January 29, 2015

Volume 71, No. 16 January 29, 2015

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STORY ON PAGES 4-5Michael Medina/ The Pan American

January 29, 20152 opinion

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 cannot publish anonymous letters or submissions containing hate speech or gratuitous personal attacks.Please send all letters to:[email protected]

Letters to the editor

With the recent outbreak of measles on the West Coast and 87 confirmed cases of the virus as far as Michigan since Jan. 26, a new debate on the importance of vaccinations has emerged.

In the late 1950s the measles virus ran rampant throughout the U.S. with an average of 542,000 cases reported from 1956 to 1960. About 450 of these resulted in death every year, with thousands more resulting in complications. These formed respiratory problems ranging from pneu-monia and painful breathing to encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, that usually ended with death or at the very least, long-term neurological dam-age. Much of the population is too young to fathom the pain and fear previous generations had to endure before a solu-

tion was found.The vaccine for measles was

created in 1963 and by 1986 measles had almost been erad-icated worldwide. Meanwhile the U.S. had declared the vi-rus “eliminated” from within its borders in 2000. If not for the ignorant belief that the vaccine was linked to autism - after a child was diag-nosed with it in 1989, three years after his vaccina-tion - the virus might have been eliminated completely. Then in 1998 a British researcher, Dr. An-drew Wakefield, claimed to have found a link between the MMR vaccine for measles and autism in a study published by The Lancet. However, this was proven false as a result of sub-sequent studies being unable to replicate his results. Wake-

field was faced with profes-sional misconduct charges and had his British medical license stripped as a result.

Now there are other beliefs such as the “herd immunity”

hypothesis, which states that since everybody else is im-mune, anyone that isn’t vac-cinated is safe from almost any disease, because nobody around them can become con-tagious. The holes in this rea-soning are massive: if you are refusing immunization who’s to say that others of the “herd” aren’t doing the same?

Measles is a highly conta-gious diasease and the virus doesn’t need a host to spread; it can survive on its own, contaminating the air and surfaces for about two hours.

That being said, sur-r o u n d i n g y o u r s e l f with peo-ple who are im-m u n i z e d d o e s n ’ t guarantee safety from a n y t h i n g b e c a u s e

surfaces and even the air can already be contaminated.

So, combined with the fact that six of the 87 people in cases that originated from the West Coast had already been vaccinated and still got infect-ed, it tears the “herd immuni-ty” theory apart. Though it’s not to say the vaccine was in-effective. The way the vaccine

works is one is injected with a weakened form of the measles virus at about age 1, and like a flu shot your body fights off the invading illness mak-ing you immune 95 percent of the time. But take heed, your body doesn’t always pro-vide the right antibodies to continue combating future infections, which is why you get the vaccine a second time to raise its effectiveness to 99 percent. The added benefit is not transmitting the disease to others. That stated, there is no valid reason for not get-ting vaccinated.

The main solution to this is education for everyone about the cause and effects of vac-cinations along with a his-tory lesson about what life was like without vaccines. It was through ignorance that humans were not able to fully eradicate the measles virus the same way we did with small-pox long ago.

Nerio CelayaArts & Life Editor

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

Fax: (956) 665-7122

The Pan [email protected]

ediTors-in-chief: Andrew VeraMay Ortega sPorTs ediTor: Marco TorresarTs & Life ediTor: Nerio CelayaPhoTograPhy ediTor: Jon Nutt design ediTor: Francisco Rodriguez muLTimedia ediTor: Michael AguilarsociaL media ediTor: Nathaniel MatacoPy ediTor: Andy De Llano adviser:Dr. Greg SelberadminisTraTive associaTe: Anita Reyes adverTising manager: Verónica Rodríguez

Just because you can’t see diseases doesn’t mean they don’t exist

Vol. 71, No. 16

The Pan American is the official student newspaper of The Univer-sity of Texas-Pan American. Views presented are those of the writ-ers and do not necessarily reflect those of the paper or university.

