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Culture

International students face daunting financial, legal woes amid Student Family Housing shutdown

Hannah John | August 23

International students are facing a difficult financial situation with the looming shutdown of the University of New Mexico’s Student Family Housing (SFH) in May 2021. According to international student and SFH resident Sherry Shafique, students within the complex were informed through a newsletter in June that UNM couldn’t afford the repairs that SFH needed. A majority of the tenants at SFH are graduate and international students, according to Shafique. International students face unique circumstances with the oft-maligned complex being shut down, forcing them to find another suitable place to live with their families. Most of these issues revolve around financial hardships and having to abide by different laws than students who are from the United States, such as language barriers and academic or visa requirements.

Culture

Sigma Gamma Rho sorority recharters

Beatrice Nisoli | August 23

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., a historically Black Greek-lettered sorority, was rechartered at the University of New Mexico on March 28. The non-profit organization was founded by seven schoolteachers during the perilous thickets of segregation on Nov. 12, 1922 at Butler University in Indiana. According to the sorority’s official website, "Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority's aim is to enhance the quality of life within the community. Public service, leadership development and education of youth are the hallmark of the organization's programs and activities. Sigma Gamma Rho addresses concerns that impact society educationally, civically and economically."

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Opinion

LETTER: Complete your 2020 census for our Lobo community

Daily Lobo Reader | August 23

Lobos: We urgently need your help! It’s not too late to be counted! The deadline to fill out the census is rapidly approaching (Sept. 30, 2020), and New Mexico is in danger of losing critical federal dollars. If our state loses federal funds, our University of New Mexico community loses federal funds as well. So, what is the census, you might ask? The census is the once in a decade opportunity for us to re-shape our communities. A simple, 10-question questionnaire determines how more than $800 billion in federal funds get distributed across our country. In New Mexico alone, the 2020 census will determine how more than $7 billion per year gets distributed to our state. As students and members of the Lobo community, the census impacts us directly, as it determines how much funding is in: • Medicaid • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) • Federal student loans • Pell Grants • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) • Many more programs that we and our families use

Culture

Seclusion, stress and stringent regulations: A day in the COVID-19 dorm life

Kyalynn Moore-Wilson | August 23

Isolation is the new normal for students living on campus at the University of New Mexico. Leaving a dorm room has become a rare occurrence, and UNM is providing limited housing along with a laundry list of new rules and regulations because of the coronavirus pandemic. All students who wanted to live on campus with housing managed by Residence Life and Student Housing had to sign an “addendum and amendment” alongside their regular dorm lease. This legal document laid out some new rules, which include a mask requirement when outside of a personal room, only one guest at a time in personal rooms, no guests that live outside of the dorm building and only one person in an elevator at a time.

Sports

UNM club hockey fall season suspended

Gino Gutierrez | August 23

The University of New Mexico’s men’s club hockey team has decided to suspend the fall portion of its season. The team announced the decision on its official Facebook page on Aug. 18, becoming the latest UNM team sport to fall victim to COVID-19’s effect on the competitive sporting landscape. In the post, head coach Grant Harvey cited the team’s decision to comply with the University’s policy regarding contact sports as the reason for the fall season’s postponement. “It's with heavy heart that I relay that Lobo hockey will be suspended for fall to comply with our school's policy with contact sports,” Harvey wrote. “I know that many conferences have followed suit, and I have to support UNM's decision and hope to face a spring semester in a safe manner.”

News

Faculty union, administration agree to pandemic guidelines

Gabriel Biadora | August 23

UA-UNM and the administration reached the agreement just as numerous colleges and universities across the United States have been plagued by coronavirus outbreaks forcing them to shift to online instruction only. Schools like the University of Notre Dame and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have reverted to online classes following a growing outbreak and clusters of infections, respectively, according to the New York TImes. Other universities, like Smith College in Massachusetts, announced plans for an entirely online 2020 earlier this month prior to the school year. Several have opted for a delay in the semester, like Winthrop University and the University of California, Merced.

