The University is in the preliminary stages of planning the first major renovations to Johnson Center in 15 years, and officials are asking students to help them out. Kevin Grant Stevenson, strategic planner in the president’s office, said that any eventual designs for renovation to Johnson are grounded almost completely in what students want.
The UNMPD arrested a man who was accused of harassing and physically attacking a female student. The accused unlawfully touched a female student and held her against her will “when she tried to pull away”, according to a UNMPD press release. “Henry Budford of Brimhall, 50, is charged with false imprisonment in connection with an incident Monday morning, Aug.
The UNM Division of Student Affairs, in collaboration with El Mezquite Market, will host the annual Mezquite Golf Tournament on Friday. The tournament is aiming to raise funds for scholarships for UNM students, according to a UNM press release. “We are grateful each year for the generosity of El Mezquite Market owner Sergio Bermudez, who brings together a number of donors to contribute to a worthy cause,” Dr. Eliseo ‘Cheo’ Torres, vice president for UNM Student Affairs, said in the press release.
The UNM School of Law has promoted three faculty members. Camille Carey has been promoted to the position of professor, and Yael Zakai Cannon and Alex Ritchie have been designated as associate professors, according to a UNM press release. “Carey and Cannon teach in the law school’s pioneering, mandatory Clinical Program that trains students how to practice law.
The UNM Cancer Center last week received the most prestigious designation available in the nation for cancer research programs, ranking it in the top 1 percent of the nation. The center announced its appointment as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. This identifies UNMCC as one of 69 nationally designated cancer centers that form the backbone for studying and controlling cancer, according to NCI’s website.
The Family Listening Project, funded by the University of New Mexico and run by the Center for Participatory Research in collaboration with the Ramah Navajo community, is recruiting elementary students from the Navajo community for the fall semester. The Family Listening Project was initiated in 2002-2003 to conserve local knowledge and improve the level of education in the community. The program also aims to reduce health disparities within the community, project officials said.
This week several University departments, student organizations and other groups will set up information booths and provide free food and live music to help welcome students back to school. Many off-campus vendors have rented space near the SUB to help make this week’s events possible. The vendors will vary throughout the week, and most will provide services catered specifically to students.
With the start of the semester and new academic year dawning at UNM, many students might elect to hit the snooze button, wait on buying supplies and keep their brains in third gear for another week or two. But University officials said setting the tone for the coming months early is key to having a healthy and successful semester. Sonia Rankin, associate dean of University College, said students will cultivate their characters and discover their passions over the course of the year -- but asking some key questions is important when getting started. “Ask yourself: 'what am I here to accomplish or become? What steps do I need to take to reach that goal? What tools do I need to achieve the steps?'” Rankin said.
The University is expecting 3,330 freshman in the fall of 2015, compared to 3,132 in 2014, representing an increase of more than six percent, according to a University press release. UNM’s reputation as the state’s flagship university, as well as broader outreach by the Office of Admissions, has been key in the influx of new students, said Terry Babbitt, associate vice president of enrollment management. “It’s gratifying to see the number of traditional students from within and outside of New Mexico who recognize the incredible educational quality we provide,” Babbitt said. Interest in the recently established Honors College is also a key component in attracting not just new students, but driven and motivated individuals, according to the press release.
The University recently announced the promotion of seven instructors to the status of distinguished professors, the “highest faculty title” that UNM bestows upon its employees, according to a University press release. They are Bill Gilbert, Hua Guo, Zachary Sharp, Arthur Bankhurst, Robert Sapien, Daniel Savage and Cheryl Willman.
A request for nearly $8.9 million in research and project funding was approved by the Board of Regents, and will next go the New Mexico Higher Education Department, according to a University press release. The document stated that the list of proposals is “a preliminary step in developing the University’s fiscal year 2017 budget”. More than a third of the total requested amount – $3,060,000 – would go toward UNM’s Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO), which “improves access to specialty care for underserved patients in rural New Mexico”.
