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News

UNM researchers make strides in nanotechnology

Hannah Eisenberg | April 16

While the wheel, propelled forward through force and friction, may have been invented by a cave man, imagining how one might be able to move the smallest object, a nanoparticle, in a similar way has been a complex process spanning years of research conducted by a dedicated team of physicists. Alejandro Manjavacas of UNM’s Astronomy and Physics Department, along with a team of three other researchers around the globe, are currently working on making this a possibility.

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A Good Friday trek on Tomé

Matthew Reisen | April 16

Light blues seeped into the desert sky as we trudged up the steep side of Tomé Hill. The trail was still isolated, save for a few people. As we rushed to the top, anxious to see the sunrise, I noticed a woman stepping very slowly. Once I was closer I noticed that her feet were bare upon the jagged rocks. She carried her shoes as tears streamed down her face. That was when it sunk in; the full magnitude of what this pilgrimage means to so many. Once at the top, we found ourselves among a group of about 20 people, surrounded by three huge crosses permanently fixed into the hill.

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Less international students applying to attend UNM

Hannan Eisenberg | April 14

While America becomes saturated with anti-immigrant rhetoric and actions, international students and their families view traveling here for education and work as an increasingly risky decision. A survey published by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers found that foreign students and their families have growing concerns about "xenophobia, anti-Muslim sentiments, discrimination and the general climate in the U.S., especially towards international students.” Sharifa Bahri, president of UNM’s Saudi Students Club, and an international student mastering in Linguistics, shared these growing concerns.

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ASUNM unanimously passes 2017 spring budget, allocating nearly $690,000 to orgs

Shelby Perea | April 14

On Wednesday night, the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico voted on their Spring 2017 budget in which they choose which agencies, organizations and line items will receive funding and how much funding each gets. The money for ASUNM’s budget comes from a pool of student fees that every UNM student contributes to, according to Director of Communications Gabe Gallegos. On Wednesday, the senate voted and unanimously approved the spring 2017 budget that allocates about 74 percent of the budget to ASUNM agencies and line items.

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Gov. Martinez vetoes all funding for higher education

Elizabeth Sanchez | April 12

Last week, Gov. Susana Martinez vetoed all funding for public universities and colleges by signing the House Appropriations and Finance Committee substitute for House Bills 2 and 3. In a statement, Martinez said legislators “wasted” their 60-day session on official state song and dance bills, resulting in a budget imbalance and one of the largest tax increases the state has ever seen. Martinez noted that she has felt “disappointed” in legislators before, but cannot remember ever feeling the way she does now. “Their reckless decisions had left New Mexico hanging in the balance,” Martinez said.

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Mandatory UNM staff trainings address safety, harrassment

Celia Raney and Celia_Raney | April 12

All UNM employees are required to complete annual compliance trainings that exist to train them how to handle workplace incidents, help prevent workplace harassment and provide information that is “pertinent to everybody's daily jobs.” The required trainings include Intersections: Preventing Discrimination and Harassment, basic annual safety training and an active shooter training, which was added this year. Administered as courses through Learning Central, the courses all have due dates. But what happens if an employee misses the deadline? How do the trainings benefit UNM employees? How does UNM monitor who completes the trainings, and why are they required in the first place?

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Men's Basketball: Aggies head coach will replace Neal

Isabel Gonzalez | April 12

The Rio Grande Rivalry has become more real than ever. After an 11-day search for a new men’s basketball head coach, Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs decided that NMSU’s Paul Weir was the man for the job. Krebs said that although some people described the process as a bit of a roller coaster, he thought that from an internal perspective things actually went relatively smoothly. “We ended up where we needed to be,” he said. “The process allowed us to get to the right place to find the best individual, best coach, at this time for the University of New Mexico.”

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Crime Briefs for April 13

Elizabeth Sanchez | April 12

Battery on healthcare personnel at UNMH On April 1, an officer was dispatched to UNM Hospital in reference to a “disturbance,” according to a police report. The officer was told a disorderly female refused to leave the property. A female was with UNMH security outside of the emergency entrance when the UNMPD officer arrived. The female was yelling at security and using abusive language. Security said she was disruptive in the emergency room, refusing to cooperate with employees. During this time, she spat on one of the healthcare personnel. As a result, she was asked to leave.

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Regents discuss changes to UNM employee health benefits

Brendon Gray | April 11

During the Regents Finance and Facilities meeting on Tuesday, the committee did not give recommendation to the full board for certain changes in employee benefits. Two presenters from the UNM Benefits Department requested regent approval of an expanded Wellness Incentive for employees, a cap on contributions to post-retirement medical expense accounts, and a change in insurance rates for active employees and pre-65 retirees.

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News in Brief: NSF awards UNM $1.6 million to extend microsystems education

Matthew Reisen | April 10

According to a UNM press release, the University has been awarded $1.6 million from the National Science Foundation to continue a program that provides educational services to industry trainers and educators in the expanding field of microsystems. The grant runs from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2021 and will fund the creation and maintenance of a large variety of microsystems educational materials used nationwide by colleges, educators and industry members, according to the release. This grant is a continuation of previous grants toward the initiative, called the Southwest Center for Microsystems Education.

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News in Brief: 2017 International Festival set for Thursday

Matthew Reisen | April 10

The Global Education Office is sponsoring the 2017 International Festival, set for Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cornell Mall. According to a University release, there will be around 40 booths with food, crafts and information. The event is free and open to the public. "The Global Education Office’s annual International Festival is a special opportunity for everyone in the UNM and Albuquerque community to come together to experience a taste of the world in one place on one day,” Pablo Torres, director of International Recruitment and Admissions, is quoted as saying in the release.

