August 29, 2011

“Q: How do you improve the aerodynamics of a music major’s car? A: Take down the pizza sign.”

Gabriela Bravo, a 19-year-old San Juan native who is double majoring in music and nursing, said she was all too familiar with this type of liberal arts major stereotype.

“A common one is when I tell them that I’m a music major, the next thing I hear is, ‘OK, what’s your real major?’” she said.

In regard to her double major, Bravo said that both of them interest her, but nursing o� ers more job security.

“In the event I don’t do well in music, nursing is a guaranteed job and it pays well enough to survive o� of,” she said. “People are always sick.”

While the high school counselor mantra about earning more money with a college education than without holds true – just a bachelor’s degree caused incomes to jump up an estimated $26,000 annually according to the National Center for Education Statistics -- not just any degree will nab those higher salaries.

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics students are more in demand than others, leading many to wonder if, in

this economy where a job o� er can be rare, is it still worth it to incur considerable debt for a non-STEM major?

Shaney Flores, former chair of the UT System Student Advisory Council who recently graduated with a English/psychology double major said that life after graduation was uncertain for a while.

“I spent a lot of time � lling out applications, trying to get interviews and � nd out about openings from anyone I knew who could help me,” Flores said.

Not only do non-STEM majors take longer to � nd a job, they also earn less per year than their peers. A 2009 NCES study recorded median annual income for students a year after they received their bachelor’s. STEM students pulled in an estimated $12,000 more than their counterparts. With student loan debt a major player in household � nances, that salary di� erence would allow STEM students to pay o� loans more quickly and make way for other expenses and/or investments.

OUTLOOK BLEAK FOR CREATIVE FIELDS

So-what does all that student debt buy you? Many see college as an investment for a future career but a similar NCES study that caught up with students 10 years after

they earned undergrad diplomas suggests that for some majors, a bachelor’s is not very useful.

While the majority of business and education students had careers pertaining to their major, those from arts and humanities and social and behavioral sciences had extremely low numbers of students working in those � elds after 10 years.

On the STEM side of things, however, every single major sent the vast majority of students into their chosen careers. Looking at the majors individually, for example, shows that both computer science and engineering students are a full four times more likely to work in their � eld than are those from arts and humanities subjects, such as English, sociology, or art.

� e few number of professional musician positions compared to the high demand for nurses prompted Bravo in her plans to try music � rst and then go back and � nish nursing if it doesn’t work out.

“� e nursing degree is obviously more useful than the music, but it depends on what kind of job you’re looking at,” she said. “Plus, if you want a job in the music area, you need a degree plus a considerable amount of luck, connections, and of course, talent.”

Although many of the non-STEM

majors went on to work outside their chosen � eld, interestingly, data on career perceptions were very similar for STEM and non-STEM students. About 90 percent of both groups said they considered their current work a career and about 60 percent said that their undergraduate education was very important to their job.

Flores agrees. After adamantly searching for a job for three months after graduation, he landed a position managing a cognitive psychology lab at Washington University in St. Louis. Even though it only o� cially makes use of one of his degrees, Flores said he would major in psychology and English again if given the chance.

“One got me my current job while the other one helps me to better understand and interpret materials I have to read,” said the 22-year-old Harlingen native. “A STEM � eld degree would have certainly gotten me a job faster and that paid more, but I have learned that while those things are important, what is more important is that you do what you love. In the long run, I don’t mind sacri� cing money and job o� ers for something I love doing.”

By Karen AntonacciThe Pan American

WWW.PANAMERICANONLINE.COMVolume 68, No. 1 August 29, 2011

In one day the Rio Grande Valley received over $72 million in funds to be directed at creating a long-awaited home for the arts, as well as support for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and health-care education at UT institutions.

� e University of Texas System Board of Regents approved a $30 million plan to expand educational programs, recruit faculty and bolster operations in the lower part of the RGV while also approving the construction of a nearly $42.7 million Fine Arts Academic and Performance Complex at � e University of Texas-Pan American.

“With over one-third of all UT System students attending institutions in South Texas…investments such as the board is making in this region are vital…to a chronically underserved area of the state.” Regents’ Chairman Gene Powell said in a news release.

� e decision comes almost two months after a controversial 30-day special session held in June where the 82nd Texas Legislature slashed funding for programs in health and human services and education.

After all that painful budget cutting in the past year, the Valley is getting a helping hand, as � ursday the Regents unanimously approved an action plan recommended by UT System Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa. And UTPA had some input sometime ago, as it turns out.

“When I � rst got here there was a retreat where all the presidents got together,” President Robert Nelsen said. “� e Chancellor came forward and asked us what are some of the things we want to focus on to make sure we succeed. We then came up with several initiatives. One was keeping Austin at the level they’re at, another was emerging research universities and making sure they got Tier One. But one was to do something for education in the Valley. We just kept morphing a plan. It was once a booklet of 40 pages and then it became three pages. We � nally had something for the Regents.”

As part of the “Framework for Advancing Excellence throughout � e University of Texas System,” the recommendations of the Task Force on Productivity and Excellence and the Task Force on Blended and Online Learning, the LRGV plan re� ects important steps forward in increasing productivity and improving academic quality.

