4/26/18 issue

INDEX:

2|CAMPUS

3|OPINION

4|SPORTS

Protective momma bird hanging around Eckhardt Hall

THESOUTHTEXAN.COM

Thursday, April 26, 2018

5|ENTERTAINMENT

6|AD

See page 5

Volume 92 Issue 24

TAMUK Hosts Second Annual Pride Festival

Students march for LGBTQA+ rights Photo by Josue Villarreal

Survivors and supporters walking on the boulevard for Relay for Life

Relay For Life Goes The Distance Many gather to honor, celebrate, remember

Josue Villarreal Reporter On Friday, April 20, Relay for Life was held on University Boulevard in order to commemorate the survivors, honor those who’ve passed away, and raise money to help those with cancer.

All sides of the boulevard were filled with tents, BBQ pits, chairs, and games for the people who attended the event in the name of a good cause.

“This is an event that the community pulls together for,” began Chair of the Kleberg County-Bishop Relay For Life Jackie Flores, “we get a lot of support from different areas from restaurants, to businesses, to just people in

general.”

In the middle of the festivities stood a lone tent that was meant exclusively for those who have survived cancer. They were given a meal, played games, as well as were given free shirts and received the privilege of taking the first lap of the evening.

“We see the same faces every year, and that just gives us so much joy because that just means they have another year to celebrate that they are cancer free,” said Relay Chair of Kleberg County-Bishop Relay For Life Survivor Committee Diana Zavala.

The survivors proudly took the first lap as they were each named individually to be honored for their bravery and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Many believe that this event is important not just for its celebration, but also its spreading of awareness and information.

“Before I had cancer, I didn’t know what was going on,” said cancer survivor Sylvia Granado Garza.

Many individuals who are diagnosed with cancer have no idea how to react, what to do next, and where to get treatment. Relay For Life helps inform people about how to get help during a difficult time in someone’s life.

This event brings together many people from all walks of life, one of which was Glenda Young, from Houston who has completed eight 60-mile walks for the breast cancer foundation Susan G. Komen. Young has been

across the nation, walking in places such as Chicago, Boston and San Diego.

She walks this much for her friend since kindergarten Ronny Jo, who passed away eight years ago. Young immediately began choking up at the mention of her name.

“The year that she died I decided I had to do something,” Young said.

She travels from city to city to raise awareness, raise money, and continue to tell the story of her best friend to the people who are going through the same thing, and give them the support they need.

Music blared, food was consumed, people walked, all in the name of ensuring a brighter future, and giving people with cancer a fighting chance.

Here come the champions

Javelina Nation recognizes student leaders Crystal Zamarron Editor-in-Chief For each day during the week of April 16, Texas A&M University-Kingsville recognized all students for their excellence around Javelina Nation with Javelina Championship Week.

“I wasn’t used to getting recognized for anything, right. I’ll do the things I do for, simply, my family. So to be recognized, the applause, it feels weird but it’s good,” said Javon Walker, chemical engineer and mathematics major.

For the annual celebration week, students were able to pick up buttons. Each button represents how the student may have completed inspirational things in their respected field. Monday was community service, to recognize an individual has participated in community service on or off campus. Tuesday was academics, for students who were on the president’s list, dean’s list and honor roll. Wednesday was Research and Creative Activi-

ty, for those who completed research or participated in a research symposium and for those who may have participated in music recitals, art exhibits, journalist contributions, etc. Thursday was for leadership students who take officer positions in their organizations and Friday was for student workers, those who work on campus.

On Wednesday, April 18, a reception was given at the Memorial Student Union Ballrooms for all the nominators and those who were awarded the MVP and All Star awards.

Amanda Ortega’s sister received an All Star certificate and showed her support toward her sister, Valerie.

“They’re recognizing the hard work you’re putting in to school, not just your academics but also what you give back to the community.

To know that someone out there is noticing your work, seeing that you’re putting your grind in everything. Being recognized by your peers and professors - that means a lot,” Ortega said.

Freshman of the Year was

Photo by James Passley

Pictured: Plaserae Johnson, Lita Ramirez, Katrina Sacurom, Delanie Vidales, Patricia Luera, Robert Longoria and Javon Walker

given to Katrina Sacurom.

Outstanding Future Professional was given to Plaserae Johnson. The Unsung Hero award was given to Delanie Vidales. First Generation Champion award was given to Javon Walker. The Non-traditional Student Champion was given to Lita Ramirez.

Javelina Legacy Champion was awarded to Robert Longoria and Student Worker of the Year was given to Patricia Luera.

“Everything I get here is important to me. I’m here for track also so it’s hard to be a

student athlete and getting an award like this, you know, it’s like a medal for me,” said Francisco Javier Lopez-Lopez, kinesiology major. “Like I’m running in a meet, and I just won.”

Overall the students were glad to represent with the Javelina Championship Week “I’m just very grateful that I’m able to represent the first-generation champion.

This shows that the first-generation students that come after me that you can accomplish whatever you do just through hard work,” Walker said.

Iliana Flores Reporter With rainbow flags waving in the wind, students and community members marched through the streets of Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s (TAMUK) campus celebrating the LGBTQA+ community at TAMUK’s Second Annual Pride Festival.

TAMUK Pride Fest is an event put on by TAMUK Unity, a student organization whose purpose is to promote the interests of the LGBTQA+ community all while creating a sense of belonging and a safe space.

