August 28, 2003

THURSDAYAugust 28, 2003

An Inside Look:

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

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

CCaammppuussVOICE

President Nevarezstepped down and the

search for a newpresident has begun. Doyou think this will havea positive or negative

effect for our campus ?

Nevarez to resign for return to classroom

Thirty-two years ago Dr.Miguel Nevarez began teaching atthe University of Texas-PanAmerican.

After a year in the classroom hequickly climbed the latter to vicepresident of the university. Nineyears later he was chosen asPresident from 149 nationwidecandidates, becoming the first RioGrande Valley native and alumnusto hold the position.

Next August, after 22 years ofleading UTPA, Nevarez will bestep down from his presidentialduties and return back to the

classroom to teach.During his time as President,

Nevarez saw UTPA go from PanAmerican College to theUniversity of Texas-PanAmerican in 1989. Eighteenbachelor degree programs, 24master degree programs, andthree doctoral programs havesince been added and the schoolhas grown to the 10th largest inthe state. As important as it hasbeen to Nevarez to be a part ofUTPA’s growth and success, hefeels that now is a “natural time”to step down.

“The institute is heading into anew level of achievement andwill be developing into the

doctoral research university ofSouth Texas,” Nevarez said.

“That will take a 10-to-15-yearcommitment. It’s a good time forme to step down and let someonewith a fresh vision lead theuniversity into its next level ofmaturity.”

For the last three years Nevarezhad been contemplatingresigning. Finally this summer hecame to his decision beforeannouncing it Friday to over 500staff and faculty members duringthe annual Fall Convocation Stateof the University Address.

“I had been thinking about itfor awhile,” Nevarez said. “Aftersome serious soul-searching thissummer I decided to do it. It wasonly a couple of weeks before Iannounced it that I actuallydecided.”

“The university has been mylife and that of my family forover 32 years,” Nevarez told theshocked faculty and staff. “Theseyears have been the mostexciting, rewarding, andsatisfying of my life. I find

making this announcement bothbitter and sweet as I am preparingto relinquish leadership of ajourney that has traversed manychallenging and successfulmiles.”

Many were saddened byNevarez’s announcement.However, he will only be movingacross campus to begin teachingin the College of Education.

“I still have the energy and alot to contribute to the educationfield,” Nevarez expressed. “I’mnot ready to retire. In all the yearsI’ve spent in administration I’vemissed the daily contact with thestudents.”

“I started in the classroom andhave fond memories. I see formerstudents and they’re lawyers,doctors, teachers now. That’sneat, knowing I had something todo with their development. I wantto go back to that. I’m ready tomake the change.”

Along with missing theprofessor-student relationship,

By AMELIA GARCIAThe Pan American

The University of TexasSystem Executive ViceChancellor for Academic AffairsTeresa A. Sullivan is organizingThe University of Texas-PanAmerican’s search for a newpresident.

With the announcement of Dr.Miguel Nevarez’s resignation aspresident after serving for morethan 20 years, Sullivan was

contacted to advise the Board ofRegents and supervise thepresidential search. This is thefirst time that UTPA has apresidential search since enteringthe UT system, signaling the needto receive instruction fromsomeone who is familiar with theprocess. The process is a longone, taking from nine to 11months, however, Sullivan feelsconfident that time will not be aproblem.

“President Nevarez did a

wonderful thing for the campusby saying at the beginning of theyear that this would be his lastyear,” she said. “This gives us awhole year to do the search andhave a smooth transition.”

Sullivan has served asExecutive vice chancellor foracademic affairs for theUniversity of Texas System sinceOctober 2002. She regularlyteaches and writes on differentissues of sociology at theUniversity of Texas.

The search is divided into threephases. The already under wayfirst phase takes one month andconsists of engaging a searchfirm to do national advertising ofthe vacancy and organizing asearch committee, also known asan advisory committee.

The committee’s membershipshall include two regents, twoUniversity of Texas presidentsand also two representatives of

President pursues passion

Search for new leadership looms with Nevarez’s departureBy LUIS SAAVEDRAThe Pan American

UTPA President Miguel Nevarez announced his decision to step down aspresident at a press conference Friday afternoon in the Student Union Theater.

Daniel Aguilar/The Pan American

I started in the classroom and have fondmemories. I see former students and

they’re lawyers, doctors, teachers now.That’s neat, knowing I had something to

do with their development. “

“- Miguel Nevarez,

UTPA President

This gives us awhole year to dothe search andhave a smooth

transition. “

“- Teresa A. Sullivan,

UT-System Executive ViceChancellor for

Academic AffairsSee SEARCH page 12

See NEVAREZ page 11

Nevarezfacts and figures

• Hometown: McAllen

• Undergraduatedegree from UTPA

• Ph.D. from NewYork University

• Seventh presidentin UTPA history

• UTPA presidentsince 1981

Today’s Weather

SunnyHigh: 96 Low: 74

The Houston Texansreleased 10 playersMonday in an effort toreduce the roster to 53players in time for theirseason opener against theMiami Dolphins on Sept.7. However, one of thoseplayers was not linebackerAntonio Rodríguez.

Rodríguez is one of agrowing number of Latinosin the NFL that is not onlypursuing a lifelong dreamof playing professionalAmerican-style football,but serving as a role modelfor young Latinoseverywhere. He’s the firstdefensive player from aMexican university toarrive in the NFL to playlinebacker.

El Toro, as Rodríguez isoften called, has had awhirlwind year in pursuitof his dream of playing inthe NFL. The 235-poundlinebacker started hisjourney at the end of the2002 season with theBorregosSalvajes ofMonterreyTech (‘ElTec’), wherehis team wonits secondstraightnational title.Then hecrossed theAtlanticOcean to playthe 2003season for theBarcelonaDragons ofthe NFL’sEuropeanLeague. Aftera return triphome toHouston attheconclusion ofthe NFLEuropeseason,Rodríguezwas invitedto the Texanstraining camp.

“Its alwaysbeen my dream to play inthe NFL,” Rodríguez said.“I’ve received a lot ofsupport from México and

Monterrey. TheTecnológico (MonterreyTech) helped me a lot. If itweren’t for theTecnológico, I think that Imight not be here.”

The 6-foot-1 linebackergot his chance this pastsummer under Texans headcoach Dom Capers.Rodríguez has mainly seenaction on special teams in

the preseason.He got some playing

time in Houston’s 20-12loss to Denver on Aug. 9and the Texans’ devastating

loss to state rival Dallas,34-6, on Aug. 15.Rodríguez didn’t see anyaction in Houston’s most

recent game, an Aug. 23loss to the San DiegoChargers, 19-17. However,he may see someadditional action in thistonight’s final preseasongame against the defendingSuper Bowl championTampa Bay Buccaneerssince the coaches want tolimit the chances of anyinjuries to its starters

before theregular seasonbegins.

“Thecompetition hasbeen verytough and attimes I’ve felta little slow,”Rodríguezcommented onthe trainingcampcompetition. “Ifeel that I’m astep away fromthat level

(where I want to be at).I’m here and I’m going totake advantage ofeverything. If I don’t makeit this season, then I know

I will (make it)next season. I’malmost sure that Iwill be in theNFL.”

It is speculatedthat the formerDragon may get anopportunity to staywith the Texans ontheir practicesquad. If he joinsthe team, he will bepart of a groupwhich could betterits 4-win inauguralseason.

“The team hasimproved a lot,”Rodríguezcommented. “I wassurprised.”

The linebacker’swork ethic and rawdetermination havehelped him come along way in thepast year. He hasalso managed totackle several oflife’s obstacles onthe road to his shotat playing in the

NFL.One of the first obstacles

in Rodríguez’ way was thelanguage barrier that kept

him from playingorganized football when hewas younger. He finallygot the chance to play atElsik High School inHouston where he hasn’tstopped since.

“I like challenges,” the235-pound Rodríguez said.“I have more fun that way.It gives me moremotivation.”

After a few years,Rodríguez returned toMonterrey and enrolled inMonterrey Tech where he

majored in internationalcommerce and playedunder the tutelage oflegendary Mexican coachFrank González. UnderGonzález’ leadership,Monterrey Tech won six ofits 10 nationalchampionships. Gonzálezwas assisting at thePhiladelphia Eagles’training camp this season.

Rodríguez helped theBorregos Salvajes win the2001 and 2002championships. Both titles

were especially sweet sincethey were againstMonterrey Tech’s archrival,Auténticos Tigres of theAutonomous University ofNuevo León (U.A.N.L.). In2001, El Tec defeatedTigres, 20-12. In 2002,Monterrey Tech crushedtheir archrival 34-7.

Shortly after MonterreyTech’s title victory, theElsik High School standouttried out for the BarcelonaDragons in Monterrey, and

■ Volleyball . . . . . . . . . . .15

■ Roadrunners . . . . . . . .14

■ Sports Clipboard . . . . .13

PAGE 16

SPORTS

Antonio “El Toro” Rodriguez in action at the linebacker position during Texans training camp.

By ED CHRNKOThe Pan American

Rodriguez living adream with Texans

Its always beenmy dream to

play in the NFL.I’ve received alot of supportfrom Mexico.

““

- Antonio Rodriguez, Houston Texanslinebacker

Antonio Rodriguez hopes to make the final cut.

Photo courtesy of Houston Texans


See RODRIGUEZ page 15

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NEWS■ New Dean . . . . . . . . 3■ Pick-a-Prof . . . . . . . 5■ MADD . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Student leaders from variousorganizations on campus areready to face the new schoolyear. The Office of the Dean ofStudents, the StudentGovernment Association, and theStudent Development Officehosted the annual SummerStudent Leadership Retreat, Aug.18-19 on the UTPA campus.

Approximately 70 studentsfrom 25 different organizationsattended the event, which wasclose to the intended goal of 75students, according to AssistantDean of Students DavidMariscal. The retreat attractedbig numbers never before seen ina student leader retreat at UTPA.

“That is the most that haveever attended, so based on thenumbers it was a success,”Mariscal explained.

The focus of the retreat was tostrengthen student organizationsand provide each leader with theskills needed to run theirorganization. Mariscal alsoadded that the skills and ideasdiscussed in the workshopsthroughout the retreat wereframed to help respectiveorganizations be successful.

Students started the retreat bylistening to keynote speakerMichael Poll, a nationally knowncollege speaker who for morethan a decade has appeared atcolleges throughout the countryin order to help collegeachievement, leadershipdevelopment, and career and lifesuccess.

During his presentation he didseveral activities with thestudents to help them exploretheir “leader within,” and hashelped them learn how to workas a team with activities such as,‘Developing the leader within’and ‘Building Blocks of OurTeam.’

According to sophomoreKaleena Cruz, who attended the

retreat representing the AmericanSign Language Club, Poll’sworkshops helped the studentsopen their minds and helpedthem learn how to get theirorganizations to work together.

“He helped us learn how toinclude everyone in theorganization, not just theofficers,” Cruz said. “The retreathelped the organization leadersto understand the necessity ofbeing a leader, and educate themembers [to be able to] get theminvolved.”

Poll mentioned that UTPAstudents have great potential andare highly motivated studentswho take initiative in theirorganization and school. He alsomentioned it is a campusinvolved in supporting thecommunity, one he woulddefinitely like to come back to.

The retreat also featuredUTPA personnel, who conducteddifferent workshops to furtherhelp studentleaders achieveorganizationalsuccess. ChristineCarruthers,student judicialaffairs officer,stated that theretreat wasstarted to preparestudent leadersfor the upcomingacademic year.

“It was a greatsuccess [because]students broughtout issues andhad the chance tonetwork withother students,”Carruthers said.

Kayla Dreyer,the StudentGovernmentAssociationsenator for theCollege of Socialand BehavioralSciences, alsostated that it was

a great opportunity to meet withofficers from other organizations.

“It was great to be able to talkto them about important issuesand their concerns,” Dreyercommented.

A highlight of the retreat wasthe chance to introduce the newDean of Students, Dr. JerryPrice. With only a few monthson the position, Pricecommented that he was able toestablish a closer connectionwith students, and was

encouraged by how many ofthem attended the event.

Although Price was aware thatthose attending reflected only asmall percentage of the studentbody at UTPA, he was stillimpressed with the positiveattitude of the diverseorganizations that showed up.

“I am very impressed with thestudents [because] they take theireducation seriously,” Pricestated. “I am very excited to behere.”

By ARIANNA VAZQUEZThe Pan American

Students learn leadership skills at retreat

(Above and Below) - More 70 students, representing over 25 organizations, attendedthe Summer Student Leadership Retreat held on campus Aug. 18-19. The purpose ofthe retreat was to strengthen campus organizations and student leadership skills.


The retreat helped the organizationleader to understand the necessity of

being a leader; and educate themembers [to be able to] get them

involved. “

“- Kaleena Cruz,

sophomore and retreat attendee

The 2003 volleyball seasonbegins this weekend with theLady Broncs traveling toBeaumont to compete in a two-day, three-game tournamentagainst Lamar, North Texas,and Lehigh.

Last season the Lady Broncswent 16-19, struggling at boththe beginning and end of theschedule, but they were able tostring together an impressivenine-game run in the meat ofthe season to strengthen thefinal record.

Head coach Dave Thornanticipates equal or betterresults from his squad thisseason and hopes that thethree-game road trip will yieldearly results for his youngteam.

“I’m very excited about thisseason,” Thorn said. “We havethe core of our team from lastseason back with us this year -starters at every position. Andwe have a lot of new talentplaying for us.”

The new talent Thorn isreferring to are the eightincoming freshman who will be

making their NCAA Division Idebut this weekend. Thornunderstands that starting theircollege career on the right footcould be the key to boostingtheir performance this season.

“It would be very big to pickup a few wins and get thisseason off on the right foot,”Thorn said. “It’s good to showthe newcomers that their teamcan win. The girls who arecoming back have won beforeand they already know they cando it.”

The returning Lady Broncshave shown they can win, butlast year their performance wasstreaky, and severely hinderedby a six-game losing streak atthe beginning of the season.The streak, which began with aloss to UT Austin on the road,was the product of anunsuccessful road trip. TheLady Broncs snapped the streakwhen they blanked TexasSouthern in their first homegame of the season.

This season the Lady Broncswill once again start off on theroad, but Thorn is optimisticabout this weekend’stournament and his team’sperformance.

“You never know what’sgoing to happen on the road,”Thorn said. “Sometimes beingon the road takes away some ofthe distractions that you wouldnormally face at home.Sometimes it’s helpful.”

Thorn also suggested that thestreaky nature of last seasondoes not epitomize his team’sperformance.

“It’s hard to predict how theseason is going to go. We hadsome tough opponents early onthat got into our head, and wejust weren’t there mentally,”Thorn said. “But now we’vegot players who have done itbefore and should be able toperform under pressure.”

Senior outside-hitter JaclynMuszynski is one of the playersThorn expects to carry themental and physical load that aseason of volleyball brings.

“This will be her fourth yearas a starter, and last year shehad a monster season,” Thornsaid of the only healthy senioron this year’s roster.

Senior Winker Cruz was onthe roster for this season, butshe sustained a knee injury andwill be out for the foreseeablefuture, according to Thorn.

August 28, 2003 sports Page 15

By BRIAN CARRThe Pan American

was invited to attend training campin Tampa Bay. At the end of theFebruary camp, Rodríguez madethe team and crossed the ocean toplay in NFL Europe.

“I learned a lot in Barcelona,”Rodríguez reflected. “It preparedme to be here.”

With the arrival of Rodríguez tothe Texans training camp, thenumber of Mexican football playersin the NFL increased to three. Widereceiver Marco Martos is currentlyvying for a position with theCarolina Panthers while fellowMexico City native Carlos Rosado,formerly of the AmsterdamAdmirals, is aiming at a widereceiver slot on the New York Jets’roster.

“I hope that I can serve asmotivation for all the footballplayers in México that have thesame dream of making it (in theNFL),” Rodríguez said. “There’s alot of talent in México. I feel that insome way I’m opening the doors.”

In addition to the Mexicancontingent, several other Latinoplayers are finding their way intothe NFL ranks. San Franciscoquarterback Jeff García has had atremendous impact on the field forthe 49ers. García’s grandparents areoriginally from the State of Jaliscoin México.

Mexican-American Robert Garzaof Río Hondo is in his third seasonwith the Atlanta Falcons. Despitebeing hampered by an injury last

season, Garza has been active offthe field by helping in thecommunity and is currentlycompeting to retain his slot on theFalcons roster.

Another Latino standout isArgentinian kicker MartínGramatica of the defendingchampion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.His brother, Bill, plays for theArizona Cardinals. Puerto Ricanguard Marco Rivera of the GreenBay Packers has also made greatstrides on and off the field. Riveraholds an annual football clinic inSan Juan, Puerto Rico.

The popularity and increasingtalent of American-style football inMéxico can be seen to bedeveloping from the youth level.

Recently, México won the fourthannual NFL Flag Football WorldChampionship by resoundinglydefeating South Korea 54-32. The10-team tournament, held in Tokyo,was comprised of 12-to-14 yearolds. The Mexico City team, LosDiablitos de la Secundaria 312,won all their games by 20-pointmargins.

Although the NFL is far fromreaching the amount of Latinoplayers Major League Baseball has,El Toro hopes to see more youngLatinos join the NFL ranks in thefuture.

“Follow your dreams. Anyonecan achieve what they want,”Rodríguez advises. “Focus. Don’tlimit yourself.”

Lady Broncs dig in and preparefor season opener at Lamar

The Lady Broncs practice for their season opener at the Lamar Tournament.

