VOL . 102, NO. 25
T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F T E X A S AT E L PA S O
aprIL 3, 2018
should the “preacher guy” have a voice on campus?
see what students have to say on Pg. 6
gaby velasquez/ The ProsPecTor ryan denton, also known as “Preacher guy,” holds his bible at centennial Plaza in his routine spot. The 32-year-old is a non-degree seeking student at uTeP.
By daniel mendez The Prospector Four years ago, Centennial Plaza was still under construction as bulldozers, construction workers and fences overpowered the center of campus. After its completion it became a spot for Frisbee throwers, graduation photo shoots and getting some peace and quiet in between classes. However, for more than a year, in the center of the plaza, there is a good chance while walking from class to class, students will hear a man yelling about abortion, loudly attacking students who he deems are sinners and denounces other religions and faiths other than his own. Occasionally, he carries a sign that reads “abortion is murder.” Students on campus refer to the student standing in the front of Centennial Plaza as “preacher guy.” “Preacher guy,” whose real name is Ryan Denton, preaches at least two to three times a week during the peak hours that students walk to and from class.
Denton claims he was once in the shoes of the students he is trying to save. He considers himself a missionary evangelist and said his denomination of Christianity is Calvinist Baptist—one of the most conservative types of Baptists. The former pastor believes in the Puritan values of “doing everything according to scripture and the commitment to a life of holiness.” After what he describes as a downward spiral of profanity, promiscuity, whiskey, marijuana and trouble with law enforcement, Denton said he had a spiritual awakening when he was 22 years old after his friend passed away. “I became under deep conviction of sin and realized that God is good,” Denton said. This was not the first time someone in Denton’s life had died, but for some reason this death was different. Now 32, he has been spreading his version of the word of God throughout college campuses and public places across the country for 10 years. “I’ve been preaching on campuses before I came to UTEP for a few years,” said
Denton, a non-degree seeking student. “I have no doubt the Lord called me to preach. Outdoors in the pulpits, it’s really wherever he’s calling me to preach. I think what I’m doing here is definitely a calling of God.” Denton’s preaching is often countered by students with everything—from a student dressed as a chicken squawking over his voice, students reading Dr. Seuss books out loud to drown him out and some students have even silently held signs next to him as he preaches that read “false prophet.” Although some may not appreciate what Denton is doing, the Student Government Association (SGA) planned to host a forum discussing religion and science, which was scheduled for March 28. The event, “How the two can coexist: religion and science,” was meant to be an open discussion between Denton and a senior biology major named Sangeeta Kurada. Kurada was first approached by SGA the Wednesday before the announcement of the forum. The 19-year-old was going to serve as a member of the panel. Kurada
said she received backlash for wanting to participate in the event through social media from her College of Science peers. The backlash was along the lines of, “how do you possibly want to put yourself in that crossfire,” given the person she is going to be arguing with. Despite the cancelation, Kurada said she pushed for the event to happen. She felt it was necessary to have this type of conversation in order to see both sides of the argument and develop somewhat of a compromise. Kurada also said she respects what Denton is doing and realizes how much guts that takes for one to be doing what he does, but she does not support his rhetoric. She has witnessed when students present their arguments to Denton, as he calls them names or belittles them for the color of their skin. That was one of the reasons she insisted on the forum happening. Instead of a hostile situation in Centennial Plaza, she felt it could have been a situation where both sides kept their cool and presented their differences.
“There were a lot of things that maybe I disagreed with. Not necessarily only the message that he was saying, but the way it was being delivered,” Kurada said. “For me, I really believe that a lot of rationale and good attention to knowledge is needed from someone who can keep their cool and hear both sides of the situation.” SGA originally invited all 13 faithbased organizations on campus to participate. More than half declined to participate, but some chose to send a representative to the forum with the hopes of creating an opportunity to present their beliefs to Denton, who has been denouncing other forms of faith publicly on campus. The forum was canceled within hours of the announcement. SGA had received multiple messages from students and parents of students on campus, who were concerned with providing Denton with a platform to spread his message. SGA’s representatives said the messages mostly consisted of people
see preacher on page 3
PAGE 2 aprIL 3, 2018
OPINION
EDitoR-iN-ChiEf
MICHAELA ROMÁN, 747-7446
An experience of a lifetime
By adrian Broaddus The Prospector
I had a sevenand-a-half hour drive to think about where I am in my life and what my journey to San Antonio meant. I, along with Jeremy Carranco and Mikey Flores, two seasoned student sports writers, made a special weekend trip to San Antonio for the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Full Court Press writing seminar workshop. The event consisted of a panel workshop, where we would get to meet the top sports journalists in the country, followed by all access to each of the Final Four teams’ practices and interview sessions for coverage. And yes, Sister Jean-Dolores Schmidt, the beloved 98-year-old super fan of Loyola Chicago, was available for interview. During this drive it made me reflect on where I was in my young journalism career and what this trip meant. Two years ago, I was standing in the same spot at NRG Stadium for the Final Four media day, but I was just 19. Now, I had experience under my belt and I was a lot more fearless in terms of reporting and hungry for more. It also made me reflect on our sports publication as a whole. Jeremy and Mikey have been with The Prospector for a year and a half now and only really covered UTEP sporting events. I knew this was an experience for all of us that would truly be outside of our spectrum of coverage. When we got to the Alamodome in San Antonio, we all agreed to go our separate ways to venture out in terms of coverage. To kick off our day, we participated in the grand interview session for the Oscar Robertson Player of the Year Award and sat in as the winner Villanova guard Jalen Brunson talked in front of big-time media outlets. Then, in a compact room, we sat in on a highly anticipated press conference that Sister Jean conducted, which brought in media outlets from across the nation. Sitting next to me was a senior reporter for ESPN, while just in front was an Associated Press sports correspondent. We literally sat next to the greatest college basketball sports writers in the nation. Following the presser came the writing workshop for all the students. There were young journalists from Texas A&M, University of Texas, Trinity College and
all over Texas, but none that drove sevenplus hours for the event like we did. What struck me the most was what Jim Lefko, the sports editor of the San Antonio Express-News, said during the sports writing workshop about how important it is for journalists to maintain a fresh look. Talking to writers like Pat Forde, a senior columnist of Yahoo Sports, Dana O’Neil, a past ESPN reporter and current writer for The Athletic, and Nick Moyle, a fresh graduate who is working for San Antonio Express-News, was beneficial in seeing the different levels of sports journalism and how competitive the field is. No, we aren’t doctors, who are in charge of someone’s lives and studied countless hours to get their certification. Nor are we lawyers, who pay an unrealistic amount of money to practice law and have to work tirelessly in certain instances on cases. But, we’re journalists, the storytellers of the world that give these athletes, coaches and members a voice to share with the world. We work unfavorable hours for a lot less pay and compete in an intense field where there are easily more reporters with the same, if not better, qualifications than ourselves. With the addition of technology, the pressure is at an all-time high to be the first to release a story or the first to break news via social media. Throughout all four team’s interviews, speaking with coaches, photographing practices, networking with other media members and writing timely stories, it made me step back and realize how important our job is to the world. Every other school that came to the writing workshop started to trickle out of the media event as time went on in the late afternoon. Mikey, Jeremy and I were among the last students standing, working on multiple stories until we perfected them and put out our best effort. After we published all the work and retreated back to our hotel, there was a strong feeling of accomplishment coming out of all of us. Us three West Texas kids, born and raised, were able to hang with the big media outlets fearlessly, and although we didn’t work for a huge media outlet, the experience was a once-in-alifetime opportunity. On the drive back, I personally counted my blessings and was extremely content that as young student journalists, we experienced something that we will hold onto forever in our lives. Follow adrian Broaddus on Twitter @adrian_broaddus
The Prospector is committed to the accuracy. If you think we have made an error of fact, e-mail the editor at michaelairoman@gmail.com
STaFF Editor-in-Chief: Michaela Román Web Editor : Christian Vasquez Layout Editor : Alejandra Gonzalez Copy Editor : Adrian Broaddus Spor ts Editor : Jeremy Carranco Enter tainment Editor : Claudia Flores Photo Editor : Gaby Velasquez Multimedia Editor : Rene Delgadillo Staff Repor ters: Jake Deven, Mike Flores, Elenie Gonzalez, Daniel Mendez Photographers: Claudia Hernandez, Sergio Muñoz Contributors: Brianna Chavez, Jason Green, Aylin Tafoya, Isaiah Ramirez