For this reason, TAMUK Unity hosted its second Pride Festival with more activities and participants.

“Our goal is just to advocate and provide a safe place, that’s just our mission and so with that we want to improve…it’s nice to have students come out and know that there is a place for them and there is a place that’s accepting for them,” the TAMUK Unity President Trisha Garcia said.

This year’s festival was held on Friday, April 20. The event began with a march during which students and other members of the community gathered at the pavilion outside of the Memorial Student Union Building.

From there, individuals with rainbow flags and colorful makeup marched around College Hall, through the streets of the campus and ended at Mesquite Grove for a night filled with food, guest speakers, music and performances from Hause De Loca Drag Queens Leona Loca, Corona Rivera and Envy Von Chic.

One guest speaker at the event was Will Stridde, a TAMUK alumn who spoke about “LGBT History from 1980 to the present.” During his talk, students gathered around the stage at Mesquite Grove and asked questions

on LGBTQA+ history topics they were interested in learning more about.

This was Stridde’s second year speaking at TAMUK Pride Fest after being asked by the 2017 President of TAMUK Unity after coming to the conclusion that young people in the LGBTQA+ community do not always know their history. For Stridde, it was exciting to see more people attend the festival.

“I’m really excited that it grew from last year. So not only am I proud… that they’re having events, [but] they’re having annual Pride events,” Stridde said.

The final guest speaker of the night was Dr. Claudia Arambula. She told her story of teaching at a high school level and connecting with LGBTQA+ students, her research on the LGBTQA+ community and education for her dissertation, and her personal experiences with having LGBTQA+ children.

“I am here today to tell you that it fills my heart to know that here at Texas A&M University-Kingsville Pride has finally gotten to this University and even though we are a small crowd this is only the beginning,” Arambula said.

For some students at the festival, the Pride march and other activities of the night was a place where they felt safe expressing themselves.

“I just felt like it would feel good to still be with a group of people that are like me and I know for a fact won’t judge me for who I am,” Alessandra Ramirez, a Music Education major said. And, by having a Unity group on campus and a Pride Festival, Briana Heskett, a Music Education major, feels more comfortable and accepted.

“It’s just so much more empowering to know that there are other people that will support you and that are similar to you and you can relate to them and be comfortable with them,” Heskett said.

Photo by Iliana Flores

Supporters of the LGBTQA+ community participating in a history lecture held at Mesquite Grove

2

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2018

Campus

From ‘STEM’ to ‘STEAM’

Javelina Student Access hosts its 11th Annual Research Symposium America Quintero Campus Editor One place to sample new research and art was at the 11th Annual Javelina Research Symposium held on April 18 at Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s (TAMUK) Memorial Student Building.

The symposium was hosted by TAMUK’s Student Access and had more than 130 research entries, with a participation of 150 students.

Each year, participants are required to present original research and create a poster that contains a project title and abstract.

Research posters were showcased to the entire student body and staff. In addition to having their research on public display, participants had the chance of winning cash prices.

A select group of judges from various fields of studies analyzed each research entry and chose the top three winners in the categories of undergraduate, master’s and doctoral presentations.

This was the first time Olufemi Oladosu, environmental engineer major, has participated in the research

symposium. He felt confident about his entry, especially after receiving positive feedback from the public audience. His research discussed resolutions to diminish the emission of greenhouse gases.

Abdullah Weiss and Jorge Medina, mechanical engineers, presented their poster titled “Development of Point Kinetics Program for Dynamic Simulations of the National Bureau of Standards Reactor.” Their research calculates the activity of nuclear reactors, which can help prevent nuclear accidents and train employees of powerplants.

Their team has been working since December on the project, but the research was not initially intended to be presented at the Javelina Research Symposium. However, Weiss’ and Median’s professor convinced them to apply for the symposium.

“I was actually pretty nervous about coming because I didn’t know what to except and never had to present a poster.”

“We found out Monday that we had to do this today… [we] are just going off of what we know from what we’ve been working on. It hasn’t been bad at all. We

are getting our point across,” Medina said.

Weiss’ and Medina’s research tied for first place in the undergraduate category.

Other first place winners included Itohan Agbonkina in the undergraduate presentations, Michell Villarreal in the master’s presentations, and Amanda Lewis in the doctoral presentations.

Another first-time participant at the Research Symposium was the TAMUK Art Department. This is the first time the Javelina Symposium displays art from TAMUK students and plays live music.

“The art and the music is new. It’s something that was requested from the faculty.

They’re showcases, so they’re not being judged,” said James Remelius, associate director of student research programs at Student Access.

On display were mixed media student art pieces, such as paintings, print makings, ceramics and design pieces.

Symposium audiences were impressed with the art and shocked by the work TAMUK art students could do, explained Fulden Sara Wissinger, assistant professor of art.

Photos by America Quintero

Top: Art from students at Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s Art Department Bottom: Abdullah Weiss and Jorge Medina, first-place tied winners of the undergraduate category

Wissinger believes it’s a great way to generate recruitment for the arts department and it helps current students develop communication skills and accumulate volunteer experience.

“It’s very important because right now they are

pushing STEM. But art is very important, art and humanities. I think we really have to push the STEAM, not just STEM,” Wissinger said.

STEM is the acronym for the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

STEAM, however, adds arts

in addition to all the STEM fields.

“This is just the beginning. For next year, we’re going to have more. Maybe we can have a silent auction...

We’re so glad they invited us.

We would like to keep coming,” Wissinger said.

