the venture- april/may
DESCRIPTION
Speed Racer hits the brakes, finds reform Juan Diaz interviews Sports teams and the charities they serve Houston redistrictingTRANSCRIPT
ORPHA PALOMARES Xpozure
By Raymond Ruiz (UH)
Ex-street racer hits the brakes, finds reform Joshua Lozano’s first time in a street race ended with a warning from a police officer and an addic-tion that would see him sacrifice all his worldly possessions. “It was a summer night in Mexico. My older brother was driving while getting the latest di-rections to the rally point on his cell phone,” said Lozano, who asked that his real name not be used be-cause of potential legal ramifica-tions. “He warned me about com-ing; he said it wasn’t safe, but I insisted. I had just seen ‘Fast & Furious’ and I wanted to be like Diesel. I had no idea by the end of the night the cops would find me hooked to the most potent drug a teenage boy could experience, speed.” Compared to other street racers Lozano is lucky. He street
raced, which is illegal, for five years and the only consequences were a handful of speeding tickets that no longer appear on his record because he took defensive driving. When asked where he has raced at he always responds “Mex-ico”. Illegal street racers often re-fer to Mexico because it is the code word they use in case they are be-ing monitored by law enforcement. It’s where all street races occur.
Others not so fortunate According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis-tration, nationwide there was a total of 1,047 fatalities in crashes involv-ing racing from 2001 to 2008. California leads the nation in racing fatalities with 232 followed by 172 in Texas and 50 in Florida.
“Over the years I’ve had friends that have gotten really hurt from racing,” said Lozano. “Even though it happened to my loved ones, I never thought it could hap-pen to me.” Law enforcement agencies are tasked with trying to prevent these illegal speed contests from turning into tragedies. In September 2010, Mayra Castillo Torres picked up her son Christopher Nuno from Jersey Vil-lage High School when their mini-van was struck by street racers who attended Nuno’s school. Torres and Nuno died at the scene. Nuno’s 6-year-old sister Katia died at Children’s Memorial Hospital later that day.
By DEYADIRA TREVINO (UH)
see RACER, page 2
Juan Diaz speaks out! Baby Bull talks to The Venture about his quest for another championship. --Page 6 see PROPOSAL, page 8
Houston Motorsports Park has a drag strip in the Houston area where street racers can race all night on Fridays for $10. According to HMP, no law enforcement agencies have approached the company to form a partnership to combat street racing.
Inside: News- 2 Sports- 3 Op/ Ed- 4 Life & Entertainment- 6 El Pulso- 7 Comics- 8
The origins of academic dress date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, when universities were begin-ning. The ordinary dress of the scholar, whether student or teacher, was the dress of a cleric. A statute of the Uni-versity of Coimbra in 1321 required that all “Doctors, Licentiates and Bachelors” wear gowns. In the days of King Henry VIII, Oxford and Cambridge were the first universities with a definite academic dress.
History of the cap and gown
Photo coutersey of www.babybullinc.com
Due to the recent census counts, Houston is currently look-ing to add two new districts, which Latino organizations are strongly against. The Coalition is com-posed of non-profit organizations like LULAC, the National Hispanic Professional Organization and the parent company of The Venture, EGMN. This group is currently asking City Council to reject the plan that would add two city coun-cil seats and push the number of districts in Houston to 11. According to the City of Houston Charter, the City Council is required to have 11 single-mem-ber districts when the city reaches 2.1 million citizens. The recent census has shown that Houston has grown by 146,386 people since the last count for 2,100,017 people. The city has proposed the creation of districts J that is mainly inside the loop and K in southwest Houston. The Coalition is mainly opposing this measure because it does not recognize the growth of the Latino community, which had the biggest population gains of any
ethic group in the last 10 years in Houston. They view that proposed map does not adequately reflect the Hispanic community because the new districts are placed in largely Anglo communities. They see this as a dilution of the Hispanic voting strength, es-pecially in Southwest Houston by splitting Gulfton and Sharpstown communities into two districts. This is in violation of Voting Rights Act of 1965, intended to avoid dilu-tion of a minority group. For the Coalition, they face the challenge of low voter turnout in Latinos as well as the re-districting. Latinos compose nearly half of Houston’s population but reports the lowest voting numbers of any racial group with only 16% voting. “Latinos are trying to claim the power and influence that comes with our numbers. We need to pay attention,” said Mario Sali-nas, leader of Progresista Voting Bloc. “I want to offer an approach-able alternative to get Houston’s young Latinos out to vote.”
Latino group rejects redistricting plan
American Council on Educationwww.acenet.edu
Look for the relaunch of The Venture website this fall.
2 The Ventureuhelgato.com
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Photo Courtesy of Missouri State Highway Patrol The result of a deadly street race. There were 138 fatal crashes involving racing in Texas over seven years.
The development of our pub-lication has commanded local and national attention over the past year due to the commitment and quality of our members. As an organization we’ve grown from five members to over 30 members, and in these past two years we’ve acquired intern-ships, scholarships and participants in national journalism projects. The Venture opened numer-ous doors for our members and our audience. We’ve strived to offer an alternative choice of media and now, as our first year concludes, our goals have been surpassed. The reaction to our publica-tion has garnered accolades and criticism that we have used to cre-ate a better product. We’ve moved from an online-only publication to online, print and broadcast. This is due to the lessons learned over time and the leadership each member has demonstrated. As we take another step for-ward, we reflect on what we’ve ac-complished. The Venture has won a grant from UNITY and the Ford
Letter from the Op/Ed editorFoundation to continue publishing. The Venture will implement a sub-scription service to continue our mission of offering an alternative choice. As our audience, we ask you to help us grow and develop. We invite you to give us feedback, to contribute and to take part in our work. As our members graduate, we welcome new members to uphold and surpass what previous mem-bers have accomplished. The roles of our newest members have been vital to the success of our publica-tion and they have been mentored by existing members who are pre-paring to graduate and reach a new point in their careers. We want to surpass what we’ve accomplished this year and the first step comes with the elec-tion of our new leadership board and our next issue this fall.
