Tag: Jonathan Baca

Buddha’s reincarnation, A musician’s journey from showbiz to business school

cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Jonathan Baca, Copy Editor | Photos Courtesy of myspace.com

4.4 4.3 4.2 4.1

Business major and musi­cian Glenn “Buddha” Benavidez grew up in Belen, New Mexico, played lead guitar for one of Albuquerque’s most popular bands, experienced the trials and glories of near rock star­dom in Hollywood, and came back to tell the tale.

In the late 90’s and early 2000’s Benavidez’s Latin hard rock band Stoic Frame became one of New Mexico’s most successful acts, moving to Los Angeles in 2001, and going on to perform at some of the nation’s biggest live music venues, such as the Viper Room, The House of Blues, and Whiskey a Go Go, he said.

“It was really hard work, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I got to travel to the most awesome places. I have some great memories,” he said.

He is now back in the Land of Enchantment, play­ing bass in a local reggae-rock band called Reviva, he said.

Now he is married, has started a growing DJ business, and after sixteen years he is back in school, he said.

Benavidez first started playing music when he got a guitar from his grand­mother on his thirteenth birthday, he said.

While playing in the band 86’ed, he joined Stoic Frame, which became more and more successful as they played around Albuquerque over the next ten years, he said.

Stoic Frame eventually opened for big acts such as Everclear and Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell; they graced the main stage at an early Edge Fest music festival alongside Kid Rock, Incubus, and Limp Bizkit, he said.

Benavidez said the most memor a bl e show he ever played was at the South by Southwest festi­val in Austin.

“It was completely packed, and I just remember you could see the whole crowd was jumping. We could feel the floor shaking underneath our feet. That was probably the most epic show I remember with Stoic Frame,” he said.

In 2001, the band set their sights on the ultimate prize of rock stardom, quitting their jobs and moving out to California, he said.

“Stoic Frame had gotten as popular as we could here in Albuquerque and New Mexico. So we wanted to expand our horizons, and basically try to do the whole rock star fairy tale in L.A. and Hollywood,” Benavidez said.

The first year there was hard, he said, but the band never gave up.

Benavidez got a day job at Millikan High School in Long Beach, working as an edu­cational assistant for special needs kids, he said.

But at night, he and his band were working hard trying to make a name for themselves in the ultra-competitive L.A. rock scene, he said.

“It’s really different out there. You have to pay to play when you first start out,” Benavidez said.

In order to perform at the big clubs like the Viper Room, they had to sell their own tick­ets and pay the show promoter for the chance to take the stage, he said.

Through hard work and sheer determination, they began to grow in popular­ity and started playing with the big boys in town, per­forming with many huge acts like Static X, Soulfly, and underground hip-hop hero KRS-One, he said.

“It was great, man, the energy — just to play the Whiskey, where The Doors played, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers; playing the House of Blues, knowing that Prince is in the audience watching. You’re right in the middle, the heart of entertainment,” Benavidez said.

Stoic Frame made several albums at the time, including 2007’s ‘Spinning the Roulette God,’ which was recorded in Vancouver, Canada, and was the band’s last record, he said.

Although they came close several times to signing with a major record label, they never quite made it, and Benavidez came home to Albuquerque in 2009, he said.

“It’s a really tough business. But I don’t regret it,” he said.

After coming home, he helped form the reggae-rock band Reviva, going back to bass guitar, he said.

Since then, Reviva has opened for Bob Marley’s band The Wailers, Tribal Seed, and War, and in 2011 recorded their first album, ‘Change’, at Central Root Studios, Benavidez said.

Benavidez had always been interested in turntables and DJing, so he bought some equipment and began spinning under the name Buddhafunk, starting out at weddings and small parties and eventually opening for acts in clubs all around town, he said.

Although the dreams of being a rock star might have faded away, Benavidez said that he still loves nothing more than playing music, and he does not plan to stop anytime soon.

“I play music for fun these days. The whole ‘making it’ thing is kind of out the door. But Reviva is just a band that moves people man, I don’t know what it is, but people love it,” he said.

He said he plans to start producing electronic music next, working with rappers and MC’s.

