowledge of health risks such as heart disease and diabetes, have made Peñitas, just east of La Joya, an underserved community in need of aid. “When I drive on (Highway) 107, I said, ‘You know what? It’s time that we are here,’” said Nadeau, who is one of the instructors for the course. “I read the newspaper and there are (always) needs here. We have so much social health problems here that I decided this is what we are going to do.” According to the Hidalgo County website, diabetes prevalence in the Rio Grande Valley sits high at 26 percent. That is more than three times the na-

Jon Nutt/The Pan American Bachelor of Science Nursing students from UTPA hosted the 12th annual health fair at Dr. Javier Saenz Middle School March 1. The goal of the health fair in Peñitas was to raise awareness for healthy lifestyles in underserved communities.

tional percentage of 8.3. Spread throughout the middle school campus were specific areas of aid for community members; the school’s cafeteria was home to flu shots, glucose screenings, pharmaceutical aid and height and weight checks, all at no cost to the people who attended the fair. The gymnasium was host to more than half of the 113 Bachelor of Science in Nursing students who fashioned tri-fold poster boards and a booth with helpful information, hoping to educate community members on healthy lifestyles. Miguel Buhat, a native of the Philippines, was one of the UTPA students present in the gymnasium. He and his booth

want the world to know.” AWARENESS Montero may be one person, but she hopes to raise awareness of what is going on through the help of the LTI, which promotes the arts and Spanish-language productions. She said the club is planning on having a production about the Venezuelan conflict during this year’s Festival of International Books and Arts, being held March 20-23. No location or date for the production has been set as of yet, but Montero wants to make sure student voices are heard. “People think that because something is far away from you, it can never happen to you. But the sad thing is, that’s

3

the worse thing to think,” the LTI treasurer said. “A country that has been known for a really good democracy...suddenly doesn’t have one. To have this situation in Venezuela is really unbelievable. My parents remember that free country, they never thought something like that could happen.” As of now, there has been no U.S. intervention in the conflicts occurring in Venezuela, but Montero isn’t discouraged. “Use your voice if you think something is wrong,” she said. “You don’t think it can happen here...but you never know. People used to think that about Venezuela. One day it can happen.”

UTPA BSN program reaches out to local community

partner gave community members information on the importance of hand-washing. Buhat spoke about the importance of knowing proper hand-washing techniques, but also on the need to hold fairs like this in communities such as Peñitas. “This health fair is for the underdeveloped community,” the senior BSN major said. “This is for them to come over here...so they can get educated about all the little things that they might not be aware of.” Nadeau said the BSN program has served small communities in the Edinburg and Mission areas in the past and will continue to search for underserved local places to bring the services to.

According to Nadeau, no health fair is the same. She said the students’ involvement within the community in the subsequent weeks allows them to develop a health fair that is unique to the area it is serving. Each student goes to a home to collect data that helps establish the specific attributes and needs of this particular community, and the fair then meets those needs. Some topical questions asked of the Peñitas community pertained to diet inquiries, household count and general knowledge of health risks. “We have stats that we collect, so that’s how we build the community health fair, based on their needs, not based on what I

think,” Nadeau said. “We observe, they tell us, we combine and we build this.” According to health fair president and BSN student Araceli Aguayo, the students of the BSN program do not just get a class credit for putting the fair together. The experience of giving back to communities in need and learning about community engagement, she said, is more important than a letter grade. “Community health is our goal as a class,” she said. “(Also) to find an underserved community and help them the best way we can.”

Page 4

March 6, 2014

THE PAN AMERICAN

March 6, 2014

THE PAN AMERICAN

Page 5

UTPA welcomes c o u rs e in the event industry By Elisa Garcia The Pan American

Canon’s “Wedding March” plays throughout the church and UTPA students watch from a distance as the crowd stands to welcome the bride. Fifteen students helped plan a dream wedding last fall for Cassandra and Nick Reyes. They got experience on the job and completed UTPA’s Certificate in Wedding and Event Planning Course offered by the Office of Continuing Education. The class is instructed by Leticia Guerra-Cantu, an event planner of 20 years. The course is scheduled to have its second incoming class every Saturday from March 22 to May 31 at UTPA’s McAllen

Teaching Site, with a registration fee of $1,300 per student. The program is taught through readings, online studies and hands-on activities provided by Guerra-Cantu. The curriculum for the class is offered by Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design Course, which is supported by the Lovegevity Wedding Planning Institute in Roseville, Calif. The class allows students to practice actual business objectives in seeing the average workday of an event planner, and students learn such things as how to interview clients, according to the UTPA Continuing Education website. The certificate not only allows students to plan weddings, but also other types of events such as private parties. B a i l e y ’s design curriculum is currently available in similar

classes at 2,000 colleges across the country including UTPA, according to The Wedding Planning Institute website. Others include the University of Texas at Arlington, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and the C i t y

tiful weddings,” Guerra-Cantu said. “With this course, I have students out there excited to know that they can do this and have the possibility of doing this because they love it.”

