As promised, ASUNM has some scholarship updates for the week: First, we are happy to announce that we had 32 applications for our most recent $1,000 scholarship and those will be awarded shortly. Thank you to everyone who applied and continues to follow our executive team’s tireless efforts both through the Daily Lobo and our social media accounts.
With 2016’s 30-day Legislative Session finally at an end, University of New Mexico students can rest in peace knowing that the Legislative Lottery Scholarship is safe ... that is, at least for the next fiscal year. As it currently stands, the Lottery Scholarship, which was created 20 years ago by Sen. Michael Sanchez to help create access to education for New Mexico students, is facing a cliff in the upcoming year. If changes weren’t made to the amount of revenue for the Lottery Scholarship Fund, the scholarship would go from subsidizing 90-95 percent of UNM lottery recipients’ tuition in school year 2016-17 to 60-65 percent of tuition in school year 2017-18, a drastic 30 percent reduction.
It is often difficult to pinpoint exactly why student fees increase from one semester to the next. I too become quite confused when navigating my bursars account. On Friday, February 11, the Regents authorized the refinancing and refunding of previously issued institutional bonds while also authorizing administration to purchase additional bonds, generating approximately $55 million dollars for the University. Why, you may ask? After years of planning and discussion, both administration and student leadership came to the agreement that some of our facilities are behind the times
Education matters. Yet no matter how worthwhile we all know it to be, it doesn’t make the process of becoming educated any easier. And as if cramming for tests and writing essays into the night weren’t tasking enough, as students we have to balance that with the pressures of a social life, health and figuring out what we want to do for the rest of our lives.
Major League Baseball is in somewhat of a transitional phase the likes of which neither the sport, nor its fans, have ever really seen before. It’s not experiencing an existential crisis, per se, but the sport has devoted much attention and resources towards tailoring a very traditional game for a younger generation. As it turns out, the 2016 season might be the perfect time to do just that – give the sport a try. You don’t have to fight the urge of resisting the sport any longer. And with pitchers and catchers from most major league ball clubs reporting for Spring Training duty on Friday, you’re only going to hear about it more and more as Opening Day (which has as much a right as the Monday after the Super Bowl to be a national holiday) draws ever nearer on April 4.
Safety. A big word, carrying a lot of weight and meaning for each student, staff, and faculty member at the University of New Mexico. How do we promote a safe yet open campus? Over the course of the past year, ASUNM has taken a special interest in the safety of each student on campus. We want to make sure that YOU feel both comfortable and at home at UNM, and we have taken some big steps towards creating a safer environment for YOU. Each year, ASUNM is able to ask for capital outlay money from the Legislature. We focus on areas throughout campus that may need renovation, remodeling or revamping explicitly in the interest of students.
Facebook friend posted a message on Thursday about Roosh V. and the ill-fated Return of Kings meet-up event. In it, he said that, while the event was canceled, men who had planned to participate were instead going to ”...’pick up’ (read: coerce and rape) women at nearby bars.” I asked the poster, who thinks of himself as an ally for women, for his source on the information, and instead of supplying a link or a name, he became defensive and ultimately he deleted my comments. Later that same day, the U.K. tabloid website Daily Mail published an article with the headline “Not so cool now! Pro-rape pick-up artist pictured in a sweat-stained T-shirt at the door of his mother’s home (where he lives in the BASEMENT!).” The included photo shows the self-identified men’s rights activist speaking to police at his door wearing – gasp – a T-shirt and shorts. No mention was made of how they had determined he lived in his mother’s basement.
A new semester is underway and with it ASUNM is determined to finish our academic year strong. Within just the first two weeks, we have been up to Santa Fe many times regarding our Capital Outlay Project and the Lottery Scholarship, held our first rounds of budget workshops, and begun working on our new outreach efforts for this semester. We have a lot on the docket for this semester, but we can’t do any of it without YOUR help. Here are the major ways you can help us get started:
It took Bob Davie four long years to turn the New Mexico football program into a winning one. And less than a month after leading the Lobos to their first bowl appearance in almost a decade, Davie was rewarded with a well-deserved two-year contract extension last week. Davie is now signed up to be the head coach for the Lobos until 2021 and will receive a $50,000 raise. The move is a smart one for New Mexico Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs. Since his hire Davie has managed to pull UNM out of the doldrums of college football, reviving a program that many thought couldn’t be saved.
The WWE has always had a penchant for falling back on old gimmicks and characters. That’s always been true for wrestling in general because it’s much easier to go back to something established, and the return of Vince McMahon’s onscreen character is no different. Yes, the owner of the largest wrestling company in the world made his TV comeback right before the calendar turned to the new year. It marked the first time in more than a year that the WWE chairman graced audiences with his presence.
