Transfer Process at UNM

I recently transferred to UNM, Fall 09. I have attended four colleges within the last decade, partly due to past service in the Marine Corps that kept me on the move. I must admit that the transfer system at UNM goes above and beyond itself to make life difficult and unfair for transfer students. No other university has come close to UNM in denying legitimate transfer credits, and taking such an unreasonably long time to do so. I was unpleasanly surprised to move back to my home-city of Albuquerque to find such an unpleasant mess.

You may think, as the transfer advisors I spoke to at UNM before being accepted at the university, that such simple classes as General Biology I, II, and Microbiology would easily be accepted at UNM as identical classes; all are nationally accredited universities. I was surprised to find, however, that due to red-tape beyond my control, such easy solutions do not exist.

After taking an incredibly long time to evaluate my transfer credits, around six months, the university denied such course equivalencies as the classes previously mentioned. While some of these classes were taken as electives, or even other classes that do not match with what I have taken, having 110 credits but still being two-years away from graduation does not really help. I can only hope that the transfer process at UNM becomes a fair process, as what is currently in place lacks any respect.

Right vs. Left

Since High School, I’ve more or less resigned myself to following the career path I’d think a game journalist would. Though I’ve met plenty of intelligent, and inspiring people along the way, I think perhaps the most fascinating time I’ve spent at UNM, was when I took a computer science course aimed at making game developers out of UNM students.

First off, I should mention, I have absolutely no experience in computer science, save for the HTML templates I copied when I was a teenager trying to make fan-based websites, but this was a computer science course at the 400 level, which for some reason or other, did not mention any pre-requisites. While I suspect this has since changed, I found myself the only writer in a class full of computer science geniuses, and I stuck out like a sore thumb.

The course was broken into two parts. The first teacher would talk about the science of programming, which I had absolutely no understanding of, while the other teacher focused on the importance of storytelling and presentation in games. My cup of tea.

When we were broken up into groups to discuss what kind of game we would design, I listened to ideas about simple puzzle games and flash based iphone apps. No one was daring to dream bigger, or massive, epic RPG’s or hardcore first person shooters. When given the chance to present their ideas, the most popular game ideas amongst the class were games geared toward children, where characters would have to solve puzzles or math problems, and somehow learn something from it. We listened to proposals that talked about helping people tell colors apart, or provide history lessons. I could hear the disappointment in my teachers’ voices, as they criticized each project, saying they expected something far more ambitious, catering to a public that actually wanted to buy their games, instead of passing them off onto their children.

It’s not that the other students had bad ideas, they just didn’t share the large ambitions that the teachers themselves had. I could tell they were looking for some new ideas, something that would push the boundaries of technical innovation. Knowing full well that I would never in a million years be able to create a game, I went all out, presenting a game idea with an epic story worthy of major publication, with the stealth elements of the Tenchu: Ninja Assassin series, mixed with the gory-vampire gameplay physics of Bloodrayne. Just go with me on this, it was pretty cool on paper.

While I got a B on the paper, I soon became a sought-after commodity in class, being the only writer in the class capable of fleshing out a story worthy of million-dollar console project. I was approached by a couple classmates who asked me to write the story for their game. By now, I knew full well that I wasn’t going to pass the technical aspect of the course, but I could sure as hell write a good story. We worked out a bargain, if my group members designed the game, I’d write absolutely every paper for them during the project.

I won’t go into too much detail, as I’m trying to keep the word count down, but our project became one of the most anticipated titles in class. During final presentations before a board of respected game developers and potential future employers, our game appraised not only for its unique graphic style, its catchy soundtrack, and the humorous storyline that accompanied it.
Not only had I passed a 400 level computer science course without any experience in computer science, but I gained a new appreciation for writing. The dichotomy of right brain thinkers and left brain thinkers was never so clear to me, as it was that day.

I stay in contact with those teachers, eventually learning that it was their intention to build a gaming curriculum at UNM, which would work to provide “smart” games for the military. These are games that are designed to train soldiers in the military.

I’m not sure how this project turned out. The last I spoke with my former professors, they mentioned some drama amongst the group that was preventing significant progress from being made. Still, for that brief moment, I felt like I had inside knowledge on a growing movement in gaming. I had seen some of the neat new ideas and inventions my fellow students were coming up with, from ambitious attempts to make planetariums more interactive, to iPhone games that would let use museums or institutions as a virtual playground for solving puzzles in detective games. It’s clear that UNM is not shy of its share of computer geeks, and I think if they are properly funded, we could see the next great idea coming from New Mexico.

I won’t be in school much longer, and I’m still writing about gaming. Though I’m not sure if my career path will take me down the roads I want it to, I’m still glad I took that computer science class. It taught me that there will always be some sort of job in writing for the fields I’m passionate about, even if it’s not journalism.

