February 10, 2011

Volume 67, No. 17

WWW.PANAMERICANONLINE.COM

February 10, 2011

Still in the game Same mission for Pena despite change of parties

By Pamela Morales The Pan American Reverberations from proposed budget cuts by the 82nd Texas Legislation have already reached The University of Texas-Pan American.

President Robert Nelsen and his administration are already making plans for the future, including resetting priorities in fundraising, tightening the pocketbook, and looking for ways to operate more efficiently.

While the University scrambles to plan for the pending trimming, administrators can count on help from local politicians.

Aaron Pena, State Representative of District 40 covering most of the city of the Edinburg, is working hard to help keep the city and university running smoothly and efficiently.

The veteran leader thinks that proposals by the Texas House and Senate do not do kindly by UTPA or the Valley.

“The budgetary concern is not to have our community and our university dispportionatly carry the burden of the budget,” Pena said. “Because we are a highgrowth community and university.

The cuts that are across the board and the formulas that are used in funding disapportionately impact high growth universities.

“I think it’s important for most Texans to decide what’s appropriate when we’ve decided not to raise taxes.

We have to decide where to cut; education is probably the last place I want to cut, because for many of us it’s our way out of poverty,

and we’re a growing community that needs the trained workforce and educated talent to teach the generation that follows.”

Pena has been to bat many times in the past for UTPA and Edinburg, though this legislative session has been a bit challenging for him. Skepticism ran rampant in the area when after winning re-election in November, the long-time Democrat announced he would switch parties, to align with the Republicans.

On Dec. 14 in Austin, Pena officially announced his new political status as a member of the GOP. The reactions to this move were swift and decidedly negative, on Internet message boards and forums such as one on The Monitor. Many individuals voiced that his switch was a betrayal because the GOP is affiliated with bills that are “anti-Hispanic,” according to one comment, referring to the party’s immigration stance.

Jerry Polinard, associate professor in the Department of Political Science, said he would not be surprised if people felt betrayed. With controversial redistricting on the table for the near future, the professor notes that some folks have their suspicions about the move by Pena “His argument is that he wants a seat at the table and not on the menu,” Polinard said. “It is also possible that he would like to re-district into affluent neighborhoods, but it would be hard to carve out the University because he is a strong advocate.”

Pena, a UTPA alum, stresses that right now, the University and his district are his main concerns.

“Since it is the number one employer in my district,” he said, “I pay a lot of attention to The University of Texas-Pan American. Not only because it’s important to us, but I also went to school there. I want to see the university to grow school to continue to turn out leaders for the next generation. We cannot allow our state to go backward and so although we do not want to raise taxes, we need to align our priorities so that education and access are not diminished.”

Polinard pointed out that he would like for Pena to consider the budget cut crisis and violence across the border, saying, “If he does not vote for the concerns of his constituents, the next election could be a difficult one to win.”

Pena also understands his party affiliation may cause a stir but believes being part of the group with greater influence will give him the chance to make his voice be heard.

“I’d also like to advocate as many funds as I can,” he said. “I’ve asked to chair the Homeland Security Committee and hopefully, I can divert more funds to the area, to secure our border and secure our community.”

Noe Garza, Edinburg City Council member, explained that even if Pena would be out of step with the average Valley view on most issues, he hopes Pena’s support will bring in funding for research centers at UTPA and expand the cargo airport located in Edinburg.

“The City of Edinburg has managed to keep itself out of debt,” said Garza, who’s been on the council for almost eight years. “We spend tax money wisely and we still have yet to raise property taxes in the last 13 years. We just would like grant money to build the airport.”

Located in Edinburg, the airport receives and commutes airplanes that contain cargo of all items; however, only smaller airplanes are able to land. So far, the plan of the Edinburg City Council is investing $6 million in newly acquired land. Following the investment, representatives want to enlarge the budget from $10,000 to $32,000 to extend runaways for larger cargo airplanes.

“The airport is strictly for cargo planes,” Garza explained. “Texas Dot Aviation is also helping us with the funds.”

Funding for new digs in the offing

By Alejandra Martinez The Pan American

The University of Texas-Pan American could be getting two new buildings in the next couple of years. This week President Robert S. Nelsen traveled to Austin to present a proposal to the Legislature. If approved, it would result in the construction of a new science building and the renovation and expansion of the College of Business Administration facility.

This would be made possible thanks to a bill filed by Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo. Under section 55.1782 of SB 272, the UT System Board of Regents “may acquire, purchase, construct, improve, renovate, enlarge, or equip facilities, including roads and related infrastructure, for projects to be financed through” the issuance of tuition revenue bonds (TRB).

In spite of the ongoing budgetcut saga, Nelsen says he has high hopes that the university will be granted funds for construction of these two buildings.

“I’m very optimistic. The bill has been well received,” he said. “When I started this process everybody said ‘no way,’ nobody says that anymore.

Everybody talks positive about it.”

If the proposal is accepted, UTPA would receive $48,368,000 to build a second science building of 60,030 square feet, and $46 million for the renovation and expansion of the business building, originally built in 1977.

Nelsen said that plans for creating these buildings have been in the works for quite some time, as part of the UT System’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP), which is a list of proposed projects from its member institutions. This time, it might make the cut.

