Opinion
DATA DESK: Why I shut down our COVID tracker
Joe Rull | February 18Data editor Joe Rull explains why our COVID tracker is being taken offline.
Joe Rull
Opinion
DATA DISPATCH: UNM men’s basketball is spectacularly hard to watch
Joe Rull | January 29Why beat around the bush here? UNM Basketball: Pandemic Edition just flat-out sucks. In almost every measurable, demonstrable way, the University of New Mexico's men's basketball team (1-9 in conference play thus far) is a complete and unmitigated dumpster fire. Obviously, there's a ton of factors at play here, and they're not all UNM's fault. Moving a roster full of fresh faces out of the state for the season was never going to be easy. My god, though — do they really have to make it look this hard? Even the most casual of college hoops observers knows that today's game is all about pace and space. The up-tempo, trigger-happy style of basketball has completely transformed the game as we know it over the better part of the past decade.
News
ASUNM President Amin refuses to sign Black Lives Matter resolution
Joe Rull | July 3Members of the University of New Mexico community decried last month's increased police presence on campus amid the apex of Black Lives Matter protest activity in the state, taking particular issue with UNM President Garnett Stokes' milquetoast response to the image of snipers atop UNM's George Pearl Hall. On June 11, ASUNM passed Resolution #1F during a special session meeting which announced the student government's support of the abolition of the modern policing system and urged Stokes to reconsider UNM's ties with external police forces. While the vote passed by a wide margin, ASUNM President Mia Amin vetoed the resolution by declining to sign it. She cited concerns that ASUNM "is a non-partisan organization" and said it is her "job to serve (UNM) students by staying neutral," per an email announcement shared with ASUNM senators.
News
ASUNM senate passes resolution endorsing abolition of police while authors urge Stokes to cut APD ties
Joe Rull | June 11The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico’s senate sent a message to the University community on Wednesday that Black lives matter. “There isn’t any middle ground in determining whether or not Black people deserve to exist in this country,” ASUNM Senator Suha Musa said. After hours of deliberating the implications of ASUNM taking an official position on the abolition of the police system, Resolution #1F passed during Wednesday night’s special ASUNM session, with 13 senators voting in favor, 3 against and 4 absent.
News
'I couldn’t stop looking to the rooftops': Protesters left scared, frustrated as President Stokes doubles down on continuing relationship with local law enforcement
Joe Rull | June 6A photograph of two New Mexico State Police officers climbing atop the University of New Mexico's George Pearl Hall carrying what appeared to be sniper rifles on Sunday evening has circulated widely on social media, drawing condemnation from the campus community in all directions. All directions, that is, except from UNM President Garnett Stokes. "I really cannot condemn police for actively trying to protect people," Stokes told the Daily Lobo.
News
New Mexico's COVID crisis, by the numbers
Joe Rull | April 6Check this page for the Daily Lobo's updated testing and confirmed case data for the COVID-19 outbreak in New Mexico, thanks to the COVID Tracking Project. This page will be updated daily as more data is produced and reported.
Sports
Men's basketball: Jackson and Caldwell enter transfer portal
Joe Rull | March 30Former University of New Mexico men's basketball starters JJ Caldwell and Vance Jackson announced their intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal after another disappointing season which saw a midseason collapse marred by suspensions and injuries. With one year of college eligibility remaining, Jackson is expected to graduate and play immediately for his new school under the NCAA's graduate transfer rule. Jackson's 2019-20 season was hindered by injury during the second half of the season, causing him to miss five games. Following the Lobos' season-ending loss to Utah State in the second round of the Mountain West Conference (MWC) championship tournament, "Vegas" Vance told reporters that he was sure he'd be back at UNM next season.
Opinion
OPINION: Bad graphs suck: A primer on COVID-19 data coverage
Joe Rull | March 23Here at UNM, we're a week into our extended spring break, and I've spent all of my time in my room writing about math. And if you know me, you probably knew that I was going to spend my break this way, pandemic isolation or not. Before I get into it, let me just say this: I know everyone is afraid, confused, upset and probably feeling a little panicked. Don’t get me wrong — I am, too. This is a global catastrophe, the likes of which recorded history rarely sees. And because of this, I understand that graphs aren't exactly everyone's main concern right now. The problem is that I'm seeing a lot of numbers flying around with little clarity, which I can only imagine is going to cause more panic as we barrel into a national scenario that's absolutely going to get much, much worse before it gets any better.
News
UNM advises caution to students traveling over spring break
Joe Rull | March 13With the extended break looming, UNM’s dedicated coronavirus webpage has updated its travel recommendations for students who plan to leave the state, stressing that students should “avoid spring break travel to areas with active community transmission of COVID-19”. Following a New Mexico State University (NMSU) announcement Friday morning that its spring break would be extended to two weeks and the three-week closure of public primary and secondary schools throughout the state, UNM President Garnett Stokes followed suit, announcing Friday that UNM’s spring break would be extended through April 5.
Sports
Lobo Men's basketball ends 2019-2020 season
Joe Rull | March 8A true tale of two halves, the University of New Mexico men’s basketball 2019-2020 season came to an end in the quarterfinal round of the Mountain West Championship tournament. After a promising 15-3 start, the Lobos (19-14, 7-11) stumbled to the finish line, entering the tournament on a 3-10 skid. UNM’s lackluster mark in conference regular-season play was good enough for the seventh seed in the 11-team conference tournament. The seeding drew UNM a play-in round matchup against San Jose State, with whom the Lobos split their two-game regular-season sla
