The Paisano Vol. 47 Issue 4

Posada’s Prints: beautiful lithographs visit campus see page 7

Subcultures in San Antonio; bondage, punk and the paranormal see page 9

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

February 7, 2012

Volume 47

Issue 4

UTSA pioneers health program at Roadrunner Café Madelyn Garner Intern

UTSA Roadrunner Café food vendor, Aramark kicked off a new campaign last week that makes healthy meal planning easier for UTSA students.

The Por Vida program offers students a wide range of food choices and flexible menus designed to make healthful meals easy to understand.

“It’s a great, great program,” Louis Keefe, Resident District Manager of Aramark Higher Education said.

Aramark made the program available to students two weeks before the official kick-off last week, and Keefe is excited to announce that the café served over 100 more Por Vida meals than he expected.

“That tells me that students are looking for better choices,” Keefe said.

To make a Por Vida meal, students can choose one entrée and two side items from a large selection of menu offerings precisely calculated not to exceed 700 calories and 23 grams of fat.

Bright red and yellow signs with a heart-shaped fork and spoon logo will designate all the daily Por Vida selections throughout the café. In addition to caloric and fat content, Por Vida meals contain no more that 0.5 grams

Brianna Cristiano / The Paisano

news@paisano-online.com

A sign hangs at the Roadrunner Café welcoming students to try out the new Por Vida program.

of trans fat and limit sodium content to 750 mg. Fried foods are strictly prohibited.

Aramark, which serves between 1,300 and 1,400 UTSA students daily, was approached by program organizers last year to help formulate menus that meet the program’s standards.

Kathy Shields, Chronic Disease Prevention Manager for the San Antonio

Metropolitan Health District, praised Aramark for their thorough menus and their eagerness to join forces to implement the Por Vida Program.

“Aramark’s menus had already been analyzed [for nutritional content], which is the toughest part of implementing this kind of program,” Shields said.

Aramark’s commitment to Por Vida

has inspired long-term plans for Keefe.

“Later in the year, I want to get together with UTSA students from the Health Sciences departments to find out if there may be more items their peers would like us to offer,” Keefe said.

The Por Vida program was launched in 2009 by the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, which worked with the San Antonio Restaurant As-

sociation (SARA) and the San Antonio Dietetic Association (SADA), to find creative ways to help restaurants offer more healthful menu items. Since 2010, 10 San Antonio restaurants have added Por Vida selections to their menus. Aramark and The Roadrunner Café are the newest partners to join the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District in offering healthful alternatives to fried food.

“More and more restaurant customers are asking for healthier menu choices. Restaurants know that if they can get these customers in the door, they’ll be back,” Shields said. UTSA’s Roadrunner Café is the first college restaurant in San Antonio to be designated a Por Vida restaurant.

San Antonio ranks as the 7th “fattest” city in the U.S., according to Men’s Health.

“We know that 67 percent of adults in San Antonio are overweight or obese,” Shields said.

Not statistics to be proud of, but Shields and Keefe are confident that Por Vida will provide students with enough information to make better nutritional choices.

“This is the prime time to provide education and awareness to students so, they don’t fall into the weight gain trap of college,” Shields said.

Intern

news@paisano-online.com “As John D. Rockefeller once said, ‘Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.’” With these words, Dr. Lynda de la Viña summed up a philosophy that seems to have defined her six and-a-half year term as dean of the College of Business at UTSA. On Jan. 20, de la Viña announced that she would step down from her position as dean effective May 31. According to university officials, she will be taking leave the remainder of the spring semester and all of the fall semester, after which she will return to teach at the new Department of Entrepreneurship and Technology Management.

The move, as she put it, “allows me to transition and refocus my efforts in an area of passion for me – entrepreneurship.” Dr. Daniel Hollas, senior associate dean with the College of Business,

has been named acting dean while a nationwide search for a replacement for de la Viña is conducted.

Dr. de la Viña spent 19 years at UTSA before being appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the U.S. Treasury Department, where she served from 1998 to 2001. She was the first Hispanic woman to serve at that level in the Treasury Department.

While in Washington D.C., she stated in her 2011 annual report to the College of Business, she had the opportunity to hire an intern from UTSA. One day in the cafeteria, she overheard the intern from UTSA talking with several other interns from other, mostly Ivy League, schools about their respective alma maters. De la Viña said that when the UTSA student’s turn came, “He simply mentioned he came from the University of Texas system.”

Brianna Cristiano / The Paisano

Richard Rowley

See DEAN, Page 3

Courtesy of the COB Deans office

College of Business dean steps down, leaves legacy

Left: The door to the COB dean’s office with de la Viña’s name. Right: Interim dean Dr.Daniel Hollas.

President Romo honored with humanitarian award Intern

news@paisano-online.com The four second graders sat with their class in a filled auditorium. Head of School, John Webster, motioned for them to stand. Their jobs were to announce the date.

Each boy was assigned a specific word. Boys one through three said in turn, “Today.” “Is.” “February…” The fourth boy hesitated before proudly announcing his part: “22nd!”

The only problem: the date was Feb. 1.

The children and members of the community had gathered at San An-

tonio Academy (SAA) to honor Dr. Ricardo Romo by presenting him with the Distinguished Humanitarian Award.

San Antonio Academy presents this award annually to one outstanding citizen from the community. Romo joins the ranks of Col. David Scott, an astronaut who walked on the moon; Tom C. Frost, president of Frost Bank; and Congressman Lamar Smith.

A spirit of friendship, respect and service to others is part of the core values at SAA, and one man who exemplified this attitude was Colonel W.T. Bondurant, Sr, who was Head of School from 1927 until 1943.

According to Javier Rocha, presi-

dent of SAA’s Alumni Council, “Col Bondurant’s calling in life was to mold young men to be future leaders of their community. While I personally did not know him, many of his former students thought of him not just as a teacher, but as a father figure, a grandfather, a leader and a friend.”

Bondurant helped shape the academy into a prestigious school where future community leaders can get their start and follow in his footsteps.

Rocha explained that Romo was selected this year because he has dedicated his life to knowledge and the betterment of himself and those around him.

See ROMO, Page 3

Becky Shimek / San Antonio Academy

Carly Cirilli

Romo reads from his children’s book Ricardo’s Race to the crowded audience at the San Antonio Academy.

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The Paisano

February 7, 2012

The Paisano

February 7, 2012

News

3

dean: Who will replace de la Viña as COB dean?

