On Thursday, March 25, UTPAstudents are invited to be a part ofthe Celebration of a Legacyhonoring UTPA President Dr.Miguel Nevrez.

Festivities will commenceat 11:30 a.m. and end at 1:10p.m. during student activitytime at the quad outside theCOAS building.

This event willcommemorate advancementsthe university has achievedthrough the help, guidanceand desire of Nevrez. He isthe first Hispanic presidentthe university has everknown and the longest seatedHispanic of any four-yearuniversity or college.Nevrez has led thisinstitution through a mergerwith The University of TexasSystem and has overseen theaddition of several doctoralprograms in a 25-year career.

Dr. John A. Edwards, vicepresident for Enrollment andStudent Services, who isheading the Celebration of aLegacy festivities, said theassembly will be both joyfuland poignant.

What makes this a happyoccasion is that this man,that has contributed so muchto the university and SouthTexas, can finally enjoyhimself through non-universityrelated endeavors after so manyyears of service, said Edwards.

Nevrez has madeimprovements in the areas ofstudent enrollment, additionalacademic programs, facilities,school funding and countlessothers.

During his career, Nevrez hasbeen recognized by several Texasgovernors and U.S. presidents forhis contributions to education. Hehas been credited with helpingcreate a Hispanic middle class inSouth Texas and has continuallybeen named to Hispanic BusinessMagazines 100 Most InfluentialHispanics in America, severaltimes.

Nevrez has transformed thelives of Valley residents in apositive way by providingfamilies with hope for the futurethrough higher education. Manypeople in this area are not able tomove far away to pursueeducation; Nevrez and his staff

have made quality educationaccessible to all who live near andfar.

After more than 30 years ofservice to UTPA as a professor inthe education department,associate dean of men and vicepresident for Student andUniversity Affairs, Nevrezannounced he will be steppingdown as president in August2004.

Many faculty members havecontributed to making thiscelebration possible, and Nevrezsaid he is obliged by thisauspicious moment.

It is more gratifying andmeaningful when your co-workers honor you because you

have much appreciation andrespect of them. And, your fellowworkers are in the best position toknow the work you do, saidNevrez.

He has mixed emotions aboutthe celebration, but he put apositive spin on his feelings of

sadness. It [the

celebration] is ab i t t e r s w e e tfeeling. Theuniversity hasbeen my life andthat of my familyfor the last 33years, Nevarezsaid. It has beena very gratifyingexperience andI'll miss thestudents, facultyand staff thatwere part of thatexperience. Atthe same time, Ilook forward to anew set ofchallenges andspending moretime with thef a m i l y ,especially withour grandkids.

Students areinvited tocelebrate the endof an era, saygood-bye andperhaps thank

you to Nevrez at this event.Musical entertainment will beprovided by Roberto Pulido y LosClasicos of Edinburg. Free fajitatacos, nachos, ice cream and softdrinks will be provided. Leadersof student organizations willspeak at the event to recognizehow Nevrez tenure has affectedstudent life today. The UTPAAlumni Committee and theStudent Government Associationwill present gifts to the longtimepresident.

In addition to the studentcelebration, a faculty and staff,invitation-only gala will honorNevrez later today at 4 p.m.

It is a grand occasion, saidEdwards, and he deserves it.

THURSDAYMarch 18, 2004

An Inside Look:

n News ............................................3n A & E............................................7n 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 n

ElectionResults

See Page 3 fordetails

HEADLINES

By VANESSA CASTILLOThe Pan American

Celebration for Nevarez planned

In his first year as Hidalgo County Judge, RamonGarcia has felt firsthand the heat from the politicalkitchen, which has cooked up controversy from thosewho wish that Garcia would keep his day job and hanghis apron for good.

When asked how it feels being scrutinized by thecounty and the local media spotlight, Garcia simplystated, Im not into politics, I am into citizenparticipation and do not care for loyalty votes.

With eyebrows raised and in a sincere tone Garciawent on to say, I did not like the idea of gettingtogether in advance and making backdoor deals orworking things out and then announcing to the publicwhat is going to happen to them.

Since his State of County letter address recentlyseveral of Garcias fellow members of theCommissioners Court have accused him publicly ofblowing smoke, seeking publicity and wanting to takefull credit for the courts work.

Precinct 3 Commissioner Joe Flores questioned whyGarcia took it upon himself to not only distribute theState of the County letter but also write it without thehelp of the rest of the five-member Court.

Its not only Garcia who fights day in and day out forthe people of the countyits all of us as a group thatvote on issues, stated Flores.

Just what do people think of Garcia and his tyrant-likepersona that local media have been quick to construct?

When the public hears these divided lines spokenfreely within a group that is supposed to be working asone force for the people, it is hard not to have anopinion about those political players involved.

According to The Monitor, one anonymous attorneyvoted for Judge Ed Aparicio not because he hadanything personal against Eric Cadrenas Jarvis, but

rather because of thelatters connectionwith Garcia.

The attorneyrequested to remainanonymous, whichsuggests that Garciahas the ability tointimidate people intocomplete identityamnesia.

Garcia stated thatThe Monitor did notsay anything wrongabout him and that it

was the people who the paper interviewed instead. Judging from the framed article clippings which hang

in his office that headline various cases he has won inthe past from his private practice as an attorney, it

By VANESSA LUCIOThe Pan American

March Madness!!!

NCAA

Ends April 5

RAMON GARCIA

See GARCIA page 12

First years busyfor county judge

DR. MIGUEL A. NEVAREZ

The regular season is officially over andthe Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees aregetting prepared for the Ray MironPresidents Cup Playoffs. The Bees will befacing their division rival, the Laredo Bucksin the first round of the Central HockeyLeague postseason.

Killer Bees Head Coach Tracy Egelandbelieves the playoffs provide a different andexciting setting.

The atmosphere from the playoffs bringsout the best in players, and the intensitylevel naturally rises, Egeland said.

The players are also eagerly anticipatingthe postseason.

Were definitely excited about theplayoffs, said Killer Bees forward BillNewson.

Killer Bees defenseman Mike Rees isaware of the intensity that comes with beingin the postseason.

The playoffs is a whole different thingwhere everybodys level gets bumped up abit more, Rees said.

The CHL postseason process has threerounds. Four teams from each conferenceare seeded one through four based on their

points standing at the end of the season.The Killer Bees are the fourth-seeded

team and will have to travel to Laredo fortheir first two playoff games. This best-of-five series will begin on Friday, March 19.The first postseason game at the DodgeArena in Hidalgo will beon Saturday, March 27.

The Bees have onlywon four of their 13regular-season meetingsagainst the Bucks.However, the KillerBees appear to havemomentum on their side.They have a 2-1-1record Laredo sinceJanuary. RGV mostrecently defeated theBucks 3-2 in anovertime shootoutMarch 12.

Last week the Bees played three games inthree nights on the road to close out theseason. They won two of three and by doingso built momentum going into the playoffs.

You want to go into the playoffs playinggood hockey, Rees said. You dont wantto be getting any bad habits before goinginto the playoffs, thats for sure.

As the first postseason game approaches,having veterans on the team with playoffexperience will benefit the Killer Bees.

I think its very important [to haveveterans with postseason experience],Rees said. A lot of guys have been to the

finals before, and won somechampionships.

Egeland also understandsthe importance of havingveterans with playoffexperience.

I think there is somethingto be said both ways. Youdont want to put a lot ofemphasis on it, butespecially in this first roundagainst Laredo youre goingto have full rinks and a lot ofhype going along with it,Egeland said. I think itsgood to have some older

guys that have been there to calmeverybody else down.

The tremendous support the Killer Beeshave received, plus the achievement ofmaking the playoffs during their first year,are significant in Egelands mind as well.

Whether its your first year or your 10thyear youre goal is to make the playoffs and

win a championship, Egeland said. On Monday, the Killer Bees signed two

new players. Forward Matt Donskov andgoaltender Terry Dunbar were added to theteams postseason roster. Both players arecoming to the Bees after finishing theirhockey careers at the college level.

The CHL permits a maximum of twoamateur players to be added to a teamsplayoff roster. However, teams can onlydress 18 players for each game. Theaddition of Donskov and Dunbar upped theKiller Bees roster total to 20 players.

The University of Texas-PanAmerican Athletic Departmentexperienced the loss of anothercoach last week.

The mens and womens tennisprograms are currently in fullswing and in the middle of theirrespective seasons. Both squadswere to worrying about gettingwins for the program prior to theloss of Head Coach EduardoProvencio, but after his loss theirworries have been augmented.

Provencios last day as UTPAtennis head coach was March 5.Assistant Coach Kati Gyulai willtake command of the programs, buther title will remain the same.

UTPA Athletic Director BillWeidner confirmed to The PanAmerican that Provencio is nolonger with the department.

I can confirm to you thatEduardo Provencio has beenrelieved of his duties as the headmens and womens tennis coach atThe University of Texas-PanAmerican, Weidner said.

But Weidner would not commentas to the reason why Provencio wasrelieved of his duties.

In accordance with universityprotocol at this point in time Iwont release comment further on

personal matters, Weidner said.The mens tennis team, currently

6-4 on the season, is getting readyto begin Southland Conferenceplay and does not believe this willhold them back from attaining theirgoal of a conferencechampionship.

It wont hurt us from winningthe Southland, but it hurts usbecause we dont have a headcoach, Jeremy Salvo said. Thismeans that us as players have tostep up.

Salvo also believes that thetiming of the whole firing couldhave been better.

We feel its Weidners decisionand we have to go along with it,Salvo said. The timing was badbecause we are in the middle ofseason, but we understand thatthings happen we cant control.

Weidner met with both teams toinform them of the developmentand believes both squads have theirminds on tennis and are going toplay hard.

The student-athletes understandthe decision and also support thedecision and are ready to moveforward, Weidner said. The haverecommitted their efforts to finishthe season as strong as possible.

