The South Texan Vol. 96 Issue 11

TheSouthTexan!"#$ Texas A &M University-Kingsville Award-Winning Student Publication

Monday, March 21, 2022

Taboada took the helm this Spring 34'#5%+#'6#( |' 32.*,-'42$,-+2-

over 85-year history of the university’s College of Engineering, a female is now serving as Dean.

Dr. Heidi A. Taboada

was hired as the Dean of the Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering, and took the helm at the beginning of the Spring semester.

She is making history.

Women’s History Month was started in 1987, to celebrate women who have contributed to history, culture and society. It is observed in march to recognize women who have greatly contributed to history.

“I am very humbled and it is an honor to serve

of the College of Engineering.

I am very p r o u d to lead a college with such Dr. Heidi A. Toboada st a nd i ng tradition in academic excellence,” she said.

Taboada said she always wanted to be an engineer. father and his fellow coworkers led her to pursue a degree in engineering.

Vol. 96, Issue 11

“There are many reasons but perhaps the strongest are, the lack of role models, especially in leadership positions, and the gender stereotypes in she said.

Taboada believes that any individual, especially a female, can pursue a degree in engineering, saying it is possible if you set your mind to it and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

“Work hard, be focused and follow your dreams,

and do not let someone else’s opinion derail you from achieving your dreams and never hesitate to ask for help when you need it. There will always be people who are willing to help,” Taboada said.

Taboada received her bachelor’s degree in Biochemical Engineering from Instituto Tecnologico de Zacatepec and her Ph.D in Industrial & Systems Engineering from Rutgers University.

“Dr. Taboada has pro-

moted the College of Engineering by expressing a true and enthusiastic interest in the College of Engineering. She asks questions, truly listens and is excited to share that information with others not only locally but statewide.

She is a great promoter of the College, and I can truly tell she is invested in the success of the College and its students,” Doctoral in Engineering Corando Gallegos said. !""#3.$#'()*((+

Courtesy of MARCOM

Shirt design students can get from submitting proof of vaccination.

*')"%+',-./"01'-#2' |' !,.+-*/%+*.0'1-*+2-

the world to me because

"#$!%&'(!)*+!,

@thesouthtexan

LSC, NCAA tournament runs

It took 26 years for Johnny Estelle to return to the Lone Star Conference (LSC) championship game, but this time it was as a coach for the Javelinas instead of a player.

On March 6, the Men’s Javelina Basketball team fell against West Texas A&M University in the LSC championship game in Frisco, Texas. There was a silver lining for the history making Javelinas, as they advanced to the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament for the third time in six years.

“It feels very good and very gratifying, our team is a collection of young men that work hard…we have family values, they come from great families,” Estelle said. “They work, battle, and play with Javelina spirit and pride every day…to see them reap the

!

The Javelina Men’s Basketball team during the LSC Championship game

that’s what life should be about. You work hard, you stay together, you should be able to experience the good things in life. This is one of the great things national tournament.”

Even though the Javelinas fell short in the LSC Championship, their performance in beating top four teams to advance to ranked the No. 5 team in the South-Central Region playoff bracket for the NCAA Tournament.

“The preparat ion doesn’t change you know,” Assistant Coach Omar

Gonzalez said about competing in the tournaments. “Our league is a really good league, and it shows with having six of the eight teams of the region be represented in our South-Central Region.”

Players like Ja Robertson and Dayante McClellan are more than grateful and excited for the opportunities they earned as a team.

“I was excited of course,” Robertson said. “I knew that we belonged in the national tournament, we weren’t an average team. We haven’t done anything but grow over

Javelina Athletics

the years. Usually, teams around this time are going downhill but we keep moving forward. I was excited but I knew at the end of the day we belonged on that platform…people are going to know who we are now.”

The Javelinas are in full game mode ready to ball out at the NCAA Tournament and bring a win back home to South Texas.

“We’re playing for the National title so that holds a lot of weight… also with that we need to enjoy the moment,” Mc!""#!"#$%&'()*((+

TAMUK program encourages vaccinations Students, faculty can be entered in drawings !"#"$%&'()" | !"#$%&'()*+,!"#$%&'()*+,-.+/(&,%+/+(0"1'!,#

To help keep Javelinas, COVID-19, Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) has launched a Vaccine Incentive Program.

