CHECK THE WEBMourners celebrate the life of former UTPA professor || David Carter remembered

Grad makes goodDel Barrio commandeerssports information effort at alma mater. PAGE 11

Música y negocios

Mercadotecnia a la orden. PÁGINA 10

GOING BEHIND THE NUMBERS

� e Student Union � eatre was far from being � lled last Friday afternoon, but the presentation that took place did have a captive audience.

About 40 people attended the Annual Financial Report presentation given by the O� ce of the Comptroller for the student body, and about half were students. Of those students in the audience, most were representatives from Student Government Association, whose usual meeting time was during the presentation.

� e report touched on the University’s budget and spending from the 2009-2010 � scal year. It was � rst presented to administration on Jan. 18 and faculty and sta� on Feb. 7.

Concerns were raised about the lack of student body present due to the 3 p.m. Friday presentation time as well as grievances on the amount of information given at one time.

Alex Rodriguez, SGA president, agreed that one cause for the low turnout was because scheduling landed at a time where most students were o� campus in preparation for the weekend.

“� e reason why I asked all the senators to come,” he said, “is because we represent the students and it’s our responsibility as well to share that [the Annual Financial Report] is available online, that we came and the information that we gathered here is to be spread among our constituents.”

� e presentation consisted of charts, graphs and slides that condensed the 179-page booklet into not-so-laymen’s terms while di� erent speakers from the Comptroller’s o� ce explained the slides to the group. Still the amount of information, which was for warned to the audience in the beginning, was too large of an amount to take in for some.

“� e report looks good and you’re reading slowly,” said Essie Morris, graduate student in communication and education, who raised the concern during the forum. “But that’s a lot for us to comprehend just sitting here and listening and looking at that report. It’s saying a lot but be we’re seeing a circus and we don’t really know [what is happening] without having the chance to see below the circus,”

Despite the outcome, Mark Allen Vice President of SGA said the presentation brought progress and better understanding to UTPA’s � nancial situation.

“I think it was a big step forward from last year,” Allen said, “and the next year will be even better.”

Overall, Allen was pleased with the outcome of the event and is open to the idea of holding another discussion with more of the student body in attendance.

“I don’t think it would hurt to have it again,” he said. “If anything, it would be bene� cial. Even if you went the � rst time, you might catch things you didn’t catch before.”

� e slides used in the address can be downloaded from the O� ce of the Comptroller’s home page at utpa.edu/comptroller under ‘FY2010 AFR Presentation.’

BIG DEALSSeveral hot-button issues were discussed Friday. From 2006 to 2007, the Operation Margin Ratio was in the

negative, or “in the red” which meant the revenue the University generated was less than the amount it spent. In Spring 2008 the budget was recon� gured and eventually, the current Operating Margin Ratio picked up to a positive 3.4 percent. It should continue to be “in the black” or positive margins.

“When I got here we were in the red, Charles Sorber brought us up to barely in the black. We are now to where we are stable and we can move forward, and it’s because of these guys,” President Robert Nelsen said, gesturing to the comptroller sta� .

One topic brought up during the forum was the allocation of more than 40 percent of student service fees to athletic’s budget.

“I’m very concerned,” Nelsen said. “But it used to be 49 percent and now it’s dropped down 40 percent.”

Another worry is the $1.3 million that was taken from Institutional Enhancement funds - where Texas Grant and University Scholars scholarships come from - and added to the Operating Budget.

>> FEB. 24 PART 2: BREAKING DOWN THE BUDGET

WWW.PANAMERICANONLINE.COMVolume 67, No. 18 February 17, 2011

Part 1: Budget presentation to students misses mark By Kristen Cabrera The Pan American

Breaking down the numbers of ‘1040%$1.3M

Student Service fees

Institutional Enhancement funds

Athletic Budget

Operating Budget

Q&A

“I’m more afraid of our resources experiencing a cut. When it comes to organizing and promoting events, it’s already hard, as it is locating the funds to do so.”

“I imagine student orga-nizations such as Student Government Association will get some cutbacks; that only lowers the voice of the students.”

“I hope student life doesn’t get too many cuts. Stu-dents will be less aware of what our campus has to o  er and as a result become less involved.”

Dana Castillo, 20, juniorChemistry and pre-pharmacy major

Daniel Lopez, 25, seniorTheatre production major

Brayath Cano, 18, sophmorePre-med/biology major

I didn’t watch this year’s Grammy Awards (and haven’t bothered watching the past few years) but I’ve heard a lot of buzz about the big upset in the Album of the Year category. People

are all in a rage over Arcade Fire picking up the Album of the Year. � ey’ve even created a Tumblr page just to vent, titled “Who is Arcade Fire?” Most of the posts involve lots of cussing and yelling, calling Arcade Fire names like “faggots.” Now is that really necessary? I think everyone needs to just calm down. Just because you’ve never heard of them doesn’t mean they aren’t good.

