Detroit Kallunki - The Daily Lobo

News

Lobo Food Pantry provides year round access to necessities

Detroit Kallunki | July 16

Facing a lack of basic needs affects university students year-round, however during the summer when temperatures are higher, campuses aren’t fully open and the availability of resources are lower for many. 67% of college students surveyed across New Mexico campuses have experienced some form of insecurity, according to the 2023 Basic Needs Project. The survey completed by the UNM Basic Needs Project is a group that UNM’s Basic Needs Specialist, Amanda Martinez, put together to gain insight on data about student needs. The Lobo Food Pantry is a resource available to students that operates four days a week and allows any UNM student with a student ID to come and pick up a basket of donated food.

Culture

Snell’s gallery combines Queer experience and empowering spirituality

Detroit Kallunki | June 27

Sam Snell – UNM alumni and artist – held the opening night reception of his first solo exhibition titled “Magical Thinking” on June 24. Snell’s idea of “Magical Thinking” is to merge Queer and spiritual identities to help people apply a spiritual lens to their life experiences. The exhibition is also the first solo show hosted by Tori Wilson, owner of Garagedoor Gallery and fellow artist. She immediately connected with Snell’s work and said she was excited to have the opportunity to share it with other members of the community. “When he contacted me to have this solo show here, it was an immediate yes,” Wilson said, “because that means that I get to be surrounded by his art for a whole month.”

City Pounds seek fosters for dogs and cats

News

Shelter animals in Albuquerque in need of foster care

Detroit Kallunki | June 13

The Animal Welfare Department is looking for people in Albuquerque who are willing to foster shelter animals. The Animal Welfare Department is reaching out to the public because their typical foster resources have already been used due to the number of animals being surrendered, according to Valerie Greif, a foster team member. A foster parent takes in different animals and provides them with care and a place to stay to make more vacancies in the shelter. The fostering process can look different based on animal needs, according to Tara Mansker, foster team member.

Culture

Fronteras Micro-Film Festival: an interactive artistic experience on border politics

Detroit Kallunki | June 6

An unconventional film festival, The Fronteras Micro-Film Festival opened on Friday, June 2 at the ABQ Artwalk. The film festival presented several short films simultaneously, each playing in a unique art exhibit with a central theme on immigration status and border politics, according to organizer Jade Stokes.

News

UNM takes initiative to address basic needs of students, faculty and staff

Weston Quintana and Detroit Kallunki | May 14

Earlier this semester, the University of New Mexico’s Basic Needs Project — in collaboration with the New Mexico Higher Education Department — sent out a survey to 27 universities and colleges statewide to collect data on the basic needs of students, faculty and staff. On May 5, the data collected was presented in the Student Union Building. This event included an appearance made by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in support of the work done.

Culture

Morales prepares for upcoming advocacy projects

Detroit Kallunki | May 8

Abrianna Morales has spent her time at the University of New Mexico lobbying for political change and advocating for survivors of sexual violence. She graduates with a double major in psychology and criminology, and she said she already has big things on the horizon. Morales plans to stay in the Albuquerque area and continue her advocacy work with the National Organization for Victim Assistance. She also plans to continue her advocacy with the organization she started, Sexual Assault Youth Support Network, as well as her relationship with UNM.

Culture

UNM visiting artist uplifts BIPOC, queer stories

Detroit Kallunki | May 1

Each spring the painting and drawing department hosts an “Open Studio” event where the public can enter the campus studio and observe the work that a UNM visiting artist has created over the spring, according to Amanda Curreri, an associate professor in the UNM department of fine arts. This visiting artist program began six years ago, Curreri said, and this year’s artist is Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo. “My work is rooted in storytelling and telling stories about survival — primarily of black, brown, Indigenous, queer, trans, gender-nonconforming and two-spirit folks. It’s rooted in how we amplify and tell stories of marginalized bodies in different ways,” Branfman-Verissimo said.

Culture

REVIEW: 'Bend Skin' is a short, powerful labor of love

Detroit Kallunki | April 10

Yomi Tafdor’s newly released poetry collection “Bend Skin” combines prose with beautifully complex traditional poetry and rhythm, and small, full-color abstract art by illustrator Nujhat Adrita. Much of Tadfor’s poetry is based around her identity and the way it has changed over time. Tafdor, a current student at the University of New Mexico, is originally from Cameroon. Much of her poetry is about the lived experience of marginalized people in the United States and the way her experiences have influenced her sense of individuality and personhood.

Culture

OPINION: Sensory-sensitive and style-conscious fashion: a guide

Detroit Kallunki | March 6

Tactile sensitivity associated with sensory processing disorder can be make-or-break when it comes to personal fashion style and choices. And still, when you look online to find solutions for sensory sensitivities, the answers have a practically nonexistent range between “meeting sensory needs for kids” and lists of colorless, shapeless adult clothing. Neither of these solutions genuinely address the issues or acknowledges that people with sensory sensitivities might still want to express themselves with fashion. If you like wearing a beige strip of fabric every day, more power to you — for the rest of us, there are some simple changes to maintain levels of sensory comfort while still wearing the things we like.

Culture

Sexual Assault Youth Support Network empowers, advocates for survivors

Detroit Kallunki | February 27

In 2017, 16-year-old high school student Abrianna Morales formed the Sexual Assault Youth Support Network. What started as a small, independent project has since become a place for victims of sexual violence to find stories like theirs and share a safe space after traumatizing experiences. Morales, now a senior at the University of New Mexico, started SAYSN following an experience with sexual violence. While it started small, 2019 marked the year the network was fully incorporated, having registered as a nonprofit with tax exemption status and taking a step toward becoming a larger project, according to Morales. “It was pretty informal; I had a couple of friends in high school that I worked with on it and, really, it was an independent endeavor for a few years. Just in 2019 was when we formally incorporated,” Morales said.