September 25, 2014

Volume 71, No. 5 September 25, 2014

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President Barack Obama’s speech to the na-tion Sept. 10 set the U.S. in motion for the possibility of another prolonged military conflict in the Middle East. This time it is directed at the growing terrorist army known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which now controls an area of land similar to the size of Belgium, according to in-ternational affairs magazine The National Interest. For this reason, Matthew Weiss a UTPA assistant professor in the Global Security Stud-ies Program, thinks the U.S. will need to work especially hard to find a common ground with countries like Russia and Iran to bring an end to the civil war in Syria.

Since August 2014 at least 2,000 people have been killed in Iraq as a result of ISIS fighters, as reported by the Huffington Post. On Sept. 18 the U.S. Senate passed a funding measure that included authorization for Obama’s plan to train and arm Syrian moderates in the fight against ISIS. The group’s goal is to establish a caliphate, or Islamic empire, across the majority of the Middle East. The funding measure is a “continuing resolution” to keep govern-ment funding at current levels from the end of the current fiscal year Sept. 30 through Dec. 11, as stated by an online article by the Wall Street Journal.

One of the problems ISIS presents is that it controls at least 12,000 square miles of

ungoverned territory as of June and it continues to re-cruit highly-motivated fight-ers from around the world, including “as many as 300 American” citizens, accord-ing to the Conservative Tri-bune. The large increase in fighters gives the terror or-ganization the ability to ef-fectively carry out major at-tacks including some against the U.S.

ESTABLISHING ISIS

ISIS is an Islamic extrem-ist group led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, whose roots can be traced to another terror group, al Qaeda of Iraq. Al Qaeda is a mili-tant Islamic fundamentalist group that imposed a reign of terror and a stringent ver-sion of Islamic law wherever they raise their flag.

According to Weiss, who received a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California in 2011, the responsibility for the rise of ISIS can be at-tributed to the attacks and widespread crime carried out against “Sunni” rebels who are loyal to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. A “Sunni” is a Muslim who follows the Sunni branch of Islam- the other branch is Shia.

“As Syria descended into anarchy and moderate secu-lar rebel groups failed to turn the tide of war against al-Assad, this left the field to ISIS and other Islamic extremist groups who have proven to be far more ruth-less and capable than their secular counterparts on the battlefield,” Weiss said.

After more than three years of civil war in Syria, secular, or non-religious, forces fighting against al-Assad turned to Islamists for support. The remain-ing moderate rebels fought alongside extremists like the Nusra Front, an affili-ate of al Qaeda in Syria, as stated by foreign policy magazine Foreign Affairs.

The rise and expansion of ISIS has been aided by the political conditions in Iraq. The group’s rapid advance from its safe haven in east-ern Syria and then northern Iraq occurred because of the sectarian policies, or ac-tions taken on the grounds of extremists, of successive Iraqi governments and from former Shia Prime Minis-

ter Nouri al-Maliki, who stepped down in August. Al-Maliki’s policies benefitted the Shia majority, whereas the Sunni minority were left out. According to Weiss, al-Maliki closed the door on any prospect of power-shar-ing with the Sunni minority after American occupation forces left Iraq in December 2011 and with the attempt-ed arrest of leading Sunni political figures such as vice-president Tariq Hashimi.

“Al-Maliki accused Hashimi and other Sunni politicians of involvement in terrorism and Sunni death squads, but many, myself in-cluded, viewed this instead as a ploy to monopolize power for the Shia and deny

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

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By Melinda GarzaThe Pan American

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September 25, 20142 opinion

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

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When it comes to comics, fans are usually subjected to two main monopolies: Marvel and DC Comics. Popular among the masses for their comics, mer-chandise and movie franchises, the two companies fall into the age-old competition, with fans giving different answers for which one is better. And it is of-ten the subject of debate in The Pan American newsroom: our editors can give multiple essays about which is the best comic

company. Unlike our multime-dia editor, I will argue in favor for Marvel Comics, to my grave.

While DC Comics has ris-en to fame with recent films such as Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Trilogy and the still in-production Batman vs. Super-man: Dawn of Justice, its comic sales have fallen from August 2013 to this last August. Ac-cording to Comichron.com, a comic resource website, DC sold 136,319 comics in 2013 but fell to 112,186 sales a year later. Its films earned $7 million more than Marvel, according to a 2012 infographic by the Daily What. DC Comics used to have the jump on Marvel, but times have changed.

According to a June 2013 article in Bloomberg Maga-zine, Marvel movies earned 47 percent more than DC Com-ics. As of Jan. 15, 2014 Marvel

brought in $10.1 million com-pared to DC’s $8.2 million in comic book sales. Marvel has also disclosed the titles of three films lined up till 2019 and has 10 in development while DC still has eight in development and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice according to IGN.com and Firstshowing.net, re-spectively. This summer alone, Marvel released Guardians of the Galaxy earning the company $94 million in North America and $66.4 million overseas in its opening weekend alone.

According to the digital comic platform Comixology, 20 percent of new comic buyers and fans were females between the ages of 17 and 26. Female comic book readers are grow-ing in numbers and the only company seeming to respond to this call is Marvel. According to an exit poll by Comicbook.

com, of Marvel’s audience for the film Guardians of the Gal-axy 44 percent of viewers were female. They are familiar with these numbers as the same poll surveyed moviegoers and found that Marvel’s major blockbuster, The Avengers, attracted a 40 per-cent female audience. GOTG was also the first Marvel film to introduce a female writer.

