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New Mexico drought hinders agriculture industry

Rebecca Hobart | August 30

As increased greenhouse gases force warming and greater atmospheric retention of water in arid New Mexico, severe droughts follow. Farmers along the Rio Grande have felt the implications of less water and largely criticize regional laws and decisions that regulate state water usage for limiting access to irrigation. The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District board, which manages the water through dams, voted on Aug. 20 to curtail irrigation along the Rio Grande on Oct. 1. This was enacted even though the law honors Native American pueblo water rights and protects them from the shut-off, according to John Fleck, professor and director of the UNM Water Resources Program.

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Resident physicians continue to bargain with UNM for better benefits

Megan Gleason | August 29

Bargaining for fair work conditions is ongoing between the Committee of Interns and Residents and the University of New Mexico. This union, representing all intern and resident physicians who work for UNM, is entering its third month of contract negotiations with the University. CIR is an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union and has had a collective bargaining agreement with the University since 2007. These contract negotiations take place every three years to determine agreements on working conditions, including stipulations on salaries, benefits, supplies and more. The current agreement, which began on August 1, 2019, will expire on Aug. 31 this year.

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Multi-million dollar training center to be built for UNM student-athletes

Maddie Pukite | August 29

The University of New Mexico’s Board of Regents recently approved the New Mexico Mutual Champions Training Center, a $4.3 million project for student-athletes, on Aug. 19. This extensive training center will be exclusively for student-athlete use, replacing the tent that teams currently train in that stands as a Title IX deficiency. The construction of this center is important in fulfilling a Title IX requirement that the University currently fails to meet, which is that more women than men are training in the 7,200-net-square-foot outdoor tent rather than in climate-controlled indoor facilities, according to UNM athletics director Eddie Nuñez.

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Autopsy and footage reveals MDC inmate’s circumstances of death

Gabriel Biadora and Shelby Kleinhans | August 23

On Jan. 31, Joleen Nez, a Native American woman who was cited for the petty misdemeanor of public littering in 2020, was pronounced dead due to the toxic effects of methamphetamine according to an autopsy report filed by the Office of the Medical Investigator. As reported in the Daily Lobo in February, Nez was cited in April of last year after she kicked over a cup and bowl at the intersection of Texas Street and Zuni Road and refused to pick up and throw away the cup — although she did throw away the bowl — according to the criminal complaint completed by Officer Preston Panana. Body camera footage shows an officer giving Nez the citation at the intersection after a verbal altercation with another individual that four officers witnessed.

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Board of Regents special meeting passes plethora of approvals

Megan Gleason | August 22

The University of New Mexico’s Board of Regents had an exceptionally long list of action items and passed nearly everything in a virutal meeting that lasted over three hours on Aug. 19. The only item that didn’t pass was the sale of the Student Family Housing property to the Central New Mexico Community College.

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UNM grad workers' right to unionize approved

Maddie Pukite | August 22

After the fight to unionize has been ongoing for over a year, the United Graduate Workers of the University of New Mexico received a win as graduate students were labeled as public and regular employees by New Mexico’s Public Employee Labor Relation Board (PELRB) on Aug. 17. This label, as specified by the Public Employee Bargaining Act (PEBA), gives the graduate workers the right to form a union. The board will meet again in the future to define what the workers’ bargaining units will be.

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UNM’s Welcome Back Events underway before school starts

Megan Gleason | August 19

On Sunday, students at the University of New Mexico will have the opportunity to get used to campus life again at the University’s Welcome Back Events. Before school starts on Monday, students can partake in Discover UNM, First-Year Family Day (exclusive to first-year students), Class Crawl and Movie on the Field. The Discover UNM event will kick off the day from 1-3 p.m., in which various departments and organizations will be located in the Student Union Building ballroom to talk about opportunities and resources on campus. “One of the greatest benefits to being a Lobo is the access to resources and organizations that support their intellectual, social and personal interests and well-being,” University secretary Nancy Middlebrook wrote to the Daily Lobo.

