INSIDE
Softball ranked No. 6 by ESPN... Page 8 Texas A&M University-Kingsville
The South Texan
Volume 93, Issue 22
CfSS earns national distinction ILIANA FLORES Managing Editor Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) was named the first four-year university in the nation to be designated as an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Campus of Distinction on March 27. For eight years, the Center for Student Success (CfSS) has been an AVID Higher Education Institution. Since then TAMUK has been working to become the first Campus of Distinction. The hard work was recognized as TAMUK was announced as the first AVID Campus of Distinction last Wednesday. “We feel so blessed and grateful to have this designation because this is something that we’re passionate about. This is the Center for Student Success’ baby and at the root of all this is our students. So, to get this recognition just reinforces that what we’re doing is amazing and our students are benefitting, and now we can share with everyone...this is what we’re doing, it works and everybody should be doing this,” Dr. Stephanie De Los Santos, the AVID liaison at TAMUK, said. AVID is a non-profit organization that focuses on student success through professional development for teachers and staff to learn about different ways to engage students. The organization also believes in taking a holistic approach in education to ensure student success. At TAMUK, the CfSS has built itself around five AVID componentsacademic advising, professional development, first year seminar, tutoring and mentoring and co-curricular activities. Dr. De Los Santos explains that the CfSS also works to support students through a “Circle of Care.” This “Circle of Care” helps guide students towards success all through college and even after. Betty Krohn, the director of AVID for Higher Education, spoke about why TAMUK was chosen to be the first AVID Campus of Distinction during the announcement.
CfSS AVID continued on Page 10
thesouthtexan.com
Thursday, April 4, 2019
The Pang Of
HUNGER 34% of students have low-food security
Students desperate to satisfy their hunger C.R. NEAL Editorial Editor A claustrophobic dorm bedroom suffocates Steve* as he lies on the cramped twin mattress. His eyes beg for sleep, but the pangs of hunger echo in his mind and keep him tossing-and-turning in an endless loop of longing. Submitted Photo
Steve sends whatever refund he gets from financial aid to his parents, so he lives on his 10-meals-a-week meal plan. Steve does everything he can to make ends meet outside of his meal plan by doing odd jobs like fixing a friend’s sink or driving them around, yet is still unsure of where his next meal will come from. On the days he had to go without eating, Steve would often forget his
keys and get locked out of his dorm room. Upon realization he would subsequently miss class and storm to find a resident assistant (RA) to get into his room. Homework often is left forgotten, the yearning for sustenance filling his mind. He lives in this vicious cycle, and on his worst day he almost missed a final. “I remembered as I laid down to go to sleep, after eating, and had to stay up the rest of the night studying because I spent the previous day doing anything to forget about the fact that I was really hungry,” Steve said. When he does eat, his meals con-
sist of ramen, bologna, hot dogs or an amalgamation of the three. As a result his health rapidly declined. He notes that this trend started once he began attending Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK.) “I ate pretty healthy until I got to college, and then I really wasn’t eating at all,” Steve said. “And the little that I did eat was horrible.” Eating healthy is one of the biggest challenges for people who are food insecure because they buy food
Student Hunger continued on Page 6
Page 2 - Campus
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Thursday, April 4, 2019
PEP-Talk creates health awareness
Maintaining the health and wellness of the students while having some fun LETI TORRES Reporter
PEP – Talk is an organization at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. PEP, standing for Peer Educator Program, focuses on the overall awareness and wellness of the students on campus. Based on the interests of the Student Health and Wellness, PEP members are there to help improve the overall well-being of the students as well as make the students aware of their health. The club focuses on six main principles, those principles are there to make the students more aware of their emotional, environmental, intellectual, physical, spiritual and social being. The club focuses on many aspects of a healthy lifestyle; for example, safe drinking, safe sex, healthy eating, relieving stress and many others. PEP – Talk was founded to mainly educate the students about alcohol awareness in 1993. “It started off that they were doing alcohol awareness mainly through a grant through this department,” said the director of Student Health and Wellness Jo Elda Castillo Alaniz. PEP – Talk is advised by Alaniz and the club helps the students get out of their comfort zone and become better at public speaking. The president of
the club, Esmeralda Gutierrez (junior), has become a better public speaker since joining the club. “I saw the poster about all the pictures of the events that they did, and I was interested… I’m like very shy and I don’t like talking in front of people, so I thought that was a way for me to get more comfortable talking to people,” said Esmeralda Gutierrez, an animal science major. Other members join because it is within the area they are working toward, such as Abbie Hering, a junior majoring in social work. Some members have found a new aspiration because of PEP – Talk, like junior Alexander Sydney-Robert Solis, who was an engineering major and has now switched over to Social Work. Most of the club members learn better public speaking or enhance their public speaking. “I used to be very super anti-social… My presentation skills have gone up great,” said Jacob Alexander Martinez, majoring in Electrical Engineering. Not only does the club educate the students on campus about safe drinking and safe sex but it educates their members in the process as well. “I have learned that we should pay attention to what we drink, how much we drink, and who we drink with,” said club member Pacience Walker, Sports and Business major. The club uses a wheel that is set with the six principles that are set in the club. This is the way that they determine the activities that will be conducted. There are many activities that are conducted with this club, for example Jav-a-pa-looza, Tropical Temptations (safe spring break fair), Earth Day, Re-
Photo courtesy of Twitter
TAMUK raises $17,267.37 for Driscoll Children’s Hospital.
Children’s Miracle Network Dance Marathon exceeds fundraising goal KELBY SPRINKLES Reporter On Saturday, March 30, Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) hosted its third annual Children’s Miracle Network Dance Marathon. This event was held in the Steinke Physical Education Center (SPEC) from 4 to 9 p.m. The annual Dance Marathon is organized and held by TAMUK’s Greek Life and the Dance Marathon Executive Board, and it benefits local children and families who have been impacted by a Children’s Miracle Network hospital. “This money goes straight to Driscoll Children’s Hospital. So, you have your Children’s Miracle Network Hospital and that’s like the ‘big picture’ and then you have your hospital itself that falls underneath the giant picture. That would be your local hospital. For us, that would be Driscoll Children’s Hospital that is located in Corpus,” said the Dance Marathon’s Executive Director Ydanissa Gonzalez. Additionally, all proceeds raised throughout the Spring semester were donated to Driscoll Children’s Hospi-
tal of Corpus Christi. Despite the event being coordinated by TAMUK Greek Life, registration was open to all organizations, students, faculty and community members. “It’s to fundraise for the hospital itself, to make sure that they have the resources and materials needed to care for the children who are there,” said Campus Activities Board (CAB) President Darrell Sanchez. In addition to dancing, participants were given free pizza and could partake in other activities such as giant Jenga, an inflatable obstacle course and face painting. For the past two years, the Dance Marathon has met and exceeded their initial fundraising goals. The goal for 2019 was $12,500. This goal was also met and exceeded with a total of $17,267.37 raised. “We want to help impact our community. Driscoll’s Children’s Hospital is the only children’s hospital in South Texas. It’s important. A lot of things they do here are important. The students have a really big passion and drive behind it, and they worked very hard to make sure we met our goal,” said Fraternity and Sorority Life Coordinator Jessica Montenegro.
lay for Life and many other events that are held on campus. The most recent event is the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes that is coming up on April 17. PEP – Talk does have some requirements to join and to be a part of the club. Some of those requirements include being a full-time student currently enrolled at TAMUK, having a
Members of PEP Talk
2.0 or higher GPA and being in good academic standing at TAMUK. There is a short and brief interview that one must attend during which there will be about five questions and an opportunity for one to ask some questions as well. For more information about the club and/or how to join the club, contact Alaniz at 361-593-2382.
