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
March 8, 2007
Future of guaranteed tuition program in flux By VERONICA GONZALEZ The Pan American Since the deregulation of tuition at all Texas public universities in 2003, rates at state institutions have increased by an average of 37 percent. As a result, the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan, formerly known as the Texas Tomorrow Fund, has announced that it could be about $3.3 billion in debt after fulfilling
its tuition commitments through 2029. Since 1996, the plan, which has 158,000 active contracts, had allowed any parent to lock their child’s college tuition at the current rate and begin paying. Various plans allowed them to pay for all four years or just two years. While the plan has been closed to new enrollments since 2003, it continues to fulfill contracts that were purchased through its closing date.
“The fund was closed down to new people because it was not producing enough revenue. The fund would not have been able to grow anymore,” said Juan Hinojosa, Texas state representative. With tuition rates skyrocketing at a steady pace, there is no way the plan can reopen right now and calculate tuition rates. “We (state legislators) allowed
tuition to go through the roof,” Hinojosa said. “Therefore we need to find a way to open it and fund it for the public.” According to Hinojosa, the only way the state can help for now is to raise the amount of financial aid given to students. He praised The University of Texas-Pan American’s UTPAdvantage Tuition Guarantee, which allows any student with a family income of $25,000 or less to have all four years of college
Campus cat controversy By LUKE KOONG The Pan American The cats that have lived on The University of Texas-Pan American campus for years have become a commonality for students, faculty and staff. Yet for the most part, they are rarely seen by the public eye during the day, as they are active mainly in the early morning hours and late at night. As a result, most individuals at UTPA haven’t noticed that the population has decreased. About six to eight months ago, the university began relocating the cat clan. Richard Costello, director of environmental health and safety, said the university wants to bring the cat population down to a manageable level. One of their main concerns is safety. “We have had four catbites within the UTPA population just in the last two to three years,” Costello said. “In the words of an attorney who spoke to me regarding one of the catbites, our failure to manage the cat population poses a ‘dangerous condition’ for the student population.” Those bites caused $3,000 in emergency room visits and associated rabies shots. Costello said it could
Sidney Meadows/The Pan American
paid for. Hinojosa said he would like to see colleges given more money for programs like this. The amount of money from the state has steadily declined in the past decade. “Paying for college will always be a struggle for students,” he said. “We want to increase money given to colleges to see students succeed.”
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VP/provost appoints first fellow
cost the university up to $20,000 in the event of a lawsuit. “The institution has no choice but to address the cat population, regardless of whether there is contributory negligence on the part of the person who was bitten,” he said. In addition, some individuals have complained about the cats for various reasons. “This is especially true in the bench area near the Social and Behavioral Sciences building,” Costello said. “The students can’t enjoy a snack or lunch without a cat bothering them for food.” Others say the food left for the cats attracts rodents and other small mammals. In addition, plates and food have been strewn around the campus, a lessthan-appealing sight. Costello, who has two cats of his own at home, said he understands the importance of the cats to certain people at UTPA, but there are also people who don’t like them. “I think that the general consensus is that everyone wants the cats on campus. However, for every person that wants the cats there are others that do not,” Costello said. There are some at UTPA who disagree with the relocation, however. Ami Miell, a secretary for the university and an advocate for the felines, said the bite
As The University of Texas-Pan American continues to grow, the implementation of not only new programs but new positions is necessary. With that in mind, Paul Sale, vice president/provost for academic affairs, has added the title “provost fellow” to the list of administrators and appointed Ala Qubbaj to the position. As the university’s first-ever provost fellow, Qubbaj will have the duty of directly assisting the provost in policy analysis and faculty development. “I am honored and energized for the opportunity to join the team of our new provost and play a supportive role during this period of important transition at UTPA,” Qubbaj said. “It comes with a great deal of responsibility and expectations to be set for this new position.” Qubbaj is no rookie when it comes to taking on important roles. Since he started at the university in 1999, he has worked in various positions, such as chair of the Faculty Senate and associate professor in the department of mechanical engineering. In addition, he served
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By ANNA FLORES The Pan American
News
A&E
Sports
Food Bank establishes new program to feed children of the RGV
Food, fun in abundance during festivities at Borderfest 2007
Photo montage of UTPA performance at Ogletree Classic over weekend
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