Celebrating 45 years
UTPA ballet Folklórico to begin tour
Pages 4-5
February 12, 2015
Volume 71, No. 18
ONLINE CONTENT
panamericanonline.com
Sports Updates
Basketball, tennis results Feb. 5 -11
Feb. 12 - 17 Killer Bees, 2015 Valentine’s Gala
Weekly updates on current events
Tech Blog
The impact of streaming services
YouTube
New UTRGV logo concepts released Francisco Rodriguez/ The Pan American By Marco Torres The Pan American
About UTPA’s Holocaust course
Slowly but surely, the shape of the new University is taking form, as shown by the arrival of the Vaquero on campus. Feb. 6, the UTPA athletic de-
partment revealed the new concept for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley mascot and it will now be considered by the University Of Texas Board Of Regents. The Vaquero was officially
named the mascot last November and now the logo has been revealed: a cowboy riding a speeding horse; in the lettering a star above the letter “V” represents the Lone Star State.
The University of Texas System hired Eric Rickabaugh from Rickabaugh Graphics of Ohio, to develop the new logos for UTRGV’s athletic
program and the committee was ready to begin the process. Rickabaugh Graphics is an awardwinning logo design company as well as one of the leading
CONTINUES ON PAGE 7
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opinion
February 12, 2015
The Pan American
thepanamerican@gmail.com
Kids are growing up in an uncharted, technological playground
1201 West University, ARHU 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539 Phone: (956) 665-2541 Fax: (956) 665-7122
Editors-in-Chief: Andrew Vera May Ortega
Sports Editor:
Marco Torres
Arts & Life Editor: Nerio Celaya
Photography Editor: Jon Nutt
Design Editor:
Francisco Rodriguez
Multimedia Editor: Michael Aguilar
Social Media Editor: Nathaniel Mata
Copy Editor:
Andy De Llano
Adviser:
Dr. Greg Selber
Administrative Associate: Anita Reyes
Advertising Manager:
Verónica Rodríguez
Webmaster:
Sharath Kumar Aitha The Pan American is the official student newspaper of The University of Texas-Pan American. Views presented are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the paper or University.
Letters to the editor The Pan American accepts letters of 300 words or less from students, staff and faculty regarding recent newspaper content, campus concerns or current events. We cannot publish anonymous letters or submissions containing hate speech or gratuitous personal attacks. Please send all letters to:
thepanamerican@ gmail.com Vol. 71, No. 18
Nathaniel Mata
Social Media Editor
Bob Dylan wrote a song called The Times, They Are aChangin’ in 1964, more than 50 years ago. Twenty years later, a young Steve Jobs recited a verse from that song while introducing the Macintosh computer to a small crowd in the San Francisco Bay Area. Fast forward to present day and Dylan’s lyrics are still prevalent. Times are always changing and more than ever they are changing society. Technology is constantly moving at a breakneck pace. It is easy to notice how many new products and advancements occur every year. An often overlooked aspect in today’s rapid technology craze is that young people are growing up in an age where they see a
small screen more than a book or the outdoors. A tablet mobile device is not very expensive on the market today. Prices range from less than $100 to $500 for the latest iPad Air 2. This is an affordable investment for many parents who believe these entertainment devices can also have educational benefits for their children. Administrators of the McAllen Independent School District, which sits in one of the poorest metro areas in the country, decided to implement this technology into every classroom. According to a Governing.com article MISD invested $20 million in iPads to be given to every student for training. The iPads were said to be used as classroom tools, but third to 12th grade students got to take them home as well. It feels like it’s rushing too quickly into the great unknown. While high-tech products may seem like they can only have positive effects on the surface, adults cannot be too hasty to
expand this to young people. Not before the effects are fully understood, at least. If this trend continues, children will become more likely to fall asleep with an LED screen in front of them than a coloring or chapter book. There’s also something to be said about walking into a restaurant and seeing a room full of parents on their cell phones and children playing games on their tablets. Human interaction is not dying; that’s a hyperbole and a kind of ridiculous to think, but it is definitely becoming a different activity than our grandparents or even parents remember. Text messages and conversations over social sites consume most of people’s time, simply because of the ease of logging on and chatting. Balance is the key to ensuring that young people grow up with healthy social skills and the key to many things in life. Balance includes remembering that even though your friends are on your phones it is impos-
@13thxdoctorx92
takes with these tools.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Omar Casas/ The Pan American Ruben Garza (left), Arnold Serna (center) and Ismael Melendez table in the quad to promote the Texas Freedom Network at UTPA’s Darwin Day event on Tuesday. The TFN will host their next Darwin Day today at 5 p.m. in the Student Academic Services in room 1.102.
