Greek: Kappa Delta Rho at UTPB

In college, not insane page 2
I wish I had known page 3
THE
Around town pages 4&5
MESA JOURNAL
... the Award-winning newspaper of The University of Texas of the Permian Basin...
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Volume 28~ Issue 16
ORIENTATION ISSUE
Greek: Kappa Delta Rho at UTPB
Kappa Delta Rho offers a new kind of brotherhood to UTPB’s young men
By Morgan Gossett
Guest Writer
They are the epitome of typical college guys with different backgrounds, personalities, and social stratosphere,
but every time they leave that
meeting room in the back of
the Student Union at UTPermian Basin, they represent
brothers of Kappa Delta Rho.
KDR was founded on May
17, 1905 at Middlebury
College
in
Middlebury,
Vermont. Like the founders of
the National fraternity, the
UTPB students consisting of
11 members are the founding
fathers of this developing
chapter in Odessa, Texas.
Their purpose is to promote
good fellowship, provide necessary tools and proper values
in preparation for the future,
instill
leadership
skills,
encourage social events that
will supplement their college
activities and allow them to
think and act in a responsible
and exemplary manner. They
will do extensive work in philanthropy, required by the
National Fraternity. They will
need to do one service project
per month and five major
service events for one full calendar year for their program
called KDR kids. They will
pick an organization such as
the Boys and Girl club, be
their mentors and raise funds
for the organization.
According to Matt Elliot,
the supervisor and alumnus of
KDR, the group needs 28
members in order to get their
charter. There are no specifics
on who is accepted into the
fraternity, but the group will
look for members who will
promote the college and fraternity in a positive image,
publically and individually.
They prefer high academic
standards with their minimum being 2.5 GPA. They are
students first, and fraternity
members second.
Joseph Saradet is the president of the chapter, voted
amongst the members.
When asked to describe his
feelings about being at the
helm of the developing chapter, Saradet said, "Excited,
hopeful, overwhelmed."
He's excited to build something from the ground up but
a bit overwhelmed with the
responsibilities.
Never the less, curiosity
keeps him moving forward,
"It's real, everyone has a job,
and everyone is dependable
on one another, if someone
doesn't do their job everything
gets behind."
KDR has weekly meetings
on Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday, with a mandatory
dress code of a dress shirt and
slacks. They discuss recent
activities such as those that
took place this weekend, the
Crawfish boil, a fundraising
event to promote awareness
about breast cancer, and the
car wash at Dairy Queen to
promote
Kappa Delta
Rho in the
community.
As a fraternity, KDR
wants to be
represented
positively
throughou t
the community and at
UTPB.
"If
one of us
messes up
then of all of
us mess up,
we are our
brothers
keepers,”
Saradet said.
Dr. David
Watts, UTPB
President,
said that the administration
will encact consequences if
problems arise.
"Nationally, some fraternities are associated with excessive alcohol use, and some fraternities have a history of
membership discrimination,
but I believe, and after talking
with the National Office and
members of the chapter that
they are building a fraternity
based on a positive atmosphere," Watts stated.
Furthermore, Watts will
take every legal step to deter
student drinking by an organization or an individual, but
knows it's a matter of person-
won't be tolerated either.
"They have worked too hard,
and I can honestly say, they
al choice. Never the less, he is
still excited about the prospect
of adding another level of student engagement to the campus. He hopes that he can see
more fraternities and sororities develop on campus
whether academically or
socially, and would like to see
UTPB transform from a small
school of non-traditional students to a University that
serves students from all over
Texas.
Sarradet has stated there
will be no restrictions, but it
want this, and won't give it up
for just one night of partying."
Hazing is another strong
concept associated with fraternities. Matt Elliott has stated
that sort of conduct is not tolerated nor is it acceptable
amongst KDR. If any allegations of hazing arise The
National Fraternity of Kappa
Delta Rho and the school
Administration
will
act
accordingly with the allegations and can suspend the
See Fraternities pg 3
Keeping the Pounds Off
Get through freshman year without the stress and the weight gain.
