Smashing away stress before finals

Students released end of semester stress

Stress is something almost all, if not all, college students experience, especially as the semester comes to an end and finals creep up. The stress-free zone event gave students the opportunity to de-stress by smashing plates and learning about resources that are available to them to manage their stress.

Eli Garces with the Student Health and Wellness Center feels that events like this one are very beneficial to students.

“Many college students do things that they shouldn’t when they become stressed, but again, we’re college students so we help them learn what to do when these things happen,” Garces said.

“We teamed up with PEP talk, we have dental screenings going on, we have Men’s and Women’s Health Center, as well as Student Engagement and Careers, and Counseling Services available today for students.”

Student Alejandra Reyna also feels these events are beneficial to students.

“I was feeling very stressed, so I decided to come and see what resources are available to me,” Reyna said.

Reyna also said she will attend other events like this one in the future, as long as the university keeps holding them.

Roxana Castellanos is a professional counselor at the Student Health and Wellness Center.

“Stress Free Zone is so amazing for students to get the chance to learn what resources are available to them, and also learn about ways to take care of themselves through these stressful times. And implement these practices to better perform academically and personally,” Castellanos explained.

Castellanos wanted to remind students that grades don’t define your worth and make sure to lean on supportive people that are going to motivate you through this stressful time, For more information on how to stay healthy and de-stress, contact the Stu- dent Health and Wellness at 361-593-3991

Career engagement hosts open house

Many services for students

Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s Career Engagements Center (CEC) is a valuable resource for students and alumni seeking career guidance and professional development opportunities.

The CEC offers a wide range of services and programs designed to help students and alumni achieve their career goals.

In order to show students the many opportunities, the office hosted an open house.

“We help our students be prepared for years and decades after they graduate,” Director of Career Engagement and Corpo- rate Relations Ralph Leal said.

Inside the office there is many areas that are free for student use, including a conference room and headshot photo room.

Along with this, the CEC provides students with access to career counseling, job search strategies, and assistance with resume and cover letter writing.

The center also hosts job fairs, networking events, and workshops on topics such as interviewing skills and salary negotiation.

The CEC also hires students in their office to help them develop their professional skills and offer valuable insight and support to their peers and contribute to the overall success of the office.

“I really like seeing the students come into our office and being able to help them be successful,” Joshua Macareno an employee of CEC said. Several students attended the open house and learned about the facility.

“I didn’t realize they provided so many opportunities for us here, like helping with our resumes or getting a headshot done,” student Micaela Gracia said.

With its wide range of resources and programs, the CEC is can be an asset to help students be successful.

For more information students are encourage to visit the Career Engagement Center, located in the Memorial Student Union Building on the first floor, Room 133.

Review: Washing away all your problems

Can it really be that simple?

Yes it can!

What seems like a simple job in an even simpler career path quickly drags you into a world full of conspiracies and odd twists in “PowerWash Similator,” a game developed by Futurlab and published by Square Enix.

It might be a long journey but all you’ll need is some determination and a good power washer.

“PowerWash Simulator” is a first-person shooter (FPS). Sort of. You are shooting at something but you’re shooting at dirt, grime and anything else filthy with your power washer.

It’s not a high-octane experience like you would expect from a more standard FPS like “Call of Duty,” a movement shooter like “Ultrakill” or a retro FPS like “Cultic.”

It’s a title in opposition to all of those. “PowerWash Simulator” is a relaxing and slow experience (unless you’re playing with friends which would help speedup the cleaning) that doesn’t ask too much of you.

Each level that you play in this game is presented as a different job.

There is not a single job in the game where you won’t be cleaning.

Each job will tell you how much you’re being paid when looking through them on the job menu (payments are further detailed when you take the job).

You will be earning the money in increments since you get paid for every section that gets cleaned completely.

These jobs can range from something as simple as cleaning someone’s car to something as complicated as washing an entire Ferris wheel (the Ferris wheel is moving, but there is a button to shut it down to help with your cleaning).

There are currently 55 jobs (Downloadable content (DLC) included) available in the game with plenty more to come.

There’s also currently free DLC that includes crossover content in the form of jobs with “Final Fantasy VII” and “Tomb Raider.”

To help you clean all of these locations, there are four different levels of power washers that you can buy with the money you earn.

Alongside this are different nozzles for each power washer that will help diversify your cleaning kit.

There’s also different types of soaps that you can buy for washing specific surfaces, but I think the only useful one is the metal cleaner.

The game isn’t on the cutting edge of graphics but the locations and objects you’re cleaning look nice and bright once all the grime is gone.

The gameplay isn’t complicated by any means which makes it an easily accessible experience, even for people who aren’t familiar with games.

The gameplay loop may not sound interesting to most audiences, but there’s a lot of satisfaction to be had when looking at a freshly cleaned wall or driveway.

Especially when coupled with a loud “ding” noise that plays after you finish (or get close to finshing) a specific section.

If you want to have a bit of fun outside of that, you could always just draw on the dirt using your power washer.

You could play a game of tic tac toe with a friend on the side of the building you’re cleaning or you could write “Wash Me” like most people seem to do on dirty cars.

There’s also an interesting story to keep track of through the job descriptions and text messages that you receive from the people that employ you.

“PowerWash Simulator” doesn’t break the mold of the gaming industry, but it doesn’t need to.

