Month: February 2014

New instructor contracts forbid ‘inflammatory’ statements

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By Jonathan Baca, Copy Editor | Photo  by Jonathan Baca

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In the recently ratified contracts for full time and part time instructors, there is language that could be used to limit instructors’ ability to speak freely about “Union matters.”

The contracts forbid Union members from using college resources, includ­ing communication with “student media,” to discuss anything “inflammatory, derogatory, or disruptive to good labor-management relations,” according to the contract document.

Dianne Layden, a part time English instructor who has 40 years of experience in labor relations and stud­ies, and previously worked as Assistant County Manager for Labor Relations, said that the language in the contracts is unethical, is a restriction on instructors’ First Amendment rights, and shows an attempt by the college to suppress any dissent among faculty.

“This is a gag order,” Layden said.

The full contracts can be found at cnm.edu/fac­staff, under “collective bar­gaining agreements.”

In the contract for part time instructors, Article 26.6 states: “Nor shall College resources (including but not lim­ited to the use of College student media) be used for any union business of any type, a political cam­paign for an individual candidate, an issue or an organization. In the event the College believes a vio­lation of this provision has occurred it shall be brought to the attention of the Federation President and the distribution in ques­tion will be halted until the parties agree on how to proceed (Emphasis added).

In an official statement to the Chronicle, adminis­tration addressed this article: “The language in Section 26.6 of the Part-time Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement was agreed upon by the part-time faculty union and administration. It addresses the operations of the part-time faculty union, not an individual’s right to freedom of speech. It is intended to articulate that college and taxpayer resources are not to be used for union organizing or lob­bying, or political activity.”

But the broadness of this language could be problematic, and while administration said that it would not limit an individ­ual’s freedom to speak, any concern that an individual union member has con­cerning their work could be construed as “union business,” Layden said.

“An instructor can have a matter that is a person­nel matter. By definition, because that instructor is covered by the collec­tive bargaining agreement it also becomes a union matter, but it didn’t gener­ate there,” Layden said.

Another point of con­cern is whether faculty now has limits on their right to speak freely to the Chronicle, whether the Chronicle is a “college resource,” and whether administration reserves the right to halt the distribution of the paper if it contains communication that violates these provisions.

A document obtained by the Chronicle showed that during the negotiating process, there was language put forward by the college that specifically named the CNM Chronicle as one of the resources union members could not use to distribute “inflammatory, derogatory or disruptive” statements.

That language was changed, and the CNM Chronicle is not named specifically in the final con­tracts, which now refer to “student media.”

“The CNM Employees Union and the College did have some long, spirited dis­cussions about the school newspaper and whether it was a ‘college resource’ or an independent entity, as those questions relate to the rights of faculty and the union officers,” said Andy Russell, History instructor and Vice President of the CNM Employees Union, who was part of the bargaining process for the full timers’ contracts.

In their official state­ment, the school denies that the language is meant to refer to the distribution of the student paper.

“The sentence that includes the word ‘halted’ would not apply to the opera­tions of the CNM Chronicle. It is intended to refer to fliers with disputed content that would be posted on bulletin boards at CNM locations,” according to the statement.

However, the broadness of the language in the provi­sion is worrisome to many, and shows that the school has a definite attitude toward the paper, Layden said.

“Maybe CNM was conveying a message to the bargaining team that they don’t like it when faculty members talk to the Chronicle reporters,” Layden said.

Frank LoMonte, Executive Director of the Student Press Law Center, pointed out that regardless of whether a school contributes money to a student-run news­paper; they do not have the right to control the content and distribution of the paper.

“I’ve never heard any­thing like that, that singled out any particular method of communication, any particular media organiza­tion or type of media. It is worrisome both for the rights of journalists and the rights of the faculty. That’s really remarkable,” LoMonte said.

Although the Chronicle was not named specifically in the final contracts, the restric­tions on instructors’ speech made to “student media” is still in the contracts, and could theoretically be used to limit what the paper prints, LoMonte said.

Since the Chronicle was not part of the negotia­tions, the contract cannot pertain to how it oper­ates or communicates with instructors, he said.

“If anyone ever tried to restrain the distribution of a student publication on the grounds of a faculty con­tract, that person would be committing a four-alarm fire violation of the First Amendment. There is no more blatant violation of the First Amendment than to restrain the distribution of a publication,” LoMonte said.

LoMonte also pointed out that words like “inflam­matory” and “derogatory” are not really legally recog­nized terms and lack clear definitions like libel or slander, and that the inter­pretation of these words could cause problems when enforcing the contracts.

“I think it is completely inappropriate as a matter of academic freedom for the college to make that request, to ask the union to make that concession,” LoMonte said.

