Inside The MJ

...Award-winning newspaper for The University of Texas of the Permian Basin...
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Campus
News
Roundtable discussion
scheduled for March 30
The latest installment of the
JBS Distinguished Lecture
Series will be held at 7:30
p.m., March 30 in the UT
Permian Basin Gymnasium.
The topic of the moderated
event will be “Securing
America’s Borders.”
Regional Science Fair
deadline set for Feb. 17
The deadline to enter the Permian Basin Regional Science
Fair is set for Feb. 17. The
2006 Fair will be conducted
March 17 and 18 in the UT
Permian Basin Gymnasium.
In addition to standard
first-, second- and thirdplace awards, other awards
will be given to qualifiying
projects by scientific societies, associations, industries
and governmental agencies.
Volume 24 · Issue 9
Texas Tech reps discuss pre-professional school requirements
by Jason Navarette
Editor-in-Chief
As part of the Pre-Professional Seminar Biology course,
Trevor Yates, from the Texas Tech
University Health Sciences Center
(HSC) Medical School in Lubbock,
delivered a presentation on Jan. 27
detailing the steps needed to become a pre-professional at Texas
Tech. Yates was joined by Texas
Tech HSC Office of Admissions Director Linda Prado. The Biology
Club held its first Spring Semester
meeting in conjunction with the
Pre-Professional Seminar presentation.
Yates, Office of Admissions
Assistant Director, opened the presentation with background and
historical information on the Texas
Tech HSC Medical School, as well as
with the purpose of the seminar.
He said, “We’re here to talk
about what they look for at Texas
Tech . . . . We’re also here to discuss
the application process, the curriculum and what to expect when applying.”
Texas Tech services 108
counties in Texas. Their pre-professional schools and programs range
from medical and pharmaceutical
to allied health science, which does
not include nursing, pharmacy or
medicine.
Yates remarked, “We are
unique because of our service area.”
According to Yates, there
are many components to a person’s
application, including their GPA, in a potential student.”
Medical College Admission Test
Of these things, Yates re(MCAT) score and extracurricular marked that four application comactivities.
ponents are worth special note:
The MCAT is administered Health care exposure, extracurricuevery April and August across the lar activities, letters of evaluation
state. Yates noted the importance and work experience.
of taking a formal MCAT preparaAccording to Yates, health
tory test, though he offered advice care exposure can determine
to anyone seeking to take the test.
whether or not an applicant has
Yates said, “The MCAT is enough experience in that field. Such
going comexposure can
puter-based,
include volunwhich is someteering at a
thing you need “Grades are not everything . . medical center,
to become ac- . . Medical school is doable— tutoring and
climated to.”
community
it’s very challenging,
T h e
service. He said
lowest MCAT
that an applibut
very
rewarding.”
score Texas
cant must be
- Trevor Yates, Office of
Tech HSC Mediable to discuss
cal School acthe environAdmissions,
Texas
Tech
cepts is 23. The
ment in which
Health Sciences Center
highest score
they worked,
Yates had ever
as this is a uniseen is 42. He
versal element
added that, as
of
medical
a general rule, the lower a student’s school applications.
GPA is, the higher their MCAT score
When used in an applicashould be.
tion, extracurricular activities
Prado offered some advice show a student as awell-rounded
to students seeking to take the applicant, said Yates.
MCAT.
He added, “You have to be
She said, “Sometimes able to show us what you’ve done
when you take the MCAT, you don’t outside the realm of science.”
do as well. Don’t worry about it. We
Both Yates and Prado accenwill always look at your best MCAT tuated that letters of evaluation, not
score.”
recommendation, are essential to a
There are many compo- potential applicant.
nents of an application that require
Yates said, “We want them
special attention, noted Yates.
to be as honest as possible. Some
He stated, “There are a bil- letters are blah or dry, which shows
lion different things that we look for that the student doesn’t know the
UT Permian Basin, UT Medical Branch
offers Clinical Laboratory Science degree
Nothing to quack about
by Isidro Gonzales
Assistant Editor
Courtesy Photo
A raft of ducks scrounge for food on the UT Permian Basin campus.
New University Police
website showcases officers
by Jason Navarette
Editor-in-Chief
The UT Permian Basin Police Department revamped their
website Feb. 3, a step that was tailored to provide students, faculty
and staff better access to basic campus and security information.
