fAll 2 011

from the trenches On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, 100 UTSA Army and Air Force cadets gave a living flag presentation at the football game against McMurry University. PHOTO BY JEFF HUEHN

Cover photo by Patrick Ray Dunn INSIDE Ten Years Later A decade after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the university has responded to chang- 4 ing national priorities. From the Trenches of War 14 After losing a limb in Iraq, a soldier rebuilds his life as a college student. Faithfully Yours Places of worship, often called sacred, are the heart- 20 beats of the communities that surround them.

2 Your Letters 11 Boom or bust 26 Bullfrogs and Eagle Ford Shale com- Butterflies munities face unprec- A doctoral student The Paseo edented growth. takes her love of nature into the class- There’s an App 6 Roadrunner room and the lab. for That 12 Sports A program designed Sports briefs, plus Class Notes for high school stu- 28 get to know Mark Profiles of Helen Wolf, dents delivers iPads Waters, one of only M.Ed. ’77, the first with a lesson. two seniors on UTSA’s life member of the football team. Alumni Association; 8 Stolen AJ Castillo ’08, who Childhood rocks an accor- College of Public community dion; and Steven Sano, Policy students learn- 24 call of duty M.P.A. ’11, who’s on a ed about the dark A strand of beads mission to serve; plus world of sex traffick- helps one soldier updates on dozens ing of minors. form strong connec- of alumni and other tions around the campus and alumni Of Peacocks world. news. 10 and Porsches Researchers find that men who adorn themselves with bling aren't the most com- mitted boyfriends.

fall 2011 Sombrilla 1 profession. It is a privilege to getting global be his wife. Thank you again. The story, “Getting Global,” Job well done. is great. But one could also vALerie fULMer focus on the students com- San antonio ing to UTSA. For example, Fall 2011 the offi ce of ESl Services vOlUME 28, NUMBEr 1 LETTERS has programs that bring We are ready students from Angola, I love the new look you thE uniVErsity OF tEXas solutions, hope tier One Turkey and Saudi Arabia guys are using for the maga- at san antOniO The fact that dr. Forsthuber on full scholarships. We are zine and the online presen- momentum PrEsiDEnt ricardo romo and his team are actively working on a project that tation. Really fantastic art I started school at UTSA in PublishEr anD pursuing a more effective will bring over members direction and production. I treatment for multiple schle- 2008. Since then I have seen ViCE PrEsiDEnt FOr tremendous positive growth. of the Saudi Arabian royal have seen a lot of university uniVErsity aDVanCEmEnt rosis is amazing. I began Marjie French Campus groups are active air force, navy and army to magazines and Sombrilla working with dr. Forsthuber study at UTSA. UTSA does is by far the most attractive EDitOr lety laurel at the tender age of 18, and both on campus and in the community. The general a lot to help the world by and thoughtfully produced. DEsign DirECtOr there is only one word to de- bringing students to our doUg CohenMiLLer Tom Palmer scribe his lab environment atmosphere is inviting and students are serious about campus. It would be great San antonio PhOtOgraPhErs to an unknowing college if more UTSA students and Patrick ray Dunn, their education. The faculty Mark McClendon freshman: intense. It’s an staff took the time to fi nd your latest edition of incredible academic atmo- teaches in a way that is both COntributOrs challenging and exciting, out about the wonderful Sombrilla looks fantastic— sphere...easily comparable resource we have right here it’s easy to read, colorful dave deering, erin eggers, to any top-notch lab in the promoting expansion of Ashley festa, on campus. and fun and so football! joe Michael feist, nation. I can always thank dr. thought, steering away from an individualistic perspec- jiM keLiM MAriAn boWndS Ashley harris-dumulong, Forsthuber for giving me that Director, eSl Services, San antonio omar hernandez, jeff huehn, tive. I have never been more kate hunger, k. rodriguez, opportunity. uTSa CATherine SALfiTi excited to be a part of kyle Stephens, Cindy Tumiel Senior biology major something so great. We are marching WEb DEsignEr kristina leh making history and have a Down home EXECutiVE DirECtOr community fi lled with sup- Orders OF CrEatiVE PrOJECts From the heart porters. We are on the path in the City It was a huge thrill to fi nd a Craig Evans What a beautiful piece Joe to Tier one status. We truly This article moved me to West Campus graduate high- Michael Feist has written! live by our core values: in- tears. It made me feel so lighted in my alma mater’s OFFiCE OF uniVErsity “From the Heart” brought tegrity, excellence, inclusive- proud to be an alum of alumni magazine. I used aDVanCEmEnt me face to face again with ness, respect, collaboration UTSA. There are several in- to teach at West Campus assOCiatE ViCE PrEsiDEnt an amazingly inspirational and innovation. stitutions of higher learning and I was there during the FOr alumni PrOgrams anD marKEting Jim Mickey professor. I remember feeling eLiSAbeTh CUAdroS ’11 in San Antonio, but I do not fl ood and the subsequent assOCiatE ViCE PrEsiDEnt the power of poetry in dr. Graduate student in think they all share UTSA’s decision to close it. I’m FOr COmmuniCatiOns Barker’s presence, and Mr. sociology commitment to giving back proud that a former student David gabler Feist has given me a few mo- to the local community. like is part of this special time assOCiatE ViCE PrEsiDEnt ments more of her brilliance. Considering how young the many big cities, San Antonio for UTSA. Congratulations, FOr aDVanCEmEnt sErViCEs Reading this article, hearing university still is in com- has many problems, and it Alana! anD aDministratiOn laura Murray her voice, I was right back parison to UT Austin, we’re is going to take all of us to herMAn robinSon ’02 in that classroom with her. I help the city reach its full assOCiatE ViCE PrEsiDEnt FOr doing pretty well. San antonio DEVElOPmEnt Eric gentry believe dr. Barker is right. Po- niShAnT d. gAndhi potential. etry cannot be extinguished Freshman pre-biology brAndiS dAviS ’04 As sad as it was to learn that in our fast-paced, technol- major San antonio my high school no longer Sombrilla Magazine ogy-rich world. Poetry lives exists, it’s nice to see an is published three times and breathes within us. And, When I went to UTSA for my alum, the last drum major, a year by the Offi ce of University Marketing, yes! It can heal! graduate work, I was blown Just reality, marking a new era at UTSA, UTSA, One UTSA Circle, jo eLLen fiSk ’97 where I am also an alum. away by the level of educa- not reality tV San Antonio, Texas 78249. austin tion. now, I look forward to Thank you for the article nice job! it is mailed without charge to building professional ties be- about Scott Fulmer. I believe STePhen SLiSh ’92 alumni, faculty, staff and Wendy Barker opened tween my employer and the it was well written, and Nashville, Tenn. friends of The University of up new worlds of poetry university and tapping into eloquently conveyed the Texas at San Antonio. back when I was at UTSA the talent and brainpower. To exciting and menial aspects Phone: (210) 458-6155 Email:[email protected] (’83–’87). I still write today. me, Tier one has nothing to of being a private investiga- Between my 9-to-5 job that do with the number of pro- tor. My husband has enjoyed pays the bills and the job I grams or students, but, rather, the many experiences of To be removed from the love, working with orphans the quality of programs and his work over the years. But Sombrilla mailing list, around the globe, poetry contribution the university what makes him so unique receive Sombrilla Online almost seems like a luxury— makes to the business com- is that he is a remarkable only or update address and what a grand luxury it is. munity. By that defi nition husband, father and person. information, send a message doUgLAS n. riggLe ’87 we’re already there! He has character and integ- to [email protected]. Columbus, Ohio brAd WhiTe ’09 rity. He would do well in any San antonio

24 SOMBrillA www.UTSA.EDU EDIToR’S NoTE Thanks from a chicken THE SOMBrillA

I’m afraid to fl y. The thought of being so high up terrifi es me I can do is thank them. I wish I was more like them. But so much that I do almost anything to avoid planes. Alum- because of them, we are here living comfortably and con- nus Marty Contreras also is afraid of heights, so when he fi dently. Our children, grandchildren and future genera- joined the Army, he signed up for airborne school. His rea- tions will live with a greater sense of security because of soning: if he’s scared of it, he’s going to make himself get what they’ve done. But it goes even beyond that. It’s the over it—with a parachute. will, the determination to make their own lives a sacrifi ce I’m afraid of pain. If I hit my thumb with a hammer, to something they truly believe in that I admire the most. you’d better believe I’m going to avoid all hammers for at Marty, Anna, Tony and all veterans and military per- least a year. Student Anna King knows pain. When a mor- sonnel out there—you are heroes. Thank you for every- tar hit her base in Iraq, it dislocated her jaw, broke her thing you do. wrist and caused traumatic brain injury. She almost died from the swelling in her brain. She now suffers from post- Saludos, traumatic stress disorder. But she’d give anything to go back and continue the fi ght. When Tony Doyle’s Humvee hit an improvised explo- sive device in Iraq, he was fl ung from the vehicle and pinned under it. He lost his leg. His world changed in an Lety Laurel instant. He came back home and rebuilt his life and now is an undergraduate student studying history. Unbelievably, he’d do it all again. Because, he says, his life now is richer than it was before. You will never do anything This is courage. True courage. What drives them? It may be honor, duty, a need to in this world without courage. serve. But what makes them actually do the things they do and not just say they will? What is it that pushes them it is the greatest quality of to move beyond fear, trauma, pain, stress, grief, and make —aristOtlE their lives even better because of what they experienced? the mind next to honor. They are made from a different cloth than me, and all

go onLine! Write back! need more information? Check out these UTSA websites: We’d love to hear from you! How do you think we’re For back issues of Discover ways to give reconnect with old doing? Got any comments sombrilla, go to back to your university at classmates at about the stories you’ve utsa.edu/sombrilla giving.utsa.edu utsa.edu/alumni seen here? Contact us at [email protected]. Or mail For campus news Check out the latest sports For everything else, your letters to Sombrilla and events, visit stats and information at go to utsa.edu Editor, Offi ce of University utsa.edu/today utsa.edu/athletics Marketing, UTSA, One UTSA For information about the Chat with us! We’re Circle, San Antonio, Texas graduate school, go to on Facebook. 78249. Letters may be ed- utsa.edu/graduate facebook.com/utsanantonio ited for length or clarity.

FAll 2011 SOMBrillA 53 A living flag presentation at the Sept. 10 football game against McMurry University paid tributeTHE toP militaryASEO servicemen and women.

