September 25, 2008 by UTRGV Student Media

Volume 65, No. 5

September 25, 2008

SINCE 1943

T SECURITY

University e-mail lured, hooked by phishing Internet woes traced back to external error By Brian Silva THE PAN AMERICAN During the weekend of Sept. 13-14 a University of Texas-Pan American e-mail address was phished and as a

result, sent out thousands of spam emails to various groups. Once the problem was discovered and investigated by the Division of Information Technology, that organization shut down the account. The e-mail portion of the account was the only part breached, and officials insist that pesky computer troubles affecting the campus this week are unrelated to the scam. Problems with faculty and staff e-mail last weekend were a direct result of the scam.

“An e-mail username and user appeared to “The rule of thumb is to password informah a v e never respond to an e-mail tion to gain access volunteered the request for personal infor- to the UTPA username and pass- mation...” account and started word information to submit large amounts of phishassociated with a Mauro Scardigno valid UTPA Chief info. security officer ing messages.” account by According to responding to a Scardigno, no uniphishing message,” Chief Information versity data was compromised, since Security Officer Mauro Scardigno the phisher’s attempts were strictly said. “The phisher used the e-mail limited to e-mail access.

The University of Texas System was notified about the incident, as is required by System policy. Phishing is password harvesting that uses lures to “fish” out user financial and account information, according to information provided by IT. Most scammers use some sort of deception to make a link in an e-mail look genuine. “Phishing is a very real problem,” Scardigno said. “The rule of thumb is

SEE PHISHING || PAGE 11

T CAMPUS

HESTEC: Seven years of entertainment, opportunities Past enrollment figures show increase in science interest By J.R. Ortega THE PAN AMERICAN For the past seven years, The University of Texas-Pan American has hosted the Hispanic Engineering and Science Technology week. The annual event has brought local, state and national figures to promote young Hispanic interest in educational opportunities in the engineering, science, technology and math fields. As it has become perhaps the university’s signature event of the year, HESTEC has imported actors and musicians to help and entertain more than 80,000 attendees each year, along with recruiters and proRoberta Zamilpa /THE PAN AMERICAN

WOMEN WORKFORCE - Magda Yrizarray, vice president of workplace culture and compliance for Verizon Communications, speaks to Latinas on females in science Wednesday.

fessionals to help Valley residents understand what’s out there for them. HESTEC has become a veritable corporation in itself, with a huge fundraising arm, a powerful public relations machine, and national notoriety. The big question is, does it work? While at times the event seems more festive than informative, enrollment figures provided by the Office of Institutional Research show a gradual increase in involvement in UTPA science and engineering fields since the event’s inception. This would be one way to gauge the effectiveness of HES-

SEE HESTEC || PAGE 11

T Don’t miss HESTEC! Next week, The Pan American will have a full-colored spread documenting the events of HESTEC 2008.

T TRANSPORTATION

Freshmen parking exile to be addressed in future By Ana Villaurrutia THE PAN AMERICAN The University of Texas-Pan American’s decision to have freshmen park farthest from campus may sound unwelcoming to a newcomer, but parking manager Melissa Sandoval assures that the decision will help students overall.

INDEX

For years, parking at this commuter university has been the bane of most students’ mornings at one time or another, as getting to class on time has turned into a perennial hunt for the occasional and coveted empty space. With the help of UTPA’s police department, the parking and traffic committee members decided the problem was caused by under-use of

FEATURES

PG. 2

the lots furthest from campus, called remote lots. “The more traffic you direct toward the outer perimeter of campus the less traffic you have concentrated in the heart of campus,” said Roberto Cantu, chair of the parking and traffic committee. “PD (police department) had looked at other campuses’ models and presented the idea to the committee.”

NEWS

PG. 3

An excess of parking tickets, which usually cost $15, and student complaints about parking prompted the university to act. At the beginning of the semester, freshmen received a map in the mail marking their approved lots. They were also issued a different-color parking permit designating their ability to use remote lots from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. after which

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PG. 7

they can park in any other lot. Sophomore, juniors and seniors can still park at the remote lots as well. “It (remote lot S-1) wasn’t even one-fourth used,” said Sandoval of the remote-parking area. “There was a lot of illegal parking, with students parking in the streets and there was a lot of ticketing.”

SEE PARKING || PAGE 11

SPORTS

PG. 13

UTPA Generations: The Series Watch for Bronc history lessons intermittently throughout the semester Aug. 25 - Introduction Sept. 4 - ‘20s & ‘30s Sept. 25 - ‘40s & ‘50s Oct. 16 - ‘60s & ‘70s Nov. 6 - ‘80s & ‘90s Dec. 3 - 2000 & Beyond

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September 25, 2008

THE PAN AMERICAN

Sept. 25, 2008

V 65, No. 5

An era of separation still has good times By Abigail Muniz THE PAN AMERICAN

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

EDITOR IN CHIEF J.R. Ortega / ortega.e.jr@gmail.com NEWS EDITOR Abigail Muniz / abby.muniz@yahoo.com A&E EDITOR Laura Garcia / laurad500@hotmail.com SPORTS EDITORS Ramiro Paez / ramiropaez@aol.com Gregorio Garza / the_nataku@yahoo.com PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Roxy Solis / roxysolis34@yahoo.com DESIGN EDITOR Roy Bazan / rbazanzz@yahoo.com COPY EDITOR Adriana Acosta / acostaa@hotmail.com REPORTERS, DESIGNERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS Alvaro Balderas Russen Vela Isaac Garcia Andrielle Figueroa Onydia Garza Ben Briones Rick Gamez Ana Villaurrutia Pedro Perez IV ADVISER

Dr. Greg Selber --- selberg@utpa.edu SECRETARY

Anita Reyes --- areyes18@utpa.edu ADVERTISING MANAGER Samantha Quintana --- spubs@utpa.edu

With World War II and then Korea, followed by an incredible post-war economic boom, the 1940s and 1950s were a time of consistent change for the United States. Racial segregation was ruled unconstitutional in 1954, the addition of Hawaii and Alaska completed the United States later in the decade, and in between, the first satellite was successfully put into orbit in 1957. Edinburg Junior College would also undergo changes. The college’s name would change twice during these two decades. Since September 1927, the name Edinburg Junior College had stood as it illustrated a two-year community college. But on Dec. 29, 1951, an election was held in Hidalgo County and Pan American College came to be; it had briefly been known as Edinburg Regional College. The name change happened because of growing demand for the establishment of an institution that would cover a larger field of service in

SIGN of the times

**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.

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.

Edinburg and give greater opportunity to its citizens. In 1950, ERC had an enrollment of 408 in day classes and 265 students in night school. By 1953, enrollment had more than doubled and the one-thousandth student to enroll, Daniel Sanfelipino - a native of Santa Rosa and a Navy veteran - was recognized at an assembly Feb. 27, 1953. Groups like the Bronco Boosters, an organization of male students whose purpose was to support campus activities and advance student interests, or the Bronkettes, a group of college girls whose purpose was to render service wherever and whenever it was needed, supplied the school with spirit. Silvia Smith, now a resident of San Antonio, is a former Bronkette who truly enjoyed her time as a freshman at the college. “Oh, I had the greatest of times,” Smith said. Her experiences as a student range from suffering with a weak stomach during the dissections she had to do for biology class, to developing an ambitious personality as a participant of a

Silvia Ortega-Smith

UTPA Generations: The Series The Pan American welcomes any pictures, anecdotes or memories from the past. UTPA community members are encouraged to contact us. J.R. Ortega 1920s and 1930s 956-226-3741 ortega.e.jr@gmail.com

Abigail Muniz 1940s and 1950s 210-391-9809 abbymuniz@gmail.com

Brian Silva 1960s and 1970s 361-726-8724 brian.silva2@gmail.com

Adriana Acosta 1990s and 1980s 956-534-2783 acostaa@hotmail.com

Ana Villaurrutia 2000 956-655-7948 parker687@hotmail.com

pie-eating contest in which she became very embarrassed. But she remembers one experience quite fondly. The year was 1949 and Smith, formerly Ortega, will never forget the day in November she met the famous Mexican actor and singer Pedro Infante. Smith also recalls her interview with The Beacon, the campus

PRICES IN THE 1950s

newspaper at the time. “They got my age wrong, I was only 17 at the time, not 18,” she said. Smith stated in the Nov. 7 article that meeting Infante was “a dream come true.” “I felt so good about everything the next day,” Smith said of her feelings the day after meeting the movie star. Like her, Jim McKone, former sports information director at UTPA who served 30 years starting in 1969, remembers his time at Pan American College in the early ‘50s. McKone was able to watch the last Bronc football game in 1952 before the team disbanded after four players went to serve in the Korean War. Those wishing the university would reinstate football should know that for more than a decade in the “good old days,” the Broncs competed in college football. “I remember the game really well,” McKone said. “It rained during the entire game. I became drenched. But we won 19 to nothing against a large university in Mexico. Our guys played better in the mud than the opponents.” McKone who would become a college student the following semester, was a student at McAllen High School who was also working for The Monitor. “They had a lot of school spirit,” McKone said. “There were 300 to 400 people that showed up for the game.” Smith said she also remembers solid school spirit at the college during those years. Both she and McKone give some credit to the fact that everyone knew each other during that time, since the student body was relatively small. Although Smith moved to San Antonio before she finished her education in Edinburg, she said her time at the college is truly cherished. “Those were some of the best years,” Smith said. “I really enjoyed my time there.”

