University of Texas-Pan AmericanPolice Chief Howard Miller was firedas the police department’s top boss andofficially left the position on Oct. 3.

At the moment, Miller’s duties arebeing fulfilled by Acting Police ChiefJames Loya, who is the former assis-tant police chief of the department,according to Matthew Flores, theassistant director of public affairs forthe UT System. Loya will fill the spotuntil a new police chief is hired.

“The termination came after an

investigation into some allegationsthat were made against him,” Floressaid. The outcome of the investiga-tion resulted in his firing by the UTSystem.

Due to the issue being a universitypersonnel matter, details were notreleased about what kind of allega-tions were made against Miller.

Flores said all UT System policechiefs are named at the UT Systemlevel, and are hired as a collaborativeeffort between the system and UTPAofficials.

The UTPA Police Departmentresides under the university’s Division

of Business Affairs. Currently, thedivision is in the process of develop-ing a committee that will search forthe new police chief.

The group will consist of staff, stu-dents and a member of the UTSystem. They will be charged withlooking over applications and provid-ing a recommendation for a policechief that fits UTPA’s needs.

Flores said there is no timetable forthe convening of the committee, butsaid a new police chief will be hired ina timely manner.

Miller had been with the universityfor nearly 16 years.

SPORTS PG. 14OPINION PG. 7

The University of Texas Systemhas launched an investigation intoallegations of plagiarism in the 1974dissertation of President Blandina“Bambi” Cardenas.

The investigation came about aftera packet from an anonymous senderwas received by the UT System, aswell as several media outlets, last

week. The packet included 100examples of supposed citation mis-use.

“The University of Texas Systemhas launched its own review of thepassages called into question,” UTSystem Assistant Director of PublicAffairs Matthew Flores said. “We’removing expeditiously and hope tohave the review completed as soon asis possible…but it will take sometime.”

Flores said thereview of the alle-gations will bemade public onceit’s completed.

Cardenas, whohas been presidentof UTPA since2004, wrote herdissertation at theUniversity ofMassachusetts at Amherst, where she

received a doctor-ate in educationalleadership.

U n i v e r s i t yRelations and theUTPA Office ofthe Presidentdeclined to com-ment and referredall questions to theUT System, as per

request by UT System officials.

Flores confirmed that media out-lets also received the packet, but thatinformation included in the variouspackets was not all the same for eachrecipient.

Multiple sources confirm thepacket claims to have been authoredby faculty from UTPA.

“The executives of the UT Systemhave been made aware of these alle-gations,” Flores said. “They and the

SINCE 1943 October 30, 2008Volume 65, No. 10

By Brian SilvaTHE PAN AMERICAN

SPECIAL INDEX NEWS PG. 2 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PG. 10

President Cardenas under investigation

Danielle Valadez was upset at hervoting area in the 2008 primaries heldlast March. Though she registered intime, long lines and miscommunica-tions made it impossible for her tocast her ballot.

Valadez however found early vot-ing at The University of Texas-PanAmerican library a welcome alterna-tive, because she only had to wait aminute to get to the booth. Early vot-ing began Oct. 20 and will end Friday.

“I wanted to make sure I was in theright place,” said the 25-year-old psy-chology major. “But they sent me tothe wrong place and when we finally

got there it ended up turning into afour-hour wait.”

In Texas, early voting provides13.5 million registered voters twoweeks to cast their ballots instead ofhaving to do their thing under packedconditions Nov. 4.

Early voting also allows people tovote in any precinct in the voter’scounty. The UTPA library is just oneof 27 polling locations in HidalgoCounty and one of three in Edinburgthat provides early voting.

At the Hidalgo CountyCommissioners Court last Tuesday,Texas Secretary of State HopeAndrade urged people to chooseearly.

� ADMINISTRATION

VOTER TURNOUT - Several campaigners, including Eddie Zamora (fourth from left), stand outside theElections Administration Office in Edinburg Wednesday. The last day to vote early is Oct. 31.

University unveils Ph.Din Rehab Counseling

The University of Texas-PanAmerican will soon offer a Doctorateof Philosophy in RehabilitationCounseling, the only one of its kind inthe state. The decision came lastThursday after the Texas HigherEducation Coordinating Boardapproved what will be the university’sthird doctoral program.

The program, which is etched to

begin fall 2009, was first proposed tothe UT System in 2005 after nearlyfour years of discussion and delibera-tion.

Rehabilitation GraduateCoordinator Irmo Marini, who willoversee the doctoral program once ittakes flight, said the process has beenlengthy but well worth the wait.

“It has been a humbling experi-ence,” Marini said. “It’s a uniqueopportunity that took so much to put

By Ana VillaurrutiaTHE PAN AMERICAN

SEE CARDENAS || PAGE 5

� LOCAL POLITICS

� ACADEMICS

By J.R. Ortega THE PAN AMERICAN

SEE EARLY || PAGE 5

Early voting rises,record anticipated

“The University of TexasSystem has launched itsown review of the passagescalled into question...”

Matthew FloresUT System assistant directorof public affairs

Roxy Solis/THE PAN AMERICAN

UTPA PD police chief Miller fired� ADMINISTRATION

By Brian SilvaTHE PAN AMERICAN

SEE REHAB || PAGE 5

Last week, The Pan American cele-brated its 65th year with a dinner cel-ebration at the university’s Ballroom.Nearly 100 people attended the event,which featured a keynote speech byLinda Yanez, Senior justice of the13th Court of Appeals, and remarksfrom university vice president JohnEdwards.

Students at The University ofTexas-Pan American have for sixdecades channeled their love of writ-ing, photography and editing into pro-ducing a newspaper for the studentbody. The Pan American focuses oncampus life, as well as community lifearound the Valley; issues concerningstudents that might impact their dailylives.

J.R. Ortega, editor-in-chief, saidhe’s just doing what others have in thepast, keeping the newspaper rolling.

“It feels good to know there is a longline of editors that have managed thepaper and have kept it going,” he said.

Gregory Selber, associate professorof communication and The PanAmerican newspaper adviser since2001, remembers his first year asbeing fun but crazy.

“I inherited a program that was indisarray. We had four employees, thepaper came out twice a week, and hada tiny budget and a terrible client forprinting the paper,” he explained. “We

had to start from scratch and puttogether some long-term plans whichstarted to come together a few yearsdown the line.”

By 2004, the budget for the news-paper had been increased, more peo-ple were hired, and a new bid to get abetter printing company was accom-plished.

Today, The Pan American newspa-per has over 25 paid staff membersand numerous volunteers, and hasregained the award-winning label itcarried in past decades.

Graphic designer editor Roy Bazansaid he has learned much while work-ing for the product.

“My knowledge for designing hasexpanded tremendously,” heexplained. “I like to take stories andmake them visually appealing.”

Creating a newspaper is a chal-lenge in itself, and putting storiestogether and making sure everyonecompletes their tasks on time is a chal-lenge Selber sees with every issue.

“It is the weekly miracle, asopposed to the daily paper,” he said.“My challenge is to tweak the systemand make sure we are consistent, cor-rect, and diligent.”

Through the years, the paper staffhas gone from cutting and pasting lay-out with glue and scissors, typing arti-cles on typewriters to now - using dig-ital software applications to create thenewspaper. Sports editor Ramiro Paezsaid producing The Pan American is

surely easier now.“Technology does make everything

simple,” he noted. “If I was living in atime where we did not use computers,our work environment would be muchdifferent.”

Now with technology on the tips ofeveryone’s fingers, The Pan Americanis working on bringing the newspaperonline.

“We are hoping to finally get onmultimedia,” said Ortega. “It has beenvery difficult, but we should be up andrunning by this spring.”

Selber added that the group is cur-rently working on adding video clipsto the paper’s Web site and said ThePan American needs to get on boardwith new technology.

“It will enable us to transcend thetime lag a weekly paper has to laborunder,” he commented.

Ortega said the new Web site willbe hosted by MTV network and updat-ed daily.

For now, the celebration and theparty have come and gone, and thisweek another issue of the newspaper

has been created. Everyone will con-tinue to go on assignment, write arti-cles and craft a newspaper which staffmembers hope is acceptable to theuniversity community.

And Selber could not agree morewith that, concluding, “To me, it isbusiness as usual. Even though weplanned a nice celebration, I tend tolook forward and not backward…thework is our reward.”

To read copies of this semester’sissues of The Pan American go towww.myspace.com/thepanamerican.

By Adriana AcostaTHE PAN AMERICAN

As Election Day creeps into thepicture, numerous polls have begun toillustrate the flux between Democraticpresidential candidate Barack Obamaand Republican John McCain.

While scientific polls from Websites like Pollster.com are pretty accu-rate with small margins of error, somesay the decision is in the air, withnothing is set in stone until Nov. 4.But does the mixed race of candidateObama enter into the mix?

Jessica Lavariega-Monforti, assis-tant professor of political science, saidit is a waiting game and that whilesome scientific polls are quite reliable,this election could be visited by theso-called Bradley Effect. This effect isnamed for the early 1980s black LosAngeles politician Tom Bradley, whoseemed to be leading in the polls foran election until losing at the end.

“The primary election polls were

pretty accurate but we don’t have apredecessor for this,” she explainedabout how the Bradley Effect may ormay not alter one’s vote when itcomes to the presidential election,since it has not been seen before witha presidential election.

The Effect suggests many whitevoters tend to answer polls in a social-ly desirable way, to avoid possiblecriticism, only to pull the lever againsta black candidate in the privacy of thevoting booth.

Lavariega-Monforti said that sheand Robert Wrinkle, a professor ofpolitical science, are conducting a elec-tion exit poll to check for poll accuracy.

“This is currently under way andwill be completed on Nov. 4,” sheexplained.

The exit poll will be counting all thevoters in Hidalgo County and compar-ing it the 2004 presidential election.

Political Science Professor AdamMcGlynn teaches a public opinion andvoting behavior course which covers

how voting habits for past elections.He said there are many factors that gointo these surveys.

“I believe the Bradley Effect willcome into play in this election,” he said.“Despite polls showing Obama up byfive to eight points, I think his margin ofvictory will be smaller. However, thehorrendous state of our economy maybe limiting theimpact of theBradley Effect, assome people willcare more abouttheir own pocket-book than a candi-date’s race.”

McGlynn saidscientific polls,which select a random group samplefrom the community, usually have aplus-or-minus three or four in termsof margin of error. He added somefactors that result in skewed resultsinclude the fact that the majority ofpolls sample only a group of 1,200 to

1,500, and simple dishonesty (onbehalf of the voter) in polling.

He added that students in hiscourse seem to always realize muchmore after the completion of the work.

“Students always seem surprised bywhat they learn, especially when itcomes to how many ways there are todoctor poll results,” he commented.

“People really needto read the accom-panying documen-tation for all pollswhich explain howthe poll is conduct-ed before theyplace any confi-dence in it.”

Hidalgo Countyhas achieved a much higher early vot-ing turnout than it had for the 2004presidential election. One of the com-pelling elements of the cycle is thefactor of young voters at the polls.

