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News

The Legislature may be over, but UNM's budget woes are not

Danielle Prokop | March 18

Focus will shift to the University of New Mexico budget, following this year’s legislative session. UNM’s appropriations from the 54th New Mexico Legislature saw an increase in general funding, and more money for the Department of Athletics. However, the University is still facing enrollment shortfalls — that means less in tuition and student fees, and pressure on teacher and staff salaries. According to House Bill 2 (HB 2), this year UNM received $188 million from the State General Fund, which goes directly to the Instruction and General purpose fund (I&G). Those funds are used for supporting the academic mission of the University.

News

Johnson Center renovation nears completion

Justin Garcia | March 18

After almost a year of construction, the redesigned Johnson Center is beginning to take shape. While there will be many new additions, the remodeled recreation center will not have a rock-climbing wall, a feature suggested at the start of the project. According to Director of Recreational Services Jim Todd, there wasn’t room in the $35 million budget for the addition.

News

Photo Story: The D.C. you don't see

Anthony Jackson | March 18

My first time in Washington, D.C. was not special. I remember spending most of my time working in my dorm room and in the Senate Press Gallery of the Capitol building. I never saw as much as I wanted to. I walked the National Mall and went to museums dozens of times, but I never took the time to explore as much as I should. I visited a friend in D.C. over the break and I wanted to makeup for lost time. Instead of keeping my head down and avoiding human interaction, I made it a goal to get out and notice the small things.

Opinion

Column: Greek Life's charity doesn't make up for shortcomings

Kyle Land | March 18

The history of Greek Life on university and college campuses has no shortage of drama. In recent years, fraternities and sororities across the nation have faced troubling incidents, including racism, homophobia and sexual assault. One fraternity at Syracuse even achieved the trifecta by mocking or doing all of these acts in one video. Even at the University of New Mexico, Greek organizations face their fair share of troubling behaviors. Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE), Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) and Phi Delta Theta (Phi Delt) came under investigation last year for violating university policies relating to alcohol and hazing. FIJI had its entire charter revoked, while PIKE and Phi Delt were both placed on probation, the latter of which just ended in January.

Music

Local band Polyhedra drops self-titled EP

Cole Space | March 18

From right here in Albuquerque comes Polyhedra, a melodic death-core band who released a self-titled EP in the beginning of March. The five-track album explores a plethora of sounds, testing the dichotomy between the ordered chaos of metal and the peacefulness of guitar ballads. Each song is a journey within itself, moving from fast paced blast beats and technical progressions, to slower melodic fills and hypnotic guitar riffs. The album begins with the song “Infernus Machina," the instruments featured in the song progressively building throughout the intro. Clean guitar melts with the drums, moving into distortion before quickly transitioning into structured disorder by introducing the varying tones of screaming vocals. The guitar and drums are in sync with one another, no matter the change in tempo, a testament to the chemistry of the band.

University of New Mexico Union Supporters

News

University to make decision on union petition today

Kyle Land | March 18

On Monday, University of New Mexico officials will be releasing their response to a petition signed by over 900 faculty members across all five campuses in support of the formation of a collective bargaining unit, which was filed under the name United Academics of the University of New Mexico (UA-UNM). The decision will come more than a month after the petition was first delivered to President Garnett Stokes during her traveling office hours. UA-UNM allowed the University until March 18 to reach a decision Lee Montgomery, an associate professor and member of UA-UNM, said the University essentially has three options on how to respond to the petition:

UNM's Women Basketball vs. San Diego State University

Sports

Women's Basketball: Cold shooting dooms Lobos against San Diego State

Cameron Goeldner | March 12

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Once again, it was shooting that doomed the New Mexico Lobos against San Diego State. In the Lobos first game of the Mountain West Tournament, they fell to the seventh-seeded Aztecs, 70-61 in overtime. UNM only shot 10 percent from 3-point range, going 3-for-29 from deep, compared to 45 percent from beyond the arc for SDSU. "I thought out of 29 shots from the three, I'm going to say 25 were horse shots," head coach Mike Bradbury said. You've got to make more than three of those. You just can't win like that."

News

Regents discuss Athletics, union in Spring Break meeting

Danielle Prokop | March 11

On a rainy Monday during Spring Break, the University of New Mexico Board of Regents discussed support for a faculty union, resurrected the Athletics cuts discussion and elected new leadership positions on the board. Douglas “Doug” Brown was elected to regent president, Kimberly Sanchez Rael was elected vice president and secretary-treasurer went to Sandra Begay. All votes were unanimous. This removes the mantel from both Regents Robert Doughty, and Marron Lee, former regent president and vice president respectively. They are also the only holdovers from former Gov. Susana Martinez’s appointments to the seven-member governing board. At the top of the meeting, the regents voted unanimously to appoint Marianne Bowers and re-appoint the UNM/Management appointee, Charlotte Lamont, to the UNM Labor Management Relations Board which governs labor negotiations.

Sports

Women's Basketball: Jaisa Nunn leads Lobos over Wyoming

Cameron Goeldner | March 8

Jaisa Nunn wanted to show out one final time in front of the Pit crowd, and she did just that on her Senior Night. "It was very emotional for me at first because it's Senior Night," Nunn said. "I knew I had to show out and I had to do if for the fans especially and I was glad that I got the results that I did. I played hard, and so did the team." Nunn finished with 26 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks to lead the Lobos to a 57-50 victory over the Wyoming Cowgirls that secured the two seed at next week's Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas. UNM will play the winner of a matchup between San Diego State and Air Force. On the night, Nunn also became the seventh Lobo ever to record 1500 points.

Photo courtesy of the UNM Bonds website.

