Where there’s a victor, there’s a loser, and sometimes, certain athletes contribute to their team’s shortcomings. These athletes are favorably called bobbleheads. NFL week two has come and gone and we saw blowouts, comebacks, thrilling conclusions and, of course, bobbleheads. Here are a few bobbleheads who should’ve stayed at home this week.
After serving as president of the University of New Mexico for eight years, Garnett Stokes will be retiring at the end of the 2025-26 school year. She announced her retirement in an email to the campus community on Tuesday, Sept. 16. Stokes is the 23rd president of UNM since the University’s founding in 1889. She is the first female president of the University in its 136-year history. Stokes assumed the role on March 1, 2018, after previously serving as provost, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and Interim Chancellor at the University of Missouri along with positions as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and interim president at Florida State University.
Albuquerque Mayoral candidate Alex Uballez conversed with passing students who approached him with questions and campaigning on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building. Uballez told the Daily Lobo he was spending time talking to people on campus because he feels elections are losing voters to cynicism. “When people don’t believe that their vote counts, when people don’t get engaged in their local politics or their national politics, when people don’t believe their government serves them,” Uballez said.
On Thursday, Sept. 11, the University of New Mexico Student Activities Center hosted a Hollywood Murder Mystery with MISSION IMPROVable, a touring comedy improv team, in the Student Union Building. The interactable performance took place at the fictional retirement party of actor Tom Cruise, where the star is tragically murdered. Audience members were given name tags designating them as various celebrities and pop culture figures, such as Zendaya, John Cena, Oprah Winfrey and Bigfoot. Guests were tasked with solving the murder of Cruise through various clues and improv games.
On Saturday, Sept. 13, students and community members gathered on the grass of the University of New Mexico Duck Pond during a memorial for right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during a campus event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, Sept. 10. Participants, including students from the UNM chapter of Turning Point USA, left flowers, candles and photos of Kirk at an altar and delivered speeches to commemorate him. Turning Point USA, a nationwide right-wing political organization with many college chapters, was founded by Kirk in 2012. The event Kirk hosted at UVU was part of the “American Comeback Tour,” organized by TPUSA and headlined by Kirk.
The Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center re-opened its office on campus after renovations with a grand opening and welcome back event in front of Mesa Vista Hall, on Sept. 3. AAPIRC’s vision and mission are to provide a physical space where students can enrich their university social experience and access student services, programs, research, educational opportunities and build a sense of belonging for all students at UNM by highlighting and celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander cultures, AAPIRC Program Manager Aaron Tuioti-Mariner wrote to the Daily Lobo.
The Lobo Aquatic Club hosted the Jeff Mortensen Memorial Open swim competition on Sept. 13-14 at the University of New Mexico Seidler Natatorium. Under the lead of their coach, Jarrod Trainor, the Lobos were eager to show off their hard training during the home meet. The competition itself is dedicated to Jeffrey Mortensen, who died in 2016. Before his death, Mortenson was a prominent member of the Lobo Aquatic Club Masters Swim Team, as well as a supporter of UNM’s women’s swim team.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced in a press release, on Sept. 2, a partnership between the state of New Mexico and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to accelerate the development, testing and validation of emerging quantum computing technologies. With the partnership comes the establishment of the Quantum Frontiers Project, which will bring New Mexican private-sector innovators, national laboratories and universities to expand upon quantum computing research, according to the press release. In an interview with the Daily Lobo, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said that the state is putting “skin in the game.” “Usually cities chase a growing industry. That’s what we do in economic development. We’ll be like ‘Oh, renewable energies, we should try to build a work force for that,’” Keller said. “Quantum computing offers a rare opportunity that you almost never see, which is the chance to lead in something that is the source of a bunch of other industries.”
On Wednesday, Sept. 10, over 100 University of New Mexico graduate workers, including United Graduate Workers of UNM union members, held a work-in from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., as part of a demonstration to present their bargaining priorities, including higher wages, protection for international workers and dental and vision benefits. Workers and students conducted their routine research and coursework in the hallway outside the office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs in Scholes Hall. Some graduate workers held their class office hours seated on the hallway floor and went over assignments with undergraduate students who came to ask questions. A group of UGW members also met with UNM Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Barbara Rodriguez to speak about their priorities.