On Wednesday, protest chants, car horns and red-and-yellow picket signs appeared in front of the UNM bookstore to draw attention to police brutality. The event, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown’s fatal shooting by a Ferguson, Missouri officer, was held by the Answer Coalition and Red Nation in support of what has been dubbed the #BlackLivesMatter movement. The three movements are social justice campaigns founded on the initiative to end racism and promote peace and equality. This particular event at UNM focused on police brutality and accountability, with each speaker at the event voicing their opinions and relating their experiences of police actions that were directed at their person. One speaker, Joel Gallegos, a coordinator for the Answer Coalition, recalled times in his life when he said he was hassled by law enforcement.
Researchers at the UNM Mind Research Network have developed a vaccine that presents the possibility of a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Assistant professor Kiran Bhaskar and senior research specialist Nicole Maphis at Molecular Genetics and Microbiology have worked on several projects that relate to Alzheimer’s pathology, including the new vaccine development. Alzheimer’s affects 5 million people nationwide, Maphis said, because it is an age-related disorder and develops over time. The number of Alzheimer’s patients is expected to triple by the year 2020, due largely to the “baby boomer” generation.
Some graduate students at UNM are perturbed by the Graduate and Professional Student Association council’s decision to no longer provide free printing services to students. The Graduate Resource Center and GPSA provided graduate students the facility to print their assignments and class readings for free. But effective immediately, as a result of the council’s decision, they will have to pay for printing. Adnan Bashir, a computer science graduate student, said that the decision will increase the burden on students. It will be especially hard on those students who are studying at UNM while financially independent, he said.
UNM has been profiled in the seventh annual edition of The Princeton Review’s “The Best 380 Colleges”. The organization, an educational service that rates colleges based on performance in different fields, did not profile the 380 colleges in order. It provided ratings of performance in 62 categories, The Princeton Review officials said in a press release. It surveyed 136,000 students who rated their schools on scale of 1-99 in 62 different categories. Only schools that received a score of 60 or higher in all categories made the list. UNM was rated 62 in quality of life, 64 in Academics and 77 in Admissions.
Last year, Samuel Kerwin discussed with his friends what they would do if they were city councilmen. Come October, he might get the chance to turn those words into action. Kerwin, a senior American studies and journalism major, is one of three candidates on the ballot for the seat of City Councilor Rey Garduño, who is nearing the end of his second term. If elected, soon-to-be-23-year-old Kerwin would be the youngest city councilor in Albuquerque history. Kerwin’s campaign for the vacant seat began in May, when he arrived home after a vacation and read that Garduño, who had initially planned to run for re-election, was retiring. Further, a potential successor had been endorsed. Kerwin said he decided to make things interesting.
With the development of atomic power at the end of World War II came a demand for uranium, a radioactive ore of which large deposits can be found in the Navajo Nation, which spans parts of Arizona, Utah and northwestern New Mexico. Between 1944 and 1986 about 4 million tons of uranium ore was extracted from these lands, and many Navajo people worked in the mines and lived near them, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Today, more than 500 abandoned mines are left behind, and many homes and sources of drinking water contain elevated levels of radioactivity.
Seemingly the only thing on UNM seniors’ minds during their final year is getting the heck out of state once they walk across the stage and get their hands on their degrees. And why not? There’s a huge world out there to explore...albeit a Hatch green chile-less one. But really, aside from New Mexico’s staple food, there’s many reasons why staying in Albuquerque following graduation, at least for a little while, is an excellent idea. Here are the top five.
Like many universities, UNM is full of students from all different walks of life, each with a perspective and opinion of their own. Lobos are not afraid to speak their minds when it comes to issues within the community. Here, we’ve compiled some of the most highly debated topics that have come up this past year in relation to college life and the Land of Enchantment.
By Sayyed Shah Waiting to declare a major? Thinking the one you picked may not be for you? Career Cast, a website that ranks jobs nationally and helps graduates find jobs, recently released its list of the best and worst jobs of 2015.
Solutions by The State News