Dates to Know:

September 25, 2008

HESTEC Community Day

Disability Awareness Days

Saturday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Throughout campus

Oct. 6 to Oct. 9 Activities throughout campus Page 3

THE PAN AMERICAN

T ACTIVISM

Group gives attention to campus animal advocacy By Nadia Tamez-Robledo THE PAN AMERICAN Whenever a class is interrupted by the hysteria caused at the sudden appearance of a spider, there is sometimes one student calm enough to gently scoop it up in a piece of paper and release it outside. Such a student would probably be McAllen native Stephanie Lee Camacho. Camacho is the president of the

Advocates for Animal Welfare, a club in its second year at The University of Texas-Pan American. “Our mission statement is ‘Treat all animals with kindness and respect,’” the 19-year-old communication studies major said. That assertion is also a way of life for Camacho, whose interest in animal rights is a result of a run-in with a possum. “My mom and I found a possum in our garage, and our gardener killed

it,” she said. “In that instant seeing that poor animal dying slowly, I thought, ‘This animal suffers just as I would if I were hit over the head with a shovel.’” Camacho, an owner of nine pets, found herself among kindred spirits when she attended her first AAW meeting during Spring 2008. “I felt that every member there was genuine in their desire to help animals.” In her first semester as president, Camacho is determined to make

AAW’s mission statement more than just a bunch of words sprawled across the “About Me” section on the club’s MySpace page. She wants those words to turn into actions. “We can’t just sit in a classroom,” she said. “We have to go out there and volunteer and educate people.” One of Camacho’s goals for the upcoming year is to formalize a Trap, Neuter, and Release committee as part of AAW. The TNR project would focus on getting as many of the feral

cats on campus fixed as possible. “They’re not socialized, so they’re not adoptable,” Camacho explained. “Neutering would add years to their lives, and we won’t have to worry about overpopulation.” Veterinarians from 4 Paws Animal Hospital have offered to perform the spaying and neutering for a fixed price. In order to make the TNR project a success, Camacho said that all the committee would need is a few days of low

SEE AAW || PAGE 12

T TECHNOLOGY

Video games extend beyond entertainment By Abigail Muniz THE PAN AMERICAN For Margaret Rivera, gaming is more than just sitting in front of a computer screen engrossed for hours at a time in a game. It’s also a daily leisure activity that helps her deal with stress and develop certain skills. “It helps with critical thinking because when you get confronted by a problem in the real world, after playing so many games you start using that to solve the problem you’re faced with,” said Rivera, the vice president of the Gamers Club at The University of Texas-Pan American. Even though she is fairly new to the hobby, having become more of a devoted gamer when the Play Station 2 made its way into the market a few years back, Rivera believes that games have many more positive aspects than people think since for

example, they have helped her pay attention to details even more. “Some games have you going around looking for stuff (to get to an end), and you have to use context clues to see the big picture,” Rivera said. While video play may be the “it” thing that parents frown upon because they think they’re a waste of time, Brad Jensen of Microsoft may beg to differ. “So one of the things a video game does is provide good hand/eye coordination,” Jensen said. “It provides good skill sets for reasoning, problem solving, etc.” Jensen was a guest speaker during Hispanic Engineering Science and Technology week’s Town Hall event which occurred during activity period Tuesday. The event was part of The Microsoft Experience which is ongoing during HESTEC week, allowing students exposure to technology pro-

SEE TECH || PAGE 12

Ben Briones/THE PAN AMERICAN

GAMING EXPERIENCE - Adrian Gonzalez, a freshman civil engineering major (foreground) spends the activity hour Tuesday playing on Xbox consoles in the open gaming area at the Student Union. The activity was part of the Microsoft Experience during HESTEC week.

T STUDENT SERVICES

T CULTURE

Center provides student help Upcoming festivities By Abby Flores THE PAN AMERICAN

First-generation college students are common at The University of Texas-Pan American, in an economically disadvantaged area where higher education has often been beyond the reach of the working-class community in the past. But there has been considerable progress made in recent years, as UTPA is second in the nation in the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanics, and fifth in master’s

degrees to that ethnic group. All told, UTPA is among the top 100 U.S. colleges for Hispanics and educates the most Mexican-American students in the nation, according to the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education. For those who are able to make the college experience a reality, once they get here, the rest is sometimes easier than they imagined. This is partly due to the Academic Advisement and Mentoring Center, which provides information about educational options, assists students in planning a scholastic program, and helps lead

students to a better understanding of higher education. The advisers who do the heavy lifting are constantly searching for new and innovative ways to make a difference in the academic lives of their advisees. As part of continuing efforts to facilitate a smooth transition into college for first-generation kids, and help newcomers along the way, the center hosted a workshop last Thursday and Friday for faculty and professional advisers, offering them the chance to relate with other professionals at colleges nationwide.

SEE WORKSHOP || PAGE 12

to celebrate Hispanics By Kristen Cabrera THE PAN AMERICAN It’s common knowledge now that UTPA is a Hispanic-Serving Institution with almost 90 percent of the student body of Spanish-speaking descent. That’s why Hispanic Heritage Month is such a big deal around the Valley. The nationwide celebration of Latino or Hispanic culture

and life began Sept. 15 and runs to Oct. 15, taking its place alongside other events such as Black History Month in February. Last week, the Student Union showed La Bamba starring Lou Diamond Phillips, and will be showing Like Water For Chocolate Thursday as well as Motorcycle Diaries on Oct. 7, both at 4 p.m. and in Spanish with English subtitles.

SEE HERITAGE || PAGE 12

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September 25, 2008

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September 25, 2008

Dates to Know: EROS presents: Paolo Mojo Sept. 25 10 p.m. KAFS September 25, 2008

Colour Revolt Sept. 27 7 p.m. McAllen Creative Incubator Page 7

THE PAN AMERICAN

T FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Guitar-hero prof rocks out near and far By Andrielle Figueroa THE PAN AMERICAN Most people only dream of becoming a professional guitarist, rocking out onstage with eardrum-blasting solo skills. The University of Texas Pan American has its own guitar hero, but not the type you would think about. On Sept. 23, music professor Kurt Martinez had a solo performance in a faculty recital. Martinez received his bachelor’s in guitar performance at the University of Miami, he holds his master’s from Georgia State University, and received his doctorate of musical arts from the University of Wisconsin. Currently, Martinez teaches guitar courses at UTPA. “I love teaching how to play the guitar. I teach all different levels. It’s very fun, very enjoyable and challenging,” Martinez explained. Martinez picked up the guitar in his teens, and has been playing for 20 years. He explained that he started off playing in the rock genre, in hopes of starting his own garage band. After playing the electric guitar for six months, he switched over to acoustic and has been playing it ever since. Playing the guitar is definitely Martinez’s passion.“It’s what I live for. I feel very fortunate to be one of the people who get to do this for a living.” Although guitar is Martinez’s main

passion, he admits to favoring traveling as well. Fortunately for him, his two passions go hand in hand. Martinez has played across the United States, Europe and Mexico. His favorite place to perform is a tie between Italy and Spain. “I usually play big concerts and in really nice theatres that are sometimes hundreds of years old,” said Martinez. The beautiful architecture is inspiring to Martinez as he plays. Following his Sept. 23 performance, he will leave to perform four nights in a row in North Carolina as well as a single performance in Illinois. When Martinez is not traveling he has his hands full at UTPA. Martinez stated that there is rapid growth in the guitar program; it is the biggest program in the music department. Since the program is so popular, Martinez receives help from a graduate assistant, Jaime Garcia. Garcia graduated from UTPA and is currently working on his second year in the master’s program in guitar performance. Garcia stated that there have been more and more students enrolling in the program since he started out as an assistant. Garcia believes that the students can learn a lot from Martinez. “Dr. Martinez has degrees in classical guitar. It’s a completely different technique, completely different instrument then people think. A lot of stu-

dents come in thinking it is just basic chords, but reading music is different.” Garcia helps Martinez by teaching the elective course, where students learn the foundation of playing guitar while Martinez handles more advanced students. Rupert Sosa, 35, is a senior in the

guitar program at UTPA. He explains that Martinez has a lot to offer his students. “If you are a beginner he starts you off easily with the basics,” Sosa stated. “Its really good, I have been studying with him for two years and I have learned a lot in that time.”

