October 4, 2007 by UTRGV Student Media

Thursday October 4, 2007

58th Year No. 6

SECURITY SERIES

CAMPUS

Some departments not included in new core curriculum proposal By SANDRA GONZALEZ The Pan American

an attempt is being made to shave hours off The A sUniversity of Texas-Pan American’s core courses, certain

departments on campus could find themselves on the figurative curriculum cutting room floor if a proposal to the Faculty Senate passes later this month.

September was postponed until late October to allow for further discussions on the matter. Currently, forums in each college are taking place. The department of modern languages, computer literacy and kinesiology are among those with core classes missing from a 42-hour proposal drafted by the University Core Curriculum Committee. UTPA currently has a 48hour requirement plan including offerings from the aforementioned. One of the most significant changes within the proposed plan, which has been in the works for three years, includes six hours of so-called flexible components, which allow students the option to choose two three-hour classes within their own discipline to count toward the core curriculum. An electronic vote scheduled to take place at the end of

FLEXIBILITY Cutting down on core curriculum hours to allow for more discipline-specific courses is one avenue universities are taking to make up for more strict parameters set by the Texas Legislature in late 2005. The Texas Education Coordinating Board mandated that by 2008 all university bachelor degree plans should not exceed 120 hours — with exceptions made for highly technical areas, such as engineering. Rajid Nabiar, associate professor of mechanical engineering, said he favors the new plan, which was first put up for faculty consideration in March. He said increased class choice flexibility will help the engineering department cut the

See CORE page 11

Departments await Ph.D. programs in development By BOBBY CERVANTES The Pan American In the past decade, The University of Texas-Pan American has offered students the ability to further their education through post-baccalaureate degrees by instituting doctoral programs in two of the university’s colleges. According to officials, many more are in the works. Marc Simpson, Ph.D. program director for the College of Business Administration at UTPA, said the mathematics department is considering having its own doctoral program. Simpson said the further development of such programs will certainly enhance the university. While the school does not currently have planning authority, the department has submitted a request to the UT System to acquire it. “The math department contacted the College of Business Administration when they were putting together their application to ask us about some of our success rates,” he said. “We have very high success rates, so they were very pleased with that because it shows that the Ph.D. programs we have at UTPA are very successful and indicates that we can handle more.” Since May 1998, when UTPA awarded its first doctoral degree in business administration, the university has

THIS WEEK

See PROGRAMS page 11

CAMPUS

NEWS

By ABIGAIL MUNIZ The Pan American

State Rep. Pena speaks on upcoming campaign See Page 3

A&E Local fans await return of Ricky Martin See Page 8 and 9

SPORTS Runner Nava defies odds, claims victory See Page 16

As rate rises, education specialists tackle solutions

Jerry Lowe knows a thing or two about losing high school students as dropouts. Working as a high school principal for 17 years in East Texas, he experienced an estimated 30 percent dropout rate. The situation is not much brighter in The Rio Grande Valley. Out of 75,500 students that entered high schools in Hidalgo and Starr counties in 2000, less than 41,000 graduated four years later, according to a recent study by The Monitor.

Lowe, an educational leadership professor at The University of Texas-Pan American, said a simple solution might be to give students more individual attention by reducing class sizes. “[This is so] that you don’t have so many kids together,” Lowe said. “Sometimes students in large schools simply feel like a number.” Lowe recognized that it all depends on the economics of the school and that it would take much planning, but a versatile approach that he was able to use while a principal was evening school.

See DROP page 11

O PINION

Page 2

October 4, 2007

THE PAN AMERICAN

Q SOCIAL COMMENTARY

Q LESSONS FROM LEY

Do not show me yours BY: SANDRA GONZALEZ

rowing up with three sisters, there was always openness about underclothes issues. A flash of bra or offending panty lines were not — and still aren’t — anything to tip-toe around. You see, you tell. Common courtesy, really. But the world is not my sister. So what was I suppose to do then when last week I saw a fellow femme walking through the communication building wearing a pristine, white, see-through dress, complete with white underwear? Well, I did what most people in this world — including her friends — did that day: I let her walk around like a halfnude idiot. It’s not a decision I was proud of, but how exactly do you start a conversation like that? “Hello, miss. Nice to meet you. Great weather today, huh? Yeah, I can see your giant panties.” Not exactly a smooth or comfortable situation for either party. Imagine being on the receiving end of that. Part of me would feel grateful to the stranger for — unlike the rest of the jerks in this world – pointing out this embarrassing oversight. The other part would be screaming mad at this person for pointing out something I clearly can not change for the rest of the day, leaving me with the unsettling — or not, depending on who’s looking — knowledge that people aren’t looking at my pretty white ensem-

ble, but my pretty GAP undergarment. The paradox in this situation is that I have no trouble telling boys when their fly is open or when I see a flash of the “hairy divide.” But those situations can be fixed in an instant. See-through clothes and pantylines can’t. I sympathize with those who get caught in embarrassing situations. Maybe because it happens to me all the time. I don’t, however, feel bad for people who ask for it. Prime examples: girls who wear colored bras beneath white shirts (your cries for attention are pathetic), people who wear white underwear underneath white clothes (beige is the answer) or guys who are either too poor to buy a belt or too stupid to know that the world does not want to see their skidmarks. Despite my reservations about alerting perfect and imperfect strangers alike about their undergarment woes, I think I will rescind the modesty an overly PC world has instilled in me and opt for honesty. After all, I would want to know so I can march right over to GAP and tell them how seamed their seamless really are. In a time when we walk on eggshells more than carpet, I will take my opportunity to breakdown the barriers of reticence we have placed on our own free will and just speak the truth. We’re all humans. Embarrassment happens to the best of us. No need to get our panties in a bunch over it.

Q Want me to tell you when you’re having underwear issues? Rather not know? Fine, look like a moron. If you want the truth, let me know: sandra_panamerican@yahoo.com

October 4, 2007 THE

PANAMERICAN 1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539 Phone: (956) 381-2541 Fax: (956) 316-7122 www.utpa.edu/dept/panamerican

Editor-in-Chief Sandra Gonzalez................................................. sandra_panamerican@yahoo.com News Editor Ana Ley....................analey23@yahoo.com A&E Editor Jeanette Perez.........fae_myst@yahoo.com Sports Editor Erick Quintero................................................. erickquintero4@hotmail.com Photography Editor Sidney Meadows................................................ ssmeadows@broncs.utpa.edu Design Editor Roy Bazan......................rbazanzz@yahoo.com

A modest request for political diversity BY: ANA LEY

y original intent was to write an editorial questioning the need for HESTEC to continue focusing on science literacy for Hispanics (because while I think at one point it had a solid purpose, lots of other ethnic groups are now growing in the Valley and I don’t think there is a significant shortage in Hispanic scientists/engineers anymore). But I’ll let someone else investigate that in a story The Pan American hopes to release in an upcoming issue. Instead, I’m going to focus on a longstanding beef I’ve had with the political science department at The University of Texas-Pan American. I don’t know if this is something unique to UTPA, but political science professors here tend to be incredibly preachy and one-sided. In fact, I have heard from many students that some professors will have confrontations with them during class if they question the views being taught. I don’t know about other students, but when I walk into a political science classroom, I’m looking forward to learning about the political process and examining different theories about government. I am not looking forward to my pretentious professor picking a fight with me. Maybe that’s the nature of politics. Maybe the best political scientists are the ones that get all fired up about what they believe in. Maybe I wouldn’t mind it so much if impressionable UTPA students were being fed a range of perspectives. But here’s the problem: I don’t know a single conservative, Republican political science professor on campus. I’m not a political science major, so maybe there’s a (probably unpopular) Designers Rick Gamez Greg Garza Veronica Gonzalez

Reporters and Photographers Brian Carr Leslie Estrada

professor secluded in an office somewhere in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Building. If you know him, tell him to show up to a political discussion somet ime, because the Republican perspective sure as hell isn’t around when UTPA is represented at debates across the Rio Grande Valley. I realize that it would make sense to represent Democrats at events like these, because most people in the Valley label themselves as such. Still, I think that if political science courses didn’t emphasize the righteousness of liberal, Democratic perspectives as much as they do, we would probably have a little more political diversity on campus. I also realize that it makes sense that the Democratic perspective be popular here because it is at most college campuses. (Because Bush is an idiotic, half-witted liar, blah blah blah. Rock the vote, WOO!) But isn’t the point of going to college to expand your views beyond the popular perspective?

Are you an indignant Democrat who thinks I’m a wicked Republican-supporting witch? Do you want to have a debate over it? Here: analey23@yahoo.com Adviser Dr. Greg Selber..........selberg@utpa.edu Secretary Anita Casares..........areyes18@utpa.edu Advertising Manager Samantha Quintana.....spubs@utpa.edu Assitant Advertising Manager Jacqueline Iglesias................................... jiglesiasz@broncs.utpa.edu *** Delivery Thursday at noon

Onydia Garza Ramiro Paez Manuel Tiscareno Lezette Villarreal

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.

