TRU Issue 15 Final.indd - NMSU Round Up

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The

IssueValentines

The independent student voice of NMSU since 1907 . Volume . 118 Issue 14 . Monday, February 6, 2017

TRU Issue 15 Final.indd 1 2/2/17 6:55 PM

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c o n t r i b u t o r s & S t a f f

Corey Stevens Executive Director truexec@nmsu .edu

(575) 646-3743

Albert Luna Editor-in-Chief

truprint@nmsu .edu(575) 646-5434

Katie KilbaneMarketing Directortrumktg@nmsu .edu

(575) 646-7680

Luis "Luigi" FinstonStaff Writer

trunews@nmsu .edu

Derek GonzalesSports Editor

trusports@nmsu .edu

Joseph Fullbright Staff Writer

trunews@nmsu .edu

Donovan Duran Comptroller

donovanl@nmsu .edu

Rush AllenLead Designer

trudesign@nmsu .edu(575) 642-5140

David MaresPhoto Editor

truphoto@nmsu .edu

Isaiah SilvaAcademic Editor

truacademic@nmsu .edu

Nick AriasVice PresidentLarkins Legacy

Jianna VasquezCultural Editor

truculture@nmsu .edu

Bryan ChavezPhotography

Intern

Armando Arellano President

Larkins Legacy

Larry JacksonPhotography

Intern

Vanessa ChavezAdvertising Director

truads@nmsu .edu

Carlos TrujilloFundraising Chair

Larkin's Legacy


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Legal

Why Equestr ian Had To Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Academic Life

Elena Davidson: Computing Her Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Culture

NMSU's Chicano Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Kiss and Tell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Sports

Men's Basketball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Softba l l Prev iew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

TRU Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Dixie & Dusty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

I n t h i s i s s u eBy: ALBERT LUNA The season of love is now upon us, and with it comes mixed emotions across the board for many . What was once a day of exchanging store-bought cards and candy in ele-mentary school, has now matured into typically spending the day exclusively with one special person . At least, that’s what a fraction of people will say about February 14th . However, for another segment of the student population, Valentine’s is simply just another day . Keeping with the theme, we have de-cided to give Valentine’s Day its proper due this issue, while also realizing it is not the only thing that occurs on the 14th . So, for the love birds and singles alike, we have something for each crowd . Whether it’d be tips for a special Valentine’s Day date or reading about the accomplishments of a com-puter science student here at NMSU, we have it covered in the next few pages of TRU . We are proud to submit to you our fifteenth issue of the school year as we present “The Val-entine’s Day Issue .” I hope you enjoy, give us feedback, and as always, keep your ears to the ground and continue to write your own story .

Contents

Photos by: David Mares


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l e g a lT R ULuna: Why Equestrian Had to Go

The New Mexico State Equestrian team reached its unceremonious end on Friday, January 20, as the NMSU Board of Regents voted to dissolve the team, eff ective, July 1st .

The last season of Equestrian being a sport sponsored and fi scally supported by the University is thus offi cially underway, with a win over top ranked Texas A&M, occurring just a week later on January 28th .

The team, as documented previously in TRU, was initially cut by the University, in conjunction with the Athletic Department, last summer during the period the University had to make over $12 million in cuts across the board . Howev-er, after a local public outcry concerning the decision, President Carruthers stepped in and vowed to make the numbers work for just one more year, ensuring the team would be able to compete for at least one more season; after that, they would be on their own . As a result, it should come as no surprise when the team, after being almost $200,000 short of the roughly $480,000 needed to be self-sustaining, was formerly voted out as a sponsored sport . There was still a fair amount of public criticism in regards to the move . However, many may not realize that as diffi cult as it was for the all parties in-volved (especially the student athletes), it simply had to be done . A few points that should be considered when evaluating this decision:

The Cuts Had to Come from A Women’s Sport NMSU is already at the NCAA minimum (six) number of Men’s sports . In order to be in good standing with the NCAA and still be able to compete in other sports, the cuts had to come from the Women’s side . The entire program being cut itself was also not done simply from the University administration just picking out a women’s sport of their choice . Instead, this was an internal cut, meaning that the Department of Athletics evaluated its allotted budget for a fi scal year and deemed this the best course of action for the department to make up that money going forward . The decision was then presented to the University administration and the Regents at a time that many other departments across the board were required to report cuts with a now reduced and limited budget . So, the decision to cut the Equestrian team likely stands out more because it was a standalone cut in January, instead of being a part of a wider group of cuts, many of which went widely unnoticed, that were primarily carried out in the summer . Another reason that Equestrian cut was highlighted was simply because it was the most popular of the cuts . Rarely do universities cut programs, so it mer-its a little extra media attention .

Equestrian Was Not Revenue Generating Both on the men’s and women’s side, there are a handful of sports that are able to generate some sort of revenue for the University . This certainly does not mean that the Athletic Program is making money off of these other sports, (in fact roughly less than 20 Universities in the nation make a profi t off of football, let alone any other kind of sport) . Additionally, the cost of maintain the horses for competition could also begin to become expensive in its own right . The program was never expected to bring back a return on investment for the University, but simply keeping up with the expenses, in exchange for a minimal number of fans and essentially no revenue in the form of tickets, or even merchandising seemed to have caught up with the program . It should be noted as well that within the athletic department, there were cuts taking by seemingly every sport in this process; Equestrian was not the only one that felt an impact .

