News

To address changes to Federal laws affecting Latino immigrants, one Western New Mexico University student organization has been recently reinvigorated and is sponsoring and hosting campus events that bring awareness to Latino issues and culture. Movimento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, more commonly known as MEChA, aims to support and advocate for Hispanic students through twice-a-week meetings and occasional advocacy events. Engaging students with the Chicano culture and building awareness about the political issues that affect Hispanic students is one of MEChA’s goals, said sponsor Bryant Chaffino, the Music Instructor in the Department of Expressive Arts who heads the university’s award-winning Mariachi Plata group and stepped in as MEChA’s faculty advisor this semester. Other organization goals include ensuring there is a strong presence of the Hispanic culture on campus, advocating for the inclusion of more Hispanic history into WNMU curricula, and giving students a...

The Silver City community can get its fill of folk music on Thursday, October 19, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. in Light Hall Theater when two-time Juno-winning banjoist Jayme Stone will bring his inspired sounds from around the world to the Western New Mexico University campus. With each of his albums, Stone combines folk, jazz and chamber music. His latest, “Jayme Stone’s Folklife Project,” puts an inventive spin on old tunes. The self-described “banjoist, composer and instigator” cultivated each piece on the album from what he heard on old field recordings. Each track was grown from the seeds of traditional spiritual songs, Creole calypsos, and Appalachian dance tunes. Joining Stone (banjo, voice) on stage at WNMU are Moira Smiley (voice, accordion), Sumaia Jackson (fiddle, voice) and Joe Phillips (bass, voice), who also played on the new album. Released by Borealis Records this past spring, “Jayme Stone’s Folklife Project” also features Grammy-winning songster Dom...

The sixth annual Western New Mexico University Alumni Scholarship Golf Tournament is set for Saturday, October 14, and several golfers who regularly play in the benefit shared their thoughts on why it is a fun way to give back to WNMU. WNMU Assistant Professor of Marketing Chip Campbell, alum and local business owner Mike Rowse, and Alex Brown with the Town of Silver City have each golfed in the Alumni Scholarship Golf Tournament a few times. All agree that they traditionally not only have success but also have a good time that day on the course. Campbell, a former teaching pro and member of the USGA, has participated in WNMU Alumni golf events hosted by both Las Cruces’ Mesilla Valley Chapter and the Silver City Chapter. “There are few sporting events I have appreciated as much over the years as team golf scrambles. From a players’ perspective, individuals get to enjoy playing golf and socializing with old friends and new acquaintances, but do not have to be ‘good’...

The Western New Mexico University Board of Regents met in Albuquerque on October 2 and approved several items that will begin development in upcoming semesters. WNMU President Joseph Shepard reported that the fund balance and reserve monies were considered healthy for the university and requested that the Board approve $500,000 in funds to be dedicated to athletic and academic scholarships. The Board approved unanimously for the use of the designation of the scholarship monies, available to students beginning in the fall 2018 semester. More than nine acres of land was approved by the Board to be acquired by the university. Located on Alabama Street west of Guadalupe Montessori School, the vacant land became available and was purchased from the St. Francis Newman Center Parish. There are no specific plans on the immediate use of the land. WNMU Vice President of Business Affairs Kelley Riddle presented the annual endowment report detailing areas in which the New Mexico...

A Career Fair at Western New Mexico University will be held on Nov. 30, 2017, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the third floor of the Student Memorial Building. “This is for the community and students. Employers can benefit from the opportunity to recruit students who are just embarking on their career paths, while students can explore businesses that may be a good fit for them after graduation,” said Vanessa Stroman, Career Services and Leadership Coordinator at the WNMU Center for Student Success. Area employers, as well as those based elsewhere, can now register to participate and meet with WNMU’s up and coming professionals. “Businesses may also want to start planning for our spring Career Fair on May 1, 2018,” Stroman said. The WNMU Center for Student Success encourages students to dress professionally and bring resumes to the Career Fair, where a photographer will offer to take professional portraits for use on LinkedIn. To reserve a booth, visit...