For Love Or Money

Success at UNM requires major effort-seeking academic advisement from people who are more qualified to work at Baskin Robbins, listening to lectures that are as dry as crackers, attempting to dodge the tow-truck while knowingly parking at the McDonald's on Yale...the joys of UNM are really too numerous to list in such a short space. I have always wondered: what motivates my fellow students to put themselves through this difficult and frustrating ordeal? While I lose sleep and eat Ramen all in the name of my education, my non-collegiate friends are designing stickers, going snowboarding and decorating their Facebook profiles with photographic tidbits of their world travels. A quick web perusal and an informal poll reaffirm my gut answer to this lofty question: in one way or another, academic pursuits are related to money. But how much does money influence the major that a student chooses?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a college degree doubles annual earnings. Those with a bachelors degree earn an average of $51,206 dollars per year. Students who decide to call it quits after high school earn around $28,000 annually, on average. But this isn't really new information to a college student. We all know that going to college can lead us to a heftier paycheck "one day." But what if your passion area doesn't pay well? I have always loved to write- it's cathartic. As an undergrad, I found sociology to be intriguing (intriguing enough to minor in it), if not a little too common-sense based for my tastes. I was sad but not surprised to learn that Forbes magazine singles out English and Sociology majors as earning the lowest starting salaries-only a few thousand higher than those with only a high school diploma. Is it really worth the time and trouble (nevermind the financial investment) for an extra couple of thousand a year? Is that a smart investment? Is that a worthwhile return? Forbes lists engineering as the undergraduate major that pulls the fattest paycheck. Engineers are in and out of college in 4 years and then they're off to a comfortable life. The majority of my friends and co-workers are engineers (and my brother is in the mechanical engineering program here at UNM) and I've yet to hear one unfavorable comment. Maybe it's because they are too busy in the lab or writing out ridiculously long math equations on wall-sized white boards like my bro. Or maybe it's because they saw college as a savvy business decision that would influence just about everything down the road. Consider nursing. Registered nurses (RN's) earn about $60,000/year here in NM. They typically work three 12-hour shifts per week, and usually they pick the days they work. What do they do for the other 4 days of the week? Care for their children? Golf? Compose their memoirs? I hear through the grapevine that UNM's nursing program has a waiting list over a year long. My friend graduated 8th in her class at West Mesa High School, turned down Ivy-League offers, and can't get into UNM's nursing program. An entire year's worth of qualified students waiting at the program's door! No, I can't say for sure why. Maybe all these students are really interested in cleaning bed pans or doing other routine but necessary hospital tasks. Maybe they like the sight of fresh blood or the smell of Clorox. If you ask me, it's because nursing is a smart business decision. According to a Sallie Mae student loan company, the average undergrad carries $18,900 of debt after graduation. And don't forget our Regents just approved a tuition increase for the upcoming year. You're putting a lot into this whole college bit. Maybe you should get a lot back out?

As I stare off into space at Flying Star, my mind wanders to the unpaid bills waiting for me on my coffee table. Is pursuing a higher-paying degree greedy? Is it an abandonment of one's true self? Or is it smart and realistic?

Pricy Textbooks

One of the most dreaded parts of ever semester always seems to be purchasing textbooks. As we get our schedule for the semester worked out the next step is to make that trip down to the UNM bookstore and see what books our professors have decided for us to use for the semester. We cross our fingers in the hopes of a miracle that our professor won’t have a textbook request or that our textbooks won’t exceed a hundred dollars. It is always such a disappointment when we find that a class has several costly books. It’s an even bigger disappointment and stress when books for many different classes add up to hundreds of dollars. Former UNM student Danielle states “I spent close to $800 for textbooks for just one semester it was ridiculous!” Countless UNM students have dealt with the same issue, spending hundreds of dollars for classes they need to take in order to graduate.

My first semester in college I went to buy books for the first time and was shocked when an intro class came with the large request for 12 textbooks, the textbook amount for that one class totaled $350. It was outrageous and I didn’t understand why a class would need 12 books for a 16 week class. I ended up changing to a different section of the course simply because the books were so expensive for the course I had originally signed up for. It is always a guessing game when it comes to textbooks every semester but one thing does remain consistent and it is the fact that textbooks will always be pricy.

The UNM bookstore does have some things in place to help with the large debts many students rack up every semester and that is the use of an account that allows students to charge their books on their lobo card and set up a payment plan in which they can pay in installments rather than hundreds of dollars up front. Danielle says that, “without the being able to pay for my books in payments throughout the semester I wouldn’t have been able to buy any books at all. That account saved me and made my life a lot easier.” I agree 100% with that statement because that myself and many other students would not be able to afford these high priced learning utensils.

The UNM bookstore also sells used textbooks that are often much cheaper than a purchasing a brand new book and they make that possible by creating the option of buying back books from students at the end of each semester. However, as many of us have experienced selling books back to the bookstore has also become a burden and a disappointment as a book that was purchased for something like $150 would only be bought back for an extremely low price like $20. This has happened to me numerous times and it is upsetting but many of us, including myself, say ok and take the measly $20 because it’s at least something, and it’s better than having piles of books that we don’t want. An even more upsetting part about trying to sell back books is when they tell you they can’t buy your book back because they aren’t using that edition anymore so then stuck with the book and not even the option of selling it back for a few dollars.

