Mesa Journal

OPINION
A&E
SPORTS
COMMUNITY
Both sides of the political
correctnes debate, p. 2
Reviews for Assassin’s Creed
II and The Cellist of
Sarajevo, p. 3
Reviews for Assassin’s Creed
II and The Cellist of
Sarajevo, p. 3
See the year in review in pictures, p. 5
The
Mesa Journal
How to volunteer this season,
p. 6
The Mesa Journal is
now hiring. Fill out
an application today!
... the Award-winning newspaper of The University of Texas of the Permian Basin...
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Happy End of the Semester!
Volume 28~ Issue 8
2000-2009
A retrospective look back at the decade
By KRISTEN GIPSON
Editor-in-Chief
As the semester draws to
a close, it's with fond thoughts
that I look to start the next
semester..
Some UTPB students, however, are taking a
look back at the last decade,
and are determined to learn
from our mistakes and grow
from our successes. Whether
we're looking back at the fads
of 2000 or the strong and
building trends of 2009, predicting what's to come in the
next decade is about as easy as
looking at the last one.
Sometimes the easiest
way to define a decade is by its
music; certainly, the sixties
bring to mind peace-loving,
guitar-strumming
hippies,
while the eighties inspire
thoughts of hair band rock
ballads. The beginning of this
decade began with the continued success of pop music stars
Britney Spears and the
Backstreet Boys topping the
music charts, in addition to
guitar-great Lenny Kravitz
and the raspy-voiced Macy
Gray.
Since then, one
Backstreet Boy has entered
and completed rehab, Britney
has
been
married-and
divorced-twice, and all of
these stars of the decade are
still putting out hits, despite
the competition of newcomers
like Lady Gaga and Katy
Perry.
In addition, today's
music stars are forced to compete with the many breakout
performers spawned by reality TV series American Idol,
who consistently produce
mass-appealing singles like
Jordin Sparks's "Battlefield"
and 2002 winner Kelly
Clarkson's "Already Gone."
American Idol isn't the only
reality TV show that the
United States has become
obsessed with over the past
decade. Family-oriented sitcoms like Boy Meets World and
Friends have phased out in
favor of hyper-stressful, often
competitive reality shows like
Survivor (first broadcast in the
U.S. in May 2000), The Bachelor
(debuted in 2002 on ABC), and
Jon and Kate Plus Eight (which
first aired in two one-hour
specials: Surviving Sextuplets
and Twins and Surviving
Sextuplets and Twins: One Year
Later). Surprisingly, interest
in these reality shows haven't
phased out much.
Jon and
Kate Gosselin have only
recently ended their reality
series chronicling the lives of
their eight children.
The
Bachelor and Survivor, inexplicably, are counting over fourteen seasons, with no immediate end in sight. The shows
still have nothing on animated-series, The Simpsons, which
in 2000 was awarded on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame and
in 2009, surpassed Gunsmoke
as
the
longest-running
American primetime entertainment series. It's only natural to assume that in 2019,
American audiences will still
be watching Homer and the
residents of Springfield.
Music and books have
played out with each other to
continued on page 3
Presidio expected to host
deportees in future
By DIANNE LEYVA
Staff Writer
Presidio, TX is considered
one of the most tranquil border towns in Texas, however
this may radically change in
the next few months. With a
population of approximately
4,150 people, the core of this
town lies within its schools
and family businesses. The
relationship with its border
town Ojinaga, Chihuahua has
always been one of friendliness. Support for each community to progress was seen
in the flood which invaded
both communities September
of last year. Both communities
sought ways to aid each other
in the disaster and the unification allowed them to successfully survive this natural disaster.
A year later, the commu-
nities are once again faced
with turmoil. Not only will
they be dealing with the drug
war and shootings in Ojinaga,
Chihuahua, but also with the
possibility of hosting convicts.
