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SKYLINEVOL. 90, NO. 7 Sul Ross State University NOV. 29, 2012

Jonathan Navarrette chows down during Alpine’s Artwalk

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By Steve LangContributor

Dec. 21, 2012 does not signal the end of the world as we know it, at least not based on Maya prophecy.

Dr. Richardson Gill, former general man-ager of Cibolo Creek Ranch and an expert in Maya culture, addressed the controversial topic Monday evening (Nov. 19) at Sul Ross State University.

According to recent doomsday predictions, major world-changing catastrophes will occur as Dec. 21, 2012 marks the end of a 5,126-year era marked by the Maya calendar.

According to Gill and other scholars, the Maya calendar will reach the end of a cycle, not unlike Y2K, but no related prophecy has been found to indicate the end of time.

“What’s going to happen on Dec. 21, 2012?” Gill asked. “The calendar will keep counting.

“The calendar has to keep going; it is not the end of time.”

Gill explained that the Dec. 21, 2012 date on the Maya calendar is represented as 13.0.0.0.0, which is the end of the13 baktun period, or one “Great Cycle.” Scholars trace the beginning of the cycle to 3114 B.C, a period of 5,126 years to the present. Gill believes the Maya calendar will start over on the following day, repre-sented as 0.0.0.0.1.

He noted that the 13.0.0.0.0 date has been found at two sites of former Maya civilization, both in northern Guatemala.

“Neither has any associated prophecy,” he said. “No one has paid any attention to this (date) until the last 20-30 years.”

Gill referred to Dr. David Stuart, professor of Mesoamerican art and writing at the Uni-versity of Texas at Austin, who is regarded as a pre-eminent Maya scholar. In his book, “The Order of Days,” Stuart writes:

“No Maya text, ancient or modern, ever pre-dicted the end of time or the end of the world.”

Instead, Gill asserts, the Dec. 21 date “is going from the end of one cycle of time to the

beginning of the next cycle of time.”Gill holds six degrees from the University of

Texas, including a Ph.D. in Maya archaeology. He delivered the 23rd annual Mary Thomas Marshall Lecture at Sul Ross in March 2011, based on his book, The Great Maya Droughts: Water, Life and Death, published by the Uni-versity of New Mexico Press.

He has also written Las Grandes Se-quías Mayas: Agua,

Vida y Muerte, published in Mexico by the Fondo de Cultura Económica. In addition, he has authored peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters. The BBC has produced a one-hour documentary about Gill, entitled An-cient Apocalypse: The Maya Collapse, and The Weather Channel will begin filming a docu-mentary about him and his work in January 2013 in Guatemala.

Dec. 21, 2012: the end of the world?

No way, says SRSU lecturer Richardson Gill

Submissions policy: Email to skyline@sulross.edu. No anonymous letters will be printed. The Skyline re-serves the right to edit letters and submissions for grammar, spelling, space, profanity/obscenity or libel. We reserve the right to refuse any submissions the staff deems necessary. The opinions expressed on these pages are not necessarily those of Sul Ross State University or The Skyline staff. No person shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any program or activity sponsored by Sul Ross State University on any basis prohibited by applicable law, including but not limited to race, color, national origin, religion, sex or disability.

CONTENTS

Acosta becomes Presidio’s first female police officer

Rio Grande River Clean Up

SR alumnus/author gives reading

Alpine’s Artwalk has some-thing for everyone

Need a lift? Call Tipsy Taxi

Ten Lobo gridders earn conference honors, Carson named Player of the Year

Basketball teams play for home crowd tonight

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SKYLINE

Office: 432-837-8061; BAB 106 & 108Editor: 432-837-8187

Advertising: 432-837-8187 or 8061Fax: 432-837-8664

Email: skyline@sulross.eduVisit The Skyline online at www.sulross.edu & ‘like’ us on Facebook

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Editorial Staff

Editor-in-Chief Angela GreenroyAd Manager Jazmin GonzalezPhotographers: Peter Dindinger Thalia Aparicio Reporters: Brian LaLima Peter Dindinger Cara Bonin Dallas EscovedoDesigners: Kaitlyn Wood Leinora AlimboyoguenArtist Emily PattersonDistribution Dallas EscovedoContributor Steve LangAdvisor Cheryl Zinsmeyer

Editor’s Message

Each Skyline focuses on students, events, news, pro-grams, and more, but there is a side to the Skyline very few see or know of.

Behind the front cover of the magazine are faculty and staff members who support us weekly with kind words, smiles, and monetary donations (you know who you are). These are the unsung heroes of our Skyline staff. They don’t get paid and they are not obligated, but their kindness and generosity blesses us and propels us forward from one issue to the next. As editor, I cannot thank you enough for everything you do.

In the spring, members of the Skyline staff will be gear-ing up to go compete against other colleges at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association Conference (T.I.P.A.). We are excited to see how our new format stands up to the competition. Your face may be the cover of a win-ning layout!

Not to sound cliché, but we wish you all a Merry Christ-mas, a happy new year, and a relaxing break. Angela Greenroy Editor-in-Chief

on the coverJ o n a t h a n N a v a r r e t t e .P h o t o b y T h a l i a A p a r i c i o

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By Angela GreenroyEditor-in-Chief

Can you wrap your mind around $16 trillion dollars? This is the amount of our country’s cur-rent national debt.

