The South Texan Vol. 97 Issue 3

TheSouthTexan.com

Texas

Award-Winning Student

TAMUK sees 19 percent freshmen increase

Overall decline in enrollment persists

Ronni Reyna | Editor-in-Chief chief.editor@thesouthtexan.com

Texas A&M Universi ty-Kingsville (TAMUK) has experienced a decline in enrollment beginning before the COVID-19 pan

demic and continuing af ter.

Since the decline start ed the university has in troduced new programs for current, incoming and transfer students to aid enrollment numbers, and maintain dual enrollment agreements with area schools.

This fall TAMUK saw a 19 percent increase in the freshmen class, an increase Assistant Vice

President for Enrollment Management and Pro fessor of Music Dr. Darin Hoskisson calls historic.

For the fall of 2021, 896 students were enrolled as freshmen. In the fall 2022, the number increased to a preliminary 1,068 stu dents.

“While our overall en rollment was down, we did have some positives in enrollment. For example, TAMUK experienced a

significant increase in new freshmen this year. We had a 19 percent increase over last year,” he said. “We experienced historic growth with our fresh men class this year, but if we don’t ensure these students are successfully progressing to their next year, our enrollment will continue to decline.”

Hoskisson says the university’s greatest chal lenge comes with its con

tinuing students - sopho mores, juniors and seniors.

“Our retention rate was lower than the previous year and we were down almost across the board on continuing students. That is really where our enrollment decline came from,” Hoskisson said.

TAMUK President Dr. Robert Vela has a positive outlook on enrollment.

“The increase is a clear indication that the en

hanced efforts of our re cruiters, faculty and the work of our admissions team are working,” he said. “We have also spent much of the last year re-connecting with area high schools and com munity colleges to better serve the students in our region. Texas A&M-Kings ville is an outstanding university, and we have much to offer students. A

Student by day, entrepreneur by night

TAMUK freshman takes on fashion industry

The dark color of the pencil lead left behind in scribbles was all that was visible from the table, where countless journals of design ideas were scat tered across it. Around his father’s classroom, paint ings and artwork hung everywhere, not a plain white wall in sight.

Growing up around so much art and inspira tion, Texas A&M Univer sity-Kingsville freshman Trent Garcia has always been drawn to fashion, which took front and cen ter as an outlet for his cre ativity.

Gathering inspiration from his father, Bishop High School (BHS) Art Teacher Bobby Garcia and the late Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton’s Mens wear Collection Virgil Abloah, Garcia came up with the idea to start his own clothing line, ANT CREW, during his sopho more year of high school.

While BHS is a rather small school, first day –

and year–jitters still ul timately existed for the freshman Trent Garcia.

“When I went to high school, I didn’t know any body, which was pretty daunting. What I figured out was that I could speak through my clothes, in stead of directly talking to people,” he said. “I would try dressing as crazy as I could, which got me atten tion.”

Now, three years later, ANTCREW is taking Bish op High School and sur rounding areas by storm.

Trent’s goal for his clothing line is to become a well-known fashion brand in the future and to provide accessible fashion for everybody.

“I think of fashion as a form of art. You have paintings and music that are easy to access, but if you want to be a part of fashion it sometimes takes a lot of money,” he said. “I want ANTCREW to be a brand that can be accessi ble for any and everybody who wants to get into and be in fashion.”

As rain begins to fall, streets and yards start to flood with the nonstop downpour. People and animals alike all scram ble for sanction from the ever-surging water, only thinking of themselves.

Among the puddles of water, red patches can be seen from afar. At clos er inspection it becomes clear that they are not just splotches of red: it’s a form of unity only seen from ants, never leaving each other and helping one an other in times of need.

That message of unity and inclusivity is what ANTCREW as a whole strives for. These small creatures inspired Trent with their undying unifi cation, which is where he got the idea for his cloth ing line’s name.

“We consider ANT CREW an extension of

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Museum present masa, music and more

Conner’s Tamalada Festival draws a crowd

The smell of tamales was in the air, the echo of an accordion heard from down the street, people yelling “Jalisco” with the sound of corn grinding, some nostalgic but new sounds you can find at The Conner E. Museum’s first Tamalada Festival.

Held on Sept. 24, the Tamalada Festival is a cultural activity created to inform everyone in atten dance about Hispanic her itage and the importance of keeping traditions alive all while having fun and enjoying tamales.

“Tamaladas are the coming together of fam ilies where they make tamales. For South Texas and Hispanic culture in

general, food, family and tradition are the kinds of things that build upon what Hispanic heritage is,” Director of Conner Museum Kathy Pawelek said. “We wanted to create an event here where the entire Kingsville commu nity could feel at home.”

The event kicked off with a corn grinding demonstration given by Dr. Marco Íñiguez-Alba. As he was demonstrating, he was also explaining the importance of its origins in relation to Hispanic cul ture now.

The educational demon stration was followed by a game of Loteria Javelina, hosted by Texas A&M Uni versity – Kingsville (TA MUK) Staff Council. The popular game packed the house and was followed by many more exciting events like student poem readings, a best boots contest and an interactive masa spreading demon stration given by sopho more Cielo Saenz.

“I participated in the demonstration because I saw it as a way to spread my culture because I really like it,” Saenz said. “I find it really fun and having the opportunity to tell oth ers about it was an honor.”

Saenz explained that one of her professors reached out to her to ask if she wanted to do the masa spreading demonstration. She saw it as an opportuni ty to participate in events to get herself out there.

