Category: Editorials

Hard work pays off

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By The Chronicle Editorial Board

The Chronicle is a place where students can learn about journalism at a school that does not have a jour­nalism program, so it is truly amaz­ing that we have won fourth place in the Best of Show Competition at the National Associated Collegiate Press Convention in San Diego this last week on Sunday, March 2, 2014.

It is such a great experience for stu­dents to be able to go on trips and enter into competitions to see how CNM students measure up to other schools on a national level, and it is great that the school allows students to be able to learn from workshops taught from advisers throughout the country.

The Chronicle thanks the school, Student Allocation Board, and people who make advertisements in our paper, because if it was not for them, we would not have the opportunity to go to these eye-opening conventions that help us see how other schools operate their papers, and how we can learn how to improve the student run newspaper with each semester.

The Chronicle gets much criticism, sometimes it’s constructive and some­times it is not, so we feel that these competitions validate what it is that we are striving to accomplish, which is to consistently produce a quality newspa­per for our student and faculty readers.

We just hope that the school can recognize our achievements and give us improved support in our endeavors to better the paper, as well as to help us achieve the

Commercialism at its best

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By The Chronicle Editorial Board

Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that makes one wonder why does this holiday exist, is it to make singles feel miserable, or is it there to force couples into some ridiculous tradi­tion of buying each other insignificant crap on a specific day; either way Valentine’s Day is one of the most useless holidays throughout the year.

Flowers, candy, and jewelry companies make a killing every year off of the guilt of well off men deal­ing with demanding women, and sets the scene of how people in our culture are inf lu­enced by advertise­ments and social appe­tites of normality.

Instead of worrying about what dead flowers or overly priced choco­late boxes to get, maybe make something from the heart without spend­ing ludicrous amounts of money, or better yet buy a living plant that will grow as the relationship does with time. Useless love trinkets are just that, useless.

Also, maybe this year take the time to show sig­nificant others love by turning off all devices and giving them undi­vided attention.

Everyone wants to be loved and have emotional intimacy, but it should not matter if a person pro­fesses their love with gifts one measly day of the year, and what should matter is how couples treat one another all year round.

This holiday’s com­mercialism not only obligates couples to spend, but parents are also obligated to buy their children cards to give at school, and can make single people feel badly for not having someone to spend money on.

This year, instead of giving into the hype of Valentine’s Day, close the wallets and open your hearts on this fake holiday to show love by actions and not

Lets acknowlege cancer awareness

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Editorial, by the Chronicle Editorial Board

Tuesday, Feb. 4 is World Cancer Awareness Day, and students as well as faculty should take the time today to think about how cancer has affected their lives and the lives of people they care for who are affected by the devastation that cancer can bring into one’s life.

Knowing the myths, how symptoms can be detected and the resources out there that are available to test for cancers is crucial to keeping one’s body cancer free and healthy, because early prevention and detection can be the difference in living and beating the odds.

Not only is Cancer Awareness Day all about learning to care for oneself, but to also remember the loved ones that many of us have lost or have had to watch go through the process of chemotherapy.

Some of us have been fortunate enough to have had loved ones survive this disease, but many still pass away, and is why aware­ness of this issue is vital to prevention and early detection for all the additional loved ones we all care about in our lives.

According to worldcancerday.org the goals declared for this year are to strengthen health systems for effective cancer control, measure cancer burden and impact of cancer plans in all countries, reduce exposure to cancer risk factors, universal coverage of HPV and HBV vaccination, reduce stigma and dispel myths about cancer, universal access to screening and early detection for cancer, improve access to services across the cancer care continuum, universal availability of pain control and distress management and improve education and training of healthcare professionals, with the ultimate goal of major reductions in premature deaths from cancer.

For people who want to help, but do not know how to get started; there are many resources one can become a part of to help people that suffer from cancer or to even help with the goals of this year’s cancer awareness day.