As students, we fail to wrap our mind around much more than a Pell grant or a stu-dent loan for a couple thousand dollars.

But the national debt affects us all … and it’s growing on a daily basis. The national debt has continued to increase an average of $4 billion per day since September 28, 2007.

The estimated population of the United States is 313,899,686, so each citizen’s share of this debt is approximately $52,000. The share of the debt per tax payer is $141, 825.

Let’s put this into perspective:A stack of one thousand one-dollar bills is

more than 4 inches high. A stack of one million one-dollar bills would be roughly the height of a 40-story building. One billion one-dollar bills stacked would be about 68 miles high (that’s about the distance from Alpine to Fort Stockton). One trillion one-dollar bills stacked would be 68,000 miles high. Multi-ply that by 16.

Students are earning degrees hoping to get a job in the field of their choosing making more than minimum wage. It’s the American dream. If a graduate earns $50,000 per year, it would take 20 years to earn a million dollars. It would take 20,000 years to earn a billion dollars. It would take 20 million years to earn one trillion dollars.

Overall, the U.S. total debt is $58 trillion. Student loan debt alone is approximately $930 billion. But American citizens are only hearing about the national debt amount on the politics front. (All figures from the U.S. Debt clock.)

These dollar amounts are intimidating. Students want to be able to pay their loans, but what does the future hold? As the U.S. debt clock grows with each second of the day, we can only imagine what it will be in a few years’ time.

There’s no better time for this generation to be informed. We are the future work force, fam-ily makers, and tax payers.

What can we do about a $16 trillion dollar debt?

First, we can choose to be responsible citizens and live within our means. For those who want to take it further, it is suggested that citizens write their governor, house representa-tives, senators, and sign petitions demanding a fiscally responsible budget.

We are the future. What are you looking forward to?

Tick tock. Tick tock. Your national debt is growing

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Sul Ross State University will host the annual Holiday Lights Celebration on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 7 pm, in front of the Wildenthal Library.

The Christmas tree and holiday lights will be switched on after singing car-ols and a brief greeting from Sul Ross President Dr. Ricardo Maestas.

After the lighting, cookies, hot choco-

Holiday Lights celebration next weeklate, and hot cider will be served in the Morgan University Center’s second floor foyer.

This year, Sul Ross community mem-bers are asked to donate toys for the student toy drive, to be given to chil-dren attending the celebration. A special guest has been invited to distribute the gifts.

By Steve LangContributor

When Krystal Acosta returns to her home-town of Presidio early next month, she will be making history.

Acosta, who graduates from the Sul Ross State University Law Enforcement Academy Dec. 7, will soon after begin her new duties as the Presidio Police Department’s first female officer. She has been hired in a reserve capacity until a full-time position opens.

“They have never had a female police offi-cer, so I’ll be the first,” she said. “Hopefully that will start a new trend.”

After spending three years in the classroom, first at the University of Texas Permian Basin, then at Sul Ross, Acosta chose a path that better suited her interests.

“I’ve always been an outdoor type of girl,” she said. “Being active is what I like and law enforcement just seemed right. You never know what you’re going to get into.”

She enjoyed the hands-on training the Law Enforcement Academy offered; saying courses like self-defense motivated her.

“I’m five-three and weigh 150 pounds and (during training) I was going up against cadets that were six-three and weighed up to 280,” she said. “That was fearful, but it gives you self-motivation. You find a strength in yourself you didn’t know you had. I think this academy brings out the best in you.”

LEA director Lloyd Dragoo praised Acosta’s work ethic.

“She has done a good job in the Academy and has really excelled academically,” he said. “She comes to class every day smiling, moti-vated and ready to learn.”

Working in her hometown is a good fit for several reasons, among them, completing her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice at Sul

Acosta to become Presidio’s first female police officer

Ross. Acosta plans to enroll in online courses while doing her police officer field training. Later, she anticipates that she can arrange her on-campus class schedule around her duty shifts.

“They (police department) were willing to work with me so I could take classes, and I’m close enough (to Alpine) to do that,” she said. “When this opportunity came about, it seemed too good to be true.”

Her mother, grandmother and an aunt still live in Presidio, so she will be close to family members.

Most of all, she is anxious to begin her law enforcement career, which she hopes will even-tually extend to the federal level, such as the Drug Enforcement Administration. Acosta will take her state peace officer exams Dec. 3 and graduate from the Academy Dec. 7.

“I’m just excited to get out there,” she said. “The Academy taught us a lot of hands-on training and I’m ready to do it for real.”

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Sul Ross students, Hancock Hill Club members and others who participated in the Rio Grande River Clean Up Nov. 9-11 included (front, from left): Natasha Moore, Hunter Krueger, Estefana Galindo, Monica Ortiz, Jenn Ritchey, (middle row) Mark Franklin , Amber Wenzel, Dennis Avila, Heather Dobbins, Mike Ryan, Guy Falzarano, Logan Gordon, Ryan Jacoby, Sharon Barrett, Rachel Barrett, Paul Griebenow and (top) Pam Gaddis. Photo courtesy Heather Dobbins

While students and volun-teers looked for and picked up trash in and around the Rio Grande, they also came across plenty of signs of wildlife, including the tracks shown at left. Right, Dennis Avila rests awhile from paddling one of the canoes near Colorado Canyon in the Rio Grande. Both photos courtesy Heather Dobbins

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By Rachel BarrettContributorI know that time of year just as well as you do: just when the

weather gets beautiful and the mountains call your name, it’s time to go crank out another 10-page term paper or study for an exam. However, though school is important, refreshing one’s soul is important as well, to preserve some shreds of sanity for the far side of finals. And what better place to do it than the beautiful Big Bend with some of the friendliest folks at Sul Ross? That is the motto of the Hill Club, and that is why the week-end of November 9-11 found me trekking along with them to Big Bend Ranch State Park for the annual ritual known as “Rio Grande River Clean Up.”

