Faculty & Students in the News

Eleven students from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley were selected for the Rio Grande Valley Legislative Internship Program (VLIP) and spent the Spring 2021 Term as interns at the State Capitol during the 87th Texas Legislative Session, which began January 12, 2021 and lasted 140 days. Row 1 (From Left): Richard Sanchez, Associate Vice President Office of Governmental Relations; Zitlalit Melgarejo, VLIP Intern; Ruth Ann Ragland, Political Science Internship Coordinator; and Hugo Garcia, VLIP Intern. Row 2 (From Left): VLIP Interns Alexandra Smith-Macias and Gilbert Rodriguez; Veronica Gonzales, Senior Vice President for Governmental Relations and Community Engagement; and Julian Ramirez, VLIP Intern. Row 3 (From Left): VLIP Interns Angela Ricalday, Jenifer Velazquez, Christopher Lira, and Roy Cantu. Row 4: (From Left): VLIP Interns Alan Garcia and Angelika Ruiz-Gualberto.
The Houston Chronicle interviewed Dr. Mark J. Kaswan on campaign practices in the March 29, 2022 edition of Election Tuesdays.
On March 7, 2022, The Rider, the official student newspaper of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, quoted or referenced Dr. Mark J. Kaswan and Dr. Andrew H. Smith several times each in the article “Professors Give Insight on Primary Election Results: Runoffs to Decide Nominations in May.”
KENS 5 CBS in San Antonio interviewed and cited Dr. Clyde W. Barrow for the news story “What Experts Say Beto O'Rourke Must Do to Close the Distance With Greg Abbott,” which was aired on March 1, 2022.
KENS 5 CBS in San Antonio cited and interviewed Dr. Clyde W. Barrow in the news piece “The Role the Rio Grande Valley Will Play in Deciding Texas' Next Governor,” which aired on March 1, 2022.
CBS 4 News Rio Grande Valley on KVEO-TV interviewed Dr. Andrew H. Smith during its election night coverage for a segment entitled “Your Local Elections Headquarters: Political Specialists” that aired on March 1, 2022.
In an interview for CNN Español, Dr. Carla Angulo-Pasel discussed ahead of the primaries the change in voter preferences from Democrat to Republican in the RGV for the news segment “¿Será el inicio de una era política en Texas? Es el primer estado en realizar elecciones primarias.” This segment was posted on February 28, 2022.
The Dallas Morning News substantially quoted or referenced Dr. Richard T. Longoria on February 24, 2022 in the article “Texas Gov. Greg Abbott May Criticize California, but He’s Happy to Collect Checks There.”
On February 21, 2022, Dr. Clyde W. Barrow participated in a panel discussion on the KRIV FOX 26 Morning Show broadcasting from Houston. The first segment of the discussion is entitled “Your Take: Is It Time to Bring Casinos and Sports Betting to Texas?” The subsequent segment’s title is “Would Gambling Benefit Texas?”
KRGV-Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Clyde W. Barrow and cited him several times in the news segment “District 15 Sees Crowded Congressional Race,” which aired on February 16, 2022.
The Texas Observer on February 7, 2022 quoted or referenced Dr. Mònica Clua-Losada several times in the news article “The RGV Is at a Political Crossroads.”
On February 5, 2022, LeDevoir, an online French publication in Montreal, cited Dr. Terence M. Garrett multiple times in the article “Le dernier papillon.”
MSN on February 5, 2022 referenced or quoted Dr. Terence M. Garrett several times in the news article entitled “Headless Robot Dogs May Someday Patrol US-Mexico Border. What We Know About These Machines.” This article originally appeared on USA TODAY on February 4.
On January 26, 2022, Casino.org quoted Dr. Clyde W. Barrow in the news article “Texas Casino Gambling Legalization Continues to Divide Politicians.”
The Houston Chronicle cited Dr. Richard T. Longoria on January 17, 2022 in the article entitled “Donald Trump Wades Deeper Into Texas Politics With 20 Endorsements in Primary Races.”