Just this year alone Mar-vel introduced a new lineup of comic characters that will impress, and more than likely bring in, more fans. Already adding to the diverse line up of a female Captain Marvel and Muslim-American teen Kamala Khan was the an-nouncement of a female Thor. Although the change is not permanent, female Thor will hit issues October 2014. An-other change is the introduc-tion of Sam Wilson as Captain

America and he will be intro-duced with the female God of Thunder in the Marvel Now! serialization. Female Thor is preceded by other heroines such as the Young Avenger Miss America Chavez, the introduction of Gwen Stacy as Spider-woman and Anya Corazon as Spidergirl. Sam Wilson joins such diverse he-roes as Miles Morales as the Ultimate Spiderman, Rob-bie Reyes as the Ghost Rider, the Young Avengers’ William “Billy” Kaplan as Wiccan and David Alleyne as Prodigy.

Some may berate Marvel for spoiling its fans with almost 10 movies in a five-year period, releasing sneak peeks of future issues and its diverse characters, but I raise the question: isn’t it about damn time?

Victoria ValdezCopy Editor

When it comes to brand battles, most people think about Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi, Apple vs. Samsung and Xbox vs. PlayStation. When it comes to comic books fans, however, the only battle on their minds is Marvel vs. DC Comics. Both companies have been around for nearly 80 years and have given audiences different legendary characters and heroes. But DC Comics has the most to offer fans.

Not everyone goes to their local comic book store to get the latest issue of Batman or Spider-Man, choosing to get

their superhero fix from movies. Marvel has had plenty of box office hits such as The Avengers, its third highest grossing film. According to Boxofficemojo.com, an online movie publica-tion, The Avengers reached $1 billion in sales worldwide by its 19th day in theaters. DC has had multiple billion-dollar films with The Dark Knight at 1 billion and The Dark Knight Rises at number 10 in the high-est grossing films with 1 billion. According to Forbes.com, The Dark Knight Rises reached more than $1 billion in box office sales worldwide, surpassing pre-decessor The Dark Knight. But box office hits are nothing new for DC, which has garnered at-tention since the 1950s with Superman and the Mole Men.

For the future, DC has an-nounced 10 prospective mov-ies for the next six years but has only named Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice for 2016. Marvel has announced 11 movies to be released in the next six years and named five

films. Many would see this disparity as DC falling behind but this could be an opportu-nity for the company to start revealing different characters, such as Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and Shazam in standalone films.

When determining which comic company is better, new-comers and old fans should not only consider recent content but previous comics and most valuable issues. According to Nostomania.com, DC Comics has seven of the top 10 most valuable comics in the world, with the first appearance of Su-perman in Action Comic #1 as the top valued comic at number one and Detective Comic #27, the first Batman comic, at num-ber two. In August a man put his Action Comic #1 comic on eBay and it sold for 3.2 million, becoming the most expensive comic book in the world. Mar-vel has only had three comics on the top 10 list of most valu-able comics including Marvel Comics #1 in the fourth spot,

Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man, at number eight and Captain America #1 at number 10.

In addition, DC’s heroes are not just timeless symbols of hope and justice, but inspire those qualities in communities. In November 2013 the Make-A-Wish foundation made 5-year-old leukemia survivor Miles Scott’s dream of being Batman come true. The foundation gave Miles the Batman experience by changing San Francisco into the Dark Knight’s home of Gotham City for a day. He ventured around the city know as “Bat-kid”- getting rides in the Bat-mobile, fighting crime, saving a damsel in distress and receiving the key to the city.

DC heroes inspire others to do good. Last week a Canadian oil and gas firm had its 542 em-ployees dress as Batman for the annual fundraising campaign for the United Way Centraide in Canada, which helps resolve pressing community issues. The participants set a Guinness

World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as Batman in one place. Last year Kendal Calling music festival in Britain set the record for the largest gathering of people dressed as Superman, as 867 individuals raised awareness for the Help for Heroes Charity. That group helps wounded sol-diers, physically and emotion-ally, from the United Kingdom back to recovery.

DC has created timeless sym-bols through its characters and comics that evoke inspiration and encouragement in their fans. Time is on DC’s side right now as the company has the op-portunity to move in to attack with films that could potential-ly surprise audience members...and beat Marvel comics out of the top spot.

Vol. 71, No. 5

The Pan American accepts letters of 300 words or less from students, staff and faculty regarding recent newspaper content, campus concerns or current events. We cannot publish anonymous letters or submissions containing hate speech or gratuitous personal attacks. Please send all letters to:

thepanamerican @gmail.com

Letters to the Editor

Michael AguilarMultimedia Editor

Ahead of the curveMarvel appeals to progressive readers

Rise from the ashesDC’s ability to morph with the changing times

Marvel vs DCTwo editors debate comic companies

#UTPA

Tweet at and follow us @ThePanAmerican

#UTPA

-@Grady_76

-@bbyunic0rn

-@roobieboobie_

Some guy on the Bronc Trail just told me I was really cute. My day has been made. #UTPA

After this exam I’m pray-ing the Curve is forever in my favor. #UTPA

If you go to #UTPA and you don’t go eat at la curva across the street, you’re doing it wrong.

