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UNM theater students gear up for SCRAP spring fest

  Thespians rejoice: starting March 4, the University of New Mexico’s department of theatre and dance and UNM’s student theater organization SCRAP are holding a festival of two new plays written, directed, performed and coproduced by undergraduate students. The two plays are “The Jaw Comb” and “Letters to a Dead Poet.” Performances will be held at the X – Experimental Theatre March 4-6 and 10-13. “I’m really excited, just for everyone to have their own piece of this play … I’m excited to see how it flourishes and how everyone gets to work on stage with it and takes it in a way that they feel proud of,” Savannah Ramirez, writer of “The Jaw Comb” said.

REVIEW: ‘Drive My Car’ is a smooth, emotional ride

  With “Drive My Car” being both a foreign language film and having an almost three-hour runtime, it checks off two boxes that a large number of successful Oscar-hopeful films have had in the past few years (like “Parasite,” “Roma” and “The Irishman”). But to say that “Drive My Car” is merely a combination of previously successful elements would be almost an insult as Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s film seems to defy all definition and explanation. Even with a runtime of almost three hours, “Drive My Car” never lets off the gas. Hamaguchi has slowly been making waves throughout the indie film scene ever since the 2015 film “Happy Hour” garnered him international attention.  

Lobos men’s basketball secures win over Air Force 69-65

  The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team secured a hard-fought victory against the Air Force Falcons on Saturday, Feb. 26 at The Pit. The 69-65 final score was much closer than the Lobos’ 91-77 win at Air Force earlier in February. Both teams struggled with fouls; UNM earned 20 fouls and Air Force got 21 by the time the final buzzer sounded. The entire first half was neck and neck between the two teams with the largest lead being six points at the very end of the half when Air Force was up 30-24 against the Lobos.  Jaelen House, who put up an astounding 42 points in UNM’s first outing against the Falcons, finished the first half with zero points despite having played 17 of the first half’s 20 minutes.  

Stokes’ State of University address covers COVID-19, new projects

  On Thursday, Feb. 24, University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes delivered her annual State of the University address. Like last year, the COVID-19 pandemic was at the forefront of topics covered within the address. “Over the last two years, we've found many new ways of doing things in the interest of keeping our community safe — different ways of communicating, learning, collaborating and even different ways of celebrating,” Stokes said.  Despite the ongoing pandemic, she said the University has made strides to return to a somewhat normal college experience, citing both the recent in-person fall commencement ceremony and having students be able to come back fully to campus. 

UNM softball team dominates Lobo Classic with four wins at home

  The University of New Mexico softball team won all the games in their home tournament, the Lobo Classic, Thursday, Feb. 24 to Sunday, Feb. 27 at the Lobo Softball Field. The Lobos beat the University of Texas at El Paso Thursday, North Dakota State University Friday, the University at Buffalo Saturday and Tarleton State University Sunday. The Lobos now have a record of 10-3 and are on a five-game winning streak.  The Lobos had exceptional pitching in their games Saturday and Sunday. Both Amber Linton and Emma Guindon pitched full games and added nine and seven strikeouts to their respective records. Offensively, Andrea Howard shone in both games. 

Lobos track and field teams compete in Mountain West indoor championships

  The University of New Mexico track and field teams competed in the Mountain West Indoor Track and Field Championships Feb. 24-26 at the Albuquerque Convention Center. This competition gave the Lobos the chance to show off their best and jockey for qualifying positions for the NCAA Indoor Championships. It’s no secret that the best of the Lobos’ track and field are in the women’s distance program, and they got the chance to prove it again first thing Thursday, Feb. 24 in the distance medley relay, though there was some drama on the way. On the first 1200-meter leg of the relay, the lap counter jumped erroneously from three laps to one. 

UNM softball team off to a promising start in nonconference season

  Having been on the road to kick off their season, the University of New Mexico softball team stands at 7-3 after playing their first tournament at home in the Lobo Classic after the Candera Classic and the Cardinal Classic. The Lobos started the tournament with a game against the University of Texas at El Paso on Thursday, Feb. 24, which they won 5-4 after a close seventh inning. Standout players thus far include center fielder and former Olympian Andrea Howard, new pitcher Amber Linton, returning pitcher Emma Guindon and freshman infielder Emma Bramson.

Heinrich discusses UNM professors’ methane emission sensors on campus

  Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., visited the University of New Mexico on Thursday, Feb. 24 to discuss two UNM professors’ research on sensors designed to detect methane leaks along natural gas pipelines. Research associate professor Lok-kon Tsui and distinguished professor Fernando Garzon are leading the research, which was awarded $1.5 million from the Department of Energy, according to the UNM Newsroom. The meeting largely consisted of Tsui, Garzon and Kamil Agi, a representative of SensorComm Technologies, UNM’s partner in developing the sensor technology, explaining how the sensors detect methane emissions along pipelines.   “Over the course of the past two years, we’ve made a number of improvements to the design of our sensor.  

President addresses Russian attacks on Ukraine

  On Thursday, Feb. 24, President Joe Biden spoke at a press conference regarding the Russian attacks on Ukraine. In his speech, he condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for the attacks, announced a major sanction package against Russia and said although U.S. troops will not go into Ukraine to fight, he is committed to defending nearby NATO allies. “Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war. And now he and his country will bear the consequences,” Biden said. His remarks come after Russia’s missile attacks on many Ukrainian cities on Feb. 24 Eastern European Time. 