Friday evening was grand and balmy when we rolled into Big Bend Ranch State Park’s Madera Canyon campground. As the sun sets, the true visual impressiveness of this wondrous place emerges. Majestic crimson mountains give way to dusk, then darkness. Besides the occasional flashlight beam bobbing along in the hands of a camper, there are no artificial lights in Big Bend at night. There won’t be a streetlight or a fast-food sign to be found. The lack of light pollution means a grandstand view of the stars and a new ability to see farther in the “dark-ness” than you ever imagined.

Big skies and huge views invariably result in an expanded appetite, so it’s appropriate that I mention the food is downright great. The signal fortune in a Hill Club excursion is there is no shortage of camp wranglers and the contentment of delicious food and fresh air produces the magical result: Everybody pitch-es in—no, we did not have a food fight, and no, this tomato-stained cutting board was not used as a tennis racket—instead, we dine happily on sizzling sausage and veggie burritos. If anyone goes hungry on a Hancock Hill Club outing, well, it’s on their head.

Saturday morning found us chilly and half-awake, crawling out of our warm sleeping bags into the brisk air and moving like guided missiles straight for the coffee pot (note #537 to novice campers: waking up before everybody else will auto-matically get you elected chief coffee maker). The park rangers arrived at 8:30, and our group split off into the river crew and the road crew. Water levels have been very low this year in the Rio Grande (in the neighborhood of 30 cubic feet per second, which is to say, abysmally low and detrimental to canoes, but really terrific for stranding trash and other undesirable items which pollute the watershed). Many thanks to the National Park Service and the rangers who not only showed us how to paddle canoes, but let us use theirs!

The water bugs—that is, river crew—headed off to the put-in, and the highway crew made a break for the open road. The morning quickly warmed up, and a reasonably good time was had by all, combing the roadside for trash and debris. Now here’s the paradox of River Clean Up weekend: While it feels good to do your part, cleaning up litter which would otherwise wash into the Rio Grande and pollute the water—which is a lifeline connecting us all in this arid land—it’s just such a darn shame that “litter happens.”

For those of you who have been following the Hancock Hill Club and their merry trash-bashing deeds in previous seasons of “River Clean Up,” you may recall the 2011 “Mission: Extract.” In that episode, against the laws of gravity, but in compliance with OSHA and other sensible standards, a small and mighty crew of

Hancock Hill Club tackles Rio Grande River Clean Up

River Cleaner Uppers successfully removed by way of slack line (and other ingenuity), a significant section of pipe which had washed downstream during the 2008 flood and lodged, seem-ingly permanently, at a potentially lethal angle and depth.

Due to persistent low water, the extracted segments of pipe have rested above the flood line awaiting a follow up mission. Slow-forward to 2012: “Mission: Extract ReBooted.” This year, our fellow campers worked on cutting up that nasty length of metal pipe into pieces small enough to float out by canoe at some future date.

You’ll get a good chance to stretch your muscles on a Hill Club trip, that’s for sure!

Lest you think River Clean Up weekend is all work and no play, every year marks something different that we see in the welcome shade hiking Closed Canyon after the “cleaning up-ping” is concluded. This year, it was the army of red-and-black caterpillars we encountered at every bend in the rock walls (the caterpillars go marching two hundred by two hundred, hurrah, hurrah...!!). At the far end of the canyon, we had to stop at a deep pool of water that blocked further passage, unless of course you felt like getting your feet wet and brought a decent length of rope, helmets and no small amount of courage.

Suppertime on Saturday means it’s time for Leslie’s famous Dutch oven lasagna. I would tell you the recipe, but then of course I’d have to kill you. We all took turns prepping various parts of the dinner in between bloodthirsty rounds of Jenga (the other initiation rite for novice campers).

Just in case anyone has got it in their head that Hill Club camping trips are demure and proper proceedings in which all goes perfectly as planned, allow me to dispel that erroneous conclusion: HAH! There is always the customary harassment of any novice campers, including laying bets on whether that funny noise in the bushes is in fact a mountain lion, a Sasquatch, or a practical joker who will soon be chased halfway to Laji-tas by an enraged fellow camper. (I still hold to the Sasquatch theory, but nobody seemed to be interested to stick around and find out. I must say, those newbies do learn fast.)

Oh, and we did find out that the snakes were active this year. There is nothing quite so enlivening as crawling into a tent and drifting off to sleep, ensconced in a fluffy mummy bag, only to hear directly outside the flap the cry of “SNAAAKE!!”

[A portion of this dialogue has been deleted due to violent and obscene content.]

Observers were then startled to see the tent leap to its feet and bound away in the opposite direction. (The occupant shall remain nameless in the interest of privacy, but by way of defense, the zipper got jammed.) The snake failed to stay for an interview.