So far the voter turnout shows thatHidalgo County may break the record

from 2004 which had 55,634 onElection Day, according to the HidalgoCounty Election office Web site.

In spite of the possible BradleyEffect, students like ElizabethKennedy, a 20-year-old criminal jus-tice major from Weslaco, said it isobvious it will be a tight race.

“It’s a very close race because thecandidates are very good. One is asweet talker (Obama) and the otherhas good issues (McCain),” the juniorsaid about her observations thus far.

Kennedy added that she rarelylooks at polls from the some media,like CNN and Fox, because she feelsthey are biased toward one candidate.

“I do follow the polls and I try tocheck the news regularly,” sheexplained. “It depends on who you arelooking at, I rely on the Drudge Reportbecause CNN tends to be Democraticand as much as I like Fox News, it’salso very Republican. The DrudgeReport concentrates on the facts.”

THE PAN AMERICANPage 2 October 30, 2008� CAMPUS

Dates to Know:Self-defense training for women

Monday through Oct. 31. 8 a.m. 5 p.m.UTPA Library

Election Day

TuesdayVarious poll locations

Political polls possess various success rates By J.R. OrtegaTHE PAN AMERICAN

Student newspaper marks 65-year milestone � ACADEMICS

DONNA PAZDERA

THE OLD AND NEW - Former and current The Pan American staffers met Saturday in celebration of thestudent publication’s 65th anniversary.

“I believe the Bradley Effectwill come into play in thiselection.”

Adam McGlynnAssistant professor of political science

The television was the new tool inthe 1960 presidential election. AfterJohn F. Kennedy and Richard Nixonfaced off in their televised debate,Kennedy’s fresh face forever changedhow politics and politicians alikewere viewed.

Today’s political campaigns haveevolved beyond the candidate’s tele-vision exposure in the Internet gener-ation, as candidates have spent moremoney each cycle to try and reach amuch larger demographic through amultiple media blitz. They use vari-ous means to raise awareness, andalso money.

University of Texas-Pan AmericanPolitical Science Professor EdwardJackson said the most crucial elementof fundraising for Presidential candi-date Barack Obama was his Web site.

“He (Obama) realizes how impor-tant the Internet can be, because he’sgrown up with it,” Jackson said.

Obama’s Web site features priceoptions to donate $15 or $50 and up to$2,300. Jackson said he believes peri-odic contributions of these smalldonations have added to Obama’sbudget over time. He now boasts$800 million in fund raising, includ-ing a record $150 million inSeptember.

“I can get you to donate me anamount of money that seems realisticand literally raise millions of dollars,”said Jackson. “Campaign money isreally sky rocketing, to run for anappellate judge in Texas is costing$200,000 plus…you have to havemoney to be a politician.”

Researchers have always insistedthat the Internet is a democratizingmedium that offers the chance forgrassroots activism.

Jackson sees it as a way of equaliz-ing the financial gap between wealth-ier candidates and candidates withless financial clout.

“The Internet has created accessi-

By Ana VillaurrutiaTHE PAN AMERICAN

Dori Contreras Garza remembersbecoming a mother at the age of 21while obtaining her business adminis-tration and accounting degree from theUniversity of Texas at Austin. Whilemaintaining a life as a politician andmother of three was difficult, she said itwas not impossible.

“It is truly something that can be

done,” Garza said. “It’s just a matterof finding a balance.”

Garza is currently running for the13th Court of Appeals, and like manyother women, has had to wear multi-ple hats including that of mother andjudge.

According to the U.S. Departmentof Labor, a record 68 million womenwere employed in the United States in2007, 75 percent in full-time jobs.

Linda Yañez, senior justice on the

court Garza is seeking to join, is vyingfor a place on the Texas SupremeCourt, and said she has found herselfin a similar position.

As a mother, grandmother, judgeand lawyer, Yañez said she had lesstime to spare because of her choice tobecome a public figure. She addedthat women have to sacrifice in orderto get ahead, but they can’t be every-where at once.

“We can’t have it all,” Yañez said.

“Life is about choices.”Her position as an influential judge

has also influenced her daughters’careers, as they are both attorneys.

“They’re following my footstepswithout me pushing it on them,”Yañez said. “These are their ownchoices… but when we make thesechoices somebody has to sacrifice.”

PREPARING THE WAYAs a woman who became the first

Hispanic female to hold an appellatejudgeship in Texas - and who hopesto become the first Latina to serve onthe Texas Supreme Court - Yañez hasobserved that young Hispanic womenstill need to work more diligently toobtain the education needed to be inthe competitive world of politics orthe corporate world.

“Women in the younger generationare not graduating from high school

NEWS Page 3October 30, 2008

� LOCAL POLITICS

With only a few days left untilElection Day, two organizations atThe University of Texas-PanAmerican have been hard at workorganizing and carrying out activitiesbefore the momentous day arrives.The YoungDemocrats atUTPA as well asThe Republicans atUTPA will contin-ue their steadfastduties until the daybefore the election.

Despite con-trary ideologicalviews, Isidroalex Morgado, presidentfor The Republicans at UTPA andTony Martinez, the Young Democratsat UTPA president, do agree on one

thing: getting people to vote no matterwhat their political standing may be.

“Our main goal is to promote polit-ical involvement, political awarenessand to increase voter turnout,”Martinez said.

Similarly, Morgado notes that oneof the important issues theRepublican organization has beenfocusing on is getting students and the

c o m m u n i t yinvolved.

He feels that thegroup had tried totake the “initiativein saying ‘let’s edu-cate, let’s promotevoting, let’s make itpart of our culture.’

That’s what we’re trying to do, pro-mote that,” Morgado said.

And activities that each group hassponsored is evidence for their

claims. On Nov. 3, both will be hosting

events to further their cause. TheDemocrat group will have Rock theVote at Cine El Rey at 7 p.m. wherelocal bands will headline. TheRepublican organization will hostThe Great Party Debate which willinclude representatives from theStudent Government Association aswell as various fraternities and soror-ities on campus.

DIFFERING VIEWSThe groups believe it’s important

for the community to become educat-ed and vote, and are both holdingactivities to increase party and voterawareness. But the similarities endthere.

Martinez said that this election ismomentous for Democrats, signifyingan opportunity for a shift in power.

“We’re pushing a straight ticket,”Martinez said. “Make it simple: votefor change.”

Morgado on the other hand, feelsthat it has been important this year toclarify to students what Republicansreally stand for.

“I want to transmit our perspectiveto students,” Morgado said. “A lot oftimes students think that to beRepublican you must be rich andWhite, and that’s not true… we wantto get students to see what a conserva-tive perspective is like.”

Another thing the student activistorganizations agree on is the fact thatthey have both seen the politicalmovement on campus increase,including seeing more students vote.

“Students right now are talkingabout it,” Morgado said. “It’s defi-nitely something right now that stu-dents are passionate about.”

Similarly, Martinez remembersprevious elections, saying that in thepast, the university might not havebeen a hot spot for politics.

“I was here ‘04 and ’06 and theexcitement that is felt now, is there,”Martinez said. “There’s a lot moreparticipation and there’s a lot morequestions.”

According to the Hidalgo Countyofficial Web site, there are 29 early vot-ing locations throughout the county. Asof Oct. 28, the UTPA library locationhad seen 2,682 votes cast there and wasin ninth place for most votes.

With a student body of over17,000, Martinez feels that it is trulymomentous to be up in the rankingswith the rest of Hidalgo County vot-ing stations.

“We’re looking for voting numbersto be record high this time around,”he said.

Political organizations ‘elect’ for young voter turnoutBy Abigail MunizTHE PAN AMERICAN

� CAMPUS

Female politicians aim to shorten gender gapBy Abigail MunizTHE PAN AMERICAN

SEE WOMEN || PAGE 6

Digital age impactselection campaigns

� TECHNOLOGY

SEE CAMPAIGN || PAGE 6

Ben Briones/THE PAN AMERICAN

DOOR TO DOOR - Retired teacher Tony Garza of McAllen listens to (from left) Rosalie Weisfeld, CelesteCantu and Judith Benter as they go down Thunderbird Avenue in McAllen to re-elect State Rep. VeronicaGonzales.

“We’re looking for votingnumbers to be record highthis time around.”

Tony MartinezYoung Democrats president

ADVERTISEMENTS October 30, 2008Page 4

together.”Marini said back in early 2000, for-

mer president Miguel Nevarez andprovost Rodolfo Arevalo came to thedepartment of rehabilitation with theidea to one day launch a doctoral pro-gram of some sort.

In the past 15 years, the departmenthas received roughly $10 millionthrough externally funded grants suchas the U.S. Department ofRehabilitation and the Center forSubstance Abuse Treatment.

These grants, Marini said, onlypushed administration to have thedepartment of rehabilitation to fightfor a doctoral program.

“This has laid a really good foun-dation for starting a Ph.D program (inthis area),” he explained. Marini firstcame on board at UTPA in 1996 tohelp create the rehabilitation graduateprogram.

Now that the ground work has beenlaid, Marini said the next step, whichwill take several months, is to createthe “infrastructure” of the program bypreparing the application process,manuals and setting up coursework.

“The basic foundation for runningthe program (has been laid), it’s notgoing to be difficult (to create theinfrastructure) but it will be a lot ofwork,” he said.

Rick Mireles, 2002 alumni of themaster’s rehabilitation program, saidhe had long heard about the possibili-ty for a doctorate program.

“It’s been a long dream of mine toobtain my Ph.D,” he explained. “I’velooked at schools in the U.S. but want-ed to see what transpires here in theValley.”

Mireles, who has known Marini forseven years, said that the graduatecoordinator’s determination has really

helped paid off. “He’s been adamant about the uni-

versity approving this program andhas gone above and beyond gettingthis Ph.D program,” he said. “We needpeople like that here in the Valley.”

The program is a 66-hour courseload with 12 hours of doctoral levelresearch statistics, 12 hours of disser-tation and 15 hours of electives.Marini said with 10 full-time tenuretracked professors, the rehabilitationcounseling program is the 10th largestin the country and will do well oncethe program is fully under way.

“It’s a strength having a strong fac-ulty,” he said. In the past three years,the rehabilitation department has putout 33 journal articles, 17 book chap-ters and has held numerous rehabilita-tion counseling presentations on thestate, national and international level.

These accomplishments are what

ranked the UTPA rehabilitation coun-seling program No. 24 of America’sBest Graduate Schools in the “U.S.News and World Report 2009.”

Bruce Reed, dean of the College ofHealth Sciences and Human Services,said the program would be of greatasset to rehabilitation program.

“This is not only a big celebration

for the department or college but forthe university,” he said.

Reed added that through the Ph.Dprogram, graduates will be prepared toteach after receiving their degree.

UTPA currently has two other doc-toral programs, doctorate of educationin educational leadership and doctor-ate of business.

“This is a most important election,”Andrade said. “42 ,000 (people) havealready cast their votes but you will bewaiting in line if you don’t early-vote.”

Andrade also mentioned that whileearly voting is supposed to be a moreconvenient option, some states are stillexperiencing voter machine glitches,including machine miscalculations andcast ballots being switched internallyfrom one candidate to another.