Savethesedates October

9 9

The Distinguished Speakers Series presents former Soviet Union president Mikhail Gorbachev. The event will be held at the Fine Arts auditorium at 7:30 p.m.

25 27 25 -- 27 The Dance Ensemble will present its annual Fall concert at the Fine Arts auditorium.

Newsinbrief Q PRESIDENT UPDATE Alexandro Ramirez, son of Dr. Blandina Cardenas, sent an e-mail to the UTPA community regarding the president’s recovery. While admitting it had “been a long couple of weeks” for the family, the support of the community has helped make the president’s recovery a speedy one, he said. The president is currently resting at home. They will be accepting cards and emails, but ask that donations be made to the Valley Heroes Scholarship fund in lieu of flowers. The scholarship supports immediate families of those who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will take weeks of rest and exercise before the president can resume her duties. When the time comes for her to return, Ramirez is confident of the continual care his mother will receive outside her home. “I ask all of you to become her caretakers, encouraging her when you see her…giving her more of the same smiles, embraces, and messages of love that you already have.”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Pan American gladly accepts letters from students, staff and faculty regarding recent newspaper content, campus concerns or current events. The Pan American reserves the right to edit submissions for grammar and length. Please limit submission length to 300 words. The Pan American cannot publish anonymous letters or submissions containing hate speech or gratuitous personal attacks. Letters are printed at the discretion of the editor and must include the writer’s name, phone number, classification/title and major if applicable. Please send all story ideas to the corresponding section editor or to thepanamerican@gmail.com at least two weeks prior to event.

October 4, 2007

N EWS

Page 3

THE PAN AMERICAN

ACADEMIC

Historical association eyes UTPA as new home By LEZETTE VILLARREAL The Pan American Although The University of TexasPan American is ranked the 10th largest national institution for Hispanic students, many Texans still do not know there is much to be found south of Austin. To give the university and its surrounding community more state recognition, UTPA’s history department has invited the Texas State Historical Association to make the school its permanent residence. TSHA, founded in 1897 by Oran M. Roberts, is a private, non-profit association focused on furthering the “appreciation, understanding and teaching of the rich and unique history of Texas through research, writing, and publication of related historical material,” according to its Web site. Sidney Meadows/The Pan American “We are definitely the leading INCOMING Lt. Col. Andre E. Dean (right) helps prepare a Black Hawk helicopter for takeoff at the UTPA track last Friday. The helicopter was brought to campus as an scholarly group on Texas history,” said effort to promote ROTC recruitment. Steven Cure, director of educational services for THSA. “The graduate opportunities, educational programs, and visibility is significant for the future of Texas history.” redefined its club goals and completely meet organization requirements. Leach said the group wants to porThe well-known organization pro- By J.R. ORTEGA recreated its image at The University of Stephen Leach, a philosophy pro- tray a desire to seek truth by questioning vides individuals, historians and scholars The Pan American Texas-Pan American. fessor at UTPA, advises the renewed and challenging itself intellectually. the opportunity to study, teach and enjoy Members of the student organizaOnce called the “Philosophy Club,” philosophy club. “Aporia” translates to President Ian Reeder, a freshman Texas history through offered initiatives. For example, TSHA distributes three tion Aporia are always up for an intellec- Aporia recently changed its name after “perplexity” in Greek, and Leach hopes from Indiana with an undeclared major, publications geared toward helping peo- tual challenge. In an effort to encourage group members decided to restructure its this will change the image the philoso- said he eventually wants the club to raise See APORIA page 12 See HISTORICAL page 12 others to challenge themselves, the club constitution because the club failed to phy club once had.

Philosophy Club aquires new name to fit purpose

POLITICS

FINANCES

Aaron Pena discusses plans, campaign Student fees increasing By ANA LEY The Pan American Rep. Aaron Pena is again running for the Texas Legislature, after holding a seat for three consecutive terms. Pena represents House District 40, which spans through Sullivan City, Edinburg and La Villa, among other locales. The incumbent is being challenged for the spot by Eddie Saenz, an engineer who has filed the necessary paperwork with the state to begin raising money for a campaign rematch against Pena during

the March Democratic primary. Saenz previously challenged Pena unsuccessfully in 2004 - he came up short with 35 percent of the vote. Pena ran unopposed in 2006. In an interview with The Pan American, Pena describes his successes over the past four years, discusses his plans for the disPENA trict if elected, and reacts to criticisms

from Saenz, who was charged for driving while intoxicated late last month. Q: Why do you think you should be elected again? A: Because I have built up the necessary experience and strength it takes through consistent relationships in government. These relationships are beneficial to [The University of Texas-Pan American], to Edinburg and to the district’s community as a whole. Building seniority takes time. If we bring in a new

See PENA page 12

By ANA VILLAURRUTIA The Pan American As students stress over the rise of tuition at The University of Texas-Pan American, fluctuating student fees garner little attention. UTPA students pay mandatory fees every semester which designate monies to support specific aspects of the campus, such as faculty salaries, gym use and Internet services. In 2003, students were required to pay $390 in fees. Over the next two years, this number dropped by

$60. But last fall, this number rose again to $346, according to the Texas Higher Education Board. While specific fees covering medical services have risen by $1 or $2, the greatest charge this year comes from the school’s new Wellness and Recreational Center. The center is costing every student $75 per fall and spring semester and $35 per summer session. In comparison to other schools in Texas, UTPA is still a good deal, as its total

See FEES page 12

October 4, 2007

Page 4 NEWS

Page 5

October 4, 2007 NEWS

Q STUDENT TRAVEL

Christian organization sends student missionaries to Asia

By JULIET PEREZ The Pan American Most college students rely on textbooks, professors and television to learn about foreign countries. But student members of an organization at The University of Texas-Pan American have taken advantage of a cultural enrichment program and traveled to far corners of the world. Stacey Enslow, an English and anthropology double major, traveled to India this summer as part of the Baptist Student Ministry, a Christian student organization on campus. “I love culture and seeing how other people live and thrive in their environment,” she said. “It interests me to see how even though we as Americans have our ways and ideas of how things should be done and how everything works best, people of other cultures have their own ways. And they work well for them.” BSM has been sending curious students to a wide range of destinations for the last two years, including Washington state, Russia and South Asia. And while BSM doesn’t reveal the cities they send students to, Stacey said that she was pleased with her placement in South India.

“My trip was a cultural exchange and my purpose was to create relationships with Indians, learn about their lifestyle and live among them,” Enslow said. “This was a great learning experience for me and I loved the sharing of each other’s faiths and cultures.” Enslow lived in India from June 3 to 25. She spent her three weeks there visiting different villages learning about how people from India live and creating relationships with residents. “In one village, we were a part of a women’s conference and we spent the whole day encouraging each other, fellowshipping, talking and learning how to have a great time with a group of Indian women,” she said. “In other villages, we helped with the kids clubs and spent the time singing and dancing and telling stories.” Enslow said the trip was also a chance to become independent. “Living in another culture is a very cool experience but takes a whole lot of willingness to learn and step out of your comfort zone,” she admitted. “You also have to be willing to make mistakes and learn from them. I learned how to get around an Indian city by myself, learned to be culturally sensitive and always be thinking how my actions would be perceived.”

She said that one of the most valuable lessons she learned on the journey was something that could not have been fully taught any way but by immersion in a new culture. “I learned that all people, no matter their status in life, their color, ethnicity, language or personality are all bound together by one thing,” she said. “We are all relational people in need of fulfilling relationships. Because of this, we should

reach beyond cultural boundaries to help each other out.” Robert Rueda, director of BSM, said the organization aims to tear down cultural boundaries. “We believe in sending students so that they can learn from other cultures and see how God is working in those places,” he said. According to Rueda, some trips are intended as missionary trips in which

students “serve others in God’s name,” while other trips are cultural exchanges whose purpose is to teach students about a culture and be an encouragement to others. “The mission of the BSM is to encourage students to think about God during their college years,” Rueda said. “We do this through journey groups, which are small Bible study groups led by students.”

Stacy Enslow CAMELBACK RIDER - Stacey Enslow, a member of the Baptist Student Ministry, waves to the camera while visiting an Indian village a visit during a BSM-sponsored journey to south Asia.

Q SEEN AND CAPTURED

Louie Alfaro/The Pan American PELOSI PRESENTS - U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi encourages students at The University of Texas-Pan American to pursue careers in engineering, math and science last Thursday during HESTEC week.

By LEZETTE VILLAREAL The Pan American

Issac Barrientes/The Pan American CALL FOR PROGRESS - The Student Government Association hosts its thirdannual State of the Student Body Address Wednesday evening. SGA president Tony Matamoros presents student issues to administrators at UTPA. Topics presented included proposals for a student-led radio station, textbook cost reductions and university-wide environmental awareness programs. SGA has received a budget increase that will allow the organization to sponsor more programs for students, which will allow goals to be met faster.

