News - The Daily Lobo

News

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.

News

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.

News

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.

News

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.

News

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.

News

UNM study finds high levels of microplastics in human brains

Shin Thant Hlaing | February 24

A team of University of New Mexico scientists found that the human brain is the organ with the highest concentration of microplastics and nanoplastics compared to the liver or kidney. The study, led by Matthew Campen, looked at the brains of people in New Mexico who died in 2016 and 2024. It also included samples from people who died from 1997- 2013 on the east coast. The total mass concentration of plastics in the analyzed brains increased by about 50% in the 2024 sample compared to the 2016 sample, according to the study.

News

UNM reaffirms commitment to diversity following federal guidance against race-based programs

Maria Fernandez and Nate Bernard | February 24

The University of New Mexico will risk losing federal funding if it does not end race-based programs by Feb. 28, according to a Department of Education memo sent to schools across the country Feb. 14. The memo cited Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin against any person, including within programs that receive federal funding. As of Feb. 21, UNM will not make any changes to its operations, nor to its academic programming or student support services, according to UNM Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair.

News

Speakers discuss Trump’s policies, free speech, divestment at Regents meeting

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | February 24

On Thursday, Feb 20, speakers at a University of New Mexico Board of Regents meeting raised concerns about President Donald Trump’s executive actions, including on immigration, funding cuts, and diversity, equity and inclusion. The meeting, held at the Student Union Building, was the first open session of the spring semester and the first for newly appointed regents Patricia Williams and Christina Campos. Some student and faculty speakers also asked the Regents to consider divesting from Israel and the fossil fuel industry. During advisors’ comments, Graduate and Professional Student Association President Michel Rivera Ramirez spoke to the Regents about his concerns related to Department of Education guidelines for schools to end race-based programs by Feb. 28.

News

Stokes sets vision for UNM’s future at State of the University address

Lily Alexander and Jaden McKelvey-Francis | February 24

On Friday, Feb. 21, University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes reflected on the past year and outlined plans for UNM’s future in her seventh annual State of the University address. During the speech, she mentioned the University’s response to President Donald Trump’s recent executive actions that target funding for higher education. Part of the University’s response, Stokes said, includes maintaining UNM’s resource centers and health programs in the face of Department of Education guidance telling universities to end race-based programs by Feb. 28 or risk losing federal funding. The University’s rapid response teams, which were implemented after Trump’s inauguration, will continue to analyze executive orders and regulations, she said.

News

Darkness visible: the University of New Mexico’s archive on the sexual abuse of children by priests

Alex Heard | February 21

This story was originally published by Searchlight New Mexico. If you have experienced sexual assault, sexual violence or unwanted sexual contact, you can contact the Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico at (505) 266-7711. Links in this story contain graphic descriptions of sexual abuse of ...

News

Uncertainty looms over UNM with proposed federal research funding cuts

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | February 17

The future of medical research at the University of New Mexico remains uncertain after a federal judge temporarily blocked funding cuts for overhead costs at research institutions. President Donald Trump announced the cuts Feb. 7, which would put a cap on funding from the National Institutes of Health for “indirect costs.” These costs are used for things like laboratory space, faculty and equipment. The proposed cuts aim to maximize the amount of funds that go toward “direct” research costs, according to the announcement.

News

UNM reverts to Trump-era Title IX regulations after federal actions

Lily Alexander | February 17

Universities across the country, including the University of New Mexico, have reverted to 2020 federal regulations that increased rights for students accused of sexual misconduct and did not explicitly protect LGBTQ+ students. This follows a Feb. 4 Department of Education notice that instructed schools to revert to the Title IX regulations that were in place during President Donald Trump’s first administration. The last major shift for Title IX occurred in August 2024, when some universities, including UNM, implemented regulations put in place by then-President Joe Biden’s administration. Passed in 1972, Title IX is a federal law that, in part, protects people from sex-based discrimination at public universities that receive federal funding. It also requires universities to prevent, assess, investigate and resolve complaints, according to UNM Compliance, Ethics & Equal Opportunity.

