June 24, 2010

Volume 66, No. 29

The Pan American

June 24, 2010

UTPA strives for a little elbow room Future land development still in question due to financial woes

By Benny Salinas The Pan American

Current Baseball Stadium

Graphic by Ashlynn Biel & Jennifer Tate

Looking Ahead - Future maps of the university include plans to add new parking lots and build athletic fields, including a football stadium.

The walk to any remote parking is a scenic one, filled with empty lots, old houses and of course, illegally parked cars on grassy spaces with fines attached to their windshield wipers.

All three of these things won’t be there for long if UTPA is able to complete its expansion program, replacing unsightly relics with long-awaited parking spots.

Starting in 2002, the University began acquiring significant portions of land on the north and west sides of campus, totaling about 65 homes according to Mark Saenz, assistant to the vice president of business affairs.

Those 65 homes, of widely varying price and lot size, make up 85 percent of the property UTPA initially set out to buy; 350 new parking spaces were to be added in the process.

The process is a slow one though, with UTPA only purchasing when the owners

of the houses are willing to sell.

“We aren’t in the business of removing people,” said Marvin Boland, director of facilities, planning and construction.

“We try to give people good value for their homes.”

That process involves three separate appraisals per house, with the University offering to buy at the median price.

After the house is Daniel Flores/The pan american acquired it is torn When? - Signs on and around campus mark university property lines. The university down to avoid planned to expand on the land north of the baseball stadium within the next 10 years, but squatters.

This the project is now uncertain. wasn’t always “It’s a long way off but you In the fall the department of the case though, as certain UTPA faculty used to live in acquired business affairs will announce a never know,” he mused.

Before any football field houses. This policy, however, is no new VP, with James R. Langabeer leaving the office in August. The though, many are anticipating a longer in place.

The future of this expansion new administrator’s decisions scenic walk to remote parking is now in question with recent could have great impact on to turn into a walk past added parking lots. expansion. budget cuts.

Despite potential funding “For now things are alright because certain transactions have cuts for new land, many remain Next Issue been set for a while now,” said optimistic about future plans.

Part 2: Residents’ Saenz, who is in charge of real In his office, Boland pointed to estate. “But we’re still waiting on a football stadium behind the reactions new acts due the budget cuts and baseball stadium on a map of the future campus. what our new vice president says.”

New deans excited for action in Lone Star state

By Roxann Garcia The Pan American The University of Texas-Pan American has announced the newly appointed deans of the recently split College of Science and Engineering. Both deans begin their tenure at UTPA on Aug 1, replacing Edwin Lemaster, who is in his 40th year at the college.

UTPA TOONS: FIFA games excite students

John M. Trant, associate vice president of academic affairs at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute in Baltimore, has been selected as the new dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. David H. Allen, currently the dean of the College

David H. Allen

ALLY training unites attendees

of Engineering at the University of NebraskaLincoln, will take the position as the leader of the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Allen, who describes himself a “guy always building things,” attained his doctorate

Mission coffee bar hosts first summer Art Walk

in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University in 1980.

“I was the guy building models, I was the guy in the backyard building a tree house, I was making a sled in the winter,” Allen said. “It was second nature to me.”

UTPA President Robert Nelsen also noted the Dallas native was anxious to return to

UTPA Aquatics program makes a splash with local children

the Lone Star State.

“Dr. Allen has had tremendous success at Nebraska-Lincoln moving the university 61 places up in ranking,” the president said.

“I know he is definitely looking forward to moving back to Texas.”

Allen has been active in implementing new international

See candidates || Page 3

Third annual STARS party draws a variety of visitors

Immigration bill debated UTPA professors say similar bill in Texas unlikely

By Pamela Morales The Pan American

Since April, Arizona and the rest of the United States have been in a heated debate over a pending immigration law known as SB 1070, which would allow local law enforcements to ask for documentation of detained individuals suspected of illegal status given reasonable suspicion of that status. Arizona governor Jan Brewer is continuously defending the measure as vital to the state’s security; it is set to take effect July 29.

“We will (be) fighting for the people of Arizona and for the people of America,” said Brewer on “On the Record,” aired on FOX News June 16. “This is unconscionable what Arizona is facing. We are certainly under attack by the drug cartels and by the drug smugglers, the human smugglers. It’s out of control.

