2.06.18

5 | Arts & Life

7 | Sports

Vozes en visión

UTSA women’s basketball downs UNT

Vol. 57, Issue 5

Est. 1981

February 6 - Feburary 13, 2018

The Paisano

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Fee proposals brought to a student vote

Change in fees relies upon student decision

By Gaige Davila Co-News Editor

Chase Otero/The Paisano

UTSA basketball player avoids a block.

Signs advertising the referendum vote are posted around campus.

Gaige Davila/The Paisano

Students have the opportunity to vote on a proposed increase in athletics and transportation fees. On Feb. 6 and 7, voting will open on UTSA students’ RowdyLink accounts, where they can vote on each fee increase.

The current athletics fee is $20 per semester credit hour, with a cap at 12 hours ($240). The proposed increase would be to $21 per semester credit hour for the 2018-2019 academic year and $22 per semester credit hour for the 2019-2020 academic year. The fee was origianlly capped at $120, which was removed in 2007 when a student referendum vote to increase the athletics fee to $240 was passed.

The transportation fee is currently $20 per semester. The proposed fee increase would be to $29 per semester for the 2018-2019 academic year, and to $38 per semester for the 2019-2020 academic year; the transportation fee does not have a cap.

“We need to continue to build our athletics program to remain competitive and attract the very best students, both on the playing field and in the classroom,” Lisa Campos, vice president for intercollegiate athletics and UTSA athletic director, said. “We all fully recognize the rising cost of education and the impact it has on our students. If this increase is approved, it would still remain 20 percent lower than the Conference USA average.

“I am committed to seeing these

additional dollars used in the most responsible way to advance our athletics program and the overall mission of UTSA.” According to a voter guide issued by UTSA Student Government Association (SGA), the increased athletics fee is earmarked for the recruiting student athletes, maintaining and upgrading athletic facilities, upgrading video equipment and hiring staff to televise programs at Conference USA standards.

According to Jerry Sharp III, an author of the voter guide, UTSA administration requested the voter’s guide be revised, citing a problem with the tone.

“The process was, I will admit, a bit disheartening,” he said. “But, ultimately, it was to make a better product.”

Students in athletics make up 1.8 percent of the total student body. UTSA athletics is currently running a campaign titled “Be The Why in Yes” in support of the proposal. Flyers around campus read that passing the increase would, among other reasons, “build equity in your degree,” “instill greater pride and tradition throughout (the) San Antonio community” and “expand graduate and undergraduate student employment and internship opportunities.”

Some students oppose an increase in the student athletic fees. Rebecca Saenz, junior English major, believes the fee increase does not benefit her or other students who do not participate in UTSA athletics.

Continued on page 2 See “Referendum vote”

Texas Rising chapter brings activism and art to UTSA

By Alejandro Lopez Staff Writer The UTSA chapter of Texas Rising distributed a series of street art posters, titled the “The Unapologetically Brown Series,” at the Main and Downtown campuses on Feb. 1, depicting current social issues.

Texas Rising is a program funded by the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund, a nonprofit, statewide organization that helps train grassroot leaders and activists on universities and college campuses across the state. These young, diverse and politically active Texans assist in leveraging power by engaging in community organizing, electoral politics and public policy advocacy. The movement advocates for sound public policies that address reproductive rights, voter suppression and LGBTQ equality.

President of UTSA’s Texas Rising chapter Nery Chavez, a junior global affairs major, spoke about the mission

Texas Rising tabling in front of the McKinney Humanities Building.

statement of the organization. “We focus on voter registration to mobilize young people to be able to vote and having their voices heard in the political process,” Chavez said. “We also hone in on LGBTQ eqaulity, immigrant rights, voting rights and reproductive justice.”

Chavez discovered “The Unapologetically Brown Series” through social media and wanted to bring it to UTSA. “UTSA for me was an institution that allowed me to be unapologetic myself: unapologetically hispanic,” Chavez said.

“I felt that, especially now with the political environment, it was urgent to bring a series like this that spoke to the different issues that a lot of UTSA students face, being a hispanic serving institution.

Bringing these issues and having them in these visible spaces at UTSA; it can reflect our values and where we stand as far on immigration and just being unapologetically hispanic, black, brown Continued on page 2 See “Texas Rising”

Alejandro Lopez/The Paisano

The entrance to the Dreamer’s Resource Center.

Heather Montoya/The Paisano

‘Dreamer’s Center’ opens on main, downtown campus

By Heather Montoya Assistant News Editor UTSA’s Dreamer’s Resource Center, housed within the Student Center of Community Engagement and Inclusion (SCCEI), began operation Jan. 22. The center is part of one of President Taylor Eighmy’s priority initiatives.

Emmanuel Quiroz, a senior communication major, who was a member of the committee that proposed the Dreamer’s Center, said the momentum started with a small group of immigrants meeting in an apartment.

“I remember people were just fearful of saying ‘I’m a DACA student’ or ‘I’m an undocumented student,’ so it was more of a secretive thing and it made me sad, but it also ignited a fire in me,” Quiroz said.

The group of students started the Immigrant Youth Leadership organization, to support other undocumented students and those affected by social injustices.

“Once President Trump was elected, we knew his spoken views on DACA,

so we were preparing,” Lydia Bueno, assistant dean of students and director of the SCCEI and the Student Leadership Center (SLC), said.

When DACA was rescinded last year on Sept. 5, a Dreamer’s 101 training was held soon after to inform the campus community about DACA. Due to President Trump’s injunction, Eighmy moved up the opening of the center to ensure eligible students could renew their DACA status.

Quiroz finds President Eighmy’s support meaningful.

“With President Eighmy, he seemed to really care for us and to really want to make a stand for minorities and those who are being shut down and quieted down.”

