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Opinion

EDITORIAL: Rainbows are disappearing amidst broad unsafety for Queer folk

Maddie Pukite | June 11

  It’s that time of the year again: you walk into just about any convenience store and are flooded by a plethora of temporary rainbow branding. Except, has it? As you walk around Target and Walmart, or scroll on Twitter, there certainly seems to be less rainbows. During the month of June, companies often participate in rainbow capitalism.They change their branding to rainbow gradient or sell pride-themed products to attract more business, but in most cases, they end their allyship there. The companies sometimes even simultaneously donate to anti-Queer organizations.  Throughout the years, I have argued against the practice because it is a half-hearted attempt at allyship rooted in profit. This year – amidst the growing anti-Trans and Queer legislation introduced and 72 anti-LGBTQ laws passed in 2023, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Rainbow capitalism — or lack thereof — feels a little different. 

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Sports

Men’s Basketball: Aaron Katsuma is excited to be a mile high at The Pit

Francesca Cicconetti | June 11

 Aaron Katsuma will be joining the men’s basketball team as an assistant coach. He previously worked for head coach, Richard Pitino, in Minnesota and spent the last five seasons at Colorado State. Katsuma comes to the University of New Mexico with over a decade of experience. Katsuma began his career in 2010 at his alma mater, the University of Minnesota, as a student manager, according to a UNM press release. It was during this time that Katsuma met Pintino. Four of his seasons at Minnesota were spent working for the Lobos' current head coach.

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Culture

Raychael Stine combines dogs and abstraction

Addison Key | June 11

  Raychael Stine – an associate professor of painting and drawing at The University of New Mexico – has spent most of her life exclusively painting dogs. This past week, Stine was chosen to participate with 50 other artists in a show titled “The Flower Show,”  hosted at La Louver – an art gallery in Los Angeles. The show will feature artists that incorporate flower imagery within their work. Stine’s two paintings being showcased are titled, “Middle Lover 3” and “Ophelia 3.” Her work plays with light, color and space while incorporating what she calls her “secret dogs,” which are portraits that serve as the basis of her painting that she then makes abstract.

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News

Lots of parks, little maintenance

Weston Quintana | June 9

Albuquerque parks ranked 23 by the Trust for Public Land, 11 places higher than the prior year. Albuquerque scored a 61.1 out of 100 due to the number and size of the parks, according to The Trust for Public Land, rather than the maintenance of them.  The Trust for Public Land is an organization that works to create parks and protect land. They have been ranking parks for over a decade.

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Culture

Festival Flamenco brings global artists to Albuquerque

Maddie Pukite | June 9

Festival Flamenco comes to Albuquerque on June 9 and will run for nine days with performances and workshops throughout the city. Marisol Encinias, the festival’s  executive director, said the goal for this year's selection of artists was to challenge expectations while having performances that complement one another. The festival has brought in 12 international dance companies along with one New Mexico company. The  importance of the art form in New Mexico established the demand to hold the festival here, Encinias said. 

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Opinion

Review: ’The Little Mermaid’ swims to success

Miyawni Curtis | June 9

Summertime fun for a lot of families consists of a visit to the nearest movie theater. This summer, there is already some new exciting family entertainment to enjoy, one of which being the long-awaited live action remake of Disney’s iconic 1989 cartoon, “The Little Mermaid” released on May 26. The budget was a whopping $250 million, including Ariel's apparent $150,000 hair style. Halle Bailey, the actress behind Ariel, sat for 12-14 hours while a hairstylist wrapped every loc. On average, a hairstyle like locs with extensions costs anywhere from $200-$900, however because the style was taken out and put back in multiple times, the price increased, according to Variety.

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News

ABQ Biopark loses another animal

Miyawni Curtis | June 6

The Albuquerque BioPark announced that their 26 year-old polar bear named Koluk passed via euthanasia on May 26. The zoo's decision to put down the large animal was due to Koluk’s rapid health decline, the park stated. In 2022, KOAT reported that seven animals at the BioPark had died in the past few years, including multiple primates that passed due to a shigella bacteria. Koluk is not the first animal to be euthanized at the zoo. One euthanization case dates back to 2010 when a Giraffe was euthanized, dismembered and tossed in a trash bin at the park. Training was a repercussion, but no one was immediately or expected to be fired, according to the Albuquerque Journal

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Culture

UNM professor publishes homegrown nonfiction novel

Kelsa Mendoza | June 6

After writing primarily fiction novels and children’s books, Betsy James – University of New Mexico professor, author, and illustrator – released her nonfiction book, “Breathing Stone: Living Small in a Southwest Village” on May 30, 2023.  “This book is kind of a departure for me because I’ve always written fiction,” James said. “My departure to nonfiction started from a very writerly practice … Sometimes I say ‘I write like ducks quack.’ Writing is very second nature to me.” 

