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Vol . 103, No. 10
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DesIGN BY aLeJaNDra GoNzÁLez / The ProsPecTor
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PAGE 2 October 31, 2017
OPINION
Editor-in-Chief
Adrian Broaddus , 747-7446
Christmas in October is just wrong By Adrian Broaddus The Prospector
As I walked into the store last Thursday evening, just a little less than a week before Halloween, I energetically was on a mission to find decorations, candy and all sorts of things for the 31st. Immediately upon entering the store, however, green, red and white colors flooded the aisles with Christmas decorations galore. Snow globes, stockings, reindeers, Santa Claus, Christmas trees, ornaments—you name it, it flooded each section at the front of the store. What about the Halloween section? It was piled up in a corner with product stacked on top of product, done in a seemingly lackluster way. It felt like the company wanted to suck the life out of Halloween and bring Christmas to the forefront to fill their pockets. It begs the question, where have the fall holidays gone? It wasn’t even November yet and stores already want to jump on the Christmas season without a care in the world. Corporate America saw that Halloween is a short-lived payout and Thanksgiving doesn’t rack in any bucks, so they need to hit Christmas—the goldmine of them all—extremely early. The sight of the early Christmas decorations and embellishments took me back to my days working at the outlet mall. For three years, working there as a sales associate and a stock room boy, I dreaded the holiday season for many reasons, and this reaffirmed my weary spirit for the holiday season because of corporations feeding off the public’s pockets. It reminded me of the empty feeling when our bosses told us that under no circumstances could we excuse ourselves from working on Black Friday, which mostly came after Thanksgiving dinner. We also had to make our
schedules more available during the weeks leading up to Christmas, and usually had to work Christmas Eve. It reminded me of the distant feeling I would have toward the holiday season whenever it would roll around. Even though I felt I was working long, hard hours, the payoff never felt enough to the sacrifice missing family time around the Christmas season, like decorating the Christmas tree, different Christmas events around town or normal gatherings. And most of all, it reminded me how greedy people can get during the season. One instance comes to mind when I first think about the greed, and it was of a woman who walked into my store at the about two days before Christmas. She was frantically in search of a present for her son, who was coming home for the holidays from college. She needed a particular size in a certain jacket that was both stylish and affordable. When our product didn’t meet her requirements and after a good while of trying to assist her, I remember her yelling at me, “You guys are pathetic! I can’t believe how horrible I’ve been treated here.” She stormed out of our store in a frenzy, and it really stuck with me how that moment reflected the way holidays impact people on a emotional level. Rushing toward Christmas has taken away the integrity of how special some of the fall holidays truly are. This holiday season, my personal resolution is to spend less time stressing about who to please with gifts and allocate more time toward spending it with those I love. Follow Adrian Broaddus on Twitter @ adrian_broaddus
The Prospector Staff / The Prospector
WHAT DO YOU THINK? This week’s poll question:
Who will get a win first—UTEP, 49ers, Browns or Baylor?
The Prospector is committed to the accuracy. If you think we have made an error of fact, e-mail the editor at adrianbroaddus@gmail.com
STAFF Editor-in-Chief: Adrian Broaddus Web Editor : Christian Vasquez Layout Manager : Alejandra Gonzalez Copy Editor : Leslie Sariñana Spor ts Editor : Jeremy Carranco Enter tainment Editor : Eddie Velazquez Photo Editor : Gaby Velasquez Multimedia Editor : Rene Delgadillo Staff Repor ters: Mike Flores, Grecia Sánchez, Claudia V. Flores, Elenie Gonzalez, Daniel Mendez Photographers: Claudia Hernandez, Contributors: Brianna Chavez, Sergio Muñoz, Michaela Román, Augie Touris Ad Account Executive: Aaron Ramirez-
VOL . 103, no. 10
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THEPROSPECTOR
NEWS | 3 |
October 31, 2017
Eight haunted spots in EP By Adrian Broaddus
Carrillo hopes for development in U.S. Congressional race
The Prospector
Rooted in its deep history on the Mexican-American border, El Paso’s past has been a storied tale with tons of unique accounts. Throughout its history, ghost tales of the paranormal have been passed down throughout the years and shared like old folk tales. From cemeteries, to public buildings and schools, the town is filled with distinct haunted tales with history to back each one up. Below are said to be some of the most haunted places in El Paso: Follow Adrian Broaddus on Twitter @ adrian_broaddus
Resting in central El Paso, Concordia Cemetery was known to be a trading spot in the early 1840s for owners Hugh and Juana Stephenson. Juana, whose maiden name was Ascarate, was buried in what is known as Concordia Cemetery in 1856. From then on, the place became a stopping point, where El Pasoans traveled to bury their dead. By 1890, sections of the land were bought by groups in El Paso and the cemetery became sectioned into areas by Catholics, Jewish, black, Chinese, military, Masonic, Jesuit, city and county residents. Among the buried are John Wesly Hardin, Buffalo Soldiers, Texas Rangers, Civil War veterans, early Mormon pioneers, Florida (Lady Flo) Wolf and formerly the first burial site for Mexican Revolution President Victoriano Huerta. In total, the graveyard has over 60,000 people buried there. The people who visit nowadays are mostly ghost hunters and history guides. El Paso Paranormal Society hosts frequent ghost tours at Concordia, where they have said to have seen shadows before, witnessed movement in the graveyard, seen ghostly figures in photos and felt different temperature changes throughout the cemetery.
This urban legend is on the west side of El Paso, where a woman and her four children died in a car accident. Tales of her and the kids haunting the street of Twin Hills Drive and Thunderbird after they passed were constantly told. It is told that when drivers make their way up the hill, they can put their car in neutral, and the spirits will move their vehicles up the hill. However, skeptics of this urban legend say that the reason cars are able to go uphill are due to gravity, optical illusions and engine power.
Known as one of the city’s most notable landmarks and located in the heart of downtown stands the Plaza Theatre. The building opened its doors in 1930 and faced the highs of popular attendance through the ‘30s and ‘40s, and then the declines of ticket sales in the ‘50s and ‘60s. The theater was close to being sold or demolished several times and faced different closures and remodeling projects. Throughout its existence, paranormal investigators, patrons, performers, producers and employees of the theater have recalled signs of ghostly activities at the Plaza. Most have pinpointed a strange redorange light that pops up randomly. It is also claimed that lights are often turned on and off sporadically, with no one operating them.
