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UNM’s proposed COVID-19 vaccine policy draws support, objections and legal questions

Liam Debonis | May 17

The University of New Mexico revealed a draft proposal on May 3 that would require COVID-19 vaccinations of most students, staff and faculty in order to attend the University in person for the coming fall semester, drawing both praise and scrutiny from UNM community members. The short proposal has not received a final ruling from the University administration. Instead, UNM’s “Bring Back the Pack” website has installed a feedback button alongside the link to the proposal, encouraging those who read it to provide their thoughts.

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Canvas selected to replace Blackboard as next learning management system for UNM

Gino Gutierrez | May 16

Canvas was selected as the future learning management software (LMS) for the University of New Mexico, according to an email sent by Campus Communications on April 22. A pilot program for Canvas will roll out in the upcoming semester, and the full transition will happen in the summer of 2022. The decision to move to a new LMS was brought about due to the limitations encountered on Blackboard Learn amid the transition to online learning, according to the email. UNM will be joining six other New Mexico-based colleges that use Canvas. “It was painful to have (Blackboard) be another barrier for people to have to jump over in order to engage with their courses,” Pamela Cheek, associate provost for student success, said.

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‘NSO … To-Go!’ 2021 aims to promote student community bond

Zoe Perls | May 16

Incoming students at the University of New Mexico are being welcomed virtually with an online New Student Orientation (NSO) experience for 2021 called “NSO … To-Go!” This mandatory two-day summer program is meant to prepare new freshmen for college life, and sessions for first-year students will be held from June 1 to Aug. 18. This year’s NSO will include self-paced modules about UNM, personalized degree information and UNM’s sexual misconduct training. Zoom presentations about being a new student, paying for college and more will be included. There will also be a virtual Ethnic and Resource Center open house, as well a discovery fair to showcase what available resources UNM holds.

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Academic Communities Program helps transition first-year students to college

Megan Gleason | May 16

The Academic Communities Program is a first-year-exclusive experience for students at the University of New Mexico. This program allows students to take special courses that will not only count toward their degree progress, but also provide a community space to explore how college works best for them. There are five sects to the Academic Communities Program: first-year learning communities (FLC), transition communities, big questions, deep dive and academic foundations. Each section provides a different type of experience for first-year students, and a quiz can be taken to see which academic community best fits you.

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Racist “Three Peoples” murals to be covered after decades of controversy

Jaden Brown | May 16

The University of New Mexico has made the decision to cover up the “Three Peoples” mural from Zimmerman library after community members called for its removal due to its racist images. The mural panels will be covered with removable shades by the end of this month or next, unable to be completely removed due to legal standings. “Critics have long derided the ‘Three Peoples’ murals at Zimmerman Library as racist in their various depictions of Native Americans, Hispanics and Anglos,” Jessica Dyer wrote for the Albuquerque Journal. “Kenneth Adams’ 1939 artwork was defaced multiple times in the 1970s, triggered a wave of debate in the 1990s and more recently led library staff and faculty to complain about a hostile work environment.”

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UNM Health administers 100,000th vaccine at The Pit

Nicholas Romero | May 1

University of New Mexico Health reached a major milestone in its fight to vaccinate the New Mexico community by administering its 100,000th vaccine dose at The Pit on April 28. The basketball arena has been host to a mass vaccination site since January, with over 100 volunteers at work each day. The recipient of the 100,000th vaccine was a recent UNM graduate, Kiara Herzer, who received her second dose of the vaccine. “I am very surprised and honored as well, it’s just exciting ... I’m so excited by how many people have gotten their shots, so that’s awesome we are at 100,000 so far,” Herzer said.

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Grad student union holds digital rally to kick off Week of Union Action

Megan Gleason | April 21

On Monday, the United Graduate Workers of UNM held a digital rally to kick off “Rally for Recognition: A Week of Union Action” to pressure the University of New Mexico to recognize graduate students’ rights to unionize. The union aims “to resolve long-standing issues over compensation, benefits, and job security and to improve education and research conditions.” The organization is currently in hearings with the New Mexico Public Employees Labor Relations Board to win recognition as a union. According to the union website, UNM administration argues that grad students cannot be considered employees and thus are not protected under the Public Employee Bargaining Act.