Martinez can not imagine life without playing the guitar, and stated he won’t stop playing until he is long gone. He is extremely excited and happy students are taking a larger interest in playing the guitar. “It’s just too much for one person to teach everyone, which is great.”

Ben Briones/The Pan American

THE BEAT GOES ON - Music professor Kurt Martinez plays a few notes in his office. Martinez was featured in a faculty recital held Sept. 23.

T PHOTOGRAPHY

Local artist shows career through photos

By Marco Carbajal THE PAN AMERICAN

When we close our eyes, we can usually recall great moments from our past. But the pictures in our mind aren’t perfect. Sometimes the images are hazy; sometimes we can’t remember exactly how it was. Julian Mendoza however, remembers very well how it was. His great moments of the past happen to be in the present for all to enjoy. Highlights from Julian Mendoza’s life as a photographer are currently featured at the Donna Hooks Fletcher Museum located at 318 South Main St. in Donna. The collection is free to the public and museum hours are 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. The exhibit, slated to run through mid-October, is part of National

Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins every year on September 15 and is used to recognize contributions of Hispanic Americans to the United States and celebrate Latin heritage and culture. Mendoza, 74, a retired news photographer from Weslaco, believes that it is important for people to support Hispanic Heritage Month, especially for children. “Kids need to know where they came from, they need to know the culture of the parents or it dies,” he said. “They should learn the language of their ancestors. Once you lose your heritage, you lose the flavor of life.” During his career, Mendoza certainly enjoyed the flavor of life having taken photographs of American icons like Richard Nixon, Gov. George Wallace, Ronald Reagan, Tom Landry, famed coach of the Dallas Cowboys,

and Gen. Chuck Yeager, the American test pilot who first broke the sound barrier. These pictures, and others like them, are autographed and included in the exhibit as well. “The exhibit is really amazing,” says Veronica Navarro, 33, who is earning a masters degree in drama at UTPA. “It inspires me to take more photos myself.” Mendoza says he had an interest in photography from an early age. “When I was little I used my sister’s camera around the school yard,” he recalled. “When I got older, I was the photographer for the school newspaper and the annual. It’s just something you pick up unconsciously and you become what you are meant to be.” Born in 1934, Mendoza grew up in East Donna and graduated from Weslaco High School in 1953. After a year at Pan American University, he left

school and received a degree in photography through correspondence from the New York City School of Photography. From 1956 to 1958, Mendoza worked as a photographer for KRGVTV News Channel 5, and in 1961 briefly moved to Chicago and worked in a photo store. In 1963, upon returning to the Valley, Mendoza landed a job as a photographer for the Valley Morning Star and remained there until his retirement in 1996. His love of photojournalism and the excitement of not knowing what a typical day at work would bring is one of the things that kept him so passionate about his former job. “As a news photographer, you take pictures of everything,” said Mendoza. “One day it’s pretty girls in bikinis, the next a terrible car accident.” Even now, well into his retirement years, Mendoza still carries his trusty

camera with him everywhere. “Every day something happens,” he insists. “There’s a story, there’s a history waiting to be caught. A picture is worth a thousand words. This is visual communication.” Along with the signed autographs, others in the 74-picture collection includeVIPs, politicians, landscape photos and pictures of his extensive travels through Mexico and the United States. Reaction to the exhibit from those visiting has been good. “The collection is awesome,” says Velma Cisneros, 30, who works at UTPA Payments and Collections. “It’s like a visual narrative of his life. He’s done a lot of really cool things and met some amazing people along the way.” For more information, contact the Donna Hooks Fletcher Museum at (956) 464-9989.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

September 25, 2008

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

“God” game gives galaxy to user By Rick Gamez THE PAN AMERICAN

Millions of years of cosmic effort condensed into a mere 4 gigs. Sims creator Will Wright’s Spore hit the American market Sept. 7, bringing a slew of computing ingenuity and gameplay to home computers, Nintendo DS and even mobile phones. Like The Sims and other Maxis “god games” before it, Spore gives the player control of many aspects of the game, namely the ability to develop (or destroy) a creature or group of creatures in the world they are presented with. While past games concentrated around a specific scenario or time frame, Spore tackles the beginnings and endings of life in an entire galaxy. The game starts the player off with a single-celled organism, leading it through the primordial soup of humble beginnings. The user controls all aspects of its evolution, giving the life form different traits to help it make headway in its chaotic new world. Once the creature has developed properly it’s on to the second of five distinct stages. The user leads his creature toward befriending more of its species, eventually forming a tribe and working up to a full-blown, advanced civilization. The species does not necessarily have to share living space on this planet, let alone the galaxy, so it’s onto global domination through peace; other options are forcing enemies off to the stars to colonize, and/or eradicating the overwhelming amount of other planets to be found. People were quick to pick up Spore, with an estimated total of 2 million sales in the United States

Design by Rick Gamez

alone already. One reason for such a reception is its ease of use. “The game itself plays like a lot of games people have already played,” says Baldo Vela, a senior chemistry major. “The cell stage plays like flOw from the PS3.” flOw for the Play Station 3 is a game in which the players control a small organism which eats other similarly sized creatures to increase in size. Vela explained that each of the different stages play like simpler versions of different genres, with the creature stage being an adventure game as the creature explores and interacts with its surroundings, and the civilization stage seeming like the game it is named after, Civilization. The space stage is the most involved, with players spending most of their game time exploring the dark recesses of space. As part of one of the most powerful races in the galaxy, it is now the player civilization’s responsibility to do whatever they feel like doing with the rest of existence. This is just the tip of the iceberg for Spore. “Its selling point is that the creation engine that’s built into it is massively powerful,” explains Vela. Creatures and many other aspects of the game are built using model editors that give the user different options for building a model such as varying legs, tails, and eyeballs. The game’s 18 model editors are what allow the user to control their creatures and civilization, giving the designer a large amount of freedom creating different models. Each editor is similar to the other and is easy to learn to use but still contains an expansive amount of freedom to build a model.

“It’s one part Maya, one part AutoCAD; one part Photoshop even,” he added, mentioning three popular computer programs. With several different model editors that facilitate basically anything that can be interacted with in the game - even a music editor to create a civilization’s national anthem - game content is frequently different. “You look through the huge 17 million entries submitted and see a remarkable number of unique creations,” Vela said, referring to the online database of user-created creatures, vehicles, and other models, called Sporepedia (www.spore.com/sporepedia). The game can be set to automatically upload any of the players’ created works, which can be subsequently downloaded by any other Spore enthusiasts and actually used in their games. Cesar Augusto Longoria II, a third-year computer science major, lets the game upload his creations for others to see and interact within the game. “[Sporepedia] connects them [the models] through creation type and creator, and a number of other things,” he said. When signed onto Sporepedia, the users can look at any other Spore players’ creatures, buildings and other models that are organized in the database. The uploaded models are organized to present the evolutionary track taken by the player’s characters, and then downloaded by Spore to fit into any other user’s worlds, populating the galaxy with new material. This allows for quite a lot of unique content. “You rarely run into the same

thing twice. I can imagine how it’s done.” says Longoria, touching on the subject of the game’s massive random, user-generated content. “I was interested in the way the learning algorithms were described before its release. Like how it [the creature] was supposed to know how to walk and act on its own depending on how you built its body.” Downloaded content barely makes a dent in your hard drive while storing everything the game needs to run on a computer. This is due to Maxis’ use of procedural generation to store game content. Procedural generation is a technique that takes values and computes a number of different aspects, such as terrain. Using varying algorithms, the game can convert a few kilobytes (roughly a millionth of a gigabyte) into the entire creature, building or vehicle as well as all manner of actions and features they have. Spore is a distinguished game that pushes the envelope in game- and user-generated content. But while many of its features allow for hours of creativity, the gameplay itself can be relatively simple. “It lived up to my expectations of enjoyment,” Longoria said of the new release. “Up until the last space exploration point, the game felt a bit forcefully straightforward, not so much sandbox.” Despite a lack of a complex storyline, the game still presents the player with an incredible amount of content and freedom to appease any imaginative appetite. After all, Spore gives the player their own galaxy, and all the tools necessary to destroy it, if they want. Visit www.spore.com for more information.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