By MARK BLAIR
Staff Writer
UPCOMING
EV ENTS
The transition from
high school to college life may
not seem like the most dramatic shift to the majority of
freshman, but by the end of
the school year their bodies
will say something different.
While most of the
causes of the dreaded
"Freshman Fifteen" are obvious they are not always the
easiest to avoid. The combination of being away from home
for the first time, the increase
of schoolwork, and the access
to cheap and unhealthy food
can lead to students putting
on 15 pounds without even
noticing.
Being away from
home for the first time is often
exciting for freshman students. It brings a new sense of
freedom and independence
that most people don't have
during their high school years.
However, being away from
home also means being away
from home cooking, which
also means that the food students
eat
is
probably
unhealthy and loaded with
carbohydrates and the wrong
students eating unhealthy
food, eating around the clock,
and stress eating. Students
should make a schedule for
when they are going to eat
ing that college classes require
is night and day in comparison to high school classes. The
increase in work required outside of the classroom often
kinds of fat.
The key to keeping a
healthy diet, according to
Elizabeth Somers R.D., is
planning. It is a lack of planning that leads to first year
and stick to it. Eating healthy
is a lot of studying; students
need a solid schedule and also
need to be committed to keeping it.
The amount of study-
leads to the infamous "allnighters" that are powered by
energy drinks and meals from
24 hour fast food restaurants.
Not all fast food is completely
horrible, but it is when it is
See Fitness pg 3
Summer
On campus
Music Camps
Woodwinds Week: June 21-25
Strings Week: July 19-23
Brass Week: June 1-5
All Region Voice Camp: August 2-4
Athlete Camps
Swim Camp: June 14-19
Basketball Camp: June 7-11 &
July 26-30
eaten that makes it so detrimental to the health of students. Eating late at night is
not always bad either; it is the
amount that students eat late
at night that causes weight
gain. According to Somers,
because freshman tend to
gorge themselves when they
are studying late at night the
calories taken in during that
meal tend to stay with them.
When it comes to stress eating
or eating because of boredom
students
should
always
remember that food is not the
answer to emotional woes or a
way to fill time during the day.
Instead of trying to overcome
stress with food freshman
should take advantage of
UTPB's workout facilities, 3
mile walking trail, and intramural sports. It is free to
workout in the weight room
and the upstairs cardio rooms
with a current UTPB Student
I.D. and intramurals run year
round at UTPB.
Regular exercise is known to
relieve stress and cause a per-
June 1
Classes begin
June 7
Last day to add a
course & Last day to
drop a course with
refund
June 7
June 17
Last day to drop with a
refund and without
creating a record
Last day to add a selfpaced course
June 17
Last regualr class day
Last day to drop
with a W or withdraw
June 30
July 1
Final Examinations
2
, The Mesa Journal
18
OPINION
Thursday, June 3, 2010
In college,
not
insane
Awards
I don’t have the slightest
problem keeping this editorial short. And sweet. But
not, you know, sugar sweet.
More like sweet, sweet victory.
TIPA, or the Texas
Intercollegiate
Press
Association convention is
always
intimidating.
Whereas most of the staffs
present show up with anywhere between 5-20 members of their staff on hand
(and this is usually a small
fraction of their total staff),
the Mesa Journal turned
out this year with a record of
Kristen Gipson
only two staff members out
Editor-in-Chief
of our five member staff.
The Mesa Journal has
had the support of an administration who believes in it. But it’s
not easy being the underdog. To get anywhere as a student
newspaper that matters, we need a student body who believes
in us, too. Winning 18 awards at TIPA (that’s multiple awards
in some of the categories that we entered) shows that we have
talent. But we need student input; Madame Cleo did not apply
for Psychic Editor, and we have no way of knowing that students are upset about parking or really want a sudoku puzzle or
think an advice column would be just awesome unless they tell
us.
We’re not asking the student body to like us; that’s not our
purpose. We’re not here to be pleasing eye candy. We’re here to
provide a valuable service to the students, faculty, and staff of
UTPB. So, no love letters are necessary. But we’re right in the
Student Union, right under your noses, nearly all the time.