Families in attendance also got to hear from Joey Villanueva y Su Conjunto.

The celebration didn’t stop outdoors. It continued indoors with a children’s coloring and craft station, a photography exhibit, and a story time at the top of every hour. Guests also got to enjoy free food and refreshments.

The festival could not have taken place with out the contributions of Pawelek, Cynthia Vidaurri with the Smithsonian In stitute, and student and

faculty volunteers.

“I kind of oversaw [the event], but we did have a lot of people doing a lot of things,” Pawelek said. “I worked with each of the groups that were coor dinating things, worked through the logistics, but overall, it was a group ef

fort.”

Pawelek also accredits Senior Administrative Coordinator Cindy Vil lalon for helping out and making sure the event ran smoothly.

The festival took place during TAMUK Family

our own family unit. I feel that when someone takes the time to purchase an ANTCREW product, they are essentially joining the

ANTCREW family,” Bob by said. With the brand still in

Submitted Photo

Trent Garcia in an ANTCREW shirt.

See Enrollment, Pg 8

See ANTCREW, Pg 8

Submitted Photo

Trent Garcia shows of his ANTCREW tattoo in ANTCREW apparel.

Rae Martinez

Managing Editor

Sarah Reyna | Campus Editor

Submitted Photo

Shirts and hoodies adorned with the ANTCREW logo.

Jessica Tijerina

Students participate in corn grinding Tamalada activity

Javelinas rallying for pro-choice

Professor starts pro-choice club

Sarah Reyna | Campus Editor

In 1973, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade recognized that the decision whether to con tinue or end a pregnancy belongs to the individu al, not the government.

Roe held the specif ic guarantee of “liber ty” in the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which pro tects individual privacy, including the right to abortion prior to fetal vi ability, according to the Center of Reproductive Right’s website.

Now, 49 years lat

er, the Supreme Court overturned that right and gave each state the choice to deem abortion legal or illegal. Follow ing the overturning, Tex as Governor Greg Abbott issued a trigger law, that banned abortions with a few exceptions after the Court’s ruling. Natural ly, people were upset about losing their right to bodily autonomy.

As a result of Abbott’s decision, Texas A&M University – Kingsville has started a pro-choice club, called Pro-Choice Javelinas and is advised by Associate Professor and Chair of the Depart ment of History, Political Science and Philosophy Dr. Jeffrey Glick.

Following the May 2 leak of the Supreme

Court’s decision, Glick stayed up to read the government document that claimed the court case would be over turned and knew he had to do something after teaching abortion ethics in his classes for 20 years.

“I felt obligated to do something, to actually create change in the law and politics surrounding the world,” Glick said. “My main goal is to teach students how to argue their case in a persuasive and rational way, in or der to persuade others to agree with their posi tion.”

Although it is a prochoice club, it is non-par tisan and does not ad vocate for any political party. The club believes abortion should be a

protected right, up to a certain point in one’s pregnancy.

As of now, the club has approximately 20 members, with Anis sa Hirle serving as club president, who believes her life experiences have pushed her in a direction where she wants to lead and inform.

“When Roe v. Wade was overturned, I was scared for my bodily au tonomy,” Hirle said. “I want the club to become a place where people can be properly informed about abortion and can offer support to those who need it.”

Like Glick and Hir le, club member Francis Villareal knew what was going on with the Su preme Court and want

ed to help in whichever way he could. This re sulted in him joining the pro-choice club.

“I was a student here last semester when stu dents rallied and protest ed against sexual assault on campus. Witnessing Roe v. Wade getting over turned was something I felt was unfair,” Villare

al said. “I wanted to see what the club was about and what I could do to help.”

Pro-Choice Javelinas meet at 3 p.m. every Wednesday in Rhode Hall, Room 333. For more information about the club, contact Dr. Glick at jeffrey.glick@ta muk.edu.

Curtains rise at the Little Theater

Greasy Exorcist, Supers to be performed

Nadia Hernandez | Contributing Writer

The Texas A&M Uni versity – Kingsville’s (TAMUK) drama pro gram has officially be gun production for its two fall shows: Greasy Exorcist and Supers, after days of auditions run by Communication major

Erica Garcia Ginnett and Psychology major Zariah Dodds.

Supers is a drama writ ten and directed by Gin nett. It tells the tale of a boy named Cahl, the kill er of several superheroes and the archnemesis of the hero Magnanimous.

Along with Supers, TAMUK Little Theatre is also producing Greasy Exorcist, written by Pro fessor Patrick Faherty and directed by Dodds.

Greasy Exorcist is a parody of Grease that fo

cuses on the characters Satan and Coach Ino as Satan and his demons attempt to possess multi ple students.

Unlike Supers, Greasy Exorcist is meant to be an R-rated performance similar to the theatre’s previous Aladdin and Star Wars plays.

Both Ginnett and Dodds began auditions on Sept. 6 for both fall shows.

“So, for me, the audi tions have been going fine because I only need

one female and a bunch of men, which is all that we’ve gotten,” Ginnett said.

Because of the lack of women auditioning, Dodds ran into problems of her own.

“It’s a little difficult because I need four girls and one guy […] we have a bunch of men and only one girl,” Dodds said. “Since my script can get a little intense, I feel that it’s going to scare some of the women.”

Both women then re

iterated that the play was meant for college students, and not for the reserved.

