maintains that community awareness level at which one is proocient. But the average class time would Unconventional classes provide students with new views on old topics. A different education || Follow Joey Garza || UTPA student By Kristen Cabrera T P AAAA Extended contract for baseball coach Mantrana maintains that community awareness and cooperation with UTPA PD is key to addressing these. maintains that community awareness and cooperation with UTPA PD is key to addressing these.
8
CHECK THE WEB A different education || Unconventional classes provide students with new views on old topics. Bronc Abroad Follow Joey Garza || UTPA student documents his travels in Florence, Italy while participating in student abroad program. Home run! Extended contract for baseball coach Mantrana The Controversial HB 750 known as the “Guns on Campus” bill, which passed in the Texas Senate in May, halted on the House floor Tuesday. It had been piggy-backing on another bill that was of fiscal interest but the Texas Constitution bars any bill from taking up two different subjects, so it was sent back to the Senate to have the section on the licensed firearms removed. UTPA President Robert Nelsen, who like the rest of the UT System presidents has been adamant about keeping guns off campus grounds, was relieved with the decision. “We at the University are very pleased and relieved that the concealed weapons bill did not become law,” Nelsen said. “The University is a safer place, and we will continue to oppose the bill if it should happen to appear again, in the special session or in the 83rd Legislative session two years from now.” Not everyone felt this way. Communication Studies lecturer Elizabeth Garcia said she hopes people will be better informed when the bill is re-introduced into legislation in the future. However, she is aware of the fears of those opposed to it. “I’d say that’s understandable considering some of the rumors surrounding the bill,” she said. “I’ve heard concerns that anyone would be allowed to carry on campus or that boasting and brandishing (showing your weapon, usually as a threat) would go unpunished.” Garcia dismissed the rumors citing that only the CHL (concealed handgun licensee) would be allowed to bring a handgun on campus and they are hemmed in by strict codes of conduct, or face arrest. “Threats and brandishing would remain illegal as ever since a concealed weapon is meant to be just that, concealed and discreet,” she said. “Ideally, no one would ever know a licensed student had a weapon unless he or she had no other option to defend her or his self. And of course, in no way would this bill grant leniency to anyone unlicensed bringing a weapon to campus.” Chief Roger Stearns of the UTPA Police Department said the main focus should be safety. “My number one concern whenever and wherever there is a weapon present, is the proper safe handling and security of the weapon by the person carrying it,” he said. Though the main reason most are in favor of the bill is for protection purposes in the event of an active shooter situation, George Rice, sophomore political science major, thinks it would make the situation worse. “It would put you more at risk,” he said. “Going into the mind-set, everyone thinks they are going to have a Rambo moment. Like if the situation ever arises they are going to rise to the occasion and be the hero. That’s not going to happen, you always fall back on your baseline training.” e training Rice refers to is that level at which one is proficient. But the average class time would not make anyone proficient in the handlings of handguns, he said. “CHL is a 10-hour class,” Rice said. “You are not going to become a proficient anything with only 10 hours of training. The only reason I am proficient with firearms is because I have had eight years of extremely extensive training. And not just training, actual practical real life application in it as well.” When the Senate passed the bill May 10 Nelsen remained adamant about the potential dangers it posed to anyone at the University. Stearns understands these concerns and maintains that community awareness and cooperation with UTPA PD is key to addressing these. “We will continue to pursue increased community participation in the Shots Fired safety video we host on our website,” he promised. “e safety video and Bronc Alerts are critical resources to a community response for this type of incident. I also encourage the community to frequently visit the UTPA Police website, and follow us on Facebook or Twitter. We will post any additional information related to CHL (concealed handgun licensee) through these resources.” Still the debate on whether the University would be more or less safe with guns around is not a debate for Garcia; for her it would give extra security. “God forbid what would happen if an assailant came here ignoring the nationwide ban on murder and mayhem while one of our own obeyed a law that kept their best chance at survival locked in a drawer,” she said. Stearns understands her concerns but said the UTPA PD is doing its best to make sure everyone is safe on campus. “The concern is a valid one,” he answered. “We have significantly increased the training our officers receive to respond to an active shooter incident. We have also coordinated an Active Shooter Drill on campus, equipped and trained our officers with the use of patrol rifles, and pursued advanced scenario training specific to this type of incident.” WWW.PANAMERICANONLINE.COM Volume 67, No. 28 June 2, 2011 By Kristen Cabrera The Pan American Reynaldo Leal/THE PAN AMERICAN LOADED ISSUE - The “Guns on Campus” bill was passed by the Texas Senate May 10 but sent back by the House on Tuesday due to a state constitution technicality. The Texas Senate now has 11 days to reconstruct the bill before the end of the legislative session. “Guns on Campus” bill passes in Senate but halts in Texas House GUN BILL SHOT DOWN
Transcript
CHECK THE WEBA different education || Unconventional classes provide students with new views on old topics.
