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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.

Culture

Marginalized students at risk due to loose mask mandates

Annya Loya | July 25

As we gear up for a mostly maskless fall semester at the University of New Mexico, students in marginalized communities who are at a significantly higher risk than others during the COVID-19 pandemic are worried about the additional health risks that could affect them now that there is not a campus-wide mask mandate. Going along with UNM’s “Bring Back the Pack” initiative, the University announced in early July that individuals who have been fully vaccinated have the option to no longer wear a mask on campus (except for the Health Sciences Center campus buildings); individuals that are not fully vaccinated will continue to be required to wear one on campus grounds, following nationwide CDC guidelines.

News

LETTER: ASUNM president explains UNM’s undergraduate student government

Gregory Romero | July 25

Dear Lobos, We as your undergraduate student government could not be more excited for this upcoming year. The past year and a half has been hard not being on campus, but we look forward to getting back to what we do best: putting on some of UNM’s largest events and fighting to make our campus one of the very best in the country for you, the students. We know that many students still don’t know what Associated Students of the University of New Mexico is or how they can get involved, so allow us to give you an introduction. ASUNM is comprised of three branches: the executive, the legislative and the judiciary.

News

Controversy surrounds UNM vaccine policy

Megan Gleason | July 25

When the University of New Mexico decided to forgo a COVID-19 vaccine requirement and instead encourage a 100% vaccination rate goal for the upcoming semester, controversy erupted through the student body and students are still deciding whether or not they feel safe with the administration’s decisions. In May, the University drafted a vaccine mandate policy that would have required most students, staff and faculty to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but has since abandoned the idea since the vaccine is still classified under Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA.

Sports

Lobo Sports Takes: Preview Edition

Gino Gutierrez , Shelby Kleinhans and Matthew Salcido | July 25

The UNM women’s basketball team had a highly successful 2020-21 season, finishing with a record of 15-5 and at the top of the Mountain West conference. The Lobos men’s basketball team had a dismal 2020-21 season, finishing 6-16 and struggling to assert any kind of successful offense. The UNM football team struggled to find anything positive during their 2019-20 season. The University of New Mexico softball team had a rocky 2020-21 season with a record of 10-36 thanks in no small part to a brutal first half of the schedule facing top teams including the University of Oklahoma, the University of Arizona and Oklahoma State.

Sports

37 fouls called during NM United match with El Paso Locomotive

Gino Gutierrez | July 25

It’s not often that an official takes center stage during a soccer match, but that was the case in the New Mexico United matchup against El Paso Locomotive FC on Saturday night at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque. The game ended in a 0-0 draw after 37 fouls were issued throughout the game to each team, with 23 going to United. Three yellow cards were also shown in the match — two for El Paso and one for New Mexico midfielder Andrew Tinari; United midfielder Juan Pablo Guzmán received a red card after the second half, putting the team down a player. Of the crowd of 10,303 fans at the game, many repeatedly voiced their displeasure with the officiating.

Sports

Lobo women’s soccer schedule announced for 2021-22 season

Matthew Salcido | July 22

The University of New Mexico women’s soccer team’s recently released a schedule for the upcoming 2021-22 season. The new schedule includes two exhibition games, nine home games and eleven conference games. The first home game is an exhibition match on Aug. 16 against Fort Lewis College. Matches to look forward to include the return of the University of Washington, former recurring competitors who also went to the NCAA tournament last season, and Northern Arizona University, who was one COVID-19 incident away from a conference championship and a berth to the NCAA tournament as well.

Culture

OPINION: “Space Jam: A New Legacy” works as a revival for a new generation despite poor reviews

Matthew Salcido | July 20

This review contains spoilers for “Space Jam” Now that “Space Jam: A New Legacy” has been out for almost a week, we should be able to recognize it as the perfectly passable and outright fun family movie that it is. While watching it, I felt reassured that this wasn’t the terrible rehash that many feared but instead a natural revival of a childhood cult classic. The concept of “Space Jam” would make anyone incredulous at first: this movie franchise is about a film production company pairing an all-time basketball legend with Looney Tunes teammates that are forced to play a basketball game with twisted physics. That is such an easy marketing sell that, to the uninitiated, it can seem cynical.