October 2, 2008

SPORTS PG. 13 NEWS PG. 3

Maria Balandra didn’t flinch as analbino Burmese python was placedinto her arms. The weight of the largesnake pulled down her arms, asAnimal Planet host and renownedconservationist Jeff Corwin explainedthe snake’s features to a full house inthe Fine Arts Auditorium Tuesdaynight.

Balandra, a junior graphic designmajor, learned how strong snakes arewhen the python wrapped around her.While she had an up-close learningexperience, students, communitymembers and hundreds of childrenlearned about conservation as Corwinstressed protection of the animals,both ones he brought and those aroundthe world he’s studied.

“It was amazing,” Balandra said. “Ithink Jeff Corwin is a really goodspeaker (for conservation), and he hasdone great things for the world and foranimals.”

Corwin, the first in the UTPA’sDistinguished Speakers Series for theyear, used the python, an Americanalligator, a Gabon viper, a WaterMonitor lizard, an Alligator Snappingturtle and a Bupho Marine toad toexplain animals’ evolutionary anddefense characteristics. In addition, heused animals to teach the audienceabout the adverse affects they sufferfrom humans, as many were rescued

SINCE 1943 October 2, 2008Volume 65, No. 6

INDEX OPINIONS PG. 2 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PG. 7

Education on wheelsEarly next year, the Rio Grande

Valley’s Delta Region will benefitfrom resources and training offered byThe University of Texas-PanAmerican. The delivery of informa-tion to residents in this low-incomeMid-Valley area will come to them onwheels.

As part of a $599,990 grant fromthe U.S. Department of Housing andUrban Development, the school hascommenced planning for this outreachprogram. The funds were providedthrough HUD’s Hispanic-Serving

Institutions Assistants CommunitiesProgram and UTPA is one of only 10institutions awarded. The mobile com-munity will finance work for threeyears.

The Delta Region includes thecommunities of La Villa, Edcouch,Elsa and Monte Alto. According to theUnited States Census Bureau, themedian family income for Edcouch isapproximately $20,000 a year.

Michael Uhrbrock, associate direc-tor of economic development, GeorgeBennack at UTPA’s Center forEntrepreneurship EconomicDevelopment and former staff mem-

� EDUCATION

By Abigail MunizTHE PAN AMERICAN

SEE CORWIN || PAGE 6

Roxy Solis/THE PAN AMERICAN

WILD SIDE - As freshman graphic design major Maria Balandra holds a Burmese python while Animal Planet’s Jeff Corwin explains the evo-lution of snakes to a full Fine Arts Auditorium Tuesday. Corwin is the first of four Distinguished Speaker Series guests.

Corwin entertains, teaches with exotic animals� DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES

By Brian SilvaTHE PAN AMERICAN

SEE HUD || PAGE 11

English professor and adviserBarbara Vielma has never had troublehelping her students; in fact, she’sknown as someone who goes out ofher way to do so. However, the springsemester switch from the PLUSStudent Information System to theBANNER system has made hersemester more difficult than it shouldbe.

“The only people that I have runinto who actually like BANNER, are

the BANNER staff,” she said.“Otherwise, faculty, students and staffare struggling greatly.”

Vielma said she has encounteredtrouble trying to find informationwhen advising students. Under the oldPLUS plan, Social Security numberscould be used to access student infor-mation, but for security reasons, onlystudent IDs are now accepted. Severalhigh-profile cases of compromisedpersonal information nationwide haveushered in a newer, safer system.

“I am still using Web for Facultyand the VAX (the old SIS) for all

advisement help and am fearful fornext semester when these two usefultools will be discontinued,” sheadded.

Navigating through the system isdifficult for faculty/advisers and stu-dents, according to Vielma. She addedthat the BANNER training sessionsseem “abrupt and hurried.”

Despite frustration with the fairlynew way, BANNER project managerMichelle Alvarado said that trainingshave been offered on and off sinceMarch.

Student Information System irkssome, UTPA working out kinks

SEE BANNER || PAGE 11

By J.R. OrtegaTHE PAN AMERICAN

� TECHNOLOGY

HESTEC 2008 IN REVIEW See Pages 8 & 9

THE PAN AMERICAN October 2, 2008

UTPA Generations: The SeriesWatch for Bronc history lessons intermittently throughout

the semester

Aug. 25 - IntroductionSept. 4 - ‘20s & ‘30s Sept. 25 - ‘40s & ‘50s

Oct. 16 - ‘60s & ‘70s Nov. 6 - ‘80s & ‘90sDec. 3 - 2000 & Beyond

1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539Phone: (956) 381-2541

Fax: (956) 316-7122www.utpa.edu/dept/panamerican

Oct. 2, 2008

The Pan American is the official stu-dent newspaper of The University ofTexas-Pan American. Views presentedare those of the writers and do not nec-essarily reflect those of the paper oruniversity.

EDITOR IN CHIEF

J.R. Ortega / [email protected]

NEWS EDITOR

Abigail Muniz / [email protected]

A&E EDITOR

Laura Garcia / [email protected]

SPORTS EDITORS

Ramiro Paez / [email protected] Garza / [email protected]

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Roxy Solis / [email protected]

DESIGN EDITOR

Roy Bazan / [email protected]

COPY EDITOR

Adriana Acosta / [email protected]

The Pan American accepts letters of300 words or less from students, staff andfaculty regarding recent newspapercontent, campus concerns or currentevents. The Pan American reserves theright to edit submissions for grammar andlength. The Pan American cannot publishanonymous letters or submissionscontaining hate speech or gratuitouspersonal attacks. Please send all storyideas to [email protected].

Individuals with disabilitieswishing to acquire this publication in analternative format or needing assistanceto attend any event listed can contact ThePan American for more details.

**Delivery**Thursday at noon

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

REPORTERS, DESIGNERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

Alvaro Balderas Russen VelaIsaac Garcia Andrielle FigueroaOnydia Garza Ben BrionesRick Gamez Ana VillaurrutiaPedro Perez IV

ADVISER

Dr. Greg Selber --- [email protected]

SECRETARY

Anita Reyes --- [email protected]

ADVERTISING MANAGER

Samantha Quintana --- [email protected]

V 65, No. 6

House must approve bill

Voters have choiceto not cast ballot

We are taught that it is our civicand patriotic duty to participate inpolitical elections, especially the pres-idential election. That we are given avoice and that we get heard when wego to that voting booth and cast ourvote. However, like most things, it isnever as black and white as it seems.

With so many ways to reach thepublic, it is the presidential candidatewho has to get the American public toagree that they are the best for the job.Yet, what happens when none of thecandidates are the best for the job? Dowe pick the lesser of two evils? Doingso will still stick us with an evil,which can end up being the equivalentof shooting ourselves in the foot withour own gun.

Instead of throwing away your votewith a candidate that you don’t agreewith, opt to choose to not vote for thePresident. While this seems contraryto the thought of getting your voice

heard, it carries it with more forcethan casting any ballot.

You are saying that you will not belost among the populace that willmerely vote for the sake of voting.You hold your “one vote” in greatesteem and won’t have it cheapenedby any political maneuvering and/orpeer pressure.

If you wouldn’t normally agreewith doing something that you don’tagree with, why cave in on the onetime you can be heard on a nationalplatform?

People will say that you are justbeing lazy, that you are throwing awayyour vote, and will end up just goingto be counted in the general statistic ofpeople that didn’t vote. Yet they feelperfectly fine to be counted in the gen-eral statistic that voted for one candi-date, only to have the ElectoralCollege actually determine whobecomes president.

So who is really throwing theirvote away and not being heard?

By Gregorio GarzaSPORTS CO-EDITOR

� OPINION

� OPINION

Courtesy - www.cksinfo.com

On Monday the U.S. House ofRepresentatives failed to pass legisla-tion that is critical to the health of theU.S. economy, and to the health of allour pocketbooks. The failure ofCongress to act on the EmergencyEconomic Stabilization Act was atragic collapse in leadership by everyCongressman who voted against thepassage of the bill.

Fierce partisan bickering ensuedimmediately after the bill failed topass. At the same time as Republicansand Democrats went to the cameras tolay blame on one another, the stockmarket plunged.

The Dow Jones Industrial Averagefell to its biggest point loss in a singleday in its history, and started its diveeven before the gavel came downmaking the vote official. Stunnedtraders, and even news anchors, real-ized quickly the bill would not pass.

While Congressional leaders laidblame, media searched for the defini-tive answer as to why it failed. Theanswer lays simply with one group;constituents. Many Congressmen,including our local representatives,reported an overwhelming outcryfrom constituents who didn’t want thebill to pass.

No matter who was to blame, the

markets, retirement accounts and allpeople with any investments lost $1.2trillion. The unfathomable loss ofmoney after the bill’s collapse showswithout action the problem is real andwill get worse.

Congressmen were under ferociouspressure from the people who electedthem, to deny the bill’s passage.However, most American’s don’tunderstand the complexities of the sit-uation, or the complexities of the solu-tion.

Media are partly to blame for this,as headlines scream “$700 BillionBailout for Wall Street” which leadspeople to think the government is giv-ing Wall Street a $700 billion handoutfrom taxpayer money. AllCongressmen are well enoughinformed to know this isn’t truly whatit means.

