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Culture

Art educators challenge 'art world'

Addison Key | July 19

  Marina Perez, a contemporary Indigenous arts PhD student at the University of New Mexico, struggles with the concept of the art world. The art world often creates barriers for communities of color, which makes it harder for them to enter it, Perez said. It produces a binary between fine arts and community arts, contemporary arts and ancient arts. The separation, they said, often makes it hard for people of color to participate in the art world. “The art world is a colonial construct. To even think that we need to construct a completely different world away from our everyday lives … Communities of color don’t have access to be able to enter the art world,” Perez said. “Our knowledge is not embraced or acknowledged.”

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News

UNM Housing expands use of triple dorms

Marcela Johnson | July 19

Last Monday, students were notified via email that UNM Resident Life and Student Housing would convert multiple double rooms to a three-person capacity in order to meet housing demands. The halls with rooms that can be converted into triple capacity dorms include Coronado, Hokona, Santa Clara and Alvarado. The exact cost of the rooms were not given by Megan Chibanga – Director of UNM Resident Life and Student Housing. However, students in these rooms will have a reduced rate compared to traditional double rooms, according to Chibanga.

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Culture

Off-Broadway brings old glamor to contemporary fashion

Maddie Pukite | July 19

  Moving from their first location on Broadway Blvd, Off-Broadway is located on Central Avenue near campus and sells vintage clothing. While they do sell costumes, the shop is primarily a vintage store with clothing from before the 1980s. However, the two work hand in hand, storeowner Susan Ricker said. Her goal is to find ways to mix vintage with contemporary fashion. “It's transformative to wear a costume,” Ricker said. “If you were all vintage from one period, like all 50s, (you are) in a costume because that's not what I call contemporary dressing. I sell vintage clothing primarily as contemporary fashion. So, you mix eras.”

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Sports

Confrontation and comradery, Duke City Championship

Sydney Walker | July 16

Duke City Championship Wrestling was an all-ages event, action-packed with dramatic confrontations that kept the crowd cheering. Held at the Historic El Rey Theater on July 15, Fred Slow, co-owner of DCCW and promoter, said there were over 400 people in attendance. Mosh Pit Mike started professionally wrestling in Albuquerque 22 years ago with his best friend, Hobo Hank. He said his favorite part about wrestling for the DCCW is the reactions during the matches. “I get to wrestle here for the people I love and the city I love. It’s awesome. I think Albuquerque is ready to be a wrestling town again,” Mosh Pit Mike said.

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News

Lobo Food Pantry provides year round access to necessities

Detroit Kallunki | July 16

Facing a lack of basic needs affects university students year-round, however during the summer when temperatures are higher, campuses aren’t fully open and the availability of resources are lower for many. 67% of college students surveyed across New Mexico campuses have experienced some form of insecurity, according to the 2023 Basic Needs Project. The survey completed by the UNM Basic Needs Project is a group that UNM’s Basic Needs Specialist, Amanda Martinez, put together to gain insight on data about student needs. The Lobo Food Pantry is a resource available to students that operates four days a week and allows any UNM student with a student ID to come and pick up a basket of donated food.

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Culture

Books on the Bosque introduces local authors to the community

Kelsa Mendoza | July 16

María Dolores Gonzales said that her book, written in Spanish, English and Spanglish, was put on the shelves independent of publishing firms. The literary community in Albuquerque is very rich, Gonzales said, but the community often lacks diverse representation. Gonzales – a retired UNM professor – attended Books on the Bosque’s local author palooza on July 15. She taught within the Spanish and Portuguese department before authoring “Atop the Windmill I Could See Forever” – a bilingual memoir that details her childhood in the southwest. “I’m trying to see – where is the Hispanic community? Where are the Hispanic writers? Where are the Latino writers? I think that is a big void in the literary world,” Gonzales said.

