March 27, 2008 by UTRGV Student Media

Thursday March 27, 2008

59th Year No. 24

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER

HEALTH

Hispanic food staples contributing to diabetes epidemic, expert says By J.R. ORTEGA The Pan American Ask Juanita Garza where her life was going health-wise five months ago and there is no definite answer. That is because last December, The University of Texas-Pan American history professor visited her doctor to check on a knee injury, but instead came out checking her blood sugar on a daily basis. It was at that moment that Garza recognized that her health needed to take the driver’s seat. Like one out of every four women over age 45 in the Rio Grande Valley, Garza found herself living with diabetes. Scared and distressed, she said she remembers the news came as a shock because no one in her family had a history of the disease. “I didn’t believe the doctor, I really didn’t believe her,” she said with a tilt in her voice. “I always thought, ‘No, you inherit it,’ but it really isn’t that way at all, you can get it all on your own.” Despite the shock, Garza decided not to accept it as a death sentence, but rather as a

Alternative choices Instead of

chance to search for a life-sentence through dieting the healthy way; a lifestyle which has helped her lose 29 pounds and lower her blood sugar and pressure significantly. “I used to have two tacos for breakfast, I had to quit that and go on cereal or oatmeal, but then I could also have fruit with that,” she said. “It’s getting use to a whole new way of eating.” Through the help of her doctor and friend, Elena Bastida, a sociology professor who has done copious research on diabetes, she managed to turn her life around and now said she lives virtually diabetes-free because of her healthier habits. PROMOTING CHANGE According to Bastida, a common misconception about diabetes is that it cannot be prevented. She admits there are extreme cases, like Type 1 diabetes, which is chronic, and where healthier eating and better knowledge of the disease cannot help. However, Type 2 diabetics can prevent or slow down its progression. Type 1 is most often hereditary and is the more severe type of diabetes and requires med-

other suggestions Instead of

flour tortillas

fried rice

Try

about 90 cals.

corn tortillas

about 70 cals.

See FOOD page 11

Try steamed rice

about 333 cals/cup

about 208 cals/cup

Sausage McSkillet

egg white corn tortilla taco

about 610 cals.

about 87 cals.

TH I S WE EK

Ben Briones/The Pan American

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES

NEWS Phishing scam targeting universities, IT warns See Page 3

ONLINE SECURITY

Author Chavez says Scam targets universities culture vital to writing By BOBBY CERVANTES The Pan American

A&E Student band opens for rock act at Dodge See Page 7

SPORTS German native tennis player on road to history See Page 16

By ABBY MUNIZ The Pan American From the get-go, Denise Chavez aimed to be a different kind of Distinguished Speaker than the ones who have come before her, such as Russian politician Mikhail Gorbachev and environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In her own words, “none of them talked about tacos.” Tonight, the wellregarded writer would talk about tacos.

In her presentation as the series’ final speaker of the school year, Chavez shared a few readings from her book, A Taco Testimony: Meditations on Family, Food and Culture, a Memoir of Food. Raised in New Mexico, Chavez received a bachelor’s degree in drama from New Mexico State University in 1971, a master’s degree in drama from Trinity University in 1974, and 10 years later, a master’s degree in creative writ-

See CHAVEZ page 11

In an era when technology has come a long way and is still advancing, phishing frauds continue to rise, with more than a 100-percent increase in new targets in 2007 compared to the two previous years. And now online scammers have their sights set on universities. Nearly a dozen colleges – including Princeton, Columbia and Purdue – have been targeted by an e-mail phishing fraud, reported the Internet security

company Security Focus. One attempt of identity thieves in particular, recently made public through a bulletin published by The University of Texas-Pan American’s Office for Information Technology and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, alerts students and teachers to a scam guised as a death threat. In the sample e-mail released in the bulletin, the author states that a friend has paid money to have the e-mail recipient killed, and warns not to call the police

See PHISHING page 11

O PINION

Page 2

March 27, 2008

THE PAN AMERICAN

SOCIAL COMMENTARY

Avoiding unpleasant reunions BY: SANDRA GONZALEZ

ast night I received literally four IMs from people I hadn’t talked to in years. For the most part I hated it. Blasts from the past always freaked me out. Most of the time, I’ve cut ties with this person on purpose. So when they all of a sudden want an entry back into my life, it makes me wish I had a clear, tactful way to say bugger off. It’s like that old boyfriend you see at Target and you duck behind a random aisle to try and avoid them. In fact, that was almost exactly the case. Allow me to explain: Annoyingexboyfriend1 [10:35 P.M.]: Hey. To that I pressed the little red “x” on the corner of the IM box.

Annoyingexboyfriend1 [10:39 P.M.]: Remember me? I pressed the box again. Annoyingexboyfriend1 [10:42 P.M.]: Or are you trying to forget? Yes, dumbass. Take a hint. It went on like that pretty much until he signed off almost 20 minutes later. To be fair, I was the bitch in the relationship. Don’t look so surprised. But he was annoying, so he deserved it. Nonetheless, it ended terrible and I never spoke to him again. Why open old wounds? Rather, why get on my nerves again when I clearly cut you loose the last time? Now, on the other hand, when the reunion is long overdue and perhaps many years in the making, a little random IM can always cheer up a gloomy

day. Case and point IM no. 4, which I received in the wee hours. If we weren’t thousands of miles away I would have called it a booty call. Sexyformercoworker69 [1:42 A.M.]: Hey Sandra!!!!!!! Desperateeditor420 [1:42 A.M.]: Hi there! Sexyformercoworker69 [1:43 A.M.]: I was going through screanames [he meant screen names. The boys a dish but no scholar] deleting the people I don’t talk to anymore. But I didn’t want to delete yours. Desperateeditor420 [1:43 A.M.]: Awesome. I feel special. Sexyformercoworker69 [1:43 A.M.]: I’m goin to be in TeX soon. Renting a condo at SPI in May. Are you going to be around?

To protect the innocent and whaever bits of integrity I still possess, I won’t go on. But there you have it, a VERY welcomed reunion. When mending ties, catching up with old friends or even seeing if a flame is still burning take caution. You may walk into it hoping for an “I never got over you” and come out with an “I really never liked you.” Calculate the risks. At the same time, you could end up with plans for an early summer beach rendezvous. Wink, wink.

Are you an old friend of mine and want to catch up? Don’t. I probably never liked you at all. I guess try anyway: thesandrafanclub@gmail.com

A GREGISH MIND

Rivals: there’s enough to go around BY: GREG GARZA

onestly, sports and me are somewhat of a relativly new thing. Sure, I did a little recess sports growing up and played my fair share of baseball, basketball and football in physical education during my grade school years, but never have I really cared for a team nationally, much less one from the school that I go to. Usually when it comes to sports, picking sides usually just depends on who is winning and sticking with them as long as they are winning. This being the case, having a rivalry with an opposing team never really fired me up. I never painted my body with the team’s colors nor did I ever wait forever to see the game. All in all, rivalries in sports always

MARCH 27, 2008 THE

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

confused me. How did they start? Why do they exist? What exact purpose do they hold within the game? Back in high school, I went to the oldest school in Corpus Christi, and for some reason we had a rivalry with the second oldest school. When asked what exactly started it, the usual answers were because at the time there were only those two schools, so something was needed to boost the community’s feelings about the games. This lead to my classmates performing less than legal activities to uphold the rivalry, ranging from paint the statue in front of the rival school in our school’s colors, stealing their letter so they wouldn’t have it for homecoming, and egging their school with a little graffiti. Usually, the same thing occurred against our school, of course.

