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ASUNM Senate passes spring budget with changes to executive pay, legislative stipend

Elliott Wood | March 24

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico Senate passed the spring 2025 budget bill on March 12 during a full senate meeting that ran late into the night, after much of the allotted time was used for debate over discrepancies in pay raises for ASUNM executive staff and senators. By the end of the meeting, student service agency employees and other hourly paid executive staff were awarded an extra 60 cents per hour on top of their $12 per hour — a number that has remained since New Mexico’s last change to the state minimum wage — and senators an additional $150 to their stipend. The stipend is paid on a per-semester basis, meaning that each senator will now be paid $650 total for the one-year term they are elected for.

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UNM students, faculty protest following Palestinian student activist’s arrest at Columbia University

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | March 24

On March 10, the U.S. Education Department announced that sixty universities are under investigation for allegations related to antisemitic discrimination. The University of New Mexico is not on the list. Two days earlier, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Columbia University alum and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, who was involved in the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Columbia University, according to the Columbia Daily Spectator. Khalil is a legal United States resident with no criminal record, according to The Associated Press.

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ASUNM presidential candidates debate campus issues

Elliott Wood and Nate Bernard | March 24

On March 11, Associated Students at the University of New Mexico presidential candidates Andrew Norton and Mutazz (Tazz) Jaber participated in a debate hosted by the UNM College Democrats. Vice presidential candidate and Finance Chair Hope Montoya, who is running unopposed, gave a speech supporting Norton’s vision for ASUNM. The candidates discussed food, housing, safety and the role of athletics on campus.

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ASUNM presidential candidate: Tazz Jaber

Jaden McKelvey-Francis | March 24

Elections for the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico begin 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 26 and close 5 p.m. Thursday, March 27. Undergraduate main campus students can cast their ballots at vote.unm.edu. Beyond the candidates listed here, Finance Chair Hope Montoya is running unopposed for vice president, and 16 candidates are vying for 10 senate seats. Information about them can be found at election.unm.edu/candidates. Mutazz (Tazz) Jaber (ballot #1) is running for president of the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico. Jaber is the current ASUNM vice president. His campaign focuses on issues such as parking, digital IDs, student housing, safety and the completion of projects that began during his time as vice president.

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ASUNM presidential candidate: Andrew Norton

Izabella Kubiak-Reseigh | March 24

Elections for the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico begin 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 26 and close 5 p.m. Thursday, March 27. Undergraduate main campus students can cast their ballots at vote.unm.edu. Beyond the candidates listed here, Finance Chair Hope Montoya is running unopposed for vice president, and 16 candidates are vying for 10 senate seats. Information about them can be found at election.unm.edu/candidates. Andrew Norton (ballot #2) is running for president of the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico. Currently serving as the executive director of Student Special Events, Norton’s platform focuses on strategic decision-making, student services and amplifying student voices, he said.

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Travis Broadhurst elected president of GPSA

Maria Fernandez | March 24

The University of New Mexico Graduate and Professional Student Association election results are in: Civil engineering doctoral candidate Travis Broadhurst will serve as its next president. Broadhurst has been active in GPSA for the past three years, serving as the director of Boards, Committees and Elections and as the sustainability director. He has also been a civil engineering department representative to the GPSA council for the past two years.

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UNM to change gender, race and ethnicity-based employment policies after federal actions

Lily Alexander and Nate Bernard | March 24

The University of New Mexico reviewed and will revise its policies related to preferential hiring, promotion or compensation decisions based on gender, race or ethnicity following recent U.S. Department of Education guidelines and President Donald Trump’s executive orders. On March 6, UNM updated its website for guidance on federal executive actions to announce the policy review and upcoming revisions. UNM has submitted draft revisions to the Policy Office for review and expects approval and implementation over the next several weeks, according to UNM Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair.

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Education Department launches investigation into UNM for ‘race-exclusionary practices’

Lily Alexander and Nate Bernard | March 24

On March 14, the U.S. Education Department Office for Civil Rights announced investigations into 45 universities across the country, including the University of New Mexico, for allegedly engaging in “race-exclusionary practices” in their graduate programs. In its announcement, the department alleged that the universities violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by partnering with a nonprofit that supports historically underrepresented candidates in obtaining Ph.D.s. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin in programs and activities that receive federal funding. The Education Department also initiated investigations into six universities for allegedly awarding race-based scholarships, and one university for allegedly having a program that “segregates students on the basis of race.”

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Architecture student talks struggles with wheelchair accessibility at UNM

Addison Fulton | March 19

Jayson Agos, a University of New Mexico junior and architecture student, called attention to difficulties that students with disabilities can face on campus. When Agos came to UNM, he was still able to walk but was later unexpectedly paralyzed from the waist down, he said. It was then that he began to notice the ways he said UNM was unsuccessful in accommodating students with disabilities. “My first semester here at UNM was a dark semester for me,” Agos said. “I struggled a lot because there was so much that caused me issues just to get to class.”

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New Mexican Ukrainian organization, UNM professor react to Trump-Zelenskyy clash

Rodney Prunty | March 10

On Feb. 28, a meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office grew heated and ended with Zelenskyy leaving early. Following the meeting, a New Mexican Ukrainian organization and a University of New Mexico professor shared their reactions to the clash with the Daily Lobo. During the meeting, Trump told Zelenskyy, “You’re not acting at all thankful” in reference to the support Ukraine has received from the United States since Russia’s invasion. Later in the meeting, Vice President JD Vance accused Zelenskyy of running propaganda tours, campaigning for former Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania and being ungrateful for U.S. aid.