Students who are fully vaccinated and share

their vaccine status and information through the REDCap portal are eligible for a free t-shirt and automatically entered into a March drawing to win prizes that include tablets, earbuds and Aramark gift cards. also share their vaccination status for the program through Workday will have the opportunity to win tablets, earbuds, Aramark gift cards, memberships to the Rec center and parking permits for the 2022-2023 academic !""#,$--"#.&'()*((+

Online Beat Do you not subscribe to !"#$%&!"!#'()*+%,?

Catch up on exclusive stories about our campus and community when you sign up for our newsletter.

Here’s a sneak peak of what you missed online.

Delancy wins gold Recently, the Javelina Track and Field team competed in the 2022 Lone Star Conference Indoor meet in Lubbock, Texas. Senior D.J. Delancy from Bethel Town, Jamaica came out on top winning gold.

Garza launched clothing apparel R-N-T 34'#5%+#'6#( |' 32.*,-'42$,-+2-

Two years ago, a young man from Weslaco, Texas, combined his favorite hobbies with apparel to launch his own line of outdoor wear. Rack-NTails (R-N-T) features apparel for those who love hunting.

Trey Garza got the idea to start his own clothing brand in January of 2020, and it took six months to launch. The brand launched in July 2020 and is currently in three stores, Hook Line &

Sinker in Harlingen, Texas, Ted’s Borderline Hardware in Weslaco, Texas, and R&R Tackle Shop in Mission, Texas.

Garza attends Texas A&M University- Kingsville (TAMUK) as an undergraduate student and is currently a junior Agricultural Business major.

“My five-year plan includes, to invest in my own printing and embroidery equipment, as well as expand into more retail stores not only in the Rio Grande Valley but across Texas. I also have plans to venture into the creation of hunting and Garza said.

R-N-T has six promotional staff members, whose duties include to promote the brand and take photos in the apparel. R-N-T participates in Trey hopes R-N-T can be featured at local hunting

Texas.

“Being a prostaff for Rack-N-Tails feels great and I love being a part of brand I have been a prosstand where he’s [Garza] coming from and I will always support his brand as it was launched by a fellow college student,” freshman Jacob Burket said.

Garza’s company stays local to the South Texas region by representing where the brand originated from. R-N-T sells clothing, hats and accessory items. Items include South Texas Hunting Edition short sleeve shirt, shirt, Hunt Texas Dove Outdoors hoodie. They caps and accessories such as koozies and decals.

“I have bought a total of 11 caps, eight shirts and

Garza pictured in his apparel.

four decals from Rack-NTails. I have known Trey for a while now and supporting his business as well as competing in multiple events with him to

Courtesy of Rack-N-Tails.com

promote the brand feels unreal,” frequent buyer Daniel Alaniz said.

Within the next month, !""#/0102'()*((+

CAMPUS

2

March 21, 2022

thesouthtexan.com

Turkish Delights: a ceramic exhibit Art professor showcasing her talent !"#"$%&'()"%|!"#$%&'()*+,!"#$%&'()*+,-.+/(&,%+/+(0"1'!,#22

Fifty-four

pieces

of

are protection against summer, but Wissingpieces have eyes on them show represents that we uring out what pieces

the Martha Fenstermak-

Laredo College Professor Wissinger posing in front of her art.

Sara-Wissinger is the creEvery piece in this -

artists to submit their -

During her time at -

enough pieces because

more than 99 percent of -

-

make a composition, us-

-

Wissinger views art -

-

tha Fenstermaker Me-

this is to show her stuto come up with think-

Martha

Fenstermaker

mire from her,” art ma-

-

“[Wissinger] comes from

which is a big thing in

ages she creates through

are new too, which is

Save the date: annual Spring Fling is back at TAMUK events, conferences or

Event is March 30

raising

opportunity,

-

anything members may -

&"'%*"#+,)'-%|(.+/-+"*.#/.+'()*+,(1+(-+"*1#(1+'()*+,-.+/(&,%+/+(0"1'!,#22

activity such as games or -

-

-

campus a chance to see the most active organi-

“With everything that

is very interesting to see -

about this event is that community

-

-

a

chance

times, it even gives an opportunity for some

With the money, fers an opportunity for -

-

for future on-campus events, but a big portion

-

” For more information, @tamukcab.

How to Adult: Building a resumé leave an impression

-

-

-

-

name, hit the return or enter key on your keystay the same from now

&"'%*"#+,)'-%|(.+/-+"*.#/.+'()*+,-

that you set up a voice

but make sure it is ap-

Once you have chosen one, you are going to

page, you are going to

-

internships -

positions in most recent -

message if they cannot -

You are going to start with opening up a trustsor such as Microsoft

your

-

(1+(-+"*1#(1+'()*+,-.+/(&,%+/+(0"1'!,#22

-

List

You are going to want to press the return or enter key once again so you can start writing a Note that this is sup-

-

the name of the com-

March 21, 2022

thesouthtexan.com

Forum

3

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for redress of grievances.”