While the price of tuition steadily rises every semester and the cost of books aren’t getting any cheaper students are beginning to turn to alternate ways of getting their books at a more reasonable price. With EBay, Amazon and half.com students are buying books at sometimes half the cost of what they are priced at the bookstore, and they are also selling them for more on those websites also. An article from the Daily Lobo also touched on this topic, “Publishers have responded to cost concerns by expanding options for lower-cost texts, including electronic books, loose-leaf editions, black-and-white editions, abbreviated texts, textbooks by the chapter and customized editions” (Daily Lobo). Students are really taking advantage of these different options because they are cheaper, and with students carrying laptops to school on a daily basis, electronic books can be accessed by just a click of a mouse. The Daily Lobo said that “independent research center, Student Monitor, (reported) that students spent an average of $670 on textbooks in 2006. Publishers share the common goal of helping students succeed, and they are committed to working with students, parents and faculty to make this goal a reality” (Daily Lobo). At the end of the article they left a website titled Textbookfacts.org with more information concerning the topic of textbooks and I am going to follow with urging you visits that site as well. The need for textbooks will always be there but other options in the way we receive them or use them could help in cutting the high costs that we all are burdened with semester after semester.

http://www.dailylobo.com/index.php/article/2007/08/publishers_work_toward_student_success_retention

A Reasonable Request

This entry is all about UNM’s transportation options, on and off campus. Before I get too negative, I’d like to begin by praising the South lot bus drivers. Nothing but love for these hard working men and women. For the most part, they are very friendly, they’ll open the door even after they’ve closed it if you look panicked enough, and instead of slowing to a halt at a yellow light—losing precious minutes—they’ll put the petal to the metal and zip their passengers to where they need to be as if they were driving the DeLorean from Back to the Future. Whenever I exit at the front of the bus, I make sure to tell the driver thank you because as a busy college student those saved minutes are always appreciated.

Now on to the less pleasant business. Let’s talk about the multitudes of bicyclists and skaters that litter the campus on a daily basis. Right now, you may be saying to yourself, “Bikers and skaters have just as much right to the campus as anybody. What have they ever done to you, you hateful blogger?” Well, for starters, I’ve been run into. As a big man I do present a larger target than most people, but still it’s not as if I’m a contestant on “The Biggest Loser” the day before they start filming. I can still find stuff that fits me at the local Kohl’s. Maybe the kid (male) that slammed his bike right into my side underestimated the speed of which I was traveling—I do have long legs—but that’s no excuse. People of stature should not have to walk the campus in fear of being run into by cyclists with distorted senses of time and space. Luckily, the kid and his bike just bounced right off me, but his next victim may not be so fortunate. Because I was walking with someone and there were plenty of other witnesses, I just gritted my teeth and accepted his apology. But I’ve been tasting bile ever sense.

As for the skaters, they roll around campus like they own the joint. Who hasn’t had at least one close encounter with a skateboarder that left you feeling the breeze? Now I’m not suggesting that bikers and skaters be outlawed; that smacks a little too much of Martial Law. Besides, if UNM put the kibosh on unnecessary wheeled devices, they would be in danger of losing up to 20% of the student population. Yes, we pedestrians are the vast majority, but we’re not all-powerful. As the majority, however, incessantly plagued by the rolling minorities, all I’m asking for is this: one skateboard/bike-free day. One single day. The day will be well publicized so they’ll be no excuse for any violations. It will also not be on a Friday, so every regular student can appreciate the temporary peace.

And if students feel the need to skate and bike on campus on this most sacred day, pedestrians will be allowed to manipulate the trajectory of any illegal device, be it bike or skateboard. We won’t be allowed to perform violent acts upon their person, just their ride. See a bicyclist cruising around on the bike-free holiday? Slam a large stick into their spokes! That will teach ‘em. Are a couple of rogue skaters ruining No Skaters Allowed Day? Well, if you time it right (and if you weigh enough) you can jump on the back end of their board and send them flying into orbit! What fun! I know what I’d do if I got my hands on a bike during the day off, and as a result, we’d finally have an answer to two of any UNM student’s most nagging questions: How deep is the duck pond? And how hard is it to retrieve a bicycle from the duck pond? Won’t it be great?

Bad Administration

The University of New Mexico is and has been facing a substantial budget shortfall due in part to the recession. The UNM administration has been dealing with the budget crisis by cutting funding to various programs and increasing fees for students, to name a few. Tuition rates continue to slowly increase every year. Since 2002, undergraduate tuition has gone up 51 percent. Beginning this past January, students are now required to pay to use the printers in the computer labs on campus. The average student in America graduates with a debt of $22,000. This is a debt that they will be paying for a very long time after they graduate. With the job market in the current state it is in, students with large amounts of debt will undoubtedly face financial struggles following graduation.

What I don’t understand, is why it is so easy for the UNM administration to increase student fees and tuition every year, but it is so hard for them to cut administrative costs. I am not talking about faculty costs. I actually think faculty should be paid more than they are currently since they are truly the backbone of our university. I am talking about the sheer size of the administration, and the size of their paychecks.

