As Sarah Weddington stood at the marble stepsof the Supreme Court on that December morning in1971, she was intimidated. At just 26 years old, theRoe v. Wade case, which resulted in the legalizationof abortion, was her first contested case ever.

On Tuesday night, just over 34 years after sheargued before the Supreme Court, Weddington hadanother first: her initial visit to The University ofTexas-Pan American.

As the final speaker in the 2005-2006Distinguished Speaker Series, Weddington came tocampus to speak to about 150 students, faculty, andcommunity members on leadership, something sheis very familiar with.

Over the years, Weddington has taken on avariety of leadership roles, from assistant to formerPresident Jimmy Carter during his term in office toprofessor at The University of Texas-Austin whereshe teaches two classes, “Gender-BasedDiscrimination,” and “Leadership in America.”

Weddington said before her speech, titled“Memoirs of a Leader,” that she hoped studentswould walk away encouraged to take a leadershiprole.

“You have a very dynamic area here in theValley, which is rapidly growing and changing,” shesaid. “When you have that situation you are going toneed a lot of local people involved in leadership.”

A new program initiated by the TexasAlcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) aimed atcurbing the number of alcohol-related fatalities wassuspended last week after public outcry over someof the practices of the commission. Thecommission started the Sales to Intoxicated Persons(SIP) program in 2001 to help stop drunken driversbefore they get a chance to get in a car.

While many saw the program as a tool forprevention, some in the Texas Legislature wanteda review of the program’s practices because offears concerning abuses of power. A recent bust inIrving, near Dallas, resulted in 19 citations beingissued and some complaints over how TABChandled the situation.

Some of those cited said they had no plans todrink and drive, and some were only drinking in ahotel bar and had rooms to go to at the end of thenight.

“Are we going too far, or do we need to gofurther?” state Rep. Ismael “Kino” Flores, D-Mission, said in regard to the new program.

Flores, who is chairman of House Licensingand Administrative Procedures, felt it necessary toreview the program’s progress and was the first oneto know of TABC’s decision to suspend the SIPprogram after an internal investigation.

Undercover TABC officers had startedpatrolling bars and clubs in search of people whowere obviously drunk and were still being served,

or those who were so drunk they posed a threat tothemselves and others.

“We’re not just looking for people who aredrinking and enjoying themselves. We’re afterthose who are completely inebriated and may harmthemselves or others,” Lt. Art Munsell, director ofthe SIP program for the McAllen branch of TABC,said. “These are patrons that are falling down drunkor passed out at the bar.”

According to Munsell, TABC targeted places

For the second year, The University of Texas-Pan American is hosting Student Leadership Week,a nationwide event that runs April 17-22 dedicatedto recognizing student leaders on schools anduniversities. So far, activities have included aspeech by Sarah Weddington Tuesday, an outdoormovie screening, and an information session.

The Student Leadership Academy (SLA), abranch of the Student Leadership Program (SLP)was created by the dean of students in fall 2004.The group has sponsored most of the activities toshowcase student leadership. Amy Martin, SLAcoordinator, believes this will be a chance forstudents at UTPA to network and encourage eachother to enhance their personal skills and leaderqualities.

“We try to get them to develop theirleadership abilities during this week,” she said.“The event isn’t directly hosted by SLA, but we’llwill be there and we hope we can bring a little bitof the organization’s ambience to the campus.”

Maria Martinez, a junior communicationdisorders major and graduate of SLA, believesthis is a good way to get word out aboutleadership opportunities.

“We hope it’ll really motivate them and get

PAN AMERICANUTPA Athletics busy signing prospects

see Page 14TH

E

T h e S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r o f T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Te x a s - P a n A m e r i c a n A p r i l 2 0 , 2 0 0 6

By ANA LEYThe Pan American

See LEADERSHIP page 11

LeadershipWeek honorsinvolvement

See TABC page 11

TABC’s SIP program under investigation, suspendedBy JAVIER CAVAZOSThe Pan American

See WEDDINGTON page 11

Joel de la Rosa/The Pan AmericanFROZEN IN TIME - Sarah Weddington shows the Tuesday night crowd an issue of Time that shecontributed to for their “80 days that changed the world” special.

WWeddington states her ceddington states her casease

Bone Thugs & Harmony Video Shoot and Celebrity Guest

“Halle Berry”at Club Farenhite

10:00 p.m. on Saturday night

The event is part of Club Farenhite’s

“Saturday Celebrity Night”Everyone is encouraged to attend and be part of the one thousand extras needed in the shoot.

Proceeds from the $20 cover charge will benefit the McAllen Boys and Girls Club.

For more information contact (956) 668-9888 or cbabula1233@yahoo.com or visit www.clubfarenhite.com.

UTPUTPAAmakes choice in

SGA executive ticket runoff elections

See page 4

U.S. Secretary of Commerce

Carlos M. Gutierrez to visit UTPA on

Friday from 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. to speak on economic development and commercial growth

in the Rio Grande Valley

Event to take place in the IT building’s International Room

By SANDRA GONZALEZThe Pan American

Thousands

have gathered

in Hamburg,

Germany to

get the first

g l i m p s e n -

chausen of

the world’s

biggest cruise ship, the Freedom of

the Seas, according to a report filed

by the BBC Monday.

The Freedom, built by the indus-

trious people of Finland, is the flagship

of Royal Caribbean International. This

buoyant behemoth will be commis-

sioned to carry up to 4,375 drunk, rich

people at a time. It is 160,000 tons,

1,112 feet long and 184 feet wide. The

“Freedom” has all the usual accou-

trements of a world-class cruise liner as

well as a few unique amenities such as

a skating rink, a rock-climbing wall, a

waterpark and the world’s first on-

board surfing pool. Not to mention

more bars than New Orleans. It needs

only a final check and polish at

Germany’s Blohm and Voss shipyard

before a broken bottle signals the begin-

ning of its maiden voyage scheduled for

Tuesday.

I must say I’ve never been on a

cruise. In fact, the closest I’ve ever been

to anything even remotely resembling a

cruise was when I ordered the never-

ending crab legs at Red Lobster. All that

having been said, I think one thing is

painfully clear. This thing is gonna sink.

I’ve never been more certain of anything

in my entire life. The only thing I’m not

sure about is whether Antonio Sabato Jr.

or Casper Van Dien will star in the made-

for-TV movie about the catastrophe.

This isn’t some knee-jerk reaction

by a guy who’s just jealous because he’s

never had the unique pleasure of getting

his “sea legs.” This is a prediction from

a man who knows his history. Well, not

his history, history in general. You get

the idea.

Every time some huge heralded

technologically cutting-edge con-

veyance is unwrapped, something utter-

ly atrocious happens.

First, of course, I’ll reference the

Titanic. The similarities here are so obvi-

ous I feel like a hack even mentioning it,

but nevertheless. Huge ship? Check.

New innovations? Check. Unbridled and

unfettered faith in technology even in the

face of unheard of physical demands?

Check. C’mon, this is too easy.

Next up is the Hindenburg. Billed

as a flying hotel and believed to be faster

than any ship, the Hindenburg had the

Third Reich so worked up that hundreds

of Nazis threw out their elbows because

they couldn’t heil each other fast

enough. Unfortunately, to say the least,

the fabric of the Hindenburg’s outer skin

and a new revolutionary protective coat-

ing created a spark of static electricity

that immolated the damned dirigible.

This phenomenon isn’t even limit-

ed to boats and planes. We could go fur-

ther back. That’s right, we could go

Biblical. Ever heard of the Tower of

Babel? The word Babylon is the Greek

form of the native Akkadian Bab-ilu

which meant “Gate of the god.” This

was essentially what the Tower of Babel

was supposed to be: a never-before-

attempted and never to be equaled archi-

tectural testament to the mind and will of

man. As the story goes, God didn’t take

too kindly to this arrogant affront and put

a stop to the building by mixing up the

languages of the people.

How about mass-media in the 21st

Century? Take “The Matrix” trilogy for

example. Nerds, nihilists and “Bill and

Ted” fans gathered en masse awaiting

the second “Matrix” movie. It was talked

about incessantly. If only we knew then

what we know now, that it stunk.

The idea of learning from the past

or being doomed to repeat it is one of the

most clichéd and oft trotted out pieces of

pop-philosophy known to man. But in

this case it’s completely relevant. The

Matrix stunk, the tower is gone, the

Hindenburg hindenburned, the Titanic

sank, and mark my words: the Freedom

is a goner.

But, now stay with me on this, I

don’t think this might necessarily be a

bad thing in the long run. Sure a lot of

people in snappy uniforms are going to

drown and death is always sad.

However, look at what’s happened in the

wake of all the other disasters.

Without the Tower of Babel we

wouldn’t have different languages.

Without different languages we would-

n’t have foreign films. Without those

how would we ever be able to spot pre-

tentious jerks at Hollywood Video? If

the Hindenburg hadn’t burned then

Zeppelins would probably not be in our

consciousness years later thus perhaps

depriving the world of Led Zeppelin.

And a world without Led Zeppelin…oh

the humanity! The Titanic taught us that

even though we know how a movie is

going to end it can still be good if it has

Billy Zane.

So I say Bon Voyage, Freedom.

I’m sorry about what’s going to happen

to you but I look forward to the upside.

Maybe Christo will raise it and wrap it in

bubble wrap or something.

By DAVID RODRIGUEZThe Pan American

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539

(956) 381-2541 Fax: (956) 316-7122

http://www.panam.edu/dept/panamerican

55th Year – No. 27

The PANAMERICAN isthe official studentnewspaper of TheUniversity ofTexas-PanAmerican. Views presentedare those of thewriters and do notnecessarily reflectthose of theuniversity.

The Pan Americangladly acceptsletters fromstudents, staff andfaculty regardingnewspaper contentor current issues.The Pan Americanreserves the rightto edit submissionsfor grammar andlength. Please limitsubmission lengthto 300 words. ThePan Americancannot publishanonymous letters,or submissionscontaining hatespeech orgratuitous personalattacks. Letters areprinted at thediscretion of theeditor and mustinclude the writer’sname, class/titleand phone number.

Letters policy

April 20 2006

Readers with disabili-ties may request analternative format ofthis publication at ThePan American businessoffice. For specialassistance to attendany event listed in thispublication, contactthe coordinator of theevent at least one weekprior to the advertiseddate. Articles are writ-ten and published atthe discretion of ThePan American news-paper. Should readerswish to submit storyideas to the editor,please allow two weeksfor processing.

OPINIONSPAGE 2

THE

PAN AMERICAN A catastrophic forgone conclusionUNPROTECTED TEXT

Humanity: Making history by repeating history

EditorClaudette Gonzalez

claudetteelena@gmail.com

News EditorSandra Gonzalezsandra_panamerican

@yahoo.com

A & E EditorMeredith LaGrone

meredith_lagrone@hotmail.com

Sports EditorDaryl Gonzales

daryl_gonzales2002@yahoo.com

Graphics EditorLyLony Cazares

lylony@gmail.com

Photography EditorJoel de la Rosa

delarosa.joel@gmail.com

DesignersBrian Carr

carr.ba@gmail.com

Erika Lopezlopez475@yahoo.com

Laura C. Gomezlm.gomez@yahoo.com

Advertising Mgr.Rafael Villarrealspubs@panam.edu

Reporters

Frank Calvillo

Adriana Garza

Jorge Hinojosa

Luke Koong

Ana Ley

Maria Mazariegos

Claralexis Rios

David Rodriguez

Angela Salazar

Carolina Sanchez

Trey Serna

Photographer

Joey Cortez

Translator

Mercedes Cantu

Adviser

Dr. Greg Selber

Secretary

Anita Casares

Delivery

William Watts

Thursday at Noon

Based On A True Story:by Laura C. Gomez

RoommatesTo the Editor:

I would like to clarify a comment

that was made in “A different kind of

yearbook at UTPA,” about the

Panorama magazine.

The story stated that the

Panorama is produced by communica-

tion students, and while the magazine

is housed in the department of com-

munication and advised by communi-

cation professors, it is produced by

students from all over the university.

For example, this year the photo editor

is from criminal justice, several of the

writers are from English, an illustrator

from computer science, and a photog-

rapher from art. We are currently

building our 2006/2007 staff and

encourage students from all over the

university to come work with us (both

paid and volunteer positions are avail-

able). The current edition of the

Panorama will be available April 29th.

Thank you,

Kimberly Selber

Asst. prof., dept. of communication

After several years with the same e-

mail system, The University of Texas-

Pan American has teamed up with

Hotmail to implement a new one.

The students were informed of the

change this past December and the new

accounts have been available since

January. However, this coming

December, the Academic Computing

Department will be sending out notices

to those

who still

have the

o l d

a c c o u n t s

informing them that they must switch to

the new accounts as the old ones will no

longer function

According to Anne Toal, director of

academic computing, the new Hotmail sys-

tem is not only more accessible and reliable

- with enough capacity to handle the tasks

that the average user wants to accomplish -

but it will also come at no cost.

