february 7, 2008
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volume64number18TRANSCRIPT
For the first time in seven years,
members of the University of Texas
System Board of Regents are on campus
at The University of Texas-Pan American.
The board’s original visit date was
August 2007 but the trip was postponed
because of the threat Hurricane Dean
posted to the Texas coast. The group
consists of nine members that are
appointed by the governor and accepted
by the Texas senate to be the governing
body of the nine-branch UT System.
During the visit, which ends today,
they will attend committee and general
board meetings regarding various
changes the campus has undergone, such
as the growth in population, new facili-
ties and growing staff. One of the more
significant issues that may soon affect
some students is UTPA’s request for
approval from the board on plans to
expand degree-planning authority.
Currently, the university has three
doctoral programs - international busi-
ness, education and a cooperative phar-
macy program with UT Austin - but
hopes the board will approve ones in
applied and computational mathematics,
plus engineering science.
Carol Rausch, assistant to
President Blandina Cardenas, said that
the board will consider approval for
The decision seems to increase in
importance and difficulty with each
passing day, but eventually, every voter
will have to choose who they want as the
new president.
Super Tuesday was essentially no
help in making that decision. Delegate
allotments remain close, at least on the
Democratic side, as Sen. Hillary Clinton
leads with 845 delegates and Sen.
Barack Obama retains 765.
On the Republican ground, the race
is less competitive. Sen. John McCain
has 613 delegates, while former gover-
nors Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee
hold 269 and 190, respectively.
When the average voter tries to sort
out their choice, it can be daunting; polls
indicate that the number of undecided
voters has reached a record level.
However, a bevy of quizzes on the
Internet, from sources such as the
Washington Post and CNN, claim they
can help a person find the candidate who
best reflects their views.
So, The Pan American tested the
effectiveness of one reputable quiz on
seven students, chosen at random, who
had already made their selection for
president. The quiz asks questions about
major issues like abortion, Iraq, the
economy, and immigration, and at the
end spits out the name of the candidate
the survey respondent should vote for.
But if the results are any indication,
those who have their mind made up may
be just as confused as those who admit
to being undecided.
ON THE ISSUESOf the seven students surveyed,
three found that their prior views did not
align with their first choice candidate
from the survey. Three others discovered
their views were matched up evenly
between two candidates, and only one
found that his views were on par with his
original pre-survey candidate.
Cassie Solis, a freshman nursing
major, originally supported Democratic
candidate Clinton. The quiz, however,
found her views best corresponded with
Republican Mike Huckabee, a stark con-
trast. The news came as a surprise to Solis.
“When I did hear them speak — I
heard them speak a couple of times — I
didn’t see myself agreeing with him,” she
said. “I agreed with a few things, but I
wasn’t supporting him like I was Hillary.”
Solis, who said she is not commit-
ted to either party, said the quiz made her
want to look into Huckabee a little more
than before.
“After I saw that, I definitely want-
ed to [research him more],” she admitted.
In fact, Solis’ view on her most
important issue, which she declared to
be the Iraq War in a brief survey given to
her before the quiz, didn’t align with
Clinton’s at all.
At first, she said her support of
By J.R. ORTEGAThe Pan American
See Page 16
Chapter comes to closefor Ryan Buck
SPORTS
Students commemorateAsh Wednesday
Migrant struggles inspireRGV filmmakers
See Page 8 & 9
See Page 3
A&E
NEWS
59th YearNo. 18
ThursdayFeb. 7, 2008
TH
IS W
EE
K � CAMPUS
See REGENTS page 11
University hosts Regents meetingBoard to evaluateproposed newdoctoral programs
� NATION
By SANDRA GONZALEZThe Pan American
See CANDIDATES page 11
Students take quiz on candidates views,their own with mixed results
Nick Dodd/The Pan American
VOTERS - (Clockwise from top left) StudentsMichael Brousard, Cassie Solis, George Lima,Melinda Gutierrez, Jennifer Pena, Jamie Ramirezand Orlando Campa (not pictured) took a quiz todetermine if their views were similar to those of theirtop presidential candidate.
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER
� “The best students arealways tempted to go out andget the big bucks.”
-Edwin Lemasterdean of College of Science and
Engineering
THE PAN AMERICANPage 2
1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539Phone: (956) 381-2541
Fax: (956) 316-7122www.utpa.edu/dept/panamerican
THE
PANAMERICAN
FEBRUARY 7, 2008
The Pan American is the official student newspaperof The University of Texas-Pan American. Viewspresented are those of the writers and do notnecessarily reflect those of the paper or university.
Editor-in-ChiefSandra Gonzalez.................................................
News EditorVeronica Gonzalez......................................
A&E EditorJeanette [email protected]
Sports Co-EditorsGreg [email protected] [email protected]
Photography EditorNicholas Dodd..................................................
Design EditorRoy [email protected]
Assistant News EditorAbigail [email protected]
DesignersRick GamezJuan Torres
Reporters and PhotographersBobby CervantesLeslie EstradaOnydia GarzaLaura GarciaJ.R. OrtegaRussen Vela
The Pan American accepts letters of 300words or less from students, staff and facultyregarding recent newspaper content, campusconcerns or current events. The Pan Americanreserves the right to edit submissions for grammarand length. The Pan American cannot publishanonymous letters or submissions containing hatespeech or gratuitous personal attacks. Please send allstory ideas to [email protected].
Individuals with disabilities wishing toacquire this publication in an alternative format orneeding assistance to attend any event listed cancontact The Pan American for more details.
AdviserDr. Greg [email protected]
SecretaryAnita [email protected]
Advertising ManagerSamantha [email protected]
Assitant Advertising ManagerJacqueline Iglesias...................................
**Delivery**Thursday at noon
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
SavethesedatesFebruary
� A GREGISH MIND
or awhile now, I have seen shirts
with the logo “Major League
Gaming” plastered on the front. Seeing
this, I thought it was merely making fun
of the other professional sports. Yet as I
have found out, it is not so. The Major
League of Gaming does actually exist
and ESPN actually follows its stories.
Now, I have been playing games
for a long time. I can even remember
getting my first Nintendo, the old-school
one, on Christmas Day, and even
remember what the tag said on it. Yet, I
must have missed the point when gam-
ing went past the point of mere fun to
being a sport, something for ESPN to
cover. And let’s face it, ESPN is the go-
to network for all things sports.
The problem with video games
being considered a sport is that for the
most part there is no real physical activ-
ity involved. Sure, there is the Wii,
where some people get really into the
game where they throw their arm around
like a limp noodle, and let’s not forget
the sensation that was Dance Dance
Revolution, or so-called DDR. With
DDR, you would see people go to
arcades with a duffle bag full of towels
and water bottles, as if they were going
to spend the day at the gym. Yet, here
they walk; right into the arcade and start
cutting loose on the dance floor of this
little arcade system.
Examples like these are the
exception. OK, DDR is supposed to
make you dance and move, but as for
the Wii, it can be played with simple
movements of the wrist. If you get all
into it and immerse yourself into the
game, good for you. But it’s more of a
workout of the imagination than the
physical self. Games like these aren’t
meant to be used as a substitute for
physical activity, and if you feel like
you get a workout just by flailing your
arms around, I think its time to put
down the cheeseburger and actually go
outside and see the light of day.
What’s even worse about the sport
of gaming is the gaming of sports. Sports
games have been around for a long time,
and with the new technologies, they are
only getting better. I see something
wrong with the over-dramatization,
though. Sure, they are fun to play every
now and then, doing a little one-on-one
with some friends, but now there are
tournaments, and championships for
how well you can electronically throw
the perfect touchdown. What ever hap-
pened to the days where people actually
played the real sport for fun and not just
on television?
Sometimes, a game is just a game,
nothing more. Not a sport, or a way to
teach little kids to kill, just a game for
people of a mature mind. If you want to
play a sport, put down that controller and
pick up that pigskin and throw a few
with some friends. You will get more out
of it than just pushing buttons.
FBY: GREGORIO GARZA
OPINIONFebruary 7, 2008
Fellow Gamers: get out and move
99Center Stage Karaoke andMovie at the Border
Theater in Mission, $10admission
88Kite Flying Day, 11 a.m. to1 p.m. at Student Union
East Patio/Quad
Newsinbrief
1010
Ballet Folklorico ALE-GRIA performs at 2 p.m.
in the Fine ArtsAuditorium.
Edinburg’s Rotary Club will host
its sixth annual Cajunfest on Feb. 9 at
the Echo Hotel and Conference Center
in Edinburg. Proceeds from the event
will help fund various humanitarian
projects that the Rotary Clubs of the
Valley support. Such projects include
feeding the hungry Valley-wide and
vaccinating children against polio
worldwide.
The gala will feature an all-you-
can-eat dinner comprised of Cajun cui-
sine, dancing and fund-raising auctions.
