Students share experiences abroad

the

Volume 68, No. 31 August 9, 2012

panamericanonline.com

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Online Videos

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Mural Unveiling

Summer Memories

New StartLady Broncs hope to improve during 2012 volleyball season

CrossFit craze takes over RGV

City and University attempt to get more students to “stick” to areaEDinburg: College town?

It’s lunchtime on University Drive, and two students wait their turn to cross six lanes of traffic at the Sugar Road intersection. Their signal ends somewhere between the third and fourth lanes so they decide to run/walk the last few and scramble up a grassy bank to Jack-In-the-Box.

When University President Robert Nelsen spoke to The Pan American last summer about changes coming to UTPA’s main street, he said one of the goals was to make it easier for pedestrians to cross to the south side of the road, where restaurants occupy the majority of the real estate.

“My office window oversees University Drive and I have witnessed some close calls with students darting across the street to get to El Pato or Subway,” he said then.

Now, the street opposite the UTPA signs has been paved and the business complex holds a new bank, Khan’s Grill, and a bar, the Thirsty Bronc. The higher end apartment complex and crosswalk are still to come.

UTPA is commonly pegged as a commuter college with just 800 beds for over 19,000 students, but administration has been working hard to foster a community both on campus and around town.

Tom Treviño, who is returning to the University after a four-year break, said he used to hang around campus more his

first go-around, but since he and his wife had a child, they usually head home right after class.

“I know a lot of people my age or older that just go to work and school, work and school, and then they go home to their family,” the 27-year-old Pharr native said. “But younger people come here and then go home and get ready but they go hang out somewhere else.”

That classic “college town” atmosphere traditionally has several parts such as on-campus events and activities, a high dorm

resident count, pedestrian- and bike-friendly streets, businesses that meet student needs within walking distance, and fervent school spirit centered on athletics.

New faculty member Evangelia Kotsikorou was previously at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and The University of Illinois.

“The University of Illinois

was more of a college town to me,” said UTPA’s new chemistry professor. “Greensboro was more like a normal city with a university plopped in the middle.”

Kotsikorou said although she had only been on UTPA’s campus a few days, she found it warm and welcoming, but not yet a college town.

“I saw there were bike lanes, but that the drivers did not respect the bikers so much, so riding my bike would make me nervous. I don’t see a lot of

people walking around here, but that may be because of the temperature,” she added, laughing.

Nelsen recently surveyed the progress of the construction from his office window and highlighted other recent changes across the campus - new benches, spiffier signage, grass in previously muddy areas, and new restaurants in the Student

Union, Library and Science Building.

“It adds a stickiness factor for the University. A reason for people to hang out here and feel a part of it,” he said, adding that the improvements generally are funded through already allocated monies put aside for campus construction.

The classic example of a college town is UT-Austin, with about 7,000 beds for 51,000 students, a sea of burnt orange at sports games, and the narrow, shaded near-campus road, the “Drag.”

On the non-UT side of the “Drag,” frozen yogurt places and Thai restaurants stand wall to wall as students and tourists alike shuffle up and down the street. A shuttle ride away is the infamous Sixth Street, known for both its drink specials and music scene.

Juan Lopez, the director of planning and zoning for Edinburg, said that the Valley city hired a consulting firm that specialized in college towns, and UT-Austin came up in the discussions as a model.

“We did a downtown study and had consultants that worked on other college towns,” the UTPA alum said. “We wanted to connect the University more with the community and not just physically. Through business ties, for example. We did the study, and then they said, ‘OK, here are the ideas to consider,’ and those are reflected in the plans.”

And those plans are

By Karen AntonacciThe Pan American

MAS portrays braceros’ story through San Juan wall art

Chick-Fil-A to stay More online

I know a lot of people my age or older that just go

to work and school, work and school, and then they go home to their family.

Tom Treviño Student

tweets

The Pan American ac-cepts letters of 300 words or less from students, staff and faculty regarding re-cent newspaper con-tent, campus con-cerns or current events. We cannot publish anonymous letters or submissions containing hate speech or gratuitous personal attacks. Please send all letters to: thepanamerican

@gmail.com

Francisco Rodriguez / The Pan American

The Pan American is the of-ficial student newspaper of The University of Texas-Pan American. Views presented are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the paper or university.

