With the Hive nearlycompleted, the officialteam jerseys released,the as of yet unnamedmascot unveiled, the2003-04 scheduleposted, and the teamroster only a handfulof players short ofbeing solidified, theRio Grande ValleyKiller Bees are poisedto make professionalice hockey in theValley a reality.

And with over 1,500season tickets alreadysold for the 5,500-seatRio Grande ValleyEvents Center it is safeto say that the reality isheavily anticipated.

According to theKiller Bee’s web sitethe RGV-based hockeyteam ranks third in theleague in ticketrevenue, and all of theHive’s ultra premiumseason ticket seats -Luxury Suites and

Club Seats - have beensold out for the comingseason.

Estimated seasonticket sales areprojected at 2,500 seatsbefore the inauguralseason begins on Oct.16, claiming 45percent of the RGVEvents Center capacityfor season-ticketholders.

Excitement for theupcoming season hasbeen generated throughtactful promotions,including a joint effortby Flamingo Pools andthe RGV Killer Bees toinclude Valleyites inthe mascot namingprocess.

“People can log onto our web site andsubmit a name for ournew team mascot,”said Chris Due,director ofbroadcasting andmedia relations for theKiller Bees.

■ Volleyball. . . . . . . . . . . 15■ Volleyball Schedule . . 13■ Sports clipboard . . . . .13

PAGE 16

SPORTSBees readyfor actionBy BRIAN CARRThe Pan American

In college sports or in anysports organization, one of thebiggest factors people look atis how much experience ateam has. Or in thecase of TheUniversity of Texas-Pan Americanbaseball program,how much experiencethe Broncs don’thave.

The Broncs lostfour seniors from thisyear’s team that went21-33 and showedoccasional signs oftaking UTPA’s baseballprogram to the next level. Incomparison, Pan Am went 15-38 during the 2002 season, sothe Broncs have made stridesin just one year under newhead coach Willie Gawlik,who took over for Reggie

Tredaway.This year’s team is going to

put its fate in the hands oftwo young players amongothers, sophomore LouieAlamia and junior Tony Ortiz.Even though these players are

young they do notplay like it. Alamiahad a remarkablefirst season bygarnering UTPA’sfirst ever freshmanAll-Americanselection.

He was alsonamed second teamAll-Independentalong with Ortiz.

Alamia rankedsecond nationally amongfreshman in hitting for muchof the season and ended theyear with an impressive .381batting average. Plus, heracked up a .517 sluggingpercentage. During thecourse of the 2003 season, the

Edinburg native put together a22-game hit streak, which tieda school record, and endedthe season with a 12-gamestreak.

Ortiz was no slouch at theplate either, putting up ahealthy .336 averagegood for second beston the team. The FortWorth native alsoknew how to hit theball a long way andaccumulated a .469slugging percentage.In addition, Ortiz tiedUTPA’s all-timesingle-season recordfor doubles of 18, setby Tommy Supak in1980.

Next season, there aregoing to be 14 new faces inthe baseball locker room forthe Broncs. With only ahandful of returnees, a lot ofpressure is going to be placedon the young bucks and based

on this year’s team, smartmoney will bet that they willnot perform likeinexperienced D-1 collegeballplayers.

Among the new faces aretwo Valley notables. PhilipRodríguez from EdinburgNorth High School and CésarPeña, the former Hawk fromHarlingen South High School

join the team thisfall.

Rodríguez hit.430 with one homerun and 30 runsbatted in forEdinburg North lastspring.

He was namedfirst team All-District, first teamAll-Río GrandeValley, first team

All-Area, and he was namedto play in the South TexasAll-Star Game.

As a junior, Rodríguezbatted .440 with 37 RBIs,earning All-District, All-

By MATT HALLThe Pan American

New BroncsRicky Broyles, NE Texas CC., Longview TX

Aaron Flowers, NE Texas CC., Rowlett TX

César Peña, Harlingen South HS, Harlingen TX

Chad Linder, Rusk HS, Rusk TX

Sam English, Central Ark. Univ., Magnolia TX

Austin Hoffman, Kempner HS, Sugarland TX

Alfred Padrón, Alvin CC, Pasadena TX

Nick Gregory, Angelina JC, Lufkin TX

Philip Rodríguez, Edinburg North HS

Zach Smith, Sanger HS, Sanger TX

Ricky Glazier, Eastfield Col., Mesquite TX

Ryan Grimet, Pearland HS, Pearland TX

Brian Ballew, Channelview HS, Channelview TX

Ryne Foster, Cedar Park HS, Cedar Park TX

Photo by Daniel Aguilar/The Pan American

Construction equipment is parked in front of the nearly completed Rio Grande Valley Convention Center.

Returning sophomores lead Bronc teamSee BEES page 14

Louie Alamia, Tony Ortiz head young UTPA baseballteam on quest to improve on 21-33 record

See BASEBALL page 14

ALAMIA ORTIZ

THURSDAYAugust 7, 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

CCaammppuussVOICEDo you agree

with theelection of

Gene Robinson,a gay bishop?

Construction on several on-campus

projects continues asthe summer ends.

See related story on 12.

Today’s weatherHot and sunny.

High: 102 Low: 77

It is a sad fact that one ofthe greatest athletes in theUnited States goespractically unnoticed in theU.S. scene since his sportisn’t basketball or football.

Lance Armstrong won arecord-tying fifth Tour deFrance Sunday, July 27,cycling’s most brutal andphysically exhausting roadbike races.

Armstrong won the 23-day, 2,125-mile road raceby 61 seconds over five-

time runner-up Jan Ullrichof Germany. The 31-year-old Texan equaled Spain’sMiguel Indurain as the onlyriders to win the race fivetimes in a row.

Despite the fact thatcycling is not anywherenear the top 10 sports in theUnited States, thousands ofpeople practice the gruelingsport and the Valley is noexception.

Locally, several cyclistsgather for weekday rides onTuesdays and Thursdays.There is no official club,but a group has nonetheless

formed.There are also weekend

rides where cyclists gatherat the Burger King onNolana in McAllen and trekfor 30-80 miles. Thedistance depends on thetype of race the group istraining for.

In addition, the cyclistsare put in two groupsaccording to endurance andability. The measuring stickfor who goes into whatgroup is who canconsistently pedal at a 20mph clip and who can’t.This all depends on

training.This type of ride is more

of a race pace with moreintensity than the averageride through the park.

The training techniquemost cyclists use is theCarmichael TrainingSystem, a synchronizedapproach in which all fourelements of humanperformance are trained: theheart, the lungs, the musclesand the mind.

This system wasdeveloped by ChrisCarmichael, a former U.S.Olympic cyclist in 1984,

specially to help Armstrongovercome his battle withadvanced cancer.Carmichael has coachedArmstrong since 1990.

During the 15th stage ofthe Tour de France, heldMonday, July 21,Armstrong overcame anasty spill after hishandlebar got caught on aspectator’s bag. He alsoovercame a pedal slip thatmade him run into hisbike’s cross-bar, whichcaught him in the groinarea.

Despite the setbacks,

Armstrong pulled himselftogether and was able towin the 15th stage andincrease his lead to 67seconds, a lead he neverrelinquished.

Chris Zepeda of BicycleWorld in McAllen attributesArmstrong’s resiliency andcomeback victory to goodtraining and good riding.

However, Zepeda lamentsArmstrong lack ofpopularity.

“It’s sad that he’s(Armstrong) more famousin other countries thanhere,” Zepeda said

August 7, 2003 sports Page 15

By ED CHRNKOThe Pan American

Cycling gaining popularity in Rio Grande Valley

Lady Broncs prepare for season openerAs the summer winds

down and the fall semesterapproaches, the Universityof Texas Pan-Americanwomen’s volleyball team ispreparing for a challengingyear ahead.

The Lady Broncs look torestore their winning waysafter finishing a turbulentand disappointing seasonlast year with a 16-19record. They ended theirsub-par season on a highnote with a second placefinish at the Independent

Tournament, after havingwon the championship ineach of the tournament'sfirst two seasons.

The Lady Broncs havereloaded with some solidyoung recruits.

Chrissie Carrigan, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter fromVictoria, British Columbia,who was named first-teamAll-Vancouver Island, isone of the quartet of newrecruits that head coachDave Thorn will have athis disposal for thisseason.

"I expect her to come inand add depth to our

outside hitting position,and compete for playingtime.” Thorn said.

Jennifer Dameworth, a5-11 setter and hitter fromEl Paso, was named MissVolleyball for El Paso.

"Jennifer is anoutstanding athlete whobrings a lot of experienceto our program, her biggestcontribution here will be asa setter." Thorn said.

Las Vegas native HeatherBravo, a 5-11 outside hitterwho played for the NevadaJuniors, one of the top-ranked clubs in the UnitedStates, is the third Lady

Bronc recruit.“She is a good all-

around player with goodball control skills whocomes up big in bigsituations,” Thorn said.“We're very excited to adda student-athlete ofHeather's caliber to theUTPA volleyball team."

Carol Marcengo, fromBrazil, is the last of thenewcomers, and traveled along way to become aLady Bronc and helpresuscitate the program.

“She is a player withtremendous athleticability,” Thorn said. “We

look for her to make aquick contribution to theteam.”

The Broncs return fivestarters from last year’steam including seniorcaptain Jaclyn Muszynski,who set the school seasonrecord with 453 kills and1,317 total attacks.

After capturing theschool record for totalattacks last year with3,355, Muszynski looks toadd more accolades to herimpressive resume. She hascompiled 1,169 kills and992 digs in her career andlooks to shatter the current

school record of 1,183 killsset by Tanja Thomas(1989-1992) and 1,024digs held by MarieVelasquez (1993-1996).

The four other starterswill be senior captainWinker Cruz of Harlingen,junior Cathi Netemeyer,plus sophomores StephanieRedd and Danielle Holthe.

“There will be manyopen positions availablefor the new and currentplayers to battle for. Iexpect a lot of competitionbetween the ladies for

By NADER M. SIAMThe Pan American

See VOLLEYBALL page 14

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

http://www.panam.edu/dept/panamerican52nd Year – No. 2

EditorMatt Lynch

mlynch@panam.edu

Layout Designers

Ashley Brooks

Reporters

Brian Carr

Amelia Garcia

Aaron Lozano

Adriana Martinez

Cindy Mata

Nader M. Siam

Claralexis Rios

Maritza Rodriguez

Photographer

Daniel Aguilar

Circulation

Joe Rodriguez

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

August 7 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

echrnko@yahoo.com

A & E EditorAshley Brooks

Magrew2@hotmail.com

News EditorsBelinda Reyes

beberay25@aol.com

Arianna Vazquez

Graphics EditorGabriel O.Hernandez

gabo296@hotmail.com

NEWS■ New restaurant 4■ Border health 5■ Birding center 6

Ben and J Lo’s love life, World War II,Will and Grace, Jessica Lynch,Watergate, and Foster’s beer. What do allthese things have in common?

They are some of the topics discussedin Communication 3301, Rhetoric ofTelevision, offered at the University ofTexas-Pan American this summer.

The media literacy course focuses onthe argument that television is one of theprimary media of influence for society’svalues, beliefs, and behaviors.

”We need to understand that televisionis a persuasive dominant medium, adifferent kind of knowledge,” said Dr.George McLemore, UTPA associateprofessor, who has been teaching thecourse since it was first offered in 1985.

In the course, students learn theimportance of understanding howmessages delivered by television affecttheir knowledge about the world aroundthem.

“It is essential to understand the role ofthe media in society,” said CrystalGarcia, senior PR/advertising major whois enrolled in the course, which ends nextweek. “And to be able to interpret themessages we receive from print and TVin order to have a more informed view ofwhat goes on around us and evenimprove public discourse.”

The state of Texas requires that Englishteachers in grades 8-12 understand howto interpret and analyze visual imagesand messages in various media. SeniorEnglish major Lydia Perez, who plans toteach, is taking Rhetoric of Television toaccomplish this.

”The kids are going to watch TVanyway, so we might as well teach themhow to watch it constructively,” Perezsaid. “By using the medium of televisionconstructively, teaching objectives can bereinforced.”

Although television has been aroundsince the mid 20th century, media literacyhas never been part of the Texascurriculum until now. McLemore feels itis due to the time it takes for society toquestion the effects of a new medium.

”There hadn’t been serious research onthe effects of television until the late‘70s,” he said. “Technology develops toorapidly. Consider cell phones, five yearsago no one had them. Now they’reeverywhere and we haven’t had a chanceto ask how they affect society.”

One topic discussed in class istelevision news programming. McLemoreexplains that the majority of the newsbroadcast is a mixture of unrelatedimages and one-liners that lead to theassumption that the world is a bad placebecause of all the negative newscoverage.

“Television has been one of the maincontributors to the “Mean worldsyndrome,” said McLemore. “The Meanworld syndrome is the mentality that allof the horrible things that happen ontelevision are happening in one’sbackyard. Also it gives people the

illusion that they are knowledgeableabout things but it’s just sound-bites,bumper sticker knowledge.”

Propaganda in advertisements isanother topic that stimulates discussionin the class. The power of the images thatare portrayed in ads is examined.

“Advertisements play on people’sdesires and even fear to advertiseproducts,” Garcia said. “They use imagesof popculture icons and don’t sayanything abput the actual product. Sincewe relate to the images we want to gobuy the product. It’s up to the person to

Course discusses influence of televisionBy AMELIA GARCIA& ADRIANA MARTINEZThe Pan American

Be on the lookout, Fall issues ofThe Pan American begin

Thursday, Aug. 28.

Dr. George McLemore, an associate professor, teaches to his Rhetoric of Television class.Photo by Adriana Martinez/The Pan American

See TELEVISION page 12

August 7, 2003 sports Page 14

these spots.” Thorn said. “I expect thegirls to approach the upcoming season asa new beginning and come ready to workhard and be in shape.”

The Lady Broncs will beginpreparation on Aug. 9 with their firstpractice session; their first test will be theLamar Tournament Aug. 29-30.

UTPA will host 10 regular season homegames and two exhibition matches in2003. Pan Am’s first home game is set

for Sept. 2 against Prairie View A&M at7 p.m.

“I'm very excited about our schedule,"said Thorn. "We have some very strongteams coming here. We are also playingin some great tournaments, like thetournaments at Lamar, Texas Christian,and Stephen F. Austin. We close theseason at the Independent Tournament;hopefully, we can win our thirdindependent title in four years."

According to Due, and the Killer Bee web site,registering a name for the mascot makes you eligible towin a 15-foot above-ground pool from Flamingo Pools -a non-subtle but effective way of generating attention.

The joint effort with Flamingo Pools will be the finallarge scale promotional campaign before the Oct. 31inaugural Killer Bee home game.

“We are going to do some stuff in observance ofHalloween,” Due said. “But we are pretty certain thatturnout will be good enough that we won’t have to doany [promotions] of the ‘wear a costume, get in free’variety.”

The only other major event that will take placebetween now and the preseason training camp will be theunveiling and naming ceremony of the RGV EventsCenter, which is expected to take place some time inearly October. The event was initially expected to takeplace in July, but unmet construction deadlines pushedthe completion back.

For Killer Bee head coach Tracy Egeland, whosetraining camp is scheduled to begin on Oct. 6, it isimperative that the new completion deadline is met.

“The rink has to be finished by the time camp starts,”said Egeland, when asked about team options in theevent of further delay. “The only back up plan we couldhave is to go to Laredo for practices, or somewhere elseclose.”

The CHL, which released the 2003-04 season in lateJuly left time for error in the expansion team’s rinkconstruction, and scheduled a four-game 12-day road-trip to kick off the Killer Bees’ inaugural season.

Egeland, who at 32 is the CHL’s youngest head coach,is hoping the 12-day stretch will help to congeal histeam’s chemistry.

“It’ll be a good thing to get on the road,” Egeland saidof the team’s road stretch. “It’ll give everyone a chanceto know each other. When your at home everybody justkind of sits around, this way they can really gel.”

What is not for certain yet, is exactly who will betraveling with the Bees on their first road series.

In early June the Killer Bees participated in a CHLexpansion draft, which allowed them to choose fiveplayers from a list of 64 unprotected CHL athletes onexisting teams. The draft, which also included a fellowexpansion team, the Colorado Eagles, allowed the Bees

to sign what could potentially be nearly one-third oftheir dressed roster.

Final roster decisions will not be made until trainingcamp begins.

“I’ll be signing players all the way up until trainingcamp,” Egeland said after juggling an incoming callfrom a possible recruit. “I’m allowed to have 30 playersat the training camp, and I only need 18 players not

including an injured reserve.”Egeland, who has signed 15 players thus far, has a

pretty good idea of who will be make the squad, and heknows what to look for when he makes his finaldecisions about the team.

“Right now I’m just looking for guys who don’t juststand around,” Egeland said. “I want players who aregoing to really take it to the other team.”

BEES continued from page 16

Photo by Brian Carr/The Pan American

Work is progressing on the interior of the 5,500-seat Rio Grande Valley Convention Center, also known as “The Hive.”

Valley and All-Area honors.In his sophomore year, Rodríguez hit

.443 with 30 RBIs and 20 runs scoredwhile setting a school record for hits.

He was named Newcomer of the Year,and earned All-District, All-Valley andAll-Area honors.

Gawlik, who willbe entering hissecond year as headcoach, believes thata strong work ethicis the key to successfor Rodríguez.

"We’re pleased tosign Philip," Gawliksaid about theEdinburg Northproduct. "He’s got agood arm, and he’sgot a chance to be agood hitter. He willplay 60 games inNew Mexico thissummer, and thatwill be a big plus forhim. He has thepotential, but therewill be an adjustment period between highschool and college ball, and if he workshard, he should do well."

Peña enjoyed All-District honors in bothhis junior and senior seasons and wasnamed All-Río Grande Valley and All-Area.