Within the framework the board also committed $234.6 million for projects across the 15 other institutions and System Administration.

IS YOURDEGREE STILL

WORTH IT?

Reynaldo Leal / THE PAN AMERICAN

62.5%

STEM Non-STEM

56.0%

Job Related to Major

73.4%

STEM Non-STEM

56.8%

BA Required in Job

High School or GED

Some College

Bachelor’s degreeor higher

UTPA lands $72M

By Roxann GarciaThe Pan American

SEE UT SYSTEM || PAGE 5

Salary$ 34,500

Salary$ 48,000

Debt$ 22,800

Debt$ 22,800

vs

Student debt and median salarySTEM vs Non-STEM

Erick Gonzalez/THE PAN AMERICANSource: HTTP://NCES.ED.GOV

Reynaldo Leal/THE PAN AMERICAN

Part I of “The Identity of the University” Series

Median Annual Earnings for Full-Time Young Hispanic Workers

With a new year comes not one, but two new editors-in-chief - Roxann Garcia and Alma E. Hernandez. With these two there’s always two points of view.

Alma, or “Almz” came out of the womb with a camera in her hand. � e Weslaco native started studying photography in Austin

before transferring to UTPA. She started at the paper as photo editor and is always pushing the visual quality of the newspaper and website.

Roxann, or “Rox” on the other hand, can win the prize in AP Style trivia and has a love a� air with journalism. � e San Benito

native came on the paper as a reporter and then served as news

editor. Rox always wants the best reporting on the most relevant topics.

Here’s the marriage-like bickering that produces our tightrope-walk of a paper:

R: I like photos but not when they take space from a story.

A: � e � rst thing someone looks at is photos, then the cutline.

R: No I think the � rst thing an eye is drawn to is the headline.

A: Eyes are drawn to a photo, especially if it’s a good photo.

� e main goal of this duo has been, however, to bring a more collaborative e� ort to the table whether it’s photo- or story-driven. With the combined e� orts we produced this quality paper, with many more to come.

Last year, just like everyone else, � e Pan American felt the e� ects of budget cuts and we’ve reduced our print edition from 16 pages to 12 pages. � is means more content will be delivered through the website at panamericanonline.com and in an e� ort to make the site more user-friendly sta� webmasters have redesigned it. And a second redesign will debut in January, with each successive innovation emphasizing stories you can only � nd on the Web, with more videos and plenty of image galleries.

Tackling social media, � e Pan American has also introduced Facebook, Twitter and Flickr pages to keep readers better connected. � is is only the � rst step in our Public Relations outreach project. Another endeavor is our 5th Annual High School Conference set to take place Sept. 24. Invite your little brother or sister.

Every year the � rst paper of the fall semester includes a Letter from the Editor announcing the new direction for the semester. And it’s always boring. � e

bottom line of ours is keep up with your university news, so check out our website and most importantly send in any ideas or concerns. Believe it or not, we’re interested.

We hope you enjoy a brand new semester.

-EICs

August 29, 20112

Francisco Rodriguez/THE PAN AMERICAN

Alma Hernandez & Roxann Garcia Co-Editors in Chief

Letter from the Editors

The Pan American accepts letters of 300 words or less from students, staff and faculty regarding recent newspaper content, campus concerns or current events. We reserves the right to edit submissions for grammar and length. We cannot publish anonymous letters or submissions containing hate speech or gratuitous personal attacks. Please send all story ideas to [email protected].

Individuals with disabilities wishing to acquire this publication in an alternative format or needing assistance to attend any event listed can contact The Pan American for more details.

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

Letters to the Editor

Delivery:Thursday at noon

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

Fax: (956) 316-7122

CO- EDITORS IN CHIEF: Alma E. [email protected]

Roxann Garcia [email protected]

NEWS EDITOR: Karen [email protected]

SPANISH EDITOR: Saira Trevino [email protected]

SPORTS EDITOR: Michael [email protected]

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR: Nadia [email protected]

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR: Reynaldo [email protected]

DESIGN EDITOR: Erick [email protected]

INTERIM MULTIMEDIA EDITOR:Veronique Medrano [email protected]

ADVISER:Dr. Greg [email protected]

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE: Anita Reyes [email protected]

ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mariel [email protected]

WEBMASTERS: Jose Villarreal [email protected]

Selvino [email protected]

THE PAN AMERICAN

Vol. 68, No. 1

before transferring to UTPA. She started at the paper as photo editor and is always pushing the

reporter and then served as news editor. Rox always wants the best reporting on the most relevant topics.

bickering that produces our tightrope-walk of a paper:

when they take space from a story.

Letter from the Editors

the site more user-friendly sta� webmasters have redesigned it. And a second redesign will debut in January, with each successive innovation emphasizing stories you can only � nd on the Web, with more videos and plenty of

introduced Facebook, Twitter

our Public Relations outreach project. Another endeavor is our 5th Annual High School Conference set to take place

Every year the � rst paper of the fall semester includes a Letter from the Editor announcing the new direction for the semester.

