Track and field in Lubbock Masked Rider Open
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February 5, 2015
Volume 71, No. 17
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The Quran, or the sacred text of Islam, tells of the Prophet Muhammad’s trials in seventh century Saudi Arabia. Verse 5:32 says “Whoever kills a soul … it is as if he had slain mankind entirely.” Yet terrorist groups such as the Islamic State and Boko Haram have been ramping up violent acts in the name of Islam. The latter is a Nigerian militant organization that gained notoriety after kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls last April before marrying them off. The group carried out its deadliest attack Jan. 9 leaving as many 2,000 dead, as reported by CBS News. Boko
Haram, which roughly translates to “Western education is forbidden” in the region’s language of Hausa, now controls part of northeast Nigeria as part of its effort to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state. Nour Alanbari, a 19-yearold Muslim and president of the Muslim Students’ Association at UTPA, recognizes the damage these groups do to his faith. He referenced the Jan. 7-9 attacks in Paris that ended with 17 fatali-
ties as an example of what true Muslims should never do. A pair of Muslim brothers initiated a shooting spree at the office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo as retaliation for drawings it had previously published of the Prophet. Rendering representations of Muhammad, or any prophet, is forbidden in Islam because it is believed to encourage the worshipping of idols. BBC reported witnesses claiming they heard the brothers shouting they had avenged the Prophet Muhammad.
When extremists dedicate ruthless moves like these to Islam, peaceful followers of the faith groan in frustration. Alanbari, whose parents hail from Syria and moved to the U.S. before he was born, feels the pair of men greatly botched any attempt to please the Prophet. “The way I see it and the way many Muslims see it is that if the Prophet was alive today and somebody drew him, that
would be the least of his concerns. He wouldn’t care because there are so many other worse things happening,” said Alanbari, a pre-med biology student. “In light of these tragic events that have happened, those people who call themselves Muslims, what they did was absolutely wrong and they shouldn’t have retaliated like that. If anything that puts fuel in the fire. They had nothing to gain out of that. The only thing that happened because of it is that people hate Muslims even more.” ISLAMOPHOBIA Misrepresentations of Islam stir the anti-Muslim pot. Some media reported that anti-Muslim sentiment has been rising along with
CONTINUES ON PAGE 3
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opinion
February 5, 2015
The Pan American
Book lovers dying out
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Verónica Rodríguez 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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Before television sets and radio shows were invented reading was one of the most common forms of entertainment. When publishing house Penguin Books first opened in 1935 and offered paperback novels at affordable prices they sold over 3 million copies within the first year, according to smithsonianmag.com. Today, the average person only reads four books a year according to persistenceunlimited.com and 25 percent of the adult population isn’t reading at all. Reading is widely considered too time-consuming and movies or TV shows are favored as an easier and faster
form of entertainment. This is an unsettling development. Watching television is a good way to pass an hour or two of free time in between doing your work or going out, but those who spend an entire day binge watching should exercise some restraint. An online article by ESLBee. com warns that the amount of time anyone spends watching TV - a quarter of their day, every day - can be detrimental to brain development. Meanwhile, persistenceunlimited.com insists that there are at least 26 advantages to reading on a regular basis. Whether you’re reading romance novels or factual work-
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:
Tweet at and follow us @ThePanAmerican Can’t get over about seeing john legend yesterday... #Utpa #bestnight -@NoeLealJr3341 This professor is driving me insane!! I don’t think I’m going to be able to handle her. #UTPA #BePatient -@reallybertha I need the keys to open it #Wienermobile #utpa -@Jackiie_Santos
made an extra effort to encourage reading in their students, according to valleycentral.com. It is especially important that we raise literacy rates in the Rio
Reading is widely considered too time-consuming and movies or TV shows are favored as an easier and faster form of entertainment. This is an unsettling development. It is easier to pick up on at an early age, which is why educators at Evangelina Garza Elementary School in Peñitas have
Grande Valley because, the article states, we have the lowest ranking literacy in the entire state of Texas.