Bronc AbroadFollow Joey Garza || UTPA student documents his travels in Florence, Italy while participating in student abroad program.
Home run!
Extended contract for baseball coach Mantrana
The Controversial HB 750 known as the “Guns on Campus” bill, which passed in the Texas Senate in May, halted on the House floor Tuesday. It had been piggy-backing on another bill that was of fiscal interest but the Texas Constitution bars any bill from taking up two different subjects, so it was sent back to the Senate to have the section on the licensed firearms removed.
UTPA President Robert Nelsen, who like the rest of the UT System presidents has been adamant about keeping guns off campus grounds, was relieved with the decision.
“We at the University are very pleased and relieved that the concealed weapons bill did not become law,” Nelsen said. “The University is a safer place, and we will continue to oppose the bill if it should happen to appear again, in the special session or in the 83rd Legislative session two years from now.”
Not everyone felt this way. Communication Studies lecturer Elizabeth Garcia said she hopes people will be better informed when the bill is re-introduced into legislation in the future. However, she is aware of the fears of those opposed to it.
“I’d say that’s understandable considering some of the rumors surrounding the bill,” she said. “I’ve heard concerns that anyone would be allowed to carry on campus or that boasting and brandishing (showing your weapon, usually as a threat) would go unpunished.”
Garcia dismissed the rumors citing that only the CHL (concealed handgun licensee) would be allowed to bring a handgun on campus and they are hemmed in by strict codes of conduct, or face arrest.
“Threats and brandishing would remain illegal as ever since a
concealed weapon is meant to be just that, concealed and discreet,” she said. “Ideally, no one would ever know a licensed student had a weapon unless he or she had no other option to defend her or his self. And of course, in no way would this bill grant leniency to anyone unlicensed bringing a weapon to campus.”
Chief Roger Stearns of the UTPA Police Department said the main focus should be safety.
“My number one concern whenever and wherever there is a weapon present, is the proper safe handling and security of the weapon by the person carrying it,” he said.
Though the main reason most are in favor of the bill is for protection purposes in the event of an active shooter situation, George Rice, sophomore political science major, thinks it would make the situation worse.
“It would put you more at risk,” he said. “Going into the mind-set, everyone thinks they are going to have a Rambo moment. Like if the situation ever arises they are going to rise to the occasion and be the hero. That’s not going to happen, you always fall back on your baseline training.”
� e training Rice refers to is that level at which one is pro� cient. But the average class time would
not make anyone pro� cient in the handlings of handguns, he said.
“CHL is a 10-hour class,” Rice said. “You are not going to become a proficient anything with only 10 hours of training. The only reason I am proficient with firearms is because I have had eight years of extremely extensive training. And not just training, actual practical real life application in it as well.”
When the Senate passed the bill May 10 Nelsen remained adamant about the potential dangers it posed to anyone at the University. Stearns understands these concerns and
maintains that community awareness and cooperation with UTPA PD is key to addressing these.
“We will continue to pursue increased community participation in the Shots Fired safety video we host on our website,” he promised. “� e safety video and Bronc Alerts are critical resources to a community response for this type of incident. I also encourage the community to frequently visit the UTPA Police website, and follow us on Facebook or Twitter. We will post any additional information related to CHL (concealed handgun licensee) through these resources.”
Still the debate on whether the University would be more or less safe with guns around is not a debate for Garcia; for her it would give extra security.
