August 25, 2014

August 25, 2014

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Table of Contents

Page

Index

4

Notes from the Editors-in-chief

5

Meet The Pan American staff

7

News

9

How safe is the Valley?

11

The history of Bronc Country

13

On the hunt for a job

14

The freshmen

19

Arts & Life

21

Here come the Millennials

23

Changing the scene

25

Lighting the torch

27

Privacy problems

28

Closing a chapter

29

Sports

31

The game goes on

31

Meet the women’s soccer team

33

Powder and pills

35

New season, high expectations

36 37 38

The Pan American thepanamerican@gmail.com 1201 West University, ARHU 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539 Phone: (956) 665-2541 Fax: (956) 665-7122 Adviser: Dr. Greg Selber Administrative Associate: Anita Reyes Advertising Manager: Verónica Rodríguez The Pan American is the official student newspaper of The University of Texas-Pan American. Views presented are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the paper or university.

Letters to the Editor

The Pan American accepts letters of 300 words or less from students, staff and faculty regarding recent newspaper content, campus concerns or current events.

We cannot publish anonymous letters or submissions containing hate speech or gratuitous personal attacks.

Please send all letters to: thepanamerican @gmail.com

Vol. 71, No. 1

Follow The Pan American

Multimedia Social media Staff opinion: An arranged union

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OPINION

By Susan Gonzalez The Pan American When people hear about the merger between UTPA and the University of Texas at Brownsville, they tend to think it was a process that started a few months ago. What they don’t realize is that the merger had been in the works long before University of Texas System officials invaded the Rio Grande Valley with promises of better educational opportunities.

The first seeds of University of Texas Rio Grande Valley were planted in December 2012, when the plan was approved by the UT System Board of Regents. The bill then went to the Texas Legislature in May 2013, eventually gaining approval and being signed by Gov. Rick Perry the following month. Now, here we are on the precipice of a new era for the University, including the creation of a medical school. Despite the fact the inaugural freshman class will begin its collegiate journey in fall 2015, we are still quib-

bling over colors and mascots.

For the past three years I’ve worked intermittently with this newspaper, eventually becoming a full-time member and now co-editor-in-chief. I’ve been covering this merger from the beginning and it’s odd that something that seemed so vague in the beginning stages is finally coming to fruition. But what is even more strange is that it still seems unclear almost two years later.

This is the last fall semester for UTPA and, appropriately, also my last semester as a college student at this institution. Yet the image of what this new university will look like is still as hazy as it was in December.

Some details are clear, such as who will lead this new era - UTRGV President Guy Bailey and Dr. Francisco Fernandez, the latter as the founding dean of the medical school. But for the most part, students are wondering how their daily lives will change, if at all. This special edition magazine takes an in-depth look at these students, the RGV and the stories that make up our com-

munity during this time of transition.

Much like everyone else in this limbo, there are no guarantees of what will happen to this newspaper, The Pan American. Will we merge with UTB’s newspaper?

Will the name and/or the colors be the same? We have no clue. But we do know that we will continue to produce the highest caliber of content. It will continue to inspire and educate, much like UTPA. Even if the aesthetic qualities change, both this newspaper and the university will be a place for students to grow, learn and aspire for more.

So enjoy, readers. This product in your hands is the last magazine we will produce under the UTPA identity, ending 71 years of service. But it is not the last product we will ever produce. Even if everything else about the merger seems hazy, this newspaper - whatever it is called down the line - will never fail to deliver the news and articles that have made it what it is. It will continue.

We will continue.

By Andrew Vera The Pan American During the merging period between UTPA with The University of Texas at Brownsville, there are many students that will be affected in different ways. Some will be the last to receive a degree from UTPA, others will begin their college career as the inaugural class of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. But what about the in-betweeners? The students who will split their college career between the two schools, or better yet, those who will begin their graduate career at UTRGV. Are these students taking a risk?

According to the University of Texas System website, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the main entities responsible for accrediting southern schools. The website’s question-and-answer page uses words like “expecting” and “hopefully” while on the topic of

getting accreditation. In other words, when SACS comes to the Rio Grande Valley in June 2015, there is no certainty that UTRGV will receive accreditation.

This begs the question, what if students who plan to finish in December 2015 graduate from an unaccredited school? This worst-case scenario puts the nearly 40,000 combined students from both universities without an accredited university to attend in the Valley.

For the more than 2,000 students already in graduate school at UTPA, the possibility of moving into an unaccredited school may be a tough pill to swallow. On average, UTPA graduate students will pay a little less than $12,000 for two years of tuition, a hefty bill when considering the degree may not yield a job, post-graduation.

An article by Online Degree Center lays out the negatives of receiving a degree from a non-accredited school.

The article notes that employers who are privy to the fact

that your degree comes from a non-accredited school will toss your application out the window without question. Furthermore, the article states that if your employer somehow overlooks the fact that your school is not accredited, you will be terminated in the case that they found out, despite a good work history.

As with any issue, the solution is rarely an easy one. In this case, the solution is based solely on faith. Students caught in the middle of UTPA and UTRGV will only be able to trust that the eventual curriculum and programs will be good enough to make the cut. Trusting in the school that has already provided, or will soon provide, an accredited degree is the only thing students have to hold on to.

With eyes closed and breath held, UTPA students jump into the new era of UTRGV unaware of what the future will hold for them and their degrees.

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Protesters gather outside Mission City Hall to discuss immigration reforms July 18, 2014. In recent months, news of undocumented immigrants has sparked debate along the border on how the U.S. should attend to children entering the country illegally. Legislation has had an ongoing battle with securing the U.S.-Mexico border and deciding how these cases should be handled.

The Pan American’s news section covers issues ranging from the immigration crisis to new organizations at UTPA, such as the Feminist Club, which began fall 2013.

News informs readers about campus events such as Speak Your Mind Texas, which aimed to raise awareness about mental health and substance abuse issues. The section also covers science, business and economic happenings in the community, such as McAllen and Edinburg ranking among the nation’s best places for working women.

News is also responsible for covering breaking situationsstories or events that need to be shared with readers as soon as possible. For example, the Federal Aviation Administration announcing approval for Space Exploration Technologies Inc., or SpaceX, to build a rocket launch pad site at Boca Chica Beach near Brownsville.

The news section’s job is to find important information reporters feel readers should know about, especially recent or significant events. From Texas attorney general candidates meeting with Valley voters to the University of Texas System Board of Regents making changes to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley curriculum.

Because news covers a wide span of events, there shouldn’t be too much of a change once UTRGV has a student-run newspaper of its own. Both breaking and regular news will continue to be covered and the section will proceed to its next phase.

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By Claudia Lemus The Pan American Distrust of law enforcement officials and fear for their safety have been stirred since UTPA alumni and former Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño was sentenced July 17 to five years in federal prison with two years of supervised probation plus levied a fine of $60,000. His sentence came after he admitted to money laundering and taking campaign donations from drug trafficker Tomas “El Gallo” Gonzalez.

Based on results from a Gallup poll in April, 48.5 percent of residents in the Rio Grande Valley felt safe

walking alone at night. The survey showed the McAllen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes McAllen, Mission and Edinburg, as the o n l y community in the nation where l e s s t h a n half of the residents felt safe walking alone at night.

Anna Leah Robles, a sophomore anthropology major, said she does not feel she is in as much danger

walking alone in McAllen as she does venturing out in her own neighborhood in Edinburg, which is situated in the less populated area of

the city.

“Where I live, we have no lighting and there is an absence of sidewalks. It’s all grass there,” the 20-year-old said. “I only walk if I’m in the

city part of Edinburg, otherwise it’s super dangerous.”

According to a TIME Magazine article published in April, the lack of streetlights m a y be the reason f o r McAll e n’s rank in the Gall u p poll as well as the source behind residents’ fears.

CRIME RATES In an effort to measure crime statistics in commu-

nities, law enforcement like UTPA Police and the McAllen Police Department release annual crime rate reports to the public.

According to the 2013 City of McAllen crime report, a theft occurred every 1.88 hours and one violent crime took place every 51.23 hours.

The U.S. Department of Justice defines a violent crime as any offense involving force or threats of force.

At UTPA, drug-related offenses were the most frequent in 2012, based on results provided by the 2013 Annual Security

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(with) traffic always flowing through there,” he said.

“Even if something went wrong, someone is bound to see something and help, or call the police.”

Senior mass communication major Danipsa Rodriguez agrees with Lopez.

“I do feel safe walking in McAllen because it is such a lit up city filled with people constantly moving,” Rodriguez said. “If something were to happen to me, I know t h e r e would be somebody near my perimeter to hear me shout.”

According to Rodriguez, she still feels she is in danger because of the city’s fast-paced traffic.

“I fear McAllen’s traffic,” Rodriguez said. “I live outside the city limits and I rarely use the expressway so I do not come into contact with so many crazy cars like I do in McAllen’s busy streets.”

SAFETY IN NUMBERS Although residents may feel unsafe walking in certain areas of the Valley at night, data in a study released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in February revealed a decrease in the number of violent crimes statewide and along the border from 2004 to 2011. According to the study, the Hidalgo County crime rate fell from 314 in 2010 to 295 in 2011. Violent crime rates are measured per 100,000 individuals for large counties.

However, despite the statistics showing a decline, some students and residents still fear wandering around late in their neighborhoods.

For Juan Manuel Cepeda, a sophomore biology major and Alamo resident, taking a stroll

in the evening is not an option.

“I don’t walk at night because I don’t feel like my neighborhood is safe,” Cepeda said. “There are lots of gangs that go around during the later hours and people smoke and drink on the side of the roads in

groups. I prefer not to risk a dangerous encounter.”

In addition, Cepeda feels that border drug conflicts may be the reason for the violence and crime rates in the Valley.

“Drug cartels are a problem in the Valley because they recruit people from this side of the border to do deliveries,” Cepeda said.

“Sometimes, if the person does not comply, they use violence.”

Unlike Cepeda, Lopez feels not all people have a reason to fear cartels.

“The only ones that should worry are those residents involved with cartels or residents that associate with people that are involved with car-

tels,” the criminal justice lecturer said.

According to Anna Robles, this fear may stem from the Valley’s proximity to Mexico and the recent corruption scandals surrounding the former sheriff.

“Our way of life is deeply affected by the fact that we reside next to Mexico,” the Edinburg resident said. “There is so much corruption, more than we’ll ever know.”

In an article published in February by The Monitor, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott commented on the corruption present at all levels of law enforcement which have increased public distrust.

“Increasingly, we’re seeing corruption among local, state and federal law enforcement officers themselves,” the gubernatorial candidate said.

“This creeping corruption resembles third-world country practices that erode the social fabric of our communities and destroys Texans’ trust and confi-

NEWS

and Fire Safety Report.

The report showed a total of 25 on-campus drug offenses - which was a decrease from 48 in 2010.

In addition, there were eight burglaries reported and one aggravated assault.

Despite the crime statistics, Faustino Lopez, UTPA criminal justice lecturer admits that he does not necessarily feel like he is in danger being out at night, but takes precautions nonetheless.

“I would feel safe walking alone at night only if I considered it to be a low crime rate area,” said Lopez, who has worked in the criminal justice field for 17 years.

