The Paisano Volume 48 Issue 3

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Meg Rulewicz brings ballet to the UTSA curriculum pg 7 UTSA alum partners with Nike for new training program pg 9

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Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

{SINCE 1981}

{Sports} A bill proposed by state Rep. Ryan Guillen (D-Rio Grande City) would make an annual football game between The University of Texas and Texas A&M mandatory.

The Texas Senate held a hearing on Monday, Jan. 28 with educators, police officers and state officials regarding a proposal to arm teachers in the classroom.

{WWW.PAISANO-ONLINE.COM} Stephanie Barbosa

Nation’s first b o o kl e s s library coming to San Antonio

Staff Writer

news@paisano-online.com

Erin Boren Intern

After the Blackboard company retired WebCT, UTSA students and faculty have begun to adjust to the new Blackboard Learn, which was implemented at the start of the Spring 2013 semester.

Following an announcement

by Blackboard in 2011 to retire its WebCT service, a faculty advisory committee was created to select its replacement. In 2012, the committee reviewed presentations and created mock courses for each of the lead-

ing systems: Blackboard Learn, Moodle Joule, Pearson Learning Studio, Instructure Canvas and Desire2Learn.

The committee’s decision to switch to Blackboard Learn has led to mixed opinions on campus.

“The main difference is that Learn is a more modern system,” stated Michael Anderson, director of Online Learning.

However, Jill Dusek, a sophomore human resources major, stated, “They’re trying to make it more modern, but it’s confusing.”

Students and professors alike have conflicting views regarding the change.

{World}

“I don’t know why they felt it was necessary to make a change–the old system worked just fine, and to be perfectly blunt, adapting to the new system is confusing,” stated Richard West, a professor in UTSA’s Department of Communication.

Conversely, some students such as junior management major Mimi Le appreciate the new, modern features: “It’s so easy; it shows everything all on one screen. I think it’s simple, and I like that Blackboard e-mails go to your actual e-mail.”

Anderson elaborated on the pros of the new system. “The biggest advantage is that BlackSee BLACKBOARD, Page 3

Hundreds have been wounded and at least 50 killed as a result of ongoing protests against Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi.

news@paisano-online.com

Will Tallent/The Paisano

{Quotes}

Blackboard Learn was selected from several programs to replace the old Blackboard WebCT program

UTSA has decided to relocate the venue of spring commencement on May 13 to the Alamodome. Previously, graduation ceremonies were held at the Convocation Center on campus.

The Alamodome has a capacity of 65,000 people, compared to the 4,000 seats in the Convocation Center. UTSA is “graduating more students but the Convo isn’t growing,” Chief Communication Officer Joseph Izbrand stated.

UTSA’s Graduation Coordination and the Events Planning committee decided to change the location.

After the university started surveying the graduation increase two years ago, results showed that the number of graduates attending the spring ceremonies are double the attendance of the fall commence-

ment.

Previously, the ceremonies were spread across a minimum of three days and were divided based on the amount of graduating students per college. Typically, each large college such as the College of Liberal and Fine Arts held their own ceremony.

Now, all colleges will be represented in two ceremonies on the same day.

The committee examined the various options regarding how to best suit the needs of the graduating students and their families. One option presented was to expand the entire commencement time frame and to reduce the number of graduates attending each ceremony. Lengthening the commencement would have extended the previous three day time frame to a possible time frame of four or five days. This option was outweighed by the choice to condense the length See ALAMODOME, Page 2

UT System plans to merge two South Texas universities, create med school Julia Brouillette Contributing Writer

news@paisano-online.com

UTSA will take on the University of Denver on Thursday, Jan. 31. The women face the Pioneers on the road, while the men play in the Convocation Center.

Both games start at 7 p.p. C.D.T.

Graduation relocates to Alamodome Intern

This week in 2010, the Institute of Texan Cultures became an associate of the Smithsonian Institute.

{Basketball}

See LIBRARY, Page 2

The Alamodome can hold 65,000 people, compared to just 4,000 at the Convocation Center

Marcia Perales

{History}

“I will be spending time in Austin during the session meetings with legislators to help them understand UTSA’s needs and points of view.”

-UTSA President Ricardo Romo in a message on UTSA’s website.

BiblioTech, the nation’s first bookless library, is scheduled to open this fall on the south side of San Antonio.

BiblioTech will house desktop computers for on-site us-

ers, as well as tablets, e-readers and laptops available to check out for two weeks at a time.

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and County Commissioner Sergio Rodriguez, along with other county leaders, led plans for the launch of

Switch to Blackboard Lear n le ads t o mixe d r e v ie w s news@paisano-online.com

{Gun Control}

Issue 3

File Photo

State Rep. Elliott Naishtat (D-Austin) introduced a bill that would legalize medicinal marijuana in Texas.

January 29, 2013

Courtesy of Bexar County

{Texas}

Volume 48

In December 2012, the UT System’s Board of Regents unanimously approved a plan to merge two Rio Grande Valley universities—UT Pan American (UTPA) and UT Brownsville.

With relatively small student populations of 19,000 and 8,600 respectively and limited research capacities, the schools have had difficulty allocating the required amount of state funding.

The schools are located near the border and have been often overlooked by UT executives,

despite reports from administrators of a pressing need for a medical school. The new entity would maintain campuses in both Brownsville and Edinburg, Texas.

If unified, the new university is expected to meet the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s criteria for classification as an “emerging research” institution. This will allow the recently developed university, which has yet to be named, to compete for extra state incentive funds.

In a news release on the Board of Regents website, Regents Chairman Gene Powell stated, “This is a bold plan that, if accomplished, will put our

Rio Grande Valley campuses on equal footing with other UT institutions.”