“It’s definitely inter esting to see everybody come and give their best,” Dodds said. “You do notice the people that are really timid and shy from the people that are super confident and just ready to give it all.”

Supers will be per formed Nov. 6 to 8 and Greasy Exorcist will be performed Nov. 20 to 22.

Times for the show

ings will be 7:30 p.m. Currently, there are plans for Alpha Psi Omega, the TAMUK Theatre Honor Society, to partake in the Fall Carnival as well as Trunk or Treat.

APO also has plans to either host a haunt ed house or help the Boys and Girls Club host theirs. Two Spring shows for next semester are already in the works: The Children’s Show and a historical drama written by Faherty.

CAB searching for new members

Tyler Larraga |Student Body President

The Campus Activities Board (CAB) is looking for new members for the upcoming school year.

CAB is in charge of programming many different events around Texas A&M Universi ty-Kingsville. The events around campus varies from the events being re laxing or extremely filled with excitement.

“Over the past few weeks, we have recruit ed over 10 new members from the Student Orga nization and Depart ment Fair during Hoggie Days. CAB is excited to welcome our new mem bers in hopes that we can accomplish the goals that we will be setting at our retreat,” CAB Exec utive Director Carmela Martinez said.

If you are interested in being a part of CAB

or want to know more information about the organization, you can al ways contact the advisor or any member of CAB.

The advisor is Juli anne Gomez and you can reach her by email, which is julianne.go mez@tamuk.edu.

The CAB office is lo cated at the Memorial Student Union Building, Room 203, right next to the Student Government offices.

“CAB seems like a fun organization to be a part of. I always see them hosting really cool events around campus and everyone seems to enjoy them because I know I do. I would say that if you are thinking of joining, just do it be cause being involved on campus is so important,” senior Jacqueline Garcia said.

Being involved on campus is something that is truly fun and exciting, as it will lead you to meet new friends and build relations with many faculty and staff as well.

CAB is an organiza tion that would be great if a student is curious as to what organization to join. There will be many opportunities to speak or meet CAB over the school year.

“Joining an organiza tion here at Texas A&M University-Kingsville is such a lifetime experi ence. After I joined some organizations here on campus, I started to feel more like I belonged here, so I deeply encour age students to join an organization that you feel more comfortable with.” senior Julieanna Chavarria said.

Jessica Tijerina

Families and students playing BINGO during Family Weekend.

Jessica Tijerina

Jalisco! Students play Loteria with thier families during the festival

Jessica Tijerina Little Oscar’s World Champion WBC belt.

Jessica Tijerina

Javelina fans, students and families fill the stands during the Family Weekend football game.

Jessica Tijerina

A live band plays the accordian during the festival.

Review: Andor, the return of an old face

New Disney+ show brings back Cassian Andor

Spoilers Ahead

The expectations I had for this show were low but I am happy to say that I was dead wrong. The new Star Wars show titled “Andor” had a three-episode debut to Disney+ on Sept. 21 and it was amazing.

It follows the story of Cassian Andor five years before his mis sion during the movie “Rouge One.” We are introduced to a whole new cast of people and

the problems that will plague our characters.

Before I continue, I would like to warn you that I will dive into spoil ers so turn back while you still can.

The first episode dives right into action and gives us information about what kind of mis sion Andor is on. The mission is an attempt to find his missing sister.

Of course, this is not as easy as it sounds since Andor gets in trouble with some guards who bully him and in turn he accidentally kills one which leads him into purposefully shooting the other. Now Andor has turned into a crimi nal.

This event also intro duces us to Syril Karn,

an officer who is in over his head, on a mission to bring justice for the death of his fellow offi cers. It becomes a story of a man trying to figure out what happened to his sister while being on the run from the law and it has been executed well so far.

Disney+ has not had the best track re cord when it comes to the visual effects and backgrounds as seen in their other projects like “Moon Knight” and “She-Hulk.” In spite of this, I was amazed by the effects and worlds that surrounded our charac ters.

From forests that are covered with plant life to massive landscapes covered with junk from

old ships. It gave us a good representation of what everyday life could be like for some of the people who live on the planet.

An example of that is the marketplace we see frequently throughout the three episodes. It was a cluster of people and shops that do not look like they have fancy foods or products which may just be what they can find and make.

It is something we see often in the Star Wars franchise, the poor com munities and how they have unfamiliar cultures and ways of life.

The first episodes are a solid eight out of 10, and I am really excited to see what the next episodes have in store for us.

Review: The Mountain Goats hits 21 studio albums

The Mountain Goats release their new album, “Bleed Out”

California indie group

The Mountain Goats are coming in hot with the release of their 21st stu dio album “Bleed Out” which released on Aug. 19.

This album is some what of a departure from the band’s earlier releases, with the group fully committing to a backing band that was

introduced with 2017’s album, “Goths,” rather than the singer/song writer and lo-fi origins that lead and founding member John Darnielle had established in the ’90s.

The key difference between “Bleed Out” and other The Moun tain Goats releases is the use of the electric guitar, which had previ ously been a rare sight throughout the group’s discography.

Despite this addition, all of the classic elements that characterize The Mountain Goats’ album are still present in all fac ets of the album.

“Training Montage,” the lead single off the

album, sounds like a track that portrays just that with the starts and stops laid throughout the song, which reminds me of scene changes in a movie.

“Mark on You,” which has to be my favorite track off of the album, is a catchy tune that explores ideas such as trust, family and growth.