FROM TPA TO YOU
Tweet at and follow us @ThePanAmerican Love’s a beautiful thing. Stop hating. #UTPA #SixWordStory #VDay @rgv6wordstories -@gigi_195 Driving back to #UTPA for the THIRD time today, they need to have a frequent driver miles card -@TheDamaso Yay for UTPA paying for my cap & gown #UTPA -@littlenaomyy
sible to replace a face-to-face conversation with non-verbal communication and the human element. Te c h n o l o g y and internet access should be taught to young people with the same amount of caution as a teenager driving their first car. With convenience comes danger and as humans transition into an era where a charged battery is more important than a full tank of gas, everyone must do their part and make sure we don’t make mis-
@mortismoon
news
February 12, 2015
By Andrew Vera The Pan American Mrs. “Sanchez” is an undocumented resident living at the Edinburg Housing Authority. Her son, who has U.S. citizenship, is in his first year of college at Texas A&M University. Despite the odds of coming from public housing and having an undocumented parent, “Sanchez” will complete his freshman year in May. A part of this success story can be attributed to Rodolfo “Rudy” Ramirez, the executive director of the EHA. The former ECISD PE teacher and current graduate student has had his position for four years and has made stories like San-
chez’s more common at the housing agency. Through a collaborative effort with UTPA, Ramirez has been able to teach, train and motivate disadvantaged youth from public housing to attend college. The EHA has been serving the City of Edinburg since 1949. The agency has five properties: El Jardin Apartments, Viviendas Manuel L. Ramirez, La Posada Apartments, Lantana Apartments and Albores Courts, totaling 400 units and more than 1,000 residents. Those living in these complexes pay an average of $178 per month according to the EHA’s 2014 annual report. Ramirez said the demographics of the housing proj-
ect’s population can hinder the agency’s advancement and perpetuate a cycle of living in poverty and public housing. “I’m real focused on learning as much as I can about the people that I serve so that I can learn how to approach them. Remember … it’s property management but there are a lot of social issues,” the Edinburg native said. “Out of the 400 units, 85 are usually single parents. At the agency here and at our developments the average number of kids per family is five. Then half of the population … are not documented.” Furthermore, surveys conducted at Edinburg’s public housing show that the average level of educational attainment of a leaseholder is fifth grade. Ramirez said that an average annual income of $10,000 paired with this education level rarely lead to a career or college. In hopes of turning this around, he and the agency have partnered with multiple UTPA departments including education, kinesiology and the department of social work. For example, the kinesiology aids with fitness and weight loss while education helps the EHA develop relationships with members of the resident council, a group of residents that meets every second Thursday of the month. Future collaborations with UTPA that the EHA hopes to expand in 2015 are with the School of English/linguistics, the School of Business and the School of Public Administration. Due to a recent sequester,
or reduction in funding, from the Housing and Urban Development Department of the U.S. government the EHA has had cutbacks. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, government sequestration on HUD has caused housing agencies around the U.S. to cut 120,000 to 140,000 residents from their programs. However, the 2016 White House Budget has shown a nearly 9 percent increase in funds for HUD, according to The Washington Post. Ramirez sees a union with the University as a way to benefit the agency by receiving free services while aiding the University’s students in gaining real world experiences. “I have someone that is guiding me and helping me, and it’s the University. You’re learning the theory, so come and apply the theory,” Ramirez said. “It just makes sense to partner up with the University because all of these services that I’m getting aren’t costing me anything and we are helping each other.” John Garcia, a current graduate student in the department of social work, is a macro social worker. This means that EHA is his client so he studies the community’s entire population, as opposed to the micro approach. He gathers accurate data such as access to Internet and health-related issues, and presents it to the EHA to help get grants. Grants can help maintain playgrounds, exercise facilities and parking lots. Garcia’s role also includes creating and evaluating a survey given to all public housing residents. According to Garcia, previous surveys were dated and not exhaustive. The limited information makes it hard for
Lozano, a sophomore civil engineering major. “One of our main tasks is to be able to make our concrete canoe float, so that way it is able to row and participate in a relay which we have paddlers assigned.” Pruneda said the work has been very time-consuming as the members put in many hours during the winter break. She added that there were days when they worked for 10 hours straight. Students also have to prepare themselves for a task where sandbags are put inside the canoe to see whether it will float. “Since we are required to make the canoe float because it gets tested during competition, we are supposed to find a solu-
