Shutting down academia
UTPA affected by government shutdown
Pages 4-5
October 17, 2013
Volume 70, No. 8
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Rock the Runway
Volleyball struggles at conference By Kristela Garza The Pan American
Goodwill hosts fashion show
Outbreak
Virus simulated at UTPA
Defying Gravity
NASA, SpaceX exhibits draw crowd
Seventh place
Men’s basketball preseason ranking
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Head Coach Brian Yale By Kristela Garza The Pan American
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The Bronc volleyball team started its first year of the Western Athletic Conference play on a five-game losing streak after tying for the second-best season start record in UTPA program history. According to Head Coach Brian Yale, the team has
been crippled by injuries, but the ladies are looking to move forward the rest of the season. The team is now 1-5 in the WAC after defeating Chicago State Oct. 12 with a score 3-2. That record represents a large drop from their preseason record, though Yale notes the team lost two of its strongest players and other athletes are
injured. These players include outside hitter Diara Reynolds and libero Nausheen Merchant, both juniors. “Two we anticipate are out for the season and then we are waiting on results from others,” Yale said. Having these two players and others out has affected the team and according to Yale is
one of the reasons for the dramatic shift. The season continues when the Broncs play at the UTPA Field House Oct. 21 against Grand Canyon University. “We’ve lost some key starters, so we’ve had to readjust line ups…we are not playing bad
players, they are just inexperienced,” Yale said. According to Yale, Reynolds and Merchant are two key passers whose job is to keep the ball in the air to maintain the opportunity for offensive play and is why the absence has made such a difference.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
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opinion
October 17, 2013
#UTPA
Tweet at and follow us @ThePanAmerican
Random act of kindness of today: Helped 2 girls change their flat tire at the UTPA parking lot. -@ernieTOOdope I didn’t know we had a indoor pool at Utpa -@Elenoralaniz
Zombie horde looks like all the people at UTPA on free food days!! #TheWalkingDead -@SirGregGarcia
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:
Michael Aguilar
Multimedia Editor For people who grew up reading comic books or watching animated shows based on comic books, this is when these heroes became reality. With superheroes coming to the big screen, people can now see them come to life due to technology and the creation of reality worlds. Regarding new capabilities through technology, companies such as Marvel have taken advantage but others have not. The biggest competitor to Marvel movie popularity is DC Comic, Inc. DC has come with its own success with movies such as The Dark Knight franchise, earning more than $2 billion at
the box office. The new Superman reboot, 2013 Man of Steel made more than half a million, but in retrospect, DC hasn’t really done that much. Marvel Studios has worked on its superhero movies, including Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk in 2008, continuing 2011’s Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. The record-breaking film from 2012 Marvel’s The Avengers became number three among the highest grossing films of all time, behind James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) and Titanic (1997). Marvel is not afraid of taking risks, having changed the Hulk actor three times, but it worked with highly renowned actors playing the part of Bruce
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Vol. 70, No. 8
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Editors-in-Chief:
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Michelle Garcia/The Pan American Guest speaker Chelsea Alamilla, dietitian at Edinburg Regional Medical Center, speaks Oct. 16 of the responsibilities students will encounter once they enter the health-care field. The Interprofessional Education Development event is held to educate College of Health Sciences and Human Services students about patient care and population health.
Banner and computer generated imagery and motion capturing technology to make the Hulk realistic. Marvel movies make people believe in gods from another world, a super soldier that survived in an ice time capsule and a billionaire who flies in a
Marvel at all, it is going to have to move a lot faster than one movie every two years. Upcoming Marvel movies include Thor: The Dark World (2013), 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 2015’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron and 2015’s Ant Man.
Once DC finds Flash, Wonder Woman and other super heroes it can start producing movies that can finally compete with Marvel’s The Avengers, which would pave the way to a pissing contest to see who can break out the biggest box office hit. super weapon suit. DC doesn’t really take chances. The biggest risk the company took was with two box-office-bust movies, the 2010 film Jonah Hex, which earned $10 million with a studio budget of $47 million, and 2011’s Green Lantern movie, which earned a little bit more than $200 million after the studio budget of $200 million. The only safe movie DC recently released was 2012 The Dark Knight Rises, but that franchise was about to come to an end so they had to come up with new ideas to save movies. Man of Steel was their only hope of saving their superheroes, reaching their goal of creating a Justice League movie to compete with Marvel’s lineup. So far DC has only one movie planned to come out in 2015, although it doesn’t have a confirmed title. Some are calling it Batman vs. Superman, Man of Steel 2, or The World’s Finest. If DC plans on competing with
ing contest to see who can break out the biggest box office hit. This is what we need because more heroes would be revealed, plus bigger collaborations and maybe a DC, Marvel crossover. Until then, Marvel will have DC by the throat and with each hero the group comes out with, it is just squeezing tighter and tighter its rule on the superhero movie world.
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Thor: The Dark World opens Nov. 8 of this year. DC can get back on track to have a real fighting chance in this studio war by laying out characters and making movies connecting to the Justice League movie by the projected year 2017. For the main cast for the Justice League movie one would need Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter. Some characters have absolutely ludicrous story lines that would be difficult to bring to the big screen, but just like Iron Man brought the capability to believe in unthinkable situations for Marvel, Man of Steel opened the door for DC to create a new world of superheroes. Once DC finds Flash, Wonder Woman and other super heroes it can start producing movies that can finally compete with Marvel’s The Avengers, which would pave the way to a piss-
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Josue Guzman 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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4 3
3102 ,5 rOctober ebmet31, 2013 pe17, S2013 January
Distinguished Speaker Series starts 10th season
Going once, going twice!
