News - The Daily Lobo

News

Valencia leans heavy on the levy

Sayyed Shah | September 19

Valencia campus is looking to raise $16 million for infrastructure and maintenance costs, by asking local voters to approve the extension of local taxes.The Advisory Board of Valencia Campus plans to put the question of the extension of an existing mill levy on a February 2015 ballot, along with local school board elections, said Alice Letteney, executive director of UNM Valencia campus,Mill levies are property taxes used to pay for general obligation bonds approved by voters, and are Valencia campus’ most important source of capital income, she said.

News

UNM campus briefs

Erika Eddy | September 18

Fall Frenzy campus cleanup tomorrowASUNM Community Experience will host its 12th annual campus cleanup event, Fall Frenzy 2014, on Friday.

News

Fall freshman are best prepared in University history

Raleigh Silversmith | September 18

This fall’s incoming freshmen are the most prepared for college, boasting the highest average GPAs and ACT scores in UNM’s history.The latest influx of students is entering with an average grade point average of 3.4 and an average ACT score of 23, UNM President Bob Frank said at the September Board of Regents meeting.

A Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation device sits inside the Psychology Clinical Neuroscience Center at Logan Hall. This device is used to temporarily alter the human nervous system with electricity.

News

Current therapy currently in development

Tomas Lujan | September 18

From the ancient Greeks who first wrapped electric eels around their heads to remove evil spirits, to modern drugs advertised to increase focus and retention; human beings have long pondered how to expand the power of the mind.The ancient Greeks, it turns out, may have been on to something.Recent research at the UNM Psychology Clinical Neuroscience Center suggests that low-level applications of electrical current may temporarily boost brain performance in humans.

News

UNM crime briefs

Erika Eddy | September 17

On Sept. 3, a UNM research professor reported that someone had stolen her wallet from her purse and her iPhone from her office desk.

News

Scams target international students

Daniel Montaño | September 17

Scams targeting international students are on the rise, and at least one student has paid the price this semester.

News

Grant helps launch new ECHO program

Sayyed Shah | September 17

With the help of a $6.4 million grant received from Helmsley Charitable Trust, UNM’s Project ECHO has begun the first phase of its Endo ECHO program to fight against diabetes in New Mexico.

News

Enrollment down at UNM, graduation up

Jonathan Baca | September 16

Total student enrollment from fall 2013 to fall 2014 is down 2.6 percent, from 28,644 students last fall to 27,889 this fall, according to unofficial numbers released Friday by the Division of Enrollment Management.

County Commission ChairDebbie O’Malley, left, speaks after the Bernalillo County Commission meeting on Monday. The Bernalillo County Commission voted 3-2 in favor of taking legal action against Secretary of State Dianna Duran for her refusal to put two non-binding questions on the Nov. 8 ballot.

News

County Commission counters state on pot poll

Tomas Lujan | September 16

Officials will have to wait a little longer to mail out this year’s general election ballots, after the New Mexico Supreme Court scheduled an emergency hearing for Sept. 24.

News

Immigration resolution fails ASUNM vote

Aydan Sparks | September 15

ASUNM voted down a resolution asking for the student government to support immigration reform in New Mexico. The decision came Friday after a discussion about whether the resolution should be passed in its current state.

News

Hispanic retention exceeds average

Marielle Dent | September 14

More Hispanic students are returning for their sophomore year than ever in UNM history. University President Bob Frank announced on Friday that the retention rate of Hispanic students going into their third semester is 80.1 percent.

News

Media are mistaken, say tailgaters

Matt Reisen | September 14

UNM-sponsored tailgating parties have received criticism from the press, and the people in charge of the events are defending them as fun, safe celebrations of school spirit. A recent story from KRQE News 13 highlighted drinking and partying at a tailgate two weeks ago, but Drew Ingraham, assistant athletics director for marketing and revenue, said the criticism was overblown and the scenes were taken out of context.

News

Professor pay pales compared to peers

Sayyed Shah | September 14

UNM is struggling to bring faculty salaries up to par with peer institutions around the country. The University is finding it difficult to compete for highly qualified faculty in the national market because of budgetary restrictions, which in turn is affecting the quality of education on campus, according to documents from UNM’s Finance Committee.

COSAP Project Manager John Steiner discusses the positive impact of COSAP’s prevention programs early Thursday morning. COSAP, located in the east side of Mesa Vista Hall, is open to all students who wish to receive assistance.

News

Group giving support to struggling students

Matt Reisen | September 12

An organization on campus is reaching out to help students find a balance between college life and responsibility. The Campus Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, which seeks to educate students on the dangers of drugs and alcohol rather than recommending complete abstinence, has started a new program called Diary of a Lady Lobo, aimed at curbing risky drinking in female students at UNM, John Steiner, COSAP program manager said.

Amanda Dean meditates at United Methodist Church for the Compassion Project on Wednesday. Dean aimed to provide the community with a free ongoing yoga and meditation project unaffiliated with any religious tradition.

News

Yoga program encourages compassion

Marielle Dent | September 12

A new program is working to inspire a greater sense of kindness in people by helping to develop mindfulness and fostering meaningful social interactions. Amanda Dean, alumna, started Compassion Project as a way to provide the community with a free, ongoing yoga and meditation project that was unaffiliated with any specific religious tradition.

News

Crime briefs for Sept. 11

September 10

A UNM Police Department officer was dispatched to Lobo Village in response to a report of narcotics located in a room. According to the report, a resident advisor received a complaint about an odor of marijuana coming from a room.When UNMPD arrived, the officer found a Red Bull can and a Coca-Cola can with false compartments concealing marijuana, a line of residue of a white powdery substance with a piece of rolled paper next to it, a glass bong with a glass pipe and a switchblade knife.

News

Student PR club getting a revival

Ryan Lotz | September 10

Public relations hopefuls may soon get the chance to practice their craft in a professional setting.Dirk Gibson, associate professor of communication and journalism, is looking to resurrect a chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, a program the University did away with more than three years ago, he said.The PRSSA allows students to work with professional public relations organizations to hone their skills and create networks with professionals.

Solar turbines, known as cogeneration machines, run inside the Ford Utility Center on Wednesday morning. These turbines provide power for much of the UNM area.

News

A new generation of generation

Tomas Lujan | September 10

UNM is investing in a sustainable future by installing new technologies, which will cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the cost of keeping the lights on ? by about a million dollars a year.The latest addition of green technologies on campus is the cogeneration unit, located in the Ford Utility Center.

News

UNMH funds set aside for deficit

Sayyed Shah | September 9

UNM Hospital is feeling the squeeze because of new health insurance policies. The hospital has reserved 22 percent of its annual revenue for the upcoming year to fund unpaid hospital bills caused by a variety of issues, including unreimbursed Medicaid treatments, said Ava Lovell, senior executive officer for finance and administration at the Health Sciences Center. New Mexico used to run a Medicaid program called Salud, but since Jan.

News

Campus briefs

September 9

Testing under way for desert locust pesticide A UNM startup company has begun field tests to prove it can protect crops from the desert locust, a crop-destroying insect, the University reports. The company, EcoPesticides, was founded by two UNM physicians, Ravi Durvasula and Adam Forshaw.