Last Friday, in the wake of severe criticism from the Department of Justice, President Bob Frank outlined the steps UNM is taking to create a safer climate. Several University entities are following suit, saying action is being taken to meet the necessary standards on a campus-wide level.
On Friday morning the Department of Justice revealed their findings regarding UNM’s handling of sexual assault causes, saying the University is not up to code because of confusing policies and outdated procedures. But at a press conference later that day, University officials emphasized that there is more to the issue than the DOJ report suggests. Informational posters were set up in the room, illustrating a timeline spanning the past three years and a checklist of key tasks that arose out of a University commissioned report in February of last year.
Scribendi, a nonprofit, annual magazine of creative works developed by undergraduate honors students since 1986 has been officially defunded by Associated Students of the UNM after it requested money from this spring’s ASUNM budget. The amount of funding requested by UNM student organizations amounted to more than $1 million. However, less than seven hundred thousand was actually available, resulting in funding reductions for nearly every organization applying.
The Red Nation and Kiva Club are campaigning to abolish the UNM's official seal, saying it is racist towards Native Americans. "The UNM [official seal] celebrates genocide and conquest—both are violations of basic human rights and belong in a museum of a bygone era," said The Red Nation co-founder Nick Estes. "It’s 2016 and UNM is still celebrating crimes against humanity – colonialism and genocide – and Natives are still underrepresented at all levels at the University.”
A group of UNM graduate students are facilitating access to education for girls going to school in Pakistan and Afghanistan — two countries marred by war and violence. The students provide lectures to girls in primary schools in Pakistan and facilitate their access to an education by providing financial support.
Before voting to increase undergraduate student tuition by 2.5 percent, the UNM Board of Regents elected to hold off on voting for an online course delivery fee redistribution proposal, in order to do some fine-tuning. Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management Terry Babbitt presented the proposal at Tuesday’s UNM Board of Regents’ annual Budget Summit, saying that it would help the University’s presence in the online classroom medium. “We’re trying to be competitive in the distance education environment,” Babbitt said.
The Albuquerque Fire Department was dispatched to 1705 Mesa Vista to contain a blaze in the early hours of Feb. 23. According to AFD, no injuries were reported and the fire has not spread. There is still no further information at the time of publication as to what caused the fire. Part of that is because the structure was a former Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house, one of many Greek houses currently vacant.
Associated Students of UNM has blocked a proposal to allow people to carry stun guns on campus property.
The grand opening of a new commons area in Zimmerman library on Thursday kicked off a fresh opportunity for graduate students to exclusively utilize a quiet study space. Located on the first floor of Zimmerman, in Room 102 opposite the Learning Commons, the new space will be open during usual library hours, said Abigail G. Robertson, a graduate medieval studies student. Robertson is the incoming Graduate and Professional Students Association (GPSA) Chair of Media and Outreach. She said many factors - including the library's location at the center of main campus as well as availability of resources vital for graduate research - makes Zimmerman an ideal home for the Graduate Commons.
Two UNM Law School students won best overall and best written submission in the J.D. division of the 15th Annual ABA Law Student Tax Challenge held in Los Angeles. The students received first place in the oral arguments for their performance in defending their work product at the competition. They also won for the best written submission, which was decided before attending the meeting.
Several hundred protesters gathered in Civic Plaza Sunday afternoon for an anti-hate rally promoting understanding and inclusion while opposing the political rhetoric of figures such as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Former Albuquerque City Councilor Rey Garduño contributed to the atmosphere of the demonstration, which was organized by the Albuquerque United Front Against Hate. “We gather here today not to bury (Donald) Trump, although we’d like to. We’d rather gather here to make sure that he and his reckless, hateful speech are buried forever,” Garduño said.
David Makovsky, director of Project on the Middle East Peace Process, visited the Hibben Center yesterday to talk to UNM students in a speech entitled, “Seeking Justice: Strengthening the Prospects for Middle East Peace.” Makovsky is the Ziegler distinguished fellow at The Washington Institute in addition to being an adjunct professor in Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University's Paul H.
The UNM School of Law has received a grant to attract, prepare and mobilize lawyers to work for the health and well-being of the underprivileged communities of New Mexico. The $2,652,487 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) is a collaboration with strategic community partners, including UNM’s Health Sciences Center (HSC), to address unmet legal needs that harm the health and well-being of children and families living in poverty in New Mexico, according to a UNM press release.
Cullen Neal’s statistics didn’t factor much into Saturday afternoon’s game against San Jose State: six points, three rebounds. But his presence resonated throughout WisePies Arena. Neal, the starting point guard for the New Mexico basketball team, received uproarious support from fans during the game just days after his father, head coach Craig Neal, said that he has received death threats. In his press conference heading into the game this past Thursday, Craig Neal said his son changed his phone number twice and deleted social media accounts due to continuing and increasingly harsh criticism that, he felt, crossed the line.
University of New Mexico’s financial and enrollment officials have proposed to the Board of Regents that the University shift online course fees from students taking online classes to all students attending UNM. “The funding source that we are using wasn’t matching up with what the money was being used for. We are charging students $100 for an online course and then we’re taking it and supporting the Learn system so that every student can see their syllabus, course materials and grades online,” said Andrew Cullen, associate vice president of Office of Planning, Budget and Analysis. “We feel that it should be a mandatory fee because all students are benefiting from it.” The proposal disperses the cost of online classes to all UNM students with a mandatory online delivery fee.
The sound of falling pins echoed at every corner of the Starlight Bowling Alley at the Santa Ana Star Casino throughout the day on Saturday. The 2016 Unified Team Bowling Tournament attracted 428 athletes to compete.
A recent issue of preLaw Magazine graded the University of New Mexico School of Law’s Natural Resources and Environmental Law Programs with an “A” rating.
At least 50 protesters – made up of men, women, young and old – gathered in front of Central Avenue near the UNM Bookstore Saturday evening in opposition to self-proclaimed “neomasculinist” Darush “Roosh V” Valizadeh’s now-cancelled follower meetups, one of which was scheduled to begin at that location. The protest mobilized in a matter of minutes just before 8 p.m., the time during which Valizadeh blogged that his followers should rendezvous for a meeting. Valizadeh wrote on his blog that he hoped these meetings would result in the start of several “tribes” of like-minded followers around the world. He then announced on social media that these meetings – which he dubbed International Meetup Day – were cancelled because he was concerned about the safety of those attending.
Every year UNM's Africana Studies Program celebrates the start of Black History Month with a brunch and speaker. This year, the program welcomed University of Maryland President Freeman Hrabowski, according to a UNM release.
A current project by UNM's Physical Plant Department (PPD) aims to increase water conservation numbers on campus. This comes on the heels of the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority's recent announcement that daily water usage per capita is at a record low of 127 gallons for the area in 2015. Katherine Yuhas, water conservation officer for the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, said this is largely due to widespread education on water resources throughout the community via television, radio, classroom presentations, field trips and more.
Solutions by The State News
