The Skyline Newspaper

Hancock runs at competition Sept. 8. Photo by Jason Hennington

Runner, Mother Returns To College

By Andrew Ross
Skyline Reporter

Karen Hancock was a little nervous when she first arrived here in Alpine to run on the Lobo cross country team.
An experienced and successful runner, she has run in road races, half-marathons and full marathons. There didn't really seem to be a reason for her to be anxious. Except that she's 32 years old and a mother of two.

Hancock recently decided to return to school and collegiate cross country running after her youngest son, Joshua, entered kindergarten last year. When she and her husband, David, first married they decided they would both attend school in San Antonio, Karen at Palo Alto Community College and David at National Christian University.

After a tough semester, they both decided it would be easier on them both if David continued going to school and playing baseball and Karen worked. They agreed that after David graduated, Karen would return to finish her schooling. However, they soon welcomed two sons into the world: David, 9, and Joshua, 6. Karen then decided to put off returning to school and help raise their two sons but never gave up her goal of completing her education.

Once her youngest son entered kindergarten at the same elementary his older brother attends and his father teaches at in El Paso, Hancock enrolled at the University of Texas at El Paso. She didn't discover Sul Ross until her husband began taking weekend graduate courses here. Soon after, she decided her passion for running could blossom into something more than a hobby and she joined the Lobo track team.

Always an avid runner, she and her husband passed that spirit onto their sons and began their own USA Track and Field team in El Paso and pegged their team with a familiar name, the Lobos. Her fervor for running kept her in shape; she even ran around the backyard while her children were younger and she could not leave to go elsewhere.

Once her kids were old enough to run, she began coaching the track team they formed.

How did her fellow runners react when a woman who was in middle school when they were born joined the team? They welcomed her. Hancock even had the whole girls' team over for a dinner party in her apartment in Lobo Village before conference competition began. And in competition Karen shined. At the South Plains Invitational in October she finished 15th overall in the 5k run and first for the Lobo team. Now that the season is finished, Hancock plans to get her degree in kinesiology, head back to El Paso, and coach the El Paso Lobos team.

Conference Showcases Knowledge

By MaryAshley Gredell
Skyline Reporter

After four years at college, the number of adventures the average college student has racked up in Alpine and the surrounding area is fairly impressive. Even for tamer souls, the ruggedness and isolation of the landscape around Sul Ross makes for an untraditional university experience.

Imagine multiplying those four years times a hundred; times a thousand, even; and again by the thousands of human beings who have, for some brief moment in history, called the Big Bend region their home. The number would be staggering, and the experiences wouldn't be less than extraordinary.

The Center for Big Bend Studies celebrated these stories at their 14th annual conference, held this past Friday and Saturday. Over thirty presenters gave lectures on subjects ranging from the rituals of prehistoric peoples to the artwork of modern-day West Texans. The histories of dozens of people were brought to life with words and photographs, from criminals on the run to academics to the earliest European explorers of the area.

Tim Roberts, an archaeologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department read from his extensive work on the decorated pebbles found in the lower Trans-Pecos and Mexico. Thought to possibly be tokens of magic or female shaman culture, the pebbles depicted in his slides are curious in their repetitive patterns and tiny scale.

Larger and more haunting were Richard Walter's pictures of "A Turtle Effigy Petroform" found down in Big Bend National Park. Native peoples of an unknown time crafted a dramatic, larger-than-life size turtle out of rocks, which seems to point towards permanent water sources in one direction and the looming tower of Santiago Peak in the reverse.

Fast forward to the 1960s and the "Caveman Bandit" as presented by former San Angelo Police Chief Russel Smith.
Smith's book, "The Gun That Wasn't There," depicts the wanderings and crimes of a Mexican bandit who stealthily broke into homes from the Hill Country to the Chihuahuan Desert and avoided getting caught by cutting tiny shelters in scrub brushes to hide from mounted sheriff's deputies. Like any good bandit story, Smith’s ends with a dramatic shoot-out in neighboring Sanderson and a victorious, if not severely wounded, sheriff.

The audience at Pat and Dr. Julius Dasch and Dr. George Bradley's presentation of the John Welborn McKay Chronicles were treated to stories of the life and times of one of the very first graduates of Sul Ross Normal College in 1924. John Welborn McKay's striking face shows up repeatedly in the very first edition of "The Brand" yearbook, and after later living a full life in the north as a doctor of botany, McKay began recording the more interesting details of his life in a series of composition books. The books then were discovered via eBay by Dr. Bradley and, through a series of serendipitous coincidences, found themselves in very familiar company at Sul Ross.

