Opinion

Opinion

Letter: Universities should be open to challenging speech

Daily Lobo Reader | April 15

In the coming weeks, far-right PragerU speaker, Will Witt, will be coming to UNM. Whether or not that will garner the same hatred and response as when Milo Yiannopolous came to speak is yet to be seen.  Being a registered Democrat and a self-described progressive, my biggest complaint with my own party is our refusal to hear others with views that don’t align with exactly with our’s. The first amendment of our Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law … prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech.” I’m not sure why we have such an animosity towards those who have opinions that do not match our own.

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Opinion

Letter: Yale pump station should be preserved

Daily Lobo Readers | April 15

Editor, Years back, there was a somewhat overrated, but compelling hit song that spoke of "paving paradise" and replacing them with parking lots. Today, the University of New Mexico takes a step further towards being the kind of institution that does just that.  I'm referring to the school's recent decision to raze a nearly 100-year-old pump structure off Central and Yale to add to the area's already aggressively expansive parking superstructure. Granted, an old and somewhat dilapidated pump building isn't exactly "paradise", but it will certainly be taken down, paved, and made into yet another expression of the "free market," where students and visitors can fork over more of their money for the benefit of the private companies that make these electronic "pay stations." 

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Opinion

Column: Include R.O.N. on the ballot to keep elections fair

Kyle Land | March 25

This week thousands of undergraduate students at the University of New Mexico will have the chance to elect the next president and vice president of the Associated Students of UNM, with two candidates running for each position.  However, I’m not here to discuss any one of those candidates. Instead, I’ll be discussing a third candidate for both positions — their name is R.O.N.  R.O.N. is actually a popular candidate at many different universities and is a common feature in student union elections across the United Kingdom.  But R.O.N. is not a person; it is an acronym for Re-Open Nominations, and is included on ballots next to the names of the candidates. 

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Opinion

Column: Greek Life's charity doesn't make up for shortcomings

Kyle Land | March 18

The history of Greek Life on university and college campuses has no shortage of drama. In recent years, fraternities and sororities across the nation have faced troubling incidents, including racism, homophobia and sexual assault.  One fraternity at Syracuse even achieved the trifecta by mocking or doing all of these acts in one video.  Even at the University of New Mexico, Greek organizations face their fair share of troubling behaviors. Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE), Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) and Phi Delta Theta (Phi Delt) came under investigation last year for violating university policies relating to alcohol and hazing. FIJI had its entire charter revoked, while PIKE and Phi Delt were both placed on probation, the latter of which just ended in January. 

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Opinion

Letter: My favorite places to cry on campus

Daily Lobo Readers | March 7

I have been at UNM for three years pursuing my undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry. There are a plethora more places I have cried, and am planning to cry in the future. In all seriousness, I encourage you to take care of yourself this week despite the high stress and volume of tasks. If you’re reading this, I implore you to take a deep breath, you can do it. Prioritize your sleep (no, coffee is not a replacement for sleep, sorry), make sure you’re eating and drinking enough. Good luck on your exams, and remember that your performance on exams does not dictate who you are as a person. 

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Opinion

Column: Objectivity isn't enough for good journalism

Danielle Prokop | March 4

Dear Reader,  Look, I like objectivity as much as the next girl, but here’s the thing — as a measurement for good journalism, it's a poorly-used metric.  Before you all come at me with your pitchforks and AP Stylebooks, hear me out. I believe in objectivity and strive to use it, but it's far from the end-all-be-all solution. Setting aside beliefs, it is important to disconnect how things might personally affect you and keep personal opinions under wraps. Good journalism requires people to be critical thinkers, to ask better questions by compartmentalizing our preconceptions and emotions. That doesn't mean I stop being a human.  Objectivity, according to a quick Google search, is the absence of bias or prejudice, which honestly is all good.  However, it is the philosophy of how to apply objectivity that causes serious problems in journalism. 

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Opinion

Sports Column: There's more to cheerleading than meets the eye

Alanie Rael | February 25

Stereotypes surrounding cheerleading have a history that dates back decades and are concepts most people grew up hearing.  Assumptions like “cheerleaders are dumb” or “cheerleading isn’t a real sport” are common when discussing the topic of cheerleading. But for many, cheerleading is a lot more than its stereotypes. As University of New Mexico cheerleaders, sophomores Amaia Bracamontes and JC Oellien have been confronted by these “standards” that seem to define them as athletes. 

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Opinion

Sports Column: Team sports are an integral part of campus community

February 25

Team sports can be an integral part of creating a cohesive and healthy campus community. For three years, I attended a private art university that did not offer any organized sports.  At first, I didn’t really care because I was an ‘artist’ and many artists didn’t do sports. At least, that’s the impression art school gave me, and I ran with it. I had participated in team sports my entire life — basketball, soccer and softball as a kid to competitive swimming as a teen— so when I was fresh out of high school, I wanted something completely different.

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Opinion

Column: Homelessness affects students as well

Andrew Gunn | February 7

Raoul Thompson is one of the many thousands of undergraduates enrolled at the University of New Mexico. He attends classes, participates in student organizations and spends endless hours studying at Zimmerman Library. His aspirations of obtaining a degree and excelling mirror the ambitions of many students on university and college campuses around New Mexico and the rest of the United States. He has a hunger to prove himself and mold his life into one of success, on his own terms. He also has a secret. Thompson has no house, no apartment, no condominium — no bed to go home to at night. He has been experiencing homelessness off and on again since 2013.

