October 18, 2012 by UTRGV Student Media

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Volume 69, No. 8

#BaldForNolan

October 18, 2012

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DECISIONS... DECISIONS 2012 In the Red Corner:

176.4 lbs Height: 6’ 1” Age:51 Birthplace: Honolulu, Hawaii Religion: Prostestant

6’ 2” Weight:197 lbs Age:65 Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan Religion: Mormon

Weight:

Benassi Visits

even globally

OBAMA vs ROMNEY In the Blue Corner:

Baseball team shows support for cancer patient Page 7

connect at other eduroam campuses

Height:

Education:

Harvard Law School ( 1988-1991) Juris Doctor, Law Columbia University (1983) Political Science Occidental College (1979 - 1981) Political Science

Harvard University (1971-1975) Juris Doctor/ Master of Business Administration Brigham Young University (1969-1971) English

BARACK

MITT

OBAMA

ROMNEY Resume:

Resume:

2011- Present Candidate for 45th President of the United States of America 2003- 2007 Governor of Massachusetts 1999-2002 CEO, 2002 Winter Olympics 1991-1999 CEO, Bain Capital 1984-1990 Co-Founder, Bain Capital 1977-1984 Vice President, Bain & Company 1975-1977 Management Consultant, The Boston Consulting Group

2009- Present - 44th President of the United States of America 2005 -2008 U.S. Senate, Illinois seat 2006 Publishes book The Audacity of Hope 2005 Publishes book Dreams from My Father 1997-2004 Illinois State Senate 1993-2004 Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Chicago Law School

Electro DJ to perform Saturday at Pharr Events Center Page 6 Net Worth: $ 5.7 million

Luis Roblero

Immigration

Education major working to Position: For DREAM Act inspire others Page 6 2012 Promises:

panamericanonline.com

Net Worth: $230 million

With early voting beginning at the UTPA Library Monday, The Pan American staff researched the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates’ platforms and records. This is the first installment of the 2012 Pan American Voting guide.

Work with Congress to get the DREAM Act back

Position: For Comprehensive Reform

System currently excludes too many that could help grow economy

Pass bipartisan immigration reform

Current porous border allows illegal immigrants to enter

Record:

Proposed a new rule to keep families together by allowing certain undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens to apply for legal status from inside the U.S.

Higher Education Position: DIY Halloween Decoration The Pan American provides jack-o-lantern carving tips

Wants to double Pell Grant funding

Establish college tax credit

Created the Community College to Career Fund. This builds up community colleges with special grants.

2012 Promises:

Signed new law that makes it easier for college students to pay back student loans, starting with new borrowers in 2014

Record:

Immigration

Implemented Race to the Top program. This is to promote an increase in the amount of college graduates.

Voted to add $3 billion to education, training, employment and social services programs in 2007. Federal revenues would rise by $180 million.

DREAM Act immigrants should have the chance to become permanent citizens by serving in the military Opposed to amnesty

Should welcome legal immigration

2012 Promises:

Work with Congress to raise visa number caps Every foreign student who obtains an advanced STEM degree should be granted permanent residency Speed up the visa process

Control the border via fence, officers and a system to ensure people do not overstay visas Mandatory employment verification system Give citizens and legal permanent residents priority in requesting citizenship for family members

Record:

Vetoed a bill in 2004 that would have allowed undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition in public Massachusetts universities

Higher Education Position: U.S. education is spending too much and not getting results.

Higher education is both more important and less affordable

Continued on Page 4

opinion

October 18, 2012

, y r g n a , ic apathet abstaining

by Erick Gonzalez

With the 57th U.S. presidential election just around the corner, I fail to ascribe that much importance to it. There are plenty of reasons for me to care but I just don’t really care what happens and I believe that there are a few of you who feel the same way. So this is for you self-centered people. The media is constantly bombarding us with their positions, making me feel guilty for disregarding their shower of political information, when they are merely trying to sway me into agreeing with their political standpoints. We know, or at least I do, that the presidential elections are a big deal. However, at the end of the day I just want to sit on my couch, have a beer and not think about the possible and not-so-distant future of this country. After all, I have my own problems, and the president, whether the old one stays or we get a new one, is not going to help me deal with them. Another reason to pay no heed to this bipartisan quarrel is that I have little to no say on the possible outcome. Now if you think your vote matters, then help yourself and grab a copy of The Pan American’s Oct.