Did you know UNM is a terrorist-friendly school? It is because we have an active Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, and because ASUNM passed an anti-Islamophobia resolution last year. So says David Horowitz, editor-in-chief of FrontPage Magazine and founder of Students for Academic Freedom. Because popular opinion says that supporting Palestine is anti-Semitic.
Halloween has really got me thinking that life, at any stage, is about creating. As kids we are busy fashioning the perfect costumes; as we get older, it’s crafting the suspension of disbelief at a haunted house; and as college students, no matter what we decide is our perfect Halloween recipe, we’re making memories. As I sit here, watching movies with the people I love, I can’t help but wonder: are we actually creating enough? Or are we just doing what’s needed to get by and maintain what’s already there? Do the realities of adulthood limit our willingness to try new things? ASUNM is a strange balance between maintenance and creation. On any given year your student government is doing a lot of the same things as the year prior, because that’s what has worked habitually. But each administration runs on the promise of something different, something better.
Perhaps the most classic of Halloween traditions is kicking back in your costume and watching your favorite scary movies. Many people prefer to rent their favorite cult classics from the video store and binge-watch the cheesy horror. Others, however, may wish to experience some horror on Halloween without going to the rental store. Whether you’re a cult lover or a Netflix binger, here are some great horror film suggestions, some of which are available for streaming on Netflix.
Halloween is a night that means something different for everyone. Kids focus on all the free candy while many of their elders set out to drink obscene amounts of booze. It is a holiday that involves mischief, giving, frights, games and so much more. But above all, Halloween is about dressing up. Whether it’s scary or funny, people love to dress up. Some people choose to dress up with controversial or potentially offensive costumes. Here is a list of 2015’s top five most offensive costumes for those of you looking to piss your peers off this year.
Hey, you. Yeah. I’m talking to you. The one who could care less about this paper because it’s Halloween-centered and you hate Halloween. Before you throw this issue aside, I’ll let you in on a little secret: There are other things to do on Halloween. You don’t have to lock yourself away. I have a list of five things to help you to have a good time on Oct. 31 while avoiding the festivities you may find annoying, routine, absurd or just plain boring.
As a Freshman at the University of New Mexico, I wouldn’t have been able to explain who the regents are. After making a presentation this past week to Emerging Lobo Leaders, an engaging and diverse group of talented young students, I found that many students are as unaware of who the Regents are as I once was. The Board of Regents at the University of New Mexico are assembled of seven members appointed by the Governor of New Mexico. The Board has the power to govern the University, including the fiduciary responsibility for the assets and programs of the University, the establishment of goals and policies to guide the University, and the oversight of the functioning of the University (regents.unm.edu). The Board vests the responsibly of operation and management in the President of the University, Dr. Robert G. Frank. So, why is this important? Because the Regents have been entrusted by the New Mexico Constitution to guide the state’s flagship institution, we address issues that affect the entire campus community. An example may provide further clarification. In September, the Regents approved a resolution for $35M worth of bonds to renovate Johnson Center. This renovation is much needed and affects all parties on campus, including administration, faculty, staff and students. In this scenario, the board’s approval is the first step in a succession of approvals that are required for a new and improved Johnson Gym.
There are so many acronyms in student government that, honestly, even I sometimes get confused. I mean, ASUNM stands for Associated Students of the University of New Mexico, but it is such a mouthful that we just tend to stick to the five letters, even when someone might not know what ASUNM means. SFRB is one of those acronyms that is tossed around in conversations and student government talk without ever being explained. Seeing as these are your student fees, I would like to explain SFRB to you.
In high school, Homecoming was always something many students looked forward to. The week before Homecoming was an eventful time to celebrate pride in the school and the football team, elect the Homecoming Court and, of course, participate in the Homecoming dance. These traditions were something that many of us took part in, at least to some degree, and were sad to see end. Well, there's no need to fret because the University of New Mexico has some wonderful Homecoming traditions as well.
In a world where, on one hand “I’m Shmacked” attempts to capture what our University has to offer in one weekend, and on the other we can spend countless hours debating the future of the lottery scholarship, I can’t help but wonder: what is college really about?
Like we promised at the beginning of the year, Alex and I write these weekly columns for the main purpose of being transparent and keeping all students informed of the different events and endeavors that ASUNM is taking on. This week is a VERY heavy week for ASUNM, which means that it is all the more reason for YOU to participate and get involved!
Solutions by The State News