“The university no longer has to pay

for an inferior service that was expensive

to maintain,” Toal said. “The service is

free both to the students and to UTPA.”

Students’ Hotmail accounts will pro-

vide them reliable e-mail service over the

While curing the wounds of war and

taking care of the medical needs of her

fellow Air Force members as a medic,

Valerie Cherolin Simones, a senior

physician’s assistant major, knew it

was what she wanted to do in life: help

the medical needs of those around her.

So after returning home from a four

year-plus tour of duty in the fall of

2002, she enrolled in The University of

Texas-Pan American.

While the U.S. Government typically

covers veterans’ tuition and fees,

Simones was also a recipient of the

Valley Heroes Scholarship, created in

April 2005 to help pay for additional

expenses such as books.

“I used some of the money to pay for

a prep course for my national certifica-

tion exam in New Jersey. Without that

money I would not have been able to

attend,” she said.

The preparation course in New

Jersey is to train Simoes for her

Physician’s Assistant National

Certification Exam, a national test that

every aspiring physician’s assistant must

pass in order to be licensed. The course

will aid in her success and cost $750,

which the Valley Heroes Scholarship

helped pay for.

A relatively new addition to the list

of scholarships available at UTPA, this

one was created by President Blandina

Cardenas to honor the 16 Valley service-

men who have lost their lives while serv-

ing the country in Operation Iraqi

Freedom and Operation Enduring

Freedom in Afghanistan.

“I wanted to do something to honor

the lives of these young men and

women, many of whom did not have a

chance to yet go to college,” Cardenas

By MARIAALEJANDRA MAZARIEGOSThe Pan American

Golf fans longing to get on the course

don’t have to look any further.

Tomorrow, The

University of Texas-Pan

American Alumni

Association, in conjunction

with Bronc Athletics, will

host the 17th annual Pan Am

Classic tournament.

The minimum entrance fee

to play is $1,500 for two players. While that

fee may seem exorbitant, the proceeds go to

a good cause, according to Mark Lacy, sys-

tems analyst and special events coordinator.

“Providing the needed scholarship

money for [students] is one of the most

important aspects of the tournament,”

Lacy said.

Players will tee off at 1 p.m. on the

greens of Tierra Santa Golf Club in

Weslaco. In addition to helping with

scholarships, monies raised will be used

to support various UTPA athletic teams

and their student-athletes.

One of the scholarships

the tournament will fund is

the Sam Williams

Endowment, which goes

toward basketball and hon-

ors Williams, who coached

the Broncs for 15 years and

won the school’s only national title, an

NAIA championship in 1963.

As part of the tournament, one lucky

raffle winner will drive home a brand

new 2006 Jeep Liberty, donated by Van

Burkleo Motors of McAllen. And should

any player make a hole-in-one, Van

Burkleo Mid-Valley Ford donates a Ford

F-150 pickup as the prize.

The Classic features several big-

name sponsors such as the Edinburg

Economic Development Corporation,

Van Burkleo Motors, Valley Coca-Cola

Bottling Co., South Texas Health

System, KB Homes, Gateway Printing

and Office Supply, COSTEP, and

KRGV-TV NewsChannel 5.

Lacy said the foundation hopes to

raise close to $100,000 this year and is

very excited about the event.

“It has been 17 years and we keep on

doing it. It gets a lot of people involved

and we have a good time,” Lacy said.

“We enjoy doing it.”

PREPARING STUDENTSBefore the event, the UTPA golf

team and the rest of the Athletic

Department will welcome 125 students

from Weslaco and the surrounding area

in the UTPA GEAR UP Leadership

Golf Clinic.

UTPA student-athletes and coach-

ing staff will take part in the event,

which will provide GEAR UP students

with instruction in leadership, time

Student surveys are often conduct-

ed around campus by various offices

and departments to evaluate attitudes

toward university policies, faculty per-

formance, and other aspects of campus

life. Every two years, UTPA and the

dean of students conduct a Student

Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) to gauge

how happy students are with services

provided by the university and how

important services are in a student’s

academic career.

The SSI is administered in the spring

semester to randomly selected classes

that are willing to participate. It meas-

ures the importance and the satisfaction

students feel toward university services.

“There’s two ways to look at the SSI

results,” said Jerry Price, dean of stu-

dents. “You can look at them as raw

numbers of how satisfied students are

and how important the services are to

them, and you can view them as a way to

see how we measure up to other schools

in the nation,”

The university uses a national test-

ing company to gather data and com-

pare it to other universities around the

nation who used the same survey. This

allows for a better grasp on how UTPA

ranks among other 4-year universities

and how satisfied the student body is as

a whole.

The most recent results available

are from the last survey, conducted in

2004, when approximately 1,100 stu-

dents responded to the questionnaire.

The university just administered the

latest SSI survey a few weeks ago.

Along with the list of standard ques-

tions on the national survey, the universi-

ty also included an extra sheet of queries

for services and issues specific to UTPA.

“One area I was concerned about was

that the fairness of faculty was ranked

low in regard to importance and satisfac-

tion,” Price said.

The SSI is just one of many tools the

school uses to help make decisions about

services provided and improvements

SGA winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Driving danger . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

En Español . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6NEWS

“For some of thesekids, it’ll probably betheir first time on agolf course, so we’rereally excited toexpose them to golf.”

- Rene Cantu, Assistant athletic director

for development

See SURVEY page 12

By JAVIER CAVAZOSThe Pan American

Survey says UTPA up to snuff in academics

Campuse-mail findsbetter wayto spread

newsBy HECTOR CANOThe Pan American

See E-MAIL page 12

Foundation to hold annual fundraiser

Valley heroes remembered with scholarship

By LUKE KOONGThe Pan American

See GOLF page 12

See SCHOLARSHIP page 12

To be an eligible applicant for the ValleyHeroes Scholarship the followingrequirements must be met:

• Be an undergraduate student

• Have a GPA of 3.0 or more (if returning or transfer student)

• Be enrolled at least half time (6 hours)

• Honorably served a minimum of 6 months of active duty (students are required to submit a copy of form DD214)

• If entering freshman, must have a score of 20 or more on ACT or 930 on SAT

On the Student Satisfaction Inventory, respondents were askedto rank the importance of and their satisfaction with 73 state-

ments about the campus. These are the Top 5:

Rank of importance Satisfaction rank(1 being the most important) (1 being the best)

1 The amount of student parking space on 73

campus is adequate

2 The content of the courses within my major was valuable 2

3 I am able to register for classes I need with few conflicts 44

4 My academic adviser is knowledgeable 6

about requirements in my major

5 The instruction in my major field is excellent 7

Bronc Battalion arms cadets with skills for future

Argelia Barrera remembers going door to door

on the streets of Mexico as a young girl, helping

campaign for her uncle who was running for office.

So when it came time for the junior biology major

to do some campaigning of her own, she knew what

she was getting into.

While the new Student Government Association

(SGA) president paid her canvassing dues before

the election, she has also done her fair share of

grunt work for the organization she now represents.

As a freshman, Barerra’s first experience with

SGA happened by a twist of fate.

“One of my friends used to work for SGA so the

first time I went to go visit her, SGA was working

on some project,” she said. “I really don’t remem-

ber which, and one of the senators at the time asked

me if I wanted to be a senator.”

Showing great interest, Barrera began the

process of becoming a senator representative since

all the senator positions were taken.

“I really began at the bottom and worked my

way up,” she said.

In the years following, Barrera served as a sen-

ator-at-large and senator for the College of Social

and Behavioral Sciences.

“From then on, I really, really loved it,” she said.

FINAL RUNGBut that dedication was put to the test when

Barrera decided to run for president. Due to hec-

tic schedules, she and new SGA vice-president

Bonnie Bustos, a senior biology major, often

had to go around campus to put up posters at 11

p.m. or midnight. All with a great risk involved.

If she had lost the election, Barrera took the

chance of having no position in SGA at all.

“I knew I was taking that risk,” she said. “It

was just going to be a very big part of me gone.

Though she won the election, Barrera says

she will miss being a senator, as they are an

important part of SGA. But she says she put her

sights on the presidency early on in her career.

“I think that when I started getting involved,

I realized what SGA really does. I saw that the

power of the president is very important when

dealing with administrators if you aren’t using

your power correctly,” she said. “That’s when I

realized ‘I want to do this.’ This is something

I’ve wanted to do for three years.”

Barrera has held a variety of leadership posi-

tions. As a varsity cheerleader at Brownsville

Porter High School, she served as co-captain,

and as president of the school’s mock trial

group.

At UTPA, she served as president of the Pre-law

Society and remains active in the organization. Still,

like any other student, Barrera has some doubts

about her future.

“I thought I [wanted to be a lawyer], but now

that I’ve become involved in student government

and student life activities I’m thinking about higher

education,” she said.

Planning on pursuing her master’s, Barrera

says she will not run for SGA office next year.

However, she says that SGA is looking forward to

getting of to a running start and accomplishing as

much as it can.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to doing

this,” she said.

One of SGA’s first events under the new

administration will be the United Serve Project,

which is set to take place Saturday from 8 a.m.

to 4 p.m. with volunteers meeting in the Student

Union. A collaborative effort between SGA, the

Student Leadership Academy and Student Life

and Transition Services, the event will involve

volunteers being taken to the Mujeras Unidas

facility to help make an outdoor activities site.

For more information contact Amy Martin at

381-2260.

April 20, 2006 NEWS Page 4

New SGA president committed to serviceBy SANDRA GONZALEZThe Pan American

Sgt. Michael Flores, a junior mechanical engi-

neering major, has been in The University of Texas-

Pan American Bronc Battalion (ROTC) for one

semester and was in the Army for a year and a half.

He believes that in a short time, he has learned skills

that will help him succeed in the future.

“You learn everything from land navigation to

marksmanship training, everything from bivouack-

ing, which is camping out; all that good stuff,”

Flores said. “The main thing is how to be a

leader…it all goes around in a circle.”

While at UTPA, Flores is using the Bronc

Battalion to prepare for the Officer’s Training Corps

Program, and the program has traditionally served

that purpose and others across the nation, including

sending members on to careers in the military.

But other students and campuses are not so

enthusiastic about the ROTC. Some schools who did

not want army recruiters on their campuses recently

took their case all the way to the Supreme Court.

In 2003, The Forum for Academic and

Institutional Rights (FAIR), a group of law

schools, began the process of challenging a 10-

year-old law that stated that federal funding could

be pulled if they refused to let Army recruiters on

their campuses. The crux of the matter was the

military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding

homosexuals.

However, on March 6 a unanimous Supreme

Court ruling stated that college campuses have no

right to ban military recruiters of any kind. The

court said they should treat them the same as the

other job recruiters that are always on campus. If

they choose to bar them from the university, they

risk losing federal funds.

U.S. citizens are sometimes skeptical of what

the military does and what it stands for. Flores says

skeptics sometimes don’t believe that it is as great

as the government makes it out to be.

“I guess they just have a lack of knowledge,”

Flores said. “Maybe they’ve heard from someone

who’s heard from someone that something bad has

happened and it turned into a story that’s not true. I

think if they had first-hand experience these con-

ceptions would quickly evaporate.”

Lt. Col. Melvin Fechner, military science

department head, says that the Valley shows its sup-

port for the military and what they’re trying to do

right now. He says he has never come across a neg-

ative situation or outlook on the military.

“No one has ever treated me in a derogatory

way on campus or off because I represent ROTC or

am in the military,” Fechner said. “Quite the con-

trary, people stop me on campus and in the commu-

nity to say ‘thank you’ when they see me in uni-

form. This is a patriotic area.”

Flores added that his commitment to the mili-

tary - now that we’re at war - has still not changed.

He joined in a time of war and plans to serve his

country. He added that he is not worried about cur-

rent issues facing the military right now, such as

supposed low pay.

“I mean, a lot of us, especially here in ROTC,

are getting paid just to come to school, so that’s

never been an issue,” Flores said. “In fact, it’s one

of our main incentives, which is the money.”

Flores also said that while lack of proper body

armor for the soldiers in Iraq has been an issue, he

feels that the Army is doing all it can.

“I’ve got some buddies [over there] but I’ve

heard now that the Army’s unifying the body armor

for everyone,” he said. “They want everyone to

have the same maximum amount of protection.”

Fechner said while the armor helps protect sol-

diers overseas, the Battalion does its part in helping

to boost soldiers’ morale.

“About once a semester we send care packages to

deployed soldiers and former UTPA cadets who are

now lieutenants in Afghanistan and Iraq,” he said.

While former UTPA cadets are away at war,

Fechner said whether the seniors graduating from

the Battalion go into the military or not, he hopes

that they take the values of the Constitution and the

Army with them.

“[I hope] that they learn about themselves and

others since the military is such a diverse organiza-

tion,” Fechner said. “That they gain many friend-

ships in the military and with the civilians they will

meet as they serve our great country and that they

will leave the military more confident than they

came and with great dreams.”

