Panorama 2008
For Students. By Students. About Students.
This page does not exist‌. It is just here so the first page will be a right facing page. In reality, this is the inside of the cover.
In the past, we have been in a box, remaining ignorant about social and political issues.
Our generation
Twenty-somethings rarely engaged in relevant, informed discussions was aboutonce the stateaccused of the world. Our generation Our generation was once accused of apathy. of apathy. Of complacency. Of laziness. Of complacency. Of laziness.
was once accused of apathy.
In the past, we have been in a box, remaining ignorant about social and political issues.
Twenty-somethings rarely engaged in relevant, informed discussions about the state of the world.
from UTSA and moved out of her parent’s Why hasn’t your cousin Vanessa accepted that scholarship for you. house? Espiridion “Al” Borrego might have the answer
Check out Panorama’s showcase of local musical talent featuring five rocking good bands.
Read the popular story of Yoli Pena, a female boxer and public relations major at UTPA re attracted
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What’s with all those students walking around in sweatpants after school? Check out how the rec center’s doing its first year.
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Editor in chief
Ana Ley
photo editor
Jennifer Terrazas
design editor Chris Ramirez assistant design editor
Esmer Olvera
advertising manager
Samantha Quintanilla
reporters
Leslie Anne Mainous Mary Nichols Ramiro Paez Manuel Tiscareno
Photographers
Lucia Gutierrez Daniel Martinez
Designers
Alexis Carranza Alejandro Paz
Contributing Writers
Jason Aaberg Sylvia Alafa Bobby Cervantes Andrielle Figueroa Sandra Gonzalez Veronica Gonzalez Jeanette Perez Jorge Rincon Frank Romero
Contributing Photographers
Ben Briones Diana Luna Samantha Morales Melissa Uriegas
Fabiola de la Garza Santa Hernandez Wendy Ibarra
Special thanks Dr. Greg Selber, for all of his guidance and inspirational scolding. Anita Reyes, without whom nothing would ever get done. Dr. Salma Ghanem, for her encouraging words and Hershey’s kisses. Dr. Jerry Price, for going to bat for us. Dr. Blandina Cardenas, for her energy and support. Brenda Ladd, for sharing her amazing expertise, for training our photographers and for making staff members feel like sexy cover models. Candi Roxas, for getting Brenda Ladd down to the Valley for us. Elisa Flores, for being the most organized person on the planet. Natalie Haime, for sending us to all the right people when we covered the athletics department and for kindly helping us the Sunday we produced the magazine. Kristyna Mancias, for knowing all the stats. Dr. Dahlia Guerra, College of Arts and Humanities; Dr. Teofilo Ozuna, College of Business Administration; Dr. Hector Ochoa, College of Education; Dr. Bruce Reed, College of Health and Human Services; Dr. Edwin LeMaster, College of Science and Engineering; and Dr. Van Reidhead, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, for their cooperation when we covered their respective colleges. Dr. Paul Sale, Dr. John Edwards and Lydia Aleman, for playing along. Betty Crocker, for giving us permission to tell her delightful story. Juan Hernandez, for helping us illustrate the complicated world of illegal immigrant smuggling. Maria and Jorge Rincon, for allowing us to draw many vivid details from their lives. Richard Trevino, for understanding the importance of covering the story of undocumented UTPA students. Sandra Gonzalez, for letting us borrow several members of her talented staff. Dr. Mark Joseph Ramirez, for responding immediately when we needed urgent updates for our drumline feature. Daniel Flores, for helping us come up with photo ideas for our theme.
Contributing Designers
advertising sales
C. LeRoy Cavazos
advisors
Donna Pazdera Dr. Kimberly Selber
Photo credits Cover- Lucia Gutierrez, Esmer Olvera Inside Cover- Esmer Olvera, Alexis Carranza,Wendy Ibarra College Section Cover- Jennifer Terrazas Creative Section Cover- Alejandro Paz, Santa Hernandez, Esmer Olvera Community Section Cover- Beverly Molano Planting Technology (p.88)- Esmer Olvera What Fuels You? (p.88)- Chris Ramirez, Melissa Uriegas Think, Change- Esmer Olvera/ Believe- Chris Ramirez/ Speak- Danny Martinez
letter from the
editor 005
Dear reader, In this year’s Panorama, the staff tried capturing a diverse account of life at The University of Texas-Pan American. We wanted articles that carried relevant information about the sometimes complicated lives of UTPA students. But we also included lighter stories that entertain and intrigue readers. In other words, we wanted to strike a distinct balance in content. This issue tells the poignant tale of undocumented students struggling to graduate from the university. But it also shares the story of a cartwheeling transvestite that frequents local gay clubs. Our design theme is “movement,� something we hoped would inspire college students to become politically and socially active. As we learn about the world in all its complexity, we begin to understand the importance of educating ourselves as its future contributors. We believe that the first step is recognizing the needs of those around us and moving away from the apathy and indifference college students are often associated with. Enjoy.
Ana Ley Editor in chief
THink.
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007
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college of business Administration The Business of Learning Business by_ Mary Nichols
Organization teaches students
Professionalism
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ollege seniors hunting for jobs can assure you that the cynical cliché they once indignantly shrugged off as freshmen is true. It really is about who you know. For those ready to come to terms with the harsh reality of life beyond college, a business organization at The University of Texas-Pan American offers help with résumé building, interview preparation and networking. The National Hispanic Professional Organization even helps students build skills for socializing with recruiters. “We link the student body to the outside business professional community,” said Felix Garcia, president of the organization. “We bring students out to learn business lingo and how to present themselves.” A professional image is especially crucial for student members, because the school’s academic chapter is the first of its kind in the country. The main NHPO headquarters is stationed in Washington, D.C., and all other chapters across the country are exclusively composed of business professionals. The academic chapter at UTPA is the only one reserved for college students. “There is no limit to this organization and what it can offer,” said David Facundo, adviser to the NHPO’s student executive board at UTPA. “It’s opened so many doors for me, and for the members.” The 48-member organization is planning to take a trip to Washington, D.C. in Spring ’08, where members will have dinner at the White House, giving them the opportunity to meet high-profile Beltway figures that could potentially help them land jobs. Members also pride themselves in giving back to the community. They have teamed up with the Volunteer Income Tax Association and used their business savvy for a good cause by assisting members of the community with their tax returns. Last fall, NHPO also raised seven tons of canned goods and 1,000 toys to distribute to border cities in Mexico. “It is very self-fulfilling and rewarding,” said Garcia. “It teaches our members to give back, and helps them learn how to keep long-lasting relationships with other community organizations.” The College of Business Administration is optimistic about the organization’s impact on students. “It’s an organization that is linked at the national level,” said Associate Dean Penny Simpson. “If students are savvy enough to see the benefits the organization has to offer them, it will continue to grow.”
A New Dean. a New Agenda. a New Future. by_ Mary Nichols
A
fter almost a year of searching for the right candidate, The University of Texas-Pan American finally named a new dean for the College of Business Administration. On March 1, 2008, Teofilo Ozuna, a UTPA faculty member for eight years, began his duties supervising the school’s four departments. Paul Sale, who approved his appointment, said the board was impressed with Ozuna’s inventive personality. “He’s a risk-taker. This will help move the college forward,” said Sale, provost/vice president of academic affairs. “He has an entrepreneur vision and strong academic expectations for his students and faculty.” Sale said Ozuna’s vision, experience and background made him the best candidate for the job. He added that the seasoned professor also possessed good leadership qualities. “He is someone that gets along
with his colleagues. He doesn’t view himself as their boss,” said Sale. “He also knows where a lot of the students have been, because he’s been there himself.” Ozuna, a 53-year-old Edcouch native, has been teaching for 20 years at universities in Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua, receiving numerous awards for his work in the classroom and research excellence. He has also taught business at Texas A&M for 12 years before coming to UTPA in 2000. He received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics in 1981 and a doctorate in agricultural economics in 1989 from Texas A&M. Since being at UTPA, Ozuna’s research focuses on international finance markets and institutions. John Emery, the college’s former dean for six years, left UTPA to become a faculty member at California State UniversityBakersfield.
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I can’t wait to be a competing drumline. Right now, we are barely in the formative stages. - John Barber, Sophomore music major.
by_ Manuel Tiscareno
ILLUSTRATIONS_FABIOLA DE LA GARZA
A
pristine set of drums sits by Mark Ramirez. It is an overlap of orange-red objects, including nine snares, five quad drums and five basses. Each piece complements the other flawlessly. Like the instruments, Ramirez expects his students to have immaculate presentation. The potential choppiness of percussion instruments leaves musicians no room for error. “Everybody has to be self-sufficient in their timing, delivery and interpretation,” says Ramirez, a percussion ensembles professor at The University of Texas-Pan American. “The overall aesthetic is…identical (from student to student).” It is just that kind of discipline that will help his students when they first compete at the annual Percussive Arts Society International Convention. The professor is spearheading a project at UTPA which will allow the school to participate in the conference. PASIC, the largest percussion event in the world, showcases all areas of percussion, including drumset, marching and symphonic, according to its Web site. This year’s event will be in Austin. The musical composition of a drumline is similar to that of a marching band, except that UTPA’s drumline performs indoors. UTPA does not currently have a marching band, and the newly-created drumline is the first of its kind on campus. For four years, Ramirez has unsuccessfully presented a proposal to to university officials, hoping to incorporate a competitive drumline. But this year, a group of 18 students has been given a $20,000 fund to purchase equipment and become a percussions ensemble. The team will showcase its talents early November at PASIC. “It’s been a little frustrating and tough on the students as well as myself,” he said. “But to see this finally come together…it’s been pretty exciting.”
John Barber, sophomore music major, said participating in the event would be a big step forward for the department. “It’s going to be a great experience for everyone,” he said. “I can’t wait to be a competing drumline. Right now, we are barely in the formative stages.” Barber said he is confident Ramirez has what it takes to help the team make it big. “We’re all very dedicated musicians and he is a very dedicated instructor,” he said. “That sounds like a winning combination to me.” Ramirez is currently working with Pedro Martinez, chair of UTPA’s music department and director of UTPA’s salsa band, to create a brass and drumline ensemble. The professor, who completed his doctoral degree in percussion at the University of Texas at Austin, has lectured at University of Texas Longhorn Band marching percussion camps and he has had works for percussion commissioned from such schools as Clemson University, Florida International University and the University of Texas at Austin. Ramirez completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of North Texas and his master’s degree in percussion performance at the University of New Mexico. Ramirez, a Brownsville native, has also performed and collaborated under the direction of leading musical authorities in field composition, including Pulitzer Prize-winning composers John Corigliano, David del Tredici and William Bolcom. He has performed with nine-time Drum Corps International champions The Cadets of Bergen County. Other projects include a performance with contemporary country music artist Clay Walker and commercial recordings with Juniper Music Production for American Airlines, McDonald’s and Doritos. He also participated in the recording of a title soundtrack for the Sundance Film Festival production of “In the Water.”
College of Health Sciences and Human Services
Department of Social Work Bridging the Impossible: Curanderismo and Social Work Folk medicine, often associated with herbs, potions and witchcraft, is usually considered an easy target for ridicule and scorn by the academic community.
013 Image_lucia gutierrez
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uranderismo is a common practice in border areas such as the Rio Grande Valley, but little research has been done to give the mysterious folk-healing tradition a modern perspective. Alonzo Cavazos, a professor at The University of Texas-Pan American, wants to bridge the gap between spiritual healing and formal therapeutic methods. Cavazos, who said he comes from a lineage of spiritual healers, said he is interested in the topic because the didactic — or overly instructive — nature of a college education often makes it difficult for professionals to understand the culture of curanderismo. “The cultural practice is an important part of a lot of Latinos,” said Cavazos. “To not take it into account when you work with people is to be blind to an important part of people’s lives.” Folk medicine, often associated with herbs, potions and witchcraft, is often an easy target for ridicule and scorn by the academic community. But Cavazos wants to change that stereotype through his teachings at UTPA and in an article he published last year in the academic journal “Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping.” The article, titled “Social Work and Spiritual Healing: Partnering with a Curandero,” was published in the winter ‘07 edition of the periodical. Cavazos worked with fellow social work professor Catherine Faver for a year to focus on eight case studies on the practicalities of curanderismo. Many cases involved clients who felt the spiritual world was affecting their lives negatively. The article tells the journey of Cavazos and a curandero as they try to understand each other’s professional knowledge, values and skills. The article offers a deeper understanding of patients’ lives and the importance the curanderismo practice might have on them. They decided to work together because for people that see curanderos, the idea of seeing a counselor is stigmatized, said Cavazos. His collaboration with Alberto Salinas, an Edinburgbased curandero, helped them convince patients to open up to Cavazos as a counselor. “Salinas would tell clients, ‘See the counselor,’” he said. “He would be encouraging them, supporting that part of their treatment. And likewise, I would support what he was doing with them.” Cavazos is uncertain as to how his advances will affect future social work, but he is certain it is a step forward in understanding the Latino culture and its riddles. “Treatment needs to be culturally relevant to a client,” he said. “There isn’t a connection typically between both disciplines. That’s what we’re hoping eventually will happen.” Cavazos and Salinas think that a combination of both psychosocial and spiritual or curandero-oriented therapies work more effectively for patients. “It’s very difficult to say that one is more effective than the other,” said Cavazos. “I think what Salinas figured out was that the collaboration of the two therapies coming together is more effective than one therapy by itself.”
by_manuel tiscareno
College of Edu cation: by_ Mary Nichols
014 Whatever she does, she does it well.
- Hilda Medrano, UTPA education professor
r o t a c u d E n a r e Vet Looks Back
on Career
Martha Tevis’ office is neatly organized. The office smells of fresh potpourri and crisp textbook pages. She welcomes you in with soft blue eyes glimmering behind her glasses. The professor teaches history and philosophy of education at The University of Texas-Pan American and is also a graduate adviser and mentor to the faculty. Her dedication to UTPA for 40 years has transformed her into one of the most beloved personalities on campus. “She has been an incredible contributor to the university,” said Hector Ochoa, dean of the College of Education. “She has dedicated her life to the education department and to her students, something not too many people have done.” Tevis came to UTPA in 1967 and remembers when UTPA was composed of two campuses. All of the school’s current colleges were known as “divisions” then. When she came to the university, she said there were about 3,000 students and only about 100 faculty members. “It really feels like it hasn’t been that long. I’ve enjoyed working here,” she recalls. “It hasn’t been the same education department since I came. We weren’t even a college yet, we were just a division.” BEGINNINGS Before Tevis became part of the education department, she had to jump over some hurdles. In the summer of 1955, while in 10th grade, she was diagnosed with polio. After being admitted for two months to a local hospital, she tried to return to school for three weeks, but was unable to walk. Both arms were in slings and she was confined to a wheelchair. “I realized I wasn’t going to be able to get better, doing what I was doing,” she said. Tevis was told by her therapist about a facility in the city of Gonzalez that was used to help polio patients. The hospital was patterned after the one in Warm Springs, Ga., where President Franklin Roosevelt went after being diagnosed with the disease. “I think it was the best decision I ever made,” said Tevis, a Wichita Falls native. “I don’t think I would have been walking today if weren’t for that wonderful therapist.” For ten years, Tevis has had post-polio syndrome, which she said only requires adequate rest and relaxation. This would seem to be difficult to achieve, working as a full-time professor and mentor. Maria Reyes, interim chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, said that Tevis’s condition doesn’t seem to faze her.
“Despite her disability, she has been able to be a productive faculty member,” said Reyes. “You rarely hear her talk about it, she just keeps working. I really admire that she has been able to overcome her limitations.” UTPA Tevis graduated from high school and started college at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Once in college, she no longer had to use canes. She then transferred to Our Lady of the Lake in San Antonio, where she majored in Latin and minored in English. “I loved the university. It was a girls’ school back then,” she said. “The nuns were still there too, and they were a great influence.” One nun that was a big influence on her was Sister Angus Clare Way, who offered Tevis a teaching scholarship toward a master’s degree, which Tevis humbly accepted. She received a master’s in art education, with a specialization in Latin. Later, she went to the University of Texas at Austin to get a doctoral degree in the history of philosophy in education. In 1967, Pan American College, as it was called then, had just become a state-supported school, and was looking for 30 new tenure-track professors. Tevis was hired and made the Rio Grande Valley her new home. EDUCATION DEPARTMENT Once she came became part of the teaching staff, she fit right in. Tevis has enjoyed working at the university and becoming a mentor to her students and faulty members. “They bring a lot of vibrancy, new life, and creativity,” she said. “It never gets old. Always new faces, new ideas.” Hilda Medrano said she feels Tevis is someone special, and her dedication to her work is something to admire. Medrano, a professor of early childhood and reading, said Tevis was great inspiration when she came to UTPA. “When I came in 1986, she was the first one to reach out to me and guided me,” she said. “Whatever she does, she does it well. THE FUTURE Tevis has, at times, pondered leaving the Valley in search of other ventures. “I addressed that very seriously on my 25th anniversary,” she said. “I thought and thought and I couldn’t think of anything else I’d rather be. I’m happy with what I’m doing.” Tevis is optimistic about the school’s future. “The sky is the limit here,” she said. “We’ve got great leadership and great new faculty that will carry on the work.” Most recently Tevis has been honored with a scholarship named after her. Her mother also has a scholarship named after her, called the Valarie McLamore Tevis endowed scholarship. “It’s wonderful and rather overwhelming,” she said. “But, I am most pleased about it.”
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College of Social and behavioral sciences Psychology Department
Program Tackles Students' Learned help lessness by_jeanette perez
Yes. You’re in college and I acknowledge you’re in college, but… when are you going to start working and contributing to the family?
I
n Hispanic culture, the voice of tradition often dictates the future of its youth. What will become of them still in many cases lies in the hands of their parents. While following our parents’ lead is conventional, a misunderstood tradition can be like a bad habit. Espiridion “Al” Borrego knows that tradition. He thinks it’s about time to break it. Borrego, a public administration professor, has teamed up with anthropology professor Fred Ernst and psychology professor Darrin Rogers to understand which factors explain the interplay between the Hispanic culture and education. The group’s study, hosted by the psychology department at The University of Texas-Pan American, is titled the “Cultural Resiliency Program.” For the past two years, the three have been researching the correlation between location and college education. The program, according to Borrego, is a study he decided to pursue after his own personal experiences and encounters with students from the Rio Grande Valley. Cultural resilience refers to a culture’s capacity to maintain and develop its cultural identity, knowledge and practices. Despite difficulties, a resilient culture is capable of maintaining and developing itself, he said. Born and raised in a small town of fewer than 1,000 people, 30 miles from San Antonio, Borrego never regretted leaving home after
graduating high school. In the summer of 2004 he landed a job at The University of Texas-Pan American, after having lived in Washington, D.C and California. What he found at the Valley’s university was something he hadn’t expected. “What I noticed when I got here was that were a lot of companies coming to recruit people for government jobs,” he said. “The students told me that they were interested and wanted to become successful, but I don’t see them taking opportunities. The students here were more passive than I have seen in other universities.” There are a number of possible explanations for this anecdotal finding.
TOO DEPENDENT Clinical psychology major Ledy Cruz finds that most students are too used to getting things handed to them. “One of my professors said they had to do a carnival to get students to apply for scholarships,” said Cruz. “They actually paid them to sign up and gave them credit for it. People just don’t take advantage because they’re lazy. I know because I don’t,” said Cruz.
Borrego blames this passivity on learned helplessness, a psychological condition in which human beings learn to believe that they are helpless in certain situations. As a result, they become passive during uncomfortable situations even when they are able to change the circumstances. After much consideration on how he could relate to local students, Borrego enlisted the help of Ernst and Rogers. In Spring ‘06, the team set up focus groups and research studies to dig deeper into the subject. In studying 400 Hispanics within the focus groups, Borrego saw similar patterns. Emotional support and family support were among the greatest factors in the study.
FILLING IN The Hispanic generation of today, Borrego said, will more than likely be handed the task of filling vacancies in the workforce because recent U.S. Census projections show yet another dramatic population increase is in store for Hispanics. After becoming the country’s largest minority in 2003, the Hispanic population is expected to skyrocket in the next few decades, and the opportunities will be there for many of them. “The baby boomers of ‘46 are starting to retire so organizations and corporations are looking for people,” he said. “They want people with leadership skills.” He said the task for young Hispanics of preparing themselves for a career is especially difficult because many are first-generation college
students who don’t have role models to guide them through college. Culture and traditions also play an important role in a student’s education and success thereafter, he said. “Parents want their children close,” he said. “They want them to contribute to the family, which means the sooner you can have money, the better off you are.”
IN THE WORKS The team of professors is working on a questionnaire to assess experiences UTPA students have when entering college. The group also hopes to analyze high school student experiences. Eventually, Rogers said, they want to move outside the Valley and study adults who have already entered the career world. “I am currently in the middle of a sub-project of that, creating a psychometrically valid measure of college student support,” he explained. “We’re especially trying to find and put under a microscope the factors that make it easier or more difficult for students to continue to prepare for university education.” Borrego, Ernst and Rogers ultimately want to understand how learned helplessness and cultural resiliency come together. They hope they can find a way to incite college and long-term career plans.