Now, here I sit as the Sports CoEditor when for the majority of my life the most I got engaged into the whole thing was the Super Bowl, which I watched mainly for the commercials. But now I begin to see the edge rivalries provide within the sports community. While I have not played many sports, I have played a number of games, including trading card games. I was never the best, but I was far from the worst. Some of the players I went up against applauded me for my decisions, strategy and thought that I would put into my deck. And so there was always at least one person who wanted to beat me and vice versa; those games usually meant the most. Thus, I had my own rival, which helped keep the game interesting and alive. In what new ways could I beat

Editor-in-Chief Sandra Gonzalez................................................. sandra_panamerican@yahoo.com

Assistant News Editors Abigail Muniz..............abby.muniz@yahoo.com J.R. Ortega.....................ortega.e.jr@gmail.com

A&E Editor Jeanette Perez.........fae_myst@yahoo.com

Designers Rick Gamez Juan Torres

Sports Co-Editors Greg Garza...............the_nataku@yahoo.com Ramiro Paez...................ramiropaez@aol.com Photography Editor Roxy Solis..................roxysolis34@yahho.com

Reporters and Photographers Alvaro Balderos Ana Villaurrutia Bobby Cervantes Russen Vela Leslie Estrada Onydia Garza Laura Garcia

Design Editor Roy Bazan........................rbazanzz@yahoo.com

Adviser Dr. Greg Selber..........selberg@utpa.edu

them? What other possibilities could hold victory for me? Just thinking about the competition brought out the best in me and got me fired up. So now I can imagine the feeling for an entire team. Against one team that you just have to beat, the anticipation is there, and at your back is a throng of loyal fans all cheering for you. The need for victory penetrates your very being and winning is the only thing on your mind. I think such things are the making of a great game. More than just a tally in the win column is at stake. Pride and glory hang in the balance. These games are the ones that make a season memorable. These are the games that make people into legends.

Get a new rivalry or want to start one? Pick a fight at the_nataku@yahoo.com

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

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 March

28-30

The fourth annual Pharr Hub-Phestival kicks off in downtown Pharr. All events open to public

Best-selling author and journaling pioneer Lucia Capacchione book signing at Barnes & Noble off Expwy. 83 from 2-4 p.m.

April

The Pan American will publish the next issue a day in advance.

Newsinbrief Vannie E. Cook Jr. Children’s Cancer and Hematology Clinic in McAllen is asking for votes in a contest that would provide two new bedside fun centers for the hospital. Colgate-Palmolive and Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation have joined together to help provide one of the mobile entertainment units to 30 different hospitals across the United States. Every participating hospital will receive one, but the 10 hospitals with the most votes will receive two. To vote or for more information visit http://www.colgate.com/app/Colgate/US/ Corp/CommunityPrograms/StarlightStarbright-Childrens-Foundation.cvsp. Voting ends March 31.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Pan American accepts letters of 300 words or less 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. The Pan American cannot publish anonymous letters or submissions containing hate speech or gratuitous personal attacks. Please send all story ideas to thepanamerican@gmail.com. Individuals with disabilities wishing to acquire this publication in an alternative format or needing assistance to attend any event listed can contact The Pan American for more details.

March 27, 2008

N EWS

Page 3

THE PAN AMERICAN

CAMPUS

COMMUNITY

Portrait of harsh realities Former professor presents exhibit By SANDRA GONZALEZ The Pan American The large, brown eyes of Indian and Bangladeshi villagers stare at George McLemore’s lens, telling the story of their laborious, often fear-filled lives. Human trafficking is a real threat for the people of this region. And in his

presentation on Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Student Union Theater, the former University of Texas-Pan American professor will detail his experiences along the India-Bangladesh border. When he was commissioned by French non-governmental activist organization Groupe Developpement to document their struggles, it was a feat McLemore did not take lightly. “I enjoy documenting the people who live in these areas and contribute to

Campus awarded for service By ANA VILLAURRUTIA The Pan American If there is one thing students at The University of Texas-Pan American understand, it is that charity can be one of the greatest gifts one can give and receive. And for the second time, the university received recognition on the president’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, proving that the university community’s hard work has not gone unnoticed. The award comes from The Corporation for National and Community Service and 391 institutions throughout the nation were awarded this year. According to the corporation’s Web site, schools are selected based on various factors including the extent to which a school offers service-learning courses and the percentage of student participation in service activities among others. With only 21 awarded in Texas, the corporation seeks out those schools that give back to the community, something that UTPA has a long history of doing according to Bret Mann, executive director of community engagement. “We use the resources of the university to help the community in various

See EXHIBIT page 12

George McLemore SIMPLY A PHOTOGRAPHER - George McLemore (above) traveled to India and Bangladesh recently to document the regionʼs human trafficking epidemic. He will speak Saturday about his experiences in the Student Union Theater at 1 p.m.

See AWARD page 12

TECHNOLOGY

Student information system outed for BANNER RAC numbers no longer needed for registration By J.R. ORTEGA The Pan American After more than 20 years with the PLUS student information system, The University of Texas-Pan American has finally made a progressive change toward the up-to-date and more popular BANNER system. The system, new to the university, is said to be more beneficial than its predecessor in all aspects. But many are apprehensive about getting too comfort-

able, too fast. A main change students will notice is no more Registration Access Codes. When signing up for fall courses, instead of RAC numbers, a registration hold will be released by the department allowing students to sign up for classes without the hassle of remembering another sixdigit randomized pass code. The switch to BANNER is all too great for senior social studies major, Esmer Elizondo, who said she has lost her RAC number every semester. “It’s better that you don’t have to write down your RAC number,” she said. “You have to go back to your adviser if you lose it.” The Edinburg native had trouble at times receiving her RAC number

after losing it; she said she now feels at ease knowing she won’t have to go through that again. She added that a change in system does not faze her because she has never had any problems with the online system. The system’s administrative suite, a widely used program, helps manage many facets of university management, ranging from the financial aid award process, to all the inner-workings of the UTPA administration. The administrative sector of the university started using BANNER Feb. 1, and in doing so, has become more proactive, project manager Michelle Alvarado said. She added the system is most beneficial for the administration and that information like financial aid can be updated

and transacted in faster time. Elia Ovalle, secretary for the management, marketing and international business department, recently attended training. While she was concerned about the difficulty level and possible troubles that could come with the program, in the end those things should work themselves out. “It is something new that we really didn’t have much training on, but BANNER is quite easy,” Ovalle said. “It’s based on [drop down] menus, not on numbers like VAX.” The VAX, part of the old PLUS system, is based on student codes that are often times a lot to remember, she said. But the BANNER system, Ovalle found out, has a much easier menu-driv-

“It’s better that you don’t have to write down your RAC number.” -Esmer Elizondo senior social studies en interface that will become effortless for administration and students. In Ovalle’s department, students will see their advisers and receive a slip that will check that they were verified. With the new system, the secretaries will simply type the student identification number and click “release hold.”