Letters to the Editor

Next Delivery: Aug. 29 at noon

1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539Phone: (956) 665-2541

Fax: (956) 316-7122

Co-Editors-in-ChiEf: Karen Antonacci Nadia Tamez-Robledo nEws Editor: Daniella Diaz sports Editor: Norma GonzalezArts & LifE Editor: Lea Victoria JuarezphotogrAphy Editor: Ruben Gutierrez dEsign Editor: Erick Gonzalez MuLtiMEdiA Editor: Dimitra Hernandez AdvisEr:Dr. Greg SelberAdMinistrAtivE AssoCiAtE: Anita Reyes AdvErtising MAnAgEr: Mariel CantuwEbMAstErs: Jose Villarreal Selvino Padilla

thE pAn AMEriCAn

Erick Gonzalez/The Pan American

thepanamerican@gmail.com

2 August 9, 2012 editorial

UTPA needs more trees for shade or something. I got blacker just by walking to another building.

- @NegaSteph

Tweet at and follow us @ThePanAmerican

August is here, the time of year when people put their two-piece bikinis back in the drawers and out of car trunks for “just in case” situations. But what about those students who didn’t “catch a buzz” over the summer? I know you’re out there, and I feel your desire for a break. I’m here to say, however, whatever it was that kept you from getting drunk on the Island these past months will be worth it in the long run.

Take it from me, a once rambunctious girl who was always available for a party, but has now turned into a lady who makes it home before 9 p.m. Why the sud-den change, you ask? Goals. It’s be-ing able to visualize where I want to take my life and am working

hard to get there.Some of the duties I took up

this summer included being a full-time student, a multimedia editor for The Pan American Newspaper, a Fox 2 intern, and a part-time waitress. It wasn’t easy but it’s what needed to be done to get where I want to be one day. I purposely missed out on this summer’s road trips and beach parties. If I had told myself a year ago I would be calling it quits at 7 p.m., I would have laughed in my own face. Now that summer is almost over, I’m glad I did it.

I decided to look at my situa-tion as an opportunity rather than a problem. Sure, there are times even today when I wish I didn’t have to work to pay my bills. I would relish the moment of only being told to focus on school and hobbies, but life is what you make it and I’m making it count. See, you can take on challenges to find your strengths, or you can sulk in the disappointment of missing this weekend’s events - it all comes down to you.

There were plenty of times

when my hands were too full these past couple of months, when I cried to my boyfriend about how there was just too much on my plate. But it’s what I did after the crying that counted. I dried my eyes, went to bed and took on the next day with his encouragement. It wasn’t easy, it still isn’t. I believe I’m far from reaching my goal, but it’s this thing called delayed gratifi-cation, and I’m optimistic that one day it will pay off.

So as UTPA students get closer to the fall semester, we over-hear our peers complaining about how they wish summer would never end, we know that the tran-sition from summer to fall will be a breeze. You will enter the new school year with more at stake than just reaching the highest levels of Halo. Also, be content in not hav-ing to untag yourself from embar-rassing Facebook photos from the prior night. Kudos to the students working full-time jobs and doing multiple things aside from school. It’s people like you that will ap-preciate what comes to you in the future that much more.

Working for the man every night and day

By Nadia Tamez-Robledo

Journalism is a thankless job.Not that I’m in it for the glory.

I doubt anyone ever reads my byline before scanning the articles I write.

Journalism allows me to combine two things for which I developed a propensity at a young age: writing and helping people.

One of the hardest parts about this job is balancing giving people what they appear to want versus news about events of consequence. I’d like to think that the two overlap most of the time, with things like E! News categorized safely as a guilty pleasure or stress reliever.

However, having worked as an editor for The Pan American for

a year, it’s telling that the content we’ve gotten the greatest response to (at least as far as social media in concerned) is not immigration, health care, the school budget or changes to financial aid.

It’s stand-alone photos of beautiful female athletes. Nothing else, even the articles about the achievements of these women, comes close.

Journalists want to tell a good story. Even at the college level, we strive to write things that are informative, meaningful and useful to our readers.

Sadly, even professionals who work out of major Washington news bureaus will tell you that ideas for in-depth pieces about current events get shelved because no one thinks viewers

will pay attention. Ratings and page views matter.

Chances are that you’ll be consuming news and entertainment for the rest of your life, whether it’s via traditional media or on the latest Apple product.