“I would definitely avoid high crime rate areas to walk at night.”

According to Lopez, who is also a unit supervisor at the Hidalgo County Community Supervision and Corrections Department, an example of a low crime rate area would be the walking trail on Second Street in McAllen because of its visibility at night.

However, for Lisa, a McAllen runner and mother of two, the walking trail on Second Street may not be as safe anymore. According to an Action 4 News report, she was attacked during a morning run early Saturday, July 5.

Lisa, who preferred not to share her last name in fear of retaliation, said she was “grabbed from behind” and “hit in the face” by her attacker. Although she carried mace with her, it wasn’t until she told her attacker that somebody was coming that he let her go.

Although Lisa’s incident on Second Street may suggest otherwise, Lopez believes the walking trail is safe.

“It’s a high visible area

dence in government.”

Despite Abbott’s statements regarding the presence of corruption in law enforcement, Lopez believes not all hope is lost.

“There are by far more law enforcement officers who are not corrupt than those that might be,” Lopez said. “In the end, corrupt officers will always get arrested and get what they deserve.

Live by the sword, die by the sword.”

Still, because of the prevalent mistrust of law enforcement, Lopez advises students to take the necessary measures to be safe.

“Always be aware of your surroundings,” Lopez said.

“Choose (the) safest route to take and have your phone readily available to call 911.”

Nonetheless, Cepeda, who was aware of the former sheriff’s conviction due to money laundering and taking campaign contributions from drug traffickers, feels mistrust toward local law enforcement.

“It is very sad when one of our sheriffs can also be corrupted,” Cepeda said. “I lost a lot of faith and trust in our law enforcement leaders because of the scandal.”

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By Melinda Garza The Pan American Miguel de los Santos, an associate professor in the University’s Department of Educational Leadership, attended Pan American College from 1963 to 1967. He said he chose to attend because it was the go-to college for Rio Grande Valley residents.

In nearly nine decades UTPA has undergone six name changes, nine presidents and is now merging with the University of Texas at Brownsville to become the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in fall 2015.

Edinburg College was founded in 1927 as a two-year community college governed by the Edinburg School District. The original building had a capacity of 200 students with 196 enrolled the first year and is presently listed as a historical site in the City of Edinburg. From 1933 to 1952 the school changed its name to Edinburg Junior College to Edinburg Regional

College, respectively.

According to UTPA’s main website, Pan American College made its debut in 1952 when it transformed from Edinburg Regional College into a four-year university. The name “Pan American” was

from Roma, Rio Grande City, Sullivan City and a little bit further out would get together and rent an apartment out in Edinburg.”

In 1971 the transition to Pan American University was made.

Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, the

chosen to reflect the institution’s desire to bridge the cultures of North and South America as well as to reflect the cultural diversity of the University.

“Any place out of the Valley was out of the question,” De los Santos said. “I paid for my college, but I lived at home. People that were

student population became increasingly Mexican-American. In 1981 Miguel Nevárez of McAllen became the University’s first Hispanic president and the first Valley native to run the institution. UTPA was established in 1989 after Nevárez led the merger with the University of Te x a s System.

“The biggest compliment that I think the University got during those years was from the Wall Street Journal,” said Nevárez, who was president from 1981 to 2004 and retired from teaching at UTPA in spring 2013.

“It said that this Univer-

sity was responsible for creating a Hispanic middle class and I think that’s very, very true… Because we increased the Hispanic population, we started graduating a lot more students, we had more degrees to offer.”

At the time of the merger UTPA had an extension center, or community college, called Pan American University at Brownsville. The center ventured to become independent from UTPA in 1989 and eventually joined the UT System. It officially became the University of Texas at Brownsville in 1991.

“UT Brownsville is coming back to (UTPA) so everything that happened during those years has kind of been reversing,” Nevárez said. “So when someone tells me, ‘Oh they’re going to merge,’ they used to be part of us. What do you mean we’re going to merge? They just took a leave of absence.”

The University presently has more than 20,000 students enrolled and traditions such as Midnight Madness, the Carnival of the Great Pumpkin and Homecoming. The Carnival of the Great Pumpkin has been an annual event since 1966.

The carnival, which is open to students, faculty and the community, is a Halloween event with games, food and contests. For PAU alumnus Arturo Perez, events were some of the things that fueled his Bronc pride.

“Attending basketball games was awesome,” said Perez, who graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education. “Our Bronc pride was actually exhibited through basketball games and going out after the basketball games to

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NEWS pizza places. I think going to pizza places and getting together with friends are things I’ll never forget.

They were great to be a part of.”

Athletics have long been a part of UTPA. The University has competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association since 1978 and has been a part of the Western Athletic Conference since July 2013. UTPA is one of five schools in the UT System in Division I, the others being Austin, El Paso, San Antonio and Arlington.

Perez believes Bronc pride has always been exhibited through athletics and although attendance at games has decreased, pride has not.

“Attending the basketball games back then, the field house was filled,” Perez recalled. “Now that I go… people do attend, but not to the extent that they used to back then. I hope that pride comes back.”

UTPA also hosts the Festival of International Books and Arts as well as Hispanic Engineering Science and Technology Week. FESTIBA is an annual weeklong event that highlights the important role of literacy in the RGV, while HESTEC is a nationally recognized effort to steer minorities into the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The University had a total of 881 faculty members in 2013 and according to second-year graduate student Carlos Guzman, he would not be where he is right now without the help of UTPA’s professors.

“The faculty has been unbelievably helpful and motivating,” the biology major said. “If it wasn’t for my current mentor I would have given up several times in the past year because of the workload. My

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favorite thing about UTPA is the accessibility of the faculty and staff (because) they are always easy to reach and willing to help.”

In 2013 the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine ranked UTPA third in the nation for award-

be a chance for the Rio Grande Valley to get on the map academically and to do some wonderful things down here in South Texas,” Villarreal said. “I don’t think a lot of people realize that. We can’t afford to do it wrong. I think the UT System is

ing undergraduate and graduate degrees to Hispanic students. It is also the third highest in Hispanics enrolled among all U.S. universities, behind Florida International and the University of Texas at El Paso. With the creation of UTRGV, the institution will have enrollment of more than 28,000 and become one of the largest Hispanicserving institutions in the country.

John Villarreal, a professor and Department of Chemistry chair, said he is positive UTRGV will be a success if the UT System continues recruiting the best students and faculty for the new university.

“If we do this right… this will

putting in the pieces that will make this a success without a doubt.”

According to Nevárez, the UT System is trying to do the best that it can by asking for input from individuals in the area, and said it’s natural for the community to be apprehensive about change. He also

Present

stated that the administration needs to know how to introduce change in order to best prepare individuals.

“No one explained that they were going to change the mascot and the colors when the bill was filed,” Nevárez said. “I think some of that should have happened so that people wouldn’t be surprised. Bottom line, it’s going to be good and it’s going to take some time. There’s good signs that it’s going to work.”

De los Santos said he’s seen the University evolve to what it is today and is glad that he will see the evolution continue into UTRGV. “It’s going to be a larger university so it should help the Valley,” he said. “Initially I think we’re going to have some growing pains with Brownsville and Edinburg trying to adjust, but I think once we adjust and come to grips to the fact that we’re one university for this whole area, I believe that we will be stronger.”

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By Claudia Lemus The Pan American

With 288,000 jobs added to the national U.S. economy and the Edinburg unemployment rate declining to 6.1 percent in June, according to a July article in the New York Times, most students are hopeful of finding jobs after completing their education.

Based on the article, unemployment fell from 7.9 percent at the start of 2013 to 6.1 percent. In addition, the pace of hiring has been stronger in recent months.

For recent graduate Erika Valdez, although the increase in jobs signifies a positive change in the economy, she is hesitant to celebrate her graduation.

“I feel better. It gives me hope of finding a job,” the psychology major said. “But it makes me nervous because you never know if it’s secure with the economy fluctuating all the time.”

Before obtaining her bachelor’s degree in psychology in May, Valdez

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feared not finding a job after receiving her diploma.

“I was afraid of not finding something within my field of study,” Valdez said. “I didn’t want to throw all those years of school away.”

Like Valdez, Gabriel Cantu, a spring 2013 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, has had difficulty finding a job.

“I do feel it’s hard to find fulltime employment in this e c o n o m y,” Cantu said.

“Over time, I am aware that some peers have found full-time employment, while others decided to leave the Rio Grande Valley in pursuit of better opportunities.”

According to Erika Esquivel, a graduate student career adviser with the Office of Career Services at UTPA, graduate students struggle to find jobs because of the lack of opportunities in the Valley.

“I do not feel there are a lot of work opportunities for graduating students in the Valley,” said Esquivel.

T h e U T P A Office of Career Services is dedicated to assisting students in preparing for the w o r k

field and providing them with tools for finding jobs.

According to a Valley Town Crier article published in June, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation announced that the city’s 6.1 percent unemployment rate was the best in the city since May 2008 as well as the

second-best figure for the Valley in May 2014.

The article also stated that Edinburg’s labor pool was the third largest in the RGV with 33,485 individuals employed as of May 2014.

Based on the article, Brownsville ranked first with 63,313 employed individuals and McAllen was second with 58,523.

Despite the positive employment statistics, the graduate student career adviser believes they could be attributed to different reasons.

“I think the unemployment rate declining in Texas does make a difference for our college graduates,” Esquivel said. “Yet it is difficult to say what the rate means exactly. It can mean that graduates have found excellent opportunities, but it can also mean that they have settled for positions that are not meeting their expectations or that they are not using their education.”

According to a Forbes article published September 2013, some of the highest paid majors were engineering with an average salary of $62,100 and computer science with

$58,000. However, humanities and social science majors fared the worst with the average starting salary of $37,000.

A U.S. News article published February 2014 ranked the best jobs in 2014 using salary, manageable work-life balance, high employment opportunities and job security. Nearly 40 percent of the occupations related to healthcare, but also included jobs in the social services and business sectors, including the first ranking as a software developer. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that software developers made a median salary of $90,060 in 2012.

Also on the list was dentistry in which the best-paid earned more than $187,999 while the lowest-paid earned less than $74,130.

As a result, Cantu, who is employed as a part-time photographer for UTPA, continues seeking full-time employment no matter the field.

“Being that it’s only a parttime position, I have been seeking full-time employment whether it relates to my degree or not,” Cantu said.

Based on the Forbes article, humanities graduates like Cantu may have more luck finding jobs in the industry of “educational services” which hired 452,000 graduates in 2013.

However, despite positive figures indicating a better economy, Cantu says he continues to apply anywhere he can as well as networking with professionals.

“I consistently perform online job hunting day after day, or every two days. Not to mention, asking other professionals if they’re aware of any vacancies throughout the Valley,” the mass communication 8/14/14 12:54 PM

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conducted by Forbes contributor Dan Schawbel titled the “MultiGenerational Job Search,” when asked about the importance of a college degree when hiring, 64 percent of hiring managers said,“It’s important, but I’d consider hiring without one.”

Like Schawbel, summer 2013 criminal justice graduate Erika Rodriguez believes there are other things more important to employers than education.

“If there are jobs available you need to have the experience to be hired,” Rodriguez said. “I feel previous experience in the field is more important to employers than education.”