Weidner believes both teamshave their eyes set on playingtennis and competing strongly for

the remainder of the season.The men are still very

committed of attaining their goalof conference champions,Weidner said. The women wantto be the best they can be andfinish the season strongly.

Lone senior Alana Breenbelieves the women will becompetitive and gain experienceto have a tremendous season nextyear.

I still think we can finish theseason strong with some wins andwe can still come together as ateam, Breen said. We can stillhave a successful season withouthim [Provencio].

When Provencio was contactedto get his thoughts on the matterhe did not have a lot to commenton.

At this point in time I wouldprefer not say anything about it,Provencio said.

Weidner and the athleticdepartment are wasting no time intrying to find a replacement forProvencio.

We are beginning the processof conducting a national searchfor a head mens and womenstennis coach, Weidner said. Iam confident that we will find anindividual who will provideoutstanding leadership anddirection for years to come.

n Baseball. . . . . . . . . . . . 15

n Hoops. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

n Sports Clipboard . . . . . 13

PAGE 16

SPORTSTennis coach Provencio leaves UTPA

Photo by Delisa Guadarrama/The Pan AmericanJunior Ana Pea returns a shot at practice. The mens and womens tennisteams will have to survive the season without a head coach.

By MATT HALLThe Pan American

By JOEY HINOJOSAThe Pan American

Courtesy of CHL

RGV faces off against Laredo in playoffs

Killer Bees

Killer Bees vs. BucksGame 1 at Laredo, Friday, March 19 Game 2 at Laredo, Saturday, March 20 Game 3 at Rio Grande Valley, Saturday, March 27 Game 4* at Rio Grande Valley, Sunday, March 28Game 5* at Laredo, Tuesday, March 30*Note: If Necessary

vs.

First Round CHL Playoffs

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The PANAMERICAN isthe official studentnewspaper of TheUniversity ofTexas-PanAmerican. Views presentedare those of thewriters and do notnecessarily reflectthose of theuniversity.

The Pan Americangladly acceptsletters fromstudents, staff andfaculty regardingnewspaper contentor current issues.The Pan Americanreserves the rightto edit submissionsfor grammar andlength. Please limitsubmission lengthto 300 words. ThePan Americancannot publishanonymous letters,or submissionscontaining hatespeech orgratuitous personalattacks. Letters areprinted at thediscretion of theeditor and mustinclude the writersname, class/titleand phone number.

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March 18 2 0 0 4

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OPINION l e t t e r s n e d i t o r i a l s n c a r t o o n sPAGE 2

P o l i t i c a lcampaigns andads are alwaysnecessary to reachcitizens who cantfind time tofollow thecampaign trail. In2000, one of thefunnier campaignideas included aRalph Naderslogan saying,

Bush and Gore make me want to Ralph(Nader)!

A slight smile will break the stern look ofan average busy American. But reading oneslogan can change their view of apresidential candidate or even ignite aninterest in that candidate enough so that onemight want to find out what their platformstands for.

But a tactic stronger than humor hasarisen recently from the Bush campaign.Instead of illustrating the presidentspolicies or showing the strengths the nationhas seen since his arrival in office, the anglethe Bush campaign is taking is simple:Leadership.

Of course, every president has to have astrong sense of leadership. Having aposition that requires a person willing totake charge and make executive decisionshas to have leadership skills. So whats thecomplaint that has people talking overcoffee about a Bush campaign ad? Insteadof showing the leadership Bush hasdistinguished to have during his past threeyears in office, the focus is on the tragedyof 9/11.

Despite public calls from firefighters andrelatives of victims of the terrorist attackson New York City, the re-election campaignsaid this week that it is not consideringchanging the television commercials thatshow brief images of the wreckage of theWorld Trade Center and firefighterscarrying out a flag-draped victim.

After the ad aired last Thursday on cablenetworks, a group called SeptemberEleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows,as well as other victims' families, called onthe president to pull the ads immediately,saying they are outraged that the imageswould be used for political gain.

Though the problem does not seem to beBush talking about the eventsanypresident would have to acknowledge thatmassive event during his re-electioncampaignpeople are challenging the ideathat those images should be used forpolitical purposes.

Is it absolutely necessary to air televisionads like this on networks such as CNN toshow the leadership qualities of a presidenteight months before the election? Did theBush/Cheney campaign really have toremind the public that they were there whenthe 9/11 attacks occurred? Oh wait, Cheneywasnt there to show his leadership, butBush was.

True, he accomplished what anypresident in his position would have to do.He handled a situation where the nation wasin turmoil, and with the world watching hegraciously held his position and helped therevival of the nation. But he wasnt actingalone. There were hundreds of peopleincluding New York firefighters, NYPD,families and businesses who came together

to calm the country. Bush isnt trying totake credit for that, now is he?

America has seen footage after footage ofthe events that took place on Sept. 11. Whyis it thought to be tasteful to show therummage of New York and then havedifferent photos of Bush with the phrase,Steady leadership in times of change?

The ad is almost generic. You could placeformer New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani,who led the city through the aftermath ofthe attacks instead of Bush and it wouldhave the same concept. Though Giulianihimself supports Bushs use of the imageryas well as a number of relatives of Sept. 11victims, it is said because they believe thatrecord in handling the tragedy would be alegitimate matter for voters to consider.

The story of the Bush administrationwould not be complete without the tragedyof 9/11. It is the core of this administration.That is why the campaign is movingforward with the idea that leaders shouldnot be changed in the middle of a war. Butthat idea could be grasped without theairing of tragic footage. Who would want tosee themselves in that enviorment in acampaign ad?

Bush himself addressed the issue saying:I will continue to speak about the effects of9/11 on our country and my presidency. Iwill continue to mourn the loss of life onthat day, but I'll never forget the lessons.The terrorists declared war on us on thatday, and I will continue to pursue this war.

Bush said he has an obligation to thosewho died that day. But he also has anobligation to those who survived. Thosewho remember. And those who do not want9/11 to run as part of a commercial.

Images of 9/11 used for political art

CLARISSA MARTINEZ

March 18, 2004 Sports Page 15

The University of Texas-Pan Americanmens tennis team was riding a three-gamelosing streak going into last Saturdaysmatch against Texas Southern University.

The match originally began at theOrville Cox TennisCenter located on theUTPA campus, but whenthe skies opened up andthe rain came down thecompetition was movedindoors to The Summit inMcAllen.

Assistant Coach KatiGyulai was happy withthe way they respondedto a three-game losingskid.

I think we are back ontrack, Gyulai said.They looked sharp.During the losing streakthey were not lacking theeffort, but they werelacking focus.

The Broncs set the toneearly by winning at No. 1and No. 2 doubles to putTSU in a 1-0 hole going into the singlesmatches.

When senior Tom Mangelschots of

Belgium put his competition out of hismisery in the third set it gave UTPA a 4-1lead in the match and both coaches agreednot to play the final two matches.

Junior Jeremy Salvo of British Columbiawas pleased with the match and the wayhis team performed.

I was happy with the result. I was satis-fied with the per-formance, but nothappy, Salvosaid. We shouldbe playing a lotbetter.

The men returnto action onMarch 26 at 2p.m. when theytravel to SanAntonio and openup conferenceplay against theUniversity ofT e x a s - S a nA n t o n i oRoadrunners.

WomensTennis

On the womensside, the Lady Broncs came up shy of pick-ing up their second win of the year after

dropping a 4-3 decision.With the loss the womenfell to 1-5 on the season.

There were a lot ofbright spots for thewomens team in spite ofthe rain. One of thosehighlights came aboutwhen the Lady Broncswon the doubles pointfor the first time this sea-son.

Gyulai believes thewomens team is goingget their revenge on TSUlater on in the season.

I am happy with theeffort the girls gave,Gyulai said. I am look-ing forward to playingTSU at their home courtand getting a win. I amvery happy with the effortthe women are giving.

With match tied 3-3, thepressure fell on the shoulders of No. 6 sin-gles player junior Angela Senz, who wascompeting in her first-ever collegiatematch. Unfortunately, she lost 7-5 and 6-0to Sook Chantavong of TSU.

Senz believes she is just going to getbetter and did not like the feeling of losingat all.

It was a good experience for me. I wasput under a lot of pressure, Senz said. Itjust takes a lot of practice and if I practiceI will get better. It helped a lot having greatteammates.

The Lady Broncs will be back in actionon March 27 at 8:30 a.m. when they hostthe Air Force Lady Falcons at the OrvilleCox Tennis Center.

By MATT HALLThe Pan American

Photo by Delisa Guadarrama/The Pan American

UTPA tennis players Tom Mangelschots (left) and Nik Porterpractice their doubles game at Orville Cox Tennis Center.

UTPA tennis teams split against TSU

Pitching fails, Broncs routed 13-5UTPA baseball Head Coach Willie

Gawlik was not amused.The Broncs had just been dealt a 13-5

loss by the Texas-Arlington Mavericks, ateam they had beaten the day before.

Sitting in the dugout with his hands rest-ed on the butt of a practice bat, the bittercoaches statements echoed his post-gamemood.

If we come out and play like thisagainst [Oral Roberts] were going to getkilled, Gawlik said. Nobody even want-ed to play today.

Coming into Wednesdays ball game theBroncs (12-12) led Texas Arlington in theirtwo-game series. They won a tight compe-tition on Tuesday dropping the Mavericks7-5. But the Broncs would not be able torepeat the performance, and they wouldhave to settle for a split.

The Broncs got behind early inWednesdays rematch and could not recov-er. After a 1-1 first inning the Mavericksgot a big break.

