News - The Daily Lobo

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

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Crime Briefs for Sept. 16, 2018

Elizabeth Sanchez | September 16

Misdemeanor warrant arrest, battery, escape from custody of a peace officer On the afternoon of Aug. 30, an officer was sent to Zimmerman Library, according to a UNMPD report. The officer met with a female student who said a male followed her from the Student Union Building to the library. The male sat at the same table as her and stared at her. She ignored him. The male started to eat part of the student’s lunch. She asked him not to do that, and another person at the table told him to leave, stating that he was bothering them. The male began to caress the student’s arm from her shoulder to her elbow. She said that “she was creeped out and told him to stop,” according to the report.

The USS New Mexico bell in front of Zimmerman Library after its rededication ceremony on Thursday, Sep 13. The bell is one of two that were aboard the ship. The bell would sound alarms or be used to bury at sea those killed in action by the kamikaze attacks.

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UNM rededicates naval bell to Smith Plaza

Tom Hanlon | September 16

University of New Mexico students may notice something new in front of Zimmerman Library next time they are walking through Smith Plaza — if they are looking carefully enough. Last Thursday, the ship bell of the World War II era USS New Mexico battleship was rededicated during its rehanging in front of Zimmerman Library. The bell previously hung from a turquoise metal frame above Smith Plaza before the plaza’s renovation over the summer. The rededication ceremony detailed the history of the bell and included speeches from UNM President Garnett Stokes, Rear Admiral Mark Bipes, Greg Trapp of the New Mexico Council of the Navy League and the commanding officer of the current USS New Mexico nuclear powered fast attack submarine, Commander James Morrow.

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NM Supreme Court rejects straight-party voting

Makayla Grijalva | September 16

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on Sept. 14 in the New Mexico News Port, under the headline, “New Mexico Supreme Court Rejects Newly Reinstated Straight Party Ballot Option.” This is part of our project to help connect the Daily Lobo audience to more members of our community A unanimous decision by the New Mexico Supreme Court Wednesday, Sept. 12, blocked the option for using straight-party voting in the November 2018 general election. Straight-party voting, also known as straight-ticket voting, is an option on a ballot to fill in one bubble to select all candidates of a single party.

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Get a clue: Centennial Library launches Mystery Room

Ahmad Yar Ranjha | September 16

The University of New Mexico Centennial Library has created the Mystery Room series to invoke interest and educate library users about its resources and services. The purpose of the two-event series is to educate new students on how to find information and locate library resources on specific topics, time periods and important scholars. There will be one on Sept. 20 and Oct. 4. “In the Mystery Room, students find out what happened to a missing scholar by solving puzzles and finding clues. During the game they’ll learn about the way information is presented as well as get to know some of UNM’s librarians and meet other students,” said the event organizer Glenn Koelling, who is an assistant professor and learning service librarian.

The 25-foot tall Aggie Cowboy effigy burns at the 2018 Red Rally on Johnson Field on Sept. 13, 2018.

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UNM students get ready for rivalry game at Red Rally

Anthony Jackson | September 14

Students at the University of New Mexico did not start the fire. Red Rally, UNM’s 15-year tradition of burning an effigy of New Mexico State University’s Pistol Pete mascot days before the UNM-NMSU football game, continued to burn bright on Thursday. Crowds of students covered Johnson Field just to watch the pinata-like effigy go up in flames.

UNMPD Officer Patricia Young speaks to the ASUNM Senate about the Lobo Guardian app on September 12, 2018.

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ASUNM approve budget request, reject McCain condolence

Justin Garcia | September 13

The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico Senate met Wednesday night to vote on balance forward requests, a condolence for Senator John McCain, and receive an update about the Johnson Center renovation and the UNM Police Department’s media presence. President Becka Myers requested that $37,788 of almost $50,000 in unspent money from last year’s budget be sent to cover costs of ASUNM’s eight student service agencies not previously covered in their budgets. This is the first time the balance forward requests have gone through the Finance Committee, said Madelyn Lucas, the Finance Committee chair.

Greg Williams speaks during public comment at Tuesday’s Board of Regents meeting at the Student Union Building. Williams’ comments were regarding athletics.

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Tempers flare between Regents and Faculty at latest meeting

Cameron Goeldner | September 13

The latest Board of Regents meeting ended with a heated exchange between Regent Tom Clifford and Faculty Senate President Pamela Pyle Tuesday afternoon. Clifford accused Pyle and the rest of the faculty leadership of being “cowardly” on their behalf following the Regents vote to cut sports and not forgive the athletic department debt, which was something that the faculty had requested last winter. When asked if the faculty had taken a position on the Board’s handling of the athletics budget, Pyle said the faculty had weighed in behind the scenes because much of the faculty was gone during the summer when the decision was being made.

University of New Mexico students continue their day leaving, or arriving to Dane Smith Hall. Of the almost 24,000 students at UNM, less than six percent use the Lobo Guardian app.

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UNM promotes app to protect students

Anthony Jackson | September 9

Smartphones have tremendous pocket-sized power — sometimes they are used for finding memes and other times they can be used to save a life. Since 2015, the University of New Mexico has promoted a service called LoboGuardian — which runs off the RaveGuardian network — to increase campus safety. Users can send pictures and text anonymous tips to the UNM Police Department through the app. There is also a panic button for emergencies. The panic button will quickly send a distress signal to UNMPD and turn your smartphone into a tracking beacon, allowing law enforcement to respond accordingly.