BARRERA

TRAINING - Cadets of UTPA’s Bronc Battalion are prepared with skills they can use in life and a possi-ble career in the armed forces, undergoing various classes and training regimens throughout their timein the program. The Army has faced scrutiny recently for its recruitment practices.

Joey Cortez/The Pan American

Spotlight on Bonnie Bustos,new SGA vice president and

senior biology major

UTPA activities:• RA for three and a half years• Leadership Academy• Recent member of UPB• Residents Housing Association

General:• Intern with Planned Parenthood• Graduate of Cigarroa High School

in Laredo• Leadership roles in high school

Student Council, National Honor Society

“Everyone hasasked me ‘why didyou run?’ and all I

say is: I loveUTPA.”

BUSTOS

By ADRIANA GARZAThe Pan American

April 20, 2006 NNEEWWSS Page 5

Drowsy driving a major road threatDanger on par with risks associated with drunken driving

He could feel himself ready to doze off, butGilbert Palacios Jr., a senior criminal justice major,knew he had to stay awake to make it all the way tohis parents’ Laredo home. A bouncer at a McAllenclub, Palacios had left work at 3 a.m., hitting the roadwithout resting before beginning the three-hour drive.

With only four hours of sleep in a day and ahalf, Palacios is just one of an estimated 37 percentof American drivers who get behind the wheelwithout proper rest. The National Sleep Foundation(NSF) says most adults need anywhere from 7-9hours of sleep daily to maintain the alertnessnecessary to drive.

Sleepiness causes impaired performance inareas such as reaction times, vigilance, attentionand information processing, putting “drowsydriving” on par with drunken driving. In fact,according to the NSF, being awake for 18 hours is

equal to having a blood alcoholconcentration of 0.08 percent, which is

legally drunk.“I think it’s probably as serious

as drunk driving. It affects peoplejust as much,” Steve Ricci, Texas

Highway Patrol trooper, said.Many accidents in which

the driver has fallen asleep atthe wheel are one-car

crashes where the driverveers of the road and

only hurts himself.However, according

to Ricci, there is always the possibility of involvingunsuspecting motorists.

“Could be one vehicle or two,” Ricci, aMission resident, said. “You could fall asleep andcross the center line, and then if someone else iscoming from the opposite direction, the twovehicles could collide.”

A report sponsored by the National Institutesof Health’s National Center on Sleep DisordersResearch (NCSDR) and the National HighwayTraffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states thatdriving alone late at night or very early in themorning on high-speed, rural roads without enoughrest is a recipe for disaster.

Another time slot in which drivers may beprone to falling asleep is the afternoon siesta hour.This is the case for University of Texas-PanAmerican graduate Frank Rodriguez, an Edinburgschool teacher.

“Mid-afternoon is the time I fall asleep. It’sreally hot and if I hit the road after work around thattime, I get sleepy,” Rodriguez, who received abachelor’s degree in 2003, said.

While dozing off at the wheel can happen toanybody, the NCSDR/NHTSA report indicatedthat people ages 16-29, shift workers who work atnight, and people with certain sleep disorders aremost at risk.

“The younger ones are more likely to drivesleepily because they push themselves more.They’re also less likely to get the amount of sleepthat they need,” explained Ricci.

The statistics are staggering. According tothe 2003 act passed by Congress titled “Maggie’sLaw: National Drowsy Driving Act,” a 1995

federal study estimated that 100,000 car crashesper year are caused by driver drowsiness orfatigue. Even more alarming is that, according tothe same study, every year 1,550 deaths and71,000 injuries are the direct result of a driverfalling asleep at the wheel.

In order to prevent such calamities, Riccirecommends combating sleepiness using tacticssuch as drinking caffeinated beverages, scanningthe roadway instead of staring straight ahead, andtaking breaks from driving.

“As soon as you notice that you’ve beendriving and you’re nodding off, even just for a

second, that’s the time to stop. Don’t push any morethan that,” Ricci said.

Palacios used a few other tricks to stay awake.“That night, I drank a Red Bull and if I was

falling asleep, I’d call somebody and turn on theradio. I make sure I take the busiest routes so it’snot so boring,” Palacios said.

Fatigue is not only an issue in car driving.Fatigue among civilian and military pilots is involvedin up to eight percent of aviation accidents. Just aswith truck driving, limits on flight hours andminimum rest requirements have been instituted inorder to cut down on sleep-related accidents.

By CLAUDETTE GONZALEZThe Pan American High-risk drivers

Although no driver is immune to the risks associat-ed with driving while lacking sleep, the following

three population groups are at highest risk. This isbased on evidence from crash reports and self

reports of sleep behavior and driving performance.

• Young people (ages 16 to 29), especiallymales.

• Shift workers whose sleep is disrupted byworking at night or working long or irregularhours.

• People with untreated sleep apnea syndrome(SAS) and narcolepsy.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Joel de la Rosa/The Pan American

Page 6 EENN EESSPPAAÑÑOOLL April 20, 2006

Sgto. Michael Flores, estudiante de ingeniería

mecánica, ha estado en el Batallón Bronc de la

Universidad de Texas-Pan Americana (ROTC) por

un semestre y estuvo en el ejército por un año y

medio. El cree que en poco tiempo, ha desarrollado

habilidades que le ayudaran a tener éxito en el

futuro.

“Uno aprende todo desde navegación hasta

entrenamiento, todo de “bivouacking,” que es

campamento al aire libre; todo las esas cosas

buenas,” dijo Flores. “Lo principal es como llegar a

ser líder… todo va como cadena; como un circulo.”

Mientras su estancia en UTPA, Flores utiliza

el Batallón Bronc para su preparación para el

Programa Coros de Entrenamiento Oficial, pero

otros estudiantes y campus no están muy

entusiasmados del ROTC. Recientemente algunas

escuelas que no quería a los reclutas del ejército en

sus campus, han llevado el caso hasta la Suprema

Corte de Justicia.

En el año del 2003, El Foro para los

Derechos Académicos y Constitucionales

(FAIR); un grupo de escuelas de derecho,

iniciaron el proceso de desafiar una ley

de 10 años que declara que los

fondos federales

pueden ser

retirados

d e

las escuelas si estas no permiten a los reclutas en

sus campus.

Comoquiera, en Marzo 6 una decisión

anónima de la Corte Suprema declaro que los

campus no tienen derecho alguno de prohibir a los

militares reclutas. La Corte dijo que ellos deben de

ser tratados por igual dentro del campus. Si toman

la decisión de prohibirles la entrada, la escuela

arriesgara el perder los fondos federales que se les

proporciona.

Algunas veces los ciudadanos Americanos

son escépticos de lo que el ejercito hace y sus

ideales. Flores dice que algunas veces ellos no

creen que sean tan grandes como el gobierno

quieren que sean.

“Yo creo que ellos carecen de conocimiento,”

expreso Flores. “Tal vez escucharon de alguien

quien escuho de alguien mas que algo malo ha

ocurrido y se ha convertido en una historia que no

es verdadera. Creo que si ellos tuvieran alguna

experiencia estas ideas se evaporarían.”

Teniente Col. Melvin Fechner, cabeza del

departamento de ciencia militar, dice que el Valle

demuestra su soporte al ejército y lo que están

tratando de

hacer ahora. Dice que nunca ha estado en una

situación negativa hacia el ejército.

“Jamás he sido tratado de una manera

despectiva adentro o fuera del campus, esto es por

que represento a ROTC y por que soy un militar,” dijo

Fechner. “Al contrario, las personas me paran en el

campus y en la comunidad para agradecerme al

verme en uniforme. Esta es un área patriótica.”

Flores sumo que su compromiso con el ejército,

ahora que estamos en guerra, no ha cambiado. El se

unió en tiempos de guerra y planea servir a su país.

Dijo que aparte no esta preocupado de problemas

comunes que enfrenta el ejército en estos momentos;

tales como el bajo sueldo.

“Quiero decir, que muchos de nosotros,

especialmente aquí en ROTC, estamos siendo

pagados solo para venir a la escuela, así que esto

jamás ha sido un problema,” dijo Flores. “De hecho,

el dinero ha sido una de nuestras mayores iniciativas.”

Flores agrego que mientras la falta del

apropiado armamento es un problema, siente que el

ejercito esta haciendo todo lo que pueden por

resolverlo.

“Yo tengo algunos amigos (allá) y he escuhado

que ahora el ejercito esta unificando el armamento

para todos,” el dijo. “Quieren que todos tengan el

máximo aumento de protección.”

Fechner dijo que mientras el armamento ayuda

a proteger a los soldados en el extranjero, el Batallón

hace su parte para ayudar estimular la moral de los

soldados.

“Una vez al semestre mandamos paquetes de

asistencia a soldados y anteriores cadetes de UTPA

que ahora son tenientes en Afganistán e Irak, dijo

Fechner.

Mientras anteriores cadetes de UTPA están lejos

en la guerra, Fechner dijo que aunque los que se

gradúen del Batallón vayan al ejército o no, espera de

que ellos se lleven los valores de la constitución y del

ejército con ellos.

“Tengo la esperanza de que aprendan por de

ellos mismos y por otros desde que el ejercito es tan

diverso,” dijo Fechner. “De que ellos ganen tantos

amigos en el ejercito y con los ciudadanos que

conocerán cuando sirvan a nuestro gran país, y de que

dejar el ejercito con mas confianza que con la que

llegaron.”

Batallón Bronc prepara miembros para liderazcoPor ADRIANA GARZATraducido por MERCEDES CANTUThe Pan American

Joey Cortez/The Pan AmericanARMADO - La Sargento Candace Miles inspecciona una arma de fuego como parte del entrenamientodel Batallón Bronc.

Isabel Allende. . . . . . . . . 8 & 9

‘Ice Age 2’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Disney on Ice. . . . . . . . . . . . .10A&EMcAllen is starting a new tradition this year

with its first ever “Oysters and Jazz Fest,” at the

McAllen Civic Center. Headlining the event this year

will be world-renowned trumpet player Arturo

Sandoval, who has made a name for himself over the

past half century by playing multiple genres of music

and doing so with flair unlike any other.

Born on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba,

Sandoval was granted political asylum in 1990 and

U.S. citizenship in 1999. He now lives with his fam-

ily in Miami and continues to play the music that

made him famous. He studied under Dizzy Gillespie,

who was the first to bring Latin influences into

American Jazz, and won four Grammy awards, six

Billboard awards and even an Emmy.

The jazz legend will not only be performing at

the event but also giving a short clinic to those who

reserve seats on time. The clinic, which runs from 4-

5 p.m., kicks off the series of events, and immediate-

ly afterward, local jazz bands will take the stage at

McAllen Civic Center for a three-hour concert.

During the concert, raw and smoked oysters will be

served. At 8 p.m. Rene Sandoval and his South Texas

Jazz Quartet will play as opening act for Arturo

Sandoval. Following the concert, Espana Restaurant

will host a party with the Joe Chapa Group perform-

ing on the patio.

Several area groups have worked together to

bring the festival and Sandoval to McAllen.

“We knew Brownsville and Corpus had South

Texas Jazz Festivals,” said David Trevino, of David

Trevino Productions in McAllen, which is organizing

the event. “McAllen has several successful festivals,

such as the crawfish boil they do every year. We just

wanted to do something maybe like St. Mary’s in San

Antonio does with their oyster fest. I also had a

friend who is a trumpet player, and he suggested try-

ing to get Sandoval to come down and perform.”

Since this is the first “Oysters and Jazz Fest,”

Trevino hopes it will go over well with

McAllen residents.

“Right now, we’re having it at the civic center,

which is kind of small,” he said. “Next year, though,

they’re opening the new one, which will be much

bigger. We hope the local people take to this, so we

can expand it to a two- or three-day event next year.”

The event is not only for entertainment, though.

Sponsored in part by Hosanna Health Care, the jazz

fest will raise funds for non-profit organizations, pri-

marily El Centro Cultural Mexico.

Alida Hernandez, events chair for El Centro

Cultural Mexico, said she has been involved with

fundraisers for the organization for 11 years and saw

the need to collect money for the program and to pro-

vide entertainment in the Valley.

“We knew this kind of thing was needed in the

Valley; this area desperately needed some culture,”

she said. “We decided to try to raise funds for the

organization because we do so much work in the

community with the schools. Entertainment is the

thing of the future for the Valley, and long before

there was Dodge Arena, we were trying to bring con-

certs here.”

Tickets to the event are $30 and can be reserved

by calling 688-3400 or stopping by the McAllen

Civic Center box office. Tickets can also be pur-

chased online at www.gettix.net.

For more information on Sandoval, visit his

Web site at www.arturosandoval.com.

Trumpet legend to visit Valley

A refreshing style of music and performance is

slated to invade McAllen on April 26 at 7:30 p.m. at

the Cine El Rey, located at 311 S.17th St.

