March 24, 2005

In a meeting last Thursday, theUT System Board of Regentsapproved raising tuition costs atseven of its component schools,

including The University ofTexas-Pan American. Students

at UTPA can expect a 10-percent increase in

tuition effective fall2006.

Accordingto the UTPAtuition plan,the rise in

costs is due to fed-eral and state govern-ment’s inability tomatch UTPA’s growingenrollment with more

substantial resources.While enrollment at

UTPA grew 10 percentand 7 percent the most

recent two fall semesters,state general revenue allocationincreased only 1 percent, after bondpayment adjustments.

Dennis McMillan, associatevice president for enrollment andstudent services, said arriving at anumber for tuition is an evolution-ary process and state funds are

coming up short.“You look at what you’re

doing right now, and then you lookat where you want to be withgrowth, and you try to plan for theincreased needs of a rapidly grow-ing institution,” said McMillan.“It’s difficult to do because theState Legislature is trying to man-age the state budget as a whole butour education is overlooked.”

The Board of Regentsapproval is the last stride in a multi-step process for adjusting tuition.First the UTPA Executive Council,whose membership consists of eachdivisional vice president or headand the president, meets to discussissues concerning the institution. Aconsultation strategy is then devel-oped to ensure the schools impor-tant groups are informed.

A presentation on tuitionchanges is then prepared to informconstituent groups in and aroundthe school. A proposal is then sentto the Board of Regents whoapprove, modify, or reject propos-als on their discretion.

Currently, UTPA tuition is stillone of the lowest of the UT System.Based on a 15-hour semester, thecharge is $1,738. The University ofTexas-Austin tops the list with a

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 M a r c h 24 , 2 0 0 5

THE

PAN AMERICANSpeed past Meth: Valley not into popular drug

see Page 3

UTPA toform newbonds withthe CIA

FYI...The University of Texas-Pan American shuttle service will not be

operating March 25. Normal hours of operation will resume on March28, in parking lot S, lot S-1, lot P, lot D and lot E. Wait time for the shut-tle is 7 to 10 minutes. Contact the Auxiliary Service at 381-2252 formore information.

Tennis TimeUTPA tennis team captain

Jeremy Salvo’s motivation isstrengthened by his love for thegame on and off the court. Theformer Southland Conferenceplayer of the year reflects on hisexperience at UTPA.

The Broncs took on LaredoCommunity College Tuesdayand had much success in men’sand women’s play.

See 5

A-list names and big ideasare topping the box office chartsthis spring. “Robots,” a comput-er-generated animated filmwhich used the voices of EwanMcGregor, Halle Berry, GregKinnear, Mel Brooks, DrewCarey and more, topped thecharts in its opening weekendbeginning March 11. This week-end “Ring Two,” the sequel to ahorror movie that took moviego-ers by surprise in 2002,dethroned the bots.

See Page 8 & 9

Government cutscause increase inUTPA tuition rates

Debate: The Terri Schiavo caseNearly seven years

ago, the family membersof Terri Schiavo entered alegal battle over whetherto have her feeding tuberemoved and allow her todie. As of March 18,Schiavo’s tube wasremoved at the request ofher husband. The casehas drawn national atten-tion and has created con-troversy about the right-to-die debate. Two editorsof The Pan Americanexchange views on thecase.

See page 6

See TUITION page 11

By DAVID RODRIGUEZThe Pan American

By EMMA CLARKThe Pan American

Joel de La RosaThe Pan American

See CIA page 11

The CIA will be visiting theUniversity of Texas-Pan AmericanMarch 29, as part of a new relation-ship the university and the govern-ment intelligence agency are hopingto develop. New York University isthe only other college in the UnitedStates that has been chosen to par-ticipate in the exclusive program.

Representatives will be avail-able on campus to answer questionsstudents might have about theagency, and are especially interestedin training minority students, withhelp from the CIA CollegiateMarketing Program.

Yajaira Flores, public relationscoordinator for the program,explained why UTPA was chosen.

“They fit the clientscriteria…our good academic stand-ing, our geographical location andour diverse culture – 76 percent ofstudents speak more than one lan-guage,” Flores said, adding that thisis exactly what the CIA is lookingfor.

The Collegiate MarketingProgram is designed to give stu-dents hands-on training about thefundamentals of marketing, a

courtesy of google.com

1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539

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

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

53rd Year – No. 23

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

March 24 2 0 0 5

Readers with dis-abilities mayrequest an alter-native format ofthis publication atThe Pan American

business office. For special assis-tance to attendany event listed inthis publication,contact the coor-dinator of theevent at least oneweek prior to theadvertised date.

OPINION l e t t e r s n e d i t o r i a l s n c a r t o o n sPAGE 2

THE

PAN AMERICAN

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

EditorClarissa Martinez

[email protected]

News EditorEmma Clark

[email protected]

A & E EditorOmaira Galarza

[email protected]

Sports EditorJoey Gomez

[email protected]

Graphics EditorsDägoberto Pé[email protected]

Ginmarie [email protected]

Graphic/Web Design

Eduardo [email protected]

Raul Cervantesracervantes1@

panam.edu

Delisa [email protected]

Reporters

Jacob Alegria

Lylony Cazares

Kristina Cavazos

Claudette Gonzalez

Daryl Gonzales

Joey Hinojosa

Selene Garza

David Rodriguez

Photographers

Joel de la Rosa

Marcos Cervantes

Copy EditorJason Chapa

SecretaryDiana Corpus Garza

CAS 170381-2541

AdviserDr. Greg Selber

CAS 154292-7201

[email protected]

DeliveryAnthony Pinal

Thursday noon

Traffic sucks, it’s get-ting hotter every day,and the prospect ofrequired readings not yetattempted is an unbornembolism just waitingfor the most embarrass-ing time to drop me;maybe when I’m in lineat Luby’s perhaps. But

none of these even came close to the sheerdespondent frustration that consumed me everytime my CD player would skip. The skippingbecame so pervasive that every song I listened toeventually became an unfinished symphony.

Tech envy didn’t help either. I’ve never con-sidered myself a gadget guy but I’m certainly notimmune to the pull of sexy new devices. Dayafter day I would watch people bop around cam-pus with their tiny MP3 players in their pocket,or conspicuously strapped to their belt. Or themost egregious, tied around their arm, as if theyhad only taken a few minutes out from cross-training to come to class. I watched these peoplewith undeniable invidiousness. These were peo-ple, I reasoned, that lived better lives than I. Theydined on food richer than I could imagine. Theydrove cars equipped with amenities rivaling theStarship Enterprise. They boldly listened tomusic in ways this man never had.

So thanks to my skipping CD player and mywarped sense of self-worth, it was in sporadicsilence and the throes of naked, jealous class-envy that I decided to ignore my phone bill andspeeding ticket and buy an MP3 player.

I am not alone. The Consumer ElectronicsAssociation (real lady-killers I’m sure) reportsthat MP3 player sales doubled in 2004 totaling

6.9 million units sold. This is old news for any-one who frequents the UTPA campus. You needonly walk 10 feet in any direction and you willrun right smack into some mindless automatonstaring straight down into his music machine.The increase in sales from MP3 players alonemore than tripled revenue and the industry as awhole raked in $1.2 billion. The CEA predictsthe MP3 market will continue this rate of growthin 2005, reaching 10 million units sold and net-ting $1.7 billion.

So I turned my wallet upside down at BestBuy and walked out with an iRiver H10 and Igotta say, this is one bad machine. This thing hasfive gigabytes of internal storage. For those ofyou without a pen in your shirt pocket, five giga-bytes translates to over 150 hours of music. I canstore pictures and listen to FM radio as well. Ican even use my MP3 player as a digital voicerecorder. This thing does everything but lie tomy mother for me, and I think I just need anadapter for that.

For a week or so I was completely enthralled.I could now look my fellow students in the eye,confident I too had more than $200 worth ofgadgetry in my pocket (I threw away the beltstrap clip). However, after awhile my excitementwaned a bit. I came to view my new toy as apressing matter, rather than a tool of liberation.When I was lugging around my CD player like averitable Piltdown Man, I had to decide once aday what I would listen to, then adhere to that. Itforced me to live by a decision every day. NowI’m, for all intents and purposes, lugging around150 CDs. I don’t want to waste any time by lis-tening to music that doesn’t precisely fit themood I’m in, so I find myself constantly scroll-ing to find what jam will serve as the best sound-

track for my mood at this exact very minute. Thewhole thing has made me fickle.

What’s worse, just yesterday, I actuallybumped into someone because I was glued tomy MP3 player. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled, and Ihad to wonder if I was offering an apology or anassessment on my state of affairs. This thing wassupposed to streamline my life, but instead it hasbecome another encumbering satellite of myconsciousness and unflattering bulge in mypocket.

I then started to question just how useful allthe features I had so dearly paid for were.Seriously, why would I want to listen to FMradio when all my favorite music is already atmy fingertips? The idea of some screeching DJplugged directly into my ear via the plugs justdoesn’t appeal to me. Pictures? That’s nifty to besure, but of what value is it to me to carry aroundpictures? Not to mention the security risk. I’msure Paris Hilton can attest to the dangers ofportable pictures. Not that I, regrettably, haveany pictures as scandalous as hers.

Don’t get me wrong, there is a palpable, ego-massaging, glee I still get when I whip out mynew gadget in public, but I’m no longer underany illusion about the technological progress we,or I have made. My only real problem is decid-ing what to do next. Maybe I’ll just get to workon my assigned readings.

Dear Pan American:I was happy to see the article “Students,

faculty work together for commonresearch goal” in the March 17, 2005 issueof The Pan American,front page. It men-tioned students and faculty conductingresearch together, which is good.

I wish to offer a humorous comment onone thing I read in that article, when itdescribed the varied research topics suchas “organizational humor and oxygen con-sumption in sand crabs.” I do not knowwhy I did not think of it before, but it

seems to me that sand crabs with low oxy-gen consumption will also be low inhumor, both in and out of organizationalsettings. How can we expect sand crabs tohave a sense of humor if they are not get-ting enough oxygen? So, I am predictinga positive correlation between adequateoxygen in sand crabs and their humorresponses in organizations. I await, withgreat interest, the outcome of the researchto see if my prediction is accurate.

By the way, a typical example of sandcrab humor is the following: “Hey pal, are

you sick, or do you always walk side-ways?” This may not seem so funny toyou, but it cracks up sand crabs.

Sincerely,Russell Eisenman, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of PsychologyDepartment of Psychology

David Rodriguez

iHave one too: Is it worth it?

CORRECTION: In the March 17 issue ofThe Pan American, the article “Students,faculty work together for common researchgoal” contained a misprint. The sentenceshould have read, “KGBT-TV televised themeeting live and sandwiched each panelist’spresentation with filmed packages and inter-views.”

Methamphetamine started withrural beginnings and has made itsway into big cities. But despite whatreports have suggested, it is still nota popular drug of choice in the RioGrand Valley.

According to the NationalInstitute on Drug Abuse (NIDA),methamphetamine is an addictivestimulant that strongly activatescertain systems in the brain. It ismade in illegal laboratories in theSouthwest and Mexico and has ahigh potential for abuse and addic-tion.

According to the 2002 NationalSurvey on Drug Use and Health,12.4 million Americans age 12 andolder had tried it at least once intheir lifetimes (5.3 percent of thepopulation), with the majority of

those who had used it in the pastyear were between 18 and 34 yearsof age.

Street methamphetamine is oftenknown as “speed,” “meth,” and“chalk,” which can be snorted,injected or taken orally.Methamphetamine hydrochlorideforms clear, chunky crystals resem-bling ice, which can be inhaled bysmoking and is referred to as “ice,”“crystal meth,” or “glass.”

Although there are Crystal MethAnonymous groups across thecountry that have increased in size,at the Palmer Drug Abuse Program(PDAP) in McAllen, where individ-ual counseling is offered three timesa week, there has not been anincrease in addicts looking for help.

“We are seeing a little bit moreof young adults seeking counselingfor crystal meth but it is still prettyrare in the Valley,” said Sarah, a

recovering drug addict fromPDAP who wished toremain anonymous.

Miguel Lopez, directorof the Alcohol and DrugAbuse Program (ADAP) atThe University of Texas-PanAmerican, stated thatmethamphetamine is notcommonly used in the area.According to Lopez stu-dents are more likely to getcounseling for alcohol, mar-ijuana, cocaine, and heroinaddiction.

