Editor, I attended the last forum for the UNM presidential candidates. Even though UNM is an institution with many thousands of students, less than 12 students attended this forum with me. I'm very discouraged by the utter apathy of most of the student body.
Editor, I am committed every day to saving energy resources, saving water and reducing catastrophic worldwide climate change. Imagine if all who write articles on these concerns made permanent, radical personal changes in their daily lives and challenged all of us by their public example.
Editor, Something to remember on this day honoring St. Valentine is that there are consequences to acts of love performed in the heat of the moment, where emotions overwhelm one's thoughts about anything outside of that instant. Enjoy every aspect of the day - except its overcommercialization - but make sure to use protection.
Editor, Last Friday, I was skateboarding past the Duck Pond on the way to learn in Dane Smith Hall when a UNM faculty member entered my path. I called out three times in a row to fellow pedestrians, "I'm coming up on the right." I was, at all costs, trying to prevent an accident.
The first installment of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was released Feb. 2. Painstakingly assembled and vetted by more than 1,200 scientists and policy experts from 113 countries, it's an 18-page rundown of the meatiest observations, projections and uncertainties in modern climate change science - a preview of the findings of the larger report, which will be hundreds of pages long and released in sections throughout the year.
Do you remember Kailee Wells? She was in the news a few years back. Kailee is a little Chinese girl who was adopted by an Albuquerque family. When she was 5 years old, she almost bled to death from a nosebleed. This is how her family discovered that she has aplastic anemia, a disease in which the bone marrow shuts down. Kailee became a local poster child for bone marrow donation, a procedure that could save her life.
Editor, I am writing as a concerned student of UNM. As I'm sure many people were, I was on Facebook last night, talking to friends and checking out groups and people's profiles. I stumbled upon ASUNM's Facebook group. I thought it would be cool to see who was in ASUNM and what sort of issues it was working on this year.
Editor, If the student walkouts across the U.S. on Thursday to protest the proxy wars across the Middle East are anything like the student walkouts four years ago, the silent majority of overachieving college students will be cowering in their classrooms as the rest face off with militarized riot police.
Editor, A few years ago, a case was built for the invasion of Iraq, and Iraq was invaded. Those of us who did not pay the price of that with our lives are living with the results of that decision. Is there now a case being built for the invasion of Iran? Will Iran be invaded? Is it impossible to learn that there is only one alternative to engaging in dialogue with each other and finding mutually acceptable solutions to our problems? Haven't we chosen the alternative of war often enough, for long enough, to give dialogue a chance to stop all these senseless killings? Maybe I've got it all wrong.
Editor, The purpose of this letter is to clarify what the proposed Senate Bill 124 supports, and why it is an important legislative initiative that will give our state resources to address the problem of teenage pregnancy. New Mexico has the third-highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the nation, and it is first in the nation for 15- to 17-year-olds.
Editor, This past Friday, I was walking past the Duck Pond on the way to teach in Dane Smith Hall when a student on a skateboard ran into me. He continued down the sidewalk. I called out, "Hey, what do you think you're doing?" He responded, "(Expletive) you," and then he flipped me off.
Editor, I read most of the opinions concerning the issue of conversing on a cell phone while driving. I believe it's a good idea to ban this practice for several reasons. According to a 2002 study by the Harvard University Center for Risk Analysis, cell phone distraction while driving results in 2,600 deaths and nearly half a million injuries a year.
Editor, The ASUNM Lobby Committee participates annually in the New Mexico legislative session by lobbying for initiatives that affect the students of UNM. Common goals of the past include keeping tuition low by supporting a zero to minimal increase in the tuition credit and supporting the current structure of the Lottery Success Scholarship.
Editor, The cell phone driving ban that the City Council recently passed claims that talking while driving is just as dangerous as being drunk behind the wheel. I do not agree with what is being suggested by this bill, our city government and the media. Deciding what "driving with distraction" would encompass is very subjective.
It is difficult for graduate teaching assistants to meet with undergraduates outside of scheduled office hours if graduate students are forced to live 10 miles from campus. By allowing graduate students to live on campus, it would give undergraduates greater access to this valuable source of knowledge and improve the retention and performance of both groups of students.
Editor, With the impending selection of a new president of UNM, I am apprehensive about the small number of students who attended the student forum with candidate Herman Lujan on Tuesday. Although this meant I had more time to ask Lujan the questions that personally affected me, I was very disappointed in the lack of representation from not only students as individuals, but all student organizations, as well.
Editor, In response to Scott Darnell's column in Tuesday's Daily Lobo and the letters that have followed about Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, I would like to add that many on the left support Chávez because of the good things he has done in Venezuela. We do, however, also have reservations about his recent actions.
Editor, I was watching the news the other day when I learned that talking on a handheld cell phone while driving is now illegal in Albuquerque. I agree that measures should be taken to prevent traffic accidents, but with bad drivers everywhere, does a cell phone ban solve any problems? A Washington Post article mentioned a study in which rubbernecking was found to cause more accidents than cell phone use.
Editor, We are so blessed to have the privilege, and good reasons, to embark on our nation's annual celebration of Black History Month this February. As I work with businesses throughout our communities and teach adult students who are connected all around the globe, it has become increasingly apparent that knowledge and skill with cultural diversity has become more and more critically important for those who desire to be truly successful managers, organizational executives and good global citizens.
I don't know how the pioneers crossed the Plains in their covered wagons. They didn't even have cell phones. What if Pa was awaiting an important call from his dentist back in Des Moines, Iowa? Or poor Junior - what if his friend George needed to tell him about a new game for some primitive, 1800s version of the Nintendo?
Solutions by The State News
