Special to The South Texan
May 10, 2018
Page 2 - Special to the South Texan - May 10, 2018
Student Passion in the Arts and Sports Comparing Student Participation in the Sports and Arts Programs Joshua Lin and Rolando Castillo The question of what’s more important has been one that has been around for as long as humanity has existed, and one particular that is often asked is – which is more important arts or athletics? The majority of athletes at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) believe that sports will always have higher participation rate than the arts, and with more than a dozen sports offered at the university, that is likely. Student participation is an essential part of both programs as the arts include theatre, music performance and more. One would assume that sports takes priority at most schools across the region of South Texas and while participation in the arts is notable, it pales in comparison to the number of students that make-up the athletic department and in audience attendance. Professor Armando Ibanez, who has taught Filmmaking at TAMUK since 2014, shared his views about participation of students in the Arts department. “We have the talent here, we just need more support to get it done,” he said. Professor Ibanez went on further to explain how he sees students in his classes going as far as developing a passion for such projects. “They become very…committed to what they’re doing.” Ibanez said. “Some to the point that they didn’t even know they would develop a desire to pursue this art.” Professor Ibanez did go on to explain how when comparing arts to athletics it’s expected that the athletics department will have more students, but, placed a lot of emphasis placed on it. “Keep the emphasis on athletics, but we should also be doing just as much for the arts” Ibanez said. “Whether it’s in filmmaking, painting or the visual arts.” Track athlete Plaserae Johnson said promotion is the key for both the arts and athletics. “I feel like we have a pretty good fan base when it comes to all sports. Our fan base is solid and they know when there are games and meets, and they’re present on social media so I feel like we are pretty
Photo By Frankie Cardenas
Student Sewing in the Ben Bailey Art Building at TAMUK consistent for games,” Johnson said. “I have been to a [theatre performance] as well as a spring fling and other student run things and they have a good turnout.” Johnson said it would be great if both could help each other. “I think it depends on promotion and word of mouth as well so people being friends of athletes and [them] telling their friends. “For track, we have the Cactus Cup and it doesn’t have a big turnout because it’s during spring break and people are back home,” Johnson said. “I think that the communications department and sports department need to collaborate a little bit more just to help promote more of these games and activities on campus so that the athletes can start going to the carnivals and the carnival goers can go to more sports games.” While professors offer insight from an observatory perspective, students themselves give opinions from an “in the action” perspective given that they’re the ones who perform, write, direct, sing and dance in all the various productions put on by the campus. Laurie Guajardo, a student who is has a history with the arts programs on campus dating back to her years in high school, said there used to be more cohesion among the art programs.
“The theatre, art and music departments used to be so collaborative back then,” she said, explaining how during her first years in the program the support for the arts was unmatched when compared to what it is today. She went on to explain how the campus used to have summer programs that would feature musicals with casts of 50 students or more and how everything was a collaboration between the departments within the arts. Upon her return 10 years later, she discovered that a great majority of the key components that made the arts successful back than had not stayed rooted at TAMUK. “We don’t have a lot of support from the school anymore, we don’t have a lot of collaboration,” Guajardo said. Guajardo said one of her goals is to re-unite the various departments within the arts. “We can’t be divided in this, if we divide the arts we will die,” she said. “The only way we will survive and thrive is if we collaborate and work together.” Some athletes don’t necessarily think about the fan participation and just focus on the game. Volleyball player Krystal Faison thought
both programs are important to student participation, but thought that sports had a higher student participation rate. “I would say they are equally important and have many similarities,” Faison said. “There is more participation in sports than in arts to my knowledge, but I am not aware of the specifics.” Basketball player Dominique Bradley has seen a lot of fans come to support the basketball team. “I have seen a lot of fans come in and out from different areas like Corpus Christi, Alice and Robstown. A lot of people come out to watch us play because we are one of the only collegiate teams in the area other than TAMUCC,” Bradley said. “I’ve seen some pretty interactive fans in the stands cheering for the team and calling out certain players’ names, so there is a lot of fan support for our athletic programs.” While most students within the arts view the program as a shell of what it once was, some would choose the perspective of optimism. Jesse Ochoa, a student of the TAMUK art department, is one such student. “Participation is improving where it should be improving and lacking where it should be lacking,” Jesse said. “Times are changing, and so are the arts.”