Young or old, reading for pleasure should be a priority. No matter where you work or what school you go to reading is a part of your everyday life. You read questions on tests, assignment instructions in every classroom; you read work memos and paperwork. Being an active reader and spending at least one day a week on pleasure reading can help you increase your speed and fluency in all of these mundane tasks. So find a book that catches your eye and remember that reading will do more than entertain you, but will also lead to an increase in overall performance that cannot be denied.
Letters to the editor
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related manuals, any kind of reading will flex the muscles of your mind in several areas such as vocabulary, problem solving and memory.
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Corrections: Jan. 29, 2015
An article printed on Thursday about a rally held at the Whole Women’s Helath Clinic in downtown McAllen misstated the reasons behind the rally as well as its organizers’ roles. The rally was organized by South Texans for Reproductive Justice and was set as a counterdemonstration against local Catholic churches who marched on that day in opposition of abortion rights. In addition, the story misstated that there were 25 attendees at the event; the number of attendees was more than 50.
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February 5, 2015
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the frequency of Islamic terror attacks. Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West organized a march against Muslim immigrants in Dresden, Germany Jan. 12 and attracted 25,000 protesters, according to The Wall Street Journal. There has always been a far-Right fringe in Europe with racist or xenophobic ideas and the increase of Islamic terror has given members an opening to propagate their ideologies, which are often against immigration. Alanbari, who attended an Islamic school in Dallas from pre-K through the fifth grade, said negative perceptions of his religion don’t surprise him. “A lot of people don’t really understand when it comes to Islam, or any religion for that matter. There’s a good and bad for every group and people fail to realize it because of their ignorance or their hate,” the New Jersey native said. “Sometimes it’s understandable because they don’t know where to begin learning about Islam and the media is filling them with images of extremists and things like that. It’s kind of reasonable that the default image is that Muslims are bad.” According to The Associated Press, Islam is the second most popular religion in the world with about 1.6 billion followers, or 23 percent of the world’s population. While 61 percent of Muslims live in the Asian-Pacific region that includes India, about 2 percent reside in Europe where freshman Ameera Khan said Islamophobia is prevalent. In 2010 France passed a law which made the covering of one’s face in public illegal, effectively banning burqas and niqabs - which Muslim women wear for modesty. Two years later France’s National Observatory of Islamophobia reported anti-Muslim attacks had risen by 34 percent in 2011. Between Ja n u a r y and October 2012 there were 175 such incidents reported, up 42 percent from the s a m e period the previ-
ous year. Tell MAMA UK is a national project that keeps track of antiMuslim incidents in Europe. It reported 51 occurrences in France one week after the Charlie Hebdo attack; 20 of them were vandalism and another nine cases involved the use of firearms. Khan, the parliamentarian and historian of the Muslim Students’ Association, explained how the January shootings worsened the plight of French Muslims. “What they did in those two days messed up everything that Muslims in France have been working toward for years or centuries,” said Khan, who was born in Saudi Arabia and moved to the U.S. at the age of 6. “I feel so bad for them because they’re trying to progress and become more integrated into society so people see we’re not that different, but then one thing happens and all the Muslims are taken back like 100 steps. We work so hard for nothing.” As an opportunity to give students insight on this religion, the University offered an introduction to Islam course this semester, but it was cancelled because only five students enrolled. Ken Grant, who teaches various courses at UTPA such as history of religion, was set to lead the class. He said this was not the first time the course had fallen through due to lack of student interest. “Most people in the United States have no idea about Islam generally,” said Grant, who has been lecturing at UTPA since 2006. “And because Islam is in the news so much and so much of the way in which it is reported can be distorted by political agendas, (the audience is) not getting a real sense of its history, development, theology, and philosophical outlook. So people don’t know what Islam is. These introductory courses are designed to address that very central issue.” Grant had planned to dedicate about a third of the course to studying the Quran with his students because of t h e importance of understanding the text. Interpre-