Syndicated columnist discusses immigration reform, DREAM Act
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It’s DREAM Act is e E , 3 h 1 g 0 i H 2 -n ll a fo tnecr gnirps eht fo V eltiT that it makes a n si eam p 52often saw ehs dias one of uthe dias ,senilriA na ohw ,razalaS ,ISHsoV eltportion a dah APTU tion reform. I more imi ytisrevinreasons T a derof ciremA ta repol edimmigrants u ro egelloc eht isnoc deticxe yrev ev hcraeser eht fo ta stnedportant 722,1 fo latot “I don’t have an agenda to conflicted this issue and why than the rest. u APTU .on t s trap a neeb eva e t a u d e m a r g i t r e l l d uf dellorne dn a eht eviecer ot h ot w rotnem MET -ed s’roleh cinap“To bring in more people or keep my views S sih ot lufknah siH ethink 304are ,2 dso b tsumsomehow, somenanuanced...there etaudargrednu t si ,setaudar cab d n ot eunitnoc ll’e a t n a r g 136one f , g e er g o 6 1 e h snossel elbaul r f out more people,” Navarrette is a lot of gray area. It’s not black in Washington concocted a o m s t o sisnoc h w f o tnecrep 7.88 eunitnoc lliw av razalaS odne ,stnan eht ni 542 .reerac eduidea ts etwhere said. “I don’t have danrahagenda to and white.” we take Dreamers s a u o d R a r g TS eht( dewolla lanoisseforp sih g nikrow ,saera METS .nand i g i r o sah tnarg eTh“ ) c . X i n e T a t p a build walls or not build walls. During his speech, he afford them a privilege that D s u i H ( d a arg METS maet reh htiw sojoniH nébuR c ot seitinutrop ecneics htiw nawe taerg a sthat mssdeny po euqinu evig ergnotheir i A C P T My agenda is to take the immiexplained both Democrats parents, the very U g n d i i v o a o s t rpmi ni c l iw tI“ .dias r na drawa eht de eht ot stneduts have dreasons hance the learning experiences gration debate and .setaudargIntsthe By lAndrew Veraaz al aS ”,stneduts individual university. cnupaying onna their tuition... -accut omcase stcartta taht IS people udethrough eht gnivah htam METS and Republicans etauUTPA, d a r H a fo elpmaxe g r e ” d . n y d of the Handbook of of UTPA students. a u n w a r of tsovorp eciv The Pan American evitisop a ni o i R e the bullshit.” for supporting or not supportthey don’t h t ni noit ,elyorC nitsirK rof lasoporp a d .margorp METgo to UTPA, they ni stneduts ruo ettimbuslays Procedures the funds raised by the S .yell10th g n i maeout Computers in the labs, televi- Operating t a n a V c a u e e t reh dna While Kicking off the season ing immigration reform. While Harvard, they don’t d s d u e n y a m na hsilbatse ot b r G a t r aht evdon’t gorp eht ni yltn ,noitacare sreerac rof meh eileb ogod Ito ude put into-lthe trothat ffe nhave Uni“ e r r t u a ni obeen g c n s i t r w n a sion sets in the Student Union, compliance laws e p ga raey eauctions o d e nk gniylpof r u p t Distinguished Speaker some Republicans do not favor go to Fresno State, but they S d n a no tnarg eht s a pa nthe x e d T na ,meht gniyd i ygetarts yranil htuoS peed versity’s general revenue dna ygbudget, aer era ew ,srepican sidauthor oloib sa hcSeries chairs in the library - all are in place since 1990. retni Navarrette, comprehensive immigration deserve our respect,” he said. d l e us ,stcwas fi i M t e p E m T e j S o b c u eht i s METS morf e eht ni erutuf th Karla Loya, director of pay- many of the unsoldrofitems eraperare gdapclassified as “campus surplus p dnawith irb a r “And I’m ndisappointed e form, because gdoing in my tes llitwice-weekly asojonisome ks a hsilbatse columns H diasdo ytinutorganiza”,tekram labolg of ,yrtnuoc ruo o t roppo eht nepearing , a r b e g l a items” that will be auctioned to ables and business services, said donated to nonprofit l a c roughly 150 newsso results in more labor for big own community. The Dream vig era yin i g o l o n h c e e Th .loohcs etau t evit ot dna sarea. .62 yluJ esaeler pohskropapers, da the highest bidder or donated that UTPA must follow these tions in the surrounding detinU eht ni , w evitcarincluding Act is an elitist sserp a ni etni ni etapicitr rg egatnavdA ME etataccounts f o a strict guidelines. For example, Ruben Valdez, a junior p t u o o t T ni sThe S o reep htiMonitor, t to local independent school disg n i s d piece of legise r e o w r c g cA ed s’rolehcab fo krowten dna le nimthe ocpsurvart u eht fo tsil ete driht-eno ylno the University’s academic de- ing major at UTPA gand e h tricts that lack funding. t , t l making him the lation because p n , s m o e i t o d a c t d S a A r n effo oUTPA’s .secnerefnoc I .sdlefi METS t sah margorp M ndiscuss i era deniathe eIhcome t sknar mto ETSwidelyUTPA’s Assets Management partments must put in what is plus inventory clerk sat most it disregards e t you now to h b u t o r s o e F c n c e n i r m o e i f o t noc aitems noc cilppa eht h gnola col331 fo tuo 84 r E dlroW suoigitserP Center will hold an auction known as a “blanket work order auction site, said nunsold parents.” o detacol era se readtiwLatino e b m u sa segrandson nildaed dna immigration as nthe t htam fo yissue Oct. 26 at the Community En- request” that asks for items to be can also go to local schools. in the Navarrette tilauq ni seirtnu atS detinU .etisbew METSumnist oc depoleved s’APTU “Certain itemsekilike gagement and Student Success marked as surplus. Once they c o ncluded l smardesks of a Mexican immigrant and the son of a . n gorp hcrcountry. o i t acude ecneics d local aesNeRa“v a r r e t t e na noitcnujnoc ni building at 10 a.m. Located are approved, assets manage- and chairs are donated na tnto his speech eduts a evig )M , A P T U , 2002 nI ETS( -iH ncop. Mexican-American -nu ecneirelocal amssergnoC fo at 1407 East Freddy Gonzalez ment representatives determine Sunday school classrooms, one of his by encouragpxe elbasaid ecffiO eht htiw rapmocni cinapsiH tsrfi e nesGirls oR diaclubs Drive, the auction is open to the the fate of the item; it is either ISDs and Boysod& s ”,rehtogoals ask a speaking