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ABQ protesters gather in wake of nationwide police killings

Maddie Pukite | April 21

On Saturday night, close to 80 people gathered at the spot where Claude Trevino was fatally shot by the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) in February to protest against police brutality. This protest was called in light of the recent fatal shootings of Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo by police. Both of these killings sparked mass protesting in both Brooklyn Center, Minnesota and Chicago, Illinois. The event was hosted by Millions for Prisoners, Albuquerque Save the Kids from incarceration and ABQ Mutual Aid. The first speaker, a community member who went by Arianna, began the night by calling for a moment of silence to honor the victims of police brutality.

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Following cannabis legalization, inmates await expungement

Hannah John | April 20

Within recent years, adult use of recreational marijuana has been legalized in 16 states, and the use of medical marijuana has been legalized in 19 states. Despite the sweeping shift of the drug’s legal status, some states have not expunged the records of people who have been convicted of marijuana charges. Racial disparity plays a big role in arrests for marijuana. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Black people in New Mexico are four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people. Within Bernalillo County alone, a Black person was almost twice as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession in 2018. This is compared to the nationwide average where Black people are 3.6 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people, the highest disparity from 2010 - 2018. According to Bernadine Hernandez, an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico and a member of both the Prison Divest New Mexico Coalition and the Fronteristxs Collective, private prisons thrive within New Mexico. Inmates, including people with marijuana charges, are most likely to be held at a private prison.

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Medical Cannabis Research Fund leads cannabis studies at UNM

Maddie Pukite | April 20

The team of researchers with the Medical Cannabis Research Fund (MCRF) at the University of New Mexico have continued their grassroots effort despite federal pushback, lack of funding and the coronavirus pandemic. The team is made up of a variety of professors from different departments and backgrounds at UNM. Jacob Vigil, a professor of psychology, is the group’s director and started it alongside Sarah Stith, an assistant professor of economics and an investigator for the MCRF. Research has proven difficult due to the federal restrictions, making it harder to publish findings, Vigil and Stith said. Additionally, physical research has currently been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the team is still doing online research and remote assessments.

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Derek Chauvin convicted of murder, manslaughter

Liam Debonis | April 20

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on the neck of George Floyd during his fatal arrest last year, was convicted of all charges, including second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on April 20 and faces up to 40 years in prison, according to the Star Tribune. The trial, one of the highest profile in recent history and Minnesota's first televised criminal case, began in March and stretched weeks into April. Jurors debated for more than 10 hours over the span of two days before reaching a verdict. Following the verdict, Judge Peter A. Cahill said that sentencing would be announced in eight weeks. The prosecution, made up of a rotating team of assistant attorneys general and outside lawyers, sought to emphasize the widely-seen bystander video of Floyd’s death in their case against Chauvin.

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Vigil for Daunte Wright held at UNM

Maddie Pukite | April 13

On Monday night, close to 80 individuals gathered near the UNM bookstore to honor the life of Daunte Wright, who was fatally shot by the Brooklyn Center Police Department (BCPD) in Minneapolis on April 11. Daunte Wright was a 20-year-old Black man who was pulled over at a traffic stop and fatally shot by BCPD officer Kim Potter. Police say Wright was pulled over due to expired registration tags but Wrights’ mother said he told her on the phone it was due to an illegally hung air freshener. The department is now claiming it was accidental, and that Potter mistook her gun for her taser, according to Star Tribune. The officer and the police chief have now resigned.

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Governor legalizes recreational marijuana statewide

Gabriel Biadora and Maddie Pukite | April 12

On April 12, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed legislation legalizing adult recreational cannabis use and authorizing the expungement of some cannabis convictions. “This legislation is a major, major step forward for our state. Legalized adult-use cannabis is going to change the way we think about New Mexico for the better — our workforce, our economy, our future,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement released on Monday.

