Valley Food
RGV’s culinary tastes more than a blend of North and South Online
picante
cheetos
March 21, 2013
Volume 69, No. 22
continued on page 7
hoops coaches’ contracts not renewed ONLINE CONTENT
panamericanonline.com
FESTIBA at UTPA Stories
By Norma Gonzalez The Pan American Former women’s basketball head coach Denny Downing was in Hutchinson, Kan., for the NJCAA national basketball tournament when he received a text message Saturday from Athletic Director Chris King. It asked the coach to return to campus for a meeting regarding the just completed season and the future of the program. Downing said he felt un-
easy because he believes a coach shouldn’t leave the road during recruiting season. Come 8 a.m. Monday, Downing arrived at King’s office. King told him there was no easy way to do this, and handed him an envelope. The news inside was that Downing’s contract was not being renewed. After four years as women’s coach, he was out, and so was men’s coach Ryan Marks. Downing was very unhappy with the decision, taken a week after the Broncs finished a 12-
16 campaign with a semifinal loss to Chicago State University in their final Great West Conference tournament. “He said, ‘There’s no easy way to do this,’ but yes there is, just be a stand-up guy,” Downing said of the meeting with the Pan Am AD. King held a press conference March 18 to address his decision to not renew the contracts. “I want to wish both Coach Marks and Coach Downing the best wishes. I want to thank them for their efforts the past
four years, as well as their assistant coaches,” King said. “Their hard work and dedication is appreciated, but at this time I felt as if after the Great West basketball conference championships it was time for a little interruption, pertaining to leadership...and move in a different direction in both basketball programs.” The meeting Monday morning had been short and to the point. According to King, now is the best time to make the transi-
tion as the University moves to the more prestigious Western Athletic Conference July 1. The athletic director had the full support of the president, it appears. “It’s was a very hard decision to make,” University President Robert Nelsen said about King’s decision. “I admire the coaches and what they have done and I have respect for King.” Marks waited outside of the press conference Monday afternoon to give his thoughts on the situation.
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SGA PRESIDENT RESULTS EMERGE AMONG TALK OF RECOUNT
2
opinion
March 21, 2013
why the bmi is harmful bs
#UTPA Tweet at and follow us @ThePanAmerican
Poor pigeons, ever since they covered the ceilings outside they panic when they see they’ve lost their homes :’( #utpa #supersadtweet - @oKarla
Measure of obesity has little to do with health, feeds false paranoia Karen Antonacci
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Panic! Last March, the McAllenEdinburg metro area was deemed the most obese, comprised of almost - @__juanlopez 40 percent fatties, apparently, according to the Gallup-Healthways Where in the world is the poll. That same poll is referenced in LERC building on cam- Jose S. De Leon III’s article on Valley pus??? I’m going to have 2 classes there and I have food on pages 4 and 5 of this issue. Problem is, the buzzword of the no idea where its located! decade, obesity, is not just bad sci:/ #UTPA - @ellems ence, it’s not medical science at all. A person is classified as obese based off the Body Mass Index; that to the slanty rainbow chart in the docEditor tor’s office that compares a person’s height and weight. The Pan American And that formula, the BMI, was accepts letters of 300 words or less from stu- carefully calculated and tested on dents, staff and faculty several different body types by scienregarding recent newspaper content, campus concerns or current events. We cannot publish anonymous letters or submissions containing hate speech or gratuitous personal attacks.
I seriously hate when vehicles drive through the walkway! #UTPA
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Vol. 69, No. 22
The Pan American
thepanamerican@gmail.com 1201 West University, ARHU 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539 Phone: (956) 665-2541 Fax: (956) 316-7122
Editors-in-Chief:
Karen Antonacci Daniella Diaz
News Editor:
Charles Vale
Sports Editor:
Norma Gonzalez
Arts & Life Editor:
Lea Victoria Juarez
Photography Editor: Adrian Castillo
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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.
