Yet again, the upper administration is underestimating the University community and the state in general. When asked when the University would start investing in the human capital here, President Frank’s flippant response (that hinted at a threat) was that we have to “make sure we can keep our doors open.”
At the most recent ASUNM meeting, I was proud to represent the UNM Young Americans for Freedom and speak in favor of Resolution 3S. This resolution would have called for the University to allow stun guns on campus for the purposes of self-defense. Ultimately the resolution failed to pass. We accept that it is a part of the democratic process for senators to vote against resolutions if they feel that the students they represent do not support that piece of legislation and, indeed, that was the stated reason of a number of senators who voted against it. We applaud their honesty and commitment to representing their constituents, even if we disagree with their decision.
On Wednesday night, ASUNM voted against a resolution that would have made the UNM campus safer by expanding options for self-defense items for students. I am disappointed that many of the senators do not see the need to improve safety on campus and to allow students their right to protect themselves. Many in ASUNM who voted against it had either voted for or supported last semester’s pro-pepper spray resolution, which was passed unanimously, but couldn’t successfully defend why they would want students to continue to feel unsafe this semester. Student safety is more important than a vote from ASUNM.
I’m writing this as the state chair and chapter president of Young Americans for Liberty at the University of New Mexico. Recently, Young Americans for Liberty, along with the Young Americans for Freedom and UNM College Republicans, sponsored a resolution in the Student Senate that would have recommended to change UNM Policy to allow students on campus to defend themselves with stun guns.
As the New Mexico Dream Team (NMDT) and as a chapter based in the University of New Mexico (UNM), we want to take a formal stance against the participation of the U.S Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) during Career Services Fair. As a statewide organization, we fight for the dignity and equality of all families, regardless of immigration status. As students of UNM, we value education and define it beyond a title or diploma. To us, an education is an avenue towards achieving our dreams and honoring our community.
The US Supreme Court decisions that Justice Antonin Scalia championed included those that clearly reflected his bias as a self-proclaimed "devout Catholic," rationalizing his inimical philosophy as originalist when interpreting the Constitution by siding with regressive Christianists in decision after decision, legislative history be damned.
Students for Life UNM was able to hand out 30 Valentines Day bags and over 40 roses to women at our pregnant and parenting support table today! Each bag contained a rose, a pregnancy test, a referral to both the nearest pregnancy recourse center and Care Net’s STD Mobile Unit, information on our outreach, Pregnant on Campus and an invite to our next meeting. Why did we give away pregnancy tests, you may ask? Are we telling students to get pregnant? According to recent polls, nearly 26 percent of undergraduate students (4.8 million) are parents of a dependent child, many of whom are single mothers. This is a high number, and is not always recognized on campuses.
The best thing about being a know-nothing reactionary Republican is, since they don’t actually ‘read’ the news or comprehend current events, they never have to weigh their fallacious beliefs and propaganda against the reality based community! UNM Student Justin Davis “reached his limit” by having to read the “fluffy” 1/21/16 Daily Lobo story, ‘UNM program pairs volunteers with refugees to aid in their transition.’ The Lobo’s Elizabeth Sanchez reported on a program that, “Partners with refugees from around the world, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and the Great Lakes Region of Africa. Many have experienced war, displacement, the loss of loved ones and other painful events.” Davis states that “our economy is in the worst state it has been since the great depression, our labor participation rate is the lowest since the 1970’s and our middle class is being crushed by socialistic agendas.”
The University has recently decided to try developing a brand. Their stated goal in doing so wasn’t to change the face of the University, but to boil down the culture of our beautiful campus and community to the essentials of what makes UNM such a unique and special place. So they hired a branding company called 160over90. A branding company “headquartered in Philadelphia.” Cue scratched record sound. UNM was said in the University’s announcement to be “the heartbeat of New Mexico,” So why are we hiring out to a company that isn’t local? That’s the first big mistake made in the mission to “brand” UNM. They forgot that we are local. That we pride ourselves on being local and having local vendors. Or maybe they just don’t care, because in the announcement it talks about how intricately connected UNM is to our local community, yet they go straight for an east coast branding company.