So who is Arcade Fire? � ey’ve been around since 2001, released their � rst EP in 2002 and released their � rst album, “Funeral,” in 2004. I � rst heard “Funeral” in 2005, at the suggestion of a friend (the best way to learn about new music in my opinion) and to this day it’s one of my all-

time favorite albums. I had no knowledge of the band

and just wanted to listen to something new and di� erent. I bought it solely on his recommendation and didn’t bother listening to any of it before purchasing it. I’m not the only one who thinks Arcade Fire is pretty great. In 2005 “Funeral” was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Alternative Music album category. It’s listed as No. 6 in Rolling Stone Magazine’s top 100 albums of the decade, and the UK’s Q Magazine lists it as No. 19 for best album of the past 25 years.

� at same year I saw them perform at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, nine very passionate people on stage creating music cementing their place as one of my favorite bands. It was my favorite performance of the whole festival.

� eir second album “Neon Bible,” released in 2008, was also nominated for a Grammy in the Best Alternative Album category. I think the win for Arcade Fire is a step in the right direction for the Grammys. It’s about time creativity and originality tops seniority or album sales. I might even have to start watching the Grammys again.

Dear Editor, After reading through the February

10 issue of � e Pan American I would like to respond to the article entitled ‘Funding for new digs in the o¢ ng’ by Alejandra Martinez.

It is all very well to put the new buildings up on UTPA campus but what about the work that needs doing on the campus as it stands today??

I am fortunate to be at UTPA as a Fulbright Fellow, here from New Zealand as part of my PhD studies in collaboration with the Mechanical Engineering. What I � nd unbelievable is the fact that Engineering have been so squeezed for o¢ ce space that they found it necessary to take out the Professors social hub and put in o¢ ces.

� e university needs to get serious about what it wants for its students as pushing the faculty to this type of action can only hurt and end result cost a lot more � nancially than the meagre amount for a decent social spot for the Professors, sta� and graduate students. I have been fortunate enough to spend time in many universities around the world, including Europe, UK, Oceania and Asia and have seen � rst hand the bene� ts of a well resourced and comfortable lounge. It is the place where colleagues can meet and discuss course issues and colaborate on projects away from the pressures of the lecture

room, laboratory and o¢ ce. It is where colleagues can meet and discuss ideas, current and future projects. It also allows sta� , post-docs and faculty to build solid relationships and to enable a whole of department understanding in relation to a lasting work focused atmosphere. Lastly it allows graduate students a place to be at ease with the Professors and take away the aprehensions many may have to be fully engaged with project planning and allow them to get closer to the environment that many graduates would aspire to when studies are completed here at UTPA.

And � nally it is a place that in some way would provide a tangible study path option for many undergraduates who would no doubt see graduate study as a lonely and often solitary place not worth their consideration.

So UTPA, it is all very well to be considering expanding and you should be commended for that, but what about those who are currently in need of space are they not worthy?

Kind regards,Paul Ewart

February 17, 20112Commentary

Why is Arcade Fire under fire?

Professor questions logic of recent construction decisions

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

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

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

Letters to the Editor

Delivery:Thursday at noon

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

Fax: (956) 316-7122

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Kristen Cabrera kmcabrera22@gmail.com

NEWS EDITOR: Roxann Garcia roxx.gar11@gmail.com

ONLINE/SPANISH EDITOR: Denisse Salinas dns_145@hotmail.com

ARTS & LIFE EDITOR: Benny Salinas9_benny_9@live.com

SPORTS EDITOR: Sara Hernandez shernandez261@gmail.com

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR: Alma E. Hernandez alma.e.hdz@gmail.com

SENIOR DESIGNER: Jennifer Tate jen489@gmail.com

DESIGNER: Alexis Carranzaalexis091@aol.com

ADVISER: Dr. Greg Selberselberg@utpa.edu

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE: Anita Reyes areyes18@utpa.edu

ADVERTISING MANAGER: Mariel Cantuspubs@utpa.edu

WEBMASTERS: Jose Villarreal josemvillarrealcs@gmail.com

Selvino Padillaselvinop3@gmail.com

THE PAN AMERICAN

Vol. 67, No. 18

Anthony Salinas/THE PAN AMERICAN

Alma E. Hernandez Photo Editor

Letter to the Editor

Correction: In last week’s “Planetarium” article there was a fac-tual error in the cost of attendance. The university planetarium

and portable planetarium are free to all attendees.

Growing up in a time when speaking Spanish was frowned upon in the United States made Stephanie Alvarez shy away from her Cuban heritage to avoid discrimination. Now as an adult, she fully embraces her background and uses it to guide her students.