VOL . 103, NO. 25
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LEttER to thE EDitoR
Recent tragedies across the nation regarding gun violence have exposed our nation to a number of trials and tribulations, affecting the lives of many. Every life is irreplaceable, and those lost are perforations in the hearts of their families and communities. Such afflictions should not intertwine with the lives of any individuals, much less students seeking education to better themselves holistically. The University of Texas at El Paso Student Government Association wholeheartedly expresses our deepest of condolences for the victims of the recent shootings occurring across the nation. We believe that educational institutions should be an environment for fostering our ideologies and growth as individuals. Schools ought to be safe havens for students seeking to expand their base of knowledge and character. No student should face the heinous mass crimes that have limitless effects on those whose lives they touch. In hopes for the future, we wish for a safe and prosperous environment that allows students to expand their horizons without fear. For these reasons and many more, we stand in support and solidarity with the students, faculty and families who have been affected by the recent tragedies. Furthermore, we wish to express our deep gratification with and support for recent protests such as the March for Our Lives event. Across the nation, students are mobilizing organized groups that far exceed any expectations of civic engagement. Members of young demographics stemming from all backgrounds and upbringings are enacting nationwide movements and rallying people of all communities. Coordinated activist groups have made historical impacts on the direction our nation and legislature. These are the events and actions that can not only change the way a nation perceives an issue, but also where the next step will be taken. Millennials and their successors could not only direct where elections could go, but also guide legislative conversations to make the best decision to help individuals across the United States. We hope this ambitious drive compelling all young activists across the nation persists for the successful continuation of a healthy and safe democracy. We look forward to seeing ensuing activist activities in the future from younger populations and the change that will result from their efforts. Sincerely, Student Government Association 2017-2018 The University of Texas at El Paso
Gloria Trevi should not be allowed to tour By jason green The Prospector
On Wednesday night, Mexican pop star Gloria Trevi will perform at the Don Haskins Center on UTEP’s campus as part of the Gloria Trevi vs. Alejandra Guzman Tour. Ten hours away, former Telemundo El Paso multimedia journalist Karina Yapor will probably be preparing for work the next day at Univision 45 in Houston. Both Trevi and Yapor have come a long way from the home of Sergio Andrade, Trevi’s former manager and ex-husband, in Mexico City. After building a reputation as a champion of women’s rights and equality in the late-80’s and early-90’s, Trevi had a majestic fall from grace when it was revealed that she was a recruiter of sorts for a “sex cult” run by Andrade. Yapor was one of their victims. Yapor was only 12 years old and living in Chihuahua when she left home to join the music school run by Andrade in Mexico City. Trevi had recruited her after noticing her at a concert and bringing her backstage. It wasn’t long before Yapor was being abused by Andrade in many ways, including sexually, while Trevi stood idly by. Yapor’s parents took notice when Trevi and Yapor came to Chihuahua to visit and warn her about a book that was about to come out. “To Glory Through Hell,” by Aline Hernan-
SPEAK YOUR MIND
dez was an expose of Andrade and Trevi’s lifestyle of child sex abuse, written by one of Andrade’s former child brides. Yapor’s mother was told not to believe any of it. Soon after, Yapor’s mother was informed that her daughter was now living in Spain with Andrade and Trevi and at least 12 other young girls—and that Karina had a son that needed caring for. She had become pregnant with Andrade’s child at 15. Eventually Trevi, Andrade and their harem would be caught up with in Brazil and the two would be jailed while Mexico and Brazil fought over where their trial would take place. Somehow while in prison, Trevi became pregnant with Andrade’s child, another of Andrade’s children. There is no definitive word on how many children were impregnated by Andrade through the years after being recruited by Trevi to join his “music academy.” Eventually Trevi left Brazilian prison and had her charges in Mexico dropped. The biggest pop star in all of Mexico was somehow able to have her charges of human trafficking, child endangerment, prostitution, etc. completely dismissed despite overwhelming proof, including numerous eyewitnesses and victims. Why? Because of lack of evidence, of course. Now we come to Wednesday. Trevi is performing at UTEP. Our campus. In an arena built by the tax dollars of the people of the great state of Texas. She continues to tour, while 30-40 young girls have grown into women after possibly having had babies, or forced abortions, while in Andrade and Trevi’s care. Somewhere in Mexico, or Houston by way of El Paso in Yapor’s case there
are women trying to move on with their lives with the emotional scars of having been forced to have sex with a man as old as their father, being locked in closets for hours on end, being starved and beaten—all while Trevi did absolutely nothing. If you have tickets to her show, I hope you think about them a little while you watch Trevi singing, dancing and having fun still making a living doing what she loves. I hope that in the era of #MeToo, you can listen to her sing lyrics of empowerment that she wrote in the early-90’s from “Pelo Suelto” like “Voy a traer el pelo suelto, voy hacer siempre como quiero, voy a olvidarme de complejos, a nadie voy a tener miedo;” and still feel empowered like you did back then, instead of thinking that it’s her way of saying “screw what’s right, if Sergio wants more young girls, I will get him more young girls!” Tell yourself that she was caught in his web and it wasn’t really her, that she’s a great person despite the fact that she recently paid out a lawsuit for having a housekeeper at her home in McAllen, Texas who was basically enslaved. She and her husband took the woman’s passport, worked her 120 hours a week and paid her $385 every two weeks. But, that was Andrade’s fault too, right? Do what you want. Insult the victims even further by giving her more money despite what an evil human being she is. But, whatever you do, don’t go backstage and audition for her. Follow Jason Green on Twitter @greenevansj
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letters will be edited for clarity and brevity. letters over 250 words are subject to editing to fit available space. Please include full name, street address and telephone number and e-mail address, plus major, classification and/or title if applicable. address and phone number will be used for verification only. Write to 105 e. union, e-mail theprospectordaily.news@gmail.com, call 747-7477 or fax to 747-8031. The Prospector is published by the Student Media and Publications Board, 105 Union East, 500 W. University Ave. El Paso, Texas, 79968. The Prospector appears in print once per week on Tuesdays during the fall, spring, and summer semesters. The newspaper is not printed during holidays and when classes are not in session. The Prospector does provide news online at www.theprospectordaily.com. The Prospector is provided to students through student fees. First copy is free. Any additional copies, if available, must be purchased for $1 through the Department of Student Media and Publications. The Prospector is not responsible for claims made by advertisers. Additional policy information may be obtained by calling The Prospector at 915-747-5161. Opinions expressed in The Prospector are not necessarily those of the university.
THEPROSPECTOR
NEWS | 3 |
April 3, 2018
preacher from page 1
gaby velasquez / The Prospector concerned with UTEP allowing a student, who harasses their child on campus, a platform to speak his ideology. In short, the deciding factor that led to the cancelation of the event was student safety. Another concern brought SGA’s attention was the fact that Denton was previously arrested in El Paso for preaching across the street from a drag show event on Dec. 20, 2017. Denton was charged with criminal trespassing. His arrest has been chronicled by Christian news media websites such as Christiannews.net. Denton had his third court appearance/ pre-trial for this charge. He left his court appearance with a no-decision and a new court date on April 25. The Plaza Theatre was hosting an event called “A Drag Queen Christmas: The Naughty Tour” the show featured contestants from RuPaul’s show “Drag Race.” Denton was preaching adjacent to the theater. Attendees of the event called the police to complain. Officer Jared Lamb had informed Denton that he was on private property, whereas Denton claimed
he had been preaching on that same exact spot for years without a problem. Denton said that he was wrongfully arrested and the case is still ongoing. He then said that the SGA had given him three different reasons for the cancelation of the event, but in Denton’s eyes he said SGA was trying to cover their tracks because they know it looked bad. Ryan Saenz, an SGA executive assistant, said this type of behavior goes against SGA’s student values. “We were glad the students said that because we would never want any students to feel unsafe on campus,” Saenz said. “That was the reason why we canceled the event. We really wanted to air out some of those disagreements on religious things so you can talk about it and move on from it.” In comparison to Denton’s approach to spreading religion, other faith-based groups on campus, such as the Baptist Student Ministry (BSM), have taken a different approach to sharing their faith.
