October 1, 2010

THE PAN AMERICANVolume 67, No. 5 September 30, 2010

Page 2 - Big business might have packed their bags, but they never left

Page 3 - Jobs after graduation becoming scarce

1 - Holiday gift guide Page 14 - Q&A with volleyball player Rebecca Toddy

Alma E. Hernandez / THE PAN AMERICAN

Alma Hernandez: No guns on campus

New University provost announced

‘Machete’ co-writer, Valley native to visit

STC Oct. 5

Conferencia para ayudar y apoyar a

futuros empresarios.

Lady Broncs on three-game winning streak

Professor displays

freedom through art

Page 10

Tuesday morning I awoke to texts about a shooter at the University of Texas-Austin. As a former UT student and Austinite, that school is near to my heart.

Thoughts of the shooting massacre by Charles Whitman immediately flooded my mind. In 1966 Whitman was an engineering

student who opened fire from the top of the University tower, eventually killing 16 people before being shot and killed by police.

The first thing I did after reading the texts was to check the Internet for any news I could find on the incident. The Austin American-Statesman website reported a shooter at the Perry-Castaneda Library on campus and police were still searching for a possible second shooter. As the day wore on updated reports confirmed that the shooter had acted alone, turning the gun on himself before hurting anyone else.

In a weird coincidence, author John Lott had been scheduled to speak that day on campus about

his book, “More Guns, Less Crime.” The Statesman reported the talk was postponed and then cancelled according to a tweet by the UT Federalist Society, one of the student groups involved in

scheduling the visit.

Personally, I do not believe in guns. I mean I know they exist but I don’t want to have anything to do with them. My dad has talked about buying a gun and that thought just terrifies me. Although I don’t live at home anymore, I do occasionally spend the night. When

coming home there in the early morning hours, the last thing I want is a loaded gun in the same house as my half-asleep, jumpy mother.

I do not believe the answer to violence is more violence, and I do not believe the answer to guns is MORE guns! Statistics show a direct correlation between gun ownership/weak gun laws to gun death rates in the United States. States with higher gun ownership have much higher percentages of gun deaths. Inversely, low gun ownership equals low gun death rate, according to a news report from the Violence Policy Center, based on data released for 2006 from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Louisiana leads with a gun death rate of 19.58 per 100,000 people, with 45.6 percent of households owning guns. Hawaii has both the lowest number of gun death rates at 2.58 per 100,000, and only 9.7 percent of households owning guns.

So no, I don’t believe the answer is the throw more guns at the problem. Fewer guns lying around = fewer gun deaths. Sounds reasonable to me.

September 30, 20102

Shooting the shooter is a lousy idea; guns are not the answer

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

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

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THE PAN AMERICAN

Vol. 67, No. 5

Elias Moran/THE PAN AMERICAN

Alma E. Hernandez Photo Editor

Commentary

“I do not believe the an-

swer to violence is more

violence, and I do not be-

live the answer to guns is

MORE guns!”

The search for provost and vice president for academic affairs has come to an end. In a memo sent to students, faculty and staff Tuesday afternoon, President Robert S. Nelsen announced that Havidan Rodriguez from the University of Delaware was given the position previously occupied by Paul Sale, who resigned April 1 to rejoin the faculty.

R o d r i g u e z was one of three final candidates selected by the search committee; they all visited campus earlier this month to meet with the university community. He says he’s honored to have been selected out of a group of successful and distinguished candidates.

“I feel very fortunate to have been selected as the new provost to work and collaborate with this excellent and very welcoming community,” he said. “I was very impressed during my visit to

UTPA with the students, faculty and staff that I met and with their loyalty and commitment to this institution.”

R o d r i g u e z , currently deputy provost and professor at the sociology and criminal justice d e p a r t m e n t at Delaware, applauded the u n i v e r s i t y ’ s efforts to maintain a strong partnership with

the community.“UTPA is an excellent

institution of higher education that aims to continue to have a significant impact at the local, national and global level, while

continuing to serve the Rio Grande Valley community,” he stated.

Rodriguez believes that the provost plays a key role within the university community. He will be the one to make sure that the institution pursues its goals and strives for excellence in areas like teaching, research, creative expression, and service.

“As provost, I will focus on having extensive conversations with the university community that will allow us to focus on our strengths,” he said. “And on expanding our reach and impact as an institution of higher education.”

He plans to work closely with the president and other members of the university community to develop a number of academic initiatives that will explore interdisciplinary collaborations and diversity such as study abroad, undergraduate research, and service learning.

“Our primary goal will be to ensure that our students at UTPA are successful and are able to make important contributions to an increasingly global and multicultural society,” Rodriguez said.

He promises to bring a strong level of commitment to the new job and believes that his academic and administrative experiences will allow him to lead in a successful manner.

“I also believe that communication, coordination and collaboration are key factors for the growth, development and success of any institution,” he added.

Rodriguez has served as deputy provost since 2009. He has also had faculty and administrative positions at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez. He has served as director of the minority affairs program for the American Sociological Association and has been part of committees for the National Academies of Science. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin.

The other candidates were John M. de Castro, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Sam Houston State University, and Geralyn McClure Franklin, dean of the College of Business and professor of management at the University of Dallas. Rodriguez will assume the position of provost and vice president of academic affairs Jan 1.

After Tuesday’s UT-Austin incident where 19-year-old Colton Tooley fired shots with an AK-47 assault rifle before fatally shooting himself, The University of Texas-Pan American is buzzing with questions. The main one: What would happen if a similar situation occurred here?

Whispers are circulating in different crowds as to what would be done if an active shooter were to take control of the Edinburg campus.

“It’s pretty scary because we’re in the same UT system,” 22-year-old Lucio Rodriguez said. “And because of that I feel like it hits closer to home.”

The marketing major from Edinburg noted that in the case of something similar happening at the library, he’s not exactly sure what protocol would be followed by administration and the campus police department, or the university community.

However officials at the university have actions, procedures and necessary protocols in mind to get through such a crisis. Campus PD along with the Environmental of Health and Safety department are doing what they can to emphasize cooperation so that things will run smoothly in the event of an incident.

According to Asst. Chief of Police James Loya, there are three avenues of communication used to reach students. The first is a campus-wide siren along with e-mails sent to every faculty, staff member and student. The next method is through TV monitors located in every building, and the final and possibly most important way of reaching folks through BroncAlert.

Still, though the process is in place, most people on campus would not get the message.

BroncAlert, headed by Richard Costello the director of DEHS along with IT Services, is an indoor and outdoor emergency warning system implemented in 2008 under former UTPA president Blandina Cárdenas. During the initial implementation period, only 1,700 students were registered. Currently there are from 4,000 to 5,000 registered out of a campus community of 23,000,

John Edwards, vice president for enrollment and student services, has made students his top priority since joining the University in 2000. Now that he has announced his retirement, effective Dec. 31, the changing of the guard on campus is truly in full swing.

The news of Edwards’ departure is a reluctant addition to the university’s list of retirees. To date, the university has already parted with former Vice President of Business Affairs Jim Langabeer, Dean Edwin Lemaster of Science and Engineering and Jane Lemaster from the Education Department. Long-time chief of staff for the President’s Office, Carol Rausch, is also out.

Robert Nelsen, president of UTPA, has been on the job for nine months, and has worked closely with Edwards; he can already vouch for the veteran’s stellar reputation.

“His vision for UT-Pan Am and his commitment to this institution will make it difficult to find a replacement,” Nelsen explained. “Under his leadership, the University saw a 67.8 percent

increase in enrollment from approximately 11,000 students to nearly 19,000 students.”

The statistics denoting Edwards’ success in his decade-long stay at UTPA are likely no surprise for Dennis McMillan, associate vice president of enrollment and student services, who has worked with him here for the last eight years, and also in a past administrative life, so to speak.

“I worked with John Edwards at Texas Tech during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s and then since coming to Pan American in 2002,” McMillan recalled. “John has always been very imaginative and always ahead of his time. He actually got into trouble when he started the Offi ce of New Student Relations at Texas Tech and started talking in public about recruiting students. Back then, many university offi cials had sort of an elite attitude and looked down on the idea that higher education may be promoted to all students.”

At UTPA, one of the things Edwards will forever be remembered for is his drive to help all students pursue their dreams. Due to this passion, he’s been responsible for a

number of programs concerning current/future students. To raise educational awareness, Edwards took the initiative to start the Valley Outreach Center in 2009, in the hopes of granting admissions/financial aid information to all students interested in pursuing higher education.

“He has always advocated for the students and it isn’t just our students here,” Nelsen said. “He’s advocating to get more and more students here.”