News

ASUNM sees rush of appropriations, elects new president pro tempore

Elliott Wood | February 17

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico voted on 12 appropriations requests from student organizations and elected a new president pro tempore during its full senate meeting Wednesday, Feb. 12. This was the second election for the president pro tempore position in three months. The newly elected president pro tempore, Sen. Gabbie Gonzales, won over Sen. Charlie Doyle in the roll-call ballot, with endorsements from former President Pro Tempore and current Finance Chair Hope Montoya and Steering & Rules Committee Chair Mary Garcia.

News

‘Our fight is not over’: Deb Haaland launches governor campaign tour in Albuquerque

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | February 14

Former Secretary of the Interior and United States Rep. Deb Haaland kicked off her gubernatorial campaign tour in Albuquerque Thursday, Feb. 13 with a message of resilience. Two days before the Albuquerque rally, which was held at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Haaland formally announced her ...

News

James Monroe Middle School educates students on Black history in New Mexico

Elliott Wood | February 10

At James Monroe Middle School located in northwest Albuquerque, seventh grade New Mexico history teacher Jon Stauss teaches lesser-known Black History Month lessons to his students. “For Black History Month, my classes engage in a three-day unit on the town of Blackdom near modern day Roswell,” Stauss said. “It was established and settled by Black sharecroppers coming into the state from places like Georgia at the turn of the 20th century.” Francis (Frank) Marion Boyer, the leader of the group who created Blackdom Townsite Company in 1903, began his search for an area to settle after being threatened by the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan in his home state of Georgia, according to the National Park Service.

News

Timeline: The history of Black protest at UNM

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | February 10

Throughout the University’s history, Black students have continued to fight for justice and equality at the University of New Mexico. Here are some of the many instances during which these students fought for what they believed was right. 1969 protest against Brigham Young University On Feb. 27, 1969, about 85 members of UNM’s Black Student Union and United Mexican American Students staged a walkout at a UNM-BYU basketball game to protest against Brigham Young University, whose racially discriminatory practices sparked protest across university athletic competitions against BYU, according to a 1969 Daily Lobo article.

News

East End Addition: The legacy of Albuquerque’s first Black neighborhood

Shin Thant Hlaing | February 10

The East End Addition, located near Interstate 40 and Wyoming Boulevard, was the first Black neighborhood in Albuquerque. It was built for Black families by Black people, and it was designated as a Historic Protection Overlay zone in 2023. In 1938, Henry Outley, a Black homesteader, proposed a plan for 144 acres of land on behalf of the Fraternal Aid Society of Black Businessmen. At the time, acquiring a loan to build the housing project was impossible due to laws that discriminated against people of color, according to KRQE.

News

Barbara Brown Simmons: The history of the first Black woman to graduate from UNM Law

Maria Fernandez | February 10

Born Nov. 29, 1947, Barbara Brown Simmons was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of New Mexico School of Law and the first Black woman to become a member of the New Mexico State Bar. An advocate for equal rights, Brown Simmons fought tirelessly through activism and protests to shape UNM during the Civil Rights era in the 1960s before her death in 2022. Brown Simmons lived in Amarillo, Texas as a child, where she said she learned about Black history in school and became proud of her culture during the time of segregation.

News

ASUNM spring semester opens with quiet full senate meeting

Elliott Wood | February 3

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico held its first full senate meeting of the spring semester Wednesday, Jan. 29 — though it was hardly full, as many members were absent due to the date coinciding with UNM Day at the New Mexico capitol. The senate’s repeated close calls in pursuit of the required quorum — ⅔ of sitting senate members present — have been discussed previously by ASUNM Vice President Mutazz Jaber. ASUNM’s newest President Pro Tempore, Bailey Rutherford, led the meeting in Jaber’s stead in their official capacity, having been elected at last semester’s final meeting when Sen. Hope Montoya’s term ended.

News

EPA launches investigation into City of Albuquerque and City Council due to civil rights concerns

Maria Fernandez | February 3

On Jan. 17, the Environmental Protection Agency announced an investigation into the City of Albuquerque and the Albuquerque City Council over allegedly discriminating against a South Valley neighborhood by taking action to prevent the adoption of a rule to reduce pollution in the area. The investigation stems from two complaints filed by the Mountain View Coalition and the New Mexico Environmental Law Center. The EPA will investigate complaints alleging that actions taken by the Albuquerque City Council and the Albuquerque Environmental Health Department “discriminated against persons in Albuquerque on the basis of race, color, and national origin, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” the EPA’s complaint acceptance letter reads.