As I waited in the lobby of the Gospel Rescue Mission, I noticed a woman with long white hair leaning up against a doorway looking outside with a smile. I met Virginia, 61, who is the women’s supervisor at the Mission. Like many other women I interviewed, Virginia wanted to protect her last name.

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As I walked over to Virginia, I saw that she was watching a woman walk to the bus stop right outside the mission. She told me that  Patricia, 49, of Cincinnati, got a job and was on her way to work.

“I’m so proud of her,” Virginia said. “She is going to do really well for herself.”

Patricia, 49, of Cincinnati, stands outside the mission waiting to attend chapel one Sunday 2010. (Photo by: Amanda Crowe)

Patricia’s story…

Patricia had a job in Cincinnati for more than seven years, but left her job and moved to Las Cruces to help her ill sister for a year.  After not having an income for so long, Patricia decided to stay at the Gospel Rescue Mission and had been there for three weeks.

“If it wasn’t for this place, I’d probably be living on the street,” Patricia said.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state’s unemployment rate was 8.9 percent in early spring of 2010. Patricia stated that many single women her age have a hard time finding support as far as work and income.

“People like me, we’re too old to do a lot of the work we used to do and we have bad health problems, but we’re not old enough to get social security or disability,” Patricia said. “We kind of fall through the cracks.”

One of the reasons Patricia chose to stay at the Gospel Rescue Mission was because of the bus stop that sits right in front of it. Having a bus stop nearby helps her get to her job. The times the buses run, however, are not as helpful.

“I wish they would run buses later and run them on Sundays because it would make getting back and forth to work a whole lot easier for me,” Patricia said.

Walter’s story…

Walter Cott, 56, of California, had been at the Gospel Rescue Mission for over five months and was contributing to the mission by doing laundry.

“The Gospel Rescue Mission has been really good as far as trying to help me out and trying to make sure I’m clothed and fed,” Cott said. “They give to me, and I just feel like it’s fair for me to give whatever I can to help them out.”

Cott will be trained in another profession because the construction work he used to do is more difficult for him now because of a disability.

“It’s just a whole lot easier to get retrained and to get a better job instead of sitting around and collecting a check,” Cott said.

The Mission

The Gospel Rescue Mission was built 18 years ago on Amador in Las Cruces, according to Gospel Rescue Mission Assistant Director Charles Viverette, 59, of Las Cruces. It is a place where families and individuals can come when they are without necessitates needed to live.

Everything at the mission is donated, and much of the reason it is still running is because of the donations from the people in the community. There are no other funds besides what the community gives coming into the mission.

There is also a recovery program at the mission for individuals struggling to get back on their feet because of substance abuse or a criminal record.

Gene Ramirez, 49, of Las Cruces, is involved in the recovery program and said that it is helping him be a better person.

“I’m trying to become a better person – that’s why I came here,” Ramirez said. “I’m trying to enjoy the world.” Ramirez said he has been involved in many different outreach programs, and the Gospel Rescue Mission has been the only one he’s seen a change in.

“I’ve been to 27 programs before this, and this is the only one that has worked for me,” Ramirez said. “It helps me because I try to focus on the Lord more and to become a better person.”

The Gospel Rescue Mission has housing for individuals and families, single mothers and their children as well as single fathers and their children. There are three meals a day for anyone who wants to eat there and there is chapel held every night where people from different churches come and speak. There is also the Gospel Rescue Mission’s thrift store, located on 1420 S. Solano, which helps generate funds and work.

“I’m just blessed and lucky to have somewhere like this to be,” Patricia said.

“This is a beautiful place. I don’t mean material things,” Virginia said, “I mean inside. The people here are beautiful.”

New Mexico State University Creative Media Institute student Jared Ortega, in his own words, sits back and watches the monster that he created: "Grief Mop." (Photo by Victora G. Molinar)

story by Victoria Guadalupe Molinar

Growing up in El Paso with a father who worked in broadcasting, New Mexico State University student Jared Ortega was bitten by the filmmaking bug.

An introvert in high school, Ortega said that film enabled him to express who he was. During his high school years, he worked with other students with the same interests and fed his aspirations with various film projects.

