Editorials – Page 2 – The CNM Chronicle

Pride and equality for all

June 10, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By the Chronicle Editorial Board

It is such a sad occasion that after a great event such as the Pride parade mentioned in the front page article called Pride and Equality for all, that parade goers are still advised by event coordinators to be aware of one’s environment and to take appropriate precautions after a day at Pride, according to abqpride.com.

People of any creed, race or sexual orientation should not have to be advised to look over their shoulders when gathering anywhere for any reason, and are just reminded of how far our society must still go in order to achieve true equality.

What was great about this year’s event though was that there were less protesters and they did not end up walking in the parade which had been the case in previous years, as only two people were protesting the parade’s beginning point at Girard Boulevard and Central Avenue.

No one should be forced to hear gay slurs or be told that god hates them, because everyone deserves to live their lives the way they want to, without judgment or ridicule for just being who they are in life.

Hopefully in the coming years of the parade there will be no one protesting the equality of LGBTQ individuals, because everyone is entitled to have the same rights as every other individual and should not be told how to live one’s life or who they should love.

It is also a brilliant idea that the CNM community recognizes that there is a need for help in the LGBTQ community with the new LGBTQ plus group, and that students here have a foundation and are supported by the school.

Pride and equality for all

June 3, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By the Chronicle Editorial Board

It is such a sad occasion that after a great event such as the Pride parade mentioned in the front page article called All the colors of the rainbow at the 2014 Pride Parade, that parade goers are still advised by event coordinators to be aware of one’s environment and to take appropriate precautions after a day at Pride, according to abqpride.com.

Starting students off right

May 27, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By The Chronicle Editorial Board

Starting anything new can be a struggle, so it is beneficial and necessary to have orientation programs that help students to start off their educations right here at CNM. Community colleges have not always been effective in fostering student success, but early intervention programs such as this one starting at orientation will facilitate a better academic understanding of student expectation and will give a chance for improved social integration throughout a student’s educational career.

Student retention is based on how a student is going to perceive the school when first starting, as well as learning what resources they can use to succeed throughout their time at CNM, so when students are not given those tools at the beginning chances are they are more likely to fail without knowing that there are many resources available to new students.

Getting current students involved in the process orientation is just another great step in ensuring students stick around for the long haul, because current students who know the ropes and what it takes to get through each semester to help guide newbies, since current students know exactly how it was for themselves when they first started, so they can help students much more than an administrator could with new student inquires and issues, because they have gone through it as well.

Also, having a scholarship incentive set up for these orientation mentor leaders gives students a great initiate to not only help potential incoming students, but also helps them in leadership skill learning and gives students a much needed opportunity to get a substantial scholarship to help them get through next semester.

CNM is revealing that the school does care if students flourish on to getting their degrees with this new orientation program, and the Chronicle hopes that CNM keeps up the focus on what students really need to be effective here at CNM.

Just plane respect

May 20, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By The Chronicle Editorial Board

A definite quality difference is certainly evident in the instructors and classes here at CNM, because of the high enrollment in one class with a great teacher and low enrollment in classes where teachers are lacking.

Most students are able to find this out by comparing instructors in certain classes on RateMyProfessor.com, where anyone can see why some classes are great, and why some just don’t cut it when it comes to the correct quality of education or respect that students should be getting from all instructors.

So, when students are willing to fight to keep an instructor from being fired, such as in the article on page 2 “Students want their teacher back,” many student said that instructor Jason Manzanares goes above and beyond to make sure his students are getting the quality of education they need to survive in their field of aviation, and that he deserves to have a second chance.

Our school cannot afford to lose any great instructors at CNM, and the school needs to take students views into consideration more often, especially when dealing with issues involving instructors.

The Chronicle was not made aware specifically why Manzanares was put on leave, as the school was not willing to comment on human resource issues, but it is apparent that many students in his class wish to keep their instructor around, especially since he developed the program and has established the curriculum that makes the CNM aviation program worth investing in for these students.

All the students who fund this school, by paying for and attending classes, have earned consideration and some level of respect, instead of how these aviation students are being treated now, which is to be cast aside, left in the dark, and ignored by the powers that dictate whether these students get the quality of education they expect to get from CNM, or will have to go on without the teacher who inspires them every day to succeed and finish with their educations.

Students deserve to have a voice when it comes to issues with really great instructors, and with mediocre, disrespectful, or demeaning instructors, and students deserve to be heard with real concern from the school.

To have issues with instructors or the school in any capacity is hard enough as it is, but students need to feel there is good resolutions with complaints, and that the issue is not just resolved from the schools point of view, because when students are brushed off until frustration sets in, they give up.

Students should never have to feel they are not being heard by the school they pay to attend, and the school should care what students think to improve the curriculum here.