September 25, 2008

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

“God” game gives galaxy to user By Rick Gamez THE PAN AMERICAN

Design by Rick Gamez

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September 25, 2008

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

T CAMPUS BEATS

Student entertains during spare time By Isaac Garcia THE PAN AMERICAN It was hard not noticing the posters that were up all over campus promoting the Incredibly Indie event that took place on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at The University of Texas -Pan American’s Student Union. But for David Cortez seeing them made him feel awkward as he passed by on his bike every day, seeing his face everywhere he turned. Cortez, a 25-year-old sophomore political science/history major from Brownsville, is very familiar with playing live events; he has been the lead singer of The December Drive for the past eight years and has toured extensively for two years across the east coast and Midwest, including New York and Kansas. During down-time, while on tour, Cortez began writing lyrics and composing music that didn’t gel with the distinct sound that he had helped craft with The December Drive, thus spawning his side-project, The Apple in The Tree. “I did a lot of writing while on the road with The December Drive, then continued on my spare time,” Cortez said. “Solo gigs at Simon Sez really gave me the opportunity to get the project going.” The Apple in the Tree was initially

a solo acoustic act, but Cortez couldn’t help himself from recruiting two members from The December Drive. Robert Godinez, a 28-year-old sophomore and history major at UTPA, plays bass for the new project and is a member of the other one. “Basically, Dave started writing a lot of these songs on tour with The December Drive and we would jam on them sometimes during breaks and at band practice,” said the Brownsville native. “The Dave, Rob and Charlie dynamic eventually crept its way into becoming the Apple In the Tree as a full band entity,” said Godinez. Charlie Vela is a 24-year-old Edinburg native that plays drums for The Apple In The Tree. Currently an untitled album is in the production process and scheduled for a release later this year. Managing time between two bands and an education can be very taxing, but Cortez has set his priorities. Cortez explained that the two bands are not the only things competing for his attention. His education is the most important thing to him at the moment and has no plans of touring with The Apple in The Tree for now. “I think I left my touring days behind me a long time ago,” he stressed. “As The December Drive, we did our fair share of touring and I’m so dedicated to school right now

that I don’t see myself touring again until I’ve got my undergrad.” However, Cortez was keen to note that he would jump at the opportunity to play more events on campus. Networking plays a large role in booking concerts for many bands.

Stacey Sanchez from the University Program Board contacted the members of Apple after she saw them perform at a bar called Simon Sez. “I instantly knew that The Apple and The Tree’s acoustic sound would be the perfect fit for Incredibly Indie,”

Ben Briones/THE PAN AMERICAN

ACOUSTIC ACT - Sophomore David Cortez took the stage at the Student Union on Tuesday night as part of UPB’s Indie Night.

she said. “We exchanged contact information and kept in contact through MySpace, ultimately deciding on a date that would be best for them,” said Sanchez. UPB hosted Incredibly Indie as part of its Coffeehouse series that brings live music to UTPA. They offered free coffee and cookies to all attendees. “We want to have a genre night every month, we are already planning blues and poetry for the future,” Sanchez said Cortez explained that he was excited to be asked to perform at the oncampus event and eager for people to listen to his music. “I don’t consider myself a great guitar player, but pride myself in writing songs that mean something to me and hopefully anyone listening,” Cortez said. Godinez added that The Apple in The Tree is seeking musical simplicity. “The Apple in the Tree, to me, embodies the loneliness and disconnection of modern social life, and an almost thematic longing for simplicity,” said Godinez. Members are careful not to take themselves too seriously and often like to joke about their performances. “If I was watching myself perform I think I’d lean over to the person next to me and ask, ‘do they serve alcohol here?’” Cortez said.

T TECH NEWS

Google browser hit and miss among UTPA By Russen Vela THE PAN AMERICAN As if there aren’t enough browsers to do research on, Google, the most popular search engine to date, decided to make a new web browser called Chrome. It was developed in secrecy and released to the world Sept. 2 and the reviews were a bit mixed. Some praised it and offered a positive comparison to established browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. First off, Chrome is full of smart features that seem to have been inspired by other browsers. Take for instance the address bar. As a user starts to type, a menu of suggestions appears, a list not only of pages the user has visited before, but also bookmarks, search suggestions, and popular Web pages not visited yet, appear. Chrome auto-imports bookmarks, history and even stores passwords from the old browser. If anyone has ever searched on Amazon or eBay, a cool shortcut device awaits them in Chrome. For example, the search for “amazon.com,” allows a search within that site without even going there first. The Internet buyer or surfer has saved one big step. Google boasts that their

Chrome is faster than Internet Explorer, and will soon be up to the speed in which Firefox and Safari are at right now. The students and faculty of UTPA were interviewed about the new browser and asked how they thought it would stack up against the rest. Some students and faculty members at UTPA were enthusiastic about the new browser while some prefer their old reliable, Internet Explorer and Firefox. Computer Information Systems Professor Jerald Hughes is among those who will stick with Firefox over Internet Explorer or Chrome. “I use Mozilla Firefox,” Hughes said. “I prefer its appearance.” There have been some advantages in security in the past in using Mozilla instead of Internet Explorer, simply because hackers tended to target IE, but that margin is shrinking.” Hughes has eight years of teaching computer information systems in his current academic life, but had prior experience in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s working for International Business Machines Corporation, or IBM, a multinational computer technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, N.Y. When asked about Chrome, Hughes

stated it was a good strategic move, in the short run and the long run. “Google as it operates now has a clear interest in seeing that users of the World Wide Web can use it effectively,” said Hughes. “Chrome operates like system software in some respects, instead of merely as a browser.” Hughes went on to explain that in the future computer fanatics can imagine “cloud computing,” businesses and individuals both could own simple, lightweight, cheap PC’s which act as terminals to the Internet, and provide far more processing power and data resources than consumers could purchase on their own. Hughes, a New York native, also suggests that UTPA should not select an official web browser. He feels there is no reason for each user not to be able to choose. “For the lab portion of my CIS 1301 course, we need to use Internet Explorer 7,” Hughes said. “That’s what our lab software maker requires to run their web-based lab simulators.” UTPA has Internet Explorer 7 and Mozilla Firefox in their computer labs for faculty and students. Jun Sun, an assistant professor in computer information systems and quantitative methods, says otherwise,

and hopes UTPA finds a place for Chrome in its computer labs. “I think it is a brilliant move for Google to expand its market of webbased applications,” Sun said. “The advantage of Chrome’s application windows is that they don’t display tabs, buttons, the address bar or menus. If you click on a link that takes you to a different website, the link opens in a standard Google Chrome window instead, so that you don’t lose track of your web application.” The Shanghai native and secondyear assistant professor at UTPA also suggested that Chrome might make it easy for Google users to tailor their own web experiences through personalization. In other words, when Google users decide to use Chrome as their web browser, their favorite places or bookmarks will appear automatically, and they would not have to research everything they had researched before. It will be there in front of them saved. “I think Pan American should provide Chrome as another option to students in addition to Internet Explorer and Firefox,” Sun stated. “It may become a basic tool for computer users in the near future.” Sophomore computer science major Brenda Martinez was hesitant

at first about the new browser and felt that she needed to see more of it, rather than just an article about it. “From what I read and heard, Chrome is in its development stage,” said the Edinburg native. “I would rather wait until it has been more thoroughly tested, and until then I think I am going to stick with Mozilla’s Firefox.” Martinez said that even with all the hype and excitement for the new Google browser, many people including herself are going to be reluctant to change, because they already know how to operate Internet Explorer and Firefox. “Why change something when we already know how to use it?” Martinez asked. “I think UTPA should stick with Internet Explorer and Firefox for now.” Google boasts that it has produced an excellent browser in Chrome. Officials say that is friendly enough to handle average browsing activities without complicating tasks, but at the same time is powerful enough to meet the needs of more advanced users. The only problem they have is whether people who are used to doing research or web browsing on Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari are ready to conform.

September 25, 2008

HESTEC continued from Page 1 TEC, which from the beginning was designed to foster interest in previously overlooked academic areas. Edwin Lemaster, dean of the UTPA College of Science and Engineering, said HESTEC has in large part helped boost enrollment in these areas, which become more vital every day in the Information Age. “It has contributed a lot toward public awarenessof opportunities in science and engineering,” said Lemaster, who has served as dean for the past four years. “Particularly, engineering contributes to local economic

development.” Mechanical engineering, according to enrollment statistics provided by the OIR, has grown the most, from 250 in fall 2001 to 545 in fall 2007. That academic area, however, has seen flux during that time, starting off at 250 enrolled in fall 2001 and down to 110 in fall 2007. Enrollment figures for fall 2008 will not be available until Friday, but Lemaster said the preliminary numbers, suggested, a 10-percent increase in engineering, sending the department over 1,000 majors. He added that the

preliminary calculations are subject to change but he is confident the numbers will not dwindle. “There is a change but it’s a slight amount,” he said. There are several concentrations in engineering, including computer, electrical, manufacturing, mechanical, and engineering management. The increased participation in these fields, according to Lemaster, has boosted the Valley’s chances to “drive the development of the Valley.” “We can compete with China,” he said. “The Valley is changing rapidly,

PARKING continued from Page 1 Last spring it was also decided an additional remote lot off Jackson Road and FM 107 will have 600 parking spaces, each costing $2,000 to build. In an additional move to cut down the logjam on campus at peak times, a private road will be built near Unity Hall across the street from campus that will lead to the new lot to be used by shuttles and university vehicles. “The drawings and plans are already set and we’re hoping to open the added lot fall of 2009,” said Sandoval. The changes are well overdue, because ironically, student complaints about overcrowding are borne out by the data. UTPA uses a parking analysis that calculates student spaces on a 3-to-1 ratio, but currently the university is behind by 400 slots.

