Volume 67, No. 19
WWW.PANAMERICANONLINE.COM
February 24, 2011
BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS Part 2: Annual Financial Report sheds light on Student Services Fees’ subgroups By Roxann Garcia & Kristen Cabrera The Pan American
Chamber Orchestra $8,172.51
Alc Ab ohol $1 use A & Dru 26 ,22 ware g 1.7 ne ss 0
Studen tMedia produced $228,9 38.03
Couns e Psych ling/ ia Trainin tric g $2,872 .51
Psy c Ser hiatric vice $65 s ,377 .62
Tutoring $214,512.72
Univer sity Center $127,3 11.32
UPB $86,336.06
Dis Sp tingu $1 eake ished 57 r ,28 s 0.6 9
a Dram 84.00 ,9 $131
Dance $98,163.72
LAC Supplement $276,323.85
SGA $23,012.69 Student ID $37,112.13 UTPA Cheerleader $27,347.42
UTPA Marac hi $25,161.30
This graphic depicts 46.37% of the Student Services Fees Allocation for the 2010 FY from the Annual Financial Report.
CHECK THE WEB 38th Annual Career Day || Career Services celebrates at the fieldhouse.
Many students left the Student Union Theatre Feb. 7 and Feb. 11 with unanswered questions, after the Annual Financial Report was presented by representatives from the University Comptroller offices and the Student Government Association. “It’s sort of confusing because a lot of people are not bookkeepers,” Juan Mata, associate comptroller, said. “This sort of thing makes sense to me but I understand on the other hand, this might be difficult.” In some cases, numbers can come across as a foreign language to students, especially when they are presented with 75 slides of graphs and pie charts, as was the case when the AFR was discussed Monday by the Comptroller folks and again later in the week by the Student Government Association. Those in attendance were trying to figure out where their money goes. “Last semester, every dime that I made came to school,” said 19-yearold Ayleem Rojas, an interdisciplinary studies major. “What was I paying for?” Understanding how the University spends its money is difficult. There are several layers to contend with. “In governmental accounting and university accounting we have what’s called fund groups, or buckets of money accounted for separately,” Mata said. “Auxiliaries, designated accounts, plant funds, and the endowment funds are all fund groups.” Student tuition is in a fund group called Educational and General Funds, which is then distributed into areas such as faculty salaries, departmental expenses, library expenses, and employee benefits, according to J.C.
Gonzalez, assistant vice president of business affairs, and budget director. “Not surprisingly, the greatest amount of E and G funds goes to instruction and academic support,” Gonzalez said via e-mail. A student pays $14 in student service per hour they take a semester. This money is used to adequately represent the student body, and its care is put on to the shoulders of five students, two faculty members, one business affairs and one student affairs representative. This collection of representatives is known as the Student Affairs Advisory Committee. DIFFICULT DECISIONS “Every year there’s a new SAAC,” said Jeanette Broshears, associate dean of students, who regularly sits in on the meetings. “So the new SAAC always has to decide how they are going to appropriate funds for next year.” Last year SAAC proposed that fee funds be allocated to 47 different programs, such as Shuttle Services, the Learning Assistance Center, Distinguished Speakers Series, and University Program Board, for example. The AFR reflects the judgment of the committee on how best to use money to benefit the student community. The Feb. 7 presentation raised concerns about a 40 percent allocation of all Student Services fees to the Athletics Department. “We just feel the need to be heard,” Alex Rodriguez, SGA President and committee member said. “And we would love to have these big athletics events and to make sure athletics boosts everybody up…but it doesn’t seem to fit into what we’re dealing with right now.” Athletics not only receives funding from Student Services Fees; it also generates revenue from other areas such as a beverage contract the university has with Coca Cola, not to mention game revenues. This is not unusual. “Much of the funding at
Leadership Distinguished Speaker Series || Former White House advisor speaks on the
importance of character. PAGE 3
SEE AFR || PAGE 4
And they’re off! SGA elections start with a bang. PAGE 3
2
February 24, 2011 Vol. 67, No. 19
Commentary
THE PAN AMERICAN
How the news made me not care about the news
Benny Salinas A&L Editor Did you hear? Protest and revolution are the flavors of the month! And everyone’s on board! Egypt, you’re looking pretty styling in your new post-oppressivegovernment digs. And Tunisia! Now you’re looking sharper than ever in your new sans-Ben Ali attire. Wisconsin, you too? Who knew you made more than cheese! Was Gov.
Scott Walker not sitting well with your pesky and adolescent need for worker rights? It’s a strange and unpleasant thing to watch how an oversaturated media market can trivialize even the most impactful stories. In the era of near constant digital feed from every news organization, it’s not difficult to see how people easily tire of events. We become desensitized to the issue and slowly care less and less about it. How long was it before we got tired of seeing the BP spill on TV? Tiger Woods? Michael Jackson? WikiLeaks? Gabrielle Giffords? How long did it take before the video of the second tower being hit stopped making everyone mad? Yet this isn’t where media has done the most damage to the gravity of news. The biggest blow came from two distinct yet equally frustrating representatives of the major news networks, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. Major blow 1: News nicknames.
Obamacare. Crisis in the Gulf. The Shoe Bomber. Cairo in Wisconsin. Everyone does this in one form or another. Short, catchy phrases that describe the topic and create instant recognition. This is done for a number of reasons, namely the public’s bad memory and to make broadcasters’ lives easier. This isn’t an entirely bad idea. It reduces confusion for the most part and creates a nice folder that we can tuck all related stories into. But it has one unfortunate side effect. The news that are attached to these titles end up taking on the persona created by the newsmaker that coined the title. It taints our perception of the events and keeps us from making our own network of references to relate to the event. Major blow 2: Pundits, opinionated news, Glenn Beck, Keith Olbermann. Facts can be surprisingly malleable when put in the right hands. They can be bent, twisted, abstracted and
turned into quite the little monsters when necessary. What opinionated news has done is turn news into jigsaw pieces in a puzzle made to turn opinion into valid belief. It turned the oil spill from the actions of a careless and greedy company into an argument against offshore drilling. It turned the revolution in Egypt into an argument for and against American involvement in foreign affairs. It turns normal winter storms into arguments against global warming (yes, Fox News actually tried this one). It keeps people from seeing events for what they actually are most of the time, coincidences and random events. The narrative created by opinionated news is wrong almost all of the time. By playing into the news cycle as it stands, we lose our ability to actually think about what’s going on and then forget about those implications as soon the cycle starts up again.
