Guadalupe Santos-Sanchez – Page 2

CNM Celebrates Dia De Los Muertos; Participates in Marigold Parade for first time

November 7, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Guadalupe Santos-Sanchez, Staff Reporter | Photos Courtesy of Alana Garcia

CNM departments and clubs participated in the 22nd Annual South Valley Marigold Parade for the first time on Nov. 2, said Libby Fatta, Student Events and Programs manager for the Dean of Students office.

The Office of the Dean of Students, the South Valley Connect Team, the Hispanic Heritage Task Force, and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society decorated a CNM vehicle with paper marigold flowers that they made, she said.

Student club Artworks set up a booth and sold decorated skulls and other ceramics to raise money for workshops and events, said Elizabeth Chavez, Artworks president.

“There’s a lot of different community floats and other organizations participating in the parade so I thought it would be fun for CNM to participate as well and show our school spirit and show what we have to offer as a community college,” Fatta said.

Due to the rain, only a small number of staff participated and not as many people showed up as they would have liked, she said.

The crowd, however, was very interested in the CNM car as they passed by, she said.

“They cheered as we passed them and I think next year we will have a much better turn out since this was the first year CNM participated in the parade,” she said.

Fatta hopes that more people will want to participate in the parade next year and maybe the school will be able to have a float that students help create, she said.

They were able to promote CNM well this year and next year they would like to get more people involved to have a larger CNM presence, she said.

The group involved with the vehicle wore CNM or navy and yellow attire and the traditional Dia de Los Muertos skull makeup, Fatta said.

Artworks also promoted the club and brought awareness to potential students and artists about the opportunities at CNM, said Candice Chavez, Artworks vice president.

Artworks was excited to participate in the community event, to stimulate public interest in arts education, and to create a connection to the wider arts community, she said.

It was a great opportunity for CNM and its clubs to be showcased and to show that there is school spirit and participation in community events, Fatta said.

This year the Marigold Parade theme was, “El agua es la vida. No se vende. Se defiende.” meaning that water is life; it is not sold, it is defended, according to muertosymarigolds.org.

The theme was water because it is a crucial issue in the state and the city, the development projects are no good and water is needed, said Maria Brazil, Co-Director of the Marigold Parade.

The parade started off at the South Valley Sheriff Substation and ended at the Westside Community Center, Fatta said.

The parade is always on the first Sunday of November, which in 2015 would be Nov. 1, Brazil said.

The route is also basically the same every year, she said.

All decorations and altars left at the center were cleared out that same day at the end of the event, said Stacy Ruiz, Coordinator at the Westside Community Center.

CNM to celebrate Veterans

November 7, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Guadalupe Santos-Sanchez, Staff Reporter

Starting on Monday, Nov. 10 and continuing on until Thursday, Nov. 13, CNM will celebrate veterans for a second year with Veterans Awareness Week, said Libby Fatta, Student Events and Programs manager for the Dean of Students office.

Events will be held in the Main, Montoya, Westside, and South Valley campuses at various times and the events will include Veteran Resource Day, flag ceremonies, and speeches, she said.

“This year’s theme is ‘Recognizing the Sacrifices of our Women Veterans’ and we expect to have two World War Two veterans and one Vietnam veteran as honorary guests,” said JR Romero, CNM VetSuccess Counselor.

Some of the speeches will be by veterans who will most likely be sharing memories and stories from their time in the service, Fatta said.

It is important to make everyone on campus aware of Veterans Awareness Week, she said.

“Showing that we support veterans is a way that the community can see that they do have a lot of support and they are honored and remembered every year,” she said.

The events assist our veterans with acknowledgement of a job well done, Romero said.

They are hoping that attendees recognize all the sacrifices of the veterans to duty and country, he said.

“I think it is so important for us to never forget the sacrifices our veterans and families have endured,” he said.

Some veterans are a lot younger than others and they also need to be recognized, Fatta said.

Veterans Awareness Week can facilitate relationships between all veterans, she said.

It allows organizations to provide resources for veterans as well, Romero said.

