facebook.com/thebridgestudentnews www.thebridgestudentnews.com APRIL 2016

GLOBAL MEDICAL BRIGADES SERVE IN NICARAGUA

ON campus

TAMIU students of the Global Medical Brigades in Nicaragua Rebekah Kawas | Global Medical Brigades TAMIU

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Part II: Iraqby I. M. Kero

International studies

Nicaragua page 4

Photo by Google

This past Spring Break, most college students could be found on the beaches of South Padre Island or the streets of downtown Austin. Throughout the week, social media sites filled up with photos and videos of their escapades as they embraced their week free from responsibilities.However, one group of students made quite the excep-

tion. From March 4th to March 12th, nineteen TAMIU students dedicated their break to providing simple yet potentially life-saving healthcare and sanitation services to families in Nicaragua. These students are members of Global Medical

Brigades, an international student organization whose vision is “to improve quality of life, by igniting the largest student-led social responsibility movement on the planet.”Global Medical Brigades allows students from all

areas of study to volunteer alongside licensed medical professionals in underserved communities across the

world. Some services provided include physicals, im-munizations, and dental check-ups. Children served in these communities are also taught proper hygiene skills through interactive workshops, known as “charlas”.

Various members of Global Medical Brigades at TA-MIU shared their reasons for choosing to participate in this mission.

“I decided to participate because I thought that it would open my eyes to a world outside of the United States, [and] to witness the daily struggles that people go through on a daily basis,” said Caroline Pagette, a junior majoring in communication.

Another student, Ana Martinez, echoed Pagette’s state-ments.

“I wanted to be part of of a great life changing expe-rience. I have always been one to enjoy giving back to the community but this time I wanted to share my service with another country that is in need.”

Vanessa Nuñez, a senior biology major, said she had

been interested in community service for a long time, but struggled with finding an organization in which she felt comfortable. Upon hearing about GMB’s previous trip to Panama

in 2015 from a friend, she decided to look into partici-pating. “I got well informed and fell in love with the idea of

being able to be a part of something big that helps not only our local community but extends itself to commu-nities in Central America,” said Nuñez, who added, “I pushed myself to do everything I could to go to Nicara-gua this year in order to be a more global citizen while representing my university.”Rebekah Kawas, president of the TAMIU chapter,

further explained the combined efforts of the team.

Military

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot page 7

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

events of 9/11 and the beginning of the Global War on Terror. What began in Afghanistan swiftly spilled to an-other country in the heart of the Middle East. This country is Iraq, and we have been losing Iraq for a very long time.This is where things get weird. Just to go ahead and

start, Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 neither were they affiliated with Al-Qaeda. However, their government was really, really bad!The US used to support Iraq and its leader Saddam Hus-

sein during the 1980s. This time it wasn’t to fight com-munism, but to fight Iran. Iran had the Islamic Revolution which the current government in Iran, and America did not like that, but Iran is a different story for a different time.

by rebekah Rodriguez

Airstrike in Iraq

Cancellation of Catholic CenterBy Iris Vasquez Guerrero

The buzz on campus that seems to be causing a di-vide in the student body is an issue that has been getting more media coverage recently, after having been forgotten for years. The attention comes from the news that the construction of the Catholic Stu-dent Center will be abandoned.

The center was to be built on donated land provid-ed by the Killam family and would have been lo-cated adjacent to the Early College Campus. The news was first reported on campus by The Bridge in February of 2012, where Sandy Lugo reported: “Five years of evolving ideas and hard work were put into this project. In November of 2011, thanks to the generosity of the Killam family, the contract for the acquisition for the land was signed; hence, the project is underway.”

Also in 2012, the Brothers of St. John were able to raise $2.3 million which should have been half of the funds needed to complete the project. The ground-breaking was held in 2013, with Bishop James Ta-mayo absent from the event.

The information that has been provided has been primarily one sided, as Bishop Tamayo has yet to offer any comment on the matter. This has caused both confusion and concern for the future and raises

questions as to why the Bishop has chosen to keep quiet about the issue.

Laredo Morning Times reports that “The Broth-ers of St. John, who spearheaded the project, held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $4 million-plus center in November 2013. But on the eve of con-struction, after hundreds of thousands of dollars had been spent, Tamayo, who did not attend the ground-breaking, stopped the project.”

Students were informed via mass email by Univer-sity President, Dr. Ray Keck that the construction plans would be abandoned and mentions in his letter: “It is our hope that donations to date may be redi-rected to a quasi-endowment fund that will be able to grow and perhaps sustain limited student scholar-ships or programming” which could be a silver lin-ing to the current circumstances.

New information provided by LMT includes the delivery of letters written by community members and students to Pope Francis. Father Robert L. Kin-cl, of Hutto, Texas will be delivering the letters to the Vatican post office on an upcoming trip to Rome in April.

Artist rendering of the proposed Catholic Student Center. Photo taken from social media

Catholic Center page 3

april 20162

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

Dominique FloresRodolfo Salinas

Stephanie FimbresFrancisco Garza

Joy DavisEdward Garza

Adrian CamposMelissa Santillana

“We couldn’t believe we were there” by stephanie fimbres

international studies

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

email: daniel.delamiyar@tamiu.edu

Facebook:facebook.com/TheBridgestudentnews

Website:www.thebridgestudentnews.com

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

by jose de Jesus alvarado

Students get

competitive in OIT’s

Mobile Challenge

on campus

For Alejandra Medina, going to Texas A&M In-ternational University was more than just attending classes, meetings, or anything school related. She had this curiosity to travel, explore, and learn from other cultures different from Mexican and American. She had the opportunity to attend the program from Chile, Argentina and Uruguay on Wintermester 2014. “My life has changed since then, I am not the same person I was before going. Now, I want to travel even more, and I also became more adventurous”, she said.The first country she went to was Chile, which is now

one of her favorite countries. She learned from their culture, customs, politics, food, people, and behaviors. “The people from Chile know a lot of their culture and they are very similar to the Mexican customs. My roommate Monica and I were very happy and wel-comed by our Chilean family. We felt like if we were at home because our family was so nice and sweet to us. Our conversations were really interesting and we had some nights where we almost had no sleep because we couldn’t believe we were there”, she explained. One of the things she misses the most is how healthy the food was and how people walk a lot over there. She tried all sorts of food, and it was surprising for her to see how they prepared the food without any condiments and the way they would name their plates. Something that

amazed her the most was how much people are aware of what is going on in their government. She said they can go freely and research about any topic involving politics.

Furthermore, even though the trip was for only three weeks, she enjoyed every minute she spent in the three countries. She missed her family and favorite food, but she would come back and repeat it over and over again. “The students that went were so nice to each other and this made it easier to get along because we transformed into a family during those 3 weeks, even with our professors”, she said. She remembers how fulfilling it was to experience and learn, but at the same time have fun. She also misses the lectures she had because she learned day by day about different things from the Latin American culture, and learned even more throughout the excursions. “Some days, I have flashbacks and I wish I could go back there. I really recommend all my friends to study abroad while they are at school because not only will they gain an awesome learning experience, but they will help and inspire other students to study abroad”, she said. Since then, her perspective towards life has changed dramatically. It made her love even more where she was raised, Mexico. She also learned to appreciate more the opportunities that the United States brings to us because one would think that in other coun-

tries they have the same facilities as us, but unfortunate-ly they do not.Also, visiting Argentina and Uruguay helped her

admire the beauty of the world. After her experience in South America, she is more aware of everything around her, and she would like to expand her knowledge even more, as well as inspire others. “There is so much in the world to be discovered and

we have a lot of opportunities right here in front of us. I remember we met ‘las viejitas de la Plaza de Mayo’, they are women in their majority who are still looking for justice for individuals who were killed, or disap-peared, during a dictatorship. I was able to meet them by coincidence and take pictures with, and I greatly ad-mire them. Also, they had this museum with the pictures and names of every single missing person. One could feel empathy towards them because they could transmit their pain through their words”, she explained.Alejandra Medina encourages every student to study

abroad and discover the world because it is surrounded by numerous cultures and traditions. There are many opportunities that our school provides us with. Take ad-vantage of the help offered and remember that it is never too late to do it. It is a very fun and amazing experience.

As students, and with the help of modern technology, it is of no doubt that we are now more connected than ever. Constantly doing more than one thing at a time because of all our mobile devices, we oftentimes forget to look around and get to know those around us. OIT’s Mobile Challenge, however, managed to get students off their phones and meet a lot of the faculty, staff, and other students on campus. The challenge began the week following Spring Break all leading up to Discover TAMIU day. Throughout the first couple days, many students were not aware of the challenge. It consisted of having students download the Social Scavenger App to their smartphones, enter the security code, and begin completing the challenges set up by OIT. Among these were taking a picture with an OIT member, Dusty, and several places around campus including one at OIT’s section at Discover TAMIU day. As students complet-ed the challenges, a live leaderboard ranked them by points, and a live stream showed a timeline of every-one’s submissions. As the week was coming to an end, however, many students started participating more on the challenges which, overall, resulted in a more competitive vibe. Most of the students participating in the challenge got to meet the OIT staff, and everyone was also featured in the University’s Blackboard page as soon as they submitted their photos for each chal-lenge. Winners of the challenge were announced on Blackboard and Twitter on Monday, March 23rd, and were given a price of their choice ranging from TAMIU shirts, stickers, license plate frames, and even Starbucks gift cards. The challenge closed with a total of 41 partic-ipants and 11 top winners with 130 points. Overall, OIT’s mobile adventure gave the students a chance to meet many different people, get involved with universi-ty-sponsored events, and even win prizes. OIT’s partner app Social Scavenger shows how even though we are always on our mobile devices, technology does not have to disconnect us from our surroundings.