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
Anthony Salinas/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 24, 2011
3
Meet and greet the people SGA executive candidates’ showcase platforms By Belinda Munoz The Pan American
Jason Smith/THE PAN AMERICAN
MEET N GREET- SGA candidate, Stephanie Corte (left), mingles at the “Meet the Candidates” event with Ramzy Arias, Tuesday in the Student Union.
The Student Union hosted its annual Student Government Association “Meet the Candidates” event at noon Tuesday. Candido Renteria, current chief justice of SGA, oversaw the event in the hopes that students would take the opportunity to get to know their candidates more. According to Renteria, there are three executive tickets to be decided in upcoming elections, each consisting of a running team of president and vice president candidates. There are also 13 senator positions to be disputed. Voting for this year’s election is set to take place via e-mail from Feb. 28 to March 3. Presidential candidate, Stephanie Corte, a junior majoring in journalism, shares the first executive ticket with Raymondville native George Galindo, a senior pursuing his secondary education degree in English. With previous working experience with each other as president and vice President of the Freshman Honor Society, the duo expects to bring experience and teamwork to the SGA political table. “I believe I am a different sort of candidate because I know I’m much more involved all over the university, not just in political science, not just in SGA, but in all sorts of
organizations,” Corte said. “I feel that I can fully represent well, the entire university. I will work as hard as I possibly can to represent the students and to bring all kinds of good positive changes to the university.” Some of Corte’s proposed changes include expanding beyond the areas of expertise that SGA members normally posses, such as political science. Corte hopes to see the perspective of SGA improve by including other students, such as veteran students or nursing students who can serve as representatives for the student voice within their college. Galindo similarly believes he can reach out to new students with his charisma and passion. “I feel that I have a very open sense about myself, so I could bring other new members to the university and give them that same experience that I’ve had here at the university,” he explained. “I feel I’m very passionate about what I do. Through this passion we can gain a lot of new things here at SGA.” Also at the meet and greet were SGA presidential candidate Gustavo Grajales, a junior double majoring in political science and history, and his running mate Mark Allen, another junior majoring in social studies. “What is great about Mark and I is we are a really good team,” Grajales
SEE CANDIDATES || PAGE 4
Leadership, character promoted by speaker By Denisse Salinas The Pan American Leadership was the main topic of last night’s Distinguished Speaker Series event as David Gergen, a senior political analyst for CNN who has served as adviser for four American presidents, visited the University. Before the speech at the Fine Arts Auditorium before 500 people, a dinner reception was held to welcome Gergen. Students from campus organizations gathered at the UTPA Ballroom for the opportunity to meet him and ask questions. “I grew up believing that the brightest person was going to be the best leader, and I learned from Nixon’s presidency that is not true,” Gergen later said during his address. He’s now director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. “What you need to be a leader is someone who is bright, but more important, you have to have character. You can graduate with all A’s but still flunk life.” With humor and passion, Gergen
said that members of the World War II generation of presidents (from Nixon to Bush the Elder) were people who understood the country since they all wore uniforms at wars. He also commented that that generation really cared and knew what America needed; they put the country first, finding ways to work with differences and keep the country moving, as well as developing certain bonds of respects and even affection. He emphasized that these men had a sense of humor since they had been through tough times, and wanted to live a different life than they had at war. The third of four distinguished guests for the school year made a large impression on at least one attendee. “This was a great speaker, he had a message that was very important to our students about the future, about how to be a leader, to work together and not to be a part of something,” said UTPA president Robert Nelsen. “I think he understood the Valley and he had his eyes wide open to know more about our university.” Besides the main theme of
leadership, the speaker talked about pending budget cuts and the importance of education. He said budget reductions were going to affect at least 1,000 students at UTPA when they stop getting the Texas Grant, and added that the government should focus on paying teachers more since they are the ones leading children. Ashley Mills, a UTPA nursing student, mentioned that she learns a lot whenever she goes to see the Speakers Series. In this case, she heard about leadership and what is happening around America with education and budget cuts, and how Hispanics are needed and will be helping change things in politics. “I like that some professors make it mandatory for us to come because we learn about different things every time a speaker comes,” she said. This is the seventh year of the Distinguished Speaker Series with the next one on tap March 28, when Neil de Grasse Tyson, astrophysicist and author and host of PBS’s NOVA ScienceNOW, visits.
Freddie Martinez/THE PAN AMERICAN
SCORE! - David Gergen, CNN senior political analyst and third guest in the Distinguished Speakers Series speaks with UTPA President Nelson on Wednesday.
Page 4
February 24, 2011
NEWS
College survey prods closer look at scores By Karen Antonacci The Pan American In an atmosphere of economic stress where universities are being asked to prove their worth, scientific studies on education sometimes get misconstrued by news outlets, illustrating that the real worth of a college education might be hard to measure. A 2008 study organized by the Social Science Research Council found
that both students from non-Englishspeaking homes and predominantly non-white high schools start college with lower Collegiate Learning Assessment scores and progress less on this measure during the first two years of college than other students. According to the study, the researchers’ purpose was to determine if disadvantaged groups of students start college with lower CLA scores than their more advantaged peers,
and if they eventually catch up or fall farther behind. The study labeled certain groups of students as “disadvantaged” with the justification, “The overall patterns of academic performance in part reflect the stratification of society at large and inequality in K–12 experiences. Consequently, we expected specific groups of students to enter higher educa¬tion with lower levels of skills assessed by the CLA.”
