News - The Daily Lobo

Photo of Betsy DeVos is courtesy of her Twitter feed @BetsyDeVosED.

News

Title IX changes muddy the waters at UNM

Danielle Prokop | November 26

The U.S. Department of Education released new Title IX guidelines last Friday, and it’s unclear how the standards might affect colleges around the country, including the University of New Mexico. Due to the agreement brokered with the Department of Justice in 2016, UNM might have different standards than other schools regarding sexual harassment and sexual assault investigation and procedures. The agreement with DOJ mandated that UNM implement training, revise University policy on reporting to better resolve sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations, eliminate the hostile environment and ensure Title IX state are adequately trained. UNM still has to provide reports until 2020.

News

Accreditation review to focus on Athletics Department

Kyle Land | November 26

The University of New Mexico is facing an accreditation check next year, and will have to reconcile with past choices made by its most controversial department — athletics. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), which grants accreditation to post-secondary institutions across 19 states, will be going through the process of reevaluating UNM’s accreditation. Accreditation, along with securing federal funding, ensures that universities are meeting certain standards of curriculum and services. In other words, it’s what makes a degree worth something in the real world. In an interview with the Daily Lobo, Interim Provost Richard Wood highlighted areas the HLC will be looking at next semester, including advisement, state governance and budgetary issues at the UNM Athletics Department.

Mudcracks cover dry areas in the Bosque.

News

Climate Change: Southwest becoming dangerously dry

Danielle Prokop and Justin Garcia | November 26

This is the first in a series for the Daily Lobo about the fourth executive summary report on climate change and its effects on the lives of people of the United States. The focus for these articles will be limited to the Southwest. Water, food and human health are becoming less secure in the Southwest as the slow-burning effects of climate change continues to warm the area, and exacerbate drought conditions according to The Fourth National Climate Assessment. The report recommended that if significant steps were not taken, the American economy could be reduced by up to ten percent by the end of the twenty-first century. The NCA surveyed academic articles, news stories across the U.S. and broke their analysis into geographic regions.

Masks y Mas in Nob Hill during Small Business Saturday.

News

Small Business Saturday helps out local shops

Justin Garcia | November 26

It’s a brisk morning in Albuquerque’s Nob Hill. The cold autumn wind is settling in just as dozens of small, locally-owned businesses get set to open for day two — Small Business Saturday — of Thanksgiving weekend. Since 2009, American Express has marketed the day after Black Friday as Small Business Saturday. During the five-day weekend, the National Retail Federation (NRF) estimated that 164 million Americans planned to shop. The NRF survey predicted that about 67 million Americans were planning to shop on Saturday, compared to 116 million on Black Friday. “It’s kind of an urban legend or a myth almost,” said Edward Tomaselli, a manager at Mask y Mas in Nob Hill. “People just come out instinctively.” Masks y Mas has been a Nob Hill staple for 15 years. He said during the Black Friday weekend, his shop sees a 10 percent increase in sales.

A UNMPD officer stands behind a police cruiser on Sept. 23, 2015.

News

Crime Briefs for Nov. 26, 2018

Elizabeth Sanchez | November 26

Indecent exposure at Popejoy Hall According to a report by the University of New Mexico Police Department on the afternoon of Nov.

Families wander around the Albuquerque Civic Plaza and look at the Christmas decorations on the afternoon of Nov. 25, 2018.

News

ABQ kicks off Christmas season with Winterfest

Alyssa Bitsie | November 26

Burqueños kicked off the holiday season this year with the fourth-annual Winterfest at Civic Plaza in Downtown Albuquerque on Nov. 24. The free, family-friendly event was filled with local vendors for everyone’s holiday shopping needs, comfort food and holiday treats. Winterfest took place the same day as Small Business Saturday. Small Business Saturday is a day when the state suspends collections of gross receipt tax on qualifying items at certain small businesses with 10 employees or less, according to the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue website.

