News

News

ABQ students walk out for climate action, participate in global movement

Andrew Gunn | May 4

The youth have spoken on climate change, and their message is clear: inaction will no longer be tolerated. Over 200 students from the Albuquerque area walked out of class on Friday afternoon and converged on Johnson Field in protest of governmental failures to address climate change. The student-led demonstration, in lockstep with a growing worldwide movement known as the School Strike for Climate, demanded elected officials and businesses face the reality of human-caused climate change and take steps to mitigate it. It was organized by Fight For Our Lives, a student-activist group formed in response to the Stoneman Douglas high school shooting in Parkland, Fla., in February of last year. The protest ended in a march from Johnson Field to the intersection of Central and Carlisle, where the junction was blocked for the better part of an hour.

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Graduates protest for higher wages

Justin Garcia | May 3

“Who are we? Graduate Workers! What do we want? A living wage!” That was one of several chants shouted by around 200 (mostly) graduate workers during a march and protest for higher wages on Wednesday. 

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UNM, Union reach agreement (updated)

Kyle Land | April 30

The University of New Mexico and United Academics of UNM (UA-UNM), the proposed faculty union for the state’s flagship university, reached an agreement late Monday night, according to multiple sources close to the matter.  The compromise reached between the University and the union includes two bargaining units organized under UA-UNM. One bargaining team will represent full-time faculty and a separate unit will represent part-time faculty, according to Associate Professor Matías Fontenla, a member of the union’s organizing committee. He also said faculty from branch campuses will be included in the full-time bargaining team — which was a sticking point in negotiations. Both Fontenla and James Montalbano, an attorney representing the union, said the exact language of the agreement would be publicized Tuesday morning, sometime before a meeting of the general faculty at Popejoy Hall at 10 a.m. 

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What students pay for tuition increase

Danielle Prokop and Justin Garcia | April 29

The cost of attendance at the University of New Mexico is going up. That much is clear. However, it’s not a simple student fee increase, base tuition increase or some additional fees; it’s all that and more. 

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ABQ and UNM partner to help the homeless

Madison Spratto and Alanie Rael | April 29

When most people wake up for the day, their first stop is the bathroom where the usual necessities are at arm's reach: toilet paper, towels and a toothbrush. For people experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque, waking up and using a bathroom is a luxury most do not have. The homeless community that gathers in Coronado Park has limited access to any kind of restroom facilities. There is only a single, poorly managed, porta-potty that sits at the edge of the park. 

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UNM to hold hearing on faculty union Monday

Kyle Land | April 29

The next chapter of the University of New Mexico faculty’s effort to form a union will take place on Monday, April 29.  The UNM Labor Management Relations Board (LMRB) will hold a hearing on Monday. The three-person board which handles all UNM labor disputes are weighing the certification or rejection the faculty’s petition to unionize. The petition was signed by over 900 part-time and full-time faculty members. There is no guarantee the board will make a final decision on Monday.  The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at the Marriott Pyramid North Hotel. UNM spokesperson Cinnamon Blair said the hotel was selected because it is a neutral location.

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UNM announces new provost

Kyle Land | April 29

James Holloway was officially named the new provost for the University of New Mexico, according to an announcement made by the University last week.  “Dr. Holloway is an inspired choice for UNM Provost and we are thrilled to welcome him and his family to Albuquerque and to the Lobo community,” said President Garnett Stokes in a written statement.  Holloway previously served as Vice Provost for Global Engagement and Interdisciplinary Academic Affairs at the University of Michigan, and was selected for the position at UNM following a nearly six-month long search process. 

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UNM licences Adobe Creative Cloud

Shayla Cunico | April 29

The University of New Mexico has announced the school secured a licensing agreement with Adobe Creative Cloud.   The Budget Leadership Team had a plan approved by the Board of Regents last week. The plan includes a $50 technology fee for both undergraduate and graduate students to pay for the agreement.

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President Stokes discusses budget

Anthony Jackson | April 29

Unions, salaries, tuition, campus safety and ethics were all topics University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes discussed at a presentation on Friday, April 26. Stokes was joined by a panel of five people on her left: Dorothy Anderson vice president of human resources; Craig White, interim senior vice president of the Anderson School of Management; Mike Richards, vice chancellor for clinical affairs; Scott Sander, deputy counsel for health sciences; Rich Wood, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. 

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ASUNM cuts Daily Lobo ad requirement

Justin Garcia | April 25

The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico Senate voted to remove a requirement to advertise in the New Mexico Daily Lobo. The bill removed ASUNM from a self-imposed obligation to advertise elections, scholarships and workshops in UNM’s independent, student-run newspaper.  Much of the 30-minute conversation centered around how ads placed in the Daily Lobo were affecting voter turnout. Over the last two ASUNM Senate elections, the Daily Lobo has consistently reported historically low rates of voter turnout. Both Senate elections saw a turnout of 6 percent of the undergraduate student body.  The bill was sponsored by Vice President-elect Madelyn Lucas, who said that the purpose of the bill was to give agency directors more flexibility in how and where they advertise. Lucas also suggested that advertising online could take the place of advertising in the Daily Lobo. 

