Five UNM students are getting firsthand experience as interns in Washington, D.C. this semester.Deborah Baker, Moanna Wright, Christopher Miller, Angelina Gonzalez-Aller and Marcus Romero are the first group of students selected for the fall semester of the UNM Fred Harris Congressional Internship Program.
Thousands of people gathered Thursday for the 82nd burning of Zozobra, or Old Man Gloom.The tradition has been a part of the Fiestas de Santa Fe since 1924. Old Man Gloom is a 50-foot marionette.The name Zozobra stands for anguish, anxiety and gloom. The purpose of the burning is to rid the troubles of the past year.
The Daily Lobo asks you: Almost five years have passed since Sept. 11th, 2001. How do you feel about the United States' progress in the war on terror? Jared Adams: "I think they are just manipulating the fears of all the people. Bush is manipulating Christianity and religion for his benefit -- not a new trick.
About 900 students gathered on Johnson Field on Thursday night for the burning of NMSU's mascot during Red Rally. The event was a pep rally for the football game against NMSU. Matt Maez, ASUNM's Lobo Spirit Committee co-director, set the Aggie ablaze. "A burning Aggie - that's what I like to see," said student Joel Garcia. Student Jessica Buckmaster said it took too long to light the bonfire, but she still enjoyed the event."I think they should set more things on fire," she said. Archers with flaming arrows would be a good addition to the giant torch that ignites the Aggie, she said.The event included the annual Craziest Lobo contest in which several students used paint, glue and gel to show their school spirit.
Surrounded by 100 colleagues, friends and family, Theo Crevenna was honored for receiving the Orden Mexicana del Aguila Azteca, the highest award given by the Mexican government to a foreigner."The greatest satisfaction I have is to be able to be of service," Crevenna said.
Marc Saavedra, the UNM lobbyist arrested on charges of aggravated DWI last week, volunteered to be put on unpaid leave after he was arrested, according to a statement from David Harris, acting UNM president."The University is very committed to assisting him [Saavedra] in his rehabilitation efforts," Harris said in the statement. "That being said, as a public employer, the University is very serious about its accountability to the citizens of New Mexico and intends to take appropriate action in this matter."
The SUB's game room is going in a new direction - toward an older model of entertainment, said Walt Miller, associate vice president for student development. The room will focus on pool instead of video games, he said. TechSmith managed the room from August 2005 to July 2006. The company removed arcade games and an air hockey table and replaced them with Xboxes and computers.
The UNM Health Sciences Center is searching for subjects for at least 30 studies, according to the Web site. Vanessa, a participant in a study for a vaccine for human papilloma virus, or HPV, was happy with the program, she said. "I get free Pap smears, free birth control, and they are nice," she said.
Last year, the UNM Board of Regents approved a $125 million bond issue for construction across the main and branch campuses. Joe Brawley, interim director of the Office of Capital Projects, said the buildings will have a positive impact on the University. "Generally speaking, we have a lot of projects going on that, when they are completed, will be a benefit to all students and faculty," he said.
Linda Atkinson, director of DWI Resource Center, said it reflects poorly on UNM to have a lobbyist charged with DWI. "I don't think it is the type of legacy you want," she said. Marc Saavedra, UNM's government relations director, was arrested on charges of aggravated DWI on Aug. 30, according to a criminal complaint. He failed field sobriety tests and refused to take a blood-alcohol test, according to the complaint. Saavedra's arraignment is Sept. 14, according to court documents. He was released Friday, according to court documents. His bail was set at $5,000, but he was released on recognizance, which means the bail was waived, according to the court. Saavedra and his attorney did not return phone calls Tuesday. David Harris, acting UNM president, released a statement Friday. "The justice process has to be followed and completed," he said in the statement. "This is a regrettable incident as Mr. Saavedra is a valued employee. We are taking this matter very seriously; we are looking into it and will take appropriate action once we know more." Susan McKinsey, University spokeswoman, said UNM will wait for a verdict before taking any action. "The justice system will have to work its way through, and after that, it will become a personnel issue," she said. "Then I won't be able to say anything about it." Saavedra pleaded guilty to aggravated DWI in 1997, according to court documents. Atkinson said the charges might make it harder to recruit students to UNM. "As a higher education institution, it wants to attract students not just from around New Mexico, but from around the country," she said. "If they know the lobbyist has been arrested for the second time for (charges of) DWI, it decreases the credibility of the institution."
Tim Garcia has been playing racquetball for 14 years. But for him, it's more than just hitting a rubber ball against a wall. "I don't care about myself being deaf when I'm playing," Garcia said through interpreter Jaime Campbell. "The most important thing is for me to stay happy, and I'm happy when I'm playing racquetball." The 33-year-old Garcia has been a student at UNM for six years, five of which he has spent working as a parking officer for Parking and Transportation Services. Between classes and working 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. shifts five days a week, Garcia spends the rest of his time running around Court 11 in Johnson Center. Although he'll play with anyone that will take him on, he's not your typical recreational player. He plays at the open-professional level - the highest level of five in a racquetball tournament - in tournaments around the state and has seven first-place trophies to show for it.
Artists will gather in the Old Town Plaza to perform dances and music every Saturday until Oct. 14. They perform music and dances outside of Old Town shops and in the gazebo in the center of the plaza. The program is called Cultural Treasures Day. Lenore Armijo, a guitarist and singer, said the program fits with the traditions of the area. "People came to sell, produce and buy stuff in the market, and musicians played there to be heard, so they could get their break," she said. "And that's what we're doing with our music - perpetuating the old traditions of gathering as a community in the market."
Marc Saavedra, UNM's government relations director, was arrested Wednesday on charges of aggravated DWI, according to a Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court criminal complaint.
Forty-eight students transferred to UNM to try to piece their lives back together after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina last fall. Monique Fellows is rebuilding her life. Fellows was a student at the University of New Orleans and one of the 11 remaining evacuees still registered at UNM. "Since I've been in New Mexico, I've had a really good job. I think I've received a better education," she said. "I've gotten better grades than I ever have in my college career, and I'm close to my family."
Brenda Leyba, Freshman, Elementary education "I don't have any plans. I'm just going to go hang out with my family. It's my mom's birthday tomorrow, and I'm going to go ride the Rail Runner thing." Mike Wareham, Freshman, Psychology "Basically, I'm going to get a whole bunch of studying ...
A congressional hearing on the loss, recovery and preservation of American-Indian languages was held at the Native American Pueblo Cultural Center on Thursday.
1970-present UNM avoided most of the protesting and unrest other schools went through during the 1960s, according to Miracle on the Mesa, a history of the University written by former UNM president William Davis.
Student Jo Fanelli starts most of her semesters at UNM with a walk around the communication and journalism building to chat with professors she knows from her years of taking classes in the department.
Smiley faces, fish, suns and many other stickers were used to decorate medical devices and reduce patients' fear of them, according to a study done by researchers at UNM's Health Sciences Center.
UNM's Employee Health Promotion Program announced the winners of its Biggest Loser Challenge on Wednesday.
Solutions by The State News