3news September 25, 2014

Washington Monthly re-leased its annual list of universi-ties with the best master’s degree programs with UTPA ranking 19 out of 671 public and pri-vate institutions nationwide. In the last two years UTPA ranked 16 out of 682 universities. This marks UTPA’s third consecutive year on Washington Monthly Magazine’s list.

The bimonthly magazine released its college guide and rankings Aug. 25 stating that the university and college ranks were determined based on the number of students pursu-ing Ph.D.s, Pell Grants acquired by graduates and the number of current stu-dents giving back to their country by volunteering.

Dave Jackson, vice provost for graduate studies, believes the University stands out from many other institutions because it accommodates the needs of every student.

“UTPA ranked highly be-cause it maintains a strong focus in all three areas – we strive to offer a world class education at an affordable cost, we have outstanding faculty who engage students in research and we put

service at the forefront of our strategic mission as an engaged university,” Jackson said.

Out of 100 possible points, UTPA received 84. Social mo-bility was determined by three categories: students receiving Pell Grants, net price- or the difference between the full cost to attend college without any grants and scholarships- and predicted versus actual graduation rate. The University ranked 64 percent for students with Pell Grants, the net price

was $2,268 and was ranked second in predicted versus ac-tual graduation rate at 31 per-cent and the actual rate at 39 percent, respectively.

UTPA ranked 46 in produc-ing cutting-edge scholarship and Ph.D’s with $8.81 million going into research expendi-tures. The final category was services where UTPA ranked

498 in the Peace Corps, 214 for ROTC and 309 in regard to community service participa-tion and hours served.

According to a UTPA press release from Sept. 12, “the methodology used to generate the rankings is more hospitable compared to other leading rat-ing systems such as US News & World Report.” Washing-ton Monthly offers colleges and universities a chance to be recognized for different values upheld by their institutions.

The magazine also stated that its rankings have always rejected the idea that expense, luxury and exclusivity should be held up as the highest values for col-leges and student aspirations.

According to Jackson, UTPA offers students the opportu-nity to continue their education without having to worry about over stretching their budget and

receiving a top notch education.“We offer what students

are looking for,” said Jackson, who obtained his doctorate in finance from Florida Atlantic University in 2002. “We’re ac-cessible, affordable and provide a high-quality education.”

The University’s main website states that UTPA’s 2014-2015 cost of attendance for under-graduates is $5,275 compared to the University of Texas at Austin where graduate tuition is approximately $12,888.

Angela Sarmiento, a master’s student and communication studies major, stated that she is proud to be a student in the Uni-versity’s master’s program.

“It has been great, I love the challenge,” Sarmiento said. “For the communication program we are doing our own research proj-ect. I am so excited since some students do not get to do that un-

til they are in a Ph.D. program.” Master’s student Michelle Bel-

tran credits faculty for her positive experience with the University and stated that they’ve helped her considerably throughout her time in the program.

“Since I did not receive my undergraduate degree from UTPA, I was not familiar with the faculty,” said Beltran, who received her undergrad from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. “However, every professor I’ve had is not only extremely

knowledgeable about their field, but they are incredibly friendly and are willing to help with any-thing and everything they can. It’s a great program.”

With the transition of UTPA to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in fall 2015, new master’s programs will be added to the list such as information technology, nursing practitio-

ner, theater and nursing educa-tion. UTPA currently offers 55 master’s programs.

According to Jackson, the addition of master’s programs to the new university will af-fect the future ranking in Washington Monthly.

“We definitely expect our ranking to increase as we transi-tion to UTRGV and continue the best practices while imple-menting new, innovative ideas,” he said.

For Beltran, the main factor that is keeping UTPA on the list is the quality of education the

University provides. “While the pro-

fes sor- to- s tudent ratio might increase, expanding also gives

the University an op-portunity to increase the

number of programs available. Maybe more doctorate pro-grams will be added,” Beltran said. “This would help those students that want a doctorate degree, but need to stay in the area. Also, with more students and faculty maybe we can make the University research-based. The ranking is bound to in-crease, but only if we do not substitute quality for quantity.”

UTPAUTPA ranked19 out of 671

public and private universities nationwide.

There are currently 2,722

students enrolled in a master’s

program at UTPA.

UTPA offers 55 master’s

degreeprograms.

Out of 100 possible

points, UTPA received a total of 84.

By Adriana GonzalesThe Pan American

Sunnis any meaningful role in the determination of their country’s future. This left Sunnis feeling more alienated than ever,” said Weiss, whose primary research in-terest is freshwater conflicts in the Middle East. Weiss also stated that it was that sense of persecution that drove many Sunnis into ISIS and led them to be indifferent to the terror organization’s takeover of their territories.

“This is not to say that most Iraqi Sunnis embrace ISIS’ ideol-ogy or its Islamic vision of gover-nance,” he said. “But instead that they welcome ISIS as a protector and shield against what they re-gard as an oppressive and abusive Shia government.”

According to Weiss, ISIS wants to revive what adherents believe to be the golden age of Islam, going back to the early Islamic commu-nity established during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad.