“We don’t really consider it below, not everyone parks a vehicle on campus at once,” Sandoval said. “Hour after hour we see some spaces empty, but we anticipate there to be a space to student ratio adjustment after the opening of the new parking lot.” THE MASSES REACT Though Sandoval is confident the moves will alleviate parking problems, some freshmen have already felt the brunt of the decision. First-year Bronc Rocio Martinez sees a multitude of empty spaces when she parks for her early morning classes but is still forced to park at the remote lots. “It sucks, I get here at 7:45 a.m. and there’s no parking in the lots and I can’t park there (reserved areas),”

said the pre-med major from McAllen who usually parks at Lot U-4. On the other hand, experience pays, and Victoria Chappell says she’s been having an easier time finding a spot since the beginning of the semester. “It has (improved), it used to be really hard to find parking,” said the psychology sophomore from McAllen who parks at Lot A. As for the future parking project, Sandoval has heard many strategies, including closing off Sugar Road and Van Week Road to make “pedestrian malls,” but those plans are just concepts; Sandoval doesn’t believe UTPA will add more lots close to the university. “We do not foresee another parking lot within the campus in the near future,” said Sandoval.

PHISHING continued from Page 1 to never respond to an e-mail request for personal information, no matter how official the message may look.” Valerie Tovar, a senior and interdisciplinary studies major, said people should be concerned about the problems with phishing. “I worry about the people who believe these phishing e-mails are real, and they send their personal information thinking it’s a credible source,” Tovar said. “People need to know how to react to phishing e-mails and know how to identify them.” During the same weekend the UTPA phishing incident occurred, another problem surfaced at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where a college server was hacked into. The Social Security Numbers of 31 students on a single

Page 11

NEWS

class roster were compromised, according to a press release by the university. “There is no correlation with the security breach reported by TAMU Corpus Christi,” Scardigno said. UTPA does not use Social Security Numbers to identify individual students, but rather employs a random numerical assignment for each student. Again, Internet network problems which have plagued the campus since Friday are said to be unrelated to the phishing incident. The problems were part of a fiber optic device foul-up involving the Valley Telephone company, according to a message from Director of Networks Services Jesus Rios sent late Wednesday to the UTPA community. Per regulations, the company cannot fix it until Monday.

engineering creates higher paying jobs.” He added that several students already work in maquiladoras or manufacturing companies in Mexico helping to create major products. While the fields are seeing increased enrollment from both males and females, the increase of males is much larger than that of females. There were 457 males in mechanical engineering in fall 2007 and only 88 females, compared to fall 2001, when there were 215 males and 35 females. OTHER MEASURING STICKS Already the event has provided a week filled with several keynote speakers and programs like “A T.Rex Named Sue,” the largest and most complete dinosaur fossil discovered and NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory rover. The job fairs are also a popular item on the agenda, plus outreach programs, which seek to get Valley K-12 students excited about science and engineering.

The representation of Hispanics in these fields has lagged below that of other ethnic groups, so the weeklong festival has sought to gradually augment the numbers by introducing school kids to educational and entertaining activities, imagining that early interest in science and engineering will lead to increased participation in those areas once the children start to think about college. Carlos Rivera, a 21-year-old premed/biology student, said he said even though HESTEC does not necessarily apply to his major, it gives students opportunities to see what is out on the growing job market. “It gives students the opportunity to see what kinds of jobs are available,” said Rivera, who is part of the university’s Student Ambassador program, which aims to improve retention rates in freshmen and sophomores. “It’s really good for students who are undecided about their major.” Rivera added that he wants to take his Ambassador protégé, who is still unsure of a major, to HESTEC Friday’s Career Fair.

VISIT For detailed enrollment on each college discipline, go to:

ENROLLMENT:http://www.oire.utpa.edu/publications/FR D/EnrollmentGenderDiscipline.pdf HESTEC: www.hestec.org

Page 12

WORKSHOP continued from Page 3 National consultant Susan Campbell of Maine, who has a doctorate in education, spoke at the two-day event in the Ballroom about ways to improve student services. The local advisers enjoyed hearing tips and anecdotes, at what was a superlative for UTPA. “It’s our first workshop with a national speaker,” said Marilyn Hagerty, director of the AAM Center, which opened in 2005. The center’s mission since then has been to help increase graduate rates by helping students stay focused enroute to graduation. Several academic policies have been implemented to keep students on time for graduation, including one that limits the number of classes a student can drop without penalty. Another gives tuition breaks to those who can graduate in four years. A new Drop/Withdrawal deadline policy has also taken effect this fall, stating that students are not allowed any sort of drop result after 75 percent of the class has been completed, a somewhat common occurrence in the past. The last day to drop before that deadline kicks in is Nov. 12 “The purpose of our workshop is

September 25, 2008

NEWS

to help professional advisers and faculty advisers be consistent with the information provided for students,” Hagerty said. In upcoming weeks the center will meet with the council to discuss actions that have been suggested, like having a workshop each year, an idea that went over well with faculty. Also, implementing a seminar for new professional and faculty advisers to take before they assume the load of advising students has been suggested, along with a central Web site to help students link to other useful sites. Despite its success in helping the university increase retention rates, the UTPA center is not satisfied yet. Staff and faculty suggestions at the workshop included posting banners to make students more aware of where the office is located, and making the AAM Web site more helpful. At the event, Campbell mentioned problems that UTPA shares with the University of Southern Maine, where she works. First-generation graduate students are very common; bringing in new software to USM’s center has also caused trouble; and of course,

HERITAGE continued from Page 3 consistency of advice among advisers are ongoing issues. During the workshop, some of the main ideas focused on where ways to train everyone effectively on new software, to make sure it’s meeting the needs of the center, and to make everyone is able to get all the information they need. Another main focus was to keep consistency among advisers throughout the university about the new degree plans. “I love it here, I have never been to a campus that was so clearly committed to students,” said Campbell. “Pan Am is serious about what they do. They’re serious about the education of their students.” Though it seems to focus on incoming freshman with first-generation demographics, the center seeks to be accessible to all students of any classification. “It’s a one-stop shop,” said Edinburg native Rick Garcia, a junior history major. “They answer any question you have, I’ve gone for the past year and they’ve helped me with questions concerning registration, graduation, and financial aid opportunities.”

AAW continued from Page 3 foot traffic on campus, a lot of cages, a minutes with a volunteer, he won’t big garage, and volunteers. want you to leave.” “We’re not going to go out there Because of AAW’s work at the sheland just grab cats,” she said. There’s a ter, Torres-Villalobos has promised to guidebook with instructions the com- attend all of the club’s meetings. She mittee will follow. hopes that doing so will encourage stuThe TNR project was brainstormed dent involvement at the shelter. by the club during the spring 2008 “If we are united for these animals, semester but never got off the ground. stuff will get done,” she stressed. “Before I became Torres-Villalobos president, the TNR estimated that about committee didn’t “Neutering would add 200 students and comhave enough mem- years to their lives...” munity members give bers. A lot of people their time at the shelter, left or graduated,” but that at least 100 Camacho said. Stephanie Lee Camacho more are needed to “This year I’m AAW president provide all of the anigoing to make it a mals with the attention priority to get the they need. TNR committee back on track.” “We have so many animals that The actions of the AAW go beyond have gone through things we would campus. Members volunteered every never wish on anyone,” Torresother weekend at the Palm Valley Villalobos said. “Someone has to Animal Center in Edinburg during the bring them back to light.” summer, something Camacho hopes The facility was built to house to continue doing throughout the about 500 animals, but Torresschool year. Villalobos estimates that it currently “I feel as though we made the jobs cares for between 600 and 800 homeof everyone working for the animals a less cats, dogs, reptiles, and farm anilittle easier by lending a hand and mals. Forty-thousand animals are spreading the message of responsible sent to the shelter every year, and pet ownership,” she said. “And, of about 100 are put to sleep every day, course, we made a huge difference in she added. the lives of every animal we walked, “We have overpopulation, and talked to, played with, and loved this many animals are being euthanized due past summer.” to the public’s lack of education about Students with AAW have spent spaying and neutering,” she said. over 100 hours grooming, walking, The club has participated in other and playing with the animals, she said. outreach and volunteer activities like Brenda Torres-Villalobos, the educa- the Adopt-A-Beach cleanup and tion and volunteer coordinator at Palm Camacho also said the organization Valley Animal Center, said that volun- has made plans to begin volunteering teers are critical to helping the animals at Palm Valley again after Torresbecome social and adoptable. Villalobos conducts a volunteer orien“A dog can be crouched down tation during a Oct. 11 meeting. with his tail between his legs,” AAW also wants to work more Torres-Villalobos said, “but after 15 closely with other campus groups like