Call, comment, email, “like” – just participate and share your thoughts and questions with the people who want to do their best to give you the information you need. If you want quality news, you have to say so.

When it comes to good reporting, use it or lose it

Dimitra HernandezMultimedia Editor

Photo of the week

Forever the Sickest Kids, a Dallas-based pop-rock band, headlined the grand opening concert of Geo’s Music Venue in McAllen Aug. 4. Fans waited in line before the concert and stuck around after in hopes of meeting band members Jonathan Cook, Caleb Turman, Austin Bello and Kyle Burns.

Like The Pan American Facebook page to view the “UTPA Frame of the Day.” Thursday, March 1st

6PM

Thursday, March 1stthrough Sunday,

March 4th

Norma Gonzalez/The Pan American

Nicole Perez’s life can be explained in numbers.

The criminal justice major doesn’t qualify for federal grants, so she’ll be working up to 35 hours per week as a cashier and borrowing about $3,000 in loans to pay for 18 credit hours in the fall.

“I had pretty much expected it,” the 19-year-old Mission native said, of borrowing money.

Perez is one of several thousand UTPA students who will feel the effects of changes to federal loans kicking in next semester. The good news is that undergraduate students won’t have to pay double the interest this year. The bad news is that subsidized loan borrowers will lose their interest-free grace period after they graduate.

Congress voted to extend the current 3.4 percent interest rate for another year just days before it was scheduled to jump back to its 2007 rate of 6.8 percent on July 1.

“It was a law that was expiring, so when a law expires, they do have the option of extending it further,” explained Jael Garcia, associate director of Student Financial Services.

The lower interest will save undergraduate students an estimated $1,000 over the life of their loans, according to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

“I think it makes a big

difference because there’s always going to be other expenses,” Perez said of the savings. “If you can save $1,000, that’s a blessing in itself.”

However, Congress put limitations on federal loans as part of the Budget Control Act that passed last year.

For the next two years, undergraduate students who take out new subsidized loans will still have a six-month, post-graduate grace period before they have to start paying back the money. Unlike in past years, though, they will be responsible for paying back interest that builds up immediately after they graduate or fall below half-time enrollment.

“They don’t actually have to begin making payments, but the interest will start accumulating,” Garcia said.

The interest rate for graduate and doctoral students’ new loans will remain steady at 6.8 percent. However, they will lose the option of taking out subsidized Stafford loans, federal loans for which the government pays the interest while borrowers are enrolled at

least half-time. Grad students will still be

able obtain unsubsidized loans, a situation where students have to pay back interest that builds up while they are in school in addition to the original amount borrowed. However, neither type of loan will have the six-month grace period, meaning repayment will begin immediately after students graduate or fall below half-time enrollment.

Between January and March of this year, students across the country borrowed 21,651

Stafford loans totaling nearly $92 million, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The University estimates that 7,000 UTPA students took out a total of 13,290 federal loans last year for a combined $48.2 million borrowed.

Robert Treviño, federal loans coordinator for the Office of Student Financial Services, said students typically repay their loans in 10 years. Congress will have to vote on whether to keep the 3.4 percent interest rate next July. They could also bring back the grace period subsidy for undergrads in two years, he added.

“It’s a possibility, but nothing’s certain,” Treviño said. “It just depends on Congress.”

In the meantime, Garcia urges students to remember that all the money they borrow

must eventually be paid back. Approximately 87 percent of UTPA students received some form of financial aid last year, and about one out of every four awards was a loan, according to UTPA’s Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness.

“Especially when interest rates are low, it’s a much better source of financing that using credit cards or other forms of financing,” she said, “but they should still be conservative and use only what they need and use them only for educational purposes.”

For now, another number on Perez’s mind is her May 2013 graduation date. She plans to go on to law school and become an attorney. Loans will likely be part of her post-graduate education, and she hopes to someday start her own scholarship fund for struggling students.

“If I do things right, I’m going to have a job and I’ll be able to start paying back loans,” she said. “In order to really strive for a better future, it helps a lot to have a loan [students] can work with.”

November 10, 2011August 9, 2012news 3

StudentS urged to uSe loanS Sparingly aS changeS to financial aid take effect

By Nadia Tamez-RobledoThe Pan American

College TowN CoNTiNued from pAge 1

types of aid awarded in 2011

grants loans scholarships student employment

tuition waivers

amount aw

ard

ed (m

illions o

f d

olla

rs)

$95 mil

$48.2

$11.5

$2.56 $2.5

For more information on student loans, contact the Office of Student Financial Services at (956) 665-2501 or visit them in SSB 1.192.

