The Paisano Vol. 46 Issue 1

Is college worth it?

Lynn Hickey Interview Page 12

See page 9

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

Volume 46

August 23, 2011

Issue 1

ALCOHOL ARRIVES

Coker, football program not distracted by scandal Chili’s Too starts serving alcohol first day of classes at University of Miami Vanessa Elizararras

Victor H. Hernandez

news@paisano-online.com

news@paisano-online.com

On Aug. 16, Yahoo! Sports reported that Nevin Shapiro, a University of Miami booster, who had provided at least 72 athletes with gifts including travel, cash and prostitutes from 2002-2010.

During 2002-2006 Larry Coker, UTSA’s head football coach, was head football coach at Miami.

After the story broke, Coker released a statement in which he declined to comment on the issue, stating that the NCAA had not contacted him, and he did not have any insight into the current investigation. UTSA Athletics Director Lynn Hickey stated her support for Coker.

“Coach Coker is a great person, a very ethical person with high values. I think the key to remember in this whole situation is that after five months of the investigation his name is not even on the list to talk to. We are very confident that he handled his business appropriately at Miami.”

The news of this story comes just as UTSA is prepares for its inaugural football game on Sept. 3.

Practices were held as usual last week and on Aug. 19, just three days after the Yahoo! Sports report, UTSA held its football media day.

During the media day Hickey had this to say about Miami, “Major college football at the level Miami was competing, as we have seen all year across the country, there are some things that need

tion of former SGA President Derek Trim and continued by current president Xavier Johnson.

As many other controversial subjects, such as handguns on campus, the decision was submitted for online voting. These polls are often characterized by lack of participation and poor student involvement.

See ALCOHOL, Page 3

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Burk Frey/ The Paisano

It’s been more than two dec a d e s s i n c e U T S A students could legally enjoy a beer without going off campus.

In the eighties, a bar existed at UTSA called the Roost. Ultimately, the bar was closed, and UTSA remained dry until now.

Happy times are here again. With a vibrant football debut, beer at Chili’s Too might be an all too natural step to take.

On Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 3:00 pm, students will be able to purchase alcoholic beverages at Chili’s Too. The drinks are limited to beer, wine and wine-based margaritas. The beer will be in bottles only, since installing draft beer pipelines proved problematic. Spirits are also excluded; Chili’s Toon does not have a license to sell hard liquor.

“It isn’t necessary,” Louis Keefe, resident district manager of Aramark (the firm that manages the restaurant) said. “We want to start responsibly; we don’t want to turn this into a bar.”

Controversy surrounded the decision to offer alcohol on campus. “This is another example of why UTSA students need to vote,” writes Gabriel Rubio on the event page Beer at Chili’s Too at UTSA! “When the proposition for the football team passed, many students were outraged and felt like UTSA should strictly focus on academics and build a bigger library. When the proposition to increase transportation fees in order to improve the shuttle routes didn’t pass, the end result was longer wait times and crowded shuttles.”

Alcohol on campus was one of the cornerstones for the many Student Government Association campaigns. It was promoted during the administra-

The university recently held the first media day at the Alamodome.

The innermost fight for higher education News insight

Victor H. Hernandez news@paisano-online.com

“Excellent meeting with Rick. Are you ready to get this show on the road?” asked Francie Frederick in a private e-mail to Gene Powell, Chairman of the Board of the UT System.

“Next stop would be to craft a short job description and for you to give me the target salary range.” They chose a man; they only needed to create a job for him.

Rick O’Donnell, the former director of Colorado’s Department of Higher Education, was the person the regents wanted. Francie Frederick, head of the General Counsel to the UT System Board of Regents, was the connection.

According to e-mails published by the Texas Tribune, Frederick started to outline a new job opening along-

side Chairman Gene Powell the day after she met with O’Donnell. Three days later they posted a new position as available.

They received eight applications, while H.R. e-mails flew, “the reason for non-hire on the applicants not selected look good.” While another said, “Please put that the successful candidate had more experience in working with higher education issues.”

The job was tailored for O’Donnell and modeled after a position recently created in Texas A&M for Jim Kimbrough, former chief of staff to Gov. Perry, which aimed to reform the A&M System. Now was the time for U.T. “I have quietly checked with A&M and when Jay was there before he was at $260k. He is coming back at over $300k in June,” wrote Powell.

The newcomer at UT, O’Donnell, didn’t have as much luck in Austin

as his counterpart in College Station.

Observers believe that the inclusion of O’Donnell into the highest chamber of the UT system was orchestrated by Perry’s supporters to implement a new agenda, based on the ideas of wealthy entrepreneur Jeff Sandefer, the author of a polemic document called the “7 Breakthrough Solutions,” which targets higher education.

Sandefer proposes a budgetary rapture between teaching and research, a heavier impact of students’ teacher evaluation, required evidence of teaching skills for tenure, and the creation of a result-based teaching environment. Sandefer is part of the conservative think tank, Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), as is the newly appointed O’Donnell and the governor’s strongman on College Station, Kimbrough.

With O’Donnell earning $200,000

and with a position that answered directly to the Board of Regents instead as to the Chancellor, many believed Perry had successfully triggered an impending attack on the autonomy of the UT System. The expectancy was short lived, his chain of command was changed to ultimately respond to the Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa, and O’Donnell was fired 49 days after taking office, amidst controversies of academic plagiarism and political conflicts between the board members.

The reason for his termination, he told the Texas Tribune, was because he denounced “that people in the highest levels of the university, not just once or twice, had consistently tried to resist to provide the public with data that the regents needed to do the job.”

O’Donnell refers to university’s expenses and in particular how cost-effective certain teachers are. It was data

to rethink the real value of research and teaching. He threatened to sue the university on grounds of violation of his First Amendment right, before eventually settling for $70,000.

On the other hand, Perry’s supporters at Texas A&M embraced Jim Kimbrough, but his measures didn’t take long to backlash.

“The Association of American Universities does not, as a general rule, comment on the structure of governance or the processes its member institutions employ,” began an emphatic letter written by Robert M. Berdahl, former president of U.T. Austin, now president of the AAU, addressed to Michael D. McKinney, who was then Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System in March, after part of the Sandefer reforms were implemented.

See REGENTS, Page 4

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August 23, 2011

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August 23, 2011

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UTSA prepared for changes in state budget Pamela Maldonado news@paisano-online.com

UTSA officials assure that state budgets will not have a profound effect on the university and its employees or students.

This fall, employees will receive salary equity raises in addition to a 2.25 percent merit based raise if approved later this month.

“People are very important. So we need to take care of our business. We won’t keep our staff and faculty if we don’t take care of them. The increase in pay is to remain competitive” President Ricardo Romo said.

With the nation declaring a 9.1 percent unemployment rate while on the brink of a double dip recession, how has UTSA managed to stay afloat let alone thrive in such a downward sloping economy?

Leaders of UTSA have planned well in advance for such a possible crisis. In spring of 2010, overall budgets were said to drop by 30 percent. While state appropriated budgets fell, the univer-

sities overall budget actually increased due to a growth in enrollment bringing in more student fees and higher tuition costs. Essentially, the state budget was hurt while the university’s own funding actually improved.

Preliminary reports show that student enrollment has increased by four percent from fall 2010 to fall of this year. While UTSA is continuing to grow in student population after each term, other campuses within the UT System have placed a cap on their enrollment, preventing additional revenue.

With the progressive tuition increases and student enrollment, the university has managed to avoid cutting jobs both within faculty and staff employment, as opposed to other universities, such as UT Austin, which has had a 30 percent loss with their endowment, forcing layoffs across the board. So it seems that UTSA is actually doing better than the rest of the UT System as the university continues to grow.

“Cuts have not had as disastrous of

an impact on us as it might have, had we not planned so thoroughly,” Provost Dr. John Frederick said. “We’ve had to be clever and creative on how to provide quality education during this economic crisis.”