In essence, the bill is a loan tobanks. It doesn’t approve all $700 bil-lion at once, but actually breaks it upinto three pieces starting with $250billion initially. The money will actu-ally be used for mortgage debt frombanks, which is the debt people use tobuy houses. Thus, in this case, WallStreet is Main Street.

As Americans, we bit off more thanwe could chew when we bought hous-es that were more expensive than wecould afford. Banks and governmentwere key players in getting us into thismess too. The government deregulat-

ed the banking industry, enabling theindustry to more easily make moneyby issuing more loans, and that’s whatthey did.

America got itself into this mess,and now America needs to get itselfout. The plan currently beforeCongress is the best solution ourbrightest economists and leaders cancome up with.

Right now the credit markets arefrozen. To put it into perspective, thehuge incursion of debt is like a clot inAmerica’s heart. Money is the bloodthat flows through America, and WallStreet is the heart that pumps themoney through the rest of the body,America.

According to the Federal Reserve,money is not flowing. America is hav-ing a heart attack.

The act before Congress is a mas-sive dose of aspirin that is meant todislodge the clot of debt and allowmoney to flow freely again. But, ifaspirin is taken too late, an exponen-tially greater amount of damage willoccur, until life expires.

The House must follow the Senateand pass the bill before the damagebecomes too great to recover from.Call or e-mail the offices ofCongressmen Solomon Ortiz andHenry Cuellar to change their vote toyes when the bill goes to the House.Also, urge Congressman RubenHinojosa to maintain his yes vote.

Rep. Solomon OrtizDC Office: (202) 225-7742

RGV Office: (956) 541-1242

Rep. Henry CuellarDC Office: (202) 225-1640

McAllen Office: (956) 631-4826

Rep. Ruben HinojosaDC Office: (202) 225-2531

Edinburg Office: (956) 682-5545

Congressional Contact Information

By Brian Silva REPORTER

All students have crammed, drilledand paid for a good ACT or SATscore, all done under the impressionthat the score they earn will indicatetheir academic ability.

But following a recent nationwidetrend, The University of Texas-PanAmerican has worked to ease studentsaway from their standardized testflashcards.

A controversial study conducted atHarvard University found these stan-dardized scores to be little more thanglorified indicators that do not actual-ly measure a student’s ability, and tendto disenfranchise lower-income stu-dents from getting good scores.

UTPA Assistant Professor ofCurriculum and Instruction PeteFarruggio agreed with the study, say-ing that the tests, long considered thebarometer for predicting student suc-cess, do not hold water.

“They are not scientifically validfor predicting the abilities of fresh-men,” Farruggio said. “These testswere supposed to give us only a snap-shot of the students’ ability.”

He added that the ACT and SATexclude lower-income students frombeing able to learn the “tricks” of thetests, because they can’t afford someof the study aids.

“Middle class students go to placeslike Kaplan (a popular tutoring center)to learn how to pass the test,” he said.

“Lower-income students score somuch lower because they don’t knowthe tricks on how to ace them.”

Pre-pharmacy student JenniferCervantes agreed that universitiesshould make SATs and ACTs optional,knowing that some students may per-form better than others.

“That’s better because there’s peo-ple that are really, really smart butdon’t do well on the test,” said thesophomore from Pharr.

About 770 colleges nationwide

have made scores optional in consid-ering admission, according to a NewYork Times article last month, but stillnearly two million students take theSATs and 1.4 million take the ACTs.

While the Times article statessmaller universities do not have timeto consider other academic indicators,such as high school test scores andGPA, UTPA tells another story.

UTPA did not require an ACT orSAT score until 2005 when the univer-

While some remember importantMexican holidays like Diez y Seis deSeptiembre, The University of Texas-Pan American Movimiento EstudiantilChicano de Aztlán (M.E.CH.A), ispreparing for a day of remembrance

for the 14th anniversary of a Mexicostudent massacre, known as the 1968Tlatelolco massacre.

M.E.CH.A is a student organiza-tion on campus dedicated to the

Chicano and Latino community,founded nationally in 1969 inresponse to the perceived long-timediscrimination against Chicanos andLatinos.

The UTPA chapter is off on itsfourth year of spreading culturalawareness, practicing politicalactivism, and educating culturallydiverse societies.

On Wednesday, M.E.CH.A held afilm showing of Tlatelolco: LasClaves de la Mascare or The Clues to


� EDUCATION

Since 23-year-old David Valdezwas a teenager, he has had a keeninterest in drug policy; now he’s donesomething about it, forming Studentsfor Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP),which is working to become a neworganization on campus this semesterat The University of Texas-PanAmerican.

“I’m a social worker, I feel it’s myobligation to stand up for social jus-tice and be an agent for socialchange,” said the SSDP president andsocial work major.

Members of SSDP believe the so-called War on Drugs, a prohibitioncampaign undertaken over the past 10or 15 years by the U.S. governmentdesigned to combat illegal drugs, hasfailed society. SSDP’s goal is to lookfor solutions to drug abuse throughresearch and debate, instead of pun-ishment and propaganda.

Other universities throughoutTexas such as Texas Tech, UT-Austin,U of H, UT-El Paso and UTSA allhave SSDP chapters. Currently,UTSA has the southernmost chapter inTexas, however Valdez plans onchanging that.

He and vice president Edgar

Morales have began to put up fliersand spread the word throughout theUTPA community.

“A lot of people have already con-tacted us,” said Valdez. “We’re stillrecruiting and hope to have a goodturnout.”

The club members were incensedto learn that in some cases, rapists,murderers and child molesters can geta loan for school, yet students who’vebeen convicted with possession ofmarijuana can’t receive financial aidor any type of help for school; this,because of a provision called the AidElimination Penalty in the Higher

Organization stresses drug policyBy Abby FloresTHE PAN AMERICAN

SEE MECHA || PAGE 12

� NATIONAL

Dates to Know:Bingo AfternoonMonday2:30 to 4:30 p.m.Student Union Commons

Disability Awareness DaysWeek of Oct. 6 to Oct. 9Various timesActivities throughout campus

Standardized college entrance exams questionedBy Ana VillaurrutiaTHE PAN AMERICAN

SEE TESTS || PAGE 12

Pickett: ‘AIDS is nota death sentence’

Rape, AIDS and the death of ahusband are all monumentaltragedies, but Cathy RobinsonPickett has somehow managed toweather all three, picking up thepieces to move forward with life andsharing her story and message: Breakall stereotypes.

Pickett spoke to students at theStudent Union Tuesday night aboutmaking responsible sexual choicesand told the story of how being rapedin 1984 changed her life forever.

In 1991, after having started a fam-ily with a husband, one-year-olddaughter and a son on the way, shetested positive for HIV. Her daughterLyndsy and son Garrett did not con-tract the disease.

After finding out she was HIV-positive, she began to search for the

source of her infection, which turnedout to be the sexual assault sevenyears prior. State laws in Florida atthe time did not allow the rapist’svictims to know their assaulter wasHIV-positive.

Her knowledge and background inpolitical science and sociologysparked Pickett to speak out and bat-tle against injustices for victims of thedeadly disease.

“It can be your teacher, neighbor oreven family member,” said Pinkett,who has survived 25 years with AIDS.

Despite having the disease, Picketthas had the ability to maintain opti-mistic throughout the ordeal, and shehas expanded her journey from bat-tling AIDS injustice to speaking atschools about sexual choices andAIDS in general.

“I hope my message breaks allstereotypes,” she said. “My job is toeducate you, not to preach to you.”

SPEAK OUT - Cathy Robinson Pickett, an AIDS activist who has survived 25 years with the disease,addresses students at the Student Union theatre Tuesday night about responsible sex and education about sex-ually transmitted diseases.

� HEALTH

By J.R. OrtegaTHE PAN AMERICAN

By Janette SolizTHE PAN AMERICAN

� ACTIVISM

M.E.CH.A rememberspast Mexican massacre

SEE ORGANIZATION || PAGE 12

SEE AIDS || PAGE 12

Ben Briones/THE PAN AMERICAN

ADVERTISEMENTS October 2, 2008

NEWS October 2, 2008

October 4UTPA’s Aporia club presentsforeign film: “Rikyu”Time: 4 p.m.Where: SBSC Room 101

McAllen Art & Film FestivalTime: 1 to 10 p.m.Where: McAllen ConventionCenter Exhibit Hall and CineEl Rey (film screenings)

Auditions for “Sin” (A Car-dinal Deposed), looking foran actor to play CardinalLawTime: 7 to 10 p.m.Where: COAS Room 107

October 5Edinburg Centennial 100years of history celebrationTime: 1 to 5 p.m.Where: South Texas Museum

McAllen Art & Film FestivalTime: 1 to 8 p.m.

