august 27, 2012

A look at the Valley’s different music scene

the

Volume 69, No. 1 August 27, 2012

Online

Page 2

Online

Page 6

Doppelgänger

New Honor Code

The Electronic ‘X’perience

Volley Begins

Caravan travels through Valley, asks for peace in Mexico

Continued on page 3

Broncs end tournament on high note

Faces of lost people, those missing or dead as a result of the drug war, stared out from posters laid on the grass at Lincon Park in Brownsville Thursday night.

“REGRESENME A MI FAMILIA,” or “return my family to me” - read the large banner spanning the length of the display.

The surviving family members and friends stood around the makeshift memorial holding candles as Mexican poet Javier Sicilia spoke to the members of Caravan for Peace.

Sicilia started the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity in Mexico after his son was killed in March 2011. Juan Francisco Sicilia was found dead along with six other people in a car by Mexican authorities. The 24-year-old’s body was accompanied by a note that said they called in tips about crime to the government, according to a Los Angeles Times article.

The Caravan for Peace is an extension of the MPJD movement, or ¡Hasta La Madre! as it’s known more colloquially. It started in San Diego and has traveled south to Brownsville, the route often following the border. After Brownsville, members plan to head north and at the end of a 26-city journey, conclude in Washington, D.C. in September.

The mission is to promote dialogue between Mexico and the United States, particularly about the latter’s policy on drugs and participation in arms

trafficking.The senior Sicilia read

his “Open Letter to Mexico’s Politicians and Criminals,” in its original Spanish.

“I (do not) wish to talk about the pain of my family and the families of each one of the boys who were destroyed,” reads a translation of the letter, in part. “There are not words for this pain. Only poetry can come close to it, and you do not know about poetry.”

SIX YEARS LATERViolence in Mexico has

escalated dramatically since former President Felipe Calderón took office in 2006 and deployed troops to fight the drug cartels. Research by Viridiana Rios, a doctoral fellow at H a r v a r d University, s u g g e s t s that this type of a g g r e s s i v e strategy against highly organized crime could cause more violence as lower ranking members fight to replace middlemen or bosses that have been killed or arrested.

A CNN article estimates that 5,300 people have gone missing since Calderón’s offensive began and the Mexican Institute of National Statistics and Geography released a report Aug. 20 that stated there were 27,199 homicides in the country last year, a number that has increased every year for the last four years.

By Karen AntonacciThe Pan American

Valley film examines eating disorders

Honesty, integrity, respect promoted on campus

Norma Villalobos holds a candle during a prayer at Lincoln Park on Thursday. Both Villalobos’ boyfriend and uncle are missing in Mexico.

ONLI

NE

panamericanonline.com

George Investigates Pan American reporter questions

UTPA students about their summer

2 August 27, 2012 editorial

news

When newspapers announce a shift to a more powerful online presence, the naysayers tend to come out of the blog woodwork and harp “Journalism is dead! Squawk! Newspapers are goners! Squawk!”

This is not that sort of announcement; neither is The Pan American that sort of a newspaper. While it’s true that our physical paper has halved in the last two years, it is also true that our online coverage has become exponentially more prevalent, and most importantly, dynamic.

As the new semester begins, The Pan American newsroom is abuzz with ideas on how to better serve you, the reader. We’re looking at new ways to tell stories – with photo essays, videos, stand alone graphics, Storify pages and more.

Additionally, we at The Pan American have quadrupled our efforts to bring those

stories to readers where they are increasingly living online – social media. Facebook comments now appear on our site and we are live tweeting from events and interviews like never before. The Pan American is foraying into the worlds of Instagram and Tumblr as we explore more possible venues to have a conversation with readers.

And contrary to all the squawkers, all of these digital efforts make the print edition more important, not less. Online there will be a navigable wealth of the latest information, including hyperlinks to sources and dialogue in the comments. A weekly print edition affords us the opportunity to examine stories in-depth, and marry that knowledge with engaging design that entices readers to not only pick up the paper, but hang it on the wall afterwards.

We’re journalists and no, our craft is not dying. The need

for information, and especially context, is more important than ever. And with an excellent creative team pushing it forward, The Pan American will serve that need using all of the tools the digital age provides.

Karen AntonacciEditor-in-Chief

Honesty. Integrity. Respect. Those are the three words that sum up the new University of Texas-Pan American honor code that will be unveiled this fall.

“I pledge I will not cheat, plagiarize, falsify data or give or receive unauthorized assistance on academic work in accordance with The Bronc Honor Code. I further pledge to support a culture of academic integrity,” the honor statement reads in part.