“They [System] put these buildings there back when they were doing the performing arts center and the Starr County campus,” he

Alma E. Hernandez / THE PAN AMERICAN

CHECK THE WEB Bronc tennis takes home win || The men open home season with win over Nicholls State.

Facebook pondered The Social Network fascination || University professors analyze the phenomenon PAGE 6

SEE BUILDING || PAGE 4

A Competir Empiezan torneos en WRSC PÁGINA 10

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February 10, 2011 Vol. 67, No. 17

THE PAN AMERICAN

Commentary

Can you feel the love?

Denisse Salinas Online/Spanish Editor When people walk around the Student Union and see a bunch of red-colored announcements, and hearts and flowers hanging around, they know it’s Valentine’s Week. In this case, next Monday, Feb. 14.

First of all, let me say that I am not a big fan of Valentine’s Day since it is hard enough to find a Christmas gift for a guy, imagine looking for another one with all the cheesy stuff out

there... I really rather celebrate love any other day, because I want to, and not because society says I should do it. We are so used to having society say what we should celebrate and how to celebrate it... and this is no different.

It is really a holiday made to spend money.

Ads even say people have to spend money or buy something really expensive to show love; a great example is jewelry ads: in their commercials they make a diamond represent endless love.

I was recently looking for information about Valentine’s Day, and the most popular gifts are an iPod full with love songs (cheesy), perfumes (which can also be a Christmas or birthday gift) and the always-perfect gifts, roses and chocolates in a heart-shaped box.

It is cute, I have to admit, but at the same time, love should be celebrated any day, giving small gifts to show interest, or that you care about someone. And this shouldn’t be just for couples, but for friends and family as well.

In the United States, the total amount of money spent for this holiday is approximately $17 billion annually, and people spend around $100 or more each, according to the National Retail Federation. But it breaks down like this: 25-to-34year-olds will spend about $160 on Valentine’s Day gifts, 18-to-24year-olds will be second with $145 each, and 55-to-64-year-olds will shell out about $110 each.

So really, don’t say that Valentine’s Day is a time to show love and be with that special someone... because it is a day to

show off buying expensive gifts.

I see a lot of people stressing out because Christmas has barely passed and they want another original idea of a gift for Valentine’s.

I will end up by saying that I am not the type of person that hates Feb. 14, but I really believe love should be expressed any other occasion, just like on Mothers’ Day. You have to love your mother every day, not just that particular assigned day. With love (boyfriend/ girlfriend, husband/wife) it has to be the same. It is boring to know that next Monday someone has to show you love and you have to do it too, because if not, that means that person does not love you... it should not be like that.

But, it is just my opinion, have a wonderful Valentine’s Day.

Correction: The Feb. 3 article “Where my books at?” should have noted that another reason the University bookstore doesn’t order 100 percent of the textbooks is that there are both local and online competitors where students can buy their books. Fall adoption forms are due April 15 instead of March 11 as first reported.

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: Benny Salinas 9_benny_9@live.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 DESIGNER: Alexis Carranza alexis091@aol.com ADVISER: Dr. Greg Selber selberg@utpa.edu ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE: Anita Reyes areyes18@utpa.edu ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mariel Cantu spubs@utpa.edu WEBMASTERS: Jose Villarreal josemvillarrealcs@gmail.com Selvino Padilla selvinop3@gmail.com

Delivery:

Thursday at noon Letters to the Editor

Chris Ponce/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.

February 10, 2011

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Measuring stress iffy proposition with UTPA population

By Karen Antonacci The Pan American A recent national survey of college freshman found that student self-ratings of their emotional health has reached an all-time low, but here at the University of Texas- Pan American, some students found their kickoff year stressful, while some did not.

The annual survey is part of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) and is administered by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education & Information Studies.

The CIRP Freshman Survey is based on the responses of 201,818 full-time students entering college for the first time in 2010. And it reflected how the stress levels of college new-comers have increased over the years.

In beginning to understand the survey and how it relates to UTPA, it is important to realize the problems that come with asking survey questions based on someone’s self-image of their mental health, said Kristin Croyle, interim dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and associate professor of psychology.

“It’s not really my area of research but I’m a clinical psychologist so I can speak broadly about it,” she said. “And it looks like for what they’re doing is really top of the line.

But it’s important to recognize what they are doing and what they are not doing. What they’re doing is asking people for their own report of how overwhelmed they feel and how they rate their own mental health over other people.”

So for example, just because a freshman answered the survey that they were above average in mental health doesn’t mean that they actually are, because that would require them to know what is average and be able to rate themselves without bias.

This approach has problems, but Croyle feels that the CIRP handled them effectively.

“The advantage of doing their approach is that they can compare from year to year,” she explained “And with that, the problems that come with self-report research are present in all of the years, but at least they can tell how people’s reports are changing… it would tell how [the freshmen] feel about themselves and their place in the world.”

SEE STRESS || PAGE 4

Alma E. Hernandez/THE PAN AMERICAN

REACH FOR THE STARS - Astronomy students studying the life cycle of a star have a lab in the Planetarium on Tuesday. The facility holds public viewing hours Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Planetarium full of stars Construction innovations make science center a popular destination

By Belinda Munoz The Pan American

After some much needed revamping, the University’s Planetarium that sits near the Science Building, reopened in March 2008.