Where: McAllen ConventionCenter Exhibit Hall and CineEl Rey (film screenings)

October 7Hispanic Heritage MovieEvent: “Motorcycle Diaries”Time: 4 to 7 p.m.Where: Student Union SageRoom

October 8Step Out Walk to FightDiabetesTime: 7:30 a.m. Sign-In,8:30 a.m. Walk beginsWhere: Brownsville, Glady’sPorter Zoo

Disabilities in the ClassroomFaculty SeminarTime: 10 to 11 a.m.Where: Engineering Bldg.Room 1.300

October 92008 Majors FairTime: 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.Where: University Ballroom

Guys Night DateTime: 5 to 8 p.m. Where: Student UnionGameroom and second floorcommons

Non-Discrimination/SexualHarassment Awareness Sem-inarTime: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.Where: Admin. BuildingRm. 316Limited Seating of 32

Casino PartyWhere: South Padre IslandConvention Center, hostedby the National HispanicProfessional Organization

October 10Dig for the Cure – BreastCancer BenefitTime: 7 p.m.Where: UTPA Fieldhouse

October 14Faculty Reading and Discus-sion GroupTime: 3 to 4 p.m. Where: University WritingCenter (Library, first floor)

October 15Step Out Walk to Fight Diabetes Time: 7:30 a.m. Sign-In,8:30 a.m. Walk beginsWhere: Mission, H-E-B PlusStore

Ladies NightTime: 5:30 to 9 p.m.Where: Student Union Com-mons

October 18Entrepreneurship BootCamp, $5 feeTime: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Where: McAllen Chamberof Commerce

October 21Comedian: Greg BehrendtTime: 6:30 to 10 p.m.Where: Student Union Com-mons and Theater

October 29Parapsychologist: Peter Jor-danTime: 6 to 10 p.m.Where: Student Union The-ater

Bronc Community Calendar


CORWIN continued from Page 1

from illegal captivity. Corwin pointedto burns on the head of the viper as anexample.

Corwin’s lessons on conservation-ism allowed Balandra, who was gladthe university brought him to speak,to appreciate the importance of pro-tecting animals.

“Normally we don’t see the effectsand the consequences of what we doto animals,” she said. “I hope the uni-versity will give us more informationon how to protect animals… and I’mgoing to talk to my friends to encour-age them to help animals.”

Balandra was not the only one toexperience exotic wildlife up close.Corwin, the Emmy award-winninghost of “The Jeff Corwin Experienceon Animal Planet”, used several chil-dren from the audience to exhibit hispoints about the animal world’s tur-moil.

During his introduction of Corwin,Paul Sale, vice president of academic

affairs and provost, noticed the manychildren in the audience and drew onthe opportunity to emphasize highereducation to them.

“The teaching that occurs at a uni-versity will help you get to where Jeffis,” he said.

Before Corwin addressed theUTPA community he attended a newsconference with reporters and fol-lowed that up with a business-styledinner with several UTPA invitees.

Those at the dinner were mostlystudents, with a peppering of facultyand administration.

At both the dinner and in the audi-torium talk, Corwin gave shortspeeches and then opened up to ques-tions from the audience. He was askedwhat his favorite animal is, and aboutthe places he’s visited; however moreserious questions were asked. Onewas about the border wall, to whichhe gave stern disapproval.

“I take the border wall issue seri-

ously, the wall… is a terrible idea forwildlife. Animals don’t have a greencard,” Corwin said. “Animals do notstep out of their box - these lines wecreated that are invisible to them - andgo through immigration.”

He admits that he isn’t an expert onthe politics of the matter, but that oneof the problems with the wall is that itinterferes with nature, as animals haveto migrate and do so in certain pat-terns that take them across the border.He referred to an ocelot that lives inMexico and moves through Mexico tonear Arizona as an example. Almostall the ocelots left live in South Texas.

Corwin said that in the future, peo-ple must be able to create a naturalconduit for those animals that areimpeded by human infrastructure dur-ing their natural migration patterns.

“There is no panacea, there is noperfect solution,” he said “But wemust all take the first step in protect-ing our wildlife.”


CONSERVATION - Jeff Corwin spoke to the audience about ensur-ing that the nation’s endangered species remain in their natural habitat.


GIANT LIZARD - One of Jeff Corwin’s volunteers holds a Water Monitor Lizard, which was found inMassachusetts but native to Asia.

NEXTDISTINGUISHED SPEAKER

Jehan Sedat“A Woman of Egypt: Life as the

First Lady”November 17, 2008


RIBBIT - Analisa Zarate was surprised at the size of the Bupho MarineToad, one of the largest toads in the world.


Dates to Know:Palm FestSaturday 1 to 10 p.m.Sunday 1 to 8 p.m.McAllen Covention Center

Sundaes on MondaysFree ice-cream sundaesNoon to 1 p.m.Student Union Commons

� FULL CIRCLE

Breaking news: A sleepy littletown has been completely overrunwith rats and all of the children havebeen taken. Well, not really, but thatwill be the case when the UniversityTheatre presents the world premiereof “The Piper and the Rats” Oct. 16 to19 in the Albert Jeffers Theatre.

The premise for this original chil-dren’s play was based on the popularfable “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”from the Brothers Grimm. In this ver-sion, a mysterious drifter comes to asmall town and brings an army of ratswith him, unbeknownst to the towns-people. When the rats overtake anddestroy the town, the “kind” strangeroffers his help in exchange for pay-ment. After the bumbling townsfolkcannot pay him, he instead takes theirchildren and hides them away, leav-ing it up to the kids to save the day,and themselves.

The show was only written a fewmonths ago by UTPA children’s the-atre creative specialist Brian Warrenand Marlene Galvan, a grad studentearning a master’s degree in literatureand cultural studies. This is the secondchildren’s play the two have collabo-rated on, the first being the Christmastale Golden Cobwebs in 2006.

“Last year, Brian said he had anidea for a Halloween show based onthe “Pied Piper” fable,” says Galvan.

“So we got together and wrote it thispast summer.”

Warren’s enthusiasm for children’stheatre is apparent when he speaks ofwhat inspires him.

“I was always a theatre person,” hesaid as he watched his young daughtertype away on the computer in hisoffice. “But probably having my ownchildren sparked my interest in chil-dren’s theatre—just wanting to makethem smile.”

The play is directed by senior JohnFlores, 22, a drama major specializingin performance from Edinburg. Floreshas been involved with children’s the-atre since he began attending in 2004and admits that he’s having a lot offun with the material.

“Brian Warren asked me if I want-ed to direct this show,” Flores said.“We had worked together many timesdoing children’s theatre and he addeda lot to this story. The animals talk andhave real feelings. It’s awesome.”

The cast is made up of 15 charac-ters of whom nearly half are children.It is often said in theatre that oneshould never work with children oranimals, but such is not the case withthis production.

“The kids are great. The youngestis around 7 years old,” Flores raved.“Our lead actress, who plays Shelby,just turned thirteen and she’s doingwonderfully!”

Cassie Dean, 19, a sophomore the-atre/TV/film major who plays the part

of Ethel, also agrees noting that onecould not ask for a better group ofyoung actors.

“These kids are awesome. They areso wonderful to work with,” she said.“They’re well behaved, professionaland very talented.”

Dean also maintains that “ThePiper and the Rats” will delight peo-

ple of all ages, and that the objectiveis for both actors and theatergoers tohave fun.

“In a regular play, there’s thatfourth wall where you can’t addressthe audience,” said Dean. “With chil-dren’s shows, you are encouraged toplay to the audience. Everyone hasmore fun and the more ‘out there’ you

are, the funnier the show.”Both young and young at heart are

invited, and performances will beginat 7 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee onSunday. Admission is $3 for every-one, and the box office opens onehour before show time. For moreinformation, contact the UniversityTheatre box office at 381-3581.

Beware: Pied Piper is coming to town


CENTER STAGE - Sophomore Cassandra Dean (left), and Daisy L. Alvarez act out a scene from “The Piperand the Rats.” The play will run Oct. 16 to 19 in the Albert Jeffers Theatre.

By Marco CarbajalTHE PAN AMERICAN

Metallica’s release proves worthy with fans

The last time most people remem-ber Metallica making headlines was in2000, when the band filed a lawsuitthat helped bring down the file shar-ing giant Napster. But now with therelease of a new album, “DeathMagnetic,” Metallica fans have some-thing to talk about.

According to Billboard 200,“Death Magnetic,” released Sept. 10,marks Metallica’s record-breakingfifth time topping the charts, selling490,000 copies in just three days. Inaddition, the band is one of fiveinductees nominated for the Rockand Roll Hall of Fame. Otherinductees include Run D.M.C. andThe Stooges. Inductees will beannounced in January 2009, and aceremony will be held in Cleveland

on Apr. 4, 2009.However, it takes more than high

record sales and hall of fames toplease Metallica’s fan base.

The Napster controversy in 2000,pitted Metallica against the free file-sharing network when they offeredmaterial without the band’s consent. Itwas followed by the release of thecommercially successful yet direc-tion-changing work, “St. Anger” in2003. Fans grew alienated, claimingthat Metallica had lost their luster.According to a Rolling Stone article in2003, Metallica took a change in pacewith “St. Anger” and as a result short-ened signature guitar solos and addedrattling sounds to its drum parts.

“Death Magnetic,” seems to bringback Metallica’s base, however.

Metal Hammer, a metal basedmusic magazine, calls it a come-backalbum that reunites the band with

their signature guitar solos and riffs,making it Metallica’s best album in20 years.

Some fans include University ofTexas-Pan American students andfaculty.

Oscar Alaniz, a 19-year-old sopho-more computer science major fromMcAllen, is a self proclaimedMetallica fanatic. Alaniz was born ayear after one of Metallica’s mostacclaimed albums, “… And Justice ForAll,” but that hasn’t stopped him fromfollowing the group’s every move.

