The South Texan Vol. 97 Issue 15

TheSouthTexan.com

Texas A&M University-Kingsville Award-Winning Student Publication

Program to start this fall

Mariana Soria | Reporter

The Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK)

School of Music is known for churning up professional music performers and music educators. Now, with the addition of a Bachelor’s Degree in Sound Recording Technology (SRT), the School of Music is creating an opportunity for students to explore careers in the field of audio production. The SRT program will be offered Fall 2023 and is under the instruction of Music Facilities and Sound Recording Manager Vicente Barrera and Dr. Brian Thacker, assistant professor of music.

“What we are trying to

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do is provide as many options for [music] students as possible because the economy of the future is diverse,” Dr. Scott Jones, associate professor, director of bands, said.

Even though the SRT program is technically a music degree, this does not mean the program will not be covered in depth with instructors who have been doing this with many years of experience in the field and can offer real world experiences. The instructors offer their students a chance to set up microphones and handle the sound booth for the school’s bands as well as practice recording each other while they play on their respective instruments.

“Most of the way I teach

See Sound, Pg 5

New Sound Program for TAMUK TAMUK celebrates Pride Month

Juried Art Show in BBG

Ronni

Paintings, sculptures, ceramics and more adorn the walls and floor of the Ben Bailey Art Gallery as students who participated in the Juried Art Show continue to showcase their work through the summer.

The show was open to any students taking an art class for the spring semester, and includes 145 art pieces, representing 53 students.

Students who participated in the show were judged in several categories

“The works submitted were divided between four categories: 2D, 3D, assemblage and printmaking. In each category, first through

third places were chosen, along with honorable mentions, for a total of 18 awards, including the Best in Show,” Art Lecture Dr. Liz Kim said

Best in Show was awarded to Orin Sanchez, whose printmaking pieces included colorful works.

“Students who submitted work to the juried show were able to see their artworks exhibited as a part of a group exhibition at the university gallery. They gained experience in creating and submitting artworks to visual art competitions,” Kim said.

Ivan Cadavona, who placed first in the 2D category for his painting “3 Waves,” has a tribal theme throughout his art works.

“My tribal pieces involve my cultural background. I’m a Pacific Islander and over the past couple years or so I’ve been studying

tribal. They’re not these random patterns, they have a story,” he said. Being from southern California most of his

Photo by Dominic Valdez

Christan Torres plays the drums in a recording session done by the School of Music.

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

Photo by Ronni Reyna

A Pride flag hangs in front of College Hall as the university joins in celebration of Pride Month.

Photo by Ronni Reyna Pride Flags line the Boulevard in celebration of Pride Month.

Next stop: Denver, Colorado

Clarinet Choir prepares for Clarinet Fest

Texas A&M University Kingsville’s (TAMUK) clarinet players have earned an invitation to perform at the International Clarinet Association’s (ICA) Clarinet Fest.

TAMUK students have the opportunity to showcase the talent within the School of Music. TAMUK is one of 13 university ensembles that will be performing at the Clarinet Fest.

Only 21 clarinet choirs around the world were invited.

Clarinet Fest is being held in Denver, Colo., which means students must fundraise to help with the expenses involving their trip to the conference.

Students have raised $5,280 for hotel costs and most travel expenses; they have a remaining balance of $2,500 for meals and the rest of the travel costs.

“We are currently running a gofundme https:// gofund.me/671066bf, a 50/50 raffle (buy a $5 ticket and you could win half our profit or around $500), and seeking corporate sponsors to be featured on our souvenir program and shirts. These shirts will be worn by members from all over South Texas and avail-

able for purchase,” Applied Professor Andrea Vos-Rochefort said.

The Clarinet choir features members from the Clarinet, Oboe and Bassoon Society (C.O.B.) as well as music majors and even non music majors.

“I am most excited to attend a festival completely dedicated to the clarinet. There will be so

many opportunities for learning, networking, and fun,” School of Music student David Flores said.

Performing on an international stage is an honor for many of the musicians, especially Moises Flores and Alek J. Lopez, student composers of “Sonder,” which will be brought to life at the con-

ference.