CMI unleashes creativity

Joining the Creative Media Institute at NMSU, Ortega’s ambition for making movies did not go flat.  As soon as he read on the NMSU student hotline via e-mail that there was a call for resumes for students interested in contributing to the 2008 movie, “The Burning Plane,” starring Charlize Theron, Ortega quickly grasped his opportunity, and his dedication revealed his genuine passion for making movies.

Set Locations Manager Jean Chien saw the spark in Ortega’s eyes and invited him to  be involved in more films. Ortega was called to assist in the comedy/drama, “Away We Go,” starring John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. Chien once again invited Ortega to work on a 2010 movie, “Warrior,” starring Jennifer Morrison and also assisted renowned screenwriter and CMI Director Mark Medoff in his most recent film, “Refuge,” which was filmed in Las Cruces.

A project all in his hands

Director Jared Ortega (far right) works with Director of Photography Niel Solberg (far left) and First Assistant Director Sheridan O'Donnell (left of Ortega) on the set of "Grief Mop." (Photo by Victoria G. Molinar)

On top of being involved in films, Ortega pushed the envelope when he and other CMI students put dedication, long hours and hard work into making his movie, “Grief Mop.”   This meant driving around Las Cruces scouting for locations, writing four revisions of his script and even renting an ambulance from a car salesman. Ortega devoted long hours during the shooting days of his movie, many times until 4 or 5 a.m. on a week day. The sleep deprivation and tedious work has not caused Ortega’s zeal to waiver, however.

“I definitely noticed Jared’s passion for his film and the production,” said NMSU freshman Annabelle Lyttle, who acted in “Grief Mop.”

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Actor Gerald Kumpf plays Roy, a man who intends to commit suicide after his wife dies. (Photo by Victoria G. Molinar)

“Grief Mop” was inspired by an experience of Ortega’s brother as an paramedic.

The story is about an EMT who tries to manage his love life and prevent a widower from taking his own life. The challenge for Ortega was to put a story into a script, then into a storyboard, then into a film.  Hiss film was shown to CMI classes along with other student’s films at the end of the semester.

Viewing life through different eyes

Ortega is also in the process of getting his own EMT certification so that he can achieve a healthcare background and use it to join the Peace Corps. From the Peace Corps, Ortega plans to travel for a few years and take in a new perspective on the world. After gaining such experience, Ortega wants to use his experiences to write stories about them and the people he met during his journey.

The world will be waiting to see what he brings to the table.

Members of the Delta Zeta sorority work on addressing letters to their friends and families in hops of benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. (Photo by Carolyn Wright)

About 5,400 patients visit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on a yearly basis.  New Mexico State University students are doing their part to help raise money for the hospital.

NMSU recently adopted the Up ‘til Dawn program, a letter-writing campaign to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.  More than 600 students on campus wrote letters to friends and family asking for donations to St. Jude.

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St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was founded in 1962, with a mission to find cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.  It is located in Memphis, Tenn.

St. Jude is the only research hospital where families do not have to pay for treatment.  All patients are accepted for treatment at St. Jude regardless of ability to pay.

Up ‘til Dawn

Members of the Up 'til Dawn organization count letters as students return them. (Photo by Carolyn Wright)

Jayna Nance, executive director for NMSU’s Up ‘til Dawn program, was approached by representatives from St. Jude to bring the program to the campus.

“It was something I really wanted to get involved in because I’ve never had an opportunity to give back to St. Jude, and I thought this was a great way to get started,” Nance said.

After choosing an executive board, Nance chartered the Up ‘til Dawn organization through the university to ensure that it would be recognized as a student organization.

The event

Janelle Candelaria and Joselyn Martinez show off shirts they won for writing more than 35 letters for St. Jude. (Photo by Carolyn Wright)

New Mexico State held its Up ‘til Dawn Event on April 23 at the Activity Center on campus.  Throughout the day members of sororities and fraternities, as well as other students on campus, piled into the AC to address premade letters to their friends and family.

The students who participated in this year’s event wrote a total of 6,073 letters, according to an event-marketing representative.

