MIinero Magazine

Editor \ Crystal Robert \

Art Director \ Miriam Mitzi Rosas \

Copy Editor \ Sofia Chávez \

Writers \ Justin Anthony Monarez \ Perla Chaparro \ Cynthia Romero \ Justin Luera \ Nicole Chávez \ Crystal Robert \

Photo Editor \ Jacob Torres \

Photographers \ Michael P. Reese \ Bob Corral \ Fernie Castillo \

Designers \ Alejandra Guerrero \ Isaac Villalpando \ Yasmin Márquez \ Antonio Chávez \ Luciano Crossa \

Illustrations \ Luciano Crossa \ Isaac Villalpando

Ad Representatives \ Selene Macias \ Sofia I. Chávez \ Fernando Hernández \

Advertising Director \ Verónica González \

Accounting Specialist \ Isabel Castillo \

Administrative Secretary \ Marcela R. Luna \

Editorial Advisor \ Lourdes Cardenas \

Director \ Kathleen Flores \

Minero Magazine welcomes your comments. Please send letters to Minero Magazine, 105 Union East, Student Publications, The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, Texas, 79968-0622, or fax them to 915-747-8031, or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Minero Magazine is published by UTEP students through the Department of Student Publications, The University of Texas at El Paso, 105 Union East, 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, Texas, 79968-0622. It is published once every fall and spring semester. Periodicals postage is paid at El Paso, Texas. Minero Magazine is not responsible for any claims made by advertisers. Additional policy information may be obtained by calling Student Publications at 915-747-5161. Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the university. Visit our Web site at www.studentaffairs.utep.edu/minero.

c o n t e n t sm i n e r o

4 minero communityFOR SOME, SEPARATE LIVES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER

6 minero cultureA BEAUTIFUL LABOR

9 minero profilePEDALEANDO HACIA SU META

16 minero healthH1N1- AMENAZA A LOS JOVENES

19 minero travelINDONESIA’S SIREN’S SONG: A LUSH, STEAMY AND EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE

12 minero lifeTHE HAUNTED HALLS OF UTEP

Cover Photo by Fernie Castillo & Model Luisa Arredondo

It’s been a great three semesters! As my time as editor-in-chief of Minero Magazine draws to a close, I remember all the rewarding experiences I have had throughout my time at this publication.

It has been my pleasure to rattle cages, arouse interest and address the issues that have been important to the UTEP community. I have been very impressed and pleased with the way the writers and designers have delivered their story ideas, and the impact that they had on our community.

It has been extremely exciting to see the magazine come about–from concept to final glossy product. I have loved brainstorming story ideas and topics and their importance to the UTEP and El Paso community.

Some of the topics we have covered over the last three semesters have been controversial, such as Armando Segovia’s story on Lomas del Poleo (concerning a land dispute in Ciudad Juárez). Armando’s story was not just a point of interest as a final product, but the adventure behind gathering the details for the piece was an amazing thriller all on its own.

Justin Monarez’ tattoo piece also proved to be a bit scandalous. Feedback of any sort on an issue of Minero Magazine is very exciting. Although the comments we received were not all positive, it’s great to know that a story

not only catches your eye, but also inspires you to think. This is one of the many stories that would never have been as dynamic without the amazing work of the designer, Yasmin Marquez.

Some of the topics have been entertaining and insightful; such as Perla Chaparro’s profile on Rodolfo García. Not only did Perla’s words bring attention to a very dedicated and hardworking man, but Melody Parra’s photos helped humanize a man whose work has been usually overlooked.

This issue offers a fresh approach in the history of Minero Magazine. Justin Luera’s interview of author and professor Ben Saenz is a question-and-answer format that allows the dynamic interaction between student and professor, young writer and mentor to shine through. I hope you enjoy this latest issue. It’s difficult to say goodbye, but now it’s time for me to move on.

It has been my unique privilege to work with an amazing team of writers and designers; especially a truly amazing art director, whose creativity and insight is what has made Minero Magazine a success over the

past two semesters.

Miriam “Mitzi” Rosas, is an award-winning designer who has worked for Minero Magazine for several years now. In fact, on Oct. 31 she was awarded a national Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker award for her design work on the layout of the “Bloody Battles Batter Business” story. Her dedication to the magazine is displayed in her excellent balancing of the writers’ message with images devised by designers who provide their visual interpretation of this message. Mitzi will graduate at the end of this semester, and she will without a doubt succeed in everything that she does.

I have learned a great deal from my colleagues and superiors, and consider myself very fortunate to have worked with everyone from the advertising representatives to the designers and the writers. Although I will not be continuing with the publication, I am very hopeful for the future of Minero Magazine and wish all those who continue on the very best.

Thank you for reading,

Crystal Robert

e d i t o r i a lm i n e r o

For those living in a country where drug war violence is an everyday occurrence, the evidence can be seen everywhere in border communities like El Paso and Ciudad Juárez. As the violence escalates, as measured by the rising death toll, its political, social and economic effects continue to weigh heavily on the sister cities and their residents.

“The moving of people from Juárez to El Paso isn’t anything new,” says UTEP political science professor Howard Campbell. “However, these people are virtually being expelled from their city because of safety issues.”

Many residents of Cd. Juárez leave much of their family behind in Mexico to start a new life in El Paso, but for some UTEP students such as art major Luis Porras, who endures a difficult daily commute to school, say they could never really settle in either city.

“Even though I go to school here and work here and I live in Juárez, I know that I never really feel like I’m at home,” Luis says. “I mean, I have all my friends and family in Juárez, but I have my work here.” Luis, 23, who has been attending UTEP since 2003, says he was living in El Paso with roommates in 2006, but had to move back to Juárez for financial reasons. “I want to dedicate myself to school, to painting. I need to be doing it all the time, so I’ve chosen to maybe move to El Paso so that I can be closer to school.”

Luis admits he has become desensitized by the onslaught of media coverage, but he also says there are reminders of the constant wave of violence looming over the city he loves. “I love Juárez, there is no other place in the world like Juárez, but it simply isn’t safe,” he says. “For example, just three blocks from my house is where they killed the professor from UACJ (Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez). I walk past where he was killed almost everyday.”

