january 29, 2009

At the end of spring 2008 Presi-dent Blandina Cardenas made her decision to bring music and dance into the College of Arts and Humani-ties and created its own department. After several years of discussing the change, it fi nally took effect Sept. 1,

2008.Before the creation of the new

situation, dance was a part of the Col-lege of Education in the department of health and kinesiology, and music was under the COAH.

I think that it is a positive change and we are benefi ting from more op-portunities to collaborate with other

On Tuesday the University of Tex-as System announced that Charles Chuck Sorber will take over the reins of the university as interim president Feb. 23.

The 69-year-old is slated to visit the university the week before he takes offi ce. Hell visit staff and ad-ministration, as well tour the campus.

Between Feb. 1 and Feb. 23 Vice

President of Aca-demic Affairs and Provost Paul Sale will be the uni-versitys acting president. After his brief term as-suming academic duties, Sale will

return to his normal duties.Sorber is the former president of

the University of Texas-Permian Ba-sin and former interim president of

the University of Texas at Arlington. He served at those institutions from 1993 to 2001 and 2003 to 2004, re-spectively.

He will serve as president while a national search is conducted to replace retiring president Blandina Bambi Cardenas, who announced her retirement last week.

According to the Systems Ex-ecutive Vice Chancellor of Aca-demic Affairs David Prior, the search should take about nine months. And

he noted that the fi ll-in has estab-lished credentials to help the univer-sity in the interim.

Dr. Sorbers expertise and vast background have earned him a rock-solid reputation of service in a vari-ety of administrative positions, said Prior in a statement. And we are extremely fortunate to have him help guide UT -Pan American in this im-portant time of transition.

In the coming weeks the UT Sys-tem Board of Regents and Prior will

announce the committees that will be responsible for fi nding a permanent president.

Some in UTPAs administration have already worked with Sorber, including Vice President for Busi-ness Affairs James Langabeer. While Sorber was Permian Basin president, he called on Langabeer, who was at that time UTPAs VP of business, to audit UT-Permian Basin.

I found him to be a very open and

THE PAN AMERICANVolume 65, No. 17 January 29, 2009

Interim President Sorber chosen ADMINISTRATION

By Brian SilvaThe Pan American

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIESSee INTERIM || Page 5

It has been nearly a century since the RMS Titanic collided with an ice-berg, submerging the ocean liner into the Atlantics 30-degree waters. Those 1912 memories re-emerged when Robert Ballard, world-renowned oceanographer who rediscovered Ti-tanic, brought personal stories of the 1985 wreckage recovery and other oceanographic missions to a full Fine Arts Auditorium at The University of Texas-Pan American Tuesday.

Ballard stressed through his stories and exploration photographs, that fu-ture generations only have one option: to go forward after Earths unfound

discoveries.We can use live explorations and

inspire the next generation, he said adamantly. If I can get a jaw drop, Ive got a new scientist for our coun-try.

The Titanic was uncovered Sept. 1, 1985 by Argo, an undersea cam-era created by Ballard at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Ballard received his Ph.D in marine geology and geophysics at the University of Rhode Island where he is now the di-rector of the Institute for Archaeologi-cal Oceanography.

Though the rediscovery of Titanic is what Ballard is best known for, it was actually his 70th expedition. He

Titantic discoverer enchants students By J.R. OrtegaThe Pan American

See COAS || Page 5

ACADEMICS

A student printing quota system will be placed at The University of Texas-Pan American effective Feb. 9. The decision for the quota comes after the Division of Information Technol-ogy reviewed a year-long countermea-sure to decrease the amount of exces-sive and abusive paper printing which found the action to be ineffective in decreasing the number of print jobs.

In October 2008 Computer Support Services presented the Student Gov-ernment Association with the results of Phase I, the cost-effective measure implemented in fall 2007 to alleviate the printing jobs across campus. The phase included installing duplexers; a default software allowing students to print double sided for all print jobs. An increase in $2.50 was asked for DIT last year but because of the tuition and fee cap, only $1 was received.

On Oct. 24, SGA members ap-

proved moving forward with Phase II of the paper printing alleviation initiative. Phase II incorporates a cap or quota of 250 credits per student a semester through a software database installed on campus printers that will keep record of a students print jobs.

The credits are allotted as follows: black and white single-sided prints cost one credit, black and white dou-ble-sided prints cost half a credit, col-or-single-sided prints cost two credits

Campus printers to place quotas By J.R. OrtegaThe Pan American

See TITANIC || Page 5

ACADEMICS

COAS gains music, dance after transition By Abby FloresThe Pan American

See QUOTA || Page 5

Ben Briones/The Pan AmericanAMBIGIOUS OUTLOOK - Oceanographer Robert Ballard, one of the Titanics discoverers, recalls the silent joy he felt after his discovery to dinner guests prior to his presentation at the Fine Arts Auditorium.

INDEX OPINION PG. 2 NEWS PG. 3 ARTS & LIFE PG. 11 SPORTS PG. 14

Charles Sorber

Trends come and go; See pgs 8 & 9

THE PAN AMERICANPage 2 January 29, 2009

EDITOR IN CHIEFJ.R. Ortega / [email protected]

MANAGING EDITORBrian Silva / [email protected]

ASSOCIATE EDITORAna Villaurrutia / [email protected]

A&L EDITORLaura Garcia / [email protected]

ASSISTANT A&L EDITORIsaac Garcia / [email protected]

SPORTS EDITORSRamiro Paez / [email protected] Garza / [email protected]

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORBen Briones / [email protected]

DESIGN EDITORRoy Bazan / [email protected]

ADVISER Dr. Greg Selber / [email protected]

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE Anita Reyes / [email protected]

ADVERTISING MANAGER Samantha Quintana / [email protected]

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

Individuals with disabilities wishing to acquire this publication in an alternative format or needing assistance to attend any event listed can contact The Pan American for more details.

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

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

**Delivery**Thursday at noon

1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539Phone: (956) 381-2541

Fax: (956) 316-7122

Jan. 29, 2009 Vol 65, No. 17

In last weeks edition of The Pan American, Vol. 65 No. 16, we pub-lished a graphic which referenced three of the actual citation allega-tions that were made against President

Blandina Cardenas 1974 dissertation. We failed to include the complete

information regarding the allegations cited. The information left out was the fact the citations shown were foot-

noted in her dissertation. We deeply apologize for this accidental omission. Providing the information is critical to understanding the full truth of the matter.

The past several months have been interesting for me as a reporter.

Covering the events around the Office of the President has been a learning experience. With President Cardenas most recent decision to leave the campus, my mind was on a 24/7 hamster wheel to churn out the best and most balanced story. However, some times even though you do the best you can do, you still fall short of providing the best view of the truth.

In part, I missed a piece of the truth by allowing a graphic to run that showed President Cardenas plagia-rism allegations without mentioning the pieces were footnoted. From the research Ive gathered about citation use back in the early 1970s, that sort of citation was acceptable.

This sort of truth could not be printed in a news story, since it is my opinion and no one was willing to go on the record.

As far as this foul up goes, it would be hard to correct it. One of only ways I would be able to is to actually have President Cardenas

go on record about the allegations made against her.

However, her office told the As-sociated Press and other publica-tions she wouldnt be speaking to the media. I was included in this.

To me this feels like incomplete journalism. I want her to have her say, and who better to say it than she.

First word of the allegations of plagiarism came about after the San Antonio Express-News wrote a story about the UT Systems inves-tigation into a packet of allegations it received.

However, after the story was printed the journalist who wrote the story blogged about her experience on the Express-News website. She felt compelled to do so because the news story left out some details of the behind the scenes, off-the-record events that led to the investigations.

She wrote that the people who wrote the packet of ANONYMOUS allegations had contacted her and asked her to write the story. They gave the packet of allegations to her before anyone else. She wrote that those people pushed her into writing a negative story about the president.

In a move of ethical journalism, the

reporter chose to not do a story on the allegations. She said she would only act if there was some sort of offi cial action by the UT System.

My lesson in journalism for this ex-perience was that a tiny bit of informa-tion can make a world of a difference. However, as journalists we are bound by only using comments that are made on the record or that are obtained via the Freedom of Information Act.

As a student, I feel personally that with how much Ive learned about everything President Carde-nas has done while she was here and in the pastthere was no more per-fect of a president for our university than Bambi.