‘Buzz the Buzzard’

A protective mother claims her place at Eckhardt Hall Darcy Ramirez Managing Editor Every day mothers walk the halls of Texas A&M University-Kingsville. But one mother has claimed her place in the courtyard of Eckhardt Hall. Her home is made of mud, twigs, leaves, saliva and feathers.

She is a black vulture nicknamed, “Buzz the Buzzard,” by the staff and faculty in Eckhardt Hall.

Rocky Vela and Jose Reyes, facilitators, noticed “Buzz” at the beginning of March hanging around the courtyard swooping down every once in awhile to pick up fallen twigs and bugs.

They assumed she was gathering material to make a nest somewhere, but she was canvassing the area to pick the perfect spot to nest.

A few days later, Vela realized that as “Buzz” flew away from the nest, two eggs rested in her newly crafted home.

But suddenly another bird lighter in color appeared and guarded the nest, the father.

Vela and Reyes explained that both birds take turns caring for the youngsters and scavenge for food.

Most birds choose locations far away from people and outside forces, but she chose her location and hasn’t moved since.

“It’s really rare for birds to stay there like that. It’s really cool,” Vela said.

Arnoldo Perez, associate director of the EOC Rural program for the Office of Student Access, also noticed her lurking outside as he made his way in and out of his office every day.

Perez called the TAMUK Wildlife Society and they advised him not to touch or

Black vulture mother nesting with her young

move the nest as this particular bird is aggressive and will attack or vomit on perpetrators. Vela then researched and learned that the gestation period for the eggs is 38 to 39 days. So the wait began.

Perez, Vela and Reyes would check up on her every day making sure she was okay, and hadn’t fled or been hurt.

Some people would assume “Buzz” would be a nuisance and distract workers from their duties, but because she is off to one corner of the courtyard she is out of the way, and does not instigate problems.

One day, a maintenance worker drove up into the courtyard to pick up garbage, and as he approached the nest, “Buzz” stood up, spread her wings in a defensive stance and walked towards the worker.

The worker quickly backed away, got back on the gator, and drove away without a problem.

“It’s interesting and also scary to have a buzzard around. This bird is capable of killing a wide variety of prey when hungry. One must be cautious while being around this building,” Tanishka Guduru, an infor-

Photo by Arnoldo Perez

mation systems major and student worker at Eckhardt Hall said.

During the first week of April, the young birds finally hatched. The little birds are not as dark and mysterious in appearance as their mother or father, their wings are a much lighter brown than their parents.

Almost every day the birds walk a few feet away from the nest as they learn how to survive in the new world, but neither baby bird has been spotted flying yet.

Faculty and staff members in Eckhardt Hall hope “Buzz” will help her babies fly freely, and move on to the next destination as their journey continues.

Currently, “Buzz” and her family still remain in the courtyard of Eckhardt Hall.

“I had never put much thought into the life of a buzzard until now. They are interesting creatures. I’m good with it nesting here,” Perez said. And even though “Buzz” has become a symbol of nature at its finest, and a personal mascot for Eckhardt Hall, faculty and staff understand that when it’s time to let “Buzz” and her babies fly off, they will graciously let them go.

Opinion

3

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2018

Euthanasia in America: The Death Debate Dakota Roberts Editorial Editor As of now, there are seven states that allow for medically-assisted suicide; well those seven states and Washington D.C. Those states are California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Vermont, and the newest state to pass legislation, Hawaii; if you noticed I missed one, it is Montana,

but you need a court order in Montana.

Now euthanasia has been a topic of debate for nearly centuries now; I know my parents remember when Dr. Kevorkian, Dr. Death himself, was still on the news.

There are a lot of moral issues when it comes to suicide in general, and there is no real way to remove the stigma around it. So for those that promote medically-assisted suicide, I assume you have already confronted

yourself with those hard hitting questions: Is it still considered murder? Will society ever be able to accept something so controversial?

A hard one to ask because it’s not usually a question anyone would ask is: Who is eligible to die and who isn’t?

According to these states, you must be a resident of the state, over 18 years of age, and you must have been diagnosed with a terminally ill disease that is professionally considered to cause death in

the next six months. In order to prove this you need an oral confirmation from two doctors at least 15 days apart and one written confirmation by a third doctor.

Hawaii recently made the decision to allow for euthanasia clinics in the state; the law itself will take effect on January 1, 2019. Often the people that request these sort of procedures are those that are slated to pass in the following months, yet there

have been out of country examples that don’t exactly fit that scenario.

One Belgium case had an acid attack victim request to go through the process. After an attack from his former partner, he was left badly injured, his doctors stating that “he was on the threshold of tolerable pain.” In cases like these, when it comes to intolerable pain, I find myself frozen in uncertainty; unable to choose whether or not that such a thing is morally right.

Regardless of that, I am usually one to believe that only we can really face ourselves, and only we can come up with the solution. To seek a way out, I would hope that someone would reach out for help long before making the ultimate decision to end their lives. However, in cases like these, when we talk about suffering, agony, and hopelessness, I can’t help but think of something akin to mercy.

Bryant played a total of seven seasons with the Cowboys as he racked up some big numbers. While on the field, he hauled in a total of 531 receptions for a whopping 7,459 yards. Bryant helped propel the ’Boys to many wins with 73 touchdowns throughout his seven seasons. Bryant is known for his 2014 Divisional Round

Playoff game performance in Lambeau Field, during which he made a heroic catch against the Green Bay Packers. After further review, officials went on to say that it was not a catch because he didn’t maintain possession of the ball. After four years, the NFL released an article stating that the call was reversed.

