March 12, 2015 by UTRGV Student Media

Have Spring Break plans? Various artists to visit Valley

Pages 4-5

Volume 71, No. 22

March 12, 2015

ONLINE CONTENT

panamericanonline.com

Going National

Bugariu heads to St. Vincent

Meet the OVAVP

A new approach to coping with abuse

Gaming Blog

Anticipated 2015 titles

ONLINE CONTENT utbcollegian.com

Moving Forward

Voting starts on SGA constitution

STORY ON PAGE 3

opinion

March 12, 2015

a mechanical evolution

The Pan American

thepanamerican@gmail.com 1201 West University, ARHU 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539 Phone: (956) 665-2541 Fax: (956) 665-7122

Editors-in-Chief: Andrew Vera May Ortega

Jon Nutt

Sports Editor:

Marco Torres

Arts & Life Editor: Nerio Celaya

Photography Editor: Jon Nutt

Design Editor:

Alicia Rangel

Multimedia Editor: Michael Aguilar

Social Media Editor: Nathaniel Mata

Copy Editor:

Andy De Llano

Adviser:

Dr. Greg Selber

Administrative Associate: Anita Reyes

Advertising Manager:

Verónica Rodríguez

Webmaster:

Sharath Kumar Aitha The Pan American is the official student newspaper of The University of Texas-Pan American. Views presented are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the paper or University.

Letters to the editor The Pan American accepts letters of 300 words or less from students, staff and faculty regarding recent newspaper content, campus concerns or current events. We cannot publish anonymous letters or submissions containing hate speech or gratuitous personal attacks. Please send all letters to:

Photography Editor The idea of cyborgs and robots, including sentient robots, has been an idea propagated for several generations in the world of science fiction. Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot (1950), Phillip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968), Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell (1989) and the Wachowskis’Matrix trilogy feature worlds with people that have managed to create robotic augmentations and artificial intelligence. A second common characteristic of these works is mankind’s clear disdain and abysmal antipathy for another sentient creature. Nevertheless, there is a great possibility that humans will begin to morph with technology becoming a half mechanical, half biological organism. Now, all of this seems like the work of science fiction and will never become a reality society will have to face, much like an attack from a swamp monster. However, intradermal implants, which are electronic devices implanted directly into the body, are slowly gaining new ground every day. This advancement would turn brains into super computers and prosthetics into appendages. At the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the games began when a paraplegic man, Juliano Pinto, was able to walk and kick

The progression of cybernetic humans and artificial intelligence

a soccer ball with the assistance of an exoskeleton controlled by his mind. What the exoskeleton lacked in agility, it compensated for with processing power and potential. In less than a 100 years humans have managed to develop computers from early electromechanical computing machines to today’s smartphones, Google Glass, selfdriving cars and mind-reading appendages. Given another 100 years, the difference in today’s technology and the future would be even greater than what has been witnessed in the past. This is due, in part, to the fact that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years, a phenomenon witnessed by Gordon E. Moore in 1965 which was later termed Moore’s law. This exponential growth, called the technological singularity, has become a topic of interest among scientists and futurists in recent years. Ray Kurzweil has been leading the scientific and philosophical debates on the subject. Kurzweil is an American author, computer scientist, inventor, futurist and director of engineering at Google. He hypothesizes that singularity will occur by 2045. At

this point, computers will have advanced so far that they would become incomprehensible to mankind. Kurzweil even believes that this is when artificial intelligence will be formed. However, this estimate is uncertain as predictions vary widely and some oppose the hypothesis altogether. Many prominent technologists, including Jeff Hawkins, John Holland, Jaron Lanier, Gordon Moore and other academics dispute the plausibility of a technological singularity. The arguments against artificial intelligence are based on the economical structure of society. A singularity may never occur mostly due to the virtue of humans. As unemployment increases, partly due to automated machines taking over menial tasks, demand for even more advanced technological creations will plummet, halting advancement. Nonetheless, many citizens in higher classes would most likely still fund the technology sector heavily. Mechanical replacement parts for standard human organs would become a lucrative business, as the super rich would be willing to pay as much as necessary to increase their lifespan. Militaries would wish to have soldiers outfitted with exosu-