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Images_lucia gutierrez
college of science and engineering
Department's FirstYear by_Leslie Anne Mainous
(Computers are) the future. - Charles Harlow, UTPA director of computer engineering
illustration_Santa Hernandez
S
elf-proclaimed neighborhood computer whiz Julio Johnson is counting on a computer engineering degree from The University of Texas-Pan American to facilitate his future career. Soon, the university will produce its first batch of computer engineering graduates, the minds behind the development and design of future technology. This has been the first academic school year for the computer engineering program and director Charles Harlow is confident about what’s to come. “I fully expect this to be a good, popular program,” said the professor. “(Computers are) the future.” After graduation Johnson sees himself involved with network field maintaining and building network infrastructures for companies around the globe, earning a starting salary averaging $56,000. The discipline encompasses broad areas of electrical engineering and computer science. UTPA offers bachelor’s degrees in both fields, as well as a master’s with a focus in computer science.
THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE Computer technology is not just for the home desktop anymore. The computer industry has migrated into the world of automobiles with the installation of computers in newer vehicles. Intelligent highways in major cities will cease to be a pipe dream with the help of developing computer technologies and the help of computer engineers. Already 100 students have signed up for the new degree, which is “pretty outstanding for beginning programs,” said Harlow. The major is an attempt to mesh computer science and electrical engineering by focusing on both hardware and software disciplines, he added.
019 Students are very excited about their career choices after graduating in computer engineering. “You have so many more opportunities with a computer engineering degree to where you can choose your line of work to what fits you best,” said Johnson. “You can specialize yourself in a particular field of interest once you know what it is that you enjoy working on and what you see yourself doing for the rest of your life.”
A GOOD INVESTMENT Students with a bachelor’s in computer engineering are projected to be able to command a starting salary averaging $56,000 on the current market. However, Harlow has heard of starting rates in the range of $70,000 to $80,000, which is a possibility for Johnson when he enters the workforce. The 19-year-old Edinburg native completed his basics at Texas State Technical College in Harlingen before transferring to UTPA when “price, quality and convenience” made it the good choice. These deciding factors reflect Harlow’s opinion about the need for a computer engineering program in the Valley. “If it wasn’t here, people would have to go somewhere else, (which) is not for everyone,” said Harlow. “Sending people away is not going to impact the population of the Valley.” Currently, the University of Texas–San Antonio would be the nearest option for students if UTPA had not established the new degree, which took several years before it became available for interested students.
Hardware and software go hand in hand. The smaller the computer chip, the smaller the latest gadget or computer can be.
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relationship poll by_manuel tiscareno
images_daniel martinez
Going to college usually entails lots of dating. And as much as we hate admitting it, appearances and petty attractions typically drive fresh relationships. Panorama conducted a non-scientiďŹ c poll on 150 students to identify which qualities are most important to young lovebirds. Where do your vanities lie?
What do you first notice about partners? Hair 8% Face 16% Body17% Butt 17% Smile 42%
What usually annoys you the most about partners? Unkempt nails 10% Cursing 14% Clinginess 27% Calling infrequently 21% Smoking and/or drinking 14% Checking out other people 7% Flakiness 6%
What do you usually talk about with partners? Random, everyday things 43% Work 20% Our relationship 25% Disagreements 12%
What is your favorite underwear on partners? Lingerie 17% Briefs 25% Boxers 25% Thong 11% Boxer briefs 7% Nothing 14%
What kind of gift do you usually expect from partners? A hug and kiss 35% Material gifts 33% Nothing 7% Both 25%
Bonus question: How hot was your first kiss on a scale from 1 to 10? (1 = yawn-worthy, 10 = steaming) Below 6 (bo-ring) 18% 7 through 9 (not bad) 24% 10 (yowzah!) 58%
025
Biologists still have no idea where they came from. The only wellknown fact about them is that they were discovered in the mid ’90s. There is some speculation that its closest relative is a species found in North America, mainly Florida and southern Georgia. Faulkes is the first person in North America to own some of the new crayfish. Because there is little known about this species, his research can be the foundation of future study.
CRAB KINGDOM
by_ sylvia alafa image_Daniel Martinez
Z
en Faulkes is excited about his latest research with a new species of crayfish. His work involves a unique type discovered in Europe only 10 years ago. The biology professor at The University of Texas-Pan American received the new species of crayfish from Germany to start the research last year. “They are incredibly cool animals because it’s a new species of crayfish that are all female,” he said. Months later, he’s still hyped up about them. For weeks, he had been anxiously waiting their arrival. “A lab in Germany was nice enough to send them and I was uncertain whether they would survive the trip,” he said. “The lab went to various contortions trying to ensure that they could ship the animals in the first place.” When animals are transported internationally, the U.S Customs and Border Protection office needs to inspect them before sending them to their destination. The crayfish were shipped via FedEx, and their shipment was stopped for inspection at customs for two days.
'A VERY COOL THINg ' When it finally arrived, a suspenseful Faulkes opened the box and saw four crayfish wrapped in wet paper towels; this had been done to ensure that the gills stayed moist to guarantee a safe arrival. “They were okay,” he said, “And that’s one of the things I like about crayfish, they’re tough as nails.” The species still lacks a formal scientific name — currently they are called Marmorkrebs, or marbled crabs. The crustaceans were thought to be asexual when people purchased them very young; later they laid eggs upon maturing. Every specimen known is female. All other crustaceans reproduce heterosexually. “These gals, all females, reproduce all by themselves in complete isolation,” he said, “So that’s a very cool thing.”
His lab is set up with tables surrounding the room. One has many small tanks with a single Louisiana red swamp crayfish in each tank. One of the tanks has a crayfish surrounded with offspring. “This is another species I’m conducting research on,” he said, pointing to the tanks. “These are not my gals,” he said, referring to the red crustaceans. He keeps them in an isolated place in the corner. They are quite different from the others, smaller compared with the crimson-colored crayfish. They’re about two inches long and have darker shells. He keeps them in a 75-gallon tank half full of water. Mesmerized by their beauty, Faulkes shows off the offspring. At the bottom of the tank, the gravel seems to move. It is sand-colored to camouflage the babies. Broken clay pots serve as shelter for the “gals” from Germany. There are small green objects bobbing in the tank. “They’ve just had lunch,” he said, referring to the peas in the tank.
STEADY SUPPLY One of the advantages of having such a reproductive species is that the prof has a continuous supply of crayfish. In the past, he accidentally killed some during physiological experiments, but always has more to work with. The other interesting thing about them, he says, is that he can start studying the development of their nervous system. In order to conduct these experiments he needs a continuously supply of embryos, and now that is a reality. They reach sexual maturity in seven months and begin reproducing hundreds of eggs every three to four months. “I hope that by next July or next August I’ll have my first granddaughters from the original four adults that I got sent from Germany,” he said.
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“They are incredibly cool animals because it’s a new species of crayfish that are all female.” Zen Faulkes, UTPA biology professor
out of the loop by_ana ley
I
magine earning a degree but not being able to legally work after graduation. Consider having to stay within the confines of Texas checkpoints and the Mexican border. Contemplate living in perpetual fear of Border Patrol and customs officers, knowing that any second, they may deport you to a country you barely know. For about 300 students at The University of Texas-Pan American, these obstacles are an everyday reality. To begin with, many undocumented students who graduate from high school in the Rio Grande Valley are not even aware that going to college is possible. Then, for the few that make the most of the opportunity, earning a degree is an exceptionally difficult and only potentially gratifying experience. As immigration has become a national flashpoint, especially during a presidential campaign cycle, some lesser publicized aspects of the issue bear discussion, because they impact real people on a real plane, beyond abstract media representations by those without a true stake on the ground.
WHAT’S THE POINT? There are tens of thousands of students in the country illegally, for whom the mediated hype over immigration reform and the Border Wall have only partial resonance. They’re more worried about a visa, or lack thereof. Crystal, who requested that Panorama only partially identify her for fear of deportation, is one such student. The biggest setback for illegal residents going to American colleges, she said, is finding a job after coursework is complete. “Going to college doesn’t benefit us because there won’t be a job waiting for us when we graduate,” she said. “Most of us are waiting for the DREAM Act, to see what’s going to happen with that. I’m scared because I don’t know what I’m going to do otherwise.” The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, dubbed the “DREAM Act,” is a bill that hopes to help young people in limbo. The piece of legislation, which has only recently been introduced in the U.S. Senate as a stand-alone bill, would affect undocumented high school students with longterm residency and “good moral character.” Those meeting the criteria and who wish to attend college or serve in the military would gain a chance at legal status. “I think that if we’re willing to work with the government and are willing to go to school and succeed and get a degree and work, we should be allowed
to work and give back to the economy,” Crystal said. “Many people that can and won’t are those that are draining the welfare system.” The DREAM Act, which has many different versions, was brought for debate on the Senate floor in October 2007. According to the Dallas Morning News, the act failed to pass and its future remains uncertain, though the Democratic leadership has said that the bill is unlikely to be re-considered until 2009. Meanwhile, so-called “illegals” continue to navigate toward the American tradition of education. Continue is the operative word: Crystal, currently a university senior, applied for residency four years ago and her case is still pending. “Without the DREAM Act, I don’t know how much longer I’ll have to wait (before getting a job),” she said. “If I have to, I’ll leave the country.” Representatives from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services did not return numerous queries regarding application-processing duration, though some applicants claim they have waited as much as 10 years for their cases to be decided. There has been a recent push to increase the number of visas available to highly skilled workers and those wanting to come to the country to study. But as for now the number of visas is comparatively low, the competition fierce, and the immigration situation continues to be defined in the media largely as an issue of low-skilled immigrants, as opposed to a multi-faceted debate including immigrants who are not seeking underground labor jobs. Still, Crystal said she decided to attend school in the United States instead of her native Mexico in search of the famed “American dream,” mainly because while the going is tough north of the border, it still beats the drill at home. “The little financial aid you get here is more than in Mexico,” she said. “Just going to high school over there is very expensive.” She also explained that going to college at an American university was the practical choice for her because she wasn’t used to the educational system in Mexico. “Schools are more technologically advanced here,” she said. “It’s not the same over there.”
ALL WORTH IT Despite the various hassles and lack of enough permits, some are persevering and finding success. Maria Rincon said she and her brother Jorge waited for seven years before finally becoming legal residents on Feb. 4, 2008. Rincon, a
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graduate student at UTPA, said the obstacles the two faced made her appreciate a college education even more because they had to work that much harder to attain it. “I did not get anything for free,” she said. “I’ve learned not to take anything for granted.” Rincon, 23, admits she is lucky for having known about the opportunities available to her despite her legal status. “I know there is a huge number of illegal residents struggling to continue their education,” she said. “Some of them are fighting hard to make ends meet and to cover expenses for a college education, while many others who were not so lucky end up with their dreams unfulfilled because of a lack of awareness.” The graduate business administration student said that after earning her bachelor’s degree, she was worried about legally finding a job in the Rio Grande Valley. So, she kept studying. “I really did not have much of an option,” she admitted.
OPPORTUNITIES Vanessa Valdez, UTPA assistant director for recruitment, explained that the school cannot reject any applicant if they meet standard acceptance requirements — that is, if they can provide a high school transcript and satisfactory ACT/SAT scores. Valdez said that some students don’t like to withhold residency information because they think the office will report them. “We only ask so that we can get them cleared for Texas tuition,” she said. “We have to ask them even if they are here illegally.” Local law-enforcement and health-care officials are barred by law from asking about immigration status, creating a paradox. In many cases, illegal immigrants cannot be busted, but they also cannot be hired. University officials may know the status, but if the student satisfies other criteria, both parties are off the hook. Philip Clay, director of international admissions and services, said that UTPA allows Texas residents to apply for in-state tuition regardless of legal status. Compliant with Texas House Bill 1403, students who graduated high school from a Texas institution are allowed to attend UTPA and pay in-state tuition, while those who graduated from an out-of-state school must pay out-of-state tuition, which is significantly more expensive. Valdez said a Texas resident can expect to pay average of $3,899 per semester, while non-Texans have to fork over about $10,571. Though illegal Texas residents cannot get federal financial aid, they often qualify for state financial assistance and university scholarships, such as the Texas Public Educational Grant or the University Scholars Scholarship. Again, this is an irony, as the system does not enforce immigration laws through its application process, leaving students to gamble that they will eventually be able to gain citizenship when it’s time to apply for jobs after graduation. Students who wish to be classified as Texas residents must sign an affidavit promising that they will begin the legalization process. Nicole Luna, a financial aid officer at UTPA, stressed that it is important for students to apply for residency when they begin college so that they can become legal residents by the time they graduate college and seek work opportunities. As stated, the process can take years due to a backlog of applicants and a dilatory sequence of hoops to jump through with no discernible timetable of denouement. So, it’s a dice roll for undocumented students, as they pursue higher education with no guarantees that once they complete, the story will end well.
Mexican National Attains “American Dream”
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by_Jorge Rincon
t wasn’t easy. But like I’ve always said, things happen for a reason. Back in August 1996 my mom decided that we should get on a new path. When I was 12, she brought my sister and me over to the United States of America, to the land of dreams, in search of my father and of new opportunities. Crossing the river on a small boat and hiding on the back of a pickup truck for almost two hours was not the tough part. That was just the beginning. What came ahead was a life-long challenge. I came into the fourth grade without speaking English and having to adapt to new foods and living habits. Little by little I began to adapt. I got new friends and my English began to improve. But things at home were not so easy. Since my mother could not easily find a job due to our legal situation, we had to live at the house of an elderly, 80-year-old Caucasian man where my mom did all the cleaning and washing for no monetary compensation. Instead, he allowed us to stay and eat from what he had in his house. It was a nightmare. He would make me cut the grass growing around the edge of the house with my bare hands and paid me 25 cents. Also, the old man, on more than one occasion, suggested that my mother allow him to “play” with my sister and he would give her $10. Needless to say, my mom decided we had to move out. After that we moved in with a kind, sweet woman named Nora. She allowed us to stay at her house and gave us a room and beds to sleep on. She even took us to school every day. My mom continued cleaning houses as my sister finished ninth grade and I completed sixth grade. Then, my mother met a man named Cruz who we thought was going to become the father figure we had lost years ago after my dad left us in Mexico and married another woman in Houston. But that didn’t happen. Cruz was everything but a father to us. Despite doing well in school, my stepdad treated us with such indifference. He would get home at noon for his lunch break and make us go outside to clean the one-acre lot that he had bought. Eventually my sister decided she wanted to attend The University of Texas-Pan American but my stepdad showed little support. He argued that as a woman, my sister didn’t need to worry about studying because she was going to get married and just have kids. To top it off, he said that we had no right to attend college due to our legal status. To him we were just a bunch of “mojados.” In the Mexican culture, if you are the man of the house, you need to provide for the family and I felt I was doing nothing. But I also knew that without an education I would stay doing nothing. So I gave my best to my studies. My mom always told us that school came first, that no matter what happened I had to continue studying and reach all my goals even if she had to work 24 hours a day. So I kept my grades up and so did my sister. In 2006 she was a top graduate with a 4.0 GPA and is currently keeping that same GPA in her last semester of her master’s degree in business administration. I am a senior in advertising/public relations on my third year and have been recently admitted into The University of Texas at Austin to obtain my master’s in advertising. This is only the beginning of a brighter future because on Feb. 4, 2008 I received the most wonderful gift: my residency. Finally, after seven years since my father first submitted our application, I have become a legal resident of the United States of America. Now I am free to make my dreams come true. I am able to work and support my family. I am able to apply for as many scholarships as I want. I am able to travel the world. Best of all I am able to give my mother everything she gave to us. I thank God each and every day for everything I have gone through because without that I wouldn’t be the man I am today.
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by_Sandra Gonzalez
They are enigmas — untouchable people seen every now and then in a photo next to President Blandina Cardenas.
They work in the tall building where most only venture to go to financial aid, while students earn their meager wages in the back room of a fast food restaurant. The lives of the suit-wearing administrators at The University of Texas-Pan American seem vastly different and miles removed from those of the average minimum-wage-earning student. But that couldn’t be more wrong. They are more similar than one may think. After all, they earned minimum wage once, too.
PAPER BOY BLUES
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Paul Sale’s right index finger doesn’t have much feeling anymore. Not since that morning almost 35 years ago when the bitter cold ate away at his 13-year-old fingers. Sale, provost/vice president of academic affairs, was like any other paperboy in Richmond, Va. He rose at 5 a.m. to pick up his bundle of 100 to 200 newspapers. He’d make his way down the assigned five or six blocks every morning, banging a few metal screen doors along the way. While that didn’t please some neighbors, it was the only way they would have their rolled-up Richmond Times-Dispatch every morning, year ‘round. Sale recalls that the job carried more responsibility than one may think. “It was kind of like a mailman,” he said. “Rain, sleet, shine or snow, you go.”
This particular day was bitterly cold and snowing, but he took off on his bicycle anyway. He’d done it since age 11 and it was well worth the about $75 every two weeks; a little less than a dollar per customer every week. “I was out and when you roll papers up you can’t do it with gloves, because it won’t roll up right,” he remembers. “So you have to do it without gloves or with gloves with no fingers on it.” So he rolled. And rolled. And rolled. All the while, Sale was never the wiser about the frostbite that was setting in. In fact, it wasn’t until he got home that he noticed. Thankfully, mom had already gone to work. “It sounds strange, but when you get frostbite, you put it in lukewarm or chill water because if you put it in warm water you can end up damaging the tissue,” he said. “I just came home and put it in water for five or six minutes. Then I had to get going to school. So I just got out, hopped on the school.”
The effects linger, however. “I still don’t have feeling in one of my fingers very much because of frostbite,” he said. “Even today, if I’m in very cold weather, it starts throbbing. Thankfully, I moved to South Texas where I don’t have to deal with that anymore.”
MEASURING SUCCESS Measure. Cut. Fold. Measure. Cut. Fold. This was how Lydia Aleman, excutive director for university advancement, spent her senior year in high school. One day in the downtown McAllen fabric store where Aleman worked was much like the one before that, and the one before that and the one before that. “It was so repetitive,” she said. “At night, I would think I was measuring fabric. I thought: ‘I can’t do this all the time.’” She had to get out. So she planned. Every day after school, she’d go through her motions. All the while, however, developing a plan. “I came out of high school at a time when I didn’t get a lot of guidance,” she said. “But I knew I would move on because if I had a lack of higher education, I’d have to do a monotonous job.” Her aunt was in charge of the store, so the 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. hours weren’t bad. Working conditions were fair, but she wanted more. “It taught me that we have to make do and we have to make decisions about our future. Do we want to spend the day doing something automatically or use our mental skills?” she said. “I think that when you have an experience like that, it allows you to think: ‘What do I want to do?’” The daughter of illegal Mexican immigrants, Aleman didn’t have a lot of money growing up. But even when faced with obstacles, she referred to the struggles of her father for encouragement. Aleman said she thought about their struggles all the time, especially when two or three tests piled up and when the two jobs she worked to get through college felt like too much to bear. “Those were true obstacles. All we have to do is decide: ‘Do I want to do this?...You can’t stop going until you get your degree,” she said. “These experiences help you find your way.”
different times The morning sun was shining through the large windows of small dime store in Clarksville, Texas. John Edwards drew the shades, just like he did every morning before he swept the front, washed windows and did inventory. His job was not too strenuous compared to the others he’d had on his father’s farm every summer since he was about 8 or 9 years old. Lucky for him, this summer he inherited his brother’s old job and a 40 cent an hour salary. Unfortunately, he also gained one intimidating boss. It’s difficult to imagine Edwards, who sits almost regally on his plush office couch as vice president of enrollment at The University of Texas-Pan American, being threatened by anyone. But for Edwards, then nearly 14 years old, the story was much like that of many young people entering the
workforce for the first time. He was at the bottom of the totem pole and his boss was...well, the boss. “I remember he was a very difficult man and very much a disciplinarian,” Edwards said. “He had come there when the store was on the verge of collapse right at the height of the depression in 1931 or ’32. He had brought that store back from almost going under.” His boss knew the store and he knew how he wanted it to look, too. “He was very stern and everything had to be just right,” he said. “(Part of my job was to) take these boxes to the ladies and check them off to make sure they had all the items. As I’d check them, I’d line them up. If the boxes weren’t right against the counter and blocking the aisle, he’d walk down the aisle and start kicking them. You could hear him coming.” It’s a memory he still remembers too vividly. “I almost dream about him coming down that aisle kicking those boxes,” he said, laughing.
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Those were true obstacles. All we have to do is decide: ‘Do I want to do this ?...You can’t stop going until you get your degree.’
-Lydia Aleman
executive director for university advancement
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The Metalhead
Wore Khakis J
effery Zents’ khaki pants, checkered shirt and 5-foot-2-inch frame do not scream “rebel without a cause.” His daily professor uniform is, in fact, a stark contrast to the dark world he enjoys taking part in: hard metal music. Zents, a philosophy professor, has enjoyed the music for only a few years. His music collection, while vast in individual tracks, is scarce on CDs — he only has three or four. But since hearing the album “Dark Light” by the Finnish metal group HIM two years ago, he was hooked to the sound. At 49, the philosophy professor is not the average person one would expect to see at a metal concert among a barrage of long, black-clad 20-somethings, nor does he plan to be. November marked the first time Zents went to a metal concert. With Billy Joel as his only previous concert conquest, he expected his six-hour trek to see Nightwish, another Finnish metal band, to be unique. His reason for liking them extends beyond the riffs and rhymes, however. Zents says not just any hard-rocking group catches his attention. “I like bands that raise philosophical or theological questions,” he said. “An example would be the song ‘End Of All Hope,’ by the band Nightwish, which in a very theological way links the question of hope with the question of innocence.” Say what you will about metal, Zents just loves the creativity of the music. And while any top-40 song is enough to get a cringe out of him, there is one genre in particular that irks him. “What I most despise are emo bands. What bugs me about so much contemporary music is the triteness and the lack of creativity,” he said.