students ht dezinagro ,a y n a e i l a l o Ruben Navarrette h n t h auctioned, donated or disposed. around the area,” the 37-yeariw detaudarg oh er and columnist ceT dna ecneic Jr. sojon public and all surplus items will to leave the S w , g , r n a i z r a e l e a n S i gnE retupmoc ni ee lliw hcihw ,CE “Certain items that can be old said. Columnist rged s’risolto be sold to the highest bidder. T S offer someRio Grande E H ehcab .keew yg detroppus sah , tI“ .affairs 3102 gand Once business nirpsas21-7 .tcO ecalp o ni ecnthing UTPA turns to a local sold must be sold through an he felt he Valley, but to e i c s e s ah dna slevel lla kat ti esuacedetermines b deticxe em to t auctioning company, Texas State auction,” Loya said. “Environ- sets management g didn’t often get take what they -tacovda rof led a noitacude METS -inutroppo eht is no longer em evagwhile attending Harvard - a dif- businesses, he said. om lanoitan ahave Auctions, which has been work- mental hazard risk items, for ex- that a surplusyitem emo learned in this community htuoS gnoma s m dnapxe ot yt noitapucco ME ceb ample, the curtains used in the needed on campus it can be ferent point of view. ing with the University for more TS gthem. yltnwhile And Democrats with ni animosome egdelwonk derp era ohw st neduts s“The than 10 years, to sell surplus theater, are disposed of properly approved for disbursement to axeT stuff that you know, ed etisbew a ot immigra“Until you understand the favor-idcomprehensive gnidrocca ,cina iH items from campus that have and not sold, and data process- local ISDs based on their eco- other side, you will never be tion reform, others it’s psinstinctive, you know it, .tnevwho e launsupna eh t detac ing items like computers are not nomic need. become obsolete. Joe Bond, completely firm in your convic- port labor unions see an influx t oso you don’t value it,” he said. Data processing surplus items tion,” said Navarrette, who is of immigrants as a detriment, “But I want you to know it has owner of Texas State Auctions, allowed to be sold or auctioned.” Aside from following code that are not allowed to be sold, also a contributor to CNN. “A Navarrette said. These factors value. Your understanding of said there are a number of reasons why UTPA goes through compliance, Loya also said that in accordance with the UT lot of us are dying, in this age, to make the issue complicated and the immigration debate is light there is an emphasis on keeping Systems surplus requirements, tell people what we think...and make it “the most dishonest of years ahead of the people who the auction process. “It costs (the University) more the campus modern and fully are also donated to Texas school that’s fine, but we miss a stitch. all debates.” work in Washington, the people districts. to store old pieces than it does to functioning for students. We have to stop and think why Navarrette said he supports who work in Congress and the “There is a great deal of ini“Old lab computers are sent it is we believe it. Why do we comprehensive replace them,” he said. “But also immigration people who work in New York. there are laws in place to avoid tiatives for having ‘smart class- to the Texas Department of believe what we believe? We reform, if the undocumented They don’t understand this issue corruption that say (surplus rooms’ that make sure we have Criminal Justice to be refur- haven’t thought about that.” immigrant meets certain condi- and you do. Never forget what items) must be sold to the high- state-of-the-art technology for bished and donated to districts The main topic of tions, but not the Development, you already know, what you the students,” Loya said. “There that lack funding for new equip- Navarrette’s speech was im- Relief and Education for Alien already have. That’s your secret est bidder.” In the past, Bond stated, is also a computer replacement ment,” Valdez said. migration reform. His views Minors (DREAM) Act. This act weapon.” Bond states that there is a have been shaped by two dif- is a stalled legislative proposal many items from UTPA were program that makes sure lab The next speaker in the selarge collection of items that can ferent aspects of his roots, he that would have helped undoc- ries will be Bill Nye, a scientist, sold without the use of a third computers are up to date.” A “smart classroom,” as de- be purchased at low costs rang- said. Both of his parents, three umented immigrants in college educator, comedian, television party auction company. This led to undocumented selling with scribed by UTPA’s Division ing from Blackberry cell phones of his grandparents and two become legal citizens. host and writer. He is most well little to no profit to the school of Information Technology at $15 to large office desks start- of his great grandparents are “There was a time I known as host of the children’s website, is a room designed for ing at $300. or its students. natives of the U.S. In addi- supported the DREAM Act... science show Bill Nye the Science “Anything you see on campus tion, his father was a policeman and then I changed my mind,” Guy. Nye is expected to presCode compliance laws that hi-tech learning. These rooms prevent this undocumented sell- include movable whiteboards, is part of the auction,” Bond for 37 years. His grandfather he said. “You can’t do both, you ent April 1 at the UTPA Field ing come directly from The Uni- document cameras and wireless said. “From bikes, cars, chairs, and great grandparents on his can’t support comprehensive House. versity of Texas System, but are printers. According to Loya, the desks, faculty cell phones and father’s side are from Mexico. immigration reform for the 11 subject to modification by each auctioning of old supplies makes even lost and found items col“I come to you now to discuss million (undocumented immiway for new technology to en- lected by the school.”