With added technological updates like a digital projector that displays images of outer space, the planetarium has since been serving UTPA students and community visitors with a more visual approach to learning. These same efforts have also been duplicated into a portable unit, known as the HEB planetarium, which frequently visits valley schools in an effort to promote Science.

According to Steven Tidrow, chair of the Department of Physics and Geology, the activity at UTPA’s Planetarium is conducive for wellrounded learning for students and community patrons.

“It’s visually oriented learning.

It’s really projection to make things look three-dimensional. It aids our classes in astronomy for visualizing the night skies and in the day time even,” Tidrow said. “You can project the night sky, you can have the sun turned on, the sun turned off, you can zoom into the moon or some of the planets and other galaxies. In addition, we can show movies on it.”

Some of the movies shown in the

planetarium are donated by the Visitors Center, in an effort to dually promote science and Center projects, like the “T-Rex named Sue” exhibit that ran from September 2008 into January 2009.

“We have probably five or six different videos at the present time, so you can do more then just astronomy in there,” said Tidrow, who has been an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Geology for nearly four years.

“We have a new video provided from the Visitors Center to support their project on the human body. The planetarium can support biology, it can support chemistry, and it can support astronomy, physics, geology and engineering.”

The university planetarium maintains about 15 undergraduate student workers, allowing these students to gain interaction with experienced faculty and get the chance to practice public-speaking skills during presentations.

Since the updates in 2008, the Planetarium has been keeping close watch on how the technological advancements have affected planetarium attendance.

Since the advancements, planetarium attendance has increased to over 100,000 visitors. Even with this accomplishment, Tidrow feels that the true challenge will be continuing to impact not only students at UTPA, but the entire community.

“We also use the planetarium more, in a lot of sense, for outreach for communities,” he explained. “We have a national security issue going on in our

country in science, technology, engineering ranges from infants to senior citizens, and mathematics, so it’s doing a large the hope is that the planetarium will outreach effort. In fact, we have a portable promote lifelong learning for young planetarium, in addition to the fixed one scholars in the generations to come. that is here on campus. That is seeing about “Our real goal is to reach about the 40,000 patrons per year at the present time number of students coming in to first combined. So we have gone from ranked grade, so that on average, everyone has probably 23rd in the state planetarium the opportunity here in South Texas to see a planetarium show at least attendance, we are now second.”

With the added portable planetarium, once in their lifetime,” he said. “If which visits local elementary, middle we are able to do that, we think that will help generate schools and high more in science, schools, Tidrow hopes t e c h n o l o g y, to simultaneously “ Our real goal is to reach engineering and increase community mathematics, interest and the about the number of keep more kids p l a n e t a r i u m’s focused on those attendance to about students coming in to areas which will 50,000 to 55,000 first grade, so that on help out the visitors a year. Services community long for the university average, everyone has the term, hopefully and HEB portable keeping more planetarium cost a opportunity here in South students in school, combined $60,000 to Texas to see a planetarium getting their high operate year around, school degrees, a fee supported by show. ” then going on to UTPA’s planetarium university level budget and donations studies whether from outside sponsors Steven Tidrow that is here, at like HEB. Attendance STC, Brownsville, at the university Physics/Geology chair San Antonio, planetarium costs $1 wherever that is. or $2 per visitor, while sponsors like HEB, help keep costs for the The outreach is really geared towards portable planetarium at about $1 per visitor. education and really helping people Tidrow explains that while the age understand that you can have fun, of community visitors at the facility lifelong learning fun.”

Page 4

February 10, 2011

NEWS

Graduate numbers steadily increasing

By Nicole January The Pan American The number of undergraduates seeking to continue their education at the next level has increased in recent years, partly due to a more challenging pool of job applicants and partly because of the recent economic downturn.

Aspiring graduate students at the University have a few rules to follow in order to get where they want to go.

All applicants must meet several requirements including a GPA of 2.75 or higher, have official school transcripts, and a bachelor’s degree. Other documents are also needed if they are international students, while letters of recommendation and Graduate Record Examination scores are required for some programs.

In addition, each student must apply online with the Office of Graduate Studies website and await the selection process.

Sylvia Aldape, director of the Office of Graduate Studies, explained

that there are several steps a student application goes through.

“They apply online and we do the initial review,” she said. “Then we send it to the district graduate program. They’ll review the applications and then make their decisions on who gets admitted. Then we complete the process of admissions here in the office, our office is the one that gives the official acceptance letter to the student.”

According to Aldape, processing the applications takes some time.

“Students are usually notified within a few days after the program director, and in many cases a committee, reviews and selects students,” she explained.

“There are a few that bring applicants in for interviews, like the Physician Assistant program, so those selection periods will be longer.”

Although many apply, Aldape says that the graduate programs are competitive and not all are accepted.

Cynthia Brown, vice provost for Academic Affairs for Graduate Studies, explained that the demand for entry into graduate programs is greater than the capacity.

SUCCESS STORY There are hundreds of students accepted from all six colleges at the university every school year, but there is one that has produced the highest enrollment rate for the past 10 years.

Since 2001, students from the College of Education have made up the majority of enrolled graduates, a student report conducted by the Office of Research and Effectiveness shows.

An example can be seen in enrollment reports from the 2008-09 school years, when the COE had a total of 1,862 people enrolled while Health Sciences and Human Services had 970 and Arts and Humanities counted 772.

