2013 Panorama Magazine by Panorama Magazine

PANOR AMA MAGA ZINE ART

FASHION

MUSIC

STUDENTS

pan rama MAGA ZINE art

fashion

music

students

Editors-in-chief advertising DIRECTOR David Alvarado Carlos Molina Andrea De La Vega senior designer public relations coordinator Akza Rios Laura Ashley Galvan writers social media editor Karen Antonacci Lizette Longoria Gabriel Cantu Eder Castillo faculty adviser Sara Castillo Donna Pazdera Susan Gonzalez Nancy Salazar contributing designer Saira Trevino Pablo De La Rosa special thanks photography Anita Reyes Marcela Pena Carlos Alberto Sanchez Elihu Garcia The ladies from the True Beatuy Norma Catalina Gonzalez photo shoot *all graphics/ photos taken by Panorama staff unless stated otherwise

“The job of a journalist is to relay knowledge to the public. And sometimes that information involves situations and facts that an individual wouldn’t otherwise be aware of. Will someone be offended by something in this magazine? Probably. But, realistically, a publication can’t be created in an attempt to please everyone. We set out to make something that students would want to read, and we’d be proud of.”

-excerpt from the Editors’ Note in the 2010 Panorama

2013 ABOUT THE STAFF

Carlos molina is an advertising major, the Advertising Club president, photographer and fan of the Panorama magazine since 2009. He is by far our most successful marketing guru. He remembers waiting for the 2011 issue to arrive when he told Donna how much he loved the magazine to which her reply was: “You should come work for it.” A year later he became the advertising director for the magazine. Dreams come true, kids. Follow @kahrlitos

Anita reyes has been employed at the University for the seven years. Being an Office Assistant for Student Publications has made her grow into the person she is today. Hands down, she has the most difficult job among us. She is the oil that keeps this motor running and has singlehandedly kept the student publications from crumbling.

Akza rÍos is not a graphic design major; she’s actually print journalism. Despite that, she’s our best graphic designer. Constantly critiquing everyone else’s designs and photography, she likes to unwind with a number 5 from Whataburger (all the way with toasted buns). She’s also a fan of Sonic strawberry lime slushies. She doesn’t drink coffee or alcohol and doesn’t smoke. She’s the staff baby. Instafollow @acksah

LIzette longoria is a public relations major and the social media coordinator of the Panorama. She has probably spent the same amount of money on concert tickets as she has on her tuition. She managed to break a Panorama Facebook page record by getting 40+ likes on a picture of a Ferris wheel; not to mention the fact that she played a huge role in getting us from less than 500 likes to over 800 in just a couple of months. Follow @lizetteml

Laura galvan is a public relations major. She wrote a great article for us last year that, through no fault of her own, didn’t quite make it in the magazine in its entirety so she agreed to become our Advertising Coordinator this year, instead. She has a crude sense of humor and is a diehard horror fanatic. She often entertained the staff by hacking into our personal Facebook and posting statuses. Follow @lagalvan000

Donna pazdera is the Panorama adviser and has been for the past seven years because of her love for fun-filled staffers who constantly invent new methods of creativity and procrastination every year. She is a self-proclaimed people and animal herder (so far a hen, a couple of cats and some squirrels). She was also Cuban in a previous life. No, really. Instafollow @la_pazz

DAVID ALVARADO is a Public Relations student minoring in art. Nothing pleases him more than spending countless hours in front of the eerie glow of a computer screen or smart phone. He can proudly boast that he’s seen all the living musicians that he’s ever wanted to see and some that he wish he never did. His best friend used to be his iPad, until he had to sell it to pay for rent. Oh, and he’s also the co-editor-in-chief. Follow @davaroo

Andrea de la vega is a communication major whose incredible talent for arguing has led her to make the decision to go to law school. She argued her way from being writing manager to becoming co-editor-in-chief and sincerely thinks she’s the boss; she even got some of the staff to refer to her as such. She has a reputation for being tough, but we know she’s a softie at heart. Follow @andreadlv

ABOUT THE LOGO Originally, the Panorama was known by its logo: a large, red dot surrounded by twelve smaller dots. Or what we like to refer to as “the red sun” that replaced the O in Panorama.

FROM THE EDITORS Every year, each editor pours their heart and soul into their issue. You start like a steam engine at full force, full of ideas and full of inspiration. But as the year advances and your staff begins to dwindle; progress seems slow and you start to sweat a little. By the end… after the occasional silly arguments, the seemingly endless roadblocks and numerous sleepless nights, you just pray for the best and secretly hope your issue is better than the last. What you’re about to witness is the product of what has been the most chaotic, eye opening, stressful, maturing and enlightening year of our lives. Of course, it just wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing staff behind us. Panorama’s success is due in large part to their tireless efforts and we couldn’t be more proud or fortunate, really, to have them as part of the team that eventually became our family. We can only hope that all the time and dedication, the hard work and the heart that went into this issue comes through as you read on. You may notice that we took somewhat of a “bold new direction” (as advised by the words of wisdom scribbled across the backdoor of the Panorama office by Kevin Stich) and that we explicitly chose to stray from the recycled elements of past issues. New content, new logo, new look. After much discussion and deep contemplation, we came to the conclusion that we should evolve right along with our university. The upcoming expansion of UTPA will impact our entire community in many new and exciting ways. Our goal for this issue was to reflect just that: our community as a whole and its unique culture. So even if you don’t like this issue, we hope you have come to love Panorama. Because we sure love you.

In the past couple of issues, previous editors decided to go in a different direction. Instead of using the O as a logo, they went with the P. Although this was quite a change of pace, we decided that we wanted to bring back the tradition of replacing the O. In keeping with the custom of innovation, we didn’t want to use the same red sun, so we came up with an idea to meet in the middle. “By student. For students. About students.” is the official motto of our magazine. Those are the three main keywords that describe the Panorama. We also took into consideration that we are living

FROM THE ADVISER “It’s always exciting and scary to hand out a new issue each year. We hope you find at least one thing in this issue that surprises or intrigues you.” -DONNA PAZDERA

DISCLAIMER: The views presented in Panorama do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Texas-Pan American or its employees.

and publishing in 2013, which also ends with the number three. We decided to design our logo to represent this number; hence, the hexagon. Only one side would have the three main colors as triangles. The Panorama is printed on the CMYK color code. CMYK is used in color printing and stands as an acronym for cyan, magenta, yellow. and black. Those three colors would come to represent the diversity of our student body. We hope you can appreciate the thought that went into this logo and if you can’t... well, better luck next year.

11 The Day After

taxed en Ough Today alre ady female figure-themed digital prin ts tha t

31 Bitch Rant

bi tC h ra nt oil and mi xed media pai ntings th at satirical animalis m

49 Galax Z Fair II

ns n the ann ual hipster pilgrimage to the pa tch of land in Missi on, tx. sh ow seems to g et bigger and crazier ev er y year

64 University

univer is ty Outfi tter Outfitters female figure-themed digital prin ts tha t mi x graphic d esign conc epts with photograph y

85 Edgar berni Ce vera Gonzales

female figure-themed digital prin ts tha t mi x graphic d esign conc epts with photograph y

15 Shades of

the whi te girl oil Beauty and mi xed media pai ntings th at projects satirical animalis m

35 Social Media

Je sus freak Monster hyper-realistic graphic dr awings of infamous movie stills

21 The White Girl

day af ter tOd ay hyper-realistic graphic dr awings of infamous movie stills

25 1927 le tter tO the

ed it Or social landscape photograp hy th at emphaizez the ev er y

Smoking Ban

Jesus Freak smOking ba n

sO Ci al med ia mOn ster social landscape photograp hy tha t emphaizez the ev er y da y life of resi de nts in the ri o Gran de valle y

social landscape photograp hy tha t emphaizez the ev er y da y life of resi de nts in the ri o Gran valle y

55 NSN 2013

ga lax z fai r the ne w kid on the alterna tive music bloc. we have high hopes for this ann ual c elebr atio n

69 Visual Guide

gdtoCl Othing Footwear oil and mi xed media pai ntings tha t projects satirical animalis m

93 Bernice alex m aC ia s Cerda

oil and mi xed media pai ntings tha t projects satirical animalis m

day af ter tOd ay hyper-realistic graphic dr awings of infamous movie stills

19 27 social landscape photograp hy th at emphaizez the ev er y

75 GD Clothing

vi su al guide tO fO Ot we ar hyper-realistic graphic dr awings of infamous movie stills

97 Daniel edgar gOnz al es Flores

hyper-realistic graphic dr awings of infamous movie stills

19 27 social landscape photograp hy th at emphaizez the ev er y

101 Alex daMacias niel fl Or es

social landscape photograp hy tha t emphaizez the ev er y da y life of resi de nts in the ri o Gran de valle y

#stud

dents

THE DAY AFTER TODAY

We have often been told – by pushy teachers, overbearing parents and even famous figures – that we are the future; that the future rests with us: overworked students and jaded youth. But what is the future and what does it look like?

story: claudia lemus

As dramatic as this may come off, this scenario may not be too far off from what truly lies in store for us in the years to come. Conservative Republicans like Gov. Mitt Romney, among other critics of climate change, blindly argue that global warming is nothing new and that it’s a recurring act of nature, rather than something triggered by mankind. In his political novel “No Apology: The Case for American Greatness,” Romney voices his sharp opinion in regard to climate change and his stance on Cap and Trade policies. According to the Environmental Defense Fund website, “Cap and trade is the most environmentally and economically sensible approach to controlling greenhouse gas emissions, the primary driver of global warming. The “cap” sets a limit on emissions, which is lowered over time to reduce the amount of pollutants released into the atmosphere. The “trade” creates a

hanks to science fiction, many imagine a hightech paradisiacal neon haven with fantastic, advanced gadgets very similar to that of “Tron” or “Star Trek.” It is a future where we travel at the speed of light—perhaps even faster than light and everything is at the stroke of a simulated button on a touchscreen. But is that really what awaits for us tomorrow? Is a fancy, glimmering world of glowing neon and lightningspeed technologies truly what we will see in the coming years? As much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news, the future that awaits all of us is entirely the opposite. We did, however, get one thing right: we will definitely be glowing, not thanks to the luminosity of fluorescent lights, but most likely due to the reflection of the steel in our buildings set ablaze by the smoldering embers of the fires that will be consuming our world.

#STUDENTS

market for carbon allowances, helping companies innovate in order to meet, or come in under their allocated limit. The less they emit, the less they pay, so it is in their economic incentive to pollute less.” According to Romney, however, he argues that “we should not take extreme measures [such as the cap and trade policy] when we are unsure of human role in global warming,” he says. “In fact, climate change has been going on from the beginning of the world; it is certainly not a new phenomenon. Even the apparent unity among scientists is not a sure indicator of scientific fact.” Evidently he, like many other agnostics of global warming, choose to turn their cheek the other way to the incriminating truth, the unquestionable facts and the overwhelming amount of convicting evidence put before their eyes. For years they have demanded figures and statistics, quantitative and hard facts to corroborate the existence of this truly obvious and dire problem using the excuse of the lack thereof to lend an ear to the issue. Well, fortunate for them – but unfortunate for our planet, 2012 handed them the evidence they so desperately needed on a silver platter. The year 2012 made history not only because of the deeply feared apocalyptic myths evoked by the culmination of the Mayan calendar on Dec. 21, but because of the catastrophic natural disasters that unraveled worldwide throughout the year. The United States, along with many other countries on Earth, suffered the impact of severe weather that took countless lives and caused millions of dollars in destruction. But neither Mother Nature nor the Mayan myths were to blame for these devastating occurrences. The real culprit behind these destructive meteorological incidents was none other than the wrath of Global Warming, caused by greenhouse gases as a result of decades of environmental neglect. While Hollywood has always

had an affinity to making the Big Apple the setting of its biggest grossing hits, Mother Nature took the spotlight and struck when we least expected it. The rarest of weather happenings occurred when Hurricane Sandy— the largest Atlantic cyclone on record, according to the San Francisco Chronicle— struck the Caribbean, Mid Atlantic and even the northeastern coasts of New York and Canada -- areas that are rarely ever struck by these type of storms. In addition, 1,039 tornadoes were reported in the U.S just this year alone, Not to mention, there were 81 worldwide tornadic fatalities; of these, 68 took place in our country and the rest in Poland, Japan, Indonesia and Turkey, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It seems like whether

eggs. As a result of the extreme temperatures during July, over half of our country experienced drought conditions and by September nearly two thirds of the U.S suffered moderate to exceptional drought conditions that were expected to last until 2013. The heat wave most likely left winter Texans with few places to seek refuge from the high temperatures that no longer only affected the Lone Star State. Unfortunately, the stifling heat took its toll on more than the fleeing seasonal travelers, sucking up reservoirs with the severe droughts and resulting in extreme dry weather and with it, the loss of crops like corn and wheat which caused prices to spike and our wallets to ache. When it comes to passing through the eye of the storm, the Rio Grande Valley has usually been a good distance from the target zone. If a tropical storm does indeed threaten us with its passing, we have been lucky to get away with severe floods at worst. To our misfortune, March 29, 2012 served as our rude awakening when what Tim Smith – our favorite meteorologist referred to as, the “perfect storm”, struck us. The city of McAllen took the biggest hit when sporadic golf-ball sized hail and forceful winds unleashed their fury on anyone and anything obstructing their pathway. The unusual weather anomaly resulted in thousands of dollars in property damage throughout the RGV and even now, almost a year since it happened, there are still many residents trying to repair their homes and assets. For many years, we have turned a blind eye to the constant warnings of environmentalists and climatologists who have repeatedly warned us that our careless emissions of carbon dioxide and deadly greenhouse gases were going to cause Global Warming. Well, those warnings have become reality now. Foolishly ignoring their admonitions, we continued living in the lap of luxury, greedily

‘We are selfish. We are lazy. We want everything at hand’s reach without putting work into it.’