On Sunday morning, as is our custom, we had a good warm breakfast, broke camp and packed up the vehicles, and then dis-persed for a day of hiking, mountain biking, wandering through the Big Bend, or whatever might strike one’s fancy. What a way to spend a weekend ... refreshed by the mountains, helping to keep the State Park beautiful, and swapping a story or two around the campfire. Why not give the Hill Club a try? We’re always up to something, be it trail work on Hancock Hill, run-ning wild in the Big Bend, or finding some new way to enjoy the great outdoors. For more information, contact Hunter Krueger kkru2455@sulross.edu, Estefana Galindo egalindo3@sulross.edu, or Leslie Hopper at lhopper@sulross.edu or 432-386-6929.

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All of Earth is in Texas.And Mercury, too.And there is enough Friendship and Comfort,Security and Welfare to make a Goodland,even a Utopia, a Paradise, simply Devine. Ain’t it a Dilley.

West, Texas, isn’t. It’s more central,although not the Center Point, which isn’t either,nor is Center City.But Center City, next to Star and separatedfrom Rainbow by a Fairy—What else? Thisis an Emerald Energy triangle with Ireland and Dublinthe other corners—is close to the heart but far from any Shamrock.The heart is Placid (well, just up the road), still and quieton the prairie: Which one? String Prairie Roans Prairie Decker Prairie Grand Prairie? With a Prairie View a Prairie Lea

a Prairie Dell a Prairie Hill (Prairie Hill?)?Deep in the Heart of Texas.

Texas made the old world Grow new: New Berlin, New Lon-don, Dime Box (Old Dime Box must have been just plain Dime Box before the folks up and moved five miles and built Dime Box, making the just plain Dime Box into Old Dime Box. And what was the Dime Box for?)

A fast tour of the old world in the new Texas,from Orient to Ogg: Italy Palestine India, Holland Egypt China Belgrade London

Dr. Clarence Wolfshohl, visiting alumnus and poet, gave a reading of several of his works on Nov. 1 at Sul Ross. Wolfshohl, former Lobo football player who also saw the benefit of striving for an academic career, re-ceived his B.A. from Sul Ross State University in 1964 and then attended the University of Idaho for his M.A and the University of New Mexico for his Ph.D. He has published poetry, scholarly articles, and a variety of other works. One of his poems he read is reprinted below. Photo by Angela Greenroy

All of Earth Is in Texas(All italicized words are Texas place names.)

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Nazareth Paris Naples Athens and Troy and even Cleveland.

When you are lovesick in the Lone Star state,right at the Hub of actionat a Four Way stop, Midway‘twixt Dawn and Sundown,and your Bronco won’t Wakeand is stuck in the Sand on the Wayside,just Spur him like an old Pioneer,let out a Tarzan yell or a Lobo howl,Telegraph your Valentine that you wantto Tye the Knott, put on your Tuxedo,strut Proud as a Peacock, in an Imperian fashion,run a Marathon Cross Plains for Three Leaguesto Hitchland and Chalk it all up to love.

Even a Novice can see the culture of Texas.Waverly and Ivanhoe, without a Scott; but with a little Dickens, Tennyson sits close to Bronte (pronounced Bront),and the Southern Pacific into Pecos countrypasses Dryden, Longfellow, Thoreau.If you Crane your neck and look Pharr enough,Texas’s Elmer has won his Spurs in literary gunfights.And a Mason can cover up the Flygap with a little Art.

Despite Happy and Jolly, the Eden of Rural Shade, Pandora must have opened her box (Was it Dime Box or Old Dime Box?Is that why it moved?) For the Maverick will Cut and Shoot, will goPlum Loco; instead of playing in the Elysian Fields, will get Crossin Iredell, Draw a pistol without a Wink,place a Gunsight Pointblank on someone’s Noodle and think it Best or Veribestto Stonewall anyone and everyone from Arnold and Jasper to Ben Hur and Zapata.

And what’s the Cook’s Point? Hungerford?He can fix a Banquete of Oatmeal, or Nueces, Quail,Hereford, Angus, or Turkey. Or just plain Staples.

Why is the sky Blue department: Why is Honey Island inland, not an island? Why is Seagraves in the Panhandle in a dry county? Does someone own Loan Mountain? Why is there a North Zulch, but no South Zulch (nor East nor West)? And what’s a Zulch? Is it the same kind of a Tool as a Pidcoke?

If you Needmore, that is, Needmore, and you Circle Back to make Progress, go through Shallowater to get a New Deal, detour to Ropesville to find a Lariat, you are again within walking dis-tance of Friendship, a pick-up jaunt from Happy Union, and Halfway back to Earth. And all of Earth is in Texas.

By Robert ParvinRGC Media Relations

The mixed experiences of Hispanics in the American criminal justice system -- a career focus of Dr. Martin Guevara Urbina, associate professor of Criminal Justice at Sul Ross-Rio Grande College -- are given a thorough and criti-cal examination in the latest of his many studies of how police and the courts apply the law to the country’s fastest-growing minority.

Urbina’s book, “Hispanics in the U.S. Crimi-nal Justice System - The New American Demog-raphy,” was released last week by Charles C. Thomas Publishers.

The work is promoted as “written for profes-sionals and students of criminal justice and law enforcement in helping to understand the his-torical legacy of brutality, manipulation, oppres-sion, marginalization, prejudice, discrimination, power and control, and white America’s contin-ued fear about racial and ethnic minorities.”