Large universities such as Texas A&M and University of Texas at Austin have such sets of values that are promoted throughout campus, in the quest to instill morals, a good code of conduct and school spirit to the students, faculty and staff who pledge to follow them.

“A more precise and detailed set of rules and norms is needed to actually govern ethical behavior,” said Arturo Vasquez, a marketing and international business professor who was part of the council that created the code. “Other universities have (one).”

Now UTPA does too.

THE PROCESS The idea of an honor code

began with the Academic Integrity Council over five years ago in the hopes of

creating a set of student and faculty moral guidelines.

The council currently consists of a faculty representative from each college, a student from the undergraduate and graduate level in Student Government Association, faculty from the Dean of Students and current hearing and judicial officers on campus.

The purpose of the Academic Integrity Council is to promote morally correct academic behavior at UTPA, which led to the creation of The Bronc Honor Code.

The guidelines included in

the code are based on values and basic morals including preventing cheating, lying, plagiarizing and theft on campus, as well as advocating the idea of respect.

“I went to the University of Virginia where they have a very,

very strong honor code,” said Linda Matthews, chair of the management department and a member of the council. “It was a wonderful place to be, partially because of that honor code. Students were trusted to be good citizens and that trust meant they had a lot of freedom.”

One of the reasons Matthews chose to attend the University of Virginia for her undergraduate degree was because of its solid honor code, she said, adding she believes that if UTPA follows its new honor code, students will be more drawn to the campus.

Not only is it a moral guide

for students, but the BHC also includes guidelines and an honor statement for faculty and staff as well.

“You could probably walk around and say, ‘Oh yeah, we have good values. We don’t need an honor code to tell us that,’”

Matthews said. “But to have one kind of becomes an artifact, and that artifact symbolizes who we are as Broncs and that we’re all behind it and it unifies us.”

Many of the faculty and staff were inspired by their own undergraduate experience at a different university than UTPA and pulled their own personal experiences to incorporate into the plan, Matthews said.

Approved March 6 by University President Robert Nelsen and the UT System Board of Regents, the honor code will now be now promoted to new and returning students this semester.

“(It will) create and sustain a positive image inside and outside our campus, govern an ethical attitude towards teaching, learning, researching, serving and mobilizing in the fulfillment of our educational mission,” Vasquez said.

THE UNVEILING The big launch for the honor

code was at the mandatory Bronc Roundup, where over 3,000 incoming freshman visited the University before the first day of school to interact with one another and University officials.

Erica Lopez, a Dean of Students Office coordinator and chair of the launching committee for the BHC, believes that sharing it with

returning students will be more of a challenge than doing so with incoming freshman.

“We’re finding ways to weave the honor code into our campus so that it becomes part of our institution’s culture for returning students,” Lopez said. “We want them to know about it too.”

Lopez hopes that the BHC will help students with the transition from high school to college, as well as the one from adolescence to adulthood. She believes many UTPA students already have the honor code values instilled in them but now it’s just about promoting it.

“I believe the code was rooted with academic integrity in mind,” she said. “It helps students understand what it means to be a Bronc at our institution.”

The BHC will also be promoted during Welcome Week, the first week of school, during which students will see new honor code banners around campus and receive buttons attached to a sheet with a summarized version of the code.

“I’m really excited, more excited than I thought I would be (to unveil it),” Matthews said. “Nelsen repeated at the fall convocation, ‘It’s the right thing. It’s the right thing,’ and who would argue? Honesty. Integrity. Respect. It’s the right thing.”

By Daniella Diaz The Pan American

New Bronc Honor Code promotes academic integrity at University

Follow us online

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You could probably walk around and say, ‘Oh yeah, we have good values. We don’t need an honor code to tell us that.’ But to have one kind of becomes an artifact, and that artifact symbolizes who we are as Broncs.

- Linda Matthews Chair, Management Dept.

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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In 2008, President Bush approved the Merida Initiative, which aims to aid the Mexican government in fighting cartel violence and help build strong communities. Over the four years, the initiative has given $1.6 billion to the Mexican government, which includes funding helicopters, X-ray machines, law enforcement training and urban planning.

Last year, it came to light that a federal operation, called Fast and Furious, went awry when hundreds of semiautomatic weapons from the U.S. that were supposed to be tracked to the drug cartels went missing in Mexico.

Along with arms, the Caravan also posits that another contributing factor to the violence is the prevalence of drug use, especially marijuana, in the United States, which, they say the 41-year-old War on Drugs has done nothing to decrease.

