Vol 48 Issue 1

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Dr.Harriett Romo discusses newest exhibit at the McNay pg 7 UTSA Men’s basketball let down by weekend’s game pg 8

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Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

{SINCE 1981}

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UTSA’s Institute for Economic Development clients generated $1.4 billion of growth in 2012, exceeding $1 Billion for the first time.

Volume 48

January 15, 2013

Issue 1

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Transfer students don’t save money on student loans, study finds

Planned Parenthood dropped from Women’s Health Program

Matthew Duarte News Editor

{San Antonio} The Section of Hildebrand between the San Antonio River and N. New Braunfels Ave. will temporarily only travel eastbound due to construction.

{Texas} Google invested $200 million towards a West Texas wind farm, which will provide enough power for 60,000 homes.

{History} In this week in 2008 UTSA earned $15 million towards what would become the Park West sports complex

{Quotes} “[This] is nothing more than a desperate move by an organization more concerned with obtaining taxpayer money than with helping women get care.” -Rick Perry on Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit against Texas

{Numbers} 2 - The percent of Republicans who would support Perry in a hypothetical 2016 presidential primary, according to a Public Policy Polling survey released on Jan. 10

Students who transfer to a four-year college will accumulate an equal amount of student loan debt as those who never transfer, according to a report released earlier this month.

The study, “A Brief Look at Transfer Students and Financial Aid,” conducted by the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation (TG) compared the cumulative student loan debt of transfer students with their “native” peers, students who begin school at the university level.

“People have this idea that they are somehow going to save money because they go to community college,” Carla Fletcher, the report’s author, told the Texas Tribune. “But it looks like people end up borrowing about the same.”

According to the report, both transfer and “native” students who graduate from a public four-year university will owe an average of $20,000 in debt. At private four-year institutions, transfer students graduated with more debt than their “native” peers—$27,000 compared to $25,000.

TG was established by the Texas Legislature in 1979 “to provide Texas students and Students are more likely to receive a student loan if they did not transfer into their four-year college families with information and services to help with the financ- for dependent students and tion than they would have had ing of higher education,” accord- $25,457 for independent ones— they started at a four-year uniing to the Texas Tribune. because, as the report stated, versity.”

The report considered data “One is more likely to capture The report also found that only for students whose inde- the transfer students who start- transfer students were less likely pendent or dependent income ed at a community college be- to receive financial aid benefits was at or below the median in- cause they intend to spend less from a university than their come for all students—$88,836 money on their college educa- “native” peers, which may help

Corey Franco Staff Writer

news@paisano-online.com

Will Tallent/The Paisano

UTSA’s basketball teams will meet Texas State on Saturday. The men play in San Antonio at 4pm, while the women play in San Marcos at 2pm.

news@paisano-online.com

to explain why students who spend less time at a more expensive school still owe an equal amount of debt.

The difference in median institutional financial aid was most prominent among HisSee DEBT, Page 3

Judge allows Northside ISD to keep tracking devices in student IDs David Glickman Staff Writer

news@paisano-online.com A federal judge has upheld a ruling that gives Northside ISD the right to make its students wear tracking devices in their student IDs. Andrea Hernandez filed an appeal on Jan. 10 to the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to be permitted to stay at John Jay High School while her case against the school’s new ID program is ongoing, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

Hernandez, a 15-year-old student at John Jay High School in Northside ISD, through the help of her father Steven Hernandez and the Virginia-based nonprofit civil liberties organization Rutherford Institute, filed a lawsuit against the magnet school concerning the school’s mandatory student ID program.

The program, which is also being implemented at Jones Middle School, requires all students to have their new “smart”

student IDs on their body at all times during school hours. The IDs allow the school to track the location of the students through a “radio frequency identification,” or RFID, tracking system.

The schools, which have a recorded problem with student attendance, as well as having their state funding partially linked to attendance, launched the program as a potential means to solve the problem.

The district stated that the program allows the school to find students who are on campus but who missed morning roll call. The RFID can determine students’ locations at any time, as well as provide a general electronic history of their locations throughout the day, capabilities that will allow the school to increase attendance and improve school safety. Hernandez claimed otherwise, however, saying the new IDs were in invasion of her constitutional rights, particularly her religious rights.

Orlando Garcia, the federal See IDs, Page 3

Matthew Duarte/The Paisano

{BASKETBALL}

Northside ISD made national headlines when it inserted tracking devices into student IDs

A state district judge on Friday denied Planned Parenthood’s appeal to retain its government funding as a part of the Women’s Health Program (WHP).

Judge Stephen Yelenosky said the appeal filed by Planned Parenthood was unlikely to succeed at trial since federal funds were no longer an issue in the case.

Yelenosky stated in the ruling, “If, as plaintiffs argue, a successor program must be Medicaid-funded then the only legal remedy would be for this court to shut down the state-funded women’s health program, not to order the inclusion of Planned Parenthood.”

For more than 75 years, Planned Parenthood has operated in Texas as a sexual and reproductive healthcare provider and advocate with the help of government subsidies provided by the Women’s Health Program. The program has been revamped in reaction to new legislation and has now gone from receiving federal reimbursement at a rate of nine federal dollars to every one state dollar, to now being funded solely by the state.

“The new state program will provide contraception, cancer screenings and other services provided through the previous program at the same reimbursement rates for roughly 110,000 women who would be eligible for Medicaid if they became pregnant,” according to the Texas Tribune. “The Texas Women’s Health Program will be funded only with state money and will be run by a different state agency, the Department of State Health Services, rather than Health and Human Services Committee (HHCP), which runs Texas Medicaid and the Women’s Health Program.”

