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CHECK THE WEBLive Blog: Broncs at the Capitol || Follow along as fel-low UTPA students meet with Texas legislators for UTPA Day.
It’s Tennis TimeBack to the courts || UTPA net programs begin 2011 fi ghting, look to improve after setbacks. PAGE 11
Media Matters
UTPA professors lend expertise to local news outlets PAGE 3
First cut is the deepest Universitypreparesfor predictedbudgetshortfall By Alejandra Martinez The Pan American
WWW.PANAMERICANONLINE.COMVolume 67, No. 15 January 27, 2011
Initial House bill tabs drastic education reductions By Roxann GarciaThe Pan American
A new year has begun but the same old financial troubles continue. The state of Texas has proposed a budget cut of about $27 billion that will have a significant impact on different public sectors including education, leaving The University of Texas-Pan American no choice but to scour for funds elsewhere.
� e O� ce of Development along with the O� ce of the President and the vice president for university advancement have agreed on outlining fundraising needs, in order to have a more focused approach on how and who to talk to about money, said Lydia Aleman, associate VP for university advancement.
“Part of our e� ort is working with foundations and corporations,” Aleman explained. “We also work with the alumni and friends of the university to ensure that they are engaged with what’s going on. We have been making a stronger push for additional support to meet our program needs.”
Currently UTPA collaborates with Baylor College of Medicine on the Premedical Honors College (PHC) program; the partnership was established in 1994 and its focus is to locate funds in the form of scholarships for students who want to become physicians.
“We’ll probably see a decline in scholarship support to our students,” Aleman said. “So, we’re going to run ads to ensure that people know that the need is out there with the hope that we’ll receive additional support.”
One way the university supports scholarships is through endowments, a gift accepted on
SEE FUNDING || PAGE 3Illustration by Chris Ponce, Alexis Carranza and Jennifer Tate
More bad news is � ooding in after the 82nd Texas Legislature released House Bill 1 last week, the � rst of many versions to come. With it, Texans received their � rst glimpse at the proposed budget cuts public education will undergo, though a later Senate bill attempt to trim expenses has been a bit more palatable.
Local educators, students and parents are blasting the House proposal that would mandate cuts of nearly $14 billion in spending on public K-12 and higher education over the next two years.
In a memo sent out to faculty, sta� and students Sunday night, President Robert S. Nelsen updated the university community with a breakdown of the nearly $27 billion de� cit the state faces.
“I do not believe that there is any reason at this early stage to panic, but we do have concerns,” Nelsen wrote.
� e proposed cuts include slashing arts education, pre-kindergarten programs and college
� nancial aid. � e number of people receiving the Texas Grant would fall by 69 percent between 2011 and 2013 under the House proposal, amounting to nearly 70,000 students. In 2009, UTPA awarded Texas Grants to 2,005 new students.
“� is will mainly a� ect incoming students but there isn’t a plan as of yet,” said Texas Grant coordinator Susana Hernandez. “We won’t reach a decision for some time.”
Community colleges didn’t escape the ax either. Four two-year colleges are threatened with closure in the proposed bill: Brazosport College in Lake Jackson, Frank Phillips College in Borger, Odessa College, and Ranger College. � e drastic measure would save $39 million and a� ect nearly 12,000 students.
“It’s disappointing and disheartening to see the lack of importance our leaders are viewing our educational system,” said Irma Guadarrama, a bilingual education professor at UTPA. “Our congressional leaders are not doing enough. � ey’re playing politics at the expense of our system.”
A memo sent out by Francisco Cigarroa, chancellor of the University of Texas System, also showed disapproval over the bill.
“Even though universities in Texas account for 12.5 percent of the state’s budget, the cuts we su� er accounted for 41 percent of the total mandated
reductions,” he said. “We have now been required to cut an additional 2.5 percent in the current biennium and to prepare plans for an additional 10 percent cut for the next biennium. We cannot continue to absorb cuts without directly and negatively impacting all whom we serve.”
Senate leaders released a more lenient and relaxed bill this week, cutting a larger chunk from Medicaid. � e Senate would trim higher education funds by 5.3 percent, or nearly $1.2 billion, compared with 7.6 percent, or $1.7 billion in the House, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
Neither the initial House or Senate drafts would raise taxes or dip into the state’s $9.4 billion rainy day fund. But public reaction seems to suggest that this is not a good idea.
“If we need it bad enough, it’s understandable,” Guadarrama said. “We’re trying not to touch our rainy day fund, but how much gloomier can it be?”
After a brief break that began Wednesday, the Senate is set to reconvene on Jan. 31. A second and third reading of its bill is required before the
Legislature can make a decision. � e second reading for joint
resolutions is scheduled for May 12. � e session is set to adjourn May 30.
As the winter break came to an end, I realized that my student visa was to expire in less than a month.
I had just obtained my new I-20 (basically a piece of paper with a bar code where UTPA certifies that I am an international student in the University after pretty much having proven that, by all means, I am of no harm for the country) because I changed my level of studies to the graduate level after the Fall 2010 semester, I rushed to Edinburg two Fridays before school started so that the Office of International Admissions at UTPA could staple it to my Mexican passport – where
my student visa, and now my new I-20 are found.
As a new, supposedly simpler, process to renew visas got implemented in 2011, I scheduled an appointment with the consulate in order to renew it and have it “before school started.”
In the old days, or about a month ago, one would call the consulate to schedule the appointment to go to the consulate of the United States in your city of preference (in this case my hometown, Matamoros). Here, you would go talk to an immigration official and answer a few (or a whole lot of ) questions regarding where you live, where your parents work, who’s paying for your education and the amount of time you’ve been in the United States , among and infinite number of potential inquiries that you should be able to answer correctly.
Sometimes you were asked for documentation such as bank statements, proof of housing, or salary checks to prove that you were answering truthfully. After this, they would give you, or not, the much valued student visa.
