Editorial Cartoon by Jacob Perea
Month: March 2016
Codes | CNM students participate in art exhibition
By Whitney Browneller. Staff Reporter
CNM Art Career Concerns class will present an art exhibition “Codes” from April 8 through April 22 at the Freestyle Gallery located at 1114 Central Ave SW, said Megan Salazar, artist, Fine Arts student at CNM, and press release manager for the exhibition.
The grand opening reception for the exhibit is scheduled to take place on April 8 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Freestyle Gallery, she said.
Codes is an exhibition that will feature a dynamic group of CNM students who are about to graduate from the Fine Arts AA Degree program, she said.
This exhibition will feature works such as oil and acrylic paintings, woodcut prints, drawings, wood burnings, and ceramics, she said.
“There’s not one set style as it is a group of students with different things presented, but it shows off the skills we have learned here at CNM,” she said.
The Art Career Concerns class holds an exhibition every year but only in the spring semester as that is when the class is offered, she said.
The class is responsible for titling the exhibition and no two exhibitions are ever the same, she said.
The CNM Arts Careers Concerns class is a class that focuses on what to do after students, as artists, graduate.
The class teaches students how to professionally deal with galleries, how to put their work out there, how to be professional and prepare them by having students create their resumes and artist statements.
The class helps students prepare for the “art world,” she said.
The class is only offered in the spring semester and is taken after the students have learned their craft and is there to help further their career and really helps give insight to how an artist can make a living or at least helps artists get their work out there the right way, she said.
Students graduating from the fine arts program can expect it to be like working at any program but students must be willing to put in time and dedication and passion, she said.
“I pushed through to finish this degree because art is a passion of mine and it is something I want to do with my life,” Salazar said.
Those who choose to go through the Fine Arts program not only need to be on top of the academic aspect of it but they must have the time and dedication to put into learning the craft whether it be painting or drawing, she said.
Salazar said that a lot of time is spent going into one piece of work and it can be anywhere from four to ten or more hours depending on what the artist is trying to accomplish or make.
Fine arts combine visual elements with the creative process, she said.
It is the practice of making art from various materials, methods, and styles, she said.
Fine art can include but is not limited to painting, drawing, printmaking, ceramics, it can be any other type of handmade artwork that requires skills and technical training to do, she said.
“The arts are important because it is an outlet for creativity and expression. It’s a way to be a part of something bigger,” she said.
Salazar said there are so many different types of art and each one of them are important.
Jobs for those who choose to take the Fine Arts path could look into doing commissions or they could try to get into group and solo exhibitions at various galleries either around town or even nationally, she said.
There are always opportunities for artists to submit their works to an array of different galleries that cater to all styles, she said.
“This exhibition (“Codes”) is the first of shows on many of our art resumes but it only opens the door on much more, and being a part of it encourages each one of us to try to submit other works into different exhibitions,” she said.
Salazar encourages students who want to go the exhibition but have never attended one to expect a professional atmosphere, casual dress is appropriate, and behavior should be the same, she said.
“It’s going to be a fun time though and a great way to talk to all the artists, so if anyone had questions about the program or art they can probably get some answers from us,” she said.
If anyone has questions about the show they can email the program director, Danielle Miller, at drmiller@cnm.edu.
Again, the grand opening reception for the exhibition should be held on April 8 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Freestyle Gallery located at 1114 Central Ave SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102 but the exhibition will be there for public viewing until April 22.
Salazar encourages everyone to attend the exhibition.
Give Blood | Blood drive scheduled to help victims of Zika virus
By Edgar Gonzalez, Staff Reporter
There is a blood drive scheduled to take place on CNM Main Campus March 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in order to help people that have been affected by the Zika virus in the southern states of the U.S. as well as those who suffer from other ailments, said Patricio Jimenez Biology Major
The blood is sent to forty-two different hospitals all around New Mexico, although recently there has been a problem in the southern states along the Rio Grande with the Zika virus so there is a high demand for blood, he said.
The blood might get transported to these different states in order to help with the Zika virus, he said.
If someone is unable to attend the scheduled blood drive on CNM main campus, there are different places where blood is always happily accepted all over the state that are part of the United Blood Services, he said.