“John F. Kennedy once said ‘a nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers’,” Romero said.

“We are encouraged by these words, and we as Veterans know our own personal sacrifices, and it is great to have others spend some time honoring Veterans,” he said.

They are expecting a good turn out from students and veterans and a larger group of people to be at each of the five ceremonies than in previous years, Fatta said.

They are also hoping that passerby come in and stay for the ceremony as well, she said.

They hope that the entire student body, staff and faculty will participate in the events, especially the flag event on Nov. 11, Romero said.

Starting on Monday, Nov.10 we will provide coffee and cookies for veterans and their dependents on Main, Montoya and Westside campuses from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and that will be outside the cafeteria areas, Fatta said.

“So veterans will just be able to come up and we’ll give thanks to them and hand them coffee and cookies at that event,” she said.

On Tuesday, Nov.11 they are going to have a flag ceremony on Main campus that is going to start at 10 a.m. in front of the SRC flagpole and the Kirkland Air Force Base Honor Guard will be presenting the colors, she said.

They will be followed by the Dean of Students, the Director of the Regional Office Chris Norton and a Female Wounded Warrior Christian Barden, she said.

And they will have special, honorable guests that are World War II and Vietnam women veterans, she said.

For Wednesday, Nov. 12 they will have the flag ceremony at Montoya campus near the flagpole from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and it will be the same schedule of events for that, she said.

Thursday, Nov. 13 they will have the flag ceremony at the Westside campus from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and at the South Valley campus from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and it will be a similar ceremony with the guests they invited, she said.

Ebola risk low at CNM

November 4, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Guadalupe Santos-Sanchez, Staff Reporter

There is a lot of hysteria about the Ebola virus in the United States but the likelihood of there being someone with Ebola on campus is low, said Marti Brittenham, director of the Student Health Center at CNM.

At this point the risk is low and the number of people in the United States who have had Ebola are few, she said.

Ebola is an epidemic in West African countries such as Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia but it is not an epidemic in the United States nor is it likely to become one, she said.

“So while it’s certainly a frightening disease, because it has a greater than 50% mortality rate in Africa, it is not a widespread disease in the United States,” she said.

Just to be sure, the Student Health Center is asking anyone who goes in for any reason if they have been out of the country in the last 21 days, she said.

There has not yet been anyone say that has reported that they have been outside of the country, but that might change in the spring semester because people go home over the holidays, she said.

It will be more likely that people think they have the symptoms of Ebola when they actually have influenza or the stomach flu since that is very common every winter because those people will be complaining about nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, Brittenham said.

“I’ll probably be making a number of phone calls to the Health Department about getting those people cultured for Ebola which is not going to be a lot of fun,” she said.

However, if they have not left the country in the last 21 days, the chances of them having Ebola are very, very slim, she said.

Ebola is a viral disease and it is not airborne, so a person cannot get it the way they would get the common cold, she said.

“The only way you can get it is by having skin to skin contact or from direct contact with someone’s infected bodily fluids,” she said.

An infected person starts off by not feeling well and having a fever which is usually above 101.3, she said.

The disease may eventually cause diarrhea and vomiting as well, she said.

“The reason why so many people die is that the disease is so violent in the vomiting and diarrhea that it is very difficult to keep up fluids,” she said.

Not being able to keep up with the bodily fluids results in a person being dehydrated and eventually having all of the bodies systems collapsing, she said.

Brittenham and other health care providers have attended several webinars on Ebola from the state department and a national webinar regarding student health centers, she said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is giving recommendations on how to diagnose and treat Ebola, and it appears that Liberia is beginning to get ahead of the outbreak, she said.

“Certainly if there were any suspicion of someone having Ebola the state health department, probably UNM, and the CDC will be contacted and become active in preventative measures,” she said.

Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos Events

October 21, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Guadaluoe Santos- Sanchez, Staff Reporter

There are many things to do in Albuquerque and in surrounding areas for Halloween try one of the following events happening special for the holidays, there is something for everybody.

