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Melissa Martinez, senior communication majorand staff photographer of The Pan American, traveledto Louisiana Friday, Sept. 2, and stayed the weekend.Here is her first-hand account of the journey into astate of emergency.
HAMMOND, La. - You don’t have to travel intoNew Orleans to see the devastation that HurricaneKatrina left behind. Just 51 miles north of the city isHammond, with a population of about 18,000. Alongthe streets of Hammond, there are 100-foot treesuprooted and billboard signs thrown over the roofs ofhouses, scattered like toys.
The streets of Hammond are chaotic as peoplehonk their horns at the car in front of them. The cars arenot waiting for the light at the intersection to turn green;they are waiting to fill up their cars with gas. Linesthere are about one to two blocks long. They are will-ing to wait up to an hour, as gas in these parts is scarce.Some stations are limiting customers to $20 purchases.
“I’ve been waiting in this damn line for about 30minutes now and I don’t know how much longer I’llbe waiting,” said Nick Trinh, who waited anxiouslyat a Circle K.
Despite the situation with the cost of gas, The RedCross and the Texas Disaster Relief are on the move inHammond to help victims of the hurricane. Sidney RayClark, 51, is a volunteer with the Texas Baptist Unit,one of four units of the Texas Disaster Relief fromDallas who is setting up water at the Immanuel BaptistChurch on Pecan Street in Hammond, along with TheRed Cross. The other three Texas units are the TarrantBaptist unit, Odessa unit and the Aubrey Mathis unit.
“I’m just doing my part in this whole mess. We’vebeen here for about four days now helping out, and wewon’t leave until our goals are met,” said Clark.
The Red Cross has also been helping the city ofHammond. Workers have also set up at the ImmanuelBaptist Church. On Saturday alone, volunteers servedabout 10,000 plates along with water. Lauren Poche,17, of Woodland Park, volunteered at ImmanuelBaptist Church.
“Today we’re serving rice with chili, and some
T h e S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r o f T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f Te x a s - P a n A m e r i c a n S e p t e m b e r 8 , 2 0 0 5
THE
PAN AMERICANBronc Soccer Club set for weekend games
see Page 15
SURVIVING -Trey and
Detrionne Morgan,both 4, play out-
side the ImmanuelBaptist Church
Shelter inHammond, La.Saturday after-
noon. Their fami-ly’s home was
destroyed byHurricane Katrina
in New Orleans.
Photos by Melissa Martinez
By MELISSA MARTINEZThe Pan American
Melissa Martinez/The Pan American
See LOUISIANA page 11
There are hundreds of thousands ofnon-profit organizations in the country, alljust waiting for the chance to help some-one in need.However, some-times, even theyneed a helping hand.
Thanks to thenew VolunteerResource Program(VRP) created bythe staff at the Non-profit ResourceCenter at The University of Texas-PanAmerican Annex, those organizationswill get the aid they need.
VRP is one of the organizationsgiven grants by the Corporation for
National and Community Service. Of1,150 applicants, only 13 were chosen.VRP is the only grantee in Texas, as wellas the only higher education institution inthe nation selected.
Flor Zamora, program coordinator,said that it was nec-essary to create theVRP because ofgreat demand.
“Throughoutthe years, we’veheard thoroughneeds-assessment
surveys that the non-profit organizationsare in need of volunteers who have spe-cialized skills to offer their organizationssuch as those offered by UTPA kids,”Zamora said.
Customized volunteering
It’s all
about survival
By SANDRA GONZALEZThe Pan American
Jonathan Howe, a junior psy-chology pre-med student, walkedaway from New Orleans Sunday,Aug. 28 to piece together a tempo-rary life in San Francisco.
With the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina now firmly sink-ing in around the Gulf states, stu-dents from Louisiana are facing acrucial time in their college career.Or what is left of it.
The University of NewOrleans estimates one-third of thecampus is below water, but alsoexpects to have electronic classesavailable to students in October. It isnot known when the campus will
re-open. Howe remains firm in saying
that he will return to New Orleansand to Loyola University, soonerrather than later.
“There’s not that much water,in the campus or my parish,” hesaid. “So, I’ll be back in the spring.”
Loyola University in NewOrleans experienced minimal phys-ical damage, but officials say thatrising water is a concern. The doorswill open again January 2006.
Howe arrived in Houston justover a week ago. He left NewOrleans early to beat the traffic,before the mandatory evacuationcame into effect. There, he was for-tunate enough to stay with friends in
UTPA offers assistance
See HURRICANE page 11See VOLUNTEER page 6
By EMMA CLARKThe Pan American
HOME AND AWAY - Sidney RayClark, 51, a volunteer from the TexasBaptist Unit, Dallas unloads waterfrom his truck Saturday for the RedCross to distribute in Hammond.
It’s all
about survival
1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539
(956) 381-2541 Fax: (956) 316-7122
http://www.panam.edu/dept/panamerican
55th Year – No. 3
The PANAMERICAN isthe official studentnewspaper of TheUniversity ofTexas-PanAmerican. Views presentedare those of thewriters and do notnecessarily reflectthose of theuniversity.
The Pan Americangladly acceptsletters fromstudents, staff andfaculty regardingnewspaper contentor current issues.The Pan Americanreserves the rightto edit submissionsfor grammar andlength. Please limitsubmission lengthto 300 words. ThePan Americancannot publishanonymous letters,or submissionscontaining hatespeech orgratuitous personalattacks. Letters areprinted at thediscretion of theeditor and mustinclude the writer’sname, class/titleand phone number.
Letters policy
September 8 2005
Readers with dis-abilities mayrequest an alter-native format ofthis publication atThe Pan American
business office. For special assis-tance to attendany event listed inthis publication,contact the coor-dinator of theevent at least oneweek prior to theadvertised date.
EN ESPAÑOLPAGE 2
EditorEmma Clark
News EditorClaudette [email protected]
A & E EditorJason Chapa
Sports EditorsJoey Gomez
Daryl [email protected]
Graphics EditorDägoberto Pérez
Photography EditorJoel de la Rosa
Layout/PhotographyDelisa Guadarrama
DesignersLaura C. Gó[email protected]
Lylony [email protected]
Reporters
Nayelly Barrios
Sandra Gonzalez
Victoria Guajardo
Angela Salazar
David Rodriguez
Joey Hinojosa
Photographers
Joey Cortez
Melissa Martinez
Translator
Paola Carrasco
SecretaryDiana Corpus Garza
Adviser
Dr. Greg Selber
Delivery
Anthony Pinal
Thursday at Noon
THE
PAN AMERICANMelissa Martinez, estudiante de comu-
nicaciones y fotografa del Pan American,viajó a Louisiana el Viernes dos deSeptiembre y se quedo el fin de semana.Este es su informe de primera mano acercade su viaje al estado de emergencia.
Hammond, La. - Uno no tiene que via-jar a New Orleans para ser testigo de la dev-astación que el huracán Katrina causó.Cincuenta y un millas hacia al norte de laciudad se encuentra Hammond, con unapoblación de aproximadamente 18,000 habi-tantes. Por las calles de Hammond se puedenobservar árboles de hasta cien pies de alturaarrancados de raíz, junto con letreros quefueron tirados como juguetes sobre lostechos de las casas.
Las calles de Hammond son caóticas;los carros pitan sin cesar. Los conductoresno están esperando para que el semáforo dela intersección se convierta en verde, estánesperando el poder adquirir gasolina. Lasfilas llegan a medir dos cuadras y los carrosestán dispuestos a esperar hasta una hora acausa de la escasez de gasolina. Algunasgasolineras han puesto un límite de 20dólares per capita.
“He estado esperando en esta malditafila cerca de media hora y no sé cuanto mástendré que esperar”, replicó Nick Trinh eningles mientras esperaba ansiosamente en unCircle K.
A pesar de la situación con el costo degasolina, La Cruz Roja y el Texas DisasterRelief están en Hammond ayudando a lasvíctimas del huracán. Sydney Ray Clark, decincuenta y un años, es un voluntario con laUnidad Bautista de Texas, una de las cuatrounidades de el Texas Disaster Relief enDallas que está ofreciendo agua potable enLa Iglesia Bautista Immanuel en la callePecan en Hammond, junto a la Cruz Roja.Las otras unidades de Texas son la UnidadBautista Tarrant, la unidad Odessa y launidad Aubry Mathis.
“Yo solo estoy haciendo mi parte entodo este desorden. Hemos estado aquí cercade cuatro días ayudando y no vamos a irnoshasta que nuestras metas hayan sido cumpli-das”, dijo Clark.
La cruz Roja también ha estado ayudan-do a la ciudad de Hammond. Los traba-jadores también se han instalado en laIglesia Bautista Immanuel. Solamente en unSábado, voluntarios sirvieron 10,000 platosy agua. Lauren Poche, de diez y siete añosde edad y residente de Woodland Park, par-ticipó como voluntaria en la Iglesia BautistaImmanuel.
“Hoy servimos arroz con chile, y otrasgolosinas,” ella dijo. “Yo creo que la gentede Hammond está muy agradecida por esto.Sé que yo lo estaría en su lugar”.
La Iglesia Bautista Immanuel no sólosirve como comedor pero también comorefugio. Ha protegido a 162 personas queevacuaron de Plaquemines Parish, que seencuentra rodeada por el Golfo de Mexico,está dividida por el Río Mississippi y es elprincipio de la Great River Road.
La directora del refugio en la iglesia esSally Parks de Sanoma County Chapter. Suliderazgo ha venido con su experiencia comovoluntaria en Americacorps.
“La gente de este refugio han formadouna parte de mi,” admitió, “Ellos tambiénestán dispuestos a hacerce cargo del refugio.Algunos de ellos actuaron como líderes y me
ayudaron en lo más que pudieron. Sí, hemosperdido a algunos y sólo tengo la esperanzade hacer lo mejor por ellos aquí”.
Afuera, mujeres cuelgan su ropa entendederos conectados entre dos autobusesescolares. Dos niños pequeños juegan conun bote de juguete en un charco. Adentro,colchones y catres verdes sirven para ofreceralguna comodidad para muchas familias quetuvieron que evacuar sus hogares. Al frentede la puerta del refugio una mujer solitaria,con una camiseta de Plaza Sesamo puesta, seencontraba sentada arriba de cerca de tresbolsas de basura y algunas de sus pertenen-cias. Su nombre es Davina Barthelomew.
“Tuve que caminar hasta la preparatoriadonde los autobuses estaban esperando",dijo Bartheolomew, de cincuenta y sieteaños de edad. "Todo lo que recuerdo es unbus escolar viniendo a recogernos. Tengosiete hijos – tres niñas y cuatro niños. Y yono sé dónde están”, ella lamentó con unamirada vacía.
El resto de las familias dentro del refu-gio estaban tratando de consolarse leyendocuentos para sus hijos pequeños. Una tele-visión ofrecía algún tipo de entretenimientopara los pequeños.
"Esto es sólo el inicio" dijo Parks, "Heestado aquí alrededor de cuatro días, perosólo estamos intentando lo mejor para estaspersonas".
Batalla por la sobrevivenciaPor MELISSA MARTINEZTraducción por PAOLA CARRASCOThe Pan American
Melissa Martinez/The Pan AmericanDESCONSOLADA - Davina Bartheolomew, una residente de Louisiana, esta sentada afuera de unrefugio en Hammond, LA.. Bartheolomew ha sido separada de sus siete hijos y no sabe dónde están.