There is no profit being made, only donations are acceptable and the buying of plasma will not be taking place during this event, he said.
“It is always good to help in the community and give something back to your fellow human beings,” he said.
A lot of people are just not informed about what a necessity blood is at any time so getting the word out is extremely important, he said.
The necessity today for blood is enormous and United Blood Services needs as many people as possible in order to save lives, he said.
There is a shocking statistic that says that out of the thirty percent of Americans that can donate blood only ten percent ever do, in fact there is a need for blood every two seconds in America alone, he said.
“There is nothing that a person is required to bring to the event, but medical history would definitely be a plus if someone decides to bring it,” he said.
There are some restrictions with people that can donate blood, these include people with diseases, people that are taking several prescription drugs, people with cancer, or people with infections, he said.
People who are underweight will also be unable to donate blood, as well as pregnant women, he said.
There will be certified individuals that will be taking blood from people who decide to donate, he said.
When a person first arrives there will be some people there that will ask them some questions like what type of blood they have, if they have been out of the country during the past few months, etc, the process normally takes up to forty five minutes, he said.
The process of taking blood will take about fifteen minutes, he said.
There are certain kinds of blood that are preferred like blood type O.
They will ask if that person is interested in giving a second dose of blood after there has been some time for recovery from the first extraction, he said.
In order to recover from the extraction the people at the event will be offering snacks and water which will be given to everyone after the blood is taken out, he said.
Volunteers and the people doing the extractions will always make sure that the person donating blood is always in a condition of health after the process is complete especially if people are giving double doses, he said.
The way this works is volunteers will go all around the place where the event is happening and ask people if they would be interested in donating blood, he said.
The people who come will be shown the way by volunteers, he said.
“There in never really a line to donate blood, so there is not really a wait that people have to go through,” he said.
After the blood is taken the individual performing the extractions will take the blood and test it in a lab in order to make sure that they are able to use it, he said.
If there is a situation where people have some sort of problem with their blood, they will be advised immediately and told that it would be a good idea to go for a checkup, he said.
Photo and art by Patricio Jimenes and Brianna
Chicano One Man Show
Edgar Gonzalez,Staff Reporter
Patricio Tlacaelel Trujillo y Fuentes, a student and artist who attends CNM, is scheduled to host the one man performance of the epic poem “Yo Soy Joaquin,” by Rodolfo Gonzales about some hard truths that the Latino culture must face today and the way he feels they should be as a race from March 31 through April 3 and April 7 through April 10 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, he said.
Tickets will cost fifteen dollars for students and eighteen dollars for adults except on Thursdays when tickets cost ten dollars, he said.
This is a one man show and there is a child actress who will appear as a protestor for a small amount of time, aside from her there are many staff that help with the show with lights, costumes, etc., he said.
It is very hard to carry a one man show and keep the audience engaged in the performance, he said.
‘This show will include many types of artistic expression such as poems, dance, and music, which I will be doing in both Spanish and in English,” he said.
The show is all about raising awareness and sharing this poem since many people do not know about it, he said.
It gives the history of the Chicano, from the Aztecs to today, he said.
“One sad truth is that Mexicans and Chicanos normally do not get along, so I would like to see that change since we are all the same people,” he said.
The other part of this poem is talking about slavery, and how people are taught that slavery had ended in America when Abraham Lincoln stepped into power even though that is not true because it just changed form, he said.
Today, slave owners come with economic power over the Hispanic population who is forced to work for companies that do not even meet human necessities, he said.
People who work for organizations like Walmart, McDonald’s, Arbys, etc. do not make a living wage so this forces them to work even more for the bare necessities, he said.
What this poem does is it reminds us that the struggle to be equal is not over and that it is very much alive today, he said.
Migrant Farm workers get it the worst with inhumane working conditions that no person should ever go through, he said.
Most Migrant Farm Workers have to work from sun rise to sun set for a fraction of what they should be getting paid, while they get sprayed with pesticides, have no decent place to go to the bathroom, and have no breaks or water in order to replenish themselves jut to put food on their families tables, he said.
There was actually a big move to boycott Wendy’s since they are using tomatoes picked by migrant workers who have very bad health problems thanks to the chemicals and are exposed to inhumane working conditions, he said.