Hardcover copies of the thick tome are priced at $79.95.

Major topics explored by the book include: Hispanics and the American police, policing the barrios, immigration lockdown, the dynamics of Petit juries, the penal system and the critical issues facing Hispanic prisoners, probation and parole, the legacy of capital punishment, life after prison, and the dynamics of education and globalization in America.

The text presents a variety of studies that illustrate alternative ways of interpreting crime, punishment, safety, equality and justice.

Since coming to Rio Grande College in 2010, Urbina has published nearly a dozen profession-al articles, books and presentation papers.

His colleague at RGC, Dr. Ferris Byxbe, has co-authored two articles with Dr. Urbina in the International Journal of Humanities and Social Science and produced a chapter in Urbina’s book on parole and probation.

Two more Urbina books are in the offing for next year: “Borders and Dreams: Ethnic Reali-ties of Mexican Americans from Colonialism to 21st Century Globalization,” and “Beyond Post-Racial America: 21st Century Dynamics of Multiculturalism.”

Urbina was recently lauded for his academic and legal assistance to the Austin law firm, Johns, Marrs, Ellis & Hodge, in drafting a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief on behalf of the Mexican government in the case of a Mexican national convicted of murder and sentence to life in a U.S. prison.

RGC professor’s book covers treatment of Hispanics by U.S. courts, police

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While most of us were happy spectators (and consumers) at Alpine’s annual Artwalk, held Friday and Saturday, Nov. 16-17, members of the Sul Ross Art Club were busy at work.

Art Club members C.P. Carter, Alex Costea, George Vaughan, Mandy Mata, Leinora Alimboyoguen, Alex Kuehne, Vicki Chavira, Mariah Williams, Cencee Gordon, Judith Loya and Aaron Brooks were not only in charge of hanging and displaying student artwork at the Sibley Gallery on Holland Street, they also manned the gal-lery for 12 hours each day.

Other SRSU students who exhibited and helped out were Rober-to Garcia, Megan Downing, Neela Ahmed, Shelby Rogers, Whitney Bodle and Heather Sawyer.

“This is the 16th year I have shown student works,” said Carol Fairlie, professor of art and Art Club advisor.

Since Artwalk’s beginnings as “Gallery Night” 16 years ago, Sul Ross’ student artists have been an important part of the long-running and well-visited event.

Artwalk has something for everyoneAlpine’s 16th annual

Mandy Mata shows her “Traveling Sweets”

Alexander Costea reflects on his artwork entitled “Boot Inaction”

A parade!

Smiles!(Ryan Reyes &

Susana Mendez)

Warmth!

Food!

Crazy cycles!

Street music!

Bling!

Art cars!

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By Jazmin GonzalezReporter

Every community needs a hero who hides himself behind his good deeds. Sul Ross State University student Joshua Perales plays that role.

Perales, a senior business administration major, owns and runs a new business in Alpine, Tipsy Taxi. The purpose of the taxi is to be a “designated driver, a regular taxi that will get you from point A to point B, and a courier service.” Tipsy Taxi, which seems like a genius idea to make money in a small town like Alpine, actually emerged from a heart-felt reason.

“I lost a couple of friends to drunken driving incidents,” Perales confessed. “I feel like the older they got, the braver they felt in terms of drinking and driving. Since I’m not living back home, I felt like I could service Alpine as a community and create Tipsy Taxi so people don’t have to lose lives or injure themselves or others for a good time. Let me take care of making sure everyone is home safely. In my line of business, you get all kind of customers. You get everything from the people who don’t know how loud they’re talking, to the one who asks to ‘please, please don’t tell anyone I was in the Tipsy Taxi.’ “

Perales works hard to make sure any customer that hops in the taxi cab leaves in a better mood than the one they went in with. “I want people to leave the cab with a better experience than they

anticipated. I want them to have a nice positive vibe,” said Perales. “For me, it’s what my customer wants. If my customer wants to have a good conversation, I will give my best conversation ever. If they don’t want to talk and just want to listen to some music, I will play music of their choice.”

Tipsy Taxi is not only for college students wanting to have a good time on Thursday nights. It’s for people of the community who need to deliver a red box; a desperate mom who needs her kids picked up from school and dropped off at day care, and even for big shot celebrities coming to town for a show.

Celebrity Micki Free hired Perales to be his personal driver for a weekend in Alpine. “Driving a Grammy award winner for a weekend was truly an amazing experience,” confessed Perales. “He called me back and let me know he was coming down in December and asked me to take care of him and his band again!”

“Like any other college student, trying to balance school and work can be difficult sometimes, but as far as balance goes, you just got to do it,” Perales said. “This is a college town and it’s a small community, but they have been so receptive to my business. I’m very blessed to have that support from them. Tipsy Taxi is not something I want to give up on even after graduation in December. My dream is to grow this business as far as it can go.”

Tipsy TaxiStudent’s business can be a life saver

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Effective immediately, Sul Ross State University-Alpine’s three schools of study have been re-designated as colleges.

On Nov. 20, the Texas Higher Edu-cation Coordinating Board (THECB) approved proposals by Sul Ross to phase out the Schools of Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, Arts and Sciences and Professional Studies and to create the respective colleges.

Designation as colleges offers a broader distinction for fields of study, said Dr. Quint Tburman, Provost and Vice President for Academic and Stu-dent Affairs.