While the performance will not be live streamed there is hope for a recording after the conference.

Vos-Rochefort mentioned attendees to the conference will also hear the TAMUK clarinets perform pieces from Clare Grundman and Felix Mendelssohn.

“This fits with the

theme of celebrating Clarinet fest’s 50th anniversary and putting a spotlight on the past, present, and future of the clarinet. The future is bright in the hands of our TAMUK Clarinet Choir,” she said.

The ICA conference is set to take place July 5 through 9.

Sustaining South Texas: Environmental Engineering Exhibit

Christopher Olivarez | Co- Sports Editor

On Friday, June 23, at Conner Museum, the Texas A&M UniversityKingsville (TAMUK) environmental engineering program will be officially open to the public.

The exhibit will have multiple projects that were built by students and those who visit the exhibit will be able to see how each project works in their own unique way. It will show how this will be a step in the right direction for the environment.

“We are hoping that our students can look through and start thinking what kind of thing they can do and what kind of work they can contribute to the future,”

Professor Dr. Jennifer Ren said. “We hope to promote this kind of activity and will encourage students to spread their interests.”

Dr. David Ramirez, the chair of the Environmental Engineering Program at TAMUK, shared his reasons as to what gave them the idea to have this showcase.

“We want to showcase to our community what we do here and of course make the public aware of our program and the high levels of research that we do and one of the outcomes was to have a display built by our senior students in a museum setting,” Dr. Ramirez said.

With this, there is hope that this showcase will shed some light on the program and capture the

attention of the general public as well as middle school and high school students who may have an interest in pursuing a degree in environmental engineering.

“We plan to showcase some design models that students have done throughout their senior year and motivate students to be interested in our program,” Administrative Associate Natalynn Luera said.

The exhibit not only features things for students still in high school and adults, but for younger children as well.

The exhibit will be a great way to show young-

er children the exciting things you can do as an environmental engineer. “I think it will really

attract them. I have small children so I know that my daughter thinks it is really cool to see scientific

stuff,” Luera said.

Submitted photo

C.O.B. Society at Southside High School in San Antonio during a tour on April 3.

Photo by Dominic Valdez Featured student project

Photo by Dominic Valdez

Student design located in Conner Museum

Photo by Dominic Valdez Interactive children’s molecule display

Engineering projects displayed at Conner Museum

Briana Beltran | Reporter

Review: The Nintendo DS Lite

Seventeen years young, the Nintendo DS Lite might be the most underrated successor to the original Nintendo DS. Lucky for me, I was able to finally find one of these lil’ guys in the wild. This was my first piece of technology at the wee age of 8. After running through two DS Lites, a DSi, and about three 3DSs, I think I’d consider myself a bit of an expert on the Nintendo DS family of systems.

With that in mind, I have never owned the original DS. Honestly, I don’t think I missed out on much. While the original revolutionized handheld gaming, the DS Lite does everything it can but better. The original DS was a natural step up from the Gameboy Advance (GBA) SP and it’s easy to see with them sharing a hinge design, backlight brightness, a charging port, etc. The DS Lite, however, set the stage for the future of the line by improving on all of the above. The backlight on the DS Lite is infinitively brighter than its predecessor, its charging port was made

smaller to accompany its unique new AC adapter, and its hinge, along with the rest of the body, was almost totally overhauled to fit a new, sleeker design.

So, is the DS Lite just a prettier version of the original DS? Well, while I never owned the original, the software does seem to be near identical. Even so, I’d say the DS Lite is still the better option, if only for the ability to see its dual-screens in the sun.

Even price-wise, the DS Lite was priced at $130 at release; $20 less than the original, and $40 less than its successor, the DSi.Picking one of these up for the first time in about 10 years is defi-

nitely a trip. I love just about everything about this console’s design. For starters, this D-pad is phenomenal. I can’t begin to put my finger on it, but Nintendo makes an awesome D-pad and it’s especially noticeable around this era. The same goes for the buttons in general, really. It’s all just so nostalgic. It’s one of those things that we take for granted, but the feel is notably very comfortable. The standout feature for me is definitely compatibility with GBA games. This is something that was carried over from the original and, unfortunately, ends with this iteration. For a Pokémon fan like myself, this was also

Review: Tears of the Kingdom

the only way to transfer Pokémon from the third generation of games to the fourth. If I have one gripe with my specific model, it is the faintly worn out “A” button. Of course, it’s been about 17 years, so I’m frankly lucky that it’s lasted so long at all.

