28-14-6pg new.qxp

GOING GREEK
FRATERNITIES HIT CAMPUS-- PAGE 5
THAT’S SHOWBIZ
“TROUBLE IN MIND” OPENS-- PAGE 3
THE
MESA JOURNAL
FIRST COPY FREE, ALL SUBSEQUENT COPIES 25 CENTS
... the Award-winning newspaper of The University of Texas of the Permian Basin...
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Volume 28~ Issue 14
WWW.MESAJOURNAL.WORDPRESS.COM
Lecture Series hosts Gingrich at UTPB
By AMBER BATURA
Interim Assistant Editor
Newt Gingrich is scheduled
to speak at the UTPB
Gymnasium Thursday, April
15, at 7:00 p.m. The former
Speaker of the House is a
guest of the Shepperd
Distinguished Lecture Series
presented by the John Ben
Shepperd Public Leadership
Institute.
Gingrich has a rich history
in politics. He was first elected
into the House in 1978, where
he served as a member from
Georgia's 6th congressional
district from 1979 to 1999. In
1989, he served as the House
Minority Whip until 1995. In
1994, as a co-author of
Contract
with
America,
Gingrich
helped
the
Republican Party gain the
majority in the House of
Representatives for the first
time in 40 years. From January
1995 until 1999, Gingrich
served as Speaker of the
House during Clinton's presidency.
More than just a politician,
Gingrich has published nineteen books, eleven of which
are New York Times best-sellers. He and his wife produce
historical and public policy
documentaries
as
well.
Gingrich
also
holds
a
Doctorate
in
Modern
European
History
from
Tulane University. For eight
years, he taught History and
Environmental Studies at
West George College before he
was elected into Congress.
The Shepperd Distinguished
Lecture Series is responsible
for bringing guests such as
Malcolm
Gladwell,
Woodward and Bernstein,
Mikhail Gorbachev, and Karl
Rove to speak to UTPB students
and
the
Midland/Odessa community
about leadership and politics.
"We're looking for education," said Bobby Burns, the
director of the John Ben
Sheppered Public Leadership
Institute. "We're after information and insight we don't get
everyday."
The JBS Leadership
Institute is proud to host such
distinguished speakers. It is
their goal to introduce students to the world of leadership and politics and hope
that they walk away with a
deeper understanding of the
world around them.
"We want the students and
the community to get
involved in politics and leadership,." Burns said.
For his spot on the Lecture
Series, Gingrich will discuss
the current political climate,
how politicians should develop new ways to inspire and
serve constituents that are too
busy to be involved in politics,
and the six standards he feels
are necessary for a politician
to affect change.
"Whenever we discuss politics there is a tendency to
attack. It's important for a university to have honest and
open discussions," Burns said.
"They should be able to walk
away from these events able to
make up their own minds."
The Distinguished Lecture
Series provides students with
a rare opportunity to see
noted politicians, historical
figures, and key leaders in different fields for no charge, an
opportunity that would seldom occur outside the university.
"That's the beauty of the
university," Burns said. "This a
rare opportunity for students.
We hope they take advantage."
PHOTO COURTESY OF SODAHEAD.COM
Student Senate
Spring Senate elections commence
By SCOTT THOEN
Staff Writer
UPCOMING
EV ENTS
There likely won't be any
hanging chads, demands for
recounts, or mud-slinging
advertisements, but there will
be voting that can influence
your daily lives.
The UTPB Student Senate is
holding its annual elections
for academic seats and executive board.
The election takes place
April 13, 14 and 15.
The Student Senate performs many functions, including helping to give UTPB
administration student input,
alloting funding for student
organizations and performing
community service.
Yessica Sanchez, a Math
and Spanish major from
Presidio, Texas, and a Senior
Senator would like to see
more students involved in student government so they can
help influence the decisions
made at the school. Sanchez
said that most students aren't
aware of how directly they
can influence their university.
"A lot of people don't real-
ize student tuition went up,
and the Student Senate had
input in that," Sanchez said.