More than 1,500 guests gathered last Thursday to hear a speech by Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. A key topic discussed was the proposed Dream Act, which seeks to help young undocumented people enrolled in a university or serving in the military to

obtain legal status and citizenship. “I’m here today to stress to you the commitment of many in Congress to pass the Dream Act,” said Pelosi. “We don’t want it to be only a dream, we want to make it a reality and I want to make that commitment to you today.” The event, part of Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology week at The University of Texas-Pan American, emphasized the need for sci-

ence literacy among America’s youth. Pelosi also commented that HESTEC is something unique to the university. “The opportunities that HESTEC has provided define UTPA as a leader in the nation,” she said. “I know of no similar effort in our time like HESTEC. Once again, South Texas is in the lead.” Pelosi also reminded the audience that “it is our moral obligation to preserve this planet.”

October 4, 2007

Page 6 NEWS

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

October 4, 2007

Page 7

THE PAN AMERICAN

Q CAMPUS SCENE

Q COMMUNITY

Actor, alumnus speaks on troubled past

Palmfest to provide fun, educational weekend

By JEANETTE PEREZ The Pan American Crowds had gathered on The University of Texas-Pan American grounds Saturday evening for the much anticipated HESTEC Community Day. Opening the night was one of UTPA’s own, famous actor, Valente Rodriguez, known for his comedic role on “The George Lopez Show.” But before the weekend celebration, Rodriguez had dropped by the university a day earlier for an inspirational, motivational discussion and a quick game of Simon Says. “He is living proof you can get there,” said film/theatre/television professor Jack Stanley as he introduced Rodriguez, one of his former students. Wearing a cap, a light blue polo shirt and a backpack slumped on his shoulder, Rodriguez proudly faced the huge crowd of students, alumni, cameras and professors Friday morning. “I wanted to make sure I had the opportunity to talk to you guys because

every time I come down here, Dr. Stanley and Dr. Monta always tell me that there are many students that want to ask me questions and meet me,” said the “George Lopez Show” actor as he addressed more than 100 people in room 101 in the Social & Behavioral Sciences building. Rodriguez, who was born in the Rio Grande Valley, lived in Elsa for about half of his life and like many people here, wasn’t very well off. “My family was dirt poor. We were migrant farm workers,” said Rodriguez, who came from a family of nine. “I grew up on food stamps, government cheese, powdered milk and eggs.” A bigger struggle Rodriguez encountered was the lack of education in his family. “I was the first one to graduate high school and then go to college. I grew up speaking Spanish as a first language so when I got to school, it was very hard,” said Rodriguez. “I had to learn English. They put me in remedial classes and certain programs, and it worked.” The lack of support from his kin

Sidney Meadows/The Pan American HOME AGAIN - Valente Rodriguez, UTPA alumnus, speaks at HESTEC Saturday. The former “George Lopez Show” actor spoke candidly about his difficult upbringing that he said gave him the drive to succeed.

was another huge problem for the Hispanic actor. “It was a real struggle because after I got to a certain point, my mother, who had only gone up to second grade and my father to third, couldn’t help me. There was very little help coming from my family,” said Rodriguez, who now resides in California. “I had to search for other people to help. One of the best and most important things in my life was that I had amazing teachers; the kind of people that when you go up to them and say, ‘I’d like to pursue this’ say, ‘I’ll help you.’” Rodriguez found the necessary support and confidence he couldn’t find at home from his education. At the age of 15 he realized that what he wanted most was a life outside the fields. “I was out in San Manuel one summer picking algodon. It was hot and humid, about 95 degrees out. My back was hurting, my knees were aching, my eyes covered in sweat and the smell of blood was in my nose,” recalled Rodriguez. “It was then I thought hey, you know what, this isn’t for me. I’m not gonna do this for the rest of my life. If I had trouble at 15 when my body was still new, could you imagine at 30. How about when I’m 50 and close to retirement? There’s no retirement from the fields.” While Rodriguez set out on getting himself a life through education, the same ideas didn’t apply to his family. “My brothers and sisters made some really harsh choices. One of my brothers ran away to join the army at 17 in ’69 during Vietnam. My sister ran away, had five kids by the age of 24, with her first at 14,” explained Rodriguez of his siblings. “Another brother wanted easy money so he started dealing drugs, got caught and spent 20 years in jail. I thought, man, I don’t want any of those things. The only thing they hadn’t tried was education.” Rodriguez was determined to change his life at all costs; he even convinced one of his high school teachers to drive him to registration at UTPA one summer. BACK TO NOW A day before Community Day, and after a brief look into his history, the actor asked for a volunteer but gave no explanation as to his intentions. Following 10 minutes of audience collaboration, Rodriguez continued with words of encouragement.

“There are two kinds of lessons in the world: active and passive. The passive lesson is the one the students in the audience learn from watching somebody else. Everyone can be passive, but the active lesson is what’s important,” said Rodriguez. “You have to have the courage to stand up and say what you want. You’re about to step in front of the world.” Rodriguez’s playful tactics weren’t over yet. A game of Simon Says ensued, but with fun and games come lessons learned. “The world will try to hurt you. It will try to cheat you. You have to pay attention,” insisted Rodriguez, who was part of more than 30 main stage shows and several films at UTPA. “You must be resilient because it comes at you every day. You have to learn to adjust, be very quick and make do with what you have.” As an actor, Rodriguez knows that firsthand, and giving up was never an option. Questioned on how he felt about the “Caveman” show replacing “The George Lopez Show” this fall season, he showed no discouragement. “One door closes and another one opens. You can’t let the world beat you down,” he said. “We had 120 shows and were the first Latino show to go that far. We went a long way.” Lopez, on the other hand, didn’t take the situation so well. “I get kicked out for a caveman and shows that I out-performed because I’m not owned by ABC. So a Chicano can’t be on TV, but a caveman can? You know when you get in this that shows do not last forever, but this was an important show and to go unceremoniously like this hurts,” said Lopez in an interview, blaming racial issues on the cancellation. The sitcom, which was canceled May 15 of this year, premiered in 2002 and aired until 2007 on ABC. To date, the “George Lopez Show” is the second longest-running sitcom in television history starring Hispanics. While the experience was rough, his preparation at UTPA will be one he’ll never forget. “I’m proud to be from here, that’s why I keep coming back. The person standing up here is like you, from the Valley, educated here, with the same thoughts and ideas and hopes and dreams,” Rodriguez said. “You have to keep it all in perspective and go down some really hard roads. We’re [as Hispanics] moving forward.”

By LESLIE ESTRADA The Pan American Though his forte is computers, The University of Texas-Pan American’s Mohan Rao loves the arts. That is why the computer information systems professor is taking a grass-roots approach to promoting this year’s Palm Fest. The festival, scheduled to take place Oct. 6 and 7 at the McAllen Civic Center, returns this year, offering the public a wide variety of entertainment for the whole family to celebrate the different cultures and history of South Texas. Rao said promoting the arts is very important, especially now when people do not seem to pay much attention to cultural events anymore. “I love the arts and culture,” said Rao.“They enrich our lives and enhance international understanding which we need so badly nowadays.” The event, a combination of several festivals that have previously taken place throughout the year, is very important in emphasizing the cultural and ethnic diversity of the Rio Grande Valley. “Cultural activities, entertainment, arts, outdoor recreation and nightlife all provide quality of life,” Rao said. “It is very important for people living here to also attract new talent. Doing this will help the economic growth of the Valley.” In attempt to drum up support for the festival, Rao has offered his students extra credit for volunteering at the event. “One of the organizations I am helping, Keep McAllen Beautiful (KMB), needs people to help out,” he said. “I have asked my students to volunteer and several of them showed interest.” Rao said it is the least he can do for an event that will surely be a fun weekend of cultural entertainment. “It is a celebration of heritage, culture, dance, music, food and activities for the whole family,” said Rao. Karina Tamayo, a senior marketing major at UTPA, agrees with Rao, saying even the smallest of events enhances cultural life in the area.