News

UNM town hall addresses ‘gross,’ controversial Title IX changes

Bella Davis | August 23

The U.S. Department of Education announced a series of controversial changes to Title IX — a civil rights law prohibiting sex discrimination at federally funded educational institutions — a little over three months ago. Under the new regulations, colleges are now required to hold live hearings in sexual assault and harrassment cases and must allow for cross-examination. The University of New Mexico hosted a virtual town hall on Friday that addressed those regulations — among other new, contentious requirements — and how UNM is responding. Hosted by Angela Catena, UNM’s Title IX coordinator with the Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO), Friday’s town hall featured one faculty member and three advocacy center staff members who emphasized that the new regulations will not affect the services and support they provide students.

News

Militia member arrested, charged with witness intimidation as Baca trial advances

Bella Davis | August 21

A member of a far-right militia has been arrested and charged with witness intimidation after showing up armed with a handgun to the home of a witness connected to the June 15 Juan de Oñate statue shooting trial. The Daily Lobo previously reported that an armed man identifying himself as a Three Percenter — a national far-right militia active in New Mexico — showed up at the home of a witness in the case against shooter and former City Council candidate Steven Baca. 34-year-old Daniel Carr has since been charged with intimidation of a witness. A criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court detailed the incident that happened last Friday.

Culture

LGBTQ+ students isolated, more vulnerable during online learning era

Megan Gleason | August 21

As students at the University of New Mexico dive into online instruction due to the coronavirus pandemic, some LGBTQ+ individuals are fearing for their lives as they’re forced back to unsafe living environments with little outside connection. According to education specialist Frankie Flores with the UNM LGBTQ Resource Center, some students have had to move back into living environments with strict familial conditions where they are not allowed to be open about their sexuality or even have to detransition completely in order to be safe. “If you’re living in a small town and you don’t know any other LGBTQ folks, how do you find community?” Flores asked. “How do you explore that sense of self?”

Culture

Empathetic commentary on importance of community in ‘Michelle Obama Podcast’

Genevieve Romero | August 19

“The Michelle Obama Podcast” is a refreshingly relatable and optimistic take on the madness surrounding the United States in the face of a pandemic, racial injustice and political unrest. Rather than focusing on the expected political or legal analysis of current events, the former first lady relates to those around her through “topics and issues that we’re all dealing with, no matter what’s going on — whether that’s a pandemic, a nationwide reckoning with race or just any old summer afternoon sitting with our own thoughts.” Throughout the podcast, Michelle Obama emphasizes the importance of the conversations we have with our loved ones and how they lead to greater growth and change.

Culture

Top 5 hidden sculptural gems in Albuquerque

Joseph McKee and Alex McCausland | August 19

Albuquerque is an artistic city that has more outdoor art pieces than you might expect. Whether you want to go for a drive or take a walk about the town, these art pieces will satisfy your appetite for adventure and exploration. Grab a pair of shoes, a water bottle and your mask! Here are the Daily Lobo’s top five hidden sculptural gems in Albuquerque.

News

Armed man shows up at the home of a witness in Oñate statue protest shooting case

Bella Davis | August 17

During Steven Baca’s preliminary trial on Friday, an armed man reportedly identifying himself as a Three Percenter — a national far-right militia with a New Mexico chapter— showed up at the home of a witness in the case. Baca is being charged with two counts of aggravated battery, battery and unlawful carrying of a deadly weapon for his actions at a protest on June 15, during which Baca was seen attacking multiple women before shooting and injuring protester Scott Williams. Shortly after the witness testified, the man “showed up at the witness’ home with a handgun, asking for them by name and if they were ‘antifa’,” according to activist and UNM American Studies faculty member Nick Estes, who is in contact with the witness and reviewed a video of the incident, which has not yet been made public.

News

Musa elevated to ASUNM third in command

Kyalynn Moore-Wilson | August 17

The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico Senate came together for its first full meeting to elect Suha Musa president pro tempore on Saturday, Aug. 15 in an otherwise uneventful session. Musa is a sophomore majoring in international studies and was a co-sponsor of the ASUNM Black Lives Matter resolution that was passed over the summer. According to the ASUNM Constitution, “a president pro tempore shall be elected from the membership of the Senate by plurality. The president pro tempore of the Senate shall preside over the Senate in the absence of the vice-president.”