“I have been a fan ever since I canremember, but I can see why peoplehave been put off by them. Since therelease of “The Black Album,”Metallica’s sound has been on thedecline,” Alaniz said.

“…And Justice For All” markedMetallica’s fourth studio album thatwas released in 1988 and reached

number six in the billboard 200 charts.Metallica formed in 1981 in Los

Angeles Calif., when drummer LarsUlrich placed an ad in The Recycler,an L.A. newspaper. To date the bandhas released a total of 10 studioalbums and sold more than 90 millionalbums worldwide.

Owning all of Metallica’s albums isEdinburg native Joel De La Rosa, 27,research assistant in the educationdepartment. De La Rosa was more thanimpressed with “Death Magnetic.”

“I have been a fan for a very longtime, and I feel that they havereturned to their older soundingrecords, which is a very good thing,”De la Rosa commented.”

De la Rosa, who first attended aMetallica concert in 1996, remembersthe long guitar solos and intricatedrumbeats that filled the stadium.

“Seeing Metallica perform live

was an amazing experience for meand it is part of the reason that I amstill a fan today,” said De la Rosa.

Not all fans are content withMetallica reaching for their roots; somebelieve they have more reaching to do.

Arnold Maldonado, 22, junior his-tory major from San Juan, believesthat “Death Magnetic” is a step in theright direction, but much more isneeded for Metallica to be able toreclaim the old sound.

“I think the new album is a stepforward from “St. Anger,” but stillhasn’t met the expectations of whatMetallica once was and what theystood for,” he said. “Metallica is a bigband with a big sound, and they seemto be lacking in that department forthis album. But I believe that thisalbum does show that Metallica stillhas life in them, and that they stillhave one or two albums in them.”

By Isaac GarciaTHE PAN AMERICAN

� CHILDREN’S THEATRE

KUNG FU - Master Bob Davis of Master Bob Davis Karate in McAllen, entertains the audi-ence with his skill of over 34 years at HESTECʼs Community Day Saturday.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT October 2, 2008 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 9October 2, 2008

Design by Roy Bazan Photos by Roxy Solis, Ben Briones, Isaac Barrientes and Roberta Zamilpa

Community event entered seventhyear, bringing thousands together

HUMAN HILLS - Curious high school and junior high visitors lie in the path of an eight-wheel prototype of NASAʼs Mars Pathfinder Sojourner Rover Thursday at HESTECʼsRobotics Day.

FEEDING THE MASSES - Food vendors selling anything from tacos and quesadillas toice cream and brownies lined the sidewalks at The University of Texas- Pan American dur-ing Community Day Saturday.

NIGHT OF MUSIC - Natalie Vidal and her band Highway 7, were one of the opening actsduring HESTECʼs Community Day on Saturday.

OH, OH ITʼS MAGIC - Students from all over the Rio Grande Valley joined during HES-TEC for a chemistry magic show.

A SPLASH OF COLOR - Ashley Munoz, a junior communications disorders major, giveschildren a face-painting experience during HESTECʼs Community Day.

LITTLE EINSTEINS - Elementary school students learn about the motion in the universe and how the planets work before their visit to the UTPA Planetarium on Saturday.

Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Week

KUNG FU - Master Bob Davis of Master Bob Davis Karate in McAllen, entertains the audi-ence with his skill of over 34 years at HESTECʼs Community Day Saturday.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT October 2, 2008Page 8 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT October 2, 2008

Design by Roy Bazan Photos by Roxy Solis, Ben Briones, Isaac Barrientes and Roberta Zamilpa

Community event entered seventhyear, bringing thousands together

HUMAN HILLS - Curious high school and junior high visitors lie in the path of an eight-wheel prototype of NASAʼs Mars Pathfinder Sojourner Rover Thursday at HESTECʼsRobotics Day.

FEEDING THE MASSES - Food vendors selling anything from tacos and quesadillas toice cream and brownies lined the sidewalks at The University of Texas- Pan American dur-ing Community Day Saturday.

NIGHT OF MUSIC - Natalie Vidal and her band Highway 7, were one of the opening actsduring HESTECʼs Community Day on Saturday.

OH, OH ITʼS MAGIC - Students from all over the Rio Grande Valley joined during HES-TEC for a chemistry magic show.

A SPLASH OF COLOR - Ashley Munoz, a junior communications disorders major, giveschildren a face-painting experience during HESTECʼs Community Day.

LITTLE EINSTEINS - Elementary school students learn about the motion in the universe and how the planets work before their visit to the UTPA Planetarium on Saturday.

Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Week

� FINE ARTS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT October 2, 2008

� CAMPUS CLUB

Ever wonder what it feels like tohear the thundering of a choir choralesing and arouse the senses? Did any-one ever imagine that with suchsinging, they can actually be moved totears, and sometimes happiness? Withall the activities and festivities gearingup this fall semester on campus, theUTPA Choir has been holding on tosomething special that will probablyoutdo and yes, out-sing the competi-tion this year.

The UTPA Choir has been a cam-pus staple since 1951, when HidalgoCounty administered a referendumturning the school into a four-yearuniversity. Its latest performancecomes Oct. 7 in the UTPA Fine ArtsAuditorium.

Professor Christopher Munn over-sees the university choir as its conduc-tor. He also teaches music history, the-ory, conducting, and supervises sec-ondary choral student teachers.

“The university choir is a degreerequirement for voice majors andpiano majors,” Munn said. “Studentsparticipate in the choir every semesteruntil they graduate.”

Munn, a New Jersey native, and

professor at UTPA since fall 1984, hasdecided to bring out the whimsical18th-century style of Baroque musicto the UTPA auditorium.

Baroque music, for those who arein a tizzy just thinking about the word,describes an era and a set of styles ofEuropean classical music which werein widespread use between 1600 and1750. The original meaning ofBaroque is “misshapen pearl,” a strik-ingly fitting characterization of thearchitecture of this period of music;later, the name came to be appliedalso to its music.

It is associated with composerssuch as Antonio Vivaldi, GeorgeFrideric Handel, and JohannSebastian Bach, and the style expand-ed the size, range and complexity ofinstrumental performance, establish-ing opera as a musical genre.

For those who still don’t get it, justthink of it this way: If MarieAntoinette had an iPod, she wouldmost certainly be listening to Baroque.

Munn decided to bring Handelback to life for this semester’s firstchoir performance, filling the audito-rium with his genius.

“2009 is the 250th anniversary ofHandel’s death,” Munn explained. “Weare getting the jump on the rest of the

world, celebrating it a little early.” Munn also said that because Handel

is considered a worldwide knowncomposer, choirs around the world willbe holding large-scale concerts cele-brating the composer’s masterpieces.

Handel, a German-born composer,was famous for his operas, oratoriosand concerti grossi. Oratorios arelarge musical compositions includingan orchestra and a choir. The oratorioswere somewhat modeled after theoperas. However, operas are moremusical theatre, while oratorios isstrictly concert pieces. Concerti grossiis music in which the musical materi-al is passed between a small group ofsoloists and full orchestra.

Handel’s most famous works areMessiah, an oratorio set to texts fromthe King James Bible, Water Music,and Music for the Royal Fireworks.

Munn’s wife, professor Vivian C.Munn conducts the men’s andwomen’s choruses, and teachesapplied voice to voice majors, plusfour music education courses. VivianMunn who has worked at UTPA for 18years, founded the choruses in 1997.

“Students do not need to be musicmajors to join the men’s or women’schorus,” said Munn. “In fact, many ofthe students who sing for me are

majoring in other disciplines.” However, Munn stated that they

need to have some choral background,hopefully in a high school choir.

Celeste Garcia, a freshman musicmajor, was excited about the upcom-ing concert and the music which wasgoing to be featured. “I am thrilledthe UTPA choir is offering such adiverse concert this year,” theMcAllen native said. “This type ofmusic makes you open your eyes andsee the beauty of the world throughthe eyes of the composer.” Garciaalso mentioned that once she got herschedule and classes in order shewould be more than happy to join thewomen’s chorus. “I’m glad that Ijoined choir in high school, now thatI have that as my background, Iwould be thrilled to join the UTPAwomen’s chorus.”

Munn usually conducts contrastingconcerts in November, March, andApril, showcasing a variety of histori-cal styles, while his wife lead conductsa concert in the fall and in the spring.

Along with the Munn’s choir fea-ture Handel’s Baroque music will beperformed at the UTPA Fine ArtsAuditorium on Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m.Vivian C. Munn’s choruses will per-form a holiday concert on Dec. 2.

By Russen VelaTHE PAN AMERICAN

Choir brings Handel back to life Music

Come out and enjoythe ValleySymphony

Orchestra at theUTPA Fine Arts

Auditorium todayat 8 p.m. Cost is

$25-$45 and musicmajors get in free.

The University of Texas-PanAmerican is home to a rapidly grow-ing student organization calledErosculture, a group that stands as amedium for art, music, and culture.

Erosculture is run by IsaiasVillarreal, a 23-year-old cinematogra-phy major, and Alberto Gomez, 24, anEdinburg native studying public rela-

tions and advertising.

Villarreal and Gomez started theErosculture group over two years agooutside of school, but soon Gomezrealized that there was a legion of newartists on campus so they decided tobring their group to campus.