Photo by Daniel Aguilar/The Pan American

RODRIGUEZ continued from page 16 VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

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

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

2003-2004 Women’sGolf Schedule

Date OpponentSept. 20-21 Southwest Texas

State InvitationalSept. 27-28 Notre Dame

InvitationalOct. 6-7 Oral Roberts

InvitationalNov. 3-4 Sam Houston State

InvitationalFeb. 23-24 Bronc Intercollegiate

ClassicMarch 12-14 Xavier InvitationalMarch 19-21 Baylor/Tapatío Springs

ShootoutMarch 29-30 Arkansas-Little Rock

InvitationalMay 7-9 National Minority Golf

Championships

2003 UTPA CrossCountry Schedule

Date OpponentSept. 5 Texas-Pan American

Relay Challenge Edinburg

Sept. 13 New Mexico Invitational, Albuquerque, NM

Sept. 26 Texas-San Antonio Whataburger Invitational San Antonio, TX

Fri. Oct. 3 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Splash CorpusChristi, TX

Sat. Oct. 18 Chili Pepper Invitational Fayetteville, AR

August 28, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 3

The University of Texas-Pan American’sBronc Village Apartments house studentsfrom various walks of life year-round. Forone month this summer Dr. Jerry Price, thenew dean of students, was aneighbor of residents.

Price’s stay on campusfacilitated a fast route tobecoming familiar with theuniversity, and similar pastexperiences made adapting aneasier process.

“I was an RA [residentassistant] in college. As agraduate student my wife and Ilived in a residence hall andwere hall directors for a dorm,”said Price, 43. “So I’m used toliving on campus. I was directorof residence life before I became dean ofstudents so I know the foundation of things.”

Price had three older siblings, but he was afirst-generation college student, so when hewent to college he didn’t without know whatlay ahead.

“I really enjoyed the experience, but I hadno intention of making a career out of it,”Price said.

His original objective was to become anEnglish professor, but during graduate school,Price was assistant to the vice president atDrake University in Iowa.

“It was a professional position butI was kind of troubleshooting,”Price said. “Students, families, andprofessors would just call withproblems and the vice president wasalmost always gone, so I was theperson in the office who was thefirst stop to try to solve thoseproblems.”

Price’s love for problem-solvingultimately lured him into the dean ofstudents position at DrakeUniversity. He also received hisPh.D. in higher education.“It’s a common position at

universities, but it’s a little bit different ateach one,” Price said.

As dean of students at UTPA, Price isresponsible for the Office of Student

By OMAIRA GALARZAThe Pan American

PRICE

Thomas Joseph Martinez was avictim of a drunken drivingaccident. He was 22 years oldwhen he was hit by a drunkendriver in Mercedes at 5:01 p.m. onJune 6, 2003. He was pronounceddead the next day.

Martinez’s parents are nowmembers of Mother’s AgainstDrunk Driving Rio Grande ValleyChapter (MADD-RGV). ThroughMADD-RGV, Jose and DianaMartinez have received the helpthey need to have a betterunderstanding of their son’s caseand to get the person responsiblefor their son’s death the punishment

they say he deserves. “We know that the person

responsible for my son’s death hada high alcohol level, the detectiveadvised me that it was of .20 and ittook over seven weeks for him toget arrested. He was let out on a$50,000 bond and all he needed topay was $2,500,” said DianaMartinez with tears in her eyes.“Right now we haven’t been

notified on the court date but weare trying to get educated quicklyon this,” she said

Texas leads the nation forincidence of drunken driving.Hidalgo County and CameronCounty are the number one and twocounties in the state in terms ofnumbers of offenses.

MADD was founded in 1980 todecrease drinking and driving, andunderage drinking. It is a nonprofit, grassroots organizationconsisting of approximately 600chapters and two million supportersand members nationwide.

The Valley Version was startedin September 2000 by BlancaMeckel. MADD-RGV’s mission isto stop drunken driving, support the

victims of thiscrime andpreventunderagedrinking.

MADD-RGVprovidestraining andclasses toeducate peoplein English andSpanish of theconsequences ofdrunkendriving.Community

education, OperationAccountability, which works inconjunction with TABC andHidalgo County SheriffDepartment, victim services andpublic events are other servicesoffered.

In November the “Tie One On,”public awareness program passesout ribbons to the public to affix tocars in a show of commitment to

not drinking anddriving. In December, acandlelight vigil is heldas a memorial to honorthe victims of drunkendriving crisis, thefamilies and thesurvivors.

“We are alwayslooking for volunteersand donations becausewe do work under grantssuch as the BorderInitiative Grant and theVictims of Crime ActGrant,” said Ana Verley,Victims AssistanceCoordinator for MADD-RGV.

“A majority of thepeople that are victimsdon’t have any idea howto proceed, they don’tknow what happens afterthey’ve been involvedwith a drunk driver, they don’tknow if the person responsible hasgotten arrested or not. Then that’swhen we get involved,” saidVerley. “We teach them how tonavigate the judicial system. Wefind out if the person has beenarrested, what he has been chargedwith, when the court date is and wedo information referrals, where werefer them to civil attorneys,physicians or counselors.”

Dr. William Thompson, professorof marketing at the University ofTexas-Pan American becameinvolved with MADD–RGV aboutsix months ago after his son waskilled by a drunken driver.

“I went to MADD because Iwanted to get some publicity outand to get the judge to actuallysentence the guy that ran over my

son. It looked like the court wasn’tgoing to do anything about it,” hesaid. “MADD will embarrass you,they will make sure that whateveryou’ve done gets publicity and theyare there to make sure that theperson responsible gets severepunishment as they can encouragethe judge to do.”

Thompson says that the onlyreason his son’s case made thenews was because MADD got itthere.

“We got some publicity and theywere a presence so that when thejudge looked out there, he knewthat he had to do something aboutit,” Thompson said.

Thompson will be putting up awebsite for MADD–RGV and hewill donating the money hereceives for restitution to the

organization.“Everybody needs to realize that

it can happen to anybody,”Thompson said. “If you are goingto drink don’t drive, if you drinkand you drive and you hitsomebody, don’t leave them lyingin the road to die.”

For the Labor Day Holiday,MADD, will sponsor a Designate-a-Driver campaign called Labor ofLove. Statistics from the NationalHighway Traffic SafetyAdministration (NHTSA) showLabor Day weekend as a verydeadly holiday for alcohol-relatedtraffic deaths. In 2001, 252 peoplewere killed in alcohol-relatedtraffic crashes during the LaborDay weekend, representing over 52percent of all traffic deaths for thattime period.

(Above and Left) - Vehicles involved in accidents caused by a drunken driver.

Special to The Pan American

By DORA OLIVAREZThe Pan American

Organization strives to prevent drunken driving

With all the different types oforganizations at the university, there isalways life surrounding and engaging thecampus. With the new fall semesterstarting, organizations are hastilypreparing for a new wave of incomingmembers. One organization, Students inFree Enterprise (SIFE), is not only tryingto get a head start on strengthening theirorganization, but trying to find time tohelp local businesses around the RioGrande Valley as well.

According to Isaac Sagredo, currentpresident of SIFE, the group consists ofabout 30 students who focus on beingconsultants to local businesses andspeaking to various businessmen about thealways-changing information in thebusiness world.

The group goes to what Sagredo calls“mom and pop stores,” [independentlyowned stores], and tries to assist owners ofbusiness by offering advice on how tohandle their companies. Since many times,some of the smaller business owners don’t

have a high school degree or are basicallyself-taught, the students can share whatthey learn at the university level.

“We basically give them some structureto help the ones that don’t have too muchexperience,” Sagredo said. “Thosebusiness owners are smart, they really are,but it’s a matter of listening to oursuggestions to accomplish what they wantto do.”

Besides working with the smallerbusinesses, the members of SIFE also gainexperience with larger companies such asTexas State Bank, Clark Chevrolet, RickDiaz of Channel 5 News, andCongressman Ruben Hinojosa.

The new adviser of SIFE, Sam Diaz,says that he wanted to become the adviserbecause he feels that what the organizationdoes is very important because it showsthe professional side of students.

“The students receive tenfold of theeffort they put into any project,” Diaz said.“They reap the benefits of SIFE bygaining exposures to different areas ofbusiness at such a young age and create

See PRICE page 5 See SIFE page 5

By CLARISSA MARTINEZThe Pan American

New dean seeks to spurstudent involvement

Student group offershelp to local businesses

Roadrunners even series 1-1 with 10-2 routAugust 28, 2003 sports Page 14

Roadrunners continue playoff run against theDillas in Game 3 tonight at 7:05 p.m. in

Amarillo’s Dilla Villa

CBL Playoffs: West Divisionfirst round series

Season series: Edinburg won 5-1

Game 1: Edinburg 1, Amarillo 3Game 2: Edinburg 10, Amarillo 2Game 3: Thursday, 7:05 p.m., Edinburg (RH E. Montoya, 14-4, 4.27) at Amarillo

(LH Rolando Valles, 10-5, 3.82)Game 4: Friday, Aug. 29, 7:05 p.m., Edinburg (RH C. Smith, 7-4, 2.77) at

Amarillo (RH M. Percosky, 3-6, 4.42)Game 5: Saturday, Aug. 30, 7:05 p.m., Edinburg (RH R. Harris, 9-2, 2.81) at

Amarillo (LH J. Stockstill, 10-5, 2.49), if necessary

vs.

The EdinburgRoadrunners avenged aGame One loss toAmarillo in the CBLplayoffs Tuesday night atthe Edinburg BaseballStadium by routing theDillas, 10-2, tying thebest-of-five series at onegame apiece leading intotonight’s 7:05 p.m. Game3 match-up at Amarillo’sDilla Villa.

The series continues onFriday, Aug. 29 withGame 4 at 7:05 p.m., andif necessary, will concludeon Saturday, Aug. 30 at7:05 p.m., also inAmarillo.

Edinburg’s series-tyingvictory came just onenight after Amarillo acepitcher Jason Stockstillthrew a three-hitteragainst the Roadrunners.The Dillas won 3-1.

The Dillas jumped outto a 2-0 lead withBenjamin Craig’s homerun in the top of thesecond inning.

Amarillo’s lead did notlast for long.

Aaron Sisk (3-for-4,three RBI) tied the gamein the bottom of the fifthinning with a blast intothe left-field bullpen.Sisk’s show of power wasjust a small taste of thingsto come for theRoadrunners and theirfaithful fans.

Edinburg’s bats wokeup in the bottom of the

sixth, giving the 1,511fans in attendancesomething to cheer about,by plating seven men.

The offensive eruptionstarted when ShaunArgento delivered a singlepast diving secondbaseman Alex Llanos andinto center field.

Derek Henderson (2-for-5) and Vince Moore(4-for-4) scored on theplay to give theRoadrunners a 4-2 lead,their first of the game.Sisk, Greg Strickland (2-for-4), Eric Gonzalez andAnthony Angel (2-for-5)followed Argento’s hitwith run-scoring singlesof their own.

Edinburg Manager ChadTredaway believes thathits and runs come inbunches.

“It’s all aboutmomentum,” Tredawaysaid. “That ball found ahole up the middle and allof a sudden guys are firedup, and it got contagiousthat inning. Bam, bam,bam, it just kept ongoing.”

This was all the runsupport Roadrunnerpitchers needed.

Pedro Flores, StevenWilkerson and TimVasquez put on a pitchingclinic and combined on athree-hitter for theRunners, who won bothhalves of the CBL regularseason.

Flores allowed only twohits in his 5 2/3 innings ofwork, which included

eight strikeouts.Wilkerson, meanwhile,was unhittable.

After relieving Floreswith two outs in the sixthand runners on first andthird, Wilkerson fannedthree while shutting downthe Dillas with 2 1/3innings of perfect relief.Edinburg’s hittersaccumulated 15 hits andtied the best-of-five WestDivision playoff series 1-1.

Tredaway believes thiswin may have his teamback on the right path andhopes the positivemomentum will continue.

“That might be what weneeded,” Tredaway said.“We haven’t done thatprobably in three weeks. Ithink more than anythingit shows to ourselves thatwe can do this. I’mhoping it’ll carry over.”

Notes:

Edinburg startingpitcher Eric Montoya wasrecently named the CBL’sRookie Pitcher of theYear. Montoya, 25, led the10-team CBL in wins (14)and strikeouts (143),ranked fourth in inningspitched (147 2/3) whileonly losing four gamesduring the 2003 season.Montoya posted a 4.27ERA in 21 starts with twocomplete games. Heallowed 148 hits, 47walks while holdingopposing teams to a .256batting average.

Edinburg routed Amarillo, 10-2, in Game 2 of the first round of the West Division playoffs.


By MATT HALLThe Pan American


Every semester students face commonregistration questions: what courses to take,when to take them and most important, whatprofessors to choose.

Some college students have turned to websites to find out what classmates think aboutcertain campus professors and classes.

Pick-A-Prof.com is a site that has gottenmuch attention from students and collegesnationwide.

Recently the site helps students makedecisions about what courses and professorsto take. Based on the idea that differentstudents learn in different ways, this site'sgoal is to match students abilities withprofessors who will maximize their academicperformance in a course.

“It's not a new idea for a student to ask hisfriends which professor to take," said ChrisChilek in a recent interview with ABC News."All we've done is take all of that informationand bring it to all thestudents on the entirecampus."

Chilek, 26, and JohnCunningham, 25,founded Pick-A-Prof.com whileattending Texas A&MUniversity. Bothrealized that they, alongwith other friends,were frequently beingasked about whichprofessors they thoughtwere better inparticular courses.

In an attempt to helpfellow students, thesetwo entrepreneursworked to create a web site that wouldcomply student reviews, course gradehistories, professor information, and scheduleplanners in one efficient and informative site.

They piloted the site at Texas A&MUniversity and the University of Texas atAustin. The response was phenomenal at bothuniversities. Faculty information and forumsin which students could exchange thoughtsand opinions about professors online were abig hit.

Currently this site works with over 50different colleges and has been activelyproviding its services since 2000.

Although UTPA is still not part of this website, a Pan Am student commented on howthis site could be beneficial to UTPA students.

Celina Espinosa, a junior and businessmajor, said providing professor informationin one site could help many students chooseprofessors that better match with their owninterests and attitudes.

“Using this new site could save people a lotof time, instead of asking people if they havetaken certain professors,” Espinosa said.

To access Pick-a-Prof simply typewww.pickaprof.com in the computer searchbar. Choose the Register option under StudentServices. Once at the site's login page giveyour name, pick a user name and password,supply a valid e-mail address, and chooseyour college/university or anycollege/university you wish to attend in theeasy to follow login frame.

This site is not free. Depending on theuniversity's service contract with Pick-a-Profthe service fee could be paid by school tuitionfees or the university's student governmentorganization. If funding is not provided by an

academic institution then students pay theirown tab.

Pick-a-Prof provides four different types ofcategories for students to inform themselvesabout professors. It also offers an AcademicCareer Coach (ACC) that answers questionsabout majors, degrees, and other importanttopics. The ACC helps students in twoimportant areas: academic direction andcareer information.

The most popular section of Pick-A-Pro is“student reviews.” The reviews give insightinto a professor's homework load, lecturestyle, exam type, attendance policy, and studytips. Reviews are based on the opinions andreactions of students who have taken aparticular course with certain professors.

Due to the difficulty of finding someonewho has taken each professor students havethe opportunity to take, it is not guaranteedthat every professor on campus will havereviews written about them.

Don't expect to find vulgar or inappropriatecomments about professors on this site. Each

review is screenedfor profanity andpersonal attacks. Theemphasis is onconstructivecriticism to aidstudents andprofessors. Qualitycontent control isconducted by website operators beforeany material isposted on theInternet.

The “gradehistories” sectiongives a breakdownof grades studentsreceived in every

professor's class. The percentages are shownthrough bar graphs that indicate a numericalaverage for each letter grade.

These figures are not student-based, ratherthey are obtained directly from universityrecords. The American Freedom ofInformation Act allows for the free access ofthe grades a university instructor has giventhroughout his/her teaching career.

The “schedule planner” allows students tosee which course sections fit their schedulebest. The planner makes it easy to organizeclasses without having to flip throughschedule books and prevents overlappingcourses.

The “schedule grid” shows the days of theweek and shades in the times of the courses astudent has chosen. Again information aboutcourse dates and times is taken fromuniversity records.

Professors can also use Pick-a-Prof bybecoming part of the Professor ServicesSupport System.

This system allows professors to viewstudent reviews, share personal biographies,express academic goals and expectations withpotential students, and monitor studentresponses in order to enhance their teachingeffectiveness.

The “professor information section” ofprofessors the opportunity to post backgroundinformation about themselves and informstudents on what to expect the first day ofclass.

Student feedback is an important elementin the success of professors and universities.With web sites like Pick-a-prof.com studentscan take advantage of different avenues thatcan expand their academic experience.

By MARITZA RODRIGUEZThe Pan American

Pick-a-Prof.com: Studentsevaluate professors online

It’s not a new idea for astudent to ask his friendswhich professor to take.All we’ve done is take allof that information and

bring it to all the studentson the entire campus. “

“

- Chris Chilek,Co-founder of Pick-a-Prof.com

Evelyn GarzaMBAGraduate

He’s done a good job. We’ll see the effectwhen he leaves and a new person stepsin. It also depends on how the faculty andstaff adjust to change.

Dr. Kenneth BuckmanPhilosophy, Humanities HonorsProfessor

He’s been around for a long time,thus his presence has createdstability. You don’t know ifsomething new is better or worseso it creates anxiety.

Jorge Gonzales Manufacturing EngineeringJunior

It’ll have a positive impact because itis good for the student environmentto experiment with new ideas. Allchanges are always for good.

President Nevarez stepped down and thesearch for a new president has begun.Do you think this will have a positive or

negative effect for our campus ?

Dr. Jerry PriceDean of Students

Navarez is not going to be replacedbecause the work he has done for 20years is remarkable. I think Navarez’resignation will create a challenge on anopportunity in the search for new ideas.

VOICECCaammppuuss

Naveen CherukuMathematics Professor

New ideas might come when new peoplecome in. Changing programs and newpurposes might bring improvements forthe university.

August 28, 2003 Sports Page 13

SSPPOORRTTSS CCLLIIPPBBOOAARRDDMexican baseball series

under wayThe Tigers of Puebla defeated Mexico City, 6-1, to cut the Reds’ Mexican

Baseball League championship series lead to 2-1 Wednesday night at the ForoSol Stadium in Mexico City.

Since 1997, the Reds and Tigers have faced each other in the championshipseries six times. Five of those were consecutive. Historically between the twoclubs, the team to take a 2-0 series lead went on to win the series.

