Daily Toreador 111325

RECOVERY

Delgado’s mindset allows positivty through cancer journey

By SHELBY RADFORD Staff Writer

When Aaron Delgado first noticed swelling in his neck, he brushed it off.

Between engineering classes, Student Government Association meetings and fraternity events, the 18-year-old mechanical engineering major from Prosper, originally from New York, who’s also minoring in aerospace engineering and math, didn’t imagine it could be something life-threatening.

Months later — after many appointments and a biopsy that initially came back negative —he was informed he had stage four classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“As soon as I was diagnosed, that problem (cancer) became my whole world,” Delgado said. “It showed me that all those days before, when I was healthy, I should have enjoyed it more and not stressed about the little things.”

giving back to his fraternity, Phi Kappa Alpha, as the team’s basketball coach in the Greek Basketball Association, after Delgado was diagnosed his fraternity decided to give back to him.

Fellow member and close friend

Amith Ochoa, a fourth-year with a dual major in management and marketing from Lubbock, said he decided to start a GoFundMe for Delgado shortly after he was diagnosed.

AARON DELGADO PHI KAPPA ALPHA MEMBER (Cancer) showed me that all those days before, when I was healthy, I should have enjoyed it more and not stressed about the little things.

That same GoFundMe went on to $30,000 to help offset medical costs throughout Delgado’s time in the hospital.

“Aaron is the most positive guy I know always smiling, always friendly,” Ochoa said. “He was one of those people you instantly feel comfortable around.”

As the donations and messages of encouragement poured in, Ochoa said it was a powerful reminder of who Delgado was as a person and the impact he continues to make on people.

While he spends most of his time

TECHNOLOGY

“It was amazing, just seeing the

sheer amount of love and support,”

Ochoa said. “It’s a testament to Aaron’s character. If I could make him feel even a fraction of love he’s given all of us, that’s what I wanted to do.”

The wave of support reminded Delgado he wasn’t fighting alone, and he said every message, donation and phone call from his fraternity reminded him that he had a community standing behind him.

“People I wasn’t even that close to (started) reaching out,” he said. “It showed me people really do care about me, and that kept me motivated to keep going.”

Delgado stayed enrolled at Tech, switching to online classes in March to complete them at home. Classes like calculus three, differential equations and circuits gave him something to do back home in between treatments.

“My professors were great,” he said. “They gave me the time I needed.”

Being back in Lubbock along with classes, basketball practices and games, he still schedules lab work, doctor visits and infusions once every two weeks. Most days are normal college days, with late-night library sessions punctuated by morning check-ins at the Joe Arrington Cancer Center for

immunotherapy. Before college, Delgado always wanted to be an engineer and work for a companies like Boeing to engineer space and aircrafts. Now in remission, he plans to continue pursuing this dream.

If Delgado could leave his classmates with one takeaway, he said it would be to take their health very seriously, even in college.

“We think we’re invincible, but we are not,” he said.

“I have always wanted to have a job where I can make a difference in someone’s life every day,” he said. “I know if I stick through the hard years of college classes, I will be able to do that.”

@ShelbyradfordDT

Tech, Fermi create first Energy, Intelligence Campus

By ALLIE SCOTT NeWS editor

The Texas Tech System established a partnership with energy and technology company Fermi America over the summer. This partnership will create an Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus in Panhandle, Texas and is expected to complete by the mid-2030s.

The energy and data infrastructure campus will be named Project Matador — The President Donald J. Trump Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus. Trump’s former energy secretary and Fermi co-founder Rick Perry is spearheading the initiative.

The collaboration aims to advance artificial intelligence, data management and energy development and management while creating opportunities for students, faculty and regional partners, according to the Tech System.

“It’s been an amazing partnership. They (Tech) have the land out near PanTex, and we knew that land was incredibly valuable because of the natural gas, water, fiber infrastructure, helium and the relationship next door to PanTex,” said Cathy Landtroop, Fermi chief marketing and communications officer.