“My father never spoke Spanish to us (Alvarez and her sister), even though that was his � rst language,” the UTPA professor recalls. “� at was his way of protecting us, of making sure we assimilated and that we would be successful. But I’m grateful that my grandparents were in the house with us, and we did grow up speaking Spanish.”

From an early age, Alvarez discovered her passion for teaching. She came to the Valley in 2006 right after earning her Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Oklahoma. In September of that year, she began working as a lecturer at UTPA.

“I knew my whole life I wanted to teach, but I didn’t know what,” the Miami native said. “I went from physical

education to elementary education to bilingual education, and I ended up doing Spanish, which pretty much everyone in my family is shocked about.”

During her time here, she has been studying the use of Spanglish within Latino literature and for the past three years has been working on rebuilding the Mexican-American Studies program. Most recently her research has focused on the role that Spanish departments play in the education of Latino students.

“We talk about being a Hispanic-serving institution,” she explained. “But I think we need to start looking at how academic programs become Hispanic-serving.”

Not long ago, Alvarez was selected as the Outstanding Latino Faculty in Higher Education for the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE). She will be awarded at the 6th Annual National Conference on March 5.

She attributes the honor mainly to a project called Cosecha Voices, in which she and poet Tato Laviera teach a class to migrant farm workers, and the

class documents their experiences as migrants.

“� ey learn from that experience and hopefully empower themselves to be more successful students and more successful people in life,” she said. “I think it’s very important to have a good understanding of where we come from.”

Alvarez earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from the University of South Alabama in 1995, and a master’s in Spanish from St. Louis University three years later. She worked as a lecturer at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor from 2001-2004, and taught Spanish at the National Hispanic University in San Jose, Calif. in 2005. She has been married for seven years and is mother to 5-year-old twin girls and a 1-year-old boy.

“In every place that I’ve been, I’ve learned a lot of good stu� ,” she said. “And I think I brought some of those experiences here with me and I try to use them as learning experiences, not just for me, but for my students as well.”

� e � eld of chemistry is to be honored April 9, with the department’s � rst student/faculty symposium.

According to Bimal Banik, President Endowed Professor at UTPA, e� orts and advancements in research are to be presented to students and colleagues in the hopes that learning and fellowship will be increased in the department.

“� e Department of Chemistry has never organized a local symposium with the students,” Banik said. “We believe that this sort of symposium will help people, not only know what kind of research we are doing on campus and in the department, but also what students or some faculty are doing research in other departments and other universities and also overseas.”

� e symposium is set to begin with a breakfast at 8 a.m. and lunch at noon. � e department currently has 16

professors, including Banik, who conducts research on scienti� c hypotheses and projects, usually assisted by UTPA students. For the symposium, each professor has been asked to invite one or two students to do an oral presentation for an audience in rooms 2.102 of the Science Building. � ere will also be a question-and-answer session after each presentation.

Due to time constraints, all other students will present a poster summarizing their research project, to be displayed in the hallways of the building.

Some of the few research projects within the Chemistry Department include the study of new organic compounds concerning organometallic reagants and organic synthesis. Professor and chair for the department of chemistry, Naryan Bhat, and his undergraduate students are conducting the study. Also being studied is the synthesis of conjugated polymers, by Jose J. Guitierrez, with a special interest in soluble poly-p-phenylenevinylene (PPV) derivatives and how they can be used in light-emitting diodes.

According to a 2010 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2008 Hispanics/Latinos accounted for 19 percent of the 42,439 new diagnoses of HIV cases in 37 states.

As part of the South Texas Border Health Disparities Center Lecture series, Antonia Villarruel, a professor from the School of Nursing at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, will discuss research � ndings on HIV Latino cases and how to address the issue.

“Dr. Antonia Villarruel has an extensive background in health promotion and health disparities research and practice,” said Dejun Su, director of South Texas Border Health Disparities Center. “Her research focuses on the development and testing of interventions to reduce HIV sexual risk among Mexican and Latino youth, a topic we know little about here in the Valley.”

Faculty, sta� and students are invited to the presentation Feb. 18, which will begin at noon in the Executive Room of the ITT Building. For further information or questions please call 665-7937.

February 17, 2011 3

Alvarez uses life experience in class

HIV risk to be topic at Friday health event

Chemistry work to be presented at Feb. 19 symposium

By Alejandra MartinezThe Pan American

By Pamela MoralesThe Pan American

By Belinda MunozThe Pan American

Spanish professor celebrates recent award

Alma E. Hernandez/THE PAN AMERICAN

Alma E. Hernandez/THE PAN AMERICAN

IT MATTERS — Professor Bimal Banik lectures about dibromo compounds to his chemistry class Wednesday morning.

We talk about being a Hispanic-serving institution, but I think we need to start looking at how academic programs become Hispanic-serving.