Another paranormal location in the downtown area of El Paso is Fire Station No. 11. It has been up and running for decades on end and has served as a home to many firefighters and station workers for all that time. Workers use the facility to rest and tend to their gear there when they are not on call. People claim that the building is so haunted that workers have refused to sleep in the firehouse. There are stories about one bed in particular that shakes in the middle of the night. There are also tales of whispering and voices being heard in the station.
photo courtesy john carrillo
By christian vasquez The Prospector
Also found in downtown El Paso is the historic hotel that is the De Soto Hotel. Its origins date back to 1905, which makes it one of the longest-running hotels in the city. This is also one of the places where the strongest and most vivid paranormal recordings in the city have popped up. Investigators for El Paso Ghost Tours said that there are three spirits in the hotel, including a little girl and a troubled spirit in the basement. A tale suggests that the basement of the hotel was once used for satanic rituals, and people on ghost tours to the De Soto Hotel have documented paranormal recordings and some have even left with scratches on their bodies.
The Magoffin Homestead is one of the oldest homes built in El Paso. Its construction dates back to 1875, owned by former mayor Joseph Magoffin. The city of El Paso decided to purchase the land after the descendants of the family moved out of the property. History records show that Joseph Magoffin’s best friend and brother-in-law, Charles Richardson, died on the property in the living room’s rocking chair. Some say that his spirit remains on the land. The historical preservation team at the Magoffin home said that lights turn on and off and doors open and close at random. People have seen what they think looks like Richardson in the rocking chair, or hear the chair rocking at random. People have felt tapping on their shoulders, while others have felt temperature changes throughout the house.
1 Located by Five Points West, the El Paso Playhouse is the longest-running theater company. Their mission is to provide entertainment to a diverse population in El Paso through theatrical plays. El Paso Playhouse is nearly 50 years old with a storied past. It was first a church and then was turned into a festival theater. It has been home to hundreds of adaptations of plays and different actors, producers, technicians and workers. The building is also home to a lot of reported paranormal activity. It has claims of whispering near the concession area and footsteps on the wooden staircase. People have also said that women’s bathroom toilets have flushed there when no one was in the facilities and props have been moved multiple times. There have been recordings that are still found today online of paranormal investigators capturing electronic voice phenomena at the Playhouse.
The oldest school operating in El Paso is El Paso High School, which was built in 1916. Its 101-year history featured countless students, teachers, faculty and staff. There are so many sightings of ghosts, paranormal activity and creepy things happening. One of the most-told stories is about a girl, who went to the school and was in love with a fellow classmate. When her lover did not reciprocate her feelings, she decided to kill herself. One story says she slit her wrist before jumping to her death off the school’s balcony. People say that they have seen a ghostly figure jump from the top of the school to her death. Another one of the freakier evidence of the school’s haunted history is a class photograph from 1985, where people can see the blurry figure of a young woman with the rest of her class, who wasn’t actually there when the photo was taken. There was also a story about a forgotten classroom in the tunnels of the school, and when it was found, it looked as if the classroom was evacuated with books and notebooks still on desks.
KTEP’s director of development, John Carrillo, is throwing his hat into the U.S. Congressional race for the 16th seat. “The political landscape changed when Trump became president. We’ve seen a rise in racism and white supremacist. We’ve seen an assault on the environmental control that was put in place by former President Obama, and we’ve seen a blatant disregard for ethical behavior. Those are certainly some of the things that drove me to run,” Carrillo said. Carrillo grew up in El Paso and was a first-generation college graduate when he got his master’s in
communication studies at UTEP in 2014, where he is also a lecturer. Carrillo is best known for being one of two El Pasoans who has won the George Foster Peabody award, which he won in 1995 for his work with National Public Radio as a project engineer and technical producer in the jazz series “Making the Music with Wynton Marsalis.” While he is running as a Democrat, Carrillo said that he wants people to keep in mind that he is not a political partisan, but more importantly to him, he is a leader. “I think that for too long people have settled for candidates
see carrillo on page 4
THEPROSPECTOR
| 4 | NEWS
October 31, 2017
Haunted Campus Tours delivers historical significance By elenie gonzalez The Prospector
The Student Alumni Association celebrated their 11th-annual Haunted Campus Tours on campus last weekend, which is an event that traditionally takes place the weekend before Halloween. The SAA has a motto, “Keepers of Tradition,” and it is one they take seriously. They take it upon themselves to maintain UTEP’s traditions along with creating their own. The Haunted Tours is a tradition dating back to 2007, when the UTEP Student Alumni Association at the time decided to create a fundraiser for the organization. It began as a small tour of the campus, with a group of about 20 people, and made stops at several of the university’s buildings with a history of reported ghost sightings. Today, the tradition stays alive as the SAA sees an attendance of up to 300 guests. As the tours continue to evolve every year, so has the event. With the school’s 103-year history, they believe there are many stories to be told. Buildings visited on the tour change every year, but those with the longest history remain the same. Diana Khalik, the event coordinator for the SAA, was in charge of planning this year’s Haunted Campus Tours. She says that the organization plans the event a bit differently each year in regard to which buildings will be on the tour and what activities will take place while guests wait. She said the SAA has created haunted houses in the past, along with the tours, but time constraints don’t always make it possible. Other activities this year included pumpkin painting, bobbing for apples and Halloween movies. Guests were able to have treats and hot chocolate while they waited for their turn to take a tour. “We try and change up the buildings that we visit. Last year we visited eight and this year we are visiting six,” Khalik said. “But the stories I believe are a lot stronger and scarier.” This year’s tour visited the Centennial Museum, Fox Fine Arts, Quinn Hall, Old Main, Psychology
claudia hernandez/ The Prospector This year the Haunted Campus Tours visited Centennial Museum, Fox Fine Arts, Quinn Hall, Old Main, Psychology Building and Magoffin Auditorium. and Magoffin Auditorium. Each stop includes a storyteller, dressed in costume and waiting in the dark for the next group to arrive hoping to scare them. Old Main was one of the last buildings to be visited on the tour, but is known as one of the creepiest stops. Built in 1917, it is the oldest building on campus. There have been several reports over the years of strange occurrences including rattling doors and the sounds of lectures by professors late at night when the building is empty. The tour guides told a tale that in 2002 a group of students attempted to stay overnight to investigate the reported hauntings, but left in a hurry due to ghostly activity. Fox Fine Arts, named after Josephine Clardy Fox who was a donor with love for the arts, was built in 1974. The SAA said it houses the
“Lavender Lady,” a ghostly figure whose apparition appears in the form of a lavender scent. The tale derives from a young woman who fell to her death outside the building. Magoffin Auditorium, the last stop on the tour, is also said to be one of the most active sights for paranormal activity. The building is said to house a ghost by the name of “Jose,” a stagehand who fell to his death from the catwalks. Reports of unexplained noises and lights have been made over the years. Though the catwalks do not exist anymore, it is said he still roams the building scaring people. Though the event was created as a fundraiser for the organization, it has also become a staple tradition for the group. The tours are meant to be entertaining, but they believe it is also important to preserve the campus’ history through
