Check this page for the Daily Lobo's updated testing and confirmed case data for the COVID-19 outbreak in New Mexico, thanks to the COVID Tracking Project. This page will be updated daily as more data is produced and reported.
The University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) started one clinical trial and is preparing another to examine potential treatments for COVID-19, as deaths and cases swell across the world. A trial for hydroxychloroquine, a drug typically used to treat malaria and lupus, started last week, while an upcoming trial for remdesivir, an antiviral developed during the 2015 Ebola epidemic, is in the works. Both trials are small parts of an unprecedented global research effort to find treatments and a vaccine.
Budget bills, Zoom bombs and the year-long fee raise debate sounded through the computers of student government leaders on the first of the month. As the University grapples with the unprecedented changes brought by the coronavirus pandemic, the student government assembled on Zoom Wednesday night to debate the reinstatement of a fee raise, already voted down by the student body and vetoed by the student-body president. The evening commenced with the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico’s President Adam Biederwolf announcing three major breakthroughs prompted by the pandemic.
There are two types of people in life — those that take advantage in times like this, and those that help, according to Hector Puig, a photographer and artist based in Los Angeles. Puig is the visionary behind the world’s largest virtual photography experience, where photographers from across the country can join together to create art. He said that creating this experience is how he could help both the photographers and the rest of the world through expression and art in these dark times. Puig, along with photographer Dovvie Viramontes, reached out to photo-communities in Albuquerque, Los Angeles, Seattle and DC through Instagram, and expect over 400 photographers to attend the zoom meeting on April 4, 2020.
For students who spend the majority of their time on campus or doing extracurricular activities, maintaining isolation can become quite the challenge, if it hasn't already. To prevent the spread of coronavirus, governments around the world have ordered its citizens to practice isolation within their homes and maintain a social distance of at least six feet apart from others. Groups of more than 10 people are highly discouraged, if not banned outright. To make sure you don't completely lose your routine and maintain a positive attitude, here are some helpful tips on how to stay motivated during isolation.
All of the University of New Mexico’s student resource centers have moved to remote services or limited operations during spring break due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Many of the resource centers still operate fairly normally and are offering a majority of their typical resources, such as counseling, advocacy, academic advisement and many more. Other resources, such as printing stations or computer labs, are curren
While many Americans wait eagerly for their $1200 stimulus check to come in the mail, some New Mexican college students have been left to fend for themselves. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the president of the United States signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act into effect on March 27, authorizing $1200 payments to individual Americans, along with a number of corporate bailouts. For 19 to 23-year-old full-time college students, however, their status as legal dependents or undocumented immigrants bars them from receiving stimulus checks, according to Business Insider.
GALLUP, N.M. — COVID-19 has gripped the Navajo Nation and given no sign of letting go as new cases and deaths continued to climb this week. As of the publication of this article, there are at least 241 cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths, according to the Navajo Nation Department of Health and Navajo Area Indian Health Service. In an effort to combat the spread of the disease, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer have called on Navajo Nation citizens to social distance and stay home.
The tradition of Good Friday shared amongst many Catholic religious people in New Mexico has been postponed at Santuario de Chimayo from Archbishop of Santa Fe, John Wester. It was announced by Archbishop Wester March 13, 2020, for the people of God, to stay home during the pilgrimage walk that would happen this upcoming April 10th, known as Good Friday. Father Glennon Jones from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe said, “The walk has been officially canceled this year, but you know how those things go. No doubt some people will try to do it anyway even though we’ve asked them not to.”
As the University of New Mexico moves online, the fine arts departments are faced with challenges on how to move hands-on subjects to a remote education. Many courses were adapted to work from home, which provided challenges like accessibility to the internet and the necessary equipment to work. Andrea Polli, professor of art and ecology, said that art students will struggle with a lack of equipment like 3D printers and laser cutters, which were provided for them at school. Fortunately, Polli’s students bought art kits at the start of the semester and are still able to work from home, although limited. Some courses, like musical ensembles, were canceled completely.
In a time when normal life comes to a halt, having a daily workout or meditation session may seem trivial. But, the battle against the new coronavirus is not the only battle people must fight. Depression, loneliness and anxiety are things that many people struggle with already and are only exacerbated by orders to stay at home, not go to school or refrain from socializing in person. The fight for health and sanity in such concerning times is not impracticable. Resources have already been mobilized for those stuck in their homes. Amazon now offers select children's movies for free. Arnold Schwarzenegger shared his home workout routine online. Self-help mobile apps like Sanvello are offering free premium access to their services for the duration of the outbreak. And online counseling services are experiencing increased demand.