-EICs

Former Photo Editor vs. former News Editor

Illustrations by Francisco Rodriguez

As the University sought to continue its budget cuts that have now totaled an estimated $4 billion, a number of employees accepted the voluntary separation plan offered in the spring and will soon bid farewell to UTPA.

According to George Gause, long-time special collections librarian, taking the voluntary separation plan seemed like the best fit for him at the right time.

“As you know, Pan Am, and the state of Texas, is experiencing some economic difficulty, and Pan Am as a whole offered a volunteer retirement package,” Gause said. “What that would be is, for anyone who took them up on it, six months’ salary. So I figure, okay six months’ salary. I’ve got two months of vacation. So that is eight months. If I take all of that, by the time that runs out, I will be 65. Hasta Luego! Basic mathematics. Good opportunity.”

For the New York native, who first began working with Pan American University at Brownsville in 1973 as a library coordinator, the love for libraries and gathering information started with an out-of-state trip to visit his friend in Austin. There, Gause

encounte red the Texas State Library and Archive, where he discovered an u n e x p e c t e d branch in his family tree.

“Really, it was a (family) branch from the Carolinas that migrated to Texas and f o u n d e d Gause, Texas,” he recalled. “There was i n fo rma t ion on Gause, Texas (and) Bill Gause, the f o u n d e r … I started doing

all this photocopying…and I knew we had to be related. I went home to the family Bible and it went all the way back to 1762.”

After concluding that he was in fact related to Bill Gause, Gause’s passion for acquiring information grew. He went on to obtain his masters in library science from George

Peabody in Nashville, Tenn.

Gause has kept his passion for archiving alive in the past 38 years he has spent as librarian for UTPA. Here, he obtained and identified materials that pertain to Laredo, Corpus Christi, B r o w n s v i l l e , Victoria and the Mexican regions of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon and Coahuila. He explained that one of his most important duties is finding information for students, which piques their interest and is s imu l t aneou s l y helpful for their essays, research and dissertations.

“I try to get the student to think, ‘why are you writing on that, how much breadth do you want to give it? ’’ he said. “Don’t come in here with high hopes going, ‘I want to do the history of the Rio Grande Valley in two pages.’ That’s impossible. So we start working and getting it down... Don’t write on

something that doesn’t interest you, unless you just have to.”

Upon his departure Gause admits that he will miss the interaction with both UTPA students and others that come to do research from UT Austin, the University of North Texas, Harvard, Yale and Stanford. However, Gause is also excited about having more time to read The Monitor, take siestas, and maintain his garden.

ODOM ALSO SAYS GOODBYE

Janice Odom once served as director of university

relations and director of development at UTPA (from 1994-2000) and is currently vice president of university advancement since returning from The University of Texas at San Antonio in 2008. For her, the decision to relinquish her position was a tough one to make.

“I love being on a university campus. I love working on behalf of students,” she said. “Down here it is like everything we do matters, you know, whether it is out there raising money for scholarships or raising money for an endowed chair in engineering or money for pre- medical honor college.”

At 68 years old and with an estimated 50 years of e x p e r i e n c e in higher e d u c a t i o n , Odom stated that she never felt pressured to retire, but took the option to leave since she would have most likely retired in about a year or two anyway.

“When the opportunity for the voluntary separation came, I was on the President’s Cabinet and we talked a lot about that and the budget situations and so forth,” Odom said. “It’s a good opportunity for me, with the voluntary separation plan, but also I truly feel it is the right time for the university to bring new leadership into this division and try

to move us ahead a little further than I have been able to.”

Odom, whose current duties include fundraising for the university and working with university marketing and communications in the areas of public affairs, media relations and alumni relations, will pass on her duties Aug. 31. She said she hoped that the next vice president will continue to make fundraising for the university a top priority.

Admittedly, Odom explains that she does have a few loose ends to tie up upon her retirement.

“I’ll stay busy,” Odom said. “Eventually I might have to get a paying job but I’m going to take some time and go to my 50th high school reunion in the fall at Irving High School and go way out to Mexico Highlands for homecoming, which I have not had time

to do since I worked out there for my master’s.”

While Odom was asked by her son and daughter-in-law to serve as an assistant editor for their PR and marketing company based in San Antonio, she has not accepted. Instead, Odom would like to stay in Edinburg where she will be readily available to volunteer with the UTPA alumni office this fall and attend Bronc ball games.

August 29, 2011 3

UTPA staff accepts voluntary separation plan

By Belinda MunozThe Pan American

Veteran librarian George Gause and VP of UTPA Advancement Janice Odom discuss their years of service and their decision to take early retirement



NOT YOUR AVERAGE VP - Janice Odom has done much to advance the university and, even after retirement is looking forward to remaining active with UTPA.

READY TO RETIRE- After nearly four decades assisting students at the university library, George Gause is trading stacks of books for rows in his garden.

George GauseSpecial Collections librarian

“So I figure, okay six monthsʼ salary. Iʼve got two months of vacation. So that is eight months. If I take all of that, by the time that runs out, I will be 65. Hasta Luego! Basic mathematics. Good

opportunity.”