storytelling. Allan Martinez, a member of the SAA, says that the organization receives its information for the tours from different resources on campus. Since they work with the Alumni Association, they are able to get in contact with former students, who were around at the time of the reported incidents. “The Alumni Relations Office get us in touch with those who were around when these events happened, especially in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s,” Martinez said. “The Paso del Norte Paranormal Society helps us out a lot too with the stories, especially in scene writing.” Elisa Sosa-Salgado, a junior computer science major, said she enjoyed the tour and learned more than just the chilling stories that were told. Her favorite stop was the Psychology Building, which was built
carrillo from page 3 that are part of the good old boy/good old girl network. I have not come to challenge my opponents, I’ve come to engage a community and try to make them see that there are options between politics as usual,” Carrillo said. Carrillo says that he intends to focus on immigration reform, education and taking better care of veterans if he wins. “When you look at those statistics—20 veterans committing suicide on a daily basis—that tells me that more work needs to be done,” Carrillo said. On immigration, Carrillo said that DREAMers—immigrants who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children and are now under the protection of the Differed Action for Childhood Arrivals program— should not be punished for actions that their parents made and wishes for a compromise that allows them to stay. “Those young people have never, in many cases, known any other country but this country. To them,
in 1951. It was once the Science Building with a laboratory that was said to have conducted disturbing experiments on people and primates, an ordinary practice at the time. Though the labs closed years ago, they still remain in the building, but are sealed off to anyone who wants to go inside. “I hadn’t really explored the campus that much, so I thought it was pretty cool to do that,” Sosa said. “I hadn’t been inside of most of these buildings before and that was cool too, especially to learn the history behind them.” The SAA has closed its doors for the Haunted Campus Tours for now and will be back next year. For more information, visit their website at www.alumni.utep.edu. Follow Elenie Gonzalez on Twitter @eleniegonz
this country is as much home to them as it is to me and I was born here,” Carrillo said. So far Carrillo has raised $3,200 in individual contributions, compared to Veronica Escobar’s $332,836 and Dori Fenenbock’s $599,262. Both are considered the two Democratic frontrunners in the upcoming 2018 election. “More than anything else, it really is about engaging the community. Ultimately, it’s the voters who are going to decide who wins the election and not the money,” Carrillo said when asked about his campaign plans to overcome the monetary difference.“Is money important? Sure, it’s important, you can’t deny that. But ultimately, it’s the voters. So that’s my goal, it’s to engage. To engage the community and engage the voters.” The other candidates besides Escobar and Fenenbock running for office under the Democratic Party are Enrique Garcia, Nicole LeClaire and Jerome Tilghman. Christian Vasquez may be reached at theprospectordaily.news@gmail.com
THEPROSPECTOR
NEWS | 5 |
October 31, 2017
Chemistry professor embarks on lung cancer research By rene delgadilo The Prospector
More than 5,000 miles away from where he was born, Rachid Skouta, a chemistry research assistant professor at UTEP, is following his dreams to help fight against lung cancer. Skouta recently received more than $109,300 from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología through the University of Texas System for a two-year study on lung cancer. With the grant he received, Skouta was able to bring in a postdoctoral researcher from Mexico, who will conduct specific research about lung cancer in Skouta’s laboratory for two years. “With this money, we will continue our research projects toward the development of new drugs with specific mechanisms for targeted cell death to overcome drug resistance,” Skouta said. Skouta, who was born in Morocco, a country in northern Africa, earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from McGill University and arrived at UTEP in 2014 after finishing his postdoctoral studies at Columbia University. He said UTEP and El Paso have become his new home. “UTEP is a very unique university. I like the people and their culture,” Skouta said. “I am fearless of exploring places and opportunities and I’m very delighting to do that through educational purposes.” Helping students achieve a college degree is something that motivates him as he continues to do his research. “Engaging Mexican-American students in the biomedical field and pushing them to get maybe their first degree in their own family was something that really attracted me to come to this school,” Skouta said. “My mission is to train students, and I hope I can transfer this energy of mine to next generations. Another mission is to inspire students the same way I was inspired by my professors.” Another important factor in coming to El Paso was UTEP’s Border Biomedical Research Center. He said this center allows him to continue his passion in the research of lung cancer. Mais Ismael, a sophomore cellular and molecular biochemistry major, said Skouta is a professor who does not give up on his students. “He is very helpful and enthusiastic about the work he does. He teaches you step by step until you’re confident about doing it on your own,” Ismael said. “I think it’s pretty cool that he got that grant for his lab, I think that shows you how passionate he is.” Other students said Skouta’s way of teaching has motivated and inspired them to not give up on such a difficult field. “He is really involved with the students compared to other professors that I know and having professors like that really just pushes you to be better,” said Abimael Vasquez, senior chemistry major. “I like the way he teaches me and because of him I got to RISE (Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement) program, which pays you to do research.” There has been a huge improvement in the research on lung cancer and the lifestyle of cancer patients in the last 15 years, but he also said there is more work to be done, as thousands of people die each year in the U.S. because of it. According to the American Cancer Society, more than
222,500 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year and more than 155,000 lung cancer patients will die. “Lung cancer is the second killer in the U.S. and we still have a lot to do to understand how come we can’t overcome drug resistance or develop other drugs to cure this disease,” Skouta said. His motivation in lung cancer research comes from the high mortality of this disease and the effects it had on his life. “I had a family member who unfortunately died of lung cancer because the disease just moved all the way into the brain,” Skouta said. He doesn’t like to mention the name of the family member he lost and prefers to focus on the future and how he can help in the search for a cure. “Cancer is like a huge ocean, we have so many types of cancers that I wanted to put all my energy and efforts on one type of cancer to look for a cure,” he said. In 2016, the Lung Cancer Research Foundation received 180 applications from 120 institutions for a $150,000 grant to conduct research of this disease. Skouta was one on 15 researchers across the country who was awarded this grant. “We were able to demonstrate that UTEP can compete with top
and popular schools,” Skouta said. “UTEP has research opportunities that allow scientists and young researchers like me to do highquality research that will make a
TAKE
CARE OF YOUR
WATER
KEEP IT
CLEAN
difference in the future.” Skouta said he hopes to spend more years at UTEP and continue making a difference in his field. “I want to continue this kind
of research for more years and maybe have a breakthrough and discover something important at this institution,” Skouta said. Follow Rene Delgadillo on Twitter @rdelgadillonews
CLAUDIA HERNANDEZ / The Prospector Chemistry professor Rachid Skouta received more than $109,300 for a two-year study on lung cancer.
Do not dump waste, chemicals, paint, custodial waste, and general rubbish items (tires, old car parts, shopping carts, etc.) into storm drains, channels, or ditches. No tirar basura, aparatos electrodomésticos, muebles, llantas, y chatarra a canales y acequias del systema de drenaje pluvial.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH & SAFETY OFFICE
HERTZOG BUILDING ROOM 170 (915) 747-7124 EH&S@UTEP.EDU
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 No tapar el flujo pluvial a canales, alcantarillas y arroyos con basura. Disponga correctamente de basura vegetal (césped, ramas, y hojas) así como basura de construción.
