General News

Eastern Welcoming Twelve New Students from China
by Dr. Patrice Caldwell
Planning and Analysis

After six years of work, Eastern New Mexico University will say “Ni Hao!” (hello!) to 12 undergraduate Chinese students to campus this fall. Four students from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music have already arrived on campus, and eight students from Sichuan University arrive this week.

Taking classes in everything from vocal performance to electronics engineering technology, the new students from China have all studied English for several years, earning excellent TOFEL scores in English language proficiency. Most have asked to share a dorm room with an American student. All of them are friendly and outgoing and seem delighted to have the chance to make new friends and learn about a new culture.

The students would have never seen the high plains of New Mexico without the hard work of the World American Cultural Exchange (WACE). In fall 1999, Mr. Wukang Li and Ms. Mary Stewart of WACE contacted ENMU about partnering with Chinese universities to bring Chinese students to the United States for study.

WACE’s unique “1-2-1 program” allows Chinese students to complete their first college year in China before coming to the U.S. for two years of study. Students then return to China for their final year, earning a dual degree from their Chinese university and from ENMU.

One two occasions, WACE representatives accompanied ENMU staff members to China to meet with officials of Chinese universities to discuss the 1-2 Program and to align programs and courses. Plans to welcome Chinese students to ENMU came to an abrupt halt in fall of 2001 when tightened security limited the number of travelers entering the US. These visa limitations have gradually eased, and this summer, the students were successful in securing J-1 visas to come to ENMU.

In August, Professor Lily Zhang of the Sichuan Conservatory of Music visited the campus to confirm arrangements for four of her music students coming to ENMU. Later in September, three professors from Sichuan Conservatory will visit ENMU to check on their students and to visit with ENMU music faculty.

Meanwhile, the students from Sichuan Conservatory of Music look forward to eight more Chinese students joining them this week. Maybe for pizza!

For more information, call Fred Chilson 505.562.4698

Colombian Soccer Grad Assistant Comes to ENMU by Way of Canada
Story and photo by Helena Rodriguez
Communication Services

Harold Muñoz is Colombian by birth and speaks perfect Spanish, but he comes to ENMU by way of Canada. And he is passionate about soccer, or “futbol” as they call it in Mexico and Latin America.

You could say Muñoz is a very multicultural person, although he doesn’t necessarily see himself that way. He just knows he loves to play and watch soccer or “futbol,” no matter what language it’s being broadcasted in. That is what has brought this blue-eyed, 26-year-old to Eastern. Muñoz is a graduate assistant this fall. He is helping Carlos Elizondo coach ENMU’s newly formed men’s soccer team and is also working on a master’s degree in physical education.

Muñoz was born in Bogota, Colombia and then moved with his mom to Toronto, Canada, at age 9. Although Muñoz has been attending school in the United States for five years now, his vehicle still bears Canadian license plates. Prior to coming to Eastern, he went to school at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri, where he was midfielder and was an American Midwest Conference First Team player. He was then an assistant at Midland Lutheran College in Nebraska where he saw a posting on the Internet for the graduate assistantship at Eastern. His final decision on where to continue his career came down to Bemidji State University and Eastern.

“Soccer is what I like to do. Eventually, I would like to be a head men’s coach,” Muñoz said. “The next best thing to being a pro is being a coach. Being a professional soccer player is the ultimate dream, but it’s just a dream. I played semi-pro in Canada for the North York Astros, but unless you make it the whole way professionally, then you’ll starve if you are trying to make a living out of it.”

At Eastern, Muñoz sees his role as more than helping out with the soccer program. “If possible, I want to instill some passion for the sport. In Latin America, you read and watch soccer from a very young age and here you have all of these other sports like basketball, baseball and football to contend with. It’s a cultural thing because you’re basically what you were brought up with,” Muñoz explained. “I think that only with the next generation will they be a little more passionate about the sport as they will have parents of soccer backgrounds to raise them in the game. It is slowly starting to change.”