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Crime briefs for September 10

Elizabeth Sanchez | September 9

Possession of Stolen Property On the evening of Aug. 23, an officer was sent to Popejoy Hall after stuffed teddy bears were stolen, according to a police report. The officer spoke with the male who reported the incident. He said someone took the bears from a cabinet inside Popejoy Hall. There were no witnesses. Another officer detained a male who was holding three stuffed bears at the bookstore and said he found them on the ground. The male is not a student and has been involved in many campus calls. Requesting that the male in possession of the bears be banned from campus, the police report will be sent to the UNM Dean of Students.

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UNM receives substantial grant from Google

Mikhaela Smith | September 9

The University of New Mexico recently received a grant from Google to help attract more undergraduate women to the fields of robotics and computer science. According to a Google press release, UNM was one of 15 schools to receive an exploreCSR (Computer Science Research) grant. The press release said Google wants to use these grants to reach about 1,200 undergraduate women between 2018 and 2019. This $35,000 grant will help implement a program called Becoming a Robot Guru Workshop, led by associate computer science professor Lydia Tapia.

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Albuquerque rallies for sustainability during protest

Sol Traverso | September 9

Albuquerque rallied together Sept. 8 for the Rise at the Rio for Climate, Water, Jobs and Justice demonstration calling for renewable energy and environmental justice. The event was part of a larger, international coalition called The People's Climate Movement. Demonstrations in cities all over the world have been held as a part of this movement.

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Physical Plant Department changes name

Ahmad Yar Ranjha | September 9

The Physical Plant Department at the University of New Mexico has changed its name to Facilities Management because the management of the department believes that the term Physical Plant does not describe them and their services accurately. The name change initiative is in line with UNM’s overall marketing initiative of rebranding itself and expanding its outreach, including a recent upgrade to its logo.

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UNM researcher finds a cause of mass extinctions

Megan Holmen | September 9

A geological researcher at the University of New Mexico has discovered that low oxygen levels contributed to the Earth’s great mass extinctions. Maya Elrick, the sedimentary geologist behind the research, said ocean water anoxia — the depletion of dissolved oxygen in water — can be linked to four out of the five mass extinctions on Earth. The earth has had five mass extinctions, and the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction occurred about 450 million years ago. This extinction was when most life on earth was in the sea and resulted in a drastic reduction of species.

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UNM professor edits book on grandparenting

Tasawar Shah | September 7

The University of New Mexico’s Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Studies department chair, professor Ziarat Hossain, co-edited a book with professor David Shwalb from Southern Utah University called “Grandparents in Cultural Context” and has recently been published. The book integrates new ideas into previously established concepts surrounding grandparenthood. It includes authors from 15 countries and covers grandparenting in 12 diverse societies across four continents: North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Front cover "Transparency Report of The University of New Mexico," released by the Office of the Attorney General.

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NMAG report reveals transparency issues at UNM

Danielle Prokop | September 7

Despite all of New Mexico’s “Sunshine Laws,” which guarantee access to public information, the University of New Mexico is still keeping people in the dark. At least, that’s what the New Mexico Attorney General’s office (OAG) is saying in their 2018 Transparency Report regarding UNM’s alleged violations of two state transparency laws. The laws in question are the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA) and the Open Meetings Act (OMA). “Since 2015, UNM has established a pattern and practice of neglecting their responsibility to allow access to public information and access to meaningful discourse and deliberation on public business,” the report said.

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Profile: Interim-Provost talks to the Lobo

Anthony Jackson | September 6

Former-Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Chaouki Abdallah transferred to Georgia Tech. Until the long search to fill the position is complete, an interim will have to fill the role. On Aug.

Screenshot from a tweet by the Center for Advanced Research Computing, image from KRQE 13.

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UNMPD creates social media campaign

Tom Hanlon | September 6

Being accessible to the University of New Mexico has always been a goal for UNM’s Police Department, but now the department wants to take it one step further and connect with college students through social media. Last month UNMPD launched a new initiative and hashtag called #UNMStrongerTogether. This initiative also kicked off the department’s new Twitter and Instagram social media accounts. The hashtag aims to make UNMPD more accessible to the University community and increase awareness of the importance of community policing.

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ASUNM: Finance Committee approves allocation of nearly $50,000.

Justin Garcia | September 6

The Finance Committee of the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico discussed what to do with an estimated $50,000 in surplus funds from the 2017-2018 school year Wednesday night. The Balance Forward request is when ASUNM allots money that has not already been allocated previously to student groups.

ASUNM President Becka Myers and UNM President Garnett Stokes use an oversized pair of scissors to cut a ribbon during the Smith Plaza ribbon cutting ceremony in Smith Plaza on Aug. 28, 2018.

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UNM celebrates Smith Plaza re-opening

Cameron Goeldner | August 29

After nine months of construction that made one of the most heavily trafficked areas on campus inaccessible, the newly remodeled Smith Plaza was officially opened on Wednesday with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The plaza was originally constructed in 1972 and hadn’t undergone any major changes since. One major factor motivating the remodel was safety. Among the new additions are wider ramps to make the plaza more accessible, easier access for emergency vehicles and four plateau areas for socialization.

Graph courtesy of The Statewide Economic Impact of the University of New Mexico.

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Study shows UNM greatly affects state economy

Kyle Land | August 29

The University of New Mexico is one of the biggest institutions in the entire state — its full impact was revealed on Monday. During a press conference at Lobo Rainforest, UNM President Garnett Stokes revealed the results of a study titled “The Statewide Economic Impact of the University of New Mexico.” In the study’s executive summary, UNM’s economic impact includes 24,985 jobs and an economic output of $3.1 billion.