FOR ALL AGES:

Galloping Grace Youth Ranch Pumpkin Patch

FREE

September 27 – October 31

Tuesdays/Thursdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Fridays/Saturdays 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Santa Ana Star Center

3001 Civic Center Cir NE

Rio Rancho, NM 87144

TROLLEY OF TERROR

Another tour around the city of Albuquerque to visit its haunted sites.

Rated R, All ages- bring children at own discretion

$50

800 Rio Grande Blvd NW

The Trans-Siberian Express Murders

“The year, 1941. The train has been delayed and unsuspecting passengers are forced to wait in the station while suspicious characters lurk within. What happens next will shock you,” is all emct.org will tell about the show.

October 24, 25

6:30 p.m. dinner

7:15 p.m. show

Tickets available for dinner and show, or show only

Visit http://www.emct.org/our-season/trans-siberian/for ticket prices

Vista Grande Community Center

15 La Madera Rd

Sandia Park, NM

Los Alamos Pumpkin Glow

People of all ages and artistic talent are invited to participate pumpkin carving, according to losalamosartscouncil.org.

October 25

6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Fuller Lodge Art Center Lawn

2132 Central Ave

Los Alamos, NM 87544

Zoo Boo

A safe Halloween fun and trick-or-treating alternative. Will include games, haunted habitats, costumes, and candy, according to cabq.org.

October 25

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Regular Zoo Admission

Adult Abq Resident $9

Child Abq Resident $4

Non-resident $12.50

4 costumed children can get in for free as long as they are accompanied by 1 paying adult

903 Tenth SW

Albuquerque, NM 87102

McCall Pumpkin Patch

“Take a hayride to the pumpkin patch, pick your own pumpkin from the field, try to find your way through the 16-acre corn maze, feed the farm animals, race a pedal kart, launch a pumpkin, glide down our giant slide, mine for gemstones, shop, eat & much, much more,” according to mccallpumpkinpatch.com.

September 20 – October 26

Saturdays/Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Per person $11.95

Children ages 2 and under FREE

2 McCall Ln

Moriarty, NM 87035

Ghost Tours

“Old Town is one of the most actively haunted locations in North America” and in the tours people get to explore those haunted areas and hear the stories behind them, according to toursofoldtown.com

Tours meet at Ticket Window

303 Romero St NW

Plaza Don Luis #N120

Albuquerque, NM 87104

Call 246-TOUR (8687) for reservations

Ghost Tours

Nightly at 8 p.m.

Adults $20

Seniors ages 55 and up, military, and college students $18

Students ages 13 to 17 $16

Children ages 6 to 12 $10

Ages 5 and under Free

Ghost Hunting for Kids

October 14 – 30

6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

For ages 6 to 12 accompanied with an adult

Family 4 Pack $60

3 people $50

2 people $35

Breaking Boo Haunted RV Tours

90 min tour

October 24 – November 1

Rated R, for ages 12 and up

$55

Haunted Houses:

Fright Night

Will feature show, live music, cash bar, viewing from the observatory and much more, according to nmnaturalhistory.org.

October 24

6:30 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Members $8

Students $7

Ages 21 and over

New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science

1801 Mountain Rd NW

Albuquerque, NM 87104

McCall Haunted Farm

Equipped with Field of Screams, Haunted Barn, and Zombie Hunt. Rides include a clown themed maze called Curtain Chaos, Coffin Rides, and Mechanical Bull Rides, according to mccallhauntedfarm.com.

Fridays/Saturdays until November 1

7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Visit http://www.mccallshauntedfarm.com/ for prices

34 McCall Ln

Moriarty, NM 87035

NM Slaughter House

“Enter the home of the demented couple, where you will meet the young female “Nina”. Follow her throughout the secret passages that the children made in order to survive this terrifying house of slaughter. You will be walking between walls, climbing steps, entering and exiting thru vents, closets and cabinets. You will encounter several hidden booby traps that “Leather Head” installed, to eliminate their chance of escape,” according to nmslaughterhouse.com.

