Chupacabra outbreak reaches Texas

OPINION
IMPORTANT information
about April the First, p. 2
Teh
ON CAMPUS
COMMUNITY
Aliens attack, run for your
lives!, p. 3
Time travel agency offers deal on
spring break getaways, p. 3
Soccer student grows three
extra arms, p. 3
Messy Journey
... the hard-hitting, awesome, three-time award-winning, Pulitzer Prize-deserving, free newspaper of UTPB...
Thursday, April 1, 2010
April Edition
Volume 28~ Issue 13
Chupacabra outbreak reaches Texas
By SCOTT THOEN
Staff Writer
In the Permian Basin,
Chupacabra sightings have
been so numerous in the past
weeks that authorities have
requested people stop reporting them.
Chupacabra, a creature
once thought to be a legend,
originally was spotted years
ago in Puerto Rico. Animal
experts once dismissed them
as only folk tales.
Sheriff Gerald Valdez, of
Wilson County, has confirmed
the existence of this new beast.
"We have captured, killed
and spotted many live chupacabra. They are destroying
the livestock population here
are a serious threat to the
farming community," Valdez
said.
Scientists have been unable
to explain the sudden appearance.
Dr. Lisa Bilson, a researcher
at the University of Texas, has
been analyzing corpses of captured chupacabra and has
been unable to explain where
they come from.
"Chupabra are quite unique.
They look similar to dogs and
something out of the movie
Gremlins but through studying DNA, they aren't related
to any animal family we know
of. They aren't related to dogs,
cats, falcons, lizards or anything we can line it up with."
Bilson said.
Farmer Jason Peralta, who
raises goats, cows and chickens, has lost most of his
finances due to the chupacabra.
"They come out at night
and bite my animals and suck
the blood dry. Sometimes they
eat some of them but mostly
they just drain the blood. They
are vampires," Peralta said.
It has been seen that chupacabra kill their victims and
then drag the bodies to remote
areas to feed.
The counties surrounding
Wilson County have had an
increase in missing people
that some suggest can be related to the chupacabra now targeting humans.
"We are asking all citizens
to be as cautious as possible
and if they have the opportunity to, kill any chupacabra
they encounter. It is best to try
to stay indoors as much as
possible though," Valdez said.
No word yet on how animal
rights activists will respond to
photo partially by Romey Elguezabal
Students are urged to stay on watch for Chupacabra outbreaks in the OdessaMidland area and report all suspicious activity to the local authorities.
the welfare of the creatures.
"We don't want anyone out
at night that can get hurt." said
Mayor Eric Callirgos of
Beaufort, Texas. "We don't
Twilight author staked
Parentally-supervised twilight candlelight vigils held
By MARK BLAIR
Staff Writer
In an ironic, yet tragic,
series of events, author
Stephenie Meyer lost her life
the morning of March 22,
2010.
On her way to her weekly
Anne Rice book club Meyer
was T-boned by a teenage
political
activist at
an intersection in
Meyer's
hometown
of Phoenix,
Arizona.
"It wasn't the initial crash
that killed
her. It was
the wooden
stake
that flew
through
the young
woman's
windshield
and
was
t h e n
lodged in
the
left
side
of
M r s .
Meyer's
chest cavity,"
said
Ron Walls, one of Phoenix's
medical examiners. "The
wooden stake created an
obstruction in Mrs. Meyer's
left ventricle making it difficult to pump blood into the
aorta causing her body to
slowly shut down," Walls continued.
The stake through the
heart was the tragic accident
of sign-making gone wrong.
"I was on my way to a signmaking meeting that my
group was having," the young
political activist, who refused
to be named in this article,
said when asked why she had
so many wooden stakes in the
front seat of her car.
"I was in a hurry because
we are campaigning to have a
local blood bank shut down
because of its distribution of
contaminated blood and these
signs are important. Plus my
pet falcon was sick," the
activist said. "I didn't even see
the light turn red."
Meyer was rushed to the
hospital when the ambulance
carrying her was stopped by a
pre-emptive candle light vigil
being held by hordes of fourteen year old girls in "Team
Edward" t-shirts. The ambulance was forced to come to a
complete stop one block from
the emergency room entrance
of Maricopa County Hospital.
The EMT's
had
to
p u s h
through
the crowd
while carr y i n g
Meyer on a
stretcher.
By
the
time they
reached
the emerg e n c y
r o o m
Meyer had
passed.
The
doctors
said that if
she
had
g o t t e n
there ten
minutes
earlier the
M e y e r
might still
be
alive
today.
“My wife is now dead
because of people's ridiculous
obsession with her books,"
Meyer's husband, Christian
Meyer said.