By: Albert Luna


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The Sport Is Still Too Young As noted previously, the sport has come close on a few occasions of being taken off the NCAA list for emerging women’s sports . This is in large part due to a stagnated growth, from a popularity standpoint, amongst fans . Like any sport, there are a fair number of good knowledge and caring supporters of equestrian, however, not nearly as much public interest as sports such as softball, basketball, or even track and fi eld . As a result of a smaller public interest, it can lead to less people being aware of exactly how the sport, in terms of how rules and certain events, even work . This culminates in simply more common sporting fans being less inclined to attend any of the events the team hosted or keep up with them on a contest-by-contest basis . NMSU is not alone in this either . To date, there are about a total of 17 school sponsored and funded Equestrian teams around the nation, a number that has been declining in recent years .

The University Did Not Leave Them Out to Dry With the extra year of funding, courtesy of Carruthers, the team was able to compete one more season, as opposed to having to simply cease all operations in the summer . With this, it gave student-athletes within the program an extra year to fi nd a new home if they wished to continue their athletic career, or to have a last season and a proper send off to the program . It should also be noted that, in credit to the University, all scholarships that were given to the student-athletes will still be honored in their entirety until they graduate (or until 2022, whichever comes fi rst) . It has also been suggested that there is a possibility of converting the team into a club team (similar to the NMSU Rugby Team), as there is already over 300 groups around the nation with that struc-ture .

Ideally, no athletic program should be cut from the university and have to endure what the members of the Equestrian team has had to endure these past 8 months, however, given the hand NMSU was dealt, it simply had to be done . This is not a result of the team not being important to the University and Las Cruces community as a whole, but instead this was simply due to a shrink-ing budget and a sport that only exists in a few number of universities, with no signs of growing in the near future . It is unfortunate for the student-athletes, yet it necessary to keep not just the athletic department, but the University, in a better fi scal position going forward .


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a c a d e m i cT R U

By: Isaiah Silva

Elena Davidson: Computing Her Future Before her junior year of high school, Elena Davidson had many different ideas of what she wanted to do in the future . She toyed with the idea of being a lawyer, a teacher, and even an engineer . Once summer came, all of those ideas went flying out of the window .

“There’s a camp here at New Mexico State University called the Young Women in Computing Summer camp and when I was a sophomore in high school, my mom and an AES facilita-tor sort of ganged up on me and forced me to do the computer science camp,” Davidson said .

Now a sophomore at NMSU majoring in Computer Sci-ence, Davidson says that thanks to that camp, she knows it is what she wants to do for the rest of her life .

“I thought computer science was going to be hard; I thought it was going to be boring . I thought it was going to be scary” Davidson said . “I thought I wasn’t going to be good at it, but they said to just go and try it, and I went for one week and I absolutely fell in love with computer science .”

The decision to pursue Computer Science as a career certainly seems to be paying off . Davidson is one of the recipients of the Conroy Achievement Scholarship .

“My graduating class year is the first year that it was awarded to anyone . Basically you don’t have to apply, it’s pretty cool . In high school you were designated as a National Merit or National Hispanic Recognition scholar, you are eligible for this scholarship,” she said, “It’s an incredible scholarship because not only does it provide you with financial help and pays for your tuition and it gives you a housing stipend, it gives you this really unique network of other Conroy scholars that you get to hang out with and talk with .”

In addition to receiving her scholarship, she believes that NMSU has had a big impact on her success and opportunities . Elena started at a different, much larger university . She was there for one semester, decided to transfer to NMSU, and does not regret the decision one bit .

“About halfway through that semester, I realized that wasn’t the university for me, it wasn’t the right feel and it just wasn’t the right fit for me . So, I called my mom, I think around Halloween and I told her I was transferring and I would see her in December .”

Since arriving at New Mexico State, Davidson said her whole perspective on college and how it should be changed . NMSU, she says, is where she found a community that was inviting and welcoming .

“College all of the sudden was challenging and it was fun . There was never a dull moment . It was exciting and engaging . There’s definitely days where it’s difficult and it’s challenging, and I mean its not easy, but its hand down the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” Davidson said .

One thing Davidson loves about NMSU is how personal her education has been . She says that her professors know their students by name and what they’re involved in .

____ Photo by: Isaiah Silva


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a c a d e m i c

c u lt u r e “The CS Department at New Mexico State is wonderful . The professors know you by name and talk to you in the hallways, and they really want you to succeed . They’re willing to meet with you one on one to make sure you understand everything,” she said .

“I have to include Dr . Chaiken in there . I’ve never had one of her classes but she’s just been so supportive . Whatever question I have whether its some little question about housing, or something big like my stipend isn’t showing up on mynmsu, she always responds to me super quickly . She knows all her students by name, what they’re involved in, she’s incredible . She’s honestly like a superhero .”

Davidson continued on to praise her professors such as Dr . Cooper . She has had two classes with him and she says he puts an emphasis on getting to know his students .

“He’s not just a professor, he wants his students to suc-ceed not only in his class, but in college,” Davidson said .

“If I had to include one more, I would have to do Daniela Miranda . She’s just been so encouraging and so supportive . Whatever I needed whether it was a letter of recommendation or a quick question about a workshop, she always got back to me really quickly . She was one of the first people to tell me to go for it when I’m questioning whether or not I should try something .”

Elena’s support system doesn’t stop there . Her family has been there for her every step of the way .

