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.
On Wednesday evening the Associated Students of UNM passed a resolution requiring all students to receive the meningococcal meningitis vaccination, sending the legislation to the Board of Regents to be voted on and, if passed, applied at UNM. Alexander Kapp, a nursing extern in the Surgical Specialty Unit who proposed the resolution with the help of Sen. Noah Brooks, said meningococcal meningitis can be bacterial, viral or fungal, with the potential of getting into spinal fluid and inflaming the spinal cord and protective layer around the brain.
New Mexico has been named the second-worst state in the country in terms of unemployment, at 6.7 percent. This is considerably higher than the national rate, which, in August 2015 was 5.1 percent, and now as of August of 2016 is 4.9, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor statistics. Shawn Berman, an associate professor in the Anderson School of Management, said one factor which may be affecting many states’ unemployment rates is the trend of many job positions disappearing — jobs that were once available to those without higher education that lead to employment within the middle class. “It’s a fact, and I think it’s a problem for any state that has that kind of workforce. It’s going to show up in all the statistics revolving around average wage, and unemployment,” he said. “I think this is unfortunately part of a bigger trend that is not just New Mexico.”
UNM is among 20 Universities and colleges across the nation that will receive the 2016 Indian Professional Development Award. The $344,325 grant comes from the U.S Department of Education and is a part of UNM’s American Indian Professional Educators’ Collaborative. AIPEC is a four-year project designed to increase the number of Native American educators in New Mexico, according to the abstract of the proposal. The grant was submitted by Dr. Christine Sims, an assistant professor in the Department of Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies. UNM will recruit 12 participants from the College of Education who will be trained, and will receive assistance in state licensing and financial support for graduation and job placement services.
“You don’t know me, but you’ve been inside me, and that’s why we’re here today.” These words echoed through the SUB Atrium Tuesday afternoon, just as it rang through a California courtroom earlier this year, when a Stanford University rape victim read a letter to her assaulter, detailing how the incident continues to affect her life. The case: two male bicyclists discovered a man atop a partially naked, unconscious woman beside a dumpster. One of the bicyclists restrained the man while the other called the police. Stanford student Brock Turner wound up receiving six months in county jail and three years of probation after being convicted of assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated woman in addition to other charges — a sentence that would go on to infuriate many across the country.
46 percent of New Mexico’s young children, ages zero to four, receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.That is the highest percentage of any state in the country for this age range. “It is an unfortunate reflection that our economy has not been doing well for many years,” said James Jimenez, executive director for New Mexico’s Voices for Children. Jimenez said the economic policies New Mexico has been pursuing for the last several years have been a failure, by way of not providing the caliber of jobs the people need to put enough food on the table.
Faculty members passionate about policy reform have created a group, Faculty SAFE, to address UNM’s failure to provide a safe working and educational environment, as defined by Title IX. “Far too often faculty tend to get overwhelmed with work or, even worse, tend to feel defeated or disempowered,” said Amy Brandzel, a professor who focuses on feminist queer studies and who is part of Faculty SAFE leadership. “SAFE UNM is one of those rare, but extremely needed, organizations where faculty demand to participate and create change for the betterment of our community, no matter how challenging and time-consuming those demands might be.”
Anyone can contract influenza at any time, no matter how healthy or ill they are — they simply have to be exposed to a strain of the virus, according to Megan Bass, a graduate student in the College of Pharmacy. In 2014, the New Mexico Department of Health documented 1,322 vaccine exemptions in Bernalillo County alone, and 3,322 exemptions across the state. Although this may appear minimal when taking into account the almost 440,000 examined in the sample, it is clear that not all New Mexicans are being vaccinated. Last Friday, UNM’s College of Pharmacy and College of Nursing continued their yearly collaboration with the 12th Annual Fiesta de Flu on North Campus.
In light of recent plans for new buildings and renovations near and around UNM’campus, students representing the University’s disabled population and the Accessibility Resource Center have voiced several concerns regarding accessibility on campus. Victor Torres and Tammy Ramirez-Harmon, representatives for ARC at ASUNM’s bimonthly Joint Council meetings, said they were concerned with how construction will affect accessibility and mobility for students. In particular, Harmon said she hopes the architects involved in the projects truly consider the needs of the disabled community, from things like installing ramps to creating easily maneuverable bathrooms.
Recently, rumors have circulated regarding the presence of a nuclear reactor on the UNM campus, causing a mixture of interest and concern. As it turns out, a small instructional and research reactor has resided on campus for 50 years, but the potential danger surrounding it seems to be minimal. UNM has been home to the AGN-201M nuclear training reactor since 1966, offering students a unique learning experience in nuclear engineering. Last month, the UNM Nuclear Engineering Department celebrated a half-century of having the reactor on campus.
Jerry White, a member of the Socialist Equality Party running for president will be visiting campus this week. White is holding a public meeting Monday in the SUB to present on not only what makes him fit to be president of the United States, but also to discuss what socialist equality is all about. “We anticipate that our meeting will be a very unique forum to discuss the ways for the working class and young people, to fight for real socialism,” White said.
What do you think about Albuquerque Rapid Transit now that it has begun?
Last week, the UNM Honors College hosted a roundtable discussion concerning juvenile detention and mass incarceration across the states and here in New Mexico. Experts discussed their research, local efforts and possible solutions to the epidemic. This event was organized by Assistant Professor Marygold Walsh-Dilley and Associate Professor Megan Jacobs as part of their year-long honors class “Locked Up: Incarceration in Question.” The class is an interdisciplinary examination of mass incarceration through the lenses of art and sociology.
The University has provided positive outlets for students who are interested in marketing their events, as well as supporting their candidate of choice in both local and national elections. Ryan Lindquist, associate director of the Student Activities Center, said the policy allowing students to use chalk on UNM’s malls and walkways has existed for over 15 years. His department is only contacted in cases of potential violations. Lindquist said his department tries not to edit content. Instances in which chalkings must be removed mainly involve profanity or inappropriate content, although he said these cases are not common. The biggest deal for the department is usually someone having to pay for removing spray chalk using a power-washer.
A town hall meeting was held in the SUB on Thursday to discuss UNM’s budget shortfall and potential strategies to address it. In order for the University to cover needed expenses, officials will implement a mid-year recall of funds previously dedicated for certain University areas for the year. “This is the biggest challenge we’ve ever faced, to take money out of a budget that has already been allocated,” President Bob Frank said. UNM will see a total recall of $15.5 million — $9.8 million from Main Campus, $4.7 million from Health Sciences and $1 million from branch campuses. Academic Affairs will see $4.56 million in cuts, which accounts for 2.7 percent of its total budget.
Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson is polling at just over six percent across the nation, according to a Real Clear Politics aggregate of 13 polls conducted across the country. However, some believe his chances of winning are good, as long as Johnson can secure New Mexico’s five electoral votes. “If Gary Johnson takes the state he has a chance for the presidency,” said Marina Herrera, a junior double-majoring in English and speech and hearing sciences. Herrera is also the New Mexico State Chair of Youth for the Johnson/Weld campaign.
Solutions by The State News