T6HSombErilla www.PA utsaStroll.Aedu SEAround CaOmpus th l et i cs

J eff H uehn , UTSA A Ten Years Later By Lety Laurel

By the time the second plane hit the World Trade program that can serve all occupants in our community, no Center on Sept. 11, 2001, everything at UTSA had come to a matter what happens on campus.” sudden halt. Hallways were quiet as people crowded around There was a shift in research priorities as well. The Cen- televisions that had been wheeled into public areas. ter for Infrastructure Assurance and Security had been es- “Astonishment is the word I would use to characterize tablished in June 2001 to address data protection. But after the general sense of how people felt,” said Dan Pena, UTSA’s Sept. 11, Romo decided cyber security would be a major assistant police chief. “Shock. Dismay.” research component. That goal was enhanced by the cre- President Ricardo Romo was giving a speech to 100 mili- ation of the Institute for Cyber Security in 2007. The threat of tary officers. At once, every pager in the room went off. The biowarfare also highlighted the need for study of infectious room was cleared. “Instantly, we knew something terrible diseases. In response, the South Texas Center for Emerging had happened,” he said. Infectious Diseases was created in 2005. While students struggled to comprehend what was hap- Gradually, researchers have became more involved in pening, campus officials and security personnel went into things like military medicine, robotics, trauma treatment, overdrive to make sure the university was secure and to regenerative medicine, stem cell work and energy. help allay fears. Police officers were stationed at the univer- “Genuine, well-artic- sity’s entrances to monitor traffic. Security was enhanced ulated and well-under- in all the service corridors underneath campus buildings. stood national priorities Alerts went out to the campus community through email, drive a lot of research ef- “We lost a updating everyone as the day went on. forts in any country,” said little “That’s probably one of the biggest where-were-you mo- Robert Gracy, vice presi- ments that will happen in a generation,” said David Gabler, dent for research. “I think bit of our associate vice president for communications. “The entire the idea is to look at so- university shut down for a period of time. The face of every- ciety and see the current innocence.” body in the [John Peace Library] that I came across con- needs and project into veyed that we would never be the same again.” the future to determine Dan Pena And the university did change. Over the last 10 years, UTSA Assistant Police Chief what we need to do.” research focus has shifted to cyber security and infectious diseases. Funding from the Department of Defense has Essential message exceeded $35 million in the last decade. The university’s Shortly after the terrorist attacks, Romo began carrying emergency operations center has been beefed up and more around cards in his wallet. They weren’t typical busi- than $500,000 has been spent on upgrading security and ness cards. Instead, they had a message of hope written by emergency notification systems. Franklin D. Roosevelt and delivered in his 1941 State of the “We lost a little bit of our innocence,” Pena said. Union Address. Called The Four Freedoms, it articulated After Sept. 11 the unthinkable became possible. Then freedoms that everyone in the world should be guaranteed. came Hurricane Katrina, followed by the shootings at The fourth one is the one that resonated with Romo. Virginia Tech. Each event highlighted deficiencies in emer- “The fourth is freedom from fear—which, translated into gency response and communications nationwide. world terms, means a worldwide reduction of armaments to “I think what has happened probably in a lot of institu- tions is the feeling of insulation has disappeared,” Gabler such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation said. “And I don’t think that means that we’re now living in will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression the grips of fear. But I think the awareness is there and there’s against any neighbor—anywhere in the world,” Roosevelt a knowledge that we aren't necessarily immune now.” wrote. So the university has prepared itself for the next emer- For Romo, that was a message that needed to be remem- gency. A reverse 911 system was installed in 2005, which bered as the country dealt with the shock of terrorism. To sends an alert to students, faculty and staff by telephone, everyone he met, he handed them the card. emails and text messages to cell phones. It was recently up- “It impacted me a lot,” Romo said. “Everyone has the graded to a new Emergency Notification System. The Giant right to be free from fear. Ten years ago, the country, and Voice mass notification technology was installed in 2007, our university, was struggling to understand what had just which relays emergency messages through outdoor speak- happened. There was grief, shock and definitely fear. But we ers and fire alarms within buildings. can’t let fear manipulate us, because that is terrorism. And The emergency management office expanded in staff we couldn’t let the terrorists be successful.” and all safety personnel are now required to take emergen- Today the country faces the same challenges it did 10 cy management education courses. The communications years ago. But what has changed is our awareness of the staff also must take emergency communications training. problems, and our role to help make a difference, he said. “We have changed our focus from how to catch the bad “There is still hate in the world. There are still misun- guys or put out the fires to how do we coordinate within derstandings in the world,” Romo said. “The thing that our organization from a holistic preparedness and response was important to me 10 years ago and remains important perspective,” said Lorenzo Sanchez, UTSA’s director of to me now is that higher education is part of the solution. emergency management. “We plan for university emergen- We’re doing a really good job at UTSA of preparing the cies from an all-hazards perspective, not just for singular next generation of leaders to spread the message of un- events such as terrorism, fires or flood. We’ve created a derstanding.”

fall 2011 Sombrilla 75 ThE PaSEo Want to learn math? MArk MCCLendon There’s an app for that. edgewood iSD students prepare for college through a pilot dual-credit program that arms them with iPads By Kate hunger

S ESTHER BURTon lISTEnEd To HER Funded by a $750,000 grant from the U.S. department college algebra instructor explain how to of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary graph rational functions one morning this fall, Education, iClASS bundles into a comprehensive program Aher high school math teacher watched from all aspects of college preparedness, from technology to the back of the classroom. counseling to parental leadership and involvement. If this “I assigned the bare minimum you need to do,” year’s students complete all their courses, they will graduate Zachery Sharon reminded the 17 high school juniors from high school next year with 12 hours of college credit, seated before him. “That means you need to do more if a big boost in their quest to earn a degree from a four-year you are having trouble with it.” university. A new group of juniors and seniors will join the Taking the initiative to stretch academi- program next fall and will be able to earn up to six hours of cally is a huge part of the lesson Sharon and college credit before funding ends in december 2013. his team-teaching counterpart, Memorial High The program’s fi rst dual-credit course, college algebra, School math teacher Michael Hughes, hope began this fall. Students will study pre-calculus this spring, to impart to Burton and her classmates. The calculus next fall and a science course—likely chemistry— What do you get when students are participating in iClASS, a two- in the fi nal spring semester. you give high school year program designed to take strong math “A good [predictor] of a student succeeding in college students and prepare them to succeed in is if they have earned college credit hours as a high school students ipads, a college college—armed with their very own iPads. student,” said Rachel Ruiz, assistant vice president of P-20 algebra instructor, iClASS stands for innovative Com- and co-principal investigator of iClASS. munities of learning Advancing Student What makes iClASS different is its comprehensive scope a mentor and other Success and is a collaboration between and its overarching goal of creating a college-going cul- support? the answer the Academy for Teacher Excellence in ture on a campus with predominantly low-income latino UTSA’s College of Education and Human students, many of whom would be the fi rst in their families is iClASS, and the development and the offi ce of P-20 to attend college. iClASS brings together the successful ele- program’s creators believe Initiatives, which works to increase ments of a professional development community for teach- the college-going rate of Texans. The ers run by the Academy for Teacher Excellence and a dual- it could be a model for program’s investigators already have credit and parental leadership project out of P-20, Ruiz said. success far beyond its begun gathering data that will allow As part of the project, 23 teachers at Memorial also re- pilot campus. them to assess what is working, how ceived iPads and training on how to use the technology in to improve and how best to apply their classrooms to ensure the continuation of lessons and this model on a larger scale, said techniques beyond the initial program’s lifespan. Flores Belinda Bustos Flores, professor of said the iPads will give students and teachers access to on- interdisciplinary learning and teaching and co- line resources around the clock, eliminating study barriers principal investigator. The iPads are an important tool such as distance and work schedules. It helps that iPads ap- to engage students and foster good habits such as per- peal to trend-conscious teens, she added. sistence and self-motivation as they learn the math and “Sometimes bright kids choose to underachieve be- science they need to be competitive, she said. cause it is not cool to be into school. We want the students “We know that the jobs of the future require a popula- to remain highly motivated,” she said. tion that is well versed and comfortable in math and sci- If students have trouble remembering how to solve a ence,” Flores said. “By taking more math and more sci- tough problem, help is just an app away. Burton’s favorite is ence [classes] sooner, it gives students a greater choice the one that downloads her textbook to her iPad, but UPAd, in terms of the fi eld of study. For example, if a student a note-taking app, is a close second. has the goal of becoming an engineer and they realize, “It has really helped us to see what it’s like when we go ‘I have to start off at math 101 and then I have to take col- to college,” said Burton, who plans to be an architect. “High lege algebra,’ already they are deterred from their path.” school is really different than college. We know it’s a select

86 SOMBrillA www.UTSA.EDU M a rk c C l endon

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“That’s right, be bold. Think about the possi- bilities. Think about the opportunities. When we see the timing is right, we need to seize the moment and step up.” —President Ricardo Romo, in the Sept. 23 State of the University address

by the numbers 30,968 students enrolled in fall 2011

//in brief// iCLASS takes high school students who are strong in math and prepares them to succeed in college armed with iPads. Dig This Imagine life on the shores of the San Antonio River group. We’re working hard at it.” P-20 Initiatives and program manager for iCLASS, attends ev- 9,000 to 10,500 years ago. Hard to do? UTSA They had to work hard to get into the program, too. To ery class and serves as a mentor to the students, monitoring archaeologists got a qualify, students had to have taken Algebra II and the ACT, their progress, suggesting useful apps to bolster their learning, glimpse into that life after pass UTSA’s math entrance exam, attend an iCLASS math working with parents and arranging tutoring if necessary. unearthing more than 500 artifacts while assisting boot camp over the summer and acquire parental permis- “I know what they need to succeed at UTSA,” said in the San Antonio River sion. Their college tuition and fees will be waived as part of Zepeda, a former freshman academic adviser. Improvement Project in the program. Just as important as mastering the subject matter is south San Antonio. They found projectile points Memorial, in San Antonio’s Edgewood school district, learning how to be resourceful and learn proactively, said and woodworking tools was selected for the program because of its student demo- Hughes, the Memorial math teacher who observes the lec- thought to be for making graphics and an existing relationship between the Acad- tures three days a week. He uses the other two days to re- canoes all those thou- sands of years ago. emy for Teacher Excellence and the school district. Of 80 view or expand on the material with the students. Closer to downtown Edgewood ISD graduates accepted at UTSA in 2009, just “These kids are being forced to work independently on San Antonio, archaeolo- 20—one-quarter—enrolled, said Lorena Claeys, executive a level they never had to before,” he said. gists discovered the trash of one of Bexar County’s director of the academy. The chance for the students to get a solid start on college first surveyors. There “We found that there was a great need,” she said. “A lot of is an opportunity not lost on Burton’s grandmother, Esther were bottles and ceramic times students don’t see UTSA as a choice.” Gonzales. fragments, along with meat bones and oyster For his part, Sharon finds the high school students eager. “I think it’s a great thing,” she said, adding that she shells, thought to be from “They are probably one of the most engaged group of makes no secret of her enthusiasm for a program she sees the homestead of John students I’ve taught,” Sharon said. “It’s nice teaching stu- as a boon to Memorial. James, who lived along North Presa Street in the dents who want to learn.” “‘You have this advantage, mija,’” she recalled telling her mid-1800s. Melissa Zepeda, a staff member from UTSA’s Office of granddaughter. “‘Take advantage.’”

fall 2011 Sombrilla 97 TtHhEe PpAaSEseOo Stolen

Childhood By Cindy Tumiel By Cindy Tumiel

The voices in the shadows sound young, almost childlike. Too young to be so knowledgeable about this topic; about the abuse, the pain, the stolen innocence and the degradation that they express.