A painter with big goals, Luis says the decision to move to the United States does not imply an absolute disconnection from his birthplace. “When I finally settle wherever I settle, I won’t stop going to Juárez,” he says. “It means so much for me that I can’t just let it go. I think everyone wants to escape and I’m sure that if there was a way for them to do so they would, but I think until then, one learns to manage.”

by Cynthia Romero

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UTEP associate political science professor, Irasema Coronado, says she doesn’t believe that the number of students coming to live in El Paso will increase much. “Juárez is attractive. It’s cheaper anyway,” Coronado says. “Many students don’t have the luxury of living here; it’s just easier to live with their families.”

Sara Chávez, a UTEP sophomore communication major, is one of those students. Sara says she lives in Juárez under a constant cloud of fear, but hopes the violence will mitigate. “I’ve been crossing the border for the past four years, and it is always a pain. There is always fear,” says Sara. “I don’t even go out anymore really into the streets like I used to. Everything has changed.”

Living in El Paso is not an option for her, she says. The rent is too expensive and all her family

lives in Juárez. “I don’t think that I would live here in El Paso

even if I could afford it,” she says. “I

would miss all

my family too much, and I don’t think it’d be too fair for me to leave them in an unsafe place just so that I can be safe too.”

Sara says that while commuting has been the hardest thing yet, she knows that it is essential for her future plans. “I eventually want to work in a digital media production company somewhere, and I know I’ll have to move to California or somewhere like that,” she says. “But for right now, I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be, I just have to be a lot more cautious.”

Assistant anthropology professor, Nina Núñez-Mchiri, says the decision to move to El Paso isn’t always black and white. Núñez says that several of her students have tried to move from Juárez to El Paso. “I’ve seen it first-hand. There’s always a lot of stigma about the people who come from Juárez to El Paso, but in talking and dealing with my students, I’ve seen how hard their struggle is,” she says.

Núñez-Mchiri also says that she teaches students who commute between the two cities on a daily basis. “One of my recent students was married to a maquiladora (assembly plant) worker and she was desperately trying to bring him over to El Paso,” Núñez-Mchiri says. “She said she felt it wasn’t safe for both of them and she was able to get the support of the church behind them, financially and spiritually. For her, it was a constant struggle, but she finally did it.”

Luis, who plans to graduate in May 2010, says that while he may never find the perfect balance between work and family, he is never going to let that take him away from his hometown of Juárez. “The fact that I’ve been assaulted before in Juárez and had my car taken away or the fact that I live just a few blocks from where murder has occurred makes me aware, but it doesn’t make me fearful to the point where I’ll stop,” he says. “For me, it’s a fact of life I have to deal with and continue to live.”

Editor’s note: This article was previously published on www.borderzine.com, a web-based project of UTEP’s Department of Communication.

Dos ciudades fronterizas sufren problemas políticos, económicos y sociales debido a la guerra contra el narcotráfico que un país vive. La violencia que se vive a diario en Ciudad Juárez también tiene un impacto en El Paso.

Desde siempre la gente se ha mudado de Cd. Juárez a El Paso, pero en los últimos años, el problema de la seguridad ha jugado un papel importante en este tipo de decisiones. Al mismo tiempo, esta el problema económico. Vivir en Juárez es más barato y hay quien no tiene el dinero para cambiarse a El Paso.

Luis Porras, de 23 años, estudiante de arte en UTEP, ha sido víctima de violencia. Fue asaltado y le robaron su carro. A unas cuadras de su casa fue asesinado un profesor de la UACJ. Aun así, Luis dice que sin importar a dónde se vaya a vivir en un futuro siempre seguirá regresando a su ciudad natal, Juárez.

Sara Chávez, quien cursa su segundo año de comunicación en UTEP, dice que no tiene los medios económicos para mudarse a El Paso. Y aún si los tuviera, dice que no lo podría hacer, ya que no le parecería justo que ella estuviera segura pero su familia no.

La realidad es que una decisión como mudarse de una ciudad a otra, aunque solo las separe un puente, no es fácil, especialmente cuando la seguridad de uno está en constante peligro.

Illustrations & Design by Isaac Villalpando 5 minero magazine

A BeautifulLABOR

BY JUSTIN LUERA

1972Entered St. Thomas Seminary in Denver, Colo., and received his bachelor’s degree in humanities

and philosophy in 1977.

1981Ordained as a Catholic priest for

the diocese of El Paso, Texas.

1985Entered the graduate program in creative writing at the University

of Texas at El Paso, where he received his master’s degree.

1986Entered the University of Iowa to pursue a Ph.D. in

American literature.

1988-92 Left Iowa to attend Stanford

University as a Wallace E. Stegner Fellow.

B enjamín Alire Sáenz, author, artist and UTEP pro-fessor of creative writing, has explored the vast ter-rain of desert between the U.S. and Mexico for the

better part of 20 years. In a place that is normally depicted as a harsh clime with hard people, Sáenz digs deep under the romance of copper-colored dunes, naked mountains and cacti to unearth the rage, hate and love inside of the very real people who inhabit the border.

Recently, Sáenz was awarded the EPCC Literary Legacy Award, and his exhibit “Words on Paper” was on display for the month of September at the El Paso Public Library. On the eve of the publishing of his 15th book, “Last Night I Sang to the Monster,” Sáenz discusses his thoughts on teaching, writing and the border.

M: In the past you’ve expressed a love/ hate relationship with teaching. Is writing something that can be taught or merely something inherent in a person that can be honed?

BAS: Well I think the answer is a little bit of both. I think that some people are drawn to words and have great facil-ity with words–who are interested in words or are inter-ested in the world–they take writing classes to kind of de-velop their skill. And so I do think writing can be taught. I think someone can be a really bad writer and become a really competent writer–maybe not a great writer, but a really competent writer because they discipline them-selves. I really believe that, for me, writing was 10 percent natural talent, 60 percent discipline and the rest, sheer and utter desire.

M: I’m reminded of Larry Brown, who was in his late 30’s or 40’s before he had touched a typewriter. Formerly a fireman, he always said his earlier stories were, to use his own words “crap,” and after writing six or seven nov-els, he finally got published. Barry Hannah (the author of “Geronimo Rex” and winner of the William Faulkner Prize) once remarked that writing could be taught.

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1992While at Stanford, he

completed his first book of poems, “Calendar of Dust,”

which won an American Book Award. He returned to

UTEP to teach.

