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Culture

"Weekend" vs. "Love, Simon": How to make an LGBTQ movie

Kyle Land | January 28

There was no shortage of big-name LGBTQ movies in 2018. However, no gay film got heterosexual people more excited to see two men kissing each other than “Love, Simon.” Unfortunately. One could really spend a good seven hours picking apart and dissecting the various flaws in the Greg Berlanti film. Besides the fact that Simon has virtually no character traits other than being gay and delves into all the stereotypes associated with coming out (including a cringey Google search on “how to dress like a gay guy”), the worst part about this movie is how Simon, from the very beginning, tries to appease all of the straight people in his life and how they treat him in response.

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News

State Legislature to hold UNM Day

Justin Garcia | January 28

If you’re looking for an excuse to skip class this Monday, head up to the New Mexico State Legislature for UNM Day. There, in Santa Fe, representatives from various entities of the University of New Mexico will be tabling and lobbying at the legislature’s UNM Day. Anyone is welcome to watch the speeches, votes and other goings-on of New Mexico’s highest governing institution. This 60-day session will be especially impactful for UNM and the Lottery Scholarship. For example, House Bill 146 would change the Lottery Scholarship from a merit-based scholarship to a needs-based one. Eligible recipients “family contributions” as calculated in the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) would have to be below 150 percent.

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News

ASUNM President readies for busy semester

Justin Garcia | January 28

Emerging Lobo Leaders, Board and Committees Coordinator, senator, chairwoman and now president. Becka Myers has seen the many facets and functions of the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico from many different sides. Now, as ASUNM President in her final semester at UNM, Myers has the opportunity to affect the future of the University in ways that few other in her position have had.

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Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobo game ends in series of unfortunate events

Robert Maler | January 27

The Lobo men's basketball team overcame a sizable halftime deficit and even took a late lead — appearing to be in line for an improbable come-from-behind victory before a series of unfortunate events erased all of that. New Mexico (9-11, 3-5 MW) fell behind early — something Lobo fans have probably grown accustomed to by now — trailing 22-8 to Utah State a little more than halfway through the first half. There wasn't a lot to be cheerful about outside of a 9-0 run that encompassed back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers — one from point guard Keith McGee and a pair of triples from sophomore Makuach Maluach. That spurt and eight free throws accounted for all but 10 of New Mexico's 27 first half points. Senior guard Anthony Mathis was held scoreless, the team shot just 27.6 percent and UNM was probably fortunate to be trailing by just nine points at the half. But something happened after halftime and UNM looked like a completely different team. Head coach Paul Weir said the team spoke at halftime about playing basketball the right way — something that didn't happen in the first half. Despite what he described as looking young and not playing fundamentally sound in the opening frame, the team And for at least 20 minutes, the team exhibited the heart, grit and and passion that Lobo fans have been clamoring for all year. UNM big man Carlton Bragg poured in a turnaround jumper to open the scoring in the second half, but Utah State's Sam Merrill drilled a 3-pointer to push the lead back to 10 points — something he and his teammates did on five more occasions over the first seven minutes or so of the second half, denying the Lobos opportunities to mount a comeback. New Mexico had played much better in the second half up to that point, but still found itself trailing 50-40 with 12:51 to play after Merrill knocked down yet another 3-pointer.

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News

Saved by the bill: House Dems push to reinstate sports

Kyle Land , Cameron Goeldner and Danielle Prokop | January 25

House Democrats introduced a bill Friday to give the University of New Mexico a reoccurring appropriation of $2 million to reinstate four sports. Led by House Appropriations and Finance Committee Chair Patricia Lundstrom (D-Gallup), the money would be taken from the state’s general fund to restore men and women’s ski team, women’s beach volleyball, and men’s soccer. Other sponsors of House Bill 320 (HB 320), all Democrats, are representatives Antonio “Moe” Maestas, Javier Martinez, Sheryl Williams Stapleton and Speaker of the House Brian Egolf. Egolf told the Daily Lobo on election night that the sports cut by UNM would be reinstated, and new Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham had campaigned on a promise to bring the programs back.

