Before Sub-Pop reached out to the Lobo regarding LVL Up’s show at Santa Fe’s illustrious Meow Wolf exhibition, I was admittedly blind to what I agreed to. LVL UP? An apathetic lo-fi indie rock band from New York comprised of two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer? With the name LVL UP. Really breaking new ground here boys.
The New Mexico track and field team will travel to the Sun Angel Classic in Arizona, but the level of expectation now may not be as high as some might think. “A lot of times, when you least expect it something good happens,” head coach Joe Franklin said. Franklin said that the team will look to make improvements as they head in to each meet, but had that to say following the Don Kirby Tailwind Invitational. It was always a true philosophy for a head coach to relieve the stress of the team at the beginning of the season, and gradually put his athletes on the right track.
For this year’s Fiestas, UNM’s annual Arts and Music Festival on Johnson Field, ASUNM Student Special Events strived to bring the biggest names to the most students, without breaking the bank. Claire McNallen, the executive director of SSE, said that unlike previous years, she and her team were very selective and conscious of whom they were appealing to. She said they chose not to advertise outside of UNM this year, in an attempt to mainly target students. “We’ve been really purposeful about getting as many students involved as possible. We were just trying to figure out who we don’t service with Fiestas every year and get them pulled in,” she said.
New York Times national security reporter Scott Shane visited UNM to give insight from his illustrious career as a journalist. In his career Shane has covered the Russian hacking during the 2016 election, the recent Vault 7 CIA leak and other incidents, and also served as Moscow correspondent for the Baltimore Sun. He is the author of “Objective Troy: A Terrorist, A President, and the Rise of the Drone,” which describes Anwar al-Awlaki’s participation in al-Qaida and his death by a drone strike ordered by former President Barak Obama. A reporter for 37 years, Shane spoke at UNM’s National Security Studies Program’s seventh annual symposium on Monday. He then gave a presentation about Anwar al-Awlaki at the SUB and later, gave a Q&A on WikiLeaks on Tuesday.
“Anybody (especially Fake News media) who thinks that Repeal & Replace of ObamaCare is dead does not know the love and strength in R Party!” tweeted President Donald Trump on April 2, 2017. This tweet is one of dozens sent by Trump that help form a picture of the current presidential administration's relationship with the media — a rocky one at best. But how different is this administration's relationship with the media, and how important is this relationship as the foundation of the principles and purpose that define the role of a reporter?
The Lobo beach volleyball team will host its only two home matches of the season on Friday and Saturday at Lucky 66 Bowl. Taking on the familiar team Colorado Mesa twice this week, the Lobos are aiming at two easy wins, as they achieved in the 4-1 victory one month ago in Arizona. “I am looking forward to play at home,” head coach Jeff Nelson said in an interview. “We played them earlier this year. We have to be more focused and ready to go, because they keep improving and their coaches are doing a good job.” The Division II school doesn’t seem to bring much threat to UNM, as New Mexico dominated in all four matches between the two teams so far.
Since the election of President Trump, the future of students under DACA is unknown and many Dreamers are worried not only about what this means for their future, but also for the safety of their families. Medical student Yazmin Irazoqui Ruiz remembers the moment when her world didn’t seem so certain anymore, just five days after President Trump’s inauguration. “Jan. 25 was the first border security executive action, and that was the proof I needed to realize that Trump was going to go after what he said he was going to do,” Ruiz said.
In a time when nearly 20 percent of Americans suffer from some form of mental illness, a group of students has started a UNM chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI is the largest grassroots organization addressing mental illness in the U.S, and UNM’s newly formed chapter is joining that fight. “Most people that are going to suffer from mental mental illness in their lifetime are going to be diagnosed by the time they're 25,” said Matthew Rush, a UNM graduate pursuing his PHD and the president of NAMI UNM. NAMI UNM is in its first semester as an on-campus affiliate, having been only recently recognized by the national organization it shares its name with. NAMI UNM became an official affiliate on Feb. 24, just months before Mental Health Month, which begins in May.
19-year-old freerunner and parkour coach from Taos and UNM Freshman Payton Hanna is a rarity in his community. Hanna has been freerunning for four years now and hopes to continue to push the boundaries of the sport. Hanna said UNM’s unique and mobile campus made it a big draw for an avid freerunner such as himself. “UNM is one of the best places I’ve found for parkour and freerunning, with walls everywhere and jumps and things — it’s a parkour paradise! It kind of drew me into UNM and I love it,” Hanna said. “I started a freerunning program at Ninja Park, a ‘Ninja Warrior’ gym just north of campus, that focuses on parkour and freerunning. I just started in January, but I’ve been an instructor for two years.”