That seemingly insignificant comment, made by a college student to a group of his peers, affected de la Viña deeply and may have sealed the destiny of the UTSA College of Business to grow from a regional to a nationally ranked and internationally recognized business school under her leadership.

“That day I thought, if I ever had the opportunity to return to UTSA, I would focus on raising the profile of the college so that students could proudly introduce themselves as UTSA Roadrunners and graduates of a

romo: San Antonio Academy recognizes UTSA president

nationally ranked College of Business.”

The opportunity did come on July 1, 2005, when de la Viña was named dean and Peter Flawn Professor of Economics at the UTSA College of Business. She wasted no time acting on her vision for the college. According to Hollas, acting dean and longtime colleague of de la Viña’s, the two of them sat down early in her tenure to map out a strategic plan for lifting the college out of relative obscurity and making it a model business school that would deserve and receive national as well as global recognition.

workforce,” he said.

With that in mind, the Center for Student Professional Development (CSPD) was established within the College of Business under de la Viña’s direction. The center is designed to bridge the gap between students and employers.

According to CSPD officials, “by combining theory with practice, the center helps students develop a balanced portfolio of academic, career readiness and leadership skills to place them on the path to professional success. We do this by focusing on strong

academic advising as well as industry and career knowledge, personal development and image enhancement.”

The center represents one of many programs instituted under de la Viña’s leadership that helped earn the College of Business top rankings by both BusinessWeek and The Princeton Review.

BusinessWeek has consistantly recognized UTSA’s College of Business as one of the top part-time MBA programs for three years in a row.

Correction: UTSA GPA data clarified Ryan Branch News Editor

news@paisano-online.com From Page 1

When Romo learned he had been selected as this year’s distinguished humanitarian, he said, “My God, are you sure?”

In his address to the students of San Antonio Academy, Romo emphasized the importance of educating oneself.

“You don’t know it, but you’re preparing yourself for life. If you’re going to be successful, you have to feed your soul, and there is nothing more important than your education. Nothing is more important than learning,” he said.

In accordance with that philosophy, Romo gave SAA a copy of the children’s book, “Ricardo’s Race”, by Diane Bertrand. After reading parts of the books to the kids, Romo told them, “The little boy who used to sweep the floors is sweeping the races,” to motivate them to never stop learning and to never stop achieving goals.

“When you speak with him, you can tell he is passionate about providing students opportunities for education and leadership,” Rocha said.

“Rather than trying to be like Harvard or Yale,” Hollas said, she aimed for a much more concrete approach. “She was very good at targeting metrics.

She knew what it took to achieve objective metrics rather than subjective measures.”

When asked what he knew about de la Viña that explained how she not only survived in the dean’s position, but actually thrived, Hollas explained that it was her strong sense of wanting to give back to the community.

“We don’t want students to leave college […] unprepared to enter the

The UTSA Office of Institutional

Term Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 2011

Research informed The Paisano that the method used to calculate the average GPAs from fall 2007 to fall 2011 did not correctly illustrate the data provided for the article, “Report Re-

veals UTSA GPA data; not too bad.”

The Paisano used an un-weighted average to calculate the GPAs. The correct method is to use a weighted average.

Overall GPA Unweighted 2.66 2.67 2.67 2.68 2.69

The chart above shows the difference between an unweighted average (arithmatic method) and the weighted average (standard method)

The weighted average takes into account the number of students enrolled in each college.

Weighted 2.78 2.78 2.78 2.79 2.81

Ryan Branch / The Paisano

From Page 1

The Paisano

February 7, 2012

The Paisano Editor-in-Chief: Allison Tinn

News Editor: Ryan Branch

Paseo Editor: Victor H. Hernandez

Arts Editor:

Katy Schmader

Arts Assistant: Katy Glass

Sports Editor:

Stephen Whitaker

Photo Editor:

Brianna Cristiano

Ads Manager: Kevyn Kirven

Business Manager: Jenelle Duff

Web Editor: Burk Frey

Staff:

Sylvia Alejandro, Crystal Alsip, Henry Anderson, Jed Arcellana, Richard Castillo, Daniel Corona III, Daniel Crotty, Dylan Crice, Sarah Gibbens, Emily Grams, Annie Highfield, Joshua Morales, Cliff Perez

Contributing Staff:

Rubina Haroon, Charles Horvilleur, Jay Weber, Morgan Kennedy, Matthew Duarte, Biljana Jovanova, Casey Lee, Kathleen Palomo, Matt Bailey, Biljana Jovanova, Lorenzo Lopez,

Advisor:

Diane Abdo

Advisory Board:

Steven Kellman, Mansour El Kikhia, Jack Himelblau, Sandy Norman, Matt Stern

Interns:

Madelyn Garner, Carly Cirilli, Richard Rowley, Melissa Lopez, Erica Cavazos 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

by UTSA. New issues are published every Tuesday during the fall and spring semesters, excluding holidays and exam periods. All revenues are generated through advertising and donations. Advertising inquiries and donations should be directed towards:

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Opinion

Editorial

Does Obama ‘deserve’ a second term?

In a recent interview on ABC, President Barack Obama said, “I deserve a second term.” While Obama’s intended desire was to express his want for another term; he should not use the word “deserve.”

When Obama first took office in 2008, he said that if progress was not made within a year of taking office, his presidency would be a “one-term proposition.” This statement has now come back to haunt his 2012 campaign.

Many have criticized his lack of progress in the past three years, but when confronted about the unem-

ployment rate in the United States, he pointed to the 250,000 jobs created just in January, compared to 750,000 jobs were being lost per month when he took the position.

Obama made valid points in the interview. However, using the word “deserve” is erroneous. Presidents do not deserve the position; rather, they earn it, and the American people elect the most suitable candidate.

To say a person deserves a position implies that they have acted in a way that merits them the reward of the position, but it is not Obama’s place to state that he is deserving. It is up to

Commentary Super Bowl of super pointless A few things came to mind while I watched the Giants beat the Patriots in a fairly entertaining Super Bowl. Last year, the Super Bowl attracted a record 111 million viewers. The NFL estimated that 100 million pounds of wings, 53.5 million pounds of avocado, 28 million pounds of chips, eight million pounds of popcorn, and most importantly, 325.5 million gallons of beer were consumed. The average Super Bowl watcher consumes 1200 calories, and there’s a 20 percent increase in anti-acid sales the Monday after the Super Bowl (NFL.com).

Football is considered, by most of the country, as America’s game and the ultimate symbol of American culture. The ascent of football as the most consumed form of American entertainment shows more about the lack of progress that civilization has made as a whole.