“Typically most universities are or-ganized into colleges and schools, with

the latter implying a relatively narrow field of study or professional orienta-tion,” he said. “The designation of col-leges at Sul Ross indicates a recognition that each of the units formerly referred to as schools did not sufficiently cap-ture the rich diversity of the faculty and subject matter contained within.

“Rather than divide these broad units (Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, Arts and Sciences, and Professional Studies) further into several additional schools and add administrative complexity, the best solution was to more accurately depict them as colleges.”

The College of Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences was es-

tablished as a school in 1999 as an outgrowth of the Division of Range Animal Science. The College of Arts and Sciences was formed as a school in 1986 following the merger of the divi-sions of Language and Fine Arts, Sci-ence and Social Science. The College of Professional Studies was also formed as a school in 1986, merging the divisions of Business Administration, Teacher Education and Criminal Justice.

Sul Ross opened in 1920 as a Normal School for Teachers. Its name was changed in 1923 to Sul Ross State Teachers College; in 1949 to Sul Ross State College; and in 1969 to Sul Ross State University.

Sul Ross State University Presi-dent Dr. Ricardo Maestas is one of 51 chief executives featured in the Nov. 12 Presidents/Leadership issue of The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education.

“Hail to the Chiefs,” written by Jeff Simmons, profiles the Hispanic college presidents of Hispanic Serving Institutions. The presidents were asked about their mottos to better understand their philoso-phies on education and personal achievement.

Maestas took office at Sul Ross in 2009 as the first Hispanic chief executive in the history of the uni-

versity and the Texas State Univer-sity System.

His motto: “Always do your best, but expect more from your-self.”

His advice to potential students who are Hispanic: “Sul Ross is a Hispanic-Serving Institute, which means that we work hard to make sure that young Hispanics have every opportunity to succeed.

“Our university is a multi-cultural meeting place, and we encourage students to explore, to meet new people, and to learn about yourself in as many ways as possible.”

Sul Ross State University will be honoring the graduating class with fall commencement exercises at 10 am, Saturday, Dec. 15 in the Pete P. Gallego Center.

Commencement speaker will be Sen. Carlos Uresti, who has represented Texas District 19 since 2006.

Sen. Uresti currently serves as vice chair-man of the Administration Committee and the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, and is a member of the Health and Human Services, Jurisprudence, Natural Resources, and Redis-tricting committees. He was selected by his colleagues in 2010 to serve as chairman of the Senate Hispanic Caucus.

Sul Ross schools designated colleges

Maestas featured in article

Sen. Carlos Uresti is Dec. 15 commencement speaker

Late Night Breakfast

Monday,

FREE!!

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Study up! Library announces extended hours

The Wildenthal Memorial Library has announced extended hours for the end of the semester so you have extra time to study for your final exams!

Extended hours are

Dec. 3-6 (Monday-Thursday): 8 am-10:30 pm; Dec. 9 (Sunday): 12 noon-10:30 pm; Dec. 10-12 (Monday-Wednesday): 8 am-10:30 pm; and Dec. 13 (Thursday): 8 am-6 pm.

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By Steve LangContributor

Sul Ross State University has met the challenge of attracting library pro-fessionals by growing its own. During the past few years, the GOAL has been reached.

Presently, three librarians at the Bryan Wildenthal Library – Lori Schreiber, Amanda Gomez and Jacob Galindo – are products of the Grow our Own Area Librarians (GOAL) Program, coordinated by the El Paso Area Librar-ies consortium. Also, library assistant Nora Ohnishi is enrolled in a Master of Library Science program at the University of North Texas.

The Library Leadership Development Institute and the GOAL Program serves the nine-county Trans-Pecos area of Texas and three counties in Southern New Mexico. The in-tent of the project is to increase the number of qualified librarians in the designated areas. The programs are partially funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program.

“It can be difficult to hire (librar-ians) in rural areas,” said Don Dowdey, Sul Ross Dean of Library and Informa-tion Technology. “The idea (of GOAL)

is to get people who are already here to get interested in becoming librarians.”

Among GOAL incentives are three $2,500 scholarships available for full-time participants and 12 $1,500 tuition and book scholarships for part-time students who agree to complete univer-sity courses leading toward a Library and Information Science (LIS) degree. A participant may receive more than one scholarship but must reapply each time. Coursework may be completed on-campus or by distance education.

Participants must agree to serve for three years in the LIS field in the Trans-

Pecos area and Southern New Mexico after graduation or pay back one-half the funds received through the grant. Participants are encouraged, but not required to volunteer time in a nearby library.

Dowdey has been a proponent of the program since its inception in 2007 and of 76 total participants, six have Sul Ross connections. In addition to

the Sul Ross staff members, former Sul Ross student David Howard and his wife, Valerie, are currently enrolled in the GOAL Program at the University of North Texas. David Howard worked in the Wildenthal Library as an under-graduate, while Valerie (Richard) How-ard interned at the Archives of the Big Bend and now works as a senior library assistant at University of North Texas Health Science Center while finishing her degree this year.

Schreiber, who graduated from the University of Texas-San Antonio, came to Sul Ross in 2000, working in Admis-

sions and Records. Two years later, she moved to the Wilden-thal Library as a cataloguing assistant. She enrolled at Texas Women’s University, Denton, in 2007 and graduated in 2010. She was named Inter-Library Loan librarian this past January.