Photo courtesy of Facebook
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Page 3 - Campus
TAMUK celebrates Annual Spring Fling Loud music, good food, fun times ARYSSA ENRIQUEZ Campus Editor Faces were stuffed, music was blasting and laughter filled the air during Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s annual Spring Fling. On March 27, numerous organizations and clubs gathered around University Boulevard for an opportunity to socialize and have fun with friends while being able to raise money for their organization. During Spring Fling many organizations will seize the opportunity to promote their club and potentially recruit members. “It was my first time at Spring Fling, I didn’t know we had that many clubs. It was a good event to just walk around and see the community and the school come together as one,” said Bethany Nieto, Accounting major. Each organization was allowed to sell only one item, so naturally there was about 100 different selections, ranging from funnel cakes to espiropapas, and even brisket sandwiches. Fried Oreos were a big hit in this year’s Spring Fling as dozens of students circled around the booth and patiently waited for their order.
Food and drinks ranged from $2 to $5, and by the end of the night most organizations were able to make a profit. The music was set up by the Javelina statues and could be heard from blocks away. Spring Fling provides a friendly atmosphere for TAMUK and the community to unite and help each other accomplish their goals by supporting one another. Spring Fling also showcases the generous hearts in TAMUK as several organizations were planning to donate some of their profit to their favorite charity. “We are raising money to obviously make a profit and 10 percent of our profit is going to the Sea Life Center in Corpus Christi and we also have a donation box for the rat rescue center that I believe is in San Antonio, their whole building kind of disappeared in a sudden fire so we are trying to raise money for them and give them any medicine needs or just food that they need as well,” said Berenise Valles, president of Vet Tech Club. Spring Fling allows students to unwind from school, and enjoy a time gathered with friends. The variety of items and activities allows students and the community to explore new flavors and try new things. “Our favorite thing about Spring Fling is seeing the entire campus community come out to have fun, and there is tons of awesome food and activities,” said Elisa Guerra, president of TAMUK Staff Council.
Annual High-Impact Conference ILIANA FLORES Managing Editor The fourth annual Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) High-Impact Practices in Higher Education Conference was held in the Memorial Student Union Building on March 29. The 2019 Conference was sponsored by the Center for Student Success, Center for Teaching Effectiveness and a Title V I-Care Grant and was focused on the topic of “Sustaining Undergraduate Research Across the Curriculum.” “This year’s conference will allow you to learn more about high-impact practices and the benefits they provide for student success through undergraduate research across the curriculum,” TAMUK President Mark Hussey said in the conference’s program. To kick-off the conference, TAMUK faculty and students presented their research through poster sessions. Faculty topics ranged from “Academic Success and Social Support Across Generations” by Dr. Jieming Chen to “Researching Relatable Economics Topics” by Harmeet Singh and Kaitlin Frakes. Student research was just as diverse as posters ranged from topics such as “A Very Unclear Set of Expectations as Far as How a Man Should Behave” by Carlos Gonzalez to “How Interrupting Ads Change the Way We Watch Videos” by Tiffany Saldivar. Dr. Jenny Olin Shanahan, the Assistant Provost for High Impact Practices at Bridgewater State University, was one guest speaker at the event. Shanahan held one workshop called “Scaffolding Research Skills Across the Curriculum, from the First Year to Capstone.” She also gave the keynote
speech on “Inspiring Our Students in Courses that Matter: The Case for Research Across the Curriculum Success.” In this keynote, Shanahan spoke about how integrating High Impact Practices and research in classes encourages students to engage more and often leads to higher student success rates in the classroom. It also gives access to opportunities to low-income and minority students who may not have received them otherwise. “Students of color show enormous gains, more than white students, when involved in undergraduate research. English language learners, low income students and working-class students... All of these groups of students who have been historically underserved will report some similar anxieties, fears when they enter higher education about whether they belong there... whether they can be successful there. And, when professors, peers [and] staff demonstrate through these opportunities and then they have success in them that yeah, you belong here, you can go much further than you’ve ever dreamed, it makes sense that this would have such powerful impact on them,” Shanahan said. Carly Serna, a financial planner, was another special guest speaker who wrapped up the conference. Serna hosted a student workshop during which students were given the opportunity to learn how to be financially responsible. Her workshop was “The Ultimate Guide to Managing Money as a College Student.” Students who attended would receive “a step-by-step plan for tackling debt, investing and saving for a home,” the Conference’s program said.
Photos by Amanda DeFrees
Students celebrating the at Annual Spring Fling.
Page 4 - Opinion
thesouthtexan.com
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Music of the fight
The South Texan The First Amendment “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.” The South Texan is a student publication produced by Texas A&M University- Kingsville students. The views, opinions and commentary do not necessarily reflect the views of the Texas A&M University system. The South Texan uses student fees in part to publish. The South Texan is part of the Art, Communications, and Theatre Department (ACT), The Javelina Broadcast Network (JBN), and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA).