News

NM county debates mine construction

Anthony Jackson | November 19

The small town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico still holds a part of its past. Its yucca strewn, sunbaked roads include names like Ore Street, Iron Street and Copper Street. Half a block from Radium Street, on Oct. 23 – 24, the New Mexico Minerals Division listened to some 35 area residents on whether to grant a mine operating permit to the New Mexico Copper Corporation (NMCC). The hearing is the last hurdle in NMCC’s pursuit to reopen a copper mine in Hillsboro, New Mexico, about 35 miles south of T or C. The hearing exposed divisions within the community — those who want to see economic opportunities in Sierra County and those who fear the mine will damage the environment.

News

Crime briefs for November 18, 2018

Elizabeth Sanchez | November 19

On Oct. 22, an officer was sent to the University of New Mexico Police Department Substation because someone reported an assault, according to a report. The officer spoke with a female and her 16-year-old student, who said he was walking to school around 9 a.m. when he began passing a roundabout north of Lomas Boulevard NE and Yale Boulevard NE. That was when a male driving a green pickup truck called the student a racial slur and spat — the saliva landed on the ground in front of the student. “The student reported the incident to his school’s head administrator (who) then escorted the student to the UNM Police Substation to report the incident,” the report states. The student completed a written statement.

News

Stokes announces new research program

Alyssa Bitsie | November 19

University of New Mexico’s President Garnett Stokes launched the Grand Challenges Initiative in the Student Union Building on Wednesday Nov. 14. Stokes, along with other speakers of the Grand Challenges Initiative, addressed what UNM is doing to foster a more dynamic economy. Grand Challenges are problems of global, national and regional significance that require researchers to work together across disciplinary boundaries to develop and implement solutions, according to UNM’s Grand Challenges website.

Regent Bradley C. Hosmer speaks to attendees of the Tuesday afternoon regent meeting that was held in the SUB Ballroom on March 22, 2016.

News

UNM regent rebukes statements made by Clifford

Kyle Land | November 17

University of New Mexico Regent Thomas Clifford has drawn criticism for comments he made at the Board of Regents meeting on Thursday — including from his fellow regents. Regent Bradley Hosmer, who joined the Board in 2011, wrote a letter to the Albuquerque Journal in which he stated he does “not share Regent Clifford’s views on the UNM graduates.” As previously reported by the Daily Lobo, interim Provost Richard Wood was criticized by Clifford when he said that UNM has a six-year graduation rate of around 50 percent.

News

Staff enrolled as students get to sign-up early for classes

Justin Garcia | November 16

Staff enrolled as students through the University of New Mexico had the opportunity to sign-up for Spring 2019 classes early — some of which will be free to them. The Student Union Building Ballrooms A & B were bustling as representatives from various resource centers and organizations provided staff members with information about services and tuition remission on Monday.

Regent Michael Brasher listens during the Board of Regents meeting on Nov. 15, 2018.

News

Regents discuss UNM's enrollment woes

Andrew Gunn | November 15

The Board of Regents meeting Thursday morning was, for the most part, a business-as-usual session of the oversight body. However, the two and a half hour meeting was punctuated about halfway through by an animated debate on a theme from their previous gathering in October — the University of New Mexico’s unexpectedly large decline in student enrollment and corresponding nosedive in revenues from tuition and fees. The meeting began genially with a report from President Garnett Stokes outlining various initiatives undertaken by the University in recent weeks, most of which can be found in the President's Weekly Perspective. Stokes also announced progress in the search for the Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration position as well as future dates for her traveling office hours.

Daniel Stearns embraces Elijah Jaffe as their names are announced during the ASUNM Senate Election results meeting in the SUB on the evening of Nov. 14.

News

ASUNM: 10 senators elected with record low turnout

Justin Garcia | November 15

Nearly half of the 1,048 undergraduates who voted in this semester’s Associated Students of the University of New Mexico senate elections voted for the incumbents. Mohammad Assed and Madelyn Lucas both received over 500 votes in an election with a six percent turnout rate. That rate is the lowest since fall 2014, which saw a three percent turnout rate. This semester’s turnout was the second lowest in 14 semesters. “This election was a good reminder of how important it is to constantly be improving and working to include more students,” said ASUNM President Becka Myers in a statement after the election.