I.M. Kero, Editor-in-Chief

The “New” BridgeBy Dominique Flores

TAMIU’s student newspaper is under new leadership. Dr. Daniel De la Miyar began his role as the organiza-tion’s coordinator at the beginning of this Spring 2016 school semester. Along with directing The Bridge’s partic-ipation to the university, Dr. De la Miyar hopes to build a diverse staff of creative student journalists and contribu-tors who will provide the campus and city of Laredo with an enriched form of news content. Ibrahim Mohamed Kero joined The Bridge with inten-

tions of being a political correspondent. Instead he has taken on the demanding responsibility of being an editor. Kero, as he is called among his friends, is currently a petty officer in the Navy Reserve, which he’s been a part of since he was 18, and has given him the chance to serve the country by deploying to the Middle East in 2014 as one of the last Operation Enduring Freedom veterans. Kero claims he’s always been political savvy and support-ive to all who wish to be involved in the political process. As an editor, Kero hopes to legitimize The Bridge as a Laredo newspaper and news source. He is pushing the newspaper’s staff to expand and modernize The Bridge through new avenues on the web, social media, and video. His goal as editor is to see The Bridge as "the" main source of relevant student information, and a melting pot of different ideas and contributions. Though Kero is a Political Science and Communications double major and passionate about American government, he nor the rest of the staff want The Bridge to be exclusively political. The paper enjoys and encourages outside contributors to send in their work because in the end, The Bridge is TAMIU’s collective story. Rebekah Maria Rodriguez is also an editor for The

Bridge newspaper. She is a communications major who has six and a half years of experience with student journalism, which began at the Vidal M. Treviño Mag-net School’s newspaper. Rebekah joined The Bridge last year as a junior reporter, and is honored that Dr. De la Miyar has trusted her with a demanding position for the paper. Like Dr. De la Miyar and Kero, Rebekah hopes to bring diversity to The Bridge because she believes it’s important for the paper’s staff to reflect the different backgrounds and experiences of TAMIU’s population. Her passion for writing is evident in many aspects. She attributes her confident demeanor and connections to great people to her writing experience. She’s even delved into the story-telling world of slam poetry that has further increased her writing skills in a unique way. Kero and Rebekah will be graduating with their Bache-

lor’s Degree from TAMIU within the next year, and both have plans to pursue a graduate degree depending on upcoming career opportunities. Similarly, journalism is a profession they are both hoping to continue. Both editors have already contributed greatly to the change The “New” Bridge has taken. They promote all students, faculty, staff, and citizens of Laredo to pick up a monthly copy of the paper to inform themselves over local events and news. Copies of The Bridge have been placed around several lo-cal restaurants and businesses in the city of Laredo thanks to the tremendous help of The Bridge’s current staff.There are numerous discoveries at TAMIU that must be

written and read about. Certainly, Kero, Rebekah, and Dr. De la Miyar, along with the supporting writers, reporters, and photographers of the paper, are innovating a new way to reach out to citizens.

exalumno busca futuro de guionistaUna vez más, Laredo demuestra ser cuna de grandes

talentos, y nuestra universidad es la clave detrás de los ciudadanos mejor preparados.El graduado en 2013 de TAMIU, Philip Balli, ha sido

aceptado al programa de Maestría en Guiones Cine-matográficos y Medios Electrónicos de la Universidad de Texas en Austin para este próximo ciclo escolar 2016-2017.El programa al que Balli fue aceptado sólo permite seis

o siete estudiantes por año.De acuerdo con un correo electrónico del director del

programa, Stuart Kelban, este año 90 estudiantes de todo el país solicitaron admisión al programa y Balli fue uno de sólo seis estudiantes en ser aceptado.Balli dijo que lo inspiró a obtener una carrera como

guionista fue una clase que tomó en TAMIU. “Creo que la primera clase que tomé fue Film Studies (Estudios Cinematográficos) con Marcela Moran. Siempre he estado interesado en el cine, pero nunca pensé que fuera algo que yo pudiera lograr en el futuro, hasta que tomé esa clase”.Él continuó tomando clases de producción de video en

TAMIU, y fue ahí donde consiguió su primera experien-cia escribiendo guiones.“Escribí en mi carta de solicitud que aunque solo había

escrito un guión de 15 paginas—era pequeño— pero fue lindo poder escribirlo y luego producirlo y verlo como se desarrolló hasta el final”, Balli comentó acerca de sus clases de producción en TAMIU.Balli también recibió la beca James A. Michener Fel-

lowship. “Creo que una de las razones por la cual aceptan tan pocos estudiantes cada año es por el tipo de subsidios que ofrecen. La beca James A. Michener es para todos los estudiantes aceptados al programa y ofrece 5.000 dólares por año”, dijo Balli.Balli obtuvo experiencia escribiendo mientras hacia

sus prácticas en TAMIU para la Oficina de Relaciones Públicas, Mercadotecnia y Servicios de Información. Él

también ha estado trabajando como reportero en Laredo Morning Times, un puesto que aseguró inmediatamente al graduarse de TAMIU.En el periódico, Balli cubre los casos de las cortes feder-

ales, estatales y locales, una oportunidad que lo inspiró a escribir el guión con él que finalmente fue aceptado en el programa de maestría.“El guión de 16 paginas que envié junto con mi solici-

tud es un piloto para una serie de televisión, es un drama fronterizo, ficción; y basé toda la idea del programa en este pueblo fronterizo ficticio, pero básicamente se trata de Laredo”, dijo Balli.“El pueblo se llama Amistad, y el nombre del programa

es ‘Port Amistad’, es un pueblo que frontera con México, y realmente obtuve muchas cosas, como temas centrales de la trama de cosas que he escuchado en la corte”.Balli mencionó que pasó buena parte del 2014 cubrien-

do los juicios de una organización del tráfico de drogas que operaba al sur de Laredo, él pudo utilizar todo lo que escuchaba en la corte para crear una organización criminal ficticia. “Simplemente estoy tomando pedazos de aquí y de allá de cada juicio y eventos de la vida real y metiéndolos en mi propia historia”.La serie trata temas como violencia fronteriza, cor-

rupción municipal y la vida regular en una ciudad en la frontera.Balli ya está planeando su futuro como guionista y anal-

izando las diferentes opciones y decisiones que tendrá que hacer una vez graduado de UT.“Una parte del programa es una pasantía obligatoria y

ahora mismo pienso que la quisiera hacer en Los Ánge-les, una opción que la mayoría de los estudiantes eligen”, dijo Balli.“Mi plan es hacer contactos y poner un pie en la puerta,

de manera que para el final del programa pueda tener al menos tres guiones terminados, editados y listos para enviarse a diferentes compañías productoras. Con suerte dentro de dos años estaré vendiendo un guión”.

Por Melissa Santillana Participación Estudiantil

Rebekah Rodriguez, Editor-in-Chief

Photos by I.M. Kero, The Bridge News

Articulo de fondo

academia

april 2016

3

on campusLaredo High School Film & Media Festival at TAMIUby Iris Vasquez Guerrero

TAMIU held a series of workshops for the Laredo High School Film and Media Festival on March 22, 2016. Graduate and undergraduate students from Professor Marcela Moran’s communication and media courses presented different film topics in panel style sessions for the high school students.The first session was conducted by undergraduate

students who spoke on the duties of a director behind the scenes. The group discussed pre-production and in-cluded tips to get through filming without losing friends in the process. Gerardo Lerma, a former VMT student led the session and he gave a crash course on building a narrative.Some tips for preproduction were to always use a sto-

ryboard and shot list. The students stated that they are essential for staying on time and on track. The group also expressed the importance of feeding your staff and cast as it almost guarantees that people will show up.Sound was also a big focus, as the group said that

“you can edit bad visuals, but you can’t fix bad sound”. The group insisted that having a plan B for filming is necessary so you can keep rolling. The director’s role, though primarily behind the scenes, is responsible for so many of the moving parts of creating a film project.To end the undergrad session, the group presented a

short film which was full of pancakes, weird goo, and lots of laughs. The attendees were able to join in on the question and answer session by asking questions on time management, and why the director decided not to be in clip. Getting feedback from experienced students

should provide helpful input for future productions.The graduate students from Prof. Moran’s Ethnogra-

phy and Documentary Production in the Border Region class presented a topic on documentary production. Victoria Mancha opened the panel by explaining what ethnography is and why it is important. She explained that these stories are an in-depth look into people’s lived experiences.Mancha also spoke about her experience working on

her final project which is a documentary on “pulga” culture in Laredo. She expressed the fascination with flea markets in Laredo as a child, and explained the process of interacting with vendors to the audience. She stated that reassuring the vendors and patrons that the footage would be used in a student film was needed for clarity, but that letting them know their shop would be showcased also allowed for them to feel more comfort-able on camera.Another student, Ana Ramirez, spoke on the impor-

tance of feedback sessions throughout the production process. She explained how without receiving critique from others, errors in editing or sound might be missed. Ramirez mentioned that having fresh eyes that having seen the project will be able to provide comments on what might need to be changed.The panel also included a short teaser for the film

entitled “Mier” that is being produced by another group in Prof. Moran’s graduate class. The documentary short takes place in the city of Mier in Mexico. We learned about the city and its tragedy, but the documentary

focuses on why the people in that community continue to stay and live there.The question and answer portion of this panel was

very informative, as the students answered questions such as “How did you decide on your topic?”, “How do you get interviewees to feel comfortable?”, and “When and where can we watch the films when they are finished?”.The panelists were very open about the process and

described many experiences and emotions that they en-countered while filming. Mancha told the audience that in order to get more participants she joined the “baile” at one of the flea markets and purchased items at all the shops where she was filming.Angie Bravo, a 15 year old student from VMT stated

that she had thought the idea of TAMIU students pro-ducing documentaries was “phenomenal” and that she had never heard of the city of Mier and its history, and was very eager to learn more.The day of workshops at TAMIU concluded with

sessions on production logistics and character develop-ment. The following day on March 23rd, some addi-tional workshops and the awards ceremony for the film festival were to be held at the VMT campus.The students of TAMIU provided some valuable infor-

mation for possible future Dustdevils interested in the media field, and gave feedback about their experiences working on a major project. These workshops were an excellent way to encourage the sharing of knowledge with prospective students.