STAFF Darcy Ramirez Editor-in-Chief Iliana Flores Managing Editor Aryssa Enriquez Campus Editor C.R. Neal Editorial Editor Colby Sims Sports Editor Jaylin Morales Advertising Manager Reporters Josue Villarreal Ashley Gonzalez Aaron Monreal Kelby Sprinkles Hector Landin Adam Pena Zachariah Wilson Dylan Dozier Susan Cortez Rachel Tapps Leti Torres
DARCY RAMIREZ Editor-in-Chief Modern times have seen the transformation of classic “toon” tales into live-action films, but are these remakes truly honoring the originals? These adaptations have graced movie theaters since the beginning of the film industry. In 1961 the cartoon movie “101 Dalmatians” was released in the United States. Disney was in debt following the flop of “Sleeping Beauty” in 1959 and desperately needed a hit. There were even rumors of closing down the animation division, so the company could focus on live action films, television and theme parks. Thankfully, the movie became the highest grossing movie of 1961 in the United States. Then in 1996 Disney decided to revitalize the movie as a live-action film. The legendary John Hughes wrote the screenplay and Glenn Close, Jeff Daniels, Joely Richardson and Hugh Laurie starred in the film. “101 Dalmatians” was released on Nov. 27, 1996. It grossed $320.6 million in theaters against a $75 million budget. Many critics and Rotten Tomatoes claimed the film was “a bland, pointless remake,” but praised Close’s performance as Cruella de Vil. The film may have been described as a flop, but a second film followed. More recently tales such as “Beauty and the Beast,” “Cinderella” and “The Jungle Book” have been adapted into live-action films receiving mixed reviews. Many audiences find it hard to recreate certain aspects of the original
Nicole Morris Adviser
For advertising inquiries, e-mail The South Texan at thesouthtexan@tamuk.edu or call (361) 593-4370. Letters to the Editor Letters must be typed, signed and include a phone number. Letters considered for publication must be 300 words or fewer. Letters may be emailed to thesouthtexan@tamuk.edu The South Texan, Manning Hall 165, Texas A&M University-Kingsville Kingsville, Texas 78363
films. For example, I personally was let down as I watched the live action “Beauty and the Beast” and did not hear Angela Lansbury sing during the famed dancing scene, and I found Lily James’s acting less than memorable in “Cinderella,” who is recognized as “the” Disney princess. Despite having a stellar cast with Bill Murray, Idris Elba, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Walken and newcomer Neel Sethi in “The Jungle Book,” the relationships between Mowgli (Sethi) and Baloo (Murray) fell very short compared to the original, but there were moments between Mowgli and Shere Khan (Elba) that are quite terrifying and help the movie’s storyline move forward. All in all these motion pictures were tolerable with a few exceptional scenes. But then there are some live-action movies that are better and more successful than the predecessor. “Maleficent,” “Peter Pan” and “Pete’s Dragon” entangled me into their story more than the original ever did. In “Sleeping Beauty,” Maleficent is an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed “Mistress of All Evil” who, after not being invited to a christening, curses the infant Princess Aurora to “prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die” before the sun sets on Aurora’s sixteenth birthday. Although “Maleficent” is told from
the mistress’ own perspective, Angelina Jolie gives the character depth, personality and the audience finds itself empathetic towards her. In the original she was simply the evil villain who turns into a dragon, but in “Maleficent” we see there is more to her than anger and hate. Peter Pan has been recreated various times. The 1991 adaptation “Hook” showed the audience what happens when Peter Pan grows up and leaves Neverland, and it’s hard not to love when Robin Williams plays the forever wonder boy. Because of the 2003 adaption, I cannot watch the movie without chanting “I do believe in fairies! I do, I do,” as Tinkerbell almost dies in Peter’s hands after she drinks poison to save him. For me, these live action adaptations are typically very shaky. Sometimes they miss the mark, sometimes they surpass the originals and other times they land in the forest of adequacy. I say audiences need to be wary and cautious when watching the live action films. In the following months, and by next year, many adaptations such as “Aladdin,” “Dumbo,” “The Lion King,” “Cruella,” “Lilo and Stitch” and “Mulan” will debut in theatres. I won’t expect a miracle, but I’ll hope for the best.
My first and only lottery ticket
Photographer Amanda DeFrees
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Photo Courtesy of eonline.com
Disney live action adaptations
BRENDA RIOJAS Reporter I can remember the day I turned 18 years old. I had been waiting for this day my entire life! It was the day I was able to buy my very first scratch off lottery ticket. I was on cloud nine. It was my birthday, on a Saturday, and I knew for sure it was a good day. How could I not win my very first scratch off? Before I was 18 years old, my parents used to buy me everything, and when I say everything, I mean everything.
Before walking into my favorite convenience store, I came to a realization that I had to pay for this scratch off ticket all by myself. I asked my dad for advice on how I could win on my very first lottery ticket. He told me that the first step to winning is to actually buy the ticket first. I laughed as I had to get out of the car, and then I realized I was seeing my birthday money leave my wallet. It made me devastated to spend my birthday money, and looking back, it was only one dollar I was spending on this ticket. Why was I even devastated? This was just my first real experience buying a scratch off ticket and understanding that I’m spending money on something that I might or might not get any money back from. Getting back into the car I had the first step to my dad’s advice already done. I was smiling, giggling and extremely excited to win from the first lottery ticket I had just bought. I was confident I’d win scratching this ticket, which was tic-tac-toe
themed. Growing up tic-tac-toe was my favorite game to play with chalk. I had a connection with the game, and that was a confidence booster for me. There I am, scratching, smiling, scratching, smiling with two number threes in a row, one more and I win three dollars. I knew I had those three dollars. It was waiting for me. As I’m scratching for the third three to appear, it doesn’t. I took a deep breath out while realizing that I didn’t win. I had waited so many years, for just one win on my actual birthday. How could this be; how could I not win? It seemed to me that although I didn’t win the three dollars, I tried and that’s just the art to playing the lottery. It might seem odd that I haven’t bought a ticket in almost three years, but should I really? As I turn 21 later this year, I am even faced with the question of gambling on my family vacation to Lake Charles, La. I think I would actually win every time if luck were not involved.
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Page 5 - Opinion
Tale of a Technicolor Javelina
A political conversation cut short by a kamikaze vacuum
DYLAN DOZIER Reporter Simone pushed the vacuum down the hall and into the living room. I had just bought the thing at the Last Call Pawn. She stopped behind the couch where I sat staring at a white blank page. “You know what you’re going to write yet?” On the television before me some baboon with a microphone was dishing out dishonor to some parties on a popular news outlet. “Politics.” “Why politics?” “Politics gives me a 50-50 shot. Half the people are gonna read it and think I’m a comrade of the antichrist, and the other half are gonna read it and think I’m a sensible son of a…” “What do you know about politics
anyways?” Before I could answer, Simone’s friend Katie and her boyfriend Raul blew through the front door. Raul spoke first. “Jesus its cold out there. That wind could blast the b***s off a bull elk!” I wasn’t sure whether to investigate the source of his comment or laugh, so I did neither and unmuted the TV. Raul laughed like a hyena and helped himself to some leftover pizza in Simone’s fridge. Katie asked what we had been up to and Simone told her all about her week and how she had a physics exam coming and a haircut lined up, and then she turned the conversation my way. “…And Tiger over there is writing something about politics.” Everyone exclaimed. “OOOOOHHHHH!” Raul sat beside me on the couch. “What do you think about politics?” “I don’t really think about them all that much. I didn’t even vote. I understand their significance, but haven’t given it the time,” I said and pointed at the TV. “That’s why I’m doing research.” Katie cut in. “Malarkey. You’re just apathetic. My dad used to tell me that people who didn’t care about politics were normally liberals in disguise. And he HATES liberals.”