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

thepanamerican@ gmail.com Vol. 71, No. 22

TWITTER

Tweet at and follow us @ThePanAmerican

THE BRONCS WOOOON!!! Great game! #UTPA #UTPABRONCS #UTBrepresent -@ShangirS

Enjoyed today’s Women’s Leadership Conference! #wmnhist #utpa #YesToProgress -@leroyberrones

Sarah Carvajal/ The Pan American Laura Cruz (right) and Sevana Valero talk to Jason Alce about safe sex at the Student Union OMG im still @rec. Till March 9. The counseling and psychological services department set the table up as part of a preClosing it is!!! #UTPA Spring Break event. Other tables included information about binge drinking and other ways to -@XT_Jacked stay safe.

its or even make automatons that can stay awake longer, run further, and withstand greater trauma than their ordinary human counterparts. Whenever, or if ever, such a thing happened there would be a paradigm shift in how the world operates, most likely for the best ,as people would be able to integrate with technology allowing for society to communicate and coexist more effectively. Humans would be able to share thoughts through neural implants and food would become a thing of the past with superconducting transistors powering our bodies. No matter the case, as of today humanity exists as an extraordinarily advanced civilization and no end is in sight. In the past three years Local Motors live printed the 3D Strati car at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in only 44 hours. Mercedes-Benz tested their self-driving concept

car in California and Hugh Herr, director of the Biomechatronics research group at the MIT Media Lab and double amputee, was able to walk on stage during a TED talk with smart prosthetics that read electrical impulses in his skin. Even if technological innovation grinded to a screeching halt before artificial intelligence is created, there is no doubt humanity will see far more advancement in all fields.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The Environmental Awareness Club at UTPA held a demonstration last month. They protested the “Sustainable Energy for South Texas Symposium,” hosted by the UTPA Office for Sustainability and the Center for Excellence in STEM Education. Students were concerned that this event was misinforming on sustainable energy, since the speakers were scientists, engineers and consultants for the oil and gas industry. The keynote speaker, Dr. Robello Samuels, was the lead well engineer for Halliburton, an oil, gas and chemical company known for hydrofracking. The symposium did not feature a speaker on wind or solar energy. Students drew attention to the fact that by holding such a symposium, the University was “greenwashing” - helping companies with bad environmental records wash away bad reputations by engaging in superficial “green” activities, such as a “Sustainable Energy” symposium. Halliburton’s reputation is bad, they manufacture and sell toxic fracking fluids that are injected into wells. These fluids contain benzene and ethylbenzene (carcinogens), and toluene and xy-

lene (causes neurological disorders). Halliburton is allowed to inject this into oil and gas wells, despite the risks to groundwater, because they pushed Congress to exempt fracking from the Safe Drinking Water Act. Fracking companies exploit the “Halliburton Loophole” to use whatever chemicals. Students are concerned that allowing the company to headline the “Sustainable Energy for South Texas Symposium,” the university is helping Halliburton conceal these aspects of its business and show itself in a misleading green light. “We need to be able to trust our university,” said student Rebecca Moran. “They shouldn’t be misleading students to think that fossil fuels are sustainable. The only sustainable path is to switch from oil and gas to renewables.” Students hoped to clarify confusion created by the symposium by teaching others and exposing the truth. 120 signatures of support was collected within ninety minutes.