“God forbid what would happen
if an assailant came here ignoring the nationwide ban on murder and mayhem while one of our own obeyed a law that kept their best chance at survival locked in a drawer,” she said.
Stearns understands her concerns but said the UTPA PD is doing its best to make sure everyone is safe on campus.
“The concern is a valid one,” he answered. “We have significantly increased the training our officers receive to respond to an active shooter incident. We have also coordinated an Active Shooter Drill on campus, equipped and trained our officers with the use of patrol rifles, and pursued advanced scenario training specific to this type of incident.”
WWW.PANAMERICANONLINE.COMVolume 67, No. 28 June 2, 2011
By Kristen CabreraThe Pan American
Reynaldo Leal/THE PAN AMERICAN
LOADED ISSUE - The “Guns on Campus” bill was passed by the Texas Senate May 10 but sent back by the House on Tuesday due to a state constitution technicality. The Texas Senate now has 11 days to reconstruct the bill before the end of the legislative session.
“Guns on Campus” bill passes in Senate but halts
in Texas House
GUN BILL SHOT DOWN
maintains that community awareness and cooperation with UTPA PD is key to addressing these.
Bronc Abroad
� e training Rice refers to is that level at which one is pro� cient. But the average class time would
maintains that community awareness level at which one is pro� cient. But the average class time would
maintains that community awareness and cooperation with UTPA PD is key to addressing these.
June 2, 20112
The Pan American accepts letters of 300 words or less from students, staff and faculty regarding recent newspaper content, campus concerns or current events. We reserves the right to edit submissions for grammar and length. We cannot publish anonymous letters or submissions containing hate speech or gratuitous personal attacks. Please send all story ideas to [email protected].
Individuals with disabilities wishing to acquire this publication in an alternative format or needing assistance to attend any event listed can contact The Pan American for more details.
The Pan American is the offi cial student newspaper of The University of Texas-Pan American. Views presented are those of the writers and do not necessarily refl ect those of the paper or university.
Letters to the Editor
Delivery:Thursday at noon
1201 West University, CAS 170 Edinburg, Texas 78539Phone: (956) 381-2541
“Is that in California?”“No, the Rio Grande Valley. It’s
the very southern tip of Texas, on the border.”
I’ve had this conversation or some variation of it many, many times with a great number of very bewildered people since I made the decision a year ago to attend UTPA. That choice then led to the
decision I made at age 18 shortly after graduating high school in the Houston ‘burbs. Knowing a grand total of one person well in the entire bottom third of Texas (known eloquently to the rest of Texas as “pretty much Mexico”). Last year I found a room on Craigslist, transferred my minimum wage job, and moved to McAllen for the summer to get to know my new home.
Here is what I got to know about the RGV. It’s weird. It just is. � ree di� erent but related languages are spoken in varying degrees by everyone. It has odd phrases I’ve never heard before (Why would you “get o� ” a car? Am I riding on the roof?).
At one time or another, I have been yelled at for, respectively, not speaking enough Spanish, not speaking the right brand of Spanish, not speaking enough English, or not knowing a Valley catechism (� e � rst time someone made that “Eahhh!” sound and opened their
mouth and stuck out their tongue, I assumed, like a logical person, that they had to vomit and they felt like doing it in my direction. Nah! � at’s just Valley for “Este guy thinks she’s funny!”)
It’s a place where people still use their blinkers. � is is weird. Houston collectively decided a long time ago that turn signals were useless. Also, for some reason, going the speed limit or above is just taboo. Speeding? What are you? A northerner with a place to be? Spshhhhh. It’s a place that’s hard to get around if you’re new. I think most of the street signs are secretly hidden and only become visible when you answer some Valley-related riddle (Who is on San Benito’s water tower? I don’t know! Is this Mile 2 ½ West or not?). I had to learn what “Winter Texan,” “nombre,” and “colored eyes” meant.
And oh man, is the Valley weird. People smile all the way up to their eyes. People are genuinely nice just
because… they are. Family is both a far-reaching concept and a tight-knit unit. Hard work and education are seen as valuable assets. When I meet other people that aren’t from here, we exchange horror stories and poke a little bit of fun at the area. (“I know! I got lost once too because I didn’t know what Old 83 meant either!”).
