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Culture

Local church assists hundreds of families in need of food

Daniel Ward | May 28

30,000 pounds of fresh produce and dairy groceries, 13,000 granola bars, 2,400 loaves of bread, 3,600 rolls of toilet paper, 60 gallons of hand sanitizer and 600 reading and coloring books were all collected in just 10 days for the Harvest Fellowship food drive on May 23. The free drive-thru food distribution was set to take place from 9-11 a.m. at the Harvest Fellowship Church parking lot, but cars were lining up as early as 6:15 a.m. to get food. The church partnered with Convoy of Hope to provide two semi-trucks full of supplies for a total of 22 food pallets to give away.

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News

Undocumented students receive aid from UNM

Liam Debonis | May 22

As federal aid initiatives designed to blunt some of the financial hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic sidestep undocumented students, some colleges and universities — including the University of New Mexico — have decided to fill in the gaps with relief of their own. UNM has pledged aid to undocumented students who have filled out state financial aid forms. While most undocumented students are barred from federal financial aid, the state of New Mexico permits all students to apply for state financial aid regardless of immigration status.

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Culture

Marina Bernal found passion for activism, film at UNM

Cameron Ward | May 19

No matter the landscape, Marina Bernal remained a leader and passionate filmmaker. Behind the camera, Bernal gained professional recognition despite being a newcomer to the University.   Graduating with a major in Film and Digital Arts, Bernal’s academic pilgrimage took her from Barcelona, Spain to Albuquerque — and a few stops in between — in pursuit of some of her scholarly and life goals.

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Culture

Casa San Ysidro celebrates New Mexico's heritage online

Loreena Cain | May 17

Casa San Ysidro in Corrales, New Mexico has been hosting Heritage Day annually in May for more than a decade to celebrate the state’s history, art and culture. For the first time, this year’s event took place online. Casa San Ysidro has been closed since March because of COVID-19. Instead, the free event shifted online via the history museum’s website between 1-4 p.m.on May 16.

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Culture

Joel Clinger graduates with biology degree, rescue pilot aspirations

Beatrice Nisoli | May 16

Supplementing the rigorous academic lessons Joel Clinger is taking away from his time at the University of New Mexico is the personal growth he’s experienced throughout the past four years. Clinger is no stranger to arduous work. During his time at UNM, he worked toward a Bachelor of Science in biology and a minor in military studies while carving out time to devote to his student-run extracurriculars, community work and his own faith journey. “There was plenty of community outreach, such as working at the Ronald McDonald House as a guest chef as well as volunteering to help move students in and out of dorms on the Lobo Move-In days,” Clinger said.

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Culture

Mitch Marty graduates with MFA, passion for writing

Annya Loya | May 15

After a three-year long journey at the University of New Mexico, Mitch Marty is ready for his next adventure after graduation. Marty started his college years as an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a major in English (Rhetoric & Writing). After settling on a field, he chose UNM for his Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) degree in creative writing. “I came to the University of New Mexico for my MFA in part because I wanted to experience a different environment/culture that I grew up in the Midwest. UNM has also a great program that’s fully funded, so I was able to teach,” Marty said.  

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Culture

Loreena Cain discovered passion, friendship at UNM

Justin Garcia | May 15

From the Department of English Language and Literature, to the front page of the Daily Lobo, Loreena Cain covered the University of New Mexico with her stories. Now, Cain is ready to open the next chapter of her story.  Cain graduated from UNM this week with a Bachelor's Degree in English and Philosophy. It took her just three years to complete, even as she bounced from music to archeology and eventually to writing.

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Culture

First-generation graduate Jazmin Castillo helps community through counseling

Megan Gleason | May 15

Jazmin Castillo turned barriers into building blocks in her time at the University of New Mexico. Castillo is a first-generation graduate from UNM with a double major in psychology and sociology.  Castillo said she plans to stay at UNM for her master of arts in counselor education and eventually become an elementary or middle school counselor in New Mexico.

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Culture

Gabriel Gaarden fought for fair tuition and public health

Amanda Britt | May 15

Gabriel Gaarden wore many hats during his time at the University of New Mexico. Graduating this spring with a masters in public health is just one of his many achievements. Gaarden was a notable student for both his work as a research assistant and as the president of the Public Health Student Association (PHSA), where he grew as a leader and acted as a voice for the student population in combating differential tuition.

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News

Grace McNealy continues school after graduating with three degrees

Megan Gleason | May 14

After an undergraduate career that was as circuitous as it was prolific, involving a heavy focus on student publications, Grace McNealy will continue her academic journey at the University of New Mexico as a graduate student in the fall. McNealy is finishing her undergraduate degrees with a double major in English and Spanish, along with an honors minor. McNealy plans for a master of arts in English literature with a long-term goal of a publishing career in the future.

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News

UNM town hall addresses anti-Blackness on campus

Alyssa Martinez | May 13

A Zoom town hall to address anti-Blackness within the University of New Mexico community was held Tuesday following a series of racist online attacks hurled at Director of Africana Studies Program Charles Becknell, Jr. On April 30, two separate special event request forms were submitted that contained racist slurs and threats directed at Becknell, as reported by the Albuquerque Journal. “I know that everybody here knows why we’re here,” UNM President Garnett Stokes said at the start of the town hall. “A member of our faculty was recently a victim of what I think was a horrendous hate crime.”

