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Culture

UNM grad Tayler Suazo moves from mortar boards to med school

John Scott | December 12

One of the first things you might notice about upcoming University of New Mexico graduate Tayler Suazo is her loyalty to place and to family. Graduating this fall with a Clauve Outstanding Senior Award and a bachelor’s of science in biology with a double minor in chemistry, and health medicine and human values, one might expect frequent and numerous parties and celebrations to be in order. Suazo, at the time of her interview with the Daily Lobo, however, is back with family in her hometown of Abiquiu: a small town in northern New Mexico. It was here that Suazo first realized she wanted to be a doctor — and she knew she wanted to stay in New Mexico to do it.

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Culture

ROTC cadets prepare to graduate

Elizabeth Secor | December 12

This semester, the University of New Mexico ROTC program has four cadets graduating with their undergraduate degrees: Victoria Anderson, Daniela Ortega, Steven Canales and Zachary Ninneman. Anderson, Ortega and Canales will all be leaving the program this semester, while Ninneman will be entering his master's program and has three more semesters of ROTC to go. Anderson discussed how graduating from the program this semester created a bond between her, Ortega and Canales.

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News

UNM commemorates fall 2022 graduates

Annya Loya | December 12

On Friday, Dec. 16th, students graduating from the University of New Mexico will celebrate the culmination of their undergraduate careers at The Pit for the fall 2022 commencement ceremony. “It's something that (graduating students) should be proud (of) … It's a huge accomplishment,” Nancy Middlebrook, the University secretary, said. This semester’s ceremony includes the traditional welcome by UNM President Garnett  Stokes, as well as greetings from the Board of Regents, Associated Students at UNM President Ian May, and the Graduate and Professional Student Association President Shaikh Ahmad. The ceremony will finalize with a performance by Mariachi Tenampa.

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Culture

Michaela Helean graduates into full-time reporting

Maddie Pukite | December 12

With a mortar board covered in newspaper clippings, University of New Mexico senior Michaela Helean is graduating this fall semester with a bachelor's degree in journalism and a full-time job at the Rio Rancho Observer. Helean started her internship at the Observer through the New Mexico News Fund, a fund created to foster journalism in New Mexico that places college students and recent grads in state newsrooms. Four days after starting her internship, she was offered a full-time job, fulfilling a childhood dream. “I've always been a writer. Ever since I was able to write, I would write short stories for my parents,” Helean said. “I would watch the news with them. I grew up watching Gwen Ifill on PBS.”

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Culture

Graduate Micaela Pacheco takes her final bow at UNM

Zara Roy | December 12

Upcoming University of New Mexico graduate Micaela Pacheco will be closing this chapter of her life with a bachelor’s degree in theater, a career in spiritual healing and a love of sharing her creativity with those around her. Having done theater ever since she was young, Pacheco initially wanted to go into film. Now, she cannot see herself pursuing a traditional theatrical route at all. If she does get back into theater, she wants to use it as a medium to share her own creations in the form of devised work and performance art.

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Sports

Men's basketball: Lobos dominate Western New Mexico

Thomas Bulger | December 9

The University of New Mexico men's basketball team defeated the Western New Mexico University Mustangs 102-63 on Tuesday, Dec. 6. The Lobos improved to an 8-0 record and are one of ten undefeated teams in the nation. There were five Lobos with double digit scoring, and all 12 Lobos who played scored in the game. This included Mac Manzanares and Safi Fino-A-Laself who each scored their first points as a member of the Lobos. Morris Udeze led the team in scoring with 18 points, and Josiah Allick grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds. Off of the bench, Birima Seck had a career night, scoring 11 points and getting eight rebounds in just 11 minutes of play.

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Culture

December film releases: What winter watches wait in store

John Scott | December 9

With winter break approaching for students and staff at the University of New Mexico, a large number of us might find ourselves with much more time on our hands than we anticipated. Thankfully, new films galore await you under the Christmas tree to keep you busy through those long, winter nights.

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Culture

New UNM art curator breaks barriers between art and audience

Zara Roy | December 5

On Wednesday, Dec. 7, the University of New Mexico Art Museum will welcome Angel Jiang as their first curator of collections and study room initiatives. In her new position, she hopes to craft a dynamic and intimate experience with artwork for students at the University. A study room is a special area in a museum which houses pieces that are fragile or otherwise not on display — they are often difficult to access or find, according to Jiang. One of her primary goals in the new position is to increase accessibility and knowledge of the study rooms at the UNM Art Museum. These rooms are special to her; they give students a chance to directly interact with pieces not confined behind glass.

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Sports

Swimming and Diving: Lobos look to improve after tough meet

Thomas Bulger | December 4

The University of New Mexico's swimming and diving team went up against the Colorado State University Rams and the Air Force Academy Falcons in a two day meet on Friday, Dec. 2 and Saturday, Dec. 3. Each school sent out two teams, an A and a B team, to compete at each event. Colorado State's A team came in first with 272 points. They were followed by the Air Force's A team with 251. Then Colorado State's and the Air Force's B teams earned 237 and 116 respectively. The Lobos finished fifth and sixth with the A team scoring 102 and the B team earning 81 points. The Lobos have an overall record of 2-5 and are 0-3 in conference play.