Benavidez is married to local slam poetry hero­ine Jessica Helen Lopez, and through her he has befriended Burque’s poet laureate Hakim Bellamy, who he hopes to col­laborate with soon, he said.

After everything, Benavidez said he encourages anyone with big dreams to go for it.

“You just got to grab your dream and take it as far as you can, despite what anyone tells you. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it,” Benavidez said.

The melting pot; Diversity grows among student body

cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Jonathan Baca, Copy Editor | Graphs by Rene Thompson and Jonathan Baca

g3 g2 g1

Diversity is one of CNM’s most important gifts, giving our stu­dents, faculty and staff the opportunity to learn from a wide range of cul­tures and backgrounds, and to share our own unique views on the world, said Achievement Coach Monika Monje.

The Chronicle gath­ered data from official CNM sources to give our readers a snapshot of what our student body looked like in 2012, and how it has changed since 2002.

Monje is part of Inclusive Excellence, a group of CNM staff members whose goal is to promote, educate and encourage diversity among students, faculty and staff, she said.

“I think diversity is great because it brings dif­ferent perspectives, either to the classroom or to any conversation or dis­cussion. It also provides a safe place for students to feel comfortable, I think it is very important and it’s something that should be recognized across CNM,” Monje said.

Monje is not only interested in promoting tolerance and understand­ing among our diverse stu­dent body, she would also like to see more diversity among the faculty as well, she said.

In 2012, 45 percent of the school’s student population declared themselves Hispanic, and 34 percent declared them­selves White, according to the CNM fact book statistics.

In comparison, 19 per­cent of the faculty declared themselves Hispanic, while 70 percent of them were white, according to the CNM fact book.

Monje said that encourage the recruitment of more diverse faculty, which she thinks would better reflect our student body and increase the number of learning oppor­tunities for everyone.

“We want to make sure that students feel more comfortable here, that this is their community. We want them to feel that this is a safe zone…that they can represent any flag, anything that they want to represent for themselves or whatever group they’re in. And I don’t know if that is present right now,” Monje said.

Monje said that the current faculty and staff receive regular training on diversity issues, and are encouraged to pro­mote tolerance and sensi­tivity among their varied students.

Achievement coaches have been trained on how to better create a safe atmosphere for LGBT stu­dents, and have also been schooled on state bill 582, or the DREAM Act, leg­islation that was passed to promote higher educa­tion for undocumented immigrants, and offers many students a path to citizenship through col­lege education, she said.

“We are moving towards having the staff trained across the board on diversity issues so that they are more aware of student issues, proper lan­guage, all of that stuff,” Monje said.

Another group that helps immigrant students is MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán), which is a national organization that promotes education and tolerance of Chicano and all other ethnic and social groups, local President and Family Psychology major Oriandi De La Rosa said.

MEChA seeks to “open the doors of higher education (for our com­munities) and strive for a society free of imperial­ism, racism, sexism, and homophobia,” according to nationalmecha.org.

“For me diversity is about getting involved and sharing where you are from with dif­ferent people,” De La Rosa said.

Although many of the immigrant stu­dents MEChA helps are Hispanic, De La Rosa said that the group works with people of any nationality, providing them with legal information and direct­ing them to other helpful resources.

“Having opportunities is great, but also hearing the opinions of differ­ent people can teach you a lot, and also give you a different perspective from where you’re at and where other people are,” De La Rosa said.

As the CNM student body has grown in the last ten years, our diversity has grown as well, with more Hispanics, more students who are 18 years old or younger, and a closer male-to-female ratio since 2002.

Monje said she hopes diversity of all kinds con­tinues to grow, among stu­dents, faculty and staff.

“We are already making strides and moving in a positive direction,” Monje said.

Rust Fund saves the day one scholarship at a time

cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Jonathan Baca, Copy Editor | Photo by Jonathan Gamboa

Lisa McCulloch, Executive Director of the CNM Foundation, discusses the record-setting $3.2 mil received from donors.

The Rust Opportunity Scholarship provides emergency assis­tance to students who are in danger of dropping out of school due to an unforeseen expense, Lisa McCulloch, Executive Director of the CNM Foundation, said.