Telecommunications Officer Lee Wallace, who designed the
new campus police website, was
excited about the change.
He said, “We want students
to be familiar with our officers.
There’s so much information available for students, and this is the perfect way to allow them access to that
information . . . . If it’s information
for the students, we have it on our
website . . . . We went through all
the proper channels to get this
website up and students will find
some valuable information there.”
The new website will give
students the opportunity to review
officer biographies, campus and
police information, campus maps
and after hours information for students and instructors. The website
also includes an area in which student may confidentially report
crimes, as well as contact information for the campus police.
According to Wallace, one
of the most valuable resources that
the website contains is biographical information on UT Permian Basin Police officers.
He said, “We’re going to
show off our department’s officers .
. . . We have an excellent trained
outfit. They’re awesome . . . . All of
our officers are specialized, all have
great training. You’ll get a good idea
of who your officers are . . . . This is
all possible because of the hard
work and dedication of [UT Permian Basin Police] Chief Tacker.”
The officer biographies include basic biographical information, photographs and contact information for individual officers.
See Website, p. 3
professor well . . . . You need a reference that can show that you have a
strong work ethic, are punctual,
committed and hard working. They
need to be able to say how you’ll
handle medical school, where you
are and where you’re going.”
Work experience, said
Yates, shows a medical school that
an applicant has time management
skills, particularly if the employment was during enrollment at college.
Prado added, “We’ve had a
lot of applicants that have to work .
. . . It shows dedication and compassion.”
For students that qualify,
the application process is followed
by an interview. There are two separate interviews for applicants to
Texas Tech—one conducted by an
M.D. and one by a Ph.D.
Yates indicated that one
likely question is, “How are you
going to pay for medical school?”
The answer to this question is always “loans.”
Another question commonly asked is, “What do you do if
you don’t get in to medical school
this year?” Yates said that the interviewer wants to know if the applicant has a “Plan B.”
When concluding his presentation, Yates said, “Grades are
not everything . . . . Medical school
is doable—it’s very challenging, but
very rewarding.”
For more information regarding the Texas Tech (HSC) Medical School in Lubbock, visit
www.ttuhsc.edu.
Fans of the hit CBS
crime drama “CSI: Crime
Scene Investigation,” rejoiced
on Jan. 26 as the UT Permian
Basin Science Department
brought Leonce Thierry of
the UT Medical Branch of
Galveston to give a
presentation on how to
become a medical detective
through
the
Clinical
Laboratory Science (CLS)
Degree. In its third year, the
CLS Degree allows students
to obtain the degree through
a UT Permian Basin WebCT
online course. Thierry has
been with the UT Medical
Branch faculty for five years.
“UT Medical Branch/
UT Permian Basin CLS
Degree is one of the better
well-known programs in the
country,” stated Thierry,
“The closest one of
comparable magnitude is
Texas Tech.”
Texas Tech has a four
year
in-house
degree
program.
There are several
professions a student can
choose from with this degree,
which range from working in
the Public Health System
such as the Red Cross or the
Peace
Corp.
to
lab
employment with hospitals,
forensic or governmental
labs.
Since
the
CLS
department has a rolling
admissions policy, the earlier
application materials are
received by the UT Medical
Branch Registrar, the sooner
they can schedule an
interview. Interviews are
required for all applicants
and are scheduled on a firstcome-first-serve basis. A
new class of students begins
each fall semester.
Junior
Tara
Montemayor is already on
her second semester as a CLS
student. She stated that she
saw a great opportunity in
the program.
“I was already a
Program Board Activities
February 17
E-Baby, Poet
7 p.m.
Student Union Commons
February 23
Alfred & Seymour Comedy Act
8 - 10 p.m.
Student Union Multipurpose Room
March 23
Chris Cauley Band
7 - 9 p.m.
Student Union Commons
April 6
Alain Nu
8 -10 p.m.
Student Union Multipurpose Room
Biology Major and was
planning on going to
graduate school . . . and when
this came along I thought that
I pretty much liked working
in labs and it was everything
that I wanted to do later . . . .
Instead of having to do it all
in four years I would have it
done in the ‘2+2 program’
[offered at UT Permian
Basin],” said Montemayor.
