THE UNI V ERSIT Y OF TE X A S AT EL PA S O
AS SAY ER OF STUDENT OPINION
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024
THEPROSPECTORDAILY.COM
VOL. 110, NO. 1
OPINION Page 2
NEWS Page 4
ARTS & CULTURE Page 13
SPORTS Page 17
SGA promotes Union Referendum
Minerpalooza returns to inner campus
County plan to grow arts projects
Football falls to SUU in overtime
ERA OF WALDEN
Breathing life back into UTEP football
B SOFIA SIERRA Y SPORTS EDITOR • THE PROSPECTOR
After the sudden termination of UTEP’s previous football Head Coach, Dana Dimel, athletics looked for a new suitor to revive the Miners’ tragic record. In late Dec. 2023, UTEP announced Scotty Walden was chosen to be the university’s 27th football head coach. The much anticipated “Walden Era” was on full display for the El Paso community Aug. 31, against Power Five school University of Nebraska-Lincoln at Memorial Stadium. Across social media, Walden has graced the El Paso community with his high charisma. However, Walden said the team is reliant on the uplifting energy and the team’s substance, which will both lead the Miners’ to success. “I hope anybody looking at not just me but our program, (acknowledge that) our energy is great, I am a firm believer that nothing great is done in life without enthusiasm,” Walden said. “But the thing I want (the audience) to see more, as the season goes on, is the team’s substance. I want them to see that we are a program of substance, these guys are not
only preparing for football, but they are also preparing for life.” This season, the Sun Bowl will see the reintroduction of previous Head Coach Mike Price’s “Mine Shaft”, an entrance to allow the Miners to have an iconic arrival onto the field. In 2022, the Sun Bowl did away with the Mine Shaft because of an injury Dimel received while going down the steps. The Mine Shaft is not the only new element to the team; dozens of new faces will have their debut with the Miners this season, such as junior cornerback Jaylon Shelton. “The transition (of schools and coaching) went really good, as soon as I visited El Paso, I felt like this was home,” Shelton said. see WALDEN on page 17
Coach Scotty Walden nods, watching the Miners take an early first-quarter lead during the first home game of the season on Sept. 7, 2024. Photo by SalmaPaola Baca/The Prospector
ONLY RAIN SHOULD GO DOWN THE DRAIN!
UTEP
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY
Keep material out of the stormwater conveyance system (curbs, gutters, sidewalks, streets, drains, culverts, and arroyos). Dispose of grass, leaves, yard waste, and construction debris properly.
(915) 747-7124 eh&s@utep.edu Hertzog Building, Room 107