Entre Guadalupe y Malinche – Tejanas in Literature on Campus

As a “new” student to TAMIU, I am constantly impressed by the amount and quality of guest speakers we have access to at our university. Working with The Bridge has pushed me to attend lectures and events that I might not have considered otherwise. On Tuesday March 29, 2016, I was able to attend a reading and book signing by Chicana authors held in the Zaffirini Success Center.Several women authors who contributed to the

book “Entre Guadalupe y Malinche – Tejanas in Literature and Art” were present to read some of their selections. The writers present included Mary Sue Galindo, Raquel Senties, Rose Trevi-no, and of course Dr. Norma Cantu, editor of the collection.Dr. Norma Elia Cantu should be a familiar

name to Laredoans who enjoy literature, as she has published several novels including “Canic-ula” which is a must-read for Hispanic women. The topics and stories Cantu tells echo many of my own life experiences and I’m sure the same goes for many other young women in our community. Her writing style and her tales of everyday life is why the book won the Premio Aztlan in 1995.Entre Guadalupe y Malinche is a collection

of works that span over 25 years according to Cantu, and she added that it was a struggle to get submissions as some works got published through other sources, and some authors passed on without finalizing their approval. I could sense the compilation was a labor of love for Cantu, and she seemed satisfied with the quality of work that they were able to include in the final version.She provided photos of the actual Laredo

streets which share their name with the books title, and reminisced about how she remembers that street corner from 20 years ago. Cantu

mentioned that Ines Hernandez Avila originally had the idea for the title, and it finally became reality.The room was full, and more chairs needed to

be brought in for this special event, and people from TAMIU as well as the Laredo community were in attendance. It was both surprising and exciting that so many people had gathered for the occasion, which made me smile both inside and out. Being an avid reader of Chicana and feminist literature, seeing many men in the room applauding Cantu and the other authors was a breath of fresh air.The best part of the evening was the readings

by the authors. Cantu jokingly remarked how the amount of “abuelita” poems needed to be trimmed down from the final draft, and Mary Sue Galindo began her reading with of course, an “abuelita” poem. I enjoyed listening to the authors saying aloud the lines because the message comes across in a much more powerful way. Galindo finished with a poem about rape and the shame that comes with it, and she spoke with tears as she ended. The connections that we as an audience are able to feel through a live reading are something that is unique to only those present.Having the opportunity to have witnessed these

strong, powerful, women of an older generation is inspiring. My minor is English, and the event was a useful tool to enhance my love for liter-ature. Knowing that several of the contributors to the book are also a part of our community, or are influenced by border culture, were what made the night more personal as well. If you see flyers or receive emails about events on cam-pus that seem interesting to you, I recommend you take advantage of them as the speakers and presenters always have valuable knowledge to share with those who are willing to listen.

(From left to right) Mary Sue Galindo, Raquel Valle Senties, Dr. Ray Keck III, and Dr. Norma E. Cantu.

Mary Sue Galindo reads a selection from the anthology.

By Iris Vasquez Guerrero Photos by Iris Vasquez Guerrero, The Bridge News

Kincl is a canon lawyer and a former judicial vicar for the Diocese of Laredo. His comments recorded in the times are very vocal in his opinion of the Bishop.

“Tamayo has shown that he simply doesn’t care. This kind of stuff has been going on far too long in the Catholic Church and it has got to stop, and I think Pope Francis knows this” said Kincl.

Phillip Balli of the Times reports that the letters con-tents “include pleas for assistance to move the project forward, commendations toward the Brothers of St. John for the work they have done within the campus ministry and disappointment concerning Tamayo’s recent and past behavior and decisions.”

The Bridge was unable to recieve a response from Tamayo. However, University President Dr. Ray Keck III spoke to The Bridge to clear up confusion about the origin of funds for the project, which came from private donations, rather than student fees.

In an interview, Keck stated that the purpose of the Catholic Student Center would “be to teach students what it means to be a Catholic…there would be a teaching function, there would be a worship func-tion” and he emphasized that it would serve to teach “how the faith relates to who we are as parents, broth-ers and sisters, and teachers and professionals.”

He also mentioned that “spiritual life should be a part of everything you do” which includes academics. Dr. Keck said the initial idea for the center came from TAMIU students with the support of the Brothers of St. John.

Keck mentioned the deadline for construction to commence is quickly approaching, and the lack of communication from Tamayo would not be without its conseuqences.

“If it doesn’t happen in 90 days, the land goes back to them (the Killam family).”

His final message encouraged students who support the completions of the CSC to contact Tamayo and express their concerns as soon as possible.

Despite the uncertain future of the Catholic center, there is still a debate among students as to whether a religious center should exist at all. Some are in favor of moving forward with the effort to get the project moving once again. Students voiced their opinions and concerns in a discussion on the TAMIU Student Network.

Two students who wished to remain anonynous shared their views.

“The pastoral support we are given is very poor, we are set up with a lot of restrictions and we have to dance to the tune of his (Tamayo’s) song if we don’t want to lose our priests or have our ministries re-moved,” said the first student.

The second student wrote, “The Brothers of St. John have always welcomed me and just about anyone that comes to them with open arms and this center would have done the same for the university.”

Other students are wary of having an exclusively Catholic center so close to campus, given its proxim-ity to two public institutions.

Carlos Sanchez stated “We have Catholic churches all over Laredo; TAMIU is about education and aca-demic development.”

Others felt the center would not relfect the changing religious demographics of the university.

Salvador Hernandez mentioned “If they do have a building for religion I believe that it should be one that serves as a place for all religions. As a university we should focus on teaching people about all ways of life instead of catering to one.”

Brenda Gonzalez, also a senior who tutors at the Univeristy Learning Center, shared her thoughts on the dilemma.

“As a Catholic myself, I believe in the idea of a Cath-olic Student Center for the youth in our community...However, I was very concerned with the message the construction of the center would send to our interna-tional community. After all, we are an ‘international’ university and we should be endorsing diversity. Our approach must be all inclusive and not exclusive...It is a noble cause which school officials are endorsing. Yet, we must always keep in mind that our commu-nity is becoming increasingly diverse. If we want to strengthen the University’s ties with the community then we must be able to include everybody.”

Regardless of the final outcome, it is very clear that the cancellation of the CSC has provoked quite the reaction from round TAMIU administration and stu-dents. The Bridge will continue to report on the issue if and when more information becomes available.

Graduate students at the festival A scene from their presentation

Photos by Iris Vasquez Guerrero

Catholic center continues from page one

April 2016

4

Nicaragua continues from page one

“Our brigade was split into three differ-ent ones: a medical brigade, a public health brigade, and a water brigade...Along with shadowing the doctors, our members were re-sponsible for communicating with the patient, taking blood pressure, height, and weight of each patient, and transforming one room into the pharmacy in order to set up medications and divide them as needed per patient prescrip-tion,” said Kawas.According to Kawas, the team was eventually

able to serve approximately 1,200 families over a three-day period.Those involved with the public health and

water brigades were responsible for construct-ing sanitary facilities for families, and a trench that would provide clean water for area resi-dents. Kawas described the conditions many local residents lived in.“Previously these families would ‘shower’

using dirty water in painter buckets and defe-cate out in the open,” she revealed. Volunteers then assisted in building two

showers, two bathrooms, and two septic tanks for two families. Despite the grueling work in-volved, there was more than met the eye when it came to their tasks.“Every day was fun, interactive, and never

once felt like ‘work.’ We were blessed to have a Global Brigades Staff in Nicaragua that was supportive and helped empower each of us to do a better job,” stated Kawas.Martinez reaffirmed Kawas’ statements.“From the moment we would wake up to

the moment we went to bed, we were already dancing and singing and having such a positive attitude even if we were tired, sick, or sore,” said Martinez.Other members shared their own previous

expectations before arriving in Nicaragua, and the subsequent lessons they learned while

abroad.“I had an idea as to what we were going be

exposed to, but once you’re there it’s a whole different story. You think you’re mentally prepared for it until you’re seeing it for your-self in person. It definitely gives you a new perspective on the world. I know it made me realize how good we have it here, and how we can make such an impact by choosing to do selfless acts,” said Leslie Romero, a sopho-more Biology major.Irais Neira, a senior Biology major, shared

her own eye-opening experience while work-ing on the water trench. The daily journey to the digging site consisted of a two mile walk up a mountain. During one of these hikes, the group came across an elderly woman in need of medical attention.“On the way up, an elderly lady was walking

down on a broken foot looking for help. The team and I stopped to help her, wrapping up her foot in gauze and antibacterial ointment. Our GMB truck drove up to take her back down to a clinic. Her foot had been broken for weeks and yet she was still walking on it to try and help herself,” said Neira, who continued, “But this woman had already walked past three other university groups and no one stopped to help her. She was calm but was very obviously in pain.”Similarly, smaller moments still had a pro-

found impact. The welcoming nature of locals and their children left lasting impressions on the volunteers. “...These kids looked up to me like if I was

some kind of superhero. I can still picture every single one of them smiling, and it makes me realize that I was born to share the talents I possess with others to better humankind,” said Martinez.