Gov. Rick Perry stated in a press release, “This is great news for Texas women and further proves that Planned Parenthood’s case attempting to derail the Texas Women’s Health Program lacks merit.”

Perry said that Planned Parenthood’s appeal was “nothing more than a desperate move by an organization more concerned with obtaining taxpayer money than with helping women get care.

With this ruling, our state can continue caring for Texas women.”

Not all state lawmakers shared Perry’s sentiment; See PLANNED PARENTHOOD, Page 4

NEWS

2 January 15, 2013

NEWS

3 January 15, 2013

UTSA places second, nationally, in Campus Votes Challenge Matthew Duarte News Editor

news@paisano-online.com UTSA was ranked second in the country for its participation in the Campus Vote Challenge, which dared colleges and students to become more active in the 2012 elections. UTSA finished ahead of schools such as Purdue University and the University of Michigan and was bested only by George Washington University. Twenty schools participated in the Campus Votes Challenge.

Campus Votes Challenge was sponsored by groups such as Rock the Vote and USA Today.

The program asked schools not only to register voters but also to seek voter involvement efforts such as voter education and debate watch parties.

Danny Khalil, who serves as a Legislative Affairs Director for UTSA’s Student Government Association (SGA), said he is proud of the recognition from Campus Votes Challenge, although he admits it was not easy. “A lot of the problems we had were with voter apathy, and you’ll see that with a lot of youth

voters,” Khalil said.

A poll released by the Pew Research Center showed that only 50 percent of eligible voters age 18-29 were registered to vote, down 16 points from 2008. To combat voter apathy, Khalil said, much of UTSA’s efforts went toward making issues relevant to otherwise disinterested students.

The effort was a collaboration by a host of student and community organizations, including SGA, Black Student Union, College Democrats and College Republicans. Working together, they were able to register 3,007

voters—about 10 percent of UTSA’s student population—as a part of the UTSA Votes project.

“Our team was amazing,” said Khalil. “We had leaders from College Democrats and College Republicans who were working hand-in-hand to get people registered to vote.”

Campus groups will continue to reach out to student voters.

For example, city council candidates will visit the campus so that students will be able to make informed choices in May’s municipal elections.

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Contact us news@paisano-online.com

DEBT: Transfer students less likely to receive financial aid From Page 1

panic transfer students who received just $1,400 or $3,300 less than their “native” peers. The report also found that the difference in debt between Hispanic transfer and “native” students was wider than any other margin.

“Transfer students receive less grant money than ‘native’ students, especially at a four-year private university, likely contributing to an increase in borrowing to make up the difference,” the report stated. “Universities may be able to help transfer students by providing them more grant and institutional aid.”

“Many students have traditionally been guided to follow

the transfer route with the assumption it will help them save on certain college costs,” stated Fletcher. “Unfortunately, we found this to be untrue, and, in fact, the transfer route may end up creating significant barriers for some students,” Fletcher said, according to the website.

Steve Johnson, spokesman for the Texas Association of Community Colleges, believes that universities should create more effective financial aid policies for transfer students. The report “points to the disconnect we have in financial aid policy at the state and institutional level for transfer students,” Johnson told the Texas Tribune.

IDs: ‘Smart’ IDs can still track student whereabouts on campus From Page 1

judge in the case, disagreed, citing safety concerns over Andrea Hernandez’s claims. Further, the judge agreed that the district had the right to transfer Hernandez to Taft High School if she chose not to wear the ID, which Hernandez has done as a form of protest since the pro-

gram went into effect.

As the case and appeal are ongoing, so too are the costs to the district and taxpayer, which are currently estimated to be in the tens of thousands of dollars.

The district has stated to the Express-News that they plan to recuperate the costs through the plaintiff.

NEWS

4 January 15, 2013

From Page 1

Rep. Donna Howard (DAustin) told the Texas Tribune that Perry’s opponents will continue to support Planned Parenthood’s arguments. “This represents a one-two punch to women’s health, as the legislature’s cuts to family planning have already resulted in the closure of numerous clinics,” Howard stated following the judge’s ruling. The new WHP seems to lack the provider base to cover all qualified women,” Howard said.

Junior sociology major Tia Robertson is offended by the funding cuts. “They provide necessary service to all women, mostly those who are of low income and lack health insurance. We should be looking at the positive impact of Planned Parenthood instead of getting trapped into these political agendas—agendas that actively harm the lives of individuals

and fuels the war on women,” said Robertson.

The ruling is the latest in a long line of roadblocks that began with a law passed in the 2011 legislative session that required the HHCP, which runs the Women’s Health Program, to ban medical providers “affiliated” with abortion providers from participating in the program.

With this new legislation, Texas is no longer eligible for federal funding for women’s health. Groups like the Women’s Health Program previously received roughly 90 percent of their funding from the Social Security Administration and other federal funding.

Planned Parenthood sued Texas because the organization believed that the Texas law that cut its funding was violating its rights to free speech. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott countered by stating that law-

makers may decide which organizations receive state funds.

On Aug. 21, 2012 the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state could terminate funding to these health clinics because of their association with abortion, and a federal court lifted an injunction that had protected funding until its trial in Oct. In Oct. State Judge Amy Clark Meachum issued a temporary restraining order that allowed a portion of the clinics to retain their funding.

On Dec. 31, 2012, a state district judge refused to grant a restraining order that would have allowed them to participate in the Texas Women’s Health Program that launched in place of the old Women’s Health Program on Jan. 1, 2013.