According to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime 2012 report, the United States has the seventh most widespread use of cannibis, with 14.1 percent of 15- to 64-year-olds using. By comparison, only about 1 percent of the same population

uses in Mexico. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, there were about 1.3 million arrests for drug use or possession in 2009, the second most frequent cause of arrest that year, beaten only by driving under the influence.

‘¡PRESENTE!’ When the prayers and

speeches ended in Lincoln Park, the Caravan members marched 100 yards to the fence that separates Texas’ southmost city from Matamoros. Among them was Juan Carlos Herrera, who pointed to four faces on his poster when asked why he joined the Caravan.

“My brothers disappeared in 2008,” the Michoacan native said through an interpreter. “We would like you all to know that behind each weapon that is allowed into Mexico, consciously or unconsciously, that there are at least two deaths.”

As the Caravan members reached the border fence, they performed a macabre roll call, yelling the names of the deceased or referring to localities.

“¡La madre y el padre que nunca van a ver su hijo!” or “The parents that will never

see their child again!” yelled Daniel Gershenson at the wall. “¡Presente!” came the answer from the crowd, as they looked through the fence at man-high grass. “¡Tamaulipas!” cried Gershenson with all his might. “¡Presente!” came the answer with equal gusto.

Gershenson reaffirmed that the Caravan would like the United States to be open to a dialogue about the violence in Mexico, but realized it might be difficult in an election year.

He admitted the problem in his country was complicated, involving limited career or educational opportunities and a culture of corrupt government, and would definitely not change overnight.

“The (Mexican) government has essentially been captured and is rotting like gangrene. The cartels are growing in pace and unfortunately the police are allied with them,” he said. “But Mexico is not some country in the middle of nowhere where this is happening. We share a frontier with one of the world’s biggest powers and we want to start a conversation about solving our problems in a more civilized manner.”

Continued from page 1

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Vibrations traveled through the floor and pulsed through the bodies of the Steve Aoki concert attendees Aug. 19. Strobe lights danced from corner to corner of the Pharr Events Center, while DJs dropped their beats, causing the crowd to gyrate and swivel to electronic sounds emerging from the speakers.

Electronic Dance Music is an instrumental style consisting of distorted sounds, heavy bass, and digital music effects. It has recently surfaced in the Valley and taken it by storm, showing up at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Schlitterbahn Waterpark at South Padre Island, and the McAllen Convention Center in the last year.

Vallyites got their feet wet with their first major electro music event 18 months ago when event promoters Global Groove brought down the three-time winner of DJ Magazine’s No. 1 DJ award, Tiësto. Global Groove has taken care of the booking, planning, advertising and public relations for events nationwide. Paul Magee developed the company 17 years ago, working with artists such as Akon and Lil’ Wayne, but wanted to introduce the Valley to other music styles.

“One thing I know about the Rio Grande Valley is they don’t want mediocrity. So, in order for me to acknowledge and embrace the RGV with the best electronic artists and the best music, I knew that I had to bring in a name,”

Magee said of music artist Tiesto. “We’re sort of introducing, now, the Valley to art they’ve never known.”

Spin magazine stated in 2011 that American dance music has evolved into a “new rave generation.” EDM concerts originally started as underground rave parties, featuring heavy music and light shows. Magee explained that electro music has been around since the mid-1980s, but was a “late bloomer in the Valley.”

“Even though EDM has been going on for over 20 years, ‘raves’ have become more popular as of 2009 in the Valley,” 20-year-old

Palmview resident Damian Garza said. Although Vallyites had some catching up to do, many of them have developed a taste for the electronic effects.

“Every song has a meaning behind it and the story is told usually through lyrics,” Edinburg native and EDM enthusiast Justin Escamilla said. “Electronic music doesn’t. It tells the story through its melody and rhythm rather than using lyrics.”

While the music has become a hit with many Valley residents, evidenced by the fact that the Aoki show sold out about 3,000 tickets, there are people who don’t

find the styles of the DJ’s turntable appealing.

“It doesn’t make any sense. Some of them have bad words and the sound gives me headaches,” UTPA sophomore Ilse Infante said. “It’s just a bunch of noises put together.”

BAGGAGE ON BOARD The music is recognized for its

scratchy and distorted sound, but the scene itself is known for people being highly involved in illegal substances. Josh Mansito (DJ Jam) has been DJing for over two years, and explained that electro event crowds engage in more reveling

activity.“There is a very heavy usage of

drugs involved during the show for the hopes to heighten the effects of the show and ‘feel the music,’” the 19-year-old Texas State attendee said. “Personally, I’ve never done drugs, but I have seen many people on it during a show, mostly X (Ecstasy) or acid.”