The VOC operates in collaboration with the McDonald’s Corporation and Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation, as a testament to Edwards’ focus on early recruitment of students.

As many of his colleagues will relate, that dedication to students, is not limited to potential college students.

“John’s work ethic is driven by his boundless passion to help

students succeed,” McMillan stressed. “He was the first person that I remember saying that we need to start talking about college to elementary and middle school children. This was at a time when virtually all college-going information was provided only to seniors in high school. Now we realize that students need to be thinking about college much earlier

in their educational career.”

Edwards’ belief in stimulating a young population of students has become a reality at the university through the establishment of many important financial aid/s c h o l a r s h i p programs.

“He is always trying to reach out with innovative, new ideas,” Nelsen

stated. One of those innovative ideas

was the UTPA PAL Program

September 30, 2010 3

Nationwide provost search ends

By Belinda MunozThe Pan American

By Alejandra MartinezThe Pan American

By Roxann GarciaThe Pan American

VP Edwards announces departure

Bronc Alert!

Tammy Ayala/THE PAN AMERICAN

SEE EDWARDS || PAGE 7 SEE ALERT || PAGE 7

“Our primary goal will

be to ensure that our

students at UTPA are

successful and are able

to make important

contributions to an

increasingly global and

multicultural society.”

Havidan RodriguezNew provost/VP

Delaware deputy provost will assume position at UTPA Jan. 1Warning system should work, problem is lack of participation

According to the U.S. Depart-ment of Labor, merit pay is defined as a raise in salary based on a set of criteria set by the employer; how-ever, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require it.

Different teacher unions have objected to merit pay because members do not believe there is a reliable and fair way to measure per-formance. Teach-ers’ pay is generally based on educational levels and years of experience.

Nevertheless, the U.S. Department of Education has been pushing states and school districts to try merit systems, in continuing efforts to raise student achieve-ment. While this idea is in play at the K-12 levels, universities have their own system as well.

The University of Texas-Pan American eliminated merit bonuses for the current year in order to meet a financial crunch, mainly to avoid

increasing tuition and fees. In the past, high-achieving faculty have been rewarded for their perfor-mance with bonuses, but they can no longer rely on the extra money.

About 30 percent of the UTPA faculty staff used to apply for merit pay. But with the neces-sity of giving back 15 percent of funds from the state over the next

two years, the university be-gan cutting all sorts of programs and awards last year.

A c c o r d i n g to the Cost of Education C o m m i t t e e , estimated tu-ition increased $150 for 15 semester credit hours and $120 for 12 semester credit hours. After propos-als by students and faculty,

merit pay was eliminated.Back to the K-12 level; contra-

dictory opinions about the merit pay system have risen since the improve-ment on education was linked to it.

On Sept. 21, a study reported that offering middle-school math teachers bonuses up to $15,000 did not produce better student test scores.

The Project on Incentives in Teaching (POINT) was the first sci-entific test of the concept, done at the Metropolitan Nash-ville School System from 2006-2009 by Vanderbilt Univer-sity researchers.

The study was based on the notion that a significant problem in Ameri-can education can be partly traced to the lack of appropriate incentives for teachers to improve student outcomes.

Middle-school mathemat-ics mentors voluntarily partici-pated in the controlled experi-ment, which evaluated the effect of financial rewards for teachers whose students showed unusual scores on standardized tests, the National Center on Performance Incentives reported.

Conducted in partnership with the nonprofit RAND Corporation, the experiment showed no relation-

ship between merit pay and im-provements in education.

According to Baltazar Arispe, professor of educational adminis-tration at UTPA, there is no con-nection between faculty rewards

and the educational achievement level. Arispe stressed that extra money will not assure enhanced performance.

Arispe never ap-plied for merit pay because he believes that faculty member performance should be evaluated solely by students.

“Students are the ones who taste the product. Since

they are the ultimate clients, they should be deciding who gets the merit pay,” the UTPA professor said.

On the other hand, Shirley Mills, assistant professor in the Department of Education at UTPA, says it is wonderful to be reward-ed for effort put in mentoring. But she supports the elimination of the merit pay system because students deserve accessible education, eco-nomically speaking.

Mills agreed with Arispe when

she said that merit pay has no re-lationship with the effort made by the faculty staff.

“Merit really plays no part in what I do. I do it because I love to teach,” said Mills, who has been at UTPA for almost four years. “I am always going to be a good pro-fessor, teaching-wise. Actually, there has been no difference in my productivity this year.”

UTPA students also have an opinion on the issue.

“It is good to recognize and re-ward professors effort, but since the evaluation on faculty mem-bers´ performance is not made by students, I think it is unfair,” said María Fernanda Cifuentes, a 23-year-old graphic design junior from McAllen.

Cifuentes believes that the edu-cational system would be better if student’s opinions would be consid-ered. Actually, their evaluations are a regular component of the annual review that all tenure-track faculty undergo from their various depart-ments.

“I don’t see the point in giving bonuses to professors who apparent-ly are doing a good job. They were hired because they are supposed to offer quality education,” said Juan Martinez, a 21-year-old computer science senior from Hidalgo.

NEWS September 30, 2010

Faculty, students weigh in on merit pay By Karen VelazquezThe Pan American

“Students are the ones

who taste the product.

Since they are the

ultimate clients, they

should be deciding who

gets the merit pay.”

Baltazar ArispeUTPA professor

Baltazar Arispe

Advertisements September 30 2010

By Belinda Munoz, The Pan American

Things have been hectic for Alyssa Reyna, 22, special projects coordinator for the Division of Business Affairs, Community Engagement as she and her team have scrambled to meet logistical demands for Hispanic Engineering Science and Technology week, which began Sept. 27 and wraps up Saturday.

“HESTEC was originally created in the Valley in collaboration with Congressman Ruben Hinojosa,” Reyna stated. “It’s a weeklong conference. We pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) initiatives and the importance of STEM.”

Reyna feels that HESTEC is extremely important in order to influence Hispanic youth, grades K-12, about the importance of pursuing jobs in STEM fields, which will inevitably become the dominant careers of the future.

“A lot of kids don’t really know the importance of STEM fields,” she said. “Everything you go into ties in with science, math, engineering and some type of technology. It’s important to educate the younger students to know that. Everything is technology now. They need to know this stuff.”

In order to continue to ensure kids learn while attending HESTEC, the appropriate sponsors

to fund the event must first be clearly decided.

Velinda Reyes, director of corporate and foundation relations for the Office of Development within the Division of University Advancement, believes the office works hard to make sure that HESTEC is properly sponsored by the right clients.

“Our focus is to fund raise for programs like HESTEC. I work with a team that coordinates the program,” Reyes said. “We identify the companies that we want to look at that have been past supporters and we try to cultivate new people that want to help out. We figure out ways that match with their interests. If HESTEC is a program that they want to support then we bring them in.”

Reyes stressed that the process of funding HESTEC can take several months to establish the right relationships with sponsors, such as Shell Oil, can inspire students and offer them future employment in STEM fields.

The GEAR UP program works through cohort groups that are nurtured for six years, with a focus on the education of Valley students from grades 7-12. GEAR UP is currently encouraging secondary education with its second cohort group, members of which will graduate in 2011.

By focusing on a chosen cohort group, GEAR UP works to bring

in the widest audience possible, for numerous HESTEC events.

“We invite educators from our 22 high schools on Monday for Educator Day,” Cantu said. “Students participate on Tuesday for Student Leadership Day. Mothers are invited to attend with their daughters, on Latina Day, which is Wednesday, and our high school students compete on Thursday, Robotics day.”

According to Reyna, HESTEC 2002-2010 has seen an overall increase in attendance on Educators Day, Student Leadership Day, Latina Day, Robotics Day and even Community Day. While the attendance for students is increasing annually, it also varies, per day and event. Reyna stressed that 700-1000 students attend HESTEC, daily, starting Monday and throughout Wednesday.

Both Reyna and Joe Castillo, education specialist for Region One, expect Thursday’s statewide Robotics Day competition to bring in 200 to 500 students. More specifically, Castillo also expects that this year’s HESTEC will lure 800 students for Leadership Day and 400 teams of mother and daughters for Latina Day. Also expected to be a big hit this year is the Career Expo for the general public/UTPA students, Friday from

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Even with high expectations for

HESTEC week, no event seems to be more highly anticipated than Community Day, set for Oct. 2 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

“Community Day is something that we look forward to because it is one of the biggest parts of HESTEC,” Reyna said. “Sometimes a lot of the parents have never been to a college campus. A lot of the kids have never been to a college campus. We give them a free event to come to, to view. We give them free entertainment.”

