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UNM losses to Texas A&M, UTEP set stage for conference play

  The University of New Mexico football team will return home this weekend after two road losses against Texas A&M University on Sept. 18 and the University of Texas at El Paso on Sept. 25. These losses put UNM at 2-2 as they prepare to enter conference play against the United States Air Force Academy on Oct. 2. Texas A&M is the only team ranked in The Associated Press’ top 25 that UNM was scheduled to play, and it was expected to be a hard game for the Lobos. In the game, Aggies quarterback Zach Calzada threw for three touchdowns and 275 yards, and Aggies running back Isaiah Spiller ran the ball 117 yards. 

Albuquerque mayoral forum highlights candidates’ political stances

 On Monday, the New Mexico Black Voters Collaborative hosted a forum in a non-debate setting for the current Albuquerque mayoral candidates where they shared their stances on current issues facing the city. Three of the four candidates running for the position were present, including current Mayor Tim Keller (D), Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales III (D) and conservative talk show host Eddy Aragon (R). Write-in candidate Patrick Ben Sais (R) was not present at the event.  A major point of discussion for the night was policing; candidates were asked about their stances on the Black Lives Matter movement, improvements they would make to the Albuquerque Police Department and what they saw as the source of the city’s “challenges to safety.” 

Community organizer, UNM alumna Lisa Padilla works to advance gender equity

  Lisa Padilla, alumna of the University of New Mexico, is the gender justice organizer for NM Con Mujeres, a subsidiary of the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) in Albuquerque. Her work, both domestically and internationally, concentrates its efforts on gender justice to combat the global consequences of the patriarchy. Padilla’s organizational efforts have global implications, she said, as she represents NM Con Mujeres in conversations on LGBT rights at the assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), which is a conglomeration of representatives from the nongovernmental parties throughout the Western hemisphere.  

5 and Why: 5 best things about living on campus

  University of New Mexico freshman Emma Evans is getting the classic college experience by living on campus in the dorms her first year. This experience, though slightly different due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has introduced Evans to college life.  The Daily Lobo asked Evans what the five best things about living in the dorms on campus are, and her answers may remind readers about their own times on campus.    Reasonable noise level in dorm Evans said the noise level in her dorm in Casas del Rio is a good balance between loud and soft, which allows her to get more work done. “My dorm’s … not quiet but it’s not insanely loud,” Evans said.

LETTER: Why isn’t UNM requiring high school students on campus to be vaccinated?

  In late August, the University of New Mexico publicly announced that all students, staff and faculty accessing University facilities would be required to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 30, with two exceptions: medical necessity and sincere religious belief. What the UNM administration failed to tell the public was that there was a third exception to the vaccine mandate: high school students attending UNM classes.  The UNM administration has informed the United Academics of the University of New Mexico’s bargaining team that it is too complicated to require high school students to be vaccinated. 

Refugee and Immigrant Well-being Project to accept more participants in spring

  The Refugee and Immigrant Well-being Project (RIWP) at the University of New Mexico is a nine-month program that pairs undergraduate students with immigrant and refugee families that typically starts in August at the beginning of the fall semester. However, due to the current need of so many incoming families to New Mexico, the project will accept another cohort of students in January at the start of the spring semester as well, which will go into the summer semester. “We work with refugees and immigrants and we bring them together with UNM students to learn from each other — because there’s a lot that they can really learn from each other — and also work together to mobilize resources to help newcomers meet their goals,” Jessica Goodkind, founder of RIWP, said.

UNM community finds joy in the outdoors despite pandemic

  While the last year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic has been marked with extreme tragedy and isolation, a silver lining was realized as people turned to the outdoors as a refuge from the stress of the pandemic. At the same time, some are worried about the impact this influx of people outdoors will have on the environment. Haley Myler, a fourth-year student studying music at the University of New Mexico, said spending time outdoors has provided a healing space from the COVID-19 pandemic, especially since she lived alone for the first year of the pandemic.

Lobos' pandemic pets instill joy amid chaos

  The lack of in-person engagements and social opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic drove people across the country, including some University of New Mexico students, to bring new pets into their homes. As life picks up again, these Lobos are still finding camaraderie and comfort in their pandemic pets. Naina (Great Pyrenees and German Shepherd dog mix) Sikandar Awan, a Ph.D. student pursuing a Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education degree at UNM, took in a Great Pyrenees and German Shepherd mix named Naina from a friend in Santa Fe in June 2020. Naina is a Hindi name that means “pretty eyes,” Awan said. 

UNM soccer wins first conference game against Wyoming 4-1

  The University of New Mexico women’s soccer team defeated the University of Wyoming Cowgirls 4-1 in a high-octane scoring rout on Sept. 24 at University Stadium. The win comes against the Lobos’ first conference opponent of the season and puts UNM 6-2 overall. The match started with a Wyoming goal only 2:20 in that was so unexpected it felt like an accident; the Wyoming bench went wild when defender Savannah Warner sailed the ball into the bottom right of the goal off an assist from midfielder Jamie Tatum.  UNM’s normally clamorous crowd quieted even as the Lobos came close to tying the score on three different shots. 

