Tru newspaper 10 feb 2015

nmsuRoundUp.com

The Independent Student Newspaper of NMSU since 1907 • Tuesday, 2.10.2015 • Volume 116 • Issue 19

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FILM Director Charlie Minn returns to the scene of the crime at 10 Pin Alley.

Photo by Luis Miranda Jr.

By Billy Huntsman Staff Writer

S

hortly after 8 a.m. on Feb. 10, 1990, two men, variably described as black, Hispanic or Arab, entered the Las Cruces Bowl, now 10 Pin Alley, at 1201 E. Amador Ave. They ordered the bowling alley’s 43-year-old manager, Stephanie Senac, and her 12-year-old daughter, Melissia Repass, her friend, 13-year-old Amy Houser, and the bowling alley’s cook, 33-year-old Ida Holguin, into the manager’s office.

There, held at gunpoint, the bowling alley’s mechanic, 26-year-old Steven Teran, came into the office intending to leave his daughters, six-year-old Paula Holguin (unrelated to Ida) and two-year-old Valerie, with Senac’s daughter and her friend

for daycare.

The gunmen put Teran and his daughters on the floor, then shot each individual in the backs of their heads, except Valerie, who was shot pointblank in the forehead.

The men took an estimated $5,000 from the bowling alley’s safe, set a fire on Senac’s desk and escaped on foot.

Senac’s daughter, the only one conscious and with a bullet in her head, was able to call 911.

Senac, Repass and Ida Holguin survived, to give descriptions of the killers; Steven, Paula and Amy were pronounced

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

CAMPUS

NEWS

SPORTS

ONLINE

OVERLAND

Healthcare

MAKING HISTORY

INDEPENDENT FILM MAKER

ENROLLMENT DEADLINE

HAPPENING IN SPORTS

PAGE 11

PAGE 7

PAGE 6

Soul Verse Open Mics and SPOKEN WORD

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LETTER

THE ROUND UP

Tuesday, 2.10.2015

LETTER FROM

THE EDITOR Student Health Center Supports

American Heart Month

By Brynn Herndon, Staff Writer For many Americans, the month of February and the heart just go together.

It’s probably for this reason that the second month of the year is also American Heart Month.

Because February also stirs the idea of love, the New Mexico State University student health center is giving students the opportunity to show themselves a bit of love by making sure their hearts are healthy.

According the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s health advisory, students shouldn’t wait until adulthood to think about heart disease because unhealthy habits students develop in college are likely to continue long after they graduate.

The student health center has offered $20 lipid testing (a test that, according to Mayo Clinic, is mostly used for cholesterol) for the first two weeks of February by appointment, though the discounted price will be available to all students throughout the month as long as they have the test ordered by a medical provider.

Ruben Nanez, lab manager at the health center, stresses the benefits of heart testing.

“Testing students can aid in the detection of illnesses that are not showing symptoms yet,” Nanez said. “Students can screen for diabetes, liver and kidney problems and get a good baseline for

their cholesterol and triglycerides.” Triglycerides are a type of fat found in blood formed from calories the body doesn’t absorb.

Nanez says lipid testing can also detect liver damage due to congenital conditions or conditions brought on by abuse to the organs from outside substances such as medications, alcohol and supplements.

Liver damage is certainly something college students should worry about, depending on how heavily and how often they drink. For health conscious students, Nanez also warns that some health food supplements have ingredients that can harm the liver, and some herbal remedies such as Kombucha tea are actually toxic to it, according to the National Institute of Health.

Students and faculty wanting to be tested for possible medical conditions, though, will have to prepare themselves properly for it.

“Students and staff need to be fasting for about 12 hours and come in and get their blood drawn,” said Nanez. This means no food or drink except water.

The tests are not only available to students and faculty doing pre-screening for potential diseases.

“Other individuals, who have already established that they have a medical condition, can monitor their progress in lowering cholesterol or liver enzymes,” said Nanez.

The student health center can be found next to Zuhl library and a cross from Breland Hall.

Post-secondary education represents a sense of security and intellectualism, but there is a giant BUT to that independent clause. Students today hurdle over social, economic, political and cultural barriers frequently, if not on a daily basis.

Everything at this university and at businesses around town seem to direct an arrow towards “For the Student,” “Free for Students,” “10 percent off with student ID.” How about 50 percent off of tuition or textbooks with student ID! Now let’s talk about competitiveness. We are thrown into competitive individualism in spite of the “American Dream,” before we even reach college.

However, the ability to compete is synonymous to a student’s ability to satisfy the hungry bellies of tuition, fees and textbooks. The average cost of the necessary “accessories” a student is going to need is not a fun number. It is a number that represents a struggle, a struggle that plagues 69 percent of graduating seniors after they are flung into post-grad, a post-apocalyptic reality.

We all know about the financial aid department.

Maybe it should be renamed “Be Rich or Take Out A Loan to Get an Education Department.” Currently, there is a discussion about what we can all do about student retention, that retention is cheaper than getting a new student. Here’s an idea: involve students. It seems as if administration and the like take cover behind closed door meetings and ignore the opinion of the people it is affecting: the students.

Since there is about 16,000 to 17,000 of us here at NMSU, we are just a little number inside this number.

Growing admission requirements and rise in tuition, the low pay of student employment, and the limitation of it, may suggest that we change the name of NMSU completely. Maybe we should name this institution, “New Mexico Harvard University.”

Simply put it, this is not Harvard. This is NMSU. And although, it is accessible to many, and I am fortunate enough to attend this lovely school, the raise in admission requirements and tuition makes me think: is NMSU accessible to everyone?

Volume 116 | Issue 19 | Feb. 10, 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

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 Efrainn Hernandez Christophe Chino

Design Design Specialist

Heather Nichole Miller

Graphic Designers Valentin Guereque Kimberly Rodriguez Heriberto Bajo

Photographers Olivia Baker

Sales Advertising Manager Jonathan Johnsen

Advertising Representatives Director of Marketing Sonia Diaz

Circulation Specialist Carlos Garcia

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

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Tuesday, 2.10.2015

NMSU Peace Corps Supports Global Efforts

By Kelly O'Connor Staff Writer The Peace Corps Organization here at New Mexico State University, formerly known as Returned Peace Corps is one of community.

The hope of an organization like this is to join together those who are interested in a life of helping others.

“We want to promote Peace Corps, I don’t think people are aware of what it is. I think it’s also nice for students to be around other people who are like minded and enjoy doing volunteer work,” Lyndsey Brandtley, secretary of the organization, said.

Peace Corps, pronounced ‘Peace Core’, is an international service organization of the United States. This organization sends Americans abroad to help countries in need of help. According to the Peace Corps website, their mission is to help the people of interested countries in meeting

By Kelly O'Connor Staff Writer Even though this syndrome may sound like more of a myth, it is considered to be life threatening if not treated. According to the John Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute website, ‘broken heart syndrome’ is a real health threat to those affected. The medical term is known as ‘stress cardiomyopathy’. This condition occurs when extreme stress begins to weaken the heart muscle.

