...Award-winning newspaper for The University of Texas of the Permian Basin...
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Volume 24 · Issue 5
Halloween Carnival offers tricks and treats to area children
by Jason Navarette
Editor-in-Chief
On Oct. 22, a host of
ghouls and ghosts flocked to
the UT Permian Basin Gymnasium to take part in the
Annual Halloween Carnival.
The event was hosted by the
Student Program Board. Attendees bought tickets for
both entry into the Carnival
and for participation in club
booth events.
There were nearly
30,000 tickets sold, equaling
more than $7,000 raised during the event. The Biology
Club and Bilingual Education
Student Organization (BESO)
were the highest earning
clubs attending the Halloween Carnival.
Student Senator Lisa
Galvan was impressed with
the turnout to the event.
She
stated,
“I
thought it was well-attended
and very crowded . . . . The
children were cute in their
costumes. There was a lot of
participation and it offered a
good opportunity for students to interact with the
community.”
Various University
clubs and organizations took
part in the Carnival, including the Accounting and Business Association, the Permian
Basin Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery, the Biology Club, BESO,
C-3, Baptist Student Ministries, the Black Student Organization, the Chemistr y
Club, the Catholic Student
Association, the Gamer s
Club, the History Club, the
Kinesiology Club, the Student
Program Board, the Psychology Club, the Residence Hall
Association, Students in Philanthropy, the Social Work
Klub and the Sociology Club.
Carnival attende e
Janice Bigler was please d
with the club booth events.
She said, “I thought
it was great! My grandson,
Tristen, really enjoyed it . . . .
The haunted house was really scary—especially th e
‘strobe light’ room. I was really scared.”
Her grandson wa s
unable to comment due to a
mouthful of cotton candy.
Although the Stu dent Senate is unable t o
fundraise, the organization
was able to raise funds during the Carnival due to the
creation of a special committee.
Galvan said, “Th e
Student Senate formed an ad
hoc committee that would allow the Senate to fundraise.
This would allow us to start
a USA Today readership program, which would benefit
all the students.”
Photo by Jason Navarette
Bowling for Ghosts? A young boy participates in the Students in Philanthropy Ghost Bowling event.
Seminar teaches techniques
on effective Résumé writing
After the Rain
by Courtney Goheen
Staff Writer
Photo by Chris Stanley
UT Permian Basin’s Stonehenge after a Summer rain.
UT Permian Basin’s Multipurpose Room was the site of a presentation Oct. 17 titled “How to
Write an Effective Résumé.” The
seminar, moderated by Career Services Center Director Tony Love, led
students through the process of
writing a résumé and provided tips
on how to reinforce a job
candidate’s impression to possible
employers.
Love stated at the beginning of the presentation that his
theme was “action verbs and quantitative statements.” He advised
those in attendance to “start each
bulleted statement [in a résumé]
with an action verb.” Those seeking employment also were recommended to “try to show employers
how you fit into their bottom line.”
Also important in relations
with a prospective employer, Love
said, is to “research the company
you’re applying for.”
The information provided
during the seminar was geared toward college students who will
Motivational Speaker gives financial tips to students
by Malissa Greenwood
Staff Writer
really broke things down and gave
tips that were easy to follow. I’m
almost positive I’ll use them when
it comes time for those decisions.”
The motivational presentation first informed students about
basic financial procedures and how
they are applied to their everyday
ence major. “I feel like this information will help to further my financial success.”
The UT Permian Basin StuBielagus explained specific
dent Program Board welcomed
steps to improve or establish your
Young America’s Financial Success
credit score including the proper
Coach, Peter Bielagus, to present his
and safe way to use a credit card.
financial guidelines Oct. 25 in the
He closed the presentation with a
Student Union Multipurpose
list of websites availabl e to
Room. The event was free
aid people in making financial
and open to the public.
decisions and major p ur“I think the information that was chases.
Bielagus presented
his financial tips during two
Although Biela gus
given will definitely be useful
seminars. Cash prizes were
has spoken at length to groups
used to incite audience parand given motivational prewhen it comes to future
ticipation as well as demonsentations, he also is working
financial decisions.”
strate several aspects of the
on a financial makeover realbusiness world and the stock
ity television show and is en- Veronica Mata
market.
couraging people to submit
Sophomore
Using examples from
interesting stories regarding
his own life experiences as
their financial situatio ns.