TWITTERTweet at and follow us@ThePanAmerican

Having to get up & walk outside for a few because my butt is asleep in this 3 hour class. #UTPA

not a minute goes by that you don’t know someone that passes by. #UTPA

New semester of Grad School, new job, and a Baby Boy! My life has become a sitcom. #grad-schoolproblems #utpa

-@Mabetancour

-@shairama3

-@tupapiicisqo

We would like to address the issue of the resistance to

the future UT-RGV mascot, the Vaque-ros. Putting aside our personal opinions, we would like to focus on a bigger issue, a reflection on the shame many people show due to the lack of knowledge of the history of their region of the Rio Grande Valley. But we must not blame people who were not given a culturally affirming education at any grade level.

On Monday, November 10, 2014, stu-dents and alumni of the University of Texas Pan American gathered to protest against the change in mascot, and more such events are planned. During the protest many of the students commented on how the term Vaqueros was too “Mexican” and not part of the region. People even called it “ghetto.”

We, the future Vaqueros, issue the call for inclusion of a curriculum of Diver-sity Studies on the future campuses of UT-RGV. We are in need of studying and ana-lyzing the history of the Rio Grande Valley. We propose to reclaim our students from the atrocities of inadvertent oppression that was impressed upon us due to the lack of a culturally affirming education from K-12 and at the college level.

With this in mind, the Mexican Ameri-can Studies Club along with many or-ganizations at University of Texas Pan American, such as the Bilingual Education Student Organization (BESO), Cosecha Voices, and many more united to endorse the Inclusion Requirement in 2013. This proposal called for courses that analyzed and intellectualized the diversity of the United States experience and allowed stu-dents to reflect on their own experiences.

It called for all students to take an ethnic or gender studies course before graduation from the university.

On March 27, 2013 the Mexican American Studies Club (MASC), and with the unanimous support of the Student Government Association, presented the Inclusion Requirement to the Faculty Sen-ate in hopes they would endorse it. The responses of some members of the Faculty Senate were not as expected. The students received a strong opposition arguing that such implementation was too radical. Comments included: “If you don’t know your own history, it is your parents who have failed you” and “Slavery happened; I am sorry, get over it.”

What Faculty Senate missed in the pro-posal was that these courses were to unify and help students understand not only themselves but their society. These studies are gateways to learning we all have fruits of knowledge; although we are from different trees, our hearts and struggles conjoin us on a genuine level. Not only did the Faculty Senate oppose the proposal, but the Core Curriculum Committee as well denied the proposal. This was despite its unanimous endorsement from the Colleges of Arts and Humanities, the College of Education, the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the Student Government Association.

To read the full letter, visit our website

www.panamericanonline.com

COMICLETTER TO THE EDITOR

The main solution to this is education for everyone about the cause and effects

of vaccinations along with a his-tory lesson about what life was like without vaccines.

3news

By Lizzette Saldana The Pan American

Most classes covering the Holocaust focus on the rise of Hitler and the number of Jews that were murdered, leaving out how the mass execution affected allied and occupied countries. The development of anti-semitism, expansion of concentration camps and gen-der suffering are just some of the varying factors that fail to get attention. First year teacher Friederike Bruehoefener wants to change that for students at UTPA.

This is the first semester that the Uni-versity offers ‘History of the Holocaust in Europe,’ a class taught by Brue-hoefener, a German native.

Bruehoefener wants to get students to have a better un-derstanding of the past. It is not just the bad guys against the good guys, but figuring out what caused individuals to be-have in such ways.

“I want students to see that history is not just black and white. It’s not about categoriz-ing perpetrators and victims,” Bruehoefener said. “It’s un-derstanding what led people to turn on others resulting in these events.”

Bruehoefener came to the U.S. in 2012 through the student exchange program at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. After obtaining her master’s degree in his-tory at Bielefeld University in Germany she decided to stay in the states and pursue her Ph.D. in european history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a grad student she lead the discussion hour in Christo-pher Browning’s class regard-ing the Holocaust. Browning is an American historian best known for his book Ordinary Men, which covers the massa-cres and round-ups of Jews by German Police in 1942.

Bruehoefener, who arrived at the University last semester, is not experiencing first-timers

jitters but feels anxious to bring diversity to the campus. She hopes by next spring she can of-fer more variations of european history such as ‘History of Ger-many in the third eye’ which would focus on how Hitler and the Nazi regime worked.