See PALM page 10

October 4, 2007

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October 4, 2007

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Singer makes anticipated return to Dodge Arena P

eople of the Rio Grande Valley will be shaking their hips to saucy beats this week as one of Latin music’s hottest stars makes his way back to the Dodge Arena. After selling out the venue in May during his record-setting Black and White tour in promotion of his MTV: Unplugged release, on Oct. 5 the Puerto Rican icon and Grammy Award winner Ricky Martin hits the arena for a second much anticipated performance. Martin, born Enrique Jose Martin Morales, has become a much-celebrated idol in today’s modern Hispanic culture. Having sold more than 34 million albums worldwide to date and topping the charts with 30 hit singles, the singer has made quite a name for himself in both the music world and pop culture. The Valley is among those embracing Martin’s success. Dodge Arena general manager, James Bricker finds that the Valley can’t get enough of Martin. “The promoter, Live Nations, decided to bring him back again because he’d done so well last time. It was a large crowd of 5,700 people, the most we could fit in here,” said Bricker, who finds that the arena offers what amphitheaters don’t. “It’s the perfect opportunity to see people you hear on the radio and watch on television, up close and personal. To see him in a small building compared to the huge setting of the AT&T or Verizon amphitheaters, makes all the difference.” While Martin is no stranger to sold-out shows and a promising career, it was a challenge for the Puerto Rican singer to take those first steps into the music industry. It would be a long, hard road before he’d climb to the top of the charts and own the spotlight. With no prior connection to the music world, Martin at the age of six, found himself wanting to perform. Six years later, at 12, Martin finally had the chance to shine. It was then that he auditioned for

www.rickymartin.de

the manufactured Latin pop boy band, Menudo. The highly successful band composed of young Hispanic adolescents was short lived though, as one by one the boys were singled out as they advanced into their teenage years. The group was forced to disband as the members had outlived their adolescence and the spotlight. With nowhere else to turn, a 17-year-old Martin returned to Puerto Rico to complete high school and took on acting in the United States not too long after. It wasn’t until 1990 that Martin finally caught a big break, signed to Sony Discos, the Latin counterpart of Sony, he released an album comprised entirely in Spanish. His release hit gold status in Mexico, South America and the U.S. A solo album followed in 1993 and that alone sold more than 1 million copies. Martin soon crossed over into the English music market in 1999 with a selftitled release. With the trendy single, “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” Martin instantly shot to stardom in several countries and the album became one of the top-selling albums of that year, selling more than seventeen million copies and certified seven times platinum. Seven years later, the Spanish and English singing international mega-star continues to triumph in the entertainment business with a live, unplugged album. Senior bilingual education major Anette Ojeda believes Martin’s music is just what the Valley needs. “I appreciate his music and it’s impressive how far he’s gone, starting from Menudo and progressing into English and acting. I like his music because it’s uplifting and makes you want to dance,” said the 22-year-old from Weslaco. “The Hispanic community is all about movement and rhythm. It’s just really catchy and fun. He has a really good voice.” Martin’s returns are always something worth noting, said Ojeda.

“He’s had his moments when he’s laid low in the media, but when he comes back. Wow. He comes back with a bang.” While Martin’s music is not appealing to everyone, his performances leave quite the impression. “Even though I’m a gringo and I’m not into Latin music, he puts on a good show. Ricky plays close to two hours,” said Bricker. “He has great lighting, great stage presence. His performance is the best I’ve seen so far.” Aside the hype of his stage performance, Martin is highly involved in more than just his being. “Ricky’s a nice guy to work with and very professional. During sound checks, he’d walk around the building standing at every corner to make sure the sound was good everywhere,” said Bricker. Martin is well known for his generosity and self-less nature. He is the Goodwill Ambassador to UNICEF and has established the Ricky Martin Foundation in Puerto Rico to advocate for the welfare of children. He has also collaborated with the International Organization for Migration’s “Llama y Vive” (Call and live) campaign, aimed to prevent human trafficking, the protection of young victims of trafficking and the prosecution of traffickers. “I love him for that. It’s really important for that issue to be put out there. Human trafficking is known but nobody really hears about it,” said Ojeda. “It’s good that he’s involved in charity because he’s contributing to society in more ways than one.” For more information on Ricky Martin Tickets, visit the Dodge Arena Web Site at: www.dodgearena.com or call the box office at 956-668-7740.

October 4, 2007

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October 4, 2007

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Singer makes anticipated return to Dodge Arena P

www.rickymartin.de

Page 10

October 4, 2007 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MOVIE REVIEW

‘Jane Austen Book Club’: a film for all eyes By RUSSEN VELA The Pan American An audience need not know or care about any books written by Jane Austen 200 years ago to enjoy “The Jane Austen Book Club.” This is a witty, grown-up tale about modern day relationships requiring no particular knowledge of Austen’s work. Her admirers, however, will be very pleased at references to and one-liners about her novels that appear throughout this exceptional film. While at first glance it may be easy to categorize this movie as a so-called chick-flick, many males who attend with either their spouse or girlfriend will indeed find one of the subplots very interesting and connecting. It is a shining example of a genre exhibiting a good dose of feminine energy mixed with a masculine solution. A group of friends in Sacramento put together a book club, agreeing to meet once a month. Their focus is the work of Austen: each person takes a novel on which to concentrate, only to find their lives paralleling those of the author’s heroines. This five-member book club is all about community, matchmaking, love, social standing, money and marriage, i.e, all the elements in an Austen novel. Robin Swicord writer of such great films such as “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Practical Magic,” and “Little Women,” not only adapted the screenplay from the book by Karen Joy Fowler, but she also directed the film. In her first major directing project, Swicord manages to make every person in a large cast fully three-dimensional. That’s impressive, considering there are so many characters besides the club members. She gives so

much depth to her characters that the audience can identify with almost all of them. Swicord’s style of directing can be compared to that of Penny Marshall (“A League of their Own,” “Riding in Cars with Boys,” “Big”). So many of the camera angles and one-liners will forever be in embedded in the audience’s mind when they leave the theater. Out of all the cast members, even though they are all wonderful, Emily Blunt is by far the one you most identify with and remember. It comes as no surprise that Entertainment Weekly gave her the honor of “Scene Stealer” because of her notorious moments in “The Devil Wears Prada,” and Blunt retains her crown in “Book Club.” If Sony Pictures does not

start a campaign for her as best supporting actress for the upcoming Oscars, it will be a huge mistake. For anyone looking for a good time and a nice romantic comedy, “The Jane Austen Book Club” is indeed the film of the season. Moviegoers both female and male will be entranced with the humor and excellent performances. One can almost call this the next “Love Actually,” which is considered a malefemale flick. Backed up by a great soundtrack which includes Snow Patrol, Aimee Mann, and Paolo Nutini’s hit song “New Shoes,” the film has drama and romance, and is laugh-out-loud funny. “Book Club” illustrates why Austen is still in print and in people’s hearts. Austen’s

novels are deliberately provocative, but rather because they are such finely observed portraits of the way human beings behave. The film’s period is now, the place is Sacramento, but as the film ultimately comes undone, like a corset in Jane’s novels, it becomes clear that human beings have not changed that much as they toil and tumble their way through relationships. Whether dressed in jeans, petticoats, or corsets, characters in “The Jane Austen Book Club” fashion a good rule book to follow as you live your life the way you want to. Never has a film brought so many stories of real-life situations to full light; audiences will be laughing out loud one minute, and crying the next.

Sonyclassics.com IN DEPTH - “The Jane Austen Book Club” adds dimension to Austen’s characters, paralleling real-life with known heroines

Percy’s latest proves ‘refreshing’ B

enjamin Percy has been soaring up the literary ladder since his debut collection “The Language of Elk” hit stands early last year. Post “Elk,” Percy has been included in the Best America Short Stories series, has received a Pushcart Prize, and even grabbed the Paris Review’s Plimpton Prize and subsequent $10,000 purse. In addition to literary adoration, Percy has had two short stories optioned for screenplays, including the title story of the new collection, “Refresh, Refresh,” which has been accepted to this year’s Sundance

What

You’re

Not

Watching “Supernatural” By JEANETTE PEREZ The Pan American

BC may have a hit Thursday lineup with “My Name is Earl” and “The Office,” but the CW is giving it good competition with the chilling series “Supernatural,” back for a hair-raising third season. The show follows brothers Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) on a cross-country investigation of paranormal events. The previous two seasons took the duo on a wild goose chase in search of the demon that killed their parents. The two even the score but not without unleashing a hell of their own. Sam is killed but Dean strikes a deal with another demon to resurrect his younger brother, offering his own life in return: one year to live. This season is sure to leave you at the edge of your seat as the brothers fight to stop hell’s demons from conquering Earth before Dean’s time runs out. Watch Sam and Dean raise hell Thursdays at 8 p.m. on the CW.

PALM

BOOK REVIEW

By BRIAN CARR The Pan American

TV CORNER

Institute writing lab. The 28-year-old, Oregon-born writer has achieved such feats by consistently producing bare, readable stories which are simultaneously masculine and tender. His style is often compared to the minimalism of Raymond Carver, Ernest Hemingway and Kurt Vonnegut. His prose is quick, readable and raw. These are action-based stories that drive along aggressively, told from a first-person point of view with the narrator screaming details throughout the journey. The entire collection “Refresh, Refresh” is set in the high desert of Oregon, the author’s birthplace. By using the familiar backdrop, Percy is

able to tackle topics such as the Iraq war, the loss of a spouse, and abusive relationships without losing the anchor of reality. Some critics will site an exaggeration in several instances. “Refresh, Refresh” is based in a town where the majority of the community’s fathers have been deployed to the Iraq war. “Crash” batters the protagonist with the death of a wife, an insensitive family, and the rigors of first-time fatherhood. But Percy’s short stories are intense car bombs of readability. Some beliefs must be suspended, but it’s not like he’s asking you to follow a wizard to magic school. And while he’ll never get that kind of Potteresque attention, at this pace he may very well deserve it.