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we ducked or not, Earth was the target for destruction these past months. Furthermore, based on information provided by the Environmental Defense Fund, a heat wave broke nationwide in June 2012 breaking 3,215 high temperature records across the U.S and resulting in making July the warmest month on record as well. Here in South Texas we have grown accustomed to sweaty backs and scorching summer heat even in mid spring, but even for us, this past summer felt like the gates of hell had been left wide open. Cars left in the parking lots became blistering ovens within minutes and the pavement was the perfect comal or skillet – if you want to get fancy— for cooking some

using these toxic fossil fuels at the expense of our beloved planet Earth. With globalization and industrialization, our population has exponentially escalated to a point where we need to use billions of gallons of fossils fuels a day just to keep our lives running normally. The harmful gases our cars emit every day are mounting up, clogging up our atmosphere and causing sunlight, which is normally reflected back into space, to be trapped within our planet. The United States itself is the world’s No. 1 oil consumer and consequently, polluter. Americans are all on life support; it’s not a machine pumping oxygen into our lungs that we depend on but instead, a petroleum rig pumping oil out of the ground for us to remain living the way we do. We are selfish. We are lazy. We want everything at hand’s reach without putting work into getting it. All we care about is living just the way we are now: with big trucks, big homes, big TV’s, big burgers and even big wallets that we simply don’t need. The media and our easy modern lifestyles have made us believe that what we want, whether it’s a fancy Michael Kors purse or a loud Ford F-150, is what we need to be happy. But the reality is quite another. Sadly, I am also guilty of wanting what’s in style, what’s popular, what everyone is coveting but at some point, it has to come to an end. The cost of our comfortable lifestyles is more than just dollars, it ripples out into transportation, manufacturing, and most importantly, environmental costs that can turn out to be the most expensive. The question is, when it comes down to facing the day after today, will we be willing to pay the price? Could we even afford it? Only when clean freshwater becomes more valuable than liquid gold, and a loaf of bread even more costly than the iPhone 5, will we realize just what a need really is. During the countdown to Dec. 21, 2012, even nonbelievers felt the anxiety and every hair on their body rise as the hands on the clock ticked closer to midnight. Whether they had lived a long life or had unfinished business to do, nobody felt ready to leave this Earth. Luckily, the day transpired and we even got to open our wrapped up Michael Kors purses and party in good spirits, happy to know there was a to-

morrow at the arrival of the New Year. The world did not end, as so many had deeply feared and although this is truly good news, we should not be celebrating just yet. There is still much left to do and now more than ever is a time when humanity cannot afford to stand idly by as our planet gets sicker and sicker. We may not know when the world will see its end, but if we continue the way we are polluting and sickening it endlessly, that day won’t be far from now. Like they say nowadays, it’s time to wake up and smell the burning fossil fuels. The evidence is everywhere; we just need to peel our eyes from our smartphones and laptops to see it.

@UTPANORAMA

a million

SHADES BEAUTY

story: A ZA r NA Ncy sA l

@utpanOrama

na Duncan, a 20 year-old graphic design student at UTPA, is half-Mexican, halfCosta Rican and was brought up in Iraq. She learned that women have to be ready and made up before the men wake up in the mornings from her Mexican mother; from her Costa Rican grandmother she learned that wrinkles are never considered beautiful and from the Middle East she learned that the body and hair is to be covered up and the face adorned with makeup. Duncan, like most women, faces confusing and sometimes conflicting expectations about what her body, face, hair and overall appearance should look like. Women unwillingly learn to use these ideas as a form of identity without taking into consideration the fact that all bodies are different, makeup is not mandatory and hair will not always look picture perfect. Perhaps it would be easier to have a fixed perspective on beauty if all cultures had the same values, traditions and customs; unfortunately that is just not the case. Due to the steady increase of interracial couples and families relocating to the Rio Grande Valley, we have recently begun to see a burgeoning diversity. This leads to new ideas of beauty that often clash with existing ones and a whole new mixture of backgrounds and cultures attempting to settle among the current norms. “When my family moved [to the Valley], we just tried to adapt to life here,” says Robynn Carin, 19, a Filipino-American student at UTPA. Carin was born in the United States, but her parents, who also have Chinese roots, emigrated from the Philippines. Although she regards her parents as conservative in their culture, she claims they have adapted to many new customs due to their lifestyle in the United States. “I never really had a beauty talk with my mom,” she says. “When we kind of finally did, she actually said that she didn’t find herself beautiful and that was a shock to me because deep down, every girl, they want to feel beautiful. Maybe they just don’t want to convert themselves into what everyone else depicts as beautiful.” It is no surprise that the Rio Grande Valley has its own culture and expectations of beauty, much of which is a hybrid/coalition of Mexican and American values, due to the proximity of the border. All these variables can make it hard on a woman to find balance and inner peace between unsettling and often contradicting customs. “I just wish women would embrace who they are. You see a Hispanic girl dying her hair blonde and getting blue contacts. Then you see a White

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girl always wanting to be tan and dying her hair darker. It’s so weird how that happens,” says Breeann Guerra, 22, who is half-White and half-Mexican. This is not uncommon: hair dyes, contacts and tanning are all techniques that we often use to modify our appearance. Typically you will see women wanting to look like the direct opposite of how they normally do, curly-to-straight hair, brown-to-colored eyes, dark-tolight skin tone and vice versa. “In Mexico, the lighter people are, the prettier other people think they are. Light skin is associated with high-class status. Beauty is blue eyes and blonde hair,” says Maria Alanis, a 26 year-old nursing major at UTPA. Alanis grew up in Reynosa, Mexico, where she says that the idea of beauty is dependent on how fair or light one’s skin is. Notions such as these lead women to feel dissatisfied with whatever feature they feel doesn’t quite “fit the mold” and therefore, go to extremes to “fix” them. In 2011, South Texas made headlines nationwide as a result of the numerous reports of mercury poisoning due to creams meant for lightening skin and removing wrinkles that were imported from Mexico. At least 18 cases of elevated levels of mercury were reported and after testing the products, results revealed that the mercury levels were “hundreds of thousands of times higher than permitted in the United States,” according to the Department of State Health Services. Forbes magazine included these creams in their top 5 “scariest” beauty products in a 2012 article. “When we realize how much money and how much actual harm women are prepared to do to their bodies to adhere to ideals, it kind of encapsulates the power of those expectations,” says Dr. Amy Hay, associate professor of history at UTPA, who is teaching a Women’s Activism class this semester. “One of the really challenging things to be a young woman in America today is that you’re constantly bombarded with images of how we’re supposed to look.” Sadly, these types of extreme beauty modifications have been around for centuries and continue to occur all around the world. In China, women practiced

foot binding for centuries before it was banned in 1912; small feet represented wealth and therefore, men made small feet a standard for an ideal wife. In some parts of Africa, brides-to-be are confined to a hut for weeks at a time, being force-fed in order to be fattened before their wedding; quite the opposite from the Western norms of weddings in which women tend to starve themselves in order to fit into their wedding dress. Women of African descent often use relaxers packed with harsh chemic a l s to make their curly hair straight or spend hundreds of dollars on weaves, which is just hair that belongs to women of a different ethnic group – usually Indian. “As a child, I was very selfconscious about my hair and my skin, as I mostly grew up around my Hispanic family,” says Tikisha Nelson, 19, a half Mexican-American, half AfricanAmerican dance major at UTPA. “I always thought I didn’t fit in and was ugly until I finally got to spend some time with the Black side of my family and saw how they really embraced their color and curly hair. That’s when I began to see that I was beautiful in my own way and that I should embrace it.” These days, you can spot Nelson around campus sporting bright, attractive colors with her curly hair unabashedly exposed. Around the 1960’s and 1970’s, women began to challenge the beauty norms in the US by protesting outside of beauty pageants; African-American women grew their natural hair out and feminists participated in “bra burning” as a political statement. Unfortunately, it didn’t do much to change the nationwide perspective on beauty and it didn’t put a stop to the objectifying of women either, but at the very least, it enlightened women across the country by pointing out the problem that was otherwise not talked about, says Hay. Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to appreciate the different perceptions of beauty in other cultures when a certain standard has been engraved in our minds since adolescence, not only by what we see in the media, but quite often by well-intentioned aunts and sometimes, even our own mothers.

“It was all about looks. I remember growing up my aunts would only worry about their face, their weight and their looks. My mom was more down to earth but still, I remember that most of the beauty messages I got growing up were about how much someone weighs,” says Alanis of the ideals that were instilled in her as a child in regards to beauty. Comfort Awuku, an African nursing student that has lived in the Rio Grande Valley for two years, says that in Ghana, bigger women are the most valued and that it’s an image many of the women desire. “In my culture, beauty is not only about your face. When we say someone is beautiful, aside from attitude and character, the definition is totally not someone who is skinny. We value fat people or heavy people a lot.” Ghana is a conservative country where culture and religion are closely knit, so women generally don’t expose the body or wear heavy makeup. “Aketesia” is a Ghanaian word used by women that means “cover up, be a lady.” According to Awuku, she hasn’t let her new environment completely change her. She claims to still be holding on to the values she holds as a Ghanaian; she is still very conscious about the way she dresses and makes sure to not expose too much of her body, but also enjoys the fact that she has sole say on what she wears and doesn’t have to worry about being criticized. “There are a lot of things I do here that I wouldn’t do in Ghana. In Ghana, I would never wear shorts. Here, everyone does it, so I don’t feel like a bad girl. You have to adjust to different environments,” she says. “If you’ve lived in the US for a couple of years, you begin to adapt to what they think beauty is. For instance, in Ghana, I would never worry about my weight or how I looked, but now that I’m here, I think, ‘ok, well, people here don’t want to be fat people.’ So now I’m very cautious about my weight.” The question is why do we change ourselves based on some unattainable ideal, a stereotype that was created without our consent? Some attribute our little problem to the opposite sex; like Ivana Abrego, for example, an 18-year-old nursing student at UTPA, “Because guys fall in love with what they see, that’s why we do it, I think.” This is the kind of harmful thinking that has been passed down from generation to generation. We are taught to make finding a man and attaining mar-

@utpanOrama

#students

on young women, getting them to more properly fit gender roles,” says Hays. Other examples of body modifications are simulated hormones. Some women are given these types of hormones to “ensure that they don’t grow too tall because otherwise, they won’t be able to get a husband”, she says, referencing Toxic Bodies, a book she utilizes in her class. Others, however, think that perhaps our childhood idols have affected our psychology. If you can think back to your childhood, the name Barbie might immediately come to mind. She was our hero, our confidant and our first girlfriend. However, once you take off the rose-tinted glasses, there are some sobering facts you ought to know about our favorite girl. According to the South Shore Eating Disorders Collaborative (SSEDC), “If Barbie were an actual woman, she would be 5’9” tall, have a 39” bust, an 18” waist, 33” hips and a size 3 shoe! Barbie calls this a “full figure” and likes her weight at 110 lbs. At 5’9” tall and weighing 110 lbs., Barbie would have a BMI of 16.24 and fit the weight criteria for anorexia. She likely would not menstruate. If Barbie was a real woman, she’d have to walk on all fours due to her proportions.” Nowadays, looking like Barbie is actually attainable. In a bizarre Ukrainian beauty trend, women have been surgically modifying their bodies to duplicate Barbie’s insane proportions. Perhaps the most infamous of the “Human Barbie Army” – as they’re calling it now, is 21-year-old Valeriya Lukyanova. She has garnered a huge following through her controversial beauty modifications; and though she has endured a lot of harsh criticism, she also has numerous fans and even some imitators. “As hard as it is to believe, this woman is real, she has garnered a massive following from people who celebrate her transformation into living dollhood. It begs the question, is Valeria a reflection of our superficial culture, or a product of it,” according to one of the many websites dedicated to the young woman, humanbarbie.org. You don’t have to necessarily go under the knife to attain this look, however, thanks to all of our advanced technology. Digital manipulation programs such as Photoshop have frequently been used and abused by the media to distort the bodies and skin color of models in order to attain the desired look. According to an article debunking Photoshop written in the New York Times, these kinds of programs came into use in the early 1990s with the intent of giving photographs effects “like those achieved through special effects in movies…Models were presented as grandes odalisques, with impossibly long necks, or waists reduced to sizes against nature.”

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n the years that followed, the use of these types of programs have caused the public to view models and celebrities with misrepresentative bodies and “whitewashed” skin. As an audience, we should be aware that these models, much like Barbie, can’t possibly survive with the abnormal waists and limbs they seem to posses, yet the pictures on these magazine covers have somehow become the standard for what a woman should look like. Fortunately, however, certain celebrities have recently begun to take a stand against using these modified photos in magazine covers and clothing ads. Celebrities like Britney Spears, who caused a stir when photos from her Candie’s ad before and after they were airbrushed and edited were revealed; or Kate Winslet, who complained to GQ magazine when they altered her body, making her unrealistically thin. Seventeen magazine, too, pledged to never use digitally altered images in their publication thanks to the then-eighth-grader Julia Bluhm’s online petition that got over 80,000 signatures from people all over the world. In 2004, Dove® launched a campaign that focused on showing women all over the world that beauty is not a “cookie-cutter” concept. They launched the second phase a year later by revealing six women with different body shapes that weren’t necessarily the stereotyped shapes of the media. This was the most iconic phase as it encouraged millions of women to participate in discussions on the meaning of beauty on their website. Over the next six years, Dove kept releasing TV ads, campaigns and research studies on beauty in women all over the world. In 2011, their global study, The Real Truth About Beauty: Revisited, revealed that only about 4% of women around the world considered themselves beautiful. “In a study of over 1,200 10-to-17-year-olds, a majority of girls, 72%, said they felt tremendous pressure to be beautiful. The study also found that only 11% of girls around the world feel comfortable using the word beautiful to describe their looks, showing that there is a universal increase in beauty pressure and a decrease in girls’ confidence as they grow older. Though Dove® efforts have moved the needle in a positive direction, there is more to be done,” explains Dove in their mission statement. So how do we reconcile all these differences in generations, background and attitudes? Few have been able to provide us with much of an answer. Although appreciating and valuing culture and traditions is important, it is equally important to remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that looks will eventually fade, they are not something to fixate on. Our worth should never be based on what’s on the outside, instead, let your passions and character be known. “I believe that to be beautiful on the outside,

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;unfortunately, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nearly impossible to appreciate the different perceptions of beauty in other cultures when a certain standard has been engraved in our minds since adolescence.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

THE

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GIRL

story/photos: nancy salazar

ertain images pass through one’s mind upon hearing the word “Africa”… HIV, malnourishment, slums and extreme poverty are just a few examples of what the uneducated mind might assume. I know this because they went through my mind too. I found out I was being placed in Accra, Ghana after applying for a missions training program through the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, an organization at UTPA. Never really having a desire to go to Africa, I was honestly a little disillusioned and even scared when I first found out where the directors had placed me. I didn’t quite try to hide my disappointment and skepticism. Summer came and it was time to embark on the anticipated journey to Ghana. I met the rest of the team of 11 in Florida before setting off to Africa. Fortunately, we all got along at first, though it was mainly due to our shared anxiety, excitement and fear of the unknown. The first couple of weeks in this foreign country were a blur and surprisingly uneventful. We had orientation the first week, which consisted of our directors talking endlessly about our mission and the culture. We spent a significant amount of time learning about malaria and how the parasitic disease, caused by mosquitoes, is actually a bigger killer in Ghana than HIV. As the days dragged on, we continued learning more about Ghana – the roles of men and women in their society, their spirituality and they even taught us some words and songs in the common dialect, Twi (pronounced ‘tree’). Finally, came the day that we got to go on our first exciting excursion into the city. We were divided into teams and given a sheet with directions and specific instructions about transportation and time. It sounded great, except that my team missed lunch with our directors, which was on the list, and instead were forced to see more exhibits on the different customs and traditions of the various tribes of the country. Week three was when things got real. We left the comfort of the university and started on rural ministry. We were rounded up on a bus, crowded with Ghanaian students from different universities and drove