Chi Omega’s Kursty Keeler wrote the most individual letters with a total of 186.

If students would like to become a part of Up ‘til Dawn they may contact Jayna Nance at jaynance@nmsu.edu.

Ashley Richards practices "Feeling Good" for the Desert Dolls performance. (Photo by Heather Lang)

Story by Heather Lang

In hopes of promoting body image and acceptance, a New Mexico State University student has founded the first and only burlesque dance group in Las Cruces.

Camille Shields, a women’s studies major who will graduate in May, said she decided to start the Desert Dolls after a life time of performing and feeling she didn’t fit in.

“For years I wanted to be a dancer and perform,” Shields said. “In high school I was in theater, but even then I my size held me back. I didn’t get lead roles or love interests.”

Getting Started

Shields said she found burlesque after trying many different types of dance and found that burlesque was a safe, humorous and fun way for women to sing, dance and perform.

“It is a culture full of beautiful women of all shapes and sizes loving their bodies and have a ton of fun up there on the stage,” she said. “As a spectator you can’t help but want to join in on the fun.”

The idea to found the Desert Dolls came to Shields over Christmas break, she said, after watching videos and movies about burlesque.

“I was so done watching (burlesque performers) on YouTube; I wanted to do it myself,” she said.

Shields held auditions early in the spring semester and the group began meeting every Friday evening at La Buena Vida Women’s Club.

The group features singers, dancers and comedienne Carmela Le’Duche, with acts inspired by Latin dance, Alice and Wonderland and Adam and Eve.

Much of the progress the group has made has been based on trial and error, singer Ashley Richards said.

Group leader Camille "Coco DiVine" Shields helps Imelda "Jezebel" Chacon into a corset before rehearsal. (Photo by Heather Lang)

“We’re the first group in this area to do this, so we don’t really have anyone to look up to,” Richards said.

Taking stage

Richards, 25, sings under the stage name Mimi Martini.

“(I chose the name) because I used to really like martinis, but now I don’t,” Richards said. “But Mimi Wino doesn’t sound the same.”

Richards describes Mimi as an old school Marilyn Monroe type character.

“They laying on the pianos if you will,” Richards said.

At the performance, Richards and Shields will sing a duet of “Class” from the hit musical “Chicago.”

Richards, who works by day as a web developer, said she joined the group because of her long-standing relationship with Shields and the progressive nature of the group.

“I think it’s a really cool thing to be forward thinking,” She said.

Richards said the group stands as a reclamation of female sexuality of and taking power away from those who objectify women, although it does occasionally require the performers to come out of their comfort zones.

“Obviously there is that very scary moment when you realize ‘holy (expletive)’, my friends and family are seeing naked pictures of me on facebook,” she said.

Exposing beauty

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For the Dolls, the show is all about the performance and making a statement about beauty.

“This is me and I have a beautiful body,” Richards said.

Shields said burlesque is different from stripping because the show is full of vaudeville and is more of an adult variety show.

“Stripping is for entertaining men and burlesque is for all genders and the fan base is mostly women,” Shields said.

The Desert Dolls performance is about showcasing beauty in all women and giving women a safe place to perform as part of a project to help boost self-esteem of all women in the area, according to the Desert Dolls fan page.

“You leave a burlesque show feeling better about yourself, feeling less attached to the stigmas and pressure society and media places on women and how they are supposed to look and act,” Shields said.

A night of vintage entertainment

The Desert Dolls performed May 28 at La Buena Vida Women’s Club and hope this is but the first production.

Imelda Chacon practices her Latin-inspired dance. (Photo by Heather Lang)

“People should come see the Desert Dolls because we are just a group of women sharing the message of body acceptance, fun, and glamour,” Shields said.

“We love to dance and entertain and we hope women and men would enjoy a nice evening of laughs, comedy, dancing, pinup and vintage allure,” she added.

One Zumba class can burn anywhere from 500 to 1,000 calories in a way that is fun and much more satisfying than your average stair-stepper. (Photo by Jenn Grider)

“Zumba is such a great, energizing workout without actually feeling like work,” Donna Ferguson, age 52, said. “I knew it was the perfect workout for me when, after just one month of classes, I could fit into my 20-year-old daughter’s jeans.”