The only molds that need to break are the ones that you find on the job.

I recommend this game to anyone looking for a relaxing time that can be enjoyed with friends.

Review: You passed GO! Collect $200!

Build a Monopoly over Kingsville

Last week I went shopping at Walmart and found a game of Monopoly based on real locations in Kingsville, Texas.

Out of curiosity I ended up buying the game and called some friends to come over and see how fun it would be knowing that we’ve been to most of these places.

The game is called “KingsvilleOpoly” and I don’t think they could have given it a more perfect name.

“KingsvilleOpoly” had my friends and I fighting and laughing all throughout the night for simply trying to see who could win it all.

We played with four members, including myself, and the game was better than expected. The rules are the same as normal “Monopoly.” On your turn, you roll the dice, move your piece and choose whether you want to buy the property you land on or let the bank auction the place.

Throughout the course of the game, we found ourselves fighting to own certain locations such as Pizza Parlor, El Dorado restaurant and even our very own Texas A&M University Kingsville (TAMUK).The game was definitely fun.

We have played a couple more times throughout the week, however I do understand it might not be for everyone.

The game is still based primarily on luck and how well your dice roll is.

For some people this might not be the ideal game to play but I personally believe that “KingsvilleOpoly” is made more fun to play because you have those emotional attachments towards many of the places on the board.

Overall, I would give this board game an eight out of 10 simply for the many fun cards you receive and the excitement generated from fighting for TAMUK and other locations you like.

Of course, this is a collaboration with many other cities and schools so maybe you can give those a chance as well if you’re from out of town.

Regardless of wherever you come from, there is the chance that there’s a Monopoly made especially for you to play.

August - September

The fall semester kicked off with the first Hog Call of the year. Also at the start of the semester, the Care Closet started offering fresh produce to students, the Javelina football team started their winning streak, The Mexican American Institute opened on the third floor of Rhode Hall, the Rural Mental Health Institute was started and the Conner Museum hosted the first Tamalada Festival during Family Weekend.

November - December

During the second to last month of the semester, The Rec got new equipment, the Sid Blanks Social Justice Symposium was held, a Veterans Day celebration was hosted, the Javelina Football Team took on Corsicana, art students took over downtown Kingsville to showcase their artwork, the Goswami’s retired and Javelina President Dr. Robert Vela was inaugurated.

October

October, the Javelina spirit month, was home to many things, including homecoming. The university hosted its annual fall carnival, Homecoming parade, Hog Call and football game at which the Homecoming King and Queen Jose “Whapo” Ramirez and Illianna Tijerina were announced after a long week of campaigning to the student body. Also in October was the Tejano Banquet recognizing Hispanic leaders on campus and the Javelinas beat West Texas for the first time, as they continued their winning streak.

January - February

At the start of the new year, TAMUK welcomed Josh Peck in a continuing lectureship series, Erin McClure was promoted to Assist Dean of Students, Texas’ TikTok ban went into effect on campus and Oleksandr Zhalkovskyi shared his story of traveling to Ukraine to bring his mother to the United States.

March

March was home to Spring Fling, a new series of events aimed at male retention at the university, Protect the Pack, Mujeres A Travez Del Tiempo a book celebration inspired by the iconic mural in the ballrooms was held and the Javelina Cheer team took on Daytona and brought home third place in their competition.

April

In April the Maker Space had its grand opening, the Javelina Baseball team took on the Corpus Christi Hooks, Briana Carr made softball history, Coach Tanya Allen-Gonzalez had her 100th Beach Volleyball win, Dance Marathon raised over $15,000 for Driscoll Children’s Hospital, TAMUK announced a $1.4 million grant from the Hector and Gloria Lopez Foundation and Carissa Palacios was crowned Miss TAMUK.

Our Opinion

Texas seek to arm educators and employees

Texas House Bill 13 aimed at safety in schools includes mental health training, fentanyl poisoning awareness week, armed guardians on school campuses, active shooter preparedness, funds for safety and the requirement of surveillance systems. This comes in the wake of numerous mass shootings and gun violence which has resulted in many young lives and educators alike being taken away from their families.

All could greatly impact Texas schools in a positive manner, and most aspects of the bill we agree with. However, following the countless mass shootings across the United States and here in Texas recently, where is the legislation to ban assault weapons?

This bill would provide more funding towards school safety and establish active shooter drills to be updated and revised every four years. Schools cannot be safe until semi-automatic assault weapons are banned and have no way of getting into our schools. This plea to have educators or school staff trained to carry weapons on campus seems like one option to protect our students and educators, but it is not enough.

The South Texan staff has varying opinions regarding teachers and school employees having weapons. Some see it as a way to save lives, others see it as dangerous. However, we all agree that though Texas focusing on school safety is a step in the right direction, the focus should be on actual assault weapons, not combating weapons with weapons in the same areas we wish to have protected. Place the blame on the actual cause of school shootings, assault weapons, instead of making school districts work harder to protect their children and possibly endangering them further.

Schools will not be safe unless these weapons are off the streets, out of the hands of the public, and away from our school grounds. These weapons have no place on school campuses yet time and time again they make their way in. Robb Elementary should have been the final straw and yet we still have no legislation barring the purchase of assault style weapons. Schools should be safe, and we need the right legislation to ensure that.