General News

ENMU to Present the Harrington String Quartet on Saturday, April 3
by Scarlet Smith
Communication Services

The Harrington String Quartet will appear at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 3, in Buchanan Hall of the Music Building on the Portales campus of Eastern New Mexico University. Tickets can be purchased at Valley Furniture in Portales or in Clovis at McDaniel's Home Furnishings. Tickets can also be purchased at the door. Prices are: adults $10, students with ID’s $5, and children under 12 free.

All proceeds go directly to scholarships for vocal and instrumental music students. “As a thank you for your generous donation, you will have a wonderful music experience,” said Patrice Caldwell, president of the University Friends of Music. This community-based organization co-sponsors this event with ENMU's Department of Music.

The Harrington String Quartet, in its 22nd year of performance, is named after the West Texas family that generously endowed the quartet. Members of the Quartet are all faculty members at West Texas A & M University and are principle players for the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra. They are Annie Chalex, first violin; Keith Redpath, second violinist; Joanna Mendoza, viola; and Emmanuel Lopez, cellist.

The quartet has performed across the United States, collecting rave reviews. The Dallas Morning News hails them for “consistently bold, suave performances.” Concert goers have a special treat in store when ENMU's Dr. Tamara Raatz on clarinet joins the Harrington String Quartet for Mozart's Clarinet Quintet.

“This will be the quintessential expression of chamber music--beautiful selections and talented performers," said Caldwell. "After the concert, the audience is invited to join the musicians for cake and punch and conversation. We hope many of our guests will stay to speak personally with these wonderfully talented musicians," added Caldwell.

For more information, contact ENMU's Department of Music at 505.562.2377.

ENMU Signs Agreement to Offer Education Master’s Degrees in Lea County
by Wendel Sloan
Communication Services

Eastern New Mexico University recently signed a five-year agreement with school superintendents in Lea County for ENMU to offer courses in Hobbs leading to a master’s degree in education. Representatives from ENMU, including ENMU president Dr. Steven Gamble, Academic Affairs vice president K. Paul Jones, and College of Business dean Dr. Gerry Huybregts, and Lea County superintendents Stan Rounds of Hobbs, T. J. Parks of Tatum, Rick Ferguson of Jal, Jimmy Derrick of Lovington, Toni Trujillo of Eunice, and Dr. Steve McCleery, president of New Mexico Junior College, were at the signing ceremony at the Regional Education Cooperative Building in Hobbs.

	(bottom) Stan Rounds, Dr. Steven Gamble; (top) Rick Ferguson, Dr. Steve McCleery, Toni Trujillo and T.J. Parks. Also signing the agreement but not pictured was superintendent Jimmy Derrick of Lovington. (photo by Starla Jones)

The agreement will expand educational opportunities for school teachers in Lea County, particularly for those desiring to work on a master’s degree in education.
“We are very excited about this agreement,” said President Gamble. “The superintendents are committed to helping all of their teachers obtain master’s degrees and other professional development opportunities. We are pleased that they have invited us to offer programming which will enhance their teachers’ professional credentials.”

New Mexico Junior College and Hobbs Municipal Schools will provide ENMU with classrooms for course experiences designed particularly for the needs of public school teachers. These will lead toward a master’s of education degree in mutually agreed upon majors/emphases. ENMU will deliver the courses through a combination of ENMU professors being on-site in Hobbs, as well as over the Internet and through instructional TV to several sites. All degree requirements can be completed without leaving the Hobbs area.

Hobbs Municipal Schools will also work collaboratively with ENMU to develop an Institute to be offered each summer in Hobbs. The Institute will allow public school teachers to enhance their teaching credentials, including being able to teach advanced placement courses for high school students to earn college credit, as well as expand the teachers’ professional growth opportunities.

ENMU personnel will be available in Hobbs on a regular schedule to advise teachers regarding admission requirements, degree requirements for beginners and transfers from other colleges, and to develop individual degree plans.

For more information, call ENMU’s College of Education and Technology at 505.562.2443, or e-mail steven.russell@enmu.edu.

Financial Aid Specialist Says That All Students Are Unique
(jury still out on faculty/staff)
by Marc Schoder
Communication Services

Working with financial aid at any university can be any student’s worst nightmare. But Doris Anaya, Financial Aid Specialist at Eastern, helps students daily with sorting through all the red tape.

	(photo by Jill Butler)

“I don’t consider any of our students average; everyone is unique. We all have different needs,” says Doris. “My job benefits the students by helping them understand first and foremost how the financial aid process works. This involves eligibility for the federal and state grants, student loans or scholarships so that students understand the basics of financial aid.”