Erick Gonzalez/THE PAN AMERICAN
the [UTPA] CLA is that it’s not longitudinal,” Rodriguez said. “It’s just the entering freshmen and the seniors that are graduating and one population doesn’t have anything to do with the other.” In fact, for the 2009-2010 round of testing at UTPA, the average senior score exceeded the average freshmen score, but again, because different groups were tested, UTPA cannot be sure it was this institution that accounts for the improvement, Rodriguez said. In other words, because UTPA does not follow up with the same students it tested in their freshmen year, the high-scoring seniors may have transferred in from other universities. As to whether college is challenging students, Rodriguez said the question does not have a simple yes or no answer. “There are some ways by which we are challenging our students in our courses. I think we have not only programs, but faculty that are focused on challenging their students,” Rodriguez said. “But, on the other hand, I think we also have others that are not. So I think that before we can make those kinds of assertions, we really need to define what it means to say ‘are we challenging our students?’ What do we mean by that? “You have to go back and think about what is purpose of the university? What is it intended to be and do? And the last time I looked at that question, it was not a cookiecutter kind of thing. It’s not going to be the same kind of thing for every student who comes through.”
AFR
CANDIDATES
continued from Page 1
continued from Page 3 said. “Mark and I have worked tirelessly in SGA this whole year to try and improve it. What makes us different is we understand what SGA is completely about as we both will be finishing our first full term and we know what needs to be done to make it better, to make it more efficient.” Allen, who has served as vice president for a year under SGA President Alex Rodriguez, hopes to keep his title and keep on serving students. “I want to continue to ask the hard questions that the students aren’t comfortable to ask the administration. I am ready to play hardball and make sure everything gets taken care of in a positive way,” Allen said. “I know that things are difficult, but that perseverance always triumphs and I am definitely here for the long run.” Before relinquishing his position as SGA president in April, Rodriguez who is also set to graduate in August with a degree in business management, offers words of advice for the next SGA president. “SGA has been part of me since freshmen year when I joined the Student
In several news headlines, however, it has been reported recently that the study concluded that college was not challenging students. Ana Maria Rodriguez, associate vice president for undergraduate studies, said that that’s not the whole story and those numbers cannot be compared those at the University of Texas-Pan Ameerican, a primarily Hispanicserving institution. “Right now because of the mood of the country, there’s a push for accountability and to ask, ‘is college making a difference?’ especially in terms of the cost of college,” Rodriguez explained. “They’re looking for all kinds of things to hang their assertions on, and they take a study like this one without looking at all it entailed, without really looking at the limitations of the study…and they translate that into college isn’t doing what it should be doing.” The researchers used the CLA, which tests critical thinking, reasoning, and written communication skills, to measure the learning of 2,300 sophomores. Although the test is also given to random samples of UTPA freshmen and seniors, Rodriguez said the scores here cannot be compared to the ones in the SSRC study because its numbers are longitudinal – follows the same students from freshman to sophomore year – while UTPA tests different groups of students in their freshmen and senior years. It would be like comparing apples to oranges and not apples to apples. “That’s one of the flaws of
Government’s First Year Internship program. After 3 years of being involved in many organizations including SGA, I reached the highest level a student would love to hold as president of the student body, Rodriguez said. “It is a very loaded position where there are plenty of responsibilities coming your way every day. The next SGA president should never forget that he or she represent the student body. Time management is the key to balance out SGA work, academics, family, and other extracurricular activities that an SGA president faces throughout the year. I hope that the next SGA president gives the best of himself or herself into the position.” Still on the executive ballot, but not present at the meet and greet are presidential hopeful, Katherine Mendiola a graduate student who is pursuing her Masters of Public Administration and her Vice President running mate Lorena Garza, a senior at UTPA who is pursuing a degree in Political Science and Philosophy.
universities is not traceable to a specific source because there are multiple sources of funding,” Gonzalez said. “It is like dropping a glass of water into a pitcher and trying to identify the water that came from a particular glass.” Student Service Fees, however, can be traced to programs that received them, but some fund destinations might be on the chopping block. The University’s financial cutbacks are looming over the heads of SAAC members and those organizations waiting to see how much they will or will not get. “This will be a hard year, I’m not going to lie,” Broshears said. “We have to cut 15 to 20 percent, which is a big chunk of change. I can’t think of one area where I can say they are totally funded at the level they need to be funded.” Historically, “direct-line” type programs, ones in which a student can directly see his or her benefit (such as tutoring at the LAC or events put on by the University Program Board) rarely sees cuts, Broshears
The committee will begin said. But there is still much debate among the committee members on how deliberations by mid March, and the cuts will be handled this time. Most the process includes meeting with proposed budgets from organizations account managers of organizations, usually a faculty relying on Student or staff member, Service Fees were and discussing due to the SAAC “ This will be a hard year, any concerns, last month and the questions, and decisions will be Iʼm not going to lie. We justifications for rendered later in funding. the spring. have to cut 15 to 20 “Once we Rodriguez percent which is a big admits that it’s hard begin, deliberations to expect only five can range anywhere chunk of chane. I canʼt people to accurately form eight to 10 represent the entire hours,” said student think of one area where student body even Shaney Flores, I can say they are totally though all the veteran committee members are active member. funded. ” student leaders, but However, the adds that surveys committee is only not done by SAAC a recommendation in more than a group, he Jeanette Broshears continued. decade, according All Associate dean of students to Broshears submissions are would be a good then turned over place to start in to the President’s ensuring that the student community Office for ultimate approval. has made its preferences felt.
February 24, 2011
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THE PAN AMERICAN
Page 6
February 24, 2011
It’s Game Time F
e
s e m a G
Ho
m
ive games and five wins –that’s the way the 2011 season began for the UTPA baseball program. But as the team rejoices after first-weekend success, players and coaching staff also reflect on what’s needed to maintain the momentum, build on it, and get closer to accomplishing long-term goals.