“I wanted to help students have abetter concentration on their talent, tosort of create a platform for the artis-tic talent in the school,” Gomezexplained.

On Sept. 25, the group held anevent at the McAllen Lounge calledKafs, with three DJs: Alushe, Isa, andPaolo Mojo. Paolo Mojo of Londonstopped in as a part of his U.S.-Mexico tour.

Mojo is known for his DJ skills inhouse and techno music. Alushe and Isa

are apart of the Eros group, andhave the experimental elec-tronic presence in their set.

Two artists also had theirexhibits alongside the mix-ing DJs, Ruben Gomezand Christy Johnson.Gomez elaborates theylike to have local artistsand musicians to com-

pliment each other at these events.They use artwork and music straightoff campus, as well as artists on toursuch as Paolo Mojo and DJ WitchVan Storck.

Erosculture has pulled out all thestops to get the message out about allthe talent in the Valley.

“We also have a media team to cre-ate an image and at the same time toget exposure for our local arts,”Gomez said.

The media team records the eventson film, to use as promotion for futureevents and to showcase talent that canbe viewed at these gatherings.

Sara Garza, 21, one of the onlook-ers at Kafs, was there in support of herfriend, Gomez.

The criminal justice major stated itwas important to have events like thisfor Valley virtuosos.

“This is great. It is important toshow culture and diversity throughart. It is something that should bedone more often,” Garza stated.

The Erosculture leaders don’t stopat just mixers for their artists, theyalso have a radio show that runs from9 p.m. to 10 p.m. on XHRYA 90.9Mas Music. Mas Music is also a groupwho uses their Web site and radio sta-tion to promote the arts.

The group started the radio show inJune 2008. The hosts believe it’s help-ing them communicate their messageto a Valley-wide audience as well as

into northern Mexico.

The radio gig is also a tool that isassisting them to build their agency.

“Currently we are not a full blownagency but we do help artists getbooked on a monthly basis,” Villarrealexplained.

Their Web site (erosculture.com) isup for anyone interested in showcas-ing their work and for getting in con-tact with Villarreal and Gomez.

By showcasing new talent andthrowing mixers for them at localclubs and hot spots, Erosculture hasmanaged to obtain sponsorship frommany companies including FirstNational Bank, Coca-Cola, Yoko’sSushi and Mixmasters.

The organization has also decidedto have an end-of-semester bash tohost exhibits and music on campus.

It will commemorate the vastexpansion of this project that has beentwo-years in the works, and onlyrecently made a student organization.

With such a rapidly growingorganization, the group is in theprocess of recruiting people whoagree with what they do.

With so many ideas, goals, andevents, Gomez states their message issimple and clear.

“We don’t see any boundaries towhat we do. It is important to us tohave as many people involved as wecan in what we do,” he stressed. “Wecan find a way in which all culturescan communicate, and we can alllearn something from each other.”

EROS combines music, arts, cultureBy Andrielle FigueroaTHE PAN AMERICAN

SPIN SPIN - GuestDJ Ivan Rodriguezturns up the musicat Kafs on

Thursday.Isaac Garcia/THE PAN AMERICAN

THEATRE NOTE

Because of the heavydemand for tickets, andthe unusually high costs ofdoing a musical, the ticketpolicy has been revised forthese performances.Reserved seats will stillcost $20 per person.General admission pricesare twelve dollars per per-son. Tickets may bereserved by calling theBox Office in advance at956-381-3581 during reg-ular university hours.They may be charged to acredit card. If any reservedseats are still available onthe night of the perform-ance, they will be avail-able at the Box Officewindow in the JeffersTheatre. General admis-sion seats may not bereserved in advance.However, UTPA students,faculty and staff will getone general admission seatper ID at no charge.Because of the demand fortickets, UTPA patrons areadvised by TheatreManager Elva Galvan toarrive by 7:30, in order toavoid facing a sold outhouse. Students, facultyand staff from other aca-demic institutions—col-leges, high schools andelementary schools—maybuy general admissionsseats for five dollars ifthey have valid ID’s.These tickets are availableonly at the Box Office onehour before each perform-ance and may not bereserved in advance.

- UTPA Theatre Release

“We started some of the trainingsin March,” she said. “If I had to cate-gorize things, timing would be themain issue.“

Alvarado said trainings will con-tinue throughout the semester andadded that at the time the switch wasmade in the spring, UTPA was stillusing both the old and new system;one of the down-sides which hascaused some con-fusion.

She said thatBANNER train-ings, which are notmandatory, areoffered twice aweek but theturnout rate forfaculty/student advisers has been min-imal.

“Sometimes only four to five fac-ulty members show up for the train-ing,” she stated, adding that sheunderstands that schedule conflictshave a lot to do with the lack of atten-dance.

Mari Pardo, nursing departmentsecretary, has used BANNER sinceMarch and said she sees how it can be

beneficial, but stillhas to work throughsome kinks.

“I think it’s get-ting used to it(BANNER),” shesaid. “There are somany things youcan actually do thatit’s a matter of get-ting better familiar-

ized.”Administrative departments bene-

fit most from BANNER, according toAlvarado. She said many of thenotable changesare how efficientprocesses likeuploading tran-scripts and billingis.

Despite the eas-ier and efficientinner workings ofthe BANNER sys-tem, Pardoexplained that it is the small kinks thatmake the system frustrating.

According to Pardo, once a win-dow is opened and one clicks on a linkto enter another portion of the system,a separate window pops open; makingit inefficient, she said, when it comesto navigating through the system.

“As we get more feedback we can

start looking at the bells and whistlesof the program,” said Alvarado in

regard to minortweaking to makenavigation moreuser-friendly forfaculty. “We’ll beable to pretty thingsup.”

Alvarado said bythe beginning of thespring semester theSIS transition will

have been fully made, allowing forthe tweaking to ensue.

She added that training sessionswill continue.

Despite the university’s attempt totrain UTPA personnel on the matter,professors like Vielma are still wary.

She added that some of the prob-lems the faculty at the College of Arts

and Humanities are facing deal withupcoming December graduation.

“The actual process, for each stu-dent, takes an average of 30 minutes,”she said. “Normally, my list ofDecember graduates numbers around100. Multiply that number by 30 min-utes each.”

Vielma, who has been advisingwith the English department for 13years, said that in the past she hasreceived degree audits for graduationeight months prior, but because ofnew system, she has yet to verify anyof the audits.

According to Vielma, she usuallyhas at least half a year to go throughthe process; however the change ismaking her time more short.

“Mandatory advisement is loom-ing. Graduation verification is pastdue. I am overwhelmed,” she said.


BANNER continued from Page 1

ber Gustavo Salinas wrote the grant toHUD with the help of Accion Texas,Delta Region RevitalizationCorporation, and Texas/MexicoBorder Coalition.

Uhrbrock, who was named directorof the project, said the outreach pro-gram is designed to assist in commu-nity and economic development of theDelta area.

“We’re taking the information andthe training out to them,” Uhrbrocksaid. “The project will even help peo-ple start a business; this will help [thearea] economically.”

Micro-enterprise training willallow residents access to informationabout how to start a business, includ-ing tips on financing and loan assis-tance.

UTPA faculty, staff and graduatestudents will help area residentsunderstand the fair-housing lendingprogram, diabetes, obesity and nutri-tion, youth financial literacy educa-tion, and job resource opportunities.

The Delta area was chosen becauseresearch found it to have pressingneed of basic services, according to auniversity press release.

HERE THEY COMEThe project’s most interesting

aspect may well be the vehicle

through which the information will bemade available to residents. The 38-foot mobile unit has a generator, is air-conditioned, and is equipped withseating.

The Unit also has Internet accesson laptop computers for up to 15 peo-ple at a time.

Hector Diaz, chair of the socialwork department, will serve as pro-gram evaluator. He said social workgraduate students will be able to takepart in the project.

“These students will have hands-onexperience in community develop-ment,” Diaz said. “It will also be goodexperience for these students to learnabout administration and communica-tion.”

Although the students who serveon the program have not yet been cho-sen, Diaz has a good outlook on thecoming year. Nine master’s studentswill take the role of community devel-opment specialists.

And even though the mobile unit’sfirst mission may not come untilspring 2009, planning for the projectis well under way.

“A lot of groundwork has to bedone before we go out there,”Uhrbrock said. “We just got the granta few weeks ago, we still have a lot ofpaperwork.”

HUD continued from Page 1

“Mandatory advisement islooming. Graduation verifi-cation is past due. I am

overwhelmed.”

Barbara VielmaEnglish professor“We started some of the

trainings in March. If I hadto categorize things, timing

would be the main issue”

Michelle AlvaradoBANNER project manager

the Massacre, followed by discus-sions, comments and dialogue.

The incident took place during the1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City,when student protestors were alleged-ly attacked by the military; scores ofactivists died, and the event hasbecome part of the country’s lore.

The 57-minute, English-subtitledfilm suggests military leaders wereinvolved in the situation, and high-lights a four-year collection of inves-tigations.

Professor David Carlson from thehistory department attended the eventand already knew a little about theincident. This was his first time seeing

the actual live footage.“I especially liked the detailed

event the footage depicted and themapping of where some snipers werepositioned on rooftops of buildings,”said Carlson.