Summer II second disbursements

released Aug. 9

Undocumented students can apply for

deferred action Aug. 15 at uscis.gov

Financial aid will be disbursed Aug. 17

First fall payment due Aug. 21

Financial aid disbursements

will go out Aug. 22

Students will be dropped for

nonpayment Aug. 22

$40 late registration fee after Aug. 22

$90 late registration fee after Aug. 27

First day of fall semester Aug. 27

Last day to register Aug. 30

Last payment due Sept. 5

Emergency loan payment due

Nov. 1

adventurous. They involve making University Drive more bike- and pedestrian-friendly, beautification of businesses around the school, more shuttle and bus transportation, and most importantly, a reworking of McIntyre Street.

McIntyre is a funny and sometimes forgotten little street. It passes the Hidalgo County Courthouse downtown and goes on to Edinburg City Hall. From there, it emerges on the other side and makes the short trip to campus before appearing before the Bookstore.

The new plans mean that this part of McIntyre wouldn’t be a street at all, but a pedestrian walkway with added lighting. The walkway would theoretically connect the campus with what the city wants to turn into a cultural

and arts district. And there’s more. Lopez

said the city is looking into acquiring a building for a cultural center as well as building a multi-modal transit facility.

“It would be a bus station with office provisions for more than one possibility,” Lopez explained about the facility. “It would help to establish more than transit services for the community and for students.”

UTPA is also aggressively tackling the college town agenda. Nelsen added that future projects include building housing for 4,000 students in the next 10 years as well as 1,500 new parking spaces in two years.

Whether or not UTPA transforms into a more Austin-esque atmosphere remains to be seen, but the president is

hopeful. “We’re getting there,”

Nelsen said. “The more you think of yourself as a University student rather than a part-time student who is just taking classes, the better you are going to do. If we build a college atmosphere, it helps you identify yourself as a student.”

Lopez said the city is more concerned with a lucrative cycle of businesses trying to serve the needs of an expanding University.

“The more activity you have in the proximity of your downtown, the more businesses want to come to that downtown area. The area is going to continue to grow and other businesses see this,” he said. “We want to facilitate some of these things so the businesses want to come to Edinburg.”

THE PAN AMERICANTHE PAN AMERICAN August 9, 2012 August 9, 2012 Page 5Page 4

How I spent my summer vacation...

Everything in America is huge, right? Especially in Texas. Over here the streets are really narrow. If you’re going this way and there’s a car going that way, you have to back up to let the car go through. Everything’s like that… They try to fit a lot into a small space.

People drink a lot of tea instead of coffee and they don’t know what iced tea is. You have to explain, “It’s tea. Cold, without milk. And ice inside it.” It took me a while to get used to it.

London, EnglandBy Ayesha ZahidEnglish major

Fall is on its way, and with it comes (hopefully) cooler weather, a new se-mester and the return of some far-off Broncs. These three crossed the Atlantic to visit family, study abroad or help out at an orphanage. Below are a little snippet of their stories, pages in the scrapbooks of their journeys to bring a bit of the world to the Valley. Make sure to visit www.panamericanonline.com/category/arts-and-life/ for expanded photo slideshows and blogs of their trips.

Paris, FranceBy Natalia Rocafuerte Studio Art major

I went to Uganda on a mission trip to tell them how much God loves them. I found out about this place through the BSM because they have different brochures of places you can go to. I went to an orphanage, or like a home school. We would take their temperature, their height and their blood pressure. After, we would check them they would go and see the doctor. I helped them with math games and scripture lessons.

The people there were so friendly, even if they don’t know you, they would just go and hug you. I will always just take the kids with me; they just showed so much joy. I think I might go back, because I left a piece of me over there.

Kampala, UgandaBy Saidel ElizondoNursing major

UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE • 1201 W. University Drive

www.utpa.bkstr.com

RENT NOW

SAVE NOW

*Savings based on total North American textbook rental savings vs new book price. Individual store savings vary by location. See store for details.

$280 MILLION*

/UTPABookstore4/C

Black & White

For Black background, there is a white

border around it.