While Zents admits students may find it odd that he likes metal music, he thinks it sometimes acts as a give/take relationship. “Being willing to let students teach me about metal has made some students more willing to let me teach them about philosophy,” he explained. On the first day of his ethics class in Fall ’07, Zents saw a shy, brown-haired boy sitting in front. Calling roll, he noticed the boy wore a Megadeath shirt. “Hey, cool! Megadeath! Are you going to see them on October in Austin?” he asked him. Shocked, the boy smiled. “No, but I went to see them last year.” The boy turned out to be one of the best students in class, Zents said.“ But he may have said nothing all semester had we not related on that level.” Loving metal doesn’t score him any “cool points” with his 9-year-old daughter Andrea, though. But it does give him something to relate to her with. They share a love for Nightwish. Every day, Zents gets up in front of a class in the same khaki pants and checkered shirt to teach college students about Plato and Aristotle. Beneath his J.C. Penney surface, though, lies a man who just wants to listen to the Dutch goth metal group Within Temptation and British death metal band Cradle Of Filth on his white Apple computer. Until then, he’ll just have to use it to give his class their WebCT quiz.
With Billy Joel as his only previous conquest, he expected his six-hour trek to see Nightwish, another
metal band, to be unique.
by_sandra gonzalez
by_Leslie Anne Mainous
M
iguel Paredes, a math professor at The University of TexasPan American, gave 25 years of his life to the campus before he died of cancer in October at the age of 65. Colleagues and students say Paredes’ dedication to the university was nothing short of exceptional. The professor’s legacy lives on through the programs he directed, the people he worked with and the students who he was eager to help. In November 2007, the department of mathematics hosted a memorial service in honor of Paredes. There, colleagues and students who knew the math professor had the privilege of sharing recollections about the man they knew and lost. Miguel Guzman, a graduate student hired by Paredes as a math tutor, said he misses the man he knew for five years and said he has lost more than a boss. “I lost a good friend, he was one of the first people who befriended me,” said Guzman. “A mentor who defended me, he was a fatherly type.” Before Paredes came to UTPA, he attended La Universidad de Chile where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in math. After a military coup in Chile during 1973, Paredes emigrated to the United States and continued education at the University of Utah where he obtained a master’s and a doctorate in math-related studies. Paredes was hired at Pan American University, UTPA’s former name, in 1982. He would later become one of the most beloved professors in the math department. “Here in the department he was a mentor for many, many students,” said Paul Pontius, a UTPA math professor who was teaching when Paredes was hired.
“He was always cheerful and he made us smile, which goes for a lot around here,” Pontius said with a laugh. “Even when he was quite sick, he would tell me to cheer up. I think I probably had a sad look on my face.” Paredes’ love for students led him to one of his major contributions in the math department, the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program, which he had directed since 1993. The program provides financial assistance for undergraduate research students and has a peertutoring lab. According to Pontius, the lab has been successful because peer-tutoring is more comfortable for students, which Paredes intuited. Paredes was the director of the Texas Pre-freshman Engineering Program since 1996. Tex-PREP is a summer program for middle school and high school students to help make the college experience easier. Paredes was able to celebrate Tex-PREP’s 20th anniversary in 2006, which by then had seen more than 2,000 students enrolled in the program. Student-oriented Paredes was also the coordinator of the Bridge to the Doctorate program, established in 2004 and supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation to the University of Texas System LSAMP. The grant’s purpose was to increase the number of students, mainly minorities, receiving graduate degrees in science and mathematics. As of 2006, the Bridge to the Doctorate program has paired 12 students with faculty members and has funded them with tuition and fee expenses while they pursued post-graduate degrees. At the time, Paredes, in a press release by the university, expressed his hope that these 12 students will return to the university as professors in science, engineering and mathematics.
CHANGING FROM THE OUTSIDE IN by_ Ana Ley
Perhaps the biggest administrative shakeup at The University of Texas-Pan American this year occurred when the school expanded from five to six divisions and added a sixth vice president to its executive team.
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he move came after President Blandina “Bambi” Cardenas sent a memorandum in July 2007 to External Affairs staff stating that the school would establish a new Division of University Advancement with Lydia Aleman serving as executive director. The new division absorbed the Development Office, Marketing, University Relations, Career Services, Alumni Association and UTPA Foundation. Plans to change the vice president and division structure were prompted after an outside consultant advised that External Affairs needed to be scaled down when Cardenas became president of the institution in 200405. “(The President’s office) wanted to increase efficiency,” said Aleman, who added that her task as executive director is to “help create a new infrastructure of a stronger advancement team.” Aleman, who has held the position since Sept. 1, will continue until the school finds a permanent director through a formal search, she said. As of now a formal search has not been initiated. Another new division, Community Engagement, will absorb departments focused on economic development such as Center Operations and Community Services, the Data Affiliate Center, the Small Business Development Center, the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, the Trade and Technology Center, the Border Consortium with UTEP and HESTEC 2007. Roland Arriola, former vice president of External Affairs, was appointed vice president of the division but retired Spring ‘08. No annoncements were made about his retirement and the division currently lacks a formal vice president. Though Arriola said he agreed the division was broad before, he said he was shocked when he heard about the administrative changes. Still, he added that “administration members want to make sure we work our heart out to make the university better, no matter what role we are in.” In her statement, Cardenas said that the university has revised its mission over the last three years and initiated institution-wide planning and outcome-assessment evaluation. “Last November the vice presidents, I, and the executive director for research and planning sat down at a retreat to review the functions within
each division and to determine the most effective and efficient placement within a division for those functions,” she said. “We continued our discussions over the next several months. It was determined that External Affairs be reorganized to focus on advancement activities and on community engagement.” Cardenas anticipates that the reorganization will improve the school because it will increase efficiency in fundraising, economic development and community outreach.
THE WAY THINGS WERE The Division of External Affairs was one of five divisions at The University of Texas-Pan American. Others included the Division of Academic Affairs, the Division of Business Affairs, the Division of Enrollment and Student Services and the Division of Information Technology. Before the shakeup, External Affairs was comprised of six departments that offered various services, such as promoting the university at events like HESTEC. The departments currently housed under the division include Development, CoSERVE, Career Placement Services, University Relations, Alumni Association and UTPA Foundation. Lourdes Servantes, assistant director of Career Services, is one of many UTPA staff members whose department was affected by the move. She said she did not see any problems with the division’s previous structure, but is not bothered by the shakeup. “Change doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative thing,” she added. “Sometimes you look forward to change because it’s an opportunity to better service to the students and the university.”
OTHER CHANGES Institutions and centers that are academic in nature were transferred to the Division of Academic Affairs under the provost, Paul Sale. These include the Center for Border Economic Studies, The Raul Yzaguirre Institute, the Industrial Partnership Center, the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center and the English Language Institute.
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PROTESTING STING FOR
CHANGE by_ Ana Ley IMAGE_ CHRIS RAMIREZ
Immigration issues have recently shifted the national spotlight to the Rio Grande Valley, once a speck on the political map. Ubiquitous protests and political movements have drawn the attention of Valley scenesters, a crowd formerly characterized by apathy. Post-9/11 activism is gaining momentum on campuses nationwide, and Greg Rodriguez, an organizer for the World Peace Alliance and a junior at South Texas College, thinks that’s a good thing. The Alliance, popular among young Valley college students, is known for hosting a variety of events across the region, protesting things such as the building of a new border wall, fast food chains and immigrant detention centers. Rodriguez knows how they are sometimes perceived, but doesn’t care. “If we are called radicals for wanting human rights, then I have no problem with it,” he said. The group, about 150 members strong, frequents such venues as McDonald’s and Burger King, with complaints that the restaurant chains promote unhealthy food, underpay employees, slaughter animals for meat, and are major players in globalization, among other criticisms. Clad in black, the group of teens and 20-somethings often protest against the companies as part of “International Anti-McDonald’s Day,” and the United Nations World Food Day on Oct. 16. They routinely picket franchises, holding signs with complaints such as “Meat is Murder,” “McSlavery,” “For the Environment” and “Eat Local.” At one such event, several teens in Mohawks even bore black-and-red anarchy signs. Though banding together against the same corporation, the protestors’ individual causes vary. Jordan Hughes, an undeclared major at The University of TexasPan American, said she was against McDonald’s and its unethical treatment of animals when she protested against the chain in 2006. She also thinks the fast-food business hides ingredients in its nutrition facts and said she stopped eating at McDonald’s after watching the film “Supersize Me,” a documentary recording the physical effects of eating only items off McDonald’s menu for 30 days. Although McDonald’s offers its customers nutritional information about its products on its Web site, Hughes remains skeptical of the corporation’s intentions. “It’s just a cover-up to distract people’s attention from all the bad they do,” she said. Hughes said she wore black to mourn the death of animals slaughtered by the company for meat in the menu. While the restaurant’s supervisor — who refused to be interviewed — asked the group to leave after the incident, the group stood their ground.
“As long as we don’t touch the grass or touch their property, we’re free to exercise our rights,” said Sofia Garza, an anthropology major at UTPA. “If an officer asks us to stop, we just go limp and drop to the ground. It keeps us from getting into any legal problems and it attracts attention.” The group also hosts many discussions and debates on immigration policy. One such discussion, held September 2007 by the Coalition Against Immigrant Repression at South Texas College, touched on sensitive topics such as sexual violation, beatings and poor living conditions of illegal immigrants held in Texas detention centers. Organizations present at the forum included the World Peace Alliance, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, Veterans for Peace, La Union del Pueblo Entero and People for Peace and Justice. Rodriguez said that from the coalition’s point of view, nobody should be called “illegal.” “We think that too many people that don’t want detention centers to exist aren’t being heard,” he said. “There are more humane solutions to the immigration problem.”
Economic/ government issues by_ana ley
People should control their own retirement. Social Security should be privatized for Americans. Yes -1
Maybe - 2
No - 3
Private charities should replace government welfare. Yes -1 Maybe - 2 No - 3 Stop corporate welfare. Businesses should not receive economic assistance from government. Yes - 3 Maybe - 2 No - 1 The U.S. government should stop interfering with domestic and international free trade. Yes - 1 Maybe - 2 No - 3
Social issues Should the government be allowed to censor media, Internet or speech? Yes - 1 Maybe - 2 No - 3 Should the United States strive to support broad racial, ethnic, sexual and religious tolerance? Yes - 3 Maybe - 2 No - 1
P
olitics is now more than ever a part of everyday life. For young adults, it can be especially confusing to decide which political ideologies their values lean toward, making it hard to partake in relevant political discussions. A good way to keep abreast is by devoting time to reading news reports and closely observing the positions that important political figures take on pertinent social and economic issues. But that’s all very boring. Instead, everyone should take my political quiz — a handy system that narrows down key issues and helps people find out where they fit in the political world…and avoid unnecessary embarrassment the next time they meet a political science major. Keep in mind that, in politics, things aren’t as simple as red or blue. I borrowed most of this information from a Web site hosted by The Advocates for Self-Government, which is often referenced on popular political Web sites such as Issues2000. Remember that this quiz is entirely non-scientific.
Should there be laws on sex for adults? Yes - 1 Maybe - 2 No - 3 Should the military be allowed to draft people to join a war? Yes - 1 Maybe - 2 No - 3 Should people be allowed to possess and use drugs legally? Yes - 3 Maybe - 2 No - 1 Should environmentalism be a key issue discussed in American politics? Yes - 3 Maybe - 2 No - 1 Should the United States support capital punishment? Yes - 1 Maybe - 2 No - 3 Are you liberal, centerist or conservative? Find out where you stand on page 43.
BY_Jason aaberg
image_JENNIFER TERRAZAS
M
eet 31-year-old Scottie Bolan. Bolan is clad from head to toe in what appears to be medieval battle gear, sans ax. On weekdays he usually spends his time hidden behind a mound of paper on the first floor of Kleberg First National Bank in Corpus Christi. Bolan loves heavy metal music and is just one of the several hundred people in attendance at the Satan’s Den Metal Festival taking place in just outside the sleepy shrimping town of Aransas. “If you are a pop band, don’t say you’re a metal band. Poison and Warrant were about as metal as the Backstreet Boys,” explains Bolan while
using his middle finger to emphasize his point. “It’s totally produced now. It’s almost like a conveyor belt of what metal’s supposed to be like these days. It’s not music to me.” Bolan explains that the only religion he believes in is underground thrash metal and I can go fuck myself if I don’t like it. As we sit at a picnic table located next to the beer barn, we work through our seventh Budweiser and Bolan is running me through the catalog of bands in his CD collection. It is here that I realize that there isn’t just one Bolan at the festival; there are about 200 Bolans here. As the
pulsation of double bass drum patterns beat from the performance stage about 100 yards away I wonder if Satan himself would have the balls to hang out here, or if he has something better to do. Walking through the crowd to find my next victim something delicious hits my ears: “There I was/completely wasting/out of work and down/all inside it’s so frustrating as I drift from town to town,” blares through the PA system. A band that goes by the name Contention is covering “Breaking the Law” by Judas Priest and I love it. My enthusiasm encourages me to get closer to the stage, and on
the way there, to my amazement, I realize I’m playing air guitar. I then reevaluate my life and come to the conclusion that I am a complete tool. It is during this moment of self-therapy that I meet Tammy. She is about 17 years old and thinks Contention is the band who originally wrote the song that I am drooling over and reminds me of my little sister if I had a little sister. She escorts me on my way to the beer barn so I can pick her brain a little about what it means to be a metalhead. “You know when I go to concerts with my friends and I wear all my metal stuff I don’t have to put up with the fucking weird stares from stupid [continued on page 42]
“...Charlie whose hobbies include listening to Iron Maiden and talking about Judas Priest. His lifelong ambition is to slay a dragon. Coming in third is Mike whose hobbies include listening to Judas Priest and talking about Iron Maiden. His lifelong ambition is to help Charlie slay a dragon.” fucking preppies,” Tammy says. Black eyeliner is running down her face from the sweat that her chubby body is producing to fight off the Texas heat. When I question the validity of her “metalness,” she gets defensive and I realize that I’m an asshole. “Metalheads don’t have to answer to the ignorant fucking social norms that our society holds us by. We say ‘fuck your norms’ and that’s fucking metal,” she explains while trying to hide the Budweiser our society won’t let her have because of her age. Her efforts are admirable but a part of me is wondering if this is the best candidate to represent metalheads. My quest crawls forward in search of what it means to be a metalhead. Walking through this dustbowl they call Satan’s Den I come to realize that this is nothing more than an oversized barbecue party. Just replace the stereo with a 50-foot stage and make black the color of choice for all fashions. I convince myself that the only way to find any answers is to dig deeper and I make my way behind the stage. It is here that I find a herd of beer-guzzling metal dudes that refer to themselves as “roadies” and agree to assist in my delving. Starting at my left going clockwise is Ben. Ben is wearing an old Venom T-shirt displaying a goat’s head within a pentagram. His mother is a waitress and his father is an abusive alcoholic who he will surely kill one day if he ever sees him again. Next we have the long, greasy-haired Charlie whose hobbies include listening to Iron Maiden and talking about Judas Priest. His lifelong ambition is to slay a dragon. Coming in third is Mike whose hobbies include listening to Judas Priest and talking about Iron Maiden. His lifelong ambition is to help Charlie slay a dragon. This brings us to the final member of the group, Brian. Brian appears to be the alpha male of the group and his hobbies include getting drunk and calling Charlie a pussy. It is apparent that these guys are God’s gift to me in fulfilling my quest. I earn my keep by helping them load amps and drum sets onto pickup trucks and old vans. There are about 10 bands playing at this quaint event, so there is a lot of stuff to load and unload. There is not a single band here you have ever heard of but just like my roadie buddies, (who mind you are all from the area and never actually “go on the road”), they believe what they are doing is “fucking epic” and are all just trying to do their part for the metal cause. “When we unload in the morning they pay us in beer or food or else they have to do the work themselves,” Ben explains. “Well sometimes a barter system is all you need,” I tell him. “What the fuck is a barter system?” he inquires with the most confused look on his face. I tell him it’s the handles that are built into the sides of the amplifiers we’re lifting. He believes me. Each band has 30 minutes of stage time so it’s a constant work, drink, work, drink kind of flow. This gives us plenty of time to argue about who knows more about metal. Bands like Overkill, Krokus, Megadeth, Dio, Accept, Saxon, Steeler, Raven, Death, Abyss and Venom are some we discuss. These guys are amazed that a guy such as myself (mind you I’m the only person here not wearing any metal gear, I’m wearing a longhorns cap and a shirt reading ‘Fuck OU’) knows so much about metal. I feel honored for about three seconds and then quickly realize that in a group of idiots
I’m the smartest one. “You going to The Barn with us after this?” Brian asks. “I don’t know what the fuck the barn is but yeah I’ll go,” I responded. As we are loading the last of the equipment late that afternoon I find out that most of the bands retreat to a rural piece of farm land to get totally shit hammered drunk and pretend they are rock stars and their pimply faced girlfriends are hot groupies. Isn’t make-believe awesome? On the drive to the barn I’m forced to listen to Charlie and Mike argue as to which band was better, Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. I wasn’t lying when I said this was their hobby. While this is going on I’m fucking around with Brian’s tape player (yes that’s right I said tape player) trying to find the song “Seek and Destroy” by Metallica. I tell Brian that I read in this month’s Popular Science magazine that a new invention was about to replace the tape deck called the compact disc player. He responds by telling me that if I didn’t like his choice in audio equipment then I could go have sexual relations with myself. When we pull up to this place called The Barn there are about 100 people there drinking, yelling, smoking, snorting and fucking; in that order. I stand out like a green hat with an orange bill but I’m having more fun than a homosexual on a submarine. Ben tells someone there that I’m writing a piece about their little event and that somehow escalates to me being a writer for Metal Edge magazine. Convincing them otherwise is pointless. I love the attention this gets me but at the same time find it completely amazing that some of these people agree to be part of my story. Some of these people think they are truly the next James Hetfield or Ronnie James Dio. “I used to go out with the lead singer of Axis and now I’m kinda seeing the drummer from Bent,” explains Kelly, who is a very sweet homelylooking girl sitting next to me on Brian’s tailgate. Both of the bands she mentioned performed today and I find it funny that she thinks these are accomplishments worthy of mention. When I told her this she told me I was smart. “Check this shit out man, look at that,” says Mark as he lifts up the back of his shirt to reveal a ridiculously large tattoo of Slayer right across his back. I tell him I like his style and that he makes wise choices in life. He gets me a beer. Throughout the night I meet all kinds of different people that all have one thing in common — a deep love for metal. Most of them are confused why I’m not decked out in leather from head to toe and why I don’t have a sword. It was sitting on that tailgate that I realized I had found what I was looking for. Some of them couldn’t tell you the name of our current vice president while others could hold a 20-minute conversation about politics in Israel. They come from all walks of life and have a ridiculous love for the color black. They are metalheads. I am not. I love metal but I don’t have a need to dress like Conan the Barbarian and go dragon slaying on the weekends. They are respected only by their peers and are considered weirdos by conventional standards. But they don’t give a shit. They will plaster layers of black makeup on their face and wear boots that go up to their knees that have 254 buckles on them and they will love every minute of it. I listen to the music. They live it.
by_ana ley
Scores: 11-18 Right (Conservative)
Conservatives usually favor economic freedom, but support laws restricting personal behavior that violates
what they see as traditional values. They oppose excessive government control of business, while endorsing government action to defend morality and the traditional family structure. Conservatives usually support a strong military, oppose bureaucracy and high taxes, favor a free-market economy and endorse strong law enforcement.
19-26 Centrist
Centrists adopt a middle ground regarding government control of the economy and personal behavior.
Depending on the issue, they sometimes favor government intervention and sometimes support individual freedom of choice. Centrists pride themselves on keeping an open mind, tend to oppose “political extremes” and emphasize what they describe as practical solutions to problems.
27-33 Left (Liberal)
Liberals usually embrace freedom of choice in personal matters, but tend to support significant government control of the economy. They generally support a government-funded “safety net” to help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict regulation of business. Liberals tend to favor environmental regulations, defend civil liberties and free expression, support government action to promote equality and tolerate diverse lifestyles.
To take the complete quiz, visit http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz.html. If you want to take a quiz to find out which political candidate is most aligned with your ideals, visit http://www.wqad.com/global/link.asp?L=259460.