They offer bible studies and free lunches on Wednesdays. The approach is to offer the students a meal as they take time to listen to a message. Chris Smith, director of the BSM, is not against Denton’s preaching, but believes there is more effective way to target students. “We’re not against him per se, but our approach is obviously different than his,” Smith said. “Our goal is to serve the campus and we do that by doing all kinds of different ministries or outreaches.” Joel Mckee, a recent digital media production graduate and current intern for the UTEP BSM, would have liked to see the open forum happen and thinks it’s necessary for students to have discussions like this. He thinks it would have allowed a way for different sides to express themselves. “It’s kind of a bummer that they closed it down, but I think it is good to be able to have these discussions,” Mckee said. “We should be able to be free to discuss these things. Not just show one side, but discuss both sides.” Denton said that he is taking classes here at UTEP simply for the “fun of it” without any plans of actually graduating with a degree. He already has two bachelor’s degrees from the University of New Mexico in philosophy and English literature, a master’s degree in liberal arts from St. John’s College in Santa Fe. He most recently earned a master’s degree of divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Denton usually draws large crowds as he spreads what he sees as the word of God, but some students consider his preaching approach to be aggressive and disruptive.
“I fully support thoughtful conversations between people who disagree, but it’s so important we give a platform to people who can be respectful towards one another, said Destiny Garcia, senior physiology major. “The preacher guy yells and harasses students, he singles out women in hijabs or random women, calling us ‘baby killers,’ as we’re minding our own business, walking to class. “This isn’t about rejecting Christianity, it’s about rejecting hate speech.” Denton does not consider his preaching to be hateful, but informative. He sees why students might find what he is saying to be hateful because they would rather not hear the truth. “There’s a lot of lies,” Denton said. “Lies always spread around on campus. You’ll never hear me call a Muslim woman a name. Despite what people say, no one’s ever heard that, because I wouldn’t do that. The thing is I do love the students enough to tell the truth about Christ.” On Denton’s YouTube channel, “Christ in the Wild Gospel Society,” he posts videos he takes on his GoPro while preaching. Students aren’t the only ones on campus who have a problem with Denton. According to Denton’s Facebook page on Jan. 24, A UTEP employee filed an allegation against him for disturbing community members inside the Administration Building. The building is directly across from the plaza. This was not the first allegation UTEP has filed against him, according to Denton. UTEP’s administration released the following statement in regards to students who wish to express their first amendment rights, “All members of the university community can exercise their
right to free speech and assembly on the UTEP campus. At all times we ask individuals to be respectful and not disrupt the daily functions of the institution. For further information about Free Speech and Assembly, please refer to Section II, Chapter 2 of UTEP’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.” Some students are supportive of Denton saying they support the Constitution’s First Amendment’s freedom of speech rights. Victor Sanchez, a senior bilingual education major, does not find what Denton says as offensive. He witnessed students disagree with Denton and acknowledges at times students get upset, usually not letting Denton finish his argument. “They got to be more open to what he’s talking about,” Sanchez said. “I believe everybody has their freedom of speech, so anybody can say whatever they want to say. It’s up to you how you want to take it and respond to that.” Denton was not surprised at the cancelation of the open forum. “All over the country, people that are given a platform to speak, who are considered bible believing, evangelical or conservative, you see that they’re getting shut down. College campus across the country are shutting down evangelical Christians from having a platform from saying what they believe in,” he said. SGA has plans for a new forum led by Noelia Collins, who is the Religious and Spiritual representative in the SGA’s House of Representatives. The event will take place April 18 at the Cactus Flower Room from 11 a.m. to noon. The event promises to be a safe space, where students can discuss religion freely. Follow The Prospector on Twitter @utep_prospector
THEPROSPECTOR
| 4 | NEWS
April 3, 2018
UTEP Medical Brigades wrap up a trip to Nicaragua
2 By jake deven The Prospector
While many students chose to spend their spring break out of town or relaxing at home, a group of UTEP students traveled to Central America to provide healthcare to low-income residents. Members of the UTEP Global Medical Brigades, a non-profit, studentled organization that travels internationally to provide healthcare for people who would otherwise have little to no healthcare access, traveled to Nicaragua for spring break with students from St. Louis University. “(We) chose Nicaragua after considering that there would be less of a language barrier, and also having the opportunity to do something toward our careers while in such a beautiful place was convincing enough,” said Jacqueline Amador, UTEP GMB president and senior biochemistry major. Other countries in Central America such as Honduras were out of the question due to the high levels of crime plaguing the country right now. Although it’s the largest country in Central America and full of culture, Nicaragua is the least stable country in the region and the second poorest country in the hemisphere after Haiti, making the inaugural trip one the organization will never forget. The process for organizing such a life-changing experience was no easy feat. Amador said she started from scratch, having to recruit a whole
1
3
team of medical brigades and fundraise for the brand-new organization. “Our objective was to not only help the people with dental and medical care, but also educate them about preventive measures they can take to avoid things such as STDs or cavities,” Amador said. A typical day with the medical brigades included a two-hour car ride to a local community center, which was not always available. When the community center was not available, the medical brigades would set up their pharmacy or clinic in a home provided by a member of the community. The organization was involved in many public health projects during their stay, from packaging medicine, to dispense throughout the community, to assisting with medical and dental procedures. In addition to providing medical supplies to local residents, the organization also helped develop a trench, where the locals planned to place a pipe for drinkable water to reach over 100 families. “It’s a really gratifying experience and truly eye-opening to see how there are people with needs everywhere else and to be able to do something about it,” said Jerricho Tipo, secretary and treasurer of UTEP GMB and a senior biological sciences major. Tipo said many families in Nicaragua do not have access to medical or dental amenities and live with stomach pains, headaches, rotting teeth and gum diseases without a clear solution in sight.
“They just live through the pain, it becomes normal for them,” Tipo said. While some medical brigades attended to healthcare for adults, many were assisting children through health education. Members taught the children how brush and floss their teeth and educated them on the importance of hygiene. “It’s nice see that they appreciate that we’re there and that there is something that can be done about their situations,” Tipo said. Almost everyone in each of the families wants to be seen by the doctor. Unfortunately, because of limited resources and time, members were only able to treat a select number of patients. “It’s heartbreaking because each family member has a problem either with muscle pain, stomach pain, headaches, parasites or bacteria infections, and we can only treat some of them,” said Valeria Urbina, project organizer of UTEP GMB and senior forensic science major. Some residents in Nicaragua must walk miles for water or medicine. And being able to provide for those communities is what inspires the medical brigades of UTEP. “Medicine isn’t just about life versus death situations. It’s also about giving patients a good quality of life because it’s really tough to live in a situation where you don’t have a good quality of life,” Urbina said. Follow Jake Deven on Twitter @jakedeven
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4 photos courtesy of Jacqueline Amador 1. Members of UTEP Medical Brigades help dig a trench for clean-water pipeline in Nicaragua during spring break. 2. UTEP Medical Brigades pose with students from St. Louis University. 3. The students provided dental assistance to local communities in Nicaragua. 4. UTEP and St. Louis students organize pharmacy medication for those who need it.
THEPROSPECTOR
NEWS | 5 |
April 3, 2018
Here is what you can expect from UTEP’s recent tuition increase includes anything from mental health counseling, disability services and advisors. “Students overwhelmingly tell us that they want to have one-on-one relationships with their advisors and we really have to grow our pool of advisors,” Edens said. Some state-mandated programs, such as sexual assault awareness, suicide prevention training and financial aid for military and civil servants, are not funded, so the tuition makes up for the lack of state funds. Among the UT colleges in Texas, UTEP is still in the lower half of tuition costs. All UT colleges use differential tuition or are planning on doing so. UTEP’s tuition has risen for years, increasing at a steady pace at around 9 to 10 percent every two years since 2013. Edens
design by christian vasquez The Prospector UTEP’s tuition is increasing by five percent for all students by $197 in the fall of this year and by $208 in the fall of 2019.