The Student Senate meets
bimonthly in the Mesa
Building at room 2104 for
meetings that are open to the
student body.
Some past accomplishments of the student body are
New Student Multipurpose
Center referendum and recommendations, establishment
of December commencement
ceremonies, implementation
of Latin Honors for graduates,
community awareness programs and the implementation of dead day (no tests)
before finals.
The Student Senate will
also be voting on a new constitution soon. The new constitution will be put in place with
the goal of allowing the
Student Senate to better serve
the student body.
There are currently 19 candidates running for a total of
nine available seats. The candidates will be responsible for
their individual campaigns
leading up to election.
For more information, stu-
spring schedule
Last Day to take Oral Exam (Graduate
Students) April 26
Last Regular class Day April 30
Final Exams
May 3 - May 6
Commencement
May 8
dents and faculty can e-mail
utpbstudentsenate@yahoo.co
m or visit their office at MB
2114.
CANDIDATES
FOR ELECTION
President: Niray Bhakta
and Yessica Sanchez
Vice-President: Lewis
Busbee and JP Garcia
Secretary:Adri Andrade
Tr e a s u r e r : C u r t i s
Brewer, Mattie Cottrell
Behavioral
Science:
Myra Ramirez, Jazmin
Sanchez, Seth Tullar
Business:Karthik
Rajendran
Education: Cassandra
Reyes, Uriel Uranga
Humanities and Fine
Arts: Ale Meraz, Izbel
"Izzy" Soto
Math
&
Science:
Amanda Brewer, Jason
Jones,
Josh
Lyons,
Tiffani Tate
18 awards for UTPB
newspaper, MJ
By AMBER BATURA
Interim Assistant Editor
At the Texas Intercollegiate
Press Association (TIPA)
Convention in Kerrville,
Texas, the Mesa Journal staff
walked away with 18 awards,
doubling their awards from
the 2009 convention. The student journalists competed
against 476 participants representing 46 colleges and universities across Texas.
In the On-Site competitions, Interim Assistant Editor
Amber Batura received an
Honorable Mention (4th
place) in the Editorial Writing
competition.
In the Previously Published
Division 5 category, Editor
Kristen Gipson won 1st place
in News Feature, 1st place in
Critical Review, 3rd place in
Ad Design, 3rd place in
Information
Graphic,
Honorable Mention in Op/Ed
Design, Honorable Mention in
Headline, and Honorable
Mention in Single Subject
Presentation. Photographer
Romelia Elguezabal won 2nd
place in Feature Photo,
Honorable Mention in News
Photo,
and
Honorable
Mention in the Picture Story
category. Interim Assistant
Editor Amber Batura won an
Honorable Mention in Feature
Story. Tina Arons (who also
wrote a column for the Odessa
American) won 2nd place for
In-Depth Reporting. Robert
Hicks won 2nd and 3rd place
for Sports Column. Dianne
Leyva won 3rd place for
Sports Feature Photo and
Honorable Mention for Sports
Feature. The Mesa Journal
staff won 3rd place for Special
Edition.
Editor-in-Chief, Kristen
Gipson, feels accomplished by
the achievements of the newspaper and the staff.
“We’re always one of the
smallest newspapers at TIPA,
but in the past few years
we’ve definitely proven that
we are a talented student staff
that has the potential to grow.
Since several of the staff will
be graduating and moving on,
I hope that other students see
how rewarding it can be to be
a part of The Mesa Journal,
and choose to carry on the tradition,” Gipson said.
Students interested in working for the Mesa Journal can
contact Dr. Nichole RougeauVanderford at 552-2659.
upcoming events on campus
April 16
April 22
April 22
Falconpalooza
Ranch House
Student Senate Luau
UTPB Pool
6pm-9pm
Earth Day
Courtyard
April 17
April 22
April 30
March of Dimes
Volunteer Service
Karaoke Night
Commons Area
6pm-9pm
Student Achievement
Banquet
Multipurpose Room
2
J/K
, The Mesa Journal
OPINION
Before you start reading
this, please read the Letter
to the Editor below.
