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ASUNM gears up for budget distribution

Brendon Gray | August 24

With the fall semester underway, the budget and appropriations process has begun for some student groups. For the Senators of the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico, that means beginning the process of dinearly $1 million. For the current fiscal year, the ASUNM general fund is estimated at $981,659, according to ASUNM documents. The fund is primarily financed by student fees, specifically the mandated $20 ASUNM fee all full-time undergraduate students pay. Part-time students pay based on their number of enrolled credits.

Students wait in line at Student Services to talk with the Bursar's office representatives on Aug. 23, 2017. With the recent strain in tuition at UNM many student's are beginning to feel the strain.

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Student activity fees breakdown: Where do the funds go?

Kael Krepfl | August 23

At the University of New Mexico, every student pays a student activity fee as part of their tuition. The process for deciding which fees should be applied to a tuition bill varies between schools — at UNM, there are two main parties involved in the student fee evaluation process: the Board of Regents, and the Student Fee Review Board. The BOR determines what fees will be applied to the tuition bill, how much the fees will be, how they will be allocated and which of those fees will be mandatory for all students.

An LGBTQ Resource Center employee climbs the stairs of the facility after a tabling event during UNM's Welcome Back Days on Wednesday.

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UNM employee audited for unapproved purchases

Elizabeth Sanchez | August 23

Alma Rosa Silva-Banuelos, the University of New Mexico LGBTQ Resource Center’s program specialist, has been terminated by the Office of Academic Affairs, following a UNM Internal Auditing Department review of the center’s financial transactions and travel. Since Jan. 2016, Silva-Banuelos started “raising red flags” with purchases on her University issued Purchasing Card, former Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Dr. Jozi De Leon said in an email to Silva-Banuelos. P-Cards are issued to UNM employees for the purpose of making purchases on behalf of the University that do not exceed $10,000 for approved transactions for goods, materials and supplies or $5,000 for transactions of approved services, according to the P-Card page on UNM’s website.

A UNM student smokes while sitting on the ledge of a main campus building Wednesday, August 23rd 2017. The instituted "tobacco-free campus" campaign has led to a phasing out of designated smoking areas for students, residents and faculty across campus.

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UNM to implement tobacco-free campus this Fall

Nichole Harwood | August 23

The University of New Mexico is now fast-tracking its way to becoming a completely smoke- and tobacco-free environment. The new policy, No. 2250 under the Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual: Transition to a Smoke-and Tobacco-Free Campus, states “UNM will, with few exceptions, become a smoke- and tobacco-free environment by Fall Semester 2017.

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Photo Story: Eclipse viewing party showcases science behind shadows

Cameron Goeldner | August 21

The University of New Mexico Department of Physics and Astronomy and the UNM Observatory hosted a viewing party on Monday morning to celebrate the first solar eclipse in almost 40 years.

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ART expected to clean up Downtown

Brendon Gray | August 20

The City of Albuquerque is looking to clean up its act this fall and hopes the Albuquerque Rapid Transit project will make major strides with the roll-out of 60-foot, all-electric buses. As the ART project aims to wrap up by year’s end, Mayor Richard Berry’s office hopes the new transportation system — along with other large investments — can transform Albuquerque’s center. Earlier this month, the mayor unveiled the new buses and announced Albuquerque would be the first in the nation to have all-electric rapid transit. Reminiscent of a Route 66 diner, the buses have a grey body, a checkered stripe and a neon accent running along the top.

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Despite immigration restrictions UNM strives to be safe for all

Nichole Harwood | August 20

Universities actively trying to recruit international students are facing “challenging times” amidst disputes in the nation's capitol. “There is still a lot of uncertainty regarding changes to official U.S. policies,” said Linda Melville, Associate Director for International Student & Scholar Services at UNM. “National dialogues are currently still very speculative, but the perception globally is that the U.S. is interested in placing greater restrictions on immigration.” Changes to immigration policy vary — from the newly proposed Raise Act which seeks to reduce levels of legal immigration to the United States by 50 percent to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. DACA allows individuals who come to the United States as children and meet several guidelines to request consideration of deferred action for a period of two years.

UNM Advisor Angela Pacheco of the School of Architecture and Planning has been working at UNM for fifteen years. Ten years of Pacheco?s career has been spent as an advisor. Pacheco says she ?absolutely loves working with students.?