The school’s official statement said the Labor Board, which consists of a union rep, a member of man­agement, and a neutral party would interpret the agree­ment and make determina­tions and recommendations.

Russell said that the “complicated” agree­ment still needs to be tested on many different levels, especially con­cerning communication between union officers and Chronicle reporters.

“The officers of the FT faculty bargaining unit must now be more careful about issuing any statements that are ‘inflammatory, deroga­tory, or disruptive to good labor-management rela­tions’ when communicat­ing via channels CNM claims some control over (on-campus e-mail, bul­letin boards, mailboxes, and now ‘student media’),” Russell said.

The school’s official statement did not mention any plans to reevaluate, clar­ify or change any contract language any time soon.

Security Department deals with thefts and starts community based initiative

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By Rene Thompson, Editor-in-Chief | Photo By Rene Thompson

sec

From catching bike thieves and working with the Albuquerque Police Department, to helping disabled stu­dents to get around in our community, William Duran, Security Director, who is also a part-time instructor in the Health, Wellness and Public Safety Department, said he has big plans to begin instill­ing a new customer ser­vice friendly philosophy within his department.

Duran also said he plans to put a new face on the security forces here on campus, which is all part of the new commu­nity based policing pro­gram he has introduced here at CNM.

In the months of January and February the CNM security office has been working with APD as well as the University of New Mexico Police Department to assist in apprehending three indi­viduals so far, who had allegedly stolen high dollar bicycles from both campuses, and Duran said he has been dedicating more security to problem areas and also plans to continue working with these agencies until thefts have been reduced.

“Actually we’ve had a slew of bike thefts, and we’ve been working with UNMPD because they’re having the same problem. Also it’s not just one thief, it’s a group of thieves and they’re not associated with each other, so we have different groups stealing bikes here, mainly high dollar bikes,” he said.

Because of these occur­rences, security will be start­ing new safety procedures to ensure less theft on campus to include, a new reporting system and will start having students and faculty begin reg­istering their bikes just as car owners do, he said.

Security does plan to do a massive media campaign on campus before this registra­tion rule will be required of bike owners, and Duran said this will be to ensure every­one’s property is safer overall on campus and elsewhere, so if a bike is stolen off campus, information saved during registration can help to retrieve stolen bikes.

“So it will be tagged with a sticker, and if that bike gets stolen here or wherever, we’ll have all the information on file,” he said.

The security team has also been working closely with the Disability Resources Center to address concerns from a safety perspective, Duran said, and one of his goals is making sure CNM is com­pliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards, as well as even helping new disabled stu­dents to find the best routes to classes.

“We did a critical assessment of the campuses, and we’ve addressed most of the critical issues, such as fire alarm devices, fire extinguishers, and that kind of thing. We are also in the process of bring­ing Automatic External Defibrillators, so we’ll have staff members that are trained and every building will have one. Also, DRC has it set up so if students need something, that DRC

to get around,” he said. can call us to get students help

Duran said if any dis­abled students are having a hard time finding how they can get to certain areas of the campus that they can call the DRC at 224-3259 or go there in the Student Services building on the second floor. And for any emergencies students can call campus dispatch at 224-3001 or for non-emergencies at 224-3002.

Before Duran’s hiring seven months ago with the CNM security force, he was previously a Homicide Sergeant, and said he plans to change outdated policies and update campus security over the next couple years.

Duran said he hopes to change many aspects of his department as well, from installing new locks at the Montoya campus, which are sparse on most individual classroom doors, to bringing all campuses up to with to have proper surveillance and cameras to improve overall campus security and ensure safety on a more comprehen­sive level.

On Jan. 13 at Montoya campus there was a break-in at the office of the food court in the H building, where thieves got away with a couple hundred dol­lars and took a computer and monitor, Duran said.

But APD is investigat­ing the case and now has a suspect because of finger prints obtained from the scene, he said.

Duran said that his department will always work with APD because there are certain things that his depart­ment cannot address, such as this kind of crime that occurs on campus, and said that he feels supported by local law enforcement in resolving issues efficiently.

“Chief Banks (of APD) said ‘whatever resources we need he will provide,’ so it’s good to know we have the help,” he said.

Duran said the finger­prints were a good break in the case and that his depart­ment will continue to work with APD to conduct more interviews on this matter, and that he will be focusing on getting security up to date at Montoya.

“I know that Montoya does not have any cameras right now and we will get some. I have tons of cameras all over the place, but there are some campuses without cameras, so we’re in the pro­cess to find out where we need more. I’d double the amount of cameras we have now, but it is just a matter of money and funds,” Duran said.