By Edgar Veliz (UH)
April - May 2011
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Cinco de Mayo According to Harris County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson, Christina Garza, the HCSO has conducted various initiatives and partnered with other agencies to target street racing. They track statistical data, complaints from citizens and observations made by patrol officers to determine what areas to target. “Street racing is very dan-gerous and can have very serious consequences, including death. It’s not worth it. The HCSO will arrest anyone who is caught street racing. The last thing anyone, especially a college student, wants is a criminal record,” said Garza. Texas Transportation Code defines racing as the use of a ve-hicle in an attempt to outdistance another vehicle; to arrive at a given destination ahead of another ve-hicle; or to test the endurance of a driver over a long-distance route. According to the HCSO, there are two types of racing: orga-nized and spontaneous. Organized events are tar-geted by multi-agency police task forces and coordinated by racers. Participants meet at a predeter-mined location, usually outside of the city limits, and setup impro-vised drag strips. These events can turn deadly. Amateur drivers who often don’t realize the risks they are taking, battle on uneven road surfaces in an uncontrolled environment with lack of crowd control and safety measures.
A positive alternative Houston Motorsports Park built a drag strip in 2003 for the specific purpose of getting street racers off the street and on the track where they belong. “We have a professionally prepared drag racing surface. If you’re out on the street, you don’t know if you’re going to hit a patch of oil,” said general manger John Mandelbach. “There are so many different variables on a street that you don’t have here.” The owners recruited Man-delbach, who has a marketing and drag racing background, to reach out to the street racers in hopes of
offering a positive alternative. HMP and Mandelback tried to replicate the street-racing scene. Facilities often feature DJs, drifting exhibitions and visitors can even bring in their own cooler. They aim to create a safe environment for racers to hang out with their friends. Unlike on the streets, participants are not ha-rassed by police. “I’ve been to the two race tracks in Houston, but it’s not the same as an actual street race no matter how hard they try to recreate the scene,” said Lozano.
High speed chase In late 2006, Lozano was again in Mexico when a car pulled up at a stoplight revving its engine – a sign to race. “I knew better than to race at this location. It always had police. The arrogance of this guy ticked me off, but I was willing to take the risk,” said Lozano. Lozano, who spent the ma-jority of his weekly paychecks on his car, won that race, but soon found himself involved in a race with police. Three police cruisers had been parked at a strip mall as Lo-zano and the other racer sped past at over 70 mph. They gave chase and one quickly intercepted the Nissan Sentra that Lozano had just defeated. The other two were coming after Lozano. “I knew if I stopped my car would get impounded, I would get arrested and take a major blow fi-
nancially from court costs,” said Lozano. Instead of pulling over, he stepped on the gas and accelerated. “I was at an advantage be-cause they slowed down to get the other racer and my car was faster than a Crown Victoria,” said Lo-zano. Just as suddenly as he sped up, he hit the brakes, flung his car into the back alley of a shopping center and found himself in a quiet neighborhood away from the wail-ing of the sirens. The police never caught up. This type of spur-of-the-moment racing is hard to regulate. It happens spontaneously and is usually handled by patrol officers instead of a specialized task forces. “The thrill of a street race is nothing compared to the sinking feeling you get when you’re look-ing at a life behind bars,” said Lo-zano. A conviction for street rac-ing is a Class B misdemeanor and penalties progress with each subse-quent arrest. It was this incident that set Lozano on a path to reform. For the past five years he has been focus-ing on his education and his family. He can no longer afford to practice his passion but hopes to one day get back into the sport legally. “It costs too much money to keep a high-performing car up. I’ve got other priorities now like my family,” said Lozano “I lost touch with my old crew. I’ve ma-tured. They haven’t.”
RACERcont. from page 1
Cinco de Mayo, the celebration of
Mexico’s victory over invading French
troops in 1862, was invented in California.
The holiday commemorates the
victory of Mexican troops over the invad-
ing French at the first Battle of Puebla on
May 5, 1862. Puebla eventually fell to the
French after a two-month siege, but its
struggle became a symbol of heroic resis-
tance for Latinos.
UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture
The Venture 3 SPORTSuhelgato.com
April - May 2011
Boxing champ seeks the next KO
By NORMA VASQUEZ (UH) Houstonian boxer Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s in politi-cal science from the University of Houston-Downtown. As the son of Mexican immigrants, Diaz shares his dream and his future goals. Q: When did you first say “this is what I want to do, this is my pas-sion”? What led you to boxing?JD: My father was a boxing fan, that’s how I started the sport of boxing. At the age of 12 I won my first match and title. After that I be-came talented in the sport. Once I realized that, I kept working harder and harder for my dream of becom-ing a world champion.
Q: What makes you wake up in the morning and head to the ring?JD: It’s my dream and it’s some-thing I love and enjoy doing. Q: What does it take to prepare for a match? JD: I prepare mentally and physi-cally for a fight. I prepare physi-cally by getting on a diet to meet the light weight limit which is 135 pounds. I prepare mentally to fight a champion and 12 hard rounds.
Q: How does this effect your pe-sonal life?JD: Whenever I’m getting ready for a fight I don’t get to rest as much as I would like. I have to stay away from my family because of the time it takes to prepare for a championship fight. I don’t have the patience as I normally do for my family since it’s real hard to lose weight.