1995Completed his first novel, “Carry Me Like Water,” and his second

book of poetry, “Dark and Perfect Angel.” Both publications were

awarded a Southwest Book Award.

1997Harper Collins published “House of

Forgetting,” which was also translated into French and German.

1998-2008 Wrote and published several books including, “In Perfect Light,” “Sam and Julia in Hollywood,” ”Elegies

in Blue” and three children’s books.

2009Cinco Puntos Press publishes his latest young adult novel, “Last Night I Sang to the Monster,” and bilingual

children’s book, “The Dog Who Loved Tortillas.”

BAS: I think all of that is true and I believe that you have to really want to do it. I wanted to do this, and I have a lot of discipline when it comes to my writing. I always tell my students that writing is work. I’m not sure they want to hear that. And while they may have talent, that’s not going to mean anything in the long run–not if they don’t sit down and really write and rewrite and become very critical of their own vision and of their own work. A little raw talent will take you almost nowhere.

M: What were you willing to sacrifice?

BAS: For me, it was everything. I think back on my Stanford days and being with the Stegner Fellows, who were my colleagues–fiction writers and poets. In terms of raw talent, I had the least amount of it. I’m probably now the most published because I think I wanted it so badly. And the other thing I

think is very important to becoming a writer is can you be alone? A lot of young people can’t be alone. You have to be able to enjoy your own company and not want to run from yourself, because you just have to spend so much time alone.

M: After years of teaching, writing and litera-ture, does it become monotonous for you?

BAS: No, no, it doesn’t. Every class is different–that’s why. I didn’t know that I was going to love teaching–I really didn’t. Students change and the university changes and there’s something about the newness of every semester. That’s the great thing about teaching: every semester is new. I have familiar faces in my classes and faces I’ve never seen before, and over the years, I become friends with a lot of my students. They write to me, I write back to them; they keep up with my writing, I keep up with their lives; it’s nice.

M: Do students renew your interest in mate-rial or change the way that you thought about the material before?

BAS: All the time and they teach me things. My students teach me things all the time, and I’m more than happy to learn. They also teach me that language is communal property, so it’s not like trickle-down literature. Language is commu-nal property, you can manipulate that–it’s alive. Students use language in different ways and they don’t need me to approve of the way they speak the English language. I listen to that and that re-minds me that language is alive, and so, students renew language for me.

M: You mentioned in an interview that your lit-erary parents were Victorian and Latin novelists with which you could not identify. Do you think it’s important for the development of budding writers in this region that there are now Chicano authors with whom they can identify?

BAS: Yes. It is important. It’s important and it’s crucial in some ways, but it’s not everything ei-ther because I think that we need to see ourselves and the possibilities in people who are like us. But I think that we also need to read people and read cultures that are not like us. We need to get beyond ourselves through literature as well.

M: You started your undergraduate career studying humanities and theology, and later became a priest for three and a half years. If you had the concept of possibly becoming a writer since you were young, what sent you on a path away from writing?

BAS: It’s a complicated question and I think that I didn’t know how to become a writer. I wanted to study to be a priest for very complicated reasons

Photographs by Bob Corral & Design by Yasmin Márquez 7 minero magazine

though they didn’t seem complicated to me at the time at all. But I really am grateful for those years because I think they made me into the person that I am. I don’t have any regrets about the past. I don’t think that being a writer is like this kind of very direct route–I think I took the long and scenic route.

M: Your novels seem to capture the El Paso area so succinctly–its people, their mentali-ties, dialogue. Did this take years to devel-op—or was it something that came natu-rally, being that you grew up in the area?

BAS: Capturing it, for me, is a real art because you really have to listen. The written word is like the writers are talk-ing, but you can’t talk on that page if you haven’t listened. You have to have an ear for it. It comes from my father, my mother and my family and every-one around me—you know the talk of the border is fabulous, it’s incredible; we make up words. I love listening to it; it makes me laugh and smile. So, I want to capture that on the page because it’s so real to me.

M: What was your concept for your upcoming young adult novel, “Last Night I Sang to the Monster”?

BAS: It’s about a young boy who is in a facility—a residential treatment cen-ter. He’s 18 years old, he’s an alcoholic and the novel is about how he has to remember, but he doesn’t want to re-member. He starts off by saying, “Most people have a dog. Not me. I have a

therapist. His name is Adam. I’d rather have a dog.” That’s how it begins, and Adam, his therapist, is trying to get him to remember. And Zach keeps saying, “Why would I want to do that?” He wants to become an expert at forget-ting… because it hurts so much. It (the book) comes from the fact that there’s a lot of addiction and alcoholism on the border, but particularly in the Mexican-American community. And we need to do something–alcoholism and addic-tion is real among young people and it’s devastating them. I wanted to write about a young man who is struggling with that.

M: What advice do you offer to stu-dents who want to be serious writers; who have that thirst for it?

BAS: Don’t just talk about it. Don’t fall into the romance of being a writer. There’s nothing romantic and there’s nothing glamorous about sitting in front of a computer for hours and hours and hours. Yet, that’s what you have to fall in love with—that, not the other stuff–not the book parties, not the read-ings. You have to earn it. You have to put in the hours. You have to fall in love with it—not just putting in the time.

It’s a beautiful labor, but you have to see it as a beautiful labor. You have to do it because it’s the air you breathe. It’s like what William Carlos Williams said about writing: “It’s either that or the bullet.”

En BREVE

La noche anterior a la publicación de su decimo quinto libro, “Last Night I Sang to the Monster” (“Anoche le Canté al Monstruo”), el escritor, pintor y profesor de UTEP en el departamento de creación literaria, Benjamín Alire Sáenz, conversó con Justin Luera acerca de sus ideas sobre lo que es escribir.

En los últimos 20 años, Sáenz ha explorado nuestra comunidad para transmitir historias a través de novelas, poesía, libros infantiles y hasta pinturas. Entre los premios que Sáenz ha recibido se encuentran el EPCC Literary Legacy Award, American Book Award y Southwest Book Award. Sus obras han sido traducidas a francés y alemán.

Su libro, “Last Night I Sang to the Monster”, trata sobre un joven de 18 años que es alcohólico. El joven se encuentra en un centro de rehabilitación y tiene que recordar su vida pasada, una vida que no quiere recordar. Sáenz escribió el libro porque ve el gran problema de alcoholismo y adicción que hay en los jóvenes de El Paso.