The center has received mostly positive feedback from students, alumni and the San Antonio community. “There have been some negative comments.

But out of every 100 comments we get, one is negative,” Bueno said.

Continued on page 2 See “Dreamer’s center”

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UTSA UTSA recently launched the Urban Future Lab to address challenges San Antonio is expected to face over the next 25 years. Founded by UTSA assistant professor Antonio Petrov, the Urban Future Lab is housed in the College of Architecture, Construction and Planning. The lab will function as a research and teaching laboratory and will explore urban transformations.

Texas More than two years ago, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law that legalized the sale of cannabis to Texas citizens with intractable epilepsy. On Feb. 1, a six year-old child with epilepsy was the first to benefit from the new law.

In order to qualify for the medication, one must be a permanent Texas resident, have tried two FDA approved drugs and found them ineffective and have approval from two doctors who are listed on the Compassionate Use Registry of Texas.

U.S. The chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States, Wayne Pacelle, resigned on Feb. 2 after allegations accusing him of sexual assault surfaced. An investigation began this past December that looked into accusations from a former intern and two former employees, but the investigation was ended by the organization’s board. Kitty Block, lawyer and president of Humane Society International, has been named acting president of the Humane Society of the United States.

World At least six people were injured in a drive-by shooting on Feb. 3 in Rome, Italy. The suspect Luca Traini, targeted African immigrants and was arrested soon after the event.

The shooting is said to be a display of racial hatred because the only trait the victims had in common was the color of their skin.

Business Wells Fargo is in the beginning stages of carrying out its punishment for previously opening dummy accounts in customer’s names and having some customers take out unnecessary auto insurance.

The Federal Reserve is preventing the company from expanding until all of the problems are fixed and wants four out the 16 members of the company’s board to be replaced by the end of the year. Wells Fargo said they would submit their plan for improvements within the next 60 days as well as an independent third party review of the plans by the end of September.

Alejandro Lopez/The Paisano

Texas Rising Continued from Page 1 or LGBTQ. I felt that this was a good reflection of our students.”

“The Unapologetically Brown Series” was created by Johanna Toruno, a Salvadoran artist based in New York. Chavez felt like he could identify with the artist and the issues she talks about. The “Creative House & Street Art Series” is meant to empower POC communities “by any means necessary.”

Toruno created the series to, “combat the whiteness on the streets, to combat the lack of representation in the streets,” as she said in an interview with Mitú, a media provider whose mission is to serve the Latino community.

Toruno came to the States from El Salvador, did not know the English language and felt alienated. “I wanted to feel a sense of community somewhere.

I always wanted to feel like I belonged somewhere and I didn’t feel that way necessarily at all,” Toruno said. In creating the series, Toruno wanted to provide for others the space she created for herself.

Toruno frequently enjoys getting a backpack full of glue and posters and hitting the streets of New York, because she believes the streets are her most effective platform. Her goal was to translate the work outside of social media to make it accessible to those who don’t have Internet access.

“I’m trying to reach people

in the community, and some of those people aren’t going to have access to online,” Toruno said.

“So, I want the posters to live outside in the wild because then they can tell a whole story that I don’t have to be there for. Building this, it’s not for myself. This is for my community. I want people to feel acknowledged. I want people to feel empowered.”

Like Toruno empowering others to pursue change, Chavez hopes that bringing this series to UTSA will inspire students to engage with new issues and the alternate views that are illustrated in these posters.

“Some of these issues are uncomfortable, and that’s the point: to galvanize students to critically think about these issues and look for the next step,” Chavez said.

As President of Texas Rising, Chavez plans on bringing more events like the “Unapologetically Brown Series” to campus in the future. He is currently working with the new Dreamer’s Resource Center at UTSA on a event that will take in place in April. The concept of the event will tie back in with the concept of being “unapologetic.”

Chavez is also working with MOVE San Antonio and other organizations on campus to motivate the student population to be involved with the community.

“I do think that our students are very bright and have the capacity to bring change to the San Antonio community and beyond,” Chavez said.

‘at some point in the future once our football team makes it.’ Vote against the athletics increase and push for UTSA to build equity in academics, not athletics,” Meeker said.

The Auxiliary Enterprise Funds (AEF) accounted for over 13 percent of UTSA’s $582,707,268 operating expenses budget in the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year; the AEF includes budgeted expenses for UTSA sports, housing and child development center.

However, the athletics program made up nearly 37 percent of the AEF’s budgeted expenses and accounted for just over 21 percent of its estimated income. The football program alone accounted for nearly 12 percent of budgeted expenses

and only accounted for nearly four percent of the estimated income in the AEF’s budget.

These numbers do not account for neither the recent increase in the salary of Head Football Coach Frank Wilson or the increase in student enrollment.

In the 2016-2017 school year, the athletics fee consumed nearly 17 percent of all mandatory student fees, making it the second largest student fee after the Automated Services Charge.

Both the athletics and transportation fees are mandatory. Voting for the referendum will conclude at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 7.

‘Referendum vote’ Continued from Page 1 “I’m not excited to hear about the fee hike,” she said. “I’d like to see the money going to other academic benefits gleaned by everyone, things like improved classroom utilities.

“I think students would rather avoid new fees altogether since college is already so expensive,” Saenz said.

Clarissa Cabello, also a junior English major, expressed similar comments.

“I do not think that the increase in the athletic fee is necessary,” she said. “If there needs to be an extra fee included in my tuition, I personally believe that the money should go towards creating more on-

campus jobs for students.”

Montana Meeker, sophomore finance major and SGA secretary, offered her own perspective.