It’s totally out of control.”

Texas, also a border state, faces the same fear of influx of immigrants as well as lingering drug cartel violence, but Chad Richardson, professor of sociology at the

University, said Texas would be unlikely to pass a similar law.

“Texas does about 10 times the business with Mexico than does any other state including California,” said Richardson, who’s been at UTPA since 1977.

“The economic conservatives in Texas - for example, Chamber of Commerce types - are opposed to such laws because of the damage it would do in our relation with Mexico and because they benefit from the cheaper labor of undocumented residents.”

Although it may be unlikely, it has not stopped Texas House of Representative Debbie Riddle, from planning to suggest a similar bill in the upcoming January legislative session.

Among the dissenters from Arizona’s decision are numerous academics.

Jessica Lavariega Monforti, professor of political science at UTPA, said, “Arizona’s attempt to deal with the issue of undocumented immigrant is, for lack of a better word, pointless. It is a lose-lose proposition in that it will not stop or slow immigrants from coming to the U.S. without proper documentation, and it violates civil liberties

and creates additional racial and ethnic tension and hostility.”

Additionally, boycotts are being planned by cities who oppose the law, which could potentially harm Arizona’s economic system. Denver and Chicago have cancelled all travel to conventions in Arizona. There is also a movement afoot to boycott this summer’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Phoenix.

Damian S. Damianov, a professor in the UTPA economics department, said if boycotts were to happen, they would affect commerce in other states besides Arizona.

“I don’t know how exactly how something like this could happen,” said Damianov with a bit of skepticism. “And looking back at history, I haven’t seen something like this happen. Probably back in the ‘60s when African Americans and Mexican Americans were protesting the segregation laws…consequences were enormous… but I’m not convinced that something like this is possible because you cannot draw parallels on what is going on now with this law and then (protests of the ‘60s). There’s a difference.”

Damianov further clarified that it is difficult to successfully boycott when the majority is not in favor of such a stance. Most public opinion polls show support for the Arizona law.

Students at UTPA have also joined the debate. Abraham Silvia, junior broadcast major, said he does not find the law racist, as some have charged.

“Under regular circumstances that may seem bad to people but the violence across the border is only escalating and is crossing over to the U.S.,” Silvia noted.

“It would be more sad to have to put up with illegal Mexicans coming over to commit their crimes and have people killed on U.S. soil than to have stopped them when you had the chance.

It’s a preventative measure by the government.”

FOR MORE NEWS VISIT US AT:

WWW.PANAMERICANONLINE. COM

June 24, 2010

2

Vol. 66, No. 29

The Pan American 1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539 Phone: (956) 381-2541 Fax: (956) 316-7122 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.

Editor in Chief: Kristen Cabrera kmcabrera22@gmail.com News Editor: Roxann Garcia roxx.gar11@gmail.com Online/Spanish Editor: Denisse Salinas dns_145@hotmail.com Arts & Life Editor: Victor Ituarte victor.ituarte@gmail.com Sports Editor: Sara Hernandez shernandez261@gmail.com Photography Editor: Alma E. Hernandez alma.e.hdz@gmail.com Senior Designer: Jennifer Tate jen489@gmail.com Designers: Alexis Carranza alexis091@aol.com Ashlynn Biel ashlynn.biel@gmail.com

Illustrated Commentary

Adviser: Dr. Greg Selber selberg@utpa.edu Administrative Associate: Anita Reyes areyes18@utpa.edu Advertising Manager: Mariel Cantu spubs@utpa.edu Webmaster: Jose Villarreal josemvillarrealcs@gmail.com

Delivery

Thursday at noon Letters to the Editor

Elias Moran/The Pan American

The Pan American accepts letters of 300 words or less from students, staff and faculty regarding recent newspaper content, campus concerns or current events. We reserves the right to edit submissions for grammar and length. We 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.

June 24, 2010

3

ROTC cadet attends esteemed event

By Belinda Munoz The Pan American

Courtesy of Maricela Alvarado of UTPA ROTC

What if? - ROTC Cadet Battalion Commander, Andrew Paulson at the 33rd annual U.S. Army Cadet Command George C. Marshall ROTC Awards and Leadership Seminar.