The Texas Tribune reported that Pete Schenkkan, a lawyer representing Planned Parenthood, maintained that “because 48,000 of the 110,000 women participating in the program currently receive services from Planned Parenthood clinics, excluding the organization’s affiliates from would drastically affect women’s access to health services.”

“Some Planned Parenthood clinics — potentially three of four

Will Tallent/The Paisano

PLANNED PARENTHOOD: Clinics may close without federal funds

The ruling was a victory for opponents of abortion and ends months of litigation

clinics in Hidalgo County, for example — would be forced to close immediately if they were not allowed to participate,” he said, “because the majority of their patients are enrolled in the Women’s Health Program.

All Planned Parenthood clinics would have to begin charging for services currently provided to poor women for free,” the report said.

“The law is that if a program changes its funding source and is redressed under different rules, it’s a different program,”

said Kristofer Monson, the state’s lawyer. On Friday, he told the judge that patients would retain the same rights under the Texas Women’s Health Program, but because it is funded by the state, Texas is allowed to dictate which providers are eligible to participate.

“It is shocking that once again Texas officials are letting politics jeopardize health care access for women. This case isn’t about Planned Parenthood — it’s about women like Marcy Balquinta who rely on us for ba-

sic, preventive health care,” Ken S. Lambrecht, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, stated in a press release.

“Regardless of what happens in the courts, Planned Parenthood will be here for our patients. Our doors remain open today and always to Texas women in need. We only wish Texas politicians shared this commitment to Texas women, their health and their wellbeing.”

OPINION

5 January 15, 2013

Editorial {The Paisano} A solution to cut down on the high number of drunk-driving fatalities in Texas 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:

Over the holiday season, San Antonio Police Department made 274 DWI arrests.

In 2010, Texas was ranked highest in people killed involving a drunken driver, placing the state above California by almost 500 fatalities with 1,259 deaths.

College students are going to drink—instead of chastising drinking, we should advocate safe drinking.

San Antonio is the fifth “drunkest city in America” ac-

cording to a report by the U.S. Daily Beast. Obviously, there is a problem. While ultimately alcohol related accidents are preventable by the driver, UTSA could set an example of safe drinking by providing students with a shuttle service to keep our classmates from getting behind the wheel.

Because Texas is one of only 12 states that do not mandate DWI roadblocks, San Antonio Police Department Deputy Chief Anthony Treviño urged

legislators to allow sobriety checkpoints and “make a cultural change in the state of Texas when it comes to driving under the influence of alcohol,” according to the San Antonio Express-News.

However, rather than scaring intoxicated drivers off the streets by focusing on costs and consequences of DWI accidents or arrests, both UTSA and San Antonio should provide shuttles, an alternative solution, or more effective public

transportation to get students home safely.

“Our challenge is to stop people from driving drunk,” Rep. Pete Gallego stated in a past legislative session. “Punishing them afterwards doesn’t bring back the victim or make the family feel better. The idea is to stop the DWI before it happens.”

Many schools have already taken the initiative. At Texas Tech, student fees pay for “Safe Ride,” a taxi service that will

pick them up anywhere within the city limits of Lubbock. Further, students at the University of Texas at Austin, can ride the city busses that transport to and from bars around town at all hours, free of charge.

If we were to follow suit and offer such an alternative, it would stand as evidence that the safety of our classmates and community is, indeed, a high priority at UTSA.

Natalie Frels

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What do we do with guns

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

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Steven Kellman, Mansour El Kikhia, Jack Himelblau, Sandy Norman 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:

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Commentary

What happens when the band doesn’t show T h e Roadrunner men’s basketball team is not off to a flying start in its first-and-only season in the Western Athletic Conference.

They have been defeated in each of their first six games in conference. Aside from losing the first conference game by four points and the sixth and most recent game by two, the Roadrunners have been beaten by 13, 20, 25 and eight points, respectively.

Also starting out slowly was the support of our fans. The game against San Jose State had a listed attendance of 825 people. I was at that game and that estimate is generous at best. What I took from that game wasn’t the lack of people, (lets face it, we rarely fill the Convocation Center,) but the fact that there was not a single member of the school band in attendance.

A case could be made that because it was New Year’s Eve, members of the band weren’t available to make the game. But that is not a good reason.

The game was at 2:00 p.m. It was over by 3:45, giving every-

body ample time to leave the Convocation Center and return home in time to ring in the New Year.

The absence of the band reflected poorly on our university. I spoke with some of the San Jose State fans who were sitting in our student section (there were too few UTSA students—another issue) and they asked me if I knew why we had no band in attendance.

I had no answer.

For a group of fans who make only one trip to San Antonio, they left with the impression that the UTSA student-athletes did not have the support of the entire university behind them.

If we are going to continue to talk about UTSA’s ambitions of becoming a big time university both academically and athletically, we are going to have to step up our efforts as fans and supporters.

I know there are enough students living in San Antoniowho could have attended the game against San Jose State. I am sure the band has members who could have taken a few hours out of their holiday break to support the basketball team.

The cheerleaders and pom squad were there, but the music wasn’t there.

Before attending the game against San Jose, I was watching a college basketball game on ESPN2 between the University of Minnesota and Michigan State from the Williams Arena in St. Paul, Minn. Not only was their arena full, but they also had a portion of their band, cheerleaders and pom squad, most of whom had probably just returned the day before from their football team’s bowl appearance against Texas Tech in Houston.

We, as a university, will soon be entering Conference USA, and in future years the university hopes to put a 10,00012,000-seat basketball facility at the Park West Athletic Complex.