Photos courtesy of Rebekah Kawas

Students arrange medical kits Students take selfie with members of the local community

Volunteer performs dental check-up on child.

Local children pose with hygiene kits made by volunteers.

Dental students with the local children.

Discovering Tamiu

Visitors attend the booths at the Student Center Rotunda.

Janet Haverkamp with CPR tranining equipment

Mr. and Mrs. TAMIU pose with a visitor

by i.M. keroTexas A&M International University held

their annual event, Discover TAMIU, on March 19. The event was a group effort of many TAMIU organizations coming togeth-er to promote themselves to potential future students. The event was like a convention and saw some big crowds. Booths and tables with different representatives were stationed in several of the campus’ buildings where they had different information and activities for the guests.Contrary to Laredo’s sunny and hot days,

this Saturday afternoon had a gray sky, cloudy atmosphere, and mild winds. The guest there were seen wearing light jackets and sweaters. For a day about discovering the university, potential students were not given the experi-ence of typical hot days and long walks under the sun while navigating through the many buildings. One could say it was Mother Nature doing a favor for recruitment.The event was well organized and the staff

there were motivating. Passage through the booths and presentation was not troubling compared to other conventions. The Student Center parking lot was filled like how it is on class days. Public school buses brought student from high school to attend the event as well. These students did get a taste of our university. Some of them were already taking to our norms and crowding the Starbucks at the library. Overall the event did succeed in catching the eyes of parents and future stu-dents of TAMIU. It even caught the attention of TAMIU alumni and current US Congress-man Henry Cuellar, who was there with his daughter.There were some really neat and expansive

exhibits during the event. The Office of Infor-mation Technology had a large classroom in the World Trade Center Building where they had some techno activities for the guest. There was a photo stage where guest could have a high definition photo taken of them alongside some popular video games and some useful mobile apps. Fernando Buenrostro discussed how their high-tech attractions brought in many visitors even some current TAMIU students.

Outside of the World Trade Center Building, the Army ROTC had special paintball course for visitors. Equipped with military styled paintball guns and actual army battle armor, visitors were given a chance to partake in mock battle experience. ROTC Cadet Aaron De Los Santos was seen assisting visitors in there armor while having some paint spatter on him.Over at the Student Center, the TAMIU

Training Center had a special room for where they conducting special CPR classes. Janet Haverkamp explained how the training center gave useful and universal training for current students. She was very glad to state that they manage to train 133 visitors, of all ages, during the event. The training, like many of the activities, was well-sponsored and supported by member of the training center and real CPR dummies for practices.Student Government Association was present

at the event where they mainly supported the overall machinations of the events. Their presence was visible as they informed visitors about the organization. However, they were still but a few in comparison to all registered members of the student government. Members of the government stated the other members were working and representing the other orga-nizations they were a part of.SGA Vice President and class senior Steph-

anie Martinez had a spoke joyfully about the event.“Discover TAMIU definitely went as planned

and we were very happy to see that over 1,500 [people] attended. Our campus was ready to welcome students and their families to our home by providing different activities as they visited our campus.”Discover TAMIU, in my perspective, reminds

both incoming and current students that our university is still in a big influence in Laredo and through the Rio Grande Valley. I am very appreciative to having a Texas A&M school in our hometown. Most are quick to judge about Laredo, and while there is much to judge, our university is something we should be proud of, and we should always find new avenues to promote the International U.

on campus

Rep. Cuellar visiting at the ROTC booth

Photos by I.M. Kero and Joy Davis, The Bridge News

april 2016

5

Webb County Democrats Pass Resolutions for their Party by I. M. Kero

The Webb County Democratic Party held a convention in order to pass new resolutions for their party platform. It was held in the De La Garza Building at Laredo Community College. The convention took place a few weeks after the Texas Primary.On the Saturday morning, men and women of Laredo,

of all ages, convened to discuss the new resolutions. The resolutions were mainly on ensuring that democrat-ic voters unite to support the eventual nominee for this November. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won Texas with 71% of the vote while also winning Webb County in particular. Her husband, former Pres-ident Bill Clinton was in TAMIU to campaign for her before the primaries. However, even with the numbers, there are still dedicated supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders throughout Laredo.Members of the Party’s establishment are afraid that

if Clinton is the nominee, Sanders supporters will not show up to polls to vote for her, or possibly vote for the Republican candidate. This type of trend is common when there are very heated primary battles within a Party’s candidacy. The convention brought Democratic supporters together to discuss how the party could take from each candidate once there is an eventual nominee. Presidential elections have a tendency to influence the visions each party. The nominee is going to have to listen to these concerns.The people that were there contributed in discussions

about the two candidates and their platforms. Some of the typical norms were presented. Older members who are actual members of the Democratic Party support-ed Hillary Clinton, and younger members, who were possibly participating in their first presidential election, supported Bernie Sanders. Between the two demo-graphics, there were clashes of idealism and experience.

After a couple of hours of discussion and debate, the two groups did manage to vote and pass 17 resolutions. 16 of those will go the state convention on June 17 in San Antonio. Most of the Democratic establishment were satisfied with the direction of Hillary Clinton. However, the convention worked to compromise with Sanders supporters. There were elements of idealistic representation and realistic strategy when establishing the resolution. Many Democratic voters want a radical push as seen from Bernie Sanders who mirrors many liberal systems seen in Europe. However, the establish-ment cannot afford to lose to Republicans, particularly Donald Trump, if they cannot find peace with the Sand-ers supporters. Though this was not a pledge of any kind, the resolutions represent the concerns of Dem-ocratic voters as a whole. This leads to the question I asked some of the key members there: How would they view a possible Clinton-Sanders or Sanders-Clinton ballot in November?Robert Tellez, a graduate student at TAMIU, had some

thoughts behind this question. He accepted it more as a Clinton-Sanders ticket. He felt that such a move would definitely unify the party and voters. It would be a similar tactic Ronald Reagan did with George H.W. Bush did in 1980 where there were similar circum-stances during that year’s primaries. However, Tellez did feel that Clinton should accept other Democratic officials like Housing and Urban Development Secre-tary and former mayor of San Antonio Julian Castro. He also suggested New Jersey Senator Cory Booker for the VP slot. Both of which may not exactly be house-hold names, but both are young, high ranking officials in the government. Tellez also suggested that Sanders would probably have more of an influence as VP where he could influence the Senate similar to current Vice

President Joe Biden.Arturo Martinez was asked the same question as well.

Martinez is the husband to Estella Ramos who wrote the amendments for the conventions resolutions. Mar-tinez is a second generation member of the Democratic Party. Though agree that Clinton-Sanders ticket would unify the vote, he felt that Bernie Sanders was not deserving for the job being that throughout his political career, he’s been registered as an independent, and has not been much of a team player with the Democrats.Albert Torres, the Webb County Chairman for the

party, responded to the question by stating that such a ticket would be “interesting.” Though it could possibly be intruding towards the party’s establishment, he did believe that could beneficial as it combines the new and old values of the Democratic Party.The resolution passed are going to continue for discus-

sion in the state convention in San Antonio which will be held on June 17. From there the delegates will rep-resent the platform at the Democratic National Conven-tion where the presidential candidate will be nominated. However, like much of the political arena in Laredo, this event was not by any means a full house. Typical university classes have more people in attendance. However, the convention was insightful and organized, but most of all, official. The political process was in action where different people came together to discuss and debate, and eventually compromise. It was open to all Democratic members and supporters. This types of events and, of course, polling stations are where polit-ical action takes place. Hopefully, this could promote more people to come together to do it there instead of polarizing each other on the streets and on the Internet.

politics

Clinton supporter debates the resolution as Robert Tellez moderates Dr. Martha E. Villarreal (left) with Albert Torres (right)

Photos by I.M. Kero, The Brdige News

Splash! South Padre Islandby rodolfo SalinasAt the end of this month, right before finals week

