Focus on Campus

Louie talks with Paul Stresow, Director of Parking & Transportation at UTEP, about the upcoming transformation and construction projects happening on and around the UTEP campus.  The projects will be affecting parking for UTEP students, staff, faculty, and visitors.  Learn more about the ongoing projects at http://onthemove.utep.edu/, 915-747-5724, or email parking@utep.edu.   Aired May 17, 2013.

Louie Saenz and Dr. Gregory Rocha, UTEP Political Science professor, dissect El Paso's upcoming May 11 general elections. (Aired May 10, 2013)

Louie talks with Michelle Blanks and Star Chacon of the UTEP Speech & Debate Team, and their coach, Michael Brooks.  They talk about some of the national awards the team has won, including 5 national titles brought home by Blanks & Chacon at a single tournament.  Find out why these talented individuals consider themselves athletes.

The UTEP Speech & Debate Team will host a Showcase & Celebration featuring a debate, poetry, dramatic interpretation, and extemporaneous speaking - Wed, May 1, 6-8 p.m., at the Blumberg Auditorium, on the 1st floor of the UTEP Library.  915-747-8992, http://organizations.utep.edu/Default.aspx?alias=organizations.utep.edu/forensics

Aired April 26, 2013.

Louie talks with UTEP English professor Mimi Gladstein, and Victor Mireles, president of Mireles Creative.  Gladstein is the co-author with Silvia Cohen of "El Paso - The Wild West Welcomes Holocaust Survivors," now available in Spanish.  Mireles is the designer of the El Paso Holocaust Museum & Study Center, located at 715 N. Oregon.

Gladstein & Mireles talk about the history behind El Paso's Holocaust museum, which is one of only 13 in the U.S.

UTEP Political Science, the UTEP Global Relations Organization, and the Holocaust Museum are sponsoring a talk by Gilbert Tuhabonye, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide in 1993. Thursday, April 25, 6:30 p.m., Quinn Hall on the UTEP campus, Room 212.  Info: 915-351-0048, www.elpasoholocaustmuseum.org.

Aired April 19/20, 2013.

Louie talks with Rebecca Escobedo and Chuck Gorden about the UTEP Department of Theatre & Dance's upcoming production, "Eurydice."  The play is by Sarah Ruhl and it is based on the myth of Orpheus in the underworld, but told from the point of view of his wife Eurydice.  Escobedo stars in the title role, and the play is directed by Gorden. 

Performances are April 19, 20, 25-27 at 8 p.m, April 21 & 28 at 2:30 p.m., at the UTEP Fox Fine Arts Wise Family Theatre.

915-747-5118. Visit the Department of Theatre & Dance on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/UTEP-Department-of-Theatre-and-Dance/132721790087612

Aired April 12, 2013.

Louie talks with local author Benjamin Alire Saenz, who recently won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for his 2012 collection of short stories, "Everything Begins & Ends at the Kentucky Club."  Ben talks about his early desire to become a writer, and about the spiritual & career path that led him to El Paso.  He also discusses branching out from poetry & fiction into the Young Adult genre.  Aired April 5, 2013.

Louie talks with Stacey Sowards, Associate Professor at the UTEP Department of Communication.  Sowards was recently named one of the Top 25 Women Professors in Texas (http://onlineschoolstexas.com/top-college-professors-in-texas/women/), and was a recent recipient of the 2013 Distinguished Teaching Award from the Western States Communication Association.  Sowards talks about the 3-year grant that allows her to take her students to Indonesia to coordinate the program "Enhancing Behavior Change Through Conservation Programs." She also talks about the impact that language has on people, and why words are so powerful when it comes to motivation.  Aired March 29, 2013.

Louie talks with John White, curator of the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens at the Centennial Museum on the UTEP campus.  John talks about why El Paso is such a tricky place for spring planting, especially with strong winds, a possibility of a late freeze, and the quick rise in temperatures in April.  John also gives us a preview of the FloraFEST, the annual native plant sale that benefits the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens, taking place April 27 & 28, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., outside the Undergraduate Learning Center, next to the Centennial Museum.  The public will be able to purchase colorful plants, trees, and shrubs that use a minimal amount of water.  The FloraFEST also includes guest speaker, author & botanist George Miller, who will deliver a talk on April 26 at the UTEP Undergraduate Learning Center.  Learn more at www.museum.utep.edu, or call 915-747-5565.

Aired March 22, 2013.

Louie talks with KTEP Morning Jazz host Dennis Woo.  Dennis is the president of the El Paso Friends of Jazz Society, and he talks about the history of the society, its upcoming events, and its educational outreach programs and scholarships.  www.elpasofriendsofjazz.org

Aired March 15, 2013.

Louie talks with Rebecca Rivas, director of the UTEP Department of Theatre & Dance's upcoming production, "Electricidad" by Luis Alfaro.  The play is a modern re-telling of the Sophocles play "Electra" set in the gangland world of East L.A.   Rivas talks about what audiences can expect at these performances, which take place March 13-16 at 8 p.m., and March 17 at 2:30 & 7 p.m., at the UTEP Fox Fine Arts Studio Theatre (1st floor, Fox Fine Arts Building).  Rebecca Rivas is a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Department of Theatre & Dance.  Aired March 8, 2013.

