News

UNM mourns students' deaths

by Shaun Griswold  Daily Lobo Two graduate students from the Civil Engineering department, Yi Huang and Mohammad Minhaz Mahdi, died June 5 in a car accident in Sandoval County.   Huang, a 24-year-old student from China, and Mahdi, a 30-year-old student from Bangladesh, both died after their car slid off the road and rolled over three times, according to a representative of the Sandoval County Sheriff’s Department.    The two graduate students and another student, Nasrin Sumee, were returning to Albuquerque from a hiking trip at the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument near Cochiti Pueblo.   Huang died at UNM Hospital and Mahdi died at the scene, according to the police report.  Sumee survived the crash and is in stable condition at UNM Hospital.

Martinez, Denish eye governor's desk after primaries

New Mexico’s next governor will be a woman.   Doña Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez won 51 percent of the vote in a five-candidate primary.

South campus facelift more than skin deep

UNM’s Student Family Housing facility is undergoing some major renovations and management restructuring.

PATS offers wait-list space for structure

Parking and Transportation Services is allowing students, faculty and staff to jump on a waiting list for permits to the new parking structure on Yale Boulevard and Lomas Boulevard. The Yale Parking Structure will add approximately 790 spaces for student use, said Bob Nelson, PATS associate director.

Grassroots grow out of oil tragedy

About 20 protesters braved the 100-degree heat June 5 to voice concerns about the government’s handling of the April 20 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Seize BP, a national organization that calls for the U.S.

Library keeps students up to date with the newest gadgets

The Health Sciences Library & Informatics Center (HSLIC) is undergoing a technological makeover. Student fees for the library have been raised to $260 annually to finance new exam preparation materials, expand the number of e-books, provide access to more library resources and maintain quality computer equipment in heavily used, student-oriented areas.

Longtime UNM dean to retire after illustrious career

After 38 years at UNM as a student and staff member, and 13 years in his current position, Randy Boeglin, dean of Student Affairs, has decided it is time for retirement. In the interim, Boeglin will be replaced by Kimmerly Kloeppel, who is currently acting as the Division of Student Affair’s Fiscal and Planning officer, while a search goes on for a new dean.

New, more functional student IDs offer added security

The people have voted, the printer is running and the new Lobo cards are ready for students to pick up.   The University is printing new ID cards for students and staff in the spring semester, said Carolyn Hartley, manager of ID services.  The Lobo card office is printing new cards for returning students.

Co-op to offer healthy foods

Avoiding the freshman 15 or the extra pounds put on during mid-terms could soon be easier thanks to a group of students opening a student run co-op store on campus. Co-op organizer Jake Wellman said the store will be a place for students to get experience running a business while providing healthy food options for students. “We see this as the type of place you can go and get fresh cauliflower,” he said.

Routine cleaning leaves fish out to dry

The Duck Pond became a grave site to 45 fish that dehydrated during a routine cleaning that went horribly wrong. On May 20 the UNM Physical Plant Department began its annual operation to clean the sludge from the pipe that maintains the Duck Pond water flow.

Man found dead near University

Albuquerque Police are investigating the shooting death of a 20-year-old man whose body was discovered in a south University residential area near Copper Avenue and Cedar Street N.E.

Crime Briefs May 12

Books snatched out of C&J Display case UNMPD is saying thieves broke into the display case inside the Communication and Journalism building May 6 and stole between 10 and 15 books, said Nancy Montoya, administrator for the C&J department. On the morning of May 7, a professor asked Montoya why the display case was open.

Regents approve south campus housing after long debate

The Board of Regents unanimously voted in favor of the ground lease agreement for an 864-bed dorm complex on south campus. Before the decision, however, several community members and UNM staff and students voiced concern about the project.

Activist groups: No funds for Israel

A group of students at UNM is following the University of California Berkeley’s trend by starting a “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” campaign against Israel. This means the removal of school funds from groups that make a profit in Israel, said Nada Noor, a spokeswoman for UNM’s Coalition for Peace and Justice in the Middle East. “Our aim is not to target Israel for the sake of targeting Israel but rather target companies engaging in and profiting from illegal, destructive and inhumane behavior,” she said.

Law school must stick with GPSA for now

A subcommittee of the Board of Regents voted Thursday to table the law students’ request to secede from the Graduate and Professional Students Association. The Academic and Student Affairs Committee advised the Student Bar Association to work harder with GPSA to make the organization better meet its needs.

Fine arts students face fee increase, class cancellations

College of Fine Arts students are paying extra in unexpected fees for fall 2010 classes. Jim Linnell, dean of CFA, said students enrolled in almost any class in the college will have to pay an extra $5 per credit hour in fees.

Mayor battles property crime

Before he was Mayor, Richard Berry was a property crime victim. Criminals stole his pick-up truck. They later dumped the truck in the foot hills and set it on fire.

Photo Issue Spring 2010

Professor uses award ceremony to bash Schmidly, administration

The air of excitement suddenly turned somber at the Teaching Awards Ceremony on Thursday afternoon, when the most prestigious award winner gave a speech about the decline of UNM’s core mission – education.

Physical Plant waiting on parts to repair 74-year-old elevator

The Scholes Hall elevator has suffered a “catastrophic failure,” Mary Vosevich, director of the Physical Plant, said the wording on the notice plastered throughout the halls of the administrative office building is not meant to be dramatic. “That’s just a term that we use for the elevator that cannot be repaired without procuring some other parts that can’t be bought,” she said.