I’m not sure I would recommend hunting one of these down today. At least, not for the same reason you’d buy a Nintendo Switch or a PS5. For me, it’s an awesome console that means a lot to my history with games. But if you really want to own the most ergonomic gaming machine in Nintendo’s early handheld history, I’d say this is it.

Zelda fans are enjoying the newest additon to the franchise

Since 2019 we have been anticipating the release of the sequel to Breath of the Wild. For three years the game was in production and a few delays were had and it got many of us wondering, is this just overpriced downloadable content? Or is this new game actually worth the hype it has been getting in the span of five years?

At midnight on May 12 the game was finally in our grasp.

After waiting for so long it is safe to say that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK) is in fact worth its long renowned hype. I had the privilege of purchasing the game and picking it up on May 12 and the game was better than I could have imagined.

You start the game underneath Hyrule Castle with Link, the character you play as in this game, and Princess Zelda. Af-

ter some exploring you notice there is a great evil hidden away underneath the castle that separates Link from Zelda and thus your adventure begins. You play as Link looking for the lost princess once more but this time you have extra help from a god from long ago who gives you his mystic power and sends you away to find your new champions to help fight the new evil that terrorizes Hyrule.

The game map however might not seem to have changed much if you look at it from afar but once you dive into the game you notice that you have access to the skies above as well and the ground beneath your feet.

But that’s not all, you also have areas of Hyrule that have changed since the calamity has dispersed and are always worth giving a look. From turning back time to new mobs to fight, TOTK has not disappointed in making us have new ideas on how to solve the world’s problems. If you’re interested in open world story games, you should definitely make a quick purchase of this game.

How to Adult: Building Credit

key thing in establishing credit is to start early, so many students should take advantage of different cards offered to them.

HTeaO’s new location in Corpus Christi and is changing the game one ounce at a time across Texas. Texans take their tea very seriously and HTeaO offers the perfect spot to cool off from the Texas Heat while satisfying customers’ cravings.

I visited HTeaO in Corpus Christi on their opening day and the line was out the door; I debated if I should

leave, but I decided to see what the “hype” was about. From the second I walked through the doors I was impressed; at HTeaO you can let your creativity flow into your cup.

The service was phenomenal, and the excitement from the customers reminded me of a trip to Bucee’s. While it may seem overwhelming, once you understand the process it’s as easy as “one- two- tea.” Customers begin by choosing their desired cup size and fill it with what locals refer to as “Sonic ice” (pellet ice). Next up is sampling all flavors of teas;

once the customer finds their favorite, they can make their own combination or stick to one flavor.

The final step is customizing the tea with 70cent fruit toppings such as strawberries, mint, and blueberries.

If their options are not your cup of tea, you can try the pink lemonade or their coffee starting June 16.

One of the main concerns when it comes to sweet tea is the amount of sugar, but at HTeaO they’ve got you covered with many sugar-free options.

As embarrassing as this may sound, I sam-

pled every flavor they had to offer.

The sweet almond green tea took me by surprise. I would have never ordered that flavor on my own. It did not overwhelm me with sweetness like most sweet teas do and it also didn’t come with the weird green tea aftertaste.

My favorite flavor had to be the Texas Chai, with the perfect blend of spice and richness this flavor is a must try that pairs especially well with their Sweet Georgia Peach Tea.

Overall, I would rate HTeaO a nine out of 10 as the perfect spot to quench your thirst.

