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Archbishop of Santa Fe reflects on the life of Pope Francis

Maria Fernandez | April 28

On April 21, Pope Francis died at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican. In an interview with the Daily Lobo, Archbishop John C. Wester described the Pope as a humble, kind and gentle man who put people at ease. “I think Pope Francis brought the virtue of compassion and mercy to the forefront of his ministry,” Wester said. “I think people picked up on that: Catholics and non-Catholics alike, worldwide and in New Mexico. He was a parish priest, and he looked upon the world and the whole Catholic Church as his parish.” Francis’ motto throughout his papacy was “A merciful God has called me,” which was a message he lived by, Wester said.

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Former Daily Lobo photographer recounts Occupy Wall Street movement coverage

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | April 28

When students and community members established the 25-day occupation of Yale Park at the University of New Mexico during the 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement, it was all hands on deck for Daily Lobo journalists. The Occupy Wall Street movement was a protest against economic inequality and corporate corruption, during which protesters occupied a park in the New York Financial District, according to Britannica. This inspired similar occupations across the country. The protest in Albuquerque, which took place at UNM, was called (un)Occupy to honor Indigenous people.

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War, fraud and golf: New Mexico journalist recounts the Daily Lobo in the 2000s

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | April 28

At the Daily Lobo in the early 2000s, Jeff Proctor cut his teeth covering campus protests against the Iraq War, uncovering billing fraud at the University of New Mexico’s Health Sciences Center, and chasing stories on the golf course — all of which helped him launch his career into investigative journalism. Proctor was the assistant news editor for the Daily Lobo over the 2002-03 school year. He later worked for the Albuquerque Journal, the Santa Fe Reporter, New Mexico In Depth, KRQE and is currently the executive producer of New Mexico PBS.

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Daily Lobo alum reflects on his 2020 protest coverage

Maria Fernandez | April 28

During his two years at the Daily Lobo starting in early 2020, Liam DeBonis worked first as a reporter before becoming photo editor, and later, copy editor. His coverage included the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests held in Albuquerque, which DeBonis said helped him discover his voice as a journalist and photographer. “I think one of the most important things that we covered during my time was the climax of the national anger and rage and conflict,” DeBonis said. “I was out in the street pretty much every day, every event, every protest — whether it was anti-lockdown, pro BLM, or counter BLM. Whatever the case, I was out there with my team, and we were trying to cover it the best we could.”

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Limón Romero’s journey from Daily Lobo journalist to LA Times sports editor

Elliott Wood | April 28

Iliana Limón Romero is the assistant managing editor for sports at the Los Angeles Times, but before her job at the sixth-most circulated paper in the nation, Limón Romero wore more hats at the Daily Lobo than many people have in their closet at home. “I was a reporter, I was an assistant news editor, I was managing editor,” Limón Romero said — on top of being a photographer and, during her final year at the Lobo, the editor-in-chief. “I did some copy editing shifts and some design shifts, and tried my hand at a lot of things.” From 1998 to 2002, Limón Romero studied journalism and Spanish at the University of New Mexico after growing up in El Paso, Texas. She joined the Daily Lobo her freshman year.

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Two arrested for arson on campus

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | April 21

Just before 5 a.m. Tuesday, April 15, the University of New Mexico Police Department responded to a fire that reached five feet in height outside of the Communication & Journalism building. The officers and Albuquerque Fire Rescue successfully extinguished the fire, according to the incident report. At the scene, officers contacted the two suspects, who claimed they saw the fire and walked over to get warm. One suspect claimed he saw another person walking away from the fire when they arrived, according to the report.

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Students, faculty and staff walk out and rally during ‘Higher Education Week of Action’

Paloma Chapa | April 21

On Thursday, April 17, hundreds of University of New Mexico students, faculty, staff and community members joined a walkout and rally in front of Scholes Hall to protest against President Donald Trump’s policies on higher education. Faculty and student speakers discussed the graduate worker union, UNM’s changes to diversity, equity and inclusion and affirmative action policies, federal research funding cuts, academic freedom and free speech during the rally. Various organizations were present at the rally, including the United Graduate Workers of UNM, United Academics at UNM, UNM Students for Justice in Palestine, UNM Leaders for Environmental Action and Foresight, Stand Up for Science and UNM Law Students Against Imperialism.

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Regents’ affirmative action policy changes take effect

Lily Alexander | April 21

Changes to two Regents’ policies on affirmative action at the University of New Mexico went into effect on Tuesday, April 15. The revisions largely remove UNM’s commitment to affirmative action. This comes amid proposed changes to similar policies in the University Administrative Policies manual. The Regents’ Policy Manual consists of policies adopted by the Board of Regents for the governance of UNM. It serves as a resource on the fundamental policies of the University and the operational procedures of the board, according to the manual’s preface.

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UNM president and provost address federal actions at ASUNM meeting

Maria Fernandez | April 21

On Wednesday, April 16, University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes and Provost James Holloway addressed the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico senate during a meeting to discuss pressing University topics and field questions about UNM’s response to executive orders, funding loss threats and more. "A lot is going on for university leadership,” Stokes said during the meeting. “There is a lot of pressure on higher institutions, and UNM is feeling that pressure.” Stokes’ meeting with ASUNM followed the termination of some international UNM student records and proposed — and actual — changes to UNM affirmative action policies.

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Governor signs bill requiring training for university regents

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | April 21

On April 8, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 19 into law, requiring all members of university boards of regents to undergo 10 hours of training. The training, required for regents at all universities and public post-secondary educational institutions, will cover topics such as state law, financial and fiduciary responsibilities, student success, available state and nongovernmental resources and ethics and accountability, according to the now-law. “I've always felt like we should be looking for regents who have a lot of experience and passion in higher education, and I feel like that's not always the case in the people that get selected,” Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D-Las Cruces), who sponsored the bill during the legislative session, said.