“If I ask anyone who Ricky Williams is, they will all probably know. But if I ask them who Ronaldo is, or which clubs he’s played at, a lot of people here won’t know. He’s the biggest soccer goal scorer of our time. He’s Brazilian,” Muñoz said.

But even in America, Muñoz said that soccer is attracting a diversity of players with a mix of cultures. “Where I went to school before, half of our team was from somewhere else. We had a lot of Europeans, South Americans and some Africans. Here at Eastern, we have about five or six guys who follow worldwide soccer and we have two players from El Paso, Texas, who grew up in Hispanic families that watched a lot of Mexican futbol.” Muñoz then added, “You have to watch soccer in order to develop a passion for it and get better at it. It’s also great to have these few players that follow the game world wide. It shows that the sport is growing here in America”

Muñoz said that watching soccer here can be a little difficult. His favorite teams to follow are the Colombian national team and Boca Juniors of Argentina. Boca Juniors is a team that has imported many Colombian players over the last decade. “Soccer is a world wide sport. You only have to look down the rosters of the most prominent teams and you will find players from all over the world” Muñoz stated. “Since you can’t get all of the games on TV here, I go on Yahoo Sports and watch some of them online. I can get most of my soccer news by reading Spanish and English magazines. I read ‘Diario Ole,” ‘The Guardian’ and ‘The Sun,’” he said.

For Muñoz, it’s all about “futbol,” and he plans to stick with the game. “I want to be 50 or 60 years old and still be lacing up my shoes to play,” He said. And he doesn’t plan to always watch soccer from the sidelines or on TV either. He hopes to graduate with his master’s from Eastern and then head to what he calls "the biggest sporting event on the planet," the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

WOW! Student Success Center Plans Open House, Giveaways on September 15
by Helena Rodriguez
Communication Services

The Student Success Center is rolling out the welcome wagon with ‘WOW!, a Wednesday of Welcome” slated for 10 a.m. to 4 pm. inside of The Alley on Wednesday, Sept. 15. The Alley is located in the basement of the Campus Union Building (CUB).

Wednesday of Welcome will be a fun-filled day designed to get new and returning students better acquainted with what The Center for Student Success, including Multicultural Affairs, Tutoring Services and Nontraditional Student Services, has to offer. A nontraditional student can be anyone from a young student with children to a person returning to college after having raised a family.

“We’re hoping to get freshmen in, but WOW! is geared toward everybody. I don’t think that campus-wide people know we’re here,” said Susan Larsen, a lecturer of special education and counseling. “More students could take more advantage of our services. We’re doing a bigger push this semester, advertising more in classes and with faculty to help students know about our free services.”

“We just want to help students start the semester on the right foot by coming down to meet the tutors and mentors, to see that they don’t have horns,” Larsen said.

At the event, students can pop a balloon to win a prize. There will also be refreshments, games, personality tests, silly strips for scholarships, a photo booth for students to take their photographs alone or with their friends and drawings for $50 in gift certificates. Informational packets on school and career services and resume writing tips will also be offered at the center and Multicultural Affairs will have information on offices and student organizations, including African American Affairs, Native American Affairs and Hispanic Affairs.

The Student Success Center is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. There are 18 tutors at the center to help students on a walk-in basis with a variety of subjects, including math, English, Spanish, science, psychology, business, history and even music.

For more information, call 562.2454.

(photo by Richard Salas)


ENMU One of Nine Universities Nationwide Selected to Participate in Institutional Project
by Dann Brown
Associate Professor of Agriculture

The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), partnered with the Ford Foundation, has selected Eastern New Mexico University as a pilot institution in its new Inclusive Excellence: Diversity, Inclusion, and Institutional Renewal project. This project has been designed to explore how colleges and universities can embed campus diversity in campus cultures and institutional structures so that diversity becomes a resource toward the achievement of academic excellence for all students.

Other participating institutions include Indiana University Purdue University – Indianapolis, Occidental College, Prince George’s Community College, Stanford University, State University of New York at Stony Brook, University of Akron, University of Louisville, and Wheaton College.