tation, he said, is key when it comes to any literary work. This is where violence in the name of Islam comes into play. MISINTERPRETATIONS According to The Associated Press there are two branches of Islam, formed after the Prophet’s death in 632 AD; they are Sunni and Shiite. At the time his followers were divided on who to choose as the caliph - the spiritual and temporal leader of Muslims. Shiites believe Ali, the Prophet’s son-in-law and cousin, should’ve risen as the caliph due to his bloodline. He eventually became the fourth man to take the position before being murdered. Sunnis consider themselves traditionalists and believe the first four caliphs rightfully took this title as their faith’s leaders. The Sunni make up 85 percent of all Muslims worldwide. Within this branch is a subgroup of people called Wahhabi Muslims. According to AP, Muslims who have a strict adherence to the Quran are part of the Wahhabist sect. The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia indicates that these individuals “advocate a return to the original teachings of Islam as found in the Quran (sic).” Some individuals who fall on the strict end of the spectrum, such as members of ISIS and al-Qaeda, believe people who do not practice Islam as austerely as they do are considered enemies. These groups seem to be working toward a global caliphate, meaning a single caliph would rule the entire world. UTPA’s Grant explained that every religion has followers who take their holy text literally and those who are “more willing to allow broader interpretation.” He said the Quranic literalists are those who modern individuals may call “Islamic fundamentalists,” reading the text in one specific, rigid way. This rigidity, he said, results in a stringent belief system. “They look at the Quran and all of them believe this is the sacred text, that doesn’t change. But how they read it and understand its context does,” the Lutheran School of The-
ology at Chicago alumnus said. “Can things be altered slightly depending on (their) current conditions? The literalist will say, ‘No, there’s one reading and one reading only and that never changes.’ There are other Muslims who say: ‘This is what Muhammad said, but we are open to the possibility that it can be interpreted with some variation.’” Grant clarified that strict literalists’ interpretation of the Quran are influenced by their worldview which is largely against modern ideas like gender equality and gay rights. “The Wahhabism movement is an anti-Western movement. They believe that Western ideas of freedom, equality and openness are dangerous because that chips away from control,” he said. “So think of societies that want to maintain religious, political and social control. They tell you what to wear, what you can do and can’t do.” Although Boko Haram colloquially translates into an antiWestern phrase, the group’s full name explains their intent more thoroughly. When translated into Arabic, Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad means “People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad,” according to BBC News Africa. National Geographic explains that Jihad is Arabic for “struggle” as in a struggle for self improvement, but it also means fighting back against oppressors. Boko Haram members live by a distortion of the latter definition and go so far as to punish nonbelievers. Grant said that these types of Muslims are very insular and intolerant, reacting violently against things that don’t match their ideals. This mentality has been observed within a number of radical movements through time, and recently has fostered high-profile beheadings, shootings and other bloody acts. ISIS recently made headlines after kidnapping two Japanese men - including journalist Kenji Goto - in northern Syria. In a video released Jan. 20 a masked man demanded
a $200 million ransom from the Japanese government within 72 hours. However, the bill was left unpaid and the group released two videos confirming each prisoner had been beheaded before February. “Their violence is so over the top and so excessive. What is it in modern society that scares them so much that they’re willing to kill, maim and destroy to get what they want? I think they’re afraid of modernity, the West and equality,” Grant said. “It scares them because they can’t control it. People who are afraid of a dialogue just want to be in charge and how do you get people to do what you want? You scare the hell out of them or you kill them.” Osama bin Laden was one terrorist who devised several plans, including 9/11, to get his way. U.S. News and World Report wrote that he disliked the States’ close relationship with Israel. He also held a grudge against the U.S. for imposing sanctions against Iraq resulting in hundreds of thousands of Muslim children succumbing to starvation or illness. In a March 1997 interview with CNN, bin Laden explained his distaste in having American soldiers in “the country of the Two Holy places,” referring to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. He claimed Islam does not permit non-Muslims to live within the country and considered them infidels for occupying the area. However, the clash between Middle Eastern and Western people goes as far back as the days of the Holy Crusades. This series of battles began in 1095 when Muslims and Christians fought for control of Jerusalem, which is known as the Holy Land. According to History.com, the Muslims fought back to keep that sacred ground in their possession. Khan, a double major in pre-med biology and English, believes that what to her is an amicable religion is being muddied by present-day Wahhabists bent on getting their way. “If those extremists honestly believe they’re Muslims for kill-
3