Saturday, Aug. 23Tigers 2, Mexico City 15Sunday, Aug. 24Tigers 3, Mexico City 7Tuesday, Aug. 26Tigers at Mexico City, ppd. rainWednesday, Aug. 27Mexico City 1, Tigers 6Thursday, Aug. 28Tigers at Mexico City, 6:30 p.m. (if necessary)Saturday, Aug. 30Mexico City at Tigers, 4 p.m. (if necessary)Sunday, Aug. 31Mexico City at Tigers, noon (if necessary)

Thomas dumped by PacersNBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas was fired Wednesday as head coach of the

Indiana Pacers. Thomas led the Pacers to the playoffs in each of the threeseasons he coached the young Indiana team. However, in each year the Pacerswere eliminated from the playoffs in the first round. In the three years underThomas, Indiana went 131-115.

Local radio to broadcast UTPA hoopsKSOX-AM 1240 Monster Sports Radio will broadcast all of UTPA’s men’s

basketball games including four selected Lady Broncs games. The 2003-04season marks the fourth consecutive season that KSOX will be broadcastingall of the Broncs’ games. KSOX Sports Director Jeff Koch will call the play-by-play for both men’s and women’s games. The first broadcast will be onNov. 22 when UTPA takes on Southern Methodist at the SPI ConventionCenter.

Japan youngsters earn series crown

Tokyo Musashi-Fuchu defeated East Boynton Beach, Fla. 10-1, to win theLittle League World Series on Sunday. The victory was Japan's third title infive years. In 1999, Osaka defeated Phoenix City, Ala., 5-0. In 2001, TokyoKitasuna defeated Apopka, Fla., 2-1.

Pirates deal Giles

The Pittsburgh Pirates continued dismantling their club this past Tuesday when theytraded away left fielder Brian Giles to the San Diego Padres for left-hander OliverPérez, outfielder Jason Bay and a player to be named later.

Giles was acquired from the Cleveland Indians in 1999 for Mexican reliever RicardoRincón.

Giles continued the success he had in Cleveland by becoming one of the NationalLeague's most consistent run producers. The left fielder has averaged 35 home runsand 100-plus RBIs since arriving in Pittsburgh. Currently, Giles is hitting .299 with 16homers and 70 RBIs.

Since mid-July, the Pirates have dealt away their ace starting pitcher, Jeff Suppan,plus top relievers Mike Williams and Scott Sauerbeck. Prior to Giles, the Pirates tradedaway Aramis Ramírez to the Chicago Cubs.

U.S. hoopsters squeak by Argentina

The United States Olympic basketball team defeated Argentina, 94-86, inthe second round of the Tournament of the Americas Tuesday. The victoryavenged last year’s loss to the Argentinians. The U.S. is currently undefeatedin the Olympic qualifying tourney and improved to 22-0.

Scott takes helm as UTPA golf coach

Drew Scott was named the new UTPA men’s golf coach Aug. 19. Scott is aformer Rice University golf standout. He currently plays on the CanadianProfessional Golf Tour.

Gyulai replaces Middleton as tennis assistant

Kati Gyulai was named the new UTPA assistant tennis coach Monday.Gyulai, a native of Gyergyoszentmiklos, Romania, replaces ElizabethMiddleton.

Bond in as UTPA assistant SID

Mike Bond will join UTPA Sept. 1 as the new assistant sports informationdirector. Bond, a native of Michigan, was the former assistant SID at SanFrancisco State University. He replaces Adam Pitterman who was UTPA’sassistant SID during the 2002-03 season.

Macias returns as UTPA trainer

UTPA announced the return of Mike Macias as an assistant athletic trainerAug. 18. Mancias, who has worked with Michael Jordan and LeBron James,served as a student athletic trainer and graduate assistant in UTPA’s athletictraining department from 1997 to 2001.

Women’s World Cup to begin next month

The FIFA Women's World Cup is set to kick off in 22 days in the UnitedStates. The World Cup will run from Sept. 20 through Oct. 12. The UnitedStates has been pooled into Group A. There are four groups altogether. TheU.S. will open their run for the coveted World Cup on Sept. 21 againstSweden. On Sept. 25, the U.S. will face Nigeria and conclude the first roundof play on Sept. 28 against Korea.

NFL Preseason Schedule

Thursday, Aug. 28N.Y. Jets at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.Detroit at Buffalo, 6 p.m.Atlanta at Cleveland, 7 p.m.Houston at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.Washington at Jacksonville, 7 p.m.Tennessee at Green Bay, 7 p.m.Kansas City at St. Louis, 7 p.m.N.Y. Giants at Baltimore, 7 p.m.Arizona at Minnesota, 7 p.m.Miami at New Orleans, 7 p.m.Oakland at Dallas, 8 p.m.Friday, August 29Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7 p.m.Seattle at Denver, 8 p.m.Cincinnati at Indianapolis, 8 p.m.San Francisco at San Diego, 9 p.m.

August 28, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 5August 28, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 12

the communityappointed by CharlesMiller, the Chairmanof the Board; threefaculty membersappointed by thefaculty governance;one dean appointed bythe Dean’s Council;one non-facultyemployee appointed bythe staff or employeecouncil; one studentappointed by thestudent governance;the president of thealumni association, theChancellor and theExecutive Vice Chancellor forAcademic Affairs.

The second phase is thelongest, taking from two toeight months, and begins withthe call for nominations.Anyone from students tofaculty and communitymembers can nominate acandidate for the position.However, although virtuallyanyone can be nominatedregardless of age andoccupation, Sullivan states aperson with an advanceddegree and experiencemanaging big organizations isalways preferred.

“There are people who arenot realistic about what the jobrequires,” she explained. “Forthe Arlington search we had alibrarian apply, who I’m sure

is a wonderful librarian but theskills you get in that job don’tnecessarily give you the skillsto be president.”

Nominations will beaccepted by Sullivan throughan e-mail account to bedisclosed in the nationaladvertising campaign.

Once nominations arereceived, the next step ofphase two is to contact thenominees and ask for a copy oftheir resume and a letter ofinterest. Past experience inpresidential searches, Sullivansays, shows that only 30percent of nominees actuallyapply for the position. For UT-PA’s search, she expects about100 applications. It is then thejoint responsibility of theadvisory committee and search

firm to overhaul theapplications and checkreferences. Confidentialinterviews are thenconducted by thecommittee and a list ofbetween five and 10candidates is sent to theBoard of Regents.

Finally, the thirdphase begins in theninth month when theBoard of Regents namethe finalists for theposition. On-campusinterviews are thenconducted and whenthe final decision is

made, the regents announce theselection of the new president.Thus, a new president isexpected to be appointed bythe end of May or in thesummer of 2004.

For the time being, Sullivanexpects to issue a request ofproposal for search firms thisweek and to hold thecommittee’s first meetingwithin four or six weeks.During this meeting, thecommittee is scheduled withan attorney to discuss theTexas state law regarding theselection of applicants for theposition and approve theadvertisement for the nationalcampaign. The searchcommittee is scheduled tomeet twice during the fallsemester.

H. C.Baker

1927 -1930

1931 -1943

1946 -1960

1930 -1931

1943 -1946

1960 -1981

H. U.Miles

R. P.Ward

H. A.Hodges

R. P.Ward

Dr. Ralph F.Schilling

Past PresidentsTenure of UTPA presidents before Névarez

Source: UTPA Special Collections

Graphic by Gabriel O. Hernandez

There are people who are notrealistic about what the job

requires. For the Arlington searchwe had a librarian apply, who I’msure is a wonderful librarian but

the skills you get in that job don’tnecessarily give you the skills to

be president. “

“

- Teresa A. Sullivan,UT-System Executive Vice Chancellor for

Academic Affairs.

SEARCH continued from page 1

Development, which includes studentorganizations, student government, andrecreation activities. His duties consist of thecreation and implementation of student lifeand transition programs, such as theAmbassador Program, Student LeadershipProgram, and the Alcohol and DrugAwareness Program.

If necessary the dean is required to assistwith judicial affairs. The director of judicialaffairs is one of the staff members in Price’sdepartment, and she is the front line forhandling policy violations. Price is notified ofserious violations, such as assault oracademic dishonesty.

“One of the disadvantages of the title deanof students is for some people they infer thatyou’re the principal of the school,” Pricesaid. “And yes, one of the responsibilities isconduct issues, but that’s a very small part ofit.”

One of Price’s top priorities for this year isto find ways to get students more involved instudent organizations, programs, or activities.He believes that participation in sportingevents, community service, or academiccompetitions are priceless. The problem isthat the vast majority of students arecommuters who don’t live on campus or evenin Edinburg.

“All of those experiences are veryvaluable. Students are more likely to getinvolved in these kinds of valuableexperiences if they are connected with otherstudents,” Price said. “That’s what I think ourprimary goal for this year is going to be.”

He mentioned three general plans of actionfor attaining this quest for greater studentparticipation: strengthen existingorganizations, identify developingorganizations and encourage weaker existingorganizations in positive ways.

Price and his colleagues intend tostrengthen existing organizations by helpingthem recruit additional members.

“As an individual I’m going to go out andmeet as many student organizations and theirleaders as possible,” Price said. “They’regoing to be able to tell us what they thinkwould help strengthen their organizations.”

They plan to recognize possibilities fornew organizations by finding gaps oncampus. They want to discover other types ofinvolvement or opportunities that studentsmight benefit from, especially is there is notan organization available to meet these needs.Then, taking these ideas as starting points,they will develop new organizations.

“There are some organizations that alreadyexist that in some cases are already popular,but need some work,” Price said. “In otherwords they need some encouragement to dobetter academically or to get more engaged inpositive ways on campus. We’re not justgoing to try to weed out the bad ones. Wewant to help.”

Price’s involvement exceeds theresponsibilities outlined in his jobdescription. He chairs the Student AdvisoryAffairs committee, which makesrecommendations to the president and vicepresident of the university regarding issuessuch as the expenditure of student servicefees.

He goes beyond outlined duties byanswering calls, complaints and concerns thatdo not relate to his area, and refers thoseindividuals to the proper department.

“There are a lot of things that go withbeing the dean of students that aren’t in thejob description,” Price said. “When students,parents, or community members have aconcern or question and don’t know where tostart, they often will start here.”

“My job is to listen, and then help themget to the people who can hopefully helpthem,” he concluded.

PRICE continued from page 3

contacts with people who theyone day will possibly workwith.”

The SIFE national websitestates that the goal of the globalnonprofit organization is tochange the world with dedicatedstudent teams teachingimportant concepts througheducational outreach programs.The students have access tomajor theories on businessmanagement and procedures.

They try to make a differencein their community by helpingpeople develop a betterunderstanding of how the freeenterprise system works, andhow to use this information toempower themselves andachieve new success.

Currently, there are more than1,400 university campuses in 33countries that have SIFE teams.This includes nearly 50 activeteams in Texas varying fromsmall community colleges topublic and private universities,but all with the same goal inmind: To better their area byusing the skills they learn toassist others.

At UTPA, members of SIFEacknowledge the opportunitythey have to develop theirleadership and communicationskills by learning, practicing,and teaching the principles offree enterprise, therebyimproving the standard of livingfor millions in the process. Onemember of SIFE, Laura Garciaagreed with the group belief thateven though they have beenworking together for a shortamount of time, they are veryserious about accomplishingtheir goals.

“The students in SIFE areoutgoing, and confident inthemselves.” Garcia said. “Theyare like managers of their ownstores. They’re very seriousabout what they do.”

The members feel that eventhough some in the group arenot the typical “A” students,they are very good at what theydo with their area of interest andwhat they are educated to do.That is what strengthens theteam and provides the positiveatmosphere in the group.

Each year, SIFE has regionalcompetitions with the championteams moving on to the annualSIFE USA National Expositionin Kansas City. At nationals,thousands of students andbusiness leaders attend to paytribute to the educationaloutreach projects.

Last year, the UTPA teamreceived first place at thepredominantly regionalcompetition and fourth place atthe national level, and was theonly minority team out of nearly865 universities.

Even though its minority

status is apparent, Diaz feelsthat it should not have an impacton the team’s ability andpassion.

“We are transcendingboundaries,” Diaz said. “I hateto say it, but the majority of theschools that attend nationalsconsist of middle class, whiteAmericans from the Northernareas. We are crossing the linesand closing the gaps for thestudents and gaining access tobetter opportunities.”

With the awards under theirbelt, and an invitation to meetwith the national board ofdirectors in Kansas City inDecember to discuss theiraccomplishments, the studentssay that though winning theaward was exciting, it did notovershadow the pride they feltin helping small businesses inthe Rio Grande Valley.

The team does not participatein fundraising activities likeselling food during activity timeor hosting events. Instead, theyreceive sponsorships fromcommunity members andbusinesses.

“We may not be a well-knownname on campus,” Diaz said.“We don’t really have our nameout there with the students, butin the business world, and evenwith people who work in theschool districts, we arerespected for what we have doneto serve the communities of thestudents.”

Omar Cadonza in one of themembers focusing on the publicrelations aspect of the team. Hefeels that with the team pullingtogether they will go farther thisyear with theiraccomplishments.

“We are going to push thelimit at how far we can go,”Cadonza said. “We gained self-confidence from SIFE, as wellas the experience to strengthenour group.”

The club agrees that the groupnow works together as if theyare a company of their own.Instead of having one large club,there are different areas of SIFEthat the students can choosefrom.

“We are a very diverse group,the full club does not onlyconsist of business majors.”Garcia said. “We have engineermajors, CIS majors, evenstudents from the fine artsdepartment who help us with theweb site and designs. We worklike a company in the sense thatwe have very different people tocome up with very differentideas.”

“These students are out therechanging the world,” Diaz said.“They are making a differencein their communities locally,nationally, and literallyinternationally.”

Some feel lost. Some feel likethey just want to know more. It’snot to contradict or doubt one’sown beliefs, but to betterunderstand our beliefs.

“I’m a Baptist, but I feel Ishould know more about otherreligions to get a betterunderstanding of what I believe,”said Jerry Herrera, UTPAsophomore. “Whatever thereason may be, to know more isalways helpful no matter whatbackground or field of study.”

For the first time, UTPA isoffering the course Religion andPhilosophy of Islam, categorizedunder PHIL 4390 Special Topics.

“I’ve always expressed aninterest in other religions. Thenrecently my sister married aMuslim,” senior StephanieGarcia said. “And now a class isfinally offered to fulfill not onlymy curiosity but to help mebetter understand what hasbecome a part of my family.”

The course will cover thebasic beliefs and the practices ofIslam. It will cover the important

history of Islam and the way itsreligion brought ancient Greekphilosophy to the West. Thecourse will include topics suchas the distinctive worldview ofIslamic communities, thepolitical structures and doctrinesof Islam, and the growth ofIslam in the United States.

The course will also discussthe development of Islamicfundamentalism, relationsbetween the followers of Islam,Judaism and Christianity, thefuture of Islam and itsinteraction with Westerndemocracies.

Dr. Thomas Pearson isteaching the course, and he sayshe welcomes as many studentsas there are desks in theclassroom. Auditors are alsowelcome.

To be an official auditor, onecan sign up at the Office ofAdmissions and is then able tosit-in in the class. Auditors donot receive credit, but the coursewill be on the transcript showingthat he or she sat in in.

“I fell into the course byaccident, but as a confusedindividual on what I believe, I

think it seems interesting andwill give me more of an openmind,” sophomore JaimeGuzman said.

The course is recommended

for students who have at leastthree hours of philosophy or ifspecial permission is obtainedfrom the professor. Pearson saidthat all students from almost anyfield of study could benefit fromthis course.

“Since there are now 1.2billion people who follow theIslamic faith, and Islam isregarded as the fastest growingmajor faith in the world, the

importance of understanding theteachings and practices of thisreligion and its civilization areself-evident," Pearson said.“Many people have a negativeview of the Islamic religion,and after 9/11, the interest ofthe faith intensified.”

There are anywhere fromthree to six million Muslimsliving in the United States andthere are several mosques in theValley.

Pearson added that thiscourse will help studentsunderstand the differences ofthe Islamic faith compared tothe Christian faith and how itdoes not constitute a threat likemany believe.

Approximately five percentare fundamentalists who take theprinciples of the religion to theextreme and practice violently,Pearson insisted.

This course will cover the 95percent of the basic Islamicreligion that is not a threat.

“I hope this course will giveme a better understanding of theIslamic religion,” RicardoSalazar, junior said. “It’simportant to know because of all

We don’t really have our name outthere with the students, but in the

business world, and even with peoplewho work in the school districts, we are

respected for what we have done toserve the communities of the students. “

“

- Sam Diaz,SIFE adviser

SIFE continued from page 3

Course offers religious understanding By AIMEE SERNAThe Pan American

I hope this coursewill give me a

betterunderstanding of

the Islamicreligion.

“

“

- Ricardo Salazar,junior


Nevarez also misses thefree time he had while hewas teaching and islooking forward toeliminating the stress thatcomes with theresponsibility of being theuniversity’s president.

“Things are going to bedifferent. I’m not going toknow everything that’sgoing on at the university,but I don't have to,” hesaid, laughing. “Before Iwas president I had time tojog, relax, and spend timewith my family andfriends. I’m hoping to beable to go back to that.”

What will he miss aboutbeing the most powerfulman on campus?

“I haven’t given that anythought,” Nevarez said.“Well, I really enjoy therelationship I have with thethe staff, faculty andstudents. If that’s not thereanymore then I’ll miss thatpart.”

Of all the changes andaccomplishments theuniversity has experiencedduring Nevarez’spresidency, he is mostproud of contributing to thedevelopment of aneducated middle-classHispanic community.

“I have seen manypositive changes at this

institution and in thecommunities we serve,”Nevarez said. “Thisuniversity has beencredited for assisting in thedevelopment of a strongmiddle class of Hispaniccitizens for the State ofTexas. The educationalattainment, present and inthe future will change theface of the nation andprovide leadership for thefuture. I am honored andhumbled to have been apart of that positivechange.”

He feels that the onesmost responsible foraccomplishing this are thestudents and the universitythat gives them theopportunity to make adifference in thecommunity.

“The students are theones who really do it,”Nevarez said. “Theygraduate and they go outinto the community andbecome leaders. And theywill tell you that they hadtheir start here in theuniversity, and that’s whatI would like to point out.”

