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UNM legislature requests face challenges

Staff Report | January 22

UNM is requesting about $28 million from the 2015 New Mexico Legislative Session, but the low prices for oil and gas may turn the request in to a battle. At the January Board of Regents meeting, UNM President Bob Frank noted that the dropping oil prices could mean an almost 50 percent decrease for the University’s state funding. But as the legislative session begins, the near $7.5 million loss in revenue for the state could impact a number of other projects for which UNM had hoped to receive funding. Above the normal 14 percent of the state budget that goes to high education each year, UNM announced that it needs $27,859,516 for infrastructure projects on multiple campuses. This money would could mostly from future General Obligation and Severance Tax Bonds.

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Campus briefs for Jan. 22, 2015

Erika Eddy | January 22

On Jan. 8, UNM Police Department was dispatched to an area near Redondo East and Redondo Court in reference to battery. According to the report, a UNM employee approached three subjects, including a UNM student, on skateboards. The employee asked the subjects to stop doing tricks on their skateboards in order to avoid damage to UNM property. Two of the subjects, including the UNM student, disregarded the UNM employee and started cursing at him. The employee told them he was going to call police if they did not leave. The student continued to perform tricks and skateboarded toward the teacher, striking him in the face with his forearm as he passed him. UNMPD reported that the student was argumentative and disrespectful while officers interviewed him. The teacher refused to have charges filed on the student.

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Center makes room for new supercomputer

Sayyed Shah | January 22

UNM’s Center for Advanced Research Computing is renovating its principle machine room in order to install a new supercomputer. The expansion of the machine room will enable the center to complete the installation of all 13 racks of the Ulam supercomputer, a powerful machine that the center received from The New Mexico Consortium, said Susan Atlas, director of CARC. “The expansion will be complete by the end of February or beginning of March and the Ulam machine will come online about a week after that,” Atlas said.

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UNM campus briefs for Jan. 21

January 21

The UNM Maxwell Museum of Anthropology hosts the Ancestors Lecture with senior archaeologist for the Yukon Government, P. Gregory Hare, on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Hibben Center. According to UNM, the lecture supports the Archeology on Ice exhibition, funded by the National Science Foundation, currently on display at the Maxwell Museum. 

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Sexual assault review panel slated for Thursday

Jonathan Baca | January 21

UNM announced late Tuesday it will host a presentation and panel discussion addressing sexual assault on campus, as well as announcing the results of an investigation conducted by an outside team of experts. The external review was conducted by Pilgrim & Associates, a firm with a background in the areas of sexual violence and federal anti-discrimination laws pertaining to campuses, according to a UNM press release.

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Concussion research team seeks more funds

Sayyed Shah | January 21

A program studying the effects of concussions on student athletes is trying to get a three-year approval of funds from the legislative assembly to continue its work and eventually extend the program to other schools. UNM’s Brain Safe team is now waiting on the New Mexico Legislature to decide whether the project will be funded further, allowing them to expand their research to other campuses, said project director Kent Kiehl.

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Governor focuses on education reform, attracting more businesses

Marielle Dent | January 21

Republican Gov. Susana Martinez focused on education, economy and improving the lives of New Mexico’s children in her fifth State of the State Address on Tuesday. “I ask that, in every decision, we will choose courage over comfort, change over stagnation, reform over the status quo,” Martinez said, opening this year’s 60-day legislative session.“Choose the courageous route, paved with policies that will outlast each of us and fundamentally improve New Mexico.”

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Specialist discusses changing climate

Jonathan Baca | January 20

Recently the U.S. National Weather Service, one of the agencies that each year looks at global surface temperatures from weather stations around the world and averages them, reported that 2014 was the hottest year on Earth since they began compiling data in the late 19th century. The Daily Lobo recently talked with David Gutzler, a professor of Earth and planetary sciences specializing in large-scale climate change, about the state of climate change today and what the future looks like for New Mexico.

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ActionNM legislative forum draws big audience

David Lynch | January 20

On Thursday, activist group ActionNM held a legislative forum to educate the community about political issues that would arise during the upcoming legislative session, but none of the event’s coordinators expected the amount of interest from the citizens of Albuquerque. About 75 chairs were set up for the event, which was held at Albuquerque Mennonite Church and featured a panel of state senators and representatives. Once the event got underway, about 115 people had come, and some of them had to stand.

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The Howl: Jan. 18, 2015 episode

January 19

The students may have left campus during winter break, but the news kept coming out of UNM. The Howl's Michael Sol Warren looks at what happened over break, and what news to keep an eye on as the Spring 2015 semester rolls on.

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Lottery Scholarship shaky for intersession students

David Lynch | January 16

Brianne Frias, a sophomore nursing major, hoped she could retain her Lottery Scholarship by taking an intersession course over winter break, a period when most UNM students relax and recharge before spring classes. The time she spent in the classroom, however, may not have been worth it financially, as Frias and other UNM students taking intersession courses discovered.