Through the Rust scholarship, students are eligible to receive a gift of up to $800, once a year, to help pay for any­thing from a rent pay­ment to an electric bill, McCulloch said.

Students can receive the benefits in as little as 48 hours, she said.

“A student might experience a financial hardship that they weren’t anticipating. Maybe a spouse lost their job, or their child care payment went up. For many stu­dents this can cause them to abandon their plans to pursue higher education, and we don’t want that to happen,” McCulloch said.

The scholarship was set up in 2005 by Jack and Donna Rust, with a gift of $500,000 to the CNM Foundation. According to the Foundation’s literature, the fund has been used for childcare expenses, vehicle repairs and emer­gency bus passes, health­care expenses, testing and certification fees, and daily living expenses such as grocery bills, as well as school related expenses like books and equipment.

McCulloch said the Rusts understood that students are usually on very fixed incomes, and that any unforeseen cost could disrupt a student’s life and cause them to drop out of school.

“A lot of times, it’s the little things that break the camel’s back,” Donna Rust said.

The gift was given to the CNM Foundation, which is a 501 c3 nonprofit organization set up by the school to raise private funds for students. The Foundation offers more than 75 different scholar­ships, McCulloch said.

“The sole purpose of our organization is to raise the extra financial assistance that students need to be successful,” McCulloch said.

The Foundation also funds CNM Connect, which works closely with students in need of Rust benefits, she said.

Students who want to apply for the Rust scholarship need to fill out an application at Financial Aid, and need to bring a letter of sup­port from an instructor, she said.

“We ask that they do that, so that we can get a reference from an instructor about what kind of student they are as far as their commit­ment to their education,” McCulloch said.

Students then need to meet with an achieve­ment coach from CNM Connect, so they can receive assistance with their issue, par­ticipate in a screening analysis, and receive financial coaching to ensure that their academic plans are sustainable, she said.

Although some of the CNM Foundation’s scholar­ships are paid directly to the student, the Rust scholarship benefits are made out to ven­dors, McCulloch said. Students must bring a copy of the bill they cannot pay, and show why they are unable to pay it, in order to get the money. The check is then made out to the company or person who made out the bill, she said.

“The student needs to give us proof that it is an unforeseen financial obstacle,” McCulloch said.

After receiving the schol­arship, students are asked to continue meeting with an achievement coach from CNM Connect, she said.

“Building a relationship with an achievement coach can help students be more successful in the long run,” McCulloch said.

The Rust scholarship was created in 2005, when Jack and Donna Rust attended a fundraising event put on by the CNM Foundation.

“We have an annual donor appreciation dinner every year, to honor the folks who have contributed to the Foundation,” McCulloch said.

At the dinner, sev­eral students told sto­ries about how their lives were changed when they received scholarships given by the Foundation. After hearing these stories, the Rusts were inspired to help, McCulloch said.

They were told that the Foundation was in need of funds that could be given to students who run into hard times, or are forced to leave school because of outside financial burdens, she said. They decided to help by giving a gift of $500,000, for the sole purpose of helping those students for years to come, she said.

“They are really pretty amazing people,” McCulloch said.

More than 2,000 schol­arships have been awarded since the Rust fund’s incep­tion, and according to the CNM Foundation, more than eighty percent of students who receive the scholarship finish out the semester.

Mascaras de la muerte

cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Nick Stern, Senior Reporter | Photos by Jonathan Baca

4.2.8 4.2.7 4.2.6 4.2.5 4.2.4

Drafting major Alma Vega’s mask was this year’s winner
Drafting major Alma Vega’s mask was this year’s winner

4.2.2 4.2.1
Alma Vega, Architect Engineering major, enjoyed the spoils of victory in the fourth annual Dia de Los Muertos mask competition, winning a gift certificate to a local restaurant of her choice and bragging rights in her class, Jim Johnson, psychology instructor said.
The competition was part of Johnson’s Psychology of Death and Dying class, in which students are required to give presentations on a variety of topics, including Dia de Los Muertos, he said.
Masks were expected to incorporate creativity, ingenuity, design, and effort, and some students used gauze or plaster of Paris on their own faces, while others used decorated masks made of paper or purchased templates, he said.
Johnson’s class covers all the aspects of death in American culture including the history of the funeral industry, hospice, suicide, homicide, genocide, grief and bereavement, as well as much more, Johnson said.
Students were made aware of the project near the beginning of the semester, so they had nearly 10 weeks to complete their masks, he said.
Below are a some of the winners and Chronicle favorites from the fourth annual Dia de Los Muertos Mask competition.

