Daily Lobo 09/18/23

Daily l obo

Unpacking solutions to gun violence in New Mexico

By Lily Alexander @llilyalexander

The Sept. 6 shooting outside Isotopes Park that left 11-year-old, Froylan Villegas, dead, has prompted a statewide conversation about the solutions to gun violence.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a public health order on Sept. 8 prohibiting open or concealed carry in Albuquerque and Bernalillo county for 30 days. After a federal judge temporarily blocked the order, Lujan Grisham modified the order on Sept. 15 to only prohibit open or concealed carry in public parks or playgrounds.

Gun violence is the second leading cause of death from injury in New Mexico, according to Dr. Richard Miskimins, Trauma Medical Director at University of New Mexico Hospital. The hospital encourages and distributes trigger locks as an intervention method, he said.

“Preventing immediate access but not preventing thoughtful access is what prevents death,” Miskimins said.

Red flag laws are another potential solution, Miskimins said. New Mexico’s version of such a law is the

NMSU dominates the Lobos

Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order Act enacted in 2020. It allows individuals to petition the court to take firearms away from household members who pose a threat to themselves or others.

Miskimins regularly partners with New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence. He and Miranda Viscoli — NMPGV Co-President — both contributed to the New Mexico Department of Health’s 2021-2026 Statewide Strategic Plan for Preventing Firearm Injuries and Deaths.

NMPGV is a nonpartisan organization that works with schools, law enforcement and legislation, Viscoli said. They facilitate gun buybacks, public safety campaigns and host eight-week gun violence prevention workshops in Albuquerque to give youth the space to discuss the issue.

“We can’t incarcerate a way out of this, and incarcerating teenagers is not the answer,” Viscoli said. “We need to get on the preventative side of that to figure out why our kids have such access to firearms and what we can do to prevent them going down that path.”

NMPGV hopes to see a future law requiring a waiting period on gun purchases. This would target

see Violence page 2

Construction, remodel and loss of parking loom over Regents

By Maddie Pukite @ maddogpukite

The University of New Mexico’s Board of Regents gathered in Scholes Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 13 for a meeting where they discussed and heard presentations on upcoming decisions but made no formal choices.

A majority of the time was spent talking about property development. The Board is in deliberations with Teresa Costantinidis of SASAKI – an architecture firm headquartered in Massachusetts that has worked on various universities with sleek, modern designs that often incorporate the surroun-

Appointments, budgets, legislation (oh my!)

ASUNM Senate meets Sept. 13

By Maddie Pukite @maddogpukite

ding environment. SASAKI is about to enter the third and final phase of an Integrated Campus Plan (ICP) for UNM.

This plan hinges on losing parking in North Campus; it prioritizes connecting the North, South and Central campuses by developing the parking in North Campus.

SASAKI ultimately wants to use 350 acres of land on main campus for the project.

Currently, there are about 5,000 parking spots, on campus. Costantinidis discussed how they would want to focus on the shuttle system moving forward. “But importantly, really consider how we service that parking and admission shuttle

see Regents page 2

Inside this Lobo

Pukite: How the University can buy land and where the money comes from (pg. 3)

Bulger : Football: After loss against rivals, Gonzales guarentees bowl game (pg. 4)

Cicconetti: Dylan Hopkins looks good in cherry (pg. 5)

The Associated Students at the University of New Mexico began their meeting with under 20 senators at the first recess; five newcomers were put under oath and voting representatives by the time the session came back together.

All five new senators were first appointed by ASUNM Vice President Mickenzie Chessman and approved unanimously by the Senate after being asked two to four questions each.

The new Senators are Mutazz Jaber, Alexa Lucero, Luke Torres, Kiera Rosenfeld and Anthony Tomaziefski. The questions ranged from ‘What perspectives will you bring to the Senate?’ to ‘What are you most excited for this fall semester?’ They will all be up for election this fall if the Senators choose to run again.