“Thank God Texas is good,” shesaid about the minimal amount of sna-

fus at early voting booths statewide.Despite the com-

puter glitches, recentearly voting numbershave suggested atrend. Of 300,000registered HidalgoCounty voters, morehave started votingbefore the generalelection date.

In the Februaryearly-voting activity,

50,000 early votes were counted, a 40percent increasefrom the previousprimary election.

This presiden-tial election hasalready exceededthe primaries.More than 56,000people havevoted, accordingto an unofficialreport from the

Hidalgo County Department. With a couple of days left in the

election, more voters are early-votingin this presidential election than in2004 according to an early votingcomparison from the Hidalgo CountyElection Department.

Danny Rios, 449th District Judgewho is currently up for re-election,said at a Rock the Vote Rally at UTPAthis Tuesday that the increase can beaccounted for by a continuing rise inregistered voters.

About 213 million Americans areregistered to vote in the upcomingelection according to a CNN report.

“My understanding is in 2004 wehad a huge increase in registeredvotes,” Rios said.

More than half the country takespart in early voting and in the 2004general elections, 60 percent ofAmericans voted.

That number is expected to growthis year with the influx of new regis-tered voters.

NEWS Page 5 October 30, 2008

REHAB continued from Page 1

EARLY continued from Page 1

UT System take these allegationsvery seriously.”

Flores said the Office of GeneralCounsel and the Office of AcademicAffairs for the UT System will con-vene a committee to look into thecitation allegations.

“There will be a thorough processfor looking into these allegations,”Flores continued.

He also commented that Cardenaswill function in her regular capacitywhile the review is under way.

No timetable was given as to whenthe review committee would conveneor conclude its investigation.

John Sargent, UTPA associate pro-fessor of management, said hebelieves the allegations should bemade public so he and other facultycan see for themselves the truthbehind the citations.

“There are whistleblower laws outthere which protect these people pro-viding the anonymous allegations,”Sargent said. “But, the informationmust be put out there for the public toview.”

After viewing information andexcerpts provided by several mediaoutlets, Sargent said he doesn’t seeanything that’s extremely damaging.

“You have to wonder about themotivation for someone looking indetail at a dissertation from the1970s,” he commented. “I don’t thinkit’s an appropriatestandard.”

The authors of thepacket allege that in100 examples,Cardenas violated therule that stipulates acitation, or attribu-tion, for copyingseven or more con-secutive words by the original author.

A dissertation often employs

ideas from other scholars, and therule generally states that any suchoriginal work used by a secondaryauthor should include a footnote

e s t a b l i s h i n gwhere the origi-nal materialcame from.

“It needs to beevaluated in thebroader context ofthe dissertation,”Sargent said.

Sargent addedthat Cardenas needs to act in an openand transparent way in handling the

review. “I’m sure she’ll handle this well…

she’s always been a person of highintegrity,” he said.

During July 2007 Cardenas wasunder review by the UT System forsupposed misuse of funds.

The review concluded thatCardenas had misused $7,000 of uni-versity funds for various work proj-ects done on her house.

But an audit from the UT Systemconcluded that Cardenas did not try topersonally benefit from the use of uni-versity resources, but rather ran intobilling/reimbursement confusion.

CARDENAS continued from Page 1

Nov. 4 Polling Locations

� GRE� Letters of reference� Faculty interviews� 3.25 GPA or higher� Two years rehabilitation experience

**Applications will be ready in Spring 2009Contact the Department of Rehabilitation (956) 316-7036

Ph.D of Rehabilitation Counseling

Donna Boys & Girls Club307 Miller Ave.

Edinburg Fire Station212 W. McIntyre St.

McAllen Tax Office 311 N. 15th St.

“I’m sure she’ll handle thiswell... she’s always been aperson of high integrity.”

John Sargent Assoc. prof. of management

Mission Veterans Memorial High School700 E. 2 Mile Line

Alamo Franklin Elementary School814 Bird St.

Edinburg North High School3101 North Closner

Pharr North High School500 E. Earling Road

Hidalgo City Hall704 E. Texano

La Joya Housing Authority945 S. Leo Ave.

“But they sent me to thewrong place and when wefinally got there it ended upturning into a four-hourwait.”

Danielle ValadezPsychology major

and graduating from college and get-ting into professional schools at thelevel that is equal to our population,”she said.

A U.S. Census report found that 2.9percent of Hispanic women hadadvanced degrees.

Yañez said she believes that Latinawomen still face challenges when itcomes to gaining positions of powerpolitics or the corporate worldbecause of that lack of education.

“We still are not reaching the edu-cational levels that are parallel withour population,” Yanez said. “We stillhave a long way to go.”

Veronica Gonzales, StateRepresentative for District 41 and run-ning for re-election from theDemocrat ticket Nov. 4, advises

young women with high expectationsto avoid being discouraged.

“Don’t think you’re not capable,”Gonzales stressed. “You’ve got tobelieve in yourself.”

She feels now is the time for womenpoliticians to start making their way totake higher positions in politics.

“The issues that get brought to theforefront are issues dealing withwomen, such as healthcare for women,”Gonzales said. “The more women weelect, the more issues that concern themwill be brought up front.”

Yañez admits that over the years, sheis slowly seeing more women obtaindesirable positions whether it be inlocal politics or the corporate world.She credits that to eager women whowant change and who overcame theobstacles that are still present.

“We have to overcome poverty,we have to overcome domestic vio-lence issues, we have to overcomesexual discrimination in the work-place…those are all still there, it’sjust that now we have more aggres-sive women that are fighting those,”Yañez said.

NEWS October 30, 2008Page 6

WOMEN continued from Page 3

CAMPAIGN continued from Page 3

bility and it might create an era whereyou don’t have to be a multi-million-aire, you can actually be elected onyour competence…you can have aWeb site and raise the money,” heexplained.

Linda Yañez, senior justice of 13thCourt of Appeals, agreed that the dis-parity of money between certain can-didates is a drawback in campaigning.

“Unfortunately money is the bigengine that runs the campaign. Peoplewith money have an advantage,”Yanez said.

So far, John McCain and Obamahave each earned $2.4 billion infundraising.

CAMPAIGN ANNOYANCESPolitical efforts have also used

new technology to communicate andexpose the candidate to the Americanvoter through e-mails, texts, YouTubevideo ads, and Web sites.

But with that good comes some bad.Messages have reached massiveamounts of people, and as ElectionDay nears, some people feel inundated.

Melanie Lerma, a 19-year-oldjunior biology major at UTPA, saidshe usually ignores campaign annoy-ances such as political ads on theInternet.

“It’s more competitive,” theSharyland native said. “I’m not reallyinterested in it (campaign), I alreadyknow who I’m going to vote for.”

Texas State Representative forDistrict 41, Veronica Gonzales, saidshe agrees that campaigns have

become more aggressive, especiallyin terms of attack ads, which havebeen released at record speed and vol-ume in 2008.

“I think campaigns have gottennastier, people can make an attack adfaster,” Gonzales said. “Technologyhas gotten so fast that within days youare receiving so many messages fromthe candidate through e-mail or text,it can get crazy.”

Yañez agreed the Internet can betroublesome, especially when itcomes to separating fact and rumor.

“The Internet is not regulated forcontent, so people can say whateverthey want, meaning that people have tobe more intelligent in what webelieve,” Yañez said. “Rumors fly,information is completely inaccurate.”

� CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISING

Villalobos, Javier

Period Covered: 10/07/2008 - 10/27/2008Total Political Contributions $8,165.00

Gonzales, Veronica

Period Covered: 09/26/2008 - 10/25/2008 Total Political Contributions $70,428.65

Rios, Daniel G.

Period Covered: 10/05/2008 - 10/27/2008Total Political Contributions $6,625.00

Yanez, Linda R.

Period Covered: 09/26/2008 - 10/25/2008Total Political Contributions $77,138.00

Information from ethics.state.tx.us

Brian Silva/THE PAN AMERICANON CAMPUS CAMPAIGN - Sam Houston, vying for Place 7 on theTexas Supreme Court, visited UTPA during the Rock the Vote Rallyheld at the Chapel Lawn Tuesday. The event was held to allow studentsmeet candidates on the ballot.

Ben Briones/THE PAN AMERICANPROMOTING CHANGE - Linda Yañez, senior justice for the 13th Court of Appeals, takes time off thecampaign trail to address students as the keynote speaker Saturday for The Pan American newspaper’s 65thanniversary dinner. Yañez is currently vying for a spot on the Texas Supreme Court.

� TIDBIT

Of 100 seats in theU.S. Senate, only 16are held by women.

DemocratRunning for State Rep. District 41

DemocratRunning for State Rep. District 41

RepublicanRunning for 449th District Court Judge

DemocratRunning for Texas Supreme Court

Place 8

THE PAN AMERICANOctober 30, 2008 Page 7

UTPA Generations: The SeriesWatch for Bronc history lessons intermittently throughout the

semester

Aug. 25 - IntroductionSept. 4 - ‘20s & ‘30s Sept. 25 - ‘40s & ‘50s

Oct. 16 - ‘60s & ‘70s Nov. 6 - ‘80s & ‘90sDec. 3 - 2000 & Beyond

Border wall accountability

Inability to votebrings horror, relief

The timing was perfect forHalloween. It gave me a fright and itwasn’t a ghost or something demon-ic, it was what happened when Iwent to vote; I wasn’t registered.

I had signed up with a girl, Ibelieve it was two or three daysprior to the registration cut, but forsome reason my registration neverwent through. Like that, the oppor-tunity to vote for change was rippedaway from me.

I was sad, frustrated but thenstrangely felt a sense of relief, arelief that many probably wouldn’tunderstand.

Granted I should have registeredearlier, I had been in political toss-up for quite a while, not sure if I’deven vote at all. However, I hadfinally flipped the coin and decided

I was going to vote Obama. Despitethis real-life horror, I’ve begun tosee the optimism in it (many proba-bly won’t agree).

Never do I have to have my handon that button trying to make, whatfor many Americans, should be adifficult decision. Two men, bothsuit to fill in the shoes as the nextpresident of the United States. I’venever been good with decisions andnow I don’t have to make one.

Though it hurts knowing myfriends and family have cast theirvotes, I know that I won’t have todeal with the pain of voting in ajackass or the joy of knowing Ivoted in a catalyst who has helpedchange the face of America; I’ll justbe a ghost.

� EDITORIAL

� OPINION

Illustration - Anthony Salinas

With the General Election immi-nent and early voting continuingtoday and tomorrow, it’s importantfor Valley voters to remember theissues that are important to them.Chief among some of them is thelongstanding battle over the borderwall along the Rio Grande.

Before casting their ballots, vot-ers must make sure the candidatethey’re choosing is held accountablefor their views on the border wall.Voters must make sure the candi-dates reflect their views on the issueand can satisfy citizens with a solidplan of action.

It is no secret that most Valleypoliticians are opposed to the wall.Leaders’ views are indeed a reflec-tion of constituent opinions, whichare largely against a wall thatimposes potentially negative factorson Valley life.

