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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.

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UNMH neurosurgery residency program canceled

Megan Holman and Lissa Knudsen | October 14

The University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) neurosurgical residency training program has been canceled due to a lack of mentorship for the residents, according to Dr. Paul Roth the Executive Vice President, Chancellor for UNM Health Sciences Residents are physicians who have finished medical school and are receiving training in a specialized area, such as neurosurgery. They practice medicine under the supervision of a senior physician registered in their specialty. The UNMH accreditation period officially ends in the summer of 2020, however, six of the eight neurosurgery residents have already left for other hospitals because they are scheduled to finish their seven-year program after the accreditation period will end. Only two will remain at UNMH since they will be able to finish their program before summer 2020.

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ASUNM tables student fee increase for a week

Alyssa Martinez and Alex Heitt | October 13

Undergraduate student government tabled a constitutional amendment on Wednesday, Oct. 9 that would raise undergraduates government fees from $20 to $25 per semester. After hours of back-and-forth between the 17 senators — the Student Union Building minutes away from closing — Associated Students University of New Mexico Vice President Madelyn Lucas approved a special session to rehash the bill on Wednesday, Oct. 16 in the Kiva classroom. The full senate meeting began with ASUNM president Adam Biederwolf asking senators to vote yes for the bill. He referred to it as an “opportunity to make change,” following it by asserting that the fee raise could raise student morale on campus.

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Centralized city homeless shelter proposal meets resistance

Andrew Gunn | October 13

As the homelessness crisis in Albuquerque continues to escalate, the city is hoping voters will approve a general obligation bond that would allocate $14 million toward the construction of a centralized emergency shelter. The city’s plan, conceptualized in a presentation released by the Family and Community Services Department, would relocate Albuquerque’s city-run shelter on the far West Side to a site more central location within the city in an effort to focus resources and integrate homeless services under one roof. Others, including service providers and advocacy groups, are skeptical that the city is on the right track. At issue is the concept of a single site for the facility, which would be “centrally located” and operate on a year-round, 24/7 schedule. While the city contends that building the shelter at a single location would consolidate services and reduce costs, critics have been largely unified in opposition and instead are advocating for multiple, smaller shelters distributed across the city.

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Grecian festival brings in Albuquerque community to celebrate Greek culture

Megan Holmen | October 7

Opa! Aromatic, authentic Greek food, upbeat lyrical music, the sound of people laughing and heels clacking against the dance floor — thousands came out to the Albuquerque Grecian Festival over the weekend. The festival, located in downtown Albuquerque at the Greek Orthodox Church off of High Street, is held the first weekend of October every year. It features traditional Greek food and dance shows, a craft fair, a children’s carnival area, cooking lessons and dance lessons — all with the aim to immerse the Albuquerque community in Greek culture. Mary Anne Kay, an active member of the community and volunteer, runs a booth at the festival. Kay said she has been doing this for many years and is passionate about it.

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ASUNM moves forward on fee increase

Alyssa Martinez and Alex Hiett | October 7

The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico’s (ASUNM) Steering and Rules committee approved an amendment last Wednesday, Oct. 2 that would effectively raise a portion of the fees all undergraduates pay. The government fee would increase from $20 to $25. The bill was passed 3-1 by the Steering and Rules committee, with one abstention. In order for the fee increase to take effect. It would have to be passed by full Senate, signed by ASUNM President Adam Biederwolf, approved by the student body with a two-thirds vote during Senate elections, and certified by the Board of Regents, UNM's highest governing body.

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Everything you need to know about UA-UNM

Makayla Grijalva and Justin Garcia | October 7

Professors and instructors at the University of New Mexico will make a historic decision regarding the future of the University later this month. On Oct. 16 and 17, UNM faculty — part-time, full-time and at branch campuses — are set to vote on whether they want a collective bargaining unit to represent their interests. How the Union might affect the University and its students is still unclear and depends on who you ask.

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Nonprofit confronts social, economic injustices with grassroots organizing

Alyssa Martinez | October 7

Novel solutions for New Mexicans are culminating in the small SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP) building on the corner of Park Avenue and 10th Street — but its history has long been established in the foundations of New Mexican activism. SWOP is a nonprofit community-based group which focuses on organizing and empowering la gente (the people) to achieve social and economic justice as well as racial and gender equality, according to the Executive Director of SWOP George Luján Luján said SWOP does this in three primary ways: Education, organizing and events.

