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ASUNM: New chairs announced at committee meeting

Alyssa Martinez | August 21

The first Associated Students of the University of New Mexico senate committee meetings of the fall semester were held Wednesday, Aug. 21 at the Student Union Building. With new chairs taking their seats and senators settling into their assigned committees, the night consisted of three vice-chair appointments, one commendation acknowledgement and a unanimous passage of a $300 appropriation. The three ASUNM committees are Steering and Rules, Outreach and Appointments, and Finance, with a minimum of five senators on each committee. ASUNM vice president, Madelyn Lucas, is tasked with choosing which senators go on what committees and with appointing chairs to each committee. 

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Instructors create buzz on native bees

Makayla Grijalva and Alanie Rael | August 20

Environmental design instructor Danielle Bilot is creating a buzz about native bees in Albuquerque.  Bilot spoke to Burqueños on Wednesday about how to increase the diversity of native bee species in urban environments.  “It’s our responsibility to change it because we did it to them, whether honey bees or native bees,” Bilot said. “We did this to them, so now it’s our chance to fix it.” Bilot is an instructor at the University of Colorado Boulder and the founder of the Forgotten Hive, a course at the university focused on creating habitats for native bees in under-utilized urban areas.

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Men's soccer and other clubs receive UNM funding

Alanie Rael and Justin Garcia | August 18

After being cut from the University of New Mexico’s budget, the UNM Men’s Soccer team along with other UNM club sports are getting a financial and institutional upgrade, courtesy of the President’s discretionary funds.  The “enhanced club-sport program” would include Men’s Soccer, Men and Women’s Rugby, Lobo Hockey and the yet-to-be established Men and Women’s Ski. The program, funded by the President and the Department of Recreational Services, would grant the clubs access to additional financial and institutional resources — such as practice facilities.  Terry Babbitt, chief of staff for UNM President Garrnett Stokes, said there wasn’t a set budget for the program yet. However, sources close to the matter have told the Daily Lobo that Stokes may spend up to $300,000 to support the program. 

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UNM welcomes foreign students despite travel advisories

Makayla Grijalva | August 18

The University of New Mexico Global Education Office has said the travel advisories issued against the United States by Uruguay and Venezuela have not impacted the number of students wanting to attend UNM in the fall semester or the number of students wishing to study abroad.  Earlier this month, the two countries issued warnings against traveling to the United States because of safety concerns.  These travel advisories were issued after two mass shootings over a weekend collectively killed 32 people in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. 

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Brief: BOR halves number of meetings

Justin Garcia | August 18

The University of New Mexico Board of Regents unanimously voted to reduce their total number of meetings from 12 to six per year.  The reduction came after the Board unanimously approved a resolution expressing their desire to change the schedule. It’s unclear what the schedule will look like next year, according to UNM Spokesperson Daniel Jiron, but the issue will be taken up during the next meeting in September.  Regent President Doug Brown said the purpose of the reduction was to alleviate the burden on staff for attending the monthly full board meetings and monthly committee meetings. 

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ASUNM tables President Pro Tempore election

Justin Garcia | August 18

The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico tabled an election for a President Pro Tempore after five Senator's did not attend a special meeting.  Absences from Nolan McKim, Dequez Irving, Gabriel Ruja, Deavon Vigilant and Ashley Varela during the special meeting on Saturday, Aug. 17, caused a 10-5 split and pushed the election to Aug. 28.  The President Pro Tempore position is elected at the start of every semester. They are second in-line in the legislative branch of ASUNM. They are responsible for enforcing office hours and act as a non-voting member of a committee of their choosing.  

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Pres Stokes hosts town hall

Alyssa Martinez | August 12

University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes addressed questions about staff retention, enrollment and safety during the hour long employee town hall on August 5. The event was held in the Student Union Building and live-streamed on Facebook. Of the 9 questions asked, the most prevalent concern was focused around retention rates. One of the issues addressed during the town hall was staff at UNM quitting their jobs when they are dissatisfied. 

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Fish help researchers with breakthrough

Amanda Britt | August 12

Scientists at the University of New Mexico recently discovered antiviral roles in the olfactory neurons present in fish, leading to a better understanding of how neurons and immune cells work together to control viral infection, according to a group of scientists led by Irene Salinas. Respiratory viruses — like the flu — are known to enter the nasal cavity and spread the infection to other organs in the body like the brain and the lungs. In 2014 The Salinas Lab, a group of scientists led by Salinas, an associate professor of Biology at UNM, found rainbow trout to have a nasal immune system and developed the first nasal vaccines from fish.