The organization placed postersaround campus that helped promotethe film showing, and M.E.CH.A.members say they plan on keeping upthe public relations campaign in thefuture.

The most captivating poster was a5-foot description of the massacre, invarious locations around campus.

Samantha Garcia, a biology gradu-ate student and M.E.CH.A. volunteer,

said though not all plans are set instone, some are under way for Dia delos Muertos or Day of the Dead at thebeginning of November.

“M.E.CH.A. wants to do somealters for dia de los muertos, maybeorganize some immigration forumsand other films throughout the semes-ter,” the 23-year-old said.

In the past, the group has co-spon-sored events with other organizationslike Students for Peace, MigrantHealth Promotion, La Voz Latina andLUPE in gathering support for march-es and rallies.

The organization’s officers did notreturn any e-mails or phone calls.

Education Act.The law is part of the Higher

Education Act of 1965 and it meansthere is help for rapists, murderers andchild molesters, yet students convictedfor possession of marijuana receive noaid.

When asked for her opinion onwhat the club stands for, 21-year-oldViridiana Perez of Hidalgo, majoringin education said, “all criminalsshould be punished equally, there’s noright in any wrongdoing.”

PLANSSSDP would also like to address

policies in the University Handbookof Operating Procedures. The organi-zation is calling for a minimum penal-ty of suspension for drug-relatedoffenses for example, and would liketo see sponsored drug treatmentgroups which the Office ofCounseling and Psychological

Services could possibly facilitate.One of the penalties at UTPA is if a

student is caught with marijuana theywould be immediately suspended.However, if they were caught withalcohol on campus punishmentwouldn’t be the same. SSPD wouldlike to see equal punishment for bothoffenses.

Also this semester, Valdez saidSSDP plans to invite local policechiefs and representatives of lawenforcement to discuss their reasonsfor not practicing discretion whendealing with marijuana-related arrests.

This is related to the passage of apiece of legislation in the Texas Houseof Representatives in the 2007 ses-sion, called HB 2391. The bill passedand gave law enforcement agenciesdiscretion when dealing with marijua-na-related crimes. The bill states thepurpose is to save money and lawenforcers are given the choice of

either writing a citation or arrestingthe individual.

According to Valdez, each time aperson is cited for possession of mari-juana, it costs taxpayers an estimated$2,000. Travis County is the onlyTexas county to practice discretionwhen arresting someone for posses-sion of marijuana and has began toissue citations as an option.

“I’m not familiar with the bill, butif they’re not endangering other peo-ple and it helps the taxpayer savemoney, I think they should enforce it,”said Alamo native Laura Rendon, whois majoring in communication studies.

SSDP is recognized as a temporaryorganization. Their status is pending,but members anticipate it will becomea permanent organization at UTPA.The first meeting will be held on Oct.9 at the Health and Human ServicesEast building during activity hourfrom noon to 1 p.m.


TESTS continued from Page 3sity was alerted that it had one of thelowest standardized test scores in theUT system. The AdmissionsCommittee decided to make a 15 ACTscore (710 SAT) a requirement, withthe standard to increase every twoyears until it reaches 18.

Though some schools had startedto argue against the veracity of suchtesting, UTPA saw the situation fromanother perspective.

“It (having ACT or SAT scores) isimportant because we are trying toraise the standard of education,” saidcommittee chair and MechanicalEngineering Professor Constantine

Tarwaneh. “We want to send a mes-sage to high schools that they need toraise the quality of education.”

Currently the ACT score require-ment is 16 (with 760 for the SAT), butthe admissions office and committeefound that raising the standard wouldmean a loss of 600 to 800 students perenrollment period.

“We lost 800 students in 2005when we set the standard at 15, sothere was a lot of students with noplace to go,” said committee officialand Senior Vice Provost forUndergraduate Studies Ana MariaRodriguez.

After research suggested using ele-ments such as ACT and SAT scores,high school class rank, Texas SuccessInitiative Scores and high school cur-riculum provided by the Office ofAdmissions, the university, which hadrelied mainly on test scores in the past,decided to add a class-rank provisionin cases where standardized testscores might exclude a student frombeing accepted.

“Since test scores were the onlycriteria used for admission purposes, itis safe to say that we relied too muchon them for admissions,” said Dean ofAdmissions and Enrollment Services

Magdalena Hinojosa.Starting in fall 2009, UTPA appli-

cants who rank in the top third of theirhigh school class with a 16 ACT scorecan be admitted, as well as students inthe top quarter with a 15 ACT.

While the country may be experi-encing a shift away from the tradition-al ACT and SAT scores, UTPA plansto marry both test scores and classrank in considering for future appli-cants.

“SAT (and ACT) isn’t a bad indica-tor, it’s a good one, but we don’t wantto close the doors on everybody,”Tarwaneh said.

AIDS continued from Page 3Pickett said many people have the

mindset that only gay men get AIDSor that one must be extremely sexual-ly active.

Pickett said it is her job to let themknow that that is not always the case.

Pickett cited that nurses who acci-dentally are pricked, drug users, badblood transfusions and even rape canall cause the disease, not just promis-cuity.

“Sexual responsibility is you tak-ing charge of you,” she said.“People’s judgment on sex and howpeople get HIV are very inaccurate.”

Though Pickett now has a positiveattitude, that was not always the case.It took joining a support group to helpshed light on the disease’s impact onone’s life.

“If you stay wrapped up in thisnegativity, you will die,” said Pickett,referring to a discussion between herand another person in the group whichchanged her outlook on life.

Soon she started her own supportorganization, with her husband StevePickett, who died in a car accident inApril 2005.

It is Friends-Together, a non-profitorganization which aims to meetneeds and educate families affectedby HIV.

Though her husband’s death was

another ordeal, she managed to go on. “You know you are going to wake

up in the morning and move forward,”said Pickett, speaking about AIDS-infected patients but also people ingeneral.

Texas, according to statistics fromthe Center from Disease Control, isfourth nationwide in numbers ofAIDS-infected persons, as there werenearly 70,000 adults and adolescentsand 392 children under age 13 withthe disease in 2006.

Pickett said numbers likes thesecould be combated if people can havemore open communication.

She added simply communicatingis one of the most significant preven-tions to the deadly disease.

Bianca Leal, a 20-year-old graphicdesign major, said she is interested inAIDS awareness at the local, state andnational level.

“She gives us insight on her life,”the Rio Grande City native said. “Shetakes her experience to share it withthe students here on campus.”

Pinkett stressed that students needto take advantage of the availability ofcampus services like Bacchus &Gamma’s free condoms and informa-tion sessions.

“AIDS is not a death sentence,”she said. “Good or bad, life goes on.”

ORGANIZATION continued from Page 3

MECHA continued from Page 3

Admissions provisions

OUTREACH - Cathy Robinson Pickett gets UTPA students to inter-act Tuesday night as she spoke about sexual responsibility.


VOTER REGISTRATION

In an effort to increase the number of voters this presidential election, SSDP will behosting a Voter Registration drive.

* When: Monday, Oct. 6* Where: Outside UTPA Library* Time: Noon to 1 p.m.

-Top 33 percent class rank andreceived a 16 ACT score (SATscore 760) can be admitted*

-Top 25 percent class rank andreceived a 15 ACT score (SATscore 710) can be admitted*

-Top 10 percent recieve auto-matic admission

-International Baccalaureatedegree automatic admission

Requirement starts Fall 2009*

ADVERTISEMENTS October 2, 2008

A promising 2008-2009 season is insight for The University of Texas-PanAmerican women’s basketball programafter it signed the most talented crewof freshmen in the last five years.

“It’s exciting that we are beginningto find such good freshmen as opposedto getting only transfers,” Lady Broncscoach DeAnn Craft said of her latestfreshman recruiting class.

UTPA finished last season as thesecond-leading offensive team in fiveyears under Craft, and earned the mosthome victories (10) ever. The LadyBroncs also claimed the Battle of theBorder Championship at the FieldHouse before Independent play began.

Craft says with all the accomplish-ments last year, her team has pointeditself in the right direction.

“We look upon it as a very prof-itable season and something that I re-ally think has positioned us well for theupcoming years,” said the coach.

The freshmen lines that will be re-inforcing the loss of four “tremendousseniors,” according to Craft, begin withEpiphany Smith. Smith will fill the va-cancy that Lakeisha Gray left at thepoint guard position.

Other seniors that departed from the‘07-‘08 season were guards Tiona Wil-son, Tamara Vaughn, and CinthiaRameriz

The 5-foot-4-inchArkansas native,who was nominatedas a McDonald’s All-American selection,commented that thetransition from herhome state to SouthTexas was not easy,but now that she’ssettled, she is look-ing forward to a booming season.

“It was hard at first, but I have awe-some teammates,” said Smith, who at-tended Har-ber High School and was inthe all-conference, all-state, all-area,and all-star teams. “My expectations

are high for myself and my team.” Brittany Demery, a freshman from

Oklahoma City, was voted the bestplayer in the state during her last yearat Millwood High School, after scoring342 points with 70 steals for the LadyFalcons.

Demery, a 5-foot-11-inch forward,says she chose to attend UTPA because

the programadapted to her ex-pectations.