Biology
well as those from everyday
Those interested can v isit
life, Bielagus explained to stuwww.brokefolk.com for ad didents the importance of a strong fi- lives. Bielagus then introduced tips tional information.
nancial background, encouraging on establishing a credit and payFor more details on
all to “get started before you need ment history as well as achieving Bielagus’ presentations or on how
to start.”
and maintaining a high Fair Isaac to learn some of his financial suc“I think the information Corporation (FICO®) score.
cess tips, visit www.peterbspeaks.com.
that was given will definitely be
“Much of the information
For a list of additio nal
useful when it comes to future fi- presented by Mr. Bielagus was ex- speakers on this or other top ics,
nancial decisions,” said Sophomore tremely new to me,” said Freshman visit the Student Program Board in
Veronica Mata, a Biology major. “He Manny Hernandez, a political sci- the Mesa Building Student Union.
soon be entering the professional
world for the first time, and who
may not be accustomed to certain
practices associated with the hiring process.
The presentation focused
on the different components of a
résumé, beginning with biographical information.
“Include your cellular
phone number. Also include your
e-mail address; a good professional
e-mail address,” Love said.
In speaking about the qualifications and objective statements
sections of the résumé, Love placed
emphasis on listing marketable
skills, such as computer literacy and
bilingual abilities, as well as accomplishments such as “merit-based
scholarships and . . . honor societies.” Also important is a specific
objective statement to summarize
one’s target position, Love added.
Information about the
work history and academic sections
of the résumé regarded placing the
work history section before academic information if a job candidate
See Résumé Seminar, p. 4
Inside
The MJ
Student calls for the
required nutrition
course ...
page 2
Professor gives
information on
Project SHARE...
page 3
Health Department to
visit campus for
World AIDS Day...
page 4
Page 2, The Mesa Journal
Opinion/Editorial
Into the Wilderness
The Significance of Halloween
I
love Halloween. There, I’ve
said it. I love the costumes,
the tricks, the treats and the
sheer atmosphere of the holiday.
Halloween is, by far, my favorite
time of the year. It bear s
repeating: I love Halloween.
You may ask, “What is so
special about Halloween?” After
all, it is just a holiday fo r
children, a day when kids can
Jason
dress as ghouls and ghosts, a
Navarette
time when the phrase “trick-orEditor-in-Chief treat” becomes an ultimatum.
Well, aside from th e
obvious allure of adorning a costume and eating a ton
of candy, there is significance behind the holiday
known as “Halloween.” Like the majority of holidays,
this one has its roots dug deep into the heart of religion;
the Celtic religion, in the case of Halloween.
Celtic holidays (“holy days”) are known as
Sabbats, sacred nights in which the changing seasons
are revered and observed. The Sabbat celebrating the
final fall harvest is called Samhain. According to Celtic
tradition, Samhain is a day observing the cycle of
reincarnation, a day in which the dead are remembered
and communed with.
As the Celts followed the moon calendar, each
Sabbat began at dusk and lasted until dawn. During
Samhain (the Celtic “New Year”), it is believed that
the otherworldly veil that separates the world of the
living with the world of the dead is at its weakest.
Samhain is believed to be a night in which the
spirits of the dead roam among the living. According
to traditional Celtic belief, it is during the night of
Samhain that the Old God dies—on the night of Dec.
22 (the Sabbat known as Yule), the virgin Moon
Goddess gives birth to the Old God so that he may be
reborn.
Renewal, rebirth, resurrection—these are the
themes of Halloween. To varying degrees, these are
also the themes of many religious mythologies. Such
mythologies are laden with sacrificial gods, virgin births
and resurrected deities. The archetypes held within
these myths speak to us, regardless of our religion or
culture.
They are the stories that connect us all.
Corrections:
In the Volume 24, Issue 2 “Into the Wilderness,” a quote
from James 2:14 is attributed to Jesus. It should have been
attributed to James.