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tists and dieticians with many titles following their names, right? No. BMI’s maiden name is the Quetelet Index, after Belgian mathematician and sociologist Adolphe Quetelet. Right, mathematician, not physician. What’s more, it dates to 1835, and accompanied Quetelet’s theory on the “average man”, which obviously is very useful for speculat-
assess individual health. And... the United States uses BMI to assess health, and even worse, an individual’s health. The BMI chart breaks people down into four basic groups: underweight, normal, overweight and obese. And to Quetelet’s credit, his wonky formula comparing two picked-at-random human traights
It’s time to start thinking of medical health as involving the whole person, and not just their waists. ing on general populations. Not so much for the lone patient in a doctor’s office, though. In fact, Quetelet did leave the world a bit of guidance on how to use his formula. Specifically, he mentioned a small caveat - don’t use it to
actually does work, most of the time. That is, square a person’s height and compare it to weight and you will, in most cases, be able to tell how much adipose tissue they’re carrying around. But not always. Classified as
overweight by the BMI are both basketballer Yao Ming and soccer player Abby Wambach. And that’s the problem, the BMI’s logic is faulty. See, a person with a high percentage of fat will have a high BMI, but a person with a high BMI does not necessarily have a high percentage of fat. It’s the old square and rectangle riddle. So, yeah it’s misleading, but how is it harmful? For starters, in the 1970’s, health insurance companies cast about for a way to determine health and longetivity using easy to gather data about people. They landed on the 100-year-old, bumbling BMI as the standard. As a result, a higher BMI will now net a higher premium, at least 25 percent more expensive, generally. Remember when the BMI was never supposed to be used for individuals? Yeah.
Even worse, much of the country thinks that makes sense, because using the BMI to calculate general health leads to an even more dangerous assumption: that health is totally dependent on weight. It isn’t and it never has been. Sure, the amount of fat in a body definitely has some relation to overall health, but it is far from the only factor. Additionally, Quetelet’s notion of the “average man” is useful in his fields of mathematics and sociology, but very harmful in medicine. There is no magic ratio of height and weight that makes a body healthy. Saying that there is and that healthy and unhealthy can be separated for everyone by decimal points on a multicolored chart is beyond ridiculous. As long as the Valley and the country as a whole continue to be distracted by its “obesity epidemic,” the real issue of health will get lost in the mess. It’s time to start thinking of medical health as involving the whole person, and not just their waists.
arts & life
Roar by a new shore
BikeFest moves from SPI to Corpus Christi after 19 years By May Ortega The Pan American While preparations for BikeFest 2013 begin in Corpus Christi, businesses and locals at South Padre Island say they will miss the roar of thousands of motorcycles in the fall. Every October for the past 19 years, more than 10,000 bikers from around the country have attended SPI’s annual three-day festival where they could meet fellow bikers, find new gear for their bikes, and ride down Padre Boulevard in one giant rally. For its 20th anniversary, the newly dubbed Budweiser Corpus Christi BikeFest, formerly known as the SPI BikeFest, will be held at Corpus Christi for the first time. The move was made because there was no longer enough space at SPI for the event, according to a press release on the BikeFest website. BikeFest organizer G.J. Reyna said that moving from the traditional location to a new one was not an easy decision. After debating whether to hold the festival at places like the Mercedes Livestock Showgrounds, the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, and various other locations throughout the Valley, Corpus was the final choice. “(Corpus offers) more room, more bands, more venues, more
restaurants and bars and the opportunity to make our rally bigger and better than ever,” Reyna said. The organizers of the event are looking forward to the festival Oct. 11-13, but some residents and businesses at SPI aren’t singing the same tune. According to an article by Fox News, SPI is known across the country for being a popular spring break destination for college students. Last year, the Island raked in nearly $275,000 in sales tax revenue according to online news source The Coastal Current. Since fall tends to be a slower time of the year for the Island due to cooler weather, BikeFest usually helped pick up the pace of things. Without the festival, many businesses worry about what will happen to SPI’s economy. “It increases our regular earnings by 60 to 80 percent, depending on the weather the weekend of the fest,” said Aldo Vargas, the manager of a bar and grill named Big Boy’s. Vargas said things will definitely be different without the visitors the festival attracted. “When there’s bad weather, we don’t have as many bikers, but we still get a lot more money than usual,” he said. Vargas is not the only person who believes that BikeFest is a useful resource for the Island. Owner of the Laguna Bar Tom
Rich is less than happy about the relocation of the financially beneficial event. “We get a bunch of people here in October, which helps the economy,” said Rich, a resident of the Island for 35 years. “The move is taking money away from us when we need it.” Rich mentioned that SPI
Gary Tate has been biking for 40 years and has attended every BikeFest, gathering with fellow biker friends. “I think it’s too bad that they’re taking it somewhere else. It was a good event for South Padre,” the Odessa native said. “It’s a lot more fun to ride around here than in Corpus be-
(The bikers) were always such nice people. They told good stories and they were good clientele. We’re going to miss them. - Amy Salander, SPI local used to be home to other popular events such as Miss USA pageants and boxing matches, but those events were lost to other cities as well. “Unless we get another event to replace BikeFest, I don’t know where we’re supposed to get money from during the off season,” he claimed. Rich explained that when business goes down, so do profits and this could result in some businesses shutting down. Although the declining of revenue is a major worry for some, others are upset over the breaking of a tradition.