PanTex is the U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration primary facility for the assembly, dismantlement and

TRANSFERS

Established

By CORY WHITMAN SportS reporter

In Grant McCasland’s two seasons as head coach of Texas Tech men’s basketball, the program has gone 51-20, including two NCAA Tournament appearances and an Elite Eight showing.

Of the five players the Red Raiders brought into the program from the transfer portal this offseason, one player, sophomore forward Luke Bamgboye, has been a part of the NCAA Tournament.

maintenance of nuclear weapons.

The Project Matador campus will be the first private power grid in the U.S., meaning nuclear energy will be generated on-site. Fermi plans to create the largest nuclear power complex in the U.S. — the HyperGrid — as a future power source for the 18-million-square-feet gigawatt AI campus.

The development will generate up to 11 gigawatts of power to provide consistent power required for its data centers. It will also support between 15 and 18 million square feet of AI data infrastructure, according to the Tech System.

11 gigawatts is enough to power New York City twice, according to a Fermi news release. The HyperGrid will draw power from clean natural gas, nuclear, solar and battery power, rather than the U.S. grid.

Landtroop said Fermi partnered with Tech because it presents as a major asset and premier location. Lubbock is located approximately 158 miles from the Fermi site in Carson County, providing an easy commute for Lubbock-based employees and

students.

Fermi holds a 99-year sovereign lease with approximately 5,855 acres in Carson County. The land was granted by the Tech System,

“The university just adds so much to it. It adds incredible research, brain power and brainstorming,” Landtroop said.

A Tech research facility will also be located on-site, allowing students, faculty and researchers to work directly with experts as Project Matador develops over the next 15 years.

“They (Tech) will be helping innovate, research and lead the way,” Landtroop said.

“It will be a great draw for professors and students that want to be on the ground with the next nuclear project in the country.”

The partnership’s educational component is expected to include internships, training programs and research collaborations, Landtroop said. The goal is to give students hands-on experience solving real-world energy and infrastructure challenges.

“It will be a great draw for professors and students that want to be on the ground with the next nuclear project in the country, or work with natural gas, or be in the AI space,” Landtroop said.

The site will also include an academic

and research facility including office, classroom and conference spaces, according to the Tech System.

“There’s no more hands-on project in the world right now than Fermi America,” Landtroop said. “If you’re a student at Texas Tech and you’re hungry and willing to work, you’re about to be at the epicenter of multiple industries.”

Landtroop said the partnership adds diversity to jobs and opportunities that are offered in West Texas, specifically to Tech students who are excited to learn.

“We’re excited to mentor students who are eager to learn … and to learn from those students that see things differently or challenge ideas or concepts,” Landtroop said.

Fermi plans to meet with professors from Tech colleges in the next two to three weeks to begin outlining areas of research collaboration, Landtroop said. She said will meet with professors and learn about how issues addressed in Tech research can be implemented at Fermi, noting she wants both parties to learn from each other.

“We’re always curious and asking questions for how we can improve upon the success of yesterday and that works beautifully with a college campus like Texas Tech focused on answering those questions and providing research,” Landtroop said.

@AllieScottDT

winning culture draws in men’s basketball recruits

McCasland said he prefers this when recruiting.

“They came here because they wanted to be a part of winning,” McCasland said. “That’s it first. A lot of people are talked about financially and NIL and all the accolades that come with being here and playing, but honestly what we focused on is guys that want to win.”

Last season, the Red Raiders took a different approach toward experience in

playing in the NCAA Tournament prior to their tenure in Lubbock.

With this group of additions not having that same experience in March, McCasland said it brings an eagerness to come together as a team and band toward the common goal. “We were recruiting guys that only played in the NCAA Tournament, and then you kind of can get this mix of now guys that are like, ‘I just want to have the opportunity to compete,’” McCasland said. “It’s been

awesome to have a team that comes here with the focus on how do we win as a team.”

The sentiment of getting to the championship game in March isn’t just vocalized by the coaching staff, but the players as well.

Senior guard Donovan Atwell transferred to the Red Raiders this offseason after spending three seasons at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Atwell said the decision to move over 20 hours to a new program in his final season of eligibility

boiled down to McCasland and his ultimate goal of winning a national championship.