Report illegal dumping in storm drains, culverts, or arroyos to UTEP EH&S. Reporte el veritdo illegal de residuosen los drenajes o arroyos al departamento EH&S en UTEP
Leave natural vegetation in place where possible to prevent erosion. Si es possible, deje crecer a vegetación en forma natural para evitar la erosion.
Properly dispose of hazardous wastes, pesticides, and fertilizers. Call UTEP EH&S to schedule waste pickups. Deseche correctamente los residuos peligrosos, pesticdas, y fertilizantes. Llama al departamento EH&S en UTEP y agendar fecha para recoger los desperdicios.
Recycle oil, antifreeze, and other vehicle fluids, or dispose of them properly to prevent the pollution of stormwater, groundwater and the Rio Grande. Recicle aceite, anti-congelate y lubricantes o disponga propiamente de ellos para prevenir contaminación de sistema de drenaje pluvial, mantos acuíferos y el Rio Bravo.
Storm drains are easily identified with “NO DUMPING” decals at stormwater inlets. Alcantarifado fe aguas pluviales es identeficado con anuncions de “NO REVERTIR DESECHOS AQUI”
THEPROSPECTOR
| 6 | NEWS
October 31, 2017
Question of the week
Do you believe in the paranormal?
Claudia Hernandez, Sergio Munoz / The Prospector
Bailee Rodriguez
Eduardo Castañeda
Christian Ruiz
Jonathan Chacon
Jensen Springer
“I believe in ghosts because I have had a few experiences and my family has too. Once I went to El Paso High and I saw a ghost there.”
“Yes, actually I do. I have had different experiences in high school and also I have seen different footage.”
“Yes, I do. I have had a few experiences in my high school. I haven’t experienced anything by myself, but I have seen it and it is enough for me.”
“I do believe, because I’ve had supernatural experiences.”
“Yes. I have never experienced it, but I know that exists because of the different shows that investigate paranormal situations.”
Lucero Limas
Natalia Raja
Tanya Montoya
Olga Acevedo
Oswaldo Ponce
“Yes and no. I work in the office of a non-profit organization, and we have the idea that there is a ghost inside since weird things have happened.”
“I honestly never thought about it, so I don’t know.”
“Yes, I do believe, because some spirits are stuck here in the normal world.”
“I do, I’ve had that side of me very sensitive since I was little.”
Sophomore music major
Senior biology and psychology major
Junior business major
Freshman education major
Senior criminal justice major
Senior criminal justice major
Sophomore pre-pharmacy major
Sophomore psychology major
Sophomore dance major
Freshman mechanical engineering major “Yes, because my family told me about their paranormal experiences.”
PAGE 7 october 31, 2017
entertainment
EDitoR
EDDIE VELAZQUEZ , 747-7446
RaNKiNg THE “amERiCaN HORROR STORy” SEaSONS By leslie sAriÑAnA The Prospector
mURDER HOUSE
The first and the best of the series. Murder House is nearly perfect. Ryan Murphy and Brad
FREaK SHOw
This is another one of those seasons in the series that started out incredibly strong, but then just fizzled out. However, it’s the incredible characters in Freak Show that put this one
COvEN
The best part of this season was the lack of male characters because the women carried
Falchuk set the bar extremely high with the starstudded cast and unique plot lines. When it first premiered, AHS was a series like no other. We get to see a family lose their minds inside their new LA home, where they relocate in order to erase the husband Ben’s affair and start over. The Rubber Man is now a staple of the series and an image we will never be able to get rid of. And who could forget the Piggy Man, or the birth of the anti-Christ! Murder House also introduced Evan Peters to many as the deeply disturbed Tate Langdon. It’s entertaining to see the house’s history
and how every character ended up trapped in there. It was an interesting choice by Murphy and Falchuk to have all of their characters killed off, but it was one that worked. The only flaw in this season is the somewhat lackluster ending.
higher on the list. Jessica Lange’s story line as Elsa Mars is one of the most surprisingly dark and intriguing ones. Elsa has everything that would make a character unlikable, but Lange makes us love her instead. Her unrelenting attempts at living out her dream of stardom after having gone through so much makes us secretly root for her. Dandy Mott, played by Finn Wittrock, is one of the best villains in the AHS series. He’s a manic rich kid with a fascination for freaks. The disturbed Dandy could have used a bit more character development, but he still remains among the best villains. Twisty the Clown is a close second as a villain, but his sad past human-
izes him. Twisty deserved a better ending and more screen time, but what little we did get was amazing. John Carroll Lynch was unrecognizable as the demented killer clown.
this one. It also featured some of the best performances by Angela Bassett and Gabourey Sidibe. The premise to Coven sounded so interesting, following a coven of Salem decedents at a witch academy, but it quickly disappointed. Coven had one of the most rushed season finales. For a show that was all about witches, the witches grew tired and boring as the season progressed. Characters would not stay dead as they would be killed off and brought back a few episodes later.
Bitchcraft opens up the
Best Episode: Episode 1, Bitchcraft
aSylUm
Best Episode: Episode 10, Smoldering Children
This is the best episode of the season because it’s full of twists and it gives great character development to Tate. We realize that Violet has actually been dead for a while as she finds her own body. We also get a better understanding of Tate’s evilness as it’s revealed that he’s responsible for Larry’s burns. Ben also discovers that Tate is the Rubber Man who got Vivien pregnant.
The only thing keeping Asylum from being the best season yet is the random and unnec-
ROaNOKE
Best Episode: Episode 1, Monsters Among Us The best opening episode of the entire AHS series. Without being given too much, we’re introduced to Elsa Mars, who runs one of the world’s last remaining freak shows in Jupiter, Fla., in 1952. We also get to see Twisty murdering a cookie cutter ‘50s picnicking couple (one of the best scenes in the season), conjoined twins Bette and Dot, a bearded lady and Jimmy Darling, a freak hoping to live a normal life. These characters and their deformities are enough to keep people watching. season with Zoe losing her virginity
and
A lot of people didn’t like Roanoke, but it has been one of the best seasons so far. It was a little confusing to follow who the actors and the real
HOTEl
accidently
killing her boyfriend after discovering she has hidden powers. She’s then sent to an all-girls private school that teaches young witches how to survive in the modern world. Here we meet the other girls and see what their powers are. It’s an exciting set up as it came off as more entertaining than dreary and dark. Kathy Bates was also welcomed to the AHS world with a terrifying introduction.
