Jan 20, 2015

The Independent Student Newspaper of NMSU since 1907 • Tuesday, 1.20.2015 • Volume 116 • Issue 16

nmsuRoundUp.com

"We'll buy a keg of booze and we'll drink to the Aggies 'til we wobble in our shoes," might sum up the college experience at New Mexico State Universtiy based on a recent substance abuse report.

Rehabs.com’s 2014 “Drugs on Campus” report finds NMSU – Doña Ana ranks 12th out of 7,000 postsecondary education institutions with 5,000 or more enrolled students for on-campus drug arrests, and 24th for oncampus alcohol-related arrests.

Rehabs.com is a website used to find rehabilitation centers throughout the U.S. to aid in the treatment of alcohol and drug abuse, as well as behavioral disorders.

At the end of 2013, the website released its first “Drugs on Campus” report, from data on alcohol and drug arrests on-campus between 2009 and 2011.

This information is sent annually to the United States Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education and, after refining, is released to the public a year later.

In the 2013 report, which came from 2011’s data, NMSU – Doña Ana came in at 42nd in drug arrests, and also 35th in alcoholrelated on-campus arrests. The report comes from 2012’s data.

“The Advance-Titan,” the student newspaper at the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh, fifth for on-campus drug arrests and first for on-campus alcohol arrests in the 2013 report, published an article in February 2014 regarding UWO’s standing in the first report. “(University Police Chief Joseph) LeMire said a problem with the statistics used in (rehabs.com)’s report is the data about UWO includes more than just students,” the article says.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

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LETTER THE ROUND UP

Tuesday, 1.20.2015

Volume 116 | Issue 16| Jan. 20, 2015

Administration Executive Director Dustin Chavez

Comptroller

Jessica Chenoweth

Administrative Assistants Tatiana Miyazaki William Peck Maylynn Padilla

Editorial Managing Editor Anthony Albidrez

Online Editor

Christopher Allan

News Editor

On behalf of all of us in Student Affairs and Enrollment Management (SAEM), welcome to the spring 2015 semester! We are here to support you through every stage of your academic journey. Our services help you get to NMSU, make progress toward your academic and personal goals, and plan for your life ahead.

You likely first met us when you visited with a recruiter about our great University.

You applied to NMSU, perhaps talked with a financial aid advisor, and attended an orientation program. You will continue to interact with staff in our area when you visit Campus Tutoring, the Campus Health Center, the Registrar’s office, the Sexual and Gender Diversity Resource Center, the Activity Center, or the Counseling Center, just to name a few. If you are part of a campus organization, ASNMSU, or have attended events celebrating diversity, you have probably met members of our staff. And when you run your final degree audit, check in for your Commencement ceremony, and look for your first job as a college graduate, we are there to serve you again.

Two students who work in my office shared with me what they tell students about how to make the most of their time in college. Tarran Trotter, a Senior Graphic Design major from Animas, New Mexico, is in her last semester and has worked with SAEM since 2012.

Carla Villareal is a sophomore Education major from Albuquerque who has worked for SAEM for about a year.

Tarran shares with students the importance of being your own advocate. She says, “Staff in SAEM can help you address any concerns you have, but in your time at NMSU, you should learn to be your own advocate.” All students have increasing responsibility as they progress toward a degree, and she advises students to “Learn as much as possible about things like your degree plan, financial aid, and work opportunities so you represent your own interests. People in SAEM will help you, but it is ultimately your responsibility.”

As a sophomore, Carla often hears from students who are looking for ways to get involved — to meet other students or to engage with campus life. Carla also works as a Residence Hall Association Executive for Rhodes-Garrett-Hamiel Hall. She uses both of these to connect to others. “Getting involved sounds like a cliché,” but she points out that there are so many opportunities to meet people through a job, Greek Life, campus activities, sports, faith group, and your residence hall. “Be open to learning from others,” Carla advises.

Both Tarran and Carla recommend study groups as a good way to connect. “You can share notes with members of your study group if you have to miss a class,” Tarran says.

Carla’s advice is to create a study group of people who are as serious about their studies as you are about yours, so you are more likely to agree on how much time to spend on a class.

You have all come to NMSU to earn a degree, and that should be your top focus. But, as Tarran and Carla advise, take the time while you are here to learn about yourself and from others. I thank the Round Up for creating space for NMSU’s administration to engage with students, and for inviting me to contribute in this edition.

Again, on behalf of all of us in SAEM, welcome. It is our pleasure to serve you!

Dr. Bernadette Montoya Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management

Dawn Franco Copy Editor Sports Editor Allison McCollister Cedric Wilson

Staff Writers Billy Huntsman Brynn Herndon Merrit Peterson Isaac Morales

Julian Martinez Jesse Moya Kelly O'Connor Efrain Hernandez

Design Design Specialist

Heather Nichole Miller

Graphic Designers Valentin Guereque Kimberly Rodriguez

Photographers Olivia Baker

Sales

Advertising Manager Jonathan Johnsen

Advertising Representatives Director of Marketing Sonia Diaz

Circulation Specialist

Submission Policy The Round Up welcomes submissions for publication. Submissions can be dropped off, faxed or emailed.