the Environmental Club and the Vegan and Vegetarian Awareness Association in the near future. “We recognize the importance of keeping our environment clean. That’s part of advocating for animal welfare,” Camacho said. “We want to make and alternative to meat-eating an option for our members.” Camacho acknowledges that the subject matter AAW deals with can be downright saddening at times but said that plenty of fun activities are on the club’s agenda. The first is a social potluck to give members the opportunity to become familiar with each other. Despite its plans, one crucial element to ensuring that AAW’s ideas come to fruition is membership, something that has hindered the club’s activities in the past. “At the first meeting last year, it was like this, the classroom almost full,” club secretary Naara Andrade said as she addressed a room of about 22 students during the first official meeting Sept. 9. Andrade went on to say that the number of members had dwindled down to about six by the end of the semester. “It was upsetting because we wanted to do a lot,” she commented. Camacho’s hopes for the future of AAW and its members are high. The organization is just one stepping stone on her path to reaching an ultimate goal of becoming an animal rights attorney. “When they see an animal some people think, ‘It’s just a cat, it’s just a dog, it’s just a snake.’ They hurt like we do and feel pain like we do,” she said. “When you can show sensitivity to an animal, you just become a better person.”

Maria Hinojosa, 21-year-old senior and chair of the Heritage Committee, which co-sponsored the Hispanic Heritage Months events, is also planning a Dia de los Muertos exhibit at the Student Union Oct. 29 through Nov. 2, though Hispanic Heritage month officially ends before the Day of the Dead, a Hispanic tradition that is celebrated by families here and in Mexico. “I know my family celebrates it, over in Mexico they dress up sometimes and they visit the graves of relatives that passed away with flowers and things they enjoyed when they were alive like favorite foods and music,” said Carlos Rodriguez, who fits well into the cultural scene at The University of Texas-Pan American where a decent number students at the university is puro Mexicano. “I cannot live without Mexican food,” said the 19-year-old sophomore international business major. “I consider myself Mexican; I guess because of where I have lived. I was raised in Reynosa for about five years and then we moved over here after that.” And then there is the ever-present word game between terms for the majority of Spanish speakers. The U.S. Census Bureau defines the word Hispanic as “those people who classified themselves in one of the specific Spanish, Hispanic or Latino categories listed on the Census 2000 questionnaire.” The correct term between “Hispanic,” ‘Latino” or many of the various grouping names and categories can be debated. But what cannot is that the Rio Grande Valley is heavily populated by Spanish speakers; UTPA has a total of 17,435 students as of fall 2007, 86.3 percent of which are Hispanic, so obviously the culture is rich in this area. Others prefer the term Latino, and a small percentage of politically active people of a certain age group call themselves ‘Chicanos.’ Whatever you call yourself, Hispanic

Heritage Month has room under the tent. But when it comes to celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at colleges across the country, there are fewer Spanish speakers, and less enthusiasm. Aaron Cantu, a 19-year-old international affairs major at Tufts University in Boston, said, “It’s not big on our campus, but even then, I’m proud of where I come from, I’m proud of the adversity my ancestors overcame to get my generation to this point. But I feel a little disconnected from the Hispanic community because I’m fifth generation and never knew Spanish.” This feeling of disconnection is also felt at UTPA. As worlds collide and young people are exposed to other cultures, they often find themselves assimilating into another scene and leaving another behind. “I know a little bit of Spanish, but not that much,” said Orlando Flores, 18, an undeclared freshman who said he has often felt like an outcast because of the language barrier. “I used to work at Chick-Fil-A and everyone knew Spanish,” he recalls. “I was the only one who didn’t so I felt like nobody wanted to come to my register because I didn’t know how to speak Spanish.” Marisela Gonzalez, coordinator of student development, helped co-sponsor Hispanic Heritage Month activities with the University Program Board. “I think if you feel disconnected either from the university or from your own culture, you should make an effort to get connected,” she said. “Whether its by joining a student organization that interest you or that fits your personality.” Almost 300 students attended the campus 16 de Septiembre celebration last week to exhibit pride in their culture without feelings of discontent. “Everyone was there enjoying themselves,” Gonzalez said. “Tasting the food, watching the folklorico dancers, listening to the Mariachi. I didn’t really see a divide.”

TECH continued from Page 3 vided by Microsoft. The presentation at the Student Union Theater informed students on how to prepare for a career in the technology field. One thing out of the ordinary: Jensen urged students to play games, and noted that the gaming industry has become a $10.6 billion industry. In the crowded Union during HESTEC week, there are stations designated for anyone wanting to play on an Xbox in the commons area. For someone not experienced on a control device, it may seem like a waste of time, but Jensen knows there are a lot of compelling aspects to games. “There are games that are educational-based, for fun, and there are games that are basically violencebased,” he said. “I’m not a proponent of a lot of violence-based games because I do think that there are certain issues with that, and I think that there is a hard time getting people to understand the difference between

reality and non-reality.” Jensen admits to having started his daughters on computer games early, explaining to the crowd that educational ones helped them with reading and math, while other aided their development in problem-solving. Of course, skills gained from gaming are not the only thing that will help someone get a job in the technology field such as in the industry itself, Jensen said. But they help. “There are huge demands for people in the industry that have computer science backgrounds, IT in management, in marketing, we are paying well and we can’t get enough people,” he said. According to Jensen, there are 13,000 available jobs with Microsoft, along with a passion for games, the speaker gave some other closing advice. Stay informed and up to date with new technology as it develops, and work on skills in IT, he said, to make yourself more marketable.

September 25, 2008

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September 25, 2008

SPORTS

T CROSS COUNTRY

Broncs upset Texas, women capture fifth in Alamo City By Sara Hernandez THE PAN AMERICAN And they’re off. The University of Texas-Pan American cross country teams had a triumphant kick off to the 2008 season Friday at the Ricardo Romo/Six Flags Fiesta Texas Classic in San Antonio last week, where the men took home first place and the women obtained fifth. The programs will try to keep their momentum-building weekend going when they travel to Corpus Christi Friday for the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islander Splash. In the Alamo City meet, the Broncs finished with a total of 49 points, more than enough to upset No. 14-ranked Texas, which recorded 56 points. The men’s unit was led to victory by sophomore Angel Ramirez, who captured second place out of 86 runners with a time of 15:41.0. “I felt good that I was able to contribute to the team. I wanted to win,” said the McAllen High School graduate, who competed after taking a couple of days off to recover from an injury. Ramirez was followed by another sophomore, Roberto Najera, who finished eighth with a time of 15:49.4, as the Broncs placed two in the top 10. “I was a little nervous because it was my first competition, but my teammates looked confident and that made me feel better,” said Najera, from MedHigh School in Mercedes. Senior J.J. Hernandez of San Juan

ran a time of 15:58.6 which led him to 11th place. Omar Doria, who returned to his running roots after taking a year off for personal reasons, placed 13th with a time of 16:04.9. And Edinburg native Wally Gonzalez, Doria’s old teammate at Edinburg North, rounded out the top 15 after clocking in at 16:12.4. Juniors Gilroy Martinez and Vidal Ruiz crossed the line with times of 16:53:0 and 16:58.0, positioning them in 31st and 32nd place respectively, as the Broncs got solid efforts from a number of athletes. Men’s and women’s coach Hugo Cervantes, a UTPA ex, says he is proud of his athletes’ attitudes, despite the course changes. “The guys are used to running a 10K and this race was a 5K, but they went out and ran strong and smart,” he said. “They ran together as a team. It worked out for us. I knew we could win it, but it was going to come down to a few points.” Carolina Izaguirre led the way for the women as the senior placed fourth with a time of 19:19.2. However, the Brownsville native says she was not satisfied with her performance, and looks forward to drop her time at the Islander Splash. “I felt OK, but I expect to do better next week,” she said. Senior Sara Rodriguez of Valley View High School crossed the finish line in 19th with a time of 20:02.4 followed by sophomore Diana Galloso of Edinburg High, who ran a 20:33.8 to

well. All of us have been running together,” he noted. “The hard work is going to show in the future when it comes down to conference and regionals. We’re starting where we are supposed to be. Our goals are set and we are looking forward to accomplishing them.”

place 23rd. Mission natives Larissa de Leon and Sasha Suarez finished their first cross country meet placing 28th and 42nd, respectively, with times of 21:18.5 and 22:47.4. Freshman Daniela Flores, from the small Texas town of Encinal, placed 64th running a time of 25:29.8.

hadn’t competed in more than a year.” Now that the teams are back in action, their mindset goes back to goals. Ramirez said that the Bronc objectives for this season are to win the Great West Conference and place in the top five during regionals in November. “Practice has been going very

ABOUT TIME The cross-country season started three weeks later than expected due to some unfortunate travel incidents, so the athletes expressed excitement about finally getting the season under way as they’ve been waiting to run since the first week of school. The coaching staff canceled a trip to San Antonio Aug. 29 in order to complete then-unresolved academic procedures. The following weekend, the team returned after the girls’ transportation vehicle was involved in an accident on the way to the Texas State Relays in San Marcos. Fortunately, the athletes and the coach on board suffered no major injuries. The Texas A&M Invitational, which was supposed to take place Sept 13 in College Station, was canceled due to the strike of Hurricane Ike in the area. “It feels good to compete,” said Ramirez. “We were ready to go out and show what we have.” Newcomer Najera had been practicing with the team for almost a year, but had never been able to run with the UTPA jersey due to eligibility problems regarding high school credits. “I wanted to run already,” he said. “I

RIGHT ON TRACK - Robert Najera (left) and J.J. Hernandez helped the men’s team capture first place in San Antonio.