Benjamin Percy

Amazon.com

continued from page 7

“I would love to see this area grow into a place rich in culture and arts,” Tamayo said. “We live in a place that has a lot of cultural diversity.” Rao stated that benefiting the area in which he lives motivated him to get involved in events like Palm Fest. “I am a member of an organization called Futuro McAllen,” said the professor. “We are citizens committed to a better quality of life for McAllen neighborhoods.” Senior business major Cesar Gonzalez showed interest in events where culture and art are promoted. “People should be more than willing to start educating themselves toward cultural things.” Rao also said that through music, dance, food and entertainment, Palm Fest offers an understanding of the history of McAllen, its heritage and its diverse cultures of today. Knowing different cultures will improve trust in one another and enrich our lives,” he said. At the event, children will have the opportunity to see Batman and classical dances from India, Japanese koto players, Philippine dancers, South Texas Indian dancers and Ahava Middle Eastern dance troupe, among others.

Page 11

October 4, 2007 NEWS

CORE continued from page 1 current 139-hour degree plan to meet the Board’s standard. “The Higher Education Coordinating Board has said they expect engineering [degrees] to require more hours, but at most 127 hours. It’s still a big difference,” Nambiar, who is in the Faculty Senate, said. “Liberal arts degrees are already on average 124 hours, so at most they have to lose four hours to get down to 120.” Cutting liberal arts curriculum, including modern languages, was according to Nabiar, the best option. “You can’t cut from the professional component because you have to provide the same amount of professional component as say a UT-Austin to compete in the job market,” he explained. “[With the new core curriculum] the engineering students, for example, could claim three hours of math and three hours of science; whereas someone in the college of humanities could claim Spanish or a philosophy class as being part of the core.” DEBATE Still, the possible absence of a language class requirement has caused an internal stir in that department, prompting the creation of the Modern Language Core Curriculum Task Force. The task force, which is comprised of the entire department, has not taken any official action other than voicing their opposition to the proposal. Stephanie Alvarez, modern languages lecturer, suggested the prospect of removing a language requirement is coun-

terproductive to the university’s goals. “From the department’s point of view, in order for the university to accomplish its own goals, mission and vision we have to include a second-language proficiency,” she said. Nabiar, however, said while he can understand concerns from liberal arts departments, he sees the new plan as a step in the right direction. “Each faculty member feels that what they are teaching the students is absolutely important to the students,” he said, adding that there is validity to both sides of the “an engineer doesn’t need to know Spanish” argument. Alvarez, however, strongly believes that a second language is critical to every discipline. “In order for someone to be competitive in the job market in any field and in order to conduct research, you need to be proficient in a language other than Spanish; not just to communicate with other people in your field and at your job, but to do and read research done in other counties,” she said. FINDING BALANCE The modern languages task force is making its distaste for the proposal known, and Nabiar said there is discord across the university. “The curriculum has reduced the science requirement to six hours,” he said. “The science faculty aren’t happy about it because they say students need to know more science.” Finding accord among disciplines in any situation is a difficult feat, according

to Marie Mora, who chaired the curriculum committee until May of this year. “Everything we’re proposing to change was voted on by the committee,” the economics and finance professor said. “That doesn’t mean everyone on the committee was 100 percent in agreement with the changes.” Within the UT System, while no core requirements look identical, there are similarities. The University of TexasBrownsville has a core outline parallel to that of UTPA’s current one — complete with a modern language and kinesiology provision — but does not contain a mandatory computer literacy class. The proposed UTPA plan more resembles those of The University of Texas-Austin, The University of TexasSan Antonio and The University of Texas-Dallas; all of which contain no modern language, kinesiology or computer literacy provisions Ana Maria Rodriguez, UTPA senior vice provost for undergraduate studies, said while there is “nothing that says we have to do this,” changes within the university since the core curriculum was first drafted in 1999 have made the review necessary. “We had another president and our mission and goals were different,” she said. Rodriguez added that the evaluation of core classes is in preparation for a mandated review of core curriculum, scheduled to take place in 2009. Such a review last happened in 2004. “A lot of other institutions have a 42-hour core. We’re just looking to see if

we should reformat,” she said. “I think [the committee] invested an awful lot of time reviewing it and listening to various points of view.” Decisions, such as this one, are “not

DROP continued from page 1

PROGRAMS continued from page 1

“A lot of these kids drop out because they have to help out the family by working,” Lowe said. “This different way of delivering instruction would help get them out of the regular school setting and even allow them to acquire an education while they work [during the day].” Matthew Meyers, a senior program coordinator for the College of Education and bilingual education professor at UTPA, said that in the Valley, language is a barrier for many students. During the 2005-06 school year, 711,237 students in Texas were classified as having limited English-speaking skills, according to the Houston Chronicle. “In many instances, accommodations have not been made for those that are not English proficient,” Meyers said. “We can look at the students but we have to look at the schools and how they are working for the students.” Meyers also emphasized that as professionals, teachers are left with the task of accommodating their students, despite state and federal guidelines.

seen a rapid increase in the number of students enrolled in terminal degree programs, according to the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness. UTPA currently offers two doctoral programs - in business administration with an emphasis in international business, and a doctorate in educational leadership from the College of Education. In 2001, OIRE reported a total enrollment of 75 students in doctoral programs. Three years later, UTPA passed through a threshold of sorts, boasting 100 doctoral students in total, 48 in the College of Business Administration and 52 in the College of Education. Since then, UTPA has kept a steady increase, enrolling 103 students in 2006. Doctoral programs will raise UTPA’s reputation as a quality university, Simpson added. “UTPA is ranked as a predominantly master’s-granting institution,” he said. “The higher up that scale you go, the more prestigious [UTPA] becomes, attracting more attention and more money.”

Jasmine Rodriguez, a senior English major at UTPA who is planning to teach after graduation, said once she is a teacher, she will try to “include a little of everything” to accommodate the whole class and to see which approach yields a better result. “But tutoring students, basically taking care of their needs and letting them know you care is very important,” said Rodriguez, a McAllen resident. Standardized testing may also be a factor. According to test scores released by the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test, out of 9,669 eleventh-grade students tested that were characterized as “limited English proficient,” only 16 percent met the standard for all tests taken. Scores also indicated that out of 95,397 students who were characterized as “economically disadvantaged,” 54 percent met the standard. “Test scores [for the TAKS] don’t have anything to do with the ability to succeed,” Lowe said. “It’s a one-sizefits-all type of test.”

According to Cynthia Brown, interim vice provost for graduate studies and academic centers, some graduate programs currently in the process of extending to the doctoral level are found in rehabilitative counseling, manufacturing engineering and clinical psychology. Among the benefits associated with new doctoral programs, Brown said the school may create a greater research staff on campus. “The opportunity to work with doctoral students may help attract research faculty to UTPA and, of course, the opportunity to work with our research faculty attracts doctoral students to UTPA,” she said. “It is the creation of new knowledge that brings recognition to any university.” The counseling project is currently under review by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the manufacturing engineering program is to be submitted to the UT System for consideration soon, according to Brown. UTPA’s developing clinical psychology program has THECB authority to devel-

done overnight,” according to Rodriguez, but “conversations, deliberations and discussions are very important.” “Out of that usually comes good decision making,” she said.

Q “UTPA is ranked as a predominantly master’s-granting institution. The higher up you go, the more prestigious [UTPA] becomes, attracting more attention and more money.” - Marc Simpson Ph.D. program director College of Business Administration op a program and is currently doing so. In addition, UTPA has a collaborative pharmacy program with the University of Texas-Austin in which students attend UTPA for their first two years of college before heading to University of Texas-Austin to complete their degrees. The process of creating a Ph.D. program is “quite lengthy,” according to Brown. Essentially, it starts with a proposal and ends with approval or rejection from the THECB.

October 4, 2007

Page 12 NEWS

APORIA

HISTORICAL

continued from page 3

continued from page 3 traveling funds so members can hold discussions at other Texas universities and broaden their philosophical perspectives. “We’re still students at UTPA and we don’t know everything…we can’t possibly,” he said. “We’re here actually to learn, and this helps us learn… it’s a greater way to feed our minds.” Officers, along with 25 interested persons, have held only one meeting this semester. The organization hopes to have at least 20 members by the end of the 2007-2008 school year. Leach has been guiding the club for more than a year, and says it is important for the university because students from all disciplines can come and learn about a fundamental area of study. “Everyone is interested in philosophy, even if they don’t know it yet,” said Leach. “Philosophy is interested in them, so they should be interested in philosophy.” As part of its new look, the organization plans to have roundtable discussion once a semester, with professors, members and interested students covering controversial topics such as religion. Before becoming official, Aporia held one roundtable discussion on war that had a turnout of about 100 people from UTPA and the community. Leach said this success motivated members to continue the discussions. Currently, officers are looking into philosophy clubs at other universities to help inspire, boost and change their organization. They are also making an effort to cooperate with other UTPA organizations to help gain recognition.