The legislation would also allows the university access to the Permanent University Fund: a substantial source of $9 billion that only select UT and Texas A&M University System schools may use, as stated in the Texas Constitution.

A separate piece of legislation that would establish a medical school in Harlingen, Texas is making its way through the lawmaking process. The UT System is requesting $20 million for the school. In order to be approved, the plan requires a two-thirds majority vote in the state Legislature. However, university

officials are confident that both propositions will be passed.

On Jan. 23, proposals for $250 million in bond-funded projects for Rio Grande Valley universities gained approval from UT System Regents, which, if cleared by the state Legislature, will allow UT Pan American to add a new science building to their campus.

University officials said that the project will complement the new medical school planned for South Texas. The medical school would be known as the South Texas School of Medicine.

Once completed, the South Texas School of Medicine will employ 1,500 faculty members and roughly 3,700 staff for a pro-

jected 7,000 new jobs in the Rio Grande Valley area. However, UT officials said that the new establishment will also result in a downsizing of UT Pan American and UT Brownsville in order to avoid duplicate positions.

Juliet Garcia, the president of UT Brownsville since its founding in the early 1990s, strongly endorses the merge, as does UT Pan American President Robert Nelson.

“To be honest, none of us know what’s ahead of us,” Nelson told the San Antonio Express-News. “We’re embarking on a dream. But everybody knows this is the right thing.”

NEWS

2 January 29, 2013

ALAMODOME: New venue reduces number of ceremonies down to two From Page 1

and allow for a larger audience in the fewest number of days.

To accommodate a larger audience, a larger venue was the necessary solution. Because the Alamodome hosts UTSA football games, the decision to hold graduation in the same venue was the logical conclusion.

The capacity of the Convocation Center limited the number

of guests a graduate was allowed to invite. A lottery for extra tickets was held for students who wished to invite more than the allotted number of guests, which varied depending on the college and semester.

Further, parking and traffic will now be a concern for some graduates. The event’s parking fee will cost $10 per vehicle.

However, these fees are “outside of [UTSA’s] control,” Izbrand said.

Senior history major and soon-to-be-graduate Alisa Hartsell walked the stage for her high school graduation at the Alamodome and believes that the venue is appropriate and accommodating.

“I have a really large extended

family, and it would be wonderful not to have to fight over tickets for them to be at the ceremony,” said Hartsell. “If we can shuttle people to and from football games, we can figure out something.”

Jose Carlos dela Garza Tamez, a senior history major, disagreed with the change and reconsidered his decision to attend the

ceremony. “(I) attended UTSA, not University of the Alamodome,” he said.

Tamez also explained that the larger venue is a physical challenge for elder family members, and—ultimately—troublesome to make the needed arrangements.

The success of the May cer-

emonies’ relocation will influence the final changes to all future UTSA commencement ceremonies. The details of the two ceremonies are currently tentative. Following the Feb. 15 graduation application deadline, however, the final times will be announced.

From Page 1

the new library, which will be an addition to Bexar County’s existing municipal library system.

Library card-holders will have access to thousands of e-books and audiobooks that they can temporarily check out via their own electronic devices, including smartphones.

“You will be able to check out a book and read it on-site,” Wolff told ABC News. “It will be a learning environment— you’ll be able to learn about technology itself as well as access a tremendous amount of information.”

According to Wolff, the library will also be costeffective.

The roughly 5,000-square-foot building will be constructed on an existing Bexar county property at 3505 Pleasanton Road using $1.5 million of leftover funding from the county. Some of this funding will be allocated

to purchase an initial inventory of 10,000 e-books.

“Most libraries are in big buildings,” Wolff said. “If this works right, we’ll be able to go into shopping centers.”

Attempts at opening completely digital libraries have been made before, but none of them are completely paperless. For example, in 2002, a similar idea for a digital library was established in Tucson, Ariz., but the library eventually added paper books to their stockpile.

BiblioTech will be the first paperless public library in the nation. “We’ve called everywhere, and I don’t believe anybody’s done this before,” Wolff said.

Digital technology in libraries has been more prevalent in the past several years.

In 2011, Amazon.com announced that, for the first time ever, sales of e-books surpassed sales of physical books. In the second quarter of 2012, e-book sales com-

prised 22 percent of all book spending—an increase of 8 percent from 2011.

The shift from paper books to digital books in libraries first began in academia. In 2009, UTSA’s Applied Engineering and Technology Library was established as one of the first bookless libraries on a university campus in the nation. UTSA Libraries also established Special Collections, which offers a large array of historical primary resources in digital formats.

According to County Commissioner Sergio Rodriguez, BiblioTech is expected to improve the learning environment of San Antonio’s south side.

“It’s really going to change the way that our residents begin to incorporate technology, reading and learning into their daily lives,” Rodriguez said.

The date of Bibliotech’s opening has not been set.

Courtesy of Bexar County

LIBRARY: Bexar County following lead of universities like UTSA

The new bookless library will be located on Pleasanton Road on the south side of San Antonio.

NEWS

3 January 29, 2013

BLACKBOARD: Learn replaced retired Blackboard WebCT

Shooting leaves three injured at Houston college Corey Franco Staff Writer

news@paisano-online.com board Learn, the company’s main product, is constantly updated; for example, just before the start of the semester, Blackboard released the expanded profile update, which allows students to connect with other students in their classes through Facebook and Twitter if the student wants to do so,” Anderson said.

Blackboard Learn is also supervised 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“The Blackboard network engineers constantly monitor our system and can add additional servers within minutes if usage increases,” Anderson said.

The full-time monitoring should serve to calm the nerves of students who are weary of

the problems they previously encountered with Blackboard WebCT. In comparing the new Blackboard with the old, Le said, “I hope it crashes less.”

