A UNM student has emerged from television extra to the limelight as an accomplished director. Nick Nelson, a fine arts student, moved from an extra in “Breaking Bad” to a producer of his own miniseries.
Union staff employees missed out on nearly four weeks of a pay raise, and UNM officials said Human Resources does not plan to reimburse the lost wages. All UNM staff members who are not a part of the union started receiving their raise on July 1, according to University officials, however because contract negotiations between the University and the United Staff at UNM were ongoing, union members were unable to receive the pay increase. All university staff members were guaranteed a 1.9 percent raise by the New Mexico legislature in February, and the Board of Regents voted to increase the raise to 2.5 percent in late March. Jeanette Albany, a union member and administrative assistant for the Communication and Journalism Department, said she contacted the staff council, the union and Human Resources after receiving her first reduced check and did not receive any explanation as to why her check was lessened. All she knew was that she did not receive her promised pay raise and was paying more in deductions, she said. “They were taking all that out, but we didn’t get our raise, so I got a net loss, a decline in my pay,” she said. Albany’s situation is not an isolated incident.
Aug. 18-19 UNMPD detained two people at the UNM bookstore on separate occasions after the bookstore employees caught them trying to leave with items they had not paid for.
Welcome to college, new students! Welcome back, returning students! By now you are settled into your classes and starting to get homework, maybe even tests. Are any of you beginning to wonder what you are doing here anyway?
UNM has been crowned the “king of graduate schools” for Hispanics in the United States, according to a recent ranking. Hispanic Business magazine ranked UNM fourth in business, sixth in engineering and 10th in both law and medicine in its annual list released this week.
Radio Free America is trying to change the face of radio by encouraging listeners to join the conversation and air their opinions live through KUNM’s new interactive website. Kenneth Pushkin, the creator of Radio Free America, saw his program operational on the KUNM website, and he said it was rewarding to see his hard work pay off. “It’s been eight years, and today is the day we are finally on the air with Radio Free America,” he said. Pushkin said he feels optimistic about the program.
Editor, The murder of two homeless men by three teenagers in Albuquerque was evil. Was the police murder of James Boyd less evil?
UNM’s Communication and Journalism department, in partnership with local media outlets, is using a $35,000 grant to create a platform where students can get their schoolwork published and read by thousands across the state. The department has established an online news portal called New Mexico News Port with the help of the grant.
France French president Francois Hollande dissolved all cabinet positions in the government on Monday amid political infighting in the Socialist party. Prime Minister Manuel Valls offered his government’s resignation, and has been tasked by the president to form a new government, which will be announced on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. The resignation came after Valls accused Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg of being overly critical and disloyal to the party after calling for “a major change in our economy policy,” ABC News reported. France’s economy has been struggling in the wake of austerity measures, with unemployment around 10 percent and little economic growth this year.
Italian gardens brought inspiration for eight students studying abroad over the summer semester. Teresa Cutler-Broyles, an adjunct professor for film and peace studies, said she created a course, called Writing and History in Italian Gardens, with the help of the Umbra Institute.
“Frank” is almost two movies at once. One is lively, silly and snaps along splendidly. The second shakes its finger at the audience for having too much fun, slowing into a clumsy lecture about mental illness being nothing to laugh at. The fact that the movie attempts a serious message isn’t what hurts it; in many ways it would have been fine if the script didn’t inexplicably start to completely suck. There is so much to like about “Frank.” That’s why it’s so unfortunate that it largely left a bad taste in my mouth. We begin with Jon, played by Domhnall Gleeson, an Irish everyman struggling between his white-collar hell and his inability to write music.
Professionalism was the name of the game for Del Castillo at their recent Isleta Resort performance. The show started out like any other as Del Castillo entered the stage on Friday like conquerors of Latin rhythm, sporting a full set of drums and congas, and setting the pace for their show with the anticipatory throng. Brothers Rick and Mark Del Castillo began the first number by wielding their Spanish-style guitars like wizards putting an intoxicating spell over the audience with their Austin-rock-meets-traditional-Spanish playing. Halfway through their second song, though, front man Alex Ruiz tumbled off the stage and into the crowd, hurting his leg considerably. Meanwhile, the stunned yet professional band never missed a single beat while this scene took place.
The semester may have begun, but there’s still a little time to squeeze in some leisure reading before classes get into full swing.
The UNM Student Fee Review Board has made changes to the guidelines for organizations requesting funding for the new school year. The deadline for student organizations to submit their applications for funding has been pushed forward to Sept. 5, as part of a compromise set forth over the summer by UNM President Robert Frank. In a joint statement on Friday with ASUNM President Rachel Williams, GPSA President Texanna Martin said the two groups worked together over the summer to make changes that would adhere to the new guidelines.
The flight to Germany was very long. I am not used to sitting still in one place for that long. I was very excited to be arriving in Germany, and my transfer through customs went really smoothly. Shortly after arriving, I received a welcome letter from a government official that welcomed me to Bremen and also offered their assistance if needed. I was impressed by their kindness and that they took the time to write to me. Another experience that I was able to participate in took place in Münster. During my trip, I lived with two host families: one in Radolfzell and another in Bremen.
Twenty-two Lobo women’s soccer players will serve a one-game suspension, and head coach Kit Vela will be suspended for one week without pay after last week’s hazing incident, New Mexico Athletics Director Paul Krebs announced Friday. As punishment for the Aug. 17 incident involving all of the team’s athletes, Vela is not permitted to have any contact with her team beginning today. Assistant coaches Jorge Vela and Krista Foo have been issued letters of reprimand; the two assistants will run the team’s day-to-day operations until the head coach’s return. “We believe the disciplinary measures we have taken today send a clear message about the gravity of the incident: that it is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Krebs said. “We feel we have a full understanding of what happened that night through the facts we received from the third-party investigation.”
The list of experienced kickers on the New Mexico football team is a short one: nobody. In fact, the whole special teams unit will look entirely different for the Lobos: UNM will also have a first-time punter, place holder and special teams coordinator this season.
The starting unit for the New Mexico volleyball team was sharp in lone preseason play, beating the alumnae team 3-1 on Saturday. Although the annual exhibition game is designed to brush off the cobwebs and show off some of the younger talent, head coach Jeff Nelson said the alumnae opponent boasted a stiff test.
The No. 5 New Mexico men’s soccer team finished its last preseason exhibition with a 1-1 draw against Denver University Saturday night at the UNM Soccer Complex. It was not the result the Lobos were looking for, but head coach Jeremy Fishbein maintained it was good preparation for its season opener on Friday against No. 13 Akron. The first 30 minutes of the match remained scoreless until UNM freshman Sam Gleadle deflected a rebound from a shot by midfielder Ben McKendry into the net. With that, Gleadle tallied his second goal of the exhibition season.
Did the first week back at UNM monopolize your time? Miss any of the big news? Catch up with this week's episode of The Howl.
Solutions by The State News
