As the second anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting came and went in April, students, faculty and politicians nationwide have been hotly debating the issue of allowing guns on campus.
More specifically the debate is over whether individuals possessing valid concealed handgun licenses, or “CHLs,” should be able to carry their guns onto college campuses.
Although NMSU is represented by a gun-toting mascot named “Pistol Pete,” university policy doesn’t allow licensed CHL holders to carry their guns on campus, and NMSU Police Chief Jaime Chavez said that probably won’t change anytime soon.
“I think the law on the books will stand,” Chavez said.“NMSU will stay on the same path.”
Lights!Camera!Action!That's a sound heard often at the Creative Media Institute at New Mexico State University.Found in Milton Hall, CMI has been around for three years and has trained and enabled several young filmmakers and animators to pursue careers in the field.
With several writing and animation labs, industry standard film equipment, a digital theatre, and a soon-to-be motion capture studio, CMI is one of the fastest growing departments on campus.
Truth or Consequences Fiesta celebrates the demise of Hot Springs
Written by Jonathan Rejent
Monday, 01 June 2009 05:40
Only one celebration encompasses meatballs soaring through the air, skateboarders ripping in sandals, rubber ducks speeding down the Rio Grande River, strangers dancing together to Mariachi music and so much more. The event is none other than the annual Truth or Consequences Fiesta.
The number of motorcycles on campus has increased to an all-time high as students, faculty and staff at New Mexico State University choose to ditch their cars to save time and money when commuting to campus, the NMSU Parking Department said.
The number of registered motorcycles on campus jumped from 250 in fiscal year 2005-2006 to a current record-high of 375.NMSU Parking Manager Stella Altamirano said that the increase was most likely due to the recent spike in gas prices.
“With the current economy, people want to save money,” Altamirano said.“And it just seems that motorcycles are in (style), especially during summer.”
Commuters have a lot to gain by trading in their steering wheels for handle bars, starting with a fatter wallet.A parking permit for a motorcycle costs half as much as a parking permit for a car, Altamirano said.
In the fall of 2008, the department decided to drop the permit price for motorcycles from $40 to $20 because motorcycles couldn’t park in the same places as cars, Altamirano said.This drop may have made motorcycle ownership more attractive to commuters, she said.
Although Cinco de Mayo, May 5, tends to be a great excuse to party, the weekend before was celebrated in a memorable and meaningful way.
Over the weekend of May 2-3, hundreds of people gathered on the HistoricMesillaPlaza to celebrate the Battle of Puebla, a victory of Mexican soldiers over the French Army in 1862. And, at the time, Mesilla was part of Mexico.
This battle is memorable because the weaker Mexican soldiers defeated the stronger and well-armed French Soldiers. Two years later, in 1864, Mesilla became part of the United States.
With the poor job market, students are finding that graduate school may be the better option instead of entering the work force right after earning a bachelor’s degree.
Roseanne Bensley, associate director of career services at New Mexico State University, said the best thing a student can do is start the job search early and use the resources available on campus.
Bensley was optimistic that with the right guidance, a student can have a job waiting for them after graduation.
College road trips create memories and friendships
Written by Anthony Valdez
Tuesday, 12 May 2009 19:28
The college road trip has become a rite of passage for the average student. It has been engrained in our culture to the point of romanticism. While that may hold true in some cases, you never hear about the 28-hour van ride.
Our journey began early morning in front of Milton Hall. Half of us were still in the zombie state associated with waking at such an early hour.
To top it all off, only four of us were licensed to drive the two vans that would carry us more than 2,000 miles across four states. Between myself, 12 of my colleagues, one dedicated advisor, our accumulated luggage, and a cardboard cutout of the target demographic, space was a rare commodity.
To the delight and rave reviews of student photographers and guests, New Mexico State University’s Photojournalism Club hosted its third annual “Through Our Eyes III” photography exhibit earlier this month in the Corbett Center Art Gallery.
The work of several NMSU students was featured in the exhibit.The photographers included members of the NMSU Photojournalism Club, beginning and advanced students from JOUR319, Introduction to Photography, and JOUR412, Documentary Photojournalism, who worked with film or digital photography.
Putting the whole show together took a lot of effort.According to the Photojournalism Club President, Jessica Rodrigo, the members of the club worked on the exhibit for about 24 hours over the past three days to get the show ready for the public to view.
How have small communities been affected by the recent economic downturn?
The town of Mesilla in southern New Mexico is just an example of how one small town’s economy can survive in uncertain times.
Mesilla has more than 2,000 residents and a large artist community. Businesses located near the plaza (the center of Mesilla) offer original artwork, jewelry, clothing, books, local specialty foods and more.
In towns similar to Mesilla, income is based on an industry that produces non-essentials. Nowadays the extra cash from consumers, which these products rely on, has become a rarity. These items are not necessarily necessities, and when money becomes tight small businesses such as these can suffer.
