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ASUNM considers defunding school paper

Alyssa Martinez and Alex Hiett | October 31

After lengthy discussion — and in a room packed with Daily Lobo staff — the Steering and Rules Committee of the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico (ASUNM) failed a constitutional amendment that would terminate student government funding for the Daily Lobo and two student-run literary magazines. The bill was introduced and authored by Senator Matthew Zank, a former employee of the Daily Lobo, according to the Daily Lobo Editor-in-Chief Justin Garcia. The bill failed to advance to a full Senate vote, with four committee members voting against and one member absent.

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New scholarships to address teacher shortage in NM

Colin Peña | October 31

The University of New Mexico is the recipient of two new state scholarships designed to address the shortage of teachers at all grade levels of the New Mexico public educational system. A study by New Mexico State University estimated that there were 644 teacher vacancies in New Mexico in 2019. The study hypothesizes that some factors contributing to this shortage include a comparatively low starting wage for educators and the dependence of teaching positions on student test scores in the state.

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Event raises money for the Zoo

Caitlin Scott | October 31

Ghouls and gals were welcomed into the Albuquerque Biopark Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo on Oct. 26 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Albuquerque Zoo has hosted some type of Halloween event every year for the past 30 years. This year, Boo at the Zoo was a fundraiser and all of the proceeds benefit additions and renovations for the zoo as well as the aquarium and the botanical gardens.

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Sustainability at UNM: A cloudy business

Amanda Britt and Bianca Hoops | October 31

Sustainability Awareness month is coming to an end, but efforts to make the University of New Mexico campus and the surrounding community more sustainable continue through the Sustainability Program at UNM. In September of 2009, a Climate Action Plan (CAP) was created with the goal of making UNM 80% carbon neutral by the year 2030. The plan was never officially approved by the University, but outlined goals and projects within the Sustainability Program.

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Q&A with a sex worker advocate

Lissa Knudsen | October 28

Kate D’Adamo, a national sex worker rights activist, spoke about the laws that impact sex workers’ lives in an interview with the Daily Lobo. D’Adamo is based out of Washington, D.C. and is a sex worker and sex worker advocate. She works with Reframe Health and Justice, a queer, transgender and people of color consulting collective which takes on a variety of issues including harm reduction, healing, justice, and criminal and legal reform. According to the The Sun, a news outlet based in the United Kingdom, of the 70,000 students they surveyed about sex work, 18% had sold intimate photos, 16% had sold used underwear (or some other item of clothing), 14% had engaged in sugar dating (receiving payment for dating someone), 14% had engaged in dates and/or served as an escort, 10% had engaged in webcamming, 9% had participated in phone sex, 7% had been paid for sex, 5% had done nude modeling and 2% had made porn

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UNM tuition changes discussed at ASUNM full senate

Alex Heitt | October 28

The University of New Mexico Provost James Holloway addressed the possible restructuring of undergraduate tuition at the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico’s (ASUNM) full senate meeting last Wednesday night. In his weekly report to the senate, ASUNM President Adam Biederwolf also mentioned that the tuition and fee modeling committee is weighing a motion of raising tuition for in-state undergraduate students taking 15 to 18 credit hours while lowering tuition for those taking one to 14 hours.

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High ABQ crime rate affects businesses on Central

Ellie Aikman | October 28

The University of New Mexico's main campus, located directly north of Central Avenue, experiences an extremely high crime rate – five times the national average, according to a 2018 crime index. This high level of crime impacts the community around Central Avenue and the University, including businesses along Central. Local business owner Gina Yates of Harvard Drive's Frock Star Vintage said businesses on Central have a designated phone number to call in case there is a security emergency. Yates said she mostly deals with petty theft, with the majority of stolen items coming from the racks that she has outside of her shop.