Day of the dead comes to life in South Valley

cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Jonathan Baca, Copy Editor | Photos by Jonathan Baca

African dancing in the south valley.
African dancing in the south valley.
Beautiful, handpainted makeup.
Beautiful, handpainted makeup.
A huge skeleton with a first class seat.
A huge skeleton with a first class seat.
The Lost Tribes of Mardi Gras have been preforming at Marigold for 13 years.
The Lost Tribes of Mardi Gras have been preforming at Marigold for 13 years.
A dainty skeleton waves at the crowd.
A dainty skeleton waves at the crowd.
Handmade figures on a float.
Handmade figures on a float.
Lupe Garza rocks his giant skill mask. “It’s healthy celebration of life and death. Its one and the same.”
Lupe Garza rocks his giant skill mask. “It’s healthy celebration of life and death. Its one and the same.”
An elaborate mask and headdress.
An elaborate mask and headdress.
A crew on stilts, high above the crowds.
A crew on stilts, high above the crowds.

Dia de los Muertos is a big deal in the Land of Enchantment, and for the last 21 years in the Duke City, hundreds of people don their best skeleton face makeup and celebrate the delicate balance of life and death at the South Valley’s Marigold Parade.
This year, spectators lined a stretch of Isleta Boulevard and watched as dozens of floats and classic cars decorated with colorful flowers and political statements rolled by, and parade members threw candy into the crowd.
The parade ended at the Westside Community Center at 1250 Isleta Blvd. SW, where musicians, vendors, and food trucks waited for the painted crowds.
The Chronicle was on hand to document this year’s spectacle.

Up in vape; Student helps lead e-cig revolution

cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Jonathan Baca, Staff Reporter | Photos by Jonathan Baca8.1 8.2 8.3
There is a new wild west in the world of nicotine consumption filled with billowing clouds of vapor, where the choices seem endless, and smokers everywhere are waking up to a lot less phlegm in the morning.
This is the world of electronic cigarettes, or e-cigs, and on the edge of this new frontier is the specialty shop Vapor Space.
Vapor Space sells nothing but e-cig products, and manager and CIS student Luke Merry, owner Freddy Olsen, and assistant manager Jordan Tronolone said they have been hard at work here catering to the growing “vaping” community since June.
“What sets us apart is our genuine enthusiasm for vaping. It sets the stage for a high level of customer service. We really want people to get the most out of it,” Olsen said.
E-cigs are a new alternative to traditional cigarettes that proponents, including Merry and his coworkers, believe to be far safer and less harmful than other tobacco products, he said.
Most e-cigs consist of a battery and a small tank with a heat source, which literally vaporizes a flavored nicotine solution, or e-liquid, resulting in a cloud of odorless water vapor, Merry said.
“You can’t say that it’s harmless, but it’s a thousand times less harmful than smoking,” Olsen said.
Vaping has exploded in popularity in the last four years, and in the beginning Merry said he and Olsen were simply enthusiastic converts to the new technology, quickly embracing it and making the switch from real cigarettes in a matter of months.
They both came from computer and technology backgrounds, and soon they began tinkering with the seemingly endless stream of new innovations, and eventually began mixing their own e-liquid, Merry said.
Early on the two had ideas about opening their own store, even though neither of them had any experience owning or even managing a business, Merry said.
“It kind of started out as a joke, like ‘we could make some money selling this stuff,’” Merry said.
Their knowledge and excitement about e-cigs continued to grow, and they started seeing the steady business that other shops in town were getting, so they finally decided to give it a shot, said Merry.
They began to scout out these shops, doing research, testing new gear and deciding on the kinds of products they wanted to sell, Olsen said.
“That consisted of Luke and I doing hours and hours of internet research, and sitting around my kitchen table until 11:30 at night, pretty much five nights a week,” Olsen said.
Eventually, Olsen asked his brother Tronolone to join the team, partially because Tronolone had some business experience from managing several restaurants, he said.
Being a small business owner for the first time is a huge undertaking, however, and Olsen said he still gets nervous about the whole thing from time to time.
“It’s still scary. I still wake up and go ‘holy shit, I own a vapor store,’” Olsen said.
Olsen said his shop tries to cater to every customer, from the first time e-cig user to the seasoned enthusiast who is looking to find the best possible vaping experience.
For those hardcore customers, Vapor Space seems to have found a niche, offering the more advanced, hobbyist level devices, he said.
These high-end models, which can run up to $100, offer seemingly endless options, with variable voltage and wattage, different Ohm resistances, digital displays, and re-buildable, customizable atomizers, Merry said.
“Those are for people who are chasing a better experience. We made a commitment to sell quality equipment only. A lot of shop owners aren’t really mindful of that, so there is a lot of crap out there,” Merry said.
Though Olsen said he understands this view, he thinks that the health benefits of vaping as opposed to cigarettes far outweigh the negatives.
“We fully believe that in a sense this is saving lives,” Merry said.
The FDA has said that they will release an in-depth study of e-cigs soon, but until then, Merry said the whole e-cig business is in a legal limbo of sorts.
Although there are no laws currently governing their sale, Vapor Space chooses not to sell to minors, and enforces their own quality control in mixing their e-liquid, Tronolone said.
“Personally, I think that law should be put in place. We want that kind of regulation,” Tronolone said.
Whatever happens, the guys at Vapor Space will keep doing what they love, Olsen said.
“We believe in this. We’ll roll with the punches,” he said.

