October 23, 2003

THURSDAYOctober 23, 2003

An Inside Look:

■ News ............................................2■ A & E............................................7■ Sports ........................................16

T h e S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r o f T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f T e x a s - P a n A m e r i c a nPage 4

CCaammppuussVOICEWho do youpredict will

win the WorldSeries?

TTEEXXAASS--SSIIZZEE CCUUTTSS

The pitch guaranteed a college education atthe expense of the state. In 2002 there was atleast $27 million in unused scholarship fundsaround the country. Things have changed somuch in a year.

For the last four years, selected students atUTPA have been fortunate enough to have thestate pay for their tuition with the TEXASGrant. However, the Texas Higher EducationCoordinating Board now says that the TEXASGrant program is sinking under the weight ofbudget cuts, tuition hikes and more qualifiedreturning students than expected.

“There has been a substantial decrease inTEXAS Grant funds by the state for newstudents including entering freshmen andtransfer students without an associates degree,”said Michelle Alvarado, assistant director forFinancial Aid said. “UTPA has been veryfortunate to receive the largest allocations in thestate over the past four years, so this reductionin funds has a tremendous impact on our newstudents.”

For the first two years of the grant, onlystudents from families with an income of$30,000 or less qualified. For the following twoyears there was no income requirement,allowing students from wealthier students toreceive the grant.

UTPA was able to assist approximately 70percent of the entering freshmen with the TexasGrant both Fiscal Year 2002 and Fiscal Year2003. However, due to the state budget deficitof nearly $10 million, only around 12 percentgot assistance this year.

At the state level, nearly 30,000 student willnot receive the TEXAS Grant, meaning thatnearly a third of the 90,206 new and returningstudents who qualify will have to seek aid fromseparate sources. Last spring the Legislatureapproved $324 million for the program whichwas $188 million less than what state highereducation officials sought.

“It is very important to understand thatstudents already receiving TEXAS Grant[renewals] will still be awarded for regular falland spring semesters,” Alvarado said. “The

Productive grant takes hit with budget slashBy CLARISSA MARTINEZThe Pan American

Daniel Aguilar/The Pan American

The weather outside can be gorgeous, with asimple breeze sweeping leaves across a campuswalkway or easily gliding butterflies toward anearby flower and not to be forgotten, the rollingtide of cigarette butts rolling among each otheron the ground. This is a typical view for manycollege campuses where policies allow cigarettesmoking on campus.

Despite an increasing amount of discontent insociety for tobacco and smoking, the habit hasnot seemed to abate among college-ageindividuals. A nationwide survey sent to 119colleges in 1999 revealed that nearly 30 percentof college students said they were currentcigarette smokers. Roughly half had used someform of tobacco the previous year.

Only 11 percent of college students begansmoking cigarettes on or after the age of 19, andmost were already in college, while 28 percentbegan smoking on a regular basis at 19.

Prakash Lama, a sophomore management/CISmajor, said that he has been smoking since hewas young. Though he has told his parents thathe has stopped smoking due to their

discouragement, he still finds himself carryingaround a pack of cigarettes.

“It seemed pretty cool to have one in myhand,” Lama said. “Some people are fine withme smoking, but there are those that say it’s badfor my health.”

Phillip Morris USA, Youth SmokingPrevention (YSP) stated that one of the mainfactors influencing students to begin smoking ata relatively young age is peer pressure. The YSPalso mentioned that the intensity of peer pressurevaries from situation to situation, but that when itcomes to smoking cigarettes, an individual willdefinitely be influenced by what their friends do.

Reyes Lopez, a sophomore marketing major,said that he does not think that society’s view onsmokers is completely justified. He feels thatsmoking is simply a habit rather than somethingthat can truly be viewed as something immoralor wrong.

“I don’t think the negative view of smokers issomething that society should force on otherpeople,” Lopez said. “It’s just smoking and at thecollege level there going to be a large amount ofpeople who smoke.”

However, a senior speech communication

Student smoking steady despite warningsBy CLARISSA MARTINEZThe Pan American

See GRANT page 12

See SMOKING page 12

2004-2005 TEXAS GRANT PREDICTIONS

Best Case (5 % increase) vs. Worst Case (10% increase)

BEST:Projected eligible students: 109,415Number who can be served: 60,228Students not served: 49,187

WORST:Projected eligible students: 109,415Number who can be served: 57,391Students not served: 52,024

Source: The Dallas Morning News/Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Now that the insanity ofMidnight Madness has faded, andthe initial shock from rosterimprovements has subsided, HeadCoach Bob Hoffman and his squadhave the tall task of convertingsize and talent into a formidableDivision I basketball team.

It takes two hands and a footworth of digits to tally the numberof prospective Bronc starters onthis year’s squad, a fact that hascreated an overwhelming amountof depth in Hoffman’s arsenal.

But it will take a significantamount of work to mold theindividual prowess of Broncathletes into a basketball-game-winning machine.

The Broncs first exhibition gameis at home Tuesday, Nov. 4, whenthey host the Monterrey TechBorregos. UTPA was 10-20 lastyear.

Junior Matt Hall, who hasplayed with the Broncs since hisfreshman year, feels that the 2003-04 Bronc team is destined for goodthings.

“Our goal is to make the bigdance,” said Hall who speaksconfidently of the Broncs’ chancesto get a NCAA championship bid.“If we fall short we’ll just have tosettle for the NIT.”

Hall who was on the 2001-02squad that won 20 games and wasconsidered for the NIT, believesthis year’s roster is even morepromising than the one that nearlyreached post season play.

“Everything is better from lastyear. The size, the athleticism, thedepth. Actually this is the bestteam I’ve seen since I’ve beenhere,” Hall said.

Senior Allen Holcomb’swarrior-like presence in the paintlast season earned him an averageof 10.8 points per game on 48-percent shooting from the floor.He remains cool-headed whenasked about this year’s squad.

“Right now we’re just gettinginto the thick of the things,”Holcomb said. “We’re gettingtogether our chemistry which isalways important. There are bigimprovements on this team juston talent alone. We look like aDivision I basketball team.”

Holcomb, who aside fromgraduated Kevin Mitchell was theonly Bronc to average double-digit points last season, will mostlikely retain his presence as a topoffensive contributor.

But this year there will bemany more weapons along withhim to aid in the attack.

Juniors Matt Berry and ChrisFagan will both be taking offtheir red shirts to return afterinjuries. So will senior AndriusSakalys, who underwent twosurgeries to repair his ACL, andshould make a huge contribution tothe team.

Junior transfer students SergioSanchez and Ray Castillo who asTemple College teammates lastseason were the top two scorers forthe Leopords and helped lead theirteam to a national high 102.4points per game, will bring

chemistry and offensive know-howto the table.

And junior transfer big-menAlvaidas Gedminas (Kirkland CC)and Ryan Lange (Northeast CC),who are 7-feet-tall and 6-11,respectively, will bring muchneeded height to the centerposition and should have no

problem finding the hole whenposted down low.

Then there are the five returningBroncs, Holcomb included, whomade big contributions to the teamlast year, and who look to showoffseason improvement.

■ Killer Bees. . . . . . . . . . 15

■ UTPA Golf . . . . . . . . . 14

■ Sports Clipboard . . . . .13

PAGE 16

SPORTSBroncs boastdeep roster

Photo by Daniel Aguilar/The Pan American

Chris Fagan won the Midnight Madness slamdunk contest last Friday night.

Bees take on Amarillo Gorillas nextThe Killer Bees will continue

their four-game road trip Fridaywhen they roll into Amarillo to takeon the Gorillas, and continue theiraway-game competition against theLubbock Cotton Kings thefollowing evening.

The Bees, who lost 3-1 in theirseason opener against the SanAngelo Saints last Saturday despiteoutshooting the Saints 35-19, willtry to erase their loss with a pair ofwins.

Fortunately for the Killer Beesthe Gorillas also dropped theirseason opener and have not playedsince. But the Cotton Kings pickedup a win in their only season outing.

Head Coach Tracy Egeland, whowas impressed with his team’sefforts in the inaugural outingdespite the loss, does not believethat the team’s system needs to betweaked or changed.

“We played pretty well and Idon’t think we’ll do anythingdifferently,” Egeland said. “We doneed to get a little more traffic infront of the net, but there was no

real reason why we lost. Thosethings just kind of happensometimes in hockey.”

Traffic in front of the goalie isextremely helpful because it limitsthe keeper’s line of vision, andallows for pucks to be camouflageduntil it is too late to react. Thepractice of putting traffic in front ofthe net is also referred to asscreening.

Other than putting more pressureon the goalie, Egeland’s method forsuccess is simple.

“I want the team to work hard,”Egeland said. “I want them to put a

lot of pressure on the other teamand try to get turnovers.”

Currently the Killer Bees are inlast place in the South EastDivision, and the upcoming gameswill not actively have any effect ontheir standing, as both Amarillo andLubbock are Southwest Divisionteams. But with four points on theline (hockey standings are gearedon a point system: 2 points for awin, 1 point for a tie, 1 point for anovertime loss, and 0 points for aloss) the team will work extra hardto climb out from under the Corpus

See BEES page 15

3 - 2

Game 1

Game 2

6 - 1

Game 3

Game 4

Game 5

New York at FloridaThursday, Oct. 23Time: 7:05 p.m.TV: FOXWells vs. Penny

Games 6-7

Florida at New YorkDates: Oct. 24-25Time: both gamesat 7:35 p.m.TV: FOXRedman vs.MussinaBeckett vs. Pettitte

Killer BeesSchedule

Killer Bees at AmarilloFriday, Oct. 24Time: 7:10 p.m.

6 - 1

4 - 3

Killer Bees at LubbockSaturday, Oct. 25Time: 7:05 p.m.

See BRONCS page 14

World SeriesResults/Schedule

By BRIAN CARRThe Pan American


See ‘Life of Games’ pg 8-9

1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539(956) 381-2541 Fax: (956) 316-7122

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the PAN AMERICAN is theofficial studentnewspaper of TheUniversity ofTexas-PanAmerican. Views presentedare those of thewriters and do notnecessarily reflectthose of theuniversity.

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OPINION l e t t e r s ■ e d i t o r i a l s ■ c a r t o o n sPAGE 2

Even though the Río Grande Valley doesn’thave a Major League sports team, lookingaround at local fans and the way they jam-packValley sports bars, you would never be able totell the difference.

Despite the fact that the nearest NFL, NBAand MLB teams play a four-to-eight-hour road-trip away, Valleyites are some of the most rabidand hungry sports fans in Texas.

To witness raw Valley sports fandom, justvisit any one of the area’s several sports barssuch as Buffalo Wild Wings or AK’s, inMcAllen, or RA’s in Edinburg.

The recent Texas-Oklahoma football game acouple weeks ago drew a packed house at theMcAllen Buffalo Wild Wings, located in theNorth Cross Shopping Center at Nolana andNorth 10th Street. Despite the Lone Star localteam receiving its annual beating, Valley fansstayed to cheer on the Longhorns. The RedRiver Shootout was televised on the majority ofthe bar’s 25 televisions and seven big screens.

"Everyone becomes an analyst this time ofyear. Since there are no pro sports teams, youhave more sportsdom," Buffalo’s ManagerCristóbal Cook said. "People down here lovetheir sports."

Cook, 40, a University of Texas-Austin gradu-ate, enjoys the sports atmosphere that is preva-lent in the Valley compared to bigger cities suchas Houston, where he spent 15 years of his life.

"In Houston, since you can go see live prosports, bars don’t fill up as much," Cook com-mented. "Down here, I like the fact that people

will support their teams."Although sports fanaticism in the Valley is big

and can compete with any fan base in Texas, it ishard to do so with those in the northern part ofthe country, and it may be for the best.

"This guy (Ohio State fan) was ready to takemy eyeball out when I mentioned that Texasmight have a chance this year," Cook laughed."Midwest fanaticism is crazy. If you go to aBrowns game and talk bad about them, youwon’t leave (the stadium). I wish we had thathere."

Among the crowd of Texas fans were a trio ofEnglish football fans. The "real" football, as theycalled it. They looked lost although they didtheir best to assimilate and try to understand theAmerican game.

"It’s good (the game atmosphere). We appre-ciate passion, but don’t understand what’s goingon," said Mark Grady, of Burnley, England."When watching any sport, you need the enthu-siasm from everyone else."

However, the trio criticized the U.S. sportspenchant for continuous and excessive interrup-tions in play. They also compared the two typesof footballs.

"There’s too many commercials, too muchrazzmatazz, all hype, not enough action."Burnley native Mark Crowther said. "Americanfootball is strategy, while real football is skilland finesse."

The pesky commercials prolonged the agonyof Texas fans congregated at the sports bar, how-ever, another aspect of Valley sportsdom wasalso present, the female factor. The idea thatsports bars and sports, in general, are dominatedby men could easily be dispelled by walking

into any Valley sports-themed bar.Among the patrons were several crowds of

women including a boisterous corner table offive young women from UT-Austin and TheUniversity of Texas-Pan American who werecheering on the Longhorns.

"They’re more fanatical in Austin," said UT-Austin student Christina Calvillo. "However theNBA finals down here was better."

"We were raised with sports. Our dad wisheswe were boys," said fellow student and sister

The University of Texas-Pan American men’s crosscountry team is starting toget recognition around thenation.

The Broncs earned theirfirst regional ranking in 12years recently and are tiedfor 14th in the latest NCAASouth Central Regional poll.The ranking is the first sincethey were ranked sixth inthe NCAA District VI Pollin October 1991.

Track and cross countryhead coach Ricky Vaughn ishoping to see his team moveup in the rankings after thelast meet.

"The rankings haven’tcome out for the week yet,but hopefully we will moveup a little bit with our show-ing we had at Arkansas,"Vaughn said, after juniorWestly Keating dominatedthe field at the University ofArkansas' Chili PepperInvitational Saturday andcame away with a first-placevictory. UTPA finished in19th place overall with 435points. Arkansas won themeet with 78 points.

Keating finished the racein 29:25.88, defeating sec-ond-place finisher Mircea

Bogdan of Texas-El Paso,by 11 seconds. With thefirst-place finish, the UTPAjunior standout establishedhimself as the top runner ina region that includes per-formers from Texas,Louisiana and Arkansas.

Vaughn was excited aboutKeating’s win and histeam’s overall finish.

"That was a big win. TheChili Pepper is one of thebiggest meets in the coun-try," Vaughn said. "On themen’s side, there were 263runners and 33 differentteams."

Because of the prestige ofthe meet, Keating hopes hewill get the respect he sayshe deserves.

"It’s one of the biggestmeets in the country,” hesaid. “I am looked down ona lot because of my schoolso it was good to win a bigmeet and show them I amsomebody."

The race marked the firsttime four freshmen haveever ran a 10-K (6.25 miles)and, overall, the Broncs hadseven runners record a PR(personal record) at themeet.

All the Broncs’ efforts areaimed at reaching theNCAA RegionalChampionships Nov. 15 in

Waco. Keating would loveto see his team have astrong finish at regionalsand believes the program ison the rise.

"I think a top-seven finishwould be a great season,"Keating said. "The programis young and our coach hasdone a lot for the program,and we could be great if weget a couple of more run-ners."

The orange-and-green willlook to set a mark againstthe other independentschools when they take tothe track for their next meetNov. 1 at Corpus Christi, inthe IndependentChampionships.

Vaughn believes hisyoung team is a couple ofrecruits away from being anational powerhouse aroundthe country.

"This is a year where,hopefully, we take a step upand put ourselves into posi-tion where all of our fresh-men have more experience.We are still missing one ortwo key runners that, hope-fully, through recruiting wewill get," Vaughn said. "Weput ourselves into positionfor next year, that we arelooking at being able to goto the NationalChampionships as a team."

October 23, 2003 sports Page 15

Valley sports bars gain popularity

Photo by Daniz Rivera/Special to The Pan American

A group of UT-Austin and UTPA students gathered for a recent Longhorns game at BuffaloWild Wings in McAllen.

Cross country gets rankedChristi Rayz, who lead RGVby one point.

For Egeland, who made hisCHL coaching debut last yearwith the Cotton Kings, theroad trip will also mean ahomecoming of sorts.However, Egeland does notput extra pressure on himselfor his team to pick up a winin Lubbock.

“There’s me and aboutthree other players who werein Lubbock,” Egeland said.“But there are 16 other guyson this team and that’s all wethink about, winning as ateam.”

See BARS page 14

Bees continued from page 16

The Killer Bees during their presentation Sunday.Photo by Daniel Aguilar/The Pan American

By ED CHRNKOThe Pan American

By MATT HALLThe Pan American

October 23, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN

NEWS■ Person perception . . . . . . . 4■ CDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5■ Letter to the editor . . . . . . . 6

The board of the Edinburg EconomicDevelopment Corporation (EEDC) hasapproved a $60,000 retail market profilingreport and has begun negotiations with thesite consultant company BuxtonIncorporated.

The firm has been hired to profile theshoppers of Edinburg to accurately estimatewhat retail businesses would bring in themost profit and in turn allow the city tomake more money..

Why would the city need so much moneyfor a report that will analyze what peopleknow they buy? It can be a bit confusing ifall the facts aren’t accuratelycommunicated.

According to Pedro Salazar, UTPArepresentative and seat holder on the EEDCboard, the report will showcase 60 differentdatabases that analyze credit card historyand a basic buyer consumption patternbased on where and how frequentlyresidents of Edinburg shop.

Historically a city would not spend somuch money on a report but since theValley is growing every day and theeconomic growth of Edinburg is expanding,a report is a necessity, he said.

“There needs to be more of a focus on thegrowing needs of the community and notjust on what the numbers show,” stated

Salazar. Those $60,000 will go toward actual

researching on citizen shopping patternswith a $20,000 down payment and another$40,000 once the report is completed in twoyears.

Ramiro Garza, executive director for theEEDC board, felt the report profiling retailtrade in Edinburg,couldn’t have come ata better time for thecity.

“The idea behindthis report is that itwill bring morerestaurants and bigchain businesses downto the Edinburg areawhere the retail marketis growing daily,”stated Garza.

Most site consultingcompanies follow theshopping trends thatalready exist based onthe location andpopulation of the retail stores in business.

However, Buxton Incorporated will workbackward. First, it will profile the shoppersof the city and then analyze what locationwould be most profitable for these stores.Lastly, the site consulting company willdecide which retail businesses would suitthe city’s retail needs based on consumers

shopping behavior. Salazar stated, “Most other companies

would see the demographics of each city,like the 50,000 people that dwell inEdinburg, but they would not stay longenough to know that there are also 120,000consumers shopping in and out of this cityevery day.”

“These companieshave overlooked theWinter Texans thatvisit Edinburg for fourto five monthsannually,” heexplained.

There are othertopics that remain inlimbo and require aresolution for theEEDC, and they willbe discussed at themonthly meeting.Among them are thelitigation with SheaConstruction and asettlement offer with

Exquisita Tortilla Company.Hector Casas is the owner and operator of

Shea Construction and through a joint-agreement with the EEDC spent $300,000to make infrastructure improvements to asubdivision that Casas owns at the LosLagos Golf Club.

The improvements were supposed to be

in exchange for a restaurant and conventioncenter for the city of Edinburg to be builtby Casas. However, Casas has failed to liveup to that agreement and now the EEDCwants its money back.

According to Cynthia Gutierrez, EEDC’sattorney, “The details of the case cannot bediscussed but the message behind thislitigation is there was an agreement inplace, and all the EEDC wants is to protectthe citizens and show Edinburg thateveryone involved should be accountable.”

When asked about the Casas litigationcase, Garza said, “The EEDC will not stopdoing what is in the best interest for thecommunity. It is our job to promote the cityin its best light.”

In regard to the settlement offer withExquisita Tortillas, Garza stated, “Theexisting loan that the Tortilla Company hasis a Revolving Loan Fund that the EEDCprovided back in 1992 with a five year note.The company currently has a monthlybalance that is due and also has the optionof paying out or making an extension.”

Exquisita Tortillas is up for renewal ofthe note or payoff and in 1997 the companyrenewed their note.

The EEDC future ventures includebuilding an Industrial Park, a new airport, aBorder Patrol Branch, outlet stores on Hwy.107. The EEDC will have its next meetingOct. 28; the meetings are held the fourthTuesday of each month.

By VANESSA LUCIOThe Pan American

Wednesday evening, the Society of Successand Leadership welcomed professor, author,educational consultant, and speaker Joe Martinto the Media Theater to discuss and encouragestudents to take responsibility for the goals theyset in their lives. The Student LeadershipProgram sponsored the live telecast from aMichigan university.

Martin, from the inner-city ghettos of Miami,started his first business at the age of 22, andwas the youngest faculty member hired to teachat a state university in Florida, at the age of 24.Aside from lecturing at college campuses, heteaches public relations at the University of WestFlorida in Pensacola.

The evening was started with a short storytold in prose style of a young boy named Chicowho grew up in a ghetto with a single mother.The boy was constantly made fun of by theother children for being poor and he could notunderstand that. Chico was told by his mother todo well in school and see the rewards later.Doing as his mother asked him to do, he gotahead in school and the people who once madefun of him were no longer laughing.

Martin revealed that the story was about him.The story, Martin believed, was a good one, yetnot his own. It was missing key elements, detailsof his life such as the death of friends, his sisterstealing food so the family could eat, murder,and being held at gunpoint were all regularevents in his life, he said.

“Now how come that wasn’t in the story," he

asked. "Well I’m a poet, but I can’t rhyme thatwell.”

The point, the moral of his story was to havethe students realize that where one starts in lifedoes not determine the end result.

“What counts is where you decide to finish,"he said.

As Martin headed off to college as a youngadult, his mother offered him vital advice thatwas the main theme of Wednesday’s lecture. Sheasked him to promise that he would not fightugly people because they had nothing to lose.

"She said to me, ‘When you go to college Iwant you to be one of the ugliest kids oncampus,’” he said. “I asked her why and shesaid, ‘Because they have nothing to lose.’”

Cute people, Martin said, are the students whoare afraid to fail, and therefore do not even try.Meanwhile the ugly student points out things,their mistakes and failures because they havenothing to lose.

Martin continued by asking the students ifthey were cute or ugly. A few students in theaudience murmured, "ugly," in quiet, uncertaintones.

“When I’m done with you, you’ll be proud tobe ugly," he said.

There are five ways, according to Martin, todetermine between cute and ugly.