10 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu lems. Sometimes it is a male relative who pressures the child yet they do know. to begin sexual activity. or it might be someone who offers They know of an unspeakable problem that lurks in friendship to a runaway or a child from a troubled home. many American communities, not just San Antonio. “I’m The abuse becomes a traffi cking offense when there is just scared all the time,” a female voice says, while images the exchange of sex for something of value, which could of dolls, playgrounds and other symbols of innocence fl ash include money, food, gifts or drugs. There’s also a phe- on the screen. nomenon called “survival sex,” when a minor agrees to “I just want to take a bath and rub myself, rub all the have sex in exchange for basic human needs like food and shame off myself,” another young voice tells an interviewer. shelter. The victims bond emotionally with their abusers, ! The video, produced by social work students at UTSA, Ambrosino said; they believe that the adult abusers care sheds light on the sex traffi cking of minors that goes on al- about them and keep them safe. “You have only one life- most unseen in San Antonio and throughout the country. “What you have is an incredibly unreported crime,” he time, so make it count. Children, some as young as middle school-aged, are co- said. “What you are seeing in the fi lm is the tip of the ice- Will you be immortal- erced into providing sexual favors in exchange for money, berg.” ized as a hero or be a illegal drugs or things as basic as food and shelter. Some- The fi rst shock of awareness came among the students fi gment of days long times it begins at the hands of an abusive parent or guardian, themselves. Most of them, Ambrosino said, are non-tradi- past?” sometimes of a so-called “friend.” once the pattern begins, it tional students who came back to school for advanced de- —Xavier Johnson, often persists into adulthood, setting the stage for a diffi cult grees after working in a social service fi eld. Several were like PreSidenT of The STUdenT life. Rene Esquivel, a 45-year-old former chef pursuing a career governMenT ASSoCiATion, The legal term for this practice is domestic minor sex change. at the Aug. 22 Fall Convocation traffi cking. Finding it is hard. Stopping it is harder. The be- “you see what you perceive as prostitution and people havior is secretive. laws are inconsistent; social welfare and making these choices,” said Esquivel. “As we were doing law enforcement agencies have confl icting these interviews and talking to these young policies and objectives. By the time the legal women and men, it became clear that they by thE numbErs system encounters its victims, they usually “I just want to were victims of sex traffi cking. They didn’t are teens or young adults arrested on prosti- take a bath really have a choice.” tution charges. Even then, they are reluctant Early in their project, the students made 62.5% to speak out about how the abuse began or and. . . rub all a connection with an outreach worker who freshman-to-sophomore to bring charges against their abusers. They the shame was able to help them meet young victims. retention rate are wrapped up in low self-esteem and bat- off myself.” Esquivel said the students were able to tered psyches, and afraid of losing the only interview 10 people—minors and adults, relationships they know. a young voice tells women and men—who were coerced or Public awareness is the fi rst step toward an interviewer. manipulated into the sex trade as children a community solution. That step is now be- or teens. Sometimes the students met them ing advanced by a group of UTSA master’s in safe locations for video recordings that degree students in the department of Social shrouded their faces and protected their Work. These students took on the topic of identities. Many of the interviews were domestic minor sex traffi cking last sum- just with tape recorders, conducted on the mer during an advanced policy course with street while the victims plied their trade. It is the only life they Robert Ambrosino, an instructor in the College of Public have known and one they are afraid to leave, Esquivel said. Policy. The course curriculum required them to produce a “This project was a transformative experience for my public awareness campaign around a local social issue. perception of things,” Esquivel said. “I’ll never look at it the After discussing the complex and tangled world of do- same way—that this was some choice that they made.” mestic minor sex traffi cking, the group decided to produce a “A lot of them don’t realize they are being traffi cked,” said documentary video as a way to launch a community discus- //in Brief// sion on the problem. Jenna Rothrock, who worked for Child Protective Services before returning to UTSA for a master’s degree. “They will At the Micro- Behind Closed Doors, Voices from the Inside features in- Level terviews with victims themselves as well as with community look at you in a confused way. They say, ‘I’m not being traf- fi cked. I love this man.’” The UTSA South Texas stakeholders, drawn from the political leadership, criminal Center for Emerging justice system and social service agencies. Rothrock led the student team that interviewed state infectious Diseases will “She would hit me when I didn’t want to go out with these agency offi cials and community leaders for their take on the receive $4.6 million over guys,” a young victim says, recalling how the abuse started problem. “A few people were oblivious to it,” she said. “oth- the next fi ve years from ers were aware to a certain extent.” the U.S. Department of at the hands of her mother. Defense Army research “It started when I was 16,” another victim says. Change begins with knowledge, Ambrosino and his stu- Offi ce to establish a Joe Raymond Vega, a San Antonio fi lmmaker, directed dents said. That is the driving purpose of their fi lm project. Center of Excellence and edited the video for the project. Ambrosino’s students, one of their connections was with state Sen. leticia Van de in infection genomics. Putte, who has worked to get state laws more in line with fed- The grant will support although their summer course has ended, are continuing microbiology research, their involvement by taking the video to groups that want to eral statutes, which provide for stiffer penalties for the adults teaching and outreach learn about the issue and join the dialogue for change. who promote sex traffi cking. The students also connected activities aligned with “There are some horrible stories out there about young with Shared Hope International, an organization that seeks Army priorities. infection women—and men, because it happens to boys, too—being to eliminate sex traffi cking worldwide. The organization genomics is the scien- tifi c discipline in which introduced to sex traffi cking when they are 8 or 9 years old,” wants to link with UTSA for other projects to raise awareness biologists characterize said Ambrosino. and change public policies. functional properties He said the abuse sometimes starts in the custody of a “People need to be aware,” said Rothrock. “They have to of the entire genome of infectious organisms. parent, who may be a prostitute or have drug addiction prob- understand it fi rst before anything else can happen.”

FAll 2011 SOMBrillA 119 ThE PaSEo

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“I was extremely grate- ful for the mercy I got. No matter how excited you may be, you still have to obey the rules. Regardless of what- ever other factors go into it, you still have to obey the law.” —ryan stanley (“rowdy ryan”), one of eighT STUdenTS ArreSTed AfTer rUSh- ing The ALAModoMe fooTbALL fieLd AfTer The roAdrUnnerS’ inAUgUrAL gAMe, as quoted in the Sept. 13 The Paisano f Peacocks and Porsches by thE numbErs 50% FErrAgAMO, rOlEX AND PrADA . . . incoming freshmen who OH MY! By Ashley harris-dumulong graduated in the top 25 percent of their high school classes yRAMIdS THAT ToUCH THE “It really wasn’t a surprise when our during the fi nal study, the research- heavens. Italian shoes hand- studies revealed that some women are ers measured perception of con- made from the fi nest leather. attracted to a man who conspicuously spicuous consumption—that is, what PThe watch that announces consumes,” Sundie said. “A physically women actually think about all those that you own time itself. Through the attractive man who drives a fl ashy car, peacock plumes. And the results are pages of history and into modern times, such as a Porsche, was more desirable ruffl ing a few feathers. displays of conspicuous consumption for a date than the same man if he in- “What this study suggests is that are as numerous as they are grand. stead drove a Honda Civic.” women are wise to the game. yes, an defi ned by Thorstein Veblen in the attractive man who drives a Porsche late 1800s, conspicuous consumption is more desirable, but only for a date,” is an economic behavior wherein one Sundie said. In other words, the same “attains and exhibits costly items to im- Just as peacocks display luxury items that men use to attract a press upon others that one possesses their big, fl ashy tails mate had no impact on a man’s desir- wealth or status.” to attract a peahen, the ability when it comes to a woman’s se- Just as peacocks display their big, modern-day man uses lection of a long-term partner. Women, //in Brief// fl ashy tails to attract a peahen, the it seems, also equate men’s conspicu- Porsches and other Commissioned modern-day man uses Porsches and ous consumption with an interest in President ricardo romo other luxury items to show off, and spe- luxury items to show having uncommitted sexual relation- and UT System Chancel- lor Francisco g. Cigarroa cifi cally, to attract a mate. off, and specifi cally, to ships. were appointed by Presi- To better understand this time- attract a mate. “Prior research indicates that many dent Barack Obama to honored tradition, Jill Sundie, assistant college-age women are not very open serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on professor in the College of Business, Further, their research suggested to uncommitted sexual relationships. Educational Excellence and colleagues from Rice University, that men who engage in conspicuous These women are more likely to be for Hispanics. The com- Arizona State University, the Univer- consumption, and specifi cally those looking for faithful, committed part- mission is charged with expanding educational sity of Minnesota and the University who utilize it to attract mates, were nerships,” concluded Sundie. “At the opportunities, improving of new Mexico undertook a four-part more likely to be seeking uncommit- end of the day, a man spending money education outcomes and study entitled “Peacocks, Porsches ted, short-term sexual relationships. on these very fl ashy and expensive delivering a complete and competitive educa- and Thorstein Veblen: Conspicuous “However,” Sundie said with a items does not convey that message tion for all Hispanics. Consumption as a Sexual Signaling chuckle, “make no mistake about it, of intended commitment to a potential System.” women have fi gured it out.” m a t e .”

1210 SOMBrillA www.UTSA.EDU PATriCk rAY dUnn rAY PATriCk f Peacocks and Porsches

BoomEagle Ford Shale communities or Bust are facing unprecedented growth; UTSA is helping make sure the growth is long lasting

By Ashley festa

elping 12,000 people keep their jobs and preventing a rizo Springs offi ce in partnership with the Middle rio grande booming community from going bust is the focus of a Development Council. Hnew UTSA offi ce in the heart of the Eagle Ford Shale. The center will help small businesses and communities re- Two hours southwest of San Antonio is Carrizo Springs, search and create sustainable economic strategies for the fu- where UTSA’s Small Business Development Center opened an ture. it will profi le the communities to determine emerging mar- information center in November. The region’s economic suc- kets, unemployment rates and other economic factors and will cess hangs in the balance. “The state of Texas has a lot at stake,” said gil gonzalez, the ensure that the communities have the resources necessary to director of the UTSA rural Business Program. “This is good for implement the suggestions for growth. the region and for the state.” To make sustainable changes, the center also will provide The Eagle Ford Shale, believed to be one of the most signifi - grant-writing workshops and other training to help community cant oil and gas plays in the country, now provides more than leaders apply for federal and state grants. 12,000 workers with full-time jobs. Activity will continue to “we’re not trying to tell them what they should do. They can grow in the area, and by 2020, the estimated economic impact build their own communities,” gonzalez said. “we’ll facilitate.” is expected to reach more than $21 billion, with 31,705 new The center will also provide a business-to-business tool, jobs projected in the six counties most affected. called a B2B, to connect oil and gas companies with local small But there are risks associated with such a dramatic economic businesses from the area. upturn. The enormous infl ux of workers is overwhelming the lo- cal economies. Cities are struggling to provide housing and oth- with the unprecedented growth, Eagle Ford Shale communi- er basic necessities quickly enough to meet the current needs. ties must plan, invest and diversify their economic bases if residents are seeing housing prices skyrocket because demand they want to thrive, gonzalez said. So this is one of the center’s far exceeds supply. while communities welcome the growth, main priorities. they are already having challenges managing it. “You tend to become a ghost town if you don’t plan for the To assist in creating a stable economy, UTSA opened the Car- future,” gonzalez said.