New Student Orientation (NSO) may join the increasing list of services being transferred online in response to COVID-19. NSO, which typically occurs during the summer, is a mandatory two to three-day orientation for incoming University of New Mexico students. The purpose of the orientation is to welcome students to the UNM community through a combination of team-building activities and sharing resources for succeeding in a University setting. An online orientation option had been available for specific student populations previous to the technological shifts brought by COVID-19. Since this is an already existing initiative, an exclusively online orientation format could quickly extend to every incoming student should the need arise.
Candles can be a great way to experience wonderful smells flooding your room while stuck inside during quarantine. Once you have used up your wick, it shouldn’t end your joy but instead spark more happy times. If I had a dollar saved from all the candles I have bought in the past, I could have spent more on the groceries that I needed during this quarantine. You can ask me about my favorite scents, but the greatest thing I’ve learned in my history of candles is the number of different things it can hold in its container. Whether you love candles or just want to get rid of them, this upcycle works for anyone. In this creation, you will turn a plain used candle into your own new recycled container. If you have a sweet tooth like me, some Jolly Ranchers would be perfect to hold in your new container.
In collaboration with the University of New Mexico law school's Wild Friends education program and the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division, the state's Department of Transportation (NMDOT) has released its first Pollinator Protection license plate featuring student artwork. The law school's Wild Friends program prompted the initiative and approached NMDOT for an outreach effort. The Wild Friends program began at the UNM School of Law in 1991. Since then, the program has continued to collaborate with students in grades 4-12 to promote serving low-income schools and maintaining an educational focus on civics and science through the advancement of wildlife issues at the state legislature.
University of New Mexico student employees were just given a big promise. University President Garnett Stokes announced in an email March 31 that student employees who meet eligibility requirements will be paid through the rest of the semester, regardless of whether or not they are actively working. “Some of you may still be working while others may not,” the email read. “Regardless, please know that the University values you.”
As courses reconvene in an online landscape, select students at the University are being granted $200 scholarships to assist in their transition. Associate Provost for Student Success Pamela Cheek said up to 400 students will be able to receive the Lobos Connect Mini-Scholarship, which aims to financially assist students who need reliable access to the internet. “(The $200) amount is based on an assessment of how much it might cost to purchase a MiFi or to augment cell phone or internet services for a few months,” Cheek said.
A group of medical students from the University of New Mexico recently launched Corona Care NM, a website that helps connect New Mexico volunteers to local healthcare and hospital workers, and vice versa. Volunteers can help healthcare workers with childcare needs, cooking, cleaning, pet sitting and more. They are able to fill out their experience in order to be best fitted with a particular job or duty, as well as preference for what type of work they are willing to do. If healthcare workers need help with childcare, they are connected with three to five volunteers. Otherwise, they are connected with one volunteer. The contact information for volunteers is given directly to the healthcare professional and the process is then in their hands. “We are simply providing a service to connect healthcare workers with volunteers,” David Gangwish, founder of the site, said.
As president of the University of New Mexico Staff Council, Ryan Gregg regularly hears from many staff members. However, the coronavirus outbreak has generated the most comments and questions from staff since he began his term almost a year ago, Gregg said. "Staff are concerned about their families and the health of their loved ones. Staff are also concerned about the future of their jobs," Gregg said. Last week, more than 31,000 New Mexicans filed unemployment claims, according to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. The week before that, a record 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment, the Labor Department reported, as businesses across the country shut down in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Former University of New Mexico men's basketball starters JJ Caldwell and Vance Jackson announced their intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal after another disappointing season which saw a midseason collapse marred by suspensions and injuries. With one year of college eligibility remaining, Jackson is expected to graduate and play immediately for his new school under the NCAA's graduate transfer rule. Jackson's 2019-20 season was hindered by injury during the second half of the season, causing him to miss five games. Following the Lobos' season-ending loss to Utah State in the second round of the Mountain West Conference (MWC) championship tournament, "Vegas" Vance told reporters that he was sure he'd be back at UNM next season.
On a day when people from all over Albuquerque typically gather at the National Hispanic Cultural Center to celebrate the annual Recuerda a César Chávez la marcha de justicia and fiesta, the streets fell quiet. Although the streets may have been silent, it didn't stop new street signs renaming a stretch of Bridge Boulevard to Avenida Dolores Huerta from rising to their new spots this week. This year's celebration planned to include a dedication to Huerta for her contributions to the United Farm Workers labor movement and unveil the new intersection where Avenida Cesar Chavez and Avenida Dolores Huerta meet. "It really was a labor of love," said Diana Montoya, Las Mujeres member and chair of the Avenida Dolores Huerta Project. "What I like to call it is more than a street sign. I think that a lot of people are in agreement that it becomes more than a sign, that it becomes a destination. It becomes a place where visitors will come and see that here we have this tribute to these two icons, these two civil rights heroes."
Solutions by The State News