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Culture

Local band neglects no inspiration in search of inclusive music-making

Elizabeth Secor | December 4

Self-Neglect, a band formed by University of New Meixco alumi Matt Rogers (guitarist) and Alex Denbaars (vocalist), along with Leon Arnold (drummer) and Derrick Moore (bassist),  finds inspiration to create music through their enviorment. The band was formed in 2015 on Rogers’ birthday, which also happens to be New Year's Eve. He and Denbaars, old friends from a Magic: The Gathering group, decided to make music together after Denbaars’ old band broke up. The band struggled to choose a name when they first started until a nurse friend of Arnold’s wrote up a list of “gory medical-sounding stuff,” which included “passive self-neglect.” The name stuck, acording to the band members.

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Sports

Men's basketball: With the team 7-0, now’s the time to pay attention

Thomas Bulger | December 4

Nearly a month into the season, the University of New Mexico men's basketball team are 7-0 and are one of only 14 remaining undefeated teams in Division 1 basketball. While the Lobos haven't played a lot of prestigious programs, they have played against a lot of competitive teams. After a win against St. Mary's College, UNM looks poised to make a run in the conference — and maybe make the NCAA tournament.

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News

Officers detain demonstrators during protest on UNM campus against conspiracy theorist Charlie Kirk

Maddie Pukite | December 1

This story was originally published by Source New Mexico State Police in riot gear showed up at the Student Union Building at the University of New Mexico during a peaceful protest and detained three protesters of color on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The protest was held in response to Turning Point USA’s UNM chapter hosting a speaking event on campus with Charlie Kirk, the founder and president of the national conservative group.

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News

ASUNM senate calls for increased funding to UNMPD

John Scott | December 1

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico voted to approve a resolution calling for an increase in funding for the UNM Police Department during their last full senate meeting on Wednesday, November 30. The approval comes in the wake of a deadly shooting that took place on UNM campus resulting in the death of two students.

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News

LETTER: Grad Workers deserve insurance and a living wage

Victoriano Cardenas | November 29

I’m not currently a graduate worker, but I’m an alum and I had to put off an eye surgery for years because the University of New Mexico doesn’t offer vision insurance or a living wage. Let me say that again: UNM employs a bunch of nerds and provides no eye insurance. Seriously, what? In 2017, I got into UNM’s creative writing program. I was working retail at the time and had health, vision and dental insurance, so of course, I scheduled as many appointments as possible before school. I went to get an eye exam and my doctor said, “something’s going on with your corneas, but we’ll just keep an eye on it. Come back next year.”

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News

Vigil in Albuquerque honors people killed in Colorado Springs at Club Q

Maddie Pukite | November 28

This story was originally published by Source New Mexico The realities of the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs were close to home for many in Albuquerque, and people gathered in Morningside Park on Tuesday evening to grieve the lives lost in the queer bar. Several people knew people at the club on Saturday, Nov. 19, and many at the vigil frequented it themselves. 

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Culture

UNM senior aims for community in Honors Pathmakers program

Marcela Johnson | November 28

Katie James has been spending her senior year working to further develop the community of the University of New Mexico Honors College through her role as mentor coordinator and leadership team lead for the Honors Pathmakers mentorship program. Pursuing a dual degree of psychology with a minor in math and biology with a minor in chemistry, James hopes to create traditions that will continue after her graduation.

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News

OPINION: Now’s the time; let’s lose Twitter

Spenser Willden | November 28

Losers, rejoice — in a move sure to be celebrated by the worst men you know, Elon Musk completed his long-threatened acquisition of social media platform Twitter on Oct. 27, bringing with it changes that have prompted many users and staff members to finally call it quits. Verification overhaul, content moderation changes and more are all on the table and have already altered user experience nearly beyond repair. With Twitter going through rapid change, now is the time to leave it behind for good and move on to greener, less awful pastures. 

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Culture

UNM professor hosts long-awaited reading of novel “48 Hours to Kill”

Maddie Pukite | November 22

In December 2021, University of New Mexico English professor Andrew Bourelle published his first suspense novel, “48 Hours to Kill.” Due to the fluctuating situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, Bourelle never really got a chance to celebrate the achievement in person, which made the Nov. 16 reading of his work hosted by the UNM creative writing department all the more special. While working on “48 Hours to Kill,” Bourelle co-wrote several books with New York Times bestselling author James Patterson. Prior to becoming a fiction author, he worked as a journalist and wrote academic articles while pursuing his doctorate in English.

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Culture

UNM swing dancing club celebrates first dance

Spenser Willden | November 22

A crowd of over 50 students gathered in the Student Union Building for the first meeting of the University of New Mexico Swing Dancing Club on Sunday, Nov. 20. Starting with an introductory West coast-style swing lesson from the SouthWesties dance troupe, the night brought dancing to campus for students of all skill levels. By meeting on campus, the Swing Dancing Club gives students the opportunity to engage in dance in a safe and welcoming space for those under 21 and without the transportation to go off campus, according to attendee and dance enthusiast Brianna Knox Hubbard. “I’ve been looking for an under-21 space to social dance since I’m 19, and this provides that,” Hubbard said.

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News

GPSA passes resolution in support of United Grad Workers

Annya Loya | November 21

The Graduate and Professional Student Association of the University of New Mexico showed their support for the United Graduate Workers of UNM through a joint resolution, which was adopted on Saturday, Oct. 29. Joint Resolution 1F advises UNM to tackle various issues that affect graduate students at UNM and are still in negotiation between the Union and the University. “For us, this means that we want to uplift the voices of our constituents. I believe as a minority-serving R1 institution, we carry a shared responsibility to support marginalized demographics in pursuit of Higher Education,” Shaikh Ahmad, GPSA president, said.