New Gun Law to take effect at TAMIUBy Melissa Castro & I.M. Kero

The recently established Campus Carry Law comes into effect on August 1, 2016. It has has been raising eyebrows from Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) students. On April 27, 2016, The Texas A&M University Sys-

tem (TAMUS) Board of Regents accepted to comply with the law governing Campus Carry in all campuses including Texas A&M International University. TAMIU President Dr. Ray Keck states, “We are an

agency of the State of Texas and are required by law to comply with the applicable Texas law. Our rules for the campus will be in place with the law’s activation later this year.” According to the Senate Bill 11, Campus Carry Law allows license holders to carry a concealed handgun on any campus of higher education private or inde-

pendent in the state of Texas. Despite the approval of Senate Bill 11 by the TAMU Board of Regents, some TAMIU students still have some concerns on of carry-ing weapons on campus.In a recent 2016 TAMIU survey on campus carry, one

student responded under the alias Henry responded, “Campus carry will not make the campus safer. We al-ready have people committing crimes on parking lots over parking spaces. Most minor altercations would immediately escalate if both people were to possess firearms”

facebook.com/thebridgestudentnews www.thebridgestudentnews.com MAY 2016

PRESIDENT KECK LEAVES TAMIU

POLITICS

By Iris Vasquez Guerrero

Dr. Keck in his office. Photo courtesy of the Office of the President

Interview with Mayor Saenz

by I. M. Kero

ON CAMPUS

GUN LAW page 6

Photo by Google

A press conference was held Friday, May 6, 2016 re-garding the announcement of President Ray M. Keck being made the new Interim President for Texas A&M Commerce. The announcement was made by John Sharp, Chan-

cellor of the Texas A&M University System after Dan Jones, former A&M Commerce President recently passed away April 29th. Keck will begin work at A&M Commerce June 1, 2016. The current Provost, Dr. Pablo Arenas, will serve as Interim President of TAMIU. Keck stated “That Chancellor Sharp should entrust me

with a new challenge is humbling. I willingly embrace his mandate, to continue to build upon the legacy left by President Dan Jones at A&M-Commerce.” Keck served as President of TAMIU for 15 years, in which time, en-rollment doubled, the Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium was upgraded, and the Judith Zaffirini Student Success Center was established.When asked about the accomplishment he is most

proud of, Keck remained humble by stating “these aren’t things that I’ve done, what did WE do? What have we as an institution done that I’m most proud of?” He went on to say that the liberal arts experience, which includes ex-traordinary mentoring and support from faculty togeth-er with rigorous curriculum is what he is most proud of leaving behind. Keck also praised others when asked about what legacy

he would like to leave behind at TAMIU by stating that “I’ve never been able to say ‘MY’, … its OURS.” The

legacy he mentioned spoke of a university that is beau-tiful to look at and beautiful to live in, but he insisted that “I would never say that’s my legacy, that’s the work of everyone sitting here, it’s the work of our wonderful students.”When asked about his vision for the future of TAMIU,

Keck focused on growth, remarking that he hoped a truly international degree that would be part English and part Spanish would be possible. “That’s the one marvelous card we haven’t been able to turn over yet” and he stat-ed that “Nobody else has that opportunity, Laredo does” referring to bridging the gap between the U.S. Mexico border with our curriculum. Keck was asked about his biggest regret and he re-vis-

ited the lack of a dual language program at TAMIU. He talked about how he imagined the program would have become a reality after 15 years and how in Laredo, stu-dents should be fluent in both English and Spanish by the 8th grade. Keck stated that the community should be involved in making this change come to fruition.The room filled with laughter when Keck was asked

if he would miss the Laredo food, and he responded by saying “Of course, of course I will miss the food. For-tunately Patricia Keck (his wife) will be going with me and she is the best cook in the world.” He mentioned his favorite restaurants like Danny’s and Palenque Grill, but remarked that his eating habits aren’t as exciting as they used to be.The deciding factors for Keck to take the new position

were timing, recognition, and location. He stated that the timing was right, and that TAMIU was ready for “a fresh start, fresh ideas, and a fresh face”. He also mentioned that he was “profoundly moved by the Chancellor’s con-fidence in me, and the challenge to go and pick up where Dr. Jones left off and make something good happen.” The location was a factor because Keck’s grandchildren live an hour and a half from Commerce.When asked about any recommendations he has for

Arenas, the new Interim University President for TA-MIU, Keck was very confident in him by stating that they work closely together; “There’s nothing to say. He will walk in the day I’m gone and everything will just continue.”Keck’s final statement was a message to the students,

“They (students) are universally recognized by people who come here as enormously talented and ambitious and gifted, and I want them to keep being that. Read like crazy, write like crazy, ask questions, push us. Exploit this university because it exists only for them.”Dr. Keck will still be attending commencement cere-

monies on May 20th. His term at Commerce will begin on June 1st.

Civil Affiars

MAYOR Saenz page 4

Handguns can now be carried on campus, though they must be concealed.

The Bridge News had the delightful honor of meeting and interviewing Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz. The inter-view was held in Killam Library, and conducted openly with students continuing on with their daily studies. Saenz was elected mayor in 2014, succeeding Raul Sa-

linas. His term ends in 2018, but he plans on considering reelection. Saenz considers himself “different” than his predecessor. Unlike the previous mayor, he aims to re-main neutral. Personally, Saenz has both liberal and con-servative views like many Laredoans.

C E L E B R A T I N G 2 0 Y E A R S O F S T U D E N T N E W S

Mayor Pete Saenz with Dr. Daniel De La Miyar

Photo by I.M. Kero, The Bridge News

MAy 20162

STAFF LISTFaculty Advisor....................Dr. Daniel De la MiyarEditor-in-chief...........................Rebekah RodriguezEditor-in-chief..........................................I. M. KeroSenior Reporter......................Iris Vasquez GuerreroContributors/Writers..............Iris Vasquez Guerrero I. M. Kero

Joy DavisStephanie FimbresDominique Flores

Melissa CastroPablo Nieto

Daniela RodriguezRebekah Rodriguez

Rodolfo Salinas

ACADEMIA

Contact InfoContact the bridge to input stories, share photos, schedule inter-views, etc.now the bridge is available off-campus at various locations. find at your local area.

email: daniel.delamiyar@tamiu.edu

Facebook:facebook.com/TheBridgestudentNews

Website:www.thebridgestudentnews.com

articles, stories and interviews herein are solely the written expression of the students and do not reflect this institution’s core values of Texas A&M International University.

Centro Aztlanby Iris Vasquez Guerrero

Many students on campus may not realize that their classmates are DREAMERS. No, I do not mean day dreamers, I mean DACA Dreamers. DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals created in 2012, and it has become the safety net for many Dreamers that were brought to this country as children by their parents. Through DACA, these students are then able to attend

college, gain employment, and are eligible for deferred action. According to the USISC website, “Deferred ac-tion is a use of prosecutorial discretion to defer removal action against an individual for a certain period of time.” DACA lasts 2-3 years, and is renewable.But how do these students get DACA? Where do they

go? There are many organizations public and private which offer immigration services including DACA. These include lawyers, non-profits, and individuals that are accredited to file for others. It may be difficult for those in need to decide where to go, and how to choose, especially with such a sensitive topic, and that is why I chose Centro Aztlan.Centro Aztlan also known as Asociación Pro Servi-

cios Sociales Inc., is a safe haven for the marginalized population in Laredo. The undocumented, the elderly, migrant workers, all make their way to 406 Scott Street to find help. The organization provides low cost immi-gration services, along with many other services that we might take for granted such as filling out forms, transla-tion, and they even help with job applications. Centro Aztlan was founded in 1973, and its purpose

was to “Operate exclusively for charitable and educa-tional purposes, including but not limited to improve-ment of the condition of the poor, the underprivileged, and the victims of discrimination and alienation;” and they continue to do so today. Their clients range from young children applying for DACA, to the elderly who need help with their Social Security forms. What is unique about this organization is the welcoming atmo-sphere that they provide. The staff is small, with only 3 employees, consisting of

Dora Negrete the administrative assistant, Rosa Morales

the bookkeeper, and Angelica Lopez who works on the immigration cases. Lopez is an Accredited Represen-tative who is certified by the Board of Immigration Ap-peals to work on immigration applications.I was able to use the services myself after my husband

and I were married. We had known about the organiza-tion through family and friends, and decided it would be the best place to go for applying to get my husband’s resident card. We were given an appointment where we met Mrs. Lopez, and she explained all the requirements, what we needed to provide, and went over the fees ver-sus the cost of services. The application process for us went smoothly, over the course of less than 6 months we had already gotten a positive result. Each case is different, and Lopez has had her share of

difficult cases as well. She has worked with a blind cou-ple where one partner passed away during the process, another where a client who was a resident left the U.S. to live in Mexico who had difficulty later on applying for his citizenship when he moved back. These cases and others are just a few of the success stories that the Centro has added to its long list of satisfied clients. Jose de Jesus Alvarado, a student at TAMIU, and writer

for The Bridge, happens to be a Dreamer that took ad-vantage of the immigration services provided by Centro Aztlan. He is currently a senior studying Communica-tion, which he might not have been able to do without the DACA mandate. He also took advantage of the ser-vices offered by the Centro, and was able to register for TAMIU right after graduating high school. Jose was brought to the U.S. when he was younger than