Don’t get me wrong, I do not have a problem with UNM’s tuition. I still think it is a great value and is much lower when compared with many other colleges and universities. I also do not have a problem with people making a lot of money. But during a financial crisis, I just don’t think it’s right for our administration to keep getting rewarded with huge salaries when they are, and have been, doing a dismal job managing the university‘s finances. They are in part responsible for UNM’s budget shortfall by mishandling funds. What ever happened to people getting pay cuts due to poor job performance? That’s what happens to a lot of ordinary Americans, why not the administration?

For the last six years, UNM education money (from tax dollars, tuition, and federal funds) has been shifting away from the classroom to administration salaries and perks. In 2008, UNM spent $4.1 million more on executive salaries than it did in 2002. That is a 71 percent increase! The increase amounts to $9.8 million UNM is spending on salaries for its president, two executive vice presidents, nine vice presidents, 13 associate vice presidents, 44 directors of major divisions, and others with similar titles.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with getting paid $300-500K a year, which is how much some of these administrators get paid, as I hope to someday make that much money also. But when they are clearly not doing a good job, and when the university is hard up for cash, their salaries should be renegotiated. President Schmidly should not be rewarded year and year for poor job performance and for helping to lead UNM into this financial mess.

On a side note, UNM’s graduation rate (students that graduate within six years) is only 44 percent. The national average is 59 percent. If you compared this to a car company in which 44 percent of their cars stopped working after six years, the president of that car company would be held accountable and would most likely be fired. Yet the president of UNM is rewarded.

All I’m saying is that UNM should look to cutting more administrative costs to help balance the budget. I’m not talking about just a one week furlough, or some other minor action, I’m talking about significant changes. The administration doesn’t blink an eye when they increase tuition or implement new fees for students, but they throw a fit when someone even mentions the idea of making pay cuts or lay offs. In these difficult financial times, everyone at the university should help carry the burden, not just the students and faculty, but also the administration.

Statistical information taken from various Daily Lobo articles at www.dailylobo.com

No Blazin' Allowed

The University of New Mexico became a tobacco-free campus on Saturday, Aug. 1 2009. The new policy includes not only cigarettes, but smokeless tobacco as well, and has been fully implemented for the return of students and faculty for the fall semester. The primary reason behind the tobacco-free initiative is to have a healthy environment for people to work and students to learn.

For Mandie Sload, college and nicotine go hand in hand. A 20-year-old student at The University of New Mexico, Sload never smoked in high school. She doesn’t smoke much over the summers but as soon as a new semester starts, she is back to four or five cigarettes a day. What is it about college life that lures her to smoke? Stress? Peer pressure? Smoking is an addiction. Tobacco contains nicotine, a drug that is addictive. Once you start smoking, it is very hard, but not impossible to quit. Until recently, I think smoking on college campuses was largely ignored. Alcohol is such a major issue in college that smoking takes a back seat. In the last few years, however, smoking has become a hot topic. One of the reasons for this increased importance is the recognition that the college years are crucial in making or breaking an addiction.

As a college student, I have seen first hand the prevalence of smoking. All across our campus, college students are lighting up at an alarming rate. In a campus survey I conducted of 15 college students in March 2010, eight students said they were current smokers. I surveyed eight males and seven females. My survey included 18 questions revealing gender, age, class, familial history of smoking, frequency of smoking, desire to quit, methods used to quit, awareness of hazards, etc. I surveyed several of my classmates in class, a few sorority sisters in our suite, and random students at the SUB.

Fifty-three percent of the individuals I surveyed smoke. Sixty-two percent of the students who smoke consider themselves “social smokers.” Eighty-seven percent of the smokers have tried to quit. The students who have tried to quit have used the cold turkey method and intake reduction by decreasing the number of cigarettes smoked in a week.

Many of the students I interviewed reported the average age they tried their first cigarette was 15. Not surprisingly, I found that smoking is higher among students who have “a strong party orientation.” College students who are binge drinkers admit “I only smoke when I drink.” On the bright side, many of the cigarette smokers I interviewed said they do not smoke every day, indicating they are only casual users. My research did not show any relationship in smoking and age, sex, ethnicity, familial history, etc. Most of the college smokers I surveyed are not heavy smokers. Several of the smokers I talked to said they did not smoke daily, while others reported that they smoked every day but did not smoke more than one pack per day. Half of the college smokers I surveyed and interviewed reported they had tried to quit in the previous year, and several of them had made four or more attempts at kicking the addiction.

Many smokers, like Sload, take their first puffs in college. Other students experiment with cigarettes in high school but start smoking heavily in college. Everyone I surveyed and interviewed is aware that smoking is responsible for the deaths of many people every year. They know it increases the risk of heart attack and stroke and adversely affects breathing and the lungs. And like smokers of any age, many college students are actively trying to quit. Mandie Sload knows that four or five cigarettes a day are four or five too many. She plans to quit some day. She understands that if she quits her breath will smell better; she will taste and smell food better; her cough will go away; she will save money; she will reduce secondhand smoke for others; and she will reduce her risk of lung cancer, heart disease, strokes, lung disease, and respiratory illnesses.