Del Castillo is a band from Austin that has made

a name for itself in the Austin music scene. The band

was formed in Fall 2002 by two brothers, Rick (gui-

tar, vocals) and Mark del Castillo (guitar, vocals),

who were born in Brownsville. The brothers were

later joined by Alex Ruiz (vocals), Albert Besteiro

(bass), Mike Zeoli (drums) and Rick Holeman (per-

cussion, vocals). The band has put together their tal-

ents to create a distinctive Latin rock sound unlike

anything else.

With the release of their 2001 debut “Brothers

of the Castle,” the band created a strong buzz around

Texas. Their unique sound and style met great

reviews from critics and fans. The good press contin-

ued with their follow up, “Vida.” A review from the

Austinreview.com said, “unlike many bands who fall

flat with the release of their second CD, Del Castillo

has managed to pool the talent of the band and pro-

duce a collection of songs that leaves the listen-

er in awe.”

Del Castillo’s reign stretches far beyond the city

limits of Austin.

Steven Hill, 18, was introduced to the group

through his mother and has had a liking for

them since.

“My mom went to school with the Del Castillo

brothers, so she would always go to their stuff in

Brownsville and one day she took me,” the

Brownsville resident said. “I was hooked from that

point on.”

Unlike much of the commercial bands, who

play catchy, radio-friendly songs or pure grunge, Del

Castillo proves their talent and uniqueness to

their audience.

“Their skills on guitar are amazing,” Hill said.

“Being able to play so fast and harmonizing it; it’s

just awesome watching them play.”

Fans spread the word quickly when it comes to

Del Castillo. They’re highly impressed with the

band’s live performances.

“I’ve seen them [live] twice, and they were

amazing,” said Jessica Martinez, a freshman at San

Jacinto College in Houston. “I took some friends the

second time and they were all blown away.”

According to the band’s official Web site, they

have won numerous awards and honors. The band

has been highly successful at the Austin Music

Awards at South By Southwest, garnering one award

at each of the 2002, 2004, 2005 events and a band

high of seven in the 2003 contest. They took Austin

Band Of The Year, Best Album Of The Year for

“Vida” and Austin Single Of The Year, just to name a

few. They also had the honor of performing in

Chicago at the “Kill Bill. Volume 2.” premiere.

Joining Del Castillo on stage will be Vallejo,

an Austin band with modern rock grooves, soulful

lyrics and a touch of Latin. Much like Del Castillo,

Vallejo has gained a tremendous following

in Austin.

For more information on the bands, please

visit www.delcastillomusic.com and www.vallejo-

music.com.

By MEREDITH LAGRONEThe Pan American

Austin bands bring new event to historic Cine El Rey

Arturo Sandoval will headline first ‘Oysters and Jazz Fest’

By TREY SERNAThe Pan American

SANDOVAL

A WINNING TEAM - Del Castillo, an Austin band, accepts an award at Austin’s South by Southwest.

April 20, 2006 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 9Page 8 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT April 20, 2006

Story By: Frank Calvillo • Designed By: Roy Bazan She is one of the world’s top female Latin American novel-ists. The works she has written have been considered bestsellersin America, Europe, Latin America and Australia. Her novelshave garnered some of the industry’s most coveted awards fromsuch organizations as The Los Angeles Times, the Dorothy andLillian Gish Association and The Library Journal.

With more than a dozen books in publication that have sold35 million copies and have been translated into nearly 30 lan-guages, and a writing style that has been described as a combina-tion of politics, romance and magical realism, Isabel Allende hasgiven the Latin American woman a voice in the world of lit-erature.

On Monday, Allende will visit The University of Texas-PanAmerican to give a lecture as part of UTPA’s OutstandingLeadership Series. The event will include a lecture from Allendealong with a student luncheon that will take place between 11a.m.-12 p.m. Tickets were distributed yesterday in the studentunion on a first come first serve basis. One hundred students arebeing granted the opportunity to hear the famous author speak.

However, despite her massive success, Allende’s life has notbeen without suffering. In a life full of riches, Allende had toendure such hardships as exile from her homeland in 1973 and thedeath of her daughter in 1994. Allende used these life-alteringexperiences to her advantage and channeled the emotions into herwriting. Such events inspired her to write her debut novel “TheHouse of the Spirits,” a tale about a family living in SouthAmerica at the turn of the century during the time of communismand socialism, and “Paula,” a memoir written shortly after herdaughter’s death.

Born on August 2, 1942 in Lima, Peru, Allende grew up thedaughter of Chilean parents, a nationality she wears proudly anddisplays in her work. Her father, Tomas Allende, was a diplomat,and her uncle was Salvador Allende, former president of Chile.Her writing career began in 1964 as a journalist for “Paula,” aChilean women’s magazine. Her career continued to flourishwhen she wrote for a children’s magazine called “Mampato.” Inthe mid-‘70s Allende made the switch from magazines to newspa-pers when she was hired as a writer for El Nacional, a prominentnewspaper in Venezuela.

Allende began writing her first novel in 1981. According tothe author, the novel was a result of the exile brought upon by themilitary coup in Chile.

“I suppose that I was trying to recover the world I had lost,”she said in an e-mail interview.

The novel was critically acclaimed, and Allende was herald-

ed for her portrayal of life in South America. But despite thenovel’s success, Allende was saddened to find that she was one ofa rare breed: female Latin American female novelists.

“When I started writing at the beginning of the ‘80s therewere no female names in the so-called boom of Latin Americanliterature, although women had been writing in my continentsince the 16th century,” she said. “There seemed to be conspiracyof silence regarding women’s writing.”

One novel followed after another. Allende never strayedfrom tackling important and relevant issues in her writing.Whether it was military dictatorship in “Of Love and Shadows,”social class discrimination in “Eva Luna,” or immigration in “TheInfinite Plan,” Allende succeeded in bringing heated topics ofdebate to the forefront of Latin American literature.

Allende herself admits that her novels contain multitudes ofthemes and messages.

“There are themes that one can find in almost all my books:love, death, strong women, social and political issues, restorativejustice, nature, history, a sense of place and often violence,”she said

Allende has also written a series of coming-of-age adventurenovels for young adults, including “City of the Beasts,”“Kingdom of the Golden Dragon,” and “Forest of the Pygmies,”all of which feature the teenage character Alexander Cold and hisexperiences in the Amazon jungle.

But it is her representation of Latin American women thathas made her a noteworthy figure in women’s literature. Her hero-ines in such novels as “Daughter of Fortune” (an Oprah BookClub selection), “Portrait of Sephia” and “Aphrodite” were allindicative of the different views of women that exist in LatinAmerica.

However, Allende maintains a sense of humility when dis-cussing the traits of the women she creates.

“I portray women as I see them. I have worked with and forwomen all my life, and I believe I know them well. I don’t inventideal models for female readers to emulate,” she said.

Indeed many would agree with Allende when it comes to herknowledge of the Latin American woman.

Caroline Miles, an English professor at UTPA, believes thatAllende’s time in the many parts of Latin America has helpedshape the idea of the Latin American woman.

“What is interesting about her is that she’s moved aroundLatin America so much that it’s given her different views ofwomen,” said Miles.

Miles, who teaches a Women’s Literature course, credits

Allende for being part of the Latin American feminist literaryawakening.

“Latin American female writers such as her always have lotsto offer. She has shown that issues such as female subordinationare still heavy in Latin America,” she said.

It is perhaps her non-fiction memoirs that Allende considersher most personal works. “Paula,” which Allende wrote in mem-ory of her daughter, is among the author’s favorites.“It helped me overcome the terrible loss of my daughter and findmeaning to my sorrow,” she explained. “It was an exercise inmemory. I could sort out the confusion of what had happened andtransform my emptiness into strength.”

While the inspiration behind the work may be one of sad-ness, Allende proclaims “Paula” to be joyous.

“Writing was my way of grieving, yet the book is not sad; itis a celebration of love, life and family. To this day, so many yearslater, I still get letters from people who felt touched by that story,”she said.

Today Allende has acquired a reputation as one of the lead-ing Latin American female novelists, and her list of accolades andawards continues to grow. She has been awarded nearly a dozenhonorary degrees from such prestigious universities as New YorkUniversity and Columbia University and has received other hon-ors such as honorary citizen of Austin,and member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Letters.

Her novels have been transformed into plays, musicals,operas and films. Both “The House of the Spirits” and “Of Loveand Shadows” were made into award-winning films and featuredsuch stars as Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, WinonaRyder and Antonio Banderas.

Allende herself was delighted that Hollywood acknowledgedher work.

“When I saw my first novel on the big screen I felt honoredthat all that effort and money had been spent on my story,”she said.

Students, such as UTPA senior Angelica Cerda, are thrilled atthe opportunity of having an author of Allende’s stature visit theuniversity.

“Her visit is important to our university because of our mul-ticultural diversity and the presence of our Hispanic culture atUTPA,” said the English major.

With many stories and characters still to write about, there isno doubt that Allende’s influence has, and will continue to,change the world of women’s literature. For more information onAllende and her works, visit http://www.isabelallende.com.

April 20, 2006 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 9Page 8 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT April 20, 2006

Story By: Frank Calvillo • Designed By: Roy Bazan She is one of the world’s top female Latin American novel-ists. The works she has written have been considered bestsellersin America, Europe, Latin America and Australia. Her novelshave garnered some of the industry’s most coveted awards fromsuch organizations as The Los Angeles Times, the Dorothy andLillian Gish Association and The Library Journal.

With more than a dozen books in publication that have sold35 million copies and have been translated into nearly 30 lan-guages, and a writing style that has been described as a combina-tion of politics, romance and magical realism, Isabel Allende hasgiven the Latin American woman a voice in the world of lit-erature.

On Monday, Allende will visit The University of Texas-PanAmerican to give a lecture as part of UTPA’s OutstandingLeadership Series. The event will include a lecture from Allendealong with a student luncheon that will take place between 11a.m.-12 p.m. Tickets were distributed yesterday in the studentunion on a first come first serve basis. One hundred students arebeing granted the opportunity to hear the famous author speak.

However, despite her massive success, Allende’s life has notbeen without suffering. In a life full of riches, Allende had toendure such hardships as exile from her homeland in 1973 and thedeath of her daughter in 1994. Allende used these life-alteringexperiences to her advantage and channeled the emotions into herwriting. Such events inspired her to write her debut novel “TheHouse of the Spirits,” a tale about a family living in SouthAmerica at the turn of the century during the time of communismand socialism, and “Paula,” a memoir written shortly after herdaughter’s death.

Born on August 2, 1942 in Lima, Peru, Allende grew up thedaughter of Chilean parents, a nationality she wears proudly anddisplays in her work. Her father, Tomas Allende, was a diplomat,and her uncle was Salvador Allende, former president of Chile.Her writing career began in 1964 as a journalist for “Paula,” aChilean women’s magazine. Her career continued to flourishwhen she wrote for a children’s magazine called “Mampato.” Inthe mid-‘70s Allende made the switch from magazines to newspa-pers when she was hired as a writer for El Nacional, a prominentnewspaper in Venezuela.

Allende began writing her first novel in 1981. According tothe author, the novel was a result of the exile brought upon by themilitary coup in Chile.

“I suppose that I was trying to recover the world I had lost,”she said in an e-mail interview.

The novel was critically acclaimed, and Allende was herald-

ed for her portrayal of life in South America. But despite thenovel’s success, Allende was saddened to find that she was one ofa rare breed: female Latin American female novelists.

“When I started writing at the beginning of the ‘80s therewere no female names in the so-called boom of Latin Americanliterature, although women had been writing in my continentsince the 16th century,” she said. “There seemed to be conspiracyof silence regarding women’s writing.”

One novel followed after another. Allende never strayedfrom tackling important and relevant issues in her writing.Whether it was military dictatorship in “Of Love and Shadows,”social class discrimination in “Eva Luna,” or immigration in “TheInfinite Plan,” Allende succeeded in bringing heated topics ofdebate to the forefront of Latin American literature.

Allende herself admits that her novels contain multitudes ofthemes and messages.

“There are themes that one can find in almost all my books:love, death, strong women, social and political issues, restorativejustice, nature, history, a sense of place and often violence,”she said

Allende has also written a series of coming-of-age adventurenovels for young adults, including “City of the Beasts,”“Kingdom of the Golden Dragon,” and “Forest of the Pygmies,”all of which feature the teenage character Alexander Cold and hisexperiences in the Amazon jungle.

But it is her representation of Latin American women thathas made her a noteworthy figure in women’s literature. Her hero-ines in such novels as “Daughter of Fortune” (an Oprah BookClub selection), “Portrait of Sephia” and “Aphrodite” were allindicative of the different views of women that exist in LatinAmerica.

However, Allende maintains a sense of humility when dis-cussing the traits of the women she creates.

“I portray women as I see them. I have worked with and forwomen all my life, and I believe I know them well. I don’t inventideal models for female readers to emulate,” she said.