“Wage Wars Get Rich Die Handsome” is an explosive track that has more in common with punk rock instead of folk and indie music, and this is a welcome change of pace from the group’s es tablished sound.

Lyrically, the album portrays different char acters through a pes simistic lens. Overall,

this album is sure to please hardcore fans of the group by exploring different sides of their sound as well as new comers such as myself who might be more in terested in the harsher, louder sounds presented in this album.

“Bleed Out” is anoth er steppingstone on The Mountain Goats explor ative journey.

Darnielle and com pany have churned out some of the catchiest tunes of the past two de cades and they show no sign of slowing down. With 21 studio albums under their belt, I’m placing my bets on more quality albums coming soon from The Mountain Goats.

How to Adult: Candidate Research

Time to research who you plan to vote for

hurt to do a bit of re search on the candidates in your area alongside those that’ll be repre senting and looking after Texas as a whole.

Registering for the abil ity to vote is one of the most important things someone can do to flex their rights and power to determine what happens in the government.

Once you’ve been reg istered then all you need to do is head to your designated polling lo cation on election day. There are other ways to prepare for the upcom ing election that aren’t as vital as voter registration but are still just as inte gral to getting the most out of your future.

It’s dangerous to vote blindly even if you loose ly affiliate with the party or person that you plan on voting for. It doesn’t

Some candidates have websites that state their intentions and may po tentially have links to the organizations that they affiliate with.

Others may not have such readily available resources so some more legwork will need to be done like getting some perspective from people you know or by finding a flier.

Fliers will often be sent out to advocate for a spe cific candidate and those may provide valuable in formation and a way to contact their team. Like receiving a flier in the mail, you may also find yourself receiving emails from different candidate teams so that’ll also pro vide you with informa tion.

Closer to election sea son sees campaign post ers littering the roadside which will normally give you the name of a can didate and what they’re running for. If you’re unsure about the posi tion mentioned, it’d be a good idea to investigate that as well in order to have a more informed vote.

It may be a lot of work and time for something as easy to do as filling in a blank circle but it’s a decision that carries some heavy weight with it.

Knowing who you’re voting for, what they be lieve in and what posi tion they plan on holding is going to affect not just you but other people in your community.

You don’t need to learn everything there is to know about a candidate, but even having a rough idea will let you get the most out of your right to decide.

AaronCarbajal| Contributing Writer

FrankVillarreal| Entertainment Editor entertainment.editor@thesouthtexan. com

AdanBotello| Contributing Writer

Image from starwars.com.

Image from rollingstone.com

The Javelina Ball Boy, a sideline player

The student behind TAMUK’s iiiiii footballs

Melissa Mata | Reporter

It’s four hours before kickoff and not a single chant has begun at Pepsi Field Javelina Stadium. Luke Guzzetta has ar rived and has all equip ment up and ready to go before the players have even stepped foot onto Javelina grounds.

A redshirted freshman from the small town of Fulshear just west of Houston, a city whose love of football was bigger than the state of Texas, Guzzetta came to A&M Kingsville in hopes of playing on the field, and manages to get

field time in a way he never thought of.

“I love football, so be ing on the field as the ball boy is as close as I’m getting for now, so that’s what I’m doing,” Guzzetta said.

During practices, Guzzetta plays with the scout team, but during games he has a different title: Ball Boy.

The Javelina scout team is a group of foot ball players who act as the opposing team during practices.

They get the regular rotating players who play during the game ready for their upcom ing opponents. Guzetta’s role as a ball boy comes with a lot of responsibil ity.

“We get everything ready before the game. We set up the kickers’ net, get balls checked before the game to make

sure they have the right amount of air and any thing else we can do to make it easier for the players and coaches,” Guzzetta said.

Having Guzzetta as the ball boy helps the game run both effective ly and efficiently.

“It gives coaches and players less to worry about, because we know that there will always be good balls for prac tices and games. With less to worry about we can focus more on our techniques and the game plan for the team we are going against that week,” offensive line man Moses Horn III said. “He’s doing a fantastic job. As center, I have not yet had to complain or hear a complaint about the condition of the balls or the equipment that we use. He might not hear it as much from players

and coaches that we ap preciate [him], but we do appreciate him. He is one of the many reasons we have had a good start to the season so far.”

Although being a ball boy seems fairly easy, Guzzetta explains the many factors that make it an extremely studious task.

“We should always have four balls in hand at a time. Two of the balls are ours and the other two are the opponents,” Guzzetta said. “It’s im portant because if they didn’t have a ball out on the field then they would have to pause the game, find the ball, but having us out there makes ev erything run faster and smoothly.”

A ball boys’ job is im portant to many of the players out on the field,

Defensive Graduate As sistant Coach Stephen Reeves said.

“The conditions of the footballs are important to the quarterback’s abil ity to throw an accurate pass and for the special ist to have consistent punts, kicks and snaps. They help out in all as pects of equipment on and off the field,” Reeves said.

At times the weather does affect Guzzetta’s routine. He states ball boys are expected to have footballs in perfect condition no matter the circumstance.

“If it rains, we have to change out the balls al most every five minutes and make sure we have towels to dry them up, before giving a ball to the referees,” Guzzetta said.

Reeves states the ball boy’s work is to keep the footballs prepared in a specific way, to stay alert and to keep the game moving. The redshirted player continues to pro duce work recognized by both coaches and players. Guzzetta’s love for the game allows oth ers to love the game just as much, maybe more. The buzzer sounds… and the Javelinas have won the game. As the Javelinas head to the locker room to cele brate another win, left is Guzzetta who packs up the winning football, throws a bulky royal blue bag over his shoul der and walks it back to the equipment area. He heads home from anoth er Javelina victory after the last player has left the locker room.