Voters must not become compla-cent or discouraged. They must bereassured that the candidates havereal solutions to this fierce battle.

With the upcoming wave ofDemocrats seeking to sweep intooffice, the tide may well turn, and aphysical barrier will be a moveableissue.

It is important for voters toremember their passion in this issue.The wall affects us all in the Valley.It is both a physical and invisibleinsult to the two sides of the river

that have a common history ofshared commerce and culture.

The North American Free TradeAgreement (NAFTA) was a sign ofpartnership, and friendship, betweenthe U.S., Canada and Mexico. Itpropelled free trade betweenMexico and the U.S. However, thatfreedom would be walled off by thepresence of a barrier that is meant tokeep people out of the world’s bea-con of freedom and hope.

It is that beacon of hope and free-dom that draws immigrants acrossthe border, risking death, to find abetter life in America. As humans,we’re fundamentally all the samewhen it comes to survival. So, wemust ask ourselves what kind of diresituation would cause people to takesuch a risk.

Perhaps, this dire situation isreflected in a governmental problemwith our neighbor to the South. If“homeland security” is the reasonfor the wall, then maybe we shouldmake sure our candidates are heldaccountable in remedying this situa-tion. Ask them if there’s a plan inplace to aid our neighbor.

A demand to solve the root causeof the problem is our right and ourduty. Our way of life in the Valleycan only suffer from the culturaldivision this wall imposes. It dividesus from our neighbors south of theriver and from neighbors in our own

towns.The Berlin Wall divided the peo-

ple of one of the oldest cities inEurope. The families of Berlin weredivided physically and culturally.The reason for such a thing was tokeep refugees in East Berlin fromseeking a better life in West Berlin.

This parallel may seem harsh tosome, but to the people of Granjenothere is no greater tragedy than tosee the concrete cast a shaddow overthe backyard of their walled off her-itage.

If not for the sake of heritage,then for the environment thatencompasses our delicate river. Theecosystem of the mighty Rio Grandeis not meant to be physically divid-ed.

When conservationist JeffCorwin visited our campus lastmonth he emphatically called theborder wall an “absolutely terribleidea for wildlife.”

Indeed, quite adverse for Valleylife. Let it be known.

There is power in numbers, and ifeach vote cast demands an answerfrom our leaders, then only progresscan ensue.

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

Fax: (956) 316-7122

Oct. 30, 2008

The Pan American is the official stu-dent newspaper of The University ofTexas-Pan American. Views presentedare those of the writers and do not nec-essarily reflect those of the paper oruniversity.

The Pan American accepts letters of300 words or less from students, staff andfaculty regarding recent newspapercontent, campus concerns or currentevents. The Pan American reserves theright to edit submissions for grammar andlength. The Pan American cannot publishanonymous letters or submissionscontaining hate speech or gratuitouspersonal attacks. Please send all storyideas to thepanamerican@gmail.com.

Individuals with disabilitieswishing to acquire this publication in analternative format or needing assistanceto attend any event listed can contact ThePan American for more details.

**Delivery**Thursday at noon

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

ADVISER

Dr. Greg Selber --- selberg@utpa.eduSECRETARY

Anita Reyes --- areyes18@utpa.eduADVERTISING MANAGER

Samantha Quintana --- spubs@utpa.edu

V 65, No. 10

EDITOR IN CHIEF

J.R. Ortega / ortega.e.jr@gmail.com

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Abigail Muniz / abby.muniz@yahoo.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Brian Silva / brian.silva2@gmail.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Ana Villaurrutia / parker687@hotmail.com

A&E EDITOR

Laura Garcia / laurad500@hotmail.com

ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

Isaac Garcia / izek_el@yahoo.com

SPORTS EDITORS

Ramiro Paez / ramiropaez@aol.comGregorio Garza / the_nataku@yahoo.com

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Roxy Solis / roxysolis34@yahoo.com

DESIGN EDITOR

Roy Bazan / rbazanzz@yahoo.com

COPY EDITOR

Adriana Acosta / acostaa@hotmail.com

J.R. OrtegaEDITOR IN CHIEF

OOPPIINNIIOONNSS October 30, 2008Page 8 OOPPIINNIIOONNSS Page 9October 30, 2008

After the Democratic primaries andthe selection of Joe Biden as runningmate, I have chosen to support andvote for Barack Obama for president ofthe free world. Not to sound cliché, butit comes down to my belief thatObama is what we need to fix this bro-ken country.It starts with a great leader and

Obama has managed to do what noother presidential candidate hasbefore, get young adults (18 to 30)interested and concerned about thestate of the country. I believe they willcome out in the largest numbers everto vote for Obama. It’s his empower-ing speeches and eloquent demeanorthat have inspired millions of peopleto stand up for change, includingmyself. So, why not John McCain and his

running mate Sarah Palin? I believethat they stand for a fractured countryand system that has gotten us nowherein the past eight years. Both are try-

ing to set back the free world 30 yearswith their opinions on civil rights andwomen’s rights. Whatever happenedto “all men created equal”? Also, theirplan to fix the economy doesn’t seemto be in the country’s best interest. Itall starts with the galaxy-size amountof money we are spending in Iraq toprotect a nation that wants nothingbut for us to leave.It comes down to which candidate

comes closest to my beliefs. SinceSept. 11 the Republican Party haslaunched many assaults on theConstitution and abused powers notmeant to be tampered with. I thinkthat Obama will nullify these infrac-tions and do his best to ensure everyAmerican privacy. Also, I believe thathe will be more likely to uphold indi-vidual rights.The war in Iraq isn’t unpopular just

by chance. As a result, the worldviewof our country has been severely dam-aged and it doesn’t take four moreyears of the same to fix this view. Ittakes stark change and bold leadershipand that is present in Barack Obama.

Isa ac GarciaA&E Assistant Editor

Education is very important to me.I’ve worked hard to get to where I amright now only to come to a sillybump in the road; money for my high-er education. Taking out student loansto compensate for my scholarship iskilling me. With the economy actingall screwy, who knows if I’ll be able toget that money next year. This is whyI believe Barack Obama is the candi-date who will understand how to get usout of this financial crisis and givecollege students the best solution tothis ever growing money problem.His American Opportunity Tax

Credit plan of $4,000 for college stu-dents who give 100 hours of service ayear back to their community is some-thing that both makes sense and ispractical to me. Who wouldn’t want$4,000 for 100 hours? That’s $40 anhour, a lot more than I get paid. Withon campus clubs such as Rotaract orGreek Organizations community serv-ice would go by fast and be fun, youwouldn’t have to do it alone.

The economy’s predicament rightnow is something to be worried about.I feel though, that Obama’s plan toinvest $15 billion in green technolo-gies will create up to 5 million jobs ayear stimulating the economy andhelp get us out of this economic rut, aswell as progressively moving forwardtoward a greener environment.With John McCain voting with

President Bush over 90 percent of thetime who’s to say that he’ll change?Now, I’m going to disagree with someof my fellow Democrats here; I don’tbelieve everything is Bush’s fault. Imean he’s had a couple of very roughterms, going through the first devas-tating foreign attack on the Americanmainland, a gigantic natural disaster, awar on terrorism. Let’s face it though,Bush and those around him droppedthe ball there. But over 90 percent?That leaves less than 10 percent differ-ence, now how is that change?We need a different perspective in

the White House. We need someonewho will give the American peoplechange. And that someone for me isBarack Obama.

Through my quests on campus itseems that finding anotherRepublican around here is like findingno needles in a haystack. As a youngHispanic Republican, and a female atthat, I must say I feel at odds with mypeers. What I have encountered are numer-

ous claims of “A Need for Change” and“Yes We Can.” But do the Democratyoung ‘uns really understand whatthey stand for, or has it become a pop-ularity contest of sorts in which unin-formed youth will soon make a pivotalmove without really knowing whythey are doing so? Are they beingswayed toward a Democratic stancejust because it has become the “coolthing” to do? Contrary to Obama’s all of 10 min-

utes… er, 4 years in office, McCain’slong political experience (over 25years) is a strong asset. One thingsDemocrats criticize McCain for is vot-ing against minimum wage increases,but what of his vote to increase it in2007? Many have benefited from this.I believe this shows that McCain will

not forget those in the working class.What would have become of the nationthat is now stumbling and crumblinghad McCain not helped in voting forthis?McCain’s stance on abortion is

unwavering. Although he does notaddress the issue frequently, it isapparent what his views are as evi-denced by his vote for the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. Yes,as a young woman I am a pro-lifer whois not ashamed to be called one. It’s soeasy to be swept up by the current andaccommodate my beliefs to those ofmy peers. But that’s the easy way out.McCain’s position on this issue aswell as other social issues is dead-onwith my belief system.What young Democrats, or rather

the uninformed ones, should under-stand is that politics is not just a pass-ing trend. Just because your friendparades around in a “Yes We Can”Obama shirt and his bumper is riddenwith blue Obama/Biden stickers does-n’t mean yours has to be. Do theresearch, lest you find out after votingfor Obama that his idea of spreadingthe wealth is not necessarily a greatone.

With the most controversial, mosttalked about, history-making presi-dential election coming down to thewire, it’s time that I ruffle a few feath-ers myself. In the Rio Grande ValleyI’m considered a minority, because,yes, I, a 23-year old, Hispanic collegestudent am a proud Republican. Holdyour fire and hear me out.I’ve never been one to discuss pol-

itics, I’ve always been told you don’tdiscuss religion or politics, in order toavoid an argument. Plus, I’m not veryfond of the fact that most Democratsyou try to “discuss” politics withdon’t actually know all of the facts andthey are merely repeating every otherfoolish comeback they’ve heard. Iswear if I hear another, “Well even ifMcCain does win, he’ll probably diethe next day” I’ll scream. Or a “Youonly like Sarah Palin because she’s awoman.”Yes, like I’m actually that superfi-

cial and shallow. I’m voting forMcCain/Palin because I agree with

many of their views, the same reasonDemocrats will vote Obama/Biden. Do not try and change my mind,

especially with your childish ways.Maybe it has something to do withbeing born on an election Tuesdaythat I am so passionate about this.One reason I will vote

McCain/Palin on Tuesday is because Iagree with the concept to spreadopportunity when it comes to jobs,rather than spreading wealth. Everyable American should hold a steadyjob and help eradicate the need forgovernment assistance. Sen. Obama’splan would only give people some-thing to fall back on since he is pro-government giveaway. The list goes on in terms of reasons

for my voting red; I just feel that withMcCain’s many years of experience heis really the only way to go. So my fellow Americans, I leave

you with food for thought. Obama sup-porters, go out and vote blue onElection Day, but remember this. Theelectoral college gets the last laugh,and really, what are the chances ofTexas going blue?

Kristen CabreraReporter

Abigail MunizAssistant Editor

Laura GarciaA&E Editor

voting Obiden... voting McCalin...