The RiverRock band will provide the
entertainment for the night. Tickets for
the event are $100 per person. For more
registration information about the event,
visit edinburgcajunfest.org.
� CAJUNFEST
Britney knows how to ‘drive you crazy’
ttempting to fulfill my need for
that sweet, sweet gossip in
Hollywood world, I tune into my
favorite celebrity-gossip show, TMZ on
the CW whenever I have the time to
spare. While I love to waste my time on
mindless celebrity news like where
TomKat is heading to every day or how
pissed or bored Lindsay Lohan is as
she’s being followed by the annoying
paparazzi, there’s always one celebrity
that makes news almost by the second—
Ms. “Oops I did it Again,” Britney
Spears.
Lately all that’s been plaguing my
need and want for gossip is Spears and
the never-ending drama theater that’s
been put on by her ongoing circus act.
The woman is clearly, CLEARLY, not in
a stable mental condition and the media,
as well as anybody around her, love to
exploit this mess of a songstress.
From the moment Spears married
K-Fed to the two pregnancies and then
through divorce filings, Spears has
become Hollywood’s infamous icon for
disaster. While she was praised before
for her transformation from cute, girly
pop icon to sexy, scandalous mature
woman, all current news - make that
news about her for the past year - has
been about how much the woman has
gone downhill and back to her trailer
trash roots.
Just last week Spears had another
episode where she had to be forcefully
admitted into the UCLA Medical
Institution after being unable to handle
the stress of the custody battle between
she, her parents and former husband,
Federline.
More unflattering, humiliating
images of Spears bawling her eyes out
and looking like a mad, desperate
woman who has lost everything she
holds dear reached the airwaves and the
Internet in a matter of minutes.
As if her breakdown weren’t psy-
chotic enough, her involvement with
paparazzo Adnan Ghalib has made her
appear even more of a wreck. Ghalib’s
interview for Entertainment Tonight
only further proved the media’s obses-
sion with making money off Spears with
disregard for her mental state. The mys-
terious appearance of so-called ‘friend’
Sam Lufti has been puzzling the media
and causing quite the stir among Spears
newswatchers.
It’s been ‘Britney this, Britney that’
for so long that I think I’m having to
reconsider one of my favorite pastimes.
*Gasp* My cravings for gossip have
been curbed thanks to the lovely Spears
and her fiasco. I guess a gossip-diet will
have to do for Lent.BY: JEANETTE PEREZ
A
� PONDERINGS
� Think gamers have moregame than I give them creditfor? Tell me:[email protected]
� Has Britney reached your
last nerve? Let me know:
weblogs.sun-sentinel.com
NEWSPage 4 February 7, 2008
� SEEN AND CAPTURED
Sandra Gonzalez/The Pan American
COMPETITION - (Top) On Saturday about 7,000 runners/walkers stopped traffic at the intersection of Freddy Gonzalez andClosner as they competed in Edinburgʼs 26th annual All-America City 10k run/walk. (Right) A group of Edcouch-ElsaYellowjackets run down Freddy Gonzalez Drive representing their school in Saturdayʼs 10k run/walk. The event is held oncea year and is open to all Valley residents and numerous Valley schools and organizations. This yearʼs female record was bro-ken by Genoveva Jelagat Kiggen who finished the run in just over 33 minutes winning her $2,500.
J.R. Ortega/The Pan American
NEWSFebruary 7, 2008 Page 5
NEWSPage 6 February 7, 2008
Borderline: Drawing Border Lives
is a collection of 25 portraits and poems
that depict life along the U.S. and
Mexico border. Stephen Schneider, a
UTPA English professor, along with his
wife Reefka, began this project a few
years ago, not knowing the impact it
would have not only in the Valley but
across the country.
“The project evolved over a num-
ber of years and began with my wife’s
drawing of a street vendor in Nuevo
Progreso,” Schneider recalled.
The project has come a long way
from the first portrait. Not only is there
poetry written for each painting, but it is
translated into Spanish. The couple has
also developed workshops to assist
teachers in using the artwork to expand
student knowledge about through the
combination of the two forms.
Schneider says the pieces were cre-
ated in hopes of fostering cross-cultural
understanding of people that live on both
sides of the Rio Grande. Each portrait-
and-poem duo displays people of
Mexico and their lives, focusing on
things that should resonate with many
Valley residents.
The couple was featured in the
UTPA “Outstanding Leadership Dinner”
in 2006 alongside Chilean author, Isabel
Allende. The feedback they received
after the dinner led Schneider to believe
that locals relate to the work because of
the familiarity of its themes. He also
says the people in the artwork are uni-
versal archetypes; he hopes that the pub-
lic can relate to their experiences.
In April, the public will be able to
see the exhibit at Northwest Vista
College in San Antonio as a part of
Fiesta San Antonio. The piece Mass of
the Disappeared from the exhibit is
already published in a book, Writing
Toward Hope, edited by Agosin
Marjorie. Soon three other pieces,
Garlic Man, Six Year Old Street Vendor,
and Beggar and Child will be published
&RTS EA NTERTAINMENT� LITERATURE & PHOTOS
THE PAN AMERICANFebruary 7, 2008 Page 7
Afterhours series provides musical outlet
The cool wind and the sounds of
cars rushing by played out like an elec-
tronic dream. As one passed by the
Archer Park Grandstand in McAllen,
decorated with various colors of Chinese
lanterns, the mood in the air at the Music
Afterhours concert was almost reminis-
cent of a Wong Kar Wai movie, where
anything is possible. Wong Kar Wai,
China’s Steven Spielberg and Stanley
Kubric, brings music, passion, and visu-
al style to his films. His films transport
the audience into an electro pop world
filled with tears, bright lights, and
astounding music.
Annabell Cortina, the director of
special events and media for the McAllen
Chamber of Commerce, was quite ecstat-
ic about hosting the monthly series.
“This is the first year for Music
Afterhours,” said Cortina. “It began in
October 2007, and we will take a break
during the summer heat and will resume
in the fall.”
Cortina, a Harlingen native, said
the whole idea behind the concert series
developed as a result of the area’s
growing creative arts community.
“Due to the increasing interest and
talent of the arts, the City of McAllen
proposed an idea to the Chamber to
host a music series in order to support
the Art Walk as well as draw crowds to
the new Convention Center area,”
explained Cortina.
The sponsors of Art Walk, which
takes place on the first Friday of every
month, asked the Chamber to host the
concert at Archer Park so people can
either begin or end their Art Walk with
the music.
At Music Afterhours, which hap-
pens the third Friday of each month,
Valley bands as well as new bands have
a chance to showcase their talent.
That show is held at the new
McAllen Convention Center outdoor
Bandstand. Because that area is fairly
new, the Chamber held concerts there in
order to help draw the crowds and pro-
mote the new businesses and restaurants.
The city also provided the Chamber a
budget in order to help fund the project.
Archer Park is where the first concert of
the series began. The other concerts,
which happen on the third Friday of each
month, will continue at the new
McAllen Convention Center.
The concerts are intended to intro-
duce the community to talent found in
the Rio Grande Valley, and to give local
bands exposure and support.
Pat L. Garcia, a McAllen resident
who attended the concert, was moved to
tears during Veneer’s ambient acoustic
music, which consists of an electric gui-
tar being strummed by a violin bow
which features both electronic and clas-
sical music sounds.
“I liked the way he played the elec-
tric guitar with a violin bow,” said
Garcia. “It gave me tingles.”
After her first visit to the event,
Garcia said she was very pleased with
its performers.
“Once people start to get here, the
vibe will be awesome, I am enjoying
myself so much,” she exclaimed.
MAIN PURPOSEIt is important to have events like
this in the Valley, according to Cortina,
because it provides more social options
for the community and, most important-
ly, supports home-grown talent.
“Our city and area is growing so
quickly and our artists need the support
of the community to survive and our
community needs art to survive as
well,” she said. “Art and culture are
what draw people from around the
country to an area or city. McAllen is a
city filled with art and culture and we
want to show it off.”
The concert series promotes inter-
est in all ages and provides different
types of music for varying tastes.
“We host a variety of bands rang-
ing from blues, jazz, ambient rock,
acoustical acts, indie rock, and Latin
rock. We will even have some opera a
couple of times in the spring,” Cortina
said. “The number of people varies
because of the different styles of music
at each show, but we usually average
about 150 to 200 people.”
Jessica Stich, a senior at Memorial
High School in McAllen, attended the
event with a group of friends and was
pleased with the outcome.
“I really liked the ambient acoustic
music from Veneer, it just sounded like I
was in another world, like a Sofia
Coppola world,” she commented.