ing all these people for trying to spread some religion, they’re not Muslims because they literally destroyed the meaning behind Islam, which is peace,” she stressed. Even if these Muslim extremists believe they have good intentions, Grant feels they are going about it all wrong. “It’s people who say, ‘I’m right, you’re wrong. You must do what I tell you to do and if you don’t I’m going to take care of that. I will make you obey and do what I want you to do,’” he said. “They don’t see the harder they grip their hands, the more chaos they’re actually creating.” Boko Haram is leaving an excessive trail of blood in its path to control, using tactics such as sending young girls out as suicide bombers Jan. 10-11, as reported by CBS News. Since last January the group has killed between 6,717 to 13,180 people, according to The Washington Post. In comparison, the ISIS death count for the same period ranges from 4,000 to 9,000 people. Still, Alanbari advises against turning to the media in hopes of alleviating false perceptions about violence stemming from Islam. Instead he recommends looking into the religion’s holy text. “Don’t look at what all these bad Muslims are doing. You have to look at the source, the Quran, and see what it preaches. It also helps to read the sayings of the Prophet and if you come into both those things with an open mind, a lot will make sense,” he said. “Then you’ll see that these people who were doing these horrid acts that claim to do it in the name of Islam and the name of Allah, they’re wrong and they’re a bad representation of Islam.” Alanbari and Khan said if students are curious about Islam they are welcome to join the Muslim Students’ Association at UTPA, which will m e e t T h u r s d a y, Feb. 5 in the Science building room 3.212 at noon. The group can also be reached via its Facebook page.
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Story by Kevin Lara Photos by Jon Nutt The Pan American The Bronc men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to the Athletic Training Center in Lubbock to compete in a two-day session at the Masked Rider Open Jan. 30-31. UTPA was one of 27 teams that competed in the event. The Bronc teams combined to achieve seven top-10 finishes. Highlighting the event was 6-foot graduate student Erika Anderson in women’s weight throw. Her best toss reached 16.01 meters, earning a third place finish. A Dallas native and criminal justice major, Anderson has been a member of the track team since her freshman year in 2011. “I have learned to always go out and compete
February 5, 2015
THE PAN AMERICAN
to the best of my abilities no matter what,” Anderson said. “I’m able to build upon that because I know that I’m capable of so much more and my hunger to compete and win has only made things so much better.” Her performance fell short of her career best of 16.78 meters, posted in 2014 at the Western Athletic Conference Indoor Championships; that throw earned her fourth place. “One of the major obstacles I must overcome is competing with myself,” she said. “I do that by perfecting my technique as best I can, and winning has only made things so much better. My goals for the indoor season are to throw 17 meters or more and place top three at conference.” She was joined in the event by sophomore
Cristina Santiago Bravo who finished 10th with a throw of 14.34 meters. Also notching a thirdplace finish was senior thrower Trey Taylor on the men’s side. Taylor was able to improve
the WAC Indoor Championships in Moscow, Idaho, good enough for second place last February. Capping the field events, sophomore Javier Carretero had a
I think the work that I have been doing with my coach has given me confidence to compete more aggressively. - Robin Galloso Long distance runner from his performance last year by throwing 17.2 meters, beating his previous throw by 1.05 meters. After transferring to UTPA in 2014 from North Iowa Area Community College, Taylor posted a career-best throw of 18.10 meters at
career-high day, finishing right behind Taylor and earning a fourth place nod with an effort of 16.73 meters. During his career, Carretero has finished in the top five in all of his indoor meets. Joining the pair was junior Grady Young with an 11th place finish
(15.04 meters). Freshman Jennifer Zapata competed in her second career event and came in sixth place in the women’s mile run with a time of 5:15.04. The time beats her previous best she recorded at the Texas A&M Invitational in College Station Jan. 16, by about four seconds. Edinburg native and graduate student Robin Galloso earned an 11th place finish with a time of 5:19.86. Rounding out the women’s performances, Galloso was able to achieve seventh in the women’s 3,000-meter run in 10:32.88. Having not competed in the competition run since her sophomore year in 2012, Galloso has earned two seventh place finishes this indoor season including a career best time of 10:18.93 at the
February 5, 2015
Texas A&M 13-Team Invitational. “I feel that I have improved greatly since I have started running here at UTPA,” Galloso said. “It has taken me a while to get where I am at, but I feel like I can push myself more and run faster with hard work.” The men’s team capped off with a 10th place finish by junior Jose Juan Wells in the men’s 3,000-meter run (8:59.24). The Broncs’ next event will be Feb. 13 for the Houston Tune Up at the Yeoman Fieldhouse, on the campus of the University of Houston. This is the final event until the WAC Championships Feb. 26-28 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Both squads are aware of the competitive factors involved in competing
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THE PAN AMERICAN
at such a high level. “I think the work that I have been doing with my coach has given me confidence to compete more aggressively,” Galloso said. “It is about strength, mental toughness and the will to hang on to a pace no matter how much it hurts.”