Although the class only has 17 out of 35 seats taken, Bruehoefener feels that hav-ing a smaller class is beneficial in the sense that discussions

following assigned readings will be much more intimate and effective. The five texts required for the course cover anti-semitism plaguing towns, the lack of opposition by German churches and other countries, expulsion of Polish Jews, a first person account of living in Auschwitz and sto-ries of Holocaust rescuers.

“It is a better understanding of human behavior, finding the beauty in books and looking at the cause and effect past what the media portrays,” the profes-sor said.

Taking Bruehoefener for a second semester is history ma-jor Norma Ojeda, who was in Bruehoefener’s class “Europe 1919 to present” in the fall which focused on fascism and socialism during World War II and the Cold War.

“I want to know all the things that no one tells you about the Holocaust when it is briefly discussed in terms of World War II,” the junior said. “Since the last semester that I took Dr. Bruehoefener, I have loved her style of teaching. She makes sure that all her students obtain a new piece of knowl-edge before leaving every class.”

One of Bruehoefener’s goals for the course is to get students to see beyond the rise of Hit-

ler and take a better look at the racist policies in Nazi Germany that led to World War II. She doesn’t want her pupils to base the traumatic events of this genocide that produces a total of 11 million political prison-ers, gypsies and homosexu-als dead, 6 million of whom were Jews, off what they see in movies, television shows or the Internet. Rather, she wants students to acquire the knowl-

edge through assigned text-books such as Nazi Ger-many and the Jews, Vol. 1, published in 1997 by Saul Fr iedlander or This way to the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by

Tadeusz Borowski, published in 1959.

“Media has made it some-what difficult to find more in-depth information pertaining to the Holocaust,” Bruehoefen-er explained. “Students are not able to find the varying factors that led to this horrific event in history other than the rise of a totalitarian regime.”

Besides exams, a research paper and an annotated bibli-ography, class participation is part of one’s grade. Students are expected to fully engage in the discussions regarding the assigned weekly readings.

“I am convinced that Dr. Bruehoefener’s specialty is dis-cussions. She always makes her interactions entertaining and never leaves anyone out. She also makes you feel comfortable enough that you don’t hesitate to participate in them weekly,” Ojeda said.

Bruehoefener hopes that with time and success this course will inspire the start of a German club at UTPA. She would like for the club to host historical movie nights that focus on all the different forms of resistance that Ger-many faced and educate peo-ple, other than her students, on European history.

January 29, 2015

According to the Entertain-ment Software Association (ESA), as of 2014 59 percent of Americans are video game con-sumers. As the range of these consumers expands, universi-ties throughout the nation are implementing programs aimed at satisfying the fast-growing $21 billion gaming industry. Last fall the University of Texas at Austin followed suit by part-nering with Warren Spector and Paul Sams in the creation of the Denius-Sams Gaming Academy.

The academy offers a post-baccalaureate certificate in game design meant to de-velop future leaders of the gaming industry. The nine-to-12-month program aims to satisfy the needs of the in-dustry and involves creating a game, launching simulations and learning leadership roles. A c c o r d i n g to an official statement by UT Austin, “the acad-emy seeks to support e c o n o m i c growth of the gaming industry in Texas.” The goal is to train students in the develop-ment and commercialization of video games.

It is no surprise that Tex-as was chosen as the place to launch the Denius-Sams Academy. The industry pro-duces about 4,000 jobs in Texas alone, which is also home to more than 150 com-panies dedicated to gaming.

The initiative first launched in fall of 2014 but acceptance to the program was limited to only 20 students, making enrollment highly competi-tive. The program is avail-able to U.S. and international students. For those accepted

into the inaugural class of fall 2014, tuition was waived and a $10,000 stipend was

granted. Applications for the 2015-2016 academic year be-gan Jan. 15.

Among the most recog-nized universities in game design are the University of Southern California, Michi-gan State University and the University of California-Irvine. According to the ESA, during the last aca-demic school year almost 400 higher-education institutions in the U.S. offered courses in game development. This number is expected to in-crease dramatically in the next decade to reflect the in-crease of the video game in-dustry, which has grown due to the rising popularity of video games in the U.S. and throughout industrialized na-tions.