By christian vasquez The Prospector
For the first time, UTEP’s tuition will be partly based on which degree students will be pursuing. And for most students, base tuition will be increasing by 5 percent for all students consecutively for two years, meaning a 10 percent total increase by 2019. That means if a student is taking 15 credit hours, an undergraduate resident student can expect to see a $197 increase in fall of 2018 and an additional $208 increase in fall of 2019. Graduate students and nonresident students will also face a 10 percent total increase over two years. Undergraduate students in the colleges of business, engineering, health sciences and nursing will see a differential increase with tuition rising anywhere from $210 to $502 depending on their major by fall 2019, in addition to the 10 percent increase. “Those programs just cost more than they used to, and I mentioned that there are labs, equipment, microscopes, and all these kinds of things that cost a lot more in those programs than it would cost to teach a history major or an education major,” said Gary Edens, vice president of student affairs. “Basically
they (students) were supplementing those who were in a high-cost program.” Jocelyn Torres, a senior engineering major, will see a $240 increase as well as the $197 base increase. “I get financial aid and I also get benefits with the military. It hasn’t been a problem, but I do still find myself getting loans out because school is expensive overall, so I feel like it’s just going to effect me more, especially since I have a year left,” Torres said. While the business college does not use labs or high-tech equipment, the faculty are among the highest paid on campus, Edens said, since they bring in professors from the private sector, who can make a lot more money elsewhere. “To bring a faculty member that has that business knowledge, that real-world knowledge, you’re bringing them from top firms, from top business opportunities,” Edens said. Edens also said that UTEP changed to the differential tuition model to meet the continuously growing population as well. “As we were a smaller campus and as we were building our research, I think that probably made sense, but as we’ve become a research-heavy institution, a tier-one institution, and as we’ve really seen growth in certain fields like engineering, business, health sciences, we’ve realized those programs just cost more than they used to,” Edens said.
Around 70 percent of the new revenue will go to faculty recruitment and retention, according to UTEP’s proposed tuition increase plan to the UT System. The tuition increase will also go toward raises for faculty and staff, which were cut last year due to budget constraints, and ensuring that the teacher-to-student ratio does not increase as enrollment continues to break records. This past year UTEP has over 25,000 students in attendance. “To stay competitive, we got to not only keep the great faculty we have, but continue to recruit outstanding faculty and that means we have to be competitive,” Edens said. The remaining 30 percent will go toward student success initiatives, such as the UTEP Edge and student support, which
explained that as the state continues to not adequately fund schools, tuition will continue to rise. “The reality is as we continue to see the state support of higher education go down as a percent of investment per student, we’re going to have to see that balance with some other increase,” Edens said. “So if the state is going to continue to support us less and less and less, then we’re going to have to make up those moneys, and the only way we can do that is through tuition.” Students can find more information at utep.edu/tuition. To see the full proposed tuition increase, visit this story at theprospectordaily.com. Follow Christian Vasquez on Twitter @chrismvasq
THEPROSPECTOR
| 6 | NEWS
April 3, 2018
question of the week
What are your thoughts on the student who preaches at Centennial Plaza? claudia hernandez, sergio muñoz / The Prospector
America Montes
Freshman business major “Sometimes he talks about interesting subjects, but I don’t think it is the place to talk about them. Sometimes I think he’s not respectful.”
Luis Anchondo Junior digital media production major “I’m a big believer in free speech, it’s just it would be better if he wasn’t just screaming at your face.”
Christopher Corona
Aurora Salazar
Kenneth Hardy
Brenda Mejia
“I respect what he does, but a lot of the things he does are controversial in the way that I don’t believe what he’s saying and it’s kind of annoying.”
“I mean he can do whatever he wants, you know? I don’t have an opinion.”
“I wouldn’t really have a problem with him being there if he was less aggressive about what he was doing.
“I don’t mind because that’s their thing, it’s not like they are forcing anybody to do anything.”
Cathy Roman
Marcos Martinez
Melissa Gerber
Natalie Castro
“Maybe not going out there every day and maybe doing it in a more organized fashion could be more effective.”
“I don’t agree with him. I don’t think it’s right for him to talk about religion to other people that he doesn’t know.”
“I’ve never even seen this dude. Maybe I didn’t hear about him because I transferred from another school. I just transferred this year.”
“It feels like he needs to like share what he believes in then I’m for it. I personally don’t feel like it’s a problem.”
Freshman electrical engineering major
Freshman anthropology major
Freshman communications major
Sophomore engineering major
Sophomore accounting major
Sophomore nursing major
Freshman art major
Freshman social work major
PAGE 7 April 3, 2018
entertainment
Editor
Claudia flores , 747-7446
‘/Echo’: a take on performance art and social issues By claudia flores The Prospector
photo courtesy of Viridiana Villa El Paso natives Soul Parade will perform at the upcoming Neon Desert Music Festival on May 26-27 in downtown El Paso.
Soul Parade is ready for NDMF
By paulette villa The Prospector
Friends since their teenage years, going through multiple band break ups, with members coming and going, Soul Parade is the final outcome of those 10 years of experience in El Paso’s local music scene. They are now one of the local bands featured to play at the upcoming Neon Desert Music Festival, May 26-27. The indie rock/synth-pop band Soul Parade started in 2013 by singer Josh Gonzalez, drummer Eduardo Martinez and bassist Enrique Martinez, who is Eduardo’s twin brother. “We had another guitarist, then I guess he could no longer be with us, so we got someone on keys instead of guitar,” said Gonzalez as to why he currently has to play the guitar for the band. Jonathan Garcia, 21, is the newest and youngest member of the band, who joined in October 2017 to play the drums. Garcia was recommended through a mutual friend of Gonzalez, who contacted him via Instagram. “He slid into my DMs, I was like, yeah, I’m down,” Garcia said. “I just showed up to this guy’s (Gonzalez) house one time and we just jammed.” The theme of the music of Soul Parade matches the experiences of the group on moving on and dealing with changes on a positive tone. According to Gonzalez, the name Soul Parade describes how their music should always be upbeat and makes the listeners feel a celebration inside of them. In contrast, the lyrics describe heartbreak and somber events. “That’s like an ironic thing, the lyrics are kind of sad sometimes bumming you out, and the music just to offsets it by being very happy,” Gonzalez said. “It’s weird, just a like yin and yang kind of deal.” The band’s music influences include The Beatles, The Strokes, Two Door Cinema Club and The Killers. The band currently has eight singles available on Spotify, and their most-listened to track is “Fortress,” with more than 1,000 plays. They are currently working on a new EP, with singles like “Pick It Up” and “Yours Truly,” which is expected to be released in early May. “We just want to define our sound,”
Gonzalez said. “The new EP is going to have like a more ‘80s kind of synth sound that I’m really enjoying right now a lot.” Gonzalez and the Martinez twins have known each other since middle school. They formed their first band, Lucky Tragedy, during their sophomore year of high school in 2008. The band lasted five years and created 25 songs in total. “I always see that first band for me as the thing that started everything,” Gonzalez said. “Even other bands nowadays here in El Paso scene—in our social circle—influenced them and started branching out and getting bigger.” After Lucky Tragedy, the Martinez twins started their own band called the Twin Keys, and Gonzalez moved on to create his band, Electric Social, which performed at Neon Desert on 2013 and broke up shortly after the event. “You got to understand the difference between going at it at a nice pace and being too ambitious,” said Gonzalez about his past experience in preparing with a band for Neon Desert. In January, Soul Parade got the news about playing at Neon Desert through their friend Christian Yañez, a former member of Electric Social and current drummer of the band The Other Half. Yañez works for Splendid Sun Productions on booking and promotion for Neon Desert and The Lowbrow Palace. “You’re like kind of fan-girling on the inside about it—how could we say no to such opportunity?” said Eduardo, who also manages the band’s social media. On Feb. 23, Neon Desert released their 2018 lineup on social media. Each year the festival has increased their inclusion of local bands to take up half of the event’s performances. “I think it’s great that they’re giving opportunity to a lot of these bands, who maybe wouldn’t otherwise play larger festival,” said Eduardo. “The people at Neon, I think that’s really dope from them, because they don’t have to include locals.” The band seeks the opportunity to play at Neon Desert as a bigger platform for more exposure to opportunities and new fans who would not normally attend their shows. “I just want the audience to really try to understand it and for somehow take the
music away with them when they go on to live their lives,” Gonzalez said. “There’s been times where people have told us they listened to our songs and it really connected with them regarding certain heartbreaks.” The band is also currently preparing for their upcoming show at Sun City Craft Beer Festival on April 22. “We will maybe do a cover or two (at Craft Beer Fest) because people like The Killers, right?” Eduardo said. Eduardo and Enrique graduated from UTEP with a bachelor’s degree in computer science in 2016. Eduardo is pursuing a masters degree in intelligence and security studies and Enrique in business administration, at UTEP. Gonzalez has a bachelor’s degree in political science from UTEP and is a graduate student at NMSU studying communication. “There’s been so many times also, where we’ve all contemplated maybe we shouldn’t do this anymore. It’s a tough business and it does have its pitfalls,” Gonzalez said. Gonzalez taught himself how to play guitar by ear in middle school with a guitar his parents got him from a pawn shop. Eduardo and Enrique learned to play guitar at Americas High School, but Eduardo continued with a piano class at El Paso Community College. Garcia started playing violin in elementary school and moved on to learn bass, guitar and drums. “There was a time when I thought I was not going to be able to do anything here in El Paso with music or anything,” Garcia said. “A reason like Khalid, you see there’s actually people keeping their eye on El Paso, so that makes you want to keep going.” Besides Neon Desert and the Craft Beer Fest, Soul Parade plans to release a video of their past performance on March 2 at the battle of the bands at The Lowbrow Palace. They also have simple concepts in mind for two music videos for their upcoming EP songs. The band also hopes to keep recording new singles and tour during the summer as a new experience. “I don’t like releasing one album because there’s a lot of hype around it for three weeks, life goes by and people forget,” Enrique said. “If we release three songs every few months, people will become familiar.”