Q: When you win or lose a match, what goes through your mind? JD: Winning a fight is very reward-ing. I feel like I am on top of the world and nothing can bring me
down. When I lose a fight, I think about what I am going to do and if am I still going to be considered a top fighter.
Q: How would you define boxing?JD: Boxing is a sport; there’s a winner and a loser. There’s an op-ponent trying to take my victory away, which is preventing me from moving to other fights and prevent-
Houston’s major league teams support various charities that are now in gear to establish programs for the health and educa-tion of city youth. At the beginning of March, the Houston Rockets attended the 15th Annual Tux & Tennis Charity Gala at the Toyota Center to support the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston. This organization, with the Rock-ets’ support, provides assistance to youth in need. “We are going to focus on field trips and activities that are fun and engaging so that kids are actually learning,” said Yara Amer, director of Development of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston. “What will be happening at this particular club is a sum-mer academy called ‘The Rockets Academy’,” Amer said. The gala charity event was just one of several occasions the Rockets team provided support
Charities at the major leagues By JULIETA PAITA (UH)
ing me from making a living eco-nomically.Q: What are some obstacles you have had to overcome?JD: A lot of people have doubted me; I want to prove to those people that I can be a world champion.
Q: How does boxing fit into your future?JD: Boxing right now is paying the bills. For the future, I want to be a business man; possibly an at-torney. In a year or two I feel I will be entering into a different part of my life.
Q: You took a break from the ring but came back to the sport. Why?JD: I thought of not coming back because I had accomplished so
to charities. The Houston Dynamo have community programs such as “Soccer for Success” and “Kicks for Kids” where kids have access to free after school soccer pro-grams. “Kicks for Kids” is a Dynamo charity that donates game tickets to local organizations and charities so kids can enjoy a major league soccer game. They also focus programs with childhood obesity prevention and scholarships for college or continuing education. Houston Dynamo player Danny Cruz is the 2011 nominee for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Man of the Year campaign after helping raise money for Bren-don, a child who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2004. Danny Cruz said that Brendon’s passion for soccer is what led to their meeting. “I am fortunate that my career affords me the opportu-
nity to visit kids in hospitals and see their big smile as I enter the room,” Cruz said. On March 9, Texans player Matt Schaub launched his foundation called GR8 HOPE. This foundation provides resources at the Texas Children’s Hospital for Children to those need special-ized medical assistance. “These kids, they’re probably the most inspirational; they are the first ones to have a smile on their face and enjoy life. They really grab your heart, and just to go and visit with them and put a smile on their face and uplift their day. It’s the best thing in the world,” Schaub said. The first event for the GR8 Hope Foundation will be on May 1 and all funds will go toward the construction of a new family room at Texas Children’s Hospital in the Cypress area.
NBA playoff tv schedule
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Chicago vs. IndianaGame 4 - Sat April 23, Chicago at Indiana, 2:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 * Tue April 26, Indiana at Chicago, TBD, TBDGame 6 * Thu April 28, Chicago at Indiana, TBD, TBDGame 7 * Sat April 30, Indiana at Chicago, TBD, TNT
Miami vs. PhiladelphiaGame 4 - Sun April 24, Miami at Philadelphia, 1:00 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 5 * Wed April 27, Philadelphia at Miami, TBD, TBDGame 6 * Fri April 29, Miami at Philadelphia, TBD, TBDGame 7 * Sun May 1, Philadelphia at Miami, TBD, TBD
Boston vs. New YorkGame 4 - Sun April 24, Boston at New York, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/R
Game 5 * Tue April 26, New York at Boston, TBD, TBDGame 6 * Fri April 29, Boston at New York, TBD, TBDGame 7 * Sun May 1, New York at Boston, TBD, TBD
Orlando vs. AtlantaGame 4 - Sun April 24, Orlando at Atlanta, 7:00 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 * Tue April 26, Atlanta at Orlando, TBD, TBDGame 6 * Thu April 28, Orlando at Atlanta, TBD, TBDGame 7 * Sat April 30, Atlanta at Orlando, TBD, TNT
_______________________________________________________WESTERN CONFERENCE
San Antonio vs. MemphisGame 4 - Mon April 25, San Antonio at Memphis, TBD, TBDGame 5 * Wed April 27, Memphis at San Antonio, TBD, TBDGame 6 * Fri April 29, San Antonio at Memphis, TBD, TBDGame 7 * Sun May 1, Memphis at San Antonio, TBD, TBD
L.A. Lakers vs. New OrleansGame 4 - Sun April 24, L.A. Lakers at New Orleans, 9:30 p.m. TNT
Game 5 * Tue April 26, New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, TBD, TBDGame 6 * Thu April 28, L.A. Lakers at New Orleans, TBD, TBDGame 7 * Sat April 30, New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, TBD, TNT
Dallas vs. PortlandGame 4 - Sat April 23, Dallas at Portland, 5:00 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 * Mon April 25, Portland at Dallas, TBD, TBDGame 6 * Thu April 28, Dallas at Portland, TBD, TBDGame 7 * Sat April 30, Portland at Dallas, TBD, TNT
Oklahoma City vs. DenverGame 4 - Mon April 25, Oklahoma City at Denver, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5 * Wed April 27, Denver at Oklahoma City, TBD, TBDGame 6 * Fri April 29, Oklahoma City at Denver, TBD, TBDGame 7 * Sun May 1, Denver at Oklahoma City, TBD, TBD
If first-round series are completed in six games or less, the conference semifinals may move up to begin on either Saturday, April 30 or Sun-
day, May 1.*If necessary
TBD - To Be Determined
I prepare physically by getting on a diet... I prepare mentally to fight a champion
“”
much and I didn’t want to keep get-ting banged in the head. I’m return-ing because I still have the passion for it. I want to retire as a champion.