FAll 2011 SOMBrillA 1311 ThE PaSEo

! mEn’s gOlF year. At the start of led by 17th-place fi n- conference play, UTSA “[Texas] can seat may- ishes from junior Stanton swept its fi rst 12 be 100,000, and you SPorTS briefS Tondre and sophomore Southland opponents got to be a pretty big ryan werre, UTSA con- and won 36 consecu- donor to get any kind cluded its fall campaign tive sets, marking the of good seat. So we’re with a ninth-place show- longest such streak in fi ne. My daughter grew ing at the third annual the nation. UTSA con- up in Boerne, which is lone Star invitational at tinued its dominance a middle-class, upper- Briggs ranch golf Club in the Convocation middle-class area, and in San Antonio. Tondre, a Center, pushing its JEFF HUEHN, UTSA ATHlETiCS very few of those kids graduate of Medina valley home winning streak to or families ever go to a High School in Castro- 14 matches. redshirt game at Texas or A&M. ville, Texas, and werre junior setter kelsey We’re the answer to each carded a three-over- Schwirtlich set the pro- that. We’re the team for par 219 in the 54-hole gram’s record for assists this community.” tournament. in the 25-point rally —lynn hickey, AThLeTiCS FOOtball women posted their best scoring era (2008-pres- direCTor, as quoted by the UTSA completed its showing in a dozen years. sOCCEr ent) and senior libero Associated Press Aug. 28 inaugural season with a Seniors Albert Cardenas UTSA recently concluded kelsey Jewasko be- 4–6 record with victories (third) and Cole reveal its regular season and came the all-time digs against Northwestern (fi fth) both earned all- qualifi ed for its sixth leader and was named State (31–3), Bacone conference honors for consecutive Southland one of 10 fi nalists for (54–7), georgia State the second consecutive Conference Tourna- the prestigious lowe’s (17–14/OT) and Mi- season. Cardenas’ third- ment. The roadrunners Senior ClASS Award, not State (49–7). The place performance was placed four players which honors NCAA by thE numbErs roadrunners set NCAA the best by a roadrun- on the all-conference Kelsey Jewasko start-up program records ner male since Philo teams, led by sophomore 56,743 for fi rst-game attendance Saunders fi nished third defender Anka grotle, record-breaking number of (56,743) and per-game in 1998. Meanwhile, who became the fi rst spectators at UTSA’s fi rst attendance (35,521) at Nina Herrera (seventh) player in program history football game the Alamodome. UTSA, and Alyssa Diaz (ninth) to earn fi rst-team honors which played as a Football garnered all-league acco- in back-to-back seasons. JEFF HUEHN, UTSA ATHlETiCS Championship Subdivision lades for the women with Sophomore forward independent in 2011, will their top-10 fi nishes. Maria Jose rojas took join the western Athletic home second-team hon- Conference next fall and WOmEn’s gOlF ors for the second time play a full wAC schedule The women’s golf team while freshman forward Division i seniors who in addition to non-con- started the fall with a liv Nyhegn also was a have notable achieve- ference games against string of challenging second-team selection. ments in four areas of South Alabama (Sept. 1), tournaments against some in addition, sophomore excellence—community, georgia State (Sept. 15), of the nation’s best. The goalkeeper Danielle classroom, character Northwestern Oklahoma efforts of the squad paid Snyder was an honorable and competition. The State (Sept. 22), rice off as UTSA won its home mention pick. roadrunners garnered (Oct. 13) and McNeese tournament, The Alamo seven All-Southland State (Nov. 10). invitational (Oct. 30–Nov. VOllEyball honors as Jewasko, 1), by three strokes over UTSA fi nished its fi - Schwirtlich, sophomore //in Brief// CrOss COuntry Baylor. The team was led nal campaign in the Mckenzie Adams and ju- All Business The UTSA men’s and by sophomore Fabiola Southland Conference nior whitney walls were The College of Business women’s cross-country Arriaga, who took home with a 22–11 overall all named fi rst-team has a new bachelor of teams both fi nished individual medalist honors record and 14–2 mark all-conference. Junior business administration Brittney Malloy collected degree in sport, event second at October’s with a career-best 213 in league play. The and tourism manage- Southland Conference (69–72–72). it marks roadrunners earned second team honors. ment. Coursework Championships. The the fourth tournament the No. 2 seed in the in addition, Schwirtlich includes the study of was tabbed the league’s tourism, sport and event men’s runner-up fi nish title for the roadrunners, Southland Tournament management, sport was the program’s best all of which have come and advanced to the Setter of the Year and marketing, economics since winning the league under head coach Carrie championship match Adams was named the of tourism and leisure, Newcomer of the Year. tourism law and destina- title in 1997, while the Parnaby. for the second straight tion marketing.

1412 SOMBrillA www.UTSA.EDU reAding noW going “Blu” Although he admits he has Waters’ constant very little time during the sea- companion is his son to read for pleasure, his 1-year-old blue nose favorite book is Left Behind, pit bull, Blu. Waters part of the series of the same has raised him since name by Tim Lahaye and he was 6 weeks old. Jerry B. Jenkins.

no. 31 tAKe A diVe Waters’ favorite football player Waters thrives on do- is former Cowboys safety Roy ing things he’s never Williams, No. 31. “i picked his done before. his last jersey number in high school break from school, he because he was just an aggres- dove off of a 30-foot sive safety that loved to hit.” cliff into the water. But today, things are different. Next up: skydiving. he wants to make his own number a standout. SPoTLighT Mark Waters By lety lAurel

EVEn AS A CHIld, MARK WATERS WAS HyPER. The only solution, his family thought, was to put him in football. “My family had a hard time keeping me calm,” the 22-year- old said. “I’d be outside, running around on the streets.” Quickly, he discovered he not only liked the sport, but he was pretty good at it, too. “I liked being violent on the fi eld,” he laughs. Waters is one of only two seniors on UTSA’s fi rst football team. The 5-foot-10-inch safety from El Paso was selected in March 2010 as one of the team’s fi rst walk-ons. He’s the only one that remains from that fi rst selection. He’s also one of the few that come with experience. He got his start playing for new Mexico State in 2007, but transferred to UTSA after fi nding out about the fl edgling program. He’s cred- for the hiStory BooKS ited for being a strong leader on the fi eld, and it’s a role he takes Being part of UTSA’s inaugural football team is an seriously. experience Waters said he’ll But what may make an even bigger impression is that he is an never forget. “We’re history inspiring, optimistic person off the fi eld as well. makers,” he said. “You go to “When it’s not football, I really try to be a happy person,” he any other school and you’re said. “People notice that I’m smiling. I try to stay positive.” part of something that’s already been. But here, we The kinesiology major wants to become a physical therapist started it.” someday to help injured athletes return to their sports. His in- spiration is his aunt, who uses a wheelchair. “She said I would be a good help to people,” he said. “I want to help people get back to where they want to be.”

FAll 2011 SOMBrillA 1513 Tony Doyle has worked to rebuild his life since losing a leg in Iraq. His priority now, he16 said, is his family.Somb Picturedrill area Tonywww. utsa.edu Doyle and his son, Logan. To Baghdad and back . . . A soldier rebuilds his life as a college student By K. Rodriguez

Tony Doyle has been to Baghdad and back. He’s been under fire, pinned beneath a toppled Humvee and medicated with morphine to numb the pain of a mangled left leg. He’s been through amputation and post-traumatic stress disorder, through traumatic brain injury and a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and through a divorce. And now? Now he’s sitting in a wheelchair at his living room table, two earrings in his left lobe, tattoos up one arm and down his remaining leg, and talking about the good life, about a new life. College student.

fall 2011 Sombrilla 17 photo by Patrick Ray Dunn “Was I dreaming or not? I wasn’t. It was all true. The whole day really happened.”

31-year-old veteran of the Iraq War, doyle is With these students come unique challenges. doyle, a pursuing a history degree at UTSA. At fi rst, he junior who hopes to graduate in december 2012, brings the wanted a bachelor’s to teach high school. But benefi t of fi nancial aid from the U.S. Army, the experience t then his dream got bigger. “I want to go all the of world travel (he has served in South Korea and Iraq), the wayA up to the Ph.d. level,” he said. “I want to be a college perspective of fatherhood (he has four children) and the professor.” wisdom of age. But then there is the PTSd. The traumatic In one respect, doyle is the face of the non-traditional brain injury. The AdHd. college student. But he also represents a surging trend. “It’s very, very diffi cult, especially when it comes to pur- From 2007 to 2009, the number of freshmen receiving vet- suing a degree in history,” doyle said. “There is so much you eran educational benefi ts at UTSA increased more than 100 have to read, so much you have to write.” percent. In 2011, there were 2,690 student veterans and their one challenge, he explains, centers on written expres- dependents receiving educational benefi ts, a 65 percent in- sion: the process of forming ideas, turning them into words crease from 2009. University offi cials expect the growth to and putting them on paper without his mind wandering. In continue. one sense, that’s classic AdHd. But doyle’s struggle is com- one reason: UTSA provides an impressive range of ser- pounded by the brain injury suffered during a bomb blast. vices for student veterans, from counseling for war-related The symptoms: memory loss, poor concentration, slow in- issues to assistance with employment. The university also formation processing. helps with securing military benefi ts. But there’s another “So I guess that makes me a computer from the ’90s,” he reason for the high numbers—the university recruits from said, smiling. “My sense of humor was not at all affected.” local military installations. The slightest thing can distract doyle from studying. A “We are doing outreach to veterans because we feel we bug on the fl oor. A random thought. Frequent distractions have a lot to offer them at UTSA,” said lisa Firmin, associate occur when doyle and his wife, Melissa, speak. provost for faculty and student diversity. “I think we are es- doyle’s mind can be a pinball machine, thoughts bounc- tablishing ourselves as a military-friendly school.” ing here, ricocheting there, careening everywhere. But he

4:30 a.m.

A TYPICAL DAY... From left to right: Tony Doyle’s day begins at 4 a.m. Shortly after, he drives to the gym with his son, Dylan, for an hour of exercise. By 7 a.m. he's back home and help- ing his wife, Melissa, get their children ready for school. After Melissa leaves for work, Tony helps his other son, logan, with a note. Soon everyone has left, and Tony is able to focus on his own schoolwork as Cayden, his baby boy, sleeps. Then it's Tony's turn to go to class. PHOTOS BY MArk MCClENDON 1816 SOMBrillA www.UTSA.EDU A soldier in his Humvee spotted a suspicious object beside the road and yelled,

An explosion followed. The Humvee fl ipped. The door latch broke in the rollover. doyle lost consciousness . . .

Tony Doyle's tour in iraq began in June 2005. His duties included riding through the streets of Baghdad to deter insurgent activity.

7 a.m.