cause there’s less traffic.” Tate said that his brother and friends come down from all over Texas for the festival. “They probably don’t even know yet, but they’ll most likely be disappointed,” said Tate, who’s been living at the Island for 21 years. “It’s kind of a gathering for our group of friends and it has been for 19 years.” The festival also annually gave SPI local Amy Salander and her sons a chance to make new friends and catch up with old ones. For the past 20 years, Salander has operated a para-sailing and waverunning station while working as
a waitress at Coconuts, a bar and grill by the beach. She has worked during BikeFest every year and her sons grew up with the festival. “We had a lot of regulars that used to come in here and we would trade T-shirts. They would bring their biker shirts from the stores they owned and now my sons that are in college are wearing them,” Salander explained. “They’ve been coming here for 16 years. They’d see my sons running around and say, ‘Oh! I have shirts for them!’” She said the bikers she met during BikeFest were not aggressive or violent like some people might expect. “They were always such nice people,” Salander said. “They told good stories and they were great clientele. We’re going to miss them.” Despite the change of location, Reyna said that things will only get better at Corpus because there will be more restaurants, venues and other things to entertain the guests. The Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau said that it expects the festival will bring in over $5.8 million to the city through its shops and attractions. “It’s going to be what all our bikers expect from the BikeFest experience with a whole lot more,” he said.
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March 21, 2013
The University of Texas-Pan American
Madeleine K. Albright First Female U.S. Secretary of State Economy and Security in the 21st Century
Tuesday, March 26, 2013 UTPA Fieldhouse, 7:30 p.m. *Portrait by Timothy Greenfield - Sanders.
Madeleine K. Albright was the 64th and first female to ser ve as Secretar y of State in the United States. In 1997, she was the highest-ranking woman in histor y of the U.S. government. As Secretar y of State, Albright reinforced America’s alliances, advocated democracy and human rights and promoted American trade and business, labor and environmental standards abroad. Today, Albright, also an author, is chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, and chair of Albright Capital Management LLC, an investment advisor y firm focused on emerging markets. Doors will open at 7 p.m. for UTPA students, faculty and staff with a valid UTPA ID, and at 7:20 p.m. for the general public. FREE ADMISSION. SEATING IS LIMITED. View the program live at www.utpa.edu/live. For more information or if special accommodations are needed, call (956) 665-7989.
Page 3
Page 4
Story by Jose S. De Leon III Design by Karen Villarreal
THE PAN AMERICAN
THE PAN AMERICAN
March 21, 2013
March 21, 2013
Chicharrones, chamoy, Cheetos & cheese RGV’s culinary tastes more than a blend of North and South
Shimin Cen knows a thing or two about different cultures. Born in Antananarivo, Madagascar, the general studies major has eaten a lot during her travels, and has nothing but positive comments about Valley food. “I’ve traveled around the U.S., and I can honestly say that the food down here is the richest I’ve ever had,” the 26-year-old said. “The cultural mix allows for so many different possibilities in flavor that is able to combine two unique cultures through food.” Cen, who arrived to UTPA from Bordeaux, France, in 2010, said that among her favorite Valley foods are raspas, chicharones preparados and tacos, which she said are different from the tacos she’s eaten during her travels. Cen has traveled around Mexico (Monterrey, Zacatecas, Guadalajara), and described the tacos there as “plain corn tortillas the size of a person’s palm.” In the Valley, she was delighted to see flour and different-size tortillas, and said she was “amazed” at the possibility of adding toppings
such as lettuce, cheese and tomato to the tacos.