tion to this as engineers so we decided to use aggregates among other cementation materials,” the sophomore said. “We are also required to show pictures of our process along with our display. This is very important since our overall grading is on how we present the canoe.” This year the group’s display has been inspired by Star Wars, which means the canoe will be painted as a spaceship on two stands. The idea, according to Pruneda, is to create an illusion that the canoe is landing and has been through a battle in space. Both Lozano and Pruneda are very confident that the team will do well. The pair feels UTPA’s team efforts have im-
Juanita Renee Rivas/ The Pan American
By Elsa Cavazos The Pan American Since the beginning of the school year 15 engineering students at UTPA have been constructing a concrete canoe for the American Society of Civil Engineer’s National Concrete Canoe competition. It will take place in Beaumont, Texas April 23-26. Every university in Texas will compete along with some engineering schools from Mexico. UTPA’s team has taken charge of building and planning the canoe since September. The group includes two project managers- Ana Pruneda and Cassandra Lozano - who are in charge of directing the team, with the guid-
ance of the group’s adviser Enad Mahmoud, a specialist in senior design and construction materials. UTPA initially took part in this event in 2010 and advanced in several categories. They also participated in the Steel Bridge Competition in which UTPA students won second place. The team will enter four different categories: mix design, canoe design, rowing and display. Students are graded in the categories after a specific team captain is assigned to form groups to master each category. “The reason behind building a concrete canoe is because as engineers we are encouraged to create something innovative with mixed design,” said
Ramirez to determine the needs of his residents. “Needs assessments are done so we can determine what type of help all the people require, take that to the University so that departments can tailor programs to help teach them what they need to get jobs and be successful,” the 26-year-old said. “Once (the EHA) gets this needs assessment done, they can determine what kind of help they need from each department at the University.” The survey asks residents about their expenses and health concerns, leisure activities, access to the Internet and a computer as well as their future ambitions. Garcia said these questions can help close the digital divide, or the social inequality of persons and their knowledge of communication technology, and help provide access to the web. This is something Ramirez feels is crucial in promoting education. While going far beyond his job title of property management, Ramirez said there is a reason he puts so much importance on advancing the lives of those living in public housing. “I want (the young students in housing) to pay it forward. So one of the things I’ve instilled is education,” Ramirez said. “If you stop and think about it, they don’t have (educational) goals because they don’t want to burden (their) mom and dad. I know that education is going to open doors. I’ve asked these kids what they want to do when they grow up and 99 percent say they want to get an education and help (their) mom and dad get out of housing.” He also said that cycling people out of public housing is on his agenda. Rather than leaving them resourceless, he
3
feels he can provide the necessary equipment to help better the community. “We want (the youth) to cycle out of these (housing) systems and I’m going to give them those tools that will help them cycle out,” Ramirez said. “A lot of those tools we assume that they know, but a lot of these people are poor and uneducated so I am (giving) them these tools.” While Edinburg’s Housing Authority is only one of 22 RGV agencies that works directly with the University, Garcia said that other housing authorities in the region are interested in adopting this kind of mutualistic relationship with UTPA to better serve their constituents. “In the planning process we are developing a model in the EHA and we want to take this partnership and take it to all of the housing authorities in the region,” Garcia said. “(Ramirez) is going to allow the department of social work to present ourselves as a very interested (group) that wants to make that connection with all of the other housing authorities and reaching out to all of them and providing this type of assistance.” Both men are hopeful of the this partnership’s success and look forward to seeing positive results within the agency. As for Sanchez and his college career as an Aggie, Ramirez is certain that great accomplishments will be in his future and that his community will see the effects of his education. “(Sanchez is) going to succeed. I have a lot of faith in him. I’m really trying these efforts because I am barely planting this seed,” Ramirez said. “I’m hoping when they finish (college), they will want to give back to the institution.”
Omar Casas/ The Pan American Cassandra Lozano, sophomore, explains the process Feb. 5 of how she and her team created a concrete canoe for a national competition. proved through the years. They are hopeful that they’ll win the state competition and move on to nationals which will be held June 20-22 at Clemson University, Clemson, S.C. Furthermore, Mahmoud talked about the future of the team and how far hard work will take
its members. “I personally think they will do great because I have been a witness to their dedication and effort,” said Mahmoud, who teaches mechanical engineering. “Even if they do not win, they have improved greatly from past competitions.”