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News

C&J debates undergoing accreditation

Kyle Land | January 24

Heads of the University of New Mexico Communication & Journalism department are uncertain whether or not they will go forward with being re-accredited by an outside organization due to the cost and demanding requirements. The department first received accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) in 1955. The ACEJMC’s task is to accredit professional journalism and mass communication programs at universities and colleges across the country, according to the council’s website. Departments and programs are not required to go through the accreditation process.

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News

Tense debate dominates ASUNM meeting

Justin Garcia | January 24

A long and confrontational debate arose in the Associated Students of University of New Mexico’s first full senate meeting of the semester. The debate regarded a $650 line item of an over $3,000 appropriation for LoboTHON after it was announced that ASUNM will be operating with an $99,852 budget. Last semester, ASUNM appropriated roughly $30,000. LoboTHON was eventually awarded $3,189 for costs associated with the group’s yearly dance marathon and travel fees for a conference in July. LoboTHON is a student organisation that raises money for the UNM Children's Hospital.

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News

UNM professors work to save New Mexico's water

Megan Holmen | January 24

In a recent University of New Mexico community outreach project, “New Mexico Water: What our Next Leaders Need to Know,” UNM professors called upon recent Governor-Elect Michelle Lujan Grisham to protect New Mexico’s water. Recommendations from the project include: increased involvement in water issues by Lujan Grisham, assuring appropriate regulatory programs from federal agencies, addressing climate change and providing financial assistance to small communities to meet water needs. Bruce Thomson, one of the organizers of the conference that produced the project and a research professor in the Civil Engineering Department at UNM, said each year UNM holds a water conference and the most recent one focused on recommendations for the new governor.

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Sports

Women's Basketball: Lobos defeat UNLV in overtime

Cameron Goeldner | January 24

The UNLV Rebels are one of only two teams in college basketball this year to come away with a win over the New Mexico Lobos, and they almost doubled up on their win in Las Vegas two weeks ago, but Katie Powell was unable to get a shot off for the Rebels down three in overtime, and the Lobos escaped with an 80-78 win in overtime. “This is UNLV. They’re hard for us to play against, hard for anybody to play against,” head coach Mike Bradbury said. “It’s hard to score against them, I thought we executed really well for the most part, and really good in overtime.” With the win, the Lobos move to 16-2 (6-1 MW) and drop the Rebels to 5-12 (3-3 MW) on the season. The Lobos retain their tie for second place with Utah State, one game behind conference leaders Boise State.

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Culture

Movie Review: "Escape Room" offers exciting mystery film

Tiffani Watteyne | January 24

Since the beginning of 2019, there have been many movies that have piqued the interests of audiences everywhere. One of these movies, “Escape Room,” started out the year right. The movie centers around the drama/mystery genres and brings an entertaining, yet terrifying take to the new real world trend of escape rooms. Its main plot focuses on a group of six strangers — Zoey (Taylor Russell), Ben (Logan Miller), Jason (Jay Ellis), Mike (Tyler Labine), Amanda (Deborah Ann Woll) and Danny (Nik Dobani). All receive a puzzle box that when solved gave them an invitation to the escape room promising the winner a cash prize.

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News

Photo Story: Opening Day of the New Mexico Legislature

Danielle Prokop and Anthony Jackson | January 23

Opening day of the New Mexico State Legislature saw packed hallways, handshakes and lots of kids. The November election brought Democrats control of the governorship and greater control of the House of Representatives. Before opening day, almost 500 bills were pre-filed. Some of those bills are making a second appearance thanks in part to a veto or pocket veto from former-Governor Susana Martinez.

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News

Hemp legalization may boost New Mexican economy

Andrew Gunn | January 22

After a multiple decade-long hiatus from New Mexico’s agricultural fields, industrial hemp is growing anew in state soil. On Dec. 11, 2018, the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Board of Regents voted unanimously to approve the Hemp Cultivation Rule, making it legal once again for New Mexican farmers to cultivate the controversial, but lucrative, crop. Hemp, one of the world’s oldest cultivated plants, is a variety of the Cannabis sativa species without the high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component that causes the “high” when cannabis is consumed recreationally or medicinally. Hemp’s return to the state comes after a nearly 100-year absence, according to Agricultural and Environmental Services Division Director Brad Lewis.