In the Volume 24, Issue 3, the article titled “History Club
makes university cleaner through recycling” referred to
Stacey Fuqua as a “she.” Fuqua is male.
Who is the
most
Popular
Professor ?
The Mesa Journal is conducting a
poll to find out who is
the most popular professor
at UT Permian Basin.
Please email your suggestions to
mesajournal@utpb.edu
or
leave them in the
orange suggestion box under
the bulletin board next to the office.
The results of the poll will be published
in the final issue of the Fall Semester.
My Rant
Contemplating Mortality
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Column by Isidro Gonzales
Assistant Editor
I
have spent the last few weeks since the last “My Rant” thinking about what to discuss
next. With all of the recent political activity, there has been countless fodder available for my
column. That was until my uncle passed away recently. With this sad event all the other goings on in
the world paled in comparison.
My uncle, or better yet, Tío Marcial, was the only relative on my dad’s side of the family that
called me Chilo; this is a Mexican nickname for “Isidro.” Every time my parents and I would visit mi
Tío, he would call me that—¿Como estas Chilo? This is translated as “How are you Isidro?” I loved
him calling me that because it was different.
Well it was on a Saturday that my dad told me that mi Tío had died. He has been in a nursing
home for quite some time—the same nursing home where my aunt resides. From what we were told,
he had been very sick for quite some. His death got me thinking. Out of the aunts and uncles from
my dad’s side of the family, I have only three aunts living. With counting my aunt in the nursing
home there is my Tía Juliana, my Tía Bernarda, and my Tía Vueda—her real name is Josephina. My
dad who is the only male left.
Attending the funeral has gotten me somewhat prepared for the day when my dad passes
away, as well. Just like any child, I don’t want that to happen; but that is a part of life. We must die to
receive our eternal reward in Heaven. This has also prepared me for my eventual passing as well. I
know that when the time comes I will be with my family once again in Heaven.
I want to say “good night” rather than “good bye.” I know that you are now resting in
eternal peace. I would like to say to all my departed relatives, “I love you and see you soon.”
Your Award-Winning Student Newspaper
Advocating for a course of study on Nutrition
Guest Column by
Ronald Lillard, Graduate Student, Education Leadership
A
ccording to recent reports in The New England Journal of Medicine, two-thirds of the American people overweight or obese, so much so that it has become an epidemic health concern.
Obesity and being overweight are the most common disorders in the U.S. Obesity-related diseases are
second only to smoking-related diseases annually in the U.S.—it seems that obesity-related death is rapidly catching up. The many reasons for this increase cannot be described in a short column, although it is
known that people who are overweight develop a number of life-threatening diseases, type-2 diabetes,
heart disease (hypertension) and osteoarthritis.
America is a fast-paced society that has learned to depend on fast food as a form of diet—these
foods usually lack the nutrients needed to maintain healthy bodies. Fast foods offer large quantities at a
cheap price. All-you-can-eat restaurants are another problem, although they often have the right foods,
but people are inclined to overeat at these establishments. It is easy to find extremely obese families eating
at these restaurants at any given time.
Congress recently passed the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, which requires, by law, that by the first day of the school year in 2006, each school district participating in the
National School Lunch Program must adopt local school wellness policies that address healthy eating and
physical activity.
In campuses all over the nation, from grade schools to universities, there is great concern about this
epidemic. Many universities are trying to solve the problem by serving healthier types of foods, but this
issue will never be resolved without education. An important step in fighting this phenomenon is to mandate nutrition courses in all universities. The knowledge that these nutrition courses could provide will give
each college student an awareness that would expand throughout the community. The benefit would be
tremendous. Nutrition studies will provide essential information for maintaining a healthy eating and
living lifestyle, as well as give the student the tools needed to adapt to such a way of life.
It is time for UT Permian Basin to step up to the plate and realize the importance of nutrition as a
mandated course of study. The people of the U.S. are being called “Fat Americans.” We have for decades
been a model society, a proud nation of people. Let us not ruin it because of obesity.
A column reflects the views and opinions of the author or authors of a piece and not
necessarily those of The Mesa Journal or UT Permian Basin.