Until November 1

General $25

VIP Fast Pass $35

Low Scare Admission $15

Paintball $30

1909 Bellamah Ave

Albuquerque, NM

Quarantine

“Civilization is collapsing. The undead still roam the streets of New Mexico and the cities aren’t safe. A quarantine camp has been set up at Rio Grande Community Farm, it is the living’s last refuge in Albuquerque…” according to quarantineabq.com.

October 3 to November 1

Various Times

$20

Visit http://www.quarantineabq.com/ for more details

Blackout Theatre

3901 Central Ave NE

Albuquerque, NM 87108

Abq Boo

“Non-professional Disney inspired haunt” that features an animated graveyard, singing busts, deadly pirates the Batcave- and the Batmobile, according to abqboo.com.

October 31 and November 1

6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Free

6808 Rustler Rd NW

Expo Fright Fest

The Dragon’s House of Horror Haunted House, Zombie Attack Laser Tag Arena, NM Fright Fest Film Festival, Strange Danger 1800s Carnival Style Thrill Show and Museum, and a Sugar Zombies Harvest Festival for the kids, according to exponm.com.

October 4 to November 1

Wednesday/Thursday/Sunday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Friday/Saturday 4 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Visit http://exponm.com/event-details/?event_id=364#location for prices and locations

The Haunted Scarecrow

Non-profit haunted house, follow the halls of the Haunted Scarecrow, according to hauntedscarecrow.wix.com.

Every Friday/Saturday in October and November 1

Thursday through Saturday the week of Halloween

Per Person $15

Group of 5 $1 off

Group of 10 $2 off

Half off for military, veterans, public safety

508 1st St NW

Albuquerque, NM 87102

Realm of Darkness Haunted Asylum

According to realmofdarknessnm.com, they are going to scare the crazy out of you.

September 26 to November 1

General $18

Fast Pass $28

10000 Coors Blvd Bypass NW

Albuquerque, NM 87114

Dia De Los Muertos:

Marigold Parade and Festival

November 2

2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Starts at Bernalillo Sheriff’s Substation on Centro Familiar and Isleta

Music, altars, food, art vendors

Westside Community Center

1250 Isleta Blvd SW

El Campo Santo’s Dia de Los Muertos Celebración

Face painting, games, sugar skull painting, music and refreshments, flowers for your loved ones, and more, according to atriscoheritagefoundation.org.

November 1

4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

San Jose de Armijo Cemetery

2957 Arenal Rd SW

Albuquerque, NM 87121

CNM Monster Mash is back

October 21, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Guadalupe Santos-Sanchez, Staff Reporter

The CNM Monster Mash Costume Contest is coming back to the school on Oct. 31, 2014.

The costume contest will be at the CNM Main Campus SRC Breezeway, said Events Manager at Outreach Services, Maren Stockhoff.

CNM Students, Faculty, and Staff can get their picture taken at the photo booth any time between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., she said.

If students are not going to be on the Main Campus on Halloween they can email a picture of themselves in their costume to tweet@cnm.edu before 3 p.m. the day of Halloween, she said.

The pictures will be put up on the CNM Facebook Page and the top three pictures that receive the most likes will be declared the winners of the contest, she said.

The top three winners will get prizes that will be determined after the winners are picked, she said.

This is the fifth year that CNM host the Monster Mash Costume Contest, the first one having been in 2010, she said.

The first year they held the costume contest to see if it was something students and employees would enjoy, she said.

“It’s been popular from the beginning. We are looking forward to another fun day and seeing some awesome costumes,” Stockhoff said.

Breast cancer awareness month at CNM; CNM hosts mobile mammograms at Main Campus

October 7, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Guadalupe Santos-Sanchez, Staff Reporter

There will be mammograms provided by Assured Imaging from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 10 at CNM’s Annual Employee and Wellness Fair in front of Smith Brasher Hall in the Main Campus, said Marti Brittenham, director of the Student Health Center at CNM.

The United Stated Public Health Service (USPHS) has recommended that health services providers not do breast exams unless somebody is feeling a lump, she said.

