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Are campus superstitions real? Find out page 6
UTSA womens basketball drops fifth straight at home against Tulane page 8
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Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio
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UTSA Alpha Omega will host a fundraiser to benefit Chance for Africa, a program that helps African children finish school, at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, in the H-E-B UC Ballroom.
San Antonio City Council has called for a special election on May 10 to fill vacancies left by former council members Elisa Chan and Carlton Soules.
Texas UT Board of Regents Chancellor Francisco Cigarrao announced Monday, Feb. 10, that he will be stepping down from his position to become the head of pediatric transplant surgery at UTHSC San Antonio.
U.S. University of Missouri defensive lineman Michael Sam publicly came out. Sam could make history as the first openly gay player in the National Football League.
Volume 49
Issue 5
February 11, 2014
{WWW.PAISANO-ONLINE.COM}
A guide to Valentine’s Day Looking for a great place to take your Valentine? Find out the best date spots in San Antonio on page 7, and visit our website at www.paisano-online.com for our Valentine’s Day Netflix movies and gift guide!
Brittney Lopez / The Paisano
Energy secretary praises UTSA UTSA Matthew Duarte Editor-in-Chief
news@paisano-online.com US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz visited UTSA’s Downtown Campus Thursday, Feb. 6, to meet with university
and city leaders and to engage the community during a town hall discussion. Joining Moniz at the event were UTSA President Ricardo Romo, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and Les Shepard, director of UTSA’s Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute (TSERI). The event came shortly after President Barack Obama’s State
of the Union address, during which he reiterated his “all of the above” energy strategy, which would double down on renewable energy sources and natural gas to reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil. Moniz had high praises for UTSA, where he said “clean energy and innovation” are helping achieve a brighter future in
the energy sector. He emphasized that partnerships between the government, universities and business are critical to the continued growth of the energy sector, both in San Antonio and across the country. While Moniz emphasized the need for more renewable See ENERGY, Page 2
UT Regents Chancellor steps down LOCAL Matthew Duarte Editor-in-chief
news@paisano-online.com UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa will be stepping down from his position to return to his previous career as a transplant surgeon. Cigarroa has been the Chancellor since his appointment in 2009. “It has been such a wonderful
privilege to work with countless and exceptional professionals throughout the UT System,” Cigarroa said, according to a press release. “Together we have been able to impact many lives through the creation of new and transformative initiatives.” Cigarroa — who has been in the spotlight as tensions between the Board of Regents and administrators at UT Austin have made headlines across the state — will remain at his post until a replacement can be
found. “In large part, I have completed all the goals that I set out in 2009,” Cigarroa said. He specifically commented on the progress made by UTSA and other schools that are making strides to reach tier one status. Other accomplishments for the system that have come under his tenure include the university merger that led to the creation of UT Rio Grande Valley and laying the foundation for medical schools in Austin and South Texas.
Cigarroa’s tenure has also seen harsh criticism of UT Austin’s decision-making, particularly regarding President Bill Powers and the firing of Mack Brown, UT’s former head football coach. The Board of Regents (BoR), particularly Wallace Hall, have been accused of micromanaging in Austin. These tensions have spilled over into the political discussion, as every member of the board was appointed by Governor Rick Perry, whose policies Powers has openly and harshly See STEPPING DOWN, Page 2
Banning plastic bags LOCAL Lizzette Rocha Staff Writer
World As conflict continues in Syria, United Nations representatives resumed peace talks in Geneva on Monday, Feb. 10. The first round of talks yielded no resolution.
Sports The UTSA Baseball team will host the Saint Peter’s Peacocks in a threegame home stand at Roadruner Field starting Friday, Feb. 14.
Rising clean-up costs for grocery and retail store bags has encouraged City Councilman Cris Medina to propose a ban on plastic bags for the city of San Antonio. The ban was proposed last November. A governance committee will consider the issue on Feb. 19 before a ban is proposed to City Council. According to Councilman Medina’s consideration request, “San Antonio spends nearly $1.3 million per year in controlling single-use carryout bag pollution.” The request also stated that plastic bag pollution can affect San Antonio’s infrastructure, cost small businesses money and make the city less attractive to visitors. In cities such as Brownsville, TX, a plastic bag ordinance allows businesses to charge customers a $1 environmental fee if they opt to use plastic bags. However, specific provisions concerning the ban for San Antonio have yet to be determined.
Rafael Gutuirrez / The Paisano
news@paisano-online.com
Plastic bag bans have already been passed in Austin and Brownsville. Customers who forget their bags must now pay a small fee.
“I’m in favor of policies that help preserve the environment,” said District 8 Councilman Ron Nirenburg, “but with any new ordinance, we would need to study the consequences before we cast a vote.” Although the plastic bag ban would limit the distribution of plastic bags in stores and may decrease pollution clean-up costs, the effect the ban would have on businesses is still not conclusive. “I wouldn’t mind (the ban)
because plastic bags are optional,” said Tracy Coward, UC Campus Convenience Store employee. To students like UTSA psychology major Nailah Brinson, the ban is simple. “I wouldn’t like it exactly because I like things to be in plastic bags,” she said. “I would probably be opposed to the ban.” Councilman Nirenburg encourages UTSA students to attend public meetings to voice any concerns or requests for
further information. UTSA student Matthew Frost agrees with the ban but is still unsure about what the ban could mean for San Antonio and its college campuses. “Though the ban on plastic bags is a step in the right direction environmentally,” Frost said, “an immediate ban with no transitional period would cause many problems, perhaps outweighing the benefit.”
Will UTSA quit smoking? UTSA Paulina Rivero-Borrell Staff Writer
news@paisano-online.com According to the American Lung Association, 70 percent of smokers started smoking regularly at age 18 or younger, and 86 percent at age 21 or younger. “Eighteen percent of the US population smokes, in which 20 percent are 18-24 year olds,” said Amanda Graves, health education coordinator at UTSA. UTSA has created a tobacco cessation program for students who smoke tobacco and would like to stop. The free program, which started Jan. 21 and ends March 4, presents seminars that provide information on smoking triggers, quitting factors, lifestyle changes, health effects of smoking and how to develop a quitting plan. Because few students joined the cessation program this semester, Health Services will offer only oneon-one sessions. UTSA Health Services will work on promoting the program this semester in order to re-launch it in the fall so that more students will join the group seminars. Graves explained how the cessation program works. “We provide students with help to identify the triggers that cause them to smoke, and we organize a quit plan with a goal date.” Graves and the other UTSA health education coordinators are trained professionals who consult with students and lead smoking cessation seminars. “We want to raise awareness and emphasize the harm of smoking. We want to educate students and staff on the importance of quitting,” said Graves. Carolina Paz, a public relations major, is in favor of the program and the cessation of smoking on campus. “I am happy that UTSA is becoming a smoke-free campus. It will be beneficial for everyone, including the non-smokers.” However, some students opposed to a tobacco-free campus are not willing to quit. Psychology major Isabel Villasenor explained how the tobacco-free campus was a topic in her psychology class. “All of the smokers in my class agreed that turning the campus into a “smoke-free” place would not help to lower smoking. They also said that they would not stop smoking because of this.” Daniela Villasenor, an architecture major, attends most of her classes at the Downtown Campus. She explains that the Downtown Campus has been smoke-free for a year, yet
See SMOKING, Page 2