When I heard about UTPA offering the course, I knew it was going to be my opportunity to have one of my dreams come true. - Debbie Jimenez Course student College of San Francisco. Despite the fact that Bailey owns the curriculum, each university that offers the program is responsible for providing its own title for the class, hence UTPA’s Certificate in Wedding and Event Planning Course. Guerra-Cantu believes the course is a great way to professionalize the industry in the local area. “The event planning business is big in the Valley. (The Valley) does things big and does beau-

PAST BOOKINGS Guerra-Cantu, 54, has been around fashion her whole life, starting in the early ‘60s when she, her sisters and cousins would sit around her dining room table late into the night watching her mother and aunt sew everything from dresses to swimsuits. Guerra-Cantu picked up the needle at the age of 10 and started designing in high school. “I took home economics ev-

ery year in high school and perfected my sewing skills,” the California native said. “I just didn’t know any other field to get into but (fashion). I love it.” She is also the owner and director of The Valley Wedding Pages, a McAllen company that does an annual planning guide, a social event quarterly magazine and an online website. She also owns Poise-N-Ivy Designs and her newest boutique, Vintage On Main, both located in McAllen. Guerra-Cantu’s passion for the industry is shared by the first class of graduates as well. UTPA alumna Mariella Gorena grew up watching her mother volunteer through community service and fundraising. As Gorena reached adulthood, she found herself involved with organizations such as McAllen’s International Museum of Art in Science and the Museum of South Texas History. As a volunteer for McAllen’s Quinta Mazatlan, the 64-year-old discovered the planning class as she helped organize The Valley Wedding Pages’ 10-year anniversary Birds of Paradise gala. Gorena explained that the course offered her a way to polish her skills and enhance

her work as a volunteer. She said that the class finished in December, and she was certified as an event planner Feb. 17, 2014. “Right now, I’d like to do an internship to learn more,” the McAllen native said. “But one of these days, I would like to drive into a little (event planning) business…I just love the people and believe that life is a party.” Gorena’s classmate, Debbie Jimenez, explained that she was no stranger to event planning prior to taking the class. As a pastor’s wife, she has done weddings, quinceañeras and even planned her own wedding. “It was always a dream of mine to go to school and get certified as an event planner,” the Mission na-

tive said. “When I heard about UTPA offering the course, I knew it was going to be my opportunity to have one of my dreams come true.” The 46-year-old was first inspired to become an event planner at the age of 14 after staying up until 2 a.m. to watch Princess Diana’s wedding July 29, 1981. “Since then, the desire for wedding planning began to be my heart’s desire,” she said. “By watching (Princess Diana’s) wedding, it made me realize that I could help many young girls make their wedding (day) one of a kind.” According to Sound Vision, a non-profit organization, 2.3 million couples wed every year in the U.S., which breaks down to about 6,200 weddings a day. Their research suggests that nearly $72 billion is spent

on weddings annually. FUTURE PLANNING Elizabeth Lozano/The Pan American Now that the first class of 15 event planners have grad- UTPA’s Certificate in Wedding and Event Planning Course uated from the course, they instructor Leticia Guerra-Cantu sits in her McAllen boutique, continue to do what they love Vintage On Main. Guerra-Cantu is currently in the process of and will help Guerra-Cantu setting up her second incoming class of aspiring event planners at organize their first event as UTPA’s McAllen Teaching Site. certified event planners, to be nizing events. held March 6. “From starting my design Guerra-Cantu explained business to (teaching), it’s that The Valley Wedding Pag- because...I know that es will host the Diamonds in there’s a lot of young the Sky wedding showcase in students out there McAllen, with many first-year who are truly intergraduates to help her orga- ested,” she said. nize. She hopes the course will “I tell my chilcontinue to grow and one day dren ‘Do what become a replacement for jobs you love, because for future students. you have to. Love Guerra-Cantu believes that what you do and by teaching students the ropes make it happen.’” of event planning, she has allowed them to gain confidence when it comes to orga-