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Sports

NM United: Zach Prince steps down

Thomas Bulger | June 6

New Mexico United's head coach and technical director, Zach Prince, left his position on June 3 to pursue a different position. The news broke, following a 1-0 loss to rival El Paso Locomotive FC. A statement from team owner, Peter Trevisani, was released Saturday night that thanked Prince for his time with the team.

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Culture

Fronteras Micro-Film Festival: an interactive artistic experience on border politics

Detroit Kallunki | June 6

 An unconventional film festival, The Fronteras Micro-Film Festival opened on Friday, June 2 at the ABQ Artwalk. The film festival presented several short films simultaneously, each playing in a unique art exhibit with a central theme on immigration status and border politics, according to organizer Jade Stokes. 

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Culture

LGBTQ Resource Center focuses Pride on campus

Addison Key | June 5

 As Pride month commences, The LGBTQ Resource Center at the University of New Mexico serves as a home for many students, Frankie Flores said. Flores serves as the center’s director, as well as a mentor and advocate for students. “My mission with this field – with the work that I do – is to make sure that our students, from admission to graduation, feel honored, affirmed and welcomed on this campus, which can be everything from helping them get food from the local food pantry to suicide deescalation,” Flores said.

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Sports

Atomic Sisters prepare to compete on the national stage

Addison Key | June 5

The Atomic Sisters – a local Women’s Rugby Club – qualified for the Division II final four of the US Rugby Club Nationals in St. Louis. The Atomic Sisters will play their first game on June 3 Gabriella Rivera, team captain, said.  The team has spent the past couple of weeks holding fundraisers to offset travel costs for their players. The team hasn’t qualified for the final four in 12 years, Rivera said, and they are excited to represent their community.

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Opinion

Opinion: How-to take quacktastic photos

Jessica Baca | May 15

The University of New Mexico’s duck pond is a fun and accessible location to practice nature photography. I will take photos of the animals in the area while waiting for my friends to get out of class, or when I have some free time.

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Culture

Portman & LOBOmotorsports race to the finish line

Addison Key | May 14

For incoming mechanical engineering majors, your senior year will require a commitment to a design project. Addison Portman recently guided one of this year's projects to the finish line. Around 35 students spend three semesters building a Formula-1 or Indycar style racecar that will compete in the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) international engineering design competition, according to the LOBOmotorsports website.

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Culture

Staff at Johnson Center emphasizes community

Addison Key | May 14

Johnson Center Aquatics at the University of New Mexico is available to all incoming freshmen free of charge, according to Marcus Blackwell — the 62-year-old lifeguard and instructor at Johnson Center. However, there are some classes and resources that require an extra fee. “I teach group fitness and I try to get them to have fun and have a social interaction. When I left the last day of my step class, a girl came up and said, ‘It's too sad. This isn't even like a class. It's like a bunch of friends just getting together to work out,’” Blackwell said. 

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Opinion

OPINION: Hamilton and Popejoy bring Broadway to students

Elizabeth Secor | May 14

After two years, two delays and a pandemic, the award-winning musical “Hamilton” is finally performing at Popejoy Hall, the University of New Mexico’s performing arts theater.  The show will run from May 9 - May 28, and for those coming to town for New Student Orientation, there are still limited tickets available. 

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Culture

AAPIRC empowers and supports students

Maddie Pukite | May 14

The University of New Mexico has several resource centers on campus to support new and current students, one of which is the Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center. Farah Nousheen, the Student Success Specialist at AAPIRC, recently gave a speech at the center’s second annual convocation with the message, “The next Buddha will be a sangha.” Sangha means “community” in Sanskrit. “That's really the main takeaway for me from this year (at the center), that we must do this in community,” Nousheen said.

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News

UNM takes initiative to address basic needs of students, faculty and staff

Weston Quintana and Detroit Kallunki | May 14

Earlier this semester, the University of New Mexico’s Basic Needs Project — in collaboration with the New Mexico Higher Education Department — sent out a survey to 27 universities and colleges statewide to collect data on the basic needs of students, faculty and staff. On May 5, the data collected was presented in the Student Union Building. This event included an appearance made by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in support of the work done.

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Opinion

EDITORIAL: ‘Good luck, kick ass and get it on the record’

Maddie Pukite | May 14

Tucked away in Marron Hall, filled to the brim with past editions, colored pens, a purple couch, seven desks, a dozen rolling chairs and a few Halloween decorations left up a little too long, the Daily Lobo newsroom stands. “Good luck, kick ass and get it on the record” is scribbled above the doorway — a reminder to reporters as they come and go in between interviews, protests, public meetings and breaking news. The cycle starts on a Sunday. Reporters, photographers and editors gather to pitch out stories, pick up assignments, update one another on the status of stories and drink a little too much coffee.

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News

UNM offers Intro to Asian American Studies

Maddie Pukite | May 14

This upcoming semester, all undergraduate students have the opportunity to take Intro to Asian American Studies — a class that is being offered for the second time. Shinsuke Eguchi, a professor in the communication department, will teach the class this fall. The course is about “understanding the historical, political, and economic context in which Asian Americans are racialized,” they said.