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Culture

LOBO PRIDE: UNM Alumna Larissa Romero continues fight for inclusion at UNM

Rebecca Hobart | June 29

As a former resident advisor of the University of New Mexico’s Gender Neutral and Allies Living Learning Community (LLC), recent graduate Larissa Romero has encouraged and empowered LGBTQ+ students on campus both while attending and after graduating from the University. After finding herself in life, Romero wants others to be able to do the same. “She’s such a loving and caring person and just wants everyone to feel comfortable and confident being their true, authentic self no matter what sexual orientation,” Romero’s close friend, Natalie Carson, said. Romero worked to facilitate essential discussions on queer experiences as a resident advisor in the dorms, according to Carson. This motivation to start conversations didn’t stop at graduation, though.

Culture

Locally-produced pilot by UNM alumna showcases exclusively New Mexican cast and crew

Matthew Salcido | June 29

“Capitol Barbie,” a locally-produced pilot written, directed and produced by UNM alumna Riley Del Rey, premiered on Sunday at the Guild Cinema in Albuquerque. Boasting an entirely New Mexican cast and crew, it is based on Del Rey’s alleged experiences working as a transgender Latina congressional intern for Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, a former U.S. house representative. The fictional pilot, labeled as an episode based on a true story, follows a new congressional intern, Dolly Golightly, as she navigates the realities of working in Washington, D.C., facing constant reprimands over her dress and relationships with fellow Latinx interns. When an unwanted advance by a congressman reveals that Dolly is transgender, her boss, Representative Melissa Lopez-Gaffney, terminates her.

Culture

LOBO PRIDE: Shane Hall’s queer liberation from a small New Mexican town

Rebecca Hobart | June 27

With a deep love for the queer community and its rich history, University of New Mexico student Shane Hall celebrates pride by embracing queer individuals and broaching conversations on LGBTQ+ equality, gender and friendship. Raised in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, Hall’s love for his community at UNM rose from the humble beginnings of being queer in a small town. “For Pride month this year, I’m going to hang out with a few friends, have a good time, have a little bit of a party and drive around and just be gay,” Hall said.

Sports

Current and former Lobos advance at U.S. Olympic Trials

Matthew Salcido | June 24

University of New Mexico alumna Courtney Frerichs won a spot on the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team in the 3000m steeplechase and current Lobo student Abdirizak Ibrahim advanced to the semifinals for the men’s 1500m at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials on Thursday night. Frerichs, who graduated from UNM in 2016, finished in second place in the finals for the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9 minutes, 11.79 seconds, securing herself a spot at the Tokyo Olympics. Frerichs earned a spot in the final round after finishing in fifth place of the first round last Sunday.

Culture

UNM Committee on Naming plans to suggest specialized panel for racist building names

Gabriel Saiz | June 24

In over a year-long effort by the University of New Mexico to reconsider its racist building names, the next potential step forward is the formation of an academic team to write a formal report recommending the names to either be removed or not. The UNM Committee on Naming, which normally researches the honorees behind proposed building names, plans to suggest before August that President Garnett Stokes create the specialized panel to review and possibly recommend the renaming of campus buildings bearing the names of Spanish conquistadors.

Culture

Femme and nonbinary-led skate group starts weekly skating sessions at UNM

Avery Rogers | June 23

On Tuesday, a group of femme-identifying and nonbinary individuals gathered for their first summer skate session at the University of New Mexico, starting a regular event that will be held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Smith Plaza. Organizer Ashley Varela said those forming and joining their skate group are “making space” for themselves and “creating more than just one look for skating.” The event was meant to encourage those intimidated by the traditionally male-dominated sport to learn to skate without pressure through the use of community and inclusive practices, according to the organizers.

News

Three-day Juneteenth celebration in ABQ commemorates new federal holiday

Megan Gleason | June 23

Music, dance and empowerment floated through Albuquerque as Burqueños showed up to celebrate Juneteenth over a three-day period at Civic Plaza. The event, entitled “To a Higher Ground,” lasted from June 18 to June 20. Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the emancipation of enslaved people in America on June 19. The holiday originated in Texas in 1865, when the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation was applied after the end of the Civil War. The theme for Albuquerque’s celebration this year was “Ujamaa,” or the idea of cooperative economics based on democratic principles and participation. The City of Albuquerque’s website said the event was meant to “celebrate Black-owned businesses, artisans, vendors, performers and more.”