OOPPIINNIIOONNSS October 30, 2008Page 8 OOPPIINNIIOONNSS Page 9October 30, 2008

After the Democratic primaries andthe selection of Joe Biden as runningmate, I have chosen to support andvote for Barack Obama for president ofthe free world. Not to sound cliché, butit comes down to my belief thatObama is what we need to fix this bro-ken country.It starts with a great leader and

Obama has managed to do what noother presidential candidate hasbefore, get young adults (18 to 30)interested and concerned about thestate of the country. I believe they willcome out in the largest numbers everto vote for Obama. It’s his empower-ing speeches and eloquent demeanorthat have inspired millions of peopleto stand up for change, includingmyself. So, why not John McCain and his

running mate Sarah Palin? I believethat they stand for a fractured countryand system that has gotten us nowherein the past eight years. Both are try-

ing to set back the free world 30 yearswith their opinions on civil rights andwomen’s rights. Whatever happenedto “all men created equal”? Also, theirplan to fix the economy doesn’t seemto be in the country’s best interest. Itall starts with the galaxy-size amountof money we are spending in Iraq toprotect a nation that wants nothingbut for us to leave.It comes down to which candidate

comes closest to my beliefs. SinceSept. 11 the Republican Party haslaunched many assaults on theConstitution and abused powers notmeant to be tampered with. I thinkthat Obama will nullify these infrac-tions and do his best to ensure everyAmerican privacy. Also, I believe thathe will be more likely to uphold indi-vidual rights.The war in Iraq isn’t unpopular just

by chance. As a result, the worldviewof our country has been severely dam-aged and it doesn’t take four moreyears of the same to fix this view. Ittakes stark change and bold leadershipand that is present in Barack Obama.

Isa ac GarciaA&E Assistant Editor

Education is very important to me.I’ve worked hard to get to where I amright now only to come to a sillybump in the road; money for my high-er education. Taking out student loansto compensate for my scholarship iskilling me. With the economy actingall screwy, who knows if I’ll be able toget that money next year. This is whyI believe Barack Obama is the candi-date who will understand how to get usout of this financial crisis and givecollege students the best solution tothis ever growing money problem.His American Opportunity Tax

Credit plan of $4,000 for college stu-dents who give 100 hours of service ayear back to their community is some-thing that both makes sense and ispractical to me. Who wouldn’t want$4,000 for 100 hours? That’s $40 anhour, a lot more than I get paid. Withon campus clubs such as Rotaract orGreek Organizations community serv-ice would go by fast and be fun, youwouldn’t have to do it alone.

The economy’s predicament rightnow is something to be worried about.I feel though, that Obama’s plan toinvest $15 billion in green technolo-gies will create up to 5 million jobs ayear stimulating the economy andhelp get us out of this economic rut, aswell as progressively moving forwardtoward a greener environment.With John McCain voting with

President Bush over 90 percent of thetime who’s to say that he’ll change?Now, I’m going to disagree with someof my fellow Democrats here; I don’tbelieve everything is Bush’s fault. Imean he’s had a couple of very roughterms, going through the first devas-tating foreign attack on the Americanmainland, a gigantic natural disaster, awar on terrorism. Let’s face it though,Bush and those around him droppedthe ball there. But over 90 percent?That leaves less than 10 percent differ-ence, now how is that change?We need a different perspective in

the White House. We need someonewho will give the American peoplechange. And that someone for me isBarack Obama.

Through my quests on campus itseems that finding anotherRepublican around here is like findingno needles in a haystack. As a youngHispanic Republican, and a female atthat, I must say I feel at odds with mypeers. What I have encountered are numer-

ous claims of “A Need for Change” and“Yes We Can.” But do the Democratyoung ‘uns really understand whatthey stand for, or has it become a pop-ularity contest of sorts in which unin-formed youth will soon make a pivotalmove without really knowing whythey are doing so? Are they beingswayed toward a Democratic stancejust because it has become the “coolthing” to do? Contrary to Obama’s all of 10 min-

utes… er, 4 years in office, McCain’slong political experience (over 25years) is a strong asset. One thingsDemocrats criticize McCain for is vot-ing against minimum wage increases,but what of his vote to increase it in2007? Many have benefited from this.I believe this shows that McCain will

not forget those in the working class.What would have become of the nationthat is now stumbling and crumblinghad McCain not helped in voting forthis?McCain’s stance on abortion is

unwavering. Although he does notaddress the issue frequently, it isapparent what his views are as evi-denced by his vote for the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. Yes,as a young woman I am a pro-lifer whois not ashamed to be called one. It’s soeasy to be swept up by the current andaccommodate my beliefs to those ofmy peers. But that’s the easy way out.McCain’s position on this issue aswell as other social issues is dead-onwith my belief system.What young Democrats, or rather

the uninformed ones, should under-stand is that politics is not just a pass-ing trend. Just because your friendparades around in a “Yes We Can”Obama shirt and his bumper is riddenwith blue Obama/Biden stickers does-n’t mean yours has to be. Do theresearch, lest you find out after votingfor Obama that his idea of spreadingthe wealth is not necessarily a greatone.

With the most controversial, mosttalked about, history-making presi-dential election coming down to thewire, it’s time that I ruffle a few feath-ers myself. In the Rio Grande ValleyI’m considered a minority, because,yes, I, a 23-year old, Hispanic collegestudent am a proud Republican. Holdyour fire and hear me out.I’ve never been one to discuss pol-

itics, I’ve always been told you don’tdiscuss religion or politics, in order toavoid an argument. Plus, I’m not veryfond of the fact that most Democratsyou try to “discuss” politics withdon’t actually know all of the facts andthey are merely repeating every otherfoolish comeback they’ve heard. Iswear if I hear another, “Well even ifMcCain does win, he’ll probably diethe next day” I’ll scream. Or a “Youonly like Sarah Palin because she’s awoman.”Yes, like I’m actually that superfi-

cial and shallow. I’m voting forMcCain/Palin because I agree with

many of their views, the same reasonDemocrats will vote Obama/Biden. Do not try and change my mind,

especially with your childish ways.Maybe it has something to do withbeing born on an election Tuesdaythat I am so passionate about this.One reason I will vote

McCain/Palin on Tuesday is because Iagree with the concept to spreadopportunity when it comes to jobs,rather than spreading wealth. Everyable American should hold a steadyjob and help eradicate the need forgovernment assistance. Sen. Obama’splan would only give people some-thing to fall back on since he is pro-government giveaway. The list goes on in terms of reasons

for my voting red; I just feel that withMcCain’s many years of experience heis really the only way to go. So my fellow Americans, I leave

you with food for thought. Obama sup-porters, go out and vote blue onElection Day, but remember this. Theelectoral college gets the last laugh,and really, what are the chances ofTexas going blue?

Kristen CabreraReporter

Abigail MunizAssistant Editor

Laura GarciaA&E Editor

voting Obiden... voting McCalin...

ADVERTISEMENTS October 30, 2008Page 10

THE PAN AMERICAN Page 11

Dates to Know:

Change Unites Us concertSaturday 6 p.m. to midnightCine El Rey

Author Rigoberto GonzalezMonday 5:45 p.m.Student Union

Concert unites artists, youth for civic duty

� POP CULTURE

Political humor and satire havebeen staples in every American gener-ation, but especially today, when thetradition thrives with shows like “TheDaily Show,” “The Colbert Report”and “Saturday Night Live” broadcastto millions of viewers every week.

The question that arises and whoseanswer remains elusive is, do theseshows inform the public and helpthem form ideologies on issues andcandidates, or do they focus on fun,games, and humor at the expense ofreal learning?

SNL has been a large part of thesatirical and comedic world since itsfirst broadcast in October 1975.Though it has risen and fallen in popu-larity through the seasons, recently theshow saw its highest ratings in 14 yearson Oct. 18, as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palintook the stage with her comedic dop-pelganger (and SNL alum) Tina Fey(“Mean Girls,” “30 Rock”).

Palin’s appearance on the showcame after a bad week of interviewswith Charles Gibson and KatieCouric, which led to Fey’s portrayalon SNL, which turned awkward intohilarious and thus created a frenzy ofscrutiny for the Alaska governor.

And now people are looking fur-ther into the relationship betweencomedy-style news and actual news.

The University of Texas-PanAmerican political science professorJerry Polinard, who is certain of theoutcome of the presidential election,was asked who he was going to vote forNov 4. He said, “I would tell you, but

I’d have to kill you,” however, he wasmore than delighted to share his viewon SNL and other infotainment shows.

“Mark Twain and Bob Hope aretwo great political humorists of the19th and 20th centuries, and theywere making people laugh and bring-ing up issues way back then,”Polinard explained. “The question isto what extent did their humor reachinto the minds of audiences?”

Polinard said that comedic satirehas played a large role in this year’selections.

“It’s hard to tell how viewershiptranslates into votes, but clearly whenyou have something that has caught onso quickly with Tina Fey imitatingSarah Palin that probably has a greaterimpact than any recent thing SNL hasdone,” he said. “SNL has done thisbefore with Will Ferrell impersonatingPresident George W. Bush, but it neverdrew as much attention as it is now.”

Palin’s national approval rating,which has steadily fallen since she waschosen as vice presidential nominee onAug. 30, helped shine a light on whatmany perceive to be her lack of expe-rience and quirky personality, possiblydue to the SNL spoof.

“She’s a very popular governor inAlaska,” Polinard said. “What hashappened is that shortly after McCainpicked her, the polls showed that astrong majority of people had afavorable opinion of her, but over thepast few weeks because of interviewswith Charles Gibson and KatieCouric and in part because of SNL,that’s flip-flopped.

“Now a majority of the publichave a negative view of her candida-

cy, but what has remained is the sup-port and the approval from theRepublican base.”

Some UTPA students claim thatFey’s portrayal of the candidate wasspot-on and informative. CristinaPena, a 19-year-old sophomoreEnglish major from Rio Grande City,said she laughs at every skit Fey doeswith imitations of Palin.

“I actually don’t know anythingabout Sarah Palin, but I do watch SNLand clips of her on Youtube, they havea lot of clips of her saying stupidthings,” Pena said. “She honestlydoesn’t look like she knows much.”

SNL is not the only show leadingthe charge. In a 2007 Pew Researchpoll, Americans chose comedian JonStewart No. 4 on their list of mostadmired journalists, even thoughStewart publicly admits that he is acomedian and not a journalist. In thatsame study, “The Daily Show” aver-aged the same ratings (1.8 millionviewers) as its actual news counter-parts on CNN and Fox News.Research showed that “The DailyShow’s” news agenda varied slightlyfrom network cable news, coveringU.S. foreign affairs and elections themost. The difference is that Stewart attimes bends the facts for politicalsatire and comedy, focusing mainly oncritique of the Republican Party.

Jerrome Warden, a 22-year-oldjunior and theatre major fromMission, watches the show sparsely.

“I watch it when I’m short for timeand need a condensed version of thenews,” he said. “I would neverreplace it with actual news though,and I would check the facts to verify

if what they are saying is accurate.But I can see why so many peopleprefer it over real news. It’s funny,quick and light hearted; news thesedays can be so depressing.”