Drop by, write a letter, send an email, send smoke signals, but
do something.
Otherwise, we’ll just have to go on being awesome and winning awards. But, then, we were planning to do that, anyway.
Now Hiring, for Fall 2010
Editor
Assistant Editor
Copy Editor
Business Manager
Staff Writers
Photographer
For more information, call 552-2659.
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.
The spring semester of my eighth grade year began with
the principal of the middle school I was attending calling all
of the eighth grade students into the auditorium for what he
called an urgent announcement. Once all of us had been seated and quieted down our principal took the stage and began
to tell the entire eighth grade class how horrible our grades
were and how we would never make it to a respectable college because of this. He continued on in his rant for the next
thirty minutes while all of the students, including myself,
shifted uneasily in our seats.
Although this is an extreme example, it is not an isolated
incident of the idea that in order to be successful in college
you have to almost kill yourself studying. While college is difficult and certainly involves much more reading and study
time than high school, it is not impossible.
Making the transition from being in high school to being
in college requires students to shift the way they view school.
Because of the rigid structure of a normal day in high school
Mark Blair
students become accustomed to having their schedule placed
Staff Writer
in front them and being told to follow it. A student's schedule
during a normal college day is largely dependent on the student. College life gives the student the ability to choose when they take their classes and the
amount of classes they take. It is this choice that causes the transition from high school to college
to seem impossible.
The key to overcoming this mindset of "college is impossible" is keeping a balance between
study time and down time. If all you ever do is study and never take the time to just sit down and
watch television or hang out with your friends then you are bound to have some sort of freshmen
year meltdown. But, if you choose to never study and actively think of ways to avoid your schoolwork, you'll end up back home working behind the counter at a fast food restaurant.
So, in order to avoid spending time in a minimum security mental health facility or moving
back in with mom and dad, freshmen have to find the balance. However, there isn't one perfect
way to do this that is written in a book somewhere. Everyone is different; therefore, everyone's
schedule will be different.
Due to the fact that no one is constantly riding you about your schoolwork and you will no
longer be arrested for skipping class, it is completely up to you how your grades will turn out.
Keeping a balance requires self-discipline. College requires that students make a transition into
adulthood and choose to do what will cause them to be successful instead of being made to do it.
It's really just a matter of being personally committed to your own success.
You don’t have to have the same mindset as my eighth grade principal or any of your high
school teachers who have ever told you that college is a near impossible feat. I can say with confidence that even though four years of college is definitely not the easiest thing in the world; it’s
not the hardest. What I figured out the second semester of my freshmen year is that my GPA and
how stressed out I was depended entirely on how I chose to spend my time. College can either
be the most stressful thing that you ever do or one of the best times of your life depending how
you choose to approach it.
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, Mark Blair
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.
ON CAMPUS
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Mesa Journal,
I Wish I Would Have
Known...
3
UPPER-CLASSMEN SHARE THEIR
EXPERIENCED ADVICE ON COPING
WITH COLLEGE LIFE.
Mary Lou
McDonald
Junior
Humanities
Tiffany Alonzo
Senior
Kinesiology
“That professors are
approachable and
understanding.”
“Make sure to get books
early and learn your
reading assignments
ahead of time.”
Bethany
Carrasco
Sophomore
Psychology
Eric Ilang-Ilang
Senior
Biology
“Not to wait until the
last minute to register
for classes.”
“Re-read and re-read until
you understand the
material.”
Scott Morgan
Senior
English
“You have to
go to class.”
Lauren Falcon
Junior
English
“You have to watch what
you eat.”
Austin Ham
Junior
Bioloy
Jennifer Tunal
Junior
Multidisciplinary Studies
“How much more
responsible you need to
be. You just can't mess
around with school.
You have to make
time."
“Go to your advisor to be
sure you are taking the
classes you need."
Fitness from p. 1
Fraternities from p. 1
member(s) associated with
the allegation as well as
restricting fraternity events
for a full calendar year, one
year of probation, and reorganization of its chapter members.