Melissa Mata

Guzzetta shaking hands with a referee during the football game.

Melissa Mata

Javelina Football’s ball boy, Luke Guzzetta, holding footballs during the game.

Javelinas ; bring back big time win

Salinas leads team to victory

ChrisOlivarez| Senior Reporter

The Javelinas faced their first Lone Star Con ference (LSC) opponent West Texas A&M on Sat urday Sept. 24. With the history between the two teams favoring West Tex as A&M, many people believed that they would once again be victori ous against the Javeli nas much like they have years prior.

However, going into this game two things were at stake, the Jave linas’ perfect start to the year and the Buffaloes’ 14th ranked position in the top 25 teams in the country for D2 college football. The Javelinas jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the game with a rushing touchdown by Christian Anderson and a 52-yard field goal by kicker Gilbert Garza.

The Buffaloes would answer back with 10 points of their own mak ing it a 10-10 game at halftime. It was here that the game could have gone either way and it all depended on which team wanted it the most. In the second half Ja cob Cavazos connected to Walker Ring for 10 yards and a touchdown to break the tie in favor of the Javelinas. The Ja velina defense remained as strong as they did in previous games forcing teams to resort to punt ing the ball away and giving the offense more opportunities to score.

“I believe we per formed well; we started fast as we planned. We just have to tackle the football better, and clean up our play in situational football,” defensive back Amos Coleman said.

This opened the door for the Javelina offense to gain possession of the ball and capped off an over two-minute drive with another rushing touchdown by Anderson to bring the score to 2410. After the Buffaloes fumbled the ball and gave possession back to the Javelinas, it allowed the offense to take some time off the clock before ultimately punting the ball back.

The Buffaloes would capitalize on this with one play that went for 32 yards and a touchdown chipping away at the lead the Javelinas had built. After a turnover, the Buffaloes once again took advantage of this and would tie the game 24-24 nearing the end of the third quarter.

Despite the high offen sive production, the of fense for TAMUK were penalized five times for a total of 50 yards.

“We just need to lock in on the little things day in and day out and at the end of the day it’s about execution,” Cavazos said. The Javelinas did overcome their penalties and ultimately won the game 31-24.

The game was won in all phases of the game as all games should. The defense executed in key moments giving the of fense prime opportuni ties to capitalize. Along with this, one of the bet ter special teams units in the conference run by coach John Cotton took care of the hidden plays that count toward the end.

“As long we execute in all three phases offense, defense, and special teams and stay together as a group and work on the little things as much as the big things [we will be successful],” wide re ceiver and punt returner Craig Clemons said.

Allen-Gonzalez for 200 wins

Another milestone for decorated coach

Head Coach Tanya Al len-Gonzalez has been leading the Javelinas on the volleyball court for 12 years now and on Sept. 17, she led the team in a victory over Western New Mexico to earn her 200th victory in the pro gram,

“I haven’t really been keeping up with my to tal wins, so I was a little caught off guard,” coach Allen-Gonzalez said. “It was very exciting and an honor. I got to do it in front of family mem bers so that made it even more exciting and I’m just very proud.”

Coach Allen-Gonzalez was a three-year starter as a New Mexico State Aggie where she had much success as a play er and now, she has had her success as a Javelina leading up to this point, cementing her as one of the most decorated coaches in this program’s long history of athletics.

Names of high valor have been through this university and since she stepped on this campus in 2011 and up until now, she has commanded the respect of her athletes and other athletic pro grams that have to deal with a Coach Allen-Gon zalez led team.

In 2018, the coach re cruited Nicole Murff out of San Antonio, one of the best defenders in the LSC (Lone Star Conference) for the past four years now. Murff is one of many athletes coached to multiple All-LSC First Team se lections in her career by Coach Allen-Gonzalez. Murff has been coached hard since year one and expressed that she is al ways pushed to do bet ter than her best.

“Every year I’ve been here she tells me more things to reach my full potential,” Murff said. “She constantly tells me what I need to do and how to be a leader in or der to reach my full po tential.”

Leading the volley

ball program to its first NCAA South Central Regional Tournament appearance in 2016 was not enough for Coach Allen-Gonzalez. In that same year, the Hogs posted the most wins in a season in program his tory with 26, while the year prior she achieved being the all-time most winning coach in this program with her 69th win in a sweep over St. Mary’s. In spring 2021, coach Allen-Gonzalez led the team to its first perfect season and its first LSC South Division Championship. Coach was asked on what more there is to accomplish for such a decorated career, and she expressed that there is much to do.

“We want an LSC Championship and a chance at the NCAA ti tle,” Coach Allen-Gon zalez said. “We dream big here and we want to keep climbing.”

In that same 2021 sea son, the Javelinas rose to the No. 6 ranked na tional team with five players being selected to All-Conference.

While coaching the team to this point, 2021 was also the year she re cruited Middle Blocker Ayanna Jackson out of Harlan in San Antonio. While being coached by Allen-Gonzalez, she turned into one of the best freshmen in pro gram history. She would earn LSC Freshman of the Year and this pro gram’s first ever LSC De fensive Player of the Year becoming just the second Javelina to earn multiple end of the season awards in the same season. When recruited to the Javelinas, Jackson found some difficulty on the road to success but knows it’s all for the suc cess of this team. “It was hard at first to under stand how technical she was with every position and play,” Jackson said.