Meyer is survived by her
husband, three sons, and the
black stain she left on the
world of literature.
quite understand these creatures yet and until we know it
is safe, we will make sure
everyone isn't unnecessarily
going into danger."
Citizens of Midland-Odessa
should remain viligant and
report any chupacabra sightings to their local authorities.
More information on p.3
Celebrity car wash
raises money for
public health care
By KRISTEN GIPSON
Editor-in-Chief
In an effort to raise public
support for the Health Care
bill recently passed in the
House of Representatives,
some of the nation's top
celebrities held a car wash. All
of the proceeds of the car
wash, said one representative
of the event, would go to raising money to buy United
States citizens health care.
The event kicked off early
Monday morning, though
only about five celebrities
were at the event before ten
o'clock. Among those earlygoers were the entire cast of
Twilight, the cast of Tru Blood,
Bram Stoker, and Count
Chocula.
"Of course, Tom Cruise
rode up on a motorcycle
around noon, and almost
knocked Oprah over. Luckily,
there was a couch behind her,
so he just climbed up there to
help her back up," said Zach
Braff, who narrated the entire
event in a detached third-person perspective.
The event was so successful that, at around five o'clock,
the celebrities began auctioning off their personal possessions to keep the hordes of
customers entertained.
"I am Jack Donaghy," Alec
Baldwin told one Mesa
Journal reporter, "so I don't
actually have anything in my
car. It's not even my car. I'm
very, very famous." Baldwin
reportedly sold the tires to his
assistant's car for $32,000.
Meanwhile, other celebrities were forced to take more
drastic measures to raise
money.
"I sold, like, all of my
extensions," said teen crooner
and "actress" Miley Cyrus.
"So, that's gotta' be a lot of
money. Like maybe."
The
total net worth of Cyrus's hair
was approximately $8.27 US
currency by a bidder who
wished to remain unnamed.
The event was, however,
finally deemed a success,
when at the end of the day the
actors, actresses, singers, and
sports personas gathered their
funds.
"We raised about $32,008.27,"
John Travolta, who was
dressed as a falcon, said. "So,
that's really good. It seems
like maybe if we had just started doing these car washes a
long time ago, we could have
raised enough money to buy
health care for all of the
nation's uninsured. Then,
when the government tried to
pass this bill, they would have
seen how awesome it is."
Despite the political undertones of the event, all of the
participants stress that their
involvement in it was strictly
due to the strict tenants of
More information on p.3
2
, The Mesa Journal
Recycling
saves lives
Here at The Mesa
Journal, we all like to have
a good laugh. But every
now and then, we have to
put the laughter and the
hard-hitting coverage of
important events like Club
Profiles away and address
a serious topic.
Hello. My name is
Kristen Gipson, and I am
the Editor-in-Chief of The
Mesa Journal. Today I
want to talk to you about
recycling. Do you realize
that every time you throw
away a Mesa Journal, you
Kristen Gipson
are throwing away the
Editor-in-Chief
future of this country?
Every semester, over
25,000 newspapers are thrown away. Sometimes they are
thrown into the back of your SUV, to protect your carpet from
the ketchup leakage of your month-old Happy Meal container.
Sometimes they are made into paper airplanes, and subsequently crumbled up by an angry bystander who has been hit in the
ear with the projectile part of the airplane. Sometimes they are
picked up by the elevator on the third floor and thrown away in
the trash can on the first floor.
Well, here’s a little known fact: Every time you throw away
a Mesa Journal, somebody dies.
That’s right. Maybe not now, maybe not today, but every
time you don’t recycle your newspapers, a tree dies. One day,
all the trees will be dead. What then? Then, you’ll be thinking
to yourself, “Gee, if only I had recycled that newspaper instead
of throwing it into the trashcan along with my English notes.”
Look, it’s not as if we expect you to keep the papers forever. It’s not as if they are chronicling the history of UTPB or anything. But we put a lot of work into them.
Oh, yeah. One more thing. Every time you recycle your
Mesa Journal, a puppy gets adopted. That’s right, adorable
puppies all over the world, even in countries like Romania,
where dogs generally run wild. All of a sudden, one of those
canines in the wild packs of dogs separates from the group,
runs over to a little Romanian boy, and becomes part of a family.
So, UTPB, what will it be? Will you continue to read the
newspapers and then recycle them as is only fitting, and see that
every man, woman, and child has a cute cocker spaniel sitting
by their fireside? Or will you kill someone of the future with
your wasteful littering. The choice is yours.
This has been a public service announcement brought to you by
The Messy Journey.
stuff
Thursday, April 1, 2010
IMPORTANT
The following information was
released as part of a new graduation
requirement for students.