Antes de dedicarse de lleno a la profesión de escritor, Sáenz fue sacerdote de la Iglesia Católica por más de tres años. Para Sáenz, el escribir requiere mucho tiempo a solas y enamorarse de esta “hermosa labor”.

Sáenz dice que para él, el arte de la escritura es “10 por ciento talento natural, 60 por ciento disciplina y el resto abrupto y completo deseo”.

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Con dos empleos, dos carreras universitarias en proceso y una pasión por el deporte, cualquier estudiante se sentiría abrumado. Pero para Daniel Guízar, tener tantas actividades le permite aprovechar al máximo cada minuto de la vida y descargar su energía.

“No me gusta estar sin hacer nada”, dice Daniel. “Para mí, solo es cuestión de organizarse”.

A los 23 años, Daniel está en vísperas de terminar una licenciatura en finanzas y otra en administración de operaciones y de las cadenas de abasto. Al mismo tiempo, trabaja como cocinero, cajero y limpiando en la cafetería Delicious dentro de UTEP. Además labora en el Swimming and Fitness Center como salvavidas.

Por si eso fuera poco, Daniel todavía encuentra tiempo para una de sus grandes pasiones: el ciclismo.

Hace aproximadamente año y medio, Daniel decidió convertir lo que siempre había visto como un pasatiempo en algo más profesional, Adquirió una bicicleta de carreras o de ruta y empezó

a entrenar. “Me puse una meta: lograr 10,000 kilómetros en un año”, dice Daniel.

Por Nicole Chávez

Photograph by Michael P. Reese & Design by Isaac Villalpando

“(DANIEL) LE PONE MUCHAS GANAS A LO

QUE HACE, ME GUSTARÍA QUE TUVIÉRAMOS MÁS

ALUMNOS COMO ÉL” .

Así fue como empezó a involucrarse más en el ciclismo, entrenaba algunos días por semana y cuando podía asistía a carreras en Ciudad Juárez o en El Paso. “Empecé a conocer gente que se dedicaba más de lleno al ciclismo”, dice Daniel. Hace un año se unió al recién creado equipo de ciclismo de UTEP, que desde la primavera pasada ha participado en competencias organizadas por la Asociación Nacional de Ciclismo Universitario.

“Daniel es el que lidera por ser uno de los más fuertes del equipo”, dice Laura López, estudiante de cuarto año de ingeniería industrial e integrante del equipo de ciclismo. “Siempre pone un paso más o menos fuerte de 40 a 45 kilómetros por hora”.

El equipo ha participado en distintas carreras en la región de El Paso-Las Cruces, tanto de ruta, como de montaña, así como también en competencias en Cd. Juárez. La Conferencia de Ciclismo Universitario Rocky Mountain

que se efectuó a finales del mes de marzo en Durango, Colorado, fue todo un reto para el equipo y para Daniel, quien logró ubicarse en los primeros 15 lugares.

“La competencia es a nivel nacional, participan universidades del estado de Colorado, Nuevo México, Utah, Wyoming, entre otras”, dice Daniel. “En una de las carreras nos tocó nevado, fue muy difícil”.

Daniel es originario de Guadalajara, Jalisco, aunque desde los 12 años de edad, su familia reside en la ciudad de Chihuahua. Su interés por el ciclismo, dice, empezó alrededor de los 10 años. “Me fui metiendo al ciclismo por mi papá, él también compite todavía”, dice Daniel.

En el 2007, tras varios meses de ardua preparación, Daniel estaba listo para participar en la carrera Chupacabras de 100 kilómetros en

Cd. Juárez, una competencia de montaña a la cual asisten ciclistas provenientves de países como México, Estados Unidos e Italia. Pero la muerte de su abuela le impidió hacerlo, pues tuvo que viajar para reunirse con su familia. “No lo pensé dos veces”, dice. “La familia es primero”.

En octubre de este año, Daniel y algunos miembros del equipo de ciclismo de UTEP que participarán en la carrera Chupacabras son patrocinados por Juan Sandoval, bibliotecario de UTEP, que a su vez es asesor del equipo.

A sus 63 años, Sandoval comenta que nunca ha tenido automóvil, mucho menos licencia de manejar y siempre se ha transportado en bicicleta. “Me identifico con Daniel y los demás miembros del equipo de ciclismo, porque yo aún ando en bicicleta como ellos y se que tienen mucha disciplina”, dice Sandoval. “(Daniel) Le pone muchas ganas a lo que hace, me gustaría que tuviéramos más alumnos como él”.

Cada vez que Daniel visita a su familia en Chihuahua se integra a los entrenamientos del equipo de ciclismo de la Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, con los que practica ciclismo de ruta y también de montaña. Gabriel Cano entrenador del equipo chihuahuense, estuvo en la selección mexicana de ciclismo y participó en los juegos olímpicos de 1988. “Daniel cada día se supera más, es un luchador”, dice Cano. “Todavía tiene cosas que mejorar, está muy chavo todavía y estoy seguro que lo va a lograr”.

Además del ciclismo, Daniel encuentra tiempo para ayudar a la gente cuando se necesita. En el 2006, se sumó a los voluntarios que acudieron a Nueva Orleans para ayudar en las labores de reconstrucción después de que el huracán Katrina destruyó parte de la ciudad.

Daniel se quedó en Nueva Orleans por ocho meses en los cuales hizo de todo: desde demoler casas, hasta limpiar, construir y pintar. “Los voluntarios estábamos en casas de asistencia, vivíamos 13 en una casa chiquita”, dice Daniel. “Vivíamos apretados, pero pues íbamos a sufrir todos”. Tiempo después, Daniel se encontró con estudiantes de UTEP y de NMSU que iban a ayudar solo por una semana. “Me dio mucho

gusto verlos, después de tanto tiempo me sentí en El Paso por un rato”, dice Daniel.

Después de ocho meses, Daniel regresó a El Paso para continuar sus estudios y un año después viajó de nueva cuenta a Nueva Orleans. Encontró la ciudad totalmente reconstruida, no quedaba huella de la destrucción que había dejado el huracán Katrina. “Simplemente sentí emoción”, dice Daniel.

Por ahora el ciclista está concentrado en sus estudios, en sus dos empleos y en entrenar para próximas carreras.