As a Mexican-American I ap-preciate so much the barriers shes broken, in addition to all the barriers shes helped us students break.

As a journalist, seeing her leave this university under a cloud of false and forced negativity chips away at faith in American justice. As a stu-dent, seeing her leave because the toll on her heart from those wish-ing to take her down was so harsh is simply heart wrenching.

A woman so giving didnt de-serve this.

I wished to respond to the article en-titled, Low occupancy to close Troxel Hall dormitory that appeared in the December 3 edition of The Pan Ameri-can and provide some additional infor-mation. The opening of Unity Hall, a 396 bed facility in Fall 2006 ushered in a number of opportunities to enhance students collegiate experience and provide an additional residential option at UTPA. The opening of Unity Hall more than doubled the previous resi-dence hall capacity for Heritage and Troxel Halls which was just over 380 beds combined. The additional space to house residents provided a number of opportunities for the Department of Residence Life to grow in occupancy and explore the expansion of the resi-dential program to better serve the aca-demic mission of the institution.

Over the past two years, a number of options have been researched to create unique living and learning communi-ties in Troxel that would attract students that had not previously taken advantage of the wonderful opportunity to live on campus. This has been a goal as the resi-dential living experience can help sup-port student success, connect students to one another, as well as provide a num-ber of activities to grow and learn out-side of the classroom, making residence life appealing for students and families. Another option that the department has explored has been to increase overnight camps and conferences throughout the year versus the summer. Camps and conferences provide youth and potential undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to experience UTPA and all it has to offer. The added bonus of hav-

ing participants stay on campus during the program enhances their educational experience which has been a success-ful way to currently utilize Troxel Hall while intermediate and long term plans continue to be developed.

This fall, single room requests and contracts received necessitated that students overfl ow from Unity and Heri-tage Halls in to Troxel. Currently, space is available for residents that were placed in Troxel to join the residential communities in Heritage and Unity Halls. By bringing students together, they can better experience all the ben-efi ts of residential living. Students from Troxel will have the convenience of a laundry facility, additional students and staff to meet and assist them, greater opportunities to attend formal and in-formal programming, and hopefully a greater connection to the residential experience.

Our inclusive communities are supported by residential programs designed to promote student success. We focus on academic success, social and recreational involvement, service, and personal wellness. We will be able to better serve both our residential population through the end of the se-mester consolidation and will also be able to utilize Troxel Hall to serve cur-rent and future Broncs participating in UTPA programs such as LeaderShape, GEAR Up, and student camps and conferences.

Rebecca Gadson,Assistant Dean of Students/Director

of Student Involvement

OpinionTruth amid a farewell

Letter to the Editor

Correction

Brian SilvaManaging Editor

Illustrated Editorial

Illustration by Anthony Salinas

Students across the Rio Grande Valley are zeroing in on their last month of studying for the annual Regional Science Bowl, which is set for Feb. 21 on campus.

The event is part of a national

competition created by the U.S. Department of Energy that tests the knowledge of high school and middle school students on math and science.

The University of Texas-Pan American, HESTEC and the Society

Last spring Jennifer Garcia felt over-whelmed after her fi rst semester as a nursing student at The University of Tex-as-Pan American. With rigorous courses and a 3-year-old daughter to care for, the stress and anxiety she felt led her to be-lieve she might have to take medication. But Garcia started looking for an alterna-tive.

I was leading a sedentary lifestyle, said Garcia, a 26-year-old McAllen resi-dent. I said to myself, I really need to change something.

And she did. Garcia, who is now 54 pounds lighter, changed her eating habits and started to exercise in May.

Before, I would sleep and I would feel tired after ten hours of sleep. (Exer-cising) helps me to focus, she explained. Once you see results and you feel better, that keeps you going.

In a time when students may be trying to tackle a New Years resolutionthat usually fades after a few monthswhich entails losing weight on a fad diet, Patti Koo, a physician assistant at Student Health Services, recommends students take time from their busy schedules to exercise.

If walking is all you can do, its still healthy for your heart, Koo said. In or-der to lose weight you have to get your heart rate going, though.

Layne Jorgensen, a health and kine-siology professor says that buying a pe-dometer to help keep track of steps in one day could help too.

Walk thirty minutes a day Jor-gensen advised. Get a pedometer and walk 16,000 steps and youve already done three miles.

According to the latest joint Ameri-can Heart Association/American College

Page 3THE PAN AMERICANJanuary 29, 2009

COMMUNITY

Dates to Know:

Disability service director chosen by governor

HEALTH

At 24, Maureen McClain began to lose hearing in both ears. In order to communicate with others she taught herself how to read lips and pay at-tention to body language, and started to use a hearing aide. And now, as the associate director of disability services at The University of Texas-Pan Ameri-can, she helps students with troubles not unlike her own.

Those experiences make it no won-der shes recently been added to the Governors Committee on People with Disabilities.

I applied to the Governers Com-

mittee about a year ago, McClain said. And I had no idea how long it would take and I researched it before I applied and learned that they work on legislation for people with disabili-ties and they try to help effect some change and I like that, because I have multiple disabilities myself. I like the idea of having some impact on pend-ing law and legislation.

McClain has Menieres disease, which effects hearing and causes vom-iting and severe dizziness. For the most part she has it under control but still suffers from a lot of ringing in her ears.

On top of being completely deaf in her right ear and having only 15 per-

cent hearing in the other left, McClain also has both osteoarthritis and rheu-matoid arthritis, and deals with pain and movement issues every day.

As a single mother of two children, McClain had attended college off and on and held various jobs in sales and working with people.

It was very hard working, with kids to support and I was single so I would be working jobs and didnt have a hearing aide so it was very diffi cult to work in. I was on the telephone try-ing to hear. When you have a hearing loss you spend so much energy focus-ing on another person, you just strain and strain and stress to recall hear what people are saying.

Learning to work through her dis-abilities inspired McClain to graduate with a masters in rehabilitation coun-seling in 2005 at UTPA. In 1998 she decided to go beck to college full time and graduated in 2002 with a bach-elors in Rehabilitative Services, and then went straight through to get her masters.

Once McLain graduated, she joined the UTPA staff and has been work-ing with the university for about four years, including an early internship, at the disabilities service offi ce. An aver-age of 225 students with various phys-ical problems go through the offi ce each semester according to McClain. The DSO helps students with physi-

cal movement-inhibiting disabilities, and ones of a physiological or learn-ing nature; even students on dialysis or with cancer are eligible for assistance, as the offi ce works to make sure these obstacles will not hinder their educa-tion.

I want these kids to get an edu-cation, because the statistics say that people with disabilities have a lower education rate and higher unemploy-ment, McLain said. Im more of the exception, fortunately. There are a lot of students that (are) in the rehabilita-tion fi eld that do have disabilities, be-cause they have disabilities and know what they are going though.

ADMINISTRATION

HEALTHY HABIT - Mechanical engineering major Martin Lopez runs to keep his body and mind fi t at the Wellness and Recrational Sports Complex, along-side fellow UTPA students.

Isaac Barrientes/ The Pan American

Students may still be in health, fi tness funk By Abigail MunizThe Pan American

By Kristen CabreraThe Pan American

See BOWL || Page 6

See DIRECTOR || Page 6

See FITNESS || Page 6

ADMINISTRATION

By Ana VillaurrutiaThe Pan American

Science Bowl tests students, promotes STEM, off ers future

The Office of the President announced earlier this week the university will be holding A Cel-ebration of Success and Service to honor the universitys retir-ing president, Blandina Bambi Cardenas.

The event, which is open to the university community, will be held

at the UTPA Ballroom. The event will take place tomorrow between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

President Cardenas announced her retirement last week, and her last day is tomorrow.

She was the universitys first woman president, and served for four and a half years.

Cardenas will join students, faculty and staff at the farewell celebration to talk and reflect with

them.In addition to the celebration,

University Relations has set up a page on the university Web site where individuals can find Carde-nas farewell message. A com-ments section is available to students and staff where they can leave messages of reflection to the universitys retiring president.

The site also offers a series of photos from Cardenas tenure.

By Brian SilvaThe Pan American

Ceremony to honor Cardenas to be held

Last day to drop classesTuesdayRegistrar Offi ce

Homecoming WeekFeb. 13 to Feb. 18Campus

January 29, 2009ADVERTISEMENTSPage 4

NEWSJanuary 29, 2009

TITANIC continued from Page 1began such work nearly 50 years ago at the age of 17 and has since delved more deeply into his passion.

