The University of Texas-PanAmerican will celebrate its eighthannual International Week, hosted bythe Office of International ProgramsNov. 17-22, featuring keynote speak-ers, events and cultural performers.This year’s theme is “Human Rights.”

International Week is an event heldby universities throughout the countrydesignated by the U.S. Department ofState and the U.S. Department ofEducation, which offers a week full ofinternational culture and topics deal-

ing with human rights such as politics,health and environment.

Fidel Garcia, a junior from RioGrande City majoring in business,dreams of traveling overseas.International Week has helped educatehim of the various cultures and beliefsaround the world.

“Egypt has always interested me,getting to listen to Jehan Sadat will beinteresting. It’s different than just sit-ting in class and being lectured aboutit,” Garcia said. “Getting to hear some-one who is actually from there, and bet-ter yet, a former first lady of the coun-try will be interesting to listen to.”

A part of the Distinguished SpeakerSeries and an International Weekkeynote speaker, human rights activistand former first lady of Egypt, Sadat’sspeech will be, “A Woman of Egypt:Life as the First Lady” on Monday at7:30 p.m. at the Fine Arts Auditorium.

Since April, the Office ofInternational Programs has worked onpreparations on the event.

“For faculty members, it is man-ageable. We have long completed ourwork. Many of us have presentationsto make but, when you think about it,that’s what we do for a living,” said

SPORTS PG. 14NEWS PG. 3

The University of Texas-PanAmerican has been tapped not once,but twice, by President-elect BarackObama’s administration. UTPA presi-dent Blandina “Bambi” Cardenas hasbeen suggested for the U.S. Secretaryof Education position. Also, PublicAdministration Dept. Chair Espiridion“Al” Borrego has been asked to serve

on Obama’s transition team. Cardenas released a statement

Wednesday afternoon stating she wasgratified for the suggestion. Sourcesconfirmed that the League of UnitedLatin American Citizens was amongthe two latino groups that suggestedher name to Obama officials.

“I am honored that national leadersin my community believe that I couldserve this new administration ofhope,” she said in her statement.

“Serving the Rio Grande Valley andUTPA fills my heart like nothing elsein my life. All I want to do is keepworking to see more of our youngpeople graduate from college.”

Currently, Cardenas is underreview by the UT System for allega-tions of citation misuse in her 1974dissertation at the University ofMassachusetts at Amherst. The UTSystem Vice Chancellor of AcademicAffairs David B. Prior sent a memo to

faculty and staff last week announcinghe would oversee the review processand asked that faculty and staffreserve judgment.

A senior university source saidCardenas is confident she will be com-pletely cleared of all the allegations.

Cardenas, the first female presidentof the university, served as commis-sioner of Administration of Children,Youth and Families in the Dept. ofHealth, Education and Welfare. She

also served as a member of the U.S.Civil Rights Commission from 1980-1992, and the American Council onEducation from 1989-1992.

Borrego, who served in the Clintonadministration transition team, has yetto confirm any specifics about therequest to serve on the team but wouldaid Obama in setting up personnel forthe 44th president’s executive branch.

Borrego has worked at UTPA since

SINCE 1943 November 13, 2008Volume 65, No. 12

By J.R. Ortega & Brian SilvaTHE PAN AMERICAN

INDEX OPINION PG. 2 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PG. 11

Officials tapped for Obama administration

Ximena Garza was a princess thisweekend. As the 3-year-old saun-tered across the brightly sunlit third-floor playroom of the EdinburgChildren’s Hospital, one couldn’thelp but notice the portable vital signmonitor trailing close behind her.

“She’s happy,” said MaribelGarza as she walked her daughterfrom the playroom back to her quiet,more somber hospital room.

On Saturday, children like Garzawere pampered by Valley Queens,who spent the morning helping chil-dren color, taking photos with them,creating arts and crafts and giving lit-

tle girls makeovers for Queen for aDay.

Valley Queens, a group of currentpageant titleholders from the RioGrande Valley, hosted the bi-annualparty at pediatric oncology and out-patient hospitals in the area.

Fortunately for the Garza family,Ximena Garza’s brush with bronchi-tis had improved and she was dis-charged after having spent the weekat the hospital, and a morning withthe queens.

“She wanted to go back (to theevent),” the mother said about howher daughter’s spirits lifted for thefirst time because of the morningevent. “She didn’t even want to go

� ADMINISTRATION

TRUE BEAUTY - Jasmine Yvette Aguilar, a 17-month-old of Pharr, takes sunglasses off Cassidy Klein, local Queenfor a Day director during the Saturday morning charity event at Edinburg Children’s Hospital.

College of Business totake part in global event

A global event has made its way toThe University of Texas-Pan American.Global Entrepreneurship Week will cel-ebrate the growing movement in entre-preneurship, The National HispanicProfessional Organization on campushas paid tribute to the weeklong obser-vance with a series of information ses-sions throughout the month ofNovember, turning it into

Entrepreneurship Month and the grouphopes to engage the next generation ofbusiness self-starters next week.

The 18-member strong NHPO,established in 2006, worked for anestimated six weeks fundraising foractivities. The organization has coor-dinated events in hopes that studentswill be able to network with profes-sionals in the business field, learnabout financing options, business planconstruction, and marketing research.

By J.R. OrtegaTHE PAN AMERICAN

SEE OBAMA || PAGE 5

� COMMUNITY

� ACTIVITIES

By Abigail MuñizTHE PAN AMERICAN

SEE BEAUTY || PAGE 5

Beauty queenscrown Valley kids

Ben Briones/THE PAN AMERICAN

Human rights theme for Int’l Week� CAMPUS

By Abby FloresTHE PAN AMERICAN

SEE GLOBAL || PAGE 5 SEE WEEK || PAGE 5

Midnight Madness keeps spirit alive; See pages 8 & 9

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

Fax: (956) 316-7122

The Pan American is the official studentnewspaper of The University of Texas-PanAmerican. Views presented are those of thewriters and do not necessarily reflect thoseof the paper or university.

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.

Kristen CabreraAbby FloresSara HernandezOnydia GarzaBen Briones

Anthony SalinasIssac BarrientesMarco CarbajalAndi FigueroaPedro Perez IV

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

ADVISER

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

Anita Reyes --- areyes18@utpa.eduADVERTISING MANAGER

Samantha Quintana --- spubs@utpa.edu

Vol 65, No. 12

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

STAFF

Nov. 13, 2008

**Delivery**Thursday at noon

THE PAN AMERICAN November 13, 2008Page 2

Students expect transparency

Fast-food choices limited

I’ve often been accused of beingindecisive; if you ask me where I’dlike to eat, you may find yourselfdriving around town for quiteawhile. Although, now I’ve come torealize that my indecisiveness isn’tdue to an anal-retentive personalitybut to the fact that there just reallyisn’t anything great to eat anymore:at least not in the fast-food, budget-friendly, easily accessible depart-ment.

You can drive down every streetin the Rio Grande Valley and I canalmost guarantee you that on threeof the four corners of an intersec-tion, situated grandly will be aMcDonald’s, a Burger King and aWhataburger. These axis powers ofthe fast-food industry have practi-cally monopolized the Valley and itsever-growing population of collegestudents.

I am in no way a “health nut,” or

one who craves a diet of greens andill-textured, putrid shakes that reekof protein. But I do get tired of the‘ol greasy #1 combo after awhile.Burgers, chicken tenders (or stripsor nuggets, depending on the chain)and salads that are practically stillfrozen, seem to be the everydaychoices shoved in our faces.

The solution to my problemwould be for more salad, sushi orpasta places to open up fast-foodtype chains, instead of just the mom-and-pop places you have to drivemiles to get to. Joints specializing insalads can offer your tummy a widerange of salads from chicken andgrapes to macaroni and tuna togreen spaghetti. Yum!

The other solution would be togive up fast food altogether and fre-quent the all-too-familiar Chili’s,but who has time for that whenyou’re already speeding down 107because your professor won’t letyou walk in a single minute late?

� EDITORIAL

� OPINION

Illustration - Anthony Salinas

Laura GarciaA&E EDITOR

Two weeks ago it was revealed ina story published by The PanAmerican that UTPA Police ChiefHoward Miller had been terminatedfrom his position on Oct. 3. Thequestion of why he was fired stillremains unanswered by the univer-sity and the University of TexasSystem.