See BANNER page 12

March 27, 2008

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March 27, 2008 NEWS

March 27, 2008

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ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT

March 27, 2008

Page 7

THE PAN AMERICAN

I MUSIC SCENE

I COMMUNITY SCENE

Harlingen rock band spreads faith Cultural program aims to educate with art

By AMANDA ALANIZ The Pan American

Alternative sounds of bands such as Tool and 30 Seconds to Mars aren’t what someone thinks of when it comes to Christian music. But a Harlingen rock band, Obscurity, has stepped into that territory and made an impression on the local music scene. “Some people are a little shocked that we’re a Christian band playing the type of music we play,” said vocalist and UTPA alumnus Jeremiah Gonzalez. “Our songs deal a lot with pain, suffering, purpose and meaning. But we’re also definitely not just like any secular band either. There’s hope, patience, revelation and charity throughout our music.” Obscurity is: Gonzalez, along with guitarist and background vocalist Larry Lozano, bassist and background vocalist Nason Rumfield and drummer Jacob Rumfield, all Harlingen natives. The band was formed a little over two years ago and has come a long way both in terms of sound, and recognition. “We’ve added sampling, more guitar effects and percussion instruments over the last couple of years. And we’ve even added things like background harmonies and vocals and guitar pieces to come of our older songs,” said 26-year-old Jacob Rumfield. “The songs are almost kind of alive and growing with us.” When it comes to the style of their

music, they continue to be determined to bring something different to the modern and local music scene. “We are trying to bring something new to the Valley, but we hope that people from all parts of the world will get a chance to hear our music,” said Lozano. In February, the band placed first place in the Q94.5 Band Smackdown Live Faceoff during Borderfest. Raul Coronado of EP Productions, the promoter of the Flyleaf concert at the Dodge Arena March 21, approached the band and asked if they would like to be an opening act. “It was really cool playing in front of such a big crowd, and to play with such a high-caliber band like Flyleaf was an experience in itself,” Gonzalez said, and other members agreed, noting it didn’t hurt from the publicity angle, either. “Opening up for a well-known band gets us a lot of exposure since we’re able to play in front of all of their fans and make our best impression possible,” said 22-year-old Nason Rumfield. As their fan base grows with increased exposure, they plan to stay grounded and carry on a relationship with their fans. “We really love our fans, and we’ll always be as close as possible to them. We never want them to think that we’ve gotten too big for them or have forgotten about them,” continued Nason Rumfield.

By LESLIE ESTRADA The Pan American

Ben Briones/The Pan American DRIVEN - Obscurity vocalist Jeremiah Gonzalez, a UTPA communication graduate, bases his bandʼs alternative sound on Christian faith.

One of the goals of the band is to help spread their message through their collaborative lyrics and unique sound. “Thinking big, I’d like to see us become worldwide. We’ve got a message and we want everybody to hear it because we’re not just playing music,” Gonzalez stated. “What we believe and what we’re saying in our music is

almost like an antidote for a world that’s been poisoned. …we’re out spreading the word of God, Jesus’ message of love and a feeling of hope through our music.” For more information about Obscurity and any upcoming shows head to their website: www.myspace.com/obscuritymusic.

Ben Briones/The Pan American MUSICAL MESSAGE - Harlingen Christian rock band Obscurity spreads the word of God through their collaborative lyrics and music. The Valley band opened up for alternative band Flyleaf at the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo March 21.

While most students at The University of Texas-Pan American are in the process of educating themselves, there are people who look at this as a goal that will never be reached. But there’s a program to help change their minds, and habits. The Pharr Literacy Project is a grassroots, faith-based, community driven program that is dedicated to providing literacy alternatives to those persons who, due to life circumstances, may otherwise find adult education an unrealistic goal. “At the Pharr Literacy and Art Center we have served people whose lives have been marginalized by poverty, discrimination and self-defeating personal decisions,” said Eric Brown, coordinator of the center. “Our goal is to identify the root causes of poverty and to apply systematic solutions to them in order to provide opportunities for residents of Pharr and its surrounding are to become self-sufficient.” People in the Rio Grande Valley have the opportunity to participate in free classes that are offered by this center in 11 different sites in three cluster areas: language acquisition, general education development, and employability skills training. Brown stated that also teaching arts in this program will help people to improve in many areas. “By including the arts, we not only will improve their English usage, we will increase the cultural expectations in this area as well,” he said. “As a result, we believe that our students will gain self-confidence, will have higher self-esteem, will develop leadership skills and raise their horizons of what can be accomplished as they enjoy the process too.” Giovanni Ferrigno, a senior majoring in marketing at UTPA, said the program is very admirable and has a great cause behind it.

See LITERACY page 10

March 27, 2008

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March 27, 2008

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Legends and Folklore art exhibit showcases local talent at FESTIBA By RUSSEN VELA The Pan American

henever there is an art exhibit at a local gallery in New York or Paris, everyone goes for the art. Art exhibits are often the event to attend because of the new blood inventing radical, exotic art, and attendees are fascinated by their view of things. Brownsville Historical Association, and Polibrid Coatings invite all residents of the Rio Grande Valley to witness the highlight exhibit of “Legends and Folktales of South Texas and Northern Mexico,” an exhibition showcasing local artistic talent from The Rio Grande Valley. The exhibition will be on view during The University of Texas-Pan American’s Festival of International Books and Arts from March 24 to March 29. The exhibition explores legends, haunted stories and folktales that are told throughout South Texas and Northern Mexico. Along with the more popular legends such as La Llorona, the show will also feature obscure local legends and folktales depicted in artwork. Along with the artwork, the interpretation of stories will also be available for people to read. The exhibition compliments this year’s FESTIBA theme of storytelling through the arts. Priscilla Rodriguez, the executive director of the Brownsville Historical Association, where she oversees three museums, a gallery and a resource center, was humbled and excited about the exhibition. “We were asked by Steven Schneider, who felt the theme of the exhibit tied in well with the theme

of FESTIBA,” the Weslaco native said. “An exhibit developed by BHA was originally shown at the Brownsville Heritage Complex in October through November 2007. The exhibit features local artists from across the RGV depicting their version of a popular legend or folktale.” Rodriguez, who has worked with the BHA for almost five years, was enthusiastic about having the gallery showcased during FESTIBA. The BHA first organized the exhibit in Brownsville and wanted to tie in the tradition of oral history and folklore with the study of history in order to get students and the public to think of history in new ways. The group wanted observers to see how stories passed down through the generations in families are also history, and how these stories tell a lot about local culture. “We frequently host exhibits that tie in cultural arts with history and heritage at the Brownsville Heritage Complex,” Rodriguez said. “We rotate exhibitions there every two months. However, this is the first time we’ve hosted an exhibit at UTPA for FESTIBA.” The Legends and Folklore exhibition has already been extremely successful in Brownsville. The audience will recognize the stories interpreted through the artwork as stories most Valley locals grew up with, so in that regard it allows visitors to connect with their families through stories that are depicted in the artwork on display. “Since that is the intent of the exhibit, it will be successful at FESTIBA,” Rodriguez said.