Janice OdomVP of University Advancement

“I love being on a university

campus. I love working on

behalf of students”

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UT SYSTEMcontinued from Page 1

The University of Texas-Pan American President Robert Nelsen awarded an unsuspecting Commencement Speaker Carlos Guerra after the latter had concluded his speaker’s address in front of a crowd of 413 graduates, provoking a tear-jerking moment for many.

Guerra, only three hours shy of a degree in 1974, was the first to receive his bachelor’s degree in business administration Aug. 20 during the first of two commencement ceremonies at the McAllen Convention Center.

“I was humbled and shocked; it was a dream come true,” Guerra said. “I had no clue; as a matter of fact, I’ve always told my daughters that I was going to be their roommate in college.”

Nelsen took pleasure in handing the 59-year-old his well-earned degree.

“This made me very happy to give it to someone who definitely deserves it,” said Nelsen, who begins his second year in the UTPA presidency. “He’s completely dedicated to the university.”

According to Nelsen, the successful cattle rancher and owner

of La Muneca Cattle Co. completed a statistics course in ’74 with a D. The grade kept him from getting his diploma.

“We were doing some research on Mr. Guerra for his biography,” Nelsen continued. “We found out that he did not pass his statistics course and once he got married, and had his kids, he was unable to continue. We then researched if we could give him a degree based upon experience.”

The University quickly discovered it was possible to award hours based upon experience and appropriate in this situation since Guerra, along with his wife, Ofira, have operated the La Muneca since 1989. Guerra has been a part of the cattle business since 1963 along with his fatherand brother.

� e Edinburg native is an avid supporter of the University, having donated over $600,000, according to Nelsen. � e Guerra family has sponsored the honors program as well as a scholarship fund that awards money to 30 to 40 students every year.

Guerra was more than happy to return to the University, especially as commencement speaker.“It was a tremendous honor for me to be able to come back to this

institution that we love and be a part of this,” he said.

Guerra noted in his speech a conversation he once had with a friend in which they discussed their favorite years in college. He quickly admitted his senior year was his favorite because that’s when he met his future wife. His friend soon revealed that his freshmen year was his favorite.

“He said those were the best three years of his life,” Guerra repeated to a room filled with laughter. “Do not let this happen to you. You’re going to drop a class or two, make a ‘D’ or two and have to retake those classes. It may not seem that important then but, guess what, four years later when your fiancé is graduating and has a job and you still have to take six to nine more hours, it’s going to hurt.”

Guerra is not quite sure as to what he’ll do next with his newfound degree. His son however, does have

some words of wisdom for him. “My son says I have to get a job

now,” he said with a smile.

� e Chancellor’s framework was initially presented at a Board of Regents meeting in May while Powell, a Weslaco native, formed the special task forces in February.

“� e initiative is based on the principle that higher education can continue to make a marked di� erence in this vital region of Texas, but there is still much to do,” stated the recommendation from Laredo native Cigarroa. “� e LRGV region has potential for further economic development…but is challenged by explosive population growth, a lower per capita income, and educational opportunities that do not meet the demand.”

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS

According to Matthew Flores, spokesperson for the Board of Regents, funding comes from two places, permanent university funds and institutional funds. According to UTPA President Nelsen, very little of the latest funding will come from the � rst area.

“Most of the money is coming from interest,” he said. “� at means all of the interest the University is making o� funds that we have invested in other projects. A little bit (of Permanent University Funds) will only go to the simulated teaching hospital.”

As part of a joint endeavor with UT-Brownsville the 15,000-square-foot simulated teaching hospital at the Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen, a branch of the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, will simulate care in the real world through planned events that are coordinated with the curricula of the programs involved, according to Cigarroa’s recommendation.

� e new facility will include 20 fully functional simulates hospital beds and designated teaching areas for Trauma/ER, Obstetrics and Pediatrics and Medical/Surgical simulations. Approximately $10 million has been allocated for the hospital and $4 million for biomedical research program, another joint endeavor including UTB, Regional School of Public Health in Brownsville, and the Laredo Regional Campus.

� e multi-campus and community-based research program is expected to leverage existing research strengths among its entities and lay a foundation for students to engage in STEM and health research.

Such a move improves the chances of locating a future medical school in the South Texas region, an idea discussed

during the 81st Texas Legislature in 2009. Currently a number of medical students from UTHSCSA

complete clinical rotations at the RAHC in Harlingen. However because there is a limited number of existing residency opportunities in South Texas, the LRGV plan will focus $1.5 million

in order to expand these residency programs.

� e Regents or Cigarroa did not take the goal ‘of

faculty recruitment’ lightly, in that with the biomedical research program another $4 million has been allocated to establish UTeach

programs in STEM education and engineering.UTeach is a teaching recruitment

program that prepares students who are pursuing their degree and who may have an interest in teaching. Both UTB and UTPA in collaboration with Texas State Technical College and South Texas College will team up to eventually train 200 LRGV teachers and serve over 1,200 students.

“You work with cohorts of kids over the years and so you identify yourself as a teacher early on in a STEM � eld,” Nelsen said. “By the time you leave, you’ve worked fours years with students, you know whether or not you want to be a teacher. It’s a great opportunity.”