4 issue and go to Pages 4 and 5. are told, will run the country doing the best for the country. There it is explained how little but in the end they are just I’m constantly baffled at the influence you have over the part of the group who govern sheer stupidity of calling yourthe country. We hear ideas they self a Republican or Democrat. presidential election. Presidential candidates plan to carry out but in order No one’s political views fall enaren’t doing this to persuade for that to happen they have tirely on a party that has very people to choose them to run to go through the Congress, contrasting viewpoints from the place, as is commonly which is comprised mainly of the other. Inform yourself and form imagined (mistakenly) by the both Democrats and Republiunaware masses that think their cans who are constantly bicker- an opinion, everyone has issues ing with each other, and with in which they are conservative vote makes a difference. Presidential elections are the president. So it’s quite dif- and other issues in which they merely a time in which a couple ficult for the president to come lean liberal. For example, I’m all for gun rights and regulation; of politicians embark on a pop- through with his promises. on that issue I’m conserularity contest across “We are a culture that has vative. On prostitution, the country, and even beyond, in order to let no consciousness or memory on the other hand, I’m liberal. Be a person; don’t the Electoral College (a small group of selected about politics or interest in mindlessly follow like a individuals that actu- the economy. We only care bewildered sheep to the person that speaks what ally make the decision) about these ideas when the you want to hear. know which is the least Even though I are parading hated person among candidates the candidates. Then around the country spending have no interest in the current political prothey make a decision, sometimes not consid- millions on campaigns to hold paganda I found it impossible to ignore comering the popular vote. our attention.” pletely. I favor Obama. How do you think Not only that, most of Ironically enough it isn’t beGeorge W. Bush got the presidency? You live in a republic, the country is going to vote cause I strongly agree with based on color, red or blue, most of his policies. I do prefer not in a democracy. I have to also take into disregarding the political views them over Romney’s nonsense, account that such display of of the candidate. The thick- but the main reason I want political propaganda is mostly minded will just vote for their Obama to stay in office is beunnecessary. We are fed a con- favorite team and will ignore cause logically he has a better stant interchange of political everything else, and even con- shot at fixing the United State’s stands by two people who, we vince themselves that they are current deficit. I use the term “fixing” freely because I really don’t expect a complete fix but more of a “patch up.” Which leads me to talk about the avalanche of ignorant critique toward Obama “not fixing the economy” and blaming him for the current state of the country. Like I mentioned before, it is a group effort to run a country and he had to clean up what was

given to him, which was an economic mess made by Bush. Four years isn’t enough time to fix an economy. You all have been in school more than four years, most still don’t know the difference between “your” and “you’re,” and yet still have the nerve to demand results from a public servant. It will take time to alleviate the current state of the economy and bringing a new guy to clean up the last guy’s mess isn’t going to change much. It takes more than just shortsighted critique and crossing your arms waiting for somebody to fix an entire country’s economy. It is a country, after all, a country that we all are part of. What are we doing to fix things? What are you doing to change things for the better? It is easy to say Bush was useless. It is easy to say Obama is useless. It will be easy to continue to say Obama is useless or that Romney will be. The problem doesn’t rely on the president mainly. There is an underlying problem that we are capable of fixing. The problem is us. We are part of a culture that values becoming rich overnight more than forming a family based on values and respect toward others. We are a culture that has no consciousness or memory about politics or interest in the economy. We only care about these ideas when the candidates are parading around thex country spending millions on campaigns to hold our attention, because it reminds us of the illiterate pandering we usually see on TV, since in between campaigns we are too busy voting for American Idol. If you think a president is going to fix this country, you are far from right. Whether Obama stays or Romney takes his place, they will still have to work with the flawed raw material of this country, its people. Instead of taking our futures in our hands, pitifully, we are always waiting for someone to show us the way.

Illustration by: Francisco Rodriguez

Tweets #UTPA Tweet at and follow us @ThePanAmerican I stopped to sit outside cause the guy playing his guitar and singing outside the library is playing my favorite song. #UTPA -‫@ ‏‬saraherey Idk why... But I absolutely love it when I see students at #UTPA viewing the presidential debates online here at the library. #Hope4himanity -‫@ ‏‬CocoIvyBean_11

Vol. 69, No. 8

The Pan American

thepanamerican@gmail.com 1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539 Phone: (956) 665-2541 Fax: (956) 316-7122

Editor-in-Chief:

Karen Antonacci

News Editor:

Daniella Diaz

Sports Editor:

Norma Gonzalez

Arts & Life Editor:

Lea Victoria Juarez

Photography Editor: Adrian Castillo

Design Editor:

Erick Gonzalez

Multimedia Editor:

Dimitra Hernandez

Adviser:

Dr. Greg Selber

Administrative Associate:

Anita Reyes

Advertising Manager:

Mariel Cantu

Webmaster:

Jose Villarreal

Social Media Editor: David Alvarado

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.