Submissions become property of The Round Up and will not be returned.

The Round Up reserves the right to edit articles and cannot guarantee publication.

Advertising Policy The Round Up welcomes paid advertisements for legal products and services. The Round Up does not accept ads deemed discriminatory by the editor. Any advertisement that might be confused with editorial content must be clearly labeled (paid advertisement.) Positions of ads cannot be guaranteed. The Round Up reserves the right to refuse publication of any advertisement.

About Us: The Round Up is published during the academic year by the students for the university community. Corrections of the print edition will be made of www.nmsuroundup.com. Editorial content of the newspaper is independent of advertising content. Opinions expressed in The Round Up are not necessarily those of the staff, New Mexico State University or the Associated Students of NMSU. Box 3004, Dept. CC New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003 Phone 575-646-6397 Fax 575-646-5557

GENERAL NEWS

| page 3 | THE ROUND UP

Tuesday, 1.20.2015

What You Missed

While You Were Catching Some Z’s

Due to Associated Students of New Mexico State University’s support in bonds, the Center for the Arts located within the university was renamed the ASNMSU Center for the Arts. —N.M., Dec. 12, 2014

photo by Olivia Baker

President Obama, Raul Castro and Pope Francis agreed to restore diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba for the first time since 1961.

The agreement called for the release of more than 50 U.S. prisoners from Cuban custody and the release of three Cuban spies from 1998.

The agreement is currently undertaking ways to restore trade, travel, and banking—Washington, Dec. 17, 2014

By Dawn Franco Staff Writer

New Mexico State University Board of Regents changed the name of the Human Performance, Recreation and Dance Department to Kinesiology and Dance Department, which is believed to impact students and faculty in securing jobs.

Department head Bob Wood stated kinesiology is a more accurate name for degree programs within the department.

The research that occurs within the department is beginning to receive national and international recognition.

—N.M. Dec. 15, 2014

“The Interview,” directed by Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg was released grossing $1 million opening day.

There was much controversy due to scenes including North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

The leaked script caused a major hack in the databases of Sony, including shutdowns with all Sony partners, data and corporate information leaks all believed to be the work of the North Korea regime along with several threats.

A censored version hit the theaters. At least one scene involving the dictator in a gay orgy was removed and a removal of North Korean military emblems from soldier uniforms in the film. —U.S. Dec. 25, 2014

photo courtesy of foodista.com

photo courtesy of dailyvatican.com

In honor of the states cherished crop and the New Year the city created an event for the public downtown, where a giant LED chile was descended from a crane much like the ball in New York.

The city utilized an online voting campaign where citizens could vote whether the chile would drop red or green on the New Year.

To no surprise the chile landed green on the New Year. Local musicians, wineries, and vendors entertained and served guest for the event. —Las Cruces Dec. 31, 2014

Stephen Colbert aired his last report after more than 1,400 episodes complete with celebrity appearances and his classic satire performances.

–N.Y., Dec. 18, 2014

photo courtesy of filmmagazinedigital.com

For many years the minimum wage in Las Cruces was $7.50, but due to a series of city ordinances passed last year the city will see a steady increase until the minimum wage will be $10.10 in 2019.

For the New Year there was a slight increase to $8.40, $3.36 for tipped workers, and for 2017 minimum wage is expected to rise to $9.20.

Exemptions from the new ordinance however include employees in non-profit organizations, any persons who hold employment in administrative, executive and professional positions such as forepersons, supervisors and superintendents, registered apprentices, students enrolled in secondary or primary school who work after school and vacation hours, persons 18 years of age or younger who are not in primary, secondary, vocational or trade schools, persons 18 years of age or younger who are not graduates of secondary schools and G.I. bill trainees. –Las Cruces, Jan. 1

photo by Olivia Baker

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CAMPUS NEWS THE ROUND UP

Tuesday, 1.20.2015

NMSU graduate offers

FREE EBOOK TO STUDENTS

By Brynn Herndon Staff Writer

With all of the books students have to buy each semester it’s nice to get something for free.

Because of his fondness for his alma mater, author Patrick F. Rooney is making his book available to students as a free eBook download until March 31, 2015. “The Acheron Deception” (published by Savoir Press Aug. 28, 2014) is an espionage thriller that recounts the exploits of an

intrepid software developer who teams with a female CIA agent to track down terrorists manipulating the stock market.

“I went to NMSU and thought people would be interested in reading a book from a graduate.

Writing added great value to my education at New Mexico State, and I wanted to give back in some way,” said Rooney.

Rooney grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico and lived in Texas and Northern Virginia before moving to his current home in Colorado. He graduated from New Mexico State University with a degree in music composition in 1978 and then

earned masters degrees in electrical/computer engineering and business administration.