Muhammad founded the Is-lamic religion in the seventh cen-tury and is still seen by Muslims as the last of the prophets of God. The Islamic Golden Age dates from the mid-seventh century to the mid-13th century and dur-ing this time Muslim rulers con-structed one of the largest empires in history, also contributing to law,

science and agriculture by preserv-ing earlier traditions and adding their own innovations, according to Islamichistory.com.

“ISIS has lost sight of the hu-manistic essence of the faith, which would never condone practices such as beheading, selling women into slavery and persecution of non-believers,” Weiss said. “It is for this reason that I do not believe that ISIS will be able to make any further territorial advances or win over too many more hearts and minds because their ideology and political program ultimately has limited appeal.”

A GLOBAL MOVEMENT

According to TIME Magazine, the U.S. has the endorsement of almost 40 countries. As of Sept. 17, the U.S. has conducted more than 150 airstrikes in Iraq against ISIS. It is still unclear which 40 na-tions have agreed to fight against the militants or what their roles will be. On Sept. 14 Secretary of State John Kerry said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that “it’s not appropriate to start announcing” which countries are involved and what each will do. But Jose Flores, a junior political science major who is anti-war, does not believe the U.S. should once again be in-volved in the Middle East.

“The U.S. should do every-thing in its power to avoid getting dragged into another perpetual unjust war,” said Flores, who cur-rently resides in Edinburg. “These perpetual and unjust wars have a tendency of generating what the CIA calls blowback, or negative, unintended consequences. ISIS is an example of blowback: the neg-ative unintended consequences that came about the U.S. inva-sion of Iraq and Afghanistan. If the U.S. had not invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, chances are that we wouldn’t be in the mess we are in. The U.S. should not send troops to fight ISIS.”

Territorial gains and the mur-ders of two American journalists by militants have motivated efforts for an international coalition to defeat the radical group. Accord-ing to Associate Professor of Mod-ern Middle East History Tamer Balci, the international movement will most affect oil refineries.

“The conflict has global effects. ISIS took control of several oil fields and the biggest oil refinery in Iraq. It affects oil prices,” said Balci, who was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. “Many Western countries from U.S. and U.K. to Germany and Austria are worried that ISIS fighters with U.S., U.K., Germany or Austria passports may return to cause troubles at home.”

On Sept. 10 Obama outlined a

U.S.-led plan to “degrade and ul-timately destroy” the terror group through airstrikes and support for Syria’s resistance, emphasizing that he is not leading the country into another war.

“I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Obama said in his speech. “It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil.”

He also announced that the 475 U.S. military personnel sent to Iraq will not become involved in combat and instead will help Iraqi and Kurdish forces build on their skills, but Associate Profes-sor of International Politics Sonia Alianak does not think that will be enough.

“Those are just advisers, they need boots on the ground,” said Alianak, who lived in Egypt for more than 20 years. “The strat-egy of the president is to get the Sunni to send troops again…and the friendly Arab States will not provide ground troops although they might help the U.S. in other ways including intelligence and air strikes.”

The advisers will join 1,600 American troops who were sent to Iraq in June. In his speech, Obama stated the administration believes this effort will take an indetermi-nate amount of time.

“It will take time to eradicate a cancer like (ISIS),” President Obama said. “And any time we take military action, there are risks involved – especially to the service-men and women who carry out these missions.”

Balci believes it could take years of war and chaos before anything is over and stated that while ISIS calls itself an Islamic State, none of their actions are

Islamic.“Throughout history many states, dictators and terrorist groups used the motivating power of religion to reach their political goals,” Balci said. “ISIS is the latest example of these terrorist groups. It violates the centuries-old Islamic rules on war and engagement, Muslims, non-Muslims and civil-ians. ISIS is destroying Islam, not reviving it.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

THE PAN AMERICAN September 25, 2014 September 25, 2014 Page 5 THE PAN AMERICAN

utpa_wellnessstay connected

(956) 665-7808 [email protected]/wellnessFor more information or special accommodations

REGISTER ONLINE AT: WWW.IMLEAGUES.COM/UTPA

IM LEAGUE APP: rec*it

FLAG FOOTBALLM, W, CR

REGISTRATION: 8/25 - 9/4GAMES BEGIN: 9/8

M, W, CRDODGEBALL


BASKETBALLM, W, CR


SOFTBALLM, W, CR


beach volleyballM, W, CR


M, W, CRoutdoor soccer


volleyballM, W, CRREGISTRATION: 10/13 - 10/23GAMES BEGIN: 10/27

kickball


tennisMS, WS, MD, WD, OD


M, W, CRkickball

MS, WS, MD, WD, ODtable tennis


racquetballMS, WS, MD, WD, OD


M, W, CRteam handball


INTRAMURAL SPORTS

FALL SCHEDULE 2014

WELLNESS & RECREATIONALS SPORTS

The University women’s soccer team took out its final non-conference op-ponent scoring a 1-0 win over Our Lady of the Lake University Saints Sept. 20 at the Edinburg Baseball Stadium.

“They made us work for it,” Coach Glad Bugariu said. “But, overall, we got through the game and de-served to win.”

This was the final game of the first pre-Western Athletic Conference sea-son for the new program. The Broncs took the win in front of 690 home fans to become 6-1-3 in the sea-son. The conference open-

er is Sept. 27 against New Mexico State University.