With more voting members, the Senate then began to elect the vice president pro tempore, or the repre-

sentative of the senators. In a series of two votes of the four nominated candidates, the final two candidates were Gabriel Gurule, Vice Chair of Steering and Rules, and Miriam Barba, Senator on the Outreach and Events Committee.

Gurule was elected, in a private vote. Much of the deliberation before the event triumphed status as the most tenured senator and being the runner-up from last year. Barba, was supported because of her background as a Chicana Studies student and the perspectives she brings to the table.

Several appropriations were unanimously passed by the Senate, mostly to clubs that were organizing out-of-state or country trips. All on the agenda received funding.

New standing rules allow for the finance committee to fund regestration/ conference fees at 75% of their asking price.

“We have a lot more money now than we used to. The Finance Committee has been a little bit tighter in the past. We had to budget for discretionary credits. It’s been really

straightforward. I want to emphasize that more room for discussion in Finance Committee Calls with certain people in the Senate,” Ria Shultz said - ASUNM Finance Chair.

The senate also approved FY24 Balance Forwards – money that was not used last year to roll over to this year. This included $1,500 to the Elections Commission for ‘‘Food/Snacks to Incentivize Voting.” ASUNM has no law on incentivizing voting, aside from stating “All students may vote at their own discretion.”

Following appropriations, all six bills presented were passed by the Senate unanimously. Bill 4 creates polling booths for the next ASUNM elections on Nov. 8 - 9, with in-person voting from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Instead of the “polling information centers” available last year that only provided information, students will now be able to cast their votes at the polling stations.

Bill 6 set up regulations around how funds could be appropriated from a potential ASUNM Quasi

see ASUNM page 3

Davidson: The Half-White Album comes to UNM (pg. 8)

Maska: LETTER: An open letter to the UNM administration and Athletics Department (pg. 8)

Boost your savings with The Power of Change

Ella Daniel/ @ella_daniel7/ Daily Lobo Kicker/ Punter Charles Steinkamp (27) stares into the crowed at University Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 16 (See pg. 4).

Estrada: PHOTO STORY: Renaissance Faire (pg. 7)

Dainel: PHOTO STORY: Red Rally (pg. 10)

Violence from page 1

suicides and crimes of compassion, which make up the majority of gun deaths in the state, Viscoli said. The organization also wants the minimum age for the purchase of semi-automatic firearms to be raised from 18 to 21.

“We learned quite early on that we needed to change the culture of gun ownership and gun safety,” Viscoli said.

At the University level, Maryam Ahranjani – the Ron & Susan Friedman Professor of Law at UNM – suggests a focus on mental health. It is important to recognize that the campus is open to the public, she said.

“It’s not just students, faculty or staff. It’s also, more broadly, the community’s mental wellness that affects our safety,” Ahranjani said.

It is illegal to carry a firearm on UNM premises, per University

Regents from page 1

system,” Costantinidis said.

Regent Randy Ko asked the room to raise their hands based on who had struggled to find parking and a few hands around the room were cautiously raised. Ko proposed underground parking as an alternative to the current loss the ICP creates.

Another option could be more structured parking, for example, Cornell near Popejoy. Both of these options, structured or underground, are more expensive than the traditional parking lot.

Some of this land, currently covered with people’s cars, is zoned for mixed use. A bunch of uses are approved by the city rather than just retail, for example. A potential use could be housing, Costantinidis said. A presented plan for North and South Campus would double the existing capacity, mainly by losing parking, and open 4,800,000 square feet of residential or mixed-

policy, but that is the only guideline that mentions guns.

Every university nationwide has an obligation to improve campus safety, Joshua Kastenberg – Professor of Law – said. This means accessible mental health care, but also the ability for students to report dangerous individuals he said.

Lauri Andress — Associate Dean of the College of Population Health — proposes holistic, public health focused methods to combat gun violence, she wrote in a statement to the Daily Lobo. This would involve community violence intervention, which includes hospital-based intervention, street outreach and mentorship.

“The public health strategy focuses on prevention and the after-effects of violence,” Andress wrote.

Miskimins believes UNM should

use zoned property for development.

