Visiting the restroom seems a like a mundane and easy thing to do for most people. You walk in, do your business and leave. Maybe you stop to fix your hair or chat with someone while you wash your hands, but typically the most anxiety you’re going to run into is an empty paper towel dispenser. Up until recently for transgender and non-binary students, however, the experience has been much more complicated. Luckily, for many transgender and non-binary students on the Santa Fe University of Art and Design campus, this is becoming less of an issue. The library has just opened a new gender neutral bathroom for students whom going to the restroom has always been an issue. While there are other buildings on campus that have gender neutral bathrooms such as Benildus (bottom floor, near the vending machines), the library is the first location that is a. near the dormitories and b. a place where students of all majors spend their time. “Bathrooms became a source of anxiety for me when I realized that I didn’t feel right in my own skin anymore,” says Cris Galvez, a transgender man and junior Creative Writing major. While Galvez was born female, he identifies as male and like many transgender individuals, has always had a difficult relationship with going to the restroom. When you’re anything but cisgender, going to the bathroom is not as simple as picking a door to walk through. Using the restroom meant for the gender you identify as might feel good, but if your sex (what’s in your pants) doesn’t match up with your gender identity, you’re likely to get a few stares at best or, at worst, beat up. If you go into the restroom for the gender you were assigned at birth but don’t identify as, you’re likely to feel anxious or frustrated because the sign on the door doesn’t match up with how you feel inside. “It’s as simple as changing the signs,” says Librarian Sierra Parson. She wants the library to be an inclusive, welcoming environment, which is why she reached out to COLORS President Colin McIntire (who could not be reached for comment) about installing a gender neutral bathroom. COLORS is the Gay Straight Alliance on campus and is responsible for both the gender neutral bathrooms on campus and the gender neutral dorm that opened up this year. Together, Parson and McIntire were able to change one of the bathrooms already in the library from a single gender restroom to an “All Genders Restroom” as the new sign says. “I mean, we have six of them [bathrooms],” Parsons says. “I think it [having gender neutral bathrooms] is important.” The administration was very supportive of COLOR’s initiative for gender inclusivity. “However, they did say at first that it wouldn’t be possible to achieve before the fall semester of 2015. This was in February 2014. We had to say “No way” to that. We insisted that the gender neutral hall and bathrooms would have to be instated no later than fall semester of 2014, and we ended up pushing hard enough!” says COLORS Vice President and Senior Film Major, Tom Grimes. He was part of the team that got both the gender neutral bathrooms in Benildus and the gender neutral hall in St. Mikes. When it comes to gender inclusivity, SFUAD is definitely ahead of the curve. While colleges like UNM have gender neutral bathrooms, very few campus have gender neutral housing options. “I was super stoked to hear that there was a gender neutral bathroom in the library after all of the hard work it took to get them in Benildus and the gender neutral hall. It’s nice to have more safe spaces like that on campus,” says Shelby Criswell, a Sophomore Studio Arts major and creator of the popular web comic “Awkward Shelby.” Criswell identifies as Neutrois which falls under the umbrella...

The 2015 Oscar-nominated Shorts Program, screening Jan. 30—Feb. 5 at The Screen, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, and as expected the animated selects do not fail to impress! Though disappointed in the lack of animated hosts (the giraffe and ostrich from last year was a hoot) the artistic splendor of the pieces this year needs no help in keeping the audience entertained. From eight selects and four admirable mentions, the Oscar-nominated animations range from Disney’s sentimental story to the independent somber sketch.   “Me and My Moulton” A Childhood In Norway (Torill Kove, Norway) Partnering with the National Film Board of Canada, Torill Kove’s depiction of her childhood in 1960s Norway is similar in style to her previous narrative and shape-driven animations. “The film tells the story of me and my family when I was little and how weird I thought things were,” Kove says in an interview with Animated World Network. “It’s not a story of an unhappy childhood. It’s a story about looking back and making sense of things I thought were strange at the time.” Though the plot is a bit scattered, I think most viewers can relate to the awkwardness of growing up in an abnormal family and can especially remember details like the lush carpets of a downstairs neighbor verses the awkward three-legged stools of your home. Perhaps Kove’s exploration of childhood reveals that the abnormalities sometimes make the best memories.   “Feast” Through Your Dog’s Eyes (Patrick Osborne, USA- Disney) Disney sure knows how to capture Cute, and I think most of us can agree that we’re suckers for dogs. In this story of friendship and love, a dog is taken in by a food junkie who spoils his new friend by feeding him the bachelor-favorites: pizza, spaghetti, ice cream, pretzels, etc. At first it seems like the story will focus on the connections between man and dog, but of course Disney turns to its best plot device: a love story. The dog, seeing the change of his master with his new girl friend is furious to be suddenly eating healthy. Director Patrick Osborne, who worked as an animator on Bolt and directed the recent Disney film Tangled, is again showing how the large eyes and loyalty of animals can conjure the classic, “awe…”   “The Bigger Picture” The Best of Artistic Expression (Daisy Jacobs, UK) Daisy Jacobs’ short “The Bigger Picture” sure does redefine your idea of motion art. The motifs of water, tears and rain pieces this brother feud narrative together in a humorous and dark way. Each set is captivating, making you feel the tension in this domestic and artistically sketched home. A result of her master’s thesis from the Central St Martins School of Art, Jacobs’ hand-drawn animation, stop-motion and life-size paintings allow her characters freedom of movement and interaction with a very 3-D looking environment.   “A Single Life” Literally, A Record of Your Life (Job, Joris & Marieke, The Netherlands) Products of the Dutch studio Job & Joris & Marieke is described as cute, funny, poetic and sometimes disturbing. Their Oscar-nominated short “A Single Life” is no exception. Using a clever concept, skipping through your life by literally skipping through a record, managed to induce humor and horror all within two minutes. The music is the best part. The record itself is its own character and the soundtrack makes for a complimentary atmosphere. And no surprise!, the film’s composer, called Happy Camper, is most famous for the music clip “I’ll Take You Along,” a YouTube video that has over 17 million views.   “The Dam Keeper” Little Pig, Little Pig, Why So Sad? (Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi, USA) Robert Kondo’s and Dice Tsutsumi’s short “The Dam Keeper” is a colossal short, if you’ll pardon the oxymoron. The complex narrative, intricate animation and masterful soundtrack is a grand feat for a category of filmmaking called Short. After watching it, you will feel like you’ve watched a feature. The lack of dialogue allows us to focus on movements of characters as well as the brooding...

  Students not paying attention to fliers posted around the SFUAD campus are surprised to hear pulsing bass emanating from the cafeteria the evening of Jan. 23. The Multi-Cultural Foods Expo, put on by Student Life, has taken over the Grill. The event begins at 7:45 p.m. and is accompanied by a live DJ with karaoke. The gate opens just a few minutes later than usual with students lining up for an evening snack. In addition to standard Grill fare, Bon Appetit provides a spread of international food, featuring cuisine from Scandinavia, Costa Rica and Mexico. Fried plantains stand on a plate above open-faced shrimp and salmon sandwiches. A burgeoning bowl of rice and beans is complemented by Salsa Lizano, a sauce commonly found in Costa Rican dishes. Dessert is a delicious tres leches cake, a type of sponge cake popular in Central and South America. Amidst the dishes and warming trays is a tree of plastic flags from Canada, Finland and Mexico, among other countries. “It’s just a little welcome back treat,” says David DeVillier, assistant director of Campus Life. “They’ll keep it coming if we run out.” I am attending this event as part of my work study job in the International Office. My supervisor is Global Partnership Manager, Radi Simeonova. She hopes the event will help bring more awareness to the number of international students attending SFUAD. “There are two ways to think about it,” she says. “First, there are our international students who transfer here to obtain a degree. Then there are our students who come for short programs, either for a semester abroad or a three-week program.” Currently, SFUAD has 30 international transfer students and 67 semester abroad students. Of those 67, there are 40 who have returned this spring for a second or even a third semester. Anna Sainz, who has been studying abroad for three semesters, has enjoyed her time at SFUAD so much that she plans on transferring to the school. As 8 p.m. approaches, DJ Diego DeAguero begins inviting students to sign up for karaoke. He and his assistant Camille Gonzalez sit at a foldout workstation, lit from behind by neon floor lights. DeAguero lives in Santa Fe, but provides his services all over the state of New Mexico. This is not his typical venue. “Usually everyone’s at the bar,” he says. Alvie Hurt sits at a table just a few feet away from the DJ’s karaoke books. Hurt is a transfer student, currently in his fourth semester at SFUAD. He began school in Vancouver, Canada, but transferred to SFUAD after his freshman year. Beside him sits Priscilla Steele, an exchange student from Costa Rica who is here for her first semester. Neither one of them seems particularly interested in singing. They plan to leave before the karaoke begins. They do not appear confident in their ability to perform, nor are they enthused about the idea of doing so in front of a crowd. They aren’t the only ones. “I sing terribly. Seriously, terribly,” says Fernanda Sanchez. She sits at a long table, overflowing with her friends. Some of them pull up additional chairs. Sanchez is from Mexico and is taking classes in photography, graphic design and ceramics. Despite her low estimation of her vocal skills, this does not stop her from singing along as students begin stepping up to the mic. As Contemporary Music major John Church begins belting out the first song of the evening, I try to ingratiate myself with Sanchez and her friends. I rarely take the time out to get to know our international students, choosing to stay in the comfort zone of my small circle of friends. Derek Morales, a domestic student from Connecticut, spends most of his time with international students. When asked why, he responds, “They’re more down to earth.” “This is the Mexican table,” says Anna Sainz, pointing out that everyone seated around her...