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‘In the United States, I’m brown, poor and don’t quite stand out. In Ghana, I’m white. Not only in skin color, but in race.’ for six hours on exceedingly bumpy roads to the surrounding villages. As we got closer to our destination, the houses grew smaller, more kids wandered the streets and the buildings we saw in the city transformed into fields. Each of us was then paired with a team of about three or four Ghanaian students and assigned to different villages; we were informed that we wouldn’t be seeing each other for the next two weeks. I was paired with three Ghanaian students: Raymond, Isaac and Eunice, whom I had met that same day. My team was one of the last ones to be dropped off and I was scared out of my mind the entire time. I had no idea what to expect. It wasn’t that I was afraid of seeing poverty; I think I was more afraid of my reaction to sick children, which I was sure would break my heart. I got to my assigned village right around sunset, Ayeremu; there was a humble skyline of mud huts with straw roofs across the horizon, fire stoves made out of clay outside every house and goats roaming the dirt roads that were covered in their droppings. The curious, neighboring children rushed over to our house in excitement to see who we were. It was so raw and authentic that I immediately fell in love with it. Back home, I’m brown and poor. I wouldn’t say that I necessarily stand out. In Ghana, however, I was considered white; not only in skin color, but in race. To the people in my village, anyone who wasn’t

PANORAMA MAGAZINE 2013

African was White. I took me a while to explain to them that I was Mexican-American and that I certainly was not white. To my surprise, once I mentioned Mexico, they were quick to point out how much they loved novelas and proceeded to name their favorites in the hopes that I’d be able to identify with them – the few I recognized were aired in Mexico back when I was just a child. It was so odd to me that out of all the things this is what their stereotype of Mexico was. It brought me back to my own foolish typecast of this country. I can only speak for Ghana, but even just this small fragment of the country, was so much more than the common stereotypes. Being in Ayeremu for two weeks was the height of my two-month stay. Having a history of negative body image, it was strange to me that I always got so much attention – being the only “white” American in this small village. Little girls and even the older women were always touching my hair and my skin in fascination and telling me, through a translator, how beautiful I was. I slowly began to appreciate my hair when I saw how the girls would play with it and hold it against their own shaved heads, despite the fact that I hadn’t brushed or conditioned it in weeks. Seeing a different kind of beauty in the women of Ayeremu helped me learn to love myself, even when they complimented me on how “fat” I was. I must note: the first time my male teammate called me fat… I was, as you

can imagine, furious and practically on the verge of tears. However, he went on to explain that “fat” was a compliment in Ghana because most of the women are extremely thin, not always because of malnourishment, but because of the constant manual labor and the lack of resources to buy protein/nutrient-enriched foods. He said that being fat in Ghana is a sign of wealth and fertility and that most women strive for that. I accepted his apology and tried hard to take it as a compliment, but only after explaining to him what it meant in our culture (and feeling foolish as I did). There were times in the village, much like this one, when I just wanted to run far away. I was homesick and heartbroken about all the injustices I saw; around here, however, my only option for escape seemed to be to do just that, escape. Unfortunately, I was miles away from any semblance of a city and I knew my teammates would never let me go off on my own. Eventually, however, I was able to really see the true beauty in Ayeremu and not focus on how much they lacked. The children ran freely, the women served their children and husband all day and the goats wandered, blissfully oblivious to their owner’s plans to make them into stew. I learned to do what seems almost impossible to do back home: to just sit still and take all the scenery in. I learned the beauty in simplicity. They were content and had all that they truly needed to be happy. A lesson we would all be wise to learn.

The next part of our trip was urban ministry; this time, we were to live with host families that were in the economic upper and middle class for a week. During the day, we partnered with a missions organization and tried to reach out to an impoverished, inner city neighborhoods near the beach. When I got to my host family’s house along with my partner, we were actually pleasantly surprised. Our Ghanaian parents had an extra house behind their own, which they used to rent out to foreign visitors every once in a while. Their house, cars and clothing were very westernized and both parents had a college education; Dr. Okantah had a Ph.D in agriculture and Mrs. Okantah was a principle in the school of a neighboring city. Needless to say, they were very well off. It was quite an interesting contrast from the previous weeks I had spent in my village. I went from experiencing the most minimal lifestyle I have ever lived to living lavishly in our own house, with plumbing and real beds. Accra is a city where the rich live among the poor, people just try to get by and whenever possible, be like the western, developed countries. Truthfully, urban ministry was the hardest for me; it was somehow more apparent that the people who lived in the city were

in financial need. In the villages, people don’t have money, but they have resources such as: their farms, their animals and the rivers that are their main nourishment sources and the endless supply of mud and grass that they use for their houses. In the city, actual currency is practically essential to survive. Throughout our mission, we encountered countless people who had little to none of it. It was hard to see. There are plenty of things in Ghana that don’t seem fair… poverty and corruption; but along with that, are many magnificent things, like the hospitality that strangers showed me and my team, the love they have for God and each other, and the desire they have to share that love with everyone they encounter. Needless to say, I came home a changed person. I’m still unpacking all that I learned in Ghana; there are things I still don’t understand and there are experiences I have already forgotten, but I cherish the memories I have kept and the situations I encountered that shaped me in hopes of one day truly understanding my own purpose.

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h is to ry o

1927 f Edinburg

d n a

P T U

STORY: KAREN ANTONACCI

hile the Texas Legislature considers the merger of The University of Texas - Pan American and The University of Texas at Brownsville, and the creation of a Valley medical school, UTPA commemorates its humble beginnings at the start of the year. The 85-year-old school began as Edinburg College, a small twoyear institution much different than the University that would eventually take its place.

THE TIME AND THE PLACE Edinburg began as Chapin, 1908. In 1911, the town was renamed Edinburg. By the late 20’s, the town, which was primarily composed of citrus farmers and ranchers, had come into its own

and was consistently thriving. Some would even say that Edinburg was hopping around 1927. That year, the big news of the acquisition of a Southern Pacific Railroad line was announced. For months, the weekly newspaper, The Edinburg Valley Review, published details of the upcoming addition. Jan. 11, 1927 when the first S.P train made the journey to South Texas. Schoolchildren took the day off to see dignitaries participate in driving “the golden spike” in the new railroad. The S.P. railroad was not the only new sight in town, either. The late 20’s brought a boom in construction and investment to Edinburg, according to the City’s website. The Ebony Hills Country Club was built in 1926 and Grandview Hospital in 1927. Sam Houston Elementary, Stephen F. Austin Elementary and several other grade schools were also

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constructed in 1927. The new schools were indicative of the education whirlwind that Edinburg was caught up in at the time. Local high school events and commencement exercises regularly ran on the front page of The Valley Review, listing the graduates’ names and giving a summary of the commencement speech. All was not rosy, however. Not mentioned in the newspaper articles on public education was the roughly 51 percent of Hidalgo County who would be classified today as Mexican-American or Hispanic (the 1930 census only lists Native White, Foreign-Born White and Negro as options under the category “color”). The Hispanic population in 1927’s news

generally only appeared in connection with crimes, such as the “unidentified Mexican” that was shot with a sawed-off shotgun by Police Chief George Ingram in “the Mexican settlement of Pharr.” Sociology professor Ramon Guerra said that kind of distinction was normal for the time period and the advances in education that were happening were probably also out of reach to Hispanic or Mexican-American Edinburg citizens. “If you turn the clock back to the 1920’s, you will have a very different picture than what you have now. Society was divided by ethnicity and for the most part, education or higher education in general was in control of the Anglos,” the Valley native said, adding that his father was one of three Mexican-American graduates of Mission High School in 1936. “Texas in the 1920’s and 1930’s had hygiene laws, which applied to everybody and we still have in some form today. But in those days, they were used to disenfranchise...people would say ‘I could have you arrested because I think you have fleas or your clothes are dirty.’”

A NEW JUNIOR COLLEGE In this booming young town, sobered by ethnic separation, came the news of a new college. An article ran on the front page of The Edinburg Valley Review on Feb. 4 titled “Junior College Work to be Accepted Over Nation” and the subhead explained “Different Phases of Edinburg Junior College Discussed Before the Rotary Club Thursday.” All in all, the announcement seems to not have made much of a splash in the community, the newspaper already reporting on new construction and education investments every week, on every page. The article summarized the February meeting of the Edinburg Rotary Club, which concluded with talks on the proposed Edinburg College, run by City Superintendent of Schools, Harry C. Baker. “Mr. Baker said the junior college will

have 3,000 high school graduates to draw from in a radius of 60 miles,” the article read. “It was announced that the minimum requirement for membership on the college staff will be a master of art degree and that the maximum would be the highest degree, that in philosophy. Mr. Baker then presented Prof. R.P. Ward, who is to be the director of the junior college when it opens on September 12, this year.” Construction began on the school, and continued until 1929. The facilities included an administration building, science building, engineering building, library and auditorium built by Austin firm Giesecke and Harris, according to stxmaps.com. The auditorium, which was in a Gothic style with arched windows and stone walls, received a glowing review from The Valley Review in a June, 1927 article.

“Although the finishing touches have not been completed, it is nearly enough finished for the public to marvel at its beauty and completeness,” the article read. “The interior decorating and lighting effects are exceptionally fine and must be seen to be truly appreciated... The stage proper is complete in every detail, with lighting effects and scenery that is extraordinary.” The new junior college enrolled 196 students the first year, five of which received associates degrees in June of 1928. That same year, Ward and Baker made public a preliminary report on Edinburg College, which was printed in that week’s Valley Review. Edinburg College would be open, the report said, anyone over the age of 21 with special, individual approval, select enrolled seniors from local high schools, special students wishing to take one to three courses, transfer

students from recognized institutions and graduates of accredited local high schools. According to Guerra, the low enrollment and graduation rate of Mexican-Americans from local high school probably meant Edinburg College did not include many Hispanics, if any. “Yes, ‘high school graduate’ - right there is a barrier,” he said. “Education was in the hands of the very few, and not something that was disseminated to the masses.” According to the report, resident tuition for a semester at Edinburg college in 1927 was $10 plus a $2.50 library fee and $1 loss and breakage fee, totalling about $15 per semester. Guerra added that in addition to a high school degree, the tuition probably would have precluded the poorer Valley citizens from attending. “(Tuition and fees were) a very important aspect...in those days that was a lot of money. And it was these kinds of barriers, these institutional barriers, that were in place that kept Hispanics out of higher education,” he said. “It is not like the African Americans who had de jure discrimination with the Jim Crow laws. That did not exist for Mexican-Americans, who were technically white.” De jure is a term that means institutionalized through the letter of the law, as opposed to the de facto, or put to use through practice, segregation most often experienced by Mexican-Americans, historically. The newly minted Edinburg College featured areas of study such as home economics, education, agriculture, engineering, typewriting, accounting, stenography, business, music and philosophy, according to the report. But students more likely returned to agriculture after their degrees rather than becoming philosophers and economists, Guerra noted. @UTPANORAMA

“With college in the 1920’s, people probably tended to stay in agriculture,” he said. “It was probably ‘I’m the son of a prosperous orchard owner and I want to get a degree.’ It was not a degree to become something else, though. It’s just the way it was.” WOMEN IN THE COLLEGE Interestingly, Edinburg College welcomed both female and male students, providing they had the right credentials and could pay the $15. The college featured a dean of women, an antiquated position now. Until the 1960’s, when deans of women and men were generally combined into one dean of students office, the dean of women supervised the female students of a college, making sure their work was up to scratch - and more importantly keeping the appropriate amount of distance between them and the male students. “That there are benefits in wholesome association of men and women in the classroom can scarcely be doubted,” reads the foreword of a 1915 book called The Dean of Women. “But, as with other good things, there is a tendency to excess on the part of many. This tendency results in regulation and restraint; and these always present difficult problems.” Sophia Spivey, who was dean of girls at Edinburg high school, was named dean of women at the new college and took her job seriously from her quote in The Valley Review. “The work of the dean concerns the social life of the girls. I have had young women confide matters in me that they would not with their parents,” Spivey told the paper. “There must be sympathy, understanding and a power(ful) help coming from such a dean.” MARCH OF YEARS CHANGES EDIN COLLEGE The enrollment at Edinburg College continued to stay at about 200 a year, dipping considerably at various times during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. But after World War II, 491 students enrolled followed by 650 the next year and 783 the year after. Guerra theorized that many of the new students were Mexican-Americans returning home from the front and pursuing and education. “After World War II, there were major changes and Texas itself was changing all together, especially MexicanAmericans through organizations like the GI forum,” he said, referring to the group started in Corpus Christi in 1948 by Dr. Hector P. Garcia to advocate for Hispanic veteran rights. Enrollment continued to increase through the 85year history of the school and its five name changes. What began as 196 students enrolled for the first year of Edinburg College became more than 19,000 enrolled fall 2012 at The University of Texas - Pan American. The Hispanic population increased considerably, too. Once, when about half of the population of the Valley probably could not have attended Edinburg College in 1927, 89 percent of UTPA’s population self-identified as Hispanic in 2012. Additionally, UTPA is on a track to merge with the University of Texas at Brownsville and become one of the largest Hispanic-serving universities in the state, according to the presentation given in January to the UT Board of Regents. All probably beyond the scope of comprehension when the creation of Edinburg College was discussed at the Rotary Club meeting that Thursday in 1927.

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Edinburg

A guy and a girl sit across from each other at a secluded table in a non-chain coffee shop. Neither is drinking coffee but rather some obscure type of tea. They don’t seem to be saying much. Both look disinterested, to a certain extent, though they occasionally shoot flirty glances at each other. They seem to be engaged in some kind of short answer discussion:

guys. t s o m e k li t o n m I’ t Guy: Bu Me: *internal eye roll* Sure.