Xuil Falann Lassrinn pholor lil i'dol, Usstan zhah sokoya ulu
plynnil biu veirs bauth sreen'aur dal nindol whol nindol ol zhah
sokoya mzilt lil myrxle jal veirs ulu inbal tlus feithin whol natha
lassrinn dal lil nindol lil lueth lil jiv'xund ol zhah mziln natha
sreenath ka dos phuul naut whol vel'bol gumash sha'nalt.
Usstan zhahus whol lil jhal nind Usstan doerrus naudal nindol
lotha whol nind xal tlu galla ulu natha bwael draeval, nind xal
tlu veirs ulu mina rath wun khel phuul lueth udos saph ulu drital.
Ol zhah natha Yol zhah uss del lil jatha'la whol nindol del
jivvin, ol zhah naut nindel natha orn'la pand izil natha wun
ninta jhal baut'wael falann lassrinn gos natha lotha wun ninta
whol Lil lil del gumash lillueth lil uss inlul jhal ol zhah mon'tu
zhah nindel wundosst del gumash sha'nalt wun uss inlul dos
ussa? Ori'gato udossa xun fol lueth lgor natha del. Aluin pholor
lil ves suul, ori'gato udossa telanth nindel uk gos doeb h'uena natha lueth uriu draa. Nindel zhah natha yentil del drital.
Amber Batura
Plynn nindel mzilt wund blyn bista dos phuul lil gordo blyn
Interim Assistant Editor
lueth nindel doeb ulu mzil dritalk natha tangi. Ji nindol
chaon zhah mru'ngain dal lueth phor yol zhah wun ulu drital natha drasven ssran del trinn'tele wun blyn.
Naut er'griff orn foluss inbal lil mina xuil rin'ov, jhal nind orn tlu ka lil shlu'ta ninta mem qee
z'lonzic ulu xxizz mina xuil lil trinn'tele. Trinn'tele elggen kyikh wun blyn drasven. Nindel xal
naut kluth saph natha yentil, jhal mzil del nindyn drital mzild taga vel'bol jala byr baut'wael uriu
a uss xor jalbyr. Zhah naut lil er'griff. Lil udossa telanth a ikkask ulu ezsakil xinanath a nindel
nind phuul vrueh wun lueth naut ulu eszak, nind orn naut inbau s'ck dal lil niar yol nind orn naut
tlu jala. Whol jal lil ol belbaue nindol endar wun Softe p'los dos p'los softe wun lil nind xun ol
zhah natha whol xindarl lueth dosst llaar uriu nau. Lil mzilt wun lil softe lil thrye del lil mem,
qeeh jhal byr taga nindel, gaer zhah naut mzilt del natha. Vel'bol thrye zhah lil in'tuil del trinn'tele tluin mina ulu phor zhah lil i'dol del ezual ol uriu inbalus z'lonzic. Mru'ngain ol zhah wun
lueth nindol mziln mru'ngae chu'tgerin uhew. Wun olt whol lil nindol lueth mru'ngae jaluss ulu
plynn natha lor a lil saph nindol lueth gaer. Ol phuul endar lil phlynn, xuil wun lueth rilbol.
Lodias xun vel'bol nind xun, jhal ori'gato udossa tlu ver'n ghil whol natha drada. Lil whol xindarl lueth trinn'tele phuul endar wun ji nindol zhah a izil waelin izil fol xal inbal mzil phuul k'jakr
lueth mru'ngain drital wun natha zhah naut fridj ol zhah waele. Lil dal lil trinn'tele maglust
phuul naut lil er'griff phuul whol wun nindolen. Xindarl jal zhaun lil lueth natha waelin dal lil
nindel uriu tlus ichl mzilt zhah biu rescho p'obon. Lil zhah tluin wun ninta nindol i'dol. Gumash
xuz phor s'ck, jivviim, xor. Falann Lassrinn zhah ulu tlu natha draeval del jivvin, v'dre, lueth. Tlu
del waele saph nindol lueth tlu sreen'aur, dos detholar ulu alu. Natha pholor lil wun zhah naut
ssran lil v'dre del dosst dro. Lil udossa telanth del ezual ol uriu xuil wun lueth rilbol saph natha
yentil. Ji nindol chaon zhah mru'ngain dal lueth phor yol zhah wun ulu drital natha drasven
ssran del trinn'tele wun blyn.
Nindel uriu tlus ichl mzilt zhah biu rescho p'obon. Lil zhah tluin wun ninta nindol i'dol.