Freshman art major Julie Flores looks forward to seeing South Texas myths captured on canvas. “I grew up hearing stories from my grandparents about La Llorona,” Flores said. “Seeing it depicted in an art form will be pretty interesting to see.” La Llorona is a figure in South American folklore. She is a ghost of a woman crying for her dead children that she drowned. Her appearances are sometimes held to death and guilt and frequently are claimed to occur near bodies of water, particularly streams and rivers. There is much variation in tales of La Llorona, which are popular in Mexico and the United States. According to this tale, it is wise to avoid La Llorona. She is known for drowning passers-by in an attempt to replace her dead children. Alternatively, right after she drowns her children, La Llorona realizes what she has done and, overwhelmed by grief and by guilt, she runs alongside the river trying to find her children, but never does, and she dies or disappears in her search for them. Jessica Lopez, a sophomore graphic design major, was also excited about the exhibition. “I think it’s great that so many local artists are being showcased this year at FESTIBA,” said the Edinburg native. “I think it is going to be exciting for them to have their name out there for a lot of people to see their work and see it for what it is, art at its finest in the Rio Grande Valley.” The local artists include Carlos Gomez, Rachael F. Brown, Luis Contreras, Celeste de Luna, Jesus de la Rosa, Rene Z. Garza, Xavier Garza, Chris Leonard, Carl Vestwebber, Rosendo Sandoval, Paul Valadez and Benjamin Varela.

March 27, 2008

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March 27, 2008

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Legends and Folklore art exhibit showcases local talent at FESTIBA By RUSSEN VELA The Pan American

Page 10

March 27, 2008 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

I CAMPUS SCENE

Mark Twain relived, revived for FESTIBA celebration By LAURA GARCIA The Pan American The great American novelist Mark Twain, once said, “in the first place God made idiots. This was for practice. Then he made proofreaders.” This is the type of dry humor and “tell it how it is” manner that came through in his 19th-century writing and attracted mass audiences. Though most students have read about the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn at some point, today’s generation can get a further taste for the famous humorist at this year’s FESTIBA. William Strong, a former UTPA communication professor now at The University of Texas-Brownsville/Texas Southmost College, will evoke Twain’s

persona and perform a one–man show in two shows this weekend, Saturday night at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Albert L. Jeffers Theater. Strong developed an interest in the writer/humorist back in college when he wrote an essay about Twain’s life and dressed in full character for his presentation. His interest grew throughout the years and eventually Strong picked Twain as his dissertation topic in graduate school. He liked entertaining and decided to become Mark Twain. “I went through grad school and I was all Twain all the time,” Strong said. He earned his BA at Abilene Christian University, his M.S. at the University of North Texas - and his Ph.D. at The University of Arizona.

However, he stopped for 10 years before picking it up again. “I stopped doing Twain for a while because I had spent so much of my life studying him that I thought I should live my own for a while,” explained Strong. “I decided to pick it up again when I realized that a new show using his ‘mature’ material would be possible, hence, ‘Mark Twain Unplugged.’ He now gives performances about three to four times a year. The skit is performed in a “stream of consciousness” method, where Strong/Twain provides commentary on things happening in the world around him, giving insights of a social, political, economical, or environmental nature. Strong’s act is part original Twain material and part his own observations

I SEEN AND CAPTURED

about various themes. He provides critical thoughts and explains things in a frank and uncensored manner, very much like Twain. Marian Monta says that the performance is uncanny. “I think he is excellent, he bears an astonishing resemblance to Mark Twain. Anyone would be delighted to listen to commentary over 100 years old and views on today’s politics,” said Monta, a retired UTPA theatre arts director, who worked with Strong for many years. Through a unique form of entertainment, Strong attracts audiences of all ages and enjoys what he does. “I enjoy the simple challenge of being able to capture a persona of long ago and package it with modern relevance,” he said.

Strong has performed at venues such as the Fort Worth Country Club and Oregon State University, but is especially fond of the Jeffers theatre at UTPA because the audience is above him in theater seating, for an intimate, livingroom feel. Through his 90-minute show, Strong strives to teach people about Twain and the type of novelist he truly was. “I want to educate and give people the understanding of what a brilliant mind he was,” said the mimic. “Not merely a writer of juvenile literature, but he had serious things to talk about in a humorous way.” For Mark Twain Unplugged at the theatre, tickets are $5. For more information please contact the box office at (956) 381-3581.

LITERACY

I TV CORNER

continued from page 7

Ben Briones/The Pan American STAND-UP ROUTINE - UTPA junior Justin Reighard (left) and senior Orlando Campo were all laughs and jokes during communication professor David Carrenʼs improvisational comedy workshop Wednesday afternoon. The workshop, held as part of FESTIBA, used theatre form to produce a story, characters and humor.

“I think that a program like this one will help a lot of people,” he said. “There are many adults that live in this area who don’t speak English, and although Spanish is spoken Valleywide, it is still important for them to learn the national language.” Freshman engineering major Gabriela Canseco said that people should be aware of this program so that they know there are services available to help them better their quality of life. “I think that this will help empower people to become a bigger part of society by giving them skills they can use,” said Canseco. “They will find new opportunities to become engaged in positive things they weren’t able to do before.” Ferrigno also said that the program should be given more attention and publicity. “People should be more aware of the opportunity to participate in this project,” said the marketing major. “I think that more publicity would help this program grow even more.” Brown agrees with Ferrigno when talking about the lack of buzz. “We recognize the need for more public awareness and participation in Pharr, and the Valley for music, drama, art, dance and literature—especially for adults and families,” he said. The Pharr Literacy and Art Center has been offering its services to the people in the RGV for five years now. “We have been open since 2003 but we only offered English classes,” Brown said. “We included the cultural art classes since February of this year.” For more information on registration call (956) 283-1285 or (956) 7837746 or go to the Pharr Cultural Arts Building at 211 W. Audrey.

What You’re

Not

Watching “Medium” By JEANETTE PEREZ The Pan American ith the writers’ strike over, heavy-hitter networks NBC, CBS and ABC are now bringing back their hit shows. But while you may have to wait until April for The Office and 30 Rock, the thrilling, psychic-mom Allison Dubois is back in Medium. The show, which has been running since 2005, brings back Dubois - played by Patricia Arquette - who works at the Phoenix district attorney’s office cracking crime investigations using her psychic abilities. The mother of three girls, alongside with her partner Detective Lee Scanlon (David Cubitt) uses her premonitions and dreams to uncover the truth behind grisly crimes. As if struggling with a family life, haunting dreams and detective work weren’t enough, last season Dubois discovered that her psychic abilities are heriditary. Her two older daughters Marie (Miranda Carabello) and Bridgette (Maria Lark) have found themselves dreaming of the dead. This spring, Dubois has experienced more than her fair share of nightmares. Just last month, she found herself unable to hear after dreaming of a 12year-old deaf girl being kidnapped. Whether it’s dreaming of the past or a crime in the present, with Dubois, every Monday night brings something new and mysterious to primetime. Catch episodes of Medium Mondays at 9 p.m. on NBC.