Guy: You don’t believe me? Me: I’ve heard that one before. ent. r e f if d m I’ t u b , h a e Guy: Y

Me: *external scoff* Yea h, I

know the type. Guy: Oh yeah? And what is that? gain… a o g e w e r e h , God Me: *mentally* Oh

STORY: ANDREA DE LA VEGA

his is a typical date in the valley. But why? Is this normal? What is normal? I suppose there is no such thing as normal now… but then why doesn’t it feel right? Perhaps my blatant cynicism has to do with the fact that I’ve had to over-exert myself to get on this date in the first place. As if the fact that I (the woman) had to pursue him (the man) wasn’t enough of a humiliation for my gender, add the fact that these particular men tend to be particularly hard to hold

a conversation with - unless they’re under the influence - thus I’m forced to put in double the effort to break the ice and make the situation less uncomfortable. And then they have the gall to try to act like they’re one-of-a-kind and you should be so happy that they graced you with their presence on this date. So excuse me for being a bit skeptical when I get the notorious line, “I’m not like other guys.” I’m not sure if you are aware but this conduct doesn’t make you unique or special in any way, and if it does,

it’s certainly not in a good way. It’s tiresome and at this point in time, you’ve become a dime a dozen. You, boys. Yeah, all of you. Could you stop? Seriously. As a woman, I’m entitled to tell you how much that behavior really just needs to stop. Right now. Could you please, for the love of God, just grow a pair and step it up? There’s only so much of the chasing that the woman is willing to do until she becomes irritated, you know? After a while, it just becomes tedious. But we do it anyway, don’t we…?

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Reluctantly, I will admit that there’s something frustratingly attractive about these guys nowadays. (Perhaps because they are the only ones left) Or maybe it’s that very extra effort that we find ourselves complaining about that makes it somewhat exciting. OR MAYBE it’s because we have no other fucking choice. If we don’t do the work… who will? I happen to be one of these masochists who hates to love these guys. I hate that I have to put in extra effort but I’m not sure I’d even be attracted to them if I didn’t. This is a problem. Sure, their coyness might have worked in capturing my attention but my constant effort gets to be irritable. Here’s the problem with men like this, any girl will eventually realize that she is putting in way too much effort for not enough results. Again, it tends to lose its appeal. It just stops being worth it. So here’s my advice: If you like a girl and there’s even the slightest chance that she’s into you too, go for it. More than likely you are fully aware that this girl is into you, but if you aren’t, you should slap yourself because it’s probably obvious here’s a tip: if she has put any effort into being in the same places as you (going to the same events, sitting near you in class, etc.), she’s interested. If she makes an effort to talk to you or say hi to you every time you see her, she’s interested. If she takes an interest in things you do or things that you are into, she is interested. So do something for God’s sake… anything! BUT, and this is important, it has to be obvious. Nothing too subtle because, although she will more than likely get it, it won’t be convincing enough for her to take the risk of pursuing you any further without reciprocation. Now, before I hear the grumble of objection from guys who are tired of putting in all the work (which, by the way guys, isn’t really that much nowadays), I’d like to say: Look, don’t get me wrong, I’m more than willing to go out of my way and initiate the courtship a bit. In fact, I’ve done this more times than I’d like to admit. I’m guilty of drunkenly adding a guy to facebook hours after we met at the bar, or liking

one too many of his statuses or pictures in the hope of instigating a conversation, etc. I know all the tricks of the trade and the problem is that none of you guys are using them anymore. You expect us to do it all. Be cute enough to spark your interest, interesting enough to keep it and clever enough to maintain it. It’s exhausting. I mean, there comes a point when you have to start doing your share.The feminist side of me cringes at what I’m about to say but all the rest of

over and over again. I’ll go about as far as my pride will allow but you must meet me half way. I’d rather let a potentially great relationship slip right out of my hands than risk losing face... and I know I’m not alone. This is the disease that infects our generation. Everyone nowadays is so blinded by their own pride. It’s no wonder none of us are getting married anymore. No one wants to put in the effort into starting anything in the first place. The men just don’t feel like it anymore and the women refuse to fill their shoes. Pretentiousness overcomes any potentially beautiful part of our personality. Nothing is left but a sad, bitter shell of a human being. How did this happen? How did we get here? I blame our culture. I’m going to risk sounding like a 90-yearold WASP woman to make this point; the times have ruined our youth. No one believes in love anymore… or beauty, honesty, faith, truth. These words have all lost their meaning... they’ve become words of irony. They transformed into myths, legends, the stuff of fairy tales and cheesy, romantic comedies. How can someone even attempt to be genuine in a world of falsehood? A world where we all try to outdo each other by pretending we’re not trying to outdo each other. Where everyone communicates through indirect, passive-aggressive, 140-character phrases... This is our life. A perpetual competition to see who cares the least. Everyone has become a carbon copy of each other. Everyone only listens to the “underground” music that they, like, totally discovered first; everyone’s a fucking vegan or an atheist or both. So when you meet someone new, it’s as if you’ve met ten of them already. If being unique is what’s cool but none of us really care about being cool or unique, which in turn makes us cool and totally unique... I mean, what the hell does any of it even mean? What’s the answer to this completely ridiculous, rhetorical maze? It’s so confusing and it’s so fucking exhausting. When being an individual is the standard, everyone becomes indistinguishable. We are all a bunch of individuals that look,

I hate that I have to put in extra effort but I’m not sure I’d even be attracted to them if I didn’t. This is a problem. me (and hopefully, the rest of you) totally agrees: you need to be the man! I’d like to think that I have a pretty progressive approach to dating; however, I can’t help but be a bit old-fashioned when it comes to this particular subject. Wasn’t it always that the man pursued the woman? As in, wooing the woman? Guys were supposed to be charming and charismatic in order to get any kind of response from the women – think Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. Or take Robin William’s speech to his class in Dead Poet’s society, “language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women - and, in that en-

SEX ISN’T SACRED. LOVE IS A TOY. AND A KISS?

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deavor, laziness will not do.” That’s not very true nowadays, is it? Are women to blame? Have we become so forward that it has allowed guys to get lazy and stop putting in the effort? Have guys been conditioned to think that this conduct is acceptable in regards to dating? It’s not. Making the girl chase you and feel like the guy is not acceptable; it throws the whole relationship off balance, if it ever gets to be a relationship at all. Take me; I refuse to exert myself

act, talk and think the same way. There are no more individuals and you’re a fool if you think you are one. Now before you roll your eyes or get offended while pretending that you don’t even care enough to be offended, let me be the first to say that I am one of you. Even as I passionately write this condescending article bashing these kinds of people, I am fully aware that I am one of these kinds of people. The very fact that I’m writing this even though I am aware that I am the very thing I’m writing against, it just goes to show how fucked up and self-deprecating we all are. We hate the fact that we’re just so damn cool. And so, we all find ourselves miserably stuck in a whirlwind of clichés, a meaningless existence. This is not a culture; it’s the very lack of. What happened to the days when people were passionate? Even those damn, dirty hippies cared about something, didn’t they? So why don’t we? I suppose it’s too hard to be this way. Naivety is considered a sin in our world; one you will surely regret to have committed. They’ll swallow you up and spit you out. Because you asked for it. Because you needed to learn a lesson on the hard truths of life. You should’ve been smarter, you should’ve known better. Didn’t you know? Didn’t you read it on tumblr or reddit or pintrest? Modesty was replaced by cockiness. Subtlety is no longer enough. Sex isn’t sacred. Love is a toy. And a kiss..? Well, that’s rudimentary. Something commmon. Committed without any intention or emotion. Just done out of routine, like walking or breathing. This is what we’ve become. What we’ve done. Taken something as beautiful as a kiss – a la Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind; and turned it into a meaningless action completely void of human nature. I wish I could give you an answer. Tell you how to cure our terminal illness of being too cool. Too smart. Too uncaring. Too sexy for our shirts and cars and clothes. But I can’t. I’m one of you, remember? And I couldn’t care less.

Modesty was replaced by cockiness. 34

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STORY: SUSAN GONZALEZ

An unhealthy blue glow of a computer screen lights up an otherwise pitch black room. The smell of a freshly heated ham and cheese Hot Pocket permeates the air and the only sound that can be heard is the staccato rhythm of clicking computer keys. Facebook is open, Twitter occupies another tab, Tumblr on another and Instagram has its own window, to better examine those dozen ‘selfies’ that a friend felt the need to post at 2 a.m. This might be a familiar scene to any of the 67 percent of online adults who use social networking sites as of December 2012, according to Pew Research Center, which provides information to the public about the issues, attitudes and trends in America and worldwide. These are most likely the same people who made a cake to celebrate Twitter’s seventh birthday March 21.

Social media has little annoyances, like seeing 83 pictures of a friend’s lunch through a faux-vintage filter or the same joke being rehashed on various feeds, but there are larger issues to consider. It’s time to examine social media as a whole, for what it is: the good, the bad and the ugly. THE GOOD Obviously the good qualities of social media are what make it so popular. Keeping up with old friends, seeing photos of loved ones that are too far away for face-to-face interactions, stalking exes… okay, maybe that last one is not for everyone; but social media has a lot to offer, especially when it comes to networking. There are about 1.2 billion Facebook users worldwide. So it’s not surprising that about 2.5 million websites have some sort of official Face-

book integration. It’s not brand new information though—Facebook has consistently had a dominant web presence, one that businesses, clubs and organizations have fully taken advantage of. This free publicity is often applied by integrating the businesses’ web pages with the social media giant, or creating pages on the site itself for fans to follow or like. Laura Hernandez, the publicity vice president for UTPA’s National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) chapter, is one of many students who uses the site to publicize her organization. “Having a Facebook page (for the club) made a lot of things easier,” Hernandez, a sophomore management major, said. “We can promote our organization in a massive way and ensure many more people see us. With Facebook, we also

confessions

keep track of our growth. We know how many members are reading our announcements, who will attend our events...our Washington director is now not only informed about our events, but she can actually see pictures and videos of them.” The UTPA chapter was founded in spring 2011 and since the creation of its Facebook page, has received more than 250 “likes.” “Nowadays this is how you reach people and keep almost a permanent contact them,” Hernandez said. “It’s a very helpful tool when you dedicate it time and use it wisely for your organization.” THE BAD Oddly enough, the very same quality that makes social media so appealing also happens to be one of its major drawbacks, a mass audience. This was the case for AJ Chapa, a UTPA senior double majoring in philosophy and English, who found himself at the center of a social media circus in February. Chapa left a Phi Kappa Theta party Feb. 3 via ambulance with multiple fractures to his face

and internal bleeding in his skull. By the following day, comments about the incident from Chapa’s friends, attendees of the party and other students blew up on Facebook feeds around the Valley. The story took on a life of its own with several conflicting and often contradicting stories about the “truth.” Almost immediately, rumors of a “hate crime” against the openly gay Chapa began circulating, while others maintained that it was simply an accident? “At first I was beyond confused of what happened since so many different things were said,” said Humberto Ramos, a public relations major and friend of Chapa’s. “I scrolled to the very end of his Facebook to the first post that someone made about the incident and it said something like ‘AJ was taken to the hospital unconscious and he was beaten.’ Since that was the first post about it, so many people assumed it was right but it was far from the truth.” Ramos was not alone in this confusion. Many of Chapa’s friends and acquaintances were up in arms over the alleged beating; some of which were quick to blame the fraternity that

threw the party. In the days following, there were countless status updates about the injustice of hate crimes and many attempts to shame witnesses into speaking out. Still, several attendees of the party defended the fraternity and urged people to get the facts before they spoke. This only served to spark numerous heated arguments via Facebook comments. UTPA Junior Vincente Valle said that he thinks social media played a role in perpetuating incorrect information about the incident. “A friend had told me about the accident and how he was there to witness everything, but very soon there were pages spreading false rumors,” Valle said. One example was a “Help AJ Chapa” page that was started to help raise money to cover Chapa’s hospital bills; the page garnered nearly 1,500 “likes” in about two days. At one point the description for the group read: “one of the stories being spread is that he fell off a table. It has now been confirmed that this is not true and he was beaten severely.” But this page, and others like it, were not connected to the family in any way and had been started without their consent.

Meanwhile, a barely-conscious Chapa continued his recovery at University Hospital San Antonio. While the investigation is still open, the story thus far is that his injuries were indeed caused by an accidental fall, according to Sheriff of Hidalgo County Lupe Trevino—this is a very different version from the one that was being spread around on Facebook. In addition, the Office of the Dean of Students completed its own investigation of the fraternity’s party. After interviewing more than 40 attendees of the party, the office drafted a sanction letter that includes penalties for Phi Kappa Theta for violating the student code of conduct, according to the Monitor. THE UGLY If only rumors of a hate crime were the apex of social media drawbacks. Unfortunately, anyone who has seen the UTPA Confessions Facebook page knows this just isn’t the case. UTPA Confessions appeared suddenly into the lives of UTPA students on Feb. 11 via Facebook. It gave them the freedom to post con-

fessions anonymously through the website SurveyMonkey, a free online survey tool. With more than 2,400 “likes” as of March, the page has surged in popularity. In addition, it became a multi-social media hit as students and non-students shared screen captures of confessions on Twitter. But as many readers of UTPA Confessions know, the page often walks the fine line between fun social media and downright ugliness. “ UTPA Confessions is a mixed bag,” said Muhamman Sulaiman Rashid, UTPA biology major. “On one hand, it can be entertaining when the confessions are harmless. Who doesn’t enjoy a good fart joke or funny observations about campus absurdities? On the other hand, more often than not, it is a venue for people to express their worst qualities. Because they are completely anonymous and don’t have any authorities to answer to, users freely slander one another, promoting a popular culture where meanness for meanness’ sake is clever and respectable.” UTPA isn’t alone in this “confessions page” trend that has taken over Facebook. High

schools and universities from around the country have had pages similar to UTPA Confessions popping up. University of Wisconsin-Madison’s confessions page has more than 21,000 “likes” and the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s has nearly 12,000, to name a few. With confession topics ranging from sex to drugs to insults, it’s somewhat of a mystery how pages like these could be so popular. But despite protests from faculty and students, unless there is copyright infringement (due to using a university logo on the page without permission), there isn’t anything that can be done to take down the pages. According to the Chicago Tribune, a spokeswoman for Facebook said “the confessions pages do not violate Facebook rules so long as the content remains within the bounds of civility.” Unfortunately, what constitutes as “civil” is yet to be determined... for UTPA at least. Despite concerns from faculty and students, the UTPA Confessions page will remain a popular site on Facebook.

