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Funding for Opportunity Scholarship comes through

Lissa Knudsen | February 19

After intense debate, the New Mexico state Senate approved $17 million for the Opportunity Scholarship for fiscal year 2021 on Feb. 19. With only a day and a half left in the legislative session, the only thing standing in the way of the funding being sent to the governor's desk is approval by the House of Representatives. If the bill — packaged into general appropriations legislation — is signed into the law, the money is set to be used for tuition and fee scholarships for students attending public postsecondary educational institutions or tribal colleges. The Senate also boosted the existing Lottery Scholarship fund by $10 million.

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Parish Library to close permanently

Justin Garcia | February 19

For history undergraduate Keshell Mickens, the William J. Parish Memorial Library was part of her daily routine. "Sometimes I just want a break from Zim, and I like this library better," Mickens said. "It has a lot more outlets, and the study rooms are usually available." Mickens, who described herself as an introvert, said she comes to Parish to eat her lunch and study. She said Parish is empty and sparsely populated study spaces are quiet and calming — which is exactly the reason the library dedicated to business, economics, management and public administration will close this year.

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Athletics takes million-dollar hit with new contract agreement

Justin Garcia | February 19

The University of New Mexico's Board of Regents unanimously approved a multi-media rights contract to replace the $4.4 million Learfield IMG deal. Athletics Director Eddie Nuñez estimated the new contract with Outfront Media will be worth around $2.9 million. The media rights deal, one of the Athletics Department's biggest cash cows, comes as UNM sports attempts to climb out of $4.4 million hole collected primarily under former Athletics Director Paul Krebs. Krebs is indicted on embezzlement charges. "Guaranteed contracts are not what they used to be. What the University of New Mexico had years ago was actually a really good agreement. But those opportunities have actually changed," Nuñez told the Board of Regents on Feb. 17.

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Alzheimer’s awareness tour to kick off in NM

Makayla Grijalva | February 18

The Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) will kick off its 2020 national Educating America Tour at the University of New Mexico on Feb. 25. The event aims to educate New Mexico residents about the disease, brain health and caregiving for those with either dementia or Alzheimer's. The amount of people affected by Alzheimer's disease in New Mexico would be the largest town in the state outside of the Albuquerque metro area.

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English integrated into engineering curriculum

Alex McCausland | February 18

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering might not be the first place you'd expect to find English professor Catherine Hubka. Since the fall of 2017, Hubka has helped engineering students improve their writing and communication skills inside and outside the classroom. Hubka's presence in the department is thanks to a program called Formation of Accomplished Chemical Engineers for Transforming Society (FACETS) that brought her on as part of its writing program initiative.

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ASUNM senator endorsements given green light

Alyssa Martinez | February 18

Student government senators and officials alike can now personally endorse candidates running for any Associated Students of the University of New Mexico position after the passage of Bill 3S on Feb. 12. Whether it be through social media posts or on-campus canvassing, student government officials can publicly support candidates as long as they keep in accordance with the University’s policy on political activity. Policy 2060 dictates that University employees cannot use UNM resources — such as logos or office supplies — to engage in any political activity without University approval.

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Weekly Crime Briefs: Alleged sexual assaults and shoplifting

Annya Loya | February 18

Two reported assaults in two dates to UNM student: Shoplifting at UNM Bookstore by criminal trespasser: Subjected arrested for outstanding warrants

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Trans 101 breaks down transgender stereotypes

Lissa Knudsen | February 17

One of the most vibrant nightclubs in Albuquerque transformed into a community classroom Sunday afternoon, complete with a presentation and true/false interactive quiz questions. The Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico (TGRC) hosted the Trans 101 workshop in the Side Effex restaurant and bar. Adrien Lawyer, co-director of the TGRC, led the training, which included information about basic terms, definitions and concepts related to people who are transgender. "A trans person has an internal gender — what they know to be true about their gender on the inside — that doesn't match up with the sex they were designated with at birth," Lawyer said.

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Students voice safety concerns at homeless shelter forum

Alyssa Martinez | February 12

Talk of a $14 million Gateway Center on a vacant University-owned plot of land amassed a swath of student opinions at the Student Union Building atrium on Feb. 11. The undergraduate student government hosted the midday panel that included Associated Students of University of the New Mexico President Adam Biederwolf, Graduate and Professional Student Association President Muhammad Afzaal, two UNM administrators and the City of Albuquerque's Housing and Homelessness Deputy Director Lisa Huval. Huval said the Gateway Center may house around 300 people — based on how many people that the Westside Emergency Housing Center sees nightly — but said the number is not concrete.

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ASUNM votes to raise student fees

Alyssa Martinez | February 12

A $5 fee raise is headed to the undergraduate student body for a vote during the March student government presidential and vice-presidential elections. 19 of the 20 undergraduate representatives voted for Bill 4S after nearly 30 minutes of public comment and debate over the strengths and weaknesses of each fee raise bill. This approval comes in the wake of what has been called a budget crisis within the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico body. John Cooke, Interfraternity Council (IFC) president and Sigma Chi fraternity vice president, returned to the full Senate to express his view on the importance of raising the student government fee during public comment.

