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News

UNM Journalism Department rebuked by professional organizations

Justin Garcia | December 26

Two prominent journalism organizations have rebuked the Department of Communication and Journalism's response to a Daily Lobo records request via the New Mexico Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA). The two statements — one from the New Mexico chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the other from the Rio Grande chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists — came after department chair David Weiss said he was "disturbed" by what he said was the "use/misuse/abuse of IPRA" by the Daily Lobo in emails exchanged within the department. Those emails were obtained by the Daily Lobo via a records request. The Daily Lobo requested documents associated with the department's student grievance procedure in October 2019.

News

UNM student assists Española water clean-up

Makayla Grijalva and Amanda Britt | December 18

University of New Mexico law student Mara Yarbourgh is working to bring environmental justice to the community members of Española, New Mexico and ensuring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is sticking to their primary goals of protecting human health and the environment. Since giving a dissertation on the North Railroad Avenue Plume (NRAP) superfund site last year, Yarbrough said she realized there is a lack of communication and understanding between the people in Española and what the EPA is doing.

News

Benton prevails in runoff: Retains UNM area council seat

Lissa Knudsen | December 11

City Councilor Isaac “Ike” Benton takes the race. With 100% of precinct results reporting, Benton (D-District 2) received 52.2% of the vote in Tuesday's runoff election, while challenger Zack Quintero (D) got 47.8%. The gap between the two candidates was just over 4%. Benton will retain in his seat for another four-year term.

Eddie Nuñez addresses reporters after BoR meeting

Sports

Davie's buyout nears $1 million

Andrew Gunn | December 10

After an eight-year tenure as the head coach of the University of New Mexico football team, Bob Davie and Athletics Director Eddie Nuñez "mutually agreed to part ways" on Nov. 25. Davie will leave more than fresh memories of a woeful 2-10 season behind — he’ll also head out the door with a $825,000 severance check. The Board of Regents approved a contract buyout on Tuesday, Dec. 10 that will burn a nearly million dollar-sized hole in the University’s pocket over the course of 30 months. Nuñez confirmed the buyout to reporters following a closed-door session with the Regents

News

Justice Department ends three-year oversight of UNM

Justin Garcia | December 10

The U.S. Department of Justice released the University of New Mexico from a three-year oversight, UNM President Garnett Stokes announced in a Board of Regents meeting on Dec. 10 as well as in a letter to all students, staff and faculty. The DOJ formally ended its oversight in a letter dated Dec. 6, 2019. DOJ closed its monitoring of the agreement because they felt UNM had met its requirements of the three-year oversight agreement, according to the letter. “Please note that this determination does not preclude the Department’s investigation of future complaints against UNM, if any,” the letter said.

Sports

Lobo basketball wrangles up Wyoming, leads Mountain West

Joe Rull | December 10

The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (9-2, 2-0 MWC) traveled to Laramie on Saturday afternoon to face the University of Wyoming (3-7, 0-2 MWC), recording a 79-65 victory and preserving their undefeated record in conference play. The Lobos dominated around the rim Saturday, outscoring Wyoming 44-24 in the paint and out-rebounding the Cowboys 47-29. Thanks in part to senior forward Carlton Bragg’s early foul trouble, Corey Manigault recorded nine first-half points to go with four rebounds.

News

UNM adapts to enrollment slide

Amanda Britt and Bianca Hoops | December 8

University of New Mexico student Madelyn Lucas has been a New Student Orientation (NSO) leader for two years. During the last two summers, Lucas would get to main campus early Monday morning and chauffeur dozens of incoming students around UNM until Thursday evening. Lucas said she hasn’t noticed a decline in the hundred or so incoming students she has worked within her two years as an NSO leader; however, in her other job as a student leader of the undergraduate student government, she grapples with it every day. Since the fall semester of 2012, student enrollment has plummeted by one-fifth (21.68%), according to data from UNM’s Office of Institutional Analytics (OIA). The decline is in response to national trends and campus events, according to Provost James Holloway — which has led to budget shortages, departmental scale back and a drastic shift in life for all UNM community members.

News

Kayleigh Maes defines college experience though art and friendship

Beatrice Nisoli | December 8

Kayleigh Maes’s passion for her major in Media Arts is the end product of an affinity for film and photography rooted in childhood. Maes’s strong foundation in her degree path is built upon her family’s equally artistic background, and according to Maes, this foundation has reassured her whenever she questions her career plan. “My whole family has been in the film industry since I was little. My dad started out as a graphic designer and then became an art director in film here. So, I grew up going onto set and taking photographs of what I saw,” Maes said, adding that her parents have wholeheartedly supported her selecting a Media Arts route over a film and photography career. In addition to her sturdy personal foundation, Maes maintains an equally secure professional impact in Albuquerque. She plans to continue developing her existing photography business after graduation and continue working at the magazine Perfect Wedding Guide New Mexico.

Culture

Dannelle Kirvin graduating as beloved UNM student leader

Daniel Ward | December 8

As a first-generation college student, Dannelle Kirvin has made a huge impact on campus every year she has been at the University of New Mexico. Majoring in multimedia journalism with a minor in criminology, she came to UNM knowing exactly what she wanted with her heart set on making a difference and standing up for what's right. Kirven held a variety of different leadership positions — President of Zeta Phi Beta sorority and President of the Black Student Union (BSU). Since the fall of 2015, she held a work-study position in the computer lab of African American Student Services (AASS), but she recently started working there as a professional support intern.