I could tell by the way she said it… she hated them, too. “Exactly the opposite Katie. Like I said, I understand the importance, but between 17 hours worth of classes, studying, showering, shaving, showering and sleeping I don’t have a whole lot of time to dive into the happenings in Washington D.C.” “You can still vote. It’s our American duty to vote. When I turned 18, I told my mom I didn’t want to vote, and she said only cowards and children didn’t vote.” “How can I vote for something I know nothing about? How can a judge reach a verdict if he hasn’t heard the case?” “You can’t write about politics if you don’t pick a side!” “I’ll see about that.” “Are you taking a liberal or conservative stance?” “I’d say liberally conservative.” They were annoyed. “RED or BLUE?!” “I’m gold and blue. I’m a Javelina.” I grinned at myself. “A JAVELINA! BLUE and GOLD! RED and BLUE and GOLD! YOU’RE A TECHNICOLOR JAVELINA!” I shot them half a scowl, and Simone put her hand on my back. “Don’t listen to them baby.” Raul jumped up. “You’re a COWARD! You wont even
pick a side!” I shot out of my seat for fisticuffs. But before I could lean into my jab, my pawnshop vacuum cleaner entered stage left, smashed into Raul’s head and landed on the floor beside his limp body. Eyes wide I turned to see Simone pointing her finger at Katie. “Get this SCUM OUT OF HERE! NO ONE speaks to me or mine that way!” Katie nodded and said ok, and looked like she wanted to cry or scream or pass out or maybe all three at once. Raul didn’t stay comatose long, but had trouble finding his feet so I helped Katie get him out the door before his senses all came back to him. I locked the door behind them and turned back to Simone who was still standing in the same place. I closed the distance, but didn’t know what to say so I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her for eternity. She pulled away. “I’m going to bed Tiger.” Without saying anything I watched her walk away and close the bedroom door behind her. I sat down to confront the blank page, and I heard the bedroom door open behind me. “You write whatever the hell you want to! Then get in here!” I closed the computer and took off down the hall.
Man on the Street This Week’s Question:
Are you satisfied with the Dining Hall’s hours of operation?
Name: Robert Benavidez Major: Communications “I feel like the hours could change. To some students they may not be adequate enough, but to others the hours might be sufficient. When I was a freshman, I wished that they were open later because I was always having late classes and stuff like that, so either there wasn’t a very good selection or they were closed altogether. With the size of the campus I think the hours are sufficient, but they could be open later.” Compiled by: Josue Villarreal
Name: Keshawn Paul Major: Kinesiology “No. The schedule always feels so conflicting. Sometimes even if you happen to get there on time you still run the risk of not getting any food. I wish that they would open a little earlier and have more food for everyone.”
Name: Naomi Leyndecker Major: English “Yes. I believe that it goes with the majority of the people’s schedules. Breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout school hours is all I need. I do feel they should monitor how much food they make, so they don’t run out as fast as they seem to do sometimes.”
Name: Aniza Lazo Major: Psychology “Yes, because I have a night class on Wednesday, and it helps a lot. I’ll be starving that late, and I’m glad the dining hall is open to help me with that. It bothers me a little that they’ll run out of food towards the end. I feel like they need a little more variety. “
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‘I spent the previous day doing anything to forget about the fact that I was really hungry’ CARE Pantry, a lifeline for students DARCY RAMIREZ Editor-in-Chief Hunger, a universal issue, has developed in the lives of various students of Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Yet, located in the Memorial Student Union Building in Room 220A there is a lifeline, the Javelina CARE Pantry. The CARE Pantry has a variety of
JAVELINA CARE PANTRY HOURS A DAY: Monday-Friday HOURS: 1 to 3 p.m. A DAY: Tuesdays & Thursdays, HOURS: 9 to 11 a.m. canned and dry foods, non-perishable items, hygiene products, professional attire, and other needed essentials. The pantry aids currently enrolled students who experience food insecurity and/or hygiene shortages. Terisa Riley, senior vice president of student affairs, said she began surveying students at TAMUK in October of last year who use the food and hygiene product pantry. The results showed 60 percent of the students who use the food and hygiene product pantry live on campus, and 80 percent are not working. The students primarily arrive at the pantry for food items, but about 30 percent indicated that they also needed hygiene supplies or feminine products. “These were different percentages then I thought because I really assumed that living on campus and having a meal plan, you would be less likely to come to the food pantry. However, the truth is many students will buy just the most minimal meal plan and then it really isn’t enough meals to cover your entire worth of food need,” Riley said.
Riley strongly empathizes with the students as she too struggled with food insecurity as a student. Riley is a first-generation college student and had no help getting through college. She worked three jobs but still almost dropped out. Sometimes she would skip meals because of college expenses, life emergencies or unexpected expenses like needing to buy professional clothing for job interviews. Overtime hunger, food insecurity and shortages have become a national issue. Approximately 12 students each week visit the Javelina CARE Pantry. The pantry is open on Mondays and Fridays from 1 to 3 p.m., or Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m. But, students can get access anytime the university is open for business by contacting the Office of the Dean of Students. “My favorite thing is that it helps students with everything. The students who come in are happy that this is here, that it’s for their use. They’re not embarrassed and they shouldn’t be,” said Icia Garza, a student who works at the CARE Pantry and a biomedical sciences major. Many professors understand the problems for college students and frequently stop by the pantry and see what items need to be donated and restocked. One professor, who prefers to remain anonymous, goes above and beyond by donating money to the Javelina CARE Pantry every month. Last year after the new tax legislation passed, the professor realized his income tax dropped which also meant the amount held from his paycheck decreased. He decided that since he hadn’t been missing the money before he should use the money for something useful and turned the reduction in taxes into a gift for the pantry. When the professor was a graduate student he also suffered from food insecurity. During his time as a student the professor would sometimes
Student Hunger continued from Page 1 items they can afford, which are usually high in sodium and lacking in nutrition. On those sleepless nights he lies in bed staring at the ceiling and dreaming of his mother’s signature dishes: chicken and dumplings or extremely westernized Chinese food. Instead of a traditional egg roll, she would fill them with fajita meat and soy sauce. He admits his tastes are weird, but it was cheap to make when he was growing up and it stuck with him. Steve is not alone at TAMUK when it comes to being hungry. Vanya* is a full-time student who has to focus on academics to keep
earning grants, which keeps her from getting a job. Her meal plan gives her two meals every weekday when rationed and none on the weekend. One Sunday all she could afford to eat was a granola bar and a bottle of water, leaving her with a headache until her meals renewed on Monday. Although the national average for college students at four-year universities with low food security is 20 percent, according to the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, a survey of TAMUK students by TRELLIS Research Student Financial Wellness Survey found that 34 percent of undergraduate stu-
HUNGER ON THE TAMUK CAMPUS Fall 2018 FREE LUNCH WHO: BSM WHEN: Tuesday & Wednesday
34% of students show signs of VERY LOW FOOD SECURITY
(skipping meals, eating less or less nutritious food; 14% above the national average)
Photo by Aryssa Enriquez
60 percent of students who use the food and hygiene product pantry live on campus.