NEWS September 30, 2010

COMMUNITY - Students from Lasara Elementary gather in front of the Visitors Center on Wednesday for Latina Day at HESTEC.

HESTEC continues to bring in visitors

Alma E. Hernandez/THE PAN AMERICAN

LATINA DAY - A school bus unloads students from the South Texas Pre-paratory Academy in front of the Visitors Center at UTPA for Latina Day at HESTEC on Sept. 29.


HESTECremaining schedule

THURSDAYRobotics Day

NASA Reception6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at HPEII Bldg

FRIDAYCareer Expo

10 a.m. - 3 p.m.Field House

SATURDAYCommunity Day4 p.m. - 10 p.m.

NEWSSeptember 30, 2010

EDWARDScontinued from Page 3

ALERTcontinued from Page 3

(Preparation for Adult Living) created in 2001, which grants scholarships for foster children who want to pursue a college degree. The program seeks to inform graduating high school seniors about important career/ college information by offering them support groups, training sessions, and assistance with financial aid issues. The PAL program is the result of close collaboration with the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services.

Furthermore, Edwards initiated the creation of the UTPA Transfer Center, the Veterans Services Center, and the Scholarship Offi ce, the latter of which having opened in Fall 2009. He also helped develop the Call Center on campus.

He developed the Child Development Center, which opened in 2005, so that students, faculty, and staff could receive quality care for their children, and advocated for the new Wellness and Recreation Sports Complex, which opened in Fall 2007.

With so many accomplishments throughout his career it is expected

that faculty would feel at a loss when speaking of the VP’s upcoming retirement.

“Every time you have a valuable team member leave, you naturally think it will be impossible to replace that person,” McMillan said. “All I can say, is we have some big shoes to fill.”

Even with one foot out the door of the role, Edwards will remain on campus long enough for his replacement to take the reins. In the meantime, he’ll continue to spend his time monitoring the offices of Student Services, New Student Services, Admissions, Registrars, Student Financial Services, Student Support Services, and the Dean of Students Office.

“At my request, Dr. Edwards has agreed to stay on until December 31 to assist us with the transition of a new vice president,” Nelsen promised. “In the next few weeks, I will be identifying an executive search fi rm in an attempt to fi nd a replacement. A search committee will also be identifi ed with the goal of having someone hired and on board by January 1, 2011.”

UTPA officials gathered in the ITT building Sept. 24 for a short lunch and quick presentation acknowledging TXU Energy for its donation of two 5KW solar arrays, which now sit in front of the building.

The arrays have been a long time in coming and are the result of a proposal from Marianella Franklin, director for the Office of Sustainability at UTPA, and Jaime Ramos, an electrical engineering professor. The innovative proposal was also aided by John Patton, a member of the Facilities Planning and Construction Department and assistant director for the Physical Plant.

“We got together with the College of Engineering and also with the facilities planning and construction group,” Franklin explained. “We started thinking how can we put together a proposal to see if there is someone out there that might help us with these very expensive tools. We put the proposal together and TXU, right away, said, ‘Hey, we want to help you all out.’”

The presentation opened with Martin Baylor, vice president for business affairs, who stressed that the arrays would provide an educational example of energy sustainability for

the Hispanic Engineering Science and Technology (HESTEC) week that would entice local community members to learn more about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fi elds. The 5KW solar arrays, which display a large panel of connected solar cells, are expected to convert the sun’s power into electricity and provide an important educational role for students at UTPA.

“I just think that it’s a fantastic introduction for the university community, but also for our community here in Edinburg,” Baylor said. “We need to start getting everybody to start thinking about sustainability and renewable energy. It’s the path we need to head down and it’s just a wonderful opportunity to just start showing everybody that.”

In addition to being highly beneficial to UTPA students, the new innovation, according to Robert Nelsen, president of UTPA, will help bring the whole community up to speed with the newest technology.

With HESTEC having begun Monday it is no surprise that the solar arrays will be part of the experience, widely experienced on Community Day, Saturday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

“In one event, which is HESTEC, we are going to have over 50,000

community members come through,” Franklin said. “They’ll have an opportunity to ask questions a b o u t t h e

solar panels and learn about renewable energy.”

At the presentation, Nelsen took the time to thank UTPA’s partner in energy sustainability, Kelli Rod, the vice president for community relations at TXU Energy, for her participation in acquiring the arrays. According to Rod, TXU’s decision to donate them was based on the company’s stand on education.

“TXU energy has a program, we call it TXU Solar Academy, and we do that project through the National Energy Education Development project,” she said. “They develop curriculum around solar energy. So it’s not just the arrays, but it’s the curriculum behind it. It’s an opportunity for all of us to

learn about solar energy. It’s also an opportunity to take solar powered experience, to all the educators across the region and placing it

here at UTPA.”According to Rod, the donated

solar arrays cost well above $70,000, however, she stresses that along with curriculum, training, and seminars related to energy sustainability, the project is almost priceless in terms of future education for UTPA students.

“In all honesty, 5KW panels will not provide a lot of electricity for the actual university, what it’s going

t o provide is an educational opportunity to see how every moment, the sun’s power is converted to electricity,” Rod explained.

With the installation of the new arrays, students at UTPA will get a chance to see the process of solar energy unravel right before their eyes.

“The kids in engineering will spend a lot of time working with them,” Baylor said. “You know trying to understand the movement of the arrays, and trying to fi gure the ways to harness the energy and make it all work more effi ciently.”

By Belinda MunozThe Pan American

Ray of light: TXU panels now in place

the Hispanic Engineering Science and Technology (HESTEC) week that would entice local community members to learn more about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fi elds. The 5KW solar arrays, which display a large panel of connected solar cells, are expected to convert the sun’s power into electricity and provide an important educational role for

“I just think that it’s a fantastic introduction for the university community, but also for our community here in Edinburg,” Baylor said. “We need to start getting everybody to start thinking about sustainability and renewable energy. It’s the path we need to head down and it’s just a wonderful opportunity to just start

In addition to being highly beneficial to UTPA students, the new innovation, according to Robert Nelsen, president of UTPA, will help bring the whole

community members come through,” Franklin said. “They’ll have an opportunity to ask questions a b o u t t h e

solar panels and learn about renewable energy.”

At the presentation, Nelsen took the time to thank UTPA’s partner in energy sustainability, Kelli Rod, the vice president for community relations at TXU Energy, for her participation in acquiring the arrays. According to Rod, TXU’s decision to donate them was based on the

learn about solar energy. It’s also an opportunity to take solar powered experience, to all the educators across the region and placing it

here at UTPA.”According to Rod, the donated

t o provide is an educational opportunity to see how every moment, the sun’s power is converted to electricity,” Rod explained.

With the installation of the new arrays, students at UTPA will

TXU panels now in place

Costello noted. “Right now students are not

required to register to receive the alerts, but we are looking into implementing an opt-in procedure,” Costello continued.

With an opt-in procedure, students would be required to register when signing up for classes. The only way students could cancel the alerts would be by logging online and removing themselves from the listserve.

“There are different components that haven’t allowed us to do this, including extracting contact info,” he said. “There are privacy issues involved and it can get expensive.”

Loya, however, received some important information Wednesday morning. UT-Austin was not an opt-in campus last year, he said. There were 8,000 people signed up with its alert system. But this year the university implicated the opt-in system, making registration mandatory, or in time for the shooter incident this week.

“There are now over 53,000 students registered,” the Valley native stressed. “This only

emphasizes the importance of signing up. It’s better for everyone to be registered.”

The 17-year veteran, who became assistant police chief in 2005, noted that currently the PD has 20 officers and about 17 security officers. Each of them patrol for three different shifts seven days a week. Thus, he said, due to the low number of personnel it’s imperative that everyone becomes informed about procedures to follow.

On the PD website there is a video link under the tab “web links” that demonstrates what a student or faculty member should do during an active shooter event.

“You’re going to do whatever to survive and this video, which came out shortly after the Virginia Tech incident, displays procedures needed in doing so such as barricading yourself from a shooter,” Loya said, referencing the 2007 shooting disaster that killed 32 people.

Another advantage the PD has is a mutual relationship with

the Edinburg PD, the Hidalgo County Sheriff ’s Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

“One thing that I noticed many students referring to is they spotted ‘soldiers’ during the UT-Austin shooting; those are SWAT team members and fortunately the Edinburg PD has a team to assist us if need be,” Loya said.

Nonetheless the departments are looking to improve procedures. Later this year there will be a mock drill in which everyone will participate. According to both Loya and Costello, the drill will be more in-depth from the last one, which took place last Christmas.