Frederick noted that most of UTSA’s growth is in student retention. There has been an increase in credit hour enrollment than in years past. “If you take more classes, you get through quicker allowing you [students] to save both money and time” Frederick said.

Upper division courses should now reflect a higher student to professor ratio as students figure out the more school costs and the longer they stay enrolled, only increases the loss in opportunity by not allowing themselves to be a part of the job market.

“I already have a job lined up through my internship. The quicker I get through school (by taking 15 plus hours a term and summer classes) the quicker I can get that steady paycheck” Aaron Garcia, communications senior said.

Students can also expect to see cuts

Alcohol: Predicted attendence of 1,700 at Chili’s Too

in their financial aid. Nearly 2,000 UTSA students will be affected by the Texas Grant funding being reduced.

“I’m getting less financial aid than I did last year. My Texas Grant was cut, not by much, but it was. That could have helped with my books” Christina Trevino, College of Science major said.

Nearly 70 percent of students at UTSA receive some form of financial aid and almost 35 percent of those students families are making $40 thousand or less, “If anyone is hurt by this economy it is the students. Which is why it is important for them to graduate on time” Frederick said.

Budget cuts have also not had a great impact, as officials have been “conservative with hiring.” Over the last year, full time faculty has not been hired while staff employment came to a near halt with the campus wide hiring freeze.

With the new budget, faculty and staff positions can now slowly begin to fill. Staff can expect to see the start of the ‘Voluntarily Separation Incentive Program,’ which will allow for employ-

ees to start on their retirement plans a little earlier than planned, yet also allow the university to save a little extra on costs.

Athletics is also one department that will not be affected by the state’s budget cuts, as their money is entirely separate from academics. Money used for any UTSA athletics program is accrued from student fees, admissions fees to any athletic events, gate receipts, and a large amount from donations. Students‘ tuition does not go towards the new football team or any athletic involvement.

In the future, students can expect to see not only the completion of the new building near the North Parking Garage, but also the renovation of other buildings which means more classrooms and more space in the library, which will bring in more new collections and projects.

Legislative Director for Senator Leticia Van de Putte adds, “UTSA is well on their way to becoming a big player in this game.”

Write for news!

From Page 1

“The idea of having alcohol served on campus is not a new one by any means,” writes Junior Drew Jackson. “What the cynics fail to see is this as a progression for our campus that will strengthen us as a student body whether they enjoy alcohol or not.”

Incoming freshmen are required to complete an Alcohol Education test, which has been norm in many other universities

including Harvard and the “Public Ivies.”

Other universities such as Dartmouth, University of Wisconsin, Penn State, Vanderbilt University and Ohio State regularly sell alcohol on campus.

Programs such as a Safe Driver have not surfaced during administrative talks, according to Todd Wollenzier, assistant director of Student Judicial Affairs.

More than 1,700 students have selected “I’m attending” on

the event Beer at Chili’s Too at UTSA! While it is highly unlikely that all of these students will go, it is important to note that even if a small fraction decided to, they could easily overflow the small Chili’s Too. Aramark management seemed unconcerned by the Facebook event. “We shouldn’t have any problems,” said Keefe. “We will have two bartenders.”

Beginning of the fall semester has arrived

For more information please email: news@paisano-online.com Meetings every Thursday at 5:30PM

WEEKLY POLICE BLOTTER COURTESY OF UTSA PD

“I LIKE YOUR

.”

Incident: Driving under the influence by a minor Location: Main Campus: Hill Country Place Apartments Date/Time: 8/21/2011 05:48 AM Disposition: Cleared by arrest Incident: Consumption of alcohol by a minor Location: Main Campus: University Oaks Phase III Date/Time: 8/21/11 03:15 AM Disposition: Cleared by arrest Incident: Driving under the influence by a minor Location: Main Campus: Parking lot 3 Date/Time: 8/21/11 03:01 AM Disposition: Cleared by arrest Incident: Driving while intoxicated Location: Main Campus: Parking lot 5 Date/Time: 8/21/11 02:26 AM Disposition: Cleared by arrest Incident: Consumption of alcohol by a minor Location: Main Campus: Laurel Village Date/Time: 8/21/11 12:25 AM Disposition: Cleared by arrest Incident: Furnishing alcohol to minors Location: Main Campus: Laurel Village Date/Time: 8/21/11 12:25 AM Disposition: Cleared by arrest Incident: Theft Location: Art building Date/Time: 8/19/11 01:37 PM Disposition: Cleared by arrest Incident: Possession of drug paraphernalia Location: Off Campus Date/Time: 8/19/11 01:36 AM Disposition: Cleared by arrest

Recycled clothing, furniture, electronics and housewares.

Just good stuff.

facebook.com/goodwillsanantonio

Incident: Duty upon striking unattended vehicle Location: Main Campus: Parking lot 5 Date/Time: 8/17/11 06:27 PM Disposition: Active

4 Hot Off The Press Gadhafi regime “coming to an end”

Allison Tinn

news@paisano-online.

February marked the beginning of the revolution in Libya. Six months later rebels are inching closer to capturing Moammar Gadhafi.

Though Gadhafi still maintains a group of loyalists, the numbers are decreasing.

The months following the revolution, the loyalists were still strong, but with recent rebel control over Tripoli the Gadhafi regime is quickly fading away.

President Obama released a statement from his vacation location in Martha’s Vineyard re-establishing the U.S. support for a democratic Libya.

Obama described the situation in Libya as having reached a “tipping point” and said it was clear to him that “Gadhafi’s rule is over.”

While Obama maintains certainty in the end of the dictator’s rule, a former aide who worked with Gadhafi for nine years said, “He’s not going to surrender.”

Gadhafi’s former aide also believes in the dictator’s strong determination in fighting to regain his position “till the bitter end” and does not rule out Gadhafi’s ability to regroup.

Gadhafi has been in hiding; his current location is unknown. U.S. Government officials do not believe he has left the country, while other officials believe he has fled.

News

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August 23, 2011

Regents: Fight for controll of UT system continues From Page 1

It continues, “Recent proposals that have been advanced by the TPPF, and ap p a re ntl y supported by some regents and Governor Perry, appear to diverge from [our] mission statement.”

A A U , Rick O’Donnell considere d by many the gatekeeper to Tier One status, con-

demned concrete aspects of the “7 Breakthrough Solutions, ” as follows, “The document demonstrates little or no understanding of the nature of good education, particularly in its question of the value of doctoral education. […] to assume that the sole or even the primary metric of evaluation is ‘customer satisfaction’ surveys is to vastly oversimplify the complex components of good teaching.”

The AAU also sent a copy of the letter to the UT Chancellor, Francisco Cigarroa. “We trust that you will resist these ill-conceived calls for ‘reform,’” ends the letter.

The UT System dodged the bullet, but critical observers such as Senate

Higher Education Chairwoman Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) think this is only the beginning. “This is a four to six-year issue,” she told the Texas Tribune. The nine regents that constitute the board are appointed for six years by the governor.

The most recent appointees were regent Wallace Hall, who contributed more than $14,000 for Perry’s 2010 reelection campaign; Regent Alex Cranberg, a Colorado oilman and an active philanthropist, and the TPPF board member Brenda Pejovich, who donated $32,500 last year to the governor’s re-election effort.

On February 2013, the terms of three more regents, James Dannenbaum,

Printice Gary and Paul Foster, will end.

This will give the governor the chance to select three more regents apart from those that he has already appointed in the nine-seat board.

If they are approved by the senate, stakeholders of the UT system might be unable to heed the call made by the former President of UT Austin, Robert M. Berdahl. UT can only resist for so long “those ill-conceived calls for ‘reform.’”

UTSA moves to plus/minus grading system Dan Rossiter

news@paisano-online.com Beginning this semester, UTSA faculty will be allowed to assess plus or minus versions of the former A through D grading scale to students.

A plus grade will increase GPA point value by 0.33 and a minus will decrease the point value by the same amount from the letter value.