ekil smargorp hcra tneduts a evig eseR )M ecneirepxe elb ETS( arapmocni na .rehtoofyna ekil University holds annual auction nu
Selling pieces of UTPA campus surplus items
Page 4
October 17, 2013
THE PAN AMERICAN
THE PAN AMERICAN
October 17, 2013
Getting to the of academia How the government shutdown, debt ceiling affected UTPA
By Susan Gonzalez The Pan American
While the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives voted to reopen the federal government and lift the debt ceiling Oct. 16, the impact still affected UTPA and Texas for 16 days. Of the estimated 800,000 federal workers furloughed due to the government shutdown, as many as 140,000 were in the state of Texas, according to the Dallas Morning News. Federal workers were either deemed “essential” or “nonessential” during the shutdown, which was in effect for two weeks. With cuts made in nearly every federal department, the impact the shutdown had on UTPA spanned several departments and resources, including research funding, financial aid, services for veterans and library resources. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED In order for the government to operate, there needs to be
funding. If Congress can’t agree on a method, the government shuts down, according to The Washington Post. Each year the House and Senate are supposed to agree on a dozen bills to fund federal agencies by Sept. 30 to keep the government going. In the past 30 years, Congress has met this deadline only four times - in 1977, 1989, 1995 and 1997. During all other years, Congress resorted to stopgap measures, or temporary solutions, to keep business paid for. This year, however, the Democrat-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled House couldn’t agree on specifics regarding the stopgap legislation. The two government bodies are at odds regarding President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, national legislation created with the intent of providing health insurance to the estimated 60 million people who are unin-
sured. The House wanted to delay Obamacare for one year
the shutdown. This resulted in major delays in reviewing
Failure to increase the levels of debt which the U.S. can take on could potentially disrupt student aid funding, not to mention financial markets across the globe. - Elaine Rivera
Exec. Dir. for student financial services
and repeal a tax on medical devices, but the Senate did not. RESEARCH FUNDING According to USA Today, scientific research at public universities is deemed “nonessential.” The National Science Foundation, which funds research in mathematics, computer science, engineering and other disciplines, furloughed 95 percent of its staff during
and awarding new grants. The NSF is just one of several federal resources for research funding. These delays affected institutions such as UTPA. “The University of Texas Pan American receives a number of competitive grant awards from various federal agencies,” said Sadiq Shah while the shutdown was still in effect. “Our faculty and staff work hard to
develop competitive proposals to seek external funding for projects that are related to the academic mission. These awards may provide funding to engage students in handson research, scholarship, creative activities, curriculum development and service and community engagement projects.” According to Shah, the vice provost for research and sponsored projects, proposals must follow strict rules. For example, proposals sent to agencies one minute after the deadline won’t be accepted. “Generally, these proposals are submitted online. However, sometimes there are technical issues with these websites due to submission of thousands of proposals submitted by various universities,” he said. “With the government shutdown, there is no one at the agencies to address these issues so that we may successfully submit proposals.”
