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News

College affirmative consent bill heads to governor’s desk

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | February 19

The New Mexico Senate passed an amended bill Tuesday, Feb. 13 that would require state-funded colleges to include affirmative consent in their policies and procedures on sexual activity. House Bill 151, sponsored by Rep. Elizabeth Thomson (D) and four other House Democrats, defines affirmative consent as “affirmative, conscious and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity.” Affirmative consent cannot be given by a party who is unconscious or incapacitated, cannot be implied or assumed and can be revoked at any time, according to the bill. “With this, I’m hoping that particularly women – but everyone – realizes that their body belongs to them. They don’t owe anybody anything. Taking you out for dinner doesn’t mean you owe them sex. Being their girlfriend doesn’t mean you owe them sex,” Thomson said.

Culture

Lunar New Year: Albuquerque’s version

BillyJack Davidson | February 16

Lunar New Year is a time of celebration throughout the world. Saturday, Feb. 10, the 50th annual Lunar New Year Celebration was held in Albuquerque’s International District at a martial arts school called the Chinese Culture Center. Ray Tokuda is the leader – or Sifu – of the Chinese Culture Center or Lin’s Martial Arts Academy and directed this year’s exhibition, which was filled with a variety of traditional practices. Lunar New Year is a time of celebration and cleansing with the traditional practice of cleaning the home and ridding it of evil spirits with the help of traditional lion dancing, which is a key part of the yearly celebration.

Opinion

Ask the editors: How do you show love to your loved ones?

Katrina Estrada , Lauren Lifke , Karina Bolaños , Lily Alexander , Maddie Pukite and Kelsa Mendoza | February 16

With another Valentine's Day week coming to a close, we find chocolate wrappers tossed in trash cans and roses slowly drying under the sun. Six editors at the Daily Lobo came together to reflect on how we show love to those around us. Time shared over a meal As someone whose primary love language is quality time, I let the people in my life know that I love them by existing around them as much as I can. Having the ability to exist in the same space as another person without feeling anxious, performative or uncomfortable is precious.

Sports

Men's Basketball: Lobos miss out on taking their revenge on UNLV

BillyJack Davidson | February 12

The Lobo men’s basketball team hosted the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Runnin’ Rebels on Saturday, Feb. 10. They came into the match tied for the #1 team in the Mountain West Conference after defeating the Wyoming Cowboys. The Rebels were able to take down the Lobos for the second home loss of the season at 80-77. The Lobos had hoped to take their revenge on the Rebels after the Jan. 9 83-73 loss, but came up short.

Sports

Women's basketball: Lobos get back in the win column with victory over Colorado State

Rodney Prunty | February 12

The women’s basketball team defeated the Colorado State Rams 62-46 on Saturday, Feb. 10 for a conference battle. Coming into the game, the Lobos had dropped two straight games, losing to UNLV and San Diego State. Last time these two teams faced off, the Lobos fell short, losing to the Rams 61-55. This time around, the Lobos were able to get their revenge and improve their record to 17-8 overall and 8-4 in conference play. They are in third place in the Mountain West with six games remaining in the regular season.

News

Taylor Swift incident draws attention to AI-generated pornography

Lauren Lifke | February 12

Since the rise of Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT’s release in 2022, victims have been targeted by pornographic AI-generated images that have, in some cases, circulated on social media websites like X, formerly Twitter. Deepfakes are videos or images in which a person’s “face or body has been digitally altered so that they appear to be someone else, typically used maliciously or to spread false information,” according to Oxford Languages. Recently, these have risen in the form of pornographic images. In late January, pornographic AI-generated images of Taylor Swift started to circulate the internet and gained thousands of views on X, according to the Associated Press. Mary Rice, associate professor of literacy at the University of New Mexico, specializes in AI’s role in education. The Swift incident was not a random act that sprung up on its own, Rice said.