Costello, who has a child enrolled at UT-Austin, had an outsider’s point of view during the incident. The director developed more urgency to get UTPA students up to speed with BroncAlert.

“I cannot stress how important it is to sign up with the alert system,” he said. “It’s fast to register; it only takes five minutes.”

For more information, log onto http://www.utpa.edu/emergency.

THE PAN AMERICANTHE PAN AMERICAN September 30, 2010 September 30, 2010 Page 9

THE PAN AMERICANTHE PAN AMERICAN September 30, 2010 September 30, 2010 Page 8

September 30, 201010

Zombieland’s Jesse Eisenberg stars in “The Social Network,” a movie based on the founding of popular website Facebook. The David Fincher fi lm was adapted from nonfi ction novel “The Accidental Billionaires” and hits theaters Friday.

Fairly new to the scene, Bruno Mars will drop his debut album “Doo-Wops & Hooligans” Oct. 5. After seeing signifi cant success on his collaborations with Travie McCoy and B.o.B., Mars will hit the road with another big name, Maroon 5, this fall.

A 17-year-old boy admitted to brutally murdering his 10-year-old brother after being inspired by the Showtime hit television show ‘Dexter.’ Anthony Conley from Indiana said he “felt just like him.”

Tony Danza, of “Who’s the Boss?” and “Taxi” fame, makes his way back to television educating 10th grade English students for his new reality show “Teach” premiering Friday on A&E.

Artist, author � nds Valley inspiration

Lorenzo Pace loves palm trees. He loves the look of them, their height and color, the weight of their leaves. He’s especially fond of the way they look framed against a Texas sky, calling the effect “incredible.” He loves the trees so much, he’s decided to make their leaves and bark the subjects of his next art exhibit.

“I’ve always liked working with the native material of an area,” Pace said this week in his UTPA offi ce, while holding a piece of bark from a palm tree that was taken from a stack of similar pieces, many of which are bent, shaped and molded as faces. “They are beautiful.”

The love for such a common plant seems peculiar, but there aren’t many palm trees in New York, where up until 2007, Pace had spent the last 30 years of his life as a sculptor. There he had risen to national prominence as the artist chosen to design the memorial for an African-American burial ground in New York City. Within the massive 300-ton memorial titled “Triumph of the Human Spirit,” is a bronze replica of the lock used to shackle Pace’s great-great-grandfather Steve Pace, into slavery.

“The lock has been in my family for over a hundred years,” Pace said. “It was my way of connecting my own family’s history with the history of the entire African-American struggle.”

That lock is also the inspiration for his children’s book, “Jalani and the Lock,” fi rst published in January 2001 and later released in French and Dutch. It tells the story of Jalani, a boy from

Africa who is taken away to America to be a slave. He is eventually freed by “a tall man in a big black hat.”

“My fi rst impetus for writing this book was when my daughter asked me, ‘Daddy, are we from slaves?” Pace recalled. “It’s such a taboo subject for us. How do you explain this sort of thing to your daughter?”

The idea was later solidified in 1991 when Pace’s father died and he went back home to Alabama for the funeral.

“My oldest uncle began telling our family history and he pulled out this lock that had been used on my great-great grandfather,” Pace said. “And the whole room just fell completely silent.”

The story became the basis for his book, with the main character named after his son Jalani. His performances of the book include music, drums, dancing, singing and shouting from Pace and especially the audience. Such a performance took place on Sunday at the McAllen Museum of Arts and Science.

“This is written for all people as American history,” Pace explained. “All people come from Africa. We’re all the same. We all bleed, we all cry. We need to cherish and embrace our diversity.”

Pace, who was born in Alabama in 1943, says he is the product of a segregated America. He believes that racism is impregnated in all of us. His views on race and unity may be part of the reason why he has acclimated so well to the Valley.

“We come from the same sort of racism,” Pace said of the Valley Hispanic population. “Everyone can relate to the struggle of freedom. We just gotta get past this color thing.”

Aside from the racial connection, the Valley’s friendliness and the University’s focus on collaboration have kept Pace teaching at UTPA far beyond his original post in 2007 as a visiting professor. Still, when he first received the call from former art department chair Anthony Crisafulli, he was uncertain.

“At fi rst I didn’t even think I’d go through with it. My colleagues thought I was insane,” Pace said. “But then I got here and I fell in love with the place. The people were so friendly and the skies were incredible.”

Pace compares first coming to the Valley with most people’s first reaction when they enter New York City. He fell so in love with the Valley culture that when he was asked to attend the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening cer-emony along with 300 other artists from around the world, he attended wearing a mariachi outfit.

He also embraced the University attitude.

“At my old university, the Montclair State University, there was constant fi ghting and competition,” Pace said. “Here it’s completely different.

The art department is focused on keeping people working together.”

Pace said the UTPA provost instilled three principles in staff members: Collaboration between staff and departments; growth as individuals and as a department; and change

or adaptation. Staffers were also required to sign a 10-point clause that demanded affability and creative support, a point that greatly impressed him.

Now in his fourth year at UTPA teaching art installation and sculpting, Pace believes the Valley has just as much artistic potential as other larger m e t r o p o l i t a n areas.

“I feel like I was sent here for a reason,” he said. “I believe we can produce genius. We just have to dig down

and bring up the best in the Valley. I feel inspired when I see people here with a similar environment as me doing something. I eat and breathe this now.”

Pace calls himself a constant student, he calls us all students. He is learning from the Valley, from Hispanics, from the skies and from the palm trees.

By Benny SalinasThe Pan American

PLAYIN’ AROUND - Lorenzo Pace, UTPA art professor, plays the fl ute as part of a private performance Sept. 28 of his children’s book, “Jalani and the Lock.” The book performance uses audience participation and various musical instruments. Pace’s next performance will be in Lima, Peru.


Lorenzo PaceArt professor

“I feel like I was sent here

for a reason. I believe we

can produce genius. We

just have to dig down and

bring up the best in the

Valley. I feel inspired when

I see people here with a

similar environment as me

doing something. I eat and

breathe this now.”

ARTS AND LIFE September 30, 2010

‘Machete’ not afraid to raise eyebrows

The revolution would not be televised. Rather, some fi lm critics feared that the blade-wielding title character of “Machete” would leap off the silver screen and ignite a race war of brown against white when it opened in theaters Sept. 3. Three weeks later, there were still no “armies of Hispanics” taking to the streets as one critic predicted.

“Obviously the proof is in the pudding. There are no race wars. No one has been hacked to death in the name of Danny Trejo or anybody else,” said Álvaro Rodríguez, who co-wrote the fi lm with director Robert Rodríguez.

Perhaps the assumptions made about the action movie at the time of its trailer release on Cino de Mayo were to be expected. Robert Rodríguez used the preview to denounce the controversial Arizona SB 1070 immigration bill. The furor was only about a month old when the preview introduced actor Trejo as the tattooed vigilante Machete, a former Mexican federale who is threatened with death unless he agrees to assassinate an anti-immigrant Texas senator.

“I was probably more separated from that than maybe other people,” recalled Rodríguez, who grew up in Edinburg and now lives in Austin. “But there was defi nitely an awareness that people were talking about it as this wildly subversive movie that was a call to arms for Latinos and Hispanics and Mexicanos to rise up against their

white oppressors. And I was like, ‘Whoa, somebody is looking at this is a totally different frame of reference than anything that we had intended.’”

Rodríguez’s script “goes back to a very wild and over-the-top style of moviemaking and storytelling” and is fi lled with an array of gardening-tools-turned-deadly-weapons and fatal showdowns. In one scene, Machete cuts open the belly of a pursuer and uses his intestines to rappel down a building to escape.

“Even as violent as the movie is – and it is a violent movie – it is also done in such a way that it’s almost comical, and it really is like a live-action cartoon in a lot of ways,” he said. “That’s not to say that the movie doesn’t end up addressing more serious issues even in spite of itself, but it does it kind of fall under the umbrella of an exploitation fi lm, something that’s going to extremes to deliver that story.”

Exploitation movies play off of an audience’s desire to see certain elements on screen, such as violence or nudity, Rodríguez explained. As a “Mexploitation” fi lm, “Machete” accommodates viewers who want to see a Latino action hero.

“He’s certainly not Superman or running around in tights,” the screenwriter said. “But he’s defi nitely an action star in the same way that Charles Bronson became that kind of fi gure after ‘Death Wish’ came out in the early ‘70s.”

The fi lm recruited a slew of big Hollywood names like Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba and Steven Seagal to

round out the cast. The gory fl ick began as a fake movie trailer in “Grindhouse,” a 2007 double-feature throwback to the bloody grindhouse movies of the ‘60s and ‘70s, directed by Robert Rodríguez and Quentin Tarantino.