Our Opinion

Invisible Identities A recent Florida bill was passed that potentially could restrict any elementary level classroom discussion over sexual orientation and gender identity.

The bill was created with the intention to give parents back control over what their children are exposed to and received a lot of support, especially from Florida’s very own Governor Ron DeSantis.

However, the detrimental bill also faced backlash by the LGBTQ+ community and fellow supporters of the community.

The proposed “Don’t Say Gay” bill would not only limit LGBTQ+ youth representation, but effect the overall identity of students who are already struggling with sexuality expression and self-acceptance.

Both Texas and Florida lawmakers have attempted to make advances in limiting the rights of non-cisgendered and straight conforming individuals. These are attempts to change the lives of those they do not care to understand and those of with whom they do not agree.

With Texas bills such as the abortion ban and House Bill 25, which restricts transgender teens from participating in school sports, the new Florida bill only adds to the undoing of representation progression in America. Texas and Florida do not care about the representation of their residents. They do not care to protect their citizens nor do they care to represent everyone equally.

According to Equality Florida, a group that organizes protests in the state of Florida, “misrepresentation of citizens creates environments of exclusion and oppression against certain communities.” Any

equality for all, which is a basic human right, is continuously being stripped away little by little as more bills like these pass.

If supporters of this new bill believe this will halt those who are advocating for equal representation of all communities in America, it will not. It will only fuel them with more passion and give them

After the bill was passed by both the Florida Senate and House, it made it’s way to Governor DeSantis to be signed. At the time of publication the bill had not yet been signed, but if the bill aquires the

Rated M for Misunderstanding Have you ever heard that games rot your mind or that videogames are one of the largest contributors to violence?

Odds are you have at some point because video games !"#$% have been &'((#""#( regarded !"#$%&'($&#)* as having +%&$,% no helpful for as long as I can remember.

In the last decade, video games have become a more common form of entertainment than ever before. There’s now

a wide array of titles for people to choose from, ranging from those on standard consoles to simpler and easier-to-pickup games on phones.

Aside from being an engaging and easy to consume form of media, games come with a wealth of lessons for people to learn, some of which I have greatly I’m not talking spetion-based titles either.

I’m referring to titles that have taught me patience, how to approach a stressful situation and come up with interesting solutions to those situations.

A recent title in this category would be Elden Ring, a game I’ve been playing recently, and it has done a good job reinforcing those ideas to me.

Elden Ring cult game that I’ve died countless times in.

It asks the player to overcome challenges using whatever they’ve found in their time exploring, and that’s stopped people from completing due to the frustration it brings.

However, I’ve found the challenge to be incredibly gratifying. Elden Ring and similar titles have taught me that I should pace myself and

approach something when I feel ready to handle it. It also showed me that I needed to have a good deal of patience, or I’d consistently make game I’ve played by the developers, FromSofton me, but it’s a factor that feels especially obvious in this particular one.

I used to be incredibly impatient and spiteful of failure, but these games have the potential to show anyone the value of patience and how to learn from failure.

That’s a useful lesson for the real world, too.

Feminism and its misconstrued meanings To label something as extreme and regard it as unnecessary and detrimental falls far from what the term feminism represents.

Feminism is the advocacy of equal rights for /#%#.(#0 w o m 10#2+3 en. This 01#1)&#) phrase 23&$"% has become increasingly popular over the last few years and is now one of the most notable social movements for societal change.

Being a feminist does not mean you have to

hate all men. Although this label is viewed as extreme and sometimes joked about, a feminist is simply someone who wants to improve the role of women in a society.

The term itself is constantly misconstrued.

Once I educated myself properly, not only did I come to learn that feminists were reformers, I realized how needed they were in order to advocate for change and equality when sadly, they shouldn’t have to in Feminism does not mean superiority over men, it means equal to en have gained rights in

the U.S and have slowly made their way into leadership positions once male dominated, does not mean other countries have that same privilege. In some third-world countries only young boys are allowed to receive an education while the girls are stripped from what should be a basic human right equal to all.

The wage gap is a local, prominent and continuing issue women in the workplace should not have to face. Despite the fact that women have prolongedly broken the glass ceiling, there are still countless more barriers to be broken.