Nevarez does notanticipate a major changeat UTPA after he leaves thepresidential seat becausethe university is set in itsgoals of improving student

success, being a stateleader in the preparationand production of publicschool teachers, andbecoming a doctoralresearch university.

“The institution has anice vision of where itwants to be 10 to 12 yearsfrom now and that’s notgoing to change,” heexplained. “Yes faculty,staff, and administrationcome and go, but theinstitution keeps running.”

Nevarez encouragesstudents to stay in schooland graduate despite anydistractions or situations intheir lives.

“Keep very muchfocused on your studies,”he advised. “I know thatbeing a student requires bigsacrifices, personalsacrifices. You could goand get a job and makemoney now, but by gettingthat degree you’ll be betterprepared and get moresatisfaction.

“Things might come intoplace in your lives thatdelay graduation or makeyou want to quit school,but you need to keep at it.Postpone the immediaterewards and you’ll see thethe reward that comes withyour degree will begreater.”

NEVAREZ continued from page 1


As a new semester unfolds, theUniversity of Texas-Pan American Office ofInstitutional Effectiveness will undergosome changes.

President Miguel Nevarez has appointedDr. Susan Griffith, director of InstitutionalResearch, as the new Interim Director of theOffice of Institutional Effectivenesseffective Sept. 1.

Griffith will replace Dr. Ted Von Ende,who will return to academic life at UTPA.

“First we have changed the name of thedepartment,” Griffith said. “The name ofthe department is now called Office ofInstitutional Research and Effectiveness.”

According to Griffith the new departmentwill shift its focus to providing requestedraw data for other departments at UTPA.Griffith added that any UTPA departmentcan recommend or present a problem andOIRE’s obligation is to analyze and collectdata, offering options for the problem to becorrected.

“This talks about doing data analysis,surveys, management research and reports,”Griffith said. “This gives managementoptions for decisionmaking on a problem.”

Griffith said a new staff will be hired andsaid different talents are required for adifferent focus.

She should know what it takes aftermany years of experience in similarsituations.

Before coming to UTPA, Griffith was atSouthwest Texas State in San Marcos for 15years. She held a variety of positionsincluding associate vice president forplanning and administration.

Griffith is married to Dr. JamesLangabeer, vice president for BusinessAffairs.

Ending an eight-year commutingrelationship is what helped Griffith makethe decision to come to the Rio GrandeValley and work for UTPA.

“We did not have a sense of communityand wanted to pick a place that gave us theopportunity to get into the community,”Griffith said. “We decided on making theValley our home.”

Langabeer agreed with Griffith that thelong distance relationship was a pain, sayingthe pair would communicate by telephone,e-mail and would see each other on plannedtrips.

“We would book round-trip tickets thatcost $75 with Conquest Airlines and wouldfly back and forth to see each other,”Langabeer said. “In order to end thecommuting relationship we both knew onehad to go with the other.”

Griffith said the Valley offers a differentculture, tradition, food and ethnicity. Sheadded the people have balance betweenwork and family, and that it is somethingthat stands out.

“I went to a wedding and saw childrenrunning around and thought ‘these childrenshould be in bed, it’s past nine.’ But then Isaw their parents carrying their children anddancing with them in their arms andthought, ‘family is really important in theValley.’”

Griffith says education is important foreconomic improvement and herappointment as the new interim director willimprove education life on campus.

Nevarez said Griffith has the backgroundand ability to accomplish the new focus ofOIRE.

“She has a lot of experience inassessment accountability,” Nevarez said.“She analyzes data and is able to writereports very well, she is very inclusive offaculty and students.”

By HILDA BARRIENTESThe Pan American

Hilda Barrientes/The Pan American

Dr. Susan Griffith will become the interim director of the Office of InstitutionalEffectiveness on Sept. 1.

Griffith to head newly-renamed UTPA research office

Back In SessionStudents return in droves (bottom) to Pan Am as hallways get crowded

and parking spaces become scarce. Enrollment is expected to top15,000 when the figures are announced in September, and as usual,complaints about parking are rampant.

Comedienne Alexandra McHale (left) performs for studentsWednesday at the Student Union.

The effects of budgetcuts, increasingunemployment, and agrowing deficit arebecoming a part ofAmericans’ daily lives.

Although Edinburg hasnot been harshly affectedby the state of the nationaleconomy, the EdinburgEconomic DevelopmentCorporation, an arm of thelocal government, isfocusing on stimulating thelocal economy to secureEdinburg’s future.

“The economicindicators for the city whencompared to the state of theeconomy, of the state oreven the nation, show thatEdinburg is doing verywell,” EEDC executivedirector Ramiro Garza said.“We have not beenimpacted too much at thispoint, but we are keeping aclose eye on it.”

The EEDC, created byvoters in 1990, isresponsible for using theproceeds from the one-halfcent economic developmentsales tax to create projectssuch as business attraction,incentives to businesses,land and building purchasesand leases, infrastructureupgrades, as well astraining and education.

“We use sales tax moneyto stimulate the economyby providing incentives fornew businesses, creatingjobs, and developingindustry in the city,”explained EEDC BoardPresident Pedro Salazar.“Our job isattraction/creation,expansion, and retention.”

In order to furtherdevelop the economy theEEDC, known under state

law as a 4A DevelopmentCorporation, is focusing oncreating jobs and increasingthe tax base. To do that,several projects are inprogress. They recentlycreated the 108-acre NorthIndustrial Park on Bus. 281.

“We ran out of room inthe old (Renaissance)industrial park. There arealready eight companiesthere.” Garza explained. “As we speak there isalready one company,Nuco, moving into theNorth Industrial Park. Theymake automotive supplies.The industrial parks are avery big asset to the city.The new one should beenough space for the nextfive years.”

Salazar, associatedirector for the Universityof Texas Pan American OneStop Capital Shop, aresource center for thoseseeking information onstarting a small business,explained that theavailability of buildings isimportant to companiesconsidering to locate in acity.

“We do provideincentives for businesses towant to locate in Edinburg,however we do not want tobe in a situation where wehave to provide too manyincentives,” he said.“Businesses look at theavailability of buildings sothat they can just move inand get going. The NorthIndustrial Park is beingbuilt to accommodate forthat situation.”

Another project expectedto bring in more business toEdinburg is the extensionof the runway at theEdinburg Airport.

“We are going to extendthe runway by 5,000 linearfeet,” Garza said. “Right

now it serves private aircrafts and other companiesthat need to bring in cargo,like the maquilas inMexico. With the extensionof the runway we arehoping to generate morebusiness at the airport.”

The EEDC is alsolooking into bringing inmore retail businesses intothe city. To find out whatkind of market Edinburgoffers to businesses, theEEDC hired a company toconduct a retail study inSeptember.

“The study will tell uswhat kind of retail we havea profile for,” Salazarexplained. “We have thepopulation and thepurchasing power, butbecause of the cluster ofbusinesses in McAllen thecompanies decide to set upshop there instead. We needthe information from thestudy to document we havethe potential and convincethem to come here.”

Salazar, who is theUTPA representative on theEEDC board, feels thatEdinburg’s relationshipwith the university is veryimportant.

“The university’s successdepends on Edinburg andEdinburg’s success dependson the university,” he said.“Pan Am is one of theplayers that has the mostimpact on not justEdinburg, but the wholeValley. They provide skilledworkers and manyresources to thecommunity.

“It is also important forthe university to have jobsavailable for graduates andthat’s where the city comesinto place,” he added.“Edinburg will do anythingpossible to help theuniversity.”

University, city work tostimulate local economyBy AMELIA GARCIAThe Pan American

■ Art exhibit . . . . . . . 8-9

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

PAGE 7

Movie: “Jerry McGuire”

CD: George Strait Box Set

CD: “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” by 50 CentMovie: “Bad Boys II”Website: yahoo.com

CD: “Fallen” by EvanescenceMovie: “The Sweetest Thing”Website: bored.com

Alejandra GutierrezFreshmanPremed/Biology

Marena VillagomezSophomoreEducation

Lori GarzaGraduate studentMBA

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

The

August 28, 2003 Tarts & entertainment Page 10

Mainstage ScheduleAll plays in the Albert L. Jeffers Theatre in the CASbuilding.

October 15-19, 2003 A Flea in Her Ear byGeorges FeydeauNovember 19-23 Dona Rosita’s JalapenoKitchen by Ruby Nelda PerezFebruary 25-29 Julius Caesar byWilliam ShakespeareApril 21-25 The Musical ComedyMurders of 1940

Art Gallery ScheduleFor both Clark Gallery and The University Gallery*These schedules are tentative and may change.

Clark GallerySeptember 11 Opening Receptionfor Chuck Wissinger Art ShowSeptember 11- Oct. 10 Chuck Wissinger Art ShowOctober 16- Nov. 14 Brian Row Art ShowNovember 20-Dec. 5 Graphic Design ArtShow

University GallerySeptember 4 Opening Receptionfor Chris Leonard, MFA ShowSeptember 4-26 MFA Show: Chris Leonard,Claus/Claws III: Leonardland RevisitedOctober 1-26 Virgin Of GuadalupeTenth Anniversary Show,

Richard Hyslin et alOctober 30-Nov. 16 Dia de los MuertosArt ShowNovember 20-Jan. BFA Show

Music Department ActivityFall 2003 Tentative Schedule

October 2 Valley Symphony OrchestraConcert Fine Arts AuditoriumOctober 7 UTPA Choir Concert

Fine Arts AuditoriumNovember 1-2 UTPA Mariachi Concert

Fine Arts AuditoriumNovember 8 Sol Y Luna Concert

Fine Arts AuditoriumNovember 13 Valley Symphony OrchestraConcert Fine Arts AuditoriumNovember 18 Chamber Orchestra Concert

Fine Arts AuditoriumNovember 21 UTPA Choir Concert

Fine Arts AuditoriumNovember 25 UTPA Band Concert

Fine Arts AuditoriumDecember 2 Men & Women’s Chorus Concert

Fine Arts AuditoriumDecember 9 Valley Symphony OrchestraConcert

Eric Wiley to direct A Flea inHer Ear

Mark C. Guerra, Didi Duron,and Ruby Guerra star inMainstage first performanceof the year, A Flea in Her Ear.Director, Eric Wiley will openhis show in October. The playis a famous French farce thatcomes together in a hilariouscrash of mix-ups, strangecoincidences, and misunder-standings.

“One thing that makes thisplay unusual is that it involvesa lot of running,”

Wiley said, “the actors areliterally ruining in and out ofdoors, so it was the mostchallenging show I’ve done indealing with physical comedyand blocking.”

Wiley is confident that theshow will be a success withwhat he says is a good castcombining a good mix of newmembers to the theatre andveterans.Chuck Wissinger to OpenClark Gallery for the fall

Chuck Wissinger is intrigued

by North American cultures,as stated in his artist’s state-ment. “As a society, and asindividuals, we have becomedisassociated from the rest ofcreations. With footprintsetched on the moon, weexhibit little comprehension ofour footing within the broadercontinuum,” says Wissinger inhis artist’s statement, “Wehave set ourselves apart fromour world; going forth subdu-ing and having dominion overit, carving it into smallerchunks for easier digestion,destabilizing the closed sys-tems on which we depend”

His show will be openingwith a reception onSeptember 11, 2003 at 7 P.M.followed by a month longshowing of his work at theClark Gallery.

Guest Artists DahliaGuerra & Dan Steenken toPlay

Piano soloists, DahliaGuerra and Dan Steenken willaccompany each other for themusic department’s firstValley Symphony OrchestraConcert of the year. DahliaGuerra is the department

chair for the University ofTexas Pan American

Music Department and DanSteenken is a known aroundthe valley for his talent withthe piano. Velma Ramirez,South Texas SymphonyAssociate said that Steenkenis known to accompany hispiano talents with other pianosoloists.The two performers will play.Concerto for 2 Pianos F Majorby Mozart and will follow theperformances, HungarianMarch by Berlioz andSymphony No. 9 in E MinorOp. 95 by Dvorak.

The concert is expected tobe a sold out performancewith three quarters of theseats already sold.

“We just hope that it will besold out, that’s what wealways work towards,”Ramirez said.

University Program Board:More Than Just Movies

Noelynn Gillamac, heads theUniversity Program Board asPresident for the fall term.With a hectic schedule toprove, Gillamac and her com-mittee’s have worked hard to

bring a more diverse selectionof events for students. UPB’sgoal this year is to distinguishthe group as something morethan just a program formovies and free popcorn.

“We want them to know thatwe’re truly a diverse organiza-tion. The UPB is here on cam-pus and we just don’t onlyhow movies and do coffeehouses, we offer a lot more,”Gillamac said.

As president, she realizesthat the job of the UPB is tofulfill all of the studentsneeds. This year, she plans amore diverse selection ofactivities that will be free ofcharge and satisfy the studentbody as a whole. She alsowants students to be morefamiliar about who and whatthe University Program boardis and does.

“This Friday night, I want tolet them know who our com-mittee chair and committeemembers are so that theyknow who to come to whenthey have a suggestion orsimply want to ask questions,”she said, “I want to accom-plish visibility.”

By AARON LOZANOThe Pan American

Departments announce fall event schedules

Cool Play- Mike Rayburn’s talentswere featured at the Student Union onTuesday. The guitarist brought hisparticular flair of music to the ears ofUTPA students at the Coffeehouse.


August 28, 2003 Arts & Entertainment Page 9August 28, 2003 Arts & Entertainment Page 8

Beetles

Class: Insecta

Order: Coleoptera

Facts:■ Beetles are invertebrates (no backbone).■ Breath through holes called ‘spiracles.’■ Have four stages of life: egg, larve, pupa and adult.■ 350,000 different beetle species.■ Some of the more well-known beetles are ladybugs, fireflies, scarabs,roves, jewels and clicks.■ Most beetles are not aquatic.■ Live in regions ranging from deserts to mountains and rainforests.

Bees

Class: Insecta

Order: Hymenoptera

Facts:■ Eats nectar from flowers and turn it into honey.■ Pollinates flowers by fertilizing them and producingseeds by the pollen that gets stuck on bees’ pollenbaskets (hairs on their hind legs).■ Can fly 15 mph.■ The bees’ social classes consist of a queen, work-ers and drones.■ The queens lay eggs, workers are females whogather food, make honey, build six-sided honey-combs, tend to the eggs, and guard the hives,drones are males who mate with the queen.

Have people ever wondered howinsects affect society, apart fromgetting crunched underfoot at timesand being small-fry nuisances atothers? Do they understand thatinsects can be beneficial and harmfulas well? Do they ponder theirperceptions at all?

Dr. Zen Faulkes, associate professorof biology at UTPA, ruminated as towhy people are so afraid of bugs.

"Sometimes they have a goodreason to be," said Faulkes. "Themalaria parasite kills millions ofpeople a year, and it is spread bymosquitoes."

The incidence of West Nile virus,also a mosquito-borne illness, hasbeen on the rise the past severalweeks. Houston has had several casesin the summer, with two resulting indeath. San Antonio had its firstreported case this week, and the Valleyhas had its share of trouble with thevirus. Cameron County has been a hitspot for the illness, as last month anelderly Harlingen woman contractedthe disease and is still underobservation.

Despite the mosquito threat, anddespite the continued invasion of antsto picnics everywhere, there are somefolks who find insects to be a mixedbag. For example, Junior KyleHayungs believes that insects can begood or bad.

"Some bugs can be annoying andsome bugs can be helpful," he said."They are always crawling on yourface and other bugs help with thepollination of flowers."

Although some might say thatpeople are invading the bugs' territoryand not vice versa, the average personis not quick to be that introspective.

Junior Ian Cantu agrees withHayungs' point of view, saying that hecan stand some bugs, but not others.

"Some are really pesky mosquitoesand some are necessary like housespiders that take care of flies andvermin," Cantu said.

It would seem that except for somehardcore arachnaphobes, theconsensus on spiders is a resoundingnegative.

Freshman Flor Vela is one who isnot so sanguine about bugs.

"They are annoying because most ofthem just crawl around you and get inyour food," she insisted.

Truly, it is interesting that one of thecolloquial uses of the word "bug"refers to being annoying. A short-termillness or problem with a computer?Bugs there too are the culprit. But onthe other hand, someone who drives aVolkswagen Beetle probably findslittle to complain about.

But again, there are those who donot find insects offensive. JuniorJonathan Meeks has a differentperspective about these creatures. Alive-and-let-live attitude of sorts.

"They don't bother me that muchand there isn't anything you can doabout them," Meeks said. "If they aregoing to bite you, they are going tobite you."

Faulkes also showed how much heappreciates insects, plus the opinionsof others, with a semantic twist.

"I reject the premise of thequestion," he said. "They are allbeautiful to someone."

By CLARALEXIS RIOSThe Pan American

Crickets

Class: Insecta

Order: Orthoptera

Facts:■ Many crickets are nocturnal.■ Not all crickets have wings.■ They sense sound using tympani (hearingorgans) which are located in their front legs.■ Males of most cricket species make a loudchriping sound by rubbing their forewingstogether to attract females.■ Some of the more well-known beetles areladybugs, fireflies, scarabs, roves, jewels andclicks.■ Crickets are omnivores and eat dead insects,decaying material, fungi and young plants.

Ants

Class: Insecta

Order: Hymenoptera

Facts:■ Can be found all around the world in almost every type ofland environment.■ Live in colonies which consist of a queen, workers, malesand soldiers. The queen spends her life mating and layingegg, workers are the daughters who collect food and feedother members and defend the colony, soldiers are largefemale ants who defend the colony and often raid othercolonies.■ The science of studying ants is called ‘Myrmecology.’■ Some can live to be seven while the queen can live to be 15.

Cicadas

Class: Insecta

Order: Homoptera

Family: Cicadidae

Facts:■ Have two sets of wings with the forewingsbeing longer than the hindwings.■ Have a lifespan of anywhere from four to17 years.■ Adults lay eggs in twigs.■ The male cicadas of some species sing aloud and distinct courtship song to potentialfemale mates.■ Cicadas have different mechanisms forproducing their song ranging fromspecialized tymbal structure to stridulationand simple wing clapping.