“The proposed athletics increase is a clear indicator of where the UTSA administration’s priorities lie,” she said. “It is irresponsible and arrogant to invest in programs that will provide nebulous benefit to the overall student body. Yes, it may increase name recognition of the college at sometime in the future, but if UTSA creates quality students with the skill sets needed for successful careers, recognition will follow.

“UTSA should and could be using student funds to give back to the students here and now, not

‘Dreamer’s Center’ Continued from Page 1 The center provides the same services that are available to UTSA students. “We’re streamlining [the services] here so it’s a one-stop shop for students as well as having more of that nuanced information that might be more relevant to them,” Courtney Balderas-Jacob, the assistant director of the International Student Services and current interim program manager, said.

“We understand that DACA (standards) and Dreamers might not know what questions to ask, so our main point is, walk in the door; we are going to point you in the right direction whether it’s going to the registrar, whether it’s going to academic advising, maybe it’s going to counseling services,” Bueno said.

One of the goals of the center is to have a more formal partnership with the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) to provide legal services to students.

“In a worse case scenario for DACA students, they are still able to attend college, an education is still a right they have because of Texas House Bill 1403, the students that graduate from high school here are eligible for in-state tuition and are able to attend like any other student,” Balderas-Jacob said.

The center is looking to hire a permanent program manager, who will be responsible for managing the center and ensuring that their initiatives move forward.

“We already have a very strong pool of applicants, and we’ll be moving forward as quickly, but as diligently, as possible. We want to make sure that we identify the candidate who is the best fit,” Balderas-Jacob said.

One of Quiroz’s goals is to establish a strong support system.

“I am already on my way out, but I wanted to make sure that before I left that there is a legacy that stays behind and a support system,” Quiroz said.

For more information or to receive services, students may contact the Dreamer’s Resource Center through email at dreamers@utsa.edu, by phone at 210-458-7777 or visit the center at the SCCEI office, 2.01.04 in the Student Union.

Related Editorial “Vote no on the athletic fee hike”

02.24.18 WWW.UTSADIPLOMADASH.ORG

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opinion Vote no on athletic fee hike Editorial UTSA students should vote no on the Proposed Athletic Fee increase. This proposal raises athletics fees by 25 to 50 percent immediately and 37.5 to 65 percent for students who take 15 to 18 credit hours over the next two years. A vote in favor for the athletics fee will dramatically raise costs for students. The Athletics Department should examine the way they do business before they dramatically raise the cost for an education at UTSA. UTSA athletics currently operates 12 sports teams. Eleven of them are losing money, because we disregard the additional bail out that UTSA provides the programs. During the fiscal year that ended Aug. 31, 2016, here is what the following teams lost: Men’s Basketball: $758,997.44; Women’s Basketball: $1,058,694.60; Baseball: $858,322.95; Men’s Golf: $285,100.13; Women’s Golf: $351,345.35; Women’s Soccer: $615,231.58; Softball: $615,199.58; Men’s Tennis: $365,018.65; Women’s Tennis: $372,392.64; Volleyball:

$728,563.93; and Track: $1,553,043.95. The UTSA football team requires further examination. A quick look at the Audit Report seems to show a profit of $1,244,431.22, but that is not accurate. Under “Direct Institutional Support,”—money UTSA takes from your fees and redirects “as needed,” henceforth referred to as “bailout money”—the football team received $1,496,462.00. So, if you take into account that UTSA subsidized the football team with your money, in addition to the Athletics fee, the football team lost $252,030.78. When you add up the losses for only the teams in the UTSA program and disregard the 1.5 million dollar bailout to the football team, UTSA athletic teams lost a combined $7,813,941.29 according to the fiscal report.

These large losses will hurt students. Due to the cap currently in place, no student is charged more than $240 a semester in athletic fees no matter the amount of semester credit hours they are enrolled in, but a vote in favor of the athletic fee increase will remove the cap.

The removal of the cap greatly increases the fee per year.

Increasing the athletic fee will only temporarily stop the bleeding of red ink. Athletic Director

By Kimiya Factory Staff Writer I am here to change the narrative of a culture. To feed the cultural soul of the eyes that race along this black history column. Welcome to our story. the person with skin kissed by brown descent. a silent stroke among others on a canvas embodying minority, who always have to prove our worth. the black token for universities to claim diversity, when I’m really just trying to make it. a first-generation student who has been taught my entire life that black history month is nothing but slavery, north stars and an occasional reference to Dr. King. the unbothered hair flip when they say

and should not balance the budget on the backs of UTSA students.

Visit paisano-online.com for the extended editorial

we raised your fees, so here is a shirt!

Student Tuition

Athletics Dept.

Edward Monsibaiz/The Paisano

Black History Month: week one Commentary

Lisa Campos has to find a better way to pay for the operations of the university sports programs

“why should they get their own month?” the steam that rises off the fresh sweet cornbread and sweet yams as they cool on a kitchen counter. the sparkle of hope in a young black boy’s eyes in the projects as he watches his favorite black NBA star on the tv screen. the dark-skinned, light-skinned stereotype that divides an entire social construct defined as the “black community.” an awkward pause in a conversation when I am identified as ‘white’ because I simply appreciate another culture other than my own. the gyrating of hips to old school R&B jams at my auntie’s Sunday barbecues. huffing and puffing to uphold a “angry black woman” stigma that my name and skin won’t allow me to escape from. the inventions of brown people who have been silenced by the overtaking of centuries rich with black excellence. the pure love and beauty that radiates from the black community at UTSA. I am Kimiya Factory; I see the beauty of the voices silenced for far too long.

In the month of February, join me in exploring a culture that deserves to be uncovered for its amazing truths in the Paisano.