If you ignored my
advice, I’ll summarize. In
the April Fool’s issue, we
ran a “joke” article that, in
summary,
killed
off
Stephenie
Meyer,
the
author of the popular
Twilight
book
series.
Despite the fact that we did
everything we felt we could
to make it obvious that the
article was false, some people did believe it, and others still were offended by it.
Kristen Gipson
Everyone at The MJ
understands that the intent
Editor-in-Chief
behind a joke doesn’t make
it funny. However, we have no personal vendetta against
Meyer, nor do we find it particularly amusing that she died in
the article (that is, we don’t get any enjoyment out of death
specifically; she could have easily been hospitalized or injured
and it would have had the same effect). My heart goes out to
the letter writer, but far from being embarrassed or ashamed by
the article, I am more insulted that the author thinks that we
somehow find death, for death’s sake, amusing.
Stephenie Meyer writes novels that not only deal with
death, but almost glorify it, and beyond that, in an almost ludicrous way. As a public figure, and one who we hope can take a
joke, The MJ felt that Meyer, who writes in graphic and extensive detail about death, would have understood that we weren’t
wishing that she would get into a car accident and be impaled.
Of course, we feel that car accidents are tragic. But Meyer didn’t die from a car crash in our article. She died being impaled
by a stake; and even that wasn’t the primary cause of death; it
was the hordes of teenagers trying to hold a preemptive candlelight vigil for her. She could have been hit by a meteorite or had
congestive heart failure, but that wouldn’t have involved a
stake, which was the joke.
That’s our defense, and I certainly feel for those people who
might have been offended by the notion that we were somehow
making fun of car accidents or death. As the letter writer pointed out, many people have known or been related to someone
who was involved in a car accident, including many of the MJ
staff. We hope that the majority of students who read the article, despite the fact that they, too, have probably been touched
by death somehow, were brought a chuckle or two by the spirit
in which the article was meant.
Letter to the Editor
While I am aware that Teh Messy Journal is a false publication
intended to make people laugh on April Fool's, there is a fine
line between funny, and offensive. Not only did you cross that
line, you hurdled across it with such enthusiasm that I am
embarrassed to attend a university that would use death in
order to amuse people.
I am speaking of the article that states that Stephanie Meyer
was killed in a car accident on March 22. Not only were there
very graphic details about how she supposedly "died" but also
quotes from her husband and the woman who supposedly
killed her. It is never, not ever funny to joke about someone
dying. It is especially offensive to anyone who has ever known
someone to die in a car accident. For example, me and my family. My mother was killed in a car accident in Midland in
September 2009. Since the accident I have moved back to
Midland to live with my dad and younger sister, and had to
transfer to UTPB. While that has been hard enough, I have to
come across an article saying that Stephanie Meyer was killed
and when I found out it was fake, I was beyond words. Whether
you are a Twilight hater, or not, it is still not funny. Whoever
wrote this article should be embarrassed. Whoever let this article go to print, should be embarrassed. Anyone with a shred of
morale decency should know that joking about someone being
killed, is so incredibly insensitive and disrespectful. If you happened to do any research, you would know that 2009 was the
deadliest year in ten years when it comes to traffic fatalities.
That would mean that a large number of people in Midland
have known, or been related to someone who died in a car accident this past year. I do not care that this is a false publication,
it is NOT funny, and it hurts me beyond description that someone would ever write something along those lines about anyone. Not only did I lose my mom, my good friend's lost their
father, and I also lost a friend to a car accident, all in 2009.
Imagine how I feel when I read or hear that someone, anyone
has been killed in a car accident. The amount of grief and pain
that something like this causes, is unspeakable and unimaginable. There is not a day that goes by that my heart doesn't break
all over again. All I can say to you, is how dare you. I hope that
whoever wrote that article, never writes something like this
again, and always thinks about what he or she could be doing
to someone who has been a victim to a horrible incident, such
as the one my family and friends have experienced.