There is a chance simi-lar gaming programs will be

considered for UTRGV. Cur-rently, Emmett Tomai of the Department of Computer Sci-ence teaches an introductory course on game development.The topic was subject of much discussion in the UTPA Game Room, located on the second floor of the Student Union. Rudy Reyna, a computer sci-ence major and avid gamer, hopes this initiative will ex-pand to other UT schools.

“I would love for these courses to be available at UTPA, even without the sti-pend incentives,” he said. “To get a certificate in something that I do for fun is an opportu-

nity I would not pass on.” What makes this academy

unique is that its creators are veterans of the gaming indus-try. Spector, director of the Denius-Sams Academy, re-ceived his Masters of Arts in Radio-TV-Film at UT Austin where he is now teaching. The video game producer and director has been working in the industry since the 80’s. Among his list of achieve-ments are the production of games such as Deus Ex, Ul-tima Underworld I & II and System Shock. The program will be the first to be taught by gaming industry leaders, which has created a wave of excitement amongst students seeking a career in game de-sign. The program imple-mented by Denius-Sams Gaming Academy is the first of its kind at UT Austin.

“Having leaders of the gaming industry instructing these courses is an amazing

o p p o r t u -nity that I’d love to see at UTPA,” Reyna said. “Since other universities are offer-ing similar courses, I am hopeful that UTPA

or UTRGV will catch up to this phenomenon.”

His hopes for UTPA do not appear farfetched. UT Austin is not alone in its decision to implement programs in game design. There are currently 20 higher education institutions in Texas that provide courses in game development with the University of Houston-Victo-ria being the closest to the Rio Grande Valley. Universities in California and New York are leading in the field with Texas in third place.

I want students to see that history is not just black and white. It’s not

about categorizing perpetrators and victims.

-Friederike Bruehoefener Assistant professor

To get a certificate in some-thing that I do for fun is an

opportunity I would not pass on.- Rudy ReynaComputer science major

Juanita Renee Rivas/ The Pan American

By Denise Garza The Pan American

A career in gamingUniversities in Texas prepare students for the expanding video game industry

A closer look at the HolocaustNew class to focus on factors that lead to the 1933-1945 massacre

THE PAN AMERICAN THE PAN AMERICAN January 29, 2015 Page 5

UTPA’s Social Justice Club, along with several others, organized a rally in front of the Whole Woman’s Health Clinic of McAllen Jan. 24. A group of around 25 peo-ple gathered to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade court case and show solidarity for patients attending the clinic that day.

The landmark case of 1973 presented a preg-nant and single Texan woman who challenged the constitutionality of the state’s abortion laws, which made it a crime for a woman to receive or at-tempt to get an abortion unless it affected the safe-ty of the mother.

In addition, the rate of

self-induced abortions in the Rio Grande Valley is one of the highest in the nation. Seven percent of women reported trying to end their pregnancies on their own before vis-iting an abortion clinic, that number jumping to 12 percent for those liv-ing on the U.S. - Mexico border.

In 2011, there were 62 abortion providers in Texas; 46 of those were clinics. This represents a 7 percent decline in overall providers and an 8 percent decline in clin-ics from 2008. That year there were 67 abortion providers overall, 50 of which were abortion clin-ics.

Texans have been fight-ing over reproductive rights for several years. In 2013 Texas Sen. Wendy Davis (D- Fort Worth)

filibustered for 11 hours, helping kill a bill that would have implemented some of the most strin-gent abortion restrictions in the country.

When several people at-tended the rally Jan. 24 to promote women’s rights, they held signs saying, “Women can decide,” as well as “My healthcare does not depend on your religious beliefs,” among others that promoted gender equality.

A pro-life march was also held, led by a bish-op from St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church.

The pro-life pro-moters walked to and stopped in front of the clinic while facing the pro-choicers and prayed the rosary before returning to Sacred Heart Cath-olic Church, locat-ed six blocks north of the clinic.

Andrea Medi-na, an accounting major at UTPA, attended the pro-life march in order to promote her beliefs regarding the clinic be-ing opened to the public. According to The Moni-

tor the clinic closed in March 2014 because it had not been able to meet the requirements of hav-ing abortion doctors with admitting privileges at local hospitals. Another

issue was the fact that clinics have to meet en-hanced surgical standards such as having facilities where their doctors have worked before. However, the clinic reopened be-cause of a ruling made by a federal judge that overturned the mandate, which said abortions are only performed in ambu-latory surgical centers.