The first, which he calls "Get Lost," is onethat makes him appreciate the cute people. Hesays if it weren’t for cute people, he may nothave been as successful as he is now. In thiscategory, cute people do not focus on the rightthings. They’d rather look successful withexpensive clothes and cars then actually be

successful. “If you don’t want to be here [college], leave.

There are other people that want your space,”Martin said.

According to Martin, the second sign of a cutestudent is a student that just gets by. This is thestudent who does the minimal work for theminimal outcome. The goal of just passing is allthat this student has.

“A ‘C’ makes you cream of the crap," he said.‘It’s good to be ugly, say it with me,” he said.

And they did.Getting worried with what others may be

thinking is the third cute student characteristic. Ifpeople ever say no to a question or request,Martin said do not hear the answer "no," instead,hear “next” and keep searching for the answer.

“If you need help, get help," continuedMartin. When he was a 19-year-old collegestudent, a 25-year-old businessman spoke to oneof Martin’s classes. Martin asked the man howhe became so successful. The man told him thathe read books outside of class that helped him,saved up money, attended workshops at school,and asked people how to improve his skills.

“Are you cute or are you ugly?” Martinasked.

“Ugly,” most students responded, this timeloudly and confidently.

The fifth and final cute student trait is gettingdiscouraged. Martin said it is the toughest thingto overcome. He said that it is easier for cutestudents to give up rather than try their hardest,and that there is a big difference betweenquitting and failure.

“Cute people get discouraged,” he stressed.

Martin concluded his lecture with a poem hewrote. It is surrounding the five components ofhis “It’s Good to Be Ugly: Success Strategies forthe Motivationally Challenged,” speech. Be uglyand strong, hold your head up high and believein yourself, he said.

After the lecture, the floor was open toquestions from the audience in Michigan as wellas the viewers watching at their universities.Carlos Martinez of UTPA called in and askedMartin how he was able to achieve all that hehas and overcome his problems.

Martin mentioned a time in his college careerwhen he called his mother on the telephone andin the background he could hear a loud constantnoise.

“I heard this ka ka ka ka noise. I asked mymother what that was and she told me it was gunshots," he said. "There was a driveby near mymother’s home."

Martin said that people go to college not to besuccessful, but because their parents say theymust, because their friends are going, or even tofind themselves. He said he went to college andhad a goal of becoming successful to move hismother out of the projects.

When asked by another UTPA student, howhe deals with cute people Martin laughed andsaid, “Torture cute people; turn in work early,piss people off.”

Despite the mediated nature of the speech,Martin’s words seemed to have positive effectsfor some viewers.

“Seminars are beneficial to students becausethey help you with life lessons,” Martinez, 19, aPre-Med Biology major said.

By EDWINA P. GARZAThe Pan American

Edinburg development group spending 60k

Motivational speaker gets down to ‘ugly’ truths

There needs tobe more of a focuson the growingneeds of thecommunity and notjust on what thenumbers show

““

- Pedro Salazar,UTPA representative

October 23, 2003 sports Page 14

Duo breaking UTPA recordsThe mixture of culture and styles is

not just something seen while walkingaround The University of Texas-PanAmerican campus. It is something thattranscends boundaries and fields, orcourts. In this case, the volleyball court.

UTPA senior Jaclyn Muszynski, fromCalifornia, and freshman libero CarolMarcengo, of Brazil, are two examplesof diversity and excellence in the uni-versity’s athletic program. Together theyhave helped transform the volleyballprogram into a competitive one.

Although their backgrounds are verydifferent, they’re both passionate aboutthe sport. This season, Muszynski shat-tered the previous career record for killsset by Tanja Thomas (1992) with 1,183.She is currently the school’s all timeleader with 1,497, and counting.

In addition, she also set the all-timecareer leader in digs with 1,251. Theprevious record was held by MarieVelasquez with 1,024. The 5-foot-11outside hitter is the only player inUTPA history to record over 1,000 killsand 1,000 digs in a career.

Muszynski’s work isn’t over just yet,as there are 11 games left in the 2003season, including Wednesday’s homematch against Texas Southern. Sheappreciates all the support from hercoaches and teammates. Head coachDave Thorn describes Muszynski as the"ultimate student athlete."

"You couldn’t ask for a better rolemodel for our younger players and she’sgoing to do what she ultimately camehere to do and that is to graduate,"

Thorn said. She is going to be missedby many, but her legacy will live onhere at UTPA.”

The other part of this dynamic duo islibero Carol Marcengo, a native ofCuritiba, Brazil, who makes up part ofUTPA’s tapestry of multicultural diver-sity, on and off the court.

The freshman standout inherited hervolleyball prowess from her mother,who played professionally in Brazil.Next to soccer, volleyball is the mostpopular sport in Brazil.

"Volleyball is in my blood," said the5-foot-9 freshman, who grew up play-ing against older girls. That tough com-petition could explain her level of abili-ty and also could have paved her way toUTPA.

"I wanted the opportunity to continueplaying volleyball and receive an educa-tion," she said. "The only way ofaccomplishing that was to come to theUnited States and play at the collegiatelevel."

In just 24 matches with the LadyBroncs, Marcengo has achieved a lot inlittle time. Going into Wednesday’smatch against Texas Southern, theBrazilian has accumulated a total of 477digs. Recently, Marcengo broke the sin-gle-season record of 380 digs, set byTara Gallagher in 1993. She is currentlyranked fourth in NCAA Division I indigs, and is first among freshmenliberos. She has reached double figuresin digs in 22 straight matches. Thelibero position was added NCAA vol-leyball last year.

Her numbers are astounding, butMarcengo prefers winning team overindividual records.

"I prefer to be on a winning teamthan hold every record and lose,"Marcengo said about her record-settingseason. "Records are not everything, Iwant to continue to do my best and con-tinue to help our team get better nightafter night."

Over the course of the season, theLady Broncs have slowly improved andMarcengo has been able to see theteam’s transformation.

"During the first few games I wasn’tsure how good we would be," she said."At this point in the season, I can seethat as a team we have improved andour winning is proof."

Marcengo acknowledges that the pro-gram is headed in the right directionand hopes the team keeps getting better.However, where the team will be in thefuture depends largely on keeping thecore group of players together over thenext few years.

"There is a lot of talent on this team,"Marcengo said. "I feel that we can pos-sibly be even better next year."

Thorn was surprised at the skillsdemonstrated by the South Americanfreshman playing the libero position.

"I knew she was good but I didn’tknow how good," he said. "To be in theTop 10 in the nation in digs says some-thing about that. You never expect afreshman to come in and be so domi-nant."

As the season winds down and theLady Broncs continue to put up goodnumbers, there are many players tothank for the team’s success since vol-leyball is a team sport. However, itnever hurts to have a duo likeMuszynski and Marcengo.

Broncs continued from page 16

Carol Marcengo (left) and Jaclyn Muszynski (right) have broken sin-gle-season and career UTPA volleyball records this season.


Sophomore DerrickEast, who tallied 20points in last season’sloss to archrivalTAMUCC, has addedabout 20 pounds to his6-8 frame, he looks tohave acquired themuscle to catch up withhis strong basketballskills.

Junior Eric Montalvo,whose streaky three-point output helped himaverage 9.1 points pergame last season, hasanother year ofexperience under hisbelt and looks to be amore refined andconservative shooter.

Junior Hall, who wasrewarded over the off-season for his strongleadership abilities, willserve as a key figure inthe implementation ofHoffman’s offensivesystem.

And Delvis Diaz, wholed the team in freethrow percentage with82 percent, will be akey utility player and apossible starterdepending on the

matchups.So the possibilities

are endless. But Hoffman has not

yet made anyspeculation on what hisstarting core unit mightbe.

“Right now we’rejust trying to rundifferent groups in andsee what combinationswork best together. Tryto give them all achance and trying toget 'em all to learn thethings we’re putting in,and we’re not reallyfocusing in onstarters,” Hoffmansaid. “We’ll start doingthat more when we getcloser to exhibitions.Right now we’re justtrying to get 'em allminutes to get better.”

Coach Hoffman has,however, shared hisexpectations for thecoming season.

“I really like theseguys attitudes andwork habits,” Hoffmansaid. “And I think ifthey stay together greatthings will happen.” UTPA performers and Broncs cheerleaders entertain during Midnight Madness.


Laura Calvillo. "We’re friends with a lot ofguys."

Just down the street from Buffalo’s is AK’sSports Bar & Grill where 18 televisions, fivepool tables and a dance floor provideValleyites with constant sports fare.

Although football is the favorite local sport,the recent baseball playoffs have drawn manylocal and out-of-town fans as well, to localsports haunts.

"We’ve had a packed house for baseball,"AK server Rex Rogers said. "Sometimes thefans get a little rowdy. We had some New Yorkand Boston fans in recently and they were talk-ing some stuff to each other."

Surprisingly, hockey has been one of themore popular requests patrons have, accordingto Rogers, a senior at UTPA.

"A lot of Winter Texans lover their hockeygames," Rogers said. "They usually ask fortheir teams (to be put on TV)."

This is good news for the new Valley hock-ey team, the Killer Bees, which kicked offtheir season last weekend against San Angelo.

"I hope it does well. If they (the fans) like it,it’ll do well," Rogers said about the KillerBees.

Rogers believes the new teams in the area,such as the Killer Bees and the future ValleyArena Football 2 team, could have a positiveeconomic impact on local businesses, especial-ly those in the food service industry, such asrestaurants and bars.

"I think (it’ll do well) in a big way. You stillget diehards going to high school (football)games, but this will be different," Rogers com-mented on the af2 team and local businesses."After games, any bar will get busy."

Bars continued from page 15

By ERICK TREVINOThe Pan American

UTPA placement specialist LourdesServantes believes students have the powerto overcome the psychological phenomenonknown as person perception whenever theyapply for a job.

Person perception is part of a branch ofpsychology examining how physical looksaffect an individual’s life. Recent studies inthe field, show that physically attractivepeople enjoy a variety of extra benefits atschool, the workplace, and in life in general.Higher school grades and salaries are amongthe most common perks some people get,thanks to their beauty.

In his article “The Importance of BeingBeautiful,” sociologist Sidney Katzexplained that people who are more faciallysymmetrical and stand over six feet tall areassumed to have a more positive characterand personality than those without thesefeatures. Social scientists refer to thiscondition as the “halo effect.”

On the other hand, people who fall underthe “horns effect” because of their physicalunattractiveness are often believed to have aquestionable character.

“[Physical attractive people] just appearmore approachable,” Servantes said.“Regardless of whether you think about it ornot, you’re just naturally drawn to thinkingthey are friendlier.”

UTPA psychology professor Dr. RussellEisenman explains this may be the casebecause of society’s high regard of height.

“Tall implies strong and powerful,”

Eisenman said. “Once you think those goodthings about a person it makes you thinkother good things about that same personlike thinking he or she is the ideal candidatefor a job.”

As Katz writes in his article, according tovarious sources such as personnel agenciesand a study of university graduates by theWall Street Journal, people over six feet tall,especially men, tend to get hired moreeasily. Moreover, once the tall malecandidates landed the job, they also tendedto be promoted more easily. They alsoearned 12 percent more than their shortercolleagues.

A recent article in Forbes magazineanalyzed the halo and horns effect in regardto universities. The study revealed thatprofessors who were rated highest bystudents were physically attractive males.

In a way, says Katz, it makes sense thatthis is the case, since whenever someonebeautiful is in front of an audience or aperson, he or she will get more attentionthan someone who is not as good-looking.This is not to suggest that good-lookingpeople make better professors, but it is justthat students - like any other people - arenaturally attracted to beauty, and tend toregard people who posses it as naturalleaders.

As far as the job market goes, Servantesbelieves the horns effect can be overcome byimproving one’s professional appearance.

“Even if you’ve got that whole cutie piething going for you it makes a difference ifyou show up to a job interview in a suit asopposed to a T-shirt and jeans,” she said.

October 23, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN

Dr Kenneth BuckmanPhilosophy Professor

The Yankees will win much to youreternal sorrow.

Chris GonzalezInternational BusinessJunior

Yankees, because they always winand they have a Japanese player ontheir team.

Hugo Garza Criminal JusticeFreshman

The Yankees. They are determinedand they don’t give up. As anexample when they were losing to theRed Sox’s team, they had a goodcomeback.

Who do you predict will winthe World Series?

Linda FloresInternational Business Eco/ FinanceJunior

The Yankees have shown to have greatpotential and resistance.

VOICECCaammppuuss

Alyssa Carmona MarketingSenior

Yankees. When they beat the Red Sox itwas a challenge and I think they havewhat it takes to win the World Seriesagainst the Florida Marlins

By LUIS SAAVEDRAThe Pan American

Study suggests looksreally are important

Elizabeth Padilla/The Pan American

REMINDER— A sign in the Quad this week is part of the campus campaign toshow the harmful potential effects of alcohol use.

October 23, 2003 Sports Page 13

Netemeyer namedplayer of week

The University of Texas-Pan American volleyballteam has another playermaking headlines.

Outside hitter CathiNetemeyer was named co-Independent OffensivePlayer of the Weekby NCAADivision I volleyball schools.

The Los Fresnos standouthad a combined 45 kills inUTPA’s losses to UTSA andConnecticut.

Netemeyer had her thirdconsecutive match with 20or more kills againstConnecticut.

Women’s tenniseliminated

UTPA’s women’s tennisteam was eliminated Sundayfrom the ITA SouthwestRegionals held at TexasChristian University.

Freshman VanessaHedinger fell to Bindiya ofArkansas-Little Rock in aconsolation match.

Sophomore Elysia Sloan

also lost in the consolationround. Sloan fell to YessicaRizella of SoutheasternLouisiana.

The Lady Broncs droppedboth doubles matches.

UTPA will participate inthe UTSA Fall InvitationalOct. 31.

Small collegeteams thrive

While most of the majorTexas universities have fall-en on hard times lately, acadre of Lone Star teamsare faring better in 2003.

Texas has lost toOklahoma, Texas Tech toOklahoma State, and TexasA&M to just about everyone,it seems. But old standbyTexas A&M-Kingsville (5-1)is clicking right along at No.5 in the latest Division IIpoll. Tarleton State inStephenville is 22nd in thatpoll.

SMU is winless, Rice hasone victory, and Baylor isstill a bottom feeder in theBig 12. But Mary Hardin-Baylor, unbeaten at 6-0, isfourth in the nation in the

current Division III poll, withTrinity (San Antonio) 12thand Hardin-Simmons 16th.Both are 5-1 so far. EastTexas Baptist received votesbut not enough to break intothe top 25.

Valdosta (Ga.) State isnumber one in Division II,while Mount Union is first inDivision III. Both are tradi-tional powers as is TAMUK,winner of six national titles.

Soccer clubholds practices

The Real SociedadFootball (soccer) Club iscurrently holding open prac-tices for anyone who wantsto learn the basics of soc-cer, the “world’s game.”

The club’s next practice isscheduled for Oct. 23 andOct. 30 from 7 p.m. to 9p.m.at the Recreation-Sports fields next to BroncVillage.

For more information, con-tact Jesse Martinez [email protected] club is located on the2nd floor of the UniversityCenter.

SPORTS CLIPBOARD

2003 CHL StandingsNorthwest W L OTL PTSOklahoma City 2 1 0 4Tulsa 1 1 1 3New Mexico 1 1 0 2Colorado 1 1 0 2Wichita 1 1 0 2Northeast W L OTL PTSMemphis 2 0 0 4Indianapolis 1 0 0 2Bossier-Shreveport 1 1 0 2Fort Worth 0 1 0 0Southwest W L OTL PTSSan Angelo 2 0 0 4Lubbock 1 0 0 2Amarillo 0 1 0 0Odessa 0 3 0 0Southeast W L OTL PTSLaredo 1 0 0 2Austin 1 0 0 2Corpus Christi 0 1 1 1RGV Killer Bees 0 1 1 1

NFL Week Eight ScheduleAway Home Date TimeCarolina New Orleans Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.Dallas Tampa Bay Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.Detroit Chicago Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.Seattle Cincinnati Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.Tennessee Jacksonville Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.Cleveland New England Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.Denver Baltimore Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.N.Y. Giants Minnesota Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.St. Louis Pittsburgh Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.San Francisco Arizona Oct. 26 4:05 p.m.Houston Indianapolis Oct. 26 4:15 p.m.N.Y. Jets Philadelphia Oct. 26 4:15 p.m.Buffalo Kansas City Oct. 26 8:30 p.m.Miami San Diego Oct. 27 9 p.m.

Valley High SchoolFootball

District 31-4A Record OverallPSJA High 3-0 4-2Sharyland 3-1 7-1Edinburg 2-1 5-1Mission 2-1 3-3Mission Vet. 1-3 1-6PSJA Mem. 1-3 1-7Roma 0-3 1-6

District 32-4A Record OverallBro. Porter 4-0 7-0Edcouch-Elsa 4-0 5-2Harlingen S. 2-1 3-4Mercedes 1-2 3-3Los Fresnos 1-3 3-4Weslaco East 0-3 1-6Bro. López 0-3 0-6

District 31-5A Record OverallEconomedes 4–0 5–1PSJA North 3–1 6–1McAllen High 3–1 4–2La Joya 2–2 4–3Nikki Rowe 2–2 4–2McAllen Mem. 2–2 2–5Edinburg North 0–4 2–4RGC 0–4 1–5

District 32-5 Record OverallBro. Rivera 3-1 4-4Harlingen 2-1 3-3Bro. Hanna 2-1 5-2Bro. Pace 2-2 3-4Donna 2-2 5-3San Benito 1-2 3-3Weslaco 0-3 0-6

Week 8 Schedule

Thursday, Oct. 23District 31-5AMcAllen High at Edinburg NorthDistrict 32-4AWeslaco East at Harlingen SouthFriday, Oct. 24District 31-5AEdinburg Economedes at McAllen Mem.Nikki Rowe at La JoyaPSJA North at Río Grande CityDistrict 32-5ABro. Hanna at Bro. RiveraBro. Pace at Harlingen HighSan Benito at WeslacoOpen Date: DonnaDistrict 31-4AMission Memorial at Edinburg HighPSJA High at Mission HighRoma at SharylandOpen Date: PSJA MemorialDistrict 32-4ABro. Porter at MercedesBro. López at Los FresnosOpen Date: Edcouch-ElsaDistrict 32-3APort Isabel at La FeriaLyford at Río HondoProgreso at RaymondvilleOpen Date: HidalgoDistrict 32-2ALa Villa at BanquetePremont at Santa RosaTAPPSMarine Academy at SA AntonianVictoria St. Joseph at Bro. St. JosephAll games are at 7:30 p.m.

Valley Football Top 10

Team Record Pvs1. Bro. Porter 7-0 12. Economedes 5-1 43. La Feria 6-0 34. PSJA North 6-1 85. Economedes 5-2 96. Bro. Rivera 4-4 NR7. Sharyland 7-1 28. PSJA 4-2 NR9. Lyford 4-3 NR10 Port Isabel 4-3 NR

Note: Poll by The Valley Morning Star

Upcoming UTPASchedule

Friday, Oct. 24Men’s tennis at Omni Hotel ITASouthwest RegionalSaturday, Oct. 25Volleyball at TAMUCC, 1 p.m.Men’s tennis at Omni Hotel ITASouthwest RegionalSunday, Oct. 26Men’s tennis at Omni Hotel ITASouthwest Regional

UTPA Men's FlagFootball

Top 10 W LVipers 2 0The Bucs 2 0Iron Maiden Again 2 0Xacutioners 2 0Meat Heads 2 0Stallions 2 0Team DU 2 0Gamblers 0 1Metal Militia 0 1Mudd Dawgs 0 1

Wildcard Playoff ScheduleWednesday, Oct. 22Metal Militia vs. Mudd Dawgs, lateTeam DU vs. Gamblers, late

Quarterfinals ScheduleMonday, Oct. 27Vipers vs. M. Militia/M. Dawgs, 7Meat Heads vs. Iron Maiden, 8Xacutioners vs. Stallions, 9Wednesday, Oct. 29The Bucs vs. Gamblers/Team DUSemifinals, Oct. 29, 8 and 9Championship, Nov. 3, 7

UTPA Co-RecVolleyball

TournamentTeams W LConcise 2 0Tigers 2 0Vipers 2 0Troopers 2 0H&K 1 1Bulls 1 1Trojans 1 1The Bhats 1 1Phi Kaps 1 1KAT/Phi Sigs 0 2Team Extreme 0 2

ScheduleThursday, Oct. 23Vipers vs. Troopers, NoonTigers vs. Concise, 12:30Trojans vs. The Bhats, 12:30

UTPA Co-RecSoccer

TournamentTeams W LA. San Pancho 1 1The Beaners 0 1Los Diablos Rojos 0 1Lopez Tires Club 1 0Party Boys 0 0La Pandilla 1 0Real Banil 1 0Warriors 1 0Wrecking Crew 0 2

Results and schedule

Tuesday, Oct. 21A. San Pancho 1, Wreck. Crew 0Real Banil 2, The Beaners 1Thursday, Oct. 23La Pandilla vs. Diablos Rojos, 4Lopez Tires Club vs. Warriors, 5Tuesday, Oct. 28Lopez Tires vs. La Pandilla, 4The Beaners vs. Wreck. Crew, 5

All games P.M. unless noted.