--Heather Byrd
Do you have a comment or concern?
Share it with the student body through the MJ.
Send your letter to the editor to:
mesajournal@utpb.edu
Electronic copies of letters are preferred, but not required.
See letter policy for more details.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
We Are
Sorry
Posters...
Several posters that recently decorated the halls of UTPB have
been the cause of some controversy. The Christian organization,
Falcons for Christ, taped up posters around campus apologizing
for things like the Crusades, prejudice against certain groups,
and Hitler's use of God to justify the Holocaust. The club got the
idea from Donald Miller’s book, Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious
Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, that encourages people to apologize for deeds that have misrepresented Jesus and his teachings. The posters backfired, according to an interview with the
Odessa American, offending many Christians on campus.
The idea behind the "We are Sorry" campaign is to acknowledge that bad things have been done by Christians and to apologize for those incidences, just as Jesus asked his followers to
acknowledge their sins and repent. While the idea and the message behind the acts is a noteworthy endeavor, the demographic was not the right choice. The Permian Basin area has a
largely conservative, predominately Christian population.
Amber Batura
The message behind the campaign was lost to the shocking
Interim Assistant Editor
words on the posters, as many Christians were offended for
being blamed for actions and incidences they may not be
guilty of or were never a participant.
While I understand the point the members of Falcons for Christ were trying to make with the
"We are Sorry" campaign, they went about it the wrong way. Gimmicking religion is not a way to
get a serious point across. Yes, while going for the shock value might get you attention, as Falcons
for Christ members learned, it often brings the wrong kind of attention, especially when it concerns a serious and important issue like religion.
The posters are just an example of parodying religion. Christian religious leaders and organizations, especially on campus, are continuously going for something to appeal to mass audiences
instead of letting the words and works of Jesus stand for themselves. Jesus boxing the Easter
Bunny in an inflatable ring might draw a crowd, but what point does it get across? Instead of
introducing people to the Christian message, they are making a mockery of it.
Apologizing for historical events done in God's name is generally not what brings people to
any religion. Posting messages for the shock value will not encourage people to put their faith in
a higher being. Turning people's beliefs into a carnival sideshow, while amusing, is not what converts people. Instead of trying to shock people into religion, religiously affiliated student organizations should just stand by the principles that they preach. It isn't the words that are going to
convert people; it is the actions of those that already believe. Forget shock value and hokey attractions to draw in a crowd. Let religion speak for itself and leave the envelope-pushing to Lady
GaGa and her hats.
The Mesa Journal
e-m
mail: mesajournal@utpb.edu
Staff
Editor-iin-C
Chief: Kristen Gipson
Interim Assistant Editor: Amber Batura
Staff Writers: Mark Blair, Scott Thoen
Layout & Design: Kristen Gipson, Amber Batura
Photographer: Romelia Elguezabal
Advisor: Dr. Nichole Rougeau-Vanderford
General Information:
The Mesa Journal is a student publication that provides information, commentary, and entertainment for The University of Texas of the Permian Basin community. Editorial statements and
advertisements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of UT Permian Basin adminstration.
Letter Policy:
All contributions, in good taste, will be edited for grammar, spelling, length (250 minimum),
libel, profanity, and personal attacks. All letters must contain the author’s name, major, academic classification, and contact information. This information can be withheld upon request.
Electronic copies of articles and letters are preferred.
Mission Statement:
The Mesa Journal is designed to inform, entertain, educate, and heighten awareness of students,
faculty, and administrators at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Staff members will
be responsible journalists by maintaining high ethical standards with fairness, accuracy, and balance.
A&E
Thursday, April 15, 2010
The Mesa Journal,
Review
Review
Alice Childress’s Trouble in Mind
By KRISTEN GIPSON
Editor-in-Chief
The Founder’s Theater this
Spring hosted the Alice
Childress play Trouble In Mind,
starring a UTPB student cast
of actors. The play follows
the racist separation that particularly befalls a mixed cast
of black and white actors,
which is explored through the
racist histrionics of a white
director, Al Manners (played
by Lindon Ray Rice).
