Month: March 2013

President of CNM Dr. Kathie Winograd’s statement to the Publication Board concerning the CNM Chronicle

 
WINOGRAD, KATHARINE
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 1:36 PM
To:
ALLCNM

Dear Colleagues:

 I am providing you the comments I made to the CNM Chronicle Publication Board at 1:00 p.m. today:

 Hello everybody. First, I want to give these newspapers back to the Chronicle staff. We have some more around the college and we’ll get as many back to you as possible.

The reason that we pulled this issue from the news-racks around campus was that a High School student was included in this issue and we needed to check on the legal ramifications of information on a minor in a publication of the college.

 I believe as a College we have failed to provide the CNM Chronicle with the level of editorial resources and education that it needs and deserves. I hope that in today’s Publication Board meeting, the Board will discuss ways the college can provide you a better educational experience through your participation with the CNM Chronicle. We encourage you to bring our community partners here today to the table to assist us in creating a positive situation moving forward.

 I am authorizing the CNM Chronicle to continue operations immediately.

 I hope that the Publication Board will discuss ways to move forward to create a more positive educational environment and look forward to hearing from the Publication Board regarding the outcomes of the discussion.

 Good Bye.

A Rainbow of Sexuality

By Jyllian Roach, Editor-in-Chief

Editor’s note: this interview was originally three and a half hours in length. For space concerns the inter­view was edited to include only the most relevant information.

Sexual identification is a personal and often varied thing. The CNM Chronicle sat down with a group of people with varying sexual backgrounds to discuss what life is like for them as people in Albuquerque.

How did you real­ize what your sexual identity was?

Sarvis: “I was eight or nine. I first realized I wasn’t straight actually watching “Star Trek: Voyager” and I realized I wanted to be with Seven-of-Nine and Captain Janeway. I don’t think I really knew what it meant though until about middle school.”

Jensen: “Well I would say it’s kind of weird for me because I, I thought I was straight until I was 31 years old, but I always knew that I found men – certain men – were attractive without being attracted to them.

It wasn’t until I had a same-sex experience when I was 31 that I was like ‘oh. This is not nearly as bad as I would’ve thought.

When I first realized I could be sexually attracted to men I was like ‘I’m gay then,’ but then I was like ‘no, I’m not gay. I love women. I love having sex with women.

I think women are gor­geous’ and that’s when I was like ‘Ohhh. You can be bisex­ual.’ Then I realized that I’m more interested in relationships with men than women. So I’m bisexual leaning more toward men, now.”

Galvez: “When I grew up, you just were and nobody and you were expected to have spe­cific roles.

So from really young – I had a mock wedding at six – so from a really young age I just always identified as heterosexual, although I do think many very women are attractive. That’s just kind of how it’s always been.

I don’t think I ever really had this dawning of ‘I just want to be with men’ it’s just always been that way.

Silva: “I kind of feel the same way. I can’t really pin­point at what are or certain moment in life where I said ‘Yeah, I’m straight now’ but I can identify beauty in both sexes. Even though I’m not gay and don’t have any tendencies I can see men and see beauty of a physical body or whatever.”

Slattery: “For me, I knew on some level from about the age of four. I didn’t actually, and then I started cross-dressing secretly when I was about 13.

I grew up in a very conservative religion in a small town so it actually took me longer to realize than it would have, because I had gotten the impression that if I was transsexual I had to be attracted to men and I’m not very much.

I had a friend whose boy­friend was also Trans and I didn’t know this until early college, but I ended having talks about it.

When I was 20 I finally had private internet access so I looked and I was like ‘Wow, so there’s a lot more variation here and it’s allowed. Ok good.’

The other thing is, I don’t know that the church I grew up in has this formal of a stance on it but I always figured that if I even acknowledged it I was going to go to hell.

When I was 21 I spent a week where I did nothing but try to figure this out, praying, being willing to accept and then basically it was like ‘Oh yeah, I am a woman.’

I didn’t go fulltime until I was 29 but I came out to my parents about a year after I fig­ured it out. It is probably worth noting that the only relationship I’ve had happened after I went full time.”