On January 5, 2022, El Punt Avui, a Catalan newspaper, quoted Dr. Mònica Clua-Losada substantially in an article concerning the 1st anniversary of the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol entitled “Familiaritzant-se amb la violència.”
Texas Public Radio on December 28, 2021 quoted or referenced Dr. Mònica Clua-Losada many times in the news article “The Rio Grande Valley's Political Landscape Is Changing Amid Midterm, Governor Elections.”
The New York Post on January 9, 2022 quoted Dr. Clyde W. Barrow repeatedly in the article “Lawmakers Are Pushing for Up to Three Casino Licenses in NYC Region.”
On December 9, 2021, CounterPunch quoted Dr. Clyde W. Barrow several times on the concept of the state in the article “The State, Friend and Foe.”
El Temps, Catalonia’s main weekly political magazine, interviewed Dr. Mònica Clua-Losada and five others on Catalonia’s coalition government for a November 29, 2021 article entitled “Pressupostos, punt i seguit: cinc veus per analitzar el moment polític a Catalunya.”
The Dallas Morning News quoted or referenced Dr. Richard T. Longoria repeatedly on November 15, 2021 in the article “Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Must Define Beto O’Rourke Early, Avoid Turning Off New Voters, Experts Say.”
On November 8, 2021, El Punt Avui, a Catalan newspaper, quoted Dr. Mònica Clua-Losada multiple times in an article on the first-year anniversary of Biden’s victory entitled “Un any de la victòria de Biden.”
ValleyCentral News on KVEO-TV in Harlingen, Texas interviewed Dr. Mònica Clua-Losada for a news segment entitled “Political Expert: Texas Senator Lucio Jr.’s Retirement Could Welcome More Change for the RGV” that posted on November 5, 2021.
Texas Public Radio interviewed Dr. Mònica Clua-Losada for the news piece “Progressives Hope Texas State Senator Eddie Lucio Jr.’s Retirement Signals New Era” dated November 4, 2021.
ValleyCentral News on KVEO-TV in Harlingen, Texas interviewed Dr. Andrew H. Smith for the news item “Texas Abortion Ban Can Have Long-Term Impact on Women’s Health, Experts Say,” which posted on November 4, 2021.
On November 3, 2021, APSA (American Political Science Association) Educate, an online political science library for learning materials and teaching, published a blog post that Dr. Andrew H. Smith authored entitled “Service Learning at an HSI: A Preliminary Analysis.”
On October 18, 2021, Dr. Mònica Clua-Losada was named vice-president of the Catalan Political Science Association at their launch event in Barcelona and interviewed Dr. Donatella Della Porta in English for this launch. To watch this event and interview on YouTube, click on Acte inaugural de l'Associació Catalana de Ciència Política. To obtain more information about this association or become a member, click Associació Catalana de Ciència Política.
ValleyCentral News on KVEO-TV in Harlingen, Texas interviewed Dr. Clyde W. Barrow for a news piece entitled “‘This Is What Gerrymandering Looks Like’ Says Political Science Professor” that posted on October 15, 2021.
KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed and cited Dr. Clyde W. Barrow for the news story “Political Expert Reacts to Abbott’s Order Banning Vaccine Mandates” that aired on October 12, 2021.
ValleyCentral News on KVEO-TV in Harlingen, Texas interviewed Dr. Clyde W. Barrow for a news segment entitled “Expert: Federal Executive Order Mandating Vaccines Trumps State Order Barring Them,” which posted on October 12, 2021.
KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Terence M. Garrett for the news story “Harris Meets With Mexico Leaders Over Immigration Issues” that aired on September 13, 2021.
In the article “Trump May Be Gone, But the Fight Against His Border Wall Goes On” dated September 11, 2021, The New York Times cited a 2018 survey conducted by Dr. Dongkyu Kim, Dr. Mi-son Kim, and Dr. Natasha Altema-McNeely showing local opposition to the border wall between Mexico and the United States.