Being a scientist, you always an-swer a question and get a new ques-tion, he said about the science fi eld. True discovery is unpredicted.

The average depth of the worlds oceans is 12,000 feet, with the Mari-anas Trench near Guam exceeding 35,000 feet deep.

Ballard explained to the UTPA community at that depth, the ocean is virtually pitch black. In the case of Titanic, it takes two and a half hours to visit the wreckage in the north At-lantic.

He said fi nding the ship was excit-ing as a professional but saddening as a human because Ballard and his team felt as though they were danc-ing on their graves.

It was like scoring the winning goal at a super bowl game, he said. I never thought I would let emotion get to me as a scientist.

Though Ballards most well known exploit is the Titanic, he said he has been more proud of fi ndings that have changed oceanographic textbooks, like his 1975 discovery

of hydrothermal vents, which estab-lished that volcanic activity happened over the Mid-Atlantic ridge.

The ridge is located in the Atlantic Ocean and separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. The ridge at points is higher than Mount Everest, according to Ballard.

Within these ridges are the vents, which mimic the land geysers of Yel-lowstone National park except under-water.

Im happy, he said. Im not driven by a quest to get gold; Im driven for the treasure of who we are.

Ballard said that while space ex-ploration is not a bad thing, focus needs to be turned to the depths of the Earth, where things remain undiscov-ered.

He added that the oceans are fi lled with renewable resources like met-als and oils needed to fuel the planet, and that they can be found if we look deeper rather than further.

Currently Ballard is exploring the Black Sea near Turkey and Russia be-cause the lack of oxygen in its depths allow for many sunken archaeologi-cal objects to remain unscathed.

Ballard said he enjoys the human element of history, which is why he is continuing exploration in the Black Sea, an area where he has already discovered wrecks that date back to before the birth of Christ.

Xavier Balderas, a 22-year-old history major from Mission, received an autograph from Ballard in one of his oceanographic books. Balderas said he has watched and studied Bal-lards oceanography documentaries since he was young.

Ive been following his explora-tions for quite a while, he said excit-edly. It was breathtaking to see him and monumental. I never thought Id meet him in a million years.

Balderas added that though he knew what Ballard was talking about, it was interesting to get a fi rst-hand account of those explorations and lis-ten to what Ballard had to say about those experiences.

Ballard was the third speaker of the most recent Distinguished Speak-er Series. The series, funded by stu-dent service fees, is in its fi fth year and speakers are chosen by students and faculty under the Distinguished Speakers Series Committee.

COAS continued from Page 1arts, faculty and students, said Me-linda Blomquist, lecturer and Dance Ensemble co-artistic director.

With an estimated 40 dance ma-jors, an additional 40 dance minors, and 242 music majors, no one was af-fected by this change.

The only change that will be made is that students will now graduate from COAH instead of education.

Dance is an art form, as well as physical, Blomquist said.

Cardenas, along with other direc-tors in music and dance felt these two departments should be merged into the arts department.

It is not uncommon to start a dance program in the health and kine-siology area and then later join it with another area in the performing arts, said chairman of music and dance, Pedro Martinez.

With drama and theatre also be-ing a part of the COAH, opportunity for productions along with music and dance is something for students and faculty to look forward to in the fu-

ture.Currently the Dance Ensemble

and the Chamber Orchestra are work-ing on collab-orating for the spring 2009 Dance Ensem-ble Concert, she said.

This years concert will take place April 16 to 18 and is offered each year to students and the public during spring and fall. The ensemble was started in 1984 under the direction of Laura M. Grabowski.

Along with Blomquist, Martinez also believes the merger was a good idea.

The joining of the two programs signifi es an opportunity for these two performing arts areas to explore col-laborative opportunities that will en-hance the overall development and

education of our students, Martinez said.

As this program developed, I be-lieve it was essential that it be given the support and an op-portunity to expand in a manner that it may other-wise not have been able to in a non-per-forming arts

setting, Martinez said.No students have graduated from

the newly developed program. About six dance majors will be the fi rst to graduate this spring.

The amount of work that it takes to put on a musical perfor-mance is something that can only be understood by those working di-rectly in performing arts, Martinez said.

and color double-sided prints costs three credits.

We are trying to stay within our budgetary guidelines so we wont have to dip into this budget for techno-logical upgrades said Steve Copold, vice president of IT services.

According to Copold, the fall se-mester print count was at 4,587,637; nearly a million per month and an aver-age of 264 pages per student with only a quarter million budget.

After the Phase I evaluation, Co-pold and Richard Rodriguez, assistant director of computer support services, found UTPA was the only large UT System campus without some form of printing quota. Other universities with quotas include UT Arlington, UT San Antonio, UT Austin, UT Brownsville, UT El Paso, UT Tyler and UT Dallas.

We buy enough to fi ll an 18-wheeler with paper each semester plus all the toner for the printers, said Rodriguez.

The UT-Permian Basin is the only other UT school without a quota in-fused in its printing process, however UTPB only has a student population of 2,150 while UTPA caters to nearly 17500 students.

According to Rodriguez, quotas will be lifted the last two weeks of class for fi nal projects. He added more credits could be requested at the Com-puting Labs Scheduling Offi ce in ASB 2.162. Students will be informed of the printing policies and given a poli-cies form to sign when requesting ad-ditional credits.

The printing policies also states that credits can be refunded if a print job is eligible.

Copold said several students have complained at the Academic Services building, where many of the public printing services are available, that other students are printing e-books or large print jobs and then throwing them in the trash.

Most kids understand, said Co-pold. Some are really tired of seeing trash cans fi lled with thrown copies.

SGA president Marcos Silva said that SGA representatives voted unani-mously for the Phase II quota.

I truly believe this new phase will reduce the excessive amount of print-ing taking place in our computer labs, he explained. Our main concern was that there would be no fees if students would need more printing.

Silva said he and the SGA also un-derstand that some courses would re-quire more printing than others, which is why they did not want to add a fee quota like other schools.

Both Copold and Rodriguez said Phase II is not a punishment but a means to try better budget monies so other tech-nological upgrades could be considered rather than spending most of the monies on printing paper and toner.

Copold added it is uncertain what the years economic shape and Phase II progress will bring.

We are aware of the economic sit-uation and we are not charging now, Copold said. It may happen but we have to hold off as long as we can.

QUOTA continued from Page 1

I think that it is a positive change and we are benefi ting from more op-portunities to collaborate with other arts, faculty and students.

Melinda BlomquistDance ensemble co-artistic director

friendly person, Langabeer said. The campus community is very for-tunate to have Dr. Sorber.

Sorber, who has served at six dif-ferent universities, is currently re-tired from academic administration and serves as professor emeritus in Engineer ing at the Uni-versity of Texas at Aus-tin. Sorber received his b a c h e l o r s and masters degrees from The Pennsylvania State University, and his doctoral degree from UT Austin in 1971.

Sorber, a native of Pennsylvania, also has a military background. He served in the US Army active duty and reserve as a lieutenant colonel

from 1961 to 1984.Langabeer describes Sorber as

the type of person who asks what he needs to do to help.

I think its going to be a very smooth transition hes not going to

do anything r a d i c a l , L a n g a b e e r s u g g e s t e d . If anything, theres more anxiety than there is need for it.

He also said Sorber will be very

supportive of the universitys mis-sion and continue various projects that have already begun.

Hes not going to be Dr. Carde-nas, Langabeer said. But, hes go-ing to be very supportive of this in-stitution.

INTERIM continued from Page 1

Hes not going to be Dr. Cardenas, but hes going to be very supportive of this institution.

James LangabeerVice president for business aff airs

COST TO PRINT

*The paper cost is 26 to 30 dollars for 5000 pages (box).

**UTPA purchases 840 boxes in bulk.

NEWSPage 6 January 29, 2009

DIRECTOR continued from Page 6According to a research report

done by Cornell University in 2007, only 37.7 percent of all working-age (21 to 64 years old), people with dis-abilities are employed, compared with 79.7 percent of people without dis-abilities.

Committee members have responsi-bilities to advise the governor and state agencies on problems faced by people with disabilities as well as making sure the disabled can live with integrity, freedom and success in their lives.

It also works at a local level, Mc-Clain said. A grass roots level on help-ing to change things locally. Not just fi ltering down from the government or state level but to work your way up and let the government and the people see what you think is important.