He hit .380 as a senior, with sevendoubles and 22 RBIs. Peña also went 12-5as a pitcher with a 1.49 ERA, allowingjust 53 hits in 104 innings, and striking outan amazing 189 hitters. The former Hawkhit .421 during his high school career, and

he won 17 games as apitcher with a 1.81 ERA.

Gawlik thinks that Peñawill make his presencefelt immediately on theteam.

"I'm glad we signedCésar," Gawlik saidregarding the multi-talented Harlingen Southstandout. "He has thepotential to be a real goodplayer. He has a veryquick bat, and he can alsopitch. He can get outs, andhe is a tough pitcher.César is a hard worker,and he's got a chance tobe a real good, solid all-around player who canhelp us both on the moundand in the field. He will

have the opportunity to contribute rightaway as a pitcher or as a position player."

The Valley natives will be joined by 12other new Bronc ball players and alongwith them the hopes of a great season willlean on the young, but strong shoulders ofAlamia and Ortiz.

BASEBALL continued from page 16

I’m glad wesigned Cesar.

He has thepotential to be areal good player.

He has a veryquick bat, andhe can also

pitch.- Willie Gawlik,

UTPA Baseball Coach

VOLLEYBALL continued from page 15

The Ellen and FedericoJimenez Scholarship programwill award $2,000 scholarshipsto 25 deserving Latino collegestudents who have beenaccepted to a communitycollege or state university inTexas and California.

Problem: UTPA studentscannot apply.

Students must havedemonstrated commitment tothe Latino community in theUnited States, be enrolled full-time in order to apply, do nothave to have a social securitynumber and be ineligible toreceive federal and/or statefinancial aid.

A student at UTPA firstinformed Dolores Villareal,UTPA scholarship coordinator,of the Jimenez scholarship.

“When we were informedabout the scholarship, a call wasmade to the contact number,”Villareal said. “There was atechnicality that was not madeclear.”

The technicality that Villarealis talking about is the fact that

University of Texas andUniversity of Californiastudents are not eligible. But itwas not clear whether UTPAwas eligible.

“When we got a reply acouple of weeks later, theyinformed us that not only UT-Austin was ineligible but all UTSystem schools were ineligiblefor the scholarship,” Villarealsaid.

Even more ironic is that theMexican American LegalDefense and Educational Fund(MALDEF) is helping sponsorthe scholarship.

As stated onhttp://www.maldef.org,MALDEF is a national non-profit organization whosemission is to protect andpromote the civil rights of thenearly 40 million Latinos livingin the United States. Makingsure that there are no obstaclespreventing this diversecommunity from realizing itsdreams, MALDEF also works tosecure the rights of Latinos,primarily in the areas ofemployment, education,immigrants rights, politicalaccess, and public resource

equity.MALDEF Director of

Communications, J. C. Flores,was sought for comment but didnot respond to numerous calls.

By ADRIANA MARTINEZThe Pan American

When we got areply a coupleof weeks later,they informed

us that not onlyUT-Austin wasineligible but all

UT Systemschools were

ineligible for thescholarship. “

“

- Dolores Villareal,UTPA scholarship

coordinator

Confusion abounds withJimenez scholarship funds

August 7, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 3

See SCHOLARSHIP page 12

The nation’s premiereHispanic technology magazinehas named University of Texas-Pan American President Dr.Miguel A. Nevarez among the50 Most Important Hispanics.

The editors of HispanicEngineer and InformationTechnology chose only two outof numerouscandidates torepresent theacademiccommunity.

"Over thepast few years,the magazinehad notfocused on theimportance ofthe educationfield," said GuiMadison,associatepublisher ofthe magazine."We made aspecialexception thisyear, choosingNevarez out ofthousands ofcandidates."

Nevarez, now in his 23rd yearas UTPA president, has had acareer that has thus far created

many opportunities forminorities. According toMadison, Nevarez was selectedbased on his leadership that ledto the advancement oftechnology in the Hispaniccommunity as well as in theglobal market economy.

The president was gratified byhis selection.

"It's a great honor to berecognized outside your

professionalarea," Nevarezsaid. "I feelhonored to berecognized bythe HispanicEngineering andInformationTechnologyMagazine andto have beenincluded in thecompany ofsuchdistinguishedindividuals."

UTPA alsohad four "powerhitters" noted inthe magazinefeature,including Dr.RodolfoArevalo,

provost/vice-president forAcademic Affairs; Rolando S.Arriola, vice president for

External Affairs; EseqielGranado Jr., comptroller andassociate vice president forBusiness Affairs; and Dr. KarenLozano, assistant professor ofmechanical engineering.

Nevarez’s award can be tracedto many accomplishments,including those of the Collegeof Science and Engineering.Two state-of-the-art facilitieshave been planned andcompleted, making the Collegeone of the best-equippedundergraduate facilities inTexas.

A $23 million engineeringbuilding was finished in 1996,and a year later, a $26 millionScience building was completed.The $49 million investmentattested to the huge strides thecollege had made, partly due toNevarez's desire to betterprepare students in the fields ofscience, math, and engineering.

"It is my belief that ourstudents can achieve greatsuccess in the science, math,engineering and technologyfields," Nevarez said. "But wehave to begin when they are injunior high and high school toencourage them to learn aboutthe opportunities and theexcitement that working in thesefields can provide."

With this mentality leadingthe way, UTPA, in cooperation

with Congressman RubenHinojosa, spearheaded aninnovative project to increasethe number of Hispanics in thedisciplines of science,engineering and technology.HESTEC (HispanicEngineering, Science, andTechnology Week) was created.

"HESTEC is a weeklongcelebration held at UTPA thatemphasizes the importance ofmath and science literacy byhighlighting rewarding careerpaths in engineering, scienceand technology," Nevarez said."We bring pre-college studentstogether to participate throughwebcasting, closed circuittelevision, cable channelprograms and on-campusactivities and exhibits."

Now in its second year of

operation, HESTEC will takeplace Oct. 13-16, 2003 featuringlecturers including an IBMsenior vice-president,technology and manufacturingleader Nick Donofrio, andNASA Asociate Administratorfor Education, Dr. AdenaWilliams Loston.

In addition to the excellentprogress of the engineeringprogram at UTPA, Nevarez alsocontributed to the advancementof the school’s informationtechnology resources.

"Providing access to highereducation has been one of mypriorities as long as I have beenassociated with highereducation," Nevarez said.

The Center for Distance

UTPA president nets service awardBy ADRIANNA MARTINEZThe Pan American

NEVAREZ

See NEVAREZ page 11

HESTEC is a weeklong celebrationheld at UTPA that emphasizes theimportance of math and scienceliteracy by highlighting rewarding

career paths in engineering, scienceand technology. “

“

- Dr. Miguel Nevarez,UTPA president

What’s big, white, currentlyunder construction, and savesthe academic lives ofthousands of students everymonth? The University TestingCenter.

The location is still thesame at the University ofTexas - Pan American Annexon 2412 S. Closner. The onlychange, besides it’s new look,is the room number which isnow 180.

In its unfinished state theoutside may look like a turkeylacking dressing duringThanksgiving dinner. On theinside, Connie Najera, directorof the University TestingServices, and other UTPAemployees are cooking upsomething different forstudents with an appetite forsuccess.

“The main objective at thecenter is to aid students inundergraduate and graduaterequirements,” Najera said.

“In 2002-2003, 1,239 studentstook the Quick TASP [TexasAcademic Skills Program] atthe University Testing Center.”

On a slow day the centeradministers close to 300 testsand its peak serves 1,000students taking a variety ofdifferent tests.

The Center caters tostudents from UTPA, SouthTexas Community College andhigh schools throughout theValley. Since its addition tothe UTPA family in 1994, theCenter has played a key rolein administering and offeringthe following state exams:Quick TASP, TASP andTCLEOSE [Texas Commissionon Law Enforcement OfficerStandards and Education]. Thedifference between the QuickTASP and TASP is the resultsare received faster whentaking the Quick TASP thanthe regular TASP exam. Theinstitutional exams on handare: the ACT-Residual,Institutional TOEFL [Test of

New, improved TestingCenter aids students inpreparation for examsBy VANESSA LUCIOThe Pan American

See TESTING page 11

Letty CanalesEducationJunior

No. Based on the wording of the Bible itshould not be allowed.

David MedranoMarketingSophomore

No it’s not right. It will anger a lotof people because religion issupposed to be something sacred.

Do you agree with theelection of Gene

Robinson, a gay bishop?VOICE

CCaammppuuss

Laura GermanyBiologyJunior

Yes. I don’t think that a person’sorientation should be used as a criteriafor any church position or any otherpostion for that matter.

Texans celebrate heritage

The Houston Texans will present Football Fiesta to celebrate the city’s Hispanicheritage on Aug. 17 at Reliant Stadium from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free andwill feature musical groups such as the Kumbia Kings, Mango Punch, and Varonil.There will also be football workshops and interactive games.

Soccer heads to Reliant Stadium

Reliant Stadium will host the first Copa de Tejas soccer match between Cruz Azuland Tigres on Wednesday Aug. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at allTicketmaster outlets or by calling (713) 629-3700.

Ticket prices for the match are $18, $25 and $30. Groups of 20 or more can pur-chase tickets for $15. Group tickets may be purchased by calling the Reliant StadiumBox Office at (832) 667-1805.

American hoopsters crush D.R.

The U.S. women’s basketball team thrashed the Dominican Republic 109-54 onWednesday in the Pan American Games and finished the preliminary round with a 4-1 record. In the men’s group, the United States lost to Brazil on Tuesday leavingthem without a chance to win the gold medal for the fifth straight time. The last timethe U.S. men’s team won the gold was in 1983.

LMB playoffs under way

The Mexican Baseball League (LMB) recently wrapped up its regular season and

the first round of the playoffs are in full swing. The Mexico City Reds won the NorthZone with a 68-40 record while the Tigers of Puebla, formerly of Mexico City, wonthe South with a 72-35 record.

In the North Zone playoffs, Mexico City dropped Puebla, 4-2, Tuesday to take a 2-1 series lead. The Saltillo Saraperos (62-45 regular season) defeated the MonterreySultans (66-43), 7-4, to cut Monterrey’s series lead to 2-1.

In the South Zone, the Tigers and Campeche (55-51) were rained out while Oaxaca(57-52) took a commanding 3-0 series lead over Yucatan (61-45) with a 5-2 victory.

The Reynosa Broncos were left out of the playoffs after finishing in seventh placewith a disappointing 43-63 record, 24 games out of first place.

Mexico’s football greats honored

A bronze plaque commemorating Mexico’s all-time football team was presented byAlejandro Morales, president of the Mexican-American Football Hall of Fame inMexico City, Aug. 2 during the annual induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hallof Fame in Canton, Ohio. The plaque recognizes Mexico’s all-time football greats.

American-style football has been played in Mexico for more than 100 years. In2001, the Mexican-American Football Hall of Fame was inaugurated in Mexico Cityprior to the NFL’s preseason American Bowl game.

Mexico takes title

Mexico won the fourth annual NFL Flag Football World Championship by defeatingSouth Korea 54-32. Mexico was represented by Los Diablitos de la Secundaria 312 ofMexico City.

Los Diablitos finished the tournament, held in Tokyo, undefeated after winning all theirgames by 20-point margins or more. Mexico routed Australia 67-28 in the semifinals.Mexico obtained third place in the previous two world cups.

August 7, 2003 Sports Page 13

SSPPOORRTTSS CCLLIIPPBBOOAARRDD

The Edinburg Roadrunners are notshowing any signs of letting up anytime soon since capturing the first halfWest Division title of the CentralBaseball League.

Edinburg, who won the 2001 CBLchampionship, clinched the WestDivision first half with a 28-20record, granting them an automaticplayoff berth. The Roadrunners caughtfire in June by going 17-8 thatincluded a five-game win streak andconcluded with a 7-2 stretch at theend of the month. In July, theRoadrunners didn't rest, going 16-11.

Since the All-Star break, theRoadrunners have gone 12-7 and haveamassed an 18-13 second half recordas of Aug. 6. Edinburg is currently insecond place in the West Divisionbehind division leader and southTexas rival Coastal Bend (20-12).

Good pitching and solid hitting arewhat has aided the Roadrunnerssuccess this season.

Pitchers Pedro Flores (10-2), EricMontoya (11-4) and All-Star RyanHarris (7-2) have combined for a 28-8record in 366.2 innings pitched. In thebullpen, All-Star relievers Omar Ortiz(1-3) and Clint Smith (5-3) along withChris Russ (7-4) have come to theclub's rescue on various occasions.The trio has compiled a 13-10 recordwith 17 saves.

As a whole, the Edinburg pitchingstaff has accumulated a 3.69 ERA,second in the CBL, in 710 innings of

work and has held their opponents to a.237 batting average.

"We'll play day by day," formerUTPA standout Ortiz said. "You wantto lock up that second half too. We'retrying to get best record in the league.That's our goal. That's my goal."

In the offensive category, theRoadrunners have not been silent.Although not the most powerful clubin the league, they have managed toamass a .265 team batting average,sixth in the CBL, while cranking out42 round-trippers.

All-Star second baseman AnthonyÁngel is currently batting .307 withsix homers and 53 RBIs whileslugging .437 in 79 games.

All-Star teammate Derek Hendersonis just shy of the .300 mark with a.299 average through 78 games. Thefirst baseman leads the team in thehome run category with eight. He alsohas knocked in 55 runs and iscurrently slugging .372.

Former UTPA standout outfielderJerome McCoy has played in 33games and is trying to adjust to hisnew team. McCoy is batting .248 andhas brought home seven runs.

Angel said it is important for theRoadrunners to continue to play well.

"We won the first half, we can't letup. We've got to work hard every dayand play hard to win," Ángel said."We've got to keep going and getsome momentum going into theplayoffs."

The Roadrunners' success has alsotranslated into more fans in the seatsat Edinburg Baseball Stadium.

Currently, Edinburg is second only toFort Worth in attendance, averaging2,984 fans in 40 home dates. In 39games, Fort Worth has an average of3,500 spectators per game, butLaGrave Field has a 5,100-seatcapacity in comparison to Edinburg's4,000.

As the regular season comes to aclose and the playoffs are just aroundthe corner, it has been speculated thatmaybe the Roadrunners are peakingtoo soon. However, the players are notpaying too much attention to thecritics.

"There's always going to beexpectations out there," secondbaseman Ángel said.

Edinburg has 17 games remaining,including Wednesday night's three-game series finale against EastDivision leading Fort Worth (20-11).The Roadrunners split the first twogames of the series with the Cats.Edinburg shut out Fort Worth Mondaynight, 6-0, and dropped a 4-2 gameTuesday night.

The Roadrunners will open a two-game series with the Río GrandeValley White Wings starting tonight inHarlingen, then return to EdinburgSaturday for a two-game set againstthe same RGV squad. Then they headout on their final road trip of theseason for visits to Coastal Bend andSan Angelo. Edinburg wraps up the2003 season with a six-gamehomestand starting on Aug. 18 againstCoastal Bend and continuing with theseason finale against Amarillo on Aug.21.

Season winds down for RunnersBy ED CHRNKOThe Pan American

UTPA VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Site TimeAug. 29 Lamar A 7 p.m.Aug. 30 North Texas A noonAug. 30 Lehigh A 4 p.m.Sept. 2 P. View A&M H 7 p.m.Sept. 5 Tulsa A 4 p.m.Sept. 6 SFA A 12 noonSept. 6 LA Lafayette A 4 p.m.Sept. 9 SWT H 7 p.m.Sept. 12 TCU A 7 p.m.Sept. 13 Ark. State A 10:30 a.m.Sept. 13 Ark.-Pine Bluff A 5 p.m.Sept. 19-20 PV A&M Tourney A TBASept. 23 Incarnate Word H 7 p.m.Sept. 27 Texas A&M-Int. A 4 p.m.Sept. 30 TAMUK A 7 p.m.Oct. 2 NMSU H 7 p.m.Oct. 4 TAMUCC H 7 p.m.Oct. 7 Texas A&M-Int. H 6 p.m.Oct. 10 Alumni H 7 p.m.Oct. 12 IPFW H 1 p.m.Oct. 15 UTSA H 7 p.m.Oct. 22 Texas Southern H 7 p.m.Oct. 25 TAMUCC A 11 a.m.Oct. 31 UTEP H 7 p.m.Nov. 1 Liga Municipal Sel. H 7 p.m.

ReynosaNov. 4 TAMUK H 7 p.m.Nov. 10 Prairie View A&M A noonNov. 10 Texas Southern A 4 p.m.Nov. 14 Northern Colorado A 9:30 a.m.Nov. 14 Utah Valley State A 4:00 p.m.Nov. 15 TAMUCC A 2 p.m.Nov. 15 IPFW A 6 p.m.

Teresita GutierrezBiologyJunior

Yes. According to the Bible this ismorally incorrect, but being gay isirrelevant to being a bishop if theydecide to dedicate their lives toGod.

August 7, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 4

This time it’s for real.Norma Moreno andIrasema Rangel offerUTPA students a restaurantunlike the typical eaterythat college students headto for a quick bite.

H&A Purim Speedy(Speedy), a brand newrestaurant, opened July 16across the street from theUniversity Center onSugar Road, right next tothe “C” Store. Thebuilding’s previous tenantwas Ferboy’s, whichprepared for business lastyear, but never opened itsdoors to the public.

Speedy is here to offerstudents, faculty and thesurrounding communityauthentic antojitosmexicanos [Mexicandishes], according to theowners.

“We chose this locationbecause of theaccessibility that it has,not only to the universitybut to other localbusinesses,” Rangel said.“Being right across fromthe university brings manyopportunities to this smalleatery.”

Moreno and Rangel saylocation is not the onlything that will bring therestaurant opportunities.Their traditional yetunique cuisine will attractMexican food fanatics.