Rodriguez, who is currently working on a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling, has still not found a job pertaining to her

field of study. She has however obtained experience working as a legal assistant for various law firms throughout the Valley such as the Ramon Law Firm in McAllen.

Although experience is always valued by employers, the study determined that the top three attributes companies currently seek are a positive attitude, communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team.

In addition, it revealed that 43 percent of human resources professionals ranked “cultural fit” as the single most important thing in the hiring process. According to organizational psychologist Adrian Furnham, cultural fit is the similarity “between the norms and values of the organization and those of the person.”

Rodriguez agrees that communi-

cation skills as well as internships are important for students to consider.

“I think recent graduates should definitely work on their communication and interviewing skills,” the criminal justice graduate said. “Also, they should take advantage of internships and (volunteering). Some employers will accept those as work experience.”

The graduate advisor suggests that students on the hunt for a job should be patient.

“The best advice that I can give students searching for jobs right now is to not give up,” Esquivel said. “Quitting never got anyone anywhere and finding a position is a full-time job on its own since it takes a lot of commitment and dedication.”

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major said.

For the 32-year-old, networking and experience play a big role in his job hunt.

“Many professionals tell you to network while you’re in college or wherever you might be,” Cantu said. “It’s one of the best tools to utilize, including the professional website LinkedIn.” First launched May 5, 2003, LinkedIn is a social online service mainly used for professional connections. Through the website, users are able to display their résumé and connesct with companies and other possible employers who are hiring.

Despite the declining unemployment rate and higher availability of jobs, finding work could still require more than a degree. According to a study

By Susan Gonzalez The Pan American The inaugural class of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, the result of the merger between UTPA and The University of Texas at Brownsville, is set to enroll in fall 2015. In addition, the accompanying medical school will open one year later.

UTPA and University of Texas System administrators predict that enrollment, especially of Rio Grande Valley students, will increase to more than 30,000 with the creation of the new university, but current Valley high schoolers are more skeptical.

According to statistics provided by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, approximately 19,000 students were enrolled at UTPA in fall 2012.

However, the University still didn’t have one of the top three enrollment figures among 4-year and 2-year public colleges in the South Texas region.

“I think most high schoolers will still view (the University) as UTPA, even after the merger,” said Janice Montemayor, a senior at Robert Vela High School in Edinburg. “Practically everything is the same except the name. Even after the merger, I think (students) will still want to leave home and go to a college that’s not local and just see something different.

They don’t want to be a local all the time.”

According to incoming UTPA freshmen

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Arturo Rodriguez-Perez, most students attend UTPA as a back-up plan rather than a first choice.

“I think most students want to get out (of the Valley),” said Rodriguez-Perez, a Mexico City native. “Originally, I was going to the University of the Incarnate Word but I’m staying because of family problems and money issues. I only intend to stay for my basic (courses).”

UTPA Provost Havidán Rodriguez hopes that this mentality will change once UTRGV and the accompanying school of medicine open their doors. Rodriguez, who will serve as the interim president of UTPA during the transition year, said one of the aims of the new institution is to attract and retain students in the Valley.

“One of the goals of UTRGV and the UTRGV school of medicine is that we will be able to recruit, attract and retain more students in the Rio Grande Valley and to stay in the Rio Grande Valley, and that UTRGV will be an institution of choice for these students,” said Rodriguez, provost and vice president of academic affairs. “Of course, at the end of the day, students will go where they feel their needs will be met, where they have academic programs they

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was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. It took some convincing and a clear state of mind to accept what I could not change and be grateful for everything I had received.”

One of the top reasons students stay home for college is to save money, as stated in a March 2013 article by USA Today. Rodriguez said this will be one of the reasons UTRGV will be a viable college option for local students.

“We live in a region where you have very high levels of poverty,” the provost said. “So providing students with the necessary financial assistance so that (students) can afford to go to the university - that is going to be key in retaining students here.”

In 2013, Brownsville and Harlingen were named the poorest cities in the country by the U.S. Census Bureau and economic website 24/7 Wall St. But while financial reasons may be the initial motivation for students to attend UTRGV, Rodriguez said the university will strive to keep them here with new

feel comfortable with... but we want to be a real alternative, a real choice for students.”

According to a September 2013 article by The New York Times, colleges closer to a student’s hometown are becoming increasingly popular. In a survey of freshman students pursuing a four-year degree, 20 percent said that being close to home was a very important factor in their college selection process - up 4 percent from the previous year.

For Victoria Lynn Olivares, being close to home was not a very important factor when she applied to college. But her original plans didn’t pan out and like RodriguezPerez, she found herself at UTPA. “It was not my initial plan to stay here in the Valley for college,” said Olivares, an incoming freshmen.

“My aspirations were to leave home and start a new life on my own somewhere far away. Things didn’t turn out the way I had planned.

However, I was blessed to receive a federal grant if I attended UTPA. It

A

◦

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programs and opportunities.

“One of the things we aim to expand on is the academic and educational experience the students have at the institution,” Rodriguez said. “For example, we’ve been trying to expand student engagement.

So having students participate in internships, in undergraduate research, in service learning, and study abroad and honors programs.”

According to the provost, involvement in these types of activities increases retention rates, graduation rates and the probability of going to graduate school. But while student engagement is important, Rodriguez-Perez said there is more to the issue than the campus environment. The Vela High School graduate said his peers often ridiculed UTPA and he believes that there is a stigma attached to attending the University.

“I would make fun of (South Texas College) because it’s like a community college,” Rodriguez-

Perez said. “Most people make fun of UTPA because it’s a school that you have to stay here, you have no other place to go to, but I feel like it’s actually a good school.”

Rodriguez is confident this stigma will diminish over time.

“It’s about developing an institute of higher education that will become a model for institutions of higher education across the country. When other institutions across the country start talking about (UTRGV)... it exposes and increases the reach, the visibility and the impact of the institution, not only in the Valley but in the state of Texas and across the country,” the UTPA president ad interim said.

“This is going to fundamentally and radically transform the way we do education in the Rio Grande Valley.”

◦

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UTPA SBDC, a component of the Business Development & Innovation (BDI) Group, is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Reasonable arrangements for persons with disabilities will be made, if requested at least two weeks in advance. Assistance for the hearing impaired can be attained by calling the TDD at (956) 665-5071.

UTPA SBDC | 1407 E FREDDY GONZALEZ DR, SUITE 1.200 | EDINBURG, TX 78539 | phone 956.665.7535 | fax 956.665.7561

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Texas Pre-freshman Engineering Program students enjoy refreshing water from the inflatable slide on Fun Day, the group’s last day on campus July 24. TexPREP is a UTPA-coordinated program instituted to prepare middle and high school students who are interested in science, mathematics, technology and engineering for college and university-level education.

The Pan American’s arts and life section covers University events like this one along with events in the community, such as Bucky’s Block Party which will be held on campus Aug. 28.

In addition to on-campus happenings, this section also writes about events in the Rio Grande Valley such as art galleries, conventions and concerts. For the last three years A&L has written about the annual Never Say Never Festival held in Pharr every spring break and has covered Warped Tour in San Antonio twice.

There are also life-related topics such as students’ spending and saving habits, the struggle to quit smoking and body image issues that give readers a look into the lives of college students. One individual-centered piece from January was about UTPA student Vivianna Villalon, who made it to Hollywood in this year’s American Idol competition.

When it comes to the University it is A&L’s specialty to let readers know about what projects and events are happening around campus as well as what students and organizations are up to. From the 50-year Bronc class reunion in February to the Office for Sustainability’s Earth Week celebrations in April, A&L reports it all.

Once the merger is complete and UTPA becomes the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, interesting events and people on campus will become more frequent and Arts and Life will keep readers informed. Even if the University’s identity changes, A&L’s won’t.

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By Elisa Garcia The Pan American Today’s generation of 18to 33-year-olds have the highest levels of debt, poverty and unemployment in American history, according to the Pew Research Center. In addition, studies suggest these individuals are America’s most diverse generation in religion, ethnicity and political views.

Who are these individuals that shape one of the country’s most recognizable groups? Millennials.

According to Pew, Millennials are America’s youngest adult generation. They are burdened with financial obstacles, yet are optimistic about their future and more open to same-sex marriage.

The Millennial generation is also known as ‘Generation Y’ because it follows ‘Generation X’, or people who were born between 1965 and 1984.

The term ‘Generation Y’ first appeared in an August 1993 issue of Advertising Age, a global source of media and marketing news. An editorial described teenagers of that era, which were defined as separate from Generation X. The word ‘Millennial’ first reached the public in William Strauss and Neil Howe’s 1991 book Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069. In their book, Howe and Strauss used the term in place of Generation Y because members of the generation did not want to be associated with that group.

Researchers at Pew suggest Millennials make up the most racially diverse American generation with 43 percent of adults being non-white, based on a large

wave of Hispanic and Asian immigrants that began in about 2000.

With studies showing such distinct characteristics about this age group, UTPA students opened up to how they do and don’t fit into the Millennial Generation.

HARDSHIPS According to Pew’s study, a Millennial’s economic circumstances are a reflection of the Great Recession of 2007-2009, the sharp decline in economic activity during the late 2000s. They are also partly due to the long-term effects of “globalization,” or the process of international changes of world views, products and ideas.

Out of 1,821 surveyed Americans spanning all generations, seven out of 10 agreed that today’s young adults face more economic challenges than their elders did when they were in the same age range.

Psychology major Karina Chacon admits she and her family have had their fair share of financial obstacles when it comes to keeping her and her 21-year-old brother in college.

“Financial hardship has always affected me,” the 19-year-old said. “Whether it was worrying about my parents working too hard to make sure there was enough money, or seeing them struggle when there was not enough work to make enough money.”

Still, a third of older Millennials ages 26 to 33 have a four-year college degree or greater, making them the most educated group of

young adults in American history. But this education comes at a price.

A 2013 Urban Institute study shows this generation of college graduates is entering adulthood with record levels of student debt: 15 percent of recent bachelor’s d e g re e gradu-

ates have an average debt of $27,000 or less, while 37 percent of students manage to graduate without the use of loans.

Pete Gonzalez Jr., a biology/pre-med graduate, will attend Texas State this fall to finish his master’s in biology and then plans to attend medical school. Along with a bachelor’s degree, the 25-year-old graduated with $20,000 in debt.

“After medical school I will finally reach my final goal of becoming a psychiatrist,” the San Antonio native said. ”Until I graduate, then I can start paying my debts, which will probably increase over the next eight years.”

Marketing major Aaryn

Marez said financial issues have affected her wish to attend college in Atlanta, along with creating selfdoubt about studying a field that will fail to fulfill her dream of becoming a fashion entrepreneur. She fears for herself and her generation, feeling the majority will end up working where they never wanted to, just because doing so was a safe way into the career world.

“Student loan (debt) is the one thing that is just waiting for you to fail. You can be stuck in debt your whole life,” the 22-year-old said. “With (debt) constantly on your back, many don’t get to do what they actually want to do. There isn’t any reassurance that loans will help you in the long run.”

STAYING POSITIVE Despite the financial burdens, research suggests Millennials are the nation’s most stubborn economic optimists.