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News

Lack of maintenance for parks in Albuquerque causes harm to communities

Weston Quintana | July 14

Amidst New Mexico’s summer heatwave with temperatures in the 100s, concern has spiked over the inadequate maintenance and neglect of parks in communities of color and low-income areas. The poor maintenance of parks is an example of environmental racism.   “The dire state of these parks hinders the residents' access to green spaces, but also permeates into environmental racism and there is a need for change,” Enrique Cardiel, a community organizer, said. The Regional Recreation Center/Quality of Life Grant was a state-led effort to improve amenities at public outdoor spaces in the state. While none of the funding went to Bernalillo County, Urban to Wild coordinator, Rachel Swanteson-Franz, said these efforts are to help improve equity in public green spaces.

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Sports

Albuquerque Aardvarks are a local institution

Maddie Pukite | July 14

The Albuquerque Aardvarks, established in 1973, meet weekly to practice rugby on Johnson field. The origin of the team's name has been forgotten, “Bear” said, but the story is that someone flipped through a dictionary to the first animal with the letter A, although nothing is certain. Fables and stories are a common practice around the team, many also using rugby names like Bear or Chonch which originated out of college and high school rugby clubs. Josh “Chonch” Lamb said the name stuck and just became what he was known as. Bear said that the name helped him on the field as well.

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Opinion

EDITORIAL: SAG & WAG strikes remind power of unionization

Maddie Pukite | July 14

It was just announced that the SAG-AFTRA union has gone on strike. This follows the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, which has lasted now over 70 days, according to the New York Times. This massive labor strike should serve as a reminder of the power of a labor movement and the treatment people deserve in employment. The last time writers and actors both went on strike was in the 1960s, when unions were at their peak in the 1950s; one-third of the labor force was unionized. Currently, amidst nationwide unionization movements, coverage of unions has been on the rise. In 2022, the number of people represented by a union grew by approximately 200,000, according to NPR.

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News

UNM’s Challenge Course brings the community together

BillyJack Davidson | July 11

The University of New Mexico offers a multitude of resources for its students, faculty and alumni. One resource is based on growing a foundation to the skills taught at UNM: teamwork. UNM’s Outdoor Activities Center is located outside Johnson Center and is a part of the University’s Recreational Services. The OAC has a program called the Challenge Course and Leadership Development initiative which consists of the Challenge Course.

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Opinion

Opinion: Can someone please give me Eras Tour tickets?

Elizabeth Secor | July 11

It’s safe to say that over the past three years, Taylor Swift has spoiled her fans. Starting with her 2020 release of “Folklore,” she has released six albums – three entirely new ones and two  rerecordings. On July 7, Swift gifted her fans another nostalgic experience and released “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).”  “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” comes 13 years after the original masterpiece. Swift has been rerecording her previous albums from when she worked under producer Scooter Braun. Braun had refused to sell Swift the rights to her music, so she is rerecording it. I am all for her owning her music and doing so in any way she can. And who doesn’t love being supplied with nostalgia?

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Culture

Horror Fest finds value in continuity

Addison Key and Tristan Huffman | July 11

With the goal of becoming an annual event, Jeff Sedden – owner and promoter of the Morgue and Krypt Horror Fest – planned the first one t in Albuquerque two years ago. A trustworthy team, Sedden said, has been the most important part of the Horror Fest’s success. Albuquerque has other conventions, but the overall goal of the horror convention, Sedan said,  is to ensure that it becomes a staple in the community.

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Sports

Duke City Championship Wrestling makes its presence known

Sydney Walker | July 9

Duke City Championship Wrestling is presenting a “Clash of Titans” tag-team showdown at the historic El Rey Theater on July 15. This all ages event will host eight professional wrestling matches inside the ring. Jerry Herrera, a professional wrestler, expects this upcoming event to be just as big as the first one. The overall goal for him and his local wrestlers is to make professional wrestling a more well known sport in Albuquerque, Herrera said.  “Hopefully they (fans) are ready for the second show – more action, more wrestlers, more competition and more entertainment,” Herrera said.

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Opinion

OPINION: “The Bear” making television bear-able

Danielle Knox | July 9

The landscape of television seems bleak at the moment. Prestige shows are ending at a rapid rate; HBO’s ”Succession” and “Barry,” Hulu’s “Handmaid's Tale” and Netflix’s “The Crown” all end this year. There seems to be little left for television at the moment. The ongoing writers strike by the Writers Guild of America seems to not spell well for the future either. Contant cancellations by Netflix and Warner Brothers does not support the audience’s fatality. What's left for TV? Are we standing in the cemetery of the once great age of TV? FX’s “The Bear” is here to disprove that. “The Bear” is electric, addictive TV that seems to disprove any fears about the end of peak TV.