March 27, 2008

Page 11 NEWS

CHAVEZ continued from page 1

PHISHING

“I have eaten everything… If you haven’t tried it, it’s about time,” Chavez said. Chavez also gave the audience life advice pertaining to the kitchen. “Go to your stove, address the stove, look at the stove and see the setting at 350 (degrees) on the stove,” she

warned. “Never move it from that setting! If you ever move it from that, you are going to burn the food, forever.” Chavez continually reminded the audience what her favorite pasttime is and always has been. Her love for culture is a famous staple that Chavez interjects into each of her novels. Loving Pedro Infante and The Last of the Menu Girls are among her most notable works. “I believe that it’s been my life career to sit around my mother’s table to listen to the stories of food, of people, of culture,” Chavez said. “My greatest joy and my greatest happiness is to be able to record stories.” Chavez encouraged students to take up writing for themselves and keep journals of their own stories. “We reconstruct our stories and our history,” she explained. “We propel them into the future. We root ourselves within where we are, just like a plant or a tree… we root ourselves and when we celebrate who we are, where we come from, we are able to transform that…” She is also a strong believer that anyone can be a writer because of the uniqueness of each individual. “Only the stories that you can tell, can be told by you. Everybody has a story that is very important to tell,” she said. “So you need to get with people that understand what writers are like.”

hand, found 52.5 percent of those studied were obese and 29.4 were overweight, with a frequency of 21.6, close behind the BESA results. These results, Bastida said, show that the 17-36 group is more overweight then those 37 and over, meaning that as they age, members of the younger cohort will probably be more affected. Attempting not just to study diabetes but help combat it, Bastida and her team took a grant and formed Sabor, Spanish for flavor, a 12-week intervention that promotes health consciousness and education about health-related diseases.

“What I was not doing was I was not really getting involved with doing anything to really change it,” Bastida said. “In 2000, I began to say, ‘Well I’m not a dietician, but if we can have teamwork, then we can begin to address some of these problems.’” Moderation and portioning well are key to the 12-week program. Some of those involved in the intervention used to eat eight tortillas a day, according to Bastida. However, rather than just getting rid of the tortillas permanently, subjects cut portions in half, until eventually tortillas were erased or at least moder-

Roxy Solis/The Pan American CULTURED - Denise Chavez, the final distinguished speaker in this yearʼs series, read excerpts from her latest book A Taco Testimony: Meditations on Family, Food and Culture, a Memoir of Food on Tuesday in the Student Union Theater.

ing from the University of New Mexico. She was awarded an honorary doctorate in letters from the University of New Mexico in May 2004. “If you don’t know what a taco is, God help you,” Chavez began. Her topic, as well as her presentation style, was unique. While talking to

the audience from the stage, the author stepped down from the lectern to be able to engage people in conversation, saying that she was too far away from the audience. She shared recipes for capirotada (bread pudding) and even a recipe for those who have eaten and will eat dog food.

continued from page 1 because they are being monitored. UTPA’s OIT reports that the real e-mail, which has been in circulation since 2006, “likely originated from abroad,” as indicated by the poor grammar and spelling. This attempt is quite different, according to the FBI, from the majority of scams, which usually prey on the recipient’s “greed or good intentions” to get money. Mauro Scardigno, chief information security officer for information resources at UTPA, characterized the university’s protection against these actions as highly effective but not perfect. “We have three different devices that monitor spam and phishing attempts for all incoming e-mails that arrive at UTPA,” he said. “The anti-spam solution currently installed has proven to be very effective in detecting spam and phishing attempts.” According to Cyveillance, a private Internet monitoring company, the e-mail in circulation is one example of how phishing attacks have become more sophisticated. The scams aim to gain access to bank, credit card and other accounts with sensitive information. Once hackers have gotten into an account, they are free to

See SPAM page 12

FOOD continued from page 1 ication and comes with complications such as blindness and kidney failure. Type 2 is more manageable, and most times requires medication, but if detected early, a change in diet can help keep it under control. But for the most part, Bastida believes that through healthier lifestyles and education, the effect diabetes has on a person can drop considerably. “We really recently began researching diabetes in earnest,” she said. “Before that we would do a little bit of diabetic research, but back in 1996-97 we realized it was a very, very serious situation.”

Bastida and her colleagues had been working on various studies. The two most recent were the Border Epidemiological Study of Aging at UTPA, conducted between 2004-2006, which included those age 37 and over. The other study, Pilot, began in 2007 and is still ongoing and that study focuses on the 17-36 age group. Comparing the results of the BESA to the Pilot is shocking, said Bastida. For the former, 46.4 percent of those studied were obese, and 35.4 percent were overweight, adding up to a diabetes frequency of 28.5 percent. The Pilot on the other

ately consumed. Bastida added that through Sabor, she has met residents from all around the Valley and keeps in touch with them and is happy they have learned to value their health through other resources, something she is very proud of. “For example, even today, the La Joya seniors are telling us how active they have remained how they’ve kept their weight down, how their glucose has not risen,” she said. “It’s been four or five years and not just that it has had a lasting impact, but also they continue to seek these things [resources.]”

March 27, 2008

Page 12 NEWS

SPAM

BANNER

continued from page 11

continued from page 3

steal any information kept in personal files and even have at their disposal private information such as addresses, phone numbers and bank account access codes – all possibly leading to identity theft. Gustavo Dietrich, a computer science lecturer at UTPA, said he remembers receiving what seemed to be a legitimate email from eBay.com. “I copied the email and then I accessed the eBay Website,” Dietrich said. “I looked for their contact information and I then sent (them) the email I had received.” Dietrich recommends that if people receive legitimate looking emails asking for personal information from companies such as a credit card company, bank or an online store, they should either call them or access the company’s Web site directly. Locally, the problem is rampant, being referred to as a “bug for identity theft,” in a Feb. 2008 report by the Federal Trade Commission, according to The Monitor. Despite the university’s many precautions, Scardigno warns that there is no perfect anti-spam solution to the scamming problem. “There are times when even the best anti-spam solution will fail to detect a well-crafted spam or phishing attempt,” he said.

“There are some things that we still need to use the old system for like accessing student transcripts,” she said. “That won’t be available until October.” However, Alvarado said the switch should provide for a “smooth transition,” albeit with some bumps along the way. “Of course you’re going to have things [problems] like with Oracle happen, you’re always going to have little things happen,” said Alvarado, who added that since BANNER is so widely used, glitches and bugs should be minimal if close to none. But she understands where the university’s concerns are coming from. Alvarado added she understands how a department therefore she “thinks more like a user,” giving her a better feel for what the outcome has to be. As project manager, Alvarado negotiates with vendors and oversees the entire system, paying particular interest to budget implementation. Like PLUS, BANNER is a product of SunGard, and is one of the world’s most used administrative systems in colleges and universities. UTPA is the third UT system school to invest in BANNER, the first two to invest were The University of Texas-San Antonio and The University of Texas-El Paso.

