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Summit to address housing insecurity for Indigenous community

Maddie Pukite | October 10

The Office of Native American Affairs in the city of Albuquerque, alongside support from other advocacy groups like the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, will be hosting their Indigenous Housing Justice Summit at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Tuesday, Oct. 11. The summit will take place the day after Indigenous Peoples Day and seeks to address housing insecurity within Indigenous communities. Chenoa Bah Stilwell-Jensen, an organizer with the summit and a Communications and Journalism instructor at the University of New Mexico, said they were inspired to host the summit by voices throughout the Indigenous community and to address the ongoing housing crisis both in urban communities and traditional homelands — also known as reservation lands.

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Funding retained for safe outdoor spaces

Maddie Pukite | October 5

On Monday, Oct. 3rd, the Albuquerque City Council voted in favor of continued funding for safe outdoor spaces. The vote was to decide on an override of Mayor Tim Keller’s veto on an ordinance that would have reallocated the funds to supporting unhoused veterans. Safe outdoor spaces would be city-sanctioned locations of temporary occupancy for individuals who are experiencing homelessness to camp in tents or recreational vehicles. The spaces would include restrooms, showers and 24/7 security with monitored access. There also would be behavioral, mental and social support available, and all residents would need to be working toward finding housing, according to the City of Albuquerque.

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Albuquerque Starbucks first to unionize in New Mexico

Maddie Pukite | October 3

On Thursday, Sept. 29, the Albuquerque Starbucks located off of Rio Grande Boulevard and Interstate 40 became the first location of the national coffee chain to unionize in New Mexico. The New Mexico Public Relations Board counted employee ballots ultimately siding in favor of unionizing in a 10-7 vote. Jacob Sherwood, a barista and lead organizer, said that they began the unionization process in May after having several issues with the company.

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ASUNM combats conflicts of interest during senate meeting

Gabriel Saiz | September 30

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico senate passed measures to combat conflicts of interest this Wednesday, Sept. 29. They also approved over $43,000 of appropriations for student organizations. Student organizations may present an extraordinary funding request, known as an appropriation, to the senate finance committee, which makes cuts as deemed appropriate. The request then moves to the senate and, if passed, to the ASUNM president. Bills 4F and 6F passed unanimously while 5F passed 18 in favor and 1 against, with 19 senators present at the meeting.

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Santa Clara hall flooding leads to distress for residents

Elizabeth Secor | September 26

One of the University of New Mexico residence halls, Santa Clara, experienced flooding on the first floor and basement during Sept. 17 and 18, causing disruption and concern for residents in the building. For some, the incident itself and response from UNM Residence Life and Student Housing highlighted a larger issue of vandalism in the hall that has led to frustrated students.

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¡Globalquerque! takes you around the world in three days

Zara Roy | September 26

On Sept. 22-24, 18 acts from five continents gathered at the National Hispanic Cultural Center to perform at the “biggest party in the Southwest:” ¡Globalquerque!. The cross-genre global music festival has come back for its 18th year on a larger scale than ever before, according to festival founder Tom Frouge. ¡Globalquerque! was founded by Frouge and is produced under the nonprofit Avokado Artists, which seeks to promote cross-cultural understanding through the arts. To him, ¡Globalquerque! is the “physical manifestation” of the mission of Avokado Artists

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LEAF continues call for UNM to divest from fossil fuels

Maddie Pukite | September 26

The University of New Mexico Leaders for Environmental Action and Foresight held a global climate strike on Friday, Sept. 24 in front of the UNM Bookstore urging UNM to divest from fossil fuels and take action to combat climate change. Presenters also specifically highlighted the need for intersectionality in the climate justice movement.

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WRC holds safety planning workshop

Annya Loya | September 26

As part of the University of New Mexico’s honoring of National Campus Safety Awareness Month, the UNM Women’s Resource Center hosted a safety planning workshop for students on Saturday, Sept. 22. The workshop was one of various campus’ events designated for UNM’s safety week which included the Seventh Annual Safety Walk, naloxone and fentanyl testing strip training, “When Disaster Strikes: Emergency Response on Campus” (Chalk Talk) and more.

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UNM responds to protest against Tomi Lahren presence on campus

Maddie Pukite | September 19

Since protesters gathered at the Student Union Building on Sept. 15, the University of New Mexico has released a statement condemning actions made that night that caused speaker Tomi Lahren to leave early. The Daily Lobo spoke to 11 protesters — nine UNM students and two non-students — about their experiences that night, reinforcing that those protesting remained nonviolent. The protest was in opposition to the Turning Point-sponsored event “Talking with Tomi” that was held inside of SUB Ballroom B featuring speaker Tomi Lahren, a Conservative commentator. Protesters gathered outside and inside the SUB, chanting and speaking against the racist and hateful rhetoric Lahren has spread in the past.

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Queer people navigate dating in the digital age

Zara Roy | September 19

With online dating more popular than ever, the queer population has been particularly piqued in interest by the allure of meeting digital strangers. In 2020, 55% of lesbian, gay and bisexual people surveyed reported using dating apps at some point in time: about twice the rate of straight populations, according to a study from the Pew Research Center. Still, many members of the LGBTQ+ community on dating apps struggle to make meaningful connections over the internet. One of the primary issues is the sheer difficulty in getting past the small talk phase, according to Amethyst Gallegos, a student at the University of New Mexico.

