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Have a very merry angry Christmas

Story by Ofelia Martinez – Originally published on December 2012 at http://www.nmsumerge.com/2012/12/have-a-very-merry-angry-christmas/

For retail workers, the scariest time of year isn’t Halloween, but rather Black Friday or the entire holiday season in general. The long hours, the mess, the anger, oh my!  – the happiest time of year seems to bring out the worst in many, especially when shopping for that perfect gift.

Retail employees get run over by angry reindeer

Customers rush in during Black Friday to take advantage of the sales. (Photo by Ofelia Martinez)

Nidia Porras, a student at NMSU, recalls her first-ever Black Friday because she remembers being called “stupid” many times by an angry customer.

“Some lady yelled at me for putting her clothes back from the fitting room, but I did it because that’s my job. She came to the register to pay and started mimicking this nasty little girl voice that was supposed to be mine, I think, and was asking me how I could be so stupid,” Porras says.

Porras explains that she offered to look for the clothes, but the customer yelled at her angrily, saying the clothes would be gone and it was all her fault.

“I wanted to cry so bad. Not even my mom yells at me like that,” Porras says. “Later, she came back to pay for more clothes and apologized to another cashier for yelling at me, but never to me.”

I saw mommy kicking Santa Claus

Ricardo Sifuentes is excited for the holiday sales. (Photo by Ofelia Martinez)

What posseses people to line up all night for a telelvision reduced only a few dollars from the original price?

Jennifer Ochoa, social work major at NMSU and retail employee, says she think it’s ridiculous that people are willing to fight for a TV that is on sale all year long, but only notice it during Black Friday.

“I think Black Friday is overrated. We have sales going on all year long, but for whatever reason, people buy into the ‘holiday sales’ label thinking they are saving tons of money,” Ochoa observes. “Sometimes they are, but most of the time, they are not.”

It’s not just the sales that drive people and retail employees crazy. While parents are viciously looking for their sales, their children tend to run away and get lost inside the over-crowded store.

Leslie Villegas, social work major at NMSU, shares her personal experiences while shopping during a Black Friday.

“I’ve seen mothers going crazy, not because of the sales, but because they’ve lost their children in the chaos. They are too busy trying to fetch a good sale that they end up forgetting about their own children,” she says.

The holidays are good for business

Department stores display their sales everywhere to advertise the holidays. (Photo by Ofelia Martinez)

While we may complain that our job is the least fun during the happiest time of year, there is no doubt that all the commotion during the holiday season is job security for the rest of us working in retail.

Terri Huerta, manager at Sears, says that sales predictably rise during the holidays.

“Business is starting to pick up now. I don’t know what we are projected to having a good holiday season,” Huerta says.”I am not, however, looking forward to angry customers coming back.”

Roommates from hell stories revealed

Story by Ofelia Martinez – Originally published on December 2012 at http://www.nmsumerge.com/2012/12/roommates-from-hell-stories-revealed/

I remember my first year of college. I was especially excited about moving out of my parent’s house and into my very own dorm room with my best friend. We were looking forward to making new friends, attending football games and, of course, rooming together. Six months into this living arrangement, my best friend and I were complete strangers to each other.

The bad roommate stories

Isaac Rivera shares a messy room in his household. (Photo by Ofelia Martinez)

It seems as if bad roommates are all part of the college experience. Josue Enriquez, biology major at NMSU, shares one of his worst roommate stories.

“He would wake me up every night because in his sleep, he would start fighting someone and start yelling and punching the air, and every once in a while, he would punch himself. It was terrible,” Enriquez said.

Isaac Rivera, music education major at NMSU, says that all in all, having roommates also has its perks.

“I don’t mind having roommates because, obviously, it’s cheaper so I’m going to put up with them now, man up, and wait until I am financially stable for my own place,” he said.

Roommate options

Monagle Hall is one of the many residence halls offered by New Mexico State University. (Photo by Ofelia Martinez)

New Mexico State University housing offers many housing options for both undergraduate and graduate students. Students can request a specific roommate, use RoomSync through Facebook or simply match a roommate for the student.

But bad roommate experiences don’t just happen in the university dorms. Having a set price for the semester and having it be charged to your account seems like an easier way to pay. What do you do when your housing depends on your roommates making rent every month as well?

“I would definitely prefer living on my own that way there’s no having to depend on your roommates putting in their part of the rent. Not to mention when your roommates can’t scrunch up enough money for bills and you have to cover for them or else, it’s also on you,” Enriquez shares.

Students post “roommate wanted” ads at Corbett Center. (Photo by Ofelia Martinez)

The NMSU housing FAQ page suggests that you talk to your roommate early on about what you expect out of your college experience and share with him or her what you are like. Negotiation and compromise are all part of living with someone. For those living on campus, if there happens to be conflict, they strongly suggest contacting your R.A. for help.

Enriquez shares his tips for picking roommates: “When picking a roommate, the key is to look for someone you know but aren’t completely best friends with. Make sure they’re responsible and can clean up their messes and know how to manage their money.”