Some of the symptoms of broken heart syndrome mirror symptoms of patients suffering a heart attack. Those symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, congestive heart failure, and low blood pressure. In the case of cardio myopathy, symptoms will normally begin very shortly after a stressful situation has occurred.

In an article titled ‘You could die of a broken heart, doctors say’ done by Steven Johnson of

their need for trained men and women; help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served and to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

The idea of the Peace Corps came about in October 14, 1960 after a speech made by John F. Kennedy at the University of Michigan. He challenged students there to dedicate two years of their lives to help those in need in developing countries. Very shortly after Kennedy’s inauguration, he signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps, March 1, 1961.

With over 139 countries served,

the Peace Corps has continued to be a roaring success. The founders of the student organization here at NMSU hope to bring awareness to that success and encourage students to begin the application process. The majority of the members of the organization are returned Peace Corps volunteers.

“It’s an opportunity to connect with other Peace Corps volunteers and also for those who haven’t applied yet, get good advice on the process,” Elizabeth Bennett, treasurer of the organization, said.

Having a group like this also supports the students who are already serving in other countries.

Currently, two master’s international program students are servin

ing overseas. One student is currently serving in the Asian country Nepal. Another student is currently serving in the African country Cameroon.

Some of the funding the organization here on campus does goes towards supporting these students.

The members say that it’s nice to have someone back in your home country supporting you. Joining the Peace Corps is not easy work and it is not for everyone. Once you have been invited into the program, you have three months of training and two years serving in the actual country. Typically, you are living just like the citizens of that country.

“We put together care packages

the Chicago Tribune, cardiologist Dr. Phan is quoted explaining how they figure out someone is suffering from this.

"A lot of these patients would come in with chest pains and difficulty breathing into the emergency room. We found out that

occur due to the unexpected loss of a loved one or a major medical diagnosis. Also, domestic abuse, job loss or even a surprise party can trigger broken heart syndrome.

Mayo Clinic Staff

in the health column of the ABC News’ website, he also says this.

“The good news is that unlike a heart attack,

they actually were not having a heart attack, but their hearts were weak for some reason. We found out that it was related to a very emotional experience that they were having that immediately preceded the episode" said Dr. Binh An P. Phan, a cardiologist at Loyola University Health System.

The stressful situations attributed with this heart condition could be a range of stressful life events.

How a person handles stress is entirely up to their ability of coping. According to the Mayo Clinic Staff, broken heart syndrome can

also mentions that certain drugs may cause broken heart syndrome, due to the increase in stress hormones.

These drugs would be Epinephrine or more commonly known as ‘EpiPen’. Another drug would be Duloxetine also known as Cymbalta and others.

When talking about stress and the heart, dying from a broken heart is quite possible. Though broken heart syndrome is very rare and the risk is minimal. According to ABC News’ chief health and medical director, it’s almost always exclusive seen in postmenopausal women. In an article titled ‘Yes, you can die from a broken heart’

broken heart syndrome is rarely fatal and most people make a full recovery. What can you do to prevent it? You could stay at home, avoiding anything that might cause sudden excitement.

Y o u could guard yourself from situations that might one day lead to emotional pain, like being in love.

But what a dull life that would be,” Dr. Richard Besser, ABC News’ chief health and medical director, said.

that have chocolate and writing supplies like notepads and pens.

We also volunteer to help them fund any projects they are working on in the country their serving in,” Alexandra Maus, president of the organization, said.

To learn more about the Peace Corps organization visit the website peacecorps.gov. There you can look into beginning your own application process. Also the website offers the opportunity to donate to the projects going on in the volunteers serving countries.

The Peace Corps organization here on campus also meets once a month to discuss how to better promote the organization and help students interested in joining.

From March 1st-7th they will also be having Peace Corps week on campus to hand out information and answer any questions you may have.

is

If you or someone you know struggling

through a stressful situation, even those described in the article, please seek help. On campus, there is a counseling center, free to all full-time students.

There you can seek individual, group and couples counseling.

This center is located in Garcia Annex, Room 100. Also, for assistance any time day or night, there is a crisis assistance listening line (575) 646-CALL

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CAMPUS NEWS

THE ROUND UP

Tuesday, 2.10.2015

Printing-Graphic Design-Office Furniture & Supplies

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By Merrit Peterson Staff Writer The official start of Jett Hall renovation was on Nov. 4, 2014 and is anticipated to be completed in the 2017 spring semester.

Though the project is just beginning with the ablation of asbestos, faculty members began securing the more than two years ago. Once the high priority renovations approved several years ago, the chemical engineering department began planning the renovation.

Engineering Department Head David A. Rockstraw is already three years into the project and is working closely with Albuquerque architect company Van H. Gilbert and San Diego based company Research Facilities Design to perfect the design before the renovation begins.

“I’m excited where things stand right now,” said Rockstraw. “The architect companies are taking my ideas and forming them into my designs right before my eyes,” Because the building was built in the early 1960’s as a civil engineering building, most of the budget is going into improving and replacing the vintage infrastructure of the building to make it better suited for chemical research.

Evidence of this transformation can be seen in one of the labs. A medium sized closet was evacuated, ventilated, the window was blinded and it was made into a functioning chemical research facility.

The interior of the building currently holds a series of very small rooms with a central corridor hallway. The renovation will combine them all into one large wet laboratory with benches for students to do their research on.

The work is going to take approximately three semesters to be completed.

“Realistically, I’ve been here twenty years now and I’ve seen projects add a couple months to the date of completion.

I’m thinking the work will be completed by spring break of 2017,” said Rockstraw. “However, when students return they will have state of the art research facility.”

Official construction is set to begin in October or November. The building’s utilities will be completely cut off and it will be completely inaccessible to the public.

Currently, faculty members are looking for spaces to move their research and classes to during this time, and have found a few places in the chemistry, physics and civil engineering department.

There is hope to use parts of the new Domenici Center on campus as well.

Rockstraw is optimistic about the project. “I’ve been dying for something like this to happen, and I know the gentlemen that hired me 20 years ago was as well," he said. “So I’m excite for it to finally be happening.”

Drawings of the renovation can be seen online at chme.nmsu.edu.

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Tuesday, 2.10.2015

DEADLINE FOR

OBAMACARE FEB. 15

By Billy Huntsman Staff Writer The enrollment deadline for the New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange, or NMHIX, is Feb. 15, and those who do not have health insurance by April will face tax penalties.

New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service hosted a free informational presentation on NMHIX, which is New Mexico’s Affordable Care Act (ACA), as well as on the Medicaid Expansion.