derived from Tex-Mex. It’s a then they’re going to find a reflection of the development in way to make it spicy.” Tex-Mex in southern Texas,” she Eddie Villalobos, owner of CULTURES COMBINED said. “We see their influence in La Hormiga: El Original, a raspa Valley food describes how Valley food combine regular store located at 1414 N. 23rd St. American food products dishes with spicy condiments, in McAllen, said he sees Valley influenced by Mexican like chamoy or chili powder.” foods as a way to make people cuisine. The food ranges from Norma Beardwood, a feel at home north of the border. small snacks like raspas - or dietetics professor at UTPA, “It’s like a local connection snow cones, to meals like barbacoa, a dish made out of the flesh of a cow’s face. Among the most popular of these snacks is Hot Cheetos covered in nacho cheese, which even local drive-in restaurant Stars has begun to feature on the menu. According to UTPA anthropology professor Margaret Graham, the Dietetics professor affordability and strong flavors of the local fare appeals to the isn’t surprised at a phenomena for them. Plus, people don’t have people of the RGV. like this. She also noted that to cross to Mexico for food like She noted that Valley food some of the Valley food is high this,” he explained. could be influenced by Tex-Mex in calories. For example, a 12 Villalobos opened his business cuisine. According to Graham, ounce serving of a chamoyada, 20 years ago as a raspa stand, Tex-Mex is a term used to a raspa with chamoy, contains then slowly expanded to include describe food made popular in 390 empty calories. snacks or munchies, as he calls Texas restaurants as a way to “There may be some them. He sees his stand as a way make Mexican food appealing idiosyncrasies between to bring people together. to a wide audience. Tex-Mex American and Mexican culture “College students from is known for adding cheese to that allow for some room for across the Valley make up 30 several spicy Mexican dishes such both types of food to mix,” she percent of the customers,” as enchiladas, beans and rice as a explained. “The culture down he said. “The rest are either way to dilute their spiciness. here is that people are used families or seniors, and they’re “A lot of the Valley food is to spicy food. If it’s not spicy, all cozy in this environment
“
The culture down here is that people are used to spicy food. If it’s not spicy, then they’re going to find a way to make it spicy. -Norma Beardwood
”
with food that they crave.” Beardwood, a native of Rhode Island, said that every region has a unique spin on food. She recalled how, at a recent potluck, she brought Boston Baked Beans, a local favorite in her hometown known for being sweet. It wasn’t exactly a hit at the party. “People were disappointed that it wasn’t salty like it normally is here. It’s not something they’re used to,” she said. “But it’s funny because I wasn’t used to their food when I first came here in 1985.” As for Valley foods, Beardwood doesn’t find the idea of Hot Cheetos covered in cheese “appealing” because, according to her, the idea of adding cheese on top of spicy cheese doesn’t make sense. She also adds that a lot of the popular food choices can contain health risks. UNHEALTHY CRAVINGS In a Gallup poll released March 2012, the McAllenEdinburg-Mission area was found to be the metropolitan area with the highest obesity rate in the country. The results show that nearly 39 percent of people in Hidalgo County are obese. Beardwood said she thinks Valley foods
corn in a cup
+ chicharron preparado
+ + picante
+
picante
+
+
+
+
+
contribute to that problem. “Raspas are essentially drinkable sugar, and foods like gummi bears with chamoy aren’t healthy,” she explained. “Gummi bears cause cavities, and chamoy is an acidic paste that can get in the cavities, it’s not a good combination.” Among the other effects she included sodium retention, leading to swollen hands and fingers, as well as heart problems. Graham, a native of Indianapolis, recommended alternatives, including switching a raspa out in favor of a trolebus, which is ice with fruit. Similar to a raspa, a trolebus is made from real fruit rather than mixed with syrup. Even though she said she finds it unhealthy, Graham found some merit in Valley food, citing it as a possible feel-good food. “We’re wired to look for comfort in food, not just in eating it, but in the preparation of it and the atmosphere in which we eat it,” she explained. “The food here represents tradition. I may not like the nutritional content, but the food here is unique to the culture and shows how it’s something that future generations will repeat.”
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Page 5
es 6-11 For Children Ag PROGRAM HOURS:
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. Early Program 4:15 - 6:00 p.m. Late Program
marranada cheetos
ADVERTISEMENT
The
U
WAYTPA !
o n t
r Lea
Y
PLA
PROGRAM DATES:
Session 1 - June 3 - 14 Session 2 - June 17 - 28 Session 3 - July 8 - 19 Session 4 - July 22 - August 2
Register Today! For more information, visit our website at www.utpa.edu/wellness or call (956) 665-7808.
