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Traveling art exhibit shakes New Mexico

Annya Loya | February 5

A new art installment, “Sayaka Ganz- Reclaimed Creations,” opened at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science with seemingly in motion sculptures purely made out of plastic items.  The exhibit opened on Jan. 10 and will be part of the museum’s attractions until May 17. It can be accessed with normal museum admission. Created by artist Sayaka Ganz and produced by David J. Wagner, LLC, “Sayaka Ganz-Reclaimed Creations” is a series composed of over 10 pieces — some in motion. All of the sculptures are represented by animals and made completely out of plastic objects of various tones. 

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News

Students find inner child at Cartoon Uni Night

Daniel Ward | February 4

Whether students were dead from schoolwork or from the cartoons is yet to be determined at the Student Union Building Cartoon Night, kicking off the spring 2020 Uni Night events.  Students were able to reminisce on what it was like to be a child watching Saturday morning cartoons and eating cereal on Friday night, Jan. 31.  There were two big screens displayed in the SUB ballroom with shows like “Spongebob,” “Total Drama Island,” “CatDog,” “Wild Thornberries,” and “Avatar the Last Airbender.” Students could grab a bagel or a bowl of cereal and choose which screen to watch. 

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Culture

Photo Story: Electric Playhouse grand opening

Emille Domschot | February 2

The Electric Playhouse, an innovative new space bringing together art and community in Albuquerque’s West side, launched its grand opening on Saturday, Feb. 1.  Among the sizable group gathered in front of the doors for the ribbon cutting were representatives from the Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, the Hispano Chamber of Commerce, and the ABQ West Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Tim Keller and his family were also in attendance. As the doors were opened, the whole crowd pressed forward to explore the space.

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News

UNM ROTC set to get new home

Justin Garcia | February 2

It’s a bit of a fixer-upper, but the former Alpha Chi Omega house is set to become the new home of all three ROTC programs at the University of New Mexico.  At least $8 million will go toward the renovation, including $1 million in capital outlay from State Senate Minority Whip Bill Payne (R-Albuquerque) and $7 million from a 2018 GO bond.  “To get an ROTC scholarship is as competitive as going to one of the service academies, in fact it’s probably more competitive because a lot of kids don't want to go to Annapolis. They'd rather go to a university,” Payne told the Daily Lobo.  It’s unclear if the $8 million will be enough to fully renovate the vacant sorority.  

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News

Vaping legislation advances in New Mexico

Lissa Knudsen | February 2

New Mexico is one step closer to establishing a licensure process for e-cigarette and other tobacco product retailers and raising the age of purchase of all tobacco products to twenty-one.  Senate Bill 131, the Tobacco Products Act, sponsored by Sen. Linda Lopez cleared the Senate Public Affairs Committee on Friday Jan 31, with a unanimous do pass.  Though the bill moved easily through the Senate Public Affairs Committee, there are two possible amendments that don’t bode well for the bill: local preemption and banning flavors. 

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News

UNM officials downplay coronavirus threat on campus

Joe Rull | February 2

The University of New Mexico’s Emergency Management department issued a university-wide   statement on Friday informing students about the novel coronavirus outbreak. The flu-like illness has infected over 16,000 people globally and taken at least 304 lives to date, according to the World Health Organization, which declared the outbreak a global health emergency last week.  Originating in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus has spread to at least 25 countries, including the United States where a ninth case was confirmed on Feb. 2, in California. The news comes days after U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar II declared a public health emergency for the entire country. 

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News

Q&A: Men’s Tennis Head Coach Ben Dunbar

Andrew Gunn | February 2

Ben Dunbar’s fourth season at the helm of men’s tennis hasn’t exactly gotten off to an advantageous start. After four matches, the University of New Mexico men’s tennis team is still winless, dropping each fixture on a difficult road stretch — sometimes by overwhelming margins. Dunbar, despite his program’s woeful opening record, maintains his team is ready to start fresh at home and still holds an optimistic outlook on the remainder of the 2020 campaign.  The Daily Lobo recently spoke with him about the UNM tennis community’s history, negativity in the Athletics Department and free coffee and bagels at home matches, among other topics.