“Cuando entrenas con más ganas es cuando empiezas a ganar buenos lugares”, dice Daniel. “Me gusta disfrutar de cada momento al máximo, esforzarme en todo lo que hago y tratar de destacar en lo que me gusta. Me gustaría poder cumplir todas mis metas”.

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IN BRIEF

1 spinDaniel Guízar has two jobs, two bachelor’s degrees in progress, and a passion that is part of his life and who he is: cycling. Almost two years ago, Daniel set a goal for himself: to ride 10,000 kilometers in one year.

Daniel is part of the UTEP cycling team, which was formed a year ago. Since then, the team has been participating in mountain biking and road cycling competitions, which are organized by the National Collegiate Cycling Association.

Last March, the team participated in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference (RMCC) competition. In spite of the snow during the race, Daniel placed in the top fifteen.

During the summer, he returns to his hometown of Chihuahua, where he trains with the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua. Gabriel Cano, the team’s coach, was part of the Mexican national cycling team and participated in the 1988 Olympics. He says he knows Daniel is a fighter.

Daniel, who is working towards his two degrees in finance and operations and supply chain management, took a break from his studies in 2006. He spent eight months in New Orleans helping rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina.

He says he is now looking forward to accomplishing each and every one of the goals he has set for his future.

Her toes press against the frigid frame of the windowsill. She muses about her heart-broken life as she leans out of the sunken window, each of her breaths fragmented, and shorter than the last. One final push separates her fragile body from the chill of the evening air, and ushers a young life into death. Her clothes flap and her limbs flail as she barrels down each story of the tall dormitory building before losing herself to the pavement.

As with many of the ghastly tales circulating around campus, individuals cognizant of paranormal activity such as art lecturer Manuel Guerra can only recount the odd occurrences they have experienced or the dubious details relayed through these tragic tales. “I hear and see a lot of things when I’m here (UTEP),” Guerra says. “There’s a lot of stuff that goes on around here.”

A young woman’s tragic death at Barry Hall, currently a mothballed building that was once a dormitory, is one of many stories originating from the almost century-long history of this border-straddling university. Located in a region that has a rich past and is abundant in mystery, the campus is full of untold treasures to be explored by those who search for the unknown.

“This is the most haunted city in the country,” says Ken Hudnall, local paranormal expert, online radio show host and author. “This is a unique culture here and these stories, unfortunately, since the older generations won’t talk about them as they die off, these stories are gone. Every society has their stories about ghosts; it’s part of history. Unfortunately, historians are far too serious to talk about unusual things.”

Like most El Pasoans, Guerra acknowledges both the amount of history that has occurred underneath the blazing sun, and the possibility of paranormal events that may have materialized through past generations. Meanwhile, Guerra remains skeptical and is never too quick to call peculiarities supernatural. “Ghosts… sometimes I think it’s just your mind–all psychological–but I don’t know. It’s kind of weird,” he says.

Guerra has been associated with UTEP as a student and faculty member for about 13 years. Born and raised in El Paso, Guerra is a second-generation family member who has lived in this region. He shares common beliefs and customs with many of the other 80 percent of Hispanics living in the borderland. When it comes to paranormal ideas, he says, the region carries a mixture of both cultures. “It’s both

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(cultures), both my parents believe in things that I don’t,” Guerra says. “I went to a university, got educated and started questioning beliefs and certain things.”

The borderland may be seen as a battlefield, where old Mexican traditions clash with evolving modern and contemporary beliefs. The unearthly byproduct of this battle is a meshing of beliefs, practices, perspectives and circumstances. “It’s a very multi-cultural city and it’s a very diverse city. With diversity come different opinions according to lifestyle, religions and beliefs. With that come differences in opinions when it comes to paranormal activity,” says Henry Flores, the founder of the El Paso Del Norte Paranormal Society. “One definite we can all agree on is life after death.”

In regards to ghosts–who are neither alive or completely on the other side, but are trapped between two worlds–members of the community may feel like they are in the midst of two worlds, Flores says. “It’s a, ni soy de aquí, ni soy de allá (I’m not from here, nor am I from there) kind of thing. We get both sides here,” says Chicano Studies lecturer Pilar Herrera.

Flores says storytelling has an effect on the development of culture. Stories are repeated over and over, from generation to generation. Eventually, these stories may be adopted by a culture.

In regards to the supernatural, freshman theater arts major Donald Raphael says paranormal stories on the border are very distinct from ones in the

northern U.S. Raphael, originally from El Paso, recently transferred back to UTEP from the University of Minnesota-Morris. “One of the stories is La Llorona (The Weeping Woman), and you don’t hear anything like that in Minnesota,” Donald says. “I actually did a little project about her up there, and everybody was just fascinated because they never heard of something like that in their culture.”

Senior history major Jessica Nevarez has lived in Germany and also has family in Zacatecas, Mexico. She says that the attitudes toward paranormal culture away from the border are very different. “Some people see death as something very dark, something very bad, but in Mexico, they don’t see it like that or even in Germany,” she says.

Hudnall agrees that Mexican customs are more accepting in regards to legends, death and paranormal activity. “If you’ve never really studied the Catholic religion, it’s basically fascinated with death,” Hudnall says. “Mexico, they are lot closer to it, the old traditions. Here, everybody’s very cosmopolitan, but we have a foot in each world.”

Over the years, the buildings that make up UTEP have elicited dozens of hair-raising rumors and near-folkloric tales. Other than ASARCO and Fort Bliss, UTEP, under different monikers throughout its history, was one of the first major establishments in the developing region. Tales of death, strange happenings and mysterious sightings pass through the halls of school buildings like the hundreds of thousands of students who have passed through the doors of Old Main since the school opened in 1914.

Custodian Esther Uribe worked evenings at Old Main alongside co-worker Carlos Diaz for several years before they were both transferred to other buildings. Although Diaz admits to once seeing a ghostly figure, Uribe says she has

never experienced the shadow figures, phantom lectures or other incidents that others claim to have experienced at Old Main. “Yo nunca vi nada,” Uribe says. “Dicen (que hay fantasmas) pero yo nunca vi nada.” (I never saw anything. They say (there are ghosts) but I never saw anything,)

The empty campus is quiet on most nights. Most of the vacant rooms are closed and locked by the evening, except for the lithography studio in room 264 of the Fox Fine Arts Center. Guerra, who is usually the first to open and stays to close up shop, relates a tale that occurred one day when he was prepping a stone for engraving.