Former UTPA prof gets 70 months in child porn case

By Erin Menendez The Pan American

Former University of TexasPan American professor Brian S. Butler was sentenced to 70 months in prison for child pornography charges June 10. Upon release, he will remain on parole for five years and be required to register as a sex offender for life.

The investigation into Butler began much like an episode of Dateline: To Catch a Predator; the FBI set up undercover sting operations where agents posed as child pornography dealers. In 2007, Butler, who at the time was a professor of history and philosophy, took the bait, launching a full investigation.

Ex colleague Juanita Garza worked with Butler for seven years.

“No one would have thought he could commit this crime,” she commented. “Students liked him, and he was a very good professor who has worked at the university since 2000. He was really good in class. What was going on in his mind, only God knows.”

After searching his McAllen home, agents discovered child pornography including more than 6,000 images and 200 video clips which depicted children engaging in sexual activity with adults. In the face of such overwhelming evidence, Butler was immediately arrested and detained without bail on Feb. 28, 2007.

Garza believes Butler’s sentencing is fair and she is optimistic he will respond positively to treatment.

“He probably can recover from this since he wasn’t an active pedophile. Brian was looking; he wasn’t doing it (committing the sexual act),” said Garza, a history department adviser.

However, Diana Rodriguez, a junior studying business marketing, fears the offense committed is a serious matter, which will only lead to more severe future crimes.

“I see sexual offenders as a hazard to society,” Rodriguez said. “When people leave jail they have more issues than when they went into jail. This type of person cannot recover; he will need 24-hour supervision.”

Best and brightest attends George C. Marshall Seminar The best and brightest shined at the 33rd annual U.S. Army Cadet Command George C. Marshall ROTC Awards and Leadership Seminar.

The event was held April 13-16 in Lexington, Virg., and honored ROTC Cadet Battalion Commander, Andrew Paulson, 23, with the coveted chance to attend. The event was established to preserve the principles developed

by George C. Marshall, a former General of the Army, U.S. Secretary of State during World War II, and Noble Peace Prize winner.

Paulson, who was chosen as the best and brightest member of the ROTC at The University of TexasPan American by Professor of Military Science, Lt. Col. Maricela Alvarado, appreciated every minute of his recognition.

“I felt honored to represent our school and our program,” he said.

Paulson’s is part of the Bronc Program Alfa Company, which works in conjunction with the

Scorpion Brownsville Troop to form the Bronc Batallion, which has been at the University since 1982. Paulson was considered for recognition out of 75 cadets.

At the seminar, Paulson was granted the special privilege of participating in a round table discussion with some of the most respected Army officials, such as U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. The subject at hand was all things global, including national security, ethics, leadership, global terrorism, and even foreign/ military affairs in Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf region, and Africa.

“There were many resourceful, knowledgeable people there, it was very interesting,” Paulson exclaimed.

One of the more interesting parts of the discussion, Paulson recounted, was having the privilege to participate in an exercise that dealt with conflict resolution between platoon leaders and noncommissioned officers. During the session cadets were asked to voice their opinion about solutions to a given scenario and were coached on how to properly resolve conflict.

The event featured a full-dress

parade enacted by the VMI Corps of Cadets and offered valuable commentary from respected Army leaders such as Lt. Gen. Benjamin Freakley, commanding general, U.S. Army Accessions Command; Maj. Gen. Art Bartell, commanding general, U.S. Army Cadet Command; Maj. Gen. Douglas Carver, U.S. Army Chief of Chaplains; Brig. Gen. Anthony Crutchfield, director, Joint Center for Operational Analysis; and retired Maj. Gen. Robert Wagner, former Cadet Command commander. After listening to the lectures, Paulson was inspired to take his future into his own hands.

“The most important thing that I got out of the seminar is that, the thing that determines your future is you,” he said.

Armed with this mentality, Paulson has recently gained commission and is currently serving as a second lieutenant of the Medical Service Corps. Paulson graduated from UTPAwith a bachelor’s degree in business administration and after this recent honor, he continues to look toward the future.

“In the future I hope to be a platoon leader for the National Guard,” he said

experience [Trant], he’ll be able to come in and work well with our field biologists,” Nelsen said.

The biologist earned his

A&M University, and his Ph.D. in zoology from The University of Texas at Austin.

“I grew up right on the water and my interests started there with aquariums, scuba diving and it kept on going,” the Virginia Beach native said.