The DSO offers strict confi dentiality for students and professors as well as ex-tended testing time, and a quiet place to

take tests. The offi ce also has a Braille machine that can scan textbooks and print out in Braille for blind students to read.

There is also a full-time sign lan-guage interpreter for deaf students on campus with a small staff of part-time interpreters and the offi ce has scholar-ship opportunities available.

Im a strong component in fi ght-ing for the rights of people with dis-abilities so that we have the same rights as other people to do the same things. People with disabilities are a minority, we do form a minority.

Later this week McClain will at-tend a swearing in ceremony con-ducted by Judge Ricardo Hinojosa at the federal courthouse located in the Bentsen Tower in McAllen.

Im excited about that too be-cause Ive never done anything like that before.

FITNESS continued from Page 6of Sports Medicine guidelines on physi-cal activity, healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 65 should be getting at least 30 minutes of moderate to intensity activity fi ve days a week.

Losing weight, according to Koo, takes time and more exercise.

You have to exercise fi ve to six times a week for at least forty to forty-fi ve minutes to see results, she noted. It can be very diffi cult, but it can be done.

For Garcia, the routine of lacing up her tennis shoes most mornings and making it out to the Wellness and Rec-

reational Sports Complex has become a habit that, after seven months, is getting hard to break.

Now I love to exercise, Garcia said. I want to do it. Its part of my everyday life.

HEALTHY EATINGKoo says there are a few things stu-

dents can do to revamp their everyday di-ets in order to lose weight. One of them: make sure to eat.

Skipping meals is a bad thing, Koo explained. Your body stores fat and its the opposite effect you want. You have

to eat. Experts are promoting four to fi ve meals a day.

Koo suggests eating foods with good carbs such as multi-grains and whole wheat, and eliminating those high in fat.

Another thing she recommends is to cut out a common culprit found in most college student diets, the soda.

In July 2007, American researchers found that sodas, including diet ones, could be linked to increased risk of dia-betes and heart disease.

According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 190,000 of 1 mil-lion Rio Grande Valley residents have

diabetes. And at least one-third of the residents dont know they have it.

If we could stop the intake of sodas, it could change the diabetes outcome (in the area), Koo said. If we can detect it early, you can stop the complications, which can include eye disease, kidney disease and heart problems.

Besides those mentioned above, Koo stresses that another long term-effect of the disease is how it affects circulation which can later even contribute to am-putations.

Other suggestions Koo had: no late-night eating; choosing healthy options

at a fast food restaurant including eating salads; trying grilled chicken over fried; and skipping on the fries.

And as far as students being con-cerned about their weight, both Koo and Jorgensen agree they should pay closer attention to their body mass index, or BMI, which takes into account a per-sons weight and height to calculate total body fat.

Weve got to get people moving again, Jorgensen stressed. People are trying to fi nd a sure fi x for their over-weight and cholesterol. It boils down to exercise and healthy eating.

Suga

r Rd

Schunior Rd

Wellness Center

Bronc Village

Parking lot C

Behind lot C to main campus-322 steps

East side of campus to library-434 steps

East side of campus to west side of campus-624 steps

All around covered walk way1,788 steps

Unity Hall

Math Building

COAS Building Library

Business BuildingSBS Building Health Science Building

RAHC

of Hispanic Professional Engineers will host the competition for the South Texas region at UTPAs Sci-ence and Engineering Building.

HESTEC robotics coordinator Rudy Velasquez has been organiz-ing the bowl and said its purpose is to get students involved in science and math fields.

It promotes STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers to young students in the Val-ley, Velasquez said. Thats what HESTEC is all aboutthats why we host it.

Velasquez said past bowls have boasted events lasting over several days, but the latest one is being con-densed to a day with SHPE holding events for idle students who are not competing.

We want to have a big event going on simultaneously, Vasquez

said.UTPA SHPE President Pedro

Gonzalez and mechanical engineer-ing majot said members are collabo-rating with the bowl via the groups STEM outreach event called Viva, as a way to continue bringing His-panics into math and science.

We believe if we can expose them (to science and math) at a younger and younger age we can get more Hispanics in these fields, Gonzalez said, adding that compared to all science and math graduates on 7 percent are Hispanic graduates.

Vasquez said that only 10 high schools and 10 middle schools can sign up for the competition.

The deadline is Feb. 20. Each school is allowed two teams of four or five students that answer random questions on math and science, de-veloped by the DOE.

There is an entry fee of $149 per team and first prizewinners will re-ceive iPods and second and third place will receive TI Calculators.

The high school and middle school that wins the regional bowl will advance to the national compe-tition in Washington, D.C. April 30 through May 5.

The trip is all expenses paid and students will sightsee, listen to lec-tures and compete in a hydrogen-fuel-cell car race.

Since it started competing in 1991, South Texas has gone to na-tionals but has not won the not won a National Science Bowl, but Vasquez said going to nationals is always a chance to bring recognition to the Valley.

(The bowl is) just to represent the Valley at nationals to see the level of education in South Texas.

BOWL continued from Page 6

Dont have a pedometer? No problem. This map is a measurement of the campus using a 31-inch stride based on everyday pathways UTPA students can fi t in their schedules.

About 3,000 steps can build your aerobic fi tness. That is about two walks around campus.

Designed by Roy Bazan

ADVERTISEMENTSJanuary 29, 2009

Here in the eternally sun-kissed valley of the Rio Grande, residents are able to be-gin displaying spring fashion style ear-ly, while most across the nation are still donning wool and digging themselves out of snow.

This season, some of the priciest new trends leave one with a slight feeling of dj vu, which begs one to wonder: Is fashion fresh, innovative style or junk that just comes back after a while?

As the weather grows warmer, and the econ-my hopefully follows suit, here is an affordable spring style guide perfect for the collegiate fash-ionista.

The key to keeping on trend is to shop for basics that will never really go out of style and then accessorize accordingly. Magazines like Lucky, Harpers Bazaar and Mens Vogue sug-gest things like classic separates or simple dress-es for girls, paired with current chunky jewelry and extra-wide belts, or jeans and dress shirts for guys, matched with the latest scarves and the driver or cadet hats. These are some key pieces to look for wherever one may shop.

For the ladies, plum hues took center stage for fall/winter 08 and as warmer weather nears. Look for hot color trends in spring 09 to deep-en into rich jewel tones, metallic jackets, skirts shoes and purses, animal textures like python and crocodile, and bold graphic print dresses reminiscent of Diane von Furstenberg looks of the 70s have been gracing the pages of Vogue for months.

Regardless of age or income, it seems that highly versatile garments such as a basic cock-tail dress are favorites for women because they give the most bang for a buck.

I really like cocktail dresses, said Claudia Ballin, a University of Texas-Pan American art education major from Weslaco. Depending on the accessories, they can either look casual or dressy depending on what you do. And they al-ways look good.

Denise Lozano, a former UTPA student, earned a degree in fashion design in 2008 from The Art Institute of California in San Francisco and counts ripped jeans and the classic little black dress as trends that will never go out of style. Lozano also says that truly fashionable folks haunt vintage and thrift stores and should take pieces and make them their own.

I think fashion is important because it helps a person be who they want to be at the moment. It shows the world who you are in life, Loza-no said. Trends never go out of style they just dont get worn as often and have a way of com-ing back around.

Many style websites also agree declaring that a piece never goes out of style when it is paired with modern pieces of the current season. For ex-ample, a pair of white jeans can easily be perked up with a modern extra wide belt, a bright graphic blouse and hot new platform heels.

Like the cocktail dress, jeans are a perennial fash-ion choice and will remain as popular as ever thanks to their ability to be dressed up for either sex. Women can pair jeans with heels, brooches and necklaces for a dressy look, or a casual jacket and loafers for a dressed-down one. Men can pair their jeans with graphic tees or Polos for a re-laxed look, or match blazers, sweaters or ties for a dressier feel.

And spring is a spectacular time of style for men as well. Men will boldly sport patterns and prints on everything from sneakers to ties to even trousers. In fact, one of the hottest looks for them, from the runways of Paris, is slightly mismatched suit patterns or textures. This sea-son also offers men a wide array of everything from dress vests, tailored suits, tapered button-up shirts, cargo shorts, graphic T-shirts and the brand new look: distressed slip on moccasin loafers are the male footwear of the moment.