5 years old. His journey has been a typical one, with school always being a priority. Jose sought DACA as a means to continue his education at the university level. The Centro Aztlan and Mrs. Lopez submitted the appli-cation on his behalf, and he is now not only attending TAMIU, but working two jobs as well. He is currently working for Aramark on campus at the student favorite, Chick-Fil-A, as well as working part time at Pizza Hut.Unfortunately the organization has recently been lim-

ited due to low funding. The primary source of income for the Centro comes from Gambit Bingo. The Bingo sponsors different non-profit organizations, and the Cen-tro receives a share of the proceeds on certain days of the week. Additionally, the fees for client services also contribute

to the funding. Another portion of funds comes from the PALE program, which is a program developed by the Mexican Consulate, which offers $10,000 annually specifically for DACA and VAWA cases.The staff has limited its hours of operation, from 8 to

5, to now 8 to 2pm. The ladies that are dedicated to their work stated “Even if we are only able to open for one hour, we will be here, helping people.” It is the or-ganizations purpose and mission that seem to keep the doors from closing, as both the clients and employees feel committed to their efforts.The Centro Aztlan is currently accepting donations,

and is seeking support from the community to spread the word about what they do. Donations over $100 will receive an autographed poster print of Laredo born artist, Amado Peña’s work. Centro Aztlan gains its clients mostly by word of

mouth, but they hope to change that in order to increase their client base and help even more people that may be disadvantaged in our community. It is important to be aware that not all students enter into TAMIU with ease, and that there are still many families in our city that are living in the shadows. Centro Aztlan is one of the orga-nizations that is giving them a voice.For more information on donating or volunteering,

please contact the office, at (956) 724-6244. For more information on donating or volunteering, please contact the office, at (956) 724-6244.

Various 3D Art students at Texas A&M International University have been disregarded despite the lack and disappearance of 3D art making materials. Students have become subjected to work in ceramic and sculpture classrooms with little to no clay for most of the Spring 2016 semester. TAMIU graduate student, Vanessa Filazola, stated that

her consultation regarding the shipments of art materials to the head of education, business, and arts and sciences via a student forum meeting were met with a response stating that their e-mails get are deleted every 30 days. The lack of communication from administration has

not only concerned students but has made a consider-able impact on professors as well. Art professor David Bogus explained that simple things like faculty travel and ordering materials “have become difficult tasks to complete when they simply weren’t before.” Administration is currently established so that there are

not only one but two co-chairs and also an event service administrator. “Three people” Bogus annotates, “that make commu-

nication much more difficult.” Evidently, a major recent concern was the flooding

that took place in the Fine and Preforming Art’s build-

ing. Bogus explains how there was high powered fans placed all over the ceramic studio which allowed for a silica dust hazard to become more prominent. “There has been a silica dust hazard on going since I arrived on campus” states Bogus, “and the air ventilation in the stu-dio was never properly installed as well…classes should have been cancelled but they weren’t.”Despite health precautions, the sudden removal of the

majority of clay was removed and locked up without earlier notice to faculty. This situation made it impossi-ble for students to work on their future projects consid-ering each bag of clay is more than 50 pounds and more than 500 feet away. According to Bogus, administration and faculty had

agreed to only move a measuring scale outside but in-stead all the materials needed for student’s projects were taken away. Rudy Salinas, an art major, states that Spring 2016, “made me feel limited and not able to create art which is necessary just like it is necessary for nursing majors to participate in clinicals. I feel like there’s not enough to work with as it is, and I don’t think it was necessary to take it away to begin with.”These materials are difficult to replace even after their

intended use. Though the flooding was unprecedented,

the effects of lost and damaged materials could and should have been predicted by adminstration. Overall, Spring 2016 has been a difficult semester for

art students, especially those interested in 3D art. With the lack of many essential materials needed for 3D art making, students are left with frustration as their tuition costs are for materials that have been out of reach for the majority of the semesterTo some students, this may seen like an easy way out

from planned assignments. However, students have, nonetheless, paid for these courses and are demanding their education. The flooding accident that happened may have been be-

yond the control of the department, but the school needs to be prepared for such incidents. One way or another, the students need to be taught for the classes they reg-istered. Being an art class, that makes it more difficult because all the equipment needed, but this could have happened in the nursing school or a science lab with similar effects. Hopefully, incidents such as this one will serve as a lesson in crisis management for the university.

By Melissa Castro

Art Students lose out on Clay

By Rebekah Rodriguez

EditorialIt’s Okay Not To Be Okay

civil affairs

During my first semester of college, everything seemed fine --- on the outside. I was passing my class-es, involved in community theater, and was even se-lected for Reading the Globe! However, even with all the good things I had going on in my life, I always felt this inexplicable sense of inadequacy, coupled with the fear that it could all be taken away from me someday. I thought if I rose this fast, then I could fall just as easily too.Soon, everyday became a struggle for emotional sta-

bility. In the shower, I scrubbed my scalp so hard that I found blood under my fingernails. I spent nights staring at my ceiling, crying and digging my nails into my skin, while my mind raced with no intentions of stopping.I stopped writing, unless it was for an assignment. I fluc-tuated between eating too much and eating too little, and looked forward to sleeping more than anything else. While I did actually consider seeking professional

help, I could never bring myself to make the call. In high school, I’d been told “Some people have real prob-lems” by adults and peers alike. and took those words to heart. I felt my problems didn’t merit a visit to a counselor; I was just being overdramatic. Sure, I was running on empty with no brakes, but nobody needed to know that. Everything was okay, as long as I was able to keep pretending so. My plan seemed to work up until one November morn-

ing, I sat in the library struggling to complete some homework for my (remedial) math class. I received an e-mail that the results from our most recent exam had been posted. I had an uneasy feeling about my score, and went to check it. My eyes filled with tears the mo-ment I saw I had earned a big, fat F. To add insult to injury, I earned a D on my history test that same week.I grabbed my things and bolted out of the library. I

eventually found myself curled up on the floor of a smelly bathroom stall in Cowart Hall. I cried, screamed, and kicked, not caring for once if someone else heard me. In the middle of my little meltdown, I started frantically looking through my backpack. I’m glad I didn’t find what I was looking for, because it would have made this story harder to tell. Fortunate-ly, that moment caused me to come back to my senses. After I had calmed down a bit, I knew where I had to go. I walked over to the nurse’s office, where I sobbed

as I tried to explain myself. They referred me to Stu-dent Counseling. Once the paperwork was done, I was scheduled for an appointment two weeks later. I wish I could say that I immediately started feeling

better instantly, but that’s not quite what happened. Even though I hoped to finish counseling by the end of the following semester, I spent nearly two years in counseling. I originally went in to learn to deal with academic stress, only to discover that my issues ran deeper than that. Looking back on my formative years, I realized my insecurities were linked to the bully-ing I endured as a child; likewise, my fears of failure stemmed from my previous academic struggles and the subsequent need to prove myself to others. There was so much more I discovered during those sessions, in which I allowed myself to cry and vent. Slowly but surely, my smile became less forced. I started laughing more, even in sessions. I started going to slam poetry nights and joined The Bridge. Finally, I opened up to my friends about my feelings, after keeping them a secret for so long. For the first time in a while, my mind and body were waking up at the same time each morning. However, this doesn’t mean the struggle is over. Re-

covery is different for everyone, and it is a lifelong pro-cess. I still struggle with toxic thoughts and managing my moods on an almost daily basis. With finals and oth-er important events coming up, I know there are some bad days in store for me. But when I feel overwhelmed and my mind wanders to that dark place, I think of the semicolon. Sounds weird, right? However, the semico-lon separates two sentences that are too closely linked to be separated. The writer could’ve stopped the sen-tence, but chose to continue. That being said, I will openly admit that I wasn’t kind

to myself as a teenager; it’s always going to be a part of my past. But I fight for my happiness everyday by choosing to continue when I want to stop. I share my story not to seek attention or pity, but in

hopes that someone will not fall into the same trap I did. There is help out there, from the professional to per-sonal level. Please do not think there is anything worth sacrificing your health over. Most of all, never think that you are alone in this journey; odds are that it’s quite the opposite.