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Advisors provide many resources for students

Kael Krepfl | August 20

Every University of New Mexico student is required to meet with an advisor at least once per semester or a hold will be placed on their account; however, advisors are able to accomplish much more than releasing holds. UNM advisors meet with current students, assist with college recruitment and host workshops and graduation events. University advisors are often a student’s first resource for information, whether they are looking for detailed information about degree programs or general information about campus resources.

Left, Sally Midani, ASUNM Vice President, and, right, Noah Brooks, ASUNM President, sit down to talk about their goals for the Fall '17 semester.

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ASUNM's plans for the upcoming year

Brendon Gray | August 20

The office of the Associated Students of UNM, tucked behind the stairs on the lower level of the Student Union Building, has been bustling with energy as new president Noah Brooks and vice president Sally Midani gear up for a busy semester. First and foremost, the administration is looking to follow through on campaign promises. To do so, the pair has three main goals: work with administration to get free student shuttles to and from home games, continue to streamline advisement and work to prevent sexual assault on campus. While the new Lobo Achieve website was implemented over the summer, the other objectives still require attention.

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Study ranks NM school system second-worst in nation

Nichole Harwood | August 17

New Mexico has the second-worst school system in America, according to a recent WalletHub study. The research for the study was developed by a specific methodology created by WalletHub’s research team in conjunction with academic experts in the field, Jill Gonzalez, a WalletHub analyst, said. The data used to create the rankings is aggregated from reputable, mostly government, sources including the U.S. Census Bureau and National Center for Educational Statistics, Gonzalez said.

The Lobo Rainforest building stands completed on Aug. 15, 2017. Lobo Rainforest aims to bridge the professional and student lives of UNM students by constructing a creative and innovative work environment.

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Lobo Rainforest now houses students and community groups

Kelly Urvanejo | August 16

The new Lobo Rainforest building, located in downtown Albuquerque, is now home to UNM students as well as multiple innovative groups hoping to influence students, the community and other businesses by networking and creating opportunity throughout the city. “The University has been involved in a project called Innovate ABQ for the last four and a half years,” said Lisa Kuuttila, CEO and Chief Economic Development Officer at STC UNM. “The vision for the site as a whole, was to develop this live, work, play environment to stimulate creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation.” Albuquerque did not previously have an innovation district, Kuuttila said, which is why the concept to build a corridor between the University and downtown was created.

Protesters carried picket signs with messages of “Smash white supremacy,” “Bash bigotry” and “Solidarity with C-Ville heroes,” at an event organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation outside the UNM Bookstore Sunday evening. The gathering was aimed to show support and solidarity for the victims of violent riots in Charlottesville, VA last weekend.

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UNM community members respond to violence in Charlottesville

Celia Raney , Celia_Raney and Madison Spratto | August 14

More than 50 people gathered outside the UNM bookstore Sunday evening to show support and solidarity for the victims of the violent riots in Charlottesville, VA. The event was organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation and Stop the War Machine. “It was really just a matter of time before this happened,” said local activist Torrance Green in response to the violent protests in Charlottesville, VA over the weekend. “(These protests) are setting the trend and precedent that, ‘Hey, if you show up and show out nobody is going to stop you.’” Participants joined in chants of: “Alt-Right that’s a lie, you’re a nazi in disguise,” “Ain’t no power like the power of the people ‘cause the power of the people don’t stop” and “Bash the fasc.” Sunday night’s event was held in response to “Unite the Right” rallies organized by white supremacy groups in Virginia last weekend.

An APD vehicle sits in the middle of the intersection of Central Ave. and Cornell Dr.

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How local police departments counter crime

Kael Krepfl | August 13

It’s no secret that New Mexico has more than its fair share of crime. In 2015, New Mexico had the third-highest violent crime rate and second-highest property crime rate in the U.S. according to FBI data. According to the UNM Annual Clery Report for 2016, the number of auto thefts, burglaries and aggravated assaults have nearly doubled since 2013 on campus alone. In February the Daily Lobo reported that car thefts doubled from 64 in 2015 to 124 last year. UNM Main Campus, South Valley and Downtown Albuquerque are heavy areas of crime with generally high numbers of auto thefts and burglaries, but the city is working hard to remedy these issues.

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Crime Briefs for Aug. 14, 2017

Elizabeth Sanchez | August 13

Battery on a healthcare worker at UNM Psychiatric Center On Aug. 2, two officers were sent to the UNM Psychiatric Center in reference to a battery, according to a UNMPD report. Upon arrival, one officer spoke with a female in the meeting room who said she and another patient were in an altercation concerning community phone use. She said the other patient had already used the phone for 15 minutes before she spoke on the phone. The female said the other patient asked her to hang up the phone after she had only spoken for 10 minutes. Then, the other patient hung up the phone while the female was still using it. Out of anger, the female said she went after the other patient.