Perhaps the only thing Justin Davis got right in his opinion piece is that the Daily Lobo seems to be rather preoccupied with vapid stories while ignoring discussion of meaningful sociopolitical, scientific and technological matters. I will not devote space to excoriating Justin Davis’ opinion piece, as the errors there can be reasonably identified by anyone with a knack for sorting empirical evidence out of the jungle of opinion, belief and myth. It is unfortunate that the Daily Lobo has become a forum for tirelessly pandering to the sports and entertainment culture while carefully avoiding coverage of controversial subjects that may make some readers uncomfortable (challenges to one’s worldview, after all, have a tendency to create a level of discomfort.)
In New York two brothers, both of them police officers, had 10 years of spotless records as cops. They got into an awful argument. One brother shot and killed his drunk brother. If anyone, weeks before, could have told these two brothers when they were arresting other people that one would shoot and kill the other, how would they have believed it? If anyone, weeks earlier, could have told Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius that he would shoot and kill his girlfriend, how would he have believed it?
I, like many of the students at UNM, have read the Daily Lobo on a fairly regular basis over the past several years of my education. I am increasingly frustrated with the articles and spin that emanates from our future journalists. I have finally reached my limit with the articles that were published on the 21st of January, 2016.
Editor, The recent letter outlining UNM's lobbying to let oil and gas producers strip local government of regulatory authority is important and welcome.
Editor, Margaret Gonzales is right: UNM facilitates excellent quality of work life for tenured faculty. New Mexico’s physical, cultural and technical assets complement our distinguished researchers.
Editor, The University’s health plans, as well as its prescription plan, are becoming a rip-off as the companies that back them choke us for every cent that we have in the form of high deductibles and co-payments. Furthermore, these co-called health plans won’t let us, their customers, choose the kind of alternative health care or “compound” medications that we want --- even if those treatments end up costing them less money.
Media repeatedly calls these nuclear explosions by North Korea “tests”. No, they are not just “testing.” That implies that maybe the tests failed. At least we should call them “successful tests.” That would paint a more realistic picture, and we will be successful in stopping these repeated successful explosions of these nukes with the media-viewing American public then more able to stand behind say further sanctions.
The UNM Regents are going to pay $1.98 million for “branding”. Let us aim for the “branding” of the premier employer and educator in the state. Accomplishing this means respecting the employees, investing in the infrastructure and eliminating the focus on political favors owed for appointments and protecting the interests of the top 5 percent of earners at the University. This is not “your” university, it is the state’s university and you can do better by the state.
I was really excited to find out that UNM was holding events for Sexuality Week that were open to the public. I attend NMHU, and am very appreciative that I could receive this comprehensive education about issues I am often afraid to ask about.
Gov. Susana Martinez wants to refuse to take any Syrian refugees until they have been fully vetted to ensure that they are not terrorists. Muslims are not ISIS: They are not, in fact, terrorists any more than Christians are the KKK or the Catholics of old were the Spanish Inquisition. Refugees coming from the Middle East are running from the same terrorists that you are afraid of. I am sure Martinez realizes this, but I do not think she understands the implication of letting these refugees set up camps elsewhere. Refugee camps are breeding grounds for crime, disease and poverty, and camps are certainly where the 10,000 refugees that Martinez wants to refuse will end up.
I’d like to take a moment to respond to a recent letter that claimed that regulations don’t kill jobs. It is easy to look at regulations as ensuring that people are not exploited and that human rights are not violated. Regulations that protect child laborers and worker safety are ideas that few could ever be opposed to. The reality, though, is that most regulations go far beyond that noble purpose. There are 103 million words in the Code of Federal Regulations. Are all of those addressing child labor and emergency exits? No, they aren’t.
Solutions by The State News
