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Monday, Januar y 10, 2022 | Vo l u m e 1 2 6 | I s s u e 1 9
UNM COVID-19 booster requirement deadline nears No plans for University to start virtually By John Scott @JScott050901
Eligible University of New Mexico students, staff and faculty must receive and upload documentation of having gotten a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot by Jan. 17, the day before the spring 2022 semester is set to start in person. Individuals are currently considered eligible by the University if they have received either the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine on or before June 15, 2021 or the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on or before Oct. 15, 2021 because of time requirements between vaccination doses. Those vaccinated after these dates have up to four weeks to upload proof following the Jan. 17 deadline. As of Sunday Jan. 9, 18.4% of students, 45.6% of staff and 48.8% of faculty have confirmed receiving a booster shot. “The key step now, for everyone, is to get a vaccine booster as soon as you can,” UNM spokesperson Cinnamon Blair wrote to the Daily Lobo via email. “Vaccinated people are less likely to get COVID, and when they do
A vaccine lead prepares COVID-19 vaccines at The Pit in January 2021.
they usually don’t get very sick.” According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all three authorized COVID-19 vaccines were effective in reducing symptom severity in breakthrough cases and preventing hospitalization. Blair said there are no cur-
rent plans to return to a virtual learning environment for the spring semester. “We have regular consultations with our internal experts to assess current conditions and adjust as needed,” Blair wrote. “At present we are proceeding with our current instructional plan.”
By Zoe Perls @zoeperls
Official review on the legality of the University of New Mexico Foundation’s indirect investment in fossil fuel companies is ongoing, and the UNM Leaders for Environmental Action and Foresight aren’t giving up. After an initial intake meeting with the office of the attorney general on Dec. 17, 2021, where they reviewed the legal arguments and historical background of their complaint filed last October, the office is still in the process of going over all the information. UNMF, which funds scholarships and campus initiatives at the University, has an estimated $32.5 million of its Consolidated Investment Fund, the investment pool for endowment assets of the University and UNMF, indirectly
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UNM LEAF page 2
James Holloway, UNM provost and vice president of academic affairs, said the University is potentially looking at ways to improve the quality of masks worn by students, staff and faculty on campus by moving away from cloth masks and toward “medical masks.” “The most important things
John Scott is the managing editor at the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @JScott050901
SAC, ASUNM kickstart spring semester with student events
UNM LEAF meets with attorney general’s office on divestment complaint
invested into fossil fuel stock, according to Gabe Gomez, managing director of UNMF marketing and communication. This is 5.6% of the CIF overall. The UNM LEAF complaint, which was filed with the help of the legal team of the Climate Defense Project, said these financial investments in climate change-causing fossil fuels are a legal violation of the Foundation’s obligation as a nonprofit to provide charitable benefit to its community as per the New Mexico Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act. This act states that nonprofit institutions must act toward a purpose that provides some sort of benefit to the community. “The UNMF may not simply seek profit at any cost: the privileges that the Foundation enjoys as a nonprofit institution,
Nick Romero / Daily Lobo / @nicromerophoto
are vaccinations and boosters,” Holloway said. “The second most important tool is good masking.” UNM is following the state mask mandate wherein masks are required for all individuals indoors regardless of vaccination status. The announcement of the booster requirement came shortly after the state of New Mexico issued an emergency public health order requiring a booster shot for a large majority of workers in high-risk environments, including healthcare workers and long-term care facility workers. This came with the surge of the new COVID-19 omicron variant. “The recent emergence of the omicron variant further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters and prevention efforts needed to protect against COVID-19,” CDC Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in the health order. “Early data from South Africa suggest increased transmissibility of the omicron variant, and scientists in the United States and around the world are urgently examining vaccine effectiveness related to this variant.” Holloway said the University is aiming for a fully vaccinated student, staff and faculty population. “My goal is 100%. We really want to get everybody vaccinated … I know we won’t reach 100%, but my real hope is that we can reach that 95% level or better,” Holloway said.
By Zara Roy
@zarazzledazzle With the spring semester beginning Tuesday, Jan. 18, the University of New Mexico’s Student Activities Center and Associated Students of the University of New Mexico have organized several events in the first two weeks to get students back into the groove after break. SAC has organized two Welcome Back Days, scheduled for Jan. 19 and 26 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Union Building atrium. There, various departments and organizations around campus will be able to table and showcase their organizations, and prospective students can find groups that fit their interests. The first Welcome Back Day will be focused on showcasing different departments at the University as well as Greek organizations,
Nick Fojud / Daily Lobo / @DailyLobo
Rows of students hold out their hands in an attempt to become hypnotized during Rich Guzzi’s Comedy Hypnotist Performance at UNM in 2016.
and the following week will highlight student organizations. The event was split into two days partly in the interest of social distancing protocols as the COVID-19 pandemic contin-
ues. SAC has been working to ensure the event is in line with COVID-19 protocols, according to Rudy Montoya, SAC student
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Events
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Inside this Lobo
WALLIN: LETTER: For good of New Mexico schools, congress must act on DOI’s new recommendations (pg. 4)
GLEASON: College students balance school with jobs, pandemic (pg. 3) MCGRAEL: REVIEW: ‘Don’t Look Up’: Reflection of recent years through fun, satirical comedy (pg. 3) MCCULLOUGH & YOUNG: LETTER: Grassy areas of UNM golf course should be reopened for community access (pg. 4)
MCGRAEL: REVIEW: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ gracefully swings MCU out of 2021 (pg. 5) SALCIDO: Women’s basketball snags close win against SDSU (pg. 7) SALCIDO: Men’s basketball loses chaotic game to Utah State (pg. 8)