“Now that I’ve been here, I understand this is all a part of the game.”

Coach has seen many women come through her program and has led 30 total All-Conference selections on the court, along with a couple of All-American selections.

“She is by far my fa vorite coach of all-time,” Murff said. “Her energy is amazing, and she is just a great person.”

This year, Coach Al len-Gonzalez along with the other coaches on campus, are zoned in on having this be one of the most successful years across the board in a long time. The com munity is coming out in full force and you can see every team support ing each other at games more than ever.

Coach Allen-Gonza lez and her team show up in full to support the football team on Satur day while Head Football Coach Michael Salinas makes sure the Javeli nas show up to the SPEC to support volleyball.

Coach Allen-Gonzalez is ready to contribute fur ther to the success of this year with her and her team ready for anything.

“We have a really spe cial group,” she said. “They’re super compet itive and just good kids that want to do the right thing and make us all proud.”

New cheer coach for the Javelinas

Roach bringing energy to the Javelinas

LaryssaSalinas| Contributing Writer

Molly Roach started her first-year last year as the head coach for the Javelina cheer team. Howev er, this was her first season picking the team she wanted.

Roach has an exten sive cheer background. She cheered in high school and competed in all-star cheerleading.

Prior to cheering she also did gymnastics.

After high school Roach went on to cheer at Silver Rock University on both the co-ed and allgirl cheer teams. While cheering in college she coached her high school cheer team.

Prior to coaching at Texas A&M Universi ty-Kingsville, she also coached at Millersville University of Pennsyl vania and Indiana Uni versity of Pennsylvania. She has coached all-star cheer teams in both Pennsylvania and Texas.

Roach said her family first moved to Kingsville after her husband got the executive athletic direc tor position four years ago.

“We’ve had a great ex perience here in Kings

ville, I absolutely love Ja velina Nation, and how much pride the school has,” she said. “And I also love cheer so to be able to be a part of this was really a dream come true.”

Roach said her goal for this season is to compete in the spirit rally which is a virtual cheer com petition. Last year they competed and got fourth out of 12 teams, so her goal for this year is to be in the top three.

The team is starting early this year and are working hard to accom plish this. Being success ful in this competition can result in getting a bid to Dayton, Fla., to com pete at the NCA national competition, as seen in the Netflix series Cheer.

Senior cheerleader

and returner Alex Gon zalez says the team is happy with their coach.

“Molly is eager to teach us the skills that she knows about,” she said.

Gonzalez also went on to say it helps to have someone coach them who has had cheer in their background for a long time, so they can be successful.

“My goal this year is to get the city on board, we want the eyes to be on us and we want everyone to see we’re here work ing hard, getting up ear ly, doing the workouts, we’re putting the time in, and we’re ready to be recognized and given the chance to show ev eryone what we’re made of,” Gonzalez said.

Roach was able to

hold tryouts and pick the team that she wanted this year.

“Our cheer team did shrink significantly but one thing I’m really proud of is our entire team has a back hand spring or better, tum bling wise, and it is something this program has not had potentially ever, so I really feel like we’re upping the skill level,” she said.

In prior years, the returners were able to make the team without having to tryout, and any newcomers wish ing to join just needed to send in a video showing off their skills.

Freshman and new comer Branton Rainey felt welcomed by the team.

“This is my first year

cheering ever, so it is very new compared to other sports I have participat ed in,” Rainey said. “But coming in everyone has been so open and wel coming and helping me learn everything so fast, and so supportive”

The Javelina cheer team has already started their busy year. Roach is also currently serving as interim director of the Rec.

Jessica Tijerina

Craig Clemons brings in the sideline grab

Javelina Athletics

Tanya Allen-Gonzalez and team in huddle

DylanSanchez

Javelina Athletics

Head Coach Tanya Allen-Gonzalez celebrates 200th win with Athletic Director Steve Roach

Jessica Tijerina

Molly Roach

Our Opinion

Vote like your life depends on it, because it does

The gubernatorial election of Texas is weeks away, and it’s time to vote for the future of Texas. It is important to remember why we vote. Voting is the most important thing a U.S. citizen can do.

It is a civic duty. When we vote, we are collectively picking someone to govern and lead us for several years. And with many of those elected into office serving multiple consecutive terms, they could gov ern us for decades. Choosing who you want to lead the state and country is a privilege.

Before anything, individuals need to find out what elections are coming up and who is running. This is a necessary step as we want to vote for some one who has the same ideas and values as us since they will be the ones to represent us. Voting is a key issue in the way people live. Not only does it affect the people who vote, it also affects their communi ty.

Texas now faces a tight gubernatorial election with incumbent Greg Abbott and former U.S. Rep resentative Beto O’Rourke. An election most in the state perceive as life changing.

Following the Uvalde school shooting and the al most total abortion ban in the state, Texans are voic ing their opinions more than ever, in what some in dividuals believe to be a life or death election year.

It is no surprise to see that presidential elections are the ones to draw the most attention. While it is great that individuals are going out and voting for whom they want as president, they also need to be on the lookout for midterm and other local elec tions. Every election matters.

Though you may feel comfortable backing your political party, blind party loyalty should never dic tate the candidate for whom you vote. Vote for the candidate you believe will make change. Vote for a candidate you think Texas deserves to have.