Beginning in the 1980s, ambient
music - electric music which combines
classical and electro pop into the scor-
ing of the music, envelops the listener
without drawing significant attention to
itself - influenced pop bands such as
New Order, Depeche Mode, Simple
Minds and U2. Stich noted that “ambi-
ent music is so relaxing, and takes you
on an emotional journey.”
Music, said Cortina, is very impor-
tant to the community. It brings all social
circles and generations together and pro-
vides an outlet to young musicians.
“The music scene is definitely
growing and we are excited to be a part
of it,” said Cortina.
The McAllen Chamber is involved
in several of the avenues that provide
music to the community. Besides Music
Afterhours, South of the City Limits
takes place at Cine El Rey, concerts are
usually held at the McAllen Chamber
Creative Incubator, and the McAllen Art
& Film Festival will be held in October.
� MUSIC SCENE
By RUSSEN VELAThe Pan American
AMBIENCE - Art Hurtadoʼs solo proj-ect, Veneer, got the attention of thecrowd with his unique take on the elec-tric guitar and violin bow.
By ANDRIELLE FIGUEROAThe Pan American
Nydia Gutierrez
Englishprofessorexaminesborders,culture
See BORDER page 10ROCK AND BLUES - The Ram Danesse Trio of Weslaco was one of three bands who performed at the Music AfterhoursConcert series at Archer Park in McAllen Feb. 1.
Armo Herbertz
t’s long been a clichéd phrase or state of mindto seek revenge when something doesn’t go
your way. In most cases, especially the films of today,characters capture the simplicity of indulging inanger and seeking revenge rather than taking amoment to stop, think, and let go.
But in his first feature film, Harvest ofRedemption, Rio Grande Valley-born filmmakerJavier Chapa examines relationships and strugglesbetween cultures, and what it really means to lookpast resentment and learn to forgive.
The movie, based on a true story in South Texas,portrays the life of migrant farm workers in three dif-ferent eras: 1920, 1940 and 1985, telling a vivid storythrough an unlikely source — an insurance adjuster.
“Eddie Howell originated the story. His son, EddieHowell Jr., went to my parents’ home in Mission toprovide them with an insurance quote and some timein the conversation - he knew that I was a producer -told his father’s story and asked [my parents] if Iwould be interested,” said Laura Perez, co-producerand long time friend of Chapa’s. “He told me this storythat happened to his family and I was really touchedby it. I immediately knew that after hearing it, it wassomething that needed to be made into a film.”
While the story was there, the foundation for afilm was missing.
“We kept in contact but at the time I wasn’t surehow to go about it because he didn’t have a script. Hehad written notes and a story format of a storyboard,” explained Perez, a lawyer and producer. “Icontacted Javier and said, ‘Well, I have this story,but there’s no script, no money.’ He flew out fromL.A., we got together and decided, ‘Let’s do this.’”
Although Perez and Chapa had come to an
agreement of giving life to the story through filmproduction, Los Angeles would not be the place tosupply them with what they needed.
“We needed a really strong support group so wewent to Rio Grande City where the mayor was gra-cious enough to basically open his town to us,” saidChapa, originally from San Manuel, north ofEdinburg. “I try to do as many movies as I can inTexas because of the support structure. It’s moreabout the money in L.A., but down there people aremore open to helping and getting involved to get youwhat you need. The Valley embraced our film andembraced us.”
Perez, originally from Mission, also found her-self missing the Valley’s familiarity.
“After working in L.A., I’d have to say there’s atotally different vibe in Texas. It’s definitely a com-munity, there’s like a family ambience,” she said.
THE MOVIE DEVELOPSThe Valley’s embrace of Chapa’s and Perez’s
film allowed for the movie’s centralized theme toaccurately portray the original story’s theme, theability to forgive despite the obstacles.
“The movie is really about forgiveness, but it’s astory of a decision that a young Latino man makes to goback and avenge his father’s death and how that deci-sion pretty much affects the rest of his life,” said Chapa,who studied law at Saint Mary’s in San Antonio.
Forgiveness, said Chapa and Perez, is somethingeveryone talks about.
“[There’s] a lot of people who preach about for-giveness but don’t really know how to forgive them -selves. Forgiveness is something involved in everythingwe do,” said Perez, who owns a production company inLos Angeles. “We’re all battling the same demons.We’re all human and forgiveness is a thing that’s uni-versal, no matter where we come from.”
While the film portrays Latinos, its producershave made it clear that the message should be uni-versally applied.
“Yes, it’s about the struggle of migrant farm work-ers and Latinos, but it’s also interracial dealing withinner struggles. It’s a very important part of our cul-ture. I wanted to show people the other difficultiesLatinos have faced through out history,” said Chapa,whose first film was a short story, Happy Hour.
“It’s about people and the human condition,”said Chapa. “The moment-to-moment realities.”
Perez finds that people from diverse back-grounds can all take something from the movie.
“Our universe is so cross-cultural and a lot ofpeople think this is a Latino film but it’s not,” saidPerez. “I’ve had so many friends from different eth-nicities watch this film and relate to it.”
Chapa also sees the product as a vehicle to showlove for the community he has left behind, as well asa way to open minds of those outside the Valley.
“That’s my culture, it’s my people. The Latinomarket is underrepresented in Hollywood,” saidChapa. “To go back into Texas where I grew up andtell a beautiful story there is a great experience. It’sa beautiful thing to be able to tell this story onscreen.”
Not only do Perez and Chapa hope to spread themessage of redemption instead of resentment, thefilm is their way of giving back.
They said that $3 from each DVD sold will begiven to a charity like The Migrant FarmworkersMinistry or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
“This isn’t about getting famous, it’s about sell-ing the movie so that we can get enough money togive back to the community,” said Perez. “It’s reallyabout helping each other.”
For more information on the film or to purchasethe DVD, visit www.harvestofredemption.com.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPage 8 February 7, 2008
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTFebruary 7, 2008 Page 9
Rio Grande film captures strugglesof Latinos and interracial issues
By JEANETTE PEREZThe Pan American
I
t’s long been a clichéd phrase or state of mindto seek revenge when something doesn’t go
your way. In most cases, especially the films of today,characters capture the simplicity of indulging inanger and seeking revenge rather than taking amoment to stop, think, and let go.
But in his first feature film, Harvest ofRedemption, Rio Grande Valley-born filmmakerJavier Chapa examines relationships and strugglesbetween cultures, and what it really means to lookpast resentment and learn to forgive.
The movie, based on a true story in South Texas,portrays the life of migrant farm workers in three dif-ferent eras: 1920, 1940 and 1985, telling a vivid storythrough an unlikely source — an insurance adjuster.
“Eddie Howell originated the story. His son, EddieHowell Jr., went to my parents’ home in Mission toprovide them with an insurance quote and some timein the conversation - he knew that I was a producer -told his father’s story and asked [my parents] if Iwould be interested,” said Laura Perez, co-producerand long time friend of Chapa’s. “He told me this storythat happened to his family and I was really touchedby it. I immediately knew that after hearing it, it wassomething that needed to be made into a film.”
While the story was there, the foundation for afilm was missing.
“We kept in contact but at the time I wasn’t surehow to go about it because he didn’t have a script. Hehad written notes and a story format of a storyboard,” explained Perez, a lawyer and producer. “Icontacted Javier and said, ‘Well, I have this story,but there’s no script, no money.’ He flew out fromL.A., we got together and decided, ‘Let’s do this.’”
Although Perez and Chapa had come to an
agreement of giving life to the story through filmproduction, Los Angeles would not be the place tosupply them with what they needed.
“We needed a really strong support group so wewent to Rio Grande City where the mayor was gra-cious enough to basically open his town to us,” saidChapa, originally from San Manuel, north ofEdinburg. “I try to do as many movies as I can inTexas because of the support structure. It’s moreabout the money in L.A., but down there people aremore open to helping and getting involved to get youwhat you need. The Valley embraced our film andembraced us.”
Perez, originally from Mission, also found her-self missing the Valley’s familiarity.
“After working in L.A., I’d have to say there’s atotally different vibe in Texas. It’s definitely a com-munity, there’s like a family ambience,” she said.
THE MOVIE DEVELOPSThe Valley’s embrace of Chapa’s and Perez’s
film allowed for the movie’s centralized theme toaccurately portray the original story’s theme, theability to forgive despite the obstacles.
“The movie is really about forgiveness, but it’s astory of a decision that a young Latino man makes to goback and avenge his father’s death and how that deci-sion pretty much affects the rest of his life,” said Chapa,who studied law at Saint Mary’s in San Antonio.
Forgiveness, said Chapa and Perez, is somethingeveryone talks about.
“[There’s] a lot of people who preach about for-giveness but don’t really know how to forgive them -selves. Forgiveness is something involved in everythingwe do,” said Perez, who owns a production company inLos Angeles. “We’re all battling the same demons.We’re all human and forgiveness is a thing that’s uni-versal, no matter where we come from.”
