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 29, 2007
Texas Youth Commission taking steps to heal name By VERONICA GONZALEZ The Pan American Texas legislators forced Texas Youth Commission board members to resign March 16, amid numerous allegations of sexual and physical abuse, and gross financial mismanagement. Legislators hold the board responsible for allowing abuse to continue. Before resigning, the seven men trans-
Delta Zeta debunks rumors of prejudice By LUKE KOONG The Pan American DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., told its Delta Zeta chapter to leave March 12 after allegations of discrimination from 23 sorority members who were evicted from the Greek organization. The sorority, which had been part of DePauw for 98 years, was accused of kicking out girls who weren’t of a certain race or had unacceptable looks. The University of Texas-Pan American’s local Delta Zeta chapter was shocked at the allegations. “At first, we thought it was a prank. We didn’t know how to take it,” said Sofia Torres, vice president of membership for the local chapter. The senior communication major from McAllen said the news coverage came at a bad time. “This was the worst thing that could have happened to us right now,” she said. “Our chapter at UTPA has been working very hard to get the press and the media to accept us as a sorority, to cut down those boundaries saying that
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ferred power to Ed Owens, now acting as executive director. Since early 2005, Evins Regional Juvenile Center in Edinburg, the local TYC establishment, has faced allegations of excessive force, overcrowding and abuse. On Wednesday, news broke of grievances being filed by inmates and staff who claim they had limited access to bathroom facilities while at Evins,
making for unsanitary conditions. According to Sen. Eddie Lucio, legislators were first notified of the allegations in a report handed to them two weeks ago. The Texas Rangers, who have been doing most of the investigating, deemed the allegations credible and they were made known to the public immediately, amid much controversy. “Any time something like this happens, we try to make it as public as pos-
sible,” Lucio said. “The public has a right to know what’s going on with their tax money.” After reviewing the evidence collected by the Texas Rangers, a grand jury will decide whether the cases will come to trial. According to Phil Etheridge, professor of criminal justice at The University of Texas-Pan American, there has been a shortage of staff and a failure
to conduct effective staff background checks at TYC facilities. Several correctional officers employed by TYC had sexual abuse charges against them already, he said. On average, correctional officers received only 80 hours of training. Etheridge blames alleged physical abuse on the officers’ lack of training and patience for handling children with seri-
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Apprehended: Robbery suspect leads police on chase that ends at UTPA By SANDRA GONZALEZ The Pan American A bank robber’s attempt to elude police came to, quite literally, a dead end at The University of Texas-Pan American late Tuesday morning. Francisco Torres, 31, of New Braunfels, was being chased by police after he allegedly used a Molotov cocktail, or gasoline bomb, as a weapon to rob the InterNational Bank at the corner of Sugar Road and Freddy Gonzalez Drive shortly before 11 a.m. After handing a note to the teller that demanded she fill his bag with money, Torres took off with $3,200 and was promptly followed by police. A 20-minute chase followed but ended when Torres drove his red Ford Mustang onto the concrete just north of the library, an area often used as a loading dock. John Darcy, an assistant professor in the College of Business Administration, was in his second floor office advising a student when he heard
the sirens. “I jumped up, grabbed my camera and saw the police pursuing the man. They had already run through the library,” he said. The suspect ran through the lobby and straight into the Bronc TV studios in the Media Theater, a room which has no back exit. Two employees, Mallary Bryant and Erin Menendez, then captured the subsequent events on video. “I didn’t think it was really happening. I thought it was a skit,” Bryant, a senior broadcast journalism major said. There were about 50 students in the vicinity when the suspect was apprehended, according to Darcy. He added that in his five years at UTPA, he has never seen an event quite like this one. “Among similar campuses this one can be noted for its outstanding, safe and nurturing environment,” Darcy said.
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CAPTURED - Francisco Torres (left), 31 of New Braunfels, is arrested outside The University of Texas-Pan American’s library late Tuesday morning following a bank robbery and police chase.
John Darcy
News
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Sports
Local cyclers attempt to join worldwide trend with little success
Reality show alumnus speaks on diversity, alcoholism
Norris brings leadership, passion to UTPA’s golf team
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