October 19, 2006

A crowd of young protesters stood

in front of a McDonald’s restaurant

Monday afternoon, picketing against the

company. Their beef? That the fast-food

chain promotes unhealthy food, slaugh-

ters animals for meat, and is a major

player in globalization, among other

criticisms

Clad in black, the group of teens

and 20-somethings protested against the

company as part of “International Anti-

McDonald’s Day,” and the United

Nations World Food Day. They picketed

a franchise located at the intersection of

Savannah Avenue and 10th Street, hold-

ing signs with complaints such as, “Meat

is Murder,” and “McSlavery,” “For the

Environment” and “Eat Local.” Several

teens in mohawks even bore black-and-

red anarchy signs.

Though banding together against

the same corporation, the protesters’

individual causes varied. Jordan Hughes,

an undeclared sophomore at The

University of Texas-Pan American, said

she was against McDonald’s and its

unethical treatment of animals.

A group of seniors led by Elaine

Gonzalez and Katrina Newell, both

communication studies majors, met

Tuesday with Student Government

Association (SGA) senators in hopes of

getting their support on a petition to

move commencement ceremony to the

Dodge Arena.

The group has been working for

several weeks on the petition, designed

to shift commencement exercises in

order to allow more relatives of graduat-

ing seniors to share this accomplish-

ment.

The petition was distributed through-

out each college on campus and

has been signed by

approximately 730 students.

SPACE ISSUESOne of the main factors for switch-

ing the graduation location, according to

Newell, is the need for more space as

UTPA’s graduation rate increases. In

2001, UTPA granted 1,431 bachelor’s

degrees, 359 master’s degrees, and eight

doctorates. Those numbers increased by

38, 46 and 50 percent respectively in

2005.

Francisco Alday, a senior majoring

in communication studies, said he sup-

ports the request because the Field

House in no longer equipped to host an

event of such magnitude given the larg-

er numbers.

“As students, we have a right to

choose where we want to have this cere-

mony,” Alday said. “After all, this is a

day we worked so hard for, and we

should not have to limit the number of

loved ones we can invite to share this

moment with us.”

In addition, Alday said his grand-

PAN AMERICAN

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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 O c t o b e r 1 9 , 2 0 0 6

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A&ENews

By ANA LEYThe Pan American

Protesterstake on

fast-foodrestaurant

By EDWARD ELGUEZABALThe Pan American

Students lobby for new graduation venue

See GRADUATION page 11

UTPA plans radio programContrary to what the rumor mill will

have you believe, The University of

Texas-Pan American will not be getting its

own radio station, said Fred Mann, lectur-

er for the department of communications.

However, while a radio station is

not in the works, Mann did say UTPA is

set to format a pilot for a monthly news

magazine on local public radio station

KMBH-FM 88.1, which will be run by

his special topics class Bronc TV.

“What we’re doing is the pilot for a

show we would like to do in the spring

semester,” Mann said.

He added that he spoke with Peter

Dabrowski, associate dean for the

College of Arts and Humanities, about

the possibility of putting the university

on the air, and the latter responded

enthusiastically.

“The support and encouragement

we’re getting from the deans is wonder-

ful,” said Mann. “We’ve been given lots

of freedom by Dr. Dabrowski.”

The show will focus on campus

issues and run 15 to 20 minutes long. If

the pilot is a success Mann will consider

running a monthly program on KMBH.

“The ultimate decision would be

left to administrators, but the news mag-

azine is a great way to start,” Mann said.

Expanding Web radio is another

By JAVIER CAVAZOSThe Pan American

See MCDONALD’S page 11 See RADIO page 11

1201 West University, CAS 170

Edinburg, Texas 78539

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

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

56th Year – No. 9

The Pan American gladly accepts letters fromstudents, staff and faculty regarding newspapercontent or current issues. The Pan Americanreserves the right to edit submissions forgrammar and length. Please limit submissionlength to 300 words. The Pan American cannotpublish anonymous letters, or submissionscontaining hate speech or gratuitous personalattacks. Letters are printed at the discretion ofthe editor and must include the writer’s name,classification/title and phone number.

O c t o b e r 1 9 , 2 0 0 6

PAGE 2

News EditorSandra [email protected]

A&E EditorFrank Calvillo

[email protected]

Design EditorErika [email protected]

IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF

THE PAN AMERICAN

THE

PAN AMERICAN

The Pan American is the official studentnewspaper of The University of Texas-PanAmerican. Views presented are those of thewriters and do not necessarily reflect thoseof the university.

Available Oct. 26Read if you dare- Find out what haunting events aregoing on in the world of entertainment

READERFORUM

Designers

SecretaryAnita Casares

Roy [email protected]

Laura C.Gomez

[email protected]

GregorioGarza

[email protected]

Brian Carr

Javier Cavazos

Roderick Dorsey

Leslie Estrada

Trey Serna

Ana Ley

Maria Mazariegos

Kristyna Mancias

Angela Salazar

Reporters and Photographers

Advertising [email protected]

DeliveryThursday at Noon

AdviserDr. Greg Selber

Ad ManagerCarolina Sanchez

Asst. Ad ManagerLillian Villarreal

Sports EditorLuke Koonglkoong2004

@yahoo.com

Photo EditorOnydia Garza

[email protected]

EditorClaudette Gonzalez

[email protected]

Vying for the title- Find out the latest on the Texasgovernor’s race

Web Site Review By: Sandra Gonzalez

As much as I love this site, I have to

admit that visually it’s not as attractive as it

could be. Also, there were a few things on there that were a bit hard

to find. One of the most conflicting parts of Etsy was its search func-

tions. I both loved and hated this part. Everyone needs a shopping

Web site to have a complex and thorough search function. Etsy has

that…kind of. For example, if I wanted an idea of something to match

my hot pink fuzzy handcuffs, I would be in luck because Etsy has a

nifty search-by-color function called ColorSpace. The site gives you

color swatches that you drag your cursor over and ColorSpace picks

out random listed items that match the color you pick. It’s not only

addicting, but don’t try out this function while under the influence of

anything. (If you drag your cursor over the colors really fast it looks

like a beautiful rainbow. And that’s without smoking anything.)

However, I have a big problem with their normal search function

because you can’t filter results by size like on eBay. For someone of

stunted stature, like yours truly, that could come to be a bit of a pain.

My love for eBay is no secret; just

ask my bank account. Although, I have

to admit, there are only so many times you can search for Wentworth

Miller memorabilia and shoes before you begin to get a little bored.

My qualm with eBay actually began last Christmas when I attempted

to answer the question, “What do you get someone who has every-

thing?” Apparently, the answer is a gift card to Red Lobster (Give me

a break. I was on the highway and it was there). Admittedly, it was not

the stunner of a gift I was looking to give. As a consequence, I’ve

vowed to try not to mark the birth of Jesus by spreading the love of

cheddar biscuits ever again. My answer came last week when I was

sent a link to Etsy.

Much like eBay, Etsy is a selling and trading site that gives users

a chance to sell everything from accessories to clothes to art.

However, the catch on Etsy is that everything sold must be a hand-

made creation. This makes for an interesting surfing experience,

especially for those who can appreciate unique looks and products

like those offered by Etsy, which was founded in June 2005 by (oddly

enough) four college guys (who I predict will be the next wave of rich

nerds to follow the Google guys).

Just as my palms were becoming sweaty with worry over my lack of an adequate Web site for my next review, a sign came to me from above. Well, actual-ly, the little man in my computer told me I had mail. Thankfully, it was not a spam mail offering me 10 percent off an “herbal enhancement.” It was a sug-gestion from a reader. I’m hungry. What’s for dinner? www.etsy.com.

It’s no surprise that Etsy has its work cut out trying to

stand out apart from eBay, with which it has no official con-

nection. One of the ways it does this is by allowing users to write bios about

themselves. This part of the site could have gone terrible wrong if sellers

wrote lengthy metaphors for their damaged lives and how said life has

influenced their “art.” As it turns out, few do. In fact, many take advantage

of this space to give valid explanations of their work. Of course, you also

get a colorful few who claim to be elves working in a Norwegian factory.

Unless the claims are true, the outlandish stories should be left to old wise

men with long white beards. I like reading stories about people and how

they got their start; the more detailed and distinctive, the better. However,

if they are in fact true let me go on record saying I’m very sorry if I’ve

offended any readers who may be elves. Though I’m not one known for my

apologies, it’s been a long-standing fear of mine that one night little people

with pointy hats will come into my room and steal me. Since I don’t feel

like sleeping with my hammer in hand, please accept my apologies.

Elves aside, most of the work on Etsy seems to be genuinely hand-

crafted. In case you find something that isn’t, Etsy has equipped every page

with a “Flag this item as not handmade” button. After surfing the site for a

few hours, I should mention the quality of work on Etsy sometimes rivals

that of “Project Runway.” Some of these sellers are truly talented. Though,

as with anything, you have to filter through some pretty weird crap to find

the good stuff. Sometimes, sellers’ overly eccentric items are the metaphor-

ical leprechaun guarding the pot of gold. The same goes for music, acces-

sories, toys, and home décor. However, it is well worth the search. A few

pages at Etsy have as much (if not more) individuality than is found in 10

bins at Ropa Usada, and minus the fleas. Frankly, I wish more people

shopped here. Then, I wouldn’t have to see 20 people every day wearing the

same “Hottie” shirt that only five people in this world should be wearing.

Furthermore, Wentworth, McDreamy, Mr. Clooney, Angelina and I have too

much taste to don them.

Hrs. of Entertainment:Love eBay? Try Etsy. 2 hours!

Etsy.com wowed me. Thanks to reader and Etsy

seller Kenia, no one will get a gift card for Christmas

(PIMPING ALERT: visit her jewelry store on Etsy called

UniqueInnovations.) Do you have a Web site to promote your band or

where you go to entertain yourself? If so, e-mail me at

[email protected]. Cyber lovin’ is for losers: no porn.