I will be attending a festival in South Padre Island where members of the LGBTQ community will unite in celebration. This celebration will honor the progress of acceptance that the community has made as the years pass. There is no doubt that there is still discrimination alive against this community. It is not easy to be accepted but it is possible. I have always said that I became gay by accident,

but it’s not true. Since I was a little boy I knew how I felt, but some believe that children don’t recognize their decisions when in fact they do. This festival makes you accept yourself more and it also enhances your confidence about your sexual preference. At least that’s how I felt when I attended last year. It was the first time I ever attended a gay event and I don’t regret going at all. I talked to a lot of people and I found out many things. Five years ago, I wasn’t who I am now. I wasn’t

confident about saying that I am gay. It takes guts to admit to your truths. There are plenty of guys out there that are living in fear because they are worried about other people’s judgement. The truth is that peo-ple can’t try to control judgement. The fact that we can’t control makes things more complicated in our minds. For example, one thing I learned I couldn’t control is acceptance. When I mentioned that I became gay by accident,

it was because I thought the end solution would be different. I fell in love with my best friend because of

the gay tricks he would always play on me. It’s not right to do gay things if you are not gay. In the end, I couldn’t make him accept what he did or who he was. I was thrown aside like trash on the side of the road. I was crushed and disappointed about activating my feelings for someone that never had them on to begin with. I see it as an accident because I wonder who I would be if I never gained those feelings for him.I used to date girls but once I grew feelings for a

guy, I knew it was exactly what I wanted. I honestly thought that he would just accept his truth and be-come my first boyfriend, but we didn’t have a happy ending like in movies. From there on, I was trying to figure more about my identity. I was trying to learn how to be gay. Now I feel like a pro because I’ve met some of the most amazing people that have told me their experience. Some people don’t chose to be gay either. I’ve heard stories about guys getting raped by their uncles. All that does is confuse the individual and begin to make them think they are gay because they got raped by a man. This is an example of a man becoming gay by accident, and not like my situation where I knew what I was doing and the choices that I was making to continue my relationship. The festival made me feel comfortable about who

I really am. It helped me be the person I had been hiding on the inside. I’m so excited that I get to go back and replace my experience with a new one. Furthermore, I just wish that guys would stop being

afraid about accepting gays but also accepting what they have done if they have ever done something gay. I think that no one should ever have to wait to be loved by the person they desire. I waited so long thinking that maybe one day he would return, and we could start over. After seven years of not speaking to each other, we

finally decided to hang out again. I just couldn’t be-lieve how he thought that I would still be in the same position. Now that I know more than I used, I know not to treat this reality like a game. All I ever wanted was an explanation why he stopped talking to me. Now I don’t even want to know. He still can’t accept what he did and those are not the kind of men I want to connect with anymore. I want to communicate with the ones that know more and are comfortable about being true to themselves. That is exactly why I made every effort to return

to this festival because Laredo has a lot of guys that can’t be true to themselves. I don’t know what the problem is about being gay, and there’s no way I can try to figure it out on my own. That is why communi-ties like LGBTQ come together to try and figure out more about this reality in our lives. Just remember there’s no rush. People take time to get comfortable and well mine came around pretty soon in my life. Consider coming to this celebration. Maybe you too can feel like a whole different person with high levels of self-confidence.

editorial

State department Visits Tamiuby I.M. Kero

The US Department of State held a key event on campus to help promote recruitment. The event was co-hosted with Congressman Henry Cuellar. They came to give remarks and influence the importance of young professionals finding careers in the Depart-ment of State. The event was designed to answer some questions about the Department of State, as well as the application process, and the some of the criteria to earn a position.Rep. Cuellar welcomed Ambassador Arnold Chacon

to come and speak to the students attending. Chacon was accompanied by two other top government officials, John Roberts and Derwood Staeben. At the recruitment booth was one of the State Department’s recruiters name Faisal Khan. Chacon is currently the director general of the Foreign Service and director of human resources for the State Department. Roberts is the Diplomat in Residence, and Staeben is the director of recruitment.“It is vital that we encourage greater diversity,

especially among Hispanics, in the workforce at the State Department and across the federal government,” Congressman Cuellar said.The event happened at STC 236 in the Rotunda. It

was a part of TAMIU’s Business and Hospitality Ca-reer Fair where other government agencies alongside other business and services came to recruit fresh minds from the university.“We’re here to recruit diverse, talented men and

women who can effectively carry out the Department’s mission of shaping a peaceful, prosperous, just and democratic world. We thank Congressman Cuellar for extending this opportunity to speak with the students at TAMIU,” said Chacon.Congressman Cuellar was able to stay and answer

some questions pertaining to recent international events that the State Department is active in.The first was on the recent terrorist attack in Belgium.

The Congressman previous release a statement con-demning the attacks.“The violence experienced today is tragic. The

cowardly acts perpetrated today are a reminder that we need to remain vigilant in this day and age. Our European allies and the world have experienced too much senseless violence, and we must stay on guard to keep Europe and the rest of the world safe from events like these and bring those responsible to justice. My thoughts go out to the Belgian people and those impacted by today’s attacks,” said the congressman.Concerning international relations, Cuellar was asked

about some possible plans and strategies the State De-partment could push to counter this kind of violence. The Bridge asked him about a possible pan-European intelligence network. Turkish President Erdogan said that the European nation were aware that one of the attackers was hostile, but they took him in as he was being deported from Turkey. The congressman did agree that Europe need to work together more to deter

these kinds of threat because now they are spanning across the European Union. The nations are able to trade fairly easily, but vital information and intelli-gence could also be passed around the EU. The Paris attacks last year were done by Belgians who crossed into France. If the borders are open, then so does the flow of security information.Following the same topic, Cuellar was asked about

changes in NATO’s mission. NATO was originally established to deter the Soviet threat during the Cold War, but much of that has change since then. Russia has been somewhat aggressive, but terrorism has hit heart of these NATO nations in the United States, UK, France, and now Belgium. The NATO allies cooper-ated to some extent in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, but their mission does not entirely mandate a form of collective security amongst the member nations. Cuellar agreed that the NATO nations do need to come together and decide on topics like these. The terror-ist threat pays no regard to boundaries and borders, and hits targets wherever they can by unconventional means. He believed that a collective network and a system seen during the Cold War could be used again here. As the Islamic State expands its reach and attacks outside of Iraq and Syria, the allied nations of NATO need to cooperate and expand their military capabilities to deter and confront them.

ACAdemia

April 2016

6

New Legislation for Cuban Immigrantsby i.m. kero

Texas Congressmen Henry Cuellar (D) and Blake Farenthold (R) have recently introduced a new bill called the Correcting Unfair Benefits for Aliens Act or, simply, the CUBA Act. As stated by its acronym, the legisla-tion deals with Cuban immigration. The bi-partisan bill aims to establish the same immigration standards for Cuban immigrants as would for any other immigrant.The new legislation may not di-

rectly affect TAMIU students, but it does concern actions happening in congress, and with our own repre-sentative. Learning about currently leglislation, espescially bi-partisan bills do advance our political society, and our collegiate thought.Currently, Cuban immigrants are

protected by the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966. That legislation was signed into law by President Lyn-don B. Johnson during the height of Cold War, four years after the tense Cuban Missile Crisis. The legislation allowed easier migration for Cubans into the United States. They were given special treatment, usually as refugees, to seek asylum in America, and escape Fidel Castro’s Commu-nist regime. The bill also allowed for US citizens to bring their family members living in Cuba into the United States with less difficulty.The new legislation from the two

Texas congressmen is configured to repeal to the old law. Though many Cubans have taken advantage of

the old law for decade, and it has allowed for Cuban communities for flourish in American cities, normal-izing relations with Cuba would also mean normalizing its immigration.Congressman Cuellar stated the

following:“The Refugee Education Assistance

Act and the wet foot/dry foot policy, are relics of a bygone era and a cold war that has long since passed. With the president’s historic visit to the country this week as well as the nor-malization of relations, we shouldn’t lose sight of the thousands of people from regions like Central America who are fleeing serious threats from drug violence and face a disadvan-tage when compared with Cubans. The need remains for comprehen-sive immigration reform, but in the meantime, we shouldn’t be handing out special status and benefits for a select group.”In partnership with his congressio-

nal colleague, Congressman Far-enthold also stated the following:“With President Obama restoring

diplomatic relations with Cuba, the immigration preferential treatment given to Cubans who enter the Unit-ed States no longer makes sense. We are seeing an influx of Cubans at the Texas-Mexico border who are imme-diately admitted to this country and have an extremely fast pathway to citizenship, and a generous taxpayer funded benefits package. The state of Texas is already seeing a 60 percent

increase in migrants attempting to enter the state from Cuba, and we should hold all immigrants to the same standards in order to ensure the safety and vitality of our communi-ties.”Congressman Farenthold’s state-

ment is correct in some current trends in Cuban migration. With nor-malization becoming almost a sure thing, Cuban migrants are seeing this as their last chance to take advan-tage of the law before they are put on the same playing field. Not even NATO allies have the easy access into America as do the Cubans. The migrants have also been utilizing a pathway through Mexico and then across the US border. This is also evident here in Laredo. Though most only enter though Laredo, they eventually travel to other cities with larger Cuban communities.Those opposed to President

Obama’s approach with Cuba believe that Cuba is still very much the to-talitarian power, and should continue to exist as an isolated state. How-ever, it makes one wonder whether such legislators would support a bill normalizing their immigration. If, according to them, Cuba is still the fever dream of Ché Guevara and the Soviet Union, then its people deserve to enter the United States as escap-ees. If Cuba is going to be regarded like any other country, then immigra-tion will now have to be at par with that of other nations.