This new system exactly duplicates UT Austin’s system and comes after years of back-and-forth between UTSA’s provost, John Frederick, faculty and the students of UTSA. After votes in the Faculty Senate ended with less than the required percentage of votes to pass, Frederick and the Senate opted to pursue a “permissive policy” rather than a “restrictive one.” This policy allows faculty who wish to use the system to implement it without requiring other faculty to do the same.

The permissive nature of the policy aside, it has received mixed opinions.

Dorothy Flannagan, vice provost and dean of the graduate school, said

that she is very open to the adoption of the plus/minus system. She said that “as a faculty member and as an administrator, I’m perfectly willing to try it and see.”

Sandy Norman, department chair for the math department, found the permissive nature of the policy “odd yet refreshing.”

However, there have been many concerns raised by different parties concerning the new grading policy and how it might negatively affect students and faculty.

Carola Wenk, the current Faculty Senate chair, said that through the process of presenting the plans for a plus/minus grading system the Senate was not given many details for how the system would work or be implemented. “We were shown a very brief, very vague PowerPoint of the proposed system.” Wenk continued by saying that the provost’s office decided the details of the system.

In response to Wenk’s concerns, Frederick said “that’s what tends to happen.” He added that he “tried to get the senate to give as much of a sense of

how it should be implemented as possible.”

One of the most universal concerns held by faculty and students is that the system should be equitable.

As it is written, the system could potentially lead to students taking the same course, making the same percentage grade, but be in different sections and getting different GPA scores.

Frederick conceded that with multisection courses there must be consistency across all the sections. “We have to sacrifice a little bit of academic freedom in order to provide consistent academic standards for students.”

Another fear that faculty and students have expressed is the potential for a deflation in GPAs. Since the new system values an A- at 3.67, a 4.0 GPA will become 33 percent more difficult to earn in any given course. The system will also not include an F+ which could potentially add to the GPA deflation.

Norman fears that this localized deflation around A-grades could result in a decrease in the number of students who qualify for graduation hon-

ors such as summa cum laude, which requires a cumulative GPA of 3.9 or higher. Norman points out that with the new system “there are students who would have gotten summa cum laude in the old grading system who might not even get magna cum laude (which only requires a 3.75 GPA) in the plus/minus system.”

Frederick agreed that “it may be we need to recalibrate how we qualify students for those honors” if there ends up being a noticeable shift in the number of students qualifying.

A suggestion, posed by the Student Government Association (SGA), was to grandfather out students who had been at UTSA prior to the switch in grading procedure. However, the provost opted not to support the suggestion, stating that it would be a logistical nightmare.

Although there are a number of concerns with the plus/minus grading policy now, Frederick is certain that after the transitional phase things will settle down. He said that, “over time, even those faculty that felt strongly about it may change their mind.”

G ET R EADY TO KI C KO F F UTSA F O OTBAL L!

REGISTER TO WIN ONE OF 15 ROWDY HEADS DRAWING WILL BE HELD SEPTEMBER 2 AT 10A.M.

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< H E I J 8 7 D A $9E C

MUST BE 18 YEARS OR OLDER TO REGISTER. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. YOU NEED NOT BE PRESENT TO WIN. THE NUMBER OF ENTRIES DETERMINES THE ODDS OF WINNING. WINNERS WILL BE NOTIFIED BY PHONE. EMPLOYEES AND IMMEDIATE FAMILIES OF FROST AFFILIATES ARE NOT ELIGIBLE.

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August 23, 2011

The Paisano Editor-in-Chief:

Vanessa Elizarraras

Managing Editor: Joseph Tidline

News Editor: Allison Tinn

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Ads Manager: Kevyn Kirven

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Contributing Staff:

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Steven Kellman, Mansour El Kikhia, Jack Himelblau, Sandy Norman, Matt Stern The Paisano is published by the Paisano Educational Trust, a nonprofit, tax exempt, educational organization. The Paisano is operated by members of the Student Newspaper Association, a registered student organization. The Paisano is NOT sponsored, financed or endorsed

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Opinion

Editorial Perry’s quick ascent raises many questions for voters It’s shocking how quickly Governor Rick Perry has risen in the polls and in the eyes of the public. It’s also shocking that his candidacy follows closely on the heels of a prayer rally said to be free of any political motivation a couple of weeks ago one would never believe that a prayer rally could be defined as a political tactic.

At the Aug. 6 rally called “The Response” bout 30,000 people stood or kneeled in aisles or on the concrete floor as Perry read several passages from the Bible in a 13-minute address.

The prayers were offered in Jesus Christ’s name, and the many musical performers sang Christian themes of repentance and salvation. Perry said that people of any faith could attend.

It’s interesting that Perry tried to avoid partisan remarks during the

rally. In fact, he made no political remarks during his speech. Despite his caution, there is one variable that he has missed.

One would expect Perry to use such an event to talk about his own strategies for solving America’s problems.

Yes, Perry claims the rally wasn’t meant to be political, but then praying for improvement in the economy seems very politically inspired.

Less than a week after the rally, Perry announced his campaign for presidency. If that wasn’t convenient enough, Perry has also over-taken Mitt Romney’s position in the Republican primary polls. Is there possibly a link between Perry’s apolitical rally and America’s current attitude toward religion and politics?

Still, Perry has yet to talk about

his plans for presidency. He has only mentioned that President Obama’s path is one he does not want to travel which doesn’t differentiate him much from other contenders like Newt Gingrich or Michele Bachman who continue to run on similar tickets.

Should Perry claim divine inspiration for cutting billions of dollars in education? Texas Tech has already voted to increase their tuition by 5.9 percent. These are events that Americans must observe closely challenge politicians as the primaries approach and not fall for religious theatrics.

Perry may tout a strong record of leadership in Texas (which is quite arguable) but in these difficult times, the American public is looking for more than just faith in leadership.

They are also looking for results.

Photo Poll

5

What’s the best excuse you’ve used to get out of a ticket?

Tyler Schultz

Freshman / business “I’ve never had to give an excuse because I haven’t gotten pulled over yet.”

Commentary Win games on the field and in the classroom UTSA’s football program is on the cusp of its first inaugural season.

The city is buzzing with excitement as we finally have a college team that represents San Antonio.

We have a big-name coach that has a national title under his belt, a huge stadium that will hold up to 65,000 people and a ton of fans and media that are ready to experience the pageantry and passion that is college football. The allure of Division I college football is at an all time high amongst Americans, and these top football programs earn exorbitant amounts of money for their respective schools.

Some people see our football program as a legitimizing tool that will help to further propel our school into the national spotlight. Football has quickly become the national pastime and schools are establishing and marketing programs to their areas and alumni. The question really is what does football mean for UTSA? With football at the forefront, hopefully academics won’t take the biggest

Editorial Photo

backseat. UTSA has been striving to be a Tier One academic school over the last few years, but football seems to be where the majority of donations, resources ¬and attention will be directed over the next few years.

UTSA isn’t exactly known for their fantastic academics. According to US News, UTSA has an 8 percent four year graduation rate. The University of Texas at Austin has a 51 percent four year graduation rate and Texas A&M has a 45 percent rate. UTSA accepts 87 percent of all students that apply. UTAustin accepts 45 percent and Texas A&M accepts 67 percent.

San Antonio needs a research university to first attract bigger corporations in search of a more educated work force. Having a public research university should be the pinnacle of San Antonio’s achievement, not our college football team.

Red McCombs recently donated a million dollars to the UTSA Athletic program to build practice facilities at the new UTSA Park West Campus.

Even though I’m sure that all the athletes are extremely excited to have brand new facilities to peruse about, I’m also sure that many of our academic programs could use additional

donations to improve academics and facilities.

Still, the ball will be hiked in under two weeks to the roars of cheers from the crowds and media alike. Just remember that having a football team doesn’t validate UTSA as a university.

Football is a great escape from the real world, but it certainly will not produce new medical technology to cure diseases, innovative engineering ideas for technology, business ideas and models for a changing global economy, or anything else that can help improve America, Texas and San Antonio.