In the second inning Maverick secondbaseman Carey Avants reached first whencatcher Jarod Hickle could not handle awild third strike from pitcher Csar Pea.Avants was later moved to second on a sac-

rifice bunt. With one out and one on, cen-terfielder Louis Alamia made an error on apop-fly from Hunter Pence, which woulddrive in a runand set thestage for atriple fromc e n t e r f i e l d e rPaul Bruderand ultimatelyresult in a four-run inning.

Pea lasted3.1 inningswhile allowingseven runs, ofwhich only twowere earned.F r e s h m a nRyne Fosterrelieved Pea,but ended uploading thebases in the topof the fourth.With men onFoster wouldquickly walk ina run beforeclosing out theinning.

At the bottom of the fourth the Broncs

trailed 8-1. The lead stretched to 13-5 witha 10-5 score as the closest margin of theday.

Theres a lot of pressure coming in withmen on, Foster said. You miss by an inch

and its bad news.But Gawlik showed little sympathy for

his pitching staff.If they pitch well we can

win, Gawlik said. If not,you get what you saw heretoday. It was just bad.

UTPA will host OralRoberts for a three-gameseries in as many days onFriday, Saturday, andSunday at the EdinburgBaseball Stadium.

If we make mistakeslike we did today against[Oral Roberts] theyll tearus apart, Gawlik said.They won their big ballgame last night and thenfigured that UTA was goingto roll over and play dead.Were the ones that rolledover. We just let them haveit.

The Broncs are 6-2 intheir last eight games andhave toppled big-name

schools like Arkansas andWashington State in theprocess. They will hope to

regain their momentum with the upcomingthree-game homestand.

By BRIAN CARRThe Pan American

Photo by Delisa Guadarrama/The Pan American

UTPA freshman Philip Rodrguez slides into homeplate during Tuesday nights 7-5 winover Texas-Arlington at Edinburg Baseball Stadium.

Photo by Delisa Guadarrama/The Pan American

Sophomore Elysia Sloan reaches for ashot during a recent practice.

March 18, 2004 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 3

After months of local election campaigning thesewere the highlights: a federal investigation, a localjudge decided to run for Congress, a political agendawas thwarted for the Hidalgo County Judge and asurprise upset took place in the race for staterepresentative. The campaign trail has come to aclose. A new chapter is opening for some, whileothers are ready to put their books back on the shelf.

Judge Ed Aparicio of the 92nd state District Courtwas reelected despite the possibility of a tarnishedimage from the FBI raid in January of his courthouseoffice and his home in Weslaco. His opponent EricCardenas Jarvis, an attorney in Edinburg, ranadvertisements centered on the federal investigationsquestioning Aparicios liability, but was unsuccessfulin the polls.

Dr. Samuel Freeman of the Political ScienceDepartment said that the accusation did play a part inthe election since the race would not have been asclose had the investigation not occurred.

I thought it would be close but I wasnt surprisedwith the results, Freeman said. It comes down tothe job that the candidate is doing. He [Aparicio] maynot be as popular a person. He may be thought of asarrogant or abrasive but he has gotten the job done.

Though District Judge Leticia Hinojosa receivednearly 50 percent of the votes in Hidalgo County, itwas not enough to beat U.S. Rep Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, district-wide. Hinojosa conceded the raceafter Doggett took a commanding early lead. Doggett

will now run against Republican opponentRebecca Armendariz Klein of Austin inNovembers general election.

Experience also played a part in the District 25race. Doggett had been in office since 1995 andaccording to Freeman, though his voting and hiscampaign proved to the people of the Rio GrandeValley that he was the stronger choice for the seat.Freeman also said that if Hinojosa had strongermanagement behind her campaign she might havebeen able to claim the Valley.

With the triumphs of several were expected,there were a few surprises for some candidates.State Rep. Miguel Wise lost his position toArmando Mando Martinez for the District 39seat. He had held the office since 1996, and manydid not expect Wise to lose his position.

Hidalgo County Judge Ramon Garcia alsoreceived disappointment when the candidates hewas supporting were not able to claim a win. TheMonitor reported Garcia having said that he didnthave an unofficial slate of candidates, but wasexercising his right to support people he believedin.

The mudslinging campaign between Aaron Penaand Eddie Saenz came to a close when theincumbent Pena bested Saenz for the District 40state representative slot. Incumbent sheriff HenryEscalon was also defeated.

The race between Veronica Gonzales andRoberto Gutierrez in District 41 is still notdecided, and a runoff election will take place inApril.

By CLARISSA MARTINEZThe Pan American

Election results brought big surprises

Temporary certification plan could become fact

The final vote on April 2 could revolutionize theway teachers of the future will actually becometeachers. The much-discussed temporary certificationroute is at stake.

Under the temporary teacher certification program,if teacher-bound college students with only abachelors degree in an academic subject pass ateacher examination, such as TExES and ExCET, theywill be able to attain temporary teacher certification.In other words, teachers may possibly be hired with acollege degree, but no education training. They will beable to teach 8th- through 12th-grade in the field ofstudy related to their degree.

This is different from the traditional route ofbecoming a teacher, where one must have a bachelorsdegree in an academic subject. Alternative schools,such as ACTRGV, are also available, where teacherswill be able to finish their additional college coursesas they teach.

Under temporary certification, however, no formaleducation training at after a bachelors is necessary.

It was approved by the State Board for EducatorCertification (SBEC) last November, and since then, apot of controversy has been stirred. Some, such asbusinesses and anti-tax groups, want the proposalvoted for, while others are completely against it.

Jose Ruiz-Escalante, UTPA chair for the College of

Education, said that some approve the temporarycertification because they will be able to save bothtime, and money.

They simply believe that getting a degree ineducation is a waste of time. They also believe theyllsave thousands of dollars they would have spent onpaying for their classes, he said.

On the other hand, some feel students shouldactually go through the formal training so they will bemore prepared. Dr. Dora Saavedra, UTPAcommunication professor, agrees.

Im advising my students to not rely on that law sothey can get the basics of classroom management,Saavedra said. They need the proper training to betterhandle a classroom. I dont think school districts willhire them, unless they (teachers) are very hard to find,such as those schools in rural areas.

Also, the certificate expires after two years, whichis why it is labeled as temporary. Then, if satisfiedwith that particular teacher the school district willbe able to decide if the certificate will becomepermanent or not. However, the school district mustdemonstrate to the SBEC that it will offer additionalmentoring and professional training to the teacher forskills improvement.

It wont be required for schools to notify parentsthat an informally trained teacher is teaching theirchild. For safety reasons, a criminal background checkwill be done on every teacher to see if any crimes havebeen committed as well. These teachers will also be

receiving the same amount of pay as any other teacher,regardless of whether or not formal education trainingwas undergone.

If adopted on April 2, the program could go intoeffect statewide by April 22. A two-thirds majorityvote is needed.

Even if the program is voted and implemented intoTexas school districts, Ruiz-Escalante isnt worriedthat the students of UTPAs College of Education willeject themselves from a formal education and bypassinto the temporary certification program. He feelsenrollment will remain constant, and that thoseseeking temporary certification will soon realize theyneed more preparation.

I think we [College of Education] will remain thesame [in enrollment]. It only affects the high schoolteacher and junior high teachers, not the elementaryteachers. People will begin to realize that they neededmore knowledge and additional training, Ruiz-Escalante said. They might have the knowledge, butwont be able to teach in a way that all students mightunderstand. People need to be aware of the factors inthe learning process.

But what is the reason behind SBEC proposing sucha thing? Are they just being nice? Actually, thetemporary certification program is a response to ashortage of teachers throughout the state, especially inthe areas of mathematics, science, foreign language,and special education. The shortage is a serious issue.

By JULIAN CAVAZOSThe Pan American

NEWS n Diets. . . . . . . . . . . . 4n Resume . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5n Student Profile. . . . . . . 6

See TEACHER page 12

ELECTION DAY RESULTS(unofficial)

U.S. House of Representat ives Distr ict 25Lloyd Dogget t 50.19%

Let ic ia Hino josa 49.81%

State Representat ive Distr ict 40Aaron Pena 63.50%Eddie Saenz 36.50%

Roberto Gutierrez 33.94%

92nd Distr ict Court Ed Apar ic io 52.14%

Er ic Cardenas Jarv is 47.09

398th Distr ict CourtAida Sal inas F lores 73.08%Hector J . Vi l la r rea l 26.92%

Source: Official Hidalgo County Website

State Representat ive Distr ict 39Armando Mando Mar t inez 53.16%

Miguel Wise 46.85%

State Representat ive Distr ict 41Veronica Gonzales 49.46%Rober to Gut ier rez 33.94%

Jim Selman16.59%

139th Distr ict Court Bobby F lores 53.14%

Ofel ia de los Santos 46.86%

March 18, 2004 Sports Page 14

The March Madness bracket was final-ized Sunday, and to no surprise the Broncsdid not make the list.

What is surprising, however, is that twoteams the Broncs dropped en route to theireven-steven finish (14-14) will attend thebig dance.

Air Force (22-6) picked up an 11th seedafter winning theMountain WestConference and will openup the tourney against No.20 North Carolina.

UTSA, which narrowlyedged out a 16th seed aftera 19-13 season, will seeNo. 1-ranked Stanford intheir first round of action.Both teams have the oddsstacked against them fortheir upcoming outings.Both teams lost by narrowmargins to the Broncs dur-ing regular season play.

But to paint a picture ofthe Broncs dancingthrough the season pickingoff top-ranked teams is to give them a lit-tle too much credit.

The wins over the UTSA Roadrunnersand the Air Force Falcons came atextremely different points in the Broncsseason.

The Broncs downed UTSA in earlyDecember. It was their sixth outing of the

season, and the 86-83 overtime victory putthem at 3-3 for the season.

The win against Air-Force, a 37-35defensive battle, came at the end of theirseason - sandwiched in the latter half of anine-game winning streak. The win put theBroncs record at 12-13, and the upset gavethe program a chance to finish the seasonon top.