Louie talks with Richard Pineda, Associate Professor of Communication at UTEP, and newly-named director of the Sam Donaldson Center for Communication Studies on the UTEP campus.  Pineda talks about the Sam Donaldson Center and what it offers to students and faculty.  He also talks about his plans for the Center, which include a speaker series and creating an advisory board.  Pineda also talks about the politics of immigration, amnesty, and the Mexican presidency, and how the border is uniquely affected by these issues. 

Sam Donaldson Center for Communication Studies http://academics.utep.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=14118

Aired March 1, 2013.

Louie talks with Dr. Yolanda Leyva, Chair of the UTEP Department of History.  Leyva talks about the Museo Urbano - a public history project which actively promotes the rich history of El Paso's Segundo Barrio.  The Museo Urbano recently received the 2013 Outstanding Public History Project Award for serving as a model for other communities. 

On Saturday, Feb. 23, 1-5 p.m., the public is invited to "The Mexican Revolution and Beyond: The History of South El Paso," a project in which historical photos are placed on the outsides of buildings to connect them with their histories.  The Farm Worker Center at 201 E. 9th Street (9th & Oregon) will be added to the project, and talks are scheduled about the history of farm workers in El Paso and about the Flores Magon brothers, political icons who helped spur the Mexican revolutionary movement.

www.facebook.com/MuseoUrbanoElPaso

Aired Feb. 22, 2013.

Louie talks with filmmaker Charlie Minn and Tim Crenshaw, a member of the Eastwood High School 1976 state championship team.  Crenshaw shares his memories about the game, in which the underdog Eastwood Troopers became the best basketball team in the state.  Minn talks about what inspired him to make a film about the championship team.  "March of the Troopers" opens March 1 at Premiere Cinemas at Bassett Place.  www.troopersmarch.com.  Aired Feb. 15, 2013.

Louie talks with Andrea Vasquez, visiting assistant professor of Contemporary Dance and Dance Appreciation with the UTEP Department of Theatre & Dance.  Vasquez talks about the department's upcomoing production "Hit the Road Jack! A Dance Tribute to the Songs of Ray Charles, and Other Dances."  She also talks about the expressivity that can be found in dance.

Performance dates: Feb 15, 16, 21-23 at 8 p.m., Feb 17 & 24 at 2:30 p.m., UTEP Wise Family Theatre.  915-747-5146, www.theatredance.utep.edu

Aired Feb 8, 2013.

Louie talks with Marisol Velazquez with the High School Equivalency Program at UTEP.  The program offers GED classes in English & Spanish for seasonal farmworkers and their families.  The next 10-week course begins Feb. 4.  Classes are held on the UTEP classes, but off-site courses are also held in San Elizario and Fabens.  Information: 915-747-5567, http://sa.utep.edu/hep

Aired Feb. 1, 2013.

Louie is joined in the studio by Master Naturalists Clarence "Kiki" Cooper, Bob Vines, and Cille D'asenzo, who share information on the Texas Master Naturalist Program, which educates individuals on the archaeology, ecology, geology, and animal life of the Chihuahuan Desert.  Volunteers who finish the Texas Master Naturalist course become Certified Master Naturalists and can share their knowledge with the public. Applications are being accepted for the next series of Texas Master Naturalist Classes, which begin on February 13.  Call the Texas AgriLife Extension for more details, 915-860-2515, or visit http://txmn.org/trans_pecos/  Aired Jan. 25, 2013.

Louie talks with Melissa Colgin-Abeln, Associate Professor of Music at UTEP; and flutist Mary Kerr, who is a graduate of El Paso High School, the University of Southern California, and the Manhattan School of Music.  Colgin-Ablen and Kerr talk about the Southwest Flute Fest, which takes place January 18 & 19 at the UTEP Music Department.  Kerr also talks about her early interest in the flute and about the unique aspects of the instrument.  http://marykerrflute.com

Information on the Southwest Flute Fest: www.epflute.com, 915-747-7798.

Aired Jan. 18, 2013.  

Louie talks with Tom Fullerton, professor of Economics & Finance at UTEP, about the UTEP Border Economic Forum, which will address the 2013 regional economic outlook, as well as transportation issues on the border, AAA baseball, health care on the border, and much more.  Fullerton also talks about the improving economy of Ciudad Juarez, and how it is benefiting El Paso.

The UTEP Border Economic Forum is Jan. 16 at the El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center on the UTEP Campus.  $30, includes breakfast & lunch.  Info: 915-747-7775.

Aired Jan. 11, 2013.