Mexican Soccer League

Team W - D - L GF:GA PTS Scorer / Team GTigres 8 - 3 - 2 27:14 27 A. Fernandes, MTY 10U.A.G. 8 - 2 - 4 23:17 26 C.M. Morales, ATS 10U.N.A.M. 7 - 4 - 3 24:17 25 R. Navia, MOR 10Necaxa 6 - 6 - 2 19:14 24 E. Marcon, UAG 9Pachuca 6 - 5 - 3 21:17 23 L.G. Rey, ATE 9América 6 - 4 - 4 27:15 22 A. Moreno, NCX 8Atlante 6 - 4 - 3 23:16 22 C. Blanco, AME 8Santos 5 - 5 - 3 29:20 20 E. Mora, VCZ 8Toluca 6 - 2 - 5 20:18 20 L.I. Quinteros, PUE 8Morelia 6 - 2 - 6 18:20 20 W. Gaitan, TIG 8Cruz Azul 4 - 6 - 4 19:22 18 A. Silvera, TIG 7Irapuato 5 - 3 - 5 19:25 18 J. Borgetti, SAN 7Monterrey 4 - 5 - 5 27:27 17 J.S. Cardozo, TOL 7Guadalajara 5 - 2 - 7 21:22 17 A. Gonzalez, IRA 6Puebla 4 - 5 - 5 17:19 17 G. Franco, MTY 6Chiapas 5 - 2 - 6 17:25 17 Eight tied with 5 goalsAtlas 4 - 3 - 7 25:25 15Veracruz 4 - 3 - 7 20:27 15Club San Luis 2 - 4 - 8 15:25 10Querétaro 0 - 2 - 12 10:36 2

Group I Group II Group III Group IV23 - Pachuca 26 - U.A.G. 27 - Tigres 24 - Necaxa20 - Toluca 25 - U.N.A.M. 20 - Morelia 22 - Atlante17 - Monterrey 22 - América 18 - Cruz Azul 18 - Irapuato17 - Puebla 20 - Santos 17 - Chiapas 17-Guadalajara15 - Atlas 2 - Querétaro 10 - San Luis 15 - Veracruz

Week 13 results Oct. 18-19: San Luis 1, Chiapas 2; Veracruz 2, Toluca 3;Monterrey 3, Querétaro 1; Cruz Azul 2, Guadalajara 1; Atlas 3, Pachuca1; U.N.A.M. 2, Necaxa 0; América 1, Morelia 0; Irapuato 3, Puebla 1;Santos 2, Atlante 3; U.A.G. 2, Tigres 1.

Week 14 results Oct. 22-23: Puebla 1, U.N.A.M. 1; Toluca 2, U.A.G. 1;Pachuca 2, San Luis 0; Necaxa 0, Cruz Azul 0; Morelia 2, Atlas 1;Guaadalajara 3, Veracruz 1; Querétaro 1, América 3; Tigres 3, Monterrey2; Atlante vs. Irapuato; Chiapas vs. Santos.

October 23, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN October 23, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 12

Once again, the money is out there forthose willing to put in the time to apply. TheFord Foundation is now acceptingapplications for the Minority FellowshipAward, available to all pre-doctoral,dissertation, and postdoctoral students.

The fellowship is sponsored by the FordFoundation and administered by the NationalResearch Council of the National Academies.According to the Ford Fellowship website, thefoundation was founded in 1936, and operatedas a local philanthropy in Michigan until1950, when it expanded to become a nationaland international foundation.

Since its inception it has been anindependent, nonprofit, non-governmentalorganization that provides students witheducational resources. Ithas provided more than$12 billion for grants,projects and loans,earning a reputationas one of the mostvaluableorganizations tominorities . Thesefunds derive from aninvestment portfoliothat began with giftsand bequests of FordMotor Companystock by Henry andEasel Ford.

The foundation nolonger owns FordMotor Companystock, and insteadprovides a perpetualsource of support for the foundation'sprograms and operations.

Approximately 60 pre-doctoral, 35dissertation, and 20 postdoctoral fellowshipswill be awarded in the 2004 year for thoseminority students who are planning a career inteaching and researching at the college oruniversity level.

Eligibility for all fellowships requires thatthe graduate student must be a citizen ornational of the United States (must havebecome a citizen by the application deadlinedate) and a member of the following groups:Alaska Natives (Eskimo or Aleut)Black/African Americans, MexicanAmericans/Chicanas/Chicanos, NativeAmerican Indians, Native Pacific Islanders(Polynesian/Micronesian) or Puerto Ricans.

Individuals must also be enrolled in orplanning to enroll in a research-based Ph.D. or

Sc.D program in one of the following fields:archaeology, anthropology, art history,astronomy, chemistry, communication,computer science, earth sciences, economics,engineering, ethnomusicology, geography,history, international relations, life sciences,linguistics, literature, language, mathematics,performance study, philosophy, physics,political science, psychology, religion,sociology, and urban planning.

According to Dolores Villarreal, UTPAscholarship coordinator, the office has postedinformation about the Ford FoundationFellowship but hasn’t seen a lot of interest yet.

"Since the fellowship only offers awards forthose graduate students in those specific fieldsof studies, it makes it very limited to ourstudents here on campus because UTPA onlyhas doctoral programs in the colleges ofbusiness and education," stated Villarreal.

There is also a co-op program inpharmacy.

Villarreal added,"The informationabout the FordFoundationFellowship isposted at theFinancial Aidoffice at UTPA incase any of ourcurrent studentswant to get theirdoctorate inanother field we donot offer here atUTPA, they areinformed anyhow."

In the future,Villarreal predicts the

university will continue to grow, adding moregraduate programs as it does so.

Though the website actually explains inbold letters it will not award for thosegraduate students doing their research orteaching in the business or education field,UTPA students should check it out ifinterested.

There are program officers representing theFord Foundation in the United States, Africa,the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, andRussia. They explore opportunities to pursuethe foundation's goals, formulate strategiesand recommend proposals for funding.

Graduate students who are interested in theFellowship for Minorities 2004 Program cancomplete and submit an application from thewebsite at www.http://national-academies.org/fellowships to see completeeligibility requirements.

By VANESSA L. LUCIOThe Pan American

Predoctoral Fellowships forMinorities- Nov. 19, 2003

Dissertation Fellowships forMinorities- Dec. 3, 2003

Postdoctoral Fellowships forMinorities- Dec. 17, 2003

Source: Ford Foundation

APPLICATION DEADLINES:

There are over 100 professors teaching theirclasses online, and over 8,000 students on thiscampus who use WebCT in one way or another.It is a well-known fact that the majority ofalmost 16,000 university students arecommuters and many have jobs as well.

To account for these technological realities,the university has attempted to facilitatelearning for all of its students; one way to dothis is to propose more online courses. On Oct.9 UTPA faculty met for the first time to discussfuture and alternative teaching methodologies.“Technology Innovations in Higher Education”was presented by the Center for DistanceLearning as the first of two presentations thissemester to inform and educate faculty of theendless possibilities using technology can havein their classrooms.

“We are trying to build a community of thesepeople, trying to get them together and seewhat’s cool, gain ideas, learn from each other,”said Doug Young, director of CDL . “As asupport staff we just sat back and hosted, we puton the party, that’s why we had a facultyprofessor do the presentation,” she added.

The ever-growing need for expansion andimprovement in technology in today’sacademic world shows in thenumbers. When UTPA started offeringonline courses in 1999, there werefour totally online courses with 140students. By last spring there were 27completely online courses with 709students. According to Young, thatsounds pretty good, but the reality isfar from it.

“Compared to the rest of thecountry, UTPA is not doing badly, butwe are not really up there,” admittedYoung.

By fall of last year, 11 percent of allU.S. higher education students took atleast one online course. That’s 578000 students. At UTPA it was onlyone-half of 1 percent who took thecourses online. The numbers arerather staggering and that is whyYoung and different faculty from theuniversity are endeavoring to educatefaculty on the worth of addingtechnology to their lesson plans.

“We are going to do this twice asemester, feed them every time. Ournext meet will take place inNovember and we will announce it,”said affirmed Young. We want to havethe problem of having so many ofthem we don’t know how to handlethem, but we want to do is maketechnology and education mainstreaminstruments,” he finished.

One of the goals is to get UTPA upthere with the well-known schools like

Harvard, Duke, and Columbia and offercomplete programs online. A good number ofthe faculty is already interested. However, thepurpose at UTPA is a little different- a lot ofschools are looking for students all over theworld. The Valley school’s focus is on Valleystudents, who have to work and still come toschool when they find the time.

“It’s hard for me for to make it to classsometimes. I have to work to pay my bills andkeep coming to school,” said UTPA juniorSteve Nichols. “It becomes a hassle having todrive all the way to Edinburg and not find aparking space, or have to wait to add the rightcourses or even worse, when I finally get toclass there is no where to sit!”

The CDL wants the students to know thatthey are there to help and want to make it allabout access and availability. Young commentedon the challenges and setbacks of getting thisprogram and its concept on wheels. He said thatthe only thing keeping them back is the need forapproval of certain key personnel.

Teaching Online for Higher Education isoffered free to any faculty member, even inSpanish. Faculty from Miami, Puerto Rico,Houston, San Antonio and UTPA are alreadyenrolled. Even two faculty teachers fromVietnam are taking this course.

Sessions teach Web prowessBy HILDA MORALESThe Pan American

There are many reasons people attend a four-year university rather than a technical

college. Often they want to maximize theability to get a job not covered by a technicaldegree. They may decide that a four-year degreeis more sought after, so more valuable.

Whatever the reason, a great way for studentsat a four-year institution is to land an internship,to test the waters, gain experience, and makecontacts for after graduation.

The University of Texas-Pan American has aCo-op program that seeks to build internship

relations with many of the leading industries inthe state and nation. Television networksTelemundo and Univision, U.S. Marshalls, andthe Hispanic Chamber of Commerce are a fewof the organizations the university is affiliatedwith. If students are interested in working with acertain company, the university will try toestablish a program with the company. Anystudent carrying 30 college credit hours or morewith a minimum 2.0 GPA is eligible for theseopportunities.

Susie Chapa, Cooperative Educationcoordinator, helps guide students interested inobtaining internships. She was involved in aninternship herself as a student, and says, “I tell

students they must do at least one internshipbecause it's going to give them experience,exposure, and also help them decide if this iswhat they want to do as a future career."

Some internships are paid but many are not.Some can be done for college credit. Themajority of them last between eight and 12weeks, and can lead to full-time employment orextended internship duties.

Chapa obtained her internship in Huntsville,Texas with the Judicial District in theCommunity Justice Assistance Division. Thisexperience opened many doors for her career, aslater she became a probation officer and was theonly Hispanic certified court translator for the

Texas Department of Criminal Justice. “Prepare ahead of time, even if you do not

have 30 hours, get prepared," said Chapa inreference to the undergraduates of UTPA. Ofteninternships take months to arrange, so studentslooking to find one in a day or week seldom arerewarded.

The Cooperative Education program offersresume writing help, mock interviews, andworkshops on dining etiquette to train studentsfor the challenges they will face when lookingfor “pre-work work.”

For more information on internships andcooperative education, contact Susie Chapa at956) 381-2781 or e-mail at [email protected].

By MARIAALEJANDRA MAZARIEGOSThe Pan American

Internships promise practice time in real-world work settings

reduction in funds only affects our newstudents. It is very important for studentscurrently receiving the TEXAS grant tomaintain their eligibility by meeting theprogram progress requirements.“

“The TEXAS Grant program at UTPA is stilla very strong program assisting over 3,000students at UTPA with over $10 million,”Alvarado said.

UTPA offers mandatory TEXAS Grantworkshops throughout the year to informrecipients about how to maintain their grant.The workshops also provide students withimportant resources on campus to help them be

successful financially and educationally.“We have also been quite active in contacting

the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Boardand state legislators about the importance of theTEXAS grant program and the need for morefunding,” Alvarado said. “We know howimportant these funds are to our students andwill continue to do our best in trying to securemore funding for this program.”

According to a recent article in The DallasMorning News, the grant amounts are based onthe average tuition around the state. This meansthat the higher tuition is raised the feweramount of students will be able to be awarded

the grant. The article also stated that university officials

say the grant shortage hurt the very students thatmust be helped to meet the goals of Closing theGaps, a state effort to enroll 500,000 moreTexans into college by 2015.

Nearly 60 percent of the TEXAS Grantrecipients are minority students and arecurrently the most underrepresented group inhigher education in Texas. This includes theever growing Hispanic population. Eightypercent of UTPA students get some sort offinancial aid, compared to 60 percentnationwide. The university, along with most

around the state, hs announced tuition raises forthe coming year. UTPA’s will go up $6.A studyby the College Board found tuition and fees atfour-year public schools was 14 percent more in2003 and 47 percent more than in 1993.

Compared to other universities such as TheUniversity of Texas-El Paso, UTPA has beenable to support more students than it rejects.UTEP had 1,300 freshmen who qualified for thegrant but did not receive it this year. WhileUTPA seemed to limit the number of recipients,the Rio Grande Valley might be one of the fewareas in which the grant will not become as oneperson remarked, “A broken promise.”

GRANT continued from page 1

SMOKING FACTSTobacco Use in Texas

Adults in Texas who smoke: 21.9% (3,277,000)

Packs of cigarettes bought or smoked by young adultseach year: 62.2 million

Adults who die each year from their own smoking: 24,100

Adults, children and babies who dies each year from others’ smoking (secondhand smoke and pregnancy smoking): 2,520 to 4,480

Source: TRUST For a Smoke-Free Texas

major who wished to remain anonymous said that hedoes think that there should be some prohibitions oncampus where smoking is concerned.

“I think you should not allow smoking everywhereon campus,” he said. “It not only gives the campus abad image, but it can also make people veryuncomfortable to be around.”

An English major who also remained anonymoussaid he started smoking at 15 simply because he didnot know any better. He also sees his smoking as aslight negative and wants to stop mostly for healthreasons.

According to a study found by the National Centeron Addiction and Substance Abuse at ColumbiaUniversity (CASA) a child is nine times more likely totry smoking if their friends smoked cigarettes asopposed to nonsmokers.

As reported in the September 2003 issue of thejournal, Tobacco Control, a survey showed that mostcollege students speaking about smoking on campusfavored policies ranging from banning smoking in alldormitories and campus buildings to prohibiting thesale or advertising of tobacco products on campus.

Support for all of these policies was stronger among

nonsmokers, but even smokers favored makingcollege buildings smoke-free and did not feel tobaccocompany advertising and sponsorship of campusevents were positive for their college.

Though students still have the ability to purchasecigarettes and other tobacco products at a localconvenience store or carry them around in theirvehicles, tobacco is not sold at the UTPA campus.

Carolina Huerta, chair of the Nursing Department,said she believes that cigarettes should not be sold oncampus.

"Lung cancer is the number one cancer death causerin males and the statistics for women are catching upto that," Huerta said. “It is also the number two type ofcancer [for] the cause of deaths in women. It is nolonger a question whether smoking and lung cancerare related: they are.”

Lopez admitted to smoking a cigarette once in awhile since he was in high school, but does not see areal problem with cigarettes being sold on campus.

“I’m not really a smoker per-se,” he said. “I’ll buma cigarette from someone once in a while, but I don’tbuy packs for myself. If the university wants to sellcigarettes on campus, sure, why not?”

SMOKING continued from page 1

Ford Foundation cashavailable for graduates

October 23, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN October 23, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 11

It’s something a lot of people do at least oncewhile in school. Sometimes they get caught,sometimes they don’t. Sometimes it happensbecause students are stressed, other times simplybecause they’re being lazy.

“It” is plagiarism. And new technology hasbeen a boon to those who would bend or breakthe rules to try and pass classes.

According to a survey in a recent issue ofU.S. News and World Report, 75 percent ofcollege students admitted to cheating at leastonce. For cheaters, 90 percent believe theyhaven’t been disciplined properly or will neverget caught. More and more are using the Internetto circumvent policy.

There is more. In a study of 4.500 high schoolstudents by Dr. Donald McCabe, an academicresearcher, 90 percent of the students whoplagiarized from the Internet also plagiarizedfrom written documents. Supposedly, manystudents know they aren’t supposed toplagiarize. Perhaps they don’t know what theword means. Here’s some help there. Thedefinition dictionary.com gives is:1) to use andpass off (the ideas or writings of another) asone's own and 2) to appropriate for use as one'sown passages or ideas from (another).

Now that’s established, how do institutions goabout detecting and punishing people who insiston being dishonest?

To detect plagiarism at the university level,there is a high-technology Internet softwareprogram that detects it calledTurnitin.com.Subscribed to by over 1,200 universitiesworldwide, this program scans submitteddocuments, turning all letters into numbers.

The documents are then digitally fingerprintedand compared to all of the billions of documents

and writings on the Internet as well as thoseavailable on the Turnitin.com database. Thisallows the system to pinpoint anything that hasbeen “borrowed” without citation or permission.

Then, in anywhere from just seconds to about10 minutes, the papers are returned to thesubscriber, labeling the parts of his/her students’documents that match another similar work thatit could have possibly been plagiarized from. Itis left up to the professor to decide whether toaccuse students of plagiarism.

Of course, here at UTPA, students plagiarizejust like anywhere else. But the university doesnot have Turnitin.com.

Christine Carruthers, UTPA director ofJudicial Affairs, said at the current time UTPAdoes not subscribe to Turnitin.com as aninstitution. Although this service is useful, mostplagiarism can be detected by simply tying asentence that looks suspicious into www.google.com

So maybe Turnitin.com is a great workingmodern software, but for UTPA, search engineswork just fine.

“I use a search engine to discover anysuspected plagiarism. This year I haven't hadany papers plagiarized, although the nature ofmy essay assignments makes it difficult to doso,” said Jerry Polinard, professor of politicalscience. “They're analytical essays rather thanreports.”

Among the search engines available on theInternet, google.com is one of the most widelyused by UTPA professors, Carruthers said.

“Google does a god job of scanning for thatsentence and usually brings up several sourceswhere the material may have been taken from,”she said. “By using a search engine such asGoogle it picks up on the paper mills where youcan buy papers very quickly.”

At UTPA, the general penalty for a student

caught plagiarizing a paper for the first time isan ‘F’ in the course and forced completion of theMITT CD-ROM program on academicdishonesty. The CD-ROM teaches studentplagiarists about integrity and how to makechoices. They also learn what constitutesplagiarism because, as stated, a lot of studentsdon’t understand, according to Carruthers.

There are three levels of appeal for studentsaccused of plagiarism. The first level is by theprofessor. If the student doesn’t agree with hispunishment or sanction, then next up is the deanof students. If neither the professor nor dean canmake a decision, then the case will go to theUniversity Hearing Officer, who hears the caseand makes the final decision.

A student can be suspended if the behaviorcontinues in other classes.

“Last year, by most UTPA professors usinggoogle.com to test essays and research papers,they found 19 students to be charged forplagiarism. This school year seven have alreadybeen found,” said Carruthers.

More and more students are starting to getcaught here at UTPA, probably more than everbefore with increasing enrollment and theawareness of the faculty. At the current time, theDean of Students Office is communicating withthe faculty in this issue, discussing differentmethods to take when students are cheating, andthe process to follow once they find that astudent has plagiarized.

Campus cheats may find tougher restrictionsBy JULIAN CAVAZOSThe Pan American

For someone who has receivednumerous accolades, including the highlyregarded Chancellor’s award, Dr. HassanAhmad, professor of chemistry, choosesnot to hang any plaques on his bare walls.Instead, they are placed on the verybottom of his bookshelf.

However, the Chancellor’s CouncilOutstanding Teaching Award was notpresented to him in the form of a plaque.Ahmad received a thick envelopecontaining $5,000 and the prestige thataccompanies an award presented to onefaculty member from each of theacademic components in the Universityof Texas system. One less plaque for thebottom of his shelf, but one of manyachievements for Ahmad.

Aside from getting the award earlierthis semester, he was also nameddepartment chair in September. But withall the accomplishments he has achievedsince joining the university in 1992,Ahmad still faces an academic systemdifferent then the one he was used to inIndia.

“I think the biggest challenge for me is

due to the fact that I was born, raised,and educated in a system which isdifferent from this system, where thewhole academic system is different,” saidAhmad.

Ahmad got his bachelor’s degree inchemistry at AligarhMuslim University in1973 in Aligarh,India. This is wherehe also received hisMaster’s degree,Ph.D., and part of hispost-doctoral training.

But he did not getinto teaching rightaway. He had nevereven consideredteaching.

Ahmad’s area ofexpertise is research.One of his bestexperiences wasduring post-graduatetraining in Germany. According toAhmad, the people were friendly andwould go out of their way to help himwith his research studies.

After spending a year and a half inGermany, Ahmad transferred to the

University of Texas Medical Branch inGalveston. There he worked in theDepartment of Human Biology,Chemistry, and Genetics.

Doing research in Galveston, heworked mainly from what he calls “soft

money,” or grants. Inworking with grants,he was financiallysecure only for thetimespan of thegrant. Part of thereason why he beganteaching was thestability.

Professor ofbiology MohammedFarooqui also workedin Galveston beforeteaching at UTPA.Ahmad said it wasFarooqui thataffirmed his decisionto begin teaching.

From there, he became an assistantprofessor in 1992. Four years later he wasgranted tenure and promoted to associateprofessor. In 2002 he was promoted tofull professor.

Throughout his life, Ahmad has

published more than 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented 50papers in national and internationalmeetings. He has received numerousgrants, including $210,000 from theNational Institute of Health to promoteminority students’ participation atdoctoral levels, as well as, $850,000 ingrants from National Institute of Healthto carry out basic research in area ofcancer research.

He may be research-focused, butacademically he in slouch, havingreceived over 91 percent Excellent toGood evaluation ratings from students inthe last 10 years of teaching.

Ahmad attributes his success in theclassroom to being friendly to students.He said he tries to go to their levelinstead of asking students to come to his.He wants them to feel comfortable inasking questions so he engages studentsin conversation when possible.

“The point is that you make adifference in somebody’s level ofunderstanding,” said Ahmad. “Especiallywhen you look at the comments that youget, the feedback from the students in theevaluations, that’s probably the mostrewarding.”

By CHRISTINA HARRISThe Pan American

Chemistry professor enjoys banner yearCDL CommentsTo the editor:My compliments to Clarissa Martinez

for a well-written, well-researched storyon the problems created by theburgeoning enrollment at UTPA. It’s niceto be a part of a dynamic school that isgrowing in so many ways.

Assistant Vice President DennisMcMillan made the assertion that “Weneed to start thinking outside the box.”Please allow me to go a bit further outsidethe box. We need to explore greater use ofthe Internet as a means of alleviatingsome of our current problems.

Classroom scheduling - Manyprofessors now teach “blended” courses.While much of their teaching is done in

the traditional way, up to two-thirds of acourse could be taught on the Internet. Bystudents having to come to campus onlyonce a week rather than three times aweek, the university can make better useof available classrooms. Extensive use ofsuch a practice could free up a lot ofclassroom space.

Working students - The studentpopulation at UTPA is unique in that somany students work. That creates greatdifficulty in finding courses that matchwork schedules. But over 7,000 studentsat UTPA now use WebCT to take all orpart of their coursework online. Withonline courses, students needn’t have tocobble their work and school schedulestogether. Online courses allow students to

sit down at a computer when their dailyschedule permits. No computer at home?Come to campus and use one of the 24-7computer labs - no parking problem atnight.