Before beginning the process, he heard his name called. This was followed by heavy knocking at the large glass windows that

separate the workshop from the outside walkway. He said that he reacted swiftly and turned his head around toward the glass. Although the walkway was dark, he says he was positive he saw a shadowy figure. “Your heart freezes and you start to stare, stare and stare. You want to see some kind of movement,” Guerra says. “It wouldn’t move, and it looked like somebody was squatting down looking at me.”

Guerra says he has heard and seen strange occurrences before. Lights that flick on and off, doors slamming and opening on their own. He also claims to have seen figures outside and inside the building when he is certain he is alone. “I went out and nothing was out there. That’s when the hairs on my neck really stood up,” he says.

Old Main, Seamon Hall (now the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts) and Cotton Memorial are some of the eldest and arguably, most paranormally active buildings on campus, opening in 1917, 1927 and 1947, respectively. A common paranormal theory proposes that spirits react to changes in their environment; therefore, activity picks up in older buildings when they are being renovated. For many years, Seamon Hall was a dusty storage building, but it was revived in 2004 as an art gallery. Many have said it is an unearthly hot spot on campus.

Photographs by Fernie Castillo & Design by Alejandra Guerrero 13 minero magazine

One Seamon Hall horror tale describes tea parties that were hosted by scholarly professors in order to produce

well-rounded students early in the school’s history. Girls from the community were invited to mingle with the students–all males at the time. The tale tells a story of a young couple that became too friendly with

each other. When the young lady became pregnant, her aggrieved partner murdered and buried both mother and child on the grounds of Seamon Hall. In the past, custodians have reported that they witnessed a ghostly ‘30s-style black vehicle that drops a young woman off at the building. The frantic woman scurries to the door, but not quickly enough. Only a final and terror-filled scream is heard before the scene dissipates. Outside of these grisly rumors, these events have never been proven.

Although many tales at UTEP seem to be unverified, faculty members working at Cotton Memorial have done research

on the building’s past to see if their ghostly visitations could be real. Sam Ricillo, associate professor of communication, says that research has confirmed the deaths of a janitor and a 19th-century woman, who was raped and murdered on the land prior to construction. Riccillo says the facts were discovered through research conducted by faculty members and a psychic. Riccillo says he has worked many late evenings in his office and has heard muted screams coming from above his office. “One always questions whether one is sane or not when you are hearing things,” he says.

Riccillo says he prefers logic and science to explain phenomenon rather than belief systems, although he acknowledges that these systems are abundant in communities such as the borderland. “People have interesting belief systems and in many cases, religious belief systems,” he says. “These tend to crop up because we still have to explain the cycle of how we identify what life is.”

El mito cuenta que en Seamon Hall se organizaban fiestas de té a las que se invitaba a jovencitas de la comunidad para convivir con los estudiantes. Una de las jóvenes y uno de los estudiantes llevaron su relación a otro nivel. Cuando ella se embarazó, el joven la asesinó y enterró el cuerpo en un terreno alrededor de Seamon Hall. Algunos trabajadores han dicho que han visto un carro de los ‘30s dejar a una joven mujer afuera del edifico. Después de un horroroso grito la escena desaparece. Dichos eventos nunca han sido comprobados.

Con 95 años de historia, los edificios de UTEP están llenos de relatos que muchos aseguran han resultado en fenómenos paranormales dentro de la universidad. Dentro de los edificios que han originado más historias se encuentran Cotton Memorial, Old Main y Seamon Hall.

Después de investigar sobre el tema, Sam Ricillo, profesor del Departamento de Comunicación, comprobó que un intendente murió en el Cotton Memorial. También que

una mujer del siglo 19 fue violada y asesinada en el terreno donde el edificio fue construido. Ricillo dice que en las noches ha escuchado gritos dentro del Cotton.

El profesor de arte, Manuel Guerra, dice que ha escuchado que lo llaman por su nombre y que ha visto sombras, luces que se apagan y prenden, puertas que se azotan por la noche en el Fox Fine Arts Center.

Aquí en la frontera, hay un choque de culturas cuando se trata de fenómenos paranormales. Hay creencias, ideas y tradiciones de dos países diferentes en una misma ciudad. Henry Flores, fundador de El Paso del Norte Paranormal Society, dice, “Una creencia en la que se está de acuerdo es que hay vida después de la muerte”.

Al pasar de los años generaciones, historias y mitos son modificados y hasta pueden desaparecer. Pero aún así, el interés por entender y descubrir lo desconocido y/o sobrenatural dentro de las paredes de UTEP no cambia.

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AMENAZA A LOS JÓVENESprobabilidad de casi el 27 por ciento. En segundo lugar está el grupo de menores de recién nacidos a 4 años, con una susceptibilidad del 22.9 por ciento, seguido del grupo de personas entre 25 y 49 años cuyo riesgo es del 6.9 por ciento. Los grupos restantes conforman menos del 4 por ciento de los casos.

“Niños, jóvenes y mujeres embarazadas son los grupos en riesgo de presentar complicaciones de enfermarse con este tipo de influenza, así como personal médico y adultos con padecimientos crónicos”, dice Escobedo.

Amalia Dudzienski, directora del Centro de Salud para Estudiantes de UTEP explicó que ahora este grupo se considera en alto riesgo de enfermarse, en comparación a generaciones que ya fueron expuestas a gripes similares del

tipo A.“Los estudiantes están más preocupados ahora por aplicarse las vacunas aunque siguen mostrándose calmados. La diferencia es que acuden más a la clínica ahora que antes”, dice Dudzienski.

Estimó que en semestres anteriores sólo el dos por ciento de las vacunas aplicadas para la gripe estacional eran suministradas a estudiantes, pero después de las noticias del nuevo virus hubo un incremento significativo de jóvenes queriendo ser inmunizados. Una situación similar podría volver a ocurrir con la vacuna contra el H1N1.

La administración del presidente Obama estimó que entre el otoño y el invierno pudieran darse entre 30 mil y 90 mil decesos en Estados Unidos asociados a la gripe porcina y cerca de 1.8 millones de hospitalizaciones. Según el reporte de la presidencia, entre 30 y 50 por ciento de la población podría ser afectada por el virus.

