Opinion

March 31, 2021 Comics

LETTER: UNM grad workers pushed to their limit while undergrads suffer

Two years after faculty unionization, UNM has yet to bargain a fair contract and has stalled recognition for the graduate union. UNM says that we are primarily students, not workers. However, many of us teach courses that tenured faculty teach at other institutions, often the same course-load per semester. If the school saves money this way, our loss of irreplaceable faculty and grad workers every year detracts from the overhead. Faulty attrition in the midst of hiring freezes adds more labor for grad workers, simultaneously undermining our studies. Many Ph.D students have been forced to change research paths multiple times as faculty leave.

LETTER: Oregon State University has a grad worker union, and UNM should too

I am writing from Oregon State University, where our 1,800 graduate researchers and teaching assistants collectively formed a union 20 years ago. Our union, Coalition of Graduate Employees, has tirelessly fought for our basic living conditions year after year against an administration dead set on paying us as little as possible and with little accountability. Through hard work we now have incredible healthcare, protections for international students and LGBTQ+ workers, tuition remission and a livable wage. It has taken us 20 years to get to where we are now but it really changes lives. Graduate employees are parents, family members and loved ones, and we deserve to be treated fairly. Although administrations fight us, we continue to push forth, and will always show up for our peers.

March 29, 2021 Comics

March 22, 2021 Comics

LETTER: New ASUNM president and vice president address student body

Lobos, Thank you so much for selecting us to serve as your next President and Vice President of ASUNM!  We cannot wait to get started and hope that you can be a big part in our plans for next year. We are elected by you, to serve you, so with that comes a responsibility that we are both ready for. We look forward to open dialogue and the exchanging of ideas that will better the University of New Mexico for every single student.

OPINION: Golden Globes fail to avoid controversy — again

In a year unlike any other for film and television, filmmakers, actors and crew members nevertheless persisted to get their work out in time to contend for the 2021 Golden Globes. No one was sure what the award ceremonies would look like, but now they know: sketchy comedy, Zoom acceptance speeches and predictable controversy. The Globes aired the evening of Feb. 28, and hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler — tuning in from opposite ends of the country — made short work of addressing the most pressing controversy. Both women called out the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which constitutes the voting body for the Golden Globes, for having zero representation of Black journalists within its 87 members.

March 1, 2021 Comic

Feb 22, 2021 Comics

LETTER: UNM graduate workers don’t earn enough to live in Albuquerque

A recent post in an online forum asked for tips on how to live on a meager graduate program stipend. “I need to figure out a really strict budget, but that’s hard when rent will take everything I have.” Unfortunately, this is a common problem for those getting their masters and doctorates. Graduate workers like myself perform a variety of duties for their institutions, including research, community outreach, writing, lecturing, grading, mentoring and working with university centers outside their departments.

Op-ed: Climate justice at UNM

Science shows that as we pollute our atmosphere with greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane, the world heats up, causing disasters such as floods, drought, wildfire, hurricanes and ocean acidification. The climate catastrophe is not some remote risk; it is happening now and will certainly get worse. In New Mexico, we are in extreme drought and have already lost much of our mountain forests to wildfire and insect infestation.

40th anniversary of Rush’s ‘Moving Pictures’ hits closer to the heart

Gene Simmons once said, “What kind of band is Rush? It’s Rush.” That might be the most accurate description of this seminal band out of Toronto. Feb. 12 marked the 40th anniversary of Rush’s eighth studio album “Moving Pictures,” a record that sold over four million copies in the United States and was also certified quadruple-platinum in Canada. The album remains the band’s most popular and recognizable of their extensive discography.

DATA DESK: Why I shut down our COVID tracker

Data editor Joe Rull explains why our COVID tracker is being taken offline.

Feb 17, 2021 Comics

Feb 15, 2021 Comics

Feb 10, 2021 Comics

Feb 3, 2021 Comics

Feb 1, 2021 Comics

DATA DISPATCH: UNM men’s basketball is spectacularly hard to watch

Why beat around the bush here? UNM Basketball: Pandemic Edition just flat-out sucks. In almost every measurable, demonstrable way, the University of New Mexico's men's basketball team (1-9 in conference play thus far) is a complete and unmitigated dumpster fire. Obviously, there's a ton of factors at play here, and they're not all UNM's fault. Moving a roster full of fresh faces out of the state for the season was never going to be easy. My god, though — do they really have to make it look this hard? Even the most casual of college hoops observers knows that today's game is all about pace and space. The up-tempo, trigger-happy style of basketball has completely transformed the game as we know it over the better part of the past decade.

Jan 27, 2021 Comics