Author Archives: Abe Villarreal

A suicide prevention and self-confidence building presentation will take place at the on-campus Center For Gender Equity on Tuesday, March 24 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Pandora Scooter and her show I AM ENOUGH follows the story of Pan, who struggles with rejection from her parents and friends for being gay and different. After attempting suicide, Pan finds herself in a hospital where, with the help of a counselor, she realizes she wants to live. I AM ENOUGH takes suicide head on, exploring and exposing the pain of those who struggle with suicide. The show has been endorsed by child psychologists, GSA advisors and by LGBTQ youth. It is designed to open up the conversation about suicide with LGBTQ youth in an effort to help end suicide attempts. Pandora Scooter is an award-winning, national touring artist. She is the writer of nine one-woman shows. The program is part of a 17-state tour by StandUP and StandOUT Productions. The WNMU event is hosted by the Center For Gender...

Grant County’s only movie theater is experiencing growing support by the local community and region with donations and regular event bookings. Chuck Johnson, a Silver City based State Farm Insurance agent, recently visited the newly renovated historic Light Hall Auditorium and subsequently donated to the University Foundation as a sign off support for the use of Light Hall as the only movie theater in the community. “I support Light Hall Theater and wanted to show that with this contribution to the University Foundation,” said Mr. Johnson. Renovations to Light Hall Auditorium, erected in 1927, were completed in October 2014. The space is used each weekend as a movie theater, and is also used during the week as a lecture hall and special events space. “Each weekend we are excited to see the support by our local community and our student body as they come out to spend their time with us at the movies,” said Abe Villarreal, WNMU Director of Communications. Local...

Community members with disabilities in the Silver City area will be participating in Hoops 4 Hope, an afternoon of indoor games hosted by Western New Mexico University, on Tuesday, March 24 at 6:00 p.m. in the Intramural Gym. The third annual event is open to any member of the community with a learning or physical disability. Those wishing to attend will receive a free t-shirt and a pizza dinner. “This is one of our favorite events to host on campus,” said Abe Villarreal, WNMU Director of Communications. “It is important for our student body to interact with this special community of people that teach us so much about themselves and ourselves.” The goal of the annual event is to accomplish four hopes: a hope to bring students together to learn about people with disabilities, a hope to build common ground among different people through athletics, a hope to have students feel comfortable with people of different backgrounds, and a hope to learn more about how we...

Western New Mexico University continues its efforts in strengthening relations with higher education institutions in Mexico and the Americas with the recent signing of agreements with two Mexican universities. A visit by members of the WNMU administration to Universidad De Occidente (UDEO) in the city of Culiacan, Mexico, during the first week of March culminated with the signing of a memorandum of understanding by both university presidents, opening the door to opportunities of faculty and student exchanges. “With the very positive experience we had this past summer, hosting more than 150 Mexican students, we know that WNMU is a great fit for faculty and students from Mexican universities,” said Dr. Magdaleno Manzanarez, WNMU Vice President for External Affairs. Dr. Manzanarez traveled with President Joseph Shepard and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Jack Crocker during the visit to Culiacan. UDEO administrators expressed their interest in having WNMU professors...

The Office of Admissions and Recruitment has announced a list of new freshman scholarships that will be available to the incoming freshman class for the fall 2015 semester. The scholarships each have their own set of requirements for students based on their state of residency and grade point average. Administered by the Office of Admissions, the scholarships are new opportunities for students who may also qualify for FAFSA based or University Foundation based awards. “We expect to award up to $300,000 in new scholarships to incoming freshmen,” said Matthew Lara, Director of Admissions. “It is exciting to have the opportunity to provide additional financial assistance to our new students.” The new scholarships include awards for valedictorian and salutatorians in New Mexico, regional science fair winners, national merit scholars and national Hispanic scholarships. “Additional scholarships will be given to students that demonstrate leadership in their school and...

Western New Mexico University is partnering with community organizations to host Sex Week, during the first week of March, to educate the student body community about sexual practices and behaviors. Part of the event is learning how to express oneself sexually through many means. There are quite a handful of establishments today such as Plug Lust that let you choose sex toys that fit you or your partners personality. Sex Week is common among college campuses, and WNMU’s week is scheduled just prior to the university’s spring break. “We want our students to engage in conversations and to be thinking about how they value themselves and their bodies during this week,” said Jessica Morales, Director of Student Life. “Sex Week provides our students with an opportunity to have open dialogue with each other and we are encouraging our students to have a sense of pride in safety, responsibility and respect.” Sex Week activities begin Monday, March 2 and some events are...