He said his department is conducting a reassessment of the surveillance system and as the campuses keep growing, so will the need for more surveillance, so all campus cameras will soon be incorporated and all tied together by a new control system Duran hopes to begin using soon.

“We have some really out­dated locking systems, I mean really outdated, like a quarter of a century old that really need to be upgraded, so we are in the process right now of setting up an access control system,” he said.

Duran said this new system will not only be tied to the cameras on campus but will also incorporate swipe card locks on doors, so that staff and faculty can be able to access doors much more easily that will lock when closed if required, and to be able to free up the security force for more pending issues instead of unlocking doors for people.

Also, if it was ever needed in a shooter situation, every door could be locked or unlocked from a master con­trol system.

“My goal is to have all of my campuses run on the access control system, which will incorporate intrusion control, surveil­lance and that kind of thing, but we’re just not there yet. It should have been some­thing that was done over the last 10 years and nobody really ran with it, but now I have support from the President’s office and IT (Information Technology Services),” Duran said.

Another big thing that Duran plans to do is to change the way the officers in his department will be seen, by altering the uniforms that security wears on campus in the near future, he said.

Duran said one of the reasons why is because his security force are not police officers, yet they are seen that way sometimes, and that the uniforms worn now could potentially be a safety issue in a shooter situation, because they are not armed, but could be perceived as police officers and this could potentially put them in harm’s way, he said.

“I’ve talked to a lot of the students, including my stu­dents because I teach here part time and they say ‘your guys look like cops, and they act like cops,’ and that’s not the role because we’re a commu­nity college. They will instead have tactical pants and a polo shirt. It’s a utility uniform, but they will not look like police officers, the pants will be tan and the shirts will be black,” Duran said.

He said he wants his security force to be seen as a resource that students can utilize, and compared his force to the UNMPD, explaining that they are a different breed of enforce­ment, because UNM has residents, alcohol issues, and large events that require having a police force, but that CNM does not need to have that kind of presence, at least not yet.

“We’re not law enforce­ment right, so it’s kind of a non-threatening or non-authoritative uniform; it’s more of a customer service type look, it’s just softer and that’s what I want here. We need the help of everybody on campus, and we’re not going to get the help if we’re always walking around in a militant type authoritative manor, so it will take some time, but I want our department to be the leadership group for all of CNM,” he said.

This new community based initiative is not just for the community, but is also to better the school and for the officers too, because Duran said that research has shown that community based polic­ing helps to get officers more involved in not only the school, students and faculty, but the surrounding area as well.

“They feel more valued, and then they really become an integral working part of the community, and it gets rid of that us versus them mentality,” he said.

Lately some of Duran’s officers have been doing safety walks with students and Duran said he hopes to get more stu­dents on the reinstated safety committee of more than 35 people from most depart­ments, because students have a different view than the staff do, and because his team sees the school every day, and they do not see the safety issues that are seen by students that are not on campus on a daily basis.

Duran said that he also wants to start seeing students taking the initiative to call his office when they see some­thing going on at any of the campuses, whether it is with an instructor, administrator, student or his own officers.

“If people see something, we need to know about it. Please call and let us know, because I am all about account­ability here; I expect my offi­cers to hold me accountable and I expect students to do the same. I don’t want people to think we condone bad behavior, and not just from my officers, but from any staff or students, because it needs to be addressed. They should call so I can address it, because if I don’t know about it, I can’t fix it,” he said.

Lastly Duran hopes to update the security web page to include interactive software where students or faculty can make incident or safety reports more easily, or if anyone has any general concerns, they can also be addressed with this upcoming feature, he said.

“I don’t think our web page has been visited for a long time, so I need to put a lot of infrastructure in place before we can get to that,” Duran said.

Until then, if anyone does have any issues or con­cerns at any of the campuses, they are urged to call the school’s non-emergency dis­patch number at 224-3002.

Band provides pipeline to Celtic culture

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By Angela Le Quieu, Staff Reporter | Photos By Angela Le Quieu

band 1 band 2

The bagpipe and drum band Mac-Tire of Sky Pipes and Drums connects with CNM and Celtic heri­tage through community involvement and perfor­mances, Suzanne “Aden” Kemp, Psychology major said, who is the Pipe Major and President for the band.

There are three people in the band who are also part of the CNM community, and the band also plays twice a year at CNM gradua­tions, Kemp said.

“And we’ll keep it, we have CNM pride here,” said Tara O’Mahony, English major, and who is the Drum Major for the band.

Although the band plays at multiple occasions every year, such as Veteran’s Day events in Rio Rancho and Albuquerque and mul­tiple St. Patrick’s Day events, CNM is one of the band’s main supporters, Kemp said.

