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UNM loses ‘freedom of speech’ lawsuit against conservative student organization

Lily Alexander and Nate Bernard | October 7

The University of New Mexico can no longer enforce its security fee policy for on-campus speech events after the judge made a decision in a First Amendment lawsuit filed by the student chapter of conservative group Turning Point USA. The University is not prohibited from enforcing security fees for non-speech events, like sports, according to the lawsuit. In the initial complaint, the Turning Point USA UNM chapter and the Leadership Institute alleged that UNM’s security fee and free speech policies were unconstitutional, in part citing the First Amendment. The complaint resulted from the security fees UNM imposed last year for conservative speaker Riley Gaines’ event on campus, according to the lawsuit.

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Campus crime: Sept. 16-29

Lauren Lifke | September 30

From Monday, Sept. 16 through Sunday, Sept. 29, there were 39 individual entries of crimes reported on or near the University of New Mexico campus that were entered into its daily crime log. There was also a criminal trespass citation issued at Marron Hall, where the Daily Lobo newsroom resides. The incident occurred on Sept. 29 and was not entered into the crime log as of the morning of Monday, Sept. 30.

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Lobo statue found covered in red paint and keffiyeh

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | September 30

On Sept. 13, the University of New Mexico Police Department discovered red paint had been poured on a Lobo statue near Hodgin Hall. The statue, which stands at the corner of University Boulevard and Central Avenue, was wrapped in a keffiyeh — a symbol of Palestinian identity and solidarity, according to Al Jazeera. In a statement to the Daily Lobo, UNMPD Public Information Officer Larry Bitsoih wrote that when a patrolling officer found the statue, the red paint that had been used was placed next to it. There is no information on who was involved and the case is considered closed, Bitsoih wrote.

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Suspect drops off gunshot wound victim at UNMH and flees

Lauren Lifke | September 30

On the early morning of Sept. 15, the University of New Mexico Police Department received a call from security at UNM Hospital about a man who had been dropped off from a truck at the emergency room with a gunshot wound to his head. The victim was later pronounced dead, according to the police report for the incident. The driver drove away after dropping the victim off. UNMH security told UNMPD that the truck had “appeared to be riddled with apparent bullet impacts,” according to the police report.

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Unknown suspects set fires at The Pit

Lauren Lifke | September 30

On Sept. 14, a University of New Mexico Police Department officer was dispatched to The Pit basketball arena at South Campus in reference to a fire. According to the police report for the incident, the responding officer saw a “large and growing larger fire” in two parts of the loading dock area. Albuquerque Fire Rescue responded and put the fire out. While AFR was working on the first fire, UNMPD found a second fire inside a small metal trash can, which AFR then extinguished.

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‘Expertise matters’: UNM combats misinformation with Election Experts website

Addison Fulton | September 30

In anticipation of the presidential election, University of New Mexico Communications relaunched a website that features election experts who can help people find answers to their political questions. The website, called UNM Election Experts, showcases experts from UNM departments including economics, psychiatry, law, communications and political science. Beginning in 2012, the program has been launched every four years in accordance with the presidential election cycle, according to UNM political science professor Michael Rocca, who is an election expert specializing in policy and campaign financing. The website is meant to help streamline the process of finding experts for those looking to learn more about a given topic, he said.

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ASUNM passes nine appropriations

Marcela Johnson | September 30

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico passed nine appropriation requests, failed one appropriation request and passed six bills during their full senate meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 25.

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Bernalillo County begins issuing automated speeding citations

Maria Fernandez and Marcela Johnson | September 30

On Wednesday, Sept. 25, Bernalillo County’s automated speed-enforcement cameras began sending citations to drivers caught speeding. The cameras were installed nearly a year and a half after Bernalillo County commissioners passed an ordinance to bring a software company to the county to curb speeding, according to the county website. When the cameras first started operating in August, they sent warnings through the mail to drivers caught speeding. They were not yet charging fines or sending citations, according to the website.

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City Council postpones vote on controversial sidewalk obstruction bill

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | September 25

At a meeting on Sept. 16, the Albuquerque City Council decided to defer voting on a bill that would prohibit obstructing sidewalks, including with signs or banners. Community members spoke against the bill — and held a protest two days after the meeting — citing potential negative impacts on the unhoused community and concerns about First Amendment rights. The bill will be held to a vote on Oct. 7. Council bill O-24-42 is sponsored by City Councilor Joaquín Baca. He represents District 2, which encompasses Downtown and other parts of Albuquerque.

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Suspect arrested in Santa Fe after student was stabbed repeatedly

Lauren Lifke | September 24

On Saturday, Sept. 21, the University of New Mexico Police Department found a victim who had been stabbed at Lobo Village following an altercation at a party. A LoboAlert was issued to the community an hour later. The suspect and his girlfriend fled to Santa Fe, where the Santa Fe Police Department detained both of them, according to the police report for the incident. The suspect was later taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center, and his girlfriend was released.

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OPINION: What does Hispanic identity mean in New Mexico?

