DAILY LOBO new mexico
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
tuesday
No arguing with the force see Page 11
October 30, 2012
City mulls adding bus-only lanes to Central by Ardee Napolitano news@dailylobo.com
Plans to improve the quality of public transportation near the University area may include designating one lane each way on Central Avenue as bus-only lanes. City of Albuquerque Transit Department Director Bruce Rizzieri said the city is considering the implementation of a bus rapid transit
along Central Avenue in order to improve public transportation. The plan will convert the two middle lanes of the street into bus-only lanes, and will allot only one lane for personal vehicle traffic in each direction. The plan may provide 60-foot rubberwheeled buses, which are almost identical to the buses currently used by the Rapid Ride system, to run in both directions without dealing with car and pedestrian traffic.
“A bus rapid transit is a kind of transit which has a lot of flexibility,” Rizzieri said. “It can operate along traffic, on dedicated lanes, or it can operate in a combination of dedicated lanes and general purpose lanes.” Rizzieri said about 45 percent of all passengers who use ABQ RIDE board a bus on Central Avenue. He said since the Rapid Ride systems were put in place, ridership increased from 9 million to 13 million people per year and that
the number continues to increase, contrary to the city’s expectations. “When the Rapid Ride system started in roughly 2005, concerns were that riders of the (Route) 66 would move to the Rapid Ride system, and ridership would stay the same but just put into two routes,” he said. “That didn’t happen. Ridership went up within the quarter,
see Central PAGE 3
Aaron Sweet / Daily Lobo About 45 percent of ABQ RIDE users board a bus on Central Avenue. In an effort to improve public transportation, city planners have proposed decreasing the lanes on Central Avenue to one traffic lane on each side, with a rapid bus lane in the middle.
Free mental-health tests today Basketball player by Laura Meurer and Svetlana Ozden news@dailylobo.com
A free mental health screening offered at the Student Health and Counseling center can examine patients for one of five disorders in five minutes. Because October is Depression Awareness month, the center is hosting Mental Health Screening Day today. Staff leader Stacy Lowe said the screening will test participants for the five most common mental disorders found on college campuses: bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety, depression, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, bipolar disorder affects about 6 percent of adults in the U.S. and the average age of onset is 25. According to American Psychiatric Association, suicide is the second most common cause of death among college students and in 2008, about 30 percent of students reported that they felt so depressed that it impaired their ability to function. About 49 percent of students felt overwhelming anxiety, about 10 percent of students reported being diagnosed or treated for depression and about 25 percent will experience a depressive episode by age 24. About 86 percent of women surveyed by the association reported the onset of an eating disorder by the age of 20 and about 40 percent reported that the onset occurred between the ages of 16 and 20. According to the U.S. Depart of Veteran Affairs, about 8 percent of people in the U.S. will have PTSD at some point in their lives. According to the National Institutes of Health, the average age for PTSD onset is 23. Each Mental Health Screening Day questionnaire
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has specific questions about a specific disorder, such as how often the participant feels sad, nervous or experiences disruptions in sleep or an inability to fall asleep. But students who are unsure of which questionnaire to fill out can answer questionnaires for multiple disorders. Before answering questions about a specific disorder, students will fill out a demographic survey that includes information such as age, gender, year, race and place of residence. Lowe said that during Mental Health Screening Day in 2010, more than 100 people filled out the questionnaires and many of the participants scheduled consultations with counselors. She said she hopes to have another big turnout this year. SHAC Counseling Services Director Stephanie McIver said she is very excited about the event because it may encourage students to seek help and sort out problems so they can be healthier, better students. “It is actually a testament to people’s strength and functionality that they seek help to resolve problems when they arise to get the help that you need and that are you entitled to,” she said. McIver said students often ignore or undervalue the problems they experience because they don’t realize that mental health problems are common. She said mental health problems can often be debilitating, but students will never recover if they don’t seek help. “There are a lot of people who struggle with something and say to themselves ‘This isn’t something that I need to seek counseling about,’” she said. “People are not alone in struggling with these symptoms. They are fixable — there is something you can do.” For information on common mental health disorders see Page 2
30% chance it’s already raining
Going underground
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out for first 3 games by J.R. Oppenheim
assistantsports@dailylobo.com @JROppenheim UNM senior guard Jamal Fenton has been suspended for the first three games of the 2012-13 basketball season for a “minor NCAA rule violation regarding impermissible benefits,” the University Athletics department said in a release issued late Monday morning. UNM head basketball coach Steve Alford said during a Monday press conference that he is disappointed after learning of the NCAA ruling. Aside from calling it a “minor violation” that involved only Fenton, Alford did not delve into specifics regarding the violation. Fenton will not discuss those specifics, the release said. “It does affect our rotation,” Alford said. “He’s a senior that is going to be asked to do a lot this year. To lose him for three games is unfortunate. It is what it is. I’m not happy about it, but it is what it is.” Fenton will miss the Nov. 12 season-opening game against Davidson and the first two games of the Paradise Jam, which begins
Nov. 16 in the Virgin Islands. He will be eligible to begin regularseason play on Nov. 19, the final day of the Paradise Jam. The ruling allows Fenton to practice and travel with the team. He is also eligible to play exhibition games slated for Wednesday against Victory University and Nov. 5 against New Mexico Highlands. “We’re going to have to play the vets a little bit more in that stretch,” Alford said. “He does come back for that third game in four days in the Virgin Islands. At least we won’t go that whole tournament with a light bench.” Article 16 of the NCAA bylaws states student athletes cannot receive an award, benefit or expense allowance not authorized by NCAA legislation. Violations result in player ineligibility. Fenton has a .408 shooting average in three years at UNM, including a .339 average behind the 3-point line. He has two games in which he scored a career-high 16 points, the last coming Dec. 22, 2011 against Missouri-Kansas City. Lobo sophomore point guard
see Suspension PAGE 3
TODAY
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