Watching gargantuan men crash into each at top speeds as intoxicated people cheer for them seems a tad primitive. Consider that, according to a report by the St. Petersburg Times, a player loses three years off his life ex-

pectancy for every season he plays in the NFL. In fact, the average American man lives to be 75, while an NFL player lives to be only 55 and plays only an average of four seasons. Of course, there’s no time to worry about that when your team constantly needs to replenish itself with new behemoths.

In addition to the sanctioned violence on the field, the NFL seems to take a low stance on the images they portray of women. Take for instance the ever-perky and smiling cheerleaders on the field who shake their pom-poms and other appendages as intoxicated males ogle and encourage the bouncing of their assets. If you can’t get enough from the women on the television, then there’s always the option of purchasing your significant other a thong with your favorite team’s logo at the NFL.com store (perhaps a Valentine’s Day gift – wink wink).

Nothing says “I love you” like branding your girlfriends derriere with your favorite team’s logo.

The Super Bowl also wouldn’t be complete without a performance from the puzzlingly unaged Madonna.

Watching her perform wasn’t necessarily bad as she included many current pop stars, but watching her dance around the stage in awkward and uncoordinated patterns was the strong reminder that she is undoubtedly 53.

the individual voter to judge whether the way he has conducted his presidency deems him worthy of a second term.

What Obama should have said was because of the increase in jobs, the execution of Bin Laden, the ending of the Iraq war, the ending of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and other progressive movements, he believes a second term would allow him to continue the progress he began three years ago.

Photo Poll

5

What is your favorite movie couple?

Andreanna Broussard Sophomore/ civil engineering

“Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.”

Who can forget the commercials?

The commercials can be broken down into 3 categories; hot half-naked pitch woman, devilishly cute talking animal,and token ridiculous moron.

These three ideas are recycled and rehashed every year, but who doesn’t love a talking monkey in a business suit.

The word genius has already been watered down, but nothing has diluted it more than referring to the coaches as geniuses or mad scientists. A quick observation would reveal that coaching violent behavior and calling plays doesn’t make anybody a genius. Also, no player should ever be considered anybody’s hero for the sole reason that he’s big and can hurt other people.

Don’t get me wrong. I have watched every Super Bowl since I was a child.

I’ve cheered for the violence, been mesmerized by the cheerleaders, laughed at the talking monkey, and worshipped the coaches and players.

But maybe the Super Bowl shouldn’t be the crown jewel of American entertainment. However, thousands of years of human history have proven that this type of entertainment isn’t going away.

So have a beer, relax, turn your mind off and enjoy the show.

Cliff Perez Staff Writer

Mireyah Yatts

Sophomore/ art history “Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds.”

Carla Gonzalez Junior /marketing

“Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.”

Letter to the Editor

Disappointing jour nalism Firstly, I must congratulate the author of the Jan. 24 Editorial, entitled “Nazi methods used in American system.” The writing could be used in an American History course as a textbook example of yellow journalism.

Instead of relying any kind of fact, the editor bases his or her entire approach on the use of ghastly amounts of pathos to mask the utter lack of substantive content. The first two (of three total) columns in the editorial were completely devoid of any facts,

and the third provided no information on where the seemingly random numbers that were included had originated from.

Even more deplorable than the lack of substantive content in the editorial was the blatantly sensationalist title. The clear attempt to make the euthanization of animals in America seem like a reference to the gassing of human beings is misleading and completely against the tenets of everything that honest journalism stand

for.

No matter how valid the original topic of discussion, the intentionally misleading presentation of the information took away from the legitimacy of the issue.

Walter Cronkite would roll over in his grave if he were to see what you have done.

Dan Rossiter

Letter to the Editor

Nezar Analotaibi

Junior/ mechanical engineering “Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.”

Inf lat ed grades or pr ime exam ple?

I found your speculations regarding the UTSA GPA information very insulting to the College of Education faculty and students alike. Your implication that either the grades are severely inflated, or that the curriculum is not particularly difficult, is an insult.

Your speculations are a dangerous accusation. The students who choose this college will be the educators of your future children. We are entering a profession that has many uncertainties due to being at the mercy of bud-

get cuts that we have no control over.

What we do have control over, is doing our best as students to raise our grades to be more competitive for hiring when we graduate. Perhaps you should delve further into the personalities of the students who work very hard to make themselves more appealing to future employers.

You may have even answered your own question, the College of Education may just be a model for the university as far as GPAs are concerned.

The reason is the fine faculty who

strive to impart the importance of doing well.

Several of our upper level course require that we earn a B or better in order for the course to count toward graduation requirements. There are several factors that could be involved without implication that the program is inflated or not difficult.

You really should apologize for maligning the reputation of the college, and insulting the faculty and students.

Veronica Mars

Letter to the Editor

Where is t he wat er?

I hope you can answer this question for me. When are they going to clean up and turn on the fountain in the Sombrilla?

This is my second semester at UTSA, and I have yet to see it flowing. I can only recall what it used to look like. I know we are in a drought, but I think it is reasonable to spare

enough water to fill the fountain.

We pay a lot of additional fees to UTSA for things unbeknownst to the typical student. I paid a total of $324 for the recreation center and athletics fees this semester. I don’t intend to use the recreation center or participate in athletics. Maybe the school can put that money toward the Sombrilla.

Hisham Algurashi

Freshman/ mechanical engineering “Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.”

It would be nice to hear the running water when I get to campus in the mornings instead of it being so quiet and dismal. Right now the Sombrilla kind of looks like a dump!

Brody Simmons

Cesar Echavarria

More articles and media content at: paisano-online.com

Junior/kinesiology

“Will Smith and Jada Pinkett.”

Photo poll: Brianna Cristiano

Features Paseo

The Paisano

Bondage, discipline, submission and masochism in SA Intern

paseo@paisnao-online.com The crack of a whip is heard across the room, followed by a yelp of pain and a request for more.

Someone is handcuffed to a St. Andrew’s Cross, her bare back facing onlookers. Her dominant, the wielder of the whip, scratches the woman’s back teasingly before expertly flicking the whip for another sharp smack on her skin.

This BDSM (Bondage/Discipline/ Dominance/Submission/Sadism/Masochism) scene isn’t happening on a movie screen; this type of scene takes place in various, discreet locations in San Antonio.

BDSM is a subculture that is often misunderstood but is also gaining more mainstream recognition.

Films like “The Secretary,” “Quills” and “Hellraiser,” show various aspects or influences of BDSM, though not always accurately. BDSM is about consensual, legal activities between adults. Most people in the BDSM culture follow the code of Risk Aware Consensual Kink (RACK). The code encompasses awareness regarding risks of activities in play and the limits of all parties involved (such as no fireplay or needleplay).