As the first technical issues— such as the inaccurate notification feature—arise, users must remain patient while the transition is made to Blackboard Learn. Anderson assures that a patch was applied to correct the notifications visible in the red box by a student’s name.

Anderson’s one grievance is “that Blackboard Learn still has a ways to go to be as easy as, say, Google Docs.”

Although admittedly overwhelmed by the new Blackboard, professor Renee Cowan of the Communication Depart-

Will Tallent/The Paisano

From Page 1

ment still spares a few praises.

“As I began experimenting with the new Blackboard, I grew to really like it. It is much easier to build Learning Modules for hybrid courses and seems to be pretty user-friendly—you just have to get through that initial learning curve,” Cowan said.

Consequently, UTSA students and faculty will have to adapt to what English professor Karen Dodwell called a “clearly more powerful version of Blackboard.”

While licensing costs for Blackboard Learn were virtually the same as the previous system, UTSA chose to pay an additional fee for access to Mobile Learn.

The easiest way to acclimate to the change is to enroll in the free Learn orientation course, which is available for students and faculty in the “Open Courses” folder on the main screen. Step-bystep instructions can be found through the “Announcements” link located under “Tools.”

While some have embraced the change, others are slow to adopt the new system. “I’m not a big fan,” Dusek stated.

“We were committed to providing this service no matter what because the Fall 2010 student survey of mobile apps identified Blackboard as one of the highest priorities,” Anderson stated.

“Maybe with practice I’ll get the hang of it—just in time for them to switch to another system,” West joked.

At about 12:20 p.m. on Jan. 22, approximately 10 shots were fired at Lone Star College in Houston. The violence erupted after an alleged verbal altercation between a student and another man and ended with three people wounded.

The incident, which sent dozens of students running for cover, occurred in a small courtyard between the library and the Academic Building.

According to USA Today, approximately 10,000 students were on campus at the time.

The school was evacuated and classes were canceled until the following morning.

Police arrested one of the wounded, 22-year-old Carlton Berry, as a suspect the day of the shooting. However, Berry was released on Monday, Jan. 28 from Harris County jail after both counts of aggravated assault were dropped.

As he left the jail on crutches, Berry declined to answer any questions regarding his arrest and subsequent release.

At a news conference following Berry’s release, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia maintained that his arrest was justified in light of the initial accounts of the shooting.

“Two people who were shot at Lone Star Community College said right after the shooting that the shooter was Carlton Berry,” Garcia said. “It was those statements and those witnesses that met our ‘probable cause,’ and the

charges were accepted by the district attorney’s office.”

Both Lone Star student Jody Neal, 25, and maintenance worker Bobby Cliburn, 55, were wounded as they stood nearby when the incident occurred.

According to the Huffington Post, all three are expected to recover from their injuries.

Suspect Trey Foster was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault on Friday, Jan. 25. Officials said that Foster was carrying a semiautomatic pistol when he was arrested that morning in a Dallas-area suburb.

Foster told officers that he has a concealed handgun license (CHL) and that the firearm was acquired legally. After further investigation, it was determined that the .40 caliber pistol Foster was carrying was in fact purchased legally at Gander Mountain, a national sporting goods store, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Following Foster’s arraignment, community activist Quanell X told the Houston Chronicle that the accused had completed the course and purchased the firearm after he was shot in the face two years ago.

He also stated that Foster had sent the CHL application to state officials, but it was stalled due to the suspect’s past arrests.

Harris County Assistant District Attorney Alison Baimbridge stated, “It was unclear Monday whether Foster’s misdemeanor arrests for possession of brass knuckles and resisting arrest would have kept him from buying the gun or obtaining a concealed handgun license. In

general, suspects convicted of misdemeanors can own firearms, but they cannot get a CHL.” According to an affidavit, Berry and Foster were on the north Houston campus around noon on Tuesday when Neal bumped into Foster and an argument ensued. They parted ways, but 30 minutes later, Berry and Foster saw Neal again.

Prosecutor Baimbridge stated, “Mr. Neal initially identifies Mr. Berry as the person who actually shot (him). After further investigation, it was determined that Mr. Neal identified Mr. Berry as being involved in the shooting but that the shot that actually hit Mr. Neal was shot by the second suspect.”

Foster was arraigned on the morning of the 28th by state District Judge Marc Carter. The bail was set at $100,000.

Richard Carpenter, chancellor of the Lone Star College System, said that the campus is “gunfree,” but not every student is screened for carrying weapons.

This incident was the first in the college’s 40-year history, Carpenter said.

“I can tell you that everyone is working as hard as they can to gather information every day, as information comes to us, we try to make the right decision in the interest of justice,” Prosecutor Baimbridge said in reference to the dropped charges. “The right decision today, in the interest of justice, is to dismiss those cases.”

Following Foster’s arraignment, prosecutors stated that in order to determine the exact details of the event, the investigation will continue.

PASEO

4 January 29, 2013

Mind control or music therapy?

Students try alternatives to prescription drugs paseo@paisano-online.com

It’s the night before a test and students are cramming last minute information.

Some cocoon in the library late into the night; others frantically cram in the seclusion of their rooms.

Many of these students are able to stay awake thanks to caffeinated drinks, while others turn to different kinds of drugs.

According to the National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse, roughly a third of students struggling through their college studies abuse prescription ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) medications such as Adderall, Vyvanse and Ritalin. Based on this statistic, as many as 10,000 students at UTSA may be using ADHD medication to get ahead in their studies.

Taking performance-enhancing drugs can come at a high price. Prescription medication can cause side effects. These include increased heart rates, insomnia and marked irritability.