2/18 2/19 2/10 2/20 2/22 3/8 3/11 3/12 4/8 4/9 4/10 4/15 4/16 4/17 4/26 5/6 5/7 5/8
Illinois-Chicago Saint Louis University Illinois-Chicago Saint Louis UT-Brownsville Texas A&M CC Centenary Centenary Chicago State Chicago State Chicago State NJIT NJIT NJIT UT-Brownsville Utah Valley Utah Valley Utah Valley
Photos by Norma Gonzalez and Alma E. Hernandez • Design by Jennifer Tate
W 5-4 W 5-4 W 9-1 W 5-0 W 4-3 3 p.m. 6 p.m. 1 p.m. 6 p.m. 1 p.m. Noon 6 p.m. 1 p.m. Noon 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 1 p.m. Noon
February 24, 2011
By Sara Hernandez The Pan American
UTPA hosted the 9th annual Al Ogletree Classic and faced the University of Illinois ChicagoFlames and the Saint Louis University Billikens. The Broncs defeated each team twice throughout the three days of activity at Edinburg Baseball Stadium and then went on to defeat UT-Brownsville 4-3 Tuesday night. “I thought we played very well, especially for the first weekend, we played very high on intensity… it’s the first time I’ve seen that since I’ve been here,” said catcher Mike McCarthy, junior from Wallingford, Conn., who transferred from the University of Vermont last year. Third-year head coach Manny Mantrana mentioned that although the coaching staff is confident that this year’s team is better than last season’s squad, he admitted that he did not expect to start off the seasons winning all four games. “We knew coming into the season that we were a much better team. We were really improved from last season,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised but if we had gotten 2-2 or 3-1, I would’ve been okay with that because it’s early. We’re still trying to figure things out.” Illinois/Chicago has been to the regionals in postseason four out the six last campaigns and St. Louis made it to regionals last year. BLENDING TOGETHER As Mantrana explained, having many new members requires adaptation from both newcomers and returners, but he also pointed out that team chemistry has evolved during preseason. The Broncs brought in 15 new players for the 2011 recruiting class. According to freshman Colton Van Komen of West Jordan, Utah, the adaptation process has been facilitated for newcomers by team members. “The first month and a half of the fall semester was really hard; it was my first time being away from home, but my teammates down here they kind of meshed like brothers and they made it a lot easier,” he said. McCarthy added that upperclassmen like him try to lead by example, showing –rather than telling – the most effective way to achieve success. “We want to show them the way that we want the team to be run and work hard,” he said. According to Van Komen, who scored three runs during the weekend, older players have accomplished this so far. “The upperclassmen are not so much of vocal leaders, they are more like, ‘follow me… this is how this should be done, do it and we’re going to suc-
THE PAN AMERICAN
ceed,’” he said. “That’s how they’ve done it, they’ve led by their actions and words aren’t a really big issue here in the program. They just let their work and their example speak for them.” MAKING IT BIG Despite winning the opening games, Mantrana clarified that he has already spoken to the players to make sure they remain focused on things the team needs to improve on in order to meet season expectations. “We made some mental mistakes defensively… we made some mental mistakes on the bases, and even with the pitchers, even though they threw well we gave up too many walks and we have to cut that down,” Mantrana said. “So it’s just about improving and these four games showed it. We have a lot of improving to do.” Friday, the Broncs defeated Illinois-Chicago 5-4; Saturday, they won over Saint Louis with the same score and later defeated both teams Sunday 9-1 and 5-0, respectively. Some personal standouts were Stuart McInnes, who had six hits and scored four times, plus Roger Bernal and Angel Ibanez, stroked five hits and four runs each. Pitcher Michael Zouzalik pitched eight innings in the last game, allowing five hits and no runs. The Broncs look to accomplish great things this season and build a stable foundation for seasons to come, but understand that these goals will only be met if they focus on improving every day. The team wants to improve last year’s 22-33 record and win the Great West Conference Championship that will kick off May 24. “We want to win more games; we want to become one of those bigger schools, powerhouse in the future, but right now we’re just building up to that,” McCarthy said. “We just need to keep getting better as the season goes on, like our coach says, ‘you can’t be the same in game five as your are in game 20.’ We always want to get better, so by the conference tournament we’re playing the best we can.” Van Komen, who hit his first home run as a Bronc Sunday against Saint Louis, said that after starting on the right foot, the guys want to work hard and stay focused; he’s confident that the team will exceed expectations. “I feel like we’re going to win the games we’re supposed to, and win a few games that we’re not supposed to win, so I’m looking very optimistic about the season,” he concluded. Texas A&M will be the next challenge for the UTPA baseball program. The team will travel to College Station March 1 for two games against the Aggies.
Go to PANAMERICANONLINE.COM for a photo gallery of the Al Ogletree Classic
Page 7
THE PAN AMERICAN
Page 6
February 24, 2011
It’s Game Time F
e
s e m a G
Ho
m
ive games and five wins –that’s the way the 2011 season began for the UTPA baseball program. But as the team rejoices after first-weekend success, players and coaching staff also reflect on what’s needed to maintain the momentum, build on it, and get closer to accomplishing long-term goals.