politics

Warp-PLS and the Gold mine every company does not know they have

by jose de jesus alvarado

The rise of technological devices has forever changed the way we do things in our everyday lives. Just as it played a big impact on everything we do, technology also changed how we see many things. For instance, everything we do with our devices nowadays generates data. Although we might not be aware of it, we all generate significant amounts of data, and in the right hands, this data can prove to be a gold mine waiting to be discov-ered. Much like this, businesses generate

a vast amount of data that, without any interpretation, can go unnoticed. Data analysis will prove to be crucial in the foreseeable future as more companies start realizing that within them is the answer to all their problems. Dr. Ned Kock, Chair of the Division of

International Business and Technology Studies here at TAMIU, will be offering a workshop stressing the importance of understanding many types of data through his program WarpPLS. Now in version 5.0, Dr. Kock’s software

has undergone many different revisions since its first introduction back in 2009. By hosting this workshop, Dr. Kock hopes to promote his software mainly to graduate students involved with research, but the real-world applications for Warp-PLS are astonishing. Struggling businesses, start-ups, and

even well-defined businesses can benefit

from the analysis WarpPLS can provide. Given a set of info, the can pinpoint which variable from within a company or organization is affecting it the most and how. Companies can easily use this soft-ware in order to identify problems within the business and immediately take action. Likewise, they are always looking to im-

prove, and WarpPLS can be a great aid to show how any company is doing in terms of many different factors. The software’s wide range of analy-

sis capabilities can extend as need be whether it is analyzing the effectiveness of the business as a whole, or even go as far as individually from anyone within the company. Even though the emphasis of the pro-

gram is on analyzing research data, its applications can go as far as reaching out to school districts, community programs, and businesses of any kind. Many companies tend to dismiss the

data they have already gathered from their current and past customers, and programs like WarpPLS can help any organization or business discover the gold mine they have always been sitting on. Dr. Kock’s workshop will be held April

13th from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Uni-versity’s Cowart Hall in room 117. Both the workshop and software is free to all TAMIU students, faculty, and staff upon registration at cswht@tamiu.edu or over the phone at (956) 326-2820.

on campus

“Yellow is the new blueberry”Poem Contribution

by Virginia Garcia-Ramos

In the heaviest of days; he would never stray.In the wake of the moon; he would never turn his mood.

For the darkness may hit the light, but his heart will continue to shine.He speaks to her in silence yet she can hear every single word from the depths

of his soul.He sings to her in riddles and his song sometimes has no ending.

His gun is loaded and ready. He looks back at her and waits for her signal.To him they all say the same things. To her they all say everything. Still their suns

shine on the same side of the moon.They filter the rays and pass the check point of sanity (for a single day) never

leaving each other’s side.To want the flower of the river will be the gift he leaves for the ocean to be swal-

lowed in a wave of illusion.The control will somehow be initiated and the driver will make her way to the jail

cell of those who forgot to tell the truth among their lies.When they finally hear the shadow behind the moon of Jupiter that will be the

day the pressure will cease.He seems to see all the faults in her ways; He seems to know all the seas in her

oceans and all the streams in her rivers.But he sits there in silence among the chaos of her thoughts.

He waits for her silence, a silence that sometimes never comes, yet he will sit and wait, wait for her single breath.

His patience never weathers although hers is short lived but he still sit and waits.He will soon love her more than he did just 5 seconds ago.

Oh how the possibilities may be of him and Venus becoming a soul united by a greater force.

To everyone else life was just a world among humanity.But to her and him the reality of their song will continue for eternity.

There is a light that will never go out and they were the only ones saved among those who became lost.

For they were made for one another. To never end in a Greek tragedy or in Shake-speare.

And she says, for you my love.

Congressman Henry Cuellar (D)

Congressman Blake Farenthold (R)

En defensa del idiomaPor Melissa Santillana Participacion EstudiantilA principios de este año me topé con una columna en

El País, un periódico español, que escribió un hombre bastante molesto por que un partido político había mez-clado dos idiomas en una oración. (¡Sacrilegio!).El objeto de su ira venía del lema en catalán del

Partido Popular (Ojo, no se confundan con el nombre, en realidad es un partido conservador de derecha). Decía “España, amb seny”, que significa “España, con sentido común, (o con dos dedos de frente)”. Les voy a dar un segundo para que piensen qué es lo que está mal con esa oración. ¡Basta!En catalán, España se escribe Espanya. Y ya, eso es

todo. Alguien se quiso hacer el vivo y atraer a castella-nos y catalanes al mismo tiempo. Error amigo, aparén-temente España no está lista para tal “disparate”.Pero lo que realmente me impresionó fue que Javier

Cercas, el columnista en cuestión, estuviera tan enfurecido por un pequeño desliz publicitario. Llamó descerebrado a la persona que se atrevió a mezclar catalán y castellano, y escribió “quien no respeta el lenguaje no respeta la realidad”.Él indicó que cuando hablamos castellano decimos

Nueva York y Londres, nunca London ni New York. Pensé “Si a éste ‘tío’ se le ocurre visitar Laredo, se pega un tiro”.Para Cercas el incidente es el resultado de una afir-

mación falta de lógica y de sentido común, pero peor aun, una falta de respeto al lenguaje.No pude evitar cuestionarme, “¿por qué le agobia

tanto algo tan trivial?”, cierto, para mi es trivial porque

es el pan de cada día en mi comunidad. Pero qué el español – y en si todos los idiomas– no son una mezcla de lenguajes y de todas las migraciones de grupos étni-cos que le dieron vida?Bien lo dice mi segundo argentino favorito, Néstor

García Canclini, (el primero es Gustavo Cerati, por si tenían curiosidad) en su libro “Culturas Hibridas”, la historia del castellano es larga e impura. “Si extirpamos al español de todos los términos de origen árabe, nos quedamos sin ‘alcachofas’, ‘alcaldes’, ‘almohadas’ y ‘algarabía’”.¿Entonces, si ningún idioma es puro, por qué pelan

tanto por la heterogeneidad entre catalanes y españoles; entre hispanoparlantes nativos y “pochos”?Me tomó unos minutos caer en cuenta que Cercas

estaba molesto porque ni él ni su país han sido victimas del colonialismo. No sabe de hibridismos, por lo tanto no sabe qué significa ser una mezcla de todo, de razas, de países, de ideologías. Para mi y mis compatriotas regionales mezclar el idioma es una forma más de representar el “otro” espacio que ocupamos.Vuelvo a citar a García Canclini, “La hibridación

de procesos socioculturales es cuando estructuras o practicas discretas que previamente existían de forma separada, al ser combinadas generan nuevas estructur-as, objetos y practicas”.El idioma es un proceso sociocultural, y el spanglish

es el hijo mestizo del español y el inglés.Voy a dejar que Cercas defienda Cataluña y a los suy-

os de la homogeneidad–aunque a los españoles no les

haga mucha gracia la idea de independencia–, pero yo voy a defender el spanglish, y a mi gente de su derecho a hablar el idioma de su tierra.Que la historia nos sirva de algo, Laredo se fundó

hace 261 años cuando todavía era territorio mexicano, 93 años después López de Santa Anna lo vendé a los Estados Unidos. Aceptémoslo, en los 168 años que ten-emos de formar parte de EU no hemos podido adaptar-nos 100 por ciento al idioma, y nunca lo vamos a hacer.En la actualidad ocupamos una tierra que no es de

aquí ni es de allá. Es frontera. Ante nuestros compatri-otas del norte y ante nuestros ancestros del sur, somos ”otros” y éstos otros tenemos ”otro” lenguaje y es nuestro; y es perfectamente válido. Porque representa nuestra historia, nuestra herencia y nuestra identidad, mitad de aquí, mitad de allá.Robándome el término de nuestra ídolo regional, Glo-

ria Anzaldúa, mexicanos y estadounidenses nos atacan con un ”terrorismo lingüístico” porque no es correcto mezclar dos lenguas, porque de donde ellos vienen no existen dos lenguas en la vida cotidiana. Pero aquí si.No es un ”disparate lingüístico” como dice Cercas,

es un reflejo de nuestra identidad, de nuestra ”hibrida” existencia.(Si no conoce a Javier Cercas, lo invito a leer la

novela los Soldados de Salamina, o bien haga como yo y vea la película con Diego Luna. Escriba sus comen-tarios, sugerencias y amenazas a melissa.santillana@tamiu.edu)

Life & Arts

Articulo de fondo

April 2016

7

Soldiers of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Whiskey tango foxtrot continues from page one

Anyways, the funding that went to Iraq military eventually backfired when they invaded Kuwait. In response, an allied coalition liberated Kuwait and invade part of Iraq in what was called Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. We did it all in a few weeks. Then President George H.W. Bush called for an Iraqi revolt against Saddam Hussein, but that never happened.After 9/11, there was A LOT of funding for the

military and a surplus of funds from the Clinton Administration of the 90s. Saddam Hussein and his government were accused of producing weapons of mass destruction or WMDs. WMDs can range from nuclear or plutonium weapons to mass dispersive chemical and biological weapons. America feared that since Hussein was not playing ball with us, he might leak these weapons to terrorists or terrorists could somehow procure them and use them for all sorts of wrong reasons. It sounds reasonable on paper. The US Government was convinced that this was case.The American government sought a need to invade

and enforce a regime change. The United Kingdom felt the same way. During this time the UK was under the majority of the Labour Party with Prime Minister Tony Blair. However, unlike Afghanistan, many of the other nations did not think so. France, a very key ally, believed that a diplomatic route was more reasonable as did Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation (who was still president back then) thought the same. Either way, the US congress voted in favor, and in March 2003, America invaded Iraq.America actually did an excellent job defeating