Leocajuan Williams
Justin Gonzalez
Trey Taylor
Alyssa Canul
Rebekah Rodriguez
Erika Anderson
Page 4
Story by Kevin Lara Photos by Jon Nutt The Pan American The Bronc men’s and women’s track and field teams traveled to the Athletic Training Center in Lubbock to compete in a two-day session at the Masked Rider Open Jan. 30-31. UTPA was one of 27 teams that competed in the event. The Bronc teams combined to achieve seven top-10 finishes. Highlighting the event was 6-foot graduate student Erika Anderson in women’s weight throw. Her best toss reached 16.01 meters, earning a third place finish. A Dallas native and criminal justice major, Anderson has been a member of the track team since her freshman year in 2011. “I have learned to always go out and compete
February 5, 2015
THE PAN AMERICAN
to the best of my abilities no matter what,” Anderson said. “I’m able to build upon that because I know that I’m capable of so much more and my hunger to compete and win has only made things so much better.” Her performance fell short of her career best of 16.78 meters, posted in 2014 at the Western Athletic Conference Indoor Championships; that throw earned her fourth place. “One of the major obstacles I must overcome is competing with myself,” she said. “I do that by perfecting my technique as best I can, and winning has only made things so much better. My goals for the indoor season are to throw 17 meters or more and place top three at conference.” She was joined in the event by sophomore
Cristina Santiago Bravo who finished 10th with a throw of 14.34 meters. Also notching a thirdplace finish was senior thrower Trey Taylor on the men’s side. Taylor was able to improve
the WAC Indoor Championships in Moscow, Idaho, good enough for second place last February. Capping the field events, sophomore Javier Carretero had a
I think the work that I have been doing with my coach has given me confidence to compete more aggressively. - Robin Galloso Long distance runner from his performance last year by throwing 17.2 meters, beating his previous throw by 1.05 meters. After transferring to UTPA in 2014 from North Iowa Area Community College, Taylor posted a career-best throw of 18.10 meters at
career-high day, finishing right behind Taylor and earning a fourth place nod with an effort of 16.73 meters. During his career, Carretero has finished in the top five in all of his indoor meets. Joining the pair was junior Grady Young with an 11th place finish
(15.04 meters). Freshman Jennifer Zapata competed in her second career event and came in sixth place in the women’s mile run with a time of 5:15.04. The time beats her previous best she recorded at the Texas A&M Invitational in College Station Jan. 16, by about four seconds. Edinburg native and graduate student Robin Galloso earned an 11th place finish with a time of 5:19.86. Rounding out the women’s performances, Galloso was able to achieve seventh in the women’s 3,000-meter run in 10:32.88. Having not competed in the competition run since her sophomore year in 2012, Galloso has earned two seventh place finishes this indoor season including a career best time of 10:18.93 at the
February 5, 2015
Texas A&M 13-Team Invitational. “I feel that I have improved greatly since I have started running here at UTPA,” Galloso said. “It has taken me a while to get where I am at, but I feel like I can push myself more and run faster with hard work.” The men’s team capped off with a 10th place finish by junior Jose Juan Wells in the men’s 3,000-meter run (8:59.24). The Broncs’ next event will be Feb. 13 for the Houston Tune Up at the Yeoman Fieldhouse, on the campus of the University of Houston. This is the final event until the WAC Championships Feb. 26-28 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Both squads are aware of the competitive factors involved in competing
Page 5
THE PAN AMERICAN
at such a high level. “I think the work that I have been doing with my coach has given me confidence to compete more aggressively,” Galloso said. “It is about strength, mental toughness and the will to hang on to a pace no matter how much it hurts.”