To donate:American Red CrossSouth Texas Chapter
6914 N. Expressway 83Harlingen, TX 78552
956-423-0523
Visit your local Wal-Mart orSam's Club to donate to TheSalvation Army's HurricaneKatrina relief effort or call
1-800-SAL-ARMY
Louisiana Disaster Relief877-435-7521
http://louisianahelp.org/
The labyrinth that is universitylife will soon be less of a mysteryfor freshman.
Nidia Aguirre, assistant director forrecruitment – in conjunction with partsof The University of Texas-PanAmerican family - hopes to prepareprospective students and their parentsfor life after high school, as well aschange any misconceptions they mighthave about UTPA.
“We are hoping to expose prospec-tive students and their parents to theuniversity experience by having themtalk and learn from our faculty andstudents, by guiding them through the
admissions process, andby presenting relevanttopics from around theworld,” said Aguirre.
The new project,Bronc Expeditions, ispart of the LaunchingTomorrow’s Leaders program, and isexpected to attract many high schoolstudents and their parents.
“We are trying to make this as inter-active as possible, and anyone who isinterested is invited,” said Aguirre.
Many around campus are eager toparticipate in the new program. PeterNg, chair for UTPA’s Department ofComputer Science, has shown hissupport by volunteering a number ofhis faculty members to assist the
expedition.“We’ve done beautiful
things at this university,and we need to let stu-dents know that,” said Ng.
The expeditions aredesigned to eliminate anx-
iety or doubts students might haveabout UTPA and university life.
“We are one of the best [univer-sities], and we take care of our stu-dents,” he said. “We are interestedin the student and their goals; we’renot just going to get them here anddump them.”
Michelle Avila, freshman edu-cation major and tour guide forprospective and international stu-dents, knows what it is like to be
lost, and amazed by new sur-roundings.
“[High school students] needto know that this program willbenefit them and ease their wayinto UTPA’s environment,” saidAvila.
The questions most frequentlyasked at the Visitor’s Center willbe answered during Bronc
Expeditions, she explained.The new program is expected
to boost enrollment as well asbolster the university’s image.
“UTPA is a university that willhelp you achieve whatever it isyou want,” said Ng. “WithoutBronc Expeditions, how elsewould high school students knowthat we are here for them?”
Joel de la Rosa/The Pan American
ECO-FRIENDLY - Jose Omar Lopez, an Edinburg Recycling Center employeeof six years, sorts through recyclable goods at the center, located at 3102 S.Closner. This is one of many environmental efforts under way locally.
Accounting Competition. . . . . . . 4
Unprotected Text . . . . . . . 5
New Greek Orgs . . . . . . . . . . 4NEWS
The University of Texas-PanAmerican’s hometown is in theprocess of being revitalized throughenvironment-friendly projects.
The Edinburg EnvironmentalAdvisory Board (EAB) has recentlygiven City Manager Wendy Smith-Sturgis several recommendations forthe overall enhancement and beautifi-cation of the city. Some of those pro-posed programs include introducingcurbside recycling, the ‘Don’t Bag It!’program, as well as providing much-needed mulchers for the city’s recy-cling plant.
After local residents requested aprettier city, the board also suggestedcreating supplemental mulch pick-upsites. In addition to the implementa-tion of these programs, EAB also pro-posed a city acquisition of Ebony HillsGolf Course for a city park/greenspace. The course’s current ownershave a lease until 2013.
Since all of these procedures wouldrequire a significantly large financialinvestment from the city, another sug-gestion the board has made is for thecity to take advantage of recycling-related governmental and privatelyfunded grant opportunities.
Sturgis has not yet given aresponse to these proposals, which
were made in February and July 2005,but Ramiro Gomez, director of theDepartment of Solid Waste inEdinburg - who is also part of the six-member advisory board - says thatwith as many suggestions as she[Sturgis] gets, it might take a while.
“When you deal with these sorts ofthings, you have to keep the feasibilityfactor in mind, above all, financial fea-sibility,” Gomez said. Once a feasibil-ity plan is created, the city managertakes it up to city council, and they’rethe ones that ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ it.
“If we get approval, we all try towork with pilot programs,” Gomezsaid, “and if we get an immediate
By ANA LEYThe Pan American
Bronc expeditions goodnews for future studentsBy CELINA A. GILPATRICKThe Pan American
Environmental efforts underway
Two employees at a SouthFlorida university currently findthemselves at the center of a con-troversy over grade changes.Could it possibly happen at anyuniversity across the country,including the University of Texas-Pan American?
Seven people were involved in the scandal in which, allegedly,grades were altered for universitystudents in exchange for money and sex.
Florida Memorial Universityonly recently uncovered the situa-tion after it had apparently been inoperation for three years. Ellis
Peet and Clifton Franklin wereboth employees working in theuniversity’s registrar’s office.
Allegedly, the men acceptedbribes between $75 and $600. Outof the five students accused ofpaying off the two men, oneoffered sexual favors.
Peet was a computer technicianwho had immediate access to all grades that were turned into theregistrar’s office. Franklin was a data entry clerk supervised by Peet. The two are fraternitybrothers, with a deep level of trust.
Currently, Peet is under arrestbut Franklin has thus far eludedlocal police. The charges againstboth cite racketeering and violat-
ing intellectual property andcomputer access laws.
At UTPA, the registrar’s officeis unbending about the precautionsit takes against such action. Onehas to do with the number of peo-ple who could potentially dosomething like this.
“We have a limited number ofpersonnel that handle the gradesheets,” University RegistrarWilliam (Bill) Morris said.
At semester’s end instructorsfill in grade sheets that requirethem to bubble in the grades for allstudents. They then hand-deliverthese scantrons to a specific clerkin the registrar’s office. This assis-tant clerk reviews the forms as aninitial check before they are re-
verified by a supervisor, who thenstores these away in a safe place.Call it the Fort Knox of our grading system.
When they add up and thesupervisor deems it necessary toopen up the levee’s gates, theassistant clerk will personallywalk them over to the ComputerCenter where they will be processed.
Roy Trevino, assistant directorof the Computer Center, said thosehandling the grade sheets areclosely supervised at all times.
“We never have the forms toourselves,” he said. “The clerkfrom the registrar’s office isalways present and overlooks the
software as our machines processthem. Once they are in our data-base we keep records of thetransactions and if any changes are made they are auto-matically recorded.
Changes after the initial scan-ning require approval by the regis-trar’s office.
Many instructors, such asRoksana Alavi of the PhilosophyDepartment, are offended at thethought of students who wouldactually take that seemingly easy street.
“Attempting to change a gradelike that undermines the integrityof the degree that they mayacquire, not to mention that it ishighly unethical,” said Alavi.
By OMAR RODRIGUEZThe Pan American
Mission possible: UTPA registar preventing grade fraud
Joel de la Rosa/The Pan AmericanWELCOME - UTPA’s Visitors’ Center is host to a new program called BroncExpeditions, designed to assist prospective university students.
See ENVIRONMENT page 12
A five-student team from the University ofTexas-Pan American accounting departmentrecently won the national championship in theAssociation of Latino Professionals in Financeand Accounting (ALPFA) and KPMG NationalStudent Case Study Competition for the secondyear in a row.
Amy Ochoa, Nereyda Bartolo, MarielaMolina, Gloria Proa and Captain Olivia Lopezflew to Miami for the Aug. 8 competition, whichwas held at the Fontainebleau Hotel.
The UTPA team competed against theUniversity of Arizona, Florida InternationalUniversity, St. Thomas University, San DiegoState University and University of Texas atAustin, just to name a few. Since the UTPA teamwas the returning champion, they bypassed theregional competitions held in April and receivedtheir case study for the national competition onMay 13.
The case study that they received dealt with acompany that held a license to run a casino.
“Accounting for the renewal costs of thislicense presented a difficult challenge to thestudents because the Financial AccountingStandards Board currently has inconsistentrules governing this kind of transaction,” saidDr. John Darcy, the faculty adviser for UTPA’swinning team.
The team did not hesitate in getting to work.As soon as they received the case study question,they met after classes during the week and week-ends when necessary. During these sessions, theyall contributed to the group for the greater good.
“We all offered constructive criticismthroughout the process to steer the group in theright direction, which really paid off in the end,”said Molina.
According to Darcy, the students “favorablyimpressed the judges (who included partners ofnational CPA firms and the Inspector General ofU.S. Government Accounting Office [GAO]with their ability to reduce the problem to the fun-damental principles involved.”
Once the students broke down the problemto the basics, they crafted a solution that wasconsistent with the rules and provided the bestfinancial position for the company. The studentsalso accomplished a comprehensive tax analysisand distinguished the differences that existed inthe accounting and tax treatment of the samecase.
The students outdid the rest of the competi-tion by developing a mathematical analysis thatsecured the fact that their solution was better thanany other alternative that could have been pre-sented.
The accounting team also impressed thejudges with their presentational skills and pol-ished performance. One judge noted that theirpresentation “came from the heart.”
This couldn’t have been done without the helpof Dr. Dora Saavedra from the Department ofCommunication. She worked with the students inorder to help them polish their presentation andwork on their presentational skill.
The five students volunteered for the teamafter Darcy announced the competition in hisclasses as well as in Accounting Societymeetings. He also sent letters to qualified stu-
dents asking them to participate in the compe-tition. After the letters were sent out, it was upto the students to decide whether or not theywanted to participate in the competition.Those who chose to participate did well insolidifying some options for the future. Allthe members of the 2005 team have receivedinvitations and requests for their resumesfrom KPMG, one of the four largest auditingcompanies in the corporate world, as well asfrom GAO.
Molina notes that she and her team membersagree that it is hard to get accounting firms to takenotice of someone just out of college.
“Like some of my team members say, it’s usu-ally hard to get them to notice you, and well, inour case, they are looking for us,” said Molina.
Having won this year’s competition guar-antees the UTPA team a position in the 2006National Competition, which is to be held inFort Worth, Texas. The competition is heldeach year and is sponsored by KPMG auditfirm and ALPFA, which now wants to open achapter here in the Valley. In fact, the 2005team members are in the process of helpingthem get it started. It is bound to bring lots ofnotice to hopeful future accountants in thefuture. When asked how it felt to win the com-petition for the second year in a row, Lopezresponded enthusiastically.
“An enormous feeling of contentment was allwe could feel. Not only had we won, but we hadwon two years in a row,” Lopez said. “Howamazing is that?”
September 8, 2005 NNEEWWSS Page 4
By VICTORIA RODRIGUEZThe Pan American
Accounting students win national competition
“Frat guys” and “sororitygirls” conjure up stereotypicalimages of loud, intoxicated col-lege students whose only pur-pose in life is to party. Behindclosed doors however, these fra-ternity brothers and sorority sis-
ters strive to uphold such institu-tional pillars as brotherhood orsisterhood, service and educationto keep university tradition andspirit alive.
“Our Greek organizations areknown as being active and [hav-ing] involved members, whetherit’s on campus or off-campusevents,” said Dawne Hill, coor-
dinator of the Office of StudentDevelopment. “They bring inthat spirit of campus life -involvement, activeness, asocial component, and sister-hood or brotherhood to studentswho don’t have family here,don’t really know anybody.”
This school year, TheUniversity of Texas-PanAmerican welcomes Delta Xi Nu,a new sorority rooted in the pil-lars of sisterhood, culture and education.
Citing their five foundingmothers at Texas A&MUniversity in College Station,each of whom were of differentcultures, the sorority intends tocontinue the goal of spreadingmulticulturalism both in the uni-versity and the community.
“In the Valley [the] minorityis majority,” Delta Xi NuPresident senior communicationdisorders major, Karla Reynaexplained. “We wanted to open itup not just as a Hispanic sorority,but a multicultural society.”