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UNM experts react to Trump DEI overhaul efforts

Maria Fernandez and Nate Bernard | March 10

Since President Donald Trump’s reelection, he has repeatedly targeted federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs that seek to increase diversity within the government. These efforts could have negative impacts, including in New Mexico, according to UNM experts. Executive orders on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 directed federal agencies to terminate their DEI programs, before a federal judge largely blocked the orders on Feb. 21, according to The Associated Press. While the executive orders did not specifically define DEI programs, DEI refers to “programs that ensure people from different backgrounds, cultures, identities, and experiences feel accepted in their environments, whether at school, work or other organizations,” according to The Columbus Dispatch.

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White House takes control of press pool

Elizabeth Secor | March 10

On Feb. 25, the White House broke decades of precedent by announcing that the administration will now select which news outlets can cover events with President Donald Trump. This changes who is allowed into the Oval Office, Air Force One and some other meetings and conferences, according to Politico. This decision followed the Feb. 14 White House banning of The Associated Press from the press pool for not changing its editorial standards to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America — the recognized name of the gulf by the United States government — according to CNN.

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Albuquerque experiences driest winter on record

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | March 10

This year, Albuquerque saw its driest winter season on record with total precipitation amounting to 0.12 inches at the Albuquerque Sunport, according to the Albuquerque National Weather Service. In a statement to the Daily Lobo, NWS Albuquerque wrote that the average high temperature in February was also the second hottest on record, with the first being in 1907. John Fleck, writer in residence at the Utton Transboundary Resources Center — a University of New Mexico center that promotes equitable and sustainable natural resource management — said that the extremely dry and warm weather is a “double whammy.”

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What happened to UNM’s Undocumented website?

Elizabeth Bolke and Esmeralda Lozano | March 5

In January, the University of New Mexico took down its Undocumented UNM website due to outdated information and is instead routing students to the El Centro de la Raza website for resources, according to Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair. The website affirmed the University's commitment to “standing with and supporting our undocumented students and their families,” according to an archived version of it.

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University police bodycam bill headed to Senate floor

Lauren Lifke | March 3

Lawmakers voted Friday, Feb. 28 to advance to the Senate floor a bill that would explicitly require university police departments to use body cameras, after it was substituted for clarifying language. Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces) proposed Senate Bill 505 after learning that the University of New Mexico Police Department took the stance that it wasn’t subject to a 2020 state statute that required police departments to adopt body cameras. “I was disappointed to see and hear that,” Cervantes said. “I was happy to see that NMSU and others were compliant with our wishes.”

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Menstrual Equity Project seeks to become university-wide

Elliott Wood and Elizabeth Secor | March 3

At the start of the spring semester, the University of New Mexico launched the Menstrual Equity Project, which provides free menstrual products in Zimmerman Library's high-traffic bathrooms. The project was inspired by another one implemented by the UNM Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center in 2021, according to Amy Jackson, the associate dean for the College of University Libraries & Learning Sciences. That project included menstrual products in both men’s and women’s restrooms because the library did not have gender-neutral restrooms. Zimmerman has followed suit and provided products in both women’s and men’s restrooms. The project is funded through the Student Fee Review Board, Jackson said.

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ASUNM finalizes student attorney position legislation as budget debate looms

Elliott Wood | March 3

An otherwise uneventful full senate meeting of the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico was punctuated by an impassioned appeal from Sens. Jayce McCloud and Hope Montoya on Wednesday, Feb. 26. The pair appealed for senators to involve themselves in the ASUNM budget process, as the time for full senate discussion of the upcoming budget is all-but-confirmed for the next meeting. A suspension of the standing rule that time-limits senators’ opening remarks motioned by Finance Chair Montoya allowed McCloud 15 minutes — instead of the usual five — to deliver his call to action.

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How New Mexicans may be affected by Trump's tariff plans

Nate Bernard and Jaden McKelvey-Francis | March 3

New Mexicans could see increased prices on certain goods due to new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, according to a University of New Mexico finance expert and a local business owner. The Trump administration plans to impose 25% tariffs on all goods imported from Canada and Mexico, along with an additional 10% tariff on China, according to the White House. The tariffs will go into effect on March 4. In the simplest form, tariffs are taxes on goods that come from other countries, according to Reilly White, an associate professor of finance.

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Students evacuate from Johnson Center after dryer fire

Lauren Lifke | February 25

On the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 24, Johnson Center was evacuated after a dryer-related fire caused smoke to fill the building, according to University of New Mexico Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair. There were no injuries or damage to the building, Blair said. Albuquerque Fire Rescue responded to the scene and told Blair the fire was controlled, she said.

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University police bodycam bill passes first committee

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | February 25

Lawmakers voted Monday, Feb. 24 to advance a bill that would explicitly require university police departments to use body cameras, just over a year after the Daily Lobo revealed a loophole in a state statute. The 2020 statute, sponsored by Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces), requires law enforcement agencies in New Mexico to use body cameras. While it does not explicitly exclude university police departments, it also does not explicitly include them.