Head Coach Bob Hoffman mused afterthe game that the win was huge.

"I'm just so fired upfor our guys. It's a bigwin for our program."Hoffman said. "Otherthan the Baylor win atthe San Juan Shootoutin 2001-02, this is thebiggest win for theschool during mytenure. Air Force is avery talented and strongteam.

After the victory overUTSA, Hoffmans reac-tion was much moremodest.

"We persevered,Hoffman said. It was a

battle inside, and wemade some huge plays.

Immediately following the win againstUTSA the Broncs went on a seven-gamelosing streak, but rebounded and walkedinto the Air Force competition with sixstraight wins behind them.

Regardless of the timing of the victories,Hoffman does say that it adds some per-

sonal drama to the tour-ney.

It will definitely beinteresting to watch twoteams that we were ableto beat, Hoffman said.It will be interesting tosee whether or not theyadvance.

Both teams are heavilyfavored to drop out in thefirst round and some crit-ics of the NCAATournament Committeequestion the validity ofthe two programs pres-ence in the in the tourna-ment at all.

Though Hoffman didnot predict a fate for thetwo teams, he did arguefor the teams legitimacy.

Air Force won theirconference, so they defi-nitely deserve to bethere, Hoffman said.And San Antonio is ahardworking team, itsthat simple.

Unfortunately for theBroncs, the postseason isanything but uncertain.After a slow start UTPAdoomed itself to a seat onthe couch, watching as past opponents tryand advance.

Next season, the Broncs will bring backthree of their five starters and will have

nine seniors on their roster. For now there is nothing left for the

Broncs to do but watch, but everyone whohas ever lost knows There is always nextyear.

By BRIAN CARRThe Pan American

The Broncs defeated NCAA Tournament-bound Air Force 37-35Feb. 16 at the Field House.

UTPA Head Coach Bob HoffmanPhoto by Delisa Guadarrama/The Pan American

Broncs to watch NCAA tourney on TV

The UTPA Border Health Office continued its HealthyLiving Lecture Series March 11 with a presentation onfad diets.

The series is part of the Provosts Initiative on CampusWellness that came about after a health survey of UTPAemployees in late 2003 conducted by the Border HealthOffice and the Office of Institutional Research andEffectiveness. The information gathered will be used bythe Border Health Office to find areas to improve thephysical fitness of faculty and staff.

The Healthy Living series is designed primarily forfaculty and staff, although students may attend as well.

The survey found that the average weight of thefaculty and staff was higher than average for men andwomen. The survey also found that 68 percent sufferedfrom ailments such as high blood pressure or highcholesterol, 6 percent smoke, 8 percent use theUniversity weight room, and only 26 percent took their15-minute breaks, with 14 percent being unaware of thebreaks.

Health Education Coordinator, David Salazar, lecturedon the myths surrounding fad diets and how effectivethey actually are. Salazar said that while some fad dietscan help you lose weight, it wasnt likely that someonewould continue being on the diet for the rest of their life,and will simply gain the weight right back.

Salazar explained that fad diets have become popularby preying on insecurities.

They appear to have magical properties that are goingto make us lose weight, Salazar said. Fad diets presenta quick fix for people who have tried everything to loseweight.

Salazar said the appeal of diet plans like the AtkinsDiet was that they have no restriction on portion size.The diet works by reducing the intake of carbohydratesas much as possible, forcing the body to look for anotherfuel to burn for energy. With carbs eliminated, the body

turns to burning fat.Salazar said that theAtkins is stillcontroversial because itis such a high fat diet andcan cause strain on thekidneys.

Less reputable fad dietsinclude the Cabbage-Soup diet, in which aperson is allowed to eatnothing but cabbage soupfor breakfast, lunch, anddinner. Salazar said dietslike these can bedangerous, as the body isnot being provided withenough protein to sustainitself.

Salazar said that theproblem wasnt so muchwith finding the rightdiet, but the quantity andquality of what we areeating plus a lack ofactivity.

Most people knowwhat they need to eat,said Salazar. They knowthey should be avoidingthe over-consumption ofunhealthy foods andstaying away from candyand chips.

Salazar said people canfeel alienated with thediet process when theydont see dramatic results. It is important to set goals andto be dieting for the right reason. Salazar said thatlooking nice should be secondary to the more significant

benefits of a less stressful,longer life, and keeping healthyfor family and loved ones.

Salazar said that losing aslittle as 1 pound a week throughbetter eating and exercise was abetter choice than going on afad diet. Setting too high anexpectation is part of theproblem in losing weight.

A seminar on stressmanagement was given March17 by Dr. Donna Dugas, Chairin the Health and KinesiologyDepartment.

Dugas talked about stressors,something you experience orthink about that causes stress,and how they influence ourlives.

There are stressors we cando something about, and thosethat we can learn to deal with,Dugas said. Not all stressfactors are bad.

Dugas explained how lowerlevels of stress causes enoughanxiety to motivate us to getthings done. Prolonged stress,however, can lower our diseaseresistance, increase chance ofheart disease, and lead toemotional and eating disorders.

Dugas said that part ofhandling stress is learning toproperly manage time. Over-commitment and not making

time for ourselves are problems as well.Part of [the problem] is that we dont know how to

People dont go to the movies to get reality; they go toescape, to get closed systems.

Jose Skinner shifted his weight to his left and looked upfrom his thin reading glasses to realize the reaction of hisaudience. Thats what they were there for: a closedsystem, a chance to escape and enter into a fictitious worldconcocted by the experience and imagination of Skinner.

Botched, bungled, I hated those words.Skinner read the words perfectly; they were his words

to read, to understand, to feel perfectly. They fell from hismouth with stagnant emotion, the staleness evading thepostmodern attitude he so desired to convey. The audiencechuckled at an ironic juxtaposition, blushed at a wittyswear word. They were gone, somewhere around a prisonin New Mexico; they had escaped with his voice tellinghis words, his story.

Every Tuesday in March at noon, students mentallyescape room 310 in the UTPA Library. They leave thebrown brick, the palm trees, and the thought of anotherclass behind, traveling into the culture of the BlackAtlantic, a prison in New Mexico, the dark mind of aBritish feminist, or the rich life in Native Americanliterature. Travel is made possible by the Department ofEnglish, which hosts a New Faculty Research Colloquiumcovering a different topic every Tuesday. Each seminar isdesigned to help expose faculty talents and knowledgewhile encouraging aspiring writers at UTPA.

Its always helpful for students to hear somethingfresh, something new, Skinner said later, reflecting on 10years of writing experience and two years of teaching.Theyre not just reading books by dead people. These

readings show that writing is active. It can inspire them.His colleague, Allan Goren, an associate professor of

English, agrees.Listening to authors acts as a kind of bridge between

the classroom and the larger world, Goren said. Whatthey hear here is written for the broader public, not justthem. It helps students appreciate that education isrelevant for their experience. Education never stops.

A continuing education infiltrates the minds at theresearch colloquiums, the room is filled with teens andmiddle-aged adults. Yet, all their eyes focus on Skinner inthe center; their mouths break in a unanimous chuckle, asimilar look of surprise pervades all. They are learning,feeling the emotion of the author reading his finalizedwork. Their education: watching an author be an author,realizing the effort, the struggle, and the pride.

Its helpful to hear an author read his works, Skinnercontinued later. They can see how the story is in his ownvoice.

The audience also shares in his frustrations of being awriter. Skinner tells them of the decisions of cutting outlong sections, the conflict of what fits, and the rejectionthat crushes the invested effort.

My editor told me my first story sucked, Skinner toldhis audience. She told me not to read it today because itneeded a lot of work.

Most of the audience laughed softly, averting their eyesfrom others. It was funny then, aloud, and especiallyconsidering the recent success of the short story thatcaptivated all of them. Yet, they knew of the pain ofrejection, a fear embedded deep behind their self-esteem.Rejection was life in the world and this was theireducation, a real college experience to prepare aspiringwriters for reality. Here, before them, stood a good writer,one to be admired and followed. But even his work

sucked. Discouragement from rejection is not an option;it is a tumor that can eat up all remaining self-esteem andconsume any dreams of real writing.

Aspiring writers cant get discouraged too soon,Skinner said. They have to be willing to go through a lotof drafts. They must have tenacity. But once itspublished, its there forever. Its worth it in the end.

Education at the colloquiums is not restricted toaspiring writers or English professors. Education meansexposure and that means exposure for all. Students of alllevels hear and sense the suspense contained in wordsweaved into brilliant stories. They discover enjoymentwhere it might not have existed before.

I came for the extra points, admitted one student.But it turned out to be really interesting. I enjoyed thestory.

In then end, the value of good work spreads fromauthors and editors to the audience. The value of goodwork shows how far it will take the audience, how muchthey become lost to their own tangible world. The caliberof Skinners piece showed in the distant gaze of hisaudience, which was transported into the mind of aconvict and a mentally retarded waitress.

Skinner finished his story, gazes broke, and theaudience looked up, half surprised, half confused. Skinnerstared back, waiting for a response. Silence.

Excuse me. A young lady in the far front corner stuckher hand out and waved it.

Yes, Skinner replied.I liked the ride, she said. For myself, Im not sure I

need to end up anywhere. The ride was enough. I reallylike the ride.

Skinner smiled. There, in her words, in the emotion ofher voice, was mirrored the true worth of his words, hisstory.

March 18, 2004 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 4

By ARTHUR HAGEYThe Pan American

Fad diets: Popular but often problematic

By CECI CASTANEDAThe Pan American

Faculty colloquium showcases writingsSee DIETS page 11

Franco Caballero/The Pan American

PICKING ORANGES Junior Galina Ojeda, a dieteticsmajor, helps out with the wellness fest last Thursday atthe UTPA Ballroom. Brown bag lunches were provided tothe first 30 people.