It is up to us to prove to our adminstrators that we warrant an arena with that big a capacity. Our history of attendance would prove otherwise unconvincing, but we can change that by showing up to support the orange and blue, win or lose.

And maybe the band will be there too.

Stephen Whitaker Managing Editor

The Paisano

encourages new comic submissions!

in a citizens’ revolt against British imperial power. The right of citizens to organize militias to fight government tyranny was therefore a founding idea of the new country”. Furthermore, gun lobbyists also argue that most criminals and shooters with psychological problems don’t obey gun laws. John R. Lott argues “Limiting the right of legal gun ownership by passing harsh gun laws would disarm more law-abiding citizens more than the criminals, which meant criminals have less to fear from potential victims.”

Another approach is to provide basic lessons on WHAT to do when a campus shooting happens. At University of San Francisco, campus police gave a very important lesson that open to all faculties, staffs, and students right after the Virginia Tech shooting. In this lesson, five basic strategies are taught.

The basic strategies for survival are as follows: “1. Escape! 2.

Take cover. Get behind something that will stop a bullet and look for chances to escape, such as when the shooter is reloading his weapon. 3. Hide. Then look for a chance to escape. 4.

Play dead and then look for a chance to escape. 5. Attack the attacker as a last resort. Best to catch him by surprise or striking a blow from behind.” Since the beginning of the training, over 100 lessons have been conducted. Not only the police staffs but also the university community benefit from attending this kind of prevention lesson. Besides, the campus police also were trained in the best practices for responding to these incidents and purchased equipment, including shields to protect themselves from bullets.

Hiring more armed security guards in school could be a solution for preventing campus shooting. However, James Fox argued that “the presence of security guard only give a short term impact by making the students feel more safe. But in the long term, the universities and the school boards have to raise tuitions to pay for the extra security.”

In conclusion, to prevent campus shootings is not easy at this moment since we don’t have strict gun control in the US. However, we still can do something to prevent massive casualties when campus shootings happen by providing training to the staff and students, campus police, and hiring more security guards.

Zhiyong Fan Junior biology major

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After hearing about the campus shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Connecticut, I was shocked and felt furious on the brutal killing of innocent children and adults. This was “America’s second-deadliest campus shooting incident which left 28 dead including 20 children”, according to Economics Times. Over the last 20 years, over 100 people have died and about two-dozen injured in the campus shootings across the US with the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007 being the deadliest claiming 33 lives.

We have to prevent these tragedies from happening again since campus shootings not only cause tremendous casualty but also threaten our public security. Several approaches might be effective to prevent campus shooting, including gun control, better training for staff and students, improving infrastructures, and hiring more security guards.

Gun control is no doubt the best solution for preventing campus shooting. David Hemenway argues “a broad array of evidence indicates that gun availability is a risk factor for homicide, both in the United States and across high-income countries” If the shooters cannot get weapons easily, the incidence of shooting will decrease dramatically. Australia has become a good model for the U.S. Between the mid-1970’s and the mid-1990’s, Australia had several mass shootings. After a particularly horrible massacre in 1996, a new prime minister, John Howard, declared that enough was enough. He instituted a severe crackdown on gun ownership, and forced would-be gun owners to submit to a rigorous application process, and to document why they would need a gun. Howard’s government also implemented a rigorous buyback policy, to enable the government to purchase guns already owned by the public. His policy worked.

Although violent crime has not ended in Australia, murders are down, and, even more dramatically, there has not been a single mass shooting since 1996 in which three or more people died (the definition used in many studies of mass shootings). According to Jeffrey Sachs, “before the crackdown, there had been 13 such massacres in 18 years.”

However, gun lobbyists would argue that gun ownership constitutes a vital protection against government tyranny. This thought was based on the fact that put forth by Sachs that “The US was born

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Correction

On Dec. 4, 2012, The Paisano reported that Northside ISD planned to fully integrate a system of tracking chips in their student ID cards into all NISD schools in 2013. This was an incorrect statement and the Paisano regrets the error.

PASEO

6 January 15, 2013

The Fiscal Cliff: sending the economy over the edge Sarah Gibbens Paseo Editor

paseo@paisano-online.com The New Year brought with it many uncertainties. Superstitious people from around the globe prepared themselves for what some contended would be the end of humanity. A similar kind of dread was developing in Washington D.C. The impending fiscal cliff received copious amounts of attention in the media and, while most people were at least vaguely aware of

the Bush Tax Cuts set in place by the second Bush Administration, and extended in 2010

by President Barack Obama, were set to expire. These tax cuts came in the form of two bills: The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003.

The first bill mentioned lowered the estate and gift tax rates, and also lowered the income tax rate for middle and upper class Americans by an

cuts were extended in 2010 when President Obama signed into law the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010.

The end of Bush-era tax cuts gave cause for many upper and middle class Americans to worry that they would see a significant increase in taxes on income and capital gains. With Senate and House Republicans demanding a reduction on the federal deficit, the expiration of the 2012 budget would have also

Will Talent / The Paisano

its existence, they were confused about the consequences of going over the cliff.

With the end of 2012,

av erage of 30 percent.

The Act simplified retirement plans for seniors with money in 401K investments.

The second of the tax cuts served to expedite the process of lowering taxes from the first set of cuts and, in addition, lowered taxes on capital gains and dividends. These

mandated automatic spending cuts across various programs, with significant cuts to departments such as Defense and Transportation.

With impending tax increases and automatic spending cuts, going over the fiscal cliff would have caused dissatisfaction with both Democrats and Republicans. Various budget proposals were drafted in Congress, only to be rejected by the Democratic Senate and Republican House of Representatives.

