EDITORIAL: Student loan forgiveness on horizon under new administration

12Feb

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EDITORIAL: Student loan forgiveness on horizon under new administration

EDITORIAL: Student loan forgiveness on horizon under new administration By Brittany Stubblefield-EngramBridge Staff WriterPublished Friday, Feb. 12, 2021 The push for federal student loan forgiveness has begun. “OK, now let’s cancel them,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., tweeted out on Jan. 20 after newly sworn-in President Joe Biden announced student loan forgiveness as part of the administration’s first 100-day agenda. With nearly a half million likes and more than 50,000 retweets, it is the cry of many Gen Xers and Millennials alike. The temporary suspension of payments and interest on federal student loans, due to COVID-19, was set to expire at the end of January after an extension was granted by former President Donald Trump. Following a request from Biden, the Dep...

Petition signers urge University to reconsider face-to-face labs

11Feb

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Academia, Education, Health, News, On Campus

Petition signers urge University to reconsider face-to-face labs

Petition signers urge University to reconsider face-to-face labs By David Gomez Jr.Editor-in-chiefPublished Friday, Feb. 12, 2021 At nearly 3,000 signatures on Change.org, TAMIU is facing criticism from the student body for allowing the continuance of face-to-face labs. “What I would like to happen is for the University to keep all of [its] courses online to stop the potential spread of [COVID-19],” sophomore criminal justice major Karen Gonzalez said. “A small risk is still a risk at the end of the day.” She persists her advocacy for online courses at Texas A&M International University since she fell ill to COVID-19 before. “I’ve personally been impacted horrendously by COVID last August right after giving birth and being hospitalized myself,” Gonzalez added. Since ...

25Jan

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Academia, Education, Humans of TAMIU, News, Professor Profile

TAMIU faculty members receive OTotY, DTotY awards

TAMIU faculty members receive OTotY, DTotY awards By David Gomez Jr.Editor-in-chiefPublished Monday, Jan. 25, 2021 Two TAMIU faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences received honors based on their teaching strengths. In late 2020, the Outstanding Teacher of the Year award went to Assistant Professional Charlene K. Summers and the Distinguished Teacher of the Year award went to Associate Professor Aaron Olivas, both in the Department of Humanities at Texas A&M International University. Rolando Santos | TAMIU Public RelationsAssistant Professional and Interim Director of the First-Year Writing Program Charlene K. Summers received the Outstanding Teacher of the Year award. “I felt an incredible boost of morale when I received the news,” Olivas emailed The Br...

9Nov

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Academia, Education, News, On Campus

No classes after Thanksgiving

No classes after Thanksgiving By Juan BarreraBridge contributing writerPublished Monday, Nov. 9, 2020 The Fall 2020 semester nears its end with some differences to the final-examination period before the winter break. Texas A&M International University offered new TAMIU Flex and hybrid classes, along with online courses, for students’ choice regarding the attendance of lectures in person or from home. Along with this, students were notified prior to the start of the semester that they would not be required to come back to campus after Thanksgiving Break. “We have modified our teaching to provide students with a choice of when and where they participate in most of their classes,” Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas R. Mitchell said in an email to The Brid...

Recorded lectures not returning in winter or spring semesters

9Nov

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Academia, Education, News, On Campus

Recorded lectures not returning in winter or spring semesters

Recorded lectures not returning in winter or spring semesters By David Gomez Jr.Editor-in-chiefPublished Monday, Nov. 9, 2020 Students voice growing concerns as the University takes away recorded lectures for the upcoming winter and spring semesters. The announcement was made Monday, Oct. 19, by Texas A&M International University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas R. Mitchell, via e-mail to all students and faculty. “We do not do things arbitrarily, and we understand that some of our decisions will not be universally popular,” emailed Mitchell to The Bridge. “We believe with great conviction, however, that this change is in the best interest of the education of our students.” The decision did not sit well with many students who then expressed their c...

