Opinion

Opinion

Letter: We stand against racism at UNM

Daily Lobo Readers | October 18

Dear UNM Community, We were disappointed to hear that harmful racial remarks were stated by students at the 2018 Greek New Member Summit. We felt moved to write a statement of support for the Black Student Alliance (BSA), African American Student Services (AASS), and all African American students, staff and faculty at UNM. First and foremost, we commend the BSA for taking action. As academic advisors, we are well aware that many UNM students are stressed from not only meeting the demands of their academic workload but also having to hold jobs and navigate the administrative requirements of a flagship research university.

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Opinion

Letter: UNMPD's bike policy does it right

Daily Lobo Readers | October 16

Editor, I wanted to commend the UNMPD for the timely response to an interrupted bike theft that I encountered this summer outside of the Johnson Center. I was leaving the gym when I saw a man fiddling around w/my bike which was locked at the bike rack. He had cut the cable and when I confronted him he walked away. I was lucky, because two staff bystanders came to my assistance right away and called UNMPD. The officer who responded was Officer Robert Duren — he responded promptly and was very courteous and professional. A foot chase ensued (by two other officers), but unfortunately the thief escaped.

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Opinion

Letter: Ken Starr should not be allowed to lecture at UNM

Daily Lobo Readers | October 16

Editor, On November 1, the UNM School of Law will welcome Kenneth Starr for a lecture entitled “Investigating the President, Now and Then: Living in a Constitutional Quagmire”. Love him or hate him for his political views and for his time as an independent counsel investigating a president, I have little doubt that he can provide unique insight on the issue.

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Opinion

Column: 2018 — A deadly year for journalists

Kyle Land | October 15

On Oct. 2, Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. He hasn’t been seen since. While the official status of his whereabouts are still unknown, Turkish officials have stated they have proof that Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, was killed and dismembered after entering the consulate. Saudi officials state that Khashoggi exited the building through a back door, and was never imprisoned nor murdered — although that is looking less and less likely. Khashoggi, a respected journalist and close adviser to the royal family in Saudi Arabia, was in a position to explain the insular mechanisms of Saudi power in a way few others could. His columns became increasingly critical of the Saudi government, especially of the royal family.

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Opinion

Column: Why everyone needs to check their privilege

Megan Holmen | October 4

No matter where you go or what you do in your lifetime, there will likely be someone better off than you, and there will be someone worse off than you. This is — in its essence — a very basic definition of privilege. There are many types of privilege, including white privilege, male privilege, Christian privilege, straight privilege, rich privilege, able-bodied privilege and more. These factors impact the way an individual is treated, the ability to move up in the social system and their quality of life. It is a well-known fact that people are born into circumstances beyond their control, be that negative or positive. Often these factors may be both a blessing or a curse, and only defined by the beholder. Still, much of what surrounds us when we are brought into this world is completely out of our control.

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Opinion

Column: There's nothing wrong with finding your passion

Gabriella Rivera | October 1

Stanford and Yale psychologists recently published a paper titled “Implicit Theories of Interest: Finding Your Passion or Developing It?”. They conducted several studies that claim those who seek to “find their passion” — which they define as believing one has “fixed interests” as opposed to believing your interests change over time — might develop mindsets that make them less successful. They conclude with a warning that “urging people to find their passion may lead them to put all their eggs in one basket, but then to drop that basket when it becomes difficult to carry.” Why does there have to be a dichotomy between finding your passion and developing it?

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Opinion

Column: In light of new allegations, Kavanaugh confirmation must be postponed

Kyle Land | September 24

Christine Blasey Ford is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee this Thursday regarding an alleged incident of sexual assault that occurred 35 years ago. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh denied the allegation in no uncertain terms. “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation,” Kavanaugh said in a statement released by the White House. “I did not do this back in high school or at any time.”

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Opinion

Letter: Activism helps promote healthy communities

Daily Lobo Reader | September 16

Editor, Albuquerque's Climate March was full of strong opinions and even stronger hope, but not full of youth. That's why I showed up. It was not because I have a particular love and affection for all things green or can be found hugging trees in my free time. Truth be told, I am not an environmentalist. I am simply an activist. I showed up because I was called on to spread a message and to act for love and justice.

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Opinion

Letter: BOR is unwilling to listen to the community

Daily Lobo Reader | September 13

Editor, It’s a special “club,” and you are not in it, until we need you. That is essentially the message sent to Faculty Senate President Pamela Pyle by Regent Tom Clifford at the meeting on Tuesday, September 11, 2018. We do not want to take your advice on anything to do with UNM decisions, until we need you to give us some cover, was the other message he made clear.

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Opinion

Predatory Songbirds: the case of the murderous tits

Jenna McCullough | September 13

Editor's Note: This piece was originally published online in the UNM BioBlog on September 4th, 2018, written by Jenna McCullough. This is part of our project to help connect the Daily Lobo audience to more members of our community. When you think of a songbird, like a finch or a sparrow, what kind of food does it eat? For many people, the first thing that comes to mind is bird seed — it fills feeders and the shelves of our local bird-watching stores. But songbirds are more diverse than finches at your neighborhood feeder and they eat more than just idyllic bird seed.

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Opinion

Column: Americans need to pay better attention to international news

Megan Holmen | September 13

According to a 2016 study done by National Geographic, most young Americans cannot pass a test on international affairs. This study consisted of over 1,000 bachelor degree-holding Americans taking a 75 question test. The average score was 55 percent, a score that is most certainly failing. Many Americans know little to nothing about international current events, which is a massive problem. A large portion of the news that Americans find readily available for their consumption focus on problems within the United States, or events that directly impact its interests. In the rest of the world, most individuals don’t have the luxury of closing the curtains on international events and problems.