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UNM Athletics: No media deal sealed, yet

Justin Garcia | August 6

The University of New Mexico is one step closer to replacing its $4.4 million media-rights contract to broadcast games and images. However, the contracts value and when it can be signed remain unclear.  On Tuesday, the Board of Regents Finances and Facilities Committee approved an agreement between the University and Outfront Media Sports, Inc to hold the Athletics Department’s media rights . However, F&F committee chair Sandra Begay said the contract may have to be voted on by the full Board next month.  According to UNM Athletics Director Eddie Nuñez, the details of the contract are still being drafted. If the contract was not written up before the August 13 meeting, Begay and Nuñez said it would likely be voted on during the September 17 meeting. Nuñez said that UNM may end up using a temporary “bridge” contract while the Outfront deal is finalized and approved, but he declined to give specific details about what that might look like. 

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Disability resources at UNM

Beatrice Nisoli | July 15

The University’s most well-known disability asset for students is the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC). This organization is a department within UNM Student Services that has provided accommodations for students and employees with registered physical and intellectual disabilities for the past forty years. The center provides the 1,300 students that utilize its services with resources such as American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters, textbooks in Braille, private exam rooms and countless other accommodations necessary for these students to be able to attend the University.  Joan Green recently celebrated her fourteenth anniversary as director of the ARC. She said the mission of the ARC is to “ensure there is equal access on campus for not just students, but the public and any visitors or employees who are here.”  Though Green said she believes the ARC and the mission it represents have significantly improved over the years, she said there is still progress to be made on UNM’s campus in terms of accessibility of disability resources. However, she is actively working towards a solution. 

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Protest to 'close the camps' held in ABQ

Alyssa Martinez | July 15

Hundreds of New Mexicans from around New Mexico gathered for a vigil outside of the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement building on Friday to demand lawmakers to “close the camps” under the nationwide Liberty of Lights movement.  The vigil was organized by the Three Sisters Collective, a grassroots organization of indigenous women in Santa Fe, co-founded by University of New Mexico alumni Dr. Christina M. Castro. The event was co-organized by the New Mexico Dream Team, the Medicine Drum Circle, and Remembering Ancestors Inspiring Community Empowering Self, RAICES. Planned Parenthood and the New Mexico Immigration Law Center were among the groups in attendance. The evening began by calling upon ancestors for protection, followed by a blessing of all four cardinal directions. The prayer was led by Tonita Gonzales, a medicine woman of RAICES. Gonzales mentioned the native tale of the Eagle and the Condor, which prophesied that one day, the people of the North and South will be united again.

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ABQ holds gun buyback

Justin Garcia | July 15

The Albuquerque Metro Crime Stoppers and the Albuquerque Police Department hosted a gun buyback event on Saturday afternoon, collecting a total of 415 guns.  “This is one part of our multi-pronged effort to reduce gun violence in Albuquerque,” Mayor Tim Keller said in a press release after the event. “As police work to keep people safe, we also need support from law-abiding citizens who are often targeted by thieves. This successful gun buyback event gave people a safe way to dispose of unwanted firearms while taking those guns out of circulation.” In the style of a fast-food drive-thru, hundreds of people showed up to turned over handguns, shotguns and rifles for $75 and assault rifles for $100. APD paid cash for the guns, which according Councilman Pat Daivs, district 2, will be turned into an art installation. Davis said the logistics of this project are still being developed, but added that the art installation would focus on gun violence. 

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SUB Solar panels may have installation issues

Colin Peña | July 15

The University of New Mexico project to install solar panels on the roof of the Student Union Building may have to change locations due to the roof of the SUB having more damage than previously thought.  The Associated Students of UNM Senate began the process of requesting money from the state for the solar panels about two years ago. Associate Director of Government Relations Matthew Muñoz said his office helped ASUMN students work with the Legislature to begin this project. “Solar Panels on the SUB is a student-led initiative,” Muñoz said, adding that. “(The Students) have to figure out what they want to do, if it will be funded by the bond, they have to work with legislators to get the funding and they have to work when they get the money.” 