Stressful, huh? Well… not really.
On the date of my appointment I got to the consulate offices at 9:15 a.m. (because they tell you not to get there more than 15 minutes before your appointment) for the appointment I had made online for $140, for 9:30 a.m. the day before.
I stood in the cold weather for about 15 minutes before they started admitting the five people who got there before me, one by one. I entered the place at about 9:45 a.m. and two employees told me that all I would need was the document I printed out that proved that I had made the appointment, and my passport (including the new I-20 and the old student visa).
After a short security check, they allowed me to sit in front of another employee, not an official, who went over my documents, took a picture of my face, and registered my fingerprints several times (apparently, the fingerprint scanner wasn’t working properly, everybody around me seemed to be having trouble with it).
After watching the lady ask a few questions to other workers who observed everything from behind the approximately 10 glass windows that we, the applicants, were sitting in front of, she took my passport and told me it’d be mailed to my house in Mexico as soon as the decision of whether I would be given (or awarded, I feel) the student visa.
Not cool. The passport, as other international students will understand, with the student visa, is the one thing we know not to leave behind. It’s our identity, the pass to education, so one feels kind of naked when they take away that little booklet that we hold on to so strongly.
So although this new process may be more convenient when it comes to not having to prove your entire identity once again, international students beware, as you may be sitting waiting for the precious document for a few weeks instead of walking out of the consulate with your fresh student visa.
Go ahead, bid farewell to your dear passport and explain to it that it will all be okay.
January 27, 20112
Where the Heck’s My Passport?
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) 381-2541
Fax: (956) 316-7122
EDITOR IN CHIEF: Kristen Cabrera [email protected]
NEWS EDITOR: Roxann Garcia [email protected]
ONLINE/SPANISH EDITOR: Denisse Salinas [email protected]
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR: Benny [email protected]
SPORTS EDITOR: Sara Hernandez [email protected]
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR: Alma E. Hernandez [email protected]
SENIOR DESIGNER: Jennifer Tate [email protected]
DESIGNER: Alexis [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. 67, No. 15
Chris Ponce/THE PAN AMERICAN
Sara HernandezSports Editor
Letter from the Editor
“Cutting the defi cit by gutting our investments in innovation and education is like lightening an overloaded airplane by removing its engine. It may feel like you’re fl ying high at fi rst, but it won’t take long before you’ll feel the impact.”
-President Barak Obama2011, State of the Union Address
January 27, 2011 3South Texas news stretches far and wide
Christian Matabalan/THE PAN AMERICAN
When it comes to getting dependable news in the Rio Grande Valley, residents expect up-to- data
and quality information from reliable sources. For this reason it may not come as a shock to discover that a few UTPA professors are using their years of expertise in teaching and journalism to better enrich newspapers
like � e Monitor and � e Guardian online newspaper.
Olaf Frandsen, regional vice president for Freedom Communications Incorporated and the publisher of � e Monitor for the last eight years, believes the role of the paper in the RGV is important because it covers topics that community members need to know about.Frandsen credits � e Monitor’s steady stream of information through broadcast, online, and print media as the key to its success, as well as that of the local community.
“We provide the information that the community’s leadership can use to help grow and nurture and shape the community,” he said. “Without us the people who are the leaders in the community wouldn’t have nearly as much information as they would need just to live.
� ere is absolutely no one else that can even come close to the local information that we provide.”
In addition to his role at the area’s largest daily paper, Frandsen is also a lecturer at UTPA who teaches classes in Media Law and Ethics and Writing for Mass Media.
“Print journalism, broadcast journalism and PR (public relations) majors should take Media Law and Ethics…(It) provides a really good foundation of what you legally can do and what you legally can’t do as a reporter,” Frandsen said.
“Writing for Mass Media really is designed for those students who think that they might want a career in print or broadcast journalism or PR. It’s a very basic entry-level course that is designed to teach them how to write a news story and how to write a press release and how to do a TV reporter’s job.”
Also contributing to the South Texas news community is Samuel Freeman, associate professor of political science, who has worked at UTPA for 31 years. Along with his duties in class, Freeman has also served as a guest columnist for � e Guardian for the last year and a half.
In addition to its wide geographical range of news coverage, � e Guardian has an advantages in terms of how easily and a� ordably it can be accessed by local and non-local readers, who have an interest in RGV/South Texas news. It is entirely Web-based.
“It’s an online newspaper so it’s free. Anyone can go to riograndeguardian.com and they’ll � nd the paper,” Freeman said. “� e focus is obviously news stories about the Valley, oddly de� ned, so from here to El Paso.”
Steve Taylor, editor of � e Guardian for the last � ve-plus years since the paper’s beginning in 2005, believes the product portrays its strengths in informing people about topics that are relevant to their lives.“� e Guardian provides in-depth coverage of issues important to working people,”
Taylor said.For Taylor, the most gratifying
aspect of overseeing the online newspaper is having the opportunity to cover stories that other media might miss. Some topics commonly expressed in the paper include health care, education, veteran’s issues, local politics, as well as, any legislation passed that may a� ect the South Texas border region.
Looking to the future, Freeman feels that � e Guardian will keep contributing to the rising popularity of online newspapers.
“Increasingly, people are going to the Internet for information and that’s a real mixed bag because there are some excellent sources of information on the internet and there are also some absolutely atrocious sources of information,” Freeman said. “What’s probably coming down the line is, we will probably get away from print news and go to online newspapers. So in that sense, � e Guardian is part of what probably is a coming trend.
“In fact, even the major newspapers now have online editions. � ey see the declining circulation. � ey see the declining subscriber base in terms of print. So all of them now have online. So I think part of the value of � e Guardian is that it is part of this essentially advanced movement from print journalism to online journalism.”