The Alien Transfer and Exit
Program (ATEP) will now
allow Homeland Security to
use the Presidio/Ojinaga border to deport approximately
34,000 illegal immigrants per
year into Mexico. This has
caused much apprehension
within both communities.
Tales of men being assaulted
by the deportees have already
flown through the communities.
"Based on what I have
read, the deportees will be
coming from the Arizona and
California areas, with little or
no ties to the Presidio/Ojinaga
area. What will they do?
Return
home?
Stay?
Ojinaga/Presidio does not
have the infrastructure or
resources for a constant influx
of 3,000 males per month. The
area concerns about how this
might disrupt our peaceful coexistence, "David Borden, resident of and coach in Presidio,
said.
Efforts from Texas
Governor, Rick Perry urging
the federal government to
stop its plans and take the necessary actions to secure the
Texas border were not successful. The ATEP program is
now in effect. As a means of
security, the state of Texas has
increased its law enforcement
resources and leveraged technology on the border. Under
the leadership of the governor
and aid from the legislature
the state of Texas has dedicated more than $110 million to
secure the border.
However, concerns that
this is still not enough have
risen within both communities. A tranquil town, may lose
its stability and peace.
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
Safety tips for those
travelling in Dec.
By ROBERT HICKS
Staff Writer
Many students will begin
to return home this winter as
the Christmas break kicks off.
Several of them will be traveling to the remote corners of
Texas and some will even be
traveling across the country.
All who muster their
strength to ford the cold
weather and take one of these
long-haul jaunts are advised
to take extreme precautions
and be prepared for whatever
conditions the harsh winter
weather can throw at them.
Before even beginning to
plan the trip, students should
make sure that their tires are
aired and not suffering any
punctures. This can be done
at any gas station that offers
service. Students should also
make sure they are up-to-date
on their regular oil changes
and maintenance before leaving town. Finally, in the case
of the emergency, all travelers
should have important safety
items in their cars: a flashlight,
batteries for the flashlight, a
tire gauge, a blanket, a spare
tire, and a first aid kit.
The perilousness of the
journey will depend chiefly on
three factors: the destination
of the journey and the time at
which one travels.
If you travel north to a
town such as Lubbock,
Amarillo, or Dumas, you
should expect to see more ice
caution signs and higher
chances of freezing or slipping
on black ice. Traveling south,
however, does not necessarily
mean you should anticipate a
smooth trip.
Now if you're traveling
southeast
toward
San
Antonio, Houston, or Corpus
Christi you can expect an icefree road as you make the
gradual descent in elevation.
If you're traveling southeast toward Presidio, El Paso,
or Fort Stockton, it may be
pertinent for you to take the
most extreme precautions, for
you will be driving in an area
where the altitude ranges
from about 2,000 ft above sea
level in Presidio to a little over
5000 ft in Fort Davis.
When considering the
time of day, it may be common
sense to say it is much less life
threatening to drive during
the day than at night.
However, many students tend
to leave late in the day after
their last exam to go to a place
such as Dallas or Houston and
end up being stuck on the
road late at night.
During the winter, the
temperature change between
day and night can be as high
as 30 degrees some days, especially in humidity-bare areas
in West Texas. There have
been days in Fort Davis when,
during the day, the thermometer read 50 degrees; and by the
time night fell, it read below
freezing. Freezing temperatures increase the possibility
of frozen roads and invisible
ice patches. When traveling to
distant places, try to leave in
the morning so that you can
reach home-base before the
bracing nightly winter wind
chill hits.
2
, The Mesa Journal
How to get rid
of the winter of
our discontent
Mythologizing the month
of December in an effort to
controvert the issue of political correctness makes the
month impossible for anyone to celebrate efficiently,
and when you’re a college
student, you really need
December to be enjoyable. I
mean, there’s only half of
December and a little of
January before the Spring
semester begins again.