Okay, I know some of you may be judging me for putting this dead last, but the season started
essary alien plot line. But Asylum definitely lived up to the expectations following Murder House. It gave us the iconic Lana Winters, Bloody Face, Nazi doctors, demonic possessions and the Name Game song all set in a mental institution in the 1960s. We slowly get to see most of the characters become patients of the asylum, making this a more psychological horror rather than a strictly supernatural one. This is however, the scariest season of the series. There’s a deep sense of hopelessness for some these characters and also the most disturbing characters that make this season so compelling. Asylum also had an underlying message as it tells the story
of how people get cast out of society for being gay or lesbian or in an interracial relationship.
characters were, but the plot was meticulously thought out. When the season premiered, no one knew what it would be. Murphy had only been giving teasers, but never talked about what the theme would be. The mystery behind the show made it even more interesting to watch. This was different from the last four seasons as it had a meta theme of a show within a show. It had actors playing multiple roles in Roanoke, which they all did extremely well. We see characters face the violent ghosts of the Roanoke Colony and a cannibalistic family who lives nearby. Roanoke was one of the goriest on the AHS series. It was the epilogue ending that put Roanoke further down the list. We get every-
thing explained and tied together with a neat little bow. Having the series end that way was lackluster and took away from the disturbing theme the rest of the season followed.
out incredibly strong only to fall into a deep end, never to be remembered. The whole season was a mess with no concrete story arcs and flat storylines. We followed a serial killer, while Lady Gaga, a blood-sucking countess, kept turning nearly everyone she met. This was the first AHS without Jessica Lange and her absence hit hard. Although she won a Golden Globe for her performance, Lady Gaga couldn’t quite live up as the main character (yes, she was a main character). This was also one of Evan Peters’ weakest characters in all of the series. He played James March, a multimillionaire serial killer from the 1920s stuck living in his own hotel, one he built as a trap to satisfy his need to kill. He was more of a caricature than a villain.
The most interesting thing about Hotel was that it was the season that helped connect most of the previous seasons together. But it didn’t even feel scary like previous seasons have.
Best Episode: Episode 10, The Name Game
This episode has one of the most-remembered scenes in the series with Jude’s hallucination of a happy dance to “The Name Game.” We get to see Jude as a patient for the first time and go through electroconvulsive therapy. This episode also featured the deaths of Sister Mary Eunice and Dr. Arden. The Nazi doctor’s death was an intentional metaphor set up by Murphy, as he dies going into an oven after a possessed Sister Mary Eunice. Grace also gives birth to a baby she reveals to be Kit’s.
Best Episode: Episode 6, Chapter 6
This episode was a major shift in the season. We get to see completely different characters from the reenactors as they play the real version of themselves. Seeing the actors and their real-life counterparts together at the Roanoke house during the blood moon is one of the most fascinating twists of the season. It’s also revealed toward the end that over the course of the new series all but one of the participants died in the house and the series never made it to air.
Best Episode: Episode 9, Be Our Guest
Liz was the reason for this episode’s success. The transgender character was also one of the best characters of the season. In this final episode, we see her life come to an end after she asks the ghosts of Hotel Cortez to kill her when she finds that she has prostate cancer. The Countess (Gaga) returns to kill her and Tristan comes back as well. The highlight was the return of Billie Dean Howard from Murder House.
| 8 | ENTERTAINMENT
THEPROSPECTOR October 31, 2017
our view
Best and worst Halloween costumes at Malolam
claudia flores/ The Prospector Herds of people dressed in costumes and enjoyed the night for Malolam’s “El Cucuy” Halloween party. The bar offered $1,500 in prizes for different contests throughout the night.
THEPROSPECTOR
ENTERTAINMENT | 9 |
October 31, 2017
Videogames to scare yourself with during Halloween week By EDDIE VELAZQUEZ
The Prospector Editor’s Note: The “time it takes to beat” portion of this article was retrieved from howlongtobeat.com. 1- “Until Dawn”
Platform: Playstation 4 Developer: Supermassive Games Genre: Survival horror Time it takes to beat: Nine hours Number of players: single player
In “Until Dawn,” players are set in the shoes of a rotating cast of eight teenagers who decide to go to a Canadian ski resort in the fictional Blackwood Mountains. The group had previous history at that cabin, having witnessed the disappearance of a pair of twins who were part of the group just the year before. They are quickly attacked by a murderous psychopath and tasked with surviving until daylight. Because of its character dynamics, the game begs to be played multiple times to truly piece together the story. Additionally, certain moments in its nine-hour campaign will ask for the player to make a decision that drastically changes the course of their playthrough, making its player-choice feature an element that makes every run-through feel unique. The gameplay in “Until Dawn” is unconventional. While it does make use of the third-person perspective, it is not a shooter or an action game per se. The game is very much based
on confined exploration, quick-timeevents and decision making in terms of managing relationships between characters—sometimes evoking the feel of an interactive horror film. 2- “Dead Space” Platform: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC Developer: Visceral Games Genres: Third person shooter, survival horror Time to beat: 13 hours Number of players: single player
Set in the year 2508, the atmospheric and haunting “Dead Space” casts players in the role of space ship systems engineer Isaac Clarke, who is in charge of investigating a ravaging attack aboard the USG Ishimura. The Ishimura is a mining ship that was sent on a mission to mine ore from a planet, but had its crew viciously slaughtered by creatures known as “necromorphs”—reanimated human corpses. With the help of two of his crewmates, Clarke navigates the Ishimura finding clues about the origins of the necromorphs and the Ishimura’s actual mission. The enemy design is also remarkable, as the necromorphs look like eerie and demented human abominations. Due to players being used to always aiming at the enemies’ heads for a quick kill, this title forces players to sever the necromorphs’ limbs as the only way of vanquishing them. Another immersive factor in this game is Isaac Clarke himself and how his
role as an engineer affects the gameplay. Instead of displaying ammunition and Clarke’s life bar as a graphic, his suit displays a hologram that shows his health. The weapons in this game are futuristic engineering tools such as a plasma cutter—which resembles a welding tool— and a fire extinguisher that also functions as a flamethrower. 3- “Left 4 Dead 2” Platform: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC Developer: Valve Genre: First person shooter Time to beat: eight hours Number of players: two on the same console, up to eight online
As the title suggests, “Left 4 Dead 2” is best played in multiplayer. The online cooperative component has been critically acclaimed and continues to be one of the landmarks of online gaming. Players can assume the role of Rochelle, Coach, Nick or Ellis, a set of survivors immune to the “green flu.” This disease took over the country and turned those affected into zombies. As the survivors, the players have to make their way through the southern United States throughout the course of five different missions. The game is light in story, but the addictive and frantic gameplay more than make up for its simple plot. A small variety of guns and melee weapons make up the arsenal in the game, however the reduced selection makes every weapon feel different and unique, allowing for better strat-