“I cannot speak highly enough about them [friends and family] . They have been the most incredible support team for me . My dad would stay up with me to help me study for a physics test and my mom would proofread my English essays, so they’ve always encouraged me,” she continued, “My little sister is incredible too . She called me her role model once and I think I teared up honestly . She’s my best friend .”

“All my friends have just been so supportive . I don’t even know how to word it beyond encouraging and supportive,” Davidson said .

When looking to her future, Davidson has many big plans and she says she would not be where she is within the field of Computer Science without NMSU .

“It was because of the Young Women in Computing organization that I even got the scholarship to attend the conference where I got the interview with Google, so without that whole spi-ral of events I wouldn’t have the intern-ship that I do . Not only that, but NMSU

is a very involved community . They allow you to get involved really early in your college career which can kind of be uncommon at other universities . The CS department has given me incredible skills,” Davidson said .

Davidson was given an internship with Google for the summer of 2017 . In late May, Davidson will journey to Google’s head office in Mountain View, California . She will be participating in their engineering practicum internship .

“I’m excited for that because it’s super hard to get into Google . I’m still in disbelief . It’s just an amazing, surreal opportuni-ty .”

Also in Elena’s future, is a hope for happiness . Of course, she wants to graduate, hopefully with Honors, but above all to en-joy herself and be happy with whatever position she finds herself in .

“During the first semester where I was at the university where I wasn’t happy, it taught me that instead of planning every-thing out like I had before, it’s more important to have a direction rather than a step-by-step plan,” she said, “You can have goals and achieve them along the way, but I think it’s important to remem-ber that the direction is the most important part and realizing that it’s life and plans change .”

“You’re not defined by your GPA, or that one test grade, it’s all part of your journey, so just kind of embrace it . Life’s fun and messy and wonderful so just go with it,” she said .

With all of her achievements, it’s hard to believe Elena is in her second year of college . She certainly appears to be set up for continued success and is already a role model Aggie with much more to still offer .


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c u lt u r e Relationships in college have different stages . Most find their relationship evolving with a significant other from freinds to possibly more . Here are some of the best that TRU’s staff came up with and how we defined these stages, as well as possible things to do on Valentine’s Day . Enjoy!

Friendzone: You’re both in the friendzone and you’re both cool with it . Some of the best friendships are with the opposite sex and it’s time to show your love for them . These gifts not only signify how much they mean to you, but also open up the opportunity to go and have a new experience .

For him:Casual Hangout – Grabbing lunch and possibly seeing an 11 o’clock movie . 2 A .M . text messages about her guy problems may also occur as well as constantly being told “you’re like a brother to me .”

For her: Blending in, Not Sticking Out -Gets called “dude” a lot . Spending a day going through his Instagram followers and hearing him pick put the one’s he things are the cutests, up to and including your best friend .

Girlfriend/Boyfriend: They’re hooked and you’re hooked on them . Whether it’s a new significant other or one that’s been around to hashtag a throwback photo on Instagram, these gift ideas might be the right inspiration to impress the love of your life .

For him:* - Romantic Hike- If he is active and so are you take him on a hike up to Dripping Springs . The weather is getting warmer so this is the perfect time to take a trip up the mountain . Pack a homemade lunch for extra brownie points .

For her:* Wine Tasting- St . Clair in Mesilla Valley not only gives a great ambiance, but their wines are award-winning . Get a flight of wine and compare your favorites .

Friends with Benefits: It may seem that since you’ve both drawn a clear line in the sand you don’t want the emotional attachment that gifts aren’t appro-priate, wrong . Gifts don’t have to be extravagant . We suggest to opt for more low-key entertainment to level out the expectations Valentine’s Day brings .

For him:Netflix and Chill- Order his favorite food and binge watch his favorite show .

Keep it low key – No need to have the entire world know about the rela-tionship just yet, go to low traffic buisnesses with dim lighting, potentially older crowds, or possibly even get the food to-go .

For her:Movies- Fifty Shades Darker, La La Land and Split are great choices when you both just want to ignite those tingly feelings or get cozy in the theater .

Gift cards- Odds are you don’t know enough about her to get her anything of sentimental value, so going with a safe play like a giftcard to starbucks seems appropriate .

Long Distance: As the Proclaimers once sang, “I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more,” and many modern relationships do just that . Long distance relationships are on the rise, according to Long Distance Rela-tionships Statistics . 32 .5 percent of college relationships are long distance . This takes strong individuals and showing that you care for one another can be challenging . Here are some ideas on how to make the distance not seem so far away .

For him:Care package- Send favorite memories of your relationship in a box , just pay for the shipping .

Concert Tickets- If your significant other lives in a bigger city than Las Cruces, odds are there is more entertainment there . Look for local shows and events that you can send them to while you are apart .

For her: Surprise Visit- Nothing makes a girl happier than suprises . Showing up unexpectedly on her doorsteps will surely grant you more brownie points in the future .

Defining The Relationshipfor that “Special” Someone


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c u lt u r eT R UNMSU’s Chicano Programs By: Jianna Vasquez The Chicano Programs and other “ethnic” programs were established simultaneously at NMSU in the 1970s as a result of heavy student protests occur-ring on campus . Students felt the need to have faculty who not only understood their background, but also the issues they were facing . Administration responded by establishing different ethnic programs on the NMSU campus .

The NMSU campus is made up of almost 50 percent Hispanic students and the Chicano program is intended to help first-generation/low income college students in navigating the university envi-ronment .