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We’re taking most of it Commentary

By Triston Simpson-Bland Contributing Writer The New California group is pushing for the formation of the 51st state, but the push is

destined to fail. This is not the first time Californians organized to secede. The group instigating the split wants to do it by the books like West Virginia in accordance to article 4 section 3, which states that new states cannot be formed within existing states without the consent of the state’s legislatures and approval from the Federal Congress.

New California would be comprised of 42 counties, claiming most of the land in current California. These 42 counties are included in the split due to California’s “ungovernable nature,”

raising tax rates and unsatisfactory education. The group has already unveiled their Declaration of Independence but will not be ready to present a secession plan to the state legislator for ten to eighteen months, then they will be able to begin proposing the idea to Congress. I don’t believe that the group will pass this law.

State secessions often are fringe movements that flop. Take Texas for example, time and time again fringe groups promoted a secession from the U.S. The call for action only accomplished a good laugh. The California group has

received even less support than the Texas movements. The group is small but has found some support from billionaire Timothy C. Draper who has financed some of the groups efforts in support of the cause.

The change could result in many benefits for the state, one being that the state could better allocate money to improving the education system in the state since they rank 10th to last in the nation. Lowering the taxes would bring the cost of living down considerably, giving people the opportunity to direct

their funds elsewhere and by doing so fueling their economy.

The split would also result in the formations of a red and blue state which would give more people a voice, especially since many people are already unsatisfied with the current governments decisions.

There are many people who are unsatisfied with how the government has been operating in California, but it isn’t near enough to create a new state.

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State of the (dis)Union Commentary

By Rudy Sanchez Contributing Writer Fact checkers across the country were prepping their fingers as President Trump took the podium during his first State of the Union Address on Tuesday. With that said, it’s hard to say if President Trump’s address left the Union in a better place.

People hoped Trump’s address would uplift legislators and unify a greatly divided

Union separated by disagreements of immigration and domestic policy. Unfortunately that is not what happened.

Trump’s ‘Republican pep rally’ tallied a total of 75 standing ovations. While Republicans were enjoying a much needed leg day, some Democratic legislators boycotted the address all together.

Throughout the night, the unimpressed Democrats looked like they were sitting through America’s funeral.

Trump’s self accreditations for his first year in office included the creation of 2.4 million jobs, the lowest unemployment rate in forty-five years, revolutionary tax cuts, and even his efforts to establish a non-partisan agreement on immigration policies. Much to our surprise, he’s right!

Well, kind of.

Giving Trump the benefit of the doubt, since he has taken office, our economy

Border wall could be the breaking point for habitats Commentary

By Lizvette Hernandez Contributing Writer The Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge in the Rio Grande Valley will be compromised if the construction of President Donald Trump’s notorious border wall begins.

Santa Ana is the home to over 400 bird species, 450 different plants, half of all butterfly species in North America and rare species such as the indigo and Altamira oriole—it is also the site where Trump claims construction will begin.

Residents around the area refused to sit around and allow the project to be approved. Instead, hundreds of people showed up with signs and passionate voices to put their feet down in rejection of the border wall, and everything it stands for.

Over 900 people, including myself, gathered on the grounds of the Santa Ana on the 27th of last month for a rally to protest the wall’s construction. It was not just about saving Santa Ana it was to express a deeper message.

While at the rally I spoke to Allyson Duerte, an activist and DACA recipient.

“What most of us seems to forget is, that it’s our lives that are at stake here, being used for leverage to negotiate to promote for the border wall is a short way attempt to reduce us to nothingness,” Duerte said while referring to the Dream Act Trump passed earlier this year. In turn for the dreamer’s temporary protection, the wall would be built and the privilege to protect their family members from deportation and access to citizenship would be lost.

Duerte spoke on behalf of border communities who refuse to accept the creation of another physical border because they believe the border would do nothing but cause damage. It would create environmental issues, such as the destruction of Santa Ana. It would have no solid influence on the effect of the migration chain,

but instead it would do nothing but cost the country an estimated 25 million dollars and further marginalize non citizens.

Duerte also spoke about the importance for the youth to challenge the wall because it does nothing but create a bigger space for bigotry and hatred towards the immigrant population.

There were many speakers at the rally who shared the same compassion to fight against what most believe is an irrational gesture to further the agenda of labeling human beings as “the other.”

Congressman Filemon Vela also made an appearance; he spoke inspirationally and gave the crowd a sense of hope that there are still public servants who keep the interests of all people in mind. “The idea that we would create a physical barrier to our allies just doesn’t make sense.

Let’s talk about the lives of the dreamers, because what a lot of people don’t understand is that there is a Dream Act file in Congress right now.” He continued with saying that the passing of a Dream Act that leaves out any conditions for dreamers is on the rise and is very soon possible, so people should keep on fighting.

Many leaders spoke on behalf of their people. Juan Mancias, of the Comecrudo Carrizo tribe that dominates the Rio Grande Valley, said “this land has been sacred to us, we have our ancestors buried here from before the Spanish dropped their first missionaries. They have to learn to let go of the colonized. There’s a point where they stopped us from being who we are. We will take care of our river. It is not a border.” The tribe set up a booth to inform the people of their history and help find others who may be a part of the Comecrudo Carrizo bloodline.

That day, I saw Santa Ana as more than just a national refuge, I saw hope.

The stigma of undocumented immigrants being ‘dirty, bad muchachos, rapists” is just a stigma. People use labels such as “illegal aliens” and don’t realize that matter in which they are dehumanizing others. However, even the crowd that is repetitively told by our society that they aren’t wanted, continue to do exactly what real Americans do. They fight, they cross barrier after barrier, to achieve a better life and to contribute to a better, more kind world.

has been thriving. The accomplishments he is parading do in fact have some traces of legitimacy. However, crediting his administration as the direct cause is nonsensical. According to the Labor Department, decreasing trends in unemployment rates just recently hit an all time low but have been steadily falling since the Obama administration. Implying Trump’s first year in office is the primary cause of America’s “great” reconstruction is inherently deceiving. It is like doing all the work of a group project only to have the partner whose sole responsibility is presenting the information to receive all the credit for your work.