Today, there are BDSM communities or dungeons in many cities in the country, including San Antonio, but there is a universal value in discretion within all regions. Participants come from all types of backgrounds, and many have a lot to risk if discretion is not respected.

Most local dungeons invoke “Vegas Rules,” (what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas), in regards to activities within their walls. Respect and discretion are considered the two most important values in the BDSM lifestyle.

A key figure in both the San Antonio and Austin kink communities, Ambrosio, who uses an alias, comments that

there is always a type of “churn” in the community.

“There’s a constant influx and exodus of people in the community. People attend munches and parties, and then I won’t see them again for months, or years, or maybe never again,” Ambrosio said. “Either they find what they want, and they don’t need it anymore; or they don’t find what they want, and they look for it elsewhere.”

A munch, which is a vanilla gathering to discuss BDSM subjects in a nonthreatening setting (such as a restaurant), is often the first step to getting involved with the BDSM lifestyle.

“BDSM is about play.

Leather is about life.”

Ambrosio

BDSM Enthusiast

In 1996, Ambrosio co-founded a local group in San Antonio that holds a monthly munch for both experienced players and curious newcomers. He also created a website, evilmonk.org, as a resource for the community. On the website, Ambrosio provides links to helpful articles and essays written by experienced players about safety, communication, laws, traditions and many other BDSM-related subjects.

BDSM is not always sexual; sometimes it’s just about the mental and emotional connection to another person or a group of people. Some people see BDSM as an extreme, close-contact sport, where a play partner is no different than a tennis partner. Others choose to live the leather lifestyle, which is built on power exchange (dominant/submissive roles in a relationship).

“BDSM is about play,” Ambrosio said.

“Leather is about how you live your life.”

Historically, the leather lifestyle was exclusively a gay male culture dating back to the 1940’s, but there has been

a large inflow of heterosexual participants who have embraced it.

Leather is only one sector under the BDSM umbrella. There are many types of play, philosophies, fetishes, identities and beliefs in kink. Along with straight participants, BDSM has a large queer population within the community as well.

Because of how diverse BDSM is by its very nature, it’s always important to remember the widely used acronym, “YKINMK,” or “Your Kink Is Not My Kink.” As long as one’s play is legal and consensual, it’s no one else’s place to judge.

With the rise of the internet, the BDSM scene has become a much larger entity. People are able to communicate with others and find that they are not alone in their desires or kinks. There are a handful of BDSM social networks that connect people to their local scenes. In fact, it has become very easy to find the BDSM culture if one has a genuine interest in it.

What’s one disadvantage of this?

“The more mainstream BDSM gets, the less cohesive the subculture becomes,” Ambrosio said. In other words, education is not as valued as Ambrosio feels it should be within the community, mostly because of the vast number of newcomers.

Although many groups have workshops on rope art, flogging techniques and many other kink-related subjects, Ambrosio says it’s not enough.

“There are no workshops for new people to learn about the basics, at least not on a regular basis. Learning the basics, I think, is actually more valuable than learning technique. It has gotten to the point where novices are teaching other novices. Someone who has been in the lifestyle for two weeks should not be allowed to teach someone who has been in the lifestyle for a day.”

Ambrosio also suggests that younger “kinksters” who are barely exploring don’t feel the need to attend functions such as workshops or

Punk rock and old habits die hard

Courtesy of Jonathan Zuniga

Erica Cavazos

Never Shout Never, an American indie pop band, formed in Joplin, Missouri in 2007, plays in what is mostly a punk site, the White Rabbit.

Lorenzo Lopez

Contributing Writer paseo@paisnao-online.com Punk, as a movement has evolved during its 30 plus years history; it has changed from its original intent, while continuing to be a contested “social free space” that challenges dominant norms/ideologies, to incorporating some of those norms and rearticulating their meanings.

Who am I, how did I get into punk, and why do I continue to be a punk? Well to start off, my name is Lorenzo. I’m a first generation Mexican-American, an army veteran, a sociology graduate student at UTSA, and eclipsing all those identities, I’m a punk who grew up in the Westside of S.A. I easily embraced the punk identity. All what “skater punks,” “alternative/grunge” and “metal heads” cared about was to be true for oneself.

I was fascinated by the fact that they openly expressed their anger toward being “socially acceptable” and took passionate pride in not fitting any expected/constructed dominant ideological identity categories.

“KIDS in the fast lane living for today/ No rules to abide by and no one to obey/ Sex, Drugs and fun is there only night and care/ Another swig of brew another overnight affair/ House of the filthy, house not a home/ House of destruction where the lurkers roamed/ House that belonged to all the homeless kids.“ Adolescents Punk Band

Through the punks at school, I was introduced to other punks of diverse racial/ethnic, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds of all ages from across S.A. that formed a larger subcultural community that regularly frequented various places; like shows/concert venues (the White Rabbit), local record shops (Hogwild), skateboard shops/parks, or hung out at the gazebos across from the Alamo.

As collective autonomous individuals throughout S.A., we strove to construct our own customized identity in a social space of our own design. We did not fit in anywhere nor did we want to, thus our master cultural identity became punk.

It’s been 17 years and I still love living every minute of it.

Punk is open to anyone, but it’s something you have to find.

At a recent show, I observed some teenagers scaling the venue wall to get in because tickets were sold out; I met a man from Florida who had a “rap sheet” and came to S.A. to straighten out his life; some Christian punks passed out fliers for the local punk church called Rise Above Ministries; in the distance I saw a petite girl elbow a guy almost knocking him out.

A few couples just made out all night amidst the ongoing chaos while beer cans and water bottles were thrown from every direction.

Others crowd surfed, sang along, danced or moshed (a seemingly uncoordinated type of dance in front of the stage). The non-punk newcomers in attendance, as usual, were awestruck as they tried to make sense of immense amount of that physical, visual and auditive stimuli that are prevalent at punk concerts. I focused on having fun all night. As the band NoFX put it, “I’m here because old habits die hard and seriously, what else am I supposed to do? This isn’t my job, my hobby, my habit, it’s sad, but this is my life!”

February, 7 2012 WEB EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW San Antonio’s Haunted Tracks Optical illusion or Paranormal Phenomena?

Brianna Cristiano/ The Paisanno

6 4

The Haunted Tracks legend attracts locals and visitors alike.

munches; they prefer to play on their own without learning the ropes first.