Stephanie Alvarez || UTPA professor

Advertisements February 17, 2011Page 4

AdvertisementsFebruary 17, 2011 Page 5

THE PAN AMERICANTHE PAN AMERICAN February 17, 2011 February 17, 2011 Page 7Page 6

HOMECOMING PRIDE

Annette TorresGraduation: Spring 2011

Major in communication studies, minor in human resources

John-Robert IruegasGraduation: Fall 2010Major in psychology, minor in leadership

The Pan American: When did you decide you wanted to run for homecoming queen?ANNETTE: It all started in the fall of 2009, I had just come back from an internship I had in San Antonio and I knew I wanted to run so from there I added a lot of UTPA students on Facebook, I tried to go to more on-campus events and just try to get to know as many peo-ple as I could, so when it was time to turn in the application to run for homecoming queen, and by the time the whole marketing started, a lot of people had already seen my face.

TPA: What did you feel when you were announced winners?A: I was really excited and very proud to represent UTPA, it was a great way to end my last year.JOHN-ROBERT: I was shocked but I was extremely excited, I was glad enough people thought of us to vote and let us represent them.

TPA: What duties have you had as the homecoming queen and king?BOTH: The main purpose is to represent the student body in events either on campus or off campus and the sports games. We also had to go to activities such as the Bucky Block Party, Welcome Week, Spirit Week, Midnight Madness, as well as volunteering We even made T-shirts that said king and queen since we did not want to volunteer in our polos, we did it so we could represent UTPA when we were doing volunteer service.

TPA: What type of community service did you do?BOTH: Make a Difference Day, Students With a Purpose Alternative Break Program, The Food Bank and any other opportunities that were presented to us. We did a lot of volunteering throughout the year.

TPA: What example did you give to students while being homecoming king?JR: We were able to show school spirit and be involved in on-campus activi-ties, we showed students that there are people that love this school and want great spirit. I believe our spirit is the big example we gave, to be able to show other students they can have fun in school too.

TPA: What do you want to say to the future king and queen?JR: I know all of the candidates so I know all of them are really good leaders and are very active on campus and I want them to keep being active and wish them good luck.A: I wish them the best of luck as well, I have confi dence in all of them and I know that who-ever wins is going to represent the campus with pride and continue leading.

TPA: What are your plans for the future?JR: Right now I am a student assistant at the Student Leadership Program on campus, after May I will be going to graduate school for a counseling degree to become a licensed family therapist and professional counselor. A: I will be graduating in May and the career fair is in a week so I will be prepared for that. My main area of focus is human resources so it is what I want to go into. I plan to leave the Valley but eventually come back, it would be good for us to leave so we can represent UTPA outside of the Valley as well and show that this is a really great school and we got a very good education.

TPA: What would you like to say to the students?JR: My heart is in this place and I want everyone to enjoy UTPA. Take advantage of what our school has to offer because we’ve got more to offer than meets the eye, and I want them to really understand the commitment this school has for the students.

Being homecoming king and queen is more than just getting a crown and walking around wearing them. It is about having school spirit and wear your colors with pride and honor, something Annette Torres and John-Robert Iruegas have done throughout the last year. This Saturday Feb. 19 will be Homecoming and they will give their crowns away to the future king and queen of UTPA.

Photos by Freddie Martinez

THE PAN AMERICANTHE PAN AMERICAN February 17, 2011 February 17, 2011 Page 7Page 6

HOMECOMING PRIDE

Annette TorresGraduation: Spring 2011

Major in communication studies, minor in human resources

John-Robert IruegasGraduation: Fall 2010Major in psychology, minor in leadership

The Pan American: When did you decide you wanted to run for homecoming queen?ANNETTE: It all started in the fall of 2009, I had just come back from an internship I had in San Antonio and I knew I wanted to run so from there I added a lot of UTPA students on Facebook, I tried to go to more on-campus events and just try to get to know as many peo-ple as I could, so when it was time to turn in the application to run for homecoming queen, and by the time the whole marketing started, a lot of people had already seen my face.

TPA: What did you feel when you were announced winners?A: I was really excited and very proud to represent UTPA, it was a great way to end my last year.JOHN-ROBERT: I was shocked but I was extremely excited, I was glad enough people thought of us to vote and let us represent them.

TPA: What duties have you had as the homecoming queen and king?BOTH: The main purpose is to represent the student body in events either on campus or off campus and the sports games. We also had to go to activities such as the Bucky Block Party, Welcome Week, Spirit Week, Midnight Madness, as well as volunteering We even made T-shirts that said king and queen since we did not want to volunteer in our polos, we did it so we could represent UTPA when we were doing volunteer service.

TPA: What type of community service did you do?BOTH: Make a Difference Day, Students With a Purpose Alternative Break Program, The Food Bank and any other opportunities that were presented to us. We did a lot of volunteering throughout the year.

