News

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.

---

News

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.

---

News

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.”

---

News

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.

---

News

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.

---

News

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.

---

News

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.

---

News

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.

---

News

Low oil prices cause disaster to budget

Lena Guidi | January 13

The recent drop in international oil prices is threatening to limit the funding UNM receives from the state, University officials warned during Friday’s Board of Regents meeting. When President Bob Frank gave his administrative report to the Regents, he noted that the price of oil per barrel dropped from $92 in August to $49. This is significantly lower than prices were in December at $66 per barrel, when Frank projected a $2.8 million budget deficit for UNM, he said.

---

News

Bailey aims to help APD relations

Jonathan Baca | January 13

Harold Bailey is the consultant and community outreach representative trying to create a productive dialogue between the Albuquerque Police Department and the community at large in the wake of the settlement between the APD and the U.S. Department of Justice.

---

News

ASUNM looking to improve transparency

David Lynch | January 13

The Associated Students of UNM announced Friday that it will focus on better connecting to the student body during the spring semester.

---

News

Albuquerque Comic-Con draws fans

January 12

The three-day Albuquerque Comic-Con brought thousands of comic book, film, television and anime fans together with celebrities and artists at the Albuquerque Convention Center this past weekend.

---

News

UNM confident in favorable DOJ review

Jonathan Baca | January 12

UNM has turned over information requested by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of an investigation into the school’s handling of reported sexual assaults and harassment on campus. According to a press release, UNM handed over the information just in time for the Jan. 9 deadline set by the Justice Department back in December.

---

News

Campus police, GEO offer safety guidelines

Sayyed Shah | January 12

At the start of this new semester, two University officials have compiled a list of facts and tips that can help new and returning students protect themselves from crime while on campus. The UNM Police Department and the Global Education Office have advised students to follow the guidelines issued by the university to avoid thefts and other scams.

---

News

UNM seeks answer to declining enrollment

Lena Guidi | January 12

A committee convened by UNM President Robert Frank visited two universities in Colorado during winter break to investigate ways of bringing in more new students, including the possibility of building a new wellness and recreation facility at UNM. The committee — which included Provost Chaouki Abdallah, Executive Vice President David Harris, ASUNM President Rachel Williams, GPSA President Texanna Martin and Frank himself — spent a day each at the University of Colorado at Boulder and Colorado State University and toured the facilities on both campuses.

---

News

New regents await approval from state Senate

Marielle Dent | January 12

The three new members of the Board of Regents appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez last month are waiting to be approved by the New Mexico State Senate during this year’s legislative session. Matt Chandler and Robert Doughty III are new appointees, while Jamie Koch has been reappointed to take the place of Regent Conrad James, who resigned following his election to the state House of Representatives in November. Koch will remain on the board for another four years to finish the duration of James’ term.

---

News

Senate legislation targets students

J.R. Oppenheim | January 6

Seven bills regarding UNM will be brought to the upcoming New Mexico legislative session, including one to establish scholarship programs for national merit scholars. If passed, Senate Bill 11 would amend the Legislative Lottery Tuition to grant national merit scholarships to cover students’ tuitions and fees so long as recipients have been “designated a national merit finalist by the national merit scholarship corporation,” the proposed amendment states. The proposed legislation, introduced by state Sen. Jacob Candelaria, D-Albuquerque, and published on the Legislature’s website, stipulates recipients be enrolled in a higher education institution or branch campus within one year of high school graduation or receive a graduate-equivalent diploma. No more than 75 percent of the scholarships will go to out-of-state residents, the legislation states.

---

News

House bills may impact minimum wage, LGBT health

Sayyed Shah | January 6

At least six House bills with relevance to the UNM community will be presented in the next legislative session. The draft bills in the House are for minimum wage increases, supportive and rapid rehousing for the homeless, a pregnant workers accommodation act, an employee preference act, no public employee union dues from payroll, and a LGBTQ health disparities task force. A bill proposed by lawmakers Luciano “Lucky” Varela and Sheryl Williams Stapleton pushes for a raise in the minimum wage up to $10.10 per hour.

---

News

Nonprofit lobbies for peace and justice

David Lynch | January 6

As state lawmakers gear up for this year’s 60-day legislative session in Santa Fe beginning on Jan. 20, one Albuquerque organization is readying to advocate for issues related to peace and justice both in the community and nationally. The nonprofit Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, in collaboration with UNM and the Albuquerque community, is preparing for one of its busiest projects of the year: calling attention to peace and justice issues at the New Mexico Legislature, Sue Schuurman, center coordinator, said. Juliana Bilowich, a community liaison for UNM’s Peace and Justice Studies program and an intern at the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, said the organization is building upon last year’s action platform so that volunteers in the community can pledge to call their state lawmakers and share their opinions on issues related to peace and justice.