Next Delivery:

Oct. 25 at noon

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:

thepanamerican @gmail.com

news

October 18, 2012

roam the net with eduroam By Charles Vale The Pan American

ware, security, network research and performance measurements to further the progress of Internet applications. The cost of eduroam is paid for by Internet2, and thus made available to any institution in the UT System that wants to use it. Like UTPA, South Texas College has also started using eduroam. As part of a joint project, it went live for both campuses at the same time, at the start of the semester. Ideally, this will help students enrolled at both campuses, or those who’ve transferred to UTPA looking to continue their education.

Wireless network access on 5 Texas campuses

“We first became aware of eduroam in March 2012,” said Jeffery Graham, chief information officer with the OIT. “We actually started working with STC to acquire it in May 2012.” There are currently 76 institutions in the United States using it. The five in Texas include STC, UTPA, Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University, and the University of Texas System offices in Austin. UTPA was the first school in the UT system to adopt eduroam. “This is really good for Pan Am,” Toal said. “This really shows

us as technology leaders, and for us to be the first in the UT system to use it is really great.” A change with eduroam is how one logs in to the domain. There is no difference in performance. Now, instead of having to know the name of the Service Set Identifier in order to connect, which was Student2010 for students, the eduroam service is broadcast so that connection is instant. “We still have the student SSID and the faculty SSID, but we are trying to go over to eduroam,” Graham said. “Our long term goal is to replace the other two with

UTPA campus 1. Turn on your laptop or wireless device

STC campus

Connect to UTPA-SETUP wireless network

connect at other eduroam campuses

Follow the on-screen instructions to connect to the eduroam wireless network

Karen Villarreal/The Pan American

Having gone live in early August, a new wireless Internet access service called eduroam is now available for use by students at the University. The idea behind eduroam is that students, faculty and visiting scholars to the campus will be able to easily access the wireless Internet without having to mess around with network settings, as long as they come from another institution that also uses eduroam. Likewise, UTPA students visiting other institutions with eduroam will be able to easily access their wireless connection. After students register with the network using a username and password, eduroam stores the data so that when they visit another participating eduroam institution, the login info is instantly recognized and access is granted. “We hope this is going to be a real convenience for our students,” said Anne Toal, technology assessment officer with the Office of Information Technology. “Especially those that are dual-enrolled or transfer.”

However, students are advised to use their school emails when doing the initial setup. When visiting another institution, they will find that the network will use a student’s email address to identify what university they hail from and send their credentials for verification. “It’s not anonymous connection,” Toal said. “If someone from another eduroam school comes on, we have a record of them logging in. It gives us an email address. You’d be leaving little electronic footsteps so the system knows who you are.” The University is a part of the University of Texas System, which in turn is a member of the Lonestar Education and Research Network, an association comprised of various academic and research institutions. Lonestar Education Research Network is a member of Internet2, another association much like Lonestar. Lonestar focuses on supporting the research, education and economic development of institutions through statewide networking and access to global resources. Internet2 focuses on the development of advancements in soft-

even globally

eduroam.” Since the network has gone live on campus, students have been able to test out the service and get a feel for how it preforms. “The service is fast and it doesn’t mess up for me,” said Valeria Rios, a 19-year-old communication disorders major. “It’s also good that you can just go (to another campus) and use it without having a problem.” Other students, such as 22-year-old Bryanda Garcia, told of their rocky start with the service. “I had overheard that some students have had problems, and in the beginning of the semester I was experiencing issues connecting with my phone, but it’s fine now. I use it almost every day,” she said. Part of the reason eduroam was adopted was in the hopes that it will allow students to continue their education if they choose to move beyond the University, beyond the state and even outside the nation. “It allows our students to venture out into the world and not have to worry about figuring out how to get on the Internet,” Toal said.

Unlocking the WRSC student storage situation By Jose S. De Leon III The Pan American Student Government Association President Matthew Garcia met with Travis Hughes, the director of the Wellness and Recreational Sports Complex, Oct. 4 to discuss a student’s complaint regarding the lockers at the fitness center.

800 $20

lockers

free 70 lockers available in WRSC

The student, Ohireime Eromosele, attended the SGA meeting Sept. 28 when, at the beginning of the semester, he noticed several occupied lockers missing doors and no one supervising the men’s locker room. Concerned about how there was no warning given to students regarding the locker doors, the 19-yearold senior attended the meeting to bring up the issue. “It felt like the WRSC acted autonomously in making the decision to do this without giving out any warnings to the students,” he said. At the meeting, Garcia became interested in the situation and expressed concern when he heard many students were also talking about a locker fee of $20 to rent a locker for the semester, so he decided to meet with Hughes to discuss both concerns. THE PROBLEM The reason for the lack of doors on lockers, Hughes explained, was that lockers were being upgraded with a new lock style, a process that required the doors to be removed so that a new lock could be installed. While the process was going