The five founding sisters wereformally inducted into Delta XiNu in April 2005 after a year-longprocess of approval and are work-ing to fulfill criteria to become a colony.
Their plans for the school yearinclude Hispanic Heritage Monthin September, the Carnival of theGreat Pumpkin in October, and -as part of their national philan-thropy on AIDS awareness -World AIDS Day Dec. 1.
“Delta Xi Nu [allows me] tomake a difference in my commu-nity [by encouraging] others tobe aware of other cultures andtraditions,” said junior Englishmajor and Delta Xi Nu vice pres-ident Telisa Pena. “TheUniversity of Texas-PanAmerican has students currentlyenrolled from several countriesaround the world, and I enjoylearning about their country, cul-ture, language, and traditions.”
UTPA also awaits possiblenational recognition in Novemberfor another one of its Greekorganizations - Kappa Sigma fra-ternity. The fraternity currentlyhas 30 members and is classifiedas a colony, the status given to aninterest group fulfilling nationalcriteria in order to become recog-nized as a chapter of the fraternity.
Working on fellowship, schol-arship, leadership and service, thefraternity has assisted in variousfundraising projects, entertain-
ment for March Madness inOctober, and Bike to the Coast tobenefit the American DiabetesAssociation. Their biggest philan-thropy project for the year is aHurricane Katrina relief fund toassist the American Red Cross.
“Our fraternity is bringingback a new sense of what being ina fraternity is all about,” KappaSigma Vice President and sopho-more pre-law major RobbieOlivarez said. “We do somethinghere that you wouldn’t normallydo on your own.”
Kappa Sigma began at UTPAas an existing chapter in 1968 butwas removed in 1982. In the fallof 2002, however, Ben Cantu, abrother from St. Mary’sUniversity, transferred to UTPA.Along with 15 other interestedstudents, he decided to restart thefraternity. Kappa Sigma will beginits third year as a colonyin November.
“Kappa Sigma, in its truest form,[means] becoming a better man,”said Cantu, a senior accountingmajor and Kappa Sigma’s currentsocial chair. “You have to swallowyour pride, [stop] walking aroundwith a big head on your shoulders,and understand that everybodythinks differently.”
By HILDA LORIAThe Pan American
UTPA welcomes greek organizations
Joel de la Rosa/The Pan AmericanCHAMPS - Students from UTPA’s Accounting Department won the national championship in theAssociation of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting and KPMG National Student case studycompetition.
Joel de la Rosa/The Pan American
FRAT BOYS - Six members of UTPA’s Kappa Sigma fraternity met for lunch onTuesday at the Student Union.
There’s more growth going on atThe University of Texas-Pan Americanthan the naked eye can see. In the shad-ow of building construction are newadditions to the campus’s telephonenetwork. Voice over IP (VoIP) tele-phones, which allow the transmissionof telephone conversations over theuniversity’s data network instead ofregular phone lines, are one of the newprojects currently in works.
For off-campus sites such asthe Annex on Business 281, RioGrande City, and the CoastalStudies Lab on South PadreIsland, VoIP phone services willenable a more direct connectionto the university campus inEdinburg. Callers will be able toconnect to those sites with merelya telephone extension, as opposedto an actual telephone number.
Because it is a new service, how-ever, university officials want to testit before putting it into full gear.
Telephone Services managerHerberto Castillo believes approach-ing VoIP service slowly will ensurequality service when it is ready in thefuture.
“We want to be able to guarantee[our customers] quality and service,”Castillo said. “People will tolerate anhourglass on their computers, butthey won’t tolerate an hourglass ontheir telephone. So, their phone hasto work.”
Another project theNameConnector, a full-service, voice-activated telephone directory, is nowavailable to the university and the gen-eral public.
Installed last April, theNameConnector service allows anycaller, whether on or off campus, toconnect to a department or individualby saying a name into the receiver. Toutilize the system, users can dial4000 on campus, while off-campuscallers will be greeted by an automat-ed system when they call the univer-sity’s main number.
As with all voice-recognition com-puter systems, it’s not 100 percent cor-rect. When a caller connects, the sys-tem will try two times to connect to theproper number. If unsuccessful, it willthen direct the caller to the campusoperator. That is not to say it will notlearn from those failed attempts. Areport is generated that lists the numberof failed entries and technicians usethose reports to improve the system.
NameConnector is more than just anew convenience for UTPA. The sys-tem will provide better services to indi-viduals who call the university, as wellas increase the ease with which peopleon campus can connect with each other.
“It helps take only those callsthat really need to go to the opera-tor,” Castillo said. “Those thatknow where they want to go, theycan get transferred to the depart-ment or the individual that’s in ourdirectory without having to wait inthe queue to get to the operator.”
Castillo said the system will be avail-able 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Since going into service,NameConnector has already handledover 46,000 calls, of which nearly halfhave been made by name requests.Reports suggest that only 5.2 percent ofcalls are being redirected to the opera-tor for service. Currently, there are1,648 names entered into the directory.
Castillo is happy with the direc-tion campus services are headingand hopes new improvements willcontinue to be added.
“Im very excited about itbecause I think it’s a direction thatwe need to move in [to] embrace thenew technology,” he commented.“It also opens up a lot of doors asfar as options for both the serviceswe do offer and for our customers.”
New names are still being addedto NameConnector. To be includedon the system, interested individu-als can send their name and exten-sion requests to Telephone Serviceslocated in Academic ServicesBuilding, room 1.102D or callHerberto Castillo at 381-2621.
September 8, 2005 NNEEWWSS Page 5
UTPA expands telephone servicesBy LUKE KOONGThe Pan American
There isno doubtHurr icaneKatrina wasdevastating.But evenmore so isthe woe ofthe after-
math. Stories of heroism and horrorhave steadily poured out into thecountry and the breadth and scope ofthis terrible tragedy have yet to becalculated, much less understood.Although they pale in comparison tothe direct ramifications of the storm,other stories are revolving like satel-lites that should give us pause forreflection about how we as a countryreact to and reflect on what we canall agree is a dire situation.
Here are a few things that havesurfaced in the deluge.
Seven weeks before HurricaneKatrina poured itself into theLouisiana coast, the Times-Picayune, the local New Orleansnewspaper, ran a story featuringa now ominous message fromcity, state, and federal emergencyofficials to the people of thecoast. The message was, “In theevent of a major hurricane,you’re on your own.” In a reportby Bruce Nolan, staff writer forthe Times-Picayune, Ray Nagin,mayor, Kay Wilkins, NewOrleans Red Cross executivedirector, and Oliver Thomas, citycouncil president, all indicatedthat the city lacked adequateresources to move the 140,000people in the city without accessto transportation. The officialsurged people to make arrange-ments on their own to leave thecity in the event of a catastrophe.
Randall Robinson, social jus-tice advocate and author of “TheDebt – What America Owes toBlacks,” reiterated a report hewas given that “black hurricanevictims in New Orleans havebegun eating corpses to survive.In his editorial Robinson goes onto describe how he has come torealize America is a “monstrousfraud,” and that New Orleansnow “marks the end of theAmerica I strove for.” A fewdays later, Robinson retractedhis report of cannibalism withthe following statement: “Theclaim in the first sentence in mypost was incorrect. I had beentold this was happening, butthese claims have turned out tobe unsubstantiated. I thereforeretract them – but stand behindeverything else I wrote withoutreservation.”
Ged Scott, a British bus driveron vacation in New Orleans, gave astatement to the Liverpool DailyPost that he personally witnessed
police rescuers asking girls to lifttheir shirts in exchange for evacua-tion from a flooded area. Accordingto Scott, the girls asked policemenfor help, to which they replied“Show us what you got.” They thenmade signs asking them to lift theirshirts. “When they refused the offi-cers said ‘Fine,’ and motored offdown the road in their boat,” Scottsaid.
Rapper Kanye West, knownbest for his single, “Through theWire,” let his true feelings beknown in an unscripted speechSept. 2 on a one-hour live specialto raise money for the AmericanRed Cross. West, visibly nervous,began with, “I hate the way theyportray us in the media. You see ablack family, it says ‘They’relooting.’ You see a white family, itsays, ‘They’re looking for food.’And, you know, it’s been fivedays because most of the peopleare black,” said West. He wenton to say, “The way America isset up to help the poor, the blackpeople, the less well-off, asslowly as possible. I mean, theRed Cross is doing everythingthey can. We already realize a lotof people that could help are atwar right now, fighting anotherway – and they’ve given thempermission to go down and shootus.” West then followed up with,“George Bush doesn’t care aboutblack people.”
New Orleans Mayor Nagin, hasbegun offering the city’s police,fire department, and emergencypersonnel paid vacations to LasVegas as National Guard troopsbegin to make their way into thecity to relieve them. This comeson the heels of two suicides ofpolice officers and the resignationor desertion of about 200 otherofficers. Nagin explained in aninterview that he is “very con-cerned about individuals whohave been here, particularly sincethe first few days, and have beenthrough a lot of hardship. We wantto cater to them.”
Last, and perhaps least, SeanPenn joined the effort to rescuethe stranded by taking a boatwith his entourage and touringabout a portion of the floodedcity of New Orleans.Unfortunately, the entourage,which included a personal pho-tographer, proved too large andthe boat began to sink, causing abystander to ask the agingSpicoli, “How are you gonna getany people in that thing?”
This is simply a short list of sto-ries revolving around what is cer-tainly the biggest story of the year.There is no message, only ques-tions. Where do you stand on these?What do you see in these? Do yousee a nation growing strongerthrough adversity or do you seemore than levees eroding?
Wake of the floodBy DAVID RODRIGUEZThe Pan American
U n p r o t e c t e d Te x t
Joey Cortez/The Pan AmericanEXT. 4000 - Students and faculty on campus can now dial 4000 to beconnected with the person or office of their choice through voice-dial.
Joel de la Rosa/The Pan AmericanMETAL WORK - From left to right, engineering students Israel Martinez, Christina Nuñez and Duane Guzmanwork on a project in the Manufacturing Processes lab.
September 8, 2005 NNEEWWSS Page 6
VOLUNTEER continued from page 1
The goal in creating the organizationwas to eliminate the stresses of looking forvolunteer opportunities by becoming a onestop for volunteers.
“Oftentimes, students are looking forcommunity service opportunities but theydon’t know where to turn to or who to ask,”Zamora explained.
VRP also provides a number of services. “We’re in charge not only of referring them
to non-profit organizations. We also manageplacement, record-keeping of their service in theevent they need a record of those hours for schol-arship applications,” Zamora said.
But what sets VRP apart is the care that thestaff uses when placing a student. After receivingan application, they then look for volunteer oppor-tunities to match the individual.
Nelly Del Angel, freshman psychologymajor, was placed by VRP with Mujeres Unidas,a shelter for battered women.
“Having this opportunity helped me with mycareer in psychology because now I have a bitmore experience on how to interact with chil-dren,” Del Angel said. “It helped me for the futurewhen working with others.”
Norma Saenz, volunteer coordinator forVRP, agrees.
“It gave her the opportunity to develop asa person and a professional,” Saenz said.
Del Angel feels that VRP gave her some-thing she may not otherwise have had.
“It gave me experience that I won’t get in theclass,” she said.
When it comes to future jobs, outside expe-rience is what sometimes puts applicants ahead ofthe game.
“What we find is that more and moreFortune 500 companies are asking, ‘What do youdo on your free time?’” Zamora said. “They wantto see if there is engagement in part of the youthand community service.”
Being engaged in community service is also
important to Cecilia Pena, freshman graphicdesign major.