Every December, the
news media pounces on stories about employees being
Kristen Gipson
fired from their jobs over
Editor-in-Chief
wishing sensitive shoppers a
“Merry Christmas.” On one hand, this upsets the fundamentalist Christians, who feel that the insistence on “Happy Holidays”
or “Merry Xmas” undermines Christian values, and, indeed, the
entire holiday season. It also upsets at the other end of the spectrum, because people don’t know whether being politically
incorrect is morally incorrect, as well. Who am I to say?
Directly to your right, Kenneth makes the argument that the
insistence on using the terms “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons
Greetings” detracts from and demeans the values of Christians.
However, this upset generally comes from a belief that all other
religions are actively trying to devalue Christianity, when in fact
this isn’t true. In her twenties, my mother lived overseas,
including in Saudi Arabia. Although I’m sure you can find
many anti-Christian Muslims, my favorite stories of Saudi
Arabia are of how respectful Muslim shop-owners were of the
Christmas season.
They sent their friends Christmas cards,
hosted parties, hung decorations, and generally tried to make
Western shoppers feel welcome. I would never suggest that
people should celebrate any religious holiday-- including anything from Christmas to Ramadan to St. Patrick’s Day-- if they
are not comfortable doing so, nor would I suggest that those
who celebrate Christmas should not do so, but the point of that
story is that anyone can get into the Christmas spirit.
Generally, those who offer a “Happy Holidays” and “Season’s
Greetings” do so in a spirit of goodwill and cheer, not because
they want to devalue the beliefs of others. In the same spirit
(pun intended), there’s not much point in getting upset over a
“Merry Christmas” either.
The last myth of the holiday season that the media likes to
exploit is the issue of consumerism. Unfortunately, while most
people might have ambiguous feelings on the issue of how to
greet others during the month of December, this issue is one that
many people buy into. So, The Mesa Journal is here to tell you
that not everyone cares about nothing more than buying the
hottest products for their loved ones. Since college students are
strapped for cash, anyway, many of them will tell you without
reservation that the best part of winter is driving around, seeing
all the houses lit up or drinking hot cocoa or going home to visit
family. The media loves stories about trends in toys and electronics because there are always stories about fads and trends
and because there are a wide variety of religions which participate in gift-giving holidays in December. Even those who do
not affiliate with a religion are likely to take advantage of the
great price discounts that are available during the month.
If you want to combat the way the media sees the winter
break, write into the Mesa Journal with a description of yours.
Maybe your heart-warming story will be about walking up the
stage and receiving the biggest gift of all—that diploma. As
always, congratulations to the December graduates, and thanks
to everyone—friends, family, and staffers—who have made this
another fantastic semester at The Mesa Journal!
The Mesa Journal
e-m
mail: [email protected]
Staff
Editor-iin-C
Chief: Kristen Gipson
Interim Assistant Editor: Kenneth Bitner
Staff Writer: Dianne Leyva, Robert Hicks
Copy Editor: Amber Batura
Layout & Design: Kristen Gipson
Photographer: Romelia Elguezabal
Business Manager: Kenneth Bitner
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.
Opinion
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Merry...
holiday
season?
Kenneth Bitner
Assistant Editor
Merry Christmas everyone... Wait. That might not be politically correct, so Happy Holidays
from the Mesa Journal Staff! In many ways political correctness has taken issues a step forward,
but it's still hard to define. One thing that might offend one person might not offend someone
else; it might be a normal saying in their culture. There are freedoms given to us through our natural rights and constitution. The problem with being politically correct is when you take away
someone's voice it becomes a violation of our constitutional rights. The problem with political
correctness is the standards in which they are placed.
Take the debate surrounding Christmas, for example. Some people can be offended by a person saying “Merry Christmas”; however, others just see it as a nice season greetings. Most people believe that Christmas is a holiday to celebrate the gift of giving, but some people think that
the religious aspects of Christmas are politically incorrect. These people want to restrict speech
by changing the wish from “Have a merry Christmas” to “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s
Greetings.” However, is it politically correct to want “Merry Christmas” changed for everyone?
