News - The Daily Lobo

News

UNM encampment stands in solidarity with Palestine, other universities

Ella Daniel and Paloma Chapa | April 24

This story will be updated as the protest continues. Students, alumni, faculty and community members have been camped out at the Duck Pond since Monday, April 22 in solidarity with Palestine and students at universities nationwide. Encampments in support of Palestine have been set up on dozens of college campuses across the U.S., leading to hundreds of student arrests, according to the New York Times. Police officers were present at the University of New Mexico encampment Monday and Tuesday nights. The protesters are calling the University to divest from Israel and call for a ceasefire in Gaza, and for the Board of Regents to employ the divestment resolution written by the UNM Law Students Against Imperialism. UNM has received grants from the U.S.-Israel Binational Foundations, according to The Jewish Virtual Library.

News

Unions impact on teachers' mental health and well-being

Lily Alexander and Nate Bernard | April 22

“Unionism allows you a track to have your voice heard and to professionally push for the things that you value the most,” Sean Thomas, the executive vice president of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, said. “Once you feel like you can exercise your voice, you don't feel so much like the world is happening to you, but you have the feeling that what you do matters and that you can change the conditions you're in.” Thomas is a teacher at Eldorado High School. He and fellow ATF member Sonja Kortsch said union involvement has benefited their mental health.

News

Mental Health Collaborative offers free counseling and a master's internship

Dannely Verduzco | April 22

The University of New Mexico’s Mental Health Collaborative (MHC) provides free, short-term counseling through various resource centers on campus. It also functions as an internship program that employs students earning their master’s degree in the mental health field. MHC’s counseling services begin on the first day of classes and run through a semester; students receive between six and 14 sessions per semester. Counselors offer telehealth or in-person sessions, according to their website. These sessions are also accessible for Spanish-speaking students.

Daily Lobo-Social Media Effect On Mental Health

News

The impact of social media use on college student mental health

Arly Garcia | April 22

Nine University of New Mexico students reported various effects to an anonymous survey conducted by the Daily Lobo on social media use and mental health. Whether these effects are negative or positive could depend on how people use social media, according to a UNM psychology professor. Of nine UNM students who responded to the survey, 100% said they use some type of social media every day. Of those students, seven believe social media has an impact on their mental health. The nature of that impact ranged from somewhat negative (with four respondents) to somewhat positive (with two respondents). Three students rated the impact as neutral.

News

Sex ratio: a social indicator of body image

Arly Garcia | April 15

A 2023 study by a University of New Mexico psychology professor states that women’s environments can have an impact on their self-esteem. The study had a few limitations in the form of its methods and theoretical framework per UNM professor analysis. The study, titled “A Slim Majority: The Influence of Sex Ratio on Women’s Body Dissatisfaction and Weight Loss Motivations,” was published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior by Tania Reynolds and four professors at other universities. Reynolds hypothesized that when women are around more women than men in their environment, they respond with increased competition, which might correlate with more dissatisfaction with their bodies.

News

United Graduate Workers and UNM begin negotiations on wage increases

Nate Bernard | April 15

The United Graduate Workers of the University of New Mexico and UNM administration have begun another round of bargaining sessions. This the first time the sessions will be in conjunction with state and University budget schedules, as decided upon by the amended collective bargaining agreement last fall. The union seeks to increase wages for all graduate students to attain “just compensation and living wages,” according to their website. The first bargaining session this round took place April 8, followed by an April 10 session. This is the first time UGW and the University has held negotiations in the spring – the same time in which the University and the state of New Mexico set their budgets, according to Wilber Dominguez, union steward for the physics department.

News

Customer concern over locked-up necessities

Sadie Hopkins | April 8

Stores like Walmart and Target have been placing more products, from toothpaste to deodorant, behind locked display cases. This has prompted customer concern, per six survey respondents. These cases, often used for products like electronics, spray paint or alcohol, are now used for various basic necessities, according to USA Today. The cases can only be opened by an employee, according to Forbes. A tube of Crest toothpaste, locked up at the Target location on Montgomery Blvd, costs $3.99. Dandelion Springer, a second-year psychology student at the University of New Mexico who frequents Target stores, said he is unsettled by the practice.

News

Students urge Board of Regents to address Israel divestment resolution

Ella Daniel | April 8

“My parents survived the genocide that happened in Bangladesh. My dad was two years old when it happened. He has scars on his body from being beaten by Pakistani soldiers,” University of New Mexico College Democrats President Rakin Faruk said. On Jan. 26, the International Court of Justice deemed it “plausible” that Israel committed genocide against Gaza in some cases after Oct. 7, 2023. As of Apr. 7, at least 33,137 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army, according to Aljazeera. For Faruk, the genocide has affected her entire life, she said. The brutality inflicted upon her own family is why she has been so involved with the protests for Palestine, she said.

News

How to participate in NM’s 2024 primary elections

Austin Fisher | April 8

This story was originally published by Source New Mexico. New Mexico’s primary election will determine who will appear on the general election ballot this November. Primary election day will be held on June 4. Early voting begins May 7. These dates can affect whether voters can participate in the primaries being held by political parties in the state.

News

APD releases crime statistics for 2023

Arly Garcia | March 29

In recent crime statistics, the Albuquerque Police Department cited proactive enforcement as the reason they saw increased drug possession and shootings in 2023; the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico is critical of this method of policing because of the way it treats drug offenses. APD released preliminary crime statistics for 2023 on Feb. 29. The report includes comparisons to crime numbers from 2018 onward. In 2023, APD saw a total of 65,960 reported crimes. While most of the numbers represented small changes, there was a 49% increase in Crimes Against Society, including prostitution, drug offenses and weapons law violations, according to the report.