Even when Trump boasted about the historic low unemployment rate for minorities, cameras pointed to AfricanAmerican democratic legislators who were frozen in their seats. Many conservatives felt they should have shown gratitude, but how could they? Perhaps they refuse to celebrate a president who doesn’t condemn his white supremacist supporters. Did you forget about that?

Well these legislators haven’t.

Trump claimed his recent tax bill includes the “biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history” and will provide “tremendous relief to the middle class.”

This is another example of Trump’s signature alternative facts. This massive reform immediately cuts taxes from the lower class all the way to the 1 percent.

The Tax Policy Center says 65 percent of savings this year are going to the the top 20 percent of the income ladder and will gradually become more beneficial for the top one percent. If Trump’s aim is to seek the approval of the American people (a Gallup poll on Jan. 21 was at 36 percent approval), then enticing the wealthiest Americans is not in our best interests.

One of the highlights in his rhetoric was his evaluation of American ideals, “In America, we know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the center of American life.”

After Trump’s recent alleged rendezvous with adult film star Stormy Daniels, it’s hard to tell if the president’s ideals are synonymous with his actions.

So after 80 minutes of the president’s address, what is the state of our Union?

Here’s the gist, Republicans and Democrats in Washington need to get their act together. One of the biggest issues: immigration. Republicans have proposed a deal that will provide amnesty to 1.8 million immigrants who came here as children, but they are still adamant about Trump’s infamous wall. A $25 billion(yes with a B) issue Democrats will not agree to. If a deal is not made soon another government shutdown could be imminent and the discord in America will only exacerbate.

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Arts & Life

Vozes vuelven visión

C

By Emily Hubbard Staff Writer

UTSA Arts Collection showcases campus art pieces by various artists for “VOZ” exhibit opening this week downtown. oming to San Antonio, “VOZ: Selections from the UTSA Art Collection,” will be the largest exhibit to date at Centro de Artes, featuring 222 works by 166 artists.

Out of the 166, 92 of the artists are San Antonio natives.

The City of San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture and our own University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) will present the exhibit, which features work highlighting an artistic Latinx expression.

The exhibit will document collections from the past five decades by UTSA and

is curated by Arturo Infante Almeida, Art Specialist and Curator for the UTSA Art Collection Department.

Some of the artists featured will include Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Graciela Iturbide, Jesse Trevino, Cesar Martinez and Judy Baca among other recognized artists. In addition, there will be an

accompanying catalog that includes an essay by San Antonio author John Phillip Santos.

Centro de Artes’ mission is to showcase San Antonio and South Texas Latinx artists in a way that let their voice be heard through artistic expression.

“The University of Texas at San Antonio is proud to share Centro de Artes’ dedication to recounting the stories of Latinos and Latinas...like all stories of a particular place and time, the work on these walls is informed by pride, joy and a tenacity that reverberates in the voices that celebrate the Latino experience,” Almeida said.

Trying to preserve their sense of nationality and culture, Latinx artists are using this opportunity to share their lives with us. “San Antonio is a cultural destination known for preserving and celebrating its Latinx arts and culture,” Debbie Racca-Sittre, director of the Department of Arts and Culture said. “This exhibit, with works by nationally and internationally recognized artists, equally shines a well deserved spotlight on the Latino and Latina artists in

San Antonio whose contributions locally and beyond should be recognized and celebrated.” While being the second largest city in Texas, San Antonio still maintains a close knit community feel that makes it so desirable.

“The beautiful thing about the art community of San Antonio is that we have other artists from other cities that see the energy here, and they want to come and live here because artists and curators here really help each other, and that’s the beauty of it,” Javier Flores, assistant marketing manager for the Department of Arts and Culture San Antonio said. Much of the credit for the unique vibe of the city is thanks to the artistic community and San Antonio artists are being recognized for their contributions.

The UTSA Art Collection is comprised of gifts and acquisitions of fine art to the univeristy and contains sculptures, paintings, works on paper and mixed media by many talented South Texas artists, some of whom are UTSA graduates.

Throughout the university’s three campuses, pieces are located on the interior and exterior, all of which are

maintained by Almedia.

The collection enhances the educational environment for students, faculty and staff, as well as being aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It’s amazing for the university to “acquire all the works and all the history and to be part of the tricentennial is like stamping our works on the city,” Flores said.

The exhibit will be free and open to the community from opening night Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018 (that will also feature a public reception from 6-9 p.m.) through Sunday, June 10, 2018. The Centro de Artes Gallery is located at 101 South Santa Rosa on the grounds of Historic Market Square. The gallery is open to the public Tuesday-Sunday from 11 a.m. - 6p.m. More information can be found at their website GetCreativeSanAntonio.com.

Previews of VOZ. All photos by: Enrique Bonilla/ The Paisano

Preview “VOZ” on our instagram: @paisanomedia

Ciudad, a crecer: Alamo amnesia 300 year old San Antonio landmark to receive controversial $400 million renovation.

Judging from most public school textbooks, we do not remember the Alamo.

The City of San Antonio and the Alamo Plaza Advisory Committee don’t think so either, advancing a master plan that maps out renovations to the nearly 300-year-old mission and the surrounding streets and buildings located to the west of Alamo Plaza, set to be completed in 2024. The project will likely cost over $400 million, coming from sources including the Texas Legislature and the City of San Antonio.