ValleyCentral Local 23 on KVEO-TV in Harlingen, Texas interviewed Dr. Terence M. Garrett for a news piece entitled “Census Data Impacts Texas Representation” that aired on August 13, 2021.
NPR’s All Things Considered interviewed Dr. Terence M. Garrett for the news story entitled “Controlling the Border Is a Challenge. Texas Gov. Abbott's Crackdown Is Proving That,” which aired on August 6, 2021.
On August 4, 2021, the Daily Caller quoted Dr. Terence M. Garrett several times in the article “The Border Crisis Is Killing Americans, Data Shows.”
The Dallas Morning News on June 30, 2021 quoted Dr. Terence M. Garrett in the news piece entitled “At Unfinished Wall, Trump Says Biden ‘Destroying’ U.S., Abbott Says It’s Time to ‘Seal This Border.’”
Dr. Mònica Clua-Losada was interviewed as spokesperson of the Historical Materialism Barcelona conference by both the radio program Valors that aired on June 28, 2021 and the newspaper Público in an article dated June 30, 2021 entitled “La conferència Historical Materialism torna a Barcelona per debatre alternatives al capitalisme després de la pandèmia.”
On June 24, 2021, Texas Monthly quoted or referenced Dr. Terence M. Garrett several times in the article entitled “‘When Do They Leave?’: Border Residents Bear the Latest Surge of DPS Troopers.”
In an article published June 21, 2021 entitled “Deu veus per prendre el pols a l'independentisme,” El Temps, Catalonia’s main weekly political magazine, interviews Dr. Mònica Clua-Losada and nine others on the future of the pro-independence movement in Catalonia.
ValleyCentral News on KVEO-TV in Harlingen, Texas cited and interviewed Dr. Terence M. Garrett for a news segment entitled “Governor Abbott to Seek Donations for Border Wall Construction,” which posted on June 15, 2021.
In an article published June 7, 2021 entitled “El repte de la banca pública,” El Temps, Catalonia’s main weekly political magazine, cites Dr. Mònica Clua-Losada extensively on the proposal to create a Catalan Public Bank.
KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Clyde W. Barrow for a news story that aired May 4, 2021 entitled “Low Voter Turnout in McAllen: Less Than 14,000 Cast Ballots out of More Than 73,000 Registered Voters.”
On April 22, 2021, Bisnow Houston extensively quoted gambling policy expert Dr. Clyde W. Barrow in the news story “Las Vegas Sands Wants to Build Casinos in Texas. It's Asking for Your Help to Get That Legalized.”
On March 22, 2021, The Brownsville Harold quoted Dr. Andrew H. Smith multiple times in the article entitled “Eviction Standstill Nearing Closure; CDC Tenant Protections Ending Soon.”
Dr. Clyde W. Barrow wrote an editorial entitled “Casino Bailouts Will Add Burdens,” which appeared in the Times Union of Albany, New York on March 19, 2021.
KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Terence M. Garrett for a news segment entitled “UTRGV Professor Sheds Light on Surge of Migrants at the Border” that aired on March 11, 2021. This news segment also aired on CNN and affiliates across the country.
On March 2, 2021, KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Terence M. Garrett for a news story in Spanish entitled “Compromiso entre presidentes de México y Estados Unidos.”
HuffPost on February 21, 2021 quoted or referenced Dr. Terence M. Garrett several times in the article “Biden Has Inherited Trump’s Catastrophic Border Wall. What Happens Next?”
Exterior, a Catalan-language news website, interviewed Dr. Mònica Clua-Losada for a news piece dated February 12, 2021 and entitled “Sense normalitat democràtica, no hi ha diàleg que pugui resoldre el conflicte amb Espanya.”
