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Culture

Amanda Britt graduates UNM with love for journalism, psychology and herself

Megan Gleason | May 12

Through sun and rain, Amanda Britt made her way to graduation with a humble smile that surfaced a radiant personality. With a double major in journalism and psychology, Britt is ending her time at the Daily Lobo as the photo editor. She started at the University of New Mexico with little idea of what her passions were and came out on the other end with love — not just for journalism and psychology, but also for herself. When Britt was diagnosed with bipolar depression, she faced a new challenge that she struggled to handle throughout college. "This whole year has been a battle with my mental health, but now I feel like I’m good again," Britt said. "I am learning more about myself and being kind to myself."

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News

UNM prepping for up to $53 million budget cut from the state

Justin Garcia | May 12

State funding for the University of New Mexico could soon plummet some $53 million or 15%, according to UNM’s top finance administrator, raising questions about cuts and reductions across the University in the coming months. Teresa Costantinidis, UNM’s vice president for finance and administration, told the Board of Regents on Tuesday that UNM is prepping budget scenarios for the likely loss of a significant chunk of state funding due to a historic crash in oil prices and a reeling COVID-19 economy.

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Culture

Local DJs transition to online performances

Cameron Ward | May 9

As social distancing measures persist for the foreseeable future, local DJs are left questioning what will happen next for their industry paused by the coronavirus pandemic. Across the state, many DJs are left unemployed and unable to attend gigs. The health pandemic and subsequent economic crisis forced many DJs to resort to online performances that can be found on live streams. Phoebe Fox, a nursing major at the University of New Mexico, has been participating in many live streams since the transformation and has dressed up for multiple events. 

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Culture

UNM graduate students create homemade ventilator design

Megan Gleason | May 9

University of New Mexico graduate students Mostafa Peysokhan and Maryam Bahmani created a simple ventilator design in mid-April with hopes of helping hospitals low on ventilators. The homemade ventilator “CorVent” was designed to be cheap and easy to create, with little tools necessary. “We decided to design a very simple and inexpensive ventilator that anyone in any part of the world can easily make,” Bahmani said.

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Culture

UNM Mock Trial canceled this semester, plans to come back strong when safe

Megan Gleason | May 7

Mock Trial clubs around the nation, including the University of New Mexico Mock Trial, were forced to stop competing due to COVID-19 regulations put in place by the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA). The Mock Trial club studies court cases and competes with other collegiate level clubs around the United States. AMTA typically releases the cases that all Mock Trial clubs will study nation-wide but made the decision to not release the spring case due to the coronavirus pandemic. This impacts both high school and collegiate levels. “Any competition that’s held is run through (AMTA) and they are the equivalent of royalty... that are paid in order to hold the competition,” UNM Mock Trial President Lanz Sanchez said.

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News

COVID cost UNM nearly $50 million in lost revenue

Justin Garcia | May 5

The novel coronavirus hit the University of New Mexico’s budget hard. Teresa Costantinidis, UNM vice president for finance and administration, told a Board of Regents Committee that COVID-19 has cost UNM $49.8 million in lost revenue.  Administrators didn’t say what actions they might take to stem off repercussions of the revenue lost beyond lobbying the federal government for more relief. However, Provost James Holloway told the Daily Lobo that UNM is under a hiring freeze with an undetermined end date.  “We do expect (for fiscal year 2020) additional allocations of approximately $10 million in total,” Costantinidis said. 

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Culture

“Hamilton” adjusts to the COVID-19 pandemic

Loreena Cain | May 5

The touring cast of the Broadway hit “Hamilton” scheduled a visit to Popejoy from Jan. 19 to Feb. 7, 2021, however, with the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic it is unclear if people will be allowed to gather in large crowds come early next year. “While it is far too soon to tell whether COVID-19 will affect the performances of Hamilton scheduled to begin in Popejoy Hall on January 19, we know we have a great partner in the production of Hamilton that will do all it can to reschedule those performances as quickly as possible, should our three-week run of the show be closed down due to the pandemic,” Popejoy Marketing Manager Terry Davis said,  Broadway shows in New York City have been shuttered since March 12 and are set to remain closed through at least June 7, and it is likely that the shutdown will continue past that date. Touring shows have also been canceled across the country including Popejoy’s planned performances of “Escape to Margaritaville” and “The Play that Goes Wrong”.