“It’s getting close to tax time, and people are thinking about the penalties if you don’t have health insurance,” said Karim Martinez, program director of the extension service, as well as a home economist.

She explained the penalty would be either one percent of an uninsured person’s income, or $95 per uninsured person, $47.50 per child under the age of 18 and a maximum of $285 for a family for their 2014 tax return.

“The trick with this is that the penalty is whichever is greater,” Martinez said. “So if one percent of your income is $400, that’s going to be your penalty.”

In 2015, the maximum penalty will be either 2 percent of a person’s income, or $325 per person, $162.50 per child and a maximum family penalty of $975.

In 2016, the maximum penalty will be either two and a half percent of a person’s income, or $695 per person, $347 per child and a maximum family penalty of $2,085.

“In order to avoid the penalty, you do have to have some kind of health coverage,” Martinez said.

One such option for health coverage is NMHIX. “You may hear (NMHIX) referred to as ‘The Marketplace,’ ‘ObamaCare,’ ‘The Health Insurance Exchange,’ it’s all the same thing,” Martinez said.

New Mexico introduced its Exchange marketplace, “beWellnm,” in 2013, after the Supreme Court, in 2012, upheld President Obama’s ACA, passed by Congress and signed into law in 2010.

Important aspects of the ACA, Martinez said, are: applicants cannot be denied health insurance because of preexisting conditions; children can stay on parents’ plans until they are 26; and preventative services, such as vaccinations, are free.

Martinez described The Exchange as similar to websites such as Travelocity or Priceline.

“It pulls up different options of insurance plans and you compare them side by side,” she said.

Those who qualify for The Exchange are those without health insurance; those currently buying their own insurance but who would like more options and affordability; and people who cannot afford the health insurance option offered by their employer “If your cost for coverage for a single person under your employer plan is more than nine and a half percent of your income, then it’s considered unaffordable,” Martinez said.

The health insurance plans offered on The Exchange are qualified health plans, or QHP’s, which meet the criteria set forth by the ACA. One of these criterion is covering the 10 essential benefits: doctor’s visits, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance abuse disorder, which includes behavioral health treatment, prescription drugs, rehabilitative services, lab services,

preventative and wellness services and pediatric services, including dental.

QHP’s are offered by BlueCross BlueShield of New Mexico, Christus Health, Molina Healthcare, New Mexico Health Connections and Presbyterian Health Plan Inc. “None of these companies are actually in Las Cruces,” said Alex Andrews, a representative of Molina. “But they contract with a network of providers that, when you see a doctor, they’ll pay the insurance portion of your visit.”

The Exchange ranks QHP’s by metals: bronze, silver, gold and platinum.

“The bronze pays for 60 percent of your healthcare and you pay 40 percent,” Martinez said.

“The silver plan pays for 70 percent, and you pay 30 percent.

Gold, 80, and you pay 20 percent.

And then platinum is 90 percent, and you pay 10 percent.”

The more the plan pays, the higher your monthly payments, but the amount you pay whenever you go to the doctor’s office is reduced, she said.

The Exchange also offers tax credits, depending on the covered family’s income.

“You have two options with tax credits,” said Martinez. “You can either take your credits, or your discount, on your monthly premium payments, or you can wait until the end (of the year to get the credit when you file your 2014 tax return in 2015),” she said.

According to NMHIX’s website, a family of four can receive tax credits with a combined household income of $95,400.

To qualify for The Exchange, applicants are encouraged to speak for free with healthcare guides, or navigators, who have lists detailing the documents applicants must submit.

Common submission materials include proof of New Mexico residency, proof of age between 19

to 64, proof of income and a Social Security Number or a document number for immigrants who qualify. Also, applicants will need an email address.

Though The Exchange’s enrollment deadline is Feb. 15, Andrews said there are “life-changing circumstances,” such as getting married, divorced, pregnant, losing a job, gaining a job or moving, by which people can enroll after the deadline.

A second popular option for healthcare is Medicaid.

“Medicaid is the state government-administered coverage,” said Martinez. “It’s offered at little or no cost to people with low income. In New Mexico, Medicaid is known as ‘Centennial Care,’ they’re the same thing.”

Centennial Care, which began Jan. 1, 2014, now covers individuals from the ages of 19 to 64.

Those under or above these ages can apply for other Medicaid programs.

Centennial Care plans are offered through four managed care organizations, or MCO’s: BlueCross, Presbyterian, Molina and UnitedHealthcare.

Like The Exchange and QHP’s, New Mexico’s contracts with these MCO’s stipulate they must cover the 10 essential benefits.

“For people on full Centennial Care, these services are covered 100 percent,” Andrews said. “But if they’re on what’s called the Alternative Benefit Plan, which is for people in the Expansion category, then they might have minimal copays. The most would be around $25.”

Martinez advised people on how to choose the right program after they have qualified for Medicaid.

“Try to pick one that covers the doctor, the hospital and the pharmacy that you prefer,” she said.

Because the four MCO’s cover the same 10 essential bene-

fits, Martinez said, they also cover services that their contracts with the state do not require them to, called ‘value-added services.’

“They can help you on deciding what best fits you and your family’s needs,” Martinez said.

For example, neither BlueCross, Molina nor Presbyterian cover acupuncture, but UnitedHealthcare does.

To qualify for Centennial Care, applicants are encouraged to speak for free with a Medicaid Determiner or an MCO representative, who have lists detailing the documents applicants must submit, which are largely the same as The Exchange’s submission materials. Applicants to Centennial Care/Medicaid do not need an email address.

Centennial Care also has qualification guidelines based on how many people live in a household and how much money that household makes monthly.

Unlike The Exchange program, Medicaid does not have an enrollment deadline.

“You can apply at any time during the year,” Martinez said.

To apply, go to www.yes.state. nm.us, mail in an application, visit a local Income Support Division or speak with a local Medicaid Determiner, at locations such as La Clinica de Familia or Ben Archer Health Center, or at one of the MCO’s Martinez stressed, for both Medicaid and The Exchange, representatives would not come to your residence, nor would they call you, and ask you to pay a fee in order to enroll you.

These are attempts to steal your identity, she said.

“You should never be charged for enrollment services,” she said.

There will be enrollment events for both The Exchange and Medicaid at Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, 200 E. Picacho Ave., on Feb. 13, 1-5 p.m. For more information, call (505) 288-2360.

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SPORTS

THE ROUND UP

Tuesday, 2.10.2015

HAPPENING IN

SPORTS

Men's Basketball FIRST PLACE in WAC

By Efrain Hernandez Staff Writer In a battle for first place in the Western Athletic Conference, the New Mexico State men’s basketball team defeated the Kangaroos from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Saturday night 77-63.