Based on a 2014 Pew study, 32 percent feel they presently have enough money to lead the lives they want, while 53 percent say they don’t earn enough now but expect to in the future.

Even though he’s a long way from paying off his debt, Gonzalez believes his future career in the medical profession is looking bright.

“The way I see it is that I’m making an investment in furthering my education in order to have a more secure future,” he said. “Viewing it in this aspect helps me to not worry so much about my future.”

Chacon, a Harlingen native, said she still worries

about her parents working too hard, or about seeing them struggle, but she still finds a reason to think positive. “(My brother and I) are getting the education (my parents) pay for...so that keeps me optimistic about my future,” she said. “More education and more opportunities are available to our generation and learning how to take advantage of that makes me feel more at ease about finding financial stability.”

Like Chacon, Marez said even though it’s difficult to make a stable living, there is always a way of making things happen.

“Despite the doubt I have, I am very optimistic about my future. I think you have to be if you want a successful future,” the La Feria native said.

“I believe there are always loopholes in front of us and in the end, I will be doing what I always wanted to do.”

No other era of adults is nearly as confident about their economic future, with the exception of ‘Generation Xers’ when they were in the Millennial age range.

TAKE A VOTE According to Pew, 50 percent of Millennials choose not to identify with either major political party, and 31 percent say there is a great deal of difference between the Republican and Democratic parties.

Chacon explained she has never voted, identified with a political party or taken a stance on important political issues.

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A&L “I cannot say that I have any sort of preferences at all,” she said.

“When it comes to government and politics, with all the never-ending conquests and corruptions, I try to maintain a ‘hope for the best, prepare for the worst’ attitude.”

The Atlantic Monthly, a literary and cultural commentary magazine, explained Millennials dislike politics more than any other generation, yet they hold a strong opinion when it comes to Congress.

However, not all Millennials feel the same.

Gonzalez believes the less he associates with Congress and politics, the better.

“I choose to not involve myself in our government’s politics due to the fact that I believe it’s corrupt and runs on favoritism,” he said. “We hear more bad than good and I just feel that the government is too dramatic sometimes...I’d consider myself a hypocrite if I voted for someone or an issue I don’t really believe in.”

According to Pew’s 2014 study, The Next America, the young-versus-old partisan voting gap is the widest since the voting age was lowered to 18 in 1972. As recently as 2000, there was no difference in the way young and old Americans voted.

The young-old partisan voting gaps in 2008 and 2012 were among the largest in the modern era, with Millennials far more supportive than older generations of U.S. Presi-

dent Barack Obama.

Marez feels if she were to be affiliated with Democrats or Republicans she would be breaking moral principles that are supported by the government such as abortion and gay marriage.

“There are so many political issues in the world today, the few things I certainly am sure about is that abortion should be illegal, samesex marriages shouldn’t be allowed,” she said. “If I had the choice to vote for a president who was a Democrat or a Republican, I p ro b a b l y w o u l d n’t vote at all.”

Chacon believes there are too many problems to be fixed and the solutions to these problems will only benefit one group and damage the other.

“There are just too many issues and too many people sitting around all sides of them,” she said. “Certain people need things that will disadvantage others, what will please one group will anger another. Politics seems to be a winning and losing game, so I’d prefer to just pray for more wins and do my best to cushion the losses.”

ACCEPTING About 29 percent of Generation Yers are not affiliated with any religion, numbers that are at or near the highest levels recorded for any generation in the last quar-

ter-century.

A study by Pew showed that a solid majority of Americans who are religiously unaffiliated supports same sex marriage at 77 percent.

Today 59 percent of all Catholics favor it, an increase of 19 percent since 2001.

Gonzalez, who was raised

Catholic, is included in the 59 percent and believes people have the right to live life the way they want to.

“People say ‘love is love,’ which is true. I feel it’s a person’s own choice to choose who they love despite what other people may think,” he said. “I feel that people are more open about same-sex marriage because it’s slowly

becoming a more common and accepted thing in today’s society.”

According to a 2003 Pew study, 51 percent of Millennials supported same-sex marriage. Since then that number has increased to 68 percent - the highest of all time.

Chacon believes the Millennial generation has a m o r e a c cepti n g mentality due in part to being connected to a wider range of people while being exposed to differing traditions because of technology a n d social media. She feels people are entitled to choose who they love, no matter the gender.

“I support same-sex marriage because I’ve always believed that all people are deserving of happiness, even if they may seek happiness in ways that differ from our own,” she said. “There’s all kinds of arguments that homosexuality breaks religion and family tradition, but I feel that as long as people have the freedom to make

their personal choices and no harm is done to others, there isn’t any reason to reduce the diversity that already exists in our society.”

Older generations have become more supportive over the years as well. In 2003, 49 percent of Generation Xers supported samesex marriage compared to today’s 55 percent. However, Millennials still accept gay marriage 13 percent more than their predecessors.

But not all individuals feel the same. Marez explained that being brought up in the Church and having her mother as a pastor has made a big impact on how she views homosexuality.

“I personally do not support same-sex marriages.

Having been raised in a church, it is only obvious that my principles are different from that of one who was or has never been introduced to Biblical principles,” she said. “When the world was finally familiar with the fact that they had the right to do whatever they wanted with their lives, people began living life differently from previous generations.”

Not only do Millennials approach the world differently from previous generations, but from each other as well. Students explained how being born into this generation doesn’t necessarily make one a Millennial.

WHO ARE THEY? According to Pew, Millennials have fewer attachments to traditional political and religious institutions, but they connect to personalized networks of friends and colleagues through social and digital media.

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Chacon believes she doesn’t identify herself with all the characteristics of the group but finds the information reassuring.

“After learning about the way our generation is seen, I feel better about being associated with the ‘Millennials,’” she said. “I think the term is a sound reminder that even

By Andrew Vera The Pan American For UTPA student Sandra Rojas, going out to 17th Street in Downtown McAllen used to be a regular occurrence. She would meet with friends and have a couple of drinks, but that changed last year. Rather than going downtown, Rojas found other places to party.

Rojas feels she isn’t alone in thinking that the Downtown Scene, which she said was created to emulate Austin’s 6th Street, has become a thing of the past.

Austin’s 6th Street is a large strip of downtown that is famously known for its nightlife. The area is also known for having a variety of bars and clubs within a small distance, making it easy for patrons to walk from bar to bar.

“It was a new thing and it was kind of like Austin,” the mass communication major said of the McAllen area, which came about in 2009.

“They were trying to look like Austin and it didn’t turn out very well.”

Daniel Duran, co-owner of alternative lifestyle club The Recovery Room, agrees that Downtown McAllen was created with the idea of 6th

though many traditional values may be getting left in the past and things can change quickly, we live in a time where society and technology is exciting and we have the power to take full advantage of it all.”

Some students feel they do not fit in with ideas from the studies. Marez admits she is

glad she doesn’t have Millennial characteristics.

“It’s slightly unsatisfying to be a part of the Millennial generation,” she said.

“The things that make us ‘Millennials’ are things I wouldn’t have even thought to be a factor in distinguishing our generation from the others. Quite frankly, these

factors are unsettling to hear. These factors are what make up our generation and it’s pretty upsetting.”

Gonzalez agrees with Marez and explained the name ‘Millennials’ is just another label, which doesn’t define every person in the age group.

“I feel that I don’t pertain to this characteristic because

I am, to a certain level, informed in politics and definitely affiliated within religious institutions such as church and retreats,” he said. “Knowing all these facts doesn’t make me think differently about our generation because personally I feel that we are who we choose to be.”

Street in mind.

“I think a lot of (17th Street’s fall) was they promised you so many things when you first got there,” the UTPA alumnus said. “And then after a couple of years they started charging parking fees and homeowner’s association fees for the bars and that wasn’t really laid out to them before they started.”

Duran, who graduated in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, added that violence in McAllen’s downtown area steered some clubgoers toward the Nolana scene, nearly three miles north of Downtown, where they may feel safer.

but this time the incident took place inside a club. The second stabbing occurred at 1:45 a.m. at Club Vault, one of 17th Street’s larger nightclubs, according to The Monitor. The driver was able to later drive himself to McAllen Medical Center for treatment and his injuries were not fatal.

Rojas explained that he thinks these cases are part of what has caused patrons to go other places.

“All of the violence, like the stabbing a few times, it geared people away from there and people were scared,” the McAllen native said. “And I think that’s the reason there is

a lot more security and cops and people don’t want to go.”

Duran added that this violence was one of the things that made him wary of opening a business downtown.

The club he co-owns with a partner, The Recovery Room, is situated in the heart of the Nolana club scene, just across the street from Gamehaus Gastropub. He said the idea came from a lifelong dream of opening a bar for nurses to go to after a long work shift, hence the name. Duran also wanted his patrons to feel safe.

Liza Salinas, who owned two clubs downtown, explained why she sold them

late last year.

“I just didn’t feel like my guests or employees were safe (downtown),” Salinas said. “There were stabbings and that pushed a lot of business away.”

Salinas moved her business ventures to Nolana, opening Park Avenue just next to Eddies, a pool hall that has been opened since 1999.

Like Salinas, Rojas said that many of the customers from Nolana bars had moved the party downtown but quickly returned.

“I think they are going

VIOLENCE Valley Central reported that a stabbing took place downtown in the early morning hours July 21, 2013. McAllen police at the scene called for an investigation.

Just a few months later in November, another stabbing was reported

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back t o N o l a n a ,” R o jas explained. “( The Nolana) area has picked up a lot.

There used to be a lot of people there, then they moved (downtown) and then came back. I think the whole thing was to focus on one area having all the clubs.”

LGBT SCENE The McAllen club scene has seen its share of alternative lifestyle clubs and gay clubs. In the ‘80s and ‘90s there was 10th Avenue, the premiere gay club. Bars like Trade Bar and PBD’s were popular hangouts for the LGBT community in the 2000s, but according to Duran, these clubs are largely on the north side of town, typically north of Nolana.

He feels the violence seen on 17th Street has kept these types of clubs away from the area.

“I worked 18 years in

cif-

the emergency room so I saw a lot of the violence coming out of 17th street,” said Duran, who was a nurse for 38 years. “So I was very reluctant (to take my business) downtown...being a gay bar and being afraid of the gay bashing, or not being able to get the customers you want because people are afraid to go downtown.”

Rojas also explained that the mix of clubs on Nolana has contributed to its success.

“Nolana just has a bigger variety,” the 24-year-old said.

“There was a gay club downtown, but I think the violence kind of... I don’t think that place is open anymore.”

LOCATION Positioned just south of Business 83, 17th Street is considered the south side of town, or “Old McAllen.”

For patrons traveling from the north side of town, this meant passing the McAllen

Police station on the corner of Pecan and Bicentennial Avenue on their way home.

Duran explained that this may have been one of the culprits in the demise of 17th Street.

“A lot of the people from the north side of town don’t even want to go to the south side anymore only because they are afraid of the police and having to drive back home,” the club owner said.

“So a lot of the people on the north side prefer to come to the north side so it’s easier to get back home.”

Traveling from north to south also meant greater risk of having an accident, especially after a night of drinking.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, there were nearly 800 alcoholrelated accidents in Hidalgo County in 2013 alone. Of these, 16 were fatal. More spe-

i c a l l y, 141 of the nearly 800 alcoholrelated crashes took place in McAllen. Duran feels that these numbers affect the places that McAllen clubgoers choose, adding to the appeal of the Nolana scene.

