It is officially over for the old CNM Book Store. All books have been moved to the new Marketplace book store, on the west side of University Boulevard When the Marketplace will open is still a question, although books can still be purchased on line, according to signs posted at the Marketplace. Looking into the Marketplace windows, racks of CNM clothing items are visible, although the books are not. A few employees are on the scene, arranging the store, and they say the Marketplace is going to be one big book store, complete with a big-name coffeeshop.
Although the CNM campus has seen very little activity in recent days, a small group of metal heads are working hard to complete a hard and neverending project on the south side of the Student Services Center. They might take a short break, but only to do some pull-ups to stay in shape.
CNM, through its Marketing and Communications Office (MCO), has issued an advisory for students contemplating travel outside of New Mexico during the holiday season. The advisory reads as follows: If you travel out-of state, a 14-day self quarantine is required in most cases upon return to NM; students please note that Thanksgiving travel could jeopardize your ability to finish Fall Term classes. With the holiday season approaching, it’s important to be aware of the Governor’s (Michelle Luhan Grisham) current executive order related to travel outside of New Mexico. People returning to New Mexico from states deemed to be high-risk for COVID-19 are no longer exempt from the 14-day self quarantine if they test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of their arrival in New Mexico. All individuals arriving from high-risk states, according to this New Mexico Department of Health web page that is updated weekly– https:cv.nmhealth.org/travel-recommendations/ — must self-quarantine for a period of no less than 14 days. Currently, 45 states and the District of Colimbia are on the high-risk list. For student taking on-campus classes who travel out of state, the state’s self-quarantine requirement could cause them to miss classes or final exams. There’s also a 14-day self-quarantine requirement if you travel outside the country. The MCO reported in its Self Assessment Totals that, as of November 9th, there have been 34 covid cases among CNM students, at all campuses, with no deaths.
A walk around CNM’ Joseph M. Montoya Campus on a brisk, sunny November day, showed that the buildings and trees pretty much had the grounds to themselves. And the fall foliage was hanging in there.
CNM’S Executive Council of Students decided, at its meeting on November 6th, to initiate an exploration of ways in which CNM might cooperate with its sister school, UNM, for the benefit of the CNM student body. Colin Stapleton, ECOS outreach officer, volunteered to take the lead in researching areas of possible cooperation. Staplton suggested that club activities at CNM could be enhanced through more joint participation with UNM. One of the main responsibilities of ECOs is to determine funding levels for the clubs and organization that meet on CNM’s campuses. Imane Bajhi, board vice-president said that ECOS, might be able to learn something from the student body government at UNM about how to communicate with students in Covid times, when many students are experiencing isolation. Bahji has taken the lead for Ecos in drafting a letter to the CNM administration regarding improving remote learning. CNM is expected to keep most courses online for Spring term, although some course will continue to meet in person under restrictions, according to college officials. Language for the draft letter indicated that ECOS would likely ask the CNM administration to encourage professors with classes that traditionally have had a lecture component, to provide that component in the remote learning setting as well. Lectures facilitate exchanges between professors and students that can help clarify problems and ideas, Bahji contends. ECOS members discussed the worthwhileness of discussion board exchanges between students. Bahji said discussion board exchanges, can amount to “busy work,” and can cost students time better spent on “mastering substance.” The board is expected to take up the letter again, it its meeting of November 13th.
Kevin Scanlan, says that, at the suggestion of his wife, and co-owner of Duggan’s Coffee Shop, Mary Scanlan, they gave their coffee shop a newspaper theme, which shows up most certainly on the menu, with sandwiches with names like “The Editor, “or “The Publisher.” Mary, who is head of Facilities Management at CNM, was an admirer of Kevin’s father, who was a newspaper publisher in the Midwest, and whose nickname was Duggan.
Kevin says one of the main purposes of the shop has been to encourage folks to read the newspapers–not just settle for the internet– and then exchange ideas, on whatever topic, in a civil manner. In its nearly seven years of existence Duggan’s has been a place where CNM presidents, deans, administrators, faculty, and students could meet, and talk over the news of the day. It has also been a popular place for UNM athletes and scholars to congregate. So that you might easily someone from the women’s track team and someone working on their Master’s thesis at the same sitting. In today’s edition, we give you a refill from the coffee pot of Kevin’s ideas, including his thoughts on the future of Duggan’s.
The following information was provided by a group of students within the Paramedics program at CNM and due to the nature of the information they provided they have requested to maintain some form of anonymity. The CNM Chronicle has removed the names of the students.
The students are not allowed to use on-campus appliances
The Covid 19 virus has affected the whole Paramedic program here at CNM. Students have already had to re-imagine a lot of scenarios. The transition to online only makes it worse, said one CNM paramedic student.
Our lectures are pretty much independent studies. There is a lot of prescribed YouTube videos providing a lot of information but also creating a lot of question marks, with no physical instructors to provide answers, meaning we have to email our teachers a lot, said another student.
“We are not doing better without the other students around, we like that it is quiet, but we do not like being in college with no one on campus, we miss talking to people, we like working with other people, 100% we miss the students”, said the group.
The one good thing is that the parking lot is usually empty, although even though the campus is basically empty students still have to pay for parking, at least there is not a fight for parking spots, said another student.
Directions for EMS students.
General parking should be free. It is only five dollars, but in the student’s opinion it is a tactic by the school to make extra income, said the group.
Students try to follow the covid-19 guidelines but sometimes they forget to wear their masks. It is hard to be perfect, said another student.
The students share a belief that they will not contract covid-19 on campus, if they were to get it anywhere it would be off-campus, said the paramedic students.
One of the most frustrating things they have to deal with is when they are on campus for nine hours but they are not allowed to bring food, and technically not allowed to bring drinks either, said the group.
Staff Reporter A stroll around the Main CNM Campus indicated that Fall is back on track. A week before the campus was powdered with snow. Please take our slide show tour of fall colors around the Student Services Center, the Student Resource Center. The Educational Collaborative, Ken Chappy Hall, and the newly renovated Max Salazar Hall..