After attending a food drive with her aunt,Pena became interested in doing more volunteer-ing. VRP set her up with AVANCE, who waslooking for someone to give their Web site forCoalition for Valley Families a new, updatedlook. As a graphic design major, she was sur-prised at the opportunity.
“Volunteering is not just picking up trash,”Pena said. “There are so many different ways youcan volunteer.”
For many students like Pena, this serves as achance to gain experience in ways that theywouldn’t be able to get working in a normal job.
“Through this program, even though it’scommunity service and non-stipend, they are ableto gain very valuable career-skills in their specificareas,” Zamora said.
While Pena’s experience has reassured herthat she has chosen the right major, often studentssee the real side of their future path, and don’t likewhat they see.
“This gives them the opportunity to see ifthis is the career of their choice,” Zamora said.
To get the word out about the many bene-fits, VRP is asking faculty to engage their stu-dents in service learning.
“Faculty members who want to give theirstudents a field-based experience can come to us inorder for us to coordinate community service proj-ects with non-profit organizations,” Zamora said.
Some students, however, take it upon them-selves to go to VRP and get involved.
In March, a group of 17 UTPA students vol-unteered at a Youth Leadership Conference heldin Edinburg. Zamora said the purpose of the con-ference was to provide workshops to high schoolyouth in a variety of issues affecting adolescents.
VRPwill also be coordinating volunteers forsome upcoming events. One of these will be forHESTEC later this month, where non-profitorganizations will make the public aware of the
services they provide. There will also be someattractions from big-name organizations.
“NASA will have a network mobile wherechildren and students can get to know a little moreabout NASA,” Saenz said.
Another event, Volunteer Income TaxAssistance (VITA), will have several locationsacross the Valley, including one at UTPA and theUTPA Annex, in which citizens can come andreceive help on their tax returns.
“The main target client will be the lower-income family who otherwise wouldn’t be able topay for tax assistance,” Saenz said.
VRP also hopes to do some aid relief for thevictims of Hurricane Katrina.
“We are currently looking at encouragingour students to donate to the Red Cross,”Zamora said. “If any students would want toactively participate as volunteers, we can pro-vide the information to the agencies that they
could go to in order to do so.”But she also pointed out that at this time,
their funders are telling them not to mobilize vol-unteers yet, as they are still in the process of mak-ing the area safe.
“What they are encouraging is for them tocome to us and we can advise them on how theycan better utilize their time and talents in thisrelief,” Zamora said.
While they have high hopes for future proj-ects, they also have aspirations for the program asa whole.
“We would love for the program to growand be a center, and we would hope for peoplein the community to get involved in communi-ty service activities and enjoy volunteering,”Saenz said.
For more information on VRP visit theirWeb site at www.coserve.org/vrp or call (956)292-7566.
It’s been a big week for rapper KanyeWest. Making news with the Rocafellarelease, “Late Registration,” and turningheads with public criticism of George W.Bush in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Westhas entered an upper echelon of entertainerswhose content seeks credibility outside theirrespective genres.
Surrounding himself with an all-star cast, theproducer-turned-rapper keeps the collegiatemotif alive on his second LP, which feeds criti-cism that the recent superstar suffers from aninferiority complex ironically offset by a publicdisplay of arrogance. In “Hey Mama,” a tributeto West’s matriarch, the artist drops hints as towhy the recurring theme endures: “My mommatold me go to school get your doctorate/Something you could fall back on you couldprofit with/ But still supported me when I didthe opposite.”
Unlike West’s first release, “CollegeDropout,” the second endeavor by the hip-hopsuperstar is lighter on comedy, relying moreheavily on blatant social criticism, rather thaninnuendo to diagram the album’s plot. Theresulting sound is that of a darker, more matureWest.
Like “Dropout,” “Late Registration,” openswith a Bernie Mac soliloquy, but fades quicklyinto “Heard ‘Em Say,” which effectively criti-
cizes the nation’s social structure from West’sperspective.
Unlike “Dropout,” there is no discernablequality of excitement that the young MCbrought to his first outing. There are upbeattracks, but the bewilderment of opportunitythat the young rapper showed lyrically on thefirst work has been quickly replaced with acomplacency and jaded view of an industrywhich for all intents and purposes he is anewcomer to.
This is, however, parlayed into excellentlyrical fodder, with West painting the picture ofhimself as an old hand in a new game. In“Bringing Me Down,” which features Brandy,the lyricist complains that artists seek him toproduce their singles. In “Gone,” which featuresConsequence and Cam-Ron, West takes his pro-ducing arrogance one step further and taunts hiscompetition
But for some the sacrifices West has made togrow will be detrimental. Those seeking “JesusWalks” and “Through the Wire” might find thepositive element void on the new album, mak-ing for a lackluster listening experience. Thoughthe LP does offer heart-tugging family narra-tives, it is more aptly centered on songs like“Diamonds From Sierra Leone,” wherein Westcriticizes the diamond trade for relying uponslave labor in foreign countries.
Easy listening? Probably not. A fantasticalbum? Unquestionably.
To many, The Scorcher is quite simply theevent of the year in the Rio Grande Valley. It isunparalleled in the amount of entertainment thatis presented. This year’s event is one for theages and promises to be a day full of activitiesfor all to enjoy, costing just $15 per person.
This event is being put on with the coopera-tion of a number of people, but it is led by thefolks at the Dodge Arena with the planning ofthe Fantich Media Group.
Marc Fantich, owner of the Fantich MediaGroup, has seen this event grow every year.Originally, the one-day show was known as TheSouth Texas Scorcher and was held the Sundayof Labor Day weekend. It began six years agoand was held at Pepsi Sports Park in Sharyland.
It began with a car show, a skateboarddemonstration and a bikini contest. A dozenbusinesses with booths showcased their prod-ucts at the first Scorcher, and a battle of thebands was the highlight of the day.
The Scorcher has expanded and the 2004event was held for the first time at Dodge Arena,setting attendance records at 15,000. The DodgeArena will house the event again, Sunday, Sept.11.
The day’s events will begin with a 9/11Tribute to Fallen Heroes. All Hidalgo CountyFire Departments will be represented and over40 fire engines will be part of the tribute.
A row of fire trucks with two large laddersextended to represent New York’s Twin Towers
will take center stage, with the ladders falling atthe precise time our vision of what it means tobe an American was forever altered.
The day may begin with begin with tears butwill continue with optimism and eagerness
Want a custom car show by local car clubs ormaybe a car expo showing off the latest editionsof your favorite model? The Scorcher’s got it.Want to see Freestyle Motocross? Got it. Wantto meet WWE stars? Got it. Like X-Gamers per-forming stunts and tricks on BMX bikes andskateboards? Got it. Did we mention theScorcher will also have Indy and NASCARvehicles on display? Oh yeah, got it.
Mexican television station Telemundo willalso be present, as well as some novela stars.
There is a Miss RGV Magazine BeautyContest and a Miller Lite Bikini Contest. Thereare three stages for music with local artists per-forming, as well as tribute bands coveringAC/DC, Guns & Roses, Ozzy, U2 andMetallica.
They even have paintball shooting for theweekend warriors out there. There will be astrongman contest and rows of booths occupiedby local businesses. For kids, The Scorcher hasa Children’s Carnival in the Kiddypalooza sec-tion which will feature face painting and otheractivities.
Have you ever been to Disney World or howabout Las Vegas? Ever done these major attrac-tions in a day? An impossible task. But it’sexactly how any visitor to The Scorcher willfeel. Too much to do, and just not enough time.
By OMAR RODRIGUEZThe Pan American
A&ECine El Rey is spicing up its mix of
movies this season, featuring “TheTransporter 2” starring British crossover actorJason Statham.
“The Transporter 2,” the first of an influxof more mainstream titles, is a dramatic turnfor the movie house renowned for being thechampion of alternative and independentfilms. Among some of the bigger titles plan-ning to be screened are “Cronicas” with JohnLeguizamo, “The Legend of Zorro” and TimBurton’s new film, “The Corpse Bride.”
The student community at The Universityof Texas-Pan American speculated on theimpact that this new trend could bring.
“I really enjoy watching the older moviesand I feel like they should keep their oldschool ways,” said Damarys Rodriguez, ajunior television/film major. “They shoulddefinitely keep showing horror flicks onFriday nights.”
Annette Perez, a senior theater major,commented on the positive effect of Cine ElRey’s change of programming.
“I feel Cine El Rey should open its doorsto Hollywood movies instead of just inde-pendent ones,” said Perez. “I love watchingthe foreign films but it should also have some
new big names as well.”Some of the faculty at UTPA also had
something to say about this turn of events.“Cine El Rey provides a great service to
the community and fills a gap that every-one else has left open. It is a real treasureand ought to be preserved,” said Dr.Marian Monta of the CommunicationDepartment.
Some members of the teaching faculty feltthat Cine El Rey’s altered programming willallow it to stay open and service those withalternative tastes.
“The fact that Cine El Rey is able to showalternative films is wonderful,” said JackStanley, a communication professor at theuniversity. “But there also has to be an under-standing of the reality of running a business,somebody has to meet that financial obliga-tion each month or the doors will close forgood.”
But some, like Brian Warren, a communi-cation lecturer, are worried that Cine El Rey’snew financial strategy could sacrifice thequality of entertainment it provides.
“As a somewhat artsy fellow, it wasnice to think that at least one place in theValley would seek out and show avant-garde films,” he said. “I hope the main-stream showings don't cause the owners to
sacrifice show times for the other, morealternative kind of films.”
But Cine El Rey doesn’t plan on drastical-ly altering its entire movie schedule. Fridaynight horror flicks will still be a staple anddespite the showing of more conventionalfilms, the theater still plans to keep serving itscustomers who have a hunger for alternativemovies.
“We have to prove to the big studios wecan get those numbers in,” said Luis Munoz,owner of Cine El Rey.
Cine also plans to expand its location intowhat Munoz, characterized as a “walk-indrive-in,” where customers have a personalstereo at outdoor tables. Cine also hopes toincrease its revenue by adding restaurant andbar features.
“Something similar to the Alamo DraftHouse,” Munoz said, speaking of the popularAustin hangout.
Cine El Rey’s plans do mark the end ofchapter in its history as a movie house.Opened in the 1940s, it provided a culturalbrand of entertainment to the community inMcAllen for the better part of 40 years.
“Initially Cine El Rey was supposed to bea stage and film montage,” said EdwardLaredo, former technical director of thedrama department at South Texas College.
“Since then it has become a refuge for alter-native cinema including the Bollywood seriesand independent films.”
Cine El Rey is evolving into a new animal,keeping some of the old and adding innova-tion in a century that requires at times a main-stream, pragmatic approach to alternativeentertainment.
“The Transporter 2,” the top grossingmovie over the weekend, opens at Cine ElRey Sept. 2 at 7:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., andwill run through Sept. 15. Free beverages and$1 popcorn will be available at the premiere.
For more information about cine El Reyand the Alamo Draft house click www.cineel-rey.com and www.originalalamo.com.
Is Cine El Rey selling out or sold out?
The hottest Scorcher yet
By JEANETTE FERRY-GOMEZThe Pan American
West’s sophomore success
Jeanette Ferry-Gomez/The Pan American
By BRIAN CARRThe Pan American
Walking on the art side . . 8 & 9
September 8 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 9September 8, 2005 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 8
Take a walk throughdowntown McAllen on aFriday night, and you mightsee something new and dif-ferent from last year. TheMcAllen Art Walk has onceagain graced the streets ofold McAllen with its month-ly cultural exposure.