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Immigration officials terminate some UNM international student records

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | April 15

The federal government terminated the records of several University of New Mexico international students amid reports of the revocation of hundreds of student visas across the country. The Student & Exchange Visitor Information System is a federal tracking system for nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors in the United States, according to the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. A “handful” of UNM students had their SEVIS records terminated recently, according to UNM Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair. The termination of a SEVIS record does not necessarily mean a student’s visa was revoked, but there is often overlap between the two actions.

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Norton wins ASUNM presidential race, six new senators elected

Elliott Wood | April 15

On Friday, April 4, the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico Elections Commission named Andrew Norton the winner of the ASUNM presidential race over current Vice President Mutazz Jaber, certifying the results of March’s election.

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Governor authorizes deployment of National Guard to assist APD on Central Avenue

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | April 14

On April 7, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a state of emergency in Albuquerque due to a "significant increase” in crime, authorizing emergency funds for the New Mexico National Guard to assist the Albuquerque Police Department, according to her executive order. Beginning in mid-May, 60-70 National Guard members will be deployed to Albuquerque, according to a press release from the governor's office. They will focus particularly on Central Avenue, which encapsulates the southern boundary of the University of New Mexico’s main campus. Lujan Grisham signed the order after APD Chief Harold Medina sent her a memorandum requesting assistance due to the “fentanyl epidemic coupled with an increase in violent juvenile crime.” In the memorandum, Medina wrote that the problem “can only be resolved with consistent and visible presence of APD officers to Albuquerque’s citizens.”

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Construction on new UNMPD headquarters set to begin this month

Maria Fernandez | April 14

Construction on the new headquarters for the University of New Mexico Police Department is set to begin this month in the former Greek Lot. The new UNMPD headquarters, on the southeast corner of University Boulevard and Mesa Vista Road, will replace the current headquarters located in Hokona Hall and include an updated dispatch center, dedicated training areas and a public meeting room, according to Lt. Tim Delgado. The project will address the growing need for a facility dedicated to supporting effective operations, ensuring safety and enhancing community engagement on campus, Delgado wrote in a statement to the Daily Lobo.

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UNM retracts some draft affirmative action policy changes after criticism

Lily Alexander | April 14

After receiving hundreds of public comments largely criticizing the University of New Mexico’s prospective affirmative action policy changes, the school released two new draft policies Thursday, April 10. The new draft policies keep in more references to affirmative action — or sometimes replace it with “inclusive excellence” — but still remove requirements for UNM to have an affirmative action plan and gather and report affirmative action data. The new policies also still remove the ability for a hiring official, in certain circumstances, to fill a position with a member of a historically underrepresented group if another more qualified member of a protected group is unlikely to apply. The previous draft policies — released March 28 — removed nearly all references to affirmative action.

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Thousands gather at Civic Plaza for nationwide ‘Hands Off!’ protest against Trump administration

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | April 7

On Saturday, April 5, Albuquerque joined cities across the country in a “Hands Off!” protest, during which thousands rallied at Civic Plaza to protest against the Trump’s administration’s actions. Speakers addressed local and national issues including immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ rights, climate justice, Medicaid, Palestinian rights, the right to free speech, public education and the University of New Mexico’s policies. Speakers at the rally included labor activist Dolores Huerta, former Secretary of the Interior and current gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, New Mexico Women’s March Chair Samia Assed, UNM law professor Ernesto Longa, among others.

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ASUNM VP impeachment attempt fails in full senate meeting

Elliott Wood | April 7

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico senate voted Wednesday, April 2, not to open a resolution containing articles of impeachment filed against Vice President Mutazz Jaber for failure to fill two “critical” vacant senate seats in a timely manner, according to Resolution 1S. If there are vacancies in the senate, the vice president is responsible for contacting and appointing the official candidates who received the next-highest number of votes during the most recent general election who could fill those vacancies, according to the ASUNM Constitution. If the candidates appointed refuse the position, the vice president is obligated to accept applications for the vacant seats and appoint replacements, with approval from two-thirds of the senate, within 10 days, according to the constitution.

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UNMPD begins using bodycams

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | April 7

In March, the University of New Mexico Police Department began using body cameras. This comes over a year after the Daily Lobo reported that UNMPD did not use body cameras because of a loophole in a state statute. A bill during this year’s legislative session aimed to close that loophole, but it did not make it past the Senate. UNM announced that the police department would obtain the cameras in August 2024. So far, the cameras have worked well, according to Lt. Tim Delgado, who is in charge of UNMPD’s body camera program.

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UNM to begin demolition of Motel 6 following acquisition

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | April 7

The Motel 6 that the University of New Mexico acquired in February is expected to be demolished within the next two weeks. The University purchased the property for $5 million, according to a memo from Thomas Neale, the UNM director of real estate. The motel sits on an approximately 1.57-acre plot of land just west of Lobo Village. The UNM Board of Regents also approved an offer for the 1-acre plot of land next to the motel priced at $1.25 million, according to a statement to the Daily Lobo by UNM Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair.

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What is the difference between antisemitism and anti-Zionism?

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | April 2

Last month, University of New Mexico Honors College Interim Dean Leslie Donovan sent an email to all Honors College members reporting that antisemitic messages were found written on a whiteboard in the Honors College building. According to Donovan’s email, the messages on the whiteboard said that “folks with Zionist perspectives are not welcome here.” Donovan asked recipients of the email to "immediately report information if they know who was responsible for writing the messages.” UNM anthropology professor Les Field told the Daily Lobo that antisemitism and anti-Zionism are completely different — and outlined the distinctions between the two.