To be politically correct, language cannot devalue the beliefs of others. Therefore, it is politically
incorrect to force people to stop saying “Merry Christmas.” Although wishing someone a
“Happy Holiday” can still be an option, those who want to say “Merry Christmas” should not be
judged or punished for it.
Whether it is right or not, censorship meant to further political correctness has grown in
recent years. Historically, people have been persecuted, just over things they say and believe. In
America, censorship is not supported by the Constitution. The Constitution does not say that citizens must be politically correct to be able to have free speech. Censorship is used to take away
rights of individuals. To be politically correct in censorship, words that diminish or devalue others cannot be used. However, can all terms be politically correct?
There is no way to make all statements politically correct. American rights allow citizens to
say what they want to say and also allow citizens to pursue happiness. To solve the problem is to
understand the different views on the issue at hand. To be politically correct can infringe on the
natural rights of citizens. To be politically correct, is to be politically incorrect, in a sense, because
it's a trade off to restrict the rights of some to grant the comfort of others. The world is not perfect, but in the time of giving, people can't get hung up on pleasantries. Ultimately, whether
you're saying “Merry Christmas” or “Season’s Greetings,” it’s the spirit that it is meant in that
counts.
Falcons Speak:
What is the best christmas gift you have recieved?
"Going to Dallas
to see the
family."
“Our family dog,
Homer. We got him
13 years ago from
a cousin."
Spenser Bowhay
Freshman
Finance
Myra Ramirez
Senior
Management
"My first year in the
States, I was invited
by a family to spend
my entire Christmas
with them.It was the
best Christmas I
have ever had here
in the U.S.”
“A pair of green Chuck
Taylors! I had them for 4
years. They were from my
mom."
Sheniqua Anderson
Freshman
Social Work
Uzoma Michael
Akah
Senior
Management
"My camera, [which
was] from a good
family friend."
Ami Halfacre
Senior
Accounting
Corrections:
In the November 25, 2009 issue, we
ran an advertisement for UTPB’s
Graduate Studies which contained a
misprint. Instead of “UT Permain
Basin,” the ad should have read “UT
Permian Basin.” The error was on
our part and we apologize. Please
see the corrected ad on page 6 of
this issue.
A&E
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The Mesa Journal,
Class of novelists win on Nov. 30
By KRISTEN GIPSON
Editor-in-Chief
In November, the participants
of the Studies in Writing class
participated in National Novel
Writing Month (Nanowrimo)
with the goal of reaching
50,000 words and an “A” in
the course. By November 30,
nine out of the eleven class-
mates had reached their goal,
with the other two participants only a fraction away
from their total word count
goal.
Each of the participants
had something good to say
about the course, though all
claimed to be exhausted by
the process. Dayna Epley recommends the course to other
students, as long as they don’t
have a problem planning
ahead and they aren’t taking
too many courses.
“I used to think that novelists were word-crunching,
plot-making super-humans,
and now that I have been writing a novel of my own, I have
figured that anyone can do it!”
Epley said.
3
Book review
Novel makes siege beautiful
The Cellist of Sarajevo
accurate,
By SARAH RODRIGUEZ historically
Galloway
did
this
on
purpose,
Contributor
The Cellist of Sarajevo, written by Steven Galloway, is set
during the Siege of Sarajevo
that lasted from 1992 to 1996.
The siege is based on real
events. The cellist is based on
a real person. But these elements only form the shell of
the story. The story of the
siege and of the characters is a
very good tale in itself. It is
written in a unique harsh,
honest style, reflecting the
character of war.
Although the story is not
and the actual event is not
what the book is truly about.
Beyond the shell lies the real
beauty of the novel. Not only
are the people of Sarajevo trying to keep their city, but in a
situation where people are
murdered at random times,
the characters fight to maintain the better side of human
nature.
Galloway gorgeously portrays the struggle to hold on to
the spirit of brotherhood, of
dignity, of courage, and of
kindness in a horrifying time
of strife.