"We have a very clear prohibition against drinking and
hazing, and would work with
KDR if that sort of problem
arises," Watts stressed.
Others would have to disagree. Students at UTPB,
when first learning of the new
fraternity on campus,admitted that they associate "frater-
nity" with booze and partying.
Laura Searcy and Michael
Laman view it as just another
reason to party. When asked
to define a fraternity, Searcy
s a i d , " B i g
house…chilling…and big parties like that show Greek."
Kelly Cortez, a UTPB junior,
recognizes both sides. "[A fraternity] creates a bonding
environment for young men;
negatively, from looking at
other universities it portrays
drinking and hazing," Cortez
said. Cortez hopes that the
fraternity doesn't hurt the rep-
utation of the school, but
rather build it up.
While the administration
and the National office are on
board with the development
of KDR at UTPB , it will be up
to the KDR members to decide
how they will portray themselves to the public.
In support of this fraternity
is faculty advisor and
Kinesiology professor Dr.
James Eldridge, and two
alumnis, Matt Elliot and Zack
Russell. KDR will be recruiting through the fall of 2010
semester, and hope to get their
charter by then.
Summer
Special
14 inch
One Topping Pizza
$6.95
Each additional
topping: $1.00
(432) 366-2000
4007 JBS Parkway
(across from the university)
Offer good through July 31, 2010.
Present this coupon at time of purchase.
son to be well balanced emotionally.
"Exercise releases hormones
into the body that allow people to bring balance into their
lives and focus better on
everything they do. It is the
natural remedy that brings the
body into homeostasis in a
hectic world that constantly
threatens to throw us out of
that balance," says tri-athlete
and LA-based fitness trainer
Erica Nemmers.
Exercise is also a good way
for students to fill down time.
Instead of going out and
spending money on unhealthy
food students would benefit
much more from spending an
hour a day in the gym either
lifting weights or running on
the treadmill.
One thing to remember is
that there is not just one way
to do this. No two people are
the same so what works for
one person will not always
work for the next. Also, students need to know that a little weight gain is not the end
of the world. Don't stress too
much over weight, but remain
focused on staying healthy
and enjoy your freshman year.
ADVERTISE
WITH THE MESA JOURNAL.
CALL 552-2659 OR EMAIL US AT
MESAJOURNAL@UTPB.EDU FOR RATES
AND
INFORMATION.
4
,The Mesa Journal
ON CAMPUS
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Where do you go to eat?
If you’re new in town or just looking for somewhere new to eat, these
restaurants are sure to have what you’re craving.
La Bodega:
1024 E. 7th street
Probably the best Mexican food in the MidlandOdessa area, La Bodega is a moderately-priced
restaurant that specializes in strong flavors and
signature recipes. Some favorites are Mario's
burritos, the nachos, chile rellenos. The delicious food does not stop with the entree
though; customers should be sure to save room
for dessert when dining at La Bodega. The custard and the cheesecake are worth the extra
calories. Though the restaurant is located close
to downtown, the drive is worth the amount
and quality of food, not to mention the mellow
atmosphere of La Bodega.
Our favorite: Mario's Burritos
The Barn Door:
2140 Andrews Highway
An Odessa legend, The Barn Door is famous for
its appetizer, a block of cheddar cheese and
buttery bread. The lobby of the Barn Door is littered with pictures of what may seem to be all
the celebrities who have ever set foot in Odessa,
but the real star at the Barn Door is the famous
bread pudding and the Stack of Hay appetizer.
The Barn Door also lives up to its repuatation
when it comes to food from the grill. Any steak
on the menu is guaranteed to be grilled exactly
to customer’s specifications and bound to satisfy a hearty appetite.
Our favorite: the Prime Rib
Keith's Hamburger Station:
4324 Andrews Highway
Sure, the commercials are cheesy, but Keith's
Hamburger Station is a meat-lover's paradise. Full
of Texas comfort food, Keith's isn't as famous for
their hamburgers as their steak fingers, which are
made fresh in house everyday. Keith’s is a great
place to stop in and eat or use the drive thru and
take it home with you.