The bands sponsors and supporters help to cover expenses and allows them to offer free lessons to students who wish to learn how to play the bag­pipes, Scottish drums, or to learn about Celtic heritage and the history of bag pipes, O’Mahony said.

“The most good we do is the free lessons we offer,” O’Mahony said.

The lessons are offered on Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Hope of Cross located at 6104 Taylor Ranch Rd NW church and more details can be found at their website mactireofskye.webs.com, O’Mahony said.

The free lessons that they give often help parents who want their kids to have more musical experience, but who go to schools that do not offer music programs, Kemp said.

The band also does educational performances at schools in the commu­nity, teaching people about the origins of the bagpipe, Kemp said.

“A lot of people are just drawn to the sound and the feeling they get when they hear bagpipes and drums,” Kemp said.

Chef Carmine Russo, Culinary Arts instructor, who is also in the band, said that his wife was interested in bagpipes, but that it was not until he saw a pipe band play at a TVI graduation that he got interested.

During Russo’s early years with TVI, he and another teacher were trying to get other teachers to attend graduation, and for him, one of the main rea­sons to go to the graduation ceremony was to see the bagpipes played at the end, he said.

There was one teacher at the time who was not interested in going to hear the bagpipes because her husband was in the band, and it was that teacher who told him about free bagpipe lessons being offered and how he could start learning to play, Russo said.

“I had never heard of free lessons, nobody gives free lessons, I’m saying you’re kidding, and she said no it’s free, you have to buy a practice chanter and a book and they’ll get you started,” Russo said.

Currently there are 40 different kinds of bag­pipes around the world, Kemp said.

Another part of the band’s connection to Scotland comes in the tartan kilts that are a part of their uniforms, the tartan that they use is the Ancient Urquhart which comes from a clan near Loch Ness in Scotland, Kemp said.

“The Irish have what they call a saffron kilt which is a solid color, but the Scots have the tartan and I hate to call it plaid, but people call it plaid; plaid is when there is no name assigned to it, no any­thing assigned to it, it’s just like a made up tartan,” Kemp said.

A tartan belongs to a clan or a family, O’Mahony said.

Pipe bands like Mac- Tire of Skye are a recent development in the last two hundred years, but drum corps had marched with military regiments,and that military tradition is still with the bands who operate the same whether they are military or civilian, O’Mahony said.

“Before the drummers used to march in front of the pipers when they first started putting pipe bands together and that’s a, us pipers are a little proud for that so now we are in front of the drummers when we march with the military regiment,” Kemp said.

Student keeps it in the family at local business

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Nick Stern, Senior Reporter | Photo By Nick Stern

food

Business major Justin Gabaldon has used his education to help keep the tradi­tion of The Bird of Paradise liquor store and Antonio’s Café and Cantina which are con­joining local businesses that have been family owned and operated for more than 50 years, Gabaldon said.

Gabaldon is the co-owner of Antonio’s and he also helps with the daily duties involved with running the liquor store, which he knew he would be a part of some­day, because aside from being tradition, he holds a lot of love in his heart for the business that his grandparents started in 1963, he said.

“Since I started high school I always knew that I would follow in the family footsteps and ensure that the business would continue on. It is my family’s heritage and it is what we have left throughout all the years. People may pass away and many things may change but we have constantly had the place,” Gabaldon said.

Gabaldon said he is convinced that going to CNM was one of the best decisions he has ever made because it has helped him learn how to handle and manage just about everything that comes his way while keeping the businesses operat­ing smoothly, and the majority of what he has learned from attending CNM has been success­fully applied directly to his work.

“I carried a lot from CNM over to my work here. I learned a lot of managerial concepts, a lot of accounting, but one of the most impor­tant things was the idea that if anyone works hard and puts their mind to what they need to accomplish, then what they are working for becomes much more attainable,” he said.

One of Gabaldon’s favorite aspects of CNM was the number of highly capable and greatly experienced instructors there were during his time there, he said.

The professors he had during his time at school did not just teach him what he learned by taking everything straight from a text­book, but much of what he learned seemed to have come from actual experience, because so many of his instructors had actually worked in the field they taught and had even owned their own businesses, which helped Gabaldon see what he was learn­ing up close and per­sonal, he said.

“They (CNM) have a lot of teachers that are knowledgeable in the field and have been through the stuff they teach themselves. Teachers seemed to have first-hand expe­rience in their fields and that made a huge difference in how well they taught me. That is what it is all about is experience, because when you can actually apply it to real life and when you have people who can help you see it for what it really is, it makes it so much easier to understand,” Gabaldon said.

His plan to follow the family tradi­tion and help run the family business aided Gabaldon to make his decision to pursue a business degree at CNM, right out of high school in 2008, he said.

