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Culture

Q&A with UNM museum director: Museum of Southwestern Biology

Megan Gleason | August 16

The Daily Lobo talked to the Museum of Southwest Biology to get updates on how it’s doing amid the COVID-19 pandemic along with the start of school coming up. The Museum of Southwest Biology continues their focus on research and education through their collections rather than public exhibitions. This Q&A addresses current and future happenings at the museum with director Christopher Witt. Q: Can you discuss the museum’s current and future operations? CW: With respect to COVID, we’re in a real state of transition, I think, as everybody is right now, where we’re just figuring things out in the new reality with the vaccine mandate and the start of the semester.

Opinion

Ask the editors: Music edition

Joseph McKee and Emma Trevino | August 16

As school starts back up, every student should be armed with a solid playlist to get them through the day. Whether you’re running to class or sifting through dozens of introductory assignments, here are four songs that are sure to liven up your days as you get back into the swing of things. Listen to the full playlist here! On Emma’s playlist: “Unlock It (Lock It)” by Charli XCX feat. Kim Petras and Jay Park This song, expertly squeezed in on XCX’s 2017 feature-heavy album “Pop 2,” is a blissful collection of electro-pop sounds and beautifully curated vocals by XCX and Petras. “Unlock It (Lock It)” has recently enjoyed a resurgence thanks to a viral TikTok trend, and I couldn’t be more pleased.

News

OPINION: Fake vaccination cards are dangerous and immoral

Emma Trevino | August 16

With COVID-19 cases surging across the country, universities and employers have begun attempting to crack down on vaccine requirements. Although this signals a step in the right direction, the increasing number of fake credentials being used to cheat a verified vaccination status could very well land us right back where we started, or worse. Fake vaccination cards are not new in regards to this pandemic; a public service announcement about the illegality of fake cards was released by the FBI in March, near the time the vaccine was approved for the majority of adult individuals in New Mexico, proving that for as long as any place has required a COVID-19 vaccine, people have found ways to produce or procure counterfeit documents.

Culture

Friday Night Live kicks off UNM’s Welcome Back Days

Emma Trevino | August 16

Before the fall semester starts on Aug. 23 at the University of New Mexico, the Student Activities Center is kicking off the University’s Welcome Back Days with Friday Night Live on Aug. 20. After a year and a half of virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the first time for not only incoming freshmen but also rising sophomores to physically attend these events. This in-person event is being held from 7-10 p.m. in the Student Union Building, with events including “karaoke, a DJ, henna tattoos, laser tag arena, photo booths, student organization tables and UNM sports teams,” according to the SAC’s website.

Sports

Mountain West releases UNM basketball conference schedules

Matthew Salcido | August 16

The Mountain West Conference released the University of New Mexico’s men’s and women’s basketball conference schedules on Friday, Aug. 13. For a women’s program that finished on top of the conference standings in regular season play, the new schedule could act as a roadmap to a tournament win; for a men’s team that finished last in its own said standings, conference play will be just one of many challenges for the team. Women’s basketball finished 11-3 in conference play, losing to only three teams: the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; California State University, Fresno; and the United States Air Force Academy.

Culture

Q&A with UNM museum director: Maxwell Museum of Anthropology

Megan Gleason | August 16

The Daily Lobo talked to the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology to get updates on how it’s doing amid the COVID-19 pandemic along with the start of school coming up. Maxwell is gearing up to reopen to the public on Aug. 17 with some new exhibits and opportunities. This Q&A addresses current and future happenings at the museum with director Carla Sinopoli. Q: Can you discuss the museum’s current and future operations? CS: We will see what they will be as the pandemic continues to develop. So when we were shut down in March 2020 we shifted … to a lot of online activities...

News

Financial, academic hardships of unpaid student regent position encourage action

Megan Gleason | August 16

On Aug. 10, Regent Melissa Henry, a former student regent, asked the Board of Regents Ad Hoc Governance Committee to consider policies that would provide a financial backbone for the unpaid student regent position after experiencing a lot of financial and academic distress during her past term. Ad Hoc Governance Chair and Regent Rob Schwartz hopes to bring this issue to the full Board of Regents at their next business meeting in October. “It was very naive of me to take this position not knowing how it would impact my career and work opportunities at the University and off campus, and not only did I face the consequences of being in such a politicized, public position but my work and time to contribute to my academic program suffered,” Henry said.