August 28, 2003 Arts & Entertainment Page 9August 28, 2003 Arts & Entertainment Page 8

Beetles

Class: Insecta

Order: Coleoptera

Facts:■ Beetles are invertebrates (no backbone).■ Breath through holes called ‘spiracles.’■ Have four stages of life: egg, larve, pupa and adult.■ 350,000 different beetle species.■ Some of the more well-known beetles are ladybugs, fireflies, scarabs,roves, jewels and clicks.■ Most beetles are not aquatic.■ Live in regions ranging from deserts to mountains and rainforests.

Bees

Class: Insecta

Order: Hymenoptera

Facts:■ Eats nectar from flowers and turn it into honey.■ Pollinates flowers by fertilizing them and producingseeds by the pollen that gets stuck on bees’ pollenbaskets (hairs on their hind legs).■ Can fly 15 mph.■ The bees’ social classes consist of a queen, work-ers and drones.■ The queens lay eggs, workers are females whogather food, make honey, build six-sided honey-combs, tend to the eggs, and guard the hives,drones are males who mate with the queen.

Have people ever wondered howinsects affect society, apart fromgetting crunched underfoot at timesand being small-fry nuisances atothers? Do they understand thatinsects can be beneficial and harmfulas well? Do they ponder theirperceptions at all?

Dr. Zen Faulkes, associate professorof biology at UTPA, ruminated as towhy people are so afraid of bugs.

"Sometimes they have a goodreason to be," said Faulkes. "Themalaria parasite kills millions ofpeople a year, and it is spread bymosquitoes."

The incidence of West Nile virus,also a mosquito-borne illness, hasbeen on the rise the past severalweeks. Houston has had several casesin the summer, with two resulting indeath. San Antonio had its firstreported case this week, and the Valleyhas had its share of trouble with thevirus. Cameron County has been a hitspot for the illness, as last month anelderly Harlingen woman contractedthe disease and is still underobservation.

Despite the mosquito threat, anddespite the continued invasion of antsto picnics everywhere, there are somefolks who find insects to be a mixedbag. For example, Junior KyleHayungs believes that insects can begood or bad.

"Some bugs can be annoying andsome bugs can be helpful," he said."They are always crawling on yourface and other bugs help with thepollination of flowers."

Although some might say thatpeople are invading the bugs' territoryand not vice versa, the average personis not quick to be that introspective.

Junior Ian Cantu agrees withHayungs' point of view, saying that hecan stand some bugs, but not others.

"Some are really pesky mosquitoesand some are necessary like housespiders that take care of flies andvermin," Cantu said.

It would seem that except for somehardcore arachnaphobes, theconsensus on spiders is a resoundingnegative.

Freshman Flor Vela is one who isnot so sanguine about bugs.

"They are annoying because most ofthem just crawl around you and get inyour food," she insisted.

Truly, it is interesting that one of thecolloquial uses of the word "bug"refers to being annoying. A short-termillness or problem with a computer?Bugs there too are the culprit. But onthe other hand, someone who drives aVolkswagen Beetle probably findslittle to complain about.

But again, there are those who donot find insects offensive. JuniorJonathan Meeks has a differentperspective about these creatures. Alive-and-let-live attitude of sorts.

"They don't bother me that muchand there isn't anything you can doabout them," Meeks said. "If they aregoing to bite you, they are going tobite you."

Faulkes also showed how much heappreciates insects, plus the opinionsof others, with a semantic twist.

"I reject the premise of thequestion," he said. "They are allbeautiful to someone."

By CLARALEXIS RIOSThe Pan American

Crickets

Class: Insecta

Order: Orthoptera

Facts:■ Many crickets are nocturnal.■ Not all crickets have wings.■ They sense sound using tympani (hearingorgans) which are located in their front legs.■ Males of most cricket species make a loudchriping sound by rubbing their forewingstogether to attract females.■ Some of the more well-known beetles areladybugs, fireflies, scarabs, roves, jewels andclicks.■ Crickets are omnivores and eat dead insects,decaying material, fungi and young plants.

Ants

Class: Insecta

Order: Hymenoptera

Facts:■ Can be found all around the world in almost every type ofland environment.■ Live in colonies which consist of a queen, workers, malesand soldiers. The queen spends her life mating and layingegg, workers are the daughters who collect food and feedother members and defend the colony, soldiers are largefemale ants who defend the colony and often raid othercolonies.■ The science of studying ants is called ‘Myrmecology.’■ Some can live to be seven while the queen can live to be 15.

Cicadas

Class: Insecta

Order: Homoptera

Family: Cicadidae

Facts:■ Have two sets of wings with the forewingsbeing longer than the hindwings.■ Have a lifespan of anywhere from four to17 years.■ Adults lay eggs in twigs.■ The male cicadas of some species sing aloud and distinct courtship song to potentialfemale mates.■ Cicadas have different mechanisms forproducing their song ranging fromspecialized tymbal structure to stridulationand simple wing clapping.

■ Art exhibit . . . . . . . 8-9

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

PAGE 7

Movie: “Jerry McGuire”

CD: George Strait Box Set

CD: “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” by 50 CentMovie: “Bad Boys II”Website: yahoo.com

CD: “Fallen” by EvanescenceMovie: “The Sweetest Thing”Website: bored.com

Alejandra GutierrezFreshmanPremed/Biology

Marena VillagomezSophomoreEducation

Lori GarzaGraduate studentMBA

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

The

August 28, 2003 Tarts & entertainment Page 10

Mainstage ScheduleAll plays in the Albert L. Jeffers Theatre in the CASbuilding.

October 15-19, 2003 A Flea in Her Ear byGeorges FeydeauNovember 19-23 Dona Rosita’s JalapenoKitchen by Ruby Nelda PerezFebruary 25-29 Julius Caesar byWilliam ShakespeareApril 21-25 The Musical ComedyMurders of 1940

Art Gallery ScheduleFor both Clark Gallery and The University Gallery*These schedules are tentative and may change.

Clark GallerySeptember 11 Opening Receptionfor Chuck Wissinger Art ShowSeptember 11- Oct. 10 Chuck Wissinger Art ShowOctober 16- Nov. 14 Brian Row Art ShowNovember 20-Dec. 5 Graphic Design ArtShow

University GallerySeptember 4 Opening Receptionfor Chris Leonard, MFA ShowSeptember 4-26 MFA Show: Chris Leonard,Claus/Claws III: Leonardland RevisitedOctober 1-26 Virgin Of GuadalupeTenth Anniversary Show,

Richard Hyslin et alOctober 30-Nov. 16 Dia de los MuertosArt ShowNovember 20-Jan. BFA Show

Music Department ActivityFall 2003 Tentative Schedule

October 2 Valley Symphony OrchestraConcert Fine Arts AuditoriumOctober 7 UTPA Choir Concert

Fine Arts AuditoriumNovember 1-2 UTPA Mariachi Concert

Fine Arts AuditoriumNovember 8 Sol Y Luna Concert

Fine Arts AuditoriumNovember 13 Valley Symphony OrchestraConcert Fine Arts AuditoriumNovember 18 Chamber Orchestra Concert

Fine Arts AuditoriumNovember 21 UTPA Choir Concert

Fine Arts AuditoriumNovember 25 UTPA Band Concert

Fine Arts AuditoriumDecember 2 Men & Women’s Chorus Concert

Fine Arts AuditoriumDecember 9 Valley Symphony OrchestraConcert

Eric Wiley to direct A Flea inHer Ear

Mark C. Guerra, Didi Duron,and Ruby Guerra star inMainstage first performanceof the year, A Flea in Her Ear.Director, Eric Wiley will openhis show in October. The playis a famous French farce thatcomes together in a hilariouscrash of mix-ups, strangecoincidences, and misunder-standings.

“One thing that makes thisplay unusual is that it involvesa lot of running,”

Wiley said, “the actors areliterally ruining in and out ofdoors, so it was the mostchallenging show I’ve done indealing with physical comedyand blocking.”

Wiley is confident that theshow will be a success withwhat he says is a good castcombining a good mix of newmembers to the theatre andveterans.Chuck Wissinger to OpenClark Gallery for the fall

Chuck Wissinger is intrigued

by North American cultures,as stated in his artist’s state-ment. “As a society, and asindividuals, we have becomedisassociated from the rest ofcreations. With footprintsetched on the moon, weexhibit little comprehension ofour footing within the broadercontinuum,” says Wissinger inhis artist’s statement, “Wehave set ourselves apart fromour world; going forth subdu-ing and having dominion overit, carving it into smallerchunks for easier digestion,destabilizing the closed sys-tems on which we depend”

His show will be openingwith a reception onSeptember 11, 2003 at 7 P.M.followed by a month longshowing of his work at theClark Gallery.

Guest Artists DahliaGuerra & Dan Steenken toPlay

Piano soloists, DahliaGuerra and Dan Steenken willaccompany each other for themusic department’s firstValley Symphony OrchestraConcert of the year. DahliaGuerra is the department

chair for the University ofTexas Pan American

Music Department and DanSteenken is a known aroundthe valley for his talent withthe piano. Velma Ramirez,South Texas SymphonyAssociate said that Steenkenis known to accompany hispiano talents with other pianosoloists.The two performers will play.Concerto for 2 Pianos F Majorby Mozart and will follow theperformances, HungarianMarch by Berlioz andSymphony No. 9 in E MinorOp. 95 by Dvorak.

The concert is expected tobe a sold out performancewith three quarters of theseats already sold.

“We just hope that it will besold out, that’s what wealways work towards,”Ramirez said.

University Program Board:More Than Just Movies

Noelynn Gillamac, heads theUniversity Program Board asPresident for the fall term.With a hectic schedule toprove, Gillamac and her com-mittee’s have worked hard to

bring a more diverse selectionof events for students. UPB’sgoal this year is to distinguishthe group as something morethan just a program formovies and free popcorn.

“We want them to know thatwe’re truly a diverse organiza-tion. The UPB is here on cam-pus and we just don’t onlyhow movies and do coffeehouses, we offer a lot more,”Gillamac said.

As president, she realizesthat the job of the UPB is tofulfill all of the studentsneeds. This year, she plans amore diverse selection ofactivities that will be free ofcharge and satisfy the studentbody as a whole. She alsowants students to be morefamiliar about who and whatthe University Program boardis and does.

“This Friday night, I want tolet them know who our com-mittee chair and committeemembers are so that theyknow who to come to whenthey have a suggestion orsimply want to ask questions,”she said, “I want to accom-plish visibility.”

By AARON LOZANOThe Pan American

Departments announce fall event schedules

Cool Play- Mike Rayburn’s talentswere featured at the Student Union onTuesday. The guitarist brought hisparticular flair of music to the ears ofUTPA students at the Coffeehouse.



Nevarez also misses thefree time he had while hewas teaching and islooking forward toeliminating the stress thatcomes with theresponsibility of being theuniversity’s president.

“Things are going to bedifferent. I’m not going toknow everything that’sgoing on at the university,but I don't have to,” hesaid, laughing. “Before Iwas president I had time tojog, relax, and spend timewith my family andfriends. I’m hoping to beable to go back to that.”

What will he miss aboutbeing the most powerfulman on campus?

“I haven’t given that anythought,” Nevarez said.“Well, I really enjoy therelationship I have with thethe staff, faculty andstudents. If that’s not thereanymore then I’ll miss thatpart.”

Of all the changes andaccomplishments theuniversity has experiencedduring Nevarez’spresidency, he is mostproud of contributing to thedevelopment of aneducated middle-classHispanic community.

“I have seen manypositive changes at this

institution and in thecommunities we serve,”Nevarez said. “Thisuniversity has beencredited for assisting in thedevelopment of a strongmiddle class of Hispaniccitizens for the State ofTexas. The educationalattainment, present and inthe future will change theface of the nation andprovide leadership for thefuture. I am honored andhumbled to have been apart of that positivechange.”

He feels that the onesmost responsible foraccomplishing this are thestudents and the universitythat gives them theopportunity to make adifference in thecommunity.

“The students are theones who really do it,”Nevarez said. “Theygraduate and they go outinto the community andbecome leaders. And theywill tell you that they hadtheir start here in theuniversity, and that’s whatI would like to point out.”

Nevarez does notanticipate a major changeat UTPA after he leaves thepresidential seat becausethe university is set in itsgoals of improving student

success, being a stateleader in the preparationand production of publicschool teachers, andbecoming a doctoralresearch university.

“The institution has anice vision of where itwants to be 10 to 12 yearsfrom now and that’s notgoing to change,” heexplained. “Yes faculty,staff, and administrationcome and go, but theinstitution keeps running.”

Nevarez encouragesstudents to stay in schooland graduate despite anydistractions or situations intheir lives.

“Keep very muchfocused on your studies,”he advised. “I know thatbeing a student requires bigsacrifices, personalsacrifices. You could goand get a job and makemoney now, but by gettingthat degree you’ll be betterprepared and get moresatisfaction.

“Things might come intoplace in your lives thatdelay graduation or makeyou want to quit school,but you need to keep at it.Postpone the immediaterewards and you’ll see thethe reward that comes withyour degree will begreater.”

NEVAREZ continued from page 1


As a new semester unfolds, theUniversity of Texas-Pan American Office ofInstitutional Effectiveness will undergosome changes.

President Miguel Nevarez has appointedDr. Susan Griffith, director of InstitutionalResearch, as the new Interim Director of theOffice of Institutional Effectivenesseffective Sept. 1.

Griffith will replace Dr. Ted Von Ende,who will return to academic life at UTPA.

“First we have changed the name of thedepartment,” Griffith said. “The name ofthe department is now called Office ofInstitutional Research and Effectiveness.”

According to Griffith the new departmentwill shift its focus to providing requestedraw data for other departments at UTPA.Griffith added that any UTPA departmentcan recommend or present a problem andOIRE’s obligation is to analyze and collectdata, offering options for the problem to becorrected.

“This talks about doing data analysis,surveys, management research and reports,”Griffith said. “This gives managementoptions for decisionmaking on a problem.”

Griffith said a new staff will be hired andsaid different talents are required for adifferent focus.

She should know what it takes aftermany years of experience in similarsituations.

Before coming to UTPA, Griffith was atSouthwest Texas State in San Marcos for 15years. She held a variety of positionsincluding associate vice president forplanning and administration.

Griffith is married to Dr. JamesLangabeer, vice president for BusinessAffairs.

Ending an eight-year commutingrelationship is what helped Griffith makethe decision to come to the Rio GrandeValley and work for UTPA.

“We did not have a sense of communityand wanted to pick a place that gave us theopportunity to get into the community,”Griffith said. “We decided on making theValley our home.”

Langabeer agreed with Griffith that thelong distance relationship was a pain, sayingthe pair would communicate by telephone,e-mail and would see each other on plannedtrips.

“We would book round-trip tickets thatcost $75 with Conquest Airlines and wouldfly back and forth to see each other,”Langabeer said. “In order to end thecommuting relationship we both knew onehad to go with the other.”

Griffith said the Valley offers a differentculture, tradition, food and ethnicity. Sheadded the people have balance betweenwork and family, and that it is somethingthat stands out.

“I went to a wedding and saw childrenrunning around and thought ‘these childrenshould be in bed, it’s past nine.’ But then Isaw their parents carrying their children anddancing with them in their arms andthought, ‘family is really important in theValley.’”

Griffith says education is important foreconomic improvement and herappointment as the new interim director willimprove education life on campus.

Nevarez said Griffith has the backgroundand ability to accomplish the new focus ofOIRE.

“She has a lot of experience inassessment accountability,” Nevarez said.“She analyzes data and is able to writereports very well, she is very inclusive offaculty and students.”

By HILDA BARRIENTESThe Pan American

Hilda Barrientes/The Pan American

Dr. Susan Griffith will become the interim director of the Office of InstitutionalEffectiveness on Sept. 1.

Griffith to head newly-renamed UTPA research office

Back In SessionStudents return in droves (bottom) to Pan Am as hallways get crowded

and parking spaces become scarce. Enrollment is expected to top15,000 when the figures are announced in September, and as usual,complaints about parking are rampant.

Comedienne Alexandra McHale (left) performs for studentsWednesday at the Student Union.

The effects of budgetcuts, increasingunemployment, and agrowing deficit arebecoming a part ofAmericans’ daily lives.

Although Edinburg hasnot been harshly affectedby the state of the nationaleconomy, the EdinburgEconomic DevelopmentCorporation, an arm of thelocal government, isfocusing on stimulating thelocal economy to secureEdinburg’s future.

“The economicindicators for the city whencompared to the state of theeconomy, of the state oreven the nation, show thatEdinburg is doing verywell,” EEDC executivedirector Ramiro Garza said.“We have not beenimpacted too much at thispoint, but we are keeping aclose eye on it.”

The EEDC, created byvoters in 1990, isresponsible for using theproceeds from the one-halfcent economic developmentsales tax to create projectssuch as business attraction,incentives to businesses,land and building purchasesand leases, infrastructureupgrades, as well astraining and education.

“We use sales tax moneyto stimulate the economyby providing incentives fornew businesses, creatingjobs, and developingindustry in the city,”explained EEDC BoardPresident Pedro Salazar.“Our job isattraction/creation,expansion, and retention.”

In order to furtherdevelop the economy theEEDC, known under state

law as a 4A DevelopmentCorporation, is focusing oncreating jobs and increasingthe tax base. To do that,several projects are inprogress. They recentlycreated the 108-acre NorthIndustrial Park on Bus. 281.

“We ran out of room inthe old (Renaissance)industrial park. There arealready eight companiesthere.” Garza explained. “As we speak there isalready one company,Nuco, moving into theNorth Industrial Park. Theymake automotive supplies.The industrial parks are avery big asset to the city.The new one should beenough space for the nextfive years.”

Salazar, associatedirector for the Universityof Texas Pan American OneStop Capital Shop, aresource center for thoseseeking information onstarting a small business,explained that theavailability of buildings isimportant to companiesconsidering to locate in acity.

“We do provideincentives for businesses towant to locate in Edinburg,however we do not want tobe in a situation where wehave to provide too manyincentives,” he said.“Businesses look at theavailability of buildings sothat they can just move inand get going. The NorthIndustrial Park is beingbuilt to accommodate forthat situation.”