Side note:

Content:

Is quality sacrificedwhen you buyhomemade goods?

Graphics/Photos:

Web site Overview:

One out of every six women across

the United States has been a victim of

some form of sexual assault, according

to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National

Network. With this fact in mind, it is no

surprise The University of Texas-Pan

American is raising awareness about

sexual assault among students, faculty,

and staff.

Mujeres Unidas and the Campus

Assault Response Effort organization

will host a free four-week training ses-

sion starting Oct. 21 for any person

interested in becoming an advocate for

survivors of domestic violence and sex-

ual assault.

According to Christine Carruthers,

student judicial affairs officer, sexual

assaults are underreported and can cause

a great deal of emotional and physical

pain.

“We want to provide the best serv-

ices available for anyone having to go

through a situation like that,” she said.

However, sometimes assistance

can only be given to those in need when

volunteers are available. Many times

volunteers for organizations are scarce.

Nelda Hernandez, volunteer coordinator

for Mujeres Unidas, believes that volun-

teers are a crucial part of every organiza-

tion.

“We have our faithful volunteers,

but any new recruit is always wel-

comed,” said Hernandez. “The more

volunteers we have for our organization,

the better we can help the community

and the survivors of domestic violence

and sexual assault.”

Victim advocates will attend a

four-week training session that will

cover the dynamics of domestic violence

and sexual assault. Carruthers said the

event will also teach about medical and

criminal components and the interven-

tion process.

The training will begin Oct. 21 and

will continue until Nov. 9 on Tuesdays

Next time you stroll through the

dairy aisle of HEB, you might be able to

help save the life of another woman in

the Valley.

The University of Texas-Pan

American faculty and staff are partici-

pating in Yoplait Yogurt’s annual Save

Lids to Save Lives program for the first

time in university history. The UTPA

Valley Border Health Office (VBHO)

has set a goal for collecting 1,000 lids to

help against breast cancer.

Claudia Barreto, a sophomore

advertising major from Pharr, works in

the VBHO and came up with the idea to

take part in the Yoplait program.

“Breast cancer is something that

touches all women. Ninety percent that

get it never had it in their family,” Barreto

said. “It is a misconception that if my

grandmother doesn’t have it, if my moth-

er doesn’t have it, then I won’t get it.”

She said she selected the program

because it is a good way to get the UTPA

community involved and spread aware-

ness about breast cancer.

“I want faculty and staff to help out

so that they can be a part of something,”

she said. “It’s a great way to get their

participation and start thinking about

breast cancer and the families.”

According to the American Cancer

Society, 34 percent of Hispanic females

diagnosed with breast cancer die from it.

Data from the state health department

estimates 200 women out of 1,000 living

in the Rio Grande Valley will develop it.

By saving lids and turning them in,

people will enable Yoplait to donate

money toward research in breast cancer.

Each lid sent in translates to 10 cents

toward the Susan G. Komen Breast


American’s Distinguished Speakers

Series has given students a little less

than a two-week notice. However, the

three-year-old series is far from quitting.

In fact, in 11 days a visit from actor

Louis Gossett Jr. will mark the begin-

ning of this year’s cycle of speakers.

Following Gossett’s Oct. 30

appearance will be Nobel laureate

Rigoberta Menchu, broadcast journalist

Dan Rather and former U.N. Weapons

Inspector Scott Ritter, according to

Samuel Smith, Distinguished Speakers

Committee (DSC) chairman.

Argelia Barerra, Student

Government Association president and

DSC member, said the committee tried

to think beyond “big names” when pick-

ing this year’s speakers.

“The committee wanted to bring

recognized speakers,” she said. “We did-

n’t just want popular people, but people

who have been distinguished in the

nation and in the world.”

In addition, Smith said they looked

at people from a variety of fields.

“The students did look at athletes

this year. They looked at an educator,”

he said. “We couldn’t make all of those

things happen. A lot of times it turns into

By SANDRA GONZALEZThe Pan American

See SPEAKERS page 12

There will be a Discrimination/Sexual

Harassment Awareness Seminar Oct. 20 in

the Student Union Theater from 2 p.m.-4

p.m. Attendees are asked to arrive 15 min-

utes early to register.

News in brief:NEWSFuture distinguished speakers announced

See CANCER page 12

Yogurt lids raise fundsBy LUKE KOONGThe Pan American

By LEZETTE VILLARREALThe Pan American

See ASSAULT page 12

Sessions to teach assault-victim advocates

SAVING - Claudia Barreto, a sophomore advertising major, was responsible forbringing Yoplait’s Save Lids to Save Lives program to UTPA.

Jennifer Terrazas/The Pan American

LOUIS GOSSETT JR. RIGOBERTA MENCHU DAN RATHER SCOTT RITTER´

OCT. 30 NOV. 28 FEB. 13, 2007 APRIL 5, 2007

Academy Award-winningactor

Recipient of the 1992 NobelPeace Prize

Former anchor of CBSEvening News.

Former U.N. WeaponsInspector

By CLAUDETTE GONZALEZThe Pan American

Maria Consuelo Guerrero is deter-

mined to bring a taste of the Brazilian

language and culture to students at The

University of Texas-Pan American.

Accordingly, Guerrero, a lecturer in the

department of modern and classical lan-

guages and literature, will offer the uni-

versity’s first Portuguese class in the

spring.

“Our university is growing. We’re

offering more programs. Now the lan-

guage department is growing as well,”

Guerrero said. “It’s so important for me

that we’re offering more languages

because there are many advantages to

taking a foreign language.”

According to Guerrero, the new

Portuguese class will focus on commu-

nication.

“We’ll have a textbook, we’ll study

grammar, we’ll read, we’ll write, we’ll

listen to music and we’ll watch some

videos. But, the concentration and the

purpose is going to be communicative,”

Guerrero said. “In fact, the grammar and

the vocabulary are going to be practical,

common daily situations.”

As a student in her native Mexico

City, Guerrero learned Portuguese by lis-

tening to Brazilian music and participat-

ing in theater productions with Brazilian

See PORTUGUESE page 12

Portugueseclasses tobe offered

2006 2007

A & E October 19, 2006

October 19, 2006 NEWS

The walls of Jack Tierney’s office

at Rio Grande Habitat for Humanity are

plastered with enormous strips of butch-

er paper, each containing lists of goals

for the organization.

Tierney is the new executive direc-

tor for the Rio Grande Valley branch of

the national non-profit group that pro-

vides low-cost housing to families in

need through a system of “sweat equity”

and volunteer workers.

Although he’s only been in the

position for about a month, Tierney

already has a good idea of what needs to

get done, and how.

“This is really kind of our goals up

here [on the walls)] The basic one is to

get houses built,” Tierney said. “We

want six this fiscal year and 12 next fis-

cal year and 20 the third year.”

Tierney, a husband and father, says

though he is “well past retirement age,”

he is still up for the challenge.

“I decided that I was looking for a

challenge and this is a challenge,” he

said. “I think this organization has a lot

of potential. I think we can do a lot of

good in this community.”

In all, there are 34 houses in the

Las Milpas subdivision near Pharr

where crews have been working; that

project is almost done. Now the organi-

zation is looking to acquire more land,

either through donations or by purchas-

ing low-cost land.

“We’re running out of lots out

there,” Tierney said. “We need to find

some land but the problem is we can’t

pay too much for the land. If we pay too

much then we price people out.”

In order to keep homes within

reach of the low-income families that

Habitat serves, Tierney focuses on total

monthly expense for each family.

“We’re trying to hold the cost to

the family at about $300 a month,” he

said. “With that $300 a month, they pay

the principal on their loan, and they pay

insurance and the taxes.”

And Tierney knows a thing or two

about loans since his professional back-

ground is in banking. The Cambridge,

Mass., native first moved to the Valley

24 years ago when he accepted a job as

the president of a Harlingen bank. Since

then, he has been at the helm of several

financial institutions in the area.

Most recently, he was president of

McAllen National Bank before semi-

retiring and getting into independent

financial consulting.

“I think I have some skills that I

could help them with. We build houses,

then we bankroll them,” Tierney said.

“Having been a banker, I know a little

bit about how mortgages run and that’s

one half of what we do. We’re like a

bank on one side and a little construc-

tion company on the other.”

LOOKING AT THE RESUMEBut while Tierney’s professional

background may be in finance, his edu-

cational background is a different story.

He began his college education at

Harvard University but after only a year

he transferred to West Point, where he

studied civil engineering. Then, during

10 years in the Air Force, he completed

a law degree.

Although these degrees may seem

unrelated to his career, Tierney said he

learned valuable skills through his mili-

tary education.

“In a lot of ways, the service acad-

emies are great places to learn how to

handle people, how to manage and lead,

which is really what you’re doing in any

organization,” he explained.

Tierney also has experience work-

ing with charitable organizations. For

two years he was president of the local

food bank.

“I went through a lot of the grow-

ing pains at the food bank and I saw this

and it’s a lot the same,” Tierney said.

“It’s basic need that we’re fulfilling.”

In Tierney’s opinion, owning a

home is key to improving a family’s sta-

tion in life and their standard of living

“Instead of renting a substandard

place for $300 a month, for $300 a

month they become taxpayers. They

have to start to pay property taxes. They

start to build equity in their house, and

at some point they own a house,”

Tierney said. “If you look at what’s the

biggest asset most of the people in the

United States own, it’s their home.”

But Tierney said it is sometimes

hard to find families who qualify for a

Habitat home. The two main require-

ments are that the family members be

legal residents or U.S. citizens, and that

they have a steady source of income

within a certain range, depending on the

size of the family.

“It’s not a major amount of income

but a lot of these people don’t have even a

steady job, or particularly if they work off

the books, if they work in the cash econo-

my, it’s hard for them to show that they

have a steady income,” Tierney said.