“Everyone is interested in philosophy, even if they don’t know it yet.” - Stephen Leach philosophy professor Every Friday this semester, Aporia hosts “Friday Dialogues,” open discussions on broad areas of philosophy. Past dialogues have included philosophical films that raise questions for discussion; there have been guest speakers like Jesse Bailey of Pennsylvania State University, who discussed one of Plato’s most famous dialogues. “We’ve got good officers in place with good ideas, though we’re only in the idea stage with some things,” said Leach. “We already have a few plans in the works that will [we hope] draw in students, faculty and people outside of the university.” Before its transformation, the philosophy club “did not have a real sense of organization,” according to Leach. The club spent most of its time working with Ethics Bowl, another campus organization. It also did not have a constitution stating their purposes and goals.

ple understand and learn more about state history. Now UTPA is trying to lure the show south. “For the university it adds prestige,” said Michael Faubion, department chair for UTPA’s history and philosophy department. “They publish a quarterly journal and if it’s coming out of UT-Pan Am, that'll help bring recognition.” TSHA has the oldest continuously published scholarly journal in Texas. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly was first published in 1897 and comes out 16 times per year, presenting readers with historical documents as well as the latest research in the field. Other publications include a newsletter called Riding Line, published four times a year. The organization is also involved in providing teachers, students and the public the chance to learn about Texas

FEES

history through different educational programs. In 1939, TSHA developed its Educational Department to enhance the learning and teaching of Texas history throughout state schools. MOVING OUT TSHA has been housed at UTAustin since its establishment, but is looking for a university to host it because it had to move out by Dec. 31, due to an office-space shortage. UTPA has submitted a proposal to become the organization’s new home. But before its proposal can be reviewed, the university must comply with a list of requested accommodations. TSHA has specific requirements concerning the amount of space provided for the association, technical and administrative support, and staffing needs. TSHA is also requesting the proposal mandate a 20-

year contract. UTPA’s proposal listed the benefits the university offers, and was similar in format to a grant proposal, Faubion said. UTPA is still looking for space to house TSHA in the event that its proposal is accepted, he added. “They'll review all proposals Nov. 15, and I've been told they should announce the proposal they've accepted by the end of year,” he said. Faubion said TSHA can bring great recognition to UTPA. “Every state has something like this and whereever that institution is housed, it gets a lot of attention by all the historians in the state,” Faubion said. “That'll help build the reputation of UTPA.” The organization will also bring a $500,000 endowment for a chair posi-

PENA continued from page 3

tuition and fees cost an average of $2,157 last year, while tuition alone was $3,993 at The University of Texas-Austin. New buildings - like the Wellness and Recreation Sports Complex - cause fees to increase. In addition, maintenance of some student favorites - like the Student Union and parking shuttles also upped the fees. “Basically it comes down to very difficult choices, given finite resources and various pressures,” said Juan Gonzalez, assistant vice president for business affairs at UTPA. Still, Gonzalez said pressure can do some good - recent fee increases were used to pay for additional faculty and new firewalls to keep UTPA’s information infrastructure safe. “Sometimes there’s not enough money to go around,” he said, adding that the fees greatly make up for that lack of funds. Discussions about next year’s fees begin in October. Though there are no specific dates yet, the proposals that President Blandina Cardenas approves will be discussed in open forum from late October to early November. “The students are very involved [with fees],” said Jerry Price, dean of students and co-chair of the Cost of Education Committee. That committee is responsible for posing fee questions to Cardenas; it is composed of students from the Student Government Association and university staff. Price said the committee plans to consider raising resident housing rates, student health fees, child development fees, and student orientation fees. Price stressed that each proposal is displayed to students before decisions are finalized. “We pick a focus group of students, such as in orientation, we had picked a

group of freshman who just got through orientation,” he explained. Maggie Salinas, a senior from Rio Grande City, said she wasn’t too excited about the new recreational center, and wishes fees hadn’t gone up because of its construction. “I’d imagine they would have to get their money somehow,” she said. “I guess they assumed everyone would use it.” The criminal justice major said the recreational center better serves students who spend more time at the university, unlike students like her who commute to UTPA and have no time to take advantage of it. However, Alma Munoz, senior at UTPA, uses the facilities and said the fee charge is the reason she goes. “That’s my motivation, it makes it harder to have enough to pay but it also makes it easier to take advantage,” the sociology major said. “It has its pros and cons.” The recreational center was voted on by students on the Cost of Education Committee assured John Edwards, vice president for enrollment and student services and co-chair of the committee. He encouraged students to attend the committee’s public forums because it is the way students have input in the fee process. Not all fees can be predicted. For example, the falling infrastructure of the school’s Social and Behavioral Sciences Building will cost the university about $375,000 this semester. The building, which will be restructured because of severe water damage, will take three months to repair, according to UTPA officials. Overall, UTPA’s fees rank low compared to other schools, but as the university expands and more repairs are made, fees could be raised, he said.

tion at the selected school, he added. An annual convention for over 600 historians and history enthusiasts hosted by TSHA would be held at UTPA and would benefit local businesses, said Faubion. “The other big change we'll see is greater access to other universities around the state [for graduate students],” said Faubion. “Graduate students in the program will have more opportunities for job employment.” Carlos Cantu, a history graduate student familiar with TSHA, said he believed it would greatly benefit the university if the history association were moved here. “I think TSHA will bring prestige to UTPA,” said the Mission resident. “It will definitely put us in a more national scope.”

continued from page 3

person, it will take very long before they can build on successes. Q: What were some of your best contributions to UTPA? What are your plans for the school if re-elected? A: My number one priority for the Edinburg community was to get $5 million for the [Regional Academic Health Center], and I was successful in getting it last May. I was also able to get debt financing through the appropriations process for necessary funding for the school’s $40 million fine arts center. One of my primary projects is to bring a full-fledged medical school to Edinburg through UTPA. I hope this school can one day complement the RAHC. Q: What have you done for the community? A: I have been a primary joint author to a bill that increases the number of children getting access to the Children’s Health Insurance Program. I have also gotten retired teachers an additional pay check and worked hard to get teachers pay raises. Q: What are your plans for the community? A: Building constant living adjustments to retirement pay. And to continue building on the successes of my last term. The CHIP bill we passed last session allocated $80 to $90 million to economically disadvantaged, uninsured children. Republicans tried to cut funding for it, but we were able to restore it. This was one of the biggest successes for the Legislature, and I want to build on that. Q: Your opponent questions your dedication to the county because you aligned yourself with Speaker Tom Craddick. What is your reaction to this? A: Let me just say that it’s what he said last time, and he lost. Every person [in the House] voted as I did for the last

three sessions. Saenz is just looking for a red herring so he can get votes. People have already dismissed a lot of his attacks. Q: He also thinks you don’t work hard enough to improve areas like Edcouch, Elsa and La Joya. A: Again, he said that last time as well. He’s a broken record. When I get more money for teachers and more money for CHIP, this affects all communities, not just Edinburg. When we worked to keep the “10 Percent Rule” for high school students applying to college, this benefits them as well. Mr. Saenz will say whatever he can to get elected. He hasn’t learned from his overwhelming loss [in 2004]. Q: What are major differences between your priorities and his? A: My primary objective is to serve the people I represent. History has shown that Saenz just wants to serve himself and a small group he is associated with. Q: What history would that be? A: I’ll leave it at that. The people of Edinburg know what I’m talking about. Q: On the topic of Saenz’ recent DWI charge, do you think the public should withhold judgment, as his lawyer has suggested? A: Saenz owes the general public an apology. No one is above the law and no one should seek special treatment for committing a crime. Any other person in those circumstances would have been treated much differently. Q: Do you think this gives you an advantage in the election? A: The public already knows Saenz. This event will add to that negative view. There are many other problems [regarding Saenz] that the community is well aware of.

Next week: Eddie Saenz speaks on arrest, more.

Page 13

October 4, 2007 SPORTS

VOLLEYBALL

Life on road not easy for Lady Broncs Green and Orange drops to 7-13 on year By DANNY GARZA The Pan American The University Of Texas-Pan American Lady Broncs hoped to bounce back from a devastating three-set blowout to Stephan F. Austin, but Southland Conference foe Lamar Cardinals put those hopes to rest by beating the Lady Broncs 30-22, 30-18, 30-24 Tuesday night in Beaumont. After having consecutive wins two weeks ago, the Lady Broncs seem to have gotten off track. The Green and Orange (7-13) have suffered back-toback three-set blowouts. In the first game against the Cardinals, the Lady Broncs came out with an early lead, but Destiny Madison led a Cardinal rally as Lamar stormed back to take the lead over UTPA. The Cards never looked back as they claimed victory 30-22. Mason had a match high with 16 kills to go along with 14 digs. The momentum carried Lamar on

to the next game as the Cardinals jumped on the scoreboard drawing first blood. But Kellie Phillips put a quick end to the rally as she led her team offensively to within striking distance midway through the match. Lamar simply overmatched the visitor and pulled away late in the game as they claimed another Cardinal victory, 30-18. The Lady Cardinals did not stop the relentless attack on the Lady Broncs in the third match as they took a commanding lead early. UTPA tried to establish an offensive rhythm, but defensive specialist Adrianne Meengs was able to keep the Lady Broncs in check. In the end, the home team capped off the straight-set victory with a 30-24 decision in the third and final frame. The Cardinals held advantages over the Lady Broncs in kills (61-25), total attacks (125-104), hitting percentage (.336-.048), assists (57-23), digs (49-40) and total blocks (9.0- 6.0). The Lady Broncs dropped their overall record to 7-13 on the 2007 campaign while the Lady Cardinals improved their record to 13-7. On a positive note for UTPA, the Lady Broncs have already won one game more than last year and seem to be

improving statistically. The women have 884 total kills with Phillips leading the way in the category with 231. Defensively, the Green and Orange have a total of 121 blocks and 1,058

digs. Defensive specialist Deanna Schneyer leads the block category with 57 and Rebecca Toddy leads the team with digs with a combined 287. The women will be back in action

on Friday when they travel to Orem, Utah, for a match up against Utah Valley University. They head home Oct. 9 to take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in their first home game of the season.