“I just believed in what his plan was,” Atwell said. “Also they win. They win here a lot, and I want to be a part of that. They get to March Madness every year, and I want to get to experience that and get to that last game in March. That definitely was a big focal point in winning for sure.”

Tech Nursing ranked No. 1 for third straight year

By SHELBY RADFORD

News RepoRteR

The Texas Tech Health Sciences Center of Nursing has produced over 42,000 health care professionals since 1981. The School of Nursing has been ranked the top nursing program in Texas for the third consecutive year, according to TTUHSC Daily Dose

This recognition reflects the school’s commitment to academic excellence, community service and student success, said Holly Wei, School of Nursing dean.

Wei said Tech’s nursing program stands out for its high NCLEX pass rates. As of 2025, the nursing program has a passing rate of 94.66 percent. The Texas Board of Nursing 2025 report shows that Tech’s nursing students scored higher than other major programs across Texas, including Sam Houston Nursing school and Angelo State University.

“Revieving a full 10-year accreditation with no recommendations for improvement is very rare,” Wei said. “We are so proud of our team members, students and supporters across all five campuses for making this possible.”

Tech’s School of Nursing underwent a national review by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, earning a full 10-year accreditation which means the nursing school has met national standards for a decade.

In the past few years, the

curriculum was redesigned to align with the next generation NCLEX, a new national licensing exam implemented April 1, 2023.

“We continuously look for the best evidence and national trends to guide our teaching,” Wei said. “Our goal is to make sure graduates are practice-ready nurses.”

Hailey Aleman, a senior level-three nursing student from Midland, said the program’s reputation was motivating but intimidating when she applied in summer of 2024.

“I was excited but nervous because I had heard it was very competitive,” Aleman said. “Our NCLEX rates are really high, and Tech students are very prepared, not just from books but with our hands-on experience.”

Almen said one of the hardest parts of nursing school is keeping her confidence and reassuring herself that she knows what she is doing and not questioning herself

“At first I was scared to work with real-life patients, but with the more experience I got in clinicals, the more confident I became,” she said.

Senior nursing student Aylin Jamies from Crosby, Texas said being part of the top-ranked program motivates her to meet high standards.

“When I first applied to the nursing school here in Lubbock, I didn’t know it was a top-ranked program,”

A graduate receives her diploma during the Texas Tech University Health Sciences

Jamies said. “Knowing that pushes me to strive for excellence and to keep going because it’s a program that definitely demands discipline.”

Jamies said faculty and instructors have helped her stay confident during stressful times, emphasizing that the students are never alone in their challenges.

“There have definitely been many challenging moments, but one thing all of my instructors always remind us is that they want us to succeed,” she said. “They encourage us to reach out

for help if we are struggling, whether that’s academic or personal.”

Wei said an emphasis on student well being is built into the program’s curriculum through resilience and stress-management training.

“Life is full of stress,” Wei said. “We teach students how to manage it and take care of themselves so they can provide the best care for others.”

Wei said the school’s focus moving forward is to graduate nurses who embody what she calls the “C-A-R-E.” C-AR-E consists of competence, altruism, responsibility and

ACHIEVEMENT

empathy. These traits are what it means to become a Red Raider nurse.

“We want our students to be competent in their knowledge and skills, altruistic in their service to others, responsible in their profession and compassionate in their care,” Wei said. “Those are the qualities that set Tech graduates apart”

Those principles guide both the classroom and clinical sides of the program, ensuring students are prepared not only to pass the many exams the students take but to lead in their future work-

places, Wei said.

Tech’s School of Nursing provides 25 to 30 percent of the state’s healthcare workforce, Wei said. The ongoing recognition helps the school continue attracting students who would like to make an impact on Texas communities.

“Wherever you go in this state, you will find someone who trained at Tech,” Wei said. “We hope this recognition continues to inspire more students with the passion and compassion to serve others.”

@ShelbyradfordDT

Tech school earns accreditation

By NOAH DAVILA News RepoRteR

Texas Tech’s School of Veterinary Medicine gained full accreditation, confirming the college’s quality, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

The announcement came in October, completing five years of effort to meet the standards set out by the AVMA when they first gave the college ‘provisional’ or temporary accreditation in 2020.