“I think it is important for women to check their breasts if for no other reason than to reassure themselves that there is nothing wrong,” she said.

It is important for women to know what is normal because otherwise they might find something and then proceed to worry about it even if it is not cancer, she said.

If a person already has been told about something and know what is normal and how it should feel it makes it easier to know what is not normal and what should be checked out, she said.

“I teach breast exams when I do a Gynecological exam or a well woman exam, I teach women to do their own breast exams and I teach them what is normal and what is not,” Brittenham said.

A well woman exam is a periodical exam that often includes a pelvic exam and a Pap smear exam, she said.

It empowers women to know how to do their own breast exams, she said.

She has seen a number of her patients find their own breast cancer after a normal mammogram, she said.

“I found my own breast cancer six months after a normal mammogram,” Brittenham said.

When it is time to get mammograms it is important for women to make the appointment and get it done, she said.

“Most breast cancers happen to women over 40 because the breast tissue changes throughout a woman’s lifetime, and that’s why after age 40 is when mammograms are typically done,” Brittenham said.

At a younger age the breasts are not as fatty, they have more support tissue, she said.

The mammogram is not as good at picking up a breast lump in a young woman because of the structural tissue that’s there, she said.

For younger people ultrasounds are done and they are more likely to find a lump, she said.

Breast cancer is a group of cancerous cells in one or both breasts, that used to be normal breast tissue, Brittenham said.

“There is no statistical difference in length of life post diagnosis, whether you do a mastectomy or a lumpectomy with radiation and chemotherapy,” she said.

Some women will opt for breast sparing surgery, other women will opt for a mastectomy, and there is a variety of different radiation and chemotherapy regiments that are offered, she said.

The Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection (BCC) program can potentially help women all through their diagnosis and treatment, Brittenham said.

“It is a nationwide program, through the Center for Disease Control that funds health departments to do mammograms and pap smears on women who probably would not get them otherwise, and it’s been a very good thing for the women of New Mexico,” she said.

A pap smear exam is the examination of the external genitalia, the vagina, the cervix, the uterus and the ovaries, she said.

The program has funds to be able to take care of women who have abnormal pap smears or abnormal mammograms to get them to the appropriate facilities and have them further diagnosed, she said.

If they need treatment for cancer it helps with that financially or it gets the women on a special insurance program for those in need of treatment for breast cancer, she said.

Some of the programs in place are public health department clinics, some private doctor offices and other low-income clinics, she said.

“I do pap smears and breast exams through this program and if the woman is over 30 or over 40 we can start getting her mammograms on the regular, and that is done for free,” Brittenham said.

CNM Tourism Club

October 7, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Guadalupe Santos-Sanchez, Staff Reporter

The new Tourism Club at CNM is just at its inception with the members having just had their orientation the last week of September, said Juan Flores, president of the Tourism Club.

In meetings they talk about new projects for the club and what they want to do to try and get the most out of the events that they participate in all while thinking or ways to get the word out about the club, he said.

“It is really important that we contribute to the community because the community is an essential part of tourism and hospitality”, he said.

The most recent event the club participated in was at the Santa Ana Golf Course were business leaders in the Hospitality and Tourism field held a golf tournament, he said.

Management and other leading members of the industry were all present to partake in this e event which allowed members of the club opportunities to network and meet their potential bosses in the fields they study, he said.

“We were able to help them set up the tournament and we were able to have some fun by monitoring the players and interacting with the various groups that passed through and it was a really good time,” Flores said.

At this event, the members of the club were able to get first hand exchange and input from people in the business and get the word out about who they were, Flores said.

Monique Martinez, Secretary and Treasurer of the Tourism Club said the club is going to help students get the networking and exposure that will be extremely beneficial in the Hospitality and Tourism industries in order to get good jobs after graduation.

“It’s always cool to have a sense of belonging and unity, so I think at the very least people will get support for each other, but hopefully they’ll also maybe find a pretty decent job or at least be able to promote their own businesses that they choose to open later,” Martinez said.