TPA: What example did you give to students while being homecoming king?JR: We were able to show school spirit and be involved in on-campus activi-ties, we showed students that there are people that love this school and want great spirit. I believe our spirit is the big example we gave, to be able to show other students they can have fun in school too.

TPA: What do you want to say to the future king and queen?JR: I know all of the candidates so I know all of them are really good leaders and are very active on campus and I want them to keep being active and wish them good luck.A: I wish them the best of luck as well, I have confi dence in all of them and I know that who-ever wins is going to represent the campus with pride and continue leading.

TPA: What are your plans for the future?JR: Right now I am a student assistant at the Student Leadership Program on campus, after May I will be going to graduate school for a counseling degree to become a licensed family therapist and professional counselor. A: I will be graduating in May and the career fair is in a week so I will be prepared for that. My main area of focus is human resources so it is what I want to go into. I plan to leave the Valley but eventually come back, it would be good for us to leave so we can represent UTPA outside of the Valley as well and show that this is a really great school and we got a very good education.

TPA: What would you like to say to the students?JR: My heart is in this place and I want everyone to enjoy UTPA. Take advantage of what our school has to offer because we’ve got more to offer than meets the eye, and I want them to really understand the commitment this school has for the students.

Being homecoming king and queen is more than just getting a crown and walking around wearing them. It is about having school spirit and wear your colors with pride and honor, something Annette Torres and John-Robert Iruegas have done throughout the last year. This Saturday Feb. 19 will be Homecoming and they will give their crowns away to the future king and queen of UTPA.

Photos by Freddie Martinez

February 17, 20118

Based on the successful science-fi ction novel of the same name, “I Am Number Four” is set to hit theaters this Friday. The story follows an alien refugee struggling for survival amid an interstellar hunt for his species. This is the fi rst of six planned movies.

It’s fi nally here. After nearly four years, breakup rumors and precious few interviews Radiohead has announced their eighth album “The King of Limbs.” The album will be digitally released this Saturday and physically released on May 9.

Can’t stand that minty fl avor of toothpaste? Wish you could add a little more bacon do your dental hygiene regimen? The people at Archie McPhee hear you loud and clear and have produced Bacon Toothpaste. The paste cleans teeth and leaves a coat of bacon fl avor.

In a not-entirely-surprising outcome, Ken Jennings and Ken Rutter failed to beat IBM’s new supercomputer, “Watson,” in a special two-game tournament of “Jeopardy!” “Watson” came away with an impressive $77,147 at the end of the tournament, beating Jennings’ $24,000 and Rutter’s $21,600.

Finding balance

On a day in August 2006, Anthony Beltran drove to McAllen-Miller Inter-national Airport without incident. But upon returning to his car, he couldn’t move. He couldn’t will his foot to push the break or his hand to shift the gear from park to drive.

When he arrived at the airport, Beltran had just been a freshman starting his ­ rst semester at South Texas College. Before driving back home that same day, he had become the primary caregiver to his three-month-old son, Ashlin.

“I couldn’t function,” he recalled. “I put him in the back and just sat in the driver’s seat like, ‘I feel like I don’t even know how to drive right now,’ and he was in the back just sucking on his bottle. It was a very big slap of reality.”

Beltran had wrapped up six years of ser-vice in the U.S Army earlier that year, which included time in Iraq. Having grown up in the major Texas metropolises before enlisting at 18, the then-24-year-old longed to return to the Valley and get to know family mem-bers he had never met. His son’s mother, however, wanted to stay in Georgia and fur-ther her career in the military.

“[Because] her schedule is practically insane…the lack of stability in raising children pretty much forced her to rely on me in order to raise our son,” Bel-tran said. “� ings have calmed down for

her…and now we share him whenever she’s settled. She’s getting to enjoy him while she’s stateside before deploying to Afghanistan in May.”

� e early days were tough for Bel-tran, now 29 and a graduate student in the clinical psychology program. As a single parent, he had to balance school, the pressure to make ends meet, ­ nding childcare for Ashlin, and daily duties of parenthood.

“Academics were the furthest thing from my mind,” he recalled. “My pri-orities were somewhere else because I was managing things at home. It was a very hard transition, but today I think it has completely paid o� .”

ONWARD AND UPWARDBeltran’s hectic schedule mirrors that

of business administration major Liz Ri-vera, a full-time project coordinator for a local non-pro­ t organization and part-time student who has a 5-year-old daugh-ter and 4-year-old son.

“After work and school, I still have to go home and feed them, bathe them, get them ready for the next day and then still have to worry about homework,” she said of her routine, adding that study time usually begins at 11 p.m. “Some-times my son won’t go to sleep until I’m with him in bed, so he’s there with me until I ­ nish. Or sometimes I just put the homework aside because it’s too late for him, and I have to wake him up early the next day.”