Unfortunately, this does not

change anything.

One team eyeing Bryant is the Baltimore Ravens.

Whether he joins them is up in the air. In a report written

by ESPN Staff Writer Todd Archer, Bryant wants to stay in the NFC East to face the Cowboys twice and prove to them they made a bad decision in releasing him. A question for concern for some us

would be - why he couldn’t have this kind of mentality during his time with the Cowboys?

Bryant had his shining and memorable moments; however, he seemed to have declined his last few seasons as there was a noticeable amount of dropped passes and less production with the team. Personally, the

decision to release Bryant, will help the Cowboys this season. Bryant had signed a five-year, $70 million deal with the team. That is a lot of money that could be used on a more productive receiver or perhaps making some changes at defense. I feel this was the first step the ’Boys needed to make their team a lot better.

Star Receiver Dez Bryant leaves Dallas Cowboys

Luis Garcia Sports Reporter Big news surrounds the National Football League as multiple players have been released from the teams for which they originally played.

Recently, the Dallas Cowboys released their longtime star receiver Dez Bryant.

Comic Heroes and Movie Depictions

What fans are looking for in their superheroes Joshua Lin Sports Reporter Comic books have been in the media industry for a very long time in the United States, and the more popular ones are superheroes. These fans have seen change after change of their favorite characters from the beginning to the modern age of today.

Well, not all fans will know the beginning of their favorite characters and may see them in a different light. The topic that is being brought into light is the way movies are portraying said characters and even the minor characters, at that.

In many cases, some of the characters portrayed, like a majority of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, are accurate to the comic books and will more than likely continue to keep that up in the coming films. Meanwhile other media like the DC television shows show very little accuracy to the comic storylines and even well-known character development from the comic books.

For example, in DC’s Arrow, which is a great show, the character of Green Arrow is not all that accurate to the comic book origin of Oliver Queen. Oliver doesn’t have a sister in the comic books and the villains he faced aren’t originally from the Green Arrow comics.

With DC coming out with the new television show Titans, I find myself disappointed. Much like my hesitance with the Arrow series of doing the same thing over again, I worry for the future of Titans.

When I saw pictures and screenshots of what the characters look like in this new show, it looks like the producers made no strides when it comes to being remotely close to the look of the comic book. Even in a show meant for kids like Teen Titans Go, the style looks way better in comparison.

Now I criticized DC a lot, but to be fair, they didn’t handle the characters with care and love like Marvel has done. Marvel tried to stay fairly true to their characters in their long-running, expansive universe; almost

never trying to stray away too much from the origins of the character. For example, Spider-man: Homecoming had Peter Parker as a teenager in high school trying to deal with the people around him and the burden of being Spider-man. Some characters in the movie were not really accurate as Flash Thompson shouldn’t have been a nerd like Parker or even on the decathlon team. Another difference was the choice to not to have Mary Jane Watson in the movie. Okay to clarify, MJ is in the movie, but she is not called Mary Jane nor is she a redhead and her personality in the movie is very different than in the comics.

With all this criticism and negative views in my media portrayal, does that mean I hate them? No; by all means I do like the material that comes out of these shows and movies, but it’s my inner purist in me to want to see those characters in the book on the screen and not to be changed for the sake of the story or because the director didn’t like the origin of a character.

The South Texan The South Texan is a student publication produced by Texas A&M UniversityKingsville 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:

Crystal Zamarron - Editor-in-Chief Darcy Ramirez - Managing Editor America Quintero - Campus Editor Dakota Roberts - Editorial Editor Plaserae Johnson - Sports Editor Robert “Bobby” Puentes - Circulation Manager Frankie Cardenas - Photographer Josue Villarreal - Reporter C.R. Neal - Reporter Joshua Lin - Reporter Iliana Flores - Reporter Luis Garcia - Reporter Nicole Morris - Adviser Dr. Manuel Flores - Content Supervisor

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This week’s poll: Do you believe state’s should pass legislation allowing medically assisted suicides?

Tearing Down the Brick Wall

Lessons of Trauma from Pink Floyd C.R. Neal Reporter A broken heart, a severed friendship, the death of a loved one: all catalysts in building a metaphorical wall to protect ourselves from the tribulations of the outside world.

Some are more susceptible than others, but we all have our walls to varying degrees. The more we build them the more we isolate ourselves from society.

Not all walls are bad, but some are so catastrophic it can ruin your life and permanently damage the psyche.

Pink Floyd, a progressive rock group from the 1970s, explored the latter in a concept album aptly named “The Wall.”

The album centers on Pink Floyd, a rock musician dealing with his self-imposed isolation as a world-renowned rock star.

Floyd’s wall is built by the emotional trauma of his father dying before Floyd was born, the “dark sarcasm” of his school-teachers, and his failed marriage.

The front man of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, explained the metaphor in an interview.

“You can say, on the simplest level, when something bad happens he isolates himself a little bit more,” Waters said. “Symbolically he adds another brick to his wall.”

In the climatic song of the album, “The Trial,” Floyd manifests in his mind the people in his life that are his “bricks in the wall” to confront himself in an attempt to tear down the wall.