Using their originalrecipes, Rangel andMoreno create meals withan authentic Mexicantaste. The restaurantmenu is filled with severaldishes found in most ofMexico, such as gorditas,huaraches, enchiladas,sopa de fideo and pozole.

Each dish is preparedwith different ingredients,such as beef or chicken,spices and sauces (chipotleand mole).

“Some students havealready come in and theytell us that the food has anauthentic flavor that ishard to find in the Valleyand at a reasonable price,”Rangel said.

The operating hours willbe Sunday through Fridayfrom 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. andSaturday from 7 a.m. to 9p.m. An important part ofthe mix is breakfast, lunchand dinner.

Being new to theneighborhood, the ownersare still makingmodifications with themenu as well as withprices, but Moreno andRangel say that all minoradjustments will becompleted by the time thefall semester begins.

“The modifications thatwe are making are tobetter serve ourcustomers,” Moreno said.“We’re planning on addingyour original meals suchas pancakes for breakfast

and salads and hamburgersfor lunch.”

The home cooking atSpeedy should stand inmarked contrast to thenever-ending plethora offast-food joints dotting theimmediate university area.Other places offeringauthentic Mexican food,such as Casa del Taco, arefurther away, makingSpeedy the closest sit-down place for theuniversity community.

Proximity plus substancemight install the newrestaurants as a legitimateeating choice along withthe ubiquitous fast-foodplaces and the farepresented by the StudentUnion.

It also will vie withvarious area conveniencestores - such as El Tigre,Circle K,and Texaco, forthe consistent breakfasttaco crowd in themornings.

The bottom line is thatSpeedy is open forbusiness. But the mysteryof what happened, orfailed to happen, withFerboy's, is as of yetunsolved. The EdinburgChamber of Commerce hasno record of the phantomrestaurant. It was set toopen in the late spring butlay dormant during the fallsemester despite ornatedecoration, new paint, and"Help Wanted" signshanging in the window.

New local restaurantafter authentic taste

The newest area eatery, Speedy, takes the place of Furboy’s, on Sugar Road.

Photo by Daniel Aguilar/The Pan American

By CINDY MATAThe Pan American

August 7, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 12

According to the MALDEFwebsite, the JimenezScholarship is geared towardimmigrant students who donot have the financialresources to pay for college.

“An unfortunate side effectof the rise in tuition in manyof our nation‚s colleges anduniversities is that a growingnumber of immigrant Latinostudents do not have theeconomic resources to pay therapidly increasing costs ofeducation,” according to theMALDEF website.“Nevertheless, thecontinuously rising costs ofin-state tuition continues tohamper the aspiration ofmany qualified Latinostudents, in particular,qualified immigrant students‚dreams of attending thecollege of their choice.”

Furthermore, the passage ofTexas House Bill 1403 by the77th Legislature in 2001

opened the door forimmigrants to pay the residenttuition rate while attendingpublic institutions of highereducation in Texas publiccolleges and universities andmeet the residency of statefinancial aid programs.

At UTPA, MonicaAlvarado, assistant director ofStudent Financial Services,was more than helpful on thisissue.

“After being clearedthrough admissions, HB 1403students have to come in andgo through the financial aidprocess in order to be eligiblefor state aid,” Alvarado said.“Students who fall under HB1403 are eligible for Statefinancial aid such as theTEXAS grant and work-study.”

Even with the passage ofHB 1403, many UTPAstudents are still in need offinancial resources. The

Jimenez Scholarship, whichrequires that applicants beLatino may not be aware that85.64 percent of students atUTPA are Hispanic.

Moreover,approximately 86.7 percent ofthe UTPA total studentpopulation received someform of financial assistance in2002 from both need-basedand non-need based aid,which still leaves 13.30percent of students with nofederal and state financial aid.

Perhaps some of thesestudents would be more thanwilling to apply for theJimenez scholarship.

When informed aboutthe Jimenez scholarship andthe financial help it couldoffer UTPA students, Alvarezreplied: “Any additional effortto get more resources forstudents is excellent thisscholarship would be of greatassistance to our students.”

be able to read the realmessage.”

Also studied in theclass is the effecttelevision has onpublic discourse. Forone thing, it makeslight of seriousmatters. Thetrivialization of the warin Iraq by the extensivecoverage of POWJessica Lynch is anexample thatMcLemore used.

”Jessica Lynchbecame the icon of theIraq war,” he said.“She’s terminally cuteand looks like the girlnext door. The focusshifted from theserious matters of warand trivialized the ideaof heroic behavior.”

Although McLemorefeels that there is junkon television, he is

quick to inform hisclass that televisionalso providesinformative andeducationalprogramming. The keyis to know thedifference.

”We must know howto make consciousdecisions about whatwe watch on TV,”McLemore said.“There’s nothing wrongwith vegging out oncein a while but it isimportant for studentsto be able todiscriminate betweentrivial and non-trivialTV and recognize whenone is being seducedby the power oftelevision.”

Garcia feels that thecourse has reallychanged her view onTV and how she will

now observe it. “It is really

important not tobecome so enticed bytelevision that it altersour concept of reality,”Garcia said. “Now Isomewhat feel theresponsibility to watchTV that provides mewith in-depthinformation and hassubstance.”

One thing is forcertain. The class isdesigned to infusestudents’ televisionlives with a dose ofmedia literacy. AsMcLemore put it,‘many students returnto see me down theroad and they‘complain’ that theycan’t watch televisionanymore withoutseeing it critically. Isay, ‘good.’”

TELEVISION continued from page 2SCHOLARSHIP continued from page 3

(Above) Scaffolding for the Social and Behavioral Science looms large; (right) construc-tion on the north side of campus includes building work and road improvements.

Gaining Ground

The University of Texas-Pan American is

expanding its roads. As more students enroll

each semester, buildings are being constructed,

and parking spaces are decreasing.

Administrators are trying to fix the problems

involving traffic congestion by expanding the

roads surrounding the university. Roads are

growing from two lanes to four.

President Miguel Nevarez said the expansion

is important because of traffic flowing through

Highway 107 because of university growth.

“The importance of that is that there is going

to be more traffic on State Highway 107,”

Nevarez said. “It is going to be more traffic as

we build more buildings toward the center of

campus.”

The university and the City of Edinburg are

working together to coordinate the campus

growth, which is expected to double within the

next decade.

The street expansion is planned to last

between 12-24 months.

Edinburg City Manager Wendy Smith Sturgis

said the construction will faciitate fewer traffic

problems around the area.

“With the growth of the university...and all the

new businesses going up, I think it is prime time

to expand that roadway,” she said.

Photos by Daniel Aguilar/The Pan American

August 7, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 5

The American DiabetesAssociation reports thatabout 151,000 people lessthan 20 years of age areliving with diabetes. Mostof these young peoplehave Type 1 diabetes,caused by a defect in theimmune system thatblocks the body’s abilityto produce insulin.

However, due to agrowing rate of obesityamong children there arenow many cases of Type 2diabetes,caused by ametabolicdisorderresultingfrom thebody’sinability tomakeenough orproperlyuse insulin,in this agegroup.Untilrecently itwas not even known thatchildren were capable ofdeveloping Type 2diabetes.

In an effort to preventthe disease among theyoung the state of Texashas charged the Universityof Texas-Pan AmericanBorder Health Office withproviding school districtswith appropriate trainingfor screening acanthosisnigricans, an indicator forType 2 diabetes, and otherdisorders through theAcanthosis Nigricans: TheEducation and ScreeningProgram (ANTES).

“Acanthosis nigricans isa marker forhyperinsulinemia andinsulin resistance and aprecursor for diabetes,,”said Gina Garza, BorderHealth Office coordinator.“However, it is not thesame thing as diabetes.That is a misconception.”

Acanthosis nigricans, isa condition that can easilybe evaluated by means ofa visual examination. It isa light brown-black,velvety, furrowed, roughor thickened manifestationon surface areas of theskin, explains the BorderHealth Office screeningmanual. Thepigmentations are mostfrequently seen on theback of the neck, but canalso be seen in armpits,over the knuckles, elbows,

knees, soles of the feetinner thighs, and skinfolds in the abdomen andback.

The brownish-blackcolor of the skin causedby acanthosis nigricansindicates the pancreas hasbeen exhausting itself forquite some time pumpinginsulin into the blood. Theinsulin is secreted to theskin to control the level ofsugar concentrations inthe blood as food is eaten.

According to themanual, chronicallyelevated insulin levels can

also increase the risk ofcardiovascular problems,increased lipids,hypertension, and obesity.In females, high insulinlevels may increase therisk of developingPolycystic OvarianSyndrome which ischaracterized byamenorrhea (irregularmenstrual cycles),hirsutism (extreme facialhair), severe acne,enlarged ovaries, obesityand insulin resistance.

Acanthosis nigricanscan appear at any age, butis most frequently seen inpreadolescence. Althougha person from anynationality or race candevelop acanthosisnigricans, some groups aremore prone to it.

“Hispanics, AfricanAmericans, Asians, andNative Americans aremore prone to acanthosisnigricans,” Garzaexplained. “This isbecause their skin is moresensitive to high insulinlevels. And just becauseyou don’t have acanthosisnigricans it doesn’t meanthat you don’t have highinsulin levels or are not atrisk of diabetes.”

As part of the ANTESprogram the BorderHealth Office has createda toolkit with a grantprovided by MethodistHealthcare Ministries, Inc.

to help educate schoolpersonal and parents onacanthosis nigricans. Thetoolkit contains literature,videos, and othermaterials.

This toolkit will beprovided along withtraining workshops to 12mandated regions aroundthe nation. Included arethe Rio Grande Valley,Corpus Christi, Victoria,Houston, Dallas-Ft.Worth, Austin, SanAngelo, Midland, El Paso,and San Antonio areas.

“We first started withthe Valley andEl Paso,because theseregions are onthe border andhave manyHispanics,”Garzaexplained.“As we sawwhich areasneeded theservice weworked ourway up intothe rest of

Texas.”The ANTES program

(the word in Spanishmeans “before”) is aimedat identifying 3rd-, 5th-and 7th-grade studentswho have acanthosisnigricans. Students areexamined by schoolnurses during statemandated vision, hearing,and scoliosis screenings.

“The ANTES projectallows us to train schoolnurses to identify thesekids, height, weight, anddegree of acanthosisnigricans,” Garza said.“The nurses send a letterto the parents and referthe students to a doctor.Sometimes they’ll bereferred to a dietitian.”

Celia Guerra of Missionreceived a letter from herdaughter’s school nurseinforming her that she hadacanthosis nigricans.Although she had noticedthe markings on her 13-year-old she was notaware of her condition.

“I feel that it is a help,because a lot of parentsdon’t even notice it oreven know about it,”Guerra said. “I knew shehad the dark skin but Ididn’t know what it was.”

The teenager who isbeing tested for thecomplication associatedwith acanthosis nigricans

BHO attemptingto fight diseaseBy AMELIA GARCIAThe Pan American

The ANTES project allows us totrain school nurses to identify thesekids, height, weight, and degree ofacanthosis nigricans. The nursessend a letter to the parents andrefer the student to a doctor

“

“- Gina Garza,

Border Health Office coordinator

See HEALTH page 11

August 7, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 6

Want to do something fun anddifferent? Want to escape thebusy world and enjoy a uniqueexperience surrounded by thebeauty of nature? Well look nofurther then your own backyard.

The City of Edinburg inpartnership with the Texas Parksand Wildlife Department and theU.S. Fish and Wildlife HumanResources have completed theconstruction of one of nine sitesof the World Birding Center inthe Valley. Located at theextension of Sprague Road andRaul Longoria, this new centeroffers an array of wildlifeviewing opportunities whichprovide nature tourism,economic and educationalbenefits to local communities.

The facility occupies 40 acresof the Edinburg Municipal Park,and its four surroundingmanmade wetlands provide anappropriate setting for naturalbird habitation. Viewingplatforms along with a trailsystem encircle a series ofponds, allowing visitors a closerlook at the various bird species.

Although the center’s mainattraction is the birds, it also

focuses on plants, insects, fish,and a few reptiles. The butterflygardens and native plantlandscaping enhance the beautyof this once desolate park area.

When entering the maininformation station, don’t beafraid to be greeted by a 10-footblue heron. The exaggeratedreplica of one of the Valley’sfrequent visitors is part of theoverall scenic theme of theWBC. The colorful buildingcontains resources, information,and educational exhibits forvisitors of all ages.

Floor-to-ceiling windowsadjacent to the entrance doorscapture the scenic wetlands likea portrait. Computer stationsplaced in the center of theexhibit room use softwareapplications to test the visitor'sknowledge on various birdspecies.

Interactive information stationsinform visitors on different birdswhich inhabit the surroundingwetlands, and with a push of abutton people can hear thedistinctive sounds of eachcreature. The Center's gift shopalso has a wide variety of bookson varies topics concerningplants, birds, and other wildlife.

The WBC also has various

projects in the works. Forexample, in the spring the Centerplans to offer “101” classeswhich will teach people who arenot familiar with birding how touse binoculars and identifydifferent species.

The Center is also developingcurriculums to be sent to localschools on wetland ecology,habitat conservation, and animalclassification. Teachers wouldthen conduct in-class lessons andfollow up with hands-on fieldstudy to reinforce what studentslearn in the classroom.

ONE OF NINE

There are nine differentlocations in the Rio GrandeValley that make up the linkednetwork of the World BirdingCenter. The scenic wetlands inEdinburg is the first of thecenters to be completed. Otherswhich are still in the worksinclude: Bentsen-Rio GrandeValley State Park in Mission,Resaca de la Palma State Park inBrownsville, Estero LlanoGrande State Park in Weslaco,Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen,Ramsey Nature Park inHarlingen, Historic Bluffs inRoma, Old Pump House in

Hidalgo, and Laguna MadreCenter in South Padre Island.

The Valley is a majordestination for bird watchersfrom all around the world. Dueto the biodiversity andgeographical location, more birdsenter the United States over theValley during migration than anyother place in the country.

Nearly 500 bird species havebeen documented in this area.Many avian flyways and majormigration routes intersect thefour counties of Cameron,Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy. Therange of habitat from desert toocean and of climates fromtropical to temperate have madethis area favorable for migratorybirds and popular among birdwatchers.

"The World Birding Center, asa whole, is designed to providepublic education and increaseenvironmental publicawareness," said Amy Winters,the WBC director.

Winters and the WBC stafffocus on the major issues ofwetland ecology and theimportance of wetlands.According to Winters, about 90percent of all the originalwetland areas in the UnitedStates have been lost to habitat

destruction or housingdevelopment. One purpose of theCenter is to educate people aboutthe environmental necessity,economic value, and naturalbeauty of local wetlands.

Another objective is to providean income for the Valley in termsof tourism dollars.

"We want to be a destinationfor tourists because it’s good forthe local economy in so manyways," Winters said.

Winters and the staff seek tobe highly knowledgeable aboutthe geography and nativeinhabitants of the wetlands. Theylead tours and answer anyenvironmental or birdingquestions visitors may have.

The WBC is open Tuesdaythrough Saturday from 11 a.m. to6 p.m. Admission is $2 foradults and $1 for senior citizens,kids, and students. Large groupsare encouraged to call in advancefor arrangements.

For more information aboutthe World Birding Center-Edinburg Scenic Wetlands, call(956) 381-9922. For informationon any of the nine birding siteslocated from Roma to SouthPadre Island, call the WorldBirding Center headquarters at(956) 584-9156.

Edinburg part of Birding Center completed

Featured speaker Alejandro Moreno Jr.summed up a recent nonprofit seminar byasking a question.

“How do you eat an elephant?” he asked.“One spoonful at a time…that’s how thisprocess should be handled. It can be done.”According to Moreno, “Any one person orgroup of people can start their own nonprofit ifthey have a vision, a need and the desire towork hard for a charitable cause.”

The Southwest Border Nonprofit ResourceCenter, a component of the University of Texas-Pan American Office of External Affairs hostedthe seminar, “Starting a NonprofitOrganization,” in late July.

Moreno Jr., Special Projects Coordinator anda longtime member of the state’s nonprofitsector, instructed the attendees on how to start anonprofit organization. The seminar basicscovered were: formulating a plan, writingarticles of incorporation, creation of bylaws,completing an employer identification numberrequest using IRS Form SS4 and completing afederal tax-exempt application (IRS Form1023).

People attended representing Keep McAllenBeautiful Committee, the Pharr Chambers ofCommerce, and Palm View CrimeStoppers,among others. At the seminar there werecitizens from all over the Valley who wereinvolved in a nonprofit group or were interestedin joining one.

Dalila Vasquez, a UTPA senior who has beenworking at the Center since she was a freshman,will graduate in May 2004 with a degree ineducation, and hopes to become a local

elementary teacher. While volunteering at theCenter Vasquez said she “learned what it trulymeant to help out the community, whether byproviding seminars to teach people aboutnonprofits or directing them to the Center’slibrary database.”

That database lists 2,000 nonprofit centers inthe Valley alone. There are over 100,000nonprofits statewide, including Texas Rural andLegal Aid and Projecto Azteca, locally. Manyrepresentatives of these agencies were on handto hear Moreno Jr. speak.

Mark A. Perez works for Parenting RightsInclude Dads Equally (PRIDE), a nonprofitorganization helping fathers achieve equalrights, providing a support structure, andpromoting family values. According to theorganization, over 50 percent of Valley fatherspay child support and work at the same time.

“We are not deadbeat dads, we are fathers thatshould be in our children’s lives,” Perez said.The organization will be participating in aworldwide candlelight vigil sponsored by theChildren’s Rights Council on Thursday, Sept. 25at the County Courthouse in Edinburg.