Your vote counts. Your vote is just as equal as ev eryone else’s.

As a college student it’s important to pay attention to your election cycles; we are the future and who we elect will impact our generation as we graduate and move into the job market.

If you wish to seek change, vote. Your vote is your voice.

Why you should ‘Treat Yo-Self’ from time to time

Taking care of your mental health plays a vital role in being suc cessful in college. I am in my fourth year be ing a full-time college student and it has not been easy.

However, what gets me through the tough days is making sure that my mental health is tak en care of, if not there is no way I could be suc

cessful in my classes.

Some ways that I take care of myself or “treat myself” is making sure that I always have my morning coffee and/ or breakfast to get me through the morning classes. Being hungry while in class can dis tract you from learning. So, buy that $7 Starbucks coffee and breakfast taco.

Another way I take care of myself is relax ing once a month after a long school day. I usu ally schedule a massage once a month to get my mind off everything go ing on for at least an hour. Not only does this

benefit you mentally but physically as well. It can help improve knots you may have in your back or neck and relieve any stress you have been feeling.

Lastly, find something that you genuinely love doing and spend at least an hour or two doing this. If it is taking a long walk by yourself or play ing with your puppy or just something as sim ple as watching Netflix in bed, squeeze that in for an hour to two every week and you will have something to look for ward to.

Making sure your class work is done and up to par is very import ant, but always make sure that you take care of yourself. If you do not take care of yourself, your work may not be as great as you would like, or you may not be as successful in a class as you would have liked due to being stressed out or overwhelmed. If you do find yourself feeling like this, do not get discouraged. All college students feel the same way at some point of their college journey. However, do not forget to treat yo-self.

Serena Slam, a tennis inspiration to all

The journey of Serena Williams began at the age of four when she first picked up a tennis racquet. She and her sis ter Ve nus were coached by both her par ents, Oracene and Rich ard, at a young age.

Like the Williams sis ters, I was also coached by my father when I first started playing ten nis. Serena was always one of the biggest con

tributors in tennis. I still very consciously remem ber watching her play against Maria Shara pova, one of William’s biggest rivals, as a child and thinking, “Wow she looks so strong.”

Serena was extremely tough and an aggressive player. She liked play ing big. She had big and heavy strokes and an even bigger serve which would always give her the upper hand in the sport. I also loved Serena a tad bit more than other players because she was sponsored by Wilson, a racquet brand, like I was.

As a junior, I worked on getting better and dominating on the court

like Serena and attempt ed my very own “Serena Slam,” which is when Serena Williams wins all four Grand Slams in a row. My attempt was with smaller tour naments and fortunate ly for me, I was able to win four singles events in a row as a U-16 Ju nior. I followed Serena’s training in the summers when I had more time with my coaches. My coach at that time was a big fan of Serena as well and would often show me videos of her playing to help me understand specific techniques.

Serena is one of the most inspirational ath letes of all time. She is a daughter, sister, friend, wife and tennis legend.

With 23 grand slams in her pocket, she has used her platform for many business ventures which also makes her a success ful businesswoman. She is strong-willed and she stood up for what she believed in. Her domi nance in tennis was un matched. Like myself, she inspired and helped many young tennis play ers.

On Sept. 2, Serena played her last profes sional tennis match at the U.S. Open in Flush ing, N.Y. It was an end of a beautiful and strong reign. Serena will al ways be remembered as the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). The world of tennis will never be the same without her.

Coping and counseling: It’s not what you think it is

This year, I decided to go back to counseling, meaning yes, I have tried it once prior. My current experi ence with counsel ing is sig nificantly different from the one I had previous ly and has changed my per spective on the benefits of counseling dramati cally.

There are common misconceptions about counseling, like patients need to be “broken” to go or that someone who

has not gone through the same experiences cannot understand what someone seeking help is going through. The idea of seeking help has been stereotyped as some thing negative and stig matized as a last resort to handle emotional aware ness and regulation. However, these ideas are false.

One benefit of coun seling is being provid ed with different per spectives. Now let’s get one thing straight: this doesn’t make certain points of views right and others wrong. A coun selor’s job is not to tell you what you want to hear, but instead what you need to hear. Their unbiased training and

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experience are meant to advise you to keep an open mind about all sit uations and remember that there is more to one side of sense-making in every story.

Another benefit to counseling is that it has the potential to better one’s emotional expres sion. Counselors are not only trained to give ad vice, but to help patients actively set goals and practice ways to achieve those goals. Many of these goals can be relat ed to managing emo tions like anger, attach ment issues, stress, etc.

Some counselors even go above and beyond and have print-out handouts and homework ready to go for their patients to

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work on until their next visit.

A third benefit to counseling is that a pa tient can leave feeling a greater sense of self and purpose. Patients may begin their mental health journey unsure of who they are or what di rection they want to take their life in, but counsel ing allows them the op portunity to look at op tions for their next steps towards their future.

Everyone can ben efit from counseling, regardless of their men tal state. Counseling is meant to guide you, not tell you what to do and in the end, it is up to us to decide whether or not to run with the advice we’re given.

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The South Texan, Manning Hall 165, Texas A&M University-Kings ville Kingsville, Texas 78363

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

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The South Texan is a student

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Raina Zaffar Contributing Writer

its early stages and coming from a college student’s budget, Trent’s line is cur rently only commission ing t-shirts and hoodies. However, as ANTCREW grows bigger, so do his hopes and goals.