People can do anything from just wearing a cancer awareness ribbon, sharing information via social networking, or even volunteering.

Resources to volunteer can be found at volunteerlearning.cancer.org/,

testicularcancerawarenessfoundation. org/volunteer/, and at nationalbreastcan­cer.org/breast-cancer-volunteer.

Also for information on early detection readers can go to earlydetectionplan. org/

Security makes effort to keep students safe during emergencies

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By The Chronicle Editorial Board

It is great to hear that Security Director William Duran in the article “Security department deals with thefts and starts community based initiative,” is taking steps to ensure that all campuses are up to date with a new access control system that will incorporate intrusion control.

That means that if there ever were a shooter situation students and faculty could have their classroom doors lock automatically to prevent injuries or loss of life.

With shooter incidents becoming fre­quent in schools throughout the nation, it is relieving to hear that measures will be taken to make sure students and staff are safe on campus.

Not many schools are taking the ini­tiative at the community college level to get this type of access control system, so CNM is fortunate in the care and safety that the school plans to start.

Every second counts when it comes to shooters on campus, and an overall campus lock system could have the poten­tial to save countless lives.

According to the dailybeast.com since 2012 when 20 first-graders were shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary, that school shootings have taken place in America every two weeks on average, with the majority of shooter situations being at high schools throughout the nation.

According to schoolsafetynews.com the Run/Hide/Fight reaction to school shooter scenarios suggests that running is not always better than hiding, and that the Department of Homeland security suggests evacuating if there is a possible escape route without contact with the shooter, but if not that students should try to hide until help can come school-wide.

Procedures such as this need to also be addressed and taught to students here so that everyone on campus knows what to do in a shooter situation, so hopefully when this new system is finished at all the campuses, maybe the school can do lock-down drills just as fire drills are done, and educate everyone at the same time on what students can to do to ensure their own safety.

The Chronicle appreciates that the security force on campus is changing things on campus for the better, and that are instilling a better customer service type philosophy that brings student safety to the forefront at CNM.

Recycle This Newspaper

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By the Chronicle Editorial Board

It is so great to see CNM taking the initiative to get stu­dents educated in recycling, and helping students take these habits with them to maybe start recy­cling in their own homes.

New recycle bins will be placed throughout CNM cam­puses that do not require separa­tion of recyclable items.

Recycling helps keep disposal costs down while preserving nat­ural resources and protecting the air, soil, and groundwater. Much of the more than 1,800 tons of trash generated by the city each day can be recycled, and just think how much CNM can con­tribute to making Albuquerque a top recycling city.

If materials are reused or recycled instead of being dis­posed of at landfills, less energy will be used, such as the produc­tion of an aluminum can from recycled metal uses 95 percent less energy than a can produced from raw aluminum.

Also, recyclables are now finally being collected with curb­side service receptacles through­out the city, so if you have not gotten a recyclables container in your home, you can always call Waste Management at 761- 8100 and request a recyclables container.

Using the 3 R’s of reducing, reusing and recycling at home, in school or at work can greatly help to change our great city for the better, and will show that Albuquerque residents have come along from the days of illegal Westside dumping sites.

Cops these days get away with murder

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Police brutality and excessive force have become common phrases in today’s society, when everyone has a camera in every pocket now, and with the obvious and gradual militarization of police forces throughout the United States, officers are still rarely being held accountable for beating and killing innocent civilians throughout our country.

The incident that occurred in Fullerton Ca. on July 5, 2011 with Kelly Thomas, who was beaten to death, is making news again because two out of the three police officers that were prosecuted had been found not guilty on Jan. 13, 2014.

The third officer whose trial was pending will not be held at all because of this verdict, which really makes one wonder how these officers got away with brutally beating and killing a man who was pleading for his life.

If you have not seen the 30 minute video of this horrific occurrence, Kelly Thomas begged these officers to stop tazing and beating him, and even yelled out for help from his father, before being beaten into a coma and passing away five days later due to his injuries.