That question needs to beanswered.

During conversations with theUT System, it was noted that Millerwas fired because of the outcome ofan investigation. When officialswere asked about the focus of thisinvestigation, they refused to offerany comment. It was said the inves-tigation into Miller would never bemade public.

The UT System’s reason was thatthe matter is a personnel issue, andthus cannot be disclosed. However,we believe this to be unacceptable.

Private commercial businessesdon’t have to release informationabout their employees or why theyhappen to be fired, but the universi-ty police chief is not hired by a pri-

vate company. He is an employee ofthe university and the UT System.

In his capacity as chief, Millerwas a government employee; infact, an employee of the State ofTexas. His monthly check camefrom government funds, sinceUTPA is part of the Texas publichigher education system.

The taxpayers of Texas providethe public funds to pay this publicofficial. Thus, since he is a govern-ment official, we as students shouldbe told the reason he was fired. Itcan only be a bad thing, since theoutcome of the investigation was sonegative it resulted in his immediatetermination.

The police chief is vital to thesecurity of students on campus, andhis missteps should be informationmade available to the students. Allof us in The Pan American commu-nity are affected by the actions ofour chief, and we have the right toknow what he was investigated forand why the UT System took theaction it did.

If this had been a city police

chief, an explanation would havebeen made known immediately,because the public expects it. Evenongoing investigations are intenselycovered by the media, and rightlyso, as the public has the right toknow because their safety isinvolved.

It is highly inappropriate for agovernmental organization to with-hold such vital information from thepublic. And this is what is happen-ing.

Since the information is docu-mented by the government, it makesthe report public information. Allpublic information is eligible forrelease under the Freedom ofInformation Act. We can use FOIAto attain the information, however,the right thing to do would be forUTPA and the UT System to releaseit out of their own will.

We urge President Cardenas towork with the UT System to providestudents with open and transparentinformation in a timely fashion onthis matter of pressing importance.

We deserve to know.

100% wool, 100% bull

THE PAN AMERICANNovember 13, 2008 Page 3

Dates to Know:Distinguished Speaker:Jehan SadatMonday7:30 p.m. Fine Arts Auditorium

Dr. Manuel Peña booksigningFridaynoon to 1 p.m. UTPA Library

Against a colorful mural full of pic-tures of Emiliano Zapata and soldiersholding signs that read justicia (jus-tice) and democracia (democracy)revolutionaries came to lifeWednesday night at the Student UnionTheater at The University of Texas-Pan American.

On its last stop in a seven-stateyearlong tour, Teatro Milagro, a the-ater group of Portland, Ore., drew acrowd of close to 150 to its play called“Zapatista.” The event was hosted bythe University Program BoardHeritage Committee.

Written by Dañel Malán, TeatroMilagro’s artistic director,“Zapatista” portrays the story ofSubcomandante Insurgente Marcos,who in 1994, along with theZapatista National Liberation Army,initiated a movement with hopes ofstarting a revolution. The Zapatista’sinitial goal was to fight for the rights

of indigenous groups mainly inChiapas, one of Mexico’s pooreststates. They were trying to bringattention to unfair treatment the une-ducated indigenous people wereexperiencing, and how they werebeing denied the land in which theylived.

Malán became motivated by themovement in 1996 when on a trip toMexico, she heard of how theZapatistas were organizing.

“It’s kind of what inspired me,” shesaid. “The biggest thing the Zapatistaswere doing was creating awareness.”

The Zapatistas take their name fromEmiliano Zapata, the commander of theLiberation Army of the South duringthe Mexican Revolution of 1910-17.They refrained from using weaponsafter their first encounter with the loyal-ist Mexican army and came to employother more subtle tactics.

The modern-day version has triedto get international attention and sup-port using employs media campaigns

By Abigail MuñizTHE PAN AMERICAN

When a change in the university’scurriculum this year left anthropologyclass, U.S. and Other World Cultures,out of the education requirement, itdepleted the amount of students takingthe course. But the department foundit was a blessing in disguise.

Texas Education CoordinatingBoard mandated earlier last year that

bachelor plans change from 124 cred-its to 120.

Two new courses, Anthropology ofPop Music (Multicultural Roots inAmerican Popular Music) and MedicalAnthropology: Health, Disease andCulture will be offered this spring toaddress the empty slots left.

“It frees us up so we can offer morecourses that can be attractive to thestudent,” said Anthropology ProfessorMargaret Graham, who created and

will also teach the new medicalanthropology course.

Graham conceptualized the coursetwo years ago and said students wouldstudy medical care and coverage fromdifferent cultures, including Chinesemedicine. Unfortunately the class isnow full.

“Students are interested becauseeverybody gets sick,” said Graham.“There’s so many philosophicalunderpinnings practiced in medicines

like Chinese medicine when they seeit in action the students will beintrigued.”

Anthropology Professor BobbieLovett is also excited to start the pop-ular music class.

“The students that sign up, Iassume already have an interest inmusic, but now they’ll understandwhy,” Lovett said.

Lovett created this course in 2007when she was sent the textbook

“American Popular Music: FromMinstrelsy to MP3” from OxfordUniversity Press. When she read thebook she instantly became attracted tothe subject.

“I read through it and I decided Ireally wanted to teach a course on thesubject because it really reflects ourmulticultural heritage and back-grounds,” Lovett explained. “Plus it’sreally fun to listen too.”

� CAMPUS

LeaderShape is a six-day event ofself-discovery, a highly interactiveleadership-training program that toutsitself as a revitalizing conferenceunlike any other. It is an annual eventthat takes place nationwide with spe-cial campus sessions at more than 70different universities. The latest onewill be Jan. 4 through Jan. 9, 2009.

The first LeaderShape at UTPAwas in May 2006, and has since beengrowing in numbers and participation

according to Lily Gyamfi, on-sitecoordinator for LeaderShape atUTPA. She explained that Ford MotorCo. and other sponsors helped bringthe free conference for university stu-dents. The LeaderShape Instituteapproached Ford to ask for sponsor-ship for more seminars around thecountry; the corporation decided tofund specific universities to holdLeaderShape for free and help get theword out to college students.

“We were lucky, UTPA has a greatrelationship with Ford so they selectedus and they gave us a grant to work

with and from then on LeaderShapestarted,” said the 21-year-old financemajor from McAllen.

“The first one we had about 30 stu-dents attended, which is half of the 60spots we have available,” Gyamfi said.“It has its pros and cons last year a lotof students from SGA (StudentGovernment Association) applied anddid it last year, I think its been growingstrong. Though, I’m really hoping for alarger turnout, we are really hoping thatstudents take advantage of this oppor-tunity, it really is a life changing expe-rience, I can definitely testify to that.”

Marcelina Pena, 21-year-old seniorbiology major, recounts how she wasnot expecting such an impacting event.

“I had been to Leadership confer-ences before so that’s what I wasexpecting,” she said. “I went in notexpecting too much and a more of aserious tone. But it totally was just anamazing experience, I couldn’t evenput into words.”

The Institute is broken up into six12-hour days, with each day setaround a theme that students areexpected to execute through the day.Participants use new skills, provide

and accept feedback from peers andwork in ‘family clusters’ that stu-dents are put into at the beginning ofcamp.

“There’s about six of us in our fam-ily clusters, they kind of randomly putus together, the Mission native said.“That was my favorite experiencethere because I got to know them a lotbetter. I still keep in touch with myfamily cluster an it’s been a year.”

The experiences and leadershipskills Pena received fromLeaderShape is something that she

LeaderShape Institute prepares to shape up studentsBy Kristen CabreraTHE PAN AMERICAN

� ACADEMIC

Anthropology class to rock out next semesterBy Ana VillaurrutiaTHE PAN AMERICAN

Zapatistas findtheir way to UTPA

� CULTURE

Ben Briones/THE PAN AMERICAN

BEHIND ENEMY LINES - Subcomandante Marcos, played by CarlosAlexis Cruz, in a scene of“Zapatistas” fires back at Mexican troops during the Zapatistas’ 1994 insurgence. The play, presented byTeatro Milagro of Portland, Ore. drew close to 150 people Wednesday to the Student Union Theater. SEE ZAPATISTAS || PAGE 6

SEE LEADER || PAGE 6

SEE CLASS || PAGE 6

ADVERTISEMENTS November 13, 2008Page 4

NEWS Page 5 November 13, 2008

BEAUTY continued from Page 1John Bokina, a political science pro-fessor. “For the staff in the Office ofInternational Programs, I’m sure thatit is hectic and overwhelming.”

