The Paisano Volume 50 Issue 9

Page 1

Volleyball wins 9th straight game of the season page 12

UTSA Quidditch gears up for a successful season page 5

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

{SINCE 1981}

u t t he Check o ide u voter g inside!

Vol. 50, Iss. 9

UTSA and the UTHealth Science Center awarded $600,000 to two groups of researchers through the San Antonio Life Sciences Institute in a collaborative effort to increase the presence of international research profiles. The researchers hope to better understand fungal infections.

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2014

Is the Student Government mismanaging your money? UTSA Kate Kramer Intern

UTSA

October 21 - October 28

news@paisano-online.com The Student Government Association (SGA) at UTSA prides itself on being the voice of the student population. Despite the SGA’s goals of advocating students’ needs, their 2013-2014 budget says otherwise. Sixty-seven percent of the SGA’s budget covered SGA officer stipends, a retreat for SGA members, an SGA banquet and leadership development. In contrast, only 20 percent of the budget went toward student events such as the Diploma Dash and Scantron give-a ways. Operating on a yearly budget of $47,650, the SGA is funded by a portion of the Student Services Fee, a $180.84 fee that is collected from students each semester as part of

their tuition and fees. Although the SGA purportedly works year round to ensure students’ needs are being heard, many students report that they do not see what the fee is going toward. “This may just make me sound like an uninvolved student, but I’ve never heard of anything that SGA has done. I always thought (SGA) was just a group to develop your leadership skills,” said junior anthropology major John Garza. Many students who, unlike Garza, are aware of the SGA’s presence also feel they are not benefiting from the organization. “I don’t really care that part of my tuition goes to SGA, but I’ve never heard about any of the events they hold for students, and I feel like I’m missing out,” said senior English major Julie Marks. “If more students knew about See BUDGET, page 3

UTSA Institute showcases stories of migrant workers

TOTAL $43,763.67

UTSA Mariam Adamjee Business Assistant

news@paisano-online.com

can get these grants or not; but you try, and sometimes you get them,” said Santamaria. “The brain is really the essential part of the human,” said Huang, “so understanding how the brain functions is the ultimate goal of biology.” Huang also received a grant from the Army Research Laboratory in addition to his grant from the DOD to research brain-machine interaction using the EEG machines. The goal of the project is to develop a way for soldiers to control small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with EEG technology. Currently, Huang’s graduate student, Mauricio Merino,

On Oct. 12, the migrants’ traditional el corrido, or ballad, introduced the Institute of Texan Cultures’ (ITC) Migrant Worker Stories event. The institute hoped to shed light on the benefits and struggles of the migrant experience. Los Inocentes Hermanas, a singing duo of Benicia Centera and Ista Centera, harmonized with their guitarras to express the elements of migrant life: hard work, ethics and tight-knit family. The event focused on the perspectives of two key speakers: Cynthia Jasso Arredondo, a former migrant worker and the current manager of Educational and Training Services at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and Dr. Alberto Rodriguez, assistant professor of history at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The migrants and their families must pack their belongings and travel to harvest fields each summer for 10-hour workdays, 7 days a week. “The week after Easter represented the beginning­ — and the challenges — ­ of a treacherous summer,” Rodriguez recounted. “The trips to Colorado were long (and) depressing for all of the family. We understood

See RESEARCH, page 3

See EXHIBIT, page 3

SGA SPENDING:

FALL 2013 - SPRING 2014

$16,340.00

$4,758.54

SGA Retreats, Banquets and Conferences

SGA Events (Tailgating, Golf Cart Parade, etc.)

$13,060.00 Officer Stipends and Student Worker Salary

$1,916.42 Student Outreach (FTK, Diploma Dash, etc.)

$6,344.55 University Life Awards

$486.44 Office Expenses

UTSA researching how to control vehicles using the brain

Early voting for the Nov. 4 general election began this week. According to early polls, Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott and lieutenant governor nominee Dan Patrick hold 15-point and 12-point leads over their Democratic counterparts Wendy Davis and Leticia Van de Putte respectively.

UTSA Megan Jenkins Intern

news@paisano-online.com UTSA is rapidly devouring brains. Within the last

few months, two UTSA researchers received grants to study the human brain. Dr. Fidel Santamaria, a biology professor, received $300,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF), and Dr. Yufei Huang, an electrical engineering professor, received $400,000

Student veterans seek a safe haven on campus

The UTSA Student Veterans Association poses for a picture in the park.

U.S. The US Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will review whether, under the 4th Amendment, the Los Angeles police can access hotel registries without first obtaining a search warrant.

UTSA Anthony Mendoza News Assistant

news@paisano-online.com

The UTSA Student Veteran Association (SVA) would like to change the HE-B University Center’s Tejas Lounge into a veterans’ recreation center. The center would provide veterans

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from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to purchase two high-performance electroencephalogram (EEG) systems — machines that record the brain’s electrical activity. This research is part of the White House’s BRAIN Initiative, an initiative begun by President Obama to further study the brain and founded in hopes that it would accomplish as much for science and medicine as the Human Genome Project has. Santamaria’s grant was one of 36 grants awarded by the NSF that furthers the White House’s BRAIN Initiative through the study of “how complex behaviors emerge from the activity of brain circuits.” “You never know if you

the opportunity to interact with one another as they transition from military life to a school environment. “Our job is to be the representative voice of all veterans whether or not they are members,” said SVA President Tyler Wynne. “There are various committees around campus that support veterans and their education, and we’re the student voice to those committees.”

However, designating the spot for veterans’ use results in a general loss of space for non-veteran students to use. All students pay a University Center fee to have access to the Tejas Lounge, and if the SVA is granted exclusive use of the space, it would exclude many students. Wynne clarifies that his position does not intend to prohibit students from the UC common area but instead designate a spot where veterans can focus on school and personal issues. “We’re not trying to kick (students) out and take over the space,” explained Wynne. “(Instead), we’re thinking of putting posters up in the Tejas Lounge so (students) know why we are doing this.” According to the United

ARTS - “Carrie the Musical”

See SVA, page 2

Dayrl Smith/ The Paisano

Texas

The electroencephalogram in use.

Courtesy of the UTSA SVA

The Pentagon has assembled a quick response team of critical care nurses and infectious disease doctors to combat U.S. Ebola cases. The team will train at the Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston this week.

Courtesy of UTSA

San Antonio

Prospective UTSA students gather in the Paseo during UTSA Day.

Aspiring students flood campus on UTSA Day UTSA Shabazz Dawkins Contributing Writer

news@paisano-online.com The campus was bustling with intrigue this past Saturday, Oct. 18, because UTSA Day was in fullswing. UTSA Day’s open house gave prospective UTSA students an opportunity to view the campus and

catch a glimpse of UTSA life. COLFA, The Honors College and a number of other organizations spoke to potential roadrunners. “The campus is a lot nicer than I thought it would be,” said high school senior Courtney Holmes. “It’s a really pretty campus. There’s a lot of lively people around; everyone seems excited,” Holmes’ brother observed. To read more, visit us online at paisano-online.com

WEB - S.Y.B. (Stretch Your Buck) SPORTS - Behind the serve

“Carrie the Musical” is taking over the Woodlawn Outdoor Theatre until Nov. 9.

Check out S.Y.B. for great tips and tricks to save some cash.

page 8

Online @ paisano-online.com

Get to know UTSA libero Annie Kunes. page 12

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