By Belinda MunozThe Pan American
SHOPPIN’ B - Alin Martinez (left), a nursing freshman and Jeremy Morel, a pre-med freshman, shop for school supplies at Walmart and Staples during a break from classes. To fi nd out more about the university’s impact on local businesses look online at www.panamericanonline.com.
Illustration by Hector Gonzalez & Chris Ponce
Online Preview
behalf of UTPA by � e University of Texas Board of Regents and then deposited into an account in the Long Term Fund of � e University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO). Gifts may also be made to the UTPA Foundation, which will invest the funds through designated f i n a n c i a l i n s t i t u t i o n s according to the guidelines adopted by the F o u n d a t i o n ’ s Board of Trustees.
In 2009 the UTPA Foundation received more than $750,000 from the Louis C. Draper Family Trust to fund and endow scholarships and future needs of the university. And last year UTPA received a $1 million donation from Valley Alliance of Mentors for Opportunities and Scholarships (VAMOS).
“What’s ideal about endowment funds is that it creates a sustainable way to support a program because the endowment keeps on giving year after
year,” Aleman said. Aleman added that a 5 percent
increase in giving to the university is expected this year due to the fact that there are more people out there making funding requests.
Through the Office of Development the university also has something called gift planning, which allows donors to choose from different gifting strategies such as charitable gift annuities, bequests, life insurance, gifts of stock, and real estate, to name a few.
“Much of my time is dedicated to developing m e a n i n g f u l r e l a t i o n s h i p s
with donors who are interested in planning future gifts for UTPA,” said Cecilia Johnson, director of planned giving. “Before talking with any donor or prospective donor about ways to structure a gift, I must see things from the donor’s perspective. Then, together we can
explore ways to help shape the future that he or she envisions for the university.”
A study done by the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (OIRE) early last year showed UTPA’s economic impact in FY2009-10 on the community at $492.8 million. This is a result of University-related spending on operations and new construction, as well as expenditures by students, faculty and staff. The study also found that UTPA is one of the top 10 employers in Hidalgo County, producing a total of 5,873 full-time jobs.
The study also concluded that UTPA’s 2010 fall enrollment was the highest in its 84-year history at 18,744, and that 93 percent of the students were from the Rio Grande Valley. For 2015 the goal is to reach an enrollment of 20,000 students, so as the number of students, faculty and staff grows, so does the economic impact on the region, noted UTPA President Robert S. Nelsen.
FUNDINGcontinued from Page 1
Lydia AlemanVP for university advancement
“Whatʼs ideal about
endowment funds is that
it creates a sustainable
way to support a program
because the endowment
keeps on giving year after
year.”
Advertisements January 27, 2011Page 4
AdvertisementsJanuary 27, 2011 Page 5
THE PAN AMERICAN 27 de enero del 2011 27 de enero del 2011 Página 7Página 6
Licenciaturas y Posgrados en Estados Unidos.
A pesar de los problemas que ha enfrentado la economía de éste país, miles de estudiantes extran-jeros deciden realizar una licenciatura y posgrados en Estados Unidos.
Para muchos, es el sistema descentralizado el que llama su atención ya que a diferencia de muchos otros países, los programas universitarios de EE UU exigen cursar materias adicionales a las de la carrera seleccionada. Propiciando así una cultura más amplia y brindando al estudiante las herra-mientas para desenvolverse en un mundo de con-tantes cambios económicos, sociales y culturales.
Y claro, para otros es simplemente el prestigio que da ser egresado de una universidad de un país líder, y la oportunidad de sumergirse en una cultura diferente ampliando así sus horizontes y perspectivas.
En los últimos años, la demanda de estudiantes extranjeros ha ido variando de manera notable. Cuando en algún momento los estudiantes latino-americanos eran mayoría, ahora han sido rebasados por los asiáticos. Según el informe Puertas Abiertas 2010 del Instituto de Educación Internacional (IEI) por sus siglas en inglés, de Nueva York, durante el año pasado hubo un crecimiento del 5% de estudi-
antes asiáticos alcanzando la cifra de 435.667. Por el contrario, el número de estudiantes latinoameri-canos en EE UU cayó más de un 3% llegando únicamente a un total de 65.632.
De acuerdo a Peggy Blumenthal, vicepresi-denta del IEI, en lo que respecta a México, la reducción que tuvo de un 9% se debe a la crisis económica del año 2008.
A diferencia de estudiantes provenientes del Asia, la mayoría de los demás países no reciben fondos su� cientes por parte de sus gobiernos para patrocinar a estudiantes para realizar sus estudios en el exterior. Mucho menos de universidades estadounidenses para investigar o trabajar como profesores asistentes, lo que disminuye sus proba-bilidades de venir a EE UU.
Al igual que Alan Adelman, director de la división latinoamericana del IEI, otros consideran que en el caso de países como México, la dismi-nución de estudiantes viajando al extranjero se debe a medidas inmigratorias y cortes � nancieros en estados fronterizos como Arizona. También comentó que los recortes de las becas del Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT)
por sus siglas, han in� uido notablemente. Actu-almente 643 alumnos son patrocinados por el CONACYT para estudiar en EE UU, cuando en 1997 eran 1.862 los estudiantes becados.
De acuerdo a � e Global Education Digest 2009, publicado por la UNESCO, Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Cien-cia y la Cultura, el 3% de universitarios surcoreanos y alrededor de 2% chinos y vietnamitas realizan estudios en el exterior, mientras que solo el 1% de mexicanos y el 0.4% de brasileños y argentinos tienen la oportunidad de estudiar fuera de casa.
Independientemente de los cambios en las na-cionalidades de los estudiantes extranjeros, EE UU es y seguirá siendo por muchos años el país con las universidades de mayor demanda a nivel interna-cional. El diario londinense “� e Times”, indicó que siete de las mejores universidades del mundo están en EE UU. Sin duda un motivo más por el cual naciones extranjeras apoyan a sus ciudadanos a obtener una educación que les permita convertirse en profesionistas con una visión global, capaces de hacer crecer a su país.