Our Favorite: The Steak Fingers
Mi Piaci Italian:
2607 N. Grandview
Located not far from campus, Mi Piaci is some
of the best Italian food to be found in Odessa.
Home-made bread, covered in herbs and garlic
is served with every meal, and their side salads
are always fresh.
Though anything on the
menu with "Mi Piaci" in the name is worth tasting, the pizza at Mi Piaci is staggeringly good.It
is a perfect accompaniment to a night of studying.
Our favorite: The pizza
Marquez Bakery:
620 N West County Road
Although the drive is a little further from campus than other restaurants Marquez Bakery is
worth the extra gas money. It has, by far, the
widest variety of Mexican sweet breads in the
Midland-Odessa area and some of the best bottled soft drinks to go along with them. People
who choose to stop by should definitely try a
Manzana Lift! It’s an apple flavored soda that is
different than anything found in any 7-11 type
store.
Our Favorite: The Breakfast Burritos
All photos by ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
Thursday, June 3, 2010
ON CAMPUS
The Mesa Journal,
5
What is there to do
around here?
It’s Friday night. Where do you go? These places in Odessa and Midland
offer more than enough entertainment to fill your weekends.
Ector County Coliseum:
4201 Andrews Highway
The Ector County Coliseum hosts many different
entertainment events in Odessa. It is home to
Odessa’s hockey and arena football teams: the
Jackalopes and the Roughnecks. Both teams are
known to go fairly deep into the playoffs in their
respective leagues offering extended entertainment to their fans. The Ector County Coliseum
also hosts the fair and the carnival when they
come to town. However, the coliseum is known
to bring in mainstream rock bands such as
Nickelback and “A” list entertainers such as
George Lopez.
Diamond Lanes:
2208 East 8th Street
Bowling has always been a cheap and easy way
for college students to entertain themselves, but
Diamond Lanes takes it one step further with
their daily specials. The special that tops all the
rest is their Thursday Night One Dollar Games.
Every Thursday night Diamond Lanes is packed
with college students from Midland and Odessa
who are taking advantage of the inexpensive
entertainment and of the chance to meet new
people. With over thirty lanes, there is more than
enough room for large groups. Also, for a bowling alley, the food isn’t half bad.
Astro Golf & Games:
3306 Andrews Highway
Astro Golf & Games offers the unique experience
of being able to play putt putt indoors and under
a blacklight. These two aspects put a new spin on
the game and cause even the most experienced
players to second guess themselves. Astro Golf &
Games offers more than just putt putt though,
they also have a wide variety of classic arcade
games and a laser tag arena. Astro Golf & Games
is another cheap way for a large group of friends
to entertain themselves. They also offer a selection of group rates and party rooms.
MCM Ice Rink
4101 East 42nd Street
(located in the mall)
MCM Ice Rink is a cheap way to have fun. $5 for
admission and $3 for skate rentals, the ice rink
offers numerous sessions throughout the day for
public skating. The ice rink is a great place to
take a date or a group of friends. If ice skating
isn’t your thing, then the ice rink also has a variety of games that can be played on the ice without skates including broom ball, a fun twist on
hockey. It is also availabe for rental for large
groups.
Big Sky Drive-In Theatre
5609 West Highway 80
Open every night, Big Sky Drive-In might be a
little out of the way, but for two movies at $6 per
person, it's a great deal for college students to
hang out and have a good time. The drive-in is
always showing the newest releases and offers
movies appropriate for children. The refreshments extend past the classic movie theatre selections of fountain drinks and popcorn. Big Sky
Drive-In has a restaurant that opens before the
first movie and closes before the second movie
begins. Tune in to 89.9 FM to find out more information when close to the drive-in.
Photos by ROMEY ELGUEZABAL and
KRISTEN GIPSON
6
,The Mesa Journal
COMMUNITY
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Congratulations
2010 Graduates
All photos by AMBER BATURA
Get up to $3000 toward your college tuition or student
loans. For more information contact Margaret Perryman
at 432-272-2100 OR 432-557-0510 for this great
opportunity. Join UPROMISE.COM today.