He strongly believes that in this day and age, an educa­tion is one of the most important things to have in just about every facet of life, and he understood then as he does now that receiv­ing a higher education is a strong asset not only to his own success but to the continued success of his family’s businesses, he said.

Gabaldon said he believes that any stu­dent can get a lot out of pursuing their educa­tion further than high school and that most of all, it is important to not give up.

Ever since his grandparents Albert and Carmen Gabaldon started the Bird of Paradise more than 50 years ago, it has remained family oper­ated since its creation and has expanded in size and had Antonio’s (restaurant) added to it, which has gone through many names but has still remained a family-owned and oper­ated business, he said.

Gabaldon encour­ages anyone to come by to either the Bird of Paradise or Antonio’s Café and Cantina, which he said will always have great prices on both food and drinks.

The uncertain truth about space trash

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By Nick Stern, Senior Reporter & Rene Thompson, Editor in Chief | Photo Courtesy of gotgeoint.com

space

Ever since Sputnik 1 was launched into space in 1957 by the Soviet Union, people have been launching rubbish called orbital debris or more commonly known as space trash, and as of 2010, according to extremetech. com, there are more than 20,000 pieces of debris that are five centi­meters or larger, and are as big as whole satellites.

There is an estimated 500,000 pieces of marble-sized debris about one centimeter, because of collisions and are un-trackable because to their small size.

These debris can be from rocket stages, which are pieces of detached rockets, to broken or near useless satellites, and experts say the problem is becoming a major issue for future space flight and navigation, so it is an issue that must constantly be monitored.

One of the many reasons why the world is having this problem is that every single space launch has contributed to this junkyard, and according to nasa.gov the debris sometimes move at ludicrously high speeds of 4.3 to five miles per second, and five miles per second is 18,000 miles per hour, so that speed is almost seven times faster than a bullet, and can cause mas­sive amounts of damage to working satellites, space stations, and space shuttles, which could be danger­ous to astronauts and affects space exploration in general.

Math, Science and Engineering Instructor, Joseph Piscitelli said the extreme shaking caused by the thrust of launching shuttles causes all sorts of things to pop off during flight and that space shuttles are especially well known for losing heat tiles, which protect the shuttle from the extreme temperatures in space and during atmospheric re-entry during every launch.

“So, NORAD maintains a data­base constantly of man-made debris, taking into account debris from new launches and the debris that have fallen back to Earth,” Piscitelli said.

According to “The Clutter Above” at ebscohost.com.libproxy. cnm.edu, there is even more cause for worry as there have been many instances of debris falling from the sky all over the world, such as in 2000 in South Africa and again in 2001 in the Middle East, and the most famous examples of debris impacts were the American Skylab crash in Australia in 1979 and the Russian MIR crash in 2001.

According to the Japan Daily Press, there might be some hope though, as the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, in partner­ship with other companies, will be launching a shuttle with a newly invented “electrodynamic net” to slow down debris and tether them into the lower orbit of earth, where it will hopefully burn in the atmosphere.

After managing to deliver payloads out of the Earth’s atmo­sphere and into space, there are still bits and pieces of junk that have become loose or are impacted by micro-debris and get lost while in orbit, Piscitelli said.

“In general, physics is one of the most common problems to cal­culate the impulse (and navigation) needed to launch a rocket into space. What most people do not take into account with space launches is that the ridiculously large rocket thrust that is required to lift something out of Earth’s gravity well and produces enormous vibrations in the rockets and their payloads,” Piscitelli said.

Space Stations and shuttles have to maneuver themselves out of the way of catastrophically fast-moving trash but satellites are extremely relevant in the informa­tion age as well, and according to the “The Clutter Above” article, these satellites are used for the majority of communications, internet access, navigation, military surveillance, and spa­tial environmental research.

There could also be impli­cations to early warning satel­lites if they were destroyed by an impact, and there would be no defense against nuclear-armed nations or any way of knowing when attacks would occur.

According to the article, the results from a NASA risk assess­ment stated that of the 20 most likely situations that could lead to the loss of another shuttle, space debris was number 11.

Piscitelli said that the man-made debris has really become an issue since the 60’s and has only gotten dramatically worse, so unless nations with space explo­ration programs start taking this issue seriously,this could be haz­ardous to the whole world.

According to extremetech. com, NASA has experimented with the idea of a “laser broom,” which is said to be an Earth-based laser that fires up into space, shift­ing debris that is on a collision course, or possibly de-orbiting it, but has yet to enact this idea as a solution.