@UTPANORAMA

Campus smOking ban story: AlbErt GArZA

afe, breathable air, while not listed anywhere in the tuition breakdown, doesn’t seem like too lofty of a request at a public university where the majority of students do not smoke. According to a myUTPA survey, 70% of students believe the campus should be smoke-free. While it is certainly one’s right to smoke if they choose, doing so in public areas extends beyond personal rights and becomes an issue of public safety. Using the north entrance of the COAS/ARHU building, for example, places one well within the range of dangerous respirable

particles that, according to the United States Environmental Protection agency, can cause lung cancer, increase your risk of heart disease, trigger asthmatic attacks, etc. As the saying goes, “You can swing your fists as much as you like, as long as you’re not punching anyone.” In 2013, evidence of the dangers of secondhand cigarette smoke is insurmountable. The individual’s right to smoke tobacco is eclipsed by the clear health hazards presented by second-hand smoke. Taking away personal freedoms is always a difficult topic. It begs the question, where do you draw the line? The

argument is not without merit. However, we do draw the line in this country when it comes to personal freedoms when what you’re doing begins to effect other people, you skirt this line. When you endanger other people on public property, you have certainly crossed it. When asked about a proposed smoking ban, one student replied: “I think it’s stupid. The school is better off spending money on improving academics than enforcing air quality over a tiny area.” And he’s right - a completely smoke-free ban would be tedious if not impossible to enforce. An appropriate

#students

response would be to extend our current Smoke Free Campus policy to designate areas that are okay to smoke in. Our current policy is not effective. The wording is too vague - no one has a tape measurer to check if they’re over twentyfive feet away from a building entrance. I really couldn’t tell you which parts of the campus are “Courtyards or other areas where air circulation may be impeded by architectural, landscaping or other barriers.” The parameters are confusing so one really bothers adhering to them. Were there clearly designated areas to smoke in, our policy wouldn’t be so arbitrary and easy to ignore. This seems to me, a smoker, a fair negotiation between both sides. I would have to go out of my way to smoke on campus and non-smokers would have to go out of theirs to avoid the area. Smoking would not be completely outlawed on UTPA grounds. The smoker would not be stripped of his right to smoke, but instead be relocated to an area where everyone else understands and agrees to the circumstances. The people there must have come to terms with the possible consequences of their actions. No harm, no foul. Currently, it’s up to the building supervisors to inform their employees about the policy and report violations at their assigned buildings. The discarding of cigarette butts in unapproved recepticles is already considered a violation of the school’s MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) policy, which punishes anyone who pollutes the drainage system on UTPA owned property. The disciplinary actions to be taken are not extreme: 9a2 - “The elimination of illicit discharges.” 9a3 - “That violating discharges, practices, or operations shall cease and desist.” Part of spreading awareness of this policy includes colorful illustrations on drains located around campus of Bucky, our school mascot, and the text “Bucky says: ‘Only rain down the drain!’ I like this approach. Much like the MS4 policy, students should be reminded of our school’s smoking policy in areas where they might offend it. In the covered walkway, for example, students would be subjected to a dangerous concentration of second-hand smoke. A similar illustration could be used to remind students that they’re in a non-smoking area: “Light up here and a write-up is near!” At the very least, we could put up some no smoking signs. Just like we don’t need to put a guard on every drain, we can put up signs that would make it clear to the student that smoking in non-designated areas will be in violation of school policy. This is, of course, an honor code system, but I do believe that it will deter more smokers

than doing nothing will. If you remind the student that what he’s doing could potentially ‘put others at risk via a “NO SMOKING” stencil, you at least force him to make an intellectual decision, removing any chance of ignorant mistake and leaving only those who choose to go against school policy. The University of Southern Maryland initially handled the issue of smoking on campus in the same way. The university built several gazebos around the campus where tobacco use was allowed. This policy was eventually replaced by an outright ban on tobacco products effective as of January 1, 2013. According to the usmfreepress.org article about the ban, reports indicated that campus-wide bans were more effective and easier to enforce than designated smoking areas. Apparently, it’s easier to monitor an entire campus than it is to monitor a few locations on campus. Keep in mind that this is not a smoke-free policy being enforced, but a tobacco free policy: “including but not limited to chew, snus, snuff (wat) and electronic cigarettes. That’s right, these publicly innocuous tobacco products get the ax as well, in a policy that extends beyond issues of public health and into the realm of policing people’s bodies. This over zealous response is the beginning of the slippery slope that libertarians warn you about when it comes to regulating smoking on campus. This is the fine line that makes it such a precarious issue. If we don’t cross it, I do believe designating smoking areas to be an effective and, more importantly, equitable policy. While it’s hard to outright ban smoking on campus, much like enforcing a ban on littering in the drain system, we can at least do our part to inform students and dissuade them from making decisions that could harm the students around them. Campus policy states that “The University of Texas Pan-American has a responsibility to and is committed to maintaining a healthy work, educational and living environment.” This policy proposal is aligned with that idea, is pragmatic, meets in the middle of both concerns and only comes at the cost of spending a few more minutes walking around campus.

‘As thE sAyING GoEs, “you cAN swING your fIsts As Much As you lIkE, as lOng as yOu’re nOt punChing ANyoNE.”’

panOrama MAGAZINE

todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s society calls

my religion

a cult

STORY BY AKZA RÍOS

hat is a cult? By definition, it is a relatively small group of people that share religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister. It may seem that this definition provides the evidence that Mormonism is in fact a cult, but why? What’s so strange about it? I could say that Catholics, Baptists and even Muslims are in cults because they have “strange” beliefs – but, according to society, I’d be wrong and end up looking like a fool. Mormons are often given an array of slurs and are usually identified as white, wealthy, Jesus freaks, Joseph Smith worshipers, weirdoes, conservatives, Republicans, polygamists, Utah natives, Amish; the list goes on and on. You know the stereotypes because you’ve probably thought this of them too... but let me be the first to say that 99 percent of these stereotypes aren’t true. First of all, “Mormon” isn’t a religion, it is yet another nickname given by society. A Mormon is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are also called LDS. Believe it or not, Mormons do not have seven wives. The biggest lie everyone believes is that we practice polygamy. There are various religions that do practice polygamy, and one of them happens to be Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), however, the LDS church has no affiliation with this religion. The Book of Mormon is not our “Mormon bible,” it is simply another book we reference when we are learning about our gospel. We do not worship this book and we do not have cultteachings or practices written in it. We hold this book as another testament of Jesus Christ, it holds the teachings that he did among other stories similar to those of the Bible. I love this book. I have read it fully and I hold a testimony of why I continue to believe in the things I have been taught since I was a child. I am not a Jesus freak, but I acknowledge and accept the

fact that he represents the biggest influence in the LDS church. We are taught to believe that he is the savior of all mankind. He is a brother to us, as we are all children of one God. We believe that God and Jesus Christ are two different beings. We believe that we are created in His image, and that both our Father and Jesus Christ are made out of bone and flesh as we are, but perfected and sanctified. We do not believe in the Virgin Mary and we do not worship or pray unto her, but we are taught that she is the mother of Jesus Christ and that is all. We pray and worship one being, and that is our Heavenly Father – not Joseph Smith. Who is Joseph Smith? Joseph Smith is known as the first prophet of the LDS church, and we believe that he restored the gospel that Jesus Christ once taught in this world when he was alive. I have been taught and I believe that all prophets called in our church to serve are men ordained by God and are here to guide us to the blessings we can obtain. Mormons do not worship these men we have held as living prophets, they are simply representatives of our church who are here to deliver unto us messages that help us sanctify ourselves. Born and raised a Mormon My father was raised in the faith I was born into. My mother was not. After they were married, my mother was given the choice to convert to become a member of the church. It took her two years before she decided that she wanted to be a part of this religion after all – a religion that would eventually shape her entire life. Even though I was born in the covenant of my parents as LDS members, it didn’t mean I was automatically obligated to stay faithful to the religion. Many may think that I was forced into staying in this church because my parents and grandparents are mem-

@UTPANORAMA

#STUDENTS

bers but that just wasn’t the case. I was never required to believe in the principles that my religion practices. Mormons are taught since childhood that we all have choice… and accountability for that choice. When I turned eight, I was presented with an adult decision – do you want to get baptized to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or not? I did. Mormons are taught that when a child reaches the age of 8, they are old enough to be held responsible for their own actions. The child has now reached a mature age in which they know what is right and what is wrong. They are able to make choices in which they know they are going to have to respond to a higher being. As young members of the church, we are also taught that we should date other members that share the same beliefs, values, and morals that we were raised with. This means that we are advised to date other Mormons, because dealing with a non-member in a romantic manner is bound to get complicated on many levels. Girls in this religion are told to seek out our returned missionaries, also known as RMs. RMs are those young men that serve for two full years outside of their home as missionaries representing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You know, the well-dressed boys on the bikes that come knocking on your door to talk about The Book of Mormon. Once these boys are back home after volunteering to serve, they’re usually only around 21 and are then expected to continue on to the next step of their life, meaning, finding a spouse. The young women of the church are expected to marry before they turn 21. If they choose not to, they are given the option to also serve a mission – women only serve for about 18 months. If both young men and women don’t marry by the expected time, people assume there’s something wrong with them. As funny as it may sound, I believe it’s true. n a personal basis, I believe that we should marry only when we are responsible enough to take care of ourselves both financially and mentally. I’m currently 20 yearsold. This means I have three months to find a husband. If not, I might as well just give up and stay single forever. Technically, I shouldn’t be pressured by my family to marry before I turn 21 but unfortunately, I am. Sex is the biggest temptation when you’re dating, even for Mormons who try to live a life of sexual abstinence. I wasn’t allowed to date until after I was 16 – yet another “unwritten rule” for Mormons. Once

PANORAMA MAGAZINE 2013

you’re allowed to date, you date to marry, not for sex. I was never taught about “the birds and the bees” and how it works, I was taught one thing about sex – If you let it get that far, you don’t respect your body. Not every conservative or Republican will believe that premarital sex is wrong. Almost everyone I know on a personal level believes that premarital sex is OK and it’s not hurting anyone. Well, if it’s not hurting anyone... what about your dignity? Sex with a person before marriage shows how you value your dignity. Any form of sexual act before marriage is degrading. I was taught that allowing someone to touch you inappropriately shows how much you think you’re worth. Everyone has heard of “your body is a temple” and I too believe in it. It should be held as sacred and a gift deserved by only one – your spouse. nother struggle we face as young adults is the one with alcohol and partying. Alcohol is the center of the party... at least that’s what I hear. Alcohol doesn’t look tempting to me in any way. I have been offered on many occasions to take a sip, but I cannot lower my standards to fit into the crowd. This doesn’t only comprise of alcohol; it includes my choice to abstain from coffee, tea and smoking. Being drunk doesn’t make you attractive. Nobody likes a drunk, and I don’t like taking care of one either. On several occasions, I’ve had to tolerate heavy alcohol consumption and it’s rather distasteful. Do you honestly think that alcohol makes you that cool? Let me clarify that I’m not against people who drink, I respect their choice and hope they can respect mine. All of these beliefs and practices helped shaped my decision to vote Republican in the 2012 Presidential Election. William Mitt Romney was my man. He got my vote, not because he’s a fellow Mormon, but because I actually agree with the presidential agenda he had and the future he wished for America. Strong liberal views are something I cannot tolerate. When you’re raised in a conservative home, you know better than to go around supporting things outside of tradition. For example: I don’t believe women should have abortions. One of the biggest lies I’ve heard on this subject is that a baby isn’t formed until the second trimester. I always thought a baby was formed the moment it was conceived... you know, when the sperm meets the egg. How could anyone have the nerve to say a baby isn’t real until you can hear a heartbeat? I strongly believe any child was brought into this world for a reason, not just by coincidence. I’ll never understand the mentality of a person who says abortion is

okay. Depriving a human being the chance to be brought into this world is wrong. It doesn’t matter the circumstances as to why you should abort, nobody has the right to dictate whether someone else should continue to live or die when they’re still in the womb. While I disagree with the Human Rights Campaign on many of its views, Mormons believe we also share some common ground. As a Mormon, I was taught that homosexuality is a sin and therefore cannot be tolerated. However, there is a bold line between accepting a homosexual as a person and tolerating homosexual practices. Drugs, pre-marital sex, abortion, and homosexuality are major topics in which Mormons are open for discussion but never for acceptance. I don’t condone homosexuality. I have respect for all those around me, and I admit that I too have friends who are gay. I love them and respect them for who they are as a person, but I do not support homosexuality in any way. I refuse to comply with society’s ideas on same-sex marriage today because I truly believe it is wrong. The standard I was taught of sexual morality is that intimate relations are proper only between a husband and a wife united in the bonds of matrimony. If same-sex marriage becomes a recognized civil right, there will be substantial conflicts with religious freedom. And in some important areas, religious freedom may be diminished. I cannot push and shove a book on someone else’s beliefs – it is wrong to force someone to believe what you do. Nobody should bring up the Bible as a way to win this topic because I believe it makes him or her look ignorant. I was taught that God loves each and every one of us. We are to love one another. We are to treat each other with respect, no matter how much we may differ from one another. My religion defines marriage as between a man and a woman and so do I. However, that should never be used as justification for hate on homosexuals. Am I any less than you because I don’t believe in abortion, divorce, alcohol consumption, LGBT marriage or pre-marital sex? We’re all entitled to our own set of beliefs and these are mine. My religion is the biggest influence in who I am today. It plays an important role in my life because the beliefs I was born and raised with teach me to realize what I need to do in order to live the life I want and can be proud of.

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#music

Galax Z Fair (pronounced ‘galaxy fair’) is the valley’s premier alternative music & arts festival coordinated by tigersblood.org/Patrick Garcia. Throughout the mid-afternoon and well into the evening of the first day of Spring Break, Galax Z Fair featured an eclectic line up of 16 critically regarded, quality touring bands, interspersed with some of the region’s best local artists. Spread across two venues in dowtown McAllen, this year marks the second anniversary of the successful event.

The Coathangers: Atlanta Every member of the all-female rock group sings and plays all the instruments in the band. They rotate roles constatnly during their set.

#musiC

travis trapp the local artist designed the poster art for Galax Z fair and created art pieces during the festival.

3.11 pretty & nice: boston the indie pop band was the first of many to take the stage at thirsty Monkey.

the second annual festival took place at McAllen downtown venues Cine el rey and thirsty monkey. It featured international and national alternative bands and local artists.

panOrama MAGAZINE 2013

bleached: los angeles sister act jennifer and jessica clavin took the stage at cine El rey during their first time in the valley.

____ __

Jungle bodies: mcallen the local favorite band was one of the two valley bands to play at the festival. they drew an energized crowd and had the first mosh pit of the night.