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THE PAN AMERICAN
February 12, 2015
February 12, 2015
THE PAN AMERICAN
Retracing the steps of local dance group Story by Ena Capucion Photos by Michael Medina The Pan American UTPA’s Ballet Folklórico dance group was created in 1970 and its current director, Francisco Muñoz III, became a member of the dance team in 1976. With a degree in kinesiology, it never occurred to him that he would one day teach dance, which was a branch of the health and kinesiology department at that time. However, once Muñoz officially became employed at Pan American University in 1982 he became the performing group’s director. “I just fell in love with dance. Once I started performing I liked it so much that I decided to further my studies and went to study in Guadalajara, Mexico,” the 62-yearold said. “From there on, the rest is history.” The University’s Ballet Folklórico will celebrate its 45th anniversary at the McAllen Country Club tonight followed by the debut of the seasonal tour at the McAllen Civic Center at 7:30 p.m. Ballet Folklórico currently has 30 performers with about 15 other people working in production such as apparel and props. Muñoz’s wife, Mary Muñoz, is the administrative director of the dance group and is in charge of its publicity. “My wife does all the hard work. I get the credit for the artistic part of the show – being able to put the production together,” the Mission native said. “But Mrs. Muñoz is the one actually in charge of taking care of the administrative part like the publicity
or like I say, the dirty work.” While the Munoz’s dedication to Ballet Folklórico stems from passion, dancer Ricardo Flores has shared the same affection since he was 5. Flores has been a part of Ballet Folklórico for four years. He continues to make time for the dance group despite having a full-time job and being a full-time student. “It’s a nice little hobby to get away from the real world situations that we actually go through,” the 21-yearold said. “I ask and beg for time to make my schedule work and I get it so, I’m lucky actually.” Hard work not only describes Flores, but his fellow performers like dance major Lillian Rodriguez. Rodriguez is currently taking 21 credit hours. As a performer for the past two years, she manages to balance her class schedule with Ballet Folklórico. “I don’t know how I do it,” the 20-year-old said. “I pretty much just go with it and get things done as soon as I can.” Both Flores and Rodriguez have performed in dance competitions outside the Rio Grande Valley including the American College Dance Festival, an event that occurs every two years. Within the last four years, Ballet Folklórico has received national recognition in 2012 and 2014 for the American College Dance Festival. In the competition around 60 universities perform two different dance pieces. The judicators then choose two dance groups from every region of the U.S. to advance to nationals at The John F. Kennedy Performing
Arts Center in Wash. D.C., narrowing the competitive number to 30. “It was an awesome experience because we were the only group that was taking Mexican culture into this modern ballet competition,” the communication sciences and disorders major said. “I mean, it was just us little Mexicans from the RGV presenting this beautiful piece to people that had no idea what we could do. It was very fulfilling for me.” With the next American College Dance Festival in 2016, Ballet Folklórico will embark on a seasonal tour throughout the RGV. The tour begins tonight at the McAllen Civic Center then moves on to the Brownsville Performing Arts Center Feb. 14. Following that, the group will perform at the Weslaco Performing Arts Center Feb. 21, the Harlingen Municipal Auditorium Feb. 28 and in Laredo March 5. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m.