Q: What do you want to achieve in life?JD: To establish a better future for myself and family and to have all my family members set for the rest of their lives.
Q: Is there any advice for students going through the motions of be-coming boxers?JD: It’s a hard sport. Dedicate a lot of time and effort if you want to be good at it. You have to really want it.
Q: Anything you would like to add?JD: Thank all the students that are fans of mine and to look forward for me fighting again in the sum-mer.
Diaz’s record to date:35 Wins, 4 Losses, 17 Knockouts
To keep updated with Diaz visit:http://www.babybullinc.com/
Diaz doing what he does best - throwing a punch
UH-D alumnus thanks students, school
Photo courtesy of www.babybullinc.com
Scan the QR code to watch an original EGMN video on your smart phone!
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April - May 2011OP/ED22 Senators’ letter to Obama urgespassage of DREAM Act
Thoughts on potential deportation of Mario
Perez?
In a country that prides itself on “No Child Left Behind,” allowing this to happen is just plain stupid. Americans are willing to pay tons in tax money to help ungrateful children through school, but when someone actually wants to do well in school and works hard to graduate, “we” deport him. What, so it’s okay if he mows our lawns and builds our schools, but not if he attends them?
-Ashley Vilard, Sophomore, English- Creative Writing
“It’s a shame that the statement made by deporting Mario Perez prior to graduation is more important than the work he’s invested in school. He’s one more college educated worker who won’t be allowed to contribute. To the country who educated him. Typical American crap.
-Scott Chalupa, Junior, English- Creative Writing
Dear Mr. President:
We write to discuss our mutual interest in a talented group of responsible young people with the potential to fur-ther enrich our great nation: individuals eligible for immigration relief under the DREAM Act.
We know that you share our desire to enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation as soon as possible, and we appreciate your support for our efforts to find solutions to this critical problem facing our nation. While we continue to work toward enactment of comprehensive reform of our immigration system, we have also fought to enact the DREAM Act. This legislation would give a select group of students the chance to earn legal status if they arrived in the United States when they were 15 or younger, have lived in this country for at least five years, have good moral character, are not inadmissible or removable under a number of specified grounds, have gradu-ated from high school or obtained a GED, and attend college or serve in the military for two years.
As you know, the DREAM Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives and received a bipartisan majority vote in the U.S. Senate in December. Unfortunately, the support of 55 senators was not enough to overcome a filibus-ter by the bill’s opponents. We greatly appreciated your strong support for the DREAM Act last year and look forward to working with you to enact it into law in the 112th Congress.
You are the nation’s chief law enforcement officer and are, of course, obligated to enforce the law. However, the exercise of prosecurtial discretion in light of law enforcement priorities and limited resources has a long history in this nation and is fully consistent with our strong interest in the rule of law. Your Administration has a strong record of enforcement, having deported a record number of undocumented immigrants last year. At the same time, you have granted deferred action to a small number of DREAM Act students on a case-by-case basis, just as the Bush Administration did. Granting deferred action to DREAM Act students, who are not an enforcement priority for DHS, helps to conserved limited enforcement resources.
We would support a grant of deferred action to all young people who meet the rigorous requirements necessary to be eligible for cancellation of removal or a stay of removal under the DREAM Act, as requested on a bipartisan basis by Senators Durbin and Lugar last April. We strongly believe that DREAM Act students should not be re-moved from the United States because they have great potential to contribute to our country and children should not be punished for their parents’ mistakes. As you said in your State of the Union Address, “let’s stop expelling talented, responsible young people who could be staffing our research labs or starting a new business, who could be further enriching this nation.”
We would also support steps short of this that you can take to establish a more orderly and consistent process for handling individual DREAM Act cases.
For example, your administration could establish and publicize a process for DREAM Act students to apply for deferred action. Currently, there is no formal process for applying for deferred action, and many DREAM Act students are unaware of this option. Indeed, the Bush Administration’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Ser-vices Ombudsmen recommended establishing a process for applying for deferred action.
Your administration could also require reporting and tracking of DREAM Act cases. It is our understanding that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not have a process for reporting and tracking DREAM Act cas-es. As a result, there is no mechanism for ensuring consistent handling of cases by different field offices around the country; no one knows how many DREAM Act eligible individuals are in removal proceedings, how many have applied for deferred action, and how many have been removed. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field officers frequently deny requests for deferred action in DREAM Act cases without ICE headquarters’ knowledge. Headquarters often only learns about DREAM Act cases from Congressional offices, immigration advocates, or the media, and often requires a private bill or other Congressional action prior to granting deferred action. The Bush Administration’s USCIS Ombudsmen also recommended tracking and headquarters review of deferred action requests to help ensure that there is no geographic disparity in approvals or denials of deferred action requests and that like cases are decided in like manner.
Finally, your administration could decide whether to grant deferred action as early as possible in the process of each individual case. Under current practice, DHS typically will not grant deferred caution in a DREAM Act case until an individual receives a final order of deportation and frequently not until day or hours before the removal date. This is an inefficient use of limited resources and is inconsistent with long-standing DHS policy: “As a general matter, it is better to exercise favorable discretion as early in the process as possible, once the relevant facts have been determined, in order to conserve the Service’s resources and in recognition of the alien’s interest in avoiding unnecessary legal proceedings.”
Thank you for considering these and other measures that would help to provide a more orderly process for han-dling the cases of young people who would be eligible for relief under the DREAM Act. We look forward to working with you on ways we can enable this talented group of young people to contribute to this nation they call home.
-Signed by 22 Democratic senators
The Venture 5uhelgato.com
CAMPUS NEWSApril - May 2011
My desire is to help people succeed, ex-pecially first-genera-tion college students.