The Mesa Journal
e-mail: mesajournal@utpb.edu
4901 E. University Blvd.
Odessa, TX 79762
Phone: (432) 552-2659
Fax: (432) 552-2660
STAFF
Editor-in-Chief: Jason Navarette
Assistant Editor: Isidro Gonzales
Adviser: Becki Murphy
Staff Writers: Luke Garrett, Courtney Goheen, Jay Gorania, Malissa
Greenwood, Monica Murguia, Amber Navarette, Tabitha Overby, Marcella
Pettus, Alex Smith, Jhared Thomas, Owen Wallace-Servera,
Veronica Villarreal
Layout and Design: Jason Navarette
Page Two Design: Isidro Gonzales
Photographers: Jay Gorania
General Information
The Mesa Journal is a student publication that provides information, commentary and entertainment for The University
of Texas of the Permian Basin community. Editorial statements and advertisements do not necessarily reflect the
opinion of the UT Permian Basin administration.
Letter Policy
All contributions, in good taste, will be edited for grammar, spelling, length (350 word minimum), libel, profanity and
personal attacks. All letters must contain the author’s name, major, academic classification and contact information.
This information can be withheld upon request. Electronic copies of articles and letters are preferred.
Mission Statement
The Mesa Journal is designed to inform, entertain, educate and heighten awareness of students, faculty and
administrators at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Staff members will be responsible journalists by
maintaining high ethical standards with fairness, accuracy and balance.
Student Life
Thursday, November 17, 2005
The Mesa Journal, Page 3
Project SHARE to offer financial aid,
Haunted Woods?
training for special education
by Dr. Karen Smith
Associate Professor of
Special Education
In October, the U. S.
Department of Education
awarded a four-year grant to
UT Permian Basin—the grant
called for a program preparing highly qualified teachers
to work with students with
disabilities in linguistically
and diverse settings. Students receiving financial aid
through the program are to
undergo an intensive preparation program in teacher
education. This will result in
a licensure in Special Education and supplemental licensure in English as a Second
Language. Associate Professor for the School of Education Dr. Karen Smith serves
as the project director for the
program and Yolanda
Ramirez will serve as the
program’s grant coordinator.
The grant will pay
for full tuition, including fees
and required textbooks. In
addition the grant will provide travel and other related
expenses to annual state or
national conferences and pay
tuition and travel expenses
for the University Summer
Exchange Program in Chihuahua, Mexico. Recipients
will be supported up to a
maximum of 72 semester
hours.
Any student or individual enrolled, or enrolling,
at UT Permian Basin wishing to obtain teacher certification in Special Education
will be eligible to apply for
Project SHARE. Candidates
for special education certification may include sophomore, junior, senior or post
baccalaureate students. Individuals with prior teaching
certification outside of special
education are eligible as well
as current students seeking
an additional certification in
a content specific area.
Students who receive support under this
grant will be required to be
employed for a period of two
years for every full year of financial support in a position
in which the majority of the
persons to whom the recipient provides services receive
special education, related
services, or early intervention services.
High school seniors
and university freshman can
apply for the program up to
one year prior to the start of
the teacher education process. Students seeking alllevel special education certification (early childhood
through 12th grade) should
major in Child and Family
Studies and minor in Special
Populations.
Applications and
more information are available in the Mesa Building
Teacher Certification Office
or the Project Director’s Office in room MB3220.
Are You Interested in a Career With the
Internal Revenue Service?
The IRS is one of the largest governmental agencies in the U.S.
They will be hiring over 290 new staff between now and January 30, 2006
The UT Permian Basin Career Services Department and the
UT Permian Basin Accounting/Business Association will be hosting two
informational sessions on November 30 in the Student Union Multipurpose Room
(on the 2nd floor of the Mesa Building).
Guest Speaker
Oliver Martinez, Recruiter, Internal Revenue Service
Session One: 12 p.m.
Session Two: 6 p.m.
Refreshments will be served at both sessions and this event is open to the public.