MAY 2016

3

SGA Elections Bring New Government

The Smartest Man in the Room Editorial

With SGA elections come and gone, it is now a good time to reflect on the presidency of Joshua Llamas. Llamas did not seek re-election this year, and will be succeeded by Jesus Padilla. The SGA did reduce in size heavily this semester allow for some easy wins for the elected leaders. However, Llamas did stay resilient against some difficult odds. Strangely, for his presiden-cy, Llamas was the SGA.Llamas was elected president in the spring of 2015 suc-

ceeding Jackie Briseño. One of the few political science majors in the SGA, Llamas did put in some political intrigue into his presidency. His time in office may not have been very colorful or lavish, but it was definitely something smarter and more professional. As the chief political correspondent, I did pay attention

to the smaller details behind Llamas’ efforts. I noticed less and less people be a part of the SGA. I’ve seen con-flicting views ending some students’ time there, and be-ginning new ones. That old era is ending with Llamas’ exit. Even though he is shutting the door on the SGA, he most definitely put in every dime he had while in it. When reporting, I would notice Llamas at almost every event. The ones I really paid attention to were the civ-il events the SGA would help sponsor. Llamas helped

coordinate debate forums and town hall meetings with candidates in Laredo politics. He also coordinated the recent student forum. Students were given a moment to openly speak to the Deans on campus with their personal concerns. Most exceptional was his efforts in registering TAMIU students to vote and keeping them inform on civil affairs and the presidential election. History has al-ready recorded Llamas as the SGA president that helped welcome former President Bill Clinton to our campus.Even though Llamas has coordinated these efforts and

produced these events, what were the actual value of it? Truth is, there wasn’t much after the fact. Not a lot of people attended these events. Aside from Bill Clinton’s visits, the amount of students that attended the debate fo-rums and even the student forum could be counted with one’s fingers. Though still an achievement nonetheless, only about sixty students were registered to vote when that service was held. However, it was not the SGA that performed this feat, but outside support from people like Robert Tellez and the Webb County Democrats. Here, on campus, Llamas spends a lot of his own time

in engaging with different personnel in TAMIU. He at-tends the Executive Council meetings on behalf of the SGA. During those times, he cooperates with Dr. Keck, all the administrators, and some department heads. He also works as a diplomat to create new partnerships with other departments. It is difficult to see these things in ac-tion from time to time, but they do happen, and Llamas is the one doing them. This SGA president was a busy man.It’s very adamant that when I say Llamas did these

things because that is the total perception. Though other SGA members were present, it was really him running the show, and that’s not a bad thing. Llamas really want-ed students to be a part of the political process. That is something that the SGA should promote as some of it highest priorities. It is difficult enough to mobilize vot-ers in the City of Laredo. Mobilizing university students should relatively simple, yet it is not. However, having a political science major as a class president was benefi-

cial to this task, but he is still only one man. The dwin-dling membership of the SGA this semester must have affected the outcome of many of these events. It is tragic to know that a campus sponsored student government could only reach some seven hundred students when cre-ating a presidential poll, that students who are elected to represent the student body resign like it’s a fast-food job, and voter turnout in their election is far from mag-nificent. But above all, these are issues the SGA has as a whole, and perhaps the newly elected leaders will find new solutions to fix them. Llamas, under his own humility, may feel responsible

for these results, but by no means is he at fault. I, myself, could say that I am proud of the presidency of Joshua Llamas, but I cannot say such of the SGA entirely. I am disappointed that he did not seek re-election because students should be represented by a sharp and political educated individual. At the end of the day, we do run into at recurring issue

when our idealist hopes are withered away by cynical re-alism. This is a strange that happens even in US politics. It is best exemplified in the current US presidential elec-tion. Voters believe that somehow the next US president is going to strong-arm the entire government to get their policies through. That is just never going happen as long as this democracy still stands. Llamas’ presidency exemplified this. It echoes what we

see, today, with Barack Obama. Like him, Llamas was always the smartest person in the room. He knew what to get done, and how to do it, but TAMIU didn’t elect some Machiavellian Prince. It elected a government. Just how many Americans express frustration with the gov-ernment entirely, TAMIU students could feel the same with student government, but there is a new government now, and we should hope for the best. Above all, like the classes we attend, there are lessons to be learned.

BY I.M. KEROPhotos by Joy Davis, Melissa Castro, and I.M. Kero, The Bridge News

The New and outgoing Presidents

Newly elected Student Body President Jesus Padil-la and outgoing president Joshua Llamas came to The Bridge News to share their thoughts. The two were asked diverse questions corresponding with their new positions. Padilla was asked about his plans and con-cerns for his new presidency and newly-formed govern-ment. Llamas spoke about his time as president. Coming in at the relatively young age of 18, Padilla

aims to mark his presidency by continuing on the in-complete efforts of Llamas. At the same time, he is strategizing how he can work to resolve student issues. Food and nutrition for TAMIU students and advancing the campus’ internet capabilities are among these issues. Concerning food, Padilla explained an ongoing effort

to create a student food pantry. The service is designed to feed students who do not always have the resources to pay at the eateries on campus. Padilla recognized that the Dusty Diner provides these services, but at a decent-ly tough cost, especially for daily customers. On top of that, campus residents pay for a hefty meal-plan without many other options to satisfy their nutritional needs. The food pantry would be a system where stu-dents could apply and receive some non-perishable food allocations without having to pay daily. Alongside that, there were plans that Padilla considered pursuing, such as bringing the old Dusty Express over to the residential areas for students to shop.Understanding the concerns of residential students, Pa-

dilla also wants to continue the efforts for a shuttle bus. This was something Llamas was not able to complete, but is still determined to do so as a concerned student. The shuttle bus was to be something of a duty driver that would provide residential students transportation to local areas of need, like H-E-B or Wal-Mart. Both of

these stores can be easily accessed from the university. This comes very beneficial to students who do not have their own transportation. Even though he could not complete everything as

planned, Llamas understood that these efforts take large amounts of time that go beyond the regular semester and school year. However, he is proud of his time in the Student Government Association (SGA) spending three years total, with one year as president. After the recent elections, there is virtually a new

government in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Padilla feels optimistic that the new govern-ment is comprised of motivated and spirited individu-als who wish to better the needs of TAMIU students. Motivation among SGA members alongside work ethic was a problem that Llamas had to deal with. Several members began resigning or made choices leading to their impeachments. Llamas and Padilla strongly agreed that SGA is a very demanding organization and requires strong determination from very motivated students.Padilla plans to begin his presidency by tackling some

issues introduced late in Llamas presidency. Some of these include reforming the judicial branch, and possi-

bly creating some new senate seats to represent different and exclusive students. Though eager for retirement, Llamas does have some

plans for remaining time in TAMIU. Now a senior set to graduate in December, Llamas still plans to be ac-tive in different school organizations. He wants to stay involved, but just not at the caliber of the presidency. When President Bill Clinton spoke on campus, many opportunities opened up for him in different fields, particularly in education. Llamas is a political science major, but he does not have much intention to get into government. He plans to pursue a career in education.As we reflect on the old government which has now

ended with Llamas’ presidency, TAMIU students should most definitely embrace the new government. Both of them stated the same phrase, “anyone in TAMIU could make a difference.” That is very much true, and the core values set from these student leaders on pure motivation and raw commitment are things that all TAMIU student should consider embracing.

Representatives of the new government

Aside from the new president, there were plenty of brand new senators and senators-at-large who were elected into office for the Student Government Associa-tion. The Bridge News had the pleasure in being able to sit down and hear from one of each. The two wished to express themselves as students, and they voiced some of their hopes for TAMIU as SGA officers. Oliver Vera is a sophomore who has been elected as

one of seven senators of the College of Arts & Sciences (COAS). He is a double major is political science and criminal justice. Vera is a US Army veteran who served a tour in Afghanistan before coming to college. The 24 year old student began attending TAMIU in the fall of 2015. Vera noticed quickly that there was some issues with

representation among COAS students. He took this in much consideration when he decided to run for office. During this time, many members of the SGA were be-ginning to resign from their positions for different rea-sons. Vera sought to seize this opportunity. He ran for office in April where he was successful. Vera’s first and main priority is the students of the

COAS. Being the largest school on campus, he knows there is a lot of concerns, from different voices, that he must represent. A conservative by trade, Vera would not want to support or sponsor programs that would in-crease costs for TAMIU students. However, he does un-derstand necessities do exist. With that, he is supportive of the shuttle bus and food pantry programs that were proposed during Joshua Llamas’ presidency. On a lighter note, Vera does want to find cost efficient

ways to bring entertainment to TAMIU students. He un-derstands that the university, like its hometown, can get a little boring from time to time. He wants to help create healthy activities that promote campus entertainment and community values. Of the four senator-at-large seats, three of them have

been filled by new members. One of those, is Ricardo

Cagigal. Cagigal is a twenty-two year old biology ma-jor aiming to graduate in spring 2017, as well as the reigning Mr. TAMIU, and now he is a new elected sen-ator-at-large. As a senator-at-large, Cagigal does repre-sent the all students. He is not subjugated to one college. Like Vera, Cagigal has had reservations about the

student body being underrepresented. Being in TAMIU since his freshman year, he felt like much of time in the university was building up to this position. He under-stood that many of past SGA member were honorable students, but he also notices that some took the position for granted, and utilized it only as a résumé builder. Tak-ing this to heart, Cagigal took the opportunity to be a major representative of the student body.Before being elected, Cagigal stated that be helped es-

tablished the new charging stations seen on campus. He plans to expand on that program by developing more around common areas. He hopes to have one in every building. Also, he wants to upgrade them as well. He pictured a model similar to the charging stations seen in airports. Concerning issues with cohesion and discipline within

the SGA, Cagigal was very concerned about keeping his fellow members motivated during their times in office. He does not want to see many of them drop from the SGA or find themselves impeached in the future. Cagi-gal said that the SGA comprised of motivated members who do their best for the students of TAMIU. He is feels comfortable in believing that the members of the new government are people of such character. Both Vera and Cagigal were individuals who endorsed

open door policies. They want to hear from the students. Both of them were in concurrency for finding ways to help represent some exclusive groups on campus. Some ideas pooled were to create committees or possibly a permanent senate seats for campus residents and student veterans. As officers, they were willing to consider these options for legislation.These were two of the new officers that now sit as SGA

officers. There are other that were elected with similar

concerns as these two gentlemen. Also, there are plen-ty of vacant judicial appointments that have be made. Overall, there is a clean slate for progress in the SGA.

