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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
On June 25, 1976, my grandparents, in rural Illinois, were murdered in their sleep. They were retired farmers in their 80’s.
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.
(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.
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.
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.
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?
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.”
Political rumors cloud the logic behind the UNM Regents’ decision to reintegrate the Health Sciences Center with main campus. To clarify, the vote essentially returned the HSC Governing Board from a semi-autonomous entity back to a sub-committee of the Regents. This adjustment is a state Constitution requisite, and is identical to how HSC was managed for many years prior to a change in 2010. Like every other major enterprise on campus, HSC now has its own specific sub-committee for all of its academic, clinical and financial affairs.
The sport of top-level mountaineering should be done with the pure spirit of using one’s own physical prowess and endurance to reach the top, not the use of coolies to carry one’s stuff and otherwise attend to one’s every need, besides giving the mountaineer a leg up when needed and showing them the easier, gentler, safer path upward. That is cheating.
Solutions by The State News