We need to save lives. We need to have a unified anti-smoking approach. Colleges must find ways to curb tobacco use among students and try to get them to quit. What is the best way to get college students to quit smoking? A multi-faceted approach including high cigarette taxes; heavy-hitting anti-smoking ads; and a total ban on smoking in public places; increased access to programs that help smokers quit; and pharmaceutical treatments for nicotine dependence. At UNM, as well as other college campuses, all buildings should go completely smoke-free, banning smoking from dorm rooms and common living areas. Such measures would protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke and reduce the visibility of smoking on campus. I am sure that high cigarette taxes and anti-smoking campaigns will not be enough to get college students to stop smoking, but it is a start in the right direction.

My suspicions about smoking proved correct. College students are putting themselves at risk of a lifelong addiction to nicotine. They are playing with fire! Cigarette smoking is a leading cause of many life-threatening diseases. Despite campaigns encouraging young people not to take up smoking, my findings indicate that more and more college students are currently smoking. Substantial numbers of students are both starting to smoke regularly and trying to stop. Increased efforts by national health organizations to reduce smoking should be extended to college students.

Advertising: Love it or Hate it

Early in my college career, I was given a list of the top 10 careers that society, in general, views as “unethical.” On that list was Advertising, which so happens to be my chosen career path. So I thought to myself, “Great, I’m studying to be someone everyone will hate.”

But then I thought, “Wait a minute. I don’t have to engage in unethical practices to be a good advertiser.” If your main purpose as an advertiser is to swindle people into giving you money, then you would be better off pick-pocketing people off the streets. This misconception of Advertising must be the main reason why it would show up on the top 10 unethical careers list to begin with.

The way I look at it, advertisements are just a tangible way of getting the word out about a product, service or event. How else would you know about certain products without advertising? I mean, unless you’re a movie guru, how else are you to know that Harry Potter 7 (the first installment) is coming out this November without seeing a movie poster or trailer (or the fact that I just told you)?

Besides, don’t we all, in a sense, advertise ourselves every day? We show up to job interviews dressed to impress (or at least we should), with a killer resume in hand and a confident, yet professional attitude.

Of course I am aware that false and deceitful advertising exists, everybody should. So why did I continue to pursue this career path? It’s simple, I enjoy graphic design. Advertising seems to be the best way for me to demonstrate artistry and creativity, and still get paid. I’m just not good enough at drawing and painting to make money off of it.

It all started my senior year in high school when I took a Desktop Publishing class. I learned how to use programs like Adobe Photoshop and In-Design. I knew I wanted to find a way to do graphic design for a living, so I chose to study advertising.

The best part is, I don’t have to move to New York or California to have a successful career in Advertising. There are plenty of ad agencies here in Albuquerque: RJC, 3 Advertising, Esparza, to name a few. And, to my advantage, the University of New Mexico has an excellent Advertising program.

This semester, our client for the Campaigns class is ARCA, or more specifically, their Administrative and Training services (such as payroll, accounting and background checks). Our class is broken up into 6 groups, or agencies, and our job is to help ARCA find a way to advertise these services to other businesses.

As a nonprofit organization, ARCA’s main services help people with developmental disabilities to be “in and of the community.” This includes helping these individuals find jobs. As a nonprofit organization, it is important for ARCA to gain revenue from these “for-profit” services because they are aspiring to become a self-sufficient organization to fund their main services.

This year, UNM is offering a yearlong Advertising Competition class. This class started in fall 2009, and continues throughout the spring. This class is broken up into several groups, including the media planning team and the pitch team. Their client is State Farm, and their goal is to pitch a campaign to boost their market share in the 18-25 age demographic.

On April 24th, the pitch team for the Competition class will be presenting at Hotel Albuquerque. They will be competing against 11 different schools including the Art Center Design College and BYU.

Without advertising, ARCA, State Farm and many other companies would have a difficult time spreading the word about the product and services they have to offer.


Sure, advertising can get annoying, especially when it’s thrown in your face every minute of every day. But, I’m sure every one of you can think of good ad as easily as you can think of an annoying one. I mean, who can’t describe at least one Geico commercial?

Besides, a lot of people wouldn’t even know about the existence of this blog if I hadn’t created and handed out this flyer. =)

Ariel

Ariel. Courier. Times. I prefer Ariel. It's amazing how much I have learned about the time and thought that has been put into fonts. It's just one of the many things I have thoroughly been educated on. I've even watched a whole documentary on the perfection and preciseness of Helvetica, and constant subjection to my advertising and marketing major roommates ramble on about the importance, and overall coolness, of typeface. It has been very interesting, this little thing called college. Now that I am approaching my last semester here at UNM, it's easy for me to forget how much I have actually learned about myself and the world that I am a part of, all thanks to my four years here in college.

When I was younger, I would always have these little life epiphanies. I still have them, but the older I get, the less shocking they are for me. Now, instead of being like, "this is life changing!" it's more like, "Wow, how did I never understand this?" The most important of these being, organization! I don't know how long took me to realize and admit that I am a very forgetful person. Organizing has saved my life. I can't go a day through school without writing lists for everything I do and when I need to do it. I've always been a list maker. I only have to think to look back at my lists. Sometimes it takes me a few days. This last year of college has made me realize that my life is much less stressful if I take the time to do a little tidy work. Applying to schools, remembering which forms to send to who, remembering which forms to send has been remembered by the scratch out on my list.