-Katie Lavallee Environmental Awareness Club president

news

March 12, 2015

RGV celebrating women’s history By Denise Garza The Pan American UTPA, South Texas College and the Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library are recognizing the month of March by opening their doors to the public to discuss a variety of topics concerning gender inequality. The events, all free of charge, provide attendants with three types of courses for Women’s History Month: reflection, action and laughter. After increasing public pressure and extensive campaigning on behalf of the National Women’s History Project, former President Ronald Reagan assigned March 1987 Women’s History Month by enacting Public Law 100-9. Amy Hay, associate professor of history at UTPA for the last nine years, described the importance of the month. “I think history is a real important part of this,” the Nebraska native said. “It changes our consciousness, and once it gets changed or transformed, then we can start making different decisions.” Women’s History Month means many things to the people organizing and presenting

events. Some celebrate the richness of women’s history while others incorporate women’s emancipation with local and racial identity through an emphasis on Chicana feminism. This form of feminism, popular in the RGV, is a set of ideas, beliefs and political activism that advocate for gender equality and address race and class as significant factors of the problem. For Daniela Venegas, intercultural program coordinator the Office of Student Involvement, March is a chance to motivate students to become more involved in social issues. “We are celebrating WHM to empower women and show the students some of the history ... for them to learn of the different challenges and callings (women) have,” Venegas said. UTPA presented Queer Latina Love & Revolution, written and performed by comedian and Chicana feminist Monica Palacios, Wednesday, March 12 at the Student Union Theater. Palacios described the performance as “sexy, triumphant and hella funny.” Today the performer and writer will conduct a performance workshop in the Arts and Humanities build-

ing, room 107, at 1:10 p.m. Palacios’ visit to UTPA came about by collaboration between the OSI and University programs such as Theater, Intercultural and Diversity, Mexican American Studies, and the University Program Board. Palacios was one of the first openly gay Chicana comedians, performing in San Francisco in the ‘80s and is a writer and lecturer at the universities of California Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. She said she looked forward to meeting the UTPA community and planned to give some quick tips to aspiring performers. “I am extremely excited about visiting and performing at UTPA. I empower myself and I empower the audience when I talk about these subjects,” Palacios said. “Besides the show, I’m also teaching a performance class - come and check it out. You’ll have fun.” To the Californian, her existence is all about social activism. For more than 30 years she has advocated for women’s and LGBT rights and jokingly claimed the real perk about Women’s History month is the chance to meet single women. But she also enjoys the chance to talk about these issues. “I empower myself and I em-

power the audience when I talk about these subjects,” she said. “They dig it.” The events following this week’s performance and workshop take a more serious tone, emphasizing women’s overlooked roles in historical wars, and the issue of human trafficking. On Monday, March 16, STC will present work from awardwinning Ecuadorian filmmaker Maria Aguia Carter at the MidValley Campus Auditorium at 1 p.m. followed by a second showing at 6 p.m. at the Pecan Campus Library. Carter will screen her film Rebel: Loreta Velazquez, Secret Soldier of the American Civil War and provide a Q&A session afterward. Focusing on the Mexican side of women’s history, Rosalva Resendiz will present Las Soldaderas and their legacy to Chicanas Thursday in the Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library at 6 p.m. Resendiz has a Ph.D. in Sociology and has taught in UTPA’s department of criminal justice for more than a decade. Interested in analyzing the popular stereotype of the submissive Mexican woman, Resendiz began researching female soldiers in the Mexican Revolution through the study of century old corridos,

as part of her doctoral dissertation. “These were amazing women, they did everything. They followed traditional gender roles … but they also did male gender roles,” Resendiz said of soldaderas. The most common stereotypes of Mexican women depict them as passive, obedient and conforming to the needs and wants of their husband and children. The groundwork behind Las Soldaderas and their legacy to Chicanas led Resendiz to reject this notion of Mexican women’s inherent weakness. “They were feeding the troops … engaged in combat, smuggled weapons and scavenged for food,” she explained. A popular opinion, Resendiz said, is that the women’s movement in the U.S. flourished in the 19th century with the UK as the source behind the strength and liberation of Mexican women. Yet it was the self-sacrificing dedication, endurance and contribution of Mexican women to the Revolution of 1910 that awed her. Women’s strength, the sociologist believes, is demonstrated not by changes of the last 150 years, but by their daily sacrifice for the well-being of their families and communities.