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New Mexico reinstates indoor mask policy following COVID spike

Megan Gleason | August 17

On Tuesday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that the state will reimplement an indoor mask policy, effective Friday, Aug. 20 until at least Sept. 15, due to an increasing number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. This policy, which may be extended or lifted by the governor if necessary, is required of individuals age 2 and up regardless of vaccination status. “We know that the pandemic is not over and that we’re in a pivotal moment in the state,” Lujan Grisham said at a COVID-19 update livestream on Tuesday. Lujan Grisham also said the state is enforcing “mandatory vaccines in the places where they make the most sense.”

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OPINION: Fake vaccination cards are dangerous and immoral

Emma Trevino | August 16

With COVID-19 cases surging across the country, universities and employers have begun attempting to crack down on vaccine requirements. Although this signals a step in the right direction, the increasing number of fake credentials being used to cheat a verified vaccination status could very well land us right back where we started, or worse. Fake vaccination cards are not new in regards to this pandemic; a public service announcement about the illegality of fake cards was released by the FBI in March, near the time the vaccine was approved for the majority of adult individuals in New Mexico, proving that for as long as any place has required a COVID-19 vaccine, people have found ways to produce or procure counterfeit documents.

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Financial, academic hardships of unpaid student regent position encourage action

Megan Gleason | August 16

On Aug. 10, Regent Melissa Henry, a former student regent, asked the Board of Regents Ad Hoc Governance Committee to consider policies that would provide a financial backbone for the unpaid student regent position after experiencing a lot of financial and academic distress during her past term. Ad Hoc Governance Chair and Regent Rob Schwartz hopes to bring this issue to the full Board of Regents at their next business meeting in October. “It was very naive of me to take this position not knowing how it would impact my career and work opportunities at the University and off campus, and not only did I face the consequences of being in such a politicized, public position but my work and time to contribute to my academic program suffered,” Henry said.

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Governor commits $5M for Chile Labor Incentive Program

Megan Gleason | August 12

On Thursday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that New Mexico will put $5 million toward a wage supplement program administered by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, called the Chile Labor Incentive Program, for the chile industry due to a labor shortage. This program will provide funding, taken from the state’s share of the American Rescue Plan, to “chile growers, labor contractors and processors on a first-come, first-served basis to supplement the wages of existing and prospective workers as well as incentivize hiring and retention,” according to a press release put out by the office of the governor on Thursday.

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In policy reversal, UNM requires vaccinations by October

Megan Gleason | August 8

After a sudden shift in policy, the University of New Mexico is requiring all students, staff and faculty to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus by Sept. 30, 2021. The reversal from the University’s initial decision to forgo a vaccine mandate comes after local and national rises in COVID-19 cases. This vaccine policy applies to “all UNM personnel and students who access UNM facilities, housing, programs, services and activities located on the main campus in Albuquerque, the Academic Health Sciences campus in Albuquerque, Gallup campus, Los Alamos campus, Taos campus and the Valencia campus,” according to the Bringing Back the Pack website.

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UNM reinstates indoor mask mandate on select campuses

Emma Trevino | July 29

On July 29, the University of New Mexico reinstated mask mandates for all individuals regardless of vaccination status effective Aug. 2. Masks will be required indoors for everyone at locations on the UNM Albuquerque, Taos and Valencia campuses, as well as the regional site in Sandoval County. The shift in policy — which had previously allowed fully vaccinated individuals to forgo mask-wearing — was spurred by recent spikes in COVID-19 cases across the country. The CDC recommends that “masks be worn in counties with a 7-day average community transmission of more than 7 new cases per 100,000 persons,” according to an academic dispatch from the Office of the Provost sent on July 29.

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UNM aims for 100% vaccination rate after forgoing vaccine requirement

Megan Gleason and Emma Trevino | July 25

The University of New Mexico is encouraging all Lobos to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to campus for the fall semester on Aug. 23. The University has set a 100% vaccination rate goal after forgoing a campus-wide vaccine mandate. “I look forward to challenging and inspiring ourselves and our fellow Lobos to reach for that 100% in the coming weeks,” UNM President Garnett Stokes wrote in a campus-wide message on July 8. The University has an ongoing incentive program that offers students and employees the chance for cash prizes in exchange for proof of vaccination.