After find a qualifying family,

however, Tierney said Habitat does all it

can to help them pay off the house.

Once we get them in the house, if

they hit a bump in the road, if somebody

gets sick or gets laid off, we don’t have

to collect right away,” he said. “If

they’re making a good faith effort, as

long as they’re keeping the taxes and

the insurance current then we can work

with them a bit.”

According to Tierney, more often

than not they do succeed.

“Since 1988 we’ve built 74 total

houses and about 10 of them have been

paid off,” Tierney said. “That many

paid off in less than 20 years is really

amazing.

Rio Grande Habitat for Humanity

is currently looking for volunteers to

man its office and warehouse.

“The thing we need right now is

volunteers in the office,” Tierney said.

“In order to keep costs down we have to

have a limited staff but we have a lot of

things that need to be done.”

Local Habitat branch gets new directorBy CLAUDETTE GONZALEZThe Pan American

SOAKED - Raymond Crews gets

dunked at an event held by the

Association of Information Technology

Professionals Oct 12. Crews, Jesus

Tanguma, and Wayne Headrick, all

associate professors of computer infor-

mation systems and quantative meth-

ods, and Assistant Police Chief James

Loya participated in the event in hopes

of bringing awareness of AITP. Cynthia

Castilla, president of AITP, said while

they did not raise much money, they

accomplished their main goal of the

day. "It was more to get our name out

there, especially since we'd been dor-

mant for two years," she said. "We got

a lot of feedback and positive reac-

tions." For more information on AITP e-

mail Castilla at [email protected]

or visit www.aitputpa.orgSandra Gonzalez/The Pan American

Claudette GonzalezThe Pan AmericanHARD WORK - Rudy Abrego and Jesus Pina put in sweat equity on a house inHabitat for Humanity’s Las Milpas subdivision.

For more information on vol-unteering, call the Rio GrandeHabitat for Humanity office at(956)686-7455.

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&RTSNTERTAINMENT

Editor’s Pick: Must-see movie

A bucket of beer at MoonBeans

Coffee costs $15.10, and is the perfect

primer for the Friday night open- mic

performances.

According

to promotional

materials, the

gig starts at 8 p.m., but as members of

the staff casually forewarn:

“We wait for people to get here

before we start.”

Get to the 5401 N. 10th Street loca-

tion early, choose five beers from their

all-star list, plunk down three five-spots

and a dime and sit in the corner of the

dimly lit coffee house that showcases

local artists’ work hung on beautifully

painted walls.

For many would-be musicians,

poets and writers, open mic is the apex

of their creative exposure – the only

chance they get to showcase their tal-

ents.

For others, however, such per-

formance nights are a casual dress

rehearsal, giving them the opportunity

to test their calm in front of a crowd,

and try out new material.

Conrad Ramirez’s violin broke the

open-mic ice. Standing atop the two-

step, quarter-circle stage he delicately

navigated his horsehair bow across the

four-stringed instrument, seamlessly

showcasing excerpts from “The Red

Violin” soundtrack, and works of his

own composition.

The 19-year-old Ramirez is a soph-

omore biology major at The University

of Texas-Pan American. Since picking

up the violin, he has had the chance to

play in formal orchestras.

The pursuit of a serious violin-

player position would interfere with his

schedule. But open-mic night at

MoonBeans gives him the perfect oppor-

tunity to continue to entertain with the

instrument.

“This is really the only chance I get

[to perform],” Ramirez said. “For me it’s

just fun.”

There was also a bespectacled,

Spanish-speaking guitarist who sang

beautiful psuedo-boleros. He prefaced

each song with long verbal introductions

that I couldn’t understand but appreciat-

ed nevertheless.

There were more than 30 people in

the MoonBeans audience at the height of

attendance. Some sipped chilled white

wine, leaned back in their chairs and

applauded with reverence at the end of

each performance.

Steve Castillo, a McAllen resident

and father of two, says a night at

MoonBeans is the perfect evening for

him and his wife.

“We don’t really get a chance to go

out very much because of the kids,”

Castillo said. “This is the perfect thing

for us because it’s relaxed but you can

also have a really good time.”

As the night progressed audience

members watched as raindrops fell from

the sky.

Inside was warm, coffee-scented

and safe. Baths of soft light cast shadows

across faces, and beer bottles sank into

buckets of ice on unfinished wood

tables.

But it doesn’t take talent or creativ-

ity to perform at MoonBeans open-mic

night. One enterprising attention seeker

merely read an excerpt from “A

Purpose-Driven Life,” which was kind

of interesting.

McAllen coffee house opens its doors to local talentsBy BRIAN CARRThe Pan American

Gala offers dining, prizes, more for good cause

The Women’s Athletic Club (WAC)

is getting ready for its annual fundraising

gala. This year the organization will be

putting on a Caribbean Carnival Oct. 21.

WAC is an organization that col-

lects funds for the women’s athletic

department. Members of this organiza-

tion consist mostly of staff in the depart-

ment and community members.

Students who are interested are welcome

to join.

“Caribbean Carnival is our yearly

fundraiser,” said Pegjohngy Moses,

assistant athletics director for compli-

ance services and senior administrator

of the women’s department. “It is the

gala that we put on every year to raise

funds to give scholarships to female

athletes here at The University of

Texas-Pan American.”

This year the event will take place

at the university’s Annex Building locat-

ed on Closner. It is scheduled to start at 7

p.m. and will go on until midnight.

Tickets cost $50 per person and

they include everything from being able

to enter the different auctions and con-

tests, to being able to enter the dancing

competition and enjoy the food and bev-

erages provided.

“Most people don’t eat before

going there because the food is so enjoy-

able that it is like dinner for them,”

Moses said.

The gala will be filled with many

fun activities for everybody. Two major

auctions will take place during the night.

“We are going to have a silent auc-

tion where we are going to have mostly the

smaller gifts,” Moses said. “People can

actually take them home as decorations, or

gifts for friends or family members.”

A live auction will also take place, in

which a lot of big items will be available.

“Among other things, we have a

plasma television that will be a part of

this auction,” said Moses. “People from

the maquilas were kind enough to donate

it for us.”

Moses added that local eye sur-

geon Dr. Carlos Manrique donated a

laser eye surgery, which will be a part of

the live auction.

“We have many sponsors,” she

said. “People donate most of the articles

being auctioned.”

Funds raised during this event will

be given directly to female student ath-

letes at UTPA in the form of scholarships.

“In past galas we have been able to

raise enough money to give scholarships

to students who are not competing any-

more,” said Moses. “This will help them

until they are done with their degree.”

There is a whole list of criteria

when deciding who to give the scholar-

ships to. To discuss this, the club mem-

bers got together in a committee meeting

and decided the matter.

This event has been taking place for

the last four years, and every year the

theme changes.

“It is not always a carnival. It

varies from year to year,” said Moses.

“We’ve had many themes, including

Mardi Gras.”

Moses said that depending on the

theme of the event, they decide on what

type of music to play and the type of con-

tests for attendees. She said attendance

has gotten better with time.

“We have been able to get the word

out there more and more every year,”

Moses said. “The more people under-

stand what we are doing and that the pur-

pose of the gala is to help women gradu-

ate and get their degree, the better the

attendance is.”

Moses mentioned that it is a fun

event to attend and everyone is invited.

“The food is great and you actually

get to interact with the student athletes,”

she said. “Students are there during the

whole gala helping out with the auctions

or serving food.”

By LESLIE ESTRADA

“Marie Antoinette”starring

Kirsten Dunstdirected by

Sofia CoppolaE A

HOT CUP OF ENTERTAINMENT - MoonBeans Coffee holds open-mic nightevery friday.

Brian Carr/ The Pan American

For more information about theCarribean Carnival, please contactthe athletic department at (956)381-2221 or (956) 381-2383.

The Pan American

October 19, 2006 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 9 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT October 19, 2006

Story By: Trey SernaDesigned By: Roy Bazan

When fall rolls around, it’s aboutmuch more than just school and home-work. It’s also time to get drawn backinto the world of procrastination bywatching the new fall season televi-sion line-up.

This season of shows promisessuperhero adventures, scandalous sto-rylines, humorous situations and more.

NEW SHOWS TO WATCHA promising show that hit ABC air-

waves on Sept. 28 was “Ugly Betty.”The show stars America Ferrera (Betty)who is an ordinary girl with so much tooffer. But her talents and true personal-ity are overshadowed by her not-so-hotlooks when she enters the superficialworld of high fashion as the editor-in-chief’s personal assistant. In an inter-view on the late-night talk show “JimmyKimmel Live,” Ferrera said the showwasbased on “Yo Soy Betty La Fea” (IAm Ugly Betty), a popular, Colombiantelenovela that has become an interna-tional success.

The premise has been re-made inmany other countries and has beensuccessful. Betty’s charm with a U.S.audience has already won people over.

“The reason I watched ‘Ugly Betty’was because it was right before ‘Grey’sAnatomy,’” said Michelle Gonzalez, acommunication disorders major. “Itreminded me a lot of the movie ‘TheDevil Wears Prada.’ I like it a lot and Ithink I’ll continue watching it on a reg-ular basis.”

Another ABC show that’s gotten alot of attention is “The Nine,” whichfollows nine strangers and how theycope after experiencing a bank rob-bery together in Los Angeles.

Unlike crime-scene shows such as“CSI” or “Law and Order: SpecialVictims Unit,” which have a puzzling orgruesome murder/mystery at the startand then conveniently solve the caseby the end of thehour, a lot ofshows this sea-son have takenon a differentf o r m u l a .One story-line isu s u a l l yextendeda n d

stretched throughout an entire season,leaving a major key point out of thestoryline and ending each episodewith a cliffhanger, such as in “TheNine.”

While the show has done well,some are a little less impressed by thepilot.