“That’s what people like to believe, that we are submissive. But that is not the case.” Resendiz said. “These women were not liberated and they were still warriors, and that’s amazing to me,” The month’s commemoration of Women’s History will conclude with the 10th Annual Symposium on Human Trafficking, a two-day conference from March 25-26 at the Cooper Center in STC from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. both days. Registration will be required in order to attend, which can be done at arrival or at humantrafficking.southtexascollege.edu. The event was coordinated by Fuerza del Valle, a nonprofit organization dedicated to workers rights and wages, along with local and Mexican academic institutions such as the Women’s Studies Committee of STC and the College of Liberal Arts of UT-Brownsville. The symposium will consist of presentations by academic speakers, government agencies, journalists and human rights activists. Its purpose is to analyze the phenomenon of human trafficking and the impact on women, children, and the Rio Grande Valley.

Texas Freedom Network taking active role on campus By Aliya Sharif The Pan American During the November 2014 elections 2,000 college students across the Rio Grande Valley registered to vote. Through hosting events and setting up informational tables around UTPA and the University of Texas at Brownsville, the Texas Freedom Network student chapters motivated young people to exercise their right to vote. These endeavors are a few of the many activities the UTPA’s TFN has been up to recently. The student chapter was founded in summer 2011 and has taken action on campus through hosting awareness events, talks and rallies. The group is composed of roughly 20 members, six of whom hold leadership positions. Ruben Garza, TFN’s regional field organizer, described their mission. “TFN works on three pillars including religious freedom, civil liberties and public education,” the UTPA alumnus said. The chapter’s goals include fighting bigotry, promoting women’s rights and reproductive rights along with encouraging students to become more engaged with the

social issues surrounding them. To create awareness of reproductive rights for women, one of the events the group will host is a free screening of the 2014 film Obvious Child, March 26 at the Cine El Rey theater in McAllen. The film is a romantic comedy about an unplanned pregnancy. This semester the club is also focusing on the second pillar: civil liberties. They are placing an emphasis on reproductive justice, reproductive health care and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual rights. TFN plans to hold the Day of Silence on the quad April 17 at noon. This proceeding is part of a national, student-led movement designed to end LGBT bullying and discrimination in schools. At a statewide level, members of the organization attended an advocacy day in Austin, February 28 to March 1. At the state capital they lobbied for interests such as reproductive health care, accurate sexual education in schools and respect for medical professionals. Mimosa Thomas is a UTPA freshman as well as a campus organizer for TFN. She attended the advocacy day in Austin.

“We each got to talk to legislators about a couple of different bills on the theme of trust, respect, access,” said Thomas, who is a pre-med biology major. “On the trust level there were bills about getting accurate sex (education) in schools. On the respect level it was about respecting health care professionals’ judgments.” In order to build a strong platform on which to pursue their goals, the group has formed partnerships and networks with other activist organizations such as the LGBT Alliance at UTPA and the National Institute for Reproductive Health. “In practice, our work is all about building networks and growing a base,” said Garza, who graduated from UTPA in 2013. “We’re a grassroots organization at heart and locally what that looks like is building partnerships with (other) groups.” Recently the club worked with the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health to host an International Women’s Day march and rally that took place March 8 in Brownsville. The event served to celebrate Women’s Day and recognize March as