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Opinion

Column: John McCain's death is a loss for all Americans

Gabriella Rivera | September 6

I’ve always done my best to avoid defining myself politically, as I feel it does more harm than good, but let’s put it this way: you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who would label me “conservative” on most major issues. And while I like to think I associate with people that represent a healthy mix of positions on the political spectrum, an undeniable majority of those close to me are squarely on the left. Senator John McCain, on the other hand, was a fixture of the Republican Party and a consistent conservative — on almost every issue, McCain and I fundamentally disagreed. Not going so far as to revel in someone’s death, perhaps I should be grateful that a powerful adversary to many of the causes I am active in is gone.

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Opinion

Column: Regents' accountability for sports cuts is lacking

Danielle Prokop | September 4

Amidst the outrage swirling around the decision to cut four sports from UNM’s Athletics program, lies the question of who is responsible. While most of the vitriol and threats to withhold funds from the University are aimed at President Garnett Stokes and Athletics Director Eddie Nuñez, many of the parties responsible are left unscrutinized. For a decade, leadership in Athletics promised increased attendance in games to bolster budgets, despite these claims having no basis in fact. And that’s only the beginning.

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Opinion

Column: Norway enchants with its culture

Megan Holmen | August 26

There are some places in this world where photographs cannot do the landscape justice. Norway’s fairy tale fjords are one these places. Carved out of mountains made for a giant's footstool, with waterfalls spilling tears from the Gods, it is no wonder so many spectacular legends were born in the fjords of Norway. There is a certain stillness brought on by the presence of fjords. It is a silence much like a snow-blanketed morning or the last glimpse of light when the sun sets.

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Opinion

Column: How to best manage your time in college

Megan Holmen | August 26

Time management during college can be difficult even if you’re normally an organized person. Between class, studying, work and a social life (if you’re lucky) it’s easy to lose track of an assignment or an important meeting. Often students new to college struggle with knowing when to do what, and what to skip entirely. Some people struggle with organizing their schedule and managing their time well after the start of college, so here are a few tips I have come to live by after two years in college.

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Opinion

Column: Why you should stay in New Mexico

Makayla Grijalva | August 22

New Mexico is familiar with making headlines for bad reasons. In 2018, we ranked 50th in education, 46th in overall economy, 47th in infrastructure, 44th in financial stability, and 49th in crime and correlations according to the US News and World Report. These are not numbers to be boasting about. Throughout high school, I remember my fellow students fantasizing about leaving the state. I had many conversations where I asked the question, “Where do you want to go for college?” and the responses were, “As far away from here as possible.”

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Opinion

Editor's Reaction: Finger pointing seems pointless in no-win situation

Robert Maler | August 22

A story typically benefits from having a protagonist and an antagonist — a good guy and a bad guy (or gal) — someone to root for and someone to bear the burden of villain for people to root against. The student-athletes who make up the University of New Mexico sports programs seemed to be an easy choice for the side to cheer for — a natural fit as they are competitors who rely on and thrive under the support of fans in the community in the respective sports they play. Despite an outpouring of support, many of the students involved in UNM sports found themselves caught in the crosshairs, targets of a plan for a reduction in sports. And it seemed only natural that people would rally against the students unfairly becoming casualties due to other's errors, including a lack of financial oversight, Title IX non-compliance and a myriad of other issues.

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Opinion

Column: An ancestral visit to Sweden

Megan Holmen | August 19

Sweden was the longest leg of my journey and the main reason that I decided to visit Europe in the first place. My father’s family is Swedish and I always wanted to visit my Swedish relatives. All in all, I met around eight relatives in Gothenburg, Stockholm, Lund and Gunnarp. The first cousins I met were Sofia and Henrik Holmén. We spent most of our time outside near Gothenburg. The scenery around Gothenburg belongs in a book of fairy tales. We went swimming nearly everyday, be that in a lake or in the sea off the western coast of Sweden.

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Opinion

Daily Lobo: We are not the enemy of the people

Daily Lobo Staff | August 16

Dear President Trump, It’s clear you hold quite the disdain for the media. While this is not uncommon for people in your position, the level of ferocity that you have shown has gone far beyond simple critiques. Even after five journalists were gunned down in their own newsroom by a man who did not agree with their coverage of him, you stated publicly that those in the media are “the enemy of the people.”

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Opinion

Column: Packing for an international trip

Megan Holmen | August 12

We’ve all had that “oh no” moment when it dawns on us that we forgot some critical items for a trip. When traveling internationally there is an extra-long list of must-have items you might not use in your day-to-day life. It’s easy to accidentally forget something or not even realize you needed something until you're halfway across the world. Deciding on what kind of bag to take on your trip is important because size, shape and type of bag matter. When choosing travelers need to know if their bag will be checked or carry-on only. When traveling, I choose not to check my bag, which means whatever bag I choose needs to be within the standard carry on dimensions; the biggest allowed is 9 inches by 14 inches by 22 inches (22cm x 35cm x 56cm). If during your travels you plan on walking long distances or anticipate standing for long periods of time, then a rolling suitcase might not be the best choice. Instead of having to lug around a rolling suitcase around there are many backpack options that are easier to carry with you, no matter the terrain.