It is rare to meet and learn from an instructor who will challenge you, change your views, or help you to succeed when you need it most, so it is the Chronicle’s opinion that extraordinary instructors who teach successfully and the students that support them should be considered at this school, instead of casting them aside. Just as the aviation students have had to cope with when all they want is their teacher back.

Watch out for people out there on the roads

April 22, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By the Chronicle Editorial Board
Now that spring is finally upon us, there are definitely more people out and most importantly there are more people walking, or on bikes, scooters and motorcycles as the temperature rises toward summer, and it is up to all of us to make sure that these people are seen on the road, by putting down the phones or other distractions and paying attention ourselves when driving, especially around populated campuses.
Time and time again one hears about the rise of pedestrian and bicyclist related car accidents every spring, because there are more people out and about versus the winter months.
So drivers need to take these people into consideration while commuting and anticipate congested areas or leave early to ensure that someone slowly riding their bike in front of the car for a few miles will not make someone late to where they are going.
Distracted driving has become a prevalent and sustaining reality of the times, and it is crucial to be a defensive driver in order to anticipate the people who just do not pay attention on the road, because in 2012 alone, 3,328 were killed in distracted driving crashes, according to distraction.gov.
Also, Central Avenue and Yale Boulevard had the highest number of bicycle related crash rates from 2006 to 2010, while Central Avenue and San Mateo Boulevard hard the highest pedestrian related crash rates, according to mrcog-nm.gov, which shows that the congestion from commuters and campuses in these areas really should make people pay more attention.
Since February the Chronicle has heard about a handful of pedestrian and bike accidents at Main campus, so when you drive, make sure you are paying attention to EVERYONE on the road including bikes in blind spots and on foot commuters, instead of just paying attention the text you got or the facebook status you just had to like at that moment, because it is not worth dying for, or hurting someone else while driving.
Everyone be safe out there and have a great summer with many adventures and life experiences to write home about this season.

Students deserve better

April 15, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By the Chronicle Editorial Board

Degree program overhauls should be a basic requirement at community college level academics, and it is good to see that CNM is stepping up some of their degree programs to better accommodate students, and to match up even better with four-year schools, such as with the Fine Arts and Nursing degree program changes in our front page stories.

For most nursing students it has been an arduous and stressful task to even get set up in the Nursing program, with many students up in arms about the small number of people that are actually let into the program during registration, and many students have simply given up, to move onto UNM or other four-year colleges just to be able to actually get in another nursing program offered elsewhere.

Not only is CNM losing copious amounts of money while students are forced to flock to other schools, but the issues have also left a bad taste for CNM with most health related students, leaving them to tell people to stay clear of the programs provided at CNM.

It is great to hear that real changes toward fixing the issues in the Nursing program are finally being addressed, but it seems the damage has already been done, so hopefully the department’s administrators can follow through and make these changes for the better.

Students that come here with the impression that they can finish their programs and degrees should be able to get just that, and should not be left high and dry every year while a small percentage of students get accepted.

The school should not mislead students into thinking they have a chance in succeeding in the program, and should be more upfront about the actual chances that students will have when entering into the Nursing program.

Any degree program should fit the needs of the students, plain and simple.

Being part of a student organization does help students to get ahead

April 8, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By The Chronicle Editorial Board

Students that take the time to get into a student based organization certainly get a much better experience out of going to CNM than the average commuter student.

There are so many reasons why student clubs are a great opportunity, but first and foremost it is because student organizations help students to see the inner workings of the school and can sometimes even have the chance of changing CNM for the better.

Not only do some student organizations open up opportunities for grants and scholarships, but they also give students a sense of community, and allow them the chance to network with like-minded people who hope to achieve the same goals.

Student clubs can also help students when they leave CNM to move on to a four-year college or to help get employment when the extra effort is seen in college on a student’s resume.

It surely is worth it to invest the time and effort it takes to be in a student org., because the rewards far outweigh the efforts when students can get the true college experience and can gain friends and allies within a set community for years to come way after leaving CNM.

So, if you might be thinking of joining a student org. it truly is worth looking into, because if there is anything that you will remember from your time at CNM, it will be the people you met and connected with, and people that helped you to become the person you hope to become someday.

Student organizations can be somewhat hard to find through campus resources such as cnm.edu, so for a complete list of student organizations go to this link.

APD protests went from peaceful to just ridiculous in only one week.

April 1, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Rene Thompson, Editor in Chief

The Tuesday, March 25 protest of APD officers’ excessive use of force had a massive turnout of more 1,000 people, and was really a very peaceful event that went as smoothly as it could have when ending at APD headquarters.