As defined by AAC&U, Inclusive Excellence draws upon decades of work to build more inclusive campus communities, new scholarship that has transformed disciplines, and extensive research on student learning. While access to higher education has increased dramatically over the past decades, troubling patterns of struggle and failure are emerging with respect to the success of under-represented minorities in colleges nationwide.

As the only Hispanic-serving institution selected for the Inclusive Excellence project, ENMU will provide leadership to the project reflecting its efforts toward increasing Hispanic student success on the main campus in Portales and branch campuses in Roswell and Ruidoso.

At campuses nationwide, diversity initiatives have existed often without coordination and integration. This Ford Foundation-funded initiative will explore disparities in achievement among under-represented groups in higher education and campus teams will undertake four primary objectives. First, each campus will work to embed diversity goals into institutional mission, structure, and practice. In addition, the nine universities will participate in AAC&U – sponsored forums aimed at institutionalizing campus diversity initiatives and sharing policies and practices which have been successful on their campuses. Finally, the nine partner campuses will pilot the application of preliminary resources developed within the Inclusive Excellence project as mechanisms for impacting campus inclusion efforts nationwide.

The selection process for this initiative involved an extensive review of campuses practices and curriculum. The nine campuses began work on the Inclusive Excellence project during an intensive five-day workshop in July which included presentations on campus efforts and plans for the project.

The ENMU team was led by Dr. K. Paul Jones, vice president for Academic Affairs and included Dr. Mary Ayala, assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and professor of Spanish, Dr. Suzanne Balch-Lindsay, director of Advising and associate professor of history, Steve Dixon, director of Title V Learning Communities, and Dr. Dann Brown, coordinator of Freshman Studies and associate professor of agriculture.

As the new academic year begins, the ENMU team will continue work on proposals to align institutional purposes, policies, structures and practices to encourage the engagement, inclusion, and high achievement of all students.

For more information, call Dann Brown at 505.562.2363.

ENMU Custodian Enjoys Writing Poetry; Dreams of Owning Shiny, Black Ferrari
Story and photo by Scarlet Smith
College of Fine Arts

John Montoya, custodian at the Campus Union Building, has been a familiar and personable face on the ENMU campus 1997. Before joining the ENMU team, Mr. Montoya worked as a cook, a bricklayer and National Guard reservist, while enjoying poetry writing on the side.

“Bricklaying was a good paying job and I never had to worry about the big bad wolf huffing and puffing my work down, but there just were no company benefits," says Mr. Montoya. "This position as a custodian with Eastern has
been very beneficial. The work is consistent, the pay is good for a single guy like me, and the benefits are great. I enjoy taking care of this old building; I feel like I know everything about her.”

Born in Las Vegas, N.M., Mr. Montoya is almost a native Portalesite, coming to Portales when he was nine months old. As an only child, Mr. Montoya was watched after by his mother, a housewife, and his many aunts and uncles, while his father supported the family as a laborer and mechanic.

As an adult, Mr. Montoya volunteered for the National Guard, but was spared going to Vietnam because of being an only child. He went to boot camp for six weeks at Ft. Dix, N.J., and honed his is cooking skills in the Army. He still enjoys cooking for family and friends. In 1984, he left the National Guard.

Mr. Montoya enjoys walking, biking and crafting Native American artifact reproductions, as well as dreaming of winning the lottery and owning a shiny black Ferrari.

“In the long run we all just have to do whatever it takes to get the job done, get along with everyone and keep dreaming,” Mr. Montoya says with a big smile.

'The Hemi Guy' Performing at Eastern
by Marc Schoder
Communication Services

Jon Reep, otherwise known as “The Hemi Guy,” will perform his standup comedy routine at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7, in Ground Zero in the Campus Union Building.

Reep is known to millions as the loveable redheaded redneck in the Dodge Ram commercials who leans out of a beat-up car and utters the now famous line: "That
thing gotta Hemi?" Reep has also been seen on CBS’s Star Search and NBC’s Late Night.