Linguist teaches Navajo to Anthropology class

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By Angela Le Quieu, Staff Reporter

Former instructor, Ph.D. and linguist, Jay Williams came to CNM on Thursday Feb. 20 to speak with students on Navajo language and culture, and why the Navajo language should still be important in today’s society.

Williams, who is now a technical writer with Chemega Federal Systems, spoke to Anthropology Instructor Shepard Jenks’ class on linguistic anthro­pology and to give a prac­tical demonstration about how linguistic anthropolo­gists work, Williams said.

“I love teaching, spread­ing light and spreading knowledge,” Williams said.

Williams has a passion for teaching, and although he left CNM for a position with Chemega to better support his growing family, it is speaking to students that he enjoys, he said.

Williams said when he speaks with anthropology students, he gives a two-part lecture, which is com­prised of an emersion exer­cise in Navajo and then does a PowerPoint presentation on Navajo place names around Chaco Canyon.

Jenna Abuhilu, Anthropology major, attended the lecture, she said.

“It was awesome,” Abuhilu said.

She described the presentation as starting out all in Navajo, with­out any English, and said that no one understood what Williams was saying, but that he pointed at and passed around objects repeating what he said five or six times, Abuhilu said.

After that Williams talked with the class about what he was saying and the class began to figure out how the Navajo language was constructed, Abuhilu said.

In Navajo sentences, the subject of a sentence is at the beginning and then the verb, and the way the language works is that the sentence has no meaning until the speaker qualifies or gives the content of the sentence, Abuhilu said.

“It stuck with you, it made you more inter­ested,” Abuhilu said.

Jenks said the first 15 minutes is all in Navajo and most students do not know any Navajo at all, but then after 15 minutes the stu­dents realize that they do know some Navajo now.

This part of the lec­ture fits in with what Jenks was teaching during this portion of the class, which is on language, the phenology and morphol­ogy, as well as how lan­guage is connected with culture, Jenks said.

“He (Williams) explains the structure of the language and how it’s different than English and it really reinforces some of the things I do in terms of the nuts and bolts of lan­guage,” Jenks said.

The second part of the lecture was on how the Navajo mythology and place names relate to the geographical features of the Four Corners area, Jenks said.

The Navajo use stories from their mythology to orient themselves in the landscape, Jenks said.

One example of this from Williams’ presenta­tion is what Albuquerque is called in Navajo; it means “suspended church bells,” because it was where people went to church and where you could hear and see the church bells hung in the seventeenth century, Jenks said.

“That really gives stu­dents a really good perspec­tive on living here because it has this mythological meaning that it doesn’t have to most people who live here,” Jenks said.

Williams describes the place names and their sto­ries in mythology as an oral Rand-McNally, he said.

By knowing the stories, a person knows physically where they are in the land­scape, and then they do not get lost, Williams said.

Williams said that he likes to come back to teach students about Chaco Canyon and the Navajo language which he worked on at UNM for his Masters and Doctorate level degrees.

“It’s a feeling that you don’t get any­where else, you know when you run into a stu­dent and they are a better writer or they say ‘Hey Dr. Williams, I made an A on my sociology term paper because of you,’” Williams said.

When Williams worked at CNM he taugh most of the differ­ent types of English and technical writing classes offered at Westside, Main and mostly Montoya cam­puses, he said.

For Williams, teach­ing is a passion for making things and society better, by giving his students the tools to go out in the world, to be successful and to teach others, he said.

“It’s part of what makes me, me. I think what makes a lot of teach­ers, teachers is that you have a passion for teach­ing, that you have a pas­sion for going further for making things better than what they are, making society better, but teach­ers do it one class at a time with one student at a time,” Williams said.

Suncat Chit Chat

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By Jonathan Baca, Copy Editor | Photos By Jonathan Baca

What do students think about all the spam mail that is sent every week to school email addresses?