In addition, $9.5 million is allotted to establish a faculty recruitment

program to attract STEM educators and researchers looking for teaching opportunities in the area.

“We’re looking for starters,” he said. “� ese will be people with national reputations. We need new faculty and to have the quality of high-caliber faculty such as these is really going to be marvelous.”

Lastly $1 million has been appropriated to augment philanthropic e� orts at UTB and UTPA through the Strength in Numbers program.

� e proposed center to replace the University’s existing Fine Arts Auditorium and Fine Arts Annex will be a modern, state-of-the-art facility that will add nearly 14, 500 square feet of space to current capacity. Completion of the projected 1, 000-seat theater is expected by October 2014.

� is is a project that has been on again, o� again, for some time. But now it appears headed for fruition. So are some other University plans, as the chancellor’s plan was music to the ears of the UTPA administration.

“I’m thrilled, I really am,” Nelsen said. “We’ve been through some tough times, some really tough times. � e sheer fact that they’re willing to invest in us and believe in the Valley makes me proud.”

and engineering.UTeach is a teaching recruitment

program that prepares students who are pursuing their degree and who may have an interest in teaching. Both UTB and UTPA in collaboration with Texas State Technical College and South Texas

and engineering.UTeach is a teaching recruitment

program that prepares students who are pursuing their degree and who may have an interest in teaching. Both UTB and UTPA in collaboration with Texas State Technical College and South Texas

including UTB, Regional School of

Trauma/ER, Obstetrics and Pediatrics and Medical/Surgical simulations. Approximately $10 million has been allocated for the hospital and $4 million for biomedical research program, another joint endeavor

Pediatrics and Medical/Surgical simulations. Approximately $10 million has been allocated for the hospital and $4 million for biomedical research program, another joint endeavor

$ 72 Million$ 72 Million$ 72 Million$ 72 MillionErick Gonzalez/THE PAN AMERICAN

By Roxann GarciaThe Pan American

Alma E. Hernandez/THE PAN AMERICAN

LEVEL UP! - Carlos Guerra gives a commencement speech at UTPA graduation Aug. 20 at the convention center. President Nelsen surprised Guerra who was three hours short of earning his degree during the ceremony.

Rancher granted diploma for his life experienceDegree 37 years in the making

THE PAN AMERICANTHE PAN AMERICAN August 29, 2011 August 29, 2011 Page 7Page 6

THE PAN AMERICANTHE PAN AMERICAN August 29, 2011 August 29, 2011 Page 7Page 6

August 29, 20118UTPA TheATer groUP

gAins nATionAl ATTenTion

The faces of those who complete the CineSol 36 Hour Film Race say it all after spending a day and a half running off adrenaline and energy drinks.

“They look like zombies,” Henry Serrato, the CineSol festival director, said.

Those who turn in their final product – a 10-minute film written, shot and edited over the weekend – have gotten little or no sleep during the previous two nights. A few teams pull up to the final meeting place just minutes after the deadline. Some don’t show up at all.

“It’s an adrenaline rush the whole 36 hours,” said Serrato, who competed in the first film race in 2005. “Overall, I think it’s a great way to showcase local filmmakers.”

The sixth annual film race will kick

off Friday night in Harlingen. Festival organizers will reveal a theme, location, prop and line of dialogue that each film must contain. Teams then have 36 hours to return to the meeting place with a short film.

“It’s pretty intense,” said Mario de Leon, a UTPA alum and CineSol board member. “You really have to be close to who you’re working with.”

De Leon, 35, and his team have competed in the race for four years. As part of the strategy last year, the San Juan native read the required film elements over the phone to the screenwriter after leaving the meeting.

“He went into the office, and we locked him in there and said, ‘Don’t come

out until you have a script,’” de Leon said. “By midnight or one o’clock, we already know where we’re shooting.”

The fast pace of the race gives teams little time to improvise when things go wrong. Izreal Rojas, a UTPA theater graduate, and the other members of CAB Films learned that when they were shooting in Harlingen during last year’s competition.

“We thought we had permission to shoot at a restaurant, but when we got there they were closing,” the Edinburg resident

said. “We finally found one, and that worked out.”

While crew members set up and the director coaches the actors, film editors are putting together video from the last scene,

Rojas said. “Nobody is

sitting around,” he explained. “You’re

thinking of the next thing and the next thing.”

Competitors will have a week to recuperate before their films are screened Sept. 11 at the 18th Annual CineSol Film Festival, which opens Sept. 10 at Texas State

Technical College in Harlingen. Judges this year are KGBT Interactive Manager Sergio Chapa, KISS 106.3 deejay Amanda Flores, and The Monitor’s Crystal Olvera.

“It’s like playing in the Super Bowl,” de Leon said. “It literally takes you a week to recover. You just want to find a quiet spot to lie down and cry.”

Some teams are out of the race before it begins when members switch teams or back out altogether at the last minute. Others fall apart mid-competition, splitting up over arguments under the pressure of the tight deadline. But 90 percent of teams turn in a film, even if they’re late, Serrato said.