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Opportunity Scholarship moves forward with changes

Lissa Knudsen | February 12

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's free college tuition "Opportunity Scholarship" legislation still has a chance. Despite the governor's high profile press conference last fall announcing the initiative and a direct appeal to state legislators in her State of the State address, Democratic Rep. Tomás Salazar introduced HB 14 — the Opportunity Scholarship Act — nearly a week into the 30-day session. The bill then languished for 15 days before it was heard in its first committee on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Typically, a bill that is introduced late and isn't placed on a committee agenda for nearly two weeks during a 30-day session indicates that the legislation doesn't have the support it needs to make it through both chambers to the governor's desk.

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Email scams disproportionately harm minority students

Beatrice Nisoli | February 12

University of New Mexico students have seen a drastic increase in phishing emails since the start of the academic year, and these emails are disproportionately affecting first-generation and low-income students. Tamara Martinez, a student success specialist at UNM’s Student Support Service office, said first-generation and low-income students view scam job offers as ways to pay for tuition or housing rent fees. As a student success specialist, Martinez creates scholarship and financial aid workshops for students most in need of them, assists with course and degree plan selections, and helps students set attainable goals for graduation. According to Martinez, approximately half of her 160 students have received phishing emails. 15-20 have responded and five have fallen victim to the emails, which Martinez said was heartbreaking.

An APD vehicle sits in the middle of the intersection of Central Ave. and Cornell Dr.

News

Weekly crime briefs: runaways, vandalism and fraud

Angelina Pompeo | February 11

The weekly crime briefs are to give the students, faculty and staff at the University of New Mexico a quick look into the crimes reported on campus. They do not provide all perspectives of the incident. All of the information is retrieved through UNM police department incident reports.

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Opioid bills make way to Roundhouse

Lissa Knudsen | February 6

Not all medical professionals are sure that providing pharmaceutical-grade heroin is the right approach. A local pediatrician who has treated children of parents with substance use disorders told the Daily Lobo that allowing people with opioid use disorder to get their “fix” in a clinical setting may not help move people toward recovery in the same way that the slower acting opioid replacement medication like buprenorphine or methadone do. Kimberly Page, University of New Mexico professor of internal medicine and an expert witness who testified on the bill, asserted that recovery is actually not the goal for many people who have chronic opioid use disorder.

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ASUNM to host forum on homeless shelter

Justin Garcia | February 6

As the funds fall in place for the homeless shelter backed by the City of Albuquerque, the University of New Mexico student government is set to weigh-in. The Associated Students of UNM are set to host a forum with University administrators and city officials discussing the upcoming Gatehouse Center on Feb. 11th at 1 p.m in the Student Union Building Atrium (SUB.) One possible location for the center is Lomas and Interstate 25, as reported by the Albuquerque Journal.

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Student government discuss student fee raise

Alyssa Martinez | February 5

“Raise the damn student fees,” reverberated through the Steering and Rules Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 5. John Cooke, Interfraternity Council (IFC) president and Sigma Chi Fraternity vice president, delivered that statement. He was referring to two constitutional amendments — Bill 4S and Bill 5S — that would raise student fees at a $5 flat rate and a prorated rate of $2.08 per credit hour, respectively. “As it has been said before by (Deputy Chief of Staff Victoria Peña-Parr), our student orgs have doubled here since 2000, as well as the fact that inflation is a thing, things are way more expensive now, and the fact that our enrollment is down,” Cooke said during public comment.

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The View offers paperless options

Bianca Hoops | February 5

This change now requires residents to pay rent online via the View’s ABQ resident portal. This option is meant to be eco-friendly and monitor rent payments more accurately because of liability conflicts. Before, there was an additional option of turning in a check or money gram in-person to pay but in order to keep more accountability from all parties. The method of making everything online was easier to keep track of according to Brooklyn Hatley, an employee at the View. Hatley works at the front desk and helps residents with problems or questions they have. She said there have been situations in the past where money orders or checks were lost or never turned in.

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UNM ROTC set to get new home

Justin Garcia | February 2

It’s a bit of a fixer-upper, but the former Alpha Chi Omega house is set to become the new home of all three ROTC programs at the University of New Mexico. At least $8 million will go toward the renovation, including $1 million in capital outlay from State Senate Minority Whip Bill Payne (R-Albuquerque) and $7 million from a 2018 GO bond. “To get an ROTC scholarship is as competitive as going to one of the service academies, in fact it’s probably more competitive because a lot of kids don't want to go to Annapolis. They'd rather go to a university,” Payne told the Daily Lobo. It’s unclear if the $8 million will be enough to fully renovate the vacant sorority.

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Vaping legislation advances in New Mexico

Lissa Knudsen | February 2

New Mexico is one step closer to establishing a licensure process for e-cigarette and other tobacco product retailers and raising the age of purchase of all tobacco products to twenty-one. Senate Bill 131, the Tobacco Products Act, sponsored by Sen. Linda Lopez cleared the Senate Public Affairs Committee on Friday Jan 31, with a unanimous do pass. Though the bill moved easily through the Senate Public Affairs Committee, there are two possible amendments that don’t bode well for the bill: local preemption and banning flavors.

Outside of the Student Health and Counseling building on the University of New Mexico campus.

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UNM officials downplay coronavirus threat on campus

Joe Rull | February 2

The University of New Mexico’s Emergency Management department issued a university-wide statement on Friday informing students about the novel coronavirus outbreak. The flu-like illness has infected over 16,000 people globally and taken at least 304 lives to date, according to the World Health Organization, which declared the outbreak a global health emergency last week. Originating in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus has spread to at least 25 countries, including the United States where a ninth case was confirmed on Feb. 2, in California. The news comes days after U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar II declared a public health emergency for the entire country.