Many of us are told from an early age that credit cards are the root of all evil. You may have heard things like “you will just create more debt for yourself, you’ll ruin your credit, etc..” but there is really no need to fear. Credit cards are not something we should see as something scary and evil, but as a tool students can use to build important financial responsibility habits. To understand credit cards, you must understand credit. Your credit is the ability to borrow money or access goods and services with the understanding that you’ll pay later. Your credit can help you make big purchases like houses and cars later on in life, and can also tell banks that you’re trustworthy and allow you to take out loans. The

Companies like Chase, Discover and Visa offer “student” credit cards which are designed for students to start building their credit. Some of these cards even offer things like cash back, reward systems, and other perks and benefits for using the card.

The application process is also easy, and most companies only require a little information to see if you’re approved to have one of their cards. However, you should only apply and use credit cards once you think you are ready for the responsibility; it can be easy to splurge but it’s essential to note that owning and using a credit card can have a heavy impact on your future. So, if you think you’re ready to start building your credit up, take a big step into fiscal responsibility and find the credit card that’s right for you.

Image from IGN.com

Image from Amazon.com

Omar Medrano|Reporter

Photo by Briana Beltran

Briana holds her tea outside the HTeaO Corpus Christi location.

MarianaSoria| Reporter

June 2023: Time to end the stigma.

Most people recognize June as the celebration of the LGBTQIA Community and its history, culture, achievements, etc., and while that is important to recognize, we should also acknowledge that June is also a month that highlights the struggles that men face with mental illnesses.

I recently lost a friend to suicide and would not wish this upon anyone.

Through the past weeks I read prior text threads countless times to see what signs I missed.

Our Opinion

Briana Beltran Reporter

While I found no signs and had to stop blaming myself for my failure to prevent this tragedy, I took a step back to determine what was preventing them from seeking help.

There is no doubt that society has shamed men into believing they must repress their emotions to appear more manly; this is especially common in Latin American culture.

Males are expected to provide for their family while having a smile on their face, showing signs of negative emotions opens the judgment and questioning of their manliness and ability to support not only themselves but their family.

Men are suffering in silence due to the stigma seeking help.

We must create a more accepting society that encourages others to prioritize their well-being and to acknowledge when they should search for support.

When offering comfort to others here are some helpful tips: avoid saying “you’ll be fine,” instead create an open conversation; offer specific ways you can help whether it be calling to set up an appointment with a professional; or help searching for a job.

In the event that you are experiencing an acute crisis, do not wait for things to get worse, don’t make big life changes and refrain from relying on substances.

If you or someone you may know are experiencing a crisis reach out to a professional or call the suicide and crisis lifeline (988); help is just a call away.

For the male readers of The South Texan, please know that you are not alone, and you matter.

Paxton, a Texas let down

On May 27, a Texas Republican-led initiative in the state’s House of Representatives introduced 20 articles of impeachment against Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Paxton, who has held the office since 2014, has been accused of disregarding official duty, abuse of the open records process, misuse of official information, termination of whistleblowers, misapplication of public records, bribery, employment of his mistress, obstruction of justice, abuse of judicial process, false statements in offi-

cial records, conspiracy, attempted conspiracy, misappropriation of public records, dereliction of public duty, unfitness for office and abuse of public trust.

These accusations and charges come after alleged threats to public officials when talks of impeachment began.

Paxton, who was previously charged in violation of The Securities Act, withheld criminal charges of fraud from voters. He gained re-election in 2022.

Paxton’s continuous abuse of office to secure

himself and his constituents has harmed Texas.

As journalists who often rely on Texas’ Public Information Act, having an attorney general who willingly abused the act withholding information to benefit his case, and cases involving clients found to have accepted bribery, is dangerous.

Government information is presumed to be public for a reason, citizens and journalists alike must do their best to keep the government accountable.

Paxton becomes the fourth government offi-

cial to be impeached in the state of Texas.

With the charges he is facing we hope Texas’ legislature will take the correct steps from trial to Senate conviction.

As someone who was elected to be a leader of the law in Texas, someone who the majority put their trust into, Paxton has let down our state, proving again, his unfitness for office.

Paxton has spent too much time focusing governmental powers on himself and for his benefit, and it’s time Texas finally takes action against him.

Abbott Can’t Be Nice for Five Minutes

Originally, I had hoped to write this column to be a positive outlook on our state’s future but apparently positivity can’t exist in Texas.