When I got off the plane, it all hit me. “I am totally alone in some country, and I’ve never ridden a metro alone.” The house where I was staying at was outside of Brussels, and I had to

take a couple trains, but it all worked out. You learn on the spot. Everyone and everything is on time, so be on time.Walk fast, try everything even if you think it tastes bad, don’t talk to people in the subways if you are lost, only ask the people at the information booth, and everyone is nice as long

you are respectful.I had never been to Luxembourg

or Belgium before. I got to go to some local shows and art museums, and really explore Europe on my own.

I attended a Dali auction in Brussels, which was a great opportunity since I want to be an art curator. Visiting the Rene Magritte Museum in Brussels was a life-changing experience. He is my favorite surrealist painter and being able to see his life’s work was very inspirational.

THE PAN AMERICANTHE PAN AMERICAN August 9, 2012 August 9, 2012 Page 5Page 4

How I spent my summer vacation...

Everything in America is huge, right? Especially in Texas. Over here the streets are really narrow. If you’re going this way and there’s a car going that way, you have to back up to let the car go through. Everything’s like that… They try to fit a lot into a small space.

People drink a lot of tea instead of coffee and they don’t know what iced tea is. You have to explain, “It’s tea. Cold, without milk. And ice inside it.” It took me a while to get used to it.

London, EnglandBy Ayesha ZahidEnglish major

Fall is on its way, and with it comes (hopefully) cooler weather, a new se-mester and the return of some far-off Broncs. These three crossed the Atlantic to visit family, study abroad or help out at an orphanage. Below are a little snippet of their stories, pages in the scrapbooks of their journeys to bring a bit of the world to the Valley. Make sure to visit www.panamericanonline.com/category/arts-and-life/ for expanded photo slideshows and blogs of their trips.

Paris, FranceBy Natalia Rocafuerte Studio Art major

I went to Uganda on a mission trip to tell them how much God loves them. I found out about this place through the BSM because they have different brochures of places you can go to. I went to an orphanage, or like a home school. We would take their temperature, their height and their blood pressure. After, we would check them they would go and see the doctor. I helped them with math games and scripture lessons.

The people there were so friendly, even if they don’t know you, they would just go and hug you. I will always just take the kids with me; they just showed so much joy. I think I might go back, because I left a piece of me over there.

Kampala, UgandaBy Saidel ElizondoNursing major

UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE • 1201 W. University Drive

www.utpa.bkstr.com

RENT NOW

SAVE NOW

*Savings based on total North American textbook rental savings vs new book price. Individual store savings vary by location. See store for details.

$280 MILLION*

/UTPABookstore4/C

Black & White

For Black background, there is a white

border around it.

When I got off the plane, it all hit me. “I am totally alone in some country, and I’ve never ridden a metro alone.” The house where I was staying at was outside of Brussels, and I had to

take a couple trains, but it all worked out. You learn on the spot. Everyone and everything is on time, so be on time.Walk fast, try everything even if you think it tastes bad, don’t talk to people in the subways if you are lost, only ask the people at the information booth, and everyone is nice as long

you are respectful.I had never been to Luxembourg

or Belgium before. I got to go to some local shows and art museums, and really explore Europe on my own.

I attended a Dali auction in Brussels, which was a great opportunity since I want to be an art curator. Visiting the Rene Magritte Museum in Brussels was a life-changing experience. He is my favorite surrealist painter and being able to see his life’s work was very inspirational.

Fashionistas, fashion lovers and eccentric followers are challenging the idea of a once-dull Valley. As shocking as it might sound, fashion mindsets are ready to change to the South Texas.

The thought of transforming the Valley into fashion central is slowly occurring and MaLi Corpus, a former UTPA student, is ready to help the area transition to big-city styles.

“I’m all about playing with clothes,” Corpus said. “People think I’m a designer, others think I’m a photographer, a makeup artist and all of the above—I think that here in the Valley, the term stylist is not well defined.”

From an early start in Monterrey, Mexico, Corpus discovered a sincere love for fashion, and a desire for uniqueness made her get lost in high fashion designs from magazines such as Vogue. Upon turning 15, Corpus came to the Valley to study.

She considers herself a stylist, a person who dresses and styles others, and currently contributes her creativity ftodressing and eccentric designs for photo shoots and spreads for local magazines.

“I don’t have hobbies. I’m actually very boring, and the only thing I like is the mall,” she said. “Never in my life did I think that so much shopping was going to take me somewhere.”