However, the number of semester credit hours calculated this spring shows

that graduate students in HSHS were growth, job markets and the economy.

“I believe that the most important enrolled for the most credit hours (5,010) factor is that the labor market now within its nine departments. increasingly As for those in d e m a n d s the University’s six doctoral programs, employees with an “ I believe that the most the highest number of advanced degree,” semester credit hours she said. “The important factor is that this semester was strongest growth the labor market now scored by Business in jobs in our area Administration with is coming from increasingly demands 312 hours within its the health and six departments. education sectors, employees with an Overall, an both of which place advanced degree. ” obvious growth in a premium on an higher education advanced degree.” can be seen for the As long as university.

Since the headcount 2010, there has been a continues to grow 3.31 percent increase Cynthia Brown at the university, in the headcount of Aldape believes Vice provost for academic graduates pursuing the amount of affairs for graduate studies master’s degrees graduates will. and 12.93 percent “ W i t h increase in those pursuing doctoral all things remaining constant our degrees. enrollment rate will increase along According to Brown, the growth in with an increase in population,” she graduate enrollment is due to population concluded.

STRESS

BUILDING

continued from Page 3

continued from Page 1 explained. “And at that point they had the four buildings coming forward as possibilities, and the legislature decided on the performing arts center and the Starr County, and not these.”

With the new building for the College of Business, which will have a square footage of 92,160, the president expects to expand entrepreneurship, small businesses and manufacturing, adding that he hopes to “really tailor the education of the students here in the Valley.”

According to Teofilo Ozuna, dean of the College of Business Administration, one pressing issue in the building is the lack of space for classes and offices.

“Our college is in critical need of a new building,” Ozuna said. “We need modern classrooms that advance collaborative and active learning. We need offices for our student organizations, which are vital to student professional and academic success. The new building will provide an enhanced learning environment and ambience that will encourage a passion for learning.”

The addition of a second science building will give UTPA the opportunity to conduct more research at the undergraduate level, Nelsen added.

“We will be able to focus on STEM education, which is crucial for the Valley because the jobs in the future are going to be STEM-related,” he said.

Currently the science building is over capacity and there is a shortage of labs, said John Trant, dean for the College of Science and Mathematics.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Space Usage Efficiency (SUE) report stipulates that if a class or laboratory receives a score of 75, it means it is at capacity. Last fall UTPA scored 100 for each, or over the accepted limit.

“Space is highly needed. This is a

“Last year, 60.5 percent of applicants were accepted to one of the UTPA graduate programs,” she said. “Of these, 78.3 percent enrolled. More of our graduate programs are experiencing greater demand than our capacity. This is especially true in the doctoral programs and in the master’s programs in health sciences.”

first step, but a small step to meet the needs of our growing university,” Trant said. “This building is absolutely critical for taking us beyond a teaching university, where you’re just taking classes, to really producing that broadly educated student, which is good for the Valley and good for the state.”

60,030

92,160

Croyle also said it is important to note that while the 2010 ratings hit the lowest level since 1985, the drop from 2009 is relatively small.

“Do I think that they are much more stressed than in the past? I don’t know because the change from year to year was really small, only about a 3 percent change from the previous year. So I think it would be hard to notice,” Croyle said.

YES AND NO When asked whether they felt overwhelmed at the moment, UTPA students with different amounts of college experience said they were not really feeling the pressure.

“No, I’m not really stressed, I’ve always been a calm guy. I just take my time and let things happen,” said sophomore Jose Barrera, a 19-yearold music major from Palmview who is taking 13 hours of classes.

Freshman Juan Cuevas said he is not stressed right now, but expects to be later in his college career.

“Right now since it’s the beginning, the first time I’m coming to school I’m not feeling that stressed,” the computer science major from Reynosa said. “But I’ve heard that the more classes you have to take later, you become more stressed.”

FINANCIAL WORRIES According to the CIRP Freshman study, 53.1 percent of college students are using loans to help pay for college, while another 73.4 percent receive grants, scholarships, or both to help ease the financial burden of college expenses.

The financial strain is especially true in the Valley because many students worry not only about paying

for college, but also providing for their families, said admissions counselor Stephanie Ozuna.

“Our location here [in the Rio Grande Valley] is not a very wealthy area so a lot of our students I believe are stressed,” said Ozuna, who deals with incoming freshman at the end of their senior year in high school.

“The main concern is financial ability to get into college and how they’re going to pay for it. I think the stresses they do come with are of course how they are going to pay for it, plus a lot of them support families so they have to work to pay for college. Most are working full or part-time and coming to college.”

Sophomore Heriberto Cuellar said that he wasn’t stressed out freshman year but is starting to become worried about his workload.

“All the homework stresses me out sometimes, and I don’t know about the tests yet, but it seems like they’re coming around and they’re all around the same time, so that’s scary,” Cuellar said.

Cuellar receives financial aid and has to keep a 3.0 GPA to maintain it, but he said that financial concerns and the recent budget cuts have not contributed to his stress.

THE FEMALE PERSPECTIVE The CIRP Freshman Survey also found that more females reported themselves to be less mentally healthy than their male counterparts. About 46 percent of women reported high levels of mental health versus 60 percent of males.

While some male UTPA students worried about increasing workloads, some females stressed over time management and the social challenges of college life.