President focuses on students’ futures
By Xiomara Mundo (UH-D) UH-D President William Flores, Ph.D., recently sat down with The Venture. He was promoted to the position in 2009 by UH president Renu Khator. Q: You have made comments to the media about giving UH-D students a “high-impact experi-ence”. How would you define that? A: A high-impact experience is any experience that helps stu-dents connect to the their learning, such as mentors, undergraduate research, internships, service learn-ing, etc. Q: How does a high impact experience help students? A: We have many students who are already working with fac-ulty on their research projects. For example, in science and math we have the Scholars Academy where students get involved in faculty re-search projects their freshmen year. They are funded to present at national conferences. We are try-ing to expand these opportunities to students in other majors, but that takes funding, so we are applying for grants and foundation support.
Q: What legacy do you want to leave at UH-D? A: I want to be remembered for the good work I’ve done over many years in several cities and states to help students succeed and community organizations grow stronger. Q: Are you the first member of your family to attend college?
A: I am the first person in my family to go to college. Neither of my brothers got their degrees, but they did go to college for technical certificates. Q: Did you received any scholarships in college? A: I did not have scholarships as an undergraduate but, I did as a graduate student. Q: What was the hardest thing you had to overcome? A: I got married young and
got laid off at the time of my son’s birth, which was just after buying a house. So, I had to drop out from graduate school to provide for my family. It was many years later that I was able to go back and get a doc-torate. Q: What is your motivation in life? A: My desire to help people succeed, especially first-generation college students. Q: Describe yourself in one word? A: Blessed. Q: What do you do on your spare time? A: I spend a lot of time getting to know Houston, attending func-tions to support other organizations and to raise money for UH-D schol-arships. In my free time, I bike, go to movies and I love sports (like the Rockets and the Astros). Q: What quote or words do you live by? A: Work hard, don’t give up, and keep at it. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. So, take your time but be persistent.
Name: Qasim Ali Major: Creative Writing From: Houston Favorite Fashion Store: Urban Outfitters
“I am original to
myself.”
Name: Sara Morrill Major: Hotel and Res-taurant Management From: Virginia Favorite Fashion Store: Image and Old Navy
“I do my own thing.”
Funky Fashion
Orpha Palomares Xpozure
In a new partnership with the city, a UH Green Building Com-ponents-supported team of faculty researchers and industry partners will provide city parks, schools, fire stations and other locations with 17 of its Solar Powered Adaptive Con-tainers for Everyone (SPACE). SPACE units are recycled shipping containers equipped with solar generators rated to withstand hurricane force wind and design to deploy quickly. Two people can put a unit into service in approxi-mately 30 minutes. “The top priority for these SPACE units will be to power criti-cal devices,” said Joe Meppelink, director of UHGBC and professor in the university’s Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture. “Follow-ing Hurricane Ike, medicines re-quired refrigeration and crucial medical devices could not be re-charged. SPACE units will be used to accommodate these kinds of needs.” Each SPACE unit contains 20 solar panels that generate 3.5 kilowatts. This is enough power to concurrently run an air conditioner, three small refrigerators, a few computers, communication devices and lighting. The city recently awarded a $1.35 million contract to UHGBC
to construct these SPACE stations, which are scheduled to be in place for the 2011 hurricane season. “The city of Houston values its new partnership with the Univer-sity of Houston,” said Laura Span-jian, director of the city’s Office of Sustainability. “It is excited to be utilizing state-of-the-art unique solar technology, to not only help Houstonians during an emergency, but to provide, in non-emergency times, spaces for offices, direct services, storage, first aid stations or cooling locations during special events...all off the grid.” SPACE was developed in 2009 as a collaboration between UHGBC, Metalab, Harvest Moon Development and ttweak. In 2010, the SPACE team partnered with Ameresco Solar Solutions to re-spond to the city’s request for pro-posals (RFP) to construct mobile solar generators. Of the proposals submitted for this RFP, UHGBC emerged as the lead vendor and was awarded the contract. A SPACE unit will be on dis-play with another UHGBC product, the gro-POD (a modular garden-ing system) on April 23 during the Earth Day Festival at Discovery Green (1500 McKinney St.).
SPACE units help city during an emergency
It may come as a surprise to many but UH-CL does not have an official mascot. In response to student demand, administration re-cently formed a Mascot Leadership Team to oversee the mascot search.The history of the UHCL mascot, or lack of one, is filled with indeci-sion, competing priorities and bud-get issues. UH-CL had an active intra-mural sports program in the 1980s. Players and fans saw the need for a mascot they could rally around. Alumni association leaders pushed for the Red-shouldered Hawks as the official mascot. Consensus was never achieved and UH-CL was still without a mascot by the end of the decade. In spring 1990, UH-CL held a contest to pick a mascot and of-fered $500 for the winner. By Sep-tember, 10 semi-finalists emerged from 168 entries: Voyagers, Hur-ricanes, Comets, Lasers, Challeng-
ers, Clippers, Lakers, Waves, Ex-plorers and Platypus. The UH-CL community was invited to choose one of the semi-finalists and based on the name, create a pictorial representation, slogan and ideas for mascot use. In October, the five finalists were: Explorers, Voyagers, Lakers, Hurricanes and Challengers. The Hurricanes, designed by Scott Martin, was selected as the UH-CL official mascot. UH-CL officials intended for the design to appear on all mascot paraphernalia and souvenirs repre-senting the UH-CL intercollegiate sports and recreation teams. Implementation of the design was derailed as UH-CL focused its attention on the search for a new president after the resignation of President Thomas Stauffer in spring 1991. At the time the Texas State Legislature, on the verge of a bud-
get crises, cut higher education funding. Recreation sports at UH-CL was chopped. By fall 1992, the Hurricanes mascot had faded into obscurity. In summer 1999 Blockie was born. Students planning the Second Annual Welcome Back to School Bash created a symbol out of the blue and green UHCL logo mark to promote the event. The design became known as “Blockie” which the university trademarked and uses to promote student life events. The Egret has been mistaken as the official mascot by Wikipedia and stateuniversity.com. Calls for a real mascot start-ed to grow in the 2000s. The Mas-cot Leadership Team was formed in summer 2010 and is currently in the first phase of the search process.