Football is a game that most people love to watch; however, many schools have pushed their programs to be the center of their university’s attraction.

I hope that someday UTSA is known for its academics more than its football program because that will say more about the school as opposed to the football team’s record. Then maybe when you wear your overpriced UTSA football athletic t-shirt, people will recognize that you have a great education and are not just a passionate fan.

Cliff Perez Staff Writer

Justin Johnson

Freshman / criminal justice “I just came back to America from out of the country, so I just say I forgot the law was different here.”

Kendra Pittman

Sophomore / psychology “Well, my friend actually corrected a cop by showing him a section in her driving manual, so he let her go with just a warning.”

editor@paisano-online.com Letters must be less than 400 words and include the writer’s name, classification or title and telephone number. The Paisano reserves the right to edit all submissions.

Valencia Davis

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Freshman / kinesiology “I cried, but it was a lady officer so it didn’t do any good.”

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Despite being a longtime resident at University Oaks, senior David Yee waits for his housing assignment at the Comfort Inn across the street from UTSA. The apartment complex has overbooked students for the fall semester which means

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Alajandro Garcia Freshman / business

“I was speeding so I told the cop I really had to take a crap.

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“I haven’t gotten pulled over yet, but my stock excuse will be that I have a family emergency or someone in the hospital.”

Photo poll: Joseph Tidline

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Features Paseo The Paisano Graduation: rags or riches?

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August 23, 2011

features@paisano-online.com If you’re feeling as though you are being financially squeezed every time you pay your tuition bill, it’s probably because you are.

According to the Economist, the cost of college tuition in the United States has grown by over 900 percent since 1978, 650 points above inflation. The result: increased financial need. In Fall 2011, 77 percent of full-time UTSA freshmen applied for need-based aid, or financial aid. The question is whether burying yourself in debt is worth the degree you’re pursuing.

According to the UTSA Financial Aid website, “The primary purpose of financial aid is to provide resources to students who would otherwise be unable to pursue a post-secondary education.” But what is that education worth?

John Fabian Gomez Ramos, a 2009 graduate from Stephen F. Austin State University, feels as though taking out college loans was worth the investment.

“College was great, and Kappa Alpha Order made it worth it,” Ramos said.

“I have a degree and I have a job, and I knew what I was getting myself into when I took out the loans.”

Gomez earned his degree in business management and now works as a loan officer. He feels that the problem with the student loan situation is that “a lot of people who take out the loans

don’t graduate,” and they’re stuck in debt without a degree.

Another recent graduate, Ankit Patel, 24, took out student loans to get his degree in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University in 2009.

He has already paid off the $20,000 in loans.

“It takes time, but if you can live cheap, you can get it done,” he says.

His secret for paying off his loans so quickly was to live at home because he was able to pay it off 22 months after graduation.

Patel now makes $58,000 per year and has been able to save the majority of his salary because he no longer has to worry about his student loan debt.

Brandon Wisniske, also a graduate from Stephen F. Austin State University, says, “I will continue to have to defer my loans until I can find a job.

I’m having a hard time, and the more I defer, the more interest I have to pay.”

The 2010 graduate has yet to find a steady job. He earned a degree in business management and currently resides in Houston, Texas.

Americans have accumulated well over $900 billion in student loan debt, yet the weak economy does not offer the resources to provide high paying jobs to students trapped in the debt cycle.

Mark Kantrowitz, a student financial aid expert, explained on National Public Radio, “It’s smart if it’s enabling you to invest in your future, but if you borrow more than your expected starting salary after you graduate,

you’re going to struggle to pay your loans.” He also explained that certain degrees are more valuable than others, like ones in the fields of science or engineering as compared to ones in the liberal arts college.

Kantrowitz believes that students need to be smart about the debt that they incur while obtaining their degree.

“Look for scholarships and grants first and foremost before turning to loans as your main source of educational finance,” Kantrowitz advises.

Scholarships are another form of financial assistance that can be used to satisfy college expenses. For example, Fastweb.com has thousands of potential scholarship opportunities available to students, and the site will categorize applicants based on the types of scholarships for which they qualify. Scholarships range from $100-$10,000.

Grants are a lot like loans, except you don’t have to pay them back. Many are need-based, but filling out a FAFSA can tell you more about whether or not you qualify for financial assistance.

Instead of burying yourself in debt that you won’t be able to pay back, take the time to evaluate all of your options.

Exhaust your potential grants and scholarships first, and then look into student loans to pay the rest of your expenses. The less debt you’re in when you graduate, the lower your monthly payments will be and the more you can focus on expenses like housing, transportation and possibly starting a family or business.

The beginning of the fall semester signifies long lines for students.

Courtesy of Breanna Bussey

Breanna Bussey

Burk Frey/ The Paisano

Students determine if college is worth years loan payments and debt

Ankit Patel (center) is 24 year graduate who paid off his loans in 22 months. In this recession this is a rarity.

August 23, 2011

The Paisano

Features Paseo

Photo illustration: Burk Frey/ The Paisano

that hand sanitizers cause respiratory illnesses because one of its ingredients, an antimicrobial chemical, creates an overly sterile environment for the body. This, in turn, weakens the immune system to the point where it no longer knows how to fight off bacteria, thus preventing it from properly fighting off illnesses.

To have a properly functioning immune system, some level of exposure to germs must be permitted.

Additionally, studies conducted by Professor Allison Aiello, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and her students show that triclosan found in some hand sanitizers can increase one’s risk of developing an infection. Triclosan and other antibacterial chemicals not only destroy harmful bacteria, but also they destroy the beneficial bacteria the body needs to function properly and maintain optimum health.

Results from this study indicate that bacteria resistant to triclosan also seem to have devel-

Use of triclosan anti-bacterial can lead to medical conditions Nicole Duff

features@paisano-online.com Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Superman? Not actually.

It’s the clear, magic sanitizing liquid in a bottle, claiming the power to kill the germs that invade our world.

But, like Superman, it’s everywhere--mounted at the most convenient spots in the local grocery stores, neatly positioned on the desks of most every office in UTSA, and perched on the counters and in gyms and libraries.

Once properly applied and rubbed on your hands, just one dime-sized drop of this increasingly popular product, as indicated in its directions, is promised to save you a trip to the nearby sink--that is, if there is even a sink nearby. But are hand sanitizers really a safe alternative to hand washing? Or do they do more harm than good?

In 1966, Lupe Hernandez invented hand sanitizers as an alcohol-based sanitizing product for hospital use. Now available to the general public, they are often advertised as being “99.99 percent effective in killing germs and bacteria” and ultimately preventing pathogenic illnesses. They are touted as an alcohol-based quick cleaner to promote and maintain good hygiene.

However, though most of the product’s ingredients have antibacterial properties, one ingredient found in certain hand sanitizers has sparked some degree of controversy for its adverse health effects. This ingredient is the chemical triclosan, which, according to recent studies, may have some alarming effects.

As an active ingredient in detergents, soaps and other common household products, triclosan has been linked to several respiratory illnesses, such as allergies and asthma, and potentially increases the risk of infection.

A study by the University of Virginia revealed

7 9

oped a resistance to antibiotic drugs. If a user is to develop some kind of bacterial illness, scientists fear that there is likelihood that continuous use of triclosan containing hand-sanitizers could lead to the development of “resistance bacteria” or bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics and are hard to kill, such as MRSA, which have been deemed “superbugs.”

Hand sanitizers are a fast and convenient way to clean your hands when washing is not possible, but the next time you reach for that twoounce bottle of “disease- preventing” hand sanitizer, you may want to reconsider. Is it fighting germs as it states, or is it sanitizing your skin while creating problems within?

You may be far better off without it. Besides, as Professor John Oxford of the Royal London Hospital, says, what is important is not what you use to wash your hands but how you wash your hands. Try soap and water instead—an old-fashioned but effective super power.

8 10

Joseph Tidline/ The Paisano

On Campus ...