Wells: “Basically since I was little I’ve felt different but I could never figure out in what way it was just a lingering feeling. I was raised Jehovah’s Witness which might explain –“

Galvez: “The rebellion?”

Wells: “Fallen angel all the way. Personally, I didn’t do much dressing up when I was young. At a certain point in my life I met someone who let me know that she, as a woman, thought it was incredibly sexy to see a man with certain features in panties, stockings, garter belts, so on and so forth.

Personally, any time I’ve dressed up – for me, it’s the clothes. Oh god. But really, I’ve never felt right putting on make-up and a wig in a male body because this is my male body.

I feel comfortable with clothing it feels really nice on your skin. So very recently what I’ve been talking about and thinking about for a very long time I realized that it’s ok, I realized the fact that I’m het­erosexual and Trans.

I don’t like who I have to portray as a man, it’s not me, I want to be sensitive.”

Silva: “So you’re attracted to women and you’ve going to have the surgery?”

Wells: “Not fully. I love my penis. It’s so awesome to just stand up and stare at the night sky while you’re peeing. It also has other advantages.”

Galvez: “So what is it that you’re planning to do? Is it a partial transition?”

Wells: “Yeah. In about a year, I’m going to start hormones. I’m going to see my doctor in April and I’m going to start therapy which is required to take hormones.

Ogden: “I really can’t give you a pinpoint; I just always knew I wasn’t like the rest of the boys.”

de la Cruz: “I can pretty much pinpoint the exact moment. I was in catechism because I was brought up Roman Catholic. Going through the first Holy Communion things and there was this nun and she was so banging.

She was just gorgeous; I was just really drawn to her for some reason. That was the moment. I still sleep with men sometimes, but having a rela­tionship with men, I’ve tried.

But it’s just not there. As far as coming out and stuff, I really didn’t need to because I have friends over, the door would be locked. My mom is totally cool with everything. My sister and I are both gay and my other sister just got married to a man.”

Silva: “Something I don’t understand is that you identify as lesbian but you said you enjoy having sex with men. Doesn’t that make you lesbian?”

de la Cruz: “No. That’s the thing. I’ve tried dating guys. Identify as lesbian because I have relationships with women.”

Jensen: “Whereas I, there is a 99.5557 percent chance that I will never be in a relationship with a woman again, but I iden­tify as bisexual because there’s no word like homo-relationship or homo-amorous. But I con­sider myself bisexual because I enjoy sex with both.”

Wells: “There are so many labels. There’s no way to look at another person for the first time and not have a snap judg­ment as to some­thing about them.”

What have your experiences been as far as negativity goes?

Ogden: “I was in this sort of redneck town, working at a restaurant and I never had a problem until I worked a few graveyard shifts. The drunken cowboys would come in.

One night, this guy was talking s**t – and he wasn’t even in my section— he could just see me.

Another server came to me and said ‘Evan, stay away from that table. They’re saying a lot of f**ked up s**t about you. I’m like ‘I wasn’t gonna go over there; I’m busy over here.’

After that, I wasn’t allowed to work graveyards anymore. Because of them. The general manager said ‘Evan, I don’t want you to work graveyards anymore. I know you were just filling in a shift and being nice, but I don’t want you to do it anymore, because of this inci­dent.’ There was no incident.

The only other time I had a problems is when I was managing one night at another restaurant.

Another gay guy was serving and there were prob­lems with rednecks giving

Saying no: Why some choose abstinence

By Shaya Rogers, Features Reporter

Jaden Cowboy, a senior at Native American Community Academy High School, said she is committed to remaining a virgin until marriage because she wants sex to be meaningful and special.
“I just think it’s some¬thing really special and you should wait and share it with somebody that you really care about and that you love,” she said.
Cowboy said she thinks people her age are too focused on sex and should let it come naturally.
Continue reading →

Play time

By Adriana Avila, Managing Editor and Rene Thompson, Staff Reporter

How to buy and use the right toy

  Shopping for sex toys can be tough for those who do not know what to search for. With the vast variety of toys, the frustration of not knowing what to buy can be overwhelming. Research online and visits to local sex shops can prevent the annoying case of receiving the wrong size or material of a toy without realizing it.

