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UNM requires 3-ply medical-grade masks indoors By Zara Roy @zarazzledazzle
The University of New Mexico is requiring a three-ply or better medical-grade mask when indoors, made effective Tuesday Jan. 17. This decision, which updated the previous mask policy that allowed cloth masks, was made in response to the recent surge of COVID-19 cases and the increased infectiousness of the omicron variant. According to UNM spokesperson Cinnamon Blair, Student Affairs will be distributing proper masks across campus for students struggling to source proper masks or otherwise do not currently have appropriate masks. Masks will be distributed in high-traffic classroom buildings on campus, as well as in the Student Union Building and Johnson Gym. “There will also be a group of student mask ambassadors in the common areas of those classroom buildings handing masks out to students that need them … Masks are also being distributed to the college/school dean offices for distribution to the departments on campus, and there will be some in the Provost’s Office as well,” Blair wrote to the Daily Lobo.
By Madeline Pukite @madelinepukite
Mackenzie Schwartz / Daily Lobo / @mackenzid5
A student wears a medical-grade mask at UNM.
As with initial mask protocols, failure to adhere to the updated mask protocols may result in being asked to leave class, with a possibility of being dropped from the class as well as disciplinary action if failure to adhere occurs multiple times. Blair, however, does not anticipate any major adherence problems. “Quite honestly, we never had any problems with mask compliance that I know of. It’s basically
‘Prepared for the worst’: University faculty teach amid omicron surge By Zara Roy @zarazzledazzle As the state of New Mexico consistently breaks 3,000 new COVID-19 cases daily attributed to the new, highly infectious omicron variant, the University of New Mexico has no current plans to move to remote learning for the spring 2022 semester. Even as the school tightens up its COVID-19 protocols, many faculty members still feel apprehensive about the recent return to an in-person semester, which started on Tuesday. Meagan Vigus, a teaching associate in the linguistics department and member of the United Graduate Workers of UNM, said
Locals tentatively support ABQ Community Safety department
her primary frustrations with the in-person return lie in the inadequate and chaotic communication between the University and its faculty, particularly in the recent announcement that UNM is requiring at least three-ply medical-grade masks indoors. “I think I actually got an email on the student side before I got an email as an instructor about the new mask requirements ... It’s a bit ridiculous, updating these requirements at the last minute and then not giving us materials that we need to do our job,” Vigus said. It will be much more expensive to continually replace these masks, a problem only worsened by the fact that graduate work-
see
Faculty page 2
the same process as our current mask requirements, because we just updated the definition of ‘proper mask-wearing,’” Blair said. This decision came in response to the dire infection rates attributed to the omicron variant. During a press conference on Jan. 12, Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden, said that “virtually everybody”
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Masks page 2
The new Albuquerque Community Safety department began responding to emergency calls last September and acts as a nonlaw enforcement dispatch team that handles issues within the community, like mental health crises, that the police may not be trained to handle. After just over four months of operation, multiple community members are tentatively hopeful that this department will bring solutions to the city. Since ACS was created, the department has responded to over 1,500 calls, including 911 calls that get redirected to them and the 311 hotline that connects to them directly. “(There) is a huge need for us … (with) the amount of calls that go through that are not appropriate for police. A lot of these calls aren't crimes. A lot of it has to do with the homeless population or just individuals that need help, that don't need police assistance,” ACS Deputy
Director D’Albert Hall said. The department aims to hire people with social work or mental health-related field experience as well as knowledge of city resources. The department includes a variety of outreach teams with varied skill sets and response protocols to deal with many types of common community issues. The formation of the new department came after an increase in protests against police brutality in the community and nationwide following the death of George Floyd in the summer of 2020. Albuquerque has had the second-highest rate of fatal police shootings in cities with more than 500,000 people since 2015, according to the Guardian. Lisa Christopherson, a local activist, said she is a lot more hopeful about the department than she was previously and doesn’t see it as a political stunt, which she was originally worried about. However, she would like to see more community outreach and communication from the city about the department.
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ACS page 2
New cafe, plant nursery brews love for coffee, plants (see page 5)
Mackenzie Schwartz / Daily Lobo / @mackenzid5
Owners Juan Jimenez and Tytianna Harris stand outside Power Plant, a cafe and plant nursery.