Culture

Self Serve, but not FroYo

Karina Bolaños | February 12

Self Serve Toys is a feminist and Queer-owned sex shop in Albuquerque. It opened up 17 years ago after the owner, Matie Fricker, saw a need for more inclusive sex shops nationwide. Tiziana Friedman, the outreach team coordinator at Self Serve, spoke about love for the shop because of the experiences there compared to other sex shops they have visited. “Self Serve is a sex-positive, education and health-focused sex shop. We believe that all bodies are good bodies deserving of love, exactly as they are. We believe that sex is healthy and pleasure is good for you,” Friedman said.

Culture

Barrier Necessities, the simple bare necessities

Marcela Johnson | February 12

Student Health and Counseling’s (SHAC) Barrier Necessities program aims to make condoms, dental dams and lubricant accessible to students while simultaneously providing education around safer sex practices. “The mission for this program (is) to help provide students with free prophylactics and to make it as convenient as possible, really meeting the students where they’re at,” Lianna Maldonado said – SHAC Health Promotion and Education Coordinator. Currently, the program has 29 locations, along with latex-free materials available at SHAC’s Health Promotion office. The program tries to be accessible and comprehensible to students, Maldonado said.

Opinion

Opinion: Love at first sight: fact or fairytale?

Arly Garcia | February 12

Does love at first sight exist? People who have experienced it would encourage you to believe that it does, but the research is not in their favor. Of course, if we are going to discuss love, we need to first define the feeling. Merriam-Webster gives nine separate definitions for love as a noun. Most commonly employed are: “a strong affection for another” and an “attachment, enthusiasm or devotion” to something or someone.

Opinion

Opinion: Valentine’s Day date destinations in Albuquerque

Sadie Hopkins | February 12

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, but don’t panic just yet. Whether you’re in a relationship or not, there’s no reason to treat the upcoming holiday like it's any other day. There are many great ways to spend it, and some ideas cost as little as nothing. For those living on campus, getting around Albuquerque can be challenging, so nearby spots are a great option for date-night. Sueños Coffee Co., located near Lobo Rainforest, is a classy cafe and a great option for a low-key date. Micah Harris, a University of New Mexico student, gave Sueños Coffee Co. credit for its catering to the student body.

News

Syphilis rates rise in New Mexico

Nate Bernard | February 12

New Mexico had the second highest syphilis rate in the United States in 2022 and ranked highest in the nation for congenital syphilis – an infection that occurs when a mother passes syphilis on to their fetus through pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacteria that produces sores on the infected person. If left untreated, the bacteria can invade the nervous system, according to the CDC. Syphilis cases are rare but increasing, as seen in CDC data.

Sports

Isotopes: Team announces 2024 coaching staff

Thomas Bulger | February 9

Pedro Lopez will return as the Isotopes manager for the 2024 season – his second season at the helm. Last year the team went 68-82 overall and finished second place in their division in the second half of the season. Last year the Isotopes started their roster with Nolan Jones and Brenton Doyle who quickly got called to the Colorado Rockies after hot starts to the year. Lopez has been a minor league coach for 20 seasons and has an overall record of 1047 - 1059, according to Minor League Baseball. This will be his fourth season on the Isotopes staff.

News

Legislation similar to unconstitutional ordinance proposed in Santa Fe

Karina Bolaños | February 5

A New Mexico senator has proposed a bill that would make the act of seeking or providing roadside donations illegal. Similar City legislation was previously struck down in a court of appeals. In 2017, the City of Albuquerque tried to instate an ordinance that would ban the same. Courts later deemed the legislation a violation of Freedom of Speech in Martin v. City of Albuquerque. The current legislation, Senate Bill 248, is sponsored by Senator Leo Jaramillo (D). The Bill is scheduled to be heard on Monday, Feb. 5 by the Senate Health Public Affairs Committee and was deemed appropriate for the short legislative session on Thursday, Feb. 1. This bill is supported by the Governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Culture

‘Twilight’ comes to campus in double feature

Marcela Johnson | February 5

The Southwest Film Center (SWFC) held a double feature on Saturday, Feb. 3 of “Twilight: Breaking Dawn” parts 1 and 2, showing that community that can be found both in movies and in a movie theater. The Student Union Building theater was decorated with “Twilight” references and filled with “Twilight”-inspired outfits. The event included “blood bags” – fake blood bags filled with Sprite, red food coloring and sparkles, which were reserved for the first ten attendees. Theatre manager Stefan Rossell explained that the blood bags were meant to be an incentive to movie-goers to come early, and it worked. Over ten people were at the doors before they opened officially.