Onydia Garza/THE PAN AMERICAN

T VOLLEYBALL

Lady Broncs encounter struggles on road, return for homestand By Ramiro Paez THE PAN AMERICAN Even though South Texas didn’t feel the effects of Hurricane Ike, The University of Texas-Pan American’s volleyball team will tell you otherwise. After the hurricane canceled the Lady Broncs’ tournament last weekend, Ike continued to make an impact as the women went 0-3 at the Spike Ike Classic this weekend in Denton. They were also defeated by The University of Texas-San Antonio Sept. 17 and Houston Baptist Tuesday, leaving them at 3-9 for the season. “We did not perform up to our potential at all,” said second-year coach Angela Hubbard. “It was a difficult week for us. We were down a player (Deanna Schneyer) and had a very tough schedule.” The Lady Broncs, after reeling off a nine-game improvement from 2006 to 2007, had high expectations entering the new campaign but the season hasn’t panned out the way they hoped. But there is reason to be optimistic. Through their first 12 games last season, the women were sitting on a 210 record before they closed the season

out on a 13-8 stretch. So with 12 games remaining in this season, including a four-game homestand beginning 4 p.m. Oct. 4 against UTSA, Hubbard hopes the women will be able to duplicate the fast finish of ’07. “We have had a few things not go our way so far this season but I know that the team is willing and ready to do what it takes to stay focused and control those variables that can be controlled,” the coach stressed. UTSA To open up the five-game road swing, the Lady Broncs, 1-1 against the Lady Roadrunners last season, traveled to San Antonio and were defeated 16-25, 25-22, 15-25, 14-25. After taking the second set to tie the match at 1-1, the Lady Roadrunner defense stifled UTPA’s offense, and the team got off to a 6-1 start during the third set, never looking back. In the final set, the women closed the gap to 15-11 but a kill by UTSA’s Kendra Rowland, her 17th of the game, ended the potential comeback. Senior Kellie Phillips led the Lady Broncs in kills with 10 and added 17 digs with three blocks. Teammate

Chelsea Blakely recorded six kills, 10 digs and one block, while McAllen native Rebecca Toddy, who leads the team in digs at 142, had a team-high 19 digs. CLASSIC In Denton, UTPA had only day to regroup to play three games in two days but the tournament field got the best of women. Stephen F. Austin (1625, 16-25, 25-27), Louisiana-Lafayette (23-25, 9-25, 20-25) and Texas Tech (18-25, 18-25, 14-25) all swept the Lady Broncs. During the two-day event, Phillips, the leading player in kills at 113, totaled 23 kills, nine digs and three blocks, while sophomore Marci Logan recorded 21 kills with five digs and five blocks. Blakely had seven kills, 18 digs and three blocks and Toddy added 34 digs. Hubbard says the tournament served to hand her team some important self-reflection. “There were several things that we need to fix and this weekend showed us that in full force,” she said. “We needed to re-evaluate as a team and as individuals. We have done that and I

am excited about the future.” HOUSTON BAPTIST Against the Lady Huskies, Phillips tallied 15 of the team’s 45 kills but it was not enough to overcome Houston Baptist’s 65 kills as the Lady Broncs were topped 19-25, 18-25, 25-23, 2025 at Sharp Gymnasium. The Lady Huskies had three players recording double digits in kills but they committed 24 errors, compared to UTPA’s 16. With the home team holding a twoset lead, the Lady Broncs withstood a back-and-forth affair as a service error by Jolie Graf and an attack error by Jessica Barrera preserved the 25-23 victory. But on the ensuing set, UTPA fell behind 22-14 and couldn’t recover to extend the match. Hubbard says despite the difficult road trip, her team is looking forward to the upcoming home stand. “We need to stay focused and positive,” she said. “I think the home stretch will be good for us. We have had several obstacles this season that have made huge impacts on our program and we are ready to move forward on a positive note.”

Volleyball Schedule Oct. 4

UTSA

Oct. 10

Utah Valley State

Oct. 17

Chicago State

Oct. 19

Houston Baptist

Oct. 24

Utah Valley State Orem, UT Texas Southern

4 p.m. 7 p.m. 7 p.m. 2 p.m.

Oct. 31 Nov. 4 Nov. 5 Nov. 14 Nov. 15

7 p.m.

3 p.m. Missouri State Springfield, MO 6 p.m. Oral Roberts University Tulsa, OK 6 p.m. Cal State-Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA 3 p.m. Cal State-Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA 1 p.m.

National Independent Tournament Nov. 21 Nov. 22

NIT NIT

Orem, UT TBA Orem, UT TBA

* Home games in bold

September 25, 2008

Page 15

SPORTS

T SOCCER CLUB

Lady Broncs tie opener, falter against UTSA By Alvaro Balderas THE PAN AMERICAN It was an early-season start that The University of Texas PanAmerican women’s soccer club hadn’t planned for, as the Lady Broncs suffered a defeat on the road Saturday against the University of Texas-San Antonio, 5-3. Though his team showed considerable improvement from its previous game, a tie, first-year coach Hugo Zuniga believes the loss was just a case of bad conditioning. “At the end of the day we could not keep it up. We did not have as many substitutions and our girls got tired,” said Zuniga. “We had an excellent first half touching ball wherever we wanted. The goals came off of beautiful plays that we started from the defense until we found the spaces to score.” Two goals scored by midfielder Gabriella Soto and another by Tracy Byrd put UTPA on the scoreboard but it wasn’t enough to take the win. THE OPENER RECAPPED In their first game of the season Saturday, the Lady Broncs (0-1-1) had ended in a scoreless tie against defending league champion Texas State. What started off as an exciting up-and-down contest ended in dead-

lock with both teams having trouble finding scoring opportunities. “Being that this was our first official game, and also considering who we played against, I am glad we got the tie,” Zuniga said. “We have been playing very well in our exhibition games and today I think we followed that up even though there were no goals scored. The first half they dominated us but we came out in the second and were able to level their intensity. You have to remember that this was the first place team in the conference last year and we just tied them.” A bigger and stronger San Marcos squad relied more on physical play compared to the finesse passing game the Lady Broncs practiced. This was displayed often in various no-call situations by the referee that left UTPA players dumbfounded. UTPA played its ground game well, passing efficiently when opportunities arose, but could not escalate to a goal because of a formidable Lady Bobcat defense. Although San Marcos lost the battle in ball possession, it had more shot opportunities. During the second half this was evident as the Lady ‘Cats had three clear goal opportunities, where one hit the cross bar and two were stopped by UTPA goalkeeper Yoli Pena. If not for gutsy plays from Pena,

at least one of the three shots would have resulted in a score. “I am pretty happy with my performance. I think I stopped three consecutive shots where I had to be aggressive. Overall our defense was stopping their forwards but we just couldn’t score,” Pena said. “It is good that we at least tied this team because last year we got blown out. Even though we fared pretty well, we know we need to work on our communication more and definitely learn how to play more aggressively.” A frustrated Lady Bobcat player received a red card close in the 75th minute, leaving her team with a disadvantage but the Lady Broncs could not benefit due to lack of energy in the waning minutes of the game. Noticeable outings for the women came from the orchestrator of the team, Soto, and left-winger Byrd. The combination of these players dented the armor in the Lady Bobcat defense at times. “We are a team first but considering the heart and the determination that Soto and Byrd showed, those girls were the ones who definitely stood out,” Zuniga commented. The women will now start a threegame home stand beginning Saturday against Stephen F. Austin at 5 p.m. at the intramural practice field.