Leocajuan Williams
Justin Gonzalez
Trey Taylor
Alyssa Canul
Rebekah Rodriguez
Erika Anderson
6
arts & life
February 05, 2015
Words from a legend John Legend talks love, sings hits in UTPA Field House
Mrs. multitasking
UTPA Marine veteran tackles school life By Ramiro Rios The Pan American In no particular order Paula Sierra is a student, mother, wife and full-time police officer at UTPA. The criminal justice major and veteran of the Marine Corps hails from the small town of Mertzon, Texas near San Angelo, 458 miles from Edinburg. It has a population of 781 people. “I lived in a small town and part of me just wanted to break out,” the 34-year-old said. “Ever since I was young I’ve liked challenges and joining the Marines was the most obvious choice.” Sierra enlisted in 1999 and finished her service in 2003. While serving, she met the man who would become her husband, McAllen native Juan Sierra. Before she became a police officer at UTPA, Sierra enrolled at the Mission Police Academy in 2013. She then received certification to become a peace officer and learned basics such as knowledge of the law and physical skills that are required of peace officers. “It was like boot camp and I liked the training” Sierra said. “It comes naturally to me, the challenges especially, who I am, it’s my calling.” The criminal justice major, who has been married for 15 years, said going to school and working while managing her off-campus life is
challenging and requires constant attention. However, the discipline that she was taught in the Marine Corps and police academy has helped in all aspects of her life. “My responsibilities in enforcing the laws have definitely helped,” she said. “The discipline as a police officer has helped me as a student, making sure everything is done as far as homework.” She’s currently taking 12 hours as a student and her busy schedule is something that her four children, ages 7 to 11, came to understand and have no problem with. Sierra hopes that the discipline she’s taught them will help them in their adult lives. “I have four kids and it can get quite hectic and chaotic sometimes,” the senior said. “Now they’re starting to get involved in sports and attending sport practices … but if the Marine Corps has taught me anything, it is that discipline accomplishes many things.” Being a full-time student and a police officer on campus has helped Sierra attain a better understanding of how students feel toward law enforcement and vice versa. The mother of four said students are sometimes curious about UTPA Police policy and procedures. “Sometimes they’ll ask me questions about why things are done a certain way,” Sierra explained. “When I have conversations like those it helps me better understand
Jon Nutt/ The Pan American
UTPA police officer Paula Sierra, a Marine veteran, stops for a picture before going on patrol. A decade after leaving the Marines, officer Sierra enrolled into the Mission Police Academy in 2013.
them and it helps me become a better police officer by seeing both sides of the spectrum.” PATROLLING UTPA When Sierra enrolled at UTPA last semester she went through the typical experience most freshmen go through while getting acquainted with a new campus, from getting lost to asking for directions. Now in her first semester as a police officer at the University, Sierra has learned all about UTPA’s locations and amenities. “When I first started as a student I really didn’t know much about campus and how much it offers,” she said. “Now I’m more aware of my surroundings.” Her early morning shifts patrolling campus start at 6 a.m. and run to 2 p.m. Sierra credits her success with making it through the socalled graveyard shift to good quality coffee as well as the only thing that’s open early mornings: donut shops. Her children poke fun at her for that, admittedly. “They love it and they make jokes about the coffee and the donuts tradition,” Sierra said with a smile. “They understand that my calling is to help the community and I’m hoping they get something from it. My husband also helps me immensely with them, my work and school; he’s like my backbone.” Her husband, also a Marine Corps veteran, is proud of his wife’s determination and micromanaging skills all while keeping everything together on the home front. “I’m very proud of my wife and everything she has accomplished,” the 38-year-old said. “She’s a wonderful mother, student, police officer and above all a great role model for our children.” During her time assisting motorists on campus, helping students open their cars and patrolling the University, Sierra has discovered her love for helping others. She plans on becoming a social worker after graduation. “Being a police officer on campus has made me realize that I want to further help young men and women, especially those that suffer from physical abuse,” she said. “They should know that they have many resources available to them.” For the time being Sierra is concentrating on the tasks at hand: her family, her job and keeping up with school work. However, she does miss the country life of her roots and plans on moving to a small town like the one she grew up in. “In the future I would like to move a rural community,” Paula Sierra said. “I’m used to the quieter and simpler lifestyle.”
