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Comics October 4, 2021

OPINION: Tim Burton films lack representation

  A chill in the air and Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew on the menu at Starbucks mean that it’s the perfect time to binge watch spooky movies. However, you should think twice this fall about putting a Tim Burton film with questionable representation into your queue.  Of the 26 feature-length films that Burton has either directed or produced, only four of them have Black actors in supporting roles, and only one has a Black actor in a leading role — Samuel L. Jackson as the villain in “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Extraordinary Children.”   Burton made headlines back in 2016 when the film was released after his interview with the women’s magazine Bustle. 

Dual credit high school students exempted from UNM vaccination requirement

  With the COVID-19 vaccination deadline now behind University of New Mexico students, staff and faculty, an additional exception to the medical and religion exemptions remains: dual-credit high school students. These students will be allowed to continue at UNM and on its campuses regardless of vaccination status, and they will not be subject to the same disciplinary action as full-time UNM students. “(High school) students should follow the vaccination policies of their school districts,” Provost James Holloway wrote in an email to the UNM branch chancellors on Aug. 16. 

OPINION: Fall recipes to sweeten up your semester

  Baking pies and cookies in fall has always been my favorite autumn activity, and warm desserts always help on a chilly day. This fall, I decided to try a new recipe, pumpkin spice cake balls, and an old family favorite, pecan pie squares. Pumpkin spice cake balls Fall has arrived and with it, a barrage of pumpkin-themed foods and drinks, including the ever-so-popular Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. Have you ever wanted to have this delectable drink in the form of a cake ball? Well, look no further than this delectable recipe.

UNM soccer pulls out 1-0 win against Boise State

  The University of New Mexico soccer team defeated Boise State University 1-0 at University Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 3. The Lobos are now 9-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play, good enough for the top spot in the Mountain West Conference women’s soccer standings. Just two days after a grueling double-overtime win against Utah State on Oct. 1, this game was never going to be an easy one, even though the Broncos had also had to play a game on Friday, Oct. 1. Boise State proved to be extremely physical, committing 12 fouls and receiving three yellow cards for unsporting behavior. 

Balloon Fiesta lifts off

  Tourists flocked to Albuquerque on Oct. 2 for the first Balloon Fiesta in two years, with more than 600 pilots gathered to produce the spectacle that has become the most photographed event in the world. After Dawn Patrol balloons ascended to provide pilots with an idea of the wind speeds and direction, attendees watched as hundreds of colorful balloons in many different shapes and sizes were inflated by pilots and ground crews in preparation for Mass Ascension. Pilots and crews mingled with attendees to talk about the different aspects of hot air ballooning before the balloons launched.

Women's March calls for reproductive justice

  On Saturday, Oct. 2, New Mexico affiliates of the Women's March organization held a rally and march for reproductive justice in Tiguex Park. This was part of a wave of marches hosted by the Women's March across the nation to protest the restrictive abortion bill that went into effect in Texas in August. The Women’s March has been hosting marches every January since Trump’s inauguration. However, this year's march was held several months early because of recent legislation in Texas concerning Senate Bill 8, which places a ban on abortions after six weeks and allows citizens to sue those who have an illegal abortion and those affiliated with the abortion. 

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.