FAll 2011 SOMBrillA 19 5:30 a.m. “I do not know why, but as I was being loaded onto the medevac, I gave a thumbs up, as if I had been injured on a football field.”

finds a way to harness them, redirect them, bring them into rode through the streets to deter insurgent activity. order. He may take twice as long to write a paper as his wife, Danger lurked on the road. The enemy often hid impro- an online student at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, vised explosive devices in unexpected places. In the carcass but the result, she said, is twice as good. of an animal, for example. Or inside an empty can. “His writing is exceptional,” Melissa Doyle said. On the morning of Aug. 9, 2005, Doyle rode in patrol in the Once a C and D high school student in Jacksonville, Ill., lead vehicle. A soldier in his Humvee spotted a suspicious Doyle carries a 3.3 GPA at UTSA. He made the President’s List object beside the road and yelled, “Look out! Look out!” over the summer with a 4.0. An explosion followed. The Humvee flipped. The door “That’s not surprising,” said Will Dawson, a veteran of latch broke in the rollover. Doyle lost consciousness and was the Army and a UTSA graduate student who is president of ejected. The Humvee landed on his left leg, pinning him to the university’s Student Veterans Association. “A lot of veter- the ground. He awoke a short time later to excruciating pain. ans do better at the university than they did in high school. “I would say the adrenaline was pumping at the max,” he They are focused on a goal. And quite frankly, that goal is said. “The first thing I did was look for my weapon.” to go back into the civilian world and put themselves in a He noticed fellow soldiers setting up a 360-degree pe- better position than they were in before. I just barely made it rimeter with Bradley Fighting Vehicles. The show of force through high school with a 2.2 grade point average. I gradu- calmed him a bit. ated from UTSA with a 3.9.” “I saw the doc heading for me so I pulled out a smoke, put Success in the classroom has enhanced Doyle’s out- it in my mouth and prepared to light it,” he said. “When the look. “He’s always in bright spirits,” said Michael Huebner, doc got to me, he slapped it out and proceeded to tell me I a 33-year-old business management major and veteran who could not have it because he was going to give me morphine. suffered a serious knee injury in Afghanistan. “He’s a role “He got to work digging a space under my leg and the model, a big inspiration. I’m a disabled veteran but not to Humvee to put a tourniquet on to stop the bleeding. As he the extent he is. I’m not sure I’d be as positive if I were in his was doing that, some other guys were digging near my leg to situation.” help relieve some of the pressure. At one point, they stopped Doyle’s wife is another reason for his optimism. They met digging.” in a sports bar in North Little Rock, Ark. in 2005. She was a One soldier asked, “Why did you stop?” Web Extra: waitress; he was a patron from Camp Robinson across the The reply: “We can’t tell what’s his leg and what’s the Student Anna King almost street. Doyle stopped in every day for two weeks. Romance ground.” died while serving in Iraq, yet blossomed. “It was a fairy-tale relationship,” Melissa Doyle The IED had detonated between the vehicles. Only one she’d give anything to return said. soldier was injured: Doyle. The single blast was all the enemy to fight. Watch her and three They began talking marriage after Doyle left for Fort delivered that morning. “I never looked at my leg,” he said, other student veterans as they Stewart, Ga., the largest Army installation east of the Missis- “because I knew if I did it would throw me into shock, which share their stories online: sippi River. From Fort Stewart, he went to Kuwait. A tour in kills just as easy as a bomb.” utsa.edu/sombrilla/vets. Iraq began in June 2005. His duties included working a “pres- Forty-five minutes after the explosion, a medevac helicop- ence patrol” on the outskirts of Baghdad. In a Humvee, he ter arrived to carry Doyle to a hospital in Balad, almost 50

8 a.m. 11 a.m.

20 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu miles away. “I do not know why,” he said, “but as I was be- he’s found his passion. ing loaded onto the medevac, I gave a thumbs up, as if I had The passion comes, in part, from his love for history, and been injured on a football field.” from having participated in a major historical event—the He awoke in a recovery tent. The only other person in Iraq War. “What really drives me to study,” he said, “is I see a sight was a nurse on desk duty. “I looked around and real- lot of history repeating itself.” ized my left leg was gone,” he said. “I am not sure how to He also is driven to please an agriculture teacher from explain that feeling except for very lonely. It was the most high school, Jim Rahe, a man who became a close men- horrible feeling I have ever had. I got the nurse’s attention tor after Doyle’s mother died. “He kicked my butt to get me and tried to figure out what was going on. Was I dreaming or through school,” Doyle said. “He was always telling me, ‘You not? I wasn’t. It was all true.” can do better than this. There’s no reason you should be a By the time he called his girlfriend to tell her the news, below-average student.” she already knew. An officer had explained the amputation They remain close. Rahe and his wife attended Doyle’s simply: “The leg was mangled, like a crushed piece of paper.” wedding. When Doyle returns to Illinois, he and Melissa visit “Sometimes Sergeant Doyle came home sooner than expected. He Rahe’s family. “I didn’t believe I could change myself for the and Melissa married in 2006 and blended two families. He better,” Doyle said. “He did. Proving his point is another big I wish things has two children from a previous marriage; she has one. To- motivation.” had gone dif- gether, they have an infant. It’s a long way from Jacksonville, Ill., a long way from He started thinking about college two years into the mar- Baghdad. Doyle entered the military right after high school in ferently, but riage. While dining with his wife at a Japanese restaurant, 1999 and served seven and a half years. The military now pays Doyle struck up a conversation with an architect. for his schooling. It pays for his medical and living expenses. I think about “You go to school and complete your degree in drafting “Sometimes I wish things had gone differently,” he said, how much and design,” the architect said, “and I’ll have a job waiting “but I think about how much more time I have with family. for you.” Things did not turn out badly. I can be home more and not more time The idea ended quickly. Doyle took a computer drafting worry about having to deploy.” course online at Pulasky Technical College and struggled. If not for the military and his tours abroad, it’s not likely I have with “It wasn’t working well for me in the memory department,” Doyle would be in college, working to become a professor. family.” he said. He hopes to instill in his students a love of history, to impart He completed two years of general education. After de- more than facts from a text. ciding to pursue history, Doyle enrolled at UTSA in spring He also wants to open his life like a book and reveal his 2011 on the recommendation of a friend from church. And firsthand experience from the trenches of war.

As student veterans increase, so do university services By K. Rodriguez

Luis needed help. A junior at UTSA and an was able to improve after a referral to a psy- Army veteran, Luis wanted advice on finding chiatrist. “He is now functioning much bet- employment after graduation. So he visited ter academically and socially,” Gatlin said. the University Career Center. Some veterans have difficulty functioning A counselor showed him how to turn his in an academic setting. military and academic experience into a “With combat vets, these issues seem to compelling civilian résumé. trace back to their experiences in Iraq and/ “Now he has a fantastic job with a big or Afghanistan, especially when vets serve company that does engineering work,” said multiple combat tours,” Gatlin said. “With Kristi Meyer, director of the UTSA Graduation non-combat vets, these issues seem to origi- Initiative. “He absolutely would not have got- nate as they do with other students—just life ten that job if he hadn’t had someone help circumstances, an accumulation of stressors him put his skill package together.” or perhaps genetic predisposition.” There are many other students like Luis. The most basic need, Meyer said, is for Veteran enrollment is rising by design. UTSA veterans to secure money for tuition, books has been recognized nationally as being mili- and fees from UTSA’s Veterans Certification tary friendly, offering student veterans an ar- Office. But there are many other services ray of services—from career counseling to they can access, some designed specifically assistance with collecting military benefits for veterans. to mental health counseling. “Student veterans have a combination of Many student veterans seek counseling for assets that make them excellent students war-related issues—post-traumatic stress and excellent additions to our campus,” disorder, for example. Others seek help for Meyer said. They have to finish school within

relationships. Jeff Gatlin, a UTSA staff clini- an allotted time to receive military benefits. th l et i cs cian, recently saw a 23-year-old combat vet- They typically don’t have to work full time eran whose relationship with his girlfriend like many other students because of finan- was unraveling. cial resources from the VA. “And finally, they fall 2011 Sombrilla

J eff H uehn , UTSA A 21 The relationship ended, but the student are very disciplined, mature and motivated.” This abandoned chapel is located at 1624 Buena vista St. its architecture style is modern. FaIThFuLLy youRS By lety laurel Places of worship, often called sacred, are the heartbeats of the communities that surround them. And these sacred places aren’t simply the ones with golden spires that sprout above treetops. They’re often small nuggets nestled A congregant prays at Sanctuario de Nuestra de guadalupe Church, quietly in the most surprising places, as one 1321 El Paso St. UTSA architecture class discovered..

2220 SOMBrillA www.UTSA.EDU The Basilica of the National Shrine of the little Flower, 1715 N. zarzamora, was built in 1931. its architectural style is Spanish colonial with revival infl uence. inset: This statue is inside Sanctuario de Nuestra Senora de guadalupe, at 1321 El Paso St. Photos by Patrick Ray Dunn and Mark McClendon

FaIThFuLLy youRS

FAll 2011 SOMBrillA 23 HE ROAR OF TRAFFIC ON ZARZAMORA STREET DOESN’T PENETRATE THE STONE WALLS OF THE BASILICA OF THE NATIONAL SHRINE OF THE LITTLE FLOWER. INSIDE THE DARK AND COOL CHURCH, BUILT IN 1931, THERE’S A SMELL OF POLISHED WOOD. CONGREGANTS SIT SPACED APART, any location that is or has been dedicated for the worship HEADS BENT IN PRAYER. of any religion—the class identifi ed churches, synagogues, THIS PLACE, SITTING ON THE CITY’S convents and cemeteries located within the Westside WEST SIDE, IS SACRED. development Corporation, which is bounded by Interstate 35, Interstate 10/U.S. 90 West, Acme Road/36th Street and Cincinnati Avenue. not far away, off Buena Vista Street, is la Santisima “If it appeared to be sacred to the people there, it went on Trinidad, a small, slightly worn wooden house built in our list,” said Vincent Ramirez, a second-semester graduate 1936 that also serves as a church. It, too, is sacred. student in architecture. “Sometimes we’d fi nd places behind They couldn’t be more different, yet they’re both houses, even revival tents. We also included abandoned among the more than 200 sites in a 12-mile area defi ned churches. It didn’t have to be old—sometimes they would as sacred and considered to be cultural assets by UTSA’s be brand new. We didn’t exclude anything.” Center for Cultural Sustainability. For four weeks, the students divided into groups and In spring 2011, a graduate architecture class teamed up trolled the area. It was surprisingly grueling. with the national nonprofi t and nonsectarian Partners for “We didn’t spare any road,” Ramirez said. Even dirt roads Sacred Places to identify areas that could be considered and alleyways were explored. “It’s like you’re stepping into sacred. The class was a historic preservation semi- a different world. There were chickens running everywhere nar led by local architect Charles John and was and you’d be surprised. you’d look up to fi nd a little church part of the Graduate Certifi cate Program in sitting between two houses.” Historic Preservation. Using the Intrigued by the students’ fi ndings, William dupont, national organization’s defi - director of the Center for Cultural Sustainability and the nition of that word— San Antonio Conservation Society Endowed Professor in the College of Architecture, decided to take it fur- ther. What if there was a scientifi c way to show their cultural value? He tapped Ramirez to continue the research by documenting each site’s location and construction date, as well as the programs

Web extra: View slideshow: utsa.edu/sombrilla/sacred

24 SOMBrillA www.UTSA.EDU FINDING FAITH The sites deemed sacred in the 12-mile area of the westside Development Corporation are as religiously diverse as they are architecturally distinct. From left to right: iglesia Christiana, a Messianic temple, is located at 201 Harriman Place and was built in 1956; this stained glass window is from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the little Flower on zarzamora road; the rod of Aaron is a 20-foot golden spire atop la luz Del Mundo-iglesia del Dios vivo, Columa y Apoyo de la verdad (The light of the world-Church of the living god, Pillar and Support of Truth) located at 714 Delgado and built in 2007; la Santisima Trinidad, at 1824 Buena vista St., was originally a house built in 1936 in a minimal traditional style.

it offered, the size of its congregation and its proximity to schools and restaurants. Using digital geographic software, also called GIS, what resulted was about two dozen maps that showed the area’s pulse, Ramirez said. “It gives it a heartbeat, like bam-bam. There are this many people here at this location at this time of the week,” Ramirez said. “This is a lower-income neighborhood. There is so much cultural richness in it that people often overlook in these neighborhoods.” Findings documented in an academic paper will even- tually be published by dupont and Ramirez and used to secure grant funding for further study. “This is an area that has to be explored,” dupont said. “The city is going to keep growing in population and size, yet there are attributes about it that everybody loves. How do we grow yet retain our continuity with our past? I think it’s valuable for the community to understand what is important about itself and its cultural heritage and seek some cultural continuity.” Places of worship have always driven communities. San Antonio is just one example, Ramirez said. “look at the Alamo. It was once a chapel and then a community grew out of it,” he said. “Then you have the missions south of downtown. Those are still live congregations. It seems like churches come fi rst and the neighborhoods build around them. They’re important.”

bottom left: Palm Heights Methodist Church, located at 211 N. Park Blvd., was built in 1949 in gothic revival style.

bottom right: la luz Del Mundo–iglesia del Dios vivo, Columa y Apoyo de la verdad (The light of the world–Church of the Web extra: living god, Pillar and Support of Truth) is located at 714 View slideshow: utsa.edu/sombrilla/sacred Delgado and was built in 2007.