Culture

Local authors went interstellar in 2023

Kelsa Mendoza | February 5

2023 was a big year for bookworms everywhere. This year concluded strongly with a plethora of bestsellers worldwide, and with some true gems from local New Mexican authors. Sci-fi lovers were indulged with new unique titles from local authors Sarena Ulibarri and Ness Brown who crafted stories about the extraterrestrial and other space oddities. Both have had success in publication and have plans to expand their authorship in the future, they said. Ulibarri, a University of New Mexico alumna, has been publishing since 2012 and released two books in 2023. She published her novel “Steel Tree” in December – a sci-fi retelling of the Nutcracker.

News

UNM researchers send tomatoes to space

Nate Bernard | February 5

University of New Mexico researchers sent tomatoes to space in an endeavor called the Trichoderma Associated Space Tomato Inoculation Experiment (TASTIE). On Tuesday, Jan. 30, the tomato seedlings were launched in a partially reusable Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket into space and joined the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, Feb. 1, according to Everyday Astronaut. The purpose of TASTIE is to analyze how these tomatoes will grow in space compared to how they grow on Earth. The fungus, Trichoderma – common in all types of soils on Earth – will be utilized to study how the stress-resistant properties of the fungus impact the growth of tomatoes in space, according to UNM Newsroom.

News

LoboAlert issued for traffic following stabbing

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | February 5

On Friday, Jan. 26, a stabbing occurred inside the Golden Pride restaurant on Lomas Blvd. N.E. near the University of New Mexico campus. The UNM Police Department issued a LoboAlert for traffic following the incident. Employee Ethan Sheppard reportedly stabbed his coworker, an adult male, at about 1:45 p.m. while they were both working. The victim was transported to UNM Hospital and later died from his injuries, according to an Albuquerque Police Department news release. UNM Police Department issued a LoboAlert at 6:25 p.m. advising the campus community of police presence in the area. A second alert was issued at 10:45 p.m. advising that APD had cleared the area.

Sports

Splat and splash

Elizabeth Secor | February 5

Last semester, The University of New Mexico Esports Club put together a team of seven players to compete in the Collegiate Cephalopod Association's Division 5 Championship for Splatoon 3. After two months of competing and a record of 7-1, the team won the national championship in December. Fernando Loya Avila – gamer tag “Bean” – started the team. The experience of playing competitively, they said, was different from casual play with friends where there are no prizes and it is just for fun and leveling up.

Sports

Women's basketball: Lobos play tough against UNLV

Thomas Bulger | February 5

The University of New Mexico’s women's basketball team lost to the University of Nevada Las Vegas 62-56 on Saturday, Feb 3. Both teams were on winning streaks, UNLV improved to four straight wins and ended UNM’s five-game winning streak. UNM fell to 16-7 overall and 7-3 in conference play – putting them in third place in the standings past the halfway mark of the season. The Lobos played well but fell a couple shots short of sweeping the back-to-back conference champs. Going back to the 2022-23 season, the Rebels are 30-1 against Mountain West opponents, including the conference tournament with their one loss coming from the Lobos a few weeks ago.

Opinion

Opinion: Stanleys are not the sustainable trend you want them to be

Sadie Hopkins | February 5

It’s no secret that the environment has been troubled for quite a long time now. Humans, unfortunately, do not live in an environment of endless resources. However, sustainability practices are becoming increasingly more common – such as recycling, composting, or thrifting. Evidently, not all sustainable practices are created equal. An absence from the recent media may cause someone to see two reusable water bottles – say a Serborni bottle from Amazon and a Stanley bottle – but see no difference. The former water bottle is deemed a “dupe” by the public – a more affordable option compared to the latter. These bottles both hold beverages, maintain temperature and are sleek and convenient. Seemingly the main difference is that they vary in price and, oddly enough, levels of popularity.