http://prtl.uhcl.edu/portal/page/portal/HOMEPAGE/UHCL-Mascot
UH-CL forgets about naming mascot until recently
Fashion Design Students Win National Competitions
Congratulations to HCC Central Fashion Design stu-dents for winning six national competitions Friday, April 1st at the Dallas Market Center. Against 458 en-tries from the top national fashion design programs, HCC won more awards than any other college or uni-versity.
Best of Show - Viet NguyenFirst Place Theatre/Artwear - Will BaldwinSecond
Place Theatre/Artwear - K.L. CaoSecond Place Mohair - Eric Tovar
Third Place Mohair - K.L. CaoThird Place Wool - Viet Nguyen
UH News Release
UH-CL Mascot Search website
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LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT6 The Ventureuhelgato.com
Local rapper looking for a deeper meaning in his lyrics, flowsBy CHRISTINA CABALLERO (UH)
Music has always been a part of Darren Clark’s life and he has found a balance between that and his reality to become a rapper. “I had to make to best of what I had,” said Clark, 19, who was shuttled between his mother’s and father’s homes as child because of their drug addictions. As he grew older, he moved to Texas from Ohio. Clark began rapping at the age of nine with his friends and admits that his rhymes were “just for fun”. As he grew older, his home life made his lyrics more serious. “I talk about my family in my music; when they (the audience) come to one of my shows, then they hear the good and bad things I say about them,” said Clark. “This is the reason why you will never
hear me talk about all the money that I have, women or the club life because it’s not something that’s personal to me.” His experiences have shaped his songs and music. He raps about what is real to him instead of what others expect him to rap about. Upon entering high school, Clark says that he began listening to different musical genres that have allowed him to incorporate diversity into his songs. From Jay-Z to Slipknot to Johnny Cash, several artists have shaped Clark’s music career. Other artists have profound influence on because he takes their lyrics and their meaning very seriously. “I will listen to certain songs over and over again to try and
develop different concepts or meanings,” said Clark. Clark’s break onto the hip-hop scene occurred on March 27 at the Jet Lounge Downtown when he headlined his first live show. “All of the hard months of working on the songs, all the emotion and pain and all the struggle and effort were finally going to be tested,” said Clark about the experience. “I went on stage and poured my heart out.” Clark provides advice for anyone who wants to be where he is now – as a young man achieving his dream. “This is real life and it’s a struggle; it’s far from an easy ride,” said Clark. “Never let anybody tell you no, and always stay true to you.” Clark’s songs, including “(Lord) Set Me Free”, “Follow Your Dream” and “Devil’s Doorstep”, can be found on his website www.darrens-story.com. Apart from launching his own website he is on the eve of launching his new clothing line Emoticon.
April - May 2011
A night on Kemah Boardwalk By Megan Otis (UH)XPOZURE PHOTOGRAPHY
Check out this mini-Coney Island just 20 miles from Houston. The popular entertainment spot has something for everyone: romantic boat cruises, rides, games and fine dining. Kemah Boardwalk is a popu-lar destination for locals and out-of-town visitors. Make sure to do your research before you make the trip. Traffic jams are common and parking can be hard to come by during peak times. Go to xpozurephoto.com and see how Megan Otis puts a whole new perspecitve on this year roundamusement park.
Experience future classical talent
Who- Houston Ballet’s Academy Spring Showcase
Where- Cullen Theater at Wortham Theather Center, 501 Texas Avenue
When- 7:00 p.m. Friday, April 29, 2011
1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30, 2011
Houston Ballet’s Academy is the official school of Houston Ballet and supplies more than 50 percent of the professional company’s dancers.
This year’s performances will include Brigade, a stunning ballet of 26 dancers appearing in blue military-inspired costumes; Bloom Where You Are Planted, a piece specifically for the Academy performers; Le Corsaire, one of the most famous excerpts in all classical ballet; Don Quixote, a breathtaking dancing performance; and Studies, featuring 241 students from all levels of the academy.
Tickets start at $25 and may be purchased online at www.houstonballet.org or call 713-227-2787. There are discounts available for people under 25.
Finals are around the corner and after five months of hard work and dedication is perhaps time to start looking for a summer getaway destination. If you have been thinking about visiting the old continent and exploring its rich history and diver-sity, you will be surprised that by keeping in mind a few tips before travelling to the country of your dreams could actually be more af-fordable than you think.
Cheap Flights Summer travelling is never the cheapest compared to ther sea-sons. Airfares are on the rise and airports are overcrowded; travel-ling to Europe is not the exception especially if you’re student on a budget. Fortunately, there are several websites that offer great discounts to college students. One example is Generationfly.com, which only re-quires you to create an account and have an .edu email. Generationfly offers great discounts to almost every destination in Europe and is endorsed by top airlines like Luf-thansa. Another great website is stu-dentuniverse.com. Although their discounts are not really the best in comparison with other sites, they offer great advice especially if you’re planning to travel within more than one country.
You can also buy a rail pass and the best deals is at raileurope.com where you can find deals start-ing as low as $200 for a pass that could take you to more than five countries.