Their triumph was the second home friendly since the Aug. 27 game against Huston-Tillotson University where they took the win with a score of 2-1.

This time the victory was marked by the play of Har-lingen native Erica Gon-zalez who recorded her second shutout by mak-ing four saves against the Saints. Her record stands at 2-5 for the season.

The Saints kept the Broncs on their toes, allowing one goal, which the home side made 14 minutes into the first half. It was freshman forward Jessica Suarez who converted a long pass with

assistance from freshman Frida Farstad-Eriksson and freshman Aimie Inthoulay on the play.

“It definitely felt good to be coming back to our home with the support and everything,” Suarez said. “It just was a beau-tiful combination play between the girls. I saw it and put it in.”

With one more vic-tory under their belts the Broncs are ready to play and compete in the WAC. With teams as strong and nationally ranked Seattle University, who is the de-fending WAC champion, line the schedule.

However, this does not deter the coaching staff or players. In preseason rank-

ing, the team was slated to finish in seventh place by the WAC coaches’ poll, but according to Bugariu, the women like the idea of be-ing the underdog.

“There is no pressure on us in the WAC. They ex-pect us to lose every game,” Bugariu said. “All the pres-sure is on our opponents and it is their job to beat us, so we are actually in a very good position now.”

There is a belief among the team and the coaching staff that despite this be-ing the program’s first sea-son, the athletes intend to take home as many wins as possible during the 10-game season and shoot for the title. This is reflected in the minds of players,

such as Inthoulay, who leads the team with four goals.

“We are just anxious to get back on the field and give our home crowd an-other show,” said Inthou-lay, a physical therapy ma-jor. “I think it is going to be a challenge for us but we are more than ready to go at it again.”

The team members have the WAC on their minds and, with no expectations weighing them down, they are relishing the idea of surprising their Division I opponents. They are cur-rently ranked number one in the WAC standings. Suarez explained they are more than ready to climb the WAC rankings and

make history. “I think this is a new

experience for everybody,” she said. “We are the be-ginning. We all have the same mentality that we need to set the pace. We may be the first group and you might underesti-mate us, but we are here to play.”

Story by Kristela GarzaPhotos by Sarah CarvajalThe Pan American

Aimie Inthoulay, midfielder

Zinnia Hannig, midfielder Hannah Pressley, defender

Emily Ortiz, midfielder

10/02/14

10/02/14

THE PAN AMERICAN September 25, 2014 September 25, 2014 Page 4 THE PAN AMERICAN

utpa_wellnessstay connected

(956) 665-7808 [email protected]/wellnessFor more information or special accommodations

REGISTER ONLINE AT: WWW.IMLEAGUES.COM/UTPA

IM LEAGUE APP: rec*it

FLAG FOOTBALLM, W, CR


M, W, CRDODGEBALL


BASKETBALLM, W, CR


SOFTBALLM, W, CR


beach volleyballM, W, CR


M, W, CRoutdoor soccer


volleyballM, W, CRREGISTRATION: 10/13 - 10/23GAMES BEGIN: 10/27

kickball


tennisMS, WS, MD, WD, OD


M, W, CRkickball

MS, WS, MD, WD, ODtable tennis


racquetballMS, WS, MD, WD, OD


M, W, CRteam handball


INTRAMURAL SPORTS

FALL SCHEDULE 2014

WELLNESS & RECREATIONALS SPORTS

The University women’s soccer team took out its final non-conference op-ponent scoring a 1-0 win over Our Lady of the Lake University Saints Sept. 20 at the Edinburg Baseball Stadium.

“They made us work for it,” Coach Glad Bugariu said. “But, overall, we got through the game and de-served to win.”

This was the final game of the first pre-Western Athletic Conference sea-son for the new program. The Broncs took the win in front of 690 home fans to become 6-1-3 in the sea-son. The conference open-

er is Sept. 27 against New Mexico State University.

Their triumph was the second home friendly since the Aug. 27 game against Huston-Tillotson University where they took the win with a score of 2-1.

This time the victory was marked by the play of Har-lingen native Erica Gon-zalez who recorded her second shutout by mak-ing four saves against the Saints. Her record stands at 2-5 for the season.

The Saints kept the Broncs on their toes, allowing one goal, which the home side made 14 minutes into the first half. It was freshman forward Jessica Suarez who converted a long pass with

assistance from freshman Frida Farstad-Eriksson and freshman Aimie Inthoulay on the play.

“It definitely felt good to be coming back to our home with the support and everything,” Suarez said. “It just was a beau-tiful combination play between the girls. I saw it and put it in.”

With one more vic-tory under their belts the Broncs are ready to play and compete in the WAC. With teams as strong and nationally ranked Seattle University, who is the de-fending WAC champion, line the schedule.

However, this does not deter the coaching staff or players. In preseason rank-

ing, the team was slated to finish in seventh place by the WAC coaches’ poll, but according to Bugariu, the women like the idea of be-ing the underdog.

“There is no pressure on us in the WAC. They ex-pect us to lose every game,” Bugariu said. “All the pres-sure is on our opponents and it is their job to beat us, so we are actually in a very good position now.”

