Day: March 20, 2012

Bargain battle

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By: Carrie Rakevich, Staff Reporter

Employee contract negotiations stalled

The CNM Employees Union and the administration have come to an impasse in negotiations over the wording of a contract clause, said former union president Donna Swanson.

The clause would allow union member salaries to be cut if nonunion employees have to take a pay cut because of a budget shortfall, said CNM president Katharine Winograd.

There are currently measures in the employee contract that can be used in the event of a budget shortfall, these include furloughs and layoff. A temporary pay cut could be a better alternative, but the language must be specific in how this can happen, said union president Andrew Tibble. “I don’t think Winograd wants to pull something over, she just has other interests to protect,” said Tibble. A pay cut should not be spread equally across the board, either, said Tibble. “Security only makes about $10 an hour. A one percent pay cut would hurt them more than the faculty or administration,” said Tibble.

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Making bones to fight breaking bones

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 By: Stefany Olivas, Staff Reporter
Creative Writing major and UNM student Travis Hanson is copresident of the UNM chapter of One Million Bones, a collaborative art project to raise awareness for genocide.

The project is part of a larger nationwide initiative to raise awareness about genocide around the world through open art studios where members of the public can make a bone for free, said Hanson. The end goal of the project is to create an art installation of one million bones at the National Mall in Washington D.C. by April of 2013.

“Number one is to get more awareness. We’re trying to get public opinion and educate people more about what’s going on,” said Hanson.

UNM was the first college to develop a chapter after artist and activist Naomi Natele founded the project and began asking for participants, said Hanson.

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Editorial: Community input key to keeping CNM informed

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At a school with a population of more than 30,000, the only way every­one can stay well-informed is if every­one acts as the media.

Often, we are asked why the Chronicle didn’t cover this or that. Usually, the answer is that we didn’t receive a tip about it.

A few weeks ago, there was a report made to security of an alleged employee masturbating on campus. This is the sort of incident that every­one should be aware of. However, secu­rity shares only what is required by law (which isn’t much), and the students who reported that incident never spoke to the paper.

More recently, the MS building was locked down because of a shots fired report. The Chronicle inves­tigated the incident thoroughly, but security and administration refused to release any details as to what happened, which has left the entire CNM commu­nity vulnerable.

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The verdict is in:

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By: Stefany Olivas, Staff Reporter

Theatre department performs to a packed house

The CNM theatre department performed their spring produc­tion, “Twelve Angry Jurors,” at The Vortex Theater in front of a packed house.

Instructor Susan Erickson directed the play, which is a gender-neutral adaptation of the 1950s play “Twelve Angry Men.” This co-ed ver­sion was designed to allow each actor to develop the personality and his­tory of their character, said Erickson.

Front of House Manager Abi Fisher said this version of the play is fantastic because she has never seen it with a woman acting as Juror #3.

“It makes it interesting to play with the gender of the actors. It really surprised me when I first saw it, but I love it,” said Fisher.

Realistic personalities, pet peeves and biases were developed among everyone except Juror #8, played by Joe Damour, a former the­atre instructor. Juror #8 was calm the majority of the play, rarely raised his voice and was always understand­ing of the other characters. The play takes place during jury deliberation of a murder trial where twelve jurors must decide if a young boy is guilty of murdering his father.

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Former film students “Left for Dead”

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By Scott M. Roberts, Staff Reporter

Albuquerque film company Mega Ultra Studios is holding a casting call for their newest production “Left for Dead” to be released at the upcoming Albuquerque Comic Expo this summer, said co-founder, producer and former CNM student Mike West.

West said they are currently looking for extras for a scene that will be filmed at Fantasy World strip club on March 29. The group is looking for people of all sexes and races who are 18 years and older. Rather than holding a mass group casting, West said he’s setting up individual interviews through email.

Everything in the film is locally based from acting, to music, to locations, said West. Local burlesque performer, General Blackery, has been cast in one of the lead roles, he said.

“Left for Dead” is a throwback film inspired by those of the 1970’s and 1980’s revolving around exploitation and revenge, said West.

“It’s like a ‘Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!’ type of thing with a modern day twist to it,” said West.