“I am currently trying to include some footage of the horrific working conditions that many migrant workers are exposed to every day,” he said.
There is also small children working on these fields while they are subjected to the injustice of inhumane working conditions as well as child labor and being mocked by their bosses who come with ice cream, beverages, and do activities such as swimming meanwhile the workers cannot get a five minute break to go in the shade, he said.
The poem reminds people of the injustice and the inhumanity that immigrants are placed through daily, he said.
The Hispanic Cultural Center is actually called the National Hispanic Cultural Center because its mission is to represent who we are as a Latino people all over the country,
“Everyone who is working with us are representing the show not only at a local level but at a national level as well which gives the local artists some exposure,” he said.
The future plans for the show is to take it on tour all over the country and spread awareness, he said.
“I would like to thank the Hispanic Cultural Center because they are creating careers at the national level,” he said.
When someone wants to do a show it is very expensive running into the thousands and very minimal personal expenditures have been made thanks to the Hispanic Cultural Center, because they have covered everything in an effort to pay for publicity, location, and staff pay, he said.
Editorial Cartoon by Jacob Perea
Student Submissions: Poetry
Young lady
By Dolores Newkirk
hold your head
don’t fret
it is ok
don’t be afraid
for fear
holds you in chains
and taking steps
may be hard
stand up
let the inner
strength shine
keeping you strong
even while weak
sing a song
for there lies
golden dreams
roads unseen
revelations
as bright sunlight
to be exposed
at the morning dawn
Looking Out
By Dolores Newkirk
Rest on the ledge
Listen to the sound
Find the quiet
Hear your heart
Violin rhythm
Tones abound
Soaring words
Show moments
Open your ears
Take it all in
For today is gone
Tomorrow will come
Rest
Listen
Find
Breathe
Living Words
By Dolores Newkirk
Like a whirling wind throwing about everything
Scattered thoughts are lost
Just as the clouds darken
All is here and there
Gone tomorrow
Cuts, Scrapes, & Bruises | President Winograd discusses plans to handle upcoming budget cuts
By Edgar Gonzalez, Staff Reporter
CNM will cut 100 jobs from vacant positions and retirees in order to save some jobs for the members of our staff, said CNM President, Dr. Katharine W. Winograd.
CNM will not stop hiring and CNM will protect staff as much as possible, she said.
Although, right now CNM is not hiring much, she said.
CNM cannot just stop hiring because it will have negative results for everyone at the school, she said.
No reduction or cut of pay will be established for the staff that remains at CNM, she said.
There might be a small increase in tuition for CNM students, Winograd said.
CNM is experiencing budget cuts made by the state, so CNM is coming up with new and innovative ideas to help students and protect staff to the best of CNM’s ability, she said.
CNM has already been implementing ideas like using a centralized network for heating on its buildings, she said.
Budgeting is very complicated so it will take some time in order to fix the troubles facing CNM right now, she said.
Unfortunately, when gas prices drop it is good for students but bad for the schools as a whole by bringing less money to the states, she said.
It is volatile that CNM make decisions for this year and the next year in order to improve the economic situation of CNM, she said.
CNM is doing everything possible to save a many jobs as possible, she said.
Cutting people from their work is very hard, she said.
Since there was a cut in the budget there are some things that CNM has in mind in order to save money, Winograd said.
This budget problem is much more difficult than the ones CNM has had in the past, she said.
In 2008, the budget had dropped but admissions for CNM where rising so the extra income helped soften the blow, she said.
Part of the bond election that recently passed could also be used in order to help get the budget adjusted accordingly, she said.
CNM is a very big institute so there is no one magical fix or one simple answer in order to fix the budget problems CNM is facing, she said.
CNM is in the midst of starting a global program which will increase student admission and attendance from all over the world, she said.
Energy reduction and better use of resources will help CNM save some money like the way CNM goes about printing, she said.
CNM will also try to utilize students in a better way, she said.
Take tutoring for example, CNM has the ability to use students as tutors and maybe even train them to be professional tutors, she said.
Montoya campus has already implemented the change of having student tutoring, she said.