On Jan. 1, 2013, President Obama signed into law the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. The Act addressed issues created by the end of the Bush-era tax cuts. Had the Act not been signed into law, taxes would have been raised significantly, with upper class income earners paying an increase of seven percent in income taxes.

The new law will raise taxes, but at a considerably lower rate.

According to the Urban Brookings Tax Policy Center, the top one percent of income earners will pay a tax increase of 4.5 percentage points. The top 20 percent’s taxes will increase by 2.5 percentage points, middle class earners will pay 1.3 percentage points more and the bottom 20 percent of income earners will pay only an increase of 1.1 percentage points.

This means that single income earners making over $400,000 and couples earning $450,000 will pay 39.6 percent of their income in taxes in 2013, as opposed to the 35 percent they paid in 2012.

The Act is also set to phase out credits and tax deductions for those earning over $250,000.

Aside from the expiration of the Bush Tax Cuts, a major source of concern was the automatic $110 million in spending cuts to defense if a compromise between the House and Senate not been reached. In preparation for significant budgetary cuts, the Department of Defense preemptively notified more than 800,000 civil service employees that they faced the possibility of unpaid leave. With the passing of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, Congress agreed to delay the billions of dollars in spending cuts for two months to allow budget negotiations to continue.

Shortly after passing the bill through the Senate, President Obama announced in a press conference, “While neither Democrats nor Republicans got

everything they wanted, this agreement is the right thing to do for our country and the House should pass it without delay.”

Bryant Andrade, a freshman political science major, shared similar sentiments about the deal.

“The plan that was agreed upon in Congress was more of a compromise than a plan, where both Republicans and Democrats alike were left unhappy with the results. One of the scariest parts of the entire plan is that the extension of the payroll tax was not passed, which just again means that the poor are getting poorer. This could have been a much better plan if there wasn’t so much partisan bickering,” Andrade said.

The cuts to payroll taxes from- 4.2 to 6.2- percent can be a cause for concern to the average middle class income earner.

According to Businessweek, the increase in payroll taxes will result in smaller paychecks. A wage earner making $50,000 a year can expect to take home $1,000 less than what he or she made in 2012.

“The deal is simply a bandaid that is just prolonging the serious tax reform debate this country needs to have.”

Cyrus Huncharek

Undeclared, Freshman

American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 could be “considered a win for Democrats” and President Obama who promised to increase taxes on the wealthy in his run for reelection.

The American Taxpayer Relief Act may have kept Washington from falling over the fiscal cliff; however, many financial concerns remain in Congress. Questions over raising the debt ceiling and by how much have been concerns.

Undeclared freshman Cyrus Huncharek expressed frustration over many of the inefficiencies shown by Congress before a fiscal cliff compromise could be reached. “The deal is simply a band-aid that is just prolonging the serious tax reform debate this country needs to have,” Huncharek said.

In a press conference on Jan. 14, Monday morning, President Obama announced, “Republicans in Congress have two choices here: They can act responsibly and pay America’s bills or they can act irresponsibly and put America through another economic crisis.”

Discussions and debate will, as always, continue in Congress until a comprehensive plan can be agreed upon to address the nation’s deficit. According to the Wall Street Journal, the most prevalent issue that Congress now faces revolves around the debt ceiling and whether it should be raised. Republicans in the House and Senate stand against raising the debt ceiling as a way to force Democrats to cut back on spending. Not raising the debt ceiling, however, would cause the U.S. to default on its loans, possibly plunging the country into another recession.

While there was dissatisfaction among both Democrats and Republicans, the New York Times reported that the

Tax Increase as a result of American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 With the passage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, Americans will see their taxes increase, some more than others.

According to the Urban Brookings Tax Policy Center, a non-profit bipartisan public policy research center, some Americans will see their taxes increase by as much as 4.5 percentage points.

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 embraces progressive tax rates with top income earners being taxed at higher rates than those of low incomes. This data was compiled by the Urban Brooking Tax Policy Center which claims to foster economic and social welfare.

ARTS&LIFE

7

January 15, 2013

Estampas de la Raza: Contemporary Prints from the Romo Collection Dr. Harriett Romo shares a lifetime of Mexican-American art collecting

editor@paisano-online.com Dr. Harriett Romo sits at her desk, a book featuring prints from “Estampas de la Raza: Contemporary Prints from the Romo Collection” on her lap. She describes in detail the moment she and her husband bought their first piece of art.

“One of my colleagues invited Ricardo and I to dinner at her house. The whole evening, I saw this beautiful piece on her wall behind the dining room table and I said, ‘Where did you get it? Where do we find Mexican art like this?’”

And so began a lifetime of art collecting. The Romos’ collection of over 200 prints inspired “Estampas de la Raza,” the most current exhibit at the McNay. The show is a beautiful display of more than 60 prints by 44 artists that celebrate the rich Mexican-American culture.

Romo and her husband, President Romo, were working in inner-city schools in Los Angeles when a colleague told them about a Beverly Hills gallery that specialized in Mexican Art. “We started looking at the pieces that were there, and he (the gallery owner) spent some time with us and explained it.

Every time we had some time, we’d go over and just kind of wander around the gallery,” Romo said.

“Finally, he said, ‘You like this art. Why don’t you all buy a piece and you can pay me in monthly payments, and you can take it home.’ So, that’s what we did.”

The Romos’ first print, a

Katy Schmader/The Paisano

Katy Schmader Editor-in-Chief

Rufino Tamayo lithography, cost $300. The Romos were living in an unfurnished, $90 a month apartment.

The piece represented a little over three months’ rent.