on, two staff members were supposed to be watching the locker rooms at all times and they “should not have left the room unsupervised,” Hughes said. However, Eromosele said that he saw at least 20 lockers without doors and that the only staff members he noticed were those removing the locker doors. As for the $20 fee that students were questioning, Hughes believed that there was a miscommunication between the WRSC and University students regarding the locker fee. Hughes explained that the WRSC has always had a semester rental fee, while also providing students with the option of one-day use lockers that are free to check out. The reason why more students noticed the locker fee, Hughes theorized, was because students rented out the oneday lockers available in the locker rooms. However, the one-day lockers, 70 in total, are now only available on the gym floor due to the new lock system not making them compatible for one-day use. Hughes stated that new locks on the lockers is the solution to a problem that the com-

plex has had since it opened. The director explained how a common problem with the one-day lockers was that a lot of students would lose their keys. Whenever this happens, complex employees change the lock to en-

It felt like the WRSC acted autonomously in making the decision to do this without giving out any warnings to the students. -Ohireime Eromosele UTPA senior

sure that if the key to a locker is found, it can’t be used. Hughes and the WRSC advising committee were looking for the most inexpensive way to solve the issue. Ultimately, they found a new lock style that required a combination instead of keys, and the cost to retrofit all 800 spaces was $10,000. The advisory committee, composed mostly of students, advises the WRSC administration.

According to Hughes, the decision to get new locks was an administrative one taken with feedback from the WRSC advisory committee back in the spring semester, when the idea was first proposed. Since the committee wouldn’t meet again until the fall, Hughes decided to start retrofitting the lockers in the summer, without telling the advisory board. “We like having things ready by the start of the new school year,” he explained. The decision to not go to the advisory board with the decision, Hughes said, was mostly due to the fact that he didn’t think this issue would be important. “Any time we want to make a big change, we like to get the input from the advisory committee,” he said. “But in our minds, this wasn’t a big issue but based on the reactions from students, it was.” The director also admitted that, had the complex not have rushed this decision, more students would be aware of the change. Garcia agrees. “A lot of the students, myself included, hadn’t been aware of the

rental policy that had been around for five years,” Garcia said. “Since it wasn’t heavily promoted, it came off as something new.” Garcia doesn’t mind the fact that the one-day lockers aren’t in the locker room. “The explanation for the new locks and the changes seem reasonable and temporary lockers are still available for students,” he said. “And it’s not much of a burden to have them far from the restroom. I know some students will see it as an inconvenience, but I don’t think it’s that bad.” Hughes will attend the SGA meeting Friday to answer any questions about the new locker policy, said Garcia, who added that the SGA and WRSC are planning to conduct a survey at the gym to see how many students who use the WRSC are aware of the new lockers. Hughes wants to remind UTPA students that he has their best interests in mind. “We follow the best practices of other institutions and see what other schools are doing and try to do what we think is best for us,” he said.

Page 4

Position:

Foreign Policies/National Security

For drawing down troops in Afghanistan

Prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea

Record:

In 2008, Obama voted on a bill that approved of the US-India Agreement for Cooperation on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy. In 2010, President Obama announced an international effort to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials in four years

Federal Budget Position:

Cut taxes by $3,600 for the typical middle class family making $50,000 a year over his first term

2012 Promises Use savings from ending war in Iraq to pay down debt and invest in infrastructure

Return millionaire tax rates to what they were under Clinton’s presidency

Eliminate tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas

Position:

For “OBAMAcare,” or The Affordable Care Act

Record:

Obama agreed to override a veto, in 2008, on a bill that would extend and expand Medicare coverage for a variety of programs and would amend regulations about Medicare fee-for-service programs. In turn this would raise the yearly amount covered by Medicare of health care costs connected with mental, psychoneurotic, and personality disorders until 100 percent of related costs are covered in 2014.

Higher Education... cont. 2012 Promises Eliminate certification requirements that discourage new teachers Strengthen and simplify the financial aid system

Welcome private sector participation Replace burdensome regulation

Supported English immersion classes for students that cannot speak English and opposed bilingual education.

Signed the Budget Control Act of 2011 into legislation to cooperate with House amendments and pass a bill that raised the national debt limit and established discretionary spending limits

Supports same-sex marriage

Health Care

Record:

Position:

October 18, 2012

THE PAN AMERICAN

Social Issues Supports right to choose when it comes to abortion issue

Record:

Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2010. President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009

Health Care

Social Issues Position: Overturn Roe v Wade and make abortion a states’ issue

Against Same-sex marriage Opposes privatizing the VA

2012 Promises Will appoint an attorney general who will defend the Defense of Marriage Act but he will also champion a Federal Marriage Amendment to the Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

Will overturn Roe v Wade and end federal abortion advocates like

Record:

Position:

Against Obamacare (The Affordable Care Act) Opposes privatizing the VA

2012 Promises

Will issue an executive order that paves the way for the federal government to issue Obamacare waivers to all 50 states. He will then work with Congress to repeal the full legislation as quickly as possible

Record:

Version of Mass. health care bill included requiring every citizen who can afford health care to buy it or face tax penalties Vetoed part of health care bill that would have placed a fee on businesses with fewer than 11 employees that did not provide coverage

Opposed same-sex marriage while governor of Massachusetts In 2005, Gov. Romney vetoed a bill authorizing an emergency contraception drug

R EDIS COVER CHURCH!