Nelsen also mentioned Trant’s aquatic tendencies, noting the biologist is very familiar with fish and will be interested in the work of UTPA’s Coastal Lab studies.

As head of a new college, Trant’s immediate goal is to work with faculty, chairs and others to determine what direction it should move in.

Allen also noted that having the opportunity to build a new college is what first attracted him to UTPA. The newly appointed dean is interested in fashioning a college “that fits the needs of the community.”

Candidates

continued from Page 1 engineering education programs for students at Nebraska, including an international engineering minor. Undergraduate enrollment in the college increased by seven percent under his watch.

Trant significantly impacted UMBI’s diversity efforts as co-principle investigator for the Living Marine Resources Cooperative Research Center grant from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, while also enhancing the research capacity of four MinorityServing Institutes to conduct fundable research in the study of marine sciences. He has supported minority student achievement of doctoral degrees congruent with the role of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

“Our biology department is one of our largest with well over 2,000 students. With his

John M. Trant bachelor’s degree in biology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, his master’s in biology from Texas

Page 4

THE PAN AMERICAN

June 24, 2010

THE PAN AMERICAN

June 24, 2010

Page 5

song together live 1. The full band tracks a living room of the in up set io stud the in . home.

Ore , ook am Till ted their ren

2. Dia Frampton records vocals on the front porch.

3. Producer/recording engineer Charlie Vela and bassist Jonathan Snyder take a walk on the nearby beach with the rest of the band to clear their heads. A portion of ‘80s film “The Goonies” was shot here.

4. Lead guitarist Carlo Gimenez stops for a photo before recording on a lap steel guitar.

5. Snyder plucks on a hom emade bass guitar he bought at a local music shop in Tillamook, Ore. The group nickname d it “the plank” and it was used for a couple of songs.

By Victor Ituarte the pan american

released their first album. After several tours, two albums, support from MySpace, and a stint on the Warped Tour, Meg & Dia signed onto Warner Bros. Records in 2009.

The gals found themselves in Tillamook, Ore., with Vela after manager Mike Kaminsky contacted him out of the blue. The two had worked together previously on music from Vela’s old band and kept in touch over the years. Recently, Kaminsky has been managing artists.

“I got a call from him one day asking him if I could just send some songs I worked on. I didn’t think anything of it,” Vela recalled.

“About four weeks later, I got a call from him asking if I would be willing to do this project. They definitely had their pick of people to do it so I was pretty excited and pretty honored to do it.”

There is an arguab le presen ce among the Rio Grand e Valley ’s youth that blinds them from seeing anythi ng good in their homet owns, but one doesn’t have look far to discov er Valley -bred talent findin g succes s.

Indie rock group Dignan from McAllen has received public praise from established rock acts like Thrice and Paramore’s Hayley Williams. Armed with an Etch A Sketch, teenager Maria Quiroga represented Donna and the Valley at the South by Southwest Film Festival with her animated short film “Bon Vivant” earlier in the year. And what story about Valley fame goes without mentioning actors Valente Rodriguez, Kris Kristofferson, and Nick Stahl from Elsa, Brownsville, and Harlingen, respectively.

Edinburg resident Charlie Vela Typically, Vela explains, bands is one of those who might give send him rough versions of songs Valleyites even more to brag and he’ll try to get an idea of what the about. Vela, a senior marketing band is hoping to accomplish before major at The University of Texasagreeing to work with them.

Pan American, is wrapping up They begin by record ing a project with his most popular indivi dual tracks and begin client to date. buildi ng up the song. Along The 26-year-old is a recording the way, they’l l excha nge ideas engineer who works mostly from about chang ing variou s parts or home, but recently spent five using differe nt instru ments or weeks in a house on the Oregon chang ing arrang ement s. coast recording 21 tracks for the “Once we’ve finished building latest release from Indie pop rock up the songs, then that’s the mixing duo consisting of Meg and Dia phase of the process where we take Frampton. Their musical act is all of the individual tracks we’ve simply known as Meg & Dia. recorded and we mix them into a The Frampton sisters began stereo track that can be played on a performing together in 2004, stereo system,” Vela explained. “We but it wasn’t until 2005 that they record anywhere between eight and

1 0 0 tracks on a song. A CD player and an iPod can only play two tracks, which are the left speaker and the right speaker.”