Do you have a comment or concern?
Share it with the student body through the MJ.
Send your letter to the editor to:
[email protected]
Electronic copies of letters are preferred, but not
required. See letter policy for more details.
Game review
Big Trouble in Little Italy
Assassin’s Creed II
By JARED INTING
Contributor
It is the late fifteenth century and Italy is caught up in
the glory of the Renaissance.
Suddenly, a figure descends
from a rooftop. Briefly, the
glint of sunlight upon metal
blinds onlookers and then the
body of the government official is on the ground, blood
pooling from a wound inflicted by a shadow that no one in
the crowded marketplace
managed to discern. The
guards did, however, hear
something strange seconds
after the victim hit the ground:
"Requiescat in pace…"
[Rest in peace]
This cheery anecdote is but
a futile attempt to describe the
intense situations that players
will face in Ubisoft's sequel to
the
highly
acclaimed
Assassin's Creed. If you were a
fan of the first game, rejoice,
because the sequel is an
improvement in almost every
way imaginable.
Assassin's Creed II contains,
just like its predecessor, a
story within a story. In the
present day, the player controls Desmond Miles, a man
caught between the Assassins
and the Templars whose battles, according to the plot,
have raged on since before
recorded history. Desmond
finds himself again with
access to the "Animus": a
machine that allows a person
to view their ancestors' entire
lives by extracting the information from DNA. This time,
Desmond views the life of his
ancestor, Ezio Auditore de
Firenze, a nobleman turned
assassin
whose
motive
is…well, that's enough about
the plot.
For the majority of the
game, the player controls Ezio
throughout his exploits during the Renaissance. Just as
Altair in the first Assassin's
Creed, Ezio can traverse
rooftops effortlessly through
free-running. It's worth noting
that Ezio climbs buildings
noticeably faster than Altair.
Also returning is the "Eagle
Vision" ability, which makes
enemies shine in red, friendly
or hirable people shine in
blue, and Ezio's main targets
shine in gold. One helpful
change from the first game is
that Eagle Vision can be used
while moving and doesn't
force Ezio into a first person
view, eliminating the need for
stop-and-go gameplay during
sequences that require the
player to seek a target out
within a wide area. Ezio also
has several assassination abilities that Altair in the first
game did not possess, such as
being able to assassinate from
a hiding spot, pulling enemies
off ledges, and assassinating
from underwater. Yes, players,
Ezio can swim so no more
ridiculous deaths from accidentally falling into water.
Ezio also has an extremely varied arsenal of equipment
at his disposal due to Ubisoft
adding many roleplaying elements to the game. These elements only serve to complement the action, not detract
from it. The biggest addition is
the money system; Ezio has
his own income, which accumulates automatically every
twenty real time minutes, and
can also find florins by looting
treasure chests and bodies,
and by pick-pocketing. With
money, the players can buy
Ezio weapons and armor at
their leisure.
Another new feature is the
ability to hire factions
throughout the cities to aid in
assassinations. Ezio can hire
thieves to lure guards away
from restricted areas, mercenaries to fight guards so Ezio
can backstab them unnoticed,
or courtesans (read: glorified
prostitutes) to distract the
guards.
The mission variety is
worthy of much praise, as one
of the main complaints against
the first Assassin's Creed was
that it became monotonous
after a few assassinations. In
the first game, the player was
required to perform investigations before each assassination, and these investigations
were practically the same
from assassination to assassination. In this new installment
to the series, all events leading
Decade, continued from page 1
provide double-edged trends
in the last decade. Although
movies based on popular novels have always been in production, some of the biggest
novels this year Harry Potter,
The Da Vinci Code, and
Twilight, just to name a few,
have also produced some of
the decade's biggest blockbusters. Other themes in the
past decade have been movies
based on comic books
(Watchmen, the Spiderman trilogy, The Dark Knight), and
movies featuring vampires
(remember Dracula 2000, featuring a pre-300 Gerard
Butler, Van Helsing, and, of
course, the currently popular,
Twilight).