In addition, when these agencies closed or downsized, there was no one to review proposals and without these reviews there was a delay in decisions regarding awards. The agencies also cannot issue award letters, so if a proposal was accepted, the University could not be notified and these new projects couldn’t be started, Shah said. “As a result, students cannot be engaged on these projects,” he continued. “For existing awards, that are multimillion dollar awards, we do the work and submit invoices to the agencies for reimbursement for our costs. Unfortunately, due to the shutdown we are unable to receive reimbursement. It creates a financial hardship for the University.” FINANCIAL AID Because financial aid is forward-funded, meaning the awards for the 2013-2014 school year come from last
year’s budget, the short-term effects of the government shutdown were minimal, said Elaine Rivera, executive director for student financial services. “The UTPA financial aid office is still able to draw down funds and disburse aid, students are able to complete FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) applications and schools are able to import FAFSA applications that students have completed,” Rivera said Oct. 8. “Students completing the FAFSA verification process may be slightly inconvenienced. The local IRS (Internal Revenue Service) office in Harlingen is closed, so students must request copies of tax transcripts directly online at the IRS website.” The debt ceiling, set at $16.7 trillion before it was raised Oct.16, is the maximum amount of borrowing the government can do; it determines how much debt the federal government can have to pay for its operations. The Treasury estimated it would exhaust its legal authority to borrow Oct. 17 and would have about $30 billion in cash on hand to pay those who are expecting to receive federal money. If nothing was done, this
money would have run out by the end of the month and the country would have entered “default” and wouldn’t have the funds to pay those who own Treasury securities, according to NBC. If Congress allowed the U.S. to hit the debt ceiling, not only would financial aid run out, but student loan rates could soar because they are now tied to the 10-year Treasury note. Rivera said this is why the long-term effects of the shutdown could have been more dire than the short-term ones. “The next hurdle of concern would be the failure of Congress to increase the debt ceiling,” she said. “Reports indicate that the U.S. Treasury Department is expected to run out of borrowing options in mid-October. Failure to increase the levels of debt which the U.S. can take on could potentially disrupt student aid funding, not to mention financial markets across the globe.” OTHER SERVICES According to Elda Arriaga, manager of the UTPA Veterans Service Center, the assistance the center provides wouldn’t be interrupted by the shutdown unless it was prolonged. Like the situation with financial aid, veterans’
benefits depend on the debt ceiling. “VITAL (Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership) veterans’ benefits administration programs will remain operational: compensation, pension, education, vocational rehabilitation and work study,” Arriaga said Oct. 8. “However, in the event of a prolonged shutdown, the processing of claims and payments in these programs would be suspended when available funding is exhausted.” In addition, certain scholarly resources, such as data. gov, were not available during the shutdown. This site, among others, provides access to government data from across the federal government that students may need to use for research. “All of the government information resources that students would rely on for their research papers and academic work are unfortunately shut down,” said Karen Holt, head of reference and instructional services in the library, Oct. 11. The deal reached by Congress prevented these long-tern effects from happening and fixed the shortterm problems faculty and students experienced at the University.
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October 17, 2013
THE PAN AMERICAN
THE PAN AMERICAN
October 17, 2013
Getting to the of academia How the government shutdown, debt ceiling affected UTPA
By Susan Gonzalez The Pan American
While the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives voted to reopen the federal government and lift the debt ceiling Oct. 16, the impact still affected UTPA and Texas for 16 days. Of the estimated 800,000 federal workers furloughed due to the government shutdown, as many as 140,000 were in the state of Texas, according to the Dallas Morning News. Federal workers were either deemed “essential” or “nonessential” during the shutdown, which was in effect for two weeks. With cuts made in nearly every federal department, the impact the shutdown had on UTPA spanned several departments and resources, including research funding, financial aid, services for veterans and library resources. SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED In order for the government to operate, there needs to be
funding. If Congress can’t agree on a method, the government shuts down, according to The Washington Post. Each year the House and Senate are supposed to agree on a dozen bills to fund federal agencies by Sept. 30 to keep the government going. In the past 30 years, Congress has met this deadline only four times - in 1977, 1989, 1995 and 1997. During all other years, Congress resorted to stopgap measures, or temporary solutions, to keep business paid for. This year, however, the Democrat-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled House couldn’t agree on specifics regarding the stopgap legislation. The two government bodies are at odds regarding President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, national legislation created with the intent of providing health insurance to the estimated 60 million people who are unin-
sured. The House wanted to delay Obamacare for one year
the shutdown. This resulted in major delays in reviewing
Failure to increase the levels of debt which the U.S. can take on could potentially disrupt student aid funding, not to mention financial markets across the globe. - Elaine Rivera
Exec. Dir. for student financial services
and repeal a tax on medical devices, but the Senate did not. RESEARCH FUNDING According to USA Today, scientific research at public universities is deemed “nonessential.” The National Science Foundation, which funds research in mathematics, computer science, engineering and other disciplines, furloughed 95 percent of its staff during
and awarding new grants. The NSF is just one of several federal resources for research funding. These delays affected institutions such as UTPA. “The University of Texas Pan American receives a number of competitive grant awards from various federal agencies,” said Sadiq Shah while the shutdown was still in effect. “Our faculty and staff work hard to
develop competitive proposals to seek external funding for projects that are related to the academic mission. These awards may provide funding to engage students in handson research, scholarship, creative activities, curriculum development and service and community engagement projects.” According to Shah, the vice provost for research and sponsored projects, proposals must follow strict rules. For example, proposals sent to agencies one minute after the deadline won’t be accepted. “Generally, these proposals are submitted online. However, sometimes there are technical issues with these websites due to submission of thousands of proposals submitted by various universities,” he said. “With the government shutdown, there is no one at the agencies to address these issues so that we may successfully submit proposals.”