Gumash xuz phor s'ck, jivviim, xor. Falann Lassrinn zhah ulu tlu natha draeval del jivvin, v'dre,
lueth. Tlu del waele saph nindol lueth tlu sreen'aur, dos detholar ulu alu. Natha pholor lil wun
zhah naut ssran lil v'dre del dosst dro. Lil udossa telanth del ezual ol uriu xuil wun lueth rilbol
saph natha yentil. Ji nindol chaon zhah mru'ngain dal lueth phor yol zhah wun ulu drital natha
drasven ssran del trinn'tele wun blyn
Lil udossa telanth del ezual ol uriu xuil wun lueth rilbol saph natha yentil.
Now Hiring, for Fall 2010
The Mesa Journal
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.
e-m
mail: mesajournal@utpb.edu
Staff
Editor-iin-C
Chief: Kristen “The Slayer” Gipson
Interim Assistant Editor: Amber “The Ripper” Batura
Staff Writers: Mark “The Stake Man” Blair, Scott “Chupacabra Killa” Thoen
Layout & Design: Kristen “The Slayer” Gipson, Amber “The Ripper” Batura
Photographer: Romelia “The Sniper” Elguezabal
Advisor: Dr. Nichole “The Executioner” 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.
April Fool’s!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
A
The Mesa Journal,
3
CHUPACABRAS DO NOT EXIST.
CELEBRITIES DID NOT HOLD A CAR
WASH FOR HEALTH CARE.
PRIL
‘
l
fOo s
STEPHENIE MEYER WAS NOT STAKED.
THROWING AWAY NEWSPAPERS DOES NOT SAVE PUPPIES.
AND NOW BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED MESA JOURNAL
ARTS & ON CAMPUS
COMMUNITY
Hollywood Video goes out of business,
p. 4
How to eat healthy, p. 6
Falcon Spotlight, p. 5
The
Mesa Journal
... the Award-winning newspaper of The University of Texas of the Permian Basin...
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Volume 28~ Issue 13
Gubernatorial candidates on education
By AMBER BATURA
Interim Assistant Editor
On March 2, Rick Perry
defeated Senator Kay Bailey
Hutchison and candidate
Debra Medina for the GOP
nomination
for
Texas
Governor. Perry will now
campaign against the democratic
nominee,
former
Houston mayor, Bill White.
In his twenty-plus years in
public service, Perry has made
an impact on higher education, leaving his mark on college students all over Texas. In
January 2004 as Lt. Governor,
Perry demanded that public
colleges and universities work
with the Higher Education
Coordinating Board to develop a statewide higher education accountability system. By
December 2004, a system
launched that allowed Texans
to compare each institution to
other in-state and out-of-state
institutions based on information related to the four goals of
Closing the Gaps and operational efficiency. The outcome
of this project showed
improvement in enrollment
and the number of degrees
achieved increased.
Perry also promoted incentive funding for higher education establishments. The
Eightieth Legislature set aside
$100 million for incentive
funding in 2009. In January of
the same year, the Higher
Education Incentive Funding
Task Force formed to create an
incentive funding system and
determine how to award
funds. Due to this, institutions
are looking for ways to
improve graduation rates,
increase graduates in certain
fields, and increase transfers
from two-year colleges to
four-year universities, while
improving the quality of education hoping for their cut of
the incentive funding.
The democratic nominee,
Bill White, isn't new to politics. His previous experience
includes serving as the U.S.
Deputy Secretary of Energy
under Clinton from 1993 to
1995 and Mayor of Houston
for three terms. His campaign
focuses on increasing jobs for
Texans, but he has some ideas
for higher education that will
impact
college
students
throughout the state.
White believes that higher
education is too expensive for
most families to afford.
continued on page 3
Rick Perry is the incumbent Republican nominee running for re-election.
4
,The Mesa Journal
Arts and Leisure
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Journalist shares secret The Hangover’s
of saving on cheap DVDs Alan does comedy
By SCOTT THOEN
Staff Writer
Want to capitalize on
the bad economy? You can, at
Hollywood Video.
The not-so-popular
video rental chain has filed
bankruptcy. As a result,
Hollywood Video is shutting
down about a third of their
locations.
This can be good
news; if you like movies, then
it is very good news.
For the next couple
weeks, Hollywood Videos
around Odessa will be clearing their shelves.
Upon
entering
Hollywood Video, tables were
set up with movies laid out all
over them. At around $7.99
per movie, the prices weren’t
bad, but also not great. One of
those movies was 17 Again
with Zac Efron, which was
hysterical. Don’t knock it
unless you’ve seen it.
Eight dollars didn't
seem like that great of a price
for a movie
There were stands all over
the store with hand-written
signs that said things like
"OMG! $3.99!" Popular movies
like Juno and There Will Be
Blood were among these.