In the wake of the increasing demand for energy and mental clarity among college students, an innovative and cutting edge method of therapy has been developed free of any side effects.

Brain Shift Radio, an Internet site that allows users to manipulate different beats according to their desired mental state, has increased in popularity as a way to increase mental performance.

The Strong Institute, a developer of brain stimulation programs for individuals with neurological disorders, created the site as a musical alternative to common

prescription drugs. Founded in 1994, the Strong Institute is known primarily for work with autistic individuals.

“Our work started with children on the Autism Spectrum,” states Brain Shift Radio Creative Director Jeff Strong. “We found rhythmic combinations that caused immediate calm. The perfect mix of novelty (in the complexity of the rhythmic stimulus) and progressive stimulation made for a unique approach to so many of the challenges faced by individuals with Autism. As our data grew, so did our ability to address more complex and varied symptoms of neurological disorders.”

The institute claims to have developed a musical therapy site that is nearly twice as effective as 20mg of Ritalin (a focus enhancing drug) through the use of what is known as Rhythmic Entertainment Intervention.

The technique behind Rhythmic Entertainment Intervention involves mapping how the brain can change in function once it is subjected to auditory stimulation. The Strong Institute has used Rhythmic Entertainment Intervention for nearly 30 years by developing different rhythmic patterns to stimulate the brain in very specific ways.

“We are not doing anything new here,” says Strong.

“For tens of thousands of years, in disparate cultures across the globe, rhythm has

been used to shift consciousness and address abnormalities in cognitive function.

We have simply taken the culture out of the mix. We have put on the lab coat and worked to understand what rhythms drive the brain toward improved performance.

Brain Shift Radio is the current manifestation of our neurological work.

Simply put, you can take control of your brain without the use of

known for our out-of-thebox approach to neurological disorders,” says Strong.

“We are simply improving upon techniques that have been around an awfully long time.”

Could an Internet-hosted radio site legitimately replace prescription medication? Strong boasts about the radio’s capabilities. “Brain Shift Radio is an innovation that could very

Will Tallent / The Paisano

Sarah Gibbens Paseo Editor

drugs.”

Strong, who currently copes with adult ADHD, had been pursuing the use of rhythms to improve cognitive function when he found that drumming helped improve his focus.

“The Strong Institute is

well disrupt the status quo of campus illicit drug use. It is proven to improve focus,” he claims. “It is non-addictive, has no side effects, and does not induce habituation.”

Rhythmic Entertainment

Intervention has also been used as music therapy for other mental disorders, including anxiety, brain injuries, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and sleep disorders. Brain Shift Radio is simply the newest tool available in this form of auditory therapy.

The Strong Institute also claims that, unlike the use of drugs such as Adderall or Vyvanse, Brain Shift Radio facilitates long term increase in the ability to focus and have mental clarity.

The creators of the site look towards music therapy as the newer and more holistic alternative to prescription medication. Music therapy is an establishe d healthc a r e profession that studies the therapeutic effects of music on patients afflicted with emotional, cognitive and social disorders.

Michael Greene, president and CEO of National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) said of music therapy, “When we look at the body of evidence that the arts contribute to our society, it’s absolutely astounding. Music therapists are breaking down the walls of science and affliction of autism, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.”

For $6.99 a month or $59.00 a year, the site operates in a way that allows the user to choose from a variety of tempos and beats that vary in speed and rhythm.

Once users have created an account, they will be able to choose different beats to change their mental state to have more energy, meditate, uplift their mood, be calm, increase focus, sleep or just, in general, “boost the brain.”

In what can be described as varying beats made by tribal drums, the beats vary by beats per second and rhythm complexity to alter the mental state. Additionally, the listener is allowed to choose from a variety of five levels of intensity within each mood category, depending on how intensely the altered state of mind is desired.

Students at UTSA are trying Brain Shift Radio to determine if this new form of music therapy really lives up to its hype. “After ‘boosting my mood’ for a little while, I decided to use the radio to my advantage and ‘improve my focus,’” says senior Spanish major Kevin Forester.

“My brain and mood shifted and I enjoyed the music. I stuck with Brain Shift Radio a bit longer and decided the trial is worth revisiting, but, as a paid subscriber to Spotify, I think I’ll stick to paying for only one Internet music program.”

Whether or not Brain Shift Radio is worth its cost is the decision of the individual user. The site says that, with the one-month free trial, users will feel they can use the radio to successfully manipulate their mental state without the potentially harmful effects of prescription drugs.

Since the prescription drug Prozac was introduced to treat depression in 1987, mental illness has been on a steady increase. Based on the portion of the population treated annually, some believe we are now in the midst of a mental illness epidemic. In her essay, “The Epidemic of Mental Illness: Why?” Marcia Angell reports that from 1987 to 2007, the number of adults with a mental illness has increased nearly two and a half times and, in children, there has been a thirty-five-fold increase. Controversy has arisen over whether the increase has occured because psychiatrists are becoming better at diagnosing disorders, or whether the criteria for diagnosis is simply being expanded. Angell writes that many studies published by the Food and Drug Administration have shown placebos to be nearly as effective as the prescription drug itself. If these findings are true, many patients suffering from a mental illness could be subjecting their bodies to dangerous side effects with drugs that manipulate the heart and brain. Music therapy offers a low-cost alternative to prescription medications without the dangerous side effects associated with prescriptions.