“I saw the premiere and I really did-n’t like it,” said Jennifer Terrazas, asophomore biology major. “To me, theplot wasn’t that good and it lackedsome depth.”

NBC struck TV ratings gold withthe debut of “Heroes” Sept. 25. Theseries tells the story of people whobelieved they were average, until theywoke up with incredible abilities andsuperpowers. Writers from the showsay the series will follow a storyline ofeach character discovering what theirpower is, why they have it, the originsof it and much more.

“I love this show because the writ-ers are taking a different perspectiveon superheroes,” said Ernesto Solis, asophomore print journalism major.“They’re taking it from a more realisticpoint of view.”

According to NBC, it was the most-watched program of the night; attract-ing 14.3 million viewers and receivedthe highest rating for any NBC dramain five years.

RETURNING SHOWS TO WATCHSome of last season’s shows left

audiences at the edge of their seats foralmost four months,

anticipating whatwould happen nextseason. One suchprogram was ABC’s“ D e s p e r a t eHousewives.” Thedirty laundry washung out to dry and

just as one loadseemed to be get-ting clean, it allgot dirty again.

“I love thedrama on thatshow,” saidApril Vallejo, afreshman nurs-ing major.“Gabrielle [Eva

L o n g o r i a ]has got

to be

my favorite character because she hasso much attitude.”

“Desperate Housewives” aired forthe first time Oct. 3, 2004 with a report-ed 21.3 million viewers, according tothe Nielsen 2004-2005 TV season rank-ing. This made it the best new dramaseries for the year and the highestrated show that week. It had peopletalking by the water cooler the nextday. However, the excitement dieddown during the second season whenfans and critics agreed that the pro-gram didn’t live up to the dark,comedic drama of the first.

“I didn’t like the second seasonbecause after the first one, it justdragged on with the same ol’ stuff anddidn’t really go anywhere,” saidGonzalez, an original “Housewives”fan. “I really didn’t watch much of thatseason and I haven’t even watched thestart of the third.”

During the promotion for the thirdseason, it was made clear by the castand creators that this season wouldattempt to go back to the style of thefirst.

Another Sunday night favorite on adifferent network is the crude-humored, “Family Guy.”

This is one of the very few showsin history that has been cancelled andre-hired twice by the same network.“Family Guy” originally aired on Fox in1999. It was cancelled in 2000, broughtback and then cancelled again in 2002.But, the series began airing re-runs onthe Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.High ratings and strong DVD sales ofthe first three seasons promptedFox to revive the series on May 1,2005.

“Family Guy” premiered itsnewest season on Sept. 10, withits frequent, random cutawayjokes that usually take a rudi-mentary stab at pop culture.

“I like ‘Family Guy’ becauseit’s viciously humorous,” saidSolis.

Among other returning shows arethe action-drama “Prison Break,” theJennifer Love Hewitt vehicle “GhostWhisperer,” the noirish mystery“Veronica Mars” and the power-house adventure series“Lost.”

SHOWS THAT TANKEDWith success of new

and returning shows, there’sbound to be some losers

among the crowd. NBC may have hit ahome run with “Heroes,” but theyscored a major strikeout with“Kidnapped,” which premiered Sept.20 to minimal ratings.

The series was supposed to fea-ture a different kidnapping each sea-son, bringing in different cast mem-bers each time. NBC was disappointedwith the ratings of the first threeepisodes and ordered production toshut down.

According to the networks, when atelevision pilot is picked up by a net-work, 13 episodes are contracted.Depending on the ratings of the firstfew episodes, the network will orderthe “back nine,” bringing a total of 22episodes per season. However, NBChas not ordered the “back nine” forthis show. For the mere seven millionviewers that did gain interest in theshow, producers say “Kidnapped” willbe moved to Saturday nights startingOct. 21 and the storyline will tie up allloose ends by the end of the 13thepisode.

Another casualty in the televisionworld is “Smith,” which premieredSept. 19. The series was supposed tofollow the lives of a group of profes-sional thieves who keep their workseparate from the rest of their lives.Looks like no one will be followinganything since the show was dropped

Oct. 6, afteronly three

episodes.It’s still

unclear as towhether the series

will give closure to theiraudience or simply vanish

without a trace from TV air-waves.

October 19, 2006 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 8 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT October 19, 2006

Story By: Trey SernaDesigned By: Roy Bazan

When fall rolls around, it’s aboutmuch more than just school and home-work. It’s also time to get drawn backinto the world of procrastination bywatching the new fall season televi-sion line-up.

This season of shows promisessuperhero adventures, scandalous sto-rylines, humorous situations and more.

NEW SHOWS TO WATCHA promising show that hit ABC air-

waves on Sept. 28 was “Ugly Betty.”The show stars America Ferrera (Betty)who is an ordinary girl with so much tooffer. But her talents and true personal-ity are overshadowed by her not-so-hotlooks when she enters the superficialworld of high fashion as the editor-in-chief’s personal assistant. In an inter-view on the late-night talk show “JimmyKimmel Live,” Ferrera said the showwasbased on “Yo Soy Betty La Fea” (IAm Ugly Betty), a popular, Colombiantelenovela that has become an interna-tional success.

The premise has been re-made inmany other countries and has beensuccessful. Betty’s charm with a U.S.audience has already won people over.

“The reason I watched ‘Ugly Betty’was because it was right before ‘Grey’sAnatomy,’” said Michelle Gonzalez, acommunication disorders major. “Itreminded me a lot of the movie ‘TheDevil Wears Prada.’ I like it a lot and Ithink I’ll continue watching it on a reg-ular basis.”

Another ABC show that’s gotten alot of attention is “The Nine,” whichfollows nine strangers and how theycope after experiencing a bank rob-bery together in Los Angeles.

Unlike crime-scene shows such as“CSI” or “Law and Order: SpecialVictims Unit,” which have a puzzling orgruesome murder/mystery at the startand then conveniently solve the caseby the end of thehour, a lot ofshows this sea-son have takenon a differentf o r m u l a .One story-line isu s u a l l yextendeda n d

stretched throughout an entire season,leaving a major key point out of thestoryline and ending each episodewith a cliffhanger, such as in “TheNine.”

While the show has done well,some are a little less impressed by thepilot.

“I saw the premiere and I really did-n’t like it,” said Jennifer Terrazas, asophomore biology major. “To me, theplot wasn’t that good and it lackedsome depth.”

NBC struck TV ratings gold withthe debut of “Heroes” Sept. 25. Theseries tells the story of people whobelieved they were average, until theywoke up with incredible abilities andsuperpowers. Writers from the showsay the series will follow a storyline ofeach character discovering what theirpower is, why they have it, the originsof it and much more.

“I love this show because the writ-ers are taking a different perspectiveon superheroes,” said Ernesto Solis, asophomore print journalism major.“They’re taking it from a more realisticpoint of view.”

According to NBC, it was the most-watched program of the night; attract-ing 14.3 million viewers and receivedthe highest rating for any NBC dramain five years.

RETURNING SHOWS TO WATCHSome of last season’s shows left

audiences at the edge of their seats foralmost four months,

anticipating whatwould happen nextseason. One suchprogram was ABC’s“ D e s p e r a t eHousewives.” Thedirty laundry washung out to dry and

just as one loadseemed to be get-ting clean, it allgot dirty again.

“I love thedrama on thatshow,” saidApril Vallejo, afreshman nurs-ing major.“Gabrielle [Eva

L o n g o r i a ]has got

to be

my favorite character because she hasso much attitude.”

“Desperate Housewives” aired forthe first time Oct. 3, 2004 with a report-ed 21.3 million viewers, according tothe Nielsen 2004-2005 TV season rank-ing. This made it the best new dramaseries for the year and the highestrated show that week. It had peopletalking by the water cooler the nextday. However, the excitement dieddown during the second season whenfans and critics agreed that the pro-gram didn’t live up to the dark,comedic drama of the first.

“I didn’t like the second seasonbecause after the first one, it justdragged on with the same ol’ stuff anddidn’t really go anywhere,” saidGonzalez, an original “Housewives”fan. “I really didn’t watch much of thatseason and I haven’t even watched thestart of the third.”

During the promotion for the thirdseason, it was made clear by the castand creators that this season wouldattempt to go back to the style of thefirst.

Another Sunday night favorite on adifferent network is the crude-humored, “Family Guy.”

This is one of the very few showsin history that has been cancelled andre-hired twice by the same network.“Family Guy” originally aired on Fox in1999. It was cancelled in 2000, broughtback and then cancelled again in 2002.But, the series began airing re-runs onthe Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.High ratings and strong DVD sales ofthe first three seasons promptedFox to revive the series on May 1,2005.

“Family Guy” premiered itsnewest season on Sept. 10, withits frequent, random cutawayjokes that usually take a rudi-mentary stab at pop culture.

“I like ‘Family Guy’ becauseit’s viciously humorous,” saidSolis.

Among other returning shows arethe action-drama “Prison Break,” theJennifer Love Hewitt vehicle “GhostWhisperer,” the noirish mystery“Veronica Mars” and the power-house adventure series“Lost.”

SHOWS THAT TANKEDWith success of new

and returning shows, there’sbound to be some losers

among the crowd. NBC may have hit ahome run with “Heroes,” but theyscored a major strikeout with“Kidnapped,” which premiered Sept.20 to minimal ratings.

The series was supposed to fea-ture a different kidnapping each sea-son, bringing in different cast mem-bers each time. NBC was disappointedwith the ratings of the first threeepisodes and ordered production toshut down.

According to the networks, when atelevision pilot is picked up by a net-work, 13 episodes are contracted.Depending on the ratings of the firstfew episodes, the network will orderthe “back nine,” bringing a total of 22episodes per season. However, NBChas not ordered the “back nine” forthis show. For the mere seven millionviewers that did gain interest in theshow, producers say “Kidnapped” willbe moved to Saturday nights startingOct. 21 and the storyline will tie up allloose ends by the end of the 13thepisode.