Another of these epiphanies, probably around my second semester here at UNM, was how lucky I was to have the opportunity of a college education. I will never forget my first taste of gratitude. My political science teacher was explaining a theory on why people choose to be Democrats and why some choose to be Republicans. Most Democrats were college educated, often times finishing multiple degrees. Not that I have any personal regard for either. But, it made a little more sense of the idea that the higher education that people receive at institutions where thoughts and ideas are exchanged in almost every interaction, is one only achieved through actual higher education (i.e., college). I can't imagine what my life would be like today if I had not attended college. I can't imagine my life without college either, so I plan on spending at least five more years furthering my degrees.

The latest epiphany I have had is that people live a lifetime, and I am in my youth. It's a little scary. College is like kindergarten for life. Shaping you into the person you will be for the rest of your life. Even though I believe that people are in perpetual motion and constant change, I know that values are instilled in such developmental phases of our lives. I still have a whole lifetime ahead of me. It blows my mind to think of a person who is, let's say, sixty. How much one person can go through in sixty years. I can't even wrap my mind around what I will be like, what I will have gone through, or the person I will be when I am sixty years old. It hurts my head. But, I am really glad that I realized this now, instead of when I am hitting a midlife crisis, thinking about wasted youth. It makes me feel like I need to value my time and life today and everyday. I know that I will always thank my education for this last epiphany, because I only realized it thinking back on how much my life has changed and how much I have been through in these last four years.

It's going to be weird to not walk onto our beautiful campus next semester. I will miss walking to school on a rainy day listening to my ipod, wondering what people are thinking about, what I'm missing out on, what being a careless undergrad feels like. I am truly grateful for my time here at UNM. Even though I am continuing my education in the fall, it won't be the same walking between city buildings and cement instead of through trees and a duck pond.

Campus Sweet Campus

The University of New Mexico is open to many students and encourages all income types to attend. The Lottery Scholarship is welcoming to low-income families that may not have considered sending their child to college. Because of this, students from all over the city attend UNM, commuting from all parts of the Bernalillo county. Since this constitutes most of the students, they tend to leave directly after a class, essentially leaving the loop-hole of studying and academics. Making campus comfortable would encourage students to stay around, study, or utilize office hours.

Recently, as I have been trekking back and forth from my house to campus, and then straight to work, I find myself in limbo, stuck between work and school, where I don't have enough time to get home before work to take a shower or relax. Other days, Im so exhausted and I am dying to find somewhere to rest for an hour or two before my next class. But I'm once again in a dilemma, because the time it would take me to get to my car and drive home would constitute most of the free time. I have been wondering if this process could become more convenient in any way for students. Since the efforts taken to get to class are demanding, it is difficult or useless to go anywhere in between breaks or before school.

Only recently have I really become interested in making this process less gruesome, and tried to stay on campus more often. Recently, I rented a locker at Johnson gym where I keep alternate gym clothes in case I feel the urge to work out. Also, I keep my bathing material in the locker, so that I can shower after a rigorous workout. The showers there, however, are almost entirely out of service. You have to go to three different stalls before you found a spicket that works but the drain doesn't even work. By the end of the shower, a large puddle of water has taken over the floor, creating a mini bath. Not to mention, the tile looks as if it has been there a comfortable 20-30 years.

It seems to me, that all of the face-lifts given to the UNM campus recently, could easily be applied to making UNM a comfortable place for students to relax as well. Something as easy as replacing the showers is not terribly expensive, and could go a long way. If students are comfortable with sticking around campus, then they are also more likely to study school work and keep grades up. Likewise, it seems that designated rest areas would be beneficial to the campus, if not just comfortable places to relax for awhile and let your mind calm down. Often, I am between classes, and am dying to rest my eyes for thirty minutes, or just sit back and relax. But all of the chairs at UNM are single-seating, or look very uncomfortable.

Finally, it seems that alternate off-campus housing, bought by UNM for students, would be beneficial to encouraging students to stay on campus. Not everyone is interested in living in the dorms, or sharing a room with someone else. Some people prefer the personal space, where they can feel at home. But, if they dont want to live in the dorms, they have to try to house with other college kids, or look for cheaper living even further from campus. Then they have to muster up down payments or sign renting agreements. The houses near UNM are not cheap, and if they are affordable, they are falling apart. So, if UNM would buy housing around campus, students may spend more time at UNM and therefore increase their GPA.

Online Courses

When I was in high school I took several online classes. One class in particular was through Brigham Young University. I didn’t enjoy the class because there was no interaction between the teachers and students, not to mention the class was unbelievably harder than actually going to a class and listening to a teacher lecture. Last semester I was taking an Operations Management course and the class had roughly 15 people trying to take the course. Some elected to take the class online with another professor, thus accommodating this surplus of students.