Mexican soccer comes to ValleyIt is official: the Valley will host its first Mexican ftbol or

soccer match when Mexico Citys Pumas of U.N.A.M. takeon Monterrey-based Tigres of U.A.N.L. April 14 at theMcAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium at 8 p.m.

Pumas will be led by technical director Hugo Snchez,while Tigres will cometo the Valley with awealth of firepowerled by a pair ofArgentine strikers,Walter Gaitn andAndrs Silvera.

U.N.A.M. is current-ly in second place inthe Mexican Clausura2004 season with a 6-1-3 record.

U.A.N.L. is the run-ner-up to last sea-

sons Apertura 2003 tournament. However, this year theMonterrey club is struggling with a 3-6-1 record.

Tigres was defeated by Pachuca in last seasons final.Tickets for possibly the biggest sporting event to be held in

the Valley are scheduled to go on sale Sunday at variousUnited Drive-In convenience stores in the Valley and inReynosa.

Owens goes to PhiladelphiaReceiver Terrell Owens left the San Francisco 49ers

Tuesday and will play for the Philadelphia Eagles next sea-son.

Philly has lost three consecutive NFC championshipgames and it is hoped that Owens will give the offense thenecessary boost to make it the last yard to the Super Bowl.

The flamboyant receiver has averaged 93 receptions,1,316 yards and 13 touchdowns over the past four sea-sons. Owens has also only one of two receivers to amass5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in the same time span.

Owens will join defensive end Jevon Kearse, who wasrecently signed to a $66 million eight-year contract.

Last season, the Eagles went 12-4.

Shaq invited to play for Team USASources informed The Associated Press Wednesday that

Shaquille ONeal and Kevin Garnett have been invited toplay for the U.S. Olympic basketball team.

Nine of the 12 spots on the roster have been taken. Theteam is coached by Larry Brown.

ONeal is no stranger to Olympic competition. Shaq wona gold medal in the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta.

Another spot could open up if Kobe Bryant is unable toparticipate due to his sexual assault trial in Colorado.

The U.S. will play its first Olympic game Aug. 15.

March 18, 2004 Sports Page 13

SSPPOORRTTSSCCLLIIPPBBOOAARRDD

WOMENS INDEPENDENTSSTANDINGS

TEAMS W L Pct..Texas A&M-CC 19 9 .679UTPA 13 15 .464IPFW 8 20 .286Savannah State 6 20 .231

Date Lady Broncs vs ResultsNov. 7 Houston W 91-77Nov. 21 Air Force. W 68-67Nov. 22 Boise State/Dayton W 63-57Nov. 25 TAMUI W 84-55Nov. 29 St. Edwards W 79-42Dec. 5 St. Louis L 45-77Dec. 6 Kansas State/Sac. W 60-50Dec. 14 Oral Roberts L 57-67Dec. 17 Texas L 25-90Dec. 19 Marshall L 59-74Dec. 21 Central Michigan L 40-56Dec. 28 Tulsa L 41-71Dec. 31 Prairie View A&M W 64-52Jan. 2 UT-Arlington L 46-85Jan. 7 Sacramento State W 49-47Jan. 9 San Diego State L 38-59Jan. 11 Louisiana-Lafayette L 54-62Jan. 13 SE Louisiana L 58-60Jan. 22 SW Missouri State L 34-69Jan. 24 TAMUCC L 43-73Jan. 27 Incarnate Word W 63-46Jan. 31 IPFW W 75-72Feb. 3 Northern Colorado L 56-57Feb. 9 Prairie View A&M W 70-63Feb. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette W 56-38Feb. 19 IPFW W 80-55Feb. 24 TAMUCC L 36-62Feb. 28 SE Louisiana W 54-53March 3 Northern Arizona 8

Date Opponent Time/ResultsJan. 19 Trinity W 4-3Jan. 19 Texas A&M L 1-6Feb. 6 Eastern Kentucky W 6-1Feb. 7 Dayton W 5-2Feb. 7 Xavier W 6-1Feb. 14 Saint Louis W 4-3Feb. 21 TAMUCC L 2-5Feb. 26 Laredo College (Exh.) L 3-4March 11 Abilene Christian L 3-4March 13 Texas Southern W 4-1March 26 UTSA 2April 3 DePaul 1April 4 Texas-Arlington 10 a.m.April 7 Texas Southern 2April 8 Lamar 3April 9 Southeastern Louisiana NoonApril 16 TAMUCC 1April 30 SLC ChampionshipsMay 1 SLC ChampionshipsMay 2 SLC Championships

Date Opponent Time/ResultsFeb. 6 UTEP L 0-7Feb. 13 Sam Houston State L 3-4Feb. 15 Stephen F. Austin L 1-6Feb. 26 Laredo College W 7-0March 11 Abilene Christian L 0-7March 13 Texas Southern L 3-4March 27 Air Force 8:30 a.m.April 3 TAMUCC 2April 7 Texas Southern 2April 8 Lamar 3April 9 McNeese State 9 a.m.April 16 IPFW TBAApril 16 N. Colorado TBAApril 17 TAMUCC 2April 30 SLC ChampionshipsMay 1 SLC ChampionshipsMay 2 SLC Championships

Date Tournament ResultFeb. 9-10 Rice Intercollegiate 14 of 14March Bearkat Invitational 14 of 1614-15March Trojan Cup29-30April 5-6 Hal Sutton

IntercollegiateApril 23-24Andrea Brotto Cavalier

ClassicMay 7-9 National Minority

Golf Championships

Date Opponent ScoreNov. 1 Green and White GREEN, 2-1Jan. 31 Texas State-San Marcos L 7-8Feb. 1 Texas State-San Marcos L 2-6Feb. 3 Texas Kingsville W 6-3, 3-2Feb. 6 Lamar vs. Kansas 3-2Feb. 6 Sam Houston State L 2-7Feb. 7 Kansas W 8-6Feb. 7 Lamar vs. Sam Houston 7-4Feb. 8 Sam Houston vs. Kansas 8-8Feb. 8 Lamar W 2-1Feb. 15 Lamar (2) L 1-16, W 8-6Feb. 16 Lamar L 4-6Feb. 18 Texas A&M-Kingsville W 15-5Feb. 20 Sam Houston State L 6-10Feb. 21 Sam Houston State L 5-10Feb. 22 Sam Houston State L 4-6Feb. 27 Washington State W 3-2Feb. 28 Washington State L 3-15Feb. 29 Washington State L 6-15March 6 Arkansas W 4-1March 7 Arkansas W 11-4March 9 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2)W 2-0March 9 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2)W 10-5March 12 Texas-San Antonio W 6-4March 13 Texas-San Antonio L 1-3March 14 Texas-San Antonio ppd.March 16 Texas-Arlington W 7-5March 17 Texas-Arlington L 5-13March 19 Oral Roberts 7March 20 Oral Roberts 7March 21 Oral Roberts 1March 23 Texas-San Antonio 2March 24 Texas-San Antonio 2March 26 Dallas Baptist (2) 4March 27 Dallas Baptist 1March 30 Texas 6:30Apr. 6 Texas State-San Marcos 6:30Apr. 7 Texas State-San Marcos 1Apr. 9 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi(2) 1Apr. 13 Texas-San Antonio 7Apr. 14 Texas-San Antonio 2Apr. 16 Arizona 9Apr. 17 Arizona 9Apr. 18 Arizona 3Apr. 23 Dallas Baptist (2) 4Apr. 24 Dallas Baptist 1May 7 Southeastern Louisiana 7May 8 Southeastern Louisiana 7May 9 Southeastern Louisiana 1May 11 Arkansas 7:05May 12 Arkansas 7:05May 14 Oklahoma 7:05May 15 Oklahoma 7:05May 16 Oklahoma 1

Local / RegionalCoverage

Team W - D - L GF:GA PTSChiapas 8 - 1 - 1 21:11 25U.N.A.M. 6 - 3 - 1 21:11 21Guadalajara 6 - 1 - 3 11:9 19Toluca 5 - 3 - 2 14:10 18Necaxa 4 - 4 - 2 15:11 16Amrica 4 - 4 - 2 15:13 16Atlas 4 - 3 - 3 16:14 15Irapuato 4 - 3 - 3 15:15 15Pachuca 4 - 3 - 3 15:16 15Club San Luis 3 - 3 - 2 9:8 12Monterrey 2 - 5 - 3 11:10 11Puebla 3 - 2 - 5 12:14 11Morelia 3 - 2 - 5 10:12 11Quertaro 2 - 5 - 3 13:16 11U.A.G. 3 - 2 - 5 19:23 11Tigres 3 - 1 - 6 21:23 10Santos 3 - 1 - 6 13:16 10Atlante 2 - 4 - 4 13:16 10Cruz Azul 2 - 2 - 6 11:17 8Veracruz 1 - 4 - 5 13:18 7

Week 10 results March 13-14: Veracruz0, Morelia 1; Monterrey 0, Chiapas 1;Cruz Azul 2, Quertaro 0; Necaxa 3,Guadalajara 0; Atlas 2, Santos 0; U.A.G.2, Pachuca 5; U.N.A.M. 2, Tigres 1;Irapuato 3, San Luis 1; Puebla 1, Toluca2; Amrica 1, Atlante 1.

Week 11 schedule March 20-21:Chiapas vs. Amrica; Morelia vs. U.A.G.;Tigres vs. Cruz Azul; Guadalajara vs.Puebla; Necaxa vs. Irapuato; Toluca vs.U.N.A.M.; Pachuca vs. Monterrey;Quertaro vs. Veracruz; Atlante vs. Atlas;Santos vs. San Luis.