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NM Notify helps track COVID exposures

Jesus Mata | April 12

On March 23, the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) announced the launch of NM Notify, an exposure notification app that alerts individuals when they’ve been in close proximity to someone that’s tested positive for COVID-19. Exposure notification apps are a form of technology-based contact tracing. Google and Apple worked together with public health departments across the country to create apps that will notify people who have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID, even if they don’t know them, according to a Google video on the topic. When an individual walks by someone else using the app, both devices will exchange the users’ randomly generated personal identification numbers via Bluetooth. Then, if someone tests positive for COVID and reports it in the app, any device that exchanged numbers in the last two weeks will receive a notification about potential exposure.

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ABQ 'White Lives Matter' rally flops, dominated by counter-protesters

John Scott | April 12

On Sunday, hundreds gathered at Civic Plaza in Downtown Albuquerque with plans to counter a “White Lives Matter” protest scheduled to take place at the Albuquerque Convention Center directly across from Civic Plaza. Fight For Our Lives (FFOL), a self described non-violent student activist organization, arranged the event, which lasted about two hours and was attended by close to 120 people. No one directly affiliated with the Proud Boys attended the protest, despite a Facebook messenger screenshot that said the organization would arrive at 11 a.m. “It’s really great to see this show of unity,” Zoey Craft, FFOL cofounder, said. “It’s great to see everyone coming together against this planned action that we know is going to further embolden white supremacists in the future.”

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Gov. Lujan Grisham signs off on NM paid sick leave bill

Maddie Pukite | April 9

On Thursday, April 8, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed HB 20, the Healthy Workplaces Act, making paid sick leave a reality in New Mexico. The bill will allow employees to accrue one hour of paid time off for every 30 hours worked, which can be used for their own illness, whether mental or physical, or to care for a family member who is sick. In addition, employees have the ability to accrue paid time off for future use. The bill defines “family” as, “an individual whose close association with the employee or the employee's spouse or domestic partner is the equivalent of a family relationship.”

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CFC offers tax help for UNM students in need

Daniel Ward | April 7

While tax season may be a time that many college students dread, the Center for Financial Capability (CFC) at the University of New Mexico has a variety of services to help students navigate the filing process. Jacob Silva, the director for the CFC, said the center is a resource devoted to helping students become financially successful and graduate with the least amount of debt possible. Lotty Del Barga, a senior at UNM, was awarded a scholarship that refunds roughly $10,000 a year, but she didn’t realize she had to file that refund as income on her taxes. After Del Barga found out about the free tax services at the CFC, Silva helped her successfully navigate the process of filing an amended tax return.

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Westside shelter continues vaccination efforts for the unhoused

Gino Gutierrez | April 1

As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues in Albuquerque, the unhoused and those experiencing homelessness are now eligible to receive the vaccine. Homelessness has been steadily increasing in Albuquerque for years — from 2013 to 2019, the number of unhoused persons in the city jumped from 144 to 567, according to an article from NM Political Report. As the number of people experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque continues to grow, medical personnel are tasked with ensuring they receive their COVID vaccinations too.

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Yes we cannabis!

Gabriel Biadora and Maddie Pukite | April 1

SANTA FE — On March 31, the New Mexico State Legislature legalized recreational cannabis after a contentious vote of 23-19 in the Senate, after decades of failed attempts. House Bill 2 (HB 2) passed on the Senate floor around 8 p.m. during a special session prompted by the Governor after legalization efforts failed during the Regular Session. The bill advanced after Legislators killed its competing bill, Senate Bill 3 (SB 3), in committee. New Mexico will soon be the 18th state to legalize recreational cannabis, following New York which passed a legalization bill earlier this week. The bill is now at Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk, where it is expected to be signed into law.

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UNM to hold in-person graduation ceremony for spring class of 2021

Gino Gutierrez | March 31

On Wednesday afternoon, University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes announced via her Twitter account that the University will be holding an in-person spring 2021 commencement ceremony at University Stadium on May 15 at 9 a.m. The announcement comes as the city of Albuquerque has seen its lowest average COVID-19 case numbers since September 2020. “I want to say that I am thrilled to give you the exciting news that we are going to be offering an in-person commencement for our spring 2021 graduates,” Stokes said in a video on Twitter.