“The established groups can offer younger novices greater educational opportunities. I’m afraid that most kinky young people don’t have a healthy concern for learning about safety as kinky people in their 30s. Maybe they don’t believe that they could be hurt or don’t appreciate the risks involved.”

Although there is a strong sense of community in the BDSM culture, one has to stay cautious. There are predators lurking, and although the community polices itself, not all are recognized.

Ambrosio recommends that one should not trust someone completely until one really knows that person. “Not even community leaders are always trustworthy and safe,” Ambrosio said.

“Sometimes non-kinky people join our community in search of something they couldn’t find elsewhere,” he adds.

“For the men, it’s often easy sex. For the women that I’ve observed, it’s love and

Brianna Cristiano Photo Editor

The “haunted tracks,” as San Antonio locals call it, is a legend that has become a popular ghost story told for over 20 years.

The myth is that, back in the 1930’s, a school bus full of children stalled out on the railroad tracks on the corner of Shane and Villamain road, and a train going full speed hit the bus killing everyone on board.

Legend has it that if you stop your car 80 feet ahead of the tracks and put your car in neutral, the ghost children of the 1938 bus crash will push your car up over the hill and over the tracks, keeping the accident from ever happening again.

Being the superstitious person that I am, I had to go and see this sight. I wanted to go with someone who had been there before, a native San Antonian, who knew the whole story.

To read the complete story visit paisano-online.

protection. If they’re not able to fake the kinky aspects, they will disappoint themselves and the people with whom they become involved. If they can fake the kinky aspects, then they have to live a lie.”

Whether a person chooses the dominant or submissive role, most BDSM community leaders would suggest a lot of research. A person should read and learn for his or herself and not completely depend on someone else’s mentorship.

Ambrosio suggests that mentorship often leads to transference of opinions and bias, though not all share his view.

Through any viewpoint, however, Ambrosio’s advice on the subject rings true: “Just learn your stuff. If you want to be a dominant, learn your stuff. Submissive? Learn your stuff. Never stop learning. I can’t stress the importance of knowledge too much. It is your protection from harming others and from being harmed yourself.”

6

Arts&Life

August 26, 2008

The Paisano

February 7, 2012

The

Kathleen Palomo / The Paisano

cove Fresh eatery offers an excellent place to eat and play

tertaining ambience, but nothing says fun more than what is behind the storefront. The actual restaurant is divided between an indoor seating area complete with a bar and stage for live entertainment. Outside there is a playground for children and a basket-ball court for adults.

From appetizer to dessert, The Cove offers flavorful combinations, unique ingredients and a family friendly atmosphere.

The Cove is open Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday through Saturday 11 a.m. to11 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The University of the Incarnate Word will be showcasing faculty exhibitons and performances in the Semmes Gallery. Events continue until March 1. Admission is free.

Thursday, Feb. 9

Friday, Feb. 10

The Lamb Burger is a Cove staple.

7:30 a.m. Chuckwagon Breakfast

Enjoy a complimentary breakfest in association with the kick-off of the San Antonio Stock show and Rodeo. Call (210) 220-6575 for more information

7p.m. It Could Be Verse (*editor’s choice)

Come listen to various students and faculty read their favorite poems, as UTSA celebrates the art of poetry.

Friday, Feb. 12 2 p.m. Movies and Mimosas (*editors choice)

Kathleen Palomo / The Paisano

chips, sweet grilled onions and topped with ripe avocado and fresh salsa.

Their Lamb Burger is a hefty portion of lamb seasoned with Latin spices topped with fresh greens and cotija cheese.

The Cove also offers a special menu for vegans and glutton-free patrons. If you are looking for a vegetarian item, you must try the Portobello and Spinach Quesadilla. The combination of caramelized mushrooms and fresh spinach drizzled with balsamic vinegar is a personal favorite. Almost every item on The Cove’s menu is served with a side of deliciously seasoned sweet potato fries, which enhances these already enchanting main entrees.

To end your dining experience at The Cove a taste of their JalapeñoCarrot Cake is a must. This cake strays away from the traditional carrot cake by adding jalapeños and a flavorful punch.

The Cove offers a mellow and en-

Thursday Night Live 2012

Former UTSA professor will be discussing art at the McNay.

arts@paisano-online.com Nestled in the Five Point District of San Antonio’s midtown area lies one of the city’s gems, a restaurant called The Cove. This eclectic restaurant, car wash and Laundromat is home to one of the city’s largest beer gardens.

Unique in its multi-dimensional offerings, The Cove is a sanctuary for good food and fun.

Serving food that is “S.O.L.” (sustainable, organic and local) The Cove boasts healthier meats and supports local farmers and ranchers. All meat is grass fed in Texas, and contains no antibiotics or hormones. All vegetables are organic and locally grown. Joining forces with other local eateries, The Cove promotes a healthy alternative to highly processed foods.

Their popular Texas Burger, was rated number one by Texas Monthly Magazine in their “The 50 Best Burgers,” article. The Texas Burger is scrumptiously seasoned organic beef patty covered with refried beans, corn

Ongoing Events

6:30 p.m. Artists Looking at Art

Kathleen Palomo Contributing Writer

Campus Calendar

The comforting environment of the Cove caters to the many local bands that play there.

In accordance with the new Andy Warhol exhibit, the McNay will be showing various Warhol themed films. This week join the museum on the lawn for the feature film, “Factory Girl.”

6 p.m. Global Lens 2012

“Tollbooth” at the San Antonio Museum of Art. Movie is free with museum admission.

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

Of love and betrayal The work of Jose Guadulupe Posada shines at UTSA gallery Henry Anderson Staff Writer

arts@paisano-online.com José Guadalupe Posada is a prolific Mexican artist who created a plethora of ingenious cartoons and caricatures that became famous after his death in the 20th century.

He attained a broad audience

through his calvaderas or skull etchings. They are seen throughout the Day of the Dead festivals in Latin American countries, and are recognized around the world.

Posada grew up in the Mexican state of Aquascalientes, and began as an apprentice to a graphic artist, who eventually introduced him to lithography.

He then later went to Mexico City to work as an illustrator.

Those were hard times in Mexico, and Posada’s artwork often expressed that. In 1882, after becoming a political activist, his artwork began circulating in newspapers.

Fifty-four of Posada’s famous works are on display currently at the UTSA Main Gallery. These 19th and 20th

Jay Parini

UTSA’s most recent speaker provides insight to the importance of literature

Erica Cavazos/ Katy Glass Staff Writer/ Arts&Life Assitant arts@paisano-online.com The 25th annual Brackenridge Distinguished Visiting Lecture Series, presented by the UTSA Department of English featured the renowned poet and novelist Jay Parini on Feb. 1 through 3.