Federal Budget Position: Fix the tax code to encourage job growth

Reduce subsidies for The National

Regulations burden the economy

Reduce federal employee compensation

Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Legal Services Corporation

Reduce the federal workforce by 10 percent

Curb federal spending by repealing Obamacare

Cut the corporate tax rate to 25 percent

Reduce federal spending on entitlement programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security

Eliminate “the death tax,” a tax on inherited estates

2012 Promises

Record:

As governor presided over the elimination of a projected $1.2–1.5 billion deficit through a combination of spending cuts, increased fees, and the closure of corporate tax loopholes

Foreign Policy/National Security Position: The U.S. cannot be weak because it would usher in a dangerous era of uncertainty

Opposes privatizing the VA

Join us. We’ll save a seat for you!

2012 Promises Increase Navy shipbuilding rate from nine to 15 a year Reverse Obama defense cuts

Record:

There’s a new worship service for people like you – people looking for a meaningful way to connect with God. We now offer contemporary worship on Sundays at 9:45 a.m. Here you will find upbeat music, relevant messages, and casual dress. Jeans and sneakers expected. No halos required.

Unclog and Expand the VA Grant all veterans using the GI Bill in-state tuition

Passed “Welcome Home Bill” in 2006, giving those National Guard soldiers called to duty after Sept. 11, 2001 a bonus

9:45 am – N E W Contemporary Worship Service 11:00 am - Traditional Worship Service

First United Methodist Church of Edinburg 3707 West University, Edinburg www.edinburgfumc.org

October 18, 2012

THE PAN AMERICAN

Page 5

Page 4

Position:

Foreign Policies/National Security

For drawing down troops in Afghanistan

Prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea

Record:

Federal Budget Position:

Cut taxes by $3,600 for the typical middle class family making $50,000 a year over his first term

2012 Promises Use savings from ending war in Iraq to pay down debt and invest in infrastructure

Return millionaire tax rates to what they were under Clinton’s presidency

Eliminate tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas

Position:

For “OBAMAcare,” or The Affordable Care Act

Record:

Higher Education... cont. 2012 Promises Eliminate certification requirements that discourage new teachers Strengthen and simplify the financial aid system

Welcome private sector participation Replace burdensome regulation

Supported English immersion classes for students that cannot speak English and opposed bilingual education.

Signed the Budget Control Act of 2011 into legislation to cooperate with House amendments and pass a bill that raised the national debt limit and established discretionary spending limits

Supports same-sex marriage

Health Care

Record:

Position:

October 18, 2012

THE PAN AMERICAN

Social Issues Supports right to choose when it comes to abortion issue

Record:

Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2010. President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009

Health Care

Social Issues Position: Overturn Roe v Wade and make abortion a states’ issue

Against Same-sex marriage Opposes privatizing the VA

Will overturn Roe v Wade and end federal abortion advocates like

Record:

Position:

Against Obamacare (The Affordable Care Act) Opposes privatizing the VA

2012 Promises

Record:

Opposed same-sex marriage while governor of Massachusetts In 2005, Gov. Romney vetoed a bill authorizing an emergency contraception drug

R EDIS COVER CHURCH!

Federal Budget Position: Fix the tax code to encourage job growth

Reduce subsidies for The National

Regulations burden the economy

Reduce federal employee compensation

Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Legal Services Corporation

Reduce the federal workforce by 10 percent

Curb federal spending by repealing Obamacare

Cut the corporate tax rate to 25 percent

Reduce federal spending on entitlement programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security

Eliminate “the death tax,” a tax on inherited estates

2012 Promises

Record:

As governor presided over the elimination of a projected $1.2–1.5 billion deficit through a combination of spending cuts, increased fees, and the closure of corporate tax loopholes

Foreign Policy/National Security Position: The U.S. cannot be weak because it would usher in a dangerous era of uncertainty

Opposes privatizing the VA

Join us. We’ll save a seat for you!

