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News

Current therapy currently in development

Tomas Lujan | September 18

From the ancient Greeks who first wrapped electric eels around their heads to remove evil spirits, to modern drugs advertised to increase focus and retention; human beings have long pondered how to expand the power of the mind.The ancient Greeks, it turns out, may have been on to something.Recent research at the UNM Psychology Clinical Neuroscience Center suggests that low-level applications of electrical current may temporarily boost brain performance in humans.

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News

Scams target international students

Daniel Montaño | September 17

Scams targeting international students are on the rise, and at least one student has paid the price this semester.

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News

County Commission counters state on pot poll

Tomas Lujan | September 16

Officials will have to wait a little longer to mail out this year’s general election ballots, after the New Mexico Supreme Court scheduled an emergency hearing for Sept. 24.

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News

Hispanic retention exceeds average

Marielle Dent | September 14

More Hispanic students are returning for their sophomore year than ever in UNM history. University President Bob Frank announced on Friday that the retention rate of Hispanic students going into their third semester is 80.1 percent.

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News

Media are mistaken, say tailgaters

Matt Reisen | September 14

UNM-sponsored tailgating parties have received criticism from the press, and the people in charge of the events are defending them as fun, safe celebrations of school spirit. A recent story from KRQE News 13 highlighted drinking and partying at a tailgate two weeks ago, but Drew Ingraham, assistant athletics director for marketing and revenue, said the criticism was overblown and the scenes were taken out of context.

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News

Professor pay pales compared to peers

Sayyed Shah | September 14

UNM is struggling to bring faculty salaries up to par with peer institutions around the country. The University is finding it difficult to compete for highly qualified faculty in the national market because of budgetary restrictions, which in turn is affecting the quality of education on campus, according to documents from UNM’s Finance Committee.

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News

Group giving support to struggling students

Matt Reisen | September 12

An organization on campus is reaching out to help students find a balance between college life and responsibility. The Campus Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, which seeks to educate students on the dangers of drugs and alcohol rather than recommending complete abstinence, has started a new program called Diary of a Lady Lobo, aimed at curbing risky drinking in female students at UNM, John Steiner, COSAP program manager said.

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News

Yoga program encourages compassion

Marielle Dent | September 12

A new program is working to inspire a greater sense of kindness in people by helping to develop mindfulness and fostering meaningful social interactions.  Amanda Dean, alumna, started Compassion Project as a way to provide the community with a free, ongoing yoga and meditation project that was unaffiliated with any specific religious tradition.

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Sports

Lobos look to rebound after struggling in Hawaii

Liam Cary-Eaves | September 12

Following a three game losing streak, the New Mexico volleyball team has now aligned its focus on finishing games off strong. UNM (2-4) was unable to come out of the Paradise Tour tournament with a victory over the No. 22 Hawaii, St. John's or No. 18 Oregon.

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Culture

Gambling education*

Lauren Marvin | September 11

It’s a typical classroom: a chalkboard spans the front wall, green felt covers a five-foot table, cards are distributed and a wager is placed. The games begin.

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News

UNMH funds set aside for deficit

Sayyed Shah | September 9

UNM Hospital is feeling the squeeze because of new health insurance policies. The hospital has reserved 22 percent of its annual revenue for the upcoming year to fund unpaid hospital bills caused by a variety of issues, including unreimbursed Medicaid treatments, said Ava Lovell, senior executive officer for finance and administration at the Health Sciences Center. New Mexico used to run a Medicaid program called Salud, but since Jan.

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News

The Aggie to go up in flames at Red Rally

Stephen Montoya | September 9

Students are putting two weeks of hard work into a large project, just to set it on fire and watch it burn.The annual burning of the Aggie is only a few days away, and the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico Lobo Spirit Volunteers said they are all fired up for this year’s Sept.18 event.

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News

Commission puts pot back on ballot

Tomas Lujan | September 8

Voters will have their voices heard on marijuana laws this November after all. In a special meeting Monday morning, the Bernalillo County Commission voted 3-2 in favor of allowing an advisory measure to be presented to voters on the upcoming ballot regarding the decriminalization of marijuana. The move comes after Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry vetoed a similar measure that would have gone before city residents. The county’s measure itself does not have the potential to change current marijuana laws, but Commission Chairwoman Debbie O’Malley, who voted in favor of the ballot initiative, said putting the measure before voters is the right thing to do. Voters in Bernalillo County should at least have the opportunity to voice their opinions in a poll that will be taken into consideration by local policy- and lawmakers, O’Malley said. “To put it in very succinct terms, let the people speak,” O’Malley said.