2/18 2/19 2/10 2/20 2/22 3/8 3/11 3/12 4/8 4/9 4/10 4/15 4/16 4/17 4/26 5/6 5/7 5/8
Illinois-Chicago Saint Louis University Illinois-Chicago Saint Louis UT-Brownsville Texas A&M CC Centenary Centenary Chicago State Chicago State Chicago State NJIT NJIT NJIT UT-Brownsville Utah Valley Utah Valley Utah Valley
Photos by Norma Gonzalez and Alma E. Hernandez • Design by Jennifer Tate
W 5-4 W 5-4 W 9-1 W 5-0 W 4-3 3 p.m. 6 p.m. 1 p.m. 6 p.m. 1 p.m. Noon 6 p.m. 1 p.m. Noon 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 1 p.m. Noon
February 24, 2011
By Sara Hernandez The Pan American
UTPA hosted the 9th annual Al Ogletree Classic and faced the University of Illinois ChicagoFlames and the Saint Louis University Billikens. The Broncs defeated each team twice throughout the three days of activity at Edinburg Baseball Stadium and then went on to defeat UT-Brownsville 4-3 Tuesday night. “I thought we played very well, especially for the first weekend, we played very high on intensity… it’s the first time I’ve seen that since I’ve been here,” said catcher Mike McCarthy, junior from Wallingford, Conn., who transferred from the University of Vermont last year. Third-year head coach Manny Mantrana mentioned that although the coaching staff is confident that this year’s team is better than last season’s squad, he admitted that he did not expect to start off the seasons winning all four games. “We knew coming into the season that we were a much better team. We were really improved from last season,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised but if we had gotten 2-2 or 3-1, I would’ve been okay with that because it’s early. We’re still trying to figure things out.” Illinois/Chicago has been to the regionals in postseason four out the six last campaigns and St. Louis made it to regionals last year. BLENDING TOGETHER As Mantrana explained, having many new members requires adaptation from both newcomers and returners, but he also pointed out that team chemistry has evolved during preseason. The Broncs brought in 15 new players for the 2011 recruiting class. According to freshman Colton Van Komen of West Jordan, Utah, the adaptation process has been facilitated for newcomers by team members. “The first month and a half of the fall semester was really hard; it was my first time being away from home, but my teammates down here they kind of meshed like brothers and they made it a lot easier,” he said. McCarthy added that upperclassmen like him try to lead by example, showing –rather than telling – the most effective way to achieve success. “We want to show them the way that we want the team to be run and work hard,” he said. According to Van Komen, who scored three runs during the weekend, older players have accomplished this so far. “The upperclassmen are not so much of vocal leaders, they are more like, ‘follow me… this is how this should be done, do it and we’re going to suc-
THE PAN AMERICAN
ceed,’” he said. “That’s how they’ve done it, they’ve led by their actions and words aren’t a really big issue here in the program. They just let their work and their example speak for them.” MAKING IT BIG Despite winning the opening games, Mantrana clarified that he has already spoken to the players to make sure they remain focused on things the team needs to improve on in order to meet season expectations. “We made some mental mistakes defensively… we made some mental mistakes on the bases, and even with the pitchers, even though they threw well we gave up too many walks and we have to cut that down,” Mantrana said. “So it’s just about improving and these four games showed it. We have a lot of improving to do.” Friday, the Broncs defeated Illinois-Chicago 5-4; Saturday, they won over Saint Louis with the same score and later defeated both teams Sunday 9-1 and 5-0, respectively. Some personal standouts were Stuart McInnes, who had six hits and scored four times, plus Roger Bernal and Angel Ibanez, stroked five hits and four runs each. Pitcher Michael Zouzalik pitched eight innings in the last game, allowing five hits and no runs. The Broncs look to accomplish great things this season and build a stable foundation for seasons to come, but understand that these goals will only be met if they focus on improving every day. The team wants to improve last year’s 22-33 record and win the Great West Conference Championship that will kick off May 24. “We want to win more games; we want to become one of those bigger schools, powerhouse in the future, but right now we’re just building up to that,” McCarthy said. “We just need to keep getting better as the season goes on, like our coach says, ‘you can’t be the same in game five as your are in game 20.’ We always want to get better, so by the conference tournament we’re playing the best we can.” Van Komen, who hit his first home run as a Bronc Sunday against Saint Louis, said that after starting on the right foot, the guys want to work hard and stay focused; he’s confident that the team will exceed expectations. “I feel like we’re going to win the games we’re supposed to, and win a few games that we’re not supposed to win, so I’m looking very optimistic about the season,” he concluded. Texas A&M will be the next challenge for the UTPA baseball program. The team will travel to College Station March 1 for two games against the Aggies.
Go to PANAMERICANONLINE.COM for a photo gallery of the Al Ogletree Classic
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February 24, 2011
DRIVEN TO FRUGALITY
Rising gas prices leave students pinching pennies to make long commute By Yngrid Fuentes The Pan American
Like ranting about “American Idol” on Facebook after the show? Don’t like having to call in your votes? If so, life just got better. When the Simon Cowell-hosted “X-Factor” hits America, users may be able to vote using Facebook.
Think of how many movies we wouldn’t have if it weren’t for multiple personalities disorder. Julianne Moore’s new film “Shelter,” follows a psychologist who discovers all of her patient’s multiple personalities are murder victims. The film hits theaters Friday.
When one lives 35 miles away from school, and approximately four miles away from work, it’s hard not to shiver at the sight of gas prices that have been on the rise since January. Carlos Juarez, a 24-year-old parttime student at the University, resents the increase every time he buys gas for the commute to school or work. While $15 a day used to be more than enough to get to school and back home, now it’s more. “I live like around 35 miles away from school and just coming (to school) I spend around 20 bucks every day I come,” Juarez said. “Because, I live in La Feria, I drive all the way from there to over here and then back…so I spend those 20 bucks pretty much right there, because once I get here I stop by somewhere to eat something and stuff like that.”
To commemorate the role of social media in assisting the Egyptian uprising, a man from the country has named his newborn daughter after the most popular of the sites. A “20-something” man named his daughter ‘Facebook’ Jamal Ibrahim.
“If you put 20 dollars in your car it will only go halfway. I live in Mission, between Mission and Palmview. It’s more than probably 30 dollars half a week, but its lower since we help each other out. “You have to think about going out, think about, is it worth it? Or should I spend the money on something else?” Vacation trips are being also reevaluated. Juarez explained that as a consequence of gas prices he is reconsidering going to South Padre Island for Spring Break. “It sucks because I don’t have money to go anywhere like far, like for example to the island and things like that, we think about it twice because the gas is so expensive we can’t really afford to spend that much money,” Juarez said. “We don’t really want to drive that much because of gas prices. Before we used to travel with each person in their car towards somewhere, now we all go in one car to save gas.”
Local zine reborn after four-year hiatus By Lupe A. Flores The Pan American
This may or may not be the death of chillwave. Chaz Bundick, the brain behind Toro y Moi, has begun exploring new sounds on his album “Underneath the Pine” which was released Tuesday. He will be performing at MPM fest in Pharr March 15.