The house that horror built; High schoolers put trades to work at haunted house

cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Jonathan Baca, Staff Reporter

On a Saturday after­noon, a group of high school students were standing out­side a North Valley night­club, wearing all black and covered in blood and gear­ing up for a night of pop­ping out from behind walls, doing their best to scare the wits out of people.

The House of Freakz and Beatz, a haunted house in Gravity Nightclub that was designed and built by the students of the Academy of Trades and Technology (ATT) charter high school, has a dual purpose, said Gravity owner, Andrew Cordova.

The brainchild of Cordova and ATT president Henry Lackey, the haunted house was a way to give the stu­dents real world experi­ence in the trades they have learned, wh i l e giving them a real paycheck and creating a safe, all-ages place for young people to party during the Halloween season, Cordova said.

“Bringing them in here has been a blessing. They got to design and build it, and it stands for itself. It’s crazy to think that it was done by high school stu­dents, and I’m very proud of that,” Cordova said.

According to atths. com, ATT is a charter school geared toward stu­dents who have struggled with or even dropped out of other high schools. Students graduate with a diploma and experience in the trades of Construction Technology and Graphic Design.

After deciding to go ahead with the project, the students had blueprints ready a few days later, and after being paid to build it, nearly two thirds of the stu­dents stayed on as volunteer actors in the haunted house, Cordova said.

“The ones that have stuck around are the ones that are really, truly into it, and they’ve been great. It is great to see them have fun with the acting, scaring people,” said Kenneth Cornell, club pro­moter and one of the organiz­ers of the event.

Cornell said he has had double duty as an actor himself, playing a bloody ax-wielding psycho, a guard in the house’s insane asylum room, and his personal favorite; wielding a real, working chain saw.

They had to remove the actual chain for safety, but Cornell said it isn’t any less terrifying.

“You hear that chain saw, and you can smell it, it’s right there in front of you and your brain doesn’t stop to think ‘is there a chain on that?’ You just freak out,” Cornell said.

The haunted house fea­tures ten scenes, including the Lonely Cabin, the Psych Ward, and The Graveyard, and at least a handful of zom­bies, Cornell said.

The sets were inspired by classic horror films like the Exorcist and the Omen, which Cornell said are some of his favorites.

Aside from the handmade sets and some lights and sound effects for atmosphere, the house relies mainly on the makeup, costumes, and skills of the actors for the big scares, said volunteer, Ashley Harris.

Harris said for her there is no better feeling than popping out and knowing she really made someone jump.