“I feel way less stressed than my

first year of college because I got accustomed to how I’m supposed to do everything,” said sophomore business major Rosie Barcenas of Pharr. “Whereas my freshman year I thought, ‘I can do whatever and still get a passing grade.’ Not enough time to study. That was one of the major things stressing me out freshman year.

And maybe also I felt threatened by everyone else in my class, as well because they were all coming from different places and diversity. You don’t really have that until you go to college.”

As to how the college experience compares to high school on the stress scale, freshman Nathalie Quach said the university routine is much more taxing mainly because of time management challenges and some of her classes holding exams on the same day.

Croyle recommended that students who feel overwhelmed or stressed out keep track of scheduled events on a calendar or planner, try to keep a regular eating and sleeping pattern, turn to friends and family for support, and avoid negative ways of dealing with stress, like alcohol.

“Also for people that are really feeling overwhelmed, the Counseling Center is a great resource,” she noted. “It’s free and they do take walk-ins but there are a limited number of counselors so it’s usually better to call. Their counselors are all trained to deal with students and they work with students with hugely different issues.”

Counseling Center and Psychological Services is located at UC 109, and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number is 665-2574.

February 10, 2011

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February 10, 2011

Fall Back into vinyl

Singer-songwriter Conner Oberst has revived the Bright Eyes moniker with their first release since 2007.

“The People’s Key” will be released Feb. 15 and is rumored to be the band’s final album.

Lawn gnomes, Shakespeare and CGI. How could this not work?

“Gnomeo and Juliet” is based on the similarly titled 14th century play and will be released Friday by Touchstone Pictures.

The flu is now looking like it will go down the same route of polio.

Scientists at Oxford University believe a new vaccine capable of fighting all forms of the flu virus is right around the corner.

General rule of thumb: When doing something illegal, try not to leave evidence that you were there. Cody Wilkens didn’t get the memo. The 25-year-old was arrested after leaving his cell phone charging in the house he broke into.

>> Nostalgia and alternative music come together at McAllen record store

By Nadia Tamez-Robledo The Pan American

Tucked inside a downtown McAllen plaza alongside a new age store and a sewing shop, the walls of Fall Back Records are lined with a patchwork of vinyl albums. The selection spans from independent releases by an Austin punk rock outfit to a $600 triple-decker rarity, one of only 300 released by Jack White’s band Dead Weather.

It has been a year since the vinylonly record store first opened its doors, the result of an appreciation for the retro music format that was sparked with a seven-inch LP from punk rockers NOFX over a decade ago.

“I was listening to a lot of punk rock at the time, and they brought the whole vinyl thing back,” said owner Orlie Ozuna, who started his album collection in 1998. “I had maybe bought 10 or 12 records, and I didn’t even have a record player. I ended up getting one for that reason, and I just fell in love with it.”

Even in the age of high definition and digital re-mastering, vinyl still holds an appeal for followers.

“There’s a warmer sound to it,” Ozuna said. “It’s more lo-fi, not so perfect and less pristine.”

The McAllen native began seriously thinking about opening his own record shop four years ago, and put money aside from his work as a licensed irrigation contractor for construction projects.

“I enjoy it so much [that] I figured other people would as well,” he said. “It gets kind of addicting, so I decided to take a chance on it.”

By “addicting,” Ozuna may be referencing his personal vinyl collection – which is closing in on 1,000 records – or his acquisition of a rare copy of “And They Call Me Mad,” a spokenword album featuring comedian Conan O’Brien’s retelling of “Frankenstein.”

“Some of these things you try so hard to get, and that’s what makes it pretty unique and special,” he said. “In my opinion, it just seems like you get more for what you pay for. For a couple extra bucks, you get something four times the size of a CD… and nowadays they come with mp3 downloads and free CDs as well.”

A long-time fan of punk rock, the shop owner, 31, said that the genre dominates the titles on hand. Vinyl record connoisseurs and newcomers alike can peruse the selection at 416 N. 10th St. Suite 4, Monday through Saturday from 11a.m. to 7 p.m.

Photos by Alma E. Hernandez / The Pan American musically inclined — Above, (left to right) Javi Guerra, Jaime Martinez and Daniel Fuentes, members of the band Deep Woods, perform Saturday night at Fall Back Records. Customers, at top, browse new vinyl at Fall Back Records in McAllen on Saturday. Fall Back Records celebrated its one-year anniversary Feb. 5 with live music and their first vinyl release.

“When we first opened up, we pretty much decided to leave it up to our customers what they wanted, whether it was though Facebook or just knowing what they were buying,” Ozuna explained. “For the most part it’s punk and indie rock, starting to go into hip-hop and metal stuff, so we’ll se how that goes once we accumulate more.”

The store celebrated its one year anniversary on Feb. 5 with, most appropriately, a record release party. Fall Back has begun pressing valley music to vinyl with a split 7” by local punk acts, Seafoam Green and Rumors and Headlines. Adding “record label” to its list of services, Fall Back Records is now the first record store of its kind.

Baldwin among highlighted black writers

By Lupe A. Flores The Pan American A week into Black History Month, American writer James Baldwin and his contributions to civil rights were celebrated Tuesday evening at The University of Texas-Pan American’s Student Union Theatre. As part of the library’s monthlong series, Videos of 5 Major Writers of the 20th Century, a 1990 documentary titled “James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket,” was screened by an audience of 50 students, staff and faculty.

