Multimedia

REVIEW: Pixar's 'Turning Red' is a colorful exploration of family dynamics

  While I was thrilled that Pixar finally returned to making movies with more than one word in the title, I didn’t have much hope for “Turning Red” originally. After all, it’s hard to compete with the classics of the aughts. Despite this, I realized that the film actually leans into the viewer’s nostalgia to soothe the older viewer and draw them into the plot. I immediately enjoyed the setting, color scheme and animation of the movie. The protagonist, spunky Chinese Canadian Mei Lee, isn’t that awkward blend of hyperrealistic and cartoonish character design seen in films like “Encanto” and “Frozen.” 

LETTER: UNM admin needs to meet UA-UNM’s push for livable wages

  I am very pleased that the New Mexico State Legislature, in response to advocacy from the American Federation of Teachers of New Mexico, decided to include higher education employees in their mandated 3% pay raise and subsequent 4% raise for April and July, respectively. However, I am increasingly concerned that UNM’s administration is unwilling to meet in negotiations with our faculty union, United Academics of UNM (UA-UNM), to reach an agreement on the distribution of these funds to faculty, unless the negotiation sessions are closed to faculty observation, which violates our UA-UNM core values of transparency and inclusion. What are they afraid of, the light of day?

ABQ Backyard Refuge program sows homes for wildlife

  When one thinks of a city, wildlife is likely to be the last thing in the mind’s image. But the Albuquerque Backyard Refuge program aims to change that by increasing the presence of wildlife in the city by empowering residents to create sanctuaries for the living creatures who are native to the land.  Through the program, citizens transform their patios, balconies and lawns into diverse environments teeming with life. Residents whose yards meet the standards of the program can apply to certify their spaces as a backyard refuge. “The goal is to create a mosaic of habitats across the city,” said Laurel Ladwig, the program’s director and a graduate from UNM with a master’s in geography.

LETTER: New Mexico’s children deserve a landscape free of orphaned wells

  As proud New Mexicans, we know our state has the best scenery and natural beauty in the nation. While we want to keep it that way, that’s hard to when our landscape is dotted with old, pollution-spewing orphaned oil wells. With New Mexico being the second-largest oil-producing state in the country, we’ve been stuck with a multitude of orphaned wells. When the companies who drilled and profited from the wells don’t take responsibility for capping and cleaning them, the rest of us end up footing the bill.  The federal government is distributing money for orphaned well cleanup from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will be a big help. 

UNM women’s tennis falls to Air Force 4-0

  The University of New Mexico women’s tennis team lost to the United States Air Force Academy Falcons on Friday, March 25 in their first interconference match of the season. The Lobos are now on a three-match losing streak but still have a winning record of 9-4 on the season.  The Falcons have a record of 12-3 and are led by senior Vivian Glozman, who is undefeated this season with 11 straight wins. The Falcons got the upper hand early with their doubles matches. Lobos Maria Sodre and Yue Lin Chen lost 6-2 to Glozman and Karina Chao. 

Lobos softball team gets swept in home series against Utah State

  The University of New Mexico softball team suffered a string of tough losses after Utah State University swept the Lobos in a three-game series from Friday, March 25 to Sunday, March 27 at the Lobo Softball Field in Albuquerque. While the Lobos still have a solid record of 20-12 overall, they have had a rough start to their conference season and are sitting at 1-5 after playing San José State and Utah State.   The Lobos almost out-hit Utah State in Friday's game 7-8, and managed to out-hit them 11-7 during Saturday’s game, but Sunday’s game was another story. The Aggies out-hit the Lobos 12-6 and run-ruled the Lobos in the sixth inning. 

7 candidates vie for GPSA president

  Presidential elections for the University of New Mexico’s Graduate and Professional Student Association are being held from Monday, March 28 to Friday, April 1. On Tuesday, March 22, the seven presidential candidates — which are listed in ballot order in this article — met for an online forum highlighting their various platforms with goals ranging from better wages and benefits to equity to outreach and engagement. No. 1: Paul J. Tice Engineering student Paul Tice is running on the platform of Peace Engineering, which “works towards a world where prosperity, sustainability, social equity, entrepreneurship, transparency, community voice and engagement, and a culture of quality thrive,” according to UNM Newsroom.

LETTER: Youth tobacco prevention advocates inform key decision-makers

  No Minor Sale’s growing adult volunteer program, which has garnered strong participation among college students in New Mexico, continues to play a significant role in New Mexico’s youth tobacco prevention education efforts. In February, five No Minor Sale volunteers educated 15 state and local policymakers in New Mexico about their work with the campaign and specific issues in youth tobacco prevention. No Minor Sale’s second annual Take a Stand Day, an opportunity to connect with state legislators, took place on Feb. 2. No Minor Sale volunteers educated state legislators about the dangers of flavors, including menthol, in tobacco products such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars and chew.

REVIEW: 2022 presents a weak slate of Oscar-nominated animated shorts

  The nominees for the 2022 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film showcase a weaker set of nominees than years previous. None of the shorts pushed the boundaries of animation particularly far with most being light on any kind of emotional substance. “Boxballet,” directed by Anton Dyakov “Boxballet” is a brilliant little short out of Russia and easily my favorite of the nominees. We follow a boxer, Evgeny, and a ballerina, Olya, after their initial meeting as they get to know each other and try to decide whether anything romantic might happen between them. Through a familiar story, “Boxballet” utilizes no dialogue, with the entire story being told through the animation and its visuals, culminating in a truly riveting experience.