“Art Walk is an activity rather than just an exhibi-tion,” said Mayra Brown, owner of Art House. “A groupof us got together and decided to open up our galleriesand other locations that host art. The Art Walk is alwaysthe first Friday of every month.”
Brown says the event was first intended to be awalkable one.
“Mostly everyone is on or around Main Street,” saidBrown. “There are twelve locations this month, and amajority of them are located between Old 83 and Pecan.”
Another art gallery participating is the NuevoSantander Gallery, owned by Becky Guerra, who actual-ly started the show last year.
“Everyone works very hard; all our different gal-leries and hosts work very hard,” Guerra said. “They do150 percent, and that’s why it’s successful. It’s importantfor people to know.”
Guerra will use the upcoming Art Walk on Oct. 7 toserve as a grand opening for the fall season at her gallery.She is very excited about the events she has coming up.
“We have a fabulous piece by Jorge GonzalesCamarena called ‘La Procession,’” said Guerra. “We alsohave a poet coming to do some readings. Her name is JanSeale, and she will have a book signing of her new book,which is a compendium of thirty years of work, rangingfrom 1974 to 2004.”
But the featured artists aren't the only ones who ben-efit from such displays.
"Art Walk provides quick exposure for some localartists," said Nancy Moyer, who taught art at TheUniversity of Texas- Pan American for 34 years and is a
columnist covering the shows in the Monitor’s weeklyFestiva section.
"Art Walk has a more varied viewer base than a sin-gle venue,” she explained “Also, sales usually take placeat special events. Since a regular exhibit is usually up forsix to eight weeks, this monthly schedule increases thechance of sales [for the artists who display work]."
While Moyer feels that there was groundbreaking,the Art Walk does show promise for future exhibits.
"This Art Walk was like a warm-up for Art Walks tocome," said Moyer. "I suspect the October Art Walk willbe the one to get enthusiastic about. September's was likea reminder for everyone to be ready for this year's sea-
son. Past Art Walks each had their own personality. It'salways a surprise for the walker. In part, that makes itfun."
Brown is also excited about her upcoming season atArt House.
“I’m going to have an artist named Mick Reber,”said Brown. “He’s going to be showing Southwest art,although he’s very well known for his modern cowboyart. He does cowboys Andy Warhol-style: very modern,very out of the ordinary, in a saloon and oversizedwith the cowboy wearing a cowboy hat and realglasses.”
Joining Art House’s exhibition for theSeptember Art Walk was a collection ofphotographs by UTPA students.
Janice Garza, a junior elemen-tary education major, works thereand helped show the photogra-phy student displays.
“I think Art Walk is real-ly great,” Garza said. “I’veworked here for a year, soI’ve been here since itstarted. I think thisgallery is so neat. TheBrowns are wonder-ful, and ReynaldoSantiago is verydedicated. He staysafter hours anddoes so muchhere.”
Santiago is a photography instructor from UTPAwho guided most of the students while they were prepar-ing this exhibit. Santiago says undergraduate and gradu-ate students make up the group that prepared the collec-tion.
“Most of the photographs are from our trips toGuanajuato and Oaxaca this summer and last year,” saidSantiago. “The others are from the digital photographyclasses. Art majors have to take it, but some people alsotake it as an elective. We also have professionals come inand take it for their own reasons. We had a medical doc-tor in the class last year.”
"I thought it was interesting in the different points ofview that were presented," said Moyer. "Miriam Alcalaand Dr. J.L. Hinojosa [two of the photographers] seethings worth sharing."
Santiago agrees that Art Walk has been a breath offresh air for McAllen.
“The cultural scene has been picking up here in thelast year,” he said. “Things like this are changing theface of the Valley. It’s bringing new life into the area andopening doors to artistic activities.”
Moyer concurred."Art Walks may be the best place in the McAllen art
scene for younger artists to network," she said. "In oneevening an emerging artist can meet venue owners whomight be interested in representing their work, or intro-duce them to prospective buyers. They could also havethe opportunity to meet other artists who they may notknow. Networking is the key to success in the 21st-cen-tury art world."
Art Walk resumes Oct. 7, running from 6 p.m. to 10p.m. on the first Friday of every month. Other venuesparticipating in the event include Espana Restaurant,Jac-Lin’s Florist, Upper Valley Art League, CasaAntigua, Douglas Clark, Fusion, The Loft, S. KleinGallery, and the U.S. Post Office.
“People are very involved in it; they love it,” saidBrown. “We have something for everyone, and we’dreally love to see more people out here next month.”
Story by Meredith LaGrone Photos by Melissa Martinez
A Walkto Remember
A Walkto Remember
"Art Walks may be the best place in
the McAllen art scene for younger
artists to network…Networking is the
key to success in the 21st-century
art world."
– Nancy Moyer,
Festiva
September 8 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 9September 8, 2005 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Page 8
Take a walk throughdowntown McAllen on aFriday night, and you mightsee something new and dif-ferent from last year. TheMcAllen Art Walk has onceagain graced the streets ofold McAllen with its month-ly cultural exposure.
“Art Walk is an activity rather than just an exhibi-tion,” said Mayra Brown, owner of Art House. “A groupof us got together and decided to open up our galleriesand other locations that host art. The Art Walk is alwaysthe first Friday of every month.”
Brown says the event was first intended to be awalkable one.
“Mostly everyone is on or around Main Street,” saidBrown. “There are twelve locations this month, and amajority of them are located between Old 83 and Pecan.”
Another art gallery participating is the NuevoSantander Gallery, owned by Becky Guerra, who actual-ly started the show last year.
“Everyone works very hard; all our different gal-leries and hosts work very hard,” Guerra said. “They do150 percent, and that’s why it’s successful. It’s importantfor people to know.”
Guerra will use the upcoming Art Walk on Oct. 7 toserve as a grand opening for the fall season at her gallery.She is very excited about the events she has coming up.
“We have a fabulous piece by Jorge GonzalesCamarena called ‘La Procession,’” said Guerra. “We alsohave a poet coming to do some readings. Her name is JanSeale, and she will have a book signing of her new book,which is a compendium of thirty years of work, rangingfrom 1974 to 2004.”
But the featured artists aren't the only ones who ben-efit from such displays.
"Art Walk provides quick exposure for some localartists," said Nancy Moyer, who taught art at TheUniversity of Texas- Pan American for 34 years and is a
columnist covering the shows in the Monitor’s weeklyFestiva section.
"Art Walk has a more varied viewer base than a sin-gle venue,” she explained “Also, sales usually take placeat special events. Since a regular exhibit is usually up forsix to eight weeks, this monthly schedule increases thechance of sales [for the artists who display work]."
While Moyer feels that there was groundbreaking,the Art Walk does show promise for future exhibits.
"This Art Walk was like a warm-up for Art Walks tocome," said Moyer. "I suspect the October Art Walk willbe the one to get enthusiastic about. September's was likea reminder for everyone to be ready for this year's sea-
son. Past Art Walks each had their own personality. It'salways a surprise for the walker. In part, that makes itfun."
Brown is also excited about her upcoming season atArt House.
“I’m going to have an artist named Mick Reber,”said Brown. “He’s going to be showing Southwest art,although he’s very well known for his modern cowboyart. He does cowboys Andy Warhol-style: very modern,very out of the ordinary, in a saloon and oversizedwith the cowboy wearing a cowboy hat and realglasses.”
Joining Art House’s exhibition for theSeptember Art Walk was a collection ofphotographs by UTPA students.
Janice Garza, a junior elemen-tary education major, works thereand helped show the photogra-phy student displays.
“I think Art Walk is real-ly great,” Garza said. “I’veworked here for a year, soI’ve been here since itstarted. I think thisgallery is so neat. TheBrowns are wonder-ful, and ReynaldoSantiago is verydedicated. He staysafter hours anddoes so muchhere.”
Santiago is a photography instructor from UTPAwho guided most of the students while they were prepar-ing this exhibit. Santiago says undergraduate and gradu-ate students make up the group that prepared the collec-tion.
“Most of the photographs are from our trips toGuanajuato and Oaxaca this summer and last year,” saidSantiago. “The others are from the digital photographyclasses. Art majors have to take it, but some people alsotake it as an elective. We also have professionals come inand take it for their own reasons. We had a medical doc-tor in the class last year.”
"I thought it was interesting in the different points ofview that were presented," said Moyer. "Miriam Alcalaand Dr. J.L. Hinojosa [two of the photographers] seethings worth sharing."
Santiago agrees that Art Walk has been a breath offresh air for McAllen.
“The cultural scene has been picking up here in thelast year,” he said. “Things like this are changing theface of the Valley. It’s bringing new life into the area andopening doors to artistic activities.”
Moyer concurred."Art Walks may be the best place in the McAllen art
scene for younger artists to network," she said. "In oneevening an emerging artist can meet venue owners whomight be interested in representing their work, or intro-duce them to prospective buyers. They could also havethe opportunity to meet other artists who they may notknow. Networking is the key to success in the 21st-cen-tury art world."
Art Walk resumes Oct. 7, running from 6 p.m. to 10p.m. on the first Friday of every month. Other venuesparticipating in the event include Espana Restaurant,Jac-Lin’s Florist, Upper Valley Art League, CasaAntigua, Douglas Clark, Fusion, The Loft, S. KleinGallery, and the U.S. Post Office.
“People are very involved in it; they love it,” saidBrown. “We have something for everyone, and we’dreally love to see more people out here next month.”
Story by Meredith LaGrone Photos by Melissa Martinez
A Walkto Remember
A Walkto Remember
"Art Walks may be the best place in
the McAllen art scene for younger
artists to network…Networking is the
key to success in the 21st-century
art world."
– Nancy Moyer,
Festiva
September 8, 2005 AA&&EE Page 10
September 8, 2005 NNEEWWSS Page 11
LOUISIANA continued from page 1other goodies,” she said. “I think thepeople here in Hammond are appre-ciative of this. I know I would be.”
Immanuel Baptist Church notonly serves as a pantry, but as a shelteras well. It housed 162 evacuees fromthe Plaquemines Parish, which is sur-rounded by the Gulf of Mexico, divid-ed by the Mississippi River, and is thebeginning and end of the Great RiverRoad. Talk about “in harm’s way.”
The director for the shelterinside the church is Sally Parks fromthe Sanoma County Chapter. Herleadership has come from her experi-ence as a volunteer in the Americorps.
“The people at this shelter havegrown on me,” she admitted. “Theyare also willing to run the shelter them-selves. Some of them act as leadersand help me out as much as they can.Yes, we’ve lost some and I only hopewe can do the best for them here.”
Outside, women hang theirclothes on makeshift clotheslines con-nected by two school buses. Two small
boys play with a plastic toy boat in apuddle. Inside, mattresses and greencots serve to comfort the many fami-lies that have had to evacuate theirhomes. In front of the door to the shel-ter a lone woman wearing a SesameStreet T-shirt sits by three black trashbags and some of her belongings. Hername is Davina Bartheolomew.
“I had to walk all the way to thehigh school where buses were therewaiting,” said Bartheolomew, 57.“All I remember is a school bus com-ing to pick us all up. I have sevenchildren - three daughters and fourboys. And I don’t know where theyare,” she said with an empty stare.
The rest of the families inside theshelter were trying to comfort eachother and reading stories to their smallchildren. A television provided someform of entertainment for the children.
“This is just the beginning,” saidParks, “I have been here for about fourdays, but we are just trying our best forthese people.
Chinatown.“I didn’t do much really,” he
said. “We hung out, and it was verylaid back. I think I was just in shock.We were watching the news, trying tomake sure everyone was ok.”
He then decided to head to SanFrancisco to stay with family. Alreadyenrolled in The University of SanFrancisco, Howe is nervous abouthow the hurricane will affect his col-lege status.