“Methamphetamine isnot a favorite drug downhere, mainly because thiswhole area fromBrownsville to El Paso isrecognized by the DEA as ahigh-intensity zone for drug

Beyond sight . . . . . . . . 4

Firefighters . . . . . . . . . . 5

SGA update . . . . . . . . . . 5NEWS

In this day and age it is hard tofind a common thread that binds thepublic; it seems that the cultures thatonce bound together the country arebecoming more and more separated.During the activity period Thursdayat The University of Texas-PanAmerican one event at the quadknown as Kaleidoscope hopes to dosomething about that.

The highlight of Kaleidoscope: ACelebration of Diversity, will be anappearance by guest speaker BobbyGonzalez, who will speak on “Red,Black and Brown: The NativeAmerican/African American/LatinoExchange,” Thursday at 6 p.m. inthe Student Union Theatre.

The speaker for this campusevent comes well recommended.

“Bobby Gonzalez is an excellentspeaker from the research we did,”said Rodney Gomez, coordinator ofstudent development. “He has spo-ken at all sorts of universities, pri-vate, public, small, big. He has a par-ticular take on Native American his-tory and U.S. history and we thoughtthat would be cool to have.”

Gonzalez is a native of New YorkCity and comes from a tri-culturalbackground. On his Web site,www.bobbygonzalez.com, heexplained that his cultural ancestrystems from Native America, Africaand Europe. Being from a diversebackground has given him a differentperspective on the history ofAmerica and how the world has andhas not changed in the recent past.

“I am trying to visit as many cam-puses as possible across the countryto spread the message,” saidGonzalez. “I want to dispel many ofthe commonly held myths andstereotypes that most people haveabout Native Americans. It is alsoimportant to have history told from

an indige-nous per-spective.”

Culturesm a k eexchangesevery dayfrom lan-guage, tofoods, to reli-g i o n .America is amelting potland whereimmigrants

from around the world have formed adiverse nation. When the original pil-grims shared the first Thanksgivingwith the Native Americans theexchange began.

Now exchanges seem to be a littlemore subtle according to Gonzalez.They can happen with music peoplehear, in the words a group speaks,and even from government a nation

lives under. And although our nation has

taken great strides to combat discrim-ination and stereotyping, Gonzalezbelieves we might not have come asfar as we think.

“Because of the media and theInternet, our world has gotten a lotsmaller,” he said. “We are moreaware of the many peoples who pop-ulate this planet and we are morefamiliar with their life ways and cus-toms.”

Gonzalez has offered an idea tohelp open peoples’ minds.

“The first step in helping to turnpeople around is to look at historyhonestly,” he said. “Too often wecriticize and marginalize those whodo not think like us, speak our lan-guage or practice our religion. Somethings haven’t changed since 1492.”

Gonzalez said it does not matterwhat culture a person comes from.What matters is how that personrelates with people from cultures dif-ferent from their own. Maybe byhearing Gonzalez speak, walls maybreak down and minds will beopened as well.

For more information visit theWeb site at www.bobbygonza-lez.com.

The Red, Black and Brown connectionHometown classmate namedUT-Austin student president

AUSTIN - Omar Ochoa, formerstudent of Edinburg North HighSchool, is making history at TheUniversity of Texas at Austin as thefirst Hispanic student body president.

Ochoa, 21, defeated fellow UTstudent Jessica Rice by capturing 58percent of the vote in the March 2student government election. Over8,600 students voted in the election,which gives Ochoa a one-year termas student body president.

This success is not unusual how-ever, as political leadership runs inthe Ochoa family. His father, Joe, isthe former 10-year mayor ofEdinburg, who currently owns anEdinburg pharmacy.

“My son has always been veryhardworking,” said the former mayor.“His success comes from beingfocused and knowing what he wants.We are very proud of him.”

When Ochoa explained to hisfamily that he was running for presi-dent, the family visited Austin toshow their support, complete with“Vote for Ochoa” shirts. His fatheradded that it had been a great experi-ence.

Ochoa was earmarked for successfrom his days at Edinburg North, andwas close to many of his classmates.Most remember him as a leader in hisclass.

Mike Sanchez, a former class-mate, said, “Omar always seemedmore mature than most high school

students. His leadership qualitieswere evident even in high school.”

It is no surprise to Sanchez thatOchoa became a leader at UT.

Ochoa is once again showing hisstrong leadership skills, and is active-ly involved on the UT campus. He ispart of the Committee on CampusCommunity, the Cesar ChavezReferendum Committee, LatinoLeadership Council and the TexasCowboys, among others.

“I already served a year in studentgovernment, so I already had experi-ence,” he said. “I have a different per-spective than most. I like to concen-trate on the cost of student life andhow the money that is going into it isactually being returned to us,” Ochoasaid.

He will assume office as studentbody president at noon April 5.

Founded in 1883, UT has thelargest single-campus enrollment inthe nation, with about 50,000 under-graduate students, according to theschool’s Web site.

Ochoa hopes to intern withCongressman Ruben Hinojosa andsaid he is excited about that upcom-ing opportunity.

“The congressman will be a greatrole model for me, and know I canlearn a lot from him,” Ochoa said.

Ochoa is currently a junior major-ing in business honors and the profes-sional program in accounting andeconomics. He hopes to attend lawschool some day, and then return tothe Rio Grande Valley to serve hiscommunity, just like his dad.

By KRISTINA CAVAZOSThe Pan American

By ANGELA SALAZARThe Pan American

Diana Lozano/The Pan American

Crystal Meth addiction low in Rio Grande Valley

GONZALEZ

By LYLONY CAZARESThe Pan American

SIGNS OF METHAMSIGNS OF METHAMPHETPHETAMINE USEAMINE USE

Agitation, excited speech,decreased appetite, increasedphysical activity, dilated pupilsand nausea and vomiting

Occasional episodes of suddenand violent behavior, intense para-noia visual and auditory hallucina-tions, and bouts of insomnia

A tendency to compulsively cleanand groom, repetitively disassem-ble and sort objects.

Source: The National Institute on Drug Abuse

“I want to dispel many of the commonlyheld myths and stereotypes that mostpeople have about Native Americans.”

-Bobby Gonzalez

See METH page 11

Not all birdwatchers can actuallysee the birds. A number of local blindpeople have joined together to form agroup of blind birders who identifycreatures by their call, rather than bytheir looks.

Gladie Cruz, the only blind under-graduate student at The University ofTexas-Pan American, leads this groupof blind birders with the help of theRensselaerville Institute, a non-profitorganization that gave her a $2,000grant to get the project started. “I always wanted to recognize birdsby their calls. Now that this opportuni-ty has come up, I love it,” said Cruz.“The grant [from the RensselaervilleInstitute] helped me realize that withlittle money and great devotion I canreach my goals,” she added.

Cruz, a 25-year-old rehabilitationservices major, has been blind sincethe age of 14 when she lost her sight asa result of a tumor.

“At first I didn’t want to accept myblindness. It was really tough,” saidCruz, who is working to expand thepopularity of blind birding as a recre-ational activity providing sight-impaired people with an opportunityto be physically active in the great out-doors.

“Sighted peo-ple often thinkthat we blind peo-ple need to remainindoors, insulatedfrom the world,” Cruz

said. “Butblind bird-

i n gis ag r e a texample of anactivity that wecan do outdoors to get someexercise and enjoy nature atthe same time.”

At their weekly birdingfield trips, Cruz and hergroup of blind birderswalk single file, using animaginary clock to indi-

cate the directionf r o mwhich

different bird calls are being heard. If a member of the group hears a

bird call, he or she will call out boththe name of the bird whose call washeard and the direction from which itcame; for example, “Did anybody elsehear a Golden Fronted Woodpecker at1 o’clock?” Hearing this, the otherswill remain silent in order to confirmthat it was indeed a Golden FrontedWoodpecker at one o’clock.

Cruz and her group have eventaken blind birding to a higher level,competing statewide in the GreatTexas Birding Classic which recentlycelebrated the addition of the Outta-Sight Song Birder Tournament. Thisnew division was created in 2003 forthe blind and visually impaired tocompete in.

Anna McNaught, administrativeassistant at the RensselaervilleInstitute, works with Cruz to makesure the blind birders have everythingthey need.

“Gladie is responsiblefor the [blind birding]project. She’s what

[ t h eRensselaervilleInstitute] calls a‘spark plug’

because she’s theleader that puts the

group together,” saidMcNaught. “She’s a

very impressivewoman and community

leader.”Cruz has been birding for

almost two years now and shebelieves it is a worthwhile endeavor

for other blind people as well. “The birding project is slow-

ly helping blind folks to feelmore confident about doing some-thing in life and perhaps will moti-

vate them to get intothe workforce,”

said Cruz.

Jessica Garza, a visually impairedmassage therapist from Pharr, saysblind birders may actually have anadvantage over sighted birders when itcomes to identifying the different birdcalls.

“I think it’s actually easier to rec-ognize the bird calls without sight.People with sight tend to get more dis-tracted by things going on aroundthem,” said Garza.

According to McNaught, the RioGrande Valley is the perfect place forbirding activities.

“The Valley is the Mecca of bird-ing. There is such a wide variety ofbirds in the area,” she said of the areaknown across the country as home tohundreds of species of birds and but-terflies. Eco-tourism is one of thefastest growing areas of the Valleyeconomy.

On April 17, three teams of blindbirders will be competing at this year’sOutta-Sight Song Birder Tournament:the Tweety Birds, the Hawk Eyes andLa Primavera del Valle.

In addition to her work organizingthis group of blind birders, Cruz givespresentations at local community cen-ters and schools, which focus on blindbirding and allow her to reach out toblind people in the audience to encour-age them to try it. At the same time,she is able to help educate the sightedpublic about how to interact with blindpeople.

“I understand many [sighted] peo-ple don’t know how to interact orapproach a blind person. I want toremove that fear, so society can feelmore comfortable associating with theblind,” said Cruz.

A different perspective Although she is unable to do cer-

tain things like drive a car, Cruz is rel-atively independent when it comes togetting around. After getting a ride tocampus from her sister, Cruz navi-gates around campus using a whitecane and landmarks such as walls,water fountains and certain noises

such as air conditioning units to

guide her.In class, Cruz uses a Braille Light

mini laptop to take her own notes butshe also requests a notetaker from theOffice of Services for Persons withDisabilities (OSPD) for things shemight miss, such as instructions writ-ten on a chalkboard or overhead pro-jector.

Cruz’s notetaker also helps herwhen it comes time for exams by read-ing the exam out loud for her.

“I believe the notetaker systemhelps other students learn to interactwith students with disabilities such asmyself,” said Cruz.

Although she is grateful for servic-es such as notetaking, Cruz believesthat the OSPD has room for improve-ment. According to Cruz, she’s had tostruggle for a long time with a Brailleprinter that doesn’t always work prop-erly.

“[OSPD] would tell me that theBraille printer was working but everytime I went, it wouldn’t be workingcorrectly,” says Cruz. “I would alwaysbe discouraged, thinking ‘What’s thepoint in going if it probably won’twork,” she added.

According to Cruz, another prob-lem she encounters is that sometimeswhen she needs to use the adaptedcomputer and the Braille printer, theroom is being used by another student

with a disability to take a test so she isnot able to access the printer.

“We’re very short on space,”explains Esperanza Cavazos, associatedirector of the Office of Services forPersons with Disabilities.

“Like many other labs, we have ascheduling system where studentshave the choice of reserving the com-puter 24 hours in advance so that wecan make sure that they’re going to beable to use it,” Cavazos said. “Or ofcoming in on a walk in basis but theymay be asked to leave if someone hasreserved that particular computer or ifwe’re using the room for testing,” saidCavazos.

Despite the space constrictions,Cavazos believes OSPD offers ade-quate facilities for students with dis-abilities.

“I believe that we provide reason-able options for the students,” saidCavazos. “As long as they let us knowthey’re coming, they can usually usethe room.”

Cody Colchado, a blind graduateteaching assistant in the Health andKinesiology Department, agrees.

“You’ve got to realize that whenyou’re blind, it takes a lot of dedica-tion and commitment to get somethingdone but I’ve gotten a lot of supportfrom OSPD and I’ve never had prob-lems with them,” says Colchado.

March 24, 2005 NNEEWWSS

Claudette Gonzalez/The Pan AmericanWHISTLING IN THE WIND - Gladie Cruz (left), Jesus Gonzalez andJessica Garza (right) listen to the sounds around them, ready to identify.