Ironically, the Ugg boot style ship has sailed for women, but Ugg boots are now the hottest commodity among male celebrities such as Roll-ing Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, Leonardo Di-Caprio, Justin Timberlake and Pete Wentz.

One doesnt need the unlimited fi nancial re-sources of a Pan American staff writer to afford the luxury of staying on trend, however. What was featured in Vogue last month will certainly be hitting ones local retailer of choice very soon for an incredibly reasonable price. For example, a highly coveted python bag in Octobers Vogue may run anywhere from $800 to $1,200, but the savvy college consumer knows the same bag styles can be had at Target for from $25 to $60.

In fact, Target and Wal-Mart have even begun courting top designers to create lines that are easily available and affordable to the average American. Designers such as Proenza Schouler, Alexander McQueen , and Luella Bartley have all made lines specifi cally for the cost-conscious catwalk queen.

Style is about con-fi dence, says Ben-ny Diaz, a 2004 graduate of UTPA who is now a lawyer in San Antonio. The way you dress sets your mood and attitude for the day. If youre sloppy in how you present yourself, you may be sloppy in a lot of other areas besides dress.

Diaz also adds that fashion is less about price and more about a state of mind. One cannot help but recall last fall when Sarah Palin came under fi re for her $150,000 ward-robe expense account, while Michelle Obama drew praise for looking dapper in a yellow J. Crew ensemble for The Tonight Show she bought online. Even Jill Biden herself won over critics last year by looking exceptionally chc in a simple T-shirt from The Gap paired with a black blazer.

So whether one has the change of a Trump or a chump, remember that fashion is not ex-clusively for the elite. Fashion means putting ones best foot forward daily with confi -dence and fl air. With a good eye and some planning, it is possible to be swank with-out breaking the bank. Let the immortal words of Edna Woolman Chase ring clear: Fashion can be bought. Style, one must possess.

THE PAN AMERICAN THE PAN AMERICANPage 8 Page 9January 29, 2009 January 29, 2009

Story by: Marco CarbajalDesign by: Roy BazanThe Pan American

(From left to right)David Saldaa, Gloria Torres,George Gonzalez

(From left to right)Lekeisha Gray,Michelle de la Torre

January 29, 2009ADVERTISEMENTSPage 10

THE PAN AMERICANJanuary 29, 2009 Feature

Dates to Know:

Cycling duo turns hobby into lifestyleIsaac GarciaThe PanAmerican

Imagine going to school in the morn-ing blazing through lines of cars, avoid-ing all traffi c signals and fi nding parking in just a matter of seconds. No, this isnt your lucky day, but for avid bike riders John Sargent and Linda Matthews, its just part of their 3.1-mile daily routine.

Sargent, originally from Brigham City, Utah, and Matthews, originally from Long Island, N.Y., are in their forties and have been married since 1995. Both teach business at The University of Texas- Pan American and have become known in the department as quite the fi tness gurus.

We met in our doctoral program at the University of Washington back in the early 90s and we came to UTPA in 1997, Sargent said. One of the fi t-ness things we do is that we bicycle to school; we started about two years ago. And since then we have earned our fa-natic labels.

The cycling couple bike just about everywhere they go. Originally, they just wanted to ride to school but even-tually it became like an addiction and began to cycle just about e v e r y w h e r e . M a t t h e w s

uses her biking route to run errands and Sargent enjoys his Sunday trips to Mac News Stand located on 805 N. 10th St. Sargent isnt sure of the ex-act distance, but living on Sugar Road in Edinburg, the journey from home takes about an hour.

Matthews explained that people al-ways assume they bicycle for other rea-sons.

People look at me and say, Oh youre doing this for the environment, right? And I say No, but thats a nice thing, She explained. And when gas prices were re-ally high, they would say, Well you must save a lot on gas. But we do it because we think its was a fun thing to do.

The cycling duo is most at ease about traffi c around campus and parking prob-lems.

T h e r e

have been a few times when our admin-istrative associates have been driving back from lunch and I see them while Im crossing on my bike, Matthews said. And I wind up in my offi ce before them. Then when they get there they ask me, How did you do that?

Safety is crucial when commuting on a bicycle, and Sargent and Matthews are keen to always having an eye on the road.

Although I dont always follow traf-fi c signals, Linda tries a bit harder. We wear helmets and lights that keep us safe on the road, Sargent said.

Matthews believes that for the most part McAllen and Edinburg are quite bike-friendly, but things here are still a bit different than the way drivers view bikers back in Seattle.

In Seattle biking is a normal thing and you are just one of the vehicles.

But in the Valley people dont consider you a legal vehicle, she said. So if anything, I have become hyper-aware of what a car could possibly doeven if they are in the wrong, Im dead.

By all outward appear-ances the cycling duo

seems healthy and fi t, but both insist that

is just an added benefi t of their

c y c l i n g rout ine,

which

includes Sargents weightlifting and Matthews workouts on the Stairmaster at Cornerstone Gym located on Trenton Road in McAllen.

Sargent cited the overweight state of the Valley and the rest of the United States: according to the Centers for Disease Con-trol (CDC), an estimated two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese.

I think the health aspect is very im-portant, Sargent said. You see things like president Cardenas stepping down due to health rea-sons. Working out and bicycling is more than fun; its lifestyle.

Both are aware that not everyone understands the joy bike riding gives them and the time it takes to actually go riding.

Sargent ex-plained that when they were UW doctoral students, he managed to fi nd time to exercise by his second year but he noticed that Matthews had done so in her fi rst year, while others students were struggling to balance their priorities.

Matthews fi gured how to exercise on the Stairmaster and go over her notes for class at the same time. However, the downside was that she would show up to class with her papers all wrinkled and warped due to sweat.

However, Matthews recalls a time when she just stopped exercising and cycling.

I took time off, I dont know why. But I told myself that I didnt have the time. Once I started back I found that I

do as much if not more than I did be-fore, Matthews said. I can just fi gure out when its my time. But I cant look to people and say to them why arent you exercising or why dont you ride a bike. Thats their life and their choice. Its just a matter of priorities.

Working together, having their offi c-es right next to each other in the College of Business Administration along with their cycling routines keep Sargent and Matthews pretty simpatico.

We dont usu-ally cycle or exer-cise together, John prefers to ride fast and I like to take my time and enjoy the scenery and the breeze, Matthews explained, But I remember when we were falling in love back in Ph.D. land and seeing John walking by while exercising -

it would make me feel good inside. Now when we do these things together I still get the same feeling that I used to get when we were not even a real couple.

Realizing that a lot can happen over time, the couple hopes to be cycling and staying fi t for as long as their bodies can take them.

I think am I going to be doing this in 10 years, Matthews predicted. And I cant see anything thats stopping me, but obviously things happen to your body over the course of time. I hope that even if its not on my current bicycle then maybe it will be a big tricycle that I can still ride around.

RIDE ON - Biking sweethearts John Sargent and Linda Matthews prepare for one of their many daily road trips.

Isaac Barrientes/THE PAN AMERICAN

I hope that even if its not on my current bicycle then maybe it will be a big tricycle that I can still ride around.

Linda MatthewsProfessor of marketing and international business

Music: Eyes Set to KillMonday, 6 p.m. Cine El Rey

Wii Bowling TournamentToday, 2:30 p.m. Student Union

Just by clicking page up you can soar way above the University of Tex-as-Pan American. Head straight for the sun and youre transported to a replica of the solar system where an astron-omy class could be held. Though this may not happen in real life it is now possible in Second Life.

In Second Life, UTPA is a virtual world that is free and can be accessed through the Internet by any student. UTPA Information Technology in-structional developer Jessica Sanchez and work-studies Lisa Briones and Ben Briones have recreated the cam-pus through designing tools available in Second Life over the last year.

In 2003, technology company Linden Lab created a virtual world for interac-tion and networking called Second Life. Worldwide, Second Life now has about 15 million residents, made up of many communities called islands.

We have the support of the provost and met with the Council of Deans, we have also met with the College of Health Sciences but not with other colleges, said Sanchez, who is get-

ting her masters in educational tech-nology through UT Telecampus. The colleges are done, they just need to be improved upon.

About 100 UTPA students have character called avatars that have visited the UTPA island, but Sanchez said they are still working on in-forming faculty about the program and will start pro-moting it within the next month.

