Lauren Lifke - The Daily Lobo

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Immigration officials terminate some UNM international student records

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | April 15

The federal government terminated the records of several University of New Mexico international students amid reports of the revocation of hundreds of student visas across the country. The Student & Exchange Visitor Information System is a federal tracking system for nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors in the United States, according to the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. A “handful” of UNM students had their SEVIS records terminated recently, according to UNM Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair. The termination of a SEVIS record does not necessarily mean a student’s visa was revoked, but there is often overlap between the two actions.

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UNMPD begins using bodycams

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | April 7

In March, the University of New Mexico Police Department began using body cameras. This comes over a year after the Daily Lobo reported that UNMPD did not use body cameras because of a loophole in a state statute. A bill during this year’s legislative session aimed to close that loophole, but it did not make it past the Senate. UNM announced that the police department would obtain the cameras in August 2024. So far, the cameras have worked well, according to Lt. Tim Delgado, who is in charge of UNMPD’s body camera program.

Satire

UNM to be renamed University of New America

Lauren Lifke | April 2

Officials announced last week the renaming of the former “University of New Mexico” following executive actions. It will now be called the University of New America, and anybody who calls it by the old name will be punished immediately. In lieu of the “Lobos,” UNA will also have a new mascot: the Wolves — because President Donald Trump threatened the school’s federal funding if it “did not respect the official language of the United States,” he said at a press conference last week. “Everyone’s a Wolf. Woof, woof, woof,” students chanted halfheartedly at last night’s basketball game.

Satire

UNM to deliver LoboAlerts Paul Revere-style

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | March 31

The University of New Mexico announced it would switch its LoboAlert method to echo historical figure Paul Revere after students complained about delayed notifications of campus crime. Now, in the event of anything from arson to feathered hat theft, students will hear calls of “RUN, HIDE, FIGHT” and the clomping of horse feet across campus. In a statement to the Daily Lobo, UNM Police Department spokesperson Robert Newman wrote that the department hopes the new system will help students protect themselves — and stop complaining. “It was clear that we needed a change,” Newman wrote. “And who better to inspire us than Paul Revere, arguably the most effective messenger in history?

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University police bodycam bill headed to Senate floor

Lauren Lifke | March 3

Lawmakers voted Friday, Feb. 28 to advance to the Senate floor a bill that would explicitly require university police departments to use body cameras, after it was substituted for clarifying language. Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces) proposed Senate Bill 505 after learning that the University of New Mexico Police Department took the stance that it wasn’t subject to a 2020 state statute that required police departments to adopt body cameras. “I was disappointed to see and hear that,” Cervantes said. “I was happy to see that NMSU and others were compliant with our wishes.”

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Students evacuate from Johnson Center after dryer fire

Lauren Lifke | February 25

On the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 24, Johnson Center was evacuated after a dryer-related fire caused smoke to fill the building, according to University of New Mexico Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair. There were no injuries or damage to the building, Blair said. Albuquerque Fire Rescue responded to the scene and told Blair the fire was controlled, she said.

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University police bodycam bill passes first committee

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | February 25

Lawmakers voted Monday, Feb. 24 to advance a bill that would explicitly require university police departments to use body cameras, just over a year after the Daily Lobo revealed a loophole in a state statute. The 2020 statute, sponsored by Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-Las Cruces), requires law enforcement agencies in New Mexico to use body cameras. While it does not explicitly exclude university police departments, it also does not explicitly include them.

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Uncertainty looms over UNM with proposed federal research funding cuts

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | February 17

The future of medical research at the University of New Mexico remains uncertain after a federal judge temporarily blocked funding cuts for overhead costs at research institutions. President Donald Trump announced the cuts Feb. 7, which would put a cap on funding from the National Institutes of Health for “indirect costs.” These costs are used for things like laboratory space, faculty and equipment. The proposed cuts aim to maximize the amount of funds that go toward “direct” research costs, according to the announcement.

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‘Our fight is not over’: Deb Haaland launches governor campaign tour in Albuquerque

Lauren Lifke and Lily Alexander | February 14

Former Secretary of the Interior and United States Rep. Deb Haaland kicked off her gubernatorial campaign tour in Albuquerque Thursday, Feb. 13 with a message of resilience. Two days before the Albuquerque rally, which was held at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Haaland formally announced her ...

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Two injured after shooting at Lobo Village

Lauren Lifke | February 3

On Friday, Jan. 31, a man shot two residents at Lobo Village and fled the scene with four other people. The victims were taken to the hospital with non-fatal injuries, according to University of New Mexico Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair. There has been no new information about the suspects, and witnesses are still being interviewed as of Sunday, Feb. 2, she said. “If anybody has video, was there or has any information that they can share, they should contact UNMPD,” Blair said.