Occasionally, a smart shopper can even strike oil by looking along the back wall of the
joint, which is filled with
movies: Not just isolated
stands and tables but an entire
wall just crammed with about
everything they had.
You can easily spend twenty minutes or more looking
through every single movie to
make sure you don’t skip over
the good titles.
Since renting these days
can often cost more than four
dollars, it’s a steal for college
students to search for wellloved movies when they come
so cheap.
Though some movies were
cheap, the prices ranged on
the movies, newer ones being
more expensive. Students on
a budget should stay away
from ones that were more
than $3.99 just to keep from
spending too much. You can
break the rule with films like
500 Days of Summer, which is
not only critically acclaimed,
but awesome.
These weren't just the B-list
movies, either. Forgetting Sarah
Marshall, The Dark Knight, lots
of good stuff was being practically handed away.
Since the opportunity is
still open to find cheap movies
for the avid student’s DVD
collection,
check
out
Hollywood Video. Journalists
aren’t really supposed to just
advertise, but as a journalist, I
also know that the newspaper
is a vehicle to let other broke
students know the facts. In
this case, check your local
Hollywood
Video.
Dig
around. Take advantage of the
situation.
By SCOTT THOEN
Staff Writer
Many people know him as
Alan from The Hangover. He
is Zach Galifianakis and he
does stand-up comedy.
After seeing a bit of him in
The Comedians of Comedy (a
comedy dvd that included
names like David Cross,
Maria Bamford and Patton
Oswald), I wanted to see
more.
Live at the Purple Onion is a
ninety minute long journey
that takes you along with
Galifianakis as he goes
through a set of jokes and
more.
Galifianakis has a delivery
that makes his jokes hilarious
and impossible to imitate. His
dry delivery puts out a set-up
that leaves the audience not
having a clue where he is
going but he never disappoints as he will always throw
out a punch line that makes it
always worth the wait.
Comics that have a similar
style in writing would be
Dmitri Martin and Mitch
Hedberg because of the randomness of their jokes.
Part of what sets apart the
DVD from a normal comedy
DVD is that there are some
extra bits in the DVD mixed in
throughout his stand-up.
One of the best parts of the
DVD
is
the
interview
Galifianakis does as, Seth
Galifianakis,
with
Brian
Unger. For those of you who
don't
know,
Seth
is
Galifianakis' twin brother who
never escaped North Carolina,
is religious and conducts
youth chili cook-offs.
Another fun part of Live at
the Purple Onion is watching
the snippets of Zach and
friend Joe Wagner traveling to
San Francisco before the show.
Seeing the two of them goofing off in thrift stores and having brief interview moments
give a personal feel that most
stand-up DVDs can lack.
If you like jokes that have
wit, originality and quirkiness, Live at the Purple Onion
won't disappoint you. The
downside is that the DVD
won't be found sitting on the
shelves of Target or Wal-Mart
so you'll likely have to order it
online. Trust me, it is well
worth it.
Coming Soon
in Fall 2010
one editor
one assistant editor
one photographer
many staff writers
The M esa J ournal
photo by Mark Blair
SPORTS EDITORIAL
MLB is back
By SCOTT THOEN
Staff Writer
With overpriced hotdogs,
chili-cheese fries, beer and ice cream
that comes in little helmets around
the corner, it’s time to examine major
league baseball’s upcoming season.
NL EAST
1.
Philadelphia Phillies
They now have Roy Halladay and
haven't lost any key position players.
There is just too much talent to say
anyone in the East could take them
out of the top spot.
2.
New York Mets
The addition of Jason Bay will help
add some pop to their lineup and
with Jose Reyes healthy again, they
should be a more competitive team.
3.
Florida Marlins
The Marlins have a lot of talented,
lesser-known players on their roster
and always find a way to give teams
hell.
4.
Atlanta Braves
With Bobby Cox, I wouldn't be surprised if they make a push above the
Marlins and even at the Mets. I
wouldn't be surprised if they didn't
either.
5.
Washington Nationals
Is there anything to say about them?
NL CENTRAL
1.
St. Louis Cardinals
I'm an obsessive Cubs fan but I have
to be objective here. With Matt
Holliday and Albert Pujols in the
heart of their lineup runs will be
scored. With Chris Carpenter and
Adam Wainwright at that rotation, I
don't think anyone will take them
out of first.
2.
Chicago Cubs
They have talent and under-achieve.
Soriano isn't what he used to be.
Someone always gets hurt. If they
can stay healthy, maybe they can
make a push at the Cardinals. Let's
be honest, do the Cubs ever stay
healthy?