Other plans included redoing the portion of Lomas that separates North and Central campuses by possibly adding bike lanes and parking by reducing car lanes or retaining the lanes by widening the sidewalks.

There are also plans presented to remodel Redondo to be a shared street that could be shut off from vehicle use and restricted to pedestrians. Costantindis said their team didn’t have data on the traffic flow on Redondo.

The regents were also in conversation with Benjamin Gilmartin from Roma Architecture who worked on the Highline in New York, the Lincoln Center in D.C, George Pearl Hall and Cornell Parking at UNM. Gilmartin said the team plans to break the ground of A Lot in front of Johnson Field in Sept. of 2024 to

emphasize outreach. Mentoring atrisk youth is one of the best ways to prevent gun violence, he said.

“I think having conversations about gun violence is important,” Ahranjani said. “There’s a tendency when something happens for there to be a lot of attention right away, and then it sort of dies down until the next terrible incident. It’s important to keep these conversations alive in real time.”

Lily Alexander is a Beat Reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @llilyalexander.

build the Center for Collaborative Arts & Technology Building.

Dean of the Fine Arts College, Harris Smith, said this project is long overdue for the college as students are only allowed one performance opportunity in Popejoy. George Pearl Hall has a much smaller capacity; the CCAT Building would create an in-between controlled by the University, rather than a comerically owned entity like PopeJoy.

“We’re talking about a learning space for performances ... Learning and performing and that repetition is really, really hard to do with spaces that college does not control as a learning environment. Currently in Popejoy, (students) get one shot at performing,” Smith said.

The rapid construction process is because of the funding source of the project being state-funded that has a deadline. Aside from a performance

2024 Honorary Degree Nominations

2024 Honorary Degree Nominations

The Honorary Degree Committee, a subcommittee of the Faculty Senate Graduate & Professional Committee, is charged with the solicitation of nominations for honorary degree recipients. On behalf of the Committee, the Office of the University Secretary hereby requests nominations for honorary degree recipients. Strong candidates will be eminent individuals and scholars whose contributions are of general significance, and transcend geographical limitations. Nominations of individuals who have contributed significantly to the cultural or scientific development of the Southwest or to the spiritual or material welfare of its people are especially welcome. A successful nominee must have an exemplary record of academic or public accomplishment in keeping with the University’s standards of rigor, quality, and significance. Honorary degrees are awarded at spring commencement.

TheHonoraryDegreeCommittee, a subcommittee of theFacultySenateGraduate & Professional Committee, is charged with the solicitation of nominations for honorarydegreerecipients. On behalf of the Committee, the Office of the University Secretary hereby requests nominations for honorary degree recipients. Strong candidates will be eminent individuals and scholars whose contributions are of general significance, and transcend geographical limitations. Nominations of individuals who have contributed significantly to the cultural or scientific development of the Southwest or to the spiritual or material welfare of its people are especially welcome. A successful nominee must have an exemplary record of academic or public accomplishment in keeping with the University’s standards of rigor, quality, and significance. Honorary degrees are awarded at spring commencement.

Nominators should submit a letter stating in sufficient detail reasons for the nomination. Please include biographical information, a record of accomplishment, and supporting letters. Because the Honorary Degree Committee must choose among illustrious nominees, please provide as complete a nomination as possible.

Nominators should submit a letter stating in sufficient detail reasons for the nomination. Please include biographical information, a record of accomplishment, and supporting letters. Because the Honorary Degree Committee must choose among illustrious nominees, please provide as complete a nomination as possible.

Thenominations shouldbe sent to the Office of the University Secretary,Scholes Hall, Room 103 or univsec@unm.edu nolaterthan Tuesday, October 17 , 2023

• If a nominee is proposedby a person,department,or college representing a discipline other thanthat of thenominee (e.g., Music nominates a poet),the Committeewill consult with the appropriatefacultybefore making a recommendation.

• The nominations should be sent to the Office of the University Secretary, Scholes Hall, Room 103 or univsec@unm.edu, no later than Tuesday, October 17, 2023.