Alejandro Alanis/ The Pan American
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Page 4
THE PAN AMERICAN
February 12, 2015
February 12, 2015
THE PAN AMERICAN
Retracing the steps of local dance group Story by Ena Capucion Photos by Michael Medina The Pan American UTPA’s Ballet Folklórico dance group was created in 1970 and its current director, Francisco Muñoz III, became a member of the dance team in 1976. With a degree in kinesiology, it never occurred to him that he would one day teach dance, which was a branch of the health and kinesiology department at that time. However, once Muñoz officially became employed at Pan American University in 1982 he became the performing group’s director. “I just fell in love with dance. Once I started performing I liked it so much that I decided to further my studies and went to study in Guadalajara, Mexico,” the 62-yearold said. “From there on, the rest is history.” The University’s Ballet Folklórico will celebrate its 45th anniversary at the McAllen Country Club tonight followed by the debut of the seasonal tour at the McAllen Civic Center at 7:30 p.m. Ballet Folklórico currently has 30 performers with about 15 other people working in production such as apparel and props. Muñoz’s wife, Mary Muñoz, is the administrative director of the dance group and is in charge of its publicity. “My wife does all the hard work. I get the credit for the artistic part of the show – being able to put the production together,” the Mission native said. “But Mrs. Muñoz is the one actually in charge of taking care of the administrative part like the publicity
or like I say, the dirty work.” While the Munoz’s dedication to Ballet Folklórico stems from passion, dancer Ricardo Flores has shared the same affection since he was 5. Flores has been a part of Ballet Folklórico for four years. He continues to make time for the dance group despite having a full-time job and being a full-time student. “It’s a nice little hobby to get away from the real world situations that we actually go through,” the 21-yearold said. “I ask and beg for time to make my schedule work and I get it so, I’m lucky actually.” Hard work not only describes Flores, but his fellow performers like dance major Lillian Rodriguez. Rodriguez is currently taking 21 credit hours. As a performer for the past two years, she manages to balance her class schedule with Ballet Folklórico. “I don’t know how I do it,” the 20-year-old said. “I pretty much just go with it and get things done as soon as I can.” Both Flores and Rodriguez have performed in dance competitions outside the Rio Grande Valley including the American College Dance Festival, an event that occurs every two years. Within the last four years, Ballet Folklórico has received national recognition in 2012 and 2014 for the American College Dance Festival. In the competition around 60 universities perform two different dance pieces. The judicators then choose two dance groups from every region of the U.S. to advance to nationals at The John F. Kennedy Performing
Arts Center in Wash. D.C., narrowing the competitive number to 30. “It was an awesome experience because we were the only group that was taking Mexican culture into this modern ballet competition,” the communication sciences and disorders major said. “I mean, it was just us little Mexicans from the RGV presenting this beautiful piece to people that had no idea what we could do. It was very fulfilling for me.” With the next American College Dance Festival in 2016, Ballet Folklórico will embark on a seasonal tour throughout the RGV. The tour begins tonight at the McAllen Civic Center then moves on to the Brownsville Performing Arts Center Feb. 14. Following that, the group will perform at the Weslaco Performing Arts Center Feb. 21, the Harlingen Municipal Auditorium Feb. 28 and in Laredo March 5. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m.
Alejandro Alanis/ The Pan American
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arts & life
February 12, 2015
Building bridges through art By Lizzette Saldaña The Pan American The Charles and Dorothy Clark Art Gallery, located in the Arts and Humanities Building, is displaying the work of 20 artists from the Texas Sculpture Group in the Due South: Reloaded exhibit. The event started Dec. 8, 2014 and will end Feb. 27, 2015. Three university professors are showcasing their pieces, one being Art Department Chair Susan Fitzsimmons. TSG’s mission is to share the diversity of sculpture through the show and various techniques. Brian Wedgworth, co-curator of the show and a featured artist, expressed the gratitude he felt for being able to bring Due South to the University. The internationally renowned artist was born in San Antonio and was formerly an artist-in residence at UTPA. He wants the audience to have a better understanding of what sculpting is and the ways it can be approached. “I like to share different styles and processes,” the fulltime sculptor said. “This exhibit gives the students and visitors at UTPA an opportunity to explore the different examples of sculpture and the various media
956-665-7409
sculptors work with.” Pivot, Wedgworth’s piece, takes an approach besides carving. It is a medium-size steel sculpture consisting of four forged rustic-looking metal pieces pinned together in a pivot point, allowing it to be arranged in various alignments. The extensions of the piece that are attached to the pivot point can be moved around so Pivot can stand vertically, horizontally and at an angle. Wedgworth used techniques such as welding to mold the fragments to the shape he wanted as well as kinetic art, which is a piece that contains movement. He is very intrigued with how the public perceives his work and how they view the modern approach to sculpture, that incorporate movement, sound and light. “The concept of creating something with your hands that takes up space - or gives the illusion of taking up space - is very interesting to me,” the UTPA alumnus said. The Texas Sculpture Group is a nonprofit organization whose primary goal is to educate the public regarding the aesthetics of sculpture and its various forms. Bill Fitzgibbons, the other co-curator of the show, put Due South together with Wedgworth
