The next step in saving the University of New Mexico’s publishing house, UNM Press, was approved by the Board of Regents on March 12. The press will outsource their warehouse and distribution functions to Longleaf Service Inc., which works with several other academic presses, according to Richard Schuetz, the interim director of UNM Press.
A new president means a new resident on the University of New Mexico’s campus. President Garnett Stokes is moving in to 1901 Roma Ave. SE soon — and with that comes the scrutiny of how much funding is being spent on the residence. The president’s house has been making headlines for the past 89 years. The two-story adobe house was built in 1929, according to University Archives.
The end of the semester is near, which means it’s time for student evaluations at the University of New Mexico. Student evaluation averages are a factor in determining promotion and tenure for faculty or rehiring lecturers, according to the College for Arts and Sciences handbook. Professors who are on track for tenure have their performance assessed based on their teaching evaluations, service on committees and their research, the handbook said.
Controversial speakers have come and gone from the University of New Mexico, but this March, something near the Student Union Building may have left some passersby perplexed. Throughout the year, a black and white sign hangs from a red bar on UNM’s camps, reading: “Free speech zone ahead. Topics discussed may be uncomfortable and controversial. The topics and opinions discussed are those of private individuals and not the University of New Mexico.” That sign appeared again in March in the area just before entering Cornell Mall, near the “Modern Art” piece by Betty Sabo.
The University of New Mexico Mind Institute recently completed extensive research on why teens commit murder. This research has been published in NeuroImage, a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research on neuroimaging. Kent Kiehl, one of the researchers from the New Mexico Mind Institute, said research examining brain differences in teens who murder began after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Kiehl collaborated with the parents of Avielle Richman, a six-year-old who died in the shooting. Jennifer and Jeremy Richman, Avielle’s parents, created a foundation in her name. Kiehl is a scientific advisor on the foundation’s board. It was the conversations with Avielle’s parents that sparked the research, Kiehl said.
A former captain of the Seattle Chapter of the Black Panther Party spoke to students at the University of New Mexico Tuesday about what lead to the crack cocaine epidemic. Aaron Dixon gave a lecture on where his book, “My People Are Rising” left off as part of Africana Studies’ annual speaker series — this year’s focus was on the African-American experience in the Southwest. Dixon said the crack cocaine epidemic had international origins and was deeply connected to the geopolitics of the Cold War.
CAMPrinos, a student organization that is part of the College Assistance Migrant Program at the University of New Mexico, is hosting the sixth Annual Farmworker Awareness Week from April 2 to 7 at the Student Union Building. Several departments as well as student and community organizations including CAMP, Student Action with Farmworkers, Project for New Mexico Graduates of Color, El Centro De la Raza, Lobo Respect and others, are sponsoring the week. The awareness campaign will kick off Monday at SUB and will conclude on Saturday at the National Hispanic Cultural Center with the 25th Annual César Chávez Day Fiesta.
Lobo Village is announcing two freshman Living Learning Communities in preparation for the University of New Mexico’s implementation of new freshman housing requirements, starting the Fall 2018 semester. One of the new communities, Lobo Fit, focuses on fitness goals and how students can utilize recreational campus resources. A flyer released by Lobo Village about the communities said that the other freshman Living Learning Community, Lobo Focus, emphasizes academic success for students and the development of peer-to-peer social skills.
The University of New Mexico Women’s Resource Center celebrated Women’s History Month on Thursday by hosting a panel discussion, featuring five women in science, technology, engineering and math fields. The center worked with UNM’s STEM Collaborative Center to plan and host the event. Anna Reser, the co-founder and co-editor-in-chief of Lady Science Magazine, gave the welcome address for the event. She explained the importance of history of women in STEM and how that impacts the challenges women face today.
A college education could mean everything. For some, the only way to have a college education is with the help of financial aid, and for many New Mexico residents, a large chunk of that financial aid has been slipping away. After the recent legislative session, the stability of the Lottery Scholarship — which helps some 26,000 students statewide — has been threatened again.