Dr. Clyde W. Barrow gave a 2-hour workshop on "Trumpism, The Lumpenproletariat, and the Rise of a Lumpen-State?" hosted by Study Groups in Psychoanalysis and Politics and Cosmonaut Magazine. This workshop was made available via YouTube on February 12, 2021.
KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Terence M. Garrett for a news segment entitled “Experts Weigh in on Gov. Greg Abbott's State of the State Address” that aired on February 3, 2021.
KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Carla Angulo-Pasel for a news segment that aired on January 25, 2021 entitled “Experts Weigh in on Immigration Policy Changes Under the Biden Administration.”
KVEO-TV serving the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Carla Angulo-Pasel for a news story entitled “Immigration Advocates Hoping for Stroke of Luck Under Biden Administration” that aired on January 22, 2021.
KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Carla Angulo-Pasel in Spanish for a news segment entitled “A partir de este viernes se suspende temporalmente las deportaciones” that aired on January 21, 2021.
KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Carla Angulo-Pasel in Spanish for a news segment that aired on January 20, 2021 entitled “Instalan centro de procesamiento migratorio temporal en Donna.”
KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Carla Angulo-Pasel in Spanish for a news segment entitled “Caravana de migrantes en movimiento en Honduras en tiempos inciertos” that aired on January 15, 2021.
KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Carla Angulo-Pasel for a news segment that aired on January 15, 2021 entitled “Migrant Caravan From Honduras Making Journey to the U.S.”
KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Charles Olney on January 15, 2021 for a news segment entitled “Impeachment Rundown: UTRGV Political Science Professor Explains.”
On January 14, 2021, KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Andrew H. Smith for a news segment entitled “Rio Grande Valley Political Expert Weighs in on Trump’s Second Impeachment.”
KSAT 12 News in San Antonio interviewed Dr. Terence M. Garrett for a news segment that aired on January 12, 2021. To see the video of this news item, click on “Rio Grande Valley Residents React to President Trump’s Scheduled Visit.”
KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Clyde W. Barrow on January 8, 2021 for a news segment entitled “Professor Explains How Shift in Control of the U.S. Senate Could Affect the Valley.”
On January 7, 2021, gambling policy expert Dr. Clyde W. Barrow participated in a panel discussion on Texas Public Radio entitled “Place Your Bets: Should Texas Gamble on Legalizing Casinos for Post-Pandemic Revenue?”
On December 11, 2020, the Texas Standard, a news radio program, interviewed Dr. Clyde W. Barrow for a segment entitled “Gaming Magnate and Republican High-Roller Sheldon Adelson Wants to Bring Casinos to Texas.”
On an episode dated December 8, 2020, Dr. Clyde W. Barrow appears on Out of the Box with Jonathan Russo to discuss the contemporary lumpenproletariat along with Dr. Isaac Kamola (Trinity College) and Dr. Susanne Soederberg (Queens University).
KRGV Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley interviewed Dr. Terence M. Garrett for a news segment that aired on November 26, 2020. To see the video of this news item, click on “CBP Shuts Down Centralized Processing Center in McAllen for Renovations.”
On November 19, 2020, KVEO-TV serving the Rio Grande Valley quoted Dr. Terence M. Garrett multiple times in the news story “Naturalization Exam Changes Continue Further Hostility Toward Immigrants, Experts Say.”
On November 17, 2020, The Monitor, a Rio Grande Valley newspaper, wrote an article on a symposium that Dr. Natasha Altema-McNeely and Dr. Sylvia Gonzalez-Gorman organized and moderated. To read this article, click the title “UTRGV Symposium Series: Changing Narratives and Creating Inclusivity.”
The Brownsville Herald on November 16, 2020 substantially quoted Dr. Terence M. Garrett in the article “Trump Card: Professor Reflects on Support From Latinos.”
National Review on November 12, 2020 extensively quoted Dr. Clyde W. Barrow in the article “The Latino Shift Toward Trump in South Texas: Anomaly or Realignment?”