@utpanOrama

magazi panOra panOr panO maga maga maga magazi panOra panOr pan pa maga maga maga magazi panOra panOr panO

“Will someone be offended by something in this magazine? Probably. But, realistically, a publication can’t be created in an attempt to please everyone. We set out to make something that students would want to read, and we’d be proud of.” -excerpt from the Editors’ Note in the 2010 Panorama

azine magazine magazin Orama nOrama rama panOrama panOram agazine gazine gazine magazine azine magazine magazine Orama anOrama anOramapanOrama rama panOrama panOrama panOrama panOrama agazine gazine gazine magazine mag azine magazine maga panOram Orama nOrama rama panOrama panOrama MAGAZINE 2013

agazine gazine

agazine magazine agazine azine gazine anOrama agazine agazine gazine gazine 57

5th Annual

NEVER SAY NEVER The Never Say Never Music and Arts Festival is held in Mission, Texas every March during Spring Break. This year counts as its fifth-year anniversary, having had their first in 2009. The continually growing, multi-genre, multistage festival is the only music festival of its kind in south Texas. It brought together some of the best performers in various types of music genres, such as rock and roll, hip-hop, indie, pop punk and electronica, among others.

PANORAMA | SPRING 2013

Forever the Sickest Kids: Dallas The audience responded to lead singer, Johnathan Cookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sign of affection. The shape of a heart formed with his hands was displayed at the end of their set. This is the third time the valley-favorite band played at the festival.

#musiC

_ 3.13 the maine:tempe lead singer john oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;callaghan performed the song â&#x20AC;&#x153;some daysâ&#x20AC;? while standing on the crowd barricade and climbing the side structure of the main stage.

Outasight: new york singer richard Andrew performed at the fifth annual festival after playing in 2012.

As per festival tradition, several attendees wore costumes to stand out from the crowd. Among the costumes were a banana, a taco, a hotdog

driver friendly: austin the seven member band spice their music up by incorporating a trumpet and trombone to the traditional pop-rock.

and a unicorn head.

panOrama MAGAZINE 2013

___ Capital Cities: los angeles Electro pop duo sebu simonian and ryan Merchant won over audiences with their cover of “staying Alive” as well as performing their successful single “safe and sound”.

escape the fate: las vegas due to technical sound difficulties, the rock band played a sour set. before playing their last song, lead singer craig Mabbitt exclaimed,

“I’m going to get drunk and forget I played this fucking show”. After which, he dropped the mic onstage and stormed off.

@utpanOrama

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story by: sArA cAstIllo IllustrAtIoNs by: cArlos A. sANchEZ

University Outfitters

I was walking past the ARHU building at the UTPA campus when I caught sight of a familiar array of colors. That’s when I saw them: the floral leggings I had hiding in the back my closet since last year – the ones that I hadn’t built the courage to wear yet. They were expertly combined with a white-and-navystriped cotton shirt and an adorable pair of black Steve Madden flats. Holy Hell. The person wearing this fierce yet casual look for school on a fall morning was A GUY. And trust me when I say he was working those leggings so much better than I ever could. This is known as androgynous style. It is one that utilizes a combination of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Some of the innovators of this style include: Marlene Dietrich, Coco

Chanel, Diane Keaton, David Bowie and Tilda Swinton. It’s an eclectic style and one that, unlike seasonal trends, unfortunately, not everyone can pull off. Luckily, the level to which you want to take the androgynous look is entirely up to you. Not everyone is a natural-born fashionista, but a little effort can go a long way. But you don’t have to be a Vogue editor to know how to dress properly. As fashion royalty Alexander McQueen said: “It’s a new era in fashion there are no rules. It’s all about the individual and personal style, wearing high-end, low-end, classic labels and up-and-coming designers all together.” Your personal style is your own wearable signature, and that’s what defines you to the people around you. There are so many branches of fashion; the idea that style is limited to what we see in

high fashion magazines or American Apparel ads is so off the mark. Designers like DSquared have paved the way to expanding the realm of fashion while keeping an innovative leg in style. Whether it is a leather skirt with a simple blazer and a pair of oxfords, or pastel-colored skinny jeans with a white T-shirt and combat boots. Come on, guys! Aren’t you tired of wearing the same old pair of blue jeans and hiding in your hoodie? Dare to be different. Trust me, a little color in your wardrobe is not going to define your gender. This is the very point of androgyny, to be defined by your identity instead of your physiology. It’s easier than you think. It is more than following trends, more than knowing the name of famous designers or keeping up with the next big trend. Having a personal style is what makes you, YOU.

#FASHION

5 Key Pieces:

(According to Harper’s Bazaar Great Style)

“Key” pieces are crucial, versatile articles of fashion that help avoid that pesky situation of having a closet full of dull clothes that make you mad every time you go out because you have “nothing to wear.”

WHITE SHIRT

The standard piece of clothing. You can wear it with anything to any occasion and it perfectly suits any body type, as well. A button-up for a dressier look, a T-shirt for a more casual look. Mix-and-match both styles to accomplish a trendy, every-day look.

JEANS

At least one to wear with heels and one to wear with flats. Colors are your friends. Pastels are great for summer and spring while darker colors work best for autumn and winter. White jeans aren’t your enemy; jeggings are your best friends. Remember, versatility is key.

SWEATER

Carry-on element. We never know when there will be a change in temperature or a broken A/C. Cardigans are recommended as they add a casual-but-stylish element and work best for those perfect-weather days.

BLAZER

Classical black or navy blue will work, though lighter colors work for summer and spring. They’re suitable for any season and instantly add flair to any outfit. Not only does it have the power to instantly transform a simple outfit of jeans and a T-shirt, it’s appropriate for work and can give even the skimpiest outfit some class.

SUNGLASSES

Protect your eyes and look mysterious? Why not. Look for the right shape for your face – not what’s “in”, then choose a color that you’ll use more. Black and brown are the most common but don’t be afraid to go out of the box.

PANORAMA MAGAZINE 2013

One of the main issues

when it comes to changing your wardrobe is that the expense might seem a bit daunting. Fortunately, there are always options. You can find quality pieces of clothing at affordable prices right around the corner. These are some of the Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hidden treasures, because you never know what you can find:

. tj-MAxx . MArshAllâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s . ross . tExAs thrIft . vINtAGE hAus . flEA MArkEt . EbAy/ Etsy.coM

brand names like Vince Camuto boots and Tahari T-shirts

brand names like Betsey Johnson bags and Hugo Boss shirts

brand names like Calvin Klein perfumes and Steve Madden shoes

a variety of brand names and even unique no-name clothing

conveniently placed across from campus with various styles

a valley hidden treasure where you can find anything from unexpected high-end brands to incredibly similar knock-offs

all the styles you can dream of at the click of a button

@utpanOrama

#fashiOn

Helpful tips to finding your

Fashion Potential wEAr whAt you fEEl defines you but always remember to take pride in your appearance. Believe it or not, clothes talk! They reveal a lot about how you feel about yourself. Not to mention the major role that clothes play when making a first impression.

tAkE INto coNsIdErAtIoN

some celebrities or idols that could inspire your outfit choices. It’s not always easy to decide what defines you or what clothes represents that. Look at some of your favorite people and what they’re wearing; you’re bound to find inspiration.

kNow whAt to wEAr

and WHEN to wear it. There are clothes for all types of situations: school, work, night out, coffee time, shopping, gym, a cocktail party, and even day-to-night; figure out what’s appropriate for you.

hAvE vArIEty

in your wardrobe; this allows you to be able to mix and match for the different occasions you’re exposed to – without the need of spending too much money.

panOrama MAGAZINE 2013

l What Not To Wear… Please CROCS.

These are plastic slippers; not pretty or ANIMAL PRINT + CAMOUFLAGE. cute in any way. It’s are justplastic lazyslippers; and with These not the scorching = DISASTER! My eyes burn when I see this pretty ortemperature cute in any way. of It’s the just lazy and with the scorching Valley, I doubt you enjoy walking horrible combination. Either print is hard to match temperature of the Valley, I doubt you enjoy walking as it is… mixing them is a catastrophe. with hot rubber covering your feet. with hot = Disaster! My rubber covering your feet. eyes burn when I see this horrible combination. Either print is Alternative: Buy TOMS or BOBS instead: comfortable, lightto match as it is… mixing them is a catastrophe. SIGNATURE T-SHIRTS (EX. ED Alternative: Buy TOMS or BOBS instead: comfort-hard weight and made with fabric. HARDY). Just no. Stick with simple designs and able, lightweight and made with fabric. avoid looking like a douche. (ex. Ed SOCKS WITH SANDALS. My dear athletes: Hardy). Just no. Stick with simple designs and avoid looking like My dearI,athletes: alongmany with many others,would would appreciate appreciate if if you CHIFFON BLOUSES along I,with others, a douche. you would just stop! flip-flops themselves if you SHIRTS): Have would just Wear stop!the Wear the by flip-flops byor themselves or (SEE-THROUGH refuse to take your socks off, put your sneakers or boots on. if you refuse to take your socks off, put your sneakers respect for yourselves girls and wear something to cover it up underneath, especially in a professional or boots on. setting. Keep classy. (see-through shirts):itHave respect for yourselves girls and wear Love your pajamas? Great! Sleep in them all you DJS: LOVE YOUR PAJAMAS? Great! something to cover it up underneath, especially in a professional want but don’t wear them out, for crying out loud. Grow up and Sleep in them all you want but don’t wear them out,setting. Keep it classy. leave them at home. for crying out loud. Grow up and leave them at home.

Crocs.

Animal print + camouflage

Socks w/ sandals.

Signature Tees.

PJs.

Chiffon blouses.

@UTPANORAMA

A Visual Guide

de to Footwear

by Saira Trevino

#FASHION

Tip: Wear them with a girly, flowy dress to achieve a hip & modern, city look Tip: Best when worn with beige or khaki skinnies tucked in; results in a sophisticated look

Tip: Great for country dancing. These are best worn with pants tucked in and a crop top. It gives a modern feel to cowgirl attire

Tip: Stiches on the sides may be painful. Not recommended if you are petite or have big legs (you could look short and stubby)

Tip: They are supposed to be for winter but look great with highwaisted denim shorts and a flowy top for Spring & Summer

Tip: As odd as it sounds, Uggs with tucked in workout pants look really cute (but please limit it to one day a year)

Tip: be sure to pick your outfit very carefully, you could end up looking like Pretty Woman

PANORAMA MAGAZINE 2013

The hottest shoe trends are mostly a mashup of what we,ve been seeing the past few years, But in many

Thigh High Boots These boots mostly seen throughout the wintertime

cases, those familiar styles have been

Wellington Boots Amazing! Gives any outfit a preppy, classy look.

updated with feminine twists. For a closer , look at some of 2o13 s hottest shoe trends

Military/Combat Boots Great for a laid-back, casual day (even works wonders on rainy or sunny days).

for women, check out this style guide.

Cowboy Boots Popular with country music fans

Tip: Can be worn easily with almost any outfit. Pair them up with pleated dresses or skirts

Tip: Floral patterns are classy and elegant, recommended with solids, they add extra height when necessary

Cone Heels These are not very different from a regular heel; the only difference is that it gives a structured, modern look to the footwear Pump Classic shoeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a heel must have! Wedge Booties All time winter favorites. Chunky Heel At times could be heavy but rather easy to walk in.

Tip:

Always have a pair of regular pumps, these could save you from a shoe emergency

Tip: Stray away from a boring office look and add sexiness to your outfit with these. Solid colors are best for a professional look

Gladiators Were seen on many runways during the New York Fashion Week for 2013. Expect them to be big in the summer once again. Wedge Wedges are also very easy on the feetâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the best heels for a long day of walking or standing because the foot is balanced. These are always a spring/ summer fave.

Tip: Clogs look better when the heel is higher and thinner (also makes your legs look better)

Ballerina Flats The must-have shoe. These flats are cute, comfy and reliable. Docksi de/Sperrys Widely used for a preppy look. Rather popular further north and for the causal, everyday day. Lady Gaga/Gravity Heels These type of heels were actually already out in the European market, but it was not until Lady Gaga started wearing that they became popular in the US.

@UTPANORAMA

#FASHION

Tip: For a cute outfit, try torn ‘boyfriend’ jeans, a regular white tanktop and a messy bun

Tip: During winter time, buy them in different colors and/or prints. They can be worn with anything.

Tip: Please don’t wear them bare footed, buy small socks and extra foot powder--they’re stinky if not taken care of

Tip: Be sure to break them in before wearing them, or be ready to carry Band-Aids

Tip: Wedges are easy on the feet for a long day of walking or standing because the foot is balanced

Tip: These shoes can be painful. Do not wear them if you are not a good heel-walker or have poor balance.

Tip: For a modernbohemian look, wear with Harem pants tucked in and a crop top with a matching clutch

Choose wisely. T

he first step in selecting the best shoes is choosing shoes that complement your clothing, rather than ones that compete with your outfit. For that reason, I always recommend pairing busier shoes with simple outfits, and wearing simple shoes with clothing that features a lot of prints, embellishments or dynamic accessories. It can be tricky to find shoes that complement your clothing without dominating or being overpowered by it, but the reality is, it’s a simple balancing act.

When you look in the mirror, does one element of your outfit

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stand out more than the others? Is your outfit too chaotic? i.e. Are the sequins on your shoes competing with the crystals on your dress? Do your shoes blend together with your clothing too much? i.e. Do your black pants, black turtleneck, and black booties all look like one long body suit? If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, then the quickest way to pull together a cohesive look is to simply try on another pair of shoes, then ask yourself the questions again.

Gabe Rios Freelance Graphic Designer

Facebook.com/gaberios17 gaberiosdesign@gmail.com

gD. the

UNITED INTERVIEW: EDER CASTILLO PHOTOS: THE GD UNITED

For some students, going to college and having a part time job is more than enough, but for Carlos Cruz, Charles Follmar, and Stevie Gallegos… that’s just some of their daily grind. Aside from school and work, you can catch Stevie flippin’ baguettes at Breadsmith. Charles will be working the shoe game at Champ Sports, and Carlos Cruz at Foot Locker. This trio also runs “The Glory Days United.” fter graduating from high school, Carlos, Charles and another friend of theirs, Mark Hanna, found a kinship through their interest in the latest shoes and clothing. Eventually, they came to the realization that they would rather wear their own clothing; rather use their own art to show people exactly what they wanted to portray, not what the consumerdriven market was feeding them. Carlos and Charles didn’t really have any business ethic and had very little insight into business structuring. That’s where Mark came in, using his promising leadership skills and good business ethic to kick start their venture. When “The Glory Days” first started, like most up-and-coming businesses, they had their share of struggles. After being unable to see eye-to-eye with Mark on some business aspects, they made the decision to part ways – without any tension. Although Mark is no longer with the GD, he is still referred to as one of the seeds that helped the label grow. Carlos and Charles then added their best friend, Stevie, to their group. With Charles, Carlos and Stevie all having the same ideas in mind, the GD began to run a lot smoother. After some minor setbacks, the GD has now turned into a promising and emerging brand. What sets this brand apart from others is that they aren’t looking to follow trends or even to set them, they’re looking to open people’s eyes to different kinds of art; not just with the distinctive designs of their clothing, but with unique talent – like up and coming artist Aaron Stephens and Dee Greene.

