Once during the winter and twice during the spring, the TWU Student Union hosts an arts and craft fair to feature vendors selling a variety of holiday gifts. The Union has been sponsoring the winter event, the Winter Wonderland Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair for nearly a decade. This year, the ninth annual event was held on the second floor of the Student Union on Tuesday, December 4, 2007, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Over 50 vendors were present to handle faculty, staff, and student holiday shopping needs (and maybe a few personal needs as well!). Vendors sold everything from jewelry, hand-crafted items, edible goodies, make-up, bath and body products, and everything in between. With such a wide variety of products being sold, shoppers could potentially buy something for everyone on their holiday wish list. The prices were ideal for the delicate student budget with many items being sold for under $25.00. Those who missed the fair may be able to purchase some of the items at other locations or on the vendor’s Web site; however, many of the products are one-of-a-kind items that were uniquely made by the vendor. If you missed out, you will likely have to wait until the spring for your next opportunity to pick up these unique items.

Last Friday, two special events were put on by the Social Work department of Texas Woman’s around Denton. The first was an all-day conference concerning child welfare. It was the third year TWU put on this conference, and this year it was entitled, “CPS Back to Basics: Ensuring Safety, Well-being and Permanency.” About 300 people attended this event which had been held in the MCL auditorium. The conference opened their doors to anyone who wanted to attend, whether they were TWU students or not.

During this conference, many speakers told the audience about the important issues surrounding child welfare. One of the guest speakers to come and speak included Senator Royce West from the Texas Legislature. He represented District 23, which also included Dallas County. Throughout his career, he has worked on various programs for the better good of children. Aside from his speech, the other presenters informed everyone on issues such as how using illegal drugs in the prenatal stage could affect the child. To students Martha Puga and Melina Ruiz, this was their favorite part of the conference. Puga said she liked it the most because “not only was the information just amazing,” but also “all the information was important.”

There was also a group of individuals who sat on a panel and answered questions from the audience related to foster care and the adoption of children.

Overall, students Puga and Ruiz felt they learned a lot of information that could be useful when they go on into their careers. Ruiz added that she chose social work because “[she] saw all the good they do . . . to help one child at a time.”

About 100 to 125 people gathered together outside the Denton County Courthouse green last Friday night to share information about HIV/AIDS to the city of Denton. Some individuals also spoke firsthand about their personal accounts with the disease. Student Margaret Ebron, who helped out with the event, really enjoyed getting to “meet some of the clients, speak with them, [and] hear their stories.”

The AIDS Services of North Texas also joined in putting on this event, the first annual World AIDS Day in Denton. The key purpose for this event was to inform the public about “the truth of HIV/AIDS and how to get tested,” said Ebron. She also included the importance of knowing you “can live a successful life if you have been diagnosed.”