The “2+2 Program”
allows students to complete
the core requisites of their
degree at UT Permian Basin
in two years and in the
remaining two years the
students can complete their
degree through WebCT.
Montemayor went
on to state that she wanted
to pursue the forensic side of
the program.
“I wouldn’t mind
just working in a hospital or
clinic setting and later on, if
the opportunity arises, I
would like to enter a forensics
program. But if not I would
See CSI, p. 3
Inside
The MJ
Student voices
concerns over views
on campus
homosexuality...
page 2
WWE Smackdown vs.
Raw 2006 Powerslam
of a review...
page 3
Falcon Athletics
switches to Division
II...
page 4
Page 2, The Mesa Journal
Into the Wilderness
We’ve got spirit, how about you?
W
ith Homecoming Basin Bash
2006 still lingering in the air, I can feel the
excitement of school spirit
pulsating around campus.
School spirit is contagious
and, as one of its symptoms,
can cause an individual to
spontaneously spout proUniversity banter (Heaven
Jason
forefend . . .). This begs the
Navarette
Editor-in-Chief question, “What is this infectious condition known as
school spirit?”
In order to discuss what school spirit is, it is
necessary to identify its underlying contagious element.
Clearly, school spirit denotes the unconditional
love toward an academic institution. In the case of
higher education, this love applies to all aspects of a
university. Examples of these aspects include university athletics (Go Falcons!), campus events like the
upcoming installation of the Distinguished Lecture
Series and the academic setting (where else will you
find esteemed instructors such as Dr. Diana Davids
Hinton).
This unconditional love is the contagious element (and lifeblood) of school spirit. It not only
spreads school spirit throughout the campus but also
sustains that spirit.
I love UT Permian Basin. I love the laid-back
atmosphere, the relatively small class sizes and the
availability of the professors.
This love is not unconditional, however. I realize that the University has its faults (then again,
what school doesn’t). I realize that there are some
things regarding the University that I don’t agree
with. Regardless, I love UT Permian Basin.
Both of these types of love translate to a
broader level, as well. Whereas school spirit is the
microcosm of this equation, patriotism is the macrocosm.
Patriotism can be defined as “love of and devotion to one’s country.” There is more to this definition than meets the eye. As with school spirit, patriotism is dependent of unconditional love. Actually,
patriotism can be viewed as “national school spirit.”
With patriotism, the faults of a country (or its
leaders) become washed away by the sheer collective belief that the nation is infallible and is superior
to all others. While patriotism is vital for the unity of
a nation, it is also detrimental. After all, patriotism is
plagued with tunnel vision at times when a nation’s
faults should be recognized and remedied.
Often used as a synonym for patriotism is
nationalism. Nationalism can be defined as “devotion to the interests or culture of one’s nation” Although it is used as a synonym for patriotism, nationalism differs in subtle ways.
First, in many countries, the national culture
is multifaceted, which is especially true in the U.S.
There is no set national identity, as each citizen (or
groups of citizens) view America differently. It is because the nation as a whole must reflect on the true
nature of national interests and culture that the
country’s faults are laid bare.
This is not to say that nationalism does not
allude to love for a citizen’s country. This love is simply more mature, more thoughtful. This does not
mean that nationalists love their country any less than
patriots. It just means that they are more apt to perceive and deal with a nation’s faults and problems
than a patriot.
Regardless of whether you have school spirit
(no matter if it is on the campus level or the national
level), love and dedication can still be given to your
university/country. While, in general, school spirit is
a valuable short-term resource for such institutions,
it can be a myopic disaster if solely relied upon.
Go Falcons!
Source: The definitions for “patriotism” and “nationalism” can be found in The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
Opinion/Editorial
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
My Rant
Column by Isidro Gonzales
Assistant Editor
Shhh... Big Brother is Watching
L
ong before “Big Brother” became popular as a title for a CBS reality television
show, it was the term used in 1984 written by George Orwell. In this eclectic novel, Orwell
describes a world run exclusively by the state. The state would tell everyone what to do,
what to think and how to be. Any protest of any kind against the state was severely curtailed. The
“citizens” (I use this term loosely) were monitored by several listening devices such as wiretaps, video
surveillance, etc.