“The trailer ended up on YouTube in some different version, so it was getting all these monster hits and people saying, ‘Ah, man, I want to see that movie,’” Rodríguez said. “And when ‘ G r i n d h o u s e ’ came out, I saw at the premiere in Austin that…the audience just went crazy. They reacted instantly to the idea of a Machete movie, and so it was always kind of there, and it just continued to grow…”

While the writers did not begin their work with the intention of commenting on or parodying any fi gures from the immigration debate, the fi nal product has some stark similarities to real life. Its anti-immigrant politicians push for an electrifi ed border fence to halt illegal crossings, an idea akin to the electric underground fence proposed by U.S. senatorial candidate

Rand Paul of Kentucky in June 2009. “When we started writing this thing

was a few years ago, a lot of the kind of stuff that’s become more topical now wasn’t really at the forefront of the news at the time,” Rodríguez said. “It was meant to be so extreme and comical that it wouldn’t be taken seriously…

but it just goes to show that, as much as you try to create a situation that would never happen, the truth is stranger than fi ction, I guess.”

Rodríguez will discuss the making of “Machete” at South Texas College on Oct. 5. The event will start at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

“Even without having a specifi c intention of exploring the ins and outs of the immigration debate, it still somehow becomes this vehicle for talking about it,” he said. “Really the subversive thing about the movie is that it got people to

talk about something that they normally wouldn’t talk about, or they wouldn’t think they’re going to see an action movie and end up sparking discussion about immigration or anything else.”

By Nadia Tamez-RobledoThe Pan American

Álvaro Rodríguez“Machete” co-writer

“Really the subversive

thing about the movie is

that it got people to talk

about something that they

normally wouldnʼt talk

about, or they wouldnʼt

think theyʼre going to see

an action movie and end

up sparking discussion

about immigration or

anything else.”

From Oct. 6 to Oct. 10 the University Theatre Productions at UTPA will run its fi rst play of the season, “The Clockmaker from Cordoba,” by Emilio Carballido. The play will start at 8 p.m. during the week and its fi nal performance will be Sunday at 2 p.m.

Carballido, one of contemporary Mexico’s most beloved playwrights, was chosen for the way his work addresses current relevant issues.

“This play touches on so many aspects important to the Valley and the Hispanic population,” said professor Eric Wiley, director of the play. “It addresses corruption, inequalities and poverty in a way that is celebratory of Mexican culture.”

The play, set in the Mexican state of Veracruz in the 1700s, is an especially large undertaking for the University Theatre. The put-together includes a variety of sets and props like a mountain, cathedral, skeletons and live burro. There are 40 roles

with 23 actors; the average show at UTPA has around 10 actors.

“This was a really good opportunity for new actors,” Wiley said. “We have lots of freshmen acting in their fi rst play. There’s so much new blood coming in.”

Also included in the drama are two live musicians playing a wide variety of instruments, from guitars and drums to traditional instruments from Veracruz. The music, provided by professionals Leo Callado and Tizoc Trevino, is a combination of celebratory and atmospheric music. While performing during the play the duo will also play before the show and during intermission.

The play, while often critical of Mexican issues, is also a celebration of that culture. It is colorful and works from a “magical framework.” At times during the show all 23 actors will take the stage, creating a frenzy of color and life often associated with Mexican culture.

Aside from the current issues raised, the event also has philosophical and moral undertones

highlighted in the actions and feelings of the characters.

“Though we want people to be entertained by the play, we also

want to do something deeper,” Wiley suggested. “Hopefully this play gets people to leave the theater and actually contemplate.”

By Benny SalinasThe Pan American

MCALLEN - Roughly 50 devoted punk-rock music fans showed up to support their local music scene last weekend for a lineup including Seafoam Green of Edinburg, plus McAllen bands Rumors and Headlines, Japanese to English, and Angela and the Ex’s,

Japanese to English was the oddball of the show as the only alternative-indie rock band on a docket of straight-up punk-rock musicians; yet punk fans still accepted them with open arms. Punks and indie kids alike seemed enthused by JTE and the group gained the recognition of a new crowd.

The show was held Sept. 25 at Havok Record Shop located on 416 N. 10th St., with local group Angela and the Ex’s that drew the biggest noise. The all-girl, punk-infl uenced band ended the night with a bang as they sang and played aggressively to a crowd of pumped people. Their music is loud and proud, screaming lyrics such as, “STD’s are not for me!” referring to an issue the band members feel strongly about: practicing safe sex is on the list of topics discussed in their set.

“Our songs are just silly, like our song ‘Social Cooter,’ is about my friend’s slutty cat,” said Letty Martinez, front woman.

Everyone giggled as the girls stood on stage heckling each other. “Shut up Letty!” shouted Ester Martinez playfully as Letty attempted to do a mic-check.

The band is: Letty Martinez, vocals and front woman; Angela Garza, guitarist and vocals; Ester Martinez, bass guitar and vocals; and Annette Magurean on drums.

The girls draw their name from the ironically comical situation that began when they fi rst started jamming together, soon realizing that they are all ex-girlfriends of guitarist, Angela. They now poke fun of the situation and see it as a good band name.

Havok Records plans to continue throwing shows for various different genres of music. Its punk attempt was solid, as the lead band got to explain its views on changing music roles.

“Punk isn’t about being tough anymore,” Garza said. “In fact, it’s the complete opposite. Punk has turned into the idea of being united and just living peacefully as friends with common interests – music and having a good time.”

By Lorena BalliThe Pan American

Punk-rock show draws unique fans

� eatre opens season with play examining Mexico

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT - Graduate student Jorge Contretas and freshman Millicent Olivarez rehearse lines from Emilio Carballido’s play, “The Clockmaker from Cordoba.” The play opens Oct. 6 at the Jeffers Theater.


Local all-girl band Angela and the Ex’s draws

the biggest noise.

12 30 de septiembre del 2010

Para los estudiantes de la Universidad de Texas-Pan Americana que viven en un estado de permanente esfuerzo académico, existen ciertas cosas en este mundo que ayudan a mejorar el humor y hacen olvidar el estrés. La música es ciertamente una de ellas, que además de relajar, desestresa la mente y alegra el alma. La otra que reina entre todas las cosas a las que aspiramos, dándonos esperanzas y razones para levantarnos todos los días son los sueños.

Cuando se tiene la oportunidad de juntar ambas cosas, situaciones increíbles pueden pasar y es justo el sentimiento que un grupo de cinco jóvenes mexicanos está viviendo en estos momentos.

“A mí me prestaron un acordeón en el 2005 y me lo lleve con mis amigos y de ahí empezamos a sonsear con nom-bres de grupos. En unas de esas salió “Veneno” y así se quedo, pero después le tuvimos que añadir otra “N” porque ya existía un grupo veneno en Bo-livia”, comentó Alberto Ochoa, mejor conocido entre sus amistades como

Beto. “Yo sabía que Igor tocaba el acordeón pero fue hasta principios del 2008 que me animé a comentarle que si empezábamos un grupo”.

El grupo “Venneno” con escasos siete meses de haberse seriamente formado, demuestra la pasión de sus integrantes al haber conseguido de maneras repentinas conseguir muchas de sus metas.

“Me ha hecho muy felíz tocar en el grupo”, afi rmó Ochoa, que es también estudiante de rehabilitación en UTPA. “Nos ha tocado abrirles y convivir con grandes grupos como La fi rma, La Costumbre, Invasores de Nuevo León, y La Leyenda”.

Y no es para menos, ya que Luis “Wicho” Suárez (batería), Cesar González (bajo eléctrico), Jorge “Coco” Salinas (percusiones y animación), Igor Longoria López (acordeón) y Alberto Ochoa Salazar (bajo sexto), mas un staff comprometido con el proyecto formado por amistades muy cercanas de los jóvenes músicos. Le imprimen más que una pasión; un amor muy grande y un júbilo aún mayor por el hecho de tocar su música favorita al lado de

sus mejores amigos en distintas locaciones ya sea el valle de Texas o en la frontera mexicana.

Los “Venneno” como los conocen sus amistades, han encontrado en lo que inicialmente fuera una distracción, un camino a metas más grandes y a la realización de sueños. “Ahorita p l a n e a m o s echarle todas las ganas al proyecto V e n n e n o ” , afi rmó con su eterno buen humor, Igor Longoria López, uno de quienes iniciara el grupo. “Vamos comenzando y tenemos toda la energía puesta en ello”.

Orgulloso de los apresurados, pero fi rmes pasos que el grupo ha tomado, Longoria, oriundo de la vecina ciudad de Reynosa, recalcó que ya se les han presentado varias oportunidades para tocar con grupos grandes y cree que las aprovecharon muy bien.