• A listing of pasthonorarydegreerecipients is availableonourwebsiteat

space, the building will also feature public spaces, an arts lab, a sound stage, classrooms and gallery space.

Both the discussion of the CCAT and the ICP brought up the question of style. A 1999 Regents regulation stipulates that campus architecture must be done in a Pueblo Revival style, however, other writing around the regulations has followed.

“All buildings constructed on Central Campus continue to be designed in the Pueblo Revival style and that buildings on the North and South campuses reflect the general character of this style to the extent possible,” the 1999 policy reads.

The most recent is from 2009 from the UNM Master Plan update which acknowledges the 1999 rule but sees it as a “point of departure.” It also acknowledges the variety in buildings that already exist across campus.

“The campus should be distinctive and inviting, activated and

contemplative. UNM can achieve its strategic goals by building on its strong architectural identity with functional, flexible, high-performance buildings that are uniquely New Mexican,” the 2009 Master Plan update reads.

Guidelines in 2007 said “major additions should not be confused with historic structures of earlier eras,” but that all buildings should be cognizant of the historic style and match the “sense of place.”

The regents asked for time to educate themselves and come up with a decision on their interpretation for the upcoming ICP and CCAT projects style wise.

Maddie Pukite is the editor-inchief at the Daily Lobo. They can be contacted at editorinchief@dailylobo.com on Twitter @maddogpukite

http://graduation.unm.edu/honorarydeg.html

• If a nominee is proposed by a person, department, or college representing a discipline other than that of the nominee (e.g., Music nominates a poet), the Committee will consult with the appropriate faculty before making a recommendation.

A listing of past honorary degree recipients is available on our website

Patrick Lohmann / Source NM

A woman opposed to the governor’s executive order waves a civil peace flag, commonly used by self-described sovereign citizens, as she speaks out against the governor as protesters gathered on Sunday, Sept. 10, in Old Town. This photo and cutline were originally published by Source New Mexico

Endowment Fund that could be created via the UNM Foundation. All potential requests to use the money the fund accumulates, through interest, must go through the ASUNM Finance Committee and Senate for approval.

“Endowment bills must include a detailed proposal and justification for the funding,” Bill 6 reads.

A maximum of two requests a year could only be submitted by the ASUNM President, Vice President or by vote of two-thirds of the Senate. If they wish to pull from the original money put in the fund to build interest, it would have to be approved by the Board of Regents, President Kyrstah Porcheco said.

“There’s also a clause in this piece of legislation that (states) we’re not to touch this endowment until 2035 to allow interest to accrue over time. This piece of legislation is placing an extra layer of regulation on the endowment,” Porcheco said.

During the president’s address, Porcheco went over the upcoming capital outlay project and asked for Senate output – where ASUNM will decide on a project to put state funding from this year’s legisla-

tive session towards. Ideas from Isabel Castaneda, the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, put forward in the general report included lighting and new pavement in parking lots as well as additional accessibility measures.

“Accessibility was talked about to add to a lot of the buildings (such as) adding more ramps and rails. One of the things that was really interesting and great to hear was the idea of adding textured paths and rails to the buildings for blind students as we don’t really have a lot of those things,” Castaneda said.

A prior project included the creation of the Lobo Lift – a shuttle service for students to use on campus. They are in the process of organizing a test run of the program with Student Resident Life and Housing before a full-scale program is available, Porcheco said.

The full Senate meets again on Friday, Sept. 29. Full Senate meetings are open to public comment.

Maddie Pukite is the editor-inchief at the Daily Lobo. They can be contacted at editorinchief@dailylobo.com on Twitter @maddogpukite

How the University can buy land and where the money comes from

By Maddie Pukite @maddogpukite

The University’s Real Estate Department was recently given permission by the Board of Regents to negotiate the price of property they wish to buy before the Board approves the purchase. The money that pays for the property is from the Regents Endowment Fund. This pot of money also goes towards scholarships.