Rooney’s career as a software architect developing defense, Internet, business and data mining solutions gives him special insight into the world of high tech intrigue. His second novel, “The Angel of Innisfree,” is scheduled for release in May 2015.

Despite not having a background specifically in writing, Rooney has tips for aspiring writers such as reading as much as possible, including books about the writing process such as Stephen King’s “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.”

“The main tip is to just write a lot, as much as you can. The

more you do something, the better you get at it,” said Rooney.

The free copies of Rooney’s novel are available on the site Smashwords, which he also recommends as a publishing tool for independent authors, citing their handling of distribution and funds making it easier on beginning publishers.

To obtain a copy of “The Acheron Deception” go to the Smashwords website and search for the title (the adult filter would have to be disabled), select the "buy" option. At checkout, enter MB96R as the "discount coupon code," select the preferred format, download the eBook and enjoy.

2801 Missouri Ave Suite 24 Las Cruces, New Mexico 88011 Phone: (575) 522-0155 www.facebook.com/thefixxsalon NMSU students receive a 15% discount

GENERAL NEWS

| page 5 | THE ROUND UP

Tuesday, 1.20.2015

N.M. Legislator Invigorates Marijuana Discussion

By Isaac Morales Staff Writer We all know “That 70s Show’s” (in)famous “circle” where they go around, always to the left for whatever reason.

Unfortunately, that is what comes to mind for most when they imagine discussion on recreational marijuana legalization, a bunch of young people saying the word “dude” way too many times per sentence: stereotypical stoner culture.

However, as a public policy issue it demands serious discussion especially given the recent burst of states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use. In this next legislative session New Mexico Representative Bill McCamley from District 33 will be introducing a bill to spur that discussion.

What some opponents and those uninterested in the issue often say is that they don’t consume

the drug and that they don’t want to condone and/or promote its use. However, that is assuming that its use has a negative societal impact and that its prohibition has a benefit.

Representative McCamley said New Mexico spends “30 million dollars a year…in enforcing marijuana laws” when it could be using that money to enforce other more serious crimes such as theft, assault, murder and rape.

McCamley said Colorado has brought in over $50 million in tax revenue as of August and that revenue could be used to fill in funding gaps such as higher education.

McCamley said, it is more of a generational issue than it is a partisan one, and youth involvement is important in moving this issue forward.

New Mexico State University kinesiology student, Marisa Salazar, is the current President of the NMSU chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy and will be

working to promote the issue on campus this spring.

“It may not pass this year but getting students involved will help the process be shortened,” Salazar said. She said serious discussion from students will show legislators that young people see it as a serious issue and not some “weed” joke.

Salazar continued, “SSDP will be working to put together speaker events this semester covering a wide range of fields involved with recreational marijuana legalization.”

These speaker events will bring experts from the medical field, agriculture, economics and other areas to discuss how recreational marijuana legalization affects them all. The SSDP wants to express this isn’t just an issue the stereotypical marijuana user is interested in but rather something which would

Letter from the Editor In “On the Road,” intimately and adventurously written by Jack Kerouac, words are printed that speak true to this time in your life: “There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so jus…

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potentially benefit many sectors.

Salazar stated, however, the bill introduced by McCamley will have a hard time in the legislature given the political climate but the discussion is still worth having.

McCamley said, “We need to begin the discussion now so when it comes time for it to pass, that we aren’t starting from scratch.”

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SPORTS THE ROUND UP

Tuesday, 1.20.2015

Men’s basketball team in ‘15, team to play Grand Canyon University

By Julian Martinez Staff Writer If you haven’t been paying attention to the men’s basketball team over New Mexico State’s recent winter break then there are a few things that are important to catch up on.

When most students left for their winter break on Dec. 12 the team to that point was under .500 (4-5). The turnaround didn’t happen immediately for the team as right out the gate they would drop three straight contests including their second loss to their in-state rival, the University of New Mexico Lobos.

However, the team would rebound from that run of lackluster performances with a win over Northern New Mexico and then, despite the end result being a loss, the team would have a gritty overtime contest on their home court against ranked opponent Colorado State that was decided by a point.

The Aggies closed out 2014 with a win against Texas Southern, a win that was historic because it gave Head Coach Marvin Menzies his 158th career win. The win put him third All-time in the programs wins list for head coaches.

They would start off the New Year right where they left off with wins against both UC Irvine and New Mexico Highlands University.

This would serve as a springboard into conference play.

The Aggies handled the first of their Western Athletic Conference foes with au-

Remi Barry (#3) drives through the lane against Kansas City.

Photo by Anthony Albidrez

thority. The University of Missouri – Kansas City came into town and was quickly disposed of with a 63-45 win by the Aggies.

“We know the importance of conference play and it showed,” said Menzies commenting on the win.

In the last week, the Aggies went on a road trip to face California State University – Bakersfield and Seattle University.