There is a belief among the team and the coaching staff that despite this be-ing the program’s first sea-son, the athletes intend to take home as many wins as possible during the 10-game season and shoot for the title. This is reflected in the minds of players,

such as Inthoulay, who leads the team with four goals.

“We are just anxious to get back on the field and give our home crowd an-other show,” said Inthou-lay, a physical therapy ma-jor. “I think it is going to be a challenge for us but we are more than ready to go at it again.”

The team members have the WAC on their minds and, with no expectations weighing them down, they are relishing the idea of surprising their Division I opponents. They are cur-rently ranked number one in the WAC standings. Suarez explained they are more than ready to climb the WAC rankings and

make history. “I think this is a new

experience for everybody,” she said. “We are the be-ginning. We all have the same mentality that we need to set the pace. We may be the first group and you might underesti-mate us, but we are here to play.”

Story by Kristela GarzaPhotos by Sarah CarvajalThe Pan American

Aimie Inthoulay, midfielder

Zinnia Hannig, midfielder Hannah Pressley, defender

Emily Ortiz, midfielder

10/02/14

10/02/14

Some college students may wonder if they possess the lead-ership skills needed to be success-ful outside of the classroom and after graduation. UTPA sopho-more Dora Rivera joined the Stu-dent Leadership Academy to fur-ther develop her skills.

The 19-year-old said she was impressed after she attended her first workshop. She said the work-shop helped her take on more of a leadership role through group ex-ercises. In one activity, attendees were given the scenario of catch-ing someone cheating in class and then had to share with a group what they would say. Rivera said that it helped her to not only think about how she would react, but also realized that actions have consequences.

“I feel as a person that it is al-ways important to grow,” she said. “And I feel like it teaches you to show people who you re-ally are and how to lead and not

just to follow others.”The SLA was founded at the

University in February 2005 by the Office of Student Involve-ment to provide a way for stu-dents to get involved on cam-pus and become better leaders through community service, workshops and special events. There are currently more than 200 registered members.

Jodie Dominguez, OSI assistant director, said any student interest-ed in participating in an event can attend for free. Although pre-regis-tration is required for some work-shops, conferences and communi-ty service activities, many are open to all students.

Broncs interested in participat-ing in multiple events have the option of enrolling in the SLA. Registered members earn points for attending events and complet-ing community service hours. Af-ter a member earns 150 points within two academic years, they receive a certificate of leadership and are recognized at the OSI’s

Tribute to Success Awards Pro-gram held at the end of every spring semester.

Yoselin Garza, an SLA intern, has been active with the organi-zation since July. The 22-year-old heard about the SLA when she got involved in the LeaderShape Institute’s weeklong program. The intensive six-day camp, held annually since May 2006, gives students hands-on leadership ex-perience through team building activities and group discussions.

“The SLA made me more open to learn and got me out of my shell,” the business management major said. “I have become a lot better at communicating.”

As an intern, Garza helps plan the details of each event such as ensuring that all materials and equipment are present and that seating is arranged. She updates the SLA’s social media sites as well, including their Facebook and webpage. She also contacts new registrants and keeps records of points earned by members.

Another annual event hosted by the SLA is the Big Fall Leader-ship Conference, a daylong event conducted by a nationally rec-ognized speaker. Past conferenc-es have featured speakers such as Del Suggs, who was named “Best Campus Speaker” by the Associa-tion for the Promotion of Cam-pus Activities in 2010. James Robilotta, known for his way of relating to college students, is scheduled for this year’s event oc-curring Oct. 4. The profession-al life coach began working with CAMPUSPEAK in 2011. His comedic talks help individuals find and follow their passions.

More than 300 students were present at UTPA’s ballroom for last year’s event. The Big Fall Leadership Conference is worth 15 SLA points and is one of the more popular conferences, ac-cording to Dominguez. Space is limited so she recommends stu-dents pre-register for the event if they plan to attend.

The SLA also gives students the chance to be involved in commu-nity service projects such as the Texas Adopt-A-Beach and Adopt-An-Angel. The latter is an oppor-tunity for volunteers to provide

Christmas presents to students who have children and who re-ceive need-based financial aid.

“The Adopt-An-Angel pro-gram is a very rewarding service opportunity,” Dominguez said. “Santa Claus comes to give out the presents and the children re-ally enjoy it.”

Overall the SLA has 19 events planned for the fall 2014 semes-ter. Students who want to attend

an event can pre-register through BroncLink. Enrollment into the SLA ended Sept. 19, but will re-open for the spring semester.

Garza encourages students who want to improve their leadership skills to give the program a try. For students interested in registering, an orientation session is being held in the Cenizo room, inside UTPA’s Ballroom, at noon Sept. 30.

September 25, 20146 arts & life

By Danielle BirnellThe Pan American

By May OrtegaThe Pan American

Academy offers skill-building opportunities

UTPA student doubles as artist

Ceci Hernandez begins tattooing an outline on a client Sept. 22. Hernandez started her apprenticeship as a tattoo artist at Buena Suerte Tattoo in November 2008.

Jon Nutt/ The Pan American

Even though she came into her line of work in November 2008 tattoo artist Ceci Hernandez has always had a passion for draw-ing on skin, even before she knew what tattoos were.