V e l a b e g a n recording f r i e n d s ’ music at the tender age of 16. Over the course of 10 years, he has worked with several bands from the Valley, around Texas, and out of state.

He also spent time in Kansas and Atlanta recording regional bands.

“When the music is interesting or different is like getting to work in a job where it’s constantly changing. I did a Spanish language rock album earlier this year that was a lot of fun,” Vela said. “This project I’m working on now is completely different from all those and equally as rewarding.”

He menti oned they made instru ments out of object s found aroun d the house and the nearb y beach .

“Sometimes you work with bands where people have a lot of ego attached to what they play in a song,” he commented. “I don’t see that at all with this band. They’re really about just making something that sounds good. If that means one person plays one note in the entire song, they’re going to play the hell out of that note.”

At the moment, the album has no name or release date and the band is still deciding what label to release it on. Regardless, Vela said Meg & Dia fans should expect a much more stripped down, acoustic-based album than previous work.

“They have been used to doing record s in a very regime nted way where they come in from this time to this time and they’r e there to record everyt hing that was writte n. Here, they’r e actual ly writin g quite a bit while they’r e out here, comin g up with songs as we go,” he said. “I’m just trying to help them make an album that’s really true to thems elves. It’s kind of comin g out a little more raw in a really cool way.”

Photos courtesy of Charlie Vela Design by Alexis Carranza the pan american

Page 4

THE PAN AMERICAN

June 24, 2010

THE PAN AMERICAN

June 24, 2010

Page 5

song together live 1. The full band tracks a living room of the in up set io stud the in . home.

Ore , ook am Till ted their ren

2. Dia Frampton records vocals on the front porch.

3. Producer/recording engineer Charlie Vela and bassist Jonathan Snyder take a walk on the nearby beach with the rest of the band to clear their heads. A portion of ‘80s film “The Goonies” was shot here.

4. Lead guitarist Carlo Gimenez stops for a photo before recording on a lap steel guitar.

5. Snyder plucks on a hom emade bass guitar he bought at a local music shop in Tillamook, Ore. The group nickname d it “the plank” and it was used for a couple of songs.

By Victor Ituarte the pan american

released their first album. After several tours, two albums, support from MySpace, and a stint on the Warped Tour, Meg & Dia signed onto Warner Bros. Records in 2009.

The gals found themselves in Tillamook, Ore., with Vela after manager Mike Kaminsky contacted him out of the blue. The two had worked together previously on music from Vela’s old band and kept in touch over the years. Recently, Kaminsky has been managing artists.

“I got a call from him one day asking him if I could just send some songs I worked on. I didn’t think anything of it,” Vela recalled.

“About four weeks later, I got a call from him asking if I would be willing to do this project. They definitely had their pick of people to do it so I was pretty excited and pretty honored to do it.”

There is an arguab le presen ce among the Rio Grand e Valley ’s youth that blinds them from seeing anythi ng good in their homet owns, but one doesn’t have look far to discov er Valley -bred talent findin g succes s.

Indie rock group Dignan from McAllen has received public praise from established rock acts like Thrice and Paramore’s Hayley Williams. Armed with an Etch A Sketch, teenager Maria Quiroga represented Donna and the Valley at the South by Southwest Film Festival with her animated short film “Bon Vivant” earlier in the year. And what story about Valley fame goes without mentioning actors Valente Rodriguez, Kris Kristofferson, and Nick Stahl from Elsa, Brownsville, and Harlingen, respectively.

Edinburg resident Charlie Vela Typically, Vela explains, bands is one of those who might give send him rough versions of songs Valleyites even more to brag and he’ll try to get an idea of what the about. Vela, a senior marketing band is hoping to accomplish before major at The University of Texasagreeing to work with them.

Pan American, is wrapping up They begin by record ing a project with his most popular indivi dual tracks and begin client to date. buildi ng up the song. Along The 26-year-old is a recording the way, they’l l excha nge ideas engineer who works mostly from about chang ing variou s parts or home, but recently spent five using differe nt instru ments or weeks in a house on the Oregon chang ing arrang ement s. coast recording 21 tracks for the “Once we’ve finished building latest release from Indie pop rock up the songs, then that’s the mixing duo consisting of Meg and Dia phase of the process where we take Frampton. Their musical act is all of the individual tracks we’ve simply known as Meg & Dia. recorded and we mix them into a The Frampton sisters began stereo track that can be played on a performing together in 2004, stereo system,” Vela explained. “We but it wasn’t until 2005 that they record anywhere between eight and

1 0 0 tracks on a song. A CD player and an iPod can only play two tracks, which are the left speaker and the right speaker.”