“The project will return dignity and reverence to the site for the first time in 181 years,”

said Alamo Management Committee Chairman Gene Powell said in a press release by Texas General Land Office; the office oversees daily operations of the Alamo grounds. “(It) will give the visitor a clear vision of the events that occured here in 1836 and over 300 years of layered history.”

The Alamo Master Plan seeks to renovate the grounds by restoring the Alamo mission and barracks, closing portions of South Alamo and Crockett street. They plan to remove and relocate various tourist shops and entertainment places like Ripley’s Odditorium, Guinness World Records, Tomb Raider 3D and other souvenir shops along Alamo plaza. They plan to create a museum west of

The proposed plan will increase the grounds to 12 acres and add 63 new trees while retaining current trees.

Chase Otero/The Paisano

Alamo Plaza using buildings from the Crockett block, that are filled with artifacts donated by Phil Collins; and restoring and (possibly) relocating the Alamo Cenotaph.

The Master Plan has already faced some controversy less than a year since its April 2017 unveil. When the design was first unveiled, city officials and citizens were opposed to the large glass walls that would surround Alamo grounds. According to the FAQ page of the Alamo Master Plan, the walls have since been tabled.

The Alamo Cenotaph, a memorial to Texas soldiers killed during the Battle of the Alamo in 1836 that was erected just adjacent to the church, could be moved to the location of one of the three funeral pyres, which are thought to be located at St. Joseph Church on Commerce Street and east of the grounds.

A cenotaph is a monument dedicated to people who are buried elsewhere.

Plans have not yet been finalized where the cenotaph will be moved, if at all. Still, last year, protests occurred in front of the cenotaph opposing its relocation.

The protesters, some of the descendants of those whose names are inscribed on the cenotaph, said they opposed the relocation because the soldiers had died where the cenotaph is erected.

Meetings on the Alamo Master Plan were largely closed door until this past December, where board members of the Alamo Endowment and Alamo Trust

By Gaige Davila Co News Editor nonprofits voted to open their meetings to the public, facing criticism from the public and city officials for non-transparency.

Citizens can now attend the open door meetings held every three to four months.“We’re now in the design phase, and will be there for most if not all of 2018,” Bryan S. Preston, director of communication of Texas General Land Office, said.

PGAV Destinations, a design firm based out of St. Louis, Missouri, will be assisting in the design phase. The firm and the Texas General Land Office are planning a statewide “public engagement effort” to receive input in the design process for the Alamo Master Plan, in April or May. “The next few years will be the most exciting in the Alamo’s post-1836 history,” Preston said. “We will be preserving the Alamo Church and Long Barrack, recapturing its 1836 battlefield to restore reverence to it and reunify it with the Alamo proper, and building the visitors center the Alamo has always deserved but does not have.”

“It seems like a continuation of the nation building process building the cultural imagination toward reverence for the state, regardless, or an engineered ignorance of the atrocities committed,” Matt Hinojosa, who has participated in protests with various activism groups in front of the Alamo, and is a UTSA anthropology and mexican american studies major, said.

Column “What was the Alamo fought for? The upholding of slavery in a republic of people occupied

by Anglo settlers, native people slaughtered or missionized and forced to assimilate, and Tejanos exploited for their labor, driven out, or lynched alone or en masse.

Before San Antonio even was Yanaguana, the area named for its sacred waters and springs, which is still held in reverence to Raza and indigenous folks of our beautiful city and throughout the hill country.

“About a year ago, educators from all over the state battled and won against a textbook on Mexican American History written by an Anglo woman with no background in the field, riddled with racist sentiment and factual errors, submitted for curriculum approval at the capital.

“Our histories have been left out. We’re fighting hard to get the young ones in the know, but we can’t even have folks acknowledge the prejudice exhibited by our president, much less the intellectual genocide of Alamo worship.”

The Alamo Master Plan is still conceptual, as of now. Final decisions on materials, design and exhibits have not yet been made, and updates have remained minimal. The only thing certain about the Alamo Master Plan is its controversiality, and the hope that those heading the renovations remember why they are doing so.

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6 | arts@paisano-online.com

Wàng Cái in 2018 Year of the dog and its prosperous wealth, or “Wàng Cái,” is ushered in by the Institute of Texan Cultures for this year’s Asian Festival.

By Ben Shirani Staff Writer Each year, the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) hosts its annual Asian Festival in celebration of the Chinese New Year.

The Chinese New Year falls between Jan 21. and Feb. 20 each year. This year, the Chinese New Year begins on Feb. 16 and marks the beginning of two weeks of celebrations and festivities.

This year on Feb. 17 the UTSA ITC will host its 30th annual edition of Asian Festival in honor of the 2018 Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dog, and the diverse cultures of people from the Asian continent, the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

The Chinese Zodiac honors a different animal each year on a twelve year cycle. The last year that honored the dog was 2006 and the next Year of the Dog will be 2030.

2018 is the first ever year of the earth dog.

According to Chinese astrology, the Year of the Earth Dog signals a shift away from self and people will gravitate

toward causes and goals that resonate beyond the self.

The event is expected to include fun and family friendly interactive activities such as henna painting and palm reading.

Additionally, the 2018 Asian Festival will feature food, music and dance originating from a diverse array of locations including Bangladesh, China, Hawaii, Laos, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.

ITC Director of Special Events JoAnn Andera, says that a sampling of food items visitors can expect to enjoy at Asian Festival 2018 include: “Takorea with KoreanTex-Mex fusion, stir fry, bubble tea, noodle dishes, curry, samosas and adobo,” and that some of her favorite things from last year included: “Lion Dancers, Korean drummers, martial arts performances and some of the subtler things like Ikebana and Bonsai.”