Thursday, March 18Minnesota at San Antonio, 8:30Friday, March 19Boston at Dallas, 7Houston at Golden State, 9:30Saturday, March 20Boston at San Antonio, 7:30 Sunday, March 21Dallas at New Jersey, 12:30Houston at Sacramento, 6:30Monday, March 22Dallas at Philadelphia, 6Houston at Portland, 9Tuesday, March 23San Antonio at Minnesota, 7Wednesday, March 24Dallas at Indiana, 7Toronto at Houston, 7:30

Thursday, March 18St. Louis at Houston, 2:05

Friday, March 19Houston at Montreal, 12:05Arizona at Texas, 2:05Saturday, March 20Cleveland at Houston, 12:05Texas at Chicago White Sox, 2:05 Sunday, March 21Colorado at Texas, 2:05Houston at L.A. Dodgers, 5:05Monday, March 22Houston at Florida, 12:05Texas at Kansas City, 8:05Tuesday, March 23Atlanta at Houston, 12:05Texas at San Diego, 8:05Wednesday, March 24Oakland at Texas, 2:05Houston at N.Y. Mets, 6:10

UTPA HOME GAMES IN BOLDAll games p.m. unless noted.

NBA

Mexican SoccerLeague 2004

FOR THE RECORDWomens Basketball

Broncs Baseball

Mens Tennis

Mens Golf

MLB Spring Training

Womens Tennis

Pumas defender Joaqun Beltrn tries tocatch up to Tigres top striker Walter Gaitn.

There are currently about 290,000teachers in Texas, but many have leftor are considering quitting due tounsatisfied pay and workingconditions. According to the Austin-American Statesman, 60 percent ofnew teachers in Texas quit teachingafter the first fiveyears. Thecertification boardsaid that in 2003,there werea p p r o x i m a t e l y45,000 vacancies.Teachers in Texasget paid an averageof $40,000 a year,which is $3,000below the nationalaverage. Accordingto the NationalE d u c a t i o nAssociation, Texasranks 30thnationwide in termsof teacher salaries.

There is yetanother reason theState of Texas willneed more teachers.Due to the No ChildLeft Behind law, highly qualifiedteachers will be required in every stateby the end of 2005-06. These teachersmust have at least a bachelors degree,a passing examination score, and ateaching certificate, according to U.SDepartment of Education.

Currently, about 30 percent of publicschools in the United States areconsidered to be inadequate inimprovements, especially amongimmigrant who don't speak English.Because of this, the law is going toextend more learning time for

immigrants tolearn to speakthe language.Before thee x t e n s i o n ,immigrants whospoke mainlytheir nativelanguage weretested onreading andm a t h e m a t i c swithout evengiven theopportunity tolearn it wellenough.

This is a bigproblem here inthe Rio GrandeValley, wherem a n yi m m i g r a n t s ,mostly from

Mexico, move into this region withoutknowing very much English, if any.

Support education groups felt thatinadequate English literacy hurtseducational institutions that have highrates of immigrants.

Toward the end of each semester graduatingseniors can be found in the library study rooms lateat night studying extra hard for their last bunch oftests, in the computer labs finishing their importantprojects and presentations, and frequenting theCareer Placement Office and various job fairs.

In the back of every one of their minds is the scaryfact of finding a job after all thehard work at college. Althoughmost graduates do not take theirjob searches lightly, many do nottake their resumes as serious asthey should.

A lot of students who come inhere [The Career PlacementServices] do not take writing aresume seriously, said EnedeliaP. Kidd, director of CareerPlacement Services. They donot take the time to presentthemselves on their resume andwe try to help them fix that.

One important thing toremember when drafting aresume is to make sure that it isfree of spelling and grammaticalerrors. A simple mistake such asa misspelled word or forgetting aperiod or comma can result in even a well-writtenresume being filed in the trash can.

The resume should always have a heading, whichincludes contact information, such as name,addresses, telephone number, and a business-like e-mail address. It is also important to include twotelephone numbers, according to Mark Reed, careercounselor at California State University at Hayward,in a recent article titled Build the ResumeEmployers Want, in Job Choices magazine. Reedalso suggests caution.

Dont use cell phone numbers, Reed said in JobChoice. You could be at the grocery store whenthey call to set up an interview and you need to beprepared for the call.

Another important part of a resume that advisersemphasize is the specific objective. Although manystudents forget, or just do not know to put this intheir resumes, it helps writer keep their resume veryspecific as to what they are applying for.

A lack of experience in certain professional fieldscan discourage the applicantfrom submitting a resume atall. However, Job Sourcerecommends playing upones education section tocompensate for the lack ofactual experience in thearea.

The education sectioncan be useful if you havelimited experience in thefield, said Reed. You cancompensate by selling youreducation: write a relevantcourse list, and include asection of academic projectsthat are also relevant, Reedcontinued. Say you want towork in market research andlist projects where youresearched and analyzed

data.A high GPA is another good selling point on a

resume. Many employers prefer a 3.0 GPA or higher,but those with less than stellar averages can have ahard time deciding whether to include it or not.However, there are ways to include a GPA that is notperfect.

For example, you could say its a 3.2, afterchanging majors or its 3.0, except for disastrousfreshman year, or a 2.8 because you worked 40 hours

a week, said Reed.Relevance is a key element in resume writing,

according to Job Choices.Place yourself in the mind of the potential

employer and write about what is going to mostinterest your employer, said Kate S. Brooks,director of liberal arts career services at theUniversity of Texas at Austin, in Job Choice. It isalso better to be more specific in job descriptionsand say typed letters, filed documents, answeredphones, and distributed mail, than saying, handledbasic office procedures.

It is very important to make sure that the workexperience relates to the job one is applying for;even if the waiter job students held to put themthrough school can be listed under OtherExperience, as long as it is related in a relevantmatter, and as long as it is shown that skills neededfor the job were developed during that time.

Other categories are a plus when writing resumes,such as an awards and honors section, especially ifthey relate to the position wanted. Extracurricularactivities also show employers that students didmore than study in school, as well as communityservice, and leadership development. For example,being president of a club or organization on campusshows initiative and time and effort were put in.

One of the biggest problems that we see with thestudents resumes is they do not emphasis their skillsas much as they do, said Kidd. For some reasonstudents just do not like to talk about themselves andtheir skills in their resumes.

Technology has taken not only writing a resume toa whole new level with easy to follow resumetemplates, but sending a resume to a potentialemployer has become easier through e-mail.

A recent survey found that most employers preferto receive resumes through e-mail, said Job Choices.The format, though, when sending a resume throughthe Internet, is much different from the regular hard-

Besides tropical weather, access to the border andMexico, and agricultural benefits, the Rio GrandeValley has a part of history that is only accessiblefrom South Texas. Proximity to theborder has given the university someriches found nowhere else.

For students at UTPA, this meansunlimited access to exclusive historicalarchives.

The university is the only archiverecipient in the United States allowedcopies of all diplomatic correspondenceand international relations written to andfrom the Mexican government since1819. The documents will be digitallycopied from Mexicos diplomaticarchives from the Acervo HistoricoDiplomatico in Mexico City.

According to UTPA Library Director LawrenceCaylor, the building is packed with volumes ofdocuments. The digitization process will take at theleast 10 years to be completed.

With the archives being digitized, access to the

documents will be much simpler since thedocuments will be scanned, saved to a disc andeventually provide clear replication and easystorage. Caylor says the reason UTPA has been ableto help with this project is simply because theuniversity asked to.

Caylor explained thatthe Mexican governmenthas allowed UTPA toassist with the digitizingprocess because thecountry itself has somuch to deal with onother fronts. If auniversity is willing tostep up and help with thepreservation ofhistorical documents,UTPA is the one to do it.

These documentsbelong to Mexico, but

there is a connection between what they say andwhat we can learn about the past relationshipsbetween Mexico and Texas, Caylor said. Thisprocess can strengthen the relationship between thetwo areas.

The first stage of the project will be to digitizedocuments pertaining to the Texas Revolution inthe 1830s and the Mexican-American War a decadelater. Mexico lost a huge swath of its territory inthe two conflicts.

Though access to the documents will bebeneficial to scholars across Texas and the nation,students and staff at the university will be the oneswith information of a countrys past at theirfingertips.

However, Caylor is hoping that a grant from theTexas Council of Humanities will be approved inorder to pay the necessary expenses of the project.Without the initial step of acquiring the money, theentire project may be considered a great idea.

Dr. Mercedes de Vega Armijo, director of theAcervo Historico Diplomatico, was said to havechosen UTPA because its proximity to the U.S.Mexico border, which would allow easy access toscholars from both Mexico and America. Theuniversity also offers a high concentration ofMexican and Mexican-American students and hasagreements with more than 15 universities inMexico allowing access.

Caylor believes that the exchange of information,

TEACHERS continued from page 3

March 18, 2004 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 5March 18, 2004 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 12

By CLARISSA MARTINEZThe Pan American

Career Placement teaching resume skills By AMY MEDELLINThe Pan American

Mexican documents preserved in library

R E S U M ET I P S

Pay careful attention to spelling, punctuation, gra-mar, and style.Keep descriptions clearand to the point.Tailor your information tothe job youre seeking.Use good-quality white oroff-white bond paper.Ask for help at your careerservices center.

TEMPORARY TEACHER CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

WWhhoo?? The State Board forEducator Certification (SBEC).WWhhaatt?? Allows college graduateswithout formal education training toreceive a temporary certificate forgrades between 8-12 in the State ofTexas.WWhhyy?? There is a shortage of teach-ers throughout Texas, especially inmath, science, special education,and foreign languageareas. WWhheenn?? TheSBEC will meet anddiscuss the adoptionon April 2. If adopted, itcould go into effect byApril 22.

RESUME continued from page 5copy form. Most advisers andemployers recommend removing allspecial formatting, including bold-faced type, italics and specialcharacters. Using asterisk marks inthe place of bullets is just aseffective. Align all text to the leftmargin and make sure headings arein all caps to set them apart. Also,make sure when using a wordprocessor to save the document as atext-only file and copy and paste itto the body of your e-mail.