Lynne Cash, Vice president of the Tourism Club said the club will also help others in the CNM surrounding community become aware of what Hospitality and Tourism is really all about.

The club is working hard to get the CNM name out there and word of mouth is one of the most important things to be able to do when it comes to network, Cash said.

“Hospitality and Tourism is basically the way a person is treated by another, it is a way of opening up your doors, it can be a home, an establishment, a business or an organization, and making any visitors or guest feel happy, wanted and satisfied with all parts of their visit,” she said.

Tourism Club advisor, Dr. David Mack Jackson said the members of the club are going to apply what they are learning in the classroom to real world situations.

What they are learning about hospitality is how it applies to all business, he said.

“The Tourism club is an awesome way that Hospitality and Tourism students at CNM can actually apply what they learn in the classroom, not just at a community level but at a national level and I recommend any CNM student to join this club because it’s so enriching,” he said.

It is going to help Hospitality and Tourism students apply the concepts of 21st century hospitality, Jackson said.

“Plus they make connections, my main focus with all my students is to help them get a job, the tourism club will help them because it’s going to put them in the right connections, the right networking, and with the right people,” Jackson said.

They are also learning that tourism cannot exist without a destination’s unique history, he said.

All the students in this club are exploring the unique history of New Mexico and its local historical value so when a person wants to know what there is to do or what there is to see they can be given a list of items with a detailed history on each one which is what most visitors request when planning to see a new location, he said.

Luis Estrada, Hospitality and Tourism major and club member said the club is going to help people know why things are here and where they originated from because a lot of people in the city might not even realize the amount of historical stuff located right here in the city.

“I’m really looking forward to being in the club, I’m hoping to learn how tourism works and how to make it work for me, also to get experience,” he said.

In these explorations club members will be able to meet with different businesses like the Great Albuquerque Innkeepers Association and the Albuquerque New Mexico Tourism Association, Jackson said.

These organizations are the leaders in the industry in the state of New Mexico so this provides unique opportunities for the members of the club, he said.

The club is currently planning future events which may include conventions, the Breaking Bad Tour, the Dia de Los Muertos Parade, and various educational opportunities on different landmarks in Albuquerque, Flores said.

The club is also planning to work with The Chronicle to bring in some of New Mexico’s unknown history and share it with the student body of CNM, he said.

“People will benefit a lot more being part of the club because it will increase the value of what they are learning”, Jackson said.

More than just pink

October 7, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Guadalupe Santos-Sanchez, Staff Reporter

The month of October is Breast Cancer awareness month but many people do not know that there are multiple types of awareness that also take place in the month of October, Director of the Student Health Center at CNM Marti Brittenham said.

Students should know that if they ever have any questions regarding any of the items on this list they can check in with the health center for any and all medical related issues, she said.

“The health center will help anyway we can even if it is just to direct a student in the right direction”, she said.

The following is a list of other awareness that take place in the month of October along with a little information about each one which was provided by Marti Brittenham

Down Syndrome Awareness

Down syndrome is a genetic malformation that causes mental retardation, heart malformations, and other maladies.

While it can happen in any pregnancy, it is more likely to occur to women who become pregnant after the age of 35.

Infertility Awareness

Infertility is a situation when a couple is unable to have a baby together. Either one of the people in the relationship may be infertile and unable to cause a pregnancy.

Domestic Violence Awareness

Domestic violence is when one or more of the people in a household or in a relationship beats up another member of the household. It also can be when one member of a relationship intimidates, stalks, or otherwise causes the other member of the household. This is treated as a crime.

Lupus Erythematosus Awareness

Lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease. It can be a mild disease that only causes a rash on the face or it can be a serious long-term illness.

Spina Bifida Awareness

Spina Bifida is a birth defect where the spinal bones don’t completely fuse over the spinal column. It can be fairly small or it can cause the child not to be able to walk.