Unfortunately though, the other protest on Sunday, March 30 seemed to have an eerie and anxious feel in the crowd right from the get go.

I got the impression that there were instigators and troublemakers throughout the mass from the beginning; getting people riled up to walk the streets, and not to really show solidarity, but to wreak havoc on central and antagonize police officers, who seemed to have no other choice but to try to shut down the event that lasted from noon to 12 a.m. throughout sections of Downtown and Nob Hill areas.

The weird vibes in the crowd seemed to start when organizers tried to speak on behalf of family members who have lost loved ones, and were booed and interrupted by the crowd.

From that moment on the protest seemed unorganized and the march stopped sporadically, with people not knowing where they were going next, and eventually ended up circling Central Avenue from Downtown to Nob Hill and back again.

While doing so, entire groups stopped completely in the middle of Central, blocking traffic, provoking cops while screaming and yelling at officers on Girard, attempting to tear down the Central street sign at Yale Boulevard, and standing in the middle of the I-25 freeway, as well as attempting to block the I-25 on-ramp at Central.

Police were forced to stop protesters with an officer barricade while in riot gear, after demonstrators started getting even more out of hand when reaching Fourth Street and Roma Avenue, and again at Carlisle and Central where police had to finally tear gas protesters to get people to disperse, as well as arresting six people.

It seems that activists and protesters were intentionally provoking the police to do something and ruining what great work, effort, and results had been made from the Tuesday protest event.

People were aggressive from the beginning of this protest and seemed to intentionally want this event to get out of hand by acting out throughout the city in order to try and make people aware of the city’s issues, but it only takes a few bad apples to ruin a cause; like people prepped with weapons and gas masks, and this is exactly what happened at the protest on Sunday.

This issue has divided the community in our city, including some people who are supporting APD as well and even had a “wave or thank your local officers” event on the same day.

Some protesters acted hastily and without regard for others on Sunday, while losing much of the local support for this cause in the process of making citizens in Albuquerque look like fools.

This issue of APD violence has gotten to a boiling point that seriously needs to be addressed by city officials before anything worse occurs, because the community of Albuquerque deserves to feel somewhat safe and to have the peace of mind in knowing that ensuing chaos (like hundreds of people blocking city traffic for hours) and poor leadership will not be the city’s eventual downfall.

Farewell forever to spring break

March 25, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

It is so invigorating to be able to take a week long break during the spring semester to come back refreshed and ready to finish up the last weeks at school, but unfortunately this last spring break that passed will be the very last one ever, at least for CNM students.

Spring break has been a pastime since the Greeks and Romans started celebrating a sort of spring ritual, and has been a fad since the 1930s in America, according to content. time.com.

Not all students use the break for decedent debauchery or to have a good time, and for most, the break is a much needed rest for those that have hefty schedules and busy lives to lead.

According to President Winograd’s Blog, starting in January the idea of losing spring break all together was addressed, and was to be addressed by students and staff in a survey.

According to the Media and Communications Office as of Feb 14, “There will no longer be a spring break at CNM.”

It does not seem that this break survey was sent to all students, nor was the issue brought up through MCO until the decision had already been made to ditch the term break.

We all rely on the break for a much needed rest from the semester, and it might just be beneficial to students to just pass it right on by, but will hopefully not affect students to the point of burning them out and making their GPA’s or grades suffer for just a little less of a spring semester.

The vanishing taboo of tattoos

March 4, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By The Chronicle Editorial Board

Tattoos and body modifications are making a steady climb from the fringe, outlaw statement to a socially acceptable creative expression, and it is about time.

According to the Pew Research Center, around 45 million Americans have at least one tattoo, and in the age group between 18 and 40, roughly 40 percent have been permanently inked.

It is becoming clear that this is not a trend or a passing fad, and all signs are showing that the number of people deciding to modify their bodies will only increase.

In past decades, tattoos were reserved for freewheeling sailors, hardened criminals and outlaw bikers, but today, soccer moms get butterflies on their ankles and youth pastors have “Jesus Rocks” permanently stamped across their chests. These human canvases are everywhere, and a tattoo is no longer the rebel statement it once was.

During the recent tattoo industry boom, modern tattooists have taken the old sparrows and anchors and made them into a bona-fide art form, and people everywhere are lining up and spending record amounts of money to get these works of art inscribed on their bodies one pinprick at a time.

The modern age has made tattoos, piercings and other modifications as clean and safe as a trip to the dentist, and as employers are getting used to the change, there are fewer and fewer reasons not to get inked today.

Our society has always celebrated diversity and individuality, and tattoos and body modifications are the new form of self-expression.

Hopefully in the next few decades, anyone with full sleeves or a pierced septum could be a doctor, a lawyer or even the President in the land of the free and the home of the brave.