Not all concert venues require police searches. As long as someone has a ticket, access is granted. Pharr Events Center security guard Justin Rodriguez explained that security doesn’t search event attendees.

“We don’t know if someone has weed or other drugs on them. There is no way of knowing if they are already on something,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of these kids are usually on Ecstasy. You can tell because they’re tripping out.”

People became reticent when asked about the usage of illegal drugs at raves and other EDM events, but an anonymous source from Palmview was willing to divulge his personal experiences with Ecstasy.

“Your body just tingles. It gives you a lot of energy, and you get dehydrated. You start sweating like crazy, and you go on a trip with the lights as they flare out,” the 20-year-old source explained. “You enjoy the music a lot more. It literally helps you feel the music. You can feel every beat, every bass line, and every sync-chord. It enhances your senses, especially your touch.”

Some other symptoms of Ecstasy use, according to the source, include loss of appetite,

hunger, grinding of the teeth and not being able to fall asleep.

As organizers of the Steve Aoki concert, Global Groove had police officers from the K-9 unit walking around with dogs to ensure no illegal substances were being shared.

“Obviously, I don’t condone drugs. I’m a big advocate of people coming to electronic concerts for the music and the experience,” Magee said. “We do everything in our power to make sure that it’s a safe environment. Unfortunately we’re in a world where people do it beforehand, but we have zero tolerance for that kind of thing.”

DEEPER MEANING To many people, it’s more than

just a fast track to their next trip. Electronic music is as much a part of their lives as oxygen.

“It’s not just noise to anyone that enjoys listening to it. It’s art, just like any other form of music. It’s more of an abstract art rather than traditional form,” Mansito said. “It has heavy drops and melodies that make people want to move--to dance.”

Local musician Freddy Perez Jr. (DJ Kinder) commented that he attends these events to enjoy the music and company of his friends. The vibes the music gives off grant people the energy to just move.

“EDM events have evolved in the Valley, and I could sit and criticize or I could attend for what really matters -- the music,” Perez said.

Brisa Ariel Muñoz sat with a group of incarcerated men from Garner Correctional Institution in Connecticut. They assembled in a circle wearing orange jumpsuits, men branded with scars and tattoos. As a female entering an all-male prison, Muñoz, 23, felt intimidated knowing she would be working with inmates, some of whom were sentenced to life.

Guards stood watch nearby as the men talked with each other in the prison library, sharing stories and doing their best to find fulfillment in the fact that they were in prison. Even though she was nervous, the Edinburg native was there to help.

LEARNING THE ROPESAs part of the applied

theater master’s program at City University in Manhattan, Muñoz works with different groups of people, helping them use theater to tell their stories through courses like playbuilding and group theatre.

“It’s not always necessarily putting on a show,” Muñoz explained. “But it always begins with dialogue and talking about who we are in this room, what kind of stories we have, and asking them if they want theater to be the outlet through which they would like these stories to be told.”

In applied theater class, Muñoz studies the creation of theater from voices in a group or community, providing an artistic backdrop to the stories of everyday people.

“In some ways, it is therapeutic in a sense to be able to create an environment where people can discuss and people can engage in dialogue and not feel judged for it, but just learn from it,” the Edinburg High graduate said.

Aside from being a full-time student and holding three jobs in New York, Muñoz is also executive director of local company Thirteen O’ Clock Theater, a group that has recently put on the productions Macbeth and Zoot Suit. Currently, she and Co-facilitator Sara Sawicki are working on a Rio Grande Valley arts program called Devise and Conquer, a program where artists have an opportunity to formulate their own pieces of theater through collaboration with other participants, much like her work in applied theater.

“My personal beliefs are

that devising (theater) can be a way in which community is strengthened through collaboration and through allowing people’s voices to be heard in like an active, positive way,” Muñoz said. “It’s about building each other up and finding what was successful in the pieces.”

Since 2009, Munoz has devoted her time off from school to working with the volunteer-based theater company. Each summer she joins forces with company manager and brother Francisco Muñoz and artistic director Alex Tey to help put on performances with people from the Valley.

“I think that what’s important about the Rio Grande Valley is that there are very talented artists down here, but there are not enough outlets for them,” she explained. “So, that’s what Thirteen O’ Clock wanted to be, like this safe haven for artists that just want to continue getting the opportunity to create.”

As the daughter of famous UTPA choreographers Francisco and Mary Muñoz, Brisa has grown up in the theater. Hoping

eventually to create original productions based on the community’s interests, Muñoz wants to marry her knowledge in applied theater to work with Thirteen O’ Clock.