The Center for Big Bend Studies' two days of prehistoric and historic cultural exploration of this corner of West Texas gave new meaning to modern residents of these deserts and mountains. Sometimes, to the audience member, it felt as though today's technological advances and conveniences may have taken away some of the thrilling edge to the Big Bend lifestyle. To others, these new methods for discovering past stories have only made life more exciting.

Seminars Enhance Performance

By Robbie McDaniel
Skyline Reporter

Regular students of Chris Garcia's Academic Enhancement Seminars have been known to wind up on the Dean's List. It's no guarantee, but it's no joke, either.

These one-hour workshops are held several times per week, and are among the myriad free services offered to students of Sul Ross. Still not convinced? Free prizes are given out in each seminar. This is truly a "no-lose" situation.

Subjects covered by Academic Enhancement include a wide range of topics. From note taking, study habits and essay writing, to time management, learning styles and anxiety management, these classes are structured with one thing in mind: "Student Success." Garcia leads students through a logical, step-by-step process in each lesson.

Getting organized is a giant step on the ladder of success. Many students don't realize that just the simple act of getting better organized could greatly improve their academic success.

There are many tips and techniques presented that lay the foundation for improved performance. For example: making notes on index cards for each class subject. Cards can then be easily carried in backpack, pocket or purse. Any time spent waiting in line or between classes can turn into added learning time with study cards always at hand.

Still not convinced? Some Sul Ross professors give extra credit for attending these seminars! So, let's review: improved study habits, performance and grades, extra credit and prizes. Seems like a "no-brainer."

There are still several great seminars left before the end of term, including "Turkey Talk." What's that? This class gives students the tools necessary to keep focused during the holidays. Many students get derailed during holidays and totally lose focus on school work. Don't "fall prey to the poultry" during this critical phase of the semester. Three months of hard work and study can be lost in these final weeks.

So, check out the full range of seminars. Find a few that would help the most.

Make note of the class times – and go! On the Sul Ross website, click on "Academics," then "Academic Center for Excellence" to find "Academic Enhancement Seminars." You may also reach Chris Garcia in person at Ferguson Hall #208; by phone at 837-8338 or by email: cgarcia@sulross.edu

And back to those free prizes: Many great Sul Ross logo items and other fun things are given as extra bonuses for attendance. Everything from pens, key chains and pencil sharpeners to T-shirts, floor mats and music cards are drawn from the prize vault.

See you on the Dean's List.

Should We Be Concerned About Climate Change?

Dr. Kevin Urbanczyk of the Rio Grande Research Center and the Department of Earth and Physical Sciences recently attended a meeting titled "Higher Education in Texas Confronts the Climate Change Challenge."

The meeting focused on the issue of climate change and the role that higher education institutions in Texas should play in addressing this important environmental concern.

The meeting was organized by the National Council on Science and the Environment (NCSE) and was held at the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) in Houston, Texas. It was attended by representatives of 36 of the 48 higher education institutions in Texas.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Neal Lane, a faculty member at Rice University and past director of the National Science Foundation and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology during the Clinton administration.

According to Dr. Lang, we should be very concerned about climate change and we should be acting now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Breakout sessions focused discussion on numerous topics concerning climate change and our profession, such as what can/should we do as educators, as institutions and examples for the local community, and as researchers.

Province Presents Case Study On ESL Learning

By Adam Cuellar
Skyline Reporter

On October 26th, reading specialist Dr. Paul Province, assistant professor of education, presented "ESL Lifers: Two Case Studies" at the Austin Community College First Annual Diversity Conference. The presentation was held in a large auditorium through PowerPoint. The near two hundred participants were composed of students, professors, law makers, community members, and even an ex-Secretary of Education.

Province's study examines two eighth grade girl's lives and their struggles since kindergarten to assimilate and become successful in the US education system. Their failure to do so was a costly teaching tool and ultimately a call for change.

"I wanted to present my topic so that future educators, professors, and law makers would see that change is necessary."

Province is no stranger to the ESL program and students' struggles to grasp reading. He has worked his entire career with English language learners on the Border and has experienced the awful effects misguided programs and uninformed educators can cause.

The presentation was met with such high interest that he was invited to participate in a panel discussion on immigrant education in Austin on November 25.

Province was in San Marcos this past June presenting math concepts for English language learners. There he explained the value and application of paper foldables.

One future endeavor includes a stop in El Paso to discuss emergent literacy with highlights on English Language Learners. He is also set to begin a new study very soon.

"I enjoy working with English language learners and am planning a future study on discrimination and the ELL. Too many of our immigrants are being prevented from living up to their full potential and realizing the American Dream."