On Aug. 8, Director Zach Cregger released “Weapons” — a thriller horror movie that brought a new flavor of scary to the table. The film follows a second grade class who all go missing at 2:17 AM — except one student and the teacher — leaving in the middle of the night with seemingly no motive. The film takes place over the course of the incident through various perspectives of each character. Non-linear story telling is prevalent throughout as the story is told through a series of chapters of a character's experience.
The University of New Mexico Lobo football team pushed the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins to their limits, beating the Bruins 35-10. The Lobos proved their ferocity both on defense and offense, during the game on Friday, Sept. 12, at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif. This Lobos victory marks their first-ever win over a Big Ten opponent in football and their first triumph against a Power Conference program since the 2008 season. The last time UNM faced UCLA was in 2002, when former Lobos kicker Katie Hnida became the first female player in a bowl game.
State fairs are known for selling a wide variety of foods — many of them deep-fried — and this year’s selection was no different. I arrived at the New Mexico State Fair with an appetite — especially after the notorious $1 day traffic — and the food did not disappoint. The State Fair began again at EXPO New Mexico on Sept. 4, bringing back many beloved rides, experiences and best of all; fair foods. My first stop was the Villa Hispana on a hunt for tacos, where I came across The Taco Guy, a locally-owned business.
On Thursday, Sept. 11, University of New Mexico Reserve Officer Training Corps hosted a memorial stair climb to honor the 2,977 Americans killed during the terrorist attacks committed on Sept. 11, 2001. Led by the UNM Air Force ROTC, the event has been held annually over the last three years in collaboration with the U.S. Army and Navy ROTC branches at UNM, along with support from UNM Athletics, according to Air Force Maj.Vicente Vasquez, UNM associate professor of Aerospace Studies and director of operations for UNM Air Force ROTC. “This year had several firsts, including our first year with local media coverage, first year with a chaplain to provide an opening invocation and first year with a bugler,” Vasquez wrote to the Daily Lobo.
The long wait is over as Week One of the 2025 NFL season wrapped up Monday night with the Minnesota Vikings shocking the Chicago Bears 27-24 at Soldier Field. Where there are winners, there are losers. But not all losses are created equal, some teams feature players who single-handedly cost them the game. These players are favorably called Bobbleheads. Here are the biggest Bobbleheads from Week One who helped their teams start the season on the wrong foot.
This past week, the Isotopes went up against Round Rock in a back and forth series starting on Sept. 2 which finished with both teams trading wins and tying at three games a piece. Jose Torres was the star of the first game of the series with two home runs, the first at the bottom of the third inning and a second home run at the bottom of the seventh inning. The Isotopes would win game one 8-6. The second game of the series was a slow one, with only three runs from Round Rock, which was enough to get them the win as the Isotopes got shut out. The first and second games set a similar pattern for the next four games of the series.
The University Of New Mexico soccer team faced off against their in-state rivals, the New Mexico State University Aggies on Sunday, Sept. 7. The Lobos entered the game all smiles, as Head Coach Heather Dyche was awarded prior to the game for her 100th win following their victory over the University of Oregon on Aug. 28. The game would end on a high note as the Lobos pitched a shutout of the Aggies 4-0, giving Dyche her 102nd win.\\ The Lobos remain undefeated this season with a record of four wins and two ties.
The University of New Mexico’s Health Science Campus is currently hosting the artwork made by students who are part of the Garfield STEM Magnet and Community Middle School “Circle Keepers.” The “Circle Keepers” are students working together to provide mentorship to their peers who may struggle with their mental health or need help navigating their personal relationships. The students volunteer their time to the club where they learn about restorative practice. Students focus on relationships and repairing harm, instead of traditional discipline which focuses on broken rules and consequences.
It has been five years since Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham told New Mexico schools to close for three weeks, which then became 13 months of isolation, forcing students and teachers to move online and participate in school solely through online tools. Jill Holtz, a behavioral health psychologist, said that paranoia about contamination and health was very common at the start of quarantine. Losing loved ones, having limited freedom at home, and moving to online school, altogether, caused great stress for many of the adolescents she worked with at the time, she said.
Solutions by The State News