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Opinion

The arguments for and against the Oxford comma

February 7

Few grammatical debates have created more controversy than the Oxford Comma. Below, ASUNM Attorney General Emily Hartshorn and Daily Lobo Editor-in-Chief Kyle Land attempt to argue for and against the usage of the hotly debated punctuation mark. No matter which side you fall on, hopefully this gives you an insight as to why others use or do not use the serial comma. 

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Opinion

Column: Identity politics has been misused by politicians

Megan Holmen | February 3

Identity politics — everyone has them. Political views and opinions are inherently personal and connected to a person’s larger sense of identity. So why is it that whenever this phrase is uttered people cringe and grow angry? Identity politics rely heavily on the idea that people generally support positions that benefit the groups in which they belong. And why shouldn’t you support positions that benefit you? After all, that fits in with American rhetoric that everyone is responsible for their own success.

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Opinion

Column: Identity politics has been misused by politicians

Megan Holmen | February 3

  Identity politics — everyone has them.  Political views and opinions are inherently personal and connected to a person’s larger sense of identity. So why is it that whenever this phrase is uttered people cringe and grow angry?  Identity politics rely heavily on the idea that people generally support positions that benefit the groups in which they belong. And why shouldn’t you support positions that benefit you? After all, that fits in with American rhetoric that everyone is responsible for their own success. 

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Opinion

Letter: Student Family Housing has a serious cockroach problem

Daily Lobo Reader | January 29

UNM provides many services to students, some better and some worse. As a new graduate student, my family and I relocated back to Albuquerque and moved into Student Family Housing (SFH). The pros: international neighbors, utilities, cable, internet and laundry are included. The cons: limited living space, poor grounds keeping, theft and GERMAN COCKROACHES. That's right, UNM SFH, which houses graduate & postgraduate students, their partners, children & youth, expose residents to roaches.

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Opinion

Sustainability: It's more than just a trend

Luisa Pennington | January 7

It’s 2019 and people are throwing “sustainability” around like we are playing a game of catch. With sound slogans and aesthetically pleasing products, it’s no wonder the term has evolved into a buzzword. I can’t count the number of times I have heard someone recycling, only to receive the adorational response, “Oh, that’s so good of you,” as if the recycler has just solved climate change.

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Opinion

Letter: Why soccer

Daily Lobo Reader | December 9

At 9 pm on a summer day in Germany, Mario, from Mexico, waited to be seen by emergency doctors for an injury to the chest. His friend Arturo from Colombia had driven him to a nearby hospital — in northwest Germany, this past July. The husband of an elderly German couple waiting in line in front of them could hardly contain his impatience with a young immigrant family whose infant needed treatment. It took that family a long time to get registered. Finally, the couple was seen. Then it was Mario’s turn. He, too, took a long time to get registered. Two hours later, after several x-rays and an ultrasound, Mario and Arturo left the hospital, relieved, no ribs broken, lungs and spleen intact.

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Opinion

Column: How to prepare yourself for finals week

Tom Hanlon | December 6

The weeks between Thanksgiving and winter break have previously been described as torture for college students. After enjoying a food-filled weekend with family and friends, University of New Mexico students return to school to face final projects, papers and dreaded final exams. But fellow students, don’t be discouraged, the end is in sight. Here are seven ways to prepare for finals and regain some energy to finish strong.

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Opinion

Column: Ban plastic bags that harm the environment

Andrew Gunn | November 29

In the North Pacific Ocean, there exists a vortex of debris and trash that is estimated to contain at least 80,000 metric tons of plastic. A report in March of this year in the scientific journal, Nature Research, suggests the amount of plastic pollution in one 1.6 million square kilometer section of the ocean is increasing exponentially. This 1.6 million square kilometer section is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), and it is a microcosm of the effects that our society’s rampant growth and insatiable appetite for consumption have on our planet.

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Opinion

Letter: UNM offers a top-of-the-line education

Daily Lobo Reader | November 19

Staff at UNM were recently dismayed at comments made by Regent Tom Clifford and his assertion that UNM “[doesn’t] have a good product.” This claim is false. The University experience isn't a widget you either sell or don't sell or that works or doesn't work. Learning in higher education is challenging and success levels are complex. Degrees are not the only ‘product’ that UNM offers. Great teaching, mentoring, research and programming take place here to engage our students before, during and after they earn any degree.

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Opinion

Letter: Regent Clifford was wrong to criticize UNM's product

Daily Lobo Reader | November 19

I write in response to Regent Tom Clifford’s comments made during last week’s Board of Regents meeting as reported by Andrew Gunn on Thursday, Nov 15. Regent Clifford is reported as saying UNM graduates “get nothing of value that they can show.” It is disheartening to hear that a regent — a person who has been called on to lead the University — carries an opinion so far from the truth.

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Opinion

Column: How to handle dietary restrictions for Thanksgiving

Megan Holmen | November 19

Turkey day is only a few days away, and Americans across the country are preparing for the annual day of thanks, followed by the day of supermarket and mall chaos — black friday. But to be prepared to scavenge for the best deals in stores and online, it is an accepted fact that a well-stuffed belly (and a well-stuffed turkey) is a must. However, for vegetarians, vegans and other dietarily restricted folks out there a belly for battle is harder to achieve. Gathering with friends and family it’s likely we all know someone with a dietary restriction — or two — myself included. This Thanksgiving have no qualms about what will be served for dinner, as there are modern options for all. Turkey may be known as the cornerstone of Thanksgiving dinner, but it doesn’t have to be. Soy options are available at most local grocery stores, meaning vegetarians and vegans can enjoy tofurkey, and even vegetarian stuffing.