Ludella Awad

Abdallah honored with reception as he leaves office

A reception honoring current University of New Mexico President Chaouki Abdallah was held Monday afternoon — just two days before incoming President Garnett S. Stokes is set to take office. Abdallah was named interim president in January 2017 and was officially named as the 22nd president by the Board of Regents on Feb. 13, 2018. A large crowd filled Popejoy Hall Monday, surrounding Abdallah, saying their goodbyes and honoring the work he achieved at the University.

UNM Day to focus on Lottery Scholarship

Every year, thousands of students rely on the Lottery Scholarship for tuition support. That scholarship has recently experienced a 30 percent decrease in funds — a problem that the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico plans on tackling this legislative session. Tens of thousands of students from around New Mexico benefit from the Lottery Scholarship each year. The scholarship used to cover 90 percent of a student’s tuition, but now only covers 60 percent. Among the many reasons for this sharp decline in funding is a decrease in lottery ticket purchases, according to State Sen. Cisco McSorley, who represents the UNM area.

Program assisting students of color receives substantial cuts

The Project for New Mexico Graduates of Color seeks to assist students of color on their path to graduating. Recently, the organization’s funding has been nearly cut in half, based on the University of New Mexico Student Fee Review Board’s decision on Dec. 12, 2017. From the 2017-2018 fiscal year, PNMGC was granted $9,907 — for the upcoming fiscal year, the organization will be granted $5,000, according to information distributed during a Board of Regents meeting in December. PNMGC is no stranger to budget cuts, as the group has faced major funding decreases since the 2014-2015 fiscal year.

Grad Issue: Logan Jones attributes leadership and teamwork skills to ROTC

As Logan Jones nears the end of his time in college, he will begin a new journey as an officer in the United States Air Force. Logan Jones will be graduating on Dec. 16, 2017 from The University of New Mexico, receiving his bachelor's in exercise science. He joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Air Force program his second semester at UNM, a program he participated in throughout his time at the University. After Jones graduates, he will join his wife as an officer in the Air Force next month.

Column: Cameras aren't good enough to fight crime

The City of Albuquerque District Attorney’s office announced a new program to prevent and reduce crime — SCAN, or Security Camera Analytic Network. The idea is to encourage homes and businesses to register their cameras and join the security camera map. Every day in Albuquerque, we hear about crime, and it is often hard for investigators to pinpoint who was involved and what happened. Investigators try to utilize security cameras located near the area, hoping to get any information they can by obtaining relevant videos of the crime.

Column: Panhandling ordinance punishes kindness and ignores those in need

Albuquerque City Council unanimously passed an ordinance on Nov. 6, making panhandling to motorists illegal. This is not a good solution for our city. The City Council’s new pedestrian ordinance places restrictions not only on panhandlers, but also on vendors such as Girl Scouts selling cookies to motorists. The ordinance also forbids “boot brigade” firefighters from receiving donations from people in their cars. The criminalizing of these harmless fundraisers not only ignores what the people in Albuquerque asked for, but also does not solve the issue it was meant to address.

Keller, Colón and Pedrotty visit student organization

The University of New Mexico College Democrats met Wednesday night at the Student Union Building for a Q&A with current mayoral candidate Tim Keller and former mayoral candidates Brian Colón and Gus Pedrotty. The event began with brief speeches from Keller, Colón and Pedrotty on public health, crime and other issues. Members of the student organization continued the conversation by asking the guest speakers about other issues across the city and state. Ona-Rain Morgan, a member of College Democrats, said she enjoyed seeing the candidates’ mutual support for one another, all in the hopes of improving Albuquerque.

Jack-o-lantern Pie recipe makes for fun holiday treat

Halloween is coming soon, a time when kids are knocking on doors, begging for candy to get their annual overdose of sugar, but we can offer them a healthy, tasty alternative with less sugar instead. Here is a healthy, spicy, tasty and not-too-sugary treat that can be made for a Halloween party or just for fun during the season.

Remembering a valued UNM faculty member

The University of New Mexico has lost a prominent business and educational leader with the passing of Dr. Sul Kassicieh, a professor at the Anderson School of Management who had been diagnosed with cancer. Kassicieh died at age 65 on Wednesday, Oct. 18, surrounded by his family and friends. He was born in Jerusalem and had traveled around the world — he came to Albuquerque in 1973, earning an MBA in Finance and a B.S. in Mathematics at UNM. He attended the University of Iowa in 1978, where he earned a Ph.D. in operations research and international business before joining UNM’s faculty in 1981. Kassicieh was the chair of the finance international trade technology studies at UNM.

Largest ballooning event in the world offers unique experience

Hundreds of balloons took over the Albuquerque sky this Saturday at Balloon Fiesta Park as part of the 46th International Balloon Fiesta. Albuquerque’s first Balloon Fiesta took place on April 8, 1972 at the Coronado Center with 13 balloons. Albuquerque native Jim Madden attended the first fiesta and has been enjoying the event ever since. Over time, he was on chase crews, “riding with some of the wildest people you could imagine, especially one fellow from England, and he decided he could land anywhere he wanted. You weren’t allowed to land on the reservations or go over the zoo. Those places he wanted to do,” Madden said.

This data was provided in an information packet on SFRB during a BOR meeting.