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www.spotlightepnews.com Published by E.P. MASS MEDIA ADVERTISING INC. Vol. X No. 366 February 18th, 2011 SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS FEBRUARY 18, 2011 PAGE 2 EL PASO COUNTY ATTORNEY AND DISTRICT Juarez colonia ATTORNEY UNVEIL NEW INITIATIVE AGAINST DOMESTIC/DATING VIOLENCE residents Program includes videos, materials and presentations to be offered to local high schools suffer immeasur - Last Friday, February 11, hensive domestic/teen dating involved in abu - 2011, El Paso County Attor - violence curriculum. Both of - sive relation - ably in ney Jo Anne Bernal and Dis - fices will offer the video and ships. trict Attorney Jaime Esparza training curriculum to stu - unveiled a bold new initiative dents, school administrators, The project is winter, summer to reduce domestic and dating parents and community unique in that By Joe Olvera ©, 2011 violence in El Paso County. groups in El Paso County. all aspects of the initiative were So, you say you had it rough large garbage can that has This comprehensive initiative The first video is a 16-minute designed to re - during The 2011 El Paso seen better days. More often entitled “¡No Te Dejes! Don’t dramatization that explores is - flect situations, Freeze? You say your water than not, a large family lives Let Yourself,” was made pos - sues related to abusive teen cultures and is - pipes froze, leaving you in a one-room panacea, with - sible by an $80,000 grant dating relationships, such as sues specific to without drinking water, that out any visible means of pro - from the Criminal Justice De - the use of intimidation, isola - El Paso and you couldn’t take a shower, viding heat, without partment of the Texas Gover - tion and physical violence to other border couldn’t wash dishes, could - electricity. No rolling black - nor’s Office. exercise power and control communities n’t wash your dirty car, outs in these Juarez colonias over the victim. along the U.S.- couldn’t, couldn’t, couldn’t? because, of course, no elec - The initiative includes the Mexico border. You say the lights went out in tricity. production of culturally sensi - The second video, created in Culturally sensi - your house, you resorted to tive videos targeted at local English and Spanish, ad - tive materials flashlights or candles, could - A family lucky area high school students and dresses issues of domestic vi - connect better n’t turn on your t.v., your enough to have a bed and their parents. The videos, cre - olence in adult relationships, with the audi - stereo, your computer, your have blankets can spend an ated by local production com - such as economic and sexual ence and make refrigerator went sour. You entire day without rising, ex - pany “MindWarp abuse, the use of children to the message say you were without gas for cept to take care of the neces - Entertainment,” will be used manipulate and the immigra - more effective. several days at a time, you sities of life. Yes, they spend in conjunction with a compre - tion considerations of victims So far students were cold, miserable – albeit, their entire day smothered in have responded well to pre - you did have blankets to blankets, because it is, oh so views of the teen dating vio - keep you warm, you did have cold. Have you seen them? lence video. a bed to sleep on? These Juarez colonias? Have you visited them? As a long- The initiative also Well, folks, count time journalist in El Paso, includes the creation of an in - your blessings that you don’t I’ve seen them up close. teractive webpage and the de - live in one of the Juarez colo - These living conditions don’t velopment of a nias, where amenities are exist because of some freaky comprehensive curriculum nowhere to be found and weather. No, they live like that covers the dynamics of where people live like this this all the time. domestic/teen dating vio - every year, every winter. lence, as well as prevention Count your blessings that In the summer, the and intervention resources your house, at least, has cin - living conditions are re - available within the El Paso der-blocks or red bricks, or versed. It is so hot inside one community. Some of the top - other means of support, and, of these make-shift, so-called ics include access to law en - oh, yes, a roof. Count your homes. What air-condition - forcement, safety planning, blessings that your home is ing? What refrigerated air? In the use of protective orders, weather-tight, or as tight as fact, what refrigerator? Of availability of shelter and you can make it. Try living in course, I’m not blaming El counseling services, and crim - a shack made out of card - Pasoans, who have certainly inal prosecution of offenders. board, chicken wire, and a worked hard enough to pro - hope and a prayer. vide the basic amenities for Presentation of the teen dating their families. We’re not to violence video and correspon - This, my good blame. On the