With the victory, the Aggies improved to 15-10 and 7-1 in conference play while pulling two games ahead of UMKC in the WAC. The Aggies have now won five games in a row and are 10-1 in their last 11 games.

Coming off a win which required the game to go into overtime, the Aggies looked to keep it rolling after defeating Chicago State (5-19, 1-6) on the road 69-61.

“A win on the road is always hard and we’ll take it,” said head coach Marvin Menzies.

“We had a lull late in the half and Chicago State took advantage of it. But we came on in the overtime and I’m very pleased with the way we stepped it up. We withstood the blows; I didn’t expect to get hit that many times.”

Remi Berry led the Aggies offense with 16 points while shooting 6 of 11 and going 2-4 behind the three-point line but came through big in overtime.

“Remi’s three was as big as it gets,” Menzies said. “He saw it was there and has the latitude to shoot. He did and that gave us the fourpoint lead that fueled the rest of overtime.”

Looking to play spoiler in the WAC, UMKC looked to tie the Aggies for first place as they kept up with the Aggies high powered offense throughout the first half but ultimately fell short.

“We knew their size and ath-

Photo by Olivia Baker

Women's Basketball

leticism would be a problem for us tonight,” said UMKC head coach Kareem Richardson. “There are a lot of games left and after Thursday we told our guys this wasn’t going to make or break our season, win or lose.”

With the game tied at 34 apiece entering halftime, the Aggies needed to make a crucial statement coming out.

“We made good adjustments at halftime,” Menzies said. “They could have won the game if we didn’t keep them off the arc. We played it perfectly.”

Throughout the second half, both

By Efrain Hernandez teams were able to match one another Staff Writer but after an 8-0 run by the Aggies to break a tied game, they never let up.

Cruising to their 11th straight The Aggies offense was able to victory, your New Mexico State outscore UMKC 43-29 in the secwomen’s basketball team has ond half behind Chili Nephawe now tied the third longest winning streak in program history. and Daniel Mullings, who both According to nmstatesports. posted double-doubles. Nephawe com, the Aggies last achieved this finished the night with 20 points feat during the 1987-88 where they and 11 rebounds while Mullings won a team high 15 games finishing finished with 18 points and 11 the season 26-2. rebounds.

The Aggies continue to roll after de“I’m so proud of the guys, feating Chicago State Thursday night getting out first road sweep this 70-53 and UMKC 78-58 early Saturday season,” Menzies said. ”Our afternoon in front of a loud home crowd bigs played well, especially at the Pan American Center. in the second half. It was the “The fan response against Chicago State was amazing! They were loud and difference in the game.” supportive,” head coach Mark Trakh said.

The Aggies will return “Let keep building up that awesome fan home for the next two base and get over 1,000 fans in the Pan Am games as they look to for our game against UMKC. The fans are avenge their only loss in our sixth man and we love and appreciate all conference play as they of them.” host Seattle University In the last three home games prior to Satthis Thursday night and urday’s game against UMKC, the Aggies have Bakersfield this Saturdrawn in a crowd of over 1,850 fans. Against day night.

Chicago State; the Aggies drew a crowd of 761 fans which is a season-high, over 500 fans against

Eleven in a Row, Perfect 8-0 in the WAC

Bakersfield and over 600 fans against SeattleU. With the offense continuing to produce numbers, they had four players finish in double figures as Sasha Weber led the way with a team high 20 points. According to nmstate.com, Weber is now 10 points away from being the 20th player in program history to score 1,000 points or more.

“Weber’s having a player of the year type of season, we got six games to so we’ll see,” Trakh said. “But she’s doing a good job for us and she’ll go down as one of the all-time greats here at NM State.”

NM State has improved to 15-6 this season while going a perfect 8-0 against teams from the Western Athletic Conference. The Aggies are now 15-1 in the last 16 games played this season after starting the season 0-5.

“I thought the kids did a good job, we moved the ball, hit our outside shots and did a good job on the press,” Trakh said. “We really got to start working on our half-court defense thought; they shot too high of a percentage. If we didn’t get those turnovers we were in a lot of trouble. They killed us in the half court buy luckily we got a lot of turnovers.”

The Aggies will be on the road for the team’s next two games as they face SeattleU on Thursday and Bakersfield on Saturday. In the process, NM State will try to move past the second-longest winning streak in program history which currently stands at 12.

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Tuesday, 2.10.2015

TRACK able to run through early competition

By Julian Martinez Staff Writer

The NMSU Track season has had a mix of solid performances and looked fairly strong to this point. The team has on the season competed in four separate meets on their way to the Western Athletic Conference Championships.

The teams season started in Lubbock, Texas at the Texas Tech Open. Senior Diana Hawk ended that meet with a 1st place finish in the one-mile and fellow senior Marissa Gonzalez qualified for the finals in the pole vault.

Their second meet of the season would be just three hours north at the Lobo Collegiate Invitational. Dominique Jackson had a solid day posting a time of 25.45 against the field of 72 other student athletes in the 200-meter dash. In the 60-meter Jackson would be able to finish 20th against the other 40 individuals in the event with a time of 7.84.

Traveling back to Lubbock for the third meet of the season proved great for Hawk as she was able to continue her success from the first meet there. Hawk ran away with the win in the 1000-meter race beating 22 other runners.

Then there is action from this past weekend in Albuquerque for the UNM Collegiate Classic. Kelsi Gonzalez broke out with her new personal best of 1:35.49 in the 600-meter and also tacked on a 16th place finish in the 800-meter.

Hawk has proven to be one the teams standout individuals at the Aggies meets to this point with consistently strong outings as listed above.

“Diana Hawk came into our program as a walk-on and right now she's the most vis-

ible athlete in our program,” says head coach Orin Richburg in regards to Hawk. “She's a leader on our team and she doesn't lead by verbal but she leads by performance and whatever we ask her to do she can take care of.”

Domonique Joiner is also a notable name, she was able to walk away from the Masked Rider invite with a Top-15 finish in the 200-meter with a time of 25.45.

By Julian Martinez The team is led by their recently inducted Hall of Fame coach Orin Richburg.

Staff Writer Richburg had the distinct honor of being one of the original 15 inductees into the The Aggies took to their first annual Pittsburgh City League All-Sports set of games this past weekend at Hall of Fame this past December. home welcoming in several teams Richburg has built a philosophy for the Hotel Encanto Tournaamongst his team to not only be acment. complished athletes but outstanding inThe tournament as a whole wasn't dividuals in the community and above what the team would have hoped for average students. He is proud to say his as they will walk away from it with a team the last seven year has been Allcouple of tough losses but the wins Academic and only saw two of it's athin it really are a great way to start their letes below a 3.0 GPA in this past year. season.

