Attend an open forum:

Monday, March 1
12:00 pm- 1:30 pm
Morgan – Roderick Auditorium
College of Health Science

Tuesday, March 2
2:00 pm- 3:30 pm
Union Cinema
Union East Building

Tuesday, March 4
1:30 pm- 3:00 pm
Blumberg Auditorium
University Library

Monday, March 8
12:00 pm- 1:30 pm
Union Cinema
Union East Building

If passed, the Campus Life and Athletic Enhancement Initiative will take take effect Fall 2011.

Online voting begins March 10th at 8 am and ends on March 11th  5 pm.
Text of the referendum is available at http://www.utep.edu/sga

Start Date: 3/9/2010

End Date: 3/9/2010

Time: 10:00AM

UTEPIA The Perfect UTEP Event

10:00AM – 2:30PM -UTEP Geology Building Lawn

The Campus Activities Board (CAB) announces the return of the second annual UTEPIA set to take place Tuesday, March 9, 2010. UTEPIA is a block party-styled event held on the Geology Lawn that features an innovative fashion show and a Battle of the Bands.

Partakers of UTEPIA will be awarded with an assortment of free accessories & giveaways including sunglasses, dog tags and masks, all of which revolve around this year’s theme: Dirty, Beautiful, Rich.

The Battle of the Bands will consist of six performers in a Warped Tour style competition wherein one act performs while the next sets-up. The acts will be:

• Low Luster League
• Dark Aria
• Akardia
• Adair Lion
• Manhattan Project
• Sheeple

CAB is located in 111 Union West. For more information regarding UTEPIA and other CAB events, please visit us online at studentaffairs.utep.edu/cab. or call
Phone: (915) 747-7906

I have lived in the border region for more than two decades and yet the region still surprises me with places I never knew existed. When I enrolled in college, I decided to find local fun and interesting places. There are fantastic places hidden around town. These places tell a rich story about the community and its culture, and they prove that there is more to do than go to the mall and the movies. I call these places “secret treasures” because most are unknown to the locals.

Memorial Park

Memorial Park, one of the largest parks in town, is conveniently located in a central location. The park is not a fully kept secret because most cities have their own version of a “Memorial Park.” However, only a few people I have talked to know where the park is.

Many large and old trees inhabits the park, which is an impressive sight in our desert region. It is a fantastic place to go to for a picnic, a photo shoot, or to walk pets. Nearby trains occasionally pass and break the park’s gentle silence with a brief exciting uproar. If somebody wishes to enjoy a childhood cliché, they can cautiously place quarters on the tracks and wait patiently for the next train to squash them (I have always wanted to do this). There are also two rock wall bridges. One bridge has an arch, a perfect place for kids to play and let their imaginations roam.
The park is perfect for dates (just think of romantic comedies). For those off the market, the park is also a great place to spark romance with their significant other.

Finally, the park is next to the public library, which is another great place to visit.

View Larger Map

Information: 747-7043 or wdelgadillo@utep.edu

EPT will publish a more in-depth piece tomorrow. For more information, read a blog that discusses Texas tuition hikes by Krista Martinez, Regional Identity author.

One interviewee, Joe Lopez, CEO of Lopez Marketing Group, said El Paso businesses “can compete with national businesses if given the chance.” He also said most El Pasoans would be willing to pay a little more for a product if they knew it was supplied by a local company.

Lopez’s remarks beg the question, if El Paso businesses can compete with national businesses, why aren’t they? Is it because of inefficient UTEP bureaucracy? Possibly, but probably not.  It is in an organization’s best interests, especially during a recession, to reduce costs in order to maximize profit. Local businesses do not have the the economies of scale to challenge national competitors, thus local businesses find themselves forced out of the market. Simply put, UTEP contracts nationally because it is cheaper to do so.

Some argue that UTEP, being a state-funded institution, should consider (pricier) local contracts in an effort to help its local economy. Although UTEP’s food service contractor, Sodexo, does buy some local products, “buy local” proponents do not believe UTEP buys enough. Paradoxically, El Paso benefits when UTEP takes on (cheaper) national contracts. Because UTEP seeks cheaper goods and services through Sodexo, the University is able to offer cheaper food to UTEP students. Consequently, since UTEP students spend less on Sodexo’s burritos and pizza, they have more money to spend on local businesses.

Lopez claims El Pasoans would pay more for locally produced goods. Although this may be true for some El Pasoans, this does nothing to influence UTEP business. Until UTEP students protest Sodexo-produced food in favor of local suppliers, UTEP has no incentive to offer more costly products.

If local firms want to compete with national contracts, they must offer a cheaper or a better product or service. If a business can offer neither, frankly, they should not be in competition.

Staying alive in a recession can be done by following common knowledge, stocking up on high dividend utility companies and non-cyclical shares. But why not profit? Shorting cyclical shares sounds good but too risky. There are several ways to profit without shorting.

As signs of a recession appear, investors become risk-adverse; they start adjusting for risk by discounting bigger risk from stocks, lowering shares’ prices. So if volatility is considered a measure of risk, volatility rises therefore option prices increase. Buying out of the money puts sounds like a good idea, building long straddles, that is buying a put and a call at the same strike price, even better. Not into options? With increasing financial products you can find volatility-packaged ETFs such as the VXX. That sounds profitable.

As the saying goes “as GM goes so goes the nation”, lets short automakers! Wait… we said no shorting. If consumers stop buying cars because of the fear of unemployment, they’ll keep their same car; but keeping your old car comes with a price: repairs, part replacements, new tire, AutoZone (AZO), Advanced Auto Parts (AAP), etc. Yup, they profit from it, you should too.

Monetary policy is considered a good way to stimulate the economy. In a recession the Fed is likely to lower interest rates. Since bonds & yields move inversely, buying some t-bills for a short-term profit sounds good. After all, the golden rule is buy low sell high! Even if you get it wrong you keep the interest. Many pros say “don’t turn a trade into an investment”, but its ok to have a fall back plan so go ahead and keep the interest and don’t feel bad.

What I like to call the Ultimate recession portfolio is having 96% of 5% coupon rate treasuries, held to maturity, and 4% options. Considering an increase in volatility, the options can bring huge profits, giving you the upside. Out of luck and the timing was not right? The interest payment from the bonds will keep your portfolio alive (96 *1.05= 100.8), never loosing a penny (interest rate fluctuations ignored since HTM).  With current 10-yr t-bill rates at 3.78% it’s a good idea to wait for interest rates to go up.

Predicting a recession is an art, which apparently many people are not good at it. Knowing what to do once you have spotted a recession is easy by having a recession plan.

RegionalIdentity.com (Ri) is a not an investment advisor, nor are its contributors.

Ri (and its contributors) invokes the “publisher’s exclusion” from the definition of “investment adviser” as provided under Section 202(a)(11) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and corresponding state securities laws. Ri occassionally offers impersonalized investment-related advice to its web users and is not tailored to the specific investment needs of current and/or prospective subscribers. Active trading is not for everyone, so make sure you speak with an investment advisor and determine if you ever have a question about Ri posts.

The event is at 11 AM to 12:30 PM
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Soho Cocktail Lounge 500 N. Oregon

Info: www.feelyourboobies.com

This leadership experience offers college students flexible workshops and activities to develop knowledge, skills and gain confidence in their leadership abilities.

February 27- March 6
Pre-Conference: February 27- March 3, 2010
Conference Kick-Off: March 3, 2010 at 6 PM

To register:
www.utep.edu/shapeyourlife