In addition, when these agencies closed or downsized, there was no one to review proposals and without these reviews there was a delay in decisions regarding awards. The agencies also cannot issue award letters, so if a proposal was accepted, the University could not be notified and these new projects couldn’t be started, Shah said. “As a result, students cannot be engaged on these projects,” he continued. “For existing awards, that are multimillion dollar awards, we do the work and submit invoices to the agencies for reimbursement for our costs. Unfortunately, due to the shutdown we are unable to receive reimbursement. It creates a financial hardship for the University.” FINANCIAL AID Because financial aid is forward-funded, meaning the awards for the 2013-2014 school year come from last
year’s budget, the short-term effects of the government shutdown were minimal, said Elaine Rivera, executive director for student financial services. “The UTPA financial aid office is still able to draw down funds and disburse aid, students are able to complete FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) applications and schools are able to import FAFSA applications that students have completed,” Rivera said Oct. 8. “Students completing the FAFSA verification process may be slightly inconvenienced. The local IRS (Internal Revenue Service) office in Harlingen is closed, so students must request copies of tax transcripts directly online at the IRS website.” The debt ceiling, set at $16.7 trillion before it was raised Oct.16, is the maximum amount of borrowing the government can do; it determines how much debt the federal government can have to pay for its operations. The Treasury estimated it would exhaust its legal authority to borrow Oct. 17 and would have about $30 billion in cash on hand to pay those who are expecting to receive federal money. If nothing was done, this
money would have run out by the end of the month and the country would have entered “default” and wouldn’t have the funds to pay those who own Treasury securities, according to NBC. If Congress allowed the U.S. to hit the debt ceiling, not only would financial aid run out, but student loan rates could soar because they are now tied to the 10-year Treasury note. Rivera said this is why the long-term effects of the shutdown could have been more dire than the short-term ones. “The next hurdle of concern would be the failure of Congress to increase the debt ceiling,” she said. “Reports indicate that the U.S. Treasury Department is expected to run out of borrowing options in mid-October. Failure to increase the levels of debt which the U.S. can take on could potentially disrupt student aid funding, not to mention financial markets across the globe.” OTHER SERVICES According to Elda Arriaga, manager of the UTPA Veterans Service Center, the assistance the center provides wouldn’t be interrupted by the shutdown unless it was prolonged. Like the situation with financial aid, veterans’
benefits depend on the debt ceiling. “VITAL (Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership) veterans’ benefits administration programs will remain operational: compensation, pension, education, vocational rehabilitation and work study,” Arriaga said Oct. 8. “However, in the event of a prolonged shutdown, the processing of claims and payments in these programs would be suspended when available funding is exhausted.” In addition, certain scholarly resources, such as data. gov, were not available during the shutdown. This site, among others, provides access to government data from across the federal government that students may need to use for research. “All of the government information resources that students would rely on for their research papers and academic work are unfortunately shut down,” said Karen Holt, head of reference and instructional services in the library, Oct. 11. The deal reached by Congress prevented these long-tern effects from happening and fixed the shortterm problems faculty and students experienced at the University.
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arts & life
October 17, 2013
FOR THE LOVE OF ANIMALS Student organization petitions for vegan options
By Jose S. De Leon III The Pan American Alicia Sierra was 12 years old when she encountered her first slaughterhouse. While she was at a cemetery in Mexico paying respects to her grandfather, the silence of the graveyard was interrupted by the piercing cries of pigs about to be slaughtered at a nearby stockyard. “It was terrifying. I could not shake off the sound of those poor animals for weeks,” the 21-year-old Weslaco native said. “I couldn’t stand the fact that the pigs were being killed for food.” Afterward, Sierra switched to a vegan diet. Vegans, like vegetarians, avoid eating meat. However, unlike a vegetarian they also don’t eat animal byproducts such as milk and cheese. Their diet consists of fruits, vegetables and soybased foods. According to an April 2012 USA Today article, .5 percent of Americans, or 1 million
people, are strictly vegan. Sierra said that being one makes her feel better about herself. “I have more energy than ever before and I feel as if I’m making a difference,” she said. “I want to share that experience with as many people as possible.” In order to get the word out, the psychology major founded Students United for Animals at UTPA at the start of the fall semester. The organization, composed of 15 members, hopes to educate students on animal rights issues by holding weekly tablings, events where an information table is set up around campus. Members are also planning an upcoming film screening. “We’re here to help out people interested in learning more about this cause,” Sierra said. “There’s a lack of information for people interested in this because the norm is to eat meat and not care about the process it takes to be made. We want to change that.” MORE OPTIONS According to the website of the People against the Ethical Treatment of Animals organization, or PETA, more
than 100 animals a year are saved from the slaughterhouses for every person on a vegan diet. For Sierra, however, options for her and other vegan students at the UTPA dining hall are limited. “I can’t enjoy the dining hall,” she said. “The food isn’t labeled to say whether or not it’s vegan. I want to come in here and not worry about what I’m potentially eating.” As a way to fight for veganfriendly meals in the cafeteria, Sierra and her friends started a petition during the summer for people interested in new options at the cafeteria. The petition also called for Meatless Monday to be introduced to campus. Meatless Monday is a national movement that originated during World War I as a way to reduce food consumption in order to help aid the war effort. Beginning in 2003, the movement was revived by the Center for a Livable Future as a way to combat the effects of excess meat consumption.
According to the Meatless Monday website, more than 120 colleges and universities nationwide participate in the movement. The UTPA petition received 1,000 signatures and was shown to Gabriel Lara, head chef of the dining hall.
