Free Republic

WESLACO - Mexican nationals studying at the University of Texas-Pan American are worried that the violence they fled from may be catching up with them on the U.S. side of the border. "I am from Miguel Aleman ... it's a small town an hour-and-a-half away from here," one student said. "I came for my studies," she said. "All my family is from Mexico," the student said. She said it was a way to flee the violence gripping border regions in Mexico. "I have to take some other precautions ... coming to school," she said. She asked to have her identity...

HARLINGEN,- University of Texas-Pan American students supporting the DREAM Act plan to go on a hunger strike beginning Monday until U.S. Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn declare support for the bill. “While everybody else will be celebrating Thanksgiving we are going to join in solidarity for those who were not fortunate enough to have been born in the United States; for those who are trapped in a legal limbo right now and cannot enjoy the fullness of Thanksgiving,” said Jose Alexandro Garrido, UTPA Dreamer and member of the Coalition for Educational Opportunity Dream Act Project. Students at the...

EDINBURG, Nov. 15 - The University of Texas-Pan American takes great pride in its students and their accomplishments and as UTPA president, it is an honor and a privilege to be among them, represent them, and to speak on their behalf. Today, I am writing on behalf of 602 of our bright, dedicated students who, despite being reared in the United States, are labeled as “undocumented immigrants” because their parents entered the U.S. years ago without proper paperwork. By no choice of their own, these students are facing an uncertain future. Take the case of J. Alex Garrido, an honor...

Former President Bill Clinton is expected to speak to UTPA students and Rio Grande Valley residents on Thursday. Sources told Action 4 News that Clinton is visiting the University of Texas Pan American campus late Thursday afternoon. The former president is expected to speak to speak to UTPA students about his William J. Clinton Foundation. The organization is trying to encourage world leaders and students to develop commitments and take action to address global challenges. Clinton will speak at 6:45 p.m. in the UTPA Fine Arts Auditorium. Students and staff get priority seating but event is FREEand open to the...

EDINBURG — The University of Texas-Pan American is going green for its seventh-annual International Week event. The university, and several others throughout the country, is slated to run a series of events this week to promote awareness of other cultures. International Education Week, which begins Monday and ends Friday, is a joint initiative between the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to prepare students for work in a global environment. This year’s UTPA theme is “Earth Matters.” Its activities include art exhibits, speeches and panels to address environmental changes, global politics, economics, health and other issues....

EDINBURG — A post-war Iraq should yield an "Iraq for the Iraqis and a democracy," former President Bush told a crowd of Rio Grande Valley students Thursday, but where his thoughts differed from the current president, No. 41 wouldn't say. Before speaking at a $625-a-plate dinner for Valley business leaders, Bush opened himself up to questions from a panel of high school and college students, but prescreened queries kept the conversation tame. More than 1,000 students welcomed the president's appearance as part of the University of Texas Pan American Foundation's third annual Outstanding Leadership Series. There are some differences in...

EDINBURG — As George H.W. Bush took the stage, a group of about 75 students and community members stood along Miguel Nevarez Drive to protest the former president’s arrival at the university. The event, sponsored by the University of Texas-Pan American’s Young Democrats group, saw students holding up signs that read "Like Father Like Son," "Bush Not Wanted" and "Go Away Bush." Another sign equated the former president’s head to a part of the male anatomy. "He doesn’t have a very good record as a president or vice president," said Danny Garcia, co-president of the Young Democrats. He was involved...