“I really liked cataloguing a lot,” Schreiber said. “The material is constantly changing and there is always something new to learn.” She added that she enjoys working in an academic environment and gets great satisfaction from helping students to learn and succeed.

“I also love living in this area and I want to stay,” she said. “Doing some-thing you like in an area you want to

GOAL program helps Sul Ross meet librarian needs

“I love living in this area and I want to stay. Doing something you like

in an area you want to live in is the best of both worlds.”

—Lori Schreiber

Sul Ross State University library assistant Nora Ohnishi (left) and librarians Lori Schreiber, Amanda Gomez and Jacob Galindo are past or present participants of the Grow our Own Area Librarians (GOAL) program in the Trans-Pecos area of Texas and three counties in southern New Mexico. Photo by Steve Lang

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live in is the best of both worlds.”Ohnishi, an Alpine native and Sul

Ross graduate, began working at the Alpine Public Library in 2009 as a part-time bookkeeper and circulation assis-tant. She started work at the Wildenthal Library this past February as a library assistant in cataloguing. She enrolled in the MLS program at the University of North Texas, taking online courses. Her expected graduation date is 2014.

“Being in an academic environment really pushed me to go on to earn an MLS,” she said. Galindo is serving as her mentor for the GOAL Program.

Gomez, an El Paso native with Bachelor’s (Communication) and Mas-ter’s (English) degrees from University of Texas El Paso, began work during the summer as Collection Development librarian. She called her path to the library “kind of a happy accident.”

“After getting my Master’s, I was looking for a job. I volunteered at the El Paso Public Library to get some experience,” she said. She also worked in cataloguing at El Paso Community College, then in special collections at the UTEP Library and spent a sum-mer working at the El Paso Holocaust Museum.

Gomez applied and was accepted into the MLS program at Texas Wom-an’s University, graduating in 2011. She was hired as a digital librarian at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, Fort Bliss, before coming to Sul Ross.

“I was ready to move and I have been to this area a lot,” she said, noting that she often visited a close friend who attended Sul Ross.

As for life without a Wal-Mart? “I haven’t even noticed,” Gomez smiled.

Galindo, the Education Coordina-tion librarian, is also from El Paso and a UTEP graduate. He graduated from North Texas with his MLS degree in 2011 and worked as a part-time refer-ence librarian at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, prior to coming to Sul Ross.

Galindo said he had never really considered the library profession as a career, but his mother, who is a librar-ian, provided some encouragement. He investigated GOAL and volunteered in the UTEP Library during the final semester as an undergraduate.

“I learned a lot and the experience got me more interested and vested in what library science could offer,” he said. He called his work at New Mexico

State his “first real experience as a librarian....It helped me decide on being an academic librarian.

“I really enjoy helping students how to learn to use the library and how to become good researchers,” Galindo added.

He met Gomez when both were working as volunteers in El Paso, “and she told me about this position.”

“You’re welcome,” Gomez said.Dowdey said that to date, the GOAL

results have been impressive. All 40 college-bound participants in the first grant cycle who graduated were em-ployed. All three graduating students in the current grant cycle were em-ployed, as well as all but two of the 33 participants who have not completed their studies.

“I don’t think a lot of people realize when they are getting their Bachelor’s degrees, that there are careers in library science,” Gomez said, and Dowdey agreed.

“Many public libraries and school districts in small towns need librarians. There’s a lot of interest in this pro-gram,” he said.

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Dominique Carson Lee Carothers

Julian Johnson A.J. Springer

Joel Hernandez Cordrick Mobley Calvon Henderson

Dominique Carson named Player of the Year

Ten Lobo gridders earn

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Dominique Carson’s record-breaking statistics earned the Sul Ross State University senior Offensive Player of the Year honors in the American Southwest Conference.

Carson (Waxahachie) and senior wide re-ceiver Lee Carothers (Austin/Travis H.S.) were named to the ASC’s first team offense, while eight teammates also received All-ASC recogni-tion.

Senior defensive lineman Julian Johnson (El Paso/Del Valle) was named to the All-ASC second team; while senior quarterback A.J. Springer (Los Angeles, Cal./A.B.Miller); senior guard Joel Hernandez (Hempstead); sophomore wide receivers Cordrick Mobley (Cameron/Yoe) and Calvon Henderson (Cameron/Yoe); and ju-nior defensive backs Johnny Stewart (Houston/Eisenhower); and Jural Hickman (Houston/For-rest Brook) received honorable mention.

Sophomore running back Brian Thomas (Houston/Madison) was named to the Out-standing Sportsmen Team.

Carson, an All-ASC second team selection in 2011, topped the NCAA Division III charts in all-purpose yardage, averaging 262 per game. He led the ASC in rushing (1,321 yards), setting a new Lobo single-season record, and scored 28 touchdowns, including eight in one game, the latter a team and conference record.

Carson ended his Sul Ross career as the leader in career (47) and single-season (28, 170 points) touchdowns and points scored; (47, 284). He also set a single-game rushing mark with 319 yards against Texas Lutheran University.

Carothers finished the year with 63 recep-tions for 937 yards and 10 touchdowns. Caroth-

Johnny Stewart Jural Hickman Brian Thomas

ers’ touchdown receptions tied a single-season mark, shared with A.C. Hood (1998) and Luis Uresti (2001). He established a new single-game record with four touchdown grabs against How-ard Payne. He has also set new career marks for pass receptions (189) and yardage (2,955).

