Maddie Pukite

Culture

AAPIRC empowers and supports students

Maddie Pukite | May 14

The University of New Mexico has several resource centers on campus to support new and current students, one of which is the Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center. Farah Nousheen, the Student Success Specialist at AAPIRC, recently gave a speech at the center’s second annual convocation with the message, “The next Buddha will be a sangha.” Sangha means “community” in Sanskrit. “That's really the main takeaway for me from this year (at the center), that we must do this in community,” Nousheen said.

What is the daily lobo/ why you should work for us

Opinion

EDITORIAL: ‘Good luck, kick ass and get it on the record’

Maddie Pukite | May 14

Tucked away in Marron Hall, filled to the brim with past editions, colored pens, a purple couch, seven desks, a dozen rolling chairs and a few Halloween decorations left up a little too long, the Daily Lobo newsroom stands. “Good luck, kick ass and get it on the record” is scribbled above the doorway — a reminder to reporters as they come and go in between interviews, protests, public meetings and breaking news. The cycle starts on a Sunday. Reporters, photographers and editors gather to pitch out stories, pick up assignments, update one another on the status of stories and drink a little too much coffee.

News

UNM offers Intro to Asian American Studies

Maddie Pukite | May 14

This upcoming semester, all undergraduate students have the opportunity to take Intro to Asian American Studies — a class that is being offered for the second time. Shinsuke Eguchi, a professor in the communication department, will teach the class this fall. The course is about “understanding the historical, political, and economic context in which Asian Americans are racialized,” they said.

Culture

News editor dedicates college career to truth-seeking

Maddie Pukite | May 8

Attending the University of New Mexico as an international student from Juárez, Mexico, Annya Loya Orduno graduates as an award-winning reporter who has already played an active role and left an impact in New Mexico journalism. Loya Orduno served as the news editor for the Daily Lobo, interned at the Las Cruces Sun-News and will now go on to work as a journalist for the Deming Headlight through the New Mexico News Fund fellowship.

Culture

UNM graduate celebrates culture through journalism

Maddie Pukite | May 8

“The biggest thing about being a journalist is staying true to who you are,” Junko Featherston, a graduating senior in the communications & journalism department, said. Featherston will graduate from the University of New Mexico with a 4.2 GPA and a degree in multimedia journalism with a minor in Japanese. While studying she also worked at New Mexico PBS, interning for producer Lou DiVizio.

News

UNM faculty, staff bring attention to lack of capacity in Legislature

Maddie Pukite | May 1

The New Mexico State Legislature is currently the only U.S. state legislature to not pay its representatives. It has one of the shortest session lengths and smallest staffs. To modernize the Legislature could mean increasing all of the above, according to a Bureau of Business and Economic Research study. Last fall, Rose Elizabeth Rohrer, a researcher with BBER at UNM, interviewed 24 of the 112 state representatives and received surveys from 44.4% of the staff to hear their thoughts on the status of the Legislature. Of the responses, many said they would benefit from at least one half-time, individually assigned staffer, and at most two full-time staffers. 82.9% said they should be paid, and that the current per diem and travel compensation does not cover the costs of the job. 80.7% said that there was not enough time in the session to dedicate the amount of time to legislation that it deserves.

News

Student housing rates increase for next year

Maddie Pukite | April 24

The University of New Mexico’s Residence Life and Student Housing full-year contract rates are going up for the 2023-24 school year by $150 for traditional rooms and on-campus apartments, $80 and $120 for doubles and singles in suites, respectively, and $190 for apartments at Lobo Rainforest. This follows significant increases in rates over the past four years with total increases of $560 and $1,510 for doubles and singles in traditional rooms, respectively, $660 and $1,610 for doubles and singles in suites, and $1,460 for on-campus apartments, and $1,750 for Lobo Rainforest since fall 2019.

Sports

Blade Runners dominate in St. Louis

Maddie Pukite | April 24

The New Mexico Blade Runners recently became national champions in Sled Hockey. They dominated in Division 6 during the Disabled Hockey Festival in St. Louis, Missouri. During the tournament, the team had 45 unanswered goals. Forward and UNM student Deavon Tabish-Moran said that communication and speed were key for the team to come back to the competition and take first after being third last year. “We went back and we competed in the same division. We wanted to do well in it before moving up, and we came out and (were) much more dominant, showing that we were anticipating,” Tabish-Moran said.

Culture

UNM student earns Truman Scholarship

Annya Loya and Maddie Pukite | April 17

Six associate degrees in high school from Central New Mexico Community College, an anticipated graduation with two bachelor's degrees next year and a planned master's in history in the spring 2024: University of New Mexico student Andrew Schumann can now also add the Truman Scholarship to this already impressive resume. The Truman Scholarship awards juniors in college with $30,000 for post-graduate education, counseling and employment opportunities. The committee selects 200 finalists from applicants. Finalists are then interviewed at a regional conference, with one candidate chosen from each state, according to the scholarship’s website.

News

Regents approve 3% increase in student fees

Maddie Pukite | April 11

The University of New Mexico’s Board of Regents voted to increase the mandatory student activity fee by 3%. The fee for undergraduates taking 15 credit hours will increase by $23.88 and $21.52 for graduate students taking 12 credit hours. The Student Fee Review Board is a group of undergraduate and graduate representatives that allocate the mandatory activity fee that all students pay toward various organizations and resource centers on campus, according to their website.