Nombres/NameBUCKYNacionalidad/NationalityUNITED STATES OF AMERICALugar de nacimiento/Place of Birth UNITED STATES OF AMERICAFecha de expedicion/Date of issue27 Jan 2011Fecha de caducidad/Date of expiration 27 Jan 2016
Facilidad para algunos, todo un reto para otros.
Estudiantes académicos.
Estudiantes vocacionales (duración máxima de un año).
Diplomáticos- Únicamente para participar en actividades repre-sentando a su gobierno.
Negocios y Turismo- Negocios temporales/ Actividades turísticas, obterner tratamientos médicos.
Comerciante e Inversionista- Para proseguir con un negocio con-siderable entre EE UU y su país o desarrollar y dirigir las opera-ciones de una compañía en la cual el individuo ha invertido dine-ro o está en proceso de invertir un gran capital.
Miembros de una misión permanente de un gobierno reconocido a una organización internacional, representante de un gobierno, o para viajes a citas asignadas de alguna organización internacional
Permiten al portador trabajar en EE UU basado en petición.
Representantes de medios de información cubriendo eventos.
Representantes de medios de información que van a reunions como participantes ordinarios.
Representantes de medios de información que viajan como par-ticipantes en la producción de programas de contenido artístico.
Visitantes de intercambio- Diseñada para promover el intercam-bio de personas, conocimientos y habilidades en campos de edu-cación, arte y ciencias (investigadores, alumnos recibiendo capac-itación laboral).
J:
[TIPOS DE VISAS]
M-1:
A:
B1/B2:
E-1/E-2:
G-1/G-3/G-4:
H/L/O/P/Q/R:
I:
B:
H/P/O/L/Q:
F-1:[Historia por Karen Velazquez][Diseño por Hector Gonzalez y Jennifer Tate]
THE PAN AMERICAN 27 de enero del 2011 27 de enero del 2011 Página 7Página 6
Licenciaturas y Posgrados en Estados Unidos.
A pesar de los problemas que ha enfrentado la economía de éste país, miles de estudiantes extran-jeros deciden realizar una licenciatura y posgrados en Estados Unidos.
Para muchos, es el sistema descentralizado el que llama su atención ya que a diferencia de muchos otros países, los programas universitarios de EE UU exigen cursar materias adicionales a las de la carrera seleccionada. Propiciando así una cultura más amplia y brindando al estudiante las herra-mientas para desenvolverse en un mundo de con-tantes cambios económicos, sociales y culturales.
Y claro, para otros es simplemente el prestigio que da ser egresado de una universidad de un país líder, y la oportunidad de sumergirse en una cultura diferente ampliando así sus horizontes y perspectivas.
En los últimos años, la demanda de estudiantes extranjeros ha ido variando de manera notable. Cuando en algún momento los estudiantes latino-americanos eran mayoría, ahora han sido rebasados por los asiáticos. Según el informe Puertas Abiertas 2010 del Instituto de Educación Internacional (IEI) por sus siglas en inglés, de Nueva York, durante el año pasado hubo un crecimiento del 5% de estudi-
antes asiáticos alcanzando la cifra de 435.667. Por el contrario, el número de estudiantes latinoameri-canos en EE UU cayó más de un 3% llegando únicamente a un total de 65.632.
De acuerdo a Peggy Blumenthal, vicepresi-denta del IEI, en lo que respecta a México, la reducción que tuvo de un 9% se debe a la crisis económica del año 2008.
A diferencia de estudiantes provenientes del Asia, la mayoría de los demás países no reciben fondos su� cientes por parte de sus gobiernos para patrocinar a estudiantes para realizar sus estudios en el exterior. Mucho menos de universidades estadounidenses para investigar o trabajar como profesores asistentes, lo que disminuye sus proba-bilidades de venir a EE UU.
Al igual que Alan Adelman, director de la división latinoamericana del IEI, otros consideran que en el caso de países como México, la dismi-nución de estudiantes viajando al extranjero se debe a medidas inmigratorias y cortes � nancieros en estados fronterizos como Arizona. También comentó que los recortes de las becas del Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT)
por sus siglas, han in� uido notablemente. Actu-almente 643 alumnos son patrocinados por el CONACYT para estudiar en EE UU, cuando en 1997 eran 1.862 los estudiantes becados.
De acuerdo a � e Global Education Digest 2009, publicado por la UNESCO, Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Cien-cia y la Cultura, el 3% de universitarios surcoreanos y alrededor de 2% chinos y vietnamitas realizan estudios en el exterior, mientras que solo el 1% de mexicanos y el 0.4% de brasileños y argentinos tienen la oportunidad de estudiar fuera de casa.
Independientemente de los cambios en las na-cionalidades de los estudiantes extranjeros, EE UU es y seguirá siendo por muchos años el país con las universidades de mayor demanda a nivel interna-cional. El diario londinense “� e Times”, indicó que siete de las mejores universidades del mundo están en EE UU. Sin duda un motivo más por el cual naciones extranjeras apoyan a sus ciudadanos a obtener una educación que les permita convertirse en profesionistas con una visión global, capaces de hacer crecer a su país.
Nombres/NameBUCKYNacionalidad/NationalityUNITED STATES OF AMERICALugar de nacimiento/Place of Birth UNITED STATES OF AMERICAFecha de expedicion/Date of issue27 Jan 2011Fecha de caducidad/Date of expiration 27 Jan 2016
Facilidad para algunos, todo un reto para otros.
Estudiantes académicos.
Estudiantes vocacionales (duración máxima de un año).
Diplomáticos- Únicamente para participar en actividades repre-sentando a su gobierno.
Negocios y Turismo- Negocios temporales/ Actividades turísticas, obterner tratamientos médicos.