The defense for the two officers suggested that Thomas died of a diseased heart damaged by previous drug use, according to latimes.com, but the coroner in this case determined Thomas’ death was due to injuries sustained by these officers. Not ever in the history of Orange County, where Fullerton is, has an officer been fully prosecuted until now for killing someone in the line of duty, according to ocweekly.com.

If you are not afraid of the rising number of American citizens being beaten and killed by the police force, maybe you should rethink that, because in the last decade the number of people reported to have been killed by U.S. police officers has reached more than 5,000 people, which is said to be more than the number of U.S. soldiers that have been killed in the Iraqi war at 4,489, according to antiwar.com.

There are many places on the internet one can find information about this incident and there are even entire pages dedicated to posting excessive police force incidents such as at reddit.com/r/Bad_Cop_No_Donut/.

When are we going to see what is really going on here in our country and hold these officers accountable for their crimes, instead of giving them a pat on the back for not really protecting and serving anyone but themselves in these rising number of cases?

Police brutality has been an issue in our country for far too long, and has only come to light since technology has been able to hold these people responsible who are supposed to uphold the laws and not break them, and yet nothing is being done about the growing amount of brutality situations that happen with law enforcement each year.

It should be a nationwide policy that all police enforcement officers wear a camera while on duty, not only to protect common citizens and get rid of power hungry bad apples, but to also protect the good officers out there actually trying to make a difference.

But until that happens, it is up to us to record interactions that we have with police officials to protect ourselves and the people around us when situations such as this happen.

Kelly Thomas did nothing wrong except for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and if you feel the same way and would like to see that these officers are prosecuted on a federal level, here is a petition site address at change.org/petitions/sen-dianne-feinstein-investigate-the-death-of-kelly-thomas-as-a-federal-case.

Holding police officers accountable for their crimes starts with all of us, and if we do not care, no one will, and these instances of brutal abuse of power will keep on occurring even more frequently.

Don’t let back to school blues ruin this week, get proactive

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By the CNM Chroni­cle Editorial Board

Sometimes it can be difficult to come back to school after a nice long break, and many of us are guilty of lazing around during the holiday season, which can get us completely out of synch with going back to a demanding school schedule.

It can be tough to get back into the swing of things and here are few tips to do just that.

Getting back on track is crucial to not being mis­erable for the next couple of weeks, so take the time to make sure sleeping and eating habits go back to normal before coming back to school, so as to not be groggy and hungry in class, as well as to not sleep through any classes and to be able to be alert while instructors are explaining semester lesson plans and student expectations.

Being prepared is sometimes all it takes to succeed, so creating a rou­tine and daily schedule for homework and other school related tasks can be beneficial to having a real plan of attack and follow­ing through with it to have a better chance at success this semester.

Instructors may be a little slow to coming back after the break as well, so if a teacher isn’t being clear about something, do not be afraid to ask for clarifi­cation, even if everyone in class is new, because it does not help a student to not understand lessons begin­ning in the first week of class.

Also try to be patient with instructors because they are probably trying to be patient with their students as well, and some of them probably lazed around just as much as their students over the break, so they might just need to back into swing of things themselves.

Also, it may sound silly, but eating a good breakfast truly does help when having to get up before noon for the first time in weeks, so make sure to take the time to eat a good meal and that will help getting through a grueling day of first classes.

Don’t forget to take the time de-stress at some point this week as well and not think about school or the piling homework that needs to be done, instead take some time for yourself and relax or do something fun to unwind before getting to the nitty gritty.

Coming back to school can really suck sometimes, but taking the time to do these few things over the first few weeks can help, and don’t worry because it’s only a few months until spring break. Good luck to every­one this semester, and don’t let those back to school blues get ya down.

Don’t stress, it’s almost over

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Editorial, By the Chronicle Editorial Board

During times such as this when the semester is ending, students tend to get stressed and freaked out because of finals.