Doris did not get her start in financial aid when she came to ENMU 17 years ago. “I started in Alumni Affairs as a data clerk, maintaining the alumni database, which use to be apart of the Information Center,” she says.

At first, Doris worked part-time, spending the other half of her time getting her education. “I am fortunate that I have worked with the university all of these years because I utilized the tuition waiver that is available to ENMU employees,” she adds. [more]

Multicultural Affairs Director from Spain Comments on Recent Terrorist Attack in Her Home Country
Story and photo by Helena Rodriguez
Communication Services

Diana Cordova has a black bow pinned to a flag of Spain inside of her office in Multicultural Affairs, located in the basement of the Campus Union Building at Eastern New Mexico University.

For Diana, the black bow is a constant reminder to the deadly act of terrorism committed against her native country on March 11, when terrorists bombed four inter-city trains in Madrid, killing at least 200.

Diana was at her home in Clovis, running on a treadmill at 5 a.m. the morning of March 11, when she saw the headlines flashing across the TV screen. “I was completely shocked, once I came to my senses,” said Diana. “The first thing I did was call my family in Madrid. I was able to get through right away. The explosion was not near my family, but the scary thing for me at first is when I heard on the news that it was close to train stations. I didn’t know which train station and they have them all over town.”

Diana was born, raised and educated in Spain. She came to the United States with her husband in 1994 and maintains dual citizenship in both the U.S. and Spain.

Although she was shaken by the terrorist attack, she said that it will not keep her from returning to her motherland to visit in July. During her previous visits to Spain, Diana said security was pretty tight in the airports but not the train stations. She is sure she will see much tighter security there now, as well as in other places.

Like many news stories have speculated, Diana also feels the attack was due to Spain’s support of the U.S. war in Iraq and feels it is unfortunate that the attack appears to have influenced the recent election in Spain. “Now the socialists are in power. The Popular Party had done a marvelous job for eight years lifting Spain up,” she said sadly. Diana also feels that a lot of people who would normally not have voted during an election were inspired to vote after the March 11 attack, resulting in a higher turnout than ever.

When news of the attacks in Spain got out, Diana said she received many telephone calls from concerned people who know she is from Spain. “I feel like I am at home when I am away from home. The people here have become like my family,” she said.

Diana has a strong message for the people who carried out this terrible act in Spain. “I hope this hideous and traumatic attack will draw Western nations closer together and that they reorganize themselves to go after all the terrorist organizations. I believe terror groups are a threat to ALL civilized nations.”

Diana hopes to retire someday in Spain. Her parents are retired and spend part of their time in Madrid and part of their time in the Canary Islands.

Diana has worked at Eastern for four-and-a-half-years, and the last two-and-a-half as the director of Multicultural Affairs. She plans to complete a master’s degree in education by next May and then hopes to get a Ph.D. and eventually teach modern languages.

Blindness Does Not Prevent ENMU-Roswell Student, 53, from Reaching His Goals
Story and photo by Donna Gutierrez
ENMU-Roswell

Despite his blindness, Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell student Zeferino Jimenez doesn’t let anything get in the way of his goals – whether competing in a bench press competition or continuing his education.

Jimenez recently took third place in ENMU-Roswell’s Fifth Annual Bench Press Competition, lifting .97 percent of his body weight at 175 pounds. At 53, Jimenez competed against other weight-lifters from Ruidoso, Artesia, Hobbs and Texas. According to Eva Watley, Intramurals supervisor at ENMU-Roswell, Jimenez was the "crowd favorite" and had the most support during the competition.

Jimenez said he has felt that same type of support in the classroom and on campus ever since he came to ENMU-Roswell in 2000 to earn his GED. He then began taking college courses, studying electronics/computer technology. He will receive his associate of applied science degree on May 6. He is looking forward to celebrating his graduation day with his wife, Victoria, and his three children, Enrique, Adriana, and Raul, who are all college students in Denver.

Jimenez said he has met other people with disabilities who like to complain, but he decided not to let his visual handicap stop him from accomplishing what he wanted. “People with disabilities should get more involved. They can do anything, but they have to want to do it,” he said. “You should not limit yourself in reaching your goals. Some people have a lot of excuses and say they can’t do something, but those are only excuses.

He had never touched a computer before he came to ENMU-Roswell. Now, Jimenez is building a new computer at home in his spare time. He ordered the parts from a catalog.