“It’s still the same process, it just expedites trying to identify the funding source because the Regents authorized (us) to use that source subject to their approval on each case,” Thomas Neale said — Director of UNM Real Estate.

The Regents Endowment is one of three endowments the Board controls. Each fund has specific stipulations of what the money can go towards. Amongst others, the Regents Endowment can go towards scholarships and property acquisition.

Regents Policy 7.19, which lists the stipulations of what the endowment can be used for, reads:

“(1) Enhance the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty, staff and students; (2) contribute to the merit-based scholarship program of the University, including the Regents’ Scholars Program; (3) support the development of real estate; (4) provide for the University President’s Advancement Program; (5) reward outstanding performance of the SAM Finan-

cial Services Center Investment Management Program to be used for improvements to and upgrade of the facilities, equipment, software and special projects for the Finance Services Center.’’

For fiscal year 2023, the Regents Endowment spent $1,761,929. Between the three funds, $6,377,561 was spent; 70% went towards Institutional Scholarships and Student Support, 19% President’s Initiatives (i.e. the University’s Grand Challenges) and Advancement, 9% on faculty support and 2% on government relations and speakers.

Historically, there have been a few requests for buying property with the Endowment. In 2005/2006, $1,888,233 was spent on properties; in 2012/2013, $1,100,000 was spent on a baseball field; in 2014/2015 $761,918 was spent on Innovate ABQ, the development with Lobo Rainforest.

“I would say on average, maybe one to two properties a year (are bought from a variety of University funds). But that can vary year by year depending on the need. Recently, at the request of our health system, we’ve looked at a number of sites for clinics around the metropolitan area,” Neale said.

The Real Estate team is bound by market value when buying a property, Neale said, and they cannot purchase a property that is above the market value cost. The money can be pulled from either extra revenue that the endowment

grew or from the original sum of money used to create the endowment, according to Cinnamon Blair – University Communication and Marketing officer. There are stipulations about the approval in their contracts.

“In our purchase and sale agreement, it’s a contract to buy the property. All the terms are agreed on by the buyer and the seller. All of our contracts have a contingency that closing is contingent upon the Regents of the University of Mexico approval, the New Mexico Higher Education Department approval and then the New Mexico State Board of Finance,” Neale said.

The University is seeking to buy more property around campus – some that may not have been possible to purchase before the approval to negotiate because of the extended timeline and others vying for the land.

“Typically these houses in that area are (for) more long-term strategic purposes. We use this on an interim basis and you’ll see a sprinkling of University programs in some of these former houses,” Neale said.

Maddie Pukite is the editor-inchief at the Daily Lobo. They can be contacted at editorinchief@dailylobo.com on Twitter @maddogpukite

Maddie Pukite / @maddogpukite / Daily Lobo

New senators, Mutazz Jaber, Alexa Lucero, Luke Torres, Kiera Rosenfeld and Anthony Tomaziefski, were appointed by Mickenzie Chessman and voted in unanimously by the Senate on Wednesday, Sept. 13 and by the first recess were sworn in at the Student Union Building.

Football: After loss against rivals, Gonzales guarantees a bowl game

By Thomas Bulger @thomasbulger10

University of New Mexico lost 2717 at home against the New Mexico State Aggies on Saturday, Sept. 16. Going into the game, the Lobos were favored to win by 2.5.

Head Coach Danny Gonzales fell to a 1-2 record against the Aggies while Aggies Coach Jerry Kill advanced to 2-0.

NMSU Head Coach Kill had experienced health issues early in the week and it was called into question if he was able to coach the game. During the game, Kill was struck by a football and fell to the ground but immediately stood back up and went looking for a referee to fight for his players.

In his post-game press conference, Coach Gonzales still had unwavering confidence in the team.

‘‘I’m going to make a bold statement right now. I guarantee that this team will be in a bowl game this year. We will find five wins from here to the Utah State game because of the players we have in that locker room – the attitude we have in that locker room,’’ Gonzales said.