Arts

Students gather at a Roadrunner Days event on Aug 21 to create wax sculptures by dipping their hands in wax.

Salina Cram arts@paisano-online.com Roadrunner Days is a series of funfilled, informational events that take place during the first week of the fall semester. These events are designed to acquaint students with the campus and the countless opportunities it has to offer, easing what might otherwise be an overwhelming change into a smooth transition.

The President’s Picnic and the President’s BBQ are opportunities to join UTSA President, Dr. Ricardo Romo, for free food with music and T-shirt giveaways. The Picnic takes place on Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at both the main and downtown campuses, and the BBQ takes place from 5:00pm

to 7 p.m. at the main campus. They are both popular events, expecting to attract over two thousand attendees.

The fraternities and sororities of UTSA host the Fajita Fest that allows students to acquaint themselves with UTSA Greek life while enjoying free fajitas. The event will take place on the East Lawn of the main campus on Aug. 25 from 5 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

Comedy Night will feature Ross Matthews, also known as “Ross the Intern”, from Chelsea Lately and NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. This event is free to the campus community with a UTSA ID, and each card holder is permitted to bring one guest. It will take place on Aug. 25 at 8:00pm at the Main Campus Convocation Center.

The Paisano

Project

August 23, 2011

NIM

A documentary proving that monkeys can learn new tricks, but humans cannot.

Katy Schmader arts@paisano-online.com Is it possible for a chimpanzee to communicate with humans? Project NIM, a radical social experiment done in the late 1970’s tried to conquer this question, when a group of scientists from Columbia University pulled a chimpanzee from his natural born mother and placed him into a human family. The eclectic group of scientists, psychologists and sign language teachers’ hope was that through sign language Nim, the chimp, would learn to communicate with his new family.

Director James Marsh, most recently known for Man on Wire, a documentary that follows a trapeze artist’s attempt to cross the World Trade Center on a tight rope wire, takes his audience on a moving journey exploring Nim’s life and the controversial experiment that created it.

The story is gripping, elegant and thought-provoking. Nim goes through the same stages that a human child goes through, and the audience accompanies him throughout his journey.

Marsh struggles with an interesting dilemma, to tell a story without being able to interview its central subject.

He chooses to tell Nim’s story instead from a third person perspective, using bits and pieces from the individuals surrounding him. This dilemma creates an elastic force between Nim and

his human partisans evolving into two narratives: that of Nim quickly adapting to his surroundings, as he learns to sign and to communicate, and that of his human teachers who feel it is their social responsibility to perform an experiment that places an animal out of its natural environment and behavior.

Marsh quickly picks up on the latter of the two and runs with it. He places many of his interviewed subjects, such as Herbert Terrace, Stephanie Lafarge and Laura-Ann Petitto, who were all part of the experiment, speaking directly about human nature rather than the intent of the experiment.

The

do cumentar y fits into Marsh’s style of filming in which he recreates memories of past events to recreate the narrative. As effective as this may be,

at times the documentary seems melodramatic.

Whether his intent or not, Marsh uses the documentary to push his opinions regarding the faults of scientists, rather than the experiment itself and it takes away from the central subject of the movie, Nim and the experiment.

Nim had just as much to offer as his human counterparts, it seems that he has learned more from their relationship than they did.

The Paisano

August 23, 2011

Events going on all week: San Antonio Museum of Art

Paul Jacoulet: Views of Korea, a special exhibit on display from Aug. 12 to Nov. 6.

McNay Art Museum

Glass Art: The Jeanne and Irving Mathews collection of Art Glass will be on display for the first time in the Garden Level of the Stieren Center Exhibitions. These pieces will soon be integrated into the museum’s main gallery.

Nene Humphrey: has a special Installation of her piece Circling the Center that is on display until October 2nd. The piece focuses on the loss of her husband. It involves audio and film.

George Nelson: (editor’s choice) Artist, Writer, Designer, Teacher celebrates George Nelson’s success in American Furniture and interior design. The McNay has over 120 of Nelson’s pieces on display including benches, cabinets, chairs, clocks and desks.

Woodcuts of John Lee: (editor’s choice) Humphrey is currently an art professor at Trinity University. The exhibit focuses on his woodprints that are based on the golden mean. His woodprints are clean and simple yet exquisite. It is absolutely worth seeing.

Institute of Texan Cultures

Football: the Exhibit: Designed to be handson, this exhibit focuses on the math and science behind the game of football.

Leaving Home, Finding Home: Texas Families remember the Texas Revolution: the exhibit follows the lives of families that immigrated to Texas during the Mexican Revolution.

Wednesday, Aug. 24 11 a.m. President’s Picnic

Located on the UTSA campus, the picnic is an excellent place to meet new people and pick up some good free food.

Thursday, Aug. 25 7:20pm/10:00pm Quote Along at the Alamo

Drafthouse

Alamo Drafthouse is screening Talladega Nights, and you are expected to quote along.

The Drafthouse knows how to put on a party, and it is sure to be a fun time. The movie will be screened at the Park North location close to North Star Mall.

11 9

6:30 p.m. McNay Art Museum

Get Reel Film Series: Walley Films The Walleys use their films to bring attention to people and events in the San Antonio area. *Free admission to students all day to the main galleries.

5 p.m. Fajita

Fajita Fest will take place on UTSA’s main campus. It is an excellent way for new student’s to become familiar with the UTSA’s Greek life.

8 p.m. Evening with Ross Mathews

Free to UTSA students. the event willl occur in the Main Campus convocation Center.

7 p.m. Free Movie Night

Located at The Bijou, the movie theatre offers a free movie every Thursday. This week they are screening the Matrix

Friday, Aug. 26 7 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse

It’s a Hollywood Babble-on at the Stone Oak location, featuring Hollywood guests Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman.

Make yourself at home:

Movies to be released:

Candlelight Cafe

Our Idiot Brother:A comedy starring Paul Rudd. Rudd’s character doesn’t exaclty have his life together and he barges into the lives of his three sisters.

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark: a horror thiller story featuring Guy Pierce and Katie Holmes.

Colobiana: Another thiller about a woman who becomes a killer after she witnesses the murder of her child.

Sarah’s Key: (editor’s choice) Originally based on a novel, Sarah’s Key is about a little girl living in Paris during WWII, and a modern-day journalist who discovers her story.

Sunday, Aug. 28 noon McNay Art Museum

Summer Jazz and Lunch Series: Henry Brun and the International Trio play Latin Music. their will be a Mexican Food Buffet that will include fajita tacos and quesadillas. Admission is $13 for non members.

Want an event on our calendar? Email your events to arts@paisano-online.com

Look Forward to the next semester with Arts!

-book, music and movie reviews -ACL coverage -UTSA events

-Best food finds in San Antonio

Nonya’s Classical Belly Dance 34 yrs. teaching experience.

Come to have fun, get into shape. while learning this beautiful dance.

NW San Antonio (830) 265 8742.

Photo Courtesy of Candlelight Cafe

Campus Calendar

Arts

Candlelight is a popular alternative for hanging out on weekday nights due to the environment. People enjoy the atmosphere and delicious coffee.

Bryanna Bradley

arts@paisano-online.com Candlelight Café is “…like no other” just as their slogan states. This unique romantic coffeehouse welcomes an eccentric crowd of individuals that buzzes with conversation even on a late weeknight.

This comfy alternative to the everyday, busy, overrun Starbucks is located on North St. Mary’s Street, which allows easy access without the frustration of downtown traffic and confusing streets. The coffeehouse is located inside a small, ivy covered corner building that could have once been a residence.

A combined coffeehouse, wine bar and bistro with full menu, Candlelight is the first of its kind in San Antonio. It caters to all situations, but its environment is particularly conducive to study, especially because the café provides free Wi-Fi. Find a seat in the cozy interior, decorated with antique couches that you could

just sink in as the feathers poke out from the cushions. It is reminiscent of home. The super comfortable couches combined with the delicious freshly brewed coffee, tea, wine and gourmet menu makes Candlelight’s an ideal atmosphere for study sessions or late night conversations between friends.