Women should get

paid the same amount as their male counterparts for doing the exact same job. The degree is the same, the license is the same and the overall credibility is the same, so why should the pay be Reproductive rights, justice over domestic abuse and fairness are some of the battles that feminists all around the world are continuing to Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” and we, as feminists, will continue to do just that.

There is absolutely nothing to lose from equality, only everything to gain.

The Rio Grande Valley and its restricted potential The idea that the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) is considered one of the poorest regions in the United States of America doesn’t surprise me because I was born )*+"' ,"+-". and raised -,#&"% in the .,/"%$,% RGV and although there are stereotypes about the community, I have witnessed a lot of positive aspects of the Valley.

The RGV faces many labels, some warranted, others perhaps exaggerated. The RGV should be known for its rich

culture, beautiful heritage, access to higher education and state of the art healthcare instead of of the poorest regions in our country.

The RGV is labeled an impoverished area. This may be because of its lack of access to higher educational opportunities, overpopulation due to high immigrant our healthcare system.

Despite the overall opinions the Valley has upon it, it will be obvious to any tourist that this area of Texas is blossoming with potential. Most of the school districts in the RGV have access to the Robin Hood money, a plan diverting prop-

erty tax dollars from school districts considered property-wealthy, to poorer ones across Texas. With property tax revenue in mind, districts now compete for each other’s student populations. The students who enroll in RGV educational systems are being brought into this large classroom setting without question of overcrowding the existing classes.

The RGV and Border Patrol struggle due to the daily immigrant have been told that this area will work with them on living arrangements, employment, healthcare and educational opportunities. If this were

Emeri Drewry

Managing Editor

Senior Reporter

Sarah Reyna

Nicole Perez Morris Adviser

The South Texan is a student

Dylan Sanchez

publication produced by Texas A&M

Sports Editor

views, opinions and commentary do Texas A&M University system. The

Rae Martinez Entertainment Editor

the Art, Communications, and Theatre Department (ACT) and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA).

STAFF Ronni Reyna

of healthcare seem to not only be a local problem but nationwide as well.

It will take a proactive, intelligent and open-minded politician to react to the economic stress that the healthcare crisis has caused our region as a whole. If we, as citizens of the United States, do not become part of the solution our economy will face even greater challenges.

Makaylah Chavez

Campus Editor

University- Kingsville students. The

totally accurate, the promise to go along with such tasks would or may have already rendered our government broken.

There is also no payment made for the healthcare provided in many areas of a hospital as it is absorbed into the hospi-

Erik Estrada Digital Editor

Aryssa Enriquez Marketing Manager

Advertising For advertising inquiries, e-mail The South Texan at advertising.manager or call (361) 593-4370.

Letters to the Editor Letters must be typed, signed and include a phone number. Letters

emailed to The South Texan, Manning Hall 165, Texas A&M University-Kingsville Kingsville, Texas 78363

4

News

March 21, 2022

thesouthtexan.com

STUDENT HEALTH & WELLNESS PRESENTS

e k i l d Lea een a Qu TENTH ANNUAL

Women’s Retreat ,

.

,

LISTEN TO SPEAKERS THAT WILL TALK ABOUT A WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS INCLUDING: • Relationships • Finances

• Mental Well-Being • Women in Leadership

• Safety • And many other topics!

ENJOY THE POWER LOUNGE SESSION, WHICH WILL INCLUDE ALL OF THE FOLLOWING: • Massage Chairs

• Informational Booths

• DIY Projects to take home

*THE FIRST 75 TO REGISTER RECEIVE A FREE EVENT T-SHIRT (LIMITED SIZES AVAILABLE) TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-KINGSVILLE STUDENTS ONLY

For more information, please contact Student Health & Wellness: 361-593-3991

March 21, 2022 thesouthtexan.com

Garza named Pitcher of the Week Received honors from LSC, South Central Region !"#$%&'(")#*+,$-.#)/ |! "#$%&'()%'$*!+&'%,&

The Javelina Baseball team is studded with stars all around. One in particular is Logan Garza.

Garza was named the Lone Star Conference pitcher of the week recently Logan Garza as well as the South Central Region Pitcher of the Week.

“It feels good. We played a good team (UT Tyler) and I respect the way they play and know how good they are and the success they have had in this conference. I don’t deserve all the credit though, there were eight other making tough plays and working just as hard to get every out,” Garza said. called a lot of pitches for me and helped guide me through the game to get outs. My pitching coach, Jeremy Flores, put together a great scouting report which helps our plan of attack to get outs.”

