News - The Daily Lobo

News

Man indicted in DWI crash that killed two students

David Lynch | January 27

An Albuquerque man has been indicted in the November car crash that killed two UNM students and sent two others to the hospital. Joshua Leal, 21, is charged with three counts of vehicular homicide due to reckless driving, one count of vehicular homicide due to DWI, and one count each of child abuse, larceny, tampering with evidence and stealing a motor vehicle, according to nmcourts.gov.

News

HSC pain center lowers state opioid abuse

Jonathan Baca | January 26

With the help of a Health Sciences Center research group, New Mexico’s accidental opioid overdose deaths and addictions are down for the first time in years. A new study released by the UNM Pain Consultation and Treatment Center shows that a new state-mandated training program for doctors and clinicians is resulting in significantly fewer opioid painkillers being prescribed to patients, which has led to less addiction and fewer overdoses. Dr. Joanna Katzman, associate professor of neurology and director of the UNM Pain Center, led the team that developed the training program. Katzman was also integral in writing the legislation, Senate Bill 215, which passed the New Mexico Legislature in 2012 and created the mandatory training program.

Students interested in joining Lobo EMS raise their hands during an informational meeting at the Acoma SUB rooms on Friday afternoon. Lobo EMS is UNMs first emergency medical service open to all students who would like to volunteer.

News

Volunteer EMS program launches on campus

David Lynch | January 26

MedBow, a branch of the UNM Center for Disaster Medicine, is preparing to jumpstart the University’s first student-run emergency medical services team, which will consist of student volunteers responding to 911 calls on campus. UNM EMS Chief Kane Darling said the group’s main goal is timely and efficient medical response to 911 calls — essentially being an extra set of eyes for UNM police. “Our mission is dedicating ourselves to providing quality emergency medical care to all students, faculty, staff and visitors to the UNM campus,” Darling said.

News

Prof. teaches heritage folk healing

Lena Guidi | January 23

By Lena Guidi When Eliseo “Cheo” Torres was working as a program officer for the state Department of Education in Austin, Texas, he met a man named Juan Morin who would change his life.

News

Panelists promote openness

Moriah Carty | January 23

The panelists on the Sexual Violence Assessment Report Q&A panel presented many different ideas on how to decrease real or perceived instances of sexual violence on campus, but they all boiled down to one thing: Better communication. Jill Pilgrim, whose firm conducted the study that lead to the report, suggested that students start believing people who claim they’ve been assaulted, listen with openness and offer help. Pilgrim reminded audience members that it is not solely the job of the University to make campus safe, but that students carry the responsibility to be conscious of sexual violence and report it.

News

E-magazine brings ASUNM to students

David Lynch | January 23

By David Lynch In an ongoing effort to improve engagement with the undergraduate students they represent, the Associated Students of UNM launched an e-magazine this week, the first of its kind for the student government body. The first edition of the publication was emailed to all UNM undergraduates on Thursday.

Lawyer Jill Pilgrim delivers a climate assessment report on sexual assaults at UNM during an announcement event held Thursday morning at the SUB Atrium.

News

Law firm releases climate assessment on UNM's sexual violence

Lauren Marvin | January 22

The law firm of Pilgrim and Associates released their findings Thursday on how the UNM community is reporting and responding to allegations of sexual violence. According to a 71-page UNM Climate Assessment Report, the key findings suggest UNM students, staff and administration are unfamiliar, unclear and confused about the University’s policies and procedures in addressing sexual violence.

News

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.

News

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.

A series of supercomputers found at the Center for Advanced Research Computing can be accessed by students and faculty for research purposes. The center is going through renovations to add all 13 racks of the Ulam supercomputer.

News

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.

News

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.

News

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.

News

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.

News

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.”

News

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.

Seated among other state legislators New Mexico Rep. Georgene Louis speaks at a forum at the Albuquerque Mennonite Church on Thursday. ActionNM held the forum for the legislators to discuss with the community political issues that would arise during the upcoming legislative session.

News

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.

News

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.

News

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.

News

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.

News

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.