By Andrew Vera The Pan American Love was the theme at UTPA’s Distinguished Speaker Series Monday night. Nine-time Grammy Award winner and philanthropist John Legend spoke of love and how it can make a difference in the world. Touching on topics such as the 2012 Trayvon Martin case, last year’s influx of Central American refugees and issues concerning the U.S. prison system, Legend made connections between loving one’s neighbor and helping friends and strangers alike. “Love means we don’t count American lives more than we count Iraqi lives. It means we don’t see Trayvon Martin as a stereotype, a walking threat; we see him as a boy who deserves the chance to grow into a man,” the Teach for America board member said. “It means we don’t see young refugees fleeing violence in Central America as someone else’s problem or as draining our resources, but as children in crisis who need care.” Legend joins Lisa Ling as part of UTPA’s 11th season of the Distinguished Speakers Series. Monday, a day after having performed at the Super Bowl in Arizona, Legend spoke for a half hour, putting emphasis on education and how it can challenge peo-
ple to be passionate about a good cause, whatever it may be. “With your education you will be equipped with the tools to succeed in life,” Legend said. “And that’s something that you should not take for granted.” While talking about love, Legend noted fear as its direct opposite, saying it can hold people back from reaching their full potential. “Fear is what blinds us. Fear is corrosive. It whispers to us, tells us that we will fail. It tells us that our differences are too much to overcome,” the Ohio native said. “It tells us that we can’t when we know we want to say ‘Si se puede.’” Legend also made ties between education inequality and the growing prison system, calling it the “Civil Rights issue of our generation.” “Instead of getting a new education many of these kids will find themselves channeled out into what is often called the school-toprison pipeline,” the 36-year-old said. “They may end up a part of a system that keeps well over 2 million people locked in cages, often for nonviolent offenses.” Legend’s list of accolades and programs he supports make his passion for education and helping others clear. Aside from being awarded the 2010 BET Humanitarian of the Year Award and the 2009 Bishop John T. Walker
Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award from Africare, he also supports education initiatives through Samsung and is partnered with Product (RED), an organization that helps the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Legend has also started an organization called the Show Me Campaign, which he said is “dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty” and invests “in solutions that (are) proven to improve people’s lives.” “We worked to give people around the world opportunities not only to survive, but to thrive,” Legend said. After his speech to UTPA students, faculty and staff, Legend made his way to a piano on stage and played his greatest hits, including his 2014 hit single “All of Me.” Before the nearly 40-minute performance, he left a personal message for the crowd, also saying he hoped UTPA would invite him back. “I’m looking out across this amazing crowd and I see potential in you,” Legend said. “You have at your disposal power, the privilege and, hopefully, the passion that only an education can provide.”
Juanita Renee Rivas/ The Pan American
sports
By Nathaniel Mata The Pan American UTPA women’s tennis is approaching the road-heavy portion of their schedule with a stretch that only features three home appearances at the Orville Cox Tennis Center; two in February. The Broncs traveled to Waco Jan. 30 for a contest against the Intercollegiate Tennis Association No. 9 Baylor. The matchup saw the Bears sweep the Broncs in straight sets in every matchup. Despite the 7-0 scoreline, Broncs Head Coach Stephanie Vallejos saw positive tactics from her team when facing the top 10 national competitor. “They came out very strong in doubles. They hit through their shots, played unafraid, were willing to be a little bit risky when they needed to be,” said Vallejos, who is on her fourth year as a Broncs coach. “It was great to see them step up and become better players when they saw better competition. Now our job is to really play at that level all of the time.” The Broncs held on for a 4-3 win against Texas A&M-Kings-
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ville University in the last home game until Feb. 27 set against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi University. In the match against the Javelinas, the doubles point went to UTPA’s teams of Dominique Esparza and Mariana Ranzahuer 7-6 (7-1), Christel Amsallem and Lison Le Biavant 6-4 as well as Katia Stavroulaki and Natacha Minc 6-4. In singles matchups the Broncs earned wins by Stavroulaki, 6-4, 7-5, Amsallem 6-2, 6-2 and Le Biavant, 6-4, 7-5 to clinch Sunday’s win over the Javelinas. ROAD WARRIORS The Broncs’ road to their first Western Athletic Conference contest will include eight instate matches as well as a weekend in Tulsa Feb. 21-22. They will face foes from five different conferences: Sunbelt, Southland, Summit League, Missouri Valley and Conference USA before WAC play starts March 20 in Las Cruces, N.M. The first stop on the threeweek road swing will be in the coastal bend to face a familiar
