News

Correction

The deadline for Arizona voters to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 24. Visit your state's Web site to ensure you have the correct deadline.

Daily Lobo Spotlight

Daily Lobo: Where are you from, Nina? Nina Freer: I was born in Toronto, Ontario. I'm from Manitoba, and I grew up in Arizona. DL: How long have you been down here in the States? NF: I regressed. I moved back two years ago. I was living up in Manitoba for a while again.

Feature Photo: Balloon Fiesta

Discussion addresses U.S. financial crisis

About 160 students and faculty attended a roundtable discussion in Dane Smith Hall on Friday to discuss the country's financial crisis. The event began just a few hours after The House of Representatives voted 263 to 171 to pass the $700 billion bailout bill, which was later signed into law by President Bush.

Mitchell Hall will be closed for renovations

Don't plan on taking any classes in Mitchell Hall this spring. The building will close for renovations in January and won't reopen until the end of the fall 2009 semester. Melissa Vargas, strategic planner for the Provost's Office, said millions of University dollars will be spent on modernizing Mitchell Hall for students and faculty.

UNM improves sustainability standing

Students worry about grades, but they may not realize the University is worried about its own report card. UNM, along with other universities in the U.S. and Canada, is graded by the College Sustainability Report Card. This year, in the Mountain West Conference, UNM came in fourth place out of nine schools, with an overall B in sustainability - an improvement from last year's C.

Out-of-state student? Vote absentee

Out-of-state students may not be able to vote if they don't apply for an absentee ballot from their home state this month. If students register before then, they will be able to receive their absentee ballots in time to send them in and have their votes counted.

Group works to fight hunger, homelessness

UNMPIRG is asking for monetary donations to give to an Albuquerque food bank. The program, called Spare Change for Social Change, began this fall and has raised more than $400 for Project Share. The food bank is a New Mexico-based nonprofit and provides meals to about 145,000 people each year, said Patsy Kelton-Born, executive director of Project Share.

Question of the Week

Are you ready for the upcoming elections? Paul Rodriguez Sophomore Education "Yes. I watch a lot of the news channels - MSNBC, CNN. I read up on it. I'm a big Obama supporter." Krista Gibboney Senior Biology "Yes. I'm registered to vote, and I watched the (presidential) debate.

The race for second

Students watched intently as the vice presidential candidates debated for the first and only time Thursday night. Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden answered questions on issues such as the economy, the energy crisis, same-sex marriage and foreign policy.

Student organizations host bake sale for charity

The Christian Legal Society at the UNM School of Law organized a faculty and staff bake-off to benefit the Roadrunner Food Bank. The Christian Legal Society has been a tradition at UNM for at least 20 years, said Katrina Richards, president of CLS. Many UNM alumni who were involved with the Christian Legal Society now practice law professionally, she said.

Retirement plans give UNM staff options for planning future

As Wall Street gets more erratic, UNM employees are paying closer attention to their University-sponsored retirement plans. According to the University's human resources Web site, employees have two retirement options: a defined-contribution plan (Alternative Retirement Plan or ARP) or a defined-benefits plan through the Educational Retirement Board (a pension plan or ERB).

Health center raises fees to counter cost increases

Students may now have to pay more for a visit to the Student Health and Counseling Center. The center raised the cost of some services because of reduced funding from the Student Fee Review Board. SHAC director Beverly Kloeppel said rising health care costs also contributed to the fee hike.

A long time coming

Mechanical engineering students and faculty installed solar panels on the roof of their building Tuesday. The installation marks the last step in a sustainability project that has been on the department's agenda for more than 20 years. Professor Andrea Mammoli said the panels were installed alongside ones the department purchased in the 1980s in an effort to conserve energy in the building.

Feature Photo: Decorating Campus

UNM: Water work will be finished by end of month

Construction on a water project that began in May was scheduled to be completed Tuesday. But if you've walked around campus, you probably noticed it wasn't. Project manager Maria Probasco said construction will wrap up this month, as long as the water lines pass structural tests.

Survey: Student internships can pay off

Want to improve your odds of getting a job after college? According to a survey, an internship now can pay off down the road. Fifty-nine percent of managers who hire college interns said they are likely to hire their interns as full-time employees after graduation, according to a national survey released Sept.

Question & Answer

Foreign policy took a back seat to economic talk during the first presidential debate Friday, but Mark Peceny, professor and chair of UNM's political science department, took time to explain some of the finer points of the original topic to the Daily Lobo.

Student group works to reform drug laws

As the school year gets into full swing, clubs and student groups are starting up on campus. This year, students have come together to form a group to reform drug laws. The Students for Sensible Drug Policy, SSDP, has taken off with more than 20 members who are working to reform U.

Debate centers on abortion

The UNM Reproductive Justice Coalition hosted a debate between anti-abortion and abortion rights groups in the SUB on Monday. Representatives of the Right to Life Committee of New Mexico and NARAL Pro-Choice New Mexico participated in the discussion. Molly Maguire-Marshall, RJC organizer, said the group focuses on reproductive rights, access to health care, birth control and sex education.