While the film portrays Latinos, its producershave made it clear that the message should be uni-versally applied.
“Yes, it’s about the struggle of migrant farm work-ers and Latinos, but it’s also interracial dealing withinner struggles. It’s a very important part of our cul-ture. I wanted to show people the other difficultiesLatinos have faced through out history,” said Chapa,whose first film was a short story, Happy Hour.
“It’s about people and the human condition,”said Chapa. “The moment-to-moment realities.”
Perez finds that people from diverse back-grounds can all take something from the movie.
“Our universe is so cross-cultural and a lot ofpeople think this is a Latino film but it’s not,” saidPerez. “I’ve had so many friends from different eth-nicities watch this film and relate to it.”
Chapa also sees the product as a vehicle to showlove for the community he has left behind, as well asa way to open minds of those outside the Valley.
“That’s my culture, it’s my people. The Latinomarket is underrepresented in Hollywood,” saidChapa. “To go back into Texas where I grew up andtell a beautiful story there is a great experience. It’sa beautiful thing to be able to tell this story onscreen.”
Not only do Perez and Chapa hope to spread themessage of redemption instead of resentment, thefilm is their way of giving back.
They said that $3 from each DVD sold will begiven to a charity like The Migrant FarmworkersMinistry or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
“This isn’t about getting famous, it’s about sell-ing the movie so that we can get enough money togive back to the community,” said Perez. “It’s reallyabout helping each other.”
For more information on the film or to purchasethe DVD, visit www.harvestofredemption.com.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPage 8 February 7, 2008
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTFebruary 7, 2008 Page 9
Rio Grande film captures strugglesof Latinos and interracial issues
By JEANETTE PEREZThe Pan American
I
fter a break that seemed to go on
forever, J.J. Abrams’ hit series Lost
has made its way back to ABC’s lineup
for another intense season.
With last season’s final episode
bringing forth more questions than
answers, Lost continues on its journey
to shock and stump its viewers. The
show continues where it left off, with
flashes of the future. Jack (Matthew
Fox) still believes the people communi-
cating with them through radio are com-
ing to save them; Locke (Terry
O’Quinn) and Hurley (Jorge Garcia)
believe these so-called rescuers are
coming for something else.
Lost examines the unknown mys-
teries hidden on the island, plus what lies
within each character and their fate. Get
lost with the survivors of Oceanic Flight
815 as they search for a way off the
island during its new date and time,
Thursdays at 7 p.m. on ABC.
If there was ever a director who
could shock the hell out of someone, it is
Paul Thomas Anderson. The poetic wiz-
ard behind such epics such as the 1997
Oscar-nominated Boogie Nights, and the
crazy ‘what the bleep was that all
about?’ Magnolia starring Tom Cruise.
Fans and audiences can be assured
that Anderson’s newest and most
provocative film There Will Be Blood,
will be remembered for its dynamic per-
formances from Oscar winner Daniel
Day Lewis (Gangs of New York) and
Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine) and the
brilliant beyond-this-world script loose-
ly adapted from the 1927 novel Oil! by
Upton Sinclair.
The film examines the life of
Daniel Plainview (Lewis), a fictional oil
pioneer who transforms himself from a
lowly silver miner to a powerful and
influential early 20th-century tycoon,
letting nothing, and no one, get in his
way in the process. The film has won
almost every Best Actor award both in
critics’ prizes and most recently at the
SAG awards and Golden Globes. It also
co-leads with No Country for Old Men
and Atonement as one of the most fre-
quently nominated films for the 80th
Academy Awards Feb. 24.
There Will Be Blood combines the
wide open spaces of an early American
epic with the limited narrative scope of a
character study. The result is unexpect-
edly claustrophobic and extraordinarily
captivating. Plainview is on screen for
every minute of the film and there is
never a character introduced who isn’t
there specifically to play off him.
Anderson was smart in casting
Lewis as the oil tycoon. Plainview is a
multi-layered man that defies audience
identification, and that is a good thing,
because it means Anderson did his job
correctly. The character isn’t supposed
to be liked. The outrageous things that
he does - for instance adopting a
deceased friend’s young son and using
him as a marketing tool to show his fel-
low neighbors he is a family man just
like them - will make the audience want
to scream and literally throw popcorn at
the screen.
Anderson is at the top of his game.
With unique camera angles, and simple
but hard-hitting art direction by Jack
Fisk (husband of Oscar winner Sissy
Spacek), Anderson would have made the
late Stanley Kubrick proud of this film.
One suggests that maybe he took some
reference or some ideas from Kubrick’s
films and applied them to his own. Take
for example the first 15 minutes of noth-
ing but Greenwood’s electrifying and
haunting score and the movements of the
hands digging for oil. Any fan of
Kubrick could compare Blood to
Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon or 2001: A
Space Odyssey.
To say that Lewis gives the per-
formance of the year is virtually an
understatement. No actor comes close to
the depths he lends to virtually any role,
but here he reveals Plainview’s scarred
soul in the smallest of actions and with
devastating impact. It’s no mistake that
the title sounds like a warning, a twisted
promise of devastation. Films this mean
and tough don’t come along very often,
and There Will Be Blood runs against the
grain of mainstream films, so that unsus-
pecting audiences will surely recoil in
disgust at its bleakness, intensity and
bloodshed. But this gut-wrenching film
is also a wake-up call with the potential
to get under the viewers’ skin. At a time
when most movies are easy to shake off
because of their lack of connection with
the audience, here’s one you won’t be
able to shake off any time soon.
“Lost”
A
By JEANETTE PEREZThe Pan American
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTPage 10 February 7, 2008
WhatYou’reNotWatching
� MOVIE REVIEW
There Will be Blood digs up greed, power
paramountvantage.com
BLOODY RICH - Daniel Day Lewis becomes a powerful man after he hits it bigin the oil industry in Paul Andersonʼs adaptation of Upton Sinclairʼs novel Oil!
� TV CORNER
By RUSSEN VELAThe Pan American
BORDERcontinued from page 7in the Afro-Hispanic Review, a journal
out of Vanderbilt University.
Presently some pieces of the exhib-
it can be found in the UTPA library.
Ernesto Solis, an education major,
admired Mass of the Disappeared.
“The piece is refreshing. Usually
we dismiss what makes us feel uncom-
fortable [at the border] and do not realize
there are stories behind it,” said Solis.
Some students find that the exhibit
is educational for those who are not from
the Valley.
“From an outsider’s point of view,
someone who has never seen such dis-
plays, can vividly picture these people
who work alongside the border,” said
Jennifer Terrazas, a graphic design major.
Borderlines : Drawing Border
Lives is not the only project that
Schneider has beenrecognized for. In
November his poem, Chanukah Lights
Tonight was published in many newspa-
pers as well as in poet Ted Kooser’s col-
umn, American Life in Poetry.
“It was a lot of fun for me to
receive messages from people around
the country who had seen the poem in
newspapers in Atlanta, Seattle and in the
Midwest,” said Schneider of his pub-
lished work.
Schneider will have his latest col-
lection of poems, titled Unexpected
Guess, published this year.
Art Walk offers unique, creative works � SEEN AND CAPTURED
HAND-CRAFTED - Sculptures of ceramic, stone and metal were among the various items on display and sale at the 4th annual McAllen Art Walk on Feb. 1.
Nick Dodd/The Pan American
NEWSFebruary 7, 2008 Page 11
Clinton went beyond issues.
“It like we’re getting her mind
along with her husband’s mind because
he’s already been in office and he was a
good president,” she said.
TIED GAMEJennifer Pena, a junior education
major, and Jamie Ramirez, a junior psy-
chology major, came in to the quiz ask-
ing the question the rest of the country
is: Clinton or Obama? Unfortunately, the
quiz did little to help.
Results from both of the girls’
answers showed that their views gibed
equally well with both candidates,
according to point totals.
However, Ramirez, who admits
that she’s slightly leaning toward
Clinton these days, found that both can-
didates had differing opinions than her
on her number one issue: education.
Pena said she believes the country
is split because they’re not sure which
candidate best represents change, exter-
nally speaking.
“I think they’re going to change in
the fact that it’s either the first black or
the first woman president,” she said.
THE CHARACTER FACTOROf course, the quiz simply speaks
for views on the issues. It does not
account for a person’s perception of can-
didates’ character. Beyond immigration
and education, many people focus on
looks, personality, or a single issue that
trumps the stand of a candidate on the
rest of the minor ones.
Pena said she is worried that charac-
ter has become too important of a factor.
“I’m focusing on the issues, but I
think America is focusing on who they
are a little more than the issues,” she said.
In addition, she feels that voting for
Clinton because her husband was once
president is a wrong move.
“I don’t think they be look at the fact
that [the family] has experience,” she said.
“They should be looking at the issues.”