This sounds eerily similar to what is happening now in the U.S. Not only are we subjected to
alleged wiretaps, the state (read here as Bush Administration) has begun efforts to subpoena all records
of Internet activity—simply put, they want to know what each and everyone is researching. GOOGLE™,
one of the search engine giants, has decided to fight this with every vestige at their command. What
troubles me more than the Bush Administration asking for the records is that there are any records for
the asking. A recent poll conducted by the Ponemon Institute, suggested that more than three-quarters,
or 77 percent, of Americans do not know that GOOGLE™ records and stores information that may
identify them. This simple statistic is quite alarming. Does that mean that when each of us decided to use
GOOGLE™, Yahoo!™ or any other search engine we may have given them permission to enter our
private lives? If this does not smack of Big Brother then I do not know what does. The problem for
GOOGLE™ now is whether it will come clean with the data it stores about users or will it simply hope
that the majority of users don’t care?
In that same survey, 56 percent of users said GOOGLE™ should not turn over any information to
the government, while only 14 percent purported that they were supportive of GOOGLE™ turning over
information, even in criminal cases. The 56 percent not wanting any invasion of privacy gives me a
glimmer of hope that we will still be able to be private in our Internet use, but then again Big Brother
may be watching you still.
On a different note, as of this writing, the 2006 UT Permian Basin Homecoming has come and
gone. It is my sincerest wish that any of the “School Spirit” gained from this event lasts the remainder
of the semester. Go Falcons!
Campus homosexuality: A student’s viewpoint
Guest Column by Jack Welch
It’s a new year and a new semester. For me, it’s a new experience, as I enter into my second semester
as a full-time university student. Returning to school later in life, I didn’t know what to expect as I registered for the Fall 2005 semester. I was excited as I walked onto a campus full of intelligent, open-minded
people. So it is needless to say that I have been surprised by what I have perceived to be an apparent lack
of conscientiousness for fellow students who happen to be gay.
One of the reasons for obtaining a higher education is to learn to consider other points of view.
Only by opening up to new and different thoughts and ideas have civilizations progressed beyond being
simply oppressive and barbaric. Societies where members have remained close-minded have historically
existed in a vacuum, closed off from the expansion of freedom and from growth. In order to advance as a
civilized society it is imperative that we learn acceptance and consideration.
Since I have started classes I have sat in class quietly as other students around me, and in some
cases even instructors, have made inappropriate comments about gays. As a gay student, I have been
made to feel uncomfortable by these remarks, to the point that I didn’t want to go to class and was even
absent a couple of times. I don’t necessarily think these remarks have been intended to offend anyone. It
merely goes to show how quickly insensitivity can become the norm when allowed to foster itself.
Not unlike other minority groups, or any other group of people for that matter, gay people are not
all alike. Some gay people are more noticeable than others. As for myself, I am not noticeable. You will
only know I am gay if I tell you or if you already know. I’m sure that if people knew I was gay, the remarks
and jokes would be less of a problem (albeit probably not absent altogether). Which brings me to my
point: We can not always know if someone is gay just by the way they look or act. It is not only inappropriate, but also unthoughtful to make jokes or remarks in a room full of people—any one of them could be
the unintended subjects of those jokes or remarks. It is a reflection of the character of the person making
the joke or remark that he or she either is incapable of considering or doesn’t care whether someone may
be present that will be offended.
As mentioned above, students are not the only ones whom I have heard make offensive remarks or
comments. Sometimes offensive remarks were made by an instructor. And there were other times when
the remarks would be made by students, but would be allowed or even condoned by the instructor. The
student would make the comment, and the instructor would participate in the laughing. I found this to be
highly unprofessional behavior. While it is not the instructor’s job to baby-sit students or to monitor every
aspect of interaction taking place in their classroom, I feel it is their duty to control the atmosphere inside
the classroom and to ensure a comfortable, conducive learning environment for every student, whether
they are gay, black, handicapped, Jewish, etc.
We don’t sit in class and make racist jokes, nor would the instructor allow that.
Whatever your opinion of gays, we deserve the respect and consideration to learn in our classroom
just as any other minority group of people do. Please be conscientious enough to allow us to do that.