Women’s History Month while addressing issues such as domestic violence and unfair labor. Despite the persistent rain, 200 people of all ages attended the event. There were also around two dozen organizations, agencies and health providers present to educate the crowd about services and resources available to the community. Jessica GonzalezRojas, the executive director of National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, talked to the crowd about the importance of health care access for Latinas in the RGV. The chapter also participated in a human rights tribunal March 9 where United Nation representatives went to McAllen to talk with community members and leaders about reproductive health care. The panel was private and only open to registered participants. Garza believes the meeting marked a significant milestone in history for the RGV and for anybody in attendance. Further details about the event were not disclosed. “(The event was) a pretty monumental moment,” the po-

litical science graduate said. “We don’t get U.N. representatives sent down here often. I think this is only the second time in the last decade that someone from the U.N. has made their way to the Valley.” At the core of their plans the chapter would like to engage young people to take a more active role in their community as well as unite the upper and lower regions of RGV through the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley merger. “There’s this misconception that people in the Valley either are apathetic or incapable of addressing things that are im-

portant to them, both of which are gross misrepresentations of our community,” Garza said. “We see people all the time being very resilient in very challenging (situations). So it’s just about continuing that progress and finding more folks that are excited about making a change in their community.” To join the group, visit their Facebook page and join TFN’s email list at facebook.com/tfnutpachapter. Meetings for the organization are held on the first Thursday of every month at noon in room 107 of the Social and Behavioral Sciences building on campus.

Page 4

March 12, 2015

THE PAN AMERICAN

Wiz Khalifa March 16 Randy Rogers Band & Casey Donahew March 17 T-Pain March 18 Steve Aoki March 18

By Lizzette Saldaña The Pan American

South Padre Island remains one of the top Spring Break destinations for college students as organizers involved with the annual event continue to bring down chart-topping artists such as Grammy-nominated rapper Wiz Khalifa, Dutch DJ Tiesto and country singer Kevin Fowler, all of whom performed at SPI last year. The Island was ranked one of the top Spring Break destinations by

ABC News in 2014 and Clayton’s Beach Bar and Grill and Schlitterbahn will both be housing this year’s biggest headliners. Clayton’s, the largest bar on the Texas Coast, has hosted artists such as Nelly, T-Pain and the Randy Rogers Band; the latter will hit the stage March 17 at 8 p.m. The country group is best known for their songs In My Arms Instead released in 2008 and 2006’s Kiss Me In The Dark. A last-minute announcement revealed that rapper J.Cole will

perform March 20. Cole has released three studio albums: Cole World: The Sideline Story, Born Sinner and 2014 Forest Hills Drive, all of which hit No. 1 on U.S. Billboard’s 200. His most recent album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, hit the Top 100 with singles Wet Dreamz, A Tale of 2 Citiez and Hello. This is the first time he will perform in South Texas. Also, the fifth edition of the Ultimate Music Experience will be held at Schlit-

March 12, 2015

terbahn starting March 19 through March 21. UME features housestyled-music, or dance music with heavy bass and an upbeat tempo. Kicking off the threeday event is Netherland’s DJ Hardwell, who was voted the No. 1 DJ by DJ Magazine. Returning to UME for the fourth time is David Guetta, set to perform March 20. He has has sold 9 million EDM/pop albums and 30 million singles worldwide. Closing UME March 21 will be Grammy

THE PAN AMERICAN

winner Tiesto, best known for his tracks Escape Me and Feel it in My Bones. He was recently awarded a Grammy for his remix of John Legend’s All of Me. CLOSE TO CAMPUS The Boggus Ford Events Center has been bringing down other artists for locals to catch. March 7, rappers Nelly and Ludacris performed at the Events Center. This is the fourth year downtown McAllen will host Galax Z Fair, an alternative music ex-

perience taking place March 16-17. A total of 28 artists will perform including Ice Age, Lust for Youth, Downtown Boys, Screaming Females and Quiet Kids. The lineup is split between Cine El Rey and the Thirsty Monkey and each band will perform for 45 minutes. Cine El Rey, on South 17th Street, will open its doors at 6 p.m. both days and the Thirsty Monkey on Chicago Avenue will start shows at 5:30 p.m.