Well, the fact that my mother could fit into my jeans was just the kick-in-the-butt I needed to try Zumba for myself, and I can honestly say it is one of the best workouts I have had, while also being extremely entertaining.

So, what is Zumba?

“Zumba is a Latin-inspired fitness-aerobic class,” Ryan Grovey, a Zumba instructor here in Las Cruces, said. “It features reggaeton, salsa, cumbia, flamenco, tango and belly dance.”

Just because Zumba is fun, doesn't mean that it is easy. You have to push yourself to get results. (Photo by Jenn Grider)

Zumba is, at its core, dance aerobics that pulls inspiration from all different cultures of dance. The very heart and soul of Zumba is to create an exhilarating and enjoyable workout experience that will make people want to and look forward to going to the gym.

“Zumba is just a party,” Grovey added. “We call it, ‘Ditch the workout, join the party.’ It’s really not in the gym lifting weights and running up and down stairs, but you’re sitting in a wonderful workout.”

Who practices Zumba?

This new and exhilarating dance-aerobics class is for all ages. Young and old, male and female.

“All different ages come to my class,” Grovey said. “I have kids from 10 years old to 70 years old. My oldest lady is 71.”

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Joann Torres said she loves Zumba because it is a family-friendly workout. She and her son have been attending Ryan’s class for three months now, and he loves it just as much as she does.

Why you should try Zumba?

“If you like to dance and you want to have a good time, but you don’t like to feel like you’re exercising, then that is the reason to come,” Linda Berez said.

The class provides an enjoyable and inviting atmosphere that feels like a fun night out. (Photo by Jenn Grider)

Zumba feels more like a night out with your best friends, dancing and having a good time. It doesn’t feel like a workout at all, which is why Zumba is so popular.

“I call the people that come to my classes my Zumbaholics. Zumba is just very addicting,” Grovey said.

How to find a class

According to the official Zumba Web site, as of July 2009, the Zumba program is taught at more than 50,000 locations in 75 countries, with 6 million participants taking classes on a weekly basis. And if working out in public doesn’t suit your lifestyle, millions of DVDs are available and sold everyday, and has changed the lives of Zumba Fanatics worldwide.

If you would like to try this new fitness program that is taking the world by storm, Zumba.com offers links to find a class near you.

AdFed students review the 2010 campaign with their supervisor, professor Hwiman Chung. (Photo by Chelsey Drummond)

The students in New Mexico State University’s Advertising Federation know all about hard work.

The program was originally designed to introduce advertising students to the world of sales and promotion, but has accomplished so much more than that.

Led by journalism professor Hwiman Chung each year, the group is given quite a hefty task of researching and designing a fully integrated marketing plan for a client.

In past years, the students have created campaigns for national corporations such as Coca-Cola.

Not a typical client

AdFed took a turn this year by deciding to work with a local client instead. Citizens Bank of Las Cruces was a close-to-home business that allowed for the students to get a more intimate look into professional relationships.

“I think we all enjoyed working with Citizens Bank. It was exciting to see inside the business first-hand, to put a face with the name. I don’t think you can get that experience with national corporations like Coca-Cola,” said AdFed President Alex Hewit.

Extra assistance

Not only did this year’s production focus on a different client, but the group even had extra help from  local advertising agent Edmundo Resendez, owner of  The Uno Advertising.

“Edmundo’s help was greatly appreciated. His advice and input really aided our campaign. We learned a lot from what he has already accomplished, sort of what to do and what not to do,” continued Hewit.

AdFed President Alex Hewit (left) and a fellow student work on last minute changes before the presentation to Citizens Bank.

Creative campaign

With a brand new client and some added assistance, the 2010 AdFed students worked year round to finish and present their integrated marketing plan to Citizens Bank. The club based the entire campaign on an innovative slogan deemed “Established. Secure. Local.”

With that catch phrase and many other creative and research components, the students displayed an impressive collection of data to their client.

“The presentation went very well; we were just excited to have finally completed the project. A lot of work went into it, and we’re very proud of what we’ve created,” reflected Hewit.