The New York Times Building stands illuminated in Midtown Manhattan on August 3, 2017. The Times Building is the seventh tallest building in New York City and hosts some of the nation's most acclaimed journalists.

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Getting there and working hard: A peek inside The New York Times

Celia Raney and Celia_Raney | August 13

“This is my scene,” said Caroline Que, Editorial Director for the News Desk at the New York Times. “I’m grateful to have found something pretty early in my adult life that is interesting to me and is different every day and keeps me engaged at a place where my skills and core values are easily applied.” Que started her career as a journalist in her sophomore year of college, working as an editor at her college newspaper, the Davidsonian. “The second week we published that semester was September 11, 2001, so I had a pretty quick entry to the power of the press, and the need to get information to people and the need that people had for information at that moment,” she said. “When I was starting out I always felt like that was the first moment, and it was kind of a done deal.”

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UNM finds interim athletics director

Nichole Harwood | August 13

UNM interim President Chaouki Abdallah has appointed Janice Ruggiero as Acting Director of Intercollegiate Athletics while UNM continues it’s search to fill the position permanently. The transition from Paul Krebs’ term has gone as smoothly as possible and her experience has prepared her for the temporary position, Ruggiero said. “I have been very fortunate to have overseen most departments within our athletic department excluding the external operations,” she said. “I have been here for almost 28 years so I know the different individuals to go to for most situations that may arise.”

Chad McKinney, CPA, examines paperwork at McKinney & Associates LLC Friday August, 12. McKinney?s firm assists business? bookkeeping, profitability oversight and an array of tax services.

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How does GPA factor into employment?

Kael Krepfl | August 13

Grade point average takes center stage as a means of tracking a student’s performance throughout their academic career. In a collegiate setting, merit-based scholarships and financial aid heavily rely on a student’s GPA, and their eligibility for these services may be negatively affected by a lower GPA score. At the University of New Mexico, students who are receiving financial aid are required to maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0. Failure to maintain the required GPA may result in the loss of financial aid assistance. If students wish to receive extra benefits such as internship opportunities, a GPA. of 3.0 is often the minimum acceptable score. A 3.0 is also the required GPA for any graduate students seeking to continue their education through an accredited Master’s Degree program. Graduating with Honors requires a minimum GPA of 3.5 — 0.12 points above the UNM average GPA score of 3.38.

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Crime briefs for Aug. 7, 2017

Elizabeth Sanchez | August 7

Battery on a healthcare personnel at UNMH On the evening of July 30, an officer was dispatched to UNMH in reference to a battery on a health care worker, according to a police report. Upon arrival, a nurse told the officer a female patient became angry while she was being triaged by another employee. The nurse said the patient began to curse at and threaten staff members, saying the patient was going to leave. However, the patient needed to complete a medical evaluation, because she lives in a group home and had taken multiple aspirin pills. The nurse told the officer the patient was interfering with her own medical care. At this point, the nurse said the patient punched her in the stomach once, but she was uninjured. The patient fell to the floor as she was being taken to a stretcher; she was then lifted to the stretcher, restrained and given medication to calm her.

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Lobo Rainforest housing development move-in ready this month

Celia Raney and Celia_Raney | August 1

A technology- and innovation-based student housing option, UNM’s newest student living option is scheduled to open its doors to residents this month. After three years of planning and construction, Lobo Rainforest is now only days away from completion. The new off-campus student housing is located downtown at the corner of Central Avenue NE and Broadway Avenue NE and is open to Innovation Academy Scholars, UNM upperclassmen and returning UNM residents. “(Lobo Rainforest) has been in the works for a number of years now,” said Lisa Kuuttila, president and CEO of Supporting Technology Transfer and Catalyzing Development at UNM. “It was originated by our president, Bob Frank, at the time who had a vision that we could take our entrepreneurial ecosystem to the next level.”

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New president of library organization aims to spread human experience and education

Nichole Harwood | July 28

UNM associate professor and Curator Suzanne M. Schadl has been chosen as the new President of the Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials which works to collect, preserve and provide access to information from and about Latin American, Iberian and Caribbean countries. As Schadl’s primary duty is to oversee conference planning, she will be presiding at a conference hosted by El Colegio de Mexico in Mexico City, she said. “My colleagues at that institution do all of the local event planning while I work on the more theoretical aspects of mapping out subjects and methods for sharing ideas,” Shadl said.