“I’m waiting to get advised.School has already been in session forthree weeks. As a pre-med student inmy junior year this is the hardest time.I’ll have to see how my credit trans-fers,” Howe said.
According to the LouisianaCommissioner of Higher Education,students are encouraged to simplywait it out, with the increasing possi-bility of losing credit hours.Transferring to one of the universitiestaking in student refugees is anotheroption.
The University of Texas-PanAmerican is one such institution thathas opened its doors to the victims ofnature.
There have been six phone callsso far, according to Dr. MaggieWilliams, dean of Admissions andEnrollment at UTPA.
“It’s extremely unexpected, butinteresting,” she said. “ Each studenthas a different story to tell. One wasplanning to go to Louisiana from theValley but can’t because of the hurri-cane. Another has friends here whotold them about us.”
Williams said currently studentsare being dealt with case by case. Theoffice is trying to make sure studentswho do choose to come to UTPA aremade to feel as welcome as possible.It was, after all, an unintended trans-fer.
“Once they arrive on campus,we have been physically walkingthem over to the advisement center,and setting up appointments at thefinancial aid office,” said Williams.
Williams said she feels that thistragedy is particularly heart-wrench-ing because it’s so close to home andmay hit a nerve for many Valley resi-
dents. It was only in late July that
Hurricane Emily swept through theRio Grande Valley, leaving minimaldamage in her path.
Safety Director Richard Costelloexplained that during Emily, UTPAdid experience some water damage.However, it was cleaned up quicklythanks to an extensive emergencyhurricane plan.
“We have a multifaceted, com-prehensive plan in place,” Costellosaid. “The Department ofEnvironmental Health and Safety, thePhysical Plant and the universitypolice system work together with theacademic staff and faculty.”
The entire emergency plan con-sists of more than 100 people work-ing “behind the scenes.” Costello saidEmily was a great mock drill for test-ing university’s plan.
“The team was meeting everysix hours and making decisions basedon that. To close the institution is avery expensive process, but safety isour number one priority,” Costellosaid.
As part of a mutual aid plan,UTPA has teamed up with theUniversity of Texas-Brownsville. Inthe event of a major catastrophe, theschools would help each other,whether it is with equipment sharingor taking in students.
Costello explained two majorflaws he noted watching Katrina.
“The difference is that we haveis that [the university] coordinateswell with the city of Edinburg. Wehave the best, in my mind as a safetyofficer, fire chief and marshal in thestate of Texas. They’re watching ourback,” he said.
Costello and his response teamhave also set up a Critical StressManagement Team, as well as aCritical Instance Response Team todeal with students who may be trau-matized by disaster that occurs.
So while Howe and many otherstudents try to find a way to pick upthe pieces after Mother Nature strucktheir state, UTPA students can be safein the knowledge that someone hastheir backs.
HURRICANE continued from page 1
The small cardboard sign on the side of
Interstate 12 says it all: “Thank you for helping us.”
Despite having lost everything, most families at the
Immanuel Baptist Church Shelter have been apprecia-
tive of all the help given to them. All they can do now
is survive and be strong for each other.
All photos by
Melissa Martinez
Anyone interested inparticipating inEdinburg’s nextQuarterly Clean Up can
contact the Department of Solid Wasteat (956) 381-5635. An Edinburg garbagebill is required as proof of residency inorder to participate in the event.
response from the public, then the city councildoes its best to put it into operation.”
Gomez believes the city is making great envi-ronmental progress by joining up with nationalcampaigns to promote public awareness. Hefeels that slowly, but surely, residents are begin-ning to take advantage of the many options thecity offers for eliminating waste and maintainingcleanliness.
The City of Edinburg sponsored a QuarterlyClean Up on Saturday, Aug 13 at the EdinburgBaseball Stadium, where citizens were able toget rid of old boxes, furniture, clothes, and appli-ances.
Gomez says there was much public concernabout where residents could throw these thingsaway, and they wanted the convenience of hav-ing a depositing location closer to home.
“With this program, we were able to pick up8 to 12 tons of waste from alleys, roadsides, andbackyards all over Edinburg,” Gomez noted.“The whole thing’s just starting off, but peopleseem to be very cooperative, and often ask whenthe next one’s going to be.”
EAB Chairman Mark Pena believes each cit-izen can take an active role in protecting theenvironment by participating in the city’s volun-tary clean-up and recycling programs.
“Recycling reduces our demand on naturalresources, reduces the need and overall cost ofconventional landfill programs, and reduces pol-lution,” said Pena.
Gomez added that the city tries to work withthe ideas leaders get from sister cities; often,what seems to work for them will probably workfor Edinburg and vice versa.
McAllen is one neighboring city whose pre-dominately eco-friendly population exemplifies
much of what Edinburg is striving for.Each year, nine Texas communities receive a
share of $1 million as a Governor’s CommunityAchievement Award prize, funded by the TexasDepartment of Transportation, and sponsored byKeep Texas Beautiful. The 26 recipient citiesreceive varying amounts, according to their pop-ulation and placement in the competition.
McAllen was recently awarded $155,000,placing first in Category 8 (population between100,001-250,000), over second-place Plano andthird-place Waco. The city actively affiliates withorganizations and campaigns such as the GreatAmerican Clean Up, Don’t Mess with Texas, andProject Clean Neighborhoods.
Austin’s curbside recycling program inspiredmuch of EAB’s current efforts to implement a curb-side pickup program, explained the organizers.
Austin distributes its recycling programinformation as well as other preservation andenvironmental opportunities via its Web site.Since the 1980s, the city has been doing single-family curbside recycling and making manylarge investments in promoting environmentalawareness and education, creating an environ-mentally conscious population.
ENVIRONMENT continued from page 3
ContactInformation:
September 8, 2005 NNEEWWSS Page 12
Joey Cortez/The Pan AmericanHEAVY READING - Michele Meyers, a sophomore philosophy major at UTPA, search-es for books at the University Book Store earlier this week. Students have many booksto buy and just as many places to buy them, with choices ranging from local bookstoresto online sites.
UTPA SPORTS
VOLLEYBALL
Tuesday, September 6UTPA FieldhouseUTPA DEF. TAMUK
30-27, 30-21, 30-19, UTPA: Kills, Heather Bravo 8; assists,Karen Lyons 15; digs, Heather Bravo 7,Karen Lyons 7; aces, Chelsea Blakely 4. record: (2-6)TAMUK: Kills, Shaday Smith 14;assists, Heidi Scheopner 10, BailySteiner 10; digs, Kara Maughan 10;aces, Heidi Scheopner 3.record: (1-8)
2005 UTPA Volleyball Schedule
Sept. 9 University of IowaSept. 10 Wake Forest UniversitySept. 10 UT -ArlingtonSept. 20 Texas A&M -InternationalSept. 23 Texas A&M -Corpus ChristiSept. 24 San FranciscoSept. 24 Prairie View A&MOct. 4 Texas StateOct. 8 Utah Valley StateOct. 11 Texas A&M -Corpus ChristiOct. 14 North Dakota StateOct. 15 South Dakota StateOct. 21 Praire View A&MOct. 22 Prairie View A&MOct. 22 TCUOct. 28 Utah Valley StateNov. 3 Texas A&M -KingsvilleNov. 5 Texas A&M -InterntionalNov. 10 IPFWNov. 10 Nothern ColoradoNov. 11 Texas A&M -Corpus ChristiNov. 11 TBANov. 11 TBA
Note: All volleyball home games in bold.
UTPA 2005 Cross Country Schedule
Sept. 17 Rice InvitationalOct. 1 Cowboy JamboreeOct. 15 Pre-Nationals (men)
Chili Pepper (women)Oct. 29 Independent ChampionshipNov. 12 NCAA South Central Champ.Nov. 22 NCAA Championships
UTPA Men’s Club Soccer ScheduleLone Star South
Sept. 10 A&M KingsvilleSept. 11 Texas StateSept. 17 UTSASept. 24 UTBOct. 1 TSUOct. 9 UTSAOct. 15 TAMUK 7 p.m.Oct. 16 UTBOct. 21 Region IV Tournament Nov. 17 NIRSA Championship Tourn.
UTPA Women’s Club Soccer Sched.Texas Collegiate Soccer League
Sept. 11 UT -BrownsvilleSept. 17 UT -SanAntonio 3 p.m.Sept. 18 Sam Houston State Univ.Sept. 25 Univ. of St. ThomasSept. 30 UT -Brownsville 7 p.m.Oct. 2 TarletonOct. 8 UT -San AntonioOct. 9 Univ. St. ThomasOct. 15 Sam Houston State Univ.Oct. 16 Tarleton Oct. 21 Region IV TournamentNov. 17 NIRSA Championship Tourn.
Note: All soccer home games in bold. Gamesare at 1p.m. unless noted
2005 UTPA Men’s Golf ScheduleFall 2005
Sept. 12-13 Fairway Club InvitationalSept. 19-20 Rainee Dev. Group Inter.Sept. 26-27 Fred Marx InvitationalOct. 8-9 MacDonald CupOct. 24-25 Shangri La ShootoutNov. 5-9 Battle on the Bend
Spring 2006
Feb. 20-21 Roadrunner IntercollegiateMar. 17-18 Bearkat ClassicMar. 20-21 Crown ClassicApr. 29-30 Indie Women’s Golf Champs.May 5-7 Nat’l Minority ChampionshipsMay 18-20 NCAA Central Regl. Champs.May 31-03 NCAA National Champs.
UTPA Women’s Golf ScheduleFall 2005
Sept. 11-13 North Texas InvitationalSept. 22-25 Bay Tree ClassicOct. 2-4 Battle at the Lake InvitationalOct. 30-02 Florida Intl.InvitationalNov. 7-8 UTPA Bronc Classic
Spring 2006
Feb. 20-21 Islander Spring ClassicMar. 20-21 UTSA Rowdy Round-upApr. 3-4 Texas State Bobcat Invit.Apr. 29-30 Indie Women’s Golf Champs.May 5-7 Nat’l Minority ChampionshipsMay 11-13 NCAA Central Regl. Champs.May 23-25 NCAA National Champs.
RGV Football
Week 1Friday, Sept. 2
non-district Laredo Nixon 38, Rio Grande City 0
McAllen Memor. 37, Mission Memor. 17La Joya 34, Laredo Alexander 13
McAllen Rowe 10, Mission 3Weslaco 28, McAllen 9
PSJA North 21, PSJA Memorial 14Browns. Rivera 27, Edinburg North 7
PSJA 44, Weslaco East 7San Benito 21, Edinburg 13
Harlingen South 52, Sharyland 28Browns. Porter21, Browns. Lopez 13
Harlingen 39, Donna 13Browns. Pace 31, Edinburg
Economedes 7CC Carroll 48, Brownsville Hanna 0Browns. Porter 21, Browns. Lopez 13
Falfurrias 32, Roma 26Mercedes 14, La Feria 6
McAllen Rowe 10, Mission 3Edcouch-Elsa 32, CC Tuloso Midway 7Monterey Tech, MX 51, Port Isabel 0
Rio Hondo 39, La Villa 0Lyford 47, Santa Rosa 25St. Joseph 35, Hidalgo 32Premont 14, Progreso 13
Mathis 40, Raymondville 14
Week 2Thursday, Sept. 8
Non-districtEdinburg North at McAllen
La Joya at Edinburg EconomedesMercedes at PSJA North
McAllen Rowe at Brownsville Rivera
Friday, Sept. 9Non-district
Brownsville Pace at McAllen MemorialRoma at Rio Grande City
Mission at SharylandHarlingen at EdinburgSan Benito at Donna
Harlingen South at Weslaco East Raymondville at PSJA Memorial
PSJA at Los FresnosMonterrey Tech at Brownsville Hanna
Weslaco at Brownsville PorterMission Veterens at Hidalgo
Lyford at MMAProgreso at Santa RosaRio Hondo at St. Joseph
Santa Maria at Valley View J.V.
