The Prospector

An estimated 10 million people have become the victims of fraud within the U.S. and many students are putting themselves needlessly at risk. "College students are not thinking of the dangers of the world around them," said Jay Foley, director of consumer and victim services, on the Identity Theft Resource Center Web site www.

Every year, the Campus Activities Board organizes Miner Fest, a celebration of UTEP's past, present and future. This year, it features several activities for students to participate in from Wednesday morning till afternoon at different areas on campus. "We try to have it right around mid terms before spring break, so that students can get stress relief with a little bit of education, but mostly a fun event for students," said Miguel Cervantes, student intern for CAB.

Josh Rojo, a mechanical engineering student, has inhaled different tobacco flavors from those Middle Eastern water pipes - better known as hookahs - in the three most popular places in El Paso. Two weeks ago, Rojo went to the Q8 Café, a hookah bar, restaurant and café located near UTEP.

TCM Day is a UTEP tradition where engineering majors honor the origins of the university as the Texas College of Mines. Participants parade through campus during a day-long slate of activities.

Exceeding their expectations, the Student Development Center's presentation of "Shape Your Life, Shape Your Future" conference, held Friday and Saturday, was an overwhelming success with an attendance of 269 participants. The event featured two nationally recognized speakers, Kip Fulbeck, professor of art and Asian-American studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Steven Jones, a nationally known speaker about change and diversity.

Members of the local MoveOn chapter joined the country in honoring the dead and wounded soldiers of the war in Iraq on the fifth anniversary of the conflict. El Pasoans joined the group during the peace vigil Wednesday night. For more information about the organization, visit www.

Una vez cada cuatro años es año bisiesto, cuando las vacaciones de "spring break" y Semana Santa se juntan por las mismas fechas y alrededor de 200 estudiantes de UTEP aprovechan para irse vacacionar a playas mexicanas accesibles al bolsillo estudiantil. "Somos un grupo de estudiantes haciendo un viaje para estudiantes que quieran ir a relajarse, a conocer gente nueva, a otro tipo de ambiente", dijo José Hernández, del grupo "Tripping" que organiza un viaje a Puerto Peñasco, una playa ubicada en la región noroeste del estado de Sonora, México.