Refugees from around the world are getting support they desperately need, while students working with them are learning life-changing lessons. UNM’s Refugee Well-Being Program is a two-semester course that pairs sociology, psychology and anthropology students with refugees living in Albuquerque.
Student loan borrowers will soon have better options when it comes to paying off their debts. The U.S. Department of Education announced Friday that federal student loan servicers now have more incentives to help keep students from defaulting on their loans. Among these incentives are a customer satisfaction survey, which will serve as an indicator as to which servicer gets the most loans. The better the satisfaction scores, the more loans it may provide.
Hundreds of runners climbed, balanced and went through an obstacle course in order to help less fortunate families that face much harder challenges every day. The inaugural Rebel Donut Dash’s 5K run raised money for The Storehouse so it can continue to support many of Albuquerque’s homeless and poverty level citizens. Carrie Mettling, owner of Rebel Donuts, said she had the idea of hosting a food related fundraiser as she made doughnuts in her local shop on morning.
UNM could be looking at heavy fines if the Department of Education turns its eye on the University. According to an internal auditor’s report released in mid-August, UNM is “not substantially compliant” with the Clery Act, which requires schools to properly communicate and monitor campus safety issues. The school is working immediately to resolve the issues, said Deputy UNM Police Chief Christine Chester, who was also named interim Clery coordinator based on the auditor’s recommendation.
The number of bicycle thefts on campus increased by 70 percent during the 2013-14 academic year, the UNM Police Department reported. UNMPD and the UNM Global Education Office are trying to find ways to counter bike thieves operating on campus by employing random security sweeps, bicycle registration and increased outreach and awareness efforts. “From Aug.
Facing aging equipment and leaky roofs, some professors in the Fine Arts department are struggling to help their students succeed with limited resources. Randall Wilson, a professor in the sculpture area, said equipment is severely outdated and money to fix the problems is just not arriving.
Some of New Mexico’s unique historical artifacts are conveniently located just a few steps from many UNM classrooms — or even as close as a computer. Michael Kelly, director of the Southwest Research Center, said the center’s collection includes rare books, manuscripts, photograph collections and architectural blueprints, with more than 100,000 of these items online in the New Mexico digital archive. “We are constantly putting more and more things online of our unique materials for everybody in the world to find and of course for students to use.” The main purpose of the Southwest Research Center, he said, is to make all the rare materials, more than a million items, available to students and researchers.
Lowering the number of sexual assaults on campus and improving general safety will be the new goals of the UNM Police Department. The department’s new chief, Kevin McCabe, said he hopes to accomplish these things by collaborating with the Albuquerque Police Department. “The focus is on the educational experience — to provide a safe campus for everybody that is a part of the UNM family: students, faculty and staff,” McCabe said. UNM hired McCabe over the summer to replace the outgoing police chief Kathy Guimond.
On Friday Albuquerque Mayor Richard J. Berry said he vetoed five voter initiatives because he does not want to approve the decriminalization of marijuana or raise taxes in Albuquerque. Berry exercised his veto authority on R-14-91 because of last-minute provisions added by the City Council that he said lack detail or circumvent state and federal law. “This is a bill that has the potential to raise the taxes of the citizens of Albuquerque without any clear or concise plan as to how those tax resources will be spent,” Berry said in a video posted to YouTube.
In the words of head coach Bob Davie, New Mexico football’s first half against UTEP on Saturday was “wobbly.” If that’s the case, then by the end of the game it was a breakdown. The Lobos rallied from a 24-7 halftime deficit to tie the season opener at 24 in the fourth quarter, but their comeback attempt was stopped thanks to three turnovers in the last six-and-a-half minutes.
The New Mexico football team showed signs of defensive improvement in Saturday’s season opener, despite an early deficit. Both sides of the ball came out of the gates in sluggish form during UNM’s 31-24 loss to UTEP — but, bolstered by a strong defensive effort, UNM’s second-half play came within striking distance.
Mayor Richard Berry must decide today whether he will give residents the chance to to vote on decriminalizing marijuana in Albuquerque. On Aug. 18 the city council passed an election resolution of five ballot initiatives, including a measure that would decrease penalties for personal possession of marijuana under an ounce to a $25 civil fine. If Berry vetoes the resolution, all five initiatives would not be brought to voters on the upcoming November ballot.