I have yet to take a fully online course at the University of New Mexico, but the classes that I have taken online were difficult and weren’t set up well to interact with other students or professors. Has anyone had a good experience with online courses? I am currently taking a hybrid online course, which is part online and part in the classroom. I have found this course to be quite enjoyable, because I have interaction with students and the professor in the classroom and online. We have discussions every week about different topics. I think it forces the students to get to know one another, which doesn’t always happen in a regular classroom.

Personally, I think that online classes do allow for easier scheduling. Students can get on at anytime and work on their assignments when it is convenient for them. According to one article, based on the Las Alamos UNM campus, one professor had this to say about online classes, “It’s a great resource for people who are working or who live far way from a college campus…They can ‘attend class’ at any time, from anywhere.” http://www.la.unm.edu/PR/C&M%20Website/Fall%20Update%20stories%20only.pdf Also, this article mentions that the classes are live. I guess there is more interaction with students and professors now that the technology has progressed.

Here is a link to all the different classes that are offered online at UNM. There are over 100 different classes to choose from. There are English classes, business classes, teaching classes, and much, much more. http://hsc.unm.edu/som/radiology/RadSciences/Spring2010online.pdf

Overall, I am a little hesitant on taking another fully online course, however, I do realize that technology has changed. Online courses are more interactive now than they were four years ago. I have enjoyed the hybrid online course that I am currently taking, which I am sure is very similar to a fully online class.

I am curious what other people think of online classes. Are they more work than regular classes that you attend on campus? Are they harder? Do you get interaction with other students and professors?

The Employment Dilemma

In times of economic uncertainty, such as these, almost everyone faces the fear of being affected by the stooping economy. College students are not exempt from this fear, because they are not unaffected. The majority of college students are employed at least part time while they are enrolled in school. These working students are often not yet equipped with the experience that is required to be eligible for a job in the field they are studying. So, some students work in food service and some work in entry level office positions with no possibility of promotion. In a harsh economic environment like this one, it can be assumed that students are just as worried as people who are solely in the workforce about their ability to maintain employment.

The life of a college student is a stressful one, with classes, homework, social pressures, and on top of all of that holding down a job. Why are so many students employed while they are earning a degree? Well, tuition costs, even for in-state tuition, are not just a drop in the bucket. Not only is tuition costly, but textbooks are becoming exorbitantly priced and scantily bought back from students. Basically, most students have to be employed just so that they can succeed in school and earn that sought-after degree.

The issue is this: in such an unsteady economy, students will be getting the short end of the stick in the job market. College students who are looking for work are most likely having a hard time finding a job because so many people are not hiring while money is tight. Not only are companies not looking for workers, but if they happen to hire someone it will most likely be someone with previous work experience in their area of expertise. Students who are currently employed may be losing jobs because they are not the most valuable workers in a company. They do not have a degree yet, and their work experience does not mean anything because they most likely have been working in a dead-end job.

This issue has hit close to home for me. As a student at the University of New Mexico, I have held down a part time position as a receptionist. I have maintained this job for the entirety of my college career. But, the company recently fell on hard times and some employees were laid off, including me. At the bottom of the company food chain, with no degree and no valuable work experience they had to let me go. Another college student who worked there was also laid off. So I ask you, how is a college student supposed to make ends meet in this economy?

If you are a college student now, are you worried about keeping your job? Are you worried about finding a job after earning your degree? Maybe you are someone who is not attending college but has ideas about the employment of college students. Let me know what you think, I appreciate any feedback.

Technology, the silent killer.

Khaki pants, and a slightly loose fitting, but professionally and expertly tucked-in dress shirt. The professor walks in, slowly, to a crowd of eager students chatting away to each other in the precious few moments before class begins. As he stands at the podium, the chattering stops, and the hum of the students is replaced momentarily by the insistent clicking of ballpoint pens, the flurry of notebook paper, and the occasional pressing down of the red button initiating the start of a virgin voice recorder tape.

This image, however, has found an unsuitable but more technologically progressive replacement. As the professor walks in, the number of students innocently chatting is outnumbered by those opting for virtual communication: shut out from the actual, physical people around them in lieu of those reached via text, email, or instant messenger. The professor walking in is a mere act, nothing suggesting any necessity of stopping the five facebook chats they have going on.

Computers replaced notebooks, ipods replaced paying attention, cell phones replaced conversation, and technology replaced the sacredness of human interaction at large.

The pandemic is nothing short of a global phenomena, grasping the University of New Mexico tight in its mechanical, suffocating hands en route to a global takeover. Rather than engaging in a first-hand experience in which the professor explains material, some of them, at certain points, choose rather to redirect your experience, thus altering the course of your education. “And then...well, actually, you can just read about it on the article I put up on ereserves.” What, exactly, is to be said about this redirecting of our thoughts, ideas, and education? No longer does it seem that the logical approach to having a question answered is to directly approach the teacher. Now, rather, there are multiple steps you not only can, but should take, before daring to approach the ever busy college professor.

Step one: check the syllabus

Step two: check e-reserves for any explanatory documents

Step three: email the TA

Step four: email the other TA

Step five: email the professor

In no way is this gradual (but certainly noticeable and significant) shift in student/professor interaction and quality of education subject to the decisions of the professor him/herself. Professors, like us, are victims struggling to overcome the limitations and social changes technology has imparted onto us.