No one really ever wants to take tests or have their education measured by a final semester evaluation, but unfortunately that is the world we live in, so one is forced to go through the motions to hopefully pass a class, but that does not mean students should be required to neglect themselves just to get a better grade.

It is crucial for students to be vigilant of their needs first before studying, because many students become fatigued and panicky while trying their best to study up for demanding finals.

Make sure to get fluids, eat every once in a while, take breaks, and above all else, make sure to take care of oneself before caring about infuriating tests.

Sometimes it is just not worth all the stress students put themselves through sometimes at the end of every semester, just to have a mar­ginally better grade at best.

All of us have our per­sonal lives where kids, work, and daily stresses of life already take most of us to the tipping point, so if a stu­dent happens to fail a final, it is okay, because there is always next semester to re-take a class or get a tutor next time so it is not so stressful to learn in classes.

Know that most stu­dents on campus are going through the same exact thing of attempting to pass finals successfully, and know that everyone who has ever gone to college has gone through the same things and actually made it out alive.

You can do this; just make sure to take care of yourself as well in the process.

Abortion measure could change Albuquerque as we know it

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Editorial, By the Chronicle Editorial Board

The late-term abortion ballot measure has been fueled by out-of-state and out-of-touch anti-abortion activists, who have no vested interest in the values or daily lives of New Mexicans, and should be stricken down with a steady hand by true Burqueños.  Two of the major players in these groups, Bud and Tara Shaver, moved to our city for the specific reason of drum¬ming up anti-abortion regula¬tions, nothing more.  These groups call our city “the abortion capitol of the United States,” saying hundreds of people flock to Albuquerque to get late-term abortions.  In reality — as in, the real world — according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, New Mexico hosts less than half of the abortions that our neighbors Arizona and Colorado do, and less than a sixth of the number Texas does.  Out of the comparatively small number of abortions that are performed, only five per¬cent are performed on people who come from out of state.  In light of these facts, the title bestowed upon us by these propagandist groups seems less than fitting.  These groups falsely claim that abortion is dangerous to women.  In 2008, the most recent year for which this information is available, only 12 women died out of the more than 825,000 who received an abortion, according to the CDC.  That’s a 99.9985 percent safety rate; according to the FDA that is a higher safety rate than ciprofloxacin, a common antibiotic widely considered safe and widely prescribed for urinary tract infections.  The fact of the matter is that the arguments against abortion largely trends toward those of a moral and religious standing, and if one’s beliefs lead them to view abortion as wrong, so be it; that is one’s own personal conviction and decision to make.  That does not mean, however, that laws should be enacted to reg¬ulate a personal and heartbreaking decision — particularly not when the people who are leading this charge are more concerned with the politics of the issue than with the people who would be affected by this abortion ballot is passed.

Achievement coaches do care

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Editorial, By the Chronicle Editorial Board

If a student has an issue with an instructor, is struggling to pay bills at home or just needs a little help to do better, the best place to get help with these issues is with individual department achieve¬ment coaches, who go above and beyond to help students to succeed.  Achievement coaches can help students with an array of issues, but most of all they help them to get through the issues that life can bring and can makes a student’s goals seem unattainable at times.  They not only help with schol¬arships such as the rust fund men¬tioned in The Rust Fund front page story, but if students are feeling trapped in a class or are not getting the help they need, an achievement coach can let students know their options, and what they can do to get past the difficulties that can occur while taking a tough class.  Sometimes it may feel as if the school, faculty or administra¬tion does not care about the needs of individual students, but these coaches are there for this exact reason, and after meeting with an achievement coach one might change their minds, because they have helped many students over-come their individual problems.  So, if students are feeling as if they are trying their best and are still struggling, there are always options here at CNM, and the Chronicle suggests going to see one of these achievement coaches in individual departments and see exactly what options there are, and take advantage of these great resources here at our school.