Page 5

Big Sean March 19 David Guetta March 19 J. Cole March 20 2 Chainz & K Camp March 21 Tiesto March 21

Alicia Rangel/ The Pan American

Page 4

March 12, 2015

THE PAN AMERICAN

Wiz Khalifa March 16 Randy Rogers Band & Casey Donahew March 17 T-Pain March 18 Steve Aoki March 18

By Lizzette Saldaña The Pan American

March 12, 2015

THE PAN AMERICAN

Page 5

Big Sean March 19 David Guetta March 19 J. Cole March 20 2 Chainz & K Camp March 21 Tiesto March 21

Alicia Rangel/ The Pan American

Page 6

956-665-7409

UTPADINING.SODEXOMYWAY.COM

March 12, 2015

sports

March 12, 2015

By Nathaniel Mata The Pan American In front of 2,308 fans, the Field House’s largest crowd in seven years, according to the UTPA Athletic Department, the men’s team won a thriller to give the Broncs momentum heading into the Western Athletic Conference tournament.

to tie the game and bring the near-capacity crowd to its feet. The visiting team went down the court to attempt to retake the lead that it had held for the majority of the game, after a UMKC missed jumper it was Boga who retrieved the rebound and pushed the ball up-court. The general studies

That’s the key man, momentum; having a little confidence going into the tournament. I know last year we lost and it was a little bit of an iffy feeling. - Shaquille Boga Senior point guard

The March 7 game was the Broncs’ last home match before becoming the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros next fall. The matchup with University of MissouriKansas City also served as senior day for lone senior Shaquille Boga, who played a key role in the 53-51 win. The St. Louis native led all scorers with 26 points in the home finale, including the final five of the game. With 1:11 to play, the 5-foot-11-inch point guard hit a three-pointer

By Kristela Garza The Pan American Come fall 2015 UTPA will be no more and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley will have taken its place. However, before that occurs many changes must be made. One of them happened March 7 at the University Field House as prototypes of the future Vaquero athletic team uniforms were unveiled during halftime at the men’s team’s final home game. The uniform unveiling, according to Athletic Director Chris King, was a planned event that the University marketing and athletic department worked for weeks to prepare for. At the event, 2,000 free Vaquero T-shirts were given away, emblazoned with the new logo and colors. The day consited of a Homecoming celebration, horse show, live music and performances by

major held the ball to ensure the game clock would expire as he took the last-second shot. In the last home game of his UTPA career he made no mistake as his jump shot went in with less than a second left, securing the victory. The season finale provided a momentum builder for the team that will put the season on the line during the singleelimination WAC men’s basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The event starts today and winds

UTPA cheerleaders and the Unverisity of Brownsville Ocelot dance team. “There was a lot of planning between the folks at UTB, UTPA as well as the University of Texas System to unveil the logo and marks in what we felt was the right way,” King said. “A lot of work went into collaborating ... and I love the uniforms, (though) these are just prototypes.” In addition to the presentation, the department also announced that UTRGV is now a full partner with Adidas. While UTPA was previously a “third party sponsor” with Nike, King made it a point to explain that through this new partnership, more merchandise and overall athletic equipment will be provided to Bronc athletes. According to King this means that essentially UTPA was sponsored by a smaller portion of the Nike

