Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Our Interview with Texas Southmost College Trustee Ed Rivera

Mean Mister Brownsville, TSC Trustee Ed Rivera

"I grew up behind this school on Illinois Ave.  Back then it was unpaved and we dealt with that," Ed Rivera told a group of 400 Lopez High School seniors Monday.  "I went to Texas Southmost College because it was affordable, then got financial aid from Shell Oil Company to attend the University of Houston.  Later, I paid my way through the Masters Program at Harvard University, but TSC was my stepping stone. . . . . . . I'm just like all of you.  If I can do it, you can do it."
Since being sworn in by Congressman Filemon Vela at the Gorgas Board Room, February 20, 2014, Rivera has sort of hit the ground running. He's discussed curriculum with the dean, met with TSC President Lily Tercero and BISD Superintendent Dr. Carl Montoya about dual enrollment, been "Principal for a Day" at Porter High School and talked with Lopez High School seniors about higher education.

Rivera sees the obvious two tiers of prospective students at TSC, then adds a third tier:  "I see those, like me, who want to use TSC as a steppingstone, attend two years, then transfer to UT-RGV, the University of Texas, Notre Dame or even Seattle University, those seeking a nursing certificate or another skill requiring an Associate Degree and also, those who do not initially seek a four year degree, but can be convinced to do so once they attend and gain confidence."

"What we must do at Texas Southmost College, is keep the tuition affordable.  That's why I was able to go.  It was affordable.  We've already lowered tuition, and, as we increase enrollment, we will continue to do so," Rivera continued.

 Rivera later texted: "I went to Porter High School and picked up the dual enrollment pamphlet.  Dual enrollment is open to anyone who passes the TSI test.  One need only apply, take the test, pass the courses.  Hope this answers your question.  Enrollment(at TSC) is up over 4,000.  We expect a 15 to 20% bump next semester.  Dual enrollment will help our efforts.  I will get an answer to your question about the faculty.  

Best,  Ed"

We had asked Rivera about dual enrollment and interchangeable faculty between UTB and TSC.  

Rivera, appointed to fill out the last four months of the four year term of Dr. Robert Lozano, is now seeking election.  Early voting runs April 28 through May 6 with Election day on May 10.


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19 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 22, 2014 at 4:27 PM

    No one knows what a snow-white donkey was trying to get from JCPenney, but Animal Care Officers had to “hoof it” to catch him Tuesday morning in the parking lot of the Sunrise Mall, officials said. The first calls came in about 7 a.m., when people spotted the donkey in a grassy area. The donkey then went into the parking lot and headed for the department store, said Lisa Navarro, ACS spokeswoman. Mall security officers spotted the donkey and tied him to a light pole. “He was hanging in the parking lot,” Navarro said. “Real sweet guy. ... There wasn't any drama associated with it until we got there.” A pair of ACS officers showed up and started removing the donkey's tether to lead him into a livestock trailer, Navarro said. At that point, the donkey bolted, leading the officers on a brief chase through the parking lot. Once caught, the donkey remembered to be stubborn, refusing to board the trailer. The officers called for backup, and the donkey was eventually corralled after a few nudges, Navarro said. "Once he was there, he was OK,” she added. “The fact that nobody's been kicked is pretty indicative of a sweet disposition.” ACS has named the burro “Jimmychanga,” and they estimate he is 5 years old. Officers do not know where he came from, although Navarro noted there is a wooded area behind the mall.

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  2. AnonymousApril 22, 2014 at 4:35 PM

    Todos estos pedorros valen sebo! Ed Rivera is a country club dude. What the fuck do you think he cares about young people? Nada. Chinguen sus madres todos los politicos. Me la pelan!.

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousApril 22, 2014 at 6:51 PM

      Whoa, Nelly! Ed Rivera gets smoked from the cheap seats in the balcony. Ha ha ha ha ha Pobre menso.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousApril 22, 2014 at 7:20 PM

    Juan Montoya for mayor! El que toma, no broma!

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  4. AnonymousApril 22, 2014 at 11:32 PM

    To anonymous who declared Ed Rivera as a country club dude. Grow an pair and run for office. You lack backbone. All you are good for is popcorn eating senseless rhetoric. If you care so much for young people volunteer for some civic duty as opposed to wasting electrons on the internet making yourself look like the loser you are. We his friends realize that for once we have a candidate who merits the position and sincerely cares for the college. Go to the zoo and feed the pigeons. You will be more useful.