Page 3 - Special to The South Texan - May 10, 2018
Pictured here is the Javelina weight room
by Frankie Cardenas
From Arts to Athletics: Financial Cuts Both Departments Rely Heavily on Donations Dylan Mendoza and Luis Garcia Whether students are artists and/or athletes, one thing the college community as a whole can agree on is the funding needed to help support and enhance their performance. There are a lot of factors that go into budget, especially when trying to keep the athletic and ACT (Art, Communications and Theatre) departments going and having the student athletes perform to the best of their abilities. In the athletic department, the goal seems to be most focused on having the right amount of money spent without having to make changes. Changes can be anything from uniforms, field equipment, and pay for coaches or interns. Staff such as Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance Hanna Lantz, is one who might not be in charge
of budget, but does have a lot of say-so in scholarships. “We are trying to not cut our scholarship budgets, we’re actually going to hopefully maintain the same amount of scholarships that we gave this year [for] next year,” Lantz said. “We may reduce recruiting, we may reduce professional development opportunities like travel. We’re trying to leave scholarships alone because we want to make sure that we’re providing the best opportunities for student athletes.” A university does go through its fair share of budget cuts which ends up affecting different areas. Texas A&M University-Kingsville recently had its problems with the budget cut. Dennis Hawkins, assistant athletic director for Financial Operations, is one who oversees and deals with the actual budget. During the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic years, there was a slight increase in money for athletics. The increase went from
$7.5 million to $7.8 million. “For us we’ve actually anticipated this going into this current school year. We kind of knew that we would probably have to have some cut backs. Luckily for us, a lot of our cut backs have happened naturally,” Hawkins said. “With that, when people leave you can’t fill positions obviously. We have people that take on additional duties.” Over in the Art, Communications, and Theatre Department, budget cuts are always to be expected each year. After last year’s budget raise to $1,150,673, this year the department saw a drastic change with their financial standing at $999,414, losing about $150,000. Thus relying on student-led organizations and local communities to upkeep any expenditure the programs might need. “We rely heavily on donations here in the department,” Chair of ACT Todd Lucas said. “Community organizations such as Play House of Design here in Kingsville make annual contributions to the art pro-
gram.” Lucas did express, though, the programs could always use more money and perks, yet he has always made sure the students get what they need when it comes to materials, accessibilities and travel. Though it may seem that one department is getting the shorter end of the stick more than the other, both departments have felt their share of loss when it comes to financial support. The athletic department has to not only facilitate 13 different sports, but maintain a top performance which will keep the university’s name relevant in the ever-competitive state of Texas. The ACT department has always put out quality work in an environment where these types of media and arts do not hold the same attention it once did. From students to faculty, the campus community across the board will have to strive through these rough patches and improve their craft.
Page 4- Special to South Texan - May 10, 2018
Comparing the Athletics and Arts Budgets Are the Respective Budgets Sustainable over the Long-Term?
Pictured are the coaches’ offices indoor and tennis
C.R. Neal Leslie Garza Frank Russell
Photo by Frankie Cardenas
Arguments concerning the distribution of money have been occurring since the inception of currency. At the center of this argument in the scholastic region lies athletics versus the various art programs. As of the 2017-2018 school year the athletics budgets at Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK) stands at approximately $8 million while the TAMUK Art, Communications and Theatre (ACT) Department budget is about $1.2 million. With recent budget cuts both departments have had to eliminate costs. The Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation at TAMUK Scott Gines spoke about some of the ways he was reducing expenses. “In the 2017-2018 school year, I eliminated eight support staff positions,” Gines said. “In 2018-2019, scholarship budgets will remain flat, sport program operational budgets will be reduced, and two additional salary lines will be removed.” Gines did not comment when asked to provide more information concerning which support staff positions were cut and the nature of the two salary lines that he will remove. In the ACT Department, similar cuts have occurred. Various positions have gone unfilled leaving a surplus of work to be taken care of. Chair of the ACT Department Todd Lucas said the staff has shouldered the additional responsibilities well given the circumstances, but he can see the work beginning to take a toll. Senior Administrative Coordinator for the ACT department Patsy Rios reflected the same sentiment. “That [hiring freeze] affects the possibilities of hiring anyone for a department that is over-worked and under-staffed, especially when it comes to lecturers,” Rios said. Assistant Athletic Director for Financial Operations Dennis Hawkins weighed in on the budget for the athlet-
ics department concerning student-athletes. “We are still able to meet the needs of student-athletes,” Hawkins said. “A bigger budget would allow us to make additional improvements that we are not able to in normal circumstances.” While athletics benefits from about 50 corporate sponsorships, the ACT department receives zero sponsorship. Along with budget cuts TAMUK departments are also facing a decrease in enrollment, which also affects the budget. “When economic or enrollment declines occur, athletics operations must adapt in the moment,” Gines said. The drop in enrollment has also affected the ACT department. “What really hurt us was low enrollment,” Rios said. In the fall 2017 semester TAMUK saw a 7.8 percent drop in overall enrollment, which represents a decrease of 728 students. The Arts and Sciences College alone saw a drop of 7 percent in enrollment. If the trends in recent years continue, the cost of enrollment will rise while TAMUK’s budget decreases, which could put existing jobs, programs and departments at risk.