Las Cruces supports breast cancer awareness month

Story by Ofelia Martinez – Originally published on October 2012 at http://www.nmsumerge.com/2012/10/las-cruces-supports-breast-cancer-awareness-month/

Caroline White wears a pink ribbon pin every day to show support for breast cancer awareness. (Photo by Ofelia Martinez)

Caroline White wakes up every morning to KTLA 5 and a cup of coffee while she gets ready for her day.  Pink ribbons are displayed on her belongings from her make-up bag to her everyday attire to her car that show support for breast cancer awareness month.

She prepares her lunch and heads out the door saying “alis na ako,” Filipino for “I’m leaving,” to her family and makes her way to work.

You would probably never guess that 51-year-old Caroline White is a breast cancer survivor.

Caroline was diagnosed with breast cancer in the year 2000 when she was only 39 years old.

“I didn’t let it change my every day life, but it opened my eyes and I learned to appreciate life a lot more and not take it for granted” she says.

Be in the know

According to Susan G. Komen for the cure, there will be 226,870 new cases of invasive breast cancer during the year 2012 in the United States alone. The risk for getting breast cancer increases with age, with most cases of breast cancer and most deaths from breast cancer occurring to women over 50.

Although breast cancer is rare in men, it is estimated that there will be 2,190 new cases of breast cancer in amongst U.S. men in 2012.

Aggies support breast cancer awareness

The College of Arts & Sciences displays a banner outside of Breland Hall to show support for breast cancer awareness. (Photo by Ofelia Martinez)

Sean White, son of Caroline White and Criminal Justice major at DACC, recalls the time when he became aware of his mom’s disease.

“Well, I was only 9, and I didn’t really know what was going on,” White says. “I just remember her crying a lot, and all she would tell me was that she was really sick.”

White looks back to the day his mom had to go in for surgery and remembers seeing his dad cry saying, “I had never seen my dad cry before, and that was when I realized that something was very wrong.”

Julissa Gomez, radiology major at NMSU, shares her opinion on the importance of getting yourself checked for early detection

“Every woman should always get checked for breast cancer, and I think it’s a positive and very honorable thing to support the ones who have and who are battling with cancer,” Gomez says.

Jessica Miranda, Admissions Rep 1 for Memorial Medical Center Health Plex, explains that the early detection of breast cancer in men and women is possible.

“We generally see about 15 mammogram patients a day, not including walk-ins, and with October being breast cancer awareness month, we are seeing more patients than usual because we open on Saturday during October strictly to do mammograms.”

 Where to go

Memorial Medical Center conducts mammograms in the mammography center five days a week. (Photo by Ofelia Martinez)

Memorial Medical Center Health Plex gave mammogram screenings on  for only $50 for patients who do not have insurance. Miranda urges people to be aware and learn of your family history of breast cancer.

“Simple answer to a simple question: if there’s a screening to detect breast cancer early, why wouldn’t you be screened?“

National Latino Aids Awareness Day sheds light on serious disease

Story by Ofelia Martinez – Originally published on October 2010 at http://www.nmsumerge.com/2010/10/national-latino-aids-awareness-day-sheds-light-on-serious-disease/

National Latino Aids Awareness Day is October 15th.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the Latino/Hispanic community is greatly affected by HIV and AIDS because of barriers such as poverty and stigma, not necessarily race and ethnicity.

Latinos/Hispanics represent 15.3 percent of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau) and yet, they account for 17 percent of new HIV infections, with teenagers 13-19 being 4 percent of those new infections.

National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD), which is observed today, allows communities to educate people about the dangers of HIV and AIDS. It is not only educating, but helping us prevent, treat and even providing us with free HIV tests.

This year’s theme “Save a life, It may be your own – Get tested for HIV,” encourages Latinos/Hispanics to learn about the dangers of HIV, to learn whether or not they have been infected, and to protect themselves from HIV by not sharing needles and practicing safe sex.

Young Latino/Hispanic adults are at higher risk than ever to be infected with HIV due to sexual issues being more private in the Latino/Hispanic culture and young people engaging in sexual behavior before sex education is provided to them.

What is HIV/AIDS?

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS, takes the lives of about 2 million people each year. Roughly, 25 million have died since it was discovered in 1981. Today, an estimated 33.4 million people have been affected by the global AIDS/HIV epidemic.

AIDS results from the HIV virus, which attacks the immune system making it too weak to fight off any infections.  As the immune system cells become less and less able to protect the body, the HIV virus becomes more advanced and it is then that AIDS begins to develop.

NMSU Helps Fight AIDS

New Mexico State University students can be tested for HIV at Corbett Center on Thursdays from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Rio Grande Room, #228. You can also find a testing site near you by going to NLAAD.org or CDC.gov.

When a few students were asked about their thoughts on HIV testing, they agreed it’s a welcome service.

“It’s very convenient. Many think they could never get infected by HIV, but it could really happen to anyone,” said Victoria Rivas.