53% of students have RUN OUT OF MONEY 3 or more times in the past year
earn a wage once a month and by the end of the month everything including food, was barren and empty. The professor attended Oregon State University at the time but knows it’s an issue all over the country. “Students are juggling enough variables as it is. Worrying about if and when you can actually get a decent dinner or meal is not one they should have to worry about. “There is a lot coming at them and that’s okay because there is a lot com-
ing at you in life, too, but wondering if you are actually going to be able to have a meal or going to be a few meals short this week is something we should remove. “There is a lot of other stressors like you’re going to take exams and you’re going to have other stressors, so let’s go ahead and remove the stressors that we can and not just because they are students but because they’re human beings. Life is complicated enough as it is,” the professor said.
dents have low food security. President of TAMUK Mark Hussey spoke on the responsibility for these students that he, as president of the university, should shoulder. “The challenge is always how do we find the resources to [reach students who are food insecure], because in a perfect world the resources should come from outside the university,” Hussey said. “It shouldn’t come from raising tuition and fees in order to provide that service. It should come from the president working with development to find ways to generate that either from NGO’s [non-governmental organizations], faith-based organizations, etcetera.” Faith-based organizations on campus like the Baptist Student Ministry
(BSM) and Catholic Student Organization (CSO) offer free meals, but only for an hour one day a week. “I went to the BSM a couple times, and they were really nice. I’m not religious, and they didn’t try to shove it down your throat at all,” Steve said. “But the line was so long that usually there’s not enough time between one class and another to get lunch from them, and I never could make it to [the CSO] in time because of scheduling.” Steve retained his sense of humor throughout his trials, joking that people in his situation do not have to worry about the freshman 15 because “we just starve ourselves.” *Names of students were changed for privacy. Darcy Ramirez and Aryssa Enriquez contributed to this report.
Submitted photo
Each Thursday an average of 600 students visit the St. Thomas Newman Center & Chapel for a home-cooked meal.
Submitted photo
The BSM feeds a maximum of 150 students each Wednesday. Besides offering free meals each week the BSM also has an open pantry for students.
WHO: United Methodist Church WHEN: Friday
Survey of TexasA&M University-Kingsville undergraduate students conducted by TRELLIS©
Campus resources help students combat hunger ARYSSA ENRIQUEZ Campus Editor
Photo by Amanda DeFrees
WHO: St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center & Chapel WHEN: Thursday
Being tight on money, adjusting to change and learning to adapt to a new environment are all experiences that identify a university student. Based on surveys conducted by TRELLIS Research Student Financial Wellness, at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) 71 percent of students will testify they have worried about not having enough money to afford school, while 53 percent of students will eventually run out of money at least three times during the year. With money being scarce, and a schedule full of classes, eating is often pushed back developing a hunger problem on campus. However, there are many resources and opportunities on campus for students to receive a free meal. The Baptist Student Ministry, St. Thomas Newman Center & Chapel and the first United Methodist Church are some of the resources you can find on campus willing to help students by providing a meal. The Baptist Student Ministry is located at 720 N. Armstrong St. right across the new music building. The BSM opens its store to all students and the community daily from 9 a.m. to 6.p.m. Students are more than welcome to join the BSM on Wednesday from 12 to 1 p.m. for a meal. Meals often vary, depending on how many organizations donate for the week. The BSM feeds a maximum of 150 students each Wednesday, and the organization is funded by several local Baptist churches and the generous hearts of the Kingsville area willing to support the BSM. “If there is one person hungry on the campus, I would say that constitutes a problem. BSM has been doing a free meal for the campus since it started its ministry back in the 1950s. The idea was to serve the campus by providing something the students needed…” said Joe Luna, director of BSM. Besides offering a free meal each week, the BSM has an open pantry. Students can go into the BSM kitchen and make themselves a sandwich or a quick meal. The BSM also distributes PB&J sandwiches at the pavilion every Tuesday from 12 to 1 p.m. “You can basically treat the BSM like your house. We have a pantry that everyone is welcomed in, and if for some reason there is no food in the pantry I can guarantee you someone there
will say ‘C’mon, let’s go grab something from the SUB.’ The BSM is just a great resource to have,” said Ande Balson, Pre-Vet major. Having these resources on campus offers a sense of comfort and offers a sense of community for many TAMUK students. St. Thomas Newman Center& Chapel is no different; they strive to reach out to the university and provide a home-awayfrom-home for students. St. Thomas Newman Center & Chapel is situated at 1457 N. Retama St. and is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays. Each Thursday an average of 600 students visit the St. Thomas Newman Center & Chapel for a home-cooked meal. “As a college student I have to agree that funds are tight, especially when you don’t have a meal plan… coming to college is scary and something about a home-cooked meal is comforting. Having this resource makes me feel like I belong because in college you sometimes feel overlooked. Simple things like this go a long way. People want you to succeed, and we shouldn’t have to worry about something like food,” said Melody Alfaro, Mechanical Engineer major. St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center & Chapel is supported by several volunteers, including Javelina alumni. Volunteers include retired professors, teachers, counselors, superintendents and medical professionals. They all come in throughout the week because they enjoy working with students. “There is a problem with hunger on campus; I see it all the time. I’m a firm believer ‘if you feed them, they will come.’ St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center & Chapel is here to help and serve the students. The best part of all of this is that it is free,” said Nina Joiner, director. United Methodist Church also contributes to the battle against hunger at TAMUK. Each Friday they offer students a free meal outside of Rhode and Kleberg halls. They usually arrive around 10:30 a.m. and will not leave until all food is gone. “Hunger was a problem for even Javelina Alumni, I hear how some of my professors lived off just PB&J sandwiches. I find the Newman Church very resourceful, and I know the campus provides many resources. People are just not fully aware about them…and sometimes it’s like, ‘Oh I just have three dollars in my bank account’ so these types of resources should be advertised more and are good to have around,” said Lyndsay Delgado, Music major.
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thesouthtexan.com
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Softball now ranked No. 6 nationally by ESPN RACHEL TAPPS Sports Reporter
Photo by Javelina Athletics
Junior, Victoria Romanovskaia won big versus Tarleton State.