According to a recent article in The Monitor, gas prices rose 3.5 percent in January along with the Consumer Price Index, which went up 0.4 last month. Recent unrest in the Middle East has only made the problem more acute. Given the headlines from Egypt, Bahrain and other oil-producing states, predicting the price game is still not an exact science. A recent article in Forbes reported that prognosticators expect gas prices to top $4 per gallon by the summer, after they reached a national average of $3.12 last month. On the other hand, according to gasbuddy.com, a Web site that keeps track of fuel rates around the country, in Texas the price will remain steady with an average of $2.90. Locally, students are revisiting a recurring problem. “I live like about 15 to 20 minutes from here and one day, going back and forth I probably wasted maybe one-
eighth of my gas,” said Sandra Del Rio, 21, math junior at UTPA. “I decided to move in with my cousin who lives down the street from school, and whatever I wasted on one day I wasted on a week.” The increase in gas prices not only affects students as a means to get to school, it also disturbs social life and trips, where going to a club or to a friend’s house might require some financial planning. “I’ve been budgeting my time with my friends as well, because it’s hard to get around in this days, especially with three dollars, that’s a lot.” Del Rio said. To decrease expenses, some students carpool to share the every day expenditure of gas. “That’ s one of the reasons why we carpool each other, like my friend does one week and then the next week it’s me,” explained Melissa Anzaldua, 19, nursing major at UTPA.
For centuries in different times and spaces, human beings have used writing as an outlet for self-expression. More recently, the Web has revolutionized traditional media and communication around the world; the Rio Grande Valley is no exception. Ouch, My Ego!, a local magazine first brought to fruition in 2004 by junior computer science major George Dean, will be re-released and available to the public in early March. What’s especially exciting this time, said Dean, is that there is now a Web site to complement the magazine’s initial purpose: to serve as a medium for local talent to express itself. “The quality of product will far supersede what it was before… and the online content will be two-pronged,” said Dean, a McAllen native. “On the blog we will feature locally relevant news and artists, musicians and writers. The second purpose of the site is to act as a hub for local initiatives, volunteer efforts, events and other things our audience wants to know about.” Dean added that events slated to supplement the magazine’s ongoing publication, every six weeks, will consist of arts shows, local concerts and craft vendor markets that will help raise “public awareness of this culture.” Dean’s definition of culture deals
heavily with the local music scene. The first self-produced attempts to document the RGV’s punk and indie influences seven years ago were shortlived – only lasting four issues with no regularity of release. But now Dean has a staff of 12 members to help with the workload. And, according to him, all of them have some history with and interest in local music and art. Creative Director Andrielle Figueroa is a staff member helping Dean with his project. She thinks OME’s objective is a positive one. “It’s a wonderful idea, linking so many people who have an interest in art, film and music,” said Figueroa, who has known Dean for seven years. “The interest has always been here, but now people have access to not only their likes, but the ideas of people across the Valley.” The UTPA alum, who was Arts and Life section editor for The Pan American while in school, will in charge of generating content for the magazine, something she finds exciting. She always feels fortunate to be a part of the effort. “You never know, this could be the beginning of something huge,” she said. But Dean emphasized that he and his staff aren’t the only ones that will be part of the magazine. Ouch, My Ego! has retained its open submissions category, so published works, just as in the past, will be by people involved in their events.
“Before, [the magazine] included poetry, artwork, comics, editorials, photography and other musings from my direct audience that would attend my shows. It was a big hit!” he said. Unfortunately, in 2006, the project came to an end. Dean took a sabbatical and settled in Illinois. He decided to return four years later and began laying the foundation for the magazine once again. “In January, I put together a team of friends with various talents to make OME alive and bigger than it ever was before,” he said. “We are from all over the Valley: Brownsville, Harlingen, Weslaco and from the Mission/ McAllen/Edinburg areas, and we all have our specialties.” What may make the magazine a hit again, Dean and his staff hope, is the open submissions category, which encourages local artists to reveal their talent and share it with others. “I don’t consider OME to be merely a local publication,” Dean said. “It’s more: The purpose of the OME project is to promote, foster awareness of and become a medium for local music, art, writing and culture.” A release party is schedule for the weekend of March 4 at an undecided location, but Dean said it could take place at Ambrosia Coffee House. Visit OME’s website at www. ouchmyego.com on Facebook at facebook.com/ouchmyego.
ARTISTS, WRITERS AND MUSICIANS: Ouch, My Ego! is a South Texas arts and culture magazine focused on providing a media platform for local creative expression. Send in artwork, photos, written pieces and even recipes. For more information or to make submissions, check out the links below.
February 24, 2011
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24 de febrero del 2011
Chicanos: más que un grupo étnico de EEUU STC presentará la conferencia de NACCS que promete inmersión en cultura mexico-americana.