Page 4
Story by Jose S. De Leon III Design by Karen Villarreal
THE PAN AMERICAN
THE PAN AMERICAN
March 21, 2013
March 21, 2013
Chicharrones, chamoy, Cheetos & cheese RGV’s culinary tastes more than a blend of North and South
Shimin Cen knows a thing or two about different cultures. Born in Antananarivo, Madagascar, the general studies major has eaten a lot during her travels, and has nothing but positive comments about Valley food. “I’ve traveled around the U.S., and I can honestly say that the food down here is the richest I’ve ever had,” the 26-year-old said. “The cultural mix allows for so many different possibilities in flavor that is able to combine two unique cultures through food.” Cen, who arrived to UTPA from Bordeaux, France, in 2010, said that among her favorite Valley foods are raspas, chicharones preparados and tacos, which she said are different from the tacos she’s eaten during her travels. Cen has traveled around Mexico (Monterrey, Zacatecas, Guadalajara), and described the tacos there as “plain corn tortillas the size of a person’s palm.” In the Valley, she was delighted to see flour and different-size tortillas, and said she was “amazed” at the possibility of adding toppings
such as lettuce, cheese and tomato to the tacos.
derived from Tex-Mex. It’s a then they’re going to find a reflection of the development in way to make it spicy.” Tex-Mex in southern Texas,” she Eddie Villalobos, owner of CULTURES COMBINED said. “We see their influence in La Hormiga: El Original, a raspa Valley food describes how Valley food combine regular store located at 1414 N. 23rd St. American food products dishes with spicy condiments, in McAllen, said he sees Valley influenced by Mexican like chamoy or chili powder.” foods as a way to make people cuisine. The food ranges from Norma Beardwood, a feel at home north of the border. small snacks like raspas - or dietetics professor at UTPA, “It’s like a local connection snow cones, to meals like barbacoa, a dish made out of the flesh of a cow’s face. Among the most popular of these snacks is Hot Cheetos covered in nacho cheese, which even local drive-in restaurant Stars has begun to feature on the menu. According to UTPA anthropology professor Margaret Graham, the Dietetics professor affordability and strong flavors of the local fare appeals to the isn’t surprised at a phenomena for them. Plus, people don’t have people of the RGV. like this. She also noted that to cross to Mexico for food like She noted that Valley food some of the Valley food is high this,” he explained. could be influenced by Tex-Mex in calories. For example, a 12 Villalobos opened his business cuisine. According to Graham, ounce serving of a chamoyada, 20 years ago as a raspa stand, Tex-Mex is a term used to a raspa with chamoy, contains then slowly expanded to include describe food made popular in 390 empty calories. snacks or munchies, as he calls Texas restaurants as a way to “There may be some them. He sees his stand as a way make Mexican food appealing idiosyncrasies between to bring people together. to a wide audience. Tex-Mex American and Mexican culture “College students from is known for adding cheese to that allow for some room for across the Valley make up 30 several spicy Mexican dishes such both types of food to mix,” she percent of the customers,” as enchiladas, beans and rice as a explained. “The culture down he said. “The rest are either way to dilute their spiciness. here is that people are used families or seniors, and they’re “A lot of the Valley food is to spicy food. If it’s not spicy, all cozy in this environment
“
The culture down here is that people are used to spicy food. If it’s not spicy, then they’re going to find a way to make it spicy. -Norma Beardwood
”
with food that they crave.” Beardwood, a native of Rhode Island, said that every region has a unique spin on food. She recalled how, at a recent potluck, she brought Boston Baked Beans, a local favorite in her hometown known for being sweet. It wasn’t exactly a hit at the party. “People were disappointed that it wasn’t salty like it normally is here. It’s not something they’re used to,” she said. “But it’s funny because I wasn’t used to their food when I first came here in 1985.” As for Valley foods, Beardwood doesn’t find the idea of Hot Cheetos covered in cheese “appealing” because, according to her, the idea of adding cheese on top of spicy cheese doesn’t make sense. She also adds that a lot of the popular food choices can contain health risks. UNHEALTHY CRAVINGS In a Gallup poll released March 2012, the McAllenEdinburg-Mission area was found to be the metropolitan area with the highest obesity rate in the country. The results show that nearly 39 percent of people in Hidalgo County are obese. Beardwood said she thinks Valley foods
corn in a cup
+ chicharron preparado
+ + picante
+
picante
+
+
+
+
+
contribute to that problem. “Raspas are essentially drinkable sugar, and foods like gummi bears with chamoy aren’t healthy,” she explained. “Gummi bears cause cavities, and chamoy is an acidic paste that can get in the cavities, it’s not a good combination.” Among the other effects she included sodium retention, leading to swollen hands and fingers, as well as heart problems. Graham, a native of Indianapolis, recommended alternatives, including switching a raspa out in favor of a trolebus, which is ice with fruit. Similar to a raspa, a trolebus is made from real fruit rather than mixed with syrup. Even though she said she finds it unhealthy, Graham found some merit in Valley food, citing it as a possible feel-good food. “We’re wired to look for comfort in food, not just in eating it, but in the preparation of it and the atmosphere in which we eat it,” she explained. “The food here represents tradition. I may not like the nutritional content, but the food here is unique to the culture and shows how it’s something that future generations will repeat.”