“I had this best friend in the second or third grade and I used to draw a little spider web on the webbing of my hand with a marker,” the UTPA history ma-jor explained. “So I would draw the web and a little spider and my friend asked me to draw it on her too. I didn’t think about it as a tat-too. I just saw it as having fun.”

Hernandez carried on with the habit of doodling on herself throughout her young life and

still remembers the first time she saw somebody with a permanent drawing on their skin.

“I was little and I saw a man with a tattoo so I was like, ‘What?’” she said. “I used to draw on myself, but I didn’t think it was tattooing, I just liked to draw. When I saw that man I thought, ‘Oh my God, he does it too.’”

Although Hernandez had no idea what it was at that time, she now believes it impacted her ca-reer path. Nearly six years ago, Hernandez walked into Buena Suerte Tattoo in Pharr where she is currently an artist. The 27-year-old will graduate in December, but currently sees no end to her career as a tattooist.

“I think (tattoos) just relat-

ed to me more than anything else. It was unique to me,” she said. “Maybe it brought me back to when I used to draw on my-self. They would get mad at me in school so the teachers would make me wash my hands. If I did manage to get home with the drawings my mom would make me clean them off.”

Now the Alamo native has plenty of permanent ink that she’s been collecting since the age of 18, both visible and hidden. One of her more popular tattoos is a bottle of Mexican hot sauce called Cholula to represent her love of spicy foods. She also has a flying pig bandit which she said signifies her silly side.

“I haven’t counted, but they’re

scattered all around my body,” she said. “My left arm is almost full and my left leg has a lot, but ev-erything is kind of scattered.”

When it comes to tattoos on other people, Hernandez said the experience is different for every-body, but it hardly ever reflects what happens on tattoo shows.

“There are some people who get very touching pieces, but it’s not like on TV when you have a very dramatic story and peo-ple start crying,” the senior ex-plained. “Everyone has their own meaning, so I treat them all dif-ferent. It’s their piece with a little bit of me.”

Because she creates several pieces of various sizes through-out the week, her clientele is nev-er consistent, but the her current wait time for an appointment is two months long. Her previ-ous work ranges from watercol-ors to portraits of people’s pets, frequently involving bright col-ors. She also has more than 2,100 likes on her Facebook page where she posts photos of her creations.

Her career has led her to differ-ent tattoo shops and conventions around the country, many of which have affected her in some way, she said. This past weekend Hernandez visited Killeen, Tex-as for the Low Brow Art and Tat-too Convention where she got to work as well as meet fellow artists.

“For me, the most exciting part about traveling for work is learn-ing from new people I meet,” she said. “Whether I meet new artists

I admire, new clients or return-ing clients, I learn something new from each person every time.”

During her apprenticeship at the shop, Hernandez would only observe the seasoned art-ists and learn from them but she said starting her own career had its difficulties.

“The hardest part would be pushing yourself. You have to criticize yourself and see what you can do better and learn to take criticism and turn it into a fuel to make you better,” she explained. “It’s difficult to get into it because it takes a lot of work. Like proving yourself worthy enough to tattoo, that part was tough.”

She also said she had to gain experience and skills so customers would take her seriously because she was a young woman working at the shop alongside four men.

“I would be talking to someone (about their desired tattoo) and I’d be thinking that I was going to tattoo them then they’re like, ‘So who’s going to tattoo me?’’’ she explained. “It hasn’t happened in the last couple of years. I think more people have begun to know who I am and see my work.”

According to a 2012 poll by research group Harris, one in five American adults has at least one tattoo.

Of that group, 23 percent are women compared to 19 percent of men, making it the first time the former has ever outnumbered the latter. Despite this, Hernan-dez has had run-ins with people who disapprove of her career and

ink based on her gender. “I was at a convention once

where this old man was look-ing through my portfolio and he just started talking about his fam-ily being Irish Catholic,” she said. “I didn’t think much of it until he said something about how wom-en shouldn’t be doing anything outside of the family life.”

It’s unclear how many female tattoo artists there are compared to males, but according to pop culture website TheRichest.com, two of the 10 wealthiest tattooists in the world are women. Num-ber five is Kat von D, whose shop was the subject of the 2007 TV show LA Ink. Following in sixth is Stephanie Tamez, who has her shop in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Regardless of negative feedback from strangers, Hernandez pays the topic no mind.

“People are going to have their things to say about everyone and everything, but you just gotta get over it,” she said. “It’s not going to faze me if someone doesn’t think I’m good enough.”

She said she doesn’t plan to re-tire any time soon and will con-tinue to believe an artist should never be satisfied with a certain level of tattooing. To her, being a tattooist should be about pushing yourself to keep getting better and that’s what she plans to do.

“Tattooing is pretty much ev-erything to me,” she said. “I mean it’s my livelihood, it’s what I do. I don’t know how else to explain it. It is me.”

For more information or if special accommodations are needed, call (956) 665-7989.

The University of Texas-Pan American

In March 2009, while reporting on the trafficking of North Korean women, Ling was detained by North Korean soldiers along the Chinese-

North Korean border. She and her colleague Euna Lee were arrested and held captive in North Korea for 140 days before being granted a special

pardon and returning to the United States. She has since sought to shine a light on the issue of trafficked women as well as to bring greater attention

to the plight of other imprisoned journalists around the world.Doors will open at 7 p.m. for UTPA students, faculty and staff with

a valid UTPA ID, and at 7:20 p.m. for the general public.

