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ASUNM Election: Gallegos wants UNM's impact to be felt beyond campus

Denicia Aragon | March 26

After three years of being involved in the Associated Students of the UNM and interning for the U.S. Senate and Department of State, Gabe Gallegos is now running to be ASUNM president for the 2017-18 academic year. Originally from Las Cruces, Gallegos decided to become a Lobo and major in both political science and strategic communications. His experience with ASUNM began as a freshman, when he took part in the Emerging Lobo Leaders program — which grooms students for potential future involvement in the undergratuate student governing body. That spring he was elected to his first term in Senate, went on to chair the Outreach and Appointments Committee and this year serves as the the ASUNM director of communications.

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ASUNM Election: Garcia hopes to bridge gap between students, ASUNM leaders

Denicia Aragon | March 26

Born and raised in Albuquerque, sophomore business major Elena Garcia has always felt comfortable in New Mexico. But it wasn’t until she began serving on ASUNM Senate last fall that she found a home at UNM. Garcia said she initially didn’t feel like there was much of a community on campus, but she found it through trying to make a difference for UNM’s undergraduate student population. Now she wants to take on an even bigger role to help those students. “Senate drove me to running for president. I see a lot of potential in ASUNM and I see a lot of potential in the agencies,” Garcia said.

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Art show stretches what can be done with books

Nichole Harwood | March 26

Zimmerman Library Frank Waters Room 105 will play host to the event “Crazy Paper: A Book Arts Open House Back to Events,” displaying the work of artists who take the traditional format of a book and try to do new things with its material, all while expanding ideas about how books communicate information and ideas. The event is set for Friday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and is open to the public. Michael Taylor, a public services librarian, said the event showcases different ways artists expand on the potential of traditional formats, including the use of alternative materials, moving parts or arranging text in unusual ways.

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NM employment rate sags to bottom

Hannah Eisenberg | March 26

While the average national unemployment rate has reduced by a miniscule level percent since February of 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, New Mexico’s unemployment rate has remained stagnant, floating around seven percent throughout most of last year. As of this February, New Mexico now has the highest unemployment rating (6.8 percent) out of all U.S. states. It’s a title that has been passed back and forth between New Mexico and Alaska since early 2016. According to Jeff Mitchell, director of the UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research, as estimates are revised it has been revealed that New Mexico has in fact been in this position for longer than reports say.

Yale University professor Alicia Schmidt Camacho speaks about militaristic surveillance on the U.S. Mexico boarder Wednesday, March 24, 2017 at the Center of Southwest Research in Zimmerman Library.

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Guest lecturer discusses civil rights loss in border region

Elizabeth Sanchez | March 23

On Wednesday dozens piled into the Waters Room at Zimmerman to hear Yale University professor Alicia Schmidt-Camacho speak about the effects of militaristic surveillance on the U.S.-Mexico border. Her talk — “U.S. Border Surveillance, State Optics and the Production of Migrant Illegality” — was the last of the month-long Borderlands Event Series spearheaded by UNM English assistnt professor Bernadine Hernández. The series was a nod to Women’s History Month and a branch off Hernández’ Borderlands Cultural class, which she described as “on the ground,” “grassroots” and “multidisciplinary.”

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ASUNM Election: The presidential candidates at a glance

David Lynch | March 23

Election season for the Associated Students of UNM is in full swing, with early voting for the next ASUNM president and vice president taking place on Thursday. Election Day is March 29, while senatorial elections will be held in a few weeks. The Daily Lobo reached out to the four presidential candidates on the ballot to find out what their priorities would be, if elected, as well as their previous ASUNM experience and their thoughts on UNM's current weaknesses and areas of improvement.

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Crime Briefs for March 23

Elizabeth Sanchez | March 22

Domestic Violence Battery on a Household Member at UNMH On March 5, two UNMPD officers were dispatched to the New Birth room at UNMH, in reference to a potential domestic violence battery, according to a report. During the call, UNMH security stated a male struck his wife, a female patient, in the face during a dispute.

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State Legislature briefs: The bills that affect UNM

Celia Raney and Celia_Raney | March 22

Here's a quick rundown of bills that passed during the 60 day Legislative session that affect UNM. The descriptions are taken from the bill summaries as stated in the fiscal impact reports.

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National Briefs for March 23, 2017

Celia Raney and Celia_Raney | March 22

Terrorist attack at Parliament “A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage at the heart of Britain's seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing an armed police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament,” according to an Associated Press report. Four people were killed in the incident, including the assailant, while 20 others were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a "sick and depraved terrorist attack," according to the report. The attack caused lawmakers, lords and staff to be locked inside buildings as the wounded were treated and police secured the area.

Ehlam Yosufzai, right, explains facets of the Afghani New Year known as Nowruz during a Refugee Well-being Project gathering at the Cesar Chavez Community Center on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. The project sets students on a two-semester course during which they help refugee families and have the opportunity to learn about various cultures.

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Students help refugee families settle into life in America

Celia Raney and Celia_Raney | March 22

After traveling across the globe in search of a home safer than the one they left behind, refugee and immigrant families coming to Albuquerque are being welcomed with open arms. Brought to the University in 2006 by associate professor Jessica Goodkind, the Refugee Well-being Project pairs UNM students with a family that has emigrated to or sought asylum in Albuquerque within the past three years. Refugee and immigrant families are recruited for the program through friends, current and past participants, employees of the RWP and partner organizations.

