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News

American Studies professor named director of Center for Regional Studies

Matthew Reisen | February 26

Meléndez named director of the Center for Regional Studies According to a UNM press release, Associate Provost Virginia Scharff recently announced the appointment of Professor Gabriel Meléndez as director of the Center for Regional Studies, effective March 1. According to its website, the center focuses on efforts to increase understanding of New Mexico, the border region of the U.S., the Americas and Spain. “I am very pleased to have Gabriel join UNM’s leadership team,” Scharff was quoted as saying in the press release. “He is a highly accom­plished scholar and distinguished professor in American Studies. His record of exemplary leadership, service and support of student success made him an ideal choice for the position.”

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UNM research center's electron microscope receives a big upgrade

Matthew Reisen | February 26

According to a UNM press release, an equipment upgrade at UNM's Center for High Technology Materials is allowing researchers to observe how temperature and electric current change a semiconductor sample, adding new dimensions to the center’s ability to produce images of samples with a magnification of up to 300,000. The electron beam-induced current upgrade was recently applied to the JEOL JSM-IT100 Scanning Electron Microscope, a high-throughput microscope which creates high resolution images and acceleration voltages, according to the release.

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Virtual reality, other features now available at Centennial Library

Elizabeth Sanchez | February 26

At an open house earlier this month, UNM’s Centennial Library unveiled several permanent new features in two new working and collaboration spaces that include VR platforms, among other things. The features are: geographic information systems, Mac, PC and Apple TV presentation platforms and the HTC VIVE virtual reality platform, according to Karl Benedict, director of Research Data Services in the College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences. Data Curation Librarian Jon Wheeler said analysis workstations provide applications with many common platforms for quantitative analysis, geospatial analysis and coding.

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Proximity to campus a large factor in LoboAlert distribution

Celia Raney | February 26

Students at UNM have seen a recent spike in violence and criminal activity, bringing scrutiny to LoboAlerts and prompting those in charge of the emergency messaging system to hold a public information session last Thursday. LoboAlerts is UNM’s fulfilment of a federal mandate under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. The Clery Act was enacted in 1990, four years after Lehigh University student Jeanne Clery was raped and murdered by a fellow student in her campus residence hall.

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Study: UNM a top LGBTQ-friendly online school

Nichole Harwood | February 26

The University of New Mexico received a spot in the 2017 Top LGBTQ-Friendly Online Schools list published by the SR Education Group, an education research publisher founded in 2004. Taitum Ridgway, a representative of the SR Education Group, said to develop this list they employed data from national nonprofit Campus Pride, which has worked with researchers to to generate standards and tools for assessing LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs and practices at higher education institutions. These standards used to create the Campus Pride Index, which rates schools from one to five, were used to create the list, Ridgway said.

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ASUNM funds $10,000 to host conservative speakers

Denicia Aragon | February 24

The UNM College Republicans and Young Americans for Freedom will be receiving funding from the Associated Students of UNM through appropriations to host two guest speakers, Christina Hoff Sommers and Ben Shapiro, at the University. UNM College Republicans requested funding for Sommers, and YAF requested funding for Shapiro. Both groups received $5,000, funding 50 percent of the speaker fees for each.

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Locals rally to thank local politicians for opposing Trump agenda, supporting Planned Parenthood

Andres Del Aguila | February 24

Around two dozen New Mexicans gathered in downtown Albuquerque Wednesday to praise New Mexico’s U.S. Congressional Democrats for resisting the agenda set by President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans. Sen. Martin Heinrich, Sen. Tom Udall, Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan have been vocal members of the local opposition, having denounced Trump’s appointees, immigration policies and Congressional Republicans’ efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.

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UNM to help develop skills for Young African Leaders

Nichole Harwood and Nikole Mckibben | February 24

UNM has been chosen to be part of the Young African Leaders Initiative headed by the U.S. State Department. The program is set to for summer, where fellows will come to UNM to learn leadership, organizational and entrepreneurial skills. The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders allows 1,000 “outstanding young leaders from Sub-Saharan Africa the opportunity to hone their skills at a U.S. college or university with support for professional development after they return home,” according to the program’s website.

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Crime Briefs for Feb. 23

Elizabeth Sanchez | February 22

Robbery, Aggravated Battery and Breaking and Entering at Sigma Chi On the early morning of Feb. 10, an officer was dispatched to the Sigma Chi fraternity house in reference to a 911 call transferred from APD concerning a battery, according to a UNMPD report. When the officer arrived, the female 911 caller said she received a call from her daughter who claimed she was pushed out of a moving vehicle near Avenida Cesar Chavez and Walter St. The mother said after she spoke with her daughter, she decided to wake her younger children up and drive to meet her older daughter, who walked to a Motel 6 on Avenida Cesar Chavez and I-25.

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New Ed. Secretary Betsy DeVos has some educators worried

Robert Salas | February 22

Just over two weeks into her new appointment as U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy Devos continues to face pushback from education communities nationwide.