The Mesa Journal
e-mail: mesajournal@utpb.edu
4901 E. University Blvd.
Odessa, TX 79762
Phone: (432) 552-2659
Fax: (432) 552-2660
STAFF
Editor-in-Chief: Jason Navarette
Assistant Editor: Isidro Gonzales
Adviser: Becki Murphy
Staff Writers: Jeremy Cox, Luke Garrett, Courtney Goheen, Jay Gorania,
Malissa Greenwood, Amber Navarette, Tabitha Overby, Kevin Roberts,
Alex Smith, Ben Swanson, Nora Triepke, Veronica Villarreal
Layout and Design: Jason Navarette
Page Two Design: Isidro Gonzales
Photographers: Jay Gorania
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 the UT Permian Basin administration.
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.
Your Award-Winning Student Newspaper
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.
Arts & Entertainment
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
The Mesa Journal, Page 3
WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 Powerslams the competition
Entertainment Review by Isidro Gonzales
Being a wrestling game fan, I couldn’t wait for the latest installment of the WWE Smackdown
series. Aptly named WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2006, this title sought to cash in on the football
phenomenon of the Madden series by adding the year of release in the title.
This latest release has better playing quality and more realism than the other games—not
only do you have to take into account your stamina, but also whether or not you are a fan favorite
or a hated heel.
Also added this time was the much anticipated “Buried Alive Match” made popular by the
wrestler known as the Undertaker. The object of this match is to be the first to slam the casket door
shut on you opponent and dropping dirt on the casket. The only downside of them adding more
matches was the fact that they discontinued others, such as the Lumberjack match. But, you don’t
hear me complaining.
Other than that, the overall game was great. One of the other added bonuses this year was
the fact that you can become the General Manager of either RAW or Smackdown and prove that
you can make the show(s) better than they are now.
Gameplay: The gameplay is much improved, as well. Unlike earlier versions of the game
(where you just had to either block your opponents move or take the hit), this time you can reverse
the move depending on whether it is a striking or grapple move.
I also like that there are different ways of whipping your opponent and that was fun. For
example, you could do a strong whip and throw your opponent over the ropes. I also liked the way
the referee counts if both guys are laying on the ground.
The best thing about the gameplay is that the story mode does not repeat. Also, even the
created superstars had voice-overs, which was an added improvement over the previous games.
One thing that I don’t like about the gameplay is that during a ladder match you can’t push
the ladder if one person is up on it, while you can if two people are standing on the ladder. The
upside to this is during a singles ladder match, where you get not one, but two ladders.
Again, the best thing about the gameplay is that the story mode does not repeat!
Graphics: The graphics of WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 were okay. The audience looked
much better compared to the last game of the series.
The best graphic was when the superstars do their finisher move—everything turns greygreen and goes in slow motion when you are in single matches.
The blood seems more realistic this time around. It drips and runs down their faces (unlike
the last game of the series), and after a while a little blood would show on their forehead.
The damage icons are also neat, showing that after superstars start to bleed, the damage
slowly recovers (turning from dark red to orange), making it show the character recovering from
the pain. The blood still stays, though.
Sound: The sound of the game was awesome. I liked how the audience cheered or booed
each wrestler depending on what was being done.
The announcers were somewhat better when they talked. For example, the announcers
respond to almost everything in the matches—like when you hit someone with a weapon or if the
referee gets knocked out. Sometimes they will cheer the name of your character while you play the
match.
The only downside is the music. I know that the PS2 does not have a music saving engine,
but it would have been neat to have some current songs in the game to use for entrance themes.
Photo Courtesy of THQ
Platform:
Playstation 2
Developer:
Yuke’s Media Creations
Release Date:
11/15/05
Publisher
THQ
Genre
Wrestling
ESRB Rating
T (Teen)
Gameplay - 4 out of 5 Powerslams
Graphics - 5 out of 5 Powerslams
Audio - 5 out of 5 Powerslams
Overall - 5 out of 5 Powerslams
Career Corner with Tony Love
I’m a pre-law sophomore. I still haven’t declared
a major. I’m wondering what would be the best
type of major for me and what are the best law
schools in Texas?
- JS
Prior to being accepted to law school, most
schools will require you to take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). The LSAT is a half-day standardized test administered four times each year at designated testing centers throughout the world. The test
consists of five 35-minute sections of multiple-choice
questions. Four of the five sections contribute to the
test taker’s score. The unscored section typically is used
to pretest new test questions.