044 by_ MARY NICHOLS
Cassandra Rivas was tired of seeing the Rio Grande Valley lag behind on environmental issues. So the 21-year-old biology senior decided to do something about it. After taking a course on environmental biology at The University of Texas-Pan American in the Fall ’06 semester, Rivas and a group of other students were inspired to establish the Environmental Awareness Club on campus. Now president of the organization, Rivas said her main goal is to convince the school’s administration to install energy-efficient products on campus. “The more we get out there, the more we can get involved with the school, the more awareness we will cause,” she said. The group is also helping the city of Edinburg to become a green city, she said. Although the club only has 15 members, she said she hopes its presence will grow on campus. in the future The EAC has several projects in the works to raise environmental awareness. Last spring, they had an Earth Day Festival, bringing speakers to campus and offering information on environmental issues. They also premiered the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” which would win major awards for Al Gore. The club has also become active with the Rainforest Action Network,
which helps groups like EAC set up goals and plans. Rivas said that with the help of the network, the club is trying to run an analysis of how much carbon dioxide the university releases and how much energy is wasted. The club is trying to get the campus to switch to energy-efficient lighting and start a recycling program. “These are long-time goals. With the right support and effort I think we can make it happen,” said Rivas. “If people think on a small scale and come join the club, we can get a lot done.” The club is strongly connected to the Environmental Advisory Board of Edinburg. Mark Pena, chairman of the board, said he feels that the “green movement” is here to stay and the city of Edinburg is demonstrating its loyalty. “The enthusiasm, and all the support for the environment, is being shown in a variety of ways in Edinburg,” said Pena, brother of state Rep. Aaron Pena. “It has finally caught on and we’re hoping to continue moving forward.” The board is in the process of implementing curbside recycling. Members are also looking into building new facilities to handle more recycling. Recently, they launched a new Cool Cities Campaign, in connection with the local Sierra Club chapter. The campaign seeks to solve global warming
at the local level and then take it up to higher levels. If the mayor of Edinburg, Joe Ochoa, agrees to the climate protection agreement, Edinburg will be the first city in the Valley to do so. “We want Edinburg to be the shooting star of the Valley,” says Pena. “The Valley has such a wonderful quality of life. We hope we can inspire our neighboring cities to participate in the movement.” RAISING AWARENESS Katherine Lowe, who teaches environmental biology at the university and inspired the students to organize EAC, said she tries to involve her classes in community events as often as she can. She sometimes asks them to visit locations such as the Weslaco Nature Center, the Mission Butterfly Park and the Edinburg World Birding Center. “My students sometimes didn’t even know these organizations existed in their community,” she said. “They realize there are problems they can take contribute to, right in their back yards.” “People think they have to radically change their lives, like eat dirt or live in a cave,” said Lowe. “You don’t have to do that. It’s the little things that make an impact and that will continue to keep the green movement going.” Lowe also said that if people instill the importance of caring for the environment in today’s youth, the movement will continue going strong. “Twenty years ago, nobody knew what recycling was,” she said. “If you raise a generation with it, it will stick.” LOST CAUSE? Carlos Ramos, a 20-year-old biology junior, says that the United States will never be able to catch up to environmentally friendly countries. “We aren’t doing as much as what can be done,” he said. “We need more money for research, instead of using it for a war we’re not going to win. People don’t realize that we’re not only damaging the planet, we’re damaging ourselves.” Others feel that there really isn’t a problem with the environment and the country shouldn’t waste its time and resources trying to end global warming. “Basically it doesn’t matter, because the Earth has suffered more against other tragedies like the Ice Age, and bounced back,” said Jose Canales, a 22-year-old English major. “So the Earth with evolve again.”
how to be green on campus by_ Chris Ramirez
When you are in a parked car, don’t leave it idle. It wastes gas and it releases carbon emissions into the atmosphere. If you live far from campus, carpool. It’s also a great way to limit carbon emissions and it’s fun. When you are not using your computer, turn it off. Keeping your computer on wastes energy. Recycle! Although it is easier to toss your plastic bottle in a trash can by your classroom or in your dorm, it is wasteful. Keep it with you and drop it by a recycling bin around campus.· Don’t leave faucets dripping. A single drip may seem insignificant, but they add up. Check out this Web site to calculate how much water you could waste by wasting by not closing taps properly: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/sc4.html. Wash your laundry only when you have enough clothes for a full load. Otherwise, extra water and energy is consumed. Don’t drive your car from one class to the next. Walk, or ride a bike, it is much healthier and easier than to drive from one side of campus to the other. Plus, you don’t have to worry about parking.
045
The world has already been explored. There’s nothing else interesting for gamers so, they want to explore something new. - Seth Strogner UTPA freshman
You want to make the game worth it to play. - Jose Jauregui, UTPA senior
Modern - Day Columbuses Explore World of Virtual Reality by_ Veronica gonzalez
J
ose Jauregui held his gun tight as he peered around the corner of an old building. Leaning his head back against the wall with his helmet in the way, Jauregui tried to catch his breath. Sweat dripped from his nose as his anticipation rose. He was out of ammunition. There was no escape this time. With his cell phone ringing, Jauregui snapped back to reality as he switched off the game and ran to class. Since he was 7 years old, the senior social studies composite major has spent much of his free time playing video games, bringing himself into a virtual reality world that many never fully abandon. “Every gamer wants a world that is completely unattainable in the real world,” he said. “I can get lost for up to 12 hours straight. “You can play the game, and you can do things that have nothing to do with it when you play a game that allows each character to interact together,” the 21-year-old said. “I play first person shooter games, especially online. It’s a very mixed world.” During his first semester at The University of Texas-Pan American, Jauregui dedicated even more time to video games by becoming a member of the Gamers Club. The group often meets at a cubicle on the second floor of the University Center to play video games. What really attracted Jauregui to the trend was the ability to create and interact without consequences when playing with online opponents. “I won’t fight when I’m supposed to or I’ll try to confront my opponent and start a conversation with them,” Jauregui said. “Granted I get stabbed and shot at a lot, but I want see if I can break that mold. I want to see what I can do with people. Sometimes it works; they actually talk to me. It’s interesting to see what happens.” Jauregui is not the only one to dedicate most of his life to learning the ins and outs of the virtual reality world. The trend has seen a steady increase in the number of people who play on a daily average, and it’s expected to continue to rise due to the dependency and fascination with technology. According to the Entertainment Software Association, fanatics have been playing an average of 12 years. They expect to see 53 percent of game players to be playing more than they do today 10 years from now. With players committed to the interest, the number of video games and consoles sold each year has steadily increased. According to ESA, American computer and video game software sales grew six percent in 2006.
DEDICATED PLAYERS For Seth Stogner, a freshman undecided major, it’s easy to understand why the virtual world has become such a phenomenon. “The world has already been explored. There’s nothing else interesting for gamers so, they want to explore something new,” he said. “These virtual worlds are so different and huge. Gamers want to get into it so that they get lost in it and enjoy it.” Although the freshman said he realizes the dangers of getting too wrapped up in virtual worlds, he doesn’t play as a substitute for life; he just plays for the fun of it. “I don’t really build a world for myself. I just play. Others role play,” he said. Stogner said some of his friends look like zombies after gaming all night. “Unfortunately, I have friends that have waited in line for the latest console. I think it’s dumb. They’re wasting their life,” he said. “It’s a game. It’s always going be there.” But Jauregui thinks that getting excited about new games is no big deal. He said he often waits outside for the release of the latest game or console. On Sept. 24, 2007, the day before Halo 3 was released, Jauregui made camp outside of the Game Stop on University Drive at 9 p.m, even though the game didn’t go on sale until 12:01 a.m. He had no problem dishing out the dough for the last installment of the of Halo trilogy. “I spent a load of money on Halo,” Jauregui said. “I have a number of Nintendo consoles, but I bought the Xbox 360 because of Halo.” According to IGN Entertainment, the Halo 3 regular edition retailed at $59.99, the limited edition for $69.99 and the legendary edition, complete with a Spartan helmet, for $129.99. Despite pre-conceived notions of “typical gamers,” Jauregui said he knows when to stop playing games because his parents taught him self-control. “When you have a select amount of time, it’s good to go and play,” he said. “But if you’re on it all the time it gets extremely repetitive. You want to make the game worth it to play.”
048 T
hough most cultural outlets in the Edinburg area cater to Mexican-Americans, a unique ethnic group quietly thrives in local mosques. The University of Texas-Pan American’s Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness calculates that about 1 percent of students originate from the Middle East. These students hail from countries such as Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan and Turkey. Hispanics at the university constitute about 80 percent — in the Rio Grande Valley, they make up about 85 percent. According to 2000 Census figures, there are 432 Arab immigrants living in Hidalgo County. Considering the size of the Arab community in the Valley — small yet significant — it can seem curious to consider Hispanics a “minority.” Hashim Yousef, a 23-year-old communication studies major, is a firstgeneration Palestinian-American. His parents left the Palestinian territories in Israel 25 years ago to seek employment in the United States. Yousef, born in Houston, moved to the Valley with his family five years ago, a place he jokingly described as “the hottest place on earth.” “The student population wasn’t that diverse,” said the Edinburg High School graduate, noting that the school’s administration targets Hispanic Americans with scholarship and college information. Yousef observed that Hispanics are friendlier toward other Hispanics because of the culture they share. He said this is not a form of racism, but instead thinks people tend to get along better when they are from the same group or culture. “People like to hang out with people they know as opposed to people they don’t know,” he said. The Edinburg resident is most at home when he is with people he
by_LESLIE ANNE MAINOUS
knows from the Islamic mosque on Jackson Road. At the mosque he said he feels “much more blessed as a human being.” He said he feels as if he were in his parents’ native country when he visits the mosque, especially during the Muslim observance Ramadan. “When I fasted here it made me feel like I was back home with my Muslim brothers breaking our fast and praying together,” he said. One major difference between Palestinian and Valley culture, he said, is that people in the Middle East are collectivist. “They stick together and do things together as much as possible,” he said. Uzzer Raajpoot, a sociology professor at UTPA, said the reason Hispanics and Arabs generally don’t clash may be attributed to the economics of the region. He said that in other areas, such as Detroit, the white majority is overall wealthier than the minority black population. “In the Valley the minorities are more economically stable than the majority,” he said. “There is little to no friction between the groups because of that.” Farzaneh Razzaghi, who was promoted as UTPA’s library director August 2007, has worked at UTPA’s library for 17 years. Born in Sari, Iran, Razzaghi came to America for graduate school, where she received her doctorate in library and information studies from Texas Women’s University in Denton. Razzaghi said she is at home with the fact that Hispanics dominate the area and does not have a problem adjusting to the culture. “You don’t expect the society to turn around for you,” she said. “You try to see how the society is and adjust yourself if you want to be successful and survive.”
by_ANA LEY AND andrielle Figueroa Images_jennifer terrazas
Local artists seem to emerge and then dwindle from existence overnight in the Rio Grande Valley music scene, and it can be difficult to know which ones are committed and talented enough to put up a rocking good show. If you’re tired of sifting through endless MySpace pages for a band to add to your music collection, look no further — Panorama has put together a guide featuring some of the best local talent.
Genre: Indie/ rock Vocals/guitar: David Cortez Bass: Robert Godinez Drums: Charlie Vela Sounds like: Tom Petty, Eagles, My Morning Jacket Meshing soft acoustics and twangy guitar solos with his own billowy voice, singer/songwriter David Cortez is the driving force behind acoustic act The Apple in the Tree. The band’s lyrics, initially written by Cortez on the road with the December Drive, longingly evoke peaceful wanderlust. The band’s bittersweet sounds are reminiscent of long Texas road trips, featuring lyrics like “I think I’ll pack my bags and leave this town/and find someplace where I can slow down/the open road and me/yeah we both agree on leaving.” Cortez, whose claim to fame is singing for the popular December Drive, said that taking long trips and living alone gave him time to express himself. “( When) I have a lot of time to sit and not work, I (try) to cultivate some style of my own.” Cortez, a 24-year-old history major at The University of Texas-Pan American, enhanced The Apple’s sound by adding bassist Robert Godinez and drummer Charlie Vela for full-group shows. “Now that I have started playing with Rob and Charlie, playing acoustically is more of a fun thing to do,” said Cortez. “I don’t feel so naked on stage.” You can watch The Apple in the Tree perform at Simon Sez or McA2 Creative Incubator (the Incubator) in McAllen. The band also sells songs on Apple’s iTunes. Check them out at www.myspace.com/theappleinthetree.
Genre: Indie/experimental/rock Vocals, bass, acoustic guitar: Elias Montemayor Drums, percussion: Homer Sounds like: John Mayer, Prince, Jamiroquai If you frequent Stereo Kitsch shows, you’ve probably never seen the same performance twice. The band is made up of two musicians, Elias Montemayor and Homer, who chose to withhold his last name for his persona’s sake. Although the band only has two members, Homer said other musicians are hired according to the group’s “mood.” “We’ll get people to play horns and keyboards if we need them to,” he said. “( We) don’t play exactly the same every time we play. We try to make it interesting for the audience.” The band changes its sound often to keep events fun. “It’s kind of boring to see a group that doesn’t entertain,” he said. “We’re not afraid to try anything on a record, (we’ll play it) if we like it and we’re happy and we think it sounds honest.” Homer said it is sometimes difficult to perform in the Rio Grande Valley because people tend to brush off local artists. “A lot of people are close-minded about what they like and what they listen to,” said Homer, a 30-year-old McAllen resident. “It’s hard for people to make up their minds about what they like.” The group’s latest album, “Get It Goin’,” features the band experimenting with various genres such as funk, rock and classical music. Listen to Stereo Kitsch at www.myspace.com/stereokitsch.
Genre: Dance rock Vocals/Guitar: Robert Godinez Guitar: Patrick Garcia Bass: Manny Montejano Drums: JP Chapa SoundS Like: The Hives, The Faint The Young Maths just want you to dance. The band’s catchy sound, with its delightful tinge of energetic punk rock and toe-tapping disco rhythm, is filled with witty wordplay and complex sexual politics. The music is an eclectic mix of rock with electronic music — a curious blend between the grand drama of ‘70s disco hits and hard rock. “Sheets” describes a relationship strained with unfaithfulness from both partners: “So how many of these boys/does it take/to replace me/they’re at your door/and how many of these girls/do I fake/to waste my time ‘till I get bored?” The quartet jokingly describes its music as, “going to a party where you hate everyone around you, but the beer is free.” Vocalist Robert Godinez, who initiated the four-man act, wrote “Body Bags,” the group’s first herky-jerky number. “I had recorded a song in the studio and decided to start a band to try and be as awesome as the recording came out,” said the 27-year-old, who has performed with Rio Grande Valley favorites the December Drive and The Apple in the Tree. Locals can usually find the group playing at Simon Sez in McAllen and hosting OutWithMe.com parties. To sample The Young Maths, visit www.myspace.com/theyoungmaths.
Genre: Indie/Folk Rock Vocals and Guitar: Melissa Carver Morgan Sounds like: Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley), The Good Life The playful, flirty lyrics and cheery music of Melissa Carver Morgan’s folk pop sound can best be described as Morgan’s re-enactments of emotional, personal accounts. The band’s sound has evolved drastically over the years — Morgan began her musical career as a child. Her warm, soothing voice is contrasted with edgy indie grit, featuring lyrics like: “When your heart jumps to your ankles you’re exposed/so pull the sheets up/too late, everybody knows/what happens when a good man gets a little scared.” “I’d written…fun, musical-type songs, since I was about 8,” she said. “When I hit middle school I started writing more about emotions.” Morgan, a 21-year-old English major at The University of Texas-Pan American, hopes to captivate the audience through acoustic introspection, though she tries phrasing her lyrics so that audience members can relate to the situations posed in her uncomplicated songs. “I try to make it a point to get the audience to not focus so much on the music being about me and my experiences,” she said. “Instead, I want them to take it in and apply it to themselves,” says Morgan. “Circumstances” is one such mood-setting song, which sets a scene with drunken teenagers: “Watch the kids all drunks they trip/and tell the other kids how much they love them/holding hands and laughing sick/and smoking sticks just for the taste/they end up on each others laps and wait for the sun.” One of Morgan’s hotspots is Jitterz coffee bar in Mission. To hear her songs, visit her MySpace at www.myspace.com/melissacarvermusic.
Genre: Christian metal/hardcore Vocals: Thomas Garcia Guitar: Gilbert Taunton Guitar: Sergio Corrales Bass: Xavi Perez Drums: Jacob Castro Sounds Like: August Burns Red, The Chariot Despite its Christian fanbase, Firstborn From the Dead is not for the faint of heart. The band showcases raging guitar riffs, galloping bass drums and the furious guttural howls of Thomas Garcia, the group’s frontman. F(B)FTD’s powerful sound is matched by the members’ presence on stage, as each one wildly thrashes about during performances. The band evolved from a pre-existing band called Bitter Tears, said Garcia, a 23-year-old theology major at Howard Payne University. After cycling through different band members and losing a drummer, the group has redefined itself and become one of the bigger names in the Rio Grande Valley’s metal scene. The band consists of five members with a unified message for their audience. “We felt it is a duty of ours to share the immeasurable love of God with those who are more than willing to listen,” said Garcia. Their favorite part of being in a band? “CHICKS!” they exclaimed in unison. For others, playing metal has been a way to grow as a person. “I grew up being a really shy person,” said Sergio Corrales, one of the band’s guitarists. “Being able to play in the band allowed me to break out of my shell,” said the 24-year-old computer information systems major at South Texas College. The band, comprised mostly of students from The University of Texas-Pan American, frequents McA2 Creative Incubator (the Incubator) in McAllen. Listen to F(B)FTD at www.myspace.com/firstbornfromthedead.
by_Sandra Gonzalez
T
hree weeks into the Fall ‘07 semester, The University of Texas-Pan American didn’t have a president. News of Blandina Cardenas’ Sept. 11 cardiac bypass surgery came as a surprise to many. Two days after the surgery, the only news that had been officially released was a brief memo that announced the surgery’s outcome. “I think it was a shock to all of us,” said Paul Sale, provost/vice president for academic affairs, in an interview shortly after the announcement. “My thoughts were with the president.” It wouldn’t be until late October that details surrounding her surgery were released and they would come from Cardenas herself. With her new scar in full view, Cardenas made her first public appearance at the official dedication of the university’s Wellness and Recreational Sports Complex. “I’m here this morning with a very grateful — if somewhat patched up — heart and thankful to be here in more ways than one,” she said at the event. Cardenas spoke candidly about the rough moments she faced during recovery but said she took everything in stride. “Obviously, at first you are in quite a bit a pain, and taking a lot of pain medication knocks you out,” she noted. “So I did quite a bit of sleeping; which was strange because I’d never really been a sleeper. I don’t really think I took naps as a child, but now I love taking naps.” In her first interview in the spring semester, after returning to full duty, Cardenas admitted that she came back prematurely, but asserted that she was back on track.
“I feel so good. I wasn’t quite as strong in December but now I think the recovery is pretty complete,” she said. “I had gotten pretty weary before my operation and I was thinking how much time I had before I could retire. Now, I don’t think about that anymore. I’m ready to go.” Cardenas said that the days of being treated as though she was sick were long gone. “What happened was people kept taking care of me and I told my staff ‘I don’t want to be treated like I’m sick anymore. I am not sick anymore,’” she recalled. “And I think when I achieved that mental attitude, everything else took off. I think it was about deciding that I was not going to be sick anymore.” While recovery had its bumps, university operations continued quite smoothly in her absence. Cardenas said she was “not worried a bit” about leaving the university in the capable hands of Sale and the other vice presidents. “We have developed a great team and I had every confidence that they could do it,” she said. Cardenas looked to the new year with a positive outlook on life and her health, both aided with a new healthy diet. “In 2008, I’m going to try to be more conscious about my body and listen to it more and realize my body is vulnerable. I don’t think I ever thought about that before,” she promised. “And then the other is that I’m just so very fortunate to be here, with these people, in this place. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
famous knockout has sky-rocketed her to the life she has always wanted to live. Pena, a public relations major, was making her pugilistic debut as a pro boxer in September 2007 at an event called “Warriors Collide.” San Antonio local Kassandra Soto was her first adversary, though she wasn’t much of a contest for Pena as she won by a knockout moments into the match. Since that Saturday night, an indistinguishable life has turned into a rollercoaster ride. Her boxing career, combined with her life as a full-time student and involvement in four intramural sports, always keeps Pena on her toes. “From school, I go home, I rest, I eat and I go back to back to training,” she said. “Usually after training, I have games here at Pan Am. I’m usually out and about doing something and if it’s not with sports, it’s studying.” But bedlam hasn’t always described the 5-foot-5-inch tall, 122-pound student athlete.
THE EVERYDAY LIFE Prior to “Warriors Collide,” Pena kept a low-key profile. She was, bluntly put, an average person. A sports activist in high school, Pena graduated from Edinburg North in 2006 after growing up in Arkansas. There, she was introduced to karate at 7 years old and continued the martial arts trend when she moved to Edinburg. Hardships with family plagued her at a young age and the difficulties ultimately led her to taking an interest in boxing. She says a strained relationship with her parents angered her at times, and hitting something was the greatest reliever. “I’ve always done sports,” Pena said. “They keep me out of trouble and make me forget about problems…Trying to box would make me forget about the problems at school and at home.”
THE DREAM
U
niversity of Texas-Pan American sophomore Yoli Pena appeared from a distance. The crowd roared, chanting her name. The 19year-old walked over from her dressing room down the far left steps of the Edinburg Baseball Stadium and she found herself standing on a grand stage. As the public address announcer introduced her name, all the Edinburg native could think was, “Be calm, go hard, give everything you have.” What ensued came as a surprise to not only the entire audience, but to Pena as well. Once the bell rang, her opponent fired first, swinging punches in the face of the hometown favorite. Pena, surprised by the instant reaction, countered with swings of her own and the competition ended a minute later. She stared at her challenger lying in the ring. Five months later, her
Three months after her Sept. 8, 2007 debut, Pena took the ring for a second time. She traveled to Brownsville and battled Elena Coto, who according to Pena, had more experience. In the exact same fashion as in her first bout, the local recorded her second career win with a technical knockout in the third round. Pena’s resiliency opened the doorway to recognition as newspapers from different parts of the state began telling her story. In January 2008, The Monitor featured a story on Pena that was later picked up by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio-Express News. Through her matches and newspaper coverage, her popularity grew. Pena says students at UTPA regularly stop her and ask her for autographs, ask about future matches or will crack comments such as “Ay viene el boxer,” here comes the boxer, to acknowledge her presence. People even contact her through Myspace to praise her achievements and ask for advice on fitness. “I’m really happy about that,” she said. “That is what I want. I also get parents that say ‘hey my daughter is a big fan of yours.’ The times that I can, I reply and they always say to keep in touch so (they) can go see (me).”
by_Ramiro Paez
Birth of a image_jennifer terrazas
S
ometimes, games really aren’t about winning or losing. They’re about the experience you take from them. Few people can explain this better than Carlos Castaneda, a student at The University of Texas-Pan American with a bodybuilding hobby. The dietetics and automotive engineering major said the sport has given him a confident, disciplined perspective on life. It may seem surprising that the aesthetic-driven sport can have such an impact on one’s living habits, but Castaneda maintains that the rigorous regimen bodybuilders take on can be life-altering. “It’s what I was attracted to,” he said. “I like the results. I like the feeling. I like the compliments that people give you when they haven’t seen you in such a long time and then when they see you, they see the change. But most of all, it’s just the drive and determination to change your body.”
become a serious bodybuilding activist.