In a news story that aired on November 2, 2020, Channel 5 News in the Rio Grande Valley featured Dr. Robert W. Velez and his Twitter project. To learn more about this project, click “UTRGV Lecturer Encourages Students to Participate in Politics Through Social Media.”
On October 27, 2020, KVEO-TV serving the Rio Grande Valley quoted Dr. Terence M. Garrett in the news story “Who Are Texas Residents Voting for?”
On October 20, 2020, Corpus Christi Caller Times repeatedly quoted Dr. Clyde W. Barrow in the article “Is Texas in Play in 2020? Democrats Gaining in Cities, but Rural Region Is Trump Country.”
Dr. Clyde W. Barrow wrote a blog post entitled “The Eighteenth Brumaire of Donald J. Trump: A Response to Bryan Palmer,” which was posted on October 14, 2020 by The Bullet, sponsored by the Socialist Project, Toronto, Canada.
In his podcast “This Is Revolution!” posted on September 9, 2020, Jason Myles interviewed Dr. Clyde W. Barrow on his forthcoming book, The Dangerous Class: The Concept of the Lumpenproletariat (University of Michigan Press, Oct. 2020). This podcast broadcast from Oakland, California is available on: Podbean, Soundcloud, Spotify, and YouTube.
Dr. Clyde W. Barrow wrote a blog post entitled “Donald Trump: A New Emperor of the Lumpenproletariat?,” which was posted on August 30, 2020 by The Bullet, sponsored by the Socialist Project, Toronto, Canada.
On August 17, 2020, The Dallas Morning News quoted Dr. Sylvia Gonzalez-Gorman multiple times in the article “Poll: Texas Hispanics Favor Joe Biden, But Donald Trump Still Leads Statewide Electorate in Presidential Race.”
The Houston Chronicle on August 14, 2020 quoted Dr. Sylvia Gonzalez-Gorman in the article “Republican Sen. Cornyn Has Won Over Minority Voters Before. But in 2020?”
The Dallas Morning News on July 22, 2020 quoted Dr. Sylvia Gonzalez-Gorman several times in the article “South Texas’ COVID-19 Agony Exposes Tensions Between Gov. Greg Abbott, Area Officials.”
On July 22, 2020, The Monitor, a Rio Grande Valley newspaper, substantially quoted Dr. Terence M. Garrett in the article “CBP Confirms Firings, Suspensions Over Facebook Posts.”
ValleyCentral News on KVEO-TV in Harlingen, Texas interviewed Dr. Clyde W. Barrow for most of a news segment entitled “New Poll Shows Texas Is a Swing State,” which aired on July 13, 2020.
The New York Times on May 14, 2020 quoted Dr. Terence M. Garrett several times in the article “Paralegal for U.S. Attorney Tipped Off Drug Cartel, Prosecutors Say.”
On April 5, 2020, the New York Post substantially quoted Dr. Clyde W. Barrow, casino industry analyst, in the news story “NJ Is Losing $540M a Month in Revenue From Closed Casinos: Industry Bigs.”
As a special commentator to syracuse.com, a newspaper website, Dr. Clyde W. Barrow, casino industry analyst, authored the March 11, 2020 article “Upstate NY Casinos Need More Customers, Not a Taxpayer ‘Bailout’ (Commentary).”
The Las Vegas Review-Journal quoted Dr. Clyde W. Barrow, casino industry analyst, a few times in the March 3, 2020 news story “Las Vegas-Based Casino Operators Competing in Northeast Market.”
On March 2, 2020, the HuffPost quoted both Dr. Terence M. Garrett and Dr. Nicholas Kiersey several times in the article “The Democratic Primary in This Texas Border District Tests Limits of a Progressive Wave.”
A report authored by Dr. Clyde W. Barrow, casino industry analyst, was the center of the March 2, 2020 article “Study: No Benefit to ‘Equalizing’ Tax Rates for Indian, Non-Indian Casinos” at syracuse.com, a newspaper website.