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COMMUUnitingNIT our alumniY

26 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu MArk MCCLendon Call of Duty A strand of beads helps one soldier form strong connections By lety laurel

ARTy ConTRERAS’ GRAndMoTHER HAd After training in Mississippi for four months, he was sent a nightly ritual. She would go to a nearby track to Afghanistan. That deployment would end up earning him in the small Texas town of Hamlin carrying a the Bronze Star for saving the lives of an Afghan couple and Mleather strand of beads, about 10 inches long, their young son. It also helped him earn his commission. and pray over each bead as she exercised. He came back to the U.S. in 2006 and fi nished his mas- They were her prayer beads, with the red beads rep- ter of science degree in health and kinesiology in 2009. resenting her fi ve daughters, the green representing her donovan Fogt, associate professor in health and kinesiol- six sons. Marty Contreras became the fi nal bead on her ogy, said he worked closely with Contreras as a student and strand—a glowing blue bead—when she adopted him as research assistant. Fogt continues to call on Contreras for a 12-year-old. help training his classes, he said. Although his grandmother died when he was in high “To think of him going through what he did and now school, Contreras held onto those beads. He carried them we’re going to bother him with an exam or assignment. … with him when he went to college. When he enlisted in the But he never acted like that,” Fogt said. “you ask him for Army, he still had the beads. anything and he gets it done on time, perfectly. He acts like And they traveled with him to battlegrounds in Afghani- it’s water off his back. stan and Iraq four times over seven years. But he’s got that look in “I always have her prayer beads with me,” he said. “They his eyes, like he’s been help. I’ve used them for a lot of different things.” there.” “i was the physician College was a must for Contreras, whose grandparents Finishing his de- on the ground were hard laborers who sustained their 12 children on gree, Contreras already There’s not going $10,000 a year. But when he joined the Army, it was a special knew he wanted to point of pride for his grandfather, a World War II veteran. start his own company, to be an emergency “He was very proud of the rank that I had accomplished but he needed fi nanc- room out there. and the things I had done,” Contreras said, gripping the ing. So once more he beads. traveled to Afghani- it’s me and a bag. Contreras’ grandfather died in 2004. By that time his ad- stan, but this time as a i’ve got to save opted son, an Army medic, had been deployed to Afghani- civilian contractor. stan as one of the fi rst 50 Americans to arrive in that country “It was a different a life with a bag.” after the Sept. 11 attacks. He served there until June 2002. dynamic, going back Three months after arriving home, he was deployed to Iraq, as a civilian and get- where he stayed until August 2003. ting paid enormous amounts of money,” he said. “But it In both countries, his team was the tip of the spear in helped being a soldier and going back because I didn’t have combat; Contreras was the person on the fi eld trying to the fear. I feared no one.” keep his wounded brothers alive. In one week he earned as much money as his grandpar- “I was the physician on the ground,” he said. “There’s not ents made in a year. It was enough for him and his wife, going to be an emergency room out there. It’s me and a bag. Angeleen, to start their home health company, MA Medical I’ve got to save a life with a bag.” Services, llC, which now has 42 employees. He was also there to help win the support of the locals. Contreras said he joined the military to pay for college. That’s where his grandmother’s beads came in handy. He got more than he bargained for, he admits, but it helped “They use prayer beads too,” he explained. “I used them him to grow. The lessons he learned in school, coupled with at different times when we were moving from one place the experience he earned on the battlefi eld, help him run to another and they saw that and associated it with their his business today, he said. And it’s helped him build a good prayer beads, which helped me make a connection. That life for his fi ve kids. connection went a long way.” “Mamaw and Papaw, if they could see me now…” he After Iraq, Contreras decided he wanted to be a commis- said, his voice trailing off as he looked again at the beads. sioned offi cer. He left active duty in 2004 as a Sergeant First Those beads helped sustain him during his Army days. Class and enrolled in the master’s program at UTSA. They helped him form a connection with people who lived “Education is important in my life, so if I could have halfway around the world. And they continue to help him the chance to get a master’s—in my mind, it was huge,” he remember his grandparents’ hopes for him and his future. said. “It would mean that my grandparents didn’t work their His grandparents pushed him so he could have a better life; whole lives for nothing.” he’s pushing himself to make life better for his own children. While enrolled at UTSA, Contreras enlisted in the na- “Everything I do, I do for my kids,” he said. “To try to tional Guard, 20th Special Forces Group. one month later, make this world a little bit better for them. It’s all I can do. he was again called to active duty. “I was like, ‘you’ve got to I have to use this education and this experience to do that. be kidding me,’” he said. I’ve got to use it—otherwise it was worthless.”

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28 SOMBrillA www.UTSA.EDU PATriCk rAY dUnn rAY PATriCk !

“San Antonio has the opportunity to seize a mantle that no city in Bullfrogs the U.S. holds today— to be the recognized leader in clean energy technology. By building and Butterflies a critical mass around doctoral student takes her love of nature into the classroom and the lab research and develop- By lety laurel ment that will grow and attract the brain- HEn IT RAInEd AT TERRI MATIEllA’S ter’s in environmental science and graduated in May power of the 21st cen- childhood home in San Angelo, Texas, 2009. That fall, she enrolled in the Ph.d. program. the self-proclaimed tomboy would “I enjoy ecology and looking at how organisms tury, San Antonio can run outside and collect bullfrogs in interact in the environment,” she said. “There is so be for the new energy W economy what Silicon her favorite pink Crayon-shaped cup. She smuggled much we don’t know about what is happening with them into the house as her pets. the world today with climate change and how it af- Valley is to software “I always liked being outside as a kid,” she said. fects things even on a small plant or insect scale and what Boston is to “When we were little, my sisters and friends and I and how that transfers up and affects us.” biotech.” would play with leaves and pretend to grind them She began teaching at the college level in 2007. —mayor Julian Castro, at a up because we were making wheat and bread.” First she was a graduate assistant in an ecology lab, June 22 City of San Antonio and But even then, there was just something special but has worked her way up to leading a 126-student CPS Energy joint announcement about butterfl ies. They held a certain magic for her. lecture class. of fi ve clean-energy companies moving to San Antonio “They are just fun,” she said. “you can’t feel sad Matiella’s students learn about biomes of the when you’re looking at butterfl ies.” world, precipitation and weather patterns, plant So Matiella decided to make monarch butterfl ies adaptations and the chain reactions in nature that the subject of her doctoral research. Aided have always fascinated her. by an Alumni Association scholarship that “It’s like a big puzzle and everybody has a little allows her to focus entirely on her research piece of it,” she said. “I think this generation is going without having to to have to come up with by thE numbErs juggle a full-time job, answers, solutions to the Matiella is working to “Working with the problems we have today. 722 fi nd out if varying levels They didn’t create them, doctoral students in fall 2011 of carbon diox- environment is such a but they’re there and [the ide and ozone students] are the ones that on monarch cat- big thing. There are so are going to be faced with erpillars’ sole food many unknowns that them.” source, milkweed Anne Englert, director plants, has any effect you can’t predict. You of alumni programs, said on the development of but- have to be patient, you Matiella’s love of nature terfl ies. She’s also studying and the desire to share her how those gases affect the have to be resilient.” knowledge is inspiring. plant’s growth. “She’s extremely driven,” “There’s a whole chain Englert said. “She lives reaction that can happen what she says. She’s a moth- from this one component of er of two, and she takes her climate change,” she said. children to the zoo and Any variation in the shows them nature. She’s milkweed plants could living what she’s studying. cause them to be less nu- That’s a perfect mix.” tritious to caterpillars. That Matiella expects to fi n- could mean the caterpillars have to eat more to gain ish her doctoral program in december 2012, but ulti- the same nutritional value, which keeps them ex- mately, it’s up to nature to set the timetable. Already //in Brief// posed to predators longer as they feed on the plant’s her research has been delayed because of drought leaves. Milkweed also contains toxins that stick with and a little bit of bad luck that has killed her ninth Going Bookless the caterpillars through metamorphosis into butter- attempt at growing milkweed plants. Hate lugging around that huge science textbook? fl ies. These toxins make them poisonous to birds. “you kind of have to roll with the punches,” she UTSA libraries are now But it’s possible the gases could weaken the toxins said. “Working with the environment is such a big lending ereaders to and make the butterfl ies vulnerable to predators. thing. There are so many unknowns that you can’t students, faculty and It’s this kind of chain reaction that makes predict. you have to be patient, you have to be resil- staff who want to read pre-loaded popular and Matiella so interested in environmental science. In ient. And you have to really like what you’re doing scholarly science and 2000, she received her bachelor’s degree from UTSA because you’re stuck with it for a long time.” engineering content. in biology. She returned to UTSA to pursue her mas- And that’s why she chose butterfl ies.

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“I want to make sure that we’re not only a part of the university, but a part of the city, part of the culture. We really want to celebrate She met him while taking the school and where her high school chorus to it’s at and where it’s the storied venue. come from and where Wolf taught for 26 years it’s going.” in the San Antonio Indepen- —Ron Ellis, director of dent School District, while athletic bands, in the Aug. 31 San Antonio Express-News continuing to direct choirs at local churches. She threw herself into all aspects of the programs she and her students put on, from writ- by the numbers ing lyrics and playing the piano to sewing costumes 7 when necessary. She retired number of UTSA faculty from SAISD in 1982. members awarded the Yet Wolf’s full schedule 2011 Regents' Outstanding M a rk c Cl endon Teaching Award. The Helen Wolf sits beside her piano at her home in San Antonio. continued. In 1991, her cash awards ranged from husband passed away. Wolf $15,000 to $30,000. Master Multitasker education is the best insur- soon took up ballroom and Helen Wolf M.Ed. ’77 ance policy you can buy.” round dancing. She was 65. So she took the job She kept on dancing for 19 Helen Wolf mastered multi- said. “She never knew that, but also enrolled at San years, stopping only after a tasking before the term even but it was her sacrifices that Antonio Junior College, stroke. existed, directing choirs for made that possible.” as San Antonio College Looking back on her six decades while raising a At 18, Wolf married an was then called, and then education recently, Wolf daughter and teaching el- Army private who had seen at Our Lady of the Lake reflected that had she had ementary and high school her picture in a newspa- University, and in seven scholarships, she would music. per while stationed in the years she had earned a have been able to reach her Now 84, she was the first Aleutian Islands. They cor- bachelor’s degree in music goals much faster. lifetime member of UTSA’s responded, visited, wed and education. Along the way, “If I had had a scholar- Alumni Association. moved to New Orleans and Wolf taught elementary, ju- ship right out of high school, Wolf’s strong work ethic eventually to San Antonio. nior high and high school I would have been able to formed early in life. At 17, When Wolf was offered music. get my degree in four years she was directing a church the job of choir director “I did not get the degree and probably continue my choir and teaching sev- at her church, Highland to teach, I got the degree to master’s. Instead I didn’t get en pupils in a one-room Terrace Methodist Church be a better choir director,” my master’s until the year schoolhouse in LaSalle, Ill. on the city’s South Side, she she said. “But then when I turned 50. So it just shows By that time she already hesitated. UTSA came here, I got the how scholarships can shape had worked in an ice cream “I said, ‘No, I am not going [graduate] degree to be a a person’s life.” //in brief// shop. to be your choir director. I better teacher.” Wolf’s sister achieved From B.S. to M.D. “We had a potbelly stove have not had theory or har- It took Wolf five years to professional success in Beginning in fall 2013, to keep us warm,” she re- mony,’” she recalled. “When earn her master of educa- nursing, she said, but also students can get their called of the school. I was a little girl my teacher tion from UTSA in 1977, had to wait to pursue her bachelor of science de- Wolf’s music education would only teach the boys because she took classes college degree. gree in biology and their doctor of medicine de- began at age 10 with pia- [theory and harmony] during her summer breaks “It’s too bad we had to go gree in seven years. It’s no and voice lessons. Her on Saturday. And I felt bad from teaching elementary through all of this,” Wolf said through a pilot program mother, a single parent, paid about that all my life. I told school music. of their delayed education. offered by UTSA and the University of Texas for her two daughters’ les- my husband, ‘If I could use After her first marriage “We could have probably Health Science Center sons by laundering shirts. that salary to get a course ended, she married the contributed more. But I tell at San Antonio. The “My mother never knew in theory and harmony I’ll manager of the Municipal you I couldn’t have worked program’s first students are expected to gradu- I went back to college,” she take that job.’ He said an Auditorium, Solomon Wolf. harder.”—kate hunger ate with their M.D.s in 2020.