But after the ribbing, out comes the sentiment. From young city-slickers around UTPA comes the surprised, “people are chill here.” One professor con� ded that the Valley reminded him of his home country, a place that is not the wealthiest by far, but makes up for it with its strong sense of community, resilience, and determination. From a Valley author comes the comment, “It’s pure magic here.”
Yeah the place is weird. Maybe that’s why I miss it after a week away. Shhhh, don’t let too many people know I like it, though. � ey might take down more street signs just to confuse me.
The Valley is weird
Erick Gonzalez/THE PAN AMERICAN
Karen Antonacci News Editor
Commentary
Given the ongoing budget crunch and its e� ect on multiple areas of high-er education, Magdalena Hinojosa, as-sociate VP and dean of admissions and enrollment services, could foresee the impact on this year’s summer enroll-ment.
“Early on, we could see that some courses would not be available and that this might have a negative impact,” she said. “But we worked very closely with our division and the Division of Aca-demic A� airs to make sure the Presi-dent’s Cabinet was very much aware of the situation and what would happen.”
Every � ursday afternoon Hinojosa and Havidan Rodriguez, the provost and VP for academic a� airs, has met with Sr. Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies Ana Rodriguez and others to discuss the proposed schedule for the summer. � e group looks at enrollment and areas of improvement such as which classes to of-fer and how many.
“Even through the recent budget sit-uation, higher administration on campus has really made sure to do everything we can to o� er classes to students,” Hinojosa said. “I can’t say I can really see a negative impact at this point except maybe on the � nancial side for students.”
For summer I the enrollment stands at 9,925 and for summer II at 7,193. � e � gures represent a projected drop from the number last summer, but there are mitigating factors involved.
LAST YEAR vs. THIS YEAR� e non duplicated count in the
combined summer sessions last year was 11,856 compared to 2009 at 10,428, or a 13.7 percent increase. A nonduplicat-
ed count means students who attended summer I and II were only counted once.
As of right now numbers for this year’s summer enrollment are subject to change because the census date, al-so known as the last class date to drop is June 9. � e payment deadline for sum-mer I is today and July 6 for summer II; many students have not been dropped from their classes as of yet, Hinojosa said.
“And this year’s numbers are not unduplicated,” Hinojosa said. “So if you are enrolled in summer I and sum-mer II, we have counted you twice.”
REASONS FOR CHANGE� e university saw an in� ux of stu-
dents during last year’s summer sessions mainly due to two reasons. � e � rst was a Pell grant extension speci� cally for stu-dents to use in attaining summer hours. Last summer, Pell grants were available for a second scheduled award after the � rst award for the fall and spring semes-ter had been exhausted.
“� is made a huge di� erence be-cause students who normally use up their grant in the fall or spring usually don’t come to summer school,” Hinojosa said. “� ey just don’t have the funds to do so.”
� e added funding for students was short-lived however; this year because of the budget woes Pell grant money will be reduced to its original sum. � is, of course, depends on the applicant’s added income, Executive Director for Student Financial Services Elaine Rivera said. For summer a student could receive up to $1,388 for six hours of enrollment or up to $2,775 for 12 hours, again depending on a student’s current Pell eligibility.
“Because of the budget situation at the federal level, they’ve done away with the additional Pell Grant money,” Hino-josa said. “So we basically had it for two
years and that’ll be it.” � is will be the last summer session
where students will receive the extra help.According to Rivera, Pell notices
for this summer were only sent out two weeks ago. New requirements consist-ed of a student completing the required 24 hours during fall and spring semes-ters so that they can qualify for the grant this summer. Another possibility for stu-dents to acquire the grant is ful� lling that requirement after this summer’s � rst ses-sion.
“So far this year, it looks like the ma-jority of students will be able to quali-fy for the grant again this summer,” she said.
In comparison to last summer ses-sion I, the same number of students will qualify this summer’s � rst session, amounting to a total of 5,000 getting a total of $5 million. With the current ad-ditional requirements (24-hour rule) last
year’s number might have been a little less, Rivera said.
