Inside The MJ
Transcription
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: [email protected] 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 [email protected]. 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% Love to write? Love to take pictures? Join The Mesa Journal, the award-winning student newspaper of UT Permian Basin. Call The MJ office at (432) 552-2659, email [email protected] or drop by room MB 2138 in the Student Union. The Mesa Journal is just a mouse-click away. Visit us at www.utpb.edu/mj/index.htm. 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 [email protected]. 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 Speak Out! Birthdays Graduation Personals Anniversaries For Sale Ads Congratulations Bridal Announcements Announcements PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED AD FOR ONLY $5.00 AN ISSUE PER EDITED COLUMN INCH Call The Mesa Journal at (432)552-2659 or email [email protected]