3.
Milwaukee Brewers
The pitching depth isn't there to
compete with the Cubs and
Cardinals.
4.
Cincinnati Reds
I keep thinking they will improve
with players like Brandon Phillips,
Joey Votto and Homer Bailey on that
team. There are just too many weak
spots on that team for them to compete with the Brewers, Cubs and
Cardinals.
5.
Houston Astros
Sorry Houston fans, there isn't a lot
to be excited with this team. They
have a solid outfield and Lance
Berkman at first base. That is about it
though.
6.
Pittsburg Pirates
*tumble weeds blow by*
NL WEST
1.
LA Dodgers
They're simply a good team and Joe
Torre knows how to get the best out
of them.
2.
San Francisco Giants
Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. Those
two pitchers can make any team
competitive. There is a lot of developing youth on the team.
3.
Colorado Rockies
How long can Todd Helton keep it
up? Frankly, they have the players so
they don't have to rely on him. Don't
be surprised if they make a push at
the Giants or even the Dodgers if
they can have a hot start to the season.
4.
Arizona Diamondbacks
They have some fun players to
watch (Justin Upton, Brandon
Webb) but there isn't a lot else there
to think they'll push for the top of
their division.
5.
San Diego Padres
They are rebuilding.
Opening day is near. Now, let’s play
some ball!
Behind Harrigan’s
now hiring, call
552-2659 for
more information
Thursday, April 1, 2010
On Campus
Meet the Staff
Romey Elguezabal
1.
If you could be a
superhero, what super powers
would you have?
I'd have the super power to
"jump" anywhere (Jumper)! I
would love to be anywhere
from the Redwoods California
State Park to Niagara Falls to
Chimney Rock State Park! It
wouldn't hurt stopping by a
café along the way!
2.
What's your favorite
lawn ornament and why?
I'm usually fascinated with
what is alive in a garden more
than still life, but if I had to
choose, after doing some
research, I'd go with the
"Rafaela Garden Fountain."
Why? Takes you back to a
time that once was, and is simple and elegant in its own way.
3.
Is there someone who
helped inspire your photography?
Yes! I cannot and will not have
all the glory! I am most especially inspired with God's creation! I am also inspired as I
listen to artists and their musical compositions.
4.
What's
something
people don't really know
about you?
There may be plenty of things,
but just to list a few: I enjoy
listening to movie sound-
tracks-instrumental and I love
the smell of wet dirt after a
good rain.
5.
If you were on a
merry-go-round, what song
would you be singing?
I'd be singing: "Kiss Me"- by
Sixpense None the Richer or
"There She Goes" by The La's.
6.
Do you believe in
aliens?
No, I currently do not believe
in aliens.
In late May, a group of
students accompanied by a
UTPB professor will be traveling to Vienna and Prague in
order to help broaden their
horizons.
Marianne
Woods,
Associate Professor of Art
History, is leading up the trip
that will take place May 29
through June 7.
"I'm a firm believer in
the educational value of traveling." Woods said.
The trip is taken in
conjunction with the class Arts
3601. The class is a six credit
class that is taken during the
May-mester prior to the trip.
The class is required for the
trip but isn't limited to just
students.
"People outside are
welcome to join but they must
audit the class." Woods said.
The trip will cost students around $2,900 dollars.
Those costs will cover expenses like hotels, entries to all
museums and historic sites
and the use of guides.
The group uses a
service called Casterbridge
Tours that offers a variety of
tours around the world.
Casterbridge supplies the
group with a tour guide dur-
Ryan Parnell
By MARK BLAIR
Staff Writer
Ryan Parnell is a senior here at
UTPB. He is graduating this
May with a bachelor's degree
in Biology and is moving to
Dallas in July to attend Baylor
College of Dentistry.
"Dentistry interests
me because of the patient
Romey Elguezabal is a senior, Sociology major, who
will be graduating in the Fall.
interaction, the ability to
ing all hours of the day.
Currently, the travel group is
composed of 14 students and
Woods.
Vienna and Prague
have been chosen as the destination because of the educational value it has. While on
the trip, students will get to
see a variety of historical sites.
Some of the sites the travelers
will get to see are the Church
of St. Thomas (which houses
the oldest beer hall in Prague),
the Jewish Quarter and the
Old-New Synagogue.
"Prague
was
unscathed by WWII and is still
intact. I love Vienna, it is veryuser friendly and a bit easier
to navigate." Woods said.
This is the seventh
year Woods had led a trip of
this nature. In the past she has
taken groups to places like
Italy, France, Spain, New York
City and Russia. Last semester's trip was cancelled to do
complications.