Another project expectedto bring in more business toEdinburg is the extensionof the runway at theEdinburg Airport.

“We are going to extendthe runway by 5,000 linearfeet,” Garza said. “Right

now it serves private aircrafts and other companiesthat need to bring in cargo,like the maquilas inMexico. With the extensionof the runway we arehoping to generate morebusiness at the airport.”

The EEDC is alsolooking into bringing inmore retail businesses intothe city. To find out whatkind of market Edinburgoffers to businesses, theEEDC hired a company toconduct a retail study inSeptember.

“The study will tell uswhat kind of retail we havea profile for,” Salazarexplained. “We have thepopulation and thepurchasing power, butbecause of the cluster ofbusinesses in McAllen thecompanies decide to set upshop there instead. We needthe information from thestudy to document we havethe potential and convincethem to come here.”

Salazar, who is theUTPA representative on theEEDC board, feels thatEdinburg’s relationshipwith the university is veryimportant.

“The university’s successdepends on Edinburg andEdinburg’s success dependson the university,” he said.“Pan Am is one of theplayers that has the mostimpact on not justEdinburg, but the wholeValley. They provide skilledworkers and manyresources to thecommunity.

“It is also important forthe university to have jobsavailable for graduates andthat’s where the city comesinto place,” he added.“Edinburg will do anythingpossible to help theuniversity.”

University, city work tostimulate local economyBy AMELIA GARCIAThe Pan American

August 28, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 5August 28, 2003 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 12

the communityappointed by CharlesMiller, the Chairmanof the Board; threefaculty membersappointed by thefaculty governance;one dean appointed bythe Dean’s Council;one non-facultyemployee appointed bythe staff or employeecouncil; one studentappointed by thestudent governance;the president of thealumni association, theChancellor and theExecutive Vice Chancellor forAcademic Affairs.

The second phase is thelongest, taking from two toeight months, and begins withthe call for nominations.Anyone from students tofaculty and communitymembers can nominate acandidate for the position.However, although virtuallyanyone can be nominatedregardless of age andoccupation, Sullivan states aperson with an advanceddegree and experiencemanaging big organizations isalways preferred.

“There are people who arenot realistic about what the jobrequires,” she explained. “Forthe Arlington search we had alibrarian apply, who I’m sure

is a wonderful librarian but theskills you get in that job don’tnecessarily give you the skillsto be president.”

Nominations will beaccepted by Sullivan throughan e-mail account to bedisclosed in the nationaladvertising campaign.

Once nominations arereceived, the next step ofphase two is to contact thenominees and ask for a copy oftheir resume and a letter ofinterest. Past experience inpresidential searches, Sullivansays, shows that only 30percent of nominees actuallyapply for the position. For UT-PA’s search, she expects about100 applications. It is then thejoint responsibility of theadvisory committee and search

firm to overhaul theapplications and checkreferences. Confidentialinterviews are thenconducted by thecommittee and a list ofbetween five and 10candidates is sent to theBoard of Regents.

Finally, the thirdphase begins in theninth month when theBoard of Regents namethe finalists for theposition. On-campusinterviews are thenconducted and whenthe final decision is

made, the regents announce theselection of the new president.Thus, a new president isexpected to be appointed bythe end of May or in thesummer of 2004.

For the time being, Sullivanexpects to issue a request ofproposal for search firms thisweek and to hold thecommittee’s first meetingwithin four or six weeks.During this meeting, thecommittee is scheduled withan attorney to discuss theTexas state law regarding theselection of applicants for theposition and approve theadvertisement for the nationalcampaign. The searchcommittee is scheduled tomeet twice during the fallsemester.

H. C.Baker

1927 -1930

1931 -1943

1946 -1960

1930 -1931

1943 -1946

1960 -1981

H. U.Miles

R. P.Ward

H. A.Hodges

R. P.Ward

Dr. Ralph F.Schilling

Past PresidentsTenure of UTPA presidents before Névarez

Source: UTPA Special Collections

Graphic by Gabriel O. Hernandez

There are people who are notrealistic about what the job

requires. For the Arlington searchwe had a librarian apply, who I’msure is a wonderful librarian but

the skills you get in that job don’tnecessarily give you the skills to

be president. “

“

- Teresa A. Sullivan,UT-System Executive Vice Chancellor for

Academic Affairs.

SEARCH continued from page 1

Development, which includes studentorganizations, student government, andrecreation activities. His duties consist of thecreation and implementation of student lifeand transition programs, such as theAmbassador Program, Student LeadershipProgram, and the Alcohol and DrugAwareness Program.

If necessary the dean is required to assistwith judicial affairs. The director of judicialaffairs is one of the staff members in Price’sdepartment, and she is the front line forhandling policy violations. Price is notified ofserious violations, such as assault oracademic dishonesty.

“One of the disadvantages of the title deanof students is for some people they infer thatyou’re the principal of the school,” Pricesaid. “And yes, one of the responsibilities isconduct issues, but that’s a very small part ofit.”

One of Price’s top priorities for this year isto find ways to get students more involved instudent organizations, programs, or activities.He believes that participation in sportingevents, community service, or academiccompetitions are priceless. The problem isthat the vast majority of students arecommuters who don’t live on campus or evenin Edinburg.

“All of those experiences are veryvaluable. Students are more likely to getinvolved in these kinds of valuableexperiences if they are connected with otherstudents,” Price said. “That’s what I think ourprimary goal for this year is going to be.”

He mentioned three general plans of actionfor attaining this quest for greater studentparticipation: strengthen existingorganizations, identify developingorganizations and encourage weaker existingorganizations in positive ways.

Price and his colleagues intend tostrengthen existing organizations by helpingthem recruit additional members.

“As an individual I’m going to go out andmeet as many student organizations and theirleaders as possible,” Price said. “They’regoing to be able to tell us what they thinkwould help strengthen their organizations.”

They plan to recognize possibilities fornew organizations by finding gaps oncampus. They want to discover other types ofinvolvement or opportunities that studentsmight benefit from, especially is there is notan organization available to meet these needs.Then, taking these ideas as starting points,they will develop new organizations.

“There are some organizations that alreadyexist that in some cases are already popular,but need some work,” Price said. “In otherwords they need some encouragement to dobetter academically or to get more engaged inpositive ways on campus. We’re not justgoing to try to weed out the bad ones. Wewant to help.”

Price’s involvement exceeds theresponsibilities outlined in his jobdescription. He chairs the Student AdvisoryAffairs committee, which makesrecommendations to the president and vicepresident of the university regarding issuessuch as the expenditure of student servicefees.

He goes beyond outlined duties byanswering calls, complaints and concerns thatdo not relate to his area, and refers thoseindividuals to the proper department.

“There are a lot of things that go withbeing the dean of students that aren’t in thejob description,” Price said. “When students,parents, or community members have aconcern or question and don’t know where tostart, they often will start here.”

“My job is to listen, and then help themget to the people who can hopefully helpthem,” he concluded.

PRICE continued from page 3

contacts with people who theyone day will possibly workwith.”

The SIFE national websitestates that the goal of the globalnonprofit organization is tochange the world with dedicatedstudent teams teachingimportant concepts througheducational outreach programs.The students have access tomajor theories on businessmanagement and procedures.

They try to make a differencein their community by helpingpeople develop a betterunderstanding of how the freeenterprise system works, andhow to use this information toempower themselves andachieve new success.

Currently, there are more than1,400 university campuses in 33countries that have SIFE teams.This includes nearly 50 activeteams in Texas varying fromsmall community colleges topublic and private universities,but all with the same goal inmind: To better their area byusing the skills they learn toassist others.

At UTPA, members of SIFEacknowledge the opportunitythey have to develop theirleadership and communicationskills by learning, practicing,and teaching the principles offree enterprise, therebyimproving the standard of livingfor millions in the process. Onemember of SIFE, Laura Garciaagreed with the group belief thateven though they have beenworking together for a shortamount of time, they are veryserious about accomplishingtheir goals.

“The students in SIFE areoutgoing, and confident inthemselves.” Garcia said. “Theyare like managers of their ownstores. They’re very seriousabout what they do.”

The members feel that eventhough some in the group arenot the typical “A” students,they are very good at what theydo with their area of interest andwhat they are educated to do.That is what strengthens theteam and provides the positiveatmosphere in the group.

Each year, SIFE has regionalcompetitions with the championteams moving on to the annualSIFE USA National Expositionin Kansas City. At nationals,thousands of students andbusiness leaders attend to paytribute to the educationaloutreach projects.

Last year, the UTPA teamreceived first place at thepredominantly regionalcompetition and fourth place atthe national level, and was theonly minority team out of nearly865 universities.

Even though its minority

status is apparent, Diaz feelsthat it should not have an impacton the team’s ability andpassion.

“We are transcendingboundaries,” Diaz said. “I hateto say it, but the majority of theschools that attend nationalsconsist of middle class, whiteAmericans from the Northernareas. We are crossing the linesand closing the gaps for thestudents and gaining access tobetter opportunities.”

With the awards under theirbelt, and an invitation to meetwith the national board ofdirectors in Kansas City inDecember to discuss theiraccomplishments, the studentssay that though winning theaward was exciting, it did notovershadow the pride they feltin helping small businesses inthe Rio Grande Valley.

The team does not participatein fundraising activities likeselling food during activity timeor hosting events. Instead, theyreceive sponsorships fromcommunity members andbusinesses.

“We may not be a well-knownname on campus,” Diaz said.“We don’t really have our nameout there with the students, butin the business world, and evenwith people who work in theschool districts, we arerespected for what we have doneto serve the communities of thestudents.”

Omar Cadonza in one of themembers focusing on the publicrelations aspect of the team. Hefeels that with the team pullingtogether they will go farther thisyear with theiraccomplishments.

“We are going to push thelimit at how far we can go,”Cadonza said. “We gained self-confidence from SIFE, as wellas the experience to strengthenour group.”

The club agrees that the groupnow works together as if theyare a company of their own.Instead of having one large club,there are different areas of SIFEthat the students can choosefrom.

“We are a very diverse group,the full club does not onlyconsist of business majors.”Garcia said. “We have engineermajors, CIS majors, evenstudents from the fine artsdepartment who help us with theweb site and designs. We worklike a company in the sense thatwe have very different people tocome up with very differentideas.”

“These students are out therechanging the world,” Diaz said.“They are making a differencein their communities locally,nationally, and literallyinternationally.”

Some feel lost. Some feel likethey just want to know more. It’snot to contradict or doubt one’sown beliefs, but to betterunderstand our beliefs.

“I’m a Baptist, but I feel Ishould know more about otherreligions to get a betterunderstanding of what I believe,”said Jerry Herrera, UTPAsophomore. “Whatever thereason may be, to know more isalways helpful no matter whatbackground or field of study.”

For the first time, UTPA isoffering the course Religion andPhilosophy of Islam, categorizedunder PHIL 4390 Special Topics.

“I’ve always expressed aninterest in other religions. Thenrecently my sister married aMuslim,” senior StephanieGarcia said. “And now a class isfinally offered to fulfill not onlymy curiosity but to help mebetter understand what hasbecome a part of my family.”

The course will cover thebasic beliefs and the practices ofIslam. It will cover the important

history of Islam and the way itsreligion brought ancient Greekphilosophy to the West. Thecourse will include topics suchas the distinctive worldview ofIslamic communities, thepolitical structures and doctrinesof Islam, and the growth ofIslam in the United States.

The course will also discussthe development of Islamicfundamentalism, relationsbetween the followers of Islam,Judaism and Christianity, thefuture of Islam and itsinteraction with Westerndemocracies.

Dr. Thomas Pearson isteaching the course, and he sayshe welcomes as many studentsas there are desks in theclassroom. Auditors are alsowelcome.

To be an official auditor, onecan sign up at the Office ofAdmissions and is then able tosit-in in the class. Auditors donot receive credit, but the coursewill be on the transcript showingthat he or she sat in in.

“I fell into the course byaccident, but as a confusedindividual on what I believe, I

think it seems interesting andwill give me more of an openmind,” sophomore JaimeGuzman said.

The course is recommended

for students who have at leastthree hours of philosophy or ifspecial permission is obtainedfrom the professor. Pearson saidthat all students from almost anyfield of study could benefit fromthis course.

“Since there are now 1.2billion people who follow theIslamic faith, and Islam isregarded as the fastest growingmajor faith in the world, the

importance of understanding theteachings and practices of thisreligion and its civilization areself-evident," Pearson said.“Many people have a negativeview of the Islamic religion,and after 9/11, the interest ofthe faith intensified.”

There are anywhere fromthree to six million Muslimsliving in the United States andthere are several mosques in theValley.

Pearson added that thiscourse will help studentsunderstand the differences ofthe Islamic faith compared tothe Christian faith and how itdoes not constitute a threat likemany believe.

Approximately five percentare fundamentalists who take theprinciples of the religion to theextreme and practice violently,Pearson insisted.

This course will cover the 95percent of the basic Islamicreligion that is not a threat.

“I hope this course will giveme a better understanding of theIslamic religion,” RicardoSalazar, junior said. “It’simportant to know because of all

We don’t really have our name outthere with the students, but in the

business world, and even with peoplewho work in the school districts, we are

respected for what we have done toserve the communities of the students. “

“

- Sam Diaz,SIFE adviser

SIFE continued from page 3

Course offers religious understanding By AIMEE SERNAThe Pan American

I hope this coursewill give me a

betterunderstanding of

the Islamicreligion.

“

“

- Ricardo Salazar,junior


Every semester students face commonregistration questions: what courses to take,when to take them and most important, whatprofessors to choose.

Some college students have turned to websites to find out what classmates think aboutcertain campus professors and classes.

Pick-A-Prof.com is a site that has gottenmuch attention from students and collegesnationwide.

Recently the site helps students makedecisions about what courses and professorsto take. Based on the idea that differentstudents learn in different ways, this site'sgoal is to match students abilities withprofessors who will maximize their academicperformance in a course.

“It's not a new idea for a student to ask hisfriends which professor to take," said ChrisChilek in a recent interview with ABC News."All we've done is take all of that informationand bring it to all thestudents on the entirecampus."

Chilek, 26, and JohnCunningham, 25,founded Pick-A-Prof.com whileattending Texas A&MUniversity. Bothrealized that they, alongwith other friends,were frequently beingasked about whichprofessors they thoughtwere better inparticular courses.

In an attempt to helpfellow students, thesetwo entrepreneursworked to create a web site that wouldcomply student reviews, course gradehistories, professor information, and scheduleplanners in one efficient and informative site.

They piloted the site at Texas A&MUniversity and the University of Texas atAustin. The response was phenomenal at bothuniversities. Faculty information and forumsin which students could exchange thoughtsand opinions about professors online were abig hit.

Currently this site works with over 50different colleges and has been activelyproviding its services since 2000.

Although UTPA is still not part of this website, a Pan Am student commented on howthis site could be beneficial to UTPA students.

Celina Espinosa, a junior and businessmajor, said providing professor informationin one site could help many students chooseprofessors that better match with their owninterests and attitudes.

“Using this new site could save people a lotof time, instead of asking people if they havetaken certain professors,” Espinosa said.

To access Pick-a-Prof simply typewww.pickaprof.com in the computer searchbar. Choose the Register option under StudentServices. Once at the site's login page giveyour name, pick a user name and password,supply a valid e-mail address, and chooseyour college/university or anycollege/university you wish to attend in theeasy to follow login frame.

This site is not free. Depending on theuniversity's service contract with Pick-a-Profthe service fee could be paid by school tuitionfees or the university's student governmentorganization. If funding is not provided by an

academic institution then students pay theirown tab.

Pick-a-Prof provides four different types ofcategories for students to inform themselvesabout professors. It also offers an AcademicCareer Coach (ACC) that answers questionsabout majors, degrees, and other importanttopics. The ACC helps students in twoimportant areas: academic direction andcareer information.

The most popular section of Pick-A-Pro is“student reviews.” The reviews give insightinto a professor's homework load, lecturestyle, exam type, attendance policy, and studytips. Reviews are based on the opinions andreactions of students who have taken aparticular course with certain professors.

Due to the difficulty of finding someonewho has taken each professor students havethe opportunity to take, it is not guaranteedthat every professor on campus will havereviews written about them.

Don't expect to find vulgar or inappropriatecomments about professors on this site. Each

review is screenedfor profanity andpersonal attacks. Theemphasis is onconstructivecriticism to aidstudents andprofessors. Qualitycontent control isconducted by website operators beforeany material isposted on theInternet.

The “gradehistories” sectiongives a breakdownof grades studentsreceived in every

professor's class. The percentages are shownthrough bar graphs that indicate a numericalaverage for each letter grade.

These figures are not student-based, ratherthey are obtained directly from universityrecords. The American Freedom ofInformation Act allows for the free access ofthe grades a university instructor has giventhroughout his/her teaching career.

The “schedule planner” allows students tosee which course sections fit their schedulebest. The planner makes it easy to organizeclasses without having to flip throughschedule books and prevents overlappingcourses.

The “schedule grid” shows the days of theweek and shades in the times of the courses astudent has chosen. Again information aboutcourse dates and times is taken fromuniversity records.

Professors can also use Pick-a-Prof bybecoming part of the Professor ServicesSupport System.

This system allows professors to viewstudent reviews, share personal biographies,express academic goals and expectations withpotential students, and monitor studentresponses in order to enhance their teachingeffectiveness.

The “professor information section” ofprofessors the opportunity to post backgroundinformation about themselves and informstudents on what to expect the first day ofclass.

Student feedback is an important elementin the success of professors and universities.With web sites like Pick-a-prof.com studentscan take advantage of different avenues thatcan expand their academic experience.

By MARITZA RODRIGUEZThe Pan American

Pick-a-Prof.com: Studentsevaluate professors online

It’s not a new idea for astudent to ask his friendswhich professor to take.All we’ve done is take allof that information and

bring it to all the studentson the entire campus. “

“

- Chris Chilek,Co-founder of Pick-a-Prof.com

Evelyn GarzaMBAGraduate

He’s done a good job. We’ll see the effectwhen he leaves and a new person stepsin. It also depends on how the faculty andstaff adjust to change.

