by Robin Haislett
Communication Services

“By the time students leave here, they know as much as people working in TV for 10 years.” – Lonzo Lassiter

Eastern New Mexico University welcomed new faculty member Lonzo Lassiter to the communicative arts and sciences department this fall. Though he is a new instructor, he is not new to campus.

After returning to school at Clovis Community College, he enrolled in his first communications course where he fell in love with the discipline. He completed his undergraduate degree at ENMU when he discovered the broadcast program. “I knew I wanted to do audio and ENMU’s broadcast program lets you get hands-on experience right away,” says the avid potter. “By the time students leave here, they know as much as people working in TV for 10 years.”

The atmosphere is what kept Lassiter at ENMU through his undergraduate and master’s degrees. Especially being a non-traditional student, Lassiter expected to be treated differently. That was not the case. “The instructors treated me like any other student and made me feel welcome,” says the father of a daughter, grandfather of three girls and one great-granddaughter. “This is such a warm and welcoming place to be.”

Looking back, the winner for sound design for the performance “The Last of the Formicans” at a national competition is very pleased with how his career and life have turned out. While working in construction, Lassiter knew he wanted to work with musicians and sound when he hung out a with musicians at KTQM Radio and in the Norman Petty Studio in Clovis. His love of music lead him to audio production and broadcast and, now, teaching at a university. “I didn’t know how much I liked teaching until I started doing it, but this is what I was looking for,” says Lassiter.

He began his first master’s courses in his last undergraduate semester because of the need for a graduate assistant for Dr. Stascheff who was advisor to the radio program at the time. According to the TV production instructor, “I took 24 hours that last semester and I lived here.”

In his time as an instructor, the hardware and software manager for the College of Fine Arts says that his greatest joy is watching his students embrace the content of a course. “It’s so rewarding to see how quickly they can go from being intimidated by the flashing lights on the board and not understanding, to being good directors and having good technical knowledge,” says Lassiter. “It’s easy to see the ones who really apply themselves.”

The former adjunct faculty member worked for KENW and communicative arts and sciences before accepting the full-time position within the department. Though he no longer works for KENW as an employee but on special projects, he has very fond memories of his time there.

“When the BRAC Commission [Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission] came to Cannon, KENW’s broadcast was being fed to CSPAN and CNN live,” says the former motorcycle enthusiast. “No one besides KENW was allowed on stage to record and I was downstage with the governors picking out the speakers.” Lassiter found his moment in the spotlight when one of the other cameramen caught Lassiter on his live feed while scanning the audience.

“It was an amazing event,” says the former possessor of a three-hand-length beard. “We had Paul [Hunton] up in a fire truck which Orlando [Ortega] arranged to shoot from and you could see Prince Street just fill with more and more people to support Cannon.”

Another tidbit about Lassiter is his proficiency in Spanish. He attended the summer immersion experience in Mexico with Dr. Mary Ayala and other students. His memories of visiting Merida, Cozumel and other locations are topics he’ll gladly share with anyone who asks. From swimming in caves, renting out a condo for a three-day weekend at Playa Azul in Cozumel with his classmates and taking pictures on the beach while a hurricane approached, Lassiter is not short of stories.

The family-oriented instructor is happy to be a full-time part of the ENMU community. “I met Dr. Gamble my first semester here and he’s never forgotten my name. The administration make you feel like you’re a part of something bigger and you’re important to them.”