Texas-Pan American (7-13) vs Lamar University (13-7) At Beaumont Oct. 2 UTPA 0 - Lamar 3 Texas-Pan American Name GP Trinidad, Ytszel.... 3 Mayor, Noelle....... 3 Phillips, Kellie.... 3 Blakely, Chelsea.... 3 Schneyer, Deanna..3 Reed, Danielle...... 3 Logan, Marci........ 3 Toddy, Rebecca......3 Totals.............. 3 Lamar University Name GP

ATTACK E TA

0 1 3 3 8 4 0 2 7 2 2 3 5 5 0 0 25 20

5 19 30 2 16 14 17 1 104

Pct

-.200 0 .000 0 .133 0 -1.00 23 .312 0 -.071 0 .000 0 .000 0 .048 23

ATTACK E TA

Pct

Holdorff, Lauren.... 2 3 2 8 .125 0 Abel, Molli......... 3 9 3 21 .286 0 Mason, Destiny...... 3 16 5 28 .393 3 Adams, Meagan.....2 5 1 9 .444 0 Meengs, Adrianne.. 3 13 1 17 .706 44 Brewer, Kaci........ 2 6 2 16 .250 2 Gladle, Genevieve..1 0 1 4 -.250 1 Hamilton, Andrea....3 0 0 0 .000 6 Mitchell, Courtney.. 1 6 2 9 .444 0 Rush, Lauren........ 3 1 1 7 .000 1 Blythe, Shalayne.... 1 2 1 6 .167 0 Totals.............. 3 61 19 125 .336 57

ASSIST E TA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Pct

11 8 14 27 1 1 2 23 87

.000 .000 .000 .852 .000 .000 .000 .000 .264

ASSIST E TA

Pct

0 2 .000 0 1 .000 0 19 .158 0 0 .000 0 44 1.000 0 10 .200 0 8 .125 0 20 .300 0 0 .000 0 4 .250 0 0 .000 0 108 .528

SERVE SA SE TA 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

15 13 11 10 0 5 0 11 65

Pct DIG BHE BS BA BE 0 RE Pct .933 4 1.000 9 1.000 6 1.000 6 .000 1 1.000 2 .000 3 1.000 9 .985 40

SERVE SA SE TA 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 5 0 1 1 4 0 0 3 15

0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 5

0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

0 0 4 1 4 1 0 0 10

0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2

20 5 17 0 0 0 0 29 71

0 1.000 0 1.000 0 1.000 0 .000 0 .000 0 .000 0 .000 3 .906 3 .959

Pct DIG BHE BS BA BE 0 RE Pct

8 .875 2 0 .000 0 16 .938 14 0 .000 0 10 .800 1 7 1.000 6 3 .667 4 20 .750 14 3 .667 0 22 .818 8 0 .000 0 89 .831 49

0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

1 2 0 5 0 1 0 0 0 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 16

0 1 0 1.000 0 2 0 1.000 0 16 0 1.000 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 0 11 2 .846 0 11 1 .917 0 20 0 1.000 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 .000 0 61 3 .953

GOLF

Lopez will continue at helm for both men, women

De Leon shoots season-best 75 in second round By GABRIEL SALDANA The Pan American The women’s golf program finished in the top half of 15 teams at the Oral Roberts University Shootout garnering 7th place laurels earlier this week. Leading the pack through 54 greens was Mission Veterans High School graduate Rebecca De Leon, who cracked the top 10 to claim a spot at ninth place with a collective score of 231(78-75-78). The top 10 finish is the frontrunner’s second this season.

“Ninth feels pretty good, especially because I had a bad season last year where my game just wasn’t coming around and it feels great,” said De Leon. “Our coach has this whole new mental game that helps us out to become strong around the field and become positive on the course.” Haley Hocott of San Antonio MacArthur HS managed to fall just outside the top 10 in a tie for 14th place overall. Hocott recorded a season-best score of 73 during the third round Tuesday and posted a three-round tally of 234. UTPA junior Mariale Camey and senior Elizabeth Rodriguez tied for the 41st spot at the end of 54 holes with concurrent scores of 243. Men’s and women’s head golf Coach Ofelia Lopez and many of the players alike have con-

sistently said that the level of play up unto this point in the season has been “mediocre at best.” Now some are beginning to question whether the performances are a result of a coaching staff spread thin. However, De Leon said coach Lopez is always there for her and other players on both squads. “It’s not really an issue because she’s there for us at any time. She told us to call her and I’ve had many times when I need her and call her,” De Leon said. “She responds right away. She’s there for us at any time.” There has been buzz within the athletics department about the possible hiring of a new coach to lighten the workload for Lopez, but the process could be a lengthy one according to Assistant Athletic

Director for Media Relations Joe Monaco. UTPA is currently accepting resumes and Monaco said once a pool of applicants is together, a search committee will hold on-campus interviews. The position will be offered following the campus visit. No target date for hiring had been set. “Though the endeavor seems easy enough, the time frame for the hiring process depends largely on the university human resources department and qualification issues with potential applicants,” Monaco said. “Hiring processes are difficult.” Lopez’s position of dual coach has been the cause for adjustments to the Green and Orange teams’ playing schedules. As the teams will engage in splitlocation tournaments throughout the sea-

son, the tightly scheduled instructor will only be able to travel with one team. “What will happen is that when the men and women play together, Coach Lopez will travel with the women and we’ll send an administrator with the men,” Monaco said. “If there are separate schedules where [only] the men are playing, Coach Lopez will travel with the men.” The next stop on the Lady Bronc tour this season is Gulf Shores, Alabama. The Green and Orange play Nov. 5 at the UAB Fall Beach Blast hosted by the University of AlabamaBirmingham. The men’s next tournament is slated to kick off on Monday at the Crown Classic hosted by Stephen F. Austin University in Lufkin.

October 4, 2007

Page 14 SPORTS

October 4, 2007

Page 15 SPORTS

TENNIS

Men to open new season at UTSA Invitational on Friday

Hubbard puts together another tough schedule By ERICK QUINTERO The Pan American He spent the latter part of last year’s season talking about rankings, scheduling, recruiting and how the University of Texas-Pan American men’s and women’s tennis program should be right dab in the thick of them. This year, second year head coach Rob Hubbard has assembled another difficult schedule. But should his teams respond favorably, they shouldn’t have a problem moving up in the college rankings. “It’s going to be very difficult playing against nationally ranked teams but that’s the direction we’re headed,” said Hubbard. “The schedule is very important in order for us to continue to attract quality recruits that we’re looking for.” While the Lady Broncs struggled at the fourth annual Scarborough Specialties Open in Lubbock, where they posted a 1-5 singles record and

went 3-3 in doubles action, the men are set to make their 2007-2008 debut Friday at the UTSA Invitational hosted by Southland Conference foe University of Texas-San Antonio. The three-day tournament is only the beginning of another tough schedule, where dates with the likes of Texas Tech, Clemson, SMU and Arkansas linger. Much like last year, the goal remains the same; play a tough regular season schedule with various road games and a couple of tourneys along the way in preparation for the Southland Conference Tournament in the spring. The men return plenty of experience from last year’s team, which claimed a berth in the Southland Conference tournament—the first since the 2005 season. Sophomore Brett Bernstein and senior Ivan Avila are arguably this year’s best players, they play alongside junior David Lopez-Heredia and sophomore Nirvick Mohinta to form a group that has plenty of experience coming in to this season. Avila, the lone senior on the squad, brings plenty of time spent on the court; he has competed in several Mexico City tournaments throughout the year.