In Brett Urick’s analysis of “The Trial” he wrote, “Consequently, as negative creations of the wall – that great metaphor of isolation and emotional repression – it is only natural that the charges leveled against Pink – that he has experienced ‘feelings of an almost human nature’ – would be considered a high crime tantamount to treason.”

Picture a scale from one to 10, one being completely involved with society and 10 being completely detached.

The further you get to 10 emotions become increasingly foreign.

Urick continued, “The irony of the ensuing trial and the recriminations against him is that, for the creatures of the wall, Pink’s selfishness throughout his life proves that his moment of ‘feelings’ was a singular albeit punishable error; as Pink has come

to realize, however, the offense isn’t in a single moment of humanity, but rather an adult lifetime devoid of it.”

Emotions and logic cannot be mutually exclusive as both are integral to the human experience. Without love and logic, life has no meaning.

For people who already understand isolation and detachment the concept of revealing yourself emotionally is terrifying. You’ve been burned so many times the very thought of letting someone get to know you contradicts everything about your thought process, but in succumbing to isolation you’ve lost a part of you.

I cannot in good consciousness offer a concrete solution, partly because tearing down the wall is a never-ending process, but mostly because everyone is different.

The way I tear down my wall may not work for anyone else, and that’s okay.

The only comfort I can offer is that you are not alone.

Tearing down the wall demands constant vigilance and cognizance concerning the extent of your wall. As long as you remain aware and work to tear it down you will make progress, even if it’s only one brick at a time.

4

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2018

Sports

Will the Hogs Be Ready for 2018 Season?

Spring Game Raises More Concern Than Confidence Frankie Cardenas Photographer

It was a rough sight to behold. The Javelinas, after just a couple of weeks of practice, had their two-hour long “spring scrimmage,” and only had one real word to describe it: abysmal.

The Hoggies, in front of dozens of on-lookers, played football reflective of every problem they were attempting to fix from the last season.

Right out of the gate, the Javelinas struggled to stay in sync with their own snap count, racking up multiple false start penalties that left Javelina Head Football Coach Daren Wilkinson almost speechless.

The worst part? On the other side of the football, the defense was also at fault standing over the line of scrimmage and drawing offside penalties of their own.

No matter the effort on either side, the Javelinas were playing bad football before the ball was even snapped; which isn’t a promising outlook, considering they were the Lone Star Conference’s third most penalized team in

the 2017 season (105), and the worst at giving up yards for every flag per game (98.5).

It was hard to watch, but with an ever-changing rotation of quarterbacks, including Bringham Young University transfer Koy Detmer Jr., it was understandably expected from just a few weeks of practice.

Regardless, the Javelinas still managed to flash some spouts of solid looking offense, but far more promising looks from the defense.

Running backs Jeff Carr, Nick Pelrean and Christian Anderson were able to produce big run gains on a number of occasions, so the running attack has a solid three-headed monster that can do some damage if given the chance when the fall rolls around.

One outstanding effort that could not be ignored,was the size and play of one, wide receiver Ty Chisum, who had three monster 50-plus yard touchdown receptions, two thrown by Cade Dyal and one by Detmer.

Considering every season since 2015 has had one or more receivers in Javelina nation who managed to finish in the top five of nearly

all receiving categories in the LSC (Jordan Thomas and Anthony Autry), replacing that production they were able to provide looks to be no problem at all.

However, it did show a glaring weakness that never ceases to give fits to coach Wilkinson’s defensive staff.

Two of the Chisum touchdowns were the result of busted coverages and a defensive back’s inability to keep their opponents in front of them and within swatting distance; one thing that coach Wilkinson was hoping some of the newer blood from recruitment could hopefully provide, forever raving about the size and length of his future defensive backs.

In any case, aside from giving up big plays, the defense did show some improvement highlighted by a botched snap that was scooped and scored by corner back Nick Stiff.

But, depending on who you ask, that was mostly an offensive mistake leading to a defensive triumph, which makes most offensive coordinators angry because the defense needed little effort to cause that play to occur.

And with frustration

looming amongst coaches and players alike, halfway through the game, words were exchanged between a few players on the field, which led to a shoving match to take place for fans to witness.

“If this is what you want to do in front of these people, then that’s what we’ll do,” Coach Wilkinson said while his team sprinted from sideline to sideline. “One rule.

From the first meeting that’s all I talked about. Shut up and play ball. We get people out here, and you all start acting like idiots […] is it clear what our expectations are?

You don’t play football with your mouths. Anybody tell you that, they’re full [of it].”

At the end of the night, coach Wilkinson addressed his team, and had me skeptical about the future of this program. It seemed the driving force of his comments to his team involved a ton of issues regarding the readiness of his athletes when August rolls around; even noting that last season less than 50-percent of his players showed up in Kingsville who couldn’t even pass the team’s running test. And that’s something they simply

Photo by Frankie Cardenas

Head Coach Daren Wilkinson and the Football Team

can’t afford.

I am perplexed at whether this team will have the ability to buckle down and be ready to turn back around into its winning ways, or crumble once again and give coach Wilkinson yet another losing season in his tenure at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

It seems he can only do so much about keeping his athletes in top physical shape and prepared in the system.

But if the players can’t produce what the coach is asking them to do, is it a player problem or a coaching problem?

Either way, he summed up the results of the spring

game perfectly at its conclusion.

“Discipline,” Coach Wilkinson said to his team at the end of their scrimmage.

“Now those [mistakes] will not just get you beat, they’ll get your butt kicked bad.

You understand what I’m saying? It’s discipline, man.