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News

Home is where the heart is: UNM prof discusses history of houses

Amanda Britt | February 2

Since the beginnings of human civilization, the idea of a household, with its focus around a fire, is a fundamental unit of human social interaction and organization, according to Professor of Anthropology James Boone. Maxwell Museum of Anthropology hosted the lecture titled “A Natural History of Houses” as a part of their Ancestors Lecture series Thursday evening before a full auditorium in Hibben Hall. The first lecture of this series was given in 1990, the year the Maxwell Museum’s ancestors exhibition opened, by Scientific Curator Erik Trinkhaus. Since 2000, an Ancestors Lecture has been given every year.

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Culture

Author Layla Saad on combating white supremacy

Loreena Cain | February 2

Layla Saad, author of “Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World and Become a Good Ancestor” visited Bookworks in Albuquerque as a stop on her national book tour.  The Jan. 31 event filled the small store, leaving only standing room after the chairs were filled. Saad spoke not only about her book but about racism and how it appears especially in liberal white women.

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Sports

Sluggish Lobos no match for No. 4 San Diego State

Joe Rull | January 30

It was over before it started. But just to make sure, San Diego State helped themselves to 17 straight points to open Wednesday night’s matchup with the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team at the Pit. On a night when No. 4-ranked SDSU (22-0, 11-0 MW) was firing on all cylinders, UNM (16-7, 5-5 MW) was anything but. “I thought that opening three minutes for San Diego State was the most impressive I’ve ever gone up against (from) another team in my four years as a head coach ... You have to play the perfect game to get this one, and we, unfortunately, were far from it,” UNM head coach Paul Weir said after the loss.

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Sports

Coach Dyche named assistant coach for U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team

Angelina Pompeo | January 30

University of New Mexico Women's Soccer Coach Heather Dyche just crossed another threshold in her climb to national soccer prominence. She has been with the school for the past five years and created many opportunities for her team, going 55-37-10 during her tenure and taking a share of the 2018 regular season conference title.  It’s a lengthy résumé, but many Lobo fans and people in general may not be entirely up to speed on what she does outside of the school.

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News

Pharmacists seeking compensation for check-ups in New Mexico

Lissa Knudsen | January 30

In an effort to raise awareness about the services pharmacists provide, University of New Mexico (UNM) Pharmacy students donning crisp white coats conducted health screenings for community members, legislators, lobbyists and other passersby on the ground floor of the New Mexico State Capitol on Monday.  Pharmacists are currently allowed to provide clinical services including blood pressure checks, immunizations, hormonal contraception, tobacco cessation and tuberculosis testing however, unlike doctors or nurses, they can’t bill for these services.  Given this, a group of UNM students has organized an effort to make their future careers more appealing. 

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News

Update on the Opportunity Scholarship

Justin Garcia | January 29

The Opportunity Scholarship is firmly in the hands of the lawmakers. It’s future, however, may be in question.   During a Senate Finance Committee meeting, three Democratic Senators expressed concerns and criticisms of the proposed Opportunity Scholarship, the second onslaught of such criticism the legislation has received.  During the meeting, Sen. Jacob Candelaria (D) was the first to criticize the proposed Opportunity Scholarship. Candelaria said he was concerned the Opportunity Scholarship would be abused by higher education institutions like he said the Lottery Scholarship was. 

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Sports

Blackwell leaving UNM football program

Spencer Butler | January 29

On Saturday, Jan. 17, redshirt senior and defensive tackle Aaron Blackwell announced on Twitter that he will be leaving the University of New Mexico football program by entering the NCAA transfer portal. “I have ultimately decided after much praying and contemplation that it is best I leave University of New Mexico for my last season,” Blackwell said in the post. “I truly believe Coach Gonzales and his staff are the best for the job and wish them and University the best of luck moving forward.”