Before Reep hit it big, he was already one of the funniest comics in America, selling out clubs and getting standing ovations at college after college across the country.
His show is supersonic energy filled with non-stop characters, dead-on impressions, and super clever writing.

His show, sponsored by Student Activities and Organizations, is free and open to the public. For more information, call 562.2631.

ENMU Announces Two New Chairs
by Shelley Gilmore
Communication Services

Eastern New Mexico University welcomes two familiar faces as new department chairs this fall.

Dr. Lee Weyant, assistant professor of management and graduate coordinator, is the new department chair of Business Foundations. Dr. Weyant received his bachelor’s degree in education and secondary mathematics at Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Penn., his master’s in systems management from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, and a PH.D. in business administration and human resource management from Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

He replaces the departing Robert Sprague.

Dr. Donald Morris, associate professor of accounting, is serving as the interim chair of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Morris received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and a master’s in Taxation at De Paul University in Chicago Ill.

Dr. Morris, former owner and manager of a business tax, accounting and consulting firm, replaces previous chair Rosemary Bahr, associate professor of sociology.

Latin Fraternity Newest Organization on Campus
Story and photo by Helena Rodriguez
Communication Services

Lambda Theta, Phi, a Latin fraternity of political and social action, is the newest organization to the Eastern New Mexico University campus. A local chapter of the national Lambda Theta Phi fraternity has been granted temporary organizational status by the Office of Student Activities and Organizations.

The group, which currently has five members, is required to have at least eight members by spring of 2005 to gain permanent organizational status. After a failed attempt this past spring, however, Lambda Theta Phi president Diego Espinoza feels confident the group will meet its quota and gain permanent status. “I don’t see a problem with it. I think it will be a lot easier this fall, now that a new school year is starting, to recruit freshmen coming in and other students,” Espinoza said. The group held a membership drive during the Dawg Days for freshmen last week and also participated in the recent Hispanic Organizations Fair to encourage students to join the group.

Lambda Theta Phi is a national fraternity that promotes scholarship, Latin unity, respect for all cultures and brotherhood and is open to males of all ethnicities. A student at Kean College of New Jersey founded the organization in 1975 when he was concerned about the disunity among Latin students. Today, there are Lambda Theta Phi chapters in all major regions of the United States. Espinoza belonged to a Lambda Theta Phi chapter at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque before transferring to Eastern and initiating efforts to form a chapter here.

Diana Cordova, advisor for Lambda Theta Phi, said, “I am very excited to add another organization to Hispanic Affairs. Lambda Theta Phi will contribute to the Hispanic culture at ENMU. The main mission is to value education, cherish their heritage and promote unity.”

Lambda Theta Phi plans to do volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity and help with the upcoming Diez y Seis de Septiembre fiestas on campus during Hispanic Heritage Month in September. Espinoza said that a main project the group plans to host this fall is a political discussion forum with Latino politicians on the local and state level. He said the group will also be active with voter registration for the November elections. He said,“Hispanics could be a huge swing vote if everybody would get out and vote. We hope that the discussions will make the Latino community here feel more informed and confident. We’re here to make our community stronger and to work with everybody.”

For more information on Lambda Theta Phi, contact Espinoza at 505.980.7510 or Cordova at 562.4914.

Prof Has Difficult Job of Identifying Insect Collection

Editor's Note: General Obligation Bond Proposition "B" in the New Mexico November General Election would provide $7 million for Eastern to build a new science building. Dr. Darren Pollock, assistant professor of biology, is just one of many Eastern scientists who would benefit by having improved facilities in which to conduct their research. Early voting begins Oct. 5.

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The Natural History Museum Collection at Eastern New Mexico University has around 60,000 insects, in addition to thousands of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Dr. Darren Pollock, assistant professor of biology, is the curator of invertebrates (animals without backbones, the major part of which are the insects), and has the difficult job of identifying and organizing the insect collection.

Recently, ENMU, along with several other institutions in New Mexico, was the recipient of a part of an EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) grant, funded by the National Science Foundation. A major goal of this project in New Mexico is to make data associated with natural history collections available electronically to interested users over the internet.