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National Briefs for Feb. 23

David Lynch | February 22

Trump rolls out new anti-immigration policies New immigration enforcement procedures announced by the Trump administration this week show that Trump plans to be more aggressive when it comes to detaining and deporting those who are in the U.S. illegally, according to the New York Times. Among the provisions outlined by the Department of Homeland Security, the administrations seeks to, among other things, “publicize crimes by undocumented immigrants, enlist local police officers as enforcers, erect new detention facilities and speed up deportations,” according to the Times.

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Proposed bills would simplify college credit transfer process

Sarah Trujillo | February 22

The credit transfer process at UNM may see a drastic change with two proposed bills that would make it much simpler. It’s no secret that students have experienced issues when transferring to UNM from other universities and colleges around the state and nationwide, with many seniors anticipating graduation only to learn they have ended up taking more classes than required. According to a report from Complete College America, a national nonprofit aimed at increasing the completion of career certificates and college degrees, New Mexico college students are taking 154 credit hours on average, when only 120 are required for graduation.

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Protesters organize against ICE raids

Celia Raney | February 22

Hundreds of fists were raised into the air over the past week as Burqueños came together to show support for undocumented immigrants nationwide. At three separate events, protesters showed support for their undocumented neighbors, friends and family, with chants like “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA,” and “Raise a hand, make a fist, undocumented people will resist.” It wasn’t all love and acceptance, however, with the event on Tuesday evening ending in a fight. Spurred by several raids conducted over the course of the last two weeks by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and President Donald Trump’s aggressive rhetoric toward immigrants, Albuquerque activist groups including Indivisible Nob Hill, Power Through Peace and Working Families New Mexico took a stand against what many are calling injustice.

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New bill aims to provide locally grown fruits and vegetables to schools, juvenile detention centers

Cathy Cook | February 22

New Mexico kids might have fresher fruits and vegetables on their plates in 2018. House bill 208 could provide an appropriation of $1,440,000 to buy New Mexico grown fruits and vegetables for school districts, charter schools and juvenile detention centers. The appropriation would also pay for a full-time position to administer and promote the initiative. The bill is sponsored by Republican State Rep. Jimmie Hall and Democratic State Rep. Brian Egolf. In 2014, a very similar piece of legislation, HB 81, also tried to get funds for providing New Mexico grown produce in school lunches.

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Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham talks immigration with international students

Brendon Gray | February 22

On Wednesday about 70 international students filled a SUB conference room to listen to U.S. Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham and receive answers regarding recent executive orders, visa issues, and other related concerns. The Democratic congresswoman, who represents UNM’s congressional district, responded to questions presented by a handful of UNM students and faculty. All of the students and many of the faculty were immigrants, and the congresswoman’s presentation was centered around students’ questions and stories.

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Non-traditional students embrace education, even in retirement

Brendon Gray | February 21

Though most UNM students are Millennials, a dedicated group of non-traditional students take to campus every week, each with their own story. For Bill Wible, going to class is about more than just getting a degree — it’s about keeping up his health. Wible, an 82-year-old U.S. Navy veteran, has been attending UNM for eight years and currently audits two classes, meaning he doesn’t receive a grade or credit for his time in the classroom. In all his time on campus, he said he has yet to have any close calls with bikes or skateboards. “The skateboards avoid me,” he said.

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Acting UNM prez holds second town hall, reiterating many messages of the first

Cathy Cook | February 21

UNM acting President Chaouki Abdallah held a second town hall in the Domenici Auditorium on North Campus on Monday, reiterating many of the same messages that he had in his first town hall last week. Abdallah reiterated his three areas of focus as acting president, a position he will hold through the end of the semester: campus climate, student academic success and the financial challenges facing the University. Unlike the previous town hall, people sent in questions for Abdallah online beforehand. It was better attended than the previous forum.

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Report: New Mexico is the 5th-most sexually diseased state

Andres Del Aguila | February 20

Chlamydia infection rates reached an all-time high in New Mexico, earning it the not-so-distinguished spot as the fifth-most sexually diseased state in the country, according to a recent report. Backgroundchecks.org, an online database and resource for public records, compiled data from state and county health agencies, the Center for Disease Control, and social media surveys to assign each state an “STD score” based on the gonorrhea and chlamydia rates per 100,000 residents. New Mexico received a score of 411.14, following Mississippi, North Carolina, Louisiana and Alaska.

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Shia LaBeouf brings anti-Trump art piece to Albuquerque

Gabriela Garcia-Huff | February 20

It was early afternoon on Saturday Feb. 18. People had been slowly gathering downtown near Central Ave and Seventh Street all day in the hopes that they would run into the often publicly discussed actor and activist Shia Labeouf.

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Q&A: Yale law professor on the Constitution, Trump administration

Gabriella Rivera | February 19

Yale law professor Akhil Reed Amar visited UNM last week to discuss the Constitution and its continuing importance in American society. The Daily Lobo was able to sit down with her to discuss her book, as well as the first month of the Trump administration.