AWARD continued from page 3 ways, through economic development, non-profit assistance… and volunteerism,” said Mann. Mann said the division has decided to organize various volunteering programs to help boost UTPA’s impact on the Valley community. He added that student involvement is the key to keeping the programs alive. “One of the main things is to get students involved in the community,” he said. “A lot of our students receive financial assistance, grants, and this is a chance for students to give back to the community.” Participating in the Keep McAllen Beautiful project and volunteering for the local Special Olympics are involvements Andrea Charkow, a junior nursing major, takes much pride in accomplishing. “I think its super important to give back to the community,” the Edinburg native said. “And because of the socioeconomic level in the Valley, we have people who need help and people that also have a different mentality on what needs to be done.” The area is home to four of the poorest counties in the United States; in Hidalgo County, for example, nearly 40 percent of children live below the poverty level. Charkow said that with the growing number of projects aimed toward

EXHIBIT continued from page 3 a worth-while cause other than my own interests in photography,” said McLemore, who retired in 2005 after 33 years at UTPA. “I try and do what I can and try to do my part to help other people and increase cultural awareness of other people.” With this awareness comes the raw truth of the world. On this most recent adventure, he came in contact with many people who were among those who had experienced the horrors of prostitution and bonded labor. Though difficult to bear at times, McLemore remains thick-skinned. “The world is what it is. I believe in engaging the world and accepting it, while making whatever modest effort I can to improve things,” he said. But don’t call him an activist or even a humanitarian. As McLemore will attest, he’s simply a photographer. “I see myself as a person who feels the impor-

Didyouknow? McLemore will speak about his experiences in India and Bangladesh Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Student Union Theater. His exhibit, “Journey to Fight Human Trafficking: The Jessore Road Project,” will be on display all week in the Student Union Commons Area.

“The world is what it is. I believe in engaging the world and accepting it, while making whatever modest effort I can to improve things.” -George McLemore former professor/photographer tance of communicating the pain and problems the world experiences,” he said. Seeing that pain up close and investing in the experience is the beauty of being a documentary photographer. But when viewing the work, McLemore hopes people do not find themselves saddened, rather inspired. “[When you get depressed by what you see,] it’s superficial and soft-minded approach to the world,” he said. “That’s not helpful to anyone and certainly not helpful to the people in those photographs.” But regardless of reaction, McLemore, a Fulbright Scholar, said it is at least important to acknowledge that the world isn’t always a happy thing. “Sometimes people will turn away from that stuff because it does make them depressed and instead go watch American Idol or some reality show,” he said. “If you want reality, this is it.” An exhibit of McLemore’s work will be on display all week in the Student Union Commons Area, next to the C-store.

helping and beautifying the Valley and its people, many people are beginning to realize the importance of giving back. “It’s important for students to have jobs that pay,” she said. “But I think students do see the positives that come from volunteering and if you have the time you should do what ever you can.” ON THE HORIZON Still, Mann said some students fail to realize that volunteering is not only beneficial to those being helped but to the volunteer as well. By volunteering, students can spruce up their resume and learn hands-on life skills they sometimes do not get in class. Mann and the division of community engagement aim to provide a more hands-on approach in the classroom. The division plans for students to “service learn,” an educational method that allows students to work for non-profit organizations for school credit and experience in the field. “Our goal is to have faculty incorporate service learning into the classroom,” Mann said. “You can teach art with kids if you’re an art student, especially if you want to be an art teacher.” Al Borrego, director of the university’s Public Administration Program, said he has seen an interest in service

learning from the graduate students. “Two years ago our students wanted to become nationally competitive,” Borrego said. “We’re kind of isolated down here so the students started to serve the community in order to show that they had the skills for leadership.” Public administration graduate student Janie Melendez, attests to the influence service learning had on her and her colleagues after they worked on the development and construction of a community center in Monte Alto. “It’s helped me learn how to interact with the community and to be able to say yes, I’ve done this,” Melendez said. Melendez said she also learned to communicate more efficiently while volunteering for the community. While attending graduate classes, Melendez teaches first-graders at Valley View North Elementary in Pharr, but still finds time to help out the community in any way she can. “As for my social, volunteering is my social life,” she said regarding her drive for helping the community. Mann hopes this award could spur more interest in community service. He encourages students to see Jeanette Broshears at the dean of students’ office for more information on the various community service projects offered through UTPA.

Page 13

March 27, 2008 SPORTS

TENNIS

Lady Broncs dominate Cowgirls with stellar showing Men drop to 5-8 after faltering versus Mavericks By RAMIRO PAEZ The Pan American With the sun sizzling on her skin and the wind blowing in her face, senior tennis player Silke Buksik was the last Lady Bronc remaining on the court at the Orville Cox Tennis Center Tuesday afternoon. And right before her final attempt, her teammates rallied around the Germany native and began a slow clap to boost her composure. Buksik knew that the team’s potential 7-0 sweep over McNeese St. lay on her shoulders and the veteran responded, closing out a tough, battle-tested singles match over Petra Gudelj with a 3-6, 6-4, 10-5 win; as a result, the women improved their overall record to 14-6. Head coach Rob Hubbard rejoiced at the end of the affair, saying his squad is arguably the best program in women’s tennis history.

“To beat a team like McNeese State 7-0 is a really job well done,” said Hubbard. “The girls have been playing well at home and are 7-0. We did a good job in February on the road for the most and it’s good to be home.” UTPA, winners in seven of its last eight matchups, is enjoying one of its best records in women’s program history. The last remarkable season came in 1990 when the Lady Broncs compiled a 15-10 record, though many of the wins came against Division II and III schools. This year, the team has already produced wins against 11 Division I universities. Tuesday’s contest also marks the fifth straight home victory for the Green and Orange and they remain undefeated (7-0) on the season. Buksik and Canada native Megan Bedeau captured their 13th doubles victory of the season with a dominating effort against Gudelj and Maria Frausto, while all six Lady Broncs captured singles wins. “It was tough,” Bedeau said. “I’m really happy that we went 7-0 because they played tougher teams before. Everybody has been out there giving their all and giving 110 percent even if

they’re not playing well.” The women also celebrated Easter Sunday with a 5-2 decision over Western Athletic Conference power New Mexico State. On the men’s side, the Broncs haven’t experienced the same fortune. UTPA dropped their overall record to 58 after a 5-2 defeat to the University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks Saturday. Despite the recent struggles, Hubbard is optimistic that his team can make a turnaround before the conference tournament. “We’re a little young,” said Hubbard. “It’s going to take a little more guidance and work with them to try and equal the results that the women are having this year. But the guys are a good team, it’s just that the Southland Conference is extremely competitive this year and there is a lot of parity.” The men will look to inch closer to .500 as Lamar University will travel to the Orville Cox Center Saturday, while only five games remain for the Lady Broncs. The women will close their final two homes games beginning today with a date against Lamar.

TRACK AND FIELD

GOLF

Rough outings for UTPA in tourneys By ALVARO BALDERAS The Pan American Since their championship title at the Jack Brown Memorial Tournament in early February, The University of TexasPan American women’s golf team has tried to recapture that momentum. But the road to that success has been a little bumpy after the team finished 13th out of 21 teams at the UALR Women’s Golf Classic. After two rounds of golf Monday, the Lady Broncs were tied for 12th place with a score of 631 but could not find a way to improve Tuesday, falling one spot to 13 with a final team score of 955. The Golden Hurricanes of Tulsa University took home the championship crown. Senior Elizabeth Rodriguez finished tied for 32nd with a three-round score of 236, while Canada native Bronwyn Sandberg registered a 36thplace finish with a 237.

Onydia Garza/The Pan American GO TO GIRL - Senior Julia Cirne-Lima posted a 3-1 record over the last two games and has developed into a standout player for the Lady Broncs this year.