UNM was able to move the ball, putting up 401 total yards in the game – four more yards than the Aggies. The Lobos had 26 first downs in the game.

Quarterback Dylan Hopkins threw for 247 yards and one touchdown. He went 20-39 in the game with zero interceptions.

Though they were able to move downfield, Hopkins said NMSU’s secondary is what kept them from finding the end zone.

‘‘I thought their safeties got a little more depth, from last week, they took away those long balls,’’ Hopkins said.

Jeremiah Hixon led the team in

Volume 128

Issue 6

receptions and receiving yards with five and 45 respectively. Andrew Erickson wasn’t far behind with 38 yards, including a one-yard pass for a touchdown.

The Lobos had 151 rushing yards in the game. 83 of them came from Jacory Croskey-Merritt who had a one-yard rush for a touchdown. The Lobos run game slowed down in the second half, only rushing for 54 yards.

The defense slipped in the second quarter where they gave up 17 points. In the quarter, NMSU rushed for 67 yards and threw for 95. The Lobo secondary gave up a 75-yard touchdown pass for the Aggies to go back up by 10 with 10:06 remaining in the game.

Tavian Combs led the team in tackles with eight. After the game, he stated where improvement of the secondary would come from.

‘‘I would say it’s a communication issue. We got to make sure we get

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UNM Land Acknowledgement statement

those picked up and really make sure we make plays when they come through us. Coach is going to put us in a position to make those plays,’’ Combs said.

NMSU quarterback Diego Pavia controlled the game. He threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns going 9-14. He also rushed for 96 yards in the game, presenting a dual threat for the defense.

There was another storyline present during the disappointing Lobo loss.

During the first quarter, Terance Mathis was honored on the field for entering the college football Hall of Fame. Mathis was a Lobo wide receiver during 1985-89. In his time as a Lobo, he picked up 4,254 receiving yards and 36 touchdowns. Mathis went on to play in the NFL where he is known for his time with the Atlanta Falcons, earning a probowl nomination.

Coach Gonzales stressed that the

loss against NMSU doesn’t affect the destiny of the team and won’t impede their path to six wins.

‘‘I was really disappointed in the amount of people that showed up but they missed a heck of a football game. Our football team is hurting. Give them credit. They made enough plays to win the football game but there is a lot of football yet to be played. I like the trajectory of this football team. We have a lot to play for,’’ Gonzales said.

UNM will look to get back on track in Massachusetts against UMass on Sunday, Sept. 24.

Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10

Founded in 1889, the University of New Mexico sits on the traditional homelands of the Pueblo of Sandia. The original peoples of New Mexico – Pueblo, Navajo, and Apache – since time immemorial, have deep connections to the land and have made significant contributions to the broader community statewide. We honor

Ella Daniel/ @ella_daniel7/ Daily Lobo Wide Receiver Duece Jones (14) gets pulled down by NMSU player at University Stadium Saturday, Sept. 16

Ella Daniel/ @ella_daniel7/ Daily Lobo

A lone helmet sits on the bench at UNM versus New Mexico State University game at University Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 16.

Ella Daniel/ @ella_daniel7/ Daily Lobo University of New Mexico cheerleaders perform during halftime at University Stadium Saturday, Sept. 16

Ella Daniel/ @ella_daniel7/ Daily Lobo

Punter Aaron Rodriguez (10) passes the ball to Safety Jermarius Lewis (5) at University Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 16.

Dylan Hopkins looks good in cherry

University of New Mexico senior Dylan Hopkins is the new quarterback for the Lobos and is ready to make his mark at UNM.

Before coming to UNM, Hopkins played for the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB) where he lettered for three years and redshirted for one. He spent five years in UAB’s football program with Bryant Vincent who is now UNM’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Throughout his years at UAB, Hopkins was able to build a relationship with Vincent that has

carried over to UNM.

“It’s about relationships, it’s not just about X’s and O’s. The last five years that we’ve spent together –obviously we’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but we’re extremely close and we have a great relationship,” Vincent said.