“While we were walk-ing we were praying for the lives of the babies that were being lost,” the

sophomore said. “I was invited by a friend of mine to attend this event and I was really interested because it is a subject that touches me. To me, the begin-ning of a new life is sacred and since they are not able to defend them-

selves I am willing to do it for them.”

Junior Sofia Peña works at the Whole Women’s Health clinic as a guard-ian for patients and at-tended the rally to lend a hand to those who need-ed it, such as patients vis-iting that day.

“After the clinic re-opened after being closed for six months I asked how I could help and they offered me to be an escort to patients, which basical-

ly what I do is walk with them from their car to the clinic and help them face anti-choice people that might harass them,” said Peña, a social work major. “I am part of South Texas for Reproductive Justice, a group that promotes rights for all genders and one of our main thing is to escort the patients. No matter how big or little of a thing we do, it makes a difference to let the pa-tients know they are not alone.”

Ozzy Eromosele, a pre-med freshman from UTPA, attended the rally for pro-choice with his sister to show support for women of the Rio Grande Valley visiting the clinic.

“I had attended sev-eral protests before from the Social Justice club and I got invited to this one and instantly said

‘OK, I’m down,’ since it’s such a dicey subject,” the freshman said. “I think if this is going to be contro-versial, then we should address it. The way that I see it, you have the free-dom to choose. ... I am not a woman yet I can procreate and I don’t nec-essarily have to be a wom-an to identify with them and how they feel. We cannot act like it is not important and we should support them.”

The pro-choice group will have another rally in Brownsville March 8 to celebrate International Women’s Day, a day cel-ebrated for more than 100 years that focuses on achievements made by women.

“It is 2015 and gender or race should not be im-portant in order to sup-port people,” Eromosele said. “Everyone should be able to make their own choices and have safe pro-

cedures being done for them. That is why clinics like this one should keep running and keep on helping women through-out the Valley.”

Page 4

Roe v. Wade anniversary celebrated, protestedRallying for rights

Story by Elsa CavazosPhotos by Michael MedinaThe Pan American

January 29, 2015

THE PAN AMERICAN THE PAN AMERICAN January 29, 2015 Page 5

UTPA’s Social Justice Club, along with several others, organized a rally in front of the Whole Woman’s Health Clinic of McAllen Jan. 24. A group of around 25 peo-ple gathered to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade court case and show solidarity for patients attending the clinic that day.

The landmark case of 1973 presented a preg-nant and single Texan woman who challenged the constitutionality of the state’s abortion laws, which made it a crime for a woman to receive or at-tempt to get an abortion unless it affected the safe-ty of the mother.

In addition, the rate of

self-induced abortions in the Rio Grande Valley is one of the highest in the nation. Seven percent of women reported trying to end their pregnancies on their own before vis-iting an abortion clinic, that number jumping to 12 percent for those liv-ing on the U.S. - Mexico border.

In 2011, there were 62 abortion providers in Texas; 46 of those were clinics. This represents a 7 percent decline in overall providers and an 8 percent decline in clin-ics from 2008. That year there were 67 abortion providers overall, 50 of which were abortion clin-ics.

Texans have been fight-ing over reproductive rights for several years. In 2013 Texas Sen. Wendy Davis (D- Fort Worth)

filibustered for 11 hours, helping kill a bill that would have implemented some of the most strin-gent abortion restrictions in the country.

When several people at-tended the rally Jan. 24 to promote women’s rights, they held signs saying, “Women can decide,” as well as “My healthcare does not depend on your religious beliefs,” among others that promoted gender equality.

A pro-life march was also held, led by a bish-op from St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church.

The pro-life pro-moters walked to and stopped in front of the clinic while facing the pro-choicers and prayed the rosary before returning to Sacred Heart Cath-olic Church, locat-ed six blocks north of the clinic.

Andrea Medi-na, an accounting major at UTPA, attended the pro-life march in order to promote her beliefs regarding the clinic be-ing opened to the public. According to The Moni-

tor the clinic closed in March 2014 because it had not been able to meet the requirements of hav-ing abortion doctors with admitting privileges at local hospitals. Another

issue was the fact that clinics have to meet en-hanced surgical standards such as having facilities where their doctors have worked before. However, the clinic reopened be-cause of a ruling made by a federal judge that overturned the mandate, which said abortions are only performed in ambu-latory surgical centers.