“The accreditation process is long and detailed, but it confirms that our program meets the high standards required for producing competent veterinarians,” said SVM Dean Guy Loneragan. “It reflects the commitment of our faculty, staff and the clinical partners who make this program work.”

Accreditors of the AVMA visited multiple times, including a virtual visit during COVID-19, to assess the quality of facilities, faculty, curriculum, finances and the clinical experiences.

According to Lonergan and fellow administrators, the past five years included building relationships with more than 140 veterinary practices across Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, as well as coordinating a network of roughly 400 veterinarians to oversee students in their final year of clinical rotations.

“I was on the clinical rotations and, seeing how the program was set up, I realized how much thought went into every site and every rotation to make sure we were ready for practice,” said Kaitlyn Crowl, a fourth-year veterinary student.

Associate Dean of Clinical Programs Britt Conklin said the AVMA paid close attention to the school’s clinical program model, unique among vet schools for its combination of on-campus instruction and community-based placements.

“Our clinical program is a hybrid,” Conklin said. “Students complete some rotations here on campus, but they also rotate through private veterinary practices, shelters and food animal facilities. Faculty are actively involved in both settings to ensure high-quality education.”

Conklin said the innovative approach posed an initial challenge to accreditors, who are accustomed to more traditional models with on-site teaching hospitals. Because of the program’s uniqueness and effectiveness, the school was awarded two commendations, which are recognitions of the program’s ability to supervise students and organize sites for their education.

“Most schools have everything under one roof,” he said. “We’ve taken a different path, but it’s already proving to produce practice-ready veterinar-

ians.”

Before graduating, students are required to take a 52-week hybrid clinical program with rotations on-campus and across the regional network. Students gain experience in small animals, equine and food animal medicine. Electives allow students to explore areas like community practice or public health.

“We’ve spent the last five years building relationships, training sites and making sure every student has a consistent, high-quality clinical experience,” Conklin said. “It’s been a massive effort, but it’s paying off.”

Lonergan said the accreditation positions the college to expand its impact and continue innovating in veterinary education.

“We need to ask communities what they need next,” he said. “Our goal is to produce veterinarians ready for the evolving demands of the profession.”

In Crowl’s opinion, the program has already delivered on its promise.

“This program has been life-changing,” Crowl said. “Being part of one of the first classes to go through the clinical year, I’ve seen firsthand how much effort goes into ensuring we are prepared for real-world veterinary practice.”

@NoahDavDT

The DT Crossword: Sweater weather

Everyone feels burnout, especially with the end of the semester around the corner. It is important to take time to take care of yourself and be aware of solutions that ease stress and burnout symptoms.

Typical stress from a test or assignment is not the same as burnout, with burnout being defined as severe, chronic stress that leads to emotional and physical damage.

The first step to mitigating burnout is to assess your sit-

uation. Students who assess their situation will be able to understand the stressors in their lives and then focus on balancing them. Burnout can lead to loss of motivation, declining grades and even signs of depression and anxiety. Within the class of 2024, Grand Canyon University reported 80 percent of students experienced burnout at some point during their four years of college.

Self-care is important for students in their day-to-day lives to keep their bodies relaxed and do activities that encourage healthy habits.

These activities might look different for everyone, meaning self-care can be big or small. Activities like taking a bath, going to the

gym, getting a sweet treat, shopping or going for a walk all allow students to not only get out of their dorms and apartments but also encourage activities that increase mental clarity.

Students who focus fully on academics often find themselves struggling during the final stress of the semester. School-life balance is always important to maintain in order to have a successful school year.

Communicating with professors about different needs you may have over the semester is important. Most

professors understand how hard college can be, especially with heavy coursework loads; asking to meet with professors is the best way to ease stress.

Another way to stay on track is by setting reasonable goals that you know are achievable short term, even if they are considered small. These goals can be like getting up earlier in the mornings, doing at least two assignments every day or even trying to work out three times in a week.