They can show video or P o w e r P o i n t through Second Life, Sanchez said. A lot of fac-ulty dont know about it but we are going to promote it in February.

The six university colleges have been replicated in Second Life. Though the buildings are not fully furnished yet, they each have an infor-mation desk and four classrooms that can be used to teach courses. At these classes students can view lectures,

guest speakers, and can interact by chatting or speaking through a mike and headset.

Sanchez said organizers have already worked with the COHHS to build a hos-pital above the college to give students the opportunity to learn different medi-

cal simulations, like diagnosing patients, reading X-rays, and listen-ing to heart beats. And the imagi-nary educational experience is more than that.

Youre able to lay down on the patient table or learn how to read an MRI, said Lisa Briones, a mathematics junior from Har-

lingen who helped build the hospital. Students can only imagine (what they are learning), but to actually see it and be involved is completely different.

Sanchez hopes to accommodate all of the colleges soon in order to have the virtual campus finished by Fall

2009. Building the campus has also

proved to be significantly cheaper than the real version. Sanchez said purchas-ing an island from Linden Lab is about $800 and designing the campus has cost the IT team $21. Since Second Life is free, access to the island will not be charged as a fee but classes will be restricted to students who have paid for the course.

AROUND THE ISLANDThe island also has other buildings,

one representing the Coastal Studies Lab in South Padre Island; it currently features an invisible floor that reveals a small ocean of fish. A coffee house for socializing was also created, where Sanchez said various activities like a movie night will take place. UTPAs Visitors Center is also been replicated in Second Life and will serve as an in-formation center.

A two-story gallery has also been built for art and literary works, and San-chez is working with art professors Leila Hernandez and Anthony Chrisafulli to showcase student art on Second Life.

A river also runs across the campus as a symbol of the Rio Grande.

A few classes have used Second Life, such as Global Strategic Man-agement, International Business, Problems in English as a Second Lan-guage (ESL), and Consumer Behavior.

Michael Minor, international busi-ness professor, is using the computer game for his Consumer Behavior class, and said the programs ability to interact with lots of people make on-line courses more effective.

I dont like online courses, I dont think theyre interactive, Minor said. Its (Second Life) is a better way to teach, through it you can have a good discussion.

Minor has also been invited to give a lecture at Michigan States Second Life island by an old student of his. Minor said because of this, he could save the cost of travel.

I dont have to go to Michigan, Minor said.

Not everything can be done on Sec-ond Life. Sanchez said taking exams and quizzes would still take place in class or on Blackboard.

Students can download at secon-dlife.com. Once on board they can ac-cess the universitys island by search-ing UT-Pan American.

ARTS AND LIFEPage 12 January 29, 2009

I dont like online cours-es, I dont think theyre in-teractive. Its (Second Life) is a better way to teach, through it you can have a good discussion.

Michael MinorIntl bus. professor

ALEGRIA brings fancy footwork and live musicPretend you are a 6-year-old with a

desire to express yourself through fancy footwork. Now imagine being the only boy in a dance camp full of girls. Desi Villarreal can do that, from experience.

They made a special little solo for me to be like a macho man, said chem-istry major Villarreal.

Travel to 16 years later and he is now a member of the UTPA Ballet Folklrico.

I used to teach gymnastics, cheer-leading, and dance, said the 22-year-old from McAllen. He is involved with dancing right now just for fun, he added.

The dance company is gearing up for its annual ALEGRIA concert series, which will take place at the Fine Arts Auditorium on Friday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, Feb.7-8, at 2 p.m. Mariachi Mxico Lindo will perform live music accompaniment.

I like it because its a part of my cul-ture, Villarreal said. Its my hobby and it keeps me in shape.

Each year, the company interprets different styles of dance from selected areas of the Republic of Mexico. Fran-cisco Muoz, artistic director for the 24-member dance group, said that each state and region has different costumes and dances and interpretations of their dances. There are two major areas that are different from last year.

The more you work with your stu-dents you expect much more in respect to their technical abilities, he ex-plained. Some other dances are choreo-graphed with scenic designs that people

can probably appreciate.This years series is the fi rst to be ac-

companied by live music, which is an accomplishment according to Muoz.

There are many professional dance companies that dont perform with live music because its too expensive to pay musicians, he said.

This, according to Cati Gomez, pro-duction manager for the company, has garnered attention from our southern neighbors.

We got invited to Guerrero, Mex-ico, Gomez said. Guerrero is a state in the south central region of Mexico. There is also another possibility to go to Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico.

She noted that the quality of the pro-ductions improves every year, as does the amount of work that comes with it.

Its more demanding in all aspects, Gomez insisted. In costumes, the way theyre dancing, what we present back-stage, and the props. It grows in every area.

Although the musical support is a mariachi group, Muoz noted they know several genres of music and can play whatever is needed.

They each play different instru-ments, the director said. From an ac-cordion to fl utes to clarinets to a harp; whatever is needed.

Muoz, a lecturer in the health & kine-siology department, suggested the campus community and the general public should attend to learn a little cultural history and background that may belong to them.

This year its more about a presen-tation of different styles, he explained.

An excited Gomez wants audiences

to be ready for the companys 40th an-niversary next year.

We want to celebrate it big because you never know if well be able to cel-ebrate the 50th, she said.

Adult tickets will be available at the door for $10. $5 tickets for children, students and UTPA faculty/staff will be available at the door. Adult tickets for $8 can be purchased in advance at the

IBC Bank Wal-Mart in store branches valley wide and at the UTPA Payments and Collections offi ce. For additional information, contact the Dance Program Offi ce at 381-2230.

Campus

Campus developers create virtual world for students Digital Age

By Anna VillaurrutiaThe Pan American

By Victor ItuarteThe Pan American

PUSHING FOR PERFECTION - Maria Leal guides her team during one of many rigorous practices. The UTPA Folklrico is preparing for next weeks performance.

Isaac Barrientes/THE PAN AMERICAN

A smile of satisfaction beams on University of Texas-Pan American mens tennis player Aswin Vijayaraga-vans face when hes congratulated for his most recent achievement.

Ive worked hard, the 19-year-old said modestly. Whatever Ive done has worked pretty well and I hope to maintain the rank and try to go up higher and higher.

In fact, higher and higher seems to be the motto of the man who found tennis as his passion 10 years ago. At the age of 12, he became No. 1 in India for juniors and migrated to the United States to be part of the UTPA tennis team in January 2008.

A year after his arrival, the India native was announced at No. 10 in the South Central Region and No. 60 in the nation by the Intercollegiate Ten-nis Association last week; he becomes the fi rst nationally ranked Bronc, since Michael Fabry in 1993, and the third India native to gain the NCAA honor.

However, he assures that this is only one of the steps toward becoming a professional tennis player, and that in order to achieve this dream he will have to become one of the top 15.

I feel like one of my short term goals has been achieved, he admitted. I need to stay focused and keep per-forming; I need to become physically fi tter and mentally stronger.

Along with the personal success, the sophomore holds great expecta-tions for his team and looks to lead it to a national ranking and a return to the

glorious UTPA tennis years, when the team was nationally ranked three years in a row from 1976-1978. The squad was also ranked highly in the period from 1957 to 1964.

The 70s bunch was in the top ten under the leadership of former UTPA tennis coach Rob Hubbard, who was once ranked 17th in the nation, earning No. 1 status in 1978.

Its a great feeling, said Hubbard, who recently resigned. The next step would be for him to be able to reach the All-American status.

The UTPA alumnus stressed that Vijayaragavans ranking is a great accomplishment for the university. Aswin should be pleased, but Im sure hes already hoping for greater things.

After graduating in 1978, Hubbard played on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour for three seasons and in 1979 and 1980, the U.S. Open.

GREATS FROM THE PASTAswins quality can be compared

to that of great former Broncs like Don Russell and John Sharpe, who obtained fi ve and four National As-sociation of Intercollegiate Athletics national championships, respectively, and together won the NAIA doubles championship three times.

Russell was inducted into the UTPA athletics Hall of Fame in 2007 for his achievements on the court and his stint as coach from 1964-1967. He led the Broncs to a NAIA championship dur-ing the 1964-65 season.

Last year, Sharpe also became part of the UTPA Hall of Fame.

Former tennis players like George Kan-1965 NAIA singles national champion and leader of the national championship team that same year - and Ken Long will join Russell and Sharpe in the UTPA Hall of Fame this year. Long was the captain of the 1963 team, attained a NAIA singles national championship, and was the fi rst All-American in both singles and doubles.