Comerciante e Inversionista- Para proseguir con un negocio con-siderable entre EE UU y su país o desarrollar y dirigir las opera-ciones de una compañía en la cual el individuo ha invertido dine-ro o está en proceso de invertir un gran capital.
Miembros de una misión permanente de un gobierno reconocido a una organización internacional, representante de un gobierno, o para viajes a citas asignadas de alguna organización internacional
Permiten al portador trabajar en EE UU basado en petición.
Representantes de medios de información cubriendo eventos.
Representantes de medios de información que van a reunions como participantes ordinarios.
Representantes de medios de información que viajan como par-ticipantes en la producción de programas de contenido artístico.
Visitantes de intercambio- Diseñada para promover el intercam-bio de personas, conocimientos y habilidades en campos de edu-cación, arte y ciencias (investigadores, alumnos recibiendo capac-itación laboral).
J:
[TIPOS DE VISAS]
M-1:
A:
B1/B2:
E-1/E-2:
G-1/G-3/G-4:
H/L/O/P/Q/R:
I:
B:
H/P/O/L/Q:
F-1:[Historia por Karen Velazquez][Diseño por Hector Gonzalez y Jennifer Tate]
January 27, 20118
Don Quixote revived
Even for a Beatle, teenage years are no picnic. The new John Lennon bio-pic, “Nowhere Boy,” depicting his teenage years between 1955 and 1960, following the creation of “The Quarrymen,” was released on DVD Tuesday.
Iron & Wine have returned, further exploring their pop sensibilities. “Kiss Each Other Clean” was released Tuesday and “sounds like the music people heard in their parents’ car growing up” according to front man Sam Beam.
Jail-breaking your iPhone 4 just got a bit harder. Upon receiving an iPhone for repairs, Apple will send it back with harder to remove screws in order to prevent hacks. However, the screwdriver for the new screws is available for $10 online from a third party.
Call it the “fi st pump” felt around the world. The cast of MTV hit show “Jersey Shore” will be going overseas to their roots for their fourth season. The season is expected to air some time later this year according to an MTV press release.
� e Albert L. Je� ers � eatre will cel-ebrate its 25th anniversary and 400 years of the writing of Don Quixote with a produc-tion that sings a di� erent and creative story about the making of the renowned book.
It all takes place in prison, where au-thor Miguel Cervantes, after being thrown in prison by the inquisition, tells the story of Don Quixote. As fellow prisoners are invit-ed to become part of the play that portrays the life of the “mad” knight, the production becomes a play within a play, where impro-visation, creativity, and change become the driving force. “Man of La Mancha” will be presented in the University of Texas-Pan American theatre from March 2 through March 5 at 8 p.m., and March 6 at 2 p.m.
“� is play was done 25 years ago, when this theatre � rst opened it was the opening show, and I recommended that they might want to put it back as their 25th anniversary show because is the same show that they � rst did in 1986,” said di-rector Kent Smither. “� is is the second production, for the silver anniversary of the theatre, and the man that is playing the lead, Cervantes and Don Quixote, was in the original production as a student playing the padre, so he’s still here 25 years later. He used to be a student here and now he is a professor, and that´s his favorite book, he even has Don Quixote tattooed on his leg.”
Brian Warren, the lead actor who was part of that inaugural show, will be playing Don Quixote and Cervantes. Now a the-ater professor at UTPA, he said that since he performed the � rst time for the play, he felt that he wanted to perform one day in the lead role.
“From the back of my mind I think I always thought I’d love to do it before I die, and I don’t know if I was consciously saying. ‘I must perform this role,’ but now that I’m doing it I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s very cool because like I said, I love the charac-ter,’” Warren said. “It is very coincidental because I got that (the tattoo) really before I was a theatre person, I just was a fan of the novel and I was serving in the army very brie¡ y and at one point I just wanted this tattoo so I got it on my leg. It’s the Picasso drawing of him.”
Smither, also a long-time veteran of the UTPA stage, said that this production is signi� cant not only because it celebrates the theatre’s 25th anniversary, but also be-cause it coincides with the 400-year anni-versary of the writing of the work, as well
as the program’s � ve-year alumni reunion.“We have three di� erent celebrations
going on. It’s a big thing,” Smither com-mented. “Valente Rodriguez was in the production 25 years ago, so hopefully he may come back as an alumni to visit.”
Rodriguez, perhaps the university’s best-known theater grad, worked on “� e George Lopez Show” after growing up in the Valley and attending UTPA.
HOW THEY MATCH UPComparing the play 25 years ago to
the one set for March, Smither said that one of the main di� erences was that for the � rst one a professional actor was hired to play the lead role.
“� ey haven’t done that very often here but they felt they needed somebody, it’s a very di¦ cult part because he (the lead role) is playing Cervantes and Don Quixote, and has to sing as well because it is a musical, so there’s a lot of demands on the lead actor to play, so they hired somebody,” Smither ex-plained. “But we now have somebody here and is going to be just wonderful, Brian is a very good actor and really good singer, and so we are very fortunate to have somebody that strong to play the lead and we have a very strong cast overall. It’s very exciting.”
Smither, who has been doing shows since 1974 and works at Edcouch-Elsa HS as an English teacher, noted that beyond the history of the work, there are other, subtle reasons to check out the latest ver-sion of the classic.
“� e other thing that we’re doing that we’re really playing with is the idea that this show is about things that are transformed, because through the process, Cervantes’ view of Don Quixote changed as the book went along, at � rst he made complete fun of him and then he becomes more noble. � e idea of things being transformed into something else and people’s views changing and being transformed is all part of it, and
that’s part of what doing a play is, it’s kind of about what theatre is about.”
Some of the actors seemed to agree that one of the biggest challenges of this production is the element of change; since it is about a play within a play, they all per-form two characters and have to change back and forth between them.