Dr. Kenneth BuckmanPhilosophy, Humanities HonorsProfessor

He’s been around for a long time,thus his presence has createdstability. You don’t know ifsomething new is better or worseso it creates anxiety.

Jorge Gonzales Manufacturing EngineeringJunior

It’ll have a positive impact because itis good for the student environmentto experiment with new ideas. Allchanges are always for good.

President Nevarez stepped down and thesearch for a new president has begun.Do you think this will have a positive or

negative effect for our campus ?

Dr. Jerry PriceDean of Students

Navarez is not going to be replacedbecause the work he has done for 20years is remarkable. I think Navarez’resignation will create a challenge on anopportunity in the search for new ideas.

VOICECCaammppuuss

Naveen CherukuMathematics Professor

New ideas might come when new peoplecome in. Changing programs and newpurposes might bring improvements forthe university.

August 28, 2003 Sports Page 13

SSPPOORRTTSS CCLLIIPPBBOOAARRDDMexican baseball series

under wayThe Tigers of Puebla defeated Mexico City, 6-1, to cut the Reds’ Mexican

Baseball League championship series lead to 2-1 Wednesday night at the ForoSol Stadium in Mexico City.

Since 1997, the Reds and Tigers have faced each other in the championshipseries six times. Five of those were consecutive. Historically between the twoclubs, the team to take a 2-0 series lead went on to win the series.

Saturday, Aug. 23Tigers 2, Mexico City 15Sunday, Aug. 24Tigers 3, Mexico City 7Tuesday, Aug. 26Tigers at Mexico City, ppd. rainWednesday, Aug. 27Mexico City 1, Tigers 6Thursday, Aug. 28Tigers at Mexico City, 6:30 p.m. (if necessary)Saturday, Aug. 30Mexico City at Tigers, 4 p.m. (if necessary)Sunday, Aug. 31Mexico City at Tigers, noon (if necessary)

Thomas dumped by PacersNBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas was fired Wednesday as head coach of the

Indiana Pacers. Thomas led the Pacers to the playoffs in each of the threeseasons he coached the young Indiana team. However, in each year the Pacerswere eliminated from the playoffs in the first round. In the three years underThomas, Indiana went 131-115.

Local radio to broadcast UTPA hoopsKSOX-AM 1240 Monster Sports Radio will broadcast all of UTPA’s men’s

basketball games including four selected Lady Broncs games. The 2003-04season marks the fourth consecutive season that KSOX will be broadcastingall of the Broncs’ games. KSOX Sports Director Jeff Koch will call the play-by-play for both men’s and women’s games. The first broadcast will be onNov. 22 when UTPA takes on Southern Methodist at the SPI ConventionCenter.

Japan youngsters earn series crown

Tokyo Musashi-Fuchu defeated East Boynton Beach, Fla. 10-1, to win theLittle League World Series on Sunday. The victory was Japan's third title infive years. In 1999, Osaka defeated Phoenix City, Ala., 5-0. In 2001, TokyoKitasuna defeated Apopka, Fla., 2-1.

Pirates deal Giles

The Pittsburgh Pirates continued dismantling their club this past Tuesday when theytraded away left fielder Brian Giles to the San Diego Padres for left-hander OliverPérez, outfielder Jason Bay and a player to be named later.

Giles was acquired from the Cleveland Indians in 1999 for Mexican reliever RicardoRincón.

Giles continued the success he had in Cleveland by becoming one of the NationalLeague's most consistent run producers. The left fielder has averaged 35 home runsand 100-plus RBIs since arriving in Pittsburgh. Currently, Giles is hitting .299 with 16homers and 70 RBIs.

Since mid-July, the Pirates have dealt away their ace starting pitcher, Jeff Suppan,plus top relievers Mike Williams and Scott Sauerbeck. Prior to Giles, the Pirates tradedaway Aramis Ramírez to the Chicago Cubs.

U.S. hoopsters squeak by Argentina

The United States Olympic basketball team defeated Argentina, 94-86, inthe second round of the Tournament of the Americas Tuesday. The victoryavenged last year’s loss to the Argentinians. The U.S. is currently undefeatedin the Olympic qualifying tourney and improved to 22-0.

Scott takes helm as UTPA golf coach

Drew Scott was named the new UTPA men’s golf coach Aug. 19. Scott is aformer Rice University golf standout. He currently plays on the CanadianProfessional Golf Tour.

Gyulai replaces Middleton as tennis assistant

Kati Gyulai was named the new UTPA assistant tennis coach Monday.Gyulai, a native of Gyergyoszentmiklos, Romania, replaces ElizabethMiddleton.

Bond in as UTPA assistant SID

Mike Bond will join UTPA Sept. 1 as the new assistant sports informationdirector. Bond, a native of Michigan, was the former assistant SID at SanFrancisco State University. He replaces Adam Pitterman who was UTPA’sassistant SID during the 2002-03 season.

Macias returns as UTPA trainer

UTPA announced the return of Mike Macias as an assistant athletic trainerAug. 18. Mancias, who has worked with Michael Jordan and LeBron James,served as a student athletic trainer and graduate assistant in UTPA’s athletictraining department from 1997 to 2001.

Women’s World Cup to begin next month

The FIFA Women's World Cup is set to kick off in 22 days in the UnitedStates. The World Cup will run from Sept. 20 through Oct. 12. The UnitedStates has been pooled into Group A. There are four groups altogether. TheU.S. will open their run for the coveted World Cup on Sept. 21 againstSweden. On Sept. 25, the U.S. will face Nigeria and conclude the first roundof play on Sept. 28 against Korea.

NFL Preseason Schedule

Thursday, Aug. 28N.Y. Jets at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.Detroit at Buffalo, 6 p.m.Atlanta at Cleveland, 7 p.m.Houston at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.Washington at Jacksonville, 7 p.m.Tennessee at Green Bay, 7 p.m.Kansas City at St. Louis, 7 p.m.N.Y. Giants at Baltimore, 7 p.m.Arizona at Minnesota, 7 p.m.Miami at New Orleans, 7 p.m.Oakland at Dallas, 8 p.m.Friday, August 29Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7 p.m.Seattle at Denver, 8 p.m.Cincinnati at Indianapolis, 8 p.m.San Francisco at San Diego, 9 p.m.


The University of Texas-Pan American’sBronc Village Apartments house studentsfrom various walks of life year-round. Forone month this summer Dr. Jerry Price, thenew dean of students, was aneighbor of residents.

Price’s stay on campusfacilitated a fast route tobecoming familiar with theuniversity, and similar pastexperiences made adapting aneasier process.

“I was an RA [residentassistant] in college. As agraduate student my wife and Ilived in a residence hall andwere hall directors for a dorm,”said Price, 43. “So I’m used toliving on campus. I was directorof residence life before I became dean ofstudents so I know the foundation of things.”

Price had three older siblings, but he was afirst-generation college student, so when hewent to college he didn’t without know whatlay ahead.

“I really enjoyed the experience, but I hadno intention of making a career out of it,”Price said.

His original objective was to become anEnglish professor, but during graduate school,Price was assistant to the vice president atDrake University in Iowa.

“It was a professional position butI was kind of troubleshooting,”Price said. “Students, families, andprofessors would just call withproblems and the vice president wasalmost always gone, so I was theperson in the office who was thefirst stop to try to solve thoseproblems.”

Price’s love for problem-solvingultimately lured him into the dean ofstudents position at DrakeUniversity. He also received hisPh.D. in higher education.“It’s a common position at

universities, but it’s a little bit different ateach one,” Price said.

As dean of students at UTPA, Price isresponsible for the Office of Student

By OMAIRA GALARZAThe Pan American

PRICE

Thomas Joseph Martinez was avictim of a drunken drivingaccident. He was 22 years oldwhen he was hit by a drunkendriver in Mercedes at 5:01 p.m. onJune 6, 2003. He was pronounceddead the next day.

Martinez’s parents are nowmembers of Mother’s AgainstDrunk Driving Rio Grande ValleyChapter (MADD-RGV). ThroughMADD-RGV, Jose and DianaMartinez have received the helpthey need to have a betterunderstanding of their son’s caseand to get the person responsiblefor their son’s death the punishment

they say he deserves. “We know that the person

responsible for my son’s death hada high alcohol level, the detectiveadvised me that it was of .20 and ittook over seven weeks for him toget arrested. He was let out on a$50,000 bond and all he needed topay was $2,500,” said DianaMartinez with tears in her eyes.“Right now we haven’t been

notified on the court date but weare trying to get educated quicklyon this,” she said

Texas leads the nation forincidence of drunken driving.Hidalgo County and CameronCounty are the number one and twocounties in the state in terms ofnumbers of offenses.

MADD was founded in 1980 todecrease drinking and driving, andunderage drinking. It is a nonprofit, grassroots organizationconsisting of approximately 600chapters and two million supportersand members nationwide.

The Valley Version was startedin September 2000 by BlancaMeckel. MADD-RGV’s mission isto stop drunken driving, support the

victims of thiscrime andpreventunderagedrinking.

MADD-RGVprovidestraining andclasses toeducate peoplein English andSpanish of theconsequences ofdrunkendriving.Community

education, OperationAccountability, which works inconjunction with TABC andHidalgo County SheriffDepartment, victim services andpublic events are other servicesoffered.

In November the “Tie One On,”public awareness program passesout ribbons to the public to affix tocars in a show of commitment to

not drinking anddriving. In December, acandlelight vigil is heldas a memorial to honorthe victims of drunkendriving crisis, thefamilies and thesurvivors.

“We are alwayslooking for volunteersand donations becausewe do work under grantssuch as the BorderInitiative Grant and theVictims of Crime ActGrant,” said Ana Verley,Victims AssistanceCoordinator for MADD-RGV.

“A majority of thepeople that are victimsdon’t have any idea howto proceed, they don’tknow what happens afterthey’ve been involvedwith a drunk driver, they don’tknow if the person responsible hasgotten arrested or not. Then that’swhen we get involved,” saidVerley. “We teach them how tonavigate the judicial system. Wefind out if the person has beenarrested, what he has been chargedwith, when the court date is and wedo information referrals, where werefer them to civil attorneys,physicians or counselors.”

Dr. William Thompson, professorof marketing at the University ofTexas-Pan American becameinvolved with MADD–RGV aboutsix months ago after his son waskilled by a drunken driver.

“I went to MADD because Iwanted to get some publicity outand to get the judge to actuallysentence the guy that ran over my

son. It looked like the court wasn’tgoing to do anything about it,” hesaid. “MADD will embarrass you,they will make sure that whateveryou’ve done gets publicity and theyare there to make sure that theperson responsible gets severepunishment as they can encouragethe judge to do.”

Thompson says that the onlyreason his son’s case made thenews was because MADD got itthere.

“We got some publicity and theywere a presence so that when thejudge looked out there, he knewthat he had to do something aboutit,” Thompson said.

Thompson will be putting up awebsite for MADD–RGV and hewill donating the money hereceives for restitution to the

organization.“Everybody needs to realize that

it can happen to anybody,”Thompson said. “If you are goingto drink don’t drive, if you drinkand you drive and you hitsomebody, don’t leave them lyingin the road to die.”

For the Labor Day Holiday,MADD, will sponsor a Designate-a-Driver campaign called Labor ofLove. Statistics from the NationalHighway Traffic SafetyAdministration (NHTSA) showLabor Day weekend as a verydeadly holiday for alcohol-relatedtraffic deaths. In 2001, 252 peoplewere killed in alcohol-relatedtraffic crashes during the LaborDay weekend, representing over 52percent of all traffic deaths for thattime period.

(Above and Left) - Vehicles involved in accidents caused by a drunken driver.

Special to The Pan American

By DORA OLIVAREZThe Pan American

Organization strives to prevent drunken driving

With all the different types oforganizations at the university, there isalways life surrounding and engaging thecampus. With the new fall semesterstarting, organizations are hastilypreparing for a new wave of incomingmembers. One organization, Students inFree Enterprise (SIFE), is not only tryingto get a head start on strengthening theirorganization, but trying to find time tohelp local businesses around the RioGrande Valley as well.

According to Isaac Sagredo, currentpresident of SIFE, the group consists ofabout 30 students who focus on beingconsultants to local businesses andspeaking to various businessmen about thealways-changing information in thebusiness world.

The group goes to what Sagredo calls“mom and pop stores,” [independentlyowned stores], and tries to assist owners ofbusiness by offering advice on how tohandle their companies. Since many times,some of the smaller business owners don’t

have a high school degree or are basicallyself-taught, the students can share whatthey learn at the university level.

“We basically give them some structureto help the ones that don’t have too muchexperience,” Sagredo said. “Thosebusiness owners are smart, they really are,but it’s a matter of listening to oursuggestions to accomplish what they wantto do.”

Besides working with the smallerbusinesses, the members of SIFE also gainexperience with larger companies such asTexas State Bank, Clark Chevrolet, RickDiaz of Channel 5 News, andCongressman Ruben Hinojosa.

The new adviser of SIFE, Sam Diaz,says that he wanted to become the adviserbecause he feels that what the organizationdoes is very important because it showsthe professional side of students.

“The students receive tenfold of theeffort they put into any project,” Diaz said.“They reap the benefits of SIFE bygaining exposures to different areas ofbusiness at such a young age and create

See PRICE page 5 See SIFE page 5

By CLARISSA MARTINEZThe Pan American

New dean seeks to spurstudent involvement

Student group offershelp to local businesses

Roadrunners even series 1-1 with 10-2 routAugust 28, 2003 sports Page 14

Roadrunners continue playoff run against theDillas in Game 3 tonight at 7:05 p.m. in

Amarillo’s Dilla Villa

CBL Playoffs: West Divisionfirst round series

Season series: Edinburg won 5-1

Game 1: Edinburg 1, Amarillo 3Game 2: Edinburg 10, Amarillo 2Game 3: Thursday, 7:05 p.m., Edinburg (RH E. Montoya, 14-4, 4.27) at Amarillo

(LH Rolando Valles, 10-5, 3.82)Game 4: Friday, Aug. 29, 7:05 p.m., Edinburg (RH C. Smith, 7-4, 2.77) at

Amarillo (RH M. Percosky, 3-6, 4.42)Game 5: Saturday, Aug. 30, 7:05 p.m., Edinburg (RH R. Harris, 9-2, 2.81) at

Amarillo (LH J. Stockstill, 10-5, 2.49), if necessary

vs.

The EdinburgRoadrunners avenged aGame One loss toAmarillo in the CBLplayoffs Tuesday night atthe Edinburg BaseballStadium by routing theDillas, 10-2, tying thebest-of-five series at onegame apiece leading intotonight’s 7:05 p.m. Game3 match-up at Amarillo’sDilla Villa.

The series continues onFriday, Aug. 29 withGame 4 at 7:05 p.m., andif necessary, will concludeon Saturday, Aug. 30 at7:05 p.m., also inAmarillo.

Edinburg’s series-tyingvictory came just onenight after Amarillo acepitcher Jason Stockstillthrew a three-hitteragainst the Roadrunners.The Dillas won 3-1.

The Dillas jumped outto a 2-0 lead withBenjamin Craig’s homerun in the top of thesecond inning.

Amarillo’s lead did notlast for long.

Aaron Sisk (3-for-4,three RBI) tied the gamein the bottom of the fifthinning with a blast intothe left-field bullpen.Sisk’s show of power wasjust a small taste of thingsto come for theRoadrunners and theirfaithful fans.

Edinburg’s bats wokeup in the bottom of the

sixth, giving the 1,511fans in attendancesomething to cheer about,by plating seven men.

The offensive eruptionstarted when ShaunArgento delivered a singlepast diving secondbaseman Alex Llanos andinto center field.

Derek Henderson (2-for-5) and Vince Moore(4-for-4) scored on theplay to give theRoadrunners a 4-2 lead,their first of the game.Sisk, Greg Strickland (2-for-4), Eric Gonzalez andAnthony Angel (2-for-5)followed Argento’s hitwith run-scoring singlesof their own.

Edinburg Manager ChadTredaway believes thathits and runs come inbunches.

“It’s all aboutmomentum,” Tredawaysaid. “That ball found ahole up the middle and allof a sudden guys are firedup, and it got contagiousthat inning. Bam, bam,bam, it just kept ongoing.”

This was all the runsupport Roadrunnerpitchers needed.

Pedro Flores, StevenWilkerson and TimVasquez put on a pitchingclinic and combined on athree-hitter for theRunners, who won bothhalves of the CBL regularseason.

Flores allowed only twohits in his 5 2/3 innings ofwork, which included

eight strikeouts.Wilkerson, meanwhile,was unhittable.

After relieving Floreswith two outs in the sixthand runners on first andthird, Wilkerson fannedthree while shutting downthe Dillas with 2 1/3innings of perfect relief.Edinburg’s hittersaccumulated 15 hits andtied the best-of-five WestDivision playoff series 1-1.

Tredaway believes thiswin may have his teamback on the right path andhopes the positivemomentum will continue.

“That might be what weneeded,” Tredaway said.“We haven’t done thatprobably in three weeks. Ithink more than anythingit shows to ourselves thatwe can do this. I’mhoping it’ll carry over.”

Notes:

Edinburg startingpitcher Eric Montoya wasrecently named the CBL’sRookie Pitcher of theYear. Montoya, 25, led the10-team CBL in wins (14)and strikeouts (143),ranked fourth in inningspitched (147 2/3) whileonly losing four gamesduring the 2003 season.Montoya posted a 4.27ERA in 21 starts with twocomplete games. Heallowed 148 hits, 47walks while holdingopposing teams to a .256batting average.

Edinburg routed Amarillo, 10-2, in Game 2 of the first round of the West Division playoffs.


By MATT HALLThe Pan American

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

http://www.panam.edu/dept/panamerican52nd Year – No. 1

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Dr. Greg Selber

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

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August 28 2 0 0 3

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NEWS■ New Dean . . . . . . . . 3■ Pick-a-Prof . . . . . . . 5■ MADD . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Student leaders from variousorganizations on campus areready to face the new schoolyear. The Office of the Dean ofStudents, the StudentGovernment Association, and theStudent Development Officehosted the annual SummerStudent Leadership Retreat, Aug.18-19 on the UTPA campus.