“It just gives you the jollies inside,” she said.

On Halloween night, in addition to the haunted house there will be a dance party and costume contest, with DJs, and go-go danc­ers, Cordova said.

Cash prizes will be given out to the scariest, funniest, and sexiest cos­tumes, Cordova said.

On Friday and Saturday night after Halloween, there will be 16 and over dance party events, and on Nov. 1 Brazilian DJs Darth and Vader will be spinning house music at a Star Wars themed party, he said.

For Cordova, host­ing events for the under 21 crowd is important, because when kids have nowhere to go, they will create their own events, where drugs and alcohol flow freely and people get hurt, he said.

“I believe that the kids should have a safe environ­ment to come and party, with the right security policy and safe atmosphere. Instead of doing things out in the middle of a field in the West Mesa and overdosing, they’re in a controlled environment with supervision,” Cordova said.

Every night since the haunted house opened, ATT has had a booth out­side, giving kids informa­tion about the school and letting them know that it is never too late to go back and get a diploma, Cordova said.

After running out of funds in the middle of renovations to the night­club, Cordova said he spent $30,000 on the haunted house, hoping to raise some money to finish his club, and hopefully help some kids in the process.

“We’re really crossing our fingers that, one, we’ll get stu­dents to ‘drop back in’ to high school, and two, that we’ll at least get back some of our capi­tal investment,” Cordova said.

For more information, check out houseoffreakzan­dbeatz.com, and for more information on the Academy of Trades and Technology, visit atths.com.

Documentry shines light on hunger

cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Jonathan Baca, Staff Reporter

1.2
Project Feed the Hood will be hosting a free screening of the documentary “A Place at the Table” followed by a panel discussion, in partnership with CNM’s Healthy Meals Fit for Life Program and the School of Business and Information Technology.
The event is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct 23, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., in Smith Brasher Hall, room 100.
Project Feed the Hood, , the food justice campaign of The Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP),, started four years ago with the goal of raising awareness, educating, and organizing with communities to address food insecurity and the structural inequalities in our food system, Stefany Olivas, Biology major and SWOP organizer, said.
“These organizations are not only about raising awareness, but also taking action, and doing things in the community to make real change,” Olivas said.
SWOP teamed up with Active Voice, a media group that supports social justice issues, to screen the film, she said.
SWOP selected Albuquerque as part of a nation-wide campaign Yto “prompt communities to delve into the social and political roots of food insecurity,” according to activevoice.net.
“There are so many great organizations doing this work right now, and we partner with lots of them. It’s all about building these relationships,” Olivas said.
“A Place at the Table,” directed by Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush, follows the lives of a Philadelphia mother, a Colorado fifth-grader and a Mississippi second-grader, as they struggle with the uncertainty of not knowing where their next meal will come from, according to activevoice.net.
The film shines a light on the huge number of low income Americans who do not have access to affordable, nutritious food, and who are struggling daily to feed themselves and their families, according to activevoice.net.
The film also highlights various food banks and charitable organizations that are fighting to help these families, and discusses the challenges they face, as well as some of the larger social issues that create these problems, Olivas said.
“People are struggling, it is overwhelming. But there are a lot of people committed to change,” Olivas said.
The panel discussion following the screening will feature local professionals and community leaders, including CNM Psychology instructor, Nariman Arfai, Ph.D, Olivas said.
The talk will focus on the unique challenges that New Mexico faces, including some of the country’s largest “food deserts,” which are areas where healthy foods are hard to find that have very high numbers of dietary diseases, like diabetes and heart disease, Olivas said.
“New Mexico is unique. We have lots of problems; racial issues, economic inequality, that creates food insecurity,” Olivas said.
The goal of the event is not only to discuss the problems, but also to show people ways that they can get involved in the solution, and to help them connect with their communities in ways that will truly make a difference, olivas said.
“Things like getting involved in the local food system, whether it’s by supporting local business, local farms, or a community garden. Taking action immediately,” Olivas said.
Project Feed the Hood runs a community garden in Albuquerque’s Southeast Heights, as well as a new farm in the South Valley, as a way to share healthy, organic food with Burque residents, she said.
“We partner with local schools, to teach kids gardening and eating healthy,” Olivas said.
The farm also helps to raise money for SWOP by selling the food they grow, she said.
As part of the screening, Active Voice asked each city that participated to include a project encouraging people to take some type of direct action in their community, she said.
So on Oct 30, Project Feed the Hood will be knocking on doors in the neighborhood surrounding their community garden, to invite people to a pumpkin smashing event, as part of an effort to make the garden a gathering place for families, she said.
Another important part of SWOP’s mission is working toward change through political action, by helping to create new legislation, working with policy makers, and mobilizing communities to support new bills, according to SWOP.net.
Last year, the Chronicle covered SWOP’s success in helping to raise the city’s minimum wage. Olivas said the National Farm Bill will be important to our state’s future food security.
“It addresses issues not only for farmers, but also for low income families trying to feed their kids, their parents and themselves,” she said.
Olivas said that too many people are unaware of the issue of hunger in America, and when they start to learn about these problems, it can seem daunting.
“It is definitely a tough battle. It’s always been a battle and it will continue to be, but we do have allies and we’re building new ones every day,” Olivas said.
But through Olivas’ work with SWOP and Project Feed the Hood, she has been amazed to discover how large and how strong the activist community is here in Albuquerque, she said.
Olivas said she finds it very encouraging to meet so many people who are committed to working for change.
“The people are reacting, with equal and opposite force. It’s changing, slowly but surely,” she said.
For more information, visit swop.net, projectfeedthehood.org, and activevoice.net.