“We have to play two characters simul-taneously, characters on stage,” said Rosa Nichols, the actress interpreting Dulcinea. “We’re playing a character for Don Quixote the story and we’re playing a character for ‘Man of la Mancha’ the play, so, to be able to distinguish those two characters is hard for everyone.”
� e director and the cast note that the energy shared by everyone participating will make the produc-tion a success.
“I like the peo-ple, the enthusiasm that we have, the need to bring this out, to bring a play of this much caliber and beauty,” said Luis Moreno, who plays Sancho Panza. “Because I person-ally think that this play holds a lot of ideals that are lost or almost gone in this society, like chivalry and things like that. It’s very hard to � nd someone like Don Quixote, who sees the beauty in everything no mat-ter how horrible it may be seen, and for all of us to come together and try to bring that up is an amazing opportunity.”
� e enthusiasm shared by the cast comes from already being familiar with either the play or the book, plus the mu-sic involved and the challenge the project represents.
“� is is one of the greatest charac-ters in the history of Western literature, I think,” suggested Warren. “A lot of people, I think, have an idea: ‘Oh yeah, he was crazy and he thought he was something that he wasn’t,’ but there’s
so much more than that. What came out was a character that was very complex, at � rst very fool-ish but generally, as the director and I discussed the character, he becomes almost mystical and wise and aware of the truth more than any other person in the books…imaginative, and creative and he says those are the keys to life, and I agree with that, so I really identify with this guy. It’s a really well-written play, very emotional, I like that, it´s very
penitent, it´s funny and it goes in the range of being a comedy because he is this guy that is making fun of what it is to be a knight but then it gets really touching and, emotionally moving, I like that it has all this ranges.”
For more information contact the Uni-versity � eatre Box O¦ ce at 665-3581.
By Yngrid FuentesThe Pan American
>> Albert L. Jeffers Theatre celebrates 25th birthday by re-performing ‘Man of La Mancha’
ACTING OUT – From left, actors Rosa Nicholas, Brian Warren and Luis Moreno prepare for “Man of La Mancha,” the upcoming play scheduled to run from March 2-5 and on March 6 at the Albert L. Jeffers Theatre.
Freddy Martinez / THE PAN AMERICAN
Kent SmitherDirector
“The idea of things
being transformed into
something else and
peoples views changing
and being transformed is
all part of it and thatʼs part
of what doing a play is, is
kind of about what theatre
is about.”
AdvertisementsJanuary 27, 2011 Page 9
Al momento de entrar a la o� cina de Lino García, profesor emérito de la literatura española, se siente un aire distinto a cualquier otra o� cina de la Universidad de Texas-Pan Americana, entrando primero por los ojos al observar la acaparada pared de su o� cina invadida por múltiples diplomas, reconocimientos entre otras distinciones y después por la nariz al percibir el olor de cantidades grandes de papel y libros que durante años se han acumulado sobre los estantes.
Sin duda alguna pocos profesores tienen la fortuna de trabajar tantos años ejerciendo en lo que mas aman como el profesor oriundo de Brownsville. “En la universidad estudié español como minor y después tuve la posibilidad de ejercer como maestro de español en San Antonio”, afirmó García. “Me gustó y fue ahí donde empecé mi carrera; me gustó mucho la literatura y después quise estudiar la maestría y el doctorado”.
El experimentado profesor quien también es fundador, organizador y presidente del Simposio Anual
Internacional de Español también comentó que después de 7 años de ser profesor en una escuela militar en San Antonio, y como su esposa también es del Valle del Río Grande, después de adquirir su maestría en español en la Universidad de North Texas solicitó un puesto en UTPA. Inmediatamente lo aceptaron en 1967, hace 44 años exactamente hoy 27 de enero y ya se celebran 4 décadas sirviendo a los estudiantes del Valle de Texas y 52 años en la profesión.
El doctor García quien es defensor y uno de los principales expertos de la lengua española texana ha
impulsado la investigación de esta variación del idioma hispano como un reconocimiento a la cultura autóctona del valle del sur de Texas.
“El español de aquí es auténtico por que lo trajeron los españoles en 1689 junto con las familias fundadoras y ha evo-lucionado hacia el siglo XXI con la mez-cla de muchas pa-labras naturalmente del idioma indio, del idioma inglés pero fundamentalmente en forma de estruc-tura es muy similar al español ibérico que se hablaba en el siglo XVI”, comento el profesor sobre la importancia de estu-diar la variación na-tiva que se in� uencia del español mexicano y del castellano espa-ñol. “Aun se usan pa-labras como: muncho, truje, ansina, entre otras. Palabras que ya cayeron de uso pero eran muy comunes en el habla de la gente de esos tiempos”.
Uno de los fenómenos en lingüística mas controversiales en la actualidad es el uso común de la mezcla del español y el inglés que aparece ante cualquier sociedad latina que lidia día a día con el encuentro de la lengua anglosajona.
“Se habla sobre el Spanglish, que yo no estoy de acuerdo con esa palabra, el español que se habla aquí entre los estudiantes y la gente, es un español auténtico que si acaso le quitamos los ingredientes extranjeros que han llegado aquí, es un español también hablado pero no escrito”,
dijo García, quien a través de los años ha estado en contacto con esta fusión cultural y la ha observado evolucionar. “Yo opino que se le debería denominar ‘español del
sur de Texas’, por que la palabra ‘tex-mex’ se usa para humillar y sobajar a la gente, por que no es un español autentico, no viene de España o de México; algunos piensan que la gente de aquí habla ingles y ‘tex-mex’ y no español con tal de desvalorizar la variación que tenemos aquí”.