Eight former Broncs and the 1971 College World Series Baseball Team will be honored in the third annual UTPA Hall of Fame induction Feb. 21 at the Wellness and Recreational Sports Complex.

The UTPA Hall of Fame is still far away for Vijayaragavan but as he re-mains focused on his nearest goal, he reiterated the commitment to help the team accomplish a national ranking this season.

We have to get ranked this se-mester because we have a pretty solid team, he promised. I hope doing more and more and perform better. I wont let UTPA down.

He might still have the title of inter-im athletic director, but Ricky Vaughn is certain of where he wants to take The University of Texas-Pan Ameri-cans athletic department, which has labored at times under a tarnished rep-utation for past inconsistency.

Its been an up-and-down ride since the days of mens basketball coach Delray Brooks and the embezzlement scandal of the late 1990s, plus the program exile from conference mem-bership that has extended to now. The latest controversy began in the summer when former athletic director Scott Street resigned from his position for personal reasons and baseball coach Willie Gawliks contract was not re-newed. In addition, two more coaches left the program in December and the mens basketball team is currently un-der investigation by the NCAA for pos-sibly violating rules and regulations.

Vaughn, who has served as interim AD since last June, said despite recent setbacks in the department, Broncs athletics is still heading in a positive direction.

With anything, you always have transition going on, said Vaughn, who has been at UTPA for seven years and served as the mens and womens

track and fi eld coach. As long as the administration is running things ef-fi ciently and effectively then I think everything is running pretty smooth. I dont think things are rocky as what some people may think.

Last month, former mens and womens tennis coach Rob Hubbard and track and fi eld coach Dennis Dar-ling resigned after fi nding better op-portunities. Hubbard returned to his hometown of Baltimore to take the head coaching position at The Univer-sity of Baltimore Maryland County. Darling left to become a sprinters assistant at The University of Texas-Arlington.

In Hubbards fi nal interview, the UTPA alumnus kept reiterating that UMBCs athletic department had well-defi ned goals. In an article that appeared in The Monitor last summer, former UTPA lecturer Steve Schnall commented that the Bronc athletic department has no mission in athlet-ics, and that they dont know what theyre doing.

Schnall, a longtime coach and athlet-ics promoter, is not the only one who has raised questions about the operation. But Vaughn vows that the program, which was strong in tennis, baseball and basket-ball from the 1950s through the 1980s, has its mission on track.

I respect Steve a lot. Coach

Schnall is a great man. He is someone that I did business with many times when he was a professor here but it was someone that wasnt in our depart-ment making comments and making comments about our former adminis-tration, Vaughn said. As far as coach Hubbard, he had a good program here and he elected to leave. Its kind of the old adage of the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but sometimes when you get over there it may not be as good as what you think.

Hubbards departure came after the administration reached an agreement on a one-year, no-raise deal, which Hubbard decided to decline. Vaughn denied comment on the administra-tions decision to tender such an offer.

Hubbard, Darling and Gawlik are three of the many coaches who gave gotten on and off the schools coaching carousel in recent years. Womens bas-ketball coach DeAnn Craft is currently the dean in Bronc leaders, as she is in her sixth year at the helm.

One of Vaughns goals is to install coaches that are going to serve long-term and be team players, which he says is the only way to garner success for the overall athletic program. He notes that it is his duty to make sure coaches buy into the mission of the university and adds that the department cannot fault a coach if they choose to pursue a greater

opportunity elsewhere. Yes we want coaches long term,

but in any business, youre going to have turnover, Vaughn said.

But staying around for an ex-tended engagement may not be in the cards for mens basketball coach Tom Schuberth. Speculation on Schuberths status as head coach for the future has surfaced, with his three-year contract is set to expire at the end of this season.

Although the Broncs are in a re-building phase this season, the Missis-sippi native turned the program around last year by posting an 18-13 record, the programs best in almost a decade. The Broncs went 7-1 against Inde-pendent teams and captured 10 of 21 road wins. The notable turnaround led Schuberth to the Independent Coach of the Year award, but now with the

Page 13THE PAN AMERICANJanuary 29, 2009

Dates to Know:

By Ramiro PaezThe Pan American

Athletic Department

Vaughn speaks on state of athletic department

Aswin ranks in Top 10 regionally, receives national recognition By Sara HernandezThe Pan American

Feature

Whatever Ive done has worked pretty well and I hope to maintain the rank and try to go up higher and higher.

Aswin VijayaragavanSophomore tennis player

Womens Basketballvs. Chicago StateSaturday, 7 p.m.UTPA Field House

Mens Basketballvs. Savannah StateMonday, 7 p.m.UTPA Field House

UTPA Coaching Carousel

In the past decade, many personnel changes have occured in the athletic department with head coaches. Some sports have replaced head coaches every few years while others have had a stable roster.

BaseballManny Mantrana - 2008-PresentWillie Gawlik - 2003-2008Reggie Tredaway - 1998-2003

Mens BasketballTom Schuberth - 2006-PresentRobert Davenport - 2004-2006Bob Hoffman - 1999-2004

Womens BasketballDeAnn Craft - 2003-PresentTracy Anderson - 2002-2003Karen Nicholls - 2000-2002

GolfOfelia Lopez - 2007-PresentAndrew Tredway - 2005-2007Drew Scott - 2003-2005Mark Gaynor - 2000-2003

TennisChris Gil (Interim) - PresentRob Hubbard - 2005-2008Paul Soliz - 2004-2005Eduardo Provencio - 2003-2004Todd Chapman - 2001-2003

Track and Field/Cross Country

Hugo Cervantes (Asst.) - 2008-PresentDennis Darling - 2007-2008Rick Vaughn - 2002-2006Dan Laufer - 2000-2002

VolleyballAngela Hubbard - 2006-PresentDave Thorn - 1998-2006

See ATHLETICS || Page 15

January 29, 2009Page 14 ADVERTISEMENTS

expiration of his contract approaching and an investigation by the NCAA on-going, Schuberths standing is uncertain.

At this time, we have not talked about what direction we want to go with that yet, Vaughn said. Right now, all we can say is that we support Coach Schuberth. They have a very young team, very talent-ed team to get on a run and hopefully end up having a winning season. Right now, thats our main focus.

Vaughn said a discussion on Schuberths fu-ture will be made after the season and declined to comment on pos-sible NCAA vio-lations; NCAA rules prohibits any ad-ministrator from making a statement

while under investigation. Vaughn will admit that the biggest

problem hes tried to tackle since be-coming interim AD is turning the mo-rale of the department around. With negativity surrounding the program

the last couple of years, he says its important to have everyone working together toward a common goal.

We cant be 14 separate teams, we need to be one team working all toward a common goal, he insisted. I think thats probably been the biggest obstacle. As the coaches see that, Hey, things are get-ting better, thats when theyre real-

ly going to buy into things and believe in the system.

This time last year the University of Texas-Pan American tennis pro-gram was on its way to having a re-cord book cam-paign. The 2009 campaign brings some changes, but though some might think the Broncs are head-ed for setbacks, the teams are ready to prove the skeptics wrong and keep the wins coming.

The early re-turns were not so good, however, as both programs suffered a set-back in Oklaho-ma over the, fall-ing to Oklahoma.

Well my overall thought is that Im very pleased with the mens side, said interim head coach Chris Gill. Aswin ( Vi j a y a r a g a -van) performed beautifully all weekend long even though the results didnt go his way.

But when the Broncs took on 13th ranked Tul-sa on Jan. 23 at the Michael D. Case

Tennis Center in Tulsa, they showed a spark as Vijayaragavan and Nirvick Mohinta picked up a pair of victories in singles action.

Personally I played very well, said Mohinta. The guys (Broncs ten-

nis team) they did well also, we played three matches and overall it was a good effort with all the traveling involved.

The transi-tion from Rob Hubbard (who coached for six seasons) to Gill, who took the reins right before the fi rst tournament of the fall, has been a smooth one for the Broncs.

Well no matter who the coach is, youre playing alone on the court and it depends how strong you are mentally, Mo-hinta said. And if youre willing to put everything on the line and give your best.

M o h i n t a knows that ul-timately they need a coach for guidance and feels that Gill

performed great for his fi rst time as

Bronc leader. He also said the team has been very receptive toward the newcomer.