Lauren Lifke | September 23

If you’ve spent time in New Mexico, chances are you’ve met somebody with a Spanish last name who doesn’t speak a lick of the language. If you ask about their background, they might just say they’re Hispanic without mentioning a connection to any specific Spanish-speaking region. I’ve been one of these people. Growing up in Albuquerque, I never felt the need to elaborate any further than “Hispanic” when describing the ethnicity of my mom’s side of the family, and it wasn’t often that people inquired any further.

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Santa Fe obelisk trial awaits final decision

Maria Fernandez | September 23

The two-day trial to determine whether a controversial toppled obelisk will be returned to the center of the Santa Fe Plaza concluded on Sept. 13. A final decision has not been made as of Sept. 22. The obelisk displayed a plaque at the bottom that contained derogatory language toward Indigenous people. This caused outrage over the years and ultimately led to the toppling of the monument by protesters on Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2020. The plague originally read, “To the heroes who have fallen in various battles with savage Indians in the Territory of New Mexico,” though “savage” had been scratched off over the years, according to National Geographic.

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OPINION: Defiance in definitions: Reflections on the southern New Mexican identity

Marcela Johnson | September 23

I will be the first to admit I grew up confused by the New Mexican identity because it is a mixture of so many different heritages and experiences. Trying to understand myself and my community through the lens of a Mexican American from southern New Mexico feels like a full-time job. I grew up in Silver City, New Mexico, in a very proud Mexican/Midwestern household. My siblings and I were lucky that we were never told to deny our heritage. While I was allowed to be proud of my Mexican heritage, this was in part because I am also white and don’t have racist views directed toward me. Not everyone has that privilege.

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Rudolfo Anaya: Padrino, profesor y autor

Marcela Johnson | September 23

Prolific writer Rudolfo Anaya has deep ties to the University of New Mexico. Known especially for his first book “Bless Me, Ultima,” Anaya received three degrees from UNM and served as a professor emeritus in the English department before his death in 2020. Anaya is a foundational figure in Chicana and Chicano studies, English department associate professor Melina Vizcaíno-Alemán said. “He really put Chicano literature on the map — and I would say even more specifically New Mexico — in the larger national literary scene,” Vizcaíno-Alemán said.

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UNM neuroscientist’s research could impact future brain injury studies

Arly Garcia | September 20

Understanding brain function is crucial to the world of science, but we can’t always get the full picture from a healthy brain, according to Jeremy Hogeveen, a cognitive neuroscientist and UNM professor. “If we’re doing our studies only on healthy subjects using brain scans, we tend to run into this causality problem where you can’t really infer that the brain is causing the behavior you’re seeing,” Hogeveen said. Overcoming the causality problem — coupled with his experience studying brain injuries as a postdoc at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago — sparked Hogeveen’s interest in the relationship between brain injuries and psychiatric function, he said.

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Campus crime: Week of Sept. 9

Lauren Lifke | September 18

From Monday, Sept. 9 through Sunday, Sept. 15, there were 32 individual entries of crimes reported on or near the University of New Mexico campus that were entered into its daily crime log. Red paint poured on statue On Friday, Sept. 13, officers located a damaged statue, according to the crime log. The lobo statue that faces Central Avenue on the corner of University Boulevard had been covered in red paint. It was also adorned in a keffiyeh, according to a photo posted to X. A keffiyeh is a symbol of Palestinian liberation, according to NPR.  As of Sept. 15, the keffiyeh no longer appeared on the statue, but the red paint remained.

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UNM invests in major tobacco companies

Lily Alexander and Nate Bernard | September 16

The University of New Mexico has investments in two major tobacco companies, according to statements obtained by the Daily Lobo via public records requests. The companies are Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco, according to UNM Asset Summary Statements from May-July. In 2023, PMI and BAT had the first and second-highest net sales out of all tobacco companies worldwide, according to Statista. They both manufacture, market and sell cigarettes and other tobacco products. Products that contain tobacco are addictive and deadly. Tobacco kills longtime users and is a leading cause of death, illness and impoverishment, according to the World Health Organization.

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REVIEW: Logical fallacies in the presidential debate

Lauren Lifke | September 16

On Tuesday, Sept. 10, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump met in person for the first presidential debate between the two candidates. During the debate, both Harris and Trump used more than a few logical fallacies — described in a philosophical context as “reasoning that comes to a conclusion without the evidence to support it,” according to Merriam-Webster.

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New Mexico Attorney General files lawsuit against Snapchat

Maria Fernandez | September 16

On Sept. 5, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed a lawsuit against Snapchat over concerns that the app’s policies have allowed for mass amounts of exploitative material from underage users to spread across the dark web. Torrez is alleging that criminals used Snapchat to carry out sextortion, which occurs when a predator coerces minors into sharing explicit images and then threatens to release the content publicly unless the minor pays the predator, according to a press release.

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ASUNM senate rushes to pass legislation

Marcela Johnson | September 16

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico passed six appropriation requests, appointed two new senators and passed one bill during a rushed meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 11.