Jean D. Lehman of Weslaco works withvisually impaired individuals and had done sofor years. She went to the seminar with hopes ofstarting a nonprofit group, one which specializesin using volunteers to read the newspaper to thevisually impaired via radio. Marcy Garza ofGarza Ministry Incorporated helps over 3,000children each month by providing clothes andfood in the PSJA school district area. Garza saidthe seminar was informative for those who havealready been active in the nonprofit sector. ”Itoffered a better understanding of what one coulddo to expand an existing nonprofit group,” shesaid.

By MARTIZA RODRIGUEZThe Pan American

Nonprofit seminar soughtto illuminate possibilities

NURSING DOCTORALPROGRAM TO START

Starting this fall, The Universityof Texas- Pan Amerian will offernursing students or working nursesthe opportunity to earn a doctoraldegree through videoconferencecourses.

The University of Texas HealthScience Center at San AntonioSchool of Nursing and UTPA willjoin forces to provide a nursingdoctoral program for thoseinterested.

An information session will beheld on Aug. 15 from 4 p.m. to 7p.m., at the Health Sciences andHuman Services East Building room1.112. The session will be hosted byDr. Beverly Robinson, associatedean for the Graduate NursingProgam at UTHSCA. Admissionrequirements, curriculum classschedule, and full- or part-timeoptions will be discussed.

For information or to sign up, callRobinson at (210) 567-5815 or theUTPA Department of Nursing at381-3491.

HOST AN EXCHANGESTUDENT

Host Families are needed to houseinternational exchange students forthe 2003-2004 academic year.Students from different parts of theworld will arrive in August and areexpected to stay one semester oruntil the end of the school year.Students speak English, havemedical insurance, and havespending money for their personalexpenses.

Families are able to review thestudents’ applications and select the

student they feel is best suited tomatch their family.

If interested call Yvette Coffmanat the SHARE! Southwest RegionalOffice at 1-800-941-3738.

CHANGE OF ADDRESSStudents returning to campus in

the fall will find that there havebeen some changes during thesummer. Several departments havenew locations, including theAcademic Advisement Office, whichis now located east of the library inthe old math building, LEAC room156, extension 2529.

The Counseling Center has alsorelocated to the University Centerroom 109, and more information canbe accessed at extension 2574.

Finally, the International StudentsAdvisement Office has moved to theUniversity Center, room 113, downthe hall from the Counseling Center,extension 2922.

SENATOR HINOJOSAANNOUNCES RE-ELECTION

CAMPAIGNSenator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa

officially announced his re-electionAug. 6, in a fundraiser, which beganat 6 p.m. in the Embassy Suites inMcAllen.

The fundraiser started his re-election campaign for a second termin the Texas Senate.

Hinojosa was elected in 2002 toserve his district, which includesNueces, Hidalgo, Brooks, and JimWells counties.

He plans to focus on funding suchinstitutions as the RegionalAcademic Health Center inHarlingen, plus other Valley healthand education facilities.

By VANESSA LUCIOThe Pan American

August 7, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 11

Learning Program was theproduct of UTPA's commitmentto embracing technology as aprimary means of reaching outto this region.

"Using distance learning as avehicle to provide access tostudents who can't get to thecampus is a resource thatenables students and faculty tointeract and gain the experienceand knowledge that is availableat UTPA," Nevarez said.

Furthermore, high schooljuniors and seniors who seekhigher education have other

options. Through the ConcurrentEnrollment Program at UTPA,students have the opportunity toenroll in university courses,benefit from the knowledge ofan exceptional faculty and earncollege credit while still in highschool.

"Students find that by gainingcollege credits before coming toUTPA they get a head start onrealizing their degreeaspirations, graduating, an thengetting a job," Nevarez said."Concurrent Enrollment is anexcellent way to get a jump start

in obtaining higher education."A native of McAllen, Nevarez

has a bachelor's degree inagriculture from what is nowTexas A&M University-Kingsville, a master's inelementary education fromMichigan State University, and aPh.D. in science education fromNew York University.

The Hispanic Engineer andInformation Technologymagazine was not the first torecognize the president'scontributions.

Nevarez was also named

Outstanding Educator in 1985 byRonald Reagan, named as one ofthe "100 Influential U. S.Hispanics" by Hispanic BusinessMagazine in 1986 and 1987, andwas featured in the December2000 issue of “The HispanicOutlook in Higher Education.”

When asked how hiscontributions have led to greatsuccess, Nevarez gave credit tomany people and organizationsthat helped along the way.

“As president of thisinstitution, I do not work alone.Any success that this institution

achieves is due to the vision, theefforts and the cooperation ofmany individuals.

"I am proud to work with allstudents, faculty and staff whohave dedicated their purpose,their commitment, and theirefforts to make every event,program and activity weundertake to be the best that itcan be," he said. "This award isnot just for me individually, butfor all the individuals at thisuniversity who have workedcontinually to make adifference."

NEVAREZ continued from page 3

English as a Foreign Language],Correspondence tests, and theLASE [Local Advanced StandingExamination].

Computer-based testing is alsooffered for exams such as theCLEP, ACCUPLACER,Computerized SAT, GRE,GMAT, and the InternationalTOEFL. The national examsadministered include the ACT,SAT I/II, LSAT, MCAT, GRESubject tests, OATP, and theMiller Analogies Test foradmission to some graduatestudies.

Samuel Casares, a freshman atUTPA who is seeking an

occupational therapy degree,took the Quick TASP Aug. 5 atthe Center.

“I called the center to registerfor the exam, paid twenty-ninedollars for the test fee and tenmore for the Quick TASP fee,”Casares said. “It was long and alittle early in the morning but inthe end, it wasn’t that bad.”

The TASP test was introducedby the Texas legislature in fall1989 to all higher educationinstitutions in Texas. RichardTrevino, director of the LearningAssistance Center and Chair ofthe TASP ComplianceCommittee, understands the huge

importance that the Center holdsfor students who still need totake the TASP and otheracademic exams.

As of Aug. 5, the number ofPan Am students enrolled for thefall was 13,587, an increase of16 percent over last year’senrollment. Of the enrolled,close to 1,200 students still needto take the TASP test, with themajority of those studentsclassified as freshman.

“Forty-three percent ofincoming freshmen need to takeeither a TASP lab or adevelopmental course becausethey have not passed the exam or

haven’t even taken it,” Trevinosaid.

In early June 2003, thelegislature passed a lawmandating the state programTASP to be replaced with theTexas Success Initiative Program[TSIP] in all higher educationinstitutions in Texas. The officialname change is to the TexasHigher Education Assessmenttest, or THEA.

This new law, effective Aug. 1allows each university to initiatea specific program designed withtheir own guidelines for thestudents who have not taken theTASP/ACCUPLACER or THEA

test. UTPA decided to keep THEA

around for admissionrequirements.

“The university will keep thesame cut scores of 220 and 230for passing requirements,”Trevino said.

The Center will promote aidfor students who want to preparefor the tests, by offeringadvisement and tutoring.

“It is the same testadministered at the sameUniversity Testing Center butPan Am will be more involvedwith the students any way theycan,” Trevino said.

TESTING continued from page 3

A COMFORTABLE WOMAN

She’s a T-shirt and jeans kinda girl

Bows her head when she smilesBats her eyes, then opens them wideCause she has nothinShe has nothin to hide

She’s a T-shirt and jeans kinda girl

She steals food from the sunMangos and cornTakes in the afternoon lightTill her hunger’s all gone

She’s a T-shirt and jeans kinda girl

Lays back as we watch T. V. in the darkUnaware how the images Change the shadows on the wallThen she sits up straight, real tall

She says, she don’t need no fancy thingsNo clothes

No extravagant entertainmentJust one of those

Kisses that will last her till dawnSomething to remember her byLike a picture; like a song

By:Gabriel Cerda

STUDENTARTCORNERON A CLEAR DAY

On a clear day you can see your lovely sweetsweating swan sunbathing

the water dry while the metal chains hold firmThe water does not roll off that easily and I know

why I sang thismelody for you

I sang to you, to let you feel something beautiful To hear my voice echo throughout the devout

chambers in your heartI sang to get lost in you and you listened to find

yourself A perfect pair of notes to sing to

On a clear day you can feel your lovely Jezebeljitter-on by Jack

with those joyous dips in her smileHer laugh is a little off and yet you listen

Yet you feelOn a clear day you can touch your lovely baby

blues and knowyou will not ever find anything better than those

sapphiresYet you listen

You feelYou touch the rough white feathers of a swan

you will let fly on a clear day

By:Vanessa L. Lucio

BABY

The dark sky firefliesOrbit around the world

Black satin through the handsEyes of a baby girl

Her soft hands stretch outThey move along my face

The smell of powder loveEmbroidered angel lace

Lay her softly downHear her breathe a while

Her little hands clasp tightWatch her sleep a while

The night sky firefliesOrbit around her bed

Lean, whisper somethingThen kiss her little head

By:Gabriel Cerda

was troubled at first by the diagnosis,but has now come to realize it isimportant to live a healthier life.

“Sheís being checked and alreadystarting to think of a way of herchances for getting diabetes.” Guerrasaid. “She felt a little upset becauseshe knows what having diabetes meansbecause of what sheís seen in ourfamily. Her first reaction past thoughand she got a more positive attitude.She’s already been considering dietdrinks and plans to cut back on frenchfries.”

Acanthosis nigricans can beeliminated by eating properly andengaging in physical activity. Foodshigh in sugar and bad fats should beremoved from the child’s diet.

“A lot of people think becausefamily members are dietetic they aregoing to be too,” Garza explained.“This is not necessarily true. They canprevent or prolong the disease byhaving healthy lifestyles.”

Garza feels that ANTES is making asignificant difference and offers achance for a healthier future forchildren at risk of diabetes and theother disorders that are related toacanthosis nigricans.

“ANTES is important especially herebecause the majority of us areHispanics and diabetes really affectsus,” Garza said. “We want to help thischildren and have them live healthierlonger lives.”

For more information aboutacanthosis nigricans and the ANTESprogram contact the Border HealthOffice at 381-3687 ortmbhco@panam.edu. or log on towww.panam.edu/dept/tmbhco.

HEALTH continued from page 5

Campus Briefs

Movie: “A Beautiful Mind”Website: ISketch.orgBook: “Tuesday’s With Morrie,” by Mitch Albom

CD: “The Legend,” by Bob MarleyMovie: “Sound of Music”Book: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” KenKesey

CD: “Three Days,” by Pat GreenMovie: “Saving Silverman”Book: “Rich Dad,Poor Dad...,” by Robert T.Kiyosaki

Aaron CastroJuniorBusiness

Venessa CantuSeniorMarketing

Nayatzin SolisJuniorDeaf Communication

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

The

August 7, 2003 Tarts & entertainment Page 10

■ Art exhibit . . . . . . . 8-9

■ Culture Club . . . . . . 10ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 7

University Relations may havedisappointed students who participatedin a community-wide competitiondeveloped to find a brand new logo forthe university. Their disappointmentmight be eroded somewhere down theline.

An e-mail was sent to 13 participantswho submitted a graphic design entry,apologizing to all those hoping to gettheir work published for the universityand win the cash prize. The universitywas looking for a new logo incelebration of the 75th anniversary. Inthe letter sent by University RelationsInterim Director Sandra Quintanilla, anapology was addressed to the aspiringlogo artists stating that the universityhired a nationally recognized brandingagency to help create a specific “brandvision.” The partnership with theagency effectively canceled the contestfor local hopefuls.

“When we heard of the news, wethought it would be in everyone’s bestinterest to postpone the contest until thenew branding logo is finalized,”Quintanilla said. “We contacted theparticipants and told them about thesituation and that another contest willlikely be held later. We told them thatthey could resubmit their logos or come

up with new ones to fit the newbranding label.”

The outside agency was hired to givethe university an identity and image,according to Jesus De La Rosa,University Publications manager. Hedoes not know if the new contest willbe affiliated with the agency’s finalproduct, or if a new contest will beoffered again once the branding hasbeen done by the agency.

De La Rosa mentioned that mostsubmissions were well-regarded andmet all the requirements that outlinedthe competition.

“It was obvious through their work,that the participants spent a lot of timeand effort in coming up with theirdesign,” said Quintanilla. “Accordingto our graphics office they saw a greatdeal of potential in some of thedesigns.”

According to University Relations,the competition quickly gainedattention from the campus andcommunity.

“The contest sparked interest notonly within the university but in thecommunity,” Quintanilla said. “Thirty-seven people signed up for the logocompetition, which included UTPAstudents, staff, and members of thecommunity.”

Regardless, all submissions will bereturned to the participants.

By AARON LOZANOThe Pan American

Contest NixedAroundTown

2nd Annual Miss SouthTexas Teen and MissSouth Texas PageantAugust 8Place: Edinburg CityAuditoriumContact: PlatinumProductions at (956) 519-0543 or 381-6553

August 8Place: La Villa Real SpecialEvents Center, 1201 S.Bentsen Road, McAllenTickets: Reserved $23,General Admission $15

Ballet Masters of EuropeAugust 10 at 2 p.m.Place: McAllen Civic CenterTickets: Deborah DanceAcademy or call (956) 682-2721

Super Joint RitualAugust 20Place: La Villa Real SpecialEvents Center, 1201 S.Bentsen Road, McAllenEvent: Phil anselmo fromPantera, Hank Williams III,Jimmy Bower, and specialguest Strapping Young Lad& Full Blown ChaosTickets: General Admissionin advance $20, at the door$25

Dwight YoakamAugust 22Place: La Villa Real SpecialEvents Center, 1201 S.Bentsen Road, McAllenTickets: Reserved $35-55,General Admission $24

In her debut, “See Jane Date” authorMelissa Senate proves to be witty andhilarious.

The book displays a single woman whois in search of a boyfriend. Jane Gregg, a28-year-old single editor is in search ofthe perfect boyfriend in time for hercousin's wedding. Jane's world is turnedupside down when she realizes that shecannot go stag to her cousin's wedding.

She dares to go on a blind date, set upby her friend Amanda who believes shewill find Jane a future boyfriend. Bitingher tongue, Jane informs her family thatshe has a boyfriend who is a charmingdoctor. Her aunts are thrilled becauseshe finally has found a boyfriend andpossibly her future husband!

One aunt is extremely happy but hadher heart set on her single neighbor forJane. Jane then begins to realize thatchanging her flaws will make men fall inlove with her, but will her plan work outin time for the wedding? How many dateswill she have to go on just to find herboyfriend?

Senate’s work is absolutely hilariousyet displays a reality of the world ofdating. The main character also dealswith situations that most people canrelate to. Jane's blind dates are funny andthey may bring flashbacks for somepeople.

Will Jane find her dream guy in time orwill she dare to go alone to the wedding?What would her family think if theyknew her doctor boyfriend was just a lie?This novel is brilliant when it comes todescribing different characters. And apeculiar thing is almost every characterthat Senate describes happens to resemblea celebrity.

You can take in this novel in one dayand find yourself laughing and puttingyourself in Jane's shoes and wonderinghow far you actually would go to find aboyfriend to impress your family andfriends. The sassy comebacks that Janesays to people who offend or just bug herare absolutely crazy.

One scene that choked me up was thatof Aunt Ina when she snapped. "You havea final fitting for your dress nextSaturday, Miss Smart Aleck. What areyou waiting for? The shoes tomysteriously appear in your closet?"

“Yes, actually. That was exactly what Iwas waiting for,” says Jane.

If you are a fan of Chic literature, thenthis book is a must-read with a nonstopplot. This novel is not like other romancenovels that dwell on sex, in fact it is noteven considered a romance novel. Thereis nothing boring about this novel. I washooked till the end and I never wanted itto end.

The ending made me smile and thinkthat maybe my Mr. Prince Charmingreally might be out there.

By CHARLENE RODRIGUEZThe Pan American

See related story and additionalartwork on pages 8 and 9.

(Left) - “Continuity ofLife” by Lisa Carlisle.

(Below) - “Amaris” byLuis David III, oil.

August 7, 2003 Arts & Entertainment Page 9August 7, 2003 Arts & Entertainment Page 8

The 33rd Annual JuriedStudent Art Show started May8, and will continue until Aug.27 at the University Gallery inthe Communication Arts andSciences building.

The student artwork consistsof two and three-dimensionalmedia, paintings, drawings,sculptures, ceramics, jewelry,graphic arts, and other styles.Some of the artwork is on sale.

Professor Mark Anderson ofThe University of Texas-A&MCorpus Christi judged the artshow, giving out several prizesand awards for the best work.

Among those awarded wasOmer Garcia III, who receivedthe John Martin Prize for hiswork titled, “Tracker,” consistingof water media on paper. Bestpainting was awarded to LuisDavid III for an oil paintingtitled, "Broken Guitarist." TheClark Chevrolet award for Bestin Show was given to LisaCarlisle for, "Continuity of Life,"and Kimberly Magee got the

Dean of Students Prize for herpencil drawing titled,“Anonymous.”

According to Garcia, theuniversity exhibitions exist toshow the students’ work, andgive them something to lookforward to.

"It feels cool," he said. "Youget to show off your work andit's nice to be recognized[because] you develop anaudience and gain a newperspective on your artwork.”

David, another awardrecipient, said the display at thegallery gives his artworkmeaning and recognition.

"It means a lot and it is noteasy to show your work on yourown," he said.

Carlisle is an artist whose firstreal formal training in art hascome at UTPA. She feels thatshe has always been in lovewith the act of creating.

"Since I believe that eachwork of art I create has a pieceof me, in a sense, it is sharingme with whomever interactswith art,” she explained.

By CLARALEXIS RIOSThe Pan American

University Gallery exhibit showcases workof student artists in broad spectrum

of media

Photos by Daniel Aguilar

(Background)“Citrus,” by IzelVargas, acrylic.

(Left) “Infinite Regression,” by Troy Stanley, graphic pencil.

(Above) “Inspired by Israel,” by Casilda Contreras, oil.

(Right) “Weed”by Lisa Carlisle,mixed media.

(Below) “Broken Guitarist,” by Luis David III, oil.