A discussion after the film, second of the five scheduled for the month of February, was led by Professor Mychal Odom. The issues touched on were those which Baldwin and his contemporaries expressed passion for through their work: diversity, equality and social justice. What makes Baldwin particularly important, said Odom, is his doubly

oppressed existence as a gay African American living in white society.

“James was an advocate for equality and was never a pessimist,” said Odom, who is a part-time lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy. “During that period many people were pessimistic of each other: whites discriminated against blacks and, in turn, blacks hated whites. But he understood we were all brothers and sisters under some god.”

THE FILM In a series of past personal interviews with Baldwin and recent ones with his friends and family, the story of one of the Civil Rights Movement’s most outspoken activist is told in a manner that sheds light on how important he and his work are today.

The documentary doesn’t begin where he was born (in Harlem, Aug. 2, 1924), but in Saint-Paulde-Vance, France, where he died of

stomach cancer on Nov. 30, 1987.

Naturally an outcast in mainstream society because of his black skin, Baldwin knew early on of the plight of African-American people living in America.

He was first introduced to writing while working for DeWitt High School’s student magazine. At 18, Baldwin graduated with a conviction to become a renowned writer. Shortly after he moved to Greenwich Village and found a place among the intellectual community, but couldn’t escape the reality of hatred that permeated the times. So he moved to France in 1948, after receiving a grant with the help of one of his colleagues, writer Richard Wright. Baldwin lived abroad most of his life and it was there that he did much of his writing.

It was through his craft that he expressed anger and frustration toward white society, which culminated in a lengthy collection of essays, fiction and poetry now available all around the world.

During the fight for civil rights in the 1960s, Baldwin expressed his empathy and outrage by traveling back to the States from Europe to become a fierce supporter. He attended the march on Washington in 1963, but continued to write about contemporary issues from his beloved France up until his death.

“Having events and discussion like this allows for the intellectual growth of the student,” Odom suggested. “And as long as America and the rest of the world is dealing with issues of oppression and second-class citizenship, the writings of this author will remain significant.”

Today during activity period (12p.m. to 1p.m.), the library will show “For My People: The Life and Writing of Margaret Walker.”

The last two films will be shown on Feb. 21 and 28 and encompass the lives of Ralph Ellison and Richard Wright, respectively. Both will start at 4:30 p.m. and end at 6 p.m.

February 10, 2011

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10 de febrero del 2011

Llegan en busca de menos violencia Empresarios y profesionistas mexicanos buscan un mejor futuro libre de violencia al venir a vivir a Estados Unidos.

Por Karen Velázquez The Pan American En los últimos años, una nueva generación de migrantes ha cobrado gran auge en Estados Unidos como resultado de la inseguridad que prevalece en algunas ciudades mexicanas.

Son inmigrantes quienes llegan con pasaporte y visa, y que se mudan financieramente sanos. Estas familias están movilizándose principalmente al estado de Texas y particularmente a San Antonio por varias razones, pero principalmente por la seguridad que ésta

>> Mexicanos con diploma universitario que han inmigrado a EEUU aumentaron de 210,000 a 552,000 en un lapso de

10 años.

ciudad ofrece, además de contar con una cultura fuerte en raíces mexicanas, y así sentirse más cerca de casa.

San Antonio es la séptima ciudad con mayor crecimiento de toda la Unión Americana, y a pesar de la crisis inmobiliaria, es una de las que menos se han visto afectadas por la recesión y se ha convertido en una de las principales ciudades con flujo migratorio proveniente de México.

En su mayoría se trata de empresarios y profesionistas en busca de un ambiente libre de violencia para sus familias, en el que no tengan que vivir preocupados por ser víctimas de extorciones y secuestros.

“Cada vez la inseguridad está peor.

A pesar de que la mayoría de mi vida la he vivido en Reynosa, prefiero estar en Mission y tener a mi familia segura”, dijo Germán García, dueño de la franquicia de anuncios y publicidad Signarama localizada en la ciudad de McAllen.

García sigue teniendo negocios en Reynosa, Tamaulipas pero prefiere enfocarse y dedicar la mayoría de su tiempo a su local en el Valle de Texas, ya que se encuentra en un ambiente más seguro.

De acuerdo al gerente de la Oficina de Inversiones Extranjeras y Comercio de la ciudad de San Antonio, Texas, la mayoría de las personas que emigran de México a la Unión Americana, es por motivos de seguridad.

Muchas de estas familias invierten en alguna empresa establecida en EE UU, arrancan un nuevo negocio, o abren una sucursal, y así logran obtener visas de inversionistas tipo E.

dos mexicanos en Estados Unidos ocupan los primeros lugares, el Centro de Estudios Hispano Pew informó que la población mexicana cuenta con 5.7 millones de residents legales en el país.

Irma Hernández, vicepresidenta de Cabe destacar que no es tan fácil obtener una visa de inversionista para así la Cámara de Comercio de Brownsville, lograr una residencia legal en EE UU. señaló que en los últimos meses se ha Los empresarios que demuestran mayores visto un flujo muy importante de inverinversions, y generación de empleos sionistas mexicanos en el Valle de Texas.