OPINION

5 January 29, 2013

{The Paisano} Editorial Editor-in-Chief: Katy Schmader

Managing Editor: Stephen Whitaker

News Editor:

Matthew Duarte

Paseo Editor: Sarah Gibbens

Arts Editor:

Jennifer Alejos

Sports Editor: Sheldon Baker

Photo Editor: Will Tallent

Web Editor: Natalie Frels

Ads Manager: Kevyn Kirven

Business Manager: Jenelle Duff

Senior Copy Editor: Alyssa Torres

{Staff Writers} Daniel Crotty, David Glickman, Corey Franco, Valeria Rodriguez, Magalieh Acosta, Amanda Dansby, Valeria Perez, Bridget Gaskill, Christina Coyne, Randy Lopez, Lictor Prianti, Alex Camacho, Shelby Hodges

{Staff Photographers} Ruth Olivares, Alyssa Gonzales

{Contributing Writers} Julian Montez, Ethel Asberry, Leann Acuna, John Poplawski, Council Royal, Eliana Briceno, Marialuisa Bianchi, Ross Hutchinson, Erin Boren, Rachel Corbelli, Philip Taele, Eric Mondragon, Delaney Marlowe, Douglas Richter, Daniel Shaw

{Contributing Photographers}

UTSA moving comencement ceremony On May 13, 2012, graduating UTSA students will walk across the stage at the Alamodome.

The decision to move the ceremony to a new, larger location is a visible example of just how quickly the university is growing.

While there are disadvantages to the move to the new location, holding the commencement ceremony at the Alamodome is beneficial to the

majority of students.

The space of the Alamodome will allow for students to have unlimited guests. The university has outgrown the Convocation Center, making tickets to the ceremony a hot commodity.

Limiting the number of guests left many students upset, as extended family and friends were unable to attend the important occasion.

Also, due to the capacity of

the Alamodome, the university is now able to cut the number of ceremonies to two. These two ceremonies will save money, time and energy that the administration spends on commencement and allot it elsewhere.

Overall, the decision is a step in the right direction—but there are some disadvantages.

The Alamodome is not university space, and even with UTSA

T h i s coming Friday, Feb. 1 will mark a tragic anniversary for the American people. It was on this day in 2003 that the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated over the pine curtain of east Texas and western Louisiana, instantly killing all seven astronauts, including the first Israeli astronaut, on board.

The disaster was caused by a piece of foam falling off the external fuel tank and hitting the front of the left wing of the shuttle during liftoff on Jan. 16, 2003. The crew completed their mission unaware that the shuttle was damaged and that

an important piece of the shuttle’s defense against the heat of reentry had been punctured.

The shuttle came apart over a wide swath of land, and the attention of the nation was drawn to the east Texas region that few would have cared about otherwise.

Looking back 10 years, it can be argued that the Columbia disaster was the beginning of the end of government-sponsored, manned space flight. The three remaining shuttles would be retired between 2010-11, and American astronauts would have to find other ways to travel in space.

A decade after only the third disaster in 50 years of American space flight, we have decided that it is safer to have our astronauts fly in other nations’ craft until our private sector takes

over the manned space exploration (which could take a very long time).

It is a shame that one of America’s safest industries (only 17 fatalities from three missions in 50 years) would be entrusted to countries with less stellar safety records.

The seven men and women who perished in the Columbia disaster became, like the seven killed in 1986’s Challenger disaster and the three men killed during training for Apollo 1 in 1967, memorials to the drive of the human species to keep learning as much as possible about their world and the void of space it floats in.

They did not join the astronaut corps expecting it to cost them their lives. They knew there were risks to space flight, but they took them because

Stephen Whitaker Managing Editor

Gun Debate Coming to UTSA: SB 182

Vulpes Vulpes by: Christopher Garcia

Bridget Gaskill and David Glickman did a great job with their gun control article of Jan. 22. It thoroughly covered the relevant points, it was unbiased and one of the better pieces I’ve read.

However, I’m sure many students don’t follow the gun issue.

But they soon will be as the gun issue is coming to UTSA in a personal way. Texas State Senator Brian Birdwell of District 22 recently introduced SB 182, a bill to allow concealed carrying of handguns on university campuses. The bill has numerous co-signers and wide support.

This will be the fourth time our state legislature takes up the matter. It will be hotly contested and bantered about, and is generally not popular with school administrators. As an adjunct professor at UTSA for four years, and teaching at other universities for over 17 years, I break with conventional thinking and lend my full support to passing this legislation.

Here is why. Allowing concealed carry by trained licensees

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piloted a new craft made by a country united in a dream that has been fundamental since the beginning of the United States: The dream of carrying the American flag to new frontiers and advancing the knowledge of the American people.

Perhaps when the 20th anniversary of the Columbia disaster comes around in another 10 years, the United States will have returned to sending its astronauts to space on craft built

by Americans.

It would be the least we could do for the men and women, living and dead, who worked so hard to take our country further than believed possible.

Letter to the Editor:

Comics

Amanda Dansby, Janae Rice, Erin Boren, Sheldon Baker, Marcia Perales

400 words and include the writer’s name, classification or title and telephone number.

The Paisano reserves the right to edit all submissions.

they believed in the idea that America had the brightest minds and best technology at its disposal, and that they would be on the leading edge of a new generation of pioneers.

We no longer have the vehicle to send our astronauts to space, but we still have the bright minds and technology. It all gets back to funding, a problem the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has faced its entire history.

A return to manned space flight could provide this country with a much-needed cultural and economic tonic.

It would also mean that the 17 men and women who gave so much in the quest for knowledge would continue to be honored.

Their memory would be celebrated every time an American

Ten years since space shuttle Columbia disaster

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charged for every car parked at the Alamodome, and with that comes traffic. This could potentially turn many students and parents away from attending the ceremony.

Regardless of the disadvantages, the student body should accept its fate. Change is not always bad, and, in the case of the Alamodome, it is an excellent solution for a growing university.

