DAILY LOBO new mexico
A force in the air see page 9
February 2, 2011
Not all sleep in on UNM’s snow days
wednesday volume 115
issue 90
The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
COLD COMMUTE
by Chelsea Erven and Shaun Griswold news@dailylobo.com
Students may have gotten Tuesday off, but hundreds of UNM employees were shoveling sidewalks, clearing roads and preparing UNM’s buildings to withstand icy winds and bone-chilling temperatures. Mary Vosevich, UNM’s Physical Plant Department director, said all 400 PPD employees are expected to come to work, regardless of the snow.
“We’re just used to it ... You don’t notice. You don’t see us.” ~Tommy Tafoya PPD Employee
Robert Maes / Daily Lobo Beth Bastini rushes to catch the 5:30 Railrunner to Santa Fe on Tuesday, bracing for the chill outside Alvarado Station in Downtown Albuquerque.
“We need to make sure that buildings stay up and running, and that they’re functioning,” she said. “All the grounds and landscaping folks are out there shoveling, laying ice-melt out, plowing — whatever the needs may be.” She said some employees will stay the night in several buildings to prevent pipes freezing or bursting because of low temperatures. The precautions
see Snow Day page 5
Credits may roll for NM film subsidy by Kallie Red-Horse kallie69@unm.edu
When it comes to New Mexico’s film industry, state legislators are tough critics. Gov. Susana Martinez said in her State of the State speech Jan. 18 that
she supports reducing the state’s film subsidy from 25 to 15 percent. She said New Mexicans cover 25 percent of costs when a film is made in the state.
“In these tough times, when New Mexicans are facing a historic budget deficit, I cannot support subsidizing the expense of Hollywood by cutting programs like child care services for working moms,” Martinez said. Rep. Dennis J. Kintigh (R-Roswell) introduced HB 19 on Jan. 27, a bill that
proposes ending tax incentives for film production altogether. UNM film lecturer Bryan Konefsky said Martinez is interested in destroying a vital state industry former Gov. Bill Richardson helped develop.
see Film page 7
UNM takes some getting used to for student vet Student deals with fear of crowds, adjustment from building smart bombs to fixing voting machines
U.S. Air Force Veteran and student Joey Diaz looks for a fellow vet’s file at the Veterans Resource Center in Mesa Vista Hall on Friday. Diaz spent two years stationed in Tokyo before coming to school at UNM. Robert Maes Daily Lobo
by Eva Dameron
eva.incognito@gmail.com For some student veterans, navigating through a crowded campus is more than just an annoyance. Joey Diaz, Student Veterans of UNM president, said walking around the crowded University campus at the beginning of the semester can be very stressful. “Most people don’t see anything wrong with walking through a crowded area,” he said. “Somebody could run at you with a grenade. All they have to do is pull out the handle and you’re dead. As a veteran of the military, because you’ve been exposed to these kinds of situations, it’s always in the back of your head somewhere. ... You just can’t relax, you know?” Diaz, a senior math major, said he plans on teaching high school math after graduating. He also plays drums in local band Throw the Temple. Six years ago, however, he was building bullets and smart bombs in Japan. “I got there when I was 18. I left there when I was 20,” he said. “I spent the prime of my youth in one of the best places in the
see Student Vet page 3