They were able to walk away with a split for the week as they rolled over Bakersfield with a 16 point win but were unable to extend their five game win streak as Seattle capitalized on late turnovers to beat the Aggies.

“They just beat us,” said NM State coach Marvin Menzies in a press release. “We didn’t have a lot of rhythm, and got out of sync.”

As it stands today the Aggies have an even 10-10 record and are 2-1 in conference play. The team despite its auspicious start can take pride in the position they are in.

It should be noted that the defending and pre-season WAC Player of the Year Daniel Mullings has missed the majority of the season with a broken finger. Mullings was averaging 13.4 points for the team prior to receiving the injury and also led in steals and assist.

New Mexico State University students will have an opportunity to see the team this on Thursday, Jan. 22, the Pan American Center, 7 p.m. against Grand Canyon University and the homestand continues on Saturday, Jan. 24 when Utah Valley drops by.

Pascal Siakam (#43) rebounding leader, pulls down another.

Photo by Anthony Albidrez

Travon Landry (0), the speedy sophomore point guard splits the defense and drives to the rack.

Photo by Anthony Albidrez

Senior Remi Barry (3) ready to throw a dime to Freshmen Center John Wilkins. Photo by Anthony Albidrez

Freshman Matt Taylor (#5) has played a big part in the team’s success, stepping up to fill the void from injured seniors. Photo by Anthony Albidrez

SPORTS

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Tuesday, 1.20.2015

By Cedric Wilson Sports Editor New Mexico State University women’s basketball team got off to a rough start to the 2014-2015 season with a five game losing streak in the fall.

“The goal for this team is to ultimately win the WAC championship, we’re one of the top runners in the league, and I think that if we play to our full potential there won’t be anyone in the league to stop us.” said junior sharp shooter Abby Scott.

However, their luck turned around with a crucial win over I-25 rival New Mexico on Dec. 7. Fast forward to mid January and the Aggies have won 10 of their last 11 games and are currently 3-0 in WAC play, thanks to the outstanding leadership and execution from juniors Shanice Davis and Sasha Weber.

Davis said the reason for the team’s success was all adjustments were made on the defensive end by the coaching staff.

“We put in a new defense that’s 3D [1-2-2 Zone], and we also decided to do a press,” Davis said.

Adjustments seem to be the theme with the Aggies this season.

Facing WAC favorite Bakersfield and Seattle last week, NMSU erased double-digit deficits to come away with two huge home wins in the Pan American Center.

Bakersfield made sure to grab an early lead with some hot shooting early.

Senior guard Brooklynn Hinkens led the way for the Roadrunners with 13 points in the first half including shooting three of six from three point range.

The team as a whole was very accurate in the first half with a team field goal percentage of 50 percent (16-32).

The Roadrunners would keep up the assault on the Aggies, at one point grabbing a twenty point lead with a little more than ten remaining in the second half. After that point, the momentum quickly shifted.

The comeback from the Aggies began with the team scoring 13 unanswered points.

Shanice Davis lead the way with a career high 32 points and four steals.

Three Aggies finished with double doubles: Brianna Freeman added 25 points on 10-16 shooting, while grabbing 10 rebounds. Sasha Weber chipped in 14 points and 12 rebounds on top of Moriah Mack finishing with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

On Saturday against Seattle University, Davis, Freeman, Scott, Weber and Mack all scored in the double figures to lead the Aggies to their third conference win.

“You have to give them (Seattle) credit, they played really well,” Aggie head coach Mark Trakh said in a press release. “We didn’t play our best basketball, especially in the first half. But we regrouped in the second half and played pretty well. We didn’t want a letdown after the Bakersfield win.”

Abby Scott (#23) pulls up for a tough jumper. Photo by Olivia Baker

Sasha Weber (#4) drives for a floater.

Photo by Olivia Baker

Shanice Davis (#11) shoots for free throw. Photo by Olivia Baker

FEATURE THE ROUND UP

Mumblin’,

CONTINUED FROM COVER PAGE

By Billy Huntsman Staff Writer LeMire said 25 to 35 percent of arrests or citations are non-students, but are still reported to the OPE. “Even though they get included in the numbers that we have to report to the federal government, you don’t differentiate between students and non-students,” the article quotes LeMire as saying. “They all go into the same pile of numbers.”

The 2014 “Drugs on Campus” report, which ranks UWO as 33rd for drug arrests, improved from 2013’s ranking of fifth, a n d ninth

for alcohol-related arrests, improved from 2013’s ranking of first, acknowledges the fact such arrests skew the data but cannot offer any solution. “…this is certainly a point worth considering when judging individual institution’s culpability for their crime figures,” the report states.

One of the focuses in “The AdvanceTitan” article is the credibility of rehabs. com’s reports and research methods.

“The rehabs.com article does not list an author, but ‘Business Insider’ identified the writer as Jon Millward,” the article says. “The writer does not provide credentials, contact information or evidence the study was peer reviewed. In addition, the article is written in the first-person.”