Dr . Laura Gutierrez-Spencer has been the Chicanos Program Director since 1996 . This is her twenty-first year serving as the director .

“It’s a privilege to come back to Las Cruces and help our state by not only getting students in school, but by getting our students to graduate and become professionals,” said Dr . Gutierrez-Spencer .

Chicano programs provide guid-ance to first-generation college students whose parents may not always understand how the school system works by offering informal advising, help with economic issues, financial aid questions, scholarship information and overall providing the students a home away from home .

“A lot of students don’t come to college because no one in their family has so they’re scared and they think they can’t afford it,” said Dr . Gutierrez-Spencer . Chicanos Programs honors NMSU Land-Grant Mission of serving the working class of the state of New Mexico by not only advocating for students at NMSU, but also for high-school students in the Las Cruces community as well .

Chicano Programs provides the community with “preparing for college” workshop usually at churches or schools where they can provide information to students on financial aid and other re-sources available to students

Dr . Gutierrez-Spencer says that parents of first-generation students are very supportive, but often don’t know how to be helpful or what advice to give them because they themselves have not gone to college . However, Chicanos Programs want to ensure that students have the tools that they need in order to succeed at NMSU and sometimes that simply means giving students some guidance .

President of the Hispanic Council, and Aerospace Engineering Major, Esai Lopez, says that the Chicanos Program has had a significant impact on his college experience . Like many members of the Chicano Programs, Lopez is the first in his family to attended a university .

“Chicano programs has impacted me a lot,” said Lopez . “They taught me how to speak properly and become more professional .” Lopez, thanks Dr . Gutier-rez-Spencer for guiding him and teaching him how the college system works .

Lopez received a scholarship of $1,100 through the Hispanic council . Chica-no programs offer a variety of scholarships available to those who are members of the programs . All students have to do is apply through Scholar Dollar$ . Apart from offering scholarships and guidance, Chicano Programs has multiple student organizations under the Hispanic Council that anyone can join . Student organizations include: College As-sistant Migrant Programs (CAMP), Latinos For Exito, Mexican American Engineers and Scientist . (MAES), Mujeres y Hombres Ac-tivas Revolucionarias (MHAR) and Society

of Hispanic Proffesional Engineers (SHPE) . Chicano Programs provides leadership de-velopment for the student organizations .

To join any Chicano program’s student organizations, students may sign-up in the Chicano programs office in Gar-cia Annex, located in room 138 . “Chicano” is intended to also include students who identify as Hispanic, Mexican-American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Latino, etc . However, the Program is open to all students regard-less of ethnic background .

Chicano Programs at NMSU is a support service that promotes and empowers all student success through education, advocacy and development of cultural literacy .

For more information on Chicano Pro-grams you can call 575-646-4206 or contact Dr . Laura Gutierrez-Spencer at lgutzspc@nmsu .edu


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c u lt u r eT R U

By: Jianna Vasquez

Kiss and tell Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, but for students that don’t have a date, Aggies Activity Council and Barnes & Nobles has them covered . Aggies Activity Council will be co-programming with Barnes & Nobles to bring the community a night of games, food and music on Monday, February 13 .

Barnes & Noble will host their fi fth annual Aggie-Tech kiss-off starting at 5:30 p .m . The kiss-off will be a competition where a team of two people will hold a bottle of mouth wash between their chins with their hands behind their backs . The last team standing will win the competition .

“It’s a lot more fun than people think it’s going to be,” said Ag-gie-tech member and Marketing Major, Will VanOrder . Everyone who participates will receive a prize, but the three last teams left standing will receive bigger rewards; the third place team will receive a free three-course-meal dinner on Valentine’s Day at Fultons Third Floor Bis-tro, second place will receive two $100 gift cards for Barnes & Noble and the fi rst place team will receive the grand-prize of two matching ipads .

In previous years, the longest time that the competition has lasted was two hours and forty-fi ve minutes, but last year it was less than an hour . To sign-up for the kiss-off students can visit AggieTechKissOff .EventBrite .com or show up to the door, but there will be a maximum of 50 teams who will be allowed to participate in the kiss-off . The dead-line to participate will be at 4 p .m .

Although this will be the Aggie-Tech’s fi fth year doing the kiss-off it is the fi rst year that they will be co-programming with Aggies Activity Council .

“In previous years it’s just been the kiss-off so once the compe-tition is over there’s nothing to do, but they’re bring live music and other things to the table that we’ve never had practice providing,” said VanOrder .

Aggies Activity Council wants to take the pressure off of Valen-tine’s Day for people who don’t have a date . “The idea was to have mixer,” said one of AAC’s program direc-tors, Michaela Van Wormer . “If you don’t have date you can come be single, mix and mingle .”

This event is aimed at being interactive with one another and get-ting to know each other through fun and games . AAC will be hosting a game where participants ask each other questions that they would not usually ask each other .

Apart from bring games, AAC will also provide food and entertain-ment by the Indie-folk duo Beth and James . AAC will be giving away shirts for whoever gets up and participates in open-mic . Beth and James will begin their performance at 7 p .m . .

For the indie-folk duo from Austin, Texas, Beth and James Valen-tine’s Day is an enjoyable holiday because not only are they a musical duo, but they are also a couple .

“It’s nice to be able to spend Valentine’s Day playing music together,” said the duo . “Also, chocolate’s the best .”

This will be the duos fi rst time performing in New Mexico .