Teacher Spotlight: Maggie Shepard

cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Jonathan Baca, Staff Reporter | Photo By Jonathan Baca

4Maggie Shepard, a part-time instructor of Journalism and Communications, said she loves making a difference in students’ lives. Before teaching, Shepard worked as a journalist for ten years, covering the crime and criminal justice beat for many publications, such as newspapers like the Albuquerque Tribune to the Associated Press. The Chronicle talked to Shepard about the thrills of newspaper reporting, making the world a better place through teaching, and her passion for raising hogs.
Chronicle: What was it like, being a reporter?
Shepard: I loved it. It was my dream job. It was really satisfying, really exciting, and really unpredictable. Years before the story went national; I covered the story of the bodies that were found buried on the West Side. That was my story for a long time before it got picked up. That was one of my special ones. I covered lots of notable homicides in town.
C: I think some people might get a little queasy writing about that kind of stuff. How did you deal with it?
S: Yeah, it was all pretty serious stuff. That’s why I liked it. I realized that I was doing an important job, documenting history and humanity. It was kind of part of this bigger quest to understand what people’s motivations are. I dealt with it by justifying my purpose.”
C: What is your favorite thing about teaching?
S: I love moments where students tell me that the information I’ve shared with them has changed their life. That is really exciting, and it feels really good. I love getting to know such a diverse group of people, and I love learning new things about my field from people who see things in a different way than I do. Sometimes my students help me to see it in new ways.
C: What do you think about CNM, as a community college, and where it fits in with the bigger picture of higher education in our community?
S: First off, I love CNM. I was offered a job at UNM, and it’s not a hit on them, but I think that CNM actually does a service to our community. I feel the teachers here really care about their students, and enjoy helping them evolve. The general attitude of teachers at CNM isn’t aligned with reputation, it’s really aligned with function, and I like that. I see students who are actually evolving into smarter, more productive people because they can afford to take classes at CNM. I look at my students who are returning after raising kids, or after leaving a domestically violent situation, and who are intimidated by the full process of college. CNM provides a place for people who need a place to start. That is really important, and I’m really glad to be a part of that.