Opinion

Letter: My favorite places to cry on campus

Daily Lobo Readers | March 7

I have been at UNM for three years pursuing my undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry. There are a plethora more places I have cried, and am planning to cry in the future. In all seriousness, I encourage you to take care of yourself this week despite the high stress and volume of tasks. If you’re reading this, I implore you to take a deep breath, you can do it. Prioritize your sleep (no, coffee is not a replacement for sleep, sorry), make sure you’re eating and drinking enough. Good luck on your exams, and remember that your performance on exams does not dictate who you are as a person.

News

ASUNM doles out $8,000, changes Joint Council's role

Justin Garcia | March 7

With the first day of spring break so tantalizingly close, the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico held there fourth meeting of the semester, doling out about $9,000 to eleven student organizations and modifying a few positions within the government. Christian groups, most of which were requesting money to attend conferences, were the biggest recipients of Wednesday night’s appropriations. Deviate, Navigators and InterVarsity received a combined $3,139. Deviate received the most. According to their appropriation request, the money is to attend a retreat in Colorado.

Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos endure second-half surge to defeat Boise on Senior Night

Robert Maler | March 7

Senior night. Words that, when paired together, can elicit a wide array of emotions — from a feeling of nostalgia to a burning desire to put a punctuation mark on one's time at college. And University of New Mexico men's basketball senior guard Dane Kuiper was able to put a stamp on his final regular home game, sending he and fellow senior teammate Anthony Mathis off with a 73-72 victory over the visiting Boise State Broncos.

News

GPSA in turmoil following heated meeting

Justin Garcia | March 6

This spring semester has been a busy one for the University of New Mexico's Graduate and Professional Student Association. They've experienced conflicts of interests, people in the gallery becoming voting members of GPSA in a matter of minutes, accusations of unethical behavior and presidential impeachment proceedings. And that was all in one meeting. That February meeting began with Director of Student Affairs, Ryan Lindquist, explaining to the council what abstaining means. Shortly after, it was announced that three council members had resigned since the last meeting.

News

ASUNM presidential candidates announced

Justin Garcia | March 5

Three senators — all of which are or have been chairs — and an agency director with a recognizable name are running for leadership of the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico. Lobo Spirit Director Adam Biederwolf is running against Steering & Rules Committee Chair Mohammad Assed for president, while former finance committee chair Madelyn Lucas is running against current finance chair Holly Gallegos for vice president. Assed and Gallegos have said they are running together, while Biederwolf and Lucas are doing the same. That leaves open the possibility of a president and vice president from separate unofficial slates holding office together.

News

UNM personnel voice concerns at accreditation panel

Danielle Prokop | March 5

It seemed all the big topics at the University of New Mexico made an appearance at the final forum for the Higher Learning Commission site visit: low wages for professors, the state budget, staff-hiring moratorium, athletics funding, and transparency concerns. The last of three sessions was held at 10 a.m. in the Domenici Center for Health Sciences Education on North Campus. The final forum focused on the last two criteria: evaluations and then resources, the mission and the how effective University institutions are.

Culture

Luann McConnell shares love of spinning wool

Anthony Jackson | March 5

A spinning wheel here, some fossils there and chunks of rich tradition was found in the halls of the New Mexico State Legislature on Monday, March 4. With wool in her hand undergoing a simple transformation, Luann McConnell traveled as far as Las Cruces, New Mexico to share her values of spinning wool. “I have been spinning for over thirty years and it is so much fun. It’s relaxing and it’s productive,” McConnell said. “It’s also a connection to the past because spinning is as old as civilization — to me, spinning links us to our past.” McConnell said she has volunteered spinning at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Museum in Las Cruces for more than a year. She said her husband also volunteers there as a blacksmith.

Culture

Prominent sculpture on campus receives refurbishing

Sophia Sambrano | March 5

One of the University of New Mexico’s most visible displays of public art, Luis Jimenez’ “Fiesta Jarabe,” was recently restored, and is a vibrant part of UNM’s large art collection from world-class artists. The sculpture is more commonly known as “Fiesta Dancers” and sits on UNM’s Cornell Mall. It’s bright colors and distinctive style is one of the first public art pieces greeting UNM visitors. Luis Jimenez’ work depicts a strong couple in a jarabe dance, which is traditional to Mexico. The sculpture was installed in 1993 and is an example of one of the many world-class art pieces available for the UNM community to enjoy. Jimenez is known for his fiberglass sculptures that deal with his hispanic and Southwestern cultural heritage that draws on his experience as the son of working-class Mexican migrants. An active artist from the 1960s until his death in 2006, Jimenez’ work is showcased throughout the United States, but his catalog contains a notable presence in New Mexico.

Culture

Hello Kitty Cafe Truck comes to Albuquerque

Shayla Cunico | March 5

This Saturday, the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck will be rolling into Albuquerque and settling in the courtyard of ABQ Uptown. The pink pickup will be parked in the courtyard near California Pizza Kitchen from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. As part of Sanrio’s debut food related project, the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck made its first trip around the U.S. in 2014. The truck has traveled to more than 80 locations since its debut, and Albuquerque is next on the list. This year Sanrio added 25 locations to their 2019 tour.

News

Accreditation site visit begins today

Kyle Land | March 4

Over two years of intensive planning will come to a close on Monday and Tuesday, as the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) — the body in charge of the University of New Mexico’s accreditation — will perform a site visit on UNM's main campus. According to their website, the HLC has the responsibility of affirming the accreditation status of higher education institutions in 19 states, including New Mexico. They judge whether or not a university is accredited based upon five criteria:

Culture

Photo Story: UNM celebrates 130th birthday

Danielle Prokop | March 4

Balloons, banners and all manners of birthday paraphernalia adorned the atrium on Thursday when the University of New Mexico celebrated it's 130th birthday.