Indeed many would agree with Allende when it comes to herknowledge of the Latin American woman.

Caroline Miles, an English professor at UTPA, believes thatAllende’s time in the many parts of Latin America has helpedshape the idea of the Latin American woman.

“What is interesting about her is that she’s moved aroundLatin America so much that it’s given her different views ofwomen,” said Miles.

Miles, who teaches a Women’s Literature course, credits

Allende for being part of the Latin American feminist literaryawakening.

“Latin American female writers such as her always have lotsto offer. She has shown that issues such as female subordinationare still heavy in Latin America,” she said.

It is perhaps her non-fiction memoirs that Allende considersher most personal works. “Paula,” which Allende wrote in mem-ory of her daughter, is among the author’s favorites.“It helped me overcome the terrible loss of my daughter and findmeaning to my sorrow,” she explained. “It was an exercise inmemory. I could sort out the confusion of what had happened andtransform my emptiness into strength.”

While the inspiration behind the work may be one of sad-ness, Allende proclaims “Paula” to be joyous.

“Writing was my way of grieving, yet the book is not sad; itis a celebration of love, life and family. To this day, so many yearslater, I still get letters from people who felt touched by that story,”she said.

Today Allende has acquired a reputation as one of the lead-ing Latin American female novelists, and her list of accolades andawards continues to grow. She has been awarded nearly a dozenhonorary degrees from such prestigious universities as New YorkUniversity and Columbia University and has received other hon-ors such as honorary citizen of Austin,and member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Letters.

Her novels have been transformed into plays, musicals,operas and films. Both “The House of the Spirits” and “Of Loveand Shadows” were made into award-winning films and featuredsuch stars as Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, WinonaRyder and Antonio Banderas.

Allende herself was delighted that Hollywood acknowledgedher work.

“When I saw my first novel on the big screen I felt honoredthat all that effort and money had been spent on my story,”she said.

Students, such as UTPA senior Angelica Cerda, are thrilled atthe opportunity of having an author of Allende’s stature visit theuniversity.

“Her visit is important to our university because of our mul-ticultural diversity and the presence of our Hispanic culture atUTPA,” said the English major.

With many stories and characters still to write about, there isno doubt that Allende’s influence has, and will continue to,change the world of women’s literature. For more information onAllende and her works, visit http://www.isabelallende.com.

What do you get when mixing a sloth, mam-

moth, tiger and melting ice? “Ice Age 2: The

Meltdown.”

The weirdest

herd ever is

back with

new friends and a whole new adventure.

This time Diego, Manny and Sid are in a

race against time because their lush land is about

to become nothing more than a water world. The

same voices are back, as well, including John

Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Ray Romano.

However, now new characters have been intro-

duced including Queen Latifah as Ellie, a con-

fused but loveable mammoth, and her two broth-

ers Eddie and Crash, voiced by Josh Peck and

Sean William Scott.

And of course, who could forget Scrat, the

funny and relentless squirrel still trying to get his

beloved acorn? Still on the hunt for the single

acorn, he breaks the tension through the movie

with bouts of comic relief.

According to rottentomatoes.com, most of

the movie is stolen by this buck-toothed guy, who

unwittingly sets up the problems in the first

movie and solves them in the second.

“Better than the original! Scrat the saber-

toothed squirrel once again steals the film...love

that squirrel!” said John Venable of SUPER-

CALA.com

So the story must continue with the herd and

their lives after the rescue of the human baby in

the first movie. Of course Sid is still the dreamer,

who wants to be taken seriously by the rest of the

herd. But try as he might, he always seems to

mess something up. Diego, of course, is the level-

headed tough guy who has to confront a big fear

of his in order to help save the day. And then

there’s Manny, the sarcastic mammoth with the

heart of gold, who is afraid he has become the

last of his kind.

The newly added Ellie, voiced by Queen

Latifah, brings a breath of fresh air to the story,

with some unexpected twists. And so Manny tries

to gain a mate, but in the process finds it difficult

to sway her from her old ways.

“I liked it better than the first one,” said

Jessica Vela, a sophomore communications major

at The University of Texas-Pan American. “Ellie

brings more life to the herd and the movie all

together. There is more laughing and conflict

because of her.”

Although the amount of humor has not

changed much, there are themes in the new film

that could be considered strictly for adults. At

one point Manny suggests that it is up to him and

Ellie to save their species by mating. Children in

the audience might not understand what is going

on, unless they are up to speed on these issues, as

most of the younger generation tends to be.

Still, for those who just want a good laugh,

much of the comedy is provided by the two

newest characters on screen, Eddie and Crash,

Ellie’s not-exactly brothers. Their playful

demeanor and chemistry can remind anyone of

their own overprotective and mischievous

siblings.

The movie also focuses on some ecological

issues the world is facing right now, with global

warming and the threat of extinction of certain

animal species. It is funny how such reflections

on society are found in the movie. Even there,

savvy younger generations are outwitting their

predecessors.

Manny at one point tells a story similar to

“Little Red Riding Hood,” and the kids start ask-

ing questions, overanalyzing the story and think-

ing about the ending, noting how unfulfilling it

was as a story and how unrealistic the charac-

ters were.

The only thing that might leave someone

guessing about the sequel is why they did not tie

in the baby and tribe from the first movie. So

does Manny save his species? Will Sid gain

respect? Does Scrat ever get his acorn? If you

want to know, then you better go watch.

Disney on Ice will transform Hidalgo’s

Dodge Arena into an incredible adventure April

26 – May 1 when Pixar’s “The Incredibles in a

Magic Kingdom Adventure” arrives in the

Valley to present its show. Produced by Feld

Entertainment, this story reveals what happens

when the Parrs try to have a normal vacation at

the Magic Kingdom Park and are forced to turn

i n t o T h e I n c r e d i b l e s t o s a v e M i c k e y

and Minn i e .

The ice show does not maintain the plot of

the movie. While “The Incredibles…” has the

core characters from the movie, the plot is dif-

ferent. In the movie, the family is forced to use

their super powers to save the city from villain

Syndrome; however, on ice, the Parrs must res-

cue Mickey and Minnie from Syndrome’s

evil grasp.

The purpose of the event is to bring a bit of

Disney to the locals instead of trying to get

them to come to Disney, according to Lee Roy

Wolford, staff coordinator for the ice show.

Attendees get to experience many of the rides

the theme park offers without having to leave

the Valley.

“The Incredibles go through the Magic

Kingdom and through all the rides they really

have at the park,” said Wolford. “Families will

see the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the

Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise, so people get

to experience the park in their hometown.”

Unlike the movie, the ice show encourages

audience participation. Each ticket holder will

be provided with an “Incredi-band,” a special

light-up cuff, so everyone can help fight the

bad guys.

“I’ve heard it is a fantastic show, and I

can’t wait to experience it,” said Fidel

Villaseñor, a sophomore marketing major at The

University of Texas-Pan American. He is going

to the show with his family. “My little sister is

very excited about the show, and it will be a

great opportunity to spend some quality time

with my family.”

Not only is the ice show garnering a child-

oriented audience, but it is also attracting the

Valley’s Spanish speakers.

“We do have a Spanish-language showing

for this particular event,” said Yajaira Flores,

director of marketing and sales for Dodge

Arena. “We would like to have a Spanish show-

ing for all of our events, but unfortunately we

can’t. There is a large Spanish-speaking popula-

tion here, and we try to accommodate them

when we can.”

She added that some of the showings are

already sold out.

“This is the third year for Disney on Ice,”

Flores said. “It’s been an extremely successful

show. We have 14 showings, and four school

shows, where the schools bus the kids over for

the shows, which are already sold out.”

“The Incredibles in a Magic Kingdom

Adventure” is filled with adventure and appeals

to people of all ages; both children and adults

are in for a fun-filled show.

Tickets range from $15-$35 and can be

bought by phone or through the arena’s Web

site. For more information on this and other

events, visit Dodge Arena’s site at

www.dodgearena.com or call 956-843-6688.

Page 10 AA && EE April 20, 2006

By LESLIE ESTRADAThe Pan American

Incredibles save the day in costumed ice show Disney On Ice comes to Dodge Arena

By ANGELA SALAZARThe Pan American

Film not just for kids, young at heartKiddie-marketed movie contains themes for adults, too

FUN ON ICE - Disney on Ice’s ‘The Incredibles in a Magic Kingdom Adventure,’ comes to DodgeArena starting April 26.

Reporter’s Rating:★★★★✩

SCRAT

that have a history of drinking-related incidents onfile with the local police.

“The bars that we go to tend to be places thatmake many calls to local police because of fights ora belligerent patron” said Munsell.

While the TABC officers would cite a patronfor public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor,they also ticketed employees who have continuedto serve the patron even after it was evident theywere drunk.

“Serving someone a drink after it’s obviousthey’re too drunk is illegal and punishable by afine,” said Munsell. “When we go to a bar, we’llwatch someone and if they are really in bad shapeand still getting served than both the patron andemployee are at fault.”

Vanessa Weaver, a freshman communicationsdisorders major at The University of Texas-PanAmerican and bartender at Chili’s, said she had noproblem with the program if its power was notabused.

“It’s fine if they want to ticket people forgetting too drunk, and as long as they don’t justgive anyone who drinks a citation I don’t see it as aproblem,” Weaver said.

Adriana Szumilewicz, a senior Englishmajor, agreed.

“I think it’s a good thing they stop people fromdriving drunk, but it is a little disconcerting that if youtrip on your way to the bathroom you may get introuble or questioned,” Szumilewicz said.

However, in defense of the SIP program,Munsell said that citing drunks in a bar keeps themfrom getting arrested for more serious offenses.

“The goal of the busts is to stop people fromgetting into a car and committing a worse crime,”said Munsell. “Many times we let the owners knowahead of time that we’ll be going in and they arealmost always cooperative.”

Some cities do require that a person be heldfrom four to 12 hours in jail to sober up and willalso impose fines as part of the punishment,

TABC performs sobriety tests and breathanalysis to gauge the level of drunkenness. Ingeneral, Munsell said the offenders have aroundtwice the legal blood alcohol limit of .08 percent.

The results of the new initiative have alreadybecome apparent to some, despite the suspension.

“In Austin for example we’ve seen a drop inthe number of public intoxication citations issuedfrom last year to this year,” said Munsell. “Lastyear (2004) TABC issued about 50 to 60 citationson Sixth Street alone, but this year the numberswere about a third of that.”

April 20, 2006 NNEEWWSS Page 11

LEADERSHIP continued from page 1

TABC continued from page 1

them to come out of their shell and get involved oncampus,” she said.

Jerry Price, dean of students, believesleadership programs such as SLA are good forstudents who want to be involved in schoolactivities but aren’t necessarily looking for a long-term position they need to be selected or voted into.

“We began SLA a couple of years ago becausewe wanted to give students a chance to pursueindividual goals without having to worry aboutbeing totally committed to the position they serve,”he said. “SLA members can go at their own pace, sothey can go as far as graduating from the academy,or they can just attend a few of the workshops.”

Leo Barrera, a sophomore political sciencemajor who will graduate from the academy in May,says he likes going to the guest speaker series andalso listening to leaders in the community.

“By going, I understood what a big roleleadership plays,” he said.

He hopes students that attended the

distinguished speaker session this week will alsogain some leadership insight.

A key event this week will be the Salute toLeaders awards ceremony, which will take placetoday at noon in the Ballroom. Five students werechosen out of 31 nominations by a committee, andwill be given awards for outstanding leadership.

WEDDINGTON continued from page 1

The daughter of a Methodist preacher and ahigh school coach, Weddington said opportunitiesnever came easily to her education-wise, especiallywhen it came to going to law school. While atMcMurry College in Abilene, she had someobstacles.

“I told him that I wanted to go to law school andhe said, ‘Well you can’t.’ I asked him, ‘Why not? Ihave very good grades,’” she said. “He replied that nowoman from the college had ever gone to law schooland it was at that moment I decided I would go.”

Despite discouragement from some advisers,Weddington said it was then that she learnedvaluable lessons.

“I think every person should say to themselves,‘What can I do today that will give me more optionstomorrow?’ And I think that education gives youmore options,” she said.

Among those options, she said, areleadership roles. She stressed the fact that being aleader does not mean being perfect, and said shelearned this one afternoon on the ski slopes after abeginner’s lesson.

As she made her way down the beginnerslopes, she feared falling so much that she made herway down with the greatest of care and the slowestpace. Upon reaching the bottom, Weddingtonproudly told her instructor that she had not fallenonce. His reaction, though not what she expected,taught her a valuable lesson.

“He said to me ‘You’ll never be any good.Because the only people who are ever good are theones who go a little faster than they know how tocontrol but if they fall down, know how to get up,’”she recalled.

Personally, Weddington knows a lot aboutgetting up when the odds are long.

In 2001, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.But through the dismay, she found a way to changethe negativity of the situation into somethingpositive by writing a series of articles for a localnewspaper encouraging people to speak about theissue and to be aware.