3028 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu Komen for the Cure. ! \\ MaryBeth Smith, M.M. 1993 class notes in music, is the director of the \\ Leigh Anne Lester, “For all the smelliness, Feldenkrais Center of Houston. B.F.A. in art, is a San Antonio do I at least look a little She has been a Guild Certified artist whose work, Mutant bit happy? Because

1974 1982 Feldenkrais Practitioner since Spectre, recently won the $50,000 I am. That should be \\ J. Gaston Kent, M.B.A., \\ Winston “Wink” 2004 and is a member of the Hunting Art Prize for 2011. The has been named president and Bennett Jr., B.A. in faculty at Houston’s Jung Center. graphite drawing was selected the No. 1 question that CEO of the John Tracy Clinic in psychology, last year achieved \\ Barbara M. Stuckey, from 110 finalist pieces in the you ask yourself in the Los Angeles. The clinic offers Air Force Research Laboratory’s B.A. in sociology, has been 31st annual award program, morning. Am I happy support for young children with 2010 Fellow status for his work elected to serve as vice president which is sponsored by Hunting, hearing loss and their parents. in training, education and and CFO of Abraxas Petroleum a global oil services company. about what I get to do measurement technologies. Wink Corporation, based in San Leigh Anne is the co-founder, today? Experience has is a senior research psychologist Antonio. She most recently co-owner and co-curator of the taught me that your 1975 with the Training Research served as vice president for Cactus Bra gallery and manager journey will be more \\ Marian Sokol, M.A. in Laboratory in Mesa, Ariz. He corporate finance. She has been of San Angel Folk Art Gallery, education, was reappointed by received his Ph.D. in industrial with the company since 1997. both in San Antonio. successful in the real Gov. Rick Perry to the executive organizational psychology from \\ Monica Valadez, B.B.A. \\ Shawn Strash, M.B.A., world if it’s fun for you.” committee of the Office for the Texas A&M University in 1995. in management, is an account is the CEO at Paradise Valley —Doug Fine, author of Prevention of Developmental manager in the San Antonio Community Hospital in Phoenix. Farewell, My Subaru, the Disabilities. Her term will expire offices of Consuro, a managed Before that, he served as CEO of Freshman Common Read- Feb. 1, 2017. Marian is president service provider offering the Oro Valley Hospital in Tucson, 1986 ing, in his keynote address at the of the First Candle/Sudden Infant \\ Peggy Dettwiler, Windows-based IT services. Ariz. >> Aug. 22 Fall Convocation Death Syndrome (SIDS) Alliance. M.M. in music, received the 2010 She is the founding executive Elaine Brown Award for director and a current board Choral Excellence at the by the numbers member of Any Baby Can. American Choral Directors Association of Pennsylvania And the Money annual summer conference in 231 State College, Penn., in August. keeps rolling in students assisted through

1976 The award is presented “to the MARC-U*STAR \\ A. Carlos an individual for outstanding Barrera, Gala raises a record program, which helps lifelong work in the choral art.” underrepresented and M.B.A., has Peggy is professor of music and $150,000 for scholarships disadvantaged students been appointed director of choral activities prepare for admission Nearly $150,000 was raised at the 12th annual chairman of at Mansfield University in into competitive graduate Mansfield, Penn. the Texas State UTSA Alumni Gala, held Aug. 20 at the JW Marriott science programs \\ Bill Morrow, B.B.A. in San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa. Board of Public marketing, delivered the keynote Accountancy by “That’s an almost 40 percent increase over the address during the UTSA College by the numbers Gov. Rick Perry. of Business Frost Distinguished record-setting gala event last year,” said Jim Mickey He has been a Lecture in April. Bill is co-founder ’78, associate vice president of alumni programs and and chairman of CSIdentity certified public marketing. “The 2011 event will enable more schol- $31m accountant for Corp., an Austin-based business private funds raised in FY 32 years and specializing in identity theft arships to be awarded than ever before.” 2011 is a partner in protection, voice biometrics, ID More than 640 people attended the event that the Brownsville, verification and data breach honored Clay Killinger ’83 and Nancy Kudla ’87 with management. Texas, office of \\ John Valenzuela, Alumnus of the Year awards, and Bexar County Judge Long Chilton LLP. B.S. in physical education, is the Nelson Wolff and Zachry Holdings’ Cathy Obriotti boys’ basketball coach at San Green with Distinguished Service Awards. Antonio Christian High School. “We were really excited with the turnout,” said He is also a pastor at Community Susan Hough ’91, gala chair. “The gala’s continued 1977 Bible Church in San Antonio. \\ Rose Gonzalez Perez, success translates into our association being able M.A. in education, has been to award even more scholarships to deserving UTSA named interim CEO of the Girl 1988 students.” Scouts of Southwest Texas, based \\ Robin Allen, B.A. in in San Antonio. She is a 20-year English, is the author the Poppy This academic year, $120,000 in scholarships Girl Scouts executive and most Markham: Culinary Cop mystery have been awarded, up 67 percent from the previous recently served as chief external series. The first book, If You Can’t year. This year, 60 students are receiving $2,000 in affairs officer for the Girl Scouts Stand the Heat, is available from alumni-sponsored scholarships per year. of Southwest Texas. Midnight Ink in paperback, //in brief// \\ J. Gilberto Quezada, eBook, Nook and Kindle formats. The association began awarding scholarships in M.A. in education, has published Building Bone, 1982. “We have come a long way from only one stu- Rebuilding his debut novel, Terror on the dent receiving a $250 book scholarship,” said Randy Border, which tells the story Lives 1991 Vogel ’79, board president. UTSA biomedical re- of the Mexican Mafia and of \\ Darlene Kersey, B.B.A. searchers created a scaf- the lives that are affected by in accounting, was first runner- Since that time, $985,000 in scholarships have it on both sides of the border. fold that can be used up in the 2011 Mrs. Nebraska been awarded to UTSA students through the associa- to mend or regrow bone J. Gilberto is a retired public Pageant. She also received the tion. lost because of trauma school administrator from the Patty Steele Community Award, “We would like to sincerely thank our donors, spon- or disease. If approved South San Antonio Independent presented to the contestant who by the FDA, it could be School District. has demonstrated a lifetime sors, attendees and volunteers for making our 2011 on the market and used commitment to a charity. Darlene alumni gala so special,” Mickey said. —craig evans by patients by the end has worked extensively with of 2012.

fall 2011 Sombrilla 3129 community 1994 ! \\ Sharon Keen, M.S. in Nuevo Tejano biology, lives in Ramer, Tenn. In “Perhaps the boldest AJ Castillo ’08 2009, she was named Tennessee move we could make M a rk c C l endon Tree Farmer of the Year and has served in leadership in the race to Tier One positions with her local is to simply believe. To forestry association. She enjoys believe that we are go- competing in agility events with ing to achieve this goal; her Australian Shepherd dog. to not let the hurdles stop us. We have an ex- 1995 traordinary opportunity \\ Brian Troesch, B.A. in political science, is senior vice to forever change the president of sales and marketing university, our city and and business development at our state.” Arbinet Corp. He also serves as the senior vice president —President Ricardo Romo, AJ Castillo performs at a concert hall in Austin, Texas. of global sales, marketing and in the Sept. 23 State of the product development. University address AJ Castillo prefers his Louis the school with helping “I lean more toward the Vuitton sunglasses to cow- him grow up away from hip hop generation,” said boy hats, and he is not apol- his family’s home in Austin, Castillo, although he grew 1996 ogizing for it. which allowed him to gain up idolizing Tejano stars \\ Jess DeCuir, M.F.A. in art, and her husband, Jeff In fact, he credits his independence. La Sombra, Mazz, Jay Perez DeCuir, ’94 B.F.A. in art, blend of traditional Tejano He also came to UTSA and David Lee Garza. He released their most recent and cumbia mixed with to work the music scene in designs his own blinged- electro-pop album, Drastic hip hop and R&B for his San Antonio. out accordions and has Cinematic, in 2011. Their band, Hyperbubble, was created in many young fans. As a 10-year-old in South a large tattoo that wraps 2003. “A lot of artists are used Austin, Castillo began play- around his upper right arm. \\ Janie M. Gonzalez, to the way they’ve been ing his grandfather’s accor- Graffiti-like fonts title his B.A. in sociology, is CEO and doing things for the last 15 dion around the house. By videos. president of Webhead, a San Antonio-based company years, and they don’t want 13, he was playing in the His fans love it, and focused on enterprise solutions to grow or expand,” he said. family’s Tejano band along- Castillo loves them back. for the Department of Defense. “They get comfortable. And side his father, Arturo. He has had perfor- \\ Homer Jasso Jr., when you get comfortable, When he came to mances all over Texas and B.A. in criminal justice, is the owner of Superior Oil Express someone new is gonna San Antonio, Castillo was in Topeka, Kan.; Milwaukee, stores located in Edinburg and come along and take your able to work with Tejano Wis.; and Tucson, Ariz. With Sharyland, Texas. spot. You’ve got to be hun- Grammy award winners a Facebook fan page with \\ Robert “Alex” Lopez, g r y.” Gilbert Velasquez (who 5,000 people, a Myspace B.F.A. in art, teaches sculpture courses at Southern Illinois Castillo’s style seems produced A.B. Quintanilla page full of updates and University in Carbondale. He to be working both with and Selena, among oth- videos, and a new collec- also has a master of fine arts fans, who now number at ers), David Lee Garza and tion of songs called The degree in studio arts from Alfred University in New York. least 700 per concert, and Grammy nominee Ram MixTape that he is giving \\ Chris Sauter, M.F.A. in with critics. In 2010, he won Herrera. away to anyone who asks art, created the public art project //in brief// Best New Male Artist at the Now, Castillo is on his for it, Castillo makes sure at the Mission Branch Library Tejano Music Awards and own and reinventing the he is in touch with his base. in San Antonio. The project Special celebrates the area’s rich history. Collection was named the Tejano genre. Many of his songs In fact, he included his per- Seventy-five boxes of Academy’s Best Emerging are traditional Tejano or sonal cell phone number papers related to Texas Artist and Accordion Play- cumbias that he remakes on his last CD, and now Biomed, Southwest 1998 er of the Year. He also just with a sharper, more mod- says he receives hundreds \\ Martin Garcia, M.F.A. in Research Institute, Mind art, is an artist in his hometown Science Foundation signed an endorsement ern sound. He and his of calls per week. of Kerrville, Texas. He recently and other partnerships deal with Hohner accordi- 19-year-old brother, Sergio, Castillo said he will accepted a job offer to teach art and corporations are available to research- ons. In October, he released who is a vocalist in the keep trying new things on in Taiwan for two years. ers and scholars at the a DVD that includes live band, project a masculine his independent label. “I UTSA Libraries Special performances of his songs image onstage (his con- am going to continue to Collections. 1999 The papers belonged and background stories cert crowds are 70 percent make music the way that I \\ Victor Rodriguez to Thomas Baker Slick about some of the tracks. women). want it to sound. I want my Sr., M.P.A., is chief of police in Jr., founder of the Texas Castillo, 27, graduated In his music video for sound to be more interna- McAllen, Texas. Biomedical Research Institute and span from from UTSA in 2008 with a the cumbia “Todo Me Gusta tional, and to expand to dif- 1938 until his death bachelor’s degree in busi- de Ti,” Castillo has a beauti- ferent genres as well. I want 2001 in 1962. They were ness administration. He ful girl on each arm in a us to continue to grow.” \\ Allen Dunn, M.S. in civil donated to the university engineering and M.B.A. ’05, is an credits his experience at chic nightclub. —erin eggers by his family in August. engineer at M&S Engineering, >>