Trying to achieve unrealistic goals in a short amount

45. Popular firework holiday

46. “My ___” by Frank Sinatra

47. Wile E. Coyote company that produces anvils and explosives

49. Elle Wood’s signature

51. Putrid pool

52. Horse coat pattern describing an even mixture of white as

of time can increase stress, especially when those goals are difficult or impossible to accomplish. Creating small goals will lead you to success while being completely attainable, helping stress levels remain at a minimum.

Avoiding procrastination and managing time effectively are simple but powerful ways to stay on top of classwork, prevent late submissions and avoid the last-minute stress. Breaking up assignments into smaller tasks and completing them a little at a time is especially helpful for staying on track

with longer projects. As the semester winds down, it’s important to remember that taking care of yourself is just as important as keeping up with assignments. Recognizing stress and burnout early, setting realistic goals, managing time wisely and practicing self-care can make the final weeks more manageable. By taking small, consistent steps, students can maintain both their well-being and their academic success, finishing the semester stronger and healthier.

@TaylorOShea_DT

CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 TRANSFERS

Junior forward LeJuan Watts, who transferred from Washington State University and was the 2023-24 Big Sky Freshman of the Year, received the same message from McCasland in his pitch to come to Lubbock.

“I’ve never been to March,” Watts said. “That’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Not only just get there, I want to win the whole thing.”

McCasland said he’s approached the season like he has in seasons prior, that if they want to win, they have to have a team-first mentality. Without a team-oriented group, the season of high expectations won’t work, and this group has leaned into that.

“Sometimes you go out there and you try to play for yourself and it never works out,” he said. “I honestly don’t think it does, not one time. I don’t care, like, the more you lean into the team and how you help the team win, the better you play, and that’s

what this group is.”

When transferring into a new program, there’s a meshing process between teammates because of the unfamiliarity. Atwell said while the meshing process occurred naturally, the connections between his new Red Raider teammates have transcended past the court.

“I feel like I’ve known these guys forever, and I haven’t been here that long,” Atwell said. “Off the court, on the court it’s great chemistry.”

McCasland said the mentality of this new group of Red Raiders recognizes it’s a long season, but they possess the ability to embrace the hurdles a college basketball season brings.

“They’re just leaning into it’s gonna be difficult, and that’s how you become special,” McCasland said. “You just go like, ‘it’s gonna be hard. Yep, it is. I’m cool with it. Let’s enjoy how difficult it is, so that we can enjoy how much fun it is to win when you have to go through so much.’”

@CoryWhitmanDT

Tech linebacker trio reaches new high

By KEITH INGLIS Sport

Texas Tech’s linebacker core is more than just three players whom head coach Joey McGuire recruited to perform traditional responsibilities at the position.

In an era where the landscape of college athletics is headlined by NIL deals and revenue sharing, the trio of senior Jacob Rodriguez, junior Ben Roberts and sophomore John Curry represents the foundation McGuire has aimed to build since arriving in Lubbock. It just happened to show itself in the linebacker’s facial hair.

“The whole linebacker room was like, ‘You know what, we’re all going to get mustaches for spring ball,’” Curry said. “For J-Rod it kind of stuck and for me, it just stuck. Ben and J-Rod kind of already had one.” While the facial hair

started as a joke, it has come Manhattan, Kansas, since 2008. Each linebacker carved out their own role in a defense that’s become one of the nation’s most cohesive units.

Rodriguez received Heisman support from McGuire before the team played Kansas State, which the fourth-year linebacker backed up by

Rodriguez said. “I mean, they’re my best friends. The way that they played and flew around, took the ball away, it’s special.”

Curry said the group’s closeness has allowed them to feel comfortable when they line up on the field. Whether it’s stuffing the run, picking up a motion or crashing in on a blitz, the three understand each of their assignments.

“We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Curry

said. We can play to those, and we’re also not uncomfortable with communicating on the field.” Roberts, who’s grown alongside both, said Rodriguez’s leadership and example have helped shape the group’s identity. Roberts joked that he didn’t like praising

Rodriguez in front of him, but didn’t hold back what Rodriguez had meant to the group.