One source of support Beltran found when he transferred to � e University of

Texas-Pan American was the Child Devel-opment Center, which o� ers childcare ser-vices to university students, faculty and sta� throughout the year.

“[Student parents] struggle with work, school, and childcare,” said CDC Director Elda Perez. “‘I can’t go to school if I don’t have somewhere to leave my child.’ Do you bring your child to class? Do you miss class? How many times are you going to miss class?”

According to it’s website, the Child Develop-ment Center is capable of pro-viding full-day environments for 140 children.

“Overall, it’s a win-win situa-tion for everyone,” she said. “We have their kiddos, we educate them, and at the same time we give them peace of mind for them to go and study and participate in extracurricular activities.”

And partici-pate is exactly what Beltran has done. In addition to earning his bachelors de-grees in psychology and criminal justice last December, he is also a member of ­ ve honor societies and serves as presi-dent of SALUTE, the Veterans National Honor Society.

“Parents usually have to work twice as hard, and in some cases, myself for example, I usually end up taking my son with me,” he said. “I can’t do it without

him. If I want to be part of the leader-ship core at Pan Am, it would be impos-sible to do if I needed to leave my son here or there.”

Caring for her family as she pursues her degree, Rivera does not have much sympathy for her non-parent classmates who complain about time constraints

when they miss assignments.

“If you’re not a parent, you don’t have another person to worry about,” she sug-gested. “Right now I have two other people to worry about, so it’s myself plus my two kids and my husband. If I can have time, you can have time to do it, so don’t come up with excuses.”

While adding school organiza-tions to an already full to-do list may seem like too much for some parents, Beltran actively encourages his fel-low UTPA parent students to take part in campus activities.

“� ey have every potential to lead, and I strongly promote that because our parents have done things that others haven’t done yet,” he stressed. “� ey do it on a daily basis. It doesn’t stop for us. We long for breaks, but …after ­ nding out that our children are growing in the right way, it’s re-warding in itself, and the investment is practically eternal.”

By Nadia Tamez-RobledoPhoto by Tammy AyalaThe Pan American

Student parents struggle to meet domestic and academic responsibilities

Liz RiveraBusiness administration major

“[If youʼre not a parent],

you donʼt have another

person to worry about.

Right now I have two other

people to worry about, so

itʼs myself plus my two

kids and my husband. If

I can have time, you can

have time to do it, so donʼt

come up with excuses.”

AdvertisementsFebruary 17, 2011 Page 9

La industria musical actual, es sin duda un campo muy extenso para el cual el uso de la mercadotecnia es imprescindible. Por ello, y debido a que muchos estudiantes de distintas carreras desean incursionar en las diversas áreas de ésta industria, el Colegio de Administración de Empresas de la Universidad de Texas- Pan Americana cuenta desde el 2007 con la opción de tomar la clase 3395 de “marketing musical”. Éste curso cubre estudios de edición musical, entretenimiento en vivo, compañías de grabación, producción y artista y repertorio, además de la comercialización desde un punto de vista práctico y teórico.

Al cursar ésta materia, el alumno tendrá la oportunidad de examinar los principales actores de organización y se le proporcionará una visión general de la industria musical. Una de las labores para quienes toman la clase éste semestre, es ayudar en la creación de planes de mercado en la propuesta para el Distrito de Entretenimiento de Edinburg.

De acuerdo a Michael Minor, profesor

del departamento de gestión (manejo), mercadotecnia y negocios internacionales, el objetivo principal de la materia es ayudar a los estudiantes a encontrar empleo en la industria del entretenimiento, ya sea como intérprete o ejecutante, o en un papel como director, productor, etc.

Con estudiantes de licenciaturas como comunicación, biología, música, mercadotecnia y gestión, la matrícula de “marketing musical” ha crecido de manera notable desde hace cuatro años. “Muchos estudiantes de mercadotecnia, además de otras carreras buscan obtener un empleo dentro de la industria musical o del entretenimiento, por lo que éste curso está dirigido a ese fin”, dijo Minor.

Además, el departamento de mercadotecnia cuenta con el curso de marketing deportivo, el cual es una materia electiva y no asume ningún fondo de comercialización o de negocios. Minor también comentó que en un futuro le gustaría ofrecer un curso de marketing de la moda, y así expandir las opciones para aquellos interesados en las áreas artísticas y de entretenimiento.

Siempre vigilante

El arte y los negocios van de la mano

Enamórate de UTPAPara que los próximos graduados sepan de todo lo que UTPA

ofrece, se lleva a cabo evento para que ellos y sus padres conozcan más sobre la universidad.

Freddie Martinez/THE PAN AMERICAN

17 de febrero del 201110

AYUDANDO – La ofi cina de ayuda fi nanciera respondió preguntas a estudiantes el pasado sábado 12 de febrero en el WRSC.