Of course we need a coach for support and showing us the way, said Mohinta. Coach Chris was able to do that this weekend.

Gill, who had been the director of tennis for the McAllen Country Club since October 2007, was an assis-tant for Hubbard in spring 2007. He is a graduate of Tyler Junior College where he completed the Tennis Tech Program, a program that specializes in certifying students to become tennis coaches.

The transition for Gill has been a smooth one thanks to the administra-tion, he said, but he also knows that as far as the players goes, he needs to meet them halfway.

For the last few years theyve (players) had it a certain way and I feel like my way isnt necessary better or worse, its just different, Gill ex-plained. Im trying to meet the play-ers halfway and trying to understand what they expect, what theyve been doing. and yet implement some things I would like to see the players do.

For Gill, the main thing he wants to work on is attitude. He wants to make sure players understand that their at-titude on and off the court is impor-tant. He said that tennis is a game of errors and that players are going to make mistakes. They just need to take the time to correct them, move on, and forget about them.

For me what I want to see is the attitude to get better, to perform well and the attitude to just be willing to do what it takes to win, Gill concluded. Every single time we walk on the court is important to me to set the tone for the rest of the year.

Page 15SPORTSJanuary 29, 2009

Right now, all we can say is that we support Coach Schuberth. Th ey have a very young team, very talented team to get on a run and hopefully end up having a winning season. Right now, thats our main focus.

Ricky VaughnInterim athletic director

By Pedro Perez IVThe Pan American

Tennis

New goals, new attitude instilled in tennis program

The University of Texas-Pan American mens and womens bas-ketball teams hit the road last week looking to pick up wins after both suffered setbacks in the most recent action.

Tuesday night, the men dueled it out with Auburn University in a classic bout but lost for the fifth time in six games, 66-63, to fall to 5-13 overall. The Broncs found themselves down 14 to start the game against an SEC opponent, and were behind 11 at the end of the first half with the score 39-28.

The boys dug themselves out of a hole as they cut the lead to two with 9:51 left to play in the second half, and with a three-pointer from sophomore guard Nick Weiermiller,

took the lead. From there it was a nail-biter as both teams struggled to shake the other.

The game ended when the Broncs, down by three, could not produce enough magic to hit a three pointer and overcome the Tigers as time expired. They played without leading scorer Emmanuel Jones, and only connected on 7 of 15 from the free-throw line. P.J. Turner (16 points) and Nathan Hawkins (13) led the Green and White.

LADY BRONCSThe Lady Broncs (11-11), whod

suffered a 69-54 loss to the New Jersey Institute of Technology High-landers Saturday, faced off against the Texas A&M Corpus Christi Is-landers Wednesday night.

In the womens loss versus NJIT, freshman standout Epiphany Smith

finished the game with 11 points and senior forward Aleeya Grigsby and senior guard Teshay Winfrey com-bined for 19.

The Lady Broncs didnt fare much better against the Islanders as they dropped a second consecutive game, 54-35. Poor execution and a big dose of Islander center Myeisha Myles, who scored 17 on the night, were enough to put UTPA away.

Junior guard Rachel Hester (10 points) was the standout for the Lady Broncs, while Smith managed a mere two-point performance in the loss.

Both squads will head home to the UTPA Field House for their next games. The men will look to gain a win against Savannah State Univer-sity Monday while the women try to look to rebound versus Chicago State University Saturday.

Basketball

By Kevin StichThe Pan American

SECs Auburn nips Broncs 66-63, women drop two straight on road

Roxy Solis/The Pan AmericanSPRINGING BACK - Freshman Abdelhamid Riani, from Sousse, Tu-nisia, practices his backhand at the Orville Cox Center at UTPA. Riani is the newest recruit to join the mens tennis program.

Tennis Home ScheduleMEN

Jan. 31 Prairie View A&M TBA

Feb. 7 Southern University TBA

Feb. 8 Monterrey Tech TBA

Feb. 24 Nicholls State 1 p.m.

March 8 Arkansas-Pine Bluff TBA

March 14 UTSA TBA

March 18 Southeastern Louisiana 1 p.m.

WOMENJan. 31 Prairie View A&M University TBAFeb. 7 Southern University

TBAFeb. 8 Monterrey Tech

TBAFeb. 24 Nicholls State

4 p.m. March 6 Central Arkansas

3 p.m. March 8 Arkansas-Pine Bluff

TBAApril 2 Stephen F. Austin

TBAApril 4 Texas A&M - Corpus Christi TBAApril 17 National Independent Tournament TBA

ATHLETICS continued from Page 13

Theres no doubt that some people simply just dont like football. But if there are a group of people who you could rely on to defend players integrity, it would be fellow athletes.

Right?Not for University of Texas-

Pan American volleyball play-ers Marci Logan and Cassandra Trevino.

It depends on your defi nition of athletic but I think you have to be an athlete, Logan said on her opinion of why football isnt sport. A sport requires you to be an athlete and you dont have to be athletic to play football.

So while some crazed football fanatics prepare for Sundays Super Bowl XLIII showdown between the upstart Arizona Car-dinals and perennial power Pitts-burgh Steelers, others will either watch for the games enticing commercials and entertaining halftime show, or just refuse to turn on their television set at all.

Logan says a typical Super Bowl Sunday for her entails eating whatever food items are at her gathering that night. Be-ing a Colorado native, the only

Super Bowls Logan has actually tuned in for was when the Den-ver Broncos defeated the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons in 1998 and 1999, respectively.

Trevino of Edinburg shares her teammates attitude. She believes that in some instances football is a sport, but for posi-tions such as offensive and de-fensive lineman, she doesnt agree with the fact that being overweight garners millions of dollars.

Other non-football fans are out there, believe it or not.

Jessica Munoz, a sophomore from Edinburg, refuses to watch because of the violence.

I dont really like it, she said. Its not my interest. I dont like the fact that people are out there to get hurt. I think its too much and people make a big deal out of it.

Many hardcore fans live in-side a bubble, ignorant to the fact that some people loathe the sport. Its true that sport will never satisfy everyones taste but thats why what the protago-nists say is right, You just got to love the sport.

Sports CommentaryTHE PAN AMERICANPage 16 January 29, 2009

Super Bowl

By Ramiro Paez/Pedro Perez IVThe Pan American

Will the real ftbol please stand up? By Sara HernandezThe Pan American

Mexicans like soccer. Everybody knows that. But very few outsiders understand what soccer means to them.

Most of them identify with the colors of their favorite Mexican soccer club, which raises rivalries that divide friends, families, cities and at times, the entire nation.

However, all Mexicans share the passion for the green shirt that has so many times given them a taste of heaven, or drowned them in their own dreams.

El Tri, as they colloquially call the Mexican soccer team, generates an almost religious fervor breaking down geographical and social barriers in the country to bring together an otherwise divided nation.

Mexicans grow up believing that for 90 minutes they are the 12th player on the fi eld, and their presence in the stadium, or in front of the TV, is almost as important as the performance of the 11 chosen citizen-athletes whom they know as if they were part of their family.

And they are. Fans know them by full name, nickname, team, position, city of origin and even personality traits. They also appreciate them as one would appreciate relatives and thus can switch from love of them to to hatred in a moment without giving up faith.

Wherever he is, the Mexican knows millions of co-nationals share his emotions when intonating the Mexican anthem, cheering every time the team approaches the goal, lamenting its mistakes, celebrating when the tri-color squad scores, and rejoicing with victory. Its almost a ritual.

Despite being culturally rich, Mexico is not a wealthy country. In fact, its economy has struggled for the last several years and its national currency has lost value dramatically in the last six months. The insecurity and violence experienced in the country are unconceivable, as the drug war has taken away thousands of lives. Mexican society has always suffered an absence of a middle class, a wealth gap further dividing the country into two groups - the powerful and the nobodies.

So it seems that soccer is the one factor that brings the country together, making everyone equal, sharing the opportunity to hope, dream and strive for the same goal.

Win or lose. It doesnt matter. The people have faith that there will always be one more chance to make their dreams come true, and that theyll be there to see it happen.

Nothing compares to seeing the Mexican soccer team fi ght for the pride of the entire countr, to qualify to the World Cup, and hopefully win it. It has never happened, and who knows if it will, but it will never be too late to try again, at least for the faithful.

The fi rst offi cial game of the year toward qualifying for the 2010 FIFA

january 29, 2009

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