2012 Promises Increase Navy shipbuilding rate from nine to 15 a year Reverse Obama defense cuts

Record:

Unclog and Expand the VA Grant all veterans using the GI Bill in-state tuition

Passed “Welcome Home Bill” in 2006, giving those National Guard soldiers called to duty after Sept. 11, 2001 a bonus

9:45 am – N E W Contemporary Worship Service 11:00 am - Traditional Worship Service

First United Methodist Church of Edinburg 3707 West University, Edinburg www.edinburgfumc.org

October 18, 2012

THE PAN AMERICAN

Page 5

arts & life

October 18, 2012

Benassi to visit Valley By Dago Martinez The Pan American Electronic DJ Benny Benassi will make his first appearance in the Valley Saturday, as part of his Rough Road Bus Tour. The appearance will take place at the Pharr Events Center. “He is simply one of the most requested artists of the genre and a true pioneer in the world of electro…he was one of the first ones to use electro in the industry” said Frank Salinas, administrative assistant at Global Groove Events. Ranked No. 27 in ‘DJ Magazine’s Top 100 list of 2011, Benassi, a Milan-born Italian DJ, is regarded as one of the most internationally respected artists in the music industry. Best known by his club hit “Satisfaction” which went gold in 2002, Benassi has headlined performances around the world such as the Ultra Music Festival in Miami and Coachella Music Festival in Indio, Calif. These festivals have been performing grounds for artists such as David Guetta, Florence and The Machine, Snoop Dogg and Rihanna. Local musician Danny (DJ Beethoven) Montalvo, 26, will serve as one of the opening acts for the Oct. 20 show. “When I first saw him at Club Rio in San Antonio, it was something else,” the Mission native said. “He played banger after banger and several bootlegs that were instantly crowd favorites. The crowd went crazy.” Special guests will be DJ’s Krewella and Pink is Punk. Krewella, is an electronic group from Chicago. The group consists of Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf and Rainman. Pink Is Punk is Andrea Mazzantini and Nico Vignali a DJ and producers duo based in Milan. In the last nine months, the RGV has hosted EDM artists Skrillex, Afrojack, Avicii and more. Only time will tell where the Valleyites rank Benassi among the other artists who have performed in the area. “I recommend everyone to see him. He is a part of electronic music history,” Montalvo said. “His musical journey, embarks you on a melodic ship that includes vocals and hard hitting bass. I’d say it’s like a roller coaster that just keeps climbing, and then drops you into a sea of vocal tunes. It’s simply amazing.”

Luis Roblero, student Education major working to inspire others By Bryony Castillo The Pan American Indistinct conversations, rustling of leaves in the wind, and the voice of his mother speaking in his ear and describing the surroundings. This is everyday life for Luis Roblero, a 19-year-old blind student at the University. “I was born blind with Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, a rare genetic disorder that usually accompanies mental disorders and deafness,” the McAllen native said. “But I was lucky to only be blind.” LCA is an inherited retinal degenerative disease caused by both parents being carriers of the defective gene. This disease affects three in every 100,000 newborns and is one of the most common causes of blindness in children, according to the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. “I was diagnosed at 5 months old with LCA,” said Roblero, who went to McAllen Memorial High School. “Both of my parents were devastated when they found out I had this condition but did everything they could do to find people to help me through this.” His childhood consisted of being taught to focus on the teacher without being distracted by other noises. Throughout elementary school, Roblero was treated just like everyone else. He attended regular classes and participated in gymnastics, piano and swimming lessons. He also learned how to ride a bicycle, rollerskate and skateboard. Special accommodations were made during Roblero’s middle school and onward to allow him to participate in extracurricular activities. In middle school orchestra, he had an assistant to translate notes on the sheet music into Braille to allow him to read the music. “For sight reading, they made an arrangement to give my assistant the music ahead of time,” Roblero stated. “I was only allowed to have the music one night ahead in advance to memorize it.” Roblero has to do more than just show up and take notes to succeed in class. An extensive amount of time goes into preparing for the next school day.