V e l a b e g a n recording f r i e n d s ’ music at the tender age of 16. Over the course of 10 years, he has worked with several bands from the Valley, around Texas, and out of state.

He also spent time in Kansas and Atlanta recording regional bands.

“When the music is interesting or different is like getting to work in a job where it’s constantly changing. I did a Spanish language rock album earlier this year that was a lot of fun,” Vela said. “This project I’m working on now is completely different from all those and equally as rewarding.”

He menti oned they made instru ments out of object s found aroun d the house and the nearb y beach .

“Sometimes you work with bands where people have a lot of ego attached to what they play in a song,” he commented. “I don’t see that at all with this band. They’re really about just making something that sounds good. If that means one person plays one note in the entire song, they’re going to play the hell out of that note.”

At the moment, the album has no name or release date and the band is still deciding what label to release it on. Regardless, Vela said Meg & Dia fans should expect a much more stripped down, acoustic-based album than previous work.

“They have been used to doing record s in a very regime nted way where they come in from this time to this time and they’r e there to record everyt hing that was writte n. Here, they’r e actual ly writin g quite a bit while they’r e out here, comin g up with songs as we go,” he said. “I’m just trying to help them make an album that’s really true to thems elves. It’s kind of comin g out a little more raw in a really cool way.”

Photos courtesy of Charlie Vela Design by Alexis Carranza the pan american

June 24, 2010

Advertisements

Page 6

June 24, 2010

‘Waka Waka’ good for cultural unity

By Sara Hernandez The Pan American

Beautiful. I told myself I wasn’t going to write anything personal about the FIFA World Cup even though I had, in fact, been counting down the days to June 11, 2010 for a good while. Yet I couldn’t help it, but this time it’s not about my beloved Mexican team’s performance, rules or officials; it’s not about what the game is, but what the game does.

The World Cup is what everybody is talking about, and one can pretty much pick up a conversation with anyone, anywhere by asking if they saw the morning’s game. The morning’s game.

I haven’t seen so many people wake up before 7 a.m. for so many days straight.

Some have a favorite team they follow religiously, others always root for the winning team, we have the ones that go for the underdogs, and some others that follow all matches just for the love of the game. But everybody’s watching, and no one wants to be left out.

As I already said, I follow Mexico.

Religiously? Maybe. After three games I feel like the number of people I’ve felt connected with has increased match by match. I saw the first game with my regular crowd. Then, the crowd was invited to a friend’s house for the second one (yes, when we beat France).

It was nice to watch the game with a family that stopped its regular routine to check it out, just like mine does. This family adopted six individuals with green shirts for two hours and even invited us to barbecue after the match, just like mine would do. See the connection?

I had to watch part of the third game at the Student Union Theater because I decided not to miss class as I am a woman of faith, I said, and will save my absences for the “big games.” Well, I couldn’t find a seat and once I was settled I shared the game’s emotions with about 200 people. I, again, felt connected.

But most importantly, over the last couple of weeks I’ve noticed the relationship between fans of different teams has increased. So if you like the U.S. you have to hate Mexico and vice versa, right? I thought so too.

I’ve seen American people express their solidarity with Mexico fans; things don’t always have to be hostile between parties and Fair Play goes beyond the playing field, crosses barriers and can strengthen bonds between people when they truthfully hope for the best to win.

I can just imagine how different the world would be if relationships between disparate groups were as simple to fix, and if there was a factor that could bring people together globally for longer than one month…forever. For now, I’m just happy to have proven what the late John Paul II once said, that “amongst all unimportant subjects, football is by far the most important.”

7

Hocott wins summer tourney

Daniel Flores/The Pan American

in her blood - Haley Hocott won a tourney that her mother and sister captured in the past.

By Roderick Dorsey The Pan American For the majority of the students attending the University of TexasPan American, the summer means time off from school and athletics to rest and relax.