BUDGET NUMBERS Athletics - $8 Million Arts - $1.2 Million
Corporate Sponsorships Athletics - 50 ACT - 0
Graphic by Jordan Harwell
Page 5 Special to the South Texan May 10, 2018
Playing Your Way Through College The Distribution of Scholarship Funds for the Sports and A.C.T Department Camila Pena and America Quintero Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) offers a great number of scholarships that are eligible for all students. However, the amount of scholarships offered to the College of Arts is significantly lower than those offered to the sports program. While students in the College of Arts have access to about 14 scholarships, Javelina Football alone distributes 36. The College of Arts is divided into five programs: Art, Journalism, Speech Communications, Digital Media and Film, and Theatre. Together, these programs make up the Art, Communications and Theatre, otherwise known as the A.C.T Department. The scholarship process for the A.C.T department students starts off with the office of admission. The information on each student is added to the college’s database and the system then creates an application for them. This is exactly where the “auto- match” mode kicks in. Based on the information that the college has provided, that is where the student is matched to general scholarships such as the “Academic Excellence Award,” which is awarded by the university to the students who graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school. The university only goes as far as gathering information such as GPA, ACT and SAT scores, and other additional information. However, in order for students to obtain a scholarship from the A.C.T Department, they have to start an application on their own. As of now, there are currently 53 people from the Arts, Theater and Communication departments who have applied for scholarships out of a total of 486 students who are currently enrolled. TAMUK’s athletics department, Javelina Athletics, offers around $2 million worth of scholarships each year to student athletes. The budget is a standard set by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Currently, TAMUK is on year four of a sixyear plan to budget all athletics programs under Division II of NCAA. Each department within Javelina Athletics receives a set number of scholarship
equivalencies. The number of scholarships each sport receives is based on roster size. Dennis Hawkins, assistant athletic director for financial operations at TAMUK, explains that the more students a sport has, the more scholarships that department will receive. Since TAMUK is a Division II school, Javelina Athletics follows a partial-scholarship model. The model requires schools to award scholarships that are equivalent to a certain number of full grants in each sport. This means that the school will award a set number of scholarships, but each at varying amounts. As opposed to the A.C.T. Department, athletic scholarship recipients don’t apply for their scholarships directly. Once an athlete is recruited by Javelina Athletics, the head coaches will decide whether an athlete receives a scholarship and the amount they want to award them. Lue Gonzalez, a student in the Communications Department, received two scholarships this year. The Donna Tobias Speech and Debate Scholarship for $1,000, and the Gilbert Jimenez Scholarship for $500. Gonzalez had to fill out a general application. This application matches you with scholarships that best fit your profile. Each scholarship that you apply for has different requirements (such as essay questions). “I have been honored, humbled and blessed to have been the recipient of dif-
ferent scholarships,” Gonzalez said. “The process is not a hard one at all; I encourage everyone to apply for what they can.” Among the scholarships offered to the students in the College of Arts are Aline Mertens Art Scholarship, Ben P. and Margaret Bailey Scholarship, Carlos Guerra Memorial Scholarship, Donna Tobias Speech and Debate Scholarship, E.B. Erad Journalism Scholarship, Gilbert Jimenez Scholarship, Helen Harp Baker Scholarship Fund, Jake Trussell Memorial Fund, Kathy Harrell Memorial Scholarship, L and C Franklin Journalism Scholarship, Live Like Greg-Greg M. Trevino Memorial Scholarship, Maurice Schmidt Scholarship for Visual Arts, TAI Communications Scholarship, and Wildhorse Desert Scholarship. One of the scholarships that stands out from the rest in the Arts College is the Play House of Design scholarship. Chair of the Art Department Todd Lucas says this scholarship is considered the anomaly out of the rest. “We have the Play House of Design which is a local group that asks us to review and recommend a student and then they give a scholarship,” Lucas said. Currently, Javelina men’s teams get 57 percent of student aid funds while women get 43 percent. Javelina Athletics seeks to increase the number of scholarships available to their female athletes. It is estimated that by 2020, the number of scholarships for