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Controversy surrounds UNM vaccine policy

Megan Gleason | July 25

When the University of New Mexico decided to forgo a COVID-19 vaccine requirement and instead encourage a 100% vaccination rate goal for the upcoming semester, controversy erupted through the student body and students are still deciding whether or not they feel safe with the administration’s decisions. In May, the University drafted a vaccine mandate policy that would have required most students, staff and faculty to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but has since abandoned the idea since the vaccine is still classified under Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA.

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UNM announces monetary incentive program for students, employees to get vaccinated

Matthew Salcido | July 15

On Thursday, the University of New Mexico announced a reward-based incentive program to encourage students and employees to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations in order to “Vax the Pack.” After uploading proof of vaccination, students will receive $100 via bursar account, and main and branch campus employees will be entered into a drawing for one of 50 $1,000 prizes. This money is available through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. Students must be registered for the upcoming fall semester to qualify. “We want all Lobos feeling as safe and supported as we possibly can,” President Garnett Stokes wrote in a campus communications email on Thursday.

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OPINION: Public schools maintain tight grip on student speech despite recent ruling

Liam Debonis | July 1

Protection of the First Amendment in high school has long been debated, and the Supreme Court often rules against the protections of the student. This just solidifies the feeling of powerlessness so many teenagers feel by eroding what should be their fundamental rights to free speech and free expression. Facing such a maelstrom, small victories should be celebrated wherever they may come. Last month, one such victory arrived with the news of the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of Brandi Levy, a Pennsylvania high school girl whose words — specifically, “fuck school, fuck softball, fuck cheer, fuck everything” — were reaffirmed as protected under the First Amendment.

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UA-UNM’s first contract with University admin begins July 1

Maddie Pukite and Zoe Perls | June 29

On July 1, the landmark contract between the United Academics of the University of New Mexico (UA-UNM) and UNM will go into effect, marking the first active bargaining agreement between the Union and the school’s administration over terms and conditions of employment. Both UA-UNM and UNM’s bargaining unit have signed the agreement, and the Union is in the process of finalizing the contract language. The contract, ratified on June 11, is split into two units for faculty: Unit 1, which covers different levels of professors, lecturers and instructors, and Unit 2, which accounts for temporary part-time instructors, adjuncts and term teaching faculty.

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Three-day Juneteenth celebration in ABQ commemorates new federal holiday

Megan Gleason | June 23

Music, dance and empowerment floated through Albuquerque as Burqueños showed up to celebrate Juneteenth over a three-day period at Civic Plaza. The event, entitled “To a Higher Ground,” lasted from June 18 to June 20. Juneteenth commemorates the announcement of the emancipation of enslaved people in America on June 19. The holiday originated in Texas in 1865, when the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation was applied after the end of the Civil War. The theme for Albuquerque’s celebration this year was “Ujamaa,” or the idea of cooperative economics based on democratic principles and participation. The City of Albuquerque’s website said the event was meant to “celebrate Black-owned businesses, artisans, vendors, performers and more.”

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Hispanic fraternal order sues Santa Fe Mayor over obelisk removal decision

John Scott | June 20

On June 17, the Union Protectíva de Santa Fé announced their plans to sue the city of Santa Fe and Mayor Alan Webber for the decision to remove the Soldiers’ Monument, the obelisk in the center of Santa Fe Plaza. The lawsuit comes after Webber’s call to remove the obelisk back in June 2020, and after a group of protestors tore down part of the obelisk during a demonstration on Indigenous Peoples Day last October. There is not yet a timeline for the removal. “What our lawsuit seeks is an injunction preventing the mayor from replacing this historic obelisk with anything other than repairing it and restoring it,” attorney Ken Stalter said at a press conference on June 17.