“We paid him $25 a month and we had our books in orange crates and table with two chairs and our Rufino Tamayo lithograph,” she said.

Romo then opened the book on her lap to Sun Raid, one of the prints on display at the McNay. The silkscreen print

by Ester Hernandez depicts the maiden from the Guests look at work from “Estampas de la Raza,” an exclusive exhibit featuring pieces from the Romos’ personal collection. notable Sun-Maid Raisin box as a skelevery little and of the refusal to “We realized that they (the show is a cohesive body to help ton. She discussed the deporta- let them organize labor unions. McNay) had a big collection individuals identify with Mextions that were going on at the “I was teaching elementary of Mexican Prints and they re- ican-American culture. The time during “Great American in a very low-income area and ally collect works’ on paper. We exhibit is not only a beautiful Boycott” and how the piece re- many of their families were mi- invited Lyle Williams (Curator collection of art, but also an exflects an ideology of the people grant workers. We were both of Prints and Drawings at the cellent educational tool. during that time. very much experiencing what McNay) to come over and see “We want other people to reRomo seems attached to the these students were experienc- what we had – and see if they alize that these artists are out many migrant workers who ing,” she said. would be interested in them. there. That is what was so excitwere angered by the farming “It spoke very much to the He was very excited about what ing about having an exhibit at companies that, without con- kind of situation we were in- we had.” the McNay- a lot of people do cern, sprayed pesticides over volved in, and as I became a soRomo and her husband gave not know about this art, they their fields while families and ciologist, these definitely spoke the McNay 200 pieces and from do not know about these artchildren were working. The im- to me. He’s (Ricardo) a histo- that Williams selected the 67 in ists, they are not usually found age displayed creates a clear, rian, so we were interested in the exhibit. Romo smiled as she in museums,” Romo said. “We vivid argument, supporting the the history of these movements said, “Some of our favorites are like the artists, we like the art migrants. and the way they were charac- not in this exhibit, so, hopefully, and we are just very excited that Romo continued to flip terized in art,” she continued. they will do something else as they are getting that kind of atthrough pages of the book and After a couple of moves well.” tention.” pointed to example after ex- around the country the RoWilliams grouped the exhibit “Estampas de la Raza: Conample of prints that bring at- mos settled in San Antonio. It by themes, identity, tradition, temporary Prints from the tention to the exploitation of was then that the McNay asked memory and culture in order to Romo Collection” is on display the laborers who were working them to be co-chairs of their help the exhibit flow from one at the McNay until Jan. 27. very long hours and earning Mexican print exhibit. issue to the next. As a result, the

Meow! Cats is back in full feline force The Andrew Lloyd Webber classic graces the Cameo Theatre for a limited run Jennifer Alejos Arts Editor

arts@paisano-online.com “Cats” has everything a Broadway show is made of— theatrics, drama, marvelous costumes and scandal.

The hit musical, which first opened in London in 1981, has now been shown in over 20 countries and in 250 cities.

After much success and a television film, “Cats” is back at the Cameo Theatre with Jonathan Pennington and Jovi Lee Gonzales directing the production.

“Cats” is not only lighthearted and fun but it also offers a serious look into the life cycle and the contemplation of what waits for us in the afterlife. The play opens with the cats gathered around a junkyard where they are waiting for their leader, Old Deuteronomy, to arrive.

Once the cats learn that the audience is present, then introductions are made.

Two minor flaws exist within the Cameo’s play, although one is unpreventable due to the theater’s small size. The stage is too cluttered, making it hard to see every character onstage with an atrocious amount of props in the background. At times, the play became overwhelming due to the poor use of props and the close-knit proximity between the characters and the decorations. Normally, most productions of “Cats” feature over 50 actors in the performance, but in this case, the roughly 20 cats performing on stage felt as if it were too many. However, the

actors were able to work well in the limited space they were given.

Most of the dialogue was lost in the first act of the play.

The actors’ singing was muffled through the speakers, making it almost unrecognizable to the audience. It was not until the second or third song that the sound technicians were able to get it right. This is unfortunate since the first few songs are crucial to the plot of the play, especially for those seeing it for the first time. Also, there appeared to be a slight lighting problem on the actors in the foreground.

Only the audience that was seated in the front were able to see the feistiness from some of the characters that were not necessarily involved in the key musical numbers.

Besides the minor production problems, the musical was wonderful. “Cats” is able to pull away from its shortcomings because of its dedicated cast and excellent performances. You will be cheering for your favorite feline to jump back onstage once it is over, and you will be hit with a wave of nostalgia once you leave the theater.

“Cats” delivers what hard-core fans of the musical franchise crave—beautifully sung ballets, character dedication and an overall spectacular performance.

“Cats” follows a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and their decision to choose a head cat to follow in the sacred ritual of going to the Heaviside Layer. In the ritual, a lucky cat is given the opportunity of being reborn

in the Heaviside Layer to start a new life. This decision tends to make all of the cats competitive in gaining the respected privilege.

Based on the book of short poems titled “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by T.S. Elliot, the play is split into two acts. The first act consists of the introduction of the cats and their greetings to the audience.

It is within this first act that the Jellicle Ball takes place and the cats discuss who will be chosen to ascend to the Heaviside Layer. In the second act, the cats must foil the plan of Macavity when Old Deuteronomy is catknapped and the audience discovers who will be chosen to go to the Heaviside Layer.

“Cats” is filled with characters with colorful personalities.

Dwight Robinson does a brilliant job of portraying the feeble-handed cat Asparagus, simply known as Gus, who is the “washed-up” character of the bunch. Grizabella, the glamour puss, played by Twyla Lamont, was splendid to watch as well.