“He’s a role model,” Roberts said. “He’s built a good life for himself. He lives life the right way... he’s living proof of, if you do the things the right way, that good things are going to happen to you.”

@KeithInglisDT

Blackburn repeats Big 12 award despite pair of injuries

By AUSTIN JACKSON SportS reporter

Two injuries on the same knee in consecutive seasons forced Texas Tech senior defender Macy Blackburn to miss 28 games across three years.

The injuries were during her sophomore and redshirt-sophomore seasons before she returned and won Big 12 defensive player of the year in consecutive seasons to close out her career.

“It was really hard and it was really scary,” Blackburn said. “There was a lot of unknowns, and I was really lucky to have a really incredible team of people behind me.”

Blackburn came to Tech in 2021 as a freshman, where she started in 19 of 20 games

played and led the team with nine assists. She finished the season on the Big 12 All-Freshman team and was invited to the U.S. U20 Youth National Team training camp.

In 2022, she came back for her sophomore season and started the first three games. Seven minutes into the third game against the University of New Mexico, Blackburn went down with a season-ending injury.

“I knew something was very, very wrong,” Blackburn said. “It was a very foreign feeling that I had never experienced before.”

Blackburn suffered a subluxation in her kneecap, starting a six-month-long recovery process.

“Luckily I didn’t need surgery, which was really great,” Blackburn said. “I was really

thankful for that. So really it was just getting the swelling down, trying to get my mobility back.”

Her recovery process was similar to recovering from an ACL tear. She spent time in the gym strengthening the muscles and ligaments around her knee and relearning mechanics.

The following season, Blackburn started the first 15 games until she tore her ACL late in a game against Texas Christian University. The injury took her out for over 10 months, causing her to miss the first three games of the 2024 season.

“This one was definitely a lot more extensive for the sheer fact of having to have surgery,” Blackburn said.

She felt the support of the Texas Tech community

throughout all of her injuries, she said, specifically during the 2023 season. In 2023, Tech won the Big 12 regular season title and advanced to the third round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

“I truly had such an incredible support system,” Blackburn said. “From my family to my teammates, my coaches, like the support staff.”

Despite missing the first three games of the 2024 season Blackburn finished her junior season with 18 starts and was named Big 12 defensive player of the year. In her senior season, Blackburn started 19 games and was named Big 12 defensive player of the year for the second year in a row.

VET SCHOOL

CARES aids Amarillo animals, community

and Regional

forming a routine check

By MANDIE HANEY Features Writer

Once a month, a large white bus with CARES printed across the side rolls through the gate of Transformation Park in Amarillo, rapidly attracting a loud, bustling crowd of people walking or carrying dogs in need of pet care.

Launched in 2020, the Community and Regional Engagement Service mobile vet unit run by Texas Tech’s School of Veterinary Medicine provides spaying, neutering, shots and other basic care to pets of homeless individuals located at Amarillo’s Transformation Park, a nonprofit shelter for people experiencing homelessness.

After working with so many people and animals, Joshua Cabello, a fourth-year vet student at the School of Veterinary Medicine from Amarillo, said working in such an environment opened his eyes to how under-served and undervalued some elderly or disabled people and their pets are.

“Having a pet is not a necessity. It’s a luxury, and it’s an expensive luxury — a lot of people don’t realize that before getting pets,” Cabello said. “The unit has made me realize how that is a problem in Amarillo, and it makes me want to do something about it when I become a veterinarian.”

Cabello thought back to his time working on the unit during the summer of 2024 and

shared how much client education can change situations and spread awareness about the reality of pet ownership.

“The mobile unit taught me how important client education is and being willing to get out there and ask or find out things about your pets,” Cabello said. “A lot of people get pets and don’t know what they’re getting into, so maybe do research before purchase. Actually, sit down and look into it before you make a commitment and buy a pet just because it’s cute.”

Transformation Park is where CARES often finds itself organizing vaccines, surgeries and other pet care, said Leah Lee, a professor of practice at the School of Veterinary

Medicine. Lee specializes in community practice and shelter medicine and coordinates and runs the monthly, free and volunteer-based trips to the Amarillo facility.