August 7, 2003 Arts & Entertainment Page 9August 7, 2003 Arts & Entertainment Page 8

The 33rd Annual JuriedStudent Art Show started May8, and will continue until Aug.27 at the University Gallery inthe Communication Arts andSciences building.

The student artwork consistsof two and three-dimensionalmedia, paintings, drawings,sculptures, ceramics, jewelry,graphic arts, and other styles.Some of the artwork is on sale.

Professor Mark Anderson ofThe University of Texas-A&MCorpus Christi judged the artshow, giving out several prizesand awards for the best work.

Among those awarded wasOmer Garcia III, who receivedthe John Martin Prize for hiswork titled, “Tracker,” consistingof water media on paper. Bestpainting was awarded to LuisDavid III for an oil paintingtitled, "Broken Guitarist." TheClark Chevrolet award for Bestin Show was given to LisaCarlisle for, "Continuity of Life,"and Kimberly Magee got the

Dean of Students Prize for herpencil drawing titled,“Anonymous.”

According to Garcia, theuniversity exhibitions exist toshow the students’ work, andgive them something to lookforward to.

"It feels cool," he said. "Youget to show off your work andit's nice to be recognized[because] you develop anaudience and gain a newperspective on your artwork.”

David, another awardrecipient, said the display at thegallery gives his artworkmeaning and recognition.

"It means a lot and it is noteasy to show your work on yourown," he said.

Carlisle is an artist whose firstreal formal training in art hascome at UTPA. She feels thatshe has always been in lovewith the act of creating.

"Since I believe that eachwork of art I create has a pieceof me, in a sense, it is sharingme with whomever interactswith art,” she explained.

By CLARALEXIS RIOSThe Pan American

University Gallery exhibit showcases workof student artists in broad spectrum

of media

Photos by Daniel Aguilar

(Background)“Citrus,” by IzelVargas, acrylic.

(Left) “Infinite Regression,” by Troy Stanley, graphic pencil.

(Above) “Inspired by Israel,” by Casilda Contreras, oil.

(Right) “Weed”by Lisa Carlisle,mixed media.

(Below) “Broken Guitarist,” by Luis David III, oil.

Movie: “A Beautiful Mind”Website: ISketch.orgBook: “Tuesday’s With Morrie,” by Mitch Albom

CD: “The Legend,” by Bob MarleyMovie: “Sound of Music”Book: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” KenKesey

CD: “Three Days,” by Pat GreenMovie: “Saving Silverman”Book: “Rich Dad,Poor Dad...,” by Robert T.Kiyosaki

Aaron CastroJuniorBusiness

Venessa CantuSeniorMarketing

Nayatzin SolisJuniorDeaf Communication

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

The

August 7, 2003 Tarts & entertainment Page 10

■ Art exhibit . . . . . . . 8-9

■ Culture Club . . . . . . 10ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 7

University Relations may havedisappointed students who participatedin a community-wide competitiondeveloped to find a brand new logo forthe university. Their disappointmentmight be eroded somewhere down theline.

An e-mail was sent to 13 participantswho submitted a graphic design entry,apologizing to all those hoping to gettheir work published for the universityand win the cash prize. The universitywas looking for a new logo incelebration of the 75th anniversary. Inthe letter sent by University RelationsInterim Director Sandra Quintanilla, anapology was addressed to the aspiringlogo artists stating that the universityhired a nationally recognized brandingagency to help create a specific “brandvision.” The partnership with theagency effectively canceled the contestfor local hopefuls.

“When we heard of the news, wethought it would be in everyone’s bestinterest to postpone the contest until thenew branding logo is finalized,”Quintanilla said. “We contacted theparticipants and told them about thesituation and that another contest willlikely be held later. We told them thatthey could resubmit their logos or come

up with new ones to fit the newbranding label.”

The outside agency was hired to givethe university an identity and image,according to Jesus De La Rosa,University Publications manager. Hedoes not know if the new contest willbe affiliated with the agency’s finalproduct, or if a new contest will beoffered again once the branding hasbeen done by the agency.

De La Rosa mentioned that mostsubmissions were well-regarded andmet all the requirements that outlinedthe competition.

“It was obvious through their work,that the participants spent a lot of timeand effort in coming up with theirdesign,” said Quintanilla. “Accordingto our graphics office they saw a greatdeal of potential in some of thedesigns.”

According to University Relations,the competition quickly gainedattention from the campus andcommunity.

“The contest sparked interest notonly within the university but in thecommunity,” Quintanilla said. “Thirty-seven people signed up for the logocompetition, which included UTPAstudents, staff, and members of thecommunity.”

Regardless, all submissions will bereturned to the participants.

By AARON LOZANOThe Pan American

Contest NixedAroundTown

2nd Annual Miss SouthTexas Teen and MissSouth Texas PageantAugust 8Place: Edinburg CityAuditoriumContact: PlatinumProductions at (956) 519-0543 or 381-6553

August 8Place: La Villa Real SpecialEvents Center, 1201 S.Bentsen Road, McAllenTickets: Reserved $23,General Admission $15

Ballet Masters of EuropeAugust 10 at 2 p.m.Place: McAllen Civic CenterTickets: Deborah DanceAcademy or call (956) 682-2721

Super Joint RitualAugust 20Place: La Villa Real SpecialEvents Center, 1201 S.Bentsen Road, McAllenEvent: Phil anselmo fromPantera, Hank Williams III,Jimmy Bower, and specialguest Strapping Young Lad& Full Blown ChaosTickets: General Admissionin advance $20, at the door$25

Dwight YoakamAugust 22Place: La Villa Real SpecialEvents Center, 1201 S.Bentsen Road, McAllenTickets: Reserved $35-55,General Admission $24

In her debut, “See Jane Date” authorMelissa Senate proves to be witty andhilarious.

The book displays a single woman whois in search of a boyfriend. Jane Gregg, a28-year-old single editor is in search ofthe perfect boyfriend in time for hercousin's wedding. Jane's world is turnedupside down when she realizes that shecannot go stag to her cousin's wedding.

She dares to go on a blind date, set upby her friend Amanda who believes shewill find Jane a future boyfriend. Bitingher tongue, Jane informs her family thatshe has a boyfriend who is a charmingdoctor. Her aunts are thrilled becauseshe finally has found a boyfriend andpossibly her future husband!

One aunt is extremely happy but hadher heart set on her single neighbor forJane. Jane then begins to realize thatchanging her flaws will make men fall inlove with her, but will her plan work outin time for the wedding? How many dateswill she have to go on just to find herboyfriend?

Senate’s work is absolutely hilariousyet displays a reality of the world ofdating. The main character also dealswith situations that most people canrelate to. Jane's blind dates are funny andthey may bring flashbacks for somepeople.

Will Jane find her dream guy in time orwill she dare to go alone to the wedding?What would her family think if theyknew her doctor boyfriend was just a lie?This novel is brilliant when it comes todescribing different characters. And apeculiar thing is almost every characterthat Senate describes happens to resemblea celebrity.

You can take in this novel in one dayand find yourself laughing and puttingyourself in Jane's shoes and wonderinghow far you actually would go to find aboyfriend to impress your family andfriends. The sassy comebacks that Janesays to people who offend or just bug herare absolutely crazy.

One scene that choked me up was thatof Aunt Ina when she snapped. "You havea final fitting for your dress nextSaturday, Miss Smart Aleck. What areyou waiting for? The shoes tomysteriously appear in your closet?"

“Yes, actually. That was exactly what Iwas waiting for,” says Jane.

If you are a fan of Chic literature, thenthis book is a must-read with a nonstopplot. This novel is not like other romancenovels that dwell on sex, in fact it is noteven considered a romance novel. Thereis nothing boring about this novel. I washooked till the end and I never wanted itto end.

The ending made me smile and thinkthat maybe my Mr. Prince Charmingreally might be out there.

By CHARLENE RODRIGUEZThe Pan American

See related story and additionalartwork on pages 8 and 9.

(Left) - “Continuity ofLife” by Lisa Carlisle.

(Below) - “Amaris” byLuis David III, oil.

August 7, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 6

Want to do something fun anddifferent? Want to escape thebusy world and enjoy a uniqueexperience surrounded by thebeauty of nature? Well look nofurther then your own backyard.

The City of Edinburg inpartnership with the Texas Parksand Wildlife Department and theU.S. Fish and Wildlife HumanResources have completed theconstruction of one of nine sitesof the World Birding Center inthe Valley. Located at theextension of Sprague Road andRaul Longoria, this new centeroffers an array of wildlifeviewing opportunities whichprovide nature tourism,economic and educationalbenefits to local communities.

The facility occupies 40 acresof the Edinburg Municipal Park,and its four surroundingmanmade wetlands provide anappropriate setting for naturalbird habitation. Viewingplatforms along with a trailsystem encircle a series ofponds, allowing visitors a closerlook at the various bird species.

Although the center’s mainattraction is the birds, it also

focuses on plants, insects, fish,and a few reptiles. The butterflygardens and native plantlandscaping enhance the beautyof this once desolate park area.

When entering the maininformation station, don’t beafraid to be greeted by a 10-footblue heron. The exaggeratedreplica of one of the Valley’sfrequent visitors is part of theoverall scenic theme of theWBC. The colorful buildingcontains resources, information,and educational exhibits forvisitors of all ages.

Floor-to-ceiling windowsadjacent to the entrance doorscapture the scenic wetlands likea portrait. Computer stationsplaced in the center of theexhibit room use softwareapplications to test the visitor'sknowledge on various birdspecies.

Interactive information stationsinform visitors on different birdswhich inhabit the surroundingwetlands, and with a push of abutton people can hear thedistinctive sounds of eachcreature. The Center's gift shopalso has a wide variety of bookson varies topics concerningplants, birds, and other wildlife.

The WBC also has various

projects in the works. Forexample, in the spring the Centerplans to offer “101” classeswhich will teach people who arenot familiar with birding how touse binoculars and identifydifferent species.

The Center is also developingcurriculums to be sent to localschools on wetland ecology,habitat conservation, and animalclassification. Teachers wouldthen conduct in-class lessons andfollow up with hands-on fieldstudy to reinforce what studentslearn in the classroom.

ONE OF NINE

There are nine differentlocations in the Rio GrandeValley that make up the linkednetwork of the World BirdingCenter. The scenic wetlands inEdinburg is the first of thecenters to be completed. Otherswhich are still in the worksinclude: Bentsen-Rio GrandeValley State Park in Mission,Resaca de la Palma State Park inBrownsville, Estero LlanoGrande State Park in Weslaco,Quinta Mazatlan in McAllen,Ramsey Nature Park inHarlingen, Historic Bluffs inRoma, Old Pump House in

Hidalgo, and Laguna MadreCenter in South Padre Island.

The Valley is a majordestination for bird watchersfrom all around the world. Dueto the biodiversity andgeographical location, more birdsenter the United States over theValley during migration than anyother place in the country.

Nearly 500 bird species havebeen documented in this area.Many avian flyways and majormigration routes intersect thefour counties of Cameron,Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy. Therange of habitat from desert toocean and of climates fromtropical to temperate have madethis area favorable for migratorybirds and popular among birdwatchers.

"The World Birding Center, asa whole, is designed to providepublic education and increaseenvironmental publicawareness," said Amy Winters,the WBC director.

Winters and the WBC stafffocus on the major issues ofwetland ecology and theimportance of wetlands.According to Winters, about 90percent of all the originalwetland areas in the UnitedStates have been lost to habitat

destruction or housingdevelopment. One purpose of theCenter is to educate people aboutthe environmental necessity,economic value, and naturalbeauty of local wetlands.

Another objective is to providean income for the Valley in termsof tourism dollars.

"We want to be a destinationfor tourists because it’s good forthe local economy in so manyways," Winters said.

Winters and the staff seek tobe highly knowledgeable aboutthe geography and nativeinhabitants of the wetlands. Theylead tours and answer anyenvironmental or birdingquestions visitors may have.

The WBC is open Tuesdaythrough Saturday from 11 a.m. to6 p.m. Admission is $2 foradults and $1 for senior citizens,kids, and students. Large groupsare encouraged to call in advancefor arrangements.

For more information aboutthe World Birding Center-Edinburg Scenic Wetlands, call(956) 381-9922. For informationon any of the nine birding siteslocated from Roma to SouthPadre Island, call the WorldBirding Center headquarters at(956) 584-9156.

Edinburg part of Birding Center completed

Featured speaker Alejandro Moreno Jr.summed up a recent nonprofit seminar byasking a question.

“How do you eat an elephant?” he asked.“One spoonful at a time…that’s how thisprocess should be handled. It can be done.”According to Moreno, “Any one person orgroup of people can start their own nonprofit ifthey have a vision, a need and the desire towork hard for a charitable cause.”

The Southwest Border Nonprofit ResourceCenter, a component of the University of Texas-Pan American Office of External Affairs hostedthe seminar, “Starting a NonprofitOrganization,” in late July.

Moreno Jr., Special Projects Coordinator anda longtime member of the state’s nonprofitsector, instructed the attendees on how to start anonprofit organization. The seminar basicscovered were: formulating a plan, writingarticles of incorporation, creation of bylaws,completing an employer identification numberrequest using IRS Form SS4 and completing afederal tax-exempt application (IRS Form1023).

People attended representing Keep McAllenBeautiful Committee, the Pharr Chambers ofCommerce, and Palm View CrimeStoppers,among others. At the seminar there werecitizens from all over the Valley who wereinvolved in a nonprofit group or were interestedin joining one.

Dalila Vasquez, a UTPA senior who has beenworking at the Center since she was a freshman,will graduate in May 2004 with a degree ineducation, and hopes to become a local

elementary teacher. While volunteering at theCenter Vasquez said she “learned what it trulymeant to help out the community, whether byproviding seminars to teach people aboutnonprofits or directing them to the Center’slibrary database.”

That database lists 2,000 nonprofit centers inthe Valley alone. There are over 100,000nonprofits statewide, including Texas Rural andLegal Aid and Projecto Azteca, locally. Manyrepresentatives of these agencies were on handto hear Moreno Jr. speak.

Mark A. Perez works for Parenting RightsInclude Dads Equally (PRIDE), a nonprofitorganization helping fathers achieve equalrights, providing a support structure, andpromoting family values. According to theorganization, over 50 percent of Valley fatherspay child support and work at the same time.

“We are not deadbeat dads, we are fathers thatshould be in our children’s lives,” Perez said.The organization will be participating in aworldwide candlelight vigil sponsored by theChildren’s Rights Council on Thursday, Sept. 25at the County Courthouse in Edinburg.

Jean D. Lehman of Weslaco works withvisually impaired individuals and had done sofor years. She went to the seminar with hopes ofstarting a nonprofit group, one which specializesin using volunteers to read the newspaper to thevisually impaired via radio. Marcy Garza ofGarza Ministry Incorporated helps over 3,000children each month by providing clothes andfood in the PSJA school district area. Garza saidthe seminar was informative for those who havealready been active in the nonprofit sector. ”Itoffered a better understanding of what one coulddo to expand an existing nonprofit group,” shesaid.

By MARTIZA RODRIGUEZThe Pan American

Nonprofit seminar soughtto illuminate possibilities

NURSING DOCTORALPROGRAM TO START

Starting this fall, The Universityof Texas- Pan Amerian will offernursing students or working nursesthe opportunity to earn a doctoraldegree through videoconferencecourses.

The University of Texas HealthScience Center at San AntonioSchool of Nursing and UTPA willjoin forces to provide a nursingdoctoral program for thoseinterested.

An information session will beheld on Aug. 15 from 4 p.m. to 7p.m., at the Health Sciences andHuman Services East Building room1.112. The session will be hosted byDr. Beverly Robinson, associatedean for the Graduate NursingProgam at UTHSCA. Admissionrequirements, curriculum classschedule, and full- or part-timeoptions will be discussed.

For information or to sign up, callRobinson at (210) 567-5815 or theUTPA Department of Nursing at381-3491.

HOST AN EXCHANGESTUDENT

Host Families are needed to houseinternational exchange students forthe 2003-2004 academic year.Students from different parts of theworld will arrive in August and areexpected to stay one semester oruntil the end of the school year.Students speak English, havemedical insurance, and havespending money for their personalexpenses.

Families are able to review thestudents’ applications and select the

student they feel is best suited tomatch their family.

If interested call Yvette Coffmanat the SHARE! Southwest RegionalOffice at 1-800-941-3738.

CHANGE OF ADDRESSStudents returning to campus in

the fall will find that there havebeen some changes during thesummer. Several departments havenew locations, including theAcademic Advisement Office, whichis now located east of the library inthe old math building, LEAC room156, extension 2529.

The Counseling Center has alsorelocated to the University Centerroom 109, and more information canbe accessed at extension 2574.

Finally, the International StudentsAdvisement Office has moved to theUniversity Center, room 113, downthe hall from the Counseling Center,extension 2922.

SENATOR HINOJOSAANNOUNCES RE-ELECTION

CAMPAIGNSenator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa

officially announced his re-electionAug. 6, in a fundraiser, which beganat 6 p.m. in the Embassy Suites inMcAllen.

The fundraiser started his re-election campaign for a second termin the Texas Senate.

Hinojosa was elected in 2002 toserve his district, which includesNueces, Hidalgo, Brooks, and JimWells counties.

He plans to focus on funding suchinstitutions as the RegionalAcademic Health Center inHarlingen, plus other Valley healthand education facilities.

By VANESSA LUCIOThe Pan American

August 7, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 11

Learning Program was theproduct of UTPA's commitmentto embracing technology as aprimary means of reaching outto this region.

"Using distance learning as avehicle to provide access tostudents who can't get to thecampus is a resource thatenables students and faculty tointeract and gain the experienceand knowledge that is availableat UTPA," Nevarez said.