Onydia Garza/THE PAN AMERICAN

STALE MATE - UTPA’s Tracy Byrd (right) attempts to advance the ball in the Lady Broncs’ opener, which ended in a scoreless tie against Texas State.

T MEN’S BASKETBALL

New recruiting class looking to replace experience By Pedro Perez IV THE PAN AMERICAN With another season around the corner, The University of Texas-Pan American men’s basketball team is faced with the inevitable situation every team encounters, breaking in rookies, especially after losing a slew of talent to graduation. Third-year head coach Tom Schuberth brings many new faces from junior colleges and high schools around the country, in hopes that they eventually will perform at a level close to last year’s Independent champion squad. “Any time you have a new group of players, it’s kind of a transition to see how they react to your coaching, adversity and prosperity,” said Schuberth. “They are working hard and they have a great attitude. But we just don’t know where we fall as far as our talent in relationship to our team and the teams we’re playing.” GUARD OUTLOOK Around the perimeter, the Broncs have employed some new guns that hope to make a difference in shooting, and hope that some of the guards can become team leaders. Gone are Paul Stoll and Brian Burrell, a pair of outstanding shooters who were part of the backbone of the 18-win group. Reggie Cook, a junior from Cowley

County Community College, comes to South Texas with two years of eligibility. Cook was signed to play shooting guard but can very easily take the position of a point guard. The 6-foot-1-inch Lawton, Okla. native stands at a lean 180 pounds and averaged 7.8 points and 3.1 assists per game last season. “We think Reggie can be a guy that can stabilize our offense and be a good defender at the same time,” added Schuberth. At the shooting guard position, Schuberth’s secret weapon is 6-foot-3inch Matt Stilwell of Orlando, Fla. At Seminole Community College, he averaged 20 ppg as a freshman and Schuberth e x p e c t s Stilwell to step up and make some shots, as well as becoing a good defender. “I pretty much wanted to come here because it was something different than Orlando,” said Stilwell. “What I can

bring to the team is that I’m a shooter and a scorer.” Another perimeter player is P.J. Turner, who is strictly a point guard. Turner is a quick, strong offensive threat who can push the ball on the break. The 5-foot-11-inch Florida native arrives at UTPA from Santa Fe Community College where he averaged 7.2 points, 4.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds per game and hopes to learn from Schuberth, the 2008 Independent Coach of the Year. “Right now it’s just fun and exciting playing at Pan American,” said Turner. “The main reason I came out here is because of the coaching, players, staff basically.” J a s o n Jensen, who was the first player to ink with the Broncs back in January, comes from Madison Area Tech College in Wisconsin, and Schuberth hopes 6-foot-4inch guard can shoot the ball on a consistent basis as he averaged

Men’s Basketball First Game of the Season

Nov. 15 vs. Sul Ross State @ UTPA Field House Time: 3 p.m.

22.4 ppg. At his former school, he was one of the most reliable players, and playing against other Division I-caliber athletes is improving him rapidly. Jesse Gonzales Jr., a combo guard from San Antonio, was a part-time student at UTPA last season and watched the Broncs practice in the spring. The 6foot-1-inch sophomore is also coming off a knee injury so he has to improve his physical makeup but when faced with an open shot, his accuracy has been very noticeable early on. One of the two true freshmen on the team is Houston native Jared Maree, the most recent acquisition. Maree’s 6-foot2-inch, 185 pound bulky exterior and unselfishness should account for some offensive firepower. Schuberth believes that he will be a successful shooter before he leaves UTPA. EXPERIENCE INSIDE At the post position, the Broncs have added to their depth by bringing in three big men to help Nathan Hawkins and Emmanuel Jones, expected to be solid starters in 2008-09. Probably the most athletic player behind Jones is 6-8 Luis Valera, who played at Marshalltown Community College in Iowa, where he averaged 9.9 ppg, the third-leading scorer, and was the leading rebounder with 198 total boards. Even though he’s athletic and understands the game very well, Valera has to become tougher

around the basket and more consistent, according to the staff. “He’s a great listener and his best years are in front of him,” said Schuberth. Matt Zaney, a 6-foot-6-inch redshirt forward last season from The University of Texas-Permian Basin, brings a hard-working attitude. The sophomore can contribute if he gets tougher and becomes a better rebounder. The other true freshman is 6-foot9-inch forward Andrew Smith from Wisconsin. Schuberth feels that if he is able get some repetition and some experience on the floor he will be a force to deal with. With the departures of standouts Stoll, Burrell and Zach Trader, Schuberth says it will take some time for the new-look Broncs to become familiar with Division I basketball. They start practicing officially on Oct. 17 and will travel to Houston to scrimmage The University of Houston Oct. 25. Their first game is Nov. 15 against Sul Ross State at 3 p.m. at the UTPA Field House. “I think we will be a better team at the end of the year than we will be at the beginning of the season,” the coach said. “Particularly in the perimeter positions where it’s very essential to have a good guard if you’re going to be successful.”

Date to Know: Men’s Golf America Sky Men’s Championship Location: Boston, Mass. Sept. 28

T FEATURE

By Adriana Acosta THE PAN AMERICAN When people think of martial arts, Bruce Lee, Bob Wall or Chris Casamassa may come to mind. But probably not Linda Bustamante, even though the senior at The University of Texas-Pan American has a black belt in the art of Goju Ryu and has been teaching it for four years. Bustamante teaches martial arts at Jay Cee Park in Edinburg to eager students wanting to learn the sport. Goju Ryu is a traditional Japanese (Okinawan) style of karate founded in 1903 by Chōjun Miyagi; it features body strengthening and conditioning. Her love for the sport began at age 8 when her father, a martial-arts instructor at the time, introduced her and her twin brother to the sport. “My dad taught us to do kicks and splits in the backyard,” she said. “He taught us everything that I now use in my classes.” However, after a few years of training, she wanted to explore other sports before following in her father’s footsteps. So for two years, she tried different activities. “I was a cheerleader, and then I tried ballet dancing, but the love I had for martial

September 25, 2008

THE PAN AMERICAN

Page 16

Golf

QuotesFrom TheStands arts kept bringing me back to it,” she explained. After her return to serious training, Bustamante entered the competition scene at age 11 and remembers getting disqualified a few times. “My dad taught me how to hit straight to the nose and during competition I kept doing it,” she said. In martial arts, such a tactic is not allowed. “But he taught me the right way to compete and I stopped doing it.” For the next four years she worked through the Goju Ryu Japanese Yellow Tiger system certifications, which reward a combatant belt of white, yellow, green, purple, brown and black. After the completion of her green belt, Bustamante was asked by her instructor to begin teaching classes at Jay Cee Park. By her 16th birthday, she had completed a black belt in Goju Ryu but did not take the belt itself initially. “It took me about a year to accept the belt,” she said. “I wanted to grow as a teacher and make sure I was mentally prepared for it before accepting it.” Throughout her career, she has won several competitions, including a state, regional and world tournament championship. Her most recent victory was at the 2008 World Internationals in San Antonio where she placed first in the Black Belt division for women ages 18 to 35. The pre-med major from Mission hopes to attend

medical school after graduation and hopes her other dream of becoming an action-movie star will become a reality. This summer, she was cast alongside UTPA alum Valente Rodriguez a Valley native who starred in The George Lopez Show - in a locally produced film, The Red Queen, allowing her to use her martial-arts experience as well as acting ability. The movie has a tentative release date in December. In 2005, Bustamante’s had the opportunity to enter a reality television show competition called I Want to Be the Next Martial-Arts Superstar, which due to corporate funding issues was never picked up by a network. Still, she was in California for a week and a half vying with over a thousand other competitors. As part of the audition, she had to show how to perform kicks, splits, and weapons movements, gymnastics, along with some acting. “My parents knew this was my dream, so they helped me financially,” Bustamante commented. With her dad by her side, she was able to survive into the final 16 contestants, one of the youngest still standing.

“He is pretty good. He is fast, explosive. He took a 67-yard touchdown. He is a good backup right now behind Marion Barber.” Jose Moncibais Junior Biology major

On Cowboy RB Felix Jones “It was a really good game. This one guy from the other team made a touchdown. But it was decided that he threw the ball back, so the point was taken away from the score they had. So I was pretty cool with that. It helped out our team, the Cowboys.” Aaron Martinez Freshman Music major

On Cowboys’ recent game

Editor’s Picks HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

McAllen Rowe @ Sharyland Warriors Rattlers Friday 7:30 p.m.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Alabama @ Crimson Tide

Georgia Bulldogs

Saturday 6:45 p.m. (ESPN)

NFL DESIGNED BY GREGORIO GARZA

COURTESY OF “THE RED QUEEN”

ACTION! - Senior pre-med major Linda Bustamante will be starring in The Red Queen, which is set to debut in December, showcasing her martial-arts talent.

Baltimore Ravens

@ Pittsburgh Steelers

Monday 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)