Ramirez agreed with that point,
interjecting her opinion that the country
initially elected George W. Bush partly
because his father had been president.
“They elected him because his dad
had experience. I mean, it’s good to have
experience but…” she said, shrugging.
Freshman biology major George
Lima, whose results were not on par with
his original candidate, said character per-
ceptions aside, students especially need to
do more homework before going to vote.
“There are so many resources for
them to be informed, but they are not
informed as they should be because
they don’t look into it more,” he said.
“They just know what they hear and
find out about.”
CANDIDATES continued from page 1
REGENTS continued from page 1
planning the new programs. If the news
is good, the university must then gain
approval from the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board in plan-
ning for the programs; a two-step proce-
dure that Rausch said is a “big process”
and takes several years.
The approval for the degree plan-
ning authority will be up to the academ-
ic affairs committee headed by
Executive Vice Chancellor David Prior.
The committee is just one committee on
the Board that includes committees con-
cerning facilities planning and construc-
tion, health affairs committee, finance
and planning committee and the audit,
compliance and management review.
Prior to presenting and defending
the proposal for planning authority,
Edwin Lemaster, dean of the College of Science and Engineering, said that he
thinks the Board will understand and
agree with the major points he will be
addressing to try and justify the need for
new programs.
Some of those points include the
$2.5 million that went toward funding
research projects in the college in 2006-
2007, the experience, time and effort the
faculty has put into these projects, and
the need for South Texas to offer more
doctoral programs.
“There are about 350 students in
our master’s program and many are
qualified to go for a doctorate,” he said.
According to Lemaster, 1 percent
of the Hispanic workforce in the engi-
neering and science field has a Ph.D and
he would really like to raise that number.
“The best students are always
tempted to go out and get the big bucks,”
he said. “But there are those going more
into the academics and are willing to
teach.”
Jamie Ramirezjunior psychology
Melinda Gutierrezsophomore psychology
Cassie Solis freshman nursing
Jennifer Penajunior education
Michael Brousardsophomore computer science
George Limafreshman biology
Orlando Campasenior art
StudentPanelFavorite candidate: Hillary Clinton
Candidate withsimilar views: Mike Huckabee
Favorite candidate: Hillary Clinton
Candidate withsimilar views: **TIE**Hillary ClintonBarack Obama
Favorite candidate: Barack Obama
Candidate withsimilar views: Hillary Clinton
Favorite candidate: Barack Obama
Candidate withsimilar views: **TIE**Hillary ClintonBarack Obama
Favorite candidate: Hillary Clinton
Candidate withsimilar views: Mike Gravel
Favorite candidate: John McCain
Candidate withsimilar views: Mitt Romney
Favorite candidate: Hillary Clinton
Candidate withsimilar views: Hillary Clinton
The following students took a quiz to determine whichpresidential candidate their views best corresponded with.These are the results:
The quiz, which is based on an original survey fromMinnesota Public Radio, is one of the least lengthyand complicated out there. Take it for yourself at:http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460
Nick Dodd/The Pan American
DINNER SPEECH - H. Scott Caven Jr., chairman of the UT System Board ofRegents, addresses guests at a dinner in the Wellness and Recreational Center,following committee meetings.
Nick Dodd/The Pan American
WINE AND DINE - Mark G. Yudof, chancellor of The University of Texas System,dines with UTPA President Blandina Cardenas after a series of meetingsWednesday.
� “There are about 350 stu-dents in our master’s pro-gram and many are qualifiedto go for a doctorate.”
-Edwin Lemasterdean of College of Science and
Engineering
NEWSPage 12 February 7, 2008
SUMMIT continued from page 3
ASH continued from page 3
sessions will inform the students on how
to reduce the carbon footprint on their
campuses, one of EAC’s goals.
A carbon footprint is amount of car-
bon dioxide is realized into the atmos-
phere by actions an individual over a peri-
od of one year through energy use.
The success of a student-organized
environmental conference in
Washington, D.C. last year, attended by
6,000 young people, let inspired event
organizers know that America’s youth
cares about climate change. De la Garza
is one of them.
However Benjamin Watt a 20-year-
old English major said he thinks other-
wise when it comes to global warming
and energy saving.
“I think global warming doesn’t
really exist, it is more or less to support
someone’s view or cause,” he said. “In
the ‘80’s they were predictions.”
Watt said he remembers reading a
story in The Monitor talking about glob-
al warming and predictions but he did
not buy any of it.
“They use those terms to have peo-
ple give money, they try to make a big-
ger problem then it [global warming]
really is,” he added.
Besides EAC, De la Garza is
involved with the Edinburg city environ-
mental advisory board, which is trying
to get the mayor and City Council to get
Edinburg involved in the Cool Cities
campaign for a greener city.
The Cool Cities Campaign has
cities’ mayors sign Climate Protection
Agreements committing their city to
implementing beneficial environmental-
ly conscious practices. Currently, 950
Cool Cities have agreed to go green by
using compact florescent bulbs in gov-
ernment owned buildings, receiving
electricity through renewable energy and
possibly investing in solar panels.
“Since I was a little girl I remember
getting mad at my mom for throwing trash
outside,” said the 18-year-old. “Then in
high school I found out I was not the only
wacko trying to save the world and that
motivated me even more.”
She said when she was 14 she saw a
documentary about global warming and
the consequences the world could face if it
went on without prevention. It triggered
her into wanting to make a difference.
“I watched on the Discovery
Channel a documentary about global
warming, the consequences and how if
continued, we wouldn't have anywhere
else to go to,” she said. “Since then I've
just gotten more and more passionate
and committed, I've decided to do some-
thing about it.”
Organizers of the conference pub-
licized the event by contacting major
media sources in Texas, including col-
lege campuses. According to
Dayananda, they have faced little to no
opposition. He claims that people from
all lifestyles have “grasped the magni-
tude of the problem” and the solutions at
hand. He wants the summit to compel
young people to lead the way.
There is already discussion about
next year’s conference. A final decision
has yet to be made, but Texas A&M
University has expressed interest in
being the next host.
RETIRED continued from page 3icance to us [Catholics] but I would lis-
ten to them and try to understand why
they feel the way they do, I’d handle it
differently depending on the situation,”
he said.
Although Gomez has only been at
UTPA one semester, he said one long-
term goal he has is not necessarily to
increase the number of attendees at
Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday masses,
but to augment faith in general.
The Newman Center located west
of Sugar Road on Kuhn Street is where
not only members of UTPA’s YACM go
to have Bible study and mingle, but
where anyone is welcome who feels they
needs guidance or just a place to relax.
Gomez preaches at 8 a.m. at the
University Chapel on Tuesday and
Thursday and Sunday.
“I enjoy what I do here on cam-
pus,” he said. “If I can, I help students
whether it is spiritual or academic; this
makes them feel at home, when they can
talk to their priest about faith and aca-
demics.”
Nick Dodd/The Pan American
FAITH - Father Jorge Gomez, the UTPA chaplian, marks a studentʼs forehead dur-ing Ash Wednesdayʼs mass held at the Student Union Theatre.
school on the GI bill.”
After three years of serving in the
navy he attended the University of New
Mexico and received a degree in busi-
ness administration and a masters in
public administration. He met his wife
Jill at 22 and is still married to her after
40 years; they have three children.
“She’s smarter than I am, she’s
always made better grades than me,”
Chrissinger said. “My greatest achieve-
ment is probably having her put up
with me.”
After finishing his education,
Chrissenger worked as a tax auditor with
the New Mexico Bureau of Revenue but
this job required considerable travel, so
he made the decision to take a position
with the University of California Los
Alamos National Laboratory and
became manager of audits there.
“The wife and I started having kids
so the job in Los Alamos was well suited
to my background and skills and there was
no travel involved,” said Chrissinger.
He stayed in Los Alamos until
1995, when he made another big move at
50, this time to Edinburg.
LIFE AS A BRONC“I was looking for a new job, a
change and applied at UTPA and out of
all the places I interviewed, I liked it the
best,” said Chrissinger, adding that he
fell in love with the look of the campus.
As the university director of internal
audits he was responsible for reviewing
the financial efficiency of the university.
“One thing you don’t want to see is
bad headlines, we have a certain reputa-
tion we need to uphold,” said Chrissinger.
“A poor headline would be ‘UTPA loses
$1 million in property and equipment.’”
Walking around Chrissinger’s retire-
ment party at the visitor’s center, it was
plain that he will be missed. His co-work-
ers praised him as a knowledgeable man.
“I’ve known him for seven years,
and his knowledge and expertise is what
well miss,” said Isabel Benavides, inter-
nal auditor. “He was really patient and
the first to push his staff to get certified.
Because of that, we are now completely
certified.”
Benavides said the staff did not have
certified internal auditors and certified
public accountants before Chrissinger
became director of internal audits.
