Columns

Opinion

Column: Milo has as much a right to a platform as protesters do

Nikole Mckibben | February 2

While attending the Milo Yiannopoulos event last Friday night, I was met with apprehension. But questions were swirling in my head: Will I be safe at this event? Is this one man really as bad as everyone says he is? I knew nothing about the Breitbart editor; only what people have said about him. Most of that has been negative, but this made me want to see what he was about all the more. Many of those I talked to felt the same way. They had no opinion one way or the other, they just wanted to see what the fuss was about. I hope that most people realize Milo Yiannopoulos is a provocateur. Despite his love for dramatics, people still chose to get very upset over his comments. Protesters attending his talk that chose to interrupt his “racist rhetoric” only resulted in being more offended than when they began. All of the protesters in the event added more fuel to the fire.

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Culture

Fashion Column: New threads for a new year

Courtney Salinger | January 25

Ringing in the new year includes making resolutions, setting up calendars filled with new engagements and most importantly, a new semester of school. The new term is a great opportunity to show off the latest fashion trends. Showing up to class in the newest threads makes for a fun and exciting first week of school. Wearing a fresh outfit brings confidence to the occasions of meeting new people and to any endeavor you encounter. Here are some of the latest fashion trends and ideas on how to wear them.

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Music

Column: Welcome to Daily Lobo Music

Audrin Baghaie | January 18

2016 was very much, in almost every way, a calendar year. Things happened. People reacted. Sometimes things didn’t happen. That was okay too. Personally, my favorite part was the music. In this cold post-Bowie world we live in, it’s becoming more worthwhile to take a step back, lay down in the cool metaphorical lawn of time, and thoroughly listen to some jams that have the potential to really animate the senses. Finding a righteous album can make one’s week, nay, one’s year — dare I suggest a lifetime? Considering that songs we found as children still find ways into our Spotify playlists, that is.

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Opinion

Column: UNM Football has earned the right to expect more filled seats

Robert Maler | December 15

The New Mexico football program has pulled a 180 since hiring a new head coach five seasons ago. But despite putting a winning product on the field, attendance has inexplicably continued a downward trend. Head coach Bob Davie has the team reaching new heights after he took over a program that appeared to be in shambles, winning just three games in as many seasons before he took the helm. New Mexico (8-4) has a chance to triple that amount this season alone if it is victorious over Texas-San Antonio (6-6) in Saturday’s Gildan New Mexico Bowl.

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Opinion

Column: History remembers the brave, and will continue to do so

Nichole Harwood | November 29

On Nov. 20 the World Health Organization, otherwise known as “WHO,” released a statement that said “More than 250,000 men, women and children living in eastern Aleppo are now without access to hospital care following attacks on the remaining hospitals over the last week.” Videos on social media and news outlets spread throughout the internet showing men, women and children fleeing for their lives and being treated for severe injuries. Watching the videos and reading the news stories gave me pause for thought on the events that have unfolded this year.

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Opinion

Column: What happened to "drain the swamp"?

Jon Lofquist | November 27

After shocking the world by winning the U.S. presidential election a little over two weeks ago, President-elect Donald Trump has been filling important cabinet positions. But some of his picks for top positions haven’t exactly received a passing grade, if you will. For the position of chief political strategist, Trump tapped Breitbart CEO and campaign strategist Steve Bannon, a man who is known to lead the alt-right movement, and has been condemned as a racist and as anti-semitic. His appointment doesn’t exactly send a good message to several groups of minorities that he’s offended. Trump campaigned on a promise to “drain the swamp,” in reference to Washington’s brokenness, and to separate himself from his businesses, something he has so far failed to do. He’s surrounded himself with campaign loyalists and known Washington insiders such as RNC Chairman Reince Preibus, who he appointed as his chief of staff.

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Opinion

Column: Don't get complacent after tough election

Matthew Reisen | November 20

I woke up on Nov. 9 not wanting to do anything. Anything at all, up to and including: go to class, eat breakfast or even put on pants. The wind was taken out of my already fluttering sails. It was something I didn’t see coming. I joked about it. I half-heartedly said “but, what if?” I didn’t fully absorb the reality until the following Sunday, when I saw a “60 Minutes” preview that read “45th President” with Donald J. Trump’s face beside it. There is a tsunami of feelings that came with that reality. I felt let down, confused, scared, worried, frantic, desperate and apathetic. One thing I wasn’t, not in the least, was hopeful.

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Opinion

Column: The Electoral College doesn't represent a true democracy

Jon Lofquist | November 16

After 18 grueling months of election campaigning, America shocked the world and elected Donald J. Trump as its 45th president. For the fourth time in American history, and the second time in 16 years, Trump won the presidency despite receiving less votes overall than Hillary Clinton. To recap, Trump got 290 electoral votes and Clinton got 228. Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly stated that the electoral system was “rigged.” In fact, I think I heard that word more often than any other throughout the campaign. It became a theme in Trump’s temper tantrums. I don’t agree or stand for anything he’s said in the campaign, but I think he has a point here.