Paulette Villa may be reached at paulette. villa.345@gmail.com.
Jesus Lopez, a 21-year-old stage management and technical theater major, is close to finishing his chapter at UTEP, but not without first sharing his work as an artist through his most recent production “/Echo.” Besides being a theatrical show, poetry is the key element in “/Echo,” by using the technique of performance poetry. “This is performance art. In a way that the entire show is an art piece because there is not a specific concept for it,” Lopez said. “Each time is going to be different. Most of it is performing poetry, which means that it looks like people acting, but it’s performed in verse—kind of like Shakespeare, but more contemporary.” Taking place in the ‘90s, the storyline of “/Echo” revolves around the experiences people go through at night when they can’t sleep and find themselves awake until sunrise. “What I told my actors when we first rehearsed the piece is that these are the nights when you’re alone in your house, full of anxiety and sadness because you lost someone or you went through a breakup, and you just sit in your room and you cannot sleep, and out of nowhere the sun comes out and it’s a new day,” Lopez said. “/Echo” not only includes poetry, but also dance numbers as part of its repertoire. Christopher Delgado, is a junior dance major, choreographed his piece for the show. “Jesus works around us and he lets us make it our own. Within our own pieces, we are able to choreograph it. So in a way, it’s us putting our thoughts out onto the stage, portraying how we feel at four in the morning, and then maybe you guys can be like ‘oh that seems familiar,’” Delgado said. At the age of 14, Lopez started to experiment with photography, finding in the visual arts a path that would lead him to start his journey as a poet. “The way I got into poetry was because when I took a picture, I composed an image and through my photos, I was telling stories,” he said. “Then I started listening to music while taking photos and I was like, ‘it will be cool to write something under the photo to add to the story.’” Even though he started to experiment with poetry at a young age, Lopez’s interests have taken him to experiment with the performing arts, which is an art form that is not popular in the entertainment industry. The idea of getting involved in performance art came to him after he had to create his own fictional theater company for a class project. “I wanted to do something about dance and poetry and art and performance, and when I presented it to my teacher she was like ‘what is this, explain this to me,’ but I knew there’s a place for it,” Lopez said. To Lopez, the concept of “/Echo” was born after the closure of his preview
show “Red” in the spring of 2017. “Red” was a 25-minute piece directed and written by Lopez for a class project. The production was based on his poetry book, “Icy Red,” and consisted of a series of different short stories. “That night (of ‘Red’) I was so nervous and I was like, ‘everyone’s going to hate it. No one’s going to understand it,’ but everyone had an amazing reaction to it,” he said. “If you read a novel, the author is giving you everything and that’s what you picture, but what poetry does is that the poet gives you a blueprint of the storyline and depending on the reader’s circumstances they’re going to get a different message from it, that’s what makes poetry beautiful.” Since the opening of “Red,” Lopez started to shape the idea and concept of this piece, but the whole production for “/Echo” took him about six months. “The day that we held auditions, I grabbed some excerpts from poems that I’ve written in the past and I gave them to the performers to audition because I didn’t want to write the show before I knew who was cast,” he said The stories in “/Echo” are about the idea of dealing with pain and sadness at a personal level. “I have kind of an obsession with pain and sadness and I think that’s what makes us humans,” Lopez said. “Even though we go through different pains, at the end of the day, it is still pain and that’s something that we utilize as human beings to connect to each other.” Lopez said that his purpose with this show is to bring it to the audience’s attention that it is fine to feel weak and to speak out about it. Besides representing pain, “/Echo” also makes a reference to social issues, such as racism and mass shootings. “I have this belief that as artists we have the responsibility to speak about what is going on in the world, because at the end of the day, art is political no matter if it’s just for show or spectacle. We have the responsibility to speak for the voices that can’t speak up,” Lopez said. Dance major Jon Rodriguez, 20, said that “/Echo” is filled with different themes and topics in this play, like dealing with polyamorous relationships by portraying them in a humane way. “I know that this might not reach everyone in El Paso, so we might not have enough people come, but at least the ones in our department, I want them to see that something this big can happen done by students,” Lopez said. “I want them to know that even though you’re young, even though you’re poor, you can make beautiful things happen and your voice does matter. I want them to get inspired to keep creating.” “/Echo” will run from April 6 through April 8, at the Basement Theater, located on the first floor of the Fox Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $5 and for more information about “/Echo,” visit www.lettingthenight-echo.weebly.com. Claudia Flores may be reached at gigibertaflores43@gmail.com.
THEPROSPECTOR
| 8 | ENTERTAINMENT
April 3, 2018
International print exchange keeps traditional printmaking alive world, he took it. He, along with other colleges started the international Horned Toad Print Exchange in 2014, which involved 28 artists. This second print exchange had over 53 participants.
concerned with UTEP allowing a student, who harasses their child on campus, a platform to speak his ideology. In short, the deciding fac “Through the influence of Mr.
gaby velasquez / The Prospector Guerra explains the process in which the print was made from the second Horned Toad Print Exhibit on Thursday. March 22 at la Galeria de la Mision De Senacu. In 2005, Guerra opened his own By gaby velasquez print shop, Horned Toad Prints, in the The Prospector El Paso Art Junction building. They Coming from a family of printmak- recently moved to a private location on ers, Manuel Guerra, a UTEP lecturer the West side. of foundation classes, including design, He started collecting materials that he drawing and printmaking, never imag- still uses while he was in graduate school. ined getting into commercial printing. “I would buy a brayer here, I would His grandfather owned a commer- buy a tube of ink there, and I always had cial printing shop on Alameda Avenue, my sight set on my own press,” he said. which his mother later took over. He now has various artists who It wasn’t until Guerra met his mentor print at his shop, and conducts workKim Bauer, associate professor of printshops and gives private lessons to making, who got him into printmaking. whomever is interested in learning “He started showing me how to do how to make prints. images. He saw my natural ability to He has always been interested in his draw and my fascination in drawing,” students’ work. Guerra said. “He introduced me into “I really like to work with the stulithography, and from that point on, it dents. I like to see their amazement with was love at first sight.” Guerra graduated from UTEP with printmaking–expecting the unexpecta bachelor of fine arts in 1994 and re- ed, the process and seeing the students ceived his master of fine arts in drawing and their energy move throughout the and printmaking from the State Univer- studio. That’s what really fascinates me sity of New York in 1997. After graduat- here about UTEP,” Guerra said. Once he had the opportunity to help ing, he came back to El Paso and started out his students get out into the real teaching at UTEP.
