Shin Thant Hlaing - The Daily Lobo

News

Melissa Maldonado loves talking to people, and you should too

Shin Thant Hlaing | May 11

Melissa Maldonado is a week away from obtaining a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and a minor in Spanish. This will be her third and final year at the University of New Mexico as a transfer student from CNM. Maldonado was initially drawn to criminology because of an interest in crime documentaries. Through this degree she was exposed to sociology, which allowed her to study how society was organized and what pushes people to make certain choices. This drew her to social work. However, as she got further into her degree, something didn’t quite click. She began to feel concerned about the possibility of social work taking a heavy emotional toll. It was when she took a marketing class at the beckoning of a friend that everything clicked.

News

One year in, 250+ hrs served by ABQ RIDE volunteers

Shin Thant Hlaing | April 27

When riding the bus in Albuquerque, passengers may have seen people in neon shirts. These people are volunteers with the newly-launched ABQ RIDE Transit Ambassador program. Launched last year on April 1, 2025, the program is one of two programs for which ABQ RIDE recruits volunteers. The volunteers seek to promote a safer environment for bus passengers by providing education of ABQ RIDE’s Rules to Ride, and being another set of trained eyes to monitor service, according to the City of Albuquerque.

Culture

‘Native American Business Showcase’ features artists, crafts

Shin Thant Hlaing | April 27

In an event featuring talented professionals standing by their glistening jewelry and clothing, the University of New Mexico has once again brought together Native American businesses, organizations and student entrepreneurs in this year’s Native American Business Showcase. Hosted by the American Indian Business Association, the Thursday, April 23 event marks the third annual showcase that has been held at UNM. Executive Director of the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of New Mexico Marvis Aragon opened the event, encouraging entrepreneurship and collaboration among Native small businesses.

News

‘Sport as a Public Good’ talk spotlights gaps in youth sports education, access

Shin Thant Hlaing | April 20

There’s little that people enjoy more than play. Unfortunately, when it comes to our youth, we often fail in nurturing that love, former President of the U.S. Tennis Association and Chief Medical Officer of the NCAA Brian Hainline said. On Wednesday, April 15, Hainline spoke at the University of New Mexico Physics and Astronomy Interdisciplinary Science Building and said sports should be a public good to an audience including local sport leaders and athletes. He highlighted what he called an inadequate systemic support for sports in the U.S. Hainline’s lecture was hosted jointly by the UNM School of Medicine and Alumni Association.

News

ASUNM meetings broadcasting bill awaiting approval from legal counsel

Shin Thant Hlaing | April 6

The Associated Student at the University of New Mexico STREAM Act — mandating ASUNM Full Senate Meetings be live streamed or recorded — passed last October, but the bills implementation and official inclusion into the lawbook still awaits approval from the Office of University Counsel, ASUNM President-Elect Hope Montoya said. University Counsel is a body that provides legal advice to various administrative organs including ASUNM, according to the Office of University Counsel. “I guess you could kind of call it a stoplight system. Green signifies that the bill is okay to be included into the lawbook. Yellow signifies that there are parts of the bill that require edits. Red means no, don’t include it in the lawbook,” Montoya said.

News

Pay-what-you-can model debuted in SUB

Shin Thant Hlaing | April 6

Last month, the La Ventana hot food location in the University of New Mexico Student Union Building’s Mercado convenience store began piloting the new Fare Share program, which aims to alleviate food insecurity across Main Campus. The program allows anyone with a valid LoboID to choose one entree, one side and one drink from La Ventana’s selection of food and beverages, then pay whatever they wish for what they’ve chosen. Fare Share may be used by customers once a day. Any excess revenue, meaning payment that exceeds the cost of providing the meal, is donated directly to the Lobo Food Pantry.

Satire

Is ‘Lobo Wrapped’ cool or cruel? It’s certainly unusual

Shin Thant Hlaing | March 30

While students look forward to their Spotify Wrapped each year, the newly unveiled Lobo Wrapped feature has brought about mixed feelings among students. The feature places students in categories, similar to Spotify Wrapped. Some felt the Wrapped understood and validated their existence and habits, while others felt called out and ashamed. Lobo Wrapped was intended as a personalization and accountability tool, presenting students with a summary of all the activities undertaken using their LoboID, such as accessing on-campus libraries, the gym, and even where and how often they use their meal swipes. Access is also analyzed based on time of day and relative frequency and employs algorithmic analyses of possible driving factors for student choices.

News

Tuition increase fails at Regents meeting

Shin Thant Hlaing | March 23

On Tuesday, March 17, the University of New Mexico Board of Regents contemplated using student facility fees to close a gap in funding required to complete several ongoing infrastructure projects, namely the construction of the new humanities building The proposed fee increase would be accomplished using a $30 increase to the facility fee, and a $30 decrease to the mandatory student fee. However, the Lottery and Opportunity Scholarships do not cover expenses that are associated with capital, such as facility fees. 34,000 students in New Mexico receive financial assistance through the Opportunity Scholarship, and 10,000 students received Lottery scholarships during the spring semester of 2025, according to Source NM.

News

UNM considering increasing paid parental leave for staff

Shin Thant Hlaing | March 9

A resolution to extend the paid parental leave period from four to 12 weeks paid was passed by the Staff Council, a body representing University of New Mexico Staff. On Friday, March 6, the University Policy Office released a policy update for internal review that would increase allotted paid leave for UNM staff to eight weeks. According to the policy update, UNM is looking to offer eight weeks of paid leave for staff. It will take approximately two weeks to hear if it will be officially adopted after the initial 30-day comment period. It is also possible for the updated policy to go into a second round of internal review, or become available for public comment.

News

REVIEW: ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ a required watch for non-moms, caretakers

Shin Thant Hlaing | February 23

“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” is an Oscar-nominated dramedy or tragic comedy, but I feel the urge to classify it as “realistic horror.” The realistic horror of the film thrives on suffocating the protagonist, not in a literal sense, but by brilliantly illuminating the ways responsibility can feel crushing. Through exploring themes of parenthood and escapism, the movie becomes a must-watch for those who seek to explore the struggles of child-rearing. Directed and written by Mary Bronstein, the film follows Linda, a therapist played by Rose Byrne, who is not isolated in the conventional sense, but rendered helpless by a minimal income, an absent husband and an ailing child. There are no meaningful sources of “help,” and Linda finds herself feeling past capacity.