By Matthew Reisen -When does protecting yourself on campus go too far?- Malik Valentine/sophomore/electrical engineering “I think having a gun would be too much, whether it be a real gun or even a stun gun.
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.
Associated Students of UNM teamed up with University Communication and Marketing, to celebrate 127 years of UNM while introducing some rebranding to the University. Jordan Scott, executive director of LoboSpirit, said the celebration this year was special due to possibilities the collaboration with UCAM provided. “They helped design flyers and the t-shirts as well as purchase them,” she said. “So we were able to get more shirts and kind of help with the whole rebranding unveiling on the undergraduate level.”
New Mexico’s defensive effort continued to fall off on Saturday. For the third straight game, UNM’s defense in the second half became problematic. Fresno State took advantage of the Lobos’ lack of effort for a 92-82 win at WisePies Arena. UNM has allowed opponents to score an average of 49 points in the second half of the past three games, resulting in a three-game losing streak. After spending most of the Mountain West season near the top of the standings, UNM now sits in fifth place with two games left in the regular season.
It took the Lobos 30 minutes to get any sort of offensive production against Fresno State on Saturday afternoon. The slow start plagued New Mexico, who dropped the contest 51-43 in Fresno, California, despite a fourth quarter offensive surge. The offense was led by forward Khadijah Shumpert, who put together a sound 22 point and nine rebound showing in the loss.
With 2016’s 30-day Legislative Session finally at an end, University of New Mexico students can rest in peace knowing that the Legislative Lottery Scholarship is safe ... that is, at least for the next fiscal year. As it currently stands, the Lottery Scholarship, which was created 20 years ago by Sen. Michael Sanchez to help create access to education for New Mexico students, is facing a cliff in the upcoming year. If changes weren’t made to the amount of revenue for the Lottery Scholarship Fund, the scholarship would go from subsidizing 90-95 percent of UNM lottery recipients’ tuition in school year 2016-17 to 60-65 percent of tuition in school year 2017-18, a drastic 30 percent reduction.
Last week, UNM President Bob Frank informed attendees of a town hall that the University is facing budget cuts as a result of the recently-finished state legislative session, briefing a mix of students, staff and faculty on the tough competition for state dollars this year. “They have taken money out of our current budget and they also have cuts for the forthcoming year,” he said. UNM will receive a total reduction of 0.6 percent from the current budget, Frank said, meaning a total recession of $1.9 million dollars for the University.
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.
New Mexico’s track and field team failed to defend their conference crown at the Albuquerque Convention Center in the Mountain West Indoor Championships, but still turned in strong performances facilitating individual titles. Despite the men’s run of three straight and the women’s streak of back-to-back conference championships ending, head coach Joe Franklin said he was pleased with the way the team competed. Both squads finished in fourth place overall. The men scored in nearly every event and tallied 101 points for the meet, which Franklin said exceeded expectations. And the women accumulated 65 points over the three-day event.
The New Mexico men’s tennis team picked up two wins Friday in its first home action, playing nearly perfect tennis against DePaul followed by a sweep of Utah. The Lobos played in Albuquerque for the first time this year after a treacherous 13-match road stretch to start the season.
It took a while for New Mexico’s bats to wake up, but when they finally did, runs came pouring in as the Lobos defeated Wichita State 8-4 on Saturday. Saturday afternoon’s game moved at quite a different pace than Friday night’s 17-7 win over the visiting Shockers.
Carson Schneider garnered his second win of the season, but it was UNM’s offensive firepower that stole the show in a 17-7 rout over Wichita State Friday night at Santa Ana Star Field. Schneider (2-0) had plenty of offense to back up his two-run, six inning night. Designated hitter Chris DeVito led the way for UNM’s dominant outing at the plate.
The grand opening of a new commons area in Zimmerman library on Thursday kicked off a fresh opportunity for graduate students to exclusively utilize a quiet study space. Located on the first floor of Zimmerman, in Room 102 opposite the Learning Commons, the new space will be open during usual library hours, said Abigail G. Robertson, a graduate medieval studies student. Robertson is the incoming Graduate and Professional Students Association (GPSA) Chair of Media and Outreach. She said many factors - including the library's location at the center of main campus as well as availability of resources vital for graduate research - makes Zimmerman an ideal home for the Graduate Commons.
According to a UNM Newsroom press release, several departments and programs at The University of New Mexico will be hosting FAFSA workshops leading up to the priority deadline of March 1. The Office of Admissions, College Enrichment Program, American Indian Student Services and El Centro de la Raza have each scheduled workshops during the month of February, according to the press release.
The Institute for American Indian Research at the University of New Mexico hosts its fourth Indigenous Book Festival on March 3-4, celebrating the work of contemporary Indigenous poets, novelists, scholars and writers, according to a UNM Newsroom press release. This festival is supported by The Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies and through a grant from the New Mexico Humanities Council, according to the press release. Some activities for the festival include: a keynote address by Professor C. Matthew Snipp, film presentation of Mekko and 12 dialogue presentations featuring writers/scholars, according to the press release.
On March 3-4, from 9 to 11 a.m. or 2 to 4 p.m. 20 of Student Affairs’ departments and programs will open their doors to the UNM community to showcase what they do, according to a UNM press release “While our departments are always open to students and staff, the open houses will serve as an excellent way to get a more comprehensive look at what each department does,” Dr. Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, vice president for UNM Student Affairs quoted in the press release. “Each department will have someone on hand during their scheduled times to answer specific questions, provide informational brochures, and some will be offering refreshments, tours and prizes.”
Six UNM faculty members are Fulbright Scholars for 2015-2016 and, according to a UNM press release, The University of New Mexico is ranked by the Chronicle of Higher Education as one the of research universities who produced the most Fulbright Scholars during the 2015-16 term. The Fulbright Program is considered the U.S. flagship international educational exchange program, according to the press release.
Every life decision has a minimum of two outcomes. Some have significantly more than that. The multiverse theory, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, states that every one of these decisions at a quantum level creates parallel universes in which each of the different outcomes of those decisions occurs. The plot of “Constellations” by Nick Payne revolves around this idea. For the duration of the play, audience members follow the relationship(s) of Marianne and Roland, two ordinary people whose fates become tied from the moment they meet.
New Mexico head coach Yvonne Sanchez said Wednesday night’s 49-48 loss to No. 25 Colorado State still stings. With just three games left, two of which are on the road, UNM will have to quickly shake off the tight affair in order to obtain a bye in the first round of the Mountain West tournament. “As heartbreaking as last night was, and still kind of is, we had to move on,” Sanchez said in Thursday’s press conference.
It isn’t all “rainbows and unicorns,” Craig Neal said. He knew these Lobos would have ups and downs this season. But when you’re the head coach for a program that draws as much local attention as New Mexico does, expectations come with the territory. Ahead of Saturday’s showdown with Fresno State, the UNM head coach said he understands that.
Solutions by The State News