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News in Brief: UNM ROTC student success specialist recognized with regional aware

Matthew Reisen | April 10

According to a UNM press release, ROTC Senior Student Success Specialist Brian Vineyard was recognized by the Air Force ROTC Southwest Region, receiving University Civilian of the Quarter for the Southwest Region award. The Southwest Region contains 10 states from California to Tennessee and covers over 30 units, according to the release. The award is handed out by the Headquarters Air Force ROTC to university civilians working in Air Force ROTC detachments. According to the release, recipients must not only meet excellent job criteria requirements, but are also judged on the contributions they make to the Air Force ROTC and local community.

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Refugees find both hope and hate in Albuquerque

Gabriella Rivera | April 10

Immigrants and refugees are facing recurring difficulties in Albuquerque, but one program is endeavoring to help. The Immigrant and Refugee Resource Village of Albuquerque and New Mexico is part of a larger operation called Women’s Global Pathways run by Nkazi Sinandile. The organization specializes in helping women and children, but accepts any immigrant or refugee in need. Participants learn English, domestic skills such as sewing, and produce and sell goods through a micro-enterprise.

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Student groups weigh in on "anti-Planned Parenthood" bill

Celia Raney and Celia_Raney | April 9

A congressional resolution endangering federal funding for family planning providers in the U.S. now sits on President Trump’s desk, awaiting his signature. House Resolution 43 passed the House with a 230 to 188 vote, and the Senate with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. If signed by Trump, the resolution will become law, repealing an act from the Obama Administration which prohibits Title X funds from being determined for political reasons. Dubbed the “anti-Planned Parenthood bill” because of the ways in which it could affect funding for the nation’s largest abortion provider, the resolution would make it increasingly difficult for family planning organizations to receive funding.

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Proposed ASUNM budget continues recent trends

David Lynch | April 9

On Wednesday, the ASUNM Senate will deliberate over its spring budget bill, which reflects the campus-wide financial strain on UNM as well as a continued trend of ASUNM and its related entities receiving the vast amount of student fees up for grabs. The Finance Committee, which proposes the budget each semester, recommended $689,652 total to be allocated to student groups and organizations, from $690,000 that was available from student fees. That number is right in line with the last two years, when around $691,000 was allocated to groups by ASUNM. Also, as with the last two years, Finance Committee members were forced to make cuts — at times drastic ones — across the board from what groups were requesting. Student groups were requesting about $1.14 million in funds, 165 percent more than the amount that was eventually allocated.

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Q&A with ASUNM's newly elected leadership

Cathy Cook | April 9

Last week the Daily Lobo caught up with the recently-elected ASUNM president and vice president-elect, Noah Brooks and Sally Midani, to discuss the future and what they plan to do in their respective roles. DL: Why did each of you decide you wanted to be leaders in ASUNM? Sally Midani: I just really wanted to make my family proud, and I think being able to represent a minority in student government was something that was really a huge pushing point for me. I’m excited because it’s actually motivated some Arab American students to run for senate. Noah Brooks: I’m really passionate about the student body and making sure that the administration is also passionate about the student body, because the student body is the most important body on our campus.

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LGBTQ Resource Center gets frank about sex

Elizabeth Sanchez | April 9

As part of campus-wide events during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the LGBTQ Resource Center got frank about the subject with its “Let’s Talk about Sex” event on Friday. The event showcased sexual violence prevention and overall sex education as tables lined Cornell Mall, offering information from on and off-campus resources such as QSA, Planned Parenthood, N’MPower and others. LGBTQ Resource Center Education Coordinator Frankie Flores has been a part of the center and has planned the event for six years. “Let’s Talk about Sex” usually focuses on STIs, as April is also STI Awareness Month, but this year the emphasis was tailored toward sexual assault prevention/awareness instead.

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Truvada: A ‘game changer’ in the fight against HIV/ AIDS

Andres Del Aguila | April 9

In the ongoing fight to end the HIV/ AIDS epidemic, healthcare providers are beginning to prescribe a pill that acts as a bulwark against the disease by decreasing the chance of infection by 99 percent if taken every day, according to clinical trials. Truvada, also known as PREP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), is a combination of two anti-retroviral drugs that block an enzyme which fuses the HIV virus with a person’s DNA. The pill also prevents HIV replication in the bloodstream, which ultimately leads to the virus’ death. “Truvada is a game changer,” said Student Health and Counseling Executive Director James Wilterding. “It has been proven to decrease transmission rates. We have seen in the United States that it has been so effective that, in the past year, most healthcare plans have started paying for Truvada.”

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ASUNM fails bill that sought to alter Student Publications funding

Matthew Reisen | April 8

ASUNM failed a bill last week that would have removed annual funding for three UNM student publications — the Daily Lobo, Conceptions Southwest and Best Student Essays — and forced them to apply for funding through annual budget hearings. Senators Theo Pirone-Aufrichtig and Hannah Williams co-sponsored Bill 13S, which sought to remove the 8.5 percent of student fees annually allocated to Student Publications, in an effort to install oversight at a time when less and less funds are available for student groups. If passed, the bill would have gone before the Senate and, if passed, would have been placed on the ballot for student vote in fall.

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Crime Briefs for April 7, 2017

Elizabeth Sanchez | April 7

Harassment at KUNM On the morning of March 24, a UNMPD officer was dispatched to KUNM after a staff member called to report a harassment complaint, according to a police report. The caller told police that a contracted employee was recently terminated after the UNM Office of Equal Opportunity investigated an alleged sexual harassment against him. After his termination, the former employee began sending emails, stating he was wrongfully terminated. The officer was given copies of several emails, but did not see a specific threat to harm anyone. However, in his emails, the former employee mentioned that after being fired, he now suffers from severe depression.