Romanovskaia comes from behind to secure the victory DYLAN DOZIER Sports Reporter In the final match of Friday’s Lone Star Conference battle between the Javelinas of TAMUK and Tarleton State, junior Victoria Romanovskaia won the final four games to secure an individual victory over Tarleton’s Faustine Palatte and a team victory for the Javelinas. “It was a hard match, and I knew it was a really important match,” Romanovskaia said. “It was a great win for our team.” Romanovskaia and Palatte split the first two sets of the match. In the final set, Romanovskaia fell behind early, 3-0. The junior then won the next two games, closing Palatte’s lead to one. But the Tarleton player would win two out of the next three games, putting Romanovskaia behind 5-3. The two-point deficit mattered not to Romanovskaia, who rolled through the next four games, winning 7-5. “Victoria is a high desire player. I’ve seen her lose, but I’ve never seen her give up,” said head coach Autumn Williams. “I don’t lose faith because I know she’s going to give her all on every ball. It was nerve-wracking, but I never lost confidence or the belief that she would come through with the victory,” she continued. Romanovskaia’s victory was the last of five Javelina victories on Friday. Junior Valerie Ruiz handedly defeated Nathalie Ulander, 6-2 and 6-3. Junior Julia Rauer up-ended Shelby Fillingame in similar fashion, 6-2 and 6-2.
The Javelinas also came away with two doubles competition wins. Redshirt senior Lisa Caravajal and freshman Maya Donkor teamed up, took on, and took down Alicia Barbaroux and Neetika Sud, 6-3. Romanovskaia paired up with senior Thep Philavong to defeat Fillingame and Ulander, 6-3. “It’s an individual sport, but we take to heart that we are a team. It takes everyone’s energies to win,” Coach Williams said. “That’s what makes this team so special. They understand that every little bit of energy counts, and that’s huge.” Friday’s victory improved the team’s record to 8-4 (2-0 LSC). “I have a lot of confidence in this team, so it is no surprise or relief. We have been waiting for this moment for a while so to have things come together right now is excellent,” Williams said. “It is a great feeling. This is great for the girls as far as instilling more confidence in them.” Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings come out weekly, so the Javelinas will step into their next matchup with a much higher national ranking. “I don’t care about rankings. I care about every win we get for our university,” Romanovskaia said. “Today was a great experience and great preparation for next week which is going to be even tougher.” The Javelinas hope to continue their five-game win streak on Saturday, April 6, when they face off with Lone Star Conference foe Angelo State at the Javelina Tennis Courts in Kingsville.
Among Javelina softball’s many accomplishments this season, the greatest has to be being ranked sixth nationally by ESPN, after being ranked 15th, 12th then 11th. The Javelinas ended their recent matchups in style to say the least. Pitcher Saidi Castillo threw a perfect game against Eastern New Mexico, while teammate and first basemen Anastasia Leibas hit a walk-off to end the first matchup against the Hounds. They were able to pull off a doubleheader sweep and remain ranked No. 6 against nationally ranked No. 9 West Texas A&M. In the same weekend of their very impressive wins against Eastern New Mexico, Head Coach Craig Nicholson secured his 1,100th career win as a head coach. “I mean I’m not really one to worry too much about milestones and that kind of stuff, we got three big wins this weekend and we continue to move forward; we moved into first place in the conference so that’s great as well,” Nicholson said. Nicholson added, “There are a lot of people that have gone into winning that many games, a lot of players, a lot of assistant coaches; it just makes you think and reflect back on some of those special people in your life and in your career and be thankful, but the most important thing is staying ready for
the next opponent and not getting too wrapped up in the accolades.” Castillo is just a freshman, but you would never be able to tell with the stature and composure she portrays while out on the mound. “High school really prepared me for the college level to know the expectations I had coming into college. In high school I played against some really good competition as well as in travel ball; both helped me see the competition that was out there and know that I wasn’t going to have it easy as I transferred into college softball,” Castillo said. In the beginning, the Javelinas were unranked, which brought a feeling of discredit after a while because of their hard work. That helped motivate them to the spot they are in now. “It was kind okay in the beginning because we were a brand new team and no one really knew us, but after we started winning and proving that we are better than what everybody expected, still being unranked, it pushed us harder to want to practice harder, to want to be better, win more, to prove to ourselves we can run with the best of them,” Leibas said. “I think it really honestly brought us together, closer as a team because everybody wanted one thing and that was to be ranked and continue getting to the top.” The Javelinas will be back in action at home at 6 p.m., Friday, April 5, at the Vernie and Blanche Hubert Field.
Photo by Javelina Athletics
Freshman pitcher, Saidi Castillo throws perfect game.
Thursday, April 4, 2019
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Most Hated wins IM championship game
Photo courtesy Javelina Athletics
Senior Madison Brabham and Freshmen Kylexus Block.
Beach Volleyball goes 2-1 COLBY SIMS Sports Editor The Javelina beach volleyball team traveled to Houston this past weekend to take on Abilene Christian University (ACU), University of New Mexico and New Orleans. The Javelinas walked away with a weekend record of 2-1, with wins against ACU and New Orleans. The Javelinas narrowly lost to the University of New Mexico by a score of 2-3. Day one, the Javelinas faced ACU and got the 5-0 sweep against their division one foes. All of the TAMUK duos made short work in their matches, winning each game two sets to zero. When asked about the team’s dominant start to the weekend, junior Kadi Shipman said, “Our hard work during practice paid off over the weekend, and everyone really showed improvement across the board.” Day two the Javelinas had a double-header scheduled against the University of New Mexico and New Orleans. In the first match of the day the Javelinas faced the University of New Mexico. The girls played a hardfought game but lost by a set score of 2-3. They cashed in wins from the three’s team courtesy of Macy Berg and Haley Hutchinson. They won
Page 9 - Sports
their game in two sets with scores of 21-14 and 21-13. The other team who logged a win was the two’s duo, Madison Brabham and Kylexus Block. They won their match, 21-16 and 2114. Later in the day the team faced New Orleans and won by a score of 3-2. The Javelinas got wins from the five’s duo which was Nicole Murff and Christina Gragasin. They won their flight with a clean sweep of New Orleans in two sets. The top three teams all went into a third set and they logged narrow wins from the two’s and three’s duos. Brabham and Block logged the second win of the match and Hutchinson and Berg clinched the game right after that. It was a tough game but the Javelinas prevailed over the Privateers of New Orleans. Hutchinson weighed in after the tournament and said, “I thought the team adapted to the different styles of play this weekend really well and showed a lot of improvements mentally.” The Javelinas will be leaving this coming Friday to travel to Baton Rouge where they will face some power five schools. They will see Texas Christian University (TCU), Louisiana State University (LSU), and the University of South Carolina (USC) on Saturday, April 6.