Furthermore, high schooljuniors and seniors who seekhigher education have other

options. Through the ConcurrentEnrollment Program at UTPA,students have the opportunity toenroll in university courses,benefit from the knowledge ofan exceptional faculty and earncollege credit while still in highschool.

"Students find that by gainingcollege credits before coming toUTPA they get a head start onrealizing their degreeaspirations, graduating, an thengetting a job," Nevarez said."Concurrent Enrollment is anexcellent way to get a jump start

in obtaining higher education."A native of McAllen, Nevarez

has a bachelor's degree inagriculture from what is nowTexas A&M University-Kingsville, a master's inelementary education fromMichigan State University, and aPh.D. in science education fromNew York University.

The Hispanic Engineer andInformation Technologymagazine was not the first torecognize the president'scontributions.

Nevarez was also named

Outstanding Educator in 1985 byRonald Reagan, named as one ofthe "100 Influential U. S.Hispanics" by Hispanic BusinessMagazine in 1986 and 1987, andwas featured in the December2000 issue of “The HispanicOutlook in Higher Education.”

When asked how hiscontributions have led to greatsuccess, Nevarez gave credit tomany people and organizationsthat helped along the way.

“As president of thisinstitution, I do not work alone.Any success that this institution

achieves is due to the vision, theefforts and the cooperation ofmany individuals.

"I am proud to work with allstudents, faculty and staff whohave dedicated their purpose,their commitment, and theirefforts to make every event,program and activity weundertake to be the best that itcan be," he said. "This award isnot just for me individually, butfor all the individuals at thisuniversity who have workedcontinually to make adifference."

NEVAREZ continued from page 3

English as a Foreign Language],Correspondence tests, and theLASE [Local Advanced StandingExamination].

Computer-based testing is alsooffered for exams such as theCLEP, ACCUPLACER,Computerized SAT, GRE,GMAT, and the InternationalTOEFL. The national examsadministered include the ACT,SAT I/II, LSAT, MCAT, GRESubject tests, OATP, and theMiller Analogies Test foradmission to some graduatestudies.

Samuel Casares, a freshman atUTPA who is seeking an

occupational therapy degree,took the Quick TASP Aug. 5 atthe Center.

“I called the center to registerfor the exam, paid twenty-ninedollars for the test fee and tenmore for the Quick TASP fee,”Casares said. “It was long and alittle early in the morning but inthe end, it wasn’t that bad.”

The TASP test was introducedby the Texas legislature in fall1989 to all higher educationinstitutions in Texas. RichardTrevino, director of the LearningAssistance Center and Chair ofthe TASP ComplianceCommittee, understands the huge

importance that the Center holdsfor students who still need totake the TASP and otheracademic exams.

As of Aug. 5, the number ofPan Am students enrolled for thefall was 13,587, an increase of16 percent over last year’senrollment. Of the enrolled,close to 1,200 students still needto take the TASP test, with themajority of those studentsclassified as freshman.

“Forty-three percent ofincoming freshmen need to takeeither a TASP lab or adevelopmental course becausethey have not passed the exam or

haven’t even taken it,” Trevinosaid.

In early June 2003, thelegislature passed a lawmandating the state programTASP to be replaced with theTexas Success Initiative Program[TSIP] in all higher educationinstitutions in Texas. The officialname change is to the TexasHigher Education Assessmenttest, or THEA.

This new law, effective Aug. 1allows each university to initiatea specific program designed withtheir own guidelines for thestudents who have not taken theTASP/ACCUPLACER or THEA

test. UTPA decided to keep THEA

around for admissionrequirements.

“The university will keep thesame cut scores of 220 and 230for passing requirements,”Trevino said.

The Center will promote aidfor students who want to preparefor the tests, by offeringadvisement and tutoring.

“It is the same testadministered at the sameUniversity Testing Center butPan Am will be more involvedwith the students any way theycan,” Trevino said.

TESTING continued from page 3

A COMFORTABLE WOMAN

She’s a T-shirt and jeans kinda girl

Bows her head when she smilesBats her eyes, then opens them wideCause she has nothinShe has nothin to hide

She’s a T-shirt and jeans kinda girl

She steals food from the sunMangos and cornTakes in the afternoon lightTill her hunger’s all gone

She’s a T-shirt and jeans kinda girl

Lays back as we watch T. V. in the darkUnaware how the images Change the shadows on the wallThen she sits up straight, real tall

She says, she don’t need no fancy thingsNo clothes

No extravagant entertainmentJust one of those

Kisses that will last her till dawnSomething to remember her byLike a picture; like a song

By:Gabriel Cerda

STUDENTARTCORNERON A CLEAR DAY

On a clear day you can see your lovely sweetsweating swan sunbathing

the water dry while the metal chains hold firmThe water does not roll off that easily and I know

why I sang thismelody for you

I sang to you, to let you feel something beautiful To hear my voice echo throughout the devout

chambers in your heartI sang to get lost in you and you listened to find

yourself A perfect pair of notes to sing to

On a clear day you can feel your lovely Jezebeljitter-on by Jack

with those joyous dips in her smileHer laugh is a little off and yet you listen

Yet you feelOn a clear day you can touch your lovely baby

blues and knowyou will not ever find anything better than those

sapphiresYet you listen

You feelYou touch the rough white feathers of a swan

you will let fly on a clear day

By:Vanessa L. Lucio

BABY

The dark sky firefliesOrbit around the world

Black satin through the handsEyes of a baby girl

Her soft hands stretch outThey move along my face

The smell of powder loveEmbroidered angel lace

Lay her softly downHear her breathe a while

Her little hands clasp tightWatch her sleep a while

The night sky firefliesOrbit around her bed

Lean, whisper somethingThen kiss her little head

By:Gabriel Cerda

was troubled at first by the diagnosis,but has now come to realize it isimportant to live a healthier life.

“Sheís being checked and alreadystarting to think of a way of herchances for getting diabetes.” Guerrasaid. “She felt a little upset becauseshe knows what having diabetes meansbecause of what sheís seen in ourfamily. Her first reaction past thoughand she got a more positive attitude.She’s already been considering dietdrinks and plans to cut back on frenchfries.”

Acanthosis nigricans can beeliminated by eating properly andengaging in physical activity. Foodshigh in sugar and bad fats should beremoved from the child’s diet.

“A lot of people think becausefamily members are dietetic they aregoing to be too,” Garza explained.“This is not necessarily true. They canprevent or prolong the disease byhaving healthy lifestyles.”

Garza feels that ANTES is making asignificant difference and offers achance for a healthier future forchildren at risk of diabetes and theother disorders that are related toacanthosis nigricans.

“ANTES is important especially herebecause the majority of us areHispanics and diabetes really affectsus,” Garza said. “We want to help thischildren and have them live healthierlonger lives.”

For more information aboutacanthosis nigricans and the ANTESprogram contact the Border HealthOffice at 381-3687 ortmbhco@panam.edu. or log on towww.panam.edu/dept/tmbhco.

HEALTH continued from page 5

Campus Briefs

August 7, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 12

According to the MALDEFwebsite, the JimenezScholarship is geared towardimmigrant students who donot have the financialresources to pay for college.

“An unfortunate side effectof the rise in tuition in manyof our nation‚s colleges anduniversities is that a growingnumber of immigrant Latinostudents do not have theeconomic resources to pay therapidly increasing costs ofeducation,” according to theMALDEF website.“Nevertheless, thecontinuously rising costs ofin-state tuition continues tohamper the aspiration ofmany qualified Latinostudents, in particular,qualified immigrant students‚dreams of attending thecollege of their choice.”

Furthermore, the passage ofTexas House Bill 1403 by the77th Legislature in 2001

opened the door forimmigrants to pay the residenttuition rate while attendingpublic institutions of highereducation in Texas publiccolleges and universities andmeet the residency of statefinancial aid programs.

At UTPA, MonicaAlvarado, assistant director ofStudent Financial Services,was more than helpful on thisissue.

“After being clearedthrough admissions, HB 1403students have to come in andgo through the financial aidprocess in order to be eligiblefor state aid,” Alvarado said.“Students who fall under HB1403 are eligible for Statefinancial aid such as theTEXAS grant and work-study.”

Even with the passage ofHB 1403, many UTPAstudents are still in need offinancial resources. The

Jimenez Scholarship, whichrequires that applicants beLatino may not be aware that85.64 percent of students atUTPA are Hispanic.

Moreover,approximately 86.7 percent ofthe UTPA total studentpopulation received someform of financial assistance in2002 from both need-basedand non-need based aid,which still leaves 13.30percent of students with nofederal and state financial aid.

Perhaps some of thesestudents would be more thanwilling to apply for theJimenez scholarship.

When informed aboutthe Jimenez scholarship andthe financial help it couldoffer UTPA students, Alvarezreplied: “Any additional effortto get more resources forstudents is excellent thisscholarship would be of greatassistance to our students.”

be able to read the realmessage.”

Also studied in theclass is the effecttelevision has onpublic discourse. Forone thing, it makeslight of seriousmatters. Thetrivialization of the warin Iraq by the extensivecoverage of POWJessica Lynch is anexample thatMcLemore used.

”Jessica Lynchbecame the icon of theIraq war,” he said.“She’s terminally cuteand looks like the girlnext door. The focusshifted from theserious matters of warand trivialized the ideaof heroic behavior.”

Although McLemorefeels that there is junkon television, he is

quick to inform hisclass that televisionalso providesinformative andeducationalprogramming. The keyis to know thedifference.

”We must know howto make consciousdecisions about whatwe watch on TV,”McLemore said.“There’s nothing wrongwith vegging out oncein a while but it isimportant for studentsto be able todiscriminate betweentrivial and non-trivialTV and recognize whenone is being seducedby the power oftelevision.”

Garcia feels that thecourse has reallychanged her view onTV and how she will

now observe it. “It is really

important not tobecome so enticed bytelevision that it altersour concept of reality,”Garcia said. “Now Isomewhat feel theresponsibility to watchTV that provides mewith in-depthinformation and hassubstance.”

One thing is forcertain. The class isdesigned to infusestudents’ televisionlives with a dose ofmedia literacy. AsMcLemore put it,‘many students returnto see me down theroad and they‘complain’ that theycan’t watch televisionanymore withoutseeing it critically. Isay, ‘good.’”

TELEVISION continued from page 2SCHOLARSHIP continued from page 3

(Above) Scaffolding for the Social and Behavioral Science looms large; (right) construc-tion on the north side of campus includes building work and road improvements.

Gaining Ground

The University of Texas-Pan American is

expanding its roads. As more students enroll

each semester, buildings are being constructed,

and parking spaces are decreasing.

Administrators are trying to fix the problems

involving traffic congestion by expanding the

roads surrounding the university. Roads are

growing from two lanes to four.

President Miguel Nevarez said the expansion

is important because of traffic flowing through

Highway 107 because of university growth.

“The importance of that is that there is going

to be more traffic on State Highway 107,”

Nevarez said. “It is going to be more traffic as

we build more buildings toward the center of

campus.”

The university and the City of Edinburg are

working together to coordinate the campus

growth, which is expected to double within the

next decade.

The street expansion is planned to last

between 12-24 months.

Edinburg City Manager Wendy Smith Sturgis

said the construction will faciitate fewer traffic

problems around the area.

“With the growth of the university...and all the

new businesses going up, I think it is prime time

to expand that roadway,” she said.

Photos by Daniel Aguilar/The Pan American

August 7, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 5

The American DiabetesAssociation reports thatabout 151,000 people lessthan 20 years of age areliving with diabetes. Mostof these young peoplehave Type 1 diabetes,caused by a defect in theimmune system thatblocks the body’s abilityto produce insulin.

However, due to agrowing rate of obesityamong children there arenow many cases of Type 2diabetes,caused by ametabolicdisorderresultingfrom thebody’sinability tomakeenough orproperlyuse insulin,in this agegroup.Untilrecently itwas not even known thatchildren were capable ofdeveloping Type 2diabetes.

In an effort to preventthe disease among theyoung the state of Texashas charged the Universityof Texas-Pan AmericanBorder Health Office withproviding school districtswith appropriate trainingfor screening acanthosisnigricans, an indicator forType 2 diabetes, and otherdisorders through theAcanthosis Nigricans: TheEducation and ScreeningProgram (ANTES).

“Acanthosis nigricans isa marker forhyperinsulinemia andinsulin resistance and aprecursor for diabetes,,”said Gina Garza, BorderHealth Office coordinator.“However, it is not thesame thing as diabetes.That is a misconception.”

Acanthosis nigricans, isa condition that can easilybe evaluated by means ofa visual examination. It isa light brown-black,velvety, furrowed, roughor thickened manifestationon surface areas of theskin, explains the BorderHealth Office screeningmanual. Thepigmentations are mostfrequently seen on theback of the neck, but canalso be seen in armpits,over the knuckles, elbows,

knees, soles of the feetinner thighs, and skinfolds in the abdomen andback.

The brownish-blackcolor of the skin causedby acanthosis nigricansindicates the pancreas hasbeen exhausting itself forquite some time pumpinginsulin into the blood. Theinsulin is secreted to theskin to control the level ofsugar concentrations inthe blood as food is eaten.

According to themanual, chronicallyelevated insulin levels can

also increase the risk ofcardiovascular problems,increased lipids,hypertension, and obesity.In females, high insulinlevels may increase therisk of developingPolycystic OvarianSyndrome which ischaracterized byamenorrhea (irregularmenstrual cycles),hirsutism (extreme facialhair), severe acne,enlarged ovaries, obesityand insulin resistance.

Acanthosis nigricanscan appear at any age, butis most frequently seen inpreadolescence. Althougha person from anynationality or race candevelop acanthosisnigricans, some groups aremore prone to it.

“Hispanics, AfricanAmericans, Asians, andNative Americans aremore prone to acanthosisnigricans,” Garzaexplained. “This isbecause their skin is moresensitive to high insulinlevels. And just becauseyou don’t have acanthosisnigricans it doesn’t meanthat you don’t have highinsulin levels or are not atrisk of diabetes.”

As part of the ANTESprogram the BorderHealth Office has createda toolkit with a grantprovided by MethodistHealthcare Ministries, Inc.

to help educate schoolpersonal and parents onacanthosis nigricans. Thetoolkit contains literature,videos, and othermaterials.

This toolkit will beprovided along withtraining workshops to 12mandated regions aroundthe nation. Included arethe Rio Grande Valley,Corpus Christi, Victoria,Houston, Dallas-Ft.Worth, Austin, SanAngelo, Midland, El Paso,and San Antonio areas.

“We first started withthe Valley andEl Paso,because theseregions are onthe border andhave manyHispanics,”Garzaexplained.“As we sawwhich areasneeded theservice weworked ourway up intothe rest of

Texas.”The ANTES program

(the word in Spanishmeans “before”) is aimedat identifying 3rd-, 5th-and 7th-grade studentswho have acanthosisnigricans. Students areexamined by schoolnurses during statemandated vision, hearing,and scoliosis screenings.

“The ANTES projectallows us to train schoolnurses to identify thesekids, height, weight, anddegree of acanthosisnigricans,” Garza said.“The nurses send a letterto the parents and referthe students to a doctor.Sometimes they’ll bereferred to a dietitian.”

Celia Guerra of Missionreceived a letter from herdaughter’s school nurseinforming her that she hadacanthosis nigricans.Although she had noticedthe markings on her 13-year-old she was notaware of her condition.

“I feel that it is a help,because a lot of parentsdon’t even notice it oreven know about it,”Guerra said. “I knew shehad the dark skin but Ididn’t know what it was.”

The teenager who isbeing tested for thecomplication associatedwith acanthosis nigricans

BHO attemptingto fight diseaseBy AMELIA GARCIAThe Pan American

The ANTES project allows us totrain school nurses to identify thesekids, height, weight, and degree ofacanthosis nigricans. The nursessend a letter to the parents andrefer the student to a doctor

“

“- Gina Garza,

Border Health Office coordinator

See HEALTH page 11

Letty CanalesEducationJunior

No. Based on the wording of the Bible itshould not be allowed.

David MedranoMarketingSophomore

No it’s not right. It will anger a lotof people because religion issupposed to be something sacred.

Do you agree with theelection of Gene

Robinson, a gay bishop?VOICE

CCaammppuuss

Laura GermanyBiologyJunior

Yes. I don’t think that a person’sorientation should be used as a criteriafor any church position or any otherpostion for that matter.

Texans celebrate heritage

The Houston Texans will present Football Fiesta to celebrate the city’s Hispanicheritage on Aug. 17 at Reliant Stadium from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free andwill feature musical groups such as the Kumbia Kings, Mango Punch, and Varonil.There will also be football workshops and interactive games.

Soccer heads to Reliant Stadium

Reliant Stadium will host the first Copa de Tejas soccer match between Cruz Azuland Tigres on Wednesday Aug. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at allTicketmaster outlets or by calling (713) 629-3700.

Ticket prices for the match are $18, $25 and $30. Groups of 20 or more can pur-chase tickets for $15. Group tickets may be purchased by calling the Reliant StadiumBox Office at (832) 667-1805.

American hoopsters crush D.R.

The U.S. women’s basketball team thrashed the Dominican Republic 109-54 onWednesday in the Pan American Games and finished the preliminary round with a 4-1 record. In the men’s group, the United States lost to Brazil on Tuesday leavingthem without a chance to win the gold medal for the fifth straight time. The last timethe U.S. men’s team won the gold was in 1983.

LMB playoffs under way

The Mexican Baseball League (LMB) recently wrapped up its regular season and

the first round of the playoffs are in full swing. The Mexico City Reds won the NorthZone with a 68-40 record while the Tigers of Puebla, formerly of Mexico City, wonthe South with a 72-35 record.

In the North Zone playoffs, Mexico City dropped Puebla, 4-2, Tuesday to take a 2-1 series lead. The Saltillo Saraperos (62-45 regular season) defeated the MonterreySultans (66-43), 7-4, to cut Monterrey’s series lead to 2-1.

