Balloons, banners and all manners of birthday paraphernalia adorned the atrium on Thursday when the University of New Mexico celebrated it's 130th birthday.
The University of New Mexico Board of Regents held a special meeting last Thursday where members of the board, President Garnett Stokes and Chief Legal Counsel Loretta Martinez discussed a petition signed by more than half of UNM faculty members in support of the formation of a faculty union. Stokes informed the regents that the union, United Academics of UNM (UA-UNM), had granted the University an extension to respond to the request, which is now set for March 18. She also said that University leaders must consider "what's in the best interest of the University of New Mexico in response," which she said must include information for the faculty about unionization.
I’ve been describing “Bachelorette” as a raunchier “Bridesmaids” to pretty much everyone who’s asked me about it. In actuality, I should just tell them to go see it for themselves. This rendition of Leslye Headland’s “Bachelorette” was directed by Rashaad Bond. It’s set to run from March 1 to March 10 at the Experimental “X” theater. Headland’s dark comedy of three seemingly shallow women struggling to cope with the anxieties of adulthood was turned into a movie in 2012. The show is being put on by SCRAP Productions, a student organization, as well as the University of New Mexico Department of Theater and Dance.
The University of New Mexico men's basketball team has known for a while that its only path to the NCAA Tournament is to win the Mountain West Championship later in the month. But that doesn't mean the final three regular season games aren't still important — and the Lobos treated Saturday's bout against Colorado State as such, winning 77-65 to improve to 6-10 in conference play and 12-16 overall. The win puts UNM in a tie with Boise State for 9th in the conference and keeps alive the possibility of climbing higher in the seeding prior to the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas.
Nearly a year after officially breaking ground the Physics & Astronomy and Interdisciplinary Science (PAÍS) building at the University of New Mexico has passed the halfway point of construction. Located on the site of a former City of Albuquerque water reservoir at the northeast intersection of Yale Boulevard and Redondo Drive, the construction site is difficult to miss. Following the ceremonial groundbreaking on March 20, 2018, construction crews have been on site five days a week erecting steel, installing electrical, plumbing, mechanical systems and assorted other construction work. Sarah Scott, communication and outreach specialist with UNM’s Institutional Support Services, said the construction is on schedule and on budget.
Lobos can now add a leash to the list of necessary things for attending the University of New Mexico. UNM Resident Life and Student Housing will be launching a pilot program starting Fall 2019 and concluding at the end of the spring semester 2020. According to Wayne Sullivan, director of Resident Life and Student Housing, this will be an opt-in program to house a pet in their dorm, however there will be only 150 of the 2,000 resident slots on campus. Halls participating in this trial program include Santa Clara Hall — a traditional dorm — and one of the Resident Center apartment buildings. Dogs, cats, small mammals, small reptiles and amphibians will be allowed to live in the dorms.
The Italian-American, mega ponytailed popstar, Ariana Grande, took control of her story on Feb. 8, with her most recent album “thank u, next.” Multiple songs are already topping charts. The 12 track record is the 25-year-old’s fifth album and is consistent with the style of “Sweetener,” her previous album released in 2018. “Sweetener” earned Grande her first Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Album earlier this month. Since releasing “Sweetener,” which featured her hit track “God is a Woman,” Grande certainly came into her personal musical style and powerful voice. “thank u, next” is a testimony to Grande’s building musical prowess through contemplative personal assessment on previous romances and trauma while keeping her chin high looking towards her future. Her new album takes on new elements of sound, further develops her style and delivers both the possibility of a new Grande era and classic Grandesque tones.
Before his resignation, Nick Morgan was referred to as a model senator. Vice President Emily Wilks called Morgan “phenomenal.” Finance Chair Holly Gallegos said Morgan was someone students liked talking to and in Finance Committee meetings, Morgan would often open by telling students that Senators were students too. About three weeks ago, Morgan resigned as a senator from the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico. “I came across some of the stuff that was happening with some of the money,” Morgan said referring to the Student Service Agencies. “I thought it was a little unethical.”
Stereotypes surrounding cheerleading have a history that dates back decades and are concepts most people grew up hearing. Assumptions like “cheerleaders are dumb” or “cheerleading isn’t a real sport” are common when discussing the topic of cheerleading. But for many, cheerleading is a lot more than its stereotypes. As University of New Mexico cheerleaders, sophomores Amaia Bracamontes and JC Oellien have been confronted by these “standards” that seem to define them as athletes.
After months of anticipation, press releases, social media hype, and some familiar player signings, the New Mexico United soccer club is set to kick off their inaugural season this week at Isotopes Park. Officially unveiled as an expansion club on June 7, 2018, New Mexico United will play in the United Soccer League Championship league (USL), which occupies the second tier of the U.S. soccer pyramid under Major League Soccer (MLS). As part of a rapidly expanding soccer landscape in the U.S., United will join 35 other teams in the league in pursuit of domestic silverware, including the USL Cup and the U.S. Open Cup. While other pro or semi-pro soccer clubs in New Mexico have come and gone (New Mexico Chiles, Albuquerque Geckos), United appears set to stick around. In years past, scores of clubs around the country have folded due to lack of fan support, an inability to pay their players and league restructuring. The USL, meanwhile, has gained a firmer financial footing in the U.S. market through a closer relationship with MLS, promotion to Division II status by the U.S. soccer board of directors and a broadcast partnership with ESPN.