egizing when fighting the hordes of the undead. Aside from the cooperative campaign gameplay, “Left 4 Dead 2” also features a competitive mode, where a set of four survivors faces a set of four special zombies. 4- “Alien: Isolation”
Platform: Xbox One, Playstation 4, PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 Developer: Creative Assembly Genre: Survival horror, stealth Time to beat: 18 hours Number of players: single player
Based on the popular movie franchise of the same name, “Alien: Isolation’s” tenebrous sound design and exceptional Xenomorph artificial intelligence make it the definitive videogame experience as far as the “Alien” universe goes. Playing as Amanda Ripley—daughter of “Alien” protagonist Ellen Ripley— players will have to evade and repel continuous attacks from the Xenomorphs aboard of the Sevastopol space station, as Amanda attempts to investigate her mother’s mysterious disappearance. The alien is the recurring enemy throughout the course of the 18-hour campaign. However, there is nothing predictable about his behavior and the ways in which it attacks the player. While there are ways to avoid the Xenomorph, no trick works twice. For example, after using storage lockers as a hiding spot, the alien will learn from this behavior and will start inspecting lockers more
frequently from that point on. Attacking it produces the same result. Weapons such as the flamethrower only work a couple of times before the alien adapts to the heat and starts resisting the fire. 5- “The Evil Within” Platform: Xbox One, Playstation 4, PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 Developer: Tango Gameworks Genre: Third person shooter, survival horror Time to beat: 16 hours Number of players: single player
“The Evil Within” is a return to form for survival horror games. The story focuses on detective Sebastian Castellanos, who is tasked with investigating a mass murder at Beacon Mental Hospital. After he is separated from his colleagues, Castellanos is attacked by a man with a chainsaw, setting the tone for the events to come. After trying to regroup with the other detectives, Dr. Marcelo Jimenez explains to him that a mysterious hooded figure known as Ruvik is stalking them and has the power to alter reality. One of the most interesting elements of this game is its vagueness in combat. The game is purposely scarce in ammo and does not mind leading the player down a stray path. The enemy design in “The Evil Within” is particularly creepy. The enemies tend to have procedurally generated designs— that way the player rarely gets to see the same enemy twice. Follow Eddie Velazquez on Twitter @ezvelazquez
THEPROSPECTOR
| 10 | ENTERTAINMENT
October 31, 2017
Cafe de Tolteca aims to become a venue known for their art and coffee go beyond just pastries. “We are in the process of getting our license so we can introduce more food into the menu,” she said. “Lately we have had the honor to provide venue services for many talents including many local and touring bands/musicians, as well as for recurring events such as our open mic series, a social senior group, and a new yoga group,” Uribe said. “We are pretty open to most things, we’ve hosted a grindcore band from Italy, a Midwestern pop-punk band, artists from the southwest, and other fun events like a Wes Anderson cosplay art show.”
Sergio Muñoz / The Prospector Cafe de Tolteca features organic ingredients on their menu such as raw honey and lavender
By Claudia flores The Prospector
Café de Tolteca is a new coffee place that brings together the familiar flavors of the Southwest and those unique to the El Paso region. Located at 602 Magoffin Ave., Ste. 1B, Café de Tolteca opened its doors back in March. “The opening of this coffee shop happened by both the preservation of the historic Toltec building and my passion for ecology, sustainable agriculture and food systems,” said Isabella Uribe, owner of Café de Tolteca. Uribe said the café is named after the Toltec building itself and that her family helped decide in the Spanish translation as a reference to the unique border community. Café de Tolteca offers a variety of drinks such as the honey latte, made
with raw organic honey, lavender latte, containing lavender extract and the cacao mocha prepared with raw cacao. Their signature drink is their arroz con café (rice and coffee) latte. “While I was traveling from state to state for years studying biology and different agricultural philosophies, I sometimes would feel nostalgic for the flavors of the southwest and family recipes,” Uribe said. “When I returned to my roots in El Paso, this remembered nostalgia is what inspired recipes such as the arroz con café, which I believe is considered our house drink.” Among the ingredients in their signature drink are steamed rice milk with cinnamon poured over espresso and homemade vanilla syrup. Uribe said this drink evokes a taste reminiscent to her grandmother’s arroz con leche.
Café de Tolteca also serves different alternatives to milk that include rice milk, coconut milk and soy milk. Bowie Bakery is currently partnered with Café de Tolteca, offering pastries and other baked goods. The café also expects to work with other local bakeries. Uribe also said that they are trying to expand their menu into food items that go beyond just pastries. “We are in the process of getting our license so we can introduce more food into the menu,” she said. “We are trying to work more with Adam Marshall, an awesome person, who runs Good Days Trading Company.” Besides serving coffee and pastries, Café de Tolteca provides evening events that features local artists and bands. Uribe also said that they are trying to expand their menu into food items that
The opening of this coffee shop happened by the preservation of the historic Toltec building and my passion for ecology, sustainable agriculture and food systems. - Isabella Uribe, owner of Cafe de Tolteca Freshman double major in physics and anthropology Lilli Ayoub attended the Wes Anderson cosplay show and said she is interested in supporting a local business that enables artists to thrive in the local art scene. “I like to support local businesses and they are also located in a historic build-
ing which is really interesting. I attended their Moonrise Kingdom costume party in June and a lot of my friends had an art show there,” Ayoub said. “I just think it is cool that they show a lot of the young aspiring artists’ work at the café. It is also great because you are contributing to El Paso’s economy through the cover fee, paying the artists and musicians. Ayoub noted the costume parties at Café de Tolteca as her favorite events. “These are people who are interested in making El Paso a hotspot for art, film, culture and music. I’d like to see them do more costume-related events because I like to dress up and see what creative costumes other people are wearing,” she said Open Mic series’ are a biweekly event on Thursdays at Café de Tolteca and the upcoming dates are Nov. 2 and 16. “That is something we conceptualized from the onset that we wanted to do and gotten together to do and it picked up a lot of interest so that is how we morphed into hosting other acts that were coming through,” Uribe said. “We get people who want to read their poetry and we get people coming in with their guitars ready to play their music. We are interested in growing as a venue, we want to do art crawls where we mix the performing artists with different artists who bring their art to showcase. We are looking to do another original themed event for thanksgiving.” Café de Tolteca is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Claudia Flores may be reached at theprospectordaily. ent@gmail.com.
PAGE 11 October 31, 2017
Sports
Editor
Jeremy Carranco, 747-7446
Jones returns to El Paso after strong NFL start
Gaby Velasquez / The Prospector Packers running back Aaron Jones returned to the Sun City and UTEP this past weekend.
By Mike Flores The Prospector
With only one week off from a busy 17-week NFL season, Aaron Jones decided to spend it in El Paso, the city that saw him grow as a player. The former Burges Mustang and all-time leading rusher in UTEP football history, was picked in the 2017 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round as the 182nd overall pick. Jones’ first stop back in the Sun City was at Andress High School to support Burges in a battle of two undefeated district 1-5A teams. The last time his Mustangs beat the Eagles was when Jones was still in high school.