2018
ally pushes me to push the student and encourage the student to really go out there and get into real world situations.” Guerra said El Paso has a lot of talent in the arts, but there aren’t many areas for the art to be shown. “Because of economic situations or other things, El Paso is not really known as an art world. I shouldn’t say that, but the talent here is so beautiful, it’s so strong,” Guerra said. “I have lived in New York, I have visited many different places. El Paso is unique. El Paso is very strong in the arts.” Guerra insists that printmaking isn’t dying, but evolving with new machines and techniques. “You don’t have to remain with just etching or just litho, you can always cross over and start to layer over,” Guerra said. “Maybe a background that is done on a digital print and then layer it with a relief or an etching.” His advice for students is to print as much as they can and to explore outside possibilities. “But the most important thing is to believe in yourself, and just keep doing what you’re doing best, whether it’s working or not. You can change from print to sculpture to ceramics to whatever you want but really get involved and just keep doing and doing, but you have to believe in yourself,” Guerra said as an advice to students who want to pursue a career in printmaking. The third International Horned Toad Print Exchange will soon be announced at ManuelGuerra.net. Gaby Velasquez may be reached at gabrielaavelasquez1997@gmail.com
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Bauer, we used to have print exchanges through classes and we would get all the students involved,” Guerra said. The exchange starts with an online call to all printmaking artists worldwide. Artists are asked for a fee of $25$30 and then to submit an edition of 10 prints that are exactly the same. The artists were allowed to use any of the hand-pulled printing techniques: intaglio, lithography, relief and serigraphy. Each artist then receives eight prints from different artists. Two of the prints are kept for the Horned Toad Print exhibition. “We do not discriminate on status, it could be anybody from an amateur artist to a very professional artist, we have had both,” Guerra said. The second Horned Toad Print Exhibit from the second print exchange was held at La Galeria de la Mision de Senacu, located on Alameda Avenue, on Thursday, March 22. International and local printmaking was showcased. Five DoART students, including junior printmaking major Susan Gonzalez and DoART alumna Marco Sanchez were featured in the exhibit. Gonzalez hopes to travel when she graduates, but plans on staying in El Paso and wants to open her own studio, not only for herself, but for other artists as well. “I don’t want to do this by myself, I want to take people with me that are gonna help me out and they can find other people. They can get out there because that’s what it all is. We’re a family. We have to stick together,” she said. Gonzalez likes to make her pieces personal, but also relatable to others
so that she can make them feel like they aren’t alone in what they are going through. She pays close attention to how the piece was made, the colors, the image and even thinks about the medium she used, linocut. Each deep sharp cut represents the anxiety and stress that she felt. On the other hand, Sanchez is currently working on his master of fine arts in printmaking at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania. “The piece I included in the exchange was the beginning of a body of work I’m currently working on,” Sanchez said. “It is loosely about the immigrant experience and how blurred the concept is for people who have never been a part of it—legally or illegally for that matter.” Sanchez plans to work as print professor at the collegiate level, but he says he would love to come back to El Paso. “I feel I belong to the desert. I’d be fortunate to end up somewhere along the Southwest,” he said. Both Sanchez and Gonzalez have been inspired by Guerra and plan on starting their own print exchanges soon to help printmaking come back and get more recognition. Networking is something Guerra holds to a high standard for print exchanges. It helps artists to see other work and get inspired to create other pieces or to get invited into shows around the world, according to him. “As an instructor, professor, I try to push the students into the reality of things. Things that are happening in school is not like real-world situations,” Guerra said. “So through this, it actu-
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gaby velasquez /The Prospector Sophomore graphic design major Lorena Fierro and Junior painting major Alfredo Ortega view the prints from the second Horned Toad Print Exhibit on Thursday. March 22 at la Galeria de la Mision De Senacu.
PAGE 9 April 3, 2018
Sports
Editor
Jeremy Carranco, 747-7446
Loyola Chicago relived pristine history at the Final Four
adrian broaddus / The Prospector Jerry Harkness, 77, was the captain of the 1963 National championship team for Loyola Chicago.
By adrian broaddus The Prospector
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS—Beyond Sister Jean-Dolores Schmidt creating massive buzz and the Cinderella team of Loyola Chicago climbing its way into the Final Four, rests a deep-rooted history of basketball and triumph for the Ramblers’ program. Sitting courtside at the Alamodome and wearing all maroon with a 1963 NCAA national championship hat of Loyola Chicago was Jerry Harkness, who was at the Final Four to remind people of the past and live through a new chapter of history. Although the Ramblers’ season came to a close on Saturday in a 69-57 loss to Michigan in the Final Four, Loyola Chicago has a lot to be proud about in their Cinderella run in the tournament. Fifty-five years ago this week, Harkness and Loyola Chicago defied all
odds by starting four African Americans to win the national championship over two-time defending champions Cincinnati, 60-58. They did it just three years before Texas Western (now UTEP) started five African American players and beat Kentucky 72-65 in 1966. “We didn’t realize it until years later, but we thought, ‘wow, we were the first team to ever do that,’” Harkness said. “It’s great to find out you made history in so many different ways.” Both teams, although different in their own stories, show parallels in their respective programs. Texas Western and Loyola Chicago are still the only teams in their states (Texas and Illinois) to win a men’s basketball national championship. “I’m happy and excited that Loyola is up there too,” said Texas Western 1966 center Nevil Shed. “When they
(Loyola Chicago) won a championship, there wasn’t a change between ACC and southern schools allowing blacks to play.” Although it wasn’t an immediate change when the Ramblers won a title in terms of civil rights, it still became a step in the right direction for black basketball players. When Loyola Chicago was in the NCAA tournament, they faced a Mississippi State team that had to sneak out of its state to play against the Ramblers, due to a mandatory injunction issued by the Mississippi state governor that prohibited the team from sharing the court with African American players. “No doubt about it, we’ve made a lot of changes,” Harkness said. “Mississippi State and the whole conference never played against black players. I gotta give credit to Mississippi State. They had to sneak out before the injunction was served. That was called the ‘game of change.’” The change truly happened after Texas Western’s 1966 title, as more southern rosters started becoming integrated. “People said things like we couldn’t read or work under pressure,” Shed said. “Coach (Don) Haskins did a good job of sheltering us from that adversity. We would hear them call us names on the court, but never from the fans, even though we knew it was going on.” Coincidently enough, Harkness and Shed grew up in the same area in New York and remember each other growing up and playing basketball. “We all wanted to play at a higher level of basketball,” Shed said. What they didn’t know was how much they would shake the racial barriers. Loyola-Chicago would be the predecessor of what Texas Western later did.
Prior to Texas Western winning the title, critics argued that Loyola Chicago only won in 1963 due to their white starter John Egan. “With Texas Western winning and everybody being black—and us showing leadership—winning knocked down all those barriers of Egan and us being called ‘inferior.’ That’s what it’s all about—sports does that,” Harkness said. Even Sister Jean recalls watching the team of ‘63 and being in awe of the national championship.
With Texas Western winning and everybody being black, winning knocked down all those barriers of us being called ‘inferior.’
- Jerry Harkness, 1963 Loyola Chicago captain
“I didn’t go to the ‘63 (Final Four), but I watched it on a little 11-inch black-and-white TV and the game was delayed, and because we didn’t have cell phones or tweet or anything like that nobody told us that we had won, so we watched the game as if it were live for us,” she said. From the ’63 team to today, Sister Jean saw parallels between Loyola then and now. “I see similarities between the two teams in that they’re humble, they’re
unselfish,” Sister Jean said. “They don’t care who makes the points as long as the ball goes into the basket, and you’ll notice that if you watch the three games we’ve played.” Harkness believed in the team ever since he, along with some members of the ’63 championship team, met with the team a couple years ago and discussed the rich history of the program with the current players. “We show up, watch them scrimmage and we could tell that these guys are good,” he said. “We had lunch with them and they showed the championship game. These guys were overwhelmed and asked questions and were all excited about it. It’s kind of ironic that this team is what brought them back.” How long since they’ve been back? Try 33 lingering years of missing the NCAA tournament. “I’ve waited 55 years for this to happen,” Harkness said. “I tell you that it’s hard to see them through all the years.” Texas Western—now UTEP—also knows about long droughts, as they haven’t seen a NCAA tournament win since 1992. “It’s still exciting to see that a smaller school can go so far,” Shed said. As for the Ramblers in present day, they stand heart broken after a loss in the Final Four, but it will not tarnish the historical run they made. “We’ve gotten a lot of support from teams in our conference and other mid-majors,” Richardson said. “A lot of teams that are like us are definitely rooting for us to kinda prove that teams in smaller conferences and mid-majors are really good teams. There are a lot of really good teams, good programs, good coaches and good players. It’s very competitive at this level.” Follow Adrian Broaddus on Twitter @adrian_broaddus
Miners eye offense as key for turnaround in 2018 By prospector staff The Prospector
The Miners are currently midway into their spring season and about five months away from their first game under new head coach Dana Dimel. Coming off a winless 2017 season, Dimel’s focus will be set on improving all three units. The biggest concern for football last season was the lack of offense. The Miners ranked last in FBS for offensive efficiency, which will be their main focus during the spring. “Offense is obviously an area of emphasis for us. I feel like we’re progressing very well,” Dimel said. Last season, the Miners ran primarily under center and operated on a run-first approach. Offensive coordinator Mike Canales and Dimel have already opened up the offense with a spread offense and are giving off more of a balanced attack. “We’re throwing in a lot of offense and expanding it,” Dimel said. “We have a very expansive offensive package and I think the guys are doing a great job.” Canales and his core group will be very adamant about scoring this
season, especially while facing some quality Conference USA offenses. “The offense is looking great so far and it’s a very flexible offense, and it puts a lot of guys in the right positions to succeed,” said junior tight end Josh Weeks.