women athletes at TAMUK will total $1.2 million. The goals is to make the women scholarship budget equal to the men’s athletic budget. Hawkins explains that the school wants to have the percentage of funds equally distributed to women and men athletes. “With Title IX, you try to even out … we want to make everything 50/50. One of our initiatives is to try to increase women scholarships to meet that goal,” Hawkins said. As of now, the A.C.T Department has a total of $37,500 in scholarships to award their recipients. This number has decreased drastically from 2017 to 2018 with a difference of $31,000. However, it is interesting to note that adding the College of Art’s total scholarship money in the last three years is not even close to half of the total scholarship money awarded by Javelina Athletics in one year. “I think it is unfair that students who do sports get more in scholarships than students who are majoring in arts. Both departments are important and they help make our university great,” said Fernanda Torres, who is majoring in Kinesiology. Despite some students believing the
Scholarships Continued on Page 12
Page 6 - Special to The South Texan - May 10, 2018
The Future Lies Beyond the Games Underdeveloped Facilities Impact Performances on Fields, Courts reation, Dr. Scott Gines had much to say. Hector Landin “You must trust in the viand sion, and if you are going to Jared Wyatt complain about the facilities at your university, then you are not wanted at this institution, Since the late 1960s to the early 2000s, to be a part of the program,” the athletic program at Texas A&M Unihe said. versity-Kingsville (TAMUK) was among Gines said many of the prothe top in Division II. The Javelinas are a grams within the university part of the Lone Star Conference which had not been established such was voted the toughest conference in the as beach volleyball, golf and nation for Division II athletics in 2016others. He counter argued 2017. by saying prime universities Although the conference is considered around the nation don’t have one of the most competitive, TAMUK overly-developed facilities such has seen a significant drop off in recent as weight rooms, locker rooms, years. The football program, most noand great training facilities to tably, has seen fluctuation in the last five help and improve the athletes. years, tallying only one winning season in Winning from within, Gines that span. said, by trusting in the process Graphic by Jordan Harwell Some of the coaching staff and athletes is very important, as a whole, agree the underdeveloped facilities play a “Over the past three years, Javelina when developing athletic facilmajor role in the lack of achievement on Athletics captured two LSC conference ities. the field. Other factors include: graduaThe most important in the process is championships (2015, Baseball; 2016 tion rates, retention rates, donor dollars, hiring the right coaching staff that trust in Men’s Outdoor Track and Field), crowned as well as transfer rates. the process that has been set forth and to 14 individual National Champions, celAs to whether better facilities improve see what is planned for the future in hopes ebrated 49 All-Americans, enjoyed three a win/loss record, Vice President of Inof capturing championships for the blue national Top Five finishes (2, 4, and 5), tercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recand made 15 NCAA Division II post-seaand gold. son appearances,” Gines noted. One area of need that has been noted is the lack of a locker room for the baseball team. To that Gines said players must ask the coach what has been done for them in their time here at this university. For example, Gines said that when he arrived on campus the baseball program had not won much, but he was able to recruit the right coaching staff along with introducing a brand new assistant coach to the staff. The football team hasn’t produced the desired 35th conference championship for the program. Jordan Thomas, a flex linebacker coach on staff for the team, said funding is important. “If the president is on board, and the academic side is on board, we will get the Photo by Frankie Cardenas funding we need. Basically, it is the highest power that make sure this place goes as Weight Room in need of updated equipment well as it can,” he said.