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Being aware of red flags in relationships

Megan Holmen | October 24

The phrase “red flags” refers to warning signs that occur in interpersonal relationships before it is overtly clear that the relationship is toxic, dangerous or abusive. According to Psychology Today, red flags can be extremely subtle but some might be more obvious. Either way, red flags can be the first indicators that any interpersonal relationship — and not just romantic ones — could become emotionally, physically or sexually abusive. Most people have experienced red flags during their lifetime, even if they don’t realize it.When they are noticed, they might only be visible to the person on the receiving end and not the people around them outside of the relationship.

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S&R: UNM Midwifery program provides reproductive health services to women

Megan Holmen and Lissa Knudsen | October 24

The University of New Mexico Hospital offers patient-centered reproductive healthcare to women and their partners through the UNM Midwife program. The program provides personalized care during pregnancy and basic reproductive care even when children are not part of life’s plan. “Midwives play such a vital role in women’s reproductive health,” said UNM psychology major Angela Cox. “They can provide you with basic reproductive care whether or not you plan to have children. They are more than just a nurse and very much needed to help women feel safe and protected during the most vulnerable times.”

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S&R: What's the deal with male birth control?

Christina Kaskabas | October 24

College-age students are one of the largest demographics of people who utilize birth control. The topic of birth control has been an ongoing discussion since the 1800s and still continues today. Now, there are numerous forms of birth control for women, but still only one for men. According to The Cut and Live Science, it appears the biggest issues in creating a birth control for men is that the medical companies don’t think the pill will sell to the male demographic and that “men wouldn’t be trusted to take it,” Live Science said. While these two issues are listed as two of the most common problems with the medication, the bigger issue on the medical side is the fact that there is a lot more to target reproductively when talking about male birth control. Females produce roughly one sex cell a month, while males on average can produce at least 40 million sperm cells a day.

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Football QB charged with indecent exposure

Makayla Grijalva | October 23

University of New Mexico football starting quarterback Sheriron Jones will appear in court on charges of indecent exposure, according to a UNMPD report. The indecent exposure is alleged to have happened on Oct.18 in the Cornell parking structure, the day before Lobo football lost to the University of Wyoming. According to the report, a woman was sitting in her car when she witnessed a white sedan slowly passing her vehicle several times. As she was walking out of the structure, she noticed the same sedan parked between her car and the exit. She heard someone from the vehicle talk, which prompted her to turn around. She saw a male in the vehicle staring at her. "Are you good?" she asked him from a distance.

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LULAC: Hispanics at UNM underrepresented

Alex Hiett | October 21

The League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC) adopted a resolution calling for local, state and federal entities to investigate UNM for violating New Mexico state law and previous agreements with the Hispanic community and the U.S. Department of Justice. The resolution, adopted over the summer, came as a response four days after University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes selected Dr. Assata Zerai for the position of Vice President for Equity and Inclusion. President Stokes selected Dr. Zerai on June 4, filling the position that Lawrence Roybal had been serving in on an interim basis for two years. Roybal has been a member of the UNM community for over 40 years — first as a student and then later professionally. He had broad approval within the University during his tenure.

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Faculty union wins both elections

Makayla Grijalva and Justin Garcia | October 18

The University of New Mexico faculty voted in force for two collective bargaining units last week. Full-time faculty voted to form a union with 60% support in the election. According to the counters, there were 811 total votes cast — 500 of those voted “Yes” and 304 voted “No.” Seven ballots were determined ineligible due to extraneous marks. There were 43 ballots cast to challenge the vote, but the counters determined them insignificant in the final count. “I’m still calling it a tentative ‘yes’,” Jessamyn Lovell, a full-time professor in the College of Fine Arts, told the Daily Lobo.

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Part-timers vote to form a union

Makayla Grijalva and Justin Garcia | October 18

University of New Mexico part-time faculty elected to form a collective bargaining unit, with an overwhelming majority. According to the counters, 259 voted for. 26 voted against. Out of the 492 eligible part-time faculty voters, 288 votes were cast. 259 “Yes: votes were cast opposed to 26 for “No.” Three were considered ineligible due to extraneous marks. 32 votes challenged the election. The counters are made up of members of the University United Academics of UNM, and a neutral arbitrator. The counters are working on the full-time count now.