We have a very expansive offensive package and I think the guys are doing a great job.
- Dana Dimel, UTEP head football coach Weeks is a 6-foot-3, 250-pound tight end who looks to bring major contributions to the team this season. He is coming off a sopho-
more season, where he missed most games due to an injury, but did haul six receptions for 68 yards with one touchdown. “The offense this year is really working towards our strengths, unlike last year I feel like we were kind of put into a mold and we had a lot of weapons that we could of utilized, but we didn’t,” Weeks said. “As a team, our goal is to win six games and make a bowl game, that’s the standard. As for myself, I’m just going to do what I can to contribute to that and whatever that may be, whether it’s blocking, catching, scoring touchdowns.” Another area of concern for the team this spring has been the quarterback battle. At the position, UTEP will have senior Ryan Metz, junior JUCO transfer Kai Locksley, sophomore Mark Torrez, freshman Calvin Brownholtz and redshirt freshmen Alex Fernandes. “I think the competition is really good there and for us we try to bring each quarterback that we have along in the system,” Dimel said. “Obviously you have your top one, two and three quarterbacks as you move forward, but really we’re trying to develop all five of them and we have one in each class right
sergio muÑoz / The Prospector The Miners kickoff the 2018 season at home against Northern Arizona on Sept. 1. now and they’re all showing progress everyday.” Metz, the Andress High School graduate, is coming off an injuryplagued season, while Locksley comes in as the JUCO Offensive
Player of the Year from Iowa Western Community College. The team will finish off the spring with their annual spring game, taking place at the Sun Bowl on April 13 at 7 p.m. Follow The Prospector Sports on Twitter @_ProspectSports
THEPROSPECTOR
| 10 | SPORTS
April 3, 2018
Loyola Chicago fought for all mid-major programs By mike flores The Prospector
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS—The Cinderella team of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, Loyola Chicago, played for much more than just their second championship in school history. They competed and demanded respect for mid-major programs all around the nation during their magical 2018 NCAA tournament run to the Final Four. Since the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament was first created in 1939, only four No. 11 seeds have reached the Final Four, with Loyola adding to the list this year. Loyola’s road was far from easy. In fact, they were put in a South Region that drew powerhouse programs such as Virginia (31-3), Arizona (27-8) and Kentucky (25-10). However, it wasn’t the ACC Champion Cavaliers who made it out of the South Region, nor was it the pair of Wildcat teams, who have NBA talent on their roster, it was the 11th-seed Loyola—whose biggest star was a 98-year-old nun Sister Jean-Dolores Schmidt, who prayed for the team before every matchup. “A lot of teams that are like us are definitely rooting for us to kind of prove that teams in smaller conferences and mid-majors are really good teams. There are a lot of good teams, good programs, good coaches and good players. It’s very competitive at this level,” said Loyola senior guard Ben Richardson before their Final Four loss to Michigan. Despite the Ramblers going 32-6 overall and 15-3 in conference play
this season, Loyola was seeded further than schools in their part of the bracket such as Texas (19-15), ninthseeded Kansas State (23-11), Creighton (21-12), along with other programs that brought in a worse record. The double-digit seed that Loyola received had to do with their conference. The Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) is a smaller conference that doesn’t get the respect that a more prestigious conference receives. Six times in the last 10 years, the NCAA tournament has taken just one team in the MVC, with that one team being the conference’s tournament winner, taking away from the regular season’s meaning. The Ramblers’ chances of accomplishing what they did this year by making the Final Four would have not likely happened if they had one bad conference tournament game and lost early on. “I hope our run sparks some conversation on trying to find the best way. We need to continue to find the best way, because, according to everyone, we weren’t going to get in,” said Loyola head coach Porter Moser. “You get a tweaked ankle in practice to a star player for us and lose by one point in the conference tournament, and we’re not here. You could have a shot bounce the other way and we’re not here.” Other smaller conferences have to deal with the same fate as the MVC. For instance, in Conference USA this season, Middle Tennessee had the best record at 25-8 overall (16-2 C-USA), but since they slipped up against Southern Mississippi, losing 71-68 in the C-USA tournament,
the Blue Raiders were left out of the NCAA tournament. Also, many mid-major schools do not have the luxury of picking their opponents on their season schedule like big conference programs do. So, like the majority of mid-major programs, Loyola did not benefit from their lack of schedule strength. “The other thing that bothers me and many other coaches is the scheduling at our level. They blame us for our schedule,” Moser said. “We want a hard schedule. We’re blamed for not having a tough schedule. It’s not like we’re trying for that.” The one ranked team Loyola battled against in the regular season was at No. 5 Florida at the time. The Ramblers beat the Gators, 65-59. Moser said that he had a PowerFive school buy out of a game this year, meaning they did not want to play the Ramblers so that school paid to be removed from Loyola’s schedule. Instances like this made the lack of schedule strength even harder than it already was for them. “We’ve talked to many schools. There are so many schools we’ve reached out to,” Moser said. “If you look at our list of calls that we have made and not to get any responses, it’s tough.” Michigan, a team that participates in the Big Ten, had the opportunity to hand-pick their opponents to favor their strength of schedule. Despite the differences, both Michigan and Loyola crossed paths in the Final Four. “The beauty of being at one of the power five conferences is that you can schedule the games you want. Loyola Chicago can’t do that. That’s
jeremy carranco / The Prospector Sister Jean caught the nation’s attention in her role as team chaplain for the Ramblers. a tougher thing,” said Michigan head coach John Beilein. “The consistency of these type of runs, where you saw the George Masons, the VCUs, the Butlers. I think the more it happens, it’s natural that they’ll start to value them more (mid-majors).” In each game of the NCAA Tournament, Loyola was listed as an underdog. “If Loyola were playing in a power five conference, they might have been a four or five seed. They might have won one of those conferences. They are that good,” Beilein said. The Ramblers came within just two games from adding another title to their program and they believed the trophy was theirs for the taking.