“We really strive to find out from people what’s lacking or what can be improved upon,” she explained. “So that it can be a home to feel safe in and learn in, and not be judged for taking theater seriously.”

She believes that through the style of production in applied theater, a community can be strengthened. Should it continue to spread, it could impact the

Valley in a positive manner.BACK AT WORK

Muñoz conversed with the gentlemen of the correctional facility, listening to their stories and showing the inmates that theater was a way in which they could be told.

“You’re able to touch all different communities and have them recognize and see how theater can be a great medium to solve problems and to engage in dialogue and to work together to create something that you can call your own, that the community can call their own,” Muñoz said.

Adrian Castillo/The Pan American

Ruben Gutierrez/The Pan American

6 August 27, 2012

By Lea Victoria Juarez and Akza Rios The Pan American

By Lea Victoria Juarez The Pan American

arts & life

The crowd waits as other DJs play during the opening of the Steve Aoki concert.

Electronic revolution

‘Theater for social justice’Edinburg native uses medium to

strengthen communities

A look at the Valley’s different music scene

Brisa MuñozTheater Activist

August 27, 2012 7

‘They’ve got a lot of talent’

“Our cross-country men’s team came second last year, and the women’s team came third, so we are expecting them

“I wouldn’t be shocked if (women’s cross country) wins. They’ve got a lot of talent.”

-King

“We have a new coach for the men’s golf team, Josh Fosdick, who worked before in Oklahoma State University. For the first time since the 2006-2007 season we separate men’s and women’s golf. It brings new possibilities and improvement to the program.”

-King

We interviewed Athletic Director Chris King about the upcoming fall season. He

shared his expectations for all of the UTPA sports teams, especially for new recruits.

By Dana NazarovaThe Pan American

g o l f

4 tournaments

4 new players

• Chicago State University• Oral Roberts University• Sam Houston State University• Great West Conference

1 new coach• Josh Fosdick, Men’s Tennis Coach.

cross-country and track & field

1 tournament

12 new players

1 new head coach

• Great West Conference

Hurdlers: • Geneva Anderson• Dijan Johnson• Stephanie Vasquez

Sprinters: • Brianne Davis• Dwain Spears

Middle Distance Runners:• Joshua Rosalez• Raymond Flowers• Ramon Neilly

Throwers:• Megan Shaw• Klarissa Ann Gonzalez

High/Long Jumpers:• Amy Avila• Jasmine Brooks

• Xavier Richardson

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“It is a second season for coach Yale for UTPA Broncs. He recruited a lot of new talented players. We are looking forward to the new year. Our volleyball team is very young and getting a lot of momentum. We are pretty excited about this year.”

-King

v o l l e y b a l l

First home match Aug. 28 vs. Texas A&M

Corpus Christi

9 home matches

5 tournaments

4 new players

• UTA Hilton invitational• Texas Tech invitational• 2012 Southeastern Lion classic • Spartan Invitational• Great West Conference

• Nycole Masaki• Haley Durham• Kasey Sanchez • Jessica Martinez

Visit panamericanonline.com/category/sports

Head Coach Paul Goode is looking forward to working with new freshmen. According to Goode, the overall work and attitude in the team will be better than last year. The team will start training in two

3 tournaments

4 new players

• Baylor invitational• UTSA invitational• Texas Regional

w o m e n ’ s t e n n i s

m e n ’ s t e n n i s

5 tournaments• UTA Hilton invitational• Texas Tech invitational• Southeastern Lion classic • Spartan Invitational• Great West Conference

6 new players

• Felix Hasselberg• Alejandro Sanoja• Joseph Bishop •Thomas-Orestis Panoulas

• Lucie Chrastecka • Didi Fatchikova • Reegan Greenwood • Anastasia Burobina • Saskia Hamaekers • Manon Lavrijssen

Women’s Coach Stephanie Vallejos hopes to use the fall season to prepare for the spring season, playing five tournaments this fall, which is one more than last year. “We have such a new team. During fall tournaments, I am really looking at different doubles teams for spring, and overall level of competitiveness,” she said.

“In tennis we have lots of freshmen and returning seniors. For tennis, fall season is

more preparation for spring.” -King

to continue their strong appearance in the Great West Conference. We have got a really strong cross country men’s team, very young.”

-King

Karla Garza, Sr.Kasey Sanchez, Fr.

Chetan Panditi, Jr.

the pan american August 27, 2012

august 27, 2012

Documents

g g r e s s

s u g g e s t s

members of caravan

surviving family members

senior sicilia

mexican poet javier

e strategy

mexican authorities