 Size (and shape) matters:

There are various shapes when it comes to vibrators and dildos, and run a gamut from smaller, penile-shaped to dongs the size of a friendly dino­saur. Most sex shops carry a wide variety – from slender and short to long and wide, and are even available double or triple-ended. Research is rec­ommended to know what your body can handle.

Using a toy that is too big can cause micro-tearing, especially with anal play, so a good rule is to start small and work up to larger toys.

Continue reading →

Shopping with ideals

By Shaya Rogers, Features Reporter

Living in a capitalist society often means that people must vote with their money. It can be difficult to find businesses that support beliefs that one holds dear.

To ease the headache of such a search, the CNM Chronicle has put together a list of businesses that self-identify as LGBT-friendly and a list of businesses that support marriage between only a man and a woman.

This list is a small sampling of businesses on either side of the fence. Most businesses will openly state their policy on the LGBT community either on their website or when directly phoned and asked.

Businesses identified as supporting marriage between a man and a woman were identified through policymic.com.

Continue reading →

Safe, sane, and consensual

Capture BDSM

Safe, sane and consensual: Exploring the World of BDSM

By Rene Thompson, Staff Reporter

The world of BDSM, or bondage; discipline; sadism and masochism, is often misunderstood by those who do not live the lifestyle.

BDSM can seem extreme by those who see sex in a more conventional way, but three rules of BDSM are: safe, sane and consensual, Julian Wolf, sexuality lecturer and enrolled student said.

“Conventional relationships are not much different from ours, in the sense that some people communicate better than others about what is wanted form a significant other,” she said.

Roxanne Youngblood, former student and submissive, said that she began to explore the BDSM lifestyle after learning about it in a Human Sexuality class at CNM.

“I had urges that were not understood in my previous relationships. I wanted to explore what it is that I really am, if I’m straight or bisexual or gay, as well as be able to have my particular needs be met in a BDSM relationship,” she said.

Youngblood has been in a submissive/dominant relationship for eight months and wears a collar from her dominant, she said. The collar is an outward symbol of their relationship, similar to a promise ring.  The relationship can be ended by either side at any time.

“At any point, if I am not into it anymore or I am not happy, I can take off the collar and walk away,” she said.

Being in an environment that allows and approves of sexual exploration has help Youngblood to accept herself, she said.

“I have a much better understanding of what I want out of my relationships, and I am so much happier because I am able to fulfill my needs, and not just sexually,” she said.

Ken Cornell, a long-time dominant in his private life and in public performances, said that every relationship needs communication, but BDSM relationship simply cannot survive without it.

“You have to be honest about what you want up front, because if not, people can become uncomfortable in what they are seeking, and no one wants that from a BDSM relationship,” Cornell.

Aside from communication, a dominant also has the responsibility of guiding a submissive and others new to the lifestyle, so that they understand that submissives still have the right to say no at all times and that being a submissive does not mean a person has absolutely no control over what happens with them.

“As a Dom I feel like a protector of my subs, in guiding them through what needs they really have, and showing my subs that there is complete trust from me to do what they want me to do and figure out what they need,” he said.

Many safeguards are in place to protect all parties in BDSM relationships, such as safe words, signed agreements and having first aid kits on hand, just in case.

“We have to be completely honest with one another about our needs and expectations to better understand what is really wanted from both parties,” he said.

Student’s team competes in lego robotics world championship

By: Rene Thompson, Staff Reporter | Photo By: Rene Thompson

Team Dutch 200 won the Inspire Award in the regional competition with their robot Hal (left) placing tenth.
Team Dutch 200 won the Inspire Award in the regional competition with their robot Hal (left) placing tenth.

A New Mexico chap­ter of the First Tech Challenge Lego Robotics program is raising money to compete in the FTC World Championship next month, dual credit CNM student and team leader Haley Hanson said.

Hanson’s team, Dutch 200, which competes against other teams using Lego Robot kits, has won a spot in the FTC World Championship on April 24-27 in St. Louis Mo., but must raise a $1,000 entry fee first, she said.