The closeness of the tables allows you to be more involved with your friends and their conversation as well as being able to order a full dinner from appetizer to desert and being able to have loud conversations and not feel bad for making too much noise. If you still think you and your friends are too loud than just go outside to the twinkly-lit patio with remarkably comfortable iron chairs and tables.

Upon entering the house you are welcomed by a wall of various wines for all ages from all around the country. You can buy a glass of wine for around $8 or buy the bottle for about $28. Candlelight has quite a collec-

tion of whites and reds that could satisfy anyone’s palette.

Check out Candlelight on the 2nd Wednesday or 1st Friday of every month to listen to free live music, featuring Laura Marie , and live San Antonio Jazz.

If you are looking for a new date spot, this would be a fantastic alternative with its lighting that creates a romantic feel. Closely arranged tables allow patrons to get cozy. Candlelight’s menu would really impress that perfect someone. Their red velvet cake is to die for, it melts in your mouth.

On top of their daily menu, Candlelight Café now offers brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the afternoon, which provides a large menu to choose from ranging from traditional pancakes and eggs to smoked salmon or a turkey club. This wide variety is bound to interest anyone in your family or group of friends.

Discovering

‘The Rip Tide’

Katy Schmader

arts@paisano-online.com Zach Condon, Beruit’s lead singer who writes the majority of the band’s music, is uncommon in the sense that he pulls from foreign and historical influences and merges it with his timeless creative vision to create music that stands on its own.

In Beirut’s newest album, Condon has developed his vision since we saw him last.

The band radiates from its Eastern European and Balkan folk backgrounds. Beirut’s global influences continue to resonate in the newest album, “The Rip Tide.” Condon has finally made these outside influences his own, pulling from French, Germanic and Baroque and assimilating them in whole.

The record shows Condon’s sophistication and growth as an artist as well as a greater variation in instrumentation and melody. There is a concentration in “The Rip Tide” that uniquely separates it from the effort seen in previous albums.

Only five years have elapsed

since the release of Beirut’s first album “Gulang Orkestar,” and even in the beginning the band showed a strong understanding for instrumentation and development of a song’s structure.

Beirut might have the greatest variation of instrumentation in the modern music scene. Some songs are strongly driven by trumpets.

The mannerism in his instruments such as the ukulele plays to the creativity and flow of the band’s songs.

Condon’s voice has grown with time as well, showing an improvement in confidence as well as the ability to articulate specific emotions.

The album has intense nostalgic feelings that seems to be influenced

by Condon’s past, as well as melancholy rhythms and harmonies.

Although the album is short for a full-length, there is a song that fits every mood.

At age 25, Condon has produced three full albums including “The Rip Tide,” which fulfills great expectations and demonstrates growth.

There is an essence to Condon’s writing that allows the “The Ripe

Tide” to fit in with the rest of Beirut’s discography even though he has grown with this album. The orgin of his musical influences hasn’t changed. Condon was in a certain state of mind when he was making this album. Unless the listener studies the album booklet, he or she will not be able to assign each song to an album solely based on the mood of that song. While Condon has clearly sharpened his musical talent over time, Beirut’s albums do not stand individually but rather constitute a single cohesive set.

“The Rip Tide” releases officially on Aug. 30, although it is currently available on the iTunes store.

The Paisano

August 23, 2011

Sports

12

Director of Athletics Hickey prepares for busy year to come Stephen Whitaker

It has been quite a year for UTSA Director of Athletics Lynn Hickey. It began with five teams bringing conference championships to the hills of Oak and Cedar. The historic year will continue in a few weeks when the Roadrunners take the football field for the first time. As a new school year begins, Hickey is ready to face the higher expectations.

“Every year you go in with the expectation of wanting to win a championship,” Hickey said. “We have 17 sports and each team has to sit down and set realistic goals, but every year we go in with really high expectations to compete at the highest level of the conference.”

This year that conference is the Southland, next year the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), but as the college landscape is ever changing there is always the chance that another conference comes calling. For now, though, Hickey is content with the current situation.

“We are just happy to be a part of the WAC as of fall 2012,” Hickey said.

“You don’t know from one hour to the next what will happen in conference realignment. There is nothing else on our horizon; we are focusing on the WAC.” The move to the WAC will occur in the second year of football, but for now Hickey is getting ready for the first game. That means selling tickets.

“We are right at 10,000 season tickets sold, which was our goal from the beginning,” Hickey said. “To give some context to that, Houston last year sold 7200 tickets; we haven’t played a down and we have sold 10,000.”

The ticket sales have been under the control of IMG World, a nationally known company in charge of getting

Burk Frey / The Paisano

sports@paisano-online.com

Director of Athletics Lynn Hickey has had plenty to keep her busy this summer leading up to the beginning of Football and a new athletic campaign.

University brands out to the public.

“What is important about that is that if you sell a large number of season tickets that helps you project what each crowd will be,” Hickey said.

“IMG believes we can get 45,000. We are working hard to get a sellout.”

While attention has been on the birth of football, the academic side has been equally important in light of a report from ESPN on the NCAA’s APR rating for schools that decides eligibility for postseason tournaments and bowls.

The NCAA approved a plan that if a school’s four-year APR rating fell below 900, that school would be ineligible. The UTSA number last year was 885, meaning the historic tournament run by the men’s basketball team, last season, would never have happened.

“That is a four year average and last year was the last year, so that’s off,” Hickey said. “We will be fine.

The APR is an indication of graduation rate, a 930 is about 50 percent.

It doesn’t take into account players leaving early for professional leagues or other circumstances. For Hickey there is only the work of making sure the Roadrunners are just as successful in the classroom as on the field.

“We are continuing to beef up our academics,” Hickey said. “Last year our 17 sports had a cumulative GPA of 3.0” As the university gains more national exposure, the national media has begun to recognize the name UTSA, but there is still a few holdouts who continue to call it Texas-San Antonio.

“Our communications staff has worked diligently the last two or three years with the NCAA and ESPN to make sure that when the scoreboards run at the end, it says UTSA,” Hickey said. “More and more we are starting

to see that, it’s [about] getting someone to change their culture, we will keep pushing [our mark].”

While the communications staff makes sure the name UTSA is known across the nation, Hickey keeps her attention on the new Park West athletic complex on Hausman Road.

Since receiving $15 million from the city and county earlier this year, the first phase of the complex, new soccer and track stadiums, has continued to develop.

“We are in the design phase,” Hickey said. “We are trying to get final budgets and design changes out to the board of regents by Nov. 9. If we can meet that timeline and they approve, hopefully we can move dirt by March.”

Another part of the new Park West will be a practice facility for football so that the program can graduate from Northside ISD’s stadium. The

university received a $1 million gift from businessman B.J. “Red” McCombs to get the process of building a practice facility going.

“What a better way to start the day than for the number one business leader in San Antonio to lead cheers and challenge everyone to fill the dome. He bought 1000 tickets and 1000 shirts that say ‘fill ‘er up,’” Hickey said. “That was in addition to offering a gift of $1 million.”

The McCombs gift is a start, but Hickey stressed the need for more money to make the football practice facility a reality.

“We need $3 million to build the practice facility with lights,” Hickey said. “That was his challenge, we need help with the other $2 million, but it was a major step for us.”

Hickey File Long tenure: Hickey has been Director of Athletics since 1999, the fourth UTSA AD ever.

Making a name: Since taking over as AD, Hickey has earned countless awards locally and nationally.

New Teams: Since 1999, UTSA has started three new sports: Women’s Golf, Women’s Tennis and Football.

Showing off the Alamo City: In addition to this year’s Volleyball National Championship, UTSA has hosted 13 NCAA tournament events since 1999.

Web Exclusives This week on paisano-online.com.

Bilingual brains

Those of you who have acquired more than one language early in life may have the upper hand in developing special thought processing skills. Read our online article to find out more.