Commentary

Scott Cochran

The Paisano is published by the Paisano Educational Trust, a non-profit, 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:

football at the Alamodome, many students may feel detached from the new location.

Hosting the ceremonies at the Convocation Center allowed for families to see the university their graduate attended.

There is a sense of tradition and school spirit that will be missed at the Alamodome.

Parents and families may be upset about having to pay for parking. A $10 fee will be

implies a willingness within the campus to confront a shooter, and such preemption will be viewed as a strong deterrence.

Conversely, an unwillingness to allow concealed carry implies weakness and serves only to be an invitation for an attack. All of us benefit from the umbrella of safety created by the potential for a lethal response, regardless if anyone is actually armed.

Gun free zones don’t exist.

Sandy Hook and the theater in Aurora Colorado were gun free zones. Gun free zones instead serve the interests of the school administrators who make the easy short term, popular decisions. But to see campus concealed carry as the best long term decision requires deeply examining the facts, making hard decisions and recognizing there are no perfect solutions but only tradeoffs.

Michael D. Noll Adjunct Professor College of Business Real Estate Finance and Development Program

ARTS&LIFE

6 January 29, 2013

{Local Events} Tuesday, Jan. 29 10 a.m. Exhibit: “Aphrodite and the Gods of Love” The San Antonio Museum of Art (200 W. Jones St.) presents “Aphrodite and the Gods of Love,” an exhibit featuring 125 statues, vases, jewelry and other valuables from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Admission is $3-$8.

Wednesday, Jan. 30 2 p.m. Exhibit: “Dirty Dozen” Blue Star Contemporary Art Center (116 Blue Star) presents “Dirty Dozen,” an exhibit featuring work from San Antonio and Houston artists. Admission is $3-$5.

8 p.m. Poetry Night: “Coffeehouse Poetry: Oveous”

Will Talent / The Paisano

The UCPC presents “Coffeehouse Poetry: Oveous,” an open-mic night for aspiring poets and those who love poetry. The event will be held in the UC Ski Lodge (Main Campus).

Students prepare for a lesson from ballet instructor Meg Rulewicz.

Pirouettes, Jetés and Chaînés

Blue Star Contemporary (116 Blue Star) presents “Borrowed People/ Constructed Places,” an exhibit featuring work from Anne Leighton, Libby Rowe and Kris Sanford. The exhibit is featured in the UTSA Satellite Space. Admission is free for students.

Will Talent/ The Paisano

“Keep it up. Don’t quit,” Megan Rulewicz tells her students in the Ballet II class that meets twice a week at the UTSA Recreation Center.

The course teaches students with a dance background the basic techniques of ballet.

Rulewicz adheres to the classical method of teaching while maintaining a relaxed environment. Although the class is filled with laughs, praise and encouragement, ballet is not easy.

As students twist their bodies into unnatural positions while maintaining grace, it is clear that ballet is more than a dance form. Ballet is not just performing these difficult techniques, but looking light and graceful while doing so.

The Ballet II course, which is an hour and 15 minutes, is divided evenly between barre work and center floor. Students use the barre, a wooden beam,

Students begin their warm-up exercises with instructor, Meg Rulewicz.

Friday, Feb. 1 7:30 p.m. Creative Writing Reading Series: Levi Romero

Will Talent / The Paisano

arts@paisano-online.com

to learn balance and then apply these skills in the center.

“My favorite thing about ballet is probably the emphasis on balance. Being able to balance not only helps in ballet, but other genres of dance and even activities outside of dance like football, soccer and other sports that require balance,” says Rudolph Custodio, a student in the Ballet II course.

Custodio, who pulled his hamstring auditioning for the television show “So You Think You Can Dance,” is an experienced dancer in the class.

“I feel like I’m missing out on an opportunity to fine tune my technique every time I sit out in class. It’s difficult not to be able to dance, but it gives you a chance to observe the class from a straight-visual manner, giving you a good chance of really absorbing what you’re being taught class,” he says.

Interior design major Deanna Rivers has been dancing since she was three years old and she found that the class has helped her after she took some

UTSA Art Gallery (Main Campus) presents “Tal Palo Tal Astilla Artists,” an exhibit that chronicles the work of artists working within and outside the U.S. and Mexico Border. Admission is free.

6 p.m. Exhibit: “Borrowed People/ Constructed Places”

Instructor Meg Rulewicz teaches UTSA students the fundamentals of French ballet

Janae Rice Intern

Thursday, Jan. 31 10 a.m. Exhibit: “Tal Palo Tal Astilla Artists”

Interior design major Deanna Rivers leaps into the air as part of the Ballet II course at UTSA.

time off from dancing.

“I took a year break and I didn’t know where I could dance. I’m getting back into it and making sure I’m hitting all the positions,” Rivers says.

Rulewicz, who has a bachelor’s degree in dance and an MFA in ballet choreography and teaching, likes teaching dance at UTSA because of the diversity of the students.

“I love all the different students that I have. Some of them have taken flamenco dancing or jazz or hip-hop and some have had no dance experience.

I like being able to work with people from various different backgrounds,” Rulewicz says.

UTSA student Kamilah Avery, who had no ballet experience before taking ballet at UTSA says, “I’ve always loved to dance. I just wanted to gain more technique.”

The course not only offers exercise, improved balance and posture, but also a lesson in French. The final for the course is the French terminology of all the skills and a demonstration of each skill. Rulewicz spends time making sure each student understands the skills and can perform them correctly. “I expect hard work and an open mind,” she says.

“She’s very honest, which is the only way you’ll get better. She’s positive, uplifting and she’s influenced my dancing by just always giving me pointers

when needed,” says Avery.