“I like the envi-ronment, it is verystudent-athlete ori-ented,” she said.“We are workingvery hard and Iwant to win a lot ofgames.”

A pair of Valleynatives, Andrea Garza and DamarisRodriguez, both from McAllen HighSchool, will play forward and guardpositions, respectively. Five-10 ShavonWalker, from Schertz, will also be apiece of the Lady Broncs frontline unit.

Along with the fabulous freshman,there is another newcomer who will befamiliar to Valley fans. Edinburg nativeMarah Guzman, a former standoutLady Bobcat, will man the perimeteron the team after playing at WesternTexas Junior College as a point guard.

Rachel Hester is a 5-7 transfer fromElon University in North Carolina whoCraft says will be bringing some Divi-sion I experience. Hester played in allof Elon’s games, averaging 7.1 pointsand 19.9 minutes per game. The Planonative also connected on 73.3 percentof her free throws and was fifth in theSouthern Conference in 3-pointers.

Even though Craft believes incom-ing players are vital for team success,she assures that the returning playerswill be the backbone of the team, in-cluding senior guard Teshay Winfrey,junior guard Rose Esther Jean, juniorforward Aleeya Grigsby, and seniorcenter Robin Garrett.

So with the roster set, the women’sbasketball program is looking to im-prove upon last year’s 11-18 record.

The program record for wins is 14.“You always want to better your

record each and every year,” said Craft.“So many things come into play: if youcan remain injury free, if your chem-istry begins good, if you have some in-coming players that understand andmake a difference, even though our re-turning players have all gotten better.”

“Our goals are to obviously win moreball games. If the chemistry is good, thenyou see how far that can take you.”

The Lady Broncs will get the 2008-2009 season under way Nov. 8 whenthey host an exhibition game againstTexas A&M-Kingsville at the FieldHouse. In the meantime, the womenwill continue practicing with the pas-sion they believe is needed to have asuccessful season.

“Practice has been encouraging.They’re getting our staff excited,” saidCraft. “They have such good chemistrywith such good intensity. I’m the oneleaving excited from practice, and I’ma hard person to impress, so that’s anexciting feeling to have.”

Her friends would call her “deter-mined,” but she just labels herself adownright “sports fanatic.”

Rebecca Sweat, 22, was hired as thenew marketing director for The Uni-versity of Texas-Pan American’s ath-letic program in September and isready to show the UTPA and Rio

Grande Valley communities her enthu-siasm for sports.

“I’m really excited to be at UTPA,”Sweat said. “Working in sports is adream of mine. I’m also really excitedto stay in the Valley because this is agreat community and in the time I’vebeen here, I’ve really come to love it.So I’m excited to share my love forsports with the Rio Grande Valley.”

Sweat arrives in South Texas from

Memphis, to replace former marketingdirector Natalie Haime, who held theposition for a year after graduatingfrom UTPA in 2006. The newest Broncgraduated from St. Louis University in2007, where she majored in public re-lations with a minor in history.

During her college career, Sweatwas a member of the Public RelationsStudent Society of America and an or-ganization called Women in the Media.She is also a certified dance instructorthrough the Southern Association ofDance Masters.

Sweat says she developed an inter-est in public relations in high school,when she was the yearbook editor. Shewanted to take part in more communi-cation than journalism, so starting inPR gave her the opportunity to interactwith people.

But she also has the NBA’s Mem-phis Grizzlies to thank for that interest.

“I went to a game one day and real-ized that you can mix public relationsand sports,” Sweat said. “I was justhooked right there and then and it be-came a dream ever since.”

As an athletic marketing director,Sweat’s duties include establishingcommunity relations, landing andworking with sponsors, increasing fanbases for athletic functions, meetingwith student organizations, and man-aging home-game entertainment.

Sweat says building a fan base for

athletic functions is something thathas plagued UTPA sports in recentyears, and will be her biggest task toaccomplish.

“It is a challenge, a pretty big one,”she said. “I’m working really hard withstudent organizations and different peo-ple around the com-munity to try to buildthat attendance levelso hopefully we canget that done.”

Previous experi-ence in the fieldshould assist Sweatin attaining theseideal goals. At SLU,she was a sports in-formation internduring her senioryear, creating amedia guide for the women’s basket-ball team. She also worked as themedia relations’ assistant during theMissouri Valley Conference men’s bas-ketball tournament and helped out forthe 2007 NCAA’s Sweet Sixteen St.Louis regional.

Interim athletic director RickyVaughn says Sweat’s experience inworking with collegiate athletics wasvery important in UTPA’s decision-making process.

“I think Rebecca is going to do anoutstanding job for us,” Vaughn said.“She comes here with collegiate and

marketing experience in professionalsports and in the business world. Ineeded someone that understood thetime needed to put into this job.”

Sweat’s first mark is to have astronger level of communication withthe UTPA community; she also wants

to find out what shecan do to build astronger connectionbetween athleticsand students. Hervision for basket-ball is to have stu-dents as a sort ofSixth Man, givingsomething like thesupport that Duke’sCameron Craziesbring to the BlueDevels. But in

order to accomplish that, she knows itwill take a heavy load of commitment.

“I want to put more fans in thestands,” she said. “We have a really greatprogram and I want everyone to see that.We have Division I sports here and Idon’t think a lot of people realize that.”

She also encourages any feedback orsuggestions from students that will resultin an improved athletic environment.

“My door is always open,” Sweatconcluded.. “I want students to cometalk to me and introduce themselves.Tell me if you have any ideas or whatyou want to see.”

� FEATURE

� WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

New athletic marketing director ready to fulfill dutiesBy Ramiro PaezTHE PAN AMERICAN

Craft integrates new freshman recruiting class into ‘08-‘09 roster


A NEW MARKET - With her PR experience, Rebecca Sweat hopes to cre-ate a larger fan base for UTPA home athletic functions.

By Sara HernandezTHE PAN AMERICAN


Dates to Know:Volleyball

vs. UTSASaturday, 4 p.m.UTPA Field House

Women’s BasketballFirst Game of the Season

Nov. 8vs. Texas A&M-

Kingsville@ UTPA Field House

Time: 7 p.m.

“We have a really greatprogram and I wanteveryone to see that. Wehave Division I sportshere and I don’t think a lotof people realize that.”

Rebecca SweatAthletic marketing director

Women’s GolfORU ShootoutHost - Oral Roberts Univ.SundayTulsa, OK

After the America Sky Men’s GolfChampionship was postponed due toheavy rain Sunday, The University ofTexas-Pan American men’s golf teamteed off Monday to play 36 holesinstead of 54.

At the end of all the mental anguishand Mother Nature’s wrath, the Broncsplaced fourth in the America SkyConference Championship which waspart of the Hawks Invitational, scoring611 (311-310) at Ballymeade CountryClub in North Falmouth, Mass.

“We let the things we couldn’t con-trol end up controlling us,” said sec-ond-year head coach Ofelia Lopez.

The Broncs’ problems began evenbefore the tournament started. The teamspent most of the time sitting aroundwaiting for the course to dry, and wasonly allotted time to put in seven holesfor practice, forcing them to play therest of the course blind.

“It was a struggle out there,” said

Lopez of the conditions and lack ofprep time. “We went through the factof having it be canceled the first day,so it went down to 36 holes and wewere waiting around a lot. Golf is amental game and it got to them.”

DAY ONEJunior Armen Kirakossian (38-34)

was holding strong in second at the endof the first round Monday as he shoteven par. Senior Shane Pearce (40-38)and sophomore Tim Acaster (38-40)ended tied at 14th shooting six overwhile junior High Wongchindawest(47-36) completed his round 11-over-par 83, in 31st place. Three spotsbehind Wongchindawest was Valleynative and sophomore A.J. Gonzalez(39-48), who shot 15-over-par 87(34th).

Lopez said she also thoughtGonzalez and Wongchindawest couldhave performed better, and the Broncsneeded one more player to step up andgive them a higher individual placing

in the tournament. Illness and injurieskept the members from performing totheir potential.

“A.J. was sick a little bit and Highis still coming off his wrist injury soright now with only having six peopleon a team and only five traveling wego with what we have,” Lopez said.

DAY TWOOn Tuesday, the Broncs were on

the links at 8 a.m. as the shotgun startbegan the conclusion of the AmericaSky tournament.

Kirakossian cut his score by fourstrokes to a 76 on the second day butwas in a three-way tie with Acasterand Andrew Marler of BinghamtonUniversity at the end of conferenceplay.

Kirakossian shot 72-76 andAcaster 78-70, for 148 over the 36holes.

Pearce improved two spots fromMonday, finishing nine-over-par (153)for 12th place. Wongchindawest

placed 29th with a score of 79 and 162for the tournament. Gonzalez shot a79 and 166 for the tournament to fin-ish in a two-way tie with ClarkFrederickson of future Great Westopponent Utah Valley University.

Sacramento State held its first-daylead to take home first place as ateam with 589 (296-293) in confer-ence play.

The Broncs are back on the green

Oct. 12 when they travel to Huntsvilleto play in the Sam Houston StateInvitational.

“They’re going to practice hardthis week and get ready for SamHouston,” Lopez concluded.“Hopefully we can bring it back.”

Next year, the winner of theAmerica Sky Conference tournamentwill be eligible for an automatic bid inthe NCAA Championships.