C: How would you describe your style of teaching?
S: I think it’s experiential. I ask my students to experience the information on their own, and find where it fits and their life.
C: Classes you teach like Interpersonal Communication and Public Speaking are life skills as much as they are academic skills. What do you think is the value of learning that stuff for students’ lives?
S: For people who already have high level interpersonal skills, it’s not a big deal. But bettering our communication leads to a gentler, more peaceful world and that benefits everybody. So I find more value in the skills that actually change our world than in learning academic terms and philosophies. What’s the purpose of learning something if it can’t change your life and change your world?
C: What’s in the future for you? Do you have any other goals or things that you’d like to do?
S: That’s a good question, that’s kind of where I am in my life right now and what I’m trying to figure out. I love my job. It’s a very satisfying job, teaching, and I see myself doing it for a while longer. But I’m also moving toward being a farmer, and making my living doing that. And I don’t know what else is going to pop up.
C: Do you have a farm right now?
S: I do, yeah. It’s in its rough stage right now. Mostly just animal husbandry right now, and we’re moving on in the next three years to possibly generating our entire income from it. We have chickens and hogs right now, and through a little meat co-op we do turkeys. Eventually we’ll probably bring in dairy. I’m not much of a green thumb, but we have enough space that we’ll probably partner with somebody to produce some vegetables and a little orchard. It’s a big dream. But I’ll probably always teach a little bit. It’s exciting to see and make a difference in people’s lives.

Voting 101: Municipal Elections

cnmchronicleLeave a comment

By Jonathan Baca, Staff Reporter

Local government can affect our lives in profound ways, and with Albuquerque’s municipal elections coming up, the Chronicle has gathered research about the basics of our city government’s inner workings to help students understand how local politics works, and how important it can be to our lives. For first time voters, or for anyone who has never voted at a local level, we hope this information helps in making an informed choice.

Basics

Albuquerque is a home rule municipality with a mayor-council government. The Executive and Legislative branches of city government work kind of like a small, local version of the President and Congress of the United States. The City Council is our main legislative body, representing our citizens, and introducing and voting on all of our laws and resolutions. The mayor is our chief executive officer, making our city’s budget, appointing heads of boards and committees. The mayor has the added duties of overseeing all the departments of our local services. Albuquerque does not elect our municipal judges. All local elections are non-partisan, or non-supportive of any specific political parties or policies, and anyone from any party can run for office, by getting enough people to sign a petition.

The Mayor

In Albuquerque’s system, the Mayor’s office is powerful, with lots of responsibilities which has far-reaching influences throughout the state. If fifty percent of voters choose a single candidate, that candidate becomes the mayor. If no one receives fifty percent of the vote, there is a run-off election between the two candidates with the most votes.

• Elected every four years, for four year terms; no term limit

• Chief Executive Officer

• Appoints and can remove city officials

• In charge of local police department; appoints Chief of Police

• Is head of the city’s water and sewer authorities, and oversees services like trash pickup

• Proposes the city’s budget, every year, to the City Council

• Has the power to veto decisions of the Council

• Can propose Executive

The City Council

The City Council is Albuquerque’s legislative branch. There are nine council­ors, one for each district in Albuquerque. Citizens vote for only their own councilor, the one who represents the district that they live in. Any Albuquerque resident can attend City Council meetings, and can discuss any issue they choose, from local con­cerns like potholes to their opinion of controversial laws like the red light cameras. In this way, local government can be the most truly democratic form, where a single citizen’s voice can make the most difference in their lives.

• Elected to four year terms

• Half of the councilors are elected every two years, on a rotating basis

• Each represents one district of Albuquerque

• Main Legislative body of the city

Introduces and votes on:

• Resolutions – mandates or prevents something; dictates policy; examples are appropriations, adopting budgets and plans, preliminary actions on bonds, recent example: A city policy for no tolerance of gender pay inequality

• Ordinances – creates or amends municipal laws; always used for police power legislation ( something where it is against the law not to follow); used to adopt taxes or fees, and city organization and operation matters…..recent example: establishing of the Albuquerque Minimum Wage Ordinance

• Executive Communications – legislation from the Mayor sent for approval: appointments to boards or commissions, and contracts and grants for city, example: the City Budget

• Can overrule a mayoral veto with a two-thirds majority

• Voters can only vote for one city councilor each election, and only for the District they are registered to vote in

• Any citizen can address the Council at every Council Meeting, and can dis­cuss any topic of concern

• Most local level of all government; place where an individual’s voice can have the greatest impact

Local Voting Locations

To find out which district you live in, and who is running for that district’s City Councilor, go to cabq.gov, Sources: cabq.gov, Wikipedia.org.