Some typical jobs with the IRS include: Appeals Officer, Computer Specialist,
Contact Representative, Economist, Revenue Agent, Revenue Officer, Special
Agent, Tax Examiner, Tax Law Specialist and Tax Specialist
Career Corner with Tony Love
I’ve always wanted to work for Southwest Airlines (SWA). First of all, why
weren’t they at the UT Permian Basin Job Fair and what’s the best way to get a job
there.
- SH
I actually approached SWA the first year I hosted our campus job fair in 2003.
Southwest is based out of Dallas and uses primarily a centralized recruiting approach.
According to the recruiting specialist I spoke with back then, SWA rarely does the “job
fair” circuit. The primary reason is your competition. SWA gets bombarded with applications and actually hires less than one percent of its annual applicants.
Turnover among active employees is almost non-existent. SWA has long-operated on the theory of focusing on its employees first in hopes that their great service
will please customers, who in turn reward their shareholders with a nice return on
their investment. To formally apply at SWA, go to www.southwest.com and select “careers.”
If you are lucky enough to get an interview, I would suggest that you first read
the book “Lessons in Loyalty” by Lorraine Grubs-West. She was a former SWA insider
and her book is really insightful. Grubs-West speaks eloquently about the SWA culture
and how the company hires for “attitude” and not skills, because skills can be taught.
She also elaborates in detail on how SWA “celebrates the new arrival” of its
recruits and goes to extreme measures to “establish lifelong relationships” with them.
Good reading for anyone.
I have sometimes been asked the question, “Which is better, a functional or
chronological résumé?” I’m often reluctant to answer this question because I have
heard the pros and cons of both types. First of all, let’s define both terms. A functional
résumé is basically a vita which highlights your skills in terms of functions (thus the
name) or specific activities that you have performed. A chronological résumé (which is
by far the most common) lists your work and academic history arranged in reverse
order of time of occurrence starting with the most recent.
Functional résumés are probably most helpful when you are trying to break
into a field that you have a skill set to perform, yet have no proven track record. These
are typically used by workers trying to radically change their careers or people who
have been out of the work force for a great length of time. I often tell my students two
things: That I am not a résumé expert and that you can go to five different résumé
consultants and be told to write a résumé in five different formats.
However, having said that, there are some common components of both types
of résumés. In this issue, we will talk specifically about functional résumés and in the
next issue, we’ll address chronological résumés. Your biographical section should basically be the same for both types of résumés. You should include your name, address,
phone (include a cell number if you have one) and email address. A couple of notes
regarding cell phone numbers and email addresses. If you have submitted résumés to
employers and are expecting phone calls, be very careful how you answer your cell
phone. The minute you think your best friend is calling for the umpteenth time that
day, it could turn out to be the hiring manager for that “dream job” you applied for
four weeks ago.
One other point regarding email addresses. Avoid the cute little names we all
use with our friends and family. I had a student in my office several months ago wanting me to evaluate her résumé. In all actuality, she had a wonderful résumé and it
required few modifications. However, her email address would have made a topless
dancer blush. Funny yes, but this isn’t the type of image she wanted to project to a
future employer. If you already have one of these, go to hotmail.com or any of the other
“free” email services and establish a separate email account just for “business” purposes.
If you decide to use a functional résumé, keep in mind that you are trying to
Continued on page 4
Courtesy Photo
A leafless tree imbues a public park with an eerie ambiance.
Page 4, The Mesa Journal
Student Life
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Campus News . . .
Health Department to visit UT Permian
Basin Dec. 1 for World AIDS Day
The Ector County Health Department will visit UT Permian Basin from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 1, which is
World AIDS Day. Health Department staff will be located in the Mesa Building lobby, and will educate students about AIDS, as well as hand-out literature on the
subject. There will be confidential testing and counseling in the Student Union Multipurpose Room. There
will be a presentation at 12 p.m. followed by a balloon
launch.
The National History Honor Society
encourages students, faculty to recycle
Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honor Society,
have placed recycling bins throughout the UT Permian
Basin campus in an effort to urge students and faculty
to “Take a step toward the future—Recycle Now!” Aluminum cans are being accepted for recycling, though
plastic recycling will be accepted in the near future.
