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Culture

Black Education Act seeks to support Black students

Maddie Pukite | February 13

  The Black Education Act, which passed during last year's legislative session, has since been implemented to support Black students from preschool through higher education by giving students more resources and expanding curriculums to include the Black American experience. On Jan. 23, 2023, the Florida Department of Education blocked the inclusion of Black history in their school curriculum by blocking the creation of an AP African Studies course in the state, calling the course “a form of political indoctrination and a violation of state law,” according to NPR. This AP course follows others that already study different regions' histories, cultures, politics and languages, among other science and math classes. 

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Culture

OPINION: No way to justify the Oscars’ continual snubbing of Black artists

John Scott | February 13

  Casual and hardcore movie fans waited with bated breath on Tuesday, Jan. 24 to see what films would garner nominations for the 95th annual Academy Awards: would we see a best director nod for Gina Prince-Bythewood for “The Woman King?” or maybe Jordan Peele for “Nope”? Could Keke Palmer break through and grab a Best Supporting Actress — or even Best Actress — nomination?

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Culture

Black Student Union builds community through outreach, education and advocacy

Spenser Willden | February 13

  The Black Student Union, a Black student organization in the African American Student Services department at the University of New Mexico, aims to foster community for Black students through a combination of outreach, education and advocacy work. The BSU offers a space for Black students to connect with the community, both on campus and across the city, according to Nakia Jackson: BSU president and UNM junior majoring in signed language interpretation.

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Culture

OP-ED: Black is joy, community, culture and love

Imani Knox and Kaelyn Moon | February 13

 From Feb. 1 to Feb. 28, African Americans across the nation celebrate the impact Black culture has had on this country. They pay tribute to the ones who came before them and recognize the countless contributions that have been made by African Americans and their ancestors. This month, the hub for Black students on campus, African American Student Services, is centering the notion that Blackness is not a monolithic experience through the themes of Black joy, community, culture and love. 

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News

Congressional Black Caucus meets with Biden to push for police accountability

Ariana Figueroa | February 13

  This story was originally published by Source New Mexico The Congressional Black Caucus met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris Thursday evening to urge the administration to use its executive power for law enforcement reform, following criminal charges for police officers in the killing of a Black man in Memphis, Tennessee.  “My hope is this dark memory spurs some action that we’ve all been fighting for,” Biden said. Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was beaten by five Memphis police officers during a traffic stop on Jan. 7 and died three days later. The five police officers have been fired and indicted in connection with his death.

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News

ASUNM balks at ‘of’ during senate meeting

Gabriel Saiz | February 9

  The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico passed a bill to make more room to fund student organizations special requests during the full senate meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 8. Bill 4S gives ASUNM more flexibility to allocate money toward appropriations — one-time funding requests — and fall budgets of student orgs. Beginning this past fall, each undergraduate now pays an increased student fee of $35 per semester. Student publications receive 8.5% of the collected amount, while the remainder pays for everything ASUNM does.

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Sports

Men's basketball: Lobos lose 77-76 in a heartbreaker

Thomas Bulger | February 9

  The University of New Mexico men's basketball team lost 77-76 to the University of Nevada Wolf Pack on Feb. 7. The Lobos lost on a Keenan Blackshear jump shot that left them with just 0.1 seconds on the clock. It was another close game against the Wolf Pack: the last time these teams played, it was a 97-94 double overtime loss in Reno on Jan. 23. The Lobos are 19-5 overall, but 6-5 in conference play. The Lobos are now the fifth seed in the Mountain West and are just out of contention for the regular season title, but with the team learning from these close games the Lobos could go far in the conference tournament.

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Culture

Hot-diggity dog: Clowndog brings joy to Nob Hill through hot dogs

Elizabeth Secor | February 6

  On the corner of Central Avenue and Hermosa Drive sits a clown-themed hot dog restaurant with over 50 different topping options called Clowndog. The owner, Rich Bartel, was inspired to open Clowndog because of similar restaurants in Cleveland, Ohio. “There's a place in Cleveland that does (a) build-your-own hot dog concept and a couple of other places in the Cleveland area opened up doing the same … and I thought, well, if they can do it three times there, we can do it once here,” Bartel said.

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Culture

Navajo Code Talker collections open in the Center for Southwest Research

Cyrrene Giaccardo | February 6

  In November 2022, the Center for Southwest Research at the University of New Mexico opened the Carl N. Gorman and William Dean Wilson Collections, presenting the materials and records of two original Navajo Code Talkers from the largest donation of Indigenous history materials ever received by the CSWR. Zonnie Gorman, a doctoral candidate within the UNM history department whose research focuses on the Navajo Code Talkers, discussed her journey maintaining the materials of her father and uncle, Carl Gorman and William Dean Wilson, two original Navajo Code Talkers. The process of bringing these materials to the Center of Southwest Research took between two to three years, according to Gorman. 

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Culture

John Sommers Gallery serves up fresh student works this semester

Zara Roy | February 6

  On Thursday, Feb. 2, the University of New Mexico art department kicked off their semester with a reception for their juried exhibition showcasing undergraduate works from across disciplines at the John Sommers Gallery, the main exhibition space at the university where students and faculty present their latest works. The gallery, which is free to all, rotates shows every two weeks, meaning there is always something new to experience at the gallery, according to manager Anna Rotty. This semester, a variety of solo shows from master and bachelor of fine arts students will be presented at the museum, along with a capstone exhibition for the graduating seniors.