NOLANA SCENE The Nolana club scene is stretched between 23rd Street and Colonel Rowe Boulevard. Some notable bars and clubs in the area include Gamehaus Gastropub, which opened in the fall of last year and DeLoreans, an ‘80s-themed bar.

Also found on the Nolana “strip” is Duran’s The Recovery Room, which offers a nightclub atmosphere for the LGBT community and its supporters. When it opened last December, Duran was worried about how business would run.

“Being my first venture out with a bar I had to lean on my partner, who had owned bars in the past, for advice,” Duran recalled. “But with all the other bars in the area, we had a concept but we didn’t know how to attract the followers.”

Although the Nolana club scene has seen a boost in business in recent months, according to Rojas, the creation of Downtown once had negative effects on her family’s bar on Nolana, The Yacht Club.

This club, according to Rojas, offers Tejano nights and country music nights while offering a nightclub atmosphere.

“We are kind of working on promoting more to bring more crowd in, because all of the crowd pretty much took off to downtown,” Rojas said.

“All of the clubs on Nolana, their sales went down.”

WHAT’S NEXT? While some clubs remain relevant in the downtown area, like Suerte and The Flying Walrus, the money being made has greatly diminished, according to Rojas.

“It’s just not the same down there,” the McAllen native said. “The clubs have totally changed, the crowd has changed. I think that there are a lot of minors (and) a lot of illegal activity going on.”

Rojas said that her family’s business has seen growth in the recent months and she hopes sales will continue to increase.

As for downtown, she believes it will completely die out and eventually be nothing.

Duran noted that the future of the Nolana club scene looks bright. With new places opening up, he said that it will be even bigger in the next five years.

“This area is continuing to grow,” he said. “Even now we are seeing people that will walk from other bars over here (to The Recovery Room).”

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By May Ortega The Pan American In 2010, 36 percent of American college students came from families where neither parent had a college degree.

If a college student’s parents didn’t receive a degree past the high school level, he or she is considered a first-generation student. UTPA alumni Roman Sanchez and Janette Leal are part of that percentage.

Senior Lauro Zuñiga will join them after he receives his degree in December.

Sanchez, who received his Bachelor of Arts in Theater last May, said he is an only child and the first of his immediate family to complete college. The San Benito native’s mother had a high school education but did not go further, something he said helped keep him in school.

“I just wanted to better myself. I would hear my mom say, ‘Learn from my mistakes, always go to college and always strive to get a higher education,’” the 23-year-old said. “I’ve always been a schoolboy, ever since elementary school.”

According to a 2012 study on re-conceptualizing college readiness, one reason firstgeneration students

may have a tough time with school is because of weak time management after the transition from high school to college. Although Sanchez said he had a hard time keeping up with his schedule, he quickly gained control and did more around campus than just go to class and study.

“As the years progressed, I started joining organizations, I had several leadership positions and I did everything that a typical college student could imagine, including joining a fraternity,” he said.

Two years before Sanchez’s graduation, 25-year-old Leal received her diploma from UTPA in fall 2012. Not only was she the first of her immediate family to graduate, but of her extended family as well. Being the youngest of four children with a single mother, the Pharr native said she pursued her degree in English for several familyoriented reasons.

“I wanted to be success-

ful for my future children.

Growing up, I watched my mother work and struggle as a single parent,” she said. “I also wanted to be a positive role model for my nieces and baby nephew. Growing up in a low-income area, (a degree) is hard to come by, but I wanted to prove everyone wrong.”

Two years ago, the website 24-7 Wall Street named Brownsville and McAllen the first and second poorest cities in the country, respectively.

When it comes to the entire Valley, Cameron County’s average household income last year was $14,405, Hidalgo’s was $14,126, Willacy’s was $11,895 and Starr’s was $11,537. According to the U.S. Census Bureau the average in Texas as a whole was $25,809.

To keep his own future income above the average, 22-year-old Zuñiga said college had always been part of his plan. He added that he enrolled because

he wanted to provide for himself as well as his parents after their retirement.

“I always knew I was going to college because it was something that was always emphasized in my schooling,” the Bluffton, Ind. native said.

“I always figured there had to be a way that doctors, lawyers and politicians were made. So the idea of college was always present in my life. I chose to go because I knew I didn’t want to work a minimum wage job.”

LIGHTING THE TORCH Out of 2010’s 36 percent of first-generation college students, 28 percent graduated, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Sanchez and Leal have joined that near quarter and Zuñiga’s commencement day is approaching.

On graduation day, it has been University tradition for graduates to wear a green and orange memory stole around their necks. After the event, they give it to

someone who inspired, mentored or helped them during their college years.

Sanchez mentioned the tradition and emotional moments shared between himself and his mother after the commencement ceremony.

“She was crying the day of graduation. My UTPA stole, I gave it to her. She was crying up a river and a storm and so was I,” he said. “She was just so proud of me and the fact that I not only graduated from high school, but I graduated from college and not everybody can say that.

In that point in time she realized that all my hard work, my blood, sweat and tears, actually did pay off.”

He said his decision to give the stole to his mother came without question after the countless times she’d kept him afloat when he felt like he was drowning in work.

“This past semester I took 20 hours, I was working and I did other extracurriculars as well,” he ex-

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Although there were 53 million Latinos in the country making up 17 percent of the American population in 2013, they also account for 19 percent of total U.S. college students. Of that number, about half of them actually receive a degree, according to a 2012 study on urban-schooled Latinos.

Leal, whose mother completed some college hours, said quitting school was not an option, and that she was determined to prove any naysayers wrong.

“I never gave up. Even the thought of dropping out never plagued me,” she said. “I was very happy and proud that I succeeded. I had a lot of people that thought I wasn’t even going to attend college, but having that piece of paper made me feel successful.”

Even though Zuñiga’s father only received his high school diploma and his mother dropped out after the sixth grade, he said he has the motivation to get through the last leg of his bachelor’s journey.

“The sole driving force

for completing my education has been to make my parents proud and to know that with a degree I will be able to always help them out financially,” the business marketing major said.

“Seeing my parents struggle to put me through college always grounded me in my studies and fueled my desire to graduate.”

Zuñiga’s ambition has kept dropping out far from his mind, but that doesn’t mean his journ e y has been a smooth one.

“There have been difficult moments where I worried about having money to pay my dorm or apartment or having money on me for food,” he said. “Luckily, I have been blessed with very supportive parents, so I was always able to get through those problems. Dropping out would only exacerbate my problems, not aid them.”

According to the 2012 study on re-conceptualizing college readiness, the process of learning how to read, write and study at the college level for a wide variety of courses makes higher education tougher for first-gen students. Another less-common challenge the study discussed was finding solidarity in other first-gen classmates or those who

faced financial troubles like them.

THE NEXT LEVEL In 2012, Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine ranked UTPA as second on its list of institutions providing bachelor’s degrees to Hispanics, with 2,453.

When it comes to mas-

ter’s degrees, UTPA ranked third with 579 graduates in that same year. The National Educational Longitudinal Study conducted in 2000 stated that less than 3 percent of first-generation graduates went on to receive a master’s when 13 percent had aspired to do so.

Sanchez intends to be part of that 3 percent by receiving a master’s in his minor, criminal justice. He is still not sure what school to attend for the degree, but he said it’s between his alma mater or the University of

Houston. He also knows his mother will support him no matter the path he chooses.

“She says that whatever I do, she’ll always be proud of me,” he said. “She told me if I want to do theater, criminal justice or even be an airline pilot, she will back me up 100 percent.”

Leal said her younger cousins look up to her now and added that many of them have enrolled in college as a r e sult of her example.

To further her success, she will also work to earn a m a s t e r ’s in English with plans to become a librarian. She added that a degree is necessary to make a good living because she believes the RGV runs on connections and wealth.

“My mother suffered a lot,” she said. “In the (Rio Grande) Valley politics play a big role, so there is nothing else left to do but work your way up the ladder with education.

Like Sanchez and Leal, Zuñiga has set his sights on a master’s,

but he also plans to join the ranks of a particular single percent of first-gen graduates. When it came to a doctorate, less than 1 percent attained the degree out of 12 percent who had planned to.

“I intend to get my master’s in education and a (doctorate) in education as well. I want to help people understand that through education, many things are possible,” he explained. “I want to help change and bring understanding to our underserved community. I would like to be part of a movement that helps educate our society about the troubles and woes of underserved communities.”

Throughout four years of studying at UTPA, Zuñiga has kept one thing in mind.

“One of the most important things my parents have said to me is that with an education I can always help more people in more ways,” he said. “And since that’s what I’d like to do, then that has inspired me a lot.”

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By Susan Gonzalez The Pan American A peer of 20-year-old Leila Showery threatened to kill her through Facebook when she was a senior in high school. This event has shaped the UTPA student’s view on social media and how she manages her privacy on the Internet. According to a September 2013 study by Pew Research Center, 18-29-year-olds are the demographic most likely to take steps in order to maintain online privacy.

“I take a couple precautions to block people who harass me,” said Showery, a senior business administration major. “I like privacy because in my opinion my Instagram is of no one’s business.”

But while Showery keeps her Instagram and Facebook accounts private, she is part of the 88.16 percent of users who have a public Twitter account.

According to Beelove, a software product company specializing in social media data, 64 percent of female Twitter

11%

users have protected accounts, making Showery an exception.

Another female Twitter user who has a public account is junior biology major Vanessa Thomas. The UTPA student uses Facebook, Instagram and Twitter but doesn’t think it’s necessary to make the latter two private.

“I am public - no privacy settings enforced at all. I believe Instagram and Twitter are a form of blogging (and) should be public in my honest opinion,” the 22-year-old said. “Facebook on the other hand is private, but I have a messenger so if people need to contact me I am always available.

I believe Facebook is very easy to access and is meant to also be a blog but for certain people to see. But I know there is always a way people will see your things.”

In the same 2013 Pew study, 59 percent of surveyed Internet users said it was not possible to be completely anonymous online. This is something Thomas is aware of when using social media.

11% of Internet users have had important personal information stolen such as their Social Security Number, credit card or bank account information.

21%

59% 89% 59% say that people should have the ability to use the Internet with complete anonymity.

“Facebook may have your privacy setting but that defeats the purpose of the Internet, which is unlimited information,” she said. “If you put something out there it will never be private.

Because the only way to keep anything private is to not share it.”

Fellow UTPA student Lauro Zuñiga feels the same as Thomas when it comes to social media. The senior marketing major uses Twitter, Facebook and Instagram daily in addition to occasionally using the blogging website Tumblr.

But while he has an active social media life he knows that anything he shares has the potential to be seen by those he didn’t intend to share it with, so he takes extra precautions.

“Usually what I do with my Facebook is when I post a status...after 24 hours or a couple of days have passed, I go back and delete them just to kind of erase my history,” he said.

PROFESSIONAL IMAGE In addition, Zuñiga said it is important to maintain a certain image

21% of Internet users have had an email or social networking account compromised or taken over by someone else without permission.