up March 14. “It definitely works in our nounced Janari Joesaar as its wins over Chicago State Jan. “That’s the key man, mo- favor,” said Shaquille Hines, WAC Player of the Year. Jo- 10, Seattle University Feb. mentum; having a little con- junior forward who is averag- esaar ranks 69th among divi- 14 and the home finale over fidence going into the tourna- ing 12.2 points per contest. sion 1 players in scoring, and UMKC, they won’t be forced ment. I know last year we lost “Every team in the conference second in the conference with to beat a team they lost both and it was a little bit of an iffy is beatable if you ask me. It’s 17.3 point per game. He also games against until a potential feeling,” said Boga, who has not that one team is just great- leads the WAC in minutes berth in the conference final. averaged 13.3 points a game er than all the others; maybe played with 1,048 and 34.93 “To be honest, 2 through in his two-year Bronc career. New Mexico State, but they’re per game. He also ranks fifth 7 (seeds in the tournament) “Guys should be free, guys beatable. They’re just big, but in the conference in rebounds anybody could win any given should be ready. I don’t under- they’re beatable.” with 6.9 a game. night,” Head Coach Dan Hipstand why we should come out Though just 10-20 overall, A positive for the Broncs is sher said. “We got the capatimid. No pressure on us. We the Broncs have done well in that they’ve beaten every team bility if we play well, as does should just play hard, I know the honors department. March on their half of the bracket everybody else. The hurdle in we can do it.” 9 College Hoops Daily an- once during the season. With the end is New Mexico State.” The comeback over UMKC proved to be even more important as games across the WAC became final and the Broncs drew that same school as their first-round opponent. Less than a week after their meeting in Edinburg, UMKC and UTPA will meet again in Las Vegas in the tournament today at 4:30 p.m. In the teams’ first meeting, UMKC defeated the Broncs by 25 points. With UTPA in the seventh and final seed of the WAC tournament, every opponent would’ve had a better conference record than the Broncs’ 4-10. A win over a higher-seed op was important for the team’s psyche, accordOmar Casas/ The Pan American ing to certain Bronc basketball Everett Osborne attempts a contested shot in the 53-51 victory against UMKC in the final home players. game of the season at the Field House March 7.

company, not Nike as a whole. “Adidas is a great company, very well known, which will help us in our recruiting process,” King said. “Our student athletes were excited about it ... (This is) such a great deal, it helps us with the budget, it helps us put more gear on our student athletes and that is what we are here for.” NEW INITIATIVES The day also gave fans a chance to see the new branding initiative #WeAreOne which will replace the #WePlayForYou campaign. The former campaign was made in order to encourage “school spirit and increase awareness of Broncs sporting events among the campus community.” According to King the newest initiative is meant as a unifier for the new university. It was showcased and announced during the unveil-

ing as 2,308 students, faculty and members of the community showed up to support the men’s basketball team during their game against Kansas City. The uniforms, still in the production stage, were shown through a graphics presentation on the Field House’s video screen. The new colors are in stark contrast to the current Bronc threads. The strong gray, dark green and bright orange colors will replace UTPA’s longstanding white, green and orange. However, this change does not seem to worry too many UTPA students, including senior David Soto. “I’m just looking forward to a new year and new school,” Soto said. “I feel like it is going to be running the same. We don’t really see much of a change, just the mascot and the new president.” According to junior Eliza-

beth Diaz, the reception and unveiling was a welcome change of pace from the unrest that simmered after the original announcement of the UTRGV mascot selection of the Vaquero in November. Some people were against the change of name, colors and mascot and went as far as to play politics in response. In Jan., a bill was drafted by State Rep. Terry Canales. The bill, HB901, would add a section to the state’s education code requiring an election on the mascot to be held by Dec. 31 of this year. Although the legislation is still in the process of approval and voting, it was not the only setback for the new mascot name. A petition voting for the ousting of the Vaquero mascot attained 11,336 signatures starting in Nov. 14 and was drafted online at Change. org by UTPA alumnus Alex

Del Barrio. But according to Diaz, acceptance of the name and uniform is not something most people should worry about. She said there are bigger things and more important factors to look forward to with the university switchover coming along the horizon. “So far we have had little steps to progress us in a short time span,” Diaz said. “And I am curious to see how it is going to affect us once the new fall semester starts. (We will see) whether the changes will come one at a time or all at once.” Despite these concerns, Diaz insists that there is a lot hope and says that there will be more good to come from the future of the new university.

Page 8

March 12, 2015

boneless wings

(956) 631-WING (9464)

monday-tuesday

3721 W Pecan Blvd. I Mcallen, TX.

special

3/26/15

Renee Alicia Rangel/ The Pan American