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GPSA court dismisses complaint against Pres. Elect

Justin Garcia | April 25

A complaint filed against President-elect Muhammad Afzaal was dismissed on Monday, clearing the way for his certification as President of the Graduate and Professional Student Association.   The Graduate and Professional Student Association's Court of Review voted 2 to 1 to dismiss the complaint. The complaint accused Afzaal of campaigning too close to a polling station and pressuring students to vote for him.  “The court finds that the complaint is not valid because the governing Article, cited by the Plaintiff, is not applicable because the allegations do not involve a physical polling location,” Chief Justice Simon Suzuki said. 

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LoboWeb expands gender pronoun options

Anna C. Evantiz | April 25

LoboWeb now gives students and staff the option to set their preferred pronouns and gender identity.  This is phase three of the Affirmed/Preferred First Name initiative, an initiative that has been a collaborative effort by the LGBTQ resource center, the division of equality and inclusion, information technologies and the office of the registrars. The Affirmed name initiative is covered under UNM policy, as per Frankie Flores, the LGBTQ Resource Center Coordinator. 

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UNM regents approve 3.1 percent tuition hike

Danielle Prokop | April 23

It’s official — tuition is going up.  The University of New Mexico Board of Regents debated, then voted 6-1 to adopt the Budget Leadership Team’s proposal to raise base tuition by 3.1 percent. Regent Kimberly Sanchez Rael was the sole dissenter. The increase will provide for a 3 percent employee compensation bump — lower than the state-mandated 4 percent. The additional 1 percent will be potentially covered by a supplemental appropriation to the state: a request of an additional $4.6 million dollars. 

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UNM approves differential tuition for Arts & Sciences. How does it affect you?

Justin Garcia | April 23

The University of New Mexico approved an additional tuition cost that charges undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) $10 per credit hour on top of other tuition and fee costs. Graduate students in A&S will be charged an additional $50 per credit hour. Unlike base tuition, differential tuition goes straight back to A&S' bank(or pocket?). The cost increase comes with a student fee increase, base tuition increase and additional premiums on upper-division courses (including graduate courses) passed by the Board of Regents as a part of the 2020 budget. 

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Regents to hold second summit for budget today

Danielle Prokop | April 22

The University of New Mexico is having its Budget Summit — again.  The special meeting of the UNM Board of Regents begins at 9 a.m. in the Student Union Building. It’s the second attempt to make decisions for the University’s $2.9 billion budget — including Health Sciences Center, Main Campus and its auxiliary budgets, which includes athletics.  The proposed budget will have to address a steep decline in enrollment, nationally low faculty compensation and the UNM Department of Athletics continued deficit management. 

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Mayor Keller approves plastic bag ban

Justin Garcia | April 22

Mayor Tim Keller signed into law a ban on plastic bags — like those commonly used at grocery stores — on Saturday during an Earth Day celebration.  The bill was sponsored by four Democrats and originally had much stricter regulations when it came to single-use containers. Dorothy Rainosek — who co-owns Frontier with her husband Larry — said she expects more changes like the bag ban in the future. “I’m glad we have time to adapt,” Rainosek said, adding that her restaurant wasn’t affected by this bill. The ban takes effect in 2020.  She said her restaurant, and the Golden Pride chain, are beginning to look at alternatives to plastic straws and are considering making straws available upon request. 

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Photo Story: Local farm provides fresh food to ABQ community

Justin Schatz | April 22

 A flourishing farm lies a little over a mile away from Albuquerque’s Downtown Growers Market. Nestled in Albuquerque's South Valley, Chispas Farm is a world away from the hustle and bustle of downtown.  

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ASUNM: Another record-low turnout for Senate election

Justin Garcia | April 18

The final election of the school year had 11 candidates elected by 961 students to the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico Senate.  The turnout — a rate of 6 percent — is the lowest in 15 semesters. Despite the low turnout, Elections Commission Director Jordan Montoya and Assistant Director Christian Ojeda said they were happy with the turnout in context of relatively few candidates and bad weather.  “At the end of the day, voter turnout could be high, voter turnout could be low, but I think what we should really look at is how these amazing people are going to be,” Montoya said after the election. 

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Election complaint filed against GPSA president-elect

Justin Garcia | April 18

The Graduate and Professional Student Association tabled certification of the 2019 presidential election until the Court of Review can hear a complaint filed against president-elect Muhammad Afzaal.  The decision to table was approved unanimously by the election committee Monday evening during a special meeting. A second meeting on Monday, this one to appoint justices to the Court of Review, was called off after GPSA’s Council could not muster the six-person quorum required by the GPSA Constitution The complaint, which was provided to the Daily Lobo by GPSA, alleged that Afzaal violated GPSA’s bylaws that prohibit campaigning within 25 feet of a polling station. It also alleges that Afzaal pressured students on North Campus to vote for him. 

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Part-time vs. Full-time: The debate around who can join a faculty union

Kyle Land | April 18

Why is full-time and part-time faculty organizing together such a controversy? This debate has dominated nearly all conversation around faculty unions in the U.S., which have grown in frequency the past few years. Around 35 percent of all public colleges and universities have some sort of faculty union.  The University of New Mexico is experiencing the same controversy now. Their response to a petition from the proposed union — United Academics of UNM (UA-UNM) — recommended rejecting the possibility of a union. This is partly because UNM considers adjunct and other part-time faculty to not be “regular, non-probationary employees,” a category they say the Public Employees Labor Relations Act forbids part-time faculty from unionizing.