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News

New Mexico Law protects reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare

Milan Ortiz-Ruiz | July 7

In February, a bill protecting reproductive and gender-affirming health care was signed into law in New Mexico. The Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Health Care Act protects patients seeking reproductive and gender-affirming health care in every part of New Mexico, according to Representative Linda Serrato (D) – a sponsor of the House Bill. “This is especially important in rural communities that have historically lacked access to care,” Serrato said.  Frankie Flores, Education Specialist of the LGBTQ Resource Center, said that greater access to gender-affirming health care will further protect New Mexico’s trans and non-binary community.   

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Culture

UNM gains a photography professor

Addison Key | July 7

Sara Abbaspour – the new assistant professor of photography –  completed her bachelor's in urban planning and design at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in Iran; she picked it because it was the closest STEM major related to art. The research that the major required introduced her to photography – a passion that she ultimately followed. “We had to study different neighborhoods to be able to design for the people, and photography was a major part of it — to study the environment, to know the environment better or to study the behavioral patterns of people who are using that urban space … my love for photography started there,” Abbaspour said.

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News

LETTER: UNM professors stance on the repeal of Affirmative Action

Maggie Werner-Washburne and Irene Vasquez | July 7

New Mexico educators suffered a major disappointment by the Supreme Court’s ruling to strike down Affirmative Action in college admissions. That ruling, combined with the cancellation of the student loan forgiveness plan, signals the beginning of a reversal in economic progress for diverse students in higher education.  As committed educators, we feel obligated to ensure that all New Mexico students have access to quality education despite any obstacles that we may encounter, including the repeal of Affirmative Action.

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Sports

The Suika Circuit track is revving its engine

BillyJack Davidson | July 6

  EDITORS NOTE: A previous version of this story said that Andrew Sanford was the new owner of the Suika Circuit. This has sense been changed, and as The Suika Circuit is owned by Dan Brockett, Jim Guthrie and Mike Ossell since Feb. 2023, according to the Rio Rancho Observer. The article has been updated with the corect owner.  Just outside of Albuquerque city limits is the Suika Circuit, formerly known as the Sandia Speedway. It's now under new ownership of Dan Brockett, Jim Guthrie and Mike Ossell and is starting to bounce back and start racing. July 1 was the first one-day event to kick off the refurbished pavement track. Members of Southwest Motorsport Inc. came out with their racing cars for their monthly races. The original Sandia Speedway location hosts events throughout each month on the 1.7 mile long pavement or the slightly smaller dirt track. On July 1, the modified street cars were put on the 14 turn pavement – a tricky course.

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News

Joy in resistance against The Fourth

Maddie Pukite | July 5

Local Albuquerque community found joy in resistance at Mesa Verde Park – gathered to eat, provide resources and build connections on the Fourth of July in protest of the holiday. In 2022, 1.2 million people were incarcerated in the United States, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Based on a survey, the ACLU administered about 24,000 incarcerated people – 76% reported being forced to work or facing punishment. Selinda Guerrero, a local organizer, spoke about the event's intent to resist state exploitation in prison systems and by police on the Fourth of July – the nation's Independence Day, a celebration of freedom and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

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News

Fall Out Boy, a reflective remake

Sydney Walker | July 5

A newly released remake of a song from the ‘80s has successfully sent me down a rabbit hole of deep thought. The last 28 years I have spent on this planet, I realized, have been quite traumatic. Released on June 28, the Fall Out Boy remake of Billy Joel’s, “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” has gone viral with over one million views on YouTube. Within the first three days of its release, the song quickly became a trending topic for TikTok creators. The original song by Billy Joel was released in September of 1989. It covered newsworthy topics spanning nearly 40 years starting in 1948, referencing Joseph Stalin, Marilyn Monroe, the H-bomb, Einstein and many more influential people.