Saturday, Sept. 10La Feria at Brownsville Lopez
open: Edcouch-Elsa, Port Isabel, La Villa.
College Football
AP Top 25Week 2
1. USC 1-02. Texas 1-03. Michigen 1-04. Ohio State 1-05. LSU 0-06. Tennessee 1-07. Virginia Tech 1-08. Iowa 1-09. Geogia 1-0
10. Florida 1-011. Florida State 1-012. Louisville 1-013. Purdue 0-014. Miami 0-115. Arizona State 1-016. California 1-017. Georgia Tech 1-018. Oklahoma 0-119. Notre Dame 1-021. Texas Tech 0-022. TCU 1-023. Virginia 1-024. Fresno State 0-025. Clemson 1-0
NFL
Week 1Sunday, Sept. 18Thursday, Sept. 8
Oakland at New England, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 11Chicago at Washington, NoonCincinnati at Cleveland, Noon
Denver at Miami, NoonHouston at Buffalo, Noon
New Orleans at Carolina, NoonN.Y. Jets at Kansas City, NoonSeattle at Jacksonville, Noon
Tampa Bay at Minnesota, NoonTennessee at Pittsburgh, Noon
Arizona at N.Y. Giants, 3:15 p.m.Dallas at San Diego, 3:15 p.m.Green Bay at Detroit, 3:15 p.m.
St. Louis at San Francisco, 4:15 p.m.Indianapolis at Baltimore, 7:30 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 12Phiadelphia at Atlanta, 8 p.m.
Note: all times central standard time
BoxingSept. 10
At Los Angeles (HBO), Erik Morales vs.Zahir Raheem, 12 rounds, junior light-weights; Manny Pacquiao vs. HectorVelazquez, 12 rounds, junior light-weights; Eric Ortiz vs. Brian Viloria, 12rounds, for Ortiz's junior flyweight title.
Sept. 17At Las Vegas (HBO PPV), MarcoAntonio Barrera vs. Robbie Peden, 12rounds, junior lightweight unification;Shane Mosley vs. Jose Luis Cruz, 10rounds, welterweights; LeavanderJohnson vs. Jesus Chavez, 12 rounds,for Johnson's lightweight title. At Phoenix, Julio Cesar Chavez vs.TBA, 10 rounds, welterweights; JulioCesar Chavez Jr. vs. TBA, 6 rounds,junior welterweights.
FOR THE RECORD
UTPA lends a helping handAthletics pledge to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina
The University of Texas-Pan American Department of IntercollegiateAthletics pledged to help the children of Hurricane Katrina by establishing afundraiser in order to aid them in their time of need.
“There were a lot of people affected by Hurricane Katrina, and we wantto do our part to help the children who have lost all of their possessions.Hopefully, we can receive a large amount of toys in order to give them a lit-tle security during these tough times,” said head men’s and women’s trackand field and cross country coach Ricky Vaughn.
Partnering with the Rio Grande Valley Food Bank, the UTPA Departmentof Intercollegiate Athletics will be accepting new, unwrapped toys to give tothe children of Hurricane Katrina in order to help them reestablish a little oftheir childhood.
Those who wish to donate to the children of Hurricane Katrina may dropoff toys or other supplies to the UTPA Athletic Office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.on Monday through Friday. Due to the severity of the disaster, UTPAAthletics will also be more than willing to pick up toys and other suppliesfrom potential donors, who may call the UTPA Athletic Office at (956) 381-2221 for special arrangements.
The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will also be accepting toys atall of UTPA’s home volleyball matches during the course of the season. Forfurther information of the effort, please contact the UTPA Athletic Office at(956) 381-2221.
Calling all volleyball playersUTPA Volleyball to conduct try-out session
The University of Texas-Pan American women’s volleyball team will beconducting a try-out session for potential players on Tuesday (Sept. 13) atthe UTPA Fieldhouse from 4-7 p.m.
Potential players must be a full-time UTPA student, who is currently tak-ing 12 hours or more in order to be eligible according to NCAA Division Irules. A current physical must be on file with the UTPA athletic training staffbefore any player is allowed to practice. All players will also be required tofill out other NCAA forms prior to try-outs.
Players are required to bring their own gear (kneepads, shoes, etc.). Forfurther information, contact head coach Dave Thorn at (956) 316-7007 [email protected] for a physical form and other necessary paperwork.
Martzall and Moses earn academic honorsUTPAgrads receive accolades
Seniors Jeff Martzall (Fort Wayne, IN/Northrop H.S.) and Amy Moses(Edinburg, TX/Edinburg North H.S.) were honored on Friday (Sept. 2) withselections to the 2005 National Collegiate Division I Track Coaches AssociationAcademic All-American teams.
Martzall, a senior pole vaulter, was named to the Academic All-American listfor the third consecutive year, which not only honors those with academic excel-lence but also athletic. The Fort Wayne, IN, native was currently holds the pro-gram record in the pole vault in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Martzall finished his final campaign with the Broncs with his third trip to theNCAA Division I Regional Championships. He holds the top 10 marks in boththe indoor and outdoor seasons. The UTPA senior finished with a 3.467 gradepoint average in marketing.
Moses, a native of the Rio Grande Valley, currently holds the program’s topmarks in the hammer throw and was selected as the 2005 Female Student-Athlete of the Year. She became the first UTPA female student-athlete to earnAll-American honors when she finished sixth overall at the NCAA Division IIndoor Track and Field National Championships in Fayetteville, AR.
The UTPAsenior set a school record in the 20 pound weight throw with a tossof 71-8 at the Last Chance Meet in Gainesville, FL, which also set a newCanadian national record. She earned Dean’s List First Honors this past springsemester and garnered Dean’s List Second Honors in the fall. Moses possess-es a 3.331 grade point average in biology.
“This is a great honor for both Jeff and Amy and showcases their excellenceas both students and athletes. This is a great honor for the track and field teamsas well as UTPA, and these are the individuals that we want to have in our pro-gram,” concluded head coach Ricky Vaughn.
UTPA Sports Information
Editor’s correction: The Sept. 1 issue of The Pan American incorrectly reported
that UTPA soccer ended 15 years ago. The soccer team was a member of the Sun
Belt Conference from 1994-1996. It was an independent team in 1997, also it’s final
year.
September 8, 2005 SPORTS Page 13
SPORTSCLIPBOARD
September 8, 2005 SSPPOORRTTSS Page 14
The Lady Broncs first-ever foreign tourwas a notable success, worthy enough toperhaps set positive karma on the court thisseason.
Head coach DeAnn Craft’s “trialballoon,” an exercise in player versatilityagainst rivals south of the border, provedthat this squad of lady hoopsters has thepotential to be very competitive in DivisionI basketball this season.
In winning four games against Mexicancollege and club teams UTPA outscoredopponents by 73 points with a four-day totalof 266-193. What follows now is anothertwo months of practice before the firstexhibition game on Nov. 18 at Auburn.
“There was no question, we were the bestteam there,” Craft said of the trip.
The team seemingly took Craft’s pre-tripemphasis on “chemistry and effort” to heart.The success of the group was accomplishedwith a combined effort of six true freshmen,four sophomores, one junior, and fourseniors.
Storming out the gates, the team defeatedMonterrey Tech on Sept. 3, outscoring ElTec 17-5 in the fourth quarter to come awaywith the win, 68-57.
Mahogany Daniel and DominiqueMontague each notched a team-high 12points in that contest. Freshman RobinGarrett’s introduction into collegiate ballwas a positive one, as the native of
Nacogdoches tallied eight points.Against Universidad Autonoma Nuevo
Leon on Sept. 4, the team utilized anotherlate surge in the second half to crush theopponent, 81-49. Freshman Teshay Winfreyfinished with a team-high 19 points, with 9points behind the arc. Junior Joanna Fuentesalso added a career-high 19 points andfreshman center Whitney Coulson added 8rebounds.
“This is a really special freshman group,”Craft said. “As a whole, there’s a willingnessto learn.”
Craft said that the real source of pridecame from beating the third-best team inMexico on Sept. 5. The 19-point win overUniversidad Autonoma de Chihuahua (60-41) was described by Craft as some“magnificent minutes.” Senior StaceyGooden and freshman Rachel Jones eachfinished with a game-high 10 points.
The Lady Broncs finished the tour playinga rematch against Monterrey Tech on Sept. 5posting a 57-46 victory with seniorMontague tallying 14 points to lead the way.
“The number one reason we pursued aforeign tour was for those new players todevelop bonds (as a team),” Craft said.“There was no coverage for cellphones, ortext messaging, so despite having only ninepractices the environment allowed for adeeper bond and greater respect.
“So at game time there was a certaincomfort level, the love for basketball wasthe focal point,” she added. “There wasteamwork and unselfishness.”
Exhibition hoop sweepBy JOEY GOMEZThe Pan American
As the fall semester begins so doesanother Bronc sports season. After asummer of conditioning and training, it’stime for the university’s athletes to head tothe front lines and show the competitionwhat they’re made of. But while theseathletes embark on grueling schedules ofhead-to-head combat, one athlete willendure another kind.
This cross country season, the women’steam will have to do without the help ofMegan McGuire, a returning letterman andsophomore on the team. She was deployedto Iraq in late summer and could end upthere in the next several months.
A native of Grafton, Ohio, McGuireenlisted in the U.S. Army during her senioryear of high school. She was recruited toUTPA during her last cross country seasonat Avon Lake High, but had to completetraining with the Army before joining theLady Bronc team.
“I joined the Army mainly because myolder brother did,” McGuire said. “I felt ifhe could do it, then so could I. Like running,it challenged me and I never back downfrom a challenge.”
During her freshman year in Edinburg,McGuire provided a solid performance forboth the cross country and track teams. Herbest finish was at the Texas StateInvitational, where she placed 17th andrecorded a time of 19:42. At theIndependent Championships in CorpusChristi, McGuire set a personal best with atime of 19:02 and finished third among theLady Broncs.
But while her fellow teammates juggledclasses and practices, McGuire had onemore thing on her plate. She served as areserve in the 812th Quarter Master ofHarlingen throughout the past year.
McGuire, or Specialist McGuire, is theyoungest member in the 812th Company,which will deploy to Iraq at the end ofOctober. In the meantime, she is training atFort Bliss in El Paso before she starts her18-month tour in Iraq.
“Megan was a good runner for us…itwas quite a shock that she got deployed,”said track coach Ricky Vaughn. “She madea commitment to our country and that’sadmirable but it’s tough to pull a student-athlete out of school.”
Still, McGuire has the support of theentire team behind her. The Lady BroncCross Country team plans to mail care-packages and letters to McGuire to keep herspirit up and remind her that the team isthinking of her.
Lizet Garcia, a junior cross countryrunner, said, “She was a key factor on theteam, and we all miss her. But we’re proudof her. She’s doing what most of us wish wecould, but never would do.”
A major in education, McGuire saysshe’s happy to serve her country but is sadabout having to put her life on hold. Herdeployment orders scheduled her for 18months in Iraq, putting her three semestersbehind the rest of her classmates.
“Eighteen months is a long time and I’mreally going to miss my teammates and allthe friends I made at Pan Am,” she said.“Still, I knew what I was up for when Ienlisted; it’s just part of the job.