THE DEDICATION
As the dietician major wraps up his junior year this semester, Castaneda stands on the grand stage of becoming a beginning bodybuilder, something that has given meaning to his future ambitions. But even the Edinburg native would tell you his life wasn’t always filled with conventional confidence. It took a lot of determination for the local to discharge his insecurity before finally living a sustained lifestyle. “When I began the whole process of bodybuilding, people said that I was never going to gain weight and I was never going to do this and that,” Castaneda said. “I think I’ve come a long way.” The journey he has taken has been an extensive trail, but never once has he experienced a regrettable moment. “Bodybuilding takes a lot of determination, it takes a whole lot of pride to do what you do and a whole sense of security.”
After 11 months at GNC, the local moved up the hierarchy of fitness positions. In November 2006, Castaneda was hired at Gold’s Gym as a sales and front-desk employee. There he met Jose Rodriguez, a 27-year-old former personal trainer, who took Castaneda under his wing and taught him the basic essentials of the sport. “I saw in him the way I was when I first started,” Rodriguez said. “I remember how it was trying to learn how to work out properly all on my own. It was very hard, frustrating and I had constant feeling of astray so I figured I would help him out like I wished someone would have done for me.” Castaneda was later convinced to pursue a certification to become a personal trainer and in October, he was granted his certificate by the National Association of Sports Medicine. Later that month, he transferred to Cornerstone Fitness to accept a position as a personal trainer, but decided to resign due to school-related issues. As a full-time student, Castaneda trains about two to three times per day, focusing heavily on upcoming competitions and seeking reprisal for what happened to him just before his first competition in October. He had been training for more than half a year before he was diagnosed with the flu and lost about 25 to 27 pounds of muscle, leaving him ineligible to compete in the lightweight division. Castaneda, who currently weighs 193, learned from the dreary experience and now is training more intensively in hopes of reaching the middle-weight division in case of a repeat situation. “The determination and drive that Carlos has, that is something that is best explained by having someone see it for themselves first hand,” said Rodriguez.
THE JOB
THE FUTURE
The 20-year-old was an unemployed freshman at UTPA in April 2006. Desperate for a job, Castaneda decided it was time for a change. Something in his life needed to be rearranged and he thought an established job might help. Two months after being hired at General Nutrition Center, Castaneda started noticing physically fit men entering the store and began taking an interest in the bodybuilding lifestyle. He became motivated and decided to give it a chance after realizing that bodybuilding could become a sport with the help of a professional. “Eventually after looking into the sport and getting to know the professional idea of bodybuilders, there was one guy in particular, Melvin Anthony, who most inspired and motivated me to do what I do,” Castaneda said. “He is a professional so I haven’t spoken to him, but just by looking at his videos, documentaries, interviews, all of that, he has great potential and he is the type of person who really influences to do your best and if he can do it, you can do it.” Anthony’s online guidance was all that the double major needed to
When the local finally competes for the first time, winning will not be his main concern. The experience will be enough. “It’s an experience that no one will ever be able to take away from me,” Castaneda said. “Not many people have what it takes to be up there, the dedication, the determination, the diet, the lifting, the training, the discipline. Just being up on stage and being at my potential best is what satisfies me.” For now, graduating as a double major is the top priority for Castaneda, who hopes of one day opening an automotive shop. Eventually, the bodybuilding lifestyle is something he wants to continue, but if the road takes him in a different direction, he will always remember the sport that changed his outlook on life.
CURRENT STANDING
bring on
& others the cheer By_Mary Nichols
T
here are moments in a game when a split second feels like an eternity for players. It’s the last quarter, the last set, the last serve or the last lap. It’s all or nothing. Players feel fatigue kicking in. Sweat tickles their eyebrows, butterflies flutter in their stomachs. Their hearts pound so loudly, they wonder if anyone else can hear them. Then cheers pierce through the chaos, screaming, “Go Broncs! Go UTPA! Go Broncs!” That single jolt of motivation is enough to make most players shoot, spike, swing or run. The group often responsible for cheers at men’s basketball games is Hoop Heads, a team of fans that has been supporting the Broncs since 1997. “We’re out there to support them, and motivate them,” said Alex Sotello, president of the spirit group. “If it’s a close game we try to make as much noise as possible, to distract the other team. It’s fun.” The group started with just a couple of friends who would go to the games to support local players. Eventually, they began wearing teamthemed outfits to show extra support until people began recognizing them at games because of their silly outfits. The name “Hoop Heads” originated after several members began to wear cardboard cutouts of basketballs over their heads. Edinburg native Gabriel Quintanilla, who has been coming to Bronc games since he was a child, says the best part is dressing up and cheering the team on. “As far as getting dressed, we’re low-budget,” said UTPA senior Quintanilla, laughing. “I’ll wear anything from my sister’s wig to my mom’s stockings, to towels and shoe laces. Basically anything that will give the opposing team a hard time.” This seems effective so far. Quintanilla says sometimes members of the opposing team will “throw the finger” or make rude comments instead of focusing on the game. “It’s in all good fun. The opposing team will usually come over after the game and shake our hands,” he said. They like to help the Broncs when a game gets tough. Sotello said that last year, in a game against North Dakota State, the Green and Orange was down by 10 points, and was able to recover after feeling motivated by the Heads’ cheering and screaming. “It was exciting. They were able to come back and win by one point,” said Sotello. “It feels good that we are able to take part and support them.” The Hoop Heads say that basketball players show their thanks by climbing into the stands after each home game to say hello. The group says they often befriend players because of their involvement in games. “They know we’re there and they’ll come over and shake our hands,” said Quintanilla. “We stick around, we’re true fans.” The club currently has about 10 to 15 members, although this number fluctuates through semesters. Members have been trying to recruit more
students through a MySpace page and are trying to become an official student organization.
ANOTHER RAGTAG TEAM The men’s basketball team isn’t the only one boasting a ragtag team of cheerleaders. Sophia Knight, a resident adviser at Unity Hall, has organized students to support the women’s volleyball team as well. She and others on her floor made three large banners and posters with the player’s names and photos so that people could know who they were. Knight even went a step further and mounted all the posters in the gymnasium for all to see. “Some might have felt it was a little too high school, but the team appreciated it,” said Knight. “Then, we would go to the game, chant and yell to throw the other team off. It was a blast, I had fun.” Knight says it was easier to organize students who live on campus because spreading the word about games through words of mouth is easier. But since only about 1,500 of UTPA’s 18,000 students live in campus, it’s tough to expect good attendance at most events, sporting or otherwise. She says that at a commuter school, getting the student body to take interest is hard, but she adds that people should at least make an effort. “We make them want to work harder, because people are watching,” Knight said. “If there is nobody there they don’t feel the love and support to go that extra mile.” It’s also important for students to support athletes because at games, they meet new people and make connections, she said. “I know the team members personally,” Knight said. “So they would come up and say thanks for coming out or that it helped out. It makes you feel good, and you make new friendships.”
THE GREEKS One fraternity that also enjoys supporting campus teams is Kappa Sigma. The group takes part in “anything that involves sports activity, helping out the community, practicing leadership among students and promoting school spirit and pride,” said Danny Martinez, the frat’s president. “We’re the cheerleaders,” he said. “We try to get other Greeks to do it as well, to go to the games and spread school spirit.” The Kappa Sigs, about 30 members strong, will sometimes paint their bodies in green and orange, yelling, chanting and screaming at games. Like the Hoop Heads, they also try to get the crowd riled up to distract the opposing team. “There are a lot more people at games now, thanks to the new dorms,” said Danny Pedroza, treasurer. “So (we) get to meet new people, get involved, gain a sense of unity with our brothers and show our school pride.”
063
New
Recreation Center Creates Health-conscious
Students
by_MARY NICHOLS
IMAGEs_CHRIS RAMIREZ
They roam campus sidewalks as drivers slowly give them the right of way. They’re often clad in sweatshirts and shorts, clustering outside Bronc Village or Unity Hall. At night, they jog on treadmills, visible from outside large window-paned walls.
The Wellness and Recreational Center at The University of Texas-Pan American has created a breed of health-conscious students, many of which didn’t bother hitting the gym before the center’s opening. Elva Garcia, a junior management major, said she has a membership at another facility but never uses it. Because the new complex offers so much equipment, she often finds herself working out on campus instead. “You don’t get bored here,” she said. “If you get bored lifting weights, you can go run, or climb the wall. It’s just more exciting wanting to work out.” James Watson, the center’s director, said students should take advantage of the center’s amenities — paid for by student fees. “UTPA owes more to their students than just an education,” he said. “Keeping yourself healthy is also important. What you do on campus translates 100 percent out there.”
INCREASING INVOLVEMENT The 150,000-square-foot building, located at the corner of Sugar Road and Schunior Street, offers students numerous amenities, such as a pool, a climbing wall and racquetball courts. The building has seen a steadily climbing number of people sweating it up since its opening last summer. In the fall semester, it was averaging 1,000 students per day and in the spring the number rose to 1,300. But the weekend, according to James Watson, the center’s director, is less active with only about 200 to 250 people sweating it up. “It has progressed, but I’m still not happy with the turnouts during the week,” said Watson. “On a campus of this size, we should have about 2,000 students participating. We are only seeing about 7 percent of the student population.”
065
To incite student interest in the center, Watson has created a variety of activities for them to participate in. Activities include climbing wall, outdoor pool and intramural sports exercises. The group-exercise classes alone have a wide variety of types to choose from. Classes range from boot camp (a military-style fitness program), cardio sculpt (aerobics and weights), Ab Blast (intense abdominal exercises), Zumba (a Latin-style dance-fitness class), water aerobics, yoga and indoor cycling. “These are all activities students and staff can enjoy,” said Watson. “In turn, they increase member flow. Participation justifies our existence.” David Cortez, a history freshman, said he works out at the center when he can, depending on his schoolwork load. But he also finds other uses for the building. “I also like to come here to study upstairs,” he said. “I even wrote a term paper here last year. So it has more than just a workout component to it, which makes it great.” Mario Garcia, a sophomore majoring in kinesiology, said he feels the recreation center is better than most gyms, partly because only students and faculty are allowed to use it. “It’s already included in our tuition, so you don’t have to worry about
it,” he said. “It’s cool, because it’s only open to students and staff. It’s a place for us, and we don’t have to fight for workout equipment.”
CHANGES A UTPA-exclusive ambiance may not be the around much longer. Watson is trying to branch the center’s function out to the community as well, with new programs that took effect Spring ’08. One, launched in February, is the Kid Fit Program, whose main mission is to get younger children to participate in fitness and other wellness activities that might not be available to them elsewhere. “We started with three children, and now we have six,” said Watson. “I’m sure we will get more. The younger you introduce a healthy lifestyle, the better these patterns will stay.” The center hopes to incorporate weekend reservations so that people in the community can use the gym, reserve the pool and even host barbeques outside. This, Watson hopes, will bring life to the complex during the dead days following the school week’s end. “We’re still coming up with a non-member restriction policy that still allows the community to utilize the facility,” Watson said. “We can make a little bit of money as well.”
sluggish spirit
066 BY_RAMIRO PAEZ
D
uring a post-game discussion in early November, University of Texas-Pan American men’s basketball coach Tom Schuberth tried to lift his team’s spirits. The second-year head coach was not giving a speech on his team’s performance, mainly because the Broncs had captured a 77-65 victory over the University of Texas-Permian Basin. Instead, he talked about the team’s fan base, or lack thereof. Schuberth pleaded with his team to be patient, as he believed support would pick up. “I think when you’re dealing with players, you want them to play whether there’s one fan in the stands or 10,000,” said Schuberth. “I didn’t want them to get discouraged because like any student-athlete, they want to see their peers, they want to see fans in the stands and they want to know that people care.” Approximately 1,329 people attended that opening game of the 2008 campaign against the Falcons, said Natalie Haime, the university’s public relations specialist. That was the official count, but at times it seemed as though the rejuvenated pep band and the fanatical Hoop Heads, a new student basketball organization, were the only supporters on hand. Indeed, searching for school spirit at UTPA, a commuter school with a history of spotty support, can challenge one’s patience. Gabriel Quintanilla, a junior advertising/public relations major, says the problem deals with the university’s not being in a conference. “That means the level of schools that we play are Division II or Division III, which is no competition,” said Quintanilla, a founder of the HoopHeads group. “I remember when the games would get sold out, but then
image_ESMER OLVERA
again we played against top ranked teams such as Gonzaga, University of Texas and Air Force.” It’s been a while since the Broncs were in a conference. The last one the school participated in was the Sun Belt, in the mid-1990s, when UTPA hosted teams like Arkansas Little-Rock, with Derek Fisher, who has carved out a long pro career since playing at the Field House. The Broncs filled the gym in those days, but attendance has flagged in the last decade. Quintanilla, an Edinburg native, continued to discuss his concern. “We have had success but we need to get into a conference and we need more advertising. UTPA has the potential to be big-time,” he promised. “Another reason may also be because we are a commuter campus. People just want to come to their classes and go home.”
NOT A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE That has been one of the core issues at stake: less than 1,500 of the school’s 18,000 enrolled students live on campus. The vast majority travel from their hometowns to UTPA, without taking part in what are commonplace events at schools where the student body is largely housed in dormitories or nearby apartment complexes. Men’s basketball player Paul Stoll also holds similar views about the average attendance, which hovered around near 1,200 (1,197) for the home games this season, actually an improvement over recent seasons.
“I think a lot of the bad attendance is due to the fact that we are more of a commuter school as opposed to other schools across the nation,” said the Michigan native Stoll, who led the team to 18 wins and its best record since 2001. “You have kids from all over the (Rio Grande) Valley that travel to school for a day and if they drive all the way home, the chances of them coming back to view athletic events isn’t very good. It could be really nice if everyone did get involved and pack the Field House because it gets pretty loud when the gym is only half full.” Independent affiliation and a small captive-audience group on campus are reasons, then, why the Broncs don’t draw well. But there are other factors. In building fan loyalty, evidence points to established coaches as a big plus factor. Joe Paterno of Penn State, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Pat Summitt of Tennessee have all established themselves as coaches that will one day enter the Hall of Fame because of their success. The communities and student bodies of each university have rallied behind their school’s program to add greater prominence, a success seems to beget success. UTPA is not as fortunate. The current coach with the longest tenure is baseball coach Willie Gawlik, in his fifth year. In recent years, UTPA has dealt with a veritable coaching carousel, but athletic director Scott Street says the reasons for departure lies within the individual. “I think people have left for a variety of different reasons,” Street said. “Some have left for family obligations. Some have had different goals and ambitions to move on. There are many reasons why people would move on from UTPA and of course, we want to establish a good program. We want people to stay and be successful and look for long-term growth in all of our programs.” Finding and keeping consistent coaches, though, is just part of the struggle.
SO MUCH MORE As said, the flow of fans to Bronc sporting events has slowed for various reasons, yet another being the arrival of a handful of professional franchises in town this decade. From the Coyotes of independent baseball to the Killer Bees (hockey), Dorados (arena football) and hoops tandem of the Vipers and Silverados, there are simply more options for sports fans on the border than there used to be. UTPA isn’t the only game in town anymore. As fans sought other sporting venues like Dodge Arena, or even high school hoops (the local Edinburg High team won 32 games and went all the way to the regional tourney this season), Bronc basketball attendance was usually between 1,100 and 1,200 for men, about half that or less for women. The largest men’s crowd of 3,240 came Feb. 12 against Cal State Bakersfield. Meanwhile, the volleyball girls brought about 400 people in only four home games, while baseball averaged 300 in its first five home games. Despite the explanations specific to UTPA, maybe the falling attendance is a phenomenon on the mid-major college level. Many Division I programs have had to trim budgets and cut minor sports the past several years, to try and turn a profit; fears are that the business of college sports has hit a saturation point and eventually will fall victim to the law of diminishing returns. Still, how do UTPA’s turnstile numbers compare to the rest of the state? At the University of Texas-San Antonio, the fifth largest school in Texas with an enrollment of approximately 28,000, sports attendance is relatively similar to this university’s. This year, the men’s basketball program averaged
more than 1,100 people in 13 homes games, while baseball generated 165 people in its first seven home games. To the west, sports attendance is not an issue at the University of Texas-El Paso, a campus closer to UTPA’s student enrollment at approximately 20,000. The Miners averaged around 8,000 in attendance in their 12 basketball home games this year, mainly because they reside in Conference USA, which produces quality teams such as the nationally ranked Memphis Tigers. The Miners have also made 16 NCAA tournament appearances with the last one coming in 2005, and won a national title in the 1960s when known as Texas Western.
USING WHAT YOU'VE GOT People may not know this, but Pan American University was a champion in the 1960s also, winning the NAIA small-college crown in 1963. The school also sent a baseball team to the College World Series in 1971, and won a number of national tennis titles in the late 1950s and early ‘60s. However, most of that history is lost on young fans, in a classic case of “What have you done for me lately?” The recent teams have proven to be intermittently competitive, with the occasional upset, such as the baseball Broncs’ win over Notre Dame in March. But the occasional positive is not enough to raise much interest with a commuter student body less inclined to go to games anyway, win, lose or draw. And perhaps the lack of fan interest is beginning to give the program a negative feel. Of course, there are people who refuse to admit defeat, saying that with the right combination of success and promotion, anything is possible. PR leader Haime, a 2007 UTPA grad in charge of promoting the sports programs, says one reason for insufficient fan support may be because of low awareness. “I think the argument is that (students) don’t know when the games are,” Haime said. “So I try to do my best and meet with the Greeks and try to get at least a large group of people to hopefully spread the word of when the games are.” Graduating senior Stoll recognizes the stalwart efforts of the program to get fans in the seats, and he adds that student and loyalty have to come from within. “I don’t think the athletic department can do much to help the cause,” said the senior guard. “They are trying to market better and get people out to the games but all they can do is pass the word. The students just need to actually take some pride in how their school’s athletics are doing and by coming and supporting them. This would help a lot.”
SOLUTION ON THE WAY? So what will it take to increase fan support and put UTPA athletics back on the map? An establishment in a legitimate conference could be the key, according to Street. The AD says the current priority is to establish all UTPA sports into an expanding conference; as of right now only men’s golf and men’s tennis are part of a conference. “I think all of our sports have improved over the last three years,” Street said. “Our biggest issue is to be competitive in all the games that we play and make sure people know we are at UTPA.”
Baske Men’s
{
}
Results & leaders in all games OVERALL HOME (18-13) (7-3)
ALL GAMES
AWAY NEUTRAL (6-6) (5-4)
Team Members & Coaching Staff
1 2 4 5 10 11 12 15
Danny Puente Nathan Hawkins Paul Stoll Brian Burrell Emmanuel Jones Damon Franklin Nick Weiermiller Dexter Shankle
20 22 23 24 32 33 40 45
Steve Silva Matt Zaney Adinson Mosquera Ben Smith Zach Trader Ryan Buck Jacob Trader Julius Allgood
Tom Schuberth Ben Johnson Bruce Martin Brad Enright Grant Leonard
Head Coach Assistant Coach Assistant Coach Assistant Coach Administrative Assistant
Team Members & Coaching Staff
3 5 10 13 14 15 21
Tiona Wilson Janita Session LeKeisha Gray Jessica Walker Michelle Cottrell Tamara Vaughn Danielle Kostacky
{
23 24 25 31 32 33 52
Teshay Winfrey Robin Garrett Rose Esther Jean Taylor Schneider Maria Ben Erlingsdottir Cinthia Ramirez Aleeya Grigsby
DeAnn Craft Jill Davis LaQueisha Dickerson Keelah Wilson
Head Coach Associate Head Coach Assistant Coach Assistant Coach
}
Results & leaders in all games
ALL GAMES
OVERALL HOME AWAY (11-18) (10-6) (0-11)
woMen’s
tball NEUTRAL (1-1)
and
Track
Field and
Team Members Coaching Staff
UTPA’s NCAA All-American Athletes WILL LITTLETON
2008: National Collegiate Athletics Association All-American. High Jump Littleton finished fifth overall at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. on March 15 with a height of 7-02.25. 2007: National Collegiate Athletics Association All-American. Two-time U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-American, Littleton finished seventh overall with a height of 7-2.25 in the high jump, which was the second-best jump in program history. 2006: National Collegiate Athletics Association All-American. At the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Littleton finished eighth overall with a height of 7-2.50. His height broke a school record and became a personal best for the Bronc high jumper.