"We were supposed to
go to Mexico last semester,"
Woods said. Woods also mentioned it wasn't necessarily a
bad thing with the outbreak of
the swine flu going on at that
time.
Woods is the only person working to coordinate the
trip and has taken on a large
amount of work in order to
make it happen but doesn't
mind.
"It is a lot of work. I
really consider it my mission-
ary work. I think it is so
important that people see the
world and different cultures."
Woods said.
Anyone interested in
the trip can contact Marianne
Woods
by
e-mail
at
woods_m@utpb.edu or by
phone 432-552-2290. Some
scholarship money is also
available to help offset costs.
Do you have a
concern that The
Mesa Journal should
address? Email us:
mesajournal@utpb.edu
5
Falcon Spotlight
photo by Romey Elguezabal
Students see world
By SCOTT THOEN
Staff Writer
The Mesa Journal,
improve a person's self confidence, and it also provides me
with an opportunity to
improve the health of a community," Parnell said.
Parnell first became
interested in the field of dentistry his senior year at
Permian High School.
"My senior year in
high school I realized I wanted
to do something health oriented to help people, although I
did not really know what I
wanted to do. I shadowed
physicians, surgeons, and
finally a dentist," Parnell said.
Parnell
not
only
enjoys the idea of being able to
help people through dentistry
but also the availability of free
time he would not have if he
were to pursue a career in
another area of the medical
field.
"The main characteristics
that attracted me to dentistry
were not only the ability to
help people, but the time it
would allow me to spend with
my future family which is
very important to me. The
hours of a dentist, for the most
part, are set by the dentist. I
can work set hours all week
long and still make a positive
difference in the community,"
Parnell said.
He chose to attend Baylor
College of Dentistry because
of its academic prestige, suc-
photo by Romey Elguezabal
cessful alumni, and the accessibility of the professors.
"I chose Baylor College of
Dentistry because of their
excellent reputation for producing the top dentists in the
state, as well as their excellent
statistics for students pursuing a certain specialty, i.e.
orthodontics, oral surgery, etc.
Also, Baylor has an "at home"
staff. This just means that they
do not share faculty members
with any other institution,
which I felt would make it
more difficult to communicate
with them to ask questions
and get to know them."
Parnell said.
When he is not studying
Ryan enjoys staying active by
exercising and playing sports.
"I enjoy running because it
takes away the stresses from
school work and allows some
"me" time to temporarily get
away from it all. I play many
recreational sports, like football and softball." Parnell said.
photo by Romey Elguezabal
Matt Otriz, #8, plays at UTPB in the game against A& M on Sunday, March 21,
2010. UTPB lost the first game 4-3, but won the second game 13-6.
Almost a West Texas Tradition!
Jersey Girl Pizza
Celebrates 5 Years!
(432) 366-2000
4007 JBS Parkway
(across from the university)
14 inch cheese pizza
$6.95
additional toppings
$1.00 each
Offer good through March 31, 2010.
Must present coupon at time of purchase
6
,The Mesa Journal
Community
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Tips for healthier eatings habits
Healthy eating habits leads to a better, healthier lifestlye for students
By MARK BLAIR
Staff Writer
Michael Pollan, author of In
Defense of Food and The
Omnivore's Dilemma, has a
simple philosophy when it
comes to eating: "Eat Food.
Not too much. Mostly plants."
These three ideas go against
much of what we, as
Americans, believe and practice when it comes to our eating habits. We like to eat, we
like to eat a lot, and we like to
eat a lot of meat. These three
eating habits have the immediate effect of causing feelings
of lethargy and bloating and
the long term effects of disease
and, in most cases, a shortened lifespan.
The first of Pollan's three
principles is "Eat Food." This
idea seems simple enough. We
eat food everyday. In reality
however, we eat things that
are more like food substitutes:
frozen pizzas, macaroni and
"cheese," artificially flavored
carbonated drinks, etc. These
things are not real food; they
are food substitutes, things
that have been reduced from
real foods to make eating a
quick and easy habit that can
be done at any time of the day.
If you are wondering how
to define real food just go into
a grocery store and anything
that isn't in the produce, meat
or pasta sections you can
probably rule out. Anything
that comes in a box with a
health claim on the front
should also be considered
with suspicion. If a food company is trying to prove to consumers that their food is
healthy, it is probably a good
bet that it isn't.
The second of the three
principles is "Not too much."
As Americans and as college
students, we have been conditioned to think that the more
we have of something the better. This philosophy carries
over into how we approach
food. We are trained to get as
much food as possible in the
shortest amount of time. This
is a mistake. Portion control is
essential when it comes to
maintaining a healthy diet.