UNM volleyball beats Air Force, Fresno State 3-0

  The University of New Mexico volleyball team won their first two conference matches 3-0 at home, the first against the United States Air Force Academy on Sept. 21 and the second against California State University, Fresno on Sept. 23. The first sets of both matches were the closest as the Lobos went 25-20 against Air Force and 26-24 against Fresno State. UNM managed to beat both of their opponents in every single basic statistic except one (UNM lost digs against Air Force 29-30). UNM was ruthlessly efficient against Air Force with a 0.453 kill percentage, and they just flat-out beat Fresno State across the board.

Camping protesters call for continuation of national eviction moratorium

  As part of the nationwide movement to cancel rent and stop evictions, local protestors camped overnight outside of the Bernalillo Metropolitan Court from Friday, Sept. 24 to Saturday, Sept. 25 as part of the national days of protest by Cancel the Rents. The campout comes in reaction to the recent decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the national eviction moratorium that was enacted during the coronavirus pandemic. At the campout, organized in large part by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, around 20 activists were set up with tents, food and signs for the protest. 

Free entrance to national parks on Saturday, Sept. 25

  In celebration of National Public Lands Day (NPLD) and to promote conservation efforts, the National Park Service is forgoing entry fees to sites across the country on Saturday, Sept. 25.   For New Mexicans, this means you can take the day to visit any number of the highly-regarded public institutions in the state without cost, including Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, the beloved White Sands National Park and many others, according to the park service.  Beyond New Mexico, there are more than 400 parks total in the park service's catalog, all of which are “fee-free” this Saturday. 

COVID-19 cases spur a series of shutdowns of in-person operations across campus

  The University of New Mexico’s Student Activities Center and their Student Government Accounting Office have made the decision to suspend in-person operations until Sunday, Sept. 26; similarly,  UNM’s Greek life has placed a restriction on in-person activities until Friday, Sept. 24. These decisions came after confirmed COVID-19 cases within SAC, the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico and Greek life. Though these organizations have struggled to pinpoint a source for the recent cases, the two confirmed positive cases in ASUNM are believed to have resulted from students who tested positive then failed to follow up with Student Health and Counseling, according to ASUNM President Greg Romero. 

Albuquerque City Council eliminates bus fares city-wide

  On Monday, the Albuquerque City Council passed a pilot zero-fare bus program that will remove fares on all city buses for every passenger for the duration of a calendar year starting on January 1, 2022. To address concerns brought up in the three previous deferrals of the program, the Metro Security Division within the Department of Municipal Development gave a presentation regarding the program’s safety. They said there would be additional security measures implemented, including funding to add 10 more security officers to the transit department.

Former UNM professor recounts his road to ethicality in animal testing

  Growing up taking in stray dogs off the streets, bioethicist John Gluck has always been an animal lover. However, things changed for this former University of New Mexico professor when he started researching experimental psychology on mostly non-human primates and his own actions within this field caused him to reflect on the ethicality of the work he was undergoing at UNM. Gluck started at UNM in 1971 after being hired under the late Frank Logan, a former chair of the psychology department; part of Logan’s hope was that Gluck would start a primate laboratory at UNM, which he did. However, after creating this lab and doing his own research there, ethical questions started popping up for Gluck.

Irene Vasquez emphasizes the importance of Latinx history in education

  Irene Vasquez is the director of the Chicana and Chicano Studies department at the University of New Mexico. Vasquez started the position in 2013 and from there helped UNM establish not only the department but also the ability to obtain a bachelor’s degree in CCS as well. Vasquez’s passion for collegiate-level teaching stemmed from her experiences as a child and the lack of adequate publications on communities of color, and she is continually working to educate further on marginalized groups.  Vasquez found limited material available on communities of color while teaching as a middle school substitute teacher during her master’s program. 

September 20, 2021 Comics

The Lobo photographers’ perspectives on nature

  Nature can mean many things to many people. For some, nature is trees, grass and rivers. For others, nature is a specific place or even a feeling. For these four Lobo photographers, though, nature mainly serves as a source of inspiration and an escape from the stress of everyday life. Menaul Trailhead The Menaul Trailhead at the Sandia Foothills is my favorite nature spot in the city. Being 15 to 20 minutes away from the University of New Mexico, it really allows me to take a step back and clear my head. My favorite time to be here is at night with a couple friends. 

OPINION: Sparse tree canopy in International District indicates environmental racism

  The International District, one of the least affluent areas of Albuquerque, might as well be the poster child for environmental injustice. This ethnically diverse area is knee-deep in the cruxes of climate change, seen by way of the urban heat island effect, which comes to fruition through substantial infrastructure development such as concrete buildings and asphalt in cities. The effect causes cities to absorb and trap heat in areas like the International District, which is an area between Lomas, Eubank, Gibson and San Mateo. This trapped heat results in hotter temperatures during the day and less cooling at night, which is particularly impactful on the most densely populated neighborhood in New Mexico. 

Loose Leaf Farm bolsters local food systems

  From growing food with her grandmother as a young child to owning Loose Leaf Farm in Albuquerque’s North Valley, Sarah Robertson has had a long history of understanding the critical role of farming in global food systems and climate change. Robertson graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2012 with a degree in communications. Shortly thereafter, she started working in a management position for La Montañita Co-op Food Market, where she began to seriously consider farming as a career option.  Robertson said La Montañita was where she was able to work closely with local farmers, which set in motion profound conversations with her now-husband about local food.