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PAÍS building completes construction

Colin Peña | October 2

Located at the intersection of Yale and Redondo and overlooking Central avenue, the Physics & Astronomy and Interdisciplinary Science (PAÍS) building recently finished construction. But classes and research won’t be starting so soon. “We’ll be fully up and ready to serve everyone in the spring semester and we’ll probably do a formal ribbon cutting in March but it is being occupied today,” Mark Peceny, the dean of the college of arts and science said. The $67 million project was mainly funded through an institutional bond pay for by an uptick in student fees, as well as a $27 million from a state general obligation (GEO) bond, according to Peceny. “This new building is constructed in a way that allows people to do 21st-century science,” Peceny said.

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2019 Black Cultural Conference promotes 'radical self-care'

Dan Goodwin | October 2

The University of New Mexico African American Student Services hosted the 2019 Black Cultural Conference at UNM on Sept. 19 and 20. According to organizers, around 450 people were in attendance and included students from universities across the Southwest. Local community members, high school students and representatives from the City of Albuquerque also participated. The conference, subtitled "Blackness Unchained," was focused around "Radical Self-Care.” It included several workshops throughout its two-day duration with a concentration on mindfulness techniques. It also included seminars on leadership and community capacity building.

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Campus remembers legacy of political science professor

Makayla Grijalva and Beatrice Nisoli | October 2

Kendra Koivu, an associate professor at the University of New Mexico’s political science department, passed away on Sept. 27 after a long battle with breast cancer. "She will be dearly missed by her friends, colleagues and students at UNM, and she will be remembered for her striking wit, tenacity and extremely gifted academic mind," said Timothy Krebs, the chair of the UNM political science department in an email sent to students in the department. The UNM political science department will be closed on Thursday, Oct. 3 so faculty and students alike have the opportunity to attend her services.

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Initiatives make UNM buildings more green

Colin Peña | October 2

A concerted effort on the part of the University of New Mexico has brought many of the existing buildings around campus as well as new projects into line with the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) building code and has reduced UNM’s energy usage. The LEED building code run by the United States. The Green Building Council is a certification that “provides independent verification of a building or neighborhood’s green features,” according to their website. If a structure has energy efficient features, such as effective insulation and windows to reduce heating and cooling usage, it can be given LEED certification. The LEED certification process gives several levels of certification: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Following an executive order from Bill Richardson in 2009, UNM began to renovate its buildings with a focus on energy use and efficiency. Specifically any new buildings must meet at least the LEED Silver certification.

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SHAC launches new online counseling service

Beatrice Nisoli | October 2

The University of New Mexico Student Health and Counseling Center (SHAC) has launched a platform for online counseling services, called Therapy Assistance Online (TAO). The self-help tool includes educational development and a skill set improvement in areas such as mindfulness, communication and problem-solving. “TAO is an online mental health platform that can help people who don’t come into counseling or can’t come into counseling, address mental health issues on their own,” Counseling Director at SHAC Dr. Stephanie McIver said. Students are encouraged to sign up for TAO through the SHAC’s website (shac.unm.edu). Registration is a simple process requiring only one’s name, school email address and demographic information. Also, registering comes at no cost to users.

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UNM professor assists in vaping research

Amanda Britt and Lissa Knudsen | September 30

As vaping related deaths continue to rise in the U.S, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Thursday that there 805 confirmed cases of lung injury cases in the United States as a result of vaping, including 12 confirmed deaths. While the CDC reported that the specific chemical exposures causing lung injuries associated with electronic cigarettes are unknown at this time, a recent study by the Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI) found vaping to impair lung function even in the absence of nicotine.

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UNM professor gives talk on chocolate in Chaco Canyon

Caitlin Scott | September 30

University of New Mexico anthropology professor Patricia L. Crown gave a free lecture on the history of cacao in Chaco Canyon at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology on Sept. 28. Cacao is the bean from which cocoa products like chocolate are made. Crown spent decades researching chocolate consumption in Chaco Canyon. Studies show that cacao was domesticated around 5,000 years ago in South America, later spreading to other areas. One of the first people to drink chocolate beverages were the Mayans, who would make cylinders to hold them.