Another reason for the increase of students last summer is due to the num-ber of GEAR UP students taking con-current enrollment classes, which allow students to enroll in University courses and receive college credit before graduat-ing from high school.
“GEAR UP is funded through the U.S. Department of Education and works with a cohort of students begin-ning in the 7th grade,” said Cynthia Val-dez, assistant director for GEAR UP, “and culminating with high school grad-uation and enrollment in a post second-ary institution.”
Combined, the University and Re-gion One GEAR UP grants are the larg-est in country, providing college access and support services to approximately 50 high schools across the Rio Grande Val-ley and Laredo, according to Valdez. � e
award for both grants is close to $80 mil-lion and works with nearly 20,000 stu-dents for six years.
In total, because of the GEAR UP program there were 300 additional stu-dents enrolled last summer.
“So we knew that this summer,” Hi-nojosa said. “We did not expect to see any increases in enrollment. In fact we expect-ed to be � at or even a little bit lower.”
Reasons for the projected � at rate this year can be due to the fact that the aforementioned GEAR UP students are now entering freshmen, and summer hours were up in the air, Hinojosa con-tinued.
� is year’s numbers are subject to change, however. Despite the decrease in numbers, Hinojosa doesn’t doubt the quality of classes o� ered in the summer.
“� e schedule is very conducive to what our expectations were for this sum-mer,” she continued.
La Universidad de Texas-Pan Americana y la Fundación de Exx-on Mobil contribuyer-on con la realización de un campamento de ve-rano de ciencia donde varios estudiantes disfru-taron la oportunidad de vivir una experiencia in-olvidable al conocer un poco más sobre la cien-cia, tecnología, ingeniería y la matemática (STEM) que para muchos de ellos cambio la manera de ver su futuro.
Uno de los 48 afortunados alum-nos de secundaria en el 2009 fue Ania Ruiz que obtuvo la oportunidad de participar en el campamento de Ve-rano de Ciencia que fue patrocinado por ExxonMobil.
Ruiz, ahora estudiante del onceavo grado de preparatoria manifestó que ella nunca antes había estado interesada en el área de la ciencia o la matemática y que gracias a esta experiencia con los experi-mentos prácticos y cientí� cos en los cu-ales ella pudo participar despertó un in-terés en estas dos áreas de conocimiento en la que ella pensaba que eran aburridas.
Este es el tercer año donde el astro-nauta veterano el Bernard Harris y la Fundación Exxon Mobil se han asocia-do con UTPA para la contribución y apoyo a la realización de este campamen-
to donde animan a los estudiantes a to-mar un interés activo en las carreras en los campos de las ciencias y de las matemáti-cas. Desde 2006, más de 5.500 estudi-antes de todo el país han participado en este campamento.
Este campamento de la ciencia toma lugar cada año y para poder participar es-tudiantes elegibles deben de estar por co-menzar sexto, séptimo u octavo grado en el otoño de 2011, tienen que adquirir y pre-
sentar recomendaciones de sus profesores en los campos de ciencias y matemáti-cas como también escribir un ensayo de 250 palabras. Además, estos estudiantes necesitan haber obtenido una puntuación promedia en todas la pruebas realizadas en las áreas de ciencias y matemáticas como también un promedio de B o mejor en to-das las clases en estas dos áreas menciona-das anteriormente.
Los estudiantes que participan en este
campamento habitan en los dormitorios estudiantiles de la escuela por 2 semanas gozando de la experiencia universitaria y tienen la oportunidad de visitar el Lab-oratorio de Estudios Costeros de UT-PA en la Isla del Padre, como también � e Sea Turtle Inc.
También se complacen con la expe-riencia de una serie de actividades con los cohetes como la construcción de un perro-robot construido con piezas de Lego etc.
Por medio de actividades como esta es importante dar a conocer a cada estudi-ante de lo que es capaz de hacer o apre-nder. Como también es importante con-tribuir a la realización de más actividades que ayudan al fortalecimiento del cono-cimiento de cada uno de los estudiantes como lo somos nosotros.