This is difficult due to how
much we eat at restaurants
photo by Romey Elguezabal
and the size of the portions
that restaurants give. A key
piece of advice would be to
push the plate away while
you're still hungry. Your body
is like a computer, and it takes
time to process things. When
you give your body too much
to process not only does it
slow your body down but it
can also result in immediate
and long term problems.
The third
principle is
"Mostly
plants."
Although humans are omnivores we should lean heavily
on fruits and vegetables when
it comes to our diets. This is
not only because fruits and
vegetables are our main
sources of vitamins but also
because, due to today's food
industries, meats are mass
produced and contain many
toxins and steroids. Meat is
something that should be
viewed as a side dish rather
than the main course. Portion
control should be used with
vegetables and fruits too. Just
because you are eating something green doesn't mean you
should gorge yourself.
Healthy eating is a habit
and not a stroke of dumb luck.
Be aware of what and how
much you are eating. Next
time you’re at the supermarket, buy real food as opposed
prepackaged mystery foods
that claim to have more nutrients than the competitor. Have
the waiter take the plate away
while you're still a little hungry next time you eat out. A
healthy diet is a conscious
decision that you have to
make.
Campus
News
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
Upcoming
events
April 1
Job Fair
UTPB Gym
12-4 pm
On the spot hiring is
expected!
April 8
Karaoke Night
Commons Area
6pm-9pm
April 10-11
Powderpuff Football
Intramural Fields
12pm-7pm, 1pm-4pm
April 13
Drive-in Movie
April 14
Movie Night
The Fourth Kind
Multipurpose Room
7 pm
April 16
Falconpalooza
Ranch House
April 17
March of Dimes
Volunteer Service
April 22
Earth Day
Courtyard
Student Senate Luau
UTPB Pool
6pm-9pm
photo by Romey Elguezabal
UTPB students gather for the “Street Smarts” event held on
March 10, 2010.
Karaoke Night
Commons Area
6pm-9pm
governor on education, continued from page 3
Quoting that the cost of public colleges
in Texas has risen 82% since 2003, White
plans to work to make two and four
year institutions more affordable.
"Texas students should have an opportunity to pay little or no tuition with a
public service commitment after
school," according to Bill White's website.
White also plans to support the
growth and development of more Tier I
schools in Texas. According to billwhitefortexas.com, "Texas ranks third
to the last of the ten most populous
states in number of residents per Tier I
schools." This causes thousands of students to leave the state to attend universities elsewhere, causing a "brain
drain" as well as cheating Texas out of
the research and funding these schools
provide. White wants greater state
investment in research and graduate
programs, hoping that the investment
will pay for itself as more schools in
Texas reach Tier I status and provide
better opportunities for a greater number of people.
If elected in November, Perry will
serve an unprecedented third full
term, adding onto his years as the
longest-serving governor in Texas.
On-the-spot hiring April 1
By IRIS FOSTER
Public Information Officer
“Bring plenty of resumes and
dress for success,” says Tony Love,
director of UTPB’s Career Services
when asked about the April 1 Job
Fair from 12-4 pm in the gym on
campus. This event is open to the
public and is a chance for job seekers
to visit with dozens of employers at
one time.
A number of school districts will
have booths for prospective teachers
and school administrators including:
Birdville ISD, Ector County ISD,
Kermit ISD, Midland ISD, PecosBarstow-Toyah ISD, San Angelo ISD,
and Wink-Loving ISD. UTPB and
UTEP Graduate Schools will also
have booths.
Government organizations that
will have representatives on hand
include: Adult Protective Services,
Colorado River Municipal Water
District,
Federal
Bureau
of
Investigation
(F.B.I.),
Lubbock
County, Reeves County Detention
Center, Texas Department of Public
Safety, US Navy Officer Program,
West Texas Centers for MHMR, and
Workforce Solutions of the Permian
Basin.
Additional area employers who
will be present at the job fair include:
ABLE Center, Accountemps, AFLAC,
Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Entravision
Communications, Fastenal Company,
JB Hunt Transport, Lithia Motors,
Manor Park, Medical Center Hospital,
Midland Memorial Hospital, KPEJFox 24, NewsWest 9, Security Bank,
and Snelling Staffing Services.
For an up-to-the-minute list of
employers who have registered, visit
http://ss.utpb.edu/careerservices/upcoming-events. To register for a booth, contact Tony Love at
432-552-2633.
April 23
Battle of the Bands
Gym/ Parking Lot
April 30
Student Achievement
Banquet
Multipurpose Room
May 3-6
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.
Stress Free
Week/Finals
Multipurpose Room,
Commons Area