The standout actress, both
in the characterization of the
play and reality is Willetta
Mayer, played by Kelli Henry,
who manages to go from a
cheerfully oppressed actress
to the one character in the play
completely willing to stand up
for her beliefs, no matter what
the cost.
The entire supporting cast,
including Chassidy Johnson,
Johnathan “Ziggy” Brown,
and Tara Holt, who played
other actors in the company,
were particularly well-cast.
Probably the most moving
moment in the play is when
Brown as illiterate Sheldon
Forrester tearfully discusses a
lynching he saw when he was
young.
Even minor characters, like
Bill O’Wray, a white actor
played by Michael Swindle
and Henry, the janitor, played
by Eric Iholts II, were surprisingly memorable. Iholts, particularly, though he doesn’t
appear to be older than 30,
managed to play an elderly
Irishman with surprising conviction.
As the play speaks intimately to issues so delicate that
they aren’t dealt with openly
until the end of the play (and
then, not satisfactorily, or with
any real resolve), director
Shawn Watson made excellent
choices of actors who managed to play their parts with
great expression.
PHOTO BY KRISTEN GIPSON
The actors of Trouble in Mind rehearse a troubling scene from their play. Left to right: Judith Sears
(Tara Holt), Willetta Mayer (Kelli Henry), John Nevins (Andre Harris), Bill O’Wray (Michael
Swindle, Millie Davis (Chassidy Johnson), and Sheldon Forrester (Johnathan “Ziggy” Brown).
Local harpists try for world record
By IRIS FOSTER
Public Information Officer
It might be a world record
for harp soloists accompanied
by an orchestra, according to
UTPB University Strings
Conductor Tom Hohstadt.
Guinness World Records has
been contacted about this special event on Sunday, April 25,
at 4 p.m. at UTPB's CEED
Building, Hwy. 191 at FM
1788.
On this occasion, 45
harpists from ECISD's Milam
and Reagan Magnet Schools,
Ector Junior High, and Odessa
High ensembles will perform
along with UTPB strings students playing works by
Vaughan Williams, Georg
Philipp Telemann, and John
Ireland. The harp students on
four campuses are under the
direction of Megan Metheney
who is ECISD's harp director
and a first-year adjunct faculty
at UTPB.
Originally from Arizona,
Ms. Metheney has performed
throughout Europe and the
USA, has written for Harp
3
Column, and published several harp ensemble arrangements. She has also released
two albums which blend a
variety of musical styles not
necessarily intended for harp
solos.
Dr. Hohstadt is a senior
lecturer at UTPB and a former
conductor of the MidlandOdessa Symphony.
For more information
about this world-record-setting performance, please call
UTPB at 432-552-3286 or Ms.
Metheney at 943-0011.
Review
CRASH of the Titans
How to Train
Your Dragon
Dragon will impress children, animal-lovers
By KRISTEN GIPSON
Editor-in-Chief
Of all the movies built
upon the premise that dragons are ravaging the country
side, heavy on the Vikings and
guest-starring Scotsmen from
popular culture, How to Train
Your Dragon definitely ranks
amongst the top ten. Actually,
the 3D Dreamworks flick is a
surprisingly solid movie.
To begin with, it features
genuinely good voice actors,
like Jay Baruchel (She's Out of
My League) who plays the
witty but unlikely hero
Hiccup. Though the movie
does feature some recognizable names, like Gerard Butler
(300), who plays Hiccup's
uber-Viking father, and The
Late Late Show's Craig
Ferguson who plays a
medieval bionic man, the
draw of the movie does not lie
in the publicity garnered by
A-list stars.
The most interesting
characters in the movie,
rather, are non-speaking. The
dragons, most of them
unnamed, including the lead
dragon, Toothless, are the
most endearing characters in
the movie.