PoliticsJoshua Llamas (left) and Jesus Padilla (right)

Oliver Vera

Ricardo Cagigal

Joshua Llamas during his presidency

MAY 2016

4

Mayor Saenz continues from page one

When Saenz was elected, he came in as the outsider. He was the independent candidate coming from a pro-fessional career in law. He has good relations with the city manager, but he does acknowledge some of the gridlock in in city government. There is some divide be-tween the Laredo establishment and new voices emerg-ing in Laredo’s government. Saenz is one of one them, and understands the people who voted for him wanted change from the old institutions. With Laredo being a city that lives and breathes on

economic trade, Saenz has been pushing for ways to create more and new jobs. Laredo’s populations grows by the day, and though he gave a modest number of 260,000, the city is probably pushing 300,000. With the city growing at a rapid rate, he understands that employ-ment must also grow as well. Voter participation was also a large concern for the

mayor. He takes note that many people in Laredo do not vote, which inhibits the democratic process. However, Saenz recognized the some of the political enthusiasm coming out of the presidential election. He was pleased with the amount of younger people becoming political-ly active, and hopes that their enthusiasm could reflect local politics as well. Likewise, Saenz was impressed in the student’s efforts to discuss local politics and be further involved with civil affairs.Concerning the city’s growth, Saenz has been working

with different parties in looking to allocate funding and support into completing and maximizing Loop 20’s po-tentials. Performing these feats requires Saenz’ neutrali-ty. He understands that to achieve such construction, he would have to cooperate with Democrats in the city and Republicans in the state legislature.Recently here on campus, a controversial petition was

presented. The petition was originally intended to ap-pear on the November ballot, and if passed, will add some strength to the mayor’s veto power. The petition comes as a reflex to some of the gridlock seen in the city council. Saenz does favor this. He understands that Lar-edoans elected him for a reason, and understands that legislations needs to get done. This gridlock cannot go

on forever. He does not want the city’s government to look like the current U.S. Congress. Saenz was interviewed on FOX Business a few months

ago where he was asked about some of the proposed plans by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Though he does not have full confidence that Republicans will be achieving the White House, he did share his thoughts on the matter. He strongly acknowl-edges that harming relations with Mexico would cause severe economic damage to Laredo, other border cities, and the state of Texas. Saenz also agrees with the state legislature on their opposition to Trump’s proposals. He also knows that the increased presence of federal author-ities in Laredo, such as the Department of Homeland Security and possibly the military, would turn the city from the one of the largest land ports to a defense fort. Laredo’s international trade would become a service to

the military industrial complex. Though the heavy rhetoric coming from the Republi-

can field is supported among their voters, Saenz feels confident to know that Laredo, for the most part, rejects these ideals. “If you remove yourself from the border area, it is very

easy to say ‘build a wall’,” said SaenzSaenz believes that the people of Laredo, who are

immigrants themselves or first-generation Americans, understand the plight of national acceptance. Laredo is mainly a Hispanic/Mexican-American city, but he agrees that the city and its people would be very wel-coming to other foreigners of different background. Lar-edo may be relatively homogenous, but it does excel in tolerance. “Laredo is very welcoming. We’re good people,” he

said.

Editor-in-chief Ibrahim Kero interviews Mayor Saenz Photo by Dr. Daniel De la Miyar, The Bridge News

Alfredo Corchado gives lecture on the Borderby rebekah rodriguez

For individuals living along the U.S.-Mexico border, the feeling of being caught between two worlds is al-most inevitable. The struggle of balancing two cultures and two languages has been portrayed across all types of media. With subjects such as immigration and drug cartel violence making daily headlines, border towns and their residents are becoming an area of interest for reporters and researchers from across the world. Alfredo Corchado, a Mexican-American journalist

based in Mexico City, is no stranger to this balancing act. His lecture, Still Midnight In Mexico? Mexico’s Challenges, Journalism and the Borderlands, and the New American Narrative was presented on April 13 in the Student Center Ballroom.“This region has helped define me as a person and a

journalist,” said Corchado, who frequently visits Lar-edo. While mostly academic in nature, the lecture took a

personal turn as Corchado recounted his experiences as an immigrant, migrant worker, and eventual journalist. These experiences provided the basis for his 2013 book, Midnight in Mexico. The book details his experiences as a reporter in the midst of the Mexican drug war, and what Corchado calls “the tragic beauty of Mexico.”Excerpts were read from the book, which Corchado

joked smells of “tequila, crying, and Juan Gabriel” upon being opened.However, all jokes aside, the circumstances behind

his family’s move to the U.S. were heartbreaking. The drowning death of his two-year-old sister, Lupita,

prompted his mother to consider leaving their home-town of Durango, Mexico for better opportunities across the border. “I left Mexico kicking and screaming,” he admitted.Corchado worked in the fields of California alongside

his parents. It was in these fields that Corchado was ap-proached by reporters.“I was intrigued and touched that somebody wanted to

give me a voice,” he said. Though he and his mother were permanent residents at

the time, his mother feared the consequences of speak-ing out. Civil rights activist Cesar Chavez and his work with the United Farm Workers attracted national atten-tion, but also resulted in the deportation of many Mexi-can workers. She didn’t want them to lose their chance at a new life. Still, the experience opened Corchado to the possibili-

ty of providing a voice for others. After moving to Texas and graduating from the University of Texas at El Paso, Corchado is now an accomplished journalist with by-lines in several American newspapers, and the Mexico Bureau Chief for the Dallas Morning News. As an expert on issues found along the border, Corcha-

do is often faced with having to add to the negative press Mexico receives. He admitted this was difficult at the beginning of his career. “At times I felt that I betrayed my country, but what

could I do?”On a similar note, Corchado spoke of the struggles

faced by Mexican and Mexican-American journalists in

the midst of the ongoing War on Drugs in Mexico. Not-ing that Mexico is now considered the most dangerous country in the world to practice journalism, Corchado recalled his own brief scare with the drug cartels. While working on a story in Mexico, he received a call from a trusted source in the U.S. This source notified him that the Zetas planned to kill American journalists; Corcha-do was one of those named.They were eventually able to escape Mexico unharmed.

Despite being a U.S. citizen at this point, he was told that he could still remain a target for cartel members, the reason being that he did not “look American.”“Being an American journalist does not protect me,”

said Corchado.He also mentioned that the risks involved with his oc-

cupation were frequently the source of arguments with his mother. “You are only as naive as an American can be,” she

once told him. “I won’t let the government ruin my chil-dren like it’s ruining my country.”Yet the danger that comes along with being a journalist

in Mexico does not deter Corchado from pursuing the truth. Speaking for himself and his fellow journalists, he stated the following:“Our goal is to add border voices to the national de-

bate. No story, no reporter is worth somebody’s life, [but] I write because I have hope for a better Mexico.”

On campus

Photos by I.M. Kero, The Bridge News

Alfredo Corchado The large audience included faculty, administration, and students

TAMIU Shows Solidarity for Survivors of Sexual Assaultby Joy davisRaising awareness of sexual assault on college cam-

puses has become a priority for many of TAMIU’s top-ranking officials and students alike. Working to-gether with local and regional organizations, they have organized several events allowing students to inform themselves on how to prevent sexual assault and pro-vide coping skills for themselves or other individuals who have gone through this type of traumaIn a press release, Sandra Villanueva, the Universi-

ty’s Title IX coordinator who has lead the “It’s on US” campaigns launch on campus, stated “As a University we are accountable. We have a responsibility to provide a safe and nurturing environment for our students and community. By participating in this national campaign and wholeheartedly endorsing its message and intent, we affirm our commitment to eradicating sexual assault from our campus and all campuses,”President Keck agreed “Our participation sends a clear

signal: we will not tolerate sexual assault on this cam-pus. Parents and students should expect no less. This

week provides a focus, but we want this week to be car-ried on through the school year and forward to become part of our campus culture and experience. It truly is on us.”April was Sexual Assault Awareness Month. TAMIU

kicked off the month with their second annual Take Back the Night event on April 7. The goals of the event were to raise awareness of sexual assault on campus and to honor survivors. The event started off with the Heels Walk which was hosted by the Greek council. Partici-pants walked the width of the campus in teal heels or in shirts distributed by TBNT committee members. While walking, they showed their support for the cause with a chant.There were several student organizations present, as

well as the President of SGA Jesus Padilla. Padilla stat-ed “This is an important issue that deserves more atten-tion. I plan to work with SGA and the TBTN commit-tee to spread awareness of sexual assault on campus.” The TAMIU Dance Club performed an interpretation of

Lady Gaga’s song “Till it Happens to You”. The head of the regional No More campaign gave a speech. The night ended with a moment of silence for survivors. While the song “Light” by Sleeping At Last played students waved glows sticks to symbolize lights in the darkness.Sigma Delta Lambda had an information booth in the

Student Center on April 25 where they shared facts about sexual assault and answered questions about the topic. Sigma Tau Delta held an event for sexual assault awareness on April 28. They set up two boards in the Student Center patio and had teal sticky notes available for students to write an encouraging message and post it on the boards. By the time the event ended, the boards were completely filled with messages written by TA-MIU students.TAMIU continues to take measures against sexual as-

sault such as the Green Dot training which teaches stu-dents how to work together in groups to prevent violent incidents on campus.

