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UNM gives $200 to eligible students for internet

Alyssa Martinez | March 31

As courses reconvene in an online landscape, select students at the University are being granted $200 scholarships to assist in their transition.  Associate Provost for Student Success Pamela Cheek said up to 400 students will be able to receive the Lobos Connect Mini-Scholarship, which aims to financially assist students who need reliable access to the internet.  “(The $200) amount is based on an assessment of how much it might cost to purchase a MiFi or to augment cell phone or internet services for a few months,” Cheek said. 

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UNM staff concerned about impact of COVID-19

Bella Davis | March 30

As president of the University of New Mexico Staff Council, Ryan Gregg regularly hears from many staff members. However, the coronavirus outbreak has generated the most comments and questions from staff since he began his term almost a year ago, Gregg said. "Staff are concerned about their families and the health of their loved ones. Staff are also concerned about the future of their jobs," Gregg said. Last week, more than 31,000 New Mexicans filed unemployment claims, according to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. The week before that, a record 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment, the Labor Department reported, as businesses across the country shut down in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

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New Mexico county clerks to ask for mail-in elections

Lissa Knudsen | March 30

New Mexico county clerks are looking to coronavirus-proof the primary election by changing from a traditional in-person voting process to a vote-by-mail process. The Daily Lobo obtained a copy of a petition to the New Mexico Supreme Court that lists Keith Riddle — on behalf of all 33 of the county clerks — as the petitioner and New Mexico secretary of state Maggie Toulouse Oliver as the respondent. The county clerks will ask the Supreme Court to allow them to use the mail-in ballot procedures for special elections because of the health and safety risk that the COVID-19 pandemic presents, according to the petition drafted by Daniel Ivey-Soto, the attorney who represents the state's county clerks.

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UNM set to refund housing, meal plan in coming weeks

Amanda Britt | March 28

The University of New Mexico will refund over 1,110 students for their student housing and meal plans, after forcing them to vacate eight weeks early, according to Residence Life and Student Housing.  Four days before Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a statewide “stay at home” order March 24, students were instructed through email to evacuate from their on-campus housing by that same day. As of March 28, Lujan Grisham said there were at least 208 cases of COVID-19 in New Mexico. 

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UNM’s COVID response blindsided some students away from campus

Alex McCausland | March 28

When Sophomore Indica Simpson first received the email about mandatory move-out, she called the Student Residence Center (SRC). She was told that, because she had renewed her lease for 2021, she could leave her items in her dorm. Simpson was at home in Nevada for spring break, visiting family. She was under the impression the break was only for a week. But on Friday, March 20, Coronado Hall Coordinator Johana Gourdin sent out an email stating that without an exception to stay, “residents (are) expected to have vacated (their) assigned space by Tuesday the 24th.”

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Professor Eleni Bastea remembered as passionate, adventurous

Makayla Grijalva | March 27

“How do you remember a scholar whose scholarship was memory?” That’s what School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P) Dean Mark Childs said in his opening remark for a memorial minute to honor Dr. Eleni Bastéa during the Faculty Senate Meeting on March 24.  Bastéa passed away on January 12 after a long battle with cancer. She is survived by her two sons and her husband, SA+P adjunct faculty member Marke Forte. 

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Dispatch: COVID-19 on the Navajo Nation

Sharon Chischilly | March 26

GALLUP, N.M. — The Navajo Nation awoke to a blanket of snow on March 19 as the third case of COVID-19, known as Diko Ntsaaígíí-Náhást'éíts'áadah in the Navajo language, emerged on the Navajo homeland. The three cases, a 40-year-old, 46-year-old and 62-year-old, shared one thing in common: they're all from the community of Chilchinbito, Arizona. Just days before the cases arose, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer declared a public health state of emergency for the Navajo Nation due to the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday, March 11. As of the publication of this article, there were 69 positive COVID-19 cases within the Navajo Nation.

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Stokes to host town hall, address COVID-19 response

Justin Garcia | March 26

University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes will host a virtual town hall and Q&A Friday at 12 p.m. According to a press release, the town hall is meant to address UNM's response to the local outbreak of COVID-19. As of March 25, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said there are at least 112 cases of COVID-19 in New Mexico, including 48 in Bernalillo County. As a result, Lujan Grisham issued an emergency declaration and closed dozens of nonessential businesses to limit person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus.

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PATS ushering parking permit refunds

Alyssa Martinez | March 25

The office notorious for parking citations and permits will accept refund requests amidst the University’s limited operations.  In an email sent out by Parking and Transportation Services (PATS) Wednesday, PATS announced that the last day for students to request a permit refund is Tuesday, March 31.  Students looking to receive a prorated refund must fill out the provided form and submit a photo of their permit, cut in half before their request is processed.  As for staff and faculty, PATS warned that upon return of a faculty or staff permit, “(they) may not be able to get it back into the same zone/structure once the University reopens.” The University is currently on an extended spring break until April 5 in an effort to respond to the novel coronavirus. 

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New Mexico to use emergency alert system during COVID-19 outbreak

Justin Garcia | March 25

The State of New Mexico will begin sending out text messages and interrupting television and radio programs during the new coronavirus outbreak.  The first test will be sent out at around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office.  “The system is intended ...