Corpus hopes to start a fashion movement and transform a generation of fashion-forward citizens in South Texas. The idea is to

create and direct fashion shows based on high-fashion house designs, yet adapted to the residents in this region.

“The point is to create big events that are worthwhile,” Corpus said. “If I find a store that is truly worth it and that has cool things and that you can truly show people from

here something different, why not?”

In partnership with local magazines like Celebrity Nights, and hosting her own fashion

television show every Thursday morning on Univision 48, Corpus is slowly helping to transform the RGV into a region of style.

“I’ve worked with MaLi about five times already, and has recently styled me for a photo shoot we had for Celebrity

Nights Magazine and it was super awesome,” said model Andrea Garcia, sophomore dietetics major. “She’s just amazing, amazing personality,

very fun to get along with and makes me working with her a lot easier.”

Fashion Fest, a show Corpus styled and directed Aug. 2 at RED restaurant and bar, sold over 250 tickets. Models walked down the runway, styling clothing from

J&O Clothiers, a Brownsville boutique, and Divine, a boutique from McAllen. Both boutiques offer casual and formal event clothing.

“It’s going to be different...,” Garcia said before Fashion Fest began. “The big surprise is going to be MaLi’s styling--she has a very out-of-the-box mind, so that’s going to be interesting.”

With six styles, created and designed entirely by Corpus, the show left attendees with a taste of what to expect on an upcoming show, Fashion Week, that mimics such shows as those in New York or Paris. The date and location of this event are still in the planning process.

“Let’s be honest, people here in the Valley are not very prepared for real-house fashion designs,” Corpus said. “My creations will either shock or will totally be loved, there are no in-betweens.”

Real-house fashion designs are creations from established and accepted designers, who are considered legends in the fashion world, such as Coco Chanel, Louis Vuitton or Gucci.

From creations inspired by Alexander McQueen’s designs, an example of house-fashion, to apparel that could be worn by eccentric pop singer, Lady Gaga, Corpus made clear that creativity, imagination and inspiration have no boundaries.

“This time I got inspired from my garage,” she explained. “All the leftovers that I had, nails, rolls of elastic, old wings from Halloween that I made into a collar—basically I recycled everything.”

Although there have been other shows and presentations in the Valley attempting to change fashion views, Corpus insists that the key is to remember that dressing is a form of self-expression: what you wear is who you are.

“Every day we are someone different, it is a lie when someone says they are a certain way,” she said.

With studs, spikes, metals, laces and gowns she closed her show, teasing her audience with big-city creations and adapting them to small-town fashion aspirations.

“The Valley is growing, and I’m going to be part of that growth,” Corpus concluded.

Norma Gonzalez/The Pan American

Photos by Norma Gonzalez/The Pan American

6 August 9, 2012

A fiery orange and vibrant blue illustrate the story of 1950s’ bracero farmers on the entrance building of the San Juan Municipal Park. The Braceros are depicted as field workers, initially, but end with the success of their generation graduating from school years later.

The Mexican American Studies (MAS) group at UTPA has been working on this mural for just under a year, and will finally hold an inaugural ceremony for the mural on 201 W. First St. Aug. 9 at 6 p.m.

From the 1940s to the early 1960s, Braceros, or Mexican laborers, were only allowed in the United States for a limited time period as part of the agricultural labor program’s regulations. At the time the program was cancelled an estimated 4.6 million workers had been recorded.

Though the mural was originally set to be in Edinburg, San Juan seemed to be the more appropriate venue, as a big part of the farmworker heritage. The city welcomed the idea with open arms.

“San Juan was very receptive to bringing art to their community,” Christian Ramirez, a graduate student in MAS said. “This is the first mural they have of such a big capacity and they take great pride in it.”

Stephanie Alvarez, director of MAS, sent her students to the streets, asking the community of San Juan what they wanted the mural to portray. Though they had an idea based on a previous exhibit they had done, they still searched for the image to display. Once all the surveys were in, they knew what they wanted to show the public: “Braceros: A Legacy of Triumph.”

“School doesn’t really teach people about this so

nobody really knows about it,” Ramirez said. “I know because my grandfather worked as one, so it’s great that we get to teach people about this.”

During production, the $25,000 project, financed by the Smithsonian and the City of San Juan, received much recognition as onlookers took time to stop and take pictures.