Athletic Achievements, Last Three Years 2 - LSC championships (2015, Baseball; 2016 Men’s Outdoor Track and Field) 14 individual National Champions 49 All-Americans, 3 National Top Five finishes 15 NCAA Division II post-season appearances
Ryan Rodriguez, an assistant defensive backs coach, discussed Texas A&M Commerce’s football program, which is coming off a national championship victory. “It is hard to look at other blueprints. I know they have had nice facilities for a while, but they have also won for a while,” Rodriguez said. “But even if you have a president who isn’t on board for sports, you can say that we have been competitive every year, I think we deserve something.” The football facilities aren’t near first class at TAMUK because of the lack of funding by donors. The football program has had a storied history in winning and has seen players reach the National Football League (NFL). But, there hasn’t been much of an improvement in recent years. Gines said by getting a new scoreboard or a locker room, you notice it the first time, and then it is just there and it is cool to the athletes, but the winning stays forever if you develop the right athletes. Rodriguez said facilities at his previous post were worse. Another program on campus that is on
Facilities Continued on Page 11
Page 7 - Special to The South Texan - May 10, 2018
University Impacts the Creative Minds Participating in the arts gives students ‘broader’ knowledge Kali Kennedy and Iliana Flores For many students, college is a time for one to figure out who they are and what they want to do with their life. But, through university art programs put in place with the intention to help students blossom, students can get perspective of what path they want to take. At Texas A&M University- Kingsville (TAMUK), programs in the arts ranging from music to theater to journalism have been serving this purpose by impacting students’ lives for decades. In the College of Arts and Sciences at TAMUK, the Department of Art, Communications and Theatre (A.C.T.) and the Department of Music have various programs available for students to participate in based on what their interests are. For example, if a student is interested in directing or acting they can participate in a theatre production on campus or if they have a passion for playing an instrument, they can audition for one of the many different bands that are on campus. These are just a few examples of how students can engage with others who are interested in the same things and develop skills that will prepare them for the workforce and life beyond college. By participating in one of the many arts programs and extracurriculars on the TAMUK campus, students may see unexpected impacts in their life. As Christian Ferris, the executive director of Career Services at TAMUK explains, graduating with an education in liberal arts can benefit students in ways they may not immediately notice. “This is an area where there are a lot of misconceptions, especially among parents. A stereotypical parent doesn’t want to see their son or daughter go into art or theater, they want to see something more
concrete like business or engineering. And, there is a perception out there, even in the media, that students who are arts majors...are not employable and the salaries aren’t as good. What we actually find is that a Liberal Arts education, things like art, theater, journalism, history… actually
prepare students for much broader ranges of possible careers,” Ferris said. Ferris goes on to explain that while students with arts degrees may begin making less than their peers who studied in other programs, they can expect that between their mid-to-late career their salary will level out with those in different fields. Furthermore, 40 percent of arts students who decide to continue their studies in graduate school will earn up to $20,000
more than those with just an undergraduate degree. In a study brought up by Ferris from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Education and Social Work and the Australian Council for the Arts, researchers found that “the arts can impact broader
seek to do something you love because then you’ll never work a day in your life,” Ferris said For TAMUK alumnus Fares Sabawi, writing and editing for The South Texan while he attended the university had a large impact on his career. Sabawi is currently a Breaking News Reporter for the San Antonio Express-News. But, before he ever found a journalism job outside of the university, there were skills he had to learn while in college to prepare him for working in the field. In participating in The South Texan and the Javelina Broadcast Network and with the guidance of professors, he was able to obtain a broad range of skills which helped increase his chances of finding a job. “I had always known I wanted to do something like journalism, but writing for The South Texan really helped [show] me what journalism was…[and] is really the one that opened doors for me for... the rest of my career thus far,” Sabawi said. Sabawi is just one of many students who has found success partly from the experiences they gained while working on arts projects at TAMUK. From sculptors such as Armando Hinojosa to musicians and to writers, TAMUK has had art alumni and students find sucPhoto by Frankie Cardenas cess across different mediums and platforms. Brad Walker, the vice president for Institutional Adacademic and personal wellbeing out- vancement & External Relations and the comes for young people,” an article on CEO of Texas A&M University- Kingsphys.org said. With this in mind, Ferris ad- ville Foundation, works in the TAMUK vises students to do what they care about Alumni Office and has heard stories and because it can be beneficial later in life. met alumni who have found success in the “The biggest thing that I would say arts. For him, having active arts programs is that no matter what you’re doing you can get something out of it... So, if you’re Creative Continued on talking about writing for The South Texan Page 11 or being in a play and you’re doing it because you love it that’s great and always
Page 8 - Special to The South Texan - May 10, 2018