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“Progressence”: Student art exhibition to be held downtown

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By: Carrie Ratkevich, Staff Reporter

Students in the Art Career Concerns class are hosting an art exhibition entitled “Progressence,” to be held at the Downtown Contemporary Gallery, said Fine Arts major John Snee.

The students will display diverse styles of art created in an array of media.

“It’s really a broad spec­trum of media,” said Snee.

Each student was given a different task to help prepare for the showcase, said Snee. The class helps the students understand what goes into putting on a gallery showing, he said.

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Second run showcase

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By Scott M. Roberts

“The Girl with the Dragon Tatto”

Director David Fincher’s (“Fight Club,” “The Social Network”) Oscar-winning adap­tation of Steig Larsson’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series is a suspense filled mys­tery punctuated with thrilling moments and an open ended conclusion.

Daniel Craig (“Casino Royale,” “Golden Compass,” “Cowboys and Aliens”) plays Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist convicted of libel who has been hired by wealthy businessman Henrik Vagner (Christopher Plummer) to resolve the 40-year-old dis­appearance and suspected murder of a family member.

Known more for roles that portray him as an intense action hero, Craig appeared to be out of his comfort zone with this “the pen is mightier than the sword” outlook. Craig’s character had his ass handed to him several times throughout the film, accenting his descent from action icon.

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Five awesome websites for college students

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By: Carrie Ratkevich, Staff Reporter

With the speed of the internet always increasing, students have many resources available to them at any time day or night. Here’s a list of some great websites for the hi-tech student.

Fastweb

A primary concern for many students is how to pay for college without accumulating mounds of debt. Scholarships, free money that can be used to pay for tuition, books, or even living expenses, are one way to achieve this.

Fastweb.com is a free scholarship matching site. A student first has to sign up for the services and the site will help direct the student to the best schol­arships available to them. The services do not stop there. The site also offers advice on how to apply, kinds of extracurricular activities, help with writing essay portions and even tips to help with the interview process. This site also offers a section to help students manage a budget.

Purdue OWL

Writing a paper can be very difficult and there are times a student may have trouble finding time to see a tutor. One of the greatest resources for paper formatting, whether it is MLA or APA, is the Purdue Online Writing Lab. This site gives a rundown on both formats with examples and exercises. This can be helpful for putting on those finishing touches or just making sure the format is correct. The site is available 24 hours a day and has a “contact us” section for additional questions. Visit owl.english.purdue.edu.

Campus Live

Campuslive.com was started by a group of college graduates who say they did not get enough free stuff in college. Students can join by linking to facebook or by creating a free account. The account allows students to participate in chal­lenges that change regularly. They can win prizes from the challenges and earn coins. Students can use the coins to enter into raffles or use them to bid on auc­tions. Prizes range from glow-in-the-dark toilet paper to widescreen televisions.

Textbooks

Buying textbooks can be bank-breaking and selling them back can be heartbreaking. Textbooks.com offers some comfort with a “price match guarantee.” The guarantee states that if a student finds a textbook cheaper on Amazon.com or a similar site, Textbooks.com will match the price. Another benefit is when it comes time to sell books back a student can look up a textbook and find what textbooks.com would pay without offering any additional information. If the bookstore offers to pay less, the student can decide to sell it to textbooks.com instead.

Diana Hacker

Dianahacker.com can help with any grammatical problems students run into. Diana Hacker wrote the Bedford Handbook Sixth Edition which is an assigned textbook for English 1101. The site offers exercises that allow students to fine tune style, grammar and other basic writing skills.

Philharmonithon

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By: Scott M. Roberts

New Mexico Philharmonic hosts fundraising event

Former CNM student and UNM Music major Ali Parra said she volunteered at a recent New Mexico Philharmonic event in hopes of one day becoming a member of the orchestra.

When a representative for the orchestra visited the UNM music department in search of student assistance, Parra said she was moved to help the fledgling organization because she believed in its mission.

Parra said it was the now-defunct New Mexico Symphony Orchestra that inspired her to learn the flute 11 years ago.

“I know all the flute posi­tions are currently filled, but I would like to be involved with the philharmonic as long as possible after graduation,” said Parra.

Philharmonic chairman Evan Rice said he believes orga­nizations like the New Mexico Philharmonic impact the larger social environment, which makes him optimistic about the future of the group despite the challenges it faces.

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