Where to Stay? The other burden for a student traveler is accommoda-tions. In Europe one of the most popular places for students to stay are hostels, which are inexpensive pensions where you can spend the night and meet people your age from all over the world. Many of these accommodations offer free breakfasts or tour services at low rates. One of the best websites for finding good clean hostels at ex-cellent prices is hostelworld.com, which gives you reviews of the hostel as well as prices and ameni-ties and also lets you book a bed or a room. If travelling to Europe is in your horizon this summer, the best way to secure good deals is to start looking for flights and accommo-dations as soon as possible. Best fares, according to airfare analysts, are at their best prices four months before the date of departure.
Traveling on a budget: EuropeBy Carlos Valenzuela (UH)
Photo Courtesy of Darren Clark
Visita www.uhelgato.com para leer el artículo de El Pulso.
El Dynamo Vence a Nueva In-glaterra en Casa
Por Arianna Martinez
Clark chills as he contimplates new beats
The Venture 7April - May 2011 EL PULSO
Teatro al aire libre en HoustonPor VICTOR MARTINEZ (UH-D)
¡La primavera ha llegado a Houston! Soleadas mañanas y cálidas tardes son el deleite de los residentes de la ciudad espacial. ¿Y qué mejor que el teatro al aire libre para aprovechar esas tardes que muy pronto irán dando paso a los calurosos días de verano? El pasa-do sábado 9 de abril la compañía de teatro Hits presentó la obra musical Hairspray en las instalaciones del teatro Miller. Los espectadores ten-didos a lo largo y ancho de la colina que resguarda este recinto cultural pudieron disfrutar de una excelente actuación digna de compararse con los musicales de Broadway. Con un lleno total, los protagonistas de la muy famosa obra musical de-leitaron a un público de todas las edades. La compañía de teatro Hits es una organización sin fines de lucro, que por muchos años se dedica a preparar a jóvenes en este arte tan espectacular que es el teatro. Hits montó la producción Hairspray de una manera espectac-ular. La actuación y musicalización fue tan grandiosa, que las dos horas de presentación se fueron volando. Sin descartar la forma magiste-
rial de las voces de estos talento-sos jóvenes, la obra cuenta con una proyección visual cautivadora por la cual era difícil apartar los ojos del escenario; aún cuando el em-paredado de pollo, o la limonada, o cualquier cosa que los espectadores trajeron para pasar esa amena tarde, esperaban en ser saboreadas. El teatro Miller ofrece una gran variedad de actividades durante el año entero. Para mayor información acerca de los eventos en este teatro visita www.millerout-doortheatre.com. Y si de ayudar se trata, visita la pagina en Internet de Hits Theatre www.hitstheatre.org. Aquí podrás conocer más acerca de esta estupenda asociación y de futuras presentaciones. Houston cuenta con un sin fin de actividades para todos los gustos y edades. Vivimos en una sociedad donde nuestra vida corre a paso acelerado. Es importante para todos tomarnos un poquito de tiem-po y disfrutar de las cosas que una ciudad como la nuestra nos ofrece. ¡Hazlo! ¡Disfruta de Houston y sus alrededores!
uhelgato.com
Con el crecimiento veloz de la populación latinoamericana en Estados Unidos, ha surgido la nece-sidad de publicaciones en español y bilingües de sede norteamericana. La importancia de comunicar ideas e información a la gente bicultural es vital para el desarrollo de las comunidades que a veces son con-sideradas al margen de la sociedad. Por esta razón y otras existen pub-licaciones como sus servidores de The Venture y la revista literaria Literal Magazine, la cual está ba-sada aquí en Houston. Tuve la oportunidad de sen-tarme a platicar con Rose Mary Salum, la editora de tal revista, para indagar en los temas del idioma es-pañol en EE.UU., la cultura latino-americana y el bilingüismo. MG: ¿Qué fue lo que la im-pulsó a crear una revista literaria? RMS: Cuando estaba estudi-ando aquí me di cuenta que yo has-ta cierto punto daba por hecho que aquí se estaba estudiando a los es-critores contemporáneos. Pero no. En muchos programas de literatura latinoamericana se estudia hasta el boom, hasta el boom latinoameri-cano y nada más. Como si se hu-biese llegado a la cúspide de algo y después de allí no existe nada. Eso me llamó mucho la atención. También me di cuenta que no habían muchas publicaciones en es-
pañol o no había algo de muy buena calidad. Si dijeras, bueno es que el 1% de la población habla español, pues entiendes por qué hace 12 años no había algo como lo que yo estaba buscando. EE.UU. es ya casi un país bilingüe, solo que oficial-mente no esta aceptado. No había una publicación de este modo. Pero también mi intención en crear una revista así era decir: Qué creen? Los latinoamericanos tenemos cosas de calidad. También pensamos, también creamos arte y creamos cosas de primer nivel! Del mismo nivel en que se está pro-duciendo aquí, del mismo nivel en que se está produciendo en Europa. Y no porque hablemos en español y porque nuestros países sean de tercer mundo quiera decir que no tenemos una capacidad creativa, la capacidad de asombro, la capaci-dad de crear arte. La capacidad de poner ideas sobre la mesa. MG: De participar en un dia-logo. RMS: Claro. MG: ¿Fue un acto político el hacerlo bilingüe? RMS: Mira, nunca lo pensé como un acto político, pero creo que sí lo es. En el sentido que estas haciendo un “statement” en el que estás diciendo aquí hay gente que habla español. Es un país bilingüe.
