DAILY LOBO new mexico
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The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
December 1, 2009
Peruvian parables
Garbiso: Colleague fabricated claims by Isaac Avilucea Daily Lobo
Andrew Beale / Daily Lobo Almost any type of meat or produce can be found at this market in Urubamba.
A Daily Lobo reporter’s journey to South America by Andrew Beale Daily Lobo
I
went to Peru over Thanksgiving break from Nov. 21-29. The country is beautiful, with mountains that make the Sandias look like speed bumps. The problem is, Peru suffers from some of the worst poverty in South America. Below are a few descriptions of some of the scenes and characters I encountered while in the country. Check out DailyLobo.com for my full travel excerpts.
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 114
issue 68
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Popejoy’s doorless stalls less than discreet
DL
Nov. 22: Baby alpaca. Every hat, every scarf, every ski mask is made of baby alpaca. Even the things clearly made out of cotton are made out of baby alpaca. Street vendors swarm the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, telling tourists “¡Mira! Amigo is baby alpaca!” I’ve come to Peru to visit my mother, who just finished a stint as a volunteer in Cusco. She’s a registered nurse and came to Peru to work in health education, teaching the basics of medical care to people from small villages. She’s volunteering through a church, and the working conditions for volunteers are horrific. Nov. 22: My mom warns me that the Cusco cab drivers will actively try to run you over, and a few times, I experience this phenomenon first hand. There are almost no designated street crossings in the city, so getting to the other side involves waiting for a break in traffic and then running like hell. Stray dogs roam the city, and a cab driver tells us that they are very careful for the dogs, because it’s bad luck to run one over. My aunt Jayne, also along for the ride, remarks that it’s strange: “The cab drivers avoid the dogs, but they’ll run the people down in the street.” Nov. 25: Besides a national bus line, Peru has local buses running between cities. A local bus is basically an old vehicle, usually a van of some kind, that someone bought and charges a few soles (about three soles to the dollar) for a ride. We take one from Urubamba to Cusco that apparently used to be a school
Mute for nearly three months, Shannon Garbiso is no longer tongue-tied about her role in investigating a Sept. 20 altercation involving first-year head coach Mike Locksley and former wide receivers coach J.B. Gerald. The Athletics representative, who did the initial inquiry into the incident, denied a Daily Lobo report in which a former UNM colleague and decade-long friend, Maria Garcia, claimed Garbiso’s job was in jeopardy. Garbiso, who declined a phone interview, said in an e-mail that Garcia portrayed the information she shared with her in the wrong light. “I feel that friends do not take notes during conversations, nor do they speak to reporters on your behalf, when I specifically directed her not to,” Garbiso said. “I feel betrayed … This is about someone falsely representing me.” Point by point, Garbiso contended that she never expressed concerns to former UNM Human Resources Consultant Garcia that her job was in danger, nor was she upset with Vice President of Human
Resources Helen Gonzales for the way she was portrayed at a Nov. 3 news conference, in which Gonzales brought up questions about Garbiso’s qualifications to conduct investigations. “I am not, nor was I, angry with Helen Gonzales or Paul Krebs,” she said. “There is no smear campaign. The assertion that I fear for my job is a flat-out lie. Not once have I felt my employment in athletics has been threatened. I enjoy working for Paul Krebs and very much enjoy the people I work with in the Athletics Department.” In an interview with the Daily Lobo on Saturday, Garcia — who has a pending unrelated lawsuit against the University for pregnancy discrimination — said she had four phone conversations with Garbiso, in which Garbiso made statements to the contrary. Monday, Garbiso acknowledged that she spoke with Garcia on Nov. 9 for the first time in nearly a year — but that Garcia called her first. Garcia said she did call Garbiso first and left a voice mail, which Garbiso returned soon after. Among the most important
No stall doors in restroom potential health and safety standard violation by Kallie Red-Horse Daily Lobo
Andrew Beale / Daily Lobo The largest graveyard in Cusco, Peru. To store a body in the graveyard requires a yearly fee. If the family fails to pay, the body is removed. bus. A kid who can’t be older than 13 helps people with their luggage. When the bus stops, he jumps off, grabs someone’s luggage and throws it in the baggage compartment under the bus. As soon as the baggage is in, the bus starts to move again, and the kid has to run after it and jump on the moving bus. How many kids in Peru do this work? How often do they fall off and get crushed under the wheels?
Male students and employees are paying for “illicit sexual activity” that occurred a dozen years ago in the men’s bathroom near the north entrance of Popejoy Hall. The Physical Plant Department administration removed stall doors from the bathroom in the late ‘90s after reports of criminal sexual activity, said Gary Smith, associate director of Environmental Services at PPD. “The reason the doors were taken down was because of the illicit sexual activity that took place in there,” he said “The new art building is the same way because apparently (the) same things happened there.” Vandalism was another factor in the decision to remove the doors, Smith said. “Our area manager had to install tamper-proof lighting systems in the bathrooms, because people were going into the ceiling and removing the lights so it stayed dark in there,” he said. “They also had to
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line the stalls with diamond-plate metal because people were cutting holes in the stalls.” On top of appearance and privacy issues, the lack of stall doors violates Occupational Safety and Health Administration Standards. The men’s restroom in question can be used by both the public and employees. OSHA Standards specify that employee restrooms in permanent places of employment must adhere to privacy regulations. “Each water closet shall occupy a separate compartment with a door and walls or partitions between fixtures sufficiently high to assure privacy,” the clause reads. However, the International Building Codes — which outline regulations for public restrooms in New Mexico — have no language requiring stall doors. There is at least one employee bathroom on the third floor of Popejoy Hall. Smith said the Physical Plant Department was unaware that the absence of doors is a standards violation, and if it is valid the doors will be replaced as soon as possible. “Now that it has been brought to our attention as a violation, we will assess if it is necessary to
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