Dreamworks,
which has already proved
their ability to make monsters
likable with 2001's Shrek, creates highly-intelligent dragons who, while they manage
to keep the beefy Vikings running amok in terror, resemble,
more than anything, the common house cat.
The plot of the movie is
standard enough. It follows
Hiccup, who is in love with
the skull-bashing dragonkiller,
Astrid
(America
Ferrera). Hiccup has levels,
though: he also wants to make
his father, the head of the
Viking community proud, by
becoming a dragon-killer,
which is apparently the only
cool thing to do in Iceland
before civilization really hits.
Poor Hiccup, though, is stuck
inside a scrawny, teenage
body, and is forced to use his
wit and the help of the equally
physically disadvantaged and
misunderstood
dragon,
Toothless, to win the love of
his community.
Because the dragons are the
most sympathetic characters
in the movie, it's easy to see
that, fantastical though the
premise may be, Dragon has
more in common with AirBud
or Free Willy than it does the
fairy tale movie that magical
creatures usually cameo in.
Regardless, the characterization is fairly sophisticated.
There is no wave of the
magic wand that makes everything perfect at the end of the
movie. In addition, Hiccup's
father (Butler) is startlingly
complex for an animated
father. For one thing, both he
and Gobber (Ferguson) are
Scottish. My geography is a
little rusty, so it took some
research to realize that the
Norse actually did have some
influence in Scotland (after,
assumedly, some raping and
pillaging). The accents, however, did leave me spending
most of the movie preoccupied with the distance by sea
between Iceland and Scotland.
The 3D effects utilized for
Dragons
are
minimally
impactful, and serve to
enhance the visual quality of
certain images, but don't really intrude into the picture as a
whole, as compared to other
children's movies which rely
on the gimmick of 3D to pull
viewers in. The film doesn’t
rest its laurels on 3D, but
entertains with genuinely likable (if somewhat familiar)
characters.
Children will be thrilled by
the dragons, but because this
is a movie featuring at least
one blood-thirsty dragon and
a whole mess of angry
Vikings, children under the
age of 4 probably ought to
attend the movie only with
parental supervision. Adults
over the age of 4 should
remind themselves that dragons aren't, as yet, available for
adoption at the local ASPCA.
Clash of the Titans box office crash
By SCOTT THOEN
Staff Writer
Don't spend your money
on Clash of the Titans unless
you are in need of a nap and
just can't seem to fall asleep.
That would be the only reason
worth spending money on this
box office bomb.
I've never fallen asleep in a
theater before, and I wasn't
even tired, but I dozed off
somewhere around Perseus's
dealings
with
Medusa.
Someone behind me must
have felt the same. They
awoke with an abrupt, suffocated snore. The people sitting
in the vicinity laughed hearti-
ly at the embarrassed snorer,
and sadly, that incident was
probably the best part of the
movie.
Clash of the Titans director
Louis Leterrier has a much
longer attention span than the
average person. It is the only
way I can make sense of the
long breaks of nothing going
on and the repeated slow
motion moments that weren't
necessary. Leterrior used a lot
of slow motion scenes that
made me wonder if something
exciting was supposed to be
happening, but excitement
wasn't anywhere to be found.
The movie starts with a
little back story as to how
Perseus, the protagonist, is
special. He is a half man, half
god. In the mix of this, the
audience gets to see soldiers
destroying a Zeus statue. The
audience really doesn't understand why, but apparently
they are collectively upset
about not getting winning
lotto tickets and general misfortune. It isn't really ever
clarified. Leterrior fails to
bring the audience into the
story and encourage any sort
of emotional attachment to the
characters.
Extremely quickly (and
randomly), Perseus ends up
being picked up by some soldiers and ends up in a room
with the king and queen.
Again, this is unexplained
why. All that the audience
comes away with is that
Perseus was a fisherman prior
to his adventure.
The movie is only 106 minutes but it felt like three hours.
The few and far between
action scenes lack excitement
adding to the movie's neverending feel. The movie does
boast a lot of foot action. That
seems to be the one thing that
there was plenty of: walking.
