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Thursday, Februar y 20, 2020 | Vo l u m e 1 2 4 | I s s u e 4 4
Lobos drop third straight as Alford wins in Pit return By Joe Rull @rulljoe THE PIT — The Lobo crowd gave former head coaches Steve Alford and Craig Neal a true Pit welcome Tuesday night, as the now-Nevada coaching duo were introduced to thundering jeers from 12,000 strong. “The Pit shouldn’t be quiet,” Alford said. “The Pit shouldn’t be doing standing ovations or clapping for the opposing coach, no matter who it was. I was here for six years. I never saw that happen, so it’s what makes The Pit very, very special.” In the end, it was Alford and Neal — University of New Mexico’s previous men’s basketball head coaches directly prior to the current Paul Weir era — who ended up on top. Nevada led the Wolf Pack to an 88-74 victory and handed UNM (17-11, 6-9) its third straight loss. Alford and Neal were at the helm of UNM’s program during its post90s heyday, leading the Lobos to three Mountain West Conference tournament trophies and four NCAA tournament appearances from 2007-2017. Neal, now an assistant on Alford’s staff, was fired shortly after the departure of former Athletic Director Paul Krebs in March 2017.
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Sharon Chischilly / @Schishillyy / Daily Lobo
Nevada Wolf Pack beats New Mexico Lobos Tuesday night at Dreamstyle Arena. Final score: 88-74.
Parish Library to close permanently
By Justin Garcia @Just516garc
For history undergraduate Keshell Mickens, the William J. Parish Memorial Library was part of her daily routine. “Sometimes I just want a break from Zim, and I like this library better,” Mickens said. “It has a lot more outlets, and the study rooms are usually available.” Mickens, who described herself as an introvert, said she comes to Parish to eat her lunch and study. She said Parish is empty and sparsely populated study spaces are quiet and calming — which is exactly the reason the library dedicated to business, economics, management and public administration will close this year. While not yet announced officially, the College of University Libraries and Learning Sciences Marketing Manager Patricia Campbell confirmed the library will close in summer 2020. Campbell declined to comment on how the library space will be used until after the 2020 New Mexico legislative session ends. Library Operations Manager Nancy Bennett, who manages Parish Library, also declined to comment on the library’s closure.
Funding for Opportunity Scholarship comes through By Lissa Knudsen @lissaknudsen
Amanda Britt / @AmandaBritt__ / Daily Lobo
Entrance to the William J. Parish Memorial Library located at the University of New Mexico.
Over winter break, UNM Newsroom published a press release that said Parish’s hours would be reduced. The press release did not indicate the library would close. “Library usage data shows an average of less than 10 people use the library after 6 p.m.,” the press release said. “For this reason, library administration decided to reduce weeknight hours.” Daniel Atchison said the hours reduction was the beginning of the end for the library he’s worked at for almost seven years.
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“The other libraries are willing to take us, which is nice,” Atchison said, referring to the Parish student staff. “It’s just kind of sad in a way.” Atchison, who started as a theater student and gravitated to film, said he began working at Parish in the second month of his first semester at UNM. After about a year, Atchison became a student-staff manager. “Being here for so long, I’ve worked with and trained a lot of different student employees. It’s
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After intense debate, the New Mexico state Senate approved $17 million for the Opportunity Scholarship for fiscal year 2021 on Feb. 19. With only a day and a half left in the legislative session, the only thing standing in the way of the funding being sent to the governor’s desk is approval by the House of Representatives. If the bill — packaged into general appropriations legislation — is signed into the law, the money is set to be used for tuition and fee scholarships for students attending public postsecondary educational institutions or tribal colleges. The Senate also boosted the existing Lottery Scholarship fund by $10 million. The Opportunity Scholarship was one of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s signature proposals during the 2020 session.
“(The Opportunity Scholarship) is a prudent, sustainable investment in the bridge we must build between our classrooms and our workforce,” Lujan Grisham said during her State of the State address on Jan. 21 before the legislature convened. Lujan Grisham said she hoped the scholarship would apply to all 55,000 New Mexican students enrolled in college each year. However, the governor’s early projections won’t come to fruition for the upcoming school year, as the final legislation was reduced and will only apply to students at community colleges in 2021. The governor had originally anticipated that all New Mexican students would be eligible for free tuition, but the language in the budget states “the opportunity scholarship program shall prioritize financial aid based on need to undergraduate, credential-seeking students who are enrolled in a twoyear academic program.” In order to be eligible, students
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