“It obviously keeps the chip on our shoulder being the underdog,” said Loyola junior Clayton Cluster. “We don’t consider ourselves a Cinderella team because we have had such a good year.” Before becoming just the fourth 11th seed to reach the Final Four, other mid-major programs have tasted great tournament success like the Ramblers. Louisiana State University was the first to do it in 1986, followed by mid-major schools George Mason (2006) and Virginia Commonwealth University (2011). Follow The Prospector Sports on Twitter @_ProspectSports
THEPROSPECTOR
SPORTS | 11 |
April 3, 2018
Can college basketball be saved? inbrief
By adrian broaddus The Prospector
Men’s college basketball is currently a crashing plane that’s about to burst in flames. It will be up to NCAA President Mark Emmert to save the state of college hoops as we know it, but is it too late? With the distractions of the Final Four coming to a close, no one seems to remember that Kansas and Villanova were two teams listed in the FBI scandal that accused over 20 programs of paying current and former players. Instead of putting sanctions on some of these 20 storied college basketball programs, Emmert has no solution for a mid-season reprimand and he let the programs continue the season untouched and without any penalty. That’s one, if not the biggest, problem college basketball is facing. Then comes the one-and-done rule that is more common than shooting a 3-pointer in transition, but we’ll get to that later. Duke’s forward and arguably a topfive pick in the NBA draft, Marvin Bagley III, graduated from high school early by skipping his senior year just to join the Blue Devils for a season and dip out to go to the NBA draft. In a normal sporting environment, it would raise eyebrows and questions as to if this 18-year-old is really ready to play in the NBA at the highest level of basketball in the world? For the majority, these one-and-done athletes throughout the past decade definitely weren’t ready for the NBA draft coming out of their freshman year of college. Yet, why does college basketball condone, or rather, embrace it? Lastly, and as a spectator of the game, is the overall quality of basketball these kids are playing at. Anyone tuning in on the last five minutes of each NCAA tournament game would find it entertaining that the games was so close and ended in a dramatic fashion. But teams over the past few years have substituted the quality of basketball for dazzling entertainment hoops. Every team today tries to be like Golden State–they push the floor off transition, shoot up a lazy, uncontested 3-pointer and brick it completely, which has the other team racing
down the court and trying to do the same thing. Yes, it works when you have the greatest shooting combo of all time with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, but it fails miserably when you have a college team that shoots statistically average throughout the season. It’s pure eye cancer with flashes of above-average talent. In a worst-case scenario, college basketball as we know it decimates itself completely and the NCAA loses billions in revenue. This off-season, Emmert will have to decide on what could be the biggest change in NCAA history: to pay or not to pay athletes. This Thursday, Emmert completely dismissed the notion; saying that it would take massive budget cuts for lower level college sports. But at a multi-billion dollar business like the NCAA, how much can that “budget cut” really be? NBA Commissioner Adam Silver could intervene himself and allow the nation’s best high school talent to join the G-League, which is the NBA developmental league, and prepare these players for the professional level. But what if the FBI scandal moves more into the limelight and these 20-plus programs are found guilty of illegally giving money to recruits? Big-name programs such as Duke, Louisville, Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Virginia could face harsh repercussions. Would anyone care about college basketball without the blue bloods and top programs competing? The gameplay itself has no one to blame except the coaches and the players’ former AAU coaches, who condone this style of play. But this probably won’t change as long as Golden State continues to shoot insane 3-pointers and have success beyond the arc. Bottom line is if I was a player coming out of high school as a top recruit and my family didn’t have much money, which is the case for a lot of these players, I would want to enter the pros as quickly as possible to be able to support my family. The NCAA is a broken-down system that seems to finally be crashing, with college basketball at the forefront of the implosion. Follow Adrian Broaddus on Twitter @adrian_broaddus
Chihuahuas to open 2018 season in las vegas
softball opens three-game series at western kentucky
Women’s tennis hits the road to take on utsa
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| 12 | SPORTS
April 3, 2018
Chihuahuas aim for fourth-straight division title in 2018
gaby velasquez / The Prospector Chihuahuas pitchers averaged 5.13 runs per game in 2017.
By mike flores The Prospector Starting on Thursday, April 5, the consecutive three-time Pacific Coast League (PCL) division champions of the El Paso Chihuahuas will enter their fifth year of existence as the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. Despite losing much of their talent to the Padres, such as Manuel Margot, Carlos Asuaje and Hunter Renfroe, to name just a few, El Paso still has a lot to look forward to. Coming into the 2018 season, the Padres were ranked to have the best
farm system in all of professional baseball, according to MLB.com. The Chihuahuas will return key players as El Paso’s manager Rod Barajas is entering his third season as the team’s manager. Also returning to the Chihuahuas is pitching coach Bronswell Patrick for his 11th season with the Padres’ organization and hitting coach Morgan Burkhart (third season with El Paso). New to the coaching staff will be fielding coach Lance Burkhart, who spent the last season as San Antonio’s hitting coach. Key players to look out for with the Chihuahuas this year are Diego Goris, Dusty Coleman and pitchers
Chris Huffman, Walker Lockett and Carter Capps. Goris played the most games (125) last year for El Paso. In those games, Goris piled up 125 hits, 23 doubles, 11 homeruns and batted in 56 RBIs on a .285 batting average. Last season, Coleman recorded 68 hits, 17 doubles, six triples, 15 homeruns and brought in 48 RBIs. Expect a bigger year for Coleman this season. While the Chihuahuas lost the majority of their pitching rotation, Huffman, Lockett and Capps are some of the familiar faces El Paso fans can anticipate on the mound this season. In the past seasons, the major leagues would play a total of 144 games, with half of the games coming on the road and half at home. However, this season a change was made to the scheduling to help players with rest. Instead of 144 games, there will only be 140 games, with two fewer games at home and on the road (70 games each). As the Chihuahuas begin their season on the road against the 51s in Las Vegas—a team the Chihuahuas edged out in the season series last year, 8-7, El Paso will get to host their first home game of the 2018 season next Tuesday, April 10, versus Salt Lake—a team the Chihuahuas went 10-5 against last year. It won’t be until June 16th that the Chihuahuas can get revenge over Memphis for knocking them out of the playoffs last year in the PCL finals. That four-game series will be in El Paso, just after El Paso takes on Nashville for the first time in the season. Last season, the Chihuahuas sent one player (Nick Buss) to the PCL versus the International League’s All-Star game. This season, the annual all-star game will
be played July 11th in Columbus, Ohio, before coming to El Paso in 2019. The Padres’ farm league system includes seven top 100 prospects, with four of them making the top 50. But the Padres’ biggest farm league players are Dominican native shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (No. 8) and left-handed pitcher McKenzie Gore (No. 19). Both phenomes ranked in the top 20 for baseball prospects and are not even allowed to drink a beer legally. Both Tatis and Gore will likely be moved up to the Chihuahuas sooner rather than later. Tatis is the son of former MLB player Fernando Tatis, who played third base, first base and was also an outfielder for five different MLB squads from 1997 to
2010. The talented 19-year-old will begin his season as a member of the San Antonio Missions. Last season at Fort Worth (SingleA), 6-foot-3 Tatis Jr., hit 21 homeruns, 26 doubles, seven triples and piled up 69 RBIs Gore, the Padres’ top pitching prospect, was the No. 3 overall pick last summer and will likely be pitching for Fort Wayne to begin his career. The Chihuahuas will begin the 2018 campaign on the road at Las Vegas on Thursday, beginning a five-game road series before opening at home against Salt Lake on April 10. Follow The Prospector Sports on Twitter @_ProspectSports
gaby velasquez / The Prospector The Chihuahuas ranked second in the the PCL last season in home runs (179).
T he Ce nt e r f o r Advo c acy, R eso u r c es an d Edu c ati on p res ents :
APRIL 2018 Sexual Assault Awa re n e ss M o n t h
April 2 - 27 CLOTHESLINE PROJECT
Honoring Survivors and Victims of Sexual Assault Location: Various campus locations
I N THE FO L L O W I NG
April 2 - 26 TEAL STATIONS
For more information, visit us @ utep.edu/CARE
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Wear Denim With A Purpose Time: 10am-1pm Location: Union Plaza
Pledge Support and Help Stop Violence Location: Various campus locations
LETʼS TALK ABOUT CONSENT
April 10 BAD ROMANCE
Time: 3pm-4:30pm Union Bldg. East, Andesite Room 102B Do you struggle with talking about sex? Learn how to communicate with your partner about sex and consent.
Recognizing the Signs of an Unhealthy Relationship
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April 25 DENIM DAY: ADVOCACY FAIR AND FASHION SHOW
Time: 10am-11:30am Location: Union Bldg. East, Andesite Room 102B Love shouldn’t hurt. Help yourself or someone you know by learning to recognize potential warning signs of an unhealthy relationship.
How to Talk to Your Partner
April 26 TAKE BACK THE NIGHT Time: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Location: Union Bldg. East Tomás Rivera Conference Center, Room 308 Open to the public
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*Please contact us one week prior to the event if special accommodations are needed.
In colla boration with Athletics-Life Skills, Counseling and Psyc holog ic al Se r v ice s (CA PS) ,Camp us Viole nce Prevention, Center Aga inst Sexua l a nd Fa m ily Violen ce, Do One Thing - Byst and e r I nte r ve nt ion I nit iat ive, Milita ry Student Success Center, Office of Student Con d uc t and Conf lic t Re solut ion, Psi Chi, Re sid e nce L ife, Student Enga gem ent a nd Lea dership Ce nte r and UT EP Police De p ar t me nt .