In addition to providing family entertain-

ment, education and food, the festival offers an opportunity for UTSA students and San Antonians members to contribute to their community through volunteer service at a diversity inspired event.

According to the Volunteer Coordinator at the ITC, Jasmine Gonzales, the ITC, itself a UTSA campus, employs over 500 volunteers between the Asian Festival in February and the Texas Folklife Festival in June.

This year, 200-300 volunteers at the Asian Festival

will take on tasks such as: “greeting visitors, helping in the children’s area, first aid, taking tickets at the gates [and] passing out brochures to volunteers,” Gonzales said.

Andera commented that: “Strong community relationships have kept volunteers coming back and wonderful partners have committed their corporate volunteer corps and community service units to the effort. UTSA student and staff support for the Asian Festival is appreciated.”

Although the deadline for

volunteer applications has passed and the 2018 Asian Festival is no longer accepting applications, the ITC staff encourages students to apply to fill one of the over 200 volunteer positions available in June for ITC’s Texas Folklife Festival: “Texas Folklife Festival is the next big opportunity, and there’s always the opportunity to become a docent with the museum for year round activities,” Andera said.

Bonsai trees will Courtesy of ITC be for sale at the event.

The Weekend Feb

Common Currents Tricentennial Exhibit / Free 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Blue Star Contemporary Above: Mah jongg, a traditional Chinese game, will be present at the fest.

Right: Dance performance at Asian Festival 2017.

Courtesy of ITC

300 artists showcase their work to celebrate 300

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years of San Antonio History, zoning in on the years 1768-1817.

Support a Black Business: Bayseas / Free 11 a.m.

Convocation Center

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Celebrate Black History Month with The National Courtesy of ITC

Association of Black Accountants at UTSA. Tlazontla: Creating Wearable Medicine / $25 4 - 6 p.m.

Southwest Workers Union

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Kapulli Ameyaltonal Tejaztlan community organization puts on a jewelry making workshop, creating a space for love as Valentines Day approaches.

Vintage at 607: Dilla Day / Free 5 - 11 p.m.

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The Come Up Celebrating the life of the late J Dilla with vinyl sets, food, drinks and vintage clothes.

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Doll Parts / Free 6 - 9 p.m.

Lone Star Art Space Ana Hernandez showcases oil paintings and sculptures of blow up dolls to explore sexuality and discuss the objectification and politicization of the Dragon Dance, is a form of traditional dance in Chinese Culture.

Courtesy of ITC

female body.

To feature your event in “The Weekend” email the arts editor at arts@paisano-online.com

Fe b ru a r y 6 - F ebru ar y 13, 2018

sports@paisano-online.com | 7

Sports UTSA women’s basketball downs UNT Roadrunners snap losing streak to earn second conference win

Karrington Donald puts up a floater over a UNT defender.

A

By Ryan Garza Staff Writer

fter losing four of their last five games, the UTSA women’s basketball team hoped to get things rolling as they took on North Texas at home last Friday. The task would not come easy as the Mean Green are top three in C-USA in scoring defense, turnovers forced and fewest turnovers per game.

The Roadrunners took the lead early in the first quarter of the game as senior guard Carlie Heineman caught fire from the three-point line. She drained three of them to help give the ‘Runners a 19-14 lead over

Jeff Huehn/UTSA Athletics

North Texas in the first quarter.

The UTSA defense was able to hold the North Texas offense to zero percent from the threepoint line by the end of the first quarter.

UTSA got off to a rough start in the beginning of the second quarter, as they had three turnovers to only two points while UNT was chipping away at the lead. Shortly after, the ‘Runners were able to clean up their mistakes and go three for three on the following shots.

Going into the half, the Roadrunners had a slim 31-33 lead over the Mean Green. Sophomore forward Marie Benson had 10 points and seven rebounds in the first half while Heineman had 11 points on four out of five shots. Offensively the ‘Runners shot 46 percent from the field

Timea Toth guards the ball handler from UNT.

and 75 percent from beyond the arc, while on the other side UNT shot only 33 percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the arc. The Roadrunners also out-rebounded the Mean Green 23-15 but had more than twice as many turnovers as UNT. The ‘Runners got off to a hot start in the third quarter, as they went on a 9-0 run in the first three minutes. Desperate to stop the Roadrunner offense, the Mean Green went into a press defense, but it was no match as UTSA carved through the defense with ease as sophomore forward Tija Hawkins found junior forward Kourtney Kekec for an easy basket. UNT didn’t score their first basket of the second half until there was 3:25 left in the third quarter. UTSA led by two at the start of the third quar-

ter, but by the end of the quarter they led by 16 with Heineman leading the team overall with 16 points on 5-6 shooting.

The Mean Green started off the fourth quarter on a 11-4 run while carving further into the UTSA lead. With less than five minutes left in the game Hineman, hit a three from the corner to give the Roadrunners an 11 point lead. UNT got into foul trouble late in the game with more than four players with at least four fouls each. As the game started to wind down, the Roadrunners clung to a 10 point lead. With less than a minute left, UTSA had phenomenal time management and were able to eat up a good chunk of time and secure the win by defeating the Mean Green by a score of 58-70.

With the win, the Roadrunners

Jeff Huehn/UTSA Athletics

end their four game skid and are now 2-7 in conference play while UNT falls to 2-7 in conference play as well. Marie Benson ended the game with a doubledouble by scoring 19 and having 10 rebounds while Carlie Heineman had a strong performance by going 6-7 from the field and 5-5 from the three-point line.