COLBY SIMS Sports Editor Last week the four-on-four flag football intramural championships were held at the outdoor recreation fields. The last two teams standing were Los Bandeleros and Most Hated. Most Hated got on the board first on their first possession of the game. After that it was all Los Bandeleros in the first half. Los Bandeleros held a large lead of 20-7 at halftime and things were looking bleak for Most Hated. Most Hated made some major adjustments for the second half that ended up paying off. Most Hated scored six touchdowns in the second half and held their opponents, Los Bandeleros, to zero. The final score was 43-20 in what was an epic championship game. The South Texan’s very own sports reporter Zach Wilson was a member of the winning squad, Most Hated. After the game Wilson said, “IM flag
football is great… especially as a former student athlete. It lets us still play a similar game in a competitive fashion with an extra added fun element you might not have had in organized sports.” Most Hated also won the previous four-on-four championship which you can attribute to why they were able to make adjustments and help come from behind and win. Junior Geology major Trace Venske said, “Well we’ve played together for two years now so we know how to play well together. We were down at first but got a couple big stops that brought us back in the game and our offense kept it rolling and put points on the board. Back to back champs is all I have to say.” Spectator Jerome Watkins said, “It was a great comeback win for Most Hated after going down in the first half.” Rec sports will be hosting indoor soccer that will kickoff next week, stay tuned for the indoor soccer championship match.
Photo courtesy of Zach Wilson
IM League 4 vs. 4 champions.
Thursday, April 4, 2019
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Page 10 - Entertainment
52nd Annual Jazz Festival features Bernie Dresel Bands around the region gather to celebrate the tradition of jazz ARYSSA ENRIQUEZ Campus Editor Jones Auditorium echoed with harmonies and melodies as Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) celebrated its 52nd Annual Jazz Festival. Each year several bands around the region are invited to TAMUK to showcase their talent and exalt the groovy beat of jazz. This year a total of 33 bands were welcomed to TAMUK by the music department on March 29 and 30. During the festival a special guest is featured, this year, Grammy-Award winning percussionist Bernie Dresel joined TAMUK’s very own Jazz Band I on stage. On March 29, buses from all over Texas arrived at TAMUK to compete and be ranked. Competitors were also able to receive constructive criticism from a panel of judges to help them improve and strengthen their performance. The Jazz Festival officially began around 2:45 p.m. and concluded with a night filled with performances by TAMUK’s Latin Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Band IV and Jazz Band III. The performances were followed by a small award ceremony recognizing the talent of middle school jazz musicians. “My favorite part of the festival specifically is to be hearing how many jazz
players are around this region that can come here and play high-quality jazz music, and it just makes me happy hearing this many young people like jazz, especially the middle school age. They are going to carry on the tradition of American music, like the jazz music and that makes me very enthusiastic,” said Kyle Millsap, director of Jazz Band II. The festival continued Saturday with high school jazz bands performing in Jones Auditorium. Each band competed for a division one or superior rating on their performance. During the competition judges rank the band as a group, and award soloists for their outstanding performance. As a TAMUK tradition, a rotating trophy is awarded to the most “outstanding band” throughout the day and is announced during the evening award ceremony. The ceremony emphasized the talent of many high school students with high music potential, and announced each band’s final rating. Although the 52nd Annual Jazz Festival was composed of several competitions, it offers many students an opportunity for exposure. Jazz allows for creativity to flow directly out of musical instruments and turn into uplifting vibrant energy for the audience to enjoy. “Jazz really grooves really well, people who like dancing can dance with it…it’s less about the define arch form like classic music can be, and more about having fun, grooving, being cool… This is very rewarding, it’s very rewarding performing with my students just to be able to share the art
Logic’s latest album release is his worst yet JOSUE VILLAREAL Reporter
As a music fan I’m always one to respect bold risks from artists and experimenting with other genres. For example, “Awaken, My Love” is my favorite Childish Gambino album and one of the best albums of that year. I bring this up because it is not the genre change that leads Logic’s latest album “Supermarket” to be an awful project. This is where I should say the sound of this album was inspired by the likes of popular rock acts like Mac DeMarco, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Radiohead. Instead, I’ll say that the album is a derivative of those things. There is nothing wrong with being inspired by other artists, but a lot of times these songs feel like straight ripoffs. Songs like “Time Machine” and “Lemon Drop” sound like Red Hot Chili Peppers’ songs from a variety of the band’s eras. Some out of place decent tracks are songs like “Can I Kick It” and “Vacation From Myself” that seem to cop more from Anderson Paak more than anything else. Logic’s singing voice, used sparingly, can be quite wonderful to listen to, but under such strain and heavy use it is apparent that Logic isn’t a strong enough singer to hold a whole song together. Instrumentation is often at its most basic form, such as the acoustic guitar on the opener “Bohemian Trapsody” which sounds as simple as guitar licks can get.
The only moments of the album that cross from bad to listenable are the sections where Logic does rap, something he absolutely has talent at. However, the rap verses often feel out of time with the rest of the track and as a result feel jarring and most often underwritten. The writing is the worst issue on this entire album. With lines like “there are many fish in the sea but you’re the only one God made for me” or “I feel like I’m in a romantic movie, but I’m an extra wanting the leading lady,” I might believe you if you told me a 15-yearold boy wrote this. When the album isn’t being childish and immature, it’s saccharine. The only thing separating some of these tracks from Disney radio is a few select swear words and one really cheesy Rick and Morty reference. Throughout the multiple listens I do for a review, I found myself disliking this album more and more. How little substance existed in it and how much of it doesn’t mean anything or makes me wince at the mere memory of listening to it again. I can’t even, in good faith, recommend this to Logic fans unless you are a diehard listener and love everything he does. If you are that person, you don’t need me to tell you to go listen to this. However, whether you’re a fan of rap, rock or Logic himself, this musical detour has led Logic to a dead end in a dark alley. One can only hope that he never goes down such a road ever again.
Photo contributed by Pacience Walker
Jazz Band I playing on night one of Jazz Festival. form with them. It feels freeing to be up there when you get to play this kind of music,” said Dr. Thomas Zinninger, assistant sax director. The Jazz Festival wrapped up with Jazz Band I featuring Bernie Dresel on percussion under the direction of Dr. Paul Hageman. Dresel has traveled the world as a drummer for the multi-Grammy Award-winning Brian Setzer Orchestra. His works can be distinctly heard on Incredibles 2, Family Guy, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story amongst countless other films. Recently, Dresel now leads his own big band called the The BBB Featuring Bernie Dresel. Dresel has also been named “Best Big Band Drummer” and has earned a place in the list of “53 Drummers Who
Made a Difference in the ’90s.” While arriving at TAMUK, Dressel offered clinics to help students improve their musicianship skills. “I like the challenge of jazz, I like the importance of it to our musical culture, without culture our society has nothing and jazz is a great art form worth keeping alive. “I love playing it and making people happy that they get to hear it… I feel honored to be selected to be here, there is so many great musicians in the world and different people they could have asked to do it, to come here, and find the beautiful people everyone is so nice and friendly and intelligent and open.. it’s just a great experience ” said Bernie Dresel, award-winning percussionist.