Along with leading the Burges team out onto the field and giving them a pep talk before the game, Jones was bombarded by fans from his first step onto the field to his last. “You see all these little kids and they look up to me. All I can say is ‘wow,’” Jones said in awe of the support he receives from El Paso. “I was once in their shoes. It’s a crazy feeling.” And for the first time ever, Jones has been away from his family and his twin brother Alvin, who is still at UTEP playing linebacker. What Jones missed most came as no surprise. “I miss my family, number one, my brother, and I just miss the people here in El Paso. I also miss the food.
The first thing I ate when I got back was tacos,” Jones said. “It was a little tough at first being away from him (Alvin) and adjusting at first, but we’re on the phone all the time together. He was over there (Wisconsin) last weekend and I’m here now. We just have to make the most of it together.” This season has been the Miners’ first season without Jones and the team is 0-8 overall with no answers on offense. Although Jones is aware his former teammates won’t be heading to a bowl game this season, he knows that there is still a lot to play for and hopes they never give up despite how the season looks. In anticipation of Jones’ return to the Sun Bowl to cheer on Alvin and the rest of the Miners, 1,000 fans were given a free Aaron Jones bobblehead. Jones thrived on the playing gridiron in college, and he’s on the right track in his short NFL career to do the same on that level. It’s week eight of the NFL season and no one outside of El Paso expected Jones to accomplish what he’s already have. Two NFL Rookie of the Week honors, one Ground Player of the Week beating out the likes of Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell and Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott with 346 total rushing yards and three touchdowns. “It’s amazing. It all starts with the fans; without their votes, I wouldn’t be here,” Jones said. “I give all the thanks to them.” When the Packers first suited up against the Seahawks to begin the 2017-18 NFL season, Jones was over-
looked and didn’t suit up as one of the 53-man roster. Instead, Jones had to watch and patiently wait for his turn to show what he has in store. Come week four on a Thursday night battle between the Packers and the Bears—one of the NFL’s greatest rivalries—Jones began the night as the third-string running back behind Ty Montgomery and Jaamal Williams. But later in the game, both Montgomery and Williams were forced to come out due to game-ending injuries—the only running back left on the roster was Jones.
I miss my family number one, my brother and I just miss the people here in El Paso. Aaron Jones -Former UTEP running back And that’s all Jones needed—a chance. “My teammates already knew I could play. They saw me in practice before,” Jones said. “All my teammates are just proud of me and always tell me how happy they are for me.”
The following week, Jones received his first career start for the Packers against none other than his favorite team growing up—the Dallas Cowboys. Since his 125 yards and one touchdown performance against the Cowboys, there was no denying that Jones belonged in the NFL. Jones got his chance and was not going to give it back. “I knew when I got the chance to make the most out of it and don’t give the job back, really,” Jones said. “I want to be on the field and I know you have to produce to be on the field. I want to do some of the things I did at UTEP—be a big play production player.” According to Jones, his biggest learning curve from the college level to the professional level was the playbooks. In college, there was one playbook to learn, but in the NFL there’s a different playbook every week, with different plays and strategies based on which team they have coming up next. After the bye week, Jones and the Packers will be back at it in a crowded NFC North race. Green Bay’s next game will be at Lambeau Field against their division rivals the Lions. But before Jones goes back to work, he had one message for the people in El Paso. “Thank you for the support, El Paso. I love you guys,” Jones said. Follow Mike Flores on Twitter @MikeyTheReal.
Miners hope for efficiency improvement against Blue Raiders By adrian broaddus The Prospector
The UTEP Miners (0-8, 0-4 C-USA) are entering their ninth game of the season with hopes to complete four quarters of football, as they travel to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on Saturday, Nov. 2, to take on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. Coming off a 31-14 loss to UTSA, interim head coach Mike Price is calling for his team to try and execute a complete game on all sides of the ball. “We’re trying to put together a game of four quarters,” Price said. “I thought our defense played good enough to win (against UTSA). On offense, we’re playing a little better each game. This team is getting better each week.” Throwing optimism aside, Price emphasized the words “A little”when talking about his offense’s improvement. The Miners coaching staff chose Zack Greenlee to start the game last Saturday, but he struggled through the air, only completing eight-of-29 passes for 133 yards. However, Price said that this week’s quarterback decision is still up in the air. Ryan Metz, the team’s starter at the start of the season, was benched against UTSA because Price believed he didn’t have a good week of practice. “Zack had a rough night at the beginning (against UTSA),” he said. “They’re going to have to put more work on their part to prepare. I like to have one guy at quarterback and stick with him. One guy (should) get 75 percent of the reps at practice. That’s my thinking. We haven’t been doing that. It’s a yo-yo combo right now.” Price’s description was spot on since the offense started the season with
Metz, but he got hurt midway into the season, leaving Greenlee to go in. When Greenlee was hurt in the Southern Miss game, Metz came back in. The coaching staff in return decided to go with Greenlee for UTSA after he got healthy again. Similarly, the running back situation is still going to be evaluated throughout practice as the usual starting running back Quadraiz Wadley is still battling a leg injury. Price said he wouldn’t bet on Wadley returning for Saturday’s game against MTSU. However, Price did not seem entirely fixated on worrying about a player’s status. He is more focused on the production they bring to the game. “Been through a lot of adversity, overcame a lot and everyone here is giving their best,” Price said. “Effort is not the problem. We’re not executing things that need executing.” In terms of preparation, Price talked about the changes the program has made during practices, but he wants to implement more four-quarter drills that place both sides of the ball in realgame scenarios. One of the hardest adjustments, where he sympathizes with the players, is the offensive changes the team has had to adapt to. They have dealt with offensive coaching from former head coach Sean Kugler, former offensive coordinator Brent Pease, current offensive coordinator Brian Natkin and himself. Among the team’s efforts in progressing offensively, true freshman running back Joshua Fields had a nice outing against UTSA, with 41 yards and a touchdown off 11 carries. “I like Josh Fields,” Price said. “Biggest problem freshman have is blocking
Gaby Velasquez / The Prospector The UTEP football team is winless at 0-8 and sits last in the FBS in total offense. for passes. He did well and he’s not real huge. He comes into the game and I’m really pleased with his progression.” Even though Middle Tennessee is 3-5 (1-3 C-USA), they are still looking to close the season with bowl hopes in mind. Along with the Miners, the Blue Raiders will face Old Dominion and Charlotte in the coming weeks, which are two of the three worst teams in the conference. They are coming off a bye week and are also coming off a big 38-10 loss to Marshall. Although they’ve been struggling at the quarterback position, the team is looking to possibly get back
standout quarterback Brent Stockstill for this week’s matchup. Stockstill is actually head coach Rick Stockstill’s son and is one of the program’s all-time leading passers. His 12,461 career passing yards are also on pace to put him in the top 25 all-time passing yards in NCAA history. The Miners will prepare for backup quarterback John Urzua until MTSU announces whether or not Stockstill will play, according to Price. Middle Tennessee is not just an airraid team, however. They’ve been very efficient on the ground, averaging 200.9 yards a game. They are led by true freshman running back Brad Ander-
son, who leads the team with 418 rushing yards and three total touchdowns. “He reminds me of Howard Jackson,” Price said, comparing Anderson to his former UTEP standout running back. “This guy is real good.” Both teams have won one game against each other, but haven’t met up in three seasons. The Miners won 2421 during the last time they squared off in 2014. Kickoff between the two is set for 5:30 p.m. MT and will be televised on beIN Sports Connect. Follow Adrian Broaddus on Twitter @adrian_broaddus.