Por Perla Chaparro

nos días antes de la fecha prevista para dar a luz, Jessica Ávalos, de 24 años, sufrió una neumonía que la llevó al hospital.

Sus pulmones estaban muy debilitados y los médicos no podían suministrarle los medicamentos necesarios sin afectar al bebé, por lo que decidieron practicarle una cesárea.

Tres días antes de morir, Jessica dio a luz a Jesse, de 31 semanas. Días después de su muerte, la familia se enteró por los medios de comunicación local que el virus de la gripe porcina (H1N1) era en realidad el causante del fallecimiento de Jessica.

La joven residente de El Paso fue una de las primeras víctimas en la ciudad de la influenza H1N1, que ha cobrado la vida de más de 1,300 personas en Estados Unidos, afectando de manera particular a niños y jóvenes.“Ella (Jessica) fue una persona muy fuerte, inclusive los primeros días que se sintió mal, continuo trabajando”, dice Virginia Piñon, madre de Jessica.

A diferencia de la gripe estacional, el H1N1 tiene un mayor impacto en grupos menores de 24 años, aseguran especialistas.“Se propicia más en gente de esa edad, debido a que no han tenido una exposición al virus como otras generaciones, cierta formas y características del tipo del H1N1 ya habían circulado en tiempos pasados”, dice Luis Escobedo, director regional médico de Servicios de Salud del Estado de Texas.

De acuerdo al Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Centro de Prevencion y Control de Enfermedades), las personas de entre 5 y 24 años conforman el grupo más propenso a contraer este tipo de influenza, con una

Infórmate:www.studentaffairs.utep.edu/health

www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/updates/

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Cómo prevenir el H1N1?

Vacúnate si:

For more information, visit:www.utep.edu/fluupdate.

Tienes ente 25 y 64 años de edad y condiciones de salud asociadas a los riesgos de influenza.

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El gobierno federal ha instado a todas las escuelas del país a continuar con las medidas preventivas de higiene, especialmente en dormitorios universitarios y todos aquellos lugares que podrían ser focos de infección.

“A los residentes nos invitaron a una plática para hablar de las precauciones necesarias y se instaló alcohol y jabón de manos en las entradas de éstos”, dice Eduardo Jiménez, estudiante de medios electrónicos y residente de Miner Village.

Jiménez, de 23 años, dice no sentirse preocupado más de lo normal, por la razón de que la gripa tiene cura. 

Hasta finales de octubre, la vacuna no estaba disponible. De acuerdo con Dudzienski, de las cerca de 120 millones de dosis que se esperaban para todo el país, solo habrá 30 millones disponibles hasta octubre. Su expectativa era que para noviembre El Paso pudiera empezar a recibir algunas dosis.

Mientras eso sucede, la familia Piñon centra sus energías no solo en atender al bebé Jesse, sino también a los otros tres hijos de Jessica.

“Un día le contaremos sobre la situación, y de su madre, quien fue una mujer muy trabajadora” dice Piñón.

“Han venido a checarlo los doctores por medio de un programa,y se han sorprendido de lo sano que está, de todo lo que pasó, realmente el bebé estuvo expuesto a tanto”.

Twenty-four-year-old Jessica Ávalos had just given birth to a baby boy, Jesse, and three days later she died. Her family thought she had pneumonia; but actually she had come down with swine flu (H1N1).

The H1N1 flu has taken the lives of more than 1,300 people in the U.S. People between the ages of 5 and 24 are the ones at

biggest risk, with a 27 percent chance of getting sick.

Obama’s health administration has predicted that about 30 to 50 percent of the country’s population

will be affected by the H1N1 flu this fall. The federal government has encouraged universities around the country to institute and inform students about health precautions, such as staying home when you are sick, washing hands frequently and getting vaccinated against the flu.

The vaccine for the H1N1 flu is now available, and students may get the vaccination at UTEP’s Student Health Center for a small fee.

Quedarse en casa si tiene fiebre de 100 F o más, escalofríos, tos, garganta irritada, nariz congestionada, dolor en el cuerpo, dolor de cabeza, cansancio, diarrea o vómito.

Cubrirse la boca y nariz cuando tosa o estornude: tosa y estornude en un pañuelo. Lavarse las manos después de estornudar o toser.

Lavarse las manos frecuentemente con agua caliente y jabón o use desinfectante de mano hecho con alcohol.

Evitar tocarse la boca u ojos con las manos. Esto puede causar el contagio del virus.

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Estas embarazada

Cuidas niños menores de 6 años Tienes entre 6 a 24 años de edad

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By Crystal Robert

By Crystal Robert

Sweltering heat and sweaty, smiling faces greeted our tired and cranky group after we traveled more than 20 hours from El Paso. This long trek away from the dry desert was due to a trip sponsored by the UTEP communication department in collaboration with Rare Conservation Group, a social marketing group that works toward biodiversity conservation. Twelve UTEP students landed in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 21, 2009.

After losing a day by crossing several time zones, and still dazed from our traveling in a state of disbelief, the only thing keeping us from still believing that we’re not in the U.S. was the heavy smog that filled the air and the strange language we had yet to become accustomed to.

Before we began our journey, we spent some time in a classroom, attempting to learn the primary language in Indonesia, Bahasa, and become familiar with the culture and food. Despite the high marks we earned and our confidence level in class, we were not and could not have been prepared for the culture shock we experienced.

Our first experience in Indonesia found us crammed into an automobile, where the driver was located on the right side of the car rather than the left. We quickly learned that when we traveled by auto, we were likely to find ourselves uncomfortably close to each other, and that street lanes were more like suggestions rather than the rule.

The Indonesian people are known to be some of the friendliest and most helpful in the world. Once our cab driver learned we were from the U.S., he greeted us with a smile and held his thumb up and said, “Obama, he’s from here too.” He was referring to our current president’s varied cultural background.

Photographs by Crystal Robert & Design by Antonio Chávez

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Part of the group in Indonesia

Besides the vast expanse of the country, I was immediately taken aback by its climate, lush vegetation and its varied cultures. Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world, and it would prove to be a culture shock that was as dangerous as it was intriguing.

The Muslim community is called to prayer four times a day beginning at 4 a.m. The prayer calls are loud and the low chanting of the prayers is haunting. We were instructed by our professor, Stacey Sowards, and our Bahasa instructor, Dimas Wijaya, not to use our left hands as traditionally the Muslim population uses that hand for toilet purposes. We also learned that pork is not eaten because they are considered to be filthy creatures.