After graduation, Jimenez would like to find a job in Roswell. If not, he plans to move to Denver to attend another school which specializes in training the blind on computers.

Jimenez said he is especially grateful to his instructors, Buddy Brown and Mike Juliana, to Linda Green, Special Services director, and to Dr. Donald Burleson, Developmental Studies Lab Program director. He also misses Dr. Henry Monteith, who retired last year from teaching and was also his weight-lifting partner. “No pain, no gain,” is one of his mottos now. His favorite sports teams are the Cowboys, the Lakers, and the Dodgers.

Jimenez works out in the P.E. Center every day. Frank Gonzalez, Student Union/Activities manager, said he is a welcome visitor. “For anyone who sees him, he is an inspiration,” Gonzalez said. “He comes in and uses the weight room and the treadmill and never asks for help. He is an example to others to never let a handicap keep you down.”

Drugstore Cowboys Have Chance to Ride Mechanical Bull at Spring Fling 2004
Story and photos by Scarlet Smith
Communication Services

Eastern New Mexico University’s Office of Student Activities and Organizations is hosting Spring Fling 2004 Fiesta Style, March 30-April 3. Admission is free and the public is invited to all events.

Events will include: Mechanical Bull Ride, March 30 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Campus Union lobby; Comedian Eric Nieves, March 30 at 8 p.m. in the Campus Union Building, Ground Zero; and Music Madness, March 31 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Union Ballroom, featuring five of Portales’ local bands to be judged by Sweet James from Los Angeles. There will also be a 5K fun run/walk April 3 at 10 a.m. at the Greyhound Arena.

Everyone is especially invited to ride the mechanical bull. Comedian Eric Nieves, a Bronx native, is known for using reality-based humor with an upbeat delivery, according to Will Kayatin, director of Student Activities and Organizations.

Music Madness begins with a headliner performance by Sweet James, a Los Angeles-based group with four distinct personalities creating a powerful blend of style, energy and skill, with a splash of sex appeal, according to their Web site. Brett Flores, lead guitar and vocals says, “We want to express something with music and express something with lyrics, something meaningful and we have to be able to highlight the different parts.”

Sweet James is athletic, bright, funny and electric with a distinct blend of music poetry, sound and rhythm, according to their site. They will also judge five area bands: Social Blind Spot (with Shem Peachy on guitar, pictured right); the Marshall Lane band; Serene; What So Ever; and Kuame, an ENMU rap artist. Money will be award to the top three bands: 1st place $500, 2nd place $300 and 3rd place $150.

The weekend ends with a Spring Fling 5Kfun run/walk. The race begins at 10 a.m. Participants can pick up their race packet starting at 9 a.m. in front of Greyhound Arena on the North side. Packets will include race number, T-Shirt (limited to 50) and course map. PowerAde and water will be provided along with snacks.

Awards will be given in the following categories: overall winner; in six community age groups; ENMU faculty/staff department with the most participating members; ENMU student organization with the most participating members; and most original runner/walker in costume (the theme for Spring Fling is “Fiesta Style”).

For more information, contact Shannon Osborne at 505.562.2242 or Matt Gordillo at 505.562.2976.


Former District Attorney Will Speak to Student Criminal Justice Association
by Scarlet Smith
Communication Services

Eastern New Mexico University has invited Randall Harris, former District Attorney, to speak at the Lambda Alpha Epsilon-Delta Mu meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 30 in the College of Business on the Portales campus. Admission is free and the public is invited.

According to ENMU student and Lambda Alpha Epsilon-Delta Mu president Kayla Stevens, this is a national organization in the American Criminal Justice Association. It gives student and professional members, along with retirees in the justice field, the opportunity to network with one another.

Mr. Harris said, “It is important that the members come together for critical thinking, leadership and the opportunity to prepare for the workplace.”

Mr. Harris earned his B.A. degree from ENMU in 1983 and his J.D. from University of Tulsa College of Law in 1988. He has tried more than 150 felony jury trials. He specialized in family violence, child physical and sexual abuse, and homicide. In 2002 Mr. Harris went into private practice in Clovis and is currently the lead prosecutor on a case involving a retired state policeman accused of killing his wife in 1995.

“Mr. Harris has always been very supportive of the criminal justice program at Eastern. We are looking forward to him speaking with us,” said Dr. Melissa Blevins, associate professor of criminal justice. “He will talk about the importance of belonging to any professional organization in order to help young professionals fulfill their career goals.”