WESTLY KEATING
2006: National Collegiate Athletics Association All-American. 10,000 meters 2005: National Collegiate Athletics Association All-American. 10,000 meters 2003: National Collegiate Athletics Association All-American. 10,000 meters 2003: National Collegiate Athletics Association All-American. 5,000 meters 2002: National Collegiate Athletics Association All-American. 10,000 meters
ISAAC YBARRA
2006: National Collegiate Athletics Association All-American. Weight Throw
Bethany Anderson Shardae Bey Vanessa Brown Liliana Cavazos Michelle Elizondo Rose Escovedo Myrla Feria
Amanda Ferris Diana Galloso Denise Galvez Abigail Garza Brenda Gonzalez Tylene Green Sara Hernandez
Carolina Izaguirre Cecilia Lott Ashlon Martin Monique Melissa Davis Sabrina Montalvo Trendalynn P. Austin Stephanie Perez Dennis Darling Funmi Jimoh Hugo Cervantes Rowena Hamlet
Oscar Barrera Ruben Cantu Gil Castillo Sal Gonzales Wally Gonzalez Jose Grandados Ryan Guthrie J.J. Hernandez Will Littleton
Sonya Rivera Sara Rodriguez Melinda Sarmiento Kate Shannon Wendy Wells
Head Coach Assistant Coach Assistant Coach Student Assistant Coach
Gilroy Martinez Luis Nava Angel M. Ramirez Noel Reyna Vidal Ruiz, Jr. David Sanchez Joseph Sciaraffa
Megan Bedeau Silke Buksik Sarah Burton Luisa Cantu Julia Cirne-Lima Giana Oliveira Stephanie Willerding
Rob Hubbard Robin Hubbard Oliver Steil
Head Coach Volunteer Assistant Coach Graduate Assistant
Tennis
Team Members & Coaching Staff
Ivan Avila Brett Bernstein Marcus Dornauf Andrew Irving Nirvick Mohinta
Enrique Montemayor Joshua Rollins Shashank Vij Ashwin Vijayaragavan
Rob Hubbard Rosendo Cantu Robin Hubbard Oliver Steil
Head Coach Team Manager Volunteer Assistant Coach Graduate Assistant
Winning Season
Team Members & Coaching Staff
21 23 8 32 34 41
Bourn, Nick Brevard, Seth Cisper, Cody Cortez, J.C. Cox, Shane Cunningham, Evan
4 33 45 10 29 49
and
Baseball
Team Members
7 20 28 31 2 16 3 11 47 5
De Leon, David Donaho, Billy Franco, Arnold Garcia, Abraham Garza, Adrian Garza, Esequiel
Gonzalez, Roly Gutierrez, Joe B. Hough, Bonham Janecka, Shane Johnson, Jeremy Lankford, Mike Lozano, Chris Mendoza, Jose Modlinski, Matt Perez, Andrew
Coaching Staff 24 27 25 30 14 1 22 26 18
GOLF Mariale Camey Rebecca De Leon Sara Maria Garcia Haley Hocott Jennifer Marks Elizabeth Rodriguez Bronwyn Sandberg Melinda Uriegas Melissa Uriegas
Shane Pearce Tim Acaster Kyle Tudi A.J. Gonzalez High Wongchindawest Jeff Hensley Armen Kirakossian
Ofelia Lopez Tim McCabe
Volleyball 11 6 1 2 8 10
Chelsea Blakely Charity Cucancic Jordan Davila Marci Logan Noelle Mayor Kellie Phillips
16 12 13 4 7 5
Danielle Reed Deanna Schneyer Rebecca Toddy Cassandra Trevino Ytszel Trinidad Mallorie Wilson
Angela Hubbard Head Coach Talia Ogle Assistant Coach Leah Johnson Assistant Coach
Head Coach Assistant Coach
Rodriguez, Philip Roth, Doug Rutenbar, Jordan Salinas, Gabriel Shepherd, Matt Shives, Jr., Ruben Spears, Nick Tefft, Tim Vest, Ryan
Willie Gawlik - Head Coach Gene Salazar - Assistant Coach Patrick Hon - Assistant Coach
UTPA’s FUN
Blazers DANCE TEAM
pep Band
Cheerleaders
Bucky
THE desire to be
heard
eventually
Overwhelms us.
we yearn for
a Voice our
that illustrates
beliefs
and gives us the
074
art of
expression.
SPEAK.
by_Mary N ichols image_jenn
[Featured mo del
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T
he sun is covered by the blanket of the night, and through the darkness, figures arise and begin to quietly move. “Silencio,” says the leader, “síguanme.” Hearts are pounding so loudly that the trekker can almost feel their vibration through his skin. He hears and smells like a cunning coyote trying to find its way through enemy territory. He doesn’t talk often and signals with his hands and eyes. You trust he will get you to the other side. Your future lies in his hands. “Hold it right there.” Lights flash. They’re not the rays of a new day. They’re a sign that you aren’t making it to the land of the free. Coyotes, illegal immigrant smugglers, are considered modern-day Robin Hoods by some, viewed as benevolent people who help the poor find a new life illegally. Others view them as hardened criminals who exploit the disadvantaged. Juan Hernandez, 25, claims to be the former, and he says he wears his heart on his sleeve. “We’re not all bad, some of us really do it and respect the job as a way of living,” he said. “I can’t speak for everyone, but that’s how I work, and maybe a few others.” Hernandez lives in a white rusty trailer in La Joya with two other young smugglers, who did not want to be questioned for fear of arrest or deportation. Upon entering their driveway, one man opened the door, glanced out cautiously, then closed the door to report back to the others that it was safe. “This job brings all kinds of dangers and enemies,” said Hernandez, buttoning up his red plaid shirt. “You never know when the police might show up on our doorsteps.” Hernandez looks older than his age, and if you met him on the street you probably wouldn’t be able to figure out that he was a coyote. He bears tattoos on his arms, hidden behind clothes. One can tell from the gaze of his hazel green eyes that he’s hesitant to tell about his life as a smuggler. “Hey! Give him a beer and he will tell you anything you want,” said one his comrades, chuckling through gold-capped teeth. “Beer and chips will fill up that notebook of yours.”
BEGINNINGS Growing up in Linares, Nuevo Leon, Hernandez wanted to be a mechanic and earn money for his family. “There wasn’t enough money to help pay for schooling or school books,” he said. “So I had to think of other ways I was going to be able to do something with my life.” He later heard from family members who had already crossed over to the United States that he could progress and make a better life there. At age 20, after talking with several friends, he decided the best way to make money fast was as an illegal-immigrant smuggler. “It’s not a glamorous job,” he said. “But, it gets the bills paid and helps me be able to send money back to my parents in Mexico.”
THE ART OF CROSSING
There are many things a smuggler has to know. Hernandez said he learned things like when the best time was to cross, how to swim the river without a chance of drowning, and how to be prepared to pay off corrupt agents. Most importantly, he said that you learn that everything is a timed process. Time, he said, can be your friend or enemy. It can get you caught or get the group safely across the border. “You need a lot of mind for this job,” he said pointing to his shaved head. “You need to remember where the patrol stations are, calculate time when they come around. It’s all about timing.” For his services, Hernandez charges about $200 per person. That fixed fee, however, is for people crossing from Mexico, or for people who are kin. “I’ve brought people from places all over the world,” he said smiling. “Any coyote will tell you that they charge non-Mexicans more, because they are not our people, and we have to make a profit somehow.” He says he has snuck people in from Colombia, Honduras, Brazil and various Asian countries. “It’s a hard job. It’s not pretty. But those are the jobs some of us have to do to survive,” he said. “All of us who cross do it to find a good life which is not being provided by our own country.” Once prices have been established, Hernandez said his contact in Mexico calls him and tells him he has enough people to cross. Hernandez then drives across the border to Reynosa. “It’s funny, they don’t check your citizenship when you’re crossing back to Mexico,” he said. “But, if they did, they would probably catch a lot of immigrants, without papers or permission.” Hernandez never crosses children. He says it is difficult and extremely dangerous. He only crosses adults and refuses to smuggle more than six people at a time. He gets everyone ready for departure at about 3 a.m. “The key is to pack very lightly. The most I’ll allow anyone is maybe a bag or two of clothes and a gallon of water,” he said. “The more you carry, the more it slows you down. This increases your chances of getting caught.” The hardest part, Hernandez says, is swimming in the Rio Grande. He uses tubes from tractor tires, which are blown up and used as floating devices to help those who can’t swim. “It’s dangerous, because the river is unpredictable,” he said. “The current can be rough to swim against, or sometimes people get caught on debris down below.”
NO BORDER WALL Some say that money may become scarce for coyotes once the new border wall is built along the Rio Grande. Hernandez, however, feels that won’t stop anyone from continuing to cross people illegally. “It’s just a wall. Coyotes are just going to build tunnels under it, or figure out how to jump it,” he said. “I don’t think it will be bad for business. If anything, it might increase it and we’ll raise our prices.” The wall, Hernandez said, is a sign of racism showing that the United States is not being cooperative with Mexico. “It hurts, because as illegals, they don’t want us here,” he said. “We admire the U.S. and its people, and all we want to do is make a better living for ourselves and our families. Is that wrong?”
080
in mcallen
by_ MARY NICHOls IMAGE_ SAMANTHA MORALES
S
aving the environment has never been trendier. In recent years, a popular issue in politics has been the promotion of environmental awareness, with various organizations contributing to what many refer to as a nationwide “green movement.” A group of citizens in the Rio Grande Valley are taking part in what they hope will help protect the planet by creating the area’s first community garden. Created in December 2005, the garden was founded by John Goolsby, an employee for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “The garden allows people to grow their own food, enjoy being outdoors and get to know the people from the community,” he said. “People become aware of the environment, and from here new ideas spawn.” The community garden is located on Harvey and Main Street across from the McAllen Fire Department. It is a quaint, green piece of land. If it weren’t for the four-way stop, a passerby might not even notice it was there. The property is composed of 22 gardens, each 200 square feet. To be part of the garden community, a member has to pay $60 per year and can grow a variety of fruits, vegetables and flowers on the plots.
“People just love gardening. This location is better than most houses,” Goolsby said. “There is rich soil, plenty of sun, irrigation. It is spacious enough for a small tractor to come in to help cultivate.” The land conveniently has an irrigation valve, which allows members to flood the garden every two weeks instead of having to water on a regular basis. The gardens flourish with potatoes, zinnias, cucumbers, purple cabbage, okra and eggplant. Goolsby only uses organic fertilizers and doesn’t spray pesticides on the plants. “The garden is a great place to meet the community, and alternative way to spend time with the kids,” said Airle Rose, 37, a graduate student at The University of Texas-Pan American. “It shows the children the garden aspect and helps them learn a good understanding of nature.” Goolsby and Rose hope that the McAllen Community Garden will spark interest for other cities in the Valley to create their own community gardens. “People constantly drive by, and yell, ‘Hey what’s going on!’ said Goolsby. “The more people see that we are outside, (the more they will see) it’s okay to have fun and enjoy nature.”
081
Planting technology The so-called “green movement� has had a deep impact on the United States, propelling innovative technologic developments focused on energy conservation and on the production of sustainable products.
Image_lucia gutierrez
Race In America: by_bobby cervantes
083
My days are not filled with telling every Hispanic I meet about how they swam across the border, or how much they love beans and tortillas because it’s not necessarily true...
- Jane, UTPA student
F
or many across the world, the United States remains a beacon of justice, equality and civil rights. It is frequently regarded as a place where differing characteristics — like ethnicity — are celebrated. Still, most are aware that nothing has divided the nation quite like race. Differences in skin color have driven the country to a civil war and some major social upheavals. Today, race often remains a decisive issue in everything from job recruitment to presidential politics. And for black students at The University of Texas-Pan American, it may be difficult to deal with such prejudices.
IS RACISM HISTORY? With a surge of Hispanic students attending UTPA, a school that educates the most Mexican-American students in the nation, according to its Web site — the college should house a community of acceptance and racial tolerance. But this isn’t necessarily the case. Jane, an African-American student at The University of Texas-Pan American who chose to withhold her last name for privacy reasons, said she has seen her share of racism on campus. “You can’t understand how many people have walked up to me and said, ‘Oh, you’re that tennis girl...that track girl,’” she said, explaining that most students assume she is an athlete because of her skin color. “I have yet to run into one black person on this campus that has not had at least one racial comment said to them in a joking or serious manner,” she said. “If you wear anything cotton the question asked is, ‘Did you pick that?’” Though she said she didn’t mind the jokes initially, “when more than half of the people you know do it on the daily basis, the jokes become common and annoying.”
“My days are not filled with telling every Hispanic I meet about how they swam across the border, or how much they love beans and tortillas because it’s not necessarily true,” she said. “So why should theirs be about snapping my fingers and saying, ‘Oh, hell no?’”
NOT SO EQUAL After college, well-qualified, educated graduates are encouraged to enter the workforce and better the nation’s future. However, studies show that grade point averages are not always the only determining factor for African-Americans seeking jobs. Sometimes it’s something applicants had no choice in deciding. A study by the University Of Chicago Graduate School of Business and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found an interesting factor that exposes the part race still plays in the workforce. The researchers sent 5,000 fake résumés to job advertisements placed in the Chicago Tribune and the Boston Globe. For each advertisement posted in the newspapers, the researchers sent four applications: two qualified candidates, one black and one white, and two less qualified candidates, also one black and one white. The determining factor? Perhaps not so surprisingly, the study found that applicants with “white names” — like Brett, Greg and Emily — usually garnered 50 percent more callbacks than their racial counterparts. Marianne Bertrand, one of the study’s authors and an economics professor at the University of Chicago, told the Chicago Sun-Times the applicants that listed a “black-sounding” name — like Tamika, Aisha and Rasheed — had a considerably tougher time getting employers to contact them. “If you have an African-American name, it's a lot harder,” she said.
{
BLACK
{
VOTERS and
OBAMA
by_ BOBBY CERVANTES
I
“Unlike his most recent predecessors, Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson, Obama does not have roots in the Civil Rights Movement.” -KERRY HAYNIE
Political science professor Duke University
IMAGE_MELISSA URIEGAS
s America ready for an African-American president? Or do Americans have secret prejudices that influence their vote within the privacy of the booth? These questions have become second nature to many political think tanks and research groups in light of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008. It may surprise many young voters that Obama is not the first AfricanAmerican presidential hopeful. In 1972, New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm ran for the office, but lost in the Democratic primary. Twice after that, civil rights activist Jesse Jackson suffered the same fate.
Obama is now the third African-American to throw his hat into the ring and many believe that he just might do the trick. He was ahead in pledging delegates as the campaign matured this spring, begging the question: What makes Obama stand out after the failed attempts of other black contenders? Could we be on the verge of putting a black man in the White House? One major difference between Obama and his predecessors is his past, said Kerry Haynie, a political science professor at Duke University. At the time Chisholm ran for the Democratic nomination, racial inequality remained an extremely large problem in America. Though most, if not all, of today’s candidates still believe the United States has many miles to go when it comes to racial equality, they acknowledge a great improvement in race relations since the 1970s. Obama now does not have to align himself so staunchly, like Chisholm and Jackson did, with the civil rights movement of his race. Instead, Obama represents “new black politicians,” and has spoken of a post-racial America. “Unlike his most recent predecessors, Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson, Obama does not have roots in the Civil Rights Movement,” Haynie said. “He doesn’t rely on the black church as his base of support, and he sees himself more as a problem solver than an agitator or an activist. He is attempting to transcend race and party identification.” In sum, black voters today are not the black voters of the Civil Rights Era. But it remains to be seen how he will fare in November.
084
by_Mary Nichols
{
}
It’s hard work, but I have to do it to survive. No one knows my story and it’s hard for most people to understand it. Allan Roberto Delgado-Quintanilla, 22-year-old undocumented worker.
D
rive to 23rd Street and Nolana and you’ll see him there. He has only one leg, yet he sells and distributes copies of The Monitor as if he had two. He does this seven days per week, 10 hours a day, through rain, shine, cold and wind. While waiting at the stoplight, you’ll notice that he moves faster than most people can run. He is constantly moving and always has a big smile on his face. His life story is long, unknown and probably more interesting than the ones he is selling. “It’s hard work, but I have to do it to survive,” said Allan Roberto Delgado-Quintanilla, 22. “No one knows my story and it’s hard for most people to understand it.”
HOMESICK Like most great stories, Quintanilla’s began with a dream. His was to move to the United States and earn a good life away from his home in Colombia. “I wanted to come here, work hard, save money and become someone,” he said, shifting to adjust his worn-out, discolored Corona cap. “I thought life in the U.S. was going to be different.” Quintanilla was born in Honduras and raised in Colombia. Being the younger of two brothers, he wanted to make a good life for himself. But that was hard because during the 1970s and 1980s, corruption, drug trafficking and illegal drug production overtook Colombia. During the early ’90s when Quintanilla was a child, several right-wing paramilitary groups made up mostly of drug lords and drug farmers were formed. These groups wreaked havoc on the country through drug wars. “You don’t have a choice,” he said. “You’re their slave, you work with no pay, and when they are done with you, they kill you. I didn’t want that life, so I decided to escape.”
ON THE WRONG TRACK Quintanilla silently planned his escape, even keeping the secret from his mother, whom he was closest to. In May 2005, he jumped on a cargo train in Chiapas, Mexico, with about 40 other illegal immigrants to seek the so-called “American dream.” Because his passport has two nationalities — Colombian and Honduran — he was able to take a plane from Honduras to Guatemala. Once in Guatemala he took a bus to Mexico. After arriving on the coast of Mexico, he hitchhiked to Chiapas, where he would later jump the train that would begin his tragic nightmare. “That is a date that will stay forever imprinted in my mind,” he said touching his chest. “That day everything changed for me.” Early one evening he was riding the side of a train to reach northern Mexico as it made its way up a mountainous track to Oaxaca, Mexico. Suddenly, it derailed. The other train’s cars broke loose, and caused everyone hitching a ride to fall onto the tracks. “I remember looking down and seeing my leg,” said Quintanilla with a gulping pause. “All that was left was grinded bone, like mush. But I thought: ‘You’re not taking me today death. I’m not on the list.’” Quintanilla then proceeded to drag himself for two blocks, with a trail of blood following him. He bled for six hours. “The thing I desired the most in that moment was just to die,” he said. Quintanilla says he remembers vividly that the accident happened in less than a minute. Within that minute 15 people would die, including women and children. Injuries included nine amputations, several fractures and Quintanilla’s loss of his right leg. Quintanilla later ended up in Jesus del Buen Pastor, an infirmary to treat amputees.
“When my mom found out about the accident, she became really sad and ill,” he said. “She said I shouldn’t have left, because though it was hard in Colombia, at least, we would have had each other.”
SECOND TIME'S A CHARM Quintanilla persevered and managed to make his way to America after losing his leg. That same year, he was in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, where he worked for a couple of months selling knickknacks and chewing gum. Then he met a man, whom Quintanilla did not want to identify, who offered to pay his way across the border and find him a job. For $600, Quintanilla was illegally carried across the Rio Grande. Quintanilla was brought to Brownsville. There, he landed a job selling Brownsville Herald subscriptions door to door. “I always made a lot of money fast,” he said. “People would see me and feel sorry for me, so they would sign up.” Soon, Quintanilla was able to save up enough money to pay back the man that helped him cross the border into the United States and eventually move to the city of McAllen. Arriving in McAllen, Quintanilla went to the Salvation Army for help. He was rejected because he had no form of identification. “The Salvation Army now is just for the poor white people in this country,” he said. “They don’t help people like me.” Still, the Salvation Army pointed him to a place where he could find a job selling newspapers. But before having any money to support himself, Quintanilla had to sleep on a bench at McAllen’s Municipal Park for eight days. “It is a very scary feeling sleeping in the park,” he said. “I could have been robbed or killed. There was also the constant pestering of bugs, but I made it.” Quintanilla was soon given a job by Juan Francisco-Quintero. A newspaper contractor, Quintero hires people to sell newspapers on his behalf.
“He’s a good guy, completes everything, well-educated and determined,” said Quintero. “He’s always ready when I pick him up and determined to progress. He doesn’t drink or do any drugs from what I know.” Quintero said he hires people from all over the country, but especially those from Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Brazil, since they are most prevalent. “There is no discrimination when hiring,” he said. “I’m glad to help him and have him be an example to society. He only has one leg, but works just as hard as anyone else.”
THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE Quintanilla said McAllen is very fast-paced compared to other cities he is used to. “People are always in a rush,” he said. “No one really buys the paper after mid-morning.” He’s learned that he can’t take long breaks while working. “Before I would make $50, and be like, ‘oh well that’s enough, I’ll just take a nap,’ he said, sipping from his paper cup. “Then, I learned you have to be quick. I will go to Church’s, eat in about 10 minutes and head to work. Time is money.” Quintanilla said he makes from $100 to $320 per week. He said that to do well, it is important to put on a happy face, no matter how he feels. “I am constantly smiling, and trying to look as lively as possible,” he said, cracking his signature smile through his sunburned skin. “But sometimes the smile isn’t enough, because I think people get tired of seeing me. They get annoyed.”
ILLUSTRATION_ALEJANDRO PAZ
088 What Fuels you? the NEW direction of Alternative fuels As alternative fuels such as hydrogen technology gain popularity across the world, a key question arises: Which will be the dominant source of energy for vehicles, gasoline or something else? While they are friendlier to the environment and they run on sustainable energy, automobiles that use alternative fuels are significantly more expensive than “regular” cars. Where do your priorities lie? How do they vary from people you know?