“[Within the next five to 10 years] I want to have a fashion house es tablished somewhere in Texas and be putting out new things,” Trent said. “Maybe in 10 years I’d like to have our first fashion show, too. I have a bunch of stuff for that planned

From Enrollment, Pg 1

Texas A&M-Kingsville ed ucation can have a trans formational impact on our students and their fam ilies, and we are excited that more than 1,000 new first-year students have chosen to continue their education at TAMUK.”

The university also oversees dual enrollment programs with a total of 1270 students enrolled in dual credit course for the fall 2021 and 2022 se mesters. The university currently maintains dual enrollment agreements with Santa Gertrudis, Be navides, Bishop, Brooks County, Kingsville, Riv iera, Macedonian Chris tian Academy, Premont, Presbyterian Pan Amer

From Tamalada Pg 1

Weekend and was open to the public. Students and parents were able to enjoy an exciting and education al event.

“I came out to this event with my son and to see what it was all about,”

TAMUK parent Abigail Rivera said. “I really en

out, it’s just going to take time and money.”

Not only do Trent and ANTCREW receive sup port from Bishop High School and the Bishop and Kingsville communities as a whole, his biggest sup port comes from the rest of the Garcia family.

“I know anything Trent wants to do, he can do,” ANTCREW model, sales man and younger brother Reid Garcia said. “He has that Kanye and Virgil ef fect, and I can easily see my brother in that kind of group when he grows up. I was very excited for

ican School, School of Science & Technology –Corpus Christi and Taft school districts.

Along with dual enroll ment agreements TAMUK has introduced several programs over the last few years focused on aid ing enrollment.

In the fall of 2018, the university saw a total of 6,916 undergraduate and dual enrollment students.

In the fall of 2019 there were 6,130 undergraduate and dual enrollment stu dents. In the fall of 2020, 5,650 undergraduate and dual enrollment students.

In the fall of 2021, 5,075 undergraduate and dual enrollment students. In the fall of 2022, 4,845 un

joyed the event. I was most interested in seeing all the corn-grinding and the masa demonstration. It’s really nice to know the stories behind these tradi tions.”

Families also had an op portunity to play Loteria together during the event with special cards that in cluded places like the bell

Trent [when he brought up starting ANTCREW]. Our whole family is excited for him because we know he’s going to succeed.”

ANTCREW does have a website, www.ant crew-clothing.com, at which products will be available for sale soon, as well as an Instagram account: @ant crew_clothing.

People can also request pieces by direct messag ing the handle and letting them know what they would like.

“ANTCREW will not only be a high-end cloth ing label, but a household

dergraduate and dual en rollment students.

The university has pro grams in place to help students.

“The Javelina Promise tuition assistance pro gram and the Javelina Rebound, which sought to encourage stoppedout students to return to campus to complete their degrees, are effective tools in removing some of the financial barriers that can impact a student’s journey to graduation,” Vela said.

With the significant gains made in enrollment this semester for fresh men, Vela is excited to build on that momentum.

“We also know the last few years have been

tower, the javelina and KTAI-Radio station.

“I think the event has gone really well, really just beyond anything we could’ve imagined,” Pawelek said. “We are so happy; we’ve brought in a lot of people both famil iar and unfamiliar with our the museum and the campus so I’m really hap

name in the world of art, music, and fashion,” Bob by said. “When people wear ANTCREW they are joining the fabric of design history.”

challenging, and students may have had to pause their education to take care of other matters. We are reaching out to these students to let them know we are still here for them and will work with them so they can return to TA MUK and continue their education,” he said.

The university is still searching for a Vice President of Enrollment.

Former Vice President of Enrollment, Dr. Rito Silva said the university has formed a committee with a plan to have the position filled by the end of the year.

With the search under way the TAMUK is also working with Ruffalo

py about that.”

Appearances by Pres ident Dr. Robert Vela, Mayor of Kingsville Sam Fugate and Vice President of Enrollment Services and Student Affairs Dr. Rito Silva were made.

“We have a couple of things in the works, but the plan for now is to pre pare for our centennial ex

Noel Levitz.

“The University is working with Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL), the premiere enrollment management consultants in the country, to establish enrollment goals. The strategic enrollment man agement plan is scheduled to be delivered in Decem ber,” Silva said.

Through working with RNL the university has been making adjustments and improvements in processes and initiatives with a plan of implement ing strategic initiatives. It should be released in De cember with a major focus on retention of current students, Hoskisson said.

The university’s ulti

hibit. We’re really excited about that,” Pawelek said.

Conner Museum plans on hosting more events later on. For more infor mation, contact the John E. Conner Museum at (361)593-2819 or email them at connermuseum@tamuk.edu

“The festival was meant to be educational, fami ly-friendly and to really

mate goal is providing outstanding and afford able education to all stu dents.

“It is important to note that enrollment is multi-faceted and in cludes retention, com pletion, and stopped-out students. Our team is committed to addressing these areas,” Vela said. “It is vital that once students choose to attend TAMUK, we provide the guidance and support necessary at every turn to make sure they are progressing toward their goal, which ultimately leads to that incredible moment when they cross the stage at commence ment,” he said.

just highlight our culture and I think we did that.

The best thing to me was having all these different kinds of groups work to gether to bring everyone together and make this festival a memorable one. That’s why we’re here and that’s what we want to do for our community,” Pawelek said

Submitted Photo

Trent Garcia poses in an ANTCREW jacket.