Thad Payne also successfully captures the sensitivity and gentle nature of the head cat, Old Deuteronomy.

In the Cameo Theater’s production, there are definitely some actors that stand out more than others. Two notable mentions are in order for Josias Bermea and Yudith Burton who play Mungojerri and Rumpleteazer. Both actors share great chemistry, which translates well on stage. It would appear as if the actors have known each other their whole lives.

Jaime Goldman who plays Rum Tum Tugger, takes his role to a whole other level with his overthe-top banter and flamboyant dance moves. The audience loved his gyrating on stage and cheeky personality.

Each cat is delightful in its own way, but Lana Tucker offers a certain vulnerability to the role of Demeter that can be appreciated. Tucker manages to stay in character throughout the entire play, from the way she moves her hands to her innocent cat-like glances to the audience. Her voice is perfect for the role, with excellent control of her pitch level and perfectly sung high notes. She was easily an audience favorite.

Twyla Lamont, who plays Grizabella in the feature, shines onstage in her drab, shaggy costume with sequins peeking underneath and runny mascara.

Lamont, a wellknown theater actress, has many performances under her belt. Her resume is quite impressive with roles in many high-regarded musicals including Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeny Todd,” Lily in “Annie” and Yente in “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Lamont proves that she is the most experi-

enced actor in the bunch with her flawless cover of “Memory.” As she belts the melody onstage, chills were felt when the actress poured her heart into the performance, creating a breathtaking rendition of the musical’s most memorable song.

“Cats” was originally scheduled to conclude on Jan. 13, but due to a wide-spread turnout, the play has been extended until Jan. 19. For more information, visit their The Cameo Theatre’s website at cameocenter.com.

{Local Events} Tuesday, Jan. 15.

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 free on Tuesdays.

Wednesday, Jan. 16.

12 p.m. Exhibit: Transitios Artpace (445 N. Main Ave.) presents Transitios, a group show that highlights on the themes of culture, economy and miscommunication. Artists for the exhibit include Ricardo Cuevas, Miguel Monroy, Jose Antonio and members of the Changarrito Project.

Thursday, Jan. 17.

7 p.m. An Evening with Vincent Valdez & the AMtones The McNay Art Museum (6000 N. New Braunfels Ave.) presents an intimate evening with artist Vincent Valdez & the AMtones.

The event will include food along with a look at Valdez’s exhibit, “America’s Finest.” Tickets are $25-$45. For more information, visit <mcnayart.org>.

Friday, Jan. 18.

6 p.m. Dreamweek Arts Mixer Come celebrate the active art community in San Antonio at the Dreamweek Arts Mixer presented

by Blue Star Contemporary Art Center (116 Blue Star). Appetizers and drinks will be served while guests can view the latest work from the Justin Randolph Thompson exhibit. For more information, visit <bluestarart.org>.

Saturday, Jan. 19.

2 p.m. Theater: “The Cat in the Hat & Other Tales” This rendition of the beloved Dr. Seuss classic is playing exclusively at the Magik Theatre (420 S. Alamo). Director Katie Mitchell brings the tale onto the stage in the form of a one-act play. Tickets are $9-$10.

Sunday, Jan. 20.

12 p.m. Exhibit: Mummies of the World The Witte Museum (3801 Broadway) presents “Mummies of the World,” a showcase of mummies from 21 different museum collections that span seven countries.

The exhibit features real human and animal mummies along with other preservations. Tickets are $18-$22. For more information, visit <wittemuseum.org>.

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{for the weeks’s full calendar visit: paisano-online.com}

SPORTS

8

Will Tallent / The Paisano

January 15, 2013

UTSA guard Hyji Thomas walks off the court after missing the potential game-winning 3-pointer while Jordan Sims looks on dejectedly. The Roadrunners lost to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, 73-71, on Saturday Jan. 12. The Roadrunners will return to action against Texas State on Saturday Jan. 19.

UTSA off to 0-6 start in WAC play Sheldon Baker Sports Editor

sports@paisano-online.com What is a basketball team to do when one of its best players goes down with an injury? In UTSA’s case – play with more urgency.

Unfortunately, however, for the Roadrunners, urgency wasn’t enough to secure a victory. On Jan.12, the UTSA Roadrunners lost 73 - 71 to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in one of the most exhilarating games of this season.

“This one hurts. We’ve got

some hurt guys over there.

There’s no doubt about it,” Head Coach Brooks Thompson said.

In a season marred by losses and untimely injuries, the Roadrunners played well against the WAC’s best team.

“They made a little run, and our guys came right back at them,” Thompson said.

“The guys knew they had to step-up; it was no either/or, they had to step-up. We all had to step-up,” said senior guard Kannon Burrage.

The Roadrunners had three players score in double figures: junior forward Jordan Sims

(16), junior guard Hyjii Thomas (14) and senior guard Burrage (29).

Burrage’s 29 points were both a career and team high.

“He played well…he’s capable of doing that night in, night out,” said Thompson of Burrage.

Offense wasn’t really the issue for the Roadrunners. On the other hand, LA-Tech guard Kenyon McNeil was. McNeil scored a game high of 34 points on 11 of 19 shooting from the field and 9 of 15 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc.

“We made a few defensive mistakes on McNeil, and he

“At the end of the day, it’ s still a loss. I don’t really believe in moral victories.”

Kannon Burrage

Shooting Guard, UTSA

made us pay,” said Thompson.