“While we were walk-ing we were praying for the lives of the babies that were being lost,” the

sophomore said. “I was invited by a friend of mine to attend this event and I was really interested because it is a subject that touches me. To me, the begin-ning of a new life is sacred and since they are not able to defend them-

selves I am willing to do it for them.”

Junior Sofia Peña works at the Whole Women’s Health clinic as a guard-ian for patients and at-tended the rally to lend a hand to those who need-ed it, such as patients vis-iting that day.

“After the clinic re-opened after being closed for six months I asked how I could help and they offered me to be an escort to patients, which basical-

ly what I do is walk with them from their car to the clinic and help them face anti-choice people that might harass them,” said Peña, a social work major. “I am part of South Texas for Reproductive Justice, a group that promotes rights for all genders and one of our main thing is to escort the patients. No matter how big or little of a thing we do, it makes a difference to let the pa-tients know they are not alone.”

Ozzy Eromosele, a pre-med freshman from UTPA, attended the rally for pro-choice with his sister to show support for women of the Rio Grande Valley visiting the clinic.

“I had attended sev-eral protests before from the Social Justice club and I got invited to this one and instantly said

‘OK, I’m down,’ since it’s such a dicey subject,” the freshman said. “I think if this is going to be contro-versial, then we should address it. The way that I see it, you have the free-dom to choose. ... I am not a woman yet I can procreate and I don’t nec-essarily have to be a wom-an to identify with them and how they feel. We cannot act like it is not important and we should support them.”

The pro-choice group will have another rally in Brownsville March 8 to celebrate International Women’s Day, a day cel-ebrated for more than 100 years that focuses on achievements made by women.

“It is 2015 and gender or race should not be im-portant in order to sup-port people,” Eromosele said. “Everyone should be able to make their own choices and have safe pro-

cedures being done for them. That is why clinics like this one should keep running and keep on helping women through-out the Valley.”

Page 4

Roe v. Wade anniversary celebrated, protestedRallying for rights

Story by Elsa CavazosPhotos by Michael MedinaThe Pan American

January 29, 2015

January 29, 20156

Determination has allowed Edgar Garcia’s life to come full circle. Within a matter of months he went from being a cancer patient awaiting his next form of treatment to graduat-ing as a physicians assistant an-ticipating his boards exam.

The 28-year-old felt like he was living a close-to-nor-mal life in his hometown of Brownsville. During his pro-cess of applying to dental school in 2010, Garcia was working as a biology teacher and assistant coach at Rivera High School in the familiar halls where he once walked as a student.

“My old coach asked me to go back and be his assistant coach for basketball and foot-ball,” the University of Texas at Brownsville graduate said. “So I agreed and taught there for two years. It was a fun experi-ence being back there.”

Due to his mother’s con-cerns, the then-23-year-old went in for a check-up and was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage three colon cancer Dec. 17, 2010. In stage three, the cancer spreads to the lymph nodes or tissues near the area, and would usually require chemotherapy.

“It’s kind of a funny story. My mom noticed that my skin was paler than usual, so for her peace of mind I got some blood work done,” Garcia explained. “I found out that I was severely anemic. I went in for more tests including a colonoscopy and that’s when we found out.”

With no symptoms visible to the naked eye, the Garcia fam-ily was shocked by the news.

“Nothing can really prepare you for that moment and I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “Thoughts were racing through my head like ‘Maybe this could be it for me.’”

The presence of his parents, Gonzalo and Maria Garcia, was comforting to him during such a life-altering event.

“I’ve been blessed with great parents. They’re both just such strong individuals and even though it was felt, they never showed fear to me,” he said.

According to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Hospitals, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston has ranked second for the last 25 years. Ranking first is the Memorial Sloan Ketter-ing Cancer Center located in New York. Wanting to receive the best care in the state, Gar-cia and his family, including his three siblings, moved to Hous-ton for the next three weeks to

be close to the Cancer Center. Garcia, inspired by his par-ents’ attitude, was confident he would tackle the obstacle.