Approximately 70 studentsfrom 25 different organizationsattended the event, which wasclose to the intended goal of 75students, according to AssistantDean of Students DavidMariscal. The retreat attractedbig numbers never before seen ina student leader retreat at UTPA.

“That is the most that haveever attended, so based on thenumbers it was a success,”Mariscal explained.

The focus of the retreat was tostrengthen student organizationsand provide each leader with theskills needed to run theirorganization. Mariscal alsoadded that the skills and ideasdiscussed in the workshopsthroughout the retreat wereframed to help respectiveorganizations be successful.

Students started the retreat bylistening to keynote speakerMichael Poll, a nationally knowncollege speaker who for morethan a decade has appeared atcolleges throughout the countryin order to help collegeachievement, leadershipdevelopment, and career and lifesuccess.

During his presentation he didseveral activities with thestudents to help them exploretheir “leader within,” and hashelped them learn how to workas a team with activities such as,‘Developing the leader within’and ‘Building Blocks of OurTeam.’

According to sophomoreKaleena Cruz, who attended the

retreat representing the AmericanSign Language Club, Poll’sworkshops helped the studentsopen their minds and helpedthem learn how to get theirorganizations to work together.

“He helped us learn how toinclude everyone in theorganization, not just theofficers,” Cruz said. “The retreathelped the organization leadersto understand the necessity ofbeing a leader, and educate themembers [to be able to] get theminvolved.”

Poll mentioned that UTPAstudents have great potential andare highly motivated studentswho take initiative in theirorganization and school. He alsomentioned it is a campusinvolved in supporting thecommunity, one he woulddefinitely like to come back to.

The retreat also featuredUTPA personnel, who conducteddifferent workshops to furtherhelp studentleaders achieveorganizationalsuccess. ChristineCarruthers,student judicialaffairs officer,stated that theretreat wasstarted to preparestudent leadersfor the upcomingacademic year.

“It was a greatsuccess [because]students broughtout issues andhad the chance tonetwork withother students,”Carruthers said.

Kayla Dreyer,the StudentGovernmentAssociationsenator for theCollege of Socialand BehavioralSciences, alsostated that it was

a great opportunity to meet withofficers from other organizations.

“It was great to be able to talkto them about important issuesand their concerns,” Dreyercommented.

A highlight of the retreat wasthe chance to introduce the newDean of Students, Dr. JerryPrice. With only a few monthson the position, Pricecommented that he was able toestablish a closer connectionwith students, and was

encouraged by how many ofthem attended the event.

Although Price was aware thatthose attending reflected only asmall percentage of the studentbody at UTPA, he was stillimpressed with the positiveattitude of the diverseorganizations that showed up.

“I am very impressed with thestudents [because] they take theireducation seriously,” Pricestated. “I am very excited to behere.”

By ARIANNA VAZQUEZThe Pan American

Students learn leadership skills at retreat

(Above and Below) - More 70 students, representing over 25 organizations, attendedthe Summer Student Leadership Retreat held on campus Aug. 18-19. The purpose ofthe retreat was to strengthen campus organizations and student leadership skills.


The retreat helped the organizationleader to understand the necessity of

being a leader; and educate themembers [to be able to] get them

involved. “

“- Kaleena Cruz,

sophomore and retreat attendee

The 2003 volleyball seasonbegins this weekend with theLady Broncs traveling toBeaumont to compete in a two-day, three-game tournamentagainst Lamar, North Texas,and Lehigh.

Last season the Lady Broncswent 16-19, struggling at boththe beginning and end of theschedule, but they were able tostring together an impressivenine-game run in the meat ofthe season to strengthen thefinal record.

Head coach Dave Thornanticipates equal or betterresults from his squad thisseason and hopes that thethree-game road trip will yieldearly results for his youngteam.

“I’m very excited about thisseason,” Thorn said. “We havethe core of our team from lastseason back with us this year -starters at every position. Andwe have a lot of new talentplaying for us.”

The new talent Thorn isreferring to are the eightincoming freshman who will be

making their NCAA Division Idebut this weekend. Thornunderstands that starting theircollege career on the right footcould be the key to boostingtheir performance this season.

“It would be very big to pickup a few wins and get thisseason off on the right foot,”Thorn said. “It’s good to showthe newcomers that their teamcan win. The girls who arecoming back have won beforeand they already know they cando it.”

The returning Lady Broncshave shown they can win, butlast year their performance wasstreaky, and severely hinderedby a six-game losing streak atthe beginning of the season.The streak, which began with aloss to UT Austin on the road,was the product of anunsuccessful road trip. TheLady Broncs snapped the streakwhen they blanked TexasSouthern in their first homegame of the season.

This season the Lady Broncswill once again start off on theroad, but Thorn is optimisticabout this weekend’stournament and his team’sperformance.

“You never know what’sgoing to happen on the road,”Thorn said. “Sometimes beingon the road takes away some ofthe distractions that you wouldnormally face at home.Sometimes it’s helpful.”

Thorn also suggested that thestreaky nature of last seasondoes not epitomize his team’sperformance.

“It’s hard to predict how theseason is going to go. We hadsome tough opponents early onthat got into our head, and wejust weren’t there mentally,”Thorn said. “But now we’vegot players who have done itbefore and should be able toperform under pressure.”

Senior outside-hitter JaclynMuszynski is one of the playersThorn expects to carry themental and physical load that aseason of volleyball brings.

“This will be her fourth yearas a starter, and last year shehad a monster season,” Thornsaid of the only healthy senioron this year’s roster.

Senior Winker Cruz was onthe roster for this season, butshe sustained a knee injury andwill be out for the foreseeablefuture, according to Thorn.

August 28, 2003 sports Page 15

By BRIAN CARRThe Pan American

was invited to attend training campin Tampa Bay. At the end of theFebruary camp, Rodríguez madethe team and crossed the ocean toplay in NFL Europe.

“I learned a lot in Barcelona,”Rodríguez reflected. “It preparedme to be here.”

With the arrival of Rodríguez tothe Texans training camp, thenumber of Mexican football playersin the NFL increased to three. Widereceiver Marco Martos is currentlyvying for a position with theCarolina Panthers while fellowMexico City native Carlos Rosado,formerly of the AmsterdamAdmirals, is aiming at a widereceiver slot on the New York Jets’roster.

“I hope that I can serve asmotivation for all the footballplayers in México that have thesame dream of making it (in theNFL),” Rodríguez said. “There’s alot of talent in México. I feel that insome way I’m opening the doors.”

In addition to the Mexicancontingent, several other Latinoplayers are finding their way intothe NFL ranks. San Franciscoquarterback Jeff García has had atremendous impact on the field forthe 49ers. García’s grandparents areoriginally from the State of Jaliscoin México.

Mexican-American Robert Garzaof Río Hondo is in his third seasonwith the Atlanta Falcons. Despitebeing hampered by an injury last

season, Garza has been active offthe field by helping in thecommunity and is currentlycompeting to retain his slot on theFalcons roster.

Another Latino standout isArgentinian kicker MartínGramatica of the defendingchampion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.His brother, Bill, plays for theArizona Cardinals. Puerto Ricanguard Marco Rivera of the GreenBay Packers has also made greatstrides on and off the field. Riveraholds an annual football clinic inSan Juan, Puerto Rico.

The popularity and increasingtalent of American-style football inMéxico can be seen to bedeveloping from the youth level.

Recently, México won the fourthannual NFL Flag Football WorldChampionship by resoundinglydefeating South Korea 54-32. The10-team tournament, held in Tokyo,was comprised of 12-to-14 yearolds. The Mexico City team, LosDiablitos de la Secundaria 312,won all their games by 20-pointmargins.

Although the NFL is far fromreaching the amount of Latinoplayers Major League Baseball has,El Toro hopes to see more youngLatinos join the NFL ranks in thefuture.

“Follow your dreams. Anyonecan achieve what they want,”Rodríguez advises. “Focus. Don’tlimit yourself.”

Lady Broncs dig in and preparefor season opener at Lamar

The Lady Broncs practice for their season opener at the Lamar Tournament.


RODRIGUEZ continued from page 16 VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

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

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

2003-2004 Women’sGolf Schedule

Date OpponentSept. 20-21 Southwest Texas

State InvitationalSept. 27-28 Notre Dame

InvitationalOct. 6-7 Oral Roberts

InvitationalNov. 3-4 Sam Houston State

InvitationalFeb. 23-24 Bronc Intercollegiate

ClassicMarch 12-14 Xavier InvitationalMarch 19-21 Baylor/Tapatío Springs

ShootoutMarch 29-30 Arkansas-Little Rock

InvitationalMay 7-9 National Minority Golf

Championships

2003 UTPA CrossCountry Schedule

Date OpponentSept. 5 Texas-Pan American

Relay Challenge Edinburg

Sept. 13 New Mexico Invitational, Albuquerque, NM

Sept. 26 Texas-San Antonio Whataburger Invitational San Antonio, TX

Fri. Oct. 3 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Splash CorpusChristi, TX

Sat. Oct. 18 Chili Pepper Invitational Fayetteville, AR

THURSDAYAugust 28, 2003

An Inside Look:

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

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

CCaammppuussVOICE

President Nevarezstepped down and the

search for a newpresident has begun. Doyou think this will havea positive or negative

effect for our campus ?

Nevarez to resign for return to classroom

Thirty-two years ago Dr.Miguel Nevarez began teaching atthe University of Texas-PanAmerican.

After a year in the classroom hequickly climbed the latter to vicepresident of the university. Nineyears later he was chosen asPresident from 149 nationwidecandidates, becoming the first RioGrande Valley native and alumnusto hold the position.

Next August, after 22 years ofleading UTPA, Nevarez will bestep down from his presidentialduties and return back to the

classroom to teach.During his time as President,

Nevarez saw UTPA go from PanAmerican College to theUniversity of Texas-PanAmerican in 1989. Eighteenbachelor degree programs, 24master degree programs, andthree doctoral programs havesince been added and the schoolhas grown to the 10th largest inthe state. As important as it hasbeen to Nevarez to be a part ofUTPA’s growth and success, hefeels that now is a “natural time”to step down.

“The institute is heading into anew level of achievement andwill be developing into the

doctoral research university ofSouth Texas,” Nevarez said.

“That will take a 10-to-15-yearcommitment. It’s a good time forme to step down and let someonewith a fresh vision lead theuniversity into its next level ofmaturity.”

For the last three years Nevarezhad been contemplatingresigning. Finally this summer hecame to his decision beforeannouncing it Friday to over 500staff and faculty members duringthe annual Fall Convocation Stateof the University Address.

“I had been thinking about itfor awhile,” Nevarez said. “Aftersome serious soul-searching thissummer I decided to do it. It wasonly a couple of weeks before Iannounced it that I actuallydecided.”

“The university has been mylife and that of my family forover 32 years,” Nevarez told theshocked faculty and staff. “Theseyears have been the mostexciting, rewarding, andsatisfying of my life. I find

making this announcement bothbitter and sweet as I am preparingto relinquish leadership of ajourney that has traversed manychallenging and successfulmiles.”

Many were saddened byNevarez’s announcement.However, he will only be movingacross campus to begin teachingin the College of Education.

“I still have the energy and alot to contribute to the educationfield,” Nevarez expressed. “I’mnot ready to retire. In all the yearsI’ve spent in administration I’vemissed the daily contact with thestudents.”

“I started in the classroom andhave fond memories. I see formerstudents and they’re lawyers,doctors, teachers now. That’sneat, knowing I had something todo with their development. I wantto go back to that. I’m ready tomake the change.”

Along with missing theprofessor-student relationship,

By AMELIA GARCIAThe Pan American

The University of TexasSystem Executive ViceChancellor for Academic AffairsTeresa A. Sullivan is organizingThe University of Texas-PanAmerican’s search for a newpresident.

With the announcement of Dr.Miguel Nevarez’s resignation aspresident after serving for morethan 20 years, Sullivan was

contacted to advise the Board ofRegents and supervise thepresidential search. This is thefirst time that UTPA has apresidential search since enteringthe UT system, signaling the needto receive instruction fromsomeone who is familiar with theprocess. The process is a longone, taking from nine to 11months, however, Sullivan feelsconfident that time will not be aproblem.

“President Nevarez did a

wonderful thing for the campusby saying at the beginning of theyear that this would be his lastyear,” she said. “This gives us awhole year to do the search andhave a smooth transition.”

Sullivan has served asExecutive vice chancellor foracademic affairs for theUniversity of Texas System sinceOctober 2002. She regularlyteaches and writes on differentissues of sociology at theUniversity of Texas.

The search is divided into threephases. The already under wayfirst phase takes one month andconsists of engaging a searchfirm to do national advertising ofthe vacancy and organizing asearch committee, also known asan advisory committee.

The committee’s membershipshall include two regents, twoUniversity of Texas presidentsand also two representatives of

President pursues passion

Search for new leadership looms with Nevarez’s departureBy LUIS SAAVEDRAThe Pan American

UTPA President Miguel Nevarez announced his decision to step down aspresident at a press conference Friday afternoon in the Student Union Theater.


I started in the classroom and have fondmemories. I see former students and

they’re lawyers, doctors, teachers now.That’s neat, knowing I had something to

do with their development. “

“- Miguel Nevarez,

UTPA President

This gives us awhole year to dothe search andhave a smooth

transition. “

“- Teresa A. Sullivan,

UT-System Executive ViceChancellor for

Academic AffairsSee SEARCH page 12

See NEVAREZ page 11

Nevarezfacts and figures

• Hometown: McAllen

• Undergraduatedegree from UTPA

• Ph.D. from NewYork University

• Seventh presidentin UTPA history

• UTPA presidentsince 1981

Today’s Weather

SunnyHigh: 96 Low: 74

The Houston Texansreleased 10 playersMonday in an effort toreduce the roster to 53players in time for theirseason opener against theMiami Dolphins on Sept.7. However, one of thoseplayers was not linebackerAntonio Rodríguez.

Rodríguez is one of agrowing number of Latinosin the NFL that is not onlypursuing a lifelong dreamof playing professionalAmerican-style football,but serving as a role modelfor young Latinoseverywhere. He’s the firstdefensive player from aMexican university toarrive in the NFL to playlinebacker.

El Toro, as Rodríguez isoften called, has had awhirlwind year in pursuitof his dream of playing inthe NFL. The 235-poundlinebacker started hisjourney at the end of the2002 season with theBorregosSalvajes ofMonterreyTech (‘ElTec’), wherehis team wonits secondstraightnational title.Then hecrossed theAtlanticOcean to playthe 2003season for theBarcelonaDragons ofthe NFL’sEuropeanLeague. Aftera return triphome toHouston attheconclusion ofthe NFLEuropeseason,Rodríguezwas invitedto the Texanstraining camp.

“Its alwaysbeen my dream to play inthe NFL,” Rodríguez said.“I’ve received a lot ofsupport from México and

Monterrey. TheTecnológico (MonterreyTech) helped me a lot. If itweren’t for theTecnológico, I think that Imight not be here.”

The 6-foot-1 linebackergot his chance this pastsummer under Texans headcoach Dom Capers.Rodríguez has mainly seenaction on special teams in

the preseason.He got some playing

time in Houston’s 20-12loss to Denver on Aug. 9and the Texans’ devastating

loss to state rival Dallas,34-6, on Aug. 15.Rodríguez didn’t see anyaction in Houston’s most

recent game, an Aug. 23loss to the San DiegoChargers, 19-17. However,he may see someadditional action in thistonight’s final preseasongame against the defendingSuper Bowl championTampa Bay Buccaneerssince the coaches want tolimit the chances of anyinjuries to its starters

before theregular seasonbegins.

“Thecompetition hasbeen verytough and attimes I’ve felta little slow,”Rodríguezcommented onthe trainingcampcompetition. “Ifeel that I’m astep away fromthat level

(where I want to be at).I’m here and I’m going totake advantage ofeverything. If I don’t makeit this season, then I know

I will (make it)next season. I’malmost sure that Iwill be in theNFL.”

It is speculatedthat the formerDragon may get anopportunity to staywith the Texans ontheir practicesquad. If he joinsthe team, he will bepart of a groupwhich could betterits 4-win inauguralseason.

“The team hasimproved a lot,”Rodríguezcommented. “I wassurprised.”

The linebacker’swork ethic and rawdetermination havehelped him come along way in thepast year. He hasalso managed totackle several oflife’s obstacles onthe road to his shotat playing in the

NFL.One of the first obstacles

in Rodríguez’ way was thelanguage barrier that kept

him from playingorganized football when hewas younger. He finallygot the chance to play atElsik High School inHouston where he hasn’tstopped since.

“I like challenges,” the235-pound Rodríguez said.“I have more fun that way.It gives me moremotivation.”

After a few years,Rodríguez returned toMonterrey and enrolled inMonterrey Tech where he

majored in internationalcommerce and playedunder the tutelage oflegendary Mexican coachFrank González. UnderGonzález’ leadership,Monterrey Tech won six ofits 10 nationalchampionships. Gonzálezwas assisting at thePhiladelphia Eagles’training camp this season.

Rodríguez helped theBorregos Salvajes win the2001 and 2002championships. Both titles

were especially sweet sincethey were againstMonterrey Tech’s archrival,Auténticos Tigres of theAutonomous University ofNuevo León (U.A.N.L.). In2001, El Tec defeatedTigres, 20-12. In 2002,Monterrey Tech crushedtheir archrival 34-7.

Shortly after MonterreyTech’s title victory, theElsik High School standouttried out for the BarcelonaDragons in Monterrey, and

■ Volleyball . . . . . . . . . . .15

■ Roadrunners . . . . . . . .14

■ Sports Clipboard . . . . .13

PAGE 16

SPORTS

Antonio “El Toro” Rodriguez in action at the linebacker position during Texans training camp.

By ED CHRNKOThe Pan American

Rodriguez living adream with Texans

Its always beenmy dream to

play in the NFL.I’ve received alot of supportfrom Mexico.

““

- Antonio Rodriguez, Houston Texanslinebacker

Antonio Rodriguez hopes to make the final cut.



See RODRIGUEZ page 15

Documents

August 28, 2003