It’s a Thursday afternoon practice and the cool, dryness of the Albuquerque air has a piercing touch. Coaches, players and staffers are all wearing long sleeves, jackets, or are layered in clothes to keep from the cold. Standing near home plate, watching his teammates take batting practice, is Jared Mang — the 5’9 senior outfielder out of Los Alamos, New Mexico. He is wearing a red long sleeve emblazoned with a Lobo and a baseball diamond around it. To keep from the cold, he also has on a skull cap, though it's noticeably wrapped around his neck — to keep warm — with his helmet atop his head.
His father was a Lobo. His mother was a Lobo. But coming to the University of New Mexico and becoming a Lobo himself may have seemed like a long-shot for Jarrod Ronquillo. Ronquillo, a two-sport athlete in high school, excelled on the soccer field — at an All-State level in fact, his father Tony Rochillo said. Jarrod went to high school in Minnesota and was pretty good in hockey as well, something that is probably vastly more competitive up north where more people seem to grow up around the game.
For many fans, the University of New Mexico men's basketball team has failed to live up to expectations this season — as high hopes and tremendous upside turned to mediocrity and relative embarrassment at times. The team returned a pair of seniors in Anthony Mathis and Dane Kuiper as well as sophomores Makauch Maluach and Vladimir Pinchuk — all of whom seemed to flourish under the leadership of then first-year UNM head coach Paul Weir. That quartet was joined by a slew of transfers, a couple of whom came from some high-profile programs. Vance Jackson came to UNM via UCONN, JaQuan Lyle transferred from Ohio State and the long-awaited debut eventually saw Carlton Bragg, who had previously played as a Kansas Jayhawk, take the floor.
Team sports can be an integral part of creating a cohesive and healthy campus community. For three years, I attended a private art university that did not offer any organized sports. At first, I didn’t really care because I was an ‘artist’ and many artists didn’t do sports. At least, that’s the impression art school gave me, and I ran with it. I had participated in team sports my entire life — basketball, soccer and softball as a kid to competitive swimming as a teen— so when I was fresh out of high school, I wanted something completely different.
The University of New Mexico women's basketball team has put together an historically good season so far and things are looking pretty promising as postseason play draws near. New Mexico (21-4, 11-3 MW) has engineered one of the most successful seasons in program history to this point. And despite a couple of recent missteps against San Diego State and Fresno State, UNM still has a shot at garnering the top seed in the Mountain West after Boise State just stubbed its toe on Saturday at Utah State.
Former Athletic Director Paul Krebs made his first appearance in 2nd District Judicial Court before Justice William Parnell on Friday. He entered no plea. The court appearance was very short, lasting only five minutes or so. According to the prosecution, a preliminary hearing will be scheduled soon. He appeared with his attorney, Paul Kennedy. Five felony accounts were leveled against Krebs, stemming from investigations surrounding the infamous Scotland trip in 2015 — during which, UNM said it paid $25,000 of public funds for boosters, Krebs, family and a few others to golf in luxury at Trump Aberdeen.
Another hefty round of requests was approved on Wednesday night. Three student groups received a combined total of $22,736 in appropriations. Two of them were club sports. The appropriations come as the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico's remaining budget for the spring semester falls to $40,935. Senators have appropriated $61,807 so far this semester. In Fall 2018, ASUNM appropriated $68,743 in total.
State legislators have made reinstating the four sports cut by the University of New Mexico a mandatory condition in order for the UNM Athletics Departments to receive any state funding this legislative session. House Bill 2, the general appropriations bill for the legislative session, includes a clause stating that the $4.6 million to be appropriated to the UNM Athletics Department “is contingent on the reinstatement” of men’s soccer, men’s skiing, women’s skiing and beach volleyball — all of which were cut by the Board of Regents last August. The clause also states the Higher Education Department would have to certify to the Department of Finance and Administration and the Legislative Finance Committee that the sports have been reinstated for Fiscal Year 2020.
The New Mexico women’s basketball team defeated Utah State 74-56 on Wednesday, thanks to scoring from the bench and a resurgent second half in which the Lobos dominated the Aggies in terms of rebounds. Both Jaedyn De La Cerda and Antonia Anderson contributed 14 and 13 points each off the bench, as UNM outscored the Aggies 36-22 in the second half. “The last 13 minutes we really played,” UNM head coach Mike Bradbury said. “Our response was really, really good. And I think that made a difference.”
Current research being done at the University of New Mexico has the potential to revolutionize the firefighting industry within the next few years. Manish Bhattarai, a graduate student and researcher in the electrical and computer engineering department at UNM, has been developing new technology to better help firefighters in dangerous situations. “I’m really passionate about using technology to address real-world problems,” Bhattarai said.
Solutions by The State News