UTPA student-athlete Haley Hocott, on the other hand, chose this summer to put her athletic talent and family pedigree to the test—and it paid off extremely well. Hocott claimed the Great San Antonio Women’s Championship June 6 at the Riverside Golf Course in San Antonio.

She was very ecstatic about the event, saying, “It felt great to win (the tournament). I have been playing well all spring, finishing second in my last two tournaments, so to win this one means a lot.”

The tournament ended in dramatic fashion, with Hocott finishing only three strokes ahead of defending champion Shelly Martinez.

Her three-day tournament combined score was 219 (+3 overall).

Hocott went into the final round trailing Martinez by a single stroke, but would string together three straight birdies at the back end of the front nine and obtain a commanding four-stroke lead.

Despite some trouble on the back nine, Hocott managed to hold off Martinez by maintaining a sizeable margin over the defending champ.

Martinez had several opportunities yet failed to capitalize off her competitor’s mistakes, including a five-hole stretch where Hocott recorded a couple of bogies for a 4-stroke loss.

Hocott, who comes from a long line of excellent linksters, credited her experience as the key to maintaining control of the lead and ultimately a victory.

“Shelly is a really good competitor, and I trailed her going into the last round,” she explained. “But I was also behind in my last two conference tournaments, so I have had some experience. I wanted to play well and put some pressure on her. I made three birdies and she made two

just like my mother did. I was able to experience my sister winning - I was her caddy because I wasn’t old enough to compete in the tournament yet. Sharing that experience with her was awesome; I wanted to win it (the tournament) as well. I just had to wait for my time, and that’s exactly what GENETICS IN PLAY What might be even more I did.”

Martinez, who is a University of extraordinary than the way Hocott pulled off the GSA title is the family Texas-San Antonio graduate, finished history ties to this tournament. with a final tally of 222 (+6 overall) Haley’s mother Brenda (at the for second place, followed by Sam time of victory Brenda Goldsmith) Houston State’s Jessica Borth with is a four-time champion. Haley’s 224 (+8) in third. Rounding out the sister, Natalie, claimed the crown top five were former Warren High School and current St. Edward’s in 2005. standout Allison The buck Kinser with 225 (+9) does not stop and Baylor senior there. UTPA’s “There is a lot of Jordan Rhodes with Director of 226 (+10).

Men’s and tradition in my family Hocott will begin Wo m e n ’s her senior season Golf Ofelia and I absolutely love it.” for the Lady Broncs Lopez also in the fall. The won the title victory at the GSA in 2004, will meaning that Haley Hocott tournament instill momentum without a Senior and confidence in doubt Hocott her quest for the is surrounded by talent at home as well as within Great West Conference title.

“Everything I do during the break the women’s golf program.

Hocott blissfully shared a periods will prepare me for the next perspective on her family’s season,” she explained. “I really just wanted to play in some tournaments winning ways.

“Yes, there is a lot of tradition this summer to stay competitive and in my family and I absolutely love have some momentum going into it,” she said. “Ever since my sister the fall. I also need to work on my and I started playing in the city swing and try to hit the ball farther tournaments, I wanted to win one and stay sharp.” bogies putting me ahead by four with nine holes left.

“That’s when my dad (who was caddying for me) told me to just relax, make some pars and have some fun, and that’s what I did.”

Brothers play for opposing teams, make WC history In yesterday’s match between Germany and Ghana, where the European team beat the Africans 1-0 and qualified to the round of 16, brothers faced each other as members of different national teams for the first time in the championship.

Jerome and Kevin-Prince Boateng have the same father, but were raised by different mothers, both in their native city of Berlin.

Jerome chose to play for Germany and Kevin Prince picked his father’s native country.

The brothers played for the same club, Hertha BSC, as amateurs. Now, Jerome, 21, plays for Hanburg SV and Kevin-Prince, 23, plays for Parthsmouth in England’s Premier League.

Megan Johnson/The Pan American

GOOOOOOOL! - A crowd of Mexico fans celebrate a goal in the Student Union as they gathered to watch the 2010 World Cup opening game June 11. Mexico faced the host, South Africa, in an encounter that finished 1-1.

Online Exclusives - UTPA Aquatics and Beau Bernstein: Capital One Bank/Southland Conference Men’s Tennis Student-Athlete of the Year at panamericanonline.com

Page 8

the pan american

June 24, 2010