The South Texan The Award-Winning Texas A&M University-Kingsville Student Publication
Thursday, September 19, 2019 Volume 94, Issue 3 TheSouthTexan.com
Hunters Assemble
Nightmares
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their seats with fear.
The importance of a healthy hunting
It: Chapter 2 makes audiences shiver in
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The South Texan
Art exhibit showcases Chicana life in the ‘50s ADAM PENA Reporter The university kicked off its Hispanic Heritage Month celebration with the grand opening of the John E. Conner Museum’s newest exhibit, En Mi Familia, by Kingsville artist and alumnus of Texas A&I University Carmen Lomas Garza. En Mi Familia consists of four separate, interactive exhibits showcasing a scene based on Garza’s artworks featuring a backyard birthday, a kitchen in the midst of tamale production, a dance featuring Tejano musicians and a slice-of-life household scene. Garza attended the opening to speak about her works, the history and significance behind her pieces and their relation to her local upbringing. “Most of my artwork is about my recollections growing up here in Kingsville,” Garza said. When Garza grew up in Kingsville in the 1950s it was a different era culturally than it is today. “We were told not to speak Spanish in school. If we did, we would actually face physical punishment,” Garza said. “So, I really wanted to depict images in my artwork that were recollections of my childhood because I really wanted other Mexican-Americans to feel proud of our culture.” Alice resident Mauricio Cuellar attested to the accuracy of the times in Garza’s artwork. “The art in this exhibit is very repre-
Photo By Amanda DeFrees
Randy and Ava interacting with Garza’s musical exhibit. sentative of the times as I remember,” said Mauricio Cuellar, Alice resident and attendee of the opening of En Mi Familia. “It reminds me of my childhood in those days.” Previously located at the Thinkery in Austin, Texas, (formerly known as the Austin Children’s Museum), the exhibit has found a new home at the John E. Conner Museum permanently. “The opportunity came up that the Austin Children’s Museum was selling this exhibit,” Museum Director Jon-
athan Plant said. “Over the course of three years I was negotiating with getting this exhibit, and the circumstances worked out that we were able to do it. We got a grant from the Brookshire Foundation that enabled us to purchase it from Austin. “We’re very excited to have this exhibit on display. It’s immersive, handson, bilingual, and both children and adults can interact with it. It’s a wonderful exhibit and a great way to introduce people to various aspects of Mex-
ican-American culture here in South Texas that they may not have known about,” Plant continued. En Mi Familia embodies the spirit of the times as Garza recalls them, but instead of submitting to censorship and institutionalized racism, Garza was inspired to create artwork that is expressive of her identity, and the identities of those who shared similar experiences throughout South Texas. It is a celebration of Mexican-American culture.
‘Ring-in to Learn, Ring-out to Serve’ MARK GUTIERREZ Contributing Writer It’s the start of a new year and freshmen engineers have made their commitment to knowledge by “ringing-in” the next four years at the university. What started off as a course project in 2005, soon developed into a tradition that has been carried out by TAMUK’s College of Engineering. Freshmen engineers gathered around on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at the Engineering Complex to participate in the tradition of ringing the ceremonial bell symbolizing their commitment to knowledge and success. “It’s a special way to welcome students, as they are making a transition from their hometown to college. Students ‘Ring-in to learn’ is the start of a will students make that they are determined to succeed. After four years, a similar ceremony is held, which marks their accomplishments, that they are educated and ready to serve the community,” Associate Dean for Under-
graduate Affairs Dr. Afzel Noore said. During the ceremony students pledged to invest effort into their success, their education, to build themselves up and prepare to serve their people. However, for some students this was more than just a promise to themselves. “My plan is to continue my education to be an Electrical Engineer as my dad wanted to be but couldn’t. But God willingly, I will be able to ‘RingOut,’” Cedric Cerda, electrical engineering major, said. The ringing of the bell affected each student differently. Each one wore a smile on their face when stating their names and hometown just before ringing the symbolic bell. “I felt excited, you know? This is like a commencement of a new journey. A very new chapter in my life,” Mica Plueger, architectural engineering major, said. Dr. Noore encouraged students to get involved by showcasing the success of alumni from the College of Engineering, such as the CEO of Exxon
Photo By Aryssa Enriquez
Industrial Engineering major Julissa Hernandez (left) and Mechanical Engineering major Alycia Jenkins ring in their college career. Mobile and founder of Valero. Noore presented students with a motivational speech and explained the resources available for students throughout TAMUK. “I think the exciting thing is I get to see people that I actually recognize from other classes and hopefully we are all ringing out together,” Julissa Hernandez, industrial engineer major,
said. This journey is one that students don’t have to face alone as it is encouraged that students seek the Javelina Engineering Student Success Center for help. Students were given a warm welcome to the College of Engineering and are excitedly starting their fouryear journey until they are ready to “ring-out to serve.”