The Lady Broncs carried over their struggles from the three-day Gainesville Shootout III that took place March 13-15 as they placed 14th out of 15, in what they hoped would be a positive reinforcement after placing ninth at the Islander Classic. The Lady Broncs tallied a three-round score of 974 while the Fighting Illini from the University of Illinois took home the trophy with a score of 916. “Nobody played well,” said women’s coach Ofelia Lopez. “All we can do is learn from this and move forward in a positive direction.” San Antonio native Haley Hacott led the team in 38th place after totaling a score of 239. Junior Mariale Camey finished 53rd overall with a three-round score of 246 and Jennifer Marks of El Paso tallied 253 en route to 67th place. BRONCS On the men’s side, while most spent

their spare time at the beach during Spring Break, the Broncs received a special treat and traveled to the Aloha State. The Green and Orange traveled to Kauai, Hawaii, and competed in the Kauai Collegiate Cup March 13 where they also looked to regain their swing. Even though they gradually improved through each round, UTPA finished seventh out of 11 teams after tallying a three-round team score of 911. The cup went to Vanderbilt University as the Commodores finished at 855. Portland native Armen Kirakossian (227) led the Broncs in the 54-hole event after placing 17th. Both teams will look to garner top finishes in their respective tournaments April 7 as the Broncs will tee off the two-day Wyoming Cowboy Classic in Scottsdale, Ariz. The women will travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., for the two-day Lady Eagle Invitational.

Brown, Hernandez lead teams with top finishes By RAMIRO PAEZ The Pan American The University of Texas-Pan American men’s and women’s track and field hit the core of their schedule this weekend with competitions at the Texas Southern Relays and Texas Invitational. Houston native Vanessa Brown continued to dominate competition on the women’s side as she placed third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.26 at the TSR in Houston. Senior Ashlon Martin, who finished with a time of 1:00.04 March 8 at the Texas State Open, recorded a personal best time of 57.76 en route to a fourth-place finish in the 400. At the Invitational in Austin, Brownsville Hanna alum Carolina Izaguirre posted a top-three finish in the 3,000-meter run, placing second after

clocking in at 10:17.20. And in fieldevent competition, junior Michelle Elizondo received third-place laurels for her 154-7 hurl in the hammer throw. After placing first in the 3,000meter steeplechase at the TSO three weeks ago, J.J. Hernandez of Pharr led the way on the men’s side, this time placing second but qualifying for regionals for a time of 9:00.97. Sophomore Gilroy Martinez and freshman Oscar Barrera also joined Martin with personal-best performances. Martinez’s time of 1:53.65 led him to a second-place finish in the 800-meter run, while Barrera placed 10th after a 133-0 toss in the hammer-throw competition. The teams will head back to the Gulf Coast Friday for the fifth time this year, to compete in the Rice Bayou Classic hosted by Rice University.

March 27, 2008

Page 14 SPORTS

March 27, 2008

Page 15 SPORTS

BASEBALL

Broncs regain swing with sweep of Huskies UTPA splits doubleheader against Lamar By PEDRO PEREZ IV The Pan American After a rollercoaster run of emotions in San Antonio, The University of Texas-Pan American’s baseball team captured both of games against the Huskies of Houston Baptist University Thursday and Friday at Edinburg Baseball Stadium. The Broncs then traveled to Beaumont, Texas Tuesday for doubleheader action against Lamar University, and claimed a tight 3-2 affair in Game 1 but suffered an 11-1 defeat in Game 2. The 3-1 record over the week moves UTPA to 8-13 on the season.

Onydia Garza/The Pan American BATTER UP - Sophomore third baseman Ryan Vest takes a swing in this weekendʼs action against Houston Baptist. Vest is first on the team among regulars with a .387 batting average.

March 25 Lamar University 11, Texas-Pan American 1 R H E Texas-Pan American 001 000 0XX - 1 5 0 Lamar University 511 020 2XX - 11 15 0 Rodriguez, Roth (1), Garza (3), De Leon (5) and Lankford (7). Nelson, Thibodeaux (3), Gore (5) and Walker (6). W - Nelson (1-0); L - Rodriguez (02); S - None. 3B: Martin.

Texas-Pan American 3, Lamar University 2 Texas-Pan American Lamar University

R H E 001 110 000 - 3 9 0 000 002 000 - 2 5 2

Janecka. Smith, Depoy (3), Ramirez (4), and Prigmore (7). W - Janecka (2-1); L - Smith (0-2); S - None. 3B: Kessler.

March 21 Texas-Pan American 3, Houston Baptist 2 Houston Baptist Texas-Pan American

R H E 000 000 200 - 2 7 1 010 101 00X - 3 11 0

Franco and Cunningham (8). McLemore and Brunson (7). W - Franco (3-1); L - McLemore (1-3); S - Cunningham. 3B: Ingler.

March 20 Texas-Pan American 10, Houston Baptist 2 Houston Baptist Texas-Pan American

R H E 000 000 200 - 2 7 0 100 132 30X - 10 14 1

Shepherd and Garza (7). Headley, Revels (6), Bazan (7), and Garey (7). W Sheperd (1-1); L - Headley (0-1); S - None.

HBU 1 In the bottom of the first inning of Thursday’s game, senior Roly Gonzalez quickly made the score 1-0 after a fielder’s choice by freshman Jose Mendoza and the Green and Orange never looked back en route to a whopping 10-2 victory. After a Ryan Vest sacrifice fly that brought in Nikki Rowe alum Joe

Gutierrez, the Broncs began a batting clinic in the fifth inning. Freshman Corpus Christi native Andrew Perez led things off with a double down the left field line and would score off a two-run double by Gonzalez, who later scored on a wild pitch by Huskies’ pitcher Matthew Headley, making the score 5-0. UTPA’s offensive rhythm swayed the hits in their favor as the Broncs doubled Houston’s total 14-7. Gonzalez led the way going 3 for 3 with four RBIs and three runs scored, while all nine starters finished with at least one hit. Senior Matt Shepherd received his first win of the year in 6.1 innings pitched and allowed zero runs on three hits. HBU 2 The following day, the Huskies slowed down the Bronc offense but this time came up one run short, 3-2, when they faced right handed pitcher A.J. Franco. Franco improved his record to 3-1 after pitching seven innings, allowing seven hits and striking out six batters. “I felt pretty confident with the defense we have,” said Franco, a freshman from Corpus. “Knowing I can give up pitches, hitters can hit and they [the defense] have my back.”

Player

AVG

GP-GS AB

Garza, E...... Vest............. Lozano........ Rutenbar..... Johnson...... Bourn.......... Gonzalez..... Shives......... Spears......... Gutierrez..... Mendoza..... Donaho....... Salinas........ Perez........... Hough......... Tefft............. Garcia......... Cortez......... De Leon...... Shepherd.... Janecka....... Franco......... Garza.......... Cunningham. Roth............. Rodriguez.... Cisper.......... Lankford...... Cox.............. Brevard........

.500 .387 .381 .375 .365 .364 .354 .333 .323 .296 .294 .288 .250 .222 .205 .194 .175 .000 .000 -

3-1 12-9 9-5 21-20 16-13 11-5 21-20 6-0 14-10 8-5 22-21 21-21 4-0 21-21 22-21 11-8 14-9 3-0 1-0 -

2 31 21 72 52 22 82 3 31 27 85 80 4 72 73 31 40 1 0 -

Totals...........