in order to “build bridges” by bringing the work of other artists to the Rio Grande Valley, and conversely taking the work of local sculptors to other cities. Like Wegdworth, who exhibited his art in Houston this past August at the Lawndale Art Center. “Building bridges pretty much means what it says: closing gaps from around this great state by bringing work here and taking work from the local members out of the Valley,” said Wedgworth, “Due South is where we live in proximity to everything else. Many of these artists have never been this far south.” An example of one of these artists who has never been displayed in the Valley is George Schroeder. The San Antonio native’s piece, Untitled, is featured in the exhibit. Fitzsimmons, who has been at UTPA since 2010, holds a Master’s of Fine Arts degree from the University of Southern Illinois. Her piece, Vestiges, was made using a bronze casting technique, which involves pouring bronze onto or into an object so it assumes the shape of the cardboard. “Bronze casting is kind of like evolution. Things happen and some are interesting and some are not,” she ex-
The evolution of sculpture in the Clark Art Gallery
plained. “It’s very unpredictable but I believe in chance.” Some of the other works being showcased are from wellknown artists such as Dewane Hughes, who is currently an associate professor of sculpture at the University of Tyler and president of TSG. Hughes recently hosted the Under Rotunda exhibition at the Texas Capitol Building in Austin. Susan Budge, another featured artist, is a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio
where she is head of the Ceramics and Art Metals Department. In 2004 Budge was named Artist of the Year by the Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, an organization that aims to meet the legal and accounting needs of artists. Due South: Reloaded informs students that sculpture is not just carving pottery. Wedgworth wants the audience to view sculpture as building things with whatever object artists choose. In these high-tech
times, anything can be manipulated to fit a piece. “The great thing about nowadays is that we can make a sculpture from just about anything using a combination of techniques,” Wedgworth explained. “Artists are using found objects like lint, bicycle parts, recycled materials, and employing technology to create sound, light and 3D printed objects in wax, plastic and even concrete.”
Omar Casas/ The Pan American Pivot, made by Brian Wedgworth, is featured in Due South: Reloaded in the Charles and Dorothy Clark Art Gallery Feb. 11. Wedgworth is intrigued by kinetic scupltures like Pivot.
UTPADINING.SODEXOMYWAY.COM
sports
February 12, 2015
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 collegiate branding firms in the country. Rickabaugh, along with future UTRGV Athletic Director Chris King, historians and faculty from UTPA as well as the University of Texas at Brownsville discussed the direction they wanted to go with the logo and the athletic identity. “(Rickabaugh) served as our guide,” King said. “He was the creative individual along with his team as far as putting together the different logos and marks. We met for the first time, had three colors in navy blue, green and orange and it was kind of an open book as to what direction we should take.” According to King the committee had meetings to decide the particulars of the mascot. One of the first things on the list was deciding whether the Vaquero would be a villain or hero. King stated that the committee wanted the mascot to be a good guy in order to represent strength and perseverance so
Rickabaugh Graphics could put the right look together. As of now the concept design is a cowboy with an orange face riding a horse that is navy blue with green trimmings on the cowboy and horse, thus incorporating UT System colors with those of the merging institutions. The whole package was revealed last week. As for the wording, King took some of the creativity of the UTPA word logo and applied it to UTRGV’s wordmarks. “We really wanted to be creative, real artistic and want it to stand out,” the AD said. “We took a little bit of the UTPA wordmarks with the shadow box. I think the entire committee, without a doubt, was virtually unanimous when it came down to the wordmarks and logo.” For King, the second time he has gone through the process of creating a logo; the first was in his second year as athletic director at UTPA. He felt it was
harder to create an identity then due to the fact that there were no focus groups and no feed-
By Marco Torres The Pan American
Kedochim. Khazanbeik, from Germany, played in regional, national and international tournaments in 2012. In the same year he represented the Iranian national team at the World Amateur Team Championship in Belek, Turkey. In 2013 he finished the year in the top 10 among golfers under 18 years old in Germany. Kedochim hails from Biarritz, France where in 2013 he won the Indian Ocean Championship and set a course record with a five-under 67 at the Mauritian Golf Tamarina, placed by the southeast shore of Africa by the Indian Ocean. “I look forward to seeing great things from them and I think they add a lot to the team,” Kirakossian said. “They already fit in with the team really well. Moving forward, I have seen them play for a few weeks and they both look really solid. It should mean for good things for the Broncs.” After the Bronc Intercollegiate, UTPA will go on the road to compete in the Atchafalaya Intercollegiate in Patterson, La. Feb. 23-24. In March the Broncs will be in two tournaments, one in Sacramento, Calif. for the Sacramento State Invitational and the other is the Wallace Jones Warhawk Intercollegiate March 23-24 in Dehli, La. The final two events for the
Broncs preceding the WAC Championship will be the Jim West Intercollegiate, hosted by Texas State April 6-7. Then the team will head to Tulsa, Okla. to compete in the Oral Roberts University Shootout April 13-14. “We need to take it one day at a time,” the second year coach said. “Then we will take it one practice at a time all the way to conference. I expect them to give 100 percent effort and play like a team.” At the WAC Championship the Broncs will be fighting for an automatic bid for the National Collegiate Athletic Association Regional spot May 1416 in either Noblesville, Ind., Chapel Hill, N.C., San Diego, Lubbock, Bremerton, Wash. or New Haven, Conn. If any Bronc golfer qualifies and succeeds at Regionals, the player will have the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Championship in Bradenton, Fla. May. 29 - June 3. “We have six events before conference so this schedule should expose the guys to a variety of courses,” Kirakossian said. “It should have them really competitively sharp going into the conference tournament.”