Funding sources differ for the arts, athletics Funding for the talents is far more prevalent in the Athletics department than it is in the Arts programs Marriah Menchaca, Alex Guerra, Trissa Alimeke The battle of the talents between Athletics and Arts continues. Athletics at Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK) is highly recognized, drawing attention from a great number of people including alumni. The Arts, Communications and Theatre programs don’t receive as much recognition. Funding for the talents is far more prevalent in the Athletics department than it is in the Arts programs. Gaining the proper attention for the Art, Communication and Theatre programs is something that has been hard to come by for several years. Between the Art, Communications and Theatre programs, art contains its own budget while communications and theatre must divide funding within each other. Luckily, student media sources such as KTAI 91.1, The South Texan and The Javelina Broadcast Network are paid through university student service fees included in tuition, explains Todd Lucas, chair of the Arts, Communications and Theatre department. Finding what could be beneficial to the Art, Communication, and Theatre program in the future is a constant search. “More money is always beneficial,” Lucas said. With the (Communications and Theatre Arts) department going unnoticed in many areas, it’s a wonder if in the future TAMUK will continue to have communication and art majors. Individual budgets for these programs rely solely on student service fees, rather than generating their own revenue like Athletics. The lack of presence is what keeps the public from being involved and spreading upcoming events, thus leading to less participation in the arts. The athletics’ marketing and promotional team is credited for successfully publicizing the achievements of their students. The numbers of participating students in organizations plummet, meanwhile TAMUK’s department of Athletics is flour-
Photo by Frankie Cardenas
Updated Steinke Center funded by athletic department ishing. Approximately 300 student athletes attend the university, which raises the question: how does such a large organization support itself and bring in revenue? D. Scott Gines, Ed. D., vice president for intercollegiate athletics and campus recreation, breaks down the entirety of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics budget. Revenue generated solely relies “upon gift, sales, leases, and fee[s],” Gines said. The NCAA prohibits students or branches receiving monetary accolades based on merit. Use of auxiliary units sanctioned by TAMUK are leased out for practices and competitions through separate entities. Corporate sponsorships, partnerships and promotional deals accumulate additional revenue through interactive media and releases. If progress is not up to par, expenditures and personnel are modified or eliminated, Gines said. Dennis Hawkins, assistant athletic director for financial operations, discussed the preparation and time that must be dedicated
to moving money around in order to meet the needs of 350 student athletes and 100 faculty and staff. Redistributing funds as needed is crucial to make up for shortcomings. Hawkins explains why it is necessary to work backwards. Financial operations must begin planning the summer before the upcoming school year to take into account travel expenses, inventory, meals and insurance. As broad as the program appears, Hawkins reiterates there are only nine full-time administrative/support staff, which prompts the need for more hired staff to lighten the load. “The goal is to break even. People think we have money to go around, when actually it’s quite the opposite,” Hawkins said. Dolores Guerrero, dean of College of Arts & Sciences, explains which factors weigh in when dispersing funds amongst the college. Guerrero said each departmental program has an established yearly budget,
meaning it stays locked in at a fixed rate. Programs do not receive allocations based on merit. Organizations that may find itself short of a financial goal can submit a request for additional aid to the Office of the Dean, at which time Guerrero will then make a decision at her discretion. “The college budget has different types of funding sources for the various needs. The amounts vary yearly depending on available funding and donations. We [College of Arts & Sciences] have worked at promoting all our programs, faculty, students, and staff through social media, recruitment efforts, and in conjunction with TAMUK Marketing/Communication office highlighting achievements and recognitions. We support all our departments/programs as requested or necessary,” Guerrero said.
Funding Continued on Page 12
Page 9 - Special to The South Texan - May 10, 2018
More Donors, More Championships Buying into the process for athletic success Hector A. Landin Opinion Article In athletics, winning always defines a program. If you don’t win, you won’t be able to fund the necessary needs of each desired athletic program within the university to improve for the future. At Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK), some programs have storied history. Most notably, the football team has won 34 conference championships in their time as a collegiate program. But over recent years, the football team has seen a significant drought in the amounts of wins and losses. In my opinion, a storied history in winning is great, but it can only take you so far. Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation Scott Gines mentioned in order to produce the necessary funds needed to advance the athletic program, you need donor dollars for the funds of the athletic program. I’m not suggesting that you should update every single facility in the athletic complex at TAMUK, but you should update as years go on. It is a process, we understand that, but you must give the athletes their desired needs to compete at a high level. For example, if you’re an athlete you understand the value of an education first and foremost, but when making a decision, you must make the best decision possible for yourself which includes the facilities of the program. Around the Lone Star Conference, many top contenders every single season have first-class facilities and continue to introduce top recruits to their program for winning championships. This will continue for years to come because of the expansion. When head coach of the men’s basketball team Johnny Estelle took the reign four years ago, he had to establish from within. Estelle and his staff went out of their way to upgrade their program by receiving donor dollars to improve their locker room for their future athletes and was able to land
Photo by Frankie Cardenas
Javelina football locker room excellent recruits that would help them win their first ever national tournament game in school history. In the generation we live in, people will always go with the best suitable program for them based on success of the programs and
the first-class facilities. History will always appear on your resume as a program, but if you continue to stay satisfied with it, top rated recruits won’t come along with championships. First, you must establish yourself as a pro-
gram, then, you must get everyone (alumni) to buy into the process with improvements for the future, and then championships will come while upgrading at the same time.