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Faculty Senate: Students should have option to switch to pass or fail grading for spring 2020

Justin Garcia | March 24

The Faculty Senate endorsed a move to give students the option to switch their classes to a pass or fail grading system, instead of a classic A through F grading scale.  The resolution passed unanimously by the Faculty Senate on Tuesday does not guarantee the University of New Mexico will adopt the measure. However, UNM Provost James Holloway signaled his support for the measure during the Faculty Senate meeting, suggesting the option will be approved.  The resolution aims to allow instructors more flexibility in grading during the coronavirus pandemic.  “We also understand that because of COVID-19, students may be experiencing unforeseeable challenges in accessing food, housing, health, family care, employment, and computers and the internet throughout the remainder of the semester,” the resolution said. 

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Lobo ceases print publishing amid coronavirus outbreak

Daily Lobo Editorial Board | March 24

The Daily Lobo will suspend our bi-weekly print publication until at least April 6 and will publish exclusively online. This was not a decision made lightly, and it does not mean we will stop working. But it does mean — for just the second time in 124 years — the Daily Lobo will not print a newspaper for an extended period of time. The only other time was the 1918 influenza pandemic. Two factors convinced us publishing during this historic event wasn't in the best interest of the UNM community.

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Student health services adjust to COVID-19 outbreak

Bella Davis | March 24

As UNM students try to adjust to changes — including the closure of the dorms and classes moving online — the Student Health and Counseling Center (SHAC) is taking measures to work around the COVID-19 outbreak. In response to the spread of the coronavirus in New Mexico, SHAC medical visits are being converted to phone appointments when possible and all in-person counseling sessions will be converted to teletherapy. These changes were announced to students late last week as part of a number of measures being taken to ensure social distancing mandates are followed. "SHAC's entire team — medical, counseling and administration included — are working diligently to ensure that students will always have access to health care," Tiffany Martinez-Durant, manager of marketing and communication for SHAC, said.

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Stokes: All graduation ceremonies postponed indefinitely

Justin Garcia/ @Just516garc/ Daily Lobo | March 23

The University of New Mexico has postponed all spring convocations indefinitely, including its graduation ceremony previously schedule for May 16. Monday's announcement is the latest in a series of closures and cancellations — including in-person classes and on-campus housing — to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. As of March 24, there were 100 positive cases of COVID-19 in New Mexico, including 43 recorded in the state's most densely populated county, Bernalillo. UNM President Garnett Stokes said she regretted the measure, but insisted it had to be done. "I know that some of these decisions, particularly those related to campus housing, commencement ceremonies and the transition to remote instruction, may cause anxiety, frustration and disappointment," Stokes said, adding a promise to continue sending out updates over email.

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Moving out and moving on: UNM’s dorm-dwellers say goodbye

Justin Garcia | March 22

Aaron Ceceñas sat alone at a chrome-colored table outside of the Student Residence Center (SRC) March 21. He was waiting for his parents to get him and all his stuff packed neatly in a cardboard box to his right.  Like dozens of other students, Ceceñas was using what will likely be his last Saturday on campus to move out. “And this is my last year too,” he told the Daily Lobo. ”Coming from a senior’s perspective, cause I was gonna…”  Ceceñas parents arrived that moment, pulling his attention away. He motioned for them to park between two cars in front of La Posada Dining Hall, the impromptu parking lot normally used at the beginning and end of the school year. 

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UNM's La Montañita location closes after years of financial losses

Andrew Gunn | March 20

For more than eight years, the La Montañita Grab and Go market adjacent to the University of New Mexico Bookstore offered on-the-go options to the community ranging from breakfast burritos to organic macaroni and cheese. Now, one of UNM's only sources of locally grown and organic food has shut its doors for good. After years of financial losses, the Co-op's board of directors announced the UNM location, alongside the member and employee-owned food cooperative's Westside store, would close permanently.

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Doctors urge young people to donate blood amid outbreak

Lissa Knudsen | March 20

Typically in times of national disasters, people line the streets to donate blood. But in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the act of donating likely puts donors at increased risk of infection. Yet, doctors across the country are asking young people to donate anyway. Dr. Ralph Vassallo, chief medical and scientific officer for Vitalant, said the demand for blood transfusion is greater than the blood supply available. That demand, Vassallo said, is not going away despite the outbreak.

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UNM goes online only for spring 2020

Justin Garcia | March 20

It's official. The University of New Mexico announced Thursday that all classes that can go online will go online. The rest are canceled. Throughout spring break, various components across UNM's main campus closed or restricted access piece-by-piece as a way to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. In New Mexico, 43 people have tested positive for the disease COVID-19 as of March 20, including 23 people in Bernalillo County.

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SUB among UNM entities closed during COVID-19 outbreak

Beatrice Nisoli | March 19

The Student Union Building announced Wednesday it would be closed to all but non-essential staff until further notice. In an email sent to student organization leaders and members, the Student Activities Center stated that access to student organizations' office spaces and the Lobo Lair Computer Pod would be restricted as well beginning at 5 p.m. on March 18. The closure comes alongside dozens of other University initiatives to mitigate the effects of the current health crisis, including the partial closures of Zimmerman Library and Johnson Gym and restricted operations of La Posada Dining Hall and the Student Resident Center Market, among others.

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Dorm residents ordered to vacate by March 24

Justin Garcia | March 19

The University of New Mexico is sending home nearly all residents of on-campus dorms by March 24, according to an email sent out to dorm residents. Residents of Alvarado, Coronado, Hokona, Laguna, DeVargas, Redondo Village, Santa Clara, the Student Resource Center (SRC) Apartments and Casas Del Rio were told Thursday they would need to find somewhere else to stay for the rest of the spring semester. Student housing officials said Lobo Village, Lobo Rainforest and Student Family Housing will remain open as of the publication of this article.