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Culture

Renowned artist recounts systemic racism within artistic institutions

Beatrice Nisoli | July 17

The recent resurgence of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has proven that racism is not solely confined to the streets. Its systemic influence pervades all institutions — including artistic ones. Several artists have found that the galleries they sell to on commission are unwilling to accept BLM-themed art out of fear of diminishing customer interest, thus prioritizing business over the racial justice movement. Bruce Carlton (B.C.) Nowlin, a renowned artist and New Mexico local, has been painting since high school and has utilized his Southwestern roots to produce vibrant, culturally significant artwork. Nowlin’s work has never had issues selling — indeed, it has appealed to celebrity circles and album covers for decades — but a recent painting of his has been met with a ringing silence from collectors.

News

Fraternity with long history of sexual assault allegations planning to return to UNM

Bella Davis and Cameron Ward | July 17

Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) — a fraternity with a history of sexual assault allegations and misconduct related to underage drinking dating back to at least 1998 — is planning a return to the University of New Mexico this fall. As the Daily Lobo previously reported, SAE had its charter revoked in 2013 for student code of conduct violations, including consumption of alcohol by minors. Per the revocation, they were eligible to come back to campus in 2017. After two months of investigation, the University administration revoked the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity’s charter in May of 2013. According to a press release from UNM at the time, SAE was disbanded because of student code of conduct violations, which included use of alcohol on campus at an unauthorized event and consumption of alcohol by minors. The Daily Lobo reported at the time that members admitted to consuming alcohol at the party and said they didn’t register the party with the University.

Culture

UNM duck pond is cleaned and ready for fish, ducks and turtles to return

Lauren McDonald | July 17

Every couple years, the University of New Mexico duck pond is drained by UNM’s Facilities Management department. The drainage makes the pond a cleaner and healthier environment for the fish, ducks and turtles that reside in the center of campus. “We take all the turtles and fish to one of the golf courses while it’s emptied, then bring them back once the cleaning is done,, but there’s still a few of them — turtles and ducks — around here. They hang out, you know?” said Dwayne Jones, UNM’s water systems master technician.

Sports

Late Sandoval PK rescues point for United in El Paso impasse

Andrew Gunn | July 15

EL PASO — For the majority of Wednesday evening's USL Championship tilt between El Paso Locomotive FC and New Mexico United, the Albuquerque club displayed the crispness and confidence of a team who — in a fair and just existence — would have returned to the Land of Enchantment with a comfortable victory. "Man stands face to face with the irrational," wrote French journalist and philosopher Albert Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus. "The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world." United (1-1-1) may take some solace in the position of the absurdists after controlling the better part of a match drenched in south Texas sweat, yet settling for a 2-2 draw with El Paso (1-0-2) at Southwest University Park in front of a sellout crowd of cardboard cutouts.

News

Board of Regents reject calls for pandemic tuition reduction, move forward with increase

Lissa Knudsen | July 15

In the wake of a nearly $30 million dollar cut from the state, the University of New Mexico’s Board of Regents voted to adjust the University’s budget in a special meeting on Tuesday. The new budget held the previously approved tuition hike in place. The total cost hike is still $125.08 per semester for a full-time undergraduate taking 12 credit hours. For graduate students, the increase is $156.72 per semester for those taking 12 credit hours, as reported in the Daily Lobo after the regents approved the increase at their March 10 meeting.

News

Trump administration rescinds short-lived ICE policy affecting international students

Annya Loya | July 14

On July 14, the Trump administration, after multiple lawsuits and outrage from colleges and universities across the country, rescinded the rule in which international students would have been forced to leave the U.S if their schools did not offer face-to-face classes. “The decision of forcing international students to leave in the first place was the dumbest idea they ever came up with,” said Admed Abbas, a UNM international student from Saudi Arabia. The news was probably a relief for a lot of us that feared such a problem to come.” On July 6, the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agency released a new policy regarding international students in the United States that had the potential to profoundly impact the lives of more than 1.1 million international students across the country.