Parini’s many works have gained him national acclaimation. His novel, “The Last Station” was adapted into a film in 2009 starring actors Christopher Plummer (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Sound of Music”) and Helen Mirren(“The Debt,” “The Queen”). This dramatic romance depicts a scene right out of Russian history with Parini’s own fictionalized spice sprinkled in.

Parini’s other achievements include a long list of literary criticism. In a mini lecture Parini presented this past Friday, Feb 3 to a Modern Fiction class here on campus, he revealed that he particularly favored feminist criticism.

Parini expressed his strong support for equal treatment for women, encouraging students to “Burn [their] bras” to express their distaste.

Check out this weeks web exclusives:

Scan this code (on the right) with your smart phone and a QR app, to read these articles online!

Apart from his fiction and literary criticism, Parini is the D.E. Axinn Professor of English and Creative Writing at Middlebury College and he also conducts lectures and literary courses around the country.

He taught one particular course alongside Tim O’Brien author of “The Things They Carried.” In fact, at the beginning of one particular class O’Brien arrived looking especially disheveled and insisted upon reading a piece he’d written the night before.

He then proceeded to read from the crinkled pages clutched in his hands the very first copy of “How to Tell a True War Story,” an especially famous chapter from O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried.”

Upon finishing what was a very emotional reading, O’Brien, the students and Parini sat in silent awe of the story. After recapping this story Parini stated that very silence made him realize why literature is important, why it matters.

His third and final lecture based on his recently published book, “Why Poetry Matters,” was held on Feb. 3.

Parini began his lecture with a story of a San Antonio teacher who ap-

Brianna Cristiano / The Paisano

The Paisano

February 7, 2012

century broadsheets are often quite gruesome and yet, tantalizing. This was a man who was truly one with his artwork, and his lithographs embody that. By putting a little bit of himself in each of his works, the audience gains a sense of what was happening at the time of its creation.

The titles of Posada’s art also grab the viewer’s attention. Both “Pormenores de la ûltima ejecución” (Details Of The Last Execution) and “La Destrucción del Mundo” (The End of the World) are fascinating works of art. “Pormenores de la Ultima Ejecución,” depicts in detail, the execution of Jesús Bruno Martinez, a man who was found guilty of a crime, yet proclaimed his innocence. “La destrucción del mundo,” is

proached him after his lecture two nights before.

“Just today,” he quoted her, “we were called together and told by the department that from now on, we must never teach books…I’m actually quitting.

This is it, I quit. We were told we could never teach a book again.”

This anecdote was the foundation from which he built the rest of lecture.

The importance of literature was no longer relevant to today’s students, or even to the school system. The principal of that school, Parini said, had decided that students couldn’t retain entire books, so why teach them at all?

“We are in a brave new world,” Parini said, “and it’s not very brave.”

Parini had lived his life for books, and he didn’t feel that we, as a society, could ever live without them.

“I wrote this book ‘Why Poetry Matters’ because I found that without poetry, my life would be infinitely poorer” said Parini, suggesting that students risked living a life without the joys of poetry and literature.

The lecture moved onto Parini’s life in Vermont and his admiration for America’s treasured poet, Robert Frost. Parini described how his life in Vermont was like living in a Robert Frost poem: from frozen birch trees “bending left to right” outside his window to paths crossing in front of him in the woods.

From Robert Frost, Parini segued into a story of how a bunch of drunk teenagers once broke into Robert Frost’s farmhouse and destroyed much of the inside. The local Vermont police caught the group a few days later and

Arts&Life an enticing piece that shows a crowd in mayhem, as the sky opens up and unveils falling asteroids, raining meteors and a bolt of lightning dancing across the moonlit sky.

A couple more radical works of art in the collection on campus are,”Ejemplar y ciertisimo suceso” (Cautionary and Most Certain Event) and “La Calvera de Don Quijote” (Don Quijote’s Calavera).

“Ejemplar y Ciertisimo Suceso” shows a violent earthquake that occurred on Nov. 2, 1894. There were multiple crimes that preceded this earthquake, so people attributed the event to God’s wrath on the town.

There are buildings collapsing and people falling down, but in the foreground of the image there is a man on his knees who has his hands raised, most likely towards God. “La Calvera de Don Quijote,” displays Don Quijote, a famous Spanish folklore figure, trampling over minions while on his journey. In the text it goes on to compare Quijote’s journey to the events of the Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire. What really makes this special is that it is a “Calavera,” or skeleton version.

Whether an art enthusiast or not, this exhibit is certainly something to check out. It’s free, right on campus, and it’s good way to break up a routine.

Located in the Art Building the exhibit will be on display until Feb. 26, 2012. The gallery is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday & Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

charged them with destruction of historic property and a long list of other charges.

On the day of the sentencing, the judge called Parini and asked if he could give the teenagers a choice of going to jail for fifty years or taking a course on Robert Frost’s poetry with Parini.

“Ah,” Parini said with a wicked grin, “poetic justice.” Over the course of their three week sentence, Parini was able to make a large impression on the delinquents on the significance of the written word.

Throughout the lecture, Parini marvelously told many other stories from his life— such as his phone argument with Laura Bush about a certain unflattering poem he had written about the then-President Bush (entitled “The President Alone”) in response to an invitation to the White House. Parini highlighted how poetry shaped his life, and how poetry can reveal the truth about the world and about oneself.

Does all poetry matter though?

“Certainly all poetry matters to the person who writes it,” Parini said. “The most inexperienced freshman is doing the same work that Shakespeare did: he’s staring at the blank page and trying to decide what matters, what is essential, and he’s trying to find the language that’s going to have meaning.

He’s trying to clarify his own understanding of life.”

7

What are you reading?

Dylan Crice Staff Writer

arts@paisano-online.com Heavy course loads, tough work schedules, and the stress of daily living often keep students from engaging in recreational reading.

However, these individual students somehow manage to find time to read something they enjoy. These are the literary works read by the creative minds of tomorrow.

“Soul Surfer” Bethany Hamilton “I enjoy reading this book because it is about overcoming challenges by following your dreams and accepting support.”

Izanelly Del Rio Senior marketing major “Dream Thief” Stephen Lawhead “It’s a terrific science fiction book that blends together some very unexpected elements in a brilliant way.

Martians and India, who knew?!”