“Everybody was just so sup-portive,” he said. “The whole family went with me and my sister, Gabriella, even lost her job to stay with me in Hous-ton because she had no more days off.”

The next month Garcia un-derwent surgery for the remov-al of his tumor. Initially the doctors were under the impres-sion that their patient would need chemotherapy, but after the surgery the cancer weak-ened to stage two. Soon after, Garcia became cancer free.

He said the physicians as-sistants were instrumental in his full recovery, finding them to be skillful, knowledgeable and comforting throughout his stay. He explained how the staff inspired him to change the entire course of his life.

“They took the time to guide me through the process and put me at ease,” he said. “That really changed my mentality of what I wanted to do with my life and almost like God redi-rected me in a sense.”

Six months after surgery Garcia was in good spirits and joined UTPA’s PA program in the fall of 2012 to fulfill this calling. As soon as he was ac-

cepted into the program he worked on getting a rotation in Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at MD Anderson. Which treat the cancers of the liver, bile duct, gallblad-der, pancreas, large and small bowel, stomach, esophagus and rare tumors.

“I did my elective rotation there on GI Medical Oncolo-gy,” Garcia explained. “It was a neat experience because where I was a patient and had my ap-pointments. I also got to be on the other side of the desk.”

After graduating in De-cember 2014 from the PA program, Garcia felt the pro-gram gave him the tools and confidence nec-essary for his practical rota-tions. Director and founder of this program, Frank Ambriz , impacted Gar-cia by helping make it all pos-sible.

“On the aca-demic aspect of it, it was intimi-dating being at one of the best cancer centers but at the same time I felt pre-

pared,” Garcia said with a smile. “The program at UTPA is fantastic and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t choose any other place. The faculty really cares and takes the time which comes from the leadership of Mr. Ambriz.”

Garcia’s positive attitude landed him the 2015 Erin Scott Courageous Spirit award, only given to a cancer survivor swho demonstrate courage and an up-lifting spirit. He will be handed the award March 28 in Houston during the 5k Scope Run.

Feb. 16 Garcia will take his board certification test which all graduates need to pass before

work-ing in a hospital. The results will de-termine the next phase of his life.

“At this moment I am un-decided,” he said. “Returning to MD Anderson is a possibil-ity but my ultimate goal is to be here, serving the people of the Rio Grande Valley.”

By Scarlet SawyerThe Pan American

Cancer survivor finds inspiration in diagnosis

CAN A STUDENTDISCOVER THE TRUTH FOR AMERICA?

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7sports January 29, 2015

The 2015 diamond season for the UTPA Broncs is set to begin with a tournament Feb. 13-14 against Jackson State and Tennessee-Martin. But before they start showcasing their tal-ents the guys are training hard in preparation for the opener.

Head Coach Manny Man-trana knows these early sessions help the coaches see where their athletes are after a five-week break.

“These practices are extreme-ly important,” Mantrana said. “Primarily there are two reasons: number one, we want to see how much they retained from the fall and the second reason is that it gives us (coaches) an idea on where the athletes are at and what we need to work on. Whether it be offensive, defensive or base running.”

Ten of the team’s first 23 games are against foes that par-ticipated in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. In three of those 10 UTPA will face College World Series participants Texas and TCU.

“The 2015 schedule is defi-nitely challenging,” Mantrana

said. “We play some of the best teams in the country during the first half of the season and then jump into Western Athlet-ic Conference play.”

Sam Street, last year’s WAC pitcher of the year, is now in the pros in the chain of the Pitts-burgh Pirates and Alex Howe, one of the team’s best hitters last season, is back in Australia. Mantrana knows that it will be difficult to replace the produc-tivity they brought to the team, which posted a 27-30 record last season.

“Those two guys are irreplace-able,” the sixth-year coach said. “Replacing guys like that is not easy, but the key is good recruit-ing. You have to bring in a class that are not only good players but also have good character. Guys that have the desire to suc-

ceed in the classroom, baseball and succeed as a human being. Then they have to be committed to the entire program.”