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News

Best Buddies continues to foster friendships — at a distance

Beatrice Nisoli | May 13

In lieu of being able to convene with Best Buddies chapters across the state in person, Best Buddies New Mexico announced on April 30 that it would begin weekly Zoom trivia sessions every Tuesday afternoon. Best Buddies, a nonprofit organization that operates in 56 countries around the world, creates opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through a network of volunteers. This goal is accomplished through a plethora of celebratory events — the most notable being the organization's annual Walk for Inclusion — and by assigning registered members a "buddy," or an individual who lives nearby that also has an IDD, to develop a friendship with. This friendship program has chapters in every state. These chapters are often adopted individually as extracurricular programs in select schools, including universities. Emily Schwarz, a member of Best Buddies New Mexico and a student at Central New Mexico Community College, said she first became involved in Best Buddies at her high school in Rio Rancho and is still in contact with her friend that she met through the program.

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Culture

Amanda Britt graduates UNM with love for journalism, psychology and herself

Megan Gleason | May 12

Through sun and rain, Amanda Britt made her way to graduation with a humble smile that surfaced a radiant personality. With a double major in journalism and psychology, Britt is ending her time at the Daily Lobo as the photo editor. She started at the University of New Mexico with little idea of what her passions were and came out on the other end with love — not just for journalism and psychology, but also for herself. When Britt was diagnosed with bipolar depression, she faced a new challenge that she struggled to handle throughout college. "This whole year has been a battle with my mental health, but now I feel like I’m good again," Britt said. "I am learning more about myself and being kind to myself."

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News

UNM prepping for up to $53 million budget cut from the state

Justin Garcia | May 12

State funding for the University of New Mexico could soon plummet some $53 million or 15%, according to UNM’s top finance administrator, raising questions about cuts and reductions across the University in the coming months. Teresa Costantinidis, UNM’s vice president for finance and administration, told the Board of Regents on Tuesday that UNM is prepping budget scenarios for the likely loss of a significant chunk of state funding due to a historic crash in oil prices and a reeling COVID-19 economy.

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Culture

Local DJs transition to online performances

Cameron Ward | May 9

As social distancing measures persist for the foreseeable future, local DJs are left questioning what will happen next for their industry paused by the coronavirus pandemic. Across the state, many DJs are left unemployed and unable to attend gigs. The health pandemic and subsequent economic crisis forced many DJs to resort to online performances that can be found on live streams. Phoebe Fox, a nursing major at the University of New Mexico, has been participating in many live streams since the transformation and has dressed up for multiple events. 

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Culture

UNM graduate students create homemade ventilator design

Megan Gleason | May 9

University of New Mexico graduate students Mostafa Peysokhan and Maryam Bahmani created a simple ventilator design in mid-April with hopes of helping hospitals low on ventilators. The homemade ventilator “CorVent” was designed to be cheap and easy to create, with little tools necessary. “We decided to design a very simple and inexpensive ventilator that anyone in any part of the world can easily make,” Bahmani said.

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Culture

UNM Mock Trial canceled this semester, plans to come back strong when safe

Megan Gleason | May 7

Mock Trial clubs around the nation, including the University of New Mexico Mock Trial, were forced to stop competing due to COVID-19 regulations put in place by the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA). The Mock Trial club studies court cases and competes with other collegiate level clubs around the United States. AMTA typically releases the cases that all Mock Trial clubs will study nation-wide but made the decision to not release the spring case due to the coronavirus pandemic. This impacts both high school and collegiate levels. “Any competition that’s held is run through (AMTA) and they are the equivalent of royalty... that are paid in order to hold the competition,” UNM Mock Trial President Lanz Sanchez said.

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News

COVID cost UNM nearly $50 million in lost revenue

Justin Garcia | May 5

The novel coronavirus hit the University of New Mexico’s budget hard. Teresa Costantinidis, UNM vice president for finance and administration, told a Board of Regents Committee that COVID-19 has cost UNM $49.8 million in lost revenue.  Administrators didn’t say what actions they might take to stem off repercussions of the revenue lost beyond lobbying the federal government for more relief. However, Provost James Holloway told the Daily Lobo that UNM is under a hiring freeze with an undetermined end date.  “We do expect (for fiscal year 2020) additional allocations of approximately $10 million in total,” Costantinidis said. 

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Culture

“Hamilton” adjusts to the COVID-19 pandemic

Loreena Cain | May 5

The touring cast of the Broadway hit “Hamilton” scheduled a visit to Popejoy from Jan. 19 to Feb. 7, 2021, however, with the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic it is unclear if people will be allowed to gather in large crowds come early next year. “While it is far too soon to tell whether COVID-19 will affect the performances of Hamilton scheduled to begin in Popejoy Hall on January 19, we know we have a great partner in the production of Hamilton that will do all it can to reschedule those performances as quickly as possible, should our three-week run of the show be closed down due to the pandemic,” Popejoy Marketing Manager Terry Davis said,  Broadway shows in New York City have been shuttered since March 12 and are set to remain closed through at least June 7, and it is likely that the shutdown will continue past that date. Touring shows have also been canceled across the country including Popejoy’s planned performances of “Escape to Margaritaville” and “The Play that Goes Wrong”.

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News

NSO goes online

Beatrice Nisoli | May 4

The University of New Mexico’s New Student Orientation (NSO) is officially transferring to an online format.  In a continuing effort to mitigate the potential effect of COVID-19 on UNM students, NSO Director Jose Villar developed an online orientation program for specific groups that has since been extended to all incoming students. According to Villar, he and his team “are committed to doing their part to flatten the curve.”  Coined “NSO...To-Go,” the online orientation will feature live presentations, Q&A panels, webinars and virtual help sessions, among other events. Villar said familiar NSO-specific activities, such as the annual completion of The Grey Area talk and academic advisement and registration, will also be conducted in a remote format.