Parking problems - Taking onlinecourses means you don’t have to come tocampus. So much for finding a parkingspot, or paying for a permit. Use themoney you would have used for thepermit to pay for a $10 per month Internetaccount.

Finally, if you have never taken anonline course, you probably think it issome sort of electronic correspondencecourse, devoid of human contact andinteraction. You could not be more wrong.We have many excellent professors at

UTPA who make their classes fun,demanding, and interactive. Try a physicalscience course from Dr. RubenMazariegos, or a history course from Dr.Chris Miller, or an accounting coursefrom Dr. Wig DeMoville, or a senior leveleducation course from Dr. JonellaKimmel, or a Music Appreciation Coursefrom Dr. Wendell Davis, or a BusinessManagement course from Dr. DavidSturges, or a linguistics course from Dr.Pamela-Mejias. There are more.

Let’s really think outside the box - infact, let’s think outside the campus.

Sincerely,Douglas Young

Director, Center for Distance Learning

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

A brand new and interestinganthropology course will make its debutnext spring, when “Archaeology ofAncient Egypt” will be taught here atUTPA.

Dr. Thomas Pozorski, professor ofanthropology and archaeologist, will beteaching the course. He also doesMexican and South American archaeologyand culture for the anthropologydepartment, and thinks that the latestaddition will work out well.

“[The course] has never been taughthere. I’ve been thinking about teachingthis course for several years,” Pozorskisaid. “I think it will probably be a popularclass.”

The course is cross-listed in theanthropology section of the 2004 springclass schedule announcement as an upper-level and graduate level course. Pozorskisaid there are only 25 openings for itbecause he wanted to teach it as adetailed upper-level class.

“I am hoping people will be interestedin taking the course,” Pozorski said.“From what I have heard, the class isfilling up [quickly].”

Nicole Martinez, a double-major inanthropology and psychology, said shewas looking forward to taking“Archaeology of Ancient Egypt” nextsemester.

“Egypt has always been one of myfascinations and I am extremely excitedabout taking this course. I’ve always beenintrigued about the romanticism of thearchaeology in Egypt,” Martinez said. “Ihoping to learn the actuality ofdiscovering all the treasures of Egypt.”

If the course fills up for the springsemester Pozorski said he will probablyoffer to teach it every year in the spring.He prepared for the subject byresearching the history of ancient

Egyptian archaeology and culture. He hadalso taken a few courses in Egyptology inthe past.

“I am trying to develop parts of thecourse with certain aspects that will bemore interesting, such as the Egyptianpyramid [architecture], religion, andmedical knowledge,” Pozorski said. “Itwill be interesting course, after havingbeen to Egypt [twice], it made adifference.

I am still structuring it, because it ishard to cover everything in one semester.”

The focus of the course will be on thefirst 3,000 years of Egyptianarchaeological history

starting with outstanding preservationssuch as the temples, pyramids, tombs,mummification, hieroglyphs, and religion.

Pozorski conducts annual excavationsin Peru with his wife, Dr. Sheila Pozorski

and the archaeological methods they useare similar to the ones Egyptologyarchaeologists employ in Egypt.

Pozorski said there are pros and consabout excavating in Egypt.

“There are small variations [inmethodology]. In Peru there is betterpreservations. The downside in Egypt isthe Nile flood plane, houses and remainsgot buried or have disintegrated becauseof the silt,” Pozorski said. “What wasknown as Ancient Memphis is gone, onlya few statues are left.”

The upside to Egyptian archaeology arethe temples and the pyramids which areremarkably preserved. But the tombs havesuffered from looting, Pozorski added.

“I am looking forward to teaching thecourse and I am anticipating questions,because I think people are fascinated byEgyptian history,” Pozorski said.

Pozorski class will showcase Egyptian digsBy BELINDA REYESThe Pan American

Special to The Pan American

WRITING ON THE WALL— (Top) Pharoah Tutankhamen and his wife Ankhesenpaaten are depictedin this relief along with his elaborately decorated sarcophagus (right) found in his tomb.

The point is that youmake a difference insomebody’s level ofunderstanding. Especiallywhen you look at thecomments that you get, thefeedback from the studentsin the evaluations, that’sprobably the mostrewarding.

““

- Dr. Hassan Ahmad,Professor of chemistry

Avoiding Plagiarizm

On preparing to write your paper

Consult with your instructor if you are unsure if you are plagiarizing. Plan how you are going to use your sources in your paper. Take effective notes so you have enough information organized.

On writing your paper

When in doubt of plagiarizm, site your sources. State clearly WHO said WHAT to clearly separate your ideas. Know how to paraphrase correctly.

Source: turnitin.com

October 23, 2003 arts & entertainment Page 10

Dirty Harry made my day. Clint Eastwood, the former

“Dirty Harry” star turneddirector, has created a newgem.

Eastwood had to worktriple shifts in his latestcrime-drama, acting as thefilms director, producer andcomposer, but his hard workwas not spent in vain. Themovie has received muchdeserved critical acclaim andOscar buzz.

While playing streethockey by the side of amiddle class Bostonneighborhood, the lives ofJimmy Markum, Dave Boyleand Sean Devine werechanged forever. Dave wasforced into a car by apsuedo-cop and molested bytwo men. As a result, theboys become emotionallyseparated, and twenty yearslater they are reunited by yetanother tragedy.

The plot to this “Sleepers-meets -The Sopranos” moviesurrounds Jimmy (SeanPenn), and the death of hiseldest daughter, Katie

(Emmy Rossum). The plotthickness when his formerchildhood friends come intothe picture. Sean (KevinBacon) is now the copinvestigating the murder, andDave (Tim Robbins) is thesuspected murdered.

The rising action of thisthriller is propelled byDave’s manic personality andobsession with the “wolvesand vampires” that molestedhim as a child. As theminutes of this 217 minutemovie pass, the audience islead to believe that he isKatie’s killer. Eventually,the nails on your fingers willbeg you to stop biting themas you eventually realizewho the murderer really is.

Rage maddens even themost lucid man and what theending has in store for youwill drop your jaw.

It should be mentionedthat former Mr. Madonna,Sean Penn, did anoutstanding job playing agrieving father, and hisperformance is Oscar-worthy.There is a particular scene inthe movie where Jimmy hasjust realized that Katie hasbeen murdered that brings

the viewers in the theater totears. I must admit that I hadto wipe my eyes a few times.It’s a shame that his actingabilities didn’t rub off on theMaterial Girl.

Another truly memorableperformance was that ofDave’s wife, Celeste Boyle,played by Marcia GayHarden. On the night ofKatie’s murder, Dave camehome wounded and bloodyand is torn between exposingwhat she thinks is the truthor protecting her husband.Harden won an Oscar in2001 and with a performancelike this one she might justadd another to her trophycase.

What I enjoyed most aboutthis movie is that ClintEastwood chooses not todelve into the death of Katieitself, but rather chooses toexpose the effects of acorrupted childhood.

This wasn’t just a murdermystery movie, it was a“mystic” movie that used atragedy to open the eyes ofits characters and theaudience. It certainly openedmine, and it will certainlyopen yours.

charge with the band.So far those who have experienced the

live music at Athena’s have enjoyedthemselves. Amanda Turrubiates,sophomore nursing major, has enjoyedlistening to the bands there.

"I am all about supporting the localbands," said Turrubiates. "At Athena’s the[live] music isn’t too loud, they separatethe music in another room so you can stilltalk with friends."

Saldana commented that he would liketo add more. He eventually wants to havean acoustic night, a poetry night, and anopen mic night. Currently Athena’s hours

of operation are 8 a.m. to midnightMonday thru Saturday. If/when businesspicks up Saldana would like to stay openuntil 2 a.m.

For those wondering what will happento the former Athena’s, it will soon openits doors again as a deli café featuringeverything that a coffee house has, alongwith everything that a deli has. This newplace will display pictures of the city ofMcAllen from the turn of the century.

"It’s going to be a European lookingcafé," said Saldana. "It’s going to be cool;it’s an old-fashioned yet modern-lookingcafé."

Athena’s is located on the corner of 16th and Beech streets in McAllen.Dulce Gonzalez/The Pan American

COFFEE continued from page 7By DÄGOBERTO PÉREZThe Pan American

Eastwood creates a ‘Mystic’ mystery ■ Video games . . . . . 8-9

■ Culture Club . . . . . . . 9

■ Movie review . . . . . 10ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 7

AroundTown

Mudvayne concertOct. 26Place: La Villa Real SpecialEvents Center, 1201 S.Bentsen Road, McAllenEvent: Rescheduled fromOct. 1, the musical groupMudvayne will perform, alsofeaturing the bands VShape Mind and Fingertight.Price: $23 for generaladmission.Phone: (956) 687-7121

Carnival of the GreatPumpkinOct. 25 at 6 p.m.Place: UTPA Field HouseEvent: Annual communityevent featuring a variety ofcontests and entertainmentincluding costume contestsand children’s activities.Phone: (956) 316-7991

Band concertOct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.Place: McAllen Civic CenterEvent: The McAllenSymphonic Band presentsits first concert of theseason with “A FallFestival,” a musical tributeto honor veterans andcelebrate the season.Price: Admission is $5.Phone: (956) 668-9740

Broadway showOct. 30 at 7:30 p.m.Place: McAllen Civic CenterEvent: The Broadwaymusical ‘Saturday NightFever’ comes to the Valleystage.Price: $30-35.

MusicalNov. 13-15, 20-22 at 7:30with 3 p.m. matinees onNov. 16 and 23Place: PSJA High SchoolPerforming Arts CentreEvent: The life and times ofsinger/song writer EllieGreenwich are celebrated inthe Broadway musical“Leader of the Pack: TheEllie Greenwich Musical.”Her sixties hits include“Chapel of Love,” “Do WahDiddy” and “Da-Do RonRon.”Phone: (956) 783-2252

Since the 1960s, coffeehouses have been popularwith the younger generation,as a meeting place to talkabout ideas ad life. Recentlythey are starting to offermore than just coffee andtalk.

There are also manyplaces that students can go ifthey want to get a cup ofcoffee. Lately such placeshave merged with otherbusinesses and most nolonger only sell coffee.Students can visit CoffeeZone, and also go toMoonbeans, where wallartwork is sold. At Hastingsstudents can read and buybooks and magazines whiledrinking coffee, and atQuips & Quotes they canshop while enjoying a freshcup of java.

E.J. Saldana, owner ofAthena’s, knows about thecoffee house business. Heknows that in order to besuccessful sometimes theyhave to offer more than just

the traditional fare. He hasbeen in business for aboutfive years. Saldana firstopened Athena’s in PortIsabel in order to learn aboutthe business. After a yearand a half he closed it andmoved to 10th street inMcAllen.

"After I really learned thebusiness I decided to moveAthena’s to McAllen," saidSaldana.

Even though many peopleare still not aware Athena’shas once again changed itslocation. Athena’s is nowlocated on the corner of 16thstreet and Beech inMcAllen. This new locationhas been in operation forabout four weeks. This newlocation differs from theformer one in that it offersmore than just the typicalsmoothies, coffee, lattes, andcappuccinos. Nowcustomers have a choice ofbuying hamburgers, hotdogs, pizzas, pickles, and avariety of other items. Eventhe interior decoration of thecoffee house has changed. Itnow has tables with stools,

lava lamps, and promos fordifferent concerts. Accordingto Saldana, Athena’s nowhas a modern feel.

"It has the feel of a ‘50sdiner with a modern andretro look," said Saldana.

Saldana also commentedthat his choice of the newlocation was not just purecoincidence. He was lookingfor a locale in an industrialarea of the city. He didn’twant his business to be in asimple strip mall whereeveryone looks the same.

"I picked this locationbecause it had a big cityfeel," said Saldana. "Thislocation is kind of out of theway, but it’s cool because itgives us an undergroundfeel."

Not only has Athena’schanged its image, but it hasalso added something new.There is now live music onFridays and Saturdays.Saldana commented that hewanted a place for showsand this new location isbigger and is fit for that.Music types so far includealternative, rock, and punk.

"It [Athena’s] is a placewhere local bands canshowcase their music on astage," said Saldana. "It’s avenue so we’re pretty muchopen to any type of music."

The bands are allowed toplay at Athena’s free of

charge. For those interestedin supporting local bands thecover charge ranges betweenthree to four dollars. Thecoffee house then splits theprofit from the night’s cover

Ten years ago, 4,000 religiousfollowers stood below La Virgen deGuadalupe at a ceremonial dedication.She stood 50 feet high, hands in holyprayer and her body glittering withthousands of tiny mosaic tiles.

The two-year project was completedand the Virgen statue was erected neara lake on a 60-acre ranch located inWindsor, Ohio, a city located just 40miles outside of Cleveland.

Professor Richard Hyslin and hiseight assistants were finished with astatue that would draw thousands ofvisitors to this 60-acre ranch, home ofthe Servants of Mary Center forPeace. The center was started by Benand Ed Heinz.

The Heinz couple were owners ofthe 60-acre ranch property until theyran into financial difficulty. Thecouple went bankrupt and lost theranch. They prayed to the rosary andin time, they were able to regain theirproperty.

With gratitude, the couple devotedthe land as a center for religiousgatherings. They created the Servantsof Mary Center for Peace and made acall to UTPA’s Hyslin, which initiatedthe two-year long project.

The telephone call to Hyslin wasmade in the evening from the Catholiccouple. They told him that they werein the market for an artist who wouldbuild them a 50-foot statue of theVirgen.

“I didn’t know who they were whenthey called. I was recommended tothem,” Hyslin said, “about this ideathat they had, I didn’t know what tothink, whether it was a hoax or a realinquiry.”

Hyslin quickly realized that it wasserious when he received a roundtripticket to Cleveland, Ohio.

“After that, I began to take it veryseriously,” he said.

He gathered a group of assistants, a

mixture of UTPA art students andalumni. They took the trip to Windsorwhere they would put the pieces of theVirgen together. His wife, Mary wouldaccompany the crew and make surethe crew was well fed.

Members of the team were, VicenteGarcia, Lauro Hinojosa, Ramiro Paz,Eloy Rodriguez, Ernesto Salazar, LuisValderas, Brian Wedgeworth andRhoda Wilson.

“Being apart of a team to build asculpture that size really inspired me.At 19, this experience made it clear tome that making large sculptures waswhat I was meant to do,” BrianWedgeworth said. He was a UTPAstudent who had taken his first art

class at the university in 1994, justbefore the project began.

An exhibit in the University Galleryfeatures the 10th anniversary of theproject with photos of the statue andcurrent artwork from the 8 artists andHyslin. The exhibit also includes shortbiographies and photo narratives ofthe crew and what they are doing now.

Rhoda Wilson is a member of thecrew who is now living in Clevelandwith her husband, whom she metwhile working on the Virgen project.She is currently working on arestoration project for a Church inOhio. “Art will never leave my life, nomatter what I am doing,” Wilson said.

Hyslin developed the exhibit thatwill run through Oct. 26. “Since it wasthe 10-year anniversary I thought itwould be a great idea to see wherethey are artistically. That was thewhole idea behind this show,” he said.

Hyslin is a sculptor and professor ofart at UTPA since 1967. His work isdrawn to several large-scale sculpturesand has received numerouscommissions for his art.

A recent commission involves a 20-foot bronze statue at the del Pradocenter in McAllen and is looking at avery special project in Simoa. It is astatue that will also be about the samesize as the statue in Ohio.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE:By DULCE GONZALEZThe Pan American

Coffee houses offering more than just java

Being a part of a team to build asculpture that size really inspired me.At 19, this experience made it clear tome that making large sculptures was

what I was meant to do.

“

“

- Brian Wedgeworth, artist

Local Coffee Houses** Athena’s Coffee House, McAllen

** Coffee Zone, McAllen & Edinburg** Kafecito’s, McAllen

** The Bean Cuisine, Mission** Moonbeans Coffee,

McAllen*Gloria Jean’s

Gourmet Coffees,McAllen

By AARON LOZANOThe Pan American

Professor, assistants’ work becomes an exhibit a decade later

See COFFEE page 10

October 23, 2003 Arts & Entertainment Page 9October 23, 2003 Arts & Entertainment

Movie: “Schindler’s List”CD: CaifanesWebsite: msn.com

Movie: “The Wedding Singer”CD: “One Heart” by Celine DionBook: “Harry Potter” by J.K. Rowling

Movie: “Chicago”CD: “Nutcracker Ballet” by Peter TchaikovskyBook: “Clash of Civilizations” by Samuel Huntington

Dr. Sonia AlianakPolitical Science

Lidia A. SalasSeniorFinance

Miguel LopezSeniorCriminal Justice

CULTURE CLUBWhat students like to read, listen to and surf.

The

With the introduction of the Atari 2600system in 1977 entertainment, wasrevolutionized forever. For the first time,rather then standing in a crowded arcade,people could enjoy video games from thecomfort of home. Classic games such asPong and Frogger fueled the industry andshowed that the public was ready to enter anew era of entertainment.

Based on a simple concept, Pongincorporated two white sticks on oppositesides of the screen with the goal ofcontaining a digital ball, a la tennis. In 1985,following Atari was the NintendoEntertainment System (NES) and theindustry was revolutionized once again.Nintendo utilized the idea of combiningsimple game-play with a virtual world playerscould progress through, adding much morethan simply a tennis ball. Whether slidingdown tubes with Mario or saving the princesswith Link, each adventure could be a portalto a personalized fantasy world.

At the time it was children who spent hoursin front of the television trying to beat justone more level before bed. As those kidsgrew older the consoles were forced to

evolve in order to keep up withtheir changing interest and

ability. Part of the challengefor gaming companies was

to gauge this changeinterest and create

products to match it.Most of the kidswho once played

Atari and NEShave turnedthem in for

the new

and improved Playstation 2 and X-Box. After20 years the video game appeal remains,offering whole new levels of enjoyment.Adam Wratten, gaming columnist for TheMonitor, logs in over 55 hours of play aweek. The appeal to him was simple.

“ Fun, tons of fun,” said Wratten, 22. “A lotof my playtime is spent online and it’s thewhole communication thing. I’ve made a lotof friends online so that is also really cool.”

Wratten proudly admits to having ownednearly every popular console in the past, andstill finds himself using them on occasion. Inaddition to the long list of classic systems inhis collection he also currently owns aPlaystation 2, X-Box, Game Cube, and aGame Boy Advance. Since each of thesystems have their own exclusive game titlesit is key for gamers to own them all to enjoya full array of software.

Purchasing new equipment is an all toofamiliar ritual, as is the case with personalcomputers. Technology always demands thenewest version. But with new consolescomes better graphics, and although thevisual quality of games continues to improve,Wratten says that serious gamers don’t needthe visuals to be interested.

“With a lot of us the graphics don’t matterall that much because we’ve been aroundsince the little eight-bit games,” said Wratten.“So we get better graphics because peopleare going to expect it.”

Nintendo released the first eight-bit gameson the NES. Bits refer to how many pixelswill be contained in a certain area, and todaythe bit-rate ranges in the millions, accountingfor the great quality of picture compared tothat of games in the late 1970s. The GameBoy Advance (GBA) while lacking in visualcapability, still leads the industry in sales.According to sales reports, the GBA wasresponsible for 45 percent of the totalconsole sales. The GBA may be portableand have a wide variety of games but many

of them are re-releases of previousgames on the Super NES. Thosegames making a second

appearance on a different console show thatsolid game-play can withstand the test oftime.

“It’s portable and it’s easy,” said Wratten.“When the Game Boy first came out, it hadthe little green screen and it sold forever.”

Sports games such as the Madden seriesand Sega ESPN football serve to attractnewer audiences. Those games are able toappeal to the masses that would otherwisenot be playing, byestablishingfamiliarity withthings like profootball. For many, it is the idea of taking anotherwise worthless team to the Super Bowlto play as opposed to just watching.Unfortunately, for many teams, the virtualbowl will have to do.

“My officemate is a sports writer and that isall he plays,” said Wratten. “Those areprobably more attractive to those whowouldn’t play the role-playing games or thefirst-person shooters simply because it’ssomething they know and that is attracting alot of people as well.”

X-Box Live hopes to attract even moresports gamers by creating a massive onlinemulti-player environment that will allowplayers from all over the world to compete.For a reasonable yearly fee of $49.99gamers will be able to play any of the onlinecompatible games with players from Bostonto Bangladesh. To make things even moreinteresting national and local scores will beposted.

Sports games will not be the only types ofgames that can be played on this service.First-person shooters such as the highlyanticipated Halo 2 will be equipped to handlebattles between hundreds online. Wrattencould not be happier with the idea, sayingthat the online option will completely changethe difficulty of playing. In gaming terms,difficulty is good.

The video game industry, like any othertechnology, has been able to grow and adaptto changing times. Its fans have done the

same. Whether enjoying classic games on aportable console or trying to take theCowboys to a virtual Super Bowl, the publiccontinues to express solid interest. Still, it isunclear where the industry will go next.

“The mainstream crowd is people whowere playing back then and as they grow it isbecoming more popular with everyone else,”said Wratten. “They pick it up and try it outand say, ‘hey this is fun.’”

As people get the opportunity to play theyare able to see that games are simply madeto be fun. Wratten’s only fear is that in anincreased focus on quality graphics, solidgame-play will be lost.

“I think that as the generations pass weare kind of starting to lose quality of game-play.” For that information, only time will tell.

By DENNIS GARZAThe Pan American

Video games stand the test of time and challenges of change:From Pong to Halo, video games maintain their appeal over the span

of nearly three decades, attracting a wide variety of personalities

(Above) - JohnMadden’s NFL videogames are popularamong sports fanat-ics.

(Right) - Halo for theXBox console isregarded as one ofthe best first-personshooter games avail-able for any system.

October 23, 2003 Arts & Entertainment October 23, 2003 Arts & Entertainment Page 8

Movie: “Schindler’s List”CD: CaifanesWebsite: msn.com

Movie: “The Wedding Singer”CD: “One Heart” by Celine DionBook: “Harry Potter” by J.K. Rowling

Movie: “Chicago”CD: “Nutcracker Ballet” by Peter TchaikovskyBook: “Clash of Civilizations” by Samuel Huntington

Dr. Sonia AlianakPolitical Science

Lidia A. SalasSeniorFinance

Miguel LopezSeniorCriminal Justice

CULTURE CLUBWhat students like to read, listen to and surf.