Beyond sight: A gift for the rest of the senses

Student gets grant for blind birding projectBy CLAUDETTE GONZALEZThe Pan American “The birding project is slowly helping

blind folks to feel more confident aboutdoing something in life and perhaps will

motivate them to get into the workforce.”-Gladie Cruz,

Rehabilitation major

March 24, 2005 NNEEWWSS

It’s 4 o’clock on a Friday morning. You’reexhausted from the crazy night you’ve just beenthrough. You can still feel remains of adrenalinerushing through your exhausted body, and all youcan think of is getting to bed as soon as possible.

No, you didn’t just get back from a wild partywith friends. You are a volunteer firefighter justback from an emergency fire call.

The Edinburg Volunteer Fire Department hasbeen helping the community since 1926 and nowhas over 70 volunteer firefighters, almost 20 careerfirefighters, and three stations.

The usual age range for volunteers is 18-to-25,but anybody interested can be a volunteer. ButDeputy Chief Ubaldo Perez said there is more tobeing a firefighter than someone saying they areinterested. They also need to show desire and will-ingness.

“When people come in, I’ll ask them why theywanted to come in and volunteer, and the majorityof them say because they wanted to serve theircommunity and they thought this was a good way,”Perez said.

Two-hour weekly meetings keep the groupworking together, explained Perez, and firefighterswill be trained at the station or in the training field.Perez said the importance of the Monday nightmeetings is pivotal.

“If you’re a student we ask you not to scheduleany classes on Monday night,” Perez said.

Applicants must get voted into the departmentby the firefighters. They go through a 30-day pro-bation period where they will be evaluated by theother volunteers.

“It’s up to the individual to come in and dedi-cate their time and make sure the other volunteersknow that they’re here for the same reason,” Perezsaid. “Because all in all we are all here for the samereason, and that’s to protect lives and protect prop-erty as a team.”

While on probation, applicants must, amongother things, show motivation, a good attitude andbe both helpful and knowledgeable. According toPerez, the department receives around five appli-cants monthly but only about two make it throughthe probation period.

“Some of them think that they can just come inand I’ll be like, ‘Hey, congratulations you’re a fire-fighter now.’ And that’s not the way it goes,” saidPerez. “I’m not the deciding factor. It’s the volun-teer firefighters who decide who gets voted in andwho doesn’t.”

But it’s not just drive that needs to motivate apotential volunteer, said Perez.

“The emotional part is being able to do some-thing, we’re not going to give them a paycheck,we’re just going to say, ‘because you put that fireout those people still have their home or their lifeto thank you for,’” he said. “To be able to do that isdifficult because in our days it’s about, ‘what’s in itfor me?’ That needs to be on the back burner.”

Firefighters respond to calls whenever they areavailable. With the current number of volunteers,there are always enough people at a fire emer-gency.

“They have to train in order to do their job.When it comes time to do the firefighting, that istheir main duty,” Perez said. “Then to make sure all

the equipment gets put back into service and getscleaned up, and to take care of any damaged itemswhen they get back from a fire.”

But the firefighters don’t benefit the city finan-cially. They do this to protect life and property,whose duties include everything from putting outfires to maintaining the firehouse.

“They get to do everything,” said Perez. “Thisdepartment is theirs. Along with the paid personnelthat’s already here, they pretty much do every-thing.”

Even though it varies, the majority ofUniversity of Texas-Pan American students whovolunteer are criminal justice majors. Others arefrom nursing and kinesiology. There are also some

volunteers who are university employees. Senior criminal justice major Adriana Garcia

has been a volunteer for the past four months. Partof the attraction was the adventure and adrenalinerush Garza knew she would get from such a posi-tion.

“I hadn’t done anything at all for myself or any-one else. I partied a lot, I never did anything foranyone, so I thought it was time I do something,”Garcia said.

Garcia explained how she was afraid at thebeginning. At training, the volunteers do live burnsin a controlled environment.

“We have to have our SCBA (self-containedbreathing apparatus),” Garcia said. “What keepsme from being afraid is singing to myself.”

Garcia doesn’t worry about getting injured. Shesaid it happens to everyone, if not there, then some-where else.

“It was on 107 and the smoke covered thestreet. It was so thick that nobody could see pastwhat was in front of them,” Garcia said of her firstfire. “It was awesome. I liked it a lot.”

Often firefighters have to work late into thenight. Garcia for example, went to a fire call lastWednesday, and did not arrive home until around 3a.m. She had to report to work at eight the follow-ing morning.

“I recover. If you can go out late and party allnight and then go to school the next day, then thisshould be nothing,” Garcia said.

Sophomore Adan Lopez, a computer informa-tion systems major, has been volunteering at thedepartment for about four months.

“I saw a video about it, and there was a lot ofteamwork. It wasn’t just about one person doingwhatever they wanted to do. It was all about team-work, and that motivated me a lot,” Lopez said.

Even though at times things may get tough, thecamaraderie keeps Lopez going, and he explainedthat his experience at the Edinburg Volunteer FireDepartment has made him appreciate his own lifea little more.

“There is always something to keep you there.The people there are pretty cool. They motivateyou and help you out with whatever you need,”Lopez said. “Whenever there is something diffi-cult, you’re not really by yourself there is alwayssomeone there to help you.”

By NAYELLY BARRIOSThe Pan American

SGA toprovidefinancialassistance

Everyone at some point in his orher life has tried some sort of fund-raising idea. It could have been alemonade stand as an 8-year-old, oreven in an attempt to raise money foran organization here on campus.Regardless of the age or time whenpeople have tried to raise a little cash,sometimes a little extra help is wel-come.

The Student GovernmentAssociation (SGA), has opened itsdoor to student organizations on TheUniversity of Texas-Pan Americancampus that may need that extrafinancial push in the right direction.

President of the SGA, NathanSchwarz, explained that for manyorganizations, fund-raising is themost difficult part of starting anorganization and keeping that organi-zation afloat.

“We wanted to help out organiza-tions,” said Schwarz.

The SGA is an officially recog-nized forum of student opinion,which means they deal with issuesthat directly affect students, takingissues to the relevant universityoffice. Upper level members areelected as senators and represent therespective colleges around campus.

The money on offer from theSGAcan be used in a variety of ways,depending on the organizations’needs and request.

“We organized a personal Webpage contest,” said Maria Garza,president of the Association forComputing Machinery.

Garza also said the money fromSGA would be used as prize moneyfor the contest winners.

“It’s great. We need the support. Alot of our organizations are not closeto the OSD [Organization of StudentDevelopment],” she said.

“Having the senators there, theyknow what’s going on.”

The application process takes oneto two weeks and all organizationsmust be in good standing with theOffice of Student Development. Dueto the limited time left in the semester,applying more than once is notallowed. The amount of moneyrequested depends on the type oforganization, but it must be withinreason.

The Student OrganizationApplication for Funds can be found inthe SGA office on the third floor ofthe University Center.

By ANGELA SALAZARThe Pan American

Joel de la Rosa/The Pan American

BALANCING ACT— Adriana Garcia, criminal justice senior, takes a study break at the Edinburg Fire Station. Garcia has been a volunteer for the pastfour months. She said she was attracted to the adrenaline and the adventure that being a volunteer firefighter offers.

Students fight fires in spare time

“If you can go out late andparty all night and then go

to school the next day, thenthis should be nothing.”

-Adriana Garcia, Criminal justice senior

When it comes to emotional cases with mul-tiple stakeholders, such as the Terri Schiavo sit-uation, it is only a matter of time before a thirdsource steps in. However, by denying the rights

a guardianhas, the line

is blurred overthe power and connection a family member hasover another member’s well-being. There is acertain amount of logic behind the reason givenas to why Schiavo should be removed from thesupport system.

Because of the length of time her husbandand immediate family has fought over her life,a clear decision has not been made. However,when Schiavo married her husband, Michael,she turned her life over to him. Whether the par-ents agree to his decision or not, the life Schiavohas created with Michael should be respected inits own legal right.

According to The Seattle PI, “People who

are passionate about maintaining Schiavo’s lifesupport have set up dozens of Internet sites, andthe authors of Web logs dedicated to law, reli-gion, ethics and politics are dissecting everyaspect of the case.”

It seems everyone has an opinion about thematter, but it has boiled down to being a case oftwo sides of a heated topic arguing beliefs ratherthan considering the best interest of the personinvolved.

Several people are arguing that it is her ownright to make a choice whether to live or not.Others are saying that there are points where

others should intervene. The most recenttwist was Wednesday afternoon whenFlorida Gov. Jeb Bush announced hisattempt to claim custody for Schiavo in

court.This is where the line should be

drawn.Schiavo has now become a symbol of

the struggle over political/personal beliefs inthe country, a Red/Blue state fight again. Whatfamily wants that, what family asks for that?Every time that Schiavo’s husband has tried toremove the feeding tube, politicians have inter-fered.

According to Jonathon Turkey from USAToday, “in intervening in the case, Congressyielded to perhaps the darkest temptation of anydemocratic body.”

That latenight bill passed by Congress andsigned by President George W. Bush to rein-state the feeding tools was a misuse of powersbecause it seemed to be sending the messagethat the government can step in whenever anunpopular decision is made by the courts.Where’s the separation of powers? How abouta little check and balance in this case?

It’s logical to believe that the Schiavo case isa personal one. There are few experiences asintimate than a person living through sickness.The decision to remove the feeding tube shouldbe left up to the guardian, not total strangers.

This particular case should not be treated asa pivotal point in the right-to-life case becauseit doesn’t seem like the country is ready todecide that just yet. Nor is it fair to thoseinvolved to add the burden of the case to thefamily members’shoulders. The only thing theyprobably want at the moment is what is best fortheir own. It’s likely that the family is probablyusing the media as a last attempt to keep theirdaughter alive, but what precedent does that setfor future events? Will anyone who wants tofight over the rights of their child be able to?Will it reach the extreme where the family canclaim that they know what’s better for theirchild?

True, doctors will argue that they have theobligation to keep their patients alive until it isapparent; that is what they do. But they cannotimpose on a guardian’s decision, regardless ofwhether it corresponds to the professional opin-ion/recommendation. And the governmentshouldn’t be able to do so either.

Of course, in the end, isn’t the true compas-sion knowing the best time to let go?

March 24, 2005 TTHHEE PPAANN AAMMEERRIICCAANN

Terri Schiavo’s heart stopped beating15 years ago. Reports say the 25-year-oldsuffered from an eating disorder. Otherssay Schiavo suffered from potassium defi-ciency which caused oxygen to stop fol-lowing to her brain. Her parents, Mary andBob Schindler have fought continuous-ly to make sure that Terri hadthe best care and treatmentavailable, a fight any parentwould wage for their child.

Michael Schiavo, Terri’shusband, believes that it istime to simply let go. Hecan’t simply divorce her. Hemust kill her. Schiavo claimsTerri would not want to livethis way, in a hospice, needinghelp with every move shemakes. The fact is however,Terri is living by herself, and doc-tors agree. She is breathing withoutmedical intervention, yet sherequires a feeding tube to eat.

That tube was removed March 18,meaning that somewhere in the land ofthe free, home of the brave, an American isnow being starved to death, and theAmerican government is saying that’sO.K.

The debate between Schiavo and theSchindlers is essentially a he-said, she-said game, with the husband and presum-ably the person Terri was closest to, on oneside claiming that Terri wanted to die if theinevitable happened. The bottom line isthat if Terri had a living will, the casewould not have reached the magnitude ithas escalated to. For everyone, includingyoung adults not far from 25, maybe it’ssomething to consider. What if it happenedto you?

The fight for Terri’s life is beingbounced back and forth from Republicanto Democrat and back again. Agreed, theU.S. Congress has (or should have) biggerissues on it’s plate than this. Rep. DebbieWasserman-Schultz, D-Fla., is quoted inthe New York Times this week as saying,“This type of end-of-life, gut-wrenchingdecision happens every day,” (although hercolleague, Rep. Robert Wexler claimedthat this was not an emotional issue, butone of law).

True, but it’s not every day that thepresident gets to sign off on that “gut-wrenching decision.” How can the manwho can’t even pronounce NUCLEAR, beinvolved in this type of highly emotional,morally wrenching, complex decision?

The real question therefore, lies in ask-ing what qualifies our government todecide Terri’s fate? Once the governmentstarts deciding the people’s right to life, anuncontrollable can of worms is opened.