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New VP shares her goals

Alyssa Martinez | July 15

As the new Associated Students of the University of New Mexico administration prepares for the upcoming fall semester, Vice President Madelyn Lucas is looking to address three main policy areas: enrollment, campus morale and accessibility. Lucas defined accessibility in two parts: first the University’s compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) , and second is undergraduates’ access to ASUNM. Lucas expressed that the ambiguity of what undergraduate accessibility would actually look like in legislation is a part of the challenge in achieving this goal.  Lucas’ most well-established role as Vice President is to oversee the senate by appointing chairs, facilitating discussion, setting the agenda and making sure all legislation is in place. Typically, senators are popularly elected for 2 terms based off of the results of the most recent election. For example, if a candidate won a seat in the most recent spring 2019 election, they would serve for the fall 2019 and spring 2020 sessions, at which point they can resign from the senate or run again. Since the most recent senate election in April, there have been shifts in who exactly will be in the senate. 

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Rio Grande roaring after heavy rains

Amanda Britt | July 15

Albuquerque’s ecosystem may benefit from this year’s heavy water flow and flooding in areas around the Middle Rio Grande. Although the water levels are past their peak for this year, the average discharge in the Rio Grande in Albuquerque rose to nearly 6,000 cubic feet per second in June. Last June the discharge rate rarely surpassed 1,000 cfs. On June 18 the discharge rate outside of Cochiti dam, an hour north of Albuquerque, was at its peak flow at a rate of 6,279 cubic feet per second, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Albuquerque District.  Areas surrounding the Rio Grande had good snowpack this year. Kim Eichhorst, an associate research professor of biology at UNM and co-director of Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program (BEMP), said the snowpack earlier this year melted, and sublimated – or evaporated straight from the snow. A dust layer on the snow also allowed the snow to evaporate faster.

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SUB closer to installing solar panels

Alyssa Martinez and Colin Peña | July 8

The University of New Mexico is inching closer to having solar panels installed on the roof of the Student Union Building (SUB) now that state funding was designated for the project. Talk of installing solar panels on the SUB has been brewing since Fall of 2017 when a resolution calling for the University to push towards 100% renewable energy sources was unanimously passed by the Associated Students of UNM Senate, the legislative body of undergraduate student government. The solar panel installation will be a collaborative project between ASUNM and Facilities Management, formally known as Project Plant Development.

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Four reportedly shot in downtown ABQ

Makayla Grijalva | July 8

Albuquerque police are investigating a shooting that occurred early Sunday morning in downtown Albuquerque.  Four people were reportedly shot outside of Tantra nightclub — formerly known as Lotus — and were taken to local hospitals. Albuquerque Police Department said their injuries are not life-threatening.  The identities of the victims have not been released. 

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Lobo Food Pantry helps out hungry students

Lissa Knudsen | July 8

Every month, University of New Mexico students and others can get free groceries through the Lobo Food Pantry program. The next Lobo Food Pantry date is July 12, 2019, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. while supplies last. The mobile food pantry is a truckload of food that is distributed to community members, where people can fill a box or two with the items they need. The Hope Center for College, Community and Justice released a report in April of this year that showed that 41% of four-year university students across the nation are food insecure. Last year, the state of New York mandated that all public colleges and universities provide mobile food pantries for their students. 

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City approves NBCUniversal partnership

Emille Domschot | June 30

The ink wasn’t dry before the cameras started rolling.  On Monday June, 17, Albuquerque city councilors voted unanimously to approve a 10-year joint venture between NBCUniversal and an Albuquerque realtor to redevelop an empty warehouse into a film studio with two soundstages. Already, work is being done on the free-span property at 1601 Commercial Avenue where the NBCUniversal studio is based. Filming started Monday, June 17, on Briarpatch, a crime anthology starring Rosario Dawson for USA Network. The pilot was filmed in Albuquerque in 2018.   They are the second major production company to choose Albuquerque as a studio location causing career prospects to possibly be opening up for film students at the University of New Mexico.  

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Education prof takes on deanship

Justin Garcia | June 30

Becoming the Dean of the College of Education was never the plan, but that’s where Deborah Rifenbary finds herself for the incoming Fall 2019 semester.  Rifenbary is replacing the former dean, Salvador Hector Ochoa, on an interim basis. Ochoa left the University of New Mexico for a provost position at San Diego State University, according to an SDSU news release. He starts July 2. Before Ochoa left, Rifenbary said she was planning on retiring in December.  “I think the college is in a transition right now. I think that I am someone who can offer stability. I have always been an advocate for faculty voice, collaboration and collegiality. I am committed to student success,” Rifenbary, who previously held an associate dean position in the college, told the Daily Lobo.