In 2007 a report from the JoanShorenstein Center on the Press,Politics and Public Policy polled 600young adults 18-30 and found thefollowing: 45 percent hardly readnewspapers; 24 percent hardlywatched national news; 20 percenthardly watched local news; 40 per-

cent hardly listened to radio news;and 45 percent hardly used theInternet for news.

Polinard stressed that althoughshows like SNL can be informative;they should never become a fill-in foractual news.

“It should not be the substitute forreading newspapers or going online tolook at editorial comments from vari-ous respected news sources that fol-low the issues, but I don’t think it’s anegative source,” he said.

Satirical news blurs lines on political issues

� MUSICIANS GATHER

October 30, 2008

In the recent past young adults havecarried the stigma of being apatheticand indifferent when it comes to politi-cal issues. As a result, campaigns arespecially designed to gain the interest of18-to-24 year olds and from MySpaceto Facebook pages, the candidates areusing these tactics to generate enoughbuzz to gain the young vote.

Monday night, LeyendaProductions, in conjunction with CineEl Rey, will host a Change Unites Usconcert/rally giving musicians achance to voice their views alongsidethe area’s highest ranking leaders, inAustin and Washington D.C. Among

the leaders will be former HidalgoCounty Judge Ramon Garcia andHidalgo County Democratic Partychairwoman Dolly Elizondo.

Bands in the lineup include A Dayof Ashes, Stillborne, The JerichoMachine, Mario Aleman, Driving theNails, and Incohero as well as severalothers. The concert at Cine El Rey inMcAllen will be held from 6 p.m. tomidnight and is free to the public.

Brandon Garcia, co-founder ofLeyenda Productions, says the decisionto organize the event actually happenednine months ago when he and severalother bands decided they would backSen. Barack Obama. He figured anevent like this would present proof thatchange isn’t impossible.

“Our vote is our greatest weapon,”Garcia said. “Our second is music, it’sour battle cry, our war song. Thateight of our most pre-eminent repre-sentatives in government are spendingthis big night listening to us and ourmusic shows how powerful thatweapon can be.”

After the 2004 presidential elec-tion, the U.S. Census Bureau reportedthat 47 percent of 18-to-24-year-oldsvoted in the race between Bush andKerry election, nine percent less thanthe 25-34 age group and significantlybehind those 65 years and older, ofwhich 71 percent pulled the lever.

Over and over it is drilled in citi-zen’s heads that our vote counts, andthat our voice really does matter. The

bands involved in the rally are joiningforces to get young people from theRGV to go out there and go to the vot-ing polls on Nov. 4.

“Many people wouldn’t get themessage to vote if it comes from irrele-vant sources such as rich, old people onTV,” Isaac Rojas, 23, said. “They willlisten to common people in the sameenvironment and status, they will listento real people like all the people andbands making this show possible.”

Rojas, a kinesiology major, is thedrummer for the heavy alternativerock band Stillborne, which has itsroots in Edinburg.

The combination of music and pol-itics isn’t new, but it seems to be mosteffective in getting the message out to

young adults.“This is our first time doing some-

thing like this, it is very important,especially in this election, and it’s amature stance for local musicians, toshow that musicians care more aboutthan just rock and roll,” added RickPhoenix 27, of A Day of Ashes, aWeslaco/Mercedes band who exudesa melodic hard-rock sound.

In five days, Americans will onceagain be able to exercise their freedomand battle supporters from all otherparties at the polls. Whether Americagoes red or blue on Tuesday, change isinevitable, but one must remember theold adage that you don’t have a rightto complain about the government ifyou didn’t go out and vote.

By Laura GarciaTHE PAN AMERICAN

By Isaac GarciaTHE PAN AMERICAN

*unscientific poll conducted by The Pan American

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT October 30, 2008Page 12

What is a political rally? Is it sim-ply a big party where people can min-gle with candidates who are lookingfor a vote?

A rally is a form of a demonstration,activism taking the form of a publicgathering of people at a town hall, ormaybe on a march. During the 1800s,most notably in England and the UnitedStates, such rallies were constructed tourge people to vote for elected officials.Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess ofDevonshire, was a political hostess forthe Whig party in early 18th-centuryEngland, and she held political ralliesurging males to vote by simply offeringthem a kiss on the lips.

Of course, times have changed -kisses for votes especially - andwomen are now allowed the vote.With a historic election on the hori-zon, the Student Union at UTPA willhosted a political rally Tuesday withthe help of Delma D. Olivarez.

Olivarez, who has been an associatedirector for the Student Union for fiveyears, was enthusiastic about theupcoming event. The rally started at11:30 a.m. and lasted until 1:30 p.m. ADJ was hired to pump up the crowds ofspectators to encourage them to vote.

The whole idea behind the politicalrally was to afford a look at whatRock the Vote means. The nonprofitorganization was founded in LosAngeles in 1990 by Jeff Ayeroff, withthe sole purpose of engaging youths inthe political process by incorporatingthe entertainment community andyouth culture into its activities.

“The Student Union wanted to givestudents an opportunity to ask questionsabout the voting process,” Olivarez saidexcitedly. “Additionally, we felt thatinviting candidates would give studentsan opportunity to ask one-on-one ques-tions in a casual environment.”

The candidates to whom Olivarez

refers are Democratic and RepublicanParty chairs who are running for officeand who have also extended the invita-tion to other candidates on the Nov. 4local election ballot. Gilbert Enriquez,who is running for the Edinburg SchoolBoard, and Veronica Gonzalez, who islooking to get re-elected as StateRepresentative in District 41 wereamong the attendees at the rally.

“The Rock the Vote Rally is aimedat increasing voter participation,”Olivarez said. “We have early votingfor Hidalgo County in the library sowe hope students will take advantageon the vote on-campus.”

Rose Alaniz, a junior electricalengineer major, has worked for theStudent Union for two years and wasdelighted about the rally.

“We are getting everyone excitedto vote,” Alaniz said. “Everyone whohas been helping has the informationfor those who need it to understandhow the voting works.”

When asked who her favorite candi-date for the presidential election was,Alaniz gushed and said Barack Obama.

“Obama to me seems like the goodcandidate out of the two,” Alaniz said.

The rally on Tuesday was not thefirst rally to be held at UTPA. Olivarezstated that she and the Student Unionheld a Voter Registration Drive in theCommons and a Voter RegistrationRally on the Chapel Lawn.

“We had a very good turnout forboth the drive and the rally,” Olivarezsaid. “We registered 166 students tovote before the October 6 deadlineand provided assistance to over 100students who had questions.”

One of the most frequently askedquestions was about the voter registra-tion card. Some people tend to eitherlose their card, or simply forget to reg-ister for one, but Olivarez explainedthat, “You can use the voter registra-tion card or any other form of identifi-cation to vote.”

Aaron Molina, a freshman biology

major, was thankful for the informa-tion about the voter registration card.

“I honestly thought you had tohave one in order to vote,” theEdinburg native said.

Molina and many others wereunsure if they would be able to votewithout a voter registration card. Buthelpers at the rally assured them that

as long as they had their ID and wereregistered, they could vote for thecandidate of their choice.

The rally lasted two hours, with freedrinks and pizza offered to attendees.

“This is a critical election year,everyone should exercise their right tovote and get informed about the can-didates,” Olivarez said.

Rock the Vote rally helps voters� CAMPUS INVOLVEMENT

By Russen VelaTHE PAN AMERICAN

THE YOUNG AND THE ROCKIN’ - Edna Zambrano, Student UnionDirector, checks students’ voter status Thursday in the Chapel lawn.

By Andrielle FigueroaTHE PAN AMERICAN

The political film, “W.,” directedby Oliver Stone, hit theatres Oct. 17,just a few weeks shy of the 2008 elec-tion. Whether this film was created totear away or uplift current presidentGeorge W. Bush, is hard to figurefrom Stone’s message.

Opening up the film was Bush,played by Josh Brolin, standing incenter field with an announcer stat-ing his claim to the position of 43rdpresident. Slowly, as the camerabacks away to the roaring of fans, theaudience is able to see that the stadi-um is empty. No support for ourTexas hero.

The motion picture showed differ-ent situations in Bush’s life; from ahazing ceremony in his college days, tohis difficulty in public speaking duringhis run for president.

Stone, winner of three Oscars, is notnew to productions with a politicalflare, as he was responsible for picturessuch as “Nixon” (1995) and “JFK”(1991). For this one, he was expectedto step on toes with a movie about apresident still in the White House.

Alongside Stone was writer StanleyWeiser, who also took part in “Nixon,”as well as “Wall Street” in 1987. Theteam obviously struck a chord, but notone that viewers would expect.

The movie, although showing thepresident’s past dependency on alco-hol and sometimes arrogant stagger,suggested that Bush is not all that bad.Living in the shadow of his father,George H. W. Bush (played by JamesCromwell) and brother Jeb Bush(Jason Ritter), the gleam of determi-nation in Bush’s eye portrayed in thefilm could build new respect for him.

With symbolism just under the sur-face, it suggested that Bush believes hehad been sent to earth for the greatergood of the people. In one scene Bushstated his belief that he had received amessage from God to run for president.

Religion pieced together the trou-bled young Bush and the film madethat idea very clear. Brolin was able torepresent the weakness, faith, andconfidence of the president. WhileStone could easily be confused for aBush supporter, in a Chicago SunTimes article Stone stated, “I don’ttake political sides. I’m a dramatist,and this is the movie I’ve made.”

Critics and audience members mayhave been expecting to see an attackon the president, especially given thenumber of unflattering films in recentyears about government, war and theCIA. Though folks may have antici-pated a satirical or dramatic view ofhis reign over the country, insteadthey were possibly given a feeling ofcompassion, not for a political figure,but a real person.

� ELECTION FUN

Masks may predict political future

“W.” filmshows prez indifferent light

� SILVER SCREEN

Round objects can tell the future,first crystal balls, then magic eightballs, and now human heads? Try againlater. That is only the case with masksof the contestants for the Oval Office.

In the past three elections, nation-wide sales of U.S. presidential candi-date masks by Spirit Halloweenhelped reveal the winner days beforegeneral election results were in,according to a press release by thenational chain. Spirit Halloween is acostume and decorations store withover 625 locations all over the coun-try, one of which is located at 1402 E.Jackson Road in McAllen.

The latest numbers show Obama’s

masks are leading with 62 percent whileMcCain is trailing with 38 percent.

At J.J.’s Party House in McAllen onFriday, favorites of the past and pres-ent Bush administration that were stillavailable: Donald Rumsfeld, ColinPowell, and Laura Bush. From theClinton Era were Bill and Hillary,Monica Lewinsky (complete withhome-wrecking smile and pink Frenchhat), and Al Gore. However, Bush andObama were nowhere in sight.

Of the current and last election,John Kerry and John McCain were theonly candidates found on the racks.Perhaps it’s a bias against peoplenamed John that is keeping their maskson the shelf, but Alexis Carranza, a 21-year old graphic design major fromEdinburg, thinks it has to do with the

attractiveness of the candidates. “I’d rather be George Bush than

John Kerry because John Kerry’s faceweirds me out. I think he lost becausehe wasn’t pleasant to look at,”Carranza joked.