“La gente ha respondido bien gracias a Dios, ahora lo que sigue es grabar un CD y próximamente estaremos estrenando nuevo álbum para lanzarnos como grupo”, aseguró Longoria que aparte de ser músico, también estudia economía. “Ojalá y la gente lo acepte y sigamos

una carrera musical, que es el sueño de todos nosotros”.

El hecho de compartir un proyecto con amigos cercanos tiende a atraer cosas positivas, promueve el desempeño laboral, provoca ganancias en distintos niveles y sin duda alguna atrae grandes

satisfacciones.“Definitivamente

cuando me subo al escenario y comenzamos a tocar y la gente se prende y empiezan a cantar y bailar contigo”, comentó Longoria. “se siente una conexión que no muchas veces puedes sentir, y cuando sucede eso, te das cuenta que han valido la pena los ensayos, el tiempo que le has dedicado y los problemitas que

podamos tener como grupo”.Con respecto a la buena vibra

que los jóvenes de Reynosa irradian para apoyarse mutuamente a la hora de tocar, Longoria, quien también estudia la carrera de español comentó que la verdad es que se divierten mucho cuando están tocando y que otra cosa que le gusta mucho es que se llevan muy bien como grupo,

“Nos conocemos desde hace mucho tiempo, es como si estuviéramos en familia” agregó, “yo creo que esto

pasa porque defi nitivamente estamos haciendo lo que nos gusta”.

Cosas grandiosas apremian el honrado trabajo de aquel que se esfuerza, y no cabe la menor duda que el éxito que esta tocando la puerta de esta “vennenosa” banda de amantes a la música norteña seguirá visitándolos con regularidad para atraerles mas logros y satisfacciones, sin olvidar el buen humor que los caracteriza al tocar y en la vida diaria.

Lo mejor de este jóven, pero creciente proyecto musical, es la emoción, la enjundia y la visión con la que sus integrantes lo están tomando día a día. “Yo tengo grandes expectativas con el grupo, afortunadamente tenemos amistades que nos pueden brindar grandes oportunidades”, comentó Ochoa. “Para mi éste es un gran sueño y espero seguir tocando toda una vida. Yo creo que todos esperamos tener una carrera larga dentro del medio de la musica y vivir de esto que es lo que nos gusta”.

El talento definitivamente existe y está presente en nuestra comunidad, simplemente se necesitan abrir ojos y oídos al escuchar una melodía de la preferencia y gusto personal y la verdad con un poco de suerte, apoyo y bendiciones esa banda que uno pudiera apoyar en estos momentos ya sea por amistad o gusto, podría ser el siguiente ganador de un “billboard”, un disco de oro o porque no, el cerrador del siguiente HESTEC en la universidad.

Venneno: los nuevos exponentes de la música norteña

Mayra Godínez/THE PAN AMERICAN

EN EL ESCENARIO - Beto Ochoa, vocalista y bajo sexto del Grupo Venneno, en una de sus presentaciones el viernes pasado en el centro.

Por Sergio GironThe Pan American

“Defi nitivamente cuando

me subo al escenario y

empezamos a tocar, se

siente una conexión y nos

damos cuenta que han

valido la pena los ensayos y

el tiempo dedicado”.

Igor LongoriaAcordeón, Grupo Venneno

Mayra Godínez/THE PAN AMERICAN

PASIÓN - Con apenas siete meses como grupo formal, los integrantes del Grupo Venneno demuestran al público su dedicación al estar en el escenario entregándose al cien por ciento.

HESTEC concluye su noveno año con una semana llena de actividades y oportunidades que promete superar el éxito de años previos.

“Me parece que tenemos el objetivo en la mira, este año ha sido muy exitoso”, dijo Jessica Salinas, directora de eventos universitarios. “Creo que el presidente, los decanos y el vicepresidente están satisfechos con el resultado, me parece que ha sido uno de nuestros mejores años”.

Ciencia, tecnología, ingeniería

y matemáticas son el enfoque de HESTEC, evento organizado por la Universidad de Texas-Pan Americana, institución reconocida en Estados Unidos por servir principalmente a hispanos, en conjunto con la oficina del congresista Rubén Hinojosa.

Con el objetivo de enfatizar la importancia del conocimiento científi co, motivar a estudiantes para que consideren carreras en los campos de ciencia, ingeniería, matemáticas y tecnología (STEM, de acuerdo a las siglas en ingles), y promover la

educación universitaria; HESTEC ofrece seis días de actividades, talleres, conferencias y entretenimiento para estudiantes de UTPA, y la comunidad.

“Primero que nada, queremos dirigirnos al cuerpo estudiantil y a las necesidades de la comunidad”, comentó Dahlia Guerra, decano del colegio de artes y humanidades. “El propósito de HESTEC consiste en responder a la necesidad de tener mas estudiantes involucrados en los campos “STEM”, por lo tanto, estamos motivando a nuestros alumnos y a estudiantes de escuelas públicas para que esten al

corriente de las oportunidades y el potencial de esos campos educativos”. También menciono que quieren motivar a los estudiantes para que asistan a la universidad.

Empezando el lunes 27 de septiembre con el día de educadores, HESTEC atrajo cientos de maestros, administradores y superintendentes a UTPA; ofreciendo mini conferencias, talleres, conferencistas corporativos e investigadores que proporcionaron la oportunidad de pulir el desarrollo profesional de educadores y sus conceptos educativos.

Continuando con el día de liderazgo para estudiantes, el martes 28 de septiembre, HESTEC introdujo a los estudiantes de preparatoria ante las oportunidades profesionales disponibles en los campos de ciencia, tecnología, ingeniería y matemáticas a través de talleres dirigidos por hispanos que han tenido éxito como científi cos, astronautas, jefes ejecutivos y ganadores del premio Nobel.

Enalteciendo el espíritu hispano, el miércoles 29 de septiembre madres e hijas compartieron experiencias juntas en el día de latinas.

Iniciando el día con Guerra, quien compartió parte de su vida y experiencias, colaborando y participando en actividades.

“Fue divertido, me gusto, aquí es donde quiero estudiar”, dijo Yara Nellly taprendan de ellas sean entrevistados para internados y tengan la posibilidad de ser reclutados para posibles empleos.

Más de 2,000 estudiantes de UTPA y otras universidades de Texas han participado en la Expo carrera.

Buscamos compañías interesadas en el Valle, en nuestra comunidad”, Salinas explicó, “buscamos gente que sienta pasión por el Valle y la

universidad. Lo importante es que la universidad sea vista como el centro de la región, lo importante es lo que UTPA hace por la comunidad”.

Para culminar HESTEC, el 2 de agosto se llevará acabo el día de la comunidad, donde se presentaran grupos y cantantes como Bobby Pulido, Jay Pérez, Marcos Orozco, Norte y Sur, además del famoso Grupo Duelo, empezando a las 4 p.m. y terminando a las 10 p.m.

“Esta vez es todo texano, estamos tratando de enfocarnos en la región y su música, queremos hacer un celebración de música texana”, explicó Salinas.

Aproximadamente 100,000 personas asistieron a HESTEC en el día de la comunidad en el 2008, y se estima una cantidad de personas similar para este año.

Comentando en el éxito de la semana y entretenimiento que proporciona HESTEC, Guerra enfatizó la importancia de las oportunidades que proporciona este evento anual.

“Sí, el día de la comunidad es divertido, pero aún mas importante que ese día, son las oportunidades que traemos, y el hecho de que estamos presentando el Valle a el resto del mundo” comentó Guerra “Esta gente viene de todas partes, patrocinadores corporativos vienen de todo Estados Unidos a UTPA proporcionándonos la oportunidad de demostrar lo que tenemos para ofrecer. Esta ha sido una semana maravillosa para el campus y la universidad, y HESTEC es un programa que va a ser duplicado através del país”.

Para más información acerca de los eventos ofrecidos contacte a Karen Dorado al 665-3361 o a través de correo electrónico a [email protected].

13September 30, 2010HESTEC logra un excelente comienzo

LATINA AL MANDO - Durante una de las sesiones del Día de las Latinas, Leslie Lopez, intenta mover un carrito que hizo con papel, popotes, mentas y cinta que solo servía con aire, mientras que Justa Treviño observa.

Por Karen VelázquezThe Pan American

Debido a la creciente necesidad de preparar a los estudiantes para un futuro éxito laboral, siendo más que sólo empleados de grandes compañías, el miércoles, el Colegio de Negocios ofreció una conferencia sobre las altas y bajas del mundo empresarial.

