Author: Andrew-Pól Clements

Community

Honoring the dead with music and dance

Andrew-Pól Clements

At the heart of the traditional Dia de los Muertos celebration is the ofrenda, an offering made to welcome the deceased back to their loved ones. The ofrenda usually consists of an altar, or offering table, decorated with photos of the deceased as well as many of the foods and items they enjoyed in life. As part of Corpus Christi’s many different celebrations and events held to commemorate Dia de los Muertos this year, the environmental advocacy organization known as CHISPA, meaning “Spark” in Spanish, hosted an ofrenda at the climate justice community center on Ayers Street. Members of the…

Community, Features

The six elections that no one is watching

Andrew-Pól Clements

On Nov. 5, Corpus Christi voters will vote on six ballot propositions focused on issuing bonds and changes to the local sales tax. Bond Measures The first four propositions on the ballot are bond measures. A bond, specifically a municipal bond, is a means for local governments to pay for public projects. They are a form of debt in which the city sells bonds to investors, who can then claim interest on the bonds. The interest payments are sometimes funded by the revenue generated by the project itself. In all bond measures up for vote, a “Yes” vote would support…

Campus

Student Success Center and CSEAT host game jam

Andrew-Pól Clements

In collaboration with the Computer Science, Engineering, and Advanced Technology department, the Student Success Center will be hosting Sindri’s Game Forge, a two-week-long game development competition for students. Registration opens on Monday, Sept. 30, and the kick-off event will be held on Monday, Oct 7. The game jam is open to both individuals and teams of up to three participants, and offers a separate category for AI-assisted projects. Competitors will have two weeks to develop an indie game using the Python programming language. The game will need to conform to three constraints revealed at the kick-off event. These constraints include…

Campus

Enjoy Hispanic Heritage on Heritage Campus

Andrew-Pól Clements

The Center for Mexican American Studies, DMC Libraries, and the Language Lab have prepared a wide range of events to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. Running from Sept. 15 until Oct. 15, National Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the culture and contributions of Hispanic and Latinx Americans. As a Hispanic-serving institution with deep ties to the Hispanic community of Corpus Christi, it is no wonder that NHHM is a big deal on campus. This year is no different, with the Center for MAS coordinating with both DMC Libraries and the Language Lab to organize the following public…

Campus

Introducing the MAS program’s new coordinator

Andrew-Pól Clements

Del Mar College’s Center for Mexican-American Studies has a new coordinator: Assistant Professor and Doctor of Sociology, Isabel Araiza. With a long career as a teacher and public sociologist, Isabel Araiza has been equal parts educator, researcher, and activist. Her office is decorated with posters and memorabilia that echo Hispanic heritage and the social movements that have shaped it, both in the United States and across Latin America. From that office, she brings her experience and enthusiasm to the college and community as its new coordinator for the Center of Mexican-American Studies. Araiza was born in Corpus Christi to a…

Campus

White Library construction coming to a close

Andrew-Pól Clements

Heritage Campus’s William F. White Jr. Library is expected to reopen sometime in spring of next year, with all planned services moved in and operational. According to John Strybos, Vice President and Chief Physical Facilities Officer for Del Mar College, the White library renovations are set to be complete in September of this year. As of Aug. 21, the college is awaiting the final certificate of occupancy from the city, with plans to begin moving in furniture by Sept. 3. The process of moving in the furniture is expected to take eight weeks. The official opening of the William F.…

Campus

Heritage campus works on ‘cat colony program’ for strays on campus

Andrew-Pól Clements

The Physical Facilities Department is drafting plans to have Heritage Campus designated as a cat colony. For years, Heritage Campus has served as home to a number of stray cats. They have found home in the crawlspaces below the buildings and are kept well fed by campus faculty and staff. Over the years, some of them have even earned endearing or humorous names, given to them by their human neighbors. The Physical Facilities Department has since begun drafting plans to make Heritage Campus a better place for its feline inhabitants. According to John Strybos, vice president of Physical Facilities, one…

Drama, Entertainment

Drama department’s “big comedy of misunderstanding” to open on Nov. 10

Andrew-Pól Clements

“Rumors,” the 1988 Broadway farce by Neil Simon, is coming to Del Mar College’s Sue Sellors-Finley Theatre on Heritage Campus. “Rumors” is a form of comedy known as a farce, centering around the exaggerated and the absurd. The story follows Ken and Chris Gorman, a couple who have been invited to the 10th anniversary party of New York City’s Deputy Mayor, Charlie Brock, and his wife Myra. From the moment they arrive, they are forced to navigate a growing cast of characters, a missing person, and a scandalous cover up. “It’s a big comedy of misunderstanding,” said Samuel Howarth, who…

Campus

DMC employees give $58K to support students

Andrew-Pól Clements

To Matthew Busby, associate vice president of development at the DMC Foundation, the Employee Giving Campaign isn’t about raising money. It is about what he calls the “why.” Since as far back as 2005, the foundation has organized the campaign to offer a chance for faculty and staff to support the foundation’s mission of supporting students, not only in terms of tuition and textbooks, but also in their day-to-day struggles. In 2022, the foundation received 118 donations totaling $52,464. As of Oct. 6 of this year, the foundation had raised $58,218 from 123 donations, Busby said. That number is expected…

Campus

DMC honors Hispanic Heritage Month with onsite performance

Andrew-Pól Clements

The Office of Student Leadership and Campus Life, alongside the Center of Mexican American Studies, hosted a luncheon in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The Sept. 28 event consisted of a short presentation by Center of Mexican American Studies Coordinator Javier Morin and multiple dance demonstrations by Folklorico dancer and Del Mar College Alumna Teresa Saldivar. Morin discussed the origins of Hispanic Heritage Month and how it has evolved since being established as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968. “Hispanic Heritage Month, at one point seemed like we were celebrating the cultures of other countries,” Morin said, “but I think that…