The

With the introduction of the Atari 2600system in 1977 entertainment, wasrevolutionized forever. For the first time,rather then standing in a crowded arcade,people could enjoy video games from thecomfort of home. Classic games such asPong and Frogger fueled the industry andshowed that the public was ready to enter anew era of entertainment.

Based on a simple concept, Pongincorporated two white sticks on oppositesides of the screen with the goal ofcontaining a digital ball, a la tennis. In 1985,following Atari was the NintendoEntertainment System (NES) and theindustry was revolutionized once again.Nintendo utilized the idea of combiningsimple game-play with a virtual world playerscould progress through, adding much morethan simply a tennis ball. Whether slidingdown tubes with Mario or saving the princesswith Link, each adventure could be a portalto a personalized fantasy world.

At the time it was children who spent hoursin front of the television trying to beat justone more level before bed. As those kidsgrew older the consoles were forced to

evolve in order to keep up withtheir changing interest and

ability. Part of the challengefor gaming companies was

to gauge this changeinterest and create

products to match it.Most of the kidswho once played

Atari and NEShave turnedthem in for

the new

and improved Playstation 2 and X-Box. After20 years the video game appeal remains,offering whole new levels of enjoyment.Adam Wratten, gaming columnist for TheMonitor, logs in over 55 hours of play aweek. The appeal to him was simple.

“ Fun, tons of fun,” said Wratten, 22. “A lotof my playtime is spent online and it’s thewhole communication thing. I’ve made a lotof friends online so that is also really cool.”

Wratten proudly admits to having ownednearly every popular console in the past, andstill finds himself using them on occasion. Inaddition to the long list of classic systems inhis collection he also currently owns aPlaystation 2, X-Box, Game Cube, and aGame Boy Advance. Since each of thesystems have their own exclusive game titlesit is key for gamers to own them all to enjoya full array of software.

Purchasing new equipment is an all toofamiliar ritual, as is the case with personalcomputers. Technology always demands thenewest version. But with new consolescomes better graphics, and although thevisual quality of games continues to improve,Wratten says that serious gamers don’t needthe visuals to be interested.

“With a lot of us the graphics don’t matterall that much because we’ve been aroundsince the little eight-bit games,” said Wratten.“So we get better graphics because peopleare going to expect it.”

Nintendo released the first eight-bit gameson the NES. Bits refer to how many pixelswill be contained in a certain area, and todaythe bit-rate ranges in the millions, accountingfor the great quality of picture compared tothat of games in the late 1970s. The GameBoy Advance (GBA) while lacking in visualcapability, still leads the industry in sales.According to sales reports, the GBA wasresponsible for 45 percent of the totalconsole sales. The GBA may be portableand have a wide variety of games but many

of them are re-releases of previousgames on the Super NES. Thosegames making a second

appearance on a different console show thatsolid game-play can withstand the test oftime.

“It’s portable and it’s easy,” said Wratten.“When the Game Boy first came out, it hadthe little green screen and it sold forever.”

Sports games such as the Madden seriesand Sega ESPN football serve to attractnewer audiences. Those games are able toappeal to the masses that would otherwisenot be playing, byestablishingfamiliarity withthings like profootball. For many, it is the idea of taking anotherwise worthless team to the Super Bowlto play as opposed to just watching.Unfortunately, for many teams, the virtualbowl will have to do.

“My officemate is a sports writer and that isall he plays,” said Wratten. “Those areprobably more attractive to those whowouldn’t play the role-playing games or thefirst-person shooters simply because it’ssomething they know and that is attracting alot of people as well.”

X-Box Live hopes to attract even moresports gamers by creating a massive onlinemulti-player environment that will allowplayers from all over the world to compete.For a reasonable yearly fee of $49.99gamers will be able to play any of the onlinecompatible games with players from Bostonto Bangladesh. To make things even moreinteresting national and local scores will beposted.

Sports games will not be the only types ofgames that can be played on this service.First-person shooters such as the highlyanticipated Halo 2 will be equipped to handlebattles between hundreds online. Wrattencould not be happier with the idea, sayingthat the online option will completely changethe difficulty of playing. In gaming terms,difficulty is good.

The video game industry, like any othertechnology, has been able to grow and adaptto changing times. Its fans have done the

same. Whether enjoying classic games on aportable console or trying to take theCowboys to a virtual Super Bowl, the publiccontinues to express solid interest. Still, it isunclear where the industry will go next.

“The mainstream crowd is people whowere playing back then and as they grow it isbecoming more popular with everyone else,”said Wratten. “They pick it up and try it outand say, ‘hey this is fun.’”

As people get the opportunity to play theyare able to see that games are simply madeto be fun. Wratten’s only fear is that in anincreased focus on quality graphics, solidgame-play will be lost.

“I think that as the generations pass weare kind of starting to lose quality of game-play.” For that information, only time will tell.

By DENNIS GARZAThe Pan American

Video games stand the test of time and challenges of change:From Pong to Halo, video games maintain their appeal over the span

of nearly three decades, attracting a wide variety of personalities

(Above) - JohnMadden’s NFL videogames are popularamong sports fanat-ics.

(Right) - Halo for theXBox console isregarded as one ofthe best first-personshooter games avail-able for any system.

October 23, 2003 arts & entertainment

Dirty Harry made my day. Clint Eastwood, the former

“Dirty Harry” star turneddirector, has created a newgem.

Eastwood had to worktriple shifts in his latestcrime-drama, acting as thefilms director, producer andcomposer, but his hard workwas not spent in vain. Themovie has received muchdeserved critical acclaim andOscar buzz.

While playing streethockey by the side of amiddle class Bostonneighborhood, the lives ofJimmy Markum, Dave Boyleand Sean Devine werechanged forever. Dave wasforced into a car by apsuedo-cop and molested bytwo men. As a result, theboys become emotionallyseparated, and twenty yearslater they are reunited by yetanother tragedy.

The plot to this “Sleepers-meets -The Sopranos” moviesurrounds Jimmy (SeanPenn), and the death of hiseldest daughter, Katie

(Emmy Rossum). The plotthickness when his formerchildhood friends come intothe picture. Sean (KevinBacon) is now the copinvestigating the murder, andDave (Tim Robbins) is thesuspected murdered.

The rising action of thisthriller is propelled byDave’s manic personality andobsession with the “wolvesand vampires” that molestedhim as a child. As theminutes of this 217 minutemovie pass, the audience islead to believe that he isKatie’s killer. Eventually,the nails on your fingers willbeg you to stop biting themas you eventually realizewho the murderer really is.

Rage maddens even themost lucid man and what theending has in store for youwill drop your jaw.

It should be mentionedthat former Mr. Madonna,Sean Penn, did anoutstanding job playing agrieving father, and hisperformance is Oscar-worthy.There is a particular scene inthe movie where Jimmy hasjust realized that Katie hasbeen murdered that brings

the viewers in the theater totears. I must admit that I hadto wipe my eyes a few times.It’s a shame that his actingabilities didn’t rub off on theMaterial Girl.

Another truly memorableperformance was that ofDave’s wife, Celeste Boyle,played by Marcia GayHarden. On the night ofKatie’s murder, Dave camehome wounded and bloodyand is torn between exposingwhat she thinks is the truthor protecting her husband.Harden won an Oscar in2001 and with a performancelike this one she might justadd another to her trophycase.

What I enjoyed most aboutthis movie is that ClintEastwood chooses not todelve into the death of Katieitself, but rather chooses toexpose the effects of acorrupted childhood.

This wasn’t just a murdermystery movie, it was a“mystic” movie that used atragedy to open the eyes ofits characters and theaudience. It certainly openedmine, and it will certainlyopen yours.

charge with the band.So far those who have experienced the

live music at Athena’s have enjoyedthemselves. Amanda Turrubiates,sophomore nursing major, has enjoyedlistening to the bands there.

"I am all about supporting the localbands," said Turrubiates. "At Athena’s the[live] music isn’t too loud, they separatethe music in another room so you can stilltalk with friends."

Saldana commented that he would liketo add more. He eventually wants to havean acoustic night, a poetry night, and anopen mic night. Currently Athena’s hours

of operation are 8 a.m. to midnightMonday thru Saturday. If/when businesspicks up Saldana would like to stay openuntil 2 a.m.

For those wondering what will happento the former Athena’s, it will soon openits doors again as a deli café featuringeverything that a coffee house has, alongwith everything that a deli has. This newplace will display pictures of the city ofMcAllen from the turn of the century.

"It’s going to be a European lookingcafé," said Saldana. "It’s going to be cool;it’s an old-fashioned yet modern-lookingcafé."

Athena’s is located on the corner of 16th and Beech streets in McAllen.Dulce Gonzalez/The Pan American

COFFEE continued from page 7By DÄGOBERTO PÉREZThe Pan American

Eastwood creates a ‘Mystic’ mystery ■ Video games . . . . . 8-9

■ Culture Club . . . . . . . 9

■ Movie review . . . . . 10ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 7

AroundTown

Mudvayne concertOct. 26Place: La Villa Real SpecialEvents Center, 1201 S.Bentsen Road, McAllenEvent: Rescheduled fromOct. 1, the musical groupMudvayne will perform, alsofeaturing the bands VShape Mind and Fingertight.Price: $23 for generaladmission.Phone: (956) 687-7121

Carnival of the GreatPumpkinOct. 25 at 6 p.m.Place: UTPA Field HouseEvent: Annual communityevent featuring a variety ofcontests and entertainmentincluding costume contestsand children’s activities.Phone: (956) 316-7991

Band concertOct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.Place: McAllen Civic CenterEvent: The McAllenSymphonic Band presentsits first concert of theseason with “A FallFestival,” a musical tributeto honor veterans andcelebrate the season.Price: Admission is $5.Phone: (956) 668-9740

Broadway showOct. 30 at 7:30 p.m.Place: McAllen Civic CenterEvent: The Broadwaymusical ‘Saturday NightFever’ comes to the Valleystage.Price: $30-35.

MusicalNov. 13-15, 20-22 at 7:30with 3 p.m. matinees onNov. 16 and 23Place: PSJA High SchoolPerforming Arts CentreEvent: The life and times ofsinger/song writer EllieGreenwich are celebrated inthe Broadway musical“Leader of the Pack: TheEllie Greenwich Musical.”Her sixties hits include“Chapel of Love,” “Do WahDiddy” and “Da-Do RonRon.”Phone: (956) 783-2252

Since the 1960s, coffeehouses have been popularwith the younger generation,as a meeting place to talkabout ideas ad life. Recentlythey are starting to offermore than just coffee andtalk.

There are also manyplaces that students can go ifthey want to get a cup ofcoffee. Lately such placeshave merged with otherbusinesses and most nolonger only sell coffee.Students can visit CoffeeZone, and also go toMoonbeans, where wallartwork is sold. At Hastingsstudents can read and buybooks and magazines whiledrinking coffee, and atQuips & Quotes they canshop while enjoying a freshcup of java.

E.J. Saldana, owner ofAthena’s, knows about thecoffee house business. Heknows that in order to besuccessful sometimes theyhave to offer more than just

the traditional fare. He hasbeen in business for aboutfive years. Saldana firstopened Athena’s in PortIsabel in order to learn aboutthe business. After a yearand a half he closed it andmoved to 10th street inMcAllen.

"After I really learned thebusiness I decided to moveAthena’s to McAllen," saidSaldana.

Even though many peopleare still not aware Athena’shas once again changed itslocation. Athena’s is nowlocated on the corner of 16thstreet and Beech inMcAllen. This new locationhas been in operation forabout four weeks. This newlocation differs from theformer one in that it offersmore than just the typicalsmoothies, coffee, lattes, andcappuccinos. Nowcustomers have a choice ofbuying hamburgers, hotdogs, pizzas, pickles, and avariety of other items. Eventhe interior decoration of thecoffee house has changed. Itnow has tables with stools,

lava lamps, and promos fordifferent concerts. Accordingto Saldana, Athena’s nowhas a modern feel.

"It has the feel of a ‘50sdiner with a modern andretro look," said Saldana.

Saldana also commentedthat his choice of the newlocation was not just purecoincidence. He was lookingfor a locale in an industrialarea of the city. He didn’twant his business to be in asimple strip mall whereeveryone looks the same.

"I picked this locationbecause it had a big cityfeel," said Saldana. "Thislocation is kind of out of theway, but it’s cool because itgives us an undergroundfeel."

Not only has Athena’schanged its image, but it hasalso added something new.There is now live music onFridays and Saturdays.Saldana commented that hewanted a place for showsand this new location isbigger and is fit for that.Music types so far includealternative, rock, and punk.

"It [Athena’s] is a placewhere local bands canshowcase their music on astage," said Saldana. "It’s avenue so we’re pretty muchopen to any type of music."

The bands are allowed toplay at Athena’s free of

charge. For those interestedin supporting local bands thecover charge ranges betweenthree to four dollars. Thecoffee house then splits theprofit from the night’s cover

Ten years ago, 4,000 religiousfollowers stood below La Virgen deGuadalupe at a ceremonial dedication.She stood 50 feet high, hands in holyprayer and her body glittering withthousands of tiny mosaic tiles.

The two-year project was completedand the Virgen statue was erected neara lake on a 60-acre ranch located inWindsor, Ohio, a city located just 40miles outside of Cleveland.

Professor Richard Hyslin and hiseight assistants were finished with astatue that would draw thousands ofvisitors to this 60-acre ranch, home ofthe Servants of Mary Center forPeace. The center was started by Benand Ed Heinz.

The Heinz couple were owners ofthe 60-acre ranch property until theyran into financial difficulty. Thecouple went bankrupt and lost theranch. They prayed to the rosary andin time, they were able to regain theirproperty.

With gratitude, the couple devotedthe land as a center for religiousgatherings. They created the Servantsof Mary Center for Peace and made acall to UTPA’s Hyslin, which initiatedthe two-year long project.

The telephone call to Hyslin wasmade in the evening from the Catholiccouple. They told him that they werein the market for an artist who wouldbuild them a 50-foot statue of theVirgen.

“I didn’t know who they were whenthey called. I was recommended tothem,” Hyslin said, “about this ideathat they had, I didn’t know what tothink, whether it was a hoax or a realinquiry.”

Hyslin quickly realized that it wasserious when he received a roundtripticket to Cleveland, Ohio.

“After that, I began to take it veryseriously,” he said.

He gathered a group of assistants, a

mixture of UTPA art students andalumni. They took the trip to Windsorwhere they would put the pieces of theVirgen together. His wife, Mary wouldaccompany the crew and make surethe crew was well fed.

Members of the team were, VicenteGarcia, Lauro Hinojosa, Ramiro Paz,Eloy Rodriguez, Ernesto Salazar, LuisValderas, Brian Wedgeworth andRhoda Wilson.

“Being apart of a team to build asculpture that size really inspired me.At 19, this experience made it clear tome that making large sculptures waswhat I was meant to do,” BrianWedgeworth said. He was a UTPAstudent who had taken his first art

class at the university in 1994, justbefore the project began.

An exhibit in the University Galleryfeatures the 10th anniversary of theproject with photos of the statue andcurrent artwork from the 8 artists andHyslin. The exhibit also includes shortbiographies and photo narratives ofthe crew and what they are doing now.

Rhoda Wilson is a member of thecrew who is now living in Clevelandwith her husband, whom she metwhile working on the Virgen project.She is currently working on arestoration project for a Church inOhio. “Art will never leave my life, nomatter what I am doing,” Wilson said.

Hyslin developed the exhibit thatwill run through Oct. 26. “Since it wasthe 10-year anniversary I thought itwould be a great idea to see wherethey are artistically. That was thewhole idea behind this show,” he said.

Hyslin is a sculptor and professor ofart at UTPA since 1967. His work isdrawn to several large-scale sculpturesand has received numerouscommissions for his art.

A recent commission involves a 20-foot bronze statue at the del Pradocenter in McAllen and is looking at avery special project in Simoa. It is astatue that will also be about the samesize as the statue in Ohio.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE:By DULCE GONZALEZThe Pan American

Coffee houses offering more than just java

Being a part of a team to build asculpture that size really inspired me.At 19, this experience made it clear tome that making large sculptures was

what I was meant to do.

“

“

- Brian Wedgeworth, artist

Local Coffee Houses** Athena’s Coffee House, McAllen

** Coffee Zone, McAllen & Edinburg** Kafecito’s, McAllen

** The Bean Cuisine, Mission** Moonbeans Coffee,

McAllen*Gloria Jean’s

Gourmet Coffees,McAllen

By AARON LOZANOThe Pan American

Professor, assistants’ work becomes an exhibit a decade later

See COFFEE page 10

October 23, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 6 October 23, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN

It’s something a lot of people do at least oncewhile in school. Sometimes they get caught,sometimes they don’t. Sometimes it happensbecause students are stressed, other times simplybecause they’re being lazy.

“It” is plagiarism. And new technology hasbeen a boon to those who would bend or breakthe rules to try and pass classes.

According to a survey in a recent issue ofU.S. News and World Report, 75 percent ofcollege students admitted to cheating at leastonce. For cheaters, 90 percent believe theyhaven’t been disciplined properly or will neverget caught. More and more are using the Internetto circumvent policy.

There is more. In a study of 4.500 high schoolstudents by Dr. Donald McCabe, an academicresearcher, 90 percent of the students whoplagiarized from the Internet also plagiarizedfrom written documents. Supposedly, manystudents know they aren’t supposed toplagiarize. Perhaps they don’t know what theword means. Here’s some help there. Thedefinition dictionary.com gives is:1) to use andpass off (the ideas or writings of another) asone's own and 2) to appropriate for use as one'sown passages or ideas from (another).

Now that’s established, how do institutions goabout detecting and punishing people who insiston being dishonest?

To detect plagiarism at the university level,there is a high-technology Internet softwareprogram that detects it calledTurnitin.com.Subscribed to by over 1,200 universitiesworldwide, this program scans submitteddocuments, turning all letters into numbers.

The documents are then digitally fingerprintedand compared to all of the billions of documents

and writings on the Internet as well as thoseavailable on the Turnitin.com database. Thisallows the system to pinpoint anything that hasbeen “borrowed” without citation or permission.

Then, in anywhere from just seconds to about10 minutes, the papers are returned to thesubscriber, labeling the parts of his/her students’documents that match another similar work thatit could have possibly been plagiarized from. Itis left up to the professor to decide whether toaccuse students of plagiarism.

Of course, here at UTPA, students plagiarizejust like anywhere else. But the university doesnot have Turnitin.com.

Christine Carruthers, UTPA director ofJudicial Affairs, said at the current time UTPAdoes not subscribe to Turnitin.com as aninstitution. Although this service is useful, mostplagiarism can be detected by simply tying asentence that looks suspicious into www.google.com

So maybe Turnitin.com is a great workingmodern software, but for UTPA, search engineswork just fine.

“I use a search engine to discover anysuspected plagiarism. This year I haven't hadany papers plagiarized, although the nature ofmy essay assignments makes it difficult to doso,” said Jerry Polinard, professor of politicalscience. “They're analytical essays rather thanreports.”

Among the search engines available on theInternet, google.com is one of the most widelyused by UTPA professors, Carruthers said.

“Google does a god job of scanning for thatsentence and usually brings up several sourceswhere the material may have been taken from,”she said. “By using a search engine such asGoogle it picks up on the paper mills where youcan buy papers very quickly.”

At UTPA, the general penalty for a student

caught plagiarizing a paper for the first time isan ‘F’ in the course and forced completion of theMITT CD-ROM program on academicdishonesty. The CD-ROM teaches studentplagiarists about integrity and how to makechoices. They also learn what constitutesplagiarism because, as stated, a lot of studentsdon’t understand, according to Carruthers.

There are three levels of appeal for studentsaccused of plagiarism. The first level is by theprofessor. If the student doesn’t agree with hispunishment or sanction, then next up is the deanof students. If neither the professor nor dean canmake a decision, then the case will go to theUniversity Hearing Officer, who hears the caseand makes the final decision.

A student can be suspended if the behaviorcontinues in other classes.

“Last year, by most UTPA professors usinggoogle.com to test essays and research papers,they found 19 students to be charged forplagiarism. This school year seven have alreadybeen found,” said Carruthers.

More and more students are starting to getcaught here at UTPA, probably more than everbefore with increasing enrollment and theawareness of the faculty. At the current time, theDean of Students Office is communicating withthe faculty in this issue, discussing differentmethods to take when students are cheating, andthe process to follow once they find that astudent has plagiarized.

Campus cheats may find tougher restrictionsBy JULIAN CAVAZOSThe Pan American

For someone who has receivednumerous accolades, including the highlyregarded Chancellor’s award, Dr. HassanAhmad, professor of chemistry, choosesnot to hang any plaques on his bare walls.Instead, they are placed on the verybottom of his bookshelf.

However, the Chancellor’s CouncilOutstanding Teaching Award was notpresented to him in the form of a plaque.Ahmad received a thick envelopecontaining $5,000 and the prestige thataccompanies an award presented to onefaculty member from each of theacademic components in the Universityof Texas system. One less plaque for thebottom of his shelf, but one of manyachievements for Ahmad.

Aside from getting the award earlierthis semester, he was also nameddepartment chair in September. But withall the accomplishments he has achievedsince joining the university in 1992,Ahmad still faces an academic systemdifferent then the one he was used to inIndia.

“I think the biggest challenge for me is

due to the fact that I was born, raised,and educated in a system which isdifferent from this system, where thewhole academic system is different,” saidAhmad.

Ahmad got his bachelor’s degree inchemistry at AligarhMuslim University in1973 in Aligarh,India. This is wherehe also received hisMaster’s degree,Ph.D., and part of hispost-doctoral training.

But he did not getinto teaching rightaway. He had nevereven consideredteaching.

Ahmad’s area ofexpertise is research.One of his bestexperiences wasduring post-graduatetraining in Germany. According toAhmad, the people were friendly andwould go out of their way to help himwith his research studies.

After spending a year and a half inGermany, Ahmad transferred to the

University of Texas Medical Branch inGalveston. There he worked in theDepartment of Human Biology,Chemistry, and Genetics.

Doing research in Galveston, heworked mainly from what he calls “soft

money,” or grants. Inworking with grants,he was financiallysecure only for thetimespan of thegrant. Part of thereason why he beganteaching was thestability.

Professor ofbiology MohammedFarooqui also workedin Galveston beforeteaching at UTPA.Ahmad said it wasFarooqui thataffirmed his decisionto begin teaching.