Conan The Barbarian 3D This late summer blockbuster stars a young Conan who loses his witch daughter Morique. Is it worth your end-of-summer celebration time? Find out online!

Continue to check our website paisano-online. comfor more online exclusive content including articles, videos and photo galleries.

Like our Facebook page for updates: http://www.facebook.com/ThePaisano

13

Sports

The Paisano

August 23, 2011

Volleyball begins final season in Southland as champs Stephen Whitaker

“I am expecting a lot out of Dempsey Thornton to come in here and help us out,” Groff said. “All the other positions are up for grabs.”

The Roadrunners home opener will be Sept. 4 against West Virginia.

sports@paisano-online.com

Volleyball Schedule

Graham Cull/ The Paisano

The last time the Roadrunners’ volleyball team walked off the court was following a defeat at the hands of the #5 Texas Longhorns in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

They were able to be in that game thanks to the clinching of their first Southland Conference Title since 2000. As they enter their final season of competition in the Southland before making the move to the WAC, they enter with a target on their back.

“I don’t think it adds any pressure,” Head Coach Laura Groff said when asked about the potential added pressure of being champions. “The pressure is off when you win it. I think we got that monkey off our back; we proved we could do it.”

Before the Roadrunners begin the defense of their Southland title, they will face a tough non-conference slate beginning with a trip to the Texas A&M Invitational in College Station where they will take on a Creighton squad that made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament as well as the host Aggies.

“We have a lot of Big XII schools and Missouri Valley schools,” Groff said. “Those are all teams from our region.”

The Roadrunners will have no shortage of regional teams as they will follow up the A&M Invitational with a trip to Houston for the Rice Invitational. There they will meet Houston Baptist, Georgia Tech and Rice.

In between tournaments, the Roadrunners will play their only two non-conference home games on Sept 4 against West Virginia and Sept 6 against Prairie View A&M. Following that will be a trip to Denver, Colorado for the Pioneers

Head volleyball coach Laura Groff prepares her players for the upcoming season. The Roadrunners enter the season picked by conference Sports Information Directors to repeat as champions.

Classic where the Roadrunners will get their first look at future conference-foe Denver in addition to Missouri, UC Davis and Drake.

The non-conference schedule will conclude with a trip up I-35 to Austin for the Texas Tournament where the Roadrunners will face SMU and Santa Clara before closing out the non-conference against the Texas Longhorn team that eliminated the Roadrunners from the postseason a year ago.

“It is a tough preseason, like always,” Groff said. “I tried to schedule more regional teams because last year we had a few players who had great statistical seasons, but because we didn’t play regional teams they weren’t eligible for all-region.

The tough non conference should prepare the Roadrunners for one fi-

nal campaign in the Southland. The Roadrunners conference schedule will begin at rival Texas State on Sept. 22 with the conference home opener on Sept. 29 against Sam Houston State.

“Expectations are high,” Groff said.

“They expect to win again, the seniors. They did it as juniors and they want to do it again.”

The defense of the conference crown will be done without four outgoing seniors. Most notably of the departing seniors was outside hitter Kendra Rowland. Despite the loss of Rowland and the other seniors from the championship team, Groff found reason for optimism with an experienced team coming back and a new crop of incoming freshman.

“The older players realize that the biggest thing we lost in Kendra was

just how talkative she was on the court,” Groff said. “We have players who can play as well as her, but her energy and leadership is tough to replace.”

Among the players tasked with taking over the leadership role on the team will be the two seniors: defensive specialist Kelsey Jewasko and outside hitter Elise Huskey.

“Elise is one of the reasons we won the conference championship,” Groff said. “She set the stage for her senior year.”

Among the incoming freshmen, Dempsey Thornton shows the most promise after having led her Corpus Christi King squad to a #8 national ranking in the final ESPN Rise Fab 50 poll last season. Thornton will split her time in the middle hitter and outside hitter positions.

Aug. 26 @ Texas A&M Invitational vs. Creighton 9:30 a.m. vs. Texas 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 1-2 @ Rice Invitational Houston Baptist 9/1 6 p.m.

Georgia Tech 9/2 1:30 p.m.

Rice 9/2 7 p.m.

Sept. 4 vs. West Virginia 2 p.m.

Sept. 6 vs. Prairie View A&M 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 9-10 @ Denver Pioneers Classic Denver 9/9 2 p.m.

Missouri 9/9 6 p.m.

UC Davis 9/10 12 p.m.

Drake 9/10 6 p.m.

Sept. 16-17 @ Texas tournament SMU 9/16 3:30 p.m.

Santa Clara 9/17 9 a.m.

Texas 9/17 7:30 p.m. *Sept. 22 @ Texas State 6:30 p.m. *Sept. 24 @ UT Arlington 2 p.m. *Sept. 29 vs. Sam Houston 6:30 p.m. *Oct. 1 vs. Stephen F. Austin 2 p.m. *Oct. 4 @ A&M-Corpus Christi 7 p.m. *Oct. 8 @ McNeese State 2 p.m. *Oct. 13 vs. Southeastern Louisiana 6:30 p.m. *Oct. 15 vs. Nicholls State 2 p.m. *Oct. 19 vs. A&M-Corpus Christi 6:30 p.m. *Oct. 22 vs. Lamar 2 p.m. *Oct. 27 @ Northwestern State 7 p.m. *Oct. 29 @ Central Arkansas 1 p.m. *Nov. 3 @ Sam Houston 7 p.m. *Nov. 5 @ Stephen F. Austin 1 p.m. *Nov. 10 vs. Texas State 6:30 p.m. *Nov. 12 vs. UT Arlington 2 p.m. *Nov. 18-20 Southland Tournament *-Southland game

Soccer looks to make return trip to NCAA tournament The Fixtures

Team enters season as defending conference champions for the first time in program history

Aug. 19-21 Aggie Invitational Aug. 19 #17 UC Irvine L 1-2 Aug. 21 Fresno State L 0-4 Aug. 26 @ SMU 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28 @ Baylor 1 p.m.

Sept. 2 @ Texas 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 6 @ Texas Southern 7 p.m.

Sept. 16 vs. Prairie View A&M 7 p.m.

Sept. 18 vs. UTEP 1 p.m.

Sept. 23 vs. Weber State 7 p.m. *Sept. 30 vs. Stephen F. Austin *Oct. 2 vs. Sam Houston 1 p.m. *Oct. 9 @ Texas State 1 p.m. *Oct. 14 @ Central Arkansas 4 p.m. *Oct. 16 @ Northwestern State 1 p.m. *Oct. 21 vs. Lamar 7 p.m. *Oct. 23 vs. McNeese State 1 p.m. *Oct. 28 @ Nicholls 4 p.m. *Oct. 30 @ Southeastern Louisiana 12 p.m. *Nov. 3-6 Southland Conference tournament @ Natchitoches, LA *-Southland Conference game

Jay Weber

Last season became a historic one for the Roadrunner women’s soccer team. They finished the season with a 13-8-2 record en route to a Southland Conference Tournament Championship and an appearance in the NCAA tournament, where they were defeated

by Portland. Along the way, the team also set school records for goals, shutouts, wins, points and assists.

This season, the team is picked to finished third in the Southland preseason coaches’ poll, yet expectations are high around UTSA, as the Roadrunners return 16 letter winners from last season’s trophyhoisting squad.

Despite last season’s success, Head Coach Steve Ballard and his bunch are taking an even-keeled approach to the season and staying focused on the task at hand.

“We set our goals each year, and those goals are to win the regular season, win the tournament and win a game in the NCAA championship,” Ballard said. “Our main goal is to compete at the national level year in and year out, and that means winning in the NCAA tournament. Our goals are a little bit loftier (than last season), but we know we have to take it one step at a time.”

Although the Roadrunners’ roster is littered with experience, there is a noticeable spot of youth: Only eight upperclassmen return for the 2011 season. The team will have a good idea of where they stand after they play their pre-conference schedule, which includes games against strong programs such as UC Irvine, Texas A&M, and Texas.