Towards the end of the game, UTSA fought back. Michael Hale III, Sims and Burrage nailed some big shots, which

gave the ‘Runners a two point lead, but down the stretch, McNeil was too much. With seven seconds left in the game, McNeil hit his ninth 3-pointer. The

‘Runners had one last chance to win, but Hale lost control of the ball at half court, which forced Thomas to shoot a desperation 3-pointer that clanked off the back of the rim—giving UTSA its sixth consecutive loss.

“We lost to Utah State by four and tonight by two; we have a better confidence,” said Burrage.

The Roadrunners have four days off before they play Texas State on Jan 19. The game will be played at the Convocation Center, at 4 p.m.

9 January 15, 2013

SPORTS

San Antonio Rampage split Weekend action, 1 - 1 sports@paisano-online.com After a tough home loss against Lake Erie on Thursday (Jan. 10), the Rampage split the weekend Friday (Jan. 11), defeating the Monsters 4-2. The victory also evens the season series 2-2-0-0.

The Rampage scored first.

12:28 into the first period, after recovering the puck deep in Monster territory, Rampage center James Wright launched a shot beneath the Lake Erie goalie, giving the Rampage a 1-0 lead. twelve seconds later, Rampage right wing Jon Rheault broke loose for a power play goal with 7:20 left in the period, extending San Antonio’s lead, 2-0. It was Wright’s fifth goal and Rheault’s 12th goal of the year.

Lake Erie started the second period much more aggressively than the first. Pouncing on a loose puck in the Rampage zone, right wing Dean Strong put the Monsters on the scoreboard at the 1:40 mark. Less than two minutes later, Matt Tassone tied the game with a blast from the right wing.

With renewed energy to open the third period, the Rampage scored less than two minutes in. After a scuffle deep in the Monster zone, Drew Shore outmuscled two Lake Erie players for the puck and fired a shot into the net at the 1:42 mark.

Shore’s 10th goal of the season reclaimed the lead for the Rampage, 3-2.

Less than two minutes later, at the 3:29 mark, right wing Jon

“I took it personally after last nights game.”

{Mens Basketball} Utah State

5-0

Louisiana Tech

5-0

Denver

5-1

New Mexico State 4 - 2 UT Arlington

3-2

San Jose State

3-2

Idaho

2-3

Seattle

0-5

UTSA

0-6

Texas State

0-6

{Womens Basketball} Seattle U

5-0

Louisiana Tech

3-2

Idaho

3-2

Utah State

3-2

New Mexico State 3 - 3 UTSA

3 -3

Denver

3-3

San Jose State

2-3

UT Arlington

1-4

Texas State

1 -5

File Photo

Contributing Writer

Rheault extended San A nto n i o’s lead with a blast, giving the Rampage a 4-2 advantage, a lead they would preserve until the final buzzer. It was R h e a u l t ’s 13th goal of the year.

“I took it personally after last night’s g a m e ,” Rheault said after the victory.

Indeed he did.

With two goals in Friday’s game, Rheault is tied with te ammate Greg Rallo The San Antonio Rampage made their playoff debut last season before losing to the Oklahoma City Barons in the American Hockey League’s Western Conference Semifinals. This for the most season, the Rampage are 16-20-0-4 through 40 games. Their 36 points are five shy of the eighth and final playoff seed.

Rampage goals this season.

The game was tough for the On Jan. 10, in front of 3,389 Rampage offensively, but it fans at the AT&T Center, the was particularly tough on the Lake Erie Monsters defeated Rampages goal tender, Jacob the San Antonio Rampage, 5-1.

Markstrom, who gave up five The home loss was San Anto- John Rheault goals against the Monsters. nio’s first since Dec. 16.

Markstrom had given up only “We had a couple bad bouncsix goals in his previous four es...but we left too much to the loss.

Erie scored on 50 percent of contests. chance. We need to come out The Rampage took 29 shots their power plays (2-for-4), The Rampage will return and be prepared to work. The on goal to the Monsters 25, but while the Rampage were held to home ice against the Texas team on the other side of that the Monsters power play of- scoreless (0-for-5) when hold- Stars at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 25 at ice works hard,” Rampage Head fense compensated for the dif- ing a man advantage on the the AT&T Center.

Coach Chuck Weber said after ference in goal attempts. Lake power play.

Photo courtesy of Darren Abate / San Antonio Rampage

Doug Ritcher

{WAC Rankings}

Rae Rippetoe-Blair is the winningest coach in UTSA women’s basketball history.

Rippetoe-Blair out for undetermined time because of medical issue Sheldon Baker Sports Editor

sports@paisano-online.com UTSA’s head women’s basketball coach, Rae Rippetoe-Blair, did not travel with the team to UT-Arlington on Thursday, Jan. 10, or to Louisiana Tech Saturday, Jan. 12, because of medical reasons. The Roadrunners won both games in her absence.

In a press release, UTSA Athletic Director Lynn Hickey said, “Medical commitments have prevented Rae from the making the trip. We look forward to having Rae back with the team as soon as possible.”

Coach Rippetoe-Blair’s medical is-

sues, ostensibly, surfaced after she missed the second half of the New Mexico State game on Jan. 3. She also missed the entire game against Denver University on Jan. 5.

In a statement, Rippetoe-Blair said, “I would like to thank the UTSA family and my staff for their support during this time. I am taking steps to ensure that my health improves and that I can return to the team as quickly as possible.”

At this point, the university doesn’t know when Rippetoe-Blair will return to the sideline. In her place, Associate Head Coach Lubomyr Lichonczak will be acting head coach.

{Follow Paisano Sports on Twitter}

{@PaisanoSports1}

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