“It was very uplifting working on this mural, people kept dropping by and pointing at the mural saying, ‘That’s me. I used to do that.’ It was great hearing from them,” said Raul Valdez, the Austin-based main muralist who is known mostly for his cultural scenes focusing on the Chicano movement.

Without a sketch to go on, the team of painters and MAS graduate students painted for a month, starting on the first of June. They dedicated their time, working in the heat and changing the scene almost every day until they produced a piece that the community could feast their eyes on and call their own.

“An inauguration is just a way of presenting the mural to the community and designating it as belonging to them,” Valdez said. “It doesn’t belong to the artist, or the ones who sponsored it, it belongs to the people.”

By Alexis Aguirre The Pan American

By Saira Treviño The Pan American

Braceros: A Legacy of Triumph

Mural brings story of braceros to San Juan

arts & life

MaLi Corpus : The beginning of a fashion movement

The Valley is growing, and I’m going to be part of that growth.

MaLi Corpus Stylist

Megan Lozano, 19, sports one of MaLi Corpus’ creations as part of the closing collection. The Fashion Show was held Aug. 2 at RED in McAllen.

August 9, 2012 7

The Broncs’ coaching staff just got a big boost. Less than a week into her new job as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball team, Kiera Hardy has heard nothing but compliments from everyone around the Bronc organization. Hardy was a third round pick (39th overall) of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun in 2007 who joined the Bronc staff in July. She played during the pre-season that year and averaged nine points, two rebounds and two assists per game. The 5-foot-6-inch native of Kansas City went on to play professionally in Europe for two years, in Iceland and the Czech Republic.

“Any time you can hire someone with a pedigree like her, you get respect from players,” Bronc coach Denny Downing said. “At the level that she did, drafted into the WNBA, she’s someone who’s done it and can relate on so many levels with our players.”

Hardy has had an eye on a coaching career most of her life and is a former Boys and Girls Club mentor.

“I had a knack for kids,” she said. “My role is about being a

leader and role model, someone (the kids) can look up to. I’ve played professionally, so they can use me as an example, should they pursue a professional career.”

Hardy, a three-year starter at the University of Nebraska, joins former Cornhusker teammate LaToya Howell as a Downing assistant. Coaching alongside someone she played with for two years was one of

the selling points.“I’ve been aware of (Hardy

through) my relationship with LaToya,” Downing said. “We’ve known about her when she got drafted and went overseas.”

Hardy has been busy since landing in the Valley.

“We’re bringing in six freshman, (so) she is getting used

to what it takes to get a kid in school,” Downing said. “She’s been learning a lot; it’s an entry-level (position) where she’s at. She’s been involved in recruiting, getting her feet wet.”

The Bronc coach stressed that one misleading aspect of Howell and Hardy’s job is that they work under or for him, when in reality, he says they work side by side. So far, so good, according to Hardy.

“It’s been a wonderful experience. I understand what the program needs,” the 27-year-old said. “(Recruiting) is just one of my duties. I’ll also learn about NCAA rules and regulations. It’s a variety of things. But I love kids. I feel like basketball is an outreach for athletes. It’s a stress reliever.”

Former WNBA plAyer KierA HArdy joiNs BroNc coAcHiNg stAFF

By Alex E. PeñaThe Pan American

“I had a knack for kids. My role is about being a leader and role model, someone (the kids) can look up to. I’ve played professionally, so they can use me as an example should they pursue a professional career.”

- Kiera HardyWomen’s basketball coach

UTPA volleyball looks to ace upcoming season

Coach Brian Yales (far right) speaks about defense during Bronc volleyball practice Wednesday.

Ruben Gutierrez/The Pan American

The Broncs volleyball team started practice for the new season Wednesday. Despite an abundance of talent in 2011, the team finished with an overall season record of 7-24 (1-9 in the GWC). Head coach Brian Yale looks to improve on last season with a experienced

group of sophomores, juniors, a few seniors and three talented incoming freshmen.

“[We have] a squad that’s going to be young again, but the number of freshmen we have and the amount of playing time they got, we have a little bit of experience under our

belt,” Yale said about his his second year as head coach of Broncs volleyball.

The Broncs look to further mature and gain experience as they open their season against the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks on Aug. 24 in Arlington, Texas.

For the complete story and more updates on Broncs sports, visit panamericanonline.com/category/sports.

SportS Brief

the pan american August 9, 2012Page 8

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