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UNM study suggests medical marijuana could decrease prescription opiate abuse

Cathy Cook | March 5

Medical cannabis use is highly under-researched, according to UNM professors Jacob Vigil and Sara Stith — and their recent findings suggest that it could actually help to battle addiction. The pair, along with pain specialist Dr. Anthony Reeve, presented their research on how enrollment in the New Mexico Medical Cannabis Program has affected prescription opioid use in patients with chronic pain on Friday at UNM. Vigil said the Medical Cannabis Program is unprecedented because patients manage their own care, since doctors can’t prescribe doses of cannabis, only authorize patients to obtain it.

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New program opens doors for mental and physical health

Elizabeth Sanchez | March 5

Many patients facing both physical illness and behavioral issues often go untreated. Their physical ailments can disqualify them from being admitted to a behavioral care facility, according to UNM psychiatry associate professor Davin Quinn, while their behavioral complications can disqualify them from physical treatment facility. The all-new Sandia Ridge Mental Health and Recovery Unit works to alleviate these obstacles, through it’s unique-to-New-Mexico, high-intensity medical and behavioral care.

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UNM Athletics still struggling to balance budget

Cathy Cook | March 5

The UNM Athletics Department began last fall with a $1.5 million budget deficit. This fiscal year, administrators have implemented several initiatives to reduce spending, but lower-than-expected revenues from football and basketball ticket sales have been lower than projected have hampered their efforts to get back to the green. Brad Hutchins, deputy athletics director for external operations, said football and men’s basketball are the biggest earners of the department’s 22 different programs.

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Regents approve bond prices, increase in UNM Foundation funding

Brendon Gray | March 4

During a special meeting Thursday, UNM regents unanimously approved prices for University bonds estimated to generate $46 million to fund the construction of the new Physics and Astronomy building, Smith Plaza renovations and other projects. “This is good for the University,” said Regent President Rob Doughty after the vote. The price-setting effort had been in the works for over a year, members of the board noted.

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Lecture discusses water conservation

Cathy Cook | March 3

“We need to keep the water on the watershed rather than letting it run off. That’s my mantra — keep the water on the watershed,” UNM professor Bill Fleming said. Fleming opened his watershed management class up to the public on Wednesday as part of Community and Regional Planning’s Teach Week, clarifying that the week of lectures and talks are a reaction to the current political drama in Washington.

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Panel discusses New Mexico Sunshine Law, IPRA

Celia Raney | March 3

In an effort to discuss methods citizens can use to learn more about government proceedings, the UNM School of Public Administration hosted a panel of experienced public information officers Thursday to discuss the rights protected under Sunshine Laws. The primary question posed was: What can the layman do to find government information in a time where it seems everything is hidden and secretive? The answer: Any U.S. citizen can access a plethora of information by filing a Public Information Request under the Inspection of Public Records Act.

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Journaling group brings camaraderie to cancer patients

Nichole Harwood | March 1

Every Monday afternoon for the last 12 years, everyday people who are battling cancer get together to share their experiences through journaling. Survivors Writing Together is a journaling support group for individuals who have a current or past cancer diagnosis and will have been going strong for 12 years this May. The group, which is co-facilitated by cancer survivors Eleanor Schick and Anjanette Cureton, welcomes survivors of cancer and defines a “survivor” from day one of diagnosis until death.

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Crime Briefs for March 2

Elizabeth Sanchez | March 1

Commercial Burglary at UNM Lobo Club On Feb. 18, an officer was sent to the UNM Lobo Club athletics facility on 1414 University Blvd. SE in reference to a burglary call, according to a report. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with the caller, who said he was the last person to leave the building the night before but noticed a large window on the west side of the building was broken.

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Diversity Council addresses KIVA Club concerns, endorses Preferred Name initiative

Brendon Gray | March 1

During a meeting Wednesday, the University’s Diversity Council heard presentations from the UNM KIVA Club and the LGBTQ resource center. UNM Diversity Council hears KIVA Club’s concerns on campus climate and funding After presentations made by Kiva Club representatives, the UNM Diversity Council agreed on resolutions to support the club and its leaders and strengthen the campus climate. During the presentations, the three representatives for Kiva Club— Demetrius Johnson, Jennifer Marley, and Tiayrra Curtis— noted an uptick in campus violence and cited concerns regarding its budget.

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Nonprofit helps ex-offenders reintegrate into society

Nichole Harwood | March 1

Best Chance, a new non-profit organization that helps returning citizens from incarceration reintegrate into the community through an innovative peer support model, is looking at the possibility of exceeding its goal of helping 50 individuals this year. Daniel Rowan, co-founder and a program director, of Best Chance said that, upon it’s formation, the goal for the year was servicing 50 individuals. At this point in 2017, the non-profit organization has already serviced 30. “There is so many people rolling into the city we can very quickly become overwhelmed with numbers, so we're mindful to just take on what we can handle,” Rowan said.