And what we saw tonight?

I’m so disappointed in what we showed out here tonight.

Because for 14 practices we were going [up], showing that we were ready to make a jump. We took a step back on all phases today. We took a step back. I don’t understand why.”

Hogs Take 3 out 4 Games From the Falcons Christian Caudle shows up with Late-Game Heroics

Luis Garcia Sports Reporter

There was a mix of emotions in the fourgame series hosted by the Texas A&M University-Kingsville baseball team against the University of Texas Permian Basin April 20 at Nolan Ryan Field in Kingsville.

The win puts the Javelinas at an overall record of 34-10 and Lone Star Conference record at 10-6.

After being out for a number games, catcher Christian Caudle came back stronger in the game with the Falcons. He drove in winning runs. Caudle was very excited to be back on the field after a recent injury.

“Just being able to come back after taking a fastball to the face… not knowing if I was going to be able to come back, not really knowing what the time table was, coming back two weeks later and being able to win a game for a team that is full of guys that I’ve worked really hard with and love is really Photo by Frankie Cardenas rewarding,” Caudle said.

Pablo Henandez slides to home Dallas Stefano also stepped up the plate. plate

He extended the Javelinas lead with an RBI double along with three hits. Stefano knew he was up against a good team, and came through with large contributions.

“It was fun, it was a good performance.

These are a good group of guys that we’re around and we just have fun every day.

Like you said, they did come back on us but you know we got so much character on this team. We’re not going to give up the fight.

You know, I had a good day, but everybody had a good day and when you come out with a win, that’s always the best thing you could have,” Stefano said.

Head Baseball Coach Jason Gonzales was pleased with the team performance, and is eyeing the playoffs.

“Playoff picture looks good! I think we’re going to put ourselves in a position to get into post season play. I think we should be one of the top teams in the region. We still have the conference championship ahead of us. It’s kind of still in front us; we might need a little help. We’re right there still in the mix, we just need to go out and win some ball games,” he said.

Coach Reaches Milestone 300 Wins Luis Garcia Sports Reporter Entering his ninth season as Head Coach of the Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) baseball team, Jason Gonzales has his fair share of success. As the Javelinas close in on the end of their 2018 season, Gonzales has reached a milestone of 300 wins.

There is one word describing Gonzales when looking at the stats of the Javelinas Baseball Team. That word is consistency.

Gonzales started his first year at TAMUK in 2009 with a record of 20-35 and Lone Star Conference (LSC) record of 15-29.

As time progressed, improvement was visible within seasonal records. In the 2012 season, Gonzales lead the Hogs to a 31-18 overall and a LSC record of 18-10. They competed at the NCAA South Central Regional LSC Tournament. In 2013, the Hogs won the LSC Tournament.

Soon after, Gonzales received the 2014 and 2015 LSC Coach of the Year. The Hogs dominated the Lone Star Conference Championship back-to-back in 2014 and 2015.

Precise coaching along with talented players brought a total of 44 All-LSC Selections. Those players include Christian Caudle, Pablo Hernandez and Levi Zentz.

Gonzales talked humbly about the 300 wins record.

“I’m proud of that for the coaches and players that are associated with that. It’s not just me,” he said. “There are a lot of people associated with [the 300 wins]. The good Lord has blessed me with a lot of good people around me. I’m very humbled by the attention that it’s gotten. It wasn’t a goal; I never set a number. I’ve just tried to create a family-type environment.”

Hogs Close Schedule with LSC Tournament Hoggies Softball Wins Last Series for Plaserae Johnson Sports Editor The Javelina Tennis team (No. 4 LSC) of Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) closed the 2018 season with the Lone Star Conference Tournament (LSC). The tourney was April 20 and 21 at the HEB Tennis Center in Corpus Christi.

Weather conditions were in the high ’70s and favorable. The Javelinas took fourth out of the seven tennis teams of the LSC, according to lonestarconference.org. Midwestern State University, Cameron University and Tarleton State University were the teams that topped the Javelinas. Each team participating battled to take the LSC Championship title, but the Midwestern Mustangs took it home.

The Javelinas faced both victory and defeat in the tournament. The ladies took the quarterfinal against the Angelo Rams, 5-4, on April 20 but fell to the Midwestern Mustangs, 2-5 later that same day.

For seniors Viviana Ortiz (doubles) and Martina Urrutia (doubles), it was the last game. They finished their college tennis careers as Javelinas. Ortiz talked about her experience playing for the Javelinas.

“It was very exciting and sad at the same time. I’m a transfer and I felt I was here a long time. I will miss being with them every day.

[Coach Williams] is like my mom,” she said.

Head Coach Autumn Williams said seeing Ortiz go is bittersweet.

“Viviana was a transfer. She fit right in and made a huge impact on the court, especially with doubles. She was my best double player. So, I have to find ways to fill her shoes,” she said.

She also had high praise for Urrutia.

“I think Martina being a team captain was a testament of who she is. She put the team first. She committed herself 100 percent,” Williams said.

Although the Javelinas did not bring home the title, Williams retains a positive attitude about their performances and season.

“My girls played their hearts out. I’m very proud of what they did. We have a young team; we still have opportunities,” she said.

The team also finished fourth at the LSC Tournament last season.

Javelina tennis fans are proud and waiting for the 2019 schedule.

“They’re pretty good. They started off the season okay and finished strong. I’m very proud of them. They should keep up the good work,” said Josephine Sannoh, a Kinesiology major and fan of Javelina tennis.

