Daily Lobo new mexico
dailylobo.com
Monday, D ecember 13, 2021 | Vo l u m e 1 2 6 | I s s u e 1 8
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
First time in 2 years guests allowed at UNM commencements
Classes of 2020 and 2021 invited to graduation ceremonies By Megan Gleason @fabflutist2716 For the first time in two years, guests will be allowed at the University of New Mexico commencement ceremonies at The Pit on Dec. 16 and 17. Masks and vaccinations will be required for a majority of attendees. Graduates from the classes of 2020 and 2021 are invited to celebrate after past commencements during the COVID-19 pandemic were either virtual or without guests due to the nature of the pandemic. At the upcoming ceremonies, anyone over 12 years old must provide proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours, and anyone over 2 years old must wear a mask. Both the undergraduate and graduate ceremonies will be held at The Pit at 6 p.m. on different days so that “the number of people that we would anticipate coming (will be) mitigated,” according to UNM spokesperson Cinnamon Blair. The graduate commencement will be held on Dec. 16 and the undergraduate commencement will be held on Dec. 17. Both ceremonies will be livestreamed. Blair said the University is following COVID-19 trends closely,
Courtesy Photo
Students sit idly on the court at The Pit during the commencement ceremony in December 2019. Photo by Hyunju Blemel.
“taking into consideration public health orders and what’s worked in the past.” The University has been training staff members and volunteers on how to successfully enforce vaccination requirements through aspects like checking vaccination cards and identification. “In organizing the first in-person and public commencement event since 2019, the health and safety of the Lobo and extended communities remains the No. 1 priority. The environment in which we celebrate our
New Mexico’s booming film industry gives grads employment opportunities By Natalie Jude @natalaroni Filmmaking in New Mexico is on the rise, much to the luck of recent college film graduates. With record peaks in funding, direct spending supported by credits and deductibles that are projected to continue growing, University of New Mexico film graduates are set up to find lucrative work in the film industry. “This is where the next Hollywood is going to be and I want to be there while it’s being built. It’s perfect for someone like me who’s looking for work in the film industry and an easy in, and New Mexico is looking for a giant crop of young people to work in the film industry so they can boost the economy,” UNM film student Michael Madrigal said. Madrigal moved from Maryland to take advantage of the numerous New Mexico film benefits and wasn’t the only one. Current UNM
film student Juan Gomez also came to UNM on a scholarship because of the better film opportunities here in comparison to where he used to live in Colombia. In 2019, a total of 40 film projects registered with the state were shot in New Mexico, which is more than double what it was in 2018. So far in 2021, another 30 have been shot in state, though far more were planned and ultimately cancelled due to COVID-19 related restrictions. “We’re now one of the top states in the U.S. for film and television, and we can’t wait to be No. 1,” Alicia J. Keyes, state economic development secretary, told the Santa Fe New Mexican in June after NBCUniversal opened a new studio in Albuquerque. In 2002, New Mexico began offering film tax incentives to productions that provide jobs to local below-the-line personnel, or talent or crewmembers who work day to
see
Film page 3
students’ accomplishments will inform the success of future in-person ceremonies,” a Campus Communications email from Dec. 9 read. The COVID-19 policies are subject to change at any time. Any potential changes will be emailed out to students signed up for commencement as well as posted on the UNM graduation webpage. “Everything we’re doing is informing the next step. So we’ve done really well (with) the virtual ceremony then moving to the hybrid in-person
but no guests and now having a full in-person with some requirements around it,” Blair said. Over 900 undergraduate students signed up to attend this semester’s ceremony with approximately 26% being from previous graduation classes that didn’t get a traditional ceremony, and almost 270 graduate students signed up to attend with about 25% from other classes that missed traditional commencement as well, according to University Secretary Nancy Middlebrook. The University is encouraging students to cap their number of guests at six so there will be enough room for everyone. “It’s just such a milestone for our students and their families, something they worked so hard for, so to have it in person is awesome. And last year we moved into the in-person (ceremony) but guests weren’t allowed, so this is the first time where it’s going to feel like a regular graduation, but we’re still taking precautions,” Blair said. Upcoming graduate Alexandria Wiesel already completed her first degree in the spring and is finishing another this semester. She didn’t go to commencement last year since guests weren’t allowed. “I’m also very pleased (that) the
other year is going to be included in commencement because it really means a lot … It’s really a sense of finishing something that you’ve been working so hard on,” Wiesel said. Blair emphasized the importance of what the graduation ceremony means for students, and said “that celebratory mark is something that people don’t forget.” “It is a tangible celebration of an accomplishment. You think about the number of years and hours one works to get one’s degree, whether it’s undergraduate or graduate, and it’s time to invite your family to celebrate with you and your friends,” Blair said. The link to watch the livestream will be accessible at graduation.unm.edu, and will also be streamed on UNM’s official Facebook and YouTube pages. “I’m really really happy for myself and the other graduates of this semester because it really means a lot,” Wiesel said. “It really is a sense of closure and understanding that you’ve done it and you can start doing something else now.” Megan Gleason is the Editor-inChief of the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at editorinchief@dailylobo. com or on Twitter @fabflutist2716
Benefits to joining a union after graduation By Madeline Pukite @madelinepukite As many students at the University of New Mexico graduate and enter their respective career fields, the option to unionize will be a question that confronts many of them. Research has shown that workers that are part of a union have better working conditions overall. In the United States, 1 in 9 workers are in a union, according to the Economic Policy Institute. This, therefore, allows their collective voices to speak up for fair working conditions, according to the Institute’s research. Additional research from the Economic Policy Institute shows that strong unions lessen the wage gap from the highest earner to the lowest earner, and union workers tend to earn 13.2% more than non-union workers. Livable wages allow for greater accessibility to workforces or universities, according to Mary Russell,
a member of the United Graduate Workers of UNM, which is one reason the graduate student workers are attempting to unionize at UNM. Research from the Economic Policy Institute showed that racial and gender-based wage gaps are lessened by the work of unions. There are a lot of misconceptions around who unionizes, according to Jason Smith, a UNM professor of history who specializes in labor history. The predominant stereotype is bluecollar industrial jobs dominated by white men, but Smith said the actual breakdown is a lot more diverse. “I think a lot of people who are underinformed ... hear organized labor or unions (and) they think of white men working in industrial jobs like the auto industry, and that certainly was true of the auto industry in the middle of the 20th century. (But) from today's perspective, the working class and people who are active in organized labor has never been more diverse,” Smith said. Time magazine reported a recent increase in unionization because of
John Scott / Daily Lobo / @JScott050901
A sign that reads, “We Demand Better Working Conditions,” is held up at a rally for the grad worker union in September 2021.
the risk of the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with this, they said despite the fact that retail companies are making more in revenue, retail company employees have not seen increases in pay to match. “The Brookings Institution found that 13 of the largest retail companies in the country earned a total of $16.7 billion more in 2020 than they did in 2019, while raising workers’ pay an average of just $1.11 per hour since the start of the pandemic,”
see
Union page 3