Another keynote speaker is LuisAlfonso De Alba, ambassador to theUnited Nations for Mexico and presi-dent of Human Rights Council for theUnited Nations, who will speak on“International Policy on HumanRights” Thursday in the UniversityBallroom.

Each year, International Week costsan estimated $25,000, and is sponsoredby Wells Fargo Bank, the MexicanConsulate, the Chinese Embassy aswell as UTPA departments such asCriminal Justice, the University Libraryand Political Science Association.

According to Marilu Salazar,director of international programs,the events have opened up interna-

tional networks for students in thepast.

“This event has opened our stu-dents’ eyes to the world,” Salazar said.“Conflicts and misunderstandings aremost of the time, brought about byignorance of others’ cultures, issuesand ways of thinking.”

Salazar also mentioned knowledgeof international issues will increasethe students ‘marketability’ when theylook for jobs in the future.

“One student actually found a jobthrough one of our guest speakersfrom a German company who camehere as one of our first internationalguest speakers,” Salazar said.

Attendance during InternationalWeek has increased consistently. In2004, a reported 1,199 people attend-ed while in 2007 a group of 5,889were present at various events.

back home.” Cassidy Klein, the 22-year-old

owner of ValleyQueens.com whosponsors the local Queen for a Daydirector and former UTPA student,said it was some of the queens’ firsttime doing a Queen for a Day event,but that she was confident they wouldleave feeling accomplished.

Though some of the pediatricpatients weren’t able to leave theirrooms because of chronic and debili-tating diseases like cancer, the queensvisited their rooms to spend qualitytime with them.

“(The event) symbolizes thatdespite everything, they are still beau-tiful,” said Klein, multi-titled beautypageant holder who now attends TheUniversity of Incarnate Word in SanAntonio. “It really shows a differentside of cancer-patient children andopens your eyes to this horrible dis-ease.”

Laura M. Gonzalez, Miss TexasTeen Lone Star Latina and a 19-year-old pre-med/biology and chemistrymajor at The University of Texas-PanAmerican, said the event helps makesnot only the girls’ days brighter, butboys’ days brighter as well.

While the boys colored, createdarts and crafts and took photos withthe beauty queens, the girls paintedtheir nails and walked around withfeathered boas around their neck.

“It makes everyone feel goodabout themselves,” Gonzalez saidwhile she helped a fellow queen pre-pare beads for a bracelet for the chil-

dren. “I think it’s a very good feelingto know you made a difference in theirlives.”

That was very much the thought ofMarlen Lopez of Alamo, who watchedher daughter, Fernanda Lopez, breakout in hives the day before due to anunknown allergic reaction. Thoughthe hives were brought under control,her mother added doctor’s found it toeither be a reaction to peanuts or avirus.

Despite the previous day’s scare,Marlen Lopez watched as her daugh-ter made a sash that read “PrincessFernanda,” and colored a picture ofCinderella.

“She was getting bored,” the moth-er said about her 5-year-old daugh-ter’s stay at the hospital. “And nowshe really wants to stay here, they aredressing them up and making themfeel better about themselves.”

Josalynn Olveira, a 17-year-oldholding the title of Miss Weslaco, hadbeen taking care of and catering toLopez all morning, saying that shelearned a lot things about her.

“She likes Cinderella, HannahMontana and her favorite color isblue,” she said while watching Lopezcolor in the picture of her favoriteDisney character. “It’s fun becauseI’ve been able to be with little kids,which is really great for them.”

Olveira said she understands howLopez can get bored and want to gohome.

“My brother’s in and out of thehospital all the time, so something

like this really hits close to home,” theWeslaco High School student said.

Dr. Peter Palmieri said during holi-day time such as Christmas andHalloween many volunteers visit thehospital to help raise children’s’morale.

“It’s helpful for them (children) tobe distracted for a bit,” he said abouthow the Saturday morning event getskids out of their rooms and into theplayroom for interaction.

Palmieri said the majority ofpatients at ECH are in and out foracute illnesses like the common cold,pneumonia and dehydration.

However there are a few withchronic problems like cancer, who arein for a much longer duration.

Palmieri, who has been working atECH for two years, said the hospitaldoes all it can to make children com-fortable, such as having activities inthe playroom.

“When you’re happy it helps makeyou better,” he said. “I enjoy takingcare of the kids at this hospital.”

Miss South Texas Amanda Garcia,who is going for a master’s in busi-ness administration at UTPA, saidparticipating in beauty pageants hasreally helped boost her self-esteemand made her more outgoing.

Garcia added that she has attendedthe event a couple of times before andsaid she really feels it’s beneficial forboth the giver and the receiver.

“It’s something I’ve liked to do inthe past,” she said with a smile. “It’s ajoy to see their faces just light up.”

2004 as a professor of public adminis-tration. Alongside Borrego, isUniversity of Texas-Brownsville andTexas Southmost College presidentJuliet Garcia, who also served in theClinton administration in 1992 and con-firmed mid-week last week she wouldassist the Obama administration.

Jose R. Hinojosa, former interimdirector of the Master of PublicAdministration program and emerituspublic administration professor, hasknown Borrego since 2004.

Borrego has served as assistantsecretary for Veteran’s employment

and training in the U.S. Department ofLabor during the Clinton administra-tion and has a Ph.D. and MPA in pub-lic administration from the Universityof Southern California.

Hinojosa added that Borrego’sexperience has shaped him enough toserve on the team.

“It will bring them (Obamaadministration) his experience,” hesaid about the positions Borrego hasheld.

Borrego was unable to commentabout the matter because details havenot been fully disclosed.

While this is the first year the organ-ization will participate, in the spring,the group held the EntrepreneurshipSpeaker Series.

Felix Garcia, NHPO chairman,said during Global EntrepreneurshipWeek, they want to reach studentswith entrepreneurial aspirations.

“We are targeting individuals whoaspire to establish their own business-es,” Garcia, a junior marketing majorsaid. “We promote this particularmonth and next week with innovation,creativity and achievement.”

While Garcia says that entrepre-neurship contributes to the South Texaseconomy by providing job growth andopportunities for diversity, he feels it isimportant to let people know it is notimpossible to be an entrepreneur.

“We need to make more space forentrepreneurship,” Garcia said. “Weneed to encourage individuals to comeout and let them know that they canchoose to become an entrepreneur as acareer.”

Next week, at least 75 countries willbe involved in the event, but local ini-tiative revolves around events that arecommunity-based. EntrepreneurshipWeek USA in 2007 was a pilot programdriven by the Kauffman Foundation,one of the largest foundations in theU.S. devoted to entrepreneurship.

An online survey in 2007 conduct-ed by Kauffman Foundation andHarris Interactive in which 2,438,subjects age 8 to 21 participated,

found that four in 10 wanted to starttheir own business in the future.

Joe Garza, NHPO adviser and lec-turer for the College of BusinessAdministration, said it is important forstudents to know that there are ampleopportunities as an entrepreneur.

“[Through entrepreneurship] wedraw awareness that this is a careeroption for anyone who is interested inwanting to create and establish theirown business,” Garza said. “This pro-gram is a viable option for those seek-ing to be entrepreneurs.”

Similarly Ismael Delgado, SmallBusiness Development Center busi-ness advisor, said that it’s importantespecially for young people, tobecome aware of the option of beingbusiness self-starters.

“We’re happy to participate with astudent organization. It’s important thatwe help develop the young leadership,”Delgado said. “It’s (entrepreneurship)going to be key in so many ways, itpushes the envelope in innovation.”

