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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Secretary of State (SOS) Maggie Toulouse Oliver announced Wednesday that straight-party voting will be an option on the 2018 election ballot, a decision that has already received backlash from both sides. Toulouse Oliver said she promised to implement straight-party, also called straight ticket, voting during her run for Secretary of State, and being on the verge of ballot printing deadline, she said there was no other time to announce the decision, because the office needed time to test sample ballots.
It’s the end of the summer, meaning it’s time for New Mexico’s own “burning man” tradition, this Friday, Aug. 31 at Marcy Park in Santa Fe. For anyone from out of state — the burning of Zozobra (the 50-foot tall figure is affectionately named “Old Man Gloom”) is a Santa Fe tradition, stretching back for 94 years.
The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico voted to appropriate just over $14,000 to Women’s Rugby on Wednesday night on its first full-senate meeting of the semester. With 19 votes for and 1 absentee-abstention, ASUNM voted to continue funding the team for the duration of the fall semester. Women’s rugby is currently a club sport and does not fall under the athletics department. The women’s rugby team competed in the elite eight round of the National Championship last spring.
The Center for Regional Studies (CRS) and UNM Press at the University of New Mexico have gifted 850 books to 25 underfunded public and tribal libraries in New Mexico, with each library receiving 34 books. The books focus on the history, landscape and the communities of the region. This collaborative project began in 2009 in an effort to promote the relationship between the community and UNM.
The University of New Mexico Honors College reintroduced Archeology of Trails and Anthropology of Place this semester. According to Troy Lovata, the chair of the Honors College and professor of the class, he has taught this class off and on since it was introduced in 2015. With a background in archeology that is grounded in anthropology, Lovata has extensive knowledge in human history. He has taught courses on landscape, culture and place for more than a dozen years.
The University of New Mexico Hospital is now offering the world’s smallest pacemaker. This new pacemaker, called the Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS), is about the size of a vitamin pill and uses single chamber technology to treat patients with bradycardia.
The University of New Mexico will be hosting National Science Foundation Day in New Mexico from 7:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. today in the Student Union Building. According to the NSF Day in NM website, the event is intended to help early career and tenure track faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers learn more about the NSF’s proposal process in order to make themselves more competitive when applying for funding.
A rally organized by Black Live Matter LGBTQAI+ Migrant Project drew a crowd of about 100 to the intersection of Lomas Boulevard and 4th Street on Monday Aug. 28 to call for the end of ICE. The Abolish Ice rally was the groups day of action, and the first project to demonstrate solidarity between diverse groups, said Tiara Gendi, one of the organizers. “We are calling out the inhumane conditions that queer people are being exposed to when they are in detention centers,” Gendi said. “We are standing in memory of queer immigrants that died in the hands of ice.”
On Sunday, J.C. Penney partnered up with the University of New Mexico’s Career Services department to host their third communal “Suit Up!” event at Coronado Mall. The event is designed to provide discounts on business and professional attire for UNM’s students, alumni, faculty and staff. The event began in the fall of 2017 with Jenna Crabb, director of career services, who has held the position since 2006. Crabb was approached by executives from the department store with the idea and she agreed to it.
It’s sustainable, it’s to-go and it’s thanks to one student. La Posada’s newest program, LaPo To-Go, gives students the ability to take their favorite dining hall food anywhere they please, using reusable containers. Coleen Geraghty, a civil engineering major and sustainability minor, came up with the idea for reusable to-go boxes in the La Posada dining hall last spring during her time as a sustainability intern for UNM Food.
Solutions by The State News