Hopkins grew up in Florida and Tennessee. From a young age, he said he wanted to follow in his fathers, Archie Hopkins, footsteps and play football.

Hopkins’ father played football at Virginia Tech and immersed himself in the sport, taking him to games and showing him what he could do.

“The main thing is I just wanted to be like him (his dad). When

you’re young, you always have that one person you wanna be like when you’re older,” Hopkins said.

The time Vincent spent coaching at UAB allowed him to get to know Hopkins and how he works on the field.

“He understands the offense. I know what he can and can’t do. He’s very comfortable in the offense and I was obviously very excited to bring him to Albuquerque,” Hopkins said.

Compared to UAB, UNM is a completely different environment and experience. Hopkins admitted the transfer to UNM was hard at first.

“It was honestly pretty tough … My roommate and teammate at UAB – Ryan Davis – transferred (as

well) so I had one person who was out here with me,” Hopkins said. “It was definitely hard at first, but I think getting everyone’s respect through practice, workouts and meeting new people (helped).”

In the first few weeks of the season, Hopkins has shown that he has what it takes to be a Lobo. In the home-opener against Tennessee Tech, he was 13-for-17 on passing for 273 yards. He threw for four passing touchdowns — an all time career-high — making his mark as the second-most in the program’s history.

In the second week of the season, Hopkins was voted Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, becoming the first Lobo quarterback to earn the title since October of 2021.

“I want him (Hopkins) to get out there and play, protect the ball, lead this team, go out there and make good decisions and help us win a football game,” Vincent said.

Although Albuquerque is worlds different than Birmingham, Hopkins said he likes it here in the 505.

Francesca Cicconetti is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @fran_cicconetti.

By Francesca Cicconetti

@fran_cicconetti

Ella Daniel/ @ella_daniel7/ Daily Lobo

Quarterback Dylan Hopkins starts the season as a transfer from the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

Ella Daniel/ @ella_daniel7/ Daily Lobo Quarterback Dylan Hopkins holds his helmet.

Photo edited by Daniels.

By Katrina Estrada @rinaestphoto

Jousters Lady Luna and Ronan ring joust at the Renaissance Faire on Sunday, Sept. 17 at El Rancho de las Golondrinas in Santa Fe. (above)

Participants of the jousting event sword fight at the Renaissance Faire on Sunday, Sept. 17 at El Rancho de las Golondrinas in Santa Fe. (above)

Chaos the knight prepares to joust at the Renaissance Faire on Sunday, Sept. 17 at El Rancho de las Golondrinas in Santa Fe. (right)

The queen and king lead a parade at the Renaissance Faire on Sunday, Sept. 17 at El Rancho de las Golondrinas in Santa Fe. (above)

A

Don Rodrigo the knight prepares to joust at the Renaissance Faire on Sunday, Sept. 17 at El Rancho de las Golondrinas in Santa Fe. (right)

The Half-White Album is coming to UNM

By BillyJack Davidson @BillyJackDL

The Half-White Album is a book that was released to the public this past April that weaves together poetry, fiction and nonfiction before it is musically performed.

Cynthia Sylvester (Diné) is the author of The Half-White Album and the performance’s speaker. Sylvester is a native Albuquerquian and their work has appeared in ABQ In Print, Leon Literary Review, Lunch Ticket, As Us Journal and other magazines.

The Half-White album is a compilation of Sylvester’s characters that span over poetry, non-fiction essays and fictional stories all depicting a aspect of the author in one shape or form.

“This collection was formed from the constraints of life. The pieces in the book, fiction, non-fiction and poetry were written well over a decade and they explore the experiences and history that have impacted me,” Sylvester said.

Since the release of The HalfWhite Album, Sylvester and her band, The Covers, have been traveling around the state of New Mexico performing in places such as the

Tortuga Gallery and now UNM’s own Hodgin Hall. The band consists of five members: Nicol Soul, Pepper Joy Greggs, James H. Greggs, Bill Writt and Pax Garcia.