Today, Weddington continues to spread hermessage of awareness, infusing her talks with atouch of humor.

“When I first found the cancer I called it DarthVader because it was mysterious and covered. You

couldn’t tell what it really looked like. Now, I call itOsama Bin Laden because I don’t know if it’s trulydead or just hiding,” she said.

Humor was a big part of Weddington’s speechTuesday. According to her, it’s all part of herdelivery strategy.

“I think what I was really trying to do was findan interesting way to tell stories,” she said. “One ofthe things I try and do is when things happen in life,you try and think ‘How can I tell this to someone elsein an interesting way?’”

One thing that has no specific story to go alongwith it, according to Weddington, is her definition ofleadership: “the willingness and the ability to leaveyour thumbprint.”

Without a doubt, Weddington has left herthumbprint on history, as her Roe work made it intothe Time magazine special section “80 days thatchanged America,” released for the magazine’s 80thanniversary issue. However, it bothered her thatthere was a lack of women on the prestigious list.

“Of the 80, 10 were women,” she said. “Myhope is that the next time there’s 100 days thatchanged the world or 120, that there will be a lotmore women included on the list.”

She added that it is important to note, thatleaders come from all genders, races, and walks oflife.

“You don’t have to be a model to be a leader.The best leader is the kind that can bring many typesof people together,” she said.

While the next Distinguished Speaker has yetto be determined, Samuel Smith, director of theStudent Union and chair of the DistinguishedSpeakers Committee, says they are in the“preliminary stages” of picking the next batch ofspeakers.

Just like the future speakers are unknown, so isthe fate of Roe v. Wade. South Dakota recentlypassed a statute that makes abortion illegal. Thepeople who have passed it are now trying to overturnRoe v. Wade.

“There are a lot of people who are opposed toabortion but also a lot of people who don’t think it isfor the government to decide,” Weddington said. “Ithink the next year is going to be very critical interms of who is on the board when that case gets tothe court.”

For more information or special accommodations please contact the Dead of Students Office at 381-2262

said. “It is my hope that the scholarships will serve

to memorialize their sacrifice and inspire deserving

veterans to pursue an education.”

Brenda Garcia, UTPA scholarship coordinator,

elaborated on the meaning of the award.

“This scholarship is very important because

it honors our fallen Valley heroes as well as pro-

vides an opportunity to assist students in

improving their future through higher educa-

tion,” she said.

There have been 70 applicants this year and

applications are still being accepted.

“There was an overwhelming response to the

scholarship last year,” said Lynda Lopez, public

affairs specialist in the President’s Office and mem-

ber of the Valley Heroes Scholarship Committee.

There were over 100 applicants for the first year

the scholarship was available.

Garcia added that the purpose of the award is

to ensure that as long as UTPA stands, there will

be at least 10 students who will carry with them

the memory of the fallen Valley heroes. The 10

students awarded the scholarship will receive

$500 a semester to assist with education-related

expenses.

“I think the scholarship is great,” said Simones.

“There is not enough representation for veterans

and this is a nice way of showing appreciation and

representation.”

This scholarship is not automatically

renewed; therefore students are encouraged to

reapply each year.

Applications are available through the Student

Financial Services Office, Student Services

Building Room 1.136 and online at

www.utpa.edu/valleyheroes. The deadline for the

2006/2007 award is May 1.

For more information on this scholarship con-

tact Brenda Garcia at (956) 381-2935.

Page 12 NEWS April 20, 2006

E-MAIL continued from page 3 SURVEY continued from page 3

that can be made. As usual, students complained

about parking, or the lack thereof.

“Some days are better than others, but many

times parking can be a real hassle here at school,”

Ricardo Rios Jr., a sophomore business major, said.

Certain areas, such as food service, parking and

financial aid, are consistently ranked low by respon-

dents, added Price.

“Parking of course is an area that many students

are unhappy with and through this survey and oth-

ers we can better establish a plan to deal with park-

ing in the long term,” said Price.

Price reiterated that they are working on making

improvements to the areas rated poorly.

“In regard to parking, for example, we have just

gotten permission to buy two new shuttles and pos-

sibly increase either the shuttle routes or the fre-

quency that the shuttles run,” said Price.

Many students also find difficulty using other serv-

ices or navigating through the bureaucracy on campus.

“I don’t have a problem with parking, but finan-

cial aid can be really annoying to deal with some-

times,” said Emmanuel Alvarez, a junior engineer-

ing student.

Data from the surveys has been effective in

the past in helping the university identify prob-

lem areas and make adjustments. The SSI con-

ducted prior to 2004’s was administered in 2001

and both helped administrators realize that

extending computer lab hours as well as hours at

the University Center and the Student Union

were good ideas.

Internet at broncs.utpa.edu. Additionally, they offer

new services that were not available on the old sys-

tem. According to Toal, the new system will give stu-

dents a much better experience than they had before.

For starters, the student Hotmail accounts a

have 250MB inbox, which is 10 times as big as

what UTPA currently provides. Hotmail also has a

better interface.

“We worked with Microsoft to make UTPA one

of the first five universities to be in the university

Hotmail program,” Toal said. “We worked with

MSN before the program was announced publicly

and provided input and testing that helped them

improve the service.”

Teachers, students and staff are looking forward

to working with this e-mail system.

“I like it a lot. Hotmail is a terrific e-mail sys-

tem. They've added lots of new features to it over

the years, and there are more improvements com-

ing,” said Marilu Salazar director of International

Programs.

Some of the new features mentioned by

Salazar are blogging, calendars, MSN Messenger

and an address book; all will help students organ-

ize their schedules.

The switch to Hotmail isn’t the only e-mail

overhaul the university has done in the past few

months. Recently, they eliminated some individual

e-mails sent to students from campus offices, opting

instead to feature most campus announcements in a

single weekly message called the Bronc Notes

Weekly Digest.

There a lot of new things on the horizon; how-

ever, some students are skeptical about the changes

to e-mail.

“I am looking forward to using the new Hotmail

account, but it has some things that are confusing

that I do not understand,” said Leo Salazar, a junior

CIS major.

To help alleviate any confusion about the new

system, there will be training sessions available. For

more information on how to register for training

contact Anne Toal at (956) 381-3300 or email har-

well@panam.edu.

management and the importance of community

involvement.

Rene Cantu, assistant athletic director for devel-

opment, hopes the event will be highly beneficial

for the middle school students.

“They’ll have time with actual students, who

apart from school courses, have hours of practice,”

he said. “They have to juggle their studies and prac-

tice and workout and we think they’ll be a positive

role model for the youth.”

Cantu added that the event should be “really

exciting. The clinic is going to expose them to

something new that will hopefully inspire them to

channel their energies.”

Lacy is happy about the level of community sup-

port and opportunities the event will bring to GEAR

UP students.

“It’s really great when we get the sponsors from

the community and community leaders out there

and see all the kids experiencing something new,”

he said.

This year will mark the first clinic and Cantu

hopes the students will enjoy the event and take it as

encouragement in the right direction.

“For some of these kids, it’ll probably be their

first time on a golf course, so we’re really excited to

expose them to golf and teach them positive issues,”

he said.

Those interested in taking part in the Pan Am

Classic can call the Alumni Office at 381-2500.

GOLF continued from page 3

SCHOLARSHIP continued from page 3

“I wanted to do somethingto honor the lives of theseyoung men and women,many of whom did not havea chance to yet go to col-lege. It is my hope that thescholarships will serve tomemorialize their sacrifice. ”

- President Blandina Cardenas

EROS’ Official PresentationEROS invites artists to be a part of its offi-cial launch where they will be able to show-case their art and reach buyers.

Artists are welcome to showcase their:Sculptures, Drawings, Paintings, Poetry,Photography etc.

Launching: May 6, 2006 at Club Farenheit

Doors Open at 9:00 p.m.

To register your art or for more informationon the event contact: (956) 206-6911 or(956) 655-8370.

EROS: Promoting Music, Art & Culture

UTPA SPORTSBaseball

Wednesday, Apr. 19UTPA 8, STEPHEN F. AUSTIN ST. 7

UTPA

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E UTPA 1 0 2 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 - 8 13 1SFA 0 0 0 1 2 0 4 0 0 X - 7 11 1

BATTING

AB R H RBI SO Alamia 4 1 1 0 0 Gilmer 5 2 2 0 0 Flores 5 2 2 0 0 Smith 3 1 2 2 1 Brooks 5 0 3 3 0 Garcia 2 0 2 2 0 Honeycutt 4 2 1 1 0 Lozano 5 0 0 0 1 Autrey 2 0 0 0 2 Buhagair 1 0 0 0 0 Totals 36 8 13 8 4

PITCHING

IP H R BB SO AB Ibarz 3.2 2 1 5 2 17Casares 1.1 3 2 2 1 9Mason 1.0 3 3 0 1 6Morales 0.2 2 2 2 0 6Haines 2.1 1 1 0 1 7

E - Autrey; Sinclair. LOB - UTPA 9; SFA11. 2B - Brooks; Garcia; Honeycutt;Schrom. 3B - Hill. HR - Brooks.

W - Haines (4-3); L - Miller (0-2); S -None.

Tuesday, Apr. 18STEPHEN F. AUSTIN ST. 5, UTPA 3

UTPA

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E UTPA 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 - 3 12 0SFA 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 X - 5 12 0

BATTING

AB R H RBI SO Alamia 5 0 3 1 1 Gilmer 5 0 3 1 1 Brooks 4 0 1 0 1 Smith 2 0 0 0 1 Whittlesey 1 0 0 0 1 Bartosh 2 0 0 0 0 Flores 3 0 2 0 0 Garcia 4 0 1 0 1 Honeycutt 2 1 0 0 1 Powers 1 1 1 0 0 Lozano 2 0 0 0 0 Buhagier 4 1 1 0 1 Totals 35 3 12 2 8

PITCHING

IP H R BB SO AB Linder 4.1 7 4 2 2 16Guerra 2.2 5 1 0 3 11Morales 1.0 0 0 0 3 3

DP - UTPA 2; SFA 2. LOB - UTPA 10;SGA 6. 2B - Gilmer; Croft. HBP - Flores;Sinclair. SH - Lozano; Britto. SF -Brooks. SB - Alamia; Sadler.

W - Lehman (5-1); L - Linder (1-3); S -Miller (1).

Top 10 Bronc batting percentages

AVG R H RBI1. Louie Alamia .373 28 62 222. Abraham Garcia .333 16 30 203. Osiel Flores .299 32 47 254. Leighton Autrey .294 17 30 18 5. Patrick Brooks 284 26 46 336. T.J. Gilmer .277 22 38 11 7. Lyndon Bartosh .258 0 8 8 8. Zach Smith .250 11 17 15 9. Dan Calabro .250 2 7 19. Jason Buhagiar .241 21 27 16Minimum 25 at bats.

Top 10 pitching earned run averages

AVG W-L IP SO1. Tim Haines 2.20 4-3 28.2 45

2. Ricky Ibarz 4.15 3-5 69.1 903. Dane Mason 5.02 6-3 71.2 544. Kelly Casares 5.22 0-1 29.1 305. Ray Silva 5.68 2-1 25.1 246. Chad Linde 6.18 1-3 39.1 327. Ryne Foster 6.91 0-1 27.1 158. Aaron Guerra 7.95 2-4 54.1 439. Roni Morales 8.44 2-1 16.0 1910. Alex Guajardo 9.53 0-1 5.2 5

Upcoming scheduleApr. 25 University of TexasApr. 28 Coastal CarolinaApr. 29 Coastal CarolinaApr. 30 Coastal CarolinaMay. 2 Texas SouthernMay. 3 Texas SouthernMay. 12 TCU May. 13 TCU May. 16 UT-San AntonioHome games in bold.

(DH) denotes double-header

Golf

Men’sUpcoming schedule

Apr. 29-30 Independent Champs.

Women’sUpcoming schedule

Apr. 29-30 Indie Women’s Champs.May 5-7 National Minority Champs.

Tennis

Men’sUpcoming schedule

Apr. 28-30 Southland Conf. Tournament

Women’sUpcoming schedule

Apr. 21 Indy Women’s Tennis Tour.

Track

Upcoming scheduleApr. 22 Longhorn InvitationalApr. 28 Drake Relays

FOR THE RECORD

April 20, 2006 SPORTS Page 13

Brooks' ninth inning blast helps Broncs win 8-7

Broncs split series with Stephen F. Austin

The UTPA baseball team pulled out a come-from-behind victory onWednesday over the Stephen F. Austin State Lumberjacks, 8-7, thanks toa two-run home run from Patrick Brooks in the ninth inning.

The Broncs took the lead quickly, scoring a run in the first inning whenZach Smith drove a single up the middle to score T.J. Gilmer from secondbase. UTPA then extended the lead to 3-0 in the top of the third inningafter Louie Alamia and Gilmer both singled to lead off the inning.

