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Thursday, November 7, 2019 | Vo l u m e 1 2 4 | I s s u e 2 5
Community mourns loss of Lobo football player By Justin Garcia Alaine Rael @Just516garc @AllyRael Editor’s Note: For any students or faculty who are affected by the loss of Nahje Flowers, there are resources available on campus. Please contact the Student Health and Counseling Center at (505) 277-3136 for more information or to speak to a counselor. The University of New Mexico postponed its scheduled weekend game against Air Force after Nahje Flowers, 21, died on Tuesday. The news came on Tuesday morning in a press release from the University of New Mexico football program. The brief didn’t include the details of Flower’s passing but included quotes from head coach Bob Davie and athletic director Eddie Nuñez expressing the team’s sadness. “I know it caught me by surprise,” said Juan Jimenez, a teammate of Flowers’ at Susan Miller Dorsey High School in Los Angeles. “Nahje’s teammates are all caught by surprise right now.”
Zheniah Houston, another of Flowers’ high school friends, described her bond with Flowers as inseparable. She said the pair met during their freshman year at
Sharon Chischilly / @Schischilly / Daily Lobo
University of New Mexico Lobo football player Nahje Flowers.
ABQ CITY COUNCIL
Two incumbents in, runoffs loom By Andrew Gunn @agunnwrites
While most Albuquerque locals awoke to gloomy, overcast skies the day after Municipal Election Day, the political prospects of two incumbent City Councilors remained sunny after apparently comfortable margins of victory — extending the duo to another four year term. The fate of two other Council races remained up in the silvergray air, heading to a runoff this December pending official results. Councilors Pat Davis and Trudy Jones, who represent Districts 6 and 8 respectively, won their reelection bids with more than 50% of the vote. Meanwhile, no candidate garnered at least 50% in Districts 2 and 4, which the City Charter mandates for a winner to be declared in a regular election. Incumbent Isaac Benton, who has represented District 2 since 2005, received 42.04% of the vote for the district encompassing Downtown and Old Town. If preliminary results hold, Benton will be challenged by Zack Quintero, a 28-year old graduate of New Mexico State University and the University
Dorsey, in the school’s “upward bound” college prep program. “We called each other our soulmates, but we never touched each other, because we were both dis-
of New Mexico School of Law. Following the retirement of long-time District 4 Councilor Brad Winter, the race to take his seat, which represents the Northeast Heights, appears to be heading to a runoff as well. Neither Brook Bassan nor Ane C. Romero collected at least half the votes in the three-way race, per unofficial polling results. Davis, a self-described “bold progressive” who has recently focused his efforts on statewide efforts to legalize recreational marijuana as the chair of a working group on legalization, said his reelection was a “referendum” on progressive values. “District 6 voters made it overwhelmingly clear they aren’t focused on divisive fights of the past,” Davis said in a campaign statement. “They want us focused on a more progressive future, and they will stand with leaders bold enough to fight for it.” A former police officer whose district encompasses the University of New Mexico, Davis outlined his priorities for the near future in an interview with the Daily Lobo. “After bringing back Central Avenue bike officers this year, next year I want us to finish hir-
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Inside this Lobo
gusted by each other, so that was fun,” Houston said. On the field, Flowers was a beast. According to the Los Angeles Sentinel, Flowers was 6-feet tall and weighed 245 pounds during his junior year of high school. “Whenever we’d do good on defense, I would celebrate with Nahje,” Jimenez said as he reminisced on their Friday night games at Dorsey. “Nahje was bigger than me, so Nahje would pick me up and throw me in the air.” Flowers was scouted by a number of big schools, including the University of California-Los Angeles, Washington, Utah and Oklahoma State, according to the Los Angeles Sentinel. Instead, he chose UNM. “I think it was the girls, honestly,” Houston joked. She added that Flowers loved his home in Los Angeles, but he wanted to venture outside of his hometown and try something new — just not too far. Many members of the Dorsey community found out about Flowers’ passing on social media. The initial announcement, made by UNM Assistant Athletic Director Frank Mercogliano, was matched with a tidal wave of online posts that originated from both California and New Mexico. “Nahje was a wonderful person and a great teammate,” Davie said in his initial statement. “Our entire Lobo Football family mourns his passing, and our prayers go out to his family.”
On Facebook, Flowers’ mentor and athletics-assigned advisor Jon DeBonis reflected on grief and his memories of the football player. “I still remember that first time I helped Nahje study for his sign language classes. He was so freaking fast with his fingers, and his recall memories were photogenic,” DeBonis wrote. Flowers’ friend Mark Smith told the Daily Lobo that he remembers Flowers as the kind of person that would make everyone laugh. Smith said Flowers was the class clown in a math class they took together at UNM. “If you focus on anything in your article, focus on the importance of people reaching out when they’re in need,” Smith told the Daily Lobo over direct message on Twitter. “We all miss signs that could’ve helped avoid certain situations. Our mental health needs to be a priority before sports, school or anything.” Flowers is survived by his parents, La’Vonte Flowers and Vickie Gilmore and his siblings, Albert and Sah’Quira. Alanie Rael is the sports editor at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @AllyRael Justin Garcia is the Editor-inChief of the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at editorinchief@ dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Just516garc
ASUNM elects 10 new senators
By Alex Hiett & Alyssa Martinez @Nmal1123 @amart4447
1,053 students cast their votes during the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico’s (ASUNM) fall Senate election. Of the 20 candidates that ran, 10 firsttime senators and one incumbent senator will take their seats in the Senate next semester. Constitutional Amendment 1 — which clarifies senate vacancy appointments — also passed. ASUNM President Adam Biederwolf said the highlight of the night was that they “diversified ASUNM.” “This incoming group of senators is going to be a lot different from the senators we’ve seen from years past,” Biederwolf said. “So many people talk about how ASUNM is so Greek-oriented, and I think the numbers show for themselves that this incoming group really does impact every population on campus — and that’s all I really wanted going into this year (as President).” Despite changes in senatorial representation, voting trends appear to be harder to change. 961 students voted in last year’s ASUNM election, the lowest participation in fourteen semesters.
Justin Garcia / @Just516garc / Daily Lobo
Members of IncludeUNM celebrating their success in Wednesday’s undergraduate election.
Although 1,053 students voted this semester, some students voted only for senate candidates or the constitutional amendment. “Voter turnout was significantly low — lower than we expected,” Biederwolf said. “I think part of it falls on myself, part of it falls on my team — on reaching out to students and providing them the information on why voting is so important.” Todd Moe, the executive director of the ASUNM election commission, said he was satisfied with this semester’s election. “I am very pleased with how the election went,” said Moe. “Of course,
we always wish the voter turnout would be higher but we’re very happy with everybody that ran and the candidates that were selected.” Of the 10 students elected, the entire IncludeUNM slate was elected. All of the IncludeUNM candidates were first-time runners. According to an opinion piece published by supporters of IncludeUNM in the Daily Lobo, the slate ran on being “dedicated to starting and facilitating conversations on the issues and difficulties that diverse populations on campus face.”
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ASUNM page 2
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