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  5. AnonymousApril 23, 2014 at 12:19 AM

    Wonder if Adela was just out of frame coaching him on what to say. Sad interview even with Jimbo's softball, amateur questions.

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    1. Jim BartonApril 23, 2014 at 12:33 AM

      Formulate some professional questions for Ed and I will pass them along, that is, if you're able.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousApril 23, 2014 at 9:49 AM

      Sarcasm, Jim. Speaks about your temperament.

      Delete
    3. Jim BartonApril 23, 2014 at 10:46 AM

      That's ok, 7:49 AM. Just as I expected you have nothing. In fairness, I just wanted to give you an opportunity to prove it.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousApril 23, 2014 at 7:12 AM

    Nothing unusual in this candidate, nothing to make me think he's different from all the other coyotes.

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  7. AnonymousApril 23, 2014 at 7:33 AM

    Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott, the front-runner for governor, opposes a statewide ban on texting while driving. His position is unfortunate for all Texans, but particularly teens and young adults. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 3,000 people lost their lives in 2010 in distraction-related accidents, often due to the use of portable electronic devices. The Texas Coalition for Affordable Insurance Solutions, an insurance trade group in the state, found that 13.4 percent of the 3,048 traffic fatalities in Texas in 2011 were linked to distracted driving. And the youngest, inexperienced drivers — those most comfortable with the culture of thumb typing — are most at risk. Sixteen percent of all distracted-driving crashes involve drivers under 20. And the reality is probably even worse. A National Safety Council study found that, because many drivers hesitate to own up to cellphone use in wrecks, and law enforcement is unable to verify, such instances are probably underreported. No wonder, then, that most states now prohibit texting while driving. Texas is one of seven that do not.
    An Abbott spokesman explained that the attorney general is against more government mandates that “micromanage adult driving behavior.” Such a statement seems long on political gamesmanship (gubernatorial opponent Wendy Davis co-authored one of the texting-while-driving bans in the Texas Senate) and short on Texans’ best interests.

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  8. AnonymousApril 23, 2014 at 11:07 AM

    Did he went to TSC before or after La Julieta?

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  9. AnonymousApril 23, 2014 at 1:41 PM

    It's a fucking disgrace what TSC is doing to local students. A diploma from that hole is worthless! May as well be a trade school. no matter how much these trustees blow it up. Smoke me! Ed Rivera only wants to be a "trustee," as if that's anything. LOL!!!

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  10. AnonymousApril 23, 2014 at 4:19 PM

    Dear. Mr. Shakespeare @ 11:41 AM I am not a native English speaker, and I really appreciate your correction to my writing, there is something new to learn every day.

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  11. AnonymousApril 23, 2014 at 7:15 PM

    To the 400,000 residents of Brownsville, the small Cessna would have looked like scores of other small planes that flew over the city each day. But anyone paying close attention might have noticed the single-engine craft kept circling the city in a continuous loop. What they could not have known was that it packed unusual cargo — a bank of a dozen wide-angle industrial imaging cameras that recorded low-resolution images of every corner of the city. For nine days in early 2012, the small plane beamed the images to the local sheriff’s station, where deputies observed everything from fender benders to a string of necklace snatchings to a shooting.

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  12. AnonymousApril 24, 2014 at 7:51 AM

    Counties along the Rio Grande in Texas have high rates of unplumbed households, as do a smattering of counties in Appalachia, particularly in eastern Kentucky and western Virginia. The southwestern portion of Alabama is another hot spot. Looking beyond the present day, it's worth remembering that indoor plumbing is a fairly new development for many communities. In 1950 fully one quarter of U.S. households did not have a flush toilet -- this means that the era of outhouses is well within living memory for many Americans. The town I live in, Oella, Md., was reliant on outhouses until 1984. And it's smack in the middle of the Acela corridor, between Baltimore and Washington.

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  13. AnonymousApril 24, 2014 at 8:47 AM

    Jim, please seek out some tsc employees to interview. Then you would see what is really going on there. If things keep going the way it is now, brownsville will be left with out tsc or ut

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