Sports

UNM, NCAA begin to prepare for fall sports

Spencer Butler | July 12

When COVID-19 forced the NCAA to cancel spring sports and eliminate the NCAA basketball tournament, the question arose over whether UNM fall sports would meet the same fate. While local outbreak fears still linger, other college athletic programs have started to have fall sport teams practice with strict guidelines. This includes regular COVID-19 testing for players and staff and practicing in smaller groups in an attempt to combat the virus’ spread. On July 1, UNM Athletics director Eddie Nuñez said that one of 88 individuals associated with the UNM football team — including players, coaches and staff — tested positive for COVID-19 after testing took place on June 27.

Culture

UNM Art Museum helps public destress with meditative art practices

Megan Gleason | July 12

The coronavirus pandemic has caused an enormous amount of stress to sweep the nation, but University of New Mexico art history professor Justine Andrews has a solution that involves a combination of art and meditative practices. Andrews has teamed with the UNM Art Museum (UNMAM) to host “Mindful Looking,” which will take place every Wednesday in July at 2 p.m. UNMAM’s website says it is “a series of guided exercises designed to help participants slow down, look closely and experience works of art in a whole new way.” The series of events is open to the public, and no prior art experience or knowledge is necessary.

News

CYFD adopts new directives to further its mission of youth inclusion

Beatrice Nisoli | July 12

The New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) recently announced two directives to better support all New Mexico children. First, CYFD updated its non-discriminatory policy to include LGBTQIA+ individuals, and second, the institution extended its age of services from age 18 to 21. According to its website, CYFD “provides an array of prevention, intervention, rehabilitative and after-care services to New Mexico children and their families.” This mission is accomplished by enrolling children and/or their families in different categories of services, like behavioral health or early childhood care, on the basis of an initial screening to determine potential abuse, neglect or other similar instances of trauma.

Sports

United resumes 2020 season with 2-1 escape against Switchbacks

Andrew Gunn | July 12

COLORADO SPRINGS — After 126 days, COVID-19 protocol stacked upon COVID-19 protocol and a seemingly endless wait for a return to soccer for New Mexico United supporters, the black and yellow returned to competition on a blistering Saturday evening in Colorado. The resumption of the USL Championship was a triumph for New Mexico, as a late Chris Wehan goal and stout defending saw United (1-1) take three points from and remain undefeated all-time against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (1-1). The 2-1 victory in front of a threadbare crowd of 1,000 spectators brought New Mexico to third behind Colorado Springs in the four-team Group C table with the weekend’s slate complete.

Opinion

Comics for July 12, 2020

Rhianna Roberts and Victor Martinez | July 12

Daily Lobo comics for July 12, 2020.

News

Petition to slash UNM tuition gains traction online

Spencer Butler | July 10

As college classes have been forced to switch to online or hybrid instruction during the pandemic, many University of New Mexico students have called for lowered tuition in response to a perceived decrease in the quality of online education. An online petition demanding a reduction of tuition has garnered more than 4,000 signatures and has spread throughout the UNM community. Students at campuses across the country have been making similar demands. According to Inside Higher Ed, students at University of California campuses and the University of Chicago have called for a reduction in tuition, while students at Miami and Drexel Universities have filed a class action lawsuit for tuition refunds.

Culture

Hamilton hits different on screen

Daniel Ward | July 10

Because the original soundtrack to this play was released in 2016, this review contains spoilers. After watching a recording of the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton,” which won 11 Tony awards in 2016, I’m not sure I will ever be satisfied. On July 3, the streaming platform Disney+ released a recording of the play with the original cast performing live in New York at Richard Rodgers Theatre in 2016. Like every other Hamilton fan, I was excited to see the recording of a play and have listened to the soundtrack non-stop. But after sitting through the nearly three hour-long play, I couldn’t help but want more.