opponent at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Sophomore Stavroulaki knew that winning before heading back on road matches would be important. “For sure we feel more confident going into that game, which will actually be tough,” said the Rethymno-Crete, Greece native ahead of the Corpus Christi matchup. The match with the Islanders was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon but due to a high probability of rain the match was rescheduled for Feb. 8. “In the season as we play more matches we learn what we have to fix and to improve so for sure we are getting better,” Stavroulaki said. “The most important thing is the team atmosphere that we have in addition to coach. We’re trying to feel comfortable in another environment, so I think the most important thing is the team. We have good communication (and a) good relationship with every teammate. For this reason we have these results.” The Broncs will try to string together consecutive away wins
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for the second time this season and improve to 4-2 in Corpus Christi at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center. Vallejos downplayed the difference between a home and an away match as the team heads off until a Feb. 26. “I don’t really think that road games or home games are really a factor for us. We’re so used to the travel. It’s just about going there playing our own game, home or away,” she said. “If we get some wins on the road it’s great and motivating to be able to go to someone else’s home court and be really strong.” ‘The Broncs stand at 3-2 in the season and will play five away matches, the next being against the Isanders in Corpus Christi Feb. 8. “To win at home of course means a lot because this is where we train and sweat every single day in practice,” Vallejos said. “But competition is competition it’s going to be the same wherever we go” Michael Aguilar/ The Pan American Katia Stavroulaki pumped after winning her match against University of Maryland Baltimore County Jan. 21 at the Orville Cox Tennis Center.
sports By Kristela Garza The Pan American The UTPA women’s basketball team took a hard loss against New Mexico State University with a score of 74-71 Jan. 31. It was a match of rivals as both teams hold two of the best records in the Western Athletic Conference, making the loss a tipping point for the Broncs. Though they started the season with the best 19-game start at 11-8, this second conference loss placed them behind the University of Bakersfield in third place spot. The Broncs now stand second in the WAC with a 4-2 conference record matching Bakersfield while New Mexico is undefeated at 6-0. The season rankings “though only a few games into the conference season” are closing up, according to Head Coach Larry Tidewell. This is why the closeness of the three-point game left Tidwell at a loss as the Broncs failed to catch up to the New Mexico State Aggies. He said opportunities were missed and that is what cost them the game.
February 5, 2015
“The mindset of the team is that we got to finish at the rim,” Tidwell said. “We shot at 29 percent on the court. At 29 percent you aren’t going to win any game. Then we get the ball game into a one-point game and … we don’t block out on the free throw to have a chance to win. I got to have other people step up, I just don’t know.” Agreeing with her coach, sophomore Guard Shawnte’ Goff thought there were some issues in their game play. She felt that this was ultimately an important win which could have helped the Broncs stay near the top of the WAC standings. She said the team does not plan to let a win slip through their hands again. “It doesn’t matter if we are down the whole game, we don’t give in,” the Copper Grove native said. “We had a couple of key things to do on defense that didn’t get done, but we are not going to dwell on it. We are going to move forward.” There are eight more games left in the conference before the WAC Tournament is set to take
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place March 11, starting the season up once again with topranked opponents. Their next chance to make up the recent loss will be two backto-back home games. The first is against the University of Missouri–Kansas City Feb. 5. The Kangaroos are ranked secondto-last in the conference and have a 2-4 record. Following the Missouri game is a match against Chicago State University Feb. 7. They are placed last in the conference with a season record of 1-5.
Graphic by Juanita Renee Rivas
Jon Nutt/ The Pan American Sophomore guard Shawnte’ Goff drives the lane for a layup in the 80-58 win Jan. 15 against Seattle University. She is averaging 15.3 points per game.
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