.296

21-21

729 135 216

After a Billy Donaho run, Jordan Rutenbar led things off in the bottom of the fourth inning when he hit a double to right center and scored on a single by Vest to make the contest 2-0. UTPA picked up their final run of the game on two hits in the bottom of the seventh that included a sacrifice fly to center field by sophomore Bonham Hough. Houston Baptist tested the waters in the top of the seventh inning and threatened to tie the game at three after Franco walked Leo Delgado on a full count. Delgado would then score off a two-run homer by Greg Gossett to make the score 3-2. But after a hard-fought pitching performance by Franco, Edinburg resident Evan Cunningham rescued the Broncs. The Huskies would fail to put any more runs on the board due to Cunningham’s six straight outs, giving UTPA its seventh win of the season. “We had great team victories over a great Houston Baptist team,” said Coach Willie Gawlik. “They’re averaging two home runs a game and we held them to one in two games.” The Broncs will resume their seven-game road swing in New Mexico as they will begin a three-game series against the Aggies of New Mexico State University at 6:05 p.m. tomorrow.

3B HR RBI

SLG% ERA W-L

1 5 5 17 10 3 20 0 7 4 13 15 0 8 14 5 7 0 1 -

1 12 8 27 19 8 29 1 10 8 25 23 1 16 15 6 7 0 0 -

0 1 2 5 2 2 4 0 2 2 2 1 0 2 4 0 1 0 0 -

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

1 13 10 40 21 13 33 1 18 10 27 33 1 21 22 6 14 0 0 -

.500 .419 .476 .556 .404 .591 .402 .333 .581 .370 .318 .413 .250 .292 .301 .194 .350 .000 .000 -

0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 -

0 6 4 16 8 6 10 0 6 2 10 15 1 5 11 5 8 0 0 -

113

284

.390

0.00 9.00 4.50 4.97 0.73 3.96 4.02 5.59 5.79 6.52 7.43 9.98 11.57 14.00 27.00

0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 1-1 2-1 3-1 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-2 1-3 0-0 0-3 0-0

R BB SO

0.2 1.0 2.0 12.2 12.1 25.0 31.1 9.2 18.2 9.2 23.0 15.1 4.2 9.0 2.1

1 2 1 10 7 24 39 15 22 12 39 24 7 18 7

0 1 1 10 3 12 17 7 15 8 25 23 7 16 7

0 1 3 16 2 3 8 7 8 9 17 12 2 11 4

1 2 1 8 12 9 22 8 20 6 17 17 4 2 0

6.24 8-13 177.1 228 152 104 129

S P O RT S

Page 16

March 27, 2008

THE PAN AMERICAN

FEATURE

StatsAtAGlance

1 1

By ALVARO BALDERAS The Pan American The University of Texas-Pan American women’s tennis team has been on a roll lately, winning six of their last seven matches and pushing their record to 14-6. Many could argue that this year’s program is one of the best UTPA has had in decades and for one Lady Bronc, the 2008 campaign has her heading on a road to history. It has been an up-and-down deal for senior captain Silke Buksik since coming to UTPA during the 2004-05 season, when the team had a dreadful 2-9 record. She has undoubtedly been a cornerstone for the Lady Broncs through its worst and now finest times. Buksik, a senior international business major, was born and raised in Stuttgart, Germany, where she began to learn tennis at age 5, aided by her parents, who played recreationally. Playing in leagues throughout her teen years, Buksik honed her skills, helping her ascend through the ranks. After high school, she decided to attend UTPA because it provided her the opportunity to receive an education on a full scholarship, while also playing the sport she esteemed. Along with the chance to experience a unique cul-

ture in South Texas, the German also chose to become a Lady Bronc to ensure close proximity to her older brother, who was at The University of Texas-Arlington at the time. And after three challenging years, her hard work has finally paid off. Buksik’s dedication has presented her the opportunity to tie two school records, in singles and doubles categories. Buksik is currently 16-2 in singles this year and is on path to tie Barbara Barrera and Gail Maclsaac, who hold second-place (1990) in most singles wins in a season at 21. Buksik, along with sophomore teammate Megan Bedeau, is also four doubles victories away from ranking third in school history for most twin wins in a season, 17. “It’s exciting to have the opportunity to achieve a record, especially me being a senior and all,” said Buksik. “Seeing the progress I have made since my freshman year, to now having the chance for this to happen is truly awesome.” The transition from Germany to the states was not an easy task for

Buksik and coming into a struggling program, one that had experienced three different coaches in a 2-year span, did not help her cause at first. “It was really frustrating coming into a bad program with a bad coach,” Buksik said. “It was definitely not what I expected but when Coach Hubbard came in. He was able to change my mind and got me to stay.” Men’s and women’s tennis coach Rob Hubbard was hired in November of 2005, during Buksik’s freshman year and his ideas and recruiting style are some of the reasons why the women’s tennis pro-

gram has made a turn for the best. “I get a lot of pleasure seeing Silke’s success at this point of her career,” said Hubbard, the former UTPA tennis standout. “If I was able to use 18 members like her on the team it be awesome. She’s truly a delight for me to work with.” With only five games remaining in her collegiate career, Buksik will look toward to writing her name in the record books. She will graduate this summer and will continue to pursue her master’s degree in international business at UTPA. While many wonder if she will pursue a professional tennis career after graduation, the 5-foot-7 Lady Bronc jokingly says no, and instead looks forward to substituting her three-hour-a-day practices with Zumba classes at the Wellness & Recreational Sports Complex.

The projected slot Arkansas’ running back Darren McFadden is expected to go in the NFL Draft

Freshman Arnold Franco’s pitching wins this season so far. He currently leads all Bronc pitchers with a 3-1 record

4 4

Number of teams that will reamin in the NCAA tournament after this weekend

ShortSports MEN’S BASKETBALL

CLASS: Senior Height: 5-7 HOMETOWN: Waiblingen, Germany HIGH SCHOOL: Salier-Gymnasium Waiblingen 2008 - 29 wins (to date) 2007 - 26 wins 2006 - Selected to the national Independent All-Tournament team Roxy Solis/The Pan American

After posting its best record in six years, The University of Texas-Pan American men’s basketball program waved goodbye to six seniors, leaving head coach Tom Schuberth the difficult task of replacing 47.1 percent of the offense. Senior guards Paul Stoll and Brian Burrell are among the departed, and assuming their backcourt duties will be freshmen Nick Weiermiller and Damon Franklin, along with Valley natives Steve Silva and Ben Smith. Adding to the guard depth, Schuberth signed Jason Jensen to a national letter of intent in mid-January for the 2008-2009 campaign. The Wisconsin native comes from Madison Area Technical College, where he averaged 19.8 points (43.5 field-goal percentage) and 6.5 rebounds with the Wolfpack. The Lady Broncs also made an early move in the recruiting season as they signed Millwood High School senior MVP Brittany Demery to compensate to the losses of four seniors. The Oklahoma native recorded 342 points, with 70 steals and 30 assists in 27 games during her senior year, leading her team to the 3A state championship this year.