Hwiman Chung teaches his advertising students the importance of research in a campaign.

With the 2010 campaign officially a success, Chung and his returning AdFed members have much to look forward to for the future.

“I’m pleased that we’ve accomplished what AdFed is set to do. We created interest in advertising and have helped students learn and work in that environment,” Hewit concluded.

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At the end of every season, New Mexico State University head tennis coach, Don Ball, faces a bittersweet circumstance: saying goodbye.

This year was no different.

There are four players who recently finished  their college tennis careers for coach Ball and NMSU.  Four individuals who came to Las Cruces as strangers became part of the tennis team and their coach’s tutelage and are now sailing off with shared experiences and a shared conundrum—what’s next?

The tennis complex sits empty on the NMSU campus. (Photo by Ben Scheer)

A melting pot of players

Those four players are Aleksa Costa and Sophia Marks, on the women’s side, and Gustav Diep and Eduardo Salas.

“About 80 to 90 percent of our players are international students,” Ball said.

In fact, there are seven different nationalities represented by the nine-member team, one of whom is from the U.S.   The men’s team is less poly-national; its 12-member squad represents five different countries.

“I can’t believe how much I learn from them,” Ball said. “Before I started coaching, I thought everything the U.S. did was perfect.  And they’re like ‘no, coach.’ They’ve really opened my eyes.”

These are true student athletes

It’s not a wonder how a group of people of this caliber could be so enlightening. Seemingly too often, student athletes’ fields of study are not the most stringent nor demanding. That is not the case for the majority of the tennis team.

“The international kids earn it,” the coach explained. “When we’re on the road and some of the team wants to go out and go shopping or something like that, they’re like ‘no coach, we have to study.’”

The courts are a bit more empty following the departure of four of the tennis team's leaders. (Photo by Ben Scheer)

Along with shared study habits, a long road trip to get to their respective homes, all four of share the problem of what to do and where to go after graduation.  That’s a problem similar to the majority of college grads, but these kids have an extra layer to the issue, because they are all on student visas, ready to expire, they all have to findjobs or find a way home.

Where to go from here

Yeah, I don’t know what I’ll do after I graduate.  I want to find a job here in the states, but it’s really hard right now,” Marks said.

When asked if she will have to go back home, Marks said “yeah, I’ll most likely go back to Nottingham – right, the home of Robin Hood, everyone here says that,” she answered with nervous laughter.

Ball said Marks was the best player on the women’s team for three consecutive years.  The team, however, finished the 2010 season with an 11-13 over record, 4-4 in the Western Athletic Conference.

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AES Facilitator Laura Verploegh-Calhoun administers a test that will determine if two middle schoolers will need services for gifted students. (Photo by Liz Lopez)

Background on Gifted Education

In the 1920s gifted education was established, and tests like the I.Q. test were used to identify individuals who possessed multiple exceptionalities or intelligence.

Today, Sierra Middle School AES facilitator Laura Verploegh-Calhoun explains that an Individual Education Program is different for each student child.

Professionals now use the Stanford-Binet, Frasier Talent Assessment profile (F-TAP), and other assessments to identify a gifted student.

After the student is found to be gifted, he or she is assigned an IEP, and a  meeting is held once a year (or more if requested by parents) with the student, parents, teachers, principal and AES Facilitator to determine what the gifted students individual curriculum will be for that year.

According to the U.S. Department of Education (2000), 2.96 million or close to 6 percent of the school-aged population are gifted children.* Since 1999, New Mexico is one of five states that recognizes gifted kids and protects them by law.

Two bilingual students take a placement exam for Advanced Education Services (Photo by Liz Lopez)

Problems with giftedness

“Gifted kids may act out by being frustrated and resenting because they are at a higher level than their peers,” Verploegh-Calhoun said. These students may feel that anything they do is never good enough and are extremely self-critical, which can lead to low self-esteem and depression. Gifted students may also feel that school is not challenging enough, have difficulty obtaining friends who understand them, feel overwhelmed different or alienated. There’s also a social stigma with being labeled as gifted.