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National Briefs for March 2

Sarah Trujillo | March 1

New Trump travel ban removes Iraq President Donald Trump’s new executive order will withdraw Iraq from the group of countries whose citizens face a temporary U.S. travel ban as specified by the most recent plan in circulation, according to the Associated Press. The AP reports that four anonymous government officials said the choice came after the Pentagon and State Department pressed the White House to re-evaluate the inclusion of Iraq on the list because of the country’s critical part in battling the Islamic State group.

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Lecture discusses forest ecology at a time of climate change

Nichole Harwood | March 1

The University of New Mexico continued it’s scheduled events for Teach Week with a seminar titled Fire Management and Forest Ecology in an Era of Climate Change Denial. For the event, organizer and UNM professor Bill Fleming arranged for alum Nathan Campbell, a member of the Forest Service, to speak on natural resource planning and effects of climate change. The seminar happened to be part of the environmental planning course with one of the topics being forest health and water ship health, Fleming said.

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Students learn about racism, history in lecture to infer on race relations in 2017

Andres Del Aguila | February 28

Barack Obama’s historic election in 2008 signaled to many a post-race era. However, students in the Community Regional Planning Department at UNM doubt that assertion and are taught that Trump’s presidency ushered in an era signified by an increase in racial tension. The department hosted an “Understanding Trumpism through Racism and Whiteness” lecture for their Tuesday installment of Teach Week, a project set to teach students who voluntarily attend to oppose Trump’s agenda.

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Standing Rock Sioux Tribe member speaks out against DAPL during UNM lecture

Cathy Cook | February 28

Dave Archambault Sr. spoke at George Pearl Hall Monday night to kick off Teach Week, a week of lectures hosted by the Community and Regional Planning Program. Archambault talked about his tribal family, along with the history of U.S. and Native American relations, leading up to the Dakota Access pipeline protests. “This school has a long and deep history in its involvement in the community, with the state, with the people of the state, of the region and we feel that this conversation is paramount at this moment,” said School of Architecture Dean Geraldine Forbes Isais.

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UNM student benefits from scholarship for Syrian women

Elizabeth Sanchez | February 28

Sara Almidany left behind conflict in Syria to continue her education in the United States, and, attending high school in Texas, she began studying at UNM. “Having to leave Syria is one hard thing that I will never forget,” she said. “I will never stop being homesick, no matter how well I fit in.” The freshman biology and pre-medical school major is now the first UNM recipient of the 100 Syrian Women, 10,000 Syrian Lives scholarship.

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UNM researcher finds that air pollution may cause neurological diseases

Matthew Reisen | February 28

According to a University press release, UNM scientist Matt Campen believes his research may hold a clue explaining the link between inhaled pollutants and neurological conditions. In a new paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Campen and his colleagues report that tiny inhaled particles trapped in the lung trigger the release of inflammatory molecules that course through the circulatory system, according to the release.

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UNM orthopedics studies use of 3D-printed "tissue" for joint replacements

Matthew Reisen | February 28

According to a UNM Health Sciences Center release, researchers are hoping to create hybrid bone-ligament tissue through electrospinning and 3-D bioprinting techniques for improved outcomes in hand and wrist surgery. The American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand recently awarded the UNM Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation Research Division a $20,000 grant to use specific patient anatomy in developing bone-ligament adherence systems using a 3-D printer, according to the release. The project is further supported by a UNM’s Women in STEM Award.

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A pair of HSC faculty named 2017 Women of Influence

Matthew Reisen | February 28

According to a UNM HSC press release, Martha Cole McGrew, and Jamie Silva-Steele, have been named 2017 Women of Influence by Albuquerque Business First. McGrew, executive vice dean and professor at the Department of Family and Community Medicine, graduated from Louisiana State University School of Medicine and completed her residency in Family Medicine at LSU Medical Center, according to the release.

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Staff Council President: "Staff have lost trust in leadership"

Elizabeth Sanchez | February 28

During a Board of Regents meeting earlier in February, Staff Council President Danelle Callan brought the issue of low staff morale to the regents’ attention, drawing on the low staff attendance at acting UNM President Chaouki Abdallah’s recent town hall meeting on Feb. 13. Callan told the Daily Lobo that the minimal staff presence was likely caused by lack of communication about when and where the event would take place. In addition to hiring and budget constraints causing staff to take on more duties, and therefore having less free time, they also don’t have the ability to leave their desks without “coverage or backup” or time to complete their workload.

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Monthly drive helps provide food to students, community

Nikole Mckibben | February 28

The Lobo Food Pantry, designed to help UNM students and their families in need of assistance, is on year three of its run at the University of New Mexico. The Roadrunner Food Bank delivers the food to “mobile food pantries,” like the one held at South Lot every month, where families pick out from a variety of fresh and non-perishable items at the drive to stock up their pantries. “Families are able to choose food that meets their needs,” Roadrunner Food Bank Communications Officer Sonya Warwick said, adding that the pantry is flexible with diet restrictions so families can get food to support their family.