Another casualty in the televisionworld is “Smith,” which premieredSept. 19. The series was supposed tofollow the lives of a group of profes-sional thieves who keep their workseparate from the rest of their lives.Looks like no one will be followinganything since the show was dropped

Oct. 6, afteronly three

episodes.It’s still

unclear as towhether the series

will give closure to theiraudience or simply vanish

without a trace from TV air-waves.

At 7 p.m. Monday, lines stretched

out for more than half a mile at Dodge

Arena as Valley residents waited

patiently for tickets to the worldwide

entertainment phenomenon, the Blue

Man Group.

The European-originated group is

currently on its “How to be a Megastar”

2.0 tour in which the often-times comi-

cal group learns what it takes to be rock

stars on stage through an act filled with

a variety of songs .

All ages were represented at the

event as older couples, young 20-some-

things, families and teenagers filled the

arena expecting to see a spectacular

show.

J.C. Lopez, a junior advertising

major at The University of Texas-Pan

American, hoped the show would live

up to his expectations.

“I’ve never had the chance to see

them before, but I’m expecting them to

be good,” Lopez said.

Lopez, who was first introduced to

the group via a commercial for IBM,

says the band’s music is what makes

them so appealing.

“It’s really an eclectic sound that

they have that is both rock and electron-

ica, which are both genres that I like,”

he said.

For others, the event provided a

chance to see the group close to home,

instead of having to go out of town.

“I was supposed to see them in San

Antonio early last year, but it just didn’t

happen,” said Valley resident Gabriel

Vasquez. “At first I didn’t know who

they were or what kind of show they

could put on, but I’ve heard they’re

awesome, especially the way they get

the audience involved.”

As fans eagerly continued to fill

the arena, opening act Tracy Bonham

performed several songs for the crowd,

giving a set that ran a little over due to

the increasing number of concert-goers

still waiting for tickets.

“We were supposed to begin the

show at 7:30, but there’s still such a

huge crowd outside that we’ve had to

start later,” Dodge Arena marketing

director Yajira Flores said.

THE SHOW GOES ONFinally, caked in their traditional

blue makeup, the eagerly awaited men

of the hour took the stage. The crowd

burst into an uproar as the group started

their opening song, a rock-influenced

number that was performed with their

trademark plastic pipes and drumsticks.

One head-banging, foot-stomping,

hand-waving, pelvic-thrusting jam fol-

lowed after another as the

men in blue employed

sounds of rock, electronica

and funk among others.

Each production was met

with unanimous applause

from the audience, which

was wowed by the group’s

effort.

Staying true to their

signature, members of the

group employed the use of

unconventional stage

instruments and props,

including among other

things, wooden spoons,

paint-filled drums, a very

long baton, and an over-

sized gong.

In keeping with

another of the group’s

famous trademarks, members never

uttered a single syllable throughout the

two-hour show. Even when it was time

to introduce the band members to the

audience, a tradition at the end of most

concerts, the Blue Man Group instead

pulled up an audience member on stage

and had her read each band member’s

name and instrument into a microphone.

Once the thunderous applause had

died down after the final number of the

evening, there was a feeling of sadness

yet joyful bewilderment following the

group’s departure.

After the show, UTPA’s Lopez said

he felt that the music and comedy were

the show’s strongest assets.

“I really like what they did with

the comedy and with the instruments

too,” said Lopez “My favorite part was

when they put on those LED light suits

and started to jump up and down.”

As the crowd departed the arena,

many attendees were enthusiastically

swapping their reactions to the show.

“It was like nothing I’d ever seen

before,” a teenage girl said to her friend

as they walked out.

Indeed it was.

A & E October 19, 2006

By FRANK CALVILLO

BLUE IN THE FACE- The Blue Man Group performed their newshow “How to be a Megastar 2.0,” Monday which featured a varietyof insturments as well as physical comedy.

Blue Man Group wows audience at Dodge Arena

Photos by Onydia Garza /The Pan American

The Pan American

October 19, 2006 NEWS

GRADUATION continued from page 1

She also thinks the fast-food chain

hides ingredients in its nutrition facts and

said she stopped eating at McDonald’s

after watching the film “Supersize Me,” a

pseudo-documentary recording the physi-

cal effects of eating only items off the

McDonald’s menu for 30 days.

Hughes added that she wore black

Monday to mourn the death of animals

slaughtered by the company.

“Even though it’s not necessarily

the only company that does this to ani-

mals, it’s the largest one that does

because it’s on a global scale,” she said.

Still, the company’s Web site boasts

of its Animal Welfare Council, which was

co-developed by Temple Grandin, a pro-

fessional designer of humane livestock

facilities. The program allows suppliers

the freedom to develop additional stan-

dards and compliance systems.

Jeffrey Schmatz, a spokesperson

for JS Media LLC, which represents

McDonald’s Rio Grande Valley fran-

chises for marketing and public rela-

tions, said that the information distrib-

uted by the picketing group, particularly

a flyer advertising the event, “is filled

with inaccuracies and untruths.”

“We have reviewed the flyer that

was distributed at the South 10th store,”

he said. “Are you aware that this partic-

ular flyer was written nearly 20 years

ago? This can be easily verified with a

quick Google search.”

WHAT HAPPENEDWhile the restaurant’s supervisor

asked the group to leave, the protesters

stood their ground.

“As long as we don’t touch the

grass or touch their property, we’re free

to exercise our rights,” said Sofia Garza,

a freshman anthropology major at

UTPA. “If an officer asks us to stop, we

just go limp and drop to the ground. It

keeps us from getting into any legal

problems and it attracts attention.”

Located in one of the busiest parts

of town, the protest had little trouble

drawing an audience, but several drivers

made an effort to reach out to them as

they waited for traffic lights to turn green.

Greg Rodriguez, who organized the

protest, said he wore black to mourn

workers who have been injured or killed

on the job because he thinks McDonald’s

is guilty of employee discrimination and a

lack of worker’s benefits.

Rodriguez, a sophomore at South

Texas College, also said McDonald’s

exploits its workers by using cheap labor

in foreign countries, though the compa-

ny’s Web site claims the company’s pay

is at or above local market rate.

About 30 picketers showed up for

the protest. Vicky Garza, a junior at

Edinburg North High School, said she

was surprised at the event’s popularity.

“When we planned for this, only 10

people came,” she said.

RADIO continued from page 1

MCDONALD’S continued from page 1

t t v w bu u

T u t b tThe Law Offices of Daniel S. López, P.C.

DWILICENSE SUSPENSIONOCCUPATIONAL LICENSEBOND REDUCTIONMISDEMEANORS

Call (956) 424-1600 to find out whether you are a candidatefor a reduction to a lesser offense.

mother, who is wheelchair-bound, would

have trouble getting to and around the

Field House.

“The venue does not count with the

proper accommodations for handicapped

individuals to see the ceremony comfort-

ably,” he said.

Ana Maria Rodriguez, chair of the

commencement committee, said admin-

istration looked into the option of hold-

ing graduation at the Dodge Arena last

year, but ran into several problems.

“The Dodge Arena was already

booked for those days, it is an expensive

venture, and it is too distant from the

university,” she said. “If you are gradu-

ating from here, the graduation should

be here or at least close to here.”

REQUEST DENIEDAlthough the commencement com-

mittee has not agreed to hold com-

mencement at Dodge Arena, university

President Blandina Cardenas is pleased

to hear students’ ideas.

“We welcome students’ thoughts and

input on issues of concern to them. We are

always open to discussion,” Cardenas said.

However, tension has increased

during the last couple of weeks, as the

group of students petitioning are being

more active to get their matters heard.

Newell said it is necessary to use avail-

able resources in the best way possible.

“By presenting this petition, we

hope to portray the number of students

that genuinely want to have graduation in

a place where we won’t have to stretch

six or seven tickets,” Newell said.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONSRodriguez, who is also associate

vice president for undergraduate studies,

said the administration has looked into

other options for a venue, but none have

worked out yet.

“We also considered having gradua-

tion at the [Edinburg Baseball] Stadium,

but the weather was not going to help and

we would still need to have two different

graduations,” she said.

Rodriguez added that they also

considered having commencement at the

new Fine Arts auditorium that’s in the

works, but the planned size of the build-

ing does not coincide with the number of

people required. The new center will

seat more people than the Field House,

however.

Some recent graduations have

begun to segment graduates by pairs of

colleges during the commencement day.

However, Rodriguez said departmental

graduations at the same time bring

scheduling problems.

“The president and vice-president

would not be able to attend all the cere-

monies to confer the degrees,” she said.

During Tuesday’s meeting with

SGA, Gonzalez and Newell presented

their results to the senate, and several ques-

tions were raised. Senators wanted to

ensure students who signed the petition

were aware that a venue change to the

Dodge Arena would cost more and higher

tuition would have to cover that increase.

Despite the questions still in the air,

SGA senators plan to sponsor this peti-

tion and write a resolution plan to pres-

ent to the commencement committee,

said Tony Matamoros, a junior and gov-

ernment senator at large.

The SGA senate and petition leaders

met with the commencement committee

today at 9 a.m. in the Provost’s

Conference Room at the Student Services

Building to discuss a resolution.

possibility that Mann and his team are

looking at.

“Right now we offer play-by-play

coverage of baseball, volleyball and

men’s and women’s basketball home

games that can be listened to on the

UTPA Athletics’ Web site,” Mann said.

The projected costs for a radio sta-

tion are anywhere from $100,000 for an

Internet broadcast to $1 million for tradi-

tional broadcasting. Mann said he would

look at equipment at the National

Association of Broadcasters (NAB) con-

ference in Las Vegas this spring.

“The NAB has the latest equipment

and technology,” Mann said of the con-

ference. “It’s like a flea market for

broadcasters.”