Dr. Pollock has been working on entering the insect data into a database that will be put on the Internet and be available worldwide as part of this EPSCoR project. The only problem is only about ten percent have been identified to species

Since Dr. Pollock arrived at ENMU in the fall of 2001, he has sent out about 10,000 specimens to colleagues for identification, and the data for about 18,000 specimens have been entered into the database.

"I basically started from scratch; I have to have all the insects identified before we can put their data in the database," Dr. Pollock said. "The process of identifying all of the species will take years."

During his career as a systematic entomologist, Dr. Pollock has named quite a few genera and species himself and is currently working on several projects that will involve coming up with names to describe species never before known to science. "It happens a lot in the beetle area," Dr. Pollock said. "There is a great backlog of new species that need scientific names and descriptions."

Dr. Pollock, originally from Winnipeg, Canada, received his 1994 Ph.D. from the University of Alberta. He has also traveled many places before ending up at ENMU, including Montana, Pennsylvania, then back home to Winnipeg. He was in Amarillo for a year and a half before making his way to ENMU in 2001.

ENMU-Roswell Recognizes Top Employees
Story and photo by by Donna Gutierrez
ENMU-Roswell

A number of ENMU-Roswell employees were recognized during the fall faculty and staff in-service meeting held Aug. 27 on campus, celebrating the 47th year of instruction. Bob Bowman, dean of Student Services, reported that enrollment at the end of regular fall registration totaled 3,360 which is a 13 percent increase over the same period last fall.

As of Aug. 30, enrollment continued to grow to 3,403, up from 3,165 at the same time last year. The FTE is also up as of Aug. 30 to 2,191, compared to 2,052 in fall of 2003. Bowman said enrollment in online courses is also at a new high with 2,480 slots filled in 97 online classes. Bowman also reported that the ENMU-Roswell Web site for distance education has received hits from all over the world, including Mexico, France, Australia, and Egypt.

Dr. Steven Gamble, ENMU president, commended staff and faculty for their accomplishments over the past year, saying he sees progress on every front. "You find opportunities and take advantage of them and I admire you for that. I can’t identify another two-year institution that is doing more to meet its mission in the state than ENMU-Roswell," he said.

Dr. Judy Armstrong, provost, highlighted the three main campus goals: Superior Student Learning, Community Development, and Responsible Stewardship. She thanked the staff for their work in bringing in new programs, increasing enrollment, and for the support of the CAPS (College Access Program Scholarships), which she hopes will expand to other elementary schools in Chaves County.

Dr. Gamble and Dr. Armstrong presented the 2004 "Spirit of Eastern" awards to six ENMU-Roswell employees. The award program recognizes personnel whose performance exemplifies those qualities that make Eastern unique: teaching/learning, campus community spirit, hard work, care about the institution, whole student life commitment, and demonstrated track record in their position. Two faculty members, two support staff employees and two professional employees received the awards. They are: Jerry DeLosh, Aviation Maintenance Technology instructor; Mike Buldra, Emergency Medical Services instructor and director; Robert Gonzalez, Groundskeeper; Laura Juarez, Accounting Clerk; Peter Stover, Student Housing director; and Frank Gonzalez, Student Union director. Each received a plaque, a pin, and a check for $500.

Spirit of Eastern Awards, left to right: Dr. Gamble; Laura Juarez, Accounting Clerk; S. Frank Gonzalez, Student Union Director; Peter Stover, Student Housing Director; Mike Buldra, Emergency Medical Services Instructor and Director; Jerry DeLosh, Aviation Maintenance Technology Instructor; Dr. Judy Armstrong. Not pictured: Robert Gonzalez, Groundskeeper.