Heavy issues like euthanasia and abortionlie in the same category as this one. Byallowing Terri Schiavo to starve to death,is like saying it’s O.K. to abort unbornchildren, which fixes that problem.Euthanasia is a done deal, as we can lethal-ly inject those who don’thave a

l i v i n gwill. The death

penalty? A no-brainer.

It’s a scary reality but as young peopletaking charge of our future, a living willneeds to become a priority for us all, justto be sure that our government does notjust decide to take charge of that future forus. 25 and happily married: how many ofus are close to what was Terri’s dream?Easily enough, tragedy could strike at anytime and our life as we know it would bechanged. And that’s really all it is.Changed. She’s still living, she’s stillbreathing. Therefore, she still has rights,including the one to live.

52%agreed with thejudge’s decisionthat left the feedingtube unattached

39%said Schiavo’sfeeding tubeshould be hookedup again

source: USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup poll taken Tuesday

WHAT THE COUNTRY THINKS

By EMMA CLARKThe Pan American

By CLARISSA MARTINEZThe Pan American

Burning issue: The fight over Schiavo’s lifeAlmost a week after the removal of Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube, thedispute between her parents, her husband, and the courts reaches acrucial point, while time slowly runs out to save her life.

AROUND TOWNFilmMarch 25-31 at 7:15 p.m. with an addi-tional 4:15 p.m. show Saturday andSundayPlace: Cine El Rey in McAllenEvent: The theater will be showing “AVery Long Engagement.”Phone: (956) 971-9829

ConcertMarch 25 at 7:30 p.m. Place: Dodge Arena in HidalgoEvent: Grammy award-winning rapperNelly in concert as a part of The SweatSuit Store.Phone: (956) 843-6688 Price: Tickets are $80, $65, $50 or $40.

ArtMarch 25 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Place: Art Awakenings 619 S.Broadway in McAllenEvent: South Texas College presentsan art exhibit featuring students’ work.Phone: (956)668-1366Price: Free

ConcertMarch 27 Place: La Villa Real Special EventsCenter in McAllenEvent: The Greatest “Hit” Makers fea-turing Rico J. Puno, Hajj Alejandro, ReyValera, Marco Sison and Nonoy Zuniga. Phone: (956) 687-7121

Video games: The new caffeine?

Third in a four-part seriesAddiction, as defined by the textbook

“Psychology in Action,” fifth edition, is “the resultof repeated drug use, leading to increased toler-ance, and withdrawal symptoms, which thusmakes addiction self-perpetuating.”

But addiction is not reserved for drug useonly. The repetition of any action that causes a per-son to become absorbed in any activity is also con-sidered an addiction. Whether it is the constant useof drugs, or the need to sit before the glowing com-puter monitor or television set, while playing thelatest video game for hours; the fact of the matteris that the two activities are addictions.

The light has recently shined upon the seri-ousness of video game addiction, which strikesjust about anyone, male or female, young or old, itreally doesn’t discriminate anyone.

Rehabilitation counseling graduate studentGabriel Sanchez says that an addiction in generalstarts off psychologically, by the person wanting tomeet a psychological need, or find comfort.

“With video gamers, they find their comfortin the virtual world,” Sanchez said.

He also went on to say that any addiction pre-vents a person from performing duties in theireveryday life.

The symptoms range from physical to psy-chological. An article in the Harvard Gazette, byWilliam J. Cromie and Harvard pychologist Dr.Maressa Hecht Orzack, explains that the addictionhits just about anyone who finds virtual reality ontelevision screens or computer monitors moreappealing than everyday reality.

The physical symptoms, as Dr. Orzack listed,are: carpal tunnel syndrome, dry eyes, migraineheadaches, backaches, eating irregularities, failureto attend to personal hygiene and sleep distur-bance.

Romulus Guerrero of Rio Grande City, nowserving for the United States Navy, said that hiswork in the Navy allows him very little time torest, with 12- to 14-hour workdays, and he goes infor a 24-hour shift at least once very four days.Regardless of all that work, Guerrero wakes up inthe middle of the night to play his favorite game,“World of Warcraft.”

“I wasn’t addicted to any video games, I was

more addicted to buying the games,” Guerrerosaid. “With ‘World of Warcraft’ I am somehowdrawn to playing it. It is just a real entertaininggame.”

Though he does not admit to being addicted,he does admit that he will go without eating for anentire day because he is either working or relaxingin front of his PC to play his game.

“I just forget to eat because I will be intoplaying the game, and completing the missions,”Guerrero said.

The psychological symptoms manifest them-selves in neglect as Orzack explains. She also list-ed that the following as other psychological symp-toms to look out for: a sense of euphoria is feltonce the addict is at the computer or game system,an inability to stop playing the game, craving formore game time, neglecting family and friends,feelings of emptiness, irritability and depressionwhen not playing the game.

“I remember when ‘Halo 2’ came out, meand my friends were playing non-stop,” said SeanPelfrey, STC biology and chemistry graduate.“My girlfriend was upset at me for about a week

because I wouldn’t call or answer her calls,”Pelfrey said. “But I was just trying to complete thegame levels.”

He added that the game is real addicting forhim and several of his other friends.

Orzack reaches out to thousands of videogame addicts through her Web site, computerad-diction.com, which comes complete with a list ofsymptoms, articles, forums and ways of resolvingthe problem. In the article for the Harvard Gazette,Orzack said that an addict’s best bet to recoverywould be moderation. She explains that the addicthas to pull away from the game slowly, moderatetheir time spent playing the game until there isn’tsuch a conflict between playing the game andbasic everyday activities, such as school, work,family and friends.

“I remember when we first got the Internet,especially the cable modem, I couldn’t stop play-ing my games online,” said Joshua Garza, a stu-dent at Anchor Bible Institute. “I would stay upuntil around 5 a.m. playing, and then I had to workat 9 a.m. I would come home early [from work] ‘tosleep,’ but instead I would play more of my

game.”Garza said that he slowly got rid of his addic-

tion when he began to schedule certain hours forgame play.

“Now I only play when I’m not busy withschool,” he said. “I also don’t play much duringthe week, at least not late at night.”

Now, he turns off the computer monitor earlyon weeknights to give him time for rest and work.He admits that limiting his game time was diffi-cult, but that moderation worked. Garza said thathe still feels drawn to the computer, and on week-ends he will play into the early morning hours.

Orzack explained that the treatment for agamer is “tricky,” and may require up to a year todeal with the habit. There are several online helpresources that one can visit for additional help:MAVAV.org, computeraddiction.com, selfpsy-chologist.com. If the problem is severe, a visit to alocal therapist might help with the addiction.

Miguel S. Lopez, coordinator of the alcoholand drug abuse program on campus, agrees that avideo game addict can moderate game time.

“But they can be in a situation where theyoften lose control,” Lopez said. “They have limit-ed skills, and they find it difficult to communicatewith the world outside their video games.”

Though playing video games can be addic-tive, it can also play a positive role in a person’slife.

Lopez said that playing video games cankeep children off the street, but he also explainedthat that they still are losing that human-to-humancontact that is necessary in human development.

“Gamers replace their interaction with thevirtual world,” Lopez said. “They hang out withother ‘gamers,’ but outside that realm they won’tknow how to react.”

Video games, like other forms of entertain-ment when not moderated, are obviously not justfun and games anymore, but can lead to problemsthat contribute to failure in several areas in the realworld. In several articles, Orzack has written aboutmarriages that had been broken by this addiction,young adults who were once 4.0 students drop-ping their GPA’s to as low as a 1.3, all because ofthe overpowering appeal of the virtual world. Shementioned in her interview for the HarvardGazette that sometimes a person might need toboth moderate game play and speak to a profes-sional.

“Robots” review . . . . . . . . . . 8

“Ring Two” review . . . . . . . . . 9

Text messaging . . . . . . . . . . 10

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

A&EBy SELENE GARZAThe Pan American

Addiction to playing video games is becoming more frequent

INSOMNIACS’ TOY - David Davila, English major at STC, and friend Eddie Garza (in hat) sit in frontof the illuminated screen playing video games into the late hours of the night. Gamers can get consumedin a game the way a poker player or movie watcher does, and that behavior is often considered addictive.


March 24, 2005 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT March 24, 2005 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 9

Hollywood Scores ... & Bores

What’s worse, often they will inspirea slew of imitators trying to recapture themagic of the enlightening innovator.These films (“Dragonfly,” “The Grudge”and “The Village” to name a few) trytheir hardest to pass as new and originalworks of art while at the same time brag-ging that they may have “the best sur-prise since ‘The Sixth Sense,’” or otherboisterous claims from critics who aretoo kind in their critiques (who may begiving us fair warning, if they’re smartenough).

American cinema has become lit-tered with such uninspired tripe that it isgetting harder to enjoy films that don’tresort to sophomoric humor, superfluousspecial effects, or plot twists that makethe movie come together (or fall apart)after the climax.

“The Ring Two” is a sequel that fallsin the middle of what it tries to be andwhat it should have been, achieving littlethat the original did. It’s a film thatattempts to be better than “that film” bytrying to do everything on a granderscale. The budget is obviously more gen-erous than the previous film. There’smore murder, more shock and moreSamara (portrayed by Kelly Stables,rather than Daveigh Chase, this timearound, but just as scary-looking), thecute little demon who made us reluctantto watch any unmarked videotapes.

Gore Verbinski is not at the helm thistime around, no doubt giving his touch ofgold to the next few “Pirates of theCaribbean” movies. However, the manresponsible for the Japanese films thatinspired their American versions, HideoNakata, takes charge of the franchise thistime around. The stage is set for anothermind-numbing chapter in the lives of theRachel and Aidan Keller, the haplessmother and son duo portrayed by NaomiWatts and David Dorfman.

Honestly, young Dorfman hasn’tlooked or acted this freaky since his turnas the little boy who helped Jessica Biel

escape Leatherface in the “TexasChainsaw Massacre” rehash. Yes, it is thesame person. In “Ring Two” everythingseems ready and able to deliver a won-derfully terrifying experience, if not amasterpiece of modern horror.

What we get, sadly, is more of acommentary of what Nakata must thinkwe, the American audience, want in ahorror film. And what we want isn’t thatoriginal or thought-provoking, apparent-ly.

Every time a victim of Samara isshown on screen, which is too frequent-ly, we are reminded more of scenes from“Scary Movie 3” than the final, frighten-ing revelation of the original. WhenSamara slowly creeps from the televi-sion, mirror or camera to an unfortunatevictim of plot device, it’s boring. We hadto wait until the end of the first install-ment to see her face. Now we see toomuch, too often, too soon. Every mistakethat Rachel makes throughout the film(and there are many) gives no prece-dence to the mythos or experiences of thefirst.

Any character that is dispensablemeets their end. And the movie can besummed up in a catch phrase that, whileexplicit enough to not be reprinted here,will be mocked by parodies that willhave more impact on the audience thanthis sequel ever will.

These scenes and situations are notso much sad or laughably bad as they arejust there for your amusement, brought toyou by Nakata, DreamWorks and AppleComputers in the form of an iPod that isused regularly by the ‘journalist’ Rachel– Samara is no doubt a PC user.

For those who must see everythingthat can be labeled “Horror,” no matterhow remotely, “The Ring 2” delivers asufficient amount of substance comparedto many other recent “horror films.” Itdoes run circles around any number ofthem, but it pales in comparison to any ofthe originals.

Often sequels, prequels or followups of anymovie, of any genre, have a trying task in living up to theoriginal. For the past couple of years, with every sequellike “Spider-Man 2” or “X-Men 2,” we are given movieslike “Exorcist: The Beginning” or “Anacondas” – moviesthat try hard to breathe fresh air into a sagging franchiseand drag down any previous films with lingering thoughtsof what could have been.

If you liked “The Ring 2,”you might also like:

“THE AMITYVILLE HORROR” “THE GRUDGE” ORIGINAL “THE RING”

ORIGINAL “THE RING 2” “SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE” “EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING”

All posters courtesy of google.com

“Robots” is the “Ocean’s 11” ofcomputer-generated animation films.The cast is made up of a plethora ofaward-winning actors, and they arejust one link of the chain that is hold-ing this film above all other CG filmsto date.

This heart-warming, wholesomefilm tells us the story of RodneyCopperbottom (Ewan McGregor)making the move to Robot City to ful-fill his childhood dream of becomingan inventor. He wants to emulateBigweld (Mel Brooks), the MarthaStewart of inventors in their world—before her run-in with the law that is.