News

Governor commits $5M for Chile Labor Incentive Program

Megan Gleason | August 12

On Thursday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that New Mexico will put $5 million toward a wage supplement program administered by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, called the Chile Labor Incentive Program, for the chile industry due to a labor shortage. This program will provide funding, taken from the state’s share of the American Rescue Plan, to “chile growers, labor contractors and processors on a first-come, first-served basis to supplement the wages of existing and prospective workers as well as incentivize hiring and retention,” according to a press release put out by the office of the governor on Thursday.

Culture

OPINION: Sci-fi comedy “Star Trek: Lower Decks” makes way for another memorable season

Megan Gleason | August 12

This review contains spoilers for “Lower Decks” seasons 1 and 2 Trekkies were in for a treat on Thursday with the arrival of the season 2 premiere of “Star Trek: Lower Decks.” The show continues to go where no man has gone before as creator Mike McMahan, former “Rick and Morty” writer and producer, intertwines this adult animation with science fiction, comedy and sleek references to the entire “Star Trek” universe, setting up for yet another season that’s definitely worth watching. If you haven’t seen the first season yet, I’d recommend watching that before diving into the second one.

Culture

OPINION: 2021’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ outshines the original

John Scott | August 10

If you went to the movie theater this past weekend or logged into your HBO Max account, you most likely saw something relating to James Gunn’s most recent directorial outing, “The Suicide Squad.” And like many, including myself, you probably said to yourself, “I really hope this isn’t as bad as the first one.” Luckily, the series is much better this time around with the help of Gunn’s direction and creative freedom. From the fantastically outlandish characters to the disgustingly satisfying amount of violence to the quality comedy, Gunn’s iteration of Task Force X is far more focused and coherent than the original, with a couple of standout performances to boot.

Sports

New Mexico United hosts first public meeting on proposed soccer stadium

Matthew Salcido | August 10

On Tuesday, New Mexico United held what is promised to be the first of many meetings with the public to discuss the construction of a multipurpose soccer stadium in Albuquerque, hosted on Zoom by majority owner/CEO Peter Trevisani and Director of Communications David Carl. Many concerns that were brought up by attendees related to how this stadium will impact the local community. These meetings come after a study from Creative Artists Agency ICON that was commissioned by the city to explore the idea of a stadium for NM United, who currently play at Isotopes Park.

Culture

OPINION: Top 5 Insta-worthy spots on UNM campus

Joseph McKee and Shelby Kleinhans | August 8

After not being on campus for a year and a half, you might’ve forgotten about some of the more aesthetic spots that the University of New Mexico has to offer. If you’re seeking interesting locations for your future Instagram posts, look no further — the Daily Lobo has you covered. Here’s our list of the top five most Insta-worthy spots on UNM’s main campus. Center of the Universe #SculptureArt #BruceNauman #I’mTheCenterOfTheUniverse #LookUp Built in 1988 by artist Bruce Nauman is the immersive Center of the Universe, which can be found between Mitchell and Ortega Halls. This towering sculpture perfectly mimics the multidimensional architecture of Ortega Hall and the Humanities Building.

News

In policy reversal, UNM requires vaccinations by October

Megan Gleason | August 8

After a sudden shift in policy, the University of New Mexico is requiring all students, staff and faculty to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus by Sept. 30, 2021. The reversal from the University’s initial decision to forgo a vaccine mandate comes after local and national rises in COVID-19 cases. This vaccine policy applies to “all UNM personnel and students who access UNM facilities, housing, programs, services and activities located on the main campus in Albuquerque, the Academic Health Sciences campus in Albuquerque, Gallup campus, Los Alamos campus, Taos campus and the Valencia campus,” according to the Bringing Back the Pack website.