Rett Syndrome Awareness

Rett Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs almost entirely in girls. A baby is born and seems to be developing normally, but then the development slows down and the child loses the ability to effectively use their hands and may not be able to speak. This is a rare syndrome which was only recognized in 1966.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness

Sudden infant death syndrome is when a younger baby dies suddenly of no apparent cause.

Blindness Awareness is worldwide in October.

National Mental Illness Awareness week is Oct. 5 – 11 this year.

Hiring Freeze; Funding limits available work study positions at CNM

September 23, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Guadalupe Santos-Sanchez, Staff Reporter
There is a hiring freeze at CNM because the funding limit of 300 work positions that are offered were filled at the end of August, said Senior Director of Financial Aid, Lee Carrillo.
“Unfortunately, the allocations have gotten a little bit smaller and the pay has gone up, if you’re paying students more but you’re getting less money then things are going to get tighter as far as positions are concerned, and that’s kind of what we’ve ran into right now,” said Associate Director of Financial Aid, Joseph Ryan.
Students get paid the minimum wage in Albuquerque, which is $8.60, he said.
The hiring limit is because there is a certain amount of money that can be spent, Ryan said.
The award given to CNM is divided into an amount that allows for roughly 300 students to be hired as work studies, he said.
“I think we have a little bit higher than what the calculation might actually kick out, because we know some students don’t work all 40 hours every single two weeks, some students take a week off or only work 10 hours a week,” Ryan said.
There are funds coming in from the federal government, from the state government, and from CNM, Ryan said.
The specific amounts from each are 1.312 million from state, 690 thousand from federal, and 600 thousand from CNM for the 2014-2015 school year, Ryan said.
“The total state and federal funding includes a match that CNM has to make for those funds, 20% for state and 25% for federal,” he said.
In the totals above 20% of the state total is comprised of CNM funds and 25% of the federal total is comprised of CNM funds, he said.
New positions will not be available until the spring but for this term there is no waiting list, Carrillo said.
“There is no one waiting to be hired, we’re glad that we were able to provide these work-study positions to 300 of our students,” he said.
Eloy Chavez, Student Employee at Job Connection Services said that students constantly go into the office to ask for work study employment.
Some students get upset and do not understand, he said, but most realize that just like with jobs outside the school, jobs at CNM are hard to get.
“I continue to help them get their resume started and their application, everything, and when December 11 starts, hit the pavement,” he said.
This is because December 11 is when employment is going to open up again, he said.
Job postings will be available December 1, he said.
However, the employers will not be hiring until next semester, said Amanda Rubio, Supervisor of the Student Employees for Job Connection Services.
“For individuals without a job that’s a long time not to be working so it’s really hard on me to have to turn people down but also hard on me being where I can’t hire a student employee, I do have an open position and I’m not able to hire,” she said.
At Job Connection Services, they assist students and graduates with applying for jobs, Rubio said, and currently they have to turn down a lot of people primarily looking for student employment jobs.
She tells the students that there might still be something outside of CNM, she said, but they are not having any of it.
“They’re looking for a job here on campus for the convenience. They know a lot of employers out there won’t work with the school schedule, so they’re looking for the flexibility that you’re pretty much guaranteed to have with a student employee position,” she said.
Her colleagues and other employers also find themselves with job openings and inability to hire anybody, she said, they are dependent on student employees to get things done, and without them it hinders their job.
Most people think it is Job Connection Services who control student employment because they are the ones having to turn students down but it is dependent on the funds that financial aid has, she said.
“It’s all government funded, and there’s only so much funds to go around, so the students that do qualify for student employment should start looking right away to find a job, because if they procrastinate then their chances of finding a job will go down,” Chavez said.
FAFSA bases its work study qualifying methods largely on low-income criteria and that helps CNM identify who is eligible for work study, Carrillo said.
“Being qualified for work-study allows students to become eligible for work-study positions. Students are selected based largely on who has the greatest needs based on the low-income criteria,” Carrillo said.
Qualifying them does not mean that there is funds to pay them, he said.
“CNM needs to make sure there are enough students eligible for the positions in order to fill the maximum number of positions within the funding limits,” he said.
Work-study is a form of financial aid and it is a part-time job for students on campus, Ryan said, to help them cover the expenses that come with being a student.
Students work up to 20 hours a week and no more than 40 hours every two weeks, he said.