Mike Wilson Communications major “It’s going to happen whether you want it to or not. If it’s really too much of a hassle for people to click ‘delete’ if they don’t want to read it, then that’s their problem.”
Mike Wilson
Communications major
“It’s going to happen whether you
want it to or not. If it’s really too
much of a hassle for people to click
‘delete’ if they don’t want to read it,
then that’s their problem.”
Elliot Reddinger Welding major “I don’t like it. It just clogs up my email, and then you look at it and it’s usually the same thing multiple weeks in a row. It’s just kind of pointless, because it’s never anything that really involves the students very much.”
Elliot Reddinger
Welding major
“I don’t like it. It just clogs up my
email, and then you look at it and it’s
usually the same thing multiple weeks
in a row. It’s just kind of pointless,
because it’s never anything that really
involves the students very much.”
Elizabeth Torres Liberal Arts major “I read some of it that I feel pertains to me. It doesn’t annoy me at all. There is enough email that I get from any other place, so I kind of just pick and choose.”
Elizabeth Torres
Liberal Arts major
“I read some of it that I feel pertains
to me. It doesn’t annoy me at
all. There is enough email that I get
from any other place, so I kind of
just pick and choose.”
Briana Martinez Nursing major “It’s moderate. I don’t really look at it though. I read what it says on the subject line, and if it doesn’t seem like it’s really important, then I just delete it without opening it.”
Briana Martinez
Nursing major
“It’s moderate. I don’t really look at it
though. I read what it says on the subject
line, and if it doesn’t seem like it’s really
important, then I just delete it without
opening it.”
Arsenio Gallegos Culinary Arts major, work study employee “It’s a little excessive. It’s not bad, I mean some of it is useful, but I don’t ever use most of it. Some of it is useful, but there is a lot that isn’t.”
Arsenio Gallegos
Culinary Arts major, work study employee
“It’s a little excessive. It’s not
bad, I mean some of it is useful, but
I don’t ever use most of it. Some of
it is useful, but there is a lot that
isn’t.”
Alexander Volak Nursing major “I honestly don’t check it. It’s not excessive, I just don’t really pay attention to it unless it’s like a reminder for renewing stuff.”
Alexander Volak
Nursing major
“I honestly don’t check it. It’s not
excessive, I just don’t really pay attention
to it unless it’s like a reminder for
renewing stuff.”

Breakin’ Hearts; Former students organize street culture festival

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By Jonathan Baca,  Copy Editor | Photo courtesy of Facebook.com

5.1

For the past 12 years hip-hop has had a home here in Albuquerque, and every b-boy, break dancer, DJ and MC in town has known where to go when they want to show their skills and earn the respect of their scene; Breakin’ Hearts.

Scheduled for Saturday, Feb 15 at Warehouse 508 and Sunday, Feb 16 at the Heights Community Center, the Twelfth Annual Breakin’ Hearts hip-hop festival will bring dance competitions, street art, rap battles and free vendor space to the Duke City, celebrating hip-hop culture in an all-ages, family friendly extravaganza.

Former student and Event Coordinator, Cyrus Gould is part of the United Hip Hop Family (UHF) Krew, a competitive dance crew that shares their love of b-boy culture with Burque’s youth in workshops and dance classes, and has helped put on Breakin’ Hearts and other hip-hop events locally for more than 15 years.

“It’s a really great, positive event, and it can change a lot of stereotypes,” Gould said.

Over the past 12 years the event has grown from a small, tight-knit community to a huge, two day event, with exhibitions and competitions that encompass every facet of street culture, Gould said.

On Saturday at Warehouse 508, there will be a 2 vs. 2 dance battle with a $1,000 prize, along with $100 prizes for a live painting canvas battle and a beat box contest, and a $50 prize for “Freshest Dressed.”

On Sunday the party moves to the Heights Community Center, where the one-on-one open style and pop n’ lock battles will be held, each with a $100 prize.

Each night also has a 21-and-over after party, at Art Bar on Saturday and Sister Bar on Sunday. Saturday’s after party will also have MC and DJ battles.

Throughout the weekend there will be performances from hip-hop groups like Diles, the 2bers, and L’Roneous, and dance exhibitions from the UHF Krew and their youth group, Jr. UHF.

“There’s all these chances to really be involved in a meaningful way as opposed to just being a spectator. I think it gives people an opportu­nity where maybe there was none before. People like to get a little bit of the limelight,” Gould said.

Former student and Event promoter “Shuga” Shane Montoya said that UHF Krew and Breakin’ Hearts has always been about creating a positive, creative scene for kids and people of all ages, by focusing on education, com­petition and reflection.

“It’s nice to be able to share what you love to do with other people that really get into it. We see a lot of shifts and changes in people’s lives too, where maybe they are a little more outgoing. Because it’s hard to get out there and dance,” Montoya said.

In addition to all the performances and compe­titions, and in the spirit of education, there will also be free community work­shops starting on Friday and continuing throughout the weekend, where local spray paint artists, dancers and DJs will be teaching their crafts, Gould said.

They will also be offer­ing free vendor space at the event, where anyone in the community can sign up for free space to sell whatever they want, Montoya said.

In the past, people have sold their handmade art, jew­elry, screen printed t-shirts and clothing, b-boy acces­sories like head spin beanies, handmade hip-hop dolls, and anything else, Montoya said.

Dancers can sign up the day of the event, and the only entry fee is the cost of the admission.

“Just come early, sign up, and get ready to battle,” Montoya said.

Tickets are $15 at the door each day, and two-day passes can be purchased before the event for $25, and are available at Caps Paint Shop, LA Underground and Silver Skate Shop.

