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Comic, April 7, 2025

Thousands gather at Civic Plaza for nationwide ‘Hands Off!’ protest against Trump administration

On Saturday, April 5, Albuquerque joined cities across the country in a “Hands Off!” protest, during which thousands rallied at Civic Plaza to protest against the Trump’s administration’s actions. Speakers addressed local and national issues including immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ rights, climate justice, Medicaid, Palestinian rights, the right to free speech, public education and the University of New Mexico’s policies. Speakers at the rally included labor activist Dolores Huerta, former Secretary of the Interior and current gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, New Mexico Women’s March Chair Samia Assed, UNM law professor Ernesto Longa, among others.

ASUNM VP impeachment attempt fails in full senate meeting

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico senate voted Wednesday, April 2, not to open a resolution containing articles of impeachment filed against Vice President Mutazz Jaber for failure to fill two “critical” vacant senate seats in a timely manner, according to Resolution 1S. If there are vacancies in the senate, the vice president is responsible for contacting and appointing the official candidates who received the next-highest number of votes during the most recent general election who could fill those vacancies, according to the ASUNM Constitution. If the candidates appointed refuse the position, the vice president is obligated to accept applications for the vacant seats and appoint replacements, with approval from two-thirds of the senate, within 10 days, according to the constitution.

UNMPD begins using bodycams

In March, the University of New Mexico Police Department began using body cameras. This comes over a year after the Daily Lobo reported that UNMPD did not use body cameras because of a loophole in a state statute. A bill during this year’s legislative session aimed to close that loophole, but it did not make it past the Senate. UNM announced that the police department would obtain the cameras in August 2024. So far, the cameras have worked well, according to Lt. Tim Delgado, who is in charge of UNMPD’s body camera program.

UNO tournament deals out fun and funds

On Saturday, April 5, Canteen Brewhouse hosted its third annual UNO Tournament, drawing about 50 card-playing beer lovers and card sharks to their patio for an afternoon of friendly competition, drinks and community support. The event featured a bracket-style UNO competition with winners facing winners until one emerged as the ultimate UNO champion. Meanwhile, attendees enjoyed local brews and tested their luck in a raffle for prizes including T-shirts, water bottles and gift cards. Kenneth Kinderwater, who recently moved to Albuquerque, won both a raffle prize and a spot on the tournament bracket.

REVIEW: Please try to enjoy each season equally — ‘Severance’ Season Two does not disappoint

On March 20, Apple TV released the finale episode of Season Two of “Severance,” the hit TV thriller created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller. If you wish to keep the final episode mysterious and important, know this: it was excellent. If you wish to know more… Spoilers ahead. “Severance” mostly follows the lives of four employees who work for a company known as Lumon Industries. Their work is so secret that they must all undergo the titular Severance procedure, which splits their consciousness into two parts — an “Innie” who exists only at work, and an “Outie” who lives the rest of their life.

The Eric Olen era begins for men's basketball

On March 30, the University of New Mexico announced its hire of the 23rd head coach of the men's basketball team, Eric Olen. He took over the job less than a week after previous head coach Richard Pitino announced he would move to Xavier University.  This marks the third major hire in Lobo athletics over the last four months, alongside new athletic director Fernando Lovo and head football coach Jason Eck. Olen is under contract with the Lobos for five years, with a base salary of $1.2 million and an additional $50,000 per year, for a total payout of $6.5 million. He can receive further compensation by achieving athletic performance goals, like a Mountain West regular season championship or NCAA Tournament.

UNM to begin demolition of Motel 6 following acquisition

The Motel 6 that the University of New Mexico acquired in February is expected to be demolished within the next two weeks. The University purchased the property for $5 million, according to a memo from Thomas Neale, the UNM director of real estate. The motel sits on an approximately 1.57-acre plot of land just west of Lobo Village. The UNM Board of Regents also approved an offer for the 1-acre plot of land next to the motel priced at $1.25 million, according to a statement to the Daily Lobo by UNM Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair.

‘Common Ground’: UNM hosts campus tree celebration

On April 1, the University of New Mexico hosted a campus tree celebration with speakers, live-music, a seed-swap, tree-shaped cookies and a live tree-planting demonstration. The event corresponded with the beginning of April as Earth Month. For the first time, UNM was recognized as a higher education “Tree Campus” by the Arbor Day Foundation. To qualify for the designation, an institution must meet certain criteria — including having a campus tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for trees, annual Arbor Day observance and a service learning project that encourages student engagement, according to UNM Director of Sustainability Anne Jakle.

Guild Cinema April preview

Here are some of the films Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema — a short distance from the University of New Mexico campus — will show in April. From April 8-10, the Guild will screen the 1980 film “The Elephant Man” as a part of its continuing tribute to David Lynch, who died in January. The film is a fictionalized account of the life of Joseph Merrick, a 19th-century Englishman with severe facial deformities. Played by John Hurt, he is discovered in a freak show by a doctor, played by Anthony Hopkins, who rescues and takes care of him. 