Many employers feel viruses; soinstead put them as copy in the textof an e-mail, said Steven Rothberg,operator of Collegerecruiter.com, ina recent article in the HoustonChronicle.

However, as important as the

aforementioned fundamentals are,the most important is to never lie ona resume. Being creative is onething, but be creative with facts.

For help on campus, the CareerPlacement Services helps studentswith writing up their resumes. Eachsemester there is a Resume ReviewDays when students can bring intheir resumes and have a CPS staffmember review it and give tips onhow to improve it. One of thesesessions will be held on April 27,from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the CPSoffices. For more information aboutthe Resume Review Day or aboutwriting a resume call (956) 381-2243or visit the CPS website athttp://careerservices.panam.edu.

and the connection UTPA isdeveloping with Mexico, aresymbolic of how the relationship canbe strengthened in the future.

Theres a river between theborder, Caylor said. A riverconnects people rather than dividingthem. The fact that the Rio Grande isthe border between these two

countries shows that there should bea relationship.

With UTPA assisting the AcervoHistorico Diplomatico, therelationship is starting to move awayfrom being strictly political, andcloser to two countries sharingknowledge of history.

MEXICAN continued from page 5

President Bush notified Congress this pastweek that he plans to sign off on the CentralAmerican Free Trade Agreement. Theopinions on this decision have beendecidedly mixed.

The Central American Free TradeAgreement (CAFTA) is a regionalagreement between the U.S. and five CentralAmerican countries: Guatemala, ElSalvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and CostaRica. The negotiations for the termsconcluded several rounds of talks inDecember 2003.

The Dominican Republic, still in talkswith the United States, could also come onboard onto the agreement.

Bush can sign the agreement no earlierthan May 21, giving U.S. trade officials timeto issue effects of the agreement on the U.S.and the five other countries it will affect.

The draft text of the agreement wasreleased to the public in January 2003 andcould come up for a vote in Congress asearly as July 2004.

According to the citizenstrade.orgwebsite, CAFTA would remove all tariffbarriers in the five Central Americancountries on imported agricultural products.This would allow cheaply grown andheavily subsidized U.S. corn and other basicgrains to flood local markets.

Based on the 10-year-old North AmericanFree Trade Agreement (NAFTA) model,CAFTA would push ahead the commercialglobalization agenda that has caused a "raceto the bottom" in labor and environmentalstandards in the U.S. and Central America,according to some experts.

CAFTA would also likely force a massivemigration of former farmers to large urbanareas to work in the informal sector or

maquilas (sweatshops). That is why some groups oppose the deal,

and its approval could be delayed because ofthe American election year.

Since the first mention of CAFTA manygroups have spawned grass-root efforts toprotest it, in countries ranging from ElSalvador to Costa Rica, not to mentionAmerican cities such as Washington D.C.,Minneapolis, and Houston.

According to Richard Shaw,secretary/treasurer of the Harris CountyAFL-CIO, the United States has already lost2.6 million manufacturing jobs in the lastfour years, a loss which he attributed toNAFTA. Others point to the growth ineconomic strength of nations such as Chinaand India for the job loss.

The Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growersalso oppose the agreement because they fearincreased imports will lower sugar prices,endangering their livelihoods.

On the other hand for metropolitan citieslike Houston, CAFTA will be more of abenefit than an added burden on the people,because of the large number of majorcorporations in town.

According to the Committee of Solidarityof the People of El Salvador cispes.orgwebsite the Bush Administrationseagerness to implement CAFTA is part of astrategy for an expanded and equally flawedtrade agreement, the Free Trade Area of theAmericas (FTAA) which would cover all ofNorth, Central, and South America, exceptCuba.

With much at stake for the BushAdministration, its no wonder the presidentdecided to bring this issue to the nationsattention at a time when he knows it reallycounts for his re-election. The economy isone of the signature issues of the 2004election.

CAFTA developingBy VANESSA LUCIOThe Pan American

makes complete sense that he has madepeace with the local newspaper thatpraises him one minute and bashes himthe next.

Now that the primaries are over and thecandidates Garcia endorsed publicly havelost, how does Garcia feel about hisactual power as county judge?

It has been an interesting andchallenging year but I made acommitment to serve the people and thatis what I am doing, he said. In myopinion Eric Cardenas Jarvis should havewon but Aparicio did and now we goback to doing what we have been doingfor the past eight years, stated Garcia.

Its no secret that Garcia has been adefinite ally of Sheriff Henry Escalon,who lost the election to Lupe Trevino.When asked to explain his politicalrelationship with the outgoing sheriff,Garcia had this to say: Sheriff Escalonis a good man and should have won but Ihave been helping people get elected intooffice for over 30 years. You learn toaccept changes and the will of the

electorate, thats our system.Escalon lost to Trevino by nearly 1,800

votes and subsequently went on record toblame his defeat partially on thediscrepancy in spending. Trevino spentnearly $300,000 while Escalon onlyspent $100,000.

Why should the people of HidalgoCounty vote Garcias style? Again, thejudge does not bite on the question.

I dont want people to vote for me oron an issue I believe in because theyreloyal. I want them to vote because its theright issue, he stressed. I dont believein getting together like some of the othercourt members do, to talk about thingsbefore we get to a meeting, No. We areall intelligent, responsible human beingsand adults, and we ought to be able todiscuss issues in an open forum and thenact/decide what is best for the county ornot, Garcia stated.

It is important to have an opendiscussion with the people and then wevote, this is still their county isnt it?concluded Garcia.

GARCIA continued from page 1

These documen tsbe long t o Mex i co , bu tt he re i s a connec t i onbe tween wha t t heysay and wha t we canlea rn abou t t he pas tr e l a t i onsh ips be tweenM ex i co and Texas .

- Lawrence Caylor,Library Director

See RESUME page 12

See MEXICAN page 12

There are not very many students at UTPA like RaulCabrera. He is a unique individual for many obviousreasons, but also for a few less obvious ones. He isactively involved with several elite academicorganizations and serves as a community servicevolunteer. This proud, but modest intellectual has takenstudent life and involvement to a whole new level; it ishard to imagine how he finds the time.

Cabrera grew up in Mexico City and moved to Texas in1996 with his parents and three sisters. He graduated fromMcAllens Nikki Rowe High School in 2001 and beganhis studies in the school of Business at UTPA thatsummer. Cabrera is pursuing a BBA in economics andexpects to graduate in December 2004. When he does, hiswalking the stage will mark a family milestone.

I will be the first one in my family to graduate fromcollege, Cabrera humbly mentioned. My family came insearch of opportunity, and education is very important tome.

Cabrera is a member of the Student LeadershipProgram, which is designed to help students developeffective and essential skills through comprehensiveleadership education and diverse experiences. The UTPASLP consists of approximately 20 members, who areselected from thousands of applications submitted bystudents from around the nation as well as foreignstudents who apply to UTPA. Students who wish to joinSLP must apply their freshman year and are urged tocomplete the four-year program.

I have been a member since 2001 and I will continueto participate. It is a tough organization to maintainmembership in, said Cabrera. We must participate incommunity service, attend workshops, and every year wehold a one-day conference for teaching high schoolstudents the principles of leadership.

A student who wishes to remain in SLP must comply

with certain guidelines and have his or her applicationreviewed every year. Its not the average in-no-matter-what club, and the native Mexican has risen to the top ofthe group.

In addition to being honored as the Student Leader ofthe Year for 2003, by SLP, Cabrera is also a member ofthe UTPA Students in Free Enterprise Team. SFE is an

i n t e r n a t i o n a lorganization that focuseson educating thecommunity on ethics,savings, budgeting, andbasic economics.Through thisorganization Cabrera hasworked with manypeople with diversebackgrounds, frompolitical figures andbusiness leaders topeople who live inc o l o n i a s(underprivileged andu n d e v e l o p e d

settlements). Cabrera is also a member of Golden Key, an

International Honour Society, Phi Kappa Phi, a nationalhonor society and Beta Gamma Sigma, also aninternational honor society which happens to be the mostprestigious society in all schools of business. The onlystudents who gain membership to such societies areinvited, and then selected through recommendations andqualifications. Cabrera says he has worked hard and isfortunate to be a part of them. His achievements back thisup.

Cabrera also serves UTPA students by conveyingstudent needs to the Student Government Association as aSenator Representative. As a senator, he is able to relateconcerns and issues students may have to the SGAcouncil.

I help the voice of the student be heard, he said. His exceptional academic standings, he said, are made

possible through discipline, perseverance and mentors.Cabrera believes mentors are a vital component to the lifeof a successful person. He has followed their advice sincehe was a first-year college student.

Mentors are very important, said Cabrera. I haveseveral, Dr. Gilbert Cardenas who is retired, but I stillkeep in touch with, David Salinas the vice president ofIBC Bank in McAllen, whom I did an internship with. Iwas Carlos Garzas protg, he was a Student Ambassadorin 2001 and UTPAs associate vice president for AcademicAffairs and Graduate Programs, Dr. George Avellano.These guys all stress the importance of education.

Along with keeping a 4.0 grade point average, Cabreracurrently heads a project of his own that will helpunderprivileged families.

I am raising funds with the help of community leadersin order to help needy families obtain necessary schoolsupplies for their kids, he explained. This project willalso consist of teaching these residents concepts such asethics, working on a budget, importance of investing in aneducation, and community involvement, he added.

Families will have to commit the time to learn aboutwhat Cabrera has to teach them. The distribution of schoolsupplies will coincide with workshops and tutoringsessions for children.

In his downtime, Cabrera likes to play soccer. He hasassisted in coaching the junior varsity as well as varsitysoccer teams at Nikki Rowe since he graduated. He wouldlike to play on an adult soccer league but has not had timeto fit it into his busy schedule yet.