Q: How long has the GD been around? A: (Carlos) Before it was the GD United, it was The Glory Days Clothing and that was around 2009. We were low key. Basically we were a bunch of dudes that didn’t know or have any knowledge of how everything was supposed to be run. We were 18, 19 just coming straight off the bench trying do something with what we had. That was kinda hard...especially for some kids. Compared to where we are now being 21, 22; it’s a lot easier for us to grasp the nature of business and the clothing industry. Q: What or who inspires the GD’s designs for your clothing? A: (Charles) Mine is probably Jordan. Ever since high school, I’ve been wearing and collecting his shoes. Just that whole hip-hop culture. (Stevie) I really like to look at everything. I’m not the type of person who just looks at one thing. It doesn’t matter what it is. Looking through different sites and ideas on the Internet. Just branching out, from prints to lettering to colors… just different ideas. You gotta keep it flowing. It can’t be the same thing. Q: What’s it like going to school, working and running the GD brand, and how has school helped you? A: (Carlos) With Charles and I always being around shoes [for work], it

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is always easier for us. It gives us a lot more open-ended color schemes of things. You always get more ideas. So coping with our jobs is a blessing. (Charles) I’m a business major (computer information systems) so that’s helped us on the business side. (Carlos) Marketing! This guy (points to Charles) has gotten us what we need. He has marketing down to where I don’t have to fucking hassle about reaching out to people that I know. (Stevie) I’m a history major with a minor in photography, so that really helps with our media. (Carlos) And I’m a graphic design major, so that helps too. Q: So where do you guys sell your merchandise? A: (Stevie) Online for the most part. (Carlos) We actually have our stuff at a boutique at Nombe Kicks over in B-town (Brownsville). We have our stuff out there and on our website. We had to really pick a place; there are not too many places around here like that boutique. Going out to Brownsville and reaching out to the owner was like these two (Charles & Stevie) all the way. [They] brought it home and where able to develop a relationship with the person that’s selling our merch out of his store. Trust is a big thing man… business can go second. Trust is always the first on our scale.

Q: What does each one you guys bring to The GD? A: (Stevie) I’m kind of the guy behind the camera that records and chops it up. Take any pictures that we need. (Carlos) He’s multimedia on deck, yo. (Stevie) I kind of like to be behind those gadgets. I just try to do everything possible in between, but I really like to do the camera work. I feel at home with that. (Charles) I do the marketing part. I try reach out to people and get our name out there. (Carlos) He (points to Charles) does a lot for us, yo. He’s the biggest part of why we are here right now. Cause, honestly, the reach for him is like go-go gadget, inspector gadget reach. We can’t go anywhere without this guy knowing somebody at the place we’re at. Everybody supports the homie (Charles) cause he’s so likeable that everybody just wants to support the good cause. For him, it’s that easy. People like Charles so they have no problem helping him out. (Charles) Carlos is the Einstein of the group. (Stevie) He (Carlos) is the culture. (Carlos, chuckling) If you wanna throw a fucking name on what I do, I guess you could say creative director – if you wanna throw that on there. That doesn’t really necessarily put a broad understanding on everything, but as far as the substance is involved and what we can push. I

throw out the ideas and from there it’s like we all conjugate and we can pick and choose. These guys (Stevie & Charles) throw me on my toes. If I show em’ something and they don’t say something right away...I know that shit sucked. A lot of the amount of things I can put out is easy, but the amount of stuff that is good and can vibe from their (Stevie & Charles) standpoint is what’s good. Q: What type of group or genre are you guys trying to reach? A: (Carlos) People! That’s the group, just people in general. I would just love to see the people pick up what we’re throwing out. Just people in general. (Stevie) My little niece is wearing this stuff right now. (Charles) My dad wears this stuff. (Carlos) I’ll take 2 to 80[years old] any day... Q: What’s it like trying to become an upcoming brand. A: (Stevie) It ain’t easy. (Charles) Especially since it’s growing so much and there are so many brands out there. We put in all the spare time we have, outside of doing everything else like school and work. (Carlos) It’s going to bed at 2, 3 o’clock a.m. every day, then waking up

@UTPANORAMA

panorama magazine

#FASHION

‘It’s not even about the money. If it was about the money, we’d be doing what everybody else is doing right now.’

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at seven or eight the next day. Its defiantly a grind especially when drop days come and were doing releases... (Charles) Yeah, that takes the whole day. Q: What does the GD specialize in most? A: Progress, shit... If you could put that into a material good. Besides that, doing t-shirts with what we’ve got, we’re just doing t-shirts right now until we expand even more. Of course we would like to expand even more later on but we had also dropped some beanies a while back as well. That was an eye opener for us. (Charles) They sold out in about eight minutes. That drop day was big for us; a lot of people were talking about it on twitter. We were trending for a good while. Over 120 tweets. (Carlos) Some people told us we were trending in Texas. It was cool. Q: What do you guys look to get out of “The GD”? A: (Charles) Changing the way people see things. (Carlos) Can’t put it any other way than that, I guess man. Honestly...that’s our main thing. It’s not even about the money. If it was about the money, we’d be doing what everybody else is doing right now and selling our high quality shirts for about 20 dollars; we’d overprice like everybody else but we don’t care about the money, man. We’re just trying to change people’s perception. (Stevie) I’m telling you this...there’s no shirt that should be worth over 60 bucks! C’mon man, you have people coming into the business with ridiculous prices. How many people are gonna afford a shirt that’s over 40 dollars when you can grab two high quality shirts from us for like 36. Q: Where did the name for the GD come from? A: (Carlos) We went through a bunch of garbage names, man, before we became the Glory Days. The name itself, I was looking at some NBA Hardwood Classics on TV, and it just so happens that the Pistons were playing and I thought to myself: “Damn, Grant Hill is still playing right now and that’s my favorite player”. I sat back and started remembering Grant Hill in those crunch commercials back in ‘93, and seeing him back in his “glory days”, that’s when it dawned on me...I just sat back on it and dwelled on it a little. It just rolled off the tongue. Everybody took it as what it was.

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#art

‘I taught myself. I’ve never taken any type of art class except for one semester in high school, which really doesn’t count; it was basically a free period. I think that’s my problem: I wasn’t challenged enough.’

Q: How long have you been drawing? A: It’s not something you start doing, really. It’s something I started developing as a kid, around middle school and over the years I’ve gotten better gradually. I’m 23, so… 23? Q: What made you interested in art? A: I guess reading comic books as a kid. The more I read, the more I wanted to draw the superheroes I liked. So I spent all my time doing that at school. Instead of focusing on school, I would just draw. Q: Did you ever take any art classes? A: I was never formally instructed so if you compare me to others, I’m sure there are much better artists than me. But me, I taught myself. I’ve never taken any type of art class except for one semester in high school, which really doesn’t count; it was basically a free period. I think that’s my problem: I wasn’t challenged enough. Q: How did you get to be so passionate? A: Everything is practice. It’s all working to a bigger goal and I’m just honing my skills. I still like drawing comic book characters but I feel I can do better so I’m pushing myself to be better. Q: Would you consider yourself an artist? A: I am an artist. Very much so. I suffer for it, I work very hard for it, I’m criticized for it and I still love it. There’s nothing I would rather do… Except maybe direct films.

Q: You seem to have the personality of an artist. A: Really? I’ve never heard that before. I’m introspective but I don’t like thinking that much about myself. That’s kind of a contradiction but what I mean is that I keep to myself; I like privacy but I don’t like to think or talk about myself that much. Q: Have you ever faced any adversity as an artist? A: Being an artist is an adversity. Q: What’s your biggest challenge as an artist? A: Making money. I guess that’s it, really. Being taken seriously as an artist. It’s very competitive, there are a lot of artists out there and you have to keep up with the trends. Q: How do you mean? A: You’re overlooked if you don’t do “what’s in” and “what’s in” is the abstract. I don’t like abstract… because it looks like crap, to be honest. Every aspect of being an artist is hard, unless you’re born with it… and I wasn’t. Q: You weren’t born with it? A: No, I used to be teased because of how bad my art was. If anything, that motivated me to get better. Like I mentioned before, I started around middle school. Kids can be mean. That’s why I became so antisocial and I don’t like showing my art because I used to be afraid of being teased.

#ART

‘I’m like a human Photoshop; there’s subtle differences in shading, lighting, adding or removing objects from the foreground and background.’

Q: But you’re more open to it now? A: Well yeah. I love praise, don’t get me wrong. I like getting likes on Facebook and I like when people tell me I did a good job. It makes me feel like it’s worth something. Q: What’s your favorite type of art to do? A: I like realism. It’s a bigger challenge. As an artist, if you can do realism, you can do it all. It’s all about the details, there’s no shortcuts, there’s no cheating; you have to have an eye for it. Q: Do you ever draw from imagination or do you stick to real life? A: It’s a combination of both. At the moment, I’m using reference photos because I’m honing my skill. Every one I do, there’s a subtle change. I’m like a human Photoshop; there’s subtle differences in shading, lighting, adding or removing objects from the foreground and background. I do also draw completely original works. I do abstracts. Q: I thought you didn’t like abstract. A: I don’t like it but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to do it. If I am asked, I’ll do it. I get bored sometimes. Q: Where do you usually work? A: Wherever I find space. I don’t really have my own area. I just need a table. Q: How long does it usually take you to do one? A: For a big one, it can be like, 10 hours or it can be a month. It depends how much free time I have, really. Sometimes I sit all night, six to eight hours, but most of the time its intervals of 30 minutes while watching TV or at the park. Q: What do you plan to do with your art in the future? A: I hope I can become an art teacher, I wanna teach the next generation a little something. It’s a passion and I wanna make others passionate about it.

PANORAMA MAGAZINE 2013

#ART

Q: That’s pretty noble. You don’t have any selfish goals for your art? A: I don’t see myself as a very selfish person. But one day, I would like to work for the film industry or the comic book industry. If it’s a job that allows me to draw for a living, of course I’d be happy and take it in a second but mostly I just wanna teach people who don’t know much about it.

losing to a 6 year old. Q: How does that not disillusion you from drawing? A: I don’t draw for other people; I’m a very antisocial dude. The fact that I’m getting overlooked… it benefits me really because it lets me hone my skills and focus on getting better for myself.

Q: Have you done any art shows? A: I could count them in one hand. I don’t like being the center of attention and I’m usually not. My art has been to more art shows than I have, let’s put it that way.

Q: We noticed that you like to draw movie stills, tell us about that. A: I’m a huge movie buff, a cinephile. I’d aspire to be a film director one day so usually I’ll draw my favorite characters or scenes from the movies or shows I like.

Q: What kind of feedback do you get? A: Not much at all, I’m usually overlooked in art shows. I usually get last at art shows. Right now, for example, I’m participating in an art competition on Facebook and I’m

Q: You also tend to stick to charcoal and black and white. A: I do color; I’m very good at it actually. I’m best with color. But I like charcoal because it’s a malleable

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medium. I like black and white because you can focus on specific techniques such as, blending and shading. But mostly, to be honest, I just have a lot of charcoal and I’m trying to get rid of it. I’m also a huge fan of black and white films, so naturally.

Q: Is there any that you had a tough time making? A: The portrait of Bane, I guess that’s kind of silly. I had actually taken a 2-year hiatus from drawing. That was kind of my return, I was in a dark place when I did that and it was very therapeutic. It really helped me out.

Q: What’s your favorite drawing that you made? A: EVER? That’s a hard question.

Q: Why did you decide to take a 2-year break? A: I was focusing on work. I felt like I didn’t have time for it and I guess at that time, I was more of a selfish person and I was after different things in life, I guess. I just took a break, flat out.

Q: Or one you remember specifically? A: I guess that would be the first painting I ever entered into competition when I was a senior in high school. It was a drawing of Kurt Cobain in acrylic paint. One of the judges mistook it for a picture and it was a huge ego boost. That inspired me to work with portraits more, because I realized I was good at it. To be honest, it’s not even a very good painting.

Q: Have you ever drawn a real-life person? A: I’m asked constantly but I find that nowadays most people don’t have the patience. I’m a photographer so I’ll have people sit for me, I’ll take your picture and do it that way.

@UTPANORAMA

‘I lovE drAwING. I doN’t cArE whAt I’M drAwING. for ExAMplE, If A sAtANIc cult cAME up ANd AskEd ME for A pOrtrait Of the devil, I’d do It. for A sIGNIfIcANt suM, but I’d do It. ‘

Q: We didn’t see any of those on your Facebook page. A: Those are personal. I do those for the clients. I take the money and give it to them to do what they want with it. Q: Is Facebook your main publishing platform? A: I don’t have a computer. If I did, I would post them all over social media but I only have a phone so it’s my only option. And being an antisocial guy – well, I should use the word ‘shy’, I’m painfully, painfully shy – so I tend to avoid art shows. Q: Do you have artists that inspire you? A: Living, no? Just like every other artist in the world, I take inspiration from the greats, like: Michelangelo, Di Vinci, Donatello, Leonardo…basically, all of the Ninja Turtles. I’d like to do something like the Sistine Chapel one day. There’s actually a church in Pharr that has this huge mural of Jesus and I’d like to work on it one day. I’d love to work with a church. Q: Are you religious? A: No, I’m not a very religious person. My family is deeply religious and they want me to work with that kind of art: angels, Christ and the Virgen de Guadalupe, I’m very familiar with all of that. Q: It almost seems like you draw more for others. A: I love drawing. I don’t care what I’m drawing. For example, if a satanic cult came up and asked me for a portrait of the devil, I’d do it. For a significant sum but I’d do it.

@utpanOrama

‘I feel that my classmates are more open, creative and have bigger dreams. We all feed from each other’s thoughts when we’re painting. It’s difficult to put into words other than I feel like we are all open with each other.’