Perhaps the most impacting trends of the decade are
those based on political figures of the last decade. There
were plenty of scandals
between 2000 and 2009, but
the things people are likely to
remember most are the
tragedy of September 11, the
subsequent War Against
Terrorism in Iraq and
Afghanistan, political figures
like Colin Powell, President
George W. Bush, Condeleeza
Rice, and the fervor of the
2008 presidential election,
which threw figures like Sarah
Palin and hopeful John
McCain into the light of fame,
even as the public embraced
eventual
president-elect
Barack Obama.
Meanwhile, on the home
front of UTPB, students are
witnessing some of the biggest
and most impressive changes
for the school over the past
few years, as UTPB has broken ground on three new
additions to the UTPB system,
including a state-of-the-art
Performing Arts Center, a
Student Multipurpose Center,
and a Science and Technology
Center.
Whatever UTPB faces in
the teens of the next decade,
with graduates like those
commencing on December 12,
it can only be bigger and better things.
up to an assassination flow
smoothly and are highly varied.
A new feature is that when
players wander near a building of historical importance,
they have the option to press a
button for extra information
about the building, doing professors worldwide proud.
The soundtrack is more
present in this game than in
the first one in which music
seemed to be quite minimalistic. Quality is subjective for
each player, though my personal opinion is that this
soundtrack blows the first
game's soundtrack out of the
water. The voice acting is a big
improvement over the first
game as well. Much of the
script is in Italian, so having
the subtitles on is beneficial to
understanding.
Though the majority of the
game is close to perfect, it
does have its shortcomings.
One major problem is that
Ubisoft has once again
released a game fraught with
crashing problems. Mostly,
the crashes occur randomly,
but some actions on the player's part can trigger the crashes, such as performing too
many double kills in rapid
succession with the dual hidden blades, and using smoke
bombs. There are other less
serious glitches, such as the
player being able to run on air
at will if certain actions are
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
performed (this glitch can be
both humorous and helpful).
Despite the aforementioned Students pose at the Toga Party hosted by Student
problems,
Ubisoft
has Senate on November 19 in the Multipurpose Room.
released the
m o s t
improved
sequel of the
year.
The
addictive
gameplay (I
literally ran
around for
Buy any
three hours
14-inch pizza
doing nothing in particat regular price
ular and still
and get another
had
fun)
makes it one
14-inch 1-topping
of the must4007 JBS Parkway
have titles of
for free!
2009.
(across from the university)
Winter Special
Make new friends!
Grab a pizza!
(432) 366-2000
offer expires December 31, 2009
4
, The Mesa Journal
Sports
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Lady Falcon basketball shows potential
By ROBERT HICKS
Staff Writer
The Lady Falcons opened
their home schedule on
Tuesday, Nov. 24, with an
unsatisfactory blow from the
Abilene Christian Wildcats.
For all of the first half and
part of the second half, the
Falcons played their non-conference rivals very closely as
the point differential reached
no higher than six for the first
25 minutes, and they were
only down by two going into
the second half.
It was 10 minutes into the
second half when the women
from ACU began slowly
pulling away. At one point the
Falcons trailed by a game high
of 18 points, and it seemed as
if there would be no fight after
all.
The Falcons, however,
maintained their poise and
refused to look up at the
scoreboard as they slowly
chipped away at the Wildcats
score. By the 2 minute mark,
the women in orange had
managed to narrow the lead
down to 8 points, but that was
as close as they would ever get
for the remainder of the game.
Despite the relentless effort
by UTPB, the Cats managed to
fend off the pesky birds, hold
on to their lead, and ended up
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
winning 93-83.
Most of UTPB's struggles
can be attributed to their troubles in the paint and behind
the arc as they were 6 for 26 on
3-pointers, and were minus 12
on total rebounds.