“We are so excited to play at NMSU and meet everybody,” said Beth and James . “We’ve never played a show together in New Mexico, but we’ve always wanted to come .” Beth and James will be releasing their debut EP on April 28 . To stay updated on their releases students can visit their website at www .bethjamesband .com

Aggies Activites Council and the Aggie-Tech squad’s Valentine’s Day event are both free to whoever wants to participate . The event will be located at NMSU’s bookstore, downstairs in the Starbucks café area .

For more information on either event, students can contact Aggies Activity Council at 575-646-3200 or the Aggie-Tech Squad at 575-646-1791

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Enjoy yourself and have fun because college is a time to fi nd yourself and to become whatever and whoever you want to be, but if you are going to do it here’s a list of fi ve other tips to help you out .

Dating someone means spending quite a bit of time with them, but just because you two spend a lot of time together doesn’t mean you should lose sight of who you are or what is important to you . Your partner should always accept you for who you are and what you stand for .

Dating should be fun and chances are you both don’t like the same things, but that's okay because it’s what keeps the relationship interesting . Don’t be afraid to try something new .

Juggling classes, homework and a signifi cant other takes a lot of time, but it’s not impossible . Signifi -cant others provide an escape from all the responsibilities of school-work, but don’t let them become a distraction! (missing class too often to spend time with them, texting them when you should be paying attention in class or worrying about a fi ght when you should be worrying about school) School should always come before your partner, but this doesn’t mean you two can’t focus on school together . Don’t forget study sessions are dates too .

It’s okay if you don’t want to get serious in a relationship . Being in a relationship takes a lot of work on both ends and sometimes you many not want to or you simply may not have the time—and that’s okay .

College is time for endless possibilities and opportunities that you may never get again, even more so, opportunities that can help shape your future . If you get a chance to study abroad or take an internship in another city, do it because you never know what else is waiting for you out there .

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4

5

6

2

3

don’t do it.

always be yourself

experience new things

above all, stay focused

don’t get too serious if you are not ready.

don’t miss out on opportunities for a signifi cant other

Of course, as most students know college is a diff erent experience for everyone so what works for one relationship may not work for another . At the end of the day you decide what works best for you and your partner, there is no right or wrong . Just enjoy your time with each other .

6 tips for Dating in College


12 Photo by: David Mares

s p o rts

Photo by: David Mares

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N e w y e a r , n e w o p e n i n g s

At T H E R O U N D U P !

R o u n d i n g u p n e w sta f f !

p o s i t i o n s A v a l i a b l e :

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- l e g a l e d i to r

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C o m e i nto t r u ' s o f f i c e o r

f i n d u s o n t w i t t e r :

@n m s u r o u n d u p


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s p o rtsT R UMen's basketball wins three games in five-day stretch The New Mexico State Aggie men’s basketball team shared the second-longest winning streak with the University of Oregon with 16 straight wins (with a spot on Scott Van Pelt’s late-night Sportscenter info graph), but after the Ducks fell to Pac-12 foe Colorado, the Aggies found themselves no longer having to share the accomplishment . NMSU trav-eled to three different cities in five days, but found a way to pull out wins against Seattle U, Utah Valley, and Northern New Mexico to extend their winning streak to 18 games, behind only undefeated Gonzaga (22-0) .

NM State 71 Seattle 56 NMSU got off to a slow start in Key Arena against a Seat-tle University team that has always played the Aggies tough under former-UCLA point guard Cameron Dollar . Though the Aggies shot just 34 .4 percent in the first half, the team did an outstanding job defending the Redhawks . SU went 0 for 12 from behind the arc, scoring just 20 points in the first half, eight of which came from the free throw line . SU would not shy away from the 3-point shooting despite their struggles, shooting another 18 in the second half, turning in a 5 for 30 showing for the game . Their inability to knock down shots allowed NMSU to find their footing in the Great Northwest, not only improving on their shooting percentage to 40 percent, but also getting to the line 12 times, making ten of them . Senior guard Ian Baker led the Aggies with 19 points, despite shooting just 4 for 17 from the field . His ability to get to the free throw line (9 for 10 in second half) kept NMSU afloat and pro-vided his usual scoring punch, albeit in a different way . Jemerrio Jones had 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and Eli Chuha chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds .

NM State 74 Utah Valley 69 After trailing for the first 13:35 of the second half in Orem, Utah, NMSU finally took the lead against the Wolverines by way of a Braxton Huggins 3-pointer with 6:25 left in the second half . From there, it would become a see-saw affair until the last minute . Trailing by one, Eli Chuha scored a lay-up after UVU’s Issac Nielson missed two free throws that would have stretched the Wolverine lead to three . UVU missed a shot in the paint of the next

possession and Chuha scored on a lay-up inside again to push the Aggie lead to three with just 13 seconds left . UVU turned the ball over on the inbounds pass, fouling Baker, who would split the pair of free throws while making it a two-possession game, thus putting the game on ice . NMSU outscored UVU by 12 in the second half after trailing by eight by halftime . Baker led the Aggies once again with 24 points on a much more efficient 8 for 15 from the field, in-cluding a few key shots in the second half to keep the Aggies with-in striking distance . Eli Chuha kept up his solid offensive season up with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Jemerrio Jones provided his usual spark-plug energy off the bench with seven points and 13 rebounds .