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Page 5
es 6-11 For Children Ag PROGRAM HOURS:
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. Early Program 4:15 - 6:00 p.m. Late Program
marranada cheetos
ADVERTISEMENT
The
U
WAYTPA !
o n t
r Lea
Y
PLA
PROGRAM DATES:
Session 1 - June 3 - 14 Session 2 - June 17 - 28 Session 3 - July 8 - 19 Session 4 - July 22 - August 2
Register Today! For more information, visit our website at www.utpa.edu/wellness or call (956) 665-7808.
February 2013 21,7,2013 6 March SGA continued from page 1 By Charles Vale and Jaime Leal The Pan American
Adrían Castillo/The Pan American Current SGA president Matthew Garcia, (top) and presidential candidate Melissa Vento and her running mate Ruben Delgado (bottom) both lost the election to Aaron Barreiro and Erik Sanchez (Page One).
Thirteen days and 12 votes decided the Student Government Association presidential elections yesterday, as McAllen natives Aaron Barreiro and Erik Sanchez were declared the winners. “We knew it would be by phone call, but we weren’t expecting to find out the results today,” Barreiro said Wednesday. “We were completely caught off guard.” The results for the initial election were released March 1. Presidential candidate and incumbent Matthew Garcia and his running mate Yadira Mejia lost the election and a runoff election was held between Barreiro and Melissa Vento. Barreiro, a 19-year-old senior pre-med biology and psychology major, and former senator, and Sanchez, a 20-year-old senior premed biology major, received 962 of the votes while Vento got 950. Vento said Wednesday night that because of the close margin, she and running mate Ruben Delgado plan to request a recount. “I don’t know how the process would work, and I feel like that has been the case for this entire election,” said Vento, a 21-yearold junior civil engineering major and Edinburg native. “We plan to inquire what it would take to get a recount, and I’m not sure how it would work since it was all (an electronic vote) but we hope something gets done.” Barreiro and Sanchez stated that if a recount is announced, they would comply. “(Regarding a recount) If she wants to, she wants to. We aren’t against it. That’s fine.” Sanchez said. If a recount happens and Bar-
reiro and Sanchez are affirmed as the winners, they will begin their term as executives April 15. “We are going to enjoy it for now,” said Barreiro. “We are still trying to get our heads around it. There are over 19,000 students on campus and we have to make sure their concerns are met.” Not only did the SGA election undergo a runoff election after the general election: there were complaints made against some of the campaigns, which delayed results. THE COMPLAINTS Over spring break, the judicial committee, composed of the associate justices and the faculty justice in SGA, met March 1113 and spoke with the people who had made the complaints. The Dean of Students’ Office declined Wednesday to release the contents of the complaints to The Pan American, according to Rebecca Gadson, the assistant dean of students. The purpose of the meetings was to understand what the problems were and try to come up with solutions. Gadson and Maria FuentesMartin, the dean of students, were the only people who knew the results of the runoff before they were announced Wednesday, according to Gabriel Torres, the SGA chief justice. “The reason that we postponed (the results) is we wanted to avoid electing a vice president and president, find out they were guilty and have to tell them the next day, ‘We are sorry. Even though you got elected, you have to step down,’” Torres said. According to Torres, the complaints were mostly about some of the candidates’ actions during the runoff elections but some were made about behavior
during the initial elections as well. The nature of the complaints revolved around misconduct on the part of candidates, such as violating poster guidelines and rules against campaigning within UTPA buildings. According to the UTPA Handbook of Operational Procedure policy on free speech, expression and assembly, no person or organization may use a University facility for any purpose other than in the course of the regular mission of the University Barreiro said one of the complaints filed against him and his running mate involved a rule stating that no damage could be done to the pillars lining the covered walkways. The complaint stemmed from concerns over how the kind of tape they were using to hang posters and flyers might leave residue. “Throughout the process, we tried to be as compliant as possible,” Barreiro said. “We were pretty confident that disqualification wasn’t going to happen.” Along with the recount, Vento said that she and Delgado also want the full contents of the complaints against the campaigns released to the public. “Even since the beginning, we’ve felt like everything seemed sort of contradictory...it’s just everything was very (sic) untransparent,” she said. “People should have an idea of what exactly went on. We are still unaware of the complaints that were filed; we only have what is rumored.” ROLE ON CAMPUS In the event the results stand, one issue Barreiro and Sanchez plan to tackle is to make amendments to the SGA constitution, focusing on areas that they say need to be fixed or changed. These include making senator po-
sitions available for students with disabilities, international students and honor students, which is not specified in the current constitution. Barreiro and Sanchez also aim to enact plans that were featured in their Recognize, Initiate, Solve and Execute platform. One of these is an off-campus outreach program where SGA members will be sent to area high schools to promote the University. Along with their outreach program, Barreiro and Sanchez want to set up a Quad Side Chat in the University Quad once a week where SGA members will set up a table to talk to students about campus issues. Other efforts to reach out to students include creating podcasts on Facebook and getting students involved with UTPA sports by approaching students in the Quad and Student Union with invitations to athletic events. “We want to establish a UTPA-SGA experience,” Sanchez said. “We really want to spread the word that SGA is important and that we really are for the students.” As for Vento, if Barreiro is reaffirmed as the new SGA president, she said she doesn’t plan to return to the governing body as a senator for the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “Actually, when we first decided to run - and I can’t speak for Ruben - I said even if we lost, we would still come back to the organization and we’re still going to push for the ideas we had,” she said. “But the entire (election) experience has opened up my eyes to things I didn’t see before, and even after the recount, I probably won’t come back to SGA again.”