Bria Brown Senior psychology major “The Things They Carried” Tim O’Brien “A good representation of a soldier after war. It depicts a true story of a man and his hard times.”

Isha Baker Sophomore history major “The Nerdist Way” Chris Hardwick “It’s a great self-help book about how to turn your disorganized, beer gut, pizza box-ridden college “life” into a lifestyle that is healthy, productive, and goal driven. Written by an authentic nerd-at-heart, the book includes numerous references to cult fiction, gamer, and geek culture; making it fun and easy to reach the next level IRL.” Hector Lozano Senior technical communication major “The Fault In Our Stars” John Green “It is a very honest and sad story about two teens with cancer, and it has become my favorite book. Everyone should read it because it is awesome.”

Ailyne Juarez Jr. Junior psychology major “A Game of Thrones” George R.R. Martin “I like to read a Game of Thrones for 10 minutes between classes. I’m so busy the only other time I can squeeze in some reading is when I’m on the porcelain throne. “ Nick Pisarski Senior math major “She’s Come Undone” Wally Lamb “ I read it in 7th grade and it meant a lot to me then and taught me a lot so I wanted to see if it could do the same for me at 20 years old.”

Sarah Plaisance Junior English major “Empire of the Summer Moon” S.C. Gwynne “Interested in learning about Texas History.”

Leticia Tenorio Junior education major “Wuthering Heights” Emily Bronte ”It has been constantly recommended to me over the years. It now sits on my bookshelf between “Pride and Predjudice” and “Middlemarch”.

Jennifer Ramirez Senior English major

8

August 26, 2008

Sports

The Paisano

February 7, 2012

Roadrunning without victories

Novice women’s hoops face UTSA slips to third in West Division after road losses tough challenges in league play

Roadrunner men drop two key games Stephen Whitaker Sports Editor

UTSA’s Kamra King races past two UT Arlington defenders on her way to the basket. The Roadrunners fell 51-40.

Burk Frey/ The Paisano

It was a rough week for the Roadrunnner men’s basketball team as they dropped two important conference matchups at UT Arlington, Wednesday Feb. 1, and at Lamar on Saturday, Feb. 4.

The two losses dropped the Roadrunners into third place in the Southland West Division and into sixth place overall in the conference with a month to go until the Southland Conference tournament in Katy, Texas.

UT ARLINGTON, 67; UTSA, 66 The Roadrunners and The Mavericks of UT Arlington entered Wednesday night’s inaugural contest at Arlington’s College Park Center with just one game separating the two teams in the Southland Conference West division.

By the end of the night, the Roadrunners would find themselves one point short of the Mavericks winning score and two games back in the standings as the Mavericks pulled off a 67-66 victory.

Early on, it looked like the Roadrunners might send the home crowd away in defeat as they raced out to a 9-0 lead before the Mavericks countered with an 11-0 run of their own to take their first-ever lead in the new complex.

From there the game turned into a series of scoring spurts as both teams looked to get the upper hand. Eventually the Mavericks found a spurt that sent the game into halftime and the home crowd into euphoria with a score of 40-33 in favor of the metroplex squad.

“They ended the half on a 12-2 run, and that really hurt us,” Head Coach Brooks Thompson said. “We held them to 27 points in the second half, and, if you do that, you should win, but tonight that wasn’t the case.”

The second half opened with UTSA whittling down the deficit by going on a 16-9 run to tie the game at 49 with 14 minutes remaining. As the game wound down, the intensity level rose until it reached a climax in the final minute as both teams fought valiantly to pull out the victory.

Eventually, the Mavericks proved too much as the Roadrunners scored a useless two-point put-back shot on a potential gametying three pointer.

Burk Frey/ The Paisano

sports@paisano-online.com

UTSA’s Kannon Burrage goes up for a loose ball against two Mavericks as UTSA’s Jeromie Hill and UT Arlington’s Kevin Butler look on. The Roadrunners fell to the Mavericks 67-66 on Wednesday Feb. 1.

“I don’t feel like we played a really good 40 minutes,” Thompson said.

“We just have to keep plugging away.”

The Roadrunners were led in their unsuccessful effort by junior guard Kannon Burrage. Burrage scored 21 points for the Roadrunners in addition to five rebounds and three steals.

Also scoring in double figures for the Roadrunners was Melvin Johnson III, who finished with 14 points.

“We just have to keep plugging away.”

Brooks Thompson

UTSA men’s basketball head coach

The Mavericks were led by a combination of LaMarcus Reed with 24 and Kevin Butler with 21.

LAMAR, 80; UTSA, 66 The Roadrunners looked to get back on the winning side when they traveled to Beaumont to face the Lamar Cardinals, a team that has historically given the Roadrunners fits.

Saturday was no different as the Cardinals took advantage of Roadrunner turnovers and excellent shooting to down the Roadrunners 80-66 in the last-ever conference meeting between the I-10 birds.

The Roadrunners and Cardinals battled out the first half to a 27-27 tie before the Cardinals took flight in the second half and erupted with 53 points to the Roadrunners’ 39 in the second frame.

ave the summer of your life at a prestigious coed sleepaway camp in the beautiful Pocono Mountains H of Pennsylvania, 2 1Ž2 hours from NYC. We’re seeking counselors who can teach any Team & Individual Sports, Tennis, Gymnastics, Horseback Riding, Mt. Biking, Skate Park, Theatre, Tech Theatre, Circus, Magic, Arts & Crafts, Pioneering, Climbing Tower, Water Sports, Music, Dance or Science. Great salaries and perks. Plenty of free time.

Internships available for many majors. On-campus interviews on Feb 7. Apply online at www.islandlake.com.

Call 800-869-6083 between 9 and 5 eastern time on weekdays for more information.

See MBB, Page 9

Runners fall on road at Arlington and at home against Lamar Matt Bailey

Contributing Writer

Stephen Whitaker Sports Editor

sports@paisano-online.com It was a week the women’s basketball team might just as well forget.

Entering play on Wednesday, the Roadrunners were sitting in the middle of the West Division at 3-3. The team was entering a tough stretch with a road game at UT Arlington and a home match with Lamar. By at least splitting the two games they could remain in the thick of the race for one of eight spots at the Southland Conference Tournament in Katy, Texas next month.

Unfortunately ,the Roadrunners, lost both games and fell to 3-5 and ninth in the conference with eight games remaining.

UT ARLINGTON 51 UTSA 40 A hard fought first-half unraveled for the Roadrunners in the second

half as the UT Arlington Mavericks used a 12-2 run to open the frame en route to a 51-40 win. It was the first game ever played at Arlington’s College Park Center.