News

35 people test positive for COVID-19 as fall term commences

Cameron Ward | August 17

As the infectious spread of the coronavirus multiplies locally and around the country, many students are wondering how the pandemic will impact the University of New Mexico community during the 2020-21 academic year. With students, faculty and staff beginning the slow, deliberate process of returning to campus on Aug. 17, the University disclosed to the Daily Lobo that 35 people with ties to UNM’s main Albuquerque campus have tested positive for COVID-19. Two students, one faculty member and 11 staff members from UNM’s main campus have self-reported that they have tested positive for COVID-19, according to University spokesperson Cinnamon Blair.

News

Protesters decry APD killing of longtime UNM-area bartender Ken Reiss

Bella Davis | August 17

Protesters marched through the University area Saturday night in part as a response to the Albuquerque Police Department’s killing of 50-year-old Ken Reiss, a beloved community member who was fatally shot by police last week. Family members, friends and patrons of Carraro’s and Joe’s Place — a local dive bar that Reiss co-owned — have since challenged the APD account of the shooting. Early on Aug. 11, Reiss called the police to report multiple people breaking into his home. The department has alleged that when police arrived on scene Reiss shot at the responding officers before they fired back, but those closest to him have disputed that claim.

News

Student sit-in protests tuition increase outside Stokes’ house

Spencer Butler and Kyalynn Moore-Wilson | August 17

Around 50 people came to the University House northeast of the duck pond — the residence of University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes — to protest the rise in tuition costs on Thursday, Aug. 13. UNM undergraduate student and protest co-organizer Ava Yelton created a petition last month calling on the Board of Regents to reverse the tuition increase for the 2020-21 school year. The rationale behind the calls against the tuition rise is the increasing financial hardships and perceived diminished quality of online instruction wrought by the pandemic.

Culture

Professors adapt to online classes with mixed results

Rosanna Samudio | August 17

Online school has become the new norm in 2020, and the University of New Mexico is no exception. Students coming into the fall semester at UNM are preparing to maintain their education virtually amidst the scare and unpredictability of a pandemic. As drastic changes from the realities of COVID-19 arose during the spring semester, professors and students scattered to adapt to new adjustments. Many students were already familiar with online classes, but others were forced to adapt to a surplus of unexpected changes. Business major Stephanie Gonzales graduated from the Anderson School of Management last semester under anomalous circumstances.

Attendees buy tickets for a matinee at Popejoy Hall on Sunday, Oct. 28.

Culture

Popejoy cancels five shows, postpones others

Lauren McDonald | August 17

Popejoy Hall, the largest performing arts center in New Mexico, has announced a multitude of postponed and canceled shows due to the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the devastation COVID-19 is still effectuating in large swaths of the country, many shows have been postponed — and five have been canceled. Upon reopening, Popejoy Hall will follow federal, state, local and University guidelines for the safety and well-being of patrons, staff, artists and volunteers. “It wouldn’t be safe to bring in people,” Tom Tkach, the director of Popejoy Hall, said. “We can’t have more than five people together in a group, so you can imagine it would be impossible to reopen Popejoy.”

Culture

Student Family Housing resident condemns deterioration of housing complex

Gabriel Biadora | August 17

Anne Turner is afraid her children will step on used hypodermic needles when they play in the grass outside their home at the University of New Mexico’s Student Family Housing (SFH). The housing complex, which is set to close on May 31 of next year, has been no stranger to complaints of unsafe and untenable conditions. Notice of the residences’ permanent closure came in an email on June 29, marking the climactic end to the tumultuous relationship between SFH and its residents. For Turner, the final straw came a few days later on July 4 when she witnessed police officers arrest two individuals for solicitation, one of whom allegedly had an outstanding warrant.

Opinion

Opinion: Students, instructors face lose-lose situation with pandemic pedagogy

Spencer Butler and Gino Gutierrez | August 17

Well, here we are. The University of New Mexico’s fall semester is set to begin — barring any other crazy, life-altering event — but the semester is starting in one of the most tumultuous times in recent human history. While we deal with political, social and economic issues, society is also grappling with the worst pandemic in recent memory. The outbreak of COVID-19 exposed a lot of holes in the infrastructure of our nation, and our universities are no different. Overnight, students and professors were forced to embrace new, rigid realities, both in their personal and academic lives.