THEPROSPECTOR
| 12 | SPoRtS
october 31, 2017
women’s soccer wraps up 2017 season No recruits, big problem
fILe PhoTo / The ProsPecTor The UTEP women’s soccer team finises the 2017 season at 8-11 overall.
By dAniel Mendez The Prospector
The UTEP women’s soccer team ended their season with a 2-1 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners on Friday, Oct. 27. The Miners concluded their season on a high note after dropping five of their previous six contests. The team’s final mark in 2017 was a record 8-11 overall and 4-6 in Conference USA play. “Obviously, we always contend for a championship and that’s our goal is to win a championship,” senior forward Jeanna Mullens said. “But you know we have a really young team and I think it was great to have a lot of them get a lot of game experience and play a lot of minutes.” The young Miners team, lead by head coach Kevin Cross, suited up a total of 27 members. Twelve were freshmen, eight sophomores, three seniors and four juniors. The team looks forward to using that learning experience next season as they hope to contend for a conference championship. The freshmen came out to play for Cross this season. Anna Jimmerson and Vic Bodhan proved to be top scoring threats for the Miners. Jimmerson scored five goals and Bodhan scored six goals in the season. Combined with senior Kennadie Chaudhary’s four goals, the three accounted for 16 of UTEP’s 27 goals this season.
Bohdan and Jimmerson led the Miners with six goals each, followed by Chaundhary with four and Lauren Crenshaw with three. Cayla Payne, Aylin Villabos and Danielle Carreon each scored two goals. Jackie Soto and April Pate each scored one. The team as a whole accounted for 69 points. Bodhan led the team with four assists, followed by Crenshaw with three. Payne accounted for two and Villabos, along with Soto, helped the squad out with one assist each. Bohdan topped the squad in assists–four shots with 47, while 24 of them have been on goal. Coach Cross joined elite company this season, becoming a member of the 200-win club at UTEP. He got his 200th victory in a 2-1 game against Stephen F. Austin. His combined record is 204-119-23 with a 62.5 win percentage. The only other head coach to gain over 200 wins in athletics is the legendary late basketball coach Don Haskins (719-354). Despite not playing the last couple games due to an injury, junior goalkeeper Alyssa Palacios compiled 98 saves (first in C-USA/19th in the nation) in 2017. She matched her career high twice in saves this season, 10 against both New Mexico on Aug. 27 and Old Dominion on Oct. 1. Palacios started the season in fourth place all-time with a total
of 341 saves, but has now climbed to second-best all-time this season. She only trails school record holder Amanda Smith, who earned a total of 438 in 1996-99. Another highlight for Palacios was three shutout performances this season. The mark moved her up to 18 shutouts in her career, which ties her for third all-time in school history for the most shutout performances. The Miners’ peak level of greatness this season was a five-game winning streak that followed the season-opening five-game skid, with the first four coming in overtime, a program first. The losing streak ended with a hard-fought 1-0 win against UAB on Sept. 22. During the five-game winning streak, the Miners outscored the opposition 16-2, which included three shutout victories. It was the first time in school history the Miners started at least five games below .500 and managed to get back even. As this season went on, it showed that the young Miners were ready to compete. Five games were decided in overtime or double overtime. “You know we learned a lot about the team and it’s sad us seniors are moving on, but I think next year is going to be really great because a lot of these younger players have gotten good experience on the field,” Mullen said. Another positive was when UTEP burned Division 2 New Mexico Highlands 8-0, on Sept. 13. It marked the largest shutout victory at the school since an 11-0 win against Grambling State in 2006. Additionally, the eight goals tied as the eighth-most in a single game in program history. Seven different Miners scored in the contest. “We have a great incoming class, so integrating the incoming freshmen is going to be a big part of our success as a team next season,” Mullen said. “Our unity as a team is something we could definitely work on. The teams that do the best come together and are usually like a family, so that’s what we’ve been doing here.” Follow daniel Mendez on Twitter @dmendez24.
By AdriAn BroAddus The Prospector
Last week Evan TafoyaVallo, a senior linebacker and guard at Rio Rancho High School in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, decommitted from joining UTEP’s football team after graduation. No problem, UTEP always loses one or two commits before signing season starts. They will be fine without this multi-talented athlete, who can play offense or defense. Yes, it might be all right, if only they actually had another commit. At 0-8, UTEP football has been nothing less than disappointing this season—most coaches, players and fans would agree, to say the least. The fact that Athletic Director Bob Stull announced his retirement in August and they still do not have a replacement yet when it is almost November is frightening. With former head coach Sean Kugler’s departure midway through the season, it still seems like the program is far from searching for a new head coach. But what adds the icing to the downfall cake of this program is the fact that the program is entering November with no 2018 commits. To put that into perspective, every single program in Conference USA has at least one more recruit under their belts, according to 24/7 Sports. Even the two teams at the bottom of the C-USA standings—along with UTEP—Old Dominion and Charlotte, have 12 and eight commits so far. Most coaches will agree that it takes about three years for a coach to settle in with a new program and find their niche with the team. But how can a coach establish any sort of program with no recruits? How does UTEP hope to attract coaches to their program when coaches can see how much of a rut the program seems to be in? The Miners will lose 10 of 22 current starters after this season to graduation. With new coaching changes and such a tough season, there’s also
the possibility of some players deciding to leave the program. It’s understandable that the coaching staff is short-handed, thus making it more difficult to recruit. It’s understandable that high school recruits, who may have talked with the program, don’t want to come to UTEP. It’s even understandable if the coaches may not want to focus their energy on finding players, but focus on getting their names out in the coaching pool in case the new coach cleans house during the off-season. But what isn’t understandable is how passive the athletic department is being about this. The front office is not only tainting UTEP’s recruiting numbers, but also potentially harming the program for years on end by not actively helping the program recruit. Time is running out and the athletic department has two options at this point. First, they could actively pursue an athletic director, who in turn aggressively searches for a head coach to fill the program’s vacancy by mid-November, thus allowing the coach to actively grab high school recruits. But the second and more probable option that the department seems to be taking at this point is being remarkably inactive about this matter, which will cause even less players to want to join the team. Last year, the Miners received only 17 signed players on the team, with just three players having any stars on their recruiting name. Don’t be surprised if come February, that number is cut in half when and if the program doesn’t find some answers. . Follow Adrian Broaddus on Twitter @adrian_broaddus