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News

NSO goes online

Beatrice Nisoli | May 4

The University of New Mexico’s New Student Orientation (NSO) is officially transferring to an online format.  In a continuing effort to mitigate the potential effect of COVID-19 on UNM students, NSO Director Jose Villar developed an online orientation program for specific groups that has since been extended to all incoming students. According to Villar, he and his team “are committed to doing their part to flatten the curve.”  Coined “NSO...To-Go,” the online orientation will feature live presentations, Q&A panels, webinars and virtual help sessions, among other events. Villar said familiar NSO-specific activities, such as the annual completion of The Grey Area talk and academic advisement and registration, will also be conducted in a remote format. 

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Culture

UNM Dance Program performs heart-warming online spring concert

Megan Gleason | May 2

The University of New Mexico Dance Program hosted an online concert for Spring 2020 on May 1, inviting the public to watch students perform “Observer as Poet” with choreography centered on the theme of quarantine. The program consisted of a mix of different students and locations, all reflecting on the stress and anxiety that has been prominent for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. I found relief in watching the performing arts world come together when this has been such a difficult time to physically do so. The performers proved that although they are physically separated, they are emotionally together still.

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News

Social media, bullying dominate final ASUNM meeting

Alyssa Martinez | May 2

As outgoing senators shared solemn goodbyes and incoming ones watched on the Zoom call, one parting piece of advice was unavoidable in the last full senate meeting of the semester: Social media conduct matters. When they weren't passing three bills — two of which were related to the internal protocol of an Associated Students of UNM State of Emergency — and a resolution acknowledging the hardships brought on by COVID-19, several ASUNM senators spoke on the virtual presence of those within the organization. Outgoing ASUNM President Adam Biederwolf was the first to raise the topic during his final presidential report.

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Culture

Film students adapt to COVID restrictions

Jeanette DeDios | May 1

Seniors of the Film and Digital Media Arts Department (FDMA) have struggled to stay motivated while trying to find alternative ways to finish their capstone projects. With the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 and the rules that prohibit face-to-face interaction, students are finding it harder to cope in a world of uncertainty. The University of New Mexico students enrolled in the FDMA program study under a four year cohort program that teaches them skills of filmmaking and prepares them to work within the film industry after graduation. The culmination of their hard work is presented in their senior capstones where they work in crews to create a film, video game or animation from beginning to end. 

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News

Bucking popular vote, committee moves forward with new seal

Justin Garcia | April 30

The popular vote wanted design A.  Supporters said in write-in comments that they preferred the artwork, that it provided a sense of pride and that it told a story better than other options.  The Regents disagreed.  Despite not receiving popular support, design C was chosen unanimously by the Academic, Student Affairs and Research Committee (ASAR) over four other designs. The seal is not the logo. Instead, the seal is reserved for official documents, including diplomas. 

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News

Kiana Caalim and Nahje Flowers considered for posthumous degrees

Justin Garcia | April 30

Posthumous degrees for Nahje Flowers and Kiana Caalim unanimously approved the Academic, Student Affairs and Research Committee Thursday, signaling approvals at an upcoming Regent’s meeting.  Flowers died November 5, 2019. Caalim died on December 11, 2019.  “The University of New Mexico recognizes that earning a degree is a matter of legitimate pride of achievement not only for students themselves but also for the family members and friends who provide students with vitally important support,” read Caalim and Flowers’ posthumous degree request form. 