Next week’s activities startTuesday during activity period with asession titled “GlobalEntrepreneurship,” followed by “TheMany Hats of Small BusinessOwnership” on Thursday.“Technology Entrepreneurship Bootcamp,” will be held on Saturday from9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will focus oninspiring entrepreneurs to developtheir ideas and make them realitythrough sessions throughout the day.

GLOBAL continued from Page 1

WEEK continued from Page 1

OBAMA continued from Page 1

NEWS November 13, 2008Page 6

CLASS continued from Page 3

ZAPATISTAS continued from Page 3

Lovett said she has received somuch interest for the course, 29 havealready signed up, that she hasincreased the class size from 30 stu-dents to 50, and will teach it in theAcademic Services Building insteadof the Social and Behavioral SciencesBuilding.

Program coordinator for the anthro-pology department Thomas Pozorskifound the course to be interesting.

“I thought it was something thatwould be very exciting and entertain-ing but also informative for the stu-dents to put music in an anthropologi-cal context,” Pozorski said.

Class meetings will begin with alecture based on the textbook, but thesecond half of most classes will give

way to actual music listening and adiscussion. Lovett hopes hearingmusic in class will help generateinterest and real appreciation for themusic.

“I hope to get interplay between meand the students,” she suggested.“We’ll go over the beat tempo and insome cases the lyrical content.”

The textbook discussed the birth ofAmerican popular music from as earlyas 1840, when Europe turned its ear toAmerican music. Lovett said oneinteresting aspect about the textbookis the often ambiguous race relationsbetween African Americans and whiteAmericans.

“In the book we’re seeing this realconflict because we had Jim Crow

laws that segregated America, but atthe same time white Americans werereally intrigued and attracted toAfrican-Americanstyles of music likeragtime,” she said.

Though thebook has much tosay about African-American influ-ence, it also con-tains sections onthe parts Europeanand Latin Americanstyles have played in American musichistory.

“A lot of the book is on AfricanAmericans simply because of theirearly influence on American music,”

Lovett noted. “But there is a wholesection on Mexican and SouthAmerican music in America.”

Other musicgenres discussed inthe course includejazz, country,disco, punk andalternative. Themusic heard in thecourse will comefrom CDs thataccompany thebook. Purchase of

the textbook also provided access toiMix, an online download site withmusic mentioned in the textbook.

Anthropology major DanielNicholson is already signed up for

the class. “I was quite elated, there’s no per-

son who doesn’t find something(interesting) in music,” said the 22-year-old La Feria junior.

He said the class is important to himbecause the study of cultural musiccalled ethnomusicology is a subfield inanthropology he may want to learn.

“There’s certainly some studentsthat may want to study this in thefuture…it’s been a thought I’ve con-sidered,” Nicholson said.

Lovett hopes to teach the classevery spring if all goes well.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun and Ihope the students go beyond what theyhear,” said Lovett. “They may saysomething like the blues is pretty cool.”

through newspapers and the Internet;they also broadcast their version ofwhat has occurred in Chiapas sincethe 1990s.

Malán hopes that their portrayal ofthe Zapatistas stirs students in a waythat allows them to realize they caninvoke change for worthwhile causestoo.

“You don’t have to be a bystander,”Malán said. “You can do somethingabout it.”

Last year, the Heritage Committeeinvited the Teatro Milagro group foranother presentation: Frida, unretablo, about the internationally pop-ular Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.This year Maria Hinojosa, committeechair, says she hopes people realizethe significance of the Zapatista affair,which hits close to home.

“It’s important for people to knowabout the Zapatistas,” Hinojosa said.“This is something recent, people are

still fighting for this cause. We reallythink people should be aware of whatis going on, not only around theUnited States, but also in surroundingcountries.”

The Teatro Milagro or the MiracleTheatre Group, is a non-profit organi-zation established in 1985. It special-izes in public performances and spe-cialized touring.

“The mission of the touring compa-ny is to educate on the diversity ofLatin America and to promote globalunity through educational theater,”Malán said.

Aligned with the HeritageCommittee’s duty to the university,Hinojosa agrees the committee is alsohere to provide students a diversity ofpresentations throughout the year.

“We try to bring a variety of cul-tures,” Hinojosa said. “It’s to makestudents more aware of what’s outthere.”

Ben Briones/THE PAN AMERICAN

“POST MODERN” MOVEMENT - Capitana Ana Maria (foreground), played by Dañel Malán, andComandante Tacho, played by Jorge Madrid in “Zapatistas,” use a laptop to reach out to Mexico for supportin fighting in the fight for indigenous rights in Chiapas, Mexico.

LEADER continued from Page 3still keeps with her.

“I came out of there a different per-son. I can’t even say how much funLeaderShape is and how much it hashelped me,” Pena said. “I came outknowing myself better as well.”

According to Gyamfi, it would costa student outside of UTPA almost$1,000 for food, lodging, travel andother various expenses. But for UTPAstudents, it is entirely paid for.

“The sponsors take care of every-

thing, they pay for the dorms andfood,” Gyamfi said.

Procter and Gamble, this year’ssponsors for the upcoming event, issupporting this potentially life-chang-ing experience in order to foster lead-ership skills for future members of theworkforce.

In 2006, Ford had been eager tofund UTPA, focusing heavily onrecruiting business and engineeringmajors. Now, anyone in any major is

welcome.“We usually have 20 spots for busi-

ness, 20 spots for engineering and 20for general student population,”Gyamfi said. “But that doesn’t meanthat just because they’re not businessor engineering majors we are going toturn them away.”

Anyone interested in registering forone of the 60 slots for LeaderShapeshould access the online application atwww.-s1.leadershape.ord/apprd/281.

“I was quite elated, there’sno person who doesn’t findsomething (interesting) inmusic.”Daniel NicholsonJunior anthropology major

� TIDBIT- On the day of NAFTA’s inauguration in 1994, New Year’s day, a groupcalled the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) rose up against theMexican government.- The Zapatista movement launched their protest to bring attention topoverty and injustice Native Americans and others who farmed in theChiapas region faced. - In February 1996, the Mexican government and the EZLN signed the firstof six peace accords although EZLN broke off peace talks in September.- In 2005, after four years, the group’s leader, Subcommander Marcosappeared publicly, proclaiming that the Zapatistas would work with leftistgroups to influence generations to come. encarta.msn.com

ADVERTISEMENTS November 13, 2008Page 7

THE PAN AMERICAN November 13, 2008Page 8 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 9November 13, 2008

Photos By: Onydia Garza Layout By: Roy Bazan

BURN BABY - University students watch as Edinburg FireDepartment ignite the letters ‘UTPA’ to get students riled up rightoutside the Field House.

FRIENDS AND SPIRIT- (From left) Fidel Castro, James Berglundand Florinda Gonzalez, all part of Resident Life, get their spirit onby bleeding white, orange and green.

FIRED UP - UTPA cheerleader Racael Houpt, cheers herheart out in the UTPA Field House during MidnightMadness.

BUCK WILD - Bucky the Bronc walks up and down theUTPA Field House to try and rally students to get in thespirit for Midnight Madness.

ROCK IT OUT - Playing for what seemed like all night, local band24/7 performed Friday night.

STEP AND DANCE - The university dance team, the Blazers, gothrough its country song-and-dance routine.

THE PAN AMERICAN November 13, 2008Page 8 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 9November 13, 2008

Photos By: Onydia Garza Layout By: Roy Bazan

BURN BABY - University students watch as Edinburg FireDepartment ignite the letters ‘UTPA’ to get students riled up rightoutside the Field House.

FRIENDS AND SPIRIT- (From left) Fidel Castro, James Berglundand Florinda Gonzalez, all part of Resident Life, get their spirit onby bleeding white, orange and green.

FIRED UP - UTPA cheerleader Racael Houpt, cheers herheart out in the UTPA Field House during MidnightMadness.

BUCK WILD - Bucky the Bronc walks up and down theUTPA Field House to try and rally students to get in thespirit for Midnight Madness.

ROCK IT OUT - Playing for what seemed like all night, local band24/7 performed Friday night.

STEP AND DANCE - The university dance team, the Blazers, gothrough its country song-and-dance routine.