Perez added that being able to work

in an actual studio and interview public

figures are other compelling reasons he

and his classmates want to move for-

ward with the pilot.

“We get to work with teams and

develop those skills along with our lead-

ership abilities while we do really fun

projects,” said Perez.

Rodolfo Franz, a sophomore market-

ing major, says a student-produced radio

program is an idea some students quickly

embraced as a way to put the university

and its broadcast hopefuls on the map.

“I know that UTB has a radio pro-

gram they produce, and a similar pro-

gram would be a way for us to showcase

our own talent to the community,”

Franz, a Hidalgo resident, said.

With the high cost of starting a sta-

tion and the amount of work involved,

Mann and his students definitely have

their work cut out for them.

“In order to start a radio station we

would need a professor who was dedi-

cated to that, and that’s all they would

probably be able to work on,” said

Mann. The department could add a new

hire in that area as early as next year.

They would also need someone

who was good with computers and

broadcast equipment along with rights to

play music, Mann said.

Obstacles make it difficult to start

the university’s own station, but Mann

says his people hope the new pilot shows

that a program produced and generated

by students is viable.

Daniel Flores/The Pan AmericanACTIVIST - Sofia Rivera, a freshman anthropology major, protests outside theMcDonald’s off Savannah and 10th Street in McAllen Oct. 16.

For more information onBronc TV, call Mann at 381-3580.

SPEAKERS continued from page 3

NEWS October 19, 2006

what is their schedule and what is our

schedule.”

After choosing an initial list of 50,

Smith said the committee then narrowed

the number of speakers based on cost

and availability.

Furthermore, Smith said the com-

mittee wanted to secure speakers who

had legitimate opinions to offer on their

given subjects, not just people with con-

troversial opinions.

“I don’t think everyone has to be a

Nobel Prize winner, but I think someone

has to have some notoriety for the infor-

mation that they are espousing. They

have to have validity,” he said. “How

have they distinguished themselves?”

In the end, Smith says they ended

up very happy with the list.

“Some people were concerned that

we only had one woman speaker. Three

of the four student votes are females, but

when given the chance they voted for the

males,” he said. “It was all based on no

other criteria than what distinguishes

them.”

However, it takes money to get dis-

tinguished people to visit UTPA. While

Smith admitted that the committee does

spend a decent amount, he said it is only

possible because of the support the

series gets.

“This year, we were blessed with

[receiving funds from] student service

fees, student union fees, and the presi-

dent supported us this year too,” he

said.

COMING EVENTSWhile he is looking forward to all

the speakers, Smith said he has special

memories regarding Rather, who will

speak on Feb. 13.

“I remember watching T.V. back

when I was a college student, [and see-

ing Rather] in the mud reporting live

from Vietnam with a helmet on,” Smith

said. “There wasn’t as much news as

there is today. There was no CNN. So if

you wanted to see world news you got

that at 5:30 from the T.V. You’d gather in

the dorm lobby.”

Smith said Ritter, who will speak

on April 5, should bring an interesting

perspective on what occurred during the

weapons inspection that prompted the

beginning of the Iraq war.

“I hope he doesn’t say something

that brings the CIA down on us,” Smith

said with a laugh. “But I think it’s impor-

tant for us in Mid-America, away from

all that, to know what goes into making

those decisions. Let’s talk to somebody

who was there. That seemed to be in the

appeal of the students (representatives)

this year.”

However, this year the committee

will be facing a new challenge with one

of the speakers.

“Rigoberta Menchu’s speech will

be in Spanish,” Smith said. “It had noth-

ing to do with we’re a Spanish-speaking

part of the country. This is her language.

So this is something we’d have to gear

up for if we had a person coming from

Czechoslovakia, or some other part of

the world.”

Currently, the committee is work-

ing on figuring out the best way to trans-

late the speech. Thought he has some

ideas, Smith said the biggest challenge is

determining the best avenue to pursue

with just 45 days until her Nov. 28

speech.

This year, all events will be held

free of admission in the Student Union

Theater. Doors will open to students at 7

p.m and to the public at 7:20 p.m.

and Saturdays. Anyone interested in

becoming an advocate is encouraged to

visit the UC Room 320 to pick up an

application form to reserve a spot at the

training.

Each student signing up for the

training should attend every session, but

Hernandez said that make-up periods

would be available if students could not

attend.

Once trained, the victim advocates

will be in contact with survivors of

domestic violence and/or sexual assault.

They will speak directly to the victim and

can be asked to stay at the hospital with

the victim to help them sort through the

situation. A victim advocate can also be

asked to speak to survivors through the

telephone hotline.

“We want to support students when

something happens. We want victims to

understand the importance of reporting

the crime,” said Carruthers. “Just

because a person has been drinking,

doesn’t make what has happened to them

okay.”

Students sometimes think that

they will be held at fault for being vic-

tims of sexual assault, but any time a

person is forced to do something, the

blame is on the person who has forced

them.

Donna Arevalo, a sophomore reha-

bilitation services major from Falfurrias,

said she thinks the training will be full of

benefits.

“I’m glad the victims have an outlet

at one of the hardest times in their lives,”

Arevalo said. “Victim advocates repre-

sent those victims and can help make the

situation a little easier.”

CANCER continued from page 3

Cancer Foundation. Yoplait has already

guaranteed $500,000, with a maximum

donation of $1.5 million possible.

Barreto encouraged participation,

saying it only required a visit to the gro-

cery store.

Participants who donate at least

three lids on campus will receive a lapel

pin. About 200 lids have been collected so

far, and Barreto anticipates many more as

the submission deadline approaches.

She thinks the 1,000-lid goal for

UTPA will be met and is excited about

the involvement already shown.

“This is a good way to bring us all

together. When we send in the 1,000

lids, it will be from the faculty and staff

from UTPA,” she said. “This is isn’t just

an individual. We’re all together to help

find a way to end breast cancer.”

Denny Meline, a health education

coordinator at the VBHO, said the uni-

versity’s participation in Yoplait’s pro-

gram has additional benefits.

“We’re also trying to promote

nutrition,” he said. “By eating yogurt, it

is a healthy snack that faculty, staff and

students can choose from.”

While this is the inaugural year for

participating in the Yoplait program,

UTPA has been running a wellness pro-

gram for three years, that helps raise

awareness of many indigent health issues.

“We’re trying to get more aware-

ness out there on what affects our com-

munity, the population that makes up

UTPA,” Meline said. “A wide variety of

health issues affect the make-up of the

faculty and staff, so once a month we’ll

do the seminar series based upon the

biggest factor.”

Such health issues include diabetes

and other forms of cancer. One glaring

problem affecting UTPA is high choles-

terol. Meline said five of the top 10 med-

ications taken by university faculty and

staff deal with cholesterol.

Operation Wellness, a 13-week

program aimed at improving the health

of the departments around campus, is

entering its fourth week.

There are currently 14 departments

and 120 employees competing in cate-

gories such as weight loss, exercise and

attendance of health presentations. At

the end of December, the program ends

and awards and prizes will be given out.

PORTUGUESE continued from page 3

friends, co-workers and professors. In

her class, she plans to use these cultural

aspects - especially music - to capture

her students’ attention and help them

learn how to pronounce words like a

native speaker would.

“The sotaque Brasileiro (Brazilian

accent) is very special. With music, you

really get a feeling for the language,”

Guerrero said. “I think it’s going to be a

fun way and it’s going to really strengthen

the communicative aspect of the course.”

Guerrero said she has already had a

positive response from students who

have heard about the course.

“I think that the students are going to

get so attracted to the language. They are

already,” she said. “I’ve talked to a few of

my own students and they immediately

think futbol, bossa nova, music, carnaval.

I think it’s going to be a success.”

For Guerrero, offering Portuguese

is particularly important because of the

connections she sees between Brazilians

and the Spanish-speaking students at

UTPA. To begin with, Guerrero cites

geographical proximity to Brazil as a

reason to learn the language.

“We are in the Americas. Brazil is

in the Americas,” Guerrero said.

The country’s economy is also sig-

nificant, especially for those who plan

on going into international careers.

“Brazil is one of the three most

important countries in Latin America,

along with Mexico and Argentina,”

Guerrero said. “Brazil’s economy is very

important for the continent and for the

world.”

Guerrero mentioned that the

Hispanic and Brazilian cultures share

many features.

“We are very similar in history cul-

ture,” she said. “We both have this love

for music. The language is similar. It

comes from the same root – Latin.”

These similarities come from shared

history between the Brazil and the

Spanish-speaking Latin American coun-

tries. Both were conquered by Europeans

from the Iberian Peninsula – Brazil by the

Portuguese, and the Spanish-speaking

countries by the Spanish.

“The culture, the music, the new cin-

ema, the people – we are different but so

much alike in many ways,” Guerrero said.

While the United States is not tech-

nically a Latin American country, the

university’s proximity to Mexico puts it

in an interesting position.

“We have to take into account the

geographical situation UTPA is in. We

live on the border with Mexico. More

than 90 percent of our student popula-

tion is Hispanic,” Guerrero said. “All of

those geographic, historical, economic

and cultural similarities are stronger here

on the border than at other universities in

the country.”

The class will be listed under

Foreign Language as FORL 1391.01 in

the Spring class schedule and will be

held Monday, Wednesday and Friday at

12:45 p.m.

ASSAULT continued from page 3

For more information, studentscan contact Guerrero at [email protected].

Participants can submit lidsdirectly to Yoplait by mailing themto Save Lids to Save Lives at P.O.Box 72716, Rockford, MN 55572-7016. On campus, lids can be sub-mitted to UC 103 to Marla Hinojosa.

October 19, 2006 SPORTS

Onydia Garza/The Pan American

Men’s soccer making their way to the topUTPA sets sights on UTB soccer club

The past few weeks have proved to be quite a rollercoaster for The University of

Texas-Pan American Men’s Bronc Soccer Club, along with the rest of the Lone Star

Southern Division.