News

GUEST COLUMN: Native students, instructors especially vulnerable to campus reopening

Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi | July 10

While the rest of the Southwest opened up its doors and gathered for July 4 festivities and birthdays, those in the Navajo Nation and in pueblo communities remained at home. A fraction of those who remained at home are Native American college students, including some who are students at the University of New Mexico and some who will make their college debut this fall. When I learned that UNM was taking a hybrid approach to classes for the upcoming semester, my first thought was about those Native students and exactly how this approach would likely affect them. As a Native student and a Native core writing instructor in the English department, I found the decision disconcerting.

Opinion

Comics for July 8, 2020

Rhianna Roberts and Victor Martinez | July 8

Daily Lobo comics for July 8, 2020.

News

Trespassing arrests, water scarcity traumatize unhoused community already in distress

Bella Davis | July 8

Among the slew of challenges people experiencing homeless face with a sometimes difficult, oftentimes punishing existence rests an ugly injustice: being targeted with criminal trespassing arrests. It’s a trend that some cities have taken steps to change. Last year, San Antonio District Attorney Joe Gonzales said he had started instructing his prosecutors to dismiss cases “if it appears that the only reason the person was arrested was because they were homeless.” Albuquerque, on the other hand, hasn’t taken quite the same approach. Over a nine-day period in June, the Albuquerque Police Department made at least seven criminal trespassing arrests. Police reports obtained by the Daily Lobo detail officers arresting people in parks and — in two separate cases — in an arroyo and near an abandoned building.

News

Dion’s in, Pi out as SUB’s fast food revolving door spins once again

Spencer Butler | July 8

Dion’s Pizza announced on Tuesday that a location of the venerated local pizza chain will open in the University of New Mexico’s Student Union Building, with the grand opening expected to happen at the start of the fall semester. Dion’s will take over the space formerly occupied by Pi, another pizza, pasta and salad outlet that was operated by the University’s food service contractor Chartwells. Pi took the space over after WisePies, another local pizza chain, left the SUB. Dion’s joins a fast food lineup in the heart of main campus that already has local franchises like Blake’s Lotaburger, Satellite Coffee and Twister’s and the national chains Subway, Chick-Fil-A and Mandalay Express.

Culture

Performative social media actions amidst BLM resurgence not enough, activists say

Beatrice Nisoli | July 6

Since George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer on May 25, Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests have been revived across the nation to advocate for racial equity and an end to police brutality. In addition to voicing their opposition on the streets, individuals of all ages and races are utilizing social media as a platform to educate their followers and publicize their opinions. African American Student Services (AASS) representative Dannelle Kirven said social media can be a vehicle for social justice due to its capacity to efficiently share information. “There are several posts being shared on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., telling people exactly what they can do to show support and uplift the Black community, from supporting Black-owned businesses in their area to providing numbers to dial to demand justice for those who have been victims of police brutality,” Kirven said.

Culture

AMP Concerts sustains local entertainment industry on life support

Cameron Ward | July 6

While most live concerts have been on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, AMP Concerts has been reaching out to local artists and bands to provide work and entertainment for the community. AMP — a New Mexico-based nonprofit organization — has presented over 200 concert events every year since 2004, but operations have come to a halt due to safety concerns. Because the CDC has labeled large gatherings as “high risk,” AMP is using its money to go toward new ways of entertainment such as drive-in concerts and live streams. Before the pandemic hit, AMP was hosting concerts at Albuquerque branch libraries funded by Friends of the Public Library, the Santa Fe Opera, parks and many more. Now AMP has officially moved toward free livestreams on Facebook and YouTube.

Culture

Little Free Libraries inject literature into reading-starved community

Daniel Ward | July 6

It’s always exciting to come across a miniature library box at a park or on a trail with the words “take a book, leave a book.” While public libraries and bookstores had to temporarily shut down to prevent spread of the coronavirus, a nonprofit organization known as Little Free Library (LFL) is thriving as an easy way to get literary resources in the Albuquerque community. With over 60 registered boxes in town, people of all ages can find something enjoyable to read, especially during the extended pandemic. LFL recently partnered with the City of Albuquerque and hopes to expand in the near future.