From there, he became an assistantprofessor in 1992. Four years later he wasgranted tenure and promoted to associateprofessor. In 2002 he was promoted tofull professor.

Throughout his life, Ahmad has

published more than 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented 50papers in national and internationalmeetings. He has received numerousgrants, including $210,000 from theNational Institute of Health to promoteminority students’ participation atdoctoral levels, as well as, $850,000 ingrants from National Institute of Healthto carry out basic research in area ofcancer research.

He may be research-focused, butacademically he in slouch, havingreceived over 91 percent Excellent toGood evaluation ratings from students inthe last 10 years of teaching.

Ahmad attributes his success in theclassroom to being friendly to students.He said he tries to go to their levelinstead of asking students to come to his.He wants them to feel comfortable inasking questions so he engages studentsin conversation when possible.

“The point is that you make adifference in somebody’s level ofunderstanding,” said Ahmad. “Especiallywhen you look at the comments that youget, the feedback from the students in theevaluations, that’s probably the mostrewarding.”

By CHRISTINA HARRISThe Pan American

Chemistry professor enjoys banner yearCDL CommentsTo the editor:My compliments to Clarissa Martinez

for a well-written, well-researched storyon the problems created by theburgeoning enrollment at UTPA. It’s niceto be a part of a dynamic school that isgrowing in so many ways.

Assistant Vice President DennisMcMillan made the assertion that “Weneed to start thinking outside the box.”Please allow me to go a bit further outsidethe box. We need to explore greater use ofthe Internet as a means of alleviatingsome of our current problems.

Classroom scheduling - Manyprofessors now teach “blended” courses.While much of their teaching is done in

the traditional way, up to two-thirds of acourse could be taught on the Internet. Bystudents having to come to campus onlyonce a week rather than three times aweek, the university can make better useof available classrooms. Extensive use ofsuch a practice could free up a lot ofclassroom space.

Working students - The studentpopulation at UTPA is unique in that somany students work. That creates greatdifficulty in finding courses that matchwork schedules. But over 7,000 studentsat UTPA now use WebCT to take all orpart of their coursework online. Withonline courses, students needn’t have tocobble their work and school schedulestogether. Online courses allow students to

sit down at a computer when their dailyschedule permits. No computer at home?Come to campus and use one of the 24-7computer labs - no parking problem atnight.

Parking problems - Taking onlinecourses means you don’t have to come tocampus. So much for finding a parkingspot, or paying for a permit. Use themoney you would have used for thepermit to pay for a $10 per month Internetaccount.

Finally, if you have never taken anonline course, you probably think it issome sort of electronic correspondencecourse, devoid of human contact andinteraction. You could not be more wrong.We have many excellent professors at

UTPA who make their classes fun,demanding, and interactive. Try a physicalscience course from Dr. RubenMazariegos, or a history course from Dr.Chris Miller, or an accounting coursefrom Dr. Wig DeMoville, or a senior leveleducation course from Dr. JonellaKimmel, or a Music Appreciation Coursefrom Dr. Wendell Davis, or a BusinessManagement course from Dr. DavidSturges, or a linguistics course from Dr.Pamela-Mejias. There are more.

Let’s really think outside the box - infact, let’s think outside the campus.

Sincerely,Douglas Young

Director, Center for Distance Learning

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

A brand new and interestinganthropology course will make its debutnext spring, when “Archaeology ofAncient Egypt” will be taught here atUTPA.

Dr. Thomas Pozorski, professor ofanthropology and archaeologist, will beteaching the course. He also doesMexican and South American archaeologyand culture for the anthropologydepartment, and thinks that the latestaddition will work out well.

“[The course] has never been taughthere. I’ve been thinking about teachingthis course for several years,” Pozorskisaid. “I think it will probably be a popularclass.”

The course is cross-listed in theanthropology section of the 2004 springclass schedule announcement as an upper-level and graduate level course. Pozorskisaid there are only 25 openings for itbecause he wanted to teach it as adetailed upper-level class.

“I am hoping people will be interestedin taking the course,” Pozorski said.“From what I have heard, the class isfilling up [quickly].”

Nicole Martinez, a double-major inanthropology and psychology, said shewas looking forward to taking“Archaeology of Ancient Egypt” nextsemester.

“Egypt has always been one of myfascinations and I am extremely excitedabout taking this course. I’ve always beenintrigued about the romanticism of thearchaeology in Egypt,” Martinez said. “Ihoping to learn the actuality ofdiscovering all the treasures of Egypt.”

If the course fills up for the springsemester Pozorski said he will probablyoffer to teach it every year in the spring.He prepared for the subject byresearching the history of ancient

Egyptian archaeology and culture. He hadalso taken a few courses in Egyptology inthe past.

“I am trying to develop parts of thecourse with certain aspects that will bemore interesting, such as the Egyptianpyramid [architecture], religion, andmedical knowledge,” Pozorski said. “Itwill be interesting course, after havingbeen to Egypt [twice], it made adifference.

I am still structuring it, because it ishard to cover everything in one semester.”

The focus of the course will be on thefirst 3,000 years of Egyptianarchaeological history

starting with outstanding preservationssuch as the temples, pyramids, tombs,mummification, hieroglyphs, and religion.

Pozorski conducts annual excavationsin Peru with his wife, Dr. Sheila Pozorski

and the archaeological methods they useare similar to the ones Egyptologyarchaeologists employ in Egypt.

Pozorski said there are pros and consabout excavating in Egypt.

“There are small variations [inmethodology]. In Peru there is betterpreservations. The downside in Egypt isthe Nile flood plane, houses and remainsgot buried or have disintegrated becauseof the silt,” Pozorski said. “What wasknown as Ancient Memphis is gone, onlya few statues are left.”

The upside to Egyptian archaeology arethe temples and the pyramids which areremarkably preserved. But the tombs havesuffered from looting, Pozorski added.

“I am looking forward to teaching thecourse and I am anticipating questions,because I think people are fascinated byEgyptian history,” Pozorski said.

Pozorski class will showcase Egyptian digsBy BELINDA REYESThe Pan American

Special to The Pan American

WRITING ON THE WALL— (Top) Pharoah Tutankhamen and his wife Ankhesenpaaten are depictedin this relief along with his elaborately decorated sarcophagus (right) found in his tomb.

The point is that youmake a difference insomebody’s level ofunderstanding. Especiallywhen you look at thecomments that you get, thefeedback from the studentsin the evaluations, that’sprobably the mostrewarding.

““

- Dr. Hassan Ahmad,Professor of chemistry

Avoiding Plagiarizm

On preparing to write your paper

Consult with your instructor if you are unsure if you are plagiarizing. Plan how you are going to use your sources in your paper. Take effective notes so you have enough information organized.

On writing your paper

When in doubt of plagiarizm, site your sources. State clearly WHO said WHAT to clearly separate your ideas. Know how to paraphrase correctly.

Source: turnitin.com

October 23, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 5October 23, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN

Once again, the money is out there forthose willing to put in the time to apply. TheFord Foundation is now acceptingapplications for the Minority FellowshipAward, available to all pre-doctoral,dissertation, and postdoctoral students.

The fellowship is sponsored by the FordFoundation and administered by the NationalResearch Council of the National Academies.According to the Ford Fellowship website, thefoundation was founded in 1936, and operatedas a local philanthropy in Michigan until1950, when it expanded to become a nationaland international foundation.

Since its inception it has been anindependent, nonprofit, non-governmentalorganization that provides students witheducational resources. Ithas provided more than$12 billion for grants,projects and loans,earning a reputationas one of the mostvaluableorganizations tominorities . Thesefunds derive from aninvestment portfoliothat began with giftsand bequests of FordMotor Companystock by Henry andEasel Ford.

The foundation nolonger owns FordMotor Companystock, and insteadprovides a perpetualsource of support for the foundation'sprograms and operations.

Approximately 60 pre-doctoral, 35dissertation, and 20 postdoctoral fellowshipswill be awarded in the 2004 year for thoseminority students who are planning a career inteaching and researching at the college oruniversity level.

Eligibility for all fellowships requires thatthe graduate student must be a citizen ornational of the United States (must havebecome a citizen by the application deadlinedate) and a member of the following groups:Alaska Natives (Eskimo or Aleut)Black/African Americans, MexicanAmericans/Chicanas/Chicanos, NativeAmerican Indians, Native Pacific Islanders(Polynesian/Micronesian) or Puerto Ricans.

Individuals must also be enrolled in orplanning to enroll in a research-based Ph.D. or

Sc.D program in one of the following fields:archaeology, anthropology, art history,astronomy, chemistry, communication,computer science, earth sciences, economics,engineering, ethnomusicology, geography,history, international relations, life sciences,linguistics, literature, language, mathematics,performance study, philosophy, physics,political science, psychology, religion,sociology, and urban planning.

According to Dolores Villarreal, UTPAscholarship coordinator, the office has postedinformation about the Ford FoundationFellowship but hasn’t seen a lot of interest yet.

"Since the fellowship only offers awards forthose graduate students in those specific fieldsof studies, it makes it very limited to ourstudents here on campus because UTPA onlyhas doctoral programs in the colleges ofbusiness and education," stated Villarreal.

There is also a co-op program inpharmacy.

Villarreal added,"The informationabout the FordFoundationFellowship isposted at theFinancial Aidoffice at UTPA incase any of ourcurrent studentswant to get theirdoctorate inanother field we donot offer here atUTPA, they areinformed anyhow."

In the future,Villarreal predicts the

university will continue to grow, adding moregraduate programs as it does so.

Though the website actually explains inbold letters it will not award for thosegraduate students doing their research orteaching in the business or education field,UTPA students should check it out ifinterested.

There are program officers representing theFord Foundation in the United States, Africa,the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, andRussia. They explore opportunities to pursuethe foundation's goals, formulate strategiesand recommend proposals for funding.

Graduate students who are interested in theFellowship for Minorities 2004 Program cancomplete and submit an application from thewebsite at www.http://national-academies.org/fellowships to see completeeligibility requirements.

By VANESSA L. LUCIOThe Pan American

Predoctoral Fellowships forMinorities- Nov. 19, 2003

Dissertation Fellowships forMinorities- Dec. 3, 2003

Postdoctoral Fellowships forMinorities- Dec. 17, 2003

Source: Ford Foundation

APPLICATION DEADLINES:

There are over 100 professors teaching theirclasses online, and over 8,000 students on thiscampus who use WebCT in one way or another.It is a well-known fact that the majority ofalmost 16,000 university students arecommuters and many have jobs as well.

To account for these technological realities,the university has attempted to facilitatelearning for all of its students; one way to dothis is to propose more online courses. On Oct.9 UTPA faculty met for the first time to discussfuture and alternative teaching methodologies.“Technology Innovations in Higher Education”was presented by the Center for DistanceLearning as the first of two presentations thissemester to inform and educate faculty of theendless possibilities using technology can havein their classrooms.

“We are trying to build a community of thesepeople, trying to get them together and seewhat’s cool, gain ideas, learn from each other,”said Doug Young, director of CDL . “As asupport staff we just sat back and hosted, we puton the party, that’s why we had a facultyprofessor do the presentation,” she added.

The ever-growing need for expansion andimprovement in technology in today’sacademic world shows in thenumbers. When UTPA started offeringonline courses in 1999, there werefour totally online courses with 140students. By last spring there were 27completely online courses with 709students. According to Young, thatsounds pretty good, but the reality isfar from it.

“Compared to the rest of thecountry, UTPA is not doing badly, butwe are not really up there,” admittedYoung.

By fall of last year, 11 percent of allU.S. higher education students took atleast one online course. That’s 578000 students. At UTPA it was onlyone-half of 1 percent who took thecourses online. The numbers arerather staggering and that is whyYoung and different faculty from theuniversity are endeavoring to educatefaculty on the worth of addingtechnology to their lesson plans.

“We are going to do this twice asemester, feed them every time. Ournext meet will take place inNovember and we will announce it,”said affirmed Young. We want to havethe problem of having so many ofthem we don’t know how to handlethem, but we want to do is maketechnology and education mainstreaminstruments,” he finished.

One of the goals is to get UTPA upthere with the well-known schools like

Harvard, Duke, and Columbia and offercomplete programs online. A good number ofthe faculty is already interested. However, thepurpose at UTPA is a little different- a lot ofschools are looking for students all over theworld. The Valley school’s focus is on Valleystudents, who have to work and still come toschool when they find the time.

“It’s hard for me for to make it to classsometimes. I have to work to pay my bills andkeep coming to school,” said UTPA juniorSteve Nichols. “It becomes a hassle having todrive all the way to Edinburg and not find aparking space, or have to wait to add the rightcourses or even worse, when I finally get toclass there is no where to sit!”

The CDL wants the students to know thatthey are there to help and want to make it allabout access and availability. Young commentedon the challenges and setbacks of getting thisprogram and its concept on wheels. He said thatthe only thing keeping them back is the need forapproval of certain key personnel.

Teaching Online for Higher Education isoffered free to any faculty member, even inSpanish. Faculty from Miami, Puerto Rico,Houston, San Antonio and UTPA are alreadyenrolled. Even two faculty teachers fromVietnam are taking this course.

Sessions teach Web prowessBy HILDA MORALESThe Pan American

There are many reasons people attend a four-year university rather than a technical

college. Often they want to maximize theability to get a job not covered by a technicaldegree. They may decide that a four-year degreeis more sought after, so more valuable.

Whatever the reason, a great way for studentsat a four-year institution is to land an internship,to test the waters, gain experience, and makecontacts for after graduation.

The University of Texas-Pan American has aCo-op program that seeks to build internship

relations with many of the leading industries inthe state and nation. Television networksTelemundo and Univision, U.S. Marshalls, andthe Hispanic Chamber of Commerce are a fewof the organizations the university is affiliatedwith. If students are interested in working with acertain company, the university will try toestablish a program with the company. Anystudent carrying 30 college credit hours or morewith a minimum 2.0 GPA is eligible for theseopportunities.

Susie Chapa, Cooperative Educationcoordinator, helps guide students interested inobtaining internships. She was involved in aninternship herself as a student, and says, “I tell

students they must do at least one internshipbecause it's going to give them experience,exposure, and also help them decide if this iswhat they want to do as a future career."

Some internships are paid but many are not.Some can be done for college credit. Themajority of them last between eight and 12weeks, and can lead to full-time employment orextended internship duties.

Chapa obtained her internship in Huntsville,Texas with the Judicial District in theCommunity Justice Assistance Division. Thisexperience opened many doors for her career, aslater she became a probation officer and was theonly Hispanic certified court translator for the

Texas Department of Criminal Justice. “Prepare ahead of time, even if you do not

have 30 hours, get prepared," said Chapa inreference to the undergraduates of UTPA. Ofteninternships take months to arrange, so studentslooking to find one in a day or week seldom arerewarded.

The Cooperative Education program offersresume writing help, mock interviews, andworkshops on dining etiquette to train studentsfor the challenges they will face when lookingfor “pre-work work.”

For more information on internships andcooperative education, contact Susie Chapa at956) 381-2781 or e-mail at [email protected].

By MARIAALEJANDRA MAZARIEGOSThe Pan American

Internships promise practice time in real-world work settings

reduction in funds only affects our newstudents. It is very important for studentscurrently receiving the TEXAS grant tomaintain their eligibility by meeting theprogram progress requirements.“

“The TEXAS Grant program at UTPA is stilla very strong program assisting over 3,000students at UTPA with over $10 million,”Alvarado said.

UTPA offers mandatory TEXAS Grantworkshops throughout the year to informrecipients about how to maintain their grant.The workshops also provide students withimportant resources on campus to help them be

successful financially and educationally.“We have also been quite active in contacting

the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Boardand state legislators about the importance of theTEXAS grant program and the need for morefunding,” Alvarado said. “We know howimportant these funds are to our students andwill continue to do our best in trying to securemore funding for this program.”

According to a recent article in The DallasMorning News, the grant amounts are based onthe average tuition around the state. This meansthat the higher tuition is raised the feweramount of students will be able to be awarded

the grant. The article also stated that university officials

say the grant shortage hurt the very students thatmust be helped to meet the goals of Closing theGaps, a state effort to enroll 500,000 moreTexans into college by 2015.

Nearly 60 percent of the TEXAS Grantrecipients are minority students and arecurrently the most underrepresented group inhigher education in Texas. This includes theever growing Hispanic population. Eightypercent of UTPA students get some sort offinancial aid, compared to 60 percentnationwide. The university, along with most

around the state, hs announced tuition raises forthe coming year. UTPA’s will go up $6.A studyby the College Board found tuition and fees atfour-year public schools was 14 percent more in2003 and 47 percent more than in 1993.

Compared to other universities such as TheUniversity of Texas-El Paso, UTPA has beenable to support more students than it rejects.UTEP had 1,300 freshmen who qualified for thegrant but did not receive it this year. WhileUTPA seemed to limit the number of recipients,the Rio Grande Valley might be one of the fewareas in which the grant will not become as oneperson remarked, “A broken promise.”

GRANT continued from page 1

SMOKING FACTSTobacco Use in Texas

Adults in Texas who smoke: 21.9% (3,277,000)

Packs of cigarettes bought or smoked by young adultseach year: 62.2 million

Adults who die each year from their own smoking: 24,100

Adults, children and babies who dies each year from others’ smoking (secondhand smoke and pregnancy smoking): 2,520 to 4,480

Source: TRUST For a Smoke-Free Texas

major who wished to remain anonymous said that hedoes think that there should be some prohibitions oncampus where smoking is concerned.

“I think you should not allow smoking everywhereon campus,” he said. “It not only gives the campus abad image, but it can also make people veryuncomfortable to be around.”

An English major who also remained anonymoussaid he started smoking at 15 simply because he didnot know any better. He also sees his smoking as aslight negative and wants to stop mostly for healthreasons.

According to a study found by the National Centeron Addiction and Substance Abuse at ColumbiaUniversity (CASA) a child is nine times more likely totry smoking if their friends smoked cigarettes asopposed to nonsmokers.

As reported in the September 2003 issue of thejournal, Tobacco Control, a survey showed that mostcollege students speaking about smoking on campusfavored policies ranging from banning smoking in alldormitories and campus buildings to prohibiting thesale or advertising of tobacco products on campus.

Support for all of these policies was stronger among

nonsmokers, but even smokers favored makingcollege buildings smoke-free and did not feel tobaccocompany advertising and sponsorship of campusevents were positive for their college.

Though students still have the ability to purchasecigarettes and other tobacco products at a localconvenience store or carry them around in theirvehicles, tobacco is not sold at the UTPA campus.

Carolina Huerta, chair of the Nursing Department,said she believes that cigarettes should not be sold oncampus.

"Lung cancer is the number one cancer death causerin males and the statistics for women are catching upto that," Huerta said. “It is also the number two type ofcancer [for] the cause of deaths in women. It is nolonger a question whether smoking and lung cancerare related: they are.”

Lopez admitted to smoking a cigarette once in awhile since he was in high school, but does not see areal problem with cigarettes being sold on campus.

“I’m not really a smoker per-se,” he said. “I’ll buma cigarette from someone once in a while, but I don’tbuy packs for myself. If the university wants to sellcigarettes on campus, sure, why not?”

SMOKING continued from page 1

Ford Foundation cashavailable for graduates

UTPA placement specialist LourdesServantes believes students have the powerto overcome the psychological phenomenonknown as person perception whenever theyapply for a job.

Person perception is part of a branch ofpsychology examining how physical looksaffect an individual’s life. Recent studies inthe field, show that physically attractivepeople enjoy a variety of extra benefits atschool, the workplace, and in life in general.Higher school grades and salaries are amongthe most common perks some people get,thanks to their beauty.

In his article “The Importance of BeingBeautiful,” sociologist Sidney Katzexplained that people who are more faciallysymmetrical and stand over six feet tall areassumed to have a more positive characterand personality than those without thesefeatures. Social scientists refer to thiscondition as the “halo effect.”

On the other hand, people who fall underthe “horns effect” because of their physicalunattractiveness are often believed to have aquestionable character.

“[Physical attractive people] just appearmore approachable,” Servantes said.“Regardless of whether you think about it ornot, you’re just naturally drawn to thinkingthey are friendlier.”

UTPA psychology professor Dr. RussellEisenman explains this may be the casebecause of society’s high regard of height.

“Tall implies strong and powerful,”

Eisenman said. “Once you think those goodthings about a person it makes you thinkother good things about that same personlike thinking he or she is the ideal candidatefor a job.”

As Katz writes in his article, according tovarious sources such as personnel agenciesand a study of university graduates by theWall Street Journal, people over six feet tall,especially men, tend to get hired moreeasily. Moreover, once the tall malecandidates landed the job, they also tendedto be promoted more easily. They alsoearned 12 percent more than their shortercolleagues.

A recent article in Forbes magazineanalyzed the halo and horns effect in regardto universities. The study revealed thatprofessors who were rated highest bystudents were physically attractive males.

In a way, says Katz, it makes sense thatthis is the case, since whenever someonebeautiful is in front of an audience or aperson, he or she will get more attentionthan someone who is not as good-looking.This is not to suggest that good-lookingpeople make better professors, but it is justthat students - like any other people - arenaturally attracted to beauty, and tend toregard people who posses it as naturalleaders.

As far as the job market goes, Servantesbelieves the horns effect can be overcome byimproving one’s professional appearance.

“Even if you’ve got that whole cutie piething going for you it makes a difference ifyou show up to a job interview in a suit asopposed to a T-shirt and jeans,” she said.

October 23, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 4

Dr Kenneth BuckmanPhilosophy Professor

The Yankees will win much to youreternal sorrow.

Chris GonzalezInternational BusinessJunior

Yankees, because they always winand they have a Japanese player ontheir team.

Hugo Garza Criminal JusticeFreshman

The Yankees. They are determinedand they don’t give up. As anexample when they were losing to theRed Sox’s team, they had a goodcomeback.

Who do you predict will winthe World Series?

Linda FloresInternational Business Eco/ FinanceJunior

The Yankees have shown to have greatpotential and resistance.

VOICECCaammppuuss

Alyssa Carmona MarketingSenior

Yankees. When they beat the Red Sox itwas a challenge and I think they havewhat it takes to win the World Seriesagainst the Florida Marlins

By LUIS SAAVEDRAThe Pan American

Study suggests looksreally are important

Elizabeth Padilla/The Pan American

REMINDER— A sign in the Quad this week is part of the campus campaign toshow the harmful potential effects of alcohol use.

