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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.

News

University Libraries remains closed to public, students due to pandemic

Megan Gleason | August 17

Students at the University of New Mexico will have to find new study spaces at the start of the semester due to the delay in the opening of University Libraries (UL). UL pushed back its originally-planned opening on Aug. 10 to an anticipated opening on Aug. 17 to no date for a public opening at all. Instead, UL is following a two-stage opening plan, according to Associate Dean of Public Services Mark Emmons. This includes the Zimmerman Library, Centennial Science and Engineering Library and Fine Arts and Design Library. “What we’re trying to avoid is having too large of a viral load in our building,” Emmons said.

Culture

UNM to welcome students back with online events

Lauren McDonald | August 14

Welcome Back Days at the University of New Mexico will look different than ever before with an almost entirely virtual lineup of events designed to acclimate students to a socially distanced campus environment. The Student Activities Center has put together various activities and events online because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The week will kick off with a virtual escape room on Aug. 14 at 7 p.m., provided by Nusenda Credit Union. The first 75 attendees to the event will receive a free voucher for a one-topping slice of pizza from the new Dion’s location in the Student Union Building.

Culture

Virtual Popejoy concert features Christopher Jackson from “Hamilton”

Hannah John | August 14

After months of musical silence caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Popejoy Hall announced its newest event “Christopher Jackson: Live from the West Side,” a livestreamed concert that will run on Saturday, Aug. 15 at 6 p.m. Jackson is an actor and singer with credits on and off Broadway, widely known for playing George Washington in “Hamilton” and Benny in “In The Heights.” He’s also known for starring in the Netflix original “When They See Us.” During this concert, Jackson will perform original songs and Broadway showtunes live from New York City. He will also answer questions from audience members who tune in.

News

UNM funds pandemic substance use disorder research projects

Megan Gleason and Liberty Stalnaker | August 12

Only 10% of people in the United States that need substance use disorder treatment are actually getting it, according to Dr. Laura Brown, a clinical assistant professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of New Mexico. One of the University’s Grand Challenges initiatives, which launched in the spring of 2019 as a tripartite research project, has now been partially redirected from its original mission to boost that treatment number to studying the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on substance use disorders. The Substance Use Disorders Grand Challenge team, led by Katie Witkiewitz and Brandi Fink, recently allocated funding for four pilot research projects examining the impact of the pandemic and stay-at-home orders on substance use patterns and mental health.

Culture

‘Too Much and Never Enough:’ Mary L. Trump’s scathing exposé on the Trump family

Hevyn Heckes | August 12

Since 2015, there has been speculation on the mental faculties of the man who would become our nation’s 45th president. Donald Trump has been a fixture of the tabloid media for several decades, but never before has his eccentric nature influenced the fate of an entire country. Clinical psychologist Mary L. Trump’s “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man” is a must-read exposé on the Trump family, told from the point of view of Donald Trump’s niece. The first part reads like a CliffsNotes version of Donald Trump’s family history. The most intensive feature in this section is the early childhood trauma that Donald endured when his mother was hospitalized. This is the first insight into Donald Trump’s early childhood and how his development was interrupted by his father’s inability to adequately care for him while his mother was ailing.

News

Mountain West to indefinitely postpone fall sports

Spencer Butler | August 10

Multiple reports have come in that the Mountain West Conference will suspend its fall 2020 sports season and will instead attempt to resume in the spring. The extraordinary move comes after weeks of speculation and concerns that moving forward with collegiate athletic events would exacerbate the coronavirus pandemic currently wracking the country. According to 247Sports, league presidents have decided to cancel the 2020 season due to player safety concerts and health concerns. “"I fully understand the impact of this outcome on our student-athletes, coaches, administrators and staff who work so hard daily to play the sports we all love, and I share in their disappointment,” Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said in a statement. “We will continue to navigate this pandemic together, overcome the obstacles and return to intercollegiate athletics at the earliest opportunity.

Culture

AMP Concerts rock New Mexicans with drive-in concerts, neighborhood shows

Lauren McDonald | August 10

Music has found a way to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the nation. AMP Concerts is composing virtual, neighborhood and drive-in concerts for New Mexicans around the state. AMP Concerts have recently started offering in-person events, with locations like neighborhood driveways. People on the street can watch from their porch or sidewalk while still social distancing. “We saw ‘Zoltan and the Fortune Tellers’ right across the street from our home. It was an amazing experience to see a show right across from my house,” Therese Dooner, a northeast Albuquerque resident, said “We sat on the porch and ate dinner while cheering on the band. It was such a nice surprise during this time.”