June 2, 2011 3
Utpa y la Fundación de Exxon Mobil
SUMMER ENROLLMENT IN FLUX
By Alejandra RomanThe Pan American
By Roxann GarciaThe Pan American
Fundación brinda oportunidad de vivir un verano de conocimiento a estudiantes de UTPA.
Initial projections suggest number will be down from 2010
Graphic by Monica Garza/THE PAN AMERICAN
Si están interesados sobre el campa-mento de verano de la Ciencia de Exxon
Mobil Bernard comuníquense al 665-2659 para más información.
THE PAN AMERICANTHE PAN AMERICAN June 2, 2011 June 2, 2011 Page 5Page 4
THE PAN AMERICANTHE PAN AMERICAN June 2, 2011 June 2, 2011 Page 5Page 4
June 2, 20116
P.A.S.S Auditions � ere was a hush over the
Communication Arts and Sciences Building at the University; a crowd of people whispered over their lines, waiting to audition for the two Summer Stock productions last � ursday.
Selina Alvarado, a 24-year-old beauty consultant, sat in a corner away from the rest, reciting her lines with concentration.
“� is is my third time auditioning, my � rst play was ‘Man of La Mancha,’ it was everything that I expected,” said the Edinburg native, “It’s always been my dream, I’ve had experience, not at a collegiate level though, I had never
auditioned for Pan Am. ‘Man of La Mancha’ was my � rst audition.”
Alvarado looked over the two scripts she was working with, one was for the � rst production, “Top Girls,” and the second was “To Kill a Mockingbird.” � ese plays were chosen by directors Cynthia Santos and Richard Edmonson for the Summer Stock shows.
“It’s Pan American Summer Stock and the acronym is PASS, they’ve been doing it for about 40 years now,” said Edmonson, a theatre graduate student from UTPA. “Unfortunately for cutbacks they only do it every other summer; they do a � lm and television one called PAST and then they do PASS which is the theater one, so it alternates
every other summer.”Edmonson’s production of “To Kill
a Mockingbird” will be performed July 7-10; he explains why he chose this play.
“I chose ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ because I love the show, it’s so moving, it’s one of the most amazing shows I think because it totally speaks about things that are relevant in our society.” Edmonson said, “Especially today because it talks about accepting people for who they are and getting to know them, rather than being afraid of your neighbor or being full of judgment towards your neighbor, so I think in that way it’s really powerful.” � is is Edmonson’s fourth production but � rst here at the University, and he acknowledges the limited time he has to
put the show together and how that might be a factor.
“� is summer we’re doing two shows, we only have � ve weeks to get everything up and running, it’s a challenge, it’s always a challenge,” said Edmonson, who is originally from Seattle. “But in theater it’s amazing, everybody works together and it comes together at the last minute, it’s kind of miraculous. Everybody knows that they got to do this and the show must go on.”
Alvarado appreciates the message each show represents and is hoping to get cast in “Top Girls” the most.
“’To Kill a Mockingbird,’ is classic but ‘Top Girls’ is speaking to me, it’s about a woman named Marleen, a career woman who has a dream
or something about these historical characters coming over for dinner,” Alvarado said, “� ey all represent di� erent aspects of her life and are small re� ections of decisions that she’s made.”
“Top Girls” will be the � rst show of the two PASS productions, performed June 30-July 3.
Alvarado looked over her script once more and as she did this she explained her theories on getting cast in a show, and the magic she herself sees in theatre.
“� ere are so many variables in getting into a play, your work ethic, what the director is looking for,” Alvarado said. “And when you and the director have the same vision for the part, that’s when it’s magical.”
By Dimitra HernandezThe Pan American
Biennial theatre program kicks off 40th year
June 2, 20116
Even if our shirts weren’t drenched in sweat after every walk through any given parking lot, it’d be pretty evident that summer has arrived in the RGV. � e same Schlitterbahn commer-cial that’s run since the mid-nineties with the little girl pouring water into her kiddy pool has
begun its seasonal run on daytime TV. Raspa stands become suddenly extremely visible. Roadtripping be-comes almost a necessity.