In the South Zone, the Tigers and Campeche (55-51) were rained out while Oaxaca(57-52) took a commanding 3-0 series lead over Yucatan (61-45) with a 5-2 victory.

The Reynosa Broncos were left out of the playoffs after finishing in seventh placewith a disappointing 43-63 record, 24 games out of first place.

Mexico’s football greats honored

A bronze plaque commemorating Mexico’s all-time football team was presented byAlejandro Morales, president of the Mexican-American Football Hall of Fame inMexico City, Aug. 2 during the annual induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hallof Fame in Canton, Ohio. The plaque recognizes Mexico’s all-time football greats.

American-style football has been played in Mexico for more than 100 years. In2001, the Mexican-American Football Hall of Fame was inaugurated in Mexico Cityprior to the NFL’s preseason American Bowl game.

Mexico takes title

Mexico won the fourth annual NFL Flag Football World Championship by defeatingSouth Korea 54-32. Mexico was represented by Los Diablitos de la Secundaria 312 ofMexico City.

Los Diablitos finished the tournament, held in Tokyo, undefeated after winning all theirgames by 20-point margins or more. Mexico routed Australia 67-28 in the semifinals.Mexico obtained third place in the previous two world cups.

August 7, 2003 Sports Page 13

SSPPOORRTTSS CCLLIIPPBBOOAARRDD

The Edinburg Roadrunners are notshowing any signs of letting up anytime soon since capturing the first halfWest Division title of the CentralBaseball League.

Edinburg, who won the 2001 CBLchampionship, clinched the WestDivision first half with a 28-20record, granting them an automaticplayoff berth. The Roadrunners caughtfire in June by going 17-8 thatincluded a five-game win streak andconcluded with a 7-2 stretch at theend of the month. In July, theRoadrunners didn't rest, going 16-11.

Since the All-Star break, theRoadrunners have gone 12-7 and haveamassed an 18-13 second half recordas of Aug. 6. Edinburg is currently insecond place in the West Divisionbehind division leader and southTexas rival Coastal Bend (20-12).

Good pitching and solid hitting arewhat has aided the Roadrunnerssuccess this season.

Pitchers Pedro Flores (10-2), EricMontoya (11-4) and All-Star RyanHarris (7-2) have combined for a 28-8record in 366.2 innings pitched. In thebullpen, All-Star relievers Omar Ortiz(1-3) and Clint Smith (5-3) along withChris Russ (7-4) have come to theclub's rescue on various occasions.The trio has compiled a 13-10 recordwith 17 saves.

As a whole, the Edinburg pitchingstaff has accumulated a 3.69 ERA,second in the CBL, in 710 innings of

work and has held their opponents to a.237 batting average.

"We'll play day by day," formerUTPA standout Ortiz said. "You wantto lock up that second half too. We'retrying to get best record in the league.That's our goal. That's my goal."

In the offensive category, theRoadrunners have not been silent.Although not the most powerful clubin the league, they have managed toamass a .265 team batting average,sixth in the CBL, while cranking out42 round-trippers.

All-Star second baseman AnthonyÁngel is currently batting .307 withsix homers and 53 RBIs whileslugging .437 in 79 games.

All-Star teammate Derek Hendersonis just shy of the .300 mark with a.299 average through 78 games. Thefirst baseman leads the team in thehome run category with eight. He alsohas knocked in 55 runs and iscurrently slugging .372.

Former UTPA standout outfielderJerome McCoy has played in 33games and is trying to adjust to hisnew team. McCoy is batting .248 andhas brought home seven runs.

Angel said it is important for theRoadrunners to continue to play well.

"We won the first half, we can't letup. We've got to work hard every dayand play hard to win," Ángel said."We've got to keep going and getsome momentum going into theplayoffs."

The Roadrunners' success has alsotranslated into more fans in the seatsat Edinburg Baseball Stadium.

Currently, Edinburg is second only toFort Worth in attendance, averaging2,984 fans in 40 home dates. In 39games, Fort Worth has an average of3,500 spectators per game, butLaGrave Field has a 5,100-seatcapacity in comparison to Edinburg's4,000.

As the regular season comes to aclose and the playoffs are just aroundthe corner, it has been speculated thatmaybe the Roadrunners are peakingtoo soon. However, the players are notpaying too much attention to thecritics.

"There's always going to beexpectations out there," secondbaseman Ángel said.

Edinburg has 17 games remaining,including Wednesday night's three-game series finale against EastDivision leading Fort Worth (20-11).The Roadrunners split the first twogames of the series with the Cats.Edinburg shut out Fort Worth Mondaynight, 6-0, and dropped a 4-2 gameTuesday night.

The Roadrunners will open a two-game series with the Río GrandeValley White Wings starting tonight inHarlingen, then return to EdinburgSaturday for a two-game set againstthe same RGV squad. Then they headout on their final road trip of theseason for visits to Coastal Bend andSan Angelo. Edinburg wraps up the2003 season with a six-gamehomestand starting on Aug. 18 againstCoastal Bend and continuing with theseason finale against Amarillo on Aug.21.

Season winds down for RunnersBy ED CHRNKOThe Pan American

UTPA VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Site TimeAug. 29 Lamar A 7 p.m.Aug. 30 North Texas A noonAug. 30 Lehigh A 4 p.m.Sept. 2 P. View A&M H 7 p.m.Sept. 5 Tulsa A 4 p.m.Sept. 6 SFA A 12 noonSept. 6 LA Lafayette A 4 p.m.Sept. 9 SWT H 7 p.m.Sept. 12 TCU A 7 p.m.Sept. 13 Ark. State A 10:30 a.m.Sept. 13 Ark.-Pine Bluff A 5 p.m.Sept. 19-20 PV A&M Tourney A TBASept. 23 Incarnate Word H 7 p.m.Sept. 27 Texas A&M-Int. A 4 p.m.Sept. 30 TAMUK A 7 p.m.Oct. 2 NMSU H 7 p.m.Oct. 4 TAMUCC H 7 p.m.Oct. 7 Texas A&M-Int. H 6 p.m.Oct. 10 Alumni H 7 p.m.Oct. 12 IPFW H 1 p.m.Oct. 15 UTSA H 7 p.m.Oct. 22 Texas Southern H 7 p.m.Oct. 25 TAMUCC A 11 a.m.Oct. 31 UTEP H 7 p.m.Nov. 1 Liga Municipal Sel. H 7 p.m.

ReynosaNov. 4 TAMUK H 7 p.m.Nov. 10 Prairie View A&M A noonNov. 10 Texas Southern A 4 p.m.Nov. 14 Northern Colorado A 9:30 a.m.Nov. 14 Utah Valley State A 4:00 p.m.Nov. 15 TAMUCC A 2 p.m.Nov. 15 IPFW A 6 p.m.

Teresita GutierrezBiologyJunior

Yes. According to the Bible this ismorally incorrect, but being gay isirrelevant to being a bishop if theydecide to dedicate their lives toGod.

August 7, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 4

This time it’s for real.Norma Moreno andIrasema Rangel offerUTPA students a restaurantunlike the typical eaterythat college students headto for a quick bite.

H&A Purim Speedy(Speedy), a brand newrestaurant, opened July 16across the street from theUniversity Center onSugar Road, right next tothe “C” Store. Thebuilding’s previous tenantwas Ferboy’s, whichprepared for business lastyear, but never opened itsdoors to the public.

Speedy is here to offerstudents, faculty and thesurrounding communityauthentic antojitosmexicanos [Mexicandishes], according to theowners.

“We chose this locationbecause of theaccessibility that it has,not only to the universitybut to other localbusinesses,” Rangel said.“Being right across fromthe university brings manyopportunities to this smalleatery.”

Moreno and Rangel saylocation is not the onlything that will bring therestaurant opportunities.Their traditional yetunique cuisine will attractMexican food fanatics.

Using their originalrecipes, Rangel andMoreno create meals withan authentic Mexicantaste. The restaurantmenu is filled with severaldishes found in most ofMexico, such as gorditas,huaraches, enchiladas,sopa de fideo and pozole.

Each dish is preparedwith different ingredients,such as beef or chicken,spices and sauces (chipotleand mole).

“Some students havealready come in and theytell us that the food has anauthentic flavor that ishard to find in the Valleyand at a reasonable price,”Rangel said.

The operating hours willbe Sunday through Fridayfrom 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. andSaturday from 7 a.m. to 9p.m. An important part ofthe mix is breakfast, lunchand dinner.

Being new to theneighborhood, the ownersare still makingmodifications with themenu as well as withprices, but Moreno andRangel say that all minoradjustments will becompleted by the time thefall semester begins.

“The modifications thatwe are making are tobetter serve ourcustomers,” Moreno said.“We’re planning on addingyour original meals suchas pancakes for breakfast

and salads and hamburgersfor lunch.”

The home cooking atSpeedy should stand inmarked contrast to thenever-ending plethora offast-food joints dotting theimmediate university area.Other places offeringauthentic Mexican food,such as Casa del Taco, arefurther away, makingSpeedy the closest sit-down place for theuniversity community.

Proximity plus substancemight install the newrestaurants as a legitimateeating choice along withthe ubiquitous fast-foodplaces and the farepresented by the StudentUnion.

It also will vie withvarious area conveniencestores - such as El Tigre,Circle K,and Texaco, forthe consistent breakfasttaco crowd in themornings.

The bottom line is thatSpeedy is open forbusiness. But the mysteryof what happened, orfailed to happen, withFerboy's, is as of yetunsolved. The EdinburgChamber of Commerce hasno record of the phantomrestaurant. It was set toopen in the late spring butlay dormant during the fallsemester despite ornatedecoration, new paint, and"Help Wanted" signshanging in the window.

New local restaurantafter authentic taste

The newest area eatery, Speedy, takes the place of Furboy’s, on Sugar Road.

Photo by Daniel Aguilar/The Pan American

By CINDY MATAThe Pan American

August 7, 2003 sports Page 14

these spots.” Thorn said. “I expect thegirls to approach the upcoming season asa new beginning and come ready to workhard and be in shape.”

The Lady Broncs will beginpreparation on Aug. 9 with their firstpractice session; their first test will be theLamar Tournament Aug. 29-30.

UTPA will host 10 regular season homegames and two exhibition matches in2003. Pan Am’s first home game is set

for Sept. 2 against Prairie View A&M at7 p.m.

“I'm very excited about our schedule,"said Thorn. "We have some very strongteams coming here. We are also playingin some great tournaments, like thetournaments at Lamar, Texas Christian,and Stephen F. Austin. We close theseason at the Independent Tournament;hopefully, we can win our thirdindependent title in four years."

According to Due, and the Killer Bee web site,registering a name for the mascot makes you eligible towin a 15-foot above-ground pool from Flamingo Pools -a non-subtle but effective way of generating attention.

The joint effort with Flamingo Pools will be the finallarge scale promotional campaign before the Oct. 31inaugural Killer Bee home game.

“We are going to do some stuff in observance ofHalloween,” Due said. “But we are pretty certain thatturnout will be good enough that we won’t have to doany [promotions] of the ‘wear a costume, get in free’variety.”

The only other major event that will take placebetween now and the preseason training camp will be theunveiling and naming ceremony of the RGV EventsCenter, which is expected to take place some time inearly October. The event was initially expected to takeplace in July, but unmet construction deadlines pushedthe completion back.

For Killer Bee head coach Tracy Egeland, whosetraining camp is scheduled to begin on Oct. 6, it isimperative that the new completion deadline is met.

“The rink has to be finished by the time camp starts,”said Egeland, when asked about team options in theevent of further delay. “The only back up plan we couldhave is to go to Laredo for practices, or somewhere elseclose.”

The CHL, which released the 2003-04 season in lateJuly left time for error in the expansion team’s rinkconstruction, and scheduled a four-game 12-day road-trip to kick off the Killer Bees’ inaugural season.

Egeland, who at 32 is the CHL’s youngest head coach,is hoping the 12-day stretch will help to congeal histeam’s chemistry.

“It’ll be a good thing to get on the road,” Egeland saidof the team’s road stretch. “It’ll give everyone a chanceto know each other. When your at home everybody justkind of sits around, this way they can really gel.”

What is not for certain yet, is exactly who will betraveling with the Bees on their first road series.

In early June the Killer Bees participated in a CHLexpansion draft, which allowed them to choose fiveplayers from a list of 64 unprotected CHL athletes onexisting teams. The draft, which also included a fellowexpansion team, the Colorado Eagles, allowed the Bees

to sign what could potentially be nearly one-third oftheir dressed roster.

Final roster decisions will not be made until trainingcamp begins.

“I’ll be signing players all the way up until trainingcamp,” Egeland said after juggling an incoming callfrom a possible recruit. “I’m allowed to have 30 playersat the training camp, and I only need 18 players not

including an injured reserve.”Egeland, who has signed 15 players thus far, has a

pretty good idea of who will be make the squad, and heknows what to look for when he makes his finaldecisions about the team.

“Right now I’m just looking for guys who don’t juststand around,” Egeland said. “I want players who aregoing to really take it to the other team.”

BEES continued from page 16

Photo by Brian Carr/The Pan American

Work is progressing on the interior of the 5,500-seat Rio Grande Valley Convention Center, also known as “The Hive.”

Valley and All-Area honors.In his sophomore year, Rodríguez hit

.443 with 30 RBIs and 20 runs scoredwhile setting a school record for hits.

He was named Newcomer of the Year,and earned All-District, All-Valley andAll-Area honors.

Gawlik, who willbe entering hissecond year as headcoach, believes thata strong work ethicis the key to successfor Rodríguez.

"We’re pleased tosign Philip," Gawliksaid about theEdinburg Northproduct. "He’s got agood arm, and he’sgot a chance to be agood hitter. He willplay 60 games inNew Mexico thissummer, and thatwill be a big plus forhim. He has thepotential, but therewill be an adjustment period between highschool and college ball, and if he workshard, he should do well."

Peña enjoyed All-District honors in bothhis junior and senior seasons and wasnamed All-Río Grande Valley and All-Area.

He hit .380 as a senior, with sevendoubles and 22 RBIs. Peña also went 12-5as a pitcher with a 1.49 ERA, allowingjust 53 hits in 104 innings, and striking outan amazing 189 hitters. The former Hawkhit .421 during his high school career, and

he won 17 games as apitcher with a 1.81 ERA.

Gawlik thinks that Peñawill make his presencefelt immediately on theteam.

"I'm glad we signedCésar," Gawlik saidregarding the multi-talented Harlingen Southstandout. "He has thepotential to be a real goodplayer. He has a veryquick bat, and he can alsopitch. He can get outs, andhe is a tough pitcher.César is a hard worker,and he's got a chance tobe a real good, solid all-around player who canhelp us both on the moundand in the field. He will

have the opportunity to contribute rightaway as a pitcher or as a position player."

The Valley natives will be joined by 12other new Bronc ball players and alongwith them the hopes of a great season willlean on the young, but strong shoulders ofAlamia and Ortiz.

BASEBALL continued from page 16

I’m glad wesigned Cesar.

He has thepotential to be areal good player.

He has a veryquick bat, andhe can also

pitch.- Willie Gawlik,

UTPA Baseball Coach

VOLLEYBALL continued from page 15

The Ellen and FedericoJimenez Scholarship programwill award $2,000 scholarshipsto 25 deserving Latino collegestudents who have beenaccepted to a communitycollege or state university inTexas and California.

Problem: UTPA studentscannot apply.

Students must havedemonstrated commitment tothe Latino community in theUnited States, be enrolled full-time in order to apply, do nothave to have a social securitynumber and be ineligible toreceive federal and/or statefinancial aid.

A student at UTPA firstinformed Dolores Villareal,UTPA scholarship coordinator,of the Jimenez scholarship.

“When we were informedabout the scholarship, a call wasmade to the contact number,”Villareal said. “There was atechnicality that was not madeclear.”

The technicality that Villarealis talking about is the fact that

University of Texas andUniversity of Californiastudents are not eligible. But itwas not clear whether UTPAwas eligible.

“When we got a reply acouple of weeks later, theyinformed us that not only UT-Austin was ineligible but all UTSystem schools were ineligiblefor the scholarship,” Villarealsaid.

Even more ironic is that theMexican American LegalDefense and Educational Fund(MALDEF) is helping sponsorthe scholarship.

As stated onhttp://www.maldef.org,MALDEF is a national non-profit organization whosemission is to protect andpromote the civil rights of thenearly 40 million Latinos livingin the United States. Makingsure that there are no obstaclespreventing this diversecommunity from realizing itsdreams, MALDEF also works tosecure the rights of Latinos,primarily in the areas ofemployment, education,immigrants rights, politicalaccess, and public resource

equity.MALDEF Director of

Communications, J. C. Flores,was sought for comment but didnot respond to numerous calls.

By ADRIANA MARTINEZThe Pan American

When we got areply a coupleof weeks later,they informed

us that not onlyUT-Austin wasineligible but all

UT Systemschools were

ineligible for thescholarship. “

“

- Dolores Villareal,UTPA scholarship

coordinator

Confusion abounds withJimenez scholarship funds

August 7, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 3

See SCHOLARSHIP page 12

The nation’s premiereHispanic technology magazinehas named University of Texas-Pan American President Dr.Miguel A. Nevarez among the50 Most Important Hispanics.

The editors of HispanicEngineer and InformationTechnology chose only two outof numerouscandidates torepresent theacademiccommunity.

"Over thepast few years,the magazinehad notfocused on theimportance ofthe educationfield," said GuiMadison,associatepublisher ofthe magazine."We made aspecialexception thisyear, choosingNevarez out ofthousands ofcandidates."

Nevarez, now in his 23rd yearas UTPA president, has had acareer that has thus far created

many opportunities forminorities. According toMadison, Nevarez was selectedbased on his leadership that ledto the advancement oftechnology in the Hispaniccommunity as well as in theglobal market economy.