After her 18-month deployment,McGuire plans to return to Pan Am to finishher degree and continue running for theLady Broncs. Until then, she says she can’tlet something like war keep her from gettingher education.
“My sister and I are the first in my familyto attend college so it’s important to me tofinish,” she said. “It might take me longer tofinish now because of my deployment, butI’m not going to let it stop me.”
Ex-Bronc athlete todeploy to Iraq soonBy ANNALISA LIMASThe Pan American
Delisa Guadarrama / The Pan American
ON THE RUN - Megan McGuire (far left) trains during morning practice with her former teammates lastseason. Now she trains with the U.S. Army.
As the latest season begins, themen’s and women’s golf teams aregoing on the road to continuestrengthening their programs.Sept. 12, the men head to Lincoln,Neb., while the women travel toDenton a day later to get thingsstarted.
The teams hope to keep lastseason’s success going. Both wonat the National Minority GolfChampionship in the spring; thewomen clinched the crown for a3rd year in a row and the men tookfifth, their best showing of theseason.
This year the golf squads alsohope to build on the accolades wonin 2004-05. In May five Broncswalked away with special honors,being honored as members of the2005 NCAA Division I All-Independent team. Those namedinclude Stefanie Maynard ofPflugerville, Daniela Cortes ofAguascalients, Mexico, andCrystal Frazier of Coolidge, Texas,who were on the second team.Honorable mention awards weregiven to A.J. Hohn of Stockton,Calif., and Kyle Tude of Phoenix.
The men’s team will be takingflight with a new coach and three
new freshman players on theroster. Andrew Tredway, a formerprofessional golfer, has acceptedthe position as head coach.
“I’m really excited, we have agood group of guys and I am justanxious to get started,” saidTredway.
In addition, Tredway is veryeager to see his three freshmen inaction.
“The new guys are good qualityplayers, they are really going tohelp their teammates and theycome from a good background.”
Shane Pearce and BrandonPelletier, both from Carrollton,Texas, near Dallas, join BlakeHughey of Plano, as the Broncsheavily recruited the Dallas-FortWorth
The women’s team is just asprepared with seasoned coachBarb Odale and her seasonedplayers.
“I am excited, I have threeseniors that I have been workingwith since they were freshmen,”said Odale. Experienced seniorsNikki Boychuck (Conroe),Maynard, and Daniela Cortes haveplayed in 27 total tournamentsunder Odale.
The seniors will take on theroles of mentor to their freshmanteammates.
“The seniors need to be patientwith the freshmen and have toguide them to play well,” saidOdale, who also sees an obstaclein new members, “Its going to be achallenge with these freshmen,they are going to have to learn howto play college golf.”
Last season, Maynard finishedwith an average of 76.7 and a lowround of 71, while Cortes had 79.5and a low round of 73. Boychuckfinished at 80.6 and a 74 lowround.
As their respective tournamentsnear, both teams are doing all theycan to be prepared to meet thechallenge.
“Our goal is to be able tocontend for the title and for myseniors to win individually,” saidOdale, “Denton is a good openingtournament for the freshman tolearn the ropes.”
Tredway is looking forward to acooler climate and achievement inNebraska.
“We want to play as well as wepossibly can and lower our scoringaverage,” he said, adding that theteam is working on some newtechniques.
“You’ll see new things here andthere, its minimal changes butthere will be real success,” heconcluded.
September 8, 2005 SSPPOORRTTSS Page 15
UTPA golf off the tee boxBy VICTORIA GUAJARDOThe Pan American
Joel de la Rosa / The Pan American
PRACTICE DRIVE - Jeff Hensley practices his drives at the Los Lagos driving rangeWednesday morning. The team is in preparation for its first invitational at the FairwayClub Sept. 12-13.
First there was a club, then four teammembers, then 10, then enough tomake a team. Now there are more than30 players in the Lady Bronc soccerteam ready to tackle the seasonSunday.
The team is just counting the daysuntil the season opener againstUniversity of Texas-Brownsville at theUTPA intramural sports field. With theseason at hand, the Lady Broncs havepossible obstacles to overcome.Inexperience and fan support are themajor concerns for the new squad,which marks the university’s return tosoccer after a nearly 10-year hiatus.For some team members Sunday willbe their first taste of competition in ateam sport.
However, Coach Anahi Mata is notconcerned with the lack of experiencein her team.
“I have seen some of the teams wewill face and they are not muchdifferent than our team,” she said.“Aside from the experience we arepretty even.”
Club President Mariely Rincon, isone of the players without significantexperience, but is improving withevery practice. “Her commitment tothe team and the club is amazing. Sheis here (intramural sports field)everyday at 6 a.m. in efforts to getbetter,” said goalkeeper Caro Alonso
said about Rincon, Mata said she has made a conscious
effort to integrate those players withlower skill levels with those of ahigher level and make a solid team.
“There is good balance in the team.They complement each other well,”Mata said.
Lauren Vesseliza, a track athleteturned striker, said of the relationshipwithin the club: “we are like a bunch ofsisters. A big family.” The Philadelphianative has plenty of experience playingthe sport but always gives credit to theteam concept of soccer.
Opening day is coming and the teamis ready for the challenge, knowingthat once they get rolling, winning andsupport will take care of themselves.
“We will start by bringing our familyand friends at first,” said Mata. “As westart winning, we will have morepeople coming in for the games.”
The club team hopes to combineathletics and fellowship into one thisseason, with campus service also partof the plan.
“There are other ways to get the clubnoticed,” said midfielder Daysi Garza.“We were part of Sibling Day oncampus and The Last Bash. Hopefullywe can turn more people to the club bygetting involved in activities as such.”
As for the actual sports test whichlooms this weekend, a grinning Rinconsaid, “We are nervous, but we areready.”
Women’s soccer club kicks off season soonBy ABEL SALINASThe Pan American
NOTHING BUT NET - (from left) Nina Carrera, Daysi Garza, Mariely Rincon, Lauren Vesseliza, Karen Trejo,and Mariana Ramos pose after practice. The teams first game is Sunday at 1 p.m. versus UTB at home.
Delisa Guadarrama / The Pan American
The university’s cross country teams have a new assistantcoach this season, as Brian Cunningham, 29, has already begunhis efforts to help UTPA have a successful season.
“I’m excited for the upcoming season. I think the teams haveprepared very well this summer. I believe they are excited andready to go,” said Cunningham. “Our first meet is at Rice on the17th. They are going to be tired because we are working veryhard right now, but I expect to see some decent results in somegood competitive performances.”
Prior to joining UTPA, Cunningham was an assistant coachfor two years with The College of William & Mary, his almamater. While there he helped train middle distance runners, andassisted in producing two NCAA national qualifiers.
Cunningham is optimistic about UTPA’s chances of doingwell this season.
“I’m lucky because I come into a situation where I have thelast three Independent champions, two in Westly Keating, andone in Hector Gandara from last year,” said Cunningham.“Those two have, with the rest of the team, prepared very wellthis summer. They got their mileage in and they are excitedabout leading. I think they both have a very good opportunity toget to the NCAA Championships in November.”
The newest running mentor continued in praise of his veteranstars.
“Westly obviously has three All-Americans under his belt, andhis main goal is to win the NCAA championship,” Cunninghamsaid. “Hector is ready to take the step into being a very highperformer,” said the Centreville, Virg., native. “Our goal as ateam is to make the nationals on the men’s side. On the women’sside we want to place very high at the regional. Our goals arealways going to be to make the nationals for both teams.”
Cunningham also gave a heads-up on a female runner towatch in 2005.
“Karla Hernandez prepared extremely well this summer,” saidCunningham. “Right now she has been very solid for us in theseworkouts that we’ve had. I’ve been very pleased with the wayshe prepared herself and came back into school very fit.”
Cunningham has eight years of coaching experience, and hefeels that he can bring something positive to UTPA’s crosscountry and track and field teams.
“I’ve been around teams that know how to win. Teams thathave an air about them that they expect to do well,” he said.“They know what it takes to train hard. They expect to do wellat every level. And I think I bring that.”
Coaching athletes is something Cunningham truly treasures,and he’s looking forward to doing it at UTPA.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with athletes. I’ve enjoyedworking toward a particular goal,” said Cunningham. “I enjoythe opportunity and challenges of working with so manydifferent personalities, and bringing them all together for acommon goal.
“I keep up with the athletes that I’ve coached from the veryfirst year I coached when I was coaching in high school.Everyone kind of stays in contact and that’s one of the neatthings,” he added. “The athletes themselves are just great kids.Cross country runners especially tend to be pretty bright, verydriven. You get to surround yourself with these highly motivatedindividuals and it is absolutely a blessing to be around.”
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Golf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14SPORTSHome victory creates confidence for tourney
Mario Orta/ The Pan American
FRESH FACE - New assistant track and field/cross country coachBrian Cunningham will head the team this season.
Delisa Guadarrama / The Pan American
HOMECOMING - (Clockwise from left) Kellie Phillips celebrates with teammates after a big play.Danielle Holthe (16) prepares for the kill. Stephanie Redd fires her trademark spike against A&M-Kingsville. Karen Lyons (9) sets the ball in the Broncs first home victory of the season.
Cross country & track land new assistantBy JOEY HINOJOSAThe Pan American
Tuesday night’s win over Texas A&M-Kingsville couldn’t have been a biggerconfidence boost for the Lady Broncs aftera tough 2-6 start. They put away the LadyJavelinas (1-8) in three straight sets, 30-26,30-21, and 30-19.
“I think the team was a little tight in thefirst game but we pulled that one out, andthen started rolling in the second, and in thethird game we took control,” Head coachDave Thorn commented about the matchesagainst Kingsville. “The only thing that Icould have hoped for would have been ifthe first two games were like the third.”
“That’s what I was looking for, to getstronger and get more cohesive as thematches went along,” he added.
The Lady Bronc offensive seemed tocome from everywhere, as five playersfinished the night with six or more kills.Leading the way was junior StephanieBravo who finished with nine, and alsohad. Stephanie Redd had eight, KelliePhillips 7, Deanna Schneyer 7, and seniorDanielle Holthe 8, respectively.
“We have a very balanced offenseattack, and that’s what we were lookingforward to this season,” Thorn said.“Overall, I think our team’s gelling well. Ilike our team chemistry. They’re doingvery well, any time you can have afreshman step it up and perform for you isalways a play.” he added.
Dishing out all the assists for the LadyBroncs was Karen Lyons, who connectedwith her hitters 32 times on the night. Theteam made nine total blocks.
“I think that Karen is doing a reallygood job setting the team and I thinkChrissie Carrigan is really stepping it upfor Libero,” Thorn said.
Defensively, Carrigan took charge at theLibero position, finishing the night with 15digs.
UTPA had a good outing from thefreshmen as three of them played pivotalrolls in all three games. Phillips andSchneyer contributed on offense, whileChelsea Blakely did her part on defense assetter.
This victory puts the Lady Broncs on theright track coming toward this weekend’sArlington Tournament in North Texas. Theteam has had a bit of trouble on the road,having won just one of seven games awayfrom UTPA Field House.
Thorn told his team before the seasonthat difficult early competition will enablethem to be successful against schools likeKingsville and A&M-Corpus Christi. Theirperformance on Tuesday was a perfectexample of that theory.
“It does a ton for confidence,” Thornsaid about Tuesday night’s victory headingtoward this weekend’s tournament. TheLady Broncs will go against Iowa onFriday, followed by a double-headeragainst Wake Forest and UT-Arlington toclose the action.
By DARYL GONZALESThe Pan American