The 2014 report is also written in the first-person and includes no readily available information as to its writer.

Further, NMSU Police Chief Stephen Lopez found “a huge error” in the website’s data analysis. He said the reports refer to “NMSU Doña Ana,” instead of the main Las Cruces campus.

The significance in this, Lopez said, is that, since NMSU police handle both Las Cruces and Doña Ana

campuses, the crime data reported to the OPE is inclusive of both campuses.

“However, most lazy researchers don’t take time to account for the multi-campus nature of some institutions and only use the student enrollment of a single campus,” Lopez said.

Had rehabs.com done its math correctly, Lopez said, and added together the populations of NMSU – Doña Ana and Las Cruces, it would not have listed the school as “NMSU Doña Ana,” but rather as “NMSU.” The Round Up attempted to contact rehabs.com to inquire as to why it was able to differentiate the data from other multi-campus institutions, such as State University of New York, University of Minnesota, Montana State University, Indiana University, University of California and University of Wisconsin but received no response.

“The shared campus nature of (NMSU) means crime statistics for a population of over 23,000 should not be erroneously divided into only 8,000 students,” Lopez said. “This makes a magnitude of error of almost 300 percent.”

He urged readers not to trust the information on websites that try to rank institutions based on crime statistics without first making sure multi-campus institutions are properly accounted for.

Despite these criticisms, some still see significance in the data presented in rehabs.com’s reports.

Tuesday, 1.20.2015

Stumblin’ Aggies: “Setting aside (the report’s) flaws, the report is actually an indication of what college and university campus communities like UW Oshkosh are doing to responsibly confront a problem,” reads a statement released by that university in January 2014 in response to rehabs.com’s 2013 report.

The specific question rehabs.com’s reports intend to investigate is: do more on-campus drug arrests indicate that a college has a bigger problem with drugs, or a better-than-average approach to tackling them?

As part of the Clery Act, which requires colleges and universities throughout the nation to disclose information as to crime on and around campus to the public, in order to receive federal student financial aid, NMSU police released crime statistics for the university from 2010 through June 2014, available for viewing on the Internet by the link “Crime Statistics.XLS – NMSU Police Department.”

In 2012 there were 120 controlled substance violation arrests, the majority of them—62—being marijuana reports or arrests received. The total number increased to 138 in 2013, while for the first half of 2014, 59 arrests were made, the majority of them for marijuana.

The second most-reported violation in the controlled substances category is ‘other,’ which NMSU police did not elaborate on; but it accounted for 57 arrests in 2012, 60 in 2013, and 30 for the first half of 2014.

The 2013 “Drugs on Campus” report proposed that a college’s position within a state with a substance abuse problem was a significant factor in whether that college would have a substance abuse problem.

For New Mexico, it found that 22-25 percent of persons aged 18 to 25 used drugs within a month of being polled, while the state ranked somewhere in the 21st to 30th out of 50 group for drug arrests on all of the state’s college campuses.

Rehabs.com’s reports also found that, while on-campus alcohol arrests were prevalent throughout the state, New Mexico actually ranked fairly low in binge drinking in persons aged 18 to 25 within a month of being polled—about 36 percent. Certainly NMSU Police statistics show a gradual decline in alcohol violation arrests—134 in 2010, 127 in 2011, 92 in 2012, 113 in 2013, and 18 for the first half of 2014.

So does NMSU have a bigger substance abuse problem than other universities, or a better-than-average approach to tackling abuse?

In the same “Advance-Titan” article, Chief LeMire is paraphrased as saying UWO does not have more of a substance abuse problem than other universities.

In UWO’s statement, university officials said they have a three-pronged approach to drugs and alcohol: education, counseling and enforcement.

The 2013 “Drugs on Campus” report, the statement says, which ranked UWO

as first for alcohol-related arrests and fifth for drug arrests, focused only on enforcement.

“In recent years, we have expanded our Community Safety Officer (CSO) program and collaboration with Community Advisors (CA’s) at residence hall security stations,” the statement says. “Together, with our students, we are training and empowering the extra eyes and ears necessary to promote healthy behaviors and increase campus safety. That is just one responsible partnership at UW - Oshkosh that has resulted in more reporting of drug-and-alcohol-related incidents. We are not surprised that arrests, citations and referrals have increased.”

So why did UWO’s ranking in both drug and alcohol arrests drop so dramatically in the 2014 report? Rehabs.com asks the same question.

“Does this mean that UW Oshkosh in 2012 had half the level of drug activity than in 2011, or that they were half as effective at making arrests?” the 2014 report says. “We presume it’s the former.”

Such drastic variability in just a year makes the argument that UWO has no worse a substance abuse problem than any other university in rehabs.com’s reports; but a better-than-average approach to dealing with abuse.

The Wellness Alcohol and Violence Education (WAVE) program could put NMSU in that same category. According to WAVE, “Even though many students

assume most of their peers drink or party, the reality is that many do not.”