NM State 98 Northern New Mexico College 75 For the second straight year, NMSU traveled up to the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho to face the Northern New Mexico College Eagles . In an effort to connect to alumni and fans living in the northern part of the state, Paul Weir and the team put on an offensive show against the Eagles, with the 98 points being the second-highest output for the Aggies this season (100 vs . Arizona Christian on Nov . 11) . NNMC was just 4-20 on the year coming into the game, but hung around from a majority of the game, cutting the Aggie lead to as little as six with 13:31 left in the game . NMSU would eventually flex its muscle against the DII Eagles, reeling off a 20-7 run to swell the lead back up to 18 . Baker scored 27 points, while redshirt-freshman Jermaine Haley poured in a career-high 16 points . Five different Aggies scored in double figures, and the team came back to Las Cruces 21-2 on the season and 7-0 in conference play . (NMSU received two votes in the AP Poll for the week of Jan .30, making its first appearance on the poll since 2011)

After hosting Chicago State this past Saturday, NMSU will head west for a crucial two-game road trip against and Cal-State Bakersfield on Feb . 9 and Grand Canyon and Feb .11 . CSUB nearly beat the Aggies in their first meeting on Jan . 14, but a second-half surge propelled NMSU to a 63-58 victory . GCU will look to defeat NMSU in Phoenix for the second-straight year after knocking off the Aggies 79-75 on Jan . 9, 2015 .

By Derek Gonzales


14

s p o rtsT R U

By Derek Gonzales

Aggie softball set to open season this weekend Head Coach Kathy Rodolph and the New Mexico State Ag-gie softball team open up their 2017 season this weekend, as the team will host the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners in a three-game series starting with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 2 p .m . inside the New Mexico State Softball Complex . This year’s team features a host of new faces, including nine freshmen and just two seniors . After leading the Western Athletic Conference in almost every single statistical offensive category, Rodolph believes that this team will be a lot different from the 34-win squad from a year ago . “We are a very differ-ent team so we are really young,” Rodolph said, who enters the season with 603 wins as a collegiate head coach . “We lost a lot of key individuals from last year, but I feel like in the offseason, what we learned about our team is that we definitely have a lot more speed and we are going to be a lot more aggressively offensively and defensively .” The pitching staff will be anchored by sophomore Kayla Green . The Tucson, Ariz . native appeared in 32 games last sea-son, going 9-3 on the year while posting a 3 .09 ERA in 97 innings pitched . Freshman Samaria Diaz will also see significant time in the circle for the Aggies, as will classmates Alexis Devers, Brandi Wilke, and junior Fahren Glackin . NMSU had the lowest ERA in the WAC last year (2 .87) . A huge cog in NMSU’s offense last season was senior in-fielder Fiana Finau, who hit nine home runs and 50 RBI’s as the Aggies’ clean-up hitter . Replacing Finau’s production will be a challenge this season, but the team looks to be more than capa-ble of being every bit of the team that led the WAC in hits by a 39-hit margin (522) over the next closest team (GCU with 481) .

“We are going to need our power-hitting kids to step up, and right now, we are getting very solid contributions from Kelsey Horton,” Rodolph said . “She was one of the top 10 fresh-men in the country last season, and Victoria Castro and Kenne-dy Johnson have all been stepping up offensively . We are going to need all of them to fill some really big shoes .” Returnees Haley Nakamura, Rachel Rodriguez, and Alexis Maynez, along with Castro, will look to lead the way in the field,

as defensively, NMSU fielded a .956 fielding percentage, which was best in the confer-ence . Rodolph has tra-ditionally schedule tough non-conference opponents to ready her team for con-ference and post-season play, and this year’s slate is no different . Ten games against power-5 schools are on the schedule, including the welcoming of DePaul, Oregon State, and Tennes-see into Las Cruces for the annual Troy Cox Classic . The Aggies will also make a return

to Cathedral City, Calif . to play in the Mary Nutter Classic for the second-consecutive season . There, NMSU will face LSU, NC State, Michigan, Oklahoma State, and San Diego State in a five-day span . For a team that has quite a bit of youth on the roster, the Aggies will need to learn on the fly, as the schedule will not pro-vide any rest of the weary . “We believe that if we want a chance to really vie for a National Championship, you have got to understand the level that that requires, so I have always believed in playing (non-con-ference opponents) tough and scheduling hard,” Rodolph said . “That really challenges us to not necessarily show us what we aren’t, but to show us where we are and give us a good founda-tion of where we want to go .”


15

Women’s Basketball Week-in-Review

NM State 73 Seattle 69 (OT)

Fans were treated to a hard fought affair in a battle between the top two teams in the conference last Thursday .

New Mexico State’s 73-69 overtime over Seat-tle had all the makings of a thriller from start to finish . Offense was a problem for the Aggies in the first quar-ter, as they trailed the Redhawks (7-13, 4-1) 21-18 after one, led by leading scorer Alexis Montgomery, who had 11 points .

NMSU sophomore Brooke Salas took over the second quarter, scoring and assisting on all 12 of the team’s first points . That led to a 19-3 run and eventually put them on top 43-36 at halftime . It was arguably the best-looking quarter from the Aggies this season .

Heading into the fourth quarter, NMSU was up 59-55 . Offense was non-existent on both sides, as the teams only combined for 14 points in the final frame . Redhawk guard Kamira Sanders made one of two free throws to send the game to overtime tied at 64 .

In what was a tight finish, Moriah Mack capped off her career-night with the game-clinching steal and free throws to secure the 73-69 victory .