“That’s what filmmakers live for,” de Leon stressed. “Yeah, you want to finish on time and you want to win, but you want to tell a story.”

Rojas said it’s the camaraderie between teammates and the chance to keep making films that pushes him to compete.

“If you stop doing it, the months will go by, the years will go by, and then you’re not doing anything,” he said. “We jump right into it knowing this is for us. Everybody who worked on that film project will have something that they’re proud of.”

For the first time in University history, its theater group has made a habit of performing outside of the state of Texas, telling personal stories of how the violence in Mexico has forever changed people’s lives. The Latino Theater Initiative is made up of current and former UTPA students living on both sides of the border and has done its work in New Orleans, Chicago, and New York City so far.

Its mission is to strengthen the presence of Latino theater at UTPA, bring more cultural, Latino-style theater to the Valley and build networks with Mexican theater and theater artists. Conceptualized in December 2009 by Eric Wiley, associate professor of communications and faculty adviser to the Latino Theater Initiative, the group didn’t officially apply to become an organization until last winter.

Members began performing informally in the spring of last year. Their first work was “La Lente Maravillosa,” (The Marvelous Magnifying Glass), a Spanish-language children’s play. They performed in local elementary schools reaching over 1,500 Spanish-speaking students. Next, the troupe intended on travelling south of the border to perform for audiences in Northeastern Mexico but a University of Texas System ban on university-sponsored travel prevented them from entering Mexico.

From this experience, “Crawling With Monsters” was born, a theater/commentary piece written anonymously about violence on the border and its consequences. The show features 17 performers and according to Wiley is targeted toward audiences outside the Valley who aren’t familiar with the situation across our border.

“We’re not reporters,” he says. “It’s more a human interest perspective, about children, stories that children tell, things that children say. That’s, I think one

of the reasons the show moves audiences, it’s not the usual newspaper story about how many people were killed last night or about how many pounds of marijuana were found, it’s kind of a disarming piece that has more to do with the consciousness of children and the effects of the fear on families and people…it’s kind of moving and different than the usual stories.”

Over the past year the troupe has performed in New Orleans, Chicago and New York City. The first of those performances was last November as part of the third annual New Orleans Fringe Theater Festival. It was in New Orleans that “Crawling With Monsters” drew the attention of Joe Furnari, treasurer of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, a leading organization of educational theatre. The show had such an impact on Furnari that he invited the group to perform at this year’s AATE’s annual conference as well as submit a scholarship proposal to AATE to help fund their trip to the conference.

This year’s AATE conference was held in Chicago from July 27-31. The Latino Theater Initiative performed “Monsters” twice, and according to Furnari, both shows received standing ovations.

“Both here and in New Orleans, people were so moved by it, they wanted to talk and find out more and just really embrace the students, their courage in doing it. It had such a profound impact on everybody,” he said. “You get a real clear sense of what is truly happening, also a feeling of helplessness because there’s nothing you can do about it. Not only is the show wonderful, because seeing and

hearing this story about what’s happening there, they could be so angry, they could have this feeling of helplessness and fear and yet you don’t get that sense.

“They have such a positive attitude and they wanted to do this because they really believe that telling this story in a theatrical form can make a difference. It just makes me like them and care about them all the more because they have such a positive attitude towards the whole thing and they are actually trying to do something in a positive manner and I think that’s amazing and wonderful.”

Each member of the group has personal reasons for telling this story, Augusto Contretas, president of the Latino Theater Initiative, graduate student and former resident of Monterrey, was personally affected by a cartel when one of his cousins was kidnapped. From that point on he said his life changed 180 degrees and his father decided to move his family to Mission.

“This play is important because we are giving the people at least the chance to speak for us, because people should know

what is happening in Mexico,” he said. “It’s affecting us in so many ways, we don’t even notice yet.”

The group just got back from New York City, where they did five shows from August 19-24 at the New York International Fringe Festival, the largest multi-arts festival held in the United States featuring performers from all over the world. David Sheward, a member of the New York Drama Critics’ Circle for 2010-2011, reviewed the show on Backstage, a premiere theater magazine, calling them a Critics Pick.

Contretas described his experiences performing across the United States.

“It’s an amazing experience, we get to know people better, we get to grow as students of Pan Am, we have a different perspective on things now,” he said. “Dr. Wiley is doing an amazing job with the students, he’s making us think outside the box and it’s amazing.”

At the moment, “Crawling With Monsters” does not have any scheduled performances but could make the stage again in the future.

By Alma E. Hernandez The Pan American

CineSol will kick off its 18th annual film festival Saturday at the Texas State Technical College Cultural Arts Center in Harlingen. Films and workshops start at 12 p.m. Admission is $5 per day event and $10 per evening event. www.cinesol.com

The South Texas Rolleristas will host a benefit show Saturday to help cover the medical bills of an injured comrade. The music starts at 9 p.m. at Club Euphoria in Harlingen. Bands include Black Lung, Suicide Drive and Seafoam Green.