Hector Gonzalez/THE PAN AMERICAN

Hay cosas que ninguna medida de seguridad, ni ningún método de prevención podrán evitar que sucedan y ante esta clase de situaciones la mejor herramienta que posen los estudiantes es un ojo vigilante que se encarga de procurar a la comunidad de la Universidad de Texas-Pan Americana.

El sistema de seguridad escolar BroncAlert que fue implementado en el 2008 cumple ya tres años de constante vigilancia durante los cuales ha alertado a todos aquellos que estén dados de alta en su sistema de mensajes de texto (ya que el de correos electrónicos es automático y no necesita suscripción) con distintas alertas pertinentes al estado del tiempo, la temperatura, una falla en el sistema de luz e incluso sobre precauciones contra posibles robos en el campus.

Detrás del sistema BroncAlert se encuentra la división de información tecnológica (IT por sus siglas en

inglés), quienes se encargan de proveer a la universidad con la tecnología necesaria para mantenerla a la vanguardia en el ámbito de servicios estudiantiles.

“Éste sistema de alerta de emergencia fue implementado por Richard Costello, direc-tor del departamento de salud y seguridad ambiental”, dijo Lorenia Rodríguez, estudi-ante de terapia y parte del departamento IT sobre los orígenes del proyecto. “Fue creado en el 2008 bajo la presidencia de Blandina Cárdenas y durante un principio solo contó con 1,700 estudiantes registrados, en éste momento contamos con 7,400 de una co-munidad de más de 25,000 estudiantes”.

Rodríguez, quien trabaja en el es-critorio de recepción del departamento también habló sobre la importancia de tener este servicio. “Después del inci-dente del pasado septiembre en la Uni-versidad de Texas-Austin, todos nos di-mos cuenta que una evacuación pronta es necesaria para evitar cualquier desas-tre y éste clima que, durante la semana antepasada impidió las clases, solo re-itero más la necesidad de hacer saber a los estudiantes, el estatus inmediato de

lo que para muchos es su segunda casa, o su trabajo”.

Alejandra Elizondo, estudiante de diseño fue una de los muchos bene� -ciados por los servicios de BroncAlert y comentó sobre las ventajas de éste sistema ya que durante las clases de verano estaba en Mission atendiendo asuntos familiares y tuvo la suerte de recibir un mensaje que le avisó sobre el cierre de la escuela. “Debido a las fuertes lluvias se cancelaron las clases y gracias a ese mensaje evité tener que dar una vuelta tan larga hasta Edinburg”.

BroncAlert también ofrece servi-cios de alerta de emergencias fuera de los salones en el campus. Con la ayuda de más de 50 bocinas distribuidas es-tratégicamente en puntos clave de la universidad y un sistema de atención al estudiante, éste siempre vigilante servicio de alertas, es capaz de man-tener segura a la comunidad de UTPA que tiene que atender diariamente los terrenos tal como si fuera un guarda espaldas cibernético que vela por to-dos los estudiantes, en sus celulares.

Por Karen VelázquezThe Pan American

Por Sergio GironThe Pan American

Debido a la importancia de la industria musical, UTPA ofrece la clase de “marketing musical”.

Alex Del Barrio, director of ath-letic media relations at UTPA, has dreams of making it to the NBA. However, his dream doesn’t involve suiting up in a uniform.

Del Barrio played basketball as a kid and realized his freshman year of high school that he wasn’t going to land a career as a professional athlete. Broad-casting was one outlet that stood out to the young sports enthusiast; he began announcing softball and baseball games at Mission High School.

After graduating from high school in 2001, the novice announcer went to Boston University to study journalism. As a college student, he got deeply in-volved with the university radio station while also gaining experience in sports marketing. He announced games for soccer, lacrosse, wrestling, hockey, and other BU sports on campus.

In 2004, after three years, he re-turned to South Texas and began work-ing full-time as the media relations con-tact and traveling radio announcer with the Edinburg Roadrunners, a semi-pro-fessional baseball team.

“I kind of thought my career was going to keep going that way in base-

ball,” said Del Barrio of his transition into another sport. “But I had always wanted to work in basketball.”

After two years with the Roadrun-ners, Del Barrio got his chance in bas-ketball with a team he grew up listening to and admiring.

“One of the things that I always remembered grow-ing up was listening to the Bronc games on the radio,” said Del Barrio of his younger years.

In 2005, the basketball connois-seur got his break with the Bronc bas-ketball team to trav-el with it through-out the season and broadcast games. He did this for two seasons until 2007, when he graduated from UTPA with a degree in broadcast journalism.

After graduation, Del Barrio began working with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, an NBA Development League team, as an announcer, for which he still continues to do radio play-by-play.

Del Barrio has established himself as a sports authority since his return from the East Coast.