Page 10 - Special To The South Texan - May 10, 2018
Arts Program continues to be isolated, underappreciated at TAMUK
Photo by Frankie Cardenas
The most debated question throughout history Leticia Torres-Alcala Opinion Article A question often asked is whether the arts or athletics programs receive the money they deserve. There is a divide between the sports program and the arts program. They all have people whom support one or the other. So, when the question started getting asked, the students from the arts program and the students from the sports program had their own thoughts. There is an amount of money that each program receives. The most frequently asked question is if the facilities that both the sports program and the arts program have are up to date and to the standard that is needed. Well the students had some opinions and they were ready to be heard. “… Our facilities could definitely use some improvements like better auditoriums and proper
dressing rooms,” Lue Garcia said. There is a divide between these group of students. Yet, there are some students who do participate in either program. The issue that the art program students have is wanting to receive better facilities and more funds to the program. Every student on the campus of Texas A&M-Kingsville (TAMUK) belongs to a group. Lue is one of the students who belongs in the arts program, specifically with the theatre aspect. He believes that the art program doesn’t receive enough money. The facilities used are not up to snuff. “I believe the arts facilities could be improved dramatically. Out of the two theatres spaces there is to use one stage has severely outdated equipment…,” said Kenneth “Ken” Duncan. Ken is as well an arts program student and is a strong believer that the arts is not treated as equally as the sports program. A lot of arts students do believe that the
arts program is very underappreciated and they do not receive enough money for the program. “Absolutely not. I feel as though when it comes to the arts, it’s not really taken seriously on campus by anyone...,” Lue said. The arts seem to be only appreciated by the students who are involved in the programs. Whether the arts and sports are treated equally is something that can be seen within the actual revenue the programs earn and receive. “I do not believe the arts program receives the money or credit it deserves compared to the sports program. With more money filtered into the arts we could improve the quality of the theatre space we work in and possibly get more faculty to help,” Ken said. While some students do believe the programs are treated equally, the arts program is one that is not heard about much. “I don’t know anything about the arts
program,” Kendra Tyler said. Kendra is a geology student at TAMUK and says that she doesn’t really hear about the arts program productions. Although Kendra does believe that the sports and arts are treated equally. The arts program does have a lot of opportunities for scholarships and is just something that people should look for themselves. Yet, the students from the art program do believe that the after-graduation opportunities are hard to find other than the option of teaching. “Overall, I feel like we are a small program with big dreams on growing, so that way people know that we are here at this university. But it’s hard to be taken seriously when the university doesn’t provide equal support like they would with sports for example,” Lue said. It is hard to get the same attention as sports. Arts a very much underappreciated is what many in the arts programs say.
Page 11 - Special to The South Texan - May 10, 2018
Facilities from page 6 the rise is the men’s basketball team under head coach Johnny Estelle. The team came off an historic season. The program was able to secure its first win in program history at the national tournament in Golden, Colo. Senior forward at the time from Alexandria, La., Duan Wright, who was the heartbeat of the team, talked about his experience with the program. “We need to upgrade our facilities that we share with other programs such as the training rooms and weight rooms,” he said. He said that during his time at TAMUK it was hard to get access to treatments because the ice tubs are way too small for the usage of athletes for full body recovery after a tense workout during the season. “You must argue with people to get shots in the gyms after practice hours, and the machines at the recreation center were better than the athletic facilities,” Wright said. He said other schools around the nation have their own way of doing things, with weights or the training facilities with a nutrition plan.
Creative from page 7 at TAMUK is important because of the adaptability and critical thinking skills arts students learn. With this knowledge, they can find success in an array of fields because “having the ability to write, having the ability to be creative, and having the ability to think critically can lead to all kinds of opportunities,” Walker said. Yet, despite the many benefits of participating in an arts organization or getting an arts degree, the A.C.T. Department at TAMUK has seen a slight decrease in its graduation rates. “The graduation decreased from 29 to 28 [percent] over the past academic year between [20]15 to [20]16 to [20]16 to [20]17,” the Chair of the A.C.T. Department Todd Lucas said. But, Lucas believes that the department will see an increase because the communications undergraduate degree was rewritten. With a degree in communications or other arts majors the possibilities of careers are endless. “It [the arts] actually helps you deal or cope and problem solve. All those things are real world skills that you need once you get out of school. In an informal study a few
“We need to invest more money in athletics for success with facilities along with fixing the traveling situation from game to game in Kingsville,” he said. Everyone within the athletic department has their own opinion on what should be done so the Javelinas can stabilize themselves as a prime force in the LSC. Devin Milburn, a wide receiver from League City, Texas, talked about his time while being a part of the football program. “A big thing to help the athletic program is the development of coaching. If you have the right people in charge, you can motivate the laziest player and drive them to become one of the hardest workers,” he said. Milburn added better facilities could help the program, and it would make the players proud to be a part of the university. “When we got the new jerseys, it added excitement to the tradition. By seeing all the great players that have paved the way, it makes us (the players) want to continue the legacy while playing in the toughest confer- Pictured are theater costumes ence in Division II,” he said. While, the improvement of facilities riod, the department experienced a record has played a major role in athletics, the total of TAMUK graduates (311) and congraduation rate of athletes has been stable tinues to maintain a string of consecutive in recent years. Top 100 Learfield Cup (NCAA II) finishes “Most significantly over this time pe- that began in 2012-2013,” he said.