Bigweld’s motto: “You can shineno matter what you’re made of,” isjust one in a string of cavity-inviting,sweet, moral phrases that litter thescript. But, instead of being tummy-ache sweet, the messages oftenrelate to a larger issue in society.

Ratchet (Greg Kinnear) and hismanipulative mother, MadameGasket (Jim Broadbent) are thevillainous robots who want toobliterate all outmoded robotsby discontinuing their parts,forcing all robots to upgradeor be torn apart and used tomake other products such aspaper clips. This dilemma is amirror image of our society’scurrent obsession withupgrading our own parts—noses, chins, stomachs

and chest—through plastic surgery.Screenwriters Lowell Ganz and

Babaloo Mandel (“Splash,” “Mr.Saturday Night”) are not foreign tothe idea of integrating social issuesinto a comedic film. When Reality TVwas merely at the level of a balloonanimal at the circus, instead of inflat-ed to the capacity of the GoodyearBlimp, Ganz and Mandel wrote “ED-TV,” which addressed the concern oftelevising a person’s life 24 hours-a-day, and the effect that can have ontheir personal relationships.

The comedy script duo alsowrote “A League of their Own” and“City Slickers,” which both circlearound ideas that are also evident in

“Robots” such as thebond between family

members andbeing able to

count on oneanother.

Although these themes havebeen used in countless films,“Robots” does it without squeakingobnoxiously like a bot who’s overduefor an oil change, making it a love-able tale in a new and exciting world.

William Joyce, author and illus-trator of several popular children’sbooks such as “Rollie Pollie Olie,”worked with director Chris Wedge onTwentieth Century Fox Animation’sprevious hit CG film, “Ice Age.”When he teamed up with Wedgeagain, to work on “Robots” he wasable to fulfill a lifelong dream ofdesigning an entire world that hadonly been alive in his imagination.

The world may be new, but therewere several references to variouspast eras. One of the first, and mostnotorious, robot-like characters toappear in a family film made acameo. The Tin Man appeared in amob of outmoded robots searchingfor missing parts, and as film historywould have it, he was desperatelysearching for a heart.

When Copperbottomarrives in Robot City,

he befriendsFender (Robin

Williams), a quirkyrobot whose partsare constantlyfalling off.

Fender alsopartakes inan homage tofilm classicsby belting out

“Singin’ in the Oil.” The take on thememorable scene from “Singin’ inthe Rain” with Gene Kelly tap danc-ing as he dreamily sang the timelesswords definitely has a different ringto it when Williams (“One HourPhoto,” “Patch Adams”) croons thetune. Williams’ Julliard backgroundwas not the only skeleton from hispast that worked to his advantage.He made the transition from skin totin smoothly because he played arobot in 1999’s “Bicentennial Man.”

References to familiar iconswere not exclusive to classics. Therewas an elaborate and surprisinglyhilarious scene where Fender imper-sonates the pop princess BritneySpears in a sexy dance sequence.For a robot, he performed withshocking grace and suppleness.

A movie that can make a hack-neyed subject like Britney Spearsinteresting for more than 30 seconds

is undoubtedly top-notch.

“Robots” is afamily film thatcaters to every gen-eration.

Story by

Omaira GalarzaStory by

Jason Chapa

poster courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

March 24, 2005 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 8 March 24, 2005 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Hollywood Scores ... & Bores

What’s worse, often they will inspirea slew of imitators trying to recapture themagic of the enlightening innovator.These films (“Dragonfly,” “The Grudge”and “The Village” to name a few) trytheir hardest to pass as new and originalworks of art while at the same time brag-ging that they may have “the best sur-prise since ‘The Sixth Sense,’” or otherboisterous claims from critics who aretoo kind in their critiques (who may begiving us fair warning, if they’re smartenough).

American cinema has become lit-tered with such uninspired tripe that it isgetting harder to enjoy films that don’tresort to sophomoric humor, superfluousspecial effects, or plot twists that makethe movie come together (or fall apart)after the climax.

“The Ring Two” is a sequel that fallsin the middle of what it tries to be andwhat it should have been, achieving littlethat the original did. It’s a film thatattempts to be better than “that film” bytrying to do everything on a granderscale. The budget is obviously more gen-erous than the previous film. There’smore murder, more shock and moreSamara (portrayed by Kelly Stables,rather than Daveigh Chase, this timearound, but just as scary-looking), thecute little demon who made us reluctantto watch any unmarked videotapes.

Gore Verbinski is not at the helm thistime around, no doubt giving his touch ofgold to the next few “Pirates of theCaribbean” movies. However, the manresponsible for the Japanese films thatinspired their American versions, HideoNakata, takes charge of the franchise thistime around. The stage is set for anothermind-numbing chapter in the lives of theRachel and Aidan Keller, the haplessmother and son duo portrayed by NaomiWatts and David Dorfman.

Honestly, young Dorfman hasn’tlooked or acted this freaky since his turnas the little boy who helped Jessica Biel

escape Leatherface in the “TexasChainsaw Massacre” rehash. Yes, it is thesame person. In “Ring Two” everythingseems ready and able to deliver a won-derfully terrifying experience, if not amasterpiece of modern horror.

What we get, sadly, is more of acommentary of what Nakata must thinkwe, the American audience, want in ahorror film. And what we want isn’t thatoriginal or thought-provoking, apparent-ly.

Every time a victim of Samara isshown on screen, which is too frequent-ly, we are reminded more of scenes from“Scary Movie 3” than the final, frighten-ing revelation of the original. WhenSamara slowly creeps from the televi-sion, mirror or camera to an unfortunatevictim of plot device, it’s boring. We hadto wait until the end of the first install-ment to see her face. Now we see toomuch, too often, too soon. Every mistakethat Rachel makes throughout the film(and there are many) gives no prece-dence to the mythos or experiences of thefirst.

Any character that is dispensablemeets their end. And the movie can besummed up in a catch phrase that, whileexplicit enough to not be reprinted here,will be mocked by parodies that willhave more impact on the audience thanthis sequel ever will.

These scenes and situations are notso much sad or laughably bad as they arejust there for your amusement, brought toyou by Nakata, DreamWorks and AppleComputers in the form of an iPod that isused regularly by the ‘journalist’ Rachel– Samara is no doubt a PC user.

For those who must see everythingthat can be labeled “Horror,” no matterhow remotely, “The Ring 2” delivers asufficient amount of substance comparedto many other recent “horror films.” Itdoes run circles around any number ofthem, but it pales in comparison to any ofthe originals.

Often sequels, prequels or followups of anymovie, of any genre, have a trying task in living up to theoriginal. For the past couple of years, with every sequellike “Spider-Man 2” or “X-Men 2,” we are given movieslike “Exorcist: The Beginning” or “Anacondas” – moviesthat try hard to breathe fresh air into a sagging franchiseand drag down any previous films with lingering thoughtsof what could have been.

If you liked “The Ring 2,”you might also like:

“THE AMITYVILLE HORROR” “THE GRUDGE” ORIGINAL “THE RING”

ORIGINAL “THE RING 2” “SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE” “EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING”

All posters courtesy of google.com

“Robots” is the “Ocean’s 11” ofcomputer-generated animation films.The cast is made up of a plethora ofaward-winning actors, and they arejust one link of the chain that is hold-ing this film above all other CG filmsto date.

This heart-warming, wholesomefilm tells us the story of RodneyCopperbottom (Ewan McGregor)making the move to Robot City to ful-fill his childhood dream of becomingan inventor. He wants to emulateBigweld (Mel Brooks), the MarthaStewart of inventors in their world—before her run-in with the law that is.

Bigweld’s motto: “You can shineno matter what you’re made of,” isjust one in a string of cavity-inviting,sweet, moral phrases that litter thescript. But, instead of being tummy-ache sweet, the messages oftenrelate to a larger issue in society.

Ratchet (Greg Kinnear) and hismanipulative mother, MadameGasket (Jim Broadbent) are thevillainous robots who want toobliterate all outmoded robotsby discontinuing their parts,forcing all robots to upgradeor be torn apart and used tomake other products such aspaper clips. This dilemma is amirror image of our society’scurrent obsession withupgrading our own parts—noses, chins, stomachs

and chest—through plastic surgery.Screenwriters Lowell Ganz and

Babaloo Mandel (“Splash,” “Mr.Saturday Night”) are not foreign tothe idea of integrating social issuesinto a comedic film. When Reality TVwas merely at the level of a balloonanimal at the circus, instead of inflat-ed to the capacity of the GoodyearBlimp, Ganz and Mandel wrote “ED-TV,” which addressed the concern oftelevising a person’s life 24 hours-a-day, and the effect that can have ontheir personal relationships.

The comedy script duo alsowrote “A League of their Own” and“City Slickers,” which both circlearound ideas that are also evident in

“Robots” such as thebond between family

members andbeing able to

count on oneanother.

Although these themes havebeen used in countless films,“Robots” does it without squeakingobnoxiously like a bot who’s overduefor an oil change, making it a love-able tale in a new and exciting world.

William Joyce, author and illus-trator of several popular children’sbooks such as “Rollie Pollie Olie,”worked with director Chris Wedge onTwentieth Century Fox Animation’sprevious hit CG film, “Ice Age.”When he teamed up with Wedgeagain, to work on “Robots” he wasable to fulfill a lifelong dream ofdesigning an entire world that hadonly been alive in his imagination.

The world may be new, but therewere several references to variouspast eras. One of the first, and mostnotorious, robot-like characters toappear in a family film made acameo. The Tin Man appeared in amob of outmoded robots searchingfor missing parts, and as film historywould have it, he was desperatelysearching for a heart.

When Copperbottomarrives in Robot City,

he befriendsFender (Robin

Williams), a quirkyrobot whose partsare constantlyfalling off.

Fender alsopartakes inan homage tofilm classicsby belting out

“Singin’ in the Oil.” The take on thememorable scene from “Singin’ inthe Rain” with Gene Kelly tap danc-ing as he dreamily sang the timelesswords definitely has a different ringto it when Williams (“One HourPhoto,” “Patch Adams”) croons thetune. Williams’ Julliard backgroundwas not the only skeleton from hispast that worked to his advantage.He made the transition from skin totin smoothly because he played arobot in 1999’s “Bicentennial Man.”

References to familiar iconswere not exclusive to classics. Therewas an elaborate and surprisinglyhilarious scene where Fender imper-sonates the pop princess BritneySpears in a sexy dance sequence.For a robot, he performed withshocking grace and suppleness.

A movie that can make a hack-neyed subject like Britney Spearsinteresting for more than 30 seconds

is undoubtedly top-notch.

“Robots” is afamily film thatcaters to every gen-eration.

Story by

Omaira GalarzaStory by

Jason Chapa

poster courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox


C U L8R (see you later), LOL(laughing out loud) and IYKWIM(if you know what I mean) are justsome examples of this generation’sInternet lingo that are popping upmore frequently on another modernday staple; cell phones.

These are just some examplesof the 289 different abbreviationsused commonly by text messen-gers, according toSMSglossary.com. That is not tak-ing the 92 different emoticons intoaccount. As you can see, a new lan-guage has taken shape over the lastfive years with the rapidly growingnumbers of teens, particularly stu-dents, who spend their time instantmessaging each other over theInternet.

Text messaging is becoming amore common way to communi-cate, especially with students,because it is fast and quiet.

“I use it mostly when I’msomewhere I shouldn’t be talkingout loud,” said Justin Wright, asophomore psychology major atSTC. “I don’t go overboard though,because I know people who haveracked up huge bills by doing it.”

Sending a text message usual-ly costs between 5-to-10 centswhile receiving one ranges from 2-to-10 cents. It sounds pretty cheapwhen compared to the average 40cents per minute cost of actuallytalking on a cell phone, but back-and-forth messaging can add up ina hurry, literally, dime-by-dime.According to the Short MessageService (SMS) Glossary Web site,www.SMSglossary.com, mostphones are limited to about 150characters per message. Even withthe abbreviated lingo, that spacegets filled up quickly.

“My brother racked up a billover $250 one time,” said DiviAlaniz, freshman biology major atThe University of Texas-Pan

American. “He learned his lessonafter that.”