Gould and Montoya have been sharing their love of dancing and the hip-hop scene since 1999, when they first formed UHF Krew, Gould said.

The crew has com­peted all over the coun­try, and they are pas­sionate about community outreach, teaching the skills of break dancing to kids with their Urban Summer Hip-Hop Camp and regular dance classes at Marshall’s Performing Arts Conservatory, Montoya said.

They have also worked closely with groups like Children, Youth and Families Department, the Southwest Organizing Project, the Youth Detention Center and Title 1 Homeless Project.

“We work closely with a lot of these organizations, and they really believe in what we do,” Montoya said.

Montoya said that the crew learns as much from the kids as they teach, and that it is this cycle of learning and growing that is the most rewarding part of the job.

“Working with these guys has really been a blessing. It’s amazing to see what they can do,” he said.

Although hip-hop and street culture has often been sighted by many as being a bad influence on youth, Gould said that if people could see what they do and how much of a positive impact their work can have on kids, they would change their minds.

“I would just encourage people to come to the event and make their own judg­ments and opinions. Come out and have a good time, see how much of a family event it is and how great it is,” Gould said.

Romance on a budget; Spend less this Valentines Day

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By Dan Chavez, Staff Reporter

Valentine’s Day is a special day to treat loved ones to a fine dinner, and Albuquerque has many restaurants that would surely make this day one to remember.

The Chronicle has high­lighted four restaurants that might make this Valentine’s Day truly spectacular that offer Valentine’s Day specials and treats for couples looking to get out on the town this holiday.

Seasons Rotisserie and Grill in Old Town at 2031 Mountain Rd. NW special­izes in cuisine rooted in the American classics, serves simple dishes created with the freshest ingredi­ents and features an open kitchen where guests can see the restaurant kitchen in action, which creates a very memorable dining experience, according to the restaurant’s website.

According to the web­site, guests of Seasons can choose to sit in a dining room that features natural wood, terra cotta, and hand wrought light fixtures.

According to Season’s website this restaurant is located at 2031 Mountain Rd. NW and is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Manager, Keith Roessler said that for their Valentine’s Day special, Seasons will be serving a special four-course dinner, which includes a bottle of Feuillatte Brut Rose from France with the first course, for $55 per person.

The main course entrées include Crispy Duck Breast, Pan Seared Sea Bass, and Fresh Lobster Tail and Filet.

“The Brut Rosé is valued at about $50, so this dinner is a really good deal,” Roessler said.

Roessler said that res­ervations are required and can be made through the website or by phone.

According to the website, Seasons purchases locally or regionally whenever possible and they have been able to find an amazing variety of ingredi­ents from local sources.

For those who would like to dine in the Nob Hill area this Valentine’s Day, there is Scalo Northern Italian Grill located at 3500 Central Avenue SE and this restaurant is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and then opens for dinner at 5:30 p.m. daily, according to the restaurant’s website.

Manager, Sarah Williams said that they will be running their regular menu and will add a special Valentine’s Day dinner, which will be an appe­tizer and two course dinner and can been seen at the res­taurant’s online menu at scalo­nobhill.com/file/Valentines_ Day_2014.pdf.

Williams said that pasta will run from $13 to $18 and dinner entrées will be from $24 to $32.

Reservations are recom­mended and can be requested by visiting the website or giving them a call, she said.

“Nothing says love like a glass of wine coupled with great Italian cuisine. Pair that with the backdrop of Historic Nob Hill, and you are sure to have a memorable Valentine’s Day,” a passage from the web­site reads.

El Pinto is the largest New Mexican restaurant in the state, with three indoor dining rooms, a cantina, and five patios that are enclosed during the colder months so that visitors can dine by a warm fire, according to the restaurant’s website.

According to El Pinto’s website, this restaurant is located at 10500 Fourth St. NW and is open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

According to El Pinto’s menu, which can be seen online at elpinto.com/menus, most large dinners are from $18 to $20 per plate and there are many varieties of healthy and vegetarian plates ranging from $13 to $20.

Manager, Doug Evilsizor said he believes El Pinto would be a fine place for a romantic dinner because it has an old world feel with fireplaces and a romantic atmosphere.

El Pinto has tasty guaca­mole, delicious steak, and tra­ditional enchiladas, he said.

Evilsizor said that they have a wide variety of dishes, including healthy and vegetar­ian dinners that are delicious.

“There’s no better place to be for Valentine’s. We have good salads, great New Mexican food, and the best margaritas around,” he said.

Evilsizor said that there are a limited number of reserved tables, but reserva­tions are not necessary because there are lots of tables for walk-in visitors.