One thing that will change is when a position opens up, a student cannot just fill it, CNM is working on utilizing its resources such as students in a more efficient manner, she said.
CNM will protect services for students but will utilize technology available in order to help the fluidity of work that is done, she said.
CNM wants to continue increasing opportunities for all students, she said.
Using the cafeteria to gain profit failed since it was losing revenue and in order to receive some kind of profit, the quality of the food was getting into a bad place which is a common trend for most restaurants and other food establishments, she said.
Also, CNM cannot simply use the students in the culinary program to run the cafeteria for profit given state laws and how they are enforced, she said.
One of our ideas is to utilize technology on all in order to help students and help CNM on its budget troubles, Winograd said.
By utilizing more tech, there will be less people but that has its advantages, she said.
Online classes come to mind when saving money, but they happen to be just as expensive as having a regular class located on a campus, she said.
Online classes do offer a luxury with out of state students since they must pay the out of state tuition which helps CNM during this budget crisis, she said.
Moving classes is not probable since the only time CNM has done this is to improve parking on the campuses, she said.
The one thing that CNM is taking under consideration is to limit the amount of classes on certain campuses for certain programs, instead of having two classes for one program on two different campuses, it will only be on one campus, she said.
Opening times might get rearranged since some campuses lack student activity during some days such as Saturdays or late classes, she said.
CNM is not planning to completely cut any extracurricular classes out, she said.
CNM agreed on adding some new programs like the new brewing program coming this fall in order to increase opportunities for students and make their collegiate experience a good one, she said.
Advertisement is also chosen very carefully in order to increase awareness without wasting too much money, she said.
CNM might have to do a lot of switching around during the next 5 years, she said.
“One thing that makes me uncomfortable is when leaders say that something will stop completely because it is not plausible. We will face the challenge head on and move into the storm because CNM will come out better on the other side,” she said.
Book Review: Cash Your Investmen
By Guadalupe Santos-Sanchez, Managing Editor
No matter what stage of education a student is at, they will undoubtedly need to start looking for a job after graduation.
So, it is never too early to go about learning how to do that, and with S.A. Eberwein’s novel, Cash Your Investment: How to Leverage Your College Degree into a Great First Job, students can get a nice head start.
Cash Your Investment sets out advice on preparing for and securing a dream job in five chapters filled with many pointers and many real life experiences.
Eberwein makes sure to start off the first chapter on advising the reader to “master their mind.”
In fact, Eberwein said he hopes that readers realize how much control of their futures they actually have.
“Sure, a great résumé certainly doesn’t hurt, but belief in yourself can go a long way,” he said.
The rest of the chapter is a briefing of the content of the following chapters.
Second chapter of the book breaks down the importance of having a mentor and the qualities that a mentor is preferable with.
The largest portion of the book is the third chapter, which itself is broken down into seven subsections about searching for a job, which resources to use, and how to capitalize on opportunities that the student does get.
And the last two chapters go more into detail about interviewing and résumés, with chapter five including Eberwein’s progress on his résumés.
The writing style and many of the terms used by the author may get excessive at times, but a reader can see that as emphasis or look past it to find that the book really does contain a lot of good advice and practically outlines a plan for job hunting and finding.
Eberwein said he wanted to create a job search resource with advice that is supplemented with real life examples, and he appears to have achieved that.
Cash Your Investment could have been an easier read with an informal style or different vocabulary, but it is worth it for the reader to endure reading a more formal writing style in order to receive such advice.
Although Eberwein writes throughout the book a bit more specifically about corporate jobs, his advice can be applied to other areas.
Cash Your Investment: How to Leverage Your College Degree into a Great First Job was released January 25, 2016 by Brown Books Publishing and is available on Amazon and some bookstores for an average price of $19.95.
Arts Fandango
By Edgar Gonzalez, Staff Reporter
The Fine Arts Department will be hosting a silent auction for art made by students and staff of CNM as well as local artists.
On April 2 from 6p.m. to 8p.m., tickets at the door will be $10 and $5 for students at 1910 Broadway NE Albuquerque New Mexico 87102, said Andy Tibble faculty member in the school of adult and general education.
It is an event to raise money for a scholarship that they have created, the Ernest Garcia Emergent Artist scholarship, he said.