The UTSA defense showed up big by holding the UNT offense to only 32 percent shooting and forcing nine turnovers and outrebounding the Mean Green by a margin of 34-43. The Roadrunners also lead for 38:19 minutes of the game and shot 49 percent from the field. The ‘Runners will be back in action this weekend when they take on the UTEP Miners Sunday as the Conference USA season starts to wind down.

UTSA women’s tennis suffers first loss of 2018

Jeff Huehn/UTSA Athletics

UTSA’s Denisa Ibrahimovic hits a backhand volley at the net.

By Roman Felan Contributing Writer The UTSA Roadrunners had their spring home opener on Feb. 3. The team returned home after clinching two road victories over Stephen F. Austin and Prairie View A&M to open the regular season.

The UTSA women’s tennis team were on a roll and hoped to start the season 3-0, but the Bearkats of Sam Houston State had other ideas and got the best of the ‘Runners on Saturday. The

Roadrunners fell 6-1.

The Roadrunners (2-1) were handed their first loss in surprising fashion, as Sam Houston managed to hold the Roadrunners to only one victory in singles competition. This came as a stunner to the Roadrunners, as they had only lost three singles matches in their previous two matches. On this day, their strength seemed to turn to weakness.

Sam Houston (2-2) came out and took an advantage quick in the doubles competition, secur-

ing the first point before winning five of the six singles matchups.

The Bearkats came in after two consecutive losses to Texas A&M (5-2) and The University of Houston (6-1). The Bearkats were looking for a victory to get their season back on track, and accomplished that goal with ease against UTSA. The singles matches were all won in dominant fashion. The biggest singles win for the Bearkats was Lusine Chobanyan defeating UTSA’s Sonia Madronal The Roadrunners took a trip

down the road the next day to face the Cardinals of University of the Incarnate Word. The ‘Runners had a sense of urgency for this meet, not wanting to fall to .500 for the season.

The ‘Runners began the match with a bang by winning their first doubles competition of the year.

Even with a hot start and securing the first doubles point, the Cardinals did not go down without a fight. The singles competition was fierce this Sunday, as the two teams split

the wins right down the middle.

With each team capturing three points in the singles, the doubles tiebreaker victory was huge for the Roadrunners. UTSA took the victory and improved to (3-1) on the season.

The win by the ‘Runners was led by sophomore Laura Cabrera as she tallied her fourth win in singles play. Still undefeated, she looks to improve on the impressive nine wins she posted her freshman year. The biggest match of this meet again came at the hands of Sonia Madronal, as she got into another fierce duel, but unlike the match against Sam Houston, she would not walk away in defeat. After a long three sets, she secured her victory in the singles competition and secured the final point to put the team in the lead (4-3).

The senior looks to put together a big season after eight singles and a handful of doubles victories last season.

The Lady Roadrunners will continue their push on the road as they play the next four matches before returning home to face Eastern Michigan on Feb. 23.

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8 | sports@paisano-online.com

Spring intramural and club sports begin at UTSA

Image courtesy of rmstewartphotography

The Quidditch team gets pumped up before their match.

By Zach Truesdale Staff Writer Campus Recreation is well known at UTSA for its various services such as fitness equipment, intramural sports, group exercise classes, courts, personal training, aquatics center and even a demo kitchen to help cook nutritious meals on a college student’s budget. These services are available to all Roadrunner to make the most of their resources. However, a lesser known oppurtunity is the multitude of club sports offered by the university.

Clubs are born from student interest. All club sports teams are built and organized by students with the collaboration of Campus Recreation.

These Club Sports offer students the chance to perform and compete at a higher level with other students interested in the same sport. These teams can compete at UTSA, on other college campuses in Texas or even an occasional out of state venue.

Club Sports such as Quidditch, Ultimate Frisbee, Lacrosse, Golf and a handful of others are preparing to compete with other schools over the course of the spring semester.

Work in the classroom, weight room and practice fields are getting Roadrunners ready both physically and mentally.

Kyle Hoyt, President of Club Golf, says he enjoys the experience. His favorite thing about being on the club is being at the tournaments. Through Club golf, students have the opportunity to meet new people, see new courses and have a great time.

“I’m looking forward to our tournaments this semester and getting to know everyone. Also, playing golf almost every day is what makes it worthwhile, Hoyt said.”

The club’s chemistry is coming together as well. “It’s pretty good,” Hoyt said. “We’re getting along and growing friendships.”

As club golf prepares for their upcoming tournaments, Quidditch is looking to build off a successful season and

work for the national championship. They are ranked high amongst college teams in the United States and are working to prove that they belong.

David Keim spoke on the overall gaming experience that is Quidditch, “It’s always been about the relationships I’ve built with my team and the rest of the Quidditch community.

It’s not like other sports where

you always hate your rival. In Quidditch you hate them before and while you play. After that, everyone’s friends.”

Keim also talked about the team’s presence during the playoffs, “My favorite moment on the team was going to nationals last year and getting to break down barriers we hadn’t in previous seasons. A lot of people see us as a dark horse, and we

UTSA club golfers after their tournament in Azle, Tx.

want to prove them wrong and show them we aren’t here to be a surprise. We’re here as a main event,” said Keim.

Their goal for this season is to keep a good mentality and win nationals this year in Round Rock.

Being on a club has both pros and cons. For Keim, “Balancing being a student athlete lifestyle can be difficult, we have teammates who have demanding majors who require them to miss practice but they make up for it in the gym on their off time…

But in the end it’s all worth it to play a sport you’re passionate about.”

On his personal experiences with the team, Keim believes his experience on the Quidditch team has been exciting.

UTSA’s Club Sports and their members are definitely making the most of their opportunities and making memories that will last a lifetime. For those interested in joining or creating a club team, more information can be found on the Campus Recreation website.

Image courtesy of UTSA Club Golf.