Mack finished the night with a career-high 26 points and three steals . Salas also tallied 26 points and 12 rebounds in the win . Tonishia Childress added a solid nine points off the bench as well .

NM State 63Utah Valley 46

The Aggies finished off the first half of the 2017 WAC schedule with a 63-46 victory over Utah Valley last Saturday .

Scoring was hard to come by for both teams in the first half, as the Aggies only held a 22-21 lead .

Like the previous game, Brooke Salas, who put up 14 points in the third quarter, ignited the Aggies on offense . Her efforts help the Aggies break the game open 48-36 heading into the fourth quarter .

Late in the fourth quarter, Moriah Mack hit a jump shot for her 1,000th career point at NMSU . She became the 22nd player in Aggies history to score 1,000 points . She joins teammate Brianna Freeman, who accomplished the feat on January 7 vs . Chicago State .

The Aggies would cruise to the 63-46 victory . Salas once again had a stellar effort, scoring 24 points and nine rebounds .

With the two victories, the Aggies improved to 15-6 overall and remained in first place in the WAC with a perfect 7-0 record . They return to action on Thurs-day @ Cal-State Bakersfield at 7:00 .

The New Mexico State women’s basketball team is continuing its WAC dominance as they are currently on an 8-game winning streak and have yet to lose in 2017 .

By: Joseph Fullbright


16

Photos by David Mares

o p i n i o nT R U

Photos by David Mares

______ No Cause Is Too Big to Conquer The Ivory Game is one of my most recent watches on Netfl ix . Leonardo DiCaprio, who is an activist on environmental issues, was exec-utive producer of the documentary that chronicles the alarming amount of elephants being killed in Africa .

The World Wild Fund for Nature says nearly 35,000-40,000 el-ephants are killed every year leaving an estimated 415,000 left in Africa .

Their ivory, which has a large market value, is sold at high prices and thousands of elephants are left to scavengers looking for a meal . The animals can even be cut up and have their meat and skin sold .

One of the images shows a warehouse overfl owing with

elephant tusks, some weighing in at over 100 pounds . According to the BBC, one pound can be worth up to $ 1,100 . A lucrative business for poachers involved . The tusks are counted, sorted and eventually burned .

The fi lm follows men who see an opportunity to make a diff erence, even if it might leave them in dan-gerous situations . Hongxiang Huang is a native to the country and since he ‘blends in’ with the population, exploiting illegal ivory trade came much easier to him . Hooked up with secret a camera and mic, he was able to get evidence that suggested sellers were overstepping the legal amount of ivory trade . Watching Huang risk being exposed for his true purpose is courageous because

he saw a purpose greater than him-self .

Thankfully, ivory is now going to be harder to obtain . China an-nounced at the end of 2016 that all ivory sales will cease at the end of 2017 . Elephants now have a chance to make a comeback to their habitats and activists can continue to be the voice for these mammals .

The Ivory Game does not just promote the protection of African Elephants, but rather tell a story of individuals working together from diff erent walks of life, countries and even languages to make a diff erence in the world . Their documentary shows that no cause is too big to conquer .

Katie Kilbane

16

NBA Power Rankings With the football season com-ing to an end this past Sunday and baseball still another two months away, the NBA is the center of the sports universe . With that, it has been an interesting season with a lot more to come . If you’ve fi nally started to pay attention to the NBA, let’s take a look at the top fi ve teams right now .

1. Golden State Warriors (42-7)

The Golden State Warriors are easily the best team in the Western Conference and right now sport the best record in the entire league . New addition Kevin Durant (26 .3 points and 8 .4 rebounds per game) has only made the best regular season team in NBA history better than they were last year .

2. San Antonio Spurs (36-11)

As it seems to be every season, the Spurs are quietly doing what they always do: winning . They currently lead the battle for the second seed in the West- which really is just ‘who gets to face the Warriors last in the playoff s .’

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (32-14)

The only team that has shown the ability to consistently beat the Warriors is the Cavaliers . Despite their slow start to 2017, the fact that LeBron James is still the best player on the planet even in his 14th season should ease Cavs fans stress . Nobody in the East comes close to Cleveland .

4. Houston Rockets (35-16)

Mike D’Antoni has done what everyone expected him to do in his fi rst season as the Rocket’s head coach: insane off ense with little defense . James Harden is having an MVP-caliber season averaging 28 .4 points, 8 .2 rebounds, and 11 .5 assists per game .

5. Boston Celtics (29-18)

Isaiah Thomas had an amazing month of January where he av-eraged 32 .9 points per game- the fourth most by a Celtics player in history . His play has quietly launched them into fi rst place in the Atlantic Division .

Joseph Fullbright


17

Dixie and Dusty have been on the run way too long and have decided that The Round Up will be the perfect hideout for them.Trying to keep a low profi le from authorities, they want to blend in to everyday campus life and start working for TRU.

Traveling through the west, meeting many types of people, they want to help anyone who has questions about life, love and school.

A: That’s a predica-ment, darlin’ . My advice

to you is to return the necklace . I know this

might be an awkward situation for y’all and he might get angry, but ex-

plain to him that although the gift is somethin’ you’d wear and somethin’ you’d

really like the timin’ of it just isn’t right . Such an extravagant

gift shouldn’t be given in times of disagreement because if you are to

break up, that could be an ongoing argu-ment and turn y’alls breakup into a much big-

ger deal than it really is . It’s brave to discuss this and even if he is hurt by you returning it, just say in the end fl owers are a much better sorry . This is not to

insult his gift; it is to prepare for any future situations you might go through because you excepted a gift

that might not be have been for the best intentions . Be strong and he will eventually understand .