The program coordinator is Dwan Martinez, an ENMU criminal justice student and Miss Native American ENMU.

For more information, call 505.562.2232.

Custodian's Upbeat Greetings Lifts Employees' Spirits
Story and photo by Scarlet Smith
Communication Services

J. R. "Josh" Burdine, Physical Plant custodian, is known across campus for his cheerful and upbeat greetings. He is less known for his many talents and hobbies.

When not burning the ENMU midnight oil – looking like a Ghostbuster with his backpack vacuum cannister – he enjoys golfing and fishing. In sports, he "enjoys" watching his favorite team – the Bengals – lose football games. He's also a big fan of jazz artist George Benson. His taste in reading leans toward non-fiction – especially good biographies.

Born in Portales in 1949, Josh spent many years in the California area. "The golf courses in California, such as Pebble Beach, are better, but I still call Portales home and have no desire to leave," he says. Josh became part of the ENMU staff in 2001 after moving to Portales to care for his ailing parents. He also has a daughter in California who graduated from the University of California – Santa Barbara.

Jennifer Poyer, ENMU Webmaster, says, "Josh is so kind and considerate. He always brings a smile to our faces in the Communication Services office. My son, Malkolm, really adores him; everytime he sees Josh, Malkolm gets so excited, and many times we will seek him out to yell a greeting down the hall. I really appreciate the job Josh does for us – especially since a three-year-old usually comes with lots of crumbs. Josh always goes the extra mile to help me with that."

When asked the Barbara Walters' question of what kind of tree he would be, Josh answers thoughtfully, "I would be a willow. It bends in the wind and goes with the flow."

When asked what political party he prefers, Josh's response would do the most seasoned politician proud: "I go with what I feel is necessary. As long as the political party serves me and my fellow countrymen, I do not feel any loyalty to either party."

Before coming to Eastern, Josh was an air traffic control operator. He also spent 24 years as a general restaurant manager, and has also been a beautician. "I like the different jobs that I have had," he says. "They all have brought me different experiences in life."

Wanda Newberry, graphic designer in Communication Services, thinks Josh is missing a golden opportunity by not combining his current job with his beautician experience. "He could cut my hair, then use his Ghostbusters' vacuum to scare my locks up off the floor." Wanda adds, "I've never seen Josh in a bad mood. No matter how tired he or we may be, he always picks up our spirits with his upbeat greetings."

ENMU Grad Graduated from Partying Before Getting Degree from ENMU-Portales, Then Finding Job at ENMU-Roswell
by Tracy Chavez
Communication Services

When James Mares graduated from Goddard High School in Roswell, he and his buddies went looking for a party.

He accepted a scholarship from New Mexico State University, but didn't stay long. "I went but I didn't like it," he said. "So I came back home."

James said he was a small-town boy and couldn't adjust to the big city life. Living in his hometown again, he took classes part-time at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell. He said after dilly-dallying for some time, he decided to go back to school full time.

"I always knew about Eastern," he said. "But I was too busy sipping my beer mug."

He knew a school of 26,000 students wasn't for him and wanted the smaller classes ENMU had to offer. "With that many students it's hard to be anything but a number," he said. "At Eastern after some time you get to know everybody."

James enjoyed getting to know his professors on a personal level and having 20 to a class, rather than 300. He said at Eastern he was comfortable and found himself a group of friends by joining the Kappa Sigma fraternity and staying involved with the College of Business. He was also a member of the Student Senate.

"Eastern is a place where you can find yourself and be successful. You're not pressured to fit in," he said. [more]
(photo by Wendel Sloan)

ENMU Varsity Athletes Receive Academic Honors
A number of Eastern's varsity athletes have been honored for their academic prowess. Find out the details in a news release from Sports Information Director Robert McKinney. Click [here].

Read April Issue of ENMU-Roswell's Monthly Newsletter, The Grapevine
Click [here]

Special Thank You

A special thank you to the Office of Multicultural Affairs for the tremendous amount of work put into organizing last night's International Banquet.

If you would like to publicize a special thank you to someone, e-mail information to monday.memo@enmu.edu.

Don't Forget

To turn in Spirit of Eastern nomination forms by April 2.