OPINION: Bobbleheads of the week — UFC Fight Night edition

Where there’s a victor, there’s a loser, and sometimes certain athletes contribute to their team’s or their own shortcomings. These athletes are favorably called bobbleheads. This week in the UFC, we had firework fights and lackluster fights. Here are some athletes who fell off.

Isotopes get a sting in their swing after loss to the Bees

On Thursday, April 3, the Albuquerque Isotopes played the Salt Lake Bees for the third game in the series. Both teams battled for the win, which led to a fairly close game with a 5-3 Salt Lake win. This loss marked the second for the Isotopes in the series. It was a tough 15-1 loss for the Isotopes on Tuesday, April 1, but they quickly recovered for Wednesday's game, winning 17-2. Thursday’s game was a challenge for both teams and it was tough to make runs, making the game one of the longest in the series so far.

Bulls and cowboys ride into town for Ty Murray Invitational

Even though basketball season has ended, there is still noise, excitement and a lot of dirt in The Pit. But this time, some of the athletes are of a more bovine variety. From March 28-30, The Pit hosted its annual Professional Bull Riding Ty Murray Invitational. Over the three days of action, Albuquerque was home to some of the top bulls and bull riders in the world, and The Pit was packed with a sea of denim, turquoise jewelry and cowboy hats. The riders are fighting for a chance to go to the PBR world finals, which the top 40 riders are all invited to.

BODYTRAFFIC brings high-level contemporary dance to Popejoy Hall

On Friday, April 4, contemporary dance company BODYTRAFFIC will travel from Los Angeles to perform at Popejoy Hall. “Led by Artistic Director Tina Finkelman Berkett, BODYTRAFFIC is known for its stunning performers, diverse technical mastery, and commitment to dynamic repertoire that is captivating for dance lovers and dance newcomers alike,” a Popejoy press release reads.

Isotopes rebound from rough opener, crush Salt Lake behind explosive fifth inning

After a brutal 15-1 loss on Tuesday, April 1, the Albuquerque Isotopes flipped the momentum completely. They dominated the Salt Lake Bees in a 17-2 blowout at Isotopes Park on Wednesday, April 2. The Isotopes struck early and never looked back. In the bottom of the first inning, Adael Amador stole home on a wild pitch to open the scoring, and a Salt Lake error brought in two more. Ryan Ritter extended the lead with a solo home run in the second, and by the time the fifth inning rolled around, the home team was up 5-0 and still heating up.

Isotopes drop first game of the series against the Salt Lake Bees

The Albuquerque Isotopes had a 15-1 loss against the Salt Lake Bees on Tuesday, April 1. This was the first game of the series between the Isotopes and Bees. To add insult to injury, this was also the Isotopes home opener for the season — one they will look to forget. Pitching and batting were the two biggest issues for the Isotopes all night. The weather for the game could have been a factor in the Isotopes’ struggle, as the wind was intense. But it cannot be used as an excuse, considering the Bees played in the same conditions and scored 15 runs.

What is the difference between antisemitism and anti-Zionism?

Last month, University of New Mexico Honors College Interim Dean Leslie Donovan sent an email to all Honors College members reporting that antisemitic messages were found written on a whiteboard in the Honors College building. According to Donovan’s email, the messages on the whiteboard said that “folks with Zionist perspectives are not welcome here.” Donovan asked recipients of the email to "immediately report information if they know who was responsible for writing the messages.” UNM anthropology professor Les Field told the Daily Lobo that antisemitism and anti-Zionism are completely different — and outlined the distinctions between the two.

LETTER: Liberal university administrators are fascism’s most eager collaborators

On March 8, the Department of Homeland Security forcefully disappeared Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student who was a prominent figure in Columbia’s Palestine Solidarity Encampment and their movement for divestment from Zionist apartheid. DHS came to Khalil’s apartment building, which is owned by Columbia University, and forced themselves into his home. They arrested Khalil and threatened to arrest his wife when she asked who they were. DHS arrested Khalil by claiming his “student visa” had been “revoked.” When Khalil stated that he was not in the U.S. on a student visa but was in fact a permanent legal resident, DHS officers said they had “revoked that too.”

UNM releases draft changes to affirmative action policies

The University of New Mexico released prospective changes to its affirmative action policies on Friday, March 28. The draft policies — which largely remove references to affirmative action — are available on the UNM Policy Office website for the campus community’s review and commentary through Friday, April 4. Affirmative action at UNM seeks to promote race and gender diversity in employment by recruiting qualified women, minorities, people with disabilities and protected veterans, according to UNM Compliance, Ethics, & Equal Opportunity.

A society collapsed: PATS gives up on ticketing

University of New Mexico Parking and Transportation Services recently announced that it will entirely give up on handing out parking citations, ushering in a new era of vehicular chaos unprecedented in modern society. Patrick Patterson, director of PATS, said the organization has been officially “wrecked.” “PATS has always been a proud and definitely fair organization. We kept the peace. We maintained order. Now, we’ve fallen apart due to internal pressures and public mockery. So you win, you animals. We give up,” Patterson said. “You’re all on your own now. Let’s see if you like the world you wake up in when you wake up without a citation on your window.”