After what seemed like an open and shut case for the Broncs heading to the region-

al tournament, the games in the past two weeks of play have turned the division on its

head, and have given the once hapless UTB Soccer Club a sliver of hope in going to the

regional tournament.

UTB’s hopes of going to the regional tournament rest on the Bronc soccer

club’s performance. UTPA finally fell to arch rival UTSA in a grueling 3-1 upset on

Oct. 8 at home.

After putting practice into high gear, and churning out a high-octane offense, the

Broncs next managed to put away Texas A&M-Kingsville in a 3-1 victory. The Broncs,

however, were not alone in the turnaround department with the division’s runners-up,

UTB and UTSA, managing to put in hard-earned victories in the past two weeks.

The sudden turnaround by those two teams has spelled trouble for UTPA’s hopes

of going to the tournament. They are both one game away from tying the Broncs for the

division lead. Unfortunately for UTSA, their season is done and over with, meaning that

they won’t get that chance. Only UTB stands in the way of the Broncs’ path to glory.

The game that would decide the fate of the division was to be played this past

Sunday. However, due to the arrival of thunder and rain, the game was called off,

and now, the clincher of the 2006 regular season will have to wait until Saturday.

The footballers will travel to neutral venue Morningside Park in Brownsville and

play UTB at 1 p.m.

Bronc Hall of Fame on the horizonNominations accepted through Nov. 20

The University of Texas-Pan American will be looking for nominees to induct into

the UTPA Athletics Hall of Fame in February 2007.

The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has invited nominations for candidates

into the inaugural class. Nominations, which begin Monday, can be made by anyone in

the community through the university Web site.

The university has been working for close to a year to establish the hall.

Scott Street, athletics director, said nominees would be recognized for their con-

tributions to the university and the community.

“We’re doing it to honor all of our student-athletes, coaches and administrators

who have shown exemplary achievements, not only in athletics but in their personal

lives as well,” Street said.

Some of the areas nominees will be evaluated on include earning letters while in

varsity sports, outstanding athletic performance, earning a degree at UTPA and com-

pleting athletic eligibility while at the university. In addition, their reputations must reflect

positively on UTPA. Nominations are limited to former athletes who have not compet-

ed for at least 10 years. Coaches and administrators can be nominated at any time

after they leave their position.

Nominations will be accepted until Nov. 20.

ZOOT SUIT RIOT - Steve Guevara, a senior journalism major, shushes the crowd for the preformace ofhis fraternity, Omega Delta Di, during Midnight Madness. In the end, they walked away with first place fortheir skit.

The three seniors are now down to

two after the permanent leave of absence

for volleyball starter Chrissie Carrigan.

The libero/outside hitter was missing from

the Lady Bronc line-up on Oct. 6 against

South Dakota State, and will not be back

in 2006.

The 5-foot-11 British Columbia

native came to The University of Texas-

Pan American in fall 2003 and made her

presence known. As a freshman, Carrigan

saw playing time early and finished sixth

on the team in hitting percentage and kills

per game.

During her time at UTPA, Carrigan

continued to rack up big numbers for her

squad. Before leaving the team, she

reached the 1,000-dig mark for her career,

becoming the fifth player in program his-

tory to do so.

The libero/outside hitter found great

success not only in achievements on the

court, but also with individual relation-

ships at UTPA.

“Accomplishments mean nothing.

It’s the relationships I made that I will

cherish forever,” Carrigan said. “I could-

n’t ask for better friends or a more sup-

portive coaching staff; I am so thankful

for them.”

The starting senior is back in her

hometown of Victoria, British Columbia,

and said personal reasons caused her to

leave the squad before her last season was

up.

“I just felt that it was time for me to

move on and do other things,” she said.

“Obviously there were certain things that

happened that were a catalyst for my deci-

sion, but for the most part it was just the

feeling that my time at Panam had taught

me everything it was going to, and it was

time to move on.”

The Lady Broncs, currently 4-19

overall, have had a rough season, but

Carrigan mentioned the team’s record was

not the determining factor in her leaving.

“The losing season had nothing to

do with my decision to leave. I absolutely

love my teammates and coaches, and had

an amazing experience playing, regardless

of the win/loss situation,” Carrigan said.

The Pan American asked for a state-

ment from the athletics department, but

they were not allowed to comment.

“Chrissie Carrigan has decided to

leave the team due to personal reasons.

The University of Texas-Pan American

Department of Intercollegiate Athletics

does not discuss issues surrounding any of

our administrators, coaches or student-

athletes,” said Joe Monaco, director of

athletic media relations and sports infor-

mation.

The Canadian senior came to UTPA

to play volleyball and make an impact on

the squad and she did just that. Despite

the sudden departure, her name will

be forever embedded in UTPA’s

record books.

Without their star, the

Lady Broncs suffered

their sixth straight

loss last Saturday,

against Texas

Christian University, now

16-6. TCU handed UTPA a 3-0

setback (30-14, 30-20 and 30-27).

Senior Heather Bravo finished with

a match-high 20 kills, along with five

digs, marking her second consecutive

20-kill performance. Sophomore

setter Chelsea Blakely finished with

a double-double, as she collected 33

assists and 10 digs.

The past two seasons, the Lady

Broncs managed to finish with 10 wins

and there’s still time to meet that standard.

They have five games left before the

National Independent Tournament, and

the Lady Broncs will focus on the rest of

the season and look forward to

the last home game against

Texas A&M-International

Nov. 7.

SPORTS October 19, 2006

By KRISTYNA MANCIASThe Pan American

Senior standout quits team midseason

After the regular season ended, the

Houston Astros released pitching coach

Jim Hickey. The former star for The

University of Texas-Pan American was

appointed to the interim position in July

2004 and was then named the full-time

pitching coach in October 2004.

“I was shocked,” said UTPA base-

ball coach Willie Gawlik, of Hickey’s

release. “He’s a personal friend of mine

and a personal friend of the baseball pro-

gram here at The University of Texas-

Pan American. He played here and had

his career here. He has had a lot of suc-

cess at the major league level and it’s

kind of shocking and disappointing that

the Astros did him that way.”

In his first year as pitching coach

Hickey and some of his more notable

pitchers, including Roger Clemens,

Brad Lidge, and Roy Oswalt, helped

drive the Astros to the World Series.

In 2005 the Astros hurlers finished

second in the National League with a

3.51 ERA with Clemens finishing first

and Petite finishing second among

individuals.

The staff also led the league with

the fewest allowed runs and walks and at

the end of the regular season Houston

advanced to the playoffs. They made it

to the World Series but lost four straight

games to the Chicago White Sox.

Despite that, Houston arms had a rela-

tively good two seasons with Hickey.

Yet they still went through with releas-

ing him.

“I feel like he’ll catch on with

somebody because he’s had a nice career

in the minors and the major league level.

He’s done real well,” said Gawlik. “The

Astros were struggling and then he came

in and in his first year they made the

wild card.”

The Astros finished this season

with a great run. They were creeping up

to St. Louis for the wild card and ended

up only finishing 1.5 games out. Just a

couple turns out of 162 games in the sea-

son and the team could have been right

back in the postseason.

“They could have won a lot of

those games, anything could have hap-

pened,” said Gawlik. “I think it came

down to the owner or the general manag-

er of the Astros. I don’t know this for a

fact. I’m just speculating that coach

[Phil] Garner was probably told that he

needed to make another change.”

After releasing the hitting coach in

mid-summer to make some changes, the

Astros are still looking to make a change

that fits with their club. With many

going on in Major League Baseball, it’s

always hard to anticipate anyone’s

future. Joe Girardi made a great run with

a group of young Marlin players and was

named National League Manager of the

Year, and yet he was released also.

“Professional baseball is not kind

to anybody. I’ve known players person-

ally in this situation, where things just

didn’t workout. But [Hickey] will land

on his feet because he’s a Christian and

a good man,” Gawlik said. “I talked to

him on the phone yesterday and I’m con-

fident that he’ll get another job at the

major league level.”

Prior to joining the Houston Astros,

Hickey spent 14 years in the minor

league system. There he molded young

players for the major league level. In

2002, he was named Astros Player

Development Man of the Year.

Dating further back than his time

spent as a coach, Hickey was a standout

pitcher in his final season at UTPA.

Starting out, Hickey wasn’t even on the

pitching staff; he began his career here

as a first baseman and utility player.

After a disappointing junior season

Hickey went back to his hometown of

Chicago and played in a baseball league.

Moving to the mound he pitched a cou-

ple of no-hit shutouts and after that, he

returned to UTPA as a pitcher.

That year Hickey finished with an

astonishing 1.66 ERA, striking out 109

batters in 130.1 innings and allowing

just 19 walks. At the end of the season

the Broncs had engraved a school

record of 64 wins, pushing them into

the NCAA tournament. In the regional

finals UTPA lost to The University of

Texas in Austin.

October 19, 2006 SPORTS

Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

By JORGE HINOJOSAThe Pan American

Houston Astros release pitching coach, former Bronc

Among the hardened and talented

athletes here at The University of Texas-

Pan American, there is a girl who would

stand up against raging storms and all of

the competition in an entire nation to

achieve her dreams. This athlete goes by

the name of Mariale Camey, and she’s

off to the World Amateur Golf Team

Championships in South Africa this

week, where she and her team will play

a grueling 72 holes from October 18th

through the 21st.

“This is like a dream to me,” said

Camey, a sophomore business manage-

ment major from Guatemala in reference

to her acceptance to the Guatemalan

Amateur team.

Dreams do come true as Camey

takes her place among the top three

women amateur golfers in Guatemala,

alongside the mother/daughter duo of

Beatrice de Arenas and Cristina Arenas.

At this very moment, the three women

are fighting it out among a record 51

women’s teams from around the world

that have shown up to claim the Espiritu

Santo Trophy.