On campus

MAY 2016

5

Officials speak on Zika Virus at TAMIU

Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX) hosted a meeting at TAMIU to discuss the treat of the Zika virus in Texas, and how it affects Laredo as a border city. Officials of the meeting discussed the actions that

were being taken by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Aside from the efforts of the federal government, they discussed the efforts taken by state, local, and international agencies. Their discus-sions explored how all of these levels of governments could cooperate for the health of their citizens. Alongside the congressman were high-ranking offi-

cials from the CDC, as well as other government of-ficials from the Department of Homeland Security, the State of Texas and the Texas Department of State Health Services, the City of Laredo Health Department, Webb County, and representatives from the Laredo hospitals and hospital from Nuevo Laredo. With those officials were also representatives from universities including TAMIU, universities from Mexico, and University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The Zika virus began its spread form infected mosqui-

tos similar to the West Nile virus. Common symptoms from the virus include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. The virus is not extremely lethal, and those who catch symptoms do not feel sick enough to go to the hospital. However, the Zika virus is seen problematic for women infected during pregnancy. It has been caus-ing birth defects for newborns that have been fatal. On the brighter side, once someone has been infected, they are likely to be protected from future infectionsThe first confirmed infection originated in Brazil in

May 2015. From there, it spread across Latin America and the Caribbean. Just recently, a Zika virus related death was confirmed in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and other American island territories. There have been 358 confirmed travel-associated cas-

es of the Zika virus in 40 American states. 27 of those cases were in Texas. However, there have been no cases or reports of the Zika virus in Webb County or the bor-der area. The discussions brought upon by the congressman

and the other officials plays in part with Cuellar’s un-

derstandings of international affairs. Cuellar takes into much consideration for the need of inter-governmental and international cooperation. The Zika virus, along-side all of Mother Nature, pays no regard to national boundaries and governments. Doing so, nations and agencies need to come together in the common goal of human health. The amount of representation from both the United States and Mexico was remarkable, and it contradicts the rhetoric coming from presidential candi-dates that accuse and misjudge our Mexican neighbors and the border region.“The Zika virus disease is a reminder of how we must

stay vigilant against biological and physical threats at our borders,” said Congressman Henry Cuellar. “While the news seems alarming, no cases have been reported in South Texas. However, it is concerning because of the rapid spread of the disease and the birth defects it causes in pregnant women” concluded Cuellar.

On Campus

by I. M. Kero

Officials of the discussion Rep. Cuellar addresses those in attendence

Photos courtesy of Riley Brands

Summer in Asiaby Stephanie Fimbres

International studies

For a month, Alejandra Arellano studied abroad in Asia for the 2015 Communication Disorders Program to study Introduction to Audiology taught by Dr. Sum-alai Maroonroge. She went to five different countries: China, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Japan. In order to complete the requirements for her undergraduate program, she decided to enroll in this new adventure to learn about sound and hearing.Her preconceptions about Asia included the typical

stereotypes most people have heard about, like eating with chopsticks. But in every country that she went to there were major differences between them, and also similarities to our Western culture. First of all, when someone thinks about China they think about Commu-nism, because they know the issues that they have, but went she went there she found everything very struc-tured, and how they hire people based on their appear-ance. Even though people were very stern, they were also nice. She mentions how people in China were nat-urally loud when they spoke, and how women like to wear very vibrant colors and flowers, outgoing shoes, and they looked pretty much at ease. Even though it is a Communist country, people were engaged in different businesses and they have the latest cars, including Mer-cedes and BMWs.One cultural difference that she remembers the most,

is how there is no Facebook, Google, nor YouTube. It was hard for them to communicate through the Internet and one thing that she found interesting is that people in China cannot talk about their government because it is disrespectful. She mentions how personal space does not exist over there because people are always in and out from every place, so she had to get used to it since everything is very crowded, especially in the cities. Also, the food was somewhat exotic because the meals were set up on a big table that rotated and had different types of plates. So, when people sat to eat, they had to rotate the table and grab and go, because they share ev-erything. It is not like our culture where we order a plate for ourselves. A major thing that she took from China is that they are adapting quickly to modern Western cul-ture. For example, their fashion, their architecture, and the way how businesses are booming. The next country she went to was Thailand, which

Arellano remembers as “very family orientated, like Mexico”. There could be multiple families under the

same roof, or under a whole building. In comparison with China, people in Thailand spoke very soft, not as loud as Chinese. She mentions how their language was very tonal, which means that “depending how you say it, has a different meaning. One example is ‘ma’, it can mean mother or tree depending on the tone given to the word”. Another difference is that in Thailand they have a King that everyone loves, and they have this custom where depending on when they were born, they have a different color. She describes that “every time you saw a picture of the King, there was something yellow, like flowers, because he was born on a Monday”. She de-scribes the food as more edible to eat, and how she felt at home when it came to desserts because they were all fruits. There was one day that her group found a store where they were selling avocados, and she felt even more at home. After Thailand, she went to Cambodia, where they

stayed for a couple of days. She mentions how it was a very poor country, and was not really thriving because of the war they had beforehand, and they were bare-ly getting out of the recession. She also mentions how they were promoting the temples that they had recently found from ancient times. She describes how sad it was to visit this country because it was very poor; they had dirt roads, unsafe places, and the people were trying to survive to get their basic needs. “One day we were pass-ing by and we saw children going to school, but they had to travel miles to get to it. Also, uniforms are passed from generation to generation”, Alejandra says. The next stop was Laos, which was not as advanced as

China, but not as poor as Cambodia. They stayed there for a day and half just to sightsee and visit their famous waterfalls and some Buddhist temples. She mentioned how there was a huge Buddhist statue overlooking the city, and how famous they are for their coffee. One of their traditions is that they are into the seasons. For example, they have a dance for a special flower that blooms during the summer. Even though they did not stay for a lot of time, they were able to visit beautiful places and learn about their unique culture.Lastly, but not least, she went to Japan for two weeks.

She was able to interact with more people and students. She explains how she thought it was going to be like China and see a lot of outgoing people, but they were more quiet, modest, and into themselves working on

something. Also, their clothes were not as flamboyant as the Chinese, but they were more neutral. She found people being very nice, and were friendlier towards Americans since they had signs translated in English for tourists to understand, since English is taught as a second language in high schools. She describes how Japan was very clean, modern, and hi-tech. One expe-rience she had was when she went to the restroom and they had too many buttons for different purposes.One night, when her group had some free time, they

were able to find where all the young and outgoing peo-ple were. They decided to look for Shibuya in Tokyo, but they got lost. Luckily, the sings were very easy to read because everything was so ordered and color cod-ed. When they finally found the place, she saw people playing music in the streets, and saw flashing advertise-ments and buildings. She describes it as an “interna-tional boom”, where she met people from all over the world that went to Japan to study or work. Also, she found the famous Hachi statue, which was constructed in memorial of a dog that waited for his owner for so many years. In this program, she learned that, in Japan, Communi-

cation Disorders is a job practice that is booming. Since people in health services are retiring, they are in huge need in this field. Especially because everyone in Japan has free health care, so people pursuing a career in this area will always have a job because they will never run out of patients. Also, they are in need of interpreters in the hospitals to translate for their internationals patients because they only have a hotline and a chart with basic questions such as “Where does it hurt?She wants to tell students who are planning to study

abroad that they need to be open minded. “They can’t be uncomfortable at little things, they can’t be picky when it comes to their food, or how their living arrange-ments are. You are going to get what you are going to get and make the best out of it”, she says. Another piece of advice is to learn to be independent, and learn some survival tips. After all, it is a once in a lifetime experi-ence that you will never regret.

Busy and crowded streets of Beijing, China Alejandra Arellano at the Temple of Heaven

Photos courtesy of Alejandra Arellano

MAY 2016

6

Climate Change and the Next Generationby Rodolfo Salinas

As college students we are obviously here to make an investment for their future. What about the future of their planet? Anyone can notice that climate change is happening

and that is why natural disasters have occurred frequent-ly in the past few years. Every year winters are getting hotter, and almost every Christmas in Laredo is celebrat-ed under ninety-five degree weather. We have been so caught up with our own lives that we

have not worried about our future in this one world we have. So the question is what do we have to do to fix the problem? Well let me give you an example. If your professor as-

signs a twenty page paper at the end of the semester, how would you react? Students will probably not hesi-tate about dropping the course and finding an easier class to take. But what if it was a twenty page paper divided into a group of three? It is way better than writing the whole thing yourself. What I’m trying to get at is that if we work together, the

problem becomes less difficult for the one person trying to fix the problem themselves. You’ve probably planted one tree before with your par-

ents, school organization, or on your own, but have you kept up with the care of that living creature? Nature is

just as alive as humans and animals. Why are we allow-ing our planet to fall apart? Animals have their duty and purpose in this world but so do we. People need to stop looking for the easy way out because there is no way to avoid what is happening to our planet. This semester, our university decided to eliminate

paper waste and have students do course evaluations through a computer or smartphone. Surprisingly, some students began to be against evaluations if they were not on paper. I couldn’t help but think how selfish they could be by not considering the environment. It is actually a good thing we don’t have to waste so much paper. Some people don’t even know how to recycle consistently. Nature does its part by providing oxygen for our hu-

man race but is our entire human race working on the care of the world? The answer is no.One thing to think about is how all of nature is working

for this world. It is how we should all be working too. Unfortunately, not everyone listens and not everyone cares, but for those that do, go buy a tree and plant it. There’s still a chance of a moderate future. Nature will kill us slowly if we continue to mistreat it.

Overall, what’s the point of investing in a degree if the future of our planet is going to waste? I am not trying to convince anyone to drop out and give up. Most educated

people are first to make more effort and take responsi-bility. Think about how you could be wasting your time in

school because of the lack of change you are trying to make for our planet. Are we really going to allow the next generation suffer? Do we really want to wait and see what is going to happen next? Life is not about what you have or your class of living. In the end, no one takes anything. What really matters is what we do with our time while we are still alive. A good portion of that time, should dedicated to this world because it allows us to breathe. I’m not advertising a product to convince you to buy.

