Lottery Scholarship funds cut for spring 2015
Just prior to winter break, UNM President Robert Frank received a letter from Higher Education Department Secretary Jose Garcia notifying him that the Legislative Lottery Scholarship award would no longer cover 100 percent of tuition. According to UNM, the university has stepped in to cover the reduction for most students affected by the cut.
Terry Babbitt, associate vice president of enrollment management, said the Legislative Lottery Scholarship has been reduced to cover up to $2,447.12 for the spring semester as determined by the state of New Mexico Higher Education Department. This amount is $56.23 less than full tuition for 15 credit hours.
The Office of Student Financial Aid notified Lottery students that UNM will supplement the $56.23 for those who have financial need or were recipients of merit scholarships. More than half of those on the Lottery Scholarship at UNM received the supplement. The remaining students will have to pay the $56.23 difference out of pocket.
The 2014 legislative session defined maximum Lottery award amounts as 100 percent of the sector tuition average or, if tuition is lower than this average, the full tuition level of that particular institution. The sector averages for the 2014-2015 academic year are: for research institutions, $2575.92; for comprehensive universities, $1570.86; and for community colleges, $643.41. The December notification to institutions indicated the awards would be 95 percent of these amounts.
Student Activities hosts Student Organization Information Day
The UNM Student Activities Center hosts its second Welcome Back Day for the spring 2015 semester on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Union Building atrium.
According to UNM, the second Spring Welcome Back Day provides an opportunity to get involved with student organizations on campus. Representatives from many of the 450 student organizations will be on hand recruiting new members, allowing students to meet and speak with organization members without having to attend multiple meetings to see if the group is a good fit.
UNM Departments and student organizations interested in participating should sign up in the Student Activities Center or call 277-4706.
Professor to give presentation on longevity
The UNM Alumni Association and Lobo Living Room present, “The Secrets of Longevity” on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Hodgin Hall Alumni center. According to UNM, Len Kravitz, UNM College of Education associate professor of Health, Exercise and Sports Science (HESS), delivers an interactive presentation regarding the science behind longevity.
Kravitz will teach what influences how and why we age, and how we can live longer, happier lives. Audience members will have the opportunity to undergo non-invasive health assessments performed by UNM School of Pharmacy students.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
The event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required. Visit Lobo Living Room by Monday, Jan. 19 to reserve your seat or by calling 277-5808.
Parking will be available in the lot east of Hodgin Hall, as well as in the B lot parking area at Central and University.
For more information, call 277-5808 or email alumni@unm.edu.
Zimmerman Library Learning Commons grand opening
The grand opening and dedication of the Zimmerman Library Learning Commons will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Thursday. According to UNM, the renovated collaborative space for students on the eastern end of the first floor was completed in August 2014. New service desks were installed to make it easier for students to find help, check out equipment or schedule time with a librarian for help with a research project.
For more information call 277-1010 or email pcamp@unm.edu.
Zimmerman Library gets Brazillian graphic novels
A selection of cordéis and graphic novels from popular Brazilian authors are on display in the Herzstein Room on the second floor of Zimmerman Library. According to UNM, Brazilian cordéis, or little books hung on strings, are filled with narrative poetry and popular images and sold in the streets of Brazil on market days.
UNM Libraries, which has invested in Brazilian literature for decades, will also display cartoneras, hand-made books with reused cardboard covers. The cardboard of the cartoneras is gathered, taken to community centers and fashioned into the books by people with 4th or 5th grade educations. Their use of interesting graphics and literary references elevates the work in a way that excites popular and academic interest.
A larger exhibit is being shown at the National Hispanic Cultural Center at 1701 4th St. SW
New center would help UNM docs diagnose child abuse
The New Mexico Legislature will consider a proposal during its 2015 session to build upon the two child abuse diagnoses and treatment programs by creating a new Child Maltreatment Center at UNM.
According to UNM, the institution’s Child Abuse Response Team (CART), directed by Dr. Leslie Strickler, sees between 300 and 350 cases of suspected physical abuse in children each year. The team also provides case reviews or assists law enforcement in another 50 to 100 cases a year.
Para Los Niños, a companion program headed by Renee Ornelas M.D., handles about 400 cases of alleged sexual abuse per year.
Strickler is one of just a handful of physicians in New Mexico specially trained to diagnose and treat child abuse. Funding the proposed Child Maltreatment Center would provide for hiring enough staff and clinicians to make the service more sustainable, Strickler said.
With additional resources, she said, the UNM doctors could also extend their reach to serve the entire state, providing badly needed backups for primary care physicians in rural areas. At present, it’s a stretch to handle all of the cases arising in the Albuquerque metropolitan area, she said.
UNM employee Jeanette Albany passes away
Jeanette Albany, 59, office manager for the Communication and Journalism Department, died on Jan. 1.
According to UNM, Albany worked at various positions at the University for more than 36 years. She volunteered at her church and volunteered to feed a family every Christmas. She enjoyed cooking, baking and traveling with her mother. She was a staunch supporter of Lobo basketball and football, and enjoyed Isotopes baseball and televised sports.
A lifelong resident of Albuquerque, Albany is survived by her mother, Frances Albany; sister, Maggie Chavez and husband, David; nieces Suzanne Palmer and husband, Jeff, Adrienne Chavez and Stefan Neumann, and Jessica Chavez; great nieces, Alyssa and Katie Palmer, and Madi Oyer; and numerous other relatives and friends. Albany was preceded in death by her father Walter Albany.