MERGER BILL PASSED BY TEXAS House of Representatives By Charles Vale The Pan American House Bill 1000, that would merge UTPA and UTB as well as create the new Valley medical school, was unanimously passed by the Texas House of Representatives March 19. House Representatives still have to look over the bill once more before an amended version can be move to the Texas Senate for consideration. The bill is authored by Rep. Rene Oliveira, Rep. Terry Canales, and three others. Senate Bill 24, an identical but separate bill to House Bill 1000, was passed by the Texas Senate, March 13. That bill has been pushed forward to the House of Representatives. According to Jerry Polinard,
political science professor at UTPA and pre-law adviser, before bills can be passed to Gov. Rick Perry, they have to be unified as one. This involves members of both the House and the Senate working out whatever compromises need to be reached with both bills through a conference committee involving members of both chambers. If both bills that pass are companion bills, meaning they are identical, one of the bills can be substituted for the other, according to the Texas House of Representatives website. “We are very positive about both bills. Our delegations have worked so well together. They will now take the next step towards governor’s signature,” UTPA President Robert Nelsen, told
The most important part will be getting the governor’s signature because that makes the bill a law. - Dr. Robert S. Nelsen UTPA President
The Pan American March 18. “Still, they have to decide which one of the bills will move forward. They are separate bills and at some point they have to be the same.” Once the completed bill reaches the governor, Polinard said he believes the process will pretty much be over. “Since he has already indicated his support, I think we can assume that the legislative part of the merger will be completed,” he said. “Then the real challenge, once you’ve left those procedural hurdles, the challenge is to address where the devil is in the details.” However, Polinard pointed out that how the merger will actually be implemented is unknown. “That (the details of the merger) has been the one consistent refrain with all the cheerleading
going on with the two presidents, from the chancellor and even from the regions,” he explained. “How many times have they been asked, ‘OK, how is this going to work? And how is that going to work?’ The answer has been, ‘Well, we haven’t worked those details out yet.’ If this appears to be the case, that the legislative procedures have been taken care of, we turn to the heavy lifting of the details.” The merger would allow the new university access to the state’s $13 billion Permanent University Fund, or money from West Texas oil lands distributed to members of both University of Texas and Texas A&M University Systems. “The most important part will be getting the governor’s signature because that makes the bill a law,” Nelsen said.