The fact that the game would be low scoring was apparent from the beginning as both teams had trouble getting into a rhythm early. Neither team was able to reach double digits in points scored until the Mavericks scored their 10th at the 10:24 mark of the first half. The Mavericks turned a 10-9 contest into a 15-9 contest thanks to a fast break layup, Roadrunner turnover and three pointer by Malaika Green before the Roadrunners went on a five point run to get within one at 15-14.

That was as close as the Roadrunners would get as the Mavericks went on to close out the half with a 7-5 run before shooting out of the gate in the second half.

See WBB, Page 9

MBB: Runners host two games this week From Page 8

The Roadrunners were not without chances as they shot 45 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc and 80 percent from the freethrow line. It wasn’t enough as the Cardinals took advantage of 18 Roadrunner turnovers and 21 second half points from Brandon Davis to finish out the series with the Roadrunners for the foreseeable future with a record of 18-14 in favor of the Cardinals.

The Roadrunners, 14-9 overall and 6-3 in Southland play, will get two home games in the upcoming days.

Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Southeastern Louisiana Lions will make their

final trip to the Convocation Center.

The Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin will make their final trip to UTSA on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Southland Conference standings (Through February 6) 1. UT Arlington..........................9-0 2. Northwestern State................7-2 3. McNeese State.......................7-2 4. Stephen F. Austin....................6-3 5. Lamar....................................6-3 6. UTSA............................6-3 7. Sam Houston.........................3-6 8. Nicholls..................................2-7

WBB: Roadrunners might miss SLC tourny From Page 8

“It was a really tough loss,” Rippetoe-Blair said. “We needed to make free throws and our shots and we didn’t do that.”

The Roadrunners were led in the stat ledger by Judy Jones who finished with 12 points, followed by Simone Young with 10. The Mavericks were led by Green who finished with 15 points followed by Briana Walker with 13 points.

LAMAR 54 UTSA 51 The Roadrunners got off to a sluggish start in the first half against the Lamar Cardinals and ended the half down by 4, 20-16.

But with a strong push coming out of the locker room after halftime, the Roadrunners went on a 20-2 run to take a double-digit lead around the 10-minute mark. Despite strong play

by Simone Young and Judy Jones throughout, the final seconds mattered the most in this one.

Jasmin Henderson of Lamar hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left to go up three and the Runners were unable to recover as they fell 54-51 to the Cardinals.

“We were 10 up with four minutes left and couldn’t put it away,” Coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair said following the loss.

The offensive flow didn’t come easily in the game for either team.

The teams shot a combined 1-13 on 3-point attempts in the first half, complemented by a dismal 5-14 on free throws.

“The thing is, we missed free throws tonight. We missed 15 free throws, and we just can’t do that and win,” Rippetoe-Blair said.

“Its been tough; we just have to come together and keep pushing ourselves and don’t give up,” Young added.

The Paisano Sports 9 23 new student-athletes choose to play UTSA football Richard Castillo

Assistant Sports Editor sports@paisano-online.com UTSA’s inaugural football season concluded with record setting numbers. UTSA set the NCAA record for an opening game audience (56,743) and kept the momentum going through the season with a record average attendance of 35,321.

On Feb. 1, National Signing Day, Head Football Coach Larry Coker introduced the Roadrunner’s third recruiting class that has the potential to keep drawing in those huge crowds.

UTSA will welcome 23 highly decorated student-athletes that will help the Runners stay competitive in their new conference. The Roadrunners will be part of the Division I FBS Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in the fall.

“We really are excited about this class. Everybody says that, but literally we really did have an outstanding recruiting year,” Coker said.

This third class includes 14 prep student athletes, eight junior college transfers and a Football Bowl Subdivision transfer.

The combination of incoming prep school talent, experienced transfer players and UTSA’s returning players will create a very productive environment for Coker’s team.

“It makes things more competitive in practice. You have guys on the team last year that might have to fight to keep their job this year. We got to make sure now that our guys understand that this is major college football. You got to come in and compete for your job,” Coker said.

Both the offensive and defensive side of Coker’s squad have the potential to raise UTSA to the next level. The new class included two quarterbacks, three running backs, a pair of tight ends and five offensive linemen. On the defensive side, the Runners added three defensive linemen, a linebacker and seven defensive backs.

Coker says the newest edition of Roadrunners has given his team a

Brianna Cristiano/ The Paisano

February 7, 2012

UTSA football coach talks with the media during a press conference held in conjunction with the third signing class in program history. The class of 23 student athletes was highlighted by running back Marcus Wright.

“whatever it takes to win” attitude for this upcoming season.

Sixteen of the new players are Texan; five of those are from the greater Houston area. Five more come from Dallas/Fort Worth. Two players are from East Texas, and five are from the Alamo City. UTSA’s coaching staff was also successful in a nation-wide search and signed one player from Arkansas, three from California, two from Florida and one player from Louisiana.

“What we’re going to do is graduate these kids and win championships.

We’re going to compete to win every game and recruit to win every game, and I think these kids are those kinds of kids. The other thing we want to do is represent our school well,” Coker said.

The collective impressive records of Coach Coker’s newest players will excite any fan. UTSA will now have six all-state honorees in orange and blue. 14 of the players have earned alldistrict and all-area accolades during their career. To have all this incredible talent on one team is a great asset. An even better asset is the players’ confidence in themselves and this program.

“We see guys buying-in. If you don’t buy-in then its too much work,” Coker said.

One of the most experienced incoming players on the team is running back

Marcus Wright from Georgia Tech.

Wright, a red-shirt in 2010, rushed for 227 yards and three touchdowns on 37 career carries with the Yellow Jackets.

Wright’s red-shirt year gave him one more year of eligibility and thankfully he signed up to become a Roadrunner.

The Reagan High School athlete had an outstanding career, finishing with 7,036 rushing yards and 85 scores.

Wright was also selected as the 2007 Class 5A Offensive Player of the Year and played in the 2008 U.S. Army AllAmerican Bowl.

Coker believes that the great support for his program, and the hard work of the UTSA staff made it easy to convince these talented players to come to UTSA. A huge selling point for recruitment was the players can come to a program and showcase their talents in a city where fans are genuinely thrilled about football.

“The best memory of the season was that first game. To see 50,000 to 56,000 people there. To have that many people support our team, our school, our players it was pretty unbelievable for me. It was an exciting season,” Coker said.

The Runners will start its spring drills in Mid-March, and the second annual UTSA spring game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff April 15.

10

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The Paisano

February 7, 2012