During his tenure at UTPA,
Chrissinger has been a mentor to most of
his staff as well as the audit staff at The
University of Texas-Brownsville/Texas
Southmost College.
Eloy Alaniz the assistant director of
internal audits, who officially became
the new director Feb. 1., remembers
seven years of working under a “con-
summate professional.”
“His attention to detail was amaz-
ing, he’s taught me things you can’t
learn without experience,” said Alaniz,
who will now act as the new director of
internal audits beginning…
UTPA architect director and golf
buddy Marvin Boland had more to say
about his golf games with Chrissinger
than his professional work. In fact, he
jokingly said “the reason he can retire is
because of his frugality, he would never
spend money on new tees, and he would
find old ones and glue them together.”
When asked why he was retiring,
Chrissinger simply said, “Because I
can.” He and his wife plan on moving
back to the familiar desert plateaus of
New Mexico, where their eldest daugh-
ter and grandson live today.
For Chrissinger, his job as a sea-
soned auditor isn’t finished. He plans to
stay active as a team leader in a quality
assurance review this summer at The
University of Texas-El Paso. He will
also work with Texas A&M and Florida
State University, and plans on teaching
seminars and workshops on financial
accounting and internal auditing for the
Institute of Internal Auditors as well.
“I can only play golf so many times
a week,” he noted.
GRANT continued from page 3report, the Health Resources and Service
Administration projected that nursing
schools must increase the number of
graduates by 90 percent in order to ade-
quately address the nursing shortage.
HRSA also predicted that by the year
2020 over one million Registered Nurses
will be needed in the United States
healthcare system to meet the demand.
Among the goals the program was
created to target: an increase in enroll-
ment beyond the cap already set, Diaz
said. The project has already allowed the
nursing program to increase admissions
by 10 percent.
Diaz said the nursing department
hopes to increase retenion and graduation
rates by 20 percent each year.
This year’s new nursing students
began their semester with an assessment
through Assessment Technology
Institute. That entity gives an online
remediation tool that assesses their capa-
bilities by offering students a practice
exam to evaluate where they stand in
different areas such as writing, reading
and science. This allows the department
to step in and offer additional help with
tutoring and individualized attention to
students who might need it.
Another facet of the program utilizes
senior students as mentors for new ones.
“We’re going to look to establish a
mentor to emotionally talk to them and
help them establish rapport. The senior
student will tutor and help them. It will
offer support to [new students] by exam-
ple,” Diaz said.
Junior Nallely Lozano, a first-year
nursing student, thinks that a mentoring
program would be great.
“Just to know that [the senior men-
tor] went through what I’m going
through and that it’s attainable, it will be
helpful,” Lozano, a Pharr native, said.
“It would help us get through those
tough spots in the program like when we
really get into our clinical [rotations].”
The clinical rotations let nursing
students care for and assess real patients,
under the supervision of an instructor at
a hospital.
Lozano has already encountered a
fast-paced environment as a first year
nursing student.
“You come into the first semester
thinking it’s going to be slow. But in these
past three weeks, I’ve already received a
lot of information,” she said. “I liked the
fact that in our orientation, the seniors
were there and they gave us advice and
allowed us to ask them questions.”
But Diaz assures that the programs’
basic goals all aim at increasing retention.
“We’re going to help them get
through that initial hump. But every
hump, every semester, we’re going to be
there for [the students],” Diaz said.
Lozano hopes the new program
will help her succeed.
“This will be helpful to get past
the pressure you get of wanting to be a
good nurse after graduation, and get to
that hands-on part of the experience,”
she said.
There was a different attitude in the
University of Texas Pan-American track
and field team for their return to the Gulf
Coast this weekend.
After a respectable performance at
the Leonard Hilton Memorial on Jan. 18,
UTPA ended the two-day Houston
Invitational by breaking a number of
school records.
“We looked better and were more
competitive at the Houston
Invitational,” first-year coach Dennis
Darling said. “It was a surprise. We
went out there and broke a lot of school
records… There were a lot of personal
bests at this meet.”
On the women’s side, Houston
native Vanessa Brown broke her 2006
record time in the 400-meter dash, post-
ing a time of 56.36.
Senior Sabrina Montalvo set a
school record with a time of 9.33 in the
60-meter hurdles, while cross-country
standout Carolina Izaguirre placed first
in the 5,000-meter race in 18:27.52.
In the men’s distance medaling
relay, the quartet of La Joya native Luis
Nava, freshman Roly Vela, Edinburg
local Wally Gonzalez and senior J.J.
Hernandez lowered the previous Bronc
record of 10:22 to 10:16.38
The teams will resume action this
weekend as they travel to Houston for
their third consecutive trip.
“I think that we are going to do
pretty well again,” Darling said. “They
know what they have to do.”
When the University of Texas-Pan
American men’s and women’s golf
teams opened up their seasons in
September, they didn’t get off to the start
they’d wanted.
The men placed sixth, fifth and
eighth respectively in their first three
tournaments, while the women finished
10th, 10th, seventh and fifth, respectively.
But with more than three months
off to prepare for the second half of the
season, the extra time paid dividends for
both squads as they captured the Jack
Brown Memorial Tournament champi-
onship Tuesday in Laredo.
Under the command of first-year
head coach Ofelia Lopez, the Lady
Broncs separated themselves from the
rest of the field, tallying a team score of
627 with five players finishing in the top
five. St. Mary’s University finished sec-
ond with a score of 690.
“On the girls side, we’re never
satisfied,” Lopez said. “This is a win
we take, and I’m very proud of them.
They worked really hard for it.
Mentally it was good. Even when
you’re winners, you can still find out
something to pick out.”
“On the men’s side they just played
awesome. I’m so proud of them. Tim
(assistant) worked with them the whole
tournament, did well and coached well.
They were relaxed out there for the first
time; those guys had five smiles the
whole time. Even with them never being
satisfied, they know they could have still
played better.”
Junior Mariale Camey led the
women with a two-round score of 153
(74-79), recording her first tournament
title. First-year Lady Bronc Haley
Hocott climbed from fourth to tie for
second with a 36-hole score of 154 (80-
74), while Canada native Bronwyn
Sandberg finished fourth (159).
“I think all of my teammates feel
really satisfied with the results,” Camey
said. “We’ve been practicing really hard
and were prepared to win the tourna-
ment. For our first (spring) tournament,
it was a good performance.”
On the men’s side, the Broncs post-
ed a team score of 876 with Texas A&M-
Commerce placing second at 885.
Hebron High School alum Shane
Pearce led the men with a three-round
score of 216 (76-65-75), resulting in a
second-place finish and tying the all-
time record for a single round. Luis
Arechiga also shot a 65 back in 1997.
“It feels great to be there now,”
Pearce said. “It was something special
that just happened. Pieces came together
at the right time. It was just one of those
magical things that seem to happen out
there where that was my lowest round.
I’m still kind of in shock that I shot that
well and glad to get that confidence to
know that I can go that low.”
Oregon native Armen Kirakossian
finished third (219), while senior Jeff
Hensley rounded out the top-10 tying at
seventh with a 54-hole score of 223 (79-
69-75).
One has to look back to 2005 and
2007 for the squad’s last tournament
titles. In May, previous men’s coach
Andrew Tredway led the Broncs to their
second consecutive PGA Minority
Collegiate Golf Championship and for-
mer women’s standout Stephanie
Maynard helped her team capture a third
straight National Minority College Golf
Championship in May 2005.
The women will resume play Feb.
25 as they travel to the Coastal Bend to
compete in the two-day Islander Spring
Classic hosted by Texas A&M-Corpus
Christi. The men will head to Beaumont,
Calif., Mar. 3 for the two-day Braveheart
Classic hosted by the University of
California-Riverside.
� GOLF
Golf teams open up 2008 with tournament crowns
SPORTSFebruary 7, 2008 Page 13
Onydia Garza/The Pan American
� SHORT
MAKING HISTORY - Junior Shane Pearce practices his shots Wednesday morningat Los Lagos Golf Club in Edinburg. Pearce entered the single-shot record booksfor his second round score of 65, tying him for first all-time.
Track team a success
By RAMIRO PAEZThe Pan American
� SEEN AND CAPTURED
HOMECOMING COURT - (From left to right) Yuri Bazan (Duchess), Victor Ituarte (Duke), Ashley Munoz (Princess), PeterEhimika (Prince), Adriana Salinas (Queen), Houston Gomez (King) were announced as UTPAʼs 2008 Homecoming Court athalftime of Saturdayʼs menʼs and womenʼs basketball games.