October 23, 2003 Sports

Netemeyer namedplayer of week

The University of Texas-Pan American volleyballteam has another playermaking headlines.

Outside hitter CathiNetemeyer was named co-Independent OffensivePlayer of the Weekby NCAADivision I volleyball schools.

The Los Fresnos standouthad a combined 45 kills inUTPA’s losses to UTSA andConnecticut.

Netemeyer had her thirdconsecutive match with 20or more kills againstConnecticut.

Women’s tenniseliminated

UTPA’s women’s tennisteam was eliminated Sundayfrom the ITA SouthwestRegionals held at TexasChristian University.

Freshman VanessaHedinger fell to Bindiya ofArkansas-Little Rock in aconsolation match.

Sophomore Elysia Sloan

also lost in the consolationround. Sloan fell to YessicaRizella of SoutheasternLouisiana.

The Lady Broncs droppedboth doubles matches.

UTPA will participate inthe UTSA Fall InvitationalOct. 31.

Small collegeteams thrive

While most of the majorTexas universities have fall-en on hard times lately, acadre of Lone Star teamsare faring better in 2003.

Texas has lost toOklahoma, Texas Tech toOklahoma State, and TexasA&M to just about everyone,it seems. But old standbyTexas A&M-Kingsville (5-1)is clicking right along at No.5 in the latest Division IIpoll. Tarleton State inStephenville is 22nd in thatpoll.

SMU is winless, Rice hasone victory, and Baylor isstill a bottom feeder in theBig 12. But Mary Hardin-Baylor, unbeaten at 6-0, isfourth in the nation in the

current Division III poll, withTrinity (San Antonio) 12thand Hardin-Simmons 16th.Both are 5-1 so far. EastTexas Baptist received votesbut not enough to break intothe top 25.

Valdosta (Ga.) State isnumber one in Division II,while Mount Union is first inDivision III. Both are tradi-tional powers as is TAMUK,winner of six national titles.

Soccer clubholds practices

The Real SociedadFootball (soccer) Club iscurrently holding open prac-tices for anyone who wantsto learn the basics of soc-cer, the “world’s game.”

The club’s next practice isscheduled for Oct. 23 andOct. 30 from 7 p.m. to 9p.m.at the Recreation-Sports fields next to BroncVillage.

For more information, con-tact Jesse Martinez [email protected] club is located on the2nd floor of the UniversityCenter.

SPORTS CLIPBOARD

2003 CHL StandingsNorthwest W L OTL PTSOklahoma City 2 1 0 4Tulsa 1 1 1 3New Mexico 1 1 0 2Colorado 1 1 0 2Wichita 1 1 0 2Northeast W L OTL PTSMemphis 2 0 0 4Indianapolis 1 0 0 2Bossier-Shreveport 1 1 0 2Fort Worth 0 1 0 0Southwest W L OTL PTSSan Angelo 2 0 0 4Lubbock 1 0 0 2Amarillo 0 1 0 0Odessa 0 3 0 0Southeast W L OTL PTSLaredo 1 0 0 2Austin 1 0 0 2Corpus Christi 0 1 1 1RGV Killer Bees 0 1 1 1

NFL Week Eight ScheduleAway Home Date TimeCarolina New Orleans Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.Dallas Tampa Bay Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.Detroit Chicago Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.Seattle Cincinnati Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.Tennessee Jacksonville Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.Cleveland New England Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.Denver Baltimore Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.N.Y. Giants Minnesota Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.St. Louis Pittsburgh Oct. 26 1:00 p.m.San Francisco Arizona Oct. 26 4:05 p.m.Houston Indianapolis Oct. 26 4:15 p.m.N.Y. Jets Philadelphia Oct. 26 4:15 p.m.Buffalo Kansas City Oct. 26 8:30 p.m.Miami San Diego Oct. 27 9 p.m.

Valley High SchoolFootball

District 31-4A Record OverallPSJA High 3-0 4-2Sharyland 3-1 7-1Edinburg 2-1 5-1Mission 2-1 3-3Mission Vet. 1-3 1-6PSJA Mem. 1-3 1-7Roma 0-3 1-6

District 32-4A Record OverallBro. Porter 4-0 7-0Edcouch-Elsa 4-0 5-2Harlingen S. 2-1 3-4Mercedes 1-2 3-3Los Fresnos 1-3 3-4Weslaco East 0-3 1-6Bro. López 0-3 0-6

District 31-5A Record OverallEconomedes 4–0 5–1PSJA North 3–1 6–1McAllen High 3–1 4–2La Joya 2–2 4–3Nikki Rowe 2–2 4–2McAllen Mem. 2–2 2–5Edinburg North 0–4 2–4RGC 0–4 1–5

District 32-5 Record OverallBro. Rivera 3-1 4-4Harlingen 2-1 3-3Bro. Hanna 2-1 5-2Bro. Pace 2-2 3-4Donna 2-2 5-3San Benito 1-2 3-3Weslaco 0-3 0-6

Week 8 Schedule

Thursday, Oct. 23District 31-5AMcAllen High at Edinburg NorthDistrict 32-4AWeslaco East at Harlingen SouthFriday, Oct. 24District 31-5AEdinburg Economedes at McAllen Mem.Nikki Rowe at La JoyaPSJA North at Río Grande CityDistrict 32-5ABro. Hanna at Bro. RiveraBro. Pace at Harlingen HighSan Benito at WeslacoOpen Date: DonnaDistrict 31-4AMission Memorial at Edinburg HighPSJA High at Mission HighRoma at SharylandOpen Date: PSJA MemorialDistrict 32-4ABro. Porter at MercedesBro. López at Los FresnosOpen Date: Edcouch-ElsaDistrict 32-3APort Isabel at La FeriaLyford at Río HondoProgreso at RaymondvilleOpen Date: HidalgoDistrict 32-2ALa Villa at BanquetePremont at Santa RosaTAPPSMarine Academy at SA AntonianVictoria St. Joseph at Bro. St. JosephAll games are at 7:30 p.m.

Valley Football Top 10

Team Record Pvs1. Bro. Porter 7-0 12. Economedes 5-1 43. La Feria 6-0 34. PSJA North 6-1 85. Economedes 5-2 96. Bro. Rivera 4-4 NR7. Sharyland 7-1 28. PSJA 4-2 NR9. Lyford 4-3 NR10 Port Isabel 4-3 NR

Note: Poll by The Valley Morning Star

Upcoming UTPASchedule

Friday, Oct. 24Men’s tennis at Omni Hotel ITASouthwest RegionalSaturday, Oct. 25Volleyball at TAMUCC, 1 p.m.Men’s tennis at Omni Hotel ITASouthwest RegionalSunday, Oct. 26Men’s tennis at Omni Hotel ITASouthwest Regional

UTPA Men's FlagFootball

Top 10 W LVipers 2 0The Bucs 2 0Iron Maiden Again 2 0Xacutioners 2 0Meat Heads 2 0Stallions 2 0Team DU 2 0Gamblers 0 1Metal Militia 0 1Mudd Dawgs 0 1

Wildcard Playoff ScheduleWednesday, Oct. 22Metal Militia vs. Mudd Dawgs, lateTeam DU vs. Gamblers, late

Quarterfinals ScheduleMonday, Oct. 27Vipers vs. M. Militia/M. Dawgs, 7Meat Heads vs. Iron Maiden, 8Xacutioners vs. Stallions, 9Wednesday, Oct. 29The Bucs vs. Gamblers/Team DUSemifinals, Oct. 29, 8 and 9Championship, Nov. 3, 7

UTPA Co-RecVolleyball

TournamentTeams W LConcise 2 0Tigers 2 0Vipers 2 0Troopers 2 0H&K 1 1Bulls 1 1Trojans 1 1The Bhats 1 1Phi Kaps 1 1KAT/Phi Sigs 0 2Team Extreme 0 2

ScheduleThursday, Oct. 23Vipers vs. Troopers, NoonTigers vs. Concise, 12:30Trojans vs. The Bhats, 12:30

UTPA Co-RecSoccer

TournamentTeams W LA. San Pancho 1 1The Beaners 0 1Los Diablos Rojos 0 1Lopez Tires Club 1 0Party Boys 0 0La Pandilla 1 0Real Banil 1 0Warriors 1 0Wrecking Crew 0 2

Results and schedule

Tuesday, Oct. 21A. San Pancho 1, Wreck. Crew 0Real Banil 2, The Beaners 1Thursday, Oct. 23La Pandilla vs. Diablos Rojos, 4Lopez Tires Club vs. Warriors, 5Tuesday, Oct. 28Lopez Tires vs. La Pandilla, 4The Beaners vs. Wreck. Crew, 5

All games P.M. unless noted.

Mexican Soccer League

Team W - D - L GF:GA PTS Scorer / Team GTigres 8 - 3 - 2 27:14 27 A. Fernandes, MTY 10U.A.G. 8 - 2 - 4 23:17 26 C.M. Morales, ATS 10U.N.A.M. 7 - 4 - 3 24:17 25 R. Navia, MOR 10Necaxa 6 - 6 - 2 19:14 24 E. Marcon, UAG 9Pachuca 6 - 5 - 3 21:17 23 L.G. Rey, ATE 9América 6 - 4 - 4 27:15 22 A. Moreno, NCX 8Atlante 6 - 4 - 3 23:16 22 C. Blanco, AME 8Santos 5 - 5 - 3 29:20 20 E. Mora, VCZ 8Toluca 6 - 2 - 5 20:18 20 L.I. Quinteros, PUE 8Morelia 6 - 2 - 6 18:20 20 W. Gaitan, TIG 8Cruz Azul 4 - 6 - 4 19:22 18 A. Silvera, TIG 7Irapuato 5 - 3 - 5 19:25 18 J. Borgetti, SAN 7Monterrey 4 - 5 - 5 27:27 17 J.S. Cardozo, TOL 7Guadalajara 5 - 2 - 7 21:22 17 A. Gonzalez, IRA 6Puebla 4 - 5 - 5 17:19 17 G. Franco, MTY 6Chiapas 5 - 2 - 6 17:25 17 Eight tied with 5 goalsAtlas 4 - 3 - 7 25:25 15Veracruz 4 - 3 - 7 20:27 15Club San Luis 2 - 4 - 8 15:25 10Querétaro 0 - 2 - 12 10:36 2

Group I Group II Group III Group IV23 - Pachuca 26 - U.A.G. 27 - Tigres 24 - Necaxa20 - Toluca 25 - U.N.A.M. 20 - Morelia 22 - Atlante17 - Monterrey 22 - América 18 - Cruz Azul 18 - Irapuato17 - Puebla 20 - Santos 17 - Chiapas 17-Guadalajara15 - Atlas 2 - Querétaro 10 - San Luis 15 - Veracruz

Week 13 results Oct. 18-19: San Luis 1, Chiapas 2; Veracruz 2, Toluca 3;Monterrey 3, Querétaro 1; Cruz Azul 2, Guadalajara 1; Atlas 3, Pachuca1; U.N.A.M. 2, Necaxa 0; América 1, Morelia 0; Irapuato 3, Puebla 1;Santos 2, Atlante 3; U.A.G. 2, Tigres 1.

Week 14 results Oct. 22-23: Puebla 1, U.N.A.M. 1; Toluca 2, U.A.G. 1;Pachuca 2, San Luis 0; Necaxa 0, Cruz Azul 0; Morelia 2, Atlas 1;Guaadalajara 3, Veracruz 1; Querétaro 1, América 3; Tigres 3, Monterrey2; Atlante vs. Irapuato; Chiapas vs. Santos.

October 23, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 3

NEWS■ Person perception . . . . . . . 4■ CDL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5■ Letter to the editor . . . . . . . 6

The board of the Edinburg EconomicDevelopment Corporation (EEDC) hasapproved a $60,000 retail market profilingreport and has begun negotiations with thesite consultant company BuxtonIncorporated.

The firm has been hired to profile theshoppers of Edinburg to accurately estimatewhat retail businesses would bring in themost profit and in turn allow the city tomake more money..

Why would the city need so much moneyfor a report that will analyze what peopleknow they buy? It can be a bit confusing ifall the facts aren’t accuratelycommunicated.

According to Pedro Salazar, UTPArepresentative and seat holder on the EEDCboard, the report will showcase 60 differentdatabases that analyze credit card historyand a basic buyer consumption patternbased on where and how frequentlyresidents of Edinburg shop.

Historically a city would not spend somuch money on a report but since theValley is growing every day and theeconomic growth of Edinburg is expanding,a report is a necessity, he said.

“There needs to be more of a focus on thegrowing needs of the community and notjust on what the numbers show,” stated

Salazar. Those $60,000 will go toward actual

researching on citizen shopping patternswith a $20,000 down payment and another$40,000 once the report is completed in twoyears.

Ramiro Garza, executive director for theEEDC board, felt the report profiling retailtrade in Edinburg,couldn’t have come ata better time for thecity.

“The idea behindthis report is that itwill bring morerestaurants and bigchain businesses downto the Edinburg areawhere the retail marketis growing daily,”stated Garza.

Most site consultingcompanies follow theshopping trends thatalready exist based onthe location andpopulation of the retail stores in business.

However, Buxton Incorporated will workbackward. First, it will profile the shoppersof the city and then analyze what locationwould be most profitable for these stores.Lastly, the site consulting company willdecide which retail businesses would suitthe city’s retail needs based on consumers

shopping behavior. Salazar stated, “Most other companies

would see the demographics of each city,like the 50,000 people that dwell inEdinburg, but they would not stay longenough to know that there are also 120,000consumers shopping in and out of this cityevery day.”

“These companieshave overlooked theWinter Texans thatvisit Edinburg for fourto five monthsannually,” heexplained.

There are othertopics that remain inlimbo and require aresolution for theEEDC, and they willbe discussed at themonthly meeting.Among them are thelitigation with SheaConstruction and asettlement offer with

Exquisita Tortilla Company.Hector Casas is the owner and operator of

Shea Construction and through a joint-agreement with the EEDC spent $300,000to make infrastructure improvements to asubdivision that Casas owns at the LosLagos Golf Club.

The improvements were supposed to be

in exchange for a restaurant and conventioncenter for the city of Edinburg to be builtby Casas. However, Casas has failed to liveup to that agreement and now the EEDCwants its money back.

According to Cynthia Gutierrez, EEDC’sattorney, “The details of the case cannot bediscussed but the message behind thislitigation is there was an agreement inplace, and all the EEDC wants is to protectthe citizens and show Edinburg thateveryone involved should be accountable.”

When asked about the Casas litigationcase, Garza said, “The EEDC will not stopdoing what is in the best interest for thecommunity. It is our job to promote the cityin its best light.”

In regard to the settlement offer withExquisita Tortillas, Garza stated, “Theexisting loan that the Tortilla Company hasis a Revolving Loan Fund that the EEDCprovided back in 1992 with a five year note.The company currently has a monthlybalance that is due and also has the optionof paying out or making an extension.”

Exquisita Tortillas is up for renewal ofthe note or payoff and in 1997 the companyrenewed their note.

The EEDC future ventures includebuilding an Industrial Park, a new airport, aBorder Patrol Branch, outlet stores on Hwy.107. The EEDC will have its next meetingOct. 28; the meetings are held the fourthTuesday of each month.

By VANESSA LUCIOThe Pan American

Wednesday evening, the Society of Successand Leadership welcomed professor, author,educational consultant, and speaker Joe Martinto the Media Theater to discuss and encouragestudents to take responsibility for the goals theyset in their lives. The Student LeadershipProgram sponsored the live telecast from aMichigan university.

Martin, from the inner-city ghettos of Miami,started his first business at the age of 22, andwas the youngest faculty member hired to teachat a state university in Florida, at the age of 24.Aside from lecturing at college campuses, heteaches public relations at the University of WestFlorida in Pensacola.

The evening was started with a short storytold in prose style of a young boy named Chicowho grew up in a ghetto with a single mother.The boy was constantly made fun of by theother children for being poor and he could notunderstand that. Chico was told by his mother todo well in school and see the rewards later.Doing as his mother asked him to do, he gotahead in school and the people who once madefun of him were no longer laughing.

Martin revealed that the story was about him.The story, Martin believed, was a good one, yetnot his own. It was missing key elements, detailsof his life such as the death of friends, his sisterstealing food so the family could eat, murder,and being held at gunpoint were all regularevents in his life, he said.

“Now how come that wasn’t in the story," he

asked. "Well I’m a poet, but I can’t rhyme thatwell.”

The point, the moral of his story was to havethe students realize that where one starts in lifedoes not determine the end result.

“What counts is where you decide to finish,"he said.

As Martin headed off to college as a youngadult, his mother offered him vital advice thatwas the main theme of Wednesday’s lecture. Sheasked him to promise that he would not fightugly people because they had nothing to lose.

"She said to me, ‘When you go to college Iwant you to be one of the ugliest kids oncampus,’” he said. “I asked her why and shesaid, ‘Because they have nothing to lose.’”

Cute people, Martin said, are the students whoare afraid to fail, and therefore do not even try.Meanwhile the ugly student points out things,their mistakes and failures because they havenothing to lose.

Martin continued by asking the students ifthey were cute or ugly. A few students in theaudience murmured, "ugly," in quiet, uncertaintones.

“When I’m done with you, you’ll be proud tobe ugly," he said.

There are five ways, according to Martin, todetermine between cute and ugly.

The first, which he calls "Get Lost," is onethat makes him appreciate the cute people. Hesays if it weren’t for cute people, he may nothave been as successful as he is now. In thiscategory, cute people do not focus on the rightthings. They’d rather look successful withexpensive clothes and cars then actually be

successful. “If you don’t want to be here [college], leave.

There are other people that want your space,”Martin said.

According to Martin, the second sign of a cutestudent is a student that just gets by. This is thestudent who does the minimal work for theminimal outcome. The goal of just passing is allthat this student has.

“A ‘C’ makes you cream of the crap," he said.‘It’s good to be ugly, say it with me,” he said.

And they did.Getting worried with what others may be

thinking is the third cute student characteristic. Ifpeople ever say no to a question or request,Martin said do not hear the answer "no," instead,hear “next” and keep searching for the answer.

“If you need help, get help," continuedMartin. When he was a 19-year-old collegestudent, a 25-year-old businessman spoke to oneof Martin’s classes. Martin asked the man howhe became so successful. The man told him thathe read books outside of class that helped him,saved up money, attended workshops at school,and asked people how to improve his skills.

“Are you cute or are you ugly?” Martinasked.

“Ugly,” most students responded, this timeloudly and confidently.

The fifth and final cute student trait is gettingdiscouraged. Martin said it is the toughest thingto overcome. He said that it is easier for cutestudents to give up rather than try their hardest,and that there is a big difference betweenquitting and failure.

“Cute people get discouraged,” he stressed.

Martin concluded his lecture with a poem hewrote. It is surrounding the five components ofhis “It’s Good to Be Ugly: Success Strategies forthe Motivationally Challenged,” speech. Be uglyand strong, hold your head up high and believein yourself, he said.

After the lecture, the floor was open toquestions from the audience in Michigan as wellas the viewers watching at their universities.Carlos Martinez of UTPA called in and askedMartin how he was able to achieve all that hehas and overcome his problems.

Martin mentioned a time in his college careerwhen he called his mother on the telephone andin the background he could hear a loud constantnoise.

“I heard this ka ka ka ka noise. I asked mymother what that was and she told me it was gunshots," he said. "There was a driveby near mymother’s home."

Martin said that people go to college not to besuccessful, but because their parents say theymust, because their friends are going, or even tofind themselves. He said he went to college andhad a goal of becoming successful to move hismother out of the projects.

When asked by another UTPA student, howhe deals with cute people Martin laughed andsaid, “Torture cute people; turn in work early,piss people off.”

Despite the mediated nature of the speech,Martin’s words seemed to have positive effectsfor some viewers.

“Seminars are beneficial to students becausethey help you with life lessons,” Martinez, 19, aPre-Med Biology major said.

By EDWINA P. GARZAThe Pan American

Edinburg development group spending 60k

Motivational speaker gets down to ‘ugly’ truths

There needs tobe more of a focuson the growingneeds of thecommunity and notjust on what thenumbers show

““

- Pedro Salazar,UTPA representative

October 23, 2003 sports

Duo breaking UTPA recordsThe mixture of culture and styles is

not just something seen while walkingaround The University of Texas-PanAmerican campus. It is something thattranscends boundaries and fields, orcourts. In this case, the volleyball court.

UTPA senior Jaclyn Muszynski, fromCalifornia, and freshman libero CarolMarcengo, of Brazil, are two examplesof diversity and excellence in the uni-versity’s athletic program. Together theyhave helped transform the volleyballprogram into a competitive one.

Although their backgrounds are verydifferent, they’re both passionate aboutthe sport. This season, Muszynski shat-tered the previous career record for killsset by Tanja Thomas (1992) with 1,183.She is currently the school’s all timeleader with 1,497, and counting.

In addition, she also set the all-timecareer leader in digs with 1,251. Theprevious record was held by MarieVelasquez with 1,024. The 5-foot-11outside hitter is the only player inUTPA history to record over 1,000 killsand 1,000 digs in a career.

Muszynski’s work isn’t over just yet,as there are 11 games left in the 2003season, including Wednesday’s homematch against Texas Southern. Sheappreciates all the support from hercoaches and teammates. Head coachDave Thorn describes Muszynski as the"ultimate student athlete."

"You couldn’t ask for a better rolemodel for our younger players and she’sgoing to do what she ultimately camehere to do and that is to graduate,"

Thorn said. She is going to be missedby many, but her legacy will live onhere at UTPA.”

The other part of this dynamic duo islibero Carol Marcengo, a native ofCuritiba, Brazil, who makes up part ofUTPA’s tapestry of multicultural diver-sity, on and off the court.

The freshman standout inherited hervolleyball prowess from her mother,who played professionally in Brazil.Next to soccer, volleyball is the mostpopular sport in Brazil.

"Volleyball is in my blood," said the5-foot-9 freshman, who grew up play-ing against older girls. That tough com-petition could explain her level of abili-ty and also could have paved her way toUTPA.

"I wanted the opportunity to continueplaying volleyball and receive an educa-tion," she said. "The only way ofaccomplishing that was to come to theUnited States and play at the collegiatelevel."