89% of Internet users have taken steps online to remove or mask their digital footprint such as clearing cookies to avoiding using their name or using virtual networks that mask their Internet protocol (IP) address.

on social media because of what future employers might see. According to Forbes, employers are using the Internet to weed out potential job candidates. Of those surveyed, 50 percent said provocative or inappropriate photos and information on social media accounts was the reason for eliminating candidates. Another reason was evidence that the potential employee uses drugs or alcohol, accounting for 48 percent.

“Sometimes if...one of my friends uses a bad word or I use a bad word, I want to delete (that status or tweet),” Zuñiga said. “Your future employers sometimes look at your social media websites, so I don’t want it to look bad on me.”

On the flipside, social media can be beneficial to a person’s career if used correctly, according to Zen Faulkes, an associate professor in biology.

“Professionally, it’s absolutely critical for my research and career,” Faulkes said. “It’s all about connecting to a research community.”

12% of Internet users have been stalked or harassed online.

12%

82% 82% of college students are concerned about keeping their data private and roughly the same percantage is concerned about their school tracking their online behavior.

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By M The

In Texa will insid Build tion, “UT been At comm Univ capsu seale years

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By May Ortega The Pan American In the year 2040 the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley community will gather to break a hole in a wall inside the new Academic Services Building currently under construction, pry out a time capsule marked “UTPA” and find what items have been sealed inside since 2014.

At present-day UTPA there is a committee of six students from the University working to make a time capsule for UTPA a reality, set to be sealed away during fall 2014 for 26 years.

PREPARING THE PROJECT At the start of spring 2014, the group of students gathered to work through a three-step plan.

In the first phase they presented the idea for the capsule to former University President Robert Nelsen, which was approved.

During the second phase the team researched time capsules and the requirements for what could be sealed inside. Then they drafted a list of items allowed, something committee co-chair Brandon Jaramillo found challenging.

“We have to be aware of what happens to the items when put in the capsule, the decomposition process, how it will affect the other items, what the reaction of the students (in 2040) would be and if they would 8458 UTPrev.indd 29

public online profiles can hurt just as much as they can help.

“Google exists... we know people that are looking to hire somebody type names into search engines,” he said. “To some degree, you can try to control your personal image online and that means you can’t try and hide from (positive or negative) things that make up your image.”

While Faulkes has never been in trouble with the University because of what he shares on social media, not all instructors can say the same. For example, a 10th-grade math teacher in Denver was fired in early 2013 after administrators discovered her Twitter account, where she posted images of herself smoking marijuana.

“My attitude has always been that ‘this is public, findable forever,’” Faulkes said. “I’ve always

like it,” he explained. “I honestly think that was the hardest part of this project.”

Another part of phase two was ordering the 14-by-14-by-24-inch capsule, which fellow co-chair, Kassandra Alemán, said was the toughest for her. Toward the ending of this phase and the start of the next, she said the reality of the project set in.

“Thus far, the toughest part of bringing this project to life was finding and ordering a time capsule,” the 20-year-old said.

“Regardless of how much research we did on companies who sell time capsules, I can’t deny I was nervous when the order was approved and processed. Everything became a lot more tangible once the time capsule arrived.”

PRESS PLAY The team is currently in phase three,

written under my own name. I’ve set it up to where I’m identifiable, I’m going to be accountable for everything I say, I can be contacted easily, I’m easy to find and so forth.

And I think when you start with that attitude, it sort of shapes the kinds of things you say.”

Zuñiga shares the same sentiment and keeps his public image in mind when using social media.

“Never put something on the Internet you don’t want to see on the front page of a newspaper,” he said. “I’m always wary of the things that I post and I always try my hardest to say, ‘Look, if I’m going to post this, I can defend it or back it up with facts.’”

However, social media privacy does not just become relevant during the job hunt. It is becoming

increasingly important to college admissions. According to a November 2013 article by The New York Times, 31 percent of college admissions officers said they viewed an applicant’s Facebook page or other social media accounts to learn more about them. Of that 31 percent about one-third saw something that negatively impacted their opinion of the applicant.

“I think a lot of students are not very cautious about what they put on social media, so they should really think twice about what they put on there,” Zuñiga said. “A lot of people can be very open - I think they’ve mistaken social media for diaries, so they should reconsider how they express themselves online. Just be aware.”

which is about spreading the word, receiving items and making sure everything is appropriate to be sealed in.

Jaramillo said students, organizations, staff and alumni can submit something for the six-piece committee’s approval such as UTPA shirts, pins and stickers. They will be accepting items in the Student Governmnet Association’s office on the second floor of the University Center Sept. 1-10 and photos must be sent electronically to sgatimecapsule@ broncs.utpa.edu so they may be printed on acid-free paper. For an additional list of allowed items readers can visit the SGA website or Facebook page.

As for what the team members will submit for review themselves, Jaramillo has yet to decide but definitely hopes to be the one to open the capsule in 2040. Alemán has not

A&L

Faulkes is an avid user of social media. The University of Victoria, located in Canada, alumnus regularly uses Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Blogspot. He attributes one of his most recent successes to his social media presence. Faulkes met fellow researcher Kelly Weinersmith through social media and was able to co-organize a symposium on parasites in January 2014 in Austin because of this connection. In addition, the UTPA professor authored three papers and received a federal grant by collaborating with Weinersmith, a graduate student at the University of California Davis.

“For me, that’s an incredible win...and the way that all started was through social media,” Faulkes said.

However, he acknowledged that

made up her mind either, but has an idea of what she wants.

“I do not know what I want to submit, but more than likely it will be a picture, a moment forever captured in time,” she said.

LOOKING AHEAD With the time capsule’s sealing day set sometime during this semster, Jaramillo explained why he believes the project would be good for the school and its history.

“This capsule has not only a huge sentimental value to all of those who treasure and love this university but because I have seen all the history of it, the different colors, names and presidents along the years,” he said.

“This would always be a reminder of a line of Pan Americans that would always live in the hearts of the South Texas community as long as these items are (intact).”

Alemán sees the capsule as a way to say goodbye to UTPA before it goes through its sixth name change and adopts a new mascot, colors and creates new traditions.

“As we move into UTRGV it is important to welcome that new chapter, but first we need to close the current one,” she said. “I believe with the time capsule we will allow our Bronc family to get some closure as they share some of their memories made at UTPA with us.”

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8458 UTPrev.indd 30

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Forward Britney Bush goes up for a contested layup against Virginia Commonwealth University in a 67-57 loss at the UTPA Field House Nov. 21, 2013.

Some of the greatest athletes and coaches to be part of a sporting world have walked through UTPA and entertained the crowd with their talents. Athletes like Luke Jackson (1962-64), former baseball coach Al Ogletree (1968-97) and former head coach of basketball Sam Williams (1959-73) are now UTPA Hall of Famers. But back in their eras they were just part of the games they cherished.

It is The Pan American’s job to capture these moments. Although it may be routine to see an athlete do crazy things like break records and set new program standards, TPA paints the picture for the people who want to relive those special times.

Every year something amazing happens for coaches, players and the University. In the 2013-14 season UTPA’s programs joined the Western Athletic Conference. The women’s basketball team had its best start in the first 20 games at 11-9 and 5-2 in conference.

Meanwhile, pitcher Sam Street was picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 16th round of the Major League Baseball Draft in June.

Before the merger in fall 2015, UTPA will make history as they go up against some of the best long-distance runners in the country on the Broncs’ home turf. UTPA will host the cross country WAC Championship in November at the Palm View Golf Course in McAllen.

This fall semester the University starts a new athletic program women’s soccer. It may also be the Broncs’ final year wearing green and orange as the school makes the transition to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. As a result of the merger the University of Texas at Brownsville athletes with scholarships will have an opportunity to join the Bronc program to create new UTRGV teams.

The first sport to be born under UTRGV will be the men’s soccer program and is scheduled to start in fall 2015.

Jon Nutt/ The Pan American 8458 UTPrev.indd 31

30 8/14/14 12:55 PM

By Marco Torres The Pan American In June the UTPA baseball team announced that three Broncs were going to participate in the Collegiate Wooden Bat Summer Leagues from June to August.

The leagues involve unpaid amateur baseball players with at least one year of college experience and one year of athletic eligibility remaining.

This year first baseman Victor Garcia Jr., senior outfielder Evan Mason and senior pitcher Logan Landon decided to take their talent to a different team to contribute as much as they could.

UTPA Head Coach Manny Mantrana was excited for his players to earn the opportunity to compete at a higher level.

“Having our players play in these collegiate summer leagues is a great experience for them and also al-

lows them to further develop their baseball abilities,” Mantrana said. “Our players will remember these summer seasons long after their playing days are over and we have found over the years that it is a great way for them to enhance and accelerate their baseball aptitude.”

Katy native Mason was in California where he played for the Atwater Aviators of the Golden State Collegiate Baseball League. He hit .265 with 17 RBI and had a .326 on base percentage when the season ended July 24.

In his first three games Mason had two walks, a double, two RBIs and one run scored. The Aviators went 19-31 and Mason played in 40 games, had 130 at bats with 36 hits and 23 runs and led the team with six home runs. Mason even made a couple of appearances at the mound, pitching two innings and earn-

Name

31

1-Oliver, Haylee 2-Smith, Allyson 3-Tucker, Hadlie 4-Barrios, Natalia 5-Ortiz, Emily 6-Farstad-Eriksson, Frida 7-Suarez, Jessica 8-Rodriguez, Estrella 9-Inthoulay, Aimie 10-Spets, Hanna 11-Chavez, Dely 12-Coley, Aubrie 13-Calvert, Kaitlyn 14-Hannig, Zinnia 15-Ramirez, Marcela 16-Bruns, Renee 17-Compean, April 18-Gonzalez, Erica 19-Martinez, Rosa

8458 UTPrev.indd 32

ing a save.

Mason ended the season with the Aviators second in batting. Mantrana said he knows that he is showing consistency with the bat even though he was not brought into UTPA for his offense.

“Evan (Mason) was recruited as a defensive player and he played great defense for us last year. Any offense which (Mason) can generate will be a plus for our program,” Mantrana said.

As a Bronc, Mason averaged .265, 44 hits and 17 RBIs in the 2014 season.

Landon, who saw little action with the Broncs and only made six game apperances, is playing for his hometown baseball team in South Dakota the Sioux Falls Saints. He’s pitched 5.2 innings and allowed nine hits and 10 runs. The Saints have struggled this summer with a record of 10-19 as of July 24.

Mantrana knows how imperative it is for these three athletes to be part of a league.

“Summer baseball is beneficial to our players since they will get valuable playing time versus some of the best players in the country,” Mantrana said. “It will also enhance and promote their development as baseball players and give them a great experience that they will look back upon after their playing days are long over.”

Garcia is the third Bronc in a summer league playing for the Medford Rogues of the West Coast League since May 31.

In his debut he was able to make a splash going 2 for 4 with two home runs and four RBIs in a 7-3 victory over the Bend Elks. The Rogues have a 21-19 record and are five games behind the division leader as of July 26.

This season Garcia,

Position Name

a Plainfield, Ill. native, has a .270 batting average in 111 at-bats, third on the team 21 hits, leads in RBIs with 32 and had hit seven home runs.

