DAILY LOBO new mexico
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October 8, 2012
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
UNM says doctor lied in proposal Hospital: Ulwelling left University in 2007 by Ardee Napolitano news@dailylobo.com
William Ulwelling, the mental health practitioner who initiated a petition that seeks to change the state’s Medical Cannabis Program (MCP), misrepresented himself as a UNM professor, according to a UNM spokesman. In a proposal dated July 29, Ulwelling said that post-traumatic stress disorder should be removed from the MCP because “there is no scientific evidence that marijuana helps treat PTSD.” He also said that prescribing the drug to patients only increases their risk of substance abuse. UNM Hospital spokesman Billy Sparks said Ulwelling was a volunteer assistant professor at UNM only until December 2007, when his contract was terminated. He said Ulwelling has not been affiliated with UNM since. According to Sparks, Ulwelling did not consult patients during his employment at UNM, and he
only helped to train people. He said Ulwelling’s proposal does not reflect UNM’s stance on the issue. The proposal made headlines last week when the Santa Fe Reporter published a copy of a letter from Ulwelling addressed to the MCP Medical Advisory Board, in which he stated he would formally petition the ineligibility of PTSD for the MCP in the next board hearing on Oct. 17. Bryan Krumm, the nurse practitioner who in a letter to Ulwelling threatened to file a complaint against the psychiatrist, said Ulwelling’s “fraudulent claims” were expected. “Given the fact that he lies about the dangers of cannabis, I am not surprised,” he said. Krumm said that when he found out about Ulwelling’s plan to petition, he and another Santa Fe doctor, George Greer, immediately provided Ulwelling with written evidence that cannabis helps treat PTSD. “Shortly after (knowing about his plans), we provided him with evidence, but he still filed
see Marijuana PAGE 3
LUCID DREAM
Adria Malcolm / @adriamalcolm / Daily Lobo Carrol Pearson (right) chants with her husband Bob Pearson at a march held by Amnesty International to promote awareness about the DREAM Act on Friday. The Pearsons have been members of Amnesty International for 20 years and traveled from Rociada, N.M. for the march. About 75 demonstrators, including UNM students and activists from Arizona, California and Colorado, marched on Central Avenue from Yale Boulevard to Girard Boulevard in support of the DREAM Act, a legislative proposal introduced
in 2001 that would protect some undocumented students from deportation and eventually grant them legal residency. The march concluded UNM DREAM Week 2012, during which students from five student organizations came together to educate the school’s community about the act. “We have dreams of safety, progress, education and dignity,” UNM student Eunice Tagle said. “That’s all what we want, and I don’t think that is illegal.” ~Barbara Gomez-Aguinaga
Energy Mental illness no handicap for comedy standard applied to UNM by Ardee Napolitano news@dailylobo.com
by Courtney Rogers news@dailylobo.com
UNM has adopted two building policies designed to make all oncampus buildings certifiably more environmentally friendly. In June 2007, former UNM President David Schmidly signed the American College & University President’s Climate Commitment, which committed the University to carbon neutrality. In 2009, the University adopted former Gov. Bill Richardson’s UNM Climate Action Plan, which requires buildings of more than 15,000 square feet to meet the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver qualification, which mandates utilization of at least 50 points out of 100 possible conservation points. Conservation points are awarded from a checklist of items — such as materials and resources, innovation and design process, energy and atmosphere, indoor environmental quality and water use — to determine
see LEED PAGE 5
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 117
issue 36
Laughter is the best medicine — even for mental illnesses, said Jim Ogle, president of the Albuquerque division of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Ogle said that NAMI, in association with Vancouverbased comedian and counselor David Granirer, will present Stand Up for Mental Health, a comedy event in which six local standup comics with mental illnesses will share their experiences and make the audience laugh.
“Laughter is helpful for all diseases,” Granirer said. “Research has basically shown that.” The event will take place in the African American Performing Arts Center at EXPO New Mexico on Tuesday. Admission is $5 at the door, and parking is free. Ogle said the event aims to help people understand that people with mental illnesses should be treated normally instead of being pitied. He said this will help with their recovery. “Part of it is to help with the stigma problem that mental illnesses have by people who
actually have mental illness making fun of it themselves,” he said. “But also, it takes people who are participating and helps build up their ego and their belief that they can do things, which is part of the recovery process.” Ogle said Granirer approached NAMI earlier this year about the event, which Granirer has been performing nationwide in larger cities such as Seattle, and the organization liked the idea. Ogle said Granirer then trained local stand-up comics via Skype for several months.
Stand Up for Mental Health
Tuesday Doors open at 6 p.m.
African American Performing Arts Center at EXPO New Mexico 310 San Pedro Dr. NE $5 at the door
see Comedy PAGE 3
Regents to review electrical project funds by Svetlana Ozden news@dailylobo.com @SvetlanaOzden
A proposed change in electric service for the KNME radio station and Domenici Hall could save the University $76,000 per year in electricity costs if the budget increase for the project is approved. At a Finance and Facilities Committee meeting on Thursday, Budget Officer Vahid Staples of the Office of Planning, Budget & Analysis said the power sources the hall and radio station depend on are often inefficient. He said
that plans to transfer electric service were already approved by the committee and the UNM Board of Regents in November 2011, but unexpected costs require an increase in the project’s budget. The original cost was estimated at $660,000. The new proposed cost is $750,000, which would be funded by $500,000 from the Physical Plant Department Utility Capital Reserves and $250,000 from the Physical Plant Utility Operation Carry Forward fund. Staples said the office received four bids in a Request for Proposal process, all of which
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were higher than the office had originally estimated, and that the office selected the cheapest bidder. He said the office first tried to rearrange the budget, but found that nothing could be done to keep the project within the estimated costs. “We were obviously disappointed when they came back higher than the original estimate,” he said. “But we could not do enough to pull it back so that it’s a viable budget, so hence the request for the revised budget.” Staples said the project will convert the two buildings from PNM electrical service to UNM electrical service and that the
budget includes costs for creating underground lines that will supply electricity to the buildings. UNM Planning Officer Mary Kenney said UNM’s underground electrical lines would be more reliable than PNM’s overhead electrical lines, but that the PNM lines would still be connected to both buildings. She said having PNM lines still available will ensure that, in case of a power shortage from UNM’s lines, PNM will still be able to provide the buildings with electricity. “With Domenici being at the end of the line, we’ve had power quality
see Finance PAGE 5
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