After allowing a run in the fourth, the Broncs added to their lead withBrooks hitting an RBI double down the left field line, Abraham Garcia hit-ting a sacrifice fly to center field and Brady Honeycutt pulling an RBI dou-ble down the left field line for a 6-1 lead.

The Lumberjacks added a pair of runs off reliever Kelly Casares beforeputting up a four-run seventh inning on five hits to take a 7-6 lead. Trailingby one in the top of the ninth, Osiel Flores led off with an infield single andthen moved over to second on an Otis Powers sacrifice bunt. Brooks thendrove a one-out home run over the left field wall to give the Broncs the 8-7 lead.

Tim Haines pitched the final 2 1/3 innings to pick up his fourth win of theseason.

With a single through the right side in the third inning, Alamia recordeda hit in the 19th straight game to pull within three of the longest consecu-tive-game hitting streak in program history. The senior was 1 for 4 at theplate and scored one run.

Brooks enjoyed a 3 for 5 day at the plate, driving in three runs and scor-ing two. Smith, Gilmer, Flores and Garcia all collected two hits in thegame, accounting for five runs scored and four runs batted in.

The Broncs improve to 20-23 with the win while the Lumberjacks fall to8-33.

UTPA next plays against the fifth-ranked University of Texas Longhornsin Austin on Tuesday at 6:15 p.m.

Lady Broncs take four titles at ASU/David Noble Relays

Teams record 14 personal records at the meet

The UTPA women's track and field program collected four individualtitles, two school records and 10 top-five finishes at the ASU/David NobleRelays hosted by Angelo State University on April 16 in San Angelo.

Deon Marquis was a two-time winner in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash, recording times of 11.84 and 24.46, respectively. Marquisbroke a pair of school records in the process, including a time of 11.81 inthe 100-meter dash during the preliminary round.

Ashlon Martin collected her first collegiate individual title in the 400-meter dash with a personal-best time of 57.04 while Wendy Wells notchedher second title of the season with a throw of 138-0 in the javelin.

Shardae Bey took runner-up honors in the 800-meter race with a per-sonal-best time of 2:16.34 while Amanda Ferris also finished second over-all with a distance of 148-10 in the hammer throw.

In the 5,000 meters, Sara Rodriguez recorded a third-place finish witha personal-best time of 18:42.30 while Ashley Perez crossed the end linein fifth place with a personal-best time of 18:44.29.

The Lady Broncs also had a pair of jumpers finish in the top-five in thetriple jump as Liliana Cavazos landed a personal-best distance of 39-3.75,which earned her third-place honors, while Claudia Lopez marked a per-sonal-best distance of 38-2.25 for fifth-place laurels.

UTPA senior Matt Clinton finished third overall in the hammer throwwith a distance of 164-5 to lead the Broncs.

"This was an outstanding meet for us," said head coach Ricky Vaughn."Deon had a huge meet, breaking two school records, and she is veryclose to qualifying for regionals. Liliana and Claudia each did a tremen-dous job, and Liliana is also very close to qualifying for regionals by a foot.You really couldn't ask for a better meet from our team, and we had 14 ath-letes set personal-best so overall, it was a great outing for us."

The Broncs and Lady Broncs will be back in action on Saturday at theLonghorn Invitational hosted by The University of Texas in Austin.

UTPA Sports Information

SPORTSCLIPBOARD

In the last series played in Edinburg,

The University of Texas-Pan American

baseball team swept Texas A&M-Corpus

Christi in two games, winning the first by a

slim 11-10 and then shutting out the

Islanders 6-0 in the second.

The series began on April 13 and

ended one day after. The Broncs will be on

the road for the rest of the season until their

last game, May 16 against UT-San Antonio.

The last time they met was April 4

when UTSA won 10-9. However, in the fol-

lowing games the Broncs showed some-

what of a hot streak, winning four out of the

next five. The Broncs took two of three from

the Birmingham-Southern College Panthers

and it was in this series that the Broncs

passed last season’s win total of 15.

On Tuesday the Broncs played against

the Stephen F. Austin State Lumberjacks

losing the game 5-3. Pitcher Chad Linder

got the loss and his record plunged to 1-3.

Louie Alamia is still on his hitting streak,

having hit in 18 straight. The senior was

three for five in the game, improving his bat-

ting average to a stellar .377, which leads the

team.

Alamia also leads in both slugging

percentage with .494, and on base percent-

age with .461, and has 61 hits. Patrick

Brooks leads the Broncs in home runs with

five and RBI with 30, and has a .433 slug-

ging percentage.

Together the Broncs have accumulat-

ed a .270 batting average while their oppo-

nent’s batting average is a better .297. The

Broncs have slammed 14 homers with 384

hits while allowing 27 round-trippers and

443 hits.

In 26.1 innings pitched, Tim Haines

has the lowest ERA for the Broncs at 2.39

with 44 strikeouts and a 3-3 overall record.

Venezuelan Ricky Ibarz has a 4.25 ERAand

a record of 3-5 in 65.2 innings pitched with

88 strikeouts.

Gaining redemption in what has been

at times a rough UTPA career, Dane Mason

was named Independent co-pitcher of the

week. His performance against Texas

A&M-Corpus Christi did not go unnoticed,

after he threw a complete game shutout at

Corpus, allowing seven hits and walking

none. The right-hander struck out 11 batters

and improved his record to 6-3 on the sea-

son with an ERA of 4.71.

The award is voted on by Sports

Information Directors at NCAA Division I

Independent institutions.

The Broncs will face fifth-ranked

Texas in Austin April 25. The Longhorns are

beatable this season, with a 27-12 record

after Tuesday’s 14-10 loss to UT-San

Antonio. The Horns play against No. 4

Nebraska in a three-game series starting

April 21 before they meet the Broncs, a

team they beat earlier in the year.

The Longhorn batting average is .290

with a handful of players batting well above

the .300 mark, including Carson Kainer at

.377 and Drew Stubbs at .333.

The Longhorns pitching staff has an

ERAof 3.71, much lower than UTPA’s 5.81.

The Broncs will look out for Austin Wood

who has a 1.05 ERAin 34.1 innings pitched.

The Broncs will have to be prepared

and on top of their game if they want to be

successful against the prestigious Longhorn

baseball club. After Austin the Broncs will

head to South Carolina for a three-game

series starting April 28 against Coastal

Carolina.

Bronc baseball heads to Austin on a winBy JORGE HINOJOSAThe Pan American

The Bronc sports teams are starting to replenish

their ranks as the spring wears on.

It was announced on Monday that golfer Armen

Kirakossian had signed a National Letter of Intent to

join the Broncs for the 2006-07 season.

Kirakossian comes to The University of Texas-

Pan American from Wilson High School in Portland,

Ore., and was considered to be one of the top players

in the state during the 2005 season. During that same

season, he finished tied for 11th overall at the Oregon

Boys’ Golf 4A State Championships.

The Oregon native participated in the 36th

Annual Eddie Hogan Cup Team Matches, where he

competed for Team Oregon. The squad produced a

top-10 finish in an event that throws the best junior

golfers from the western United States and Canada

against each other in a team format, where the three

lowest scores each day determine the team’s total.

Kirakossian becomes the first player to sign a

National Letter of Intent under the reign of first-year

head coach Andrew Tredway.

LADY BRONC HOOPSNotching their second signee this week, UTPA

and coach DeAnn Craft announced on Monday the

signing of a National Letter of Intent by Lekeisha

Gray.

Gray is a transfer from Butler County

Community College where she averaged 12.6 points,

4.3 boards, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game during

her second season with the Grizzlies. The point guard

stepped on the hardwood in 28 games this past

season, leading her team in assists (108) and steals

(52).

Gray recorded a pair of double-double

performances during her sophomore season. The first

came against Pratt Community College as she scored

17 and finished the game with 10 assists. Then she

notched a 12-point, 10-assist performance against

Dodge City Community College.

“I think that she is going to really solidify a

position that was real inconsistent for us this past

season,” Craft said. “She has the marks to become a

really good leader.”

During that season, she recorded 19 double-

digit scoring performances and 11 games with five or

more assists.

Fray and Vaughn first of the two talents was

added last week in Blinn College transfer Tamara

Vaughn, who averaged 8.9 points and 4.1 rebounds

per game while shooting 39.4 percent from the field

and 30.4 percent from behind the three-point arc. In

conference play, she scored 11.1 points and 5.1

rebounds per game while shooting 43.1 percent from

the field and 37.3 percent on three-point field goal

attempts during her sophomore campaign. “Her

presence from outside the perimeter will make our

inside game even stronger,” Craft added.

They will be joining a Lady Bronc team that

returns 11 players from last season.

TENNISUTPA’s men’s and women’s tennis head coach

Robert Hubbard announced at the beginning at the

week of the signing of a National Letter of Intent by

Tim Landvatter. He will join the squad for the 2006-

07 academic year.

Landvatter comes to the Rio Grande Valley

after playing club tennis for TC Waiblingen in

Germany. He was a three-time junior regional

champion, and won the men’s regional

championships in 2005. Landvatter is currently

ranked in the top 350 in the Men’s Open Division in

Germany. Along with his singles accolades, he had an

exceptional performance at the German

Championships in 2005, placing third in men’s

doubles.

TRACK AND FIELDAdding some new talents to an ever-improving

track and field program, Rick Vaughn announced

Friday that three stellar talents from the Valley have

signed National Letters of Intent and will be joining

the program for the 2006-07 academic year.

Two of the three new signees will be competing

on the men’s side, RGV talents Gilroy Martinez and

Osvaldo “Wally” Gonzalez will be competing in the

distance events for the Broncs. The added depth to

the distance program comes at a good time, as the

squad loses steady Hector Gandara and the program’s

most garnered runner Westly Keating.

Edinburg North product Gonzalez has a

personal-best of 4:21 in the one-mile race and a time

of 1:54 in the 800 meters. He is running in the Class

5A regional tournament next week alongside fellow

Cougar Omar Doria, who will also attend UTPA in

the fall.

“Wally [Osvaldo] and Gilbert [Gilroy] are two

strong distance runners coming out of high school

that are really going to add some depth to our distance

program,” Vaughn said.

The Lady Broncs will be joined by Weslaco’s

Krista Hlzek, whose personal-best in the pole vault is

10-6. Hlzek has qualified for the regional meet in her

final prep campaign.

“Krista is a very consistent pole vaulter. I think

that she is an extremely talented young lady,”

concluded Vaughn.

VOLLEYBALLUTPA volleyball head coach Dave Thorn

announced on Wednesday that Monique Schaal

signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Lady

Broncs.

Schaal, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter, helped

College of Southern Idaho nab the 2005 NJCAA

National Title over Miami-Dade Community

College. In 33 matches last season, she averaged 1.67

kills per game, while finishing with a .197 hitting

percentage for a 50-2 team. The newly signed Lady

Bronc also finished with 24 blocks on the season.

“Monique is a great athlete and she comes from

a winning program,” Thorn commented. “Her

winning experience can only help us for next season.”

The newly signed Lady Bronc comes from a

CSI women's volleyball program that has won eight

of the last 13 NJCAA National Championships, the

most ever by a junior college program. The program

has produced 26 All-Americans, eight NJCAA

National Tournament MVPs, seven AVCA National

Players of the Year and three players named to the

NJCAA All-Century Team including Lady Bronc

associate head coach Fabiana de Abreu.

“I think that she can really help us out in the

middle blocker position as we lost two great four-year

letterman middle blockers in Danielle Holthe and

Stephanie Redd,” Thorn added.

UTPA athletics signs new crop of hopefuls Page 14 SSPPOORRTTSS April 20, 2006

By DARYL GONZALESThe Pan American

The University of Texas-Pan American

Bronc soccer club is preparing hard to confront

the upcoming fall season. The club, under

guidance of new head coach Carlos Trevino,

hopes to perform better as a team and to finish

first in the Lone Star South Conference.

Trevino is very enthusiastic about the

team’s performance from last year in its first

season, and expects to go further in the state

tournament. He has a squad filled with most of

last year’s players; only three players are new.

Trevino commented on the team’s key players

that will make a difference in the season.

“Polo Tapia and Artemio Arriaga are the

foundation of our defense. They are quick

central defenders that play easy,” he said. “Pablo

Aguilar and Roel Trevino play up front in the

attack, and are lethal. Pablo was our top scorer

last year.”

Trevino’s main expectation for the new

season is to improve the team’s tactics. He is

planning to play with a 4-4-2 formation, where

everyone takes a part to assist the team when

defending and attacking.

“We need to improve our technique in

order to confront our adversaries’ corporal

shape. In Dallas, San Antonio and Austin

players are bigger than us, so improving our

technique can help us challenge that,” Trevino

said.

The Bronc soccer club is in the middle of

the preseason, and recently matched up against

The University of Texas-Brownsville. The first

match was played April 13 in Brownsville, and

concluded with a 2-2 draw. Aguilar and Tony

Garza were the scorers for the Broncs, who will

host UTB in the last series match tonight at 8

p.m. at the UTPA Rec-sports field.