CfSS AVID continued from Page 1
Photo by Iliana Flores
“When we look at...success at an institution, we really look at four areas. We look at leadership, we look at the systems that you have in place, we look at culture and we look at instruction. And, everything we do...really falls into one of those four areas, and when we’re attuned to what’s happening in all four and they’re working together collaboratively, that’s when students can really be successful. And that’s what we’re seeing here at Texas A&M Kingsville,” Krohn said. Dr. George Rasmussen, TAMUK Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, congratulated the CfSS staff for their hard work in setting TAMUK up to receive the honor of becoming the first Campus of Distinction. “And I really appreciate the effort that this group here has put together to really make that happen. They’re the ones working with the students and they’re the ones on the front-line and they’re the ones that actually have been able to work with the faculty and say this is what makes a difference. So, I appreciate everything they’ve done to be able to get this level of distinction,” Rasmussen said at the announcement. For TAMUK students, the Interim Associate Vice President for Student Success Dr. Shannon Baker believes
that the AVID distinction will show them that the university cares about their success. “I think what this means for our university is that students can be assured that they’re on a campus where faculty, staff and the administration are dedicated to helping them succeed and we’re dedicated to providing foundational blocks for them to get through when they’re struggling. We all struggle in different classes, and the AVID strategies are utilized in many of their classrooms, they’re utilized in your first-year seminar experience, they’re utilized at our tutoring center and by our advisors, so even though students might not hear the word AVID every day, they’re experiencing it every day,” Dr. Baker said. Being the first four-year university to become an AVID Campus of Distinction will open many opportunities for the university. “We’ll keep utilizing AVID strategies on our campus, but additionally we’ll be hosting other campuses that will come here to learn about what we’re doing so they can take that back to their home campuses. So, we will be the example now to set for other fouryear institutions of higher learning,” Dr. Baker said.
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Thursday, April 4, 2019
Netflix review: Carmen Sandiego JENNIFER GARCIA Contributing Writer
Have you heard of Carmen Sandiego? It’s a brand-new Netflix original series about a young thieving woman who travels around the globe stealing from other thieves. Actually, it’s not completely new seeing as how this is a reboot from past Carmen Sandiego related shows. Personally, when I first found out about this new upcoming animation, I was excited! I watched the short, almost two-minute trailer, and I was hooked. The show seemed mysterious, action-packed and overall intriguing. Who was this Carmen Sandiego? What was V.I.L.E exactly? And what is Carmen’s story? Being born in the late ’90s I didn’t grow up watching the many shows or playing the video games, so I had no prior knowledge of the story in general, but knowing that it was a reboot made me curious to dig a little deeper so that I could understand what the show was being based on and where it came from. For those of you born in the early 1990s you might remember a game show called “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” This show was pretty popular during its time, having two other Carmen Sandiego related shows follow in the ’90s as well. “Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?” a game show released in 1996 and an animated series on Fox, which called “Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?” with famously known actor, Rita
Moreno, voicing Carmen. While these shows are interesting, what you might not know is that Carmen’s first appearance was actually in a video game developed by Broderbund Software in 1985. It was both an educational and strategic game that taught kids about different historical and geographical facts. This video game turned game show turned animation had its last run in 2015 and was thought to be lost to time. Now in 2019, Netflix picked up this old classic and decided to revive the show as a fun and exciting animation that has a much more in-depth storyline than it ever did before. Carmen Sandiego has been a mystery for the ages. This new version has a few familiar voices such as, Gina Rodriguez, known for acting in Jane the Virgin, who plays the main character Carmen and Finn Wolfhard, actor from another beloved Netflix original, Stranger Things, now voices Player in this new show. A slight spoiler for those who have yet to see the show, but in the past Carmen Sandiego was known as the villain who steals priceless historical artifacts and expensive jewels; however in this new adaptation, she is shown as the hero who steals to give to others. We are given a different perspective on her. The 1994 series had been the firsttime attempt to bring out her character so that the audience could learn more about who Carmen is and with this new story arc, I believe it truly does the job. We slowly learn a bit of her ori-
gin to find that she was an orphan who was picked up by V.I.L.E, a school that trains thieves. That is where Carmen gets her great thieving skills from. When she finally leaves and learns more about what is going on she comes to the conclusion that the she wants to be the hero and decides to steal back everything that V.I.L.E had been stealing from the rest of the world, which is why she is being chased by them in the first place. Funny enough, the good guys, especially Chase Devineaux (a very stubborn detective who fails to listen to his assistant, Julia, when she is clearly right about almost everything), are also attempting to find Carmen. Essentially, Carmen is gaining the attention of both the good and bad guys yet neither can capture her or her friends, Ivy and Zac, who assist her on her missions. Even with this action-driven story, they still find room to add in historical/geographical facts here and there making it both entertaining and educational for people of any age. I would recommend if you think you would enjoy watching an amazing female character such as Carmen get away with taking previously stolen priceless artifacts only to put them back where they belong. She has a certain wit and charm about her that makes you wish you could be more like her. She’s such an interesting character, plus wouldn’t it be cool to travel around the world and learn new things every day just like her? The flashy red fedora and coat make it look so much cooler. Not to mention,
SCORE RATINGS
93%
of 100%
8.1
out of 10
she’s also got a nice backstory unfolding, too. She is also a powerful female role-model for young Latinas who wish to have good representation in the shows they watch. As of now, season 1 is up on Netflix with nine episodes each around 20 minutes long, and a confirmed season 2. Though there is yet to be a release date for the second season, Netflix ordered at least 20 episodes to be aired in the show which we can expect likely towards the end of 2019. There are also some rumors of a live-action film starring Gina Rodriguez, so we will have to wait and see about that!
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Texas A&M University-Kingsville University Housing & Residence Life
Current Residents Amenities:
Barbecue and Picnic area Exterior card access system Game tables Ice machines & Vending Machines Intramural teams Lounges with living rooms and TVs Planned residence hall activities Professional staff members Resident/Community Advisor staff Smoke-free building Student leadership opportunities
Don’t Forget to Sign your Housing Agreement with us to lock in your rate freeze for the 2019-2020 academic year. The priority sign up period begins March 21st. Don’t forget to attend your Wing Meeting. TURNER/BISHOP/MARTIN HALL $2,096 PER SEMESTER LYNCH HALL $2,311 PER SEMESTER LUCIO HALL & MESQUITE VILLAGE WEST $3,394 or $3,604 PER SEMESTER
Email: residencelife@tamuk.edu Phone: 361-593-3419
Lucio Hall, Office 119, Kingsville, TX 78363-8202