3230 Sombrilla www.utsa.edu llC, in Spring Branch, Texas. He has worked in the fi eld for more than 13 years, focusing on geotechnical engineering, civil //in Brief// engineering, structural design and forensic engineering, and 28th Annual UTSA Diploma Dash has experience in electrical Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012, at the UTSA Main Campus transmission and construction 7 a.m. registration materials engineering and 8 a.m. race time testing. \\ dAnny de grACiA ii, The event is open to individuals, families and teams in the B.A. in political science, Open and Masters levels and 14 age categories. was elected to Honolulu’s neighborhood Board and will Proceeds benefi t scholarships for UTSA students and help serve from 2011 to 2013. danny fund alumni programs. is an economic policy adviser to the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii think tank and is a columnist Go to utsa.edu/dash for more with the Hawaii Filipino Chronicle. information and to register. 2002 \\ mArilyn hope dAVo, B.B.A. in management, is director exhibit was inspired by medical Penn Symphony orchestra. of the Convention and Visitors engravings and Japanese comics She is a member of the All 2009 ! Bureau in Harlingen, Texas. called manga, and it includes Guard marathon team and also \\ freemAn field, M.A. in Marilyn previously was a senior diptychs in which landscapes are volunteers at the Capital Area economics, works for the Metro “This whole notion marketing specialist for FedEx juxtaposed with portraits of sick Therapeutic Riding Association new york Baptist Association in from 2007 to 2011. people. near Grantville, Penn. new york City, hosting teams that of how do you marry \\ ShAne foley, B.A. in \\ JASon Stout, M.F.A. in do ministry work in the city. technology and people political science and criminal art, recently displayed drawings \\ JoAnn Jin menA, M.A. in a meaningful, sig- justice, was recognized as the and paintings in the exhibit 2007 in teaching English as a second nifi cant way so that Indianapolis Metropolitan Police “Sovereignty, Viscosity and \\ ruSSell thomAS CArr, language, works with UTSA’s department’s East district offi cer Reprise” at REM Gallery in San B.B.A. in general business, is a Intensive English Program and people feel that their of the year for 2010. He has Antonio. property manager and real estate is a sponsor for Making Efforts destiny, their bill at the been on the Indiana force since agent with Scott Allison Real to Reach out to the Community end of the month, is re- october 2007. Estate of San Angelo. (MERC), a youth service ally in their control and 2005 \\ JoSeph Cohen, M.F.A. in group that serves the refugee \\ ron CAmpoS, M.P.A., is art, and CorneliA White community. they can infl uence it, is director of Human Resources SWAnn, M.F.A. in art ’09, were critically important.” 2003 for the City of San Marcos, Texas. featured artists in “Margins,” an —les shephard, direCTor \\ JuliA BArBoSA Ron was formerly the Human exhibit in the UTSA Arts Building 2011 of The UTSA TeXAS SUSTAin- lAndoiS, B.F.A. Resources Executive Program on Main Campus during the \\ CAthy BodenStedt, AbLe energY reSeArCh in art, is a San administrator for the San Antonio summer. B.A. in art history, is the owner inSTiTUTe, on the July 8 taping Water System. \\ mAttheW rAmirez, B.A. in of CapRock Winery in lubbock, Antonio artist of NPR’s Science Friday who recently ex- communication, has published his Texas. Cathy and her husband, hibited her work, second book in The Adventures Jim BodenStedt, B.B.A. in The Golden Ass, 2006 of Paleta Man series. The accounting ’96, founded MUy at the Blue Star \\ riChie Budd, M.F.A. in art, Adventures of Paleta Man: Secret Brands fast food franchises in 2003. Project Space. The is a Fort Worth artist known for of the Gold Medallion, which he \\ StephAnie ferguSon, “performative sculptures.” Earlier co-authored with his father, Paul M.Ed. in educational leadership show explored the this year, his collaboration with Ramirez, follows Paleta Man as he and policy studies, was appointed sex trade, mascu- another artist, called Come On continues to secretly fi ght crime director of communications and by thE numbErs linity and the Guy, was displayed at the SCoPE throughout the city. career and technology education tourist mentality new york art fair in new york City. \\ ChArlin yu, B.B.A. in at new Braunfels ISd in new along the Texas– The installation consisted of four marketing, works in marketing Braunfels, Texas. She joined 95% Mexico border. new Jersey fraternity members for her family’s San Antonio the district in 1993, serving as a increase in Alumni Associa- hooting, hollering and drinking a restaurant, Hsiu yu. journalism and English teacher at tion members from 2010 to lot of “natty light”––natural light new Braunfels High School. She 2011 was a corporate sponsor––inside was named the district’s public 2004 a glass case, according to media 2008 information offi cer in 1999. \\ glynn Cyprien, B.S. in reports. \\ SArAh rAmoS, B.A. in \\ emmAnuel grotheer, by thE numbErs physical education, was named \\ emily Shertzer, M.S. psychology, M.A. in bicultural- M.S. in physics, and his wife, assistant head coach of the in environmental science, is bilingual studies ’11, is the diAne grotheer, M.P.A. in an environmental planner for assistant director of student public administration ’09, are the 1,264 Texas A&M basketball team. number of Alumni Glynn has been an assistant at 10 the Pennsylvania department services at ¡Adelante! U.S. parents of Pilar Salome Grotheer, Association life members universities, including Kentucky, of Military and Veterans Affairs Education leadership Fund. She born March 31, 2011. Arkansas, oklahoma State and at Fort Indianatown Gap. Emily oversees the coordination of nevada–las Vegas, since his fi rst joined the Pennsylvania Air Adelante’s student programs and job at UTSA, which he held from national Guard in 2009 and is student workshops. The 13-year-old 1987 to 1990. an airman fi rst class in the 553rd national nonprofi t organization in MeMoriAM \\ JoShuA JenningS, Band of the Mid-Atlantic. She provides scholarships, internships M.F.A. in art, is an artist whose also performs with the lebanon and leadership development for For a list of Roadrunners who are no longer with us, work was recently exhibited at Community Concert Band and Hispanic students. please go to utsa.edu/sombrilla/memoriam. R Gallery in San Antonio. The has played with the Central

FAll 2011 SOMBrillA 3331 community M a rk c C l endon

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“This is a new Libya; we’re starting from scratch. Not like the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions where the bureau- cracy is still there. What you write on this piece of paper, this empty white piece of paper, will be the revolution. It will be our country going forward.” Steven Sano volunteers with the American Red Cross. All volunteers work under the seven principles of service: humanity, impartiality, —Mansour El-Kikhia, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. Libyan-born professor and chairman of the department of political science and geography, quoted in the Aug. 31 Mission to serve San Antonio Current Steven Sano M.P.A. ’11 Steven Sano has seen de- ous Missouri state and Sano volunteered his Roja Mexicana, the Mexi- struction. As a volunteer local governments to the expertise with the Red can National Red Cross, to for the American Red Salvation Army, Habitat Cross again this summer offer mutual aid between Cross, he was there short- for Humanity and Missouri after Hurricane Irene the countries in times of ly after an EF5 tornado Legal Aid. caused severe flooding in disaster. A New York chap- ripped Joplin, Mo., apart. When a disaster hap- New York. After listening ter of the Red Cross has He was there after Hur- pens, the Red Cross at community meetings to also asked him to assist ricane Irene struck New responds to immediate the priorities of those af- in creating a similar initia- York. needs. For long-term recov- fected, he was able to man- tive between the American “In Joplin, I saw entire ery, however, community age partnerships and ease and Canadian Red Cross neighborhoods wiped out partnerships are necessary tensions between those organizations. clean,” said Sano, who “to help everyone get back who needed help and Because of his volun- earned a master of pub- on their feet,” Sano said. those trying to provide it. teer efforts, Sano has been lic administration degree In Joplin, there are “It’s arrogant for orga- able to bring back ideas from UTSA in May. “There by the numbers pockets of Mexican, Viet- nizations to come in and and best practices to the weren’t even trees left.” namese and Chinese com- say ‘this is how it should San Antonio area, where Sano volunteered his munities. So Sano focused be done.’ My job is to ask he runs Merxcis, LLC, a 900 expertise as a community record number of students development consultant on identifying specialized the communities how they consulting firm that as- enrolled in the Honors in these devastated areas resources to aid these resi- do it,” Sano said. “My job sists with community and College to help pull the cities back dents. As the son of Japa- is as a reflective and ac- neighborhood planning together and get people ac- nese American parents tive listener. I ask, ‘What and development. by the numbers cess to the aid they needed. who were held in intern- do you want? What do you “This is how UTSA has In Joplin, Sano coordinat- ment camps in the U.S. need?’” had a direct effect on the 47 ed operations at the Multi- during World War II, Sano Without the support of Red Cross and community invention disclosures in 2011 Agency Resource Center, is particularly sensitive to the people who live in the development,” Sano said. which brought together all issues of social justice. area, he said, the changes “Every experience I go sectors of the community, “Part of my obligation will not be lasting. through changes me. I use from government agencies and responsibility is to Sano’s work stretches each experience to fine such as Federal Emergen- share my experience to across the border as well. tune my ability to drop my cy Management Agency, help make things better as He is working on a pro- ideas of what reality is and the U.S. Small Business a community, as a whole,” posal to link the American see other people’s reality.” Administration and vari- he said. Red Cross with the Cruz —ashley festa

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noW & Then

Happy anniversary, UC! Twenty-five years ago, the University Center was situated on the edge MArk MCCLendon of the "core campus." Today, it is tucked in the heart of the university that grew up around it and is the pulse of the campus with more than a million visitors each year. For more in- formation on its history or anniversary events, JOhn POinDEXtEr go to utsa.edu/uc/uc25.