“A lot of people view gifted education as being elitist,” she said. “We are constantly teaching kids the difference between equity and equality because it can sound elitist. But we still have to recognize the difference,” Verploegh-Calhoun explained. “Students may not be understood by their peers, but they still need to live in this world.”

Gifted vs. regular curriculum

Melly Locke, who is a teacher of the science magnet program  (meaning, students take double the science requirement because they excel in and enjoy it) at Sierra, and Dave Anketell, who is the regular math and social studies teacher have their own opinions on gifted students. “Most of the kids we get are kind of geeky,” Locke jokingly acknowledges.

Students go over lessons in Dave Anketell's afternoon (regular curriculum) math class. Photo by Liz Lopez

“So we’re used to having AES students. We attract a lot of those students because they are attracted to these magnet programs.”

Five of her students took 9th in a National Science Competition recently, she shared.  ”AES kids are wonderful,” Anketell said. Very often it becomes an issue of social stuff. Can they work with someone that doesn’t get it as quickly?”

That is exactly what AES facilitators like Verploegh-Calhoun try to do with their students by working with them on an individual basis. “Students come in for a quiet place to work, and other kids like coming in just to play chess. They feel safe here,” she said.

Student profile

Meet Luisa Bannister. She is a gifted student in the 7th grade at Sierra Middle School, and on the morning I go in to meet with Laura Verploegh-Calhoun, she calls the student out of another class to talk with me. At first glance Luisa seems like any other student, but I could tell she was a little bit different. She rolls in her backpack and definitely “marches to the beat of her own drum,” as Verploegh-Calhoun says.

Luisa has her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, a comfortable long button-up purple sweater, pants and black boots. She carries herself much like an adult, speaks matter-of-factly, and looks irritated with my some of my “dumber” questions. Luisa tested into Advanced Education Services in second grade and got started with her IEP in third grade. Science and Language Arts are among some of her favorite classes and she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up, which is no surprise seeing how she has cats, gerbils, a dog and a hermit crab.

Most of her classes at Sierra are “clustered,” which mean she is grouped with other gifted students in other core classes. When asked if she feels different from the “regular” core kids or if she has friends who weren’t gifted, Luisa responded, “Sometimes things like maturity are differences you see with different kids.”

(Photo by Liz Lopez)

She also commented how two of her best friends are on different sides of the spectrum. One of her friends who is in AES as well loves to draw and read and the one who is not does not like to read at all.

Luisa is happy in AES because she is with other gifted kids.

“AES has been beneficial for me because it’s time for me to relax and have fun. Even projects are easier because here I apply myself and pay attention,” the student said. She plans to attend Alma D’arte, Charter School in Las Cruces for high school where she will be able to devote herself to singing, painting and cooking.

And her plans for the summer? She will be doing regular kid things like swimming, hanging out with friends, and reading. “I can get lost in that world; it’s a lot more entertaining than TV. Different authors that have never met each other have little things that are similar in all of those books that fit together.” AES doesn’t stop with Luisa once she leaves Sierra. She will be in that program until she graduates from high school.

*Information which contributed to this story

]]> http://www.nmsumerge.com/2010/05/23/las-cruces-kids-benefit-from-gifted-program/feed/ 0 http://www.nmsumerge.com/2010/05/16/bottled-water-%e2%80%93-is-it-worth-the-expense/ http://www.nmsumerge.com/2010/05/16/bottled-water-%e2%80%93-is-it-worth-the-expense/#comments Sun, 16 May 2010 22:12:47 +0000 ericamt6 http://www.nmsumerge.com/?p=3385

What do high levels of dissolved solids in your drinking water mean to you? (Photo by Erica Tinsley)

Story by Erica Tinsley

Recently, a friend of mine purchased a new brand water purifier. This water purification kit came with a small handheld tester called a TDS Meter. This meter tests all the total dissolved solids in a certain amount of water.

When using this device you will read the numbers in parts per million, ppm, which Bill Boyle, lab director at the Soil, Water and Agricultural testing Lab at New Mexico State University, said is just one of the basic units for water testing.

Why are numbers so high?