Interest in the course has increased as more students at UTSA become aware that ballet is offered. “It has started to fill up fast,” Rulewicz says. With a growing interest in dance courses at UTSA, there may be interest in a dance program.

For students interested in enrolling, no previous dance experience is needed. Students enrolled in a ballet course do not have to wear a uniform although ballet shoes are required. Students taking a modern dance course, such as Jazz, do not need dance shoes.

Rulewicz, who is from San Antonio, came to UTSA with the intention that she may start a dance program. “The opportunity to start up a dance program is something I’ve always wanted to do. We’re working on establishing a dance minor,”

Rulewicz says. Rulewicz’s goal is to offer a dance minor and later a BFA in dance. With the establishment of a dance program, student performances are anticipated.

Write for Arts & Life! arts@paisanoonline.com

The Creative Writing Program of UTSA is proud to welcome the New Mexico Centennial Poet, Levi Romero as part of its “Creative Writing Reading Series.” Romero, author of “In the Gathering of Silence,” will read work from his newly released collection of poems titled, “A Poetry of Remembrance: New and Rejected Works.” The event is free to the public and will be held in the UC Harris Room (UC 2.212).

9 p.m. UCinema Night: Wreck-ItRalph In the flick, Ralph, voiced by John C. Reilly, seeks to find his purpose in the video game world. The feature will be shown in the Retama Auditorium (UC 2.02.02), admission is free for all UTSA students.

Saturday, Feb. 2 9 a.m. Exhibit: “Art in the Garden” The San Antonio Botanical Garden (555 Funston) presents “Art in the Garden,” an outdoor installation that features work from members of the Texas Sculpture Group. Admission is $5-$8.

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For the week’s full calendar, visit: paisano-online.com

ARTS&LIFE

7

January 29, 2013

I Dreamed of Les Mis’ Stealing a loaf of bread has never been so scandalous Daniel Shaw Contributing Writer

arts@paisano-online.com “Les Miserables” is back on the big screen, but is it everything that fans of the musical thought it would be?

“Les Miserables,” often referred to as “Les Mis,” is a film adaptation of the original story authored by Victor Hugo. The musical has been placed in the hands of director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) and since its re-

lease this past Christmas, it has won three Golden Globe awards.

The film maker’s approach is slightly unorthodox when compared to that of other film musicals in the past, in that every actor sings his or her pieces live on camera.

The story begins in 1815. Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), has been imprisoned for several years for the heinous crime of stealing a loaf of bread.

Soon, however, he is released conditionally: he must report for his parole

or face being thrown back into their best five-star dungeon.

He violates his parole and through an almost “Count of Monte-Cristo” transformation, he assumes a new life and new identity in order to hide from Javert (Russell Crowe), the overzealous inspector, who has been on his trail for years. While they play their game of cat and mouse, the whole of France erupts around them in yet another revolution.

It seems that the movie’s greatest

strength is also one of its weak points— the singing. With the exception of Hugh Jackman, who is no stranger to venues such as Broadway, many of the characters are plagued by people who are primarily actors without the ability to sing.

Russell Crowe stands tall and intimidating as the ever-vigilant Javert, yet sadly his singing falls flat—though not from a lack of effort. And yet, there are standout moments such as Anne Hathaway’s rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream.”

From beginning to end, her song is both heart-wrenching and beautiful.

The desperation and inhumanity is so clear; it’s easily one of the best moments of the film.

Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter are the funniest of despicable duos and are characters the audience can both love and hate at the same time.

The cinematography by Danny Cohen is fantastic; the set pieces put the audience in the moment.

Still, the constant use of song can sometimes be a turn-off. Also disheartening is the use of English accents as the film is set during the French revolution.

“Les Miserables” is a wonderful adaption of the original novel and marks another job well-done for director Tom Hooper and his team. For the casual moviegoer, this may not be his or her brand of French baguette.

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8 January 29, 2013

UTSA has selected a new learning management system (LMS) called Learn 9.1 which has replaced the Blackboard WebCT CE 8 system.

9.1 FAQ’S

Learn is now live for all courses and can be accessed by both faculty and students at http://learn.utsa.edu/.

How do I access Blackboard Learn?

Update your bookmark to http://learn.utsa.edu and watch the video at http://learn.utsa.edu/knowledge/resources/ video/loginToLearn.mp4 to see each step of the login process.

How do I move between the institution portal page and my courses?

The institution portal page opens when you login to Learn. Your courses are listed in the myCourses module. Click the course name to enter the course. Use the myLearn tab at the top of the page to return to the institution portal page.

What’s the difference between course messages and email?

Course Messages is an internal tool that lets you communicate with other people but the messages stay inside your course. Email is an option that lets you send people associated with your course communication to an external address. The email tool uses the email address you associated with your ASAP information.

Where do I get help with using Learn?

A variety of resources are located at http://learn.utsa.edu as well as through the Blackboard Help site at https://help.blackboard.com. UTSA also offers self-paced orientation courses inside Learn. After you login, click the Open Courses link on the institution page to enroll.

Is the old Blackboard WebCT system still available?

Students, except those with incompletes, can no longer access courses in the old system; however, faculty may still login at https://bb.utsa.edu to access previous semesters’ content and records.

Who can help me with technical issues?

You can contact OITConnect by calling 210-458-5555 or sending an email to oitconnect@utsa.edu. Please provide as much information as possible to assist OIT staff in resolving your issue.

College Design and Development Team Assignments All faculty members at the Downtown Campus may contact Sylvia Hanley. Sylvia is located in the Frio Building in FS 2.416 (her office is in the Student Computing Lab area).