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Culture

OPINION: How to pull off a successful ‘soft launch’

Sierra Martinez | February 6

  With Valentine's Day approaching, ‘tis the season to “soft launch” your new partner. If you’re wondering what a soft launch is, think back to every cryptic Instagram story of two people holding hands with no tagged account to be found — those were soft launches. One of the most appealing parts of a soft launch is the mystery. Why would you announce your new relationship with a picture of their face and a tagged account when you could keep people guessing, turning your followers into the Pepe Silvia meme? If you’re looking to execute a flawless soft launch, look no further. These tips will have your entire social media network chomping at the bit to find out who could be attached to the other hand in the photo.

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Culture

Artwalk draws together artists from all walks of life

Jessica Baca | February 6

  This past Friday, Feb. 3 Albuquerque Art Walk took place in downtown Albuquerque to provide artists the chance to share their work with the public. Every month, Art Walk picks a featured artist for the event. This month’s artist is Beedallo, a local artist from Los Chavez, New Mexico. As a painter and illustrator, Bedallo’s work revolves around combining her love for cartooning with traditional folk art to create surreal scenes. The event attracts more than just featured artists, though. Jacob Spill, a local artist born in Española who has done a gallery show at the OT Circus in the past, attended this past walk as a spectator, allowing him to experience what he likes most about the event.

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Culture

OPINION: Valentine’s Day recipes to fall in love with

Elizabeth Secor | February 6

  Baking is a wonderful way to show your loved ones how you feel about them, and with Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I decided to hit the kitchen to whip up some delicious Valentine’s themed recipes that are sure to satisfy anyone — whether it be significant others or friends and family.

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News

Santa Fe County Commission unanimously supports local choice energy

Annya Loya | February 6

  On Tuesday, Jan. 31, Santa Fe county called for New Mexico state legislators and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to pass the Local Choice Energy Act, officially known as Senate Bill 165. A resolution in support of the legislation, sponsored by Santa Fe County Commission Chair Anna Hansen and Commissioner Camilla Bustamante, passed unanimously at Tuesday’s meeting. The act would allow municipalities, counties and tribes to generate or purchase electricity and provide it to those in their respective service area while still utilizing the transmission service from independent providers. The act seeks to introduce choice into a market that is almost entirely dominated by investor-owned utilities, according to Alysha Shaw, campaign director for Public Power New Mexico.

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News

New Mexico Education Department seeks to extend K-12 school year

Annya Loya | February 6

  During the New Mexico 56th legislative session, the New Mexico Public Education Department introduced Bill 130 to the Legislative Education Committee which would add an extended school program called the K-12 Plus Program. Bill 194, which further explains the finance of the program, was also introduced to the Legislative Finance Committee. The K-12 Plus Program would provide additional program units for public schools that would increase the number of instructional days beyond 180 days for a five-day school week and more than 155 days for a four-day school week, according to the bill. This means grades K-6 would have 990 instructional hours and grades 7-12 a total of 1,080 instructional hours per school year.

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News

UNM Basic Needs Project grows into statewide study

Annya Loya | February 6

 In 2020, the University of New Mexico Basic Needs Project released a study that revealed that over a third of UNM students were food insecure, and nearly two-fifths were housing insecure. This year, led by principal investigator Sarita Cargas, the team will begin a year-long study that researches these insecurities at a statewide level. The statewide survey, which went live on Feb. 1, will run until March 15. The research teams hope to get a minimum response of 10% of each institution’s population including students, faculty and staff, according to Frederick.

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Sports

Women's basketball: Lobos stun Aztecs at The Pit

Thomas Bulger | February 6

 On Saturday, Feb. 4 the University of New Mexico women's basketball team upset the San Diego State University Aztecs 83-78. The Lobos are now 14-10 overall and 6-5 in conference play. The Aztecs are second in the Mountain West conference with a 8-4 record. It was the Lobos’ “Love Pink” game at The Pit to honor breast cancer survivors. Fans were dressed in pink, and the Lobos wore pink and white jerseys for the game. The Lobos built an early lead and we're able to maintain it throughout the game. The Lobos won the rebounding battle 35-30 and made an amazing 56.9% of their shots, making 29 of their 51 attempts.

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Sports

Women's basketball: Lobos look competitive in loss against UNLV

Thomas Bulger | February 2

 The University of New Mexico Lobos lost 93-75 to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Lady Rebels on Thursday, Feb. 2. The Lobos lost their three-game win streak, and are now 13-10 overall and 5-5 in conference play. UNLV remains the top team in the Mountain West conference being 11-0 in conference play. It was “Women in Sports” night at The Pit. At halftime, women from the Isotopes, UNM administration and all the Lobo women student athletes were honored on the court and received recognition from the fans with applause.

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Culture

UNM Theatre and Dance present their monstrous spring 2023 lineup

Marcela Johnson | February 2

 With a new semester comes new works on the horizon for the University of New Mexico Department of Theatre and Dance. Their spring 2023 lineup will include works such as “Monstro/us,” “Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light,” “Bat Boy: A Music Showcase,” “Fearsome Creatures,” the semiannual departmental Linnell Festival of New Plays and “(Type)Writer,” a co-production with UNM SCRAP, the student theater organization. The theme for this year’s non-Linnell and SCRAP shows is monsters, according to UNM theater and dance marketing representative Madrone Matishak. The dance production “Monstro/us” follows this idea, with choreography by UNM dance faculty member Vladimir Conde Reche and other guest choreographers.

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Culture

Loboscopes: February general predictions

Zara Roy | February 2

 February kicked off with a dreamy start as Venus, planet of love, entered Pisces, where it will thrive for the next several weeks. With Jupiter and Venus entering Aries and reaching a conjunction at the end of the month, this will be the perfect time to get a jump-start on plans that have lied stale for a while — the active energy of the first sign of the zodiac calls you to action.  This is only heightened by the fact that, currently, no planets are retrograde. This is the universe calling for you to outwardly channel any energies that have previously been internalized. Read on to find out what this means for your sign.