This is actually not even about convincing anyone. It is just a heads up about what will happen to the future and the amount ignorance people give on this issue. I’m not worried to much because I know that I won’t feel guilty if something does happen. I’m already trying, and that will be my satisfaction later when it all falls apart. I could say I tried and I hope that there’s other people out there that will find the same satisfaction because of the effort they invested while they were breathing.

Editorial

Seeing it live: the over-the-top spectacle of wweBy pablo nieto

Another TAMIU student, Matthew Wirsching, states, “I am strongly for it. I think every person has the right to defend their own life and not have to rely on govern-ment to protect themselves”. Renee Mares, English major at TAMIU explains how,

“It goes back to the safety precaution where students might abuse this law. So maybe it is best if P.D. is the only one to carry concealed weapons.” G.P. Franco, another TAMIU student acknowledged

the new gun law are a positive measure.“I believe it is a great step forward for addressing the

threat of school shootings that have occurred in recent years as students and faculty will now have the ability to be able to protect fellow students and visitors should an immediate situation arise.”TAMIU Police Chief Fructuoso San Miguel ensures

that precautions have been taken by TAMIU P.D. which include mock drills which involve active shooters, and a freshman active shooting course on TrainTraq which will prepare students on how to respond in the case of an active shooting. Chief San Miguel quotes, “Let’s keep in mind that this

is not open carry. There has been a misunderstanding that people are going to be walking around like in the Old Western Days. Campus carry must be concealed in a holster which concealed licensed holders should un-derstand.” San Miguel also acknowledged the complications this

could bring between those who carry and police officer, especially during an emergency.“What we have discussed here that we hope they iden-

tify themselves (concealed holders) because we don’t want an accidental shooting where we don’t know who is the bad guy. If we don’t know the officer will have seconds to think good guy or bad guy? So the officer may accidentally shoot the wrong person, or the officer might get shoot. So there is pros and cons to this. “The weapon cannot be openly displayed and failure to

comply with concealed standards will result in an im-mediate revoke of license. San Miguel also makes cer-tain that all TAMIU P.D. use their, “discretion” before

pointing out who might be an active shooter to prevent accidents. TAMIU P.D. undergoes various active shoot-er trainings through different agencies in order to pre-pare for such an event.Trevor Liddle, TAMIU associate vice president for ad-

ministration and chair of TAMIU Campus Carry Task Force, reminds the community of specifics that are meant to enhance the safety of the campus through the Task Force. For example, Campus carry becomes obso-lete in “areas where the concealed license holder would not be able to readily meet their duties, exclusion zones that TAMIU rules creates, student health and counseling centers, and in science and engineering facilities where the presence of a handgun could have unforeseen com-plications with science experiments”. The gun debate has been a hot topic in American so-

ciety. Every so often, another mass shooting happens causing the death of innocent people including children. Texas, being a Republican state, is usually very consid-erate on their citizens’ Second Amendment rights. Now, as most people understand or should understand,

a gun is not a patriotic item or symbol. It is a tool, de-signed in heavy detail, to cause death or serious bodily harm. That is its ultimate purpose. Guns do not shield from danger. They are used to for force protection. They are used for an offensive defense. That being said, those who do decide to carry after August 1 are going to have to always remember this when they carry. There are also some realities that TAMIU student s

must also consider. As San Miguel stated, this is con-cealed carry. There are rules to concealed carry. To ob-tain a license, a person must be twenty-one years or old-er. That already eliminates the eighteen, nineteen, and twenty year olds in the university. That already reduces a significant amount of students who would be eligible to carry. To obtain a license, one must attend a course, and be properly trained before being given the privilege. The course, itself, runs close to $200 in fees. On top of all that, students would have to go a purchase a handgun which usually pushes at $500. The average student may consider paying for a new car or new phone before pur-

chasing a gun. Also, the cost of tuition may further deter students from purchasing a gun. Lastly, concealed carry requires that the weapon be

hidden at time. As trivial as it may sound, the added responsibility to concealed carry only adds to the stress of university life. That being, expect for a select type of character to be carrying a concealed weapon. At the end of the day, the type of students would like-

ly be carrying concealed weapons are going to be the off-duty police officers and border patrol agents who attend classes, military veterans, and generally older in-dividuals. Under that notion, students are likely to feel comfortable knowing that these individuals are the ones carrying. However, universities are sacred institutions of knowl-

edge, and no one should come to a place of learning with violence in their hearts. Sadly, that is all very ide-alistic, and the reasons behind owning a gun is another debate for another time. In light of this news, those who felt a new arms race was coming to TAMIU should feel less cynical when given the proper information.

Gun Law continues from page one

Photo by Google

Weapons can be carried inside a school bag

WrestleMania is considered the premiere annual event of WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). I have been watching since WrestleMania 21, which took place over eleven years ago. This year WrestleMania landed on my birthday, April 3rd, and was held in the Cowboys Sta-dium in Dallas, Texas. As a result, I decided to go and experience the WWE’s version of the Super Bowl. Upon arriving at the stadium, I was greeted by the big-

gest line of people I had ever seen. With over 100,000 tickets being sold, I knew it was going to be packed with people from all around the world, but actually see-ing that many people in front of me all in one place was mesmerizing. That being said, getting inside the stadi-um and into your assigned seat was a problem. Security measures were being taken into extreme caution and ev-ery individual was being thoroughly searched. Not only were they doing ticket checks, but the stadium staff were also giving out wristbands in a long line further into the corridor, after another ticket check. This caused a huge delay; it was reported a lot of people were crowded tight-ly together waiting to be seated. I did not have much difficulty getting in, but after the show ended I learned several people had to be carried away by EMT’s after fainting from the body heat of other people surrounding them. Although different measures could have been tak-en to prevent this situation, I did not let it detract from my WrestleMania experience. After the long wait, I was in my seat ready for the show to start. The first match of the night started with a seven men

ladder match for the Intercontinental title held by Kevin Owens. The first man to retrieve the championship held high above the ring with a ladder would be the winner. The challengers to the champion were Kevin Owens’ longtime friend turned bitter rival Sami Zayn, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Stardust, masked luchador Sin Cara, and one of the biggest underdogs in the company’s history, Zack Ryder. The match was a spectacle with a lot of high risk spots for the wrestlers. Sami Zayn and Kevin’s an-imosity towards each other would end up costing each other the chance to win the championship, as Sami Zayn took out Kevin by doing a full nelson suplex into a ladder in which Kevin Owens landed neck first. The Miz would end up taking a distracted Sami Zayn out of the match, leaving The Miz free to climb up the ladder and secure

the championship. The Miz took too long gloating at the top of the ladder, giving Zack Ryder a chance to run up the ladder and push The Miz off the ladder to grab the belt and become the new Intercontinental Champion. The win was an emotional one for Zack Ryder because

he had been with the WWE for seven years and was con-sistently one of the most popular superstars, yet he had never been given the chance to wrestle at WWE’s big-gest event of the year. The next match featured international superstar and one

of WWE’s newest signings, A.J. Styles, against a long time veteran of the WWE, Chris Jericho. This was A.J.’s Styles’ first WrestleMania. Before he signed on to the WWE, he was one of the most popular superstars around the world making his mark in Japan. His popularity car-ried on to the WWE, and he started his career teaming up with Chris Jericho. Chris Jericho would eventual-ly get jealous of the fans chanting for A.J. Styles and he betrayed him, attacking him from behind. This led to their match at WrestleMania which was a technical match from two of the best wrestlers in the world. The finish came when AJ Styles tried jumping at Chris Jer-icho from the top rope and Jericho caught him with the codebreaker, a double knee facebreaker for the win. The New Day were set to take the stage up next and it

consists of a group of 3 men named Kofi Kingston, Big E Langston and Xavier Woods. The New Day is one of my favorite group of wrestlers because when they first debuted a year ago, they were booed by crowds around the world for being three stereotypical black guys who had no character and were as fun as watching paint dry. Fast forward to a year later, and they are the most pop-ular superstars in the entire roster and the ovation they received when they came out at WrestleMania was deaf-ening. Chants of “New Day Rocks!” filled up the arena, and not a single person was seated. Everyone was chant-ing along, and by the end of their match, all I could hear was a loud ringing in my ear. To see their metamorphosis throughout the year and watch it culminate in the biggest ovation of the event at the grandest stage of them all was amazing. All that aside, the main event of the night was WWE

World Heavyweight Championship, Triple H against Roman Reigns. Triple H is a 14 time world champion

and has been wrestling for the company for 20 years. Roman Reigns is the person who WWE is grooming to be the next big superstar after Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and John Cena. Despite the constant support from the higher officials of WWE, Roman Reigns is universally hated by fans around the world. These fans feel Roman Reigns is pushed down their throats and is an incompetent wrestler with very lit-tle character. Roman Reigns went into the match a good guy and Triple H as the villain, yet Roman was show-ered with constant booing from the crowd. Triple H was cheered as if he was the second coming of Jesus Christ. I had never seen such a vocal and hostile crowd in my life. This was the match I will remember most from the night as a lot of people walked out of the stadium before the match even ended because they knew Roman Reigns was going to win. I know wrestling is scripted and the re-sults are pre-determined but even I had hope that some-how Triple H would walk out a champion. Roman Reigns ended up winning the championship

and once again the booing rained down upon him. It got so bad that after the event was over. The cameras offi-cially stopped broadcasting and Triple H had to get on the mic and try to cheer up the crowd. I watched the main event again after I got home and was shocked to see WWE had muted the crowd booing while Roman Reigns was celebrating with his title. Also the cameras completely ignored any crowd shots because everyone in the front row had their middle fingers up to voice their anger towards the result of the match.All things aside, it was a very enjoyable experience and

I am glad I got to spend my birthday at WrestleMania watching my favorite wrestlers go at it in the grandest stage of them all. To be there with the most passionate fans of wrestling from across the globe was something I never thought I’d experience in my life. I would rate the show a 9/10, and I’m already saving up money to be able to afford next year’s WrestleMania in Florida.