Take your basic, 100-level, generally popular university course; such as Psychology 105, among many others. There you are, sitting in class, laptop open with 10+ sites open on the screen. There you are, surrounded with a few friends, and eight hundred others. Your name will not be learned, nor will you ever get anything less than a hazy, distorted view of your professor. He will always be a blur off in the distance, his voice echoing poorly with the slight time lapse through the speakers. It’s Auschwitz. You are a number, not a person. You must complete your duties, submit your online quizzes in a timely manner, or suffer the consequences.

But what exactly are the repercussions, in terms of our UNM community, of a technological makeover? The danger lies within the disconnect between student and teacher ultimately catalyzing a disconnect between student and education. Most recently, our ability to take quizzes and tests online, rather than in the classroom, further advances the disconnect between student and education by removing the educational setting. For example, the quiz that may be taken at our leisure, on our couch with this week's American Idol blaring incessantly from the speakers, may by association of the environment impart to us the notion that the information we are receiving from the quiz is not important, or that the information simply doesn't matter.

Iain Thomson, associate professor here at the University of New Mexico, warns heavily of the implications and dangers of the technologization of the university. In his book, Heidegger on Ontotheology: The Politics of Education, Thomson notes that students are no longer students of knowledge, but rather tools for increased profit for university administration and their ultimate gain. Rather than cultivating knowledge as meaningful in and of itself, it has morphed into a tool whose goal is to ultimately give students a piece of paper (the sought after degree) so that they can make more money in the “real world.”

Professors are not at fault, but are victims to this technological onslaught and business-like mentality that the public university system at large has been forced through economic factors to adopt. While we may not be able to control technology, we can control the way it attempts to control us. For I believe that it is not technology itself that is intrinsically bad, but the way that we use it. Rather than relying on it to divulge us from personal connections (why ask your teacher a question in class and risk getting embarrassed when you can just send him a completely disconnected email?) we must see it as a mere part of our lives, not an all-encompassing facet. We must slow down, and remember that although we might just be student # 532 in a classroom, that does not mean that we should not remind ourselves that our work does matter, and the knowledge we gain is beautiful, useful, and valuable in and of itself. We must use technology, and not be used by it. Unless we want the UNM bookstore to dissolve and receive a campus-wide email announcing that every textbook shall now be downloaded via Kindle.

Old School

Due to the current state of our unstable economy, it is important now, more than ever, to consider the education and lack of educational impact that current institutes are making for students around the world. Students are the key to the future: they are tomorrow’s leaders. The students of today will soon be solving the nations crisis’ based on the information they have or have not obtained in school. Unfortunately, it seems like much of a student’s average day is wasted in school because of the lack of appropriate substance in educational systems. In order to determine what the problem is in our educational systems, it must be broken down one school at a time.

UNM is a traditional school that admits thousands of students yearly. The core courses that freshmen are required to complete are mostly large lecture-style classes. These classes generally require students to sit in a large classroom two or three times a week to listen to lectures given by their professors. The students are then given multiple tests throughout the semester to determine how well they have retained this information.

This method of teaching is incredibly outdated and overrated. Instead of actually gaining a lasting impression of the information they are supposed to retain, students cram four weeks worth of class notes into a study session the day before the test, pour it all out onto the exam, and leave it there. In my experience, the only times I remember information is when I am very interested in the subject at hand, even when I know that the other information is equally important.

Students are more likely to be actively learning in an environment where there is hands on experience. If there was a way for students to learn processes in an environment that was more like an internship where they could be involved in a professional‘s workspace and possibly do some of the work, students would not only be learning useful terminology, objectives, and processes, but they would also be filling their social needs at the same time. Learning would no longer be busy work with extra filler, but it would be a useful experience that could help professionals with their work at the same time. Knowledge would be easier gain and retain, and students would have a clearer idea of what field they would like to join once they graduate.

Currently in UNM, a select few professors in the Business and in the Communication and Journalism departments are using innovative learning structures that are more effective in helping students become more aware and more ready to become a part of the professional world. These professors break their classes up into groups and give students the opportunity learn the course content through creating mock agencies. There are also classes that are offered online, which is a big step in the right direction as well because of the obvious connection between technology and the future of humanity.

When discussing ideas of this nature, it is certain that the argument that Universities and educational institutes have limited manpower, time and space. However, there is a revolutionary charter school (http://www.sslc-nm.com) in the Albuquerque area that provides weekly community based activities where their middle school students are put in a bus and go around to various locations to apply their knowledge. This is the only charter school that has made annual yearly progress over the past few years, and this school also generally has better exam scores than most schools in the APS system. UNM and other educational institutes should examine this type of learning and apply it accordingly. Where there is a will to make things better, there is a way.

If you have any opinions on this article, whether you agree or disagree or would simply like to add ideas, please feel free to comment below. Thanks!

Coming Soon!

Starting this week, this blog will begin to share perspectives from UNM students (all enrolled in a section of English 320) on various subjects related to life at the University of New Mexico. Stay tuned!