Rocky Horror New Mexico

September 23, 2014 cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Guadalupe Santos-Sanchez, Staff Reporter | Photos Courtesy of Facebook.com

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is about two newly engaged college age people, Janet Weiss and Brad Majors who go to a nearby castle to ask for help after their car breaks down, said Rocky Horror New Mexico Director, Tim Coggins.
“They get sucked into a bit of a whirlwind of sexual promiscuity, aliens, and it really tests the two main characters Brad and Janet’s resolve as normal people,” he said.
Janet is an innocent girl, who while staying at the castle experiences weird things, said Melanie Gruber.
“She ends up turning into a slut for many different reasons. She was a virgin when she got there and she ended up sleeping with two people in that castle in one night,” she said.
Rocky Horror is a creation by the transvestite and he is very illiterate, she said.
According to imdb.com, the transvestite is a mad scientist named Dr. Frank-N-Furter, who creates the perfect life form for himself to have as a sexual toy. Other characters in the castle are servants Riff Raff and Magenta, a groupie named Columbia, the ex-delivery boy Eddie, a rival scientist Dr. Everett V. Scott, and an expert and narrator The Criminologist.
The night of each production starts with a pre-show where the rules are introduced and they kind of play around with the audience, said Coggins.
Those who have never seen the show before are called virgins and they are all gathered up right before the show, he said.
“They are basically mocked or made to do some sort of uncomfortable task like eating a cup of cereal out of someone else’s pants or sometimes they are forced to eat bananas since they are sexual innuendo,” he said.
This is called the virgin sacrifice and it is just a way to loosen up the audience and be a little raunchy, he said.
They are a shadow cast, which means they act out the entire movie on a stage while the film plays on a screen behind them, Coggins said.
“We also have a group referred to as the Trannys and they are the party goers, they interact with the audience, they do the call backs that have become classic over the 40 years that Rocky Horror has been a film,” he said.
“We pride ourselves in being extremely screen accurate, we try and make our costumes as close to the film as possible, we do actually sing and recite all the lines, we do all the dancing, we perform a full floor show, and there is multiple costume changes,” he said.
Rocky Horror New Mexico was started in 2010 by Teresa Ewers and Rocky Horror New Mexico producer Dustin Martinez, to bring Rocky Horror back to New Mexico, Coggins said.
It had been ten years since the last performance of the show anywhere in the state, he said.
Their official name is Rocky Horror New Mexico, but they are more commonly known as The Hotdogs, he said.
“It’s a reference to the movie, there’s a line in the movie where the main character Dr. Frank-N-Furter is called a hotdog by supporting cast members as an offensive term and we thought it was kind of funny and fitting,” he said.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is presented once a month, every fourth Saturday of the month, Coggins said.
September’s show will be of Guest Performer theme, he said. It will be at the Aux Dog Theatre on Sept. 27 and will start at 10:00 pm.
Other themes have included Back to School Night and in the Gender Bender themed show that they do every June or July, men play female roles and women play male roles, he said.
“But in October we’ll have multiple shows, two up in Santa Fe and two in town at the Guild Cinema,” he said.
These will be on Oct. 24, 25, and 31 and will include a Nov. 1 show.
Tickets are only $10 except for the Halloween shows, those are $15, Coggins said, and they ask that the audience be of an appropriate age to watch an R rated film.
“We always sell prop bags which allow our audience to interact with the show by utilizing the props like cards, and rubber gloves, we have noise makers for you to use, we have all kinds of different props, those are for $3 – $5,” he said.
As a tradition, everyone at Rocky Horror New Mexico usually walks around Nob Hill on the Friday before the show to advertise, he said.
Their next audition will be the first Tuesday in December, and they usually have auditions to join the cast the Tuesday after the performance, he said, and they do not allow anyone bellow the age of 18 to join the cast.