Michael Rocca, faculty advisor for the Young American Leaders Initiative, talks about American polarization on Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at the UNM SUB. Sonny Christopher Haquani, founder of YALI, addressed questions related to political polarization.

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Young American Leaders Initiative host talk on political polarization and engagement

Cathy Cook | March 22

The Young American Leaders Initiative hosted a talk on political polarization Wednesday afternoon. With only seven students, the turnout was small, but YALI founder and president Sonny Haquani said the group filmed the event so that it would be available to a broader audience. Along with Haquani, the event was led by UNM political science professor Michael Rocca, who said the event was not designed to show students how to change polarization, but to encourage students to improve the level of political discourse.

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ASUNM prez, VP candidates discuss issues at forum

Gabriella Rivera | March 22

On Tuesday, the candidates for ASUNM president and vice president answered questions and debated issues at the Endorsement Forum. The fate of the lottery scholarship and other avenues of funding for UNM was a major talking point, with all candidates pledging their support of the Lottery Scholarship and their commitment to keeping college affordable. “The Lottery Scholarship would be a priority if elected president for me,” said presidential candidate Gabriel Gallegos.

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LoboAlert: Non-student sexually assaulted on campus

Daily Lobo Staff | March 22

A LoboAlert was distributed to the University community late Tuesday evening, warning of a sexual assault of a non-student that occured on Johnson Field. The incident occured at 11:30 p.m., according to the alert, and involved a male identified as being Native American, 5'8" and weighing between 160 and 170 pounds. The alert goes on to describe him as being in his late 20s, and wearing a gray beanie, black T-shirt with white lettering and a backpack.

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HSC Briefs for March 22, 2017

Matthew Reisen | March 21

UNM researcher joins consortium for vascular dementia According to a UNM Health Sciences Center press release, a UNM neurologist has joined a new national consortium to study small blood vessel disease in the brain to assess its role in contributing to cognitive impairment and dementia. Gary Rosenberg, director of the UNM Memory and Aging Center, is studying telltale biomarkers in magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid for evidence of injury to white matter, the tissue that surrounds neurons in the brain and helps transmit signals.

A solar panel field installed at the Norbertine community of Santa Maria de LA Vid Abbey, located in the South valley, provides energy for several facilities on the campus. The solar field was dedicated "Pope Francis Solar Field", in response to an encyclical he wrote in 2015 titled "Laudato Si'" or "On Care for Our Common Home," addressed a universal concern to develop sustainable alternatives to humanity's imprint on their environment.

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Popular green energy bill fails in state House

Hannah Eisenberg | March 21

The Community Solar Gardens Act, which had gained popular support from Albuquerque residents and political committees alike, failed to pass the state House of Representatives by just three votes on Thursday. The bill, HB338, “provides for the independent development and operation of community solar gardens” within the service territory of investor-owned electric utilities, according to the fiscal impact report summary. A community solar garden is a solar electric generation facility owned or operated by a public utility, an affiliate of a public utility or a subscriber organization.

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News in Brief: Los Alamos donations adds to supercomputing power of UNM

Matthew Reisen | March 21

According to a UNM release, a new computing system being donated to UNM’s Center for Advanced Research Computing by Los Alamos National Laboratory will add to the supercomputing being done at UNM. The system is nine times more powerful than the combined computing power of the four machines it is replacing.

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News in Brief: Parker Center for Family Business names new director

Matthew Reisen | March 21

According to a University release, Robin Dozier Otten was named the next executive director of the Parker Center for Family Business at the Anderson School of Management. As an independent contractor hired to provide services to the center, Otten’s duties include identifying family business needs and capacity in the Albuquerque area, according to the release. She will be working to implement strategies and procedures for growing membership, services and new revenue sources to support the Parker Center.

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News in Brief: Week-long event connects staff to committee focused on helping them

Matthew Reisen | March 21

According to a UNM press release, the Provost Committee for Staff at UNM is hosting “Meet, Greet and Give” every day this week from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the University Club, an event designed to to connect University staff with the committee and learn about its initiatiives. “The event not only supports Lobo Food Pantry, but gives staff members across campus an opportunity to meet current members and learn how they, too, can get involved,” Program Coordinator Lisa Hahn was quoted as saying in the press release. “We are hopeful that this event will help in recruiting new members from underrepresented spaces across campus.”

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Pro-life campus group protests fetal tissue usage by UNMH

Brendon Gray , Celia Raney and Celia_Raney | March 20

Pro-life campus groups are protesting the use of human fetal tissue in research conducted at UNM's Health Sciences Center. In mid-February, Students for Life of America and Students for Life UNM held a rally outside the SUB and submitted a letter to acting University President Chaouki Abdallah protesting disputed research and the methods in which it is conducted. “We, the undersigned members of the University of New Mexico community, ask that you immediately halt our school’s participation in collecting, using and distributing aborted baby body parts,” reads the letter, written by students.

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National Briefs for March 20, 2017

David Lynch | March 19

FBI director expected to provide answers on Russia, wiretapping allegations Fox News reports that amid a House investigation looking into potential Russian activities and involvement during the polarizing 2016 presidential election, FBI Director James Comey is set to testify on Monday. It is expected that Comey will provide at least some answers on Russian ties to the election, as well as the wiretapping allegations made by President Donald Trump.