Cellular providers offer a wayto avoid this problem: consumerscan sign up for a text messagepackage offered by some mobileservices. Cingular Wireless and T-Mobile have packages rangingfrom an additional $2.99 to $19.99per month for 50 to 2,500 mes-sages. Another option is pay-as-you-go cell phone services such asBoost Mobile or Virgin Mobile,both of which offer a flat rate of 10cents per message and no charge toreceive.

Communicating throughinstant messages on the computergained a lot of popularity duringthe height of the America OnlineEra, and now free services likeAOL Instant Messenger, YahooMessenger, Microsoft NetworkMessenger and others are moreeconomical. But some senders aremaking the switch to text messag-ing based on convenience.

Hector Lopez, UTPA sopho-more, said that he’s found he chatsonline a lot less since he startedusing text messages, and prefersthis method of chatting.

“You can do it from any-where,” Lopez said. “I can be driv-ing and if I think something’sfunny I can send it to someone.”

Even with the growing popu-larity of text messaging, it hasn’tseemed to have any negativeimpact on campus, primarily con-cerning the ability of students toshare information in a discreetmanner.

Lopez said that he sends textmessages in class as a “boredomsaver.”

“I am unaware of anyone textmessaging during my class,” saidDonna Pazdera, communicationlecturer. “While I don’t have anyspecific rules in my syllabus, I willbust on people if I see them playingaround like that – especially duringan exam.”

Despite the possibility for mis-use - such as sharing answers dur-ing a test via text message - onething is for sure; the feature isn’tgoing anyway. A recent report onCBS’ “The Early Show” says morethan 2.5 billion text messages aresent each month, most by teens andyoung adults. The fad is likely togrow beyond this generation andinto the next.

March 24, 2005 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

By GUSTAVO RAMIREZThe Pan American

Text message revolutionAs cell phone messaging continues to grow in popularity,computer instant message programs could become obsolete

TUITION continued from page 1

March 24, 2005 NEWS

CIA continued from page 1

sticker price of $3,842 a semester.Therefore, while the 10-percent rise ismarkedly higher than that of other schools,the number can be deceptive without con-sidering UTPA’s low starting point.

In the Fall 2004 semester, UTPA begancharging a flat fee at 14 hours for what iscalled “Designated Tuition and MandatoryFees.” Charges are capped at 14 hours toencourage students to schedule biggercourse-loads and hopefully finish schoolsooner. To further encourage a more effi-cient college career, disincentives for enroll-ment in the same class more than once willbe implemented in what is called the Three-peat Fee.

According to McMillan, these changes,

including rising tuition, are intended toaddress technology and faculty needs.

“Dr. Cardenas has instructed our tech-nology people to continue to enhance thequality of our instructional environmenthere by transforming our classrooms withwhat is called smart classroom technology.She’s committed to keeping us on the cut-ting edge,” said McMillan. “We have alsohired a large number of new faculty mem-bers to accommodate the institution’sgrowth this year.”

It is not clear yet what the ramificationsfor these tuition changes will be in a schoolwhere at least 70 percent of the students areon financial aid. There are currently close to17,000 students enrolled.

prospect which most are thrilled about. Theteam of UTPA students chosen to participateformed MERKA Marketing, and was givena $2,500 budget for the project.

“I think it is good because we’re doinga project that really counts and at the sametime we’re learning what marketing agen-cies go through in real life. It’s awesome,”said Alfredo Garza, a senior marketingmajor.

The idea is that students recruit studentsfor the CIA. The test, said marketing senior

Marco Garza, will be the upcoming eventMarch 29. This will determine whether theCIA decides to use the MERKA’s marketingcampaign.

“The CIA is interested in how to marketto different ethnic groups. I think that wecould give the CIA different strategies to tar-get these ethnic groups,” said Flores. “Idon’t think they chose us just because we areHispanic but considering that we live in thisarea we can market to more than the Anglopopulation.”

trafficking,” Lopez said. “So that means youget a more of a variety of drugs that are lessexpensive and of a higher purity rate then any-where else.”

Lopez also explained how methampheta-mines are popular in big cities becausecocaine is more expensive and not as pure,and meth is more economical and readilyavailable.

“The Valley tends to be a kind of Wal-Martwhen it comes to illegal drugs,” Lopez said.“Not only is it more plentiful but they are ofgood quality and cheap.”

Lopez also explained that many times peo-ple begin using drugs to cope with hardships.

“A lot of times people are abused eitheremotionally or physically and they are tryingto find a way to cope with it,” Lopez said.“And many times people turn to drugs. Withmethamphetamines, unfortunately; it makespeople feel better and like they are going 100mph and can get a thousand things done.”

Paul, a UTPA student, disclosed that he hadbeen addicted to cocaine for three months, butwas never tempted to try crystal meth.

“I’ve been around it, but never tried itbecause I have seen how it is made,” Paulsaid. “And I don’t trust someone who is moremessed up then I am to make any drug out oftheir bathroom.”

With crystal meth, the high can last any-where from four to 20 hours, while the effectsof cocaine use can only last around 45 min-utes.

“Some people use it [crystal meth] to loseweight, others like to stay up and drink allnight,” Sarah of PDAP said.

Lopez also explained that some studentsuse it to stay up all night studying.

“Many still believe that drugs enhance thebrain,” Lopez said. “That’s not true, that isone of the reasons why some get into metham-

phetamines because they feel like they can domore, be more creative and have more ener-gy.”

According to the NIDA some commonsigns of methamphetamine use include agita-tion, excited speech, decreased appetite,increased physical activity, dilated pupils,nausea and vomiting. There are also occasion-al episodes of sudden and violent behavior,intense paranoia, visual and auditory halluci-nations, and bouts of insomnia. Meanwhile,other users experience a tendency to compul-sively clean and groom and repetitively disas-semble and sort objects.

Methamphetamine actually alters thebrain’s chemistry and builds a tolerance whichleads to addiction.

“Once addiction happens it gets harder tostop,” Lopez said. “The best way to stop isthough a residential treatment facility andcounseling because many times temptationsare still around.”

In a residential treatment facility, the indi-vidual is detoxified, which means that they getthe drug out of the individual system to get ridof the cravings. Doctors also will often pre-scribe anti-depressants and medication toallow the patient to sleep, said Lopez.

Although Paul was able to end his addic-tion with cocaine, many of his friends havenot been able to.

“I was able to stop because I looked phys-ically sick, and I was tired of the way my bodyfelt,” Paul said. “But I know a lot of peoplewho still do crack, and crystal meth and I seehow their lives are just completely trashed.”

Sarah also recommends getting help andcounseling for those who are addicted to anykind of drug.

“Realize you have a problem and do some-thing about it.” Sarah said. “It only works ifyou accept that you have a problem.”

METH continued from page 3

BOOK HUNT- Javier Moreno, psychology senior, sorts through books during the HistoryClub’s book sale on Tuesday. Books were donated by various departments on campusas well as the University Bookstore.

Joey Cortez/The Pan American

March 24, 2005 NEWS

FOR THE RECORD

Basketball honors announcedSix UTPA players gain postseason accolades

Though the NCAA Tourney whittles the men’s field down to the FinalFour this weekend, the basketball season is over for the Broncs. But therewas cause for celebration this week, as three players were awardedpostseason honors.

Senior guard Sergio Sanchez, the team’s leading scorer despite aninjury-riddled season, was named to the All-Independent second team,while teammates Chris Fagan and Eric Montalvo, also seniors, werehonorable mention.

As for the Lady Broncs, who set a record for wins this season (14), therewere also three players on the honor squad. Tynesha Pierce andDominique Montague made the All-Newcomer team, and Pierce was alsoan honorable mention All-Indie pick. They will both be back on 2005-2006.Senior Molly Schamel completed her career in Edinburg as an honorablemention All-Indie selection.

Bronc named Newcomer of the WeekSmith honored for his great performance

Freshman Zach Smith was named the Newcomer of the Week amongNCAA I Independent players on Tuesday. Smith had an outstandingperformance against Oral Roberts University, as he batted .750 in a three-game series.

He also collected three hits in four appearances at the plate, knockingtwo home runs, four RBI and finishing it off with a 2.250 sluggingpercentage.

One of the two home runs came in the ninth inning as he pinch hit. Thesecond one was a three-run homer on Saturday. He recorded 13 putoutsfor the Broncs defensively at first base.

U.S. and Mexico set for this weekendU.S. soccer team prepares for tough Mexican team

The United States soccer team has been waiting over a month since itslast qualifying game for this weekend’s World Cup qualifier game againstMexico. The U.S. is 1-0 in qualifying matches, winning their first overTrinidad & Tobago, 2-1.

They have spent the past month competing in friendly exhibition gamesagainst Costa Rica and Honduras, easily handling the two. They are 3-0since the start of the year, and are undefeated in 31 games against teamsin soccer’s North and Central American and Caribbean region since a lossto Costa Rica in 2001. But, they currently have a 0-21-1 record againsttheir neighbors to the south.

This past week the team has been training in Colorado Springs, joinedby their Europe-based players. The location of training is intended to helpthe team cope with the high elevation that they will endure against Mexicothis Sunday. Albuquerque’s elevation is approximately 5,300 feet, which isnear the elevation of Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, at 7,300 feet.

Return of a champChavez comes out of retirement

Former super lightweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez (106-5-2, 88KO) is set to return to the ring to take on Ivan Robinson (39-2, 12 KO). Thetaste of one last paycheck has lured the 42-year-old Chavez out ofretirement.

The 10-round fight is set to take place May 28 at the Staples Center inLos Angeles. The bout is already named the Mexican’s “Adios’ to LosAngeles. This fight is said to be the Mexican’s last.

In Chavez’s last fight, which was also said to be his last, he won a 12-round unanimous decision over Frankie Randall almost a year ago inMexico City.

Robinson, the fighter who Chavez will go head to head with, has had hishot fights. He has beaten the current WBC super lightweight champion,Arturo Gatti, twice.

March 24, 2005 SPORTS

SPORTSCLIPBOARD

UTPA SPORTS

Track & Field

ANGELA PROCTOR INVIT.MAR. 19

MEN

WEIGHT THROW: 1, Isaac Ybarra, UTPA,

213-01. 2, J.C. Crosby, UTPA, 165-03. 3,

Jake Barnes, ASU, 156-02. 4, Andrew

Roemisch, ASU, 150-07. 5, Chad Schaertl,

ASU, 138-09.

SHOT PUT: 1, Ben Lyons, ASU, 53-02.75. 2,

Isaac Ybarra, UTPA, 53-01.50. 3, J.C.

Crosby, UTPA, 51-11.00. 4, Marc Evans,

Unattached, 50-10.00. 5, Micheal Brown,

Unattached, 46-04.00.

DISCUS THROW: 1, Marc Evans, Unattached,

166-06. 2, Isaac Ybarra, UTPA, 166-04. 3,

Andrew Roemisch, ASU, 157-01. 4, J.C.

Crosby, UTPA, 145-10. 5, Chad Schaertl,

ASU, 140-07.

POLE VAULT: 1, Jeff Martzall, UTPA, 16-

01.25. 2, Paul Turner, ASU, 15-07.00. 3,

Sal Gonzales, UTPA, 15-01.00. 4, Travis

White, TAMC, 7-00.25.

HIGH JUMP: 1, Will Littleton, ASU, 7-00.50.

2, Marlin Manley, UTPA, 6-10.75. 3, Lalo

Flores, TAMC, 6-03.50. 3, Jesse Baldwin,

ASU, 6-03.50. 3, Justin Boyd, ASU, 6-

03.50. 6, Travis White, TAMC, 5-00.25.

400 METER DASH: Able Obregon, TAMC,

48.77. 2, Josh Davis, ASU, 48.88. 3, Chris

Knappe, ASU, 50.90. 4, David Sanchez,

UTPA, 51.18. 5, Travis White, TAMC,

51.28.

800 METER RUN: 1, David Trevino, UTPA,

1:55.39. 2, Mark Morales, TAMC, 1:57.15.

3, Aaron Castro, UTPA, 1:57.37. 4, Greg

Freeman, TAMC, 1:58.07. 5, Beto

Alvaredo, UTPA, 1:58.73. 6, Marcus

Dunn, ASU, 2:01.39.

1500 METER RUN: 1, Shadrack Songock,

TAMC, 3:54.53. 2, Dustin Hafernick, ASU,

3:58.66. 3, Luis Nava, UTPA, 4:04.67. 4,

Trent Joseph, ASU, 4:04.90. 5, Luis Garcia,

TAMC, 4:13.42. 9, David Ramirez, UTPA,

4:21.35. 12, Americo Ortiz, UTPA,

4:26.31. 13, Eder Ramos, UTPA, 4:37.08.

