Opinion - The Daily Lobo

Opinion

Letter: Seal isn't racist, students are taught to see it as racist

May 16

In reading some of the recent letters regarding UNM's seal, I cannot help but wonder how our students and faculty have arrived at the conclusion it is racist. If it were, the seal would be advocating for the superiority of Western culture above all others. The seal does not does not do so in any way, shape or form. A frontiersman and a conquistador, in and of themselves, are not racist symbols. They simply are what they are. No more, and no less.

Opinion

Letter: Argument over seal irrelevant, the University is no longer about education

May 9

If UNM were still a public education institution, a new seal might reflect some of those values, not colonization and racism as it does now. But UNM is no longer a public educational place.

Opinion

Letter: Abolishing racist seal a step toward fixing power dynamics

May 9

Nobody took us seriously when we held the Abolish Columbus Day march in fall of 2014. But then we got a resolution passed in spring of 2015 through ASUNM calling for the celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day of Resistance and Resilience, and yet we did not see any action from any UNM Admins or Regents.

Opinion

Letter: Seal is not bland enough

May 9

Obviously, the UNM seal has to go. The seal is supposed to be an anodyne bit of branding, totally inoffensive and a brief, pleasant reminder of our fine University. It doesn’t matter if the protesters are right about it being offensive. The fact that people are protesting it means it isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do.

Opinion

Letter: UNM should replace mascot along with seal to avoid irking people

May 6

Since everyone wants to change our school symbols these days, maybe we should get rid of the Lobo mascot. After all, I am sure that members of the cat, bird, fish, frog and insect community feel marginalized and intimidated by depictions of a vicious wolf.

Opinion

Letter: Middle Eastern women's lives don't matter to U.S. people

May 6

In the name of liberating women from the clutches of Shariah, how many innocent women have we killed from all our bombing for all these years? Is there even a running count, by us? The Middle East probably has this count, however rough, but will our own media so much as breathe a word about it to us here stateside? You think the Arabs don't talk about it? We certainly don't.

Opinion

Letter: Seal's replacement should show real meaning from past and present

May 6

It's clear that the UNM seal has got to go. How and when that happens is still uncertain. I hope, however, that it is not too early to suggest a replacement.

Opinion

Letter: Protest against seal detracts from real issues

May 4

I have nothing but love and respect for the Native American community. Therefore, it saddens me to have to respectfully disagree with a small, vocal group of activists who have been loudly claiming that UNM’s seal is somehow racist or a symbol of oppression.

Opinion

Letter: Changing UNM's seal will be difficult, not impossible

May 3

Such is the nature of historical power and its retention in New Mexico, student Nick Estes and his fellow protesters at the Red Nation are going to find it an uphill climb to get rid of the intimidating conquistador on the official UNM seal – clearly a painful reminder.

Opinion

Letter: Nakedness should be embraced, not rebuked

May 2

I love living naked at home and nearly naked elsewhere, when I am warm enough. Most humans are the only animals who feel ashamed of their naked bodies and feel compelled to cover their genitals. Why be more ashamed of our genitals than our noses? Why be more ashamed of our ass cheeks than our face cheeks?

Opinion

Letter: Media is wrong about Syrian pres. Assad

May 2

All decent, peace loving Americans should be proud of the recent trip by Republican Sen. Dick Black to Syria. During his visit, the Virginia Republican met with the legitimate and democratically elected Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and urged the West to help Syria in it's fight against ISIS terrorists. When the Syrian Arab army liberates a new city or town from ISIS terrorists, it should be something that decent people all around the world regard as a step forward for humanity.

Opinion

Letter: Changing the UNM seal won't make anything better

May 1

Can we compare the Nazi swastika with the UNM seal? The Nazis used the swastika to represent their attitudes of superiority toward a lot of the world’s people regardless of skin color. Yet, the swastika is still used by people today. So it would only be fair to believe that people follow that philosophy.

Opinion

Op-Ed: Beware dishonest, discriminatory landlords

May 1

Now that the semester is ending, many students will be seeking new living arrangements. For those desiring new apartments or houses in the UNM area, my experiences between the beginning of the 2016 spring semester and spring break may serve as a wake-up call to older students, especially if they happen to be questioning, assertive women. In my opinion, my experiences reflect, at best, a subjective attitude on the part of landlords, and at worst, age and gender discrimination.

Opinion

Letter: Even murderers can change their ways

April 28

On June 25, 1976, my grandparents, in rural Illinois, were murdered in their sleep. They were retired farmers in their 80’s.

Opinion

Editorial: Admin should lead charge against sexual assault

Daily Lobo Editorial Board | April 28

The Department of Justice’s report, released last Friday, detailing the cracks in UNM's approach to combating sexual harassment and assault, is a jarring read. But, in many respects, President Bob Frank’s response later that same day was just as concerning. Frank and other University officials said that the DOJ report doesn’t represent the whole story, that UNM has prioritized the problem by conducting its own investigation, and that they have already implemented a variety of tools and procedures that can be utilized, including opening the LoboRESPECT center and establishing a 24/7 hotline.

Opinion

Letter: Hispanics deserve consideration regarding UNM's seal

April 28

(This is an) open letter to the Regents of the University of New Mexico, I am writing to you today to get you to consider both sides of the Seal issue presented to you by The Red Nation and other Indian groups. They would prefer to completely remove the two figures, that is, the Spaniard and the Frontier man.

Opinion

Letter: Consent needs to be understood to prevent sexual assault

April 28

Everyone deserves a sex life that is safe, healthy, and pleasurable -- and that includes every Lobo right here at the University of New Mexico. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the Student Alliance for Reproductive Justice is hosting a Take Back the Night, Thursday, April 28th from 7 to 9 p.m., starting west of the Cornell parking structure and ending at the Duck Pond.

Opinion

Letter: K-9s should not be set on civilians

April 28

This barbaric practice of our police sicking large and ferocious attack dogs on citizens should stop. Thus in Albuquerque, what exactly happened when a paranoid schizophrenic camper in the Sandia foothills had a police dog sent at him? One report stated that the dog had been sent to bite him. Even a normal, innocent person would be terrified enough to fight back instinctively and with no time for thought when a dog is coming at you off leash.

Opinion

Letter: Trump and Sanders both demagogues, Clinton only qualified candidate

April 27

The bi-weekly letters of Muhaijir Romero, Arun Ahuja, and Don Schrader are always fascinating, but why doesn't the DAILY Lobo publish opinion letters and columns, daily? Wasn't the point of going digital, to expand access to information and dialogue?

Opinion

Letter: Rape is not complex, its assault

April 27

I just read the article cited in President Frank’s Weekly Perspective – 4.25.2016, “Justice Department Releases Findings of UNM’s Response to Sexual Assaults On Campus,” and noted what President Frank said with some dismay: that UNM faces the “impossible goal” of stopping sexual assaults because, in part, they frequently occur in “incredibly complex situations” and “involve alcohol and drugs.”