The Roadrunners plan to use the

Burk Frey/ The Paisano

sports@paisano-online.com

Amanda Ortegon dribbles past a St. Mary’s defender during an exhibition match earlier this month. Ortegon transferred to UTSA from the University of Alabama this season.

tough competition to help them grow and improve.

“It’s the same that we’ve had ev-

“We set our goals each year, those are to win the tournament and win a game in the NCAA championship.”

Steve Ballard

Head soccer coach ery year since I’ve been here, and since we established this program.

We want to compete with the best

so we can play like the very best,” Ballard said. “We could make a schedule where we won 10 games before conference, but you don’t get better doing that. We challenged ourselves and feel we can play at this level.”

The Roadrunners have spent much of the offseason striving to get better. Even though they are coming off a conference championship, the team is hungry to set the bar higher this season.

“We want our level to go extremely high. You can’t be satisfied with the level you are at,” Ballard said. “Whether it’s playing soccer or in the classroom, we do our best. Life is about doing your best all the time, and if you’re not striving for that you’re wasting your

time.”

With their eyes set on a bigger prize, the Roadrunners have work to do as the season progresses.

They have confidence that they can win an NCAA tournament game this season, and they hope to continue the winning culture that’s been steadily growing since the programs inception in 2006.

“They’re willing to learn and they’re taking coaching very well,” Ballard said. “It takes a while to build that type of belief, and we think we have made advances every year and this year should be no exception. It’s going to be a very good year.”

The Players 0 Ari Calderon GK So. 2 Jessica Lyon MF So. 3 Tori Vargas MF Fr. 4 Jodi Leroy D Sr. 5 Laylla da Cruz MF So. 6 Valentina Lefort MF So. 7 Maria Jose Rojas F So. 8 Anka GrotleD So. 9 Amanda Ortegon MF/F Jr. 10 Brittany WIlson MF/F Sr. 11 Alex Saraceno F So. 12 Kirby Wright D Fr. 13 Edith Lopez MF So. 14 Charlotte Husoe D/MF Fr. 15 Janee Ellington F/MF So. 16 Taylor Padia F Sr. 17 Liv Nyhegn MF/F Fr. 18 Anissa Munson F Fr. 19 Haley Harris MF So. 20 Lindsay South MF Jr. 21 Ryane Woods MF/F Jr. 22 Kimber Chudej MF So. 24 Dacia Webb GK Jr. 27 Danielle Snyder GK So. 28 Katie Dugan MF Sr.

The Paisano Roadrunners play games in the Land Down Under August 23, 2011

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Work In Progress UTSA begins football amid scandals in big-time college football

GoUTSA.com

Stephen Whitaker

sports@paisano-online.com

File Photo

During its excursion to the Land Down Under, UTSA played five games against the Gold Coast Blaze (L, 90-68/ Saturday. Aug. 13), Brisbane Spartans (W, 93-52/Sunday, Aug. 14), Cairns Taipans (L, 84-58/Wednesday, Aug. 17), Maitland Mustangs (W, 94-75/ Friday, Aug. 19) and Hornsby Spiders (W, 94-52/Saturday, Aug. 20), finishing the trip with a 3-2 record.

The journey began what seemed like days ago when the group boarded a bus in front of the Convocation Center at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10, for a short bus ride to San Antonio International Airport. The team took a onehour flight from SAT to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, where a three-hour layover awaited.

The traveling party of 22 arrived via Qantas Flight 8 at Brisbane International Airport 10 minutes before 5 a.m. Eastern Australian Time on Friday, Aug. 12.

When UTSA received an offer earlier this year to take this exhibition tour of Australia, there was little doubt the trip would have a profound impact on the program.

For starters, the Roadrunners were allowed 10 practices in late July and early August to help prepare for the five games they would play Down Under. This extra time helped the team, which is coming off a Southland Conference Championship and first-round NCAA Tournament win, gel with two of three newcomers — junior Kannon Burrage and freshman A.J. Price — on board. This and the five scheduled games Down Under no doubt will benefit the squad when it officially opens practice on Oct. 14.

Saturday’s (Aug 13) game was against the Gold Coast Blaze of the National Basketball League (NBL), Australia’s top professional level.

The Roadrunners got off to a slow start and found themselves down, 229, after the first quarter. A little bit of the rust of having not played since

Sports

Jeromie Hill got to play a game in front of his family in Cairns Australia during the Roadrunners tour of the country.

March showed, as UTSA struggled from the floor. Helped by a spark off the bench in the form of Burrage, the Birds scored the first 10 points of the second period to pull back to within three. Junior Melvin Johnson III connected from downtown at the 5:20 mark to give UTSA its first lead, 25-24.

The teams traded points over the remainder of the first half and the Blaze took a 33-29 lead into the locker room.

The Blaze stretched their lead back to double digits at 45-35 through the first three minutes of the third quarter.

The lead grew to 19 late in the period and the scoreboard showed, 61-43, in favor of Gold Coast after 30 minutes in the books. UTSA would get no closer

in a 90-68 decision.

The Roadrunners looked much fresher against the Brisbane Spartans of the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL), the nation’s secondtier conference. Thompson put a new starting five on the floor — seniors Sei Paye and Alex Vouyoukas, junior Kalif Bakare and sophomores Jordan Sims and Tyler Wood — and the result was a much better start.

Two early 3-pointers by Sims and Paye helped stake UTSA to an early lead and more sharpshooting from Johnson and sophomore Jeromie Hill put UTSA up, 26-14, after the first 10 minutes.

It is a great time of year.

The beginning of a new football season is near. With it comes the beginning of our very own football program here at UTSA. But outside of San Antonio, the news in college football is not good.

Scandal is rampant around the country, from Southern Cal to Ohio State to North Carolina, but one school has trumped all that: The University of Miami or ‘the U’ as it is known.

If you haven’t heard, the University of Miami is under NCAA investigation for the actions of Nevin Shapiro, a booster who used a Ponzi scheme to con $930 million out of people.

Shapiro used his ill-gotten gains to provide illegal benefits to players in the Miami athletic department, most notably in the football program.

It shouldn’t matter to UTSA what is going on at Miami but four of the years that the rogue booster was undermining the program were the final four years of Larry Coker’s tenure at Miami. In that way UTSA and the U are linked.

Coker has denied knowing anything, saying he was saddened by the news during UTSA’s recent football media day, and his name has not come up at all in the NCAA investigation that has been going on for months. But this story has an impact closer to home, especially if the NCAA decides to drop the death penalty on Miami.

What is the death penalty you ask?

The death penalty is the harshest penalty the NCAA can hand out. It closes down a program for a determined amount of time. In the most famous case of the death penalty, the SMU Mustangs, located up the road in Dallas, were banned from playing football for two seasons in 1987 and 1988. This move had far reaching consequences.

The Mustangs didn’t return to respectability until 2007 when they hired June Jones out of Hawaii, didn’t return to a bowl until 2009 and the conference they were a part of at the time, the Southwest Conference, collapsed in 1996 with Texas, A&M, Tech and Baylor going to the Big XII and Houston, Rice, TCU and SMU being cast off into other conferences, notably the Conference USA and WAC. I am not saying this will happen again but it has been talked about in regard to the University of Miami, another school in a big city like SMU. Whether Miami is told to stop playing football or not will not matter to us in San Antonio, but it does warn of what can happen when a city and university get caught up in success and allow the shady side to enter the picture.

What we must do at UTSA is remain ever vigilant as our football program begins its eventually illustrious history. We the students, past, present and future, must always keep tabs on our athletic department, not just in football but in all sports. The death penalty could hit any school, any sport.

Welcome to UTSA Be part of something historic.

Join the Paisano. Bring your ideas and Enthusiasm to the Paisano Office at 5:30 p.m. every Thursday.

14545 Roadrunner Way Next to the Cantina Writers, photographers and people interested in graphics and video needed. www.paisano-online.com

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The Paisano

August 23, 2011

August 23, 2011

The Paisano

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