After graduation, Cabrera plans to continue hiseducation, attending graduate school in economics.

I would like to eventually work in the public sectorthrough government, a non-profit organization or throughan international institution such as World Bank, he said.When people say the word economics, many tend tothink of only money, but there is much more to economicsthan that.

March 18, 2004 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 11March 18, 2004 THE PAN AMERICAN Page 6

Cabrera exhibits academic and community leadershipBy VANESSA CASTILLOThe Pan American

Plants lecture SundaySunday, March 21, Dr. Bob Lonard of

the Biology Department will conduct apresentation on plants from the Bible inthe Rio Grande Valley. The presentationwill be held at the Museum of SouthTexas History inEdinburg at 2 p.m.

Im going todiscuss the variousplants that have beenintroduced into theRio Grande Valley,and that wereimportant in Biblicaltimes, said Lonard.Also those that wegrow here in theValley, and use invarious ways, andthose that have beenintroduced to theValley to help out theeconomy.

Melissa Tijeria,event programmingofficer for themuseum, said that 26 of the 110 plantsnamed in the Bible can be located in theValley, even more are vital to theeconomy.

One-fifth have been here in the RioGrande Valley, and they are major plantsin this regional economy, Tijeria said.

Lonard said those plants include

cotton, aloe vera, and olives. He alsosaid that while olives arent grown herenaturally, they have started to be grownin areas such as Weslaco. While olivesarent being grown commercially likecotton or aloe vera, USDA Weslaco isexperimenting with this crop, as well asothers.

Having his presentation positionedduring Lent isone of thereasons Lonardsaid hispresentation isimportant.

Well, itsthe season, hesaid. Were inLent, PalmSunday iscoming up,E a s t e r scoming up, alot of the plantsthat grow hereare associatedwith things liket h eC r u c i f i x i o n ,

for example, he said.Aside from explaining what the plants

are and where they can be found, Lonardwill also discuss the significance ofthese plants in Biblical scripture, theiruses during those times, and theirpossible uses for the Valley and itseconomy.

By EDWINA P. GARZAThe Pan American

WELLNESS continued from page 4

Franco Caballero/The Pan AmericanSAVING GAS UTPA students have often opted to ride bicycles to campusinstead of bringing a car because of gas prices and parking problems.

say no, Dugas said. We need toeliminate those things that stop usfrom achieving our goals.

Dugas said that when a smalldistraction comes up, people will getdistracted from their goal and thenrationalize it later.

To reduce stress, Dugas said thatpeople need to set goals, use acalendar or daily planner to bettermanage time, learn to say no toanything that may prevent your goals,and to put aside time just for yourself.

Dugas explained how exercise andkeeping fit can help maintain ahealthy lifestyle. She gave examplesof small things we can do everyday,such as parking farther away to makeourselves walk more.

Anything in terms of physicalactivity is better than nothing, Dugassaid.

Future lectures in the HealthyLiving series will include a lecture onnutrition in May and the use of dietsupplements.

What:

When: Where:

Time:

Presentation onPlantsSunday, March 21Museum of SouthTexas History2 p.m.

RGV Bibl ical Plants

HELP WANTEDSports writers and news reporters needed

for immediate freelance work

Call 381-2547 for more information

RAUL CABRERA

n Livestock Show . . . . . . . . . . 7

n Dodge Arena . . . . . . . . 8 & 9

n Historical Book . . . . . . . . . . 10

March 18, 2004 Arts & Entertainment Page 10

Every year people from all over Texas gather at the MercedesShow Grounds for a huge parade, rodeo, and many competitivelivestock events as part of the annual Rio Grande ValleyLivestock Show.

The show runs from March 20-28, and will feature manyactivities, live entertainment, and a carnival so people of allages can enjoy the festivities. The theme of the show isEducation and Fun Galore in 2004. Earl Neuhaus, thepresident of the Livestock Show Board, has high hopes for thisyear's show.

The 2004 show will run for nine days making it the biggestevent held south of San Antonio, Neuhaus noted on the show'sofficial website. Over 2,500 exhibitors will compete for prizes,ribbons, scholarships, premium money and the opportunity tosell their champion projects in the Sale of Champions onSaturday, March 27 in the covered Rodeo Arena.

The Livestock Show has been a major event in the Valley for65 years, especially competitors in the traditional events. Thereare at least 13 different divisions in the livestock competition,including market steer, market hog, market lamb, market goat,market rabbit, and market poultry, as well as junior breedingcattle and sheep divisions.

The contest preparation process is a 12-month ordeal, anddoesn't just involve showing off a prize livestock for judging.The entry applicant must officially register before entering the

contest and must be an FFA, 4-H, or FHA member. Then thereis a preliminary review of the animals to make sure they meetstrict requirements; they must be good enough to compete.

The livestock must meet all health standards. Just like starathletes who are checked for steroids and other illegalsubstances, the animals are searched for any unauthorizedforeign substances or medications of any kind. At the end of the

week, after judging ends, the owners of the market livestockmust sell their animal at the Sale of Champions, after which theanimals go to slaughter. Owners of breeding animals do nothave to sell them.

Aside from the livestock competitions are the many activitiesthat will be available during the week. On March 23, singerGary Allen will perform a live concert. Audience members canparticipate on stage with comedian and hypnotist Ken WhitenerMarch 25-28, twice daily. The Fearless Flores will perform theirdeath-defying stunts as up to four motorcycles spin aroundinside the Globe of Death.

Children will enjoy watching a puppet named GranpaCratchet, a robot named Rusty, or Sharon Hallingal a.k.a. TheLiving Doll. A petting zoo for kids that features a variety ofinteresting animals will be open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, March20-28.

Price for admission to the Livestock Show is $7 for adults and$3 for children under 12. Parking is $2 and tickets for the rodeosare $5. Gates open to visitors at 7 a.m. until 12 midnight excepton Friday and Saturday nights when the grounds close at 1 a.m.

Neuhaus extended his invitation to the public to attend thisyear's event.

We are proud of the Livestock Show and the progress it hasmade since its humble beginning in 1940 and our thanks goesout to thousands of visitors, exhibitors and volunteers whosupport the Show each year, Neuhaus said. Without thissupport, the past history would not have been as glorious andthe future would not be as full of hope and excitement.

A&E n n n ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTLivestock show proves everything is bigger in TexasEVENT

When freshman Ruben Hernandez sawthat famous Latin comedian and sitcomstar George Lopez lived in Harlingen, hecouldn't help but be inspired--by hisopening act.

Opening for Lopez was Lowell Sanders,a man who jokes about his trips to ourneighbor of the south, Mexico. Sandersalso jokes about rappers like 50 Cent andEminem.

I liked his style of comedy, Hernandezsaid. So I got in touch with his agentusing his website.

Hernandez immediately got in touchwith his agent and acted quickly as thenewly appointed chairperson of Club 02.Club 02 is a subcommittee of theUniversity Program Board and itsobjective is to bring talent from around thenation to the Valley for campusentertainment, like Sanders who isoriginally from Detroit, Mich. Its the

responsibility of the organization to bringdown other comedians, magicians, orhypnotists at least once a month.

They informed me about my positionin December and I started in January,Hernandez said. The organization hasbeen around for a while but they neverreally had a chair. Since, I've booked three

acts this semester, which is pretty goodbecause its real hard to book on a twomonth basis.

Aside from Lowell, Club 02 has alreadybooked a magician by the name of CraigKarges for March 31 and according toHernandez, he will blow your mind

away by reading your mind on the spot.Since he was 16 years old, Hernandez

has been interested in the funny business.The freshman kinesiology major/talentbooker has even written original materialhe plans to perform one day.

I have always loved stand-up comedy,and that's how I first got involved with thecommittee, he said.

Hernandez recalls when he first saw alive comic on stage. Just by watching it, Igot the inspiration. I was about 16 yearsold and I saw Juan Villarreal at LaVillarreal, he explained.

His knowledge of comedians and theprofession makes the committee chair socomfortable with his position.

I know so many comics and I write myown stuff too, said Hernandez, who hassince seen Villarreal on two additionaloccasions. Ive seen him three times, he'snot the biggest name in comedy, but in away, hes the one that got me involved.

Hernandez plans to put his material tothe test when he takes part in the campus

talent showas a stand-upperformer.

For the talentshow, hes alreadybooked CletoRodriguez, a comedianbased out of San Antoniowho will be hosting andperforming for the event.

Another comedianHernandez helped bring tothe campus is John Roy,who performed openingweek in mid-January.

We had a pretty goodturnout, a good audience.The people really enjoyed hiscomedy, Hernandez said.

According to Hernandez,students have requested Latincomedy, which has the comedysavvy student already working onplans to follow through with thoserequests.

AROUND TOWN

By CHRISTINA HARRISThe Pan American

COMEDY

By AARON LOZANOThe Pan American

ConcertMarch 19 at 7 p.m.Place: La Villa RealEvent: Latin-flavored rock band ILL Ninowill bring their rock beats and bilinguallyrics to the stage. Price: Tickets are $20 for general admis-sion.Phone: (956) 687-7121

ConcertMarch 21 at 3 p.m. Place: First United Methodist Church audi-torium in McAllenEvent: The Rio Grande Valley Band willperform a patriotic concert. Band mem-bers include Valley residents and WinterTexans Price: No admission fee.

TalentApril 1 at 7 p.m.- 9:30 p.m.Place: South Texas Community College,Building H Event: Bands, musicians, poets, artistsand comedians are needed for the Writersin Literary Discussion (WILD) PoetryReading, Music Festival and Art Show. Phone: (956) 928-3847

ComedyApril 3 at 9 p.m.Place: La Villa RealEvent: The Texas All Star Comedy Tourmembers will perform, hosted by LastComic Standing winner Eddie Cruz.Price: Tickets are $12 general admissionand $20 reserved.Phone: (956)