El verbo en acción: Rose Mary Salum de Literal MagazinePor MARCO GRANIEL (UH-D)
Eso me vine a dar cuenta mucho después. En un principio solo sentí que tenía que ser así. Ya después me di cuenta que si estoy denunci-ando que aquí hay gente bilingüe. MG: ¿Qué tan difícil es man-tener una revista bilingüe en el contexto social en que las culturas, especialmente aquí en la frontera, se están sintetizando? ¿Cómo man-tienen el inglés y el español sepa-rado? RMS: Cae uno en la tent-ación, ¿no? Yo creo que se trata de respetar a los idiomas. Claro que no soy purista. Pero si se va escribir en español se usan las reglas gramati-cales del español. No voy a mezclar las reglas del inglés al español solo por flojera. MG: Que no es decir que el spanglish es algo ilegitimo, por decirlo así. RMS: No, claro que no. Pero yo escribo en español. Si algo se es-cribe en spanglish que se usen las reglas gramaticales y ortográficas del spanglish. Todo es un reflejo de nuestra condición social. El idioma está vivo. Cambia. Las demandas de la vida diaria van modificando los modos de comunicación.
Opinión: Recortes presupuestales
El problema económico está hundiendo al país y sobre todo al estado de Texas. El sistema educativo es el más afectado, se planean recortar billones de dólares a la educación pública en el estado de Texas, como resultado los maestros formarían parte de la estadística de desempleo en los Estados Unidos. El gobernador Rick Perry comento el jueves 14 de abril, que apoya a la educación a nivel uni-versitario en el estado y que además para él la educación es lo primor-dial para avanzar como sociedad. Pero al mismo tiempo dijo apoyar los recortes presupuestales que po-drían dejar a 60,000 estudiantes a nivel colegial sin educación. La ayuda financiera por
parte del gobierno se verá afectada por los recortes presupuestales, habrá menos becas. Cuando el sistema educativo Americano es tan criticado por los mismos ciudada-nos, ¿Cómo puedes hacer recortes? Porque el político no se pone a pensar en las consecuencias de estos recortes, los efectos nega-tivos que podrían traer a los mil-lones de niños y jóvenes. La edu-cación pública a niveles, primaria, secundaria, y preparatoria serán igualmente afectadas. El gobierno federal ayudara a la educación de Texas dando 830 millones de dólares, esta cantidad no es ni la cu-arta parte de lo que se necesita para mantener el sistema educativo. Los recortes a los distri-tos escolares del estado traerán un
Por JOSE SANTOS (UH)efecto negativo, miles de maestros sin trabajo y los salones de clases tendrán más alumnos lo que hará mas complicado el trabajo de ense-ñar. Es claro que hay un problema económico, pero hay que dejar algo en claro, para que una sociedad ob-tenga una buena economía hay que tener una base educativa. Pero por el momento hay que esperar cual es la decisión final del gobierno. Porque si se llegan a remover bil-lones de dólares al sistema educa-tivo, sin duda alguna nos quedar-emos estancados. Hay que dejar algo en claro la educación es la base de una sociedad. Sin educación no se avanza.
Located at 44321 W. Orem 77045713.433.0115
Open Monday- Friday 6:30 a.m. -7:30 p.m. Weekends: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
You still hide from Cucuy!! You eat tamales with Heinz ketchup.
8 The Venture
Finals Mania!
Pepe by Felipe Campos
April - May 2011
Confused Chicano by Raymond Ruiz
Ruth’s BoothAmazing FactsDid you know....By RUTH MONTANEZ
CONFIDENCELIBRARYPRAYERGRADESPENCILSNACKSBREAKS
CAFFEINECRAMSTRESSSTUDYSCANTRONGUESSDISTRACTIONS
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GLRIKAHVEEWBFQZ
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Find the word
• Ifyou fartedconsistently for6yearsand9months,enough gas would be produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb. • The human heart creates enough pressure when itpumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet. • Apig’sorgasmlasts30minutes.• Acockroachwill liveninedayswithout itsheadbe-fore it starves to death. • Bangingyourheadagainstawallburns150caloriesan hour. • InJapan.theyhavesquarewatermelons.• Make a fist with your left hand, squeeze your leftthumb,thenputyourrightindexfingerdownyourthroat.NO GAG REFLEX!• Themalepraymantiscannotcopulatewhileitsheadis attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male’s head off. • If you yelled for 8 years, 7months and 6 days youwould have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. • Whalevomit(ambergris)isusedinsomeofthefinestperfumes.• Thefleacanjump350timesitsbodylength.It’slikeahumanjumpingthelengthofafootballfield.• Butterfliestastewiththeirfeet.• THISISCRUEL:‘Hippopotomonstrosesquippedalio-phobia’ is the fear of long words. • Acat’surineglowsunderablacklight.• Youcan’thumwhileholdingyournoseclosed.
Proposal
cont. from page 1
Photoby-JuanParrasofT.e.j.a.s. Hispanic leaders stand on the steps of City Hall in solidarity
You’re spanked with a chancla even though you’re in college.
Wanted: Spanish comics
&Editorial cartoons
Comics
A+ BJNORTNACSHWYZA
You know you’re
Chicano when....
Asides from this, the re-districting plan will effect the UH community. “Redistricting affects funding,” said Reynaldo Guerra Ph.D., Coalition Member and UH Alumni. The funding mentioned by Guerra can impact UH with higher or lower real estate and property taxes, depending on dis-trict. It can also effect UH indi-rectly through economic develop-ment like construction, green space availability and other infrastructure improvements, or lack there of. University of Houston re-sides in District D, under council-woman Wanda Adams, who was present during the last redistricting hearing, but has yet to approve or reject the current plan. The Coalition is currently proposing an alternate redistricting plan.
A computer kiosk will be set up in the City of Houston Planning and De-velopment offices for members of the community wishing to develop and submit their own redistricting plan. The kiosk will be located on the 6th floor of 611 Walker Street, 77002, and will be available by appointment for anyone to use. You may contact Margaret Wallace (713-837-7826 or [email protected]) to schedule a time.