News

UNM Law professors request delayed fall semester after two test positive for COVID-19

Genevieve Romero | August 10

A group of tenure track School of Law professors at the University of New Mexico have formally requested a delay in the start of the fall semester. According to a letter obtained by the Daily Lobo, law school faculty members Christine Zuni Cruz, Barbara Creel and Marc-Tizoc González sent a letter to UNM School of Law Dean Sergio Pareja on Aug. 5 urging him to push back the start of the semester until Sept. 8. The letter referenced that the law school has reported two positive cases of COVID-19 in the past few weeks. The first was announced on July 24 and the second on Aug. 4, according to the letter.

News

New Mexico’s new voter registration numbers plunge

Spencer Butler | August 10

Amidst national concerns over the safety and security of the November elections in a nation still ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, low numbers of new voter registrations have voting rights groups anxious about representation at the ballot box in an extraordinary election year. According to the civic engagement advocacy organization Civics Center, New Mexico has seen a precipitous 79.5% decline in new voter registrations in April 2020 compared to four years prior. 8,021 individuals registered to vote in April of 2016, while only 1,644 people registered to vote during April of this year, according to the Civics Center.

News

UNM reconsiders buildings named after violent conquistadors

Gabriel Saiz | August 10

Four University of New Mexico buildings, built and named over two mid-century decades, still bear the names of conquistadors: Coronado Hall, Alvarado Hall, Oñate Hall, and DeVargas Hall. Now, UNM is taking the first step in a long procedural process toward addressing campus buildings named after contentious historical figures, according to UNM spokesperson Cinnamon Blair. The UNM Committee on Naming has been reviewing whether current University policy allows buildings to be renamed or if new provisions must be written to do so, Blair — a member of the committee — said on Wednesday. Current UNM policy covers naming new buildings but lacks a specific provision on their renaming.

News

Community members protest police presence in Albuquerque Public Schools

Genevieve Romero | August 10

Nearly 150 young people, students, teachers and community members demanded Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) defund its police department during a protest outside of APS headquarters on Saturday evening. Organizers said police departments in school systems contribute to the criminalization of Black and Brown communities and aggravate the school-to-prison pipeline. “We are out here to demand the defunding and abolishment of the APS Police Department,” Fight For Our Lives organizer and leader Zoey Craft said. Monica Armenta, a spokesperson with the APS superintendent’s office, said Albuquerque Public Schools “understands many of (our) students and their families experience public education through a lens not always understood by all, and (they) will continue to do what they can to eradicate racism where it exists” in a statement to the Daily Lobo.

Culture

National Farmers’ Market Week highlights need to support local businesses

Megan Gleason | August 10

Local businesses have been struggling amidst the coronavirus pandemic, and local farmers’ markets are no exception. National Farmers’ Market Week was Aug. 2 through Aug. 8 this year, bringing a much-needed burst of attention to farmers’ markets across the country. “(The pandemic) has definitely sent a shockwave through the farmers’ market sector,” Ben Feldman, executive director at Farmers Market Coalition, said. “For quite some time now, it’s been pretty much impossible to be a market operator.” The Albuquerque Growers’ Market Alliance banded together to present the Downtown Growers’ Market, the Rail Yards Market, the Mile-Hi Farmers’ Market and the Dominga Baca Farmers’ Market during National Farmers Market Week.

Culture

Instituto Cervantes conducts interviews revealing pandemic’s cultural impacts

Jasmine Casillas | August 7

A series of interviews conducted by the Instituto Cervantes of Albuquerque brought together three musicians in a collection titled “Porque Canto en Español.” The videos explain cultural influences as well as the impact of the pandemic on being a musician. The interviews were conducted via video conferencing and then uploaded in late July onto the Instituto Cervantes YouTube page. The director of the non-profit institute and interviewer of the series, Silvia Grijalba, states the purpose of the project is “to introduce people who live in the United States (born here or not) and have chosen Spanish to develop their career.”