Hussein and his army. It was all done in three weeks. Just about everyone was ready to go home by the end of the year, but then it got worse. First and foremost, there were no WMDs. The terrible calamites that everyone feared did not even exist, but then it got even worse. The US had no real strategy to rebuild Iraq as it did for Afghanistan. As US troops waited to withdraw, the situation became worse as the insurgen-cy began. Several armed groups began attacking civil-ians and US troops making the decision to leave Iraq less and less of a possibilty. Simply put, Iraq was way worse after the fall of Hussein’s government. Saddam Hussein was later captured by US forces. He was tried in court and found guilty for heinous crimes. He was then executed by hanging.Now with all respects to our efforts, understand that

the world is still a better place with Saddam Hussein dead. Hussein was a ruthless dictator who oppressed and killed a lot of innocent people. His sons were possible even worse creatures. The thing is, when you overthrow a dictator, make sure you’re doing it with those who rebel against him. America and her mili-tary might made that decision for all of Iraqi people.The US had this not-so-brilliant strategy to expel

the entire B’aith party from all Iraqi institutions. This was Hussein’s party. This was something that

was not even done against the Axis of World War II. We mandated that everyone that was a somehow related to the old Iraqi government had to leave. The Sunni Muslim majority became outcast. Even the old Iraqi weapons a gear were disenfranchised. The new Shi’ite government came in, and they were not so great. Appointed by President Bush, Nouri Al-Maliki and his new Shi’ite government took revenge and punished the Sunnis similar to how the Treaty of Versailles punished the Germans. All of this happened as America occupied the country controversially. The “international security” force engaged the insurgents conventionally and a lot civilians and soldiers died in the process.The insurgency led to more years of US occupation.

Then a civil war erupted between the Shi’ites and the Sunnis. While all this chaos happened, coalition troops reacted and responded however they could, but the death toll kept rising. In his last years in office, President Bush made a last ditch effort to surge US troops in Iraq to finally end the insurgency. Truth is, it actually worked. By 2008 when President Bush was leaving office, conflict in Iraq was relatively low. However, it was at the cost of many dead troops and civilians.President Bush made his infamous visit to Iraq that

same year. During a press meeting, a man threw his both of his shoes at President Bush. In the Muslim world, throwing one’s shoes or presenting the bottom of one’s feet is as harsh of an insult as to spitting in one’s face. The image of the man throwing the shoes at the US President, at the end of his term, paints a painful picture of what that administration did to that country and its people.Iraq and the financial crisis towards the end of the

Bush Presidency paved an easy road for Senator Barack Obama to become president and the Demo-crats to take congress. President Obama did not like Iraq. He saw it was the Republican step-child he was not obligated to raise, and so, he didn’t. By the end of 2010, all US troops were pulled out of Iraq and the war was technically over. Shi’ite government lead by Bush’s favorite Nouri Al-Maliki continued to oppress the Sunni Muslims. The disenfranchised Sunnis began to revolt. In places where they could not be ac-cepted in the economy, they turned to extremism and their arms. In 2011, a new civil war was beginning in Syria, and they took this to their advantage. What was orginially Al-Qeada of Iraq had slowly morphed into something very ugly. Today they are known as the Islamic State.The Islamic State is Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have

been fighting and two front war in Iraq and Syria. Alongside conventional methods of warfare, ISIL has planned and perform terrorist attack in several cities around the globe. Their goal is create an Islamic caliphate based on their Satanic interpretation of Islam. To enforce this, they have caused genocide on

Christian and Muslim groups around the territories they occupy.Iraq has been a very large target for them. In the

early years of the conflict around 2013-2014, ISIL performed atrocious terror attacks and easily defeated the new Iraqi military in open combat. Many Iraqisoldiers simply deserted the posts before fighting. This was very concerning to the US and the Obama Administration. Though he didn’t like anything we did in that country, President Obama was not going to let Iraq turn into another Vietnam. Using his exec-utive authority to bypass the gridlock in congress, President Obama began an air campaign in Iraq and Syria. US Special Forces have returned Iraq to train and advise the Iraqi military. The president wants to defeat ISIL without having to re-invade Iraq, and so far, there’s been progress.What some people do not understand about the situ-

ation is the fact that much of the United States’ credi-bility is on the line with Iraq right now. If Iraq were to lose to ISIL and Baghdad were to fall, it would be just like South Vietnam, and the international community and the American people will come to the cynical conclusion that we cannot spread freedom and de-mocracy around the world, and 4,400 US soldier, like the 60,000 soldiers in Vietnam, would have died for nothing. If we were to re-invade Iraq to defeat ISIL, we’ll have it done in less than a month. It would be great, but the international community, would take it for what it really was. Big Daddy America had to step in a rescue their spoiled child, Iraq. Though defeat-ed, remnants of ISIL and terrorists group around the world will interpret this to heart, and know that the only reason why they lost is because they fought the superpower. This will only support they their claim that Iraq was truly an empty government which would further their cause for future conflict. The rest of the world would acknowledge this to, and leave the final interpretation that America did not and likely will not ever establish a solid government in the Middle East.However, like stated early, there has been progress.

40% of territory that ISIL has occupied in Iraq has been reclaimed by the Iraqi government. Airstrikes have killed some of the major ISIL leadership. The embarrassing defeat in Ramadi has been redeemed by the Iraqi government in its recapture. Currently, the Iraqi military is making an offense towards ISIL’s Iraqi stronghold in Mosul. But during all of this, the US troop presence is still gradually growing. Though minimal, US soldiers are still dying more than a decade after the invasion.To end this segment, I would like state that some

painful numbers. Since 2003, there have been some-where to 174,000 death related to the Iraq War, and that is a modest number. Of that figure, 26,000 have been enemy combatants, 4,400 have been US troops, and 123,000 have been civilians. These figures are still counting.

part II: Iraq

Anybody who has picked up a comic book will more than likely say that they are a source of entertainment and nothing more. The brightly toned panels leap at the reader to capture their attention. Crafty home brewed villains act to generate fear and antagonize civility. Then by the end of the comic, the titular superhero rescues the girl, stops the robbery, and captures the bad guy. Today, they have spawned a multibillion dollar in-dustry that continues to inspire wonder among viewers of all ages. But, what if they were more than entertain-ment? What if they were a source of knowledge: a look-ing glass into the past? If readers read them carefully, comics can be a viable source of historical information. This is what Dr. Richard Hall’s “Intellectual History of

the U.S.” class concerns itself with this spring semes-ter. The creation of the modern American comic book comes in the 1930s as the Great Depression loomed. Superheroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman saw their debut and maintained the little hope that readers had. As war approached in the 1940s the comic book medium became an almost propagandic entity asking for readers to join the war effort any which way they could. The Red Scare of the 1950s would transform the superhero comic and even kill off other genres entirely for their “communist sympathetic” qualities. Then the 1960s seemingly broke all ties of

conformity in America and thus, a rebirth of the super-hero genre occurred. Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man--these and more were born in the wake of the rebellious 60s. This pattern of reactionary creationism continued throughout the 1970s, 80s, 90s, and even post-9/11 America. Every time America was suffering or rejoicing, the comic book was there to capture the thoughts of Americans and voice them out on cheap newsprint. Dr. Hall gives his attention to each decade and traces

various societal products or “isms” like racism, sexism, nationalism, communism and others. In this history class, comic books themselves become the primary sources. Students analyze speech bubbles and the bold illustrations and it is then, the entertainment value of the comic book is surpassed by the intellectual value. I spoke with Christopher Garcia and Alejandra Gua-

jardo, both students of Dr. Hall’s “Intellectual History” class and they offered me their thoughts and outlook on the course. “I’ve been a big comic book fan since 2008” says Mr.

Garcia, a communications major. “I had knowledge of current events but no knowledge of the comics before 2002...I’m taking this class because a friend suggested it,”When asked what he has learned in this class he

said, “I’ve learned how the historic events and social movements at the time affected the writing of comics from day one, when Superman debuted. As history progressed so did the comics such as the X-Men, ar-riving during the height of the Civil Rights Movement and Superman became an embodiment of Moses and Roosevelt”Likewise, I asked Guajardo, a history major, why she

took the class: “I had to take it because it is a history class. But, I chose it because the topic looked interest-ing. I had no knowledge of comics at all. I only knew about superheroes because of the movies.”She continued on what she learned, “I have learned

that pop culture reflects society. As a historian it is important because the expression of cultures tie to the ideals of the time. We portray our sentiments in differ-ent ways. I have also learned many things about comics that I’ve never imagined. I feel like a better critic now. Also, I have learned to appreciate the genre more.”Thus, to sum it up, this class is suited for armchair his-

torians, historians-in-training and comic book lovers in general. Dr. Hall takes his passion for both comic books and history and wraps it up for students to unravel over the course of the semester. If interested, keep an eye out for any and all classes offered by Dr. Hall because he is sure to bring a welcome twist to learning.