As far as the “best” law schools in Texas, it depends upon which criteria that you’re using. If you
used the ten year average bar passage rates for all law
schools in Texas, the slight edge would go to Baylor
University (see table below).
However, keep in mind that tuition costs at private schools such as Baylor, St. Mary’s and SMU can
be significantly higher than at public institutions.
JS, there are several unanswered questions here.
You didn’t indicate which area of law that you wanted
to specialize in or what exactly you were looking for in
a law school.
As I’m sure that you’re already aware, there are
numerous career pathways with a law degree. Outside of traditional careers in criminal law, there are
growing opportunities in environmental law, copyright
law, probate, bankruptcy and tax law, just to name a
few. If you’re interested in pursuing a traditional career as a criminal lawyer, I would recommend political science, government, criminal justice or possibly
criminology. If you were interested in corporate law or
Do you have an important interview rapidly
taxation, a B.B.A. in a business discipline might be the approaching? Don’t forget that the UT Permian Bamost logical route.
sin Career Center can take you through a “mock” in-
terview process and critique you on the spot. If you’re
pressed for time or work full time and attend night
classes, take the “Interactive Interview Readiness
Quiz.” Go to www.robinryan.com/quiz.htm and answer
each of the eleven interactive questions. After you respond to each question, you’ll be immediately
prompted whether you answered the question correctly
and what the “most appropriate response” would be
and why. This quiz features many of the “toughies”
like “Describe the worst supervisor you’ve ever had?”
and “How much money did you make at your last
job?” How you maneuver your way around these
tricky questions could be the difference between actually getting the job and starting out at the salary that
you deserve.
Tony Love is the Director of the UT Permian Basin
Career Center and a UT Permian Basin alumnus. If
you have a careers-related question, email
careerservices@utpb.edu. Please indicate “career
question” in your subject line.
Texas Law Schools
(Bar Passage Rate)
Baylor Law School ------------------------------------------------------------ 92.4%
University of Texas School of Law ---------------------------------------- 92.2%
Texas Tech University School of Law ------------------------------------ 90.1%
University of Houston Law Center --------------------------------------- 89.0%
Dedman School of Law, Southern Methodist University ----------- 84.3%
CSI,
Continued from p. 1
be perfectly happy working in a
clinical
setting,”
stated
Motaemayor.
Montemayor
further
commented that she was very
excited about being in the CLS
Degree program.
“This is my first year in the
program so it’s pretty exciting, very
new
[and]
somewhat
overwhelming.”
For more information
about the CLS Degree program,
visit the UT Medical Branch
website at www.sahs.utmb.edu/cls.
Website,
Continued from p. 1
Also included are the qualifications
of each officer and their specialization. For example, Officer Donny
Tarango is specialized in crime prevention.
Although the qualifications
of UT Permian Basin Police officers
are included in their biographies,
Wallace acknowledged that not all
of them could be listed.
He noted, “Most of our officers would have pages and pages
of qualifications.”
Wallace also remarked that
the new website is more userfriendly than its predecessor.
South Texas College of Law ---------------------------------------------St. Mary’s University Law School -------------------------------------Texas Wesleyan University School of Law --------------------------Texas Southern University School of Law ----------------------------
He said, “It’s all userfriendly; it’s all the information students will need.”
Tacker stated that the
website would not have been possible without the help of Wallace.
“[Wallace] is a very talented individual. We couldn’t have
done the website without his expertise,” said Tacker.
The UT Permian Basin Police Department website can be located on the main University
website. Visit www.utpb.edu and
click on the “Administration” link.
The link to the new campus police
website is under the “Business Affairs” subheadline.
84.0%
75.2%
59.0%
55.6%
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Sports
Page 4, The Mesa Journal
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
UT Permian Basin Falcon Sports moves up to NCAA Division II
by Kevin Roberts
Staff Writer
Starting in Fall 2006,
UT Permian Basin will be
leaving the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ (NAIA’s) Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) and
moving up to the National
Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II. The
University will be joining the
Heartland Conference along
with RRAC rival Texas A&M
International. The Heartland
Conference consists of Incarnate Ward, St. Mary’s, St.