El fundador y jefe ejecutivo de las escuelas públicas IDEA, Tom Torkelson, y Alicia Torres, presidenta de Rosebud Solutions, fi rma de softwares para el cuidado de la salud, alentaron a los estudiantes de la Universidad de Texas-Pan Americana a aventurarse a convertirse en empresarios sobresalientes.

Torres, quién cursó su educación universitaria en UTPA, dijo sentirse muy felíz de estar una vez más en las aulas que un día fueron parte de su crecimiento intelectual y profesional. Confesó estar muy agradecida con la universidad y una manera de demostrarlo es ofreciendo su apoyo económicamente.

“Primero que nada, me siento honrada de estar aquí. El hecho de que he sido exitosa, me ha permitido regresar ahora a la universidad”, dijo Torres. ”No solamente le agradezco brindándole mi tiempo, si no que quiero ofrecer mi apoyo fi nanciero para ayudar a los estudiantes que están ahora donde yo estuve años atrás”.

La creación y el éxito obtenido por parte de la compañía R o s e b u d Solutions, se debió en parte al programa empresarial que siguieron. Torres compartió que

lo más importante además de haber tenido una brillante idea, fue haber

realizado una investigación de mercado, y haber escrito un buen plan empresarial, seguido por encontrar quién invirtiera en el proyecto.

La exitosa empresaria de orígen mexicano dijo que el mejor consejo que ella podría dar era que cada empresa debe contra con un consejo de asesoramiento. “Si estas dirigiendo una compañía, no pienses que lo sabes todo”, expresó.

Por su parte, el portavoz de la frase “¡no excusas!”, Torkelson, dijo que

otro componente importante para el buen funcionamiento de una empresa es la comunicación.

“Saber comunicarse con inversionistas, empleados y demás colegas es base del éxito de cualquier negocio”, comentó Torres, quién además compartió que la clave del liderazgo es saber enfocarse en las necesidades de la compañía y en cómo mejorar. “Si eres un buen líder, todo lo que tienes que hacer es enfocarte en lo que debes mejorar”.

Torkelson añadió que es importante el nunca dudar en las expectativas y las metas propuestas. “Estar seguro de uno mismo, además de creer fi rmemente en los proyectos personlaes es una clave más para alcanzar el éxito professional”, dijo Torkelson, quien ha visto sus ideas crecer satisfactoriamente. Comenzando con una sola escuela en el año de 1998 en la ciudad de Donna, Torkelson contempla que para el año 2012 habrá 22 escuelas

IDEA en el Valle del Sur de Texas.Ambos expertos en los negocios

concluyeron que lo mas importante es llevar a cabo las ideas y luchar siempre por los objetivos planteados. Rodearse de personas con experiencia fue otro consejo de los empresarios, quiénes opinan que contar con consejeros es simplemente esencial.

Los estudiantes del “Valle mágico”, como lo nombró Robert Nelsen, presidente de UTPA, quedaron satisfechos y se mostraron muy interesados durante toda la conferencia.

“Estuvo muy bien porque aprendí cosas nuevas, además de que hablaron de cosas que he visto en el negocio familiar”, dijo Jesús Benítez, estudiante de negocios internacionales en UTPA.

Torres y Torkelson aclararon dudas e invitaron a todos los estudiantes a trabajar por el crecimiento del Valle del Río Grande.

Por Yngrid FuentesThe Pan American

Conferencia de empresarios ayuda futuro de estudiantes

ESPAÑOL30 de septiembre del 2010

Aprillynn Sanchez/THE PAN AMERICAN

Alicia TorresPresidenta de Rosebud Solutions

“Me siento honrada de

estar aquí, no solamente

le agradezco (a UTPA)

brindándole mi tiempo

si no que quiero ofrecer

apoyo financiero para

ayudar a los estudiantes

que está ahora donde yo

estuve años atrás”.

In 2009, Judith Chumba arrived to UTPA from Kenya to be part of the cross-country team knowing little about the place and the culture of which she would be a part for the next four years.

Today, after Chumba became a key part of the Lady Broncs’ squad as a fresh-man, juniors Lillian Lagat and Mathew Kotut arrived to strengthen the men’s and women’s team. They are also from Kenya by way of Rend Lake College in Illinois, and both had been top finishers at the Junior College National Meet.

Besides bringing talent to a mostly locally based group, the African ath-letes have brought a different kind of unity to the Broncs and Lady Broncs.

“The team really opened their arms and has welcomed them, they bring a tremendous positive attitude,” head coach Dave Hartman said. “Lillian is a very vocal and outgoing person and she has brought that vibe to the team. And although Mathew is quiet, his work ethic and determination to be a better runner rub off on his teammates.”

Lagat and Kotut have also provided a sense of familiarity for Chumba, whose struggle to get used to the new culture in America was greater than that experienced by this year’s newcomers because it was the first time she’d been away from home.

The sophomore said that although she has become accustomed to the area, the arrival of her two new friends has helped her feel more at home.

“For me it’s a very good experi-ence,” Chumba said. “I didn’t have anybody from home, so I’m glad they’re here. Having someone to talk in our own languages (Suahili and Kalejin) and talk about home, I don’t miss home as much.”

Chumba is from Eldoret located in Western Kenya while Kotut and Lagat are from different towns in the same country, Timboa and Kitale, in the east.

The east African country has a story of successful long distance runners. Ke-nya has won 75 Olympic medals since 1956, when they first participated in the summer Olympics; 68 of them have

been in track and field and the other seven in boxing.

The first Ke-nyan athlete to earn a gold medal was 1,500-meter runner Kipchoge Keino in 1960, who was also the first African win-ner of a gold med-al. In the summer Olympics of Bei-jing in 2008, Kenya earned 14 medals, all in track and field. All Kenyan Olympic medalists in the sport have participated in long or middle dis-tance events such as the marathon, the 800-meter run, the 1,500-meter run and the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Friday, the three Kenyan were the top finishers for the team at the Islander Splash hosted by Texas A&M Corpus-Christi where the men got second place and the women third.

The Kenyans enjoy from a team that has adopted them as leaders, and re-joice in the fortune of having each oth-er to rely on in making UTPA a home away from home.

“We’re really helping each other, it’s all good together,” said Kotut, a nursing student. “We’re like brother and sisters.”

THE RACE RESULTSChumba and Lagat led the way

for the Lady Broncs with fourth- and sixth-place finishes and times of 18:13 and 18:17 in the 3-mile run. Sophomore Hilda Galloso of Edin-burg was another top-20 finisher in 18th followed by Michelle Zamora, also a sophomore, in 26th.

Kotut got third place overall with a time of 25:33 in the 5-mile run. The next Broncs to cross the finish line were Edinburg North exes, senior Omar Doria in ninth and freshman Luis Ser-

rano in 13th. One spot behind Serrano came sophomore Frank Garcia.

Hartman mentioned that this year’s results at the Islander Classic are a success in different ways. Although the rainy day made the already tough, hilly course more challenging, every athlete that had run the course last year improved their time. Both teams beat UTSA overall when last week only the men had been able to defeat the Roadrunners at the Ricardo Romo/Fi-esta Texas Classic in San Antonio. Both teams finished closer to TAMUCC, an area rival and conference foe.

“It was nice to beat UTSA, that was a squad that was far ahead from us last year and beat us last (week), that’s a great sign of progress,” Hartman said. “I respect (TAMUCC) as a team and I think by the end of the season we’ll be up there with them.”

TAMUCC won the event in both the men’s and the women’s competi-tion. On the women’s side UT-Ar-lington trailed and UTSA got fourth with 102 points, 25 points behind

UTPA; for the men UT-Arlington and UTSA followed UTPA with a 49- and 50-point difference each.

At last year’s edition of the Islander Splash the men finished sixth with 148 points compared to this season’s 46 points, and the women got seventh with 212 points improving to 77 points this season.

“It’s a good sign… it’s important to see good data but our main focus is to do well later in the season,” Hartman said.

The cross country programs now prepare for the Chili Pepper Invita-tional in Fayetteville, Ark., Oct. 15 be-fore hosting the Great West Conference Championships at the end of the month.

Freshman Serrano mentioned that their hopes are high as the upperclass-men have been an example for new-comers; the unity and chemistry of the team shows in the results so far.

“The team is pretty good, they help us a lot, they communicate with us and help us telling us how to race,” the Ed-inburg North graduate said. “I want our team to win conference and to finish on a good note with regionals.”

Alma E. Hernandez/The Pan american

loud and clear - Lillian Lagat is one of two new Kenyan additions to the cross country team; head coach Dave Hartman said she’s a vocal motivator for her teammates.

