Early voting is underway in Bernalillo County, and there will be an early voting site open in the UNM Student Union Building until Nov.
UNM released results of an extensive study conducted by the Institute for Social Research, which found that the benefits of paying to house the homeless population far exceed the costs.on the costs and benefits of the Heading Home Initiative here in Albuquerque. The study looked at the Heading Home Initiative, a program that aims to expand resources to house chronically homeless people who are grappling with addiction and connected disorders. The study analyzed which costs more — housing the homeless or letting them remain on the streets. After an almost three year long process with 95 applicants, the researchers concluded that for every $1 spent, the program yields $1.78 in benefits. Breanna Anderson, Communications Director for Heading Home, said five years since the program started, the initiative has housed 610 individuals and their family members, as well as saving millions of taxpayer dollars, all while expanding efforts to end homelessness.
UNM Safety and Risk Services is still in conversations with the New Mexico Environment Department --- and may be fined ----- over numerous safety violations, mostly concerning the handling, labeling and disposal of hazardous materials. Carla Domenici, director of SRS, said they are still in discussions with NMED over almost 30 violations, stemming from an inspection conducted in March 2016. UNM Safety & Risk Services Department provides “comprehensive occupational safety, health, and environmental management” services to ensure that departments are providing a safe working environment. Allison Majure, NMED communications director, said the Environment Department’s Hazardous Waste Bureau’s oversight assures New Mexicans that hazardous waste is managed safely and that contaminated sites are cleaned up, in a manner that is safe and protective of human health and the environment.
Since the last presidential election in 2012, 10.7 million young people have become eligible to vote, according to an analysis done by the Pew Research Center. While the center estimates that less than half of the Millennial citizens over 18 turned out to vote in 2012, many first-timers are taking to the polls at UNM this time around. However, those first-time voters have expressed concern about the two major-party candidates and their campaigns. “It was an interesting first-time voting experience,” said Shantell Moreno, a junior Psychology major, after leaving the early-voting station in the SUB. “With these two candidates it was like, ‘Where do I go from here?’”
The presidential election results may have more of an effect on New Mexico than many may think. The candidates have polarized the major parties this election season, creating gridlock and a divided government, said Lonna Rae Atkeson, director for the Center for the Study of Voting, Elections, and Democracy. The general population sees this, and any election, as a type of sporting event, she said. People get caught up in the excitement of winning and losing.
A report by the UNM Division for Equity and Inclusion is recommending that UNM administration consider a change to the University’s official seal, following a campaign by local groups to abolish it due to its allegedly offensive imagery. In addition to suggesting that the seal be changed with “something more inclusive, aspirational (and) honoring diversity,” the report recommends a plan be developed that allows graduating students to opt out of wearing the seal, as well as providing the opportunity to get a new diploma that doesn’t bear the image. The division compiled feedback from multiple forums that have been held in recent months to gather opinions on the seal.
Compared with other research institutions across the country, UNM faculty members are compensated less, and although there is no immediate solution, the University intends to continue to study and correct pay gaps with respect to national averages. According to an Office of the Provost report analyzing faculty compensation, 30 percent of UNM tenured and tenure-track faculty are paid “below the 25th percentile of the average of salaries at 76 other public research universities.”
New Mexico has the third-highest violent crime rate and the second-highest property crime rate in the nation, according to recently released FBI crime statistics for 2015. The numbers also showed a rise in crime in Albuquerque specifically, with a 9.2 percent increase in violent crime and an 11.5 percent rise in property crime in the city. Christopher Lyons, an associate professor of sociology at UNM, said that when crime statistics are calculated, the main two categories that are examined are violence and theft.
Throughout U.S. history, politicians have used different mediums to connect directly with their constituency, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “fireside chats” in the 1930s to the contemporary White House YouTube channel, which posts videos of the Obamas checking out science fair projects and greeting visitors, alongside videos explaining policy and political issues. To this end, presidential candidates in the 2016 election have used the ever-expanding opportunities of social media in traditional and innovative ways, said Jessica Feezell, a political science professor at UNM who focuses on American politics. Feezell said Clinton’s use of Instagram has been novel, utilizing video posts and allowing other people to post for her for a day, as she did with running mate Tim Kaine.
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump visited Albuquerque 10 days after his running mate and just nine days before the finish line, raising the energy of his campaign while also emphasizing the high stakes of this election. Inside an aircraft carrier, Trump addressed a crowd of thousands who waited patiently for his plane to arrive. “It is so great to be here in New Mexico,” the presidential candidate said as he took stage. “In nine days we are going to win this state, and we are going to take back the White House.”
LoboAlerts, the University’s emergency text messaging and email alert system, has only sent out a single alert to UNM students and staff this semester — a test message, on Sept. 6. Byron Piatt, emergency manager for the Center of Disaster Medicine, said the University has been fortunate this semester to not have to send out any notifications. He said between the 2015-16 academic year, LoboAlerts were issued a total of 82 times, mainly for training purposes.
On the ballot in 2016, a special election will determine who serves the remaining two years as New Mexico secretary of state after the mid-term resignation of former Secretary Dianna Duran, R-NM, last summer. Duran, reelected to office in 2014, pleaded guilty to six charges including embezzlement, and admitted to using campaign funds to fuel gambling trips to Sandia Resort and Casino during her first term. Her plea deal involved light jail time, five years probation and allowed her to keep her public pension.
What is it you like and dislike about Halloween?
Where Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein stand on the issues, according to their campaign websites.
The New Mexico Supreme Court has five justices who serve eight-year terms. The current court consists of Chief Justice Charles W. Daniels, along with justices Petra Jimenez Maes, Edward L. Chavez, Barbara J. Vigil and Judith K. Nakamura. While it is up to voters to retain Vigil’s seat, Nakamura will run against Michael Vigil for her seat.
In addition to voting on candidates in the race for president, House of Representatives and New Mexico Supreme Court, among others, voters will also see on the ballot a number of bonds, amendments and other ballot questions to provide their input on.
Candidates for the House of Representatives on the issues
The biggest challenge for UNM in meeting the requirements laid out in the agreement with the Department of Justice will be ensuring all students are given in-person interactive training on sexual harassment. The agreement, which was signed on Oct. 17, requires UNM to change its policies and procedures, its trainings on sexual harassment, and its campus climate. The University is required to review its policies related to sexual harassment to make sure that sexual harassment is clearly defined and its reporting procedures are clear. Title IX Coordinator Heather Cowan said most of the required changes to the University’s policies and procedures have already been made and given to the DOJ for review.
Along with the five percent cut to the higher education budget passed during the legislative special session, New Mexico lawmaker also took $5 million out of the $6 million in the College Affordability Fund, according to Bill Jordan, government relations officer With New Mexico Voices for Children. “New Mexico is broke and couldn't pay the overdue bills from last year,” Jordan said. “They weren't able to balance the budget this year so they had two options: they could have raised new revenue (and) new taxes or they could cut the current budget.” The legislature was left with having to balance the budget with current programs, and one of the programs to suffer a cut was the College Affordability Fund — as well as higher education.
Solutions by The State News