Yet, for students taking summer classes, the season becomes a series of events that � t within the weekends, evenings and that small window between Summer I and II. For them, � e Pan American has assembled a list of events and activities around the Valley that will ensure this summer isn’t just a sweaty, academic one.
DESKS AND SUMMER FUN
MUSIC:
� e All Stars Tour, Feat: Norma Jean, � e Chariot, Emmure, Alesana, Blessthefall. - July 22, Las Palmas Racepark in Mission Tx.
Twin Sisters and Dignan - June 7, Cine El Rey in Mcallen
Willie Nelson’s Country � rowdown Tour, Feat: Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Lee Brice - June 30, Las Palmas Racepark in Mission Tx.
FILM, THEATRE & ART:
Global Lens Film Series: “Leo’s Room” - Student Union � eater 7 p.m. � ursday, June 9
Pan American Summer Stock: - To Kill a Mocking Bird – July 7-10th - Top Girls – June 30 – July 3 - Je� ers � eater
� irteen O’clock � eatre Presents: Comedy Wars – Improvisational Comedy - June 11, 2011 at Edinburg High School Fine Arts Center - July 16, 2011 at TBA
Exhibits at IMAS: Ron English:
- You Are Not Here - Running through Aug. 14- Arte de la Frontera -Running through Sept. - Maria Linzoain: An Artist’s Life -Running through Aug. 7 2011
FOR THE KIDS:
Ballet Workshop: Rio Grande Valley Ballet presents a free workshop for dancers 10 years and older. - 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, June 6, through Friday, June 17 in Deborah Case Dance Academy, 5240 N. 10th St., McAllen
2011 Wellness and Recreational Sports Com-plex Summer Youth Camp
Four TWO week sessions (Monday-Friday) - Session I June 6-June 17, 2011 - Session II June 20-July 1, 2011 - Session III July 5-July 15, 2011 - Session IV July 18-July 29, 2011
4
By Benny SalinasThe Pan American
By the time University of Texas-Pan American Broncs head baseball coach Manny Mantrana was done chatting with all of his players, more than three hours had passed.
Mantrana and a member of the coaching sta� sat down with each player individually for about 10 minutes, but the contents of the post-season meeting go far beyond any occurrences on the diamond.
“We go over things on how they’re doing with their studies, and review everything going on in their lives in these individual meetings,” Mantrana said. “We want to see where the players are at right now.”
� is debrie� ng process, however, took place sooner than Mantrana had expected.
A 6-5 loss against the Houston Baptist University Huskies last Tuesday, followed by a 7-5 defeat to the University of Northern Colorado Bears the next day, meant an early exit for the sixth-seeded Broncs from the Great West Conference tournament at Kraft Field in Grand Forks, N.D.
More frustrating for the Broncs
was the way these losses took place.UTPA pushed two runs in the top
of the ninth to tie the game at 5 against the Huskies, but lost it in walk-o� fashion. Pan Am had a similar late-game surge against the Bears. Down 7-2 in the ninth, the Broncs scored three runs and had the bases loaded with only one out, but would not salvage the win.
UTPA improved slightly in conference play from last year, posting a 10-19 record, but could not match last year’s two-win GWC tournament at Edinburg Baseball Stadium.
“Give the guys a lot of credit. We made a good run,” Mantrana said. “� e expectations for us are bringing conference championships to the Valley. We didn’t bring the trophy and until we do, we’re going to keep working hard.”
With a three-year contract extension given to him last Tuesday, Mantrana will surely do just that. His philosophy on education and community involvement played a role in his new contract, which expires after the 2014 season.
“We’ve improved every year – in the classroom and the relationship with
the Valley - we had 17 players make above a 3.0 (GPA),” Mantrana said. “We tell our players that being part of a program is a right, not a privilege. Being with the program means getting involved with kids and giving back to the community we are part of.”
Under the third-year coach, UTPA achieved its � rst winning record at home since 2007 with a 15-8 mark, but the program � nished its 11th straight losing season with a 21-31 overall record.
� e team’s best spell was in early April when it scored 10 or more runs in seven of eight straight wins. But after that, they failed to bring in more than six runs in a seven-game losing skid.