The president was gratified byhis selection.

"It's a great honor to berecognized outside your

professionalarea," Nevarezsaid. "I feelhonored to berecognized bythe HispanicEngineering andInformationTechnologyMagazine andto have beenincluded in thecompany ofsuchdistinguishedindividuals."

UTPA alsohad four "powerhitters" noted inthe magazinefeature,including Dr.RodolfoArevalo,

provost/vice-president forAcademic Affairs; Rolando S.Arriola, vice president for

External Affairs; EseqielGranado Jr., comptroller andassociate vice president forBusiness Affairs; and Dr. KarenLozano, assistant professor ofmechanical engineering.

Nevarez’s award can be tracedto many accomplishments,including those of the Collegeof Science and Engineering.Two state-of-the-art facilitieshave been planned andcompleted, making the Collegeone of the best-equippedundergraduate facilities inTexas.

A $23 million engineeringbuilding was finished in 1996,and a year later, a $26 millionScience building was completed.The $49 million investmentattested to the huge strides thecollege had made, partly due toNevarez's desire to betterprepare students in the fields ofscience, math, and engineering.

"It is my belief that ourstudents can achieve greatsuccess in the science, math,engineering and technologyfields," Nevarez said. "But wehave to begin when they are injunior high and high school toencourage them to learn aboutthe opportunities and theexcitement that working in thesefields can provide."

With this mentality leadingthe way, UTPA, in cooperation

with Congressman RubenHinojosa, spearheaded aninnovative project to increasethe number of Hispanics in thedisciplines of science,engineering and technology.HESTEC (HispanicEngineering, Science, andTechnology Week) was created.

"HESTEC is a weeklongcelebration held at UTPA thatemphasizes the importance ofmath and science literacy byhighlighting rewarding careerpaths in engineering, scienceand technology," Nevarez said."We bring pre-college studentstogether to participate throughwebcasting, closed circuittelevision, cable channelprograms and on-campusactivities and exhibits."

Now in its second year of

operation, HESTEC will takeplace Oct. 13-16, 2003 featuringlecturers including an IBMsenior vice-president,technology and manufacturingleader Nick Donofrio, andNASA Asociate Administratorfor Education, Dr. AdenaWilliams Loston.

In addition to the excellentprogress of the engineeringprogram at UTPA, Nevarez alsocontributed to the advancementof the school’s informationtechnology resources.

"Providing access to highereducation has been one of mypriorities as long as I have beenassociated with highereducation," Nevarez said.

The Center for Distance

UTPA president nets service awardBy ADRIANNA MARTINEZThe Pan American

NEVAREZ

See NEVAREZ page 11

HESTEC is a weeklong celebrationheld at UTPA that emphasizes theimportance of math and scienceliteracy by highlighting rewarding

career paths in engineering, scienceand technology. “

“

- Dr. Miguel Nevarez,UTPA president

What’s big, white, currentlyunder construction, and savesthe academic lives ofthousands of students everymonth? The University TestingCenter.

The location is still thesame at the University ofTexas - Pan American Annexon 2412 S. Closner. The onlychange, besides it’s new look,is the room number which isnow 180.

In its unfinished state theoutside may look like a turkeylacking dressing duringThanksgiving dinner. On theinside, Connie Najera, directorof the University TestingServices, and other UTPAemployees are cooking upsomething different forstudents with an appetite forsuccess.

“The main objective at thecenter is to aid students inundergraduate and graduaterequirements,” Najera said.

“In 2002-2003, 1,239 studentstook the Quick TASP [TexasAcademic Skills Program] atthe University Testing Center.”

On a slow day the centeradministers close to 300 testsand its peak serves 1,000students taking a variety ofdifferent tests.

The Center caters tostudents from UTPA, SouthTexas Community College andhigh schools throughout theValley. Since its addition tothe UTPA family in 1994, theCenter has played a key rolein administering and offeringthe following state exams:Quick TASP, TASP andTCLEOSE [Texas Commissionon Law Enforcement OfficerStandards and Education]. Thedifference between the QuickTASP and TASP is the resultsare received faster whentaking the Quick TASP thanthe regular TASP exam. Theinstitutional exams on handare: the ACT-Residual,Institutional TOEFL [Test of

New, improved TestingCenter aids students inpreparation for examsBy VANESSA LUCIOThe Pan American

See TESTING page 11

It is a sad fact that one ofthe greatest athletes in theUnited States goespractically unnoticed in theU.S. scene since his sportisn’t basketball or football.

Lance Armstrong won arecord-tying fifth Tour deFrance Sunday, July 27,cycling’s most brutal andphysically exhausting roadbike races.

Armstrong won the 23-day, 2,125-mile road raceby 61 seconds over five-

time runner-up Jan Ullrichof Germany. The 31-year-old Texan equaled Spain’sMiguel Indurain as the onlyriders to win the race fivetimes in a row.

Despite the fact thatcycling is not anywherenear the top 10 sports in theUnited States, thousands ofpeople practice the gruelingsport and the Valley is noexception.

Locally, several cyclistsgather for weekday rides onTuesdays and Thursdays.There is no official club,but a group has nonetheless

formed.There are also weekend

rides where cyclists gatherat the Burger King onNolana in McAllen and trekfor 30-80 miles. Thedistance depends on thetype of race the group istraining for.

In addition, the cyclistsare put in two groupsaccording to endurance andability. The measuring stickfor who goes into whatgroup is who canconsistently pedal at a 20mph clip and who can’t.This all depends on

training.This type of ride is more

of a race pace with moreintensity than the averageride through the park.

The training techniquemost cyclists use is theCarmichael TrainingSystem, a synchronizedapproach in which all fourelements of humanperformance are trained: theheart, the lungs, the musclesand the mind.

This system wasdeveloped by ChrisCarmichael, a former U.S.Olympic cyclist in 1984,

specially to help Armstrongovercome his battle withadvanced cancer.Carmichael has coachedArmstrong since 1990.

During the 15th stage ofthe Tour de France, heldMonday, July 21,Armstrong overcame anasty spill after hishandlebar got caught on aspectator’s bag. He alsoovercame a pedal slip thatmade him run into hisbike’s cross-bar, whichcaught him in the groinarea.

Despite the setbacks,

Armstrong pulled himselftogether and was able towin the 15th stage andincrease his lead to 67seconds, a lead he neverrelinquished.

Chris Zepeda of BicycleWorld in McAllen attributesArmstrong’s resiliency andcomeback victory to goodtraining and good riding.

However, Zepeda lamentsArmstrong lack ofpopularity.

“It’s sad that he’s(Armstrong) more famousin other countries thanhere,” Zepeda said

August 7, 2003 sports Page 15

By ED CHRNKOThe Pan American

Cycling gaining popularity in Rio Grande Valley

Lady Broncs prepare for season openerAs the summer winds

down and the fall semesterapproaches, the Universityof Texas Pan-Americanwomen’s volleyball team ispreparing for a challengingyear ahead.

The Lady Broncs look torestore their winning waysafter finishing a turbulentand disappointing seasonlast year with a 16-19record. They ended theirsub-par season on a highnote with a second placefinish at the Independent

Tournament, after havingwon the championship ineach of the tournament'sfirst two seasons.

The Lady Broncs havereloaded with some solidyoung recruits.

Chrissie Carrigan, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter fromVictoria, British Columbia,who was named first-teamAll-Vancouver Island, isone of the quartet of newrecruits that head coachDave Thorn will have athis disposal for thisseason.

"I expect her to come inand add depth to our

outside hitting position,and compete for playingtime.” Thorn said.

Jennifer Dameworth, a5-11 setter and hitter fromEl Paso, was named MissVolleyball for El Paso.

"Jennifer is anoutstanding athlete whobrings a lot of experienceto our program, her biggestcontribution here will be asa setter." Thorn said.

Las Vegas native HeatherBravo, a 5-11 outside hitterwho played for the NevadaJuniors, one of the top-ranked clubs in the UnitedStates, is the third Lady

Bronc recruit.“She is a good all-

around player with goodball control skills whocomes up big in bigsituations,” Thorn said.“We're very excited to adda student-athlete ofHeather's caliber to theUTPA volleyball team."

Carol Marcengo, fromBrazil, is the last of thenewcomers, and traveled along way to become aLady Bronc and helpresuscitate the program.

“She is a player withtremendous athleticability,” Thorn said. “We

look for her to make aquick contribution to theteam.”

The Broncs return fivestarters from last year’steam including seniorcaptain Jaclyn Muszynski,who set the school seasonrecord with 453 kills and1,317 total attacks.

After capturing theschool record for totalattacks last year with3,355, Muszynski looks toadd more accolades to herimpressive resume. She hascompiled 1,169 kills and992 digs in her career andlooks to shatter the current

school record of 1,183 killsset by Tanja Thomas(1989-1992) and 1,024digs held by MarieVelasquez (1993-1996).

The four other starterswill be senior captainWinker Cruz of Harlingen,junior Cathi Netemeyer,plus sophomores StephanieRedd and Danielle Holthe.

“There will be manyopen positions availablefor the new and currentplayers to battle for. Iexpect a lot of competitionbetween the ladies for

By NADER M. SIAMThe Pan American

See VOLLEYBALL page 14

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

http://www.panam.edu/dept/panamerican52nd Year – No. 2

EditorMatt Lynch

mlynch@panam.edu

Layout Designers

Ashley Brooks

Reporters

Brian Carr

Amelia Garcia

Aaron Lozano

Adriana Martinez

Cindy Mata

Nader M. Siam

Claralexis Rios

Maritza Rodriguez

Photographer

Daniel Aguilar

Circulation

Joe Rodriguez

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

August 7 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

echrnko@yahoo.com

A & E EditorAshley Brooks

Magrew2@hotmail.com

News EditorsBelinda Reyes

beberay25@aol.com

Arianna Vazquez

Graphics EditorGabriel O.Hernandez

gabo296@hotmail.com

NEWS■ New restaurant 4■ Border health 5■ Birding center 6

Ben and J Lo’s love life, World War II,Will and Grace, Jessica Lynch,Watergate, and Foster’s beer. What do allthese things have in common?

They are some of the topics discussedin Communication 3301, Rhetoric ofTelevision, offered at the University ofTexas-Pan American this summer.

The media literacy course focuses onthe argument that television is one of theprimary media of influence for society’svalues, beliefs, and behaviors.

”We need to understand that televisionis a persuasive dominant medium, adifferent kind of knowledge,” said Dr.George McLemore, UTPA associateprofessor, who has been teaching thecourse since it was first offered in 1985.

In the course, students learn theimportance of understanding howmessages delivered by television affecttheir knowledge about the world aroundthem.

“It is essential to understand the role ofthe media in society,” said CrystalGarcia, senior PR/advertising major whois enrolled in the course, which ends nextweek. “And to be able to interpret themessages we receive from print and TVin order to have a more informed view ofwhat goes on around us and evenimprove public discourse.”

The state of Texas requires that Englishteachers in grades 8-12 understand howto interpret and analyze visual imagesand messages in various media. SeniorEnglish major Lydia Perez, who plans toteach, is taking Rhetoric of Television toaccomplish this.

”The kids are going to watch TVanyway, so we might as well teach themhow to watch it constructively,” Perezsaid. “By using the medium of televisionconstructively, teaching objectives can bereinforced.”

Although television has been aroundsince the mid 20th century, media literacyhas never been part of the Texascurriculum until now. McLemore feels itis due to the time it takes for society toquestion the effects of a new medium.

”There hadn’t been serious research onthe effects of television until the late‘70s,” he said. “Technology develops toorapidly. Consider cell phones, five yearsago no one had them. Now they’reeverywhere and we haven’t had a chanceto ask how they affect society.”

One topic discussed in class istelevision news programming. McLemoreexplains that the majority of the newsbroadcast is a mixture of unrelatedimages and one-liners that lead to theassumption that the world is a bad placebecause of all the negative newscoverage.

“Television has been one of the maincontributors to the “Mean worldsyndrome,” said McLemore. “The Meanworld syndrome is the mentality that allof the horrible things that happen ontelevision are happening in one’sbackyard. Also it gives people the

illusion that they are knowledgeableabout things but it’s just sound-bites,bumper sticker knowledge.”

Propaganda in advertisements isanother topic that stimulates discussionin the class. The power of the images thatare portrayed in ads is examined.

“Advertisements play on people’sdesires and even fear to advertiseproducts,” Garcia said. “They use imagesof popculture icons and don’t sayanything abput the actual product. Sincewe relate to the images we want to gobuy the product. It’s up to the person to

Course discusses influence of televisionBy AMELIA GARCIA& ADRIANA MARTINEZThe Pan American

Be on the lookout, Fall issues ofThe Pan American begin

Thursday, Aug. 28.

Dr. George McLemore, an associate professor, teaches to his Rhetoric of Television class.Photo by Adriana Martinez/The Pan American

See TELEVISION page 12

With the Hive nearlycompleted, the officialteam jerseys released,the as of yet unnamedmascot unveiled, the2003-04 scheduleposted, and the teamroster only a handfulof players short ofbeing solidified, theRio Grande ValleyKiller Bees are poisedto make professionalice hockey in theValley a reality.

And with over 1,500season tickets alreadysold for the 5,500-seatRio Grande ValleyEvents Center it is safeto say that the reality isheavily anticipated.

According to theKiller Bee’s web sitethe RGV-based hockeyteam ranks third in theleague in ticketrevenue, and all of theHive’s ultra premiumseason ticket seats -Luxury Suites and

Club Seats - have beensold out for the comingseason.

Estimated seasonticket sales areprojected at 2,500 seatsbefore the inauguralseason begins on Oct.16, claiming 45percent of the RGVEvents Center capacityfor season-ticketholders.

Excitement for theupcoming season hasbeen generated throughtactful promotions,including a joint effortby Flamingo Pools andthe RGV Killer Bees toinclude Valleyites inthe mascot namingprocess.

“People can log onto our web site andsubmit a name for ournew team mascot,”said Chris Due,director ofbroadcasting andmedia relations for theKiller Bees.

■ Volleyball. . . . . . . . . . . 15■ Volleyball Schedule . . 13■ Sports clipboard . . . . .13

PAGE 16

SPORTSBees readyfor actionBy BRIAN CARRThe Pan American

In college sports or in anysports organization, one of thebiggest factors people look atis how much experience ateam has. Or in thecase of TheUniversity of Texas-Pan Americanbaseball program,how much experiencethe Broncs don’thave.

The Broncs lostfour seniors from thisyear’s team that went21-33 and showedoccasional signs oftaking UTPA’s baseballprogram to the next level. Incomparison, Pan Am went 15-38 during the 2002 season, sothe Broncs have made stridesin just one year under newhead coach Willie Gawlik,who took over for Reggie

Tredaway.This year’s team is going to

put its fate in the hands oftwo young players amongothers, sophomore LouieAlamia and junior Tony Ortiz.Even though these players are

young they do notplay like it. Alamiahad a remarkablefirst season bygarnering UTPA’sfirst ever freshmanAll-Americanselection.

He was alsonamed second teamAll-Independentalong with Ortiz.

Alamia rankedsecond nationally amongfreshman in hitting for muchof the season and ended theyear with an impressive .381batting average. Plus, heracked up a .517 sluggingpercentage. During thecourse of the 2003 season, the

Edinburg native put together a22-game hit streak, which tieda school record, and endedthe season with a 12-gamestreak.

Ortiz was no slouch at theplate either, putting up ahealthy .336 averagegood for second beston the team. The FortWorth native alsoknew how to hit theball a long way andaccumulated a .469slugging percentage.In addition, Ortiz tiedUTPA’s all-timesingle-season recordfor doubles of 18, setby Tommy Supak in1980.

Next season, there aregoing to be 14 new faces inthe baseball locker room forthe Broncs. With only ahandful of returnees, a lot ofpressure is going to be placedon the young bucks and based

on this year’s team, smartmoney will bet that they willnot perform likeinexperienced D-1 collegeballplayers.

Among the new faces aretwo Valley notables. PhilipRodríguez from EdinburgNorth High School and CésarPeña, the former Hawk fromHarlingen South High School

join the team thisfall.

Rodríguez hit.430 with one homerun and 30 runsbatted in forEdinburg North lastspring.

He was namedfirst team All-District, first teamAll-Río GrandeValley, first team

All-Area, and he was namedto play in the South TexasAll-Star Game.

As a junior, Rodríguezbatted .440 with 37 RBIs,earning All-District, All-

By MATT HALLThe Pan American

New BroncsRicky Broyles, NE Texas CC., Longview TX

Aaron Flowers, NE Texas CC., Rowlett TX

César Peña, Harlingen South HS, Harlingen TX

Chad Linder, Rusk HS, Rusk TX

Sam English, Central Ark. Univ., Magnolia TX

Austin Hoffman, Kempner HS, Sugarland TX

Alfred Padrón, Alvin CC, Pasadena TX

Nick Gregory, Angelina JC, Lufkin TX

Philip Rodríguez, Edinburg North HS

Zach Smith, Sanger HS, Sanger TX

Ricky Glazier, Eastfield Col., Mesquite TX

Ryan Grimet, Pearland HS, Pearland TX

Brian Ballew, Channelview HS, Channelview TX

Ryne Foster, Cedar Park HS, Cedar Park TX

Photo by Daniel Aguilar/The Pan American

Construction equipment is parked in front of the nearly completed Rio Grande Valley Convention Center.

Returning sophomores lead Bronc teamSee BEES page 14

Louie Alamia, Tony Ortiz head young UTPA baseballteam on quest to improve on 21-33 record

See BASEBALL page 14

ALAMIA ORTIZ

THURSDAYAugust 7, 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

CCaammppuussVOICEDo you agree

with theelection of

Gene Robinson,a gay bishop?

Construction on several on-campus

projects continues asthe summer ends.

See related story on 12.

Today’s weatherHot and sunny.

High: 102 Low: 77