The Broncs will play 24 home

games starting with the Al Ogle-tree Classic Feb. 20-22. After the first road trip to Austin to face the Longhorns, the Broncs return during Homecoming weekend to play Lamar Feb. 27-March 1. Another intrigu-ing day will be the double head-er April 7 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Although non-conference games are important, Mantra-na and his team are preparing for a second season in the WAc. The Broncs are scheduled to have four series against conference op-ponents including Seattle March 27-29, Chicago State April 17-19, Northern Colorado April 24-

26 and Utah Valley May 14-16.“We have four WAC series at

home which are going to be ex-tremely important,” Mantrana said. “We must have success at home if we wish to contend for the conference championship …Our first year in the WAC was a learning experience, obvi-ously a lot of the teams we never faced before. But now we know what they like to do and what they are good at and vice ver-sa. This year, I like our starting eight and our pitching is going to better as a staff.”

Last year the Broncs played a total of 57 games, this year they play 54 games leading up to the WAC Tournament May 20-24. It will be held at the Oakland Athletics’ spring training com-plex, HoHoKam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz.

“It’s tough playing that many games in one semester,” Mantra-na said. “It would be nice if the season would be a little bit lon-ger but it is what it is … Our program is looking forward to our second season of competi-tion in the WAC. There should be plenty of exciting college baseball for our fans to enjoy.”

By Marco TorresThe Pan American

The Broncs played two home conference games last week at the Field House and earned a loss Jan. 22 then a victory Jan. 24. The team’s record is now 2-3 in the Western Athletic Confer-ence and 8-13 overall.

In the first game against Utah Valley, UTPA could not catch up from a halftime deficit in a 74-54 defeat. The Broncs shot just 34.7 percent from the field for the game, though sopho-more forward Janari Joesaar tied his career high with 29 points, grabbing six rebounds.

After the loss the team mem-bers got together during the week and discussed what they needed to work on to earn more victories.

“We tried to break it up on both ends of the court,” said Joesaar, who leads the team in scoring with 18.6 points per game. “We still need to keep grinding to get that W. The teammates picked each other up to do a great job. A lot of guys are getting more confident.”

Grand Canyon University visited the Field House Jan. 24

in a matchup that went down to the wire.

Led by the trio of Joesaar, Shaquille Hines and Shaquille Boga, the Broncs were able to overcome a late rally by GCU for a win, 73-72, dropping the foe to 2-2 11-10.

Boga scored with 43 seconds left to tie the game until GCU’s layup by DeWayne Russell with 12 seconds remaining gave the Antelopes a 2-point advantage.

In the next possession fresh-man guard Elijah Watson drove the lane and was fouled by Ryan Majerle. After hitting one of two free throws the Broncs desper-ately needed the ball back with only seven seconds remaining, according to Watson, a Chiaca-go native.

“After missing that first free throw I was just thinking, ‘Make this second one and we have to get a steal,’” he said. “That’s all that was running through my mind, ‘I’ve got to get a steal, got to get a steal.’”

Next, Hines stole the in-bounds pass from GCU, imme-diately passed it to forward Dan Kimasa, who assisted to Watson as he knocked in a free-throw

line jumper with two seconds left to give the Broncs the win.

“I knew we didn’t have that much time left,” Watson said. “I just got the ball, I didn’t even look for anybody... I was just thinking, ‘Score.’ I didn’t know I was gonna be the guy to get the ball and go to the rim... it was just a crazy moment.”

The team shot 55.2 percent from the field and outgained GCU in points in the paint 34-14. Boga and Hines led the team with 18 points apiece. Jo-esaar had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

With WAC play in full swing, the Broncs are on the road for their next three games starting against New Mexico State Jan. 31 at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M.

“We really just played how we are capable of. This is a great time to get it going and playing all together,” Boga said. “Today just shows the mental toughness that if we can grind through the whole game we can win the whole conference.”

By Kevin LaraThe Pan American

We play some of the best teams in the country during the first half of the season and

then jump into WAC play. - Manny Mantrana

Head baseball coach

Head baseball coach Manny Mantrana coaches some of the hitters on proper techniques to use at the plate Jan. 22.

Omar Casas/ The Pan American

Forward Janari Joesaar with a fade away shot in the 68-43 loss against the University of Texas at San Antonio Jan. 12. He is averaging 18.6 points per game this season.

Jon Nutt/ The Pan American

Renee Alicia Rangel/ The Pan American

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January 29, 2015