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News

LETTER: UNM grad workers union continues to fight regardless of upcoming labor board decision

Alana Bock | July 29

Last fall, a supermajority of UNM’s graduate employees formed a union and filed for certification under the Public Employee Bargaining Act (PEBA) in order to address the poverty wages, inadequate benefits and poor working conditions many graduate workers face as University employees. Graduate workers provide valuable labor to the University, which includes grading, conducting research and teaching 500 undergraduate courses each semester. However, the average graduate employee stipend is $14,438 per year, which is barely above the federal poverty line and almost $9,000 below the living wage for a single adult in Albuquerque.

News

UNM reinstates indoor mask mandate on select campuses

Emma Trevino | July 29

On July 29, the University of New Mexico reinstated mask mandates for all individuals regardless of vaccination status effective Aug. 2. Masks will be required indoors for everyone at locations on the UNM Albuquerque, Taos and Valencia campuses, as well as the regional site in Sandoval County. The shift in policy — which had previously allowed fully vaccinated individuals to forgo mask-wearing — was spurred by recent spikes in COVID-19 cases across the country. The CDC recommends that “masks be worn in counties with a 7-day average community transmission of more than 7 new cases per 100,000 persons,” according to an academic dispatch from the Office of the Provost sent on July 29.

Sports

UNM student Andrea Howard swings for the fences around the world

Shelby Kleinhans | July 27

University of New Mexico student Andrea Howard has been a player to be reckoned with ever since she started playing softball for the University back in 2017, but she has truly shined in 2021. This has been a year of personal bests in batting averages and home runs, but more importantly, it’s the year Howard became an international champion. Howard has been a player with the Italian National Team since 2017 as a dual citizen and helped lead the team to victory in the 2021 Women’s European Championship earlier this month, which allowed them to qualify for the World Games 2022.

News

Ask the Editors

Daily Lobo Editorial Board | July 25

Question to the editors: As we return to campus and in-person classes, how can I balance my schoolwork, work and social life? How do I find myself after the pandemic? These are two very large questions for college students as we wrangle with an age in our life where our goal is to not only find ourselves but also balance school and life perfectly. However, if you don’t know how to do that, it’s okay — none of the rest of us do either. It’s perfectly acceptable to explore who you think you are and who you want to be, but don’t expect that the rest of your life will be mess-free while you try to balance everything.

Culture

OPINION: Top 5 best things about an in-person fall semester

Emma Trevino | July 25

With August quickly approaching, it’s time for a lot of us students to start thinking about the changes we’re facing with an in-person semester after the virtual semesters we’ve had in the past year and a half. Although some anxieties come with the territory, here are five things that you can look forward to as we say goodbye to Zoom. 1. Group study sessions at Zimmerman Library If there’s one thing I learned from a year and a half on Zoom, it’s that studying for a test or working on a group project from the confines of my room is painfully difficult compared to the steady, bustling atmosphere of the comforting Zimmerman Library.

Culture

Coping with back-to-school nerves after the pandemic

Megan Gleason | July 25

After over a year of attending online school in a global pandemic, students are facing anxieties about returning to an in-person education. Questions about vaccinations, masks, social distancing and more float in the air, but the Daily Lobo spoke with the University of New Mexico’s Student Health and Counseling center about how students can cope with all of the unknowns as we enter an in-person fall semester. “The permeating anxiety will alter the atmosphere of the campus; it will just be a different environment,” SHAC case manager Margaret White said. “So I would say drop the expectation of normal, whatever that was, and embrace that this (environment) will be new, it will be different.”

News

UNM aims for 100% vaccination rate after forgoing vaccine requirement

Megan Gleason and Emma Trevino | July 25

The University of New Mexico is encouraging all Lobos to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to campus for the fall semester on Aug. 23. The University has set a 100% vaccination rate goal after forgoing a campus-wide vaccine mandate. “I look forward to challenging and inspiring ourselves and our fellow Lobos to reach for that 100% in the coming weeks,” UNM President Garnett Stokes wrote in a campus-wide message on July 8. The University has an ongoing incentive program that offers students and employees the chance for cash prizes in exchange for proof of vaccination.