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Opinion

Column: Social media - a force for good or evil in the election?

Nichole Harwood | November 7

Social media plays a large part in the daily life of many individuals across the globe and has affected almost every avenue of life including, just recently, our political life. This election, regardless of the outcome, will make history, whether it’s because we will have our first female president or our first billionaire president. Even if Election Day were to provide a twist and a third-party candidate were elected, whoever wins will have been impacted heavily by their role and influence on social media.

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Culture

Column: Indie games break down barrier between creator and fan

Nichole Harwood | November 3

Indie video games are what Bandcamp releases are to major music labels — a disruptor that allows for a more accessible market for smaller developers to release their games. Big developers like Nintendo or Activision have long dominated the game development industry, but indie games are now on the rise after gamers have grown disenchanted by major studio releases not living up to hype, or relying too heavily on in-game purchases and expensive downloadable content. It’s titles like the horror-survival game “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” which are developed independently, that are giving rise to the indie game movement.

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Opinion

Column: Memes to an end

Nichole Harwood | October 19

Here’s a challenge: try scrolling down your Facebook feed and see how many posts you scroll past before you see a meme. I got past two posts before a meme came up on my Facebook feed. When continuing to scroll and continuing to see meme after meme come up on this social network site, I began to see a trend.

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Opinion

Column: Entertainment has no place in journalism

Matthew Reisen | October 10

“I AM NOT IN THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS.” This is the most important line in legendary journalist Jim Lehrer’s personal code of ethics — and I am inclined to agree wholeheartedly. If I am to truly be a journalist, there is no place for the notion of entertainment. The definition of entertainment itself negates that. I think you should never be a journalist to entertain, and those who write sensationalist tabloids I would not call journalists. The main directive of entertainment, is just that, to be pleasing to the senses in one way or another. But news is often not entertaining and it shouldn’t serve as such.

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Opinion

Column: Review what you know

Skylar Griego | October 10

In the world of journalism, the most important thing every reporter strives for revolves around one word: ethics. No self-respecting journalist has made a career without having a code of ethics drilled into his or her brain (as it should be). But journalism, like any kind of writing, is varied and full of subgenres. Following strict rules can get trickier the more alternative the writing becomes.

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Opinion

Column: Appropriate work attire is ever-changing

Nichole Harwood | October 5

As generations rise and generations fall, so does their impact on surrounding society. One such example that can be commonly seen is how we dress, or what we find acceptable for business attire and tasteful for body art and piercings. The classic look of the businessman — holding a briefcase in a suit with his hair combed back — is no longer the only norm in the business world.

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Opinion

Guest Column: Voters should scrutinize media claims about Trump

Brian Moore | October 2

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump is considered a firebrand by most members of the media. He and his campaign have produced news headlines that have many people I meet scratching their heads. Firstly, I'd like to address Mr. Trump's debate performance from last Monday.

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Opinion

Column: The Millenial vote is more important than ever

Nichole Harwood | September 26

While a candidate will commonly urge voters to vote consistently in almost every election and state — that every individual vote counts this year — they would have a point. 18 to 35 is the age range for the Millennial Generation and, for the first time, the entire generation will have the opportunity to vote, making up to roughly 31 percent of the electorate, close to equaling Baby Boomer generation, which also makes up roughly 31 percent.

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Opinion

Column: Millennials impact the LGBTQ movement in many ways

Nichole Harwood | September 8

The fight for equal rights is not a new one. Throughout history humanity, and certainly Americans, have had a constant struggle to be viewed and treated equally.

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Opinion

Column: Black community has and will continue to persevere

Jacklyn Asamoah | July 13

It’s time like this when the structure of racism rears its ugly head from the hidden shadows of the so called “post-racial” society. It’s time like this where people are waking up and realizing that they are fighting an everyday struggle and war on race.  These events that are blasted all over the news and social media numb one’s response and ability to process the difficult situations. When we are constantly waking up to hear of another killing of someone who looks likes us— we begin to constantly question, “Are my family, friends, co-workers, peers, neighbors next” or even “Am I next?”

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News

Column: Conservative response to Dallas shooting appalling

Jonathan Natvig | July 11

This week in Dallas, five police officers were killed and many more were injured as gun violence continues in the United States. The murder of the Dallas police officers took place Thursday night at a peaceful demonstration for the black lives lost in Minnesota and Louisiana earlier this week. The shooter said his actions were a result of police brutality towards black people, and he specifically wanted to kill white officers.

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Opinion

Column: 2016 presidential race is an example of political extremism

Matthew Reisen | June 6

This is an assessment on what seems to be happening in America: a situation I like to call “political extremism.” Recently, I covered both Bernie Sanders’ and Donald Trump’s political rallies in Albuquerque.