Next, the tennis team will head into off-season until August. Then,they will enter pre-season training. Following will be first team match in September.

Graduating Seniors

Joshua Lin Sports Reporter

The Lady Javelinas won their last home series of the 2018 schedule against West Texas A&M University (No.11 NCAA) Saturday.

The season was rocky - their win percentage was barely over .500. The team holds a record of 13-14 in the Lone Star Conference.

The Lady Javelinas dropped game one of the series with a score of 8-2 with West Texas A&M University scoring seven runs in the fifth inning.

Head Coach Craig Nicholson wasn’t as disappointed in the loss as they were up against a difficult team.

“The thing was that last night… they got timely hits when they needed to get timely hits, we had bases loaded nobody out and didn’t score and [West Texas] had bases loaded two outs and hit a grand slam. The game wasn’t a six-run difference in terms of what happened, but they got the hits when they needed to,” he said.

Game two was a different story, after the loss the previous day, they came back to win, 7-4. Roxy Chapa hit a homerun to left field and Rachael Longoria hit an RBI double. The deciding factor of the game was when the Lady Javelinas scored four runs with timely hits. They had bases loaded for Kelly to hit an infield single and score Longoria.

Later, another run was added by a groundout from Victoria Schoonard-Saborio. The last two runs coming from a wild pitch.

Game three was a pitcher’s duel. Pitcher Breanna Smith pitched four shut out frames until the fifth inning when Ashley Hardin of West Texas broke the tie with a two-run homer, to get the lead.

The Javelinas rallied back two runs on a single from Outfielder Haley Boyett and an error made by West Texas to tie the game in the sixth inning and in the bottom of the seventh, Longoria hit a grounder to the pitcher and reached base on another error to put her on second.

Longoria would run home to win the game.

Smith was happy about her performance and thought it was a good game for the seniors.

“I felt like it was a really good game. I think that the seniors did very well today. I feel like this was a really good series for us, I think we improved a whole lot better and I think that’s a big thing on the coaching staff too and we work well with him,” Smith said.

Boyett was satisfied with her performance and the two wins.

“It feels pretty surreal, it was really fun and I’m glad we got two wins and it’s time to take care of business with the Western New Mexico. I felt like we fought pretty hard and I felt like it was a good team effort,” Boyett said.

Entertainment

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THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2018

Saving the Earth, One Day At a Time Dakota Roberts Opinion Editor With another Earth Day come and gone, Texas A&M University—Kingsville ended its week-long, eco-aware Earth Week fair.

From April 16 to 20, TAMUK’s Office of Campus Sustainability hosted a range of competitions, presentations, outings, and even a painting class; all in the name of promoting positive habits to benefit the local ecosystem and spreading awareness of possible harms that come with society’s reliance on plastic.

“This year the theme was to end plastic pollution. So, we wanted to show the students all the various ways that you can do that. Whether it is recycling, or upcycling, like what they did in

the competitions,” Kelli-Mae Goddard Sobers, director of the office of campus sustainability said. “We wanted to show that you can take these things and help create some sort of use for it, and that it can be fun.”

The biggest event of the week was a plastic structure competition, during which competitors had to recycle plastic objects and containers and craft them into recognizable structures or functioning devices. The reward for sticking to the competition’s restrictions and being judged the finest example of reuse was a $300 prize.

This year, for the first time, the competition ended in a tie between a fish tank made from recycled water containers and an operational water filter. The two devices will be judged again in a second round, during which the devices will be placed side by side and tested for function-

ality. The competitors will be allowed to defend their entries to the judges for their ultimate decision.

Considering the change in rules, the office of sustainability decided to add a cash prize of $225 to the runner-up while the winner of the second round, and the competition gets to keep the original $300 reward.

Other notable entries were a tent made of plastic bags, a curtain made of the bottoms of metal cans, and a shelf made of wood and cut pieces of a plastic barrel. Alongside the competition, some UNIV engineering classes presented miniature gardens that were constructed and placed in wooden boxes.

Earth Week began with a number of crafting events.

On Monday, students could construct self-watering plant pots, while on Tuesday participants crafted terrariums, or sealed glass containers

Laughter Helped Raise Money for American Cancer Association

During Championship week students hosted comedy open-mic night first courageous and hilarious soul to take on the stage.

Cabrera is a right-arm amputee, and used this characteristic about himself as the target of his jokes.

“I was circumcised as a child….they just cut off the wrong part,” Cabrera said as he broke the ice and caused everyone to chuckle.

As soon as the ice was broken, Cabrera steadily had everyone roaring with laughter and as the night progressed the laughter didn’t let up.

Luis Aguilar, a communications major, was the fifth act of the night and was jokingly introduced as being an illegal immigrant. He then walked on stage, knocked on the microphone and said, “housekeeping?”

Aguilar then went on to focus his comedic bit on living with a Latina mother. He explained how his mother asked him one day “What would you do if something

happened to me? Where would you be? You can’t live Darcy Ramirez with your dad,” to which Managing Editor he sarcastically retorted and was punished with a very common Latina torture device, la chancla.

Why did the chicken cross “She threw that chancla so the road? To get to Relay for hard she left the brand of the Laugh, the stand-up comedy chancla on my neck. No joke open mic night on Thursday, for a whole week I was sportApril 19. ing ‘La Pulga,’“ he said as the The event took place at the crowd erupted with underuniversity’s Little Theatre standing and sympathy. and the proceeds were donatThe event overall had a ed to the Relay for Life fundnice turnout, and the price raising event of the American of admission was only $1 for Cancer Society. each person.