“The team is really happy about going to the championship,” team chaperone and Haley Hanson’s mom, Lori Hanson, said.

Dutch 200 was invited to the world championship after winning the Inspire Award in the regional competition on March 16, said Lori Hanson. The team’s robot, Hal, won tenth place in the robot competition, she said.

The team does not yet know what they will do to raise the entry fee, but will post the details and how others can help on their Facebook page at facebook. com/ftcteam5666, Lori Hanson said.

Haley Hanson said she learned about robotics when she was 11 when she and her brother joined a team in the junior league of the same organization.

“We build our robots to complete a certain challenge each year that is released in September, and challenges consist of game like competitions for children to better under­stand, such as this year’s form of a three-dimen­sional vertical Tic-Tac- Toe, taking objects from one point to another in a specific pattern,” she said.

The FTC and the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) organization work to get kids from Kindergarten through grade 12 inter­ested in learning about science and technol­ogy through robotics challenges, she said.

“It is a fun way to learn about new technolo­gies, as well as teamwork and strategy, with a very unique sports model,” she said. It also teaches gra­cious and ethical profes­sionalism at an early age,” Haley Hanson said.

Dutch 200 works with several chil­dren’s organizations and schools, such as the Albuquerque Sign Language Academy, the Albuquerque School of Excellence, and the Pruitt Reservation, teaching students about Lego robotics, she said.

“Our team has mentored over 60 First Lego League and First Tech Challenge teams in our five plus years with the FIRST organization,” she said.

For more informa­tion on Lego robotics and competitions visit usfirst.org.

Active Shooter training offered on Montoya, Westside campuses

By: Daniel Johnson, Investigative Reporter | Photo By: Daniel Johnson

APD Patrolmen First Class James Vautier lectures faculty and staff in the Smith Brasher auditorium on what to do in the event of an active shooter on campus.
APD Patrolmen First Class James Vautier lectures faculty and staff in the Smith Brasher auditorium on what
to do in the event of an active shooter on campus.

Training will be provided on multiple campuses to teach fac­ulty and staff what to do if an active shooter situation should happen on campus.

Montoya and Westside campuses will each host two training sessions which will be similar to the two ses­sions recently completed on Main campus, APD Patrolmen First Class James Vautier said.

“I loved the turnout for our first session, I was surprised at how many people attended,” he said.

The training pro­vided by Vautier was created using data col­lected from the NYPD, the Virginia Tech mas­sacre, APD psycholo­gists and mental health case studies from past shootings, he said.

Vautier’s tech­nique is similar to the Run, Hide, Fight technique, but focuses more on what a person can do to prevent a shooting, Vautier said.

Vautier believes that getting people to be aware without being paranoid is the best way to ensure that someone will spot a shooter before anyone gets hurt, he said.

“I want people to have an idea of what to look for with a person who may need help, but I also want them to know what to do in case an active shooter event was to occur on campus,” he said.

Deaf Services Coordinator Faith Timm, who attended the Main campus session, said the training could have been more focused specifically on active shooters on col­lege campuses, but still felt it was helpful.

“I thought the training was good and worth my time and I would recom­mend that all staff and faculty make it to the training if they can,” she said.

‘Leonardo Literary Magazine’ release party announced

By: Adriana Avila, Managing Editor | Photo Illustration By: Jonathan Gamboa, Production Manager

Previous issues of the “Leonardo Literary Magazine.”
Previous issues of the “Leonardo Literary Magazine.”

The 2013 edition of “Leonardo Literary Magazine” is scheduled to be released next month, said “Leonardo” adviser and Full-time Creative Writing instructor Patrick Houlihan.

The release party for this year’s edition will be held at the Main campus Student Resource Center on April 5 where stu­dents will have the opportunity to share their works during the festivities, he said.

“It’s a celebration of what’s in it. Anyone who is published in it can stand up and read their stuff and pick up copies, share them with friends,” he said.

“Leonardo” is funded by through student activ­ity fees and prints only 250 copies of each edition, which are free, he said.