Edwards, Montana State Billings, Lincoln, Dallas Baptist
and Missouri. The switch to
a different conference was
decided by the coaches and
UT Permian Basin Athletic
Director Steve Aicinena.
With the recent additions of Men’s and Women’s
Basketball, Baseball, Softball
Swimming and Men’s and
Women’s Track and Field/
Cross Country, the advancement to Division II will grow
along with these new programs to UT Permian Basin.
Track and Field
coach Pam Grey, who had
coached in the Division II
level for eight years in Minnesota, said that the switch
was bound to happen.
Grey said, “The DII
level is a lot tougher, but as
long as we keep up our times
on the track then the change
will look good for our team.”
Men’s Basketball
Coach Randy Lee believes
that the change in conferences will definitely attract
more people to UT Permian
Basin, as well as give the University more recognition.
Lee stated, “The
competition and talent levels
will be better and the recruiting rules are a little different.”
Men’s Basketball
player Marcus Saunders
agreed with the coach Lee’s
sentiment.
He said, “The change
is great, it brings more students to the University.”
For those sports that
have been in the RRAC for
years, like Volleyball and
Men’s and Women’s Soccer,
the change in conferences
may have a greater effect on
them than the others. The
Men’s Soccer team won Conference Champs in 2005 and
will not be able to defend that
title in 2006.
Jesse Bernal, a Men’s
Soccer player, said “I would
prefer being in the NAIA from
a soccer standpoint, because
we are conference champs. It
will be our first year in a new
conference with more competition.”
Men’s and Women’s
Soccer
Coach
Dennis
Peterson hopes that the
change will bring more coverage of UT Permian Basin
Athletics to the Midland/
Odessa area.
“It’s a good move, for
the long run it will be better—it brings us to DII status, which will bring us more
home games and more fan
support,” said Peterson
Not everyone thinks
the switch to NCAA Division
II will be without its drawbacks. UT Permian Basin
Softball
player
Julia
Hernandez believes that the
move will have a negative
impact on junior and senior
athletes.
She said, “The
change is good for the school
and sports but bad for the
upper class athletes. The
switch to NCAA Division II
puts us on four-year probation in entering the NCAA
tournament, even if you win
the conference.”
For more information on the switch to NCAA
Division II or any UT Permian
Basin Falcon Athletic program, visit www.utpb.edu and
click on the “Athletics” tab or
email Sports Information Director Richard Acosta at
acosta_r@utpb.edu.
Falcon Sports 2006 Spring Schedule
~February Home Games~
Men’s Basketball
Feb. 18
Feb. 20
Feb. 25
Feb. 27
* Texas College
* Texas Wesleyan
* Jarvis College
* Wiley College
Women’s Basketball
4 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
4 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
Feb. 18
Feb. 20
Feb. 25
Feb. 27
Baseball
Feb. 10
Feb. 17
Feb. 25
Feb. 28
Sul Ross University
Sul Ross University
Houston Baptist University
Lubbock Christian
* Texas College
* Texas Wesleyan
* Jarvis College
* Wiley College
2 p.m.
5:30 p.m.
2 p.m.
5:30 p.m.
Softball
1 p.m.
12 p.m.
12 p.m.
1 p.m.
Feb. 19
** Bacone College
12 p.m.
* Denotes a Red River Athletic Conference Game.
** Denotes a conference game. All softball games are double-headers with the second
game starting 30 minutes after the first has ended.
On-campus Interviews
Feb. 23
Walgreens
9 a.m. - 1 p.m.,
UT Permian Basin Career Center.
Recruiting for summer interns (must be at least a junior) and
management trainees (Business majors preferred)
UT Permian Basin alumni are also eligible to interview.
March 29
Enterprise Rent-a-Car
9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
UT Permian Basin Career Center
Recruiting for interns and management
trainees (all majors considered)
UT Permian Basin alumni are also eligible to interview
Note: you must RSVP to the UT Permian Basin Career Center
(552-2633) before participating in on-campus recruiting events.
Formal business dress and a résumé are required.
On-campus Seminar
May 26, 2006
UTPB West Texas Educator’s Job Fair
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Multipurpose Room (Second floor, Mesa Building)
Many school districts will be represented.
Recruiting for teachers, coaches, principals, superintendents,
counselors and diagnosticians
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