Editor's Note: This is the first profile in a series on students and recent alumni who are part of the UNM Business Plan Competition. Continue to stay updated with the Daily Lobo for more information. Over 20 teams from the University of New Mexico, Central New Mexico Community College and New Mexico State University will compete in the 2018 UNM Business Plan Competition on April 20. The competition has roots dating back to 2005 and aims to help teams of college students and recent alumni test their startup business ideas by writing a business plan and presenting it to judges, said Alberto Solis, the interim director for the UNM Business Plan Competition Program, in an email to the Daily Lobo.
On Monday and Tuesday the University of New Mexico’s Global and National Security Policy Institute and National Security Studies Program will host the ninth Annual National Security Symposium. The event, titled “Global, National and Human Security: Reflections on the Next Decade,” will include a number of speakers from security and government agencies, as well as faculty and student presenters from UNM. The event will open on Monday at 9:30 a.m. with a welcome from Provost Chaouki Abdallah — panels and speakers are scheduled throughout the day until 4 p.m. Tuesday’s schedule begins at 9:30 a.m. and concludes at 3:30 p.m.
The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico full Senate meeting on Wednesday featured a conversation between senators and President Garnett S. Stokes, an update on the incoming UNM taproom and a delay of the Spring Budget Bill, which, at the time of the meeting, featured cuts to almost all student organizations. Questions for Stokes Stokes assured all those present at the meeting that she is “(here) to listen to what’s on the mind from our various constituents.”
The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of New Mexico hosted its 10th Annual Cultural Studies Graduate Student Conference on March 23 and 24 in Ortega Hall. This year’s theme was “Identities in Motion: Communities of Belonging and Exclusion in Diasporic Spaces.” The event was also sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Office of Student Affairs, the Graduate and Professional Student Association and the Office of Graduate Studies. The conference featured national and international participants including the University of New Mexico, the University of Arizona, the University of California at Irvine, the University of Southern California, Fort Hays State University, North Carolina Central University and François Rabelais University.
Remedial math at the University of New Mexico looked starkly different five years ago than it does now after the 2013 implementation of the Math Learning Lab, or MaLL. The MaLL’s mission is to increase the passing rate for UNM’s lower-division math courses, according to their website. Srini Vasan, Ph.D., the program’s director, said the intermediate algebra course, Math 120, had been giving the math department headaches well up to 2013. He said Math 120 was a remedial course that had been trapping students due to its inefficient teaching model.
The president and vice president of the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico for the 2018-2019 school year were announced Wednesday evening. Unopposed candidates Becka Myers, president elect, and Emily Wilks, vice president elect, were met with applause, as they were officially selected for their positions. Voting started Monday and closed at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Shortly after polls closed, students gathered at the Student Union Building Atrium to see the results and hear from their new leaders.
The Daily Lobo hosted a town hall Tuesday with the University of New Mexico President, Garnett S. Stokes, in an effort to help the UNM community get to know her a bit better. Daily Lobo Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Sanchez and News Editor Kyle Land asked her questions throughout the event — some of their own, some from the public. The public’s questions were submitted through email, social media and on index cards during the event. The town hall began with introductions and Stokes telling the audience about her life experiences.
The University of New Mexico Innovation Academy hosted a Create Your Own Job Fair for young entrepreneurs on Tuesday. Setting it aside from a traditional job fair, the event was structured to support young people interested in starting their own business — essentially creating their own jobs. Companies from across Albuquerque — like Nusenda, WESST, Sandia Labs, Air Force Research Labs, ABQid, SCORE Business Mentoring and many more — set up booths and talked to students at Lobo Rainforest.
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of five profiles on women associated with the University of New Mexico, who have been recognized by Albuquerque Business First as women of influence in New Mexico. Doris Careaga, Ph.D. is a professor in the Chicano and Chicana Studies Department, where she teaches classes that focus on Afro-Mexican culture and heritage. “Afro-Mexican studies is not only my subject in a professional way, but it is a huge part of my life,” she said.
Editor's Note: The Sustainability Studies program was conceived in 2002 during an Earth Systems Engineering Convention held in Boulder, CO.
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