Roosevelt’s at 7 in downtown McAllen will host an extra special happy hour Thursday. Your first drink is free with a $10 at-the-door donation to benefit the McAllen Children’s Cancer and Hematology Clinic. www.facebook.com/rooseveltsat7

The university library will unveil Gerardo Gonzalez’s art exhibition “Interlocking Animals” at a reception in its first-floor gallery Tuesday. The event begins at 5 p.m., and the artwork will be on display until Sept. 30. Refreshments will be served.

By Nadia Tamez-RobledoThe Pan American

Photo courtesy of crawlingwithmonsters.com

Filmmakers gear up for local competition

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La Gran Mudanza

Reynaldo LealThe Pan American

2011

“Minor” en español con el examen “CLEP”

Las vacaciones terminaron más pronto de lo que se esperaba. El regreso a clases ha llegado. El 25 de agosto se tomo a cabo “Freshmen Move in Day” para ayudar a los nuevos estudiantes que habitaran en los dormitorios de la universidad a integrarse más fácilmente. Una gran cantidad de miembros de la comunidad de los Broncs ayudaron a darles la bienvenida a más de 730 estudiantes.

¿Alguna vez te has preguntado cómo obtener un “minor” en español? Muchos estudiantes bilingües de nuestra universidad Pan-Americana no conocen lo fácil que puede serlo con la ayuda de un examen llamado “CLEP” o College-level Examination Program.

Este examen tiene una duración de 90 minutos. La calificación es basada en una escala de promedio de entre 20 y 80 puntos, los cuales el estudiante requiere obtener un mínimo de 75 como puntuación para pasarlo.

Con la ayuda del examen “CLEP” estudiantes quienes desean completar un “minor” en el área de español recibirán crédito por 12 horas sustituyendo clases como SPAN 1303, 1304, 2307, y 2308 las cuales son requeridas por el Departamento de Español.

“Muchos estudiantes universitarios tienen un pie en el mundo de la profesión mientras van a la escuela. Tuve la oportunidad de avanzar clases con tomar un examen y con solo dos clases mas yo obtuve mi “minor” en Español gracias al CLEP,” informo Lizbeth Muriel, Senior, quien estudia

Relaciones Publicas y Publicidad con un “minor” en español.

Según la profesora Carmela García, titulada como Profesora y Asesora de Pregrado, al tomar este examen el alumno necesitará 6 horas de trabajo avanzado para un plan de estudio no certificado y 12 horas para la certificación.

Estudiantes quienes tomen la iniciativa de tomar el examen “CLEP” tienen la ventaja de adquirir créditos en otras áreas de estudio además de la de español, tales como BIOL 1401,1402, CHEM 1301,1101, 1302,1102, HIST 2314,2313, MATH 1340, 1450,1460,

entre otras. El “CLEP” tiene el precio de

77 dólares por examen. La prueba de cargo debe de ser pagada con tarjeta de crédito, que es el método preferido de pago, o con cheque o giro postal a nombre de “College-Level Examination Program.”

“Es grandioso que pueda hablar español, muchas personas aquí en el Valle lo hablan, en cambio yo estoy certificada y eso me hace diferente,” presume Lizbeth. “Las ventajas son inmensas. No solamente es económico sino también te quita una gran carga de en sima.”

Los horarios para tomar este examen son los martes y jueves de 9:00 a.m. o 2:00 p.m. o los viernes solo a las 9:00 a.m.

Para poder registrarte y tomar este examen debes de acudir al UTPA Annex, en Programas y Servicios de Pruebas de la Universidad de Texas-Pan American. El UTPA Annex se encuentra localizado en el 2412 South Closner Blvd. en Edinburg, Texas.

Si te interesa tener un “minor” en Español y deseas obtener más información puedes llamar al UTPA Annex salón 180 atreves del teléfono (956) 665-7570.

By Ale RomanThe Pan American

August 29, 2011 11

Bronc basketball teams ready for the challenge

Both the men and women’s basketball teams released the 2011-2012 schedules a few weeks ago and there are some pretty big-time schools on tap. The women, who finished last season 12-19, will visit The University of Miami for their regular season opener Nov. 11, while the men (6-25) face DePaul on the same day in Chicago.

Other quality opponents on the men’s schedule include Ohio State (Dec. 3), St. John’s (Dec. 21), and TCU (Jan. 11).

There’s no doubt that the headlining team on the list is the defending Big Ten Champion and Sweet 16 Buckeyes. They may even be ranked number one in the nation at the time the two clash in December. But even though many see games against teams from the Big Ten and Big East as major mismatches, coach Ryan Marks knows exactly what he is doing when scheduling these top dogs.

“We see a lot of positives to this schedule. We will see some national exposure in some very high profile places and we have

15 home games, which is the most we’ve had here at UTPA in a long time,” Marks said. “With the difficult non-conference, it will prepare us for the conference play well. We should be battle-tested by January. This is also the best team, I believe, that I’ve had here at UTPA and the depth of our team will definitely help us during the grueling travel we will encounter this season.”

The men’s team will began Great West Conference play Jan. 19 when it visits Chicago State, and will conclude the season there as well when the Great West Conference Tournament kicks off on March 8.