From April 8 through 12, UNM’s Department of Music will be hosting “Trumpet Week,” a special concert series organized by Professor John Marchiando. Trumpet Week features an array of events featuring UNM students, faculty, and guest trumpeters. “Trumpet Week was conceived to feature all that the trumpet has become to the Department of Music at UNM,” Marchiando said. “From the guest artists to the students, faculty and alumni of the studio, everything is featured during the week.” The inspiration was to give the community and students at UNM something that would be a fun event to participate in, but also to bring some visibility to what we do in the Music Department as a whole, he said.
The Pushkin State Language Institute signed an agreement with UNM’s Russian program on Tuesday, making UNM the second U.S. school to partner with the Institute. The 50-year-old Institute is based in Moscow and focuses on teaching Russian as a foreign language. Russian program director Tanya Ivanova-Sullivan said it first contacted UNM in September about creating an agreement, which is not a typical exchange program, but instead an academic exchange of educational materials and experience. As part of the agreement, two professors visiting UNM from Pushkin taught an hour-long lecture in Russian on Wednesday and the school donated children’s textbooks to UNM, Ivanova-Sullivan said. UNM’s Russian program works with a local Russian school that teaches children Russian, especially heritage learners.
The Southwest Film Center is once again bringing a critically acclaimed film to its theaters from April 7 to 10 in the UNM SUB. Following their presentation of “Moonlight” earlier this semester, SWFC is screening the award-winning film “Manchester by the Sea,” directed by Kenneth Lonergan, famous for his legendary film “Gangs of New York.”
Editor, It is difficult for me to believe what just took place over the last week. On Tuesday, March 28th, (acting) President Abdallah held a town hall where he informed us that furloughs are on the table.
Editor, As the University loses another sport coach, talk has started about who to hire to replace him. I find this disgraceful. The sports department has been losing money and cannot support themselves, so it should have to make the same sacrifices that the rest of the University is (being) asked to make.
Wednesday night will boast another tough test for Lobo baseball as the team plays a one-game stint in California against No. 19 San Diego at Fowler Park. New Mexico (18-10, 11-1 MW) enters Wednesday’s game having won seven out of its last nine games. The Lobos earned series wins over conference opponents UNLV and Fresno State as well as a victory over in-state rival New Mexico State. During the stretch, two Lobo wins really stood out above the rest. After losing a sixth straight game, the Lobos showed they had plenty of fight by exploding for 25 hits en route to a 22-3 victory over Grand Canyon on Mar. 22.
According to a UNM press release, the University’s Global and National Security Policy Institute and National Security Studies Program will host the 8th annual Spring Symposium on April 4-5, in the SUB Ballroom A. The symposium, titled “Global and National Security Challenges and Opportunities Facing the New Administration," will focus on challenges faced by the new U.S. administration which includes a myriad of regional, country-specific and thematic issues over the next four years, according to the release.
According to a UNM press release, the Spring 2017 Shared Knowledge Conference will provide students an opportunity to learn about the depth of research work being done at UNM. The conference, organized by Graduate Studies, will be held on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in SUB Ballroom C, according to the release, providing the campus community with a look into the diversity of programs while recognizing research excellence.
According to a UNM Newsroom release, with the Smith Plaza/Union Square Renovation project underway, the next step in the process involves a series of community workshop sessions scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. Three events are planned as part of the sessions. A preview of the renovation designs will be held Wednesday in Smith Plaza from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; a lecture and discussion hosted by Surfacedesign, Inc. will be on Wednesday in George Pearl Hall at 5:30 p.m.; and a roundtable discussion on the renovation plans is scheduled for Thursday in SUB Acoma A/B from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
STEM students honored as Goldwater Scholars According to a University press release, the Goldwater Scholarship has been awarded to UNM students Jonathon Cordova and Randy Ko, with an Honorable Mention for Jane Nguyen. The scholarship, which was founded in recognition of U.S. Senator Barry M. Goldwater, recognizes exemplary students studying in the fields of mathematics, science and engineering, according to the press release. The Goldwater Scholarship provides financial support for juniors and seniors who are planning to pursue a doctorate and a career in STEM research.
Sweeping federal review could affect consent decrees nationwide According to a New York Times report, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has ordered a review of federal agreements with various law enforcement agencies across the country, an order that reflects President Donald Trump’s focus on law and order and could lead to a retreat on consent decrees with troubled police departments nationwide. In a memorandum made public Monday, Sessions directed his staff to look at whether law enforcement programs adhere to principles put forth by the Trump administration, including one declaring that “the individual misdeeds of bad actors should not impugn” the work police officers perform “in keeping American communities safe,” the article states.
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