As she packed her bags a week ago,

Camey reflected on all of the work and

dedication that she has put in to get her

where she is. As a young girl, Camey was

introduced to the sport by her family.

“My whole family plays golf in

Guatemala,” she said, “and one day, my

father asked me to try to play, and I did.”

After that, Camey said that she

played golf with her father every week-

end, and then gradually began to com-

pete in local tournaments.

“I liked the way it would challenge

me,” she said.

Strangely enough, as Camey’s tal-

ent for golf rose, so did her other athlet-

ic skills. She proved to be an agile swim-

mer, winning 10 championships, and

proved her worth on the basketball

court, earning player of the year honors

twice. But perhaps the strongest high-

light of her career as an athlete was all of

the time she spent winning tournament

after tournament while a member of

some of the most prestigious Central

American golf teams. Camey did a tour

with the championship team Central

American Junior Golf team, and won

three championships on another Central

American women’s golf team.

At the ripe age of 18, Camey was

invited to try out for the national

Guatemalan Women’s Amateur team to

represent the nation at the 2004 World

Amateur Golf Team Championships.

With hard work and determination,

Camey worked her way up the rankings,

down the green, and into the top three

slots, earning a spot on the national

team. But the date of the world champi-

onship fell upon the date of her high

school graduation, and Camey opted to

attend it with her family instead.

When asked about why she gave up

the spot, Camey said, “You only get one

high school graduation, and I was deter-

mined that I could make the team again.”

After high school, Camey chose to

attend college and play golf for the

University of New Orleans. Shortly after

she arrived, however, Hurricane Katrina

pounded the Gulf Coast and forced

Camey and her teammates to seek refuge

in Tennessee. Although she was affected

by one of the worst disasters in

American history, Camey took to the

green again as soon as she could, and

applied to The University of Texas-Pan

American. During the transition period,

Camey received her second invitation to

try out for the national Guatemalan

team, and accepted.

As the youngest player to ever play

the qualifying rounds for her nation,

Camey felt the pressure.

“I knew that each shot was going to

count,” she said.

Camey ended up with the Arenas

duo on the national team, with people

she had known and played golf with for

10 years. With the long-term compan-

ionship they have, the elements for a

strong national team are more potent.

Camey said that she feels confi-

dence in her team and herself.

“The most important thing is to do

well as a team.”

And so now Camey and her team-

mates are in an international struggle for

the World Amateur Golf Team

Championship, the Espiritu Santo

Trophy, which was once owned by Czar

Nicolas II, currently held in

Stellenbosch, South Africa.

The tournament will consist of each

team playing 72 holes over a series of

three courses, the Spier Estate Golf

Course, the De Zalze Golf Club, and the

Stellenbosh Golf Club, with two rounds

being played at each course.

Camey wanted to thank her coaches

and her professors for the support they

have given her, and wanted to convey a

message to the students of the university.

“Golf isn’t just for old people; it’s

fun,” she said.

CALL THE BULLPEN - Jim Hickey, who pitched for The University of Texas-PanAmerican baseball team, served as the Houston Astros pitching coach since 2004,but was released on Oct. 4.

By PATRICK KENNEDYThe Pan American

Mariale Camey

Golfer selected for tournament in South Africa


American cross country teams have

returned home from a long trip to Terre

Haute, Ind., where they competed at

the Brooks Pre-Nationals Meet held by

Indiana State University.

The Lady Broncs came home after

having placed 11th overall out of 13

teams.

“I was very pleased with the way

the women competed,” head coach

Ricky Vaughn said. “Most of them

have never been to a big meet like that,

but they came out focused and compet-

ed hard. They had a great race.”

Great indeed, and by their person-

al marks, who wouldn’t be pleased?

Each one of the women posted a per-

sonal best last weekend in the 6K race.

Leading the pack was freshman

Carolina Izaguirre, finishing 45th over-

all. Other notable performances came

from Ashley Perez of Falfurrias, who

was closely followed by Sonya Rivera

(Brownsville) and senior Karla

Hernandez of Edinburg. All three

women finished the race seconds apart

from one another capturing 62nd, 63rd,

and 65th place honors, respectively.

“Carolina had a tremendous

race,” Vaughn said, “but it is hard to

single out just one person on the

women’s side. The team as a whole ran

very well. They were very focused and

went out with a plan and executed it.

Their finish shows you just how much

of a difference being focused and

determined helps in a race.”

On the men’s side, the Broncs

seemed to have had somewhat of a

hard time at this meet placing last out

of 36 teams overall.

“I was very disappointed with

how the men performed,” Vaughn said.

“We had targeted this meet specifically

and they knew they had to perform;

they just didn’t show up and run well.

Overall the men had a poor showing.”

Top finisher for the Broncs was

freshman Edinburg native Omar Doria,

who crossed the finish line in 25:58,

giving him 205th place.

Texas A&M-Kingsville transfer

Alex Moncivias was the next top fin-

isher for the Broncs coming in 231st,

while La Joya native Luis Nava came

in 233rd.

“Omar ran a solid race,” Vaughn

said. “He did although put himself in a

situation he couldn’t hold, but I was

impressed with how much he pushed

early on in the race.”

Up next for the Broncs and Lady

Broncs is the National Independent

Championships Oct. 29 held in Fort

Wayne, Ind.

In the past the teams have treated

this competition as just another chance

to better themselves before regionals,

but this year Vaughn and the athletes

are looking to win the Independents as

a team.

“In years past our focus was more

on regionals,” he said. “This year we

are going to try and win them. The

men’s team needs to search for their

identity for this competition. They are

a young team this year and in the past

we have had standouts like Westley

Keating establishing who we are. We

are looking for individuals to step up.

Winning this competition will help

then get prepared for regionals, and

help them gain the confidence they

need to win.”

Injuries are all too common for ath-

letes. Bumps, bruises, cuts, scrapes and

sprained ankles are among the most fre-

quent. Often the more severe injuries shape

the way sports are regulated; every athlete

must adhere to safety measures enforced

by their respective governing body, who in

turn resort to some form of protective

padding as the answer.

In the summer, the Universal

Cheerleading Association met with The

University of Texas-Pan American

cheerleading squad as they do every

summer to teach stunts and review new

safety regulations.

In order for the National Collegiate

Athletic Association (NCAA) to cover

the squad through catastrophic insur-

ance, certain guidelines must be fol-

lowed. The new rules state that one-

handed stunts, pyramids and basket toss-

es cannot be performed without a

padded surface, which the squad will

abide by. The coach must also be certi-

fied through the American Association

of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors.

According to Alex Herrera, a soph-

omore communication disorders major

and UTPA cheerleader, the main changes

are somewhat of a hassle and she does-

n’t see them as something that will com-

pletely prevent injuries.

Herrera went on to say the main

difference audiences would notice are

the mats during stunts, which must now

be used for every performance. But she

questioned the effectiveness.

“As a collegiate cheerleader person-

ally, I don’t think it is very effective,”

Herrera said. “I mean a 2.5-inch mat isn’t

going to help a fall from very high, so I

don’t really think it’s a big difference.”

She said the new restrictions are

liable to cause more problems.

“I think it’s more of a hassle to take

the mats everywhere, especially us,”

Herrera said. “We go to the high schools

and we have to take them and unroll them

and make sure nobody messes them up.”

While protective gear often mini-

mizes the degree of injury, Herrera believes

there is no substitute for responsibility.

“As a collegiate cheerleader you

should be responsible for your flyers,

and bases should assume that responsi-

bility and catch them,” Herrera, a base

herself, said. “Also, the flyers they

should do their job.”

Charlie Caceres, coordinator of

campus activities and cheerleading

coach, doesn’t see the new rules as

something the squad cannot deal with.

“There is no doubt we’ve already

done it. When we travel to the high school

pep rallies, we travel with mats,” he said.

“We welcome the change, if that’s what is

going to make my kids safer, then by all

means I’m going to do it.”

Caceres said the new standards

have not strayed much from safety pre-

cautions taken during practice.

“The mats are one and a half inches.

It’s your standard all-purpose mat, the

ones we use for practice are two and half,

but the standard is one and a half,” he said.

Caceres understands there will be

injuries, but he and his squad work hard

toward minimizing them through training.

“My bases are not going to let the

flyers touch the ground to begin with,”

he explained. “Basically my motto is

real simple. Your flyer is like gold and

you never let gold touch the ground. I

mean it’s real simple, the way I preach

this. I tell my bases, you will put your

body between the flyers and the floor.”

Bases in general take more of the

punishment as they absorb most of the

impact from the force of a 20-foot high

toss. According to Caceres, most tosses

performed range from 20 to 25 feet.

Common injuries for bases are black

eyes or sore ribs. Herrera wore a bad scrape

on her left shoulder, the result of Caceres’

philosophy.

Caceres said the familiarity of

stunts would not change.

“I think the audience expects to see

some niceties, pyramids and tosses. It’s

not a question of anything else. The last

thing we want to do is be ground-

bound,” he said.

SPORTS Editor’s Pick: Game to Watch


Texas Longhorns

Time: Noon

Nebraska Huskers

When: Oct. 21

Where: Memorial Stadium

By ERICK QUINTEROThe Pan American

Game will be aired on ABC


Cheering with a new set of regulations

By RACHEL REIDAThe Pan American

STUNT SAFETY - Kacey Capelo, a junior communication major (top), is support-ed by Tina Rojas (left), a freshman management major, and Karese Jenkins(right), a sophomore communication studies major, during Midnight Madness.New NCAA regulations require the use of mats during performances.

Broncs see mixed results at Brooks Pre-Nationals Meet

CROSSING THE LINE - Sonya Rivera, asophomore biology major, and her team-mates tried their best in Terre Haute, Ind.

October 19, 2006

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Transcript of October 19, 2006