The squad has trained hard, but they still “have many aspirations to go far in the tournament,” said Avila of the season opener. “I’ve been training a lot; I played well in some tournaments in Mexico. I got to finals in some professional tournaments in that country. I trained hard and I hope to do well in my remaining season. I’ve also played some ATP tournaments in Mexico City but not this summer because I had to take classes.” Bernstein finished his rookie campaign at UTPA with a 9-8 singles record and a six-game winning streak. The AllSouthland Conference honorable mention selection enters this tournament with an edge after playing four times over the summer, including on the 2007 ITA Summer Circuit. On the women’s side of the court, the Lady Broncs have exactly two weeks to prepare before taking the court at the ITA Regionals hosted by Texas Tech, Oct. 18. In their recent trip to Lubbock the women played admirably but not exactly up to par. Their lone singles win came in the first flight after senior Silke Buksik captured the point by defeating Air Force’s Sarah Cassman of Air Force in three

Onydia Garza/The Pan American PERFECT FORM - Sophomore Brett Bernstein’s four tournament appearances during the summer give him an edge entering the UTSA Invitational on Friday.

sets; 3-6, 6-0 and 6-2. Sophomores Stephanie Willerding and last year’s surprise Luisa Cantu post-

ed back-to-back wins in doubles’ action with a 8-1 victory over Texas State, and a 8-2 win over North Central Texas College.

CLUB SOCCER

Bronc Soccer Club wins back-to-back matches Goalie Jose Cortez picks up two shutouts By ERICK QUINTERO The Pan American It was a good weekend to be a Bronc Soccer Club defender but an even better one to be an attacker. The men scored eight goals over the weekend and gave up nil, netting four on Saturday against Rice and another four against The University of Texas-San Antonio Sunday as Bronc goalie Jose Cortez recorded back-to-back shutouts. Both home matches were played at the intramural practice field under a gloomy South Texas sky and in front of faithful fans that watched the Broncs dominate from beginning to end. The pair of victories kept the men atop the Texas Collegiate Soccer League Southeast division with a 5-0-1 record, their lone loss being by forfeit to San Antonio College. They’ve done it with effective passing and a fun attacking style. Yet for the men it’s all about leaving a lasting impression on the opposition, whether they’re a struggling team like Rice or a solid one

like UTSA. “It doesn’t matter if they’re weak or not, they’re still a team. We’re ready for whichever team comes, Rice came and we won,” said senior forward Juan P. Davila after the 4-0 win. “We just wanted to finish them off; we wanted them to remember us. I think now they have a good idea of who we are.” Davila scored the first goal and had two assists. Bronc Soccer Club adviser Marcelo Schmidt started the Rice game with a different formation in the first half but reverted to his old playing style in the second and the men responded with three goals in the final 18 minutes. “The second half we went back to basics; we went back to a 4-4-2 with options on the side and just again, incredible talent. Other than that it’s the magic of the kids,” Schmidt said. Against Rice the men had 20 shots on goal, compared to seven for the Owls, and their first two possessions resulted in deep drives with tries on target. It was Davila who struck first in the 20th minute inside the box on a cross from Luis Barrenechea. Barrenechea dribbled through the right side all the way to the back line and filtered a pass that landed at Davila’s feet; Davila then drilled it home for a 1-0 advantage.

Barrenechea broke out of his twogame scoring slump in the second half when Davila returned the assist favor in the 27th minute, Barrenechea’s shot to the far right gave UTPA a 2-0 lead. Twelve minutes later Davila again fed Barrenechea, who put it away with a nice diving header to the far post for a 3-0 advantage. Julio Gonzalez added the last goal in the 44th minute with a wicked shot from 20 yards out on a Juan Reynoso assist. “I always had the support of my team and I just had to put it in. The team did all the work and fortunately the shots went in. I’m happy about it,” said Barrenechea, who added the club will continue to sell refreshments to fans at all home games. “We always want to keep them happy. Besides, we always win in our field.” It was the same storyline against UTSA; a different formation in the first half only yielded one goal, but the second half saw a much more comfortable and relaxed Bronc offense as the men avenged last year’s only regular-season loss. “As soon as the first goal dropped, it was all pretty much down hill [for UTSA],” Schmidt said. “I would say that we controlled the entire tempo of the game, we controlled the attack, we controlled the midfield and our defense was

incredibly solid.” The coach said he will nominate his defense for the TSCL MVP of the week for their efforts over the weekend. On Sunday Roel Trevino gave the Broncs a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute, Julio Veliz made it 2-0 in the 60th minute, while Reynoso added two scores in the final 15

minutes, bringing his season total to 5. The men will travel to Houston on Saturday for a rematch against Rice, followed by a Sunday home game against Texas A&M at 1 p.m. The women hope to claim their first victory of the year as they host Texas State on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the intramural practice field.

Onydia Garza/The Pan American ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - Junior Julio Gonzalez scored the last goal for the Bronc Soccer Club in its victory over Rice University on Saturday.

S P O RT S

Page 16

October 4, 2007

THE PAN AMERICAN

CROSS COUNTRY

La Joya native on the right track By RAMIRO PAEZ The Pan American College is a time where important lessons are learned. For University of Texas-Pan American cross-country runner Luis Nava, life brings education in school and on the course. In 2004, the junior pre-med major graduated from La Joya High School, where he was involved in soccer and cross-country. Running was his true devotion. Nava currently ranks among the all-time UTPA greats. His seventh place overall performance with a 24:54 time in the first meet of the season at Texas A&M catapulted him to 10th place in program history in the 8,000 meter race. However his best finish of the young season was on Friday at the Islander Splash Invitational. Nava finished runner up to 2006 NCAA 10k outdoor national champion Shadarak Sangkok from Texas A&M Corpus Christi with a time of 25:53. According to Nava, the long-distance athletic competition is what keeps

him going for the everyday situations life brings to the door. He said running is what he goes to school for and it is a way to stay out of trouble. Getting accustomed to running long distance is not easy, but for Nava, it has taught discipline, dedication and physical fitness. He says having the right attitude helps. “You’ve got to be excited about what you do,” said Nava. “You’ve got to like what you’re doing.” During his six years of running, Nava has experienced success, but has had to work for everything that he has accomplished. Unfortunately for the La Joya native, he does not get to continue his training in the summer as he travels to Arkansas to make a living. But still, working every year as a migrant worker from the end of May to mid-August in a different state has not prevented Nava from accomplishing big goals. After coming to UTPA as a walk-on and eventually earning an athletic scholarship, Nava is appreciative about what has transpired in his life, including gain-

ing the respect of his peers and coaches. “Nava is a great leader,” said Hugo Cervantes, head coach of the UTPA men’s and women’s cross-country team. “He motivates his fellow teammates by training hard and doing all the little things to be a better athlete.” Nava credits his teammates for keeping him going when he feels tired or needs encouragement. The team, he says, is his second family and if one goes down, they all go down. He runs with heart not only for himself, but also for his family, school and his coach. But the motivation and drive does not all come from within. According to the La Joya native, Westly Keating, arguably UTPA’s greatest runner has been his biggest inspiration. Keating is the former Bronc All-American from Pharr who graduated last year and still keeps in contact with the program from time to time. “Nava has come a long way since he’s been here,” said Cervantes. “He has lots of experience from practicing and competing with Keating. That helped him to realize the level of training that

he needs to be at in order to be an NCAA national contender.” His cross-country career has already impacted Nava’s life, as that is the reason he was able to receive an opportunity to continue his education at UTPA, and the impetus to continue school. It also taught him discipline that the real world requires when one is on one’s own. Cervantes says that Nava’s discipline and determination will make him successful in the future. “Luis is a contender in practice and competition,” said Cervantes. “He is determined to make it to nationals and knows how to get there. Every time he steps on the line, whether to practice or run, he visualizes the race that will take him to nationals.” Being the first to attend college in his family, Nava knows that quitting will never be an option. He says he has come too far to give up on any dreams and has learned a valuable lesson. “Something that you really want is not going to come that easy,” said Nava. “In order to accomplish it, you have to work for it as hard as you can.”

StatsAtAGlance

Number of years Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Joe Monaco worked for UTPA. Monaco will step down on Oct. 10

Number of top-10 finishes this season by UTPA long distance runner Luis Nava

On Oct. 9 the UTPA volleyball team will play the first home game of the season

ShortSports BASKETBALL

RUNNER’S HIGH - Senior long-distance runner Luis Nava had eight top-10 performances during his junior campaign. Nava finished second at the Islander Splash Invitational on Friday with a 25:53 time. Onydia Garza/The Pan American

When the 2007-2008 UTPA Bronc basketball season begins at home Nov. 10 against the University of TexasPermian Basin, the Broncs will have several new additions to their roster. San Antonio native Nathan Hawkins and Emmanuel Jones from Washington D.C. have joined the team and will try to lift the Broncs past their 14-15 record of last year. Their eightgame improvement was recognized by the NCAA as the Top Division I regular season turnaround in the state of Texas. Hawkins and Jones both come to UTPA with successful history. Jones led Riverside City College to an Orange Empire Conference Championship last year and was named All-OEC first team. At Moberly Area Community College, Hawkins averaged 12.0 points and 5.0 rebounds a game last season. He is the nephew of NBA Hall of Fame and former San Antonio standout George “Iceman” Gervin and his father played for the Golden State Warriors. The Broncs were featured on ESPN.com with analysts stating that experience and coaching continuity could be the key ingredients for a winning season.