Although the outcome was
not what they had hoped for,
the Falcons had many positives on offense as two
tremendous athletes made
their coming out parties for
the 2009-2010 basketball sea-
son. Guard Tammy Acosta
led the team in scoring for the
night with 24 points while forward Miesha Blackshear followed closely behind with 23
points.
The Lady Falcons’ next
home stand will be a face-off
against
conference
foe
Incarnate Word on December
17.
Incarnate won the
Heartland Conference last
year and will certainly look to
do it again.
Game not over for Men’s Basketball
By ROBERT HICKS
Staff Writer
The highly anticipated and newly-coached Falcon
men's basketball team opened
up with a dismal introduction
to the 2010 season.
After four games the
team has managed only one
win and though it is early, the
Falcons are showing some
need for improvement.
The season opened up
in San Angelo where they met
Angelo State, whom they outplayed for the most part on
paper; however, a few costly
mistakes caused the Falcons to
falter and to end up with a 4840 loss.
I will give them credit
for the fact that they went up
against some upper-level talent like Division 1 UTArlington, and top 25-caliber
West Texas A&M. This does
not alleviate the fact that they
are statistically and physically
being out-played on both ends
of the court.
As expected from
heavily favored UTA, the
Falcons were simply handled
in a 70-47 jaw-buster. Then,
the Falcons met their non-conference rivals in
Canyon for another 23 point bludgeoning, this time
giving
up
74
points.
The one
and only win
came by 51-49
over Adams State
who ranks among
the bottom of their
conference.
There is
one man who is
serving as the
light in the darkness this year,
emerging as a
great leader. He
heads all of the offensive stat
columns aside from season
field goal percentage which is
headed by junior guard
Austin Williams with 75%.
This man, guard Elijah Joran,
is back again and as a sophomore is third in the conference
in points per game (16.3).
This
offensive
weapon apparently is not
enough to give the Falcons an
advantage. In fact, the men
rank dead last in the HC
(Heartland Conference) in
scoring offense averaging only
47.2 points per game, 15
points lower than the next
lowest offense possessed by
Lincoln.
On the other side of
the ball however, UTPB is
actually second
place in scoring
defense allowing
only 60.2 points
per game. There is
just one problem:
the defense is currently allowing 13
more points than
are being scored.
It is imperative
that the Falcons
find a better balance
between
offense
and
defense, or better
yet flip flop those
numbers so that,
instead,
the
offense is scoring
more points than the defense
allows. Then they may start
winning games.
Rebounding is another area in which the Falcons
struggle and it is a major key
to success. Their rebound
margin against opponents is 4 and though this number
may not seem huge, four possessions can decide a game.
Four possessions could mean
eight points - the eight points
that decided the season opener versus Angelo. Angelo
State, in that game, actually
ended-up
with
twelve
rebounds on UTPB and it
turned out to be the determining factor in the game's outcome.
Once again, it is very
early in the season and far too
early to make predictions on
the outcome of the Falcons'
season. They have a long road
to travel that will not end until
March and have vast amounts
of time to improve and start
making noise in the conference.
On
Monday,
December 14, the Falcons will
battle rival Abilene Christian
at the Falcon Dome for the
first of two meetings and all of
the Falcon-faithful are asked
to come give their support.
Lady Falcons
win game on
December 2
By ROBERT HICKS
Staff Writer
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
The Lady Falcons tagged on
another win on Dec. 2, their
third overall against the The
University of the Southwest’s
Lady Mustangs.
The Mustangs opened the
game with a 14-3 run.
Eventually, eating away the
difference, the Falcons took
the lead with about nine minutes to play in the first half
and went into halftime with a
9 point lead.
The Lady Falcons saw their
improvement in the line,
behind the arc, and in the
paint. They amassed season
highs in free-throw percentage (84 %), three-point field
goal percentage (40%), and
had 15 rebounds over their
opponents.
