Payment arrangements must be made before Monday, Dec. 2

Students who have not made payment arrangements will be dropped from spring classes they have registered for on Monday, Dec. 2.

According to SWTJC Registrar Luis Fernandez, a total of 2,126 students had enrolled for spring classes as of Monday, Nov. 25.

"We will run a drop list on Monday morning (Dec. 2) and all students who are registered but haven't made payment arrangements will have to re-register starting on Tuesday, Dec. 3," Fernandez said.

Students have today (Nov. 25) and tomorrow (Nov. 26) to visit with an advisor and make payment arrangements in the business office. They can also sign up for a payment plan online through the Thanksgiving break.

Phi Theta Kappa holds fall induction in Uvalde

The Eta Beta Chapter of the international honor society Phi Theta Kappa inducted 35 new members during ceremonies held Nov. 7 on the SWTJC Uvalde campus. GROUP PHOTO

SWTJC President Dr. Hector Gonzales, a past member of the Eta Beta Chapter, welcomed guests and congratulated this year's inductees.

"This is the best part of my job, getting to recognize our top students," Gonzales said. "These are the leaders on this campus and the leaders of tomorrow."

Noting that the Eta Beta Chapter is consistently one of the top chapters in the state and nation, Gonzales urged the newest group of members to take full advantage of their membership in the only international honor society for two-year colleges.

"Be an active member and get involved in all the various projects and leadership opportunities PTK offers," Gonzales said. "This is a great opportunity to augment your education and career."

Uvalde students inducted include Teresa Aviles, Donna Casey, Kristen Castro, Taylor Dean, Nataly Hernandez, Pedro Navarro, Arianne Penalosa and Shelby Robles.

Nine students from Crystal City were inducted including Cresencio Adame IV, Oscar Balderas, Felix Benavides, Ashley Campos, Emily Cruz, Anita Flores, Christian Guzman, Katherine Perez and Sarah Sanchez.

Carrizo Springs students earning membership were Victoria Chavez, Alexander Doria, Cecilia Garcia and John Slack.

Devine students inducted this fall were Dayleene Alanis, Karina Gonzalez, Alysssa Ornelas, Cynthia Ramirez and Kyle Saathoff.

Sabinal students in the fall 2013 Eta Beta Chapter class were Alisha Contreras and Mario Perez.

Pearsall students earning membership included Johanna Longoria and Robyn Moses.

Others area students inducted this fall include: Crystal Littleton, Knippa; Katrina Martinez, Dilley; Kirsten Murray, Castroville; and Connie Sambrano, La Pryor.

Current Eta Beta Chapter officers Anisha Hindocha, Cassandra Canales, George Melchor, Jr., and Sanette Bermudez conducted the ceremony. Texas regional Phi Theta Kappa president Joanna Anderson from Austin Community College was also on hand to welcome the new members.

Chapter advisors for the Eta Beta Chapter were also in attendance including Barbara Blair, Rick Jones and David Burchfield.

To earn membership in Phi Theta Kappa, students must have completed at least 12 semester hours with at least a 3.5 GPA. Students must also be currently enrolled in at least six hours and maintain a 3.0 GPA to remain members in good standing.

Andrew Humphrey was pianist for the ceremony and a reception for inductees and their families was held immediately following the ceremony.

Agreement expands educational opportunities for area nurses

Registered nurses across Southwest Texas who would like to expand their educational and career opportunities will soon have that option, with the signing of an agreement between Sul Ross State University – Rio Grande College and Southwest Texas Junior College.

Dr. Ricardo Maestas, president of Sul Ross State University and Dr. Hector Gonzales, president of SWTJC, (pictured on the left) signed an agreement on Oct. 31, that finalizes an RN to BSN completion program between the two institutions.

Beginning in the fall 2014 semester, registered nurses (RNs) licensed to practice in Texas may enroll in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) completion program through Sul Ross – Rio Grande College.

Classes will meet using online instruction, video conferencing and scheduled times with faculty. Courses are designed to accommodate schedules of busy adults and will be offered to both full and part-time students.

The RN to BSN completion program offers students the opportunity to gain a broader understanding of their profession and will prepare them to take on leadership roles on their respective healthcare teams. Finishing a BSN also provides a natural progression for nurses interested in advance practice or administration, as well as for those who want to attend graduate school.

Dr. Geraldine Goosen, director of the associate degree nursing program at SWTJC, will also serve as director of the new BSN program. "This program offers a wonderful opportunity for our nurses in the area by giving them the option of pursuing their professional goals close to home," Dr. Goosen said.

Dr. Paul Sorrels, associate provost/dean at Rio Grande College, said the new program shows how collaborations between RGC and SWTJC continue to have a positive effect on the region.
"Sul Ross – Rio Grande College is excited to be able to enter the health care educational arena. SWTJC has offered nursing programs for years and to now partner with them to help address the critical nursing shortage in our region is a very positive development," Dr. Sorrels said.

Dia de Los Muertos

The Catholic Club will host their annual Dia de Los Muertos event on Tuesday Oct. 29 from 5 to 9 p.m. in the MSC Courtyard across from the Student Activities Lounge.

The event is open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend.

This is a perfect opportunity to learn more about the significance and history of the Mexican holiday.

In the past, the Catholic Club has always setup an altar to honor members of the SWTJC family that have passed. This year they are allowing anyone in the community to setup their own altars.

There will also be a Candy Skull Face Painting Contest with cash prizes, a small art exhibit featuring Dia de Los Muertos art and entertainment by the Ballet Folklorico de Hilda Navarro.  

The history of Dia de Los Muertos is complex and can be traced to the ancient history of Mexico.