contrary, many ding curriculum will be of - friends, is how people often El Pasoans try to alleviate fered to all interested school live in a Juarez colonia – take such living conditions. It’s a districts in the El Paso area to your pick, there are plenty of small gesture, perhaps, but, it comply with state legislation colonias from which to is an important one. Some which went into effect May of choose. These good people people provide blankets, 2007. The legislation, found don’t have to worry about some people provide fuel for in Section 37.0831 of the Ed - their water pipes freezing – those who do have some sort ucation Code, mandates the what pipes? More often than of heating apparatus. implementation of a dating vi - not, the water they use for olence..Cont.p.6 cooking, drinking, cleaning Continues on page 6 themselves, is stored in a SPOTLIGHT EP NEWS FEBRUARY 18, 2011 PAGE 3 EPCC RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD Achieving the (introductory and prerequisite successful programs and the graduating more students Dream: Community Colleges courses); expanded comple - pervasive impact of their pro - from college including low- Count and Lumina Founda - tion rates in gateway courses; grams on the community. income, minorities, first-gen - tion for Education announced and raised graduation rates. EPCC is showing the nation eration students and adult that El Paso Community Col - “The Achieving the Dream that high-level commitment learners. lege has been honored with initiative was the best thing and well-focused, evidence- the third annual Leah Meyer that could have happened to based decision-making can The Leah Meyer Austin Institutional Student EPCC,” said EPCC President lead to substantial improve - Austin Award recognizes out - Success Leadership Award. Richard Rhodes. “It moti - ment in student success and standing institutional achieve - EPCC received the award vated us to use data intention - completion.” ment in creating excellence during the opening of the an - ally to inform our decision and equity through committed nual Achieving the Dream making and helped us focus Conceived in 2004, Achiev - leadership, use of evidence to Strategy Institute in Indi - on student success. The out - ing the Dream (ATD) has ex - improve policies, programs anapolis. comes have empowered our panded to 130 institutions in and services, broad engage - faculty, staff, students and 24 states and the District of ment and systematic institu - EPCC received the community to engage in pro - Columbia serving more than tional improvement. award for simultaneously in - moting and supporting stu - 1.6 million students. ATD is creasing student success and dent success at levels never focused on creating a culture For additional in - college access. In partnership seen before.” of evidence on community formation, please contact the with Achieving the Dream, college campuses where it EPCC Marketing and Com - EPCC instigated a college- “EPCC’s resolute identifies problems that pre - munity Relations Office at going culture in a metropoli - commitment to student suc - vent students from succeed - 831-6531; Katie Loovis at tan border area where 82 cess and completion has set ing, particularly low-income KLoovis@Achievingthe - percent of residents are His - them apart as an impressive students and minorities. Col - Dream.org or Lucia Anderson panic, 27 percent are low-in - example of what is possible at leges develop programs to at landerson@luminafounda - come and 54 percent have a community colleges across help them stay in school and tion.org high school diploma or less the country,” said Achieving receive a certificate or education. The college’s the Dream President and CEO diploma. EPCC, the Best multi-faceted strategy re - William Trueheart. “This duced the number of students award recognizes EPCC’s The Lumina Foun - Place to Start who need developmental (re - strong presidential leadership dation is an Indianapolis- medial) courses; added en - and broad institutional en - based private foundation rollment in gateway courses gagement, their breadth of committed to enrolling and Brigadier General Michael A. Bills Joint Task Force North Commanding General Brigadier General Michael A. Battalion, 81st Armor, 1st Ar - Army Command and General Bills, after completing three mored Division, at Erlangen, Staff College at Fort Leaven - years of service as an enlisted Germany. After attending the worth, Kansas. He then Soldier, graduated from Armor Advanced Course, he served as the Operations Offi - George Mason University, at served as the Squadron Per - cer and Executive Officer, Germany as the Senior Fairfax, Virginia, and was sonnel Officer, B Troop Com - 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Armor/Cavalry Trainer --- commissioned through Re - mander, and Headquarters and Cavalry Regiment, at Fort “Grizzly 07.” He was then serve Officers’ Training Corps Headquarters Troop Com - Carson, Colorado.