It was indeed a microcosm of UTPA’s rollercoaster season that began with a 5-0 record until a six-game losing skid halted the once promising start. Toward the end there were 11 straight losses.
“We had a lot of ups and downs and what you want to do is be steady, but sometimes we play well, sometimes not so well,” Mantrana said.
He learned two things after the talk with each player. One is that
academically, they’re well o� . � e other, is that with key
returning players like catcher Mike McCarthy and in� elder Angel Ibanez, he believes next year’s team will be the
best team he has had here. “� ere’s no doubt. � e recruiting
class is amazing. � e goal is that you � eld a better team than the year before, and that’s what we’re striving for,” he said.
June 2, 2011 7
� e University of Texas-Pan American sent two athletes to the 2011 NCAA West Preliminary Round of the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., last weekend. Jameson Strachan and Melinda Sarmiento were the only athletes to qualify for the preliminaries since 2009.
Senior sprinter Strachan competed in the 400-meter dash and clocked a time of 47.64, or .27 seconds away from qualifying for the semi-� nals. Earlier this year, Strachan set the UTPA school record with a time of 46.60 seconds at the Bobcat Invitational in San Marcos. He also won the GWC title with a time of 47.79 and took gold at the GWC championships in the 200 meters as well. Strachan’s career as a Bronc is now over and was always proud to wear UTPA across his chest.
“Basically I took it one step at a time. Every race was an obstacle and I was able to overcome every one,” the Bahamas native said. “I would say getting to this point was a career achievement for me, along with gaining my degree of course. It was nice to � nish my career here at UTPA on top.”
Even though Strachan’s career for the Broncs may be over, he will be traveling back to his native home, the Bahamas, to try to earn a spot on his national team. � e Open Nationals will take place on June 24-26 in the Bahamas
and he believes he has a real good chance at qualifying to compete in the World Championships in Korea in August.
“I felt that my performance at the NCAA Prelims was not my best. I was not proud of my time that I ran it in, I know I can do better, Strachan said. “I’ve proven I can do better. But my career still isn’t over. I think there is a great chance that I can qualify for my world team that will hold a meet June 26. If I do make the team we will be competing in Korea later this summer.”
Sarmiento also ended her career at UTPA with representation in the prelims and posted a high jump of 1.65 (5 feet 4 inches), which was not enough for her to advance to the � nals.
The Progreso HS alum didn’t get her best jump this weekend, but her improvement throughout this year was an accomplishment in itself. Sarmiento evolved from not knowing much about the sport or even having knowledge of what it took to be a true track and field athlete, but she departs from the
University with a masterful work ethic that won over her coaches.
Assistant track coach Xavier Richardson explained just how unique of an athlete Sarmiento was during her time at UTPA.
“I came in her junior year, and she was the hardest worker out there.
You didn’t have to keep watching her to make sure she did what she’s supposed to do,” he said. “During practice she works hard and takes care of business. “� is year she has jumped much higher than the past years and we can attribute that to her hard work, dedication, and diligence. At times she’s looking up, literally, at her competition and she has mastered that mentality of not being intimidated.
She loves what she does and is very passionate and focused.”
� e UTPA track and � eld season ended in Oregon, but will have high expectations heading into next season. � e Broncs will have a few months o� before getting back on the saddle in preparation for next year’s season.
Strachan and Sarmiento competed over weekend in Oregon
Broncs’ early GWC baseball tourney exit fuels future goals
By Michael SaenzThe Pan American
By Alejandro PenaThe Pan American
Reynaldo Leal/THE PAN AMERICAN
WORLD CLASS - Jameson Strachan holds the school record for the 400-meter dash and will try to qualify for the 2011 World Championships.
UTPA represents well at NCAA Prelims
Jameson StrachanSenior sprinter
“I would say getting to
this point was a career
achievement for me, along
with gaining my degree of
course. It was nice to finish
my career here at UTPA on
top.”
Top UTPA Performers 2010-2011
Player
Cody Plunk Jonathan Delgado Arnold Franco Andre Cordova
Player
Mike McCarthy Angel Ibanez Roger Bernal Vincent Mejia