FREE ADMISSION. SEATING IS LIMITED.View the program live at www.utpa.edu/live.

LAURA LING

Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2014Fieldhouse, 7:30 p.m.

Award-winning Journalist & Author

Welcomes

“Journey of Hope”

September 25, 2014ADVERTISEMENT

8September 25, 2014sports

Normally a coach has an en-tire offseason to prepare a team for upcoming events but for new coach and former Bronc golfer, Armen Kirakossian, had only 27 days to get his team ready for the first tournament of the season. Kirakossian took over Aug. 18 after former coach Josh Fosdick took another head coaching position at Rogers St. University in Oklahoma.

“First thing I did was check the roster and see who was on the team,” said Kirakos-sian, who was assistant coach for the 2012-13 season. “I wanted to figure out where the players were from, get a little background on them and it was exciting to meet everyone.”

As a UTPA senior in 2010, Kirakossian won the Players Golf Association Minority Col-legiate Golf Championship and earned America Sky First Team All-Conference. After volunteer-ing as an assistant coach he con-tinued his professional career, traveled the past two years and competed in Pepsi Tours and at Nationwide Tour Qualifiers.

“Going from playing to coaching is not as big of a tran-sition as people think especially coaching college guys,” Kira-kossian said. “They are all good players, they know what to do and it is more about mentoring them. I want to make sure they are on the right track...that I’m passing down some experience and wisdom from the higher lev-els so they can improve faster.”

The team consists of two

freshmen, two sophomores, three juniors and two seniors who have gone through a vari-ety of coaching styles over their years at UTPA.

Senior Mathew Charles is one of two veterans who has gone through three coaches since starting his collegiate career at UTPA in spring 2011. The Cor-pus Christi native began with then director of golf operations and former UTPA women’s golf coach, Ofelia Lopez, who coached from 2010-12. He continued with Fosdick (2012-13) and now Kirakossian.

“It is not too bad, I thought it would be worse for the first year of the upcoming coaches,” the business management major said. “(Kirakossian) is a great coach and he is helping us with the mental part of the game and

that’s something I think that we all need help on.”

The Corpus Christi na-tive has seen the differences between coaches which he believes have benefitted him throughout his career.

“Every coach has a different style no matter what. No one coach has the same aspect of playing any sport,” Charles said. “Different coaches have differ-ent theories on how to do certain stuff and that’s why I feel that it has helped this team. There are so many different aspects from different coaches which makes us think in different ways.”

Junior Ricky Solis believes that the transition of coaches from Fosdick to Kirakossian has not been too difficult. Ac-cording to Solis, having spent time with Kirakossian when

he was an assistant to Fosdick has helped make the process an easy one.

“It’s been good,” Solis said. “(Kirakossian) was our assistant coach when Coach Fosdick was here so he knows a few of the guys and he saw how Fosdick ran things. He is doing a great job, very relaxed and helps us when we need help. They both have the same kind of coaching styles, they work with what we have, very good drills and both are strict on short game.”

The former McAllen Bulldog expects to play better than last year, where he ended the spring semester with a 32nd place finish in the Western Athletic Conference.

“I didn’t play too well to fin-ish off last year. I started off good,” Solis said. “My goals

are to make every tournament, qualify for every one of those tournaments, finish a couple of those in the top 10 and maybe win another tournament victory this year.”

The Broncs have two tourna-ments under their belt as they keep pushing forward to im-prove and qualify for the Harold Funston Invitational hosted by Sam Houston State University Oct. 6.

“I feel that everyone can im-prove on their short game no matter how good they think their short game is,” Charles said. “Also I need to work a little more on my mid-game like on my irons. I need to work at it so I can put myself into better situations on the green. So I say overall I need to improve a bit on everything.”

By Marco TorresThe Pan American

Senior Mathew Charles practicing with his irons at Los Lagos Golf Course in Edinburg as he prepares

for the Harold Funston Invitational Oct. 6-7. He looks to help his team after the 12th place finish at the

D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate.

cross country

women’s soccer

weekly updates

Next game is Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. against New Mexico State University at Edinburg Baseball Stadium

Lost 3-1 to University of Nebraska Omaha Sept. 20 at the Islander Classic

women’s golf

Men’s 6K run: UTPA finished in 11th place as a team at the Texas A&M Invitational Sept. 21.Women’s 4K run: UTPA finished in 10th place at the Texas A&M Invita-tional Sept. 21.

Melissa Bernal finished in eighth place Sept. 23 at the Fred Marx Invita-tional with a score of 228 (75, 78 and 75).The Bronc team finished in 12th place Sept. 23 at the Fred Marx Invita-tional.

Won 1-0 over the Our Lady of the Lake University Saints Sept. 20 at Edinburg Baseball Stadium

Next match is Sept. 25 against Bakersfield in the Field House at 7 p.m.

Next event is Oct. 6 for the Harold Funston Invitational in Huntsville

Next event is Sept. 26 in Corpus Christi for the Islanders Splash

volleyball

Lost 3-0 to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Sept. 20 at the Islander Classic

Lost 3-0 to University of Houston Sept. 19 at the Islander Classic

Jon Nutt/ The Pan American

September 25, 2014

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