Top Ten Valleyisms + gringo translations Spanglish vernacular can be puzzling at times, even to Rio Grande Valley-born locals. That’s why Panorama has created this list of Valleyisms — a crucial reference guide for anyone visiting such Valley hotspots as La Plaza Mall or the Tejano Saloon. Tear it off your Panorama copy and take it with you the next time you catch a dollar movie. We promise you’ll communicate with cashiers much more effectively.
by_ana ley
nam•bre-nah [nämbruh-näh] adv. 1. Used to express refusal, denial or disagreement. Nambre nah, sir. I don’t want to do my work. See nombre no. pin•che [peen-chey] adj.1. Giving or spending reluctantly; stingy. Don’t be pinche, give me some candy. See codo. 2. Used to describe something worthless; lousy. Pinche car made me late again. this-guy [this-gahy] n.1. A stupid or ridiculous male; jerk; nerd. 2. Used emphatically when a male does or says something objectionable. He drank all my beer! This guy! Also see this chick. chin•gow [cheen-gow] n.1. A variation of the Spanish word for “fucker,” from the base verb “chingar.” Used in place of a swear word to indicate annoyance or disapproval of something. See chingado. cheap•ie [cheep-ee] adj. Costing very little, relatively low in price, inexpensive. Go buy me some chips, but get the cheapie H-E-B brand. 2. Used to describe something that is of low quality. See chafo. guey [gwey] n. 1. Literally, “ox” in Spanish, a term of endearment for close friends, especially among Spanish speakers. Oye guey, como estas? 2. An interjection used to express excitement or disbelief. 3. Used as an expression of doubt, hesitation, deliberation, interest. See buey. ma•mon [mom-own] n. 1. Spanish for sucker; dolt. Variations: a. no-ma•mes [no-mom-eys] int. A vulgar or informal way to express amazement or disbelief. That shirt costs $60? No mames! b. ma•mon•a•zo [mom-own-a-zoh], n. Something awesome or amazing. for-reals [fur-reelz] adv. 1. In reality; actuality. 2. Genuinely or truly. 3. Indeed. For reals, we need to go to that party this weekend. 4. Used to express surprise, exasperation. sir [sur] n. 1. A respectful term of address used to any male in an administrative and/or faculty role at an educational institution, usually in place of a formal title. See miss. ga•cho [gah-choh] adv. 1. Something unpleasant, irritating. 2. Used to emphasize something negative in high degree. Sometimes delivered as “gacho bad.” Antonyms: chido, cool. *Don’t see your favorite Valleyism? For more slang definitions, visit Urban Dictionary at www.urbandictionary.com.
by_frank romero
image_jennifer terrazas
M
idnight is the prime hour for clubbers and party-goers. The gay community in the Rio Grande Valley thrives at that hour as it steadily trickles into bars and clubs. Some go to see mutual acquaintances. Others use it as an outlet to vent their innate need for flamboyant dancing and debauchery. There is, however, one reason most come: They want to see the shows. The rule of thumb for every good gay club is that they must have reasonably entertaining shows. Most consist of amateur transvestites who mime the words to diva dance songs as greased-down hunks writhe around them. But lurking deep within the confines of local gay clubs are the true drag queen divas. They are the likes of diva superstars Mia Paris, Katharine York, Kaylee Brooks, Rita DeMarco and Asa Brooks. Still, none can hold a candle to their queen, Betty G. Crocker. This 6-foot-tall, portly legend is highly revered in the gay community. Crocker has been entertaining gay and straight people alike for almost 40 years. She is best known for her skimpy outfits and cartwheel flips. Despite these skills, she declined to give her age. “Several years ago I broke my arm attempting a particular flip,” said Crocker. “I kept the performance going even as the paramedics were placing my stretcher on the ambulance.” What began as a hobby has now grown into a lucrative career. She was born into a wealthy family in the Rio Grande Valley. She was born male, a student with perfect grades, athletic abilities and a very promising future. After some nasty allegations involving another boy, her family bought her an apartment in Houston on the condition that she never return to the Valley. She made her connections there and began a career at smaller bars, doing opening acts for other performers. After much recognition, she was given the opportunity to go solo. She quickly became a fixture within the gay community in East Texas. She would make regular appearances at parties, dances, media awards, clubs, gallery openings and art events. She eventually bridged communications with her estranged family and was able to return to the Valley. She helped accelerate the development of a gay community and nightlife in an otherwise conservative area, performing at such local venues as Trade Bar, Montrose and Bar Code. “Trade Bar serves as an example of how gays in the Valley are quickly emerging out of the woodwork,” said Crocker. “I know that they’re out there, and I know they want a better variety of entertainment.” She usually adjusts her performances to fit with her audiences’ tastes. She is the center attraction and show director at Trade Bar on Thursdays - the venue is known to cater to a younger crowd and will do popular numbers. Saturdays are reserved for PBD’s nightclub, known to host shows for a much older audience. “The flips are usually left to a minimum at PBD’s,” said Crocker. “Saturdays is when I do the legends like Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey… So it’s pretty hard to do in a full-length dress and heels but I still do.” Betty G. Crocker has caught the attention of many, and has even inspired others to become pioneers in entertainment industry. No one is quite sure when this icon will retire, but from the looks of things, she doesn’t want to. “She’ll probably perform until the end of the world,” said Johnny Cat, famed performer and club host, “…with nothing but the cockroaches and Cher as her audience.”
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BY_J.R. Ortega image_JENNIFER TERRAZAS
I
t flashes back to me every now and then. The feelings, the thoughts, the what-ifs. The boy lies in his hospital bed with nothing but an ounce of hope sustaining his weak head. Should I give in? I know the cure. Fuck it, I won’t. I’ve been gay since Day One. I still recall sitting behind a classmate when I was in first grade thinking, “He’s cute.” I didn’t know at the time what the term “homosexual” actually meant, but I knew I was different. Coming out was a breeze. There was no tear-jerking scene. Because I feel my sexuality should not be a big deal, it bothers me when I try donating blood and I am asked if I’ve ever had sex with a man. I was a virgin when I first had to answer. Had the American Red Cross known I was gay, I probably would not have been able to donate blood the few times that I did. An article in the Brownsville Herald recently mentioned the Rio Grande Valley blood shortage, stating that the local blood bank is at 65 percent of its ideal capacity. It makes me wonder how many people aren’t donating and how many happen to be rejected for being gay like me. Is it so wrong to want to help save a life without being subjected to prejudice? Although I would never do it, sometimes I wonder if I should lie for the sake of sharing my blood. Days go by and the boy’s life reaches its end as his parents prepare for the worse. Fuck me and my contemplations. Because of me, someone may be dying right now. I stopped donating because of the exclusion of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual community. People seem to think that becoming gay comes with a high risk of acquiring AIDS. But AIDS is a human disease and it can affect anyone — not just the homosexual community. The number of gay people infected with the disease is very high, but everyone is at risk. I know they reject my blood for precautionary reasons, but I can’t help feeling like they’re being discriminatory. As I sit there wasting away from incompetence, a kid wastes away in a children’s hospital. Not because his disease is incurable, but because the people trying to save him were too ignorant to let me help.
BY_anonymous image_jennifer terrazas
T
here’s nothing worse than being in a shitty situation but knowing the reason you’re there is entirely your fault...mostly because you can’t whine without feeling like a pathetic asshole. All you can do is sit back and marinate in self-loathing misery. Last Tuesday was my first day in biology II lab — a subject I have been avoiding since the very day I was introduced to dissecting animals. In fact, I’d say biology was a main contributor to my majoring in philosophy. Yep, I’m that incompetent in the sciences. I’m about to graduate, so I had to muster the balls to finally enroll for biology II and its companion course this semester. Not that you or I care, but I had to take it because I took the first part and I need the second to fulfill core requirements. Biology’s boring and hard to sit through, but that’s not why Tuesday sucked so badly. The teacher’s assistant that is supervising my class is this immature, selfimportant, socially retarded 20-year-old. He started off his embarrassing, pseudo-patronizing lecture assuring us that we could call him by his first name instead of Mr. Whateverthefuckhislastnamewas. And as he explained his grading procedures, he even interjected every other sentence with the word “fuck” or “shit,” to assert his oh-so-generous camaraderie with the class. Then he said something along the lines of “You guys will notice that I keep well in touch with most of my former students. I’m a nice guy like that.” ...I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that he probably has a tough time building relationships with anyone that isn’t getting a passing grade out of it. As if the power trip wasn’t bad enough, he ended his introduction by asking us if we wanted to know anything about him, reminding us that he “didn’t have all the answers,” unfathomable as that may have seemed. Seriously, dude? I am not about to feign interest in your probably dull, irritating existence just because your teacher decided to stroke your ego a couple of times and give you permission to jerk yourself off in front of my class. But I can’t blame the guy, really. Not necessarily because I was just as naïve and self-centered as him when I was a sophomore, but because I’m a loser who should’ve taken that lower-division course two years ago when stuff like that didn’t bother me as much.
{
by_frank romero
illustration_Alejandro paz
}
I asked why they kept using the stairs and one girl explained, “Duh, the sign says ‘Do not use elevator,’” to which I noticed the subheading and responded “yeah, in case of fire.” Yet another girl makes me wonder about the human race’s future. “Yeah, well they’re messed up anyway, none of these elevators have first floor buttons.”
T
he weekend had been impeccably planned for the last two months. My intentions were to go to Houston for the conference in which students from many different universities would meet with different businesses and establish networking ties — should ever we would want a career with their respective companies. The evenings of course would have been reserved for completely inexcusable debauchery. Sadly, I had nothing of the sort. Let’s rewind, to the afternoon prior to our departure. Our beloved club president, Dan, gave us our scheduled itinerary and stressed the importance of maintaining professionalism throughout the conference. The following day, James and I were told to meet Dan, along with the rest of our group at the parking lot outside of the Visitors Center at UTPA no later than 1 p.m. James and I hopped in his Jetta and made a quick stop at Wal-Mart to pick up some last minute necessities: condoms, lube and Alka-Seltzer. On our way to Houston, James and I spent the car ride talking and bitching about boys, with me manning the iPod. I looked at my ringing phone and noticed that my mom was calling…I contemplated whether or not I should answer it. “Hello?” I say. “Frank? Where are you? Are you in Houston yet?” responds my mother. “No, we’re almost there though. Why what’s up?” “Well I have some bad news for you,” she murmurs. “Your cousin Christina was on her, way to a church retreat in Austin, and the vehicle lost control and crashed into a river… she died upon impact.” “Christina? Who’s that? Oh! CHRISTINA! I remember now. Yeah, yeah, I hardly remember her I only met her like once in my entire life.” She goes on to explain to me that my dad was taking it pretty hard
and that he wanted to drive up to Dallas — where Christina and the rest of my family are from — and attend the wake. I told her I obviously couldn’t go because I had to attend the conference in Houston, and was obligated to participate. My mother was insistent that she and my father drive up to Houston and pick me up Saturday evening and proceed to Dallas to attend the wake. I reluctantly agreed. I explained the situation to James and he seemed to be sympathetic and understanding — at least on the exterior — and agreed to assist me with the change of plans. We arrived in Sugarland, Texas, a suburb of Houston, and went through hell and back to find some lame-ass diner called Johnny Rocket’s. The rest of our party rendezvoused for dinner. Apparently the diner was short-staffed because the employees were on strike or something like that. So it was basically one guy taking care of about 20 people. It inevitably became very chaotic and people became extremely upset at the waiter for making things so very complicated…everyone that is except for Dan, who from the looks of it was very nonchalant and unobservant of the situation. Subsequent to the fiasco, we proceeded to our hotel and waited in the lobby for the keys to our room to be issued. Everyone retreated to our designated rooms, and coordinated a party in Room 1013. It was a quaint little gathering that James and I threw together at the last minute before retreating to our assigned rooms. We had to wake up bright and early the next morning to attend the conference. I noticed that the girls in the room next to ours kept walking up and down 10 flights of stairs to and from the lobby, in heels. I asked why they kept using the stairs and one girl explained, “Duh, the sign says ’Do not use elevator,’” to which I noticed the subheading and responded, “Yeah, in case of fire.” Yet another girl makes me wonder about the human race’s future. “Yeah, well they’re messed up anyway, none of these elevators have first floor buttons.” To which I later had to explain the dynamics of how
101 we rode the elevator FROM the first floor, which meant they had first floor buttons CLEVERLY disguised as LOBBY buttons. I met with “group J,” which was later converted to group “FKM” Houston’s premier Advertising and PR agency. We traveled to FMK’s office in downtown Houston and made our introductions. My group consisted of people from all over Texas and neighboring states. Our assignment was to create a campaign for HP (the computer company formally known as Hewlett-Packard) that would help propel women and minorities into the field of engineering and eventually into the HP company. We got off to a very rocky start and we didn’t get anything done until the very last hour before our deadline. People kept directing questions toward me — as I was the only minority in the conference room — with comments like, “Well what is it that ‘you people’ like to do with computers?” I used every bit of strength in my being to maintain composure and simply answered every question as best I could. All in all I think we did a very good job. We rushed back to the hotel to meet the others but were held back by a tremendous amount of Friday afternoon rush-hour traffic. So it took us about an hour to travel four miles. I didn’t get to see if our project was even turned in or not because I was hoisted away by my parents, already waiting for me in the parking lot of the hotel. We rushed toward Dallas to meet my other family members who were already waiting for me. I realized that I should have stayed so James and I could have shared a wonderful evening filled with outlandish sexcapades in which one of us would wake up naked and handcuffed to a bed in a sleazy motel. The following day was spent visiting with loved ones and coping with the loss of a family member. I suppose these people have a funny way of showing it. Life resumed as normal, people went to the mall, ate at restaurants and went to the movie theater. The children of the deceased person — who to my knowledge were well aware that they
lost their mother and what death was — seemed to be happy, asking their widowed father to take them to Chuck E. Cheese’s. Around four in the afternoon we went to the funeral home and oh my God, this had to be the most hilarious if not disrespectful funeral home I had ever been to. The building had its sign placed on a rotating coffin that lit up with neon lights atop a pole with a smaller sign underneath that said “Saturday Special: Two for one.” The whole scene was very depressing and not conducive to an appropriate atmosphere so I implored my parents that we stay for no more that 15 minutes. We left thereafter and went back to my grandmother’s home. The following day was spent on the road. We left Dallas and headed south toward Waco, Austin and San Antonio. We stopped at a Target in San Antonio to pick up some munchies. When we returned to the vehicle my mom noticed that our dog (which we brought along on trip) must have escaped when we first got off the car and no one had noticed. So we spent the entire evening looking for the damn dog throughout the entire parking lot and finally noticed that she was in the car the entire time stowed away under the seat. I finally got home and was too tired to unpack. I went straight to bed and woke up the following morning just to go to work, then school. I went about my day recapping the weekend of events and it took me about three more days to reconnect with my usual routines.
102 image_daniel martinez
T
acho squinted his eyes to get a better look. He said nothing when the rusty yellow school bus pulled up in front of him. He could smell the fumes as they billowed from behind the vehicle. The bus came to a stop just half a yard from his feet and the dirt road’s grime unsettled as the tires wheeled over it. The hot dust shot up and stuck to the bottom of Tacho’s dimpled chin. His skin was dark from the long summer hours he had spent in the sun, and his ears stuck out more than half an inch under the mass of dark curly hair. He had tucked in his plaid shirt and was wearing boots his cousin had outgrown just weeks before; they were once black and had scuff marks in bright white on the sides from the many times his cousin had kicked at the old and twisted mesquite trees. “Get in, kid,” he heard a man’s voice tell him in English. He didn’t understand him but he knew what he meant. Tacho looked up and felt relieved when he saw that the bus driver’s eyes and hair were black. “I’m going,” Tacho said in Spanish and as he passed him on the way to find a seat. He felt the quick sting of the man’s hand as it hit the back of his thighs. “Keep it in English, kid,” the man said. Tacho remembered his mom saying the same thing. He sat alone near the back and was surprised when a skinny straight-haired kid with a silver buckle sat next to him and asked him if he was new. “Haven’t seen you around much,” the kid said in Spanish and then he told him to call him Nayo. Tacho stared out the window and counted the times the bus stopped and then he counted how many of the kids had boots. Then he looked to see if anyone else had a silver buckle. Once the bus stopped picking up kids and it looked like they were finally on their way to school, Tacho put his hands under his legs and tried to reach the back of his thighs where he could still feel the slight red pain from the bus driver’s calloused hand. “When you get to school, keep it in English, kid,” he heard the bus driver say again. Then the two boys got off and Nayo translated as they walked away. The teacher was tall with pale, transparent skin and her hair was pulled away from her eyes, hanging in long white waves at her sides. She wore glasses and a blue sweater and she stood near the back watching. The children walked in and Tacho took a desk near the middle. A fat kid followed him and sat behind. The teacher came to him. Tacho could feel her presence, but he kept his eyes fixed on the chalkboard at the front. She crouched down until she was eye level and she asked him, in English,
by_dalel serda about his name. Tacho looked at her and then he squinted his eyes and kept shaking his head in tiny nervous movements and he focused on the opening and closing of her mouth. “His name is Tacho, miss,” he heard someone say and both the teacher and he turned and there was Nayo, with his silver buckle, standing at the opposite side of the classroom. She glared at him angrily. “No one’s speaking to you, Nayo. Mind your business. And son, sit down,” she told him. She turned to Tacho and scowled, “Your name is Tacho? Tacho? Is that your name?” Tacho kept shaking his head. His hands were now hot and sweaty and firmly under his legs. “Tacho? Is that a nickname? Answer me. Tacho? Tacho what?” Tacho was shaking. The fat boy behind him started kicking at his legs under the chair. The teacher was no longer crouching, she stood and walked to her own desk in the front of the classroom and she pulled at something from the back of one of her drawers. She looked at Tacho the whole time as Tacho’s eyes faced the hard beige surface of his own wooden desk. The paddle looked hard and new and green. The entire class took an extra breath. Nayo was standing up now, walking toward Tacho, he was speaking to him in Spanish, telling him to say something, asking him about his last name, and Tacho kept shaking his head, now a little faster. His lips were shut and his eyes kept closing, too. “Stand up!” The teacher was screaming and all the other children were sitting straight and silent at their desks. A few of the pretty girls had their heads down and the fat boy behind Tacho was still kicking and Nayo walked and stood right beside him before the teacher pushed him out of the way. Her hand grabbed Tacho and she pulled him up toward her. “Stand up and tell me your last name!” she was yelling. “Your name! Is it Tacho? Tacho what, son? Your name!” And she raised her hand in the air, the hand had that green paddle. Tacho saw it eclipsed the window light. Tacho stared up at it, his eyes no longer squinting, they were open and he started saying, “Tacho,” and then Nayo said, “tell her your last name,” and Tacho said, “Juarez. Juarez… es Juarez!” but it was too late. The paddle was now descending and Tacho’s hands were helplessly grasping air as the teacher was busy screaming when Nayo and his silver buckle got in the way.
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{
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Give it a rest, you got yourself a good Christian wife back home, waiting for you right now, with a hot supper pro’bly and three kids; hell, you got three kids, too, Billy! You’re damn lucky...
I
’ve taken the ferry, the gamblin’ one, lots of times, when I need to get away and I don’t have the money to do nothin’ else. I drive up past Bedford, up to Port Haven, and leave most everything in the truck. I make me a couple of bucks, bettin’ on poker, tryin’ my hand at roulette and then, most always, I get one of them girls to get me a tight sequence of double whiskies. After, it’s either Maureen or Betty, Betty Davis I call her, that takes me home and we go and have us a good time. I’m a prize bull, I tell them. Look at me! Name’s Ted, but them two girls call me Teddy Bear. It’s the day ferry, leaves in the morning, comes back early evenin’. Ticket gets you a big lunch and at night the girls are on a diet so I’m never out more than 50, 60 bucks. No motel fee, girls are too good for that. Once or twice it was all three us, Maureen, Betty and me, we bunked up. Had us a good time. But last Friday, it was Bill that wanted to go, that’s my brother, the older one. Said he and his wife, Mary, were having some problems and he was wanting to get away; said he’d heard about the poker ferry, he called it, and said could he come along. I told him yeah, though I hadn’t planned on it this weekend but he said it was an emergency. Mary had been on his case, he’d lost a job but it was a no-good job anyway. Still, Mary was angry and he said he was angry and I said maybe Mary should come too, it’d be good to get away, good for the two of ‘em, I told him; but he said that Mary had agreed that he go, said it’d be good for her to be alone. Where’s the children? I said, where’s Sissy and Little Billy and Coreen? They at her mother’s, Mary needs to be alone, he said. I told him I got it, said I understood. I got in my truck, rolled down the windows, drove up past Bedford, up toward Port Haven, and waited for Bill. Called up Betty and Maureen but the both of them said it was their day off. You never here on weekdays, one of ‘em told me, and I said I know, that it had been an emergency; a family one and both asked if they could help. I’ll call you tonight, I told them, or maybe I won’t–they said either way, it’d be fine. Bill pulled up in a beat-up Chevy. The front end was busted and he said he hit a tree. I smelled the whiskey on his breath and said it was too early for drinkin’ but he told me not to mind, said he needed it; said it was for his broken heart. Mary leave you yet? I asked him. But he laughed, thought I was jokin’ and he saw the ferry and we got on.