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Music

The Aux: "Little Women" expands on themes where the book fell short

Lissa Knudsen | January 29

Greta Gerwig’s interpretation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel “Little Women” revisits the original story applying a modern day lens. For those that haven’t read the book, the storyline follows the lives of the four March sisters (Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy) and is known to be loosely based on the author and her three sisters’ childhood experiences.  The story is set against the backdrop of the U.S. civil war, with the young women's father off working as a chaplain in the military. Within this context, the four coming-of-age daughters are left in relative poverty but are simultaneously allowed the freedom to explore their interests and proclivities with autonomy and notably without any paternal influence. 

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Culture

Sorority celebrates 100 years

Beatrice Nisoli | January 29

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., an internationally renowned and historically black Greek-lettered sorority, recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary on Jan. 16.  The sorority was first founded on Howard University’s campus in response to the want for a sister chapter to the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity and an overall desire to champion educational and service-based pursuits for the black community. Since its historical conception with only five female founders, Zeta Phi Beta has grown considerably while celebrating significant firsts; for example, the sorority was the first to charter a chapter in Africa. 

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News

UNM community donations near monolithically Democrat

Makayla Grijalva | January 29

It’s no secret that New Mexico is an increasingly Democratic state.  After turning blue in the 2008 presidential election, New Mexico has also turned to elect a Democrat governor and all Democratic members of Congress. Additionally, both New Mexico state chambers are led by Democrats.  Based on donations intended for the 2020 election cycle, it appears the state’s flagship University, the University of New Mexico, is also extremely blue as the 2020 federal elections approach. 

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News

UNM Day showcases students

Alyssa Martinez | January 29

Cherry and silver booths manned by University members lined the curves of the rotunda on Jan. 27 during the annual UNM Day at the state capitol.  From UNM College of Pharmacy’s health-related screenings to trivia on indigenous representation in New Mexican politics presented by American Indian Student Services (AISS), UNM organizations advocated for their programs at the Roundhouse.  Dannelle Kirven, African American Student Services (AASS) intern and recent graduate of UNM, was one such University member advocating for our student body. 

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Culture

Board of Regents seeks community input in new UNM seal selection

Beatrice Nisoli | January 29

The University of New Mexico is changing its seal from the current interim design, but this time, the school is seeking input from its student and alumni population.  Prior to 2016, protests arose — primarily from Native American student groups such as Kiva Club and The Red Nation — regarding the previous seal, which featured a conquistador brandishing a sword and a rifle-carrying frontiersman. Many students expressed discomfort with this seal due to New Mexico’s violent history that ensued from Spanish exploration.  The discourse for a new seal culminated in the suspension of UNM’s previous seal in 2016. Shortly afterwards, the Board of Regents passed a resolution directing the Provost to formulate a committee for designing and selecting a new University seal. In the meantime, an interim seal with the University’s name and founding date was and is being utilized.

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News

Two pedestrians hit by ART bus in two incidents

Daniel Ward | January 29

A woman was struck and killed by an ART bus near Central and Maple on Jan. 28, around 7:40 p.m. She was about 20-30 years old and unidentifiable at this time. Police say she had been walking out into oncoming traffic before she rolled out in front of the bus.  While police authorities have not yet gathered up enough information to work out the details, Officer Daren DeAguero is working with his team to investigate the incident. Police said witnesses had reported her to be causing a commotion in the street around dinner time near 66 Diner. They said she was laying in the middle of westbound traffic before rolling over into eastbound traffic.  The bus driver did not have enough time to stop before driving over her. This is the first fatality caused by an ART bus on Central.  There was an unspecified amount of people on the bus but police say everyone scattered after the woman was killed. As of now, no one has come forward about being involved in the incident.