Opinion

A Guide to not going completely crazy during finals week

Spencer Butler | December 8

Well, here we are. The final week of the semester should bring joy, happiness and adulation. Instead, it brings dread, hopelessness and much-unneeded stress. This sense of impending doom comes in the form of final exams, as they are the major reason for the massive loss of hair and mental breakdowns. But, with a plan of action and with a little luck, you can survive and thrive during your final exams. I am not an expert in the field of finals, but these are the things that I have done to do better on the most important exam of the semester.

Culture

New Nob Hill bookstore features unique titles

Makayla Grijalva | December 8

Tucked in the corner of the newly opened Little Bear And Stuff Retail Collaborative, colorful books speckle sand-colored bookshelves and light up the industrial space. Harvest Moon Books opened on Small Business Saturday — along with the rest of the retail collaborative — and has already seen customers browsing its unique literature collection. The small bookstore sells a variety of titles, both new and used, with a focus on people of color and indigenous and queer authors.

Culture

Graduating Daily Lobo staff look to outdoors in next chapter

Alex Hiett and Loreena Cain | December 8

The stresses of modern education and deadline anxieties are coming to an end, and three of the Daily Lobo’s own staff are looking forward to having time to spend enjoying the outdoors. Culture Editor Luisa Pennington, Sports Editor Alanie Rael, and Photographer and reporter Kristina Tanberg are three of the seniors departing from the University of New Mexico this week, diplomas in hand.

Culture

Carmen Carretero Martinez wants to give back to world through architecture

Alyssa Martinez | December 8

Carmen Carretero Martinez has always been “the different kid.” Born in Spain and anchored in Bioko Island for her early teen years, Carretero Martinez found fragments of ‘home’ in New Mexico during her time at the University of New Mexico, she said. The journey for the 19-year-old architecture graduate, however, was not without turbulence.

Culture

LARPing builds medieval community in ABQ

Alanie Rael and Andrea Solis | December 8

Heroic sword fights, champions dressed in handmade armor, assassins lurking through a battlefield. Actions of these sorts seem to be straight out of a medieval storybook, but for one Albuquerque community, these stories come to life through live-action role-play — or more popularly known as LARPing. Every Saturday, non-profit group Amtgard of Albuquerque - Pegasus Valley, takes to Taylor Park to engage in medieval battle games that consist of combat weapons made of foam to replicate swords, daggers, arrows and other feudal weapons.

News

Climate strike demands UNM to call state of climate emergency

Amanda Britt and Liz Pritchard | December 7

Students, staff and members of the University of New Mexico community called for the University to declare a state of climate emergency Friday afternoon. University President Garnett Stokes was not in attendance to hear that message. The climate strike included a march from Johnson Field to the outside Stokes' office in Scholes Hall. UNM LEAF — a climate group — and Fight For our Lives led the march in order to present Stokes with a letter demanding a regenerative campus, investing in education on climate change action and the elimination of UNM’s investment in the fossil fuel industry.

News

Law students offer legal advice to Española residents with contaminated water

Makayla Grijalva and Amanda Britt | December 5

University of New Mexico law students are assisting Española community members with legal advice as the town faces water contamination through the Environmental Law Clinic. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated a remedy a decade ago but has reported that the fix was inadequate at cleaning the deeper portions of the aquifer, which remain contaminated.

Sports

Lyle catches fire as Lobos escape in conference opener

Joe Rull | December 5

The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (8-2, 1-0 MWC) triumphed 80-78 Wednesday night against Boise State (4-3, 0-1 MWC), now having recorded a victory in their conference opener for the ninth consecutive season. Boise State got off to a hot start from the field, shooting 9-for-11 in the game’s opening minutes, including an opening 8-0 run. For much of the first half, UNM played catch-up, managing just 24 seconds with the lead in the first half.

News

A small family for a small farm

Alanie Rael | December 5

While 100% sustainability may be the long-term goal for some environmental activists, Santa Fe locals Kim Brown and Melissa Willis are far more interested in making a change with the land they have at their feet. As human beings, sustainability is more crucial than ever with increased climate change occurring over the last century. For some people, total sustainability is the overall goal. The thing about being human is that 100% sustainability isn’t 100% realistic — ever.

News

UNM sexual assault cover-up suit settled

Justin Garcia and Andrew Gunn | December 5

The University of New Mexico settled a civil lawsuit pertaining to the school’s handling of a 2016 rape allegation by a former student. What UNM will pay the plaintiff — or to what degree they will admit fault — remains unclear. The settlement stemmed from a civil lawsuit brought by former UNM student Teriana Bagley, on Jan. 23 this year which alleged: “a campaign of misinformation, intimidation and retaliation (was) being conducted by and through Coach (Bob) Davie and the UNM football program.” UNM declined to provide a statement about the settlement or its terms except to say “the settlement is confidential per state statute.”

News

ASUNM plans for NM Legislature

Alyssa Martinez and Alex Hiett | December 4

As 2019 comes to a close and next year’s New Mexico legislative session nears, ASUNM President Adam Biederwolf is preparing to request new capital outlay funds from the Roundhouse, While previous ASUNM President Becka Myers’ capital outlay request has yet to see completion. Last spring, Myers’ administration secured capital outlay from the legislature to fund solar panel installations on the roof of the Student Union Building (SUB). Before the project could start, it was discovered that the SUB roof had extensive weather damage.