Por Karen Velázquez The Pan American Por ser una institución conformada por una población estudiantil latina de un 95 %, el Colegio del Sur de Texas será por segunda ocasión desde el 2008, anfitrión de la Conferencia Regional de Texas de la Asociación Nacional de Estudios Chicanos, (NACCS) por sus siglas en inglés, del 24 al 26 de febrero. De acuerdo a Victor Gómez, asesor del programa de estudios mexicoamericanos y de la organización estudiantil de NACCS en STC, es de vital importancia que estudiantes, la comunidad, y el personal docente y administrativo estén al tanto de las últimas investigaciones en estudios chicanos ya que les brindará una visión más amplia sobre su historia y su cultura. “Es importante que todos entendamos que los mexico-americanos no son sólo un grupo étnico creciente en los Estados Unidos, sino también un grupo que ha hecho significantes contribuciones a la formación de éste país y su identidad”, comentó Gómez. A pesar de que el sur de Texas está formado en su mayoría por descendientes de mexicanos, pocos están familiarizados con las contribuciones de chicanas/os en la lucha por los Derechos Civiles en la unión americana. Según Gómez, en lo que concierne a éste tema, la comunidad afro-americana es mayormente reconocida. Sin embargo, cabe destacar que la lucha por los Derechos Civiles en Texas comenzó en los años 20s y 30s con veteranos de la Liga Unida de Ciudadanos Latinoamericanos Unidos, (LULAC) por sus siglas en inglés, además de veteranos de la Segunda Guerra Mundial en la búsqueda de los derechos para la comunidad chicana. NACCS es una organización académica dedicada al servicio de los departamentos y centros de investigación, al igual que de los programas académicos centrados en cuestiones orientadas a la comunidad mexicano-americana. La asociación fue formada en el año de1972, cuando el movimiento chicano se encontraba en su mero apogeo. La iniciativa surgió después de una
junta entre la Asociación de Ciencias Sociales del Suroeste con profesores y estudiantes chicanos activistas de las Asociaciónes Americanas de Sociología, Antropología, y Ciencias Políticas en la ciudad de San Antonio, Texas. Durante la reunión se discutió la inminente necesidad de la existencia de una asociación nacional de activistas académicos de descendencia latina. Se realizó un llamado para el desarrollo de un espacio en el que estudiantes chicanos pudieran obtener becas y desarrollar sus habilidades y talentos en un nivel de educación superior. De acuerdo al sitio oficial de la asociación, por más de 30 años, miembros del cuerpo estudiantil, profesores, personal administrativo y miembros de la comunidad en general
“ Es
importante que todos entendamos que los mexico-americanos no son sólo un grupo étnico creciente en los Estados Unidos, sino también un grupo que ha hecho significantes contribuciones a la formación de éste país y su identidad” .
Víctor Gómez
Asesor de NACCS en STC
han presenciado y participado en la conferencia de NACCS, presentando sus propuestas mediante trabajos académicos, los cuales en su mayoría se han convertido en importantes pilares intelectuales. El panel de bienvenida comenzará con el documental titulado “The Longoria Affair” con John Valadez, director y productor, quien comentará el filme y dirigirá una mesa redonda con la participación de Sara Posas y Wanda García. Posas es media hermana de Félix Longoria, soldado caído durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, cuyas familias fueron negadas de la entarada al funeral
de Three River por el hecho de ser mexico-americanos, y porque en palabras del director del funeral, “a los blancos no les gustaría”. “Posas fue una de las fuerzas motrices que se aseguraron de que las personas se enteraran de la injusticia”, dijo Gómez”. “Ella fue quien impulsó a Hector P. García a unirse a la lucha al informarle de la injusticia sufrida”. Éste en conjunto con su hija Wanda García y la historiadora Marianne Bueno, de la Universidad del Norte de Texas, hablarán sobre el papel de la mujer en el caso Longoria. El 25 de febrero se ofrecerá un panel en el Centro de Convenciones de la ciudad de McAllen a patir de las 19:00 horas. La conferencia estará enfocada a los últimos 40 años de activismo chicano y será dirigida por Vicki L. Ruiz, principal autoridad en la historia Chicana como disciplina. Gómez comentó que desde la conferencia ofrecida en 2008 ha habido grandes cambios en la comunidad estudiantil de STC. Éstos se vieron muy interesados en aprender más sobre la cultura mexico-americana, además de aprovechar la red de oportunidades que fueron establecidas ese año. Inclusive, muchos de ellos impulsaron a la creación del grupo estudiantil de NACCS, el cuál es el primero en la nación. Éste año se ofrecerá una conferencia multidisciplinaria con más de 200 presentadores y más de 68 paneles sobre lo último en investigaciones de los estudios chicanos. Además, habrá una firma de libros con más de 30 autores reconocidos dentro de ésta área de estudio. El evento cultural nocturno contará con el galardonado grupo Huehuetl, quienes se distinguen por tocar al estilo pre-colombino, al igual que por la utilización de instrumentos de las civilizaciones indígenas de México. En busca del reconocimiento y valoración de una comunidad vital en Estados Unidos, las instalaciones de STC estarán disponibles para el público a partir de las 18:00 horas presentando el panel de bienvenida el próximo 24 de febrero, esperando superar los 700 asistentes del año 2008. “Espero que puedan ayudarnos con su participación para formar una comunidad unida durante éste evento”, dijo Gómez. “Aquellos que asistan no sólo aprenderán sobre la cultura chicana, sino que también tendrán la oportunidad de conocer la educación, arte, historia. idioma y discursos políticos de mexico-americanos”. Para más información contactar STC al 872-8311.
Lo que no te puedes perder de NACCS: Jueves 24 de febrero 18:00 horas
Documental “The Longoria Affair: mujeres detrás del inicio de los Derechos Civiles mexico-americanos”.
Viernes 25 de febrero 13:45 horas
Teatro Chicana: Una memoria colectiva y obras seleccionadas.
15:00 horas
Recuperando el Pasado: Reflexiones Personales y Desafíos que compartir los Días de Chicana/o Yore.
19:00 horas
“De Diosa a Hembra to Chicana: Celebrando los últimos 40 años de Activismo Chicana”.
Sábado 26 de febrero 10:30 horas
La Universidad de Texas de San Antonio apoya al DREAM Act: Una Experiencia Compartida sobre Activismo Social para un Cambio Social.
12:00 horas
Celebrando los últimos 40 añosde Activismo de la Familia Orozco
14:00 horas
“Si puedo tomar su mano otra vez: Reflexion Académica sobre Activismo Chicana”.
February 24, 2011
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It’s on the house UTPA basketball programs face NJIT as part of homecoming festivities.
By Dionicio Rodriguez The Pan American
Alma E. Hernandez/THE PAN AMERICAN
GO GET IT - Junior Erin Lewis dribbles past an NJIT defender in UTPA’s win 73-52 over the Highlanders Saturday. The guard from Grand Prairie, scored 14 points that afternoon.