Early on it was said this team was The Aggies began the tournament young but Richburg is able to downwith a Thursday day-night doubleplay the necessity for experience and header against the Texas Tech Red instead replace it with a sense of conRaiders and Montana Grizzlies respecfidence for his team. tively. On the day they would walk away “For us we are trying to preapre from the match ups with a split. kids to have the confidence and The loss came against Texas Tech know they are going out there for a and can be considered a heart breaker reason and if they give the effort and for the team as they lead going into the they're last I don't mind but as long seventh inning. Unfortunately for Mias I see that effort I accept that,” kayla McAdams she will get stuck said Richburg. with the loss as she allowed the The team next action will hapwinning runs to cross the plate pen when they head back to Albuin her one inning of work. The querque for the Don Kirby Colfinal score for the contest was 5-3 legiate Open starting on Saturday, in favor of the Red Raiders.

Feb. 14.

The teams rebound game against Montana came in a big way as they were able to absolutely decimate the Grizzlies in their first ever Division 1 game by a score of 8-0. In the first inning alone the Aggies flexed some muscle by hitting three long balls. One of those big homers came from Preseason Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year Staci Rodriguez and the other two coming from Emma Adams and Corrin Green.

The big win of the weekend came against a ranked opponent in the #18 Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Aggies did something unprecedented before by putting up 16 runs in the contest, the most runs ever given up in program history for Nebraska. That run of offense was also fueled on the strength of five big

AGGIES Puts On Offensive Display in Hotel Encanto Tournament, Upset Ranked Team time home runs.

For senior Malena Padilla and her junior counterpart Fiana Finau it was especially a big day. The duo was able to combine for a pair of homers each, one of Padilla's being a grand slam that propelled the nine run output in the sixth inning. The final score would be 16-11.

On Saturday however the University of Texas – San Antonio would put a damper on the enthusiasm the Aggies had from the Top-20 upset the day before. This was another late inning loss for the team on the weekend as they were unable to hold onto a 7-6 lead going into the seventh.

Dallas McBride would get stuck with the loss in this game as she gave away the winning runs on a walk and home run combination but on a positive note the hard throwing McBride was able to whiff three batters.

They dropped the game to UTSA by a final of 8-7.

The team would prove dominant o n offense once again against Colorado State in the concluding game of the tournament. A five run third inning put the Aggies up early and they never ceased that lead. Staci Rodriguez managed to end the day with a couple hits alongside fellow teammate Rachel Rodriguez.

Tournament style play will continue for the Aggies as they will battle foes like Kansas, Weber State and Bradley in the Troy Cox Classic here in Las Cruces, New Mexico beginning on Friday, Feb. 13 and concluding on Sunday, Feb. 15.

Rachael Rodriguez, (number 18) strikes the ball.

Photo by Kimberly Rodriguez

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THE ROUND UP

dead at the scene; Valerie was taken to then-Memorial General Hospital, where she lived for 45 minutes before dying in a nurse’s arms.

“This is the worst thing that’s ever happened in this city,” said Charlie Minn, director of “A Nightmare in Las Cruces Parts 1 and 2.”

Minn, originally from New York City, first came to Las Cruces five years ago, the massacre’s 20th anniversary, to begin production on “Part 1” after being drawn to the city many years prior.

“I saw (a reenactment of the crime) on ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ in April 1990,” Minn said. “I was absolutely appalled.”

In 2009, Minn approached then-lead investigator, Det. Mark Myers, for information regarding the case.

“If it wasn’t for him, the movie wouldn’t have been made,” Minn said.

Minn said Myers gave him the recording of Repass’ 911 call and actual crime scene footage, which are featured prominently throughout the films.

“Police departments rarely ever do this,” Minn said, crediting Myer’s “open-mindedness.”

Myers has since moved to Santa Fe as the Training Academy Director for the New Mexico Department of Corrections. Det. Amador Martinez is now the case’s lead investigator.

Tuesday, 2.10.2015

“We’ve had lots of suspects,” said Martinez.

Ron Senac, Stephanie’s father and former owner of the bowling alley, was one such suspect.

“Everyone hated him,” Minn said.

Senac claimed he was in Arizona when the murders took place, which lead investigators at the time Dets.

Homer Jackson, Genno Tafoya and Rose Marquez-Maese confirmed.

Minn said Senac was difficult, both during the filming process and during the investigation, according to police.

Martinez could not say anything definitive about Senac.

“Certainly some of his dealings were questionable, at best,” Martinez said. “But does that mean he was involved in something illegal? I couldn’t say.”

Minn voiced his opinion.

“You would think if you owned an establishment and there was a horrific incident in there, wouldn’t you want to get to the bottom of it?” Minn asked. “Wouldn’t you take it incredibly personal? That your family was shot in there? Instead, (Ron Senac) took the opposite approach.”

Another suspect, Ron’s son R.J., led investigators to consider whether drugs

played a factor in the crime.

“Supposedly, (R.J.) was peddling drugs in and out of the bowling alley at (the bar behind the bowling alley) Jose Murphy’s,” Minn said.

R.J. died in 1997, from an apparent drug overdose.

A third primary suspect, Irma Tijarina, reportedly furthered this drug theory.

Tijarina appeared to be high, leading investigators not to put too much stock in what she said.

Later, investigators met with Tijarina again when she appeared to be clean, and she reportedly denied what she had said formerly, that she had merely been “boasting” in order to bolster her reputation in the community, to have easier access to drugs.

Tijarina died in 2001 from a drug overdose.

This was the strongest lead investigators have had in the 25 years the case has been open.

While many theories as to the killers’ motives persist, Minn firmly believes drugs played a large part.

“I think this was a message for the bowling alley owner or a member of his family,” Minn said. “I think this was drug payback. I asked Genno Tafoya, and that’s what he thinks too.”

Investigators say about $5,000 was stolen from the bowling alley, with Minn adding much more was either dropped or left behind entirely by the perpetrators.

“I think the robbery was used as a

“This is the worst thing

that’s ever happened in this city,” said Charlie Minn,

director of 'A Nightmare in Las Cruces Parts 1 and 2.'

Soon after the murders at the bowling alley, investigators received an anonymous tip that Tijarina had stated she had housed the killers. She also allegedly said the killers had gone to the bowling alley in search of a large stash of narcotics they knew to be hidden there.

When investigators spoke with her,

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Tuesday, 2.10.2015

A Nightmare in Las Cruces Part 2 PREMIERES

diversionary tactic to confuse law enforcement,” Minn said.

Minn said the main purpose of the documentary is to “freshen” the case. “‘Part 2’ consists of the original ‘Part 1’, and about 30 to 40 minutes of new stuff,” Minn said.

This includes an interview with Martinez and new interviews with Anthony Teran, Steven’s brother, and Dets. Tafoya and Maese.

“Anything fades after a while,” he said. “I just didn’t want this thing to get buried and forgotten about.”

