THE
PAN AMERICAN
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
Edinburg recycles X-mas trees
Chinese delegation visits RGV, UTPA By SANDRA GONZALEZ The Pan American
By CLAUDETTE GONZALEZ The Pan American After carefully removing delicate ornaments and other decorations from their Christmas trees, many are left unsure of what to do with the now-bare pine in their living room. Some prefer to bypass the issue by using fake trees that can be stored and reused year after year. Other families, like that of biology major Rony Skaria, opt to toss their trees in the trash along with the crumpled wrapping paper and gift bags that once held the gifts under the tree. What Edinburg residents may not know is that they have another option. According to Janey Chapa, recycling coordinator for Edinburg’s department of solid waste management, the city collects Christmas trees left by the curb from Jan. 8-26. “Every year, we ask the residents to place their Christmas trees by the curb but separate from their brush,” Chapa said. “We send out a special crew to pick up the pine trees.” The trees are then taken to the landfill where a tub grinder breaks the trees up into small pieces to form mulch, which will be available to Edinburg residents for free. According to Chapa, the mulch is most often used in gardens and around plants, with an additional benefit of helping to conserve water. “The mulch keeps the soil humid,” she said. “Once you put the mulch around your plants, you’re not going to have to water your plants as much.” While not all Edinburg residents are aware of the program, interest is growing. “We’ve gotten a tremendous response from the residents,” Chapa
January 16, 2007
The University of Texas-Pan American was one of many stops for a delegation from Wenling, China, that was in the Rio Grande Valley exploring the possibly of opening up a Chinese Product Trade Center in McAllen’s Foreign Trade Zone. This is not the
first time the Valley has met face to face with the Chinese delegation of about 30 representatives, made up of both private businessmen and government officials. In April 2006, a group of commerce leaders from Texas and the Valley, including McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez, visited China to recruit businesses to the Valley. According to Chen Hui, a consultant for the people’s government on
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Sidney Meadows/The Pan American PARTNERSHIP - McAllen mayor Richard Cortez and Chen Hui, a consultant for the People’s Government on Wenling City, shake hands Jan. 10 in McAllen.
Confederate statues cause rift on UT-Austin campus By LUKE KOONG The Pan American Gen. Robert E. Lee died 187 years ago but is still rallying people to battle. Bronze likenesses of the general and three other Confederate leaders have sparked a new conflict at The University of TexasAustin that has caused the university’s president, William Powers Jr., to appoint a committee to decide their fate. Some students and faculty have asked for the removal of the statues, which have been on the campus since the 1930s, claiming they represent slavery. Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy, Albert Johnston, a Confederate general, and John H. Reagan, Confederate postmaster general, are the other leaders whose statues are part of the ongoing controversy. Johnston and Reagan also have h i g h Celsio Gonzalez/The Pan American
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schools in Austin named after them. Mario Jorge, a former University of Texas-Pan American student, said he thinks the controversy has been placed out of context. “Look at George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. They had slaves, but it doesn’t take away from the other accomplishments they achieved,” said Jorge, a sophomore English major at UTAustin. Jorge said the statues represent the accomplishments and strides the state has been through in its history. “As I pass by, I see it as a testament to Texas,” he explained. Jorge also said that he does not feel the statues hinder anyone who walks by them, adding that in his view, everyone is entitled to feel what they want. “Everything is going to remind someone of something,” he said. This is not the first time the Confederate figures have stirred up controversy on the campus. Back in 2001, a similar protest was made. Individuals from the Sons of Confederate Veterans, an organization of people who had
ancestors in the Confederacy, said they did not share the same beliefs as their family members but wanted to keep the figures as memorials to their heritage. Jerry Polinard, chair of UTPA’s political science department, said the root of the issue is not necessarily about the statues’ presence. “I think the general issue is a question of what the statues represent. Are they in any way an endorsement of a period of history that Texas found itself on the wrong side of?” Polinard said. “Or are they a historical recognition of this stage of development in the state’s history?” Polinard, who was once a visiting professor at UT-Austin, said he never paid much attention to the statues, and doesn’t recall anything offensive about them. However, he said he does support the rights of the students and faculty protesting them on campus. “Higher education is the institution most entrusted with the function of criticism, of trying to reexamine values, challenging accepted wisdom, and
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