It was Homecoming Night, the Field House lights were bright and the Broncs were full of fight with a healthy home crowd for a change. New Jersey Institute of Technology rolled into a hostile environment on Saturday, and it was not able to adjust for the first game. The women (3-7 Great West Conference, 11-17 overall) came out swinging and took an early lead against the Highlanders. The lead was shared for most of the first half between both squads until a basket from Erin Lewis, junior guard from Grand Prairie, gave the Broncs the advantage for good, leading to an eventual 73-52. “The main thing that kept us going was playing together as a team,” Ce’Monay Newell, guard from Chicago, said. “Not being selfish and playing for each other was also a big key.” Newell referenced when the two teams met in New Jersey where the Highlanders (3-5, 7-16) got the best of the ladies on their home court, eking out a narrow eight-point victory against the Broncs. Four players had double figures for the Broncs in the rematch, including Bianca Torre, guard from Harlingen, who led all scorers with 20 points. Lewis added 14 of her own points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field, and Adanna
Opara, junior forward, pitched in with 12 points. Newell was the fourth player recording 10 points. “Having a crowd at home is always a plus, and that really helped us,” Torre admitted about the increase in attendance Saturday. “Homecoming is about the university and the unity, so we are thankful to everyone who came out and supported.” If the UTPA Field House was buzzing for the women’s game, it was absolutely frantic for the men’s game that followed. The men (1-9, 4-23) had also lost the previous battle against the Highlanders (7-1, 13-12) back in January, and were looking to avenge that loss with a performance as strong as the crowd that night. The Broncs took a 10-point lead at the half, and actually extended that lead to 15 (40-25) at the start of the second half continuing their momentum, but it wouldn’t last long. “Everything reversed,” said senior forward Matt Mierzycki, in disbelief. “We stopped making buckets, and they found a way to chip away at our lead.” At one point, the Highlanders recorded a 21-5 run during a stretch of seven minuets, taking their first lead, 49-48, with six minuets left in regulation. It was a back-and-forth battle from that point on that had the home crowd cheering, yelling and sometimes booing the officials. With 13 seconds left in
regulation and facing a two-point deficit, the Broncs inbounded from their backcourt, made a few quick passes to break the press, and saw Chicago native Julius Hearn elevate from about eight feet behind the three-point line for what would have been the game-winning basket. The shot ended up being an air ball, or a perfect pass if you let Hearn tell it, that landed in the hands of Mierzycki, who was not boxed out by the defense. With less than a second left, Mierzycki swiftly rose up and was fouled in the act of shooting. After he sank two clutch free throws the game went into overtime. The lead exchanged hands four times during the extra session, and the game saw yet another tie with 13 seconds to go with the Highlanders controlling the possession. The Broncs played 12 seconds of great defense forcing the Highlanders to a bad shot that barely grazed the backboard. But much like the end of regulation, the Broncs this time were guilty of not boxing out, allowing a Highlander guard to clean up the board and put in the game-winning basket through the goal just as time expired. The referee affirmed that it was a basket, and it was goodnight for the Broncs. It was a heartbreaker in front of a good home crowd (888 to be exact). The women will take home court again against South Dakota at 5:30 p.m. March 3, while the men will battle Feb. 26, against the University of St. Thomas at 7:30 p.m.
Go to P AN A MER ICAN O NLINE . COM for men’s and women’s basketball photo galleries.
Wind blows men’s golf to eight-place finish at SPI
Broncs struggle at Eddie Lucio Invite, Kirakossian makes top 10. By Sara Hernandez The Pan American This weekend was the warmest so far in the Rio Grande Valley in 2011; the sun came out, the temperature rose and it felt very much like a warm spring day. But with better conditions came the wind, making it harder for the UTPA men’s golf team to perform at the 12th annual Eddie Lucio Invitational at the South Padre Island Golf Club. The team finished eight of eleven teams. “I can’t say that I’m very happy, or that this was our best performance,” said UTPA golf director Ofelia Lopez. “It’s not the way I wanted to open up the spring season; however it was a test on what we need to work on and what we need to do in order to get ready to be able
to finish the spring strong.” The tournament, which took place Sunday and Monday, consisted of two rounds of 18 holes each. UTPA finished with 672 strokes (338, 334). The winner of the competition was Texas Wesleyan University with 628 hits. Although Lopez admits that playing with winds of around 40 mph gives extra complexity to the game because it becomes harder to control ball play, she also said that conditions are similar for every competitor, so this is not an excuse for the poor performance of the team. “It was hard conditions, it was a hard golf course, it was playing extra tough,” she said. “But we can’t make excuses and there were people that obviously played better than we did and we just have to remember we have to be prepared for the unexpected.”
The highlight of the day, however, understand that they need to perform was the participation of Kevin Kirakos- and stay mentally tough through any sian from Tualatin, Ore. The sopho- situation. “We are looking forward to having more improved 11 strokes from the first to the second round and finished the better tournaments in the future, that was not one of our tournament hitting better ones,” he rounds of 85 and admitted. “Defi74, for a final score nitely, it’s a learnof 159 and a tied “ We canʼt make excuses ing experience for eight place finish. a lot of the guys in “He understood and there were people that the team…hopewhat it took… it obviously played better than fully I got better. I took patience. It we did.” think we’re going took forgetting to work on getting about the wind and more positive and being cognitive of standing in our what he needed zone more regardto do and how to play,” Lopez said. Ofelia Lopez less of the conditions.” Kirakossian Golf director Junior Santiago mentioned that, Bueno from Veralike his teammates, cruz, Mexico was he did not step the second finisher on the course full of confidence but that this weekend’s for the Broncs tied in 29th with a score struggles will certainly help the team of 168. Both A.J. Gonzalez from Ed-
couch and Walker Barrett from Jackson, Missouri, finished tied in 45th and Jaboney Rodriguez stroke 180 to end up tied in 50th. Although the Broncs look to improve and finish the 2011 season on a high note, Lopez said the team understands that in order to reclaim the PGA Minority Championship and the America Sky Conference Tournament that were earned last year, the players need to concentrate on their mental game and try to have good performances in the two remaining tournaments before the conference championship. “Right now we’re talking the talk but we also need to walk the walk,” she stressed. “Last year was last year and we’ve moved forward. We need to concentrate on right now and finish spring strong and bring back the championships that we want to bring home.” The Broncs will have more than one month of preparation before they travel to Nashville to play at Tennessee State April 4 and 5.
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February 24, 2011
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