14, Freddy Oveido, UTPA, 5:05.62.

3000 METER RUN: 1, J.R. Puliodo, TAMC,

8:57.42. 2, Hector Gandara, UTPA,

8:59.36. 3, David Trevino, UTPA, 9:07.55.

5, Enrique Garza, TAMC, 9:21.98. 6, Aaron

Castro, UTPA, 9:22.00. 8, David Ramirez,

UTPA, 9:39.97. 10, Ben Eubanks, ASU,

9:53.17. 11, Americo Ortiz, UTPA,

10:13.66. 12, Eder Ramos, UTPA,

10:24.42.

WOMEN

JAVELIN THROW: 1, Rachel Reida, UTPA,

135-06. 2, Culley Dawson, ASU, 116-06. 3,

Ashley Burnett, ASU, 106-03. Cassie

Keller, TAMC, 104-03. 5, Kathyn Bradham,

TAMC, 81-08.

WEIGHT THROW: 1, Amy Moses, UTPA,

196-09. 2, Itranette Lee, ASU, 157-08. 3,

Amanda Ferris, UTPA, 150-01. 4, Megan

Machado, UTPA, 123-03. 5, Culley

Dawson, ASU, 113-04.

SHOT PUT: 1, Amanda Ferris, UTPA, 43-

02.50. 2, Itranette Lee, ASU, 40-00.75. 3,

Culley Dawson, ASU, 39-03.25. 4, Ashley

Burnett, ASU, 36-07.75. 5, Megan

Machado, UTPA, 34-02.25.

DISCUS THROW: 1, Stephanie Perez, UTPA,

148-04. 2, Culley Dawson, ASU, 147-00. 3,

Megan Machado, UTPA, 142-07. 4,

Itranette Lee, ASU, 124-08. 5, Ashley

Burnett, ASU, 116-08.

TRIPLE JUMP: 1, Andrea Morrow, TAMC, 38-

00.00. 2, Lily Cavazos, UTPA, 37-04.00.

3, Mellenesia Gentry, Unattached, 36-

03.00. 4, Victoria Salinas, UTPA, 36-

00.00. 5, Claudia Lopez, UTPA, 35-05.00.

LONG JUMP: 1, Vicotoria Salinas, UTPA,

18-02.50. 2, Andrea Morrow, TAMC, 17-

04.75. 3, Mellenesia Gentry, Unattached,

15-11.75. 4, Cassis Keller, TAMC, 15-

11.00.

4X100 METER RELAY: 1, UTPA, 49.34. 2,

TAMC, 49.83.

100 METER DASH: 1, Deon Marquis, UTPA,

12.14. 2, Adriana Hebert, UTPA, 12.38. 3,

Laurie Cruz, UTPA, 12.75. 4, Jessica

Kinney, ASU, 12.93. 5, Kim Matthews,

TAMC, 13.01. 6, Cassie Keller, TAMC,

13.10. 7, Myrla Feria, UTPA, 13.43.

100 METER HURDLES: 1, Brittnai Hilton,

UTPA, 14.58. 2, Samantha Spaulding,

TAMC, 14.59. 3, Andrea Morrow, TAMC,

15.42. 4, Casey Herman, ASU, 16.63.

200 METER DASH: 1, Rowena Hamlet,

UTPA, 24.75. 2, Adriana Hebert, UTPA,

25.55. 3, Deon Marquis, UTPA, 25.74. 4,

Kim Matthews, TAMC, 26.80. 5, Jessica

Kinney, ASU, 27.11. 6, Cassie Keller,

TAMC, 27.47. 7, Myrla Feria, UTPA,

27.86.

400 METER DASH: 1, Rowena Hamlet,

UTPA, 57.44. 2, Erin Simpson, ASU, 58.05.

3, Ashlee Taylor, ASU, 58.24. 4, Ashlon

Martin, UTPA, 59.97. 5, Krystle Clement,

TAMC, 1:02.07. 6, Claudia Lopez, UTPA,

1:02.95.

800 METER RUN: 1, Jacinta McMahon,

UTPA, 2:19.54. 2, Nicole Silvas, TAMC,

2:26.51. 3, Alamar Cavada, TAMC,

2:26.97. 4, Karla West, TAMC, 2:28.00. 5,

Megan McGuire, UTPA, 2:30.46. 6, Kali

Daniel, ASU, 2:31.23. 7, Lizet Garcia,

UTPA, 2:31.64. 8, Angela Billups, UTPA,

2:40.42.

1500 METER RUN: Megan Delgado, ASU,

4:49.34. 2, Sharon Toroitich, Unattached,

4:52.99. 3, Nicole Silvas, TAMC, 4:58.62. 4,

Karla Hernandez, UTPA, 4:59.78. 5,

Rebecca Graupman, ASU, 5:01.58. 8,

Lorraine Garcia, UTPA, 5:20.48.

1500 METER RUN: 1, Alamar Cavada, TAMC,

10:55.71. 2, Bertha Castillo, UTPA,

11:02.30. 3, Sharon Toroitich, Unattached,

11:05.25. 5, Mary Shelton, TAMC,

11:13.82. 7, Crystal Larue, TAMC,

11:17.43. 8, Lorraine Garcia, UTPA,

11:20.94. 9, Ashley Perez, UTPA,

11:25.07. 10, Karla Hernandez, UTPA,

11:34.45.

4X400 METER RELAY: 1, ASU, 3:53.11. 2,

UTPA ‘B’, 4:04.53. 3, TAMC, 4:07.11. 4,

UTPA ‘A’, 4:16.92.

Tennis

LAREDO COMM. COLLEGEMAR. 22

MEN

SINGLES:

Gonzalez (LCC) def. Salvo (UTPA) 6-4,

6-4.

Estrella (LCC) def. Bianco (UTPA) 7-6, 2-

6, 6-2.

Porter (UTPA) def. Castillo (LCC) 6-4, 6-

2.

Steil (UTPA) def. Ollivier(LCC) 6-1, 6-0.

Esmail (UTPA) def. Oladarieta (LCC) 2-6,

6-3, 6-3.

DOUBLES:

Salvo/Esmail (UTPA) def. Estrella/Castillo

(LCC) 8-4.

Bianco/Steil (UTPA) def. Gonzalez/Ollivier

(LCC) 9-7.

WOMEN

SINGLES:

Martinez (LCC) def. Buksik (UTPA) 6-1,

6-1.

Gol (LCC) def. Barto (UTPA) 6-2, 6-3.

Roberts (LCC) def. Pena (UTPA) 6-1, 2-

0, retired.

Sloan (UTPA) def. Palacios (LCC) 6-0, 6-

0.

Saenz (UTPA0 def. Benavidez (LCC) 8-6,

7-5.

Lopez (UTPA) def. Jackson (LCC) 4-6, 6-

4, 6-4.

DOUBLES:

Barto/Buksik (UTPA) def. Gol/Roberts

(LCC) 8-4.

Pena/Sloan (UTPA) def.

Palacios/Martinez (LCC) 8-5.

Lopez/Saenz (UTPA) def.

Benavidez/Jackson (LCC) 8-5.

Baseball

MAR. 22UTPA 5, TEXAS A&M-CC 4

UTPA

BATTING

AB R H BB RBI AVG.

Alamia 3 2 2 2 0 .666

Flowers 5 2 2 0 0 .400

Jones 1 0 0 2 0 .000

Smith 3 1 0 1 0 .000

Rodriguez, M. 3 0 2 1 3 .666

Eichel 4 0 1 0 1 .250

Mackie 3 0 0 1 0 .000

Broyles 4 0 0 0 0 .000

Padron 3 0 1 1 0 .333

Total 29 5 8 8 4 .250

PITCHING

IP H R ER SO AB

Guerra (W) 7.0 10 4 2 4 31

Rodriguez, M. 1.2 1 0 0 1 6

Linder 0.1 0 0 0 0 1

TAMUCC

BATTING

AB R H BB RBI AVG.

Landin 5 1 3 0 0 .600

Buaas 4 0 1 0 0 .250

Carter 4 2 1 1 0 .250

Graham 5 0 1 0 1 .200

Galloway 4 1 3 0 0 .750

Plumaj 4 0 1 0 1 .250

Vasquez 4 0 0 0 1 .000

Williams 4 0 1 0 0 .250

Sedillo 4 0 0 0 0 .000

Total 38 4 11 1 3 .280

PITCHING

IP H R ER SO AB

Hatfield 3.0 2 2 2 0 9

Mitchell (L) 2.0 4 3 2 1 10

Burdine 3.0 2 0 0 1 10

With the annual home meet nowin the books, the midpoint of thetrack and field season finds familiarfaces breaking school records andadvancing to the upper ranks of thesport.

The men’s and women’s teamhead to Palo Alto, CA., for theStanford Invitational today and willcompete in Austin Friday-Saturdayat the Texas Invitational. The ath-letes go on the road knowing thatthey have re-written the recordbooks frequently in recent action.

UTPA All-American, IsaacYbarra, is bound to hold programrecords for some time. He holdsfirst place records in outdoorevents; discus (166.04), hammerthrow (213-01), and indoor shotput(51-0.75). Besides the weightthrowing champ, there are severalother track athletes making theirway into the record books.

Members on the men’s squadhave amassed 14 first-place finishesindoor and outdoor in the last threeyears. Junior distance runner WestlyKeating holds six of them in out-door and indoor events rangingfrom the 1,500- all the way up to the10,000-meter race. He has been oneof the outstanding athletes in schoolhistory, and is not alone in thathonor with the current bunch.

Coming off a redshirt season,Keating took first in the 1,500 at theBorder Olympics March 5 with a3:51.61 finish. He took second atthe Hyatt Regency Invite inFebruary with a time of 8:26.60 inthe 3,000-meter race, two secondsoff the school record he set in 2003.

Veteran hurdler Rashaad Ben isspeeding through his final seasonwith the Broncs after capturing alltop five spots on the 110-meter hur-dles list in 2004, and advancing tothe NCAA Division I MidwestRegional Championships in ‘04 and’03.

High jumper Marlin Manleyjumped 6-foot-10 last week at theProctor and is still on track to makethe coveted 7-foot mark, a goal he

has worked diligently toward sincearriving at UTPA.

LADY BRONC UPDATEUTPA field events thrive on both

teams. Amy Moses is every bit therecord-breaker that Ybarra is for themen, and she is joined by severalsolid teammates including DenebDeLuna.

The Lady Broncs have had somestrong showings by senior sprinterRowena Hamlet on the track andveteran thrower Moses on the field.The Canadian Hamlet owns the topspot in women’s outdoor 400-meterhurdles with a time of 59.69 set in2004.

Edinburg native Moses earned aspot at this year’s NCAA Division IRegional Championship for the sec-ond year in a row after throwing196-9 at the Proctor Invite. Sheplaced sixth in the nation followingher performance at the IndoorRegionals earlier this season.

The Lady Broncs are not short onup-and-coming talent. Sophomoremulti-event standout Brittani Hiltonfinished second in the javelin, thirdin the 800-meter run and fourth inthe long jump recently at the ASUmulti-event competition at AngeloState University in San Angelo.

Head coach Ricky Vaughn does-n’t single out any one of his stand-out athletes and in a recent inter-view said that, “there are no real

Stanford invite next Bronc meetMarch 24, 2005 SSPPOORRTTSS

By JOEY GOMEZThe Pan American

Joey Hinojosa/ The Pan American

GO LONG - Dorados quarterback Josh Kellett drops back topass in the team’s first official practice Wednesday.

Issac Ybarra

Senior Bronc tennis player JeremySalvo started playing tennis at the age ofsix, and has been engrossed in the sportever since. He credits his father forgetting him on the court.

“My dad has always been the biggestinfluence as far as tennis goes,” saidSalvo. “He actually learned tennis from abook. He thought it would be a reallygood individual sport that teaches youcharacter, so he introduced it to me whenI was young.”

The 22-year-old said that his parentalsupport prompted him to play tennis atthe collegiate level.

“I always wanted to play competitivetennis. Ideally I always wanted to go pro,but it is really difficult to go pro in anysport,” said Salvo. “My parents alwaysencouraged me to go to school, and getan education while I’m doing what I wantto do, which is play tennis. They said, ‘gofor it.’”