Governor Greg Abbott recently passed into law a bill called the CROWN Act, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, that bans race-based hair dis-

crimination.

I think this was a great bill to pass that tackles an unfair issue many people of color face in the work force.

Hairstyles do not determine one’s professionalism or ability to perform at their jobs, so this bill aimed at eliminating hair-based discrimination definitely helps combat against racism and bigotry many people can face at work.

When I heard the news of Abbott signing the bill into law, I was surprised he could actually do something that cre-

ates positive change in Texas. Unfortunately, just over a week later Abbott would also pass another law blocking transgender youth from accessing healthcare to assist with gender confirmation.

Many other Republican states have passed laws similar to this, so while Abbott is not the first it was disappointing to see him pass this bill.

Thousands of kids across Texas only want access to healthcare that can allow them to feel comfortable in their own skin.

While the right wing

likes to sell the idea that allowing transgender youth access to puberty blockers leads to mental health issues later, other studies conducted have shown that early treatment is more beneficial.

It’s sad we live in a state in which officials like Abbott claim we must protect the children, but are quick to ban healthcare that is beneficial to them. Hopefully as the new electoral season slowly approaches, more and more Texans will realize how terrible Abbott is for our state and finally vote him out.

“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.”

Abigayle Hayden Reporter

Photo by Omar Moreno

my classes is hands-on. We’ll do one little lecture or a couple little ones and the rest of it is ‘ok, do it,’” Thacker said.

TAMUK gives students the opportunity to experiment as they learn to better grasp what they are being taught. Although the SRT program will begin this upcoming semester, some students began taking recording classes in Fall 2022 and saw some of these classes get up from the ground. The SRT program is working to give their students the best they can while still working with them to enhance their skills.

“This music program is great if you want to teach but there’s a whole lot of other things you can do with music… I thought I would be sitting down just writing answers on a piece of paper the entire time but we are testing out different mics, we’re getting up into the rafters of the building and learning how all that works. It’s very handson,” Ryan Guerra, music in sound recording technology major, said.

Traditionally, this program does not require students to be a music major to partake in this opportunity. Students who still want to pursue a career in this field now have the option to get certified. The new addition of the SRT also gives current music students a chance to enhance their skill set. For students interested in being part of the SRT program contact (361) 593-2803.

displayed in the show, but focuses more on ceramics

“[Free in the Ocean] took me a lot, probably half a semester to complete and I’m pretty happy with it,” Saldana said.

Free in the Ocean was a ceramic duck he chose to have displayed in the show, along with several other pieces that included frogs and other wildlife.

“The main inspiration is basically wildlife and animals,” Saldana said.

The art show remains on display throughout the summer in the Ben Bailey Art Gallery.

Winning students in-

cluded: Best in Show: Orin Sanchez

3D

First Place: Denise Delacruz - Hollows of Devotion

Second Place: Kaylie

Tyra - 5D

Third Place: Lorena

Gonzalez - Chess

Honorable Mention: Anjelica Cantu - Owl Shot

Honorable Mention: Jennifer DeMoss - Taino

Luminary

Assemblage

First Place: Misty B.,

Norma, Stevie L.- Obsolete

Second Place: Kimberly Rios - The Mini Technician

Third Place: Ana Alanis - The Boy

Honorable Mention: Kassandra Alamillo -Memory

Prints

First Place: Faith Puente - Ballerina Folklorica

Second Place: Nikola Salazar - Revelation

Third Place: Jessica Kelly - Take a Deep Breath

Honorable Mention: Vincent Ochoa - Unity

2D

First Place: Ivan Cadavona - 3 Waves

Second Place: Cassandra Luna - Cover Up to my Mistakes

Third Place: Charles Smith - Self Portrait

Honorable mention: Marissa Nunez - Sunrise

Photo by Domonic Valdez

Kaylie Tyra’s mixed media art piece titled 5D.

Photo by Domonic Valdez Aksel Gomez’ ceramic piece titled Alive.

Photo by Domonic Valdez

A mixed media piece titled Diamonds are Forever by Enisa Gonzales, Scarlet Hammond, Alison Land and Lorena Gonzalez