College

Team Members

Phone

Architecture

Sylvia Hanley

458-2951

Business

Melissa Padalecki

458-4053

Josef Varga

458-8192

Education & Human Development

LaVonne Grandy

458-6144

Engineering

Sylvia Hanley

458-2951

Freshman Initiative

Sylvia Hanley

458-2951

Liberal & Fine Arts

Mayra Collins

458-5414

Diana Amis

458-5952

Public Policy

Sylvia Hanley

458-2951

Sciences

Sylvia Hanley

458-2951

Tamara Popescu

458-7376

learn.utsa.edu

SPORTS

9

Will Tallent / The Paisano

January 29, 2013

Terrence Jones, former UTSA basketball standout, has turned in his basketball shoes for a whistle.

Former ‘Runner, Terrence Jones becomes personal trainer with Nike Delaney Marlowe Contributing Writer

sports@paisano-online.com Few people can say that their lifelong career and passion began out of circumstance, but for former UTSA basketball player Terrence Jones, this is precisely the case.

Despite his family’s involvement in the sport (his uncle played for the New York Knicks and his father played in college), Jones didn’t show any interest in basketball until the age of 14 when his family moved to

Gonzalez, La. “I didn’t have any friends,” says Jones, “so the only sport I could play to have that interaction was basketball.” Four years later, Jones was ranked number four in the state and signed to play for UTSA. Jones’ basketball career has taken him all over the world, something that he never conceived could happen. “You never think that basketball can take you to places you couldn’t go on your own,” says Jones, “I got to experience several other countries and people around the world.”

After graduating from UTSA, Jones traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to play for the Euroleague. He played in Italy, France and Germany as well as a short stint in Mexico. Returning to the United States, Jones coached a number of basketball teams from the elementary school level all the way to Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La. But Jones shortly discovered that coaching wasn’t his passion, so he returned to San Antonio to pursue a slightly different career path: training.

In Jones’ years of coaching, he saw a slow depletion of

fundamental skills, something that, as a coach, he didn’t have adequate time to address with his players.

“The coach is on the macro level, they get their players ready for games. Like a general, they have to get their soldiers ready for war.” While Jones enjoyed coaching, he found his passion in the micro level of basketball, in the basic skills that he could transfer to other players. “Everything that took me 20 years to learn, I can transfer it to one person within an hour. And that’s the passion: to see what I’ve learned and to give it to

somebody else.”

With this goal in mind, Jones teamed up with Nike to bring Nike basketball to San Antonio with his program Ultimate Champions. “I reached out to Nike and said ‘hey, can I run my own basketball program?’” said Jones, “and they put their stamp on me, and that’s pretty huge for a basketball trainer.”

In his program, Jones will be working with all levels and ages of players from the novice to the elite to help develop and hone basic skills as well as the intellectual properties of the game.

“When I was playing, I loved it

for what I could absorb in terms of learning to become a better player,” says Jones, “If someone wanted to show me anything in basketball, I would pursue it aggressively so that I could become a better player and to learn more about the game because I was so enthralled with it. And from there, the passion went from learning about the game so I could become my

See JOnes P. 10

SPORTS

10 January 29, 2013

Will Tallent / The Paisano

Women’s hoops suffers defeat against Idaho

UTSA women’s basketball team is currently ranked 9th in the Western Conference.

Delaney Marlowe Will Talllent / The Paisano

Contributing Writer

Terrence Jones shows off his skills that got him a 4 year scholarship at UTSA.

Jones: Transitions from basketball player to trainer From Page 9

better self to seeing how I can transfer this knowledge.”

Working alongside Nike, Jones hopes to bring his program to every state by franchising, consulting or licensing

Ultimate Champions to make that happen. Jones wants to stay involved with the game for as long as he can, “I just don’t see myself doing anything else.”

For Jones, basketball truly is his passion, “I didn’t stop playing basketball until I was 27 years

old, and I’m doing this nine years later. Part of me just can’t put on those shoes, those Johnson and Murphys and a shirt and tie, I just can’t see it. That’s why I’m still involved with basketball. I’m 36 and I still play because I still love it.”

sports@paisano-online.com As the minutes dwindled off the clock at the Convocation Center Saturday, Jan. 26 the UTSA women’s basketball team desperately tried to pull together for a win against the Idaho Vandals but missed shot after missed shot flew through the air to secure the Roadrunners their first loss in the last four games.

“I thought we looked tired,” said coach Ripptoe-Blair after the game, “We played with so much emotion the other night, but you’ve got to be able to bring it every night.” The team’s exhaustion was evident across the board, as no players scored in the double digits and their field goal percentage was at a low 27 percent. Additionally, the team

allowed the Vandals to put up 64 points, up 10 from their season average of 54.4 points per game.

The ‘Runners were off their game from tipoff, immediately allowing the Vandals a 5-0 run. The Vandals led the entire game, with the only exception being the ‘Runners one point lead about halfway through the first half. According to Rippetoe-Blair, “It’s not lack of effort, it’s just that you’ve got to give [the Vandals] credit. They hit big shots, which is what they do.”

The Vandals are, indeed, known for making big shots.

Their three point percentage is an impressive 61 percent, a weapon they used against the Roadrunners, making 30 points from behind the arch. “[The Roadrunners] are so tough de-

fensively, I thought we had to be patient tonight,” said Vandals coach Jon Newlee, “and I thought we were moving the basketball really well, being patient and taking what they gave us.”

Saturday’s game was the first time the Roadrunners have met the Vandals since 1984, when the ‘Runners fell to the Vandals 68 - 67. Both teams, however, are projected to make it to the women’s bracket of the Western Athletic Conference in Las Vegas in March. Rippetoe-Blair is optimistic about the teams meeting next time. “When we get an opportunity to play them again, we’ll have a different game plan than we did tonight.”