Springer ranked second nationally in total offense, averaging 380.8 yards per game, behind Hardin-Simmons’ Logan Turner (404.5). His 3,808 yards of total offense, 3,192 passing yards and 34 touchdown passes set new single-season records, as well as his .684 completion percentage (247 completions in 361 attempts).

Springer twice tied the single-game touch-down pass mark of six, against Trinity University and later against Mississippi College. His 569 yards in total offense (444 passing, 125 rushing) at Hardin-Simmons is also a new single-game record.

Hernandez anchored an offensive line that helped the Lobos lead NCAA-III teams in total offense, 581.9 yards per game.

Mobley, who missed three games to injury, still caught 39 passes for 482 yards and nine touchdowns.

Henderson, playing in nine games, snared 47 catches for 551 yards and one score.

Stewart led the team in tackles (74), including 2.5 for losses and interceptions (three), returning one for a touchdown. He broke up seven passes, defended 10 more and recovered two fumbles.

Hickman had 54 stops, intercepted a pass and returned 22 kickoffs for a 21.9-yard average. Johnson made 28 tackles, including 2.5 for losses and had two quarterback sacks and a fumble recovery.

conference honors

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By Brian LaLimaSports Reporter

The Lady Lobos opened up their season with a loss on Nov. 15 in Odessa to the University of Texas-Permian Basin, 105-41.

In the loss, Nicole Murdock had 10 points while Kaitlyn Moody had five rebounds.

Two days later, Nov. 17, Sul Ross continued on the road as they traveled to Hobbs, NM, to battle against University of the Southwest. The Lady Lobos fell by a score of 83-66.

Asrelle Anderson led the offense with 35 points, with help from Murdock who had 10 points. Tonee Montoya recorded 11 rebounds.

The Lady Lobos stayed in New Mexico and squared off against Northern New Mexico

in Espanola on Nov. 19 and dropped the game, 83-69.

Montoya led all scorers with 18 points as Ileen Torres had 10 points. Amanda Garza grabbed six rebounds in the loss.

The home opener for the Sul Ross ladies was on Nov. 24 against University of the South-west. For the second time this season, the Lady Lobos faced and fell to USW, 76-66.

Anderson continued her scor-ing ways as she dropped 24 on the Lady Mustangs. Murdock helped out in the loss with 11 rebounds.

Sul Ross is now 0-4 on the season and will play Louisiana College tonight (Nov. 29) in the Gallego Center at 5:30 pm and host Mississippi College on Satur-day, Dec. 1 at 1 pm.

0-4 Lady Lobos take on Louisiana College tonight

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By Brian LaLimaSports Reporter

The Sul Ross State men’s basketball team traveled to Abilene to compete in the Abilene Christian Classic on Nov. 16.

In the ACU Classic, the Lobos went 0-2, falling to former ASC foe McMurry University and the host squad, Abilene Christian University.

Sul Ross lost to McMurry 75-47 in which the team shot 30.4 percent from the field and went 12-24 from the free throw line, averaging out to 50 percent.

Trey Richardson led the team with 8 points as Percy Settle recorded 12 rebounds.

In the loss to ACU, the Lobos fell 83-66. Mychal Pinson had 17 points and Aaron Williams had five

rebounds.Sul Ross faced University of Southwest in their

first home game on Nov. 24 and lost by a score of 76-70.

Carlos Montiel led the Lobos in points with 18 and rebounds with 10. Pinson contributed 16 points.

The Lobos shot 46 percent from the field, connect-ing on 22 of 55 shots. From three-point land, Sul Ross was just 2 of 8 and managed 18 of 28 from the charity stripe.

The Lobos are now 0-4 on the season and will host Louisiana College tonight (Nov. 29) at 7:30 pm in the Gallego Center.

Their next home game will be on Saturday, Dec. 1 against Mississippi College at 3 pm.

Lobos basketball begins season 0-4

Above, Mychal Pinson charges down the court as teammates Aaron Williams, Carlos Montiel and Zakk Revelle follow closely behind.Opposite page, top: Lady Lobo Asrelle Anderson dribbles past University of the Southwest guards. Opposite page, bottom: Vanessa Martinez fires off a shot as Jazmin Chavez looks on. All photos by Steve Lang

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SRSU Fall 2012 Final Exams Schedule

Class Meeting Day/Time Exam Day/TimeMonday/Wednesday/Friday Monday, Dec. 108 am 8 am10 am 10:15 am1 pm 12:30 pm3 pm, 3:30 pm 3 pmMonday night classes 6 pm

Tuesday/Thursday Tuesday, Dec. 119:30 am 8 am11 am 10:15 am2 pm 12:30 pm3:30 pm, 4 pm 3 pmTuesday night classes 6 pm

Monday/Wednesday/Friday Wednesday, Dec. 129 am 8 am11 am 10:15 am12 pm 12:30 pm2 pm 3 pmWednesday night classes 6 pm

Tuesday/Thursday Thursday, Dec. 138 am 8 am12:30 pm 10:15 pm1 pm 12:30 pmThursday night classes 6 pm

Monday/Wednesday Contact instructor for exam day/time

Final exams in Laboratory and Physical Education activity courses will be given during the last class period of the semester.