Relay for Laughs was hostAt the beginning of the ed during Javelina Student event Etta Enow, a biomedChampionship Week, and ical science major and Vice fell on Student Leadership President of Alpha Psi Omeand Organization Champiga, which organized the ons day. event, said they had already Students from all walks of raised more than $50 for the life gathered their courage, American Cancer Society, but took on the stage, and made as the night ventured on that the theatre echo with laughamount grew to $110. ter.

“I want to thank everyone Raymond Cabrera, a comfor showing up to Relay for munications major, was the Laughs. All proceeds go to Relay for Life, so thank you everyone for your donations.

And I want to thank the performers too because this takes guts,” Enow said.

Many students enjoyed the comedy as it relieved some pressure and anxiety from students’ busy schedules as finals are approaching.

“They were really funny. I honestly thought this could’ve been a terrible flop, but the students had me laughing so much that my side still hurts.

During a couple of the performances I could barely breathe cause I was laughing so hard,”Alyssa Silas, a Photos by Frankie Cardenas math major, said.

Top Row Left to Right: Luis Aguilar, Josue Villarreal, Raymond Cabrera.

Middle Row: Ruben Alex Cantu, Dylan Mendoza. Bottom Row: Mario Garcia, Laurie Guajardo, Ray Grigsby.

filled with soil and plant-life to simulate a micro-ecosystem. Tuesday was also the day the university hosted a sustainability-themed Jeopardy, complete with its own version of Alex Trebek.

While three students competed to win grand prizes that totaled $450 altogether, other students were encouraged to engage in the thought-provoking trivia using the app Kahoot to manage all the attendees’ answers.

The Office of Sustainability’s eco-representatives developed upwards of 70 questions to ask at the event for the students; eventually culminating in Michael Cardoza walking away with the first-prize award, a flat screen TV. Runner-up Ethan James and third place winner Delanie Slifma were awarded a DBL speaker and Beats headphones, respectively.

“We had a great time,” said Eliasz McCullen, sustainabil-

ity operations coordinator.

“We provided some snacks and refreshments, had our trivia time. It was lively, I will say it was lively and people were very ecstatic about the prizes we ended up handing out.”

Last week wasn’t just about crafts and trivia, but also a chance to present information to the public about the issues impacting global health and conservation.

Matthew Cruz, an eco-representative at the office of campus sustainability, presented “What you don’t know: how plastics are affecting your life!” during a luncheon Wednesday, April 18.

The presentation focused on the personal health issues that may arise from using plastics, the problematic nature of breaking down plastics, and society’s reliance on plastics.

The week closed out with a free painting class com-

plete with mocktails; while still incorporating the week’s theme of reusing plastic.

The water that was used during the painting was collected from rain, biodegradable pallets and paint were used, and the bottoms of plastic bottles acted as cups for the evening’s painters.

The Office of Campus Sustainability finished out the week of events by upholding its mission to promote green initiatives and their implementation and citing its definition of sustainability as, “Sustainability is the adherence to principles and practices that meets the needs of the present without compromising the future.”

‘Stop Kiss,’ the Latest Alpha Psi Omega Production

Little Theatre will host upcoming play Josue Villarreal Reporter Alpha Psi Omega will begin Diana Son’s “Stop Kiss” at 7:30 p.m. April 27 and 28 and 2:30 p.m. April 29 in The Little Theater with free admission.

Fresh off their production of “American Idiot,” they move forward to something completely different with “Stop Kiss.”

Taking place in 1990s New York City, the play stars Callie and Sara, a couple that fall victim to an assault after sharing their first kiss. The hate crime unfortunately puts Sara into a coma.

Thus, Callie is forced to stay strong and endure the pain of her partner being temporarily gone, the perception society has on her relationship, and the many other people in her life.

“‘Stop Kiss’ is just your basic simple love story, as old as time,” Director Laurie Guajardo said.

Guajardo was thrust last minute into the directorial role of the play when the original director found that he was too busy to fulfill his obligations.

However, Guajardo isn’t letting that fact get her down, and is going full steam ahead in making sure the play is the best it can be.

“Usually when you pick a show you have a solid eight months to really think about it and think what you’re gonna do,” began Guajardo, “I literally got thrown into this one month after rehearsals.”

Guajardo, loving a challenge, is confident in herself and the cast and crew. It appears that the crew agrees that this setback hasn’t slowed down the play one bit.

“Everything is accurate, everything is on point,” assured Stage Manager of ‘Stop Kiss’ Luis Aguilar.

The cast and crew aren’t just confident because of the efficiency of the production, but also because of the admiration for the play itself.

“It shows very, very real aspects to their lives and what they go through,” said one of the leads of ‘Stop Kiss’ Michaelina Gonzalez, referring to the primary characters of the play.

Excited, determined and working hard rehearsing every day, the director and crew involved assure Stop Kiss is on the right track.

“It’s uplifting, it’s inspiring,” beamed Guajardo.

Believing that “Stop Kiss” will not only entertain, but inspire, Guajardo and the rest of the cast and crew look forward to putting themselves out there for the world to see.

April 27 & 28 at 7:30 PM April 29 at 2:30 PM The Little Theatre Courtesy by Twitter @apokappaphi

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THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2018

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