Its website states one-third of students have never taken a drink, 40 percent rarely drink, and 71 percent of those who do drink do not drive while intoxicated. This data was collected from NMSU’s 2013’s CORE Alcohol and Drug Survey.

WAVE’s website also includes links to e-CHUG, an online survey that can be completed in order to receive feedback as to one’s drinking habits; the Drink Wheel, an online calculator to estimate one’s blood-alcohol content; and an overview of Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS), in which one meets with a counselor for two 50-minute sessions to discuss the client’s alcohol consumption, familial history and the negative consequences of drinking.

Other information found on WAVE’s website includes overviews of legal, illegal and prescription drugs, side effects, shortand long-term effects, symptoms of withdrawal and briefings as to New Mexico alcohol laws and university policies.

The big question: Does NMSU’s increase in rankings from 2011 to 2012 indicate higher drug activity, or more arrests?

Rehabs.com's reports can give no definitive answer. Regardless, as UWO’s statement to 2013’s report suggests, all colleges and universities should strive to create cultures of safety, accountability and support because, “It is the right thing to do.”

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Tuesday, 1.20.2015

CULTURE

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Tuesday, 1.20.2015

By Brynn Herndon Staff Writer In September 2014, Las Cruces had its first full-fledged Comic-Con, opening up the entire Las Cruces Convention Center to fanboys and fangirls alike.

However, this convention was not the first event in Las Cruces where members of many fandoms congregated (and many hope it won’t be the last).

Las Cruces Anime Days, a weekend anime convention founded in 2009, has been providing quality entertainment for fans of anime, and also includes fun for fans of video games, movies, television and com-

ics. For five years, the convention has been held in Corbett Center Student Union, providing ample space for panels and dealers.

Unfortunately, as many students noticed before the fall 2014 semester ended, the third floor of Corbett Center (where the convention is usually centered) is under heavy renovation and, according to the New Mexico State University website it will be until Jan. 31.

This has proven to be a spanner in the works for LCAD, which is almost always held the second-to-last weekend of January. On their Facebook page, the organizers of LCAD have announced that, after much deliberation, the show must go on.

“We looked at alternate venues and they were either 1) insufficient for our needs and/or 2) prohibitively expensive for a niche, nonmainstream event like ours,” said the post announcing the event’s first “chibi” con (chibi being a Japanese word that technically means a short person, but has been adopted by the anime community to apply to everything seen as small). NMSU has given the event use of the Corbett Center auditorium, and there will be no entry fee.

Though this year’s convention will be smaller, the interest in it has not wavered, with excitement coming from people who have gone to previous LCAD conventions as well as

first time attendees.

“My experience of LCAD last year was fun and had a lot of interesting things going on,” said Brett AllenGonzalez, a student at NMSU. “My expectations are that this year’s con is going to be just as fun.”

“I'm really not sure what to expect,” said Sarah Gilsdorf, another student. “I've never been to anything like this before, so, I'm just excited and nervous and just not sure, but I'm hoping it'll be fun and exciting.”

The Las Cruces Anime Days 2015 convention will take place in the Corbett Center auditorium on Jan. 24, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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CULTURE THE ROUND UP

Tuesday, 1.20.2015

Read This, Watch That:

By Billy Huntsman Staff Writer I watched “Clue” the day before seeing “Inherent Vice,” and doing so helped me understand and appreciate the latter, although I wouldn’t dare say “Clue” has anywhere near as much artistic value as “Vice.”

What’s important to take away from seeing “Vice,” as with seeing “Clue,” is that sometimes entertainment comes, not from the storyline, but from atmosphere, acting and general feeling.

In theory, “Vice” is about a private investigator (Joaquin Phoenix) looking for his ex-girlfriend (Katherine Waterston), who has gone missing. But this storyline is lost from the audience’s consciousness just about as soon as it was introduced.

“Vice” is a stoner movie; there are no two ways about it. As drinking in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” so are smoking, snorting and inhaling to be found in nearly every scene of “Vice.”

But what separates it from “Dazed and Confused” or “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” is that it’s a thinking stoner’s movie, such as “2001: A Space Odyssey” might be called.

If you were to watch “Vice” enough and really pay attention to every subplot and nuanced facial expression and the tone of each character’s voice, I have no doubt you would discover a very clever and rewarding plot.

The fact that this plot is not readily available upon first viewing does not make the film unpleasant, quite the opposite.

Think of “Vice” as something like what “Fear and Loathing” could have been if it had involved a robust mystery, such as “L.A. Confidential.” However, the relevant difference between “L.A.” and “Vice” is that, unlike the latter, “L.A.’s” convoluted storyline makes it hard to en-

joy upon first viewing.

But “Vice” is set in 1970 in California, a far cry from “L.A.’s” 1950’s. While “L.A.” is set against the backdrop of Mickey Cohen, the Jewish mob, the Italian Mafia, corruption in the highest ranks of the L.A.P.D., “Vice” is set during the time the Grateful Dead was expanding beyond California and getting busted in hotel rooms for drug possession.