Along with player success, the Javelina baseball team is currently 12-4 in the Lone Star Conference

with a 10-3 record at home at Nolan Ryan Field, a 4-1 record when playing away, and is on a current win streak of eight games, which gives them a 14-4 overall record. for his pitcher.

“He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met and it shows when he’s on

News !"#$%3/+.%&'(&&)

In more than 85 years, the College of Engineering has had men as Dean.

“I think that she is looking to identify our strengths and see how we build on those strengths and also what should our new vision moving forward be because there’s just so much potential here and I think that she is trying to help shape that potential,” Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering Interim Chair Dr. Breanna Bailey

said.

Bailey is currently the only female chair in the College of Engineering.

“I am currently interim chair for civil and architectural engineering and I am the only woman in an administrative role other than for the Dean so it’s very nice to have two of us now; it’s about time,” Bailey said.

As Taboada settles into this position she looks forward to the possibility of leading change to impact transformation and to impact students’ lives and the reward it will be.

my job easy as a catcher,” feel our team is coming together as a pack. Our id and given our lineup a chance every game.”

Fellow pitcher Matthew Sesler said the team keeps looking forward.

“I feel that we are performing to how we are expected to. We set the bar high for ourselves and we can’t just get complacent on how we’re doing now.

We have to keep going,” he said.

Moving forward Coach Jason Gonzalez said this about his team.

“Our main goal is to continue with our players’ progression, which in turns leads to our team’s success,” the coach said.

“We want our guys to continue to enjoy the success they are having and to enjoy being able to compete with the brotherhood that’s known as The Pack.

The players have lofty goals and high standards, and with that comes a lot of hard work, humility, and clarity of focus.”

!"#$%0-.+12%&'(&&)

Clellan said before the start of the NCAA tournament. “Two years ago, we made it to the national tournament, but it was canceled due to COVID

so no one on our current roster has ever played in the national tournament so it’ll be good to kind of slow down and enjoy the moment with our brothers and acknowledge that we are making history.”

5

!"#$%*+,,-./%&'(&&)

school year.

According to the vaccine incentive web page, a person is considered fully vaccinated by the university two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine One fully vaccinated student will win a grand prize $500 reward in April.

Proof of vaccination can be submitted at https://www.tamuk.edu/ coronavirus/vaccine-incentive/index.html.

“This is a good way to get college students vaccinated. I think this incentive makes it easier and could give people another reason to get vaccinated,” English major Leslie Cariaga said.

By launching this incentive program, it is

!"#$%!"#"$%&'(&&)

R-N-T will be releasing a new line of shirt designs and more variety of cap colors. For more infor-

will continue to get vaccinated so they can participate in these kinds of events, since only individuals who have at least two COVID-19 vaccinations are eligible to be entered in the drawings.

“Vaccines have provpreventing severe illness and hospitalizations in individuals who contract COVID-19,” Director of Marketing and Communications Adriana Garza-Flores said. “We wish to encourage members of our campus community to consider getting vaccinated. This is one way we can help keep the community well.”

Students who have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccination can visit the Walk-Up Mobile Vaccine Clinic hosted by the university throughout the semester. For more information on vaccine clinics, students should check tions on when clinics will be held.

mation on R-N-T, follow them on Facebook @RackN-Tails and Instagram @ rack_n_tails or visit the website Rack-N-Tails.com.

Javelina Athletics

The Javelina Men’s Basketball team playing St. Mary’s University.

Courtesy of Rack-N-Tails.com

Rack-N-Tails line of hats pictured on their website.

News

6

March 21, 2022

thesouthtexan.com

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-KINGSVILLE®

Current Students:

We look forward to welcoming everyone back to campus for Fall . We still have availability if you want to live on campus for .

Scan code to see our online brochure:

FALL 202 - SPRING 202 PRICES: MARTIN HALL

LYNCH HALL

$2,300 per semester

$2,500 per semester

LUCIO HALL & MESQUITE VILLAGE WEST $3,200 or $3,400 per semester

AMENITIES: • • • • • •

Barbecue and Picnic areas Exterior card access system Game tables Ice machines & Vending Machines Intramural teams Lounges with living rooms and TVs

• • • • • •

Planned residence hall activities Live On Professional staff members Resident/Community Advisor staff Smoke-free buildings Student leadership opportunities

Email: residencelife@tamuk.edu | Phone: 361-593-3419 Lucio Hall, Office 119, Kingsville, TX 78363-8202