Bill was impressed; impressed at all the food and the drinks and the girls with their red panties and their red brassieres. I told him to stop lookin’, reminded him of Mary and her pretty curly hair. He said yeah, that he was just lookin’ and he went on to the slot machines. You’re a fool! I yelled at him. No one with a lick brains plays the slots! And he looked at me and slipped a five into that thing. I lost sight of him, went on with my playing, was making some serious money at the stud table when I saw a girl and Bill walking towards the back. Hey, Billy! I yelled, Hey, Bill, where you goin’? I kept yelling but the other people at the table weren’t havin’ it and I had to cash out and leave. Man, I chased that Billy down, but I couldn’t catch him, not fast enough, anyway. When I did, he was havin’ himself two girls and they weren’t my Betty or Maureen. These girls were new, at least to me, and they were pretty, far prettier than I’d seen. Chest out to here and backside to here and I stood there, looking at Bill about to cheat on his wife. His trousers were down around his ankles and he looked like a fool with his gut hanging out all over his underwear. Damn brother, I told him. Give it a rest, you got yourself a good Christian wife back home, waiting for you right now, with a hot supper pro’bly and three kids; hell, you got three kids, too, Billy! You’re damn lucky, I told him and said if I was him and he was me, I’d give up all them women and take that Mary. He stopped, he told the girls it wasn’t gonna work. But they weren’t having it, they said they lost of plenty customers while they were waitin’ on him. You was gonna pay for it! I asked him, I was laughing hard, couldn’t contain myself. I swear I felt like cryin’. Bill got up and said he was a fool, and thanked me for reminding him of Mary. Sweet Mary, that angel, he kept saying and I said that yeah, I had always thought so. We paid for a motel that night, split it down the middle, and had us sausage and grits for breakfast in the morning. Bill head home and I head home and I was laughing thinkin’ of what I’d seen. But I got home and the phone machine was blinking red. I don’t remember the last time I’d seen it do that and I pressed the button and it said: “Hi, Ted… It’s me, Mary. You wanna finally come on over? Bill’s gone and the kids are gone and I’ve been thinking you and me could fool around in bed.”
A RIDE TO REMEMBER
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by_ Antonio Ols-Borbolla IMAGE_ DIANA LUNA
I
t’s not very common to see a person asking for a ride on a deserted fast through here. highway many kilometers away from the nearest sign of civilization. He said his name was Pablo. But when you least expect it, someone is standing near the edge of The description is always consistent. The man is of medium build, short the road with an arm pointing toward the direction that you happen hair and side burns long enough you could pull on. He had reptile skin to be going. You usually think about going on, not caring when the boots, jeans, a striped shirt and a white cowboy hat. The woman, who was next motorist might pass by again. It is a stranger, after all, and you probhis wife, wore a simple blue dress, low-heeled shoes and no makeup. ably don’t like the thought of riding with one. It’s a good enough reason to Did they mention where they were coming from or going to? I asked. keep going, maybe even floor it a little bit. And then there are the second “They came from a wedding in a nearby ejido, or group of small ranches thoughts. The ones that nag at your conscience and make you pity that about five kilometers down the road. Pedro mentioned it started raining man or woman, making you stop. during their walk home, before their car had also given them trouble. Their There is a story well known by those who live in Ciudad Benito Juarez, house was approximately three kilometers left of the nearest exit past the a small town with a population of about 15,000 off Carretera 40, approxibridge in an area known as Seccion 68. I told them to get in the truck and mately one hour east of Monterrey, Mexico. Several versions of a similar I would take them. They accepted saying that it was a good idea since they tale are known by people who drive through this road. had been gone for a while and Pedro’s mother was taking care of their two It is a good conversation topic with the guy who pumps gasoline into kids.” people’s cars. He seldom lets passersby go without warning them about Inside the truck there was silence for what seemed like hours to Alepicking anyone up for the next 60 kilometers. It is here where drivers jandro. Finally, Teresa spoke. claim to see a couple standing on the side of “Mi suegra es buena persona y cuida muy the road asking for a ride. Most of the people bien de mis hijos,” she said, telling him her You usually think about going on without that claim to have seen it didn’t stop. mother-in-law is a good person and takes good knowing when the next motorist But one man who did — not exactly to care of her children. might pass by again. It is a stranger, offer a ride — has a strange story to tell. The next morning as he was bringing down after all, and most of us don’t like the thought It is a remote area far away from everyhis suitcase, he noticed Pedro’s white cowboy of riding with one. thing. If you look far enough you can see hat in the rear seat of his truck. He took it down smoke billowing from a small ranch among and left it in his living room not knowing what the mountains. People there are burning trash. to do with it. The barbed wire fence that is supposed to keep cows and bulls from crossA week passed and he hadn’t returned the hat, until he finally decided ing the road is half gone. Before all that are cacti as tall as palm trees with it would be a nice gesture to see how the couple was doing and return the crows resting on top of them. They must have gotten tired of aimlessly hat in the visit. He drove to their house and knocked several times and an looking for food. elderly woman opened the door. Alejandro asked to speak with Pablo. He “I didn’t stop because I saw something,” said Alejandro Arriaga about had forgotten his hat inside his truck and wanted to return it. Surprised, the day he stopped on Kilometro 28. “I heard a noise from underneath my but composed, the old lady explained that it wasn’t possible. Confused, truck so I pulled over and noticed that the rear tire on the driver’s side Alejandro asked, why not? had blown out. There was a bridge about 200 feet from where I stopped. “It’s not possible because Teresa and Pablo died three years ago,” said It was raining, so I drove until I was underneath it hoping that I wouldn’t Pablo’s mother. She invited him inside the house where she showed him a get as wet.” picture of Teresa and Pablo…it was exactly the couple that had been inside He was on his way back from visiting relatives in Tampico and was travhis truck. She went on and showed him where they were buried. He only eling west, toward Ciudad Benito Juarez. “At first I waited for a few minutes believed it until he saw the graves. to see if the rain would stop, as time passed and the rain didn’t stop I To this day many are the motorists who claim to have seen the couple decided to change the tire.” underneath the bridge waiting to get a ride. A diner at the end of CarHeavy thunder shook the ground. Suddenly, two figures appeared in retera 40 named Durango’s is a hotspot for people to stop and share their the distance. They were approaching Alejandro’s truck. sighting stories. The tales vary to a point where some claim that at times It was a man and a woman in their late 20’s. The man seemed friendly the couple doesn’t ask for a ride. Some of them say that they can only be and offered to help him change the tire. He said it is a dangerous place to seen through a car’s rear view mirror and that the couple disappears if one change tires, los autos conducen muy rapido por aqui, the cars drive too turns their head to look.
107
AN AMERICAN HOLIDAY by_Robert Moreira
B
ack when we lived in Los Angeles and I was younger and the people I loved were still alive, my family and I always spent Thanksgiving with the Cuetos. They were a Cuban couple my parents had known ever since I could remember and they loved to have us over. My brother and I looked forward to El Día de Acción de Gracias every year, starving ourselves all day for all the food we knew would be prepared, and challenging each other on who would eat the most pastelitos de guayaba or empanadas. Everyone knew it was an American holiday, but you would never have guessed it at the Cuetos house. It was an experience all its own. We’d get there about six o’clock, nicely dressed in those shoes my brother and I only wore on special occasions. Past the metal door decorated with a paper cornucopia boomed Beni More or Perez Prado with their trumpets and congas and voices synthesizing into such exotic sounds that seemed familiar somehow. No other house on Beck Street was as alive on that day. There was the smell, too. It rushed toward us like a long-lost relative. A mixture of cumin, garlic and bay leaves, the scent transcended and our mouths watered. My brother and I loved to push our nostrils up against the cold metal door of their house and take deep breaths. We both knew there was a turkey or two in there — or pavo , as my father said it was called in Cuba. The family would baste on some succulent Caribbean concoction we’d soon sample. “Abre la puerta, coño!” my father yelled over us and rang the door-
bell. He banged on the door like it was his own. “Ya vengo , Marielito!” a gruff voice answered as the music was lowered. La vieja Mercedes was always seated on her comforter, white-haired with droopy cheeks and glasses, nibbling on a fat Cuban cigar and watching Univision or Telemundo. She’d never smoked but loved the taste of the tobacco in her mouth ever since her teens. At first sight of us she’d flash a wide smile that made me feel as welcome as if I’d always lived there, and I’d kiss her powdered cheek. She always gave my brother and me underwear and dress socks for Christmas, but we didn’t hold it against her on Thanksgiving. It was a different holiday. At the center of the table was the fried yucca in garlic sauce that my dad had loved ever since he was a kid in Havana. The black beans steamed in a large white ceramic bowl, and right next to it, the rice cooker begged to be opened. Juan would finally come out of the kitchen carrying the bird we’d all soon consume. Wow, we’d all say, and take our places around the table. Juan always led the prayer. I’d peek out of one eye and all I could think of was how turkeys were considered birds and yet they couldn’t fly. The well-cooked skin was as brown as Juan, and even my father. It was an American holiday, we all knew that, but no one missed the mashed potatoes or the gravy or the corn on the cob. As far as we were concerned, our feast was as American as anywhere else.
No other house
on Beck Street was as alive on that day.
108 image_Diana Luna
Ill
z erre i t u cia g briones u l _ es Ben andez imag ern h a t n _Sa s n o ati ustr
CUZTOMIZE & DIGITIZE BY_Jose Cardoza
Mega strata of statistical precision computing superiorly all quantifiable methodologies philosophy and intrigue unknown possibilities firestorm and electrical signals searching the vast and infinite system field at alls command…. searching………… searching………… searching………… Mechanical arms reach out and grab hold ice grip, dead lock, death ray, total surrender shut down. shut down. the whole of the system is gone economies topple over, digital age disaster The strong fail in strength and the weak thrive on .CHANGE. The will to live to the ends of the earth tilling the land with hands made of clay to witness the growth of a seed to ever reap what is sown this digital age consumes and blurs like a haze creeps and devours our humanity a listless resolve hidden deep within the last megabytes of a mass storage device when the processors and circuits aren’t enough when the information and instant gratification aren’t enough and the last 1 and 0 have been processed which hard drive will be deleted? the _____ or the computer’s?
Elusive BY_Jose Cardoza
its just a flitting moment an honest mistake in the wind i swear there is nothing like it a touch of clouds beneath the lips an intoxicating haze between your head and an inexplicable warmth beneath the chest it fills you. lifts you, and carries you on its course yet beneath the sights, smells and sounds you’ll find something amazing the real you, right between the lines |if you really look, look right in you’ll really find out, that, life’s nothing but a dream.
Phoolan Perspective
2
BY_Lora Martinez
Imagine nothing to your name You and a dog just the same Getting kicked to the ground Getting spit on your face Working hard working long Working the days going strong Trying your best to persevere At the end your meager meal
Father said we could not change our fate We were born to be stepped on everyday “Daughter please obey me don’t complain Please accept your fate and take it to your grave” Imagine running from your fate Everyone hating on your name A bounty on your head For standing up against your shame Restless heart restless mind Restlessness all the time Feeling fear from all your sides Keeping strong so not to die!
Father saw his men as the raped me one day He didn’t have the strength to save me or to say “Oh leave my baby alone I’ll kill you for your foul play I’ll make you regret the day you were born everyday ” So this is what I live for eh? Being the scum of the earth eh? No justice no pride nothing But tears from my cries? So this is fate? Hey ain’t that a shame.
Where Where I live, live, BY_LAUREN ESPINOZA
No matter how brown I am – I’m not brown enough. Borderlands, Texas. Any Mexican born on the U.S. side of the border can never be considered a real Mexican by their brothers who live across the Rio Grande. In order to be a real Mexicano I had to come to the U.S. in a clandestine manner. I have to have some sort of “coming over” story. Almost like being gay and “coming out” to be legit, but not quite.
Cadenas
My Spanish may be grammatically correct, but if I speak it in Mexico it is too perfect – What, am I too good to speak Spanish to the senora estil Mexicano? My Spanish is empty – lifeless like the slaughtered goats I see hanging in the market as I walk through the dirt streets while small dark children without shoes follow me asking if I need a shoe shine or would like to buy some candy. In the states, I am a Mexican; in Mexico I am an Americano. So what does that make me when I am in both places at once? Borderlands, Texas – Where my home has a U.S. area code, but you wouldn’t be able to tell it by looking at the last names in the phone book. Where you don’t go out to eat Mexican. Where you must be bilingual to communicate. Where what is considered to be a minority nationwide, here is the majority. My skin will never be the color of the muddy riverbanks I see as I cross the border, but I know I bleed brown more than red, white, or blue.
BY_Rossy Evelin Lima
¿En donde terminan mis cadenas y comienzan las tuyas hermano? Nuestra voz nos quita de ser esclavos La unión amedrenta a cualquier tirano Ven compañero, tómame de la mano Ya estamos subiendo No hay necesidad de que los poderosos Nos miren hacia abajo Nuestra protesta vale Y pronto seremos escuchados paisanos Vayamos pues, con las palabras fuertes Derribando muros, con la cabeza en alto Nuestra convicción amigo latino En lo más recóndito nos hará ser escuchados
5
English translation: by_ana ley
Where do my chains end and yours begin, brother? Our voice prevents us from being slaves A union would upset any tyrrant Come friend, take my hand We are going up No need to let the powerful Look down at us Our protest is worth it And soon they will listen to us countrymen Let’s go, then, with strong words Crushing obstacles, our heads high Our conviction, fellow Latino, Even in the most secluded places will make them listen
112 Zombies Zombies by_LAUREN ESPINOZA
How do you kill something that’s already dead? Zombies plague my thoughts day after day;
Throne BY_Lauren Espinoza
i have been to the restroom the one labeled faculty, where students are not supposed to go. it has around it an air of prestige or is it the air of something more? there is a couch in the women’s a comfy couch with southwestern décor. poor couch, relegated to live out its life in the bathroom on the second floor. maybe it’s there so the p.h.d.s can sit and contemplate; but, i thought that’s what the commode was for. either way, i have seen and have sat on the throne of greatness where professors go for relief behind the guard of a closed door.
I am sure one day they will attack. More than likely I will be sitting in class, of course some place where there is nothing I can use as a weapon, as if a weapon would help. All I can do is run run past my confused classmates, as they sit unprepared for the attack, vulnerable to the zombie’s hypnotic eyes. I make it into the hall and down the stairs. At this point I have to make a decision which exit is closest? But before I even do zombies come pouring into the hall from every different direction. I have to fight my way through. “Skyler.” “Skyler!” My teacher rips me back into my desk. “Skyler, which country has Budapest as its capital?” “Hungary,” I say, as zombies burst through my classroom door.
BY_LISA BECCERA
MUSIC
Lone Star Man
Is history in the making? Living to tell tales of life—what was, what is, what will be Transcends generations, Instructs the people Breaks the back of social injustice Unites the rift in countries, cultures, communities With bare feet, around the campfire, in a car On a stage, surrounding multitudes, dancing in the moonlight Contagious with energy, rhythm and rhyme Each note in synchrony, choreographed with care Connection of the soul, breath of fresh air Rocking a child to sleep in a tree top Begins with a tap of the foot, head bops, and finger snaps Jolts the body with adrenaline, love and devotion Oldies, indie, classical, blue grass, hip hop, rap, Alternative, disco, rock, punk, country, pop, polka Too many to name, too many to hear It doesn’t need to be listened but felt with hands in the air (Insert favorite type here) Play it loud, often and take it all in
BY_ Lisa Beccera
He lives alone in a rundown house Worn from overuse and neglect Torn floor boards, missing doors Walls that smell of regret There was a time before this life Before his father slept When he was a husband and a father Before his mother slept Today he sits, drink in hand, bulging belly Stumbling as he w alks the steps Leading him to his prison home Where only he resides
And the World Says "HellO"
BY_LISA BECCERA
Sunlight crashes through the window With no “hello,” “how are you?” or “may I come in?” It blisters through her eyelids Their hinges tighten, unprepared to awaken Hands hover over them Covers come up to offer solace It is temporary and ends with a kick of the sheets She unlocks her eyes, embraces the sunlight And the world says “Hello”
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check, please. image_JENNIFEr TERRAZAS
image_lucia gutierrez
120 images_patricia moreno
image_Jennifer Terrazas
image_kayla Guerva
image_romeo longoria
121
122
image_rebecca zarate
123 image_beverly molano
124
image_sophia garcia
image_Lucia gutierrez
image_cynthia rincon
images_lucinda lopez
125
after
breaking the
mold of
we
complacency, are able to see
the world as it is. it is through and
strength
commitment that we will find
with an open mind, will conquer the
we
126
solutions. challenges
that we face.
change.
Editor in chief | Ana Ley
Adviser | DONNA PAZDERA
Adviser | KIMBERLY SELBER
Photo editor | JENNifer TERRAZAS Photographer | lucia gu tierrez
Contributing
photographer | BEN BRIONES
Contributing
photographer | MELISSA URIEGAS
Photographer | DANIEL MA
RTINEZ
Contributing
photographer | DIANA LUNA
Design editor | CHRIS RAMIREZ
Contributing
photographer | SAMANTHA MORALES
Asst. design editor |
esmer olvera
Designer | alexis carranza
Contributing
designer | wendi ibarra
Ad coordinator | LEROY
Reporter | ramiro
CAVAZOS
Designer | Alejan
dro paz
Contributing
designer | santa hernandez
ne mainous Reporter | LESLIE An
paez
Reporter | manuel tisca
reno
Contributing
designer | fabiola de la garza
Advertising
manager | samantha quintana
Reporter | Mary nichols
STAFF
American Scholastic Press Association 1st Place Overall Design — 2004-2005
University & Colleges Design Association Award of Excellence for Overall Design — 2004-2005
American Scholastic Press Association 1st Place Overall Design — 2006-2007
Texas Intercollegiate Press Association 1st Place General Magazine, Overall Excellence — 2005-2006
an vices c
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Studen
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“Career Services is a vital resource that assisted me with my interview
Career Services is divided into three programs designed to assist students throughout their time at UTPA.
skills and resume. I found it to be extremely beneficial and they were willing to go above and beyond. It paved the way and allowed me to have a successful internship with Toyota.”
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Graduating Students/Alumni Program:
Focuses on those students within one year of graduation, graduating seniors, graduate students and alumni. Students can also sign-up for job interviews being held by many of today's top companies.
Internship Program:
Offers students an opportunity to gain work experience in an employment situation directly related to their major course of study and assists students in meeting educational, professional and personal objectives.
“Career Services helps students by informing us constantly about com-
—R o SH saur PE a S -UT ola PA no ,P res Prada ide , nt
panies on campus, workshops, interviews, and events. The assistance and guidance that the office provide for us is immeasurable because it doesn’t stop with helping us find a job but includes much more …. Overall they help us become better people.”
Student Employment Program:
A referral program designed for the development and promotion of off-campus opportunities for college students. The program is to lists offcampus positions available for students and employers free of charge.
“Career Services opened the door for me for a summer internship with Dollar General’s District Manager position. I’m really excited for the new challenges and experiences that will prepare me for the real world.”
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Call today 800-CABLE55 All services may not be immediately available in all areas. Some services are not available to Cable Card customers. HDTV set and lease of an HDTV set-top box required for HD service. DVR service, HD premium tier, Movies On Demand and Premiums On Demand are optional services available for an incremental charge. Customers with Digital Cable may receive some channels in analog format. Actual channel counts may vary. Actual Road Runner speeds may vary. Over 6 times the speed of DSL claim is based on Road Runner’s maximum download speed of 10 Mbps versus the standard DSL package’s maximum download speed of 1.5 Mbps. Speed comparison is based on a typical DSL package and may vary by area. Dial-up speed comparisons are based on Road Runner’s maximum download speed of 10 Mbps versus the average of a 28k and 56 k modems’ maximum download speeds. Security software is currently not available for Macintosh computers. Internet Security Suite software must be downloaded on Road Runner and registration is required. Terms and conditions of this offer are subject to change at the discretion of Road Runner and/or CA at any time. Not all Road Runner products and services are available to customers using Microsoft® Windows Vista™ operating system. Road Runner High Speed Online required to receive Road Runner Wireless service. One-time professional installation is required for RR Wireless service. First 500MB of Road Runner Safe Storage is free. Monthly charges apply for additional storage. Digital Phone does not include back-up power and, as in the case with an electric-powered home cordless phone, should there be a power outage, Digital Phone, Including the ability to access 9-1-1 services, will not be available. 30-day money-back guarantee applies to monthly recurring phone charges only. Subscription to Cable, Road Runner, and/or Digital Phone and related add-on products is subject to credit verification and approval. Free installation applies when new Digital Home Phone Service is purchased. Applicable installation charges vary by package. Subject to change without notice. Some restrictions apply. ©2008 Time Warner Cable, Inc. All Rights Reserved. TM & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s08) 200-171 Panorama Ad_mech.indd 1
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{THE PLacE to Be Yourself!}
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An Early Education Builds A Bright Future Early childhood development is key to the future success of our children. Our child-centered activities help your child build a strong foundation of social skills and a love of reading and learning in a safe, caring, fun environment. Programs
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956.316.4796
1104 S. McColl Road Edinburg, TX 78539
Kids-info@kidslc.com
www.KIDSlc.com
Building futures, one child at a time.
As we mature,
As we matAsure, we slow reallyize weze cann ot ot con tinu e we matu re, welyslow reali we cann cont inue selfishly selfisisola tingting hly isola ourours selvelves es..
.The Thefuture futurebecomes becomesan aninescapable inescapabletheme themeininour ourlives. lives.
. The future becomes an inescapable theme in our lives.
It is time to leave our apath apathyy behin behindd and beco become involved. me invol ved.
It is time to leave our apathy behind and become involved.