Maddie Pukite - The Daily Lobo

News

Appointments, budgets, legislation (oh my!)

Maddie Pukite | September 18

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico began their meeting with under 20 senators. At the first recess, five newcomers were put under oath and voting representatives by the time the session came back together. All five new senators were first appointed by ASUNM Vice President Mickenzie Chessman and approved unanimously by the Senate after being asked two to four questions each. The new Senators are Mutazz Jaber, Alexa Lucero, Luke Torres, Kiera Rosenfeld and Anthony Tomaziefski. The questions ranged from ‘What perspectives will you bring to the Senate?’ to ‘What are you most excited for this fall semester?’ They will all be up for election this fall if the Senators choose to run again.

News

How the University can buy property and where the money is from

Maddie Pukite | September 18

The University's Real Estate Department was recently given permission by the Board of Regents to negotiate the price of property they wish to buy before the Board approves the purchase. The money that pays for the property is from the Regents Endowment Fund. This pot of money also goes towards scholarships. “It's still the same process, it just expedites trying to identify the funding source because the Regents authorized (us) to use that source subject to their approval on each case,” Thomas Neale said – Director of UNM Real Estate. The Regents Endowment is one of three endowments the Board controls. Each fund has specific stipulations of what the money can go towards. Amongst others, the Regents Endowment can go towards scholarships and property acquisition.

News

Construction, remodel and loss of parking loom over Regents

Maddie Pukite | September 18

The University of New Mexico's Board of Regents gathered in Scholes Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 13 for a meeting where they discussed and heard presentations on upcoming decisions but made no formal choices. A majority of the time was spent talking about property development. The Board is in deliberations with SASAKI, an architecture firm headquartered in Massachusetts that has worked on various universities with sleek, modern designs that often incorporate the surrounding environment. SASAKI is about to enter the third and final phase of an Integrated Campus Plan (ICP) for UNM, Teresa Costantinidis, UNM's executive VP of finance and administration, said.

Opinion

EDITORIAL: A dystopian, all-American occurrence

Maddie Pukite | September 11

Wednesday night, Froylan Villegas, an 11-year-old boy, died near campus outside of an Isotopes game — a dystopian, all-American occurrence. I came back to Lobo Village, confronted by cop cars and a handful of “Are you safe?” texts from my roommates. Avenida Ceaser Chavez Rd. and University Blvd. are closed. Just before, student housing was put under lockdown by speakers blaring orders outside, my roomates said. Yet the dinner is cooked, the music is played and my Wednesday evening continues. How disgustingly dystopian, I guess.

Culture

The feminine is devastatingly colorful

Maddie Pukite | September 11

A bright, colorful booth layered with paintings of women and feminine expression, Makayla Baca and Emily Garcia sold both their individual and collaborative artwork pieces at the Art Walk on Friday night. The pair met during a fair at The Cat and the Cobra tattoo shop where they were both selling artwork and discovered the similar themes of femininity across both their work. The representations of deities that Baca creates with her artistic lens are in an effort to design an alternative to the common depiction of female deities portrayed under the male gaze.

Culture

A life of activism, friendship and laughs

Maddie Pukite | September 10

Dorelen ‘‘Dorie’’ Bunting left a legacy of activism solidified in brick and mortar at the Peace and Justice Center on Yale. Co-founder of the center and a friend of the University, Dorie passed away last Sunday at the age of 101. Known for her laugh, Dorie continuously brought joy into her activism, Robin Feydel said. Feydel was a close friend of Dorie’s. They met working on anti-nuclear activism, specifically opposing the Waste Isolation Pilot Plan – a nuclear waste site in Carlsbad.

News

What is going on with college athletic conference realignments?

Lily Alexander and Maddie Pukite | August 27

Listed to improve athlete welfare, the athletics department Research and Public Service Projects Funding request was increased by $3.5 million from last year. This increase comes amidst conversations about the potential realignment of the Mountain West Conference. “With the recent changes in membership composition in several conferences, the Mountain West is exploring all opportunities to strengthen the league, including through the addition of new member schools,” MWC Board of Directors statement from Aug. 9 reads, which President Garnett Stokes serves as the chair of. The MWC is one of 10 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision conferences with some independent programs. Its uncertain future follows the reorganization of the Pacific 12 Conference, now left with four teams.

Opinion

EDITORIAL: SAG & WAG strikes remind power of unionization

Maddie Pukite | July 14

It was just announced that the SAG-AFTRA union has gone on strike. This follows the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, which has lasted now over 70 days, according to the New York Times. This massive labor strike should serve as a reminder of the power of a labor movement and the treatment people deserve in employment. The last time writers and actors both went on strike was in the 1960s, when unions were at their peak in the 1950s; one-third of the labor force was unionized. Currently, amidst nationwide unionization movements, coverage of unions has been on the rise. In 2022, the number of people represented by a union grew by approximately 200,000, according to NPR.

Satire

This film is a positive adjective, negative adjective exploration of noun

Maddie Pukite | April 3

This past week, a new film was released in location. The adjective film starred name, a nepotism baby, who was more adjective than expected. Though the film was negative adjective, it ultimately past verb my expectations.

News

Albuquerque looks to Santa Fe to help set up rules to purchase and redevelop Walmart property

Maddie Pukite | March 9

This story was originally published by Source New Mexico City officials in Albuquerque want to purchase the Walmart property set to close on March 10 near San Mateo and Central. It’s unclear how much it will cost for the city to acquire the property, which is still owned by Walmart. The company has yet to offer to sell it, according to City Councilor Pat Davis, who said he is working with Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller’s office to design plans to purchase the property. Davis said that the city could reallocate money to fund a purchase, but it is seeking other funding opportunities through the state legislature as well.