Books can also be converted and stored on an external hard drive and then plugged into his Apex machine, allowing information to be read aloud. For tests, professors have to send the document to Marissa Martinez, a worker at the disability center, who uses a program to convert documents into Braille and ensure that they It is not really make sense. defined as a disDespite all of the hard ability because work and chalit doesn’t really stop lenges that Roblero faces duryou from what ing coursework, regular people the sophomore has maintained a can do. 3.85 grade-point - Luis Roblero average and is Sophomore education major currently taking 16 hours. His major is in elebook to write papers. Each in- mentary education with a minor dividual letter that is typed uses in special education. “I want to become a teacher a combination of six keys. Once for the visually impaired because done, he saves it on a USB drive that’s my passion. I want to help and takes it to the writing cen- blind kids learn what they need ter where employees help add the footnotes, bibliography and other necessary items. Roblero’s mother, Ana Maria, goes with him and helps take down notes for class. Roblero completes his elementary mathematics homework by touch, feeling the graphs his mother copied down in class that are then retraced in Tulip puff paint she bought from Walmart. Nemeth Code, a branch of Braille, allows him to understand mathematical symbols such as parabolas, items not included in the normal Braille alphabet. Developed in 1946 and accepted in 1952 by the Braille Authority of North America (BANA), it is the standard code to express mathematics and scientific expressions as explained by The University of Washington. Textbooks for class are converted into Braille. “Books can become up to three to four feet tall for one book and take an enormous amount of time and hard work to produce,” said Reynaldo Reyes, an assistant at the University’s disability center. The center offers many services such as interpreters and any other accommodations for handicapped individuals. Its members also work to translate books and documents to Braille for visually impaired students. “I have to work two to three times harder than the average student,” Roblero said. He uses a home computer enabled with the JAWS Screen Reading Software, a program that reads text aloud and provides a Braille display. He then uses his BrailleNote Apex note-

Adrian Castillo/The Pan American Luis Roblero attends class with his mother Ana Maria Roblero, who takes notes for him during his classes while he takes notes with the BrailleNote Apex. to learn to have a successful education and a better life,” Roblero said. “That’s why I’m studying here, because I want to do everything I can to reach that goal.” His main drive is to show other blind students in the area that they too can succeed at any university. “My hopes are that people can understand that just because you’re blind, (it) does not stop you,” Roblero said. “(It) is

not really defined as a disability because it doesn’t really stop you from what regular people can do.” Roblero believes that without his parents’ help, he wouldn’t be where he is today. “I thank God that I have some parents that really support me and really motivate me to keep going and to reach my goal,” he said.

Lea Victoria Juarez/The Pan American

October 18, 2012

customized bronc apparel coming scouted Athletic Department to offer wide variety of school-affiliated items on new website By Norma Gonzalez The Pan American In a few weeks, the Athletic Department will launch an online apparel and merchandise store for UTPA Broncs merchandise, UTPABroncsgear.com. The website aims to offer customers more than 800 items and give them the chance to get creative with school spirit. “You’re going to see a wide variety of items, be it from candy dishes to chairs to short sleeve shirts to camouflage shirts to hats to just across a wide spectrum of things,” said Andrew Haring, senior associate athletic director for external operations. “And that’s something, honestly, that I think our fans, supporters and alumni have really been asking for and wanting for a long time.” The online store, provided by Advanced-Online, will allow people to pick any item to have the Broncs logo applied to. This will eliminate inventory problems because the logo application isn’t processed until a purchase is made, according to Haring.

“They order it online, the company applies the logo right there in their facility and ships it out within the next day directly to the consumer,” he explained. The project, which has been in the works for about 10 months, was originally intended to launch in time for Midnight Madness, but was slowed down to make sure all bases are covered. The department has been working with the vendor, UTPA’s purchasing department, plus the University’s Office of General Counsel and the UT System. There are regulations and requirements that need to be accounted for, according to Haring, and the department reps feels they have to pay due diligence to their partners. “We don’t want to launch this until it’s absolutely ready to go. There are some issues- we’ve got to be very protective of people’s credit card information and their personal information,” Haring said. “We’ve got to make sure the vendor’s ready with the

quality merchandise ready to go and, what’s exciting, when we do launch it, it will be up and running 100 percent from day one.” Haring doesn’t believe the new website will cause competition with the University Bookstore, which also offers UTPA

Pick an object

Apply logo Receive your custom UTPA gear in the mail

apparel. The site is just for online sales; there will not be a physical store. “The bookstore will still be the place where logo apparel and items can be purchased in person,” Haring said.

The site will not be eliminat- is looking to spread Bronc spiring or replacing anything, it will it throughout the Valley. Haring just be adding to the amount of believes there is definitely diversiUTPA-related items available, ac- ty in the Valley in terms of different communities, but also thinks cording to Haring. “The bookstore has great there’s an element of ownership merchandise but of course they’re and pride. “There are other schools a national company that is dealing with their buyer on kind of a Brownsville, South Texas Colregional basis,” he said. “Where- lege- but I think most people as this company Advanced-On- would say UTPA is the Valley’s line is dealing with our fans kind university,” he said. “That’s exciting regardless of where you of directly.” Because the University hasn’t want to draw the borders, be it had a website like this in the past, anywhere from Corpus Christi it is new territory, making it hard to Laredo.” Haring also explained that to predict a starting point or amount of revenue made. Har- one of the core missions of UTing believes people’s buying hab- PA Athletics is to represent the its are constantly changing so sta- University through proudly tistics about online sales from a wearing a University shirt. “It’s important for us to few years ago are no longer rel- Jeremy Lin have our merchandise and apevant today. Guard available for our fans, stuThe University, however, parel will not need to pay anything dents, alumni, all of our conupfront. All revenue will come stituents, to be able to purchase from licensing fees and purchase and wear proudly around the Rio Grande Valley,” he said. of items. Although more students “I think that’s something that could be seen wearing UT- our fans and people want. We PA-affiliated shirts during this want our Bronc logos all over the Valley.” year’s Spirit Week, the website

