Daily Lobo new mexico
dailylobo.com
Monday, March 9, 2020 | Vo l u m e 1 2 4 | I s s u e 4 9
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
Lobo Men’s basketball ends 2019-2020 season By Joe Rull @rulljoe LAS VEGAS, NEVADA — A true tale of two halves, the University of New Mexico men’s basketball 2019-2020 season came to an end in the quarterfinal round of the Mountain West Championship tournament on March 5. After a promising 15-3 start, the Lobos (19-14, 7-11) stumbled to the finish line, entering the tournament on a 3-10 skid. UNM’s lackluster mark in conference regular-season play was good enough for the seventh seed in the 11-team tournament. The seeding drew UNM a play-in round matchup against San Jose State, with whom the Lobos split their two regular-season games. Led by strong outings by juniors Vance Jackson (26 points, 12 rebounds) and Makuach Maluach, UNM coasted to an opening 79-66 victory in front of the Lobo faithful who make the yearly trip to the conference tournament. Having made last year’s all-tournament team, Jackson’s stellar performance drew new praise and reinforced his “Vegas Vance” moniker, which he welcomed.
“I do like that name,” Jackson said, with a grin. Despite 21 turnovers, UNM managed to keep the Spartan’s comeback attempts at bay thanks in large part to a late surge by Maluach, who went toe-to-toe with SJSU’s Seneca Knight in the final minutes. Both finished the night with 22 points. The victory set up a rematch with Utah State (24-8), who UNM beat last Saturday, Feb. 29, on senior night in the Pit. Unfortunately for the Lobos, “Vegas Vance” and company got deja vu — just not the kind they were looking for. For the second year in a row, UNM faced a Utah State squad — the Goliath to the Lobos’ David — in a #2-#