Santa Fe University of Art and Design hosts a Vacation English Immersion program on campus for students from Peru and Chile.
Verve Photography Exhibit
posted by Andrew Koss
SFUAD Photography Program Director Tony O’Brien, David Scheinbaum and Norman Mauskopf exhibit work at Verve.
Black Student Union
posted by Andrew Koss
Charles Christopher Simon sits in a comfortable leather chair in the administration building, a grey-billed hat resting on his head above square-rimmed glasses. His voice is as soft and gentle as the dimmed lights of the lobby as he speaks about SFUAD’s recently formed Black Student Union (BSU). The group came together at the end of the fall 2014 semester, just as most students were preparing for finals. “I really put myself out there,” says Simon, the group’s founder and president. “I never thought I’d do that.” The Black Student Union meets every Thursday at 7 p.m. in Benildus room 105, though the location is subject to change. BSU Vice-President Tikia “Fame” Hudson is encouraged by the level of support the group has been receiving from SFUAD staff. “I have more faith in our university as the president of SFUAD has approved this project,” she says of the Black History Show. “And I know that if I need any help, I just have to ask.” The BSU is guided by SFUAD Enrollment Advisors Ryan Henson and Malcom Morgan. The group refers to Henson as their mentor. In addition to faculty support, the BSU has found friends in members of Santa Fe’s local chapter of the NAACP, some of whom will be present at the BSU’s Black History Show on Feb. 20. Hudson spoke of being inspired when the chapter’s president, George Geder, came to speak in her Ethical Responsibilities class. The BSU is gearing up for a busy month. Over the last week, announcements went out to SFUAD students that the BSU is looking for submissions for its “I Have a Dream” art competition. The competition calls for artists to express their knowledge of black history through any visual form: paintings, photography, sculpture, digital...
An International Welcome
posted by Andrew Koss
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...
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