The Cellar recreation area in Hokona Hall may be getting a makeover for the first time in 40 years. The proposed budget, at nearly $400,000, will add 10 fixtures to the existing bathrooms, which will be the first improvements since The Cellar was established as a recreation area in the 1970’s, Chris Vallejos, Institutional Support Services’ associate vice president, said. The renovations would reduce wait times at the bathrooms in The Cellar, where two stalls each in the men’s and women’s restrooms serve about 750 people. But the project needs to be approved by the Higher Education Department, according to a memorandum submitted to the board of regents.
Nearly $2,200 has been raised since President Bob Frank challenged the UNM community to donate to ALS research after taking the Ice Bucket Challenge on Wednesday. Frank took the icy bath with several other top UNM administrators in Smith Plaza in front of Zimmerman Library after being challenged by Mayor Richard Berry and head Soccer Coach Jeremy Fishbein last week, Ethan Rule, University marketing representative, said. Frank said campus administrators will collectively match the donations up to $1,000 dollars.
Expectations for the New Mexico football team have been low the past several seasons. There’s not much to expect from a program that has gone 10-49 the past five years. Under head coach Bob Davie, the Lobos have gone 7-18 the last two seasons. This year’s prospects for UNM appear bleak despite the fact that the Lobos have depth at almost every position and the team is filled with experienced players.
Two upcoming shooting competitions are drawing community members’ interest, but not in a positive way. Protesters rallied at Civic Plaza Wednesday against the Albuquerque Police Pistol Combat Tournament and the NRA Police Shooting Championship. The tournaments, scheduled for Sept. 10-12 and Sept. 13-18, respectively, are co-sponsored by the Albuquerque Police Department and the National Rifle Association. David Correia, an associate professor of American studies at UNM, has been actively involved in recent protests against APD shootings and said he is a proud advocate for families affected by APD’s alleged use of excessive force.
Three University of New Mexico researchers have been named among the ‘World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds.’ XueXian Yang, Vittorio Cristini and Dr. Mauricio Tohen were recently recognized by Thomson Reuters on their list of Highly Cited Researchers. The list honored more than 3,000 of “the standout researchers of the last decade” from around the world in 21 different fields, according to ScienceWatch.com. “I think it’s a great pride for UNM,” Cristini said. “It’s about 3,000 researchers worldwide, in all disciplines of science, medicine, everything — and UNM has three of them. It’s pretty good, right?”
Low income students can double their money at a UNM-area market. Nancy Erickson, manager of Albuquerque Growers’ Market at Presbyterian, said her market price matches any EBT or SNAP purchases up to $20, doubling the amount of food those customers can purchase. The market, which is located in the Northeast corner of the Downtown Presbyterian Hospital parking lot, focuses on providing excellent food from local growers, she said. “I have a deep appreciation for fresh local food that goes back as far as I can remember”, she said. The market has been operating for three years, every Tuesday from 7 a.m.
A UNM student has emerged from television extra to the limelight as an accomplished director. Nick Nelson, a fine arts student, moved from an extra in “Breaking Bad” to a producer of his own miniseries.
Union staff employees missed out on nearly four weeks of a pay raise, and UNM officials said Human Resources does not plan to reimburse the lost wages. All UNM staff members who are not a part of the union started receiving their raise on July 1, according to University officials, however because contract negotiations between the University and the United Staff at UNM were ongoing, union members were unable to receive the pay increase. All university staff members were guaranteed a 1.9 percent raise by the New Mexico legislature in February, and the Board of Regents voted to increase the raise to 2.5 percent in late March. Jeanette Albany, a union member and administrative assistant for the Communication and Journalism Department, said she contacted the staff council, the union and Human Resources after receiving her first reduced check and did not receive any explanation as to why her check was lessened. All she knew was that she did not receive her promised pay raise and was paying more in deductions, she said. “They were taking all that out, but we didn’t get our raise, so I got a net loss, a decline in my pay,” she said. Albany’s situation is not an isolated incident.
Solutions by The State News