years ago, they found that people with a background in the fine arts are good at coping and problem-solving skills. “Then they started to find out that these people were not getting jobs in the arts fields, but they were getting jobs in other fields and being very successful. So, the question becomes why are people in the ‘arts’ being successful in the business world?” Lucas said Through these opportunities provided from the various art programs available to join or major in at TAMUK, alumni and students are given the chance to learn skills that set them apart. This is what can ultimately lead them to a fulfilling life after college because of the impact participating in the arts can have on one’s life.
Pictured at right is a current practice room in the music building. A new building is currently under consturction at the corner of Armstrong and Santa Gertrudis Streets. Photo by Frankie Cardenas
Photo by Frankie Cardenas
Even though there has been a controversy about the facilities in the department, the graduation of athletes, which is the most important, has been a mainstay for TAMUK.
Page 12 - Special to The South Texan - May 10, 2018 Page 12 - The Special South Texan-May 10, 2018
Funding from Page 8 One professor, all too familiar with budget management, is Corey Ranson, director of theatre activities. He depicts how Athletics is treated similarly to a business rather than an organization. It is an entirely different entity as compared to the theatre program. One example is how Athletics gains revenue from student fees, whereas the theatre program allows students access free of charge and only charges the public to performances. Ranson alludes that in the future, it may be a necessity to start charging students in addition to the public.
Scholarships from Page 5 Scholarships distribution betwen the A.C.T. and sports department to be unfair, other think the distribution is well justified. “I see the allocation to [favor] sport as opposedd to arts. I guess it’s kinda fair because sports does bring in the school a little bit more money. You can allocate more money to what gives you more money. If arts brought in more money, they should allocate more money to them then,” said Levreese Davis, computer engineer major. Davis believes the athletic department has proven that they are desreving of their scholarship funds. “As far as I know, they [Javelina sports] are pretty decent...I think pretty competitive compared to other shcools,” Davis said. “I think it’s a fight whenever they [Javelina sports] go play.”
2016-17 Texas A&M University-Kingsville Student-Athlete Participants SPORT
MEN’S TEAMS
WOMEN’S TEAM
Baseball
41
0
Basketball
18
16
Beach Volleyball
0
12
118
0
Golf
0
7
Softball
0
20
Tennis
0
11
Track&Field/XC Combined
90
63
Cross Country
10
7
Indoor Track-Field
40
28
Outdoor Track-Field
40
28
Volleyball
0
14
Total Participants
267
143
Unduplicated Count of
217
105
67.4%
32.6%
Football
Participants Percentage of Participants
Source: October 2017 EADA Report. Participants reflect those listed on certified squad lists as of the first competition for each sport.
This special section is the result of classroom collaboration between the students of COMM 2310 Media Desing and COMM 3301 Advanced Reporting. The contents and design of this publication were created by Texas A&M University-Kingsville students on behalf of The South Texan. Student disigners include, Mark Medellin, Sophie Meisel, Joseph Aleman, Tello, Priscillacollaboration Estevanes, AarThis special section is theJose result of classroom on Monreal, Emilio Vega, Taylor Guidry, Colby Sims, Darcy Ramirez, Paserare Johnson, Christopher Neal, Jordan Harwell, Domnique between the students of COMM 2310 Media Design and Bradley, and Brittany Gonzalez. COMM 3301 Advanced Reporting. The contents and design of this
publication were created by Texas A&M University-Kingsville students on behalf of The South Texan.
Pictured are students in the Media Design class. They are Emilio Vega, Colby Sims, Jordan Harwell, Priscilla Estevanes, Dominique Bradley, Plaserae Johnson, Darcy Ramirez, Jose Tello, Aaron Monreal, C.R. Neal, Sophie Meisel, Joseph Aleman and Mark Medellin. Not pictured are Taylor Guidry and Brittany Gonzalez.