With the increase of student interest, “Leonardo” has grown from tabloid size to an actual magazine length, he said.

“It’s grown and sta­bilized over the years to where it’s now a 50 or 60 page magazine full color and student activities has been great at funding the increase costs. Paper and ink took a huge jump about five or seven years ago,” he said.

Being published is a big step for people and it helps a great deal to write it on resumes, he said.

“It’s a wonderful resume line to say ‘I’m a published author or artist selected,’” Houlihan said.

English major and “Leonardo” editor Shaya Rogers said it is a privilege to review student works because this year’s submis­sions were impressive.

“Giving students the opportunity to share their creative work is a positive aspect of the CNM community and I am so happy to support that,” Rogers said.

Rogers, who also works as the features reporter for the CNM Chronicle, has three nature photos and two poems featured in the magazine: one about her challenges with monog­amy and the other an ode to her sister who commit­ted suicide when she was a teenager, she said.

Business and Communications major and layout designer Jonathan Gamboa, who also works at the produc­tion manager for the CNM Chronicle, said he enjoys designing the magazine because it gives him the opportunity be creative.

“I think it’s fun. Since I am the only one designing, it allows me to have more freedom in producing the magazine,” Gamboa said.

This is Gamboa’s second design year and his role for “Leonardo” extends further profes­sionally from the mouse and screen, he said.

“I really did get pro­fessional experience doing it the first year because I was having to stay in touch with the printers and coordinat­ing the release party with the editors, along with setting my own deadlines to finish the magazine,” he said.

Houlihan said “Leonardo” used to be a semester project for the Business and Graphics department, but the magazine became the work of volunteer stu­dents after the pro­gram was cut a couple of years ago.

Submissions for “Leonardo” for 2014 are now being accepted and deadline for works will probably be in early January 2014, he said.

Houlihan hopes to continue the works of “Leonardo” because of the community’s great reviews and the benefits students receive when published, he said.

“It’s a nice repre­sentation of us to the community and I’d hate for it to disappear,” Houlihan said.

Vortex gets that Motherf**ker with the hat

Photo Provided By: The Vortex Theatre

Actors Ed Chavez and Alicia Lueras Maldonado share an intimate scene during the rehersal shoot.
Actors Ed Chavez and Alicia Lueras Maldonado share an intimate scene during the rehersal shoot.

The gleefully foul-mouthed play, “The Motherf**ker with the Hat,” is coming to Albuquerque for the first time later this month.

“Motherf**ker” will open on March 22 at the Vortex theatre and run for three weekends.

“The play is a chal­lenging, well-writ­ten and very funny examination of the choices we make about love. In many ways a coming of age story, the play is raw, yet deeply familiar and human,” Director Leslee Richards said.

The play is set in a blue-collar Puerto Rican community in New York City and is an intense verbal cage match about love, fidelity and a mis­placed hat, she said.

Elliot Stenzel, who plays antagonist Ralph, said the life-like char­acters struggle with problems that are familiar to most people.

“We all have flaws in our personality and how you manage those throughout life can dictate how well you do,” he said.

The off-putting title and the show itself is a reflection of modern American life, he said.

Efrain Villa, who plays supporting char­acter Julio, said the play will strike a differ­ent chord for everyone because it touches on many topics like fear, loneliness and addiction.

“In many ways this play is about how people can get stuck in really bad cycles and how difficult it is to pull yourself out of that cycle, he said.

The 2011 play was written by Stephen Adly Guirgis and was nominated for six Tony awards. It centers on Jackie, a former drug dealer out on parole, and his relationship with his long-time girlfriend Veronica. When Jackie finds another man’s hat in his girl­friend’s apartment, he is convinced she has been cheating and swears to find the motherf**ker who owns the hat.

There is a content advisory for the per­formance, which is for ages 18 and over.

“The Motherf**ker with the Hat”

Scheduled to run

  • March 22 to April 14,
  • 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
  • 2 p.m. on Sundays.

General admission | $18

Student rush tickets five minutes before the curtain if seats are available | $10

Pay-What-You-Will | Sunday, March 24.

Audience Talkback | Sunday, April 7.