Dear Dixie: My boyfriend just gave me a beautiful necklace . The problem is that it’s be-

cause we just got in a huge fi ght where we almost broke up . Should

I keep the necklace?

A:This is an awkward situation, but don’t think y’all can’t fi x it. I’ve be known to have one too many and say something I regret, whether it’s a complete truth or some-thin’ that was supposed to never be said . Just take it and own your mistake . No one is perfect and sometimes we can get carried away with what we say, just reply to the indi-vidual with the truth . Apologies with no excuses to the event will help y’all out . Y’all can’t ignore the problem ‘cause than y’all will start to create a situation where you ignore the individual, create rumors or fi ght about a text that could have been solved simple with a “sorry .” Respect is key and if it’s a lady friend or a lady you like, don’t create a ripple in the relations . Don’t place the blame on the drinks and don’t forget y’all are human and mistakes happen now and again .

Dear Dusty: How do you come back from a drunk text?

Send in your questions to RoundUp@nmsu .edu .

plain to him that although plain to him that although the gift is somethin’ you’d the gift is somethin’ you’d

really like the timin’ of it just really like the timin’ of it just really like the timin’ of it just really like the timin’ of it just isn’t right . Such an extravagant isn’t right . Such an extravagant isn’t right . Such an extravagant isn’t right . Such an extravagant

gift shouldn’t be given in times of gift shouldn’t be given in times of gift shouldn’t be given in times of gift shouldn’t be given in times of disagreement because if you are to disagreement because if you are to disagreement because if you are to disagreement because if you are to

break up, that could be an ongoing argu-break up, that could be an ongoing argu-break up, that could be an ongoing argu-break up, that could be an ongoing argu-ment and turn y’alls breakup into a much big-ment and turn y’alls breakup into a much big-ment and turn y’alls breakup into a much big-ment and turn y’alls breakup into a much big-

ger deal than it really is . It’s brave to discuss this and ger deal than it really is . It’s brave to discuss this and

necklace . The problem is that it’s be-necklace . The problem is that it’s be-cause we just got in a huge fi ght where cause we just got in a huge fi ght where cause we just got in a huge fi ght where cause we just got in a huge fi ght where

we almost broke up . Shouldwe almost broke up . Shouldwe almost broke up . Shouldwe almost broke up . Should

thin’ that was supposed to thin’ that was supposed to

and own your mistake . No and own your mistake . No one is perfect and sometimes one is perfect and sometimes one is perfect and sometimes one is perfect and sometimes we can get carried away with we can get carried away with we can get carried away with we can get carried away with what we say, just reply to the indi-what we say, just reply to the indi-what we say, just reply to the indi-what we say, just reply to the indi-vidual with the truth . Apologies with vidual with the truth . Apologies with vidual with the truth . Apologies with vidual with the truth . Apologies with no excuses to the event will help y’all no excuses to the event will help y’all no excuses to the event will help y’all no excuses to the event will help y’all out . Y’all can’t ignore the problem ‘cause out . Y’all can’t ignore the problem ‘cause out . Y’all can’t ignore the problem ‘cause out . Y’all can’t ignore the problem ‘cause than y’all will start to create a situation where you than y’all will start to create a situation where you

How do you come back How do you come back from a drunk text?from a drunk text?from a drunk text?from a drunk text?


18

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Co n t a c t o u r C u l t u ra l E d i t o r, J i a n n a Va s q u e z

or our Adver t is ing Director, Vanessa Chavez ,

about publ ic iz ing your event with The Round

Up for February , 2017 .

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A g g i e e v e n t s c a l e n d a r

* General NSSLHA Meeting- 11:00 am – 12:00 pm @ Corbett Center

* CRU’s Freshman Bible Study- 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm @ Corbett Center Aggie Underground

* Lighthouse Fellowship Meeting- 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm @ Domenici Hall Room 006

* Spirituality Club Meeting – 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm @ Spiritual Center

* Mass on Campus- 12:10 pm – 1:00 pm @ Spiritual Center

* Career Services Meetup- 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm @ O’Donnell Hall

* RUF Worship Service- 7:30 pm – 8:45 pm @ Spiritual Center

* Arts and Sciences Council Meeting- 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm HJLC 125

* Aggies Activities Council Info Event- 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm Corbett Center

* Inter-Fraternity Council General Meeting- 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm @ Corbett Center

* Aggies Activities Council Movie Night- 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm @ Corbett Center Auditorium

* __Mobile Blood Pressure Clinic- 11:15 am – 12:45 pm @ O’Donnell Hall Lobby

* Panhellenic Council Meeting- 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm @ Corbett Center

* NMSU Chess Club Meeting- 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm @ Crossroads in Corbett Center

* CRU Worship Service- 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm @ Corbett Center

* ASNMSU Senate- 5:30 pm – 11:00 pm @ Corbett Center

* NMSU Women’s Basketball vs . CSU Bakersfield- 7:00 pm @ Pan Am Center

* WWE- 7:30 pm @ Pan Am Center* Bid Day for Greek Chapters- 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm @ Corbett Outdoor Stage

* Bible Study- 7:00 pm – 8:45 pm @ Corbett Center


20

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