Arda Azkara captivates the Mountain West

  Arda Azkara may be a new face around the Mountain West Conference, but the freshman tennis player from Turkey has been gunning to conquer the tennis world ever since he was a kid. Now playing for the University of New Mexico, Azkara seized the conference’s attention when he swept the Mountain West Player and Freshman of the Week honors for the week of Feb. 10-16. When asked about that week, the first thing he talked about was his team’s success. “(It was) a tough week,” Azkara said. “Two big matches against Santa Clara and GCU … We were 0-2 on the season but we had those two good wins and now (on Thursday) we’re at 2-2.”

Street medic advocates for ABQ’s marginalized communities

  Albuquerque resident Ciel Melody works tirelessly to advocate for marginalized communities in the city and is building up a new local street medic coalition where they’ll train other community members in street medicine. Originally from North Carolina, Melody first became interested in activism in 2015, around when they were hospitalized for a chronic illness and also came out as transgender. “Ever since I came out, really … I’ve been interested in trying to make a difference in my community … I’ve been sick and tired of sitting around my whole life and watching things happen and saying I’m gonna do something. I want to actually do something,” Melody said.

Comics February 21, 2022

Local tattoo artists navigate effects of COVID-19

  While the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up factors of cleanliness around the nation, many tattoo shops in Albuquerque were already adhering to these standards. Now, however, artists are navigating woes in their own safety factors, increased supply chain prices and a changed social atmosphere in their shops. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, artists had to be extremely careful regarding sterilization, according to All Is One Tattoo artist Bianca Sanchez, so the increased sanitation wasn’t anything new to her. “It's not too different, just because everything's already pretty clean … We have to sanitize (tools) out of sight and everything like that so, really, the only difference is masks,” Sanchez said.

UNM Art Museum opens ornate exhibition ‘Mysterious Inner Worlds’

 In her first solo exhibition in New Mexico, Anila Quayyum Agha started showing “Mysterious Inner Worlds” on Friday, Feb, 18 at the University of New Mexico Art Museum. With a unique combination of Islamic architecture and personal concepts about sacred spaces’ patterns, the exhibit has four sculptures that are all activated by light. The installation is comprised of works of paper, beads, metal and light, with Agha’s designs being guided by traditional Pakistani artistry and made to convey feelings associated with her experiences with religion, gender, culture and danger, according to the UNMAM gallery guide.   Many of the pieces use the sewing techniques taught by her mother as well as beads and papers sourced from Pakistan, according to the UNMAM gallery guide. 

REVIEW: ‘The Worst Person in the World’ revives the rom-com

  Writer and director Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World” finally received a wide-release in the United States on Feb. 4 after dazzling movie fans and critics alike at its premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. After having the chance to watch the film for myself, it’s no surprise why Trier’s slick, stylish and subversive film has won over the hearts and minds of so many viewers. The opening montage thrusts the audience into the chaos and confusion that is confronting our main character, Julie, and many other 20-somethings all around the world. Initially, Julie is studying to become a surgeon. 

LETTER: Climate change must be addressed

  Climate change is one of the most pressing issues that the world faces today. Since the industrial revolution, the levels of carbon dioxide have been increasing at an alarming rate. Those high levels of CO2 have been affecting the global climate and as such, the temperature has been steadily rising. Most of the world's hottest years have occurred in the last 10 to 15 years. Many facts show that climate change is a real problem that should be addressed. As a result of the ever-changing climate, the world is slowly losing its ice sheets. The ice sheets in Greenland lost about 197 gigatons of ice in 2019. From 1979 to 2006, (there) had been a decline in the mass of those ice sheets.

UNM programs support first-gen students

  With nearly half of all students enrolled at the University of New Mexico being first-generation college students, the University has a variety of support systems to guide these students toward success. First-gen student Danilo Franco, a junior majoring in computer engineering, accredited some of his success at UNM to the support he’s received from the University’s resources. “My freshman year I had way too many hurdles to get over, and the concern was how I would fill in the gap between what I was able to pay and what I got through scholarships,” Franco said. “I definitely utilize the resources on campus often.”  UNM’s College Enrichment Program provides resources specific to first-generation students through guidance from four advisors. 

NM senator calls for release of Air Force chimps

  Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., is fighting for animal rights with his co-sponsorship of the Chimp Sanctuary Act, a bill that would prohibit Air Force bases in the United States from housing chimpanzees that are no longer needed for government research. The bill was introduced on Feb. 9 by primary sponsors John Kennedy, R-La., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and co-sponsors Heinrich and Bill Cassidy, R-La. The bill would restrict the housing of chimpanzees at any Air Force base in the United States, including the 34 chimpanzees currently housed at the Alamogordo Primate Facility in Alamogordo, New Mexico, according to a Feb. 9 press release from Animal Protection New Mexico, a nonprofit organization devoted to preventing animal cruelty, abuse and neglect.

African American Student Services hosts final 2022 Black History Month events

  The University of New Mexico’s African American Student Services center has been hosting events throughout Black History Month and is wrapping up this week with “Our Black is Beautiful” on Thursday, Feb. 24 and “Black Grad Mixer” on Friday, Feb. 25. “Our Black is Beautiful” will be a discussion held at AASS led by UNM associate professor of law Sonia Gipson Rankin. She said the event will largely focus on the term “ubuntu,” which has African linguistic roots based on the premise that “I am because we are” and the connection “from person to person.”

Governor lifts state's indoor mask mandate

  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that the statewide indoor mask mandate would be lifted on Thursday, Feb. 17, effective immediately. During the press briefing at the New Mexico state Capitol where it was announced, Lujan Grisham explained that this decision was due to a projection of lower hospitalization rates despite continued high case counts. There has already been a 37% decrease in hospitalizations, which has freed up hospital resources, according to a Feb. 17 press release from the office of the Governor.