ADVERTISEMENTS November 13, 2008Page 10

THE PAN AMERICAN Page 11

Dates to Know:

“A Christmas Carol”Nov. 19, 8 p.m.Albert L. Jeffers Theater

Unwed SailorTuesday, 8 p.m.Simon Sez

� CAMPUS LIFE

Poetry and tunes charged the librarycourtyard Tuesday as UPB’s N2Tunescommittee held a Rhythm ‘n’ BluesLounge. Throughout the night, stu-dents sipping on free hot chocolate andmunching on cookies found them-selves listening to the tunes of RamDanesse & The Trio and Rebel Union.Poets were also reciting their worksbetween musical performances.

Stacy Sanchez organized theevent as chair of a committeefocused on bringing musical enter-tainment to campus.

“One of the good things about thecourtyard is we’re working with thelibrary,” Sanchez explained. “Wewant to use areas of the campus thathaven’t been used before.”

She also said the committee strivesto acquaint students at UTPA withlocal bands, which is why Tuesdaythey included Ram Danesse & TheTrio from Weslaco and Rebel Unionfrom the McAllen area.

Ram Danesse, 21 and a formerUTPA student, said influences thatmake an appearance in their music are amixture of John Mayer, Incubus, Stevie

Ray Vaughn, and old-school blues.“Some of the songwriting is very

commercial, mainstream, and verypop,” Danesse stated. “But our musicis more intricate like blues. It’s reallyhard to describe.”

The musician said it was great toplay for an audience his age in a sophis-ticated and educational environment.

“The poetry and the free chocolatemade it relaxing and easier to hear themusic,” he explained. “The actualplacement of the stage and the weath-er and the lighting made it perfect forthe kind of music we play.”

David “Tank” Garcia, frontman forRebel Union, said their music touchesbase with a lot of styles.

“It’s more of a blues/jazzy feel toit,” explained the singer. “But it alsointerprets a lot of rock.”

Rebel Union covered favoritesranging from Michael Jackson to aJoss Stone rendition of The WhiteStripe’s “Fell In Love With A Girl.”

With this type of creative per-former showing up, Sanchez said thatstudents have much to look forward toin the spring semester.

“We have a poetry slam comingsoon and a battle of the bands. We’realso planning a big concert for April.”

For more information on RamDanesse & The Trio, visitmyspace.com/ramdanessetrio. Thosewishing to reach Rebel Union can e-mail David Garcia atoutofexile@hotmail.com.

UPB brings music, coffee, poetry to students

ROCKIN’ OUT - Ram Danesse & The Trio perform at UPB’sRhythm & Blues concert Thursday at the library courtyard.

November 13, 2008

By Victor ItuarteTHE PAN AMERICAN

Ben Briones/THE PAN AMERICAN

� MUSIC CHARTS

N2Tunes Events

CoffeehouseJan. 13, 2009

Theme: ‘60s --dress up!Location: BallroomFood: Hot chocolate, coffee,browniesCollaborate: Face painting--contact sororitiesProjector: images from ‘60s

Music eventJan. 28, 2009

Theme: IndividualismLocation: Sun dial Band: The Electric SheepFood: Funnel cakesCollaborate: Braids in hair ---grab people to sign up at skateramp

DATES TO REMEMBER

-Nov. 17: International Films: “Bamako,” a film fromMali, Africa, in the Palmetto Room of the StudentUnion Building; “L’ Avocat de la Terreur” (The Lawyer ofTerror, from France, in Student Union Theater; and “ElViolin” (The Violin) from Mexico, in the Palmetto Room

-Nov. 18: Polynesian Dance and Drums at the StudentUnion Theater.

-Nov. 20: Study Abroad Fair and International FoodTasting at Library Media Courtyard.

-All week: “Los Rostros de Mexico” and the Beijing 2008Olympics Photo Exhibit at the University LibraryAnnex Gallery.

� CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Billboard.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT November 13, 2008Page 12

Many believe creativity is attrib-uted to a cognitive process, a good eyeand killer instincts. Others believe itsimply stems from Divine gifts, envi-ronment and serendipity. But despiteOmar Rodríguez’s lack of formaltraining and no experience in artbefore the age of 43, all of the abovehave convened to form a perfect stormof arresting artistry.

Rodríguez, from San Antonio, wason hand Nov. 7 at the Art House locat-ed on 1009 Laurel Ave. in McAllen,for a reception heralding the openingof a new exhibit running through Dec.19, which will feature new works andselected prints from Rodríguez.

The atmosphere was electric asguests reveled in the captivating sightof Rodríguez’s bright squares of vari-ous-size paintings dotting the cozyspace, giving a feeling as though onewere walking among brilliant, life-size mosaics.

Art House owner Mayra Browncounts Rodríguez as an old familyfriend and is a fan of his work sayingshe admires the “frantic way” heapplies color and texture to his pieces.

This isn’t the first time thatRodríguez’s work has graced the starkwalls of Art House with bold bursts ofcolor, however.

“He is not only an artist but heonce had an art studio that housed 10different artists,” Brown explained.“We had an exhibit in 2005 with allof the members of his studio that wasa great success, so we decided to doit again only with works fromRodriguez and another artist fromthat studio.”

Born in San Juan in 1958,Rodríguez has spent his life travelingextensively throughout North andSouth America, Africa and Europe.Once a senior executive at a Fortune500 company, Rodríguez left his job afew years ago to cultivate a passionfor art full time, and has only thrivedsince.

“I was 43 years old and my wifegave me this little junior paint kit topaint on,” explains Rodriguez with alaugh. “She said, ‘Hey, maybe youshould give it a try.’ So I did and myfirst pieces were huge.”

Both charming and enthusiastic, hedoesn’t seem to give much questionas to where his art sensibilities comefrom, only acknowledging his

instincts are illustrated through art,showing where he is coming from.

“I don’t mix paint, I don’t know

how to do anything, it just comesfrom what feels right,” Rodríguezsaid with an impish smile. “I even

titled my last show ‘RandomlyIrrational’ because I can’t tell youhow I do it or what I do. I can’t repli-cate it tomorrow. It’s just somethingthat’s good for this moment.”

Even more surprising than the factthat Rodríguez does not mix paint, ishis interesting use of everyday mate-rials to add depth to the work.

He applies many layers of flatcolor and then uses forks, knives,rocks or branches to scrape away atthe layers, producing an oddly color-ful, wonderfully textured quality.

Reynaldo Santiago, UTPA profes-sor of art, says Rodríguez’s innova-tive methods of creating texture havebeen an inspiration.

“Rodríguez’s technique usingforks and knives offer such interest-ing lines and texture that I have triedexperimenting with it in my ownwork,” he said. “The effect creates avery interesting piece.”

Brown says Rodríguez’s art isalways well received by the publicand pieces from the show are allavailable for viewing or purchase forthe duration of the exhibit throughDecember.

For more information contactMayra Brown at 490-5507.

Instinct turns businessman into artist� ART

SIMPLY ME - A self-portrait of Omar Rodriguez is on display at theArt House. Rodriguez discovered his knack for art at age 43.

By Marco CarbajalTHE PAN AMERICAN

Roxy Solis/THE PAN AMERICAN

STC professors find craft outside classroomAs part of its Nov. 8 Quinceñera

celebration, South Texas College’sPecan campus library presentedBook Talks, an event which high-lighted some of the college’s mostdistinguished authors who happen tobe professors at the campus.Throughout the day, guests weretreated to presentations, readings,and book signings from the authorsin the field of histo-ry, language, tech-nology and litera-ture. The eventstarted at 10:30 amand ended at 6 p.m.

Kristina Wilson,the programmingchairperson forLibrary Services atSTC, was delightedabout the event, andresponded enthusias-tically about the authors and theirexhibited works.

“We are very fortunate here atSouth Texas College to have very ded-icated and talented instructors,”Wilson said. “Some of them havewritten books based on their years ofexperience and research and we want-ed to showcase their achievements tothe public.”

Wilson, a McAllen native, alsoexplained that most people don’tknow that the libraries at STC are

open to the public and that any resi-dent of the RGV is eligible for alibrary card.

“Through the programs that we hostpublicly, we are spreading the wordabout our free services,” she said.