Construction workers at the Physics, Astronomy and Interdisciplinary Science construction site.

News

UNM construction plagued by copper thefts

Anthony Jackson | November 15

The University of New Mexico Physics, Astronomy and Interdisciplinary Science (PAíS) building is in its ninth month of construction, but has been dealing with an issue that plagues many parts of Albuquerque — copper theft. According to State of New Mexico Uniform Incident Reports obtained by the Daily Lobo through the Information of Public Records Act (IPRA), during the month of October officers from the UNM Police Department responded to two separate calls at the PAíS construction site. According to the reports, UNMPD officers responded to a commercial burglary call on Oct. 19 after a motion sensor alarm was activated.

News

GEO encourages study abroad programs with fair

Alyssa Bitsie | November 15

The University of New Mexico is continuing to host International Education Week (IEW) at various locations across campus and the Albuquerque area this week. Along with other institutions, organizations and businesses, IEW is a series of events meant to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchanges worldwide, according to the IEW website. IEW began on Nov. 12 and will conclude on Nov. 16. UNM’s Global Education Office (GEO) coordinated this week’s various events, and on Tuesday afternoon students were able to find information about study abroad opportunities and cultural exchanges in the Student Union Building Atrium.

Homeless man receives an orange from Nicole Mestas during the Random Acts of Kindness walk.

News

Researchers suggest change to ABQ homelessness program

Andrew Gunn | November 12

A Bernalillo County program designed to mitigate Albuquerque homelessness was recently the subject of a study done by the University of New Mexico’s Institute for Social Research. A report evaluating Community Connections Supporting Housing’s (CCSH) efficacy and progress since its creation in 2015 was released in June of this year. In 2017, the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness (NMCEH) counted 1,318 people in Albuquerque who reported experiencing homelessness on the night of Jan. 23. However, Albuquerque Public Schools estimates that at least 3,500 of its students are without a place to stay, and the City of Albuquerque puts the figure at more than 5,000 people on any given night.

Map courtesy of New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science.

News

USGS labels NM volcano a potential risk

Megan Holmen | November 12

The Red Hill-Quemado volcanic field just west of Quemado, New Mexico was recently added to the New Mexico volcano watch list by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that tracks the potential risk of all volcanoes. New Mexico is one of the most volcanically active states in the U.S. However, according to Tobias Fischer, a professor of earth and planetary sciences with a research interest in volcanology at the University of New mexico, while New Mexico has experienced recent volcanic activity in geological time, the term “recent” in geological time is different than the term “recent” in human time.

News

Fact Check: Yvette Herrell on Fox News

Danielle Prokop | November 12

Despite issuing a campaign statement of “no further comment” until all ballots are counted, New Mexican State Rep. Yvette Herrell, who was recently the Republican candidate for the 2nd Congressional District (CD-2), appeared on Fox News Saturday night. Herrell was interviewed on Justice with Judge Jeanine, a prime-time show hosted by Jeanine Pirro. During the interview, both Pirro and Herrell stated factual inaccuracies regarding the race. Herrell spoke for just over a minute in the course of the four-minute interview.

Dennis Roberts, a plumber with Area Four in Facilities and Management, surveys the water damage.

News

C&J building ceiling partially collapses

Anthony Jackson | November 12

A section of the ceiling in the Communication and Journalism building collapsed Wednesday afternoon due to water damage from a second floor toilet. The area was blocked off while water dripped through the ceiling until the University of New Mexico custodial staff from Facilities Management tended to the area. Adan Garcia, the operations manager for the C&J Department, was among the first to notice the leak.

News

ASUNM Senate elections to begin on Monday

Justin Garcia | November 12

Around the Duck Pond and throughout Smith Plaza, students with aspirations of becoming - and remaining - senators will be asking for votes over the next three days. There are 20 candidates running to fill the 10 open seats in the Senate of the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico. The polls open at 9 a.m. on Monday and close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Students can vote online at myunm or in person in the Student Union Building near the welcome desk on the second floor.