The hard work and dedication Salvoput forth in his adolescent years has paidoff. Today, he is the captain of the UTPAmen’s tennis team, and has receivedseveral honors for his tennis andacademic endeavors.

“I’ve been most proud of beingnominated for UTPA Athlete of the Year,and also the Southland Conference Playerof the Year a couple of years ago,” saidthe Coquitlam, British Columbia native.

According to Salvo playing tennis at

UTPA has been an educative experience.“I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned a lot

about being a team player, because tennislike I said is an individual sport,” saidSalvo. “Playing on a team makes youappreciate having your teammates aroundyou because you can only contribute somuch to the team score.”

Salvo also has found that tennis hastaught him things he can use in his lifeoff the court.

“I’ve learned how to deal with alltypes of adversity, and being a businessmajor that’s really beneficial becauseyou’re going to face a lot of stuff in thebusiness world,” he said. “(Also) beingteam captain, how to balance being thevoice of the team and also being thevoice of the coaches to the team,probably has brought a lot of balance tomy life.”

Salvo is nearly 3,000 miles away fromhis home town, and says he misses familyand friends. However, one of his favoritethings about the Rio Grande Valley is theweather. He said that the ability to playtennis year-round is one of the reasonswhy he chose to attend UTPA.

On Tuesday, Salvo and his Bronc andLady Bronc teammates competed atUTPA’s Orville Cox Tennis Centeragainst Laredo Community College.Both UTPA’s teams won their matches 4-3. For UTPA Tennis Head Coach PaulSoliz the win for both teams means a lot.

“How can I be happier? We won bothof them 4-3. We could have lost both of

them, and when it comes down to a closematch like that it can go either way,” saidSoliz. “I’m particularly happy with thegirls. It is their first win of the season.”

The Lady Broncs won all three of theirdoubles matches, by scores of 8-4, 8-5,and 8-5. In the singles competition LadyBroncs Elysia Sloan, Angela Saenz, andMonica Lopez helped the team win itsfirst tournament of the year.

The Broncs won both of their doublesmatches, 9-7 and 8-4, taking the doublespoint for the tournament. In the men’ssingles matches the Broncs split the sixavailable points with LCC.

Salvo and teammate Rehman Esmailwon their doubles match, but Salvo losthis singles contest to Laredo CommunityCollege’s Alejandro Gonzalez, 6-4 and 6-4.

“Jeremy didn’t have one of his betterdays. He’d tell you that,” said Soliz. “Hewas playing one of the best players injunior college tennis in the country.Jeremy has had better days, but knowingthe leader that he is I’m sure he is justhappy the team won.”

Despite his singles stumble, he is stillvery much a large part of the success ofthe Broncs tennis program.

“We are going to miss him next year.He is a born leader. He has been excellentin that department,” said Soliz. “I’mgoing to hate losing him as a player, butalso I’m going to hate losing him as thecaptain of our team. He is somebody thatprovides a lot of leadership for us.”

March 24, 2005 SSPPOORRTTSS

After competing well over thispast weekend at the Angela ProctorInvitational, the Broncs get set forthis weekend’s meet at the TexasInvitational, which will featuresome of the nation’s best.

The All-American duo of IsaacYbarra and Amy Moses will haveanother chance to bring home thegold. They both won first place lastweekend in the weight throw.Marlin Manley qualified for hissecond straight NCAA Division IRegional Championships as thesenior placed second in the highjump with a jump of 6-10 3/4.

Sprinter Rowena Hamlet andhurdler Brittani Hilton have had a

successful outdoor season so far, asthey both came in first at theProctor meet. The men’s andwomen’s teams will be competingtoday at the Stanford Invitational,and then spend the early part of theweekend at the Texas Invitational.

The Bronc baseball teamclimbed out of a three-game slump,as they defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 5-4 on Tuesdaynight. The Broncs were led bypitcher Aaron Guerra who pitchedseven innings and only allowed fourruns on 10 hits. A strong Broncoffensive was provided by LouieAlamia and Aaron Flowers, whoboth finished with two hits and runsfor the night.

The Broncs will be in actionagain on March 29 when they travel

to take on UT- San Antonio in atwo-game series. The Broncs beatthe Roadrunners in their lastmeeting at the Ogletree Classic, 12-9.

The University of Texas-PanAmerican women’s golf team willalso be in action today, competingat the Tapatio Spring Shootouthosted by Baylor University. Intheir last tournament, the LadyBroncs placed third. Junior DanielaCortes had the hot hand on the day,as she finished 13th. Closelytrailing were teammates StefanieMaynard and Nikki Boychuk whofinished 16th and 20th.

The men’s team will not be inaction until April 11-12, traveling toArizona to participate in theCowboy Classic.

Senior Salvo providing talent , leadership

Marcos Cervantes/ The Pan American

LEFTY - Jeremy Salvo was a key as the menstennis team won a home match Tuesday.

Marcos Cervantes/ The Pan American

UTPA BASEBALLAs of March 23

TEAM STATISTICS

OFFENSETeam batting: 243Runs scored: 212Runs allowed: 289Slugging: .302Opponent slug: .449Stolen bases: 15Opponent steals: 33

PITCHINGERA: 6.63Opponent ERA: 3.62IP: 238H: 290BB: 125SO: 177HR allowed: 20

OFFENSE INDIVIDUAL

AVERAGE(20 at-bats)Gordon .333, Alamia .330, Jones .284, Flowers .283, Padron .264, M. Rodriguez .250, Eichel .243, Powers .238, Smith .235, Pena .212, Gutierrez .159, Broyles .135

RUNSFlowers 23, Alamia 17, Jones 15, Gordon 12

HITSAlamia 33, Flowers 30, Gordon 24, Jones 23, Eichel 18DOUBLESEichel 7, Gordon 6, Padron 4HOME RUNSFlowers 2, Smith 2, Alamia1RBIAlamia 16, Eichel 14, Jones 12, Flowers 12, M. Rodriguez 11, Gordon 11, Gutierrez 10SLUGGINGGordon .417, Alamia .380, Jones .370, Flowers .368WALKSFlowers 19, Jones 17STEALSJones 4, Padron 3, Alamia 3

PITCHING INDIVIDUALWINSGuerra 4Mason, M. Rodriguez, Gomez, Casares 1ERAMason 3.48, Davila 3.72, Guerra 4.43, M. Rodriguez 4.82, Haines 5.27 INNINGSGuerra 41, Mason 34, Foster 31, Casares 24, Gomez 22, Frisby 19STRIKEOUTSGuerra 30, Mason 28Casares 18, Foster 18

STATISTIC SHEET Bronc spring sports active

By JOEY HINOJOSAThe Pan American

By DARYL GONZALESThe Pan American

CLEARED - Marlin Manley jumps his way toregionals in Saturday’s meet at UTPA.

Shouts and chants coming from the intramural fieldscan be heard all week, as the Intramural Rec-sportsdepartment provides fun activities for students.

Competition in various sports is under way, includingsoftball, flag football, volleyball, racquetball and soccer.New on the list is ultimate frisbie, a sport that a lot ofpeople expressed interest in playing. On Fridays Dr.Roberto Gregorious, of the College of Science andEngineering, gathers students together to play. Rec-sportsassistant director Art Cabrera said he expects to have atleast four teams competing in its inaugural season.

There are fewer teams competing this spring, com-pared to last fall’s all-time high. But, according to

Cabrera, that is the case every year. A sudden decline inthe attendance has almost scrapped the soccer season, asthere are only two teams left, down from 11. Cabrera saidhe has had to pay outside officials to run the soccer gamessince there is no one on his staff that is knowledgeable ofthe sport’s rules. The last two teams, Real Ciudad andArsenal, will be playing today at 4 p.m. at the intramuralfields.

“It is hard to for me to find work-study students toofficiate the games,” Cabrera said.

The University of Texas-Pan American has not had acollegiate soccer team since 1997, despite its popularityin the Rio Grande Valley. The local high school scene isstrong, and last year Brownsville Lopez won the Class 4Astate title.

Another reason for the low participation can be linkedto the fact that UTPA is a commuter school with less than600 students living on campus. As soon as classes aredone, most students quickly make their departure fromcampus.

Racquetball has also suffered from a lack of participa-tion. Cabrera said that many players showed up on thefirst day, but only one remained.

“Last semester we were up a lot compared to the pre-vious fall,” Cabrera said. “This semester we are not ashigh, but we are up to our normal number.”

The intramural department has been trying to set up aspring volleyball tournament, similar to the fall semes-ter’s Valley Football Bowl. But Cabrera said he hasn’tbeen able to get other area colleges to agree on a date forthis event.

“We’re open for any date, but the other schools are theones holding us back,” Cabrera said. “I was hoping onsending a men’s and a co-ed team to a tournament.”

The men’s flag football league has produced a solid 20teams, which is a bit down from last year. Cabrera saidthat fall’s total participation was up 400 students from theaverage.

Softball has also maintained its number from lastsemester, and has seen a rise in the number of facultyteams, which had an all-time high of seven teams. Thefaculty and staff softball season ended yesterday, as theOutlaws took the crown. Cabrera said this year the winnerof the faculty and staff leagues will receive a plaque theywill keep until next season.

Men’s teams, along with co-ed softball leagues, arestill running. The games will determine seating for a tour-nament that will determine each league winner. Cabrerasaid he will probably get the four top teams and havethem battle it out for the championship.

Sports Clipboard . . . . . . . . 13

Track & Field . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Salvo Feature . . . . . . . . .15SPORTSVariety of intramural sports at UTPA attracts students

Every semester some students findthemselves overwhelmed with classwork and exams, and the biggestobstacle for most is finding time tocomplete the work. This may bedifficult for students that have towork and go to school, but forsomeone that participates in athleticsit may be even tougher.

Junior right-handed pitcher AaronGuerra has managed to excel both onthe field off it. Guerra is a local whoplayed at Edinburg High School, oneof 12 players from the Valleycurrently on the Broncs baseballroster. Guerra has used this asmotivation; he wants to prove himselfto everyone in the Valley.

“Because, I’m a local guy andpeople know who I am, I want toprove that I can play,” said Guerra,who has won four games this season,including a victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Tuesday night athome. The Broncs are now 9-19 for

the season, and are next in actionMarch 29 against UT-San Antonio.

Guerra’s success on the field cannow compete with his achievement inthe classroom, where he earned a 4.0grade-point average last semester.The challenge of being a student-athlete means full-time sports andfull-time school. UTPA athletes havea higher cumulative GPA than thestudent body, and Guerra does hisshare to contribute.

“It’s tough: after I ate I would gostraight to the library, I did thatalmost every day,” he said.

Guerra is in his third season andhas gotten off to a fine start in 2005,with four wins in five decisions, and a4.43 earned run average. Control hasbeen a strength for him so far, as hehas a fine strikeouts-to-walks mark,fanning 30 in 43 innings, with onlyseven free passes..

He has improved each seasonthanks to that work ethic perfected inacademics. After working feverishlyin the offseason in order to improvehis pitching and overall game Guerra

is finally seeing the rewards.“Last year he struggled a lot,” said

Coach Willie Gawlik. “The thing he’sdone is kept working hard andworking hard and now his hard workis starting to show up, because whathe did the past two years compared towhat he’s done this year thedifference is like day and night.”

During the offseason he wasconsidered a relief pitcher, but earnedthe chance to work in the startingrotation this spring. That move haspaid off as the Broncs have struggledto find consistent starters besidesGuerra and Dane Mason. The teamERA is now 6.63.

Against Corpus, Guerra battledfrom behind to get the win, scattering10 hits in seven innings withoutwalking a batter. Guerra has pitcheddeep into games this season due inlarge part to his stability underpressure.

“He’s throwing strikes while in thepast he was inconsistent,” Gawliksaid. “Now he has developedconsistency.”

Guerra excels in class and fieldBy JACOB ALEGRIAThe Pan American

Daryl Gonzales/ The Pan American

WIN LEADER - Aaron Guerra of Edinburg has won four ofthe Broncs’ nine games in 2005, including Tuesday’s winagainst Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Joel de la Rosa/ The Pan American

TEAM PLAYERS - (From left) Ram Ibanez, Danny Serna, Bo Ochoa, Omar Garza, and Justin Falcon from Tau KappaEpsilon softball team play Wednesday night against the Phi Sigs.

By DARYL GONZALESThe Pan American

March 24, 2005

Documents

Transcript of March 24, 2005