Some might think that not havingcompetition for three weeks can sti-fle a team’s performance, but don’ttell that to The University of Texas-Pan American men’s and women’scross country teams. The Broncs andLady Broncs have assumed a confi-dent demeanor as they’ve opened upthe 2008 cross country season to astrong start.

After posting successful finishesSept. 19 at the Ricardo Romo/SixFlags Fiesta Texas Classic in SanAntonio, the teams continued toimpress at the New Balance IslanderSplash in Corpus Christi Sept. 26,where the men finished second andthe women placed third.

“Overall, this past meet was good,”said men’s and women’s coach HugoCervantes. “It allowed me to seewhere we stand as a team on a hardcourse against some good competi-tion. We had some good performancesfrom everyone. I knew it would be ahard race since we’ve increased ourmileage and our workouts have inten-sified as well.”

Cervantes says he is not surprisedby his teams’ performances in the lasttwo meets even with the slow start tothe season, leaving the main focus inpriority. The groups got a late startdue to travel issues, among otherholdups, and missed the San AntonioRelays in San Antonio (Aug. 31);Texas State Invitational in SanMarcos (Sept. 6); and Texas A&MInvitational in College Station (Sept.13) due to Hurricane Ike.

“A lot of it has to do with theanticipation for the season to begin,”

Cervantes said of his teams’ top fin-ishes. “Everyone was ready to testtheir fitness and see the summertraining pay off. This has been thefirst time in a long while that theteam meets on their own to do theirrunning.”

Senior San Juan native J.J.Hernandez says that the men’s teamhas created a voluntary “on our own”day to run,after NCAArules requiresone day off fora t h l e t e s .Hernandez, orwhomever iswilling to takeinitiative, ral-lies his team-mates to takeadvantage ofthe day off.

The coachadded that hisrunners seem tounderstand thep r o g r a m ’ slong-term plan.

“We havealways hadour goals inm i n d , ”e x p l a i n e d .“We see thebig picture and realize that theimportant meets are at the end of theseason, and this time off has allowedthem to not lose sight of the big pic-ture by not focusing too much on theearly season meets.”

With one last race before the GreatWest Conference ChampionshipsNov. 1 in Utah, the programs will tryto keep momentum rolling when they

travel to Houston Oct. 10 for theHouston Baptist Invitational.

ISLANDER SPLASHLeading the Broncs in the Coastal

Bend was Hernandez, who placed fifthout of a field of 50 participants. Histime of 25:35 was one piece in theteam’s 50-point total, as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi outlasted UTPA, finish-

ing first witha total of 19points.

T h eBroncs werecoming offan upset ofNo. 14-ranked Texasin SanA n t o n i o ,which iss o m e t h i n gHernandezsays mayhave playedinto thet e a m ’ sinability tocapture first.

“I thinkour team didpretty well,”Hernandezs a i d .

“Unfortunately we didn’t win like wewere planning on winning. I think wemaybe got a little carried away from thefirst meet after beating Texas, but weheld our own. We ran the way we want-ed to; we just didn’t get the outcome wewanted.”

Senior Luis Nava of La Joya alsoreturned to the lineup Friday afterhaving nursed a leg injury since the

summer. Nava crossed the finish linein 11th place with a time of 26:00.

On the women’s side, CarolinaIzaguirre led the Lady Broncs with asecond consecutive fourth-place fin-ish after a time of 18:00. The sopho-more Brownsville Hanna alumimproved her time by more than aminute 19:19.2 from the San Antonio

meet, where the women finished fifthoverall.

At Corpus Christi, TAMUCC (24points) continued to dominate, takinghome first-place accolades, while TheUniversity of Texas-San Antonio (72points) placed second.

Teams stride toward consecutive top finishes� CROSS COUNTRY

� MEN’S GOLF

SPORTS October 2, 2008

By Pedro Perez IVTHE PAN AMERICAN


RUNNING STRONG - Sophomore Carolina Izaguirre continues to be thecatalyst for the Lady Broncs after placing fourth at the Islander Splash.

By Ramiro PaezTHE PAN AMERICAN

America Sky Men’s Golf Championship

Place Team score over two days

1st Sacramento State (589)2nd University of Hartford (608)3rd Northern Colorado (609)4th UTPA (611)5th Weber State (613)6th Binghamton University (620)7th Utah Valley University (634)

New Balance IslandersSplash Results

MEN5th J.J. Hernandez 25:358th Robert Najera 25:4810th Angel M. Ramirez 25:5011th Luis Nava 26:0016th Wally Gonzalez 26:1817th Gilroy Martinez 26:1819th Omar Doria 26:4432nd Vidal Ruiz 27:49

WOMEN4th Carolina Izaguirre 18:0014th Diana Galloso 18:5921st Sara Rodriguez 19:4022nd Larissa de Leon 19:4438th Sasha Suarez 22:5649th Diana Flores 26:57

Broncs finish in fourth for conference tournament

QuotesFromTheStands

� SOCCER CLUB

Editor’s Picks

Sunday Noon (Fox)

SharylandRattlers

McAllenBulldogs

�COLLEGE FOOTBALL

�NFL

TexasLonghorns

ColoradoBuffaloes

WashingtonRedskins

PhiladelphiaEagles

�HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Saturday 6 p.m.

Friday 7:30 p.m.

@

@

@



“It was kind of boring. Itwas a real defensive gameand just wasn’t as excitingas the others. It was kindof a letdown becausethey lost. It really wasn’tthat good.”

A.J. AguilarFreshmanComputer engineering majorOn Cowboys’ recent loss

“It was disappointing. Iunderstood the problemsthat they had. First off,T.O. [Terrell Owens]wasn’t catching every-thing and that could ofbeen a help. Other thanthat, it was disappointing,very disappointing.”

Issac GuerraSophomorePharmacy majorOn Cowboys’ recent loss

ON POINT - Junior Harlingen nativeGabriela Soto (right) was one of four LadyBroncs who scored in Saturday’s 5-1 romp ofthe UTSA Lady Roadrunners.

An offensive explosion took placeSaturday afternoon at The Universityof Texas-Pan American practicefields. The Lady Bronc soccer clubcaptured its first win of the season byrouting The University of Texas-SanAntonio 5-1.

Coming off a loss and a tie in thefirst two games, women’s coach HugoZuniga said the mentality coming intothis one was to forget everything andstart having fun playing soccer.

“We respected the team like we doall the teams we play. The first halfwe played excellent, touching the balland sending the runs through spaces.We created nice plays,” Zuniga said.“Defensively though, we need toimprove some more. We are not at100 percent, but the team is lookingbetter with every game.”

The Lady Broncs (1-1-1) showedexuberance in the first half by scoringfour goals, but in the second, theirperformance diminished, which leftZuniga baffled.

“I think in the second half we gotdown to their level. We had someopportunities but unfortunately wecould not score more. We need towork on keeping a consistent levelplay,” Zuniga noted. “From what Isaw in the first half I think we arestarting to get to the level that Iwant, though.”

The five goals were scored byfreshman forward Marcela Polanco,Harlingen native Gabriela Soto, grad-uate student Tracee Byrd, and twofrom senior Elvia Garcia.

“It was a good game but the teamwas not well and we could haveplayed a lot better especially in thesecond half. Hopefully next game weimprove and keep scoring goals,”Garcia said. “The first goal was pret-ty good. I scored with my left, whichI have not done. The other one I haveto give credit to my teammate whocreated the entire play and left it so Icould finish.”

A real orchestrator in the mid-field, Soto caused havoc with herpauses, set-ups and more importantlyher speed on the right wing, which

helped UTPA establish dominance inthe first half.

“I am real proud of the teambecause we came together and got agood win. I think it was the team’senergy that everyone fed off of,” Sotocommented. “I hope that this win is astarting point and we will continue toget better.”

BRONCSThe Bronc men’s soccer club also

saw some action this weekend inAustin with a tie in a scoreless affairagainst powerhouse University ofTexas 2 Sunday and a 2-1 win overSt. Edward’s University Saturday.

The men had few opportunities toscore against the Longhorns, butmen’s coach Marcelo Schmidt said hefeels happy with what his teamshowed collectively against a truepowerhouse.

“The guys played extremely wellagainst the tougher competition thatUT presented. It seems like we havebeen able to meld together and looksolid as a team,” Schmidt said. “Ibelieve everything is starting to click

and I am happy with this new injec-tion of confidence that we nowhave.”

Noticeable performances for theBroncs (1-1-1) came in the midfieldfrom senior Apolonio Cavazos andMcAllen native Adrian Arredondo.

Against the Hilltoppers Saturday,the Bronc goals came from seniormidfielder Juan Reynoso and sopho-more forward Juan P. Davila.

Schmidt and his players knew thatSt. Edward’s was not a strong teamand they were able to do enough toattain the victory.

Tied after the first half, the Broncskept looking for opportunities. Duringthe 20th minute, a cross was sent intothe area and a penalty was awardedafter a St. Ed’s defender was caughtholding. Davila was able to capitalizeon the penalty to give his team the 2-1advantage.

“I think we have the most amountof talent, which makes us versatile.This enables us to modify and dowhat we want according to the teamwe face,” Schmidt said.

By Alvaro BalderasTHE PAN AMERICAN

October 2, 2008

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