The UTPA men’s golf team is scheduled to open the spring season Feb. 16 by hosting the Bronc Intercollegiate at Los Lagos Golf Course in Edinburg. The home event is scheduled for two days and participating schools include Arkansas State, Abilene Christian, Prairie View A&M and Loyola-Chicago. The tournament is the first home event for the Broncs since they hosted the America Sky Golf Championship in 2010,and is the first of six tournaments in the spring before the Broncs head to Litchfield Park, Ariz. That is the site for Western Athletic Conference Championship, April 20-22. Broncs Head Coach Armen Kirakossian, who has been with the program for six years (four as a player, two as a head coach), knows a home opener can get the players on the right track to a good season. “This will be a lot of fun for the guys playing their home golf course,” the former Bronc golfer said. “In golf, having course knowledge is a great advantage but can also add extra pressure. The guys need to remember to have fun and enjoy the competition and don’t get too wrapped up with results.” Joining the team this spring are two golfers from overseas: Ali Khazanbeik and Benjamin
approved of the design and color schemes. “We had 25 student-athletes
We want a brand identity for this athletic program so we need to get everyone on board. - Chris King Athletic director for UTPA back. King felt that more people needed to be involved with the creative process because a new university logo and mascot are important creations. “Involvement was good,” King said. “I wanted to make sure, as the committee chair, that we had the focus group involvement, in particular (from) the students, the alumni donors and of course our coaches and student-athletes.” One of the focus groups was made up of student-athletes that
in there and they loved it; they loved the bright orange and a lot of people like the combination of the green and the navy blue,” King said. “I personally like that as well, but it’s kind of tough because we got to have the orange in there. But the student athletes who talked to Rickabaugh loved it.” Originally there were eight concepts for the logo and the committee eliminated five over the course of the first three meetings. After the next get to-
gether, the committee was down to two concepts and from there members asked the focus groups to give input before the final decision was made. Although the new university is coming in the fall, King knows there will be people who will be attached to UTPA and its traditions. “Particularly from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s when we had success (in athletics), that is what people are proud of,” King explained. “Most of the people in that era are fond of the green and white along with that ‘PA’ logo. When the University joined the UT System (in 1989) and added the orange it was an issue back then. So any time you have change you have to anticipate anger.” There has been a continual groundswell of discontent from the Bronc crowd about the changes, including a series of web petitions to try and keep the old mascot. But the feedback on the new logo so far on social
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media has been mostly positive. According to King the logo is made for the identity of the sports programs since the school will have an identity of its own with the orange and grey colors. Pending the consent from the Board of Regents, King and UTRGV athletics will unveil graphics, color schemes (for the athletic departments identity), new floors, apparel and jerseys. Along with the new gear, King and the committee are also figuring out the cost of the process, including re-doing the basketball court in the Field House. Although the AD would like to start on the renovation as soon as possible, he knows that there is a chance the board can delay the concept and push back deadlines. “Starting next year we are UTRGV, which is a new university,” King said. “So it’s a new team and we are moving forward. We want a brand identity for this athletic program so we need to get everyone on board.”
Adrian Castillo/ The Pan American Junior Ricky Solis practices his swing during practice at Los Lagos Golf Course. The McAllen native finished in a tie for 29th at the Arkansas State Beach Classic Nov. 3-4 with a three-round total of 233.
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