Jasmine Casillas

News

Rural, small K-12 schools begin in-person instruction while urban institutions remain remote

Jasmine Casillas | February 25

On Feb. 17, the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education voted “no” on a voluntary re-entry plan that would allow students and teachers the choice to return to in-person learning. Had the plan passed, Albuquerque teachers would have been expected to be back in the classroom by Feb. 22. Elementary students would have been allowed to return on March 1, and secondary education students March 8. The motion failed on a tight 4 to 3 vote.

News

ABQ teachers union ‘surprised, alarmed’ by plans to resume in-person K-12 classes

Gino Gutierrez and Jasmine Casillas | February 15

One week after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that K-12 schools across the state can return to in-person learning regardless of their red to green risk designation, most elementary and secondary students remain at home. While the announcement came as welcome news to a number of students around the state, many teachers were skeptical, suspicious or downright bewildered about the abrupt about-face regarding convening groups of five or more people while the coronavirus vaccine is still slow to roll out. “All of the members of the union were surprised at the early date,” Ellen Bernstein, president of the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, said.

Culture

3 UNM faculty named top 100 inspiring Hispanic/Latinx scientists

Jasmine Casillas | October 9

In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, Cell Mentor, a science-centered publication, released “100 inspiring Hispanic/Latinx scientists in America,” a blog post showcasing influential Hispanic/Latinx scientists around the nation, which included three University of New Mexico faculty members. The list includes Dr. Margaret Werner-Washburne , Dr. C. Fernando Valenzuela and Dr. Gabriel López along with UNM alumni Anita Quintana, Pamela Padilla and Jacqueline De Lora. “The goal of our list was to highlight the accomplishments of inspiring Hispanic/Latinx scientists, to bring awareness of the exceptional scientists within our community,” Christina Termini, the author of the list, said.

News

UNM employees plead for better working conditions, hazard pay

Jasmine Casillas and Maddie Pukite | September 29

With the University of New Mexico currently reporting 42 cases of COVID-19 among students, faculty and staff, some employees working on campus are requesting better working conditions and hazard pay. Dante Gonzales, a representative of the labor union Communications Workers of America, explained some of the fears and concerns UNM employees have, many of which have been lingering since the coronavirus pandemic began over six months ago. When asked about job security and the potential for layoffs, Gonzales said the rumor mill is abuzz. “(There is) lots of fear around that, especially with temporary workers, because there are definitely rumors about layoffs and furloughs,” Gonzales said. “But to my knowledge, there have been no answers regarding that question.”

Culture

Black Student Alliance focuses on campus diversity, inclusion amid BLM momentum

Jasmine Casillas | August 30

The Black Student Alliance (BSA) at the University of New Mexico is focused more than ever on the necessity of diversity at UNM. The organization has already gotten to work alongside the start of a largely online fall semester amid the coronavirus pandemic. The BSA is open to all Black students but mainly consists of leadership from other African American student organizations on campus. Its mission is to tackle oppressive issues that affect all of UNM, according to member Ricardo Hill. This semester, the BSA is focusing on what ASUNM can do for the student body to implement inclusive legislation before they move on to working at a larger scale, like taking issues directly to the University. They are also focused on emphasizing the importance of showcasing diversity at UNM by hiring more Black faculty, and restructuring the way UNM markets to new students to include diversity in recruitment.

Culture

Instituto Cervantes conducts interviews revealing pandemic’s cultural impacts

Jasmine Casillas | August 7

A series of interviews conducted by the Instituto Cervantes of Albuquerque brought together three musicians in a collection titled “Porque Canto en Español.” The videos explain cultural influences as well as the impact of the pandemic on being a musician. The interviews were conducted via video conferencing and then uploaded in late July onto the Instituto Cervantes YouTube page. The director of the non-profit institute and interviewer of the series, Silvia Grijalba, states the purpose of the project is “to introduce people who live in the United States (born here or not) and have chosen Spanish to develop their career.”

Rural, small K-12 schools begin in-person instruction while urban institutions remain remote

ABQ teachers union ‘surprised, alarmed’ by plans to resume in-person K-12 classes

3 UNM faculty named top 100 inspiring Hispanic/Latinx scientists

UNM employees plead for better working conditions, hazard pay

Black Student Alliance focuses on campus diversity, inclusion amid BLM momentum

Instituto Cervantes conducts interviews revealing pandemic’s cultural impacts

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