El respetado académico quien por su estatus emérito solo of-rece dos clases este semestre le cuenta a la comunidad estudiantil sobre ellas, con el � n de
animar a los alumnos a interesarse en los estudios avanzados del español. “Tengo una clase que me gusta mucha la cual es una clase avanzada de redacción de 24 personas, en la cual vemos lingüística y composición; también estoy dando un curso de postgrado la cual es una clase es-pecial sobre la novela picaresca en la cual hay 16 personas”.
Después de la interesante entrevista y la vasta cantidad de conocimientos e historias que fueron compartidas por García es importante recalcar que en UTPA los estudiantes de español deben estar carentes de alguna duda con respecto a la suerte que la universidad tiene al tener en sus � las a tan experimentado instructor.
Pura inteligencia texana: Lino García
WRSC motiva a la comunidad a ejercitarse
Alma E. Hernandez/THE PAN AMERICAN
ORGULLOSO DE SU ORIGEN – Posando rodeado de todos los diplomas adquiridos, Lino García también escribe para periódicos locales para informarles sobre el origen de la cultura del Valle del
27 de enero del 201110
Por Sergio GironThe Pan American
Lino García Profesor de literatura española
“Yo opino que se le debería
denominar [al español del
Valle] ʻespañol del sur de
Texasʼ, por que la palabra
ʻtex-mexʼ se usa para
humillar y sobajar a la gente.
Algunos piensan que la gente
de aquí habla ingles y ʻtex-
mexʼ y no español con tal de
desvalorizar la variación que
tenemos aquí”.
Normalmente cuando se piensa en ejercicio o en estar en forma, a la mayoría de gente le da flojera por lo pesado y muchas veces lo abur-rido que puede ser, pero el lunes 24 de enero el Consejo Recreativo de Bienestar y Deporte (mejor conocido como WRSC por sus siglas en inglés) demostró como estar en forma de una manera muy divertida.
Zumba es un ejercicio de cardio que combina salsa, merengue, reggaeton, banda y cumbias y que se ha convertido desde el 2001 en un programa de ejerci-cios de los mas importantes en Estados Unidos. Este lunes mas de 100 estudi-
antes en su mayoría mujeres asistieron al Zumbathon que se llevó a cabo desde las 18:00 horas.
Brenda Díaz, coordinadora del centro recreativo a� rmó que la razón por la que hicieron el evento fue para que los estu-diantes de la Universidad de Texas-Pan Americana se dieran cuenta que ya no es aburrido ejercitarse si no al contrario, dan ganas de hacerlo mas seguido con ese tipo de actividades como es el baile.
Y es que el Zumbathon no es lo único que el centro deportivo esta haciendo para informar y ayudar a los estudiantes de UTPA y al público en general a estar en forma. Hoy jueves a partir de las 18:00 hasta las 21:00 horas se estará enseñando como tener una vida mas saludable.
“Vamos a tener ejercicios en grupo, entrenadores personales, esta-
remos respondiendo preguntas sobre que ejercicios y que comer”, dijo It-zel Mora, estudiante de UTPA e in-structora. “Será un evento abierto al público y lo hacemos cada semestre, de hecho lo hicimos el semestre pasa-do pero en sábado y ahora lo estamos haciendo entre semana para que mas gente asista”.
Mora afirmó que en los eventos siempre hay cosas muy interesantes e informativas que se pueden poner en practica en la vida diaria y tener un cambio positivo, aparte de ser gratis y la mayoría de las veces dan premios.
Ultimadamente, el � n de este tipo de eventos es para que el público sepa sobre como mantenerse saludable y al mismo tiempo verse bien sin que sea aburrido o complicado.
Por Denisse SalinasThe Pan American Próximos eventos
Para ayudarte a evaluar tu cuerpo.
Healthy YOU!
Rock the Rec
Clínica de Salsa
27 de enero de 18:00 a 21:00
2 de febrero de 17:00 a 20:00
A partir del 14 de febrero a las 20:00
Todos los lunes para hacerte un mejor bailador.
Ejercitate con música muy prendida.
January 27, 2011 11
Tennis under way
� e men’s tennis team � nished its vis-it to North Texas last week with two 6-1 losses. But although the numbers of their � rst matches of the spring season seem alarming, the Broncs assure the team is moving in the right direction to the ulti-mate goal of winning conference.
“We battled with them the whole way… the doubles points could’ve gone either way,” said head coach Chris Taylor. “It’s very early in the season… it’s hard to come back right away and play that caliber of a team.”
On Saturday, when UTPA vis-ited Dallas to play Southern Method-ist University, only Aswin Vijayaraga-van and Beau Bern-stein grabbed a win, against Artem Bara-dach and Joseph Hattrup in a tie-breaker. In singles Marcus Dornauf obtained the only win against Bryan Gri� n (3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 11-9).
� e doubles teams weren’t as lucky against Texas Christian Univer-sity Sunday in Forth Worth as they lost all three matches. � is time in the singles, it was Vijayaragavan who defeated Emanuel Brighiu in a tough match that went on to three sets, two decided in tiebreakers.
“We could’ve played better,” Vi-jayaragavan said. “We’re probably not
as sharp as we need to be, but we are content with the performance.”
Bernstein explained that these early setbacks are natural when playing top-30 ranked teams after the winter break.
“There’s nothing wrong with these losses especially in the beginning of the season,” he said. “You haven’t been playing matches of that caliber for a while or have had the pressure of the matches.”
Vijayaragavan also mentioned that this weekend was a good learning ex-perience for Ricardo Hopker, and Se-batien Job, two of the three freshmen who joined the team last semester. Vic-tor Alves, the third rookie, and Matt
Tevians, a junior, were also new to the team in the fall.
Although all newcomers lost their matches, Te-vians took his to a third set against Gaston Cuadranti from SMU and Hopker played close games against SMU’s Toby Flood.
“� ey did pretty well,” mentioned V i j a y a r a g a v a n . “I’m sure that if we keep hanging in there, the losses we
have will turn into wins. It was a pretty good eye opener for the freshmen.”