Being immersed in the Muslim culture was an eye-opening experience.

Jakarta is a living, breathing entity of its own. The concrete beneath our feet throbbed, radiating the heat back up to the sky above as savagely as it pressed down upon us. Although Jakarta is one of the most developed areas of Indonesia, it is a concrete jungle of sorts, with even more to fear than the wild. Motorcycles abound and are ridden by not just one or two

drivers, but by entire families including mothers, fathers, adolescents and babies. People must always keep their wits sharp when walking along the street or attempting to cross against the heavy and dangerous traffic, as a bite from one of the various vehicles on the street is just as deadly as any from fearsome creatures in the more exotic rainforests that occupy most of the country.

The dark-red clay–the color of Mother Earth’s blood–reminds us that she is near. The sun continuously beats down ferociously, and leaves behind a stifling reminder of its presence even as it leaves the sky at 6 p.m. Jakarta also has a distinctive smell; due in part to the burning of trash in the heavily populated areas as well as

the clove cigarette smoke, along with the faintest aroma of the burning of copal, a tree resin that is burned as incense as well as traditional incense.

As we rode in the frail and overcrowded van up steep and narrow roads on the drive from Jakarta to Gunung Walat, the educational rainforest in Java, it occurred to me that Disney’s theme park rides are remarkably authentic. The ride was frighteningly treacherous and made some of us close our eyes, fearful of looking down, while others gasped in terror as the tiny van veered closer to the edge of the road to let other vehicles pass.

Our first experience in the rainforest was in the island of Java. Soon after our arrival, it began to rain; it poured like nothing this desert child has ever seen before. Gunung Walat was also the first time we encountered bathing facilities that were so extremely different in design from our Western toilets. Every bath we took baptized us into our new surroundings and gave us new perspectives on the world.

Our second experience in the rainforest was far more exciting than the first. I always believed that I would never experience places like Jakarta, Java, Pangkalan Bun, Kalimantan and Indonesia, much less be able to pronounce their names. Once in Borneo, our experience was just as exotic as its name. Prior to embarking on this leg of our adventure, we were housed on a university campus, Institut Pertanian Bogor, where we were pampered with Western toilets, showers and television. The luxury of that experience only caused me to fear what came next all the more.

When we landed in Pangkalan Bun, we began the part of the journey that placed us on a houseboat for three days. Although I can honestly say that

Any fears that we may have had that we, as Westerners, would not be favorably greeted in this country were immediately quelled after this comment. Throughout our time in Indonesia, we encountered more of the same.

Indonesia is the world’s fourth-most populated country and is made up of 17,508 islands. Throughout our three-week stay, we spent the majority of our time on the islands of Java, Borneo, Kalimantan and Bali.

“The dark-red clay–the color of Mother Earth’s

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completing this article. I feared that if I finally stopped writing about my time in Indonesia, it would just be filed away in my memories, a souvenir that would fall to the bottom of a junk drawer. I also feared that when I thought back on my time in Indonesia, I would come to think about it as just a faraway time and place that never took place in reality. But, the bracelets I still wear on my wrist from Borneo remind me of my time on a boat under endless skies, covered in caterpillars, butterflies and sugar ants that didn’t bite. The ring I wear from Bali, will always remind me of the beauty of Indonesia, the island of Bali and the beautiful Hindu culture.

My hair, which is the color of the orangutans, reminds me that I must always think about conservation efforts to help the land and about people of different cultures and countries. Despite my short time there, it brought home the fact that I know I can always make a difference in the world by acknowledging the cultures and environments of others and changing my behavior to conserve our resources wherever I live or the places I travel to visit.

it was one of the more uncomfortable times in my life, it was also by far the most rewarding. We traveled by river, docking at several parts of the rainforest, where there were orangutan-feeding sites. Gliding by orangutans at these locations drove home the fact that our accommodations were so beyond our usual comfort levels, but also made it more than bearable. By the second night, we felt that we could have spent weeks on the boat, as it would have been impossible to reach these areas by any other means.

The last place we visited was a five-star spa resort compared to what we had become accustomed to. We were in Bali, surrounded by Australian tourists and Indonesians who knew how to handle visitors. We stayed in Kuta, Bali, where we found Starbucks, McDonald’s and Pizza Huts once again. Since the population of Bali is mainly Hindu, alcohol was available once again, as well as pork. Although we had been surrounded by water throughout the trip, we were finally on the beach.

As I come to end of this journal, I realize that I have dreaded

del país. Indonesia también es el país con la comunidad musulmana más grande que existe.

Los estudiantes visitaron lugares en las islas de Java, Borneo, Kalimantan y Bali. En Java, estuvieron en Jakarta una de las ciudades más industrializadas del país. Para llegar a la selva tropical de Gunung Walat, viajaron por una carretera tan pequeña que hizo a cada estudiante temer por su seguridad dentro de la camioneta. En Borneo, pasaron unos días en el Institut Pertanian Bogor. Después se transportaron a Pangkalan Bun, en la isla de Kalimantan, donde viajaron por río en un bote por tres días. Por último, visitaron Bali y aunque durante todo el viaje estuvieron rodeados por agua finalmente estaban en la playa.

Para Crystal Robert, visitar Indonesia fue una experiencia inolvidable que siempre recordará, pero aún más importante, el viaje le enseñó que si puede hacer una diferencia.

El 21 de junio de este año, 12 estudiantes de UTEP aterrizaron en la ciudad de Jakarta, Indonesia, después de 20 horas de viaje. Patrocinados por el Departamento de Comunicación de UTEP y por Rare Conservation Group, los estudiantes exploraron la belleza del país en el transcurso de tres semanas.

El choque cultural al estar en el otro lado del mundo fue toda una experiencia, pero hubo un factor importante: el Presidente Obama. Uno de los taxistas al enterarse que eran americanos les dijo, “Obama también es de aquí”. Este pequeño comentario los hizo sentir más a gusto y también darse cuenta del impacto que el presidente ha tenido alrededor del mundo.

Indonesia es el cuarto país más poblado del mundo y está compuesto por 17,508 islas. El ecuador cruza por el centro

“The dark-red clay–the color of Mother Earth’s blood–reminds us that she is near.”

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