The three deaths is one of the different facets of the Day of the Dead, which many Mexicans believe in. Victor Landa, of NewsTaco - The Latino Online Daily, explained it simply in an article on Latino.com. Landa wrote, "In our tradition, people die three deaths. The first death is when our bodies cease to function; when our hearts no longer beat of their own accord, when our gaze no longer has depth or weight, when the space we occupy slowly loses its meaning.

The second death comes when the body is lowered into the ground, returned to mother earth, out of sight.

The third death, the most definitive death, is when there is no one left alive to remember us."

Dia de Los Muertos is observed on Nov. 1 and 2.

To know more about Dia de Los Muertos click on the link.

Dia de Los Muertos History

SWTJC rodeo voted top event in Southern Region

For the first time in school history, the Southwest Texas Junior College Rodeo has been voted the top rodeo in the Southern Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA).

Held annually in October for fifty years, the event is one of ten rodeos sanctioned each school year by the NIRA's Southern Region, one of twelve regions throughout the U.S.

Members of the SWTJC women's team, which finished third overall during the recently concluded the 2012-13 Southern Region rodeo season, along with county and college officials, gathered at the Garner Museum on Wednesday afternoon to mark the milestone.

"We've always prided ourselves in putting on a great rodeo and it is certainly nice to finally be recognized for our efforts," SWTJC rodeo coach Roy Angermiller said. "We share this recognition with all the individuals and businesses in town and across the region whose generous support has made it possible for us to keep college rodeo alive and well in Uvalde."
Angermiller and SWTJC President-Elect Hector Gonzales, Ph.D., offered special thanks to Uvalde County for allowing the event to find a new home at the Uvalde County Fairplex Arena.

"There is no doubt that being able to use the fantastic new facility the county recently built was a big reason we received this recognition," Angermiller said. "We can't thank Judge Mitchell and all his staff enough for their support of our rodeo. We hope this will be our home for many, many years to come."

In addition, president-elect Gonzales thanked the entire SWTJC staff for their work in securing the top rodeo award.

"Roy and his wife Pam deserve most of the credit, but everything we do at SWTJC is a team effort and the success of our rodeo is no different," Gonzales said. "I want to personally thank all the SWTJC staff for working together to put on the best rodeo in the Southern Region."

Del Rio art show will feature SWTJC instructor Abel Ortiz

SWTJC art instructor Abel Ortiz will be the solo exhibitor Friday, May 3, in an art show at the Adrian J. Falcon Gallery in Del Rio. The opening reception starts at 7:30 p.m. and the gallery will remain open until midnight.

 The show's title is "Chronicles from the Border", which consists mainly of new works made in the past four months mixed with a few older pieces.

What follows is the artist's statement on the show:
by Abel Ortiz
My work has consistently explored the Border culture I was raised in, both positive and negative aspects of the experience. "Chronicles from the Border", is continued exploration of the theme with a transition in mind. The transition to explore more "universal" ideas of what a border is and what it might mean to individuals or society, whether, cultural, physical, geo-political or psychological.
The exhibit is divided into two parts, the representational and the abstract. The representational imagery is focused on the continued exploration of what happens along the US-Mexican Border. I see myself as a witness to these events. Love, violence, the fusion and modification of language, music, the border patrol, myths and legends and other themes are addressed through much of this new body of work.
I visually document the fusion and culture clash that occurs along this border region, from Southern California to Southern Texas, through art. I have included a few older works to tie this new work to previous ideas. Some of the images are surrealistic with a hint of Pop Art, but this is a reflection of the Border itself, a surreal/pop world.

The second part of the exhibit focuses on the more "universal" idea of what "border" is. Borders divide spaces as they divide cultures and people, they divide emotions and ideas, ideals and time. Borders divide, but at the same time unite, they identify the parameters of an idea, a culture, a period in time. Borders can be fluid or static.

History if full of shifting borders; cultures fuse, change and are reinvented. I am now exploring these universal aspects of the idea of "border" through abstract imagery. As my abstraction has evolved, my ideas of borders between persons, ideas, emotions, places, things and psychological spaces have evolved as well.  Much of the abstract work is derived from the Dada idea of automatic drawing, later adopted by the Surrealist movement. I think that Surrealism with is exploration of dreams and the psychological is a fitting reference for such work, specifically the biomorphic works of Joan Miro.

The audience might experience the idea of a border between the two parts of the exhibit, the border between representation and abstraction. The viewer will walk through a border as they view the pieces of art. This idea of the border between abstraction and representation has always intrigued me and will be the catalyst for new works to come.

Early registration has many benefits for students

For the first time in school history, students at Southwest Texas Junior College will be able to start registering for fall and summer classes at the same time.

Registration begins April 1 for both summer sessions and the fall semester. The new registration date applies to both online and advisor-assisted registration.

Beginning registration early offers a variety of benefits to students and the college.

One of the main things we hope to address is student retention. By offering students the chance to register for fall classes while the spring semester is still in session we believe we can get more of our students coming back in the fall.


The earlier registration also gives students a longer period to meet with advisors and plan a schedule that fills their needs. With five months of registration, we can spread out the work load on our advisors and give them more time to spend with each individual student.

In addition, students will have more time to secure financial aid and make payment arrangements.

Qualified students can register online for fall and summer classes. Students are encouraged to get time permits to schedule advising time for advisor-assisted registration.

Schedules for fall classes, as well as both summer sessions, are available online at www.swtjc.edu 
Printed schedules are available in the Flores Student Center in Uvalde and in main administration offices in Del Rio, Eagle Pass and Crystal City.