Ernest Garcia, who the scholarship was named after, was a founding member of their union and he also was the secretary of the union for many years, he said.
“It was very sad since he died within a year after his retirement,” he said.
The fundraiser raised the needed funds for the first scholarship that was offered so they decided to centralize the event and the scholarship under the name Ernest Garcia, Tibble said.
This is a silent auction, which means that people who decide to buy a piece that is available for bid will remain anonymous, he said.
“Most of the pieces in the gallery are of very good quality and I have even bought some of the pieces for myself, sometimes I cannot believe I am getting this level of art with only 20- 50 dollars,” he said.
There are many levels of art at different price ranges, some will go for $20 while others might go for hundreds of dollars depending on the quality of the piece and the interest of people on it, he said.
The types of art include but are not limited to drawings, paintings, and sculptures, he said.
They have several rooms depending on the type of art work and there is a room which will be filled with drawings which are very reasonably priced from five to twenty dollars, he said.
For the drawings there is no silent auction, it works as a first come first serve situation, he said.
The more money collected the more the scholarship will be worth, he said.
There is a lot of money collected at the end of the night, in fact the last time the scholarship raised well over five thousand dollars, he said.
All the work will be donated by artists which have been found through connections from the fine arts department, he said.
“The department is always looking for donations, for various kinds of art work from the event although they are very picky,” Tibble said.
They also donate pieces of their own work, he said.
Some students and ex-students donate their art works as well, he said.
There is a process for people who want their pieces to be auctioned off in the gallery, he said.
When they get pieces of art because of the scholarship there must be a tax form filled in for every single thing since it is a donation and it is maintained by the CNM foundation, he said.
There will also be an assortment of food, drinks and live entertainment for the people who show, he said
Hola! Hello!
By Whitney Browneller, Staff Reporter
There is a conversational Spanish group open to all students, staff, and community members every Wednesday from 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. and is held in the SRC 203T, said Laura Dulin ALMA supervisor.
The meetings are held by Dulin to help those who are interested in learning some Spanish and also for those who want to practice speaking the language, she said.
Dulin said that all skill levels are welcome to attend the meetings but that it is usually most beneficial for students who have at least a basic knowledge of Spanish.
Those that are really serious about learning Spanish but have no knowledge at all are also welcome to attend as well, she said.
Dulin wants to remind everyone that these are just meetings to help students practice Spanish, they are not CNM courses or classes.
The meetings start off with an hour of dialogue and the last fifteen minutes are used to watch short videos, she said.
She said she usually starts the meeting off with a list of phrases for the group to practice with but that the group is the one who is in control of the meeting and she is just there as a facilitator to help guide the students and allow them to get the most out of the meetings.
Students should feel free to throw in their own questions or practice certain phrases or words that they are having a hard time with, she said.
Dulin said that it takes a lot of practice, perseverance, and self-motivation to learn a new language.
“It’s really rewarding, fun and amazing to learn a new language,” Dulin said.
If students get the chance to go abroad that is the best way to learn a new language, there is nothing like immersing yourself in the language, she said.
Dulin spent five years in Costa Rica teaching English as a second language and working on her master’s degree.
“I was a horrible Spanish student, I was terrible at learning Spanish,” Dulin said.
It was not until she immersed herself in the language that she really began to pick it up, she said.
It took her three years of living in Costa Rica before she became fluent in the language, she said.
Being fluent in another language looks really good on a resume and it can be very beneficial when it comes to working in the medical field, in a school, and in the business profession, she said.
“No matter what, there are people everywhere that you can carry on a conversation with who don’t speak English as their native tongue,” she said.
It’s crucial to speak it in order to learn it, she said.
Practicing the language and working with each other is one of the best ways to learn the language, she said.
It takes a lot of effort and practice to learn a new language, she said.
For students who are interested in conversation Spanish groups but cannot make the Wednesday meetings Dulin suggests looking up a Meetup group online, as she says there are a few to choose from.
Currently there are about four people attending the meetings but she said that she would like to see that number raise to eight or ten people.
Dulin started the conversational Spanish group about a year ago because she said that there was not a lot of groups focusing on that.
She said that there is also an ESL conversation group for students to practice English with one another.
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