In January, the University of New Mexico took down its Undocumented UNM website due to outdated information and is instead routing students to the El Centro de la Raza website for resources, according to Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair. The website affirmed the University's commitment to “standing with and supporting our undocumented students and their families,” according to an archived version of it.
An otherwise uneventful full senate meeting of the Associated Students at the University of New Mexico was punctuated by an impassioned appeal from Sens. Jayce McCloud and Hope Montoya on Wednesday, Feb. 26. The pair appealed for senators to involve themselves in the ASUNM budget process, as the time for full senate discussion of the upcoming budget is all-but-confirmed for the next meeting. A suspension of the standing rule that time-limits senators’ opening remarks motioned by Finance Chair Montoya allowed McCloud 15 minutes — instead of the usual five — to deliver his call to action.
New Mexicans could see increased prices on certain goods due to new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, according to a University of New Mexico finance expert and a local business owner. The Trump administration plans to impose 25% tariffs on all goods imported from Canada and Mexico, along with an additional 10% tariff on China, according to the White House. The tariffs will go into effect on March 4. In the simplest form, tariffs are taxes on goods that come from other countries, according to Reilly White, an associate professor of finance.
On the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 24, Johnson Center was evacuated after a dryer-related fire caused smoke to fill the building, according to University of New Mexico Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair. There were no injuries or damage to the building, Blair said. Albuquerque Fire Rescue responded to the scene and told Blair the fire was controlled, she said.
Lawmakers voted Monday, Feb. 24 to advance a bill that would explicitly require university police departments to use body cameras, just over a year after the Daily Lobo revealed a loophole in a state statute. The 2020 statute, sponsored by Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces), requires law enforcement agencies in New Mexico to use body cameras. While it does not explicitly exclude university police departments, it also does not explicitly include them.
A team of University of New Mexico scientists found that the human brain is the organ with the highest concentration of microplastics and nanoplastics compared to the liver or kidney. The study, led by Matthew Campen, looked at the brains of people in New Mexico who died in 2016 and 2024. It also included samples from people who died from 1997- 2013 on the east coast. The total mass concentration of plastics in the analyzed brains increased by about 50% in the 2024 sample compared to the 2016 sample, according to the study.
The University of New Mexico will risk losing federal funding if it does not end race-based programs by Feb. 28, according to a Department of Education memo sent to schools across the country Feb. 14. The memo cited Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin against any person, including within programs that receive federal funding. As of Feb. 21, UNM will not make any changes to its operations, nor to its academic programming or student support services, according to UNM Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair.
On Thursday, Feb 20, speakers at a University of New Mexico Board of Regents meeting raised concerns about President Donald Trump’s executive actions, including on immigration, funding cuts, and diversity, equity and inclusion. The meeting, held at the Student Union Building, was the first open session of the spring semester and the first for newly appointed regents Patricia Williams and Christina Campos. Some student and faculty speakers also asked the Regents to consider divesting from Israel and the fossil fuel industry. During advisors’ comments, Graduate and Professional Student Association President Michel Rivera Ramirez spoke to the Regents about his concerns related to Department of Education guidelines for schools to end race-based programs by Feb. 28.
On Friday, Feb. 21, University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes reflected on the past year and outlined plans for UNM’s future in her seventh annual State of the University address. During the speech, she mentioned the University’s response to President Donald Trump’s recent executive actions that target funding for higher education. Part of the University’s response, Stokes said, includes maintaining UNM’s resource centers and health programs in the face of Department of Education guidance telling universities to end race-based programs by Feb. 28 or risk losing federal funding. The University’s rapid response teams, which were implemented after Trump’s inauguration, will continue to analyze executive orders and regulations, she said.
This story was originally published by Searchlight New Mexico. If you have experienced sexual assault, sexual violence or unwanted sexual contact, you can contact the Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico at (505) 266-7711. Links in this story contain graphic descriptions of sexual abuse of ...
The future of medical research at the University of New Mexico remains uncertain after a federal judge temporarily blocked funding cuts for overhead costs at research institutions. President Donald Trump announced the cuts Feb. 7, which would put a cap on funding from the National Institutes of Health for “indirect costs.” These costs are used for things like laboratory space, faculty and equipment. The proposed cuts aim to maximize the amount of funds that go toward “direct” research costs, according to the announcement.
Universities across the country, including the University of New Mexico, have reverted to 2020 federal regulations that increased rights for students accused of sexual misconduct and did not explicitly protect LGBTQ+ students. This follows a Feb. 4 Department of Education notice that instructed schools to revert to the Title IX regulations that were in place during President Donald Trump’s first administration. The last major shift for Title IX occurred in August 2024, when some universities, including UNM, implemented regulations put in place by then-President Joe Biden’s administration. Passed in 1972, Title IX is a federal law that, in part, protects people from sex-based discrimination at public universities that receive federal funding. It also requires universities to prevent, assess, investigate and resolve complaints, according to UNM Compliance, Ethics & Equal Opportunity.
The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico voted on 12 appropriations requests from student organizations and elected a new president pro tempore during its full senate meeting Wednesday, Feb. 12. This was the second election for the president pro tempore position in three months. The newly elected president pro tempore, Sen. Gabbie Gonzales, won over Sen. Charlie Doyle in the roll-call ballot, with endorsements from former President Pro Tempore and current Finance Chair Hope Montoya and Steering & Rules Committee Chair Mary Garcia.
Former Secretary of the Interior and United States Rep. Deb Haaland kicked off her gubernatorial campaign tour in Albuquerque Thursday, Feb. 13 with a message of resilience. Two days before the Albuquerque rally, which was held at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Haaland formally announced her ...
At James Monroe Middle School located in northwest Albuquerque, seventh grade New Mexico history teacher Jon Stauss teaches lesser-known Black History Month lessons to his students. “For Black History Month, my classes engage in a three-day unit on the town of Blackdom near modern day Roswell,” Stauss said. “It was established and settled by Black sharecroppers coming into the state from places like Georgia at the turn of the 20th century.” Francis (Frank) Marion Boyer, the leader of the group who created Blackdom Townsite Company in 1903, began his search for an area to settle after being threatened by the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan in his home state of Georgia, according to the National Park Service.
Throughout the University’s history, Black students have continued to fight for justice and equality at the University of New Mexico. Here are some of the many instances during which these students fought for what they believed was right. 1969 protest against Brigham Young University On Feb. 27, 1969, about 85 members of UNM’s Black Student Union and United Mexican American Students staged a walkout at a UNM-BYU basketball game to protest against Brigham Young University, whose racially discriminatory practices sparked protest across university athletic competitions against BYU, according to a 1969 Daily Lobo article.
The East End Addition, located near Interstate 40 and Wyoming Boulevard, was the first Black neighborhood in Albuquerque. It was built for Black families by Black people, and it was designated as a Historic Protection Overlay zone in 2023. In 1938, Henry Outley, a Black homesteader, proposed a plan for 144 acres of land on behalf of the Fraternal Aid Society of Black Businessmen. At the time, acquiring a loan to build the housing project was impossible due to laws that discriminated against people of color, according to KRQE.
Born Nov. 29, 1947, Barbara Brown Simmons was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of New Mexico School of Law and the first Black woman to become a member of the New Mexico State Bar. An advocate for equal rights, Brown Simmons fought tirelessly through activism and protests to shape UNM during the Civil Rights era in the 1960s before her death in 2022. Brown Simmons lived in Amarillo, Texas as a child, where she said she learned about Black history in school and became proud of her culture during the time of segregation.
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