� e broadcaster worked two years as a sports anchor for FOX 2 News in McAllen and reported on high school football for KGBT-TV Chan-nel 4 news. More recently, Del Bar-rio got the oppor-tunity to announce eight games for the D-League Show-case at South Pa-dre Island, which aired on NBA TV last month.

Del Barrio has also contributed his broadcasting skills to the Killer Bees hockey team, the late Dorados in-door football team,

and the Coyotes baseball team that suc-ceeded the Roadrunners in 2006 and became the Roadrunners again two years ago.

During his stint with the Coyotes, in 2007 Del Barrio was named the di-rector of player personnel and media re-

lations for United League Baseball. � is year, he carries on his repu-

tation in sports in a new position with UTPA athletics, bringing a fresh, new design and enthusiasm to the job description.

As the new director of ath-letic media relations, Del Barrio expresses that he brings “passion” to his role and views his job as a stepping-stone.

“I’m from here. I grew up here. My degree says, ‘Texas-Pan Ameri-can’ on it,” he said. “It means some-thing to me to be here.”

Del Barrio explained that he’s “playing catch-up” and taking notes on what needs improvement in the department’s marketing area. He be-gan work in January.

“How do I do my job e� ectively here without burning out, but still giving all the teams the credit they deserve,” said Del Barrio of his long work days. “It’s de� nitely not a 40-hour-a-week job.”

Although some days may be much longer than others, Del Bar-rio shares an enthusiastic outlook on the job and what it means to him.

“� e work you put in now, it’s going to pay o� later,” he said optimistically about his future in sports casting.

February 17, 2011 11

By Lilli LopezThe Pan American

WOMEN’S GOLF� e UTPA women’s golf team

kicked o� the 2011 spring season at the Claud Jacobs Challenge hosted by Texas State. � e women � nished in 15th place after three rounds of 18 holes played Sunday and Monday.

� e top � nisher for the Broncs was senior Haley Hocott from San Antonio, who shot rounds of 79, 85 and 75 for 239 hits, placing her tied in the 34th spot.

Juniors Majo Camey (Guate-mala) and Sarah Kothny (King-wood) � nished tied in 60th and 62nd place respectively. Camey had a score of 250, one stroke less than her classmate.

Freshman Elena Arroyo from Sacramento, Calif., � nished in 79th while junior Edinburg native Me-linda Uriegas placed 82nd with 262 and 264 strokes each.

The winner of the tourna-ment in which 17 schools partic-ipated was Texas State with 912 points; the individual winners were Krista Puisile from the host school and Kamryn Ruffin from Tulsa (which finished third) with scores of 225. UTPA totaled 999 strokes in the competition.

� e women will compete next at the Islander Spring Classic hosted by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the end of the month.

WOMEN’S TENNISThe Broncs traveled to the

Houston area last weekend and dropped matches against the Uni-versity of Houston, Lee Commu-nity College and Rice.

Friday, the women visited the Cougars and fell 6-1. � e only win of the day was Russia native Dana Nazarova over Dianne Sanders 6-3, 6-2. � en, the Broncs traveled to Baytown to face the Lady Rebels from LCC, losing 6-1 before return-ing to Houston Sunday, when they lost 7-0 against Rice.

� e team kept the same lineup for the weekend, playing French freshman Wanda Beguelin in the � rst spot, sophomore Malin An-derson from Finland in the second, and junior Nazarova in the third. Sunny Strkic, junior from Bosnia-Herzegovina, played on the fourth court and freshman Blanca Garcia from Victoria, Mexico played in the � fth.

� e Broncs did not play a sixth match in the singles or submit a third duo for the doubles, which were made up by the Beguelin/Strkic and Anderson/Nazarova pairs.

Wednesday, the program dropped its � rst home match against Laredo Community College 4-3.

The team will have three weeks to prepare to face Texas Tech and Abilene Christian at Lubbock and Abilene the first weekend of March.

BRONC BRIEFSBy Sara Hernandez The Pan American

ONLINE EXCLUSIVEThe UTPA basketball teams fi nished their road schedule falling to Utah Valley.

Go to PANAMER ICANONL INE .COM for the full story.

UTPA graduate brings passion to alma mater after years of experience in the sports media industry.

Playing at homeCATCHING UP - Alex Del Barrio (middle) and members of the UTPA statistical crew, Bryan Smith (left) and Robby Garcia keep track of last week’s UTPA home game against HBU. Del Barrio is the recent addition to the UTPA Athletic Department staff.

Norma Gonzalez/THE PAN AMERICAN

Alex Del BarrioDirector of athletic

media relations

“Iʼm from here. I grew up here. My degree says ʻTexas – Pan Americanʼ on it. It means something to me to be here.”

Online photo galleries for these events.

the pan american February 17, 2011Page 12