Trevino’s expected formation for tonight’s

encounter will have Alberto Perez as goalkeeper.

Arriaga, Rodrigo Castillo, Tapia and Omar

Guerrero will be the defenders. Hugo Zuniga,

Victor Gutierrez, Roel Trevino and Garza are in

midfield. The strikers will be Aguilar and Pedro

Espinoza.

After many years without a soccer team,

the soccer club’s first season in the fall of 2005

yielded outstanding results. The club had a

record of four wins and two defeats, with a goal

difference of plus-6. They finished in second

place in the Lone Star South Conference, and

advanced to the state tournament.

At the Lubbock State Championship, the

Broncs defeated The University of Texas-Austin

1-0, but then lost two straight matches, to Texas

A&M and Texas Tech. The Broncs finished

seventh out of the 12 squads at the state meeting.

Interested new players are expected to

attend tryouts and practices for both men’s and

women’s soccer club squads. Men’s training is

on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the evening

at the Intramural Rec-sports field. For more

information on the men’s squad please contact

Polo Tapia at (956) 222-0504.

While the men’s team practices in

preparations for playing about 10 games in the

fall, the women’s squad is taking a bit of a

different route than their male counterparts.

After a moderately successful inaugural

campaign, the women’s squad is not currently

practicing together like the men’s team. Though,

some of the women on the team are staying in

shape in preparation for the fall by playing in

leagues around the area, others stay focused on

the primary factor, which is school.

The women’s team is currently interested

in adding more players to its roster, and is

planning to hold try outs for women that are

interested.

“We will probably hold try outs some time

before the fall semester begins, so we can get

anyone interested before school starts,” Loida

Tamayo commented.

Starting lineup for April 20 friendly against The University of Texas-Brownsville.

April 20, 2006 SSPPOORRTTSS Page 15

Bronc soccer club making off-season moves

Women’s tennis wraps up regular season

By FERNANDO MARTINEZ PECHSThe Pan American

Men in action tonight against University of Texas-Brownsville

The University of Texas-Pan American

women’s tennis team (now 7-11) suffered a

setback on Saturday in Huntsville to Sam

Houston State (10-8) in its final match of the

regular season.

The weekend proved to be one of difficulty

for the Lady Broncs, as most fell in two sets in

singles competition.

Despite a defeat, UTPA senior Elysia Sloan

fought a hard flight against Sam Houston’s

Christina Flores, losing 4-6, 7-5, 7-6.

“Elysia this past weekend had two match

points that she lost and I’m sure she’s just

kicking herself about it, but that’s tennis,” said

coach Robert Hubbard.

Marine de Bourqueney was defeated in two

sets, 6-1, 6-3 by Irina Sotnikova. The Lady

Broncs continued to be unlucky in singles, as

Sheila Mabulac, Nicole Garcia and Jessica Nanez

suffered defeats in two sets to Brooke Mills,

Lauren Janak and Benthany Yurkiw, respectively.

Silke Buksik dropped her match to Lata

Assudani, 6-3, 6-2.

“Even though we lost, the level of play has

increased. Everyone is playing better,” said De

Bourqueney.

In the doubles competition UTPA fell in all

flights. Sloan and de Bourqueney teamed up and

faced off against SHS’s Flores and Emma

McDougall and fell 8-2. Buksik and Garcia were

blanked by the Lady Bearcat duo of Mills and

Peta Taylor, 8-0. Mabulac and Nanez also

dropped their flight, 8-3 to SHS’S Janak and

Yurliw.

The Lady Broncs finished the regular

season with seven wins, compared to last year’s

two, and Hubbard has nothing but praise for his

squad.

“We’ve made great strides this year. A year

ago the team only had two wins,” he said.

“We’ve done some good things but all this comes

from their heart and hard work.

The Lady Broncs will now turn their

attention to this weekend as they travel to

Indiana to compete in the National Independent

Tournament. There they’ll match up against

Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne, Northern Colorado

and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

On April 1, UTPA hosted the neighboring

Lady Islanders, but suffered hard-fought losses.

This weekend should be one of rivalry as the

team sets its hopes on defeating TAMUCC.

“We have to beat Corpus Christi because we

almost beat them two weeks ago here at home,”

said De Bourqueney. “We made a bet that we

would beat them this time.”

In other women’s news, Hubbard

announced on Thursday the signing of Sarah

Burton, one of the top junior players in Ontario,

Canada.

On the men’s side, the signing of Tim

Landvatter was announced on Monday.

Landvatter’s addition next year will be deeply

needed as the men will lose three seniors.

With both the men and women coming up

short with losing records, nothing can take away

from how far they’ve come this season.

“I’m absolutely pleased. Since the first day

of practice they’ve improved so much,” Hubbard

said. “They all have worked really hard and

improved their game and that’s all I can ask.”

By KRISTYNA MANCIASThe Pan American

PICK IT UP - Sophomore Silke Buksik attacks from the baseline during practice.

Joel de la Rosa / The Pan American

Alberto Perez

Artemio Arriaga

Rodrigo Castillo

Polo Tapia

Omar Guerrero

Hugo Zuniga

Victor Gutierrez

Roel Trevino

Tony Garcia

Pablo Aguilar

Pedro Espinoza

Bronc soccer club line-up

With only three guaranteed track meets left on

the schedule, The University of Texas-Pan American

women throwers have a lot of work ahead of them.

But they’ve had a fine season so far.

Although there are only three women throwers

on the competing roster as of now, the UTPAtrack and

field team has continued its tradition of excellence set

by All-Americans Isaac Ybarra and Amy Moses the

past few years.

Currently on the roster for the Lady Bronc

hurlers are sophomore Amanda Ferris, and freshmen

Wendy Wells and Michelle Elizondo. They may not

have much experience at the collegiate level, but

they’ve battled to prove themselves.

During the outdoor season, the throwers have

competed in Austin, Houston, California,

Nacogdoches, and will finish the year at Austin, Des

Moines, Iowa, and Houston before the regional

championships in Austin May 26-27, if they qualify.

This year Ferris, from San Antonio, has captured

two individual championships in the hammer, as well

as placing in the top five in four meets in the shot put.

She came to UTPA strictly as a shot-putter, and like

many before, has learned and somewhat mastered the

hammer throw.

“I’m not as strong as some of the others that I

compete against in the shot put,” commented Ferris

when asked why her main concentration now is on the

hammer. “Although I do have the ambition and the

speed needed, I just seem to be excelling in the

hammer right now. I’ve already had great PRs

(personal records) in both the shot put and the hammer

and I am very close to making it to the regional meet

in both.

“I feel that I have accomplished more in the

hammer this year by finally figuring out the technique.

Technique is very important in the hammer and it has

obviously shown in my performances this year with

an 18-foot PR.”

Ferris, who has thrown 45 feet, 1 1/2 inches in

the shot and 172 feet in the hammer, has already

accomplished a lot this year, and competed in the

prestigious Texas Relays earlier this month. The future

looks bright for her at UTPA.

“I’m so close to making it to regionals in the

hammer it is unreal,” said Ferris. “If I can just connect

some missing pieces of the puzzle I should make it

without a doubt. I am only five feet off which isn’t a

lot, but I am just not there yet psychologically.”

Fellow hammer and shot put thrower Elizondo

has a whole different outlook on the sport of collegiate

track and field. With this being her first year at the

collegiate level, Elizondo has been through a lot of

transitions, having suffered back injuries early in the

season. She is still adjusting to life at the Division I

level having come from high school.

“It has been way different than I had originally

thought,” commented Elizondo, who attended Laredo

Alexander High School. “The difference from high

school is so drastic, it took me at least a month to get

used to the workouts. I have been introduced to so

many new exercises and have worked muscles that I

didn’t even know I had at this level. I feel, though, that

everyone on the team has welcomed me which makes

it easier for me to feel comfortable out on the track and

at meets.”

Since she started, she has been introduced to the

sport of the hammer throw, and has proven that she

may have a future in the event.

“I think for not ever seeing or throwing a

hammer. I am doing well, said Elizondo. “I have been

getting better as the year goes on.”

On a completely different track of throwing for

the Lady Broncs is freshman Wells, the lone javelin

competitor this year for UTPA.

Coming to Edinburg as a multi-event athlete,

and never having thrown the javelin before, the

Weslaco native has proven that she has a future in the

event, and may go down as one of the best ever to

wear a Lady Bronc uniform.

As one of only four UTPA athletes to compete at

the Texas Relays, Wells has shown that javelin just

might be her new favorite event.

“Javelin actually came pretty natural to me,”

revealed Wells. “Although it has taken some time to

learn, I have progressed rather quickly. I broke the

school record and qualified for regionals in my first

meet ever to throw the javelin, and I have also finished

in the top three is all of my track meets. I am still

working on my, form, though so that I can improve

and hopefully make it to nationals.”

Transitioning has also been a feat for Wells, for

she too came to UTPA straight from high school, and

was thrown into the world of Division I athletics.

“I was a multiple-sport athlete in high school,”

commented Wells, “and the track season is much

shorter in high school. One thing I like aout it, though,

is the fact that it has been nice to be able to concentrate

on one sport all year long, and the athletes are at a

much higher level.”

It has been a year of transition for the

throwers, as the team has integrated new players to

replace graduated athletes and some who have left

the team for other reasons. Through it all, the Lady

Broncs have proven to the rest of the field that they

are not giving up, and they are here to compete and

win.

“It has definitely been hard to see some of the

team go by seeing how easy it is to give up,” said

Ferris when asked about the departure of much of the

veteran contingent from past years. “Not all of them

left by choice, but it does make a difference in

practice. With the group that we had all of us

motivated one another and now you really have to

push yourself and complete the next set of weights, or

throw a few more throws, only then will you’ll be

better in the end.”

Her teammate agrees.

“I think that it has been different in practice and

in the meets without the other throwers, because your

teammates aren’t there to help you and make you

work harder anymore,” commented Elizondo

Sometimes you just need another person there who

is going through the same things you are to help

you get through it all.”

A new era started Tuesday - the Schuberth Era -

when The University of Texas-Pan American Director

of Athletics Scott Street announced the hiring of

former Central Florida associate head

coach Tom Schuberth as the 13th head

men’s basketball coach.

“We are very excited to have

coach Schuberth join our Bronc

family,” Street said. “We had an

outstanding applicant pool for our

men's basketball head coaching

position, but it became obvious during

the early stages that his experience and

accomplishments made him a strong

candidate.”

Schuberth brings 24 years of coaching

experience to UTPA, which includes 11 NCAA

Tournaments, two Sweet 16 appearances and a trip to

both the Elite Eight and Final Four.

He is known by many collegiate coaches to be

an incredible recruiter. Schuberth in fact helped put

together the top-ranked recruiting class

in the nation during his stay at the

University of Memphis. Three of his

former recruits became NBA players,

three were McDonald’s High School

All-Americans and two were National

Junior College Players of the year. He

also had a role in getting Anfernee

“Penny” Hardaway to play for what

was then Memphis State; he became

one of the top collegiate players in the

early ‘90s.

Before coming to UTPA, Schuberth spent four

seasons at the University of Central Florida where the

Golden Knights notched an 84-41 record during his

tenure on the coaching staff. The team earned a pair of

berths to the NCAA Tournament while capturing the

Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Championship

twice along with one Atlantic Sun Conference

Championship.

In his four seasons, Schuberth helped the

Golden Knights record three consecutive 20-plus

winning seasons, including 25 wins during the 2003-

04 season, the second most victories in the program’s

history.

“He's been a proven winner at every program

that he's coached, and we believe that he will do the

same here and help us restore the great tradition of

UTPA basketball," said Street.

During his tenure, Schuberth served as the

recruiting coordinator at UCF, while assisting head

coach Kirk Speraw with all aspects of the program,

including on-court coaching and game preparation.

A native of Chicago, he began his college

coaching career as an assistant at the University of

North Alabama in 1982 after spending two years

touring as a player with the Harlem Globetrotters.

Schuberth toured over 25 countries as a member of the

California Chiefs, the opposing team for the

Globetrotters.

“Coach Schuberth’s experience and

knowledge of the game I think will be a great

asset to our program,” Street added.

An official press conference will be held

Friday at 11 p.m. at the UTPA University

Ballroom, where Schuberth will be introduced to

the university community and the rest of the Rio

Grande Valley.

Clipboard..........................13

Bronc Signings.................14

Soccer..............................15 SPORTS

Bronc basketball team eagerly heads into Schuberth Era By DARYL GONZALESThe Pan American

Lady Bronc throwers building bright future

TRACK AND FIELD TRIO - (Left to right) Freshmen Michelle Elizondo and Wendy Wells, plus soph-omore Amanda Ferris, hope to anchor the UTPA women’s track and field team this weekend in Austin.

By RACHEL REIDAThe Pan American

Schuberth

Joel de la Rosa / The Pan American