The Covers are a nomadic band who have come together for Sylvester’s shows. While the band has not been working with Sylvester long, Joy Greggs says they’re honored to be a part of The Half-White Album.

“I hope they tell their stories and lift up the voices of their people.

I hope Cindy gets to see the day when the marriage of music and storytelling in this way becomes the cultural norm. Not just for Albuquerque and New Mexico, but for

all nations,” Joy Greggs said.

Sylvester has an overlying hope for The Half-White Album, one in which an environment of healing can be created. “Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion,” is a quote written by author bell hooks. This is the message Sylvester said she wants to create shows.

“We have had really decent audiences at our shows. You can tell this whole concept is new to them, but they definitely find it inspiring and for many, nostalgic, even,”Joy Greggs said.

Leading The Covers vocally and on keyboard is James Greggs. He

said anytime an otherwise marginalized voice is acknowledged and given the space to be who they are, it’s a very special place to be.

“Cindy is an amazing writer and listening to her heart through story form is awe inspiring,” Greggs said.

Sylvester and The Covers will be coming to perform on UNM campus on Thursday Sept. 21 from 7-8 p.m. in Hodgin Hall’s Bobo Room, located on the third floor.

BillyJack Davidson is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo. com or on Twitter @BillyJackDL

LETTER: An open letter to the UNM administration and Athletics Department

By Kyrene Maska

I am writing – as both a University of New Mexico employee and New Mexico State University alumni – to express my deep frustration and disappointment with the UNM Athletics Department regarding the decision to charge the NMSU Pride Marching Band to attend the NM State versus University of New Mexico football game. I feel this way for a number of reasons.

1. UNM has never before charged the Pride of New Mexico Marching Band to attend games in Albuquerque, NMSU has never charged Spirit Marching Band to attend

games in Las Cruces and neither band has had to use seats that both schools are contractually obligated to supply – facts that the athletics department is surely aware of. To claim otherwise – which UNM Athletics Director Eddie Nuñez does in his interview with the Albuquerque Journal when he states that it is “standard procedure” – is in bad faith at best and an outright lie at worst. It is distressing to see such disingenuous statements coming from an organization whose core values supposedly include “integrity” and “respect.”

2. Considering that Spirit Marching Band is not planning to attend the UNM/NMSU game

next year, this decision to suddenly upend this longstanding practice between the two schools seems exploitative as only NMSU will have to shoulder this cost (upwards of $4,400) and they were not alerted to this change before travel arrangements had been solidified.

3. Setting the precedent of charging visiting bands to support their team in New Mexico is deeply frustrating in light of the minimal funding music programs receive, especially compared to the inflated budget of the Athletics Department.

4. Nuñez mentions that the band could simply use some of the 450 seats that UNM is contractually obligated to provide. This option

that, again, NMSU has not been forced to use before, might have been viable had NMSU been notified sooner. As any university program should know, budgeting and allocation is done far in advance, and expecting NMSU to accommodate this change in less than two weeks is rather outrageous. The fact that this change was not communicated with time for NMSU to budget or allocate accordingly is remarkably unprofessional and short-sighted.

5. Lastly, during a time when the UNM-NMSU rivalry is particularly tense in light of the unfortunate shooting last year, decisions like this do nothing but stoke feelings of ill-will and resentment. Both

schools should be actively working to create an atmosphere of camaraderie and friendly competition, and to suddenly mandate costs that almost excluded Pride does exactly the opposite.

I hope that Athletics reconsiders this terrible decision, or at least in the future are up front about their intentions in order to allow for NMSU to properly prepare for this eventuality.

By Kyrene Maska

Cheerleaders perform before the burning of Pistol Pete at Red Rally on Johnson Field on Thursday, Sept. 14. (left)

Lobo Louie watches the burning of the Aggie during Red Rally at Johnson Field on Thursday, Sept. 14. (above)

The fire burns Pistol Pete at Red Rally on Johnson field on Thursday, Sept. 14. (left)

Pistol Pete effigy stands tall before it burns at Red Rally at Johnson Field on Thursday, Sept. 14. (right)

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