MarchJanuary 21, 2013 31, 2013
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Coaches continued from 1 Adrián Castillo /The Pan American Chris King (center) announces that the contracts for men’s and women’s head basketball coaches Ryan Marks (left) and Denny Downing (right) will not be renewed March 18. King also said the search for new head coaches is under way. “My math is not great, but I had a four-year contract and I knew it was ending,” said Marks, who won 39 games in four seasons after replacing Tom Schuberth in 2009; his club took 16 victories this season, an improvement of five wins over 2011-12. Of the 16-player roster, eight made the AD Honor Roll and four also earned Dean’s List honors, based on fall grades. “Again, if you look at our body of work on the court, what our kids have done academically, in my mind, it does seem like a bit of an odd decision.” WAC Marks also said King, who arrived in 2009, is a strong-willed AD who came to UTPA with an agenda. He and Nelsen facilitated the move to the WAC and have a vision for how they want the future to go. “So I think more than anything, our vision of where we both wanted to go was very similar,” Marks said, speaking of King in particular. “But I think the paths and maybe the way we thought we would get there was different, and obviously he’s certainly entitled to have someone that he is comfortable with in the way they are going to reach those goals.” However, Downing is concerned that the Athletic Department may be blinded by the
WAC name, forgetting that it’s not the brand it used to be. It was a conference that used to be known for football before all the conference realignments, and is now reeling from the massive loss of most of its old schools. “We still don’t have football, there isn’t a fraternity/sorority street row and we don’t have a marching band,” he explained. “Just because it’s the WAC and they can pay people lots of money, the pool of candidates is going to grow, but who knows if they’re going to like it here and enjoy it here. I hope they thought of that.” PLAYING THE GAME Downing claims he’s had a strained relationship with King for years now, even calling the AD a bully, and said he was surprised at Monday morning’s meeting because he said he still had one more year. And he thought he understood the situation between the AD and himself. After completing his first season as the women’s head coach in 2010, Downing received a phone call from King, during which they discussed adding another year to the contract, according to the coach. But nothing was ever written or signed: it was just a verbal agreement, Downing said. “We had a gentleman’s agree-
ment and now he’s denying it. I’m even willing to take a lie detector test,” Downing said. “I was really surprised.” Although King doesn’t deny that a conversation occurred with Downing, he added that the contract is still set to expire at the end of March and will not be renewed. “I did look to add an extra
a little. “It is what it is. There must be something that we don’t know about, behind the curtain,” Board said about King’s decision. Board, a member of Pan Am’s 1964 NAIA runner-up team, understands that these types of decisions aren’t necessarily personal; it’s business, what the admins feel
My math is not great, but I had a four-year contract and I knew it was ending. - Ryan Marks
Former men’s head basketball coach
year on to each contract a few years ago, but Dr. Nelsen said no because he wanted to familiarize himself with the personnel and the University before agreeing to any changes in contracts,” King said. “Dr. Nelsen said it could be considered in the future, but we never revisited the topic.” On the other side of the spectrum, Jim Board is an active Bronc Athletics supporter and UTPA alum/fundraiser who said contracts are just part of the game. Although Board didn’t really know details about the decision, he said he was disappointed
is best for the program. And he knows the coaches will do well wherever they go next and the University will move on to someone new, having to live with the decision. As of now, Tim Anderson and LaToya Howell have become the interim men’s and women’s basketball coaches until replacements are found. However, the assistants’ positions are not guaranteed, according to King. “It’s up to the next head coach whether they retain them,” King explained. “Most of the time head coaches want to bring their own
assistant coaches in, but they do have the opportunity to try, and I will ask the head coach to interview each one of them.” The search began immediately and King hopes it takes no longer than 30 days. The WAC will definitely be the selling point for candidates. The department will be unavailable for further comment until the new coaches are chosen. “I really want to see us have what I would consider a CEO of a program,” King said. “Someone who’s a right fit to this department, the University, as well as this community.” THEN AND NOW Downing, who came to the area from Texas A&M-Commerce, stated that he has come to love the Valley. He said that the new Bronc coaches will face a drastically different situation than he and Marks did when they began. UTPA has had trouble following the rules in the past, and is one of just four schools nationwide that have been on probation five separate times, three times since the 1990s. The latest stint of sanctions ended summer 2012. King knows that the job was tough for anyone to do. “Particularly Ryan (Marks), with the probation that he inherited back in 2009 when he arrived as well, that was a tough
situation so I commend him for that,” King added. Marks said he believes in the old saying that one must leave the campsite better than he found it. He was aware of what he was getting himself into then and is proud for what he has been able to accomplish with the program. Marks’ record has steadily improved since his first season at the University. His Broncs finished 2009-10 with a 6-27 record (.182), the 2010-11 season 6-25 (.194), the 2011-12 season 11-21 record (.344) and the 2012-13 season 16-16 (.500). This was the first time the men’s basketball program was at .500 or better since 2007-08. Overall, Marks’ record at UTPA was 39-89 (.304). Downing’s overall mark to UTPA was 51-68 (.429), making him the winningest among current head coaches in all sports. His teams played .500 basketball in the GWC over that span. “I was obviously hired by one group of administrators to meet those challenges and hopefully, I feel strongly, we did a good job of that. Now we have a new set of challenges,” Marks said about inheriting the suspension. “Obviously Chris King and Dr. Nelsen want to move in a different direction for that and I have to respect their wishes.”
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