Lots of walking with no
apparent destination.
There were two good
things about the movie. (1)
The monsters looked cool. I
wouldn't want to fight them.
The other good thing was that
the 3-D glasses made my
friends look ridiculous, and I
laughed at them.
In short, there isn't a lot to
say about this movie. I could
sum it up in one word: Boring.
I can sum it up with more
words though: Drawn out,
lacking in excitement and
filled with people sleeping in
the audience.
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
Ruben Rodriguez playing double bass during trio performance with Debbie Butler on piano and Kelli
Henry on viola March 26, 2010, in the Library
Lecture Hall.
4
,The Mesa Journal
ON CAMPUS
Thursday, April 15, 2010
ON CAMPUS
By MARK BLAIR
Staff Writer
Two fraternities will be
opening chapters on the
UTPB campus this semester.
The fraternity Kappa Delta
Rho and the coed service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega will
soon call the UTPB campus
home.
Kappa Delta Rho is the first
social fraternity to colonize on
the UTPB campus and is offering male students the opportunity to be founding fathers.
Any students interested in
joining Kappa Delta Rho can
contact Will Hinson at hinson_w828@utpb.edu or (817)
487-0010.
Kappa Delta Rho was first
founded
in
1905
at
Middlebury
College
in
Middlebury, Vermont. Since
then, the fraternity has grown
to over 25,000 members with
35 chapters across the nation.
The fraternity promotes honor
and scholarship among its
brothers, hoping to provide
them with an opportunity to
think and act responsibly.
If students are interested in
being part of a more community-minded
organization,
they might want to check out
Alpha Phi Omega. Alpha Phi
Omega has chapters on over
350 college campuses and has
been in existence since 1925.
Alpha Phi Omega gives its
members, both male and
female, the opportunity to be
active in their community
while building leadership
skills and allowing students to
know their fellow classmates.
Alpha Phi Omega's next
event on campus will be a
Nacho Night on Thursday
April 15, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00
p.m. APO is also planning to
go to a national convention in
Atlanta,
Georgia,
in
December.
Students interested in joining APO or who want more
information can email the fraternity at utpbapo@gmail.
com, visit their website
http://www.apo.org/pages/sh
ow/About, or look them up on
Facebook.
Both of these fraternities are
looking for interested students who would like to
become a member of a greek
organization. It is a great
opportunity to become more
involved in student life on
campus and to meet new and
interesting people.
Taking the hunt out of ‘job hunt’
Career services hosts job fair for students and community
By SCOTT THOEN
Staff Writer
On Thursday, April 1, students and Midland/Odessa
locals had the opportunity to
met
with
48
different
exhibitors interested in hiring
new employees in the
Gymnasium Complex at
UTPB.
A total of 592 people
attended the job fair, up from
last year's 568 attendants. The
job fair brought out a variety
of
employers,
including
school districts, the FBI and
television news stations.
The job fair was advertised
around campus and through
major, local radio, television
and news venues.
Tony Love, UTPB's Career
Services Director, who has
organized job fairs for the past
seven years, said the job fair
went great.
Karl Cooper, a Midland
local, came in to browse and
see what was available, and
ended up filling out an application with Snelling Staffing
Services. He enjoyed seeing
the amount of employers
UTPB was able to bring to the
fair.
"It is a pretty good mix. A
lot of schools and banks. A
good variety though." Cooper
said.
Love hopes to have students take advantage of the
opportunity to meet with
potential employers.
"It is open to the general
public but we're most interested in our students taking
advantage." Love said.
Love thought this year's job
fair was a success and believes
in its ability to help students
prepare for the job hunt or
make the hunt unnecessary.
"The job fair is a forum for
students to visit multiple
employers at one place and at
one time. It is a great tool for
students to really start pumping up their job seeking strategies the last semester they are
here," Love said. "It is a timely event for those people."
For information on the
Career Center, students can
call 432-552-2633 or e-mail
careerservices@utpb.edu.
