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ASUNM meetings broadcasting bill awaiting approval from legal counsel

Shin Thant Hlaing | April 6

The Associated Student at the University of New Mexico STREAM Act — mandating ASUNM Full Senate Meetings be live streamed or recorded — passed last October, but the bills implementation and official inclusion into the lawbook still awaits approval from the Office of University Counsel, ASUNM President-Elect Hope Montoya said. University Counsel is a body that provides legal advice to various administrative organs including ASUNM, according to the Office of University Counsel.  “I guess you could kind of call it a stoplight system. Green signifies that the bill is okay to be included into the lawbook. Yellow signifies that there are parts of the bill that require edits. Red means no, don’t include it in the lawbook,” Montoya said. 

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Pay-what-you-can model debuted in SUB

Shin Thant Hlaing | April 6

Last month, the La Ventana hot food location in the University of New Mexico Student Union Building’s Mercado convenience store began piloting the new Fare Share program, which aims to alleviate food insecurity across Main Campus.  The program allows anyone with a valid LoboID to choose one entree, one side and one drink from La Ventana’s selection of food and beverages, then pay whatever they wish for what they’ve chosen. Fare Share may be used by customers once a day. Any excess revenue, meaning payment that exceeds the cost of providing the meal, is donated directly to the Lobo Food Pantry.

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Law school faces alleged failure to protect students against sexual misconduct

Paloma Chapa | April 6

After law students sent an open letter on March 2 raising concerns about the University of New Mexico Law School administration, the University continues to face pressure with renewing Law School Dean Camille Carey’s contract.  The letter alleges multiple failures, including protecting students and ensuring accountability in disciplinary matters involving Associate Dean Steven Homer and Carey, including a case of sexual misconduct. On Feb. 26, the ACLU wrote a letter to the Provost’s Office alleging that “problems at the law school are serious and merit attention.”   

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Page beats out incumbent Broadhurst for GPSA President

Elliott Wood | April 6

Marisa Page will be the new president of the University of New Mexico’s Graduate and Professional Student Association, defeating incumbent Travis Broadhurst in the election held from March 23-27, according to unofficial results posted after the ballots closed.  Page, a GPSA council member and Native American Studies doctorate student, defeated Broadhurst 135 votes to 120, amounting to a 5% margin of victory. 

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Montoya, Salinas win ASUNM election

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | April 6

Hope Montoya and Owen Salinas will be the next president and vice president of the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico, according to unofficial results from the ASUNM Elections Commission. Montoya and Salinas ran on a platform of expanding advocacy for students. Their major policy plans are “Lobo Print+,” to give students a credit for printing on campus, and continuing an effort to partner with ride share apps Lyft and Uber to get discounts for UNM students. This Spring election saw 1,408 students cast their ballots in an election that had three candidates for ASUNM president and vice president and 11 candidates for senate. Montoya won with 581 votes and Salinas with 567.

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Tuition increase fails at Regents meeting

Shin Thant Hlaing | March 23

On Tuesday, March 17, the University of New Mexico Board of Regents contemplated using student facility fees to close a gap in funding required to complete several ongoing infrastructure projects, namely the construction of the new humanities building The proposed fee increase  would be accomplished using a $30 increase to the facility fee, and a $30 decrease to the mandatory student fee. However, the Lottery and Opportunity Scholarships do not cover expenses that are associated with capital, such as facility fees. 34,000 students in New Mexico receive financial assistance through the Opportunity Scholarship, and 10,000 students received Lottery scholarships during the spring semester of 2025, according to Source NM. 

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UNM Law school under scrutiny over administration’s actions

Paloma Chapa | March 23

Multiple University of New Mexico law students say they have lost trust in the UNM Law School administration, with 14 law student organizations signing an open letter urging the Provost and Board of Regents to decline to “recommend the renewal” of Law School Dean Camille Carey’s contract. Some students’ concerns with the administration include lack of local student representation, unstable faculty retention, retaliatory and inconsistent practices and failing to protect students and ensure accountability in cases of sexual misconduct, the letter reads.   The letter comes after Carey spoke before the New Mexico House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 21, where she testified on a number of issues, some of which were brought forth to the committee by students and faculty. 

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GPSA Presidential candidate: Travis Broadhurst

Elliott Wood | March 23

The incumbent GPSA President Travis Broadhurst, having previously served as sustainability director and director of boards, commissions and elections, is running again for president (ballot #2). While president, Broadhurst reinstituted the Parking and Transportation Services Advisory Committee — with representatives from the graduate, undergraduate, faculty, staff and athletics communities among others — which provides feedback and input on parking and transportation matters around campus, he said.  Broadhurst led an initiative, in collaboration with the UNM School of Medicine Dental Hygiene Clinic, to subsidize the cost of dental cleanings for graduate students who may no longer fall under their parents’ insurance. 

