Lauren Lifke - The Daily Lobo

News

NMSUPD uses body-cameras; UNMPD doesn’t

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | March 4

The New Mexico State University Police Department has been utilizing body-worn cameras since 2011. The University of New Mexico Police Department has not. NMSUPD began using body-worn cameras in response to industry standards and best nationwide law enforcement practices, according to Justin Dunivan, Deputy Chief of NMSUPD. “This program has been a great success for our department,” Dunivan said.

News

College affirmative consent bill heads to governor’s desk

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | February 19

The New Mexico Senate passed an amended bill Tuesday, Feb. 13 that would require state-funded colleges to include affirmative consent in their policies and procedures on sexual activity. House Bill 151, sponsored by Rep. Elizabeth Thomson (D) and four other House Democrats, defines affirmative consent as “affirmative, conscious and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity.” Affirmative consent cannot be given by a party who is unconscious or incapacitated, cannot be implied or assumed and can be revoked at any time, according to the bill. “With this, I’m hoping that particularly women – but everyone – realizes that their body belongs to them. They don’t owe anybody anything. Taking you out for dinner doesn’t mean you owe them sex. Being their girlfriend doesn’t mean you owe them sex,” Thomson said.

Opinion

Ask the editors: How do you show love to your loved ones?

Katrina Estrada , Lauren Lifke , Karina Bolaños , Lily Alexander , Maddie Pukite and Kelsa Mendoza | February 16

With another Valentine's Day week coming to a close, we find chocolate wrappers tossed in trash cans and roses slowly drying under the sun. Six editors at the Daily Lobo came together to reflect on how we show love to those around us. Time shared over a meal As someone whose primary love language is quality time, I let the people in my life know that I love them by existing around them as much as I can. Having the ability to exist in the same space as another person without feeling anxious, performative or uncomfortable is precious.

News

Taylor Swift incident draws attention to AI-generated pornography

Lauren Lifke | February 12

Since the rise of Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT’s release in 2022, victims have been targeted by pornographic AI-generated images that have, in some cases, circulated on social media websites like X, formerly Twitter. Deepfakes are videos or images in which a person’s “face or body has been digitally altered so that they appear to be someone else, typically used maliciously or to spread false information,” according to Oxford Languages. Recently, these have risen in the form of pornographic images. In late January, pornographic AI-generated images of Taylor Swift started to circulate the internet and gained thousands of views on X, according to the Associated Press. Mary Rice, associate professor of literacy at the University of New Mexico, specializes in AI’s role in education. The Swift incident was not a random act that sprung up on its own, Rice said.

News

LoboAlert issued for traffic following stabbing

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | February 5

On Friday, Jan. 26, a stabbing occurred inside the Golden Pride restaurant on Lomas Blvd. N.E. near the University of New Mexico campus. The UNM Police Department issued a LoboAlert for traffic following the incident. Employee Ethan Sheppard reportedly stabbed his coworker, an adult male, at about 1:45 p.m. while they were both working. The victim was transported to UNM Hospital and later died from his injuries, according to an Albuquerque Police Department news release. UNM Police Department issued a LoboAlert at 6:25 p.m. advising the campus community of police presence in the area. A second alert was issued at 10:45 p.m. advising that APD had cleared the area.

News

New dinosaur unlocked

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | January 22

Researchers have put a name to a dinosaur fossil discovered in New Mexico in the 1980s, identifying a new species of Tyrannosaurus that pre-dates the T. rex. The findings were published Jan. 11 in the Scientific Reports journal. New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Curator of Paleontology, Spencer Lewis, and the museum’s executive director, Anthony Fiorillo, both are co-authors on the study. The identification of Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis changes what paleontologists previously understood about the geographical origin of the T. rex. The standing idea, Lucas said, is the T. rex originated in Asia and immigrated over a land bridge to get to North America.

Culture

Sarah Maurice strives to give back using her passion for engineering

Lauren Lifke | December 11

After seven semesters, Computer Engineering student Sarah Maurice graduates this month from the University of New Mexico with a bachelor’s degree, an internship at Intel and enough credits to earn her master’s degree by 2024. “Engineering gives me the opportunity to give back to the community and to help in a way that I can make a positive impact,” Maurice said. Maurice’s interest in engineering stems from her goal to use biomedical engineering to increase accessibility to prosthetics after handling the insurance and cost of her own following the loss of her leg in 2010.

News

Possible fentanyl pill left in student apartment after break-in

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | December 6

An unidentified suspect broke into a Student Residence Center apartment Nov. 23, leaving behind a possible fentanyl pill and miscellaneous items, according to a State of New Mexico Uniform Incident Report. The suspect returned to the scene while a University of New Mexico police officer was present, but fled and was not caught, according to the report. No Lobo Advisory or LoboAlert was issued. "We have the LoboAlert system which – if it works as it is meant to work – there would have been a notice about this happening," Juan Camilo Gómez said – the resident who reported the burglary.

News

No body-cam footage from UNMPD

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | November 20

A 2020 New Mexico statute – which requires most law enforcement agencies to use and have policies on body-worn cameras – may exempt the University of New Mexico Police Department. The statute says officers who regularly interact with the public and are employed by law enforcement agencies should wear body-worn cameras while on duty. It defines a “law enforcement agency” as “the police department of a municipality, the sheriff's office of a county, the New Mexico state police or the department of public safety,” not explicitly including university police departments. UNMPD officers undergo training at the New Mexico Department of Public Safety Police Academy, according to UNMPD’s website.

News

Loaded assault rifle found near Zimmerman Library

Lauren Lifke | October 30

At about 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 23, police responded to a report of a loaded assault rifle in a cactus outside Zimmerman Library, according to a State of New Mexico Uniform Incident Report. Officers took into evidence the Smith & Wesson AR style rifle, along with 15 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition. It is unclear who left the weapon and how long it had been there, according to the report.