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Albuquerque celebrates first Indigenous Peoples Day in New Mexico

Beatrice Nisoli | October 17

Burqueños gathered at the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge on Monday to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day and converse about preserving New Mexico’s native plant and animal species. The Valle de Oro, which is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, occupies 570 acres of ancestral and contemporary lands belonging to the Tiwa people. As the attendees finished filling their plates, Rosie Thunderchief, the event’s lead organizer, kick-started the evening with a recounting of her poem, “Manifest Destiny.”

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NM Attorney General issues advisory statement on vaping

Amanda Britt and Lissa Knudsen | October 17

The Center for Disease Control now reports that there have been 26 deaths nationwide attributed to lung injuries caused by vaping. That’s up from 12 reported just three weeks ago. Hector Balderas, New Mexico’s attorney general, released an advisory statement on Oct.1 suggesting people stop using e-cigarettes until public health officials have fully investigated and determined the causes of unexplained illnesses occurring nationwide. Speaking on behalf of Balderas, Matt Baca, senior council at the New Mexico Office of the Attorney General, said Balderas's top priority is protecting the safety of New Mexicans particularly from products that may be harmful and which companies spend millions of dollars marketing.

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Nunez gives new timeline on media deal

Justin Garcia | October 17

The University of New Mexico Athletics Department is one step closer to signing a multi-million dollar media-rights deal, months after Athletics Director Eddie Nunez went public with the deal in Sept. Nunez said during an Oct 15. Board of Regents meeting that he expects the deal to be done by December. In the meantime, Nunez told the regents that until the new contract with Outfront Media was signed, "bridge contracts" have been allowing the company to handle UNM's media, such as the golobos website. The contract with the previous company, Learfield, was worth $4,456,500, according to the Athletics department. The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that the department was expecting the new contract to be worth around $3.5 million. Outfront also represents Louisiana State University (Nuñez’s previous employer), University of Maryland, Wichita State University, the University of Virginia, along with five other university sports programs

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Union election this week; results ready for Friday

Makayla Grijalva and Justin Garcia | October 17

The University of New Mexico faculty is set to vote for or against the formation of collective bargaining units on Oct. 16 and 17. If enough faculty vote “Yes,” a full-time and part-time union would begin to form as United Academics of UNM (UA-UNM.) If “No” wins out, it’s unclear what would happen to the multi-year effort to unionize. After months of dramatic showing by pro-union professors — covering the campus in signs reading “Yes” and flooding previous Board of Regents meetings in matching UA-UNM t-shirts — the "no" argument made itself heard.

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Early voting to be held in Albuquerque

Megan Holmen | October 17

As municipal election season approaches, multiple locations across Albuquerque will open for early voting on Oct. 19. Several of these locations are close enough to the University of New Mexico that students who are ready to vote now can head to the polls now. Several offices are up for election this voting season including four city council districts. Districts two, four, six and eight have new candidates as well as incumbents running for reelection, with the exception of Brad Winter, an incumbent for District 4 who will not be running. Pat Davis, who is the current city council member representing UNM constituents, is running for reelection against Gina Davis.

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President Stokes catches up with ASUNM

Alyssa Martinez and Alex Hiett | October 15

The University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes made a guest appearance at Wednesday’s Associated Students of the University of New Mexico full senate meeting immediately following the ASUNM senate election results. Stokes answered questions from the 16 present senators about a variety of questions, ranging from issues with UNM’s enrollment to advertising initiatives. Stokes began her introduction by saying she was “not sure what all has happened (in ASUNM)”, since she had last visited because she has been busy hiring new administrators. The last time Stokes visited ASUNM was February of 2019.