ONE GOALAfter the women fell 7-0 to both
SMU and TCU last weekend Taylor commented that although the UTPA tennis programs still have areas to
work on after a rusty, but solid start last weekend, the ultimate objective of playing day in and day out is to prepare to win the Great West Conference Championship that will take place in Chicago in the last days of April. Additional victories, as said by Taylor, are like icing on the cake.
“� ere are similarities and there are di� erences between champi-ons: the similarity is that they both make mistakes and the di� erence is that a champion doesn’t make them twice,” Taylor said. “We’re going to take note of what we need to get bet-ter at and we’re going to work on it and get better.”
As the Great West Conference does not include men’s tennis, the Broncs play the Southland Confer-ence Championship in San Anto-nio, also in late April.
The women travel to San Mar-cos and San Antonio to face Tex-as State and UTSA this weekend as the men prepare to host Nich-olls State University and Laredo Community College Feb. 5 and Feb. 9, respectively.
After shaking o� the dust from their rackets on the � rst weekend of activity, Bernstein reiterated that the teams are ready to take on the following challenges and obtain the � nal price.
“We’re de� nitely on the right track… doubles matches could’ve gone either way and all the other matches were tied, tied, tied,” he said excitedly. “We’re de� nitely in the right direction and we’re de� -nitely going to be giving people trouble especially in conference.”
By Sara Hernandez The Pan American
UTPA net programs begin 2011 � ghting,look to improve after setbacks.
It seems like a new beginning for UTPA volleyball. Barely a month af-ter former coach Angela Hubbard was relocated as associate athletic director for student services and the senior woman administrator, a new face was announced to lead the Broncs.
Brian Yale takes over the pro-gram that went 9-22 in 2010, after having spent the past six seasons as an assistant coach for Debbie Humphreys at Stephen F. Austin and aiding the Lumberjacks’ � rst NCAA national tournament vic-tory against Alabama in 2006.
“I’m really excited, it’s a great opportunity for me and for my family, there is a lot of potential at the UTPA volleyball program, we’re just going have to make a few changes here and there,” he said.
One of the most immediate changes, according to Yale, is to bring in more players for the 2011 season, as seven Broncs completed eligibility this school year and only � ve, all underclassmen, remain.
“� ere were so many seniors last year that there aren’t a whole lot of players there right now, I will have to make changes but we’re on a re-cruiting trail already, we’ll bring in some new players,” mentioned Tay-lor, who completed his collegiate career playing volleyball at Bowling Green University in the mid-90s.
By the end of 2010, Hubbard had signed three players to national letters of intent. Brittanie Best and Macey Singleton will begin the 2011 season as freshmen. Best is a McAllen native and Nikki Rowe HS standout, while Singleton comes to UTPA from Flower Mound High School in North Texas.
Juri Frazen is a junior transfer from Laredo Junior College who will also be arriving to UTPA for the 2011 season.
As Yale will arrive to campus late this week to start activities as the � fth volley-ball head coach in school history, current players look forward to meeting the new coach and seeing what new techniques and players he will add to the team.
“We’re pretty excited, we don’t re-ally know him but we have heard good things, we’re glad to have him,” said Maria Kliefoth, a Germany native who missed most of the 2010 campaign due to an early-season ankle injury.
Other returners are libero Kristi Gar-cia, Ijanae Holman, Krissy Perez and Sarah Davis. All of them, with the ex-ception of Garcia and Kliefoth, will be juniors next season.
“Everyone seems pretty excited, we want to start the new season, we’re excited to see what he is going to be like and how’s the season going to go,” said freshman Garcia. “I’m excited to see how he’s going to change things around and the kind of di� erent play-ers he’s going to bring to the team and di� erent techniques, skills and how it’s all going to work out.”
Starting from scratch
By Sara Hernandez The Pan American
Bronc volleyball announces new coach on board
Chris TaylorHead coach
“There are similarities and there are diff erences between champions: the similarity is that they both make mistakes and the diff erence is that a champion doesnʼt make them twice.”
BREAK IT IN - Freshman Sebastien Job from Belgium played his fi rst regular season match last weekend. Teammate Aswin Vijayaragavan said the matches were good practice for the rookies.
Alejandra Moreno/THE PAN AMERICAN
WRSC CALENDAR OF EVENTS
EVENT
5 on 5 Basketball (M,W)Indoor Soccer (M, W, CR)Flag Football (M, W, CR)Table Tennis (M, W, CR)Softball (M, W, CR)Racquetball (M, W, CR)Indoor Volleyball (M, W, CR)Kickball (M, W, CR)Tennis (M, W, CR)Dodgeball (M, W, CR)Ultimate Disc (M, W, CR)
ENTRY DUE
Jan. 27Feb. 3
Feb. 10Feb. 10Mar. 10Mar. 10Mar. 31Mar. 31Mar. 31Apr. 7Apr. 7
MEETING
1/28 (5 p.m.)2/4 (5 p.m.)2/11 (5 p.m.)2/11 (5:20 p.m.)3/11 (5 p.m.)3/11 (5:20 p.m.)4/1 (5 p.m.)4/1 (5:20 p.m.)4/1 (5:30 p.m.)4/8 (5 p.m.)4/8 (5:20 p.m.)
START
Jan. 31Feb. 7
Feb. 14Feb. 14Mar. 21Mar. 21Apr. 4Apr. 4Apr. 4Apr. 11Apr. 11
INTRAMURAL SPORTS
SPECIAL EVENTS
EVENT
Basketball All-Stars WeekNCAA Tournament Pick ‘EmChess Tournament5th Annual Round Ball Classic (v. STC, TSTC, UTB)
DATE
2/21-2/243/164/13TBA
the pan american January 27, 2011Page 12
Bronc TV Station Manager
,
,