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News

COVID-19 disproportionately impacts marginalized populations

Amanda Britt | April 29

The coronavirus pandemic is not the great equalizer some in the limelight have touted it to be.  Melanie Moses, UNM professor of computer science, has been studying the racial disparities of the coronavirus spreading within our state. Moses said there needs to be policies implemented to protect vulnerable groups as individuals plan to open economies, distribute personal protective equipment and develop vaccination plans. “There are shocking disparities among African, Latinx and Native-American populations with mortality rates at rates at least two or three times higher than white populations,” Moses said. At least 31% of New Mexicans who’ve contracted COVID-19 are Native American despite only making up about 11% of the population, according to an article New Mexico In Depth published based on publicly available data.

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Culture

Local acequias lack proper maintenance during stay-at-home order

Daniel Ward | April 28

None of the Pajarito Meadows residents expected to go outside and find half the houses flooding one afternoon in early April. Some houses were drenched two to three feet deep in water from the nearby acequia. However, the reason why the acequias overflowed is a different story.  Many acequias in New Mexico are open and running despite having to cancel their community spring cleaning day. As the stay-at-home order continues, cleaning the acequias has been put on hold for many New Mexico communities.  Since acequias are not Albuquerque’s main source of farm water, keeping them clean has become a hassle in some areas.

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News

UNM announces virtual commencement ceremony

Makayla Grijalva | April 27

In an email sent to those graduating in spring 2020 on April 27, the University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes officially announced a virtual celebration to honor graduates.  The celebration will take place on Saturday, May 30 at 9 a.m, with more details expected to come later this week from the Office of the University Secretary. The email added that a virtual commencement does not replace an in-person one, so spring 2020 graduates will be invited to walk at a later commencement ceremony.  “To say that a virtual celebration is an imperfect solution would be an enormous understatement—and believe me, I’m as upset as you are that we won’t be celebrating your new degree in person, in a crowded Dreamstyle Arena (Pit) filled with family and friends,” Stokes said in the email. “Commencement is a life experience, a genuine rite of passage—and as such, it truly cannot be experienced virtually.”

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News

Politics, misinformation enter fray as 'anti-quarantine' protest and COVID cases continue

Andrew Gunn | April 26

A small group of protesters demanding the reopening of New Mexico’s economy gathered at Civic Plaza Friday while the death toll from the coronavirus in New Mexico continues to mount. The demonstration — organized locally on Facebook by longshot Republican congressional candidate Brett Kokinadis and a group called “NM Freedom Rally - Operation Gridlock NM” — mirrored other anti-quarantine protests held in Santa Fe and across the country in recent weeks calling for the softening of social distancing restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic. While the small nationwide protests continue to make headlines and grab attention online, their origins remain unclear. A Washington Post article found that three brothers from Ohio were responsible for some of the largest anti-quarantine Facebook groups in the country.

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Culture

‘Singing is a way of life’ A Capella student org goes online

Megan Gleason | April 26

Something Major A Capella (SMAC) is working online to try to create a virtual concert in place of their canceled concert due to the coronavirus pandemic. SMAC is a student a capella singing group at the University of New Mexico, consisting of both music and non-music majors. “Singing is a way of life… Singing keeps up sane,” President Chris Mather said.

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Music

Review: The Absurdity of “Tiger King”

Loreena Cain | April 25

This article contains spoilers for all episodes of “Tiger King” The Netflix documentary series “Tiger King” has quickly become the most popular show of the moment. There is no way of escaping Joseph “Joe Exotic” Maldonado-Passage’s bleached blond mullet or blue and purple sequined jacket on social media recently. This documentary, told in a total of eight episodes, follows a host of characters involved in the selling and breeding, or rescue of big cats in America's south.

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News

Agora Crisis Center faces high-volume chat services during pandemic

Megan Gleason | April 24

The University’s Agora Crisis Center has seen an increase in the use of their services during the coronavirus pandemic. Agora — a UNM student organization — is a free, confidential all-issues support center accessible to anyone.  “Our whole mission is really to just help our community,” Agora Associate Director Kyle Dougherty said. “Anybody can get in contact with us at any time.” Agora reported they’ve had an increase in online chat services, while their phone services remain consistent with previous records.