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Borders Customs and Crafts

By Ruth Vise, Faculty Editor and Advisor

We begin the second decade of Borderlands, EPCC'S student writing project, with the spring 1993 issue. This 11th issue continues the 1992 theme, Border Customs and Crafts. Our mixture of cultures on the border provides so many traditions that for the third year in a row, we had more articles than we could print.

Student editors begin work in the fall by reading copies of English 3112 (research and critical writing) projects and choosing papers which can be turned into feature articles. Often editors must take two, three, even four papers on the same topic and build a feature story from them. This job is a tough, lengthy one, but the results are usually excellent. In most cases, each student author provides different details on the custom at hand.

As you read Borderlands this year, remember that when we write about customs, we do not pretend to be all-inclusive. You may know different versions of a particular dicho, or proverb, for instance. Or your family may celebrate a Lenten custom differently are variations, which is what folklorists study. And the differences are what make us a fascinating society!

We worked extra hard this spring, trying to learn computer typesetting in addition to our regular duties. I want to thank Phyllis Compton for teaching me so much about the technique and Joe Old for suggesting we do our own typesetting. Thank you, Phyllis, for letting our staff meet in the Faculty Resources Room when we had no other place to work. Your support and good humor went far in keeping up our morale. Thanks to my colleagues Ted Johnston, Carroll Ferguson Nardone and Joe Old for editing student articles -- we learned a great deal from your suggestions.

Special thanks to my fall and springs English 3112 classes for all their work researching in scholarly manner topics important to the various cultures. Without you, there would be no Borderlands. Thanks to our diligent and talented student artists, Michael Nunez and Roberto Trejo, and all the students who illustrated their research papers with original photographs.

Most of all, I want to thank my editors and our families for their support and understanding this semester. Thanks especially to our children: April Vise, Carol Marusich, Erica and Steve and Linda Guzman. We spent many weekends and evenings working on the computer instead of being with you! Even with death in the immediate family the final week of work, Linda Tarin worked tirelessly along with me and Brenda Marusich to complete material for this issue. Finally, I want to thank EPCC graduate and former Borderlands editor Lynn Cordova for pitching in at the last minute to help with lay out, illustrations and proofreading. Now that's loyalty!

We hope you enjoy this issue of Borderlands.

Ruth E. Vise English Editor Faculty Editor and Advisor

Borderlands is published annually by El Paso Community College, P.O. Box 20500, El Paso, TX 79998.

It is a collection of student written articles on the history & culture of the El Paso, Juárez, Las Cruces border region, comprising the states of Texas, New Mexico, and the Mexican state of Chihuahua.   This site was created with seed money from the Integrating Technical Contexts into Academic Courses (ITAC) Project, and maintained by the Northwest Community Library staff. 

Funds for the program were provided by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under the auspices of the federal Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998.  

Ruth Vise, English Professor and Borderlands Project Director, EPCC
Monica Wong, Website Project Coordinator, Head Librarian,  Northwest Community Library,  EPCC
Joe Old, Technical Consultant, ITAC Project
Mary Sarber,  Lorely Ambriz, and Library Staff.
Rachel Murphree, web weaver

Copyright  2001-2009 El Paso Community College.