News

GPSA Presidential elections: Joseph Conteh

Maddie Pukite | March 25

Joseph Conteh (ballot #2) is running for Graduate and Professional Student Association President. His campaign centers on collaboration and creating more opportunities for graduate students at the University. Conteh is pursuing a Master of Public Administration and has served as the Public Relations Director for GPSA this past year. He also served as the Student Body Vice President for the University of Sierra Leone during his undergraduate career. His work in the past has focused on supporting projects from rural communities in Sierra Leone, which fostered skills he said he would bring to this position.

News

Chimps prioritization of play

Shin Thant Hlaing | March 25

A new study led by University of New Mexico alumni and faculty members reveals that mother chimpanzees prioritize play with their children even in difficult situations, like food scarcity. The study, published March 14 in the journal “Current Biology,” might shed light on the importance of play to development in other primate species, and help us learn more about our evolution, according to lead researcher and UNM alumna Kris Sabbi. Co-authors include UNM professors of anthropology Melissa Emery Thompson and Martin Muller, UNM anthropology graduate student Megan Cole and UNM alumna and University of Michigan Research Lab Coordinator Isabelle Monroe.

News

GPSA Presidential elections: Michel Rivera Ramirez

Maria Fernandez | March 25

Michel Rivera Ramirez (ballot #3) is a second-year University of New Mexico School of Law student running for the Graduate Professional Student Association President with a focus on employment and labor law. If he were to win the election, Rivera Ramirez’s main priority would be preparing to advocate at the New Mexico legislature for better state investment into UNM, he said. “This will include more funding for scholarships, assistantships and other services that graduate students can benefit from,” Rivera Ramirez wrote.

News

Anthony Tomaziefski and Mutazz (Tazz) Jaber win ASUNM elections

Lily Alexander | March 25

On Thursday, March 21, Anthony Tomaziefski and Mutazz (Tazz) Jaber were elected to be the next President and Vice President, respectively, of the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico. The two current ASUNM senators campaigned on campus accessibility and safety, and ASUNM involvement and outreach. A total of 1,080 students voted – 7% of the undergraduate student body – with Tomaziefski and Jaber each receiving 418 votes.

News

ASUNM Presidential elections: Makayla Otero

Maria Fernandez | March 18

Makayla Otero (ballot #5) is a junior at the University of New Mexico pursuing a dual degree in political science and psychology. She has also served as President of the Pre-Law Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Otero said she was first inspired to run for the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico Presidential election her freshman year when she was first involved in ASUNM. Otero first served as an Associate Justice before taking on the Chief Justice role this school year.

News

ASUNM Presidential and Vice Presidential elections: Galen Oston and Tivon Oston

Maddie Pukite and Jaymes Boe | March 18

Brothers Galen Oston (ballot #3) and Tivon Oston (#4) hope to bring changes to the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico in the upcoming spring elections. Running as brothers allows them to complement the skills the other brings to the table, Tivon Oston said. Neither of them has prior experience in ASUNM, which is something they want to use to their advantage to bring an outside perspective and change to the institution as a whole. “I think there's no way around the fact that there needs to be changes,” Galen Oston said.

News

ASUNM Presidential and Vice Presidential elections: Gabriel Gurulé and Crystal Nguyen

Nate Bernard | March 18

Gabriel Gurulé (ballot #2) and Crystal Nguyen (#1) are running for the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico President and Vice President, respectively, and bringing experience and integrity to the position, Nguyen said. If elected, their presidency would center around experience, safety, sustainability and development, according to their campaign Instagram profile. Gurulé has been an ASUNM Senator for four semesters while Nguyen has been a Senator for two. They have both held various positions within the Senate, such as Gurulé as President Pro Tempore in fall 2023 and Nguyen as the current Steering and Rules Committee Vice Chair.

News

ASUNM Presidential elections: Julián Ángel

Arly Garcia | March 18

Associated Students at the University of New Mexico presidential candidate Julián Ángel (ballot #1) is a junior studying Chicanx and Latin American Studies. Ángel was inspired to run for ASUNM President because he believes the ASUNM President's positions to UNM’s diversity, student support services and connection to state legislation provides tools to improve the Lobo experience through a community effort, he said.

News

ASUNM Presidential and Vice Presidential elections: Isabel Castañeda and Ria Schultz

Lily Alexander | March 18

Isabel Castañeda (ballot #4) and Ria Schultz (#2) are vying for the roles of President and Vice President of the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico, respectively, with a primary focus on improving campus inclusivity and accessibility. Castañeda — who has been involved in ASUNM for a year — currently serves as the director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Schultz is ASUNM’s President Pro Tempore and has held various Senate positions over the past three years.

News

ASUNM Presidential and Vice Presidential elections: Anthony Tomaziefski and Mutazz (Tazz) Jaber

Karina Bolaños and Maddie Pukite | March 18

Two current senators for the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico, Anthony Tomaziefski (ballot #6) and Mutazz (Tazz) Jaber (#3) are running for ASUNM President and Vice President, respectively focusing on accessibility, safety, involvement and outreach. Tomaziefski and Jaber’s campaign centers on education and student outreach to address their concerns surrounding the lack of accessibility on campus, safety and bridging the gap between students – specifically Greek Life – and ASUNM, they said.