Both Minn and Martinez expressed optimism that there is vital information still waiting to be discovered.

“I believe somebody out there knows something,” Minn said. “They just need to build up the guts to come forward.”

The trailer for “A Nightmare in Las Cruces Part 2” is being shown before “American Sniper.”

“So a lot of Las Crucens have seen this trailer,” Minn said, adding that his and Martinez’s hopes are that such exposure will lead to more tips and possibly a break in the case.

Martinez spoke to how unusual it is for open-case information to be shared.

“This is somewhat unorthodox,” he said. “Usually police departments don’t get in front of classes, or put together

las cruces

el p a s o

february 10

february 13

at cineport 10

at bassett place

movies of the cases they’re working.”

After 25 years, investigators have had to go to such unorthodox measures, Martinez said. “(When ‘Part 1’ first came out in 2010) we were inundated with tips,” Martinez said, which took investigators “from coast to coast.”

Now police receive tips on the case about once or twice a week.

“Last year when ‘Part 1’ was rereleased in a desperate attempt on my part to get new leads, the film had a better attendance in El Paso,” Minn said.

Minn went on to say he’s disappointed in Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima.

“He wants to forget about this,” Minn said. “His apathy is disgusting.”

Minn also spoke to the fact there is nothing in Las Cruces that “commemorates and honors the victims” of the crime, which he said “is the largest unsolved shooting” in the country, as well as “the second largest unsolved crime” in the country.

Minn noted that six of the seven victims were females.

“Every woman should take this personally,” he said.

In regards to the killers, both Minn and Martinez doubt they are still in the area.

“It’d be pretty ballsy to stick around,”

said Minn.

The case remains under investigation.

“It’s my belief that it will always be active until the day it’s solved,” Martinez said.

Minn wondered whether solving the case would bring the victims and their families closure.

“I think that’s a word that some victims never like, because you never get full closure,” Minn said. “There’s always that scar out there and can you imagine how (the victims) must feel if (the killers) aren’t caught? I don’t know if there’s ever closure, because you can’t bring anybody back.”

Anyone who has information they believe may help identify the suspects who shot and killed four people at the Las Cruces Bowl on February 10, 1990, is asked to call Las Cruces Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. The Crime Stoppers number is operational 24 hours a day and tipsters can remain anonymous, if they wish.

“A Nightmare in Las Cruces Part 2” opens in Las Cruces at Cineport 10 on Feb. 10, and in El Paso at Bassett Place on Feb. 13. Partial proceeds will be donated to the victims and their families.

World

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Tuesday, 2.10.2015

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By Brynn Herndon Staff Writer St. Valentine’s Day, due to people’s perception of it as a “corporate cash-in” has long been perceived as a very American experience. Historically, however, it’s a religious feast day held in many countries, and despite it not being an “official” holiday in several of those countries, they have all established a variety of different traditions for showing their affection.

One of the most unique traditions can be found in Japan, according to website Today I Found Out. On Feb. 14, it’s traditional that women spoil their male partner rotten with chocolate instead of the other way around like in many other cultures. This is made up for on March 14, where the exact opposite takes place on a day called “White Day.” Because the

majority of Japan does not practice the religion from which St. Valentine comes, these events were indeed corporate creations designed to sell chocolates.

Some Japanese women will deliver what’s called “giri-choko” (obligation chocolate) to colleagues and friends in whom they have no romantic interest, kind of like American children in grade school when everyone gets a valentine.

Both Valentine’s Day and White Day occur in South Korea, but it’s taken a step further with a “Black Day” on April 14, where single people who didn’t receive anything on either day get together and eat noodles with black bean paste to either bemoan or celebrate their independence.

Countries such as Denmark and Norway did not start celebrating Valentine’s Day (called “Valentinsdag”) until website About Travel describes as “recently,”

and it’s mostly celebrated among young people. They have a tradition called “Gaekkebrev,” or funny poems sent anonymously from boys to the girl of their choice containing hints about the name of the sender. If the girl guesses the author of her poem correctly, she gets an Easter egg later in the year, and if she’s stumped she owes her would-be suitor the same gift.

The Welsh celebrate their Valentine’s Day equivalent, “St. Dwynwen’s Day” on Jan. 25, and their oddest tradition is the gifting of “love spoons” from men to women. Men give women intricately carved wooden spoons.

One imagines that many Welsh women have a lot of spoons they can’t actually use as a result, but they’re very pretty.

While England has a fairly similar Valentine’s day to America, Norfolk specifically has a Santa Claus-like figure known as Jack

Valentine, who leaves treats and small presents for children. Creative and pretty adorable.

Finally, one of the most unique traditions comes from France.

The day consists of men and women giving gifts to each other, but – in t h e country known as the m o s t romantic country in the world, no less – at the end of the day, the men and women who got nothing gather around a bonfire and throw pictures of the ones who rebuffed them that day. Ouch.

While Valentine’s Day has become increasingly commercialized through the years, each place has its own traditions that keep it unique to everyone.

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Tuesday, 2.10.2015

CLASSIFIEDS

By Billy Huntsman Staff Writer A young Mexican woman in the United States suffers abuse from her employer, which she cannot report to the police because she is an undocumented immigrant.

This is “Overland,” NMSU senior and CMI major Jazmin Harvey’s senior project. The short film is currently in preproduction and is seeking funding through Kickstarter.

“This is a feminist film,” said Harvey.

Harvey said many films today portray women as “maintaining something else,” such as a baby. “’Overland’ is about this strong female character, Noemi, who is out for herself,” Harvey said. “She doesn’t need another reason to fight for survival.”

Harvey regards “Overland” as part of the Border film genre— films about the lives of immigrants before and after they cross over.

“I feel like a lot of Border films always have similar characters,” Harvey said. “People who are very meek or timid, especially female characters.”

CMI major and NMSU senior Edmund Lozano serves as the film’s producer.

“Noemi is different,” said Lozano. “A lot of the time, the females in these Border movies are a little bit helpless, and they’re being dragged along by their parent or by a brother. In this movie, that’s not the case; Noemi’s surviving and making the decisions.”

Harvey said the goal “Overland” is to show that immigrants are “more than immigrants.”

“Noemi has more of a personality than just, ‘I’m undocumented,’” Harvey said.

Another unique aspect, said Harvey, is how the film looks.

“I really want to make ‘Overland’ look very different from the border genre,” Harvey said.

To achieve this effect, Harvey and Lozano intend to use a lot of rock music and color, to give it a “poppy-punky feel,” according to Lozano.

This freshness was what attracted Lozano, who took over producing duties in November.

“I’ve seen really good border movies, but a lot of the time it’s the same story,” he said. “It gets tired really fast.”

Harvey first pitched the story to her professors in April 2014.

“I was in Prague (studying abroad) at the time, so I had to pitch it over Skype,” she said.