#BaldForNolan Bronc baseball players show support for cancer patient by shaving their heads

By Norma Gonzalez and Jaime Leal The Pan American After receiving updates with photos through email about Nolan Naranjo, who recently lost his hair due to chemotherapy, baseball Head Coach Manny Mantrana brought up an idea to his team leaders: go bald for Nolan. Nolan is currently in Houston and has been stressing over his treatments. “We put up Nolan’s pictures on the practice board,” Mantrana said. “So the last two pictures that he sent us were after his radiation and chemo. He had lost big portions of his hair. Then the next picture he shaved all his head. We were kind of shocked.” Mantrana asked Andy Fortuna, Chris Torres, Derek Hagy and Shane Klemcke, four team leaders, if they wanted to support Nolan by showing him that if he didn’t have any hair, then neither would they. Readily they agreed. The veterans quickly spread the idea to the rest of their team who didn’t hesi-

tate to jump aboard. The 5-year-old Brownsville native, who was diagnosed with leukemia (MDS) earlier this year, met the Bronc baseball team last season when the players traveled to Brownsville for the Battle of the Orange with UT-Brownsville. After watching the players in action, Nolan became a fan. When the players met him and learned of his condition and the hardships his family faced, they gained a desire to change his life. Klemcke, a senior marketing major, met Nolan last season and says that it makes him sad to see that Nolan isn’t having a normal childhood. “We want him to get better so that he can enjoy the little things in life that he is missing out on right now,” he said. “That kid is going through a lot and he is a strong kid. I hope this helps in any way possible.” This isn’t the first time that the baseball team has unified to support Nolan. In May 2012, the Broncs had a blood drive in his honor. However, having had over

70 blood transfusions, Nolan and his family discovered that what he required was bone marrow. The team decided to gather together and host Match Nolan, a bone marrow drive held Sept. 12 at the UTPA Library. Two hundred people registered on Nolan’s behalf. None were a match. STANDING OUT The new bald heads around campus did not go unnoticed. Professors and classmates have asked the players about their new ‘doo. Facebook posts and tweets started surfacing Sunday night with pictures of their new look, hashtagged Bald for Nolan. Although cutting his hair isn’t that big of a deal for infielder Klemcke, he understands what Nolan must be going through. “He’s a little kid, you feel like everybody’s looking at you, picking on you and messing with you,” Klemcke said about Nolan losing his hair. “That’s only amplified, especially if they don’t know what he’s been going through. There’s

Norma Gonzalez/The Pan American

Outfielder Derek Hagy shaves infielder Shane Klemcke’s head in honor of Nolan, a 5-year-old leukemia patient. bullies and there’s mean people and everybody is trying to be the popular kid in school. A little kid

with a bald head isn’t going to be looked at the same as the athlete with a lot of hair.”

Broncs get checked out

New York Mets’ scout Ray Corbett observes the Broncs Wednesday morning. By Norma Gonzalez The Pan American Fifteen Major League Baseball scouts stopped by the Edinburg Baseball Stadium Wednesday morning to watch UTPA baseball players. Scout Day was originated in 2009 by Bronc coach Manny Mantrana. What started with just one scout visiting has developed into 15 scouts, from MLB organizations such as the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. “So people and especially professional scouts are beginning to realize that we’re getting good players,” Mantrana said. “For them to see our players, to expose our players to them, it’s a win-win situation for the program, for the players and for the professional scouts.” The scouts got to see the players participate in different events, such as the 60-yard dash, infield and outfield practice, batting practice and a quick intrasquad game. “It’s a chance in the fall to evaluate all the players on the team, see what they can do,” said Ray Corbett, who has been a scout for 25 years and is starting his eighth year working with the New York Mets. “It looks like their team has improved and is getting better. There’s a couple of young men that we’ll be following and see how they do in springtime.” Mantrana knew this practice session was more stressful than others, and could cause players to try too hard, but pitcher Dusten Knight and catcher Chris Torres, among others, were able to catch Corbett’s eye. The Mets scout has been visiting the University every year to watch some games, scope out some players and plans on coming back in the spring. “Last year, with Angel Ibañez signing, Michael Zouzalik signing, they’re realizing this is a good place to come and find players,” Mantrana said of the two players he’s had drafted into Texas organizations in the short time as the University’s baseball coach.

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the pan american

October 18, 2012