According to Sierra, Lara claimed that adding vegan foods wouldn’t please all students and that he could produce 5,000 signatures of people against Meatless Mondays. In an email, Gilbert Garza, director of UTPA dining services, expressed an interest in learning more about Meatless Mondays, and taking
the idea into consideration and maybe implementing it into the menu. “Close to 350 Sodexo campuses and nearly 1,500 partners nationwide participate actively in Meatless Mondays,” he said. “I welcome conversations with Alicia (Sierra) about implementing the program at UTPA.” To gain more traction for the petition, the organization collected signatures again Oct. 7-8 at the Student Union during activity hour. On hand during the campaign was Sydney Jesperson, a campus outreach administrator for PETA. “We’ve seen schools with little to no options for vegans. Our goal is to get as many options as possible to campuses nationwide,” the San Diego, Calif., native said. The second petition accumulated 750 signatures. Sierra said that she hopes the action will bring more attention to their cause and adds that her organization is
willing to help the dining staff prepare dishes. “There’s obviously going to be people who won’t be in support of eating vegan foods,” she said. “However, that’s not the point of this organization. We want people to know more about animal rights and support them.” Daniella Leal, the vice president of the Students United for Animals at UTPA, said she hopes that the organization can help people gain an interest in animal rights. “We want to be a way to teach students compassion toward all living things,” the economics and finance major said. “We’re not forcing anyone to change. We’re just putting information out there in case people are interested in learning more.” Other events that Students United for Animals at UTPA are planning include a screening of the animal rights film The Best Speech You’ll Ever Hear at the Student Union Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. For Halloween, the organization will host a Glass Barn Exhibit, an interactive barn on the Quad that depicts the conditions that animals go through while living at slaughterhouses. Meetings are held every Thursday at 6 p.m. on the organization’s Facebook page through group chat.
Mental Health Awareness Week at UTPA By Audry Ocañas The Pan American The Psychology Club at UTPA and the psychology honor society, Psi Chi, hosted a function from Oct. 8-11 known as Mental Health Awareness Week. First established in 1990 by the U.S. Congress, the week represents a national effort to raise awareness about mental health; it was originally created by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The local version is now in its fourth year at UTPA, and presentations and lectures from professors about anxiety and other related disorders headlined the four-day long event. Anxiety disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), panic disorders and phobias are mental illnesses according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th Ed; DSM-IV), which qualifies
mental health professionals use to make diagnoses. Disorders such as these were the main focus for the Psychology Club and Psi Chi. Each year, participants select a different illness to teach students about. “We picked anxiety because it’s been shown in studies that anxiety is a major issue that affects college students; it’s one of the main mental illnesses,” said Melinda Melo, psychology major and president of the Psychology Club. “We chose anxiety because during Mental Health Awareness Week, you choose a certain illness or you focus on a certain theme. Last year we had it about stress.” BREAKING BARRIERS According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, more than one in 20 Americans over the age of 12 are diagnosed with depression. Of that, 60 percent are female. While women are more likely to attempt suicide, men have a higher chance
of succeeding at an attepmt, according to the website. There is no one cause for depression, but contributing factors for men include unemployment, marital or relationship problems and loss of a loved one, according to helpguide.org. The causes for women are far more abundant and diverse and can include hormonal problems, overwhelming stress and family responsibilities. The Hispanic culture can be heavily laden with the machismo attitude, according to Amber Gutierrez, Psychology Club public relations officer, causing anything associated with psychology to be considered taboo. “Mental illness has been very much stigmatized and people don’t want to admit they’re ‘crazy’ or they don’t want to look bad in front of other people,” the 22-year-old said. “But I guess you could attribute it to the way we are (as a culture), a little bit more of a paternal culture, I guess like
machismo. And that contributes to that stereotype, but we’re trying to break those barriers.” CHECK THE LABEL Frederick Ernst, one of the presenters Oct. 8, teaches an abnormal psychology class. His presentation covered anxiety disorders and other mental illnesses. Known as a “behaviorist,” Ernst is one of the 30 psychology professors at UTPA that advocates for cognitive behavioral therapy as opposed to medication, according to Adrianna Sarmiento, another public relations officer for the Club. According to about.com, behaviorism, also known as behavioral psychology, is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. Conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment. Behaviorists believe that a person’s response to environmental stimuli shape their behaviors.
Ernst could not be reached for comment but, Sarmiento said the psychology professor talked about the psychiatric industry and the mistakes it makes in prescribing medication. What is in reality a disorder can be misinterpreted as some form of a disease; a disease is something that’s wrong with the body while a disorder pertains to the mind. “(Ernst) basically talked about how the pharmaceutical industry is giving medication to these types of people and it comes with a lot of side effects,” the 22-year-old explained. “So he made the students who went to that presentation aware at how harmful those medications are and to just be careful.” NOT ALONE For the members of Psi Chi and the Psychology Club,
Mental Health Awareness Week was supposed to do just that: make students aware. According to Sarmiento, both organizations wanted to help students recognize types of illnesses, symptoms, and the diagnosis associated with each. “There are a lot of college students that suffer from anxiety and depression… so maybe if they have those symptoms, they can go to a psychiatrist or a psychologist here in the counseling services,” the Dallas native and psychology major said. “So they can help themselves (or) if their friend is suffering…they know how to help them.”