After returning from Prague, Harvey said she was nervous about beginning work on the project last semester.

“I didn’t know anybody anymore,” she said. “That was really scary, my entire base at CMI had all graduated. Remaking that last semester was really hard at first.”

But with Lozano coming on board and enlisting fellow CMI major Robert Dugan in the role of “a really good cinematographer,” Harvey’s confidence began to grow.

“All of our crew is basically set,” she said.

As is most of their cast, thanks to “a great casting call” at George R. R. Martin’s Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe, where they auditioned 27 people in five hours.

“We have all of our actors, except for Noemi, which we kind of expected,” said Harvey. “But we have very good candidates right now.”

Lozano stressed the importance of picking the right actor for the role.

“It’s the most important role, obviously,” he said.

Harvey said they expect to have the role cast soon.

Another aspect of preproduction Harvey and her crew are currently working through is getting permits for all of their filming locations, which include locations in Las Cruces and in El Paso.

“We’re getting permits for everything,” said Harvey.

The process, Lozano said, involves a lot of running around, phone calls and paperwork.

“We really want to be as professional as possible,” he said.

One location in El Paso is an underpass beside train tracks.

“That wouldn’t be the kind of place you want to shoot without a permit,” said Harvey. “Because what if someone gets hurt? Or a police officer walks by and is like, ‘What are you doing here?’”

Harvey and Lozano, both having worked on films prior to “Overland,” are repeatedly surprised by how supportive of the filming process the community is.

“I think it’s because people haven’t been jaded by film yet, like L.A.,” Harvey said, later adding, “Filming is a commotion.”

Harvey said maintaining calm on the set is her goal as director, crediting the collaborative spirit of the CMI community as her inspiration.

“When I was a freshman and sophomore, I felt like the department was a lot more cutthroat, more competitive,” she said, “versus now, after class everybody is like, ‘Let’s go hang out.’”

Harvey said the film’s shooting period is March 6 to 9, consisting of 25 shots a day, 12 to 14 hours a day.

“The script is 16 pages, so that means the film will probably be around 20 minutes,” Harvey said.

Part of “Overland’s” $1,500 funding goal on Kickstarter will be used for submission fees in submitting the completed film to festivals in Mexico, Europe and the U.S. “Preferably, in the editing room, we’ll get the running time cut down to 10 minutes,” Harvey said, elaborating that the mindset of film festivals is, “The shorter, the better.”

Other costs the Kickstarter funding will be used for include production design, hotel rooms for the cast from Santa Fe and a portion of the food.

Harvey said, because they would be on set for so long, she wants the crew to have good food.

“No pizza,” she said, with Lozano adding, “A well-fed crew is a happy crew.”

Harvey said the “rough final cut” of the film would be ready

by May 1, in time for the CMI senior showcase, at which senior projects are premiered in Milton Hall.

Pledges to the film can be made until Feb. 23.

“Anything helps,” Harvey said.

Pledges to the film can be made until Feb. 23.

“Anything helps,” Harvey said.

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| page 12 |

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THE ROUND UP

Tuesday, 2.10.2015

By Billy Huntsman Staff Writer I love movies that hold a magnifying glass to the dark forces that drive people in their most desperate times.

Movies like “No Country for Old Men,” “Bug,” “Amadeus,” “Apocalypse Now,” “The Deer Hunter,” and countless others blur the line between good and evil, hero and antagonist, coward and courage, instead focusing on such qualities as madness, obsession, hate and fear.

And, in the tradition of “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” and “There Will Be Blood,” two other movies with those fine attributes I so voraciously consume, comes “Black Sea,” a movie dealing in murder, treachery, darkness and greed, all wonderfully exacerbated by claustrophobia.

Jude Law plays Robinson, a former Royal Navy Captain who, after leaving that work due to unexplained reasons, worked many years for a corporate submarining entity. Then he gets laid off, with a measly severance package to boot.

How could they do this to him? He gave the best years of his life to that company, he gave up his family for them!

He’s in a pub with a former colleague when that latter makes him a proposal: there’s rumored to be an old Russian submarine on the bed of the Black Sea, the best part? It’s loaded with gold with which Stalin had tried to bribe Hitler in order to head off Nazi invasion.

How much gold? Enough to placate a genocidal maniac, which is enough for Robinson.

Asking for and receiving an investment from a virtual stranger named Lewis, Robinson assembles a group of burly men, half Brits, half Russians, with whom the gangliest members of Hell’s Angels would loath to trifle.

Robinson promises equal cuts of the recovered gold to the men on board, after paying their investor his percentage. The problem with this, one of Robinson’s crewmates tells him, is what if the other men—those devious Russians, say—figure out that, if there are fewer men on board, their cuts of the gold get bigger?

Robinson shuts this out of his mind, and then it’s “Down goes Frazier” into the Russian-patrolled waters of the titular sea.

Let’s talk good qualities. There are long stretches of genuine dread and suspense. The stakes are high, and there are several instances in which Robinson, as captain, must make “damned if you do,

damned if you don’t” decisions.

The atmosphere of the film, while different both at the beginning and end, is solid through the middle.

Bad qualities include sailor clichés—the cook makes bad food, which is inevitably compared to diarrhea by one of his crewmates—as well as narrative clichés—Robinson has flashbacks reminding him of better days, the days when his life used to be lived for something, the sun shining, his son smiling.

There are also some character inconsistencies—one character, described as a psychopath at the beginning of the film, becomes the voice of reason about twothirds of the way through—but these are all minor quibbles against a film that is largely a gem in the stagnant, black sea of midwinter cinema—a deadzone between the daring and often rewarding art of the fall—the Oscar hopefuls—and the asoften-as-not entertaining folderol of summer blockbusters.

The best thing about “Black Sea,” and certainly a gem himself, is Jude Law. He has a propensity for playing the neurotic, the tremulously furious, the unapologetically avaricious, and he does it with all the charm and authenticity of Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Joaquin Phoenix and few others.

His is the kind of crazy to which Nicolas Cage and Johnny Depp will forever be aspiring.

But what makes Law an even more impressively underrated actor is his range. He played Dickie Greenleaf, an all-around American hedonist, probably with a little chemical imbalance in his brain and a dash of sexual confusion, frolicking in 1950’s Italy with his girlfriend in Anthony Minghella’s 1999 “The Talented Mr. Ripley.”

Then he played a love-struck, hardnosed North Carolina-doppelganger to Odysseus in Minghella’s 2003 “Cold Mountain,” then a turned-loose Cockney safecracker who liked to drink one too many bottles of whatever alcohol he could find and bump one too many lines of cocaine in 2013’s “Dom Hemingway.”

His finest role, and one I think largely defined him as a great actor, is 2007’s “Sleuth.” Here, he’s even more decadent and sexually carefree than in “Mr. Ripley,” and also more unstable and, for me, more endearing.