21Sep

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Academia, Alumni, Education, Humans of TAMIU

ALUMNI SUCCESSES: Online learning tries parents, teachers

ALUMNI SUCCESSES: Online learning tries parents, teachers By Matthew BalderasBridge OmbudsmanPublished Monday, Sept. 21, 2020 Think back to when most people received their first mobile phone. If it was 1973, it was probably as long as a briefcase and so thick it wouldn’t even fit in a pocket. In today’s modern world, people often say that children are born with technology in their hands, but did that prepare them for online learning? 2013 alumni graduate, Juan J. Martinez Jr. who currently works at Communities in Schools in San Antonio as the Physic Coordinator, shares his students’ and teachers’ struggles. “Many teachers [and] many educators thought students were going to simply be able to transfer from at-school to at-home very easily, but they are struggling big time,” M...

21Sep

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Academia, Alumni, Education, News, On Campus

Spring, fall commencements canceled

Spring, fall commencements canceled By Niurka RochaBridge Staff WriterPublished Monday, Sept. 21, 2020 For possibly the first time in its history, TAMIU canceled commencement exercises two regular semesters in a row. After an initial Spring 2020 commencement delay due to the pandemic, Texas A&M International University canceled its planned August makeup for spring along with its fall ceremony. “In light of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the City, continuing closure of the Sames Auto Arena and our City’s prohibitions on gatherings of more than six people, the University regretfully has no choice but to cancel our planned Aug. 13, 2020, Commencement Ceremony,” TAMIU President Pablo Arenaz wrote in a web site letter addressed to all TAMIU 2020 graduates and candidates for...

CARES Act provides campus loaner laptops

14Sep

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Academia, Education, Finance, Health, News, On Campus, Science and Tech

CARES Act provides campus loaner laptops

CARES Act provides campus loaner laptops By Gabriela ChapaBridge Staff InternPublished Monday, Sept. 14, 2020 Purchasing 500 laptops for its new Student Loaner Laptop Program, TAMIU helps students continue course attendance during the fall semester. As the times continue to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the return to face-to-face classes, Texas A&M International University released a new program where students can check out a laptop for the semester. The Student Loaner Laptop Program was created through the TAMIU CARES Program with the goal of helping students who struggle with technology and want to continue their classes. TAMIU purchased these devices that are being distributed to students. Students enrolled in both Fall and Spring semesters will be able to kee...

Prestigious conference awards TAMIU psychology graduate students

14Sep

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Academia, Education, News, On Campus

Prestigious conference awards TAMIU psychology graduate students

Prestigious conference awards TAMIU psychology graduate students By Angela K. CarranzaAssistant EditorPublished Monday, Sept. 14, 2020 Five TAMIU students recently earned recognition from one of the highest professional organizations in their chosen career field. From Aug. 6-9, the American Psychology Association held its yearly conference which included five TAMIU Master of Counseling Psychology graduate students who won poster awards. Evelyn Campos and Alejandro Flores received Division 49’s Society of Group Psychology and Group Psychotherapy Poster of the Year Award for promoting diversity and social justice. Their poster was called “Psychoeducational Groups for Latinos: Group Cohesion’s Influence on Fostering Safe Learning Environments.” Submitted photoAlejandro Flores,...

ALUMNI SUCCESSES: Alumnus lives TAMIU international mission, makes impact

14Sep

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Academia, Alumni, Education, Humans of TAMIU, International Affairs

ALUMNI SUCCESSES: Alumnus lives TAMIU international mission, makes impact

ALUMNI SUCCESSES: Alumnus lives TAMIU international mission, makes impact By Matthew BalderasBridge OmbudsmanPublished Monday, Sept. 14, 2020 [Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of profile articles on the successes of various TAMIU alumni, written by a TAMIU alumnus who recently returned to his alma mater to work on a graduate degree. Matthew Balderas is also a former editor-in-chief of The Bridge.] First-generation college graduate Osvaldo "Ozzy" Guzman describes getting accepted into TAMIU as one of his family's most significant accomplishments. After graduation, he continues to raise that bar ever higher. "I had taken a lot of the experiences that I had undergone in my undergraduate studies,” Guzman said. “I got to be exposed to a lot of leadership [and] I got a l...

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