“Estos inversionistas mexicanos vitienen mayores probabilidades de que su enen de Matamvisa estadounidense oros, la Ciudad de sea aprobada.

México, San Luis Qu i e n e s y princiestán dispuestos “Cada vez la inseguridad Potosí palmente de Mona invertir más terrey”, comentó de medio millón está peor. A pesar de que la Hernández.

De de dólares en un mayoría de mi vida he vivido acuerdo a Hernánnegocio pueden dez, los mexicanos obtener una visa en Reynosa, prefiero estar en están invirtiendo EB-5, que otorga Mission y tener a mi familia principalmente en la residencia restaurantes, carpermanente segura”. nicerías y el alquildespués de er de oficinas, endos años si el tre muchos otros. negocio sigue La Cámara Naen pie y emplea cional de Coma más de 10 Germán García ercio en Matamestadounidenses.

Dueño de Signarama McAllen oros, comunicó El trámite cuesta que la solicitud hasta 10,000 de visas de negodólares para toda cios se ha increuna familia y mentado notablemente en los últimos tarda entre 30 y 45 días.

Según el Instituto de Políticas dos meses. “Estamos viendo a muchos Migratorias (MPI), por sus siglas comerciantes, principalmente del área en inglés, el número de inmigrantes de restaurantes que están buscando inen Texas que cuentan con título vertir en Texas, debido a esta situación universitario aumentó un 58.5% lamentable que estamos viviendo”, entre el año 2000 y 2007. El mismo dijo Roberto Salas Martínez, presiorganismo informó que los mexicanos dente del organismo.

Cada vez es más frecuente que asocon grado universitario en EE UU aumentaron de 210,000 en 1995 a más ciaciones empresariales, firmas de abogados y de contadores realicen seminarios de 552,000 en el año de 2007.

A pesar de que los indocumenta- para explicar a los inversionistas mexi-

canos los trámites que se requieren para emigrar con éxito a EE UU y evitar dificultades.

La Asociación de Empresarios Mexicanos (AEM) en San Antonio tiene ya una alianza con la Universidad de Texas en Austin para impartir estos seminarios trimestrales que incluyen todo tipo de temas que van desde las diferencias culturales de los negocios hasta temas específicos de impuestos, visas, compra de una casa y las mejores escuelas para los hijos. El primer seminario se realizó en 2008 con 100 asistentes en la Ciudad de México y el más reciente atrajo a 300 mexicanos en San Antonio durante las vacaciones de Semana Santa del año 2010.

Es evidente que la demanda de clientes que viven entre México y EE UU crece cada día más, y los bancos deben estar preparados para esto ofreciendo servicios que faciliten y cubran de mejor manera las necesidades de los clientes extranjeros. Por ejemplo, el banco BBVA Compass (filial estadounidense del grupo español BBVA) otorga préstamos hipotecarios a extranjeros que carecen de historial crediticio en EE UU, con una tasa de interés ligeramente más elevada que el promedio en condiciones normales. Esta institución también ofrece servicios de transferencias y banca privada a empresarios mexicanos.

Sin duda alguna, los mexicanos han sido imprescindibles en la economía de Texas. Ellos comenzaron abriendo grandes caminos para el desarrollo de la agricultura, además de otras áreas, y sigue existiendo una dependencia importante de la mano de obra mexicana en todos los sectores, según informan documentos de la Contraloría del Estado de Texas.

Torneos intramuros comienzan en WRSC Por Sergio Giron The Pan American

Cada semestre un buffet de oportunidades deportivas se abren a los estudiantes a través de múltiples disciplinas de las cuales todos los integrantes de la Universidad de Texas-Pan Americana, incluidos maestros, staff y ex-alumnos son invitados a participar por el gimnasio escolar, formalmente conocido como Wellness and Recreational Sports Complex.

Para este semestre ya se preparan torneos y ligas de 14 deportes y disciplinas recreacionales conocidos como intramuros. Estas actividades no solo promueven el bienestar físico y mental de los participantes sino también les da una oportunidad a los estudiantes de aprender y conocer compañeros con gustos deportivos relacionados y pro-

mover valores como el respeto y la cultura del deporte.

“Las competencias intramuros han estado presentes en UTPA desde los años 50 según estudios realizados por un asistente del gimnasio, pero probablemente hayan existido desde aun antes”, mencionó Cody Jeggings, encargado de esta empresa como coordinador de eventos intramuros y clubes deportivos sobre los inicios de estos eventos.

Jennings quien también es coordinador del campamento deportivo para jóvenes que el WRSC ofrece durante el verano también comentó sobre las tareas que ejerce como líder en la sección deportiva. “Como coordinador estoy a cargo de la mercadotecnia y el agendamiento de eventos, el entrenamiento de empleados, logística de la problemática asociada con deportes de conjunto, entre otras”.

Entre las distintas disciplinas que

estos torneos intramuros tienen para ofrecer, todos los gustos son cubiertos, desde deportes de contacto hasta otras diversiones mas ligeras y alternativas.

“Tenemos varios eventos durante el año, algunas son ligas, otros torneos y algunos son eventos especiales. En este momento tenemos 14 diferentes deportes entre los cuales están: fútbol americano, basketball, volleyball de sala, volleyball de playa, fútbol de sala y de cancha grande, handball, dodgeball, softball, ultimate disc, kickball, ping-pong, tennis y racquetball”, apunto Jennings al ser cuestionado sobre la variedad de actividades del WRSC. “También ofrecemos eventos deportivos especiales que toman lugar 4 a 8 veces durante el año los cuales son: Carreras atléticas, ajedrez, golf miniatura, etc” apuntó Jennings sobre la variedad

de actividades del WRSC”.