5
Student involvement
through Intramurals
By MARK BLAIR
Staff Writer
"My goal for intramurals
here at UTPB is for students to
continue
to
be
active.
Intramurals offer the opportunity to do that through recreational sports," said Health
and Wellness Coordinator
Terrance Anders.
Intramurals go on all
semester long during both the
Fall and Spring semesters at
UTPB offering students a way
to get involved and meet new
people. All students are invited to participate in intramural
sports, which range from
bowling to sand volleyball.
All activities are free to
UTPB students and spouses,
faculty, or staff as long as they
have paid the annual gym
membership fee. All that is
required to participate is a
current student ID.
Terrance Anders is in his
second year at UTPB but was
the Intramurals Coordinator
at Midland College for 12
years before he came here.
"Another goal for intramurals at UTPB is to give students a more positive outlook
on their school. We want them
to know that we care about
their physical wellness and
overall college experience
along with their education,"
Anders said.
Even though the semester is
almost over there are still
many activities for students to
participate in such as the
"Hands Off, Roll On" skating
party that is taking place at
the YMCA Skating Center on
8th street Thursday, April 15,
from 7:30 p.m to 10:00 p.m.
Intramurals is also hosting
Falconpalooza, an end of
semester event to help students relieve stress and have
fun, on Friday, April 16 from
6:00p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the
duck pond. There will also be
two weeks of sand volleyball
at the court by the music
building starting Sunday,
April
18,
and
ending
Thursday, April 29. Sand volleyball will start at 7:30 p.m.
and end at 10:30 p.m. and
there will be food, drinks, and
music. An Intramural Swim
Meet is scheduled for April 30
from 1:00p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at
the UTPB pool where there
will also be food, drinks, and
other games.
If you have any questions about any of these
events, or if you would like to
suggest a sport to be played
for intramurals you can email
Terrance
Anders
at
anders_t@utpb.edu or call him
in his office at (432) 552-2598.
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Thursday, April 15, 2010
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Laser tag at gym
By MARK BLAIR
Staff Writer
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
Permian Basin community members and UTPB students speak with local employers at the UTPB Job Fair hosted by Career Services on April 1, 2010 at the UTPB
Gymnasium.
The haze of smoke, the
bright lights and the loud
music welcomed UTPB students who participated in the
Tron laser tag event held at the
basketball court Friday, March
26.
Program Board puts on
events like Tron a couple
times a month in order to get
students together to mingle
and interact outside of the
classroom.
"We chose this event
because it was something that
students don't get to do all the
time. We thought it would be
a good way for students to
interact and get to know one
another." Program Board
member, John Escontrias, said.
The game consists of two
teams with five players on
each team. The teams put on
vests with the Tron guns
attached to them. Players were
then given the opportunity to
enter the dome, which measured 55 feet in diameter and
25 feet in height. Participants
were challenged by dim lighting, fog, and laser lights which
shot across the room, all
agents of confusion. The challenge in these distractions
served to misdirect the contestants, who were unsure if
they were being attacked by
the other team or if the beams
were just part of the preprogrammed lighting system.
Because of the environment,
players had to rely on the colored lights on opponents vests
to know where to shoot.
A player's score was updated every few seconds on his or
her vest and was determined
by what part of their opponent’s vest he shot. Two large
receivers on the chest and two
smaller receivers on the shoulders manage the scoring system for the game (i.e., hits to
the shoulder are more points
than to the chest or back).
Upcoming events in the
month of April include Battle
of the Bands which takes place
April 10 and a Saturday trip to
Main Event in Lubbock on
April 17.
Springtime Special
1 slice cheese pizza
1 16 oz smoothie
(any flavor)
$4.25
(432) 366-2000
4007 JBS Parkway
(across from the university)
Each additional
slice topping: 50 cents
Offer good through May 31, 2010.
Must present coupon at time of purchase
6
,The Mesa Journal
COMMUNITY
Thursday, April 15, 2010
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