News

Hispanic fraternal order sues Santa Fe Mayor over obelisk removal decision

John Scott | June 20

On June 17, the Union Protectíva de Santa Fé announced their plans to sue the city of Santa Fe and Mayor Alan Webber for the decision to remove the Soldiers’ Monument, the obelisk in the center of Santa Fe Plaza. The lawsuit comes after Webber’s call to remove the obelisk back in June 2020, and after a group of protestors tore down part of the obelisk during a demonstration on Indigenous Peoples Day last October. There is not yet a timeline for the removal. “What our lawsuit seeks is an injunction preventing the mayor from replacing this historic obelisk with anything other than repairing it and restoring it,” attorney Ken Stalter said at a press conference on June 17.

Culture

LOBO PRIDE: Uris Tapia-Flores’ journey to queer acceptance through social media

Rebecca Hobart | June 20

Coming from a traditional Mexican and Christian household, University of New Mexico student Uris Tapia-Flores experienced isolation as they grew into their identity as an LGBTQ+ individual, feeling separation from the communities that had once embraced them. Throughout their teen years and into college, Uris Tapia-Flores found queer acceptance and kinship through social media despite an unaccepting home life. “(Being queer) is kind of hard because at home, I can’t really express myself the way I want to. I’m still in a Mexican household and I also grew up Christian,” Uris Tapia-Flores said. “At home, I can’t really express my queerness. Even if I do, the way I express myself is dressing myself the way I want to dress.”

Culture

OPINION: Rainbow capitalism’s performative toxicity

Shelby Kleinhans | June 17

It’s the month of June again, which means that it’s time for corporations to roll out a newly colorful logo, slap rainbows on their already-existing merchandise and pretend as if they’ve always cared about the rights of LGBTQIA+ people. This shallow attempt at pandering to the LGBTQIA+ community is commonly referred to as rainbow capitalism. Users on the social media app Tik Tok have been quick to point out how out of touch pride collections by several corporations are by making videos that highlight their “interesting” collections. It’s painfully obvious in most cases that no queer person was consulted about the design, resulting in hastily-made and mass-produced products.

Sports

Tod Brown introduced as new UNM baseball coach

Matthew Salcido | June 17

Tod Brown, a former head coach at North Dakota State University (NDSU), was announced as the new head coach for the University of New Mexico baseball team on Thursday. Brown will be replacing former head coach Ray Birmingham, who announced his retirement in April after 14 seasons with the Lobos. UNM Athletics director Eddie Nuñez said that Birmingham was involved in the process to select a new coach. “When we set out to find a new head coach for our Lobo baseball program, the vision and the goal was to continue to build our program that Birmingham built and elevate it,” Nuñez said.

Culture

OPINION: “In the Heights” is a party, but not everyone got their invitations

Matthew Salcido | June 15

“Technically, it is superb; use of color is dazzling, camera work often is thrilling, editing fast with dramatic punch, production design catches mood as well as action itself.” This quote, written by Whitney Williams in 1961 for Variety heralding the soon-to-be released “West Side Story,” could easily be used to describe “In the Heights,” Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of the 2008 Tony Award-winning smash hit penned by a pre-”Hamilton” Lin-Manuel Miranda. “In the Heights” follows the everyday lives and dreams of inhabitants of Washington Heights, a neighborhood in northern Manhattan. The main protagonist is Usnavi, a bodega owner who dreams of traveling back to his native Dominican Republic.

News

Stansbury sworn into Congress after special election victory

Spencer Butler | June 14

WASHINGTON D.C. — On June 14, Democrat Melanie Stansbury, former representative for the 28th District for the New Mexico House of Representatives, was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives to represent New Mexicans in the state’s 1st Congressional District. In the ceremony, Stansbury was sworn in by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Stansbury then gave a speech on the house floor, where she was flanked by New Mexico Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján, as well as Washington Senator Maria Cantwell.