MAY 2016

7

Whiskey tango foxtrot Part III: Syria

BY I.M. Kero

(For those who didn’t get the title’s pun, it is the use of the phonetic alphabet for “WTF”. That is the current sit-uation in Middle East and throughout the entire Global War on Terror. The GWOT is its actual name since 2001. Sometimes I have to remind myself. Remembering so is the first step to understanding why so many countries are involved. Right now, the key states of main conflict is Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Within the fifteen years, there’s been a lot, and eventually future TAMIU student will likely be spending a semester studying the topic, but I’ll be here to explain it the best I can for you un-derstand.)Afghanistan and Iraq are horror stories of their own,

but Syria is the real tragedy. Syria was not really do-ing much during the Bush years, and part of the Obama years. They weren’t friendly, but they weren’t being bombed either. The spring of 2011 in known as the Arab Spring. It

was the time when several Arab nations had revolts that overthrew their dictators and longtime leaders. Tunisia kicked it off where it was done somewhat peacefully. Egypt was the next big move. It was more bloody there, but the Egyptian president eventually resigned. Libya was very bloody. What started as protest became a civil war. It was a war so big it involved a NATO air cam-paign and US support. It ended in six months with the horrid killing of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Then there was Syria. Syria started as protest, then came the civil war, and now nobody knows what to call it.Syria is ruled by Bashar Al-Assad who is a dictator.

Like the other protestors of the other Arab countries, they wanted him to step down. He didn’t, and it led to war. Like Libya, the US questioned whether it would aid the Syrian rebels known as the Free Syrian Army. They pondered this through 2012 and 2013. The issue concerned sending weapons to the rebels. The Ameri-can government was afraid that the weapons would land in the hands of radical terrorist which was very likely. President Obama stated that Syria should not cross his “red line” where they use chemical weapons against their enemies. The Syrian government still crossed that “red line” and chemical weapons were used. The overall issue with the Syrian government and Bashar Al-Assad is their alliances with Iran and Russia. Directly engag-ing Al-Assad could lead to confrontations with Russia and Iran, and don’t forget Israel is always related. The disgruntled Sunnis of Iraq took advantage of Syr-

ian turmoil. It opposed the Al-Assad government in the form of the Islamic State. At the same time, they spilled the fighting over to northern Iraq against the new Iraqi government. This is where the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was formed. Formally known as Al-Qaeda of Iraq, ISIL is a conventional militia armed mainly on the ground. Their forces have been competent against the

Iraqi and Syrian governments. In both of these countries they control much territory. The group follows yet an-other perverted interpretation of Islam that mandates the killing of non-Muslims and Muslims who do not accept their views. Their views have been seen to be so radical and savage that the actual Al-Qaeda views them as in-correct. ISIL has claimed responsibility for terrorist at-tacks globally including the recent one in Paris, France. Many extremist Muslims are acting on behalf of ISIL to perform terrorist attacks worldwide. All of these has lead to where we are now. In 2014, the United States began an air-campaign

alongside several NATO and Arab allies in Iraq and Syria. France has entered the stage after their terrorist attacks. Russia is involved by supporting Al-Assad by attacking ISIL and the Free Syrian Army. This is causing complications. Russia’s air campaign has recently end-ed, but their attacks have claimed the lives of civilians. Though it helped defeat parts of ISIL, it’s been damag-ing with Russo-US relations. Their support for Al-Assad is contrary to the US’ support towards the rebels. Iran has strong ally towards the Syrian government.

Iran, like Russia, supports Al-Assad in defeating the Is-lamic State militant. However, they also support the de-feating their rebels as well. Like with Russia, it makes it difficult for the US to support rebels against rivaling na-tion that are making the conflicting into their own proxy experiment. The Syrian government has used tactics that are similar to that of the late Saddam Hussein in the 1980s and 90s. The US government has absolutely no intention to find peace in Syria with Al-Assad continu-ing to be in power. The Russian and Iranian do not agree with the Americans on this, and they would not want to see a pro-western President calling the shots in Syria. Above all, Al-Assad does not want to give up his power.Turkey and Lebanon, being Syria’s neighbors, have

been very affected by the war. Terrorist attacks by the ISIL have struck fear in the hearts of both countries. The Turks are concerned about the Kurdish people gaining ground due to the conflict. The Kurds are a Muslim mi-nority in places like northern Iraq and mountainous parts of Turkey. The Turks have had violent confrontation with Kurdish rebels, and they have been engaged in the conflict partially to defeat the Kurdish fighter alongside the Islamic State. Lebanon is not in active conflict in Syria, but their enemies are close the gate. Still remem-bering their civil wars of the past decades, the Lebanese are no stranger to war. However, the increase of Syrian refugees have affected the demographics in Lebanon, and the government is becoming less and less capable to care for them. The refugee crisis has been strain for many of the sur-

rounding nations. Turkey is looking to square a deal with the European Union in handling the influx of refu-gees. The conflict has caused a largest refugee migration since World War II. Certain right-wing politicians in Europe are skeptical or uncompromising with bringing

in any of the refugees under the concern of accepting possible terrorists and increasing the Muslim population of those states that are predominantly Christian. At the same time, the conditions that the refugees are experi-encing in Germany and Lebanon are far from spectac-ular. Many are put into miserable facilities and thrown into an unwelcoming communities. Most that enter do not want to stay, but returning home is difficult because home is where the war is. Though Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States were sup-

portive when the US began its air campaign, they have not paid much attention towards the conflict in Syria. Saudi Arabia is currently fighting a proxy war against Iran in Yemen. The sharp drop in oil prices is making the Gulf States feel less luxurious to fight a war right now.Currently, the fighting on the ground is Syria is being

done by several factions: the Syrian government, the Free Syrian Army, ISIL, and Kurdish fighters. In the air, the US, Canada, and France have supported a bombing, but for the exception of the US, they have pulled their support. Russia says to have completed their mission, yet their presence is still prominent. Jordan and Turkey continue to fight, but for their own interest. At this point, what is the final solution? The United

States could send a whole party, and invade Iraq, Syr-ia, and have someone assassinate Al-Assad, but those tactics were used in the last decade and have practical-ly got us in the situation we are in now. It would end things rather quickly, but it would only send the mes-sage that the Iraqi government was truly incompetent and the only way they survived was through the United States military. This will only encourage the spread of radical Islam. If you haven’t figured it out already, the religion of Islam truly has nothing to do with any of this. If it did, then 1.5 Billion Muslims would have declared war on the West. Generally speaking, these countries are being run by corrupt leaders and so much war has torn them. Islam is only being used as propaganda for those seeking power and revenge. The final solution to still bet on are the hard fighting Muslim/Arab soldiers who repel radicalism. These people, men and women, fight every day to defeat this menace and win their freedom. Understand that they are not the United States or other military powers that can do this so swiftly. It will take time, and it will be costly. We are now reaching our fifteenth year since 9/11. In

this time, we have invaded two countries, defeated a dictator, killed one of our greatest enemies, and inspired others to embrace democracy. It’s rocky and uncertain, but so was America when it began. Unlike old com-munism, there are no terrorist countries. These rogue criminals will face justice as did Bin Laden and thou-sands more. America and the American people have to continue betting on democracy, and support our foreign democratic expenditures to prevail.

military

civil affairs

By Daniela RodriguezAs a student of Texas A&M International University,

I am very proud to be part of a great community within a great city. I live near Merida Avenue, which is only a 15 minute car ride to TAMIU. However, when I ride the bus, travelling takes more than two hours. Besides myself, many other students struggle with the same sit-uation. Throughout the eight months I have been riding the bus, I have realized the city needs to expand their routes and schedules, add the number of the route to ev-ery post, and add a map to every bus stop.It is necessary that the proper authorities realize Lare-

do is growing rapidly, and that they should expand their routes to accommodate this growth. For example, ac-cording to El Metro Transit website, there are 22 bus routes covering the Laredo area, but none of them take you to newly-opened Alamo Draft House on East Point Drive, which is located in a rapidly booming and north-ernmost area of town. Similarly, bus services for the southern area of Laredo must be expanded as well. Like its northern counterpart, it is also growing at a substan-tial rate. Unfortunately, only three routes cover this area:

Route 14 (Santa Rita), Route 19 (Santo Niño) and Route 20 (Los Angeles). The average wait time for an individ-ual taking these routes ranges from 70-90 minutes.Regarding the schedules of El Metro Transit, they must

be expanded to adapt to Laredo’s growth. Personally, I need to take two different buses in order to get home. The first one is Route 16, which covers the TAMIU area, and it takes me downtown to the transit center where I must take Route 19 to get home. Route 19 only has one bus which takes more than an hour to complete its crossing. This means that if Route 16 is delayed, I must wait downtown for an hour to wait for the next Route 19 bus. Also, I have noticed that some routes end too ear-ly, which causes problems for workers who leave work late at night and to students who cannot enroll in night classes or have to leave during class to take the last bus.Finally, I must mention the lack of maps at bus stops.

