The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico held its first meeting of the spring semester last Wednesday night in the Letterman Meeting Room at WisePies Arena. Although there was minimal legislative business, which is common for the first meetings of the semester, here are the main takeaways of last week’s meeting.
1. New meeting locations
ASUNM President Jenna Hagengruber said this is the first time in her four years as an ASUNM member that the undergraduate student government’s full senate meeting has not been held in the SUB. She said that meeting in different locations around campus will be ASUNM’s way of reaching a larger audience.
“Usually we like to be in the SUB because it’s a very central location that a lot of students can reach, but we’re open to trying to find new spaces to be at to reach other populations of students,” Hagengruber said.
Hagengruber said that ASUNM worked with Vice President of Athletics Paul Krebs to arrange this week’s meeting at WisePies Arena. She said that it is a way for ASUNM to be more directly involved with events occurring on South Campus, as well as with the athletics program.
ASUNM Vice President Alexandra Cervantes said ASUNM is looking to host at least three meetings away from the SUB this semester in attempt to become more accessible to the UNM community.
2. New lighting in South Lot
As a continuation of ASUNM and UNM’s Office of Government and Community Relations capital outlay plan, Hagengruber said that ASUNM representatives will be meeting with state legislators in Santa Fe this week to request approximately $100,000 for new lighting in South Lot. The Daily Lobo reported in November that South Lot is a main priority for new lighting because students are concerned with the safety and security of the lot, especially at night.
Hagengruber said that UNM is hoping to install 19 new eco-friendly street lights in the lot, as well as renovate the 20 existing lights that are currently there to make them more eco-friendly.
“We have gotten a lot of positive feedback and a lot of community support. We’re thinking that this capital outlay project is going really well,” Hagengruber said.
3. “BeKind” event
From Feb. 3-17, the BeKind Committee and personnel from Student Affairs will be hosting a “BeKind” event, which is a time for promoting kindness, respect and safety on campus and throughout the community.
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ASUNM Boards and Committees Coordinator Nicole Gonzales said that this two week-long event will feature opportunities for students to promote kindness and make a difference around UNM.
She said there will be different activities that students can be involved in, including a “Brain Break Bar” study break event from 9 to 10 a.m. on Thursday in Zimmerman Library and a Valentine’s Day “Card Creation Station” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the SUB Atrium on Feb. 12.
Gonzales said that local businesses have also gotten involved in the event. On Feb. 11 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., the Satellite in the SUB and Nusenda Credit Union have teamed up to host an event called “Fill it Forward” which offers students one free cup of black coffee and refills as an incentive to donate to the UNM Lobo Food Pantry.
4. Mosaic to be constructed near SUB
The ASUNM Arts & Crafts studio has plans to install a large mosaic on the south side of the SUB by the end of April. Executive Director of the ASUNM Arts & Crafts Studio Helen Atkins said that the mosaic will feature a Lobo theme, but the official design will not be finished until Feb. 27.
Atkins said that students will be able to attend various workshops offered by the ASUNM Arts & Crafts Studio to learn how to make, glaze and arrange their own tiles that will be featured in the mosaic. She said that although the exact dates for the workshops have yet to be confirmed, they will be held at the end of the each of the next three months.
Atkins said that all workshops will be free and are open to anyone who wants to be involved in the creation of the mosaic. More information about the project can be found on the ASUNM Arts & Crafts Studio’s Facebook page.
Ryan Lotz is a reporter with the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Lotz_DailyLobo.