With the Broncs as first baseman, Garcia had a .273 batting average after 47 hits in 172 at-bats.

“When we recruited Victor (Garcia) out of high school we felt that he would be a very good Division I baseball player,” Mantrana said. “He had a very nice freshman season and he is only going to get better and better as the years go by.”

Although Mantrana has these three Broncs continuing with their baseball career, he has goals for them next season.

“Having a successful off-season depends on what our goals were for our players. Some players need to get stronger, some need to get playing time and some just need

to rest and get ready for the upcoming season,” he said. “We have different goals for each of our players during the summer months and we try to make sure that they are doing the things that they need to do in order to have a successful season the following year.”

Garcia was one freshman that made a difference for the Broncs and Mantrana believes that there is bound to be another gem in this year’s incoming class.

“We have a very good recruiting class coming in next year. It is without a doubt the best recruiting class we will bring in since we have been at UTPA,” Mantrana said. “We feel that all of the players that are coming in next year will have an impact in our program.

So I would say to just keep an eye on all of them.”

Position

20-Thomas, Cayla Goalkeeper Midfielder 21-Becanic, Sheridan Forward Midfielder 22-Cantu, Daniela Defender Forward 23-Pressley, Hannah Defender Defender 24-Tjelmeland, Sierra Forward Defender 25-Barrera, Andreya Defender Forward 26-Gomez, Bianca Forward Midfielder Forward Midfielder Midfielder Aug. 27 Huston-Tillotson Universtiy Defender Sept. 20 Our Lady of the Lake University Goalkeeper Sept. 27 New Mexico State University* Defender Chicago State University* Oct. 10 Midfielder Oct. 12 Kansas City * Midfielder Oct. 17 Utah Valley University* Seattle University* Oct. 19 Defender Midfielder Games with an asterick are Western Athletic Goalkeeper Conference games. All home games will be held at the Edinburg Baseball Stadium.

Forward

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8/14/14 12:55 PM

By Kristela Garza The Pan American The college campus gym culture allows for diets, fads and various supplements to find their way into the average student’s life. It is reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that more than half of U.S. adults use dietary supplements, including multi-vitamins, minerals and herbs.

The CDC study in 2010 consisted of survey information gathered from 2003 to 2006 to compare supplement use from 1988 to 1994. There are currently many products on the market that promote fat loss or improve workouts.

They include pre-workouts, post-workouts, fat burners, vitamins, creatine and proteins. But do these products help?

BASICS As the Fitness Coordinator at the Health and Wellness Institute at UTPA, Collette Cabot sees students on a daily basis using the gym and attending her classes. As a person who understands fitness, she finds that students are often taking supplements in excess.

“People don’t realize they are taking more than they actually need,” Cabot said. “A lot of these (supplements) say they will help you do this and this, but they haven’t been tested.”

When first starting supplement training regimens most students reach for powdered protein. It is constantly promoted through magazines ,such as Muscle and Fitness, and websites like Bodybulding.com claim it isessential to any fitness diet. It helps build 8458 UTPrev.indd 34

and maintain muscle and control weight. It is available in various forms but the three most common ones are whey, a dairy based protein that is quick to digest, a similar protein known as casein that digests at a much slower rate and soy, which is soybean-based and vegan-friendly.

According to Cabot, most students are under the impression that protein is the key to the muscular body of their dreams. But according to the CDC most of the people eat more protein than they need.

It is in foods consumed on a regular basis so people do not need a shake to supplement what they’ve already eaten.

“People have this idea that to get muscle you have to get protein, which is true,” Cabot said. “However, they have this idea that the more protein they take the better it will be, not realizing how it affects the rest of our body.

There is (only) so much (you) can take.”

Overloading a diet with supplemented protein can lead to serious consequences.

They often lack fiber which can lead to digestive problems and taking protein supplements consitently may put an individual over the recommended daily requirements.

This may force the kidneys to work in overdrive because kidneys break down protein.

When one has too much protein in the system their kidneys must work twice as hard to expel the excess. When the kidneys do this they are draining the body of water, leading to possible dehydration.

For an athlete that is trying to take care of their body, dehydration mixed with overworked kidneys could bring any training regiment to a halt

and cause severe damage to other internal organs.

However, students like Gabriel Peña have made these supplements a major part of his everyday fitness program.

Peña is a heavy lifter and maintains his weight just under 300 pounds. According to him he requires protien supplements.

“You can get protein from food, yes. But you need that concentrated amount to refuel all the energy you just expended in the workout, right then and there,” Peña said.

of their chest,” Cabot said. “(That’s) because you’ve totally stimulated your system, overloaded it. Now you are going to go work out. Hopefully your heart does not beat right out of your chest.”

UTPA instructor and licensed sports nutritionist Nancy Rocha delves deeper into the topic. As a nutritionist she has extensive knoweldge about what stimulants like pre-workouts can do to your body.

“You need a lot of energy

The counteragument is that serious athletes like Peña require alurger dosage when maintaining themselves under such a strict regime.

But Cabot knows of another supplement that might be putting her students in danger if used incorrectly.

She explained that pre-workout drinks have also swept through the Rec and her fitness classes.

Pre-workout drinks are supposedly formulated with ingredients that increase energy, endurance and strength while it works on muscle growth and burning body fat.

According to Cabot, the purpose of these drinks is to trick the body into thinking that their body is working out twice as hard. The stimulants force the heart to beat faster before the first mile or rep.

“They take this pre-workout and they suddenly feel like their heart is beating out

for pilates, aerobics and yoga,” Rocha said. “But I don’t think that pre-workouts are the best for that because they have a lot of caffeine and guarena.

That raises your core temperature. Especially here in the Valley you could get dizzy, light-headed or overheat.”

One of the primary ingredients in a lot of pre-workout drinks is guarana, which is similar to caffeine and is a stimulant that can affect the central nervous system, heart and muscles. It is often used for weight loss and said to reduce mental and physical fatigue.

These are reasons that Peña makes pre-workout drinks a diet staple, claiming that it’s what gives him the energy to lift even after a long day.

“I want to make sure that when I come in I’m ready to just give it a hundred percent,” Peña said.

According to him, as long

as someone takes the right amounts pre-workout stimulants it can’t do much harm.

Despite the polarzing views new products flood the market every day.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, there are more than 29,000 different nutritional supplements currently for sale.

“I think the industry is just trying to make money,” Rocha said. “For me, I am a very natural - oriented person, my belief is that you can get everything you need from food.”

This is an argument that Peña can understand but as a mass gaining athlete, he knows that eating the amount of calories he needs day after day would be near impossible. And without supplementation, reaching his desired body image would be impossible.

“Every athlete needs to make sure they have what they need to recover.”

Peña said.

ALTERNATIVES Although Rocha and Cabot strongly insist that an all - natural way is better, that does not mean students think the same.

Many active supplement users will do what is called “stacking.”

“Stacks” are to a groups of supplements used to increase performance and manage weight. They can come in fat burning, muscle building or endurance stacks. The most basic of these contains a pre-workout, an intra-workout 8/14/14 12:55 PM

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SPORTS product to be taken during a workout and a post-workout product to be taken after. With the average cost ranging from $40 to $180 and it can last up for a few months.

Both instructors insist that products like stacks are unnecessary, claiming that the average athlete can get just about anything they need from a healthy diet.

Rocha agrees with Cabot, a balanced natural diet yields the same results that a “stack” of expensive supplements might provide.

“To get the better proteins from meat, milk and nuts things like that, those are better sources because they are natural,” Cabot said. “And you are not spending nearly as much as you would on this shake that has all this synthetic protein, Which is not as good for your body anyway and you are paying a whole lot more.”

Rocha however, does not condemn all supplemental products. She understands that sometimes these pills and drinks are natural and carefully formulated. She asks students to be wary and look at each supplement on a case-by-case basis.

“The best thing is not to take any of that but I’m not going to make a general statement because there are some products that may be good,” Rocha said. “Some of them could be natural... but as consumers, to inform ourselves, we need to read the ingredient list.”

According to Rocha, it is about knowing what someone is putting into the body. For instance she sug8458 UTPrev.indd 35

gests a simple banana could take the place of a pre-workout protein shake. Even an apple or some dry cereal is enough to give the body what it needs before a workout.

When it comes down to promoting lean muscle mass, Rocha has another organic solution: medium chain triglycerides which are partially manmade fats. These are often used by athletes as nutritional support during training and have the ability to decrease body fat.

MCT’s can be found in cow, coconut, sheep and goat milk, as well as coconut oil, palm kernel oil and natural butter.

It can be bought in vitamin stores in a liquid or pill form.

“MCT’s are one of the biggest supplements we lack naturally.” Rocha said. “That’s why I use a lot of coconut oil and coconut milk. This gives athletes and people that work out,quick energy.”

RISKS Both Rocha and Cabot become wary when they see unknown products in the hands of their students, but both agree that good can come from a weight-loss aid.

Rocha explains that supplements like fat burners often cause a placebo effect. The instructions that fat burners carry can guide users to healthier habits, even if the pill itself does nothing. The pills often suggest that drinking up to a gallon of water a day and exercising more often are enough for regulated weight loss.

In the past year there have been diet supplement pills pulled off the market for harmful effects. OxyELITE Pro, a dietary supplement marketed for weight loss and muscle gain, is the most recent supplement to come under fire. It

was the main focus in a report recently published in October in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The report claimed that the Hawaii Department of Health reported that seven patients were admitted for medical care with “severe acute hepatitis and fulminant liver failure.”

According to the study, the patients were previously healthy and all of them suddenly needed urgent medical care during the months of May to September 2013. It was reported that all seven patients used OxyELITE Pro. After the incident the pill was recalled Oct. 11, 2013.

The dietary supplement was linked to one death and some patients required liver transplants. The FDA pulled it off the shelves because it contained a dietary ingredient known as aegeline, a plant extract that can cause liver damage.

That same year, another stockpile of OxyELITE Pro was demolished after a stimulant known as dimethylamylamine was found in the pills. DMAA can cause high blood pressure, heart attacks, seizures, psychiatric disorders or death.

The idea behind these products is to make fitness easier for people who struggle to lose weight. But the supplement recalls have brought the industry’s possible dangers to light. They are cautionary tales that instructors Cabot and Rocha wish their students would heed. They hope their students take their advice and keep things simple.

“You got to eat right, (and) take multi-vitamins,”Rocha said. “You’ve just got to watch your health.”

8/14/14 12:55 PM

By Marco Torres The Pan American

The volleyball team starts its season Aug. 29.

The Broncs have been waiting for the game against Louisiana Monroe to kick off the Sam Houston Invitational.

The day after the Sam Houston Invitational, the Broncs will face Mississippi State and Sam Houston State.

The UTPA Department of Intercollegiate Athletics stated that the volleyball team will have 29 matches before the start of the Western Athletic Conference WAC Tournament. Out of those 29, 11 will be at home, including the first home tournament Sept. 4. The UTPA Tournament will welcome Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas Tech University and Northern Arizona University.

“Being able to put a home tournament on our schedule for the first time in a few years is good for us,” Coach Brian Yale said. “We’ll be able to get the feel for playing at home in front of a great crowd early so

August 29 30 30 September 4 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 12 13 13 19 20 20 25 27

we can get some excitement about the season without having to wait until late September.”