For more information on the recycling program or Phi
Alpha Theta, email utpbhist@yahoo.com.
Falcon Sports
Fall 2005 Home Game Schedule
Men’s Basketball
Date
Time
Opponent
Nov. 19
Dec. 2
Dec. 3
Dec. 14
4 p.m.
7 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
Houston Baptist *
Rhema Bible (Okla.)
Huston-Tillotson *
Texas A&M International *
Women’s Basketball
Date
Time
Opponent
Nov. 19
Dec. 2
Dec. 3
Dec. 14
2 p.m.
5 p.m.
5:30 p.m.
5:30 p.m.
Houston Baptist *
Rhema Bible (Okla.)
Huston-Tillotson *
Texas A&M International *
* Red River Athletic Conference Match
Career Corner,
Continued from p. 3
place the focus on your
transferable skills and minimize your work history.
This is more often than not
accomplished by having either/or a summary of qualifications statement or objective statement, a skills section and an education or
work history (optional) section.
Your qualifications
section should focus purely
on the qualifications that
relate directly to your job
objective. This can be done
by drawing from your accomplishments, work experience, extracurricular activities, education or even
volunteer work. This section should have a minimum of three points. This
should include: A summarization of how your past
experiences relate to your
objective, some type of specific knowledge of the targeted position (sales, budgeting or grant-writing
skills are examples) and
then include more generic,
but important, skills (such
as leadership, time management, communication or
teamwork skills). You can
then close this section with
brief allusions to favorable
personal characteristics
Résumé Seminar,
Continued from p. 1
has no prior employment or
job skills.
Love added that “if
you haven’t received your
degree, use this format [in
the academic section]: ‘Candidate for [degree], [Projected
Graduation Date].’”
The résumé seminar
provided information about
the importance of a cover let-
(creativeness, tenacity, ability to work under pressure,
etc.)
Your skills section
should be bulleted for clarity and can include as many
transferable skills that relate to the position you are
seeking. The most common
today include computer
skills and marketing skills.
However, any skill you have
related to your targeted job
should be noted here.
Your experiences
and accomplishments related to these skills should
also be referenced for support. If you are bilingual,
this is a good place to highlight this talent. One common mistake on this point
is to list “bilingual.” Here
in Texas, you are presumed
to be bilingual in English/
Spanish. If you live on the
U.S./Canadian border you
might be presumed to be
bilingual in English/
French. It is much safer to
specifically state your bilingual combination.
Again, a functional
résumé is more focused on
skills rather than work history. If you have an academic background that
complements your targeted
position, then include an
education section. I have
seen functional résumés
with a work history sec-
tion, even though only the
company names, work
titles and dates of employment were listed. Keep in
mind that the reason that
you’re probably preparing
a functional résumé is because you do not have the
work history to support
the position that you are
targeting.
There is one last
note about functional
résumés. I belong to an organization called the Permian Basin Society of Human Resources Managers
(PBSHRM). At our August
meeting, I informally polled
some of my constituents
about their thoughts on
functional résumés. I was
surprised to learn that a
great percentage did not
embrace
functional
résumés. Many remarked
that functional résumés
were “too vague” or they
felt the applicant was “trying to hide something” by
structuring their résumé in
such a manner. This may be
something to consider.
ter and its content, to “include how you heard about
the job, use relevant courses
taken, summarize your experience and list your contact
information.”
A “thank you” letter
should be written immediately following an interview,
according to Love, who also
offered the statistics that 15%
of employers will not hire a
candidate without a “thank
you” letter and 32% of employers think less of a candi-
date who does not send a
“thank you” letter.
Students who attended the seminar had the
chance to receive door prizes
as well as valuable information about the hiring process
in the larger working world.
“I found it very informative,” student Marjorie
King said. “I really think it
was helpful. It gave great
ideas on how to present
yourself to employers.”
Tony Love is the Director of
Career Services at UT Permian Basin and a UT Permian Basin alumnus. If you
have a career-related question, you can email him at
careerservices@utpb.edu.
Like to write? Like to take pictures?
Join the staff of The Mesa Journal, the award-winning
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please call (432)552-2659 or email mesajournal@utpb.edu.