As though this weren’t enough to say, “It’s a much more lighthearted setting than ‘50s L.A.,” “Vice” has Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World” playing in the background. A film more concerned with the audience paying attention to its story than its aesthetics would not set that story in 1970’s California.

So the main point of interest in “Vice” is not the story; it’s Josh Brolin eating a frozen chocolate-covered banana while Joaquin Phoenix leers at him through drooping eyelids; it’s snorting cocaine off a mouth mirror; it’s someone’s last name being Blatnoyd.

This is writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s most ambitious film in terms of story, but where his strength as a filmmaker lies is in drawing out great performances amid wholly absorbing atmospheres: Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore and Burt Reynolds in “Boogie Nights”; Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano in “There Will Be Blood”; Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams in “The Master.”

A little more than halfway through the film, Phoenix looks at another character with an expression of utter bewilderment. So rest assured: If, while watching “Vice,” you feel lost, so do the characters.

In the words of Martha from “Virginia Woolf”: “Relax; sink into it; you’re no better than anybody else."

SUBMISSION: Opinion-Editorial

| page 13 | THE ROUND UP

Tuesday, 1.20.2015

Reducing the Percentage of Lottery Revenues Dedicated to Scholarships is a

By Fred Nathan, Executive Director & Kristina Fisher, Associate Director Think New Mexico Responsible parents would never gamble with their child’s college savings account. Yet that is precisely what the New Mexico Lottery is proposing to do with the Lottery Scholarship that serves as the college fund for many deserving New Mexico students from low and middle income families.

The CEO of the New Mexico Lottery has asked the Legislature to reduce or eliminate the requirement that a minimum of 30% of lottery revenues be dedicated to the scholarship fund. This requirement was enacted in 2007, based on a proposal by Think New Mexico.

Prior to that time, there was no minimum percentage that the lottery had to deliver to the scholarship fund. The lottery was required to dedicate at least 50% of revenues to prizes, but once that requirement was met, the lottery paid for its operating costs and sent whatever was left over to the scholarship fund.

As a result, the scholarships re-

BAD GAMBLE

ceived an average of only 23.76% of lottery revenues a year from 19972007, and that percentage was projected to decline in future years.

Because the demand for lottery scholarships rapidly outpaced the growth of lottery revenues, in 2006 there was talk among state policymakers about having to reduce the full-tuition scholarships. Instead, in 2007, the legislature and governor enacted the requirement that at least 30% of lottery revenues be dedicated to the scholarship fund, similar to laws in effect in 11 other states.

In the years since it was enacted, the 30% requirement has resulted in an additional $50.66 million going to lottery scholarships—about $9 million a year over and above what would have been provided had the lottery continued to deliver only 23.76% of revenues.

Unfortunately, despite this track record of success, New Mexico Lottery CEO David Barden has announced that he plans to advocate for legislation to repeal the 30% requirement. The Lottery’s argument is that reallocating some percentage

of revenues away from scholarships and toward prizes will result in an increase in lottery ticket sales, which will increase total revenues by enough that the scholarship fund will receive more dollars even as its percentage of revenues decreases.

(It should be noted that the 30% requirement did not result in a decrease in the percentage of revenues going to prizes. In fact, that percentage actually increased slightly from an average of 54.12% in 1997-2007 to 54.36% in 2008-2013.)

However, if the 30% mandate is removed, the actual dollars going to scholarships will likely decrease, rather than increase. If the percentage of lottery revenues returned to its pre-2008 average of 23.76%, lottery revenues would have to grow from $141.8 million to $183.9 million—an increase of 29%—in order for the dollars delivered to the scholarship fund to equal what they are today.

In other words, lottery revenues would have to grow by nearly onethird before students would see any benefit, and the scholarship fund stands to lose money if revenues fail

to increase by that amount.

The most fundamental problem with the Lottery’s proposal is that the students are being asked to bear all the risk. Lottery vendors, retailers, and the CEO himself are compensated based on the total revenues raised by the lottery, not the dollars being sent to scholarships.

The interests of those running the lottery are thus not aligned with its core mission: maximizing the dollars available for scholarships.

So if this gamble increases total revenues but fails to deliver more money to students, the vendors, retailers, and CEO Barden all still come out ahead. Only the students lose.

If the lottery’s CEO is so certain that increasing the dollars to prizes will result in an enormous increase in revenues, why isn’t he asking vendors and retailers to take the same deal they have proposed to the students? Why isn’t he taking it himself?

We believe that if the lottery wishes to increase the dollars available for prizes, it should do so by lowering its relatively high operat-

ing costs. New Mexico’s operating costs are currently 8.6%, more than twice as high as some lotteries in other states. Our neighboring state of Oklahoma successfully reduced its operating costs to less than 2.5% of revenues and used that money to increase prizes.