A few of the notable non-conference opponents for the women’s team are Nebraska (Dec. 4), Oklahoma State (Dec. 18), UTEP (Nov. 22), and TCU (Jan. 5). Adding to the difficult non-conference schedule is the handicap of only having 11 of 27 games at home. Coach Dennis Downing knows the task at hand isn’t going to be an easy one, but as he stated in a recent release, he is confident in the team that is coming back.

“This is one of our toughest schedules that we’ve had in our three years here, with

only 11 home games and 16 roads,” Downing said. “This should create a very challenging opportunity for us, but with a senior-laden team we should be up for the challenge.”

The upside is that the women bring back a veteran team that should help with their grueling schedule and during that fight toward capturing a Great West title. The Broncs have 12 upperclassmen on their current roster and are led by senior point guard Erin Lewis, who led the team in assists with a program-record 194, and three-point specialist Ce’Monay Newell, who broke the UTPA single season record for three-point field goals with 108.

The difficult schedules are just the first step for this basketball season. The next one is preparation, training, and practicing. The coaches’ sought these challenging opponents to better prepare their ball clubs for Great West Conference play, which is the ultimate goal at the end of the day. Win a conference title. That remains to be seen, however coaches Marks and Downing are doing everything in their power to better prepare the squads.

By Michael Saenz The Pan American

2011 game schedules

Cross Country to emulate success with Valley runners

SAVE THE DATES - Don’t miss the second half of the season when the Broncs open Great West Conference play.

Karen Villarreal/THE PAN AMERICAN

2011 - 2012 game schedules released

Check panamericanonline.com for the 2011 - 2012 schedule

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� e Broncs women’s and men’s cross country teams placed second and third, respectively, behind champion Utah Valley in the 2010 Great West Conference championship held here in Edinburg, but this year, the championship site is Grand

Forks, N.D. on Oct. 29.If UTPA wants to emulate that success

this year, it must do it with revamped teams. While the women return the majority of a young squad, the men took quite a huge blow after graduation.

“We lost some key runners. Omar Doria, Wally Gonzalez, Rolando Vera are all gone,” UTPA cross country and track and � eld coach Dave Hartman said. “We made some good additions, we added quite a few freshman, we have three men that have potential to compete.”

� e expectations do not change despite the shakeup in lineups. Hartman still expects the women to give the Lady Wolverines a � ght for the top spot.

“I think for women, it’s to repeat in the top two, we want to shoot higher,” he said. “We were very young so we’re de� nitely going to shoot to capture the championship but Utah Valley is going to be strong. I’m looking forward to seeing Beatriz Garza from Mission, Tania Fabian from Rio Grande City and several other

girls that had a great freshman season.” “We also want to compete well in the

NCAA South Central Regional, where we think we can get a top spot.”

Hartman is also excited about the men that return.

“Andrew Lopez from Rowe, he’s more of a track athlete, but runs cross country and we’re hoping of great things from Luis Serrano who also had a great freshman year,” Hartman said.

� e uniqueness of cross country is unlike any other sport such as basketball or baseball where teams play each other multiple times, runners only compete once in conference.

One bad outing on the championship day means the di� erence between a top-3 � nish and a bottom � nish, and there are no mulligans. Hartman experienced that last year in the South Central Regionals where the Broncs men placed 12th and women’s 17th overall and some of his runners barely missed out on a national spotlight appearance.

“Last year in Waco we just didn’t have a good day,” Hartman said. “We competed well against teams like Auburn and LSU, and Omar (Doria) was on the brink of competing in the NCAA championship.”

� e Broncs’ � rst test of the season is the Bronc Buster Invitational at the Monte Cristo Golf Course in Edinburg Sept. 2. It’s not a big meet, but it’s still a way to get preparation.

� e Bronc Buster Invitational is in direct connection with the Rio Grande Valley high school invitational, and the school does this because it understands the Rio Grande Valley has a history of producing great distance runners. Texas A&M Corpus Christi will be the only other university joining UTPA on that day in Edinburg.

Out of the 27 runners that compose this year’s men and women’s cross country team, 17 are Valley natives, including eight incoming freshman. Ha rtman has clearly taken advantage of homegrown products.

“� e Rio Grande Valley has tremendous tradition in distance running,” Hartman

said. “� e advantage, and what we are striving for, is to continue to develop the RGV athletes and I think we have some great ones in our roster. I really like the group that’s coming in (to UTPA).”

� e meets the school will compete in will be within driving distance for supporters to attend. Following the Bronc Buster Invitational will be the Ricardo Romo/Six Flags Fiesta Texas Classic in San Antonio 14 days later. On Sept 23, the Broncs head to Corpus Christi for the Islander Splash.

“We had such a great support locally during the GWC championship,” Hartman said. “I hope the success from last year can transfer over into support for this year.”

UTPA travels to Austin on Sept. 30 for the Grass Roots Run Invitational and ends the season in Fayetteville for the Chili Pepper Cross Country Festival Oct. 14 before preparing for the GWC championships.

By Alejandro E. Peña The Pan American

Andrew Lopez

the pan american August 29, 2011Page 12

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