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Culture

Skimpy bike event tours Central Avenue

Moriah Carty | September 8

Flashing lights, neon tutus and skin-colored leotards lit up Central Avenue for a good cause Friday. Around 25 cyclists rallied at the Duck Pond for a (nearly) naked ride Friday evening to promote sharing the road with vehicles. Lee Ann Ratzlaff, founder of Bikeburque, said bringing people together for a themed ride helps break the barrier between cyclists and drivers on the road. The group rode down Central in various states of undress — although they were careful to not break any laws, she said. “Per the city’s ordinance, there were no main genitals,” Ratzlaff said.

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Sports

Soccer: Lobos dominate the field, but miss the net

Isabel Gonzalez | September 7

It was a bittersweet weekend for the New Mexico men’s soccer team as it collected one win and one loss during the Grange and Ashwill Memorial Tournament. On Friday the Lobos earned a 2-1 win against UC Riverside, but lost an important asset: their goalie. Early in the game, senior Patrick Poblete received a yellow card for going for a loose ball in the box. He received a second card with five and a half minutes left on the second half because the referee deemed he was purposely wasting time.

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News

MSNBC names NM candidate to 'watch in 2014' list

Jonathan Baca | September 7

Bernalillo County Clerk Maggie Toulouse Oliver was recently featured on MSNBC’s list “‘30 in 30’: Women Candidates to Watch in 2014.” MSNBC’s list featured female candidates from around the country in a variety of races, and Oliver said she felt privileged to be the only woman from New Mexico on the list. Democrat Toulouse Oliver is running for New Mexico Secretary of State in November against Republican Dianna Duran. She has been active in highlighting issues important to woman voters, and has stressed the importance of getting women to the ballot boxes this November.

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News

ECHO informs inmates to inhibit infections

Sayyed Shah | September 7

Through the Peer Education Project, professors have trained hundreds of New Mexico prison inmates to spur awareness within the prison system of how to avoid chronic diseases like Hepatitis C and HIV. As part of the program, a group of professors and health practitioners visit New Mexico prisons and train a selected number of volunteer prisoners for 40 hours. “It started in 2009. We go in and train prisoners on how to be educators around infectious diseases, particularly Hepatitis C, HIV and addictions,” said Karla Thornton, an infectious diseases physician and a Health Sciences Center faculty member in her division.

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News

Research scientist to speak at TEDxABQ on drugs

Jonathan Baca | September 4

A trip to Peru, a trek into the Amazonian rainforest, a life-changing encounter with a shaman and a powerful psychedelic brew: These are the ingredients of a compelling TED talk. On Saturday, UNM research scientist Robert Rhatigan will speak at the TEDxABQ conference, sharing the story of how he conquered crippling alcoholism with the help of ayahuasca, an ancient psychoactive drink made from rainforest plants. Rhatigan, who does research in geospatial and population studies, said his goal at the conference is to be an ambassador on the power of psychedelic plants and non-traditional therapies in the treatment of addiction. “I want people to walk away understanding that psychedelic substances are not something that are simply drugs of abuse that people use for hedonistic reasons, recreation, whatever,” he said.

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News

Audit report shows fraud in SBA's account

Sayyed Shah | September 4

The New Mexico State Auditor’s office is reviewing a recently published UNM internal audit report that found embezzlements in the UNM Student Bar Association’s finances. On Aug.14, the UNM audit department issued a detailed report of its investigation into the financial embezzlement in the Student Bar Association’s account from 2011 to 2013. The report laid out a timeline of the mismanagement of funds and made recommendations to keep another incident from happening in the future.

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News

HSC's event hoping to spread Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder awareness

Matthew Reisen | September 4

International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day is next week, and members of the Health Sciences Center community will spend the day spreading awareness about the disorder – and their facility. The nationally recognized research center opened last month, but it has been in development for a few years, Dr. Daniel Savage, Neuroscience Department chair, said. “The center is about improving the health and well-being of the citizens of New Mexico,” Savage said.