Category: Campus

Art, Campus

Artist tells students to embrace their struggle

Melissa Nicole Mata

 The Art Department’s first guest speaker since the pandemic started praised Del Mar’s art students during a visit to the Fine Arts Building on Nov. 9. Jimmy Pena, a self-taught artist, encouraged the students to learn as much as they can while they pursue their art degree. “I wish I would have gone to art school to learn about the history of art and all the techniques. It’s a good thing you all are here to continue learning about art,” Pena said. Pena, an artist from K-Space Contemporary Art Studios, spoke to a packed room of art students as he…

Campus

TRIO receives $1.2M grant

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 A new grant that Del Mar College recently received means the college will now have three TRIO programs in operation at once. The $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education will support the college’s Trio Educational Opportunity Center. Del Mar was awarded the TRIO Outreach Program Grant on Nov. 1 after a review of a proposal submitted by Patricia Benavides-Dominguez, interim vice president for Student Affairs.  The funds will be awarded throughout the next five years. The new Educational Opportunity Center, or EOC, will serve 850 students each year. This grant allows anyone who has not received their…

Campus, Drama

Drama students fearlessly take the stage

Nichaela Shaheen

 After over a year of no productions due to COVID-19, the Del Mar College Drama Department is finally back. Drama students started their 2021-22 season off with director Carl Yowell’s interpretation of “Circle Mirror Transformation.” The Annie Baker play, which opened Nov.5 in the Finley Theatre, is about a group of individuals who find themselves experiencing heartbreaks and breakthroughs during a six-week session of a community center drama class. Audience members grow with the characters through each of their unique journeys. This play highlights the impact others have on someone’s life even in just a short time frame.  The lights…

Campus

Speech, debate team gets awards

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 The Vocal Vikings grew in size and confidence after winning Top Novices in Poetry at their most recent tournament.  Del Mar College’s speech and debate team competed at the Fall TIFA (Texas Intercollegiate Forensics Association) competition against Texas universities and other schools throughout the country that was held virtually Nov. 5-6.  Vocal Vikings Emily Rivas, a freshman majoring in paramedic and speech, and sophomore Gabrielle Vela, a speech major, tied as Top Novices in Poetry.  “I felt more comfortable and confident when going into this competition compared to the first one and I felt the growth I had since the…

Campus

4 recognized as DMC Disability Advocates of the Year

Gabriella Gomez

 Four Del Mar faculty members were recognized for service to students at the eighth annual Disability Advocate of the Year Ceremony.  The four were honored in October, Disability Awareness Month, for their efforts and impact on students with disabilities.  The staff highlighted this year for assisting students’ needs are Elsa Brown, Ruby Estrada, Sarah Clark and Mark Hinojosa, the first IT specialist to receive the award.  The nominating process involves asking the student clientele who has been an advocate for you, said Brenda Garcia, student disability specialist.  After the nominees are listed the process for selecting the award recipients consists…

Campus, Drama, Entertainment

Light shines on drama students

Nichaela Shaheen

‘Circle Mirror Transformation’ continues this weekend Del Mar College drama students are taking the stage after over a year of no productions due to COVID-19. “Circle Mirror Transformation” by Annie Baker, which opened Nov. 5, is about a group of individuals who find themselves experiencing heartbreaks and breakthroughs during a six-week session of a community center drama class. During the span of the six weeks audience members grow with the characters through each of their unique journeys. The play highlights the impact others have on someone’s life even in just a short time frame. The show continues at 7:30 p.m.…

Campus, Education

SGA gets creative with outreach

Philip J. Perez

When Del Mar went virtual in spring 2020, the closures impacted the way students were able to interact with one another and altered the college community experience. The Office of Student Leadership and Campus Life and the Student Government Association got together to brainstorm a way to keep students engaged through the pandemic. “When the pandemic hit, we all sat down together to see how we can make this virtual,” said SGA President Sofia Jimenez. “We did a lot of work with the IT department to set it all up and everybody in the whole office pitched in.” Once set…

Campus, Community

More than 300 earn Safe Zone certification

Miranda Lisette Medina

More than 300 students and college employees are now Safe Zone certified. The Student Government Association and Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation hosted two Safe Zone Training virtual events the week of Oct. 18 with spokesperson, Barton Baily, PRIDE Center Director. Students, staff and faculty were invited to tune into one of the two 3-hour training course. Over 300 individuals participated in the course and received a certification on basic information on LGBTQI+. “The turnout was amazing. We had 220 attendees on the 19th and 82 attend on the 22nd,” said Sofia Jimenez, president of Student Government Association. Attendees who appeared…

Campus, Community

SGA updates students on event plans

Miranda Lisette Medina

Del Mar’s Student Government Association held its monthly meeting Oct. 20 via Teams. The meeting consisted of announcements for upcoming events, resources and club information. “At SGA meetings we update the students on any changes, on events, and on campus and community resources,” said Sofia Jimenez, president of group. Students are encouraged to attend the monthly meetings, which are held on the third Wednesday of the month, since they inform students of what’s happening on campus, along with specific matters that will benefit them. With the fall semester coming to an end, the group announced there will be an early…

Campus

Vocal Vikings strong at first tournament

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The Vocal Vikings speech and debate team won hardware at its first tournament of the semester with third-, fourth- and fifth-place finishes from the Bayou Bucket swing tournament. Students competed in Poetry, Prose, Impromptu, and Informative Speaking against Texas State, Rice and Arizona State, along with several other universities and colleges across the country. The Oct. 23-24 competition was held virtually. Emily Rivas, a freshman majoring in paramedics and speech, brought home two fifth-place finishes in Informative Speaking. Nichaela Shaheen, a sophomore majoring in public relations/ advertising and journalism, brought home third- and fourth-place finishes in Poetry. Gabrielle Vela, a…