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International students unsure about insurance

Jonathan Baca and Sayyed Shah | January 16

The deadline to buy health insurance is fast approaching for all students, but international students are faced with a difficult choice — buy the cheapest plan and hope they stay healthy, or pay a lot more for good coverage. The Global Education Office is trying to convince international students to buy the UNM Student Insurance Plan, to avoid heavy medical bills in case of any emergency or serious accidents. But the more expensive plan has been a hard sell, according to GEO officials.

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NCAA names new council members

Thomas Romero-Salas | January 15

Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson and New Mexico Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs were selected to the newly-formed Division I Council, the NCAA Board of Directors announced Wednesday. Thompson and Krebs will join other commissioners, athletic directors, faculty representatives, senior woman administrators and student-athletes from around the country when the first meeting of the Division I council meets on Friday, along with the 2015 NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C. It will be the first time that student-athletes will be represented on council-level groups. All Division I conferences will be represented by the council, which is made up of 40 individuals.

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Campus briefs for Jan. 15, 2015

Erika Eddy | January 15

Lottery Scholarship funds cut for spring 2015 Just prior to winter break, UNM President Robert Frank received a letter from Higher Education Department Secretary Jose Garcia notifying him that the Legislative Lottery Scholarship award would no longer cover 100 percent of tuition. According to UNM, the university has stepped in to cover the reduction for most students affected by the cut. Terry Babbitt, associate vice president of enrollment management, said the Legislative Lottery Scholarship has been reduced to cover up to $2,447.12 for the spring semester as determined by the state of New Mexico Higher Education Department. This amount is $56.23 less than full tuition for 15 credit hours. The Office of Student Financial Aid notified Lottery students that UNM will supplement the $56.23 for those who have financial need or were recipients of merit scholarships. More than half of those on the Lottery Scholarship at UNM received the supplement. The remaining students will have to pay the $56.23 difference out of pocket.

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CAPS opens new writing support center

Matthew Reisen | January 15

With the opening of a new location of the Center for Academic Program Support, UNM’s main campus now has a full service undergraduate writing support center. CAPS Director Daniel Sanford said the new center will assist students with any issues involving writing and language learning. “I wanted to create one coherent recognizable location that students could go to for writing and language support at this university,” Sanford said. “A writing center is a really incredibly important piece of the sweep of academic support programs that are offered at any university.”

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Parasite collection a tool for education

Lauren Topper | January 15

In the lower levels of UNM’s CERIA building are jars and jars of what at first glance appear to be pasta. There are long egg noodles, balls of twisted up spaghetti, thin vermicelli strands, and crispy pieces of chow mein. Except they aren’t noodles — they are part of the third largest parasite collection in the western hemisphere. UNM’s Museum of Southwestern Biology Division of Parasites, curated by Dr. Sam Loker, was only established in 2011, but it has grown quickly. The collection already features parasites from host like species including badgers, otters, caribou, moose, cougars and whales. Dr. Sara Brant, senior collections manager of the Parasite Division, and her colleagues are now concentrating on sorting through the samples and cataloging them.

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But it's cold outside

Lauren Marvin | January 15

By Lauren Marvin  UNM felt the social media heat yesterday after community members took to Twitter and Facebook to criticize the school’s decision to not call for a two-hour delay – even after both CNM and Albuquerque Public Schools made the call to start later. The decision to issue a two-hour delay for Main campus is a collaborative effort and is –usually – based on actions taken by Albuquerque Public Schools.. UNM Main Campus did not follow APS because the announcement of the delay came 30 minutes after UNM had started, said Lt.

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Alumni award winners announced

Marielle Dent | January 14

The Alumni Association has announced the recipients of this year’s winter awards. The Zimmerman Award went to John Mateczun, The Bernard S. Rodey Award went to Garrett Sheldon, the winner of the Erna S. Ferguson Award is Michelle Coons, and the Faculty Teaching Award went to Steven McLaughlin.

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Where UNM's money goes

Lauren Topper | January 14

The University deals in some pretty big money – the projected budget for 2014-2015 is just shy of $2.6 billion, for only one year. So where does all of this money come from, and more importantly, how does UNM spend it? “We have state money, we have federal money, we have private money, and we generate our own money,” said Bruce Cherrin, chief procurement Officer in the purchasing department.

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UNM crime briefs for Jan. 14

January 14

On Tuesday, Dec. 23, UNMPD was dispatched to the UNM Student Health Center on Cornell Drive in reference to a stolen delivery van. According to the report, the attending officer observed a van matching the description of the stolen vehicle headed eastbound on Central Avenue from University Boulevard. After checking the license plate with UNMPD, the officer activated his emergency lights and pursued the van.