In just 24 matches with the LadyBroncs, Marcengo has achieved a lot inlittle time. Going into Wednesday’smatch against Texas Southern, theBrazilian has accumulated a total of 477digs. Recently, Marcengo broke the sin-gle-season record of 380 digs, set byTara Gallagher in 1993. She is currentlyranked fourth in NCAA Division I indigs, and is first among freshmenliberos. She has reached double figuresin digs in 22 straight matches. Thelibero position was added NCAA vol-leyball last year.

Her numbers are astounding, butMarcengo prefers winning team overindividual records.

"I prefer to be on a winning teamthan hold every record and lose,"Marcengo said about her record-settingseason. "Records are not everything, Iwant to continue to do my best and con-tinue to help our team get better nightafter night."

Over the course of the season, theLady Broncs have slowly improved andMarcengo has been able to see theteam’s transformation.

"During the first few games I wasn’tsure how good we would be," she said."At this point in the season, I can seethat as a team we have improved andour winning is proof."

Marcengo acknowledges that the pro-gram is headed in the right directionand hopes the team keeps getting better.However, where the team will be in thefuture depends largely on keeping thecore group of players together over thenext few years.

"There is a lot of talent on this team,"Marcengo said. "I feel that we can pos-sibly be even better next year."

Thorn was surprised at the skillsdemonstrated by the South Americanfreshman playing the libero position.

"I knew she was good but I didn’tknow how good," he said. "To be in theTop 10 in the nation in digs says some-thing about that. You never expect afreshman to come in and be so domi-nant."

As the season winds down and theLady Broncs continue to put up goodnumbers, there are many players tothank for the team’s success since vol-leyball is a team sport. However, itnever hurts to have a duo likeMuszynski and Marcengo.

Broncs continued from page 16

Carol Marcengo (left) and Jaclyn Muszynski (right) have broken sin-gle-season and career UTPA volleyball records this season.


Sophomore DerrickEast, who tallied 20points in last season’sloss to archrivalTAMUCC, has addedabout 20 pounds to his6-8 frame, he looks tohave acquired themuscle to catch up withhis strong basketballskills.

Junior Eric Montalvo,whose streaky three-point output helped himaverage 9.1 points pergame last season, hasanother year ofexperience under hisbelt and looks to be amore refined andconservative shooter.

Junior Hall, who wasrewarded over the off-season for his strongleadership abilities, willserve as a key figure inthe implementation ofHoffman’s offensivesystem.

And Delvis Diaz, wholed the team in freethrow percentage with82 percent, will be akey utility player and apossible starterdepending on the

matchups.So the possibilities

are endless. But Hoffman has not

yet made anyspeculation on what hisstarting core unit mightbe.

“Right now we’rejust trying to rundifferent groups in andsee what combinationswork best together. Tryto give them all achance and trying toget 'em all to learn thethings we’re putting in,and we’re not reallyfocusing in onstarters,” Hoffmansaid. “We’ll start doingthat more when we getcloser to exhibitions.Right now we’re justtrying to get 'em allminutes to get better.”

Coach Hoffman has,however, shared hisexpectations for thecoming season.

“I really like theseguys attitudes andwork habits,” Hoffmansaid. “And I think ifthey stay together greatthings will happen.” UTPA performers and Broncs cheerleaders entertain during Midnight Madness.


Laura Calvillo. "We’re friends with a lot ofguys."

Just down the street from Buffalo’s is AK’sSports Bar & Grill where 18 televisions, fivepool tables and a dance floor provideValleyites with constant sports fare.

Although football is the favorite local sport,the recent baseball playoffs have drawn manylocal and out-of-town fans as well, to localsports haunts.

"We’ve had a packed house for baseball,"AK server Rex Rogers said. "Sometimes thefans get a little rowdy. We had some New Yorkand Boston fans in recently and they were talk-ing some stuff to each other."

Surprisingly, hockey has been one of themore popular requests patrons have, accordingto Rogers, a senior at UTPA.

"A lot of Winter Texans lover their hockeygames," Rogers said. "They usually ask fortheir teams (to be put on TV)."

This is good news for the new Valley hock-ey team, the Killer Bees, which kicked offtheir season last weekend against San Angelo.

"I hope it does well. If they (the fans) like it,it’ll do well," Rogers said about the KillerBees.

Rogers believes the new teams in the area,such as the Killer Bees and the future ValleyArena Football 2 team, could have a positiveeconomic impact on local businesses, especial-ly those in the food service industry, such asrestaurants and bars.

"I think (it’ll do well) in a big way. You stillget diehards going to high school (football)games, but this will be different," Rogers com-mented on the af2 team and local businesses."After games, any bar will get busy."

Bars continued from page 15

By ERICK TREVINOThe Pan American

1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539(956) 381-2541 Fax: (956) 316-7122

http://www.panam.edu/dept/panamerican53nd Year – No. 9

EditorMatt Lynch

[email protected]

Layout Designers

Ashley Brooks

Gabriel O. Hernandez

Reporters

Brian Carr

Lylony Cazares

Omaira Galarza

Amelia Garcia

Edwina Garza

Dulce Gonzalez

Matt Hall

Christina Harris

Vanessa Lucio

Clarissa Martinez

Luis Saavedra

Photographers

Daniel Aguilar

Linda Flores

Elizabeth Padilla

Advertising

Dagoberto Perez

Advertising Coordinator

Jo Anne Murphy

Adviser

Dr. Greg Selber

the PAN AMERICAN is theofficial studentnewspaper of TheUniversity ofTexas-PanAmerican. Views presentedare those of thewriters and do notnecessarily reflectthose of theuniversity.

The Pan Americangladly acceptsletters fromstudents, staff andfaculty regardingnewspaper contentor current issues.The Pan Americanreserves the rightto edit submissionsfor grammar andlength. Please limitsubmission lengthto 300 words. ThePan Americancannot publishanonymous letters,or submissionscontaining hatespeech orgratuitouspersonal attacks.Letters are printedat the discretion ofthe editor andmust include thewriter’s name,class/title andphone number.

Letters policy

October 23 2 0 0 3

Readers with dis-abilities mayrequest an alter-native format ofthis publicationat The PanAmerican busi-ness office. For special assis-tance to attendany event listedin this publica-tion, contact thecoordinator of theevent at least oneweek prior to theadvertised date.

Sports EditorEd Chrnko

[email protected]

A & E EditorAshley Brooks

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News EditorBelinda Reyes

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Graphics EditorGabriel O.Hernandez

[email protected]

OPINION l e t t e r s ■ e d i t o r i a l s ■ c a r t o o n sPAGE 2

Even though the Río Grande Valley doesn’thave a Major League sports team, lookingaround at local fans and the way they jam-packValley sports bars, you would never be able totell the difference.

Despite the fact that the nearest NFL, NBAand MLB teams play a four-to-eight-hour road-trip away, Valleyites are some of the most rabidand hungry sports fans in Texas.

To witness raw Valley sports fandom, justvisit any one of the area’s several sports barssuch as Buffalo Wild Wings or AK’s, inMcAllen, or RA’s in Edinburg.

The recent Texas-Oklahoma football game acouple weeks ago drew a packed house at theMcAllen Buffalo Wild Wings, located in theNorth Cross Shopping Center at Nolana andNorth 10th Street. Despite the Lone Star localteam receiving its annual beating, Valley fansstayed to cheer on the Longhorns. The RedRiver Shootout was televised on the majority ofthe bar’s 25 televisions and seven big screens.

"Everyone becomes an analyst this time ofyear. Since there are no pro sports teams, youhave more sportsdom," Buffalo’s ManagerCristóbal Cook said. "People down here lovetheir sports."

Cook, 40, a University of Texas-Austin gradu-ate, enjoys the sports atmosphere that is preva-lent in the Valley compared to bigger cities suchas Houston, where he spent 15 years of his life.

"In Houston, since you can go see live prosports, bars don’t fill up as much," Cook com-mented. "Down here, I like the fact that people

will support their teams."Although sports fanaticism in the Valley is big

and can compete with any fan base in Texas, it ishard to do so with those in the northern part ofthe country, and it may be for the best.

"This guy (Ohio State fan) was ready to takemy eyeball out when I mentioned that Texasmight have a chance this year," Cook laughed."Midwest fanaticism is crazy. If you go to aBrowns game and talk bad about them, youwon’t leave (the stadium). I wish we had thathere."

Among the crowd of Texas fans were a trio ofEnglish football fans. The "real" football, as theycalled it. They looked lost although they didtheir best to assimilate and try to understand theAmerican game.

"It’s good (the game atmosphere). We appre-ciate passion, but don’t understand what’s goingon," said Mark Grady, of Burnley, England."When watching any sport, you need the enthu-siasm from everyone else."

However, the trio criticized the U.S. sportspenchant for continuous and excessive interrup-tions in play. They also compared the two typesof footballs.

"There’s too many commercials, too muchrazzmatazz, all hype, not enough action."Burnley native Mark Crowther said. "Americanfootball is strategy, while real football is skilland finesse."

The pesky commercials prolonged the agonyof Texas fans congregated at the sports bar, how-ever, another aspect of Valley sportsdom wasalso present, the female factor. The idea thatsports bars and sports, in general, are dominatedby men could easily be dispelled by walking

into any Valley sports-themed bar.Among the patrons were several crowds of

women including a boisterous corner table offive young women from UT-Austin and TheUniversity of Texas-Pan American who werecheering on the Longhorns.

"They’re more fanatical in Austin," said UT-Austin student Christina Calvillo. "However theNBA finals down here was better."

"We were raised with sports. Our dad wisheswe were boys," said fellow student and sister

The University of Texas-Pan American men’s crosscountry team is starting toget recognition around thenation.

The Broncs earned theirfirst regional ranking in 12years recently and are tiedfor 14th in the latest NCAASouth Central Regional poll.The ranking is the first sincethey were ranked sixth inthe NCAA District VI Pollin October 1991.

Track and cross countryhead coach Ricky Vaughn ishoping to see his team moveup in the rankings after thelast meet.

"The rankings haven’tcome out for the week yet,but hopefully we will moveup a little bit with our show-ing we had at Arkansas,"Vaughn said, after juniorWestly Keating dominatedthe field at the University ofArkansas' Chili PepperInvitational Saturday andcame away with a first-placevictory. UTPA finished in19th place overall with 435points. Arkansas won themeet with 78 points.

Keating finished the racein 29:25.88, defeating sec-ond-place finisher Mircea

Bogdan of Texas-El Paso,by 11 seconds. With thefirst-place finish, the UTPAjunior standout establishedhimself as the top runner ina region that includes per-formers from Texas,Louisiana and Arkansas.

Vaughn was excited aboutKeating’s win and histeam’s overall finish.

"That was a big win. TheChili Pepper is one of thebiggest meets in the coun-try," Vaughn said. "On themen’s side, there were 263runners and 33 differentteams."

Because of the prestige ofthe meet, Keating hopes hewill get the respect he sayshe deserves.

"It’s one of the biggestmeets in the country,” hesaid. “I am looked down ona lot because of my schoolso it was good to win a bigmeet and show them I amsomebody."

The race marked the firsttime four freshmen haveever ran a 10-K (6.25 miles)and, overall, the Broncs hadseven runners record a PR(personal record) at themeet.

All the Broncs’ efforts areaimed at reaching theNCAA RegionalChampionships Nov. 15 in

Waco. Keating would loveto see his team have astrong finish at regionalsand believes the program ison the rise.

"I think a top-seven finishwould be a great season,"Keating said. "The programis young and our coach hasdone a lot for the program,and we could be great if weget a couple of more run-ners."

The orange-and-green willlook to set a mark againstthe other independentschools when they take tothe track for their next meetNov. 1 at Corpus Christi, inthe IndependentChampionships.

Vaughn believes hisyoung team is a couple ofrecruits away from being anational powerhouse aroundthe country.

"This is a year where,hopefully, we take a step upand put ourselves into posi-tion where all of our fresh-men have more experience.We are still missing one ortwo key runners that, hope-fully, through recruiting wewill get," Vaughn said. "Weput ourselves into positionfor next year, that we arelooking at being able to goto the NationalChampionships as a team."

October 23, 2003 sports

Valley sports bars gain popularity

Photo by Daniz Rivera/Special to The Pan American

A group of UT-Austin and UTPA students gathered for a recent Longhorns game at BuffaloWild Wings in McAllen.

Cross country gets rankedChristi Rayz, who lead RGVby one point.

For Egeland, who made hisCHL coaching debut last yearwith the Cotton Kings, theroad trip will also mean ahomecoming of sorts.However, Egeland does notput extra pressure on himselfor his team to pick up a winin Lubbock.

“There’s me and aboutthree other players who werein Lubbock,” Egeland said.“But there are 16 other guyson this team and that’s all wethink about, winning as ateam.”

See BARS page 14

Bees continued from page 16

The Killer Bees during their presentation Sunday.Photo by Daniel Aguilar/The Pan American

By ED CHRNKOThe Pan American

By MATT HALLThe Pan American

THURSDAYOctober 23, 2003

An Inside Look:

■ News ............................................2■ A & E............................................7■ Sports ........................................16

T h e S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r o f T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f T e x a s - P a n A m e r i c a nPage 4

CCaammppuussVOICEWho do youpredict will

win the WorldSeries?

TTEEXXAASS--SSIIZZEE CCUUTTSS

The pitch guaranteed a college education atthe expense of the state. In 2002 there was atleast $27 million in unused scholarship fundsaround the country. Things have changed somuch in a year.

For the last four years, selected students atUTPA have been fortunate enough to have thestate pay for their tuition with the TEXASGrant. However, the Texas Higher EducationCoordinating Board now says that the TEXASGrant program is sinking under the weight ofbudget cuts, tuition hikes and more qualifiedreturning students than expected.

“There has been a substantial decrease inTEXAS Grant funds by the state for newstudents including entering freshmen andtransfer students without an associates degree,”said Michelle Alvarado, assistant director forFinancial Aid said. “UTPA has been veryfortunate to receive the largest allocations in thestate over the past four years, so this reductionin funds has a tremendous impact on our newstudents.”

For the first two years of the grant, onlystudents from families with an income of$30,000 or less qualified. For the following twoyears there was no income requirement,allowing students from wealthier students toreceive the grant.

UTPA was able to assist approximately 70percent of the entering freshmen with the TexasGrant both Fiscal Year 2002 and Fiscal Year2003. However, due to the state budget deficitof nearly $10 million, only around 12 percentgot assistance this year.

At the state level, nearly 30,000 student willnot receive the TEXAS Grant, meaning thatnearly a third of the 90,206 new and returningstudents who qualify will have to seek aid fromseparate sources. Last spring the Legislatureapproved $324 million for the program whichwas $188 million less than what state highereducation officials sought.

“It is very important to understand thatstudents already receiving TEXAS Grant[renewals] will still be awarded for regular falland spring semesters,” Alvarado said. “The

Productive grant takes hit with budget slashBy CLARISSA MARTINEZThe Pan American

Daniel Aguilar/The Pan American

The weather outside can be gorgeous, with asimple breeze sweeping leaves across a campuswalkway or easily gliding butterflies toward anearby flower and not to be forgotten, the rollingtide of cigarette butts rolling among each otheron the ground. This is a typical view for manycollege campuses where policies allow cigarettesmoking on campus.

Despite an increasing amount of discontent insociety for tobacco and smoking, the habit hasnot seemed to abate among college-ageindividuals. A nationwide survey sent to 119colleges in 1999 revealed that nearly 30 percentof college students said they were currentcigarette smokers. Roughly half had used someform of tobacco the previous year.

Only 11 percent of college students begansmoking cigarettes on or after the age of 19, andmost were already in college, while 28 percentbegan smoking on a regular basis at 19.

Prakash Lama, a sophomore management/CISmajor, said that he has been smoking since hewas young. Though he has told his parents thathe has stopped smoking due to their

discouragement, he still finds himself carryingaround a pack of cigarettes.

“It seemed pretty cool to have one in myhand,” Lama said. “Some people are fine withme smoking, but there are those that say it’s badfor my health.”

Phillip Morris USA, Youth SmokingPrevention (YSP) stated that one of the mainfactors influencing students to begin smoking ata relatively young age is peer pressure. The YSPalso mentioned that the intensity of peer pressurevaries from situation to situation, but that when itcomes to smoking cigarettes, an individual willdefinitely be influenced by what their friends do.

Reyes Lopez, a sophomore marketing major,said that he does not think that society’s view onsmokers is completely justified. He feels thatsmoking is simply a habit rather than somethingthat can truly be viewed as something immoralor wrong.

“I don’t think the negative view of smokers issomething that society should force on otherpeople,” Lopez said. “It’s just smoking and at thecollege level there going to be a large amount ofpeople who smoke.”

However, a senior speech communication

Student smoking steady despite warningsBy CLARISSA MARTINEZThe Pan American

See GRANT page 12

See SMOKING page 12

2004-2005 TEXAS GRANT PREDICTIONS

Best Case (5 % increase) vs. Worst Case (10% increase)

BEST:Projected eligible students: 109,415Number who can be served: 60,228Students not served: 49,187

WORST:Projected eligible students: 109,415Number who can be served: 57,391Students not served: 52,024

Source: The Dallas Morning News/Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Now that the insanity ofMidnight Madness has faded, andthe initial shock from rosterimprovements has subsided, HeadCoach Bob Hoffman and his squadhave the tall task of convertingsize and talent into a formidableDivision I basketball team.

It takes two hands and a footworth of digits to tally the numberof prospective Bronc starters onthis year’s squad, a fact that hascreated an overwhelming amountof depth in Hoffman’s arsenal.

But it will take a significantamount of work to mold theindividual prowess of Broncathletes into a basketball-game-winning machine.

The Broncs first exhibition gameis at home Tuesday, Nov. 4, whenthey host the Monterrey TechBorregos. UTPA was 10-20 lastyear.

Junior Matt Hall, who hasplayed with the Broncs since hisfreshman year, feels that the 2003-04 Bronc team is destined for goodthings.

“Our goal is to make the bigdance,” said Hall who speaksconfidently of the Broncs’ chancesto get a NCAA championship bid.“If we fall short we’ll just have tosettle for the NIT.”

Hall who was on the 2001-02squad that won 20 games and wasconsidered for the NIT, believesthis year’s roster is even morepromising than the one that nearlyreached post season play.

“Everything is better from lastyear. The size, the athleticism, thedepth. Actually this is the bestteam I’ve seen since I’ve beenhere,” Hall said.

Senior Allen Holcomb’swarrior-like presence in the paintlast season earned him an averageof 10.8 points per game on 48-percent shooting from the floor.He remains cool-headed whenasked about this year’s squad.

“Right now we’re just gettinginto the thick of the things,”Holcomb said. “We’re gettingtogether our chemistry which isalways important. There are bigimprovements on this team juston talent alone. We look like aDivision I basketball team.”

Holcomb, who aside fromgraduated Kevin Mitchell was theonly Bronc to average double-digit points last season, will mostlikely retain his presence as a topoffensive contributor.

But this year there will bemany more weapons along withhim to aid in the attack.

Juniors Matt Berry and ChrisFagan will both be taking offtheir red shirts to return afterinjuries. So will senior AndriusSakalys, who underwent twosurgeries to repair his ACL, andshould make a huge contribution tothe team.

Junior transfer students SergioSanchez and Ray Castillo who asTemple College teammates lastseason were the top two scorers forthe Leopords and helped lead theirteam to a national high 102.4points per game, will bring

chemistry and offensive know-howto the table.

And junior transfer big-menAlvaidas Gedminas (Kirkland CC)and Ryan Lange (Northeast CC),who are 7-feet-tall and 6-11,respectively, will bring muchneeded height to the centerposition and should have no

problem finding the hole whenposted down low.

Then there are the five returningBroncs, Holcomb included, whomade big contributions to the teamlast year, and who look to showoffseason improvement.

■ Killer Bees. . . . . . . . . . 15

■ UTPA Golf . . . . . . . . . 14

■ Sports Clipboard . . . . .13

PAGE 16

SPORTSBroncs boastdeep roster


Chris Fagan won the Midnight Madness slamdunk contest last Friday night.

Bees take on Amarillo Gorillas nextThe Killer Bees will continue

their four-game road trip Fridaywhen they roll into Amarillo to takeon the Gorillas, and continue theiraway-game competition against theLubbock Cotton Kings thefollowing evening.

The Bees, who lost 3-1 in theirseason opener against the SanAngelo Saints last Saturday despiteoutshooting the Saints 35-19, willtry to erase their loss with a pair ofwins.

Fortunately for the Killer Beesthe Gorillas also dropped theirseason opener and have not playedsince. But the Cotton Kings pickedup a win in their only season outing.

Head Coach Tracy Egeland, whowas impressed with his team’sefforts in the inaugural outingdespite the loss, does not believethat the team’s system needs to betweaked or changed.

“We played pretty well and Idon’t think we’ll do anythingdifferently,” Egeland said. “We doneed to get a little more traffic infront of the net, but there was no

real reason why we lost. Thosethings just kind of happensometimes in hockey.”

Traffic in front of the goalie isextremely helpful because it limitsthe keeper’s line of vision, andallows for pucks to be camouflageduntil it is too late to react. Thepractice of putting traffic in front ofthe net is also referred to asscreening.

Other than putting more pressureon the goalie, Egeland’s method forsuccess is simple.

“I want the team to work hard,”Egeland said. “I want them to put a

lot of pressure on the other teamand try to get turnovers.”

Currently the Killer Bees are inlast place in the South EastDivision, and the upcoming gameswill not actively have any effect ontheir standing, as both Amarillo andLubbock are Southwest Divisionteams. But with four points on theline (hockey standings are gearedon a point system: 2 points for awin, 1 point for a tie, 1 point for anovertime loss, and 0 points for aloss) the team will work extra hardto climb out from under the Corpus

See BEES page 15

3 - 2

Game 1

Game 2

6 - 1

Game 3

Game 4

Game 5

New York at FloridaThursday, Oct. 23Time: 7:05 p.m.TV: FOXWells vs. Penny

Games 6-7

Florida at New YorkDates: Oct. 24-25Time: both gamesat 7:35 p.m.TV: FOXRedman vs.MussinaBeckett vs. Pettitte

Killer BeesSchedule

Killer Bees at AmarilloFriday, Oct. 24Time: 7:10 p.m.

6 - 1

4 - 3

Killer Bees at LubbockSaturday, Oct. 25Time: 7:05 p.m.

See BRONCS page 14

World SeriesResults/Schedule



See ‘Life of Games’ pg 8-9

October 23, 2003

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Transcript of October 23, 2003