Learn more about Western New Mexico University at the In Your Community social event on Friday, Oct. 13, 2017, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Luna County Courthouse Park (700 S. Silver Ave.) in Deming, NM. Attendees can explore information booths, enjoy finger food from local restaurant Amigos, listen to music, and play interactive family games at this outdoor gathering, during which President Shepard will also give an address and take questions about WNMU news. Similar to WNMU’s annual Bash on Broadway, these regular In Your Community outreach events are to inform the public about the institution’s goals and achievements. “We hold these events so people can find out about the latest university happenings. We encourage families to come out and learn about Western but also meet with students and other local leaders,” organizer Faye McCalmont said. Departments and campus organizations that will be represented at Deming In Your Community include Adult Education and...

An opening reception for WNMU adjunct assistant art professor Paul Hotvedt’s new exhibit, “Landscapes,” at McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art will take place October 12, 2017, at 4:30 p.m. About 65 of Hotvedt’s paintings and drawings will hang through November 15, but the public can preview them at the free reception, where light refreshments will be served. Although Hotvedt paints primarily landscapes, the show will also feature a number of figurative paintings. The works range in size from 6-by-6 inches to 4-by-6 feet and feature scenes in New Mexico, Oregon, Kansas and Wisconsin. “Landscapes” comprises work Hotvedt has done over the last five years. “It’s a chance for me to, of course, show my paintings and drawings to people, but also from an artistic standpoint, see all the work in one place and make evaluations so I might get ideas about what direction to take future art,” he said. A painter for four decades, Hotvedt starts his pieces outside and...

GLAM week will be celebrated on the Western New Mexico University campus beginning October 9. This year’s theme, “Soy Yo: Be Who You Wanna Be,” explores the intersections of identity and social justice while honoring students’ sense of belonging at WNMU. Organized by the Student Coordinators at The Center for Gender Equity and Social Justice, GLAM week will include an activism lecture, PFLAG panel, a non-profit workshop and a drag show. Students will also be engaging people in dialog about identity and LGBTQ issues. All events are free and open to the public. GLAM week has been celebrated at WNMU since 2015 and is always held in conjunction with National Coming Out Day on October 11. “GLAM week is centered around creating awareness and building bridges for students who might want to explore various identities or want to know how to be allies,” said Dr. Emma Bailey, Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of The Center. At noon on Monday, October 9, The Center’s...

In the care of the Western New Mexico University Foundation, the new Eulalia Lewis Memorial Scholarship supports students in any area of art, whether undergraduate or graduate, part- or full-time, international or local students. Silver City community member Eugene Lewis created this expressive arts scholarship in memory of his wife, Eulalia Lewis, who passed earlier this year. Eugene committed to donating generously annually and also encourages others to contribute to Eulalia’s legacy. As art collectors, Eulalia and Eugene donated a Chase Webb painting that is meaningful to the university where Webb taught for 30 years and where the drama building and 125-seat theater carries Webb’s name today. Avid travelers all throughout life, Eulalia and Eugene became involved closer to home after relocating to Silver City from Kansas in 1991. They both volunteered at the Silver City Museum, and she participated in numerous other organizations. Eulalia discovered more about the...

Western New Mexico University students who are protected under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) will share their stories during a Celebrating DACA Forum on October 4, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. in Miller Library. A Hispanic Heritage Month event, the forum will feature three protected students who will talk about the political changes affecting their designation status. Panelists Stephanie Dayana Baez Mendez, Marco Ravelo and Grecia Rivas will also discuss their successes as people who grew up in the United States and are now involved on campus. Baez hails from Cananea, Sonora, México. An Applied Math major, she will soon graduate with a double minor in Chemistry and Spanish. “It is important to educate the community on what DACA is so that we may find ways to help students under the DACA program, and also so that they may be educated and see the facts about this issue,” she said. Born in Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico, Ravelo moved here from the small town of...