Watch “Black Sea” and watch Law viciously deliver orders, curses and epithets with all the ferociousness of a Scottish brogue and all the experience of an eclectic career.

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Tuesday, 2.10.2015

GRΣΣK life

Opinion By Merrit Peterson Staff Writer

When I first got a job as a journalist, my sorority sisters all told me I could use my position to show Greek Life in a positive way.

Why would I do that? Sure, we excel academically, raise millions of dollars for philanthropies and make amazing connections, but people know this.

I’m going to write about the bad parts.

It’s a well known that Greek Life is not free. Costs vary from chapter to chapter, but dues are necessary for the establishment to exist, and countless students pay their own dues with their own money.

On average, it’s about $450 dollars a semester to be in a sorority. This money comes with free dinners, catered events and tee shirts. It seems like a lot at face value, but monthly payment plans exist which enable many students to pay their own fees.

When the math is done, it comes down to costing $2.50 a day over the course of the entire year.

Most people spend more than that on coffee.

Considering how much a college education costs, the amount of money it takes to go Greek is miniscule in comparison to the overall cost. Additionally, many people aren’t in a chapter for the full four years on campus, but even after going alumni from their chapter, they continue to benefit from their Greek alumni status.

It’s also widely known that college students tend to drink significantly more alcohol than other people, particularly at a party school like New Mexico State University.

Anyone who would exempt Greeks from this is delusional.

When put in social situations where alcohol is involved, a woman in a sorority is also significantly less likely to be left alone in dangerous situations because of the responsibilities the women have for each other.

Women in sororities constantly look out for each other regardless of if there’s alcohol involved or not.

There is strength in numbers. When you have 60 or more women on campus who are supposed to look out for you, you are better off in any situation than someone with only a few close friends.

Need a ride to class in the rain? You’ll find one.

Want to go to iHop? Join a sorority.

We love iHop, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we always love each other.

We are a normal group of women, and we have our differences. To say we constantly get along would be a blatant lie. I can’t say that I am compatible to be friends with every one of them, but I can say that I would do absolutely anything for any single one of them, and I know that they would do the exact same for me.

They are my sorority sisters.

At this point, if you’re still not interested in going Greek, that’s perfectly understandable. It doesn’t make you better or worse than us, it just makes you different.

Greek or independent, we're all part of the same student body, and the sooner we realize that, the smaller the world gets.

If we realize this, there might be fewer people joining because they're lonely, like most of us did, but would be instead be joining because they want to be a part of something bigger and stronger than they are by themselves.

Congratulations to all of the 2015 Spring Semester sorority and fraternity new members! I hope you find your place.

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Tuesday, 2.10.2015

A Note About Valentine’s Day

By Jesse Moya Staff Writer

Valentine’s Day, a holiday most Americans spend with their loved ones and show their appreciation, but on the other hand, others spend the night at singles dances, or the now ever popular, anti-valentine’s day parties.

Long gone is the meaning of this day, as consumer culture has completely taken over, and where tradition moves from a simple gesture to price tag, we arrive at every major American holiday.

Christmas, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, all of these, including Valentine’s, have been thrown into a craze similar to that of keeping up with the Joneses.

Every relationship teeters on Valentine’s Day as a pinnacle point of how the rest of the year will play out.

Every year people spend billions of dollars to make sure their significant has the best, most expensive gift.

In fact, CN reports that Americans will spend nearly $18 billion on the day alone. Billions will be spend on flowers, diamonds, candy or whatever else people feel so inclined to shower their loved ones with.

In addition, every store you walk into turns red with all of the glossy, shining plastic part of worthless mementos that will no doubt be discarded within months

of Valentine’s Day. What has become of a traditional holiday of showing love and appreciation for one’s significant?

Huffington Post reports that individuals spent $130 on their significant alone, this includes dinner and presents. The $130 spent in one day to celebrate Valentine’s Day is roughly 16 hours of working minimum wage just to pay for the date.

Finances can get short around holidays, and this can increase levels of stress based on the need to feel accepted and the need to impress with gifts, or dinners or flowers. But should money really be the prime focus? Or should the sappy tradition of love be?

This Valentine’s Day, forget about the money, forget the need for presents or to impress, but rather focus on your loved one and try to make their day wonderful in any way. They are, after all, the reason for celebrating the day.

So make them feel loved, don’t stress about how perfect your gift is or what they might get you, use the day to appreciate each other.

For those of you who don’t have someone, have the day for yourself! Do what makes you happy and forget about the holiday traditions. Just make sure you remember that others may feel strongly about Valentine’s Day and not to put them down for celebrating.

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Tuesday, 2.10.2015

By Isaac Morales Staff Writer Students often feel it’s difficult to influence politics, resulting low youth voter turnout and youth issues being put by the wayside.

However, the Student Advocacy Board (SAB) is a group of students that the ASNMSU Department of Governmental Affairs takes to Santa Fe to work towards ensuring that student issues are kept in the forefront when state policy is being crafted.

This team of students led this year by Director Bryce Smith and Assistant Director Allison Valdez advocate on behalf of student legislative priorities, and often in consultation with the NMSU administration.

“Having the support of administration up here makes our job

a lot easier and definitely helps us advocate for students to make sure the priorities are heard.” Said Director Smith.

It is not only the support of the administration that makes the Student Advocacy Board so effective in Santa Fe, but also the students that make up SAB. As Director Smith said of the team, “Having students who are good under pressure and have a passion for NMSU is what gives us the ability to be seen as more than kids up here.”

The current priorities SAB is working on are still shaping themselves with the legislature adjusting to the significant shift in the House of Representatives to a Republican majority after over 60 years of being a Democrat majority.

That dynamic, along with the long 60 day session, puts SAB on unknown territory since has worked its entire 10 year existence working under a fully Democratic Legislature. However, that is not necessarily something that will hurt the students’ ability to work.

Last year’s Director and current ASNMSU Vice-President, Jeremy Witte, said “It’s my fourth year coming up to Santa Fe with SAB and it’s been amazing to see the respect ASNMSU has up here grow and it’s what lets Director Smith remain able to work

with the House and Senate.”

The exclusivity of ASNMSU is something that has been speculated on, perhaps rightly so, but the makeup of SAB is without reproach.

This group of students comes from colleges around the university bringing a range of expertise including government, business, economics, finance, education, and agriculture.

Many individuals on SAB have also had prior political experience in the state which helps to

foster relationships between legislators and students that ensures the strength and continuity of the group.

The Student Advocacy Board will continue to take time out of their Spring semester to travel up to Santa Fe for the remainder of the session and will be bringing more news of their work as it progresses.

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

| page 16 | THE ROUND UP

Tuesday, 2.10.2015

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