Sports

New Mexico United duels Austin Bold FC, ends in 0-0 draw

Gino Gutierrez | June 13

Under a smoldering Albuquerque sun, New Mexico United returned to Isotopes Park on Saturday, June 12 for a 0-0 draw against Austin Bold FC. Alongside the game, the night was themed “Pride on the Pitch,” supported by 9,288 fans that came to show their pride; the game was completely sold out within its 75% maximum capacity restriction. A tentative game to start, both teams spent the majority of the first half feeling each other out, trading good scoring opportunities at both ends of the field. The ball was skyed on more than one occasion by each team, as the respective defenses swarmed the player who possessed the ball.

Culture

New season of ‘The Bachelorette’ filmed in New Mexico

Tina Memarian and Zoe Perls | June 13

Coming all the way from Lynnwood, Washington, Katie Lane Thurston seems like she is going to get her fairy tale ending in this newest season of “The Bachelorette,” filmed in the Land of Enchantment. Thurston first appeared on screen as a contestant of the 25th season of “The Bachelor,” and is now taking over as the newest bachelorette on “The Bachelorette,” which has finished filming at Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa. The first episode aired on Monday, June 7. The resort is located on and owned by the Santa Ana Pueblo. According to Hyatt, the resort was named after the ancient Tamayame people of the area.

Culture

LOBO PRIDE: ASUNM Senator Raina Harper advocates for UNM queer community

Rebecca Hobart | June 13

With her mind and heart set on making a difference for the LGBTQ+ community, University of New Mexico student Raina Harper is paving the way for greater transgender representation for UNM’s queer community. As a multi-term senator for the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico (ASUNM), Harper is empowering UNM’s LGTBQ+ students every step of the way. One such move was resolution 3F, which illustrates ASUNM’s support for specific, long-term goals and actions on behalf of UNM to support LGBTQ+ students, which Harper said is a big step to support and empower marginalized communities.

Culture

OPINION: A Filipino’s modern journey to Independence Day

Gabriel Biadora | June 10

Philippines Independence Day on June 12 not only commemorates the day the nation was declared as independent from Spanish colonial rule, but also serves as a continual reminder of the struggle for the liberation of Filipinos in America. My family settled into New Mexico in 2008, when I was in third grade. My mom had been living in the state for three years already, working as a nurse, but my dad was still waiting on his visa before he could come to the mainland from Saipan, an island 120 miles north of Guam.

Culture

OPINION: New ‘Conjuring’ film is just not that scary

Gabriel Biadora | June 6

The latest installment to the “Conjuring” series, “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” is not inventive, nor does it instill any profound sense of terror for the viewer, which is essential for any good horror movie. This film, the seventh in the canon, does not offer anything new to its own mythos or to the supernatural horror genre, though it’s definitely not without a few positive moments. With perhaps vain optimism, I have been chasing that terrifying high that was the first “Conjuring” movie, which came out nearly seven years ago. But this film failed to meet the standards of its predecessors and my own expectations.

News

Despite $10M federal bailout, UNM athletics budget remains in deficit

Liam Debonis and Maddie Pukite | June 6

At the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the University of New Mexico’s Athletics budget was left bleeding. University Stadium sat eerily quiet, devoid of cheering fans, the air notably lacking the smell of concession hot dogs and beer, and The Pit’s blaring airhorn, once signaling the end of a decisive quarter, lay silent. And a massive, multi-million dollar deficit loomed amid the empty stands. But the U.S. government offered a saving grace in late December: federal stimulus money allocated for colleges and universities through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds II (HEERF II).

News

UNM’s proposed COVID-19 vaccine policy draws support, objections and legal questions

Liam Debonis | May 17

The University of New Mexico revealed a draft proposal on May 3 that would require COVID-19 vaccinations of most students, staff and faculty in order to attend the University in person for the coming fall semester, drawing both praise and scrutiny from UNM community members. The short proposal has not received a final ruling from the University administration. Instead, UNM’s “Bring Back the Pack” website has installed a feedback button alongside the link to the proposal, encouraging those who read it to provide their thoughts.