Louie talks with author Ken Hudnall.  Hudnall talks about the Chinese immigrant workers who came to El Paso in the 1880s to work on the railroad system.  Hundreds of Chinese immigrants remained in El Paso, creating El Paso's Chinatown.  After a Chinese exclusion law was passed by Congress in 1882, many El Pasoans began to illegally smuggle Chinese into the city.  Legends persist of a tunnel system hundreds of miles long and an underground city below Downtown El Paso which hid & protected many of these Chinese illegal immigrants.  Hudnall talks about his quest to map this complex series of tunnels and his search for the underground city.  http://kenhudnall.com  Aired Jan. 4, 2013.

Louie talks with Richard Pineda, Associate Professor of Communication at UTEP, and Director of the Sam Donaldson Center for Communication Studies on the UTEP campus.  Pineda talks about the recent election of Enrique Pena Nieto as the newest President of Mexico.  How is Pena Nieto's presidency expected to address the violence of the drug wars?  Will Pena Nieto's youth allow him to relate more to the Obama administration and make immigration a priority for both nations?  Is Mexico expected to improve economically with Pena Nieto's presidency?  Aired Dec. 28, 2012.

A special encore presentation of Benjamin Alire Saenz reading "A Gift from Papa Diego."  Saenz is a writer, poet, novelist, and the Chair of the Creative Writing Department at the University of Texas at El Paso.  Saenz also talks about how "A Gift from Papa Diego" came to be written back in 1999.  "A Gift from Papa Diego" is published by Cinco Puntos Press, www.cincopuntos.com.  Aired Dec. 21, 2012.

Louie talks with photographer Teun Voeten, whose latest publication is "Narco Estado: Drug Violence in Mexico."  He talks about his career covering war zones and areas of sociopolitical conflict, as well as his time covering the drug wars in Ciudad Juarez.  Aired Dec. 14, 2012.

Louie talks with Kerry Doyle, interim director of the Stanlee & Gerald Rubin Center for Visual Arts at UTEP.  Doyle talks about the Rubin Center's role in exhibiting art and multi-media projects from around the world, and about upcoming events and exhibits.  915-747-6151, http://rubincenter.utep.edu

The Rubin Center hosts Dutch photojournalist & anthropologist Teun Voeten for "Narco Estado: Drug Violence in Mexico," Dec. 13 at 6 p.m.  Voeten has taken photos in zones of conflict from around the world, including Mexico.

Aired Dec. 7, 2012.

Louie talks with Emma Montes and Brian Ceely, UTEP students majoring in Theatre Arts.  They talk about their roles in the upcoming stage production of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," presented by the UTEP Department of Theatre & Dance.  Performance dates are December 16 & 22 at 2:30 p.m., and December 21 & 22 at 8 p.m.  http://theatredance.utep.edu, 915-747-5118.

Aired Nov. 30, 2012.

Louie talks with Sherry Lewis, lecturer with the Communication Department at UTEP.  Lewis talks about spending Thanksgivings with her mom in Bolivia, and helping expats and American workers at the Bolivian embassy celebrate Thanksgiving in the traditional fashion, with turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing.  Aired Nov. 23, 2012.

Guest host Dennis Woo talks with Joann Cross, Nichole Coleman, Brett Hartmann, and Neelam Nagarwal of Miner DIAMONDS (Dynamic in Action Making Outstanding Noteworthy Distinction Shine).  Miner DIAMONDS was established in 2008 as a social support group for disabled students at UTEP and it grew into a way for students to advocate for change.  Cross, Coleman, Hartmann, and Nagarwal also talk about the challenges they have faced in trying to make their way across campus.  Miner DIAMONDS is located in the UTEP Union East, Room 106.  https://minetracker.utep.edu/organization/minerdiamonds

Aired Nov. 16, 2012.

Louie talks with Keith Erekson, Assistant Professor of History at UTEP, about his recent book, "Everybody's History: Indiana's Lincoln Inquiry and the Quest to Reclaim a President's Past."  The book examines the story of the researchers in the 1920's & 1930s who worked to fill in the missing chapters of Abraham Lincoln's life, namely his boyhood years in Indiana, where he lived from age 7 to 21. http://www.keitherekson.com/books/everybodys-history/

Aired Nov. 9, 2012.

Louie talks with Lupe Campos, a student at the UTEP Department of Theatre & Dance.  Campos is director of "The Fever Chart: 3 Visions of the Middle East," a play by Naomi Wallace based on true events.  Campos talks about the training the actors undertook in preparing for their roles, and about her move as an actor in front of the stage to director behind the scenes. 

"The Fever Chart" will be performed Nov 14-17 at 8 p.m., and Nov 18 at 2:30 & 7 p.m., at the UTEP Fox Fine Arts Studio Theatre (1st floor).  Information: 915-747-5118.

Aired Nov. 2, 2012.

Louie talks to Chuck Gordon and Will Badgett of the UTEP Department of Theater & Dance about the Fall production of Shakespeare's "Othello." Sept. 21, 2012.

Guest host Dennis Woo talks with Peter Rivera, Executive Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UTEP.  The center provides learning opportunities to individuals age 50+ in a variety of subjects, including Religion, Art History, Literature, and Languages.  Information available at 915-747-8848, 915-747-6280, and online http://olliatutep.org/home.html.  Aired Oct. 26, 2012.