Out of curiosity my friend decided to test a few of the different types of drinking water we have available in the City of Las Cruces. These ranged from purified, tap and bottled water. The numbers in bottled water ranged from 13 ppm to 30 ppm, the numbers in the purified water ranged from 0 ppm to 20 ppm (depending on the type of purifier) and the tap water ranged from 200 ppm to 500 ppm.

So, what does having high numbers of dissolved solids in your drinking water mean?

Boyle said that the total dissolved solids this meter detects are common salts and minerals found in an area like Dona Ana County.

Water is a crucial commodity in life; from household activities to being the number source for living. (Photo by Erica Tinsley)

“Those are the different chemicals that dissolve into the waters; they are in all waters,” Boyle explained. He also said  tap water can be considered healthier than bottled or purified water because it still has these minerals the body needs and is rigorously tested for harmful materials.

The lab director also said  tap water is safe, and the only reason to worry about the cleanliness of your tap water is if the numbers of total dissolved solids range in the mid-to-high thousands ppm.

My friend drinks purified water because he believes it tastes better, and he thought it was healthier.

I began to wonder what types of water are consumed more commonly in Las Cruces and conducted a short survey of students on campus and found that out of the students I questioned most drank tap water for its convenience.

The one student who did drink purified water said she thought it was healthier, but after she heard Boyle’s information,  she said she would continue to drink the purified water because she liked the taste better. Two male students at NMSU who drank tap water said they drank tap water because it had easy access and was free, for the most part.

“As far as I’m concerned, bottled water (companies) get their water from the tap anyways,” John Cormier, student and water consumer, said.  One student said it didn’t matter to him either way.

“I don’t really care what’s in the water, as long as I don’t get sick,” Bob Hill, NMSU student, said.

But the bottom line is that Las Crucens’ tap water is perfectly safe. So drink up!

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The spring rodeo hosted a full house of community members and visitors. (Photo by Simone Del Rosario)

The New Mexico State University Rodeo Team finishes the year first in the Grand Canyon Region after a second place finish at the Las Cruces spring rodeo.

Both the men and women’s team ended up on top in the region. The men’s team is currently sitting 14th in the nation, and the women’s team is fifth.

“We are happy to be sending 10 people to the College National Finals Rodeo,” Megan Albretch, the assistant rodeo coach, said.

Johnny Salvo won the Men’s All-around at the spring rodeo by getting second in the tie-down roping and second in the team roping. He finished the year first in the region in the tie-down roping and third in the team roping with his partner, Rodee Walraven. JoDan Mirabal, who won the tie-down roping at the spring rodeo, finished third in the region behind Salvo and Bo Simpson.

NMSU rodeo coach Jim Dewey Brown and region student director Staci Stanbrough watch the rodeo. (Photo by Simone Del Rosario)

Staci Stanbrough, Grand Canyon region student director, won second in goat tying and fourth in the breakaway roping at the spring rodeo. Overall, she finished the year second in the Women’s All-around, second in the breakaway roping and fourth in the goat tying.

Contestants who win first or second in the all-around race qualify for at least two events at the CNFR automatically. Otherwise, athletes must place first, second or third in an event in the region to qualify. Although Stanbrough ended up fourth in the goat tying, she will still go to the CNFR in two events.

“I automatically qualified to go to the CNFR in breakaway roping, not just because I finished second, but because, as the region’s student director, I get to go in at least one event,” Stanbrough said. “Winning the all-around gave me the opportunity to qualify in the goat tying as well.”

Other regional champions, along with Salvo, were Steven Hacker in the saddle bronc riding and Jessica Silva in the breakaway roping.

"Radical Ryan Rodriguez" and his son perform a clown act for the crowd. (Photo by Simone Del Rosario)

The CNFR, which is considered the “Rose Bowl” of college rodeo, is being held in Casper, Wyo., June 12-19. Individual event champions will be crowned in nine events, as well as national team championships to both men’s and women’s teams. More than 400 cowboys and cowgirls from over 100 universities and colleges compete in Casper each year. Ten of those cowboys and cowgirls will be representing NMSU, with hopes of bringing home individual and team championships.

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