“Participar en los eventos intramuros es una gran manera de estar activo, de conocer gente nueva, pero sobre todo de llenar esa tarde con actividad antes de llegar a casa”, afirmo Itzel Mora, junior de la especialidad de ciencias ambientales quien también funge como maestra de clases aeróbicas en el gimnasio.

“Participar en los torneos intramuros es gratis y muy fácil. Nuestro sitio web www. imleagues.com/schools/utpa es una gran manera de ayudar a los estudiantes a conectarse y seguirle la pista a los partidos de intramuros con estadísticas, registros y mas funciones geniales”, finalizo Mora, quien amablemente ofreció su punto de vista sobre lo fundamental que es el acondicionamiento físico y como los torneos intramuros nos apoyan a sentirnos mejor haciendo lo que mas nos gusta.

Chris Ponce/THE PAN AMERICAN

11

February 10, 2011

Second-half trouble for UTPA ball Broncs break losing streak against HBU Wednesday night.

By Dionicio Rodriguez The Pan American

Campus hoops fortunes took a turn for the better, finally, as both men’s and women’s teams ended long losing streaks Wednesday night at home. The Broncs beat Houston Baptist 76-60 to end a 15game skein stretching back to December, after the women had triumphed 80-67 to snap a 4-game skid.

But last weekend, it was more of the recent same for the struggling programs, who are now a combined 3-15 in Great West Conference play.

If one were a gambling man/woman, he/she would have probably lost a whole bunch of money betting for the Bronc basketball program last weekend. The Saturday doubleheader at which both the men and women hosted Chicago State University started out better than coaches Ryan Marks of the men and Denny Downing of the women could have hoped for.

Unfortunately, things were not so peachy as the second half rolled along, with both teams failing to continue with their momentum.

“We had a great scouting report, but we just didn’t continue to do what was on it,” said Matt Mierzycki, senior forward from Glenview Ill., said about the 70-64 loss. “We lost that game because we didn’t listen. We stopped executing, and that is where most of the disappointment comes from.”

The men (1-8 in Great Western

Conference, 4-28 overall after the HB win) went into halftime Saturday with a seven-point lead and all the confidence in the world to come out with a muchneeded victory. But the second half proved to be, as the cliché goes, a whole different ball game.

“The same thing that has been happening all year happened again,” shared Julius Hearn, senior guard. “We were not consistent in our rebounding, and we definitely did not do a good job of defending as a team. We need to man up and take some pride in our defense.”

Jared Maree, junior guard, led the Broncs in scoring with 15 points, while Matt Mierzycki snagged nine boards and added 13 points of his own.

Defense was also the problem for the women (2-7, 10-17 after Wednesday’s result) as the second half came along, negating everything the Lady Broncs had worked for up until that point.

They had a 13-point lead over the league-leading Cougars going into the break and saw it go up in flames, nearly literally. Chicago State’s Courtney Waldon, senior forward, seemed incapable of missing a shot, catching fire and scoring 17 of her 26 points in the second half leading her visiting team to a tough victory.

“We came out too relaxed with our lead, had game slippage, and allowed her to pick and chose her spots on the floor,” Re-Shawndra Jackson, junior guard, admitted. “We stopped defending the way we were doing in the first half, and that was the reason we ended up losing control of the game.”

Chicago State University (7-0, 16-8) could have seen its first loss in conference play Saturday, but they found a way to keep the perfect conference record intact.

Norma Gonzalez/THE PAN AMERICAN

BREAK IT - Senior Julius Hearn said that the team needed to strengthen its defense after Saturday’s loss against Chicago State. The guard grabbed seven rebounds Wednesday night.

“With a team like Chicago State, you have to keep the intensity on throughout the whole game,” Jackson added. “We had too many mental errors, and we saw the game slip right out of our hands.”

The teams will try to duplicate Wednesday’s efforts on the road against Utah Valley State Saturday where they will face off against the Wolverines. The next home games for both men and women will not be played until Feb. 19 when NJIT comes to town.

BRONC BASKETBALL IN NUMBERS

MEN

WOMEN

GAMES

25

4-21

GAMES

26

10-16

POINTS

1726

69 PPG

POINTS

1758

67.6 PPG

3-POINT

193

37.6%

3-POINT

192

36.6%

FREE THROWS

399

67.7%

FREE THROWS

328

67.5%

REBOUNDS

772

30.9 RPG

REBOUNDS

927

35.7 RPG

Bronc tennis takes home win The men defeated Nicholls State 4-3 Sunday at UTPAʼs Orville Cox Tennis Center. Due to weather conditions, Wednesdayʼs match against Laredo Community College was postponed until April.

Freddie Martinez/THE PAN AMERICAN

ONE UP - Matt Teivans’ match was the longest one Sunday. The junior from Australia ended up falling to Roy Knight from Nicholls State in three sets.

FOR

FULL STORY ON THIS EVENT GO TO:

PANAMERICANONLINE.COM

Page 12

the pan american

February 10, 2011