The week started with Kevin Ki-rakossian’s hole-in-one for the UTPA men’s golf team at the ORU Shoot-out Monday in Broken Arrow, Okla., where the Broncs eventually finished ninth of ten teams with a score of 959.

Monday, the Broncs finished the first 36 holes in ninth place with 632 hits. Kirakossian, Brandon Reyna and Nick Wongchindawest led the team in fifth, 28th and 34th respectively.

During Day Two, every Bronc ex-cept for Kirakossian and Reyna im-proved their spot in the rankings, and the team stayed in ninth place.

First-year assistant coach Sean Reeve, who traveled with the team, mentioned that although they started off positively, the accuracy started de-caying and a few mistakes affected the overall concentration of the team.

“I think we had moments of balance and at other moments we struggled to get the ball going,” said the McAllen native. “They started with all the con-fidence and they saw a bad shot here and there and their confidence level went out of the window.”

This is Reeve’s first year as coach after graduating from St. Mary’s Uni-versity in San Antonio, where he was a student-athlete from 2003 to 2005.

Kirakossian said that even though scoring the first ace of his career was exciting, it was hard to carry on after making some errors from which the team had trouble recovering.

“The first day we were doing good, I was playing well,” he said. “On the second day we ran into some prob-lems; the team struggled more than on the first day, we’re going to prac-tice the next couple of weeks because we’re not ready yet.”

The sophomore finished tied in 19th with 227 shots, Reyna trailed tied in 27th with 231 and Wongchindawest tied in 40th with 239. Walker Barret and A.J. Gonzalez ended 58 and 59.

Texas State University won the ORU Shootout with a total of 885 hits and Louisiana Monroe’s Gustaf Kocken captured the individual title with 210 hits.

This was the team’s second tourna-ment of the year; the men competed at the UTA Waterchase Classic Oct. 20 and 21, where they got 19th place.

After a week of practice, the Broncs will head to Huntsville, Texas, for the SHSU Harold Funston Invitational be-fore traveling to San Antonio to com-pete at the Lone Star INvitational.

“We want to win and make people know that we have a good program and that we’re striving to get better,” Reeve concluded.

By Sara HernandezThe Pan American

WRSC OCTOBER EVENTS

Lunch Express Optional Month of 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.(lunch-hour workout) October

EVENT LOCATION DATE TIME

Flag Football All-Star Week Outdoor fields Oct. 11-15 Varies

Nik e ReUSE A SHOE Donation Box in Oct 4 - 29 N/A(donate your shoes) WRSC Lobby

“Super Size Me” Conference Room Oct. 8 12:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Belay Certification The Rock Oct. 14 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.Belay Certification (Part 2) Oct. 16 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Group Exercise: Instructor Aerobics Studio #2 Oct. 19 - Dec. 2 10 a.m. Development Program

Rock of Horror The Rock Oct. 28 3 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

WELLNESS IN THE WORKPLACE

Broncs finish ninth after Kirakossian’s hole-in-one

September 30, 201014

Six-week program designed to intro-

duce different aspects of wellness to

current UTPA faculty/staff including

stress management, healthy eating

habits and exercise.

Wednesdays

oct. 6 - nov. 17

12:10 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.

administration Board room

3rd Floor rm 316

Kenyans inject spirit in cross teamBy Sara HernandezThe Pan American

SPORTSSeptember 30, 2010

New attitude brings new results for volleyballDon’t call it a comeback. Also,

don’t look now, but the slow starting Broncs have caught some steam with a three-game winning streak and are not looking to slow down any in The Great West Conference.

The Broncs (3-1 in Great West Conference, 6-15 overall) hit the road this past weekend to do battle against the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Chicago State in which they came out with dominate victories sweeping both matches.

The Broncs give credit to a new outlook on the season as to why they have turned it around on the court.

“It’s a new attitude, the atmosphere is totally different. It’s like we’ve found the missing piece to the puzzle,” Rita Gonzales the senior from Phoenix, AZ., exclaimed. “We owe it to ourselves for believing in one another and also to our fans that have been with us through the worst and now the best of times.”

As you can recall, the start of the season brought mental slip-ups and a season ending injury to starting middle blocker Maria Kliefoth that had The Broncs scrambling to readjust. Now, thanks to some fi ne-tuning and a higher comfort level on the court, we are starting to see the team that was expected to fi re out of the gates at the start of the season.

“The team played well as a whole and that is how we won,” fourth year head Coach Angela Hubbard explained. “They kept the energy high even when we were down 5-11 in the third set against Chicago State. They stayed steady, kept the errors to a minimum and fought back to eventually win the set and match 25-20.”

It is as if The Broncs have found a big “reset” button to press and are now playing in conference the way they knew they could have played since the beginning of the season.

“We’ve realized that we are now in conference play and it’s a fresh start,” Ariana Bermea the senior from Laredo, admitted. “We’ve had some tough

games in the past but they are all over now. We have a chance to have success in our conference and we want to do the most we can to win,” Bermea added.

The Broncs have this week off

to get their mind and body right and continue on this winning streak that the home game fans always knew was possible. Juan Landa Jr. a.k.a “Uni,” a loyal Bronc sport’s fan, says he is not surprised that they are turning it on when it counts the most.

“They improved every game, even when they were not winning,”

Landa stated. “Us fans know they needed the support through their tough stretch and that is why we were there to support and cheer them on as much as possible.”

Now riding a tsunami of confi dence The Broncs know they need to stay focused and driven through out this week to be ready to step on the court

and handle business. Next week brings a two-game Great West Conference road trip against North Dakota and South Dakota.

“We have this week to work hard in practice and fi x fl aws in our game,” Bermea noted. “We can’t let the two wins this past weekend get into our head. We have focus on our next game.”

By Dionicio “Nune” RodriguezThe Pan American


COMING TOGETHER - The Lady Broncs say to have found unity at the beginning of conference play; their record is 2-1 and they have accomplished a three-game winning streak.

Marci Logan Great West Conference

Offensive Player of the Week

Tennis in The Rio Grande Valley is not exactly the most popular sport; it’s rare to see a full house at one of the Broncs’ home tennis matches at the Orville Cox Tennis Center.

However, this year’s team is doing everything in its power to bring pres-tige to the program, and net more fans in the process.

Last weekend brought positive re-sults in both singles and doubles per-formances for the UTPA men at the Baylor Invitational in Waco. With a combined win total of seven, the Broncs fl exed a little of that muscle they been training so hard for.

“Since this is the fi rst tournament of the year we did not know what player we were actually playing,” said head coach Chris Taylor. “We just prepared hard and made sure we were ready to play good tennis against whoever it was we might match up against.”

Match up they did. Dominating the doubles matches by goose-egging the competition, the Broncs came out with an impressive 4-0 record for the weekend.

“We knew what it was going to take to beat them because we’ve been play-ing them a long time,” stated Beau Bernstein, a junior from Sugarland. “You have to maintain respect for your opponents but also have con-fi dence in your game and I think we did both this weekend.”

Last week-end, the Broncs opened the fall season at the Islander Open, hosted by Texas A & M - C o r p u s Christi. Fresh-men newcom-ers Victor Alves from Brazil and Sebastien Job from Belgium represented UTPA at this tournament.

Alves made it to the second round while Job lost his fi rst match. In the doubles, the duet made it to the second round by default.

Conference play will not start till next spring for the Broncs, but they

hope to continue this momentum to fi ll some of the empty seats at home matches.

“Even if you are not interested in the sport you are missing out on some

competitive high-quality tennis,” Taylor expressed. “Our only home-court advantage is that we don’t have to travel. We need The Valley and campus communi-ty to come out and be loud and cheer on our athletes.”

B e r n s t e i n agrees with Tay-lor, but he thinks victories will be the biggest tool in attracting fans.

“I’m confi dent the fans will be en-gaged when they see how competitive the matches really are,” he said.

The Broncs heads to Tulsa for the ITA All-American Championships this weekend where they will fi ght for a spot at the ITA Regionals, to be held at College Station Oct. 23-26.

Judy Chavez/THE PAN AMERICAN

BRAND NEW - Newcomer Ricardo Hopker from Brazil began his career at UTPA winning a doubles match with partner Abdou Riani. He continued to win in the singles Saturday at Waco.

Men’s tennis shows off at Baylor, hopes to attract fans with resultsAfter a solid beginning, Broncs say they will give the UTPA community a reason to support them at home next semester.

“Our only homecourt

advantage is that we donʼt

have to travel.”

Chris TaylorTennis head coach

By Dionicio “Nune” Rodriguez The Pan American

the pan american September 30, 2010

October 1, 2010

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Transcript of October 1, 2010