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News

Albuquerque Women's March holds third annual event

Megan Holmen | January 22

Burqueños gathered at Civic Plaza for the 2019 Albuquerque’s Women’s March on Jan. 20. People from all communities and walks of life came together for a common cause — women’s rights. The rally featured keynote speakers including: Samia Assad the Albuquerque Women’s March chair, U.S. Congresswoman Deb Haaland, Public Lands Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard, a variety of University of New Mexico professors and other speakers. The Albuquerque Women’s March is held in conjunction with other marches held in cities across the nation, including the national Women’s March in Washington D.C. This was the third year of the march and was dubbed the “Women’s Wave.”

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News

Local museum hosts viewing for blood moon

Luisa Pennington | January 22

On Jan. 20, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science opened its doors after-hours for a special viewing of the supermoon total eclipse. Starting at 8:30 p.m., more than 1,000 museum visitors were welcomed into the museum’s campus to view the phenomenon until 11:30 p.m. A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon moves into the Earth’s shadow. When this happens a dark red interior color is reflected. They don’t happen often because normally the moon moves slightly over or under the shadow when it’s on the far side of the Earth from the sun, according to The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. At 8:34 p.m. the Partial Eclipse began and guests began to arrive. Crowds began to form on the museum grounds and and on the observatory deck. To get a closer look at the supermoon, telescopes were provided by the museum and Albuquerque Astronomical Society for visitors to enjoy.

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Sports

Volleyball: Lobos find new head coach

Matthew Narvaiz | January 22

After 11 years, it’s a new era for the University of New Mexico volleyball program. Jon Newman-Gonchar was named the head coach of the Lobos, the UNM Athletics Department announced on Tuesday. Newman-Gonchar most recently served as associate head coach at Arkansas for the last three years, but has a history in college volleyball that predates that tenure.

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Culture

Blind Spots tour sheds light on unconscious bias

Justin Garcia | January 22

“This is in a foreign language,” a women said referring to the pre-recorded voice on a telephone at the Check Your Blind Spots Unconscious Bias mobile tour. According to a worker with the tour bus that was, in fact, the point. That was Thursday in Smith Plaza at the University of New Mexico, when the tour equipped with virtual reality headsets, tablets and other technology came to main campus. The bus, which is part of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, featured several interactive exhibits promoting values of diversity and inclusion.

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Culture

5 and Why: C&J Chair David Weiss' favorite plays

Luisa Pennington | January 22

Interested in society’s relationship with the media, Dr. David Weiss, the Department Chair for the University of New Mexico’s Communication and Journalism Department, spends his time researching media discourse, political and religious communication and the media and popular culture industries. In addition to research, Dr. Weiss is an Associate Professor within the Communication and Journalism Department. There, he teaches courses in strategic communication, political communication and media studies. Weiss got his PhD from UNM in 2005. He is also an alumni of Cornell University and the University of Oregon. Between graduating from college and going back to school for a master's degree, Weiss lived in New York City for 17 years. While in NYC, he was an executive at several of the country's largest advertising agencies. Though he was extremely busy, he did have time to go to several plays. So, when we asked him to name his top five plays and why, this is what he said:

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News

Lujan Grisham kicks off 54th NM Legislature

Danielle Prokop and Anthony Jackson | January 17

The marble halls of the Roundhouse were buzzing Tuesday, the first day of the 54th New Mexico Legislature, as thousands from around the state convened for opening-day festivities. Family members, lobbyists, constituents, journalists and activists came for the swearing-in of legislators, and New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s much-anticipated State of the State Address. People jammed the halls hours before noon as security guards searched bags and pockets before allowing people to sit in the House gallery.

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News

Here's who might be UNM's next Student Regent

Kyle Land | January 17

The process for selecting a new Student Regent differs from the process of selecting of any other person for the Board, with both the Associated Students of UNM and the Graduate and Professional Student Association producing nominees for the position. UNM President Garnett Stokes then interviews the candidates and sends the list to the Governor’s Office. Lujan Grisham will then pick one student as her official nominee, which acquires approval by the Senate.

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News

CJ Department cancels required class for semester

Makayla Grijalva | January 17

Video Journalism, CJ 360, was cut from the course schedule due to low enrollment. David Weiss, Communications and Journalism department chair, said only four students had registered for the course prior to its cancellation. Weiss said in order for the College of Arts and Sciences to keep a course scheduled there must be a minimum of at least 15 students to register for the class. However, sometimes exceptions can be made if enrollment is close to that amount.