The South Texan honors MLK

The South Texan

Texas A&M University-Kingsville
www.tamuk.edu/southtexan Wednesday January 19, 2011

President Tallant ushers in 2011 with budget cut talk

Retention, graduation rates are among this semesters top priorities for AMK
Staff Reports The South Texan we have been able to find that money without impacting our goals. Increased enrollment this past fall semester and the prospectus of continued growth this spring will help absorb some of the budget cuts, he said, but there are more hurdles just around the corner as the Texas legislature went into session this month. During fall 2010, enrollment was 12 percent higher that the previous fall, up to 6,610 students. A similar increase is expected this spring, Tallant reported. I just cant tell you how important student growth is, Tallant said, reminding everyone that recruiting and attracting more students to the university means, simply, more money. However, the prospects of making up the lost budget money after a state deficit of more than $15 billion was announced earlier this year will be difficult, Tallant said. The university must make sure that its freshmen class retention efforts and its four-year and six-year cohort graduation rates improve. While we have made very impressive strides in our enrollment, our retention num-

VOLUME 85, Issue 15

The new Texas legislative session will present new challenges for the university in important areas such as budget, recruiting and retention and graduation rates, Texas A&M University-Kingsville President Dr. Steven Tallant told a gathering of faculty and administrative staff at Jones Auditorium, Jan. 11. We have been asked to give back 2.5 per cent of our budget, he said. Thus far, we feel

bers remain flat, he said. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is considering tying requests for new doctoral programs to our retention rate, making this issue even more critical to our future. With this in mind, I asked Dr. Rex Gandy, our Provost, to lead a retention committee. This committee will conduct both internal and external data reviews, including a review of student satisfaction, and develop a retention plan for our campus.
See Budget on page 2

AMK student enters Pepsi contest in an effort to help Animal Rescue shelter
Claudia Garcia The South Texan Most of us want to change the world in some way, but very few of us take that first step to achieve such an accomplishment. Animal Science major Diamond Edwards took that first step by trying to obtain a grant worth $50,000 to renovate the Animal Rescue Kleberg (ARK) shelter. Its to give them a new electrical system, cooling system, plumbing, new equipment and surgical tools for their upstairs clinic so the animals could have more sanitary places to live and expand the building, and they can accommodate more animals Edwards and do more spaying, neutering and vaccinating. Were really just trying to renovate the building, its our top priority, Edwards said. Edwards went to the Pepsi Refresh website at www.refresheverything.com. The website allows people to submit their ideas for a chance to obtain a grant to fund that idea. The website offers grants worth $5,000, $25,000, $50,000 and award 10 ideas for each grant and award two ideas for a $250,000 each month. Categories for ideas include Health, Arts and Culture, Food and Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods and Education. As of press time, Edwards ranking was No. 194, but changes each day depending on how many people vote for her idea. Only the top 10 ideas will receive grants. Edwards now wants the Texas A&M-Kingsville community to help her move How to Help up on the rankings. Dr. (Doreen) Kinkel and I met and I told her To vote for Edwards proposal visit that I really wanted to make a difference and the website at www. I really wanted to do refresheverything. something for ARK. I think com/animalresthat they are trying to do cuekleberg or text 105211 to Pepsi (73774). the best they can, but the building is run down and Voting ends Jan. 31. just falling apart. I really need to do something to help, Edwards said. Im just trying to get my professors, faculty, students, just everybody on board to vote on it. Unfortunately, the Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resource and Related Sciences (MANRRS) club is no longer active this semester. Edwards does not have a club to help her with her mission. She is depending on individual support. Its a load on my shoulders but Im just trying to get everybody to vote. Edward said.
See Refreshing on page 2

A refreshing goal

Graphic by Paul Camarillo/The South Texan

An aftershock of human emotion still continues for the Haitian people, a year after the horrid earthquake.

New Years visit an unforgettable experience for Castelltort

Hector Castelltort The South Texan

Mission of peace brings understanding about Haitis plight to AMK student

Editors Note: Hector Castelltort, Spanish Page editor for The South Texan, traveled to Haiti in late December on a Christian mission to paint a school and mentor some of the orphan children who lost their families in the devastating earthquake and aftershocks of January 2010. His reflections were impressive.

Deep Connection to Nature features paintings, three-dimensional works

Michael Bolman The South Texan The Ben Bailey Art Gallery at Texas A&M UniversityKingsville will kick-off the new year with an art exhibit by Kingsville artist and alumna Jayne Duryea running January 10 through February 4. The exhibit, Deep Connection to Nature, will feature paintingsoil on canvas and watercolor on paperalong with three-dimensional works and colorful hot sculptured glass. Duryea currently serves as the division chair of fine arts and kinesiology at Coastal Bend College, where she has taught for 30 years and is the director of the Simon Michael Gallery. She has been nominated for Texas Artist of the Year the previous two years. Duryea operates art studios in both Beeville and Rockport. Her choice of medium includes blown and sculptured hot glass and paint. Her artwork has been displayed internationally with collections in the United States, France, Canada and Grand Cayman Islands. Duryea will conduct a gallery talk at 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20, with an artist reception scheduled for 4 p.m. that day. Both events are free to the public. For more information on the artist, visit www.JayneDuryea.com.

Ben Bailey Art Gallery opens with exhibit by Jayne Duryea

Courtesy of Hector Castelltort Hector Castelltort (l) is shown with Ken John (r), one of the orphans.

GUIBERT, Haiti - I was on American Airlines flight 2285 coming from Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) going to Port-au-Prince (PAP). It was around 2:45 p.m. central time on a Monday, Dec. 27, 2010 when I first saw the beautiful mountains of Haiti. The countrys beauty lay before me, but I would soon find out it was all a facade. The plane landed without any complications and 13 Americans were ready to see what God had planned for us in this mission to Haiti. The team was a group of student missionaries from different universities in Texas. They were sponsored by Go Now Missions and Hope for the Hungry, sent there to paint a school and play, we were told, with the children. It had been almost one year since the devastating earthquake had rattled the country. More than 2 million people were left homeless. Entire government buildings collapsed and were reduced to rubble. Today, it is estimated more than 3 million people are in need of emergency aid. We were there to help. What lay ahead for us was a scene of disaster, desperation and depravation. As I exited the airplane, I wondered, How can we help? After walking out of the plane, a band composed of employSee Haiti on page 6