Onydia Garza/The Pan American
By SAVANNAH MARTINEZThe Pan American
|----TOTAL----| |-----3-PTS-----| |----REBOUNDS----|
## Player GP-GS Min--Avg FG-FGA Pct 3FG-FGA Pct FT-FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg PF FO A TO Blk Stl Pts Avg
32 Trader, Zach............. 27-27 920 34.1 148-295 .502 0-6 .000 83-107 .776 50 113 163 6.0 70 2 65 62 1 14 379 14.004 Stoll, Paul................. 27-27 898 33.3 94-197 .477 74-159 .465 112-134 .836 6 68 74 2.7 71 3 193 91 4 67 374 13.905 Burrell, Brian............ 27-27 898 33.3 137-353 .388 67-192 .349 27-35 .771 33 108 141 5.2 70 2 41 66 2 36 368 13.602 Hawkins, Nathan...... 27-27 707 26.2 109-201 .542 0-0 .000 89-150 .593 48 67 115 4.3 72 2 11 29 2 2 307 11.410 Jones, Emmanuel.... 18-0 334 18.6 57-109 .523 0-2 .000 40-60 .667 27 47 74 4.1 43 0 13 19 13 10 154 8.615 Shankle, Dexter........ 25-25 685 27.4 56-117 .479 36-77 .468 18-31 .581 5 53 58 2.3 59 1 44 21 3 8 166 6.612 Weiermiller, Nick...... 26-0 361 13.9 21-50 .420 11-28 .393 15-15 1.000 4 25 29 1.1 25 1 30 24 0 9 68 2.601 Puente, Danny......... 27-2 293 10.9 20-57 .351 18-49 .367 8-9 .889 4 8 12 0.4 19 0 37 19 2 7 66 2.411 Franklin, Damon....... 11-0 54 4.9 10-17 .588 0-2 .000 3-6 .500 2 12 14 1.3 4 0 2 7 0 1 23 2.133 Buck, Ryan............... 14-0 144 10.3 10-16 .625 0-1 .000 8-15 .533 8 14 22 1.6 25 0 9 8 0 1 28 2.024 Smith, Ben............... 18-0 90 5.0 4-30 .133 4-23 .174 8-10 .800 2 10 12 0.7 11 0 9 5 1 1 20 1.120 SILVA, Steven.......... 3-0 5 1.7 1-3 .333 0-1 .000 1-2 .500 1 0 1 0.3 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 1.040 Trader, Jacob........... 11-0 36 3.3 4-8 .500 0-0 .000 0-2 .000 1 2 3 0.3 8 0 0 3 0 1 8 0.7
TEAM....................... 48 40 88 3.4 1 4
Total........................... 27 5425 671-1453 .462 210-540 .389 412-576 .715 239 567 806 29.9 479 12 455 358 28 157 1964 72.7
SPORTSPage 14 February 7, 2008
� STATS (AS OF FEB. 7) � UPCOMING GAMES
|----TOTAL----| |-----3-PTS-----| |----REBOUNDS----|## Player GP-GS Min--Avg FG-FGA Pct 3FG-FGA Pct FT-FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg PF FO A TO Blk Stl Pts Avg
03 Wilson, Tiona.......... 23-19 580 25.2 57-125 .456 40-85 .471 17-23 .739 12 45 57 2.5 48 3 55 58 3 31 171 7.405 Sessions, Janita..... 17-0 83 4.9 6-18 .333 0-0 .000 2-5 .400 5 6 11 0.6 3 0 5 12 0 5 14 0.810 Gray, LeKeisha....... 23-23 810 35.2 125-302 .414 60-166 .361 51-72 .708 19 76 95 4.1 35 0 78 76 1 44 361 15.713 Walker, Jessica....... 17-5 185 10.9 14-44 .318 6-19 .316 9-12 .750 10 16 26 1.5 7 0 7 12 1 4 43 2.514 Cottrell, Michelle..... 12-0 58 4.8 5-13 .385 1-7 .143 2-2 1.000 3 4 7 0.6 2 0 8 8 0 4 13 1.115 Vaughn, Tamara..... 22-10 410 18.6 53-133 .398 21-59 .356 13-16 .813 10 36 46 2.1 28 0 36 26 5 12 140 6.421 Kostacky, Danielle.. 20-0 203 10.2 9-20 .450 2-7 .286 9-10 .900 4 19 23 1.2 19 0 7 10 4 1 29 1.523 Winfrey, Teshay...... 19-8 301 15.8 34-91 .374 13-45 .289 19-25 .760 23 37 60 3.2 27 0 20 37 4 14 100 5.324 Garrett, Robin......... 22-19 357 16.2 41-90 .456 0-0 .000 31-54 .574 22 42 64 2.9 50 1 10 38 3 8 113 5.125 Jean, Rose Esther.. 22-8 408 18.5 47-99 .475 0-0 .000 18-42 .429 22 47 69 3.1 47 1 26 25 14 27 112 5.130 Woodard, La'Shae.. 13-1 88 6.8 8-22 .364 0-0 .000 3-6 .500 9 18 27 2.1 4 0 3 8 2 3 19 1.531 Schneider, Taylor.... 13-1 125 9.6 8-16 .500 1-2 .500 0-0 .000 7 4 11 0.8 11 0 10 11 1 4 17 1.332 Erlingsdottir, Mari.... 11-7 192 17.5 19-62 .306 0-12 .000 20-25 .800 4 17 21 1.9 18 0 9 20 2 0 58 5.333 Ramirez, Cinthia..... 20-3 298 14.9 11-33 .333 5-15 .333 1-3 .333 4 22 26 1.3 14 0 24 17 0 5 28 1.452 Grigsby, Aleeya....... 23-11 552 24.0 47-112 .420 6-20 .300 26-51 .510 38 67 105 4.6 48 1 23 57 4 12 126 5.5
TEAM...................... 52 59 111 4.8 0 21
Total........................ 23 4650 484-1180 .410 155-437 .355 221-346 .639 244 515 759 33.0 361 6 321 436 44 174 1344 58.4
During the month of January, the
University of Texas-Pan American
men’s basketball team was one of the
hottest squads in the country, posting
seven straight victories and well in front
in the Independent standings.
But on Jan. 31, their streak came to
an end in Evanston, Ill., as the
Northwestern Wildcats rallied to defeat
UTPA 68-59. The Broncs hoped travel-
ing back to the Rio Grande Valley for a
homecoming date against Chicago State
University would be the game to turn
things around in hopes of obtaining
their 20-win goal, but so far it has been
the opposite.
On Tuesday night, the Green and
Orange suffered their third consecutive
defeat, at the hands of the University of
Texas-Arlington Mavericks, losing 71-
68 and sending the season into a tailspin.
ARLINGTONThrough most of the game the
Broncs kept the deficit under double dig-
its, giving themselves a chance to win in
the end.
With less than three minutes to go,
senior guard Brian Burrell hit a jumper
giving the team a 66-64 lead, but that
proved to be insufficient coming down
the stretch due to unlucky breaks and
UTA hustle plays.
“Anyone could’ve won this game,”
Bronc coach Tom Schuberth said. “It
seemed that whoever got the ball last
was going to win it.”
Senior forward Zach Trader scored
a team-high 21 points, while Burrell
added 12 points with eight rebounds.
Michigan native Paul Stoll was kept at
bay, shooting 3 of 7 from beyond the arc
and finishing with 12 points, three
assists and six turnovers.
The inside presence of Arlington’s
Larry Posey and power forward Vareen
Anthony seemed to be too much for the
Broncs’ front court as the big men
scored a combined 28 points.
“We know we’re not a strong team
down low but I think we were pretty
feisty with their bigs,” Schuberth said.
CHICAGO STATEHaving beaten Chicago State on
the road five days before Saturday’s
match-up, everything seemed to be
pointing toward a Bronc victory. What
resulted was a disappointing 91-82
loss for the Green and Orange. Mainly
the loss came due to blazing 70 per-
cent field-goal shooting for the
Cougars and a spectacular 39-point
performance by guard David Holston,
who with 1:19 remaining in the game,
sank the clinching 3-pointer along
with a foul.
Stoll (26 points) and Burrell (17
points) had solid outings for UTPA, com-
bining for 43 of the Broncs’ 82 points.
“I can’t get mad knowing we
gave ourselves a chance to win,”
Schuberth said. “We did some good
things on the offensive end but they
just made shots. We couldn’t catch a
break with Holston making some diffi-
cult threes in the end.”
The Broncs certainly seemed to live
and die by the long shot as they men
went 13 of 27 from beyond the line while
Chicago State went 7 for 16. Instead, the
Cougars took advantage of points in the
paint outscoring UTPA 44-20.
It was a month that the University
of Texas-Pan American women’s basket-
ball team doesn’t want to relive.
After their 66-62 victory over St.
Louis University on Dec. 29, the Lady
Broncs entered the New Year with an 8-
6 record, but unfortunately the month of
January wasn’t a pleasant one.