Artist welcomed to UNM faculty, Albuquerque

  Delaney Moghanian is a filmmaker and musician who was brought on as a multimedia development specialist with the University of New Mexico’s Adobe Creative Campus. Moganian recently moved to Albuquerque from Los Angeles with her husband, Trevor Marcotte, to expand their production company, New Angeles Productions, and explore a different industry space. Following more than a decade of working mostly on others’ productions, Moghanian wanted to take a step toward independence in Albuquerque. “I’ve kind of been through the gamut in the industry,” Moghanian said. “My husband and I, we own our own production company so we do freelance work … The industry has been burgeoning here and there are lots of opportunities for filmmakers and creators.”

UNM English professor awarded 2022 Medieval Academy of America Article Prize

  University of New Mexico professor of English Nahir Otaño Gracia was presented with the 2022 Medieval Academy of America Article Prize in Critical Race Studies for her article “Towards a decentered Global North Atlantic: Blackness in Saga af Tristram ok Ísodd” on March 12 during the 97th Annual Meeting of the Medieval Academy of America at the University of Virginia. Having initially been ostracized for her choice to study medievalism, Otaño Gracia was excited, albeit somewhat surprised, to receive the award. “When I started doing this work I was often told it wasn’t a real thing … or I wasn’t taken seriously … I was told, ‘Maybe you shouldn’t be here; maybe you shouldn’t be doing this work.’” 

LETTER: ASUNM provides voice to UNM students

  As students here at the University of New Mexico, there are many opportunities available throughout the campus and schedules to put forward your beliefs on how experiences can be made better and to put forward messages that you believe are important to share. With our undergraduate student government, the Associated Students of UNM, students are elected to use their perspectives and experiences to elevate those of their peers and represent the whole of the student body in many areas. It’s our pleasure to share that whether or not you serve in an elected or appointed position in student government currently, there are strong ways in which you can contribute to the process of communication and making positive changes that students can enact.

Comics March 21, 2022

REVIEW: ‘After Yang’ is far from robotic

  This review contains spoilers Following his quiet and subtly beautiful debut “Columbus” in 2017, expectations for writer and director Kogonada’s next project were extremely high. But going from a subdued romance set in a small Midwestern town to a sci-fi drama about a family’s robot breaking down would be a daunting task for any director. Luckily, Kogonada deftly handles this weighty task in “After Yang,” while retaining the detail and quiet beauty that made his directorial debut so appealing. “After Yang” premiered on Showtime on March 4 as a part of Showtime and A24’s streaming partnership. 

Catopia Cat Café searches for fur-ever homes for cats

  Nearly 700 cats have found their homes in the span of three years through Catopia Cat Café, a space that houses cats that are up for adoption in a cozy café environment. Around 20 cats roam the café at a time, laying on cat towers or meowing for customers’ attention. Customers can pay about $10 to get in for an hour and can also purchase food or drinks and relax on a couch or study at a table. All of the proceeds made in the shop go directly back to the cats.

Incoming ASUNM president, vice president to focus on student outreach

  The unofficial results from the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico election were announced on Wednesday, March 9 with Ian May and Krystah Pacheco winning the president and vice president positions, respectively. In their campaign, May and Pacheco focused heavily on student outreach, which reflects their future goals as well. Many initiatives in May and Pacheco’s campaign came not just from themselves but from conversations with students and student organizations about what they wanted to see in their next undergraduate student leadership.  “The biggest thing is visibility. During our campaign time (approximately) a third of students didn’t even know what ASUNM was, and especially I think it’s really important we have that presence on campus,” Pacheco said. 

Immunocompromised community and advocates speak out against end of UNM mask mandate

  Since University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes announced the March 19 expiration of UNM’s indoor mask mandate at a majority of campuses and locations, members of the UNM community who are or who advocate for those who are immunocompromised are raising concerns that their safety was not taken into consideration in the decision-making process. Soph Colson, a UNM student on medical leave and a member of Crip Lib, a disability advocacy group on campus, said she feels dropping the mask mandate is dangerous to disabled students. 

OPINION: Oscar-nominated live-action shorts center trauma and loss

  This review contains spoilers for “Ala Kachuu - Take and Run,” “The Long Goodbye,” “The Dress,” “Please Hold,” and “On My Mind” This year’s nominees for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film all center around the human response to trauma and the isolation that can often follow.  If you want some unspoiled recommendations, I’d say “Ala Kachuu - Take and Run” is brilliant, “The Long Goodbye” is quite good, “The Dress” would’ve been amazing were it not for one fatal mistak eand “Please Hold” and “On My Mind” are solid. If I had to pick my preference to win, I’d go with “Ala Kachuu - Take and Run.”

Lobos women’s basketball advances to Sweet 16 of WNIT

  The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team beat the University of San Diego Toreros 73-69 Sunday, March 20 at The Pit. The win advances the Lobos to the third round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament as one of only 16 teams left. Saturday’s win was the UNM women’s 26th in the season, only the third time they’ve reached that many wins in a single season in program history San Diego drew a stark stylistic contrast with the high-octane, sharp-shooting Lobos. Throughout the season, the Toreros have relied on defense and scoring in the paint to win games. The Lobos scored early and got up 5-0 before Sydney Hunter scored San Diego’s first points.

May, Pacheco take narrow win for ASUNM president, vice president

The unofficial results for this year’s close two-way race for the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico president and vice president were released on Wednesday, March 2 with students Ian May and Krystah Pacheco coming out on top as the next ASUNM president and vice president, respectively. Changes to the ASUNM Constitution were also included in the vote and easily passed. These results will remain unofficial until fully ratified by the Election Committee. Only 817 votes were cast in total, a minuscule percentage of the over 15,000 undergraduate students that were eligible to vote in the online elections held from March 7-9. This is similar to the 874 voters last year, just 5.2% of the then 16,662 eligible undergraduates.