Year in Review
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The Mesa Journal,
5
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
Above: Ballet Folklorico on
May 20.
Right: Club Day.
Left: Choir performs on
Veteran’s Day.
Below: Seth Tuller takes it on
the chin at the Halloween carnival.
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
Above: Students and professors gather for a Thanksgiving meal in the Multipurpose Room.
Right: Open-mic night on December 2 kicks off with singing, poetry, and fun.
Below: Students enjoy the last days of classes (below left) and enjoying their time off (below right).
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
6
,The Mesa Journal
Community
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Campus
News
fall
Schedule
Last Regular Class Day
December 4
Final Examinations
December 7 - 10
spring
Schedule
Open Registration
Nov. 2- Jan. 11
First Day of Class
Jan. 11
Martin Luther King Day Classes Dismissed
January 18
Late Registration
January 11 - January 20
Last Day to Add a Course
January 20
Last day to Drop with
100% Refund
January 27
Last Day to Drop without
Creating an Academic
Record
January 27
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
Guitarists perform
November 30, 2009.
at
UTPB
on
Last Day to File for
Graduation
March 5
‘Tis the season to give
By KENNETH BITNER
Assistant Editor
Give more to help
those less fortunate. With
Christmas right around the
corner, volunteerism is on the
rise. “'Tis the season to give” is
the idea on most
Americans
minds. There are
many programs
that can use the
help during the
holiday season.
Samaritan's
Purse is always
in need of volunteers especially
during the holiday
season.
During
the
Christmas season, Samaritan's
Purse hosts a
program called
O p e r a t i o n
Christmas Child
to bring love to
children
all
around
the
world.
Many
churches
fill
shoeboxes with
toys, school supplies and candy.
Volunteers for
O p e r a t i o n
Christmas Child
then take these
shoeboxes
to
other countries
suffering
in
poverty. Franklin Graham, son
of evangelist Billy Graham, is
President of Samaritan's
Purse. Samaritan's Purse mission statement says they are,
"a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization
providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people
around the world."
Mid-Cities Community
Church is participating and
excited about Operation
Christmas Child, "Operation
Christmas Child will take only
about an hour and the twenty
dollars you spend on small
gift, will not compare to the
joy and impact you will make
in a child's life around the
world," Youth Pastor Ben
Chapman said.
C o m p a s s i o n
dent organization, Falcons for
Christ, led by Mia Gonzales
and Izzy Soto are very active
in giving up time to help feed
and keep the community
warm. "There are tons of
organizations and groups,
who need help passing out
food and collecting it," Mia
Gonzales
said.
Falcons for Christ is
not the only group
helping volunteer to
fill a need in the community.
The
Sociology club plans
to help by hosting
their annual, Angel
Tree project. The
Angel Tree allows
students or staff to
sponsor a needy
child. The Angel Tree
project would then
help provide gifts to
make
Christmas
wonderful for needy
children. The UTPB
Police also have supported Blue Santa in
the past which started as an effort to help
the needy in Austin
and has grown to
help others across the
state. The West Texas
Food Bank has plenty
of opportunities to
help serve the West
Texas
area.
Big
Brothers, Big Sisters
also needs volunteers
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL year round and is a
great opportunity to
help out with the youth of the
International is another organ- nation.
ization, which can use the
The local Texas chain HEB
help during this holiday sea- is also giving back to the comson.
Compassion munity through their Feast of
International’s mission is Sharing program. There are
"Releasing children from many groups and organizapoverty in Jesus' name." tion that need help. The
Compassion International and Salvation Army, local churchSamaritan's Purse have simi- es and the Life Center are
lar goals in trying to reach out some great places to start.
to the world.
To find more opportuThere are also local volun- nities go online to www.volteering opportunities. The stu- unteersofamerica.org.
PHOTO BY ROMEY ELGUEZABAL
Freshman Uriel Uranda poses in his toga at the Student
Senate hosted toga party on November 19.