Employee Briefs

Dr. Julia Rosa Lòpez-Emslie, professor of bilingual education, has been named one of the 20 winners of the 19th Annual Governor's Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women. Lòpez-Emslie was honored for her innovation and commitment to the Bilingual Education Student Organization and other numerous multi-cultural programs, such as the Escalera al Exito (Career Ladder Program) and the Southern New Mexico Consortium for Bilingual Education. Dr. Lòpez-Emslie has worked at ENMU for 23 years. During this time at ENMU, she has developed a four-course program to teach bilingual education to public school teachers. She also served as executive director of a 30-minute documentary titled, “Planting Seeds of Success Through Language,” which portrays students learning English and Spanish at the Dolores Gonzales Elementary School in Albuquerque. Lòpez-Emslie has announced her retirement for later this year.

Dr. Mark Dal Porto, assistant professor of music, will have his original composition Galactica recorded by the Kiev Philharmonic in May. Dal Porto’s work (along with four others) was selected from over 300 submissions worldwide as part of a Call for Scores sponsored by ERMMedia. According to ERMMedia, “‘Masterworks of the New Era’ is a fantastic recording project that showcases the music of the next Bach, Beethoven & Brahms.” Galactica will be part of volume 4 of a series involving “a twelve CD recording project using the very best orchestras, soloists, producers and conductors to record the music of the next generation of great writers.” This volume will also include the making of a documentary film highlighting the featured composers and recording sessions. The CD will be released for commercial distribution in June.

Dr. Donald Elder III, professor and chair of the Department of History and Humanities at Eastern, spoke March 23, at Plainview Christian Academy in Plainview, Texas, to Ms. Sarah Hanoch’s history classes about the origins of World War I.

Helena Rodriguez was awarded a third place award for humorous columns at the Panhandle Press Association's annual awards banquet in Amarillo, Texas, on
Saturday. Rodriguez is a graduate student in English at ENMU and works in Communication Services. She has written a weekly column for Freedom Newspapers
of New Mexico since June. The column runs every Friday in the Portales News-Tribune. In 2002, she was also awarded a third place Lone Star Award from
the Houston Press Club for a column she wrote while working for the Abilene Reporter-News in Abilene, Texas.

Candid Camera

Welcome Back (photo by Wendel Sloan)

Paintings Took a Trip – The "Science" painting above is part of a twin set dated from 1936. The artist is Raymond Jonson. They are oil on canvas. "Science" is hung in the Administration Building and "Art" in the Golden Library conference room. The paintings were taken for restoration in January of 2003 to Untitled Art Services in Albuquerque in collaboration with the National New Deal Preservation Association in Santa Fe. The paintings have traveled over the past year to Culver City, Calif., where conservators at ConservArt Associates, Inc. restored the paintings, and they were returned to Eastern in February of 2004. These painting were part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program designed to stimulate the economy during the Depression. The New Deal bolstered and resuscitated the arts in a program called Works Progress Administration (WPA). Eastern New Mexico University was the recipient of these two paintings by Raymond Jonson, as well as the mural in the Administration Building painted by Lloyd Moylan. Both were New Mexico artists. (information provided by Deborah Bentley)

Scenes from Last Night's 'Sharing Cultural Diversity' International Banquet (photos by Wendel Sloan)

Dedicated to the Memory of Monica Martinez – Last night's (Monday, March 29) International Banquet in the Campus Union Ballroom was dedicated to the memory of Monica Martinez, a sophomore theatre major and member of ENMU's Ballet Folklorico who was killed on Monday morning in a car accident in Amherst, near Littlefield, Texas. Monica, from Tomball, Texas, was represented during the dance with a small photograph on top of her bandana in the middle of the stage.

Eastern Idol (photo by Richard Salas)

A True Rose – Sabrina Gonzalez, a Clovis resident and junior family and consumer sciences major at Eastern New Mexico University, won the recent "Eastern Idol" contest in the Campus Union Ballroom. Ms. Gonzalez won the top prize of $100 among 15 entrants in the contest, sponsored by Eastern's student-run KZIA radio. She sang "The Rose," followed by a medley.

Women with Hats (photo by Wendel Sloan)

Practice for Future Career – After getting their mid-term grades, these two Eastern students figured they'd better have a back-up career plan so they have been polishing their Vaudeville routine. They are expected to be a big hit on at least one special occasion each year.

Please don't forget to read the "Announcements" by clicking on them at the top of this page.

The Monday Memo is published by the Office of Communication Services Editor Wendel Sloan Monday.memo@enmu.edu 505.562.2253 Staff Writers Scarlet Smith Marc Schoder Helena Rodriguez Staff Photographer Richard Salas Jill Butler ENMU-Roswell Contributing Editor Donna Gutierrez ENMU-Ruidoso Contributing Editor Jim Miller Technical Support ENMU Web Team