military

academia

US soldier trains with Iraqi soldier

Photos by Google

US tanks in Baghdad, 2003 Hussein statue toppled

Saddam Hussein on trial Muntadhar al-Zaidi throws his shoes

US soldiers patrol Iraqi Iraqi civilians fleeing ISIS

comic class teaches historyby edward garza Student Contribution

guest articles 8 April 2016The bridge

jesucristo superestrellaPor Melissa Santillana Participacion Estudiantil

La temporada del musical Jesucristo Superestrella ha finalizado, pero no sin haber dejado huella tanto en espectadores como en el elenco. La puesta en escena de éste musical opera rock de los 70s marcó experi-encias inolvidables en al menos un docente y un tutor de Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) que audicionaron y fueron seleccionados como parte del elenco principal.La obra se presentó en el Laredo Little Theater du-

rante dos fines de semana de marzo, justo antes de la Pascua.John Kilburn, decano asociado de investigación en

TAMIU, interpretó el papel de Pedro y a Ariel Sauceda, tutor en el Writing Center, le tocó interpretar a nada más y nada menos que a Jesucristo.“Sabia algo de San Pedro puesto que fui educado den-

tro de la Iglesia Católica y era feligrés de la Iglesia de San Pedro cuando era joven, así que interpretar a Pedro fue un papel significativo en mi vida”, dijo Kilburn de su personaje en la obra.Para Sauceda su papel tuvo un impacto más filosófico

y transformativo, puesto que aseguró relacionarse más con el tema de la obra más que con los personajes indi-viduales. “Creo que hay algo o alguien con quien todos nos podemos relacionar particularmente cuando se trata de tomar decisiones y cuando aceptamos responsabili-dades”.Aunque Kilburn no es ajeno a estar encima de un

escenario esta presentación fue su primera experiencia como actor musical. “Este es el primer musical que he

hecho en mi vida, hice mucho teatro durante mi juven-tud, pero la última vez que estuve sobre un escenario fue hace 28 años en Nueva Orleans”.Sauceda experimentó algo similar al ser su primer

obra musical. “He participado en varias obras de teatro y he tocado música en vivo, pero los dos mundos nunca se habían unido. De hecho, nunca pensé que lo haría y ciertamente no para un musical tan desafiante como lo es éste”.Ambos concordaron en que la dirección de la obra y

sus rendiciones de los personajes son gracias a la guía y apoyo de Lisa G. King, directora y coreógrafa.“Yo no creo que hubiera podido hacerlo sin todo el

apoyo de nuestra directora y el reparto, simplemente estar rodeado de gente tan talentosa te alienta a ser cosas geniales”, dijo Kilburn.Sauceda indica que fue la dirección lo que impulsó

a los actores a dar todo de si en el escenario. “Todos estaríamos perdidos sin la visión, pero mas importante sin la fe de Lisa King y Roxie Cuellar–asistente de dirección–. Su confianza en nosotros y en la producción es lo que nos hizo involucrarnos tan profundamente en esta historia”.Las razones de Kilburn para formar parte del elenco

son aun más complejas de lo que parecen. “Hubo un par de razones por las cuales decidí unirme, una de el-las es que es ‘Jesucristo Superestrella’, el primer álbum que compré en mi vida con mi propio dinero, lo compré con el dinero que me regalaron en Navidad”, dijo Kil-burn. “La otra razón, es que tuve algunos problemas de

salud y decidí que era momento de divertirme un poco más. Lo comenté con mi esposa y me apoyó y ahora estoy muy contento de haber sido parte del elenco”.A pesar de que la actuación involucre un acto pur-

amente creativo, Kilburn comentó que nunca puede dejar de lado su perspectiva como investigador. “Nunca puedes apagar la curiosidad intelectual. Cada persona, cada discusión para dar vida a los personajes… es un proceso increíble donde la imaginación encuentra al académico y cada discusión se convierte en un debate intelectual”, dijo Kilburn.Kilburn, como académico, indicó no estar seguro de

cómo tomar sus experiencias en el teatro y transferir-las a un ambiente de investigación, pero aseguró estar interesado en intentarlo.Tanto Sauceda como Kilburn respondieron de manera

similar a la pregunta “Si pudieras interpretar cualquier papel, de cualquier obra en cualquier ciudad del mun-do, ¿cuál sería?”“Me cuesta trabajo decidir cual sería mi escenario de

ensueño, pero interpretar el papel principal en Jesucris-to Superestrella en mi ciudad natal definitivamente se acerca mucho a mi sueño”, contestó Sauceda.“Yo continuaría haciendo de Pedro en Jesucristo Su-

perestrella en cualquier ciudad que estuviera interesada en esa presentación. Tuve una experiencia tan satisfac-toria que no puedo pensar en algo mas divertido que eso”, finalizó Kilburn.

TAMIU visits Texas A&M Law Schoolby Francisco Garza

articulo invitado

Guest article

Photos courtesy of Bert Kiefer

(De izquierda a derecha) Albert Long, Ariel Sauceda, y James Thorpe en un escena de “Jesucristo Superestrella” Dr. John Kilburn retratado Peter en la obra.

My hometown Freer, Texas located in Duval Coun-ty at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and State highways 16, 44, and 339. It’s only 60 miles east of Laredo, Texas and is where I’ve grown up all my life. It’s a small town with a population of only 3,241 where everybody knows each other. If you’ve ever lived in a small town then you know what it’s like.Freer is named after Daniel John Freer, who was

born in Pennsylvania in 1866. Freer married Nancy Gabehart in 1890. They had six children, one son named Charley, and five daughters. In 1915 the family discovered an advertisement in a newspaper for people to come to “Rosita Valley” (later known as Freer) to buy land at $1.000 for 60 acres. Mr.Freer sent his son Charley to check out the situation. Charley liked what he saw and met and married Hinnie Riley while the rest of the family moved to Rosita Valley in 1917.At the time there were no stores or post office in

Rosita Valley. Mr.Freer purchased and developed the original townsite. He operated the Post office out of his home. He built the first utility plant for the town, he owned one of the first gas stations, he donated land for the first church, and he helped establish the first Cham-ber of Commerce in 1934.In 1938 the City of Freer was the second largest

producing oil field in the United States. At the time the population was estimated at 5,000 to 8,000. There was a monthly payroll of $500,000. The 3,000 oil wells produced 50,000 barrels of oil a day. D.J. Freer died on December 7, 1941 at the age of 75.Freer, Texas is home to the “Official Rattlesnake

Roundup of Texas.” The first Freer Rattlesnake Round-up was in 1965 and it was known as the Oil-O-Rama. This year will be the 51st anniversary of the Freer Rattlesnake Roundup. Many people come from all over Texas to come to this event 2 day event. It’s on Friday and Saturday, during the last weekend in April. There are many things to do. It’s a time for many nonprofit organizations to raise money by selling food or other things. There is live music, vendors, a carnival, a parade, and a live rattlesnake show. Last year there was even a monster truck show and a helicopter ride.Each year there is Miss Freer Pageant and a new Miss

Freer, Jr. Miss Freer, Little Miss Freer, and a Little Mr.Freer get chosen by judges to support the city. They dress up in rattlesnake skin and they go to many local parades year round.Freer is home to the Mighty Buckaroos. The team

symbolizes family because without even one of them the team wouldn’t be the same, like a family. The team

all supports other in events like football and baseball. We all work together with pride. Without the support of the citizens of Freer the High School Athletic program wouldn’t be able to accomplish what they do.We may be a small town but many things go on year

round and it’s a pleasure to be part of it. Lots of love and affection is put into everything. Since we all know each other, we treat everyone as family. I wouldn’t want my life any other way. Yes, there are benefits to living in a big city, but Freer is home and it always will be. Photo by I.M. Kero

Francisco Garza, President of Pre-Law Chapter

Photo courtesy of Fransico Garza

HOME OF THE MIGHTY FIGHTING BUCKAROOS ECHS Contribution

The drive to and from Fort Worth, Texas gave me enough time to decide where I wanted to go to for law school. Once the Pre-Law Chapter got to the hotel, settled in, unpacked, and washed up for dinner. Once we all met at the lobby, we took a unique bus downtown to Ricky’s Barbeque. It had the most delicious barbeque ribs and brisket I’ve ever tasted. This restau-rant was recommended to us by the Texas A&M Law School staff. These people were tremendously smart and enthusiastic. They not only talked to about the beautiful city, but they encouraged us to attend their law school. Over dinner, one professor in-formed us about the majority of things that go on in his business law class and benefits of attending their Texas A&M Law School.The next day, which was a Monday, at

8am the TAMIU pre law group met with the staff of the law school and together we walked down two blocks to get to the law school. The short distance really impressed me. The building is two stories tall and it reminds me a lot of a fancy hotel stocked with several neatly spacious classrooms. In addition, the school library made you feel automatically intelligent and like you could solve any problem because of all the books that were there to help you. The most exciting part was that the students there get along with each other just like we get along. One pretty girl came to talk to us and

provided us with answers to our questions.Finally, after visiting live class rooms and

buying things at the book store, we headed back home. The TAMIU Pre-Law Chapter and Texas A&M built a strong connection. They visited the Cayman Island in the sum-mer for conference meetings and they like cabrito. Now they are coming to our school and offering a law class about immigration. Their professors and some of their students are coming down to TAMIU to teach and attend the class. If there are any questions about law, law school, or any legal opportu-nities contact the TAMIU Pre-Law Advisor Dr. Palmer. Her office is located in the Western Hemispheric Trade Center room 216. I want to formally thank the Texas A&M Law School for providing us with the trip and encouraging us to give our best at standing out as leaders and attending Texas A&M Law School in Fort Worth, TX.

by adrian campos

Guest article

Adrian Campos, ECHS student