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Students of color denied entry at Turning Point event at UNM

Gabriel Saiz and Maddie Pukite | September 16

Multiple students of color were denied entry at the Turning Point USA-sponsored “Talking With Tomi” event at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building’s Ballroom B on Thursday, Sept. 15. Students who were denied entry did have tickets but were turned away by Turning Point staff, according to Tyler Jacobs, one of the UNM students who was denied. Multiple witnesses at the event reported seeing students being denied entry. “Pretty much I was the first person of color to try to get in and then immediately after two white people came in and (the event organizers) said, ‘They look normal, they can go in’,” Jacobs said.

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ASUNM approves over $16,000 for three student organizations

Gabriel Saiz | September 16

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico granted over $16,000 to three student organizations during their full senate meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 14. The ASUNM senate sent three appropriations in total to the president’s desk while acknowledging that their budget for this semester is dwindling. “Our appropriation budget that we’re currently sitting at is roughly about $65,000 for the remainder of the semester,” Sofie Carillo, senator and finance committee chair, said. “I know for next week’s cycle we already have five appropriations submitted and one of them is up to $15,000 requested.”

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UNMH hosts Suicide Awareness Week

Annya Loya | September 12

The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center is honoring Suicide Prevention Awareness Month by presenting a full week of events for the UNM community. The week was kickstarted with an annual walk for suicide awareness on Johnson Field on Saturday, Sept. 10. Different departments and organizations were present at the walk offering resources for people dealing with mental health issues. Among the participants were Student Health and Counseling, the LGTBQ+ Resource Center, the Veteran & Military Resource Center, UNM Hospital, Agora Crisis Center and the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico.

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City Council fails to override veto, securing safe outdoor spaces for unhoused

Zara Roy | September 12

On Sept. 7, 2022, the Albuquerque City Council failed to override a vetoed bill which would have placed a moratorium on safe outdoor spaces for 12 months or until the amendment of the Integrated Development Ordinance. With a vote of 5-4 for overturning the veto, this project, which will provide temporary occupancy spaces for tents and vehicles as well as access to social services, will remain intact. Among the five council members who voted in favor of the overturn were Brook Bassan, Dan Lewis, Renee Grout, Clarissa Pena and Louie Sanchez. Six votes were needed to override the veto, making for a narrow win for safe outdoor spaces.

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Legal cannabis lowers Big Pharma's stock market value

Maddie Pukite | September 6

With recreational and medicinal cannabis now becoming legal in many states, the newly formed legal cannabis industry is showing an effect on many pharmaceutical firms' stock market value. Sarah Stith, a researcher at the University of New Mexico, alongside Ziemowit Bednarek and Jacqueline M. Doremus from California Polytechnic State University, published findings that pharmaceutical firms will lose billions of dollars because of cannabis sales.

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ASUNM senate meeting promises increased student engagement

Gabriel Saiz | September 1

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico kicked off their first full senate meeting of the semester on Wednesday, Aug. 31. The meeting consisted of the passage of three bills, the appointment of a new senator and the approval of funding for a student organization. The first two bills, 1F and 2F, reduce the required open office hours to be held by senators from twice to once a week. Bill 2F would also add a weekly required visit to senators’ sponsored student organizations, with their total outreach hours increasing from 12 to 14 hour minimum.

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UNM grad workers hold walk-in amid University bargaining

Maddie Pukite | August 23

The United Graduate Workers of the University of New Mexico held a walk-in on Monday, Aug. 22 to call attention to the continuous pushback they face from the University at the bargaining table and to show that, “the semester doesn’t start until the grad workers show up.” “(We’re here) to just keep showing the University that we're a strong union, that we've got a lot of very engaged members, and it would be within, you know, in their best interest to negotiate a very strong contract with us … for the health of the whole university,” Samantha Cooney, Union bargaining team member, said.

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Grad union bargaining reaches tension over retracted raises, grievance clause

Maddie Pukite | August 22

The United Graduate Workers of the University of New Mexico just wrapped up another bargaining session on Friday, Aug. 12 and are preparing for the next on Monday, Aug. 29, with a walk-in planned for Monday, Aug. 22. While the Union is making progress, they still face difficulties from the University, according to Samantha Cooney, a member of the bargaining committee. “We've made a lot of movement with the UNM bargaining team towards an agreement on what those assistantship contracts should say and how much clarity we should have the right to before starting our job duties each contract period,” Cooney said.

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Former GPSA president Muhammad Afzaal Hussain leaves legacy of community, family

Maddie Pukite and Alizay Chavez | August 15

Muhammad Afzaal Hussain would often take his family up to Navajo Lake to try their luck catching salmon during their snagging period, which runs from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. Muhammad Afzaal’s brother, Muhammad Imtiaz Hussain, said his brother had more than a passion, but rather an obsession for fishing.

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UNM holds safety forum following deaths of Muslim individuals

Maddie Pukite | August 15

On Monday, Aug. 8, an online forum for people associated with the University of New Mexico was held on Zoom to discuss safety on and around campus after the murders of four Muslim men across the state, including former Graudate and Professional Student Association President Muhammad Afzaal Hussain. The forum’s panel included members of UNM’s Police Department, the Albuquerque Police Department and the APD-FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, along with Tahir Gauba, the director of public affairs from the Islamic Center of New Mexico. “So, all we are asking right now to the broader community, just have each other back. You know, just be aware of your surrounding,” Gauba said.