UTPA ended January 0-7, including
three consecutive road losses before com-
ing home for back-to-back games to begin
the new month. All the women hoped for
was that Dorothy’s well-known line in the
Wizard of Oz, “There’s no place like
home,” proved to be true. It did.
The Green and Orange couldn’t
have asked for a better way to get off
their slide as they posted a 62-55 over-
time win over Chicago State University
on Saturday, preceded by a 79-74 victo-
ry against Longwood University the
night before.
CHICAGO STATEAfter the Cougars wrapped up their
dramatic win over the men in the open-
ing game of Saturday’s homecoming
doubleheader, the women sought
revenge on the Lady Cougars for a 15-
point road loss to State Jan. 15.
Things looked shaky at the 15:50
mark in the second half for the Lady
Broncs as leading-scorer LeKeisha Gray
went down with an apparent ankle
injury, but the senior guard returned two
minutes later and helped her team over-
come a seven-point deficit.
“We just fought,” women’s coach
DeAnn Craft said. “There was a never-
quit attitude in our kids. When we got
into overtime, I pulled Keisha to the side
and I said, ‘you know overtime is your
time.’ and again she did what she did
best and that’s lead the team.”
With 50 seconds remaining in reg-
ulation, junior guard Teshay Winfrey
gave UTPA a 51-49 lead, but State’s
Jasmin Dixon tied the game with two
free throws. Dixon had one last chance
for a game-winning basket, but the shot
rimmed out.
Once the game was forced into
overtime, Gray took over. The Green
and Orange scored the first five points in
the extra session and never looked back,
with Gray getting seven of the team’s 11
points in the period.
Despite shooting 33.3 percent from
the field for the game, the Lady Broncs
made defense the key factor in the victory,
forcing 36 turnovers and snaring 14 steals.
“That (defense) was amazing,”
Craft said. “A lot of those were very
earned. I think we broke on the ball at
the right time, we hurried them up down
low and they got a few travels. The will
to win was there all night long. I could
see it in our eyes.”
Gray was one of two Lady Broncs
scoring double figures, finishing with 22
points and seven rebounds. Center
Robin Garrett added 11 points.
LONGWOODIf there was one theme for Friday’s
contest against the Lady Lancers, spurts
would say it all.
Both teams went on extensive runs
up until the 9-minute mark of the second
half, but UTPA scored 17 of the last 33
points to outlast Longwood and break
their seven-game losing streak.
“It was a great mindset,” Gray said.
“We came out and we wanted this game;
we weren’t walking off the floor without
a win. We had been prepping for it and
we just laid it out there on the floor.”
UTPA held their largest lead of the
game at 52-39 with 16:46 remaining in
the game, capping off a 32-10 run that
carried over from the first half. The
Lady Lancers responded with a 19-10
run to pull within 62-58, but it wasn’t
enough as the squads traded points the
rest of the way.
The Green and Orange shot 50 per-
cent for the game on 25-of-50 shooting.
Gray and Garrett once again led the
women in double figures with Gray net-
ting a season-high 28 points.
“We needed it,” Gray said. “We’ve
been struggling and we got us one.”
Broncs losingmomentum, fallto 14-13 overallBy ALVARO BALDERASThe Pan American
� MEN’S BASKETBALL
SPORTSFebruary 7, 2008 Page 15
Onydia Garza/The Pan American
By RAMIRO PAEZThe Pan American
� WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Lady Broncs prevail in thrillers, snap six-game skid
TAKING OVER - Senior guard LeKeisha Gray looks to lay it up in Saturdayʼs 62-55overtime victory against Chicago State. Gray, scoring a game high in each of the twohome victories this weekend, was selected Co-Independent Player of the Week.
UTPA edged by UT-Arlington, suffers third consecutive loss
Onydia Garza/The Pan AmericanSTRUGGLING ENDING - Senior forward Zach Trader looks to ward off a Cougardefender in Saturdayʼs loss at the Field House.
97.597.5Million of viewers that
watched Super Bowl XLII.
1616Number of games
women’s basketball playerLeKeisha Gray has been
the leading scorer
55Number of opponents themen’s and women’s tennis
teams defeated this weeeknd
SPORTSStatsAtAGlance
Onydia Garza/The Pan American
Page 16 February 7, 2008
� FEATURETHE PAN AMERICAN
ShortSports
It was a busy three-day week-
end for the University of Texas Pan-
American’s men and women’s ten-
nis teams.
The women opened up play
Friday in Nacogdoches posting a 6-1
victory over Stephen F. Austin.
Competition started with doubles
play as Giana Oliveira and Julia
Cirne-Lima captured an 8-1 victory,
while Silke Buksik and Megan
Bedeau obtained an 8-6 win.
In singles action, the Lady
Broncs (4-1) took five of six matches.
After a successful outing
Friday, the women and men recorded
7-0 shutouts Saturday against
Centenary College.
Sophomore Brett Bernstein
and India native Ashwin
Vijayaragan, along with freshman
Andrew Irving and senior Ivan
Avila, had identical winning scores
of 8-1 against their opponents.
The Lady Broncs also put togeth-
er a series of impressive victories
against Louisiana Tech the same day.
The Broncs (3-2) capped off the
successful road trip Sunday where
they dominated Prairie View A&M 6-
0 in singles competition.
The women will resume road
play Friday against Central Arkansas,
while the men will travel to Little
Rock, Ark., Saturday to face
Tennessee Tech University.
� TENNIS
When University of Texas-Pan
American men’s basketball player Ryan
Buck was voted “Most likely to succeed
on Survivor” by his teammates, it left
the Harlingen native puzzled.
“Honestly, I have no idea why,”
Buck said. “There is no way I could ever
live like that, but at least they didn’t
choose me as most likely to be on
American Idol.”
Maybe it’s the entirety of a 6-foot-
6, 210-pound guy that could make him a
Survivor or the fact that tearing up his
ankle in a preseason exhibition game
made him more determined to return to
his team. But once his starting position
no longer awaited him upon return, he
never once complained and moved for-
ward with the Broncs to attain their 20-
plus goal.
The Harlingen South High School
alum graduated from UTPA with a
degree in kinesiology and a minor in
English last year, but had a year of hoops
eligibility left. While a diploma might be
the final step for most, he chose to play
for one more year and attend graduate
school in pursuit of an MBA. A nine-hour
courseload along with practices and
games every week could surely send any-
one over the edge, but Buck has never let
the barriers stress him out.
“School and basketball, as with
any sport, can be handled pretty easily
as long as you have good time manage-
ment skills and you keep yourself
focused,” the 23-year-old said. “Going
to class and keeping in close contact
with your teachers goes a long way.”
Though he has become an integral
part of the squad, after playing in only
two games during his freshman year, the
thought of picking up and leaving
crossed Buck’s mind. But the former
high school MVP chose to stick it out
because he felt like he belonged and was
up for the challenge.
Apparently it was a good choice
since Broncs head coach Tom Schuberth
credits him as having been a vital part of
the team’s success.
“Ryan is determined and self-moti-
vated and I’m glad to have him on the
team,” Schuberth said. “He has a great
attitude and never hesitates to help his
teammates; he will do whatever it takes
to be successful.”
Buck has averaged 10.3 minutes in
14 games this year, and led the team in
rebounds against Alcorn State and
Tulsa. After appearing in just 18 games
the first three seasons after redshirting in
2003-04, he has persevered and become
a solid role player off the bench, shoot-
ing 62.5 percent from the floor.
The closeness between he and his
family, as well as the original coaching
staff was another factor in his decision to
stay for one more season after graduating.
His love for basketball has brought him a
long way, but as the season nears its
finale, it won’t be the end for Buck,
whose parents attend every home game.
“Basketball will definitely always
be a huge part of my life,” the Bronc for-
ward said. “The sport has helped me
grow, not only as an athlete but into a
better person.”
Schuberth strongly believes that
Buck’s future is in coaching.
“He has the intelligence and motiva-
tion and notices details on tape [game
film], that no one else would,” the second-
year coach said. “I know Ryan will be suc-
cessful in whatever he chooses to do.”
With only four games left in his
collegiate career, Buck has pondered
many possible routes for his future.
The first is to get his Ph.D. in
sports administration and gain the title
of a general manager or sports agent for
a professional sports team, or become
the athletic director for a big-
name university. His second
option is to pursue law
school, while the last
alternative is to
become part of the
restaurant manage-
ment scene since he has been learning
the ropes of a popular chain, Chili’s,
where he works in the off-season.
The end of the month marks the
close of the basketball season as the
team will travel to Georgia to take on
Savannah State University. Buck’s last
home game will come on Tuesday as the
Broncs host Cal-State Bakersfield. He
leaves the game with good friends, les-
sons learned and dreams pursued.
“I feel like I’ve seen it all and been
through it all in my five years and noth-
ing will ever take away my love for the
game,” Buck said.
By LAURA GARCIAThe Pan American