Carranza bought a Hillary mask foran early Halloween party.

“I’m a big Hillary supporter, but Ididn’t get it because of that,” sheexplained. “It’s not like the store had avast selection.”

Carranza added that since shewanted to be a female, her choiceswere narrowed down to HillaryClinton or Laura Bush, but what shereally wanted was a Sarah Palin mask.

“I thought it would be hilarious,”Carranza said. “If I got a Sarah Palinmask I would have totally gotten my

dad’s fake rifle to go with it.”Despite the fact that sales have cor-

rectly predicted the last three elec-tions, William Turk, an associate pro-fessor in the political science depart-ment at UTPA, disagrees. He thoughtthe idea was interesting and entertain-ing, but he suggested going to a scien-tific poll instead of an offbeat source.

“It’s indirect correlation,” Turkexplained. “It’s like connecting theamount of rainfall in some Africancountry to the rise and fall of the DowJones.”

Carranza also thinks it’s not all thataccurate.

“I would think people boughtmasks of the person they wouldn’twant to win,” Carranza said. “Thatwould be scarier, wouldn’t it?”

By Victor ItuarteTHE PAN AMERICAN

Brian Silva/THE PAN AMERICAN

“Mostly from Yahoo and theinternet. If I have time I look atthe news, NBC or at night onthe local channels. OccasionallyI pick up the Pan American.”

Bryceidee LopezJuniorEnglish major

“I think Obama’s going towin because I hear a lot ofpeople talk about Obamamore than of McCain. Pluswith how everything’s goingand what Bush did, it reflect-ed badly on the RepublicanParty.”

Audra McGeeFreshmanBroadcast journalism major

“Yahoo News I am constantlyonline so its easy access. I’mdoing it while I’m doing otherthings.”

David G. LoyolaJuniorSocial work major

ELECTION COVERAGEOctober 30, 2008 Page 13

Question 1. What do you think the outcome of the presidentialelection will be?

� Q&A

“I still have faith in McCain, itsmore morals (for me) right nowand Obama is too liberal.”

Fidel CastanedaSophomorePolitical science major

Question 2. What is your main source for news?

Out of 100 students randomly sampled from the campus of TheUniversity of Texas-Pan American, 70 answered that they have votedor will vote in the upcoming election, 30 answered that they have notor will not.

*This unscientific poll was conducted by The Pan American student newspaper.

The University of Texas-PanAmerican men’s golf team wrappedup the fall season, struggling at the2008 Sam Hall Intercollegiate hostedby Southern Mississippi in Hatties-burg, Miss. The two-day tournamentconsisted of three rounds and at theend, the Broncs ranked 13th out of 14teams.

Junior Armen Kirakossian finishedtied for 22nd out of 76 players with ascore of 223, followed by Edcouchnative A.J. Gonzalez,who completed the threerounds in 53rd placewith 228 strokes.

Five places behind inthe rankings came juniorHigh Wongchindawest,who totaled 229 strokes, only oneahead of senior Shane Pearce, whoplaced 63rd. Sophomore Tim Acasterclosed the UTPA participation in 71st

place with a 237 score.“We didn’t play that well but it

gave us a reality check that we haveto work harder to do better,” said Ofe-lia Lopez, the men’s and women’sgolf director.

She noted that although the teamwas not very successful in this tour-nament, it concluded the fall seasonwith a 299.3 stroke average, whichmet the goal of staying under 300.

Lopez said that after a week off,the team will go back to practice tofocus on polishing small details andworking on the mental side to get the

players ready for thespring season. Golf ac-tivity will resume Feb.16 when the men travelto San Antonio to partic-ipate in the SchreinerSpring Classic.

“I expect them to come back andbe more confident,” Lopez said. “Wehave a great team and we want thingsvery badly, so we’re still going.”

We’ve all heard the expression,“Size matters,” and in some in-stances, it does. But for University ofTexas-Pan American graduate studentFrank Rodriguez, size doesn’t alwayscome out on top.

Rodriguez, a criminal justicemajor, competed in the second-annualWellness and Recreational SportsComplex Bench Press CompetitionOct. 16, capturing first place in the161-to-185-pound weight divisionafter lifting 340 pounds with a 228.5pound-for-pound ratio. The 228.5ratio set the record in the competi-tion’s two years.

The 5-foot-5-inch Edinburg/Donnanative, who weighed in at 163 poundsat the competition, says although hefelt underestimated by some of his op-ponents, he knew he could triumph ifhe became oblivious to the odds andfocused on training roots.

Rodriguez edged out LeeroySaenz, who lifted 365 pounds, themost in the competition, but finishedwith a 219 pound-for-pound ratio.

“To me, it felt like a real-longmarathon because from when I foundout that I was going to go ahead andcompete, I started training and it was

tough,” Rodriguez said. “I just had toprepare myself and preparing is thehardest. The day of the event was easybecause I knew what I could do.”

Rodriguez works as a student re-search as-sistant forthe crimi-nal justiced e p a r t -ment atthe Socialand Be-h a v i o r a lSciencesBuilding,where hefirst heardof thecompetition from co-workers about amonth before. Noticing he was a fit-ness activist, his colleagues encour-aged him to participate in the event.

He then began changing his eatinghabits and started a serious exerciseregimen in preparation for the con-test. Rodriguez focused on benchpress three times a week for twohours each day.

“It was very strenuous becauseyou need to know how to eat and youhave to know you’re body,” Ro-driguez said of his workouts and nu-trition plan. “I would make myself a

shake every day and I would get tiredof making it after two or three weeksbut I said, ‘I need to do this.’ It’s likea marathon, you need to continueevery day and prepare.”

Even though he had to refrain fromfried foods and endure demandingworkouts, the end result paid off. Andnow Rodriguez hopes he can overcomethe same adversity with his education.He began his master’s program a yearago and once he concludes his degreein December, he plans to take the Grad-uate Record Examination so he canapply for a Ph. D. program in crimi-nology or social deviance.

His competitive, positive naturehas not only allowed him to conquerphysical fitness phases but educa-tional objectives as well.

“I hope I can do the same thingwith my studies,” he said. “My studiesare a marathon but at the end of therace, when I graduate, I hope it willpay off. I don’t like to say that I’mcompetitive, I like to show that I am.”

The winner was determined basedon the Schwartz Malone Formula, togive each contestant a fair shot at thetrophy. The formula included multi-plying the weight a person lifted bythe standard coefficient of the per-son’s weight, resulting in the pound-for-pound ratio.

The University of Texas-Pan Ameri-can men and women’s tennis programshosted the UTPA Invite against Monter-rey Tech last weekend at the Orville CoxTennis Center. The men had an outstand-ing doubles performance and individualhighlights by Aswin Vijayaragavan, BrettBernstein and Malin Andersen framedthe two-day event.

The doubles team formed by Indianatives Vijayaragavan and NirvickMohinta led with scores of 9-7 and 8-2in their two matches. Bernstein andMarcus Dornauf contributed with twowins, beating the De La Pena/Fernan-dez and Meza/De Mucha couples 8-5and 9-8, respectively.

The third duo, which consisted ofsophomore Andrew Irving and freshmanBeau Bernstein, defeated its first oppo-nents 9-8 but lost the second match 8-1.

“The doubles teams are doing ex-ceptionally well,” men’s and women’shead coach Rob Hubbard said. “Theteams are working well.”

In the singles, players were divided in

two flights; the green pertained to the topthree players of each team leaving num-bers four, five and six in the orange flight.Vijayaragavan and Brett Bernstein fin-ished two roundswith an equal one-win, one-loss result,while Dornauf losthis two matches inthe green flight.

In the orangeflight, junior Mo-hinta and BeauBernstein each wonone of threematches. Finlandnative Shashank Vijwas defeated in his three matches.

“I felt pretty good, it was a goodweekend,” said Vijayaragavan, a soph-omore on the team.

On the women’s side, the LadyBroncs opened the weekend with threedoubles losses. Juniors StephanieWillerding and Luisa Cantu were de-feated 9-8 and both the Megan Be-deau/Malin Andersen and SarahBurton/Reeta Raty couples lost 8-6 tothe Mexican visitors.

Willerding had the only victory ofthe two matches played by each in thegreen flight. Her teammates Bedeau ofCanada and Cantu of Tamaulipas

weren’t able to pickup a win.

Andersen, fromSweden, defeatedher two rivals in theorange flight whileBurton and Ratyfinished with twosetbacks each.

The LadyBroncs will have aweek off beforecompeting in the

Texas State Play Day at San MarcosNov. 8, and the men’s tennis programwill travel to Austin to play in the UTInvite this weekend.

Hubbard said that the best players inthe state of Texas will be present at theUT Invite, which will make it a chal-lenge for the Broncs.

“We did better this weekend thanwe did two weeks ago,” Hubbardsaid. “Hopefully we will look betterthis upcoming weekend.”

� FEATURE

� TENNIS

Graduate student wins with strength of body, mind

UTPA challenged by Monterrey Tech

FRANK RODRIGUEZ

MAXED OUT - UTPA’s Frank Rodriguez set the pound-for-pound ratiorecord at 228.5 during the second-annual WRSC bench press competition.

By Sara HernandezTHE PAN AMERICAN

THE PAN AMERICAN October 30, 2008 Page 14

Dates to Know:VolleyballTexas SouthernFriday, 3 p.m.UTPA Field House

“We did better this week-end than we did two weeksago. Hopefully we willlook better this upcomingweekend.”

Rob HubbardTennis head coach

Men’s TennisUT Austin InviteFriday-SundayAustin

By Ramiro PaezTHE PAN AMERICAN

� MEN’S GOLF

Broncs conclude fall season,finish 13th place overallBy Sara HernandezTHE PAN AMERICAN

Women’s Golf

UAB Fall Beach BlastGulf Shores, Ala.

Nov. 3

FRANK RODRIGUEZ

SPORTS Page 15 October 30, 2008� SPORTS ELECTION COVERAGE

Athletes tackle political issues, politicians

When most people think of a coachor an athlete the first thing that proba-bly comes to mind is success, or howthey won a contest against a rivalschool. But coaches and athletes have avoice on other fronts, and with the deci-sion of electing the 44th president ofthe United States less than a weekaway, the Broncs are ready to be heard.

The University of Texas-PanAmerican Broncs and Lady Broncs areno different than the rest of the studentbody. They know the facts, they’vebeen following the debates and nowthey are ready to let the candidatesknow how they feel by casting a vote.

One of the issues that has beenunder a microscope this election yearis the economy. With the Dow JonesIndex rising and dropping every day,Americans are listening to what Sen.Barack Obama and Sen. John McCainhave to say on how to get the econo-my back on track.

Fourth-year tennis head coach RobHubbard said he is ready to vote andwill push toward whoever is going tohelp the country best in reference tothe money situation. Hubbard believesthat once the economy is intact thecandidates might discuss other topicslike Roe V. Wade or civil rights.

“I swing for whoever is going to bebest for the country’s economy,” saidHubbard. “If the economy is goingwell, people are happy and thenyou’re able to address other issues likeabortion or civil rights.”

Another issue that Americans arebeing faced with is the infamous bor-der wall.

One Bronc baseball player, juniorEsequiel Garza of La Joya, is in favorthe barrier and is going to vote forObama. Garza also feels Obama canhelp the Rio Grande Valley which, inhis opinion, is going through somehard times.

“We’re down and we’re strugglingright now,” said Garza, who wasmoved by Obama’s speech on campuslast semester. “I like Obama becausehe wants to help out the people, espe-cially here in the Rio Grande Valleywhere we’re struggling.”

Garza, who has never been toMexico, doesn’t feel like he’d be safe

if he were to go; thus, he feels the bor-der wall will help curtail the problemof immigrants and smugglers crossingthe Rio Grande into the United States.

“I’ve never been to Mexico myselfbecause I’ve heard so many stories andI just don’t trust it,” the pitcher said.“I’m more than surethey (immigrantsand smugglers) canget over here but Irather have them putthat wall up becauseyou never knowwhat can happen.”

In the 2008 elec-tion cycle, much hasbeen made of unde-cided voters, alongwith the millions ofyoung people whowill vote for the firsttime. Members ofthe latter group were not yet 18 duringthe 2004 campaign, like freshman ten-nis player and Sugarland native BeauBernstein, who is not only excitedabout voting but thinks it’s a good yearto be casting a ballot for the first time.

“I’m pretty excited to have a say inwhat is going to happen for the firsttime,” said Bernstein, who is going tovote for Obama.

He said his aunt had a benefit forObama in Houston and he made anappearance along with other Texasand national politicians.

“My aunt is a big supporter forObama and she a benefit dinner forhim and he showed up,” Bernsteinsaid. “They (aunt and uncle) told meabout some of the things he was talk-ing about and that he was a good guy.”

Unfortunately for some of the ath-letes from UTPA, voting will be diffi-cult due to the fact that they are regis-tered in other states. Freshmen Lady

Bronc basketball players EpiphanySmith and Brittany Demery vote inArkansas and Oklahoma. They havenot made arrangements to transfer theirvoting eligibility to Texas but bothhave a definite favorite in the race.

“I would have voted for Obama,”said Smith whowill play pointguard this season.“John McCain andSarah Palin, I justdon’t think they’rethe right team toput into office rightnow. I believe weneed a Democrat inoffice becauseobviously we’vehad a Republicanin office for eightyears and the econ-omy has gone

down and we’re going to war for thewrong reasons.”

As the United States prepares toelect a new leader in the upcomingweek, the eyes of the world will be onAmerica to see how the 2008 electiongoes down in the history books.

The same is said for Shashank Vij,a junior tennis athlete from originallyfrom Finland. Vij believes that mostEuropeans believe George W. Bushhasn’t been the most effective presi-dent the United States has ever had,but he doesn’t share their views.

“Well a lot of Europeans think thatthis former president hasn’t done thebest job and maybe that’s why peoplethink the economy has gone in a baddirection here,” Vij said. “I don’t nec-essarily think that. I believe Obamawould make a difference, McCainwould be a good president also, but itwould be similar to Bush’s views so itwouldn’t be a big difference.”

By Pedro Perez IVTHE PAN AMERICAN

“I swing for whoever isgoing to be best for thecountry’s economy. If theeconomy is going well,people are happy andthen you’re able toaddress other issues likeabortion or civil rights.”

Rob HubbardTennis head coach

Athletics and PoliticsProfessional athletes have donated to presidential campaigns in the past. This is a

short list of some athletes or people in the professional sports world that donated.

“Both candi-dates aregoing to bein a bindbecause ofthe nationaldebt.”

J.J. HernandezSeniorCross-country

“With somuch atstake in thiselection, Ifeel bothparties couldhave put

more thought into selectinga running mate.”

Bernie SaenzAssistant athletic director ofmedia relations

“I don’t feellike eitherone of themis the bestcandidate orthe greatestcandidate. I

feel Obama is very youngand obviously I’m young ina position of leadership, butit’s scary when it’s ournation. And McCain, I’mnot necessarily sure abouthim either.”

Angela HubbardVolleyball head coach

“Well, I did-n’t like all then e g a t i v i t yrather thanthe positivepress for thecandidates.

It seems like each candidateis bashing the other onemore so than trying topump up themselves. ”

Tom SchuberthMen’s basketball head coach

“I think thisis the mosti m p o r t a n tdecision inmy lifetimebecause ofthe uncer-

tainty that the country is inright now, with all the fina-cial headaches that everyoneis going through; the leader-ship, looking back, wasn’tthe right choice eight yearsago.”

Raul BetancourtAssistant athletic directorfor business operations

“I believe inwhat he[ O b a m a ]says. Maybeit won’t be ad r a s t i cchange, but

it must be different. He’swilling to help out collegestudents. As far as taxes, he’swilling to cut taxes for themiddle class.”

Isabel SaldanaAthletic department secretary I

OBAMA DONORSLebron James - Cavaliers forwardTerry Porter - New Suns coachPhil Jackson - Lakers coachRoy Williams - Cowboys safetyEmmitt Smith - ex-Cowboys back

MCCAIN DONORSRoger Goodall - NFL CommishRobert Sarver - Suns ownerRobert Kraft - Patriots ownerJerry Jones - Cowboys ownerCurt Schilling - Red Sox pitcher

The Washington Post

� FEATURE

Monday 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

PSJA NorthRaiders

HarlingenCardinals

�COLLEGE FOOTBALL

�NFL

TexasLonghorns

Texas TechRed Raiders

PittsburghSteelers

WashingtonRedskins

�HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Saturday 7 p.m. (ABC)

Friday 7:30 p.m.

@

@

@

THE PAN AMERICAN October 30, 2008 Page 16

DESIGNED BY GREGORIO GARZA

SportShorts

Editor’s Picks

VOLLEYBALLAll The University of Texas-Pan

American’s volleyball team had inmind heading into the final stretch of its2008 campaign was revenge. But unfor-tunately for the Lady Broncs, paybackwas not sweet against Utah ValleyUniversity Friday.

Instead, the Lady Wolverines tookanother stab at the Green and Orangeas they dropped UTPA 24-26, 13-25,22-25 at the Shurian Activity Center inOrem, Utah.

With the loss, the women dropped to4-13 with five games remaining in theregular season before the NationalIndependent Tournament Nov. 21-22back in Utah. The Lady Broncs will hosttheir final home game of the seasontomorrow at 3 p.m. at the Field House.

Against UVU, senior outside hitterKellie Phillips recorded 11 of theteam’s 32 kills and added five digs withtwo blocks. Sophomore Marci Loganchurned out an eight-kill performance,while senior middle blocker DeannaSchneyer posted seven kills.

CROSS COUNTRYDon’t ask the UTPA men’s and

women’s cross-country teams ifthey’re ready: they know they are.

After three outstanding performanc-es, the Broncs and Lady Broncs are onthe road to Orem, Utah, for the GreatWest Championships Saturday, the firstprograms to compete for a Great WestConference title since the universitywas admitted in July.

Not one to sit on the sidelines,Congressman Rubén Hinojosa hasshown that dedicating oneself to

accomplishing goals in life is easy, with a littlehard work. Hinojosa comes from a family dedicat-ed to its business, H&H Foods, and he’s dedicat-ed himself to helping those in need. But before hissuccessful career in business and politics and anoffice in Washington, D.C. he was a small-townboy wanting to succeed in life.

Hinojosa was born Aug. 20, 1942 in Edcouch,and was raised in nearby Mercedes. He, likeeveryone else with a love of sport, began his foot-ball career at age 11, when he was in the sixthgrade. Along with his seven brothers, he enjoyedplaying a variety of sports, including baseball,basketball and football.

“My mother always encouraged us and one ofour prerequisites was to get good grades,” heexplained.

EARLY DAYSHinojosa became quarterback of the football

team when he attended Mercedes Junior HighSchool in 1953. That year, the team won the All-Valley Championship by beating the undefeated,untied 8-AAA Edinburg Gridders at TigerStadium by a final score of 18-6.

“We were undefeated that year and we werechampions that year,” Hinojosa said.

During his senior year in high school atMercedes High, Hinojosa, a split back/receiver

and linebacker on defense, was selected to be partof the 1957 National All-American Prep Footballteam, along with four teammates.

“It was an honor to be part of that group. Five outof 11 of us were selected from Mercedes,” he said.

Alongside Hinojosa were his younger brotherOscar, plus big Jim Norris, who went on to playpro football for the Oakland Raiders. The Tigerswon the district title in 1957, going three-deep inthe state playoffs.

Hinojosa is currently serving his sixth term asthe representative of the 15th District of Texas,the area that stretches from theRio Grande Valley to Goliadcount and the Coastal Bendregion. He said one of his fondmemories is advancing to theClass 2A state quarterfinals in’57.

“We lost 7 to 6, but we had12 wins and one loss that year.Because of that, we were ableto go to West Colombia, Texasand compete in the quarters.”

After graduation from high school in 1958,Hinojosa attended Texas A&I University on afootball scholarship. He played linebacker ondefense and split end on offense, transferring toUT-Austin after one year.

“My heart was set in education and obtaininga degree from the College of Business was mygoal,” he explained.

“But I never thought about trying out for theLonghorn football team,” he said jokingly. “Theplayers were much bigger and I was only 165

pounds,” he said.Hinojosa obtained his

bachelor’s degree in busi-ness administration from

UT in 1962. In 1980, after having worked for thefamily business for nearly 20 years, he decided toattend The University of Texas-Pan American andobtain a master’s in business.

“I attended school twice a week at night andworked full-time,” he said.

He and eight other students comprised the firstMBA class at UTPA in May 1980.

Sports were important throughout his life andnow it’s the same for his children, son Ruben Jr.,and four daughters, Laura, Iliana, Kaitlin andKaren.

“I encourage my children toplay sports because it helps themstay healthy and strong,” he said.“I want them to have a well-rounded education in academics,sports and performing arts.”

The congressman’s love offootball continues to this day.He enjoys watching his almamater, the Texas Longhornsplay every season.

“The best moment for mewas when I was able to go to the Rose Bowl andwatch UT win the National Championship in2006,” he recalled, as that year, the Longhornsplayed against the Southern California Trojansand beat them 41-38.

Hinojosa believes playing sports throughouthis life has helped him with the career he has nowas congressman, saying, “It has taught me to be ateam player, to be a winner and to be tenaciousand never quit.”

The quality that he gained throughout his sportscareer, he said, has given him the tools needed tohave served 12 years in the U.S. Congress. Hinojosaadded he hopes for another “quarter” in his politicalcareer by being re-elected for a seventh term Nov. 4.

By Adriana AcostaTHE PAN AMERICAN

RUBEN HINOJOSA PERSONAL ARCHIVES

“My heart was set in edu-cation and obtaining adegree from the Collegeof Business was my goal.”

Ruben HinojosaU.S. Congressman15th District of Texas