Lee said she tracks the shots each pet has or needs, supervises and performs spaying and neutering surgeries and creates relationships with the residents on the side. She calls the effort she’s put into the park operation her “little pet project.”

“I remember the residents’ names and their animals, so it’s kind of like my own personal clientele,” Lee said. “I have to keep a running chart of the animals that are currently here.”

Jennifer Goldston, a homeless woman using the Transformation Park facility, knows firsthand the impact of the CARES visits. She said the unit helps her feel secure in the health and wellbeing of her dog, NewBe.

“I know she (NewBe) has her shots, I know she’s safe from things like Parvo,” Goldston said. “It’s scary every day to wonder if your dog will get sick from something like that and I’m just very grateful.”

Goldston said for residents like herself, the unit makes taking care of an animal simpler, especially while being poverty-stricken.

“It’s hard enough to take care of yourself, and I wasn’t even looking for a dog when she (NewBe) came into my life,” Goldston said. “I had no idea how I was gonna take care of her, so this is very, very much

needed for people like us.”

Transformation Park Communication Director Mo Senteney-Dixon said maintaining a safe environment in the park despite the crowd and noise is hard, but having the unit provide pet care and education allows residents to take responsibility for their animals, in turn improving the space.

“It’s been really helpful to have Dr. Lee not just care for the animals and give them the health care they need, but also educate our residents on why it is responsible to spay and neuter your pets and keep up with the shots and everything like that,” Senteney-Dixon said. “We can try to tell them as best we can, but coming from a doctor, it has a different gravity to it.”

Senteney-Dixon said the unit gives residents the opportunity to care for another being, giving them something to anticipate and find fulfillment in.

practice and leader of CARES, said the unit partners with Meals on Wheels. The nonprofit delivers meals to homebound seniors and severely disabled individuals. Together, they created AniMeals, a service that provides care and food to the pets of elderly and disabled individuals.

“We travel to people’s houses and are able to work on (the pets) in front of their house, which is really helpful,” Mills said. “It’s hard enough to get out and be able to get food and everything else, then taking their animal to a veterinary clinic is also incredibly difficult for them to do.”

Having a pet is not a necessity. It’s a luxury, and it’s an expensive luxury — a lot of people don’t realize that before getting pets.

JOSHUA CABELLO CARES STUDENT VET

“I know that (having something to care for) is so important and necessary for humans to thrive. You have to feel like you have that purpose,” Senteney-Dixon said. “Being a pet owner gives you someone to care for, and we’re glad to be able to help them pursue that.”

Trista Mills, an associate professor of general veterinary

Despite logistical limitations, such as working in tight spaces and keeping travel distances short, Lee said she envisions the program having a broader future.

“The unit is versatile, and we can take it places, but we are limited by our space, so we’re not able to make the greatest impact, as if we were in a shelter or a bigger setting,” Lee said. “We would love for this to eventually become a core rotation for the school where every student is able to go through it. We have a lot of students that want our rotation, we just don’t have the capacity for it.”

He-Brews Coffee manager balances work, student life

Advertising: 806-742-3384

Business: 806-742-3388

Circulation: 806-742-3388

Fax: 806-742-2434

Email: thedailytoreador@gmail.com

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief Jacob Lujan jaclujan@ttu.edu

Managing Editor Aynsley Larsen aylarsen@ttu.edu

News Editor Allie Scott boscott@ttu.edu

La Vida Editor Christian Jeter chjeter@ttu.edu

Sports Editor Ty Kaplan tkaplan@ttu.edu

Opinions Editor Cameron Zapata camzapat@ttu.edu

Multimedia Editor Makayla Perez makapere@ttu.edu

Puzzles Editor Xavier Gonzales gon80565@ttu.edu

BREAKING NEWS

Email jaclujan@ttu.edu or tweet information to @DailyToreador.

CORRECTIONS

The Daily Toreador strives for accuracy and fairness in the reporting of news. If a report is wrong or misleading, a request for a correction or clarification may be made by calling (806) 742-3393 or emailing dailytoreador@ttu.edu.