The New Mexico Lottery’s statutory mandate is to “provide the maximum amount of revenues” for scholarships at the state’s public colleges and universities. Retaining the requirement that a minimum of 30% of lottery revenues be dedicated to college scholarships is essential to ensuring that Lottery stays true to its purpose. That is why student governments at the University of New Mexico, New Mexico Tech, Highlands University, and San Juan College have all approved resolutions opposing any legislation that would repeal the 30% requirement.

We encourage you to visit www. thinknewmexico.org to learn more and contact your legislators and the governor to ask them to stop the Lottery from gambling with the college fund of New Mexico’s students.

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CULTURE THE ROUND UP

Tuesday, 1.20.2015

GOES ROGUE

By Isaac Morales Staff Writer

Local music gains momentum

By Jesse Moya Staff Writer Local music had an excellent weekend for the month of January as two independent concert venues brought in touring acts to play shows for eager audiences.

In Las Cruces, sometimes local music can be hard to find or limited to bars or festivals, however two venues in town have been supplying musicians a place to share their music and play shows. HapHazard Hall and the Trainyard have been operating to bring touring bands and locals together to form a music scene in Las Cruces.

Near the train tracks downtown sits HapHazard Hall, the home base of Local Crap Records, a Las Cruces based punk record label which works to find local bands and give them an opportunity to play and build their experience in the music scene.

“Hopefully it gives them drive,” said Melissa Carrillo, a member and head of Local Crap Records.

“By starting at HapHazard, it makes bands want to push the envelope to get better” she said.

HapHazard brings shows to audiences four to five times a month and has done so for a year. Veterans of the Las Cruces music scene, The Trainyard, have been providing a do-it-yourself music space for nearly six years. Bands circulate through and will make a point to add a show date in Las Cruces for the loyal crowd and wonderful support of fans at the Trainyard. Yet after nearly six years, the Trainyard may be facing it’s final month of providing touring and local bands a place to play.

Due to issues regarding the lease agreement of the building, the Trainyard is facing a shut down from the owner of the property that is predicted to take effect by the end of January.

“It is my understanding that the landlord thinks we’re making a ton of money here and just wants to shut us down” said Julian Medina.

Medina’s band, Skinbags, both practices and plays shows at the venue.

Skinbags rocked the Trainyard after local band Back of a Car finished their set at the previous show. Bands such as these have a welcome place to play and practice with the Trainyard being open for operations, without the space, these bands have one less place in Las Cruces to share their music with their friends and fans.

“Our venue exists because we wanted a place where we could go to be ourselves and hang out with people that share the same interests,” said Carrillo.

Las Cruces holds a small, yet communal music scene where all of the musicians know of each other and frequent the shows at both venues. Local music is highly important to those in the scene in order for them to have an outlet for their creativity as well as to give people something to do or look forward to in Las Cruces.

As for the future of the Trainyard, one last show is in the planning stages for the local bands that have played there and helped build the venue. The date is not yet set, but it will be towards the last days of January.

Local artists perform at the Trainyard.

Photo by Olivia Baker

“The Interview,” a film brought to us by those behind such art house pieces such as “This is the End,” “Pineapple Express,” “Spring Breakers” and “Your Highness” became the topic of world news far beyond expected over the holiday season.

The film was pushed into being censored when a hacker group threatened Sony Pictures with attacks on theaters if it were released. This move by Sony Pictures created an uproar in the artistic community and also brought up the issue of free speech.

While many celebrities bravely took to Twitter to express their thoughts, it seemed only to have been regarding the censorship of the movie not what the film showed about North Korea. However, with George R.R. Martin leading the charge, the film did eventually see the light of day and became rather successful.

Martin, a proud New Mexican, decided to show the film in his theater in Santa Fe at which there were some Las Cruces locals attending. State Representative Bill McCamley was one such person.

McCamley was born in South Korea when his father was in the army. The issue is important to him.

McCamley said, “Guys like him [his father] go to places like Korea so people like Kim Jong Un can’t affect people who value basic human rights with their dictatorial policies.”

While it was certainly a problematic film, it did illustrate much of the problems going on in North Korea.

McCamley said, “Standing up for the small things now means you don’t have to stand up for the big things later.”

Meaning that it was worth causing such a fuss over if it at least put the issue of North Korea in the minds of people who otherwise wouldn’t have known about it at all.

New Mexico State University Creative Media Graduate Tyler Robinson said, “After watching it, I looked into the production and through that found out more about what is happening in North Korea.”

Robinson also said while the film was funny in some parts, it did make light of much that should be taken seriously. “It had a message and although that message wasn’t presented all too well, it was there and made the movie more than just looking for laughs.”

While the film may have received more attention than warranted, more now know about Kim Jong Un and the kind of regime the North Korean people live under.

photo courtesy of imdb.com

GENERAL NEWS

| page 15 | THE ROUND UP

Tuesday, 1.20.2015

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