Dr. Armstrong also presented certificates and pins to a number of employees in recognition of their years of service. They are:

Five years: Linda McClure-Abell,Coordinator of Artesia Instruction; Darryl Ward, Physical Plant director; Kathryn Cox, Executive Assistant, Provost; Frank Ramirez, Groundskeeper; Jacqueline Shaw, Job Developer, New Mexico Works Program; Susan Bellomo, Instruction Technology Specialist; Veronica Macias, Department Secretary, Special Services; Jane Batson, Chairperson, Health Division; Barbara Dockal, Admissions Assistant; Lloyd Hamilton, Delivery/Facilities Technician; Annie Gutierrez, Site Coordinator, New Mexico Works Program; Yvette Moya, Salad Prep, Food Services; Jennifer Bower, Art instructor; Kay Holcomb, Business Education instructor; John Howard, Title V Cooperative Activity director and Web Curriculum coordinator; and Lori Lopez, Payroll Supervisor

Ten years: Rudy Ortega,Custodian; Donna Gutierrez, Community Relations director; and Cherryl Kilness, Associate Dean of Instructional Support and Chairperson of Developmental Studies

Fifteen years: Tillman Crocker, Computer Services director

Twenty-five years: J. Mike Juliana. Electronics/Computer Technology instructor

Thirty years: Jerry DeLosh, Aviation Maintenance Technology instructor

Graduates of the Leadership ENMU-Roswell class were also recognized for their participation and received framed certificates. In 16 sessions throughout the school year, participants learn about the operations of every department and office on campus and receive leadership training. The 2003-2004 graduates are: Griselda Aubert, Admissions Assistant, VA Certifying Official; Roseanne Edmonston, Human Resources Clerk; Isidro Gonzalez, Spanish instructor; Jessie Hall, Financial Aid director; Dina Jenks, Recruiter, Career/Technical Education; Bill Kuehl, Criminal Justice instructor; Betsy McClinton, EOC Program Specialist/Recruiter; Candi Miller, Nursing instructor; Lily Quezada, Student Records Clerk; Angela Spreacker, Independent Living instructor; Veronica Macias, Department Secretary, Special Services; David Houston, Administrative Secretary, Administrative Services; and Stephanie Mainello-DeLara, Educational Sign Language Interpreter.

Read the September Issue of ENMU-Roswell's Monthly Newsletter, The Grapevine – [read]

Special Thank You

We would like to thank Bobby Brunsen and the ENMU Campus Bookstore for lending us the graduation gowns and accessories for our photos; we've already used these photos in several ads and publications. Thanks so much for your support — we appreciate you! – Communication Services

I would like to thank publicly Vicky Medley, Susan Larsen, Mary Watson, and Judy Privett for reviewing the new TRIO Student Support Services grant that I worked on all summer. When writing a grant for several million dollars, it's nice to have nitpickers and grammar experts on your team. TRIO Student Support Services on Eastern's campus is known as the College Success Program. – Nico Cameron

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

Don't Forget

To check out the "Know What's Going On" fall 2004 calender put together by Student Activities and Organizations to keep up with all the free events happening on campus. To get your copy, call ext. 2631.

Quote of the Week

"You youngsters need to take it easy on our aging faculty." – High-ranking administrator to Monday Memo editor after Doc Elder and John Kirby recently had to take trips to the hospital to get stitches as a result of noon-time basketball action

Employee Brief

Dr. Tracy Carr, assistant professor of music, has been invited to present a lecture-recital at the Hawaii International Arts and Humanities Conference. The lecture-recital titled, "A Comparative and Contrastive Look at the Saint Saens and Poulenc Oboe Sonatas," is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2005.

Dr. Newton Hilliard, assistant professor of chemistry, has been notified that the manuscript entitled "A High-contrast Fixative for Ferricyanide Reducing Zymograms" has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Electrophoresis.

Dustin Seifert, instructor of music, will be profiled in the 2005 edition of Who's Who in America, which will be available in October.

Dr. John Humphreys, associate professor of management, has published an executive interview in the Journal of Management Inquiry. “Customer Expectations: Herman Morris, Jr. on Customer Satisfaction and Organizational Diversity” appears in the September 2004 issue. Herman Morris Jr. is the CEO of Memphis Light Gas & Water, the largest three-service utility in America.

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College of Business Ice Cream Social (photos by Marc Schoder)

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