A few months ago at a bus stop, I ran into a woman who was visiting Laredo. She asked me which route we were on. That made me realize the lack of maps and route numbers at all bus stops. It is difficult to get to know a

city when there is no transportation capable of giving access to all areas of the city to its citizens and visi-tors. The first time I rode the bus, I had no idea where it would take me. If I had not been able to check the route schedule on my phone, I do not know what could have happened.I encourage El Metro Transit to observe and improve

these problems mentioned above. The people of Laredo deserve a better bus system. Laredo is the largest inter-national port in the country, and many workers from Mexico use the bus to travel to and from work. Ensuring a better public transportation for not only students, but transnational workers as well, ensures a stronger eco-nomic future for our city.I know that I am not the only person dealing with this

problem. I hope when the authorities read this, they see what can be improved and work towards building a bet-ter Laredo.

Student Seeks To Improve Daily Commute For Students

Photos by Google

Bashar Al-Assad, President of Syria

Rebel sniper takes a view at the destruction

The war began with peaceful protest Rebel loads a machine gun

Most combat is seen in urban areas

Aftermath of an airstrike Children have suffered equally

Writing with intent: wintermester with Dr. ByhamBy dominique flores & Dr. jack c. byham

TAMIU requires that all students enrolled in a Bach-elor’s program complete three Writing Intensive-Level courses in order to graduate. One of the three must fall under the discipline in which the student is managing a degree, while the other two only require that they are at a 3000-4000 level. WIN courses are designed to give writing a critical role for the purpose of building stu-dents’ writing competence. Students registered for WIN courses should expect at least 60% of their grade to be based on the evaluation of their written work, as speci-fied by the “Write On, TAMIU!” Committee.Dr. Jack Byham of the Department of Social Scienc-

es and 2015-2016 University Honors Program Faculty Member of the Year taught a 4000-level Wintermester WIN course earlier this year in January, entitled “Au-tonomy and Morality: Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Moral-ity”. Dr. Byham specializes in political philosophy, and a student-conducted survey of his WIN course’s overall methodology proves his expertise in theoretical analysis is appropriate for TAMIU standards and beyond.Dr. Byham assigned three explications and a final

explication. Each explication required a first and final draft, along with a peer-reviewed critique. Dr. Byham provided additional excerpts from Nietzsche’s other no-table works, as well as from other remarkable authors, such as George Orwell, to supplement students’ under-standing of Nietzsche’s critique of morality. Additional-ly, Dr. Byham assigned supplementary in-class writing activities as part of the intensive writing process, which consisted of rearranging paragraphs and rewriting sen-tences for clarity.In many cases, students are introduced to proper gram-

mar during middle school; and if they’re lucky, they are introduced to proper rhetorical technique in high school. However, at the university level, it’s rare for professors to make time to teach students that writing begins with speech. Given the majority of TAMIU students are bilin-gual in English and Spanish, it is imperative to remind them the importance of proper syntax. Students who solely speak English struggle with syntax too, especial-ly since the English language is constantly evolving. Dr. Byham heavily emphasized the significance of com-position and revision and taught students how to judge their writing language for improvement and perfection. To reinforce student progress, he provided appropriate feedback and response to all student’s work.A unique feature to TAMIU WIN courses is that they

have a cap of thirty students. 90% of the students en-rolled in Dr. Byham’s WIN course stated they prefer

small classes, and 100% stated they are more likely to retain the information and skills they acquired during a small class for a longer period of time. 100% of the stu-dents stated the small-sized class added to their learning and comfort.Dr. Byham’s love for teaching shines through in the

classroom. According to him, one of his main goals for all his political philosophy classes is to arrange a meaningful encounter between the students he teaches and the thoughts and ideas of the classic authors whose books he assigns. “Their thoughts are powerful,” he says. “Ideas are one of the things that can bring about radical change in the world, especially over time. I think there’s something to the notion that intellectual histo-ry is really the nerve of history.” However, Dr. Byham insists that radical social change is not the goal of his teaching or of student learning in his classes. “I am not a big believer in the idea that philosophy in general or po-litical philosophy in particular should be brought down from the ivory tower and made to perform in the world. I think the assumption many make today is that political philosophy ought to be approached with a view to mak-ing the world a better place; what happens in fact, how-ever, when we operate on that assumption, is that by be-coming involved in the politics and power struggles of the real world, philosophy—and any intellectual inquiry into the truth, for that matter, including science—has a tendency to degenerate into ideology, the ugly stepsister of the original, uncompromising Socratic quest for wis-dom. I’m more a partisan of the classic, Socratic view,” Dr. Byham says, “the view that the purpose of reading the classic texts of political philosophy is for the sake of one’s understanding, for making progress in wisdom, not social change or disruption or political action. One ought to read political philosophy in order to become more philosophic oneself, not to change the world.”When I expressed to Dr. Byham my suspicion that his

view is perhaps neither the conventional view of those who teach in universities today, nor even my view, he was quick to agree. “Oh yes,” he said, “I know. I believe I am in the minority.” We laughed. “Well then,” I con-tinued, “what do you say to those who disagree with you on this?” “Well, it is true,” he said, “that good change is always good; who could object to that? But what is a good change? That is not always so obvious. Every change we wish to see, or could possibly wish to make in the world, is rooted in our view of what is good and just and right and true. Yet our views of these things are essentially contested and contestable. Reading the great

minds of the past, including the political philosophers, is an excellent way to initiate oneself into the way our most seriously held opinions—moral, political, and oth-erwise—are contested and contestable. To give my stu-dents a taste of this contest, and to allow them to make progress in navigating it for themselves, are my goals in each and every one of my political philosophy courses.Scholars and academics continue to debate effective

teaching methods. Student responses show that Dr. By-ham’s instruction style in the WIN course was highly successful. It’s important to highlight that Dr. Byham’s WIN course was taught during Wintermester’s two-week period. The class met Monday through Friday for four and a half hours each day. This shows dedication on behalf of both Dr. Byham and his students. The students took turns reading Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morality out loud as a class and finished the text in its entirety –a grand accomplishment for all. It proves the intensive writing, supplementary readings, and writing activities can be implemented into full semester WIN courses.

Guest article

Photo courtesy of TAMIU

MAY 2016

8

By Iris Vasquez Guerrero

The Burning Question...Graduate School?Upon returning to school, my main priority was to

graduate, and if possible, to do so within one year. If I was going to return to school, I needed a clear goal. If all goes well, I will be reaching that goal and graduat-ing with my Bachelor’s degree on May 20th. However, graduation is not the end of my story. Even though I am just over thirty years old, this is still

a new beginning for me. I am sure many other gradu-ates feel the same way. The questions we ask ourselves when we reach this point are usually along the lines of, “Where will I go from here? A job? A career? Maybe take a break?” Finally, what about graduate school? These are all valid questions. At the moment, getting

a job is one of my biggest priorities, since I had to leave work to attend school. I must admit that returning to the workforce is both intimidating and worrying. Filling out applications and going through interviews once again isn’t exactly something I’m looking forward to after graduation.With classes that opened my mind and really chal-

lenged me, I’ve realized I am not yet ready to leave school. The thought of not being able to engage in dis-cussions with classmates, or being exposed to so many different points of view was also a concern of mine. I began to consider graduate school, but I still remained apprehensive about continuing my education. I attend-ed two graduate fairs, arriving and leaving each time still unsure about my decision. I had read the flyers, talked to the professors, spoken to students, and I still did not know what to do about my future.

I was finally able to come to a decision after attending the Communications Research Conference held at TA-MIU. The panelists presented papers and research on different topics involving media research. Seeing and listening to graduate students from TAMIU and other colleges as well, motivated me to continue my educa-tion. The effort and preparation put into their presenta-tions is something I knew I have within me. I left the conference inspired and spent the evening dis-cussing the different topics with my husband. He sat lis-tening to me talk about how impressed I was with each panel. At the end of our conversation, he said the words that

cleared up any lingering doubt:“Do it.” I had already mentioned graduate school in passing;

how I would love to if we had the money, or if he could stand our living situation for another year. Yet it had never been something we had genuinely talked about. While we talked about the logistics and financial aid I felt myself overwhelmed with love. Knowing that my partner saw my passion and is willing to endure anoth-er year of being the sole breadwinner moved my heart. My husband’s unconditional support was the last push I needed to know that continuing my education was in my future. While I am nervous about entering the Master’s pro-

gram at TAMIU because of the stigma that can come with getting both degrees from the same institution, I remember the amount of knowledge and opportunities the communication department has to offer. I feel it is

the right place for me. From the equipment available to the variety of classes offered, I know I will be able to learn so much.My determination is what guides me forward and

though I am still waiting for all the pieces to fit into place, I am hopeful. The road ahead still makes me ner-vous, but it is a joyful nervousness, filled with excite-ment for this new beginning.

ACADEMIA

¡Gracias por todo, Dr. keck!

Dr. Jack C. Byham, Associate Professor

Iris Vasquez Guerrero with Dr. Keck

Photo by Dr. Daniel De la Miyar, The Bridge News