October 2013 January 31,17, 2013
vid Guillen got the top spot with 25:50.40. As a team, the Broncs finished third place while UniverMartin Casse and Edinburg nasity of Texas San Antonio took the tive Robin Galloso both had top top team slot. 10 finishes as they led the Broncs “Martin had a very strong permen’s and women’s cross country formance. He ran one the best teams at the University of the In8K’s in his career and he more carnate Word Cardinal Invitationthan stepped up to lead the team al Oct. 12 at Live Oak City Park when Luis was unable to finish the outside San Antonio. race,” Richardson The Western said. “He’s got his Athletic Confercross country legs Martin had a very strong perence announced under him Oct. 16 that the formance. He ran one of the back and we’ve got a men’s and women’s best 8K’s in his career and he more than great 1-2 punch cross country runstepped up to lead the team when Luis with him and ners Casse and Gal(Luis) Serrano loso were named was unable to finish the race. leading the men.” WAC Cross CounSerrano did try Athletes of the - Xavier Richardson not run at the Week. Head coach invitational and Galloso led the Richardson women’s team in women’s team, Edinburg native knows that the senior’s absence the 6K run with a fourth-place Rebekah Rodriguez, finished made a difference. However, othfinish in 22:56.05, marking her second straight top-five finish af- 14th with a time of 24:00.52 ers picked up the slack accordter a fourth at the Islander Splash while Tania Fabian finished in ing to Richardson. Sergio Mire24th place with 24:27.37. Beatriz les finished in 26th with a time of Sept. 27. Abilene Christian’s Chole Sus- Garza was 26th with a 24:38.05 28:00.58 while Raymond Flowset finished in the top spot on run and Joanna Martinez posted a ers was 47th (29:13.21). Arturo Ponce posted a 60th-place finish the women’s side with a time of time of 25:57.14 for 33rd. As a team, the women’s team in 29:51.14 and Daniel Loredo 22:30.48. UTPA Head Coach Xavier finished fourth and the Incarnate came home 71st with a time of 30:32.87. Richardson believes that senior Word Cardinals took first place. Casse accomplished his best Richardson now prepares the Galloso has done a great job leading her teammates at practice and finish of the season in the 8K run team for the Western Athletic continues to do the same in com- with a time of 26:36.93. Univer- Conference Championship. sity of Texas-Brownsville’s Dapetition’s. By Marco Torres The Pan American
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“She’s certainly making the most of her last season and we continue to look for great things from her with the Conference and Regional Championships yet to come,” Richardson said. “She continues to push herself and has continued to get better and better with every race.” Additionally for the UTPA
weekly updates men ’ s basketball The WAC announced Oct. 15 the UTPA men’s basketball team was chosen to finish seventh out of nine teams this season by WAC coaches and media polls in Las Vegas
women ’ s bask etball The WAC announced Oct. 15 the UTPA women’s basketball team was chosen to finish seventh out of nine teams this season by WAC coaches and media polls
cross country Martin Casse and Edinburg native Robin Galloso posted top-10 finishes at Live Oak City Park Oct. 12 Casse and Galloso were chosen as WAC cross-country athletes of the week Oct. 16
volleyball
855.799.2690
UTSA’s Graduate School will be visiting YOU! UTSA’s Graduate School will be visiting The University of Texas-Pan American during their Graduate and Professional School Fair on October 24th and will host an Information Session that evening. This is an opportunity to meet with a graduate recruiter to discuss UTSA’s master’s and doctoral degrees, admission requirements, GRE/GMAT scores, and funding opportunities. Graduate and Professional School Fair Thursday October 24, 2013 Noon-5:00 PM Ballroom Information Session TBD Please visit our events page to check on time and location http://graduateschool.utsa.edu/events/
Lost 3-0 against UMKC at the Swinney Recreation Center 3-0 in Kansas City Oct. 10 Got their first WAC win against Chicago State University at the Jacoby Dickens Center Oct. 12
For more information contact: Edward Ortega Edward.ortega@utsa.edu 210-458-5327 One UTSA Circle, San Antonio TX. 78249
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“They passed for us and if you struggle passing the ball then you’re going to struggle in the rest of the game,” the coach explained. “That little extra push that we needed we didn’t necessarily have.” Despite the recent loss of the starters, outside hitter Krysta Freitas is looking forward to fighting through what’s left of the conference. She also explains how the 10-5 non-conference season start put pressure on the team to do well and the rash of injuries didn’t help. “We felt it as a team and coming into the WAC we knew it was going to be very different,” junior Freitas said. “That’s when
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we had to dig hard and having our two top players be injured was a hit on us. We had to dig deep into each other and not individualize and separate.” Besides losing two of the starters on the team, they played the top four WAC teams consecutively. This included New Mexico State with a WAC record of 6-0, Utah Valley at 5-2 and the University of Missouri-Kansas City with a matching record of 5-2. Though the string of losses continued, the game with Chicago State broke the five-game-losing streak. In the wake of their first conference win, the Broncs will head
off against old foes Utah Valley University and California State University Bakersfield before finally returning home. The Bronc schedule has Yale on his feet and, according to him, although the season has had its ups and downs he believes his team can move forward. “We still expect to win matches, it’s not like because of the injuries we expect to lose,” he said. “We are still putting the best team out there and I think it’s good enough to win matches for us. That’s the mentality, day in day out.”
October 17, 2013