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GPSA Presidential candidate: Marisa Page

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | March 23

The University of New Mexico’s Graduate and Professional Student Association will be holding elections for president, council chair and considering nine constitutional amendments. Voting will take place from 9:00 a.m. on Monday, March 23, through 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 27. There are two candidates for GPSA president and one candidate for council chair. To view the amendments, candidates and cast your ballot, go to gpsa.unm.edu. Marisa Page is a member of the GPSA council and on the legislative steering committee running for GPSA President (ballot #1). “I think that we need to build community at the University, and I think that people, especially grad students, need a safe space to be heard and seen,” Page said.

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ASUNM Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates: Karis Daskalos and Alana Baca

Elliott Wood | March 23

In the upcoming elections for president and vice president of ASUNM, Student Special Events Executive Director Karis Daskalos (ballot #1) and Governmental Affairs Executive Director Alana Baca (ballot #1) are vying for each position, respectively. Daskalos is vice president of the UNM Panhellenic Council and a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. Baca is an early alum of the Chi Omega sorority.

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ASUNM Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates: Hope Montoya and Owen Salinas

Addison Fulton | March 23

ASUNM Vice President Hope Montoya (ballot #2) is launching a campaign for ASUNM President and joining her ticket, running for Vice President, is ASUNM President Pro-Tempore Owen Salinas (ballot #3). Montoya said she has a three-pillar plan for their campaign: stronger for every Lobo, student life for every Lobo and a voice for every Lobo. She said stronger for every Lobo refers to expanding student support throughout campus, particularly around mental health, food insecurity and financial challenges.  “(The second pillar) student life for every Lobo is about building a campus that works for students by expanding academic opportunities, improving essential campus systems, strengthening student safety and transportation,” Montoya said. 

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ASUNM Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates: Bailey Rutherford and Zoe Baca

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | March 23

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico’s elections will take place from April 1, 9:00 a.m. to April 2, 5:00 p.m. There are three candidates for President, three candidates for Vice President and 11 candidates for ASUNM Senate. To view all the candidates and cast your ballot, go to vote.unm.edu  ASUNM Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Bailey Rutherford is running for ASUNM President (ballot #3) alongside Office of Communications Director of Web Design Zoe Baca, running for ASUNM Vice President (ballot #2). One of the main topics of their campaign is resisting actions by President Donald Trump’s administration, specifically policies meant to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion, they said.

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Community voices opinions on Iran war

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | March 9

One week after the United States and Israel launched military strikes across Iran  on Feb. 28, Albuquerque saw two separate rallies take place on Saturday, March 7, each shining a light on the contrast of perspectives among the community. One rally occurred on Girard Boulevard and Central Avenue at the University of New Mexico monogram where demonstrators, thankful for U.S. and Israeli intervention, called for an Iranian regime change. Another rally took place at Robinson Park, where anti-war protesters rallied against the intervention. 

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Lawsuit alleges UNM failed to maintain public records

Penelope Loyd Sment | March 9

Thomas Newsome, a retired journalist and University of New Mexico alum, is suing the University alleging that they’ve failed to meet their obligation to document their activities involving public business resulting in the denial or obstruction of Newsome’s right to access these records. The lawsuit, which was filed on Feb. 26, claims UNM violated the Inspection of Public Records Act. The lawsuit alleges a pattern of poor records management on the part of UNM in denying the public access to records they have a legal right to see. Examples of poor management outlined include failure to locate documents, identify which records exist and if requested records exist at all. 

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UNM considering increasing paid parental leave for staff

Shin Thant Hlaing | March 9

A resolution to extend the paid parental leave period from four to 12 weeks paid was passed by the Staff Council, a body representing University of New Mexico Staff. On Friday, March 6, the University Policy Office released a policy update for internal review that would increase allotted paid leave for UNM staff to eight weeks. According to the policy update, UNM is looking to offer eight weeks of paid leave for staff. It will take approximately two weeks to hear if it will be officially adopted after the initial 30-day comment period. It is also possible for the updated policy to go into a second round of internal review, or become available for public comment. 

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A recap of the 2026 Legislature’s important bills

Penelope Loyd Sment | March 2

On Feb. 19, the New Mexico Legislature adjourned their 30-day session, the last to be overseen by the outgoing Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. According to a press release from the Office of the Governor, the three cornerstone priorities of the governor were medical malpractice reform, mental health commitment and universal child care. Here are some of the most impactful bills that could affect New Mexicans. 

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Dry, hot NM weather brings higher risk of wildfires

Ethan Alvarez | March 2

Even as the decades-long drought in the Southwest continues, New Mexico is experiencing an unusually dry winter that could result in increased wildfires.  Most wildfires in New Mexico occur in mid-elevation mixed conifer forests, where fire suppression and human activity has increased fuel loads that would historically burn every five to 25 years. The Director of the University of New Mexico’s Center for Fire Resilient Ecosystems and Society, Professor of Biology Matthew Hurteau, said some of the causes of severe wildfires are related to human intervention in natural fire cycles.