Q: So where have you developed your style and experience? A: I’ve worked with Trevino’s for four years now; it’s a photography and design studio. We do school portraits, sports, and cap-and-gown stuff. I’m the graphic designer so when we work with green screens or back drops, that’s me. I think I went in already knowing a good amount, and I’ve learned a bit since then but what I do is so different. I can’t do too much because certain schools want certain things and my boss wants certain things done this way. It’s very limited because I can’t do what I want there. Q: Would you say that being limited at Trevino’s made you want to switch from graphic design to studio design? A: I took two years off of college and when I went back, I knew that I didn’t want to do graphic design anymore. I was doing that full time. So when I switched to studio art, I knew that this was what I wanted to do. I still like to do both, but I tend to focus more on studio art these days. Q: So where do you see yourself in a couple of years from now, maybe after you graduate? A: Everybody asks me that. I know it sounds cliché but I really want to open up a coffee shop. I want it to be all about art and have art galleries for student to have somewhere else to show their work. Obviously, I also want to sell my prints and be a famous artist as well… but I’m happy doing this.

Q: As an artist, what is your critique of your fellow artists’ work? A: In the studio classes I take, I feel that my classmates are more open, creative and have bigger dreams. We all feed from each other’s thoughts when we’re painting. Its difficult to put into words other than I feel like we are all open with each other. In the design classes, you have to follow this outline of what goes where and certain angles that are more attractive. With studio, you can be more expressive. Q: Would you define yourself as a studio artist or graphic designer? A: I guess I just consider myself an “artist.” A lot of people mistake my work as paintings, especially when I feature them online. I actually take that as a compliment because it feels like I’m doing something right. If I had to choose, I would consider myself a studio artist. Q: Would you say that your latest work accurately reflects your style? A: I think the bold lines really portray what I actually am. I do everything bold, even my drawings. I get in trouble, but I can’t get away from it. It’s just how I do it. Q: Do you see yourself changing medium, or do you want to develop this style more?

#art

A: I really want to develop this style more. I do want to do other stuff, try out some new things, but I don’t think I’ll ever let this style go. It can still be abstract, it can still be a graphic and I could paint this. It works with many different styles. Q: How do you motivate yourself to get started on your work? A: Some of my works are requests. The one with the owl started as an inspirational piece. The first things that came to mind were crosses, but that’s more a religious symbol than just inspirational. The client told me she liked owls so I went off of that. Q: Is there any other type of art or medium that you like to work in? A: When I first started working with graphics, I used photography. That is a big part of my work and what I do. I’m trying to do it more as an art form, not just traditional portrait stuff. Sometimes, a client will freak out during a session because I introduce objects that seem way too abstract for them. I just reassure them and let them know that it’s cool because I know what I’m doing. Right now, I’m trying to work with nude photos, so I can play with some lighting. It’s really hard to find people willing to do it. I don’t think I’d even be able to do it but I’m still trying. Also, because of class right now, I’m currently working with copper and metal. Just some random stuff that Professor Pace has us working with. Q: So this semester, you’ve been doing a lot more work 3D mediums? A: Yes, that’s actually what I think I want my focus to be. It is a totally new direction but I really want to work with metal. When I first worked with metal, we were making jewelry and I thought to myself, “this is too small, I want to work with something bigger.” Now I’m just waiting for next semester so I can take a metal working class. Q: Do you feel that there has been a development in your style over time? A: On my first piece, you can tell that I was just playing around. It is really simple. On the second one, I was trying to go for a grungier look. On the next one, I start bringing in color, and so on. I definitely had a style in mind so I just bounce off of the previous work. Q: So what are your immediate plans after graduation? A: That’s a tough question. I know what I want to do but I’m not sure if I’ll even have the chance to do it, realistically. Obviously, one of the only things I can do right now is be a teacher, just so I can be financially stable. I’m not against that but I see it as something temporary until I can open up my coffee shop and gallery. My dream is to have my own gallery.

panOrama MAGAZINE 2013

DANIEL FLORES Interview // Portrait by Andrea De La Vega

‘Being an artist is a very different thing. It’s a conceptual thing. You have to think different and be ok with it. This whole time I’ve been learning about process.’

Where do you get inspiration for your photos? Daniel: I don’t know… hanging out, living life? Living life is what I’d say. Just walking around and looking at things. Do you have a favorite subject? Daniel: I used to like to shoot things. I’m not gonna say inanimate objects but things; because they couldn’t say no. But now I definitely enjoy shooting people more. I think it’s a step for photographers to get over shooting people. I used to be terrified to take pictures of people. I think it’s common. I like to shoot what’s right in front of me, whatever is visually appealing. How do you identify a good shot? Daniel: I don’t know if this is a universal things for photographers or not but it happened to me a few years ago. I’ll see in rectangles, like in composition. I’ll know that if it’s appealing to me, I’ll come back and shoot it. Like what, for example? Daniel: There are streets in the valley that I want to go back and shoot because I know it’ll be a good picture. That’s what you’re trying to learn, that’s what you’re trying to train your eye to do. It’s called pre-visualization. That’s where you wanna get to. Anyone can take a good photograph but you’re striving to get to the point where you’re consistent. Do you feel you are?

Daniel: More so than I used to be, I’d say. What first attracted you to photography? Daniel: I remember looking for unique angles in things. My first camera was a point and shoot camera. I used to take photos of things and try to make regular subjects look interesting. I remember always having that need when playing with cameras; it’s always been playing. I’ve always thought of it as playing around. When did you really start taking it seriously? Daniel: I don’t even remember. Maybe when I bought my first digital SLR – it’s like an old XTI Canon Rebel. I took all the photo classes I could at Pan Am. So I guess, it wasn’t until college but I feel like I never took myself seriously; I still don’t take it serious. Oh. Well, do you plan on a future with photography? Daniel: I don’t know. I don’t really think that far ahead. Right now, I use it for art. I just use it. I’m starting to become more interested in things that aren’t directly related to photography. What would you consider to be your art? Daniel: It’s been photographs in the past but even with the ones I took of the Flea Market, there were perimeters. For example, I’d never show those in a gallery in the Valley because it’s exploitative. How do you mean? Daniel: Anyone could go to the Pulga and see the images I took in

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real life. To me, it made sense to show them there. So I rented a spot, like a vendor, and showed it there because it felt right. I did show that work last January at Sam Houston State University. It’s different because they’re far away and this imagery isn’t as accessible to them so I don’t feel so bad about it. Here, if someone can drive 15 minutes to a gallery, they can drive 15 minutes to go see it for themselves in real life. So it’s safe to say that you prefer to show people something they haven’t seen before? Daniel: I think that’s what photography is. Showing things that haven’t been seen before. There are a lot of different elements in photography, how you approach it – technically or creatively, is important. That’s what art is. Doing something that hasn’t been done. Or doing it better. Some would argue that the point of photography is making people see something they’ve seen before but in a different light, would you agree? Daniel: Yeah, I get that but anytime anyone takes a photo… it’s gonna be completely different than someone else’s photo of the same thing. If something isn’t appealing, for one reason or another, then I don’t think it’s a successful photograph or a piece of art. What would you consider a successful piece of art? Daniel: Art is innovation. That ‘s why I hope to be an artist because I hope to be an innovator. Do you consider yourself an artist? Daniel: I didn’t for a long time. I’d been taking classes for a few years but I felt like a fraud. I didn’t feel like an artist. I didn’t self identify. I thought of myself as a photographer in an art program. Being an artist is a very different thing. It’s a conceptual thing. You have to think different and be okay with it. This whole time I’ve been learning about process, it’s about the process and not the product. I’ve been so much about product my whole life. So what would you consider yourself now? Daniel: I don’t stop thinking about creating. It’s annoying. I think it affects my relationships. I’m always talking about something I’m thinking or wanna do. It’s easy to fall into a trap, talking about all the bullshit. The last half-year I’ve tried to make myself more about doing. I’ve pushed myself to do shows on my own and put work out there for people to see. …I do self-identify myself as an artist now. You say that quite hesitantly. Daniel: I don’t think people understand the bold proclamation of being an artist. There’s a difference between people who are crafty. I know artists. They create because they have to, because something in them makes them. I don’t think I’m there yet, to be talked about as such by my professors. But I understand a lot more about what it takes. What would you say it takes to be an artist? Daniel: I know what an artist isn’t. It’s not that I don’t think people are artists. What I’m saying is that being an artist, it’s complex. I’ve been in art school and I’ve taught multiple art classes and I’m still kind of finding out what it means to be an artist. If I don’t have it figured out, I don’t think it’s commonplace. I think you have to be working enough to figure out what it means to you.

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‘If you want to step into this field, you have to be a player. You have to really get involved, especially when you have to talk about other people’s work or your own. ‘

Q: When was the last time you were at UTPA? A: The last time I was there was for my MFA show, basically my last semester as a grad student. Q: How did that go? A: When I had my MFA show, I didn’t do a good job at promoting it, to be honest. We had a lot of the classes at the art annex stop by and check it out, though. Typically, they last a couple of hours and the school gives us a really small budget, which I spent entirely on food. It was gone within 40 minutes. Once the food is gone, nobody shows up and it’s depressing because you’re trying to show off your work, show off what you do. I basically spent two years doing that and they’re not there for that. They’re there for the food. Q: What kind of feedback do you get from your professors at a show? A: I had one professor, Robert Gilbert, make a comment about one of my works at my MFA show. He was the only one who came up to me and said something negative, which I thought was cool because it’s always constructive. He said, “you know

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what, these names don’t fit with the pieces.” That’s basically what he said. I had a piece that was a cat; it was titled “Laziness.” I’ll admit that it doesn’t immediately come across as laziness but what I had in mind was the idea of cats always being on their asses. Q: What about feedback from fellow artists? A: There was this one person, a fellow artist, Travis Trap. I was actually crashing on his couch for a bit after I left UTPA. I asked him to be straight up and tell me what he really thought about one of my paper pieces… no one else was telling me anything. He was like, “I guess it could’ve been done a little better as far as the gluing. It looks like it’s going to fall apart any second now. You should also really get back to drawing; it could really help these characters out.” I hadn’t been drawing and I never sketch my work out before doing it. Q: Is it difficult to get an honest critique out of people sometimes? A: There was this one show that I went to at the Cubby Hole in Edinburg. There was a girl there, she

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‘I really want to dig into their minds and ask how they can benefit from me and me from them. After that, just soak myself into the scene and just paint.’ was an undergrad, and I mentioned that I just had an MFA show the previous week. And she was like “Oh, so you’re Alex? I thought your work was… interesting.” Just so you know, I hate that word. It’s just a vague comment that could be good or bad. So I put her on the spot, and I said, “Look, lets be honest here and tell me what you really think of my work.” After a short while, she replied under her breath, “well… I thought it was kind of stale.” I was like, “Stale?” I was ok with the word; I just wanted to make sure that’s what she actually said. I asked her if she could elaborate on that to which she replied, “Uhh… uhh, did I say that out loud?” She was just looking down the whole time and I really just wanted to get something out of her. I’m not sure what happened, but she had to leave and she didn’t come back. Q: Do you feel the art community suffers because there are people not willing to be critical of other artists? A: Absolutely. If you want to step into this field, you have to be a player. You have to really get involved, especially when you have to talk about other people’s work or your own. A lot of people feel very uncomfortable doing that but I don’t, I love that. In a sense, have balls; you’re not going to hurt my feelings. Q: So what are your goals right now, living and teaching in Brownsville? A: I actually enjoy it. It’s hard for people to say that they love what they do. I’m around art so I can’t complain. I want to work on my next theme and get that out. Then just promote the hell out of it. Q: What are some of the other ways that you promote your gallery shows? A: I use social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. I’m on Tumblr a lot actually. I’m always looking at artists and trying to promote myself through that, even if they’re not in the area. At least they know my work.

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What’s great about Facebook is that so many people are on it. That’s probably the best way to get the word across. Q: You used to live in San Antonio for a while before you got your MFA. Why did you move to San Antonio? What were you looking to accomplish there? A: It was good to find myself. I had never really lived on my own before so it was good to explore the city and get out. Try something different. In the area that I lived, people would turn their apartments into galleries, paint the walls and invite literally anyone over. I had a couple of pieces at one of those house shows for a couple of First Fridays.

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Q: Why did you move back? Was it by choice? A: It all kind of synced together, so the decision was really just made for me. Our lease was over and I know my brother and girlfriend at the time wanted their own privacy. I was third wheeling. I knew that I wanted to go back to school and get my MFA so it all just came together like that. Q: And from there you went straight to UTPA? A: When I started, I wasn’t at UTPA yet; I went to UTB, instead. They only had graduate painting and graduate drawing, so I transferred. They had classes, but not a degree. Q: So do you have plans to leave the valley or

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pursue your work elsewhere? A: I really want to move to Austin. If a job opens up, I’ll definitely apply. Q: Why Austin? A: There’s so much more to do, let’s face it. I really admire the people who try, like Mark Clark at Galleria 409, who’s making an effort to get the art community going. A lot of the people don’t have the mentality; they don’t care about art. They don’t care its important or it helps anything. Q: If you were to move to Austin next week, how would impact you? A: First of all, I would apply for a teaching job. Second I would just love to meet people. Talk to

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people who are into art. I really want to dig into their minds and ask how they can benefit from me and me from them. After that, just soak myself into the scene and just paint. Q: Do you make money with what you do? A: I don’t make enough money, whatsoever. I always feel like I can make more. I’m only working part time right now with the gallery and teaching job. Q: Would you consider that a problem? A: I’m literally a starving artist. I’m living rentfree right now because it’s my aunt’s house. Thank God for her, she put a roof over my head. What’s sad is that I actually think I made more money as a teaching assistant at UTPA.

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It gets really hard when you have to paint over your old paintings because you don’t have enough money to buy new material, new brushes or canvases. It really sucks when you have to resort to buying crappy quality supplies because I can’t afford the good ones. I’ve been milking the crap out of my paint right now. Q: What kinds of things do you have in mind before painting something? A: I try to think about how this work is going to be different than the previous and I try thinking about what colors I want to use beforehand. I have a rule against using black. Never use black, always mix your colors. I want to be consistent in subject matter, but not color. I try to think about complimentary colors and what will stand out. Q: What’s next for your artwork? A: I’m working on a series of portraits of people that I love; people that I admire or just really think are influential. I put them together with different symbols that define myself. We probably won’t see a show of that until about a year from now when I feel I have that whole theme fully developed.

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FIN (thanks for reading)

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FIN (take me home)

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PANOR AMA MAGA ZINE 2013