The Broncs open one of 11-game home stand with the tournament opener against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. The action will continue the following day as the Broncs battle Lamar and Texas Tech. They wrap up the tournament Sept. 6 against Northern Arizona University at 2 p.m. at the Field House.

Last year the Broncs set a program record by having a total of 7,176 fans show up over the course of the 11 home games - an average of 652 fans per game.

The Broncs will be participating in four tournaments, including the UTPA Tournament, before having their first WAC Conference game against Bakersfield Sept. 25, 7 p.m. at the Field House.

The only two nonconference games that are not in a tournament are Texas Southern University Oct. 7 and

Opponent Sam Houston Invitational Louisiana Monroe Mississippi State Sam Houston State UTPA Tournament Texas A&M-Corpus Christi TAMUCC vs. Northern Arizona Lamar Texas Tech vs. TAMUCC Northern Arizona vs. Lamar Texas Tech Lamar vs. Texas Tech Northern Arizona Louisiana Tech Invitational Louisiana Tech Stephen F. Austin New Orleans Corpus Christi Tournament Houston Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Nebraska-Omaha Bakersfield* Grand Canyon*

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Incarnate Word Nov. 4.

“I’m very pleased with what we were able to put together, being able to get out and about the state of Texas along with one trip to Louisiana during the non-conference schedule,” Yale said. “Those three trips will be good for our group as there’s a lot of good competition, and if we go in and play our best, we’ll be in a position to challenge for those matches.”

Yale is confident in his mesh of newcomers and veterans.

“We have some talented freshman joining the mix this fall which is exciting. But equally exciting is having our returners currently healthy,” he said.

Yale is relying on upperclassmen like Haley Kurhan and Maria Kliefoth. Combined, the two led the Broncs with kills last year, Kliefoth with 217 and Kurhan with 291.

“We’ll have the upperclassmen who will set the standards and continually raise the bar,” Yale said. “We’ll also have the young ones

who will be capable of challenging for playing time, and forcing the upperclassmen to not be comfortable in their status and positions. The best, most consistent players will play.”

The Broncs open WAC action with a couple of battles at the Field House, starting with Bakersfield Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. The next contest happens Sept. 27 as Grand Canyon University comes to the Valley.

Following that, UTPA takes its talent back on the road to face the likes of Seattle University, Utah Valley, and Texas Southern in nonconference, wrapping the four-game trip with a drive to Las Cruces, N.M., to fight the defending WAC champion, New Mexico State.

When the Broncs return, they come back to Spirit Week and their Broncs Against Breast Cancer match against Chicago State University Oct16. Then they close out the regular season with a pair of home games against Kansas City and CSU. “Instead of Year Two,

let’s call it Year 1-A in the WAC,” Yale said.

“We had a great start to our season last year, and then hit a few bumps with injuries, so I don’t think we ever really got a chance to see what the WAC was all about from our perspective.

We certainly know what the teams are like and what we’re going to see across the net, but for us, we didn’t get our full feel.”

Yale has five freshmen entering this year, including Taylor Williams from Corpus Christi who was named Defensive Specialist MVP, All-South Texas first team, All-District first team and All-Academic Team honors while playing at Foy H. Moody High School.

Even with the talent coming in, Yale will rely on experience as the women march down the road.

“We were very competitive last year, even when we weren’t at full strength. Experience, good or bad, can never hurt,” Yale said. “I fully expect the girls to use what they learned last

fall to be more prepared and driven internally this year.”

At the end of the season the top six teams in the WAC, not including Grand Canyon, will be in the tournament in November hosted by Bakersfield, The first two seeds of the conference will have a firstround bye in the tournament and the winner will earn a automatic bid in the field of 64 for the NCAA Tournament. Yale knows that this could be a big year for him and his team, but he feels they will be competitive.

“Our expectations are high every year,” said Yale, whose team went 13-20 and finished seventh overall in the WAC in 2013.

“We’ve got to make the WAC Tournament and compete as a top level team in the league.

We took a big step last season, but never got to see a final result. It’s time to get on the court and move on from what could have been to a new and current body of work.”

*Conference games Site Huntsville Huntsville Huntsville

Time 4 p.m.

11:30 a.m.

7 p.m.

Edinburg Edinburg Edinburg Edinburg Edinburg Edinburg Edinburg Edinburg

6 p.m.

10 a.m.

12 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

7 p.m.

11 a.m.

2 p.m.

Ruston, LA Ruston, LA Ruston, LA

7 p.m.

12 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

Corpus Christi Corpus Christi Corpus Christi Edinburg Edinburg

3 p.m.

1 p.m.

5 p.m.

7 p.m.

12 p.m.

October 2 4 7 9 16 18 23 25 30 November 1 4 8 13 15 20 21 22 December 5-7 6-8 12 13 18 20

Opponent

Site

Time

Seattle U* Utah Valley* Texas Southern New Mexico State* Chicago State* Kansas City* Grand Canyon* Bakersfield* Utah Valley*

Seattle, Wash.

Orem, UT Houston Las Cruces, N.M. Edinburg Edinburg Phoenix, Ariz.

Bakersfield, Calif.

Edinburg

9 p.m.

2 p.m.

7 p.m.

8 p.m.

7 p.m.

1 p.m.

8 p.m.

3 p.m.

7 p.m.

Seattle U* Incarnate Word New Mexico State* Kansas City* Chicago State* WAC Tournament (Quarterfinals) WAC Tournament (Semifinals) WAC Tournament (Championship)

Edinburg San Antonio Edinburg Kansas City, Mo. Chicago, Ill. Bakersfield, Calif.

Bakersfield, Calif.

Bakersfield, Calif.

1 p.m.

6 p.m.

1 p.m.

7 p.m.

1 p.m.

TBA TBA TBA

NCAA Tournament (First Round) NCAA Tournament (Second Round) NCAA Tournament (Third Round) NCAA Tournament (Quarterfinals) NCAA Tournament (Semifinals) NCAA Tournament (Championship)

Campus Sites Campus Sites Regional Sites Regional Sites Oklahoma City, Okla.

Oklahoma City, Okla.

TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA

8/14/14 12:55 PM

The Pan American’s multimedia section offers the latest breaking news, events and sports coverage from UTPA. With nearly 300 subscribers and 96,035 total views on The Pan American’s YouTube channel, the multimedia section represents the broadcast element of the student-run newspaper.

Multimedia has covered events such as the Hobby Lobby demonstration in McAllen July 10, where individuals protested a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that allows employers to deny health insurance coverage for contraception. The section also reports on happenings in the community like South Texas Comic Con, which focused on video game, anime and graphic novel culture in the Rio Grande Valley.

The multimedia section also has various YouTube segments such as the Weekly Review, Bronc Bites and Do-It-Yourself videos where reporters teach viewers

a simple task, like how to bake a gingerbread man or how to pop a cork without a corkscrew. The Weekly Review focuses on the latest stories of the week, while Bronc Bites has reporters visit Valley restaurants and try the most popular dishes.

Additionally, the section covers art shows like Arte de México, which showcased 26 works of art from Mexico at the UTPA Visual Arts Building in April, and concerts such as Warped Tour in San Antonio. For the last two years multimedia has reported on theater performances such as Teatro Luna, the nation’s only allLatina theater company.

Once the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley officially opens in fall 2015, the multimedia section will continue to report events from around the University and community and be the bridge between writing and broadcast. After all, it’s not just a newspaper anymore.

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8/14/14 12:55 PM

By T

Come fall 2015 UTPA will become the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, the first major public university created in the 21st century, as stated by UTRGV President Guy Bailey.

UTPA students want to stay informed on any related developments and that’s where the social media section comes in.

This is the section that is familiar with all those wonderful apps and websites like Twitter and Facebook that people devote up to 7 hours a day to use, according to The Daily Mail. Social media shares content from The Pan American daily through these outlets to keep readers up to date on the latest news. But the social media section is more than that. This isn’t just a platform to share stories, it’s the voice of the readers.

The great thing about using social media is that with something as simple as a Facebook comment or a tweet, UTPA students are engaged with The Pan American. The official Twit-

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Th UTP has b com and athle Pan to q our p gues what spon sus: UTB Si team meld per’s our p pend ity to the n woul

ter page of TPA has gained more than 1,000 followers since the year began thanks in part to student interest in the upcoming merger. While live-tweeting several events such as the July 17 discussion on the UTRGV mascot and school colors, TPA received several replies from the public that ranged from interest in these developments to disappointment at how the UTPA community seemingly had no input into the creation of several mock-ups that were presented to attendees.

The possibilities of what one can do with social media are evolving as evidenced by social media’s own merger with the blog section and the creation of an entertainment blog “Screen Talk.”

Ultimately the social media section represents the growing Digital Age of newspapers that rely on the power of this section. It is this power that will aid the paper as UTPA transitions UTRGV.

@UTPAOrientation

@apece91

@sgonzalez910

@niize55 8/14/14 12:55 PM

OPINION

’

By The Pan American editors The University of Texas System’s plan to merge UTPA and the University of Texas at Brownsville has been blooming for more than a year and will come to fruition next fall. While some programs and organizations know their fate - the schools’ athletics programs will unite come fall 2015 - The Pan American is still in the dark. In an attempt to quell some of the uncertainty surrounding our publication, our section editors took shots at guessing what is to become of us and discussed what we actually want. Although everyone’s response was different, there was a general consensus: we don’t want to be forced into a union with UTB’s newspaper, The Collegian.

Since we learned of the future of UTPA’s athletic teams our first thought was that we would have to meld together. That would mean changing our paper’s 71-year-old name, logo and colors, something our photography editor sees as proof of TPA’s independence. He believes that because of our seniority to our counterpart we should be in charge of the newly formed publication. Its “headquarters” would be in Edinburg while having the Browns-

ville staff send us stories and photos on happenings around their campus. He said it may seem harsh, but control must be given to somebody. Once printed, both locations would receive the same product.

Our social media editor agrees because he believes The Pan American has worked for more than seven decades to become what it is today; joining it with The Collegian would be like erasing all that time and history.

But when it comes to this type of collaboration, our arts and life editor feels that a long-distance relationship wouldn’t be in the paper’s best interest, claiming it would be an “unstable bridge to build.”

If TPA had to rely on students from another campus who have a different work etiquette, coordination would be tricky.

Relying on our possible soon-to-be staff is what concerns our sports editor. Since we are not acquainted with The Collegian’s crew, he said the appropriate amount of trust doesn’t exist. How would the administration organize this union? Or would we really be left to pick up the pieces ourselves once

TPA is crumbled up?

As for this paper’s future name and logo, our copy editor proposed each paper keep its current identity while equally exchanging stories every week to keep both campuses in the loop.

Our graphic design editor suggested an alternative to having such a codependent relationship that will give each publication more freedom. Both would run seperate staffs and produce their own paper while featuring stories about each other once a month or every few weeks.

According to our adviser, one of the 50 UTRGV working groups suggested the administration create a single website with everyone’s content on it, representing both former staffs as well as the new university.

Even though most of us are rooting for full custody of our publication, our news editor said regardless of this newspaper’s name next fall, she just wants to continue TPA’s tradition of producing good work. For now, that’s all we’re certain of.

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