The authors and their book titles atBook Talks were Rey Anzaldua,“Computer Forensics for Dummies,”Dr. Clark von Heller, “The ClarkHeller Collection,” and “ESLDoxography,” Robert Cantu, “MiHerencia,” and Charles Robinson,

“Texas and theMexican War.”

R e y n a l d oAnzaldua, a col-lege instructorand computerforensic investi-gator, graduatedfrom UTPA withfirst his under-graduate degreeand then a gradu-ate diploma in

computer systems; he’s been teachingfor seven years and was delightedabout his book “Computer Forensicsfor Dummies,” which he co-authoredwith Linda Volonino.

“This book is an introduction intothe subject of computer forensics,”said Anzaldua. “We wrote the book ina manner that eliminated a bunch ofthe technical jargon to make the sub-ject much easier to understand.”Computer forensics is a branch offorensic science which contains legal

evidence found in computers and digi-tal storage mediums. Its main goal is toexplain the current state of a digitalartifact which is a visible defect in adigital photo or video picture.

The San Antonio native explainedhis presentation at Book Talks coveredforensics, but also looked at how littleprivacy there is the computer world.

“One of the audience memberstold me the information was ratherscary since they did not realize howvulnerable data really is,” Anzalduacommented.

Robert Cantu, a professor ofSpanish and Mexican-American stud-ies, attended UTPA and earned degreesin both Spanish and English. He hasbeen teaching for 18 years, 15 at col-lege level. His book “Mi Herencia”(My Heritage) is a textbook for aSpanish-speaking student that focuseson culture rather than grammar.

“Mi Herencia: curso para his-panohablante” (A Course for theSpanish/English Speaker) presents anintegrated skills approach to Spanishthat develops both receptive and pro-ductive skills simultaneously,” Cantusaid. “The primary objective of theprogram is to offer students an oppor-tunity to acquire communicative skillswhile developing an awareness andappreciation of Hispanic cultures.”

Cantu added that the book coversHispanic traditions, customs, art, andliterature.

“My main focus at Book Talks wasto motivate the audience to be proud

of our culture and encourage them toexplore and learn more on who we areas Latinos,” he stressed. “MostLatinos don’t know about their her-itage and culture, and I wanted to takethis opportunity to motivate the audi-ence that we need to learn more aboutour culture to be able to not lose ourcultural identity.”

Wilson and the authors thought theevent was a success and want to contin-ue the tradition of more events andactivities for students and faculty. “Thisis the first time that we have hosted afull day of literary activities,” Wilsonsaid. “In the future, we will continue to

invite authors to our libraries and offerevents for kids and families.”

“The library’s motto is “Discover,Create, and Change,” said Wilson. “Wehost programs for the communitybecause we want our friends and neigh-bors to become comfortable with thecollege environment.”

Book Talks gave people theopportunity to interact with the STCfaculty and learn from them in aninformal environment. Wilson andthe authors all hoped that peopleenjoyed the event and will comeback to see more new talent in the lit-erary field again.

By Russen VelaTHE PAN AMERICAN

“We host programs for thecommunity because we wantour friends and neighbors tobecome comfortable withthe college environment.”Kristina WilsonProgram chairpersonSTC Library Services

� LITERATURE

READ ME - Two patrons browse through the array of books atSaturday’s Book Talks at South Texas College.

Isaac Barrientes/THE PAN AMERICAN

ADVERTISEMENTS Page 13November 13, 2008

Nov. 1 marked the playing of thesixth annual Valley Bowl – an intra-mural flag football competition be-tween The University of Texas-PanAmerican, South Texas College, Uni-versity of Texas at Brownsville andTexas State Technical College in Har-lingen. There were eight teams total,with the top two units from each schoolgoing head to head for bragging rightsand a tune-up for teams advancing tothe National Regional Flag FootballChampionships, which was held Satur-day in Nacogdoches.

With Texas being a hot zone forfootball, the Valley Bowl has gainedpopularity with many college studentsin the area who long to relive the glorydays of their high school careers, or

perhaps simply wish to play some 7-on-7. UTPA had won the title five yearsin a row until this year when UTBknocked them off in the championshipgame 27-12.

Intramural assistant Art Cabrerasaid that the Valley Bowl was bornfrom an old rivalry game betweenUTPA and TSTC called the TurkeyBowl. The tradition was started in thelate ‘80s and was played every yearuntil the mid ‘90s, but when otherschools formed their own teams, thegame was reformatted to include bothSTC and UTB in the mix.

“We didn’t have a lot of the stuffthat we have now that we are offeringthem, but we still did it anyway,”Cabrera said. “The year after (itstarted) is when we really decided tosit together and plan it and we or-dered trophies and t-shirts. We pro-

vided food for the players and we justtried to make it a little better forthem.”

These days, the event is muchmore organized, as the four schoolsdivvy up responsi-bilities for food,shirts, staffing, fa-cilities and trophies.

Cabrera said thatmany times thelocal teams don’tget the chance to ad-vance to other tour-naments like theregional competi-tion, which is whythe opportunity tocompete in the Valley Bowl free ofcharge is important.

“This is pretty much the closest theyget to it and it’s a good experience for

them,” Cabrera said. According to Cabrera, the event

used to be held at UTPA, but nowvaries from year to year due to theneed for a neutral site. This year’s

tournament washeld at MissionCatholic VeteransWar Park and lastyear it was held atShary Sport’s Park(formally VerizonSports Park).

Cabrera saidthat the winningoutfit goes on toregional competi-tion, where up to

45 teams from all over the state viefor the regional title. Team Chaos wasthe only team from UTPA to go to theregional competition this year, but

was eliminated in pool play.Steve Jondreau, an avid football fan

and captain of the Border Jumpers flagfootball team, said that his favorite partof the Valley Bowl is seeing all theother teams competing.

“It’s a great way to meet other play-ers,” he said.

Jondreau said that he would recom-mend it to other football fans and thateven he himself was once a skeptic.

“I used to play semi-pro, so when Iheard about it I thought the same thing:it’s for sissies. But it’s not; I actuallyfound it to be more challenging insome ways,” he said.

With the Valley Bowl’s growingpopularity and the ever-present foot-ball fever across UTPA, the competi-tion that started small is nowbecoming a big part of the intramuralcalendar.

After 10 years of playing tennis, thecommitment of India native Aswin Vi-jayaragavan to achieve his dreams hasincreased due to the accomplishmentshe’s made through hard work and thesupport of important people in his life.

Even though his first inclination wastoward playing cricket, India’s nationalsport, after three years as a cricketer, atage 9, Aswin decided to try tennis, thesport his older brother practiced.

“When I got the racket I didn’t feellike leaving it,” the 19-year-old sopho-more said. “I fell in love with tennis.”

Aswin soon became the winner of acouple of tournaments; this led him toparticipate in India’s junior nationaltournament, which includes players lessthan 12 years. He was ranked first in thenation and soon gained ranking inter-nationally as one of the best 100 juniorplayers.

In order to improve his game, Aswinconsidered the option of coming to theUnited States to play in a more com-petitive environment.

“A few coaches knew the coach hereand he was looking for players,” hesaid. “I went ahead and tried it and Iliked it.”

Aswin enrolled at UTPA underCoach Rob Hubbard last January topursue a degree in business manage-ment and play for the men’s tennisteam. The transition from living withhis family to coming to a differentcountry and living on his own wastough, but the stress was alleviated by

his new teammates.“Getting away from my parents was

a bit difficult, but I got used to itslowly,” he said. “The guys are prettygood so it wasn’t as hard as I expected.”

The cadence of his speech projectsa serenity that is occasionally inter-rupted by a joke followed by a re-laxed smile that reveals that he is notall seriousness.

But seriousness is what he shows onthe court, where his tranquility turnsinto fierceconcentrationon each play.

“Generally,I’m a focusedperson,” hesaid. “Evenwhen I lose aball I don’t getmad, I justforget about itand go to the next one.”

However, Aswin explained that hisstate of mind depends on the quality ofhis opponent and that every match re-quires a different approach to the game.

“If he’s someone equal to me it some-times gives me pressure, but if he’s a realgood player I am relaxed,” he noted.“It’s a pressure to him, not to me.”

Despite having a successful begin-ning of season, defeating Olivier Sajousfrom the University of Texas, who isnationally ranked No. 46, Aswin takespartial credit for his accomplishmentsand stresses that the support of his fam-ily has taken him where he is at now.

His dad, Vijayaragavan, had been

captain of India’s Olympic basketballteam in the 70s, while Subhashini, hismother, has been a crucial supportersince the moment he made the decisionto start playing tennis.

“I’m really lucky to have them,” hesaid. “If they weren’t there I don’t thinkI’d be here.”

Arjun, his older brother, not only in-troduced Vijayaragavan to tennis, but isnow in the Indian Institute of Technol-ogy, one of the top 20 higher educationschools in the world.

“He is a brilliant student,” theUTPA netter said. “I consider him mymotivation.”

He also commented that being farfrom the people he admires the mosthas made him adopt his teammates andcoaching staff as an important part ofhis life.

“My friends are like my family,” hesaid. “They are very supportive.”

Junior Nirvick Mohinta, Ashwin’sdoubles partner, was one of the teammembers that welcomed him last se-mester as part of the team.

“We support each other in practice,”said Mohinta. “I’m looking forward tokeep playing with him the rest of theseason.

Aswin, who had a 9-9 singles recordlast season and currently traces a 5-2 inthe fall season, said that he keeps him-self motivated by the dream of some-day becoming a professional tennisplayer.

“I gotta give my best,” he said. “IfI just keep that in my mind hopefullyI’ll do it.”

� FEATURE

India native establishes identity, position in program

Onydia Garza/THE PAN AMERICANINTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON - Sophomore Aswin Vijayara-gavan joined the men’s tennis program last January as the top rankedjunior player from India.

By Sara HernandezTHE PAN AMERICAN

THE PAN AMERICAN November 13, 2008 Page 14

Dates to Know:Men’s Basketballvs. Sul Ross StateSaturday, 3 p.m. UTPA Field House

“I used to play semi-pro, sowhen I heard about it Ithought the same thing: it’sfor sissies. But it’s not; I actu-ally found it to be more chal-lenging in some ways.”

Steve JondreauBorder Jumpers

Cross-CountryNCAA Regional ChampionshipSaturdayWaco

By Kevin StichTHE PAN AMERICAN

Valley Bowl gives local intramural teams a taste of the big time� FLAG FOOTBALL

ASWIN VIJAYARAGAVAN

A three-point jumper by freshmanEpiphany Smith brought TheUniversity of Texas-Pan Americanwomen’s basketball team within threepoints with 53 seconds left in thegame Saturday against the LadyJavelinas of Texas A&M-Kingsville.

But unfortunately for the LadyBroncs, Smith’s jumper couldn’t closethe gap as they fell short 58-54 in thefirst exhibition game of the season atthe Field House.

“The exhibition game gives you anopportunity to provide some gameminutes to our incoming new kidswho don’t know our system,” sixth-year head coach DeAnn Craft said. “Inparticular our freshmen, who aresupremely skilled, they sure didn’tlook like they were newbies. Wethought they showed some maturity intheir basketball decisions and that iswhat you want exhibition games to dofor you.”

The Lady Broncs drew first bloodwith a three-pointer from sophomoreIceland native Maria BenErlingsdottir, who went 4 of 5 fromthe field for 10 points, but the LadyJavelinas would answer right back totie the score with a three from AngelaFranklin, who posted four basketsfrom behind the arc.

The Lady Javelinas would end thefirst half shooting 48 percent from the

field while the Lady Broncs shot 40.0percent; Kingsville led 34-29.

“We got better and that’s whatwe’re trying to do right now as weget closer and closer to opener,”Lady Javelinas Scott Hyland said. “Aweek ago in our first exhibition weweren’t very good but I really likedthe way our kids reacted and we shotthe ball well.”

In the second half, the Lady Broncsopened the period with a three-pointerfrom Erlingsdottir that cut the LadyJav lead to four.They continuedto press and final-ly came withintwo points on abomb from seniorJessica Walkerand tied the gameat 39 with a stealconverted intotwo points byjunior RoseEsther Jean.

The LadyBroncs seemed tohave the momen-tum on their sideafter a three-pointer from sen-ior DanielleKostacky gavethem their firstlead of the second half 42-39 with 11minutes to play.

The teams traded three lead

changes before the Lady Javalinaswould finally prove to be too much forthe Lady Broncs, handing them theirfirst loss of the season.

The women closed the second halfshooting 32.3 percent and 39.3 percentfor the game, while the Lady Javelinasshot 46.3 percent for the game.

“To say I’m pleased with how welook I can’t even surpass that I wasthrilled we had such composure,”Craft commented. “And yet we didn’thave anything in a zone arsenal for

that game and thatjust tells me howgood our youngkids are.”

Smith finishedwith eight points,seven assists andfive rebounds,while Kostackyand TeshayWinfrey bothrecorded sixpoints and tworebounds apiece.

The LadyBroncs hit theroad to open theseason againstA r k a n s a s - P i n eBluff tomorrowand Tennessee-Martin Monday

before their first home game of the sea-son against Texas Lutheran on Nov. 20with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.

The breaking of wood boardsechoed throughout the gym onSaturday morning, hand-breakingstunts that kept the audience enter-tained at the all-day event. People ofall ages, dressed in karate uniforms,stood in front of judges and performedhigh jumps, forms, sparring and judomoves.

For action straight out of a karatemovie, enthusiasts of all ages compet-ed in the 11th annual 2008 MasterDavis UTPA Tae Kwon Do KarateChampionships at The University ofTexas-Pan American Health andPhysical Education building.

Over 200 hopefuls from around thestate went at it in the following events:forms, fighting, board breaking, TaiChi, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, fighting,weapons and self-defense.

For Cesar Cordova, a UTPA inter-national business major from MexicoCity, competing in this event was athrill since he’s been practicing the artof sparring most of his life. His inter-est in martial arts was sparked onceagain when he enrolled at the univer-sity, wanted to join a sport, and knewthe karate class would be a good fit.

“When I came to the university, Isaw that they offered the class. I knewit was a good way to join a sport,” thejunior said.

Cordova hopes to compete in thenext Chinmukwan Taekwon-DoFederation (C.T.F.) event, which willtake place next year on June 19-21 inPhiladelphia.

Sparring is free-form fighting withspecial headgear and mouth guard,along with hand and foot protectionwhile forms are a different set of pre-arranged movements; forms is some-times called “imaginary fighting”because it involves pre-determinedand choreographed routines thatresemble real combat.

“We’ve been sparring all semesterlong and during class,” Cordovaexplained. “We’ve also been sparringwith others of higher ranking for prac-tice. This is my entry tournament forme and it’s a thrill, like nothing else.”

Cecilia Davis, who teachesIntermediate Karate at the universityand is married to Master Bob Davis,said coming to the competition is partof the student curriculum.

“They participate, compete andvolunteer throughout the day. Somestudents came yesterday to helpsetup,” she said.

Although it is not a requirement tocompete, it is mandatory for studentsto come and see what it takes to planthis event, she explained. A total of 26students are currently enrolled in the2-hour credit course offered eachsemester. Davis teaches basic tech-niques, forms and fighting.

“I expose them to everything thatwill help them compete in the tourna-ment,” she said. “Once they havebeen exposed, I let them pick andchose the divisions that they wouldlike to compete in.”

Erika Gomez, a senior from SanJuan, competed in forms and sparringSaturday. The biology major’s interestin martial arts began last semester.

“I have always been interested inkarate, and after I found out they wereoffering it on campus I decided to signup,” she said.

Gomez plans to continue practicingmartial arts and hopes to compete infuture karate tournaments. Her friendNaveeba Farooqi, a pre-med majorfrom Edinburg, joined the class withGomez and both hope to get theirblack belt next year.

Cordova placed second in sparring,Gomez placed third in forms and thirdin sparring. Farooqi placed second insparring and third in forms.

Lady Broncs drop exhibition against Lady Javelinas

� WELLNESS CENTER

SPORTS Page 15 November 13, 2008� WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

By Pedro Perez IVTHE PAN AMERICAN

Roxy Solis/THE PAN AMERICANMAN VERSUS BOARD - San Juan native Carlos Vega performs a flying-axe kick on Saturday’s Master Davis Karate Tournament. Vega captured firstin the men’s and women’s adult breaking division.

Roxy Solis/THE PAN AMERICANCENTER POWER - Center Maria Ben Erlingsdottir looks to score fromthe paint in Saturday’s exhibition against Texas A&M-Kingsville. The sopho-more led the Lady Broncs with 10 points.

11th annual karate tournament success at UTPA gymBy Adriana AcostaTHE PAN AMERICAN

Women’s BasketballHome Schedule

Nov. 20 Texas Lutheran 7 p.m.Nov. 26 Air Force 5 p.m.Dec. 13 Texas A&M - C.C. 7 p.m.Dec. 08 Schreiner 5 p.m.

Battle at the BorderDec. 28 Albany 5 p.m.Dec. 29 To Be Determined 5 p.m.

Dec. 30 Central Ark TBADec. 31 Central Arkansas 5 p.m.Jan. 10 Utah Valley 7 p.m.Jan. 14 Texas A&M

- International 7 p.m.Jan. 17 Cal State Bakersfield 7 p.m.Jan. 19 Houston Baptist 7 p.m.Jan. 31 Chicago State 7 p.m.Feb. 21 NJIT 5 p.m.

� MEN’S BASKETBALL

Sunday 7:15 p.m. (NBC)

�COLLEGE FOOTBALL

�NFL

GeorgiaBulldogs

AuburnTigers

DallasCowboys

WashingtonRedskins

�HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Saturday 11:30 a.m. (ESPN360.com)

@

@

THE PAN AMERICAN November 13, 2008 Page 16

DESIGNED BY GREGORIO GARZA

Sport Shorts

Editor’s Picks

WOMEN’S TENNISThe University of Texas-Pan

American women’s tennis team was inSan Marcos this past weekend whereit competed in the Texas State PlayDay at the Bobcat Tennis Complex.

The three-school tournament,including Texas State and TheUniversity of Texas-San Antonio, wasthe final competition of the year.

In a commanding fashion, juniorSarah Burton and Reetta Raty ofFinland defeated Jennifer Nowland andAmanda Alvarado of Texas State, 8-2.

The doubles team of Canada nativeStephanie Willerding and junior LuisaCantu took a loss against MonikaDrabkova and Caroline Dedering fromUTSA, 8-6. Freshman Malin Andersonof Sweden and Megan Bedeau ofOntario suffered a defeat by Ashley Ellisand Nyssa Peele of Texas State, 8-6.

In singles, Anderson defeatedMackenzie Farmer of Texas State by6-2, 6-2, netting the first win for theLady Broncs Saturday.

Willerding suffered a loss againstLainy Chafitz of Texas State, 6-3, 6-4and Bedeau lost to Nathalaie Wallinfrom UTSA (6-1, 6-2). Cantu washanded a loss as well by Holly Phillipsof UTSA, 6-1, 6-3.

Burton would share a similar fateby Jennifer Nowland of Texas State 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 in a super-tie break.

In the second round, Willerdingdropped her match to Peele 6-4, 7-6,(8-6) in a third set super-tie break andCantu suffered a loss to Wallin (6-2, 6-0). Raty was defeated by Phillips 6-0,6-2 and Anderson loss as well toO’Reilly 6-4, 6-0. Burton dropped hermatch to Drabkova 6-2, 6-0.

The men’s and women’s teams willparticipate in a Pro-Am fundraiser atthe Cimarron Country Club on Nov. 22.

The high school game to watch will beEdcouch-Elsa vs. Tuloso-Midway onFriday, pending a UIL investigation.

When The University of Texas-Pan American men’s basketball teamtakes to the court Saturday againstSul Ross State at the Field House at 3p.m., the Broncs will feature anentirely new look. Uncertainty andDivision I inexperience highlight the2008-2009 basketball spectrum aseight new players arrive in the RioGrande Valley to help UTPA maintainand build on its ’07-’08 success.

“We have a very difficult schedule.We only have 10 home games; that’snot a lot for a Division I team butwe’re excited that we get an opportu-nity to play a lot of good teams,”third-year head coach Tom Schuberthsaid. “We’re a young and an inexperi-enced ballclub but I think we’ve got alot of energy.”

Last year, the Broncs found them-selves in a whirlwind season, receiv-ing ESPN coverage, claiming theIndependent championship, andrecording their best season since 2002after posting an 18-13 record.

UTPA received national attentionbefore and during the season for itspromising year and outstanding guardplay. Michigan native Paul Stoll pro-pelled the Broncs into a realm whereother Independent foes struggled tocompete against the Green andOrange. The men recorded a 7-1mark against Independent opponentsas Stoll provided the spark onoffense.

With his Chris Paul-likedemeanor, the 5-foot-11 guard

torched teams all season long as heaveraged 14.2 points and 2.6rebounds per game, and connectedon 49 percent of his field goals. Stollalso finished as the third-leadingassist man in the nation for his 224assists. His absence, along with keylosses in Brian Burrell and ZachTrader, will test the Broncs’ abilityto regroup as the trio accounted for57 percent of the team’s total offenselast season.

But with solid players returningat the forward and guard positions,easing into an offensive rhythmdoesn’t have Schuberth concerned.The Broncs go deep in the forwardposition with junior NathanHawkins and senior EmmanuelJones returning and newcomer LuisValera adding to the depth.

Hawkins of San Antonio shapedinto a reliable player in his first sea-son with UTPA as he started in 30 ofthe team’s 31 games, averaging 10.6points and 3.9 rebounds. His field-goal percentage of 52.5 percentranked him second on the team andhe connected on 57.1 percent of hisfree throws.

Hawkins says so far the chemistryis high with the new acquisitions tothe team and the main key to the sea-son is being team-oriented.

“The first year, we all playedtogether so it’s important that we onthe court havegood chemistryand just

play together as a team,” he said. Jones is another key element in the

Bronc lineup. In 22 games last year,the Washington D.C. native recorded9.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per gameand connected on 54.8 percent fromthe field. Schuberth says Jones hastaken to the leadership role; once thenew arrivals receive some Division Iexperience, the Broncs will try tobecome a ball-control offense.

“There’s a lot of a questionmarks,” Schuberth said. “We lost somuch experience and playing time tolast year. I really don’t know what toexpect. I’m looking forward to seeingthe guys against outside competitionbecause all we’ve been doing is prac-ticing against one another. I don’tthink we’ll be as good a shootingteam as we were last year because welost some phenomenal shooters, butwe’ll probably have a better insidepresence because we’re a little bitdeeper at those positions.”

Valera looks to make an immediateimpact at the forward position just likeHawkins did last year, as theVenezuela native transfers fromMarshalltown Community College inIowa. The 6-foot-7 Bronc finished firstin rebounds at 198 with the Tigers andaveraged 9.9 points per game.

At the guard position, junior BenSmith of Pharr and sophomore NickWeiermiller return and

look to receive significant playingtime with the departures of Stoll,Burrell and Dexter Shankle. Thesound guard play from last seasonkept the tandem on the bench but theydid make their presence felt asWeiermiller appeared 30 times for 2.4points and 1.1 rebounds per game.

Sophomore guard P.J. Turner, a 5-foot-11 transfer from Santa FeCommunity College, makes the tran-sition to Division I after spending hisfreshman season with the Saints.Turner says he’s been listening close-ly to his coaching staff’s advice andhas been spending extra time practic-ing to better prepare him for theDivision I level.

“I’ve adapted well,” Turner said ofhis transition. “I’m getting used to allmy players and getting used to wherethey like the ball in their spots.”

The Broncs will face another dif-ficult schedule this year with 17 outof 27 games away from the FieldHouse. After Saturday, UTPA willnot return home until Dec. 18 whenThe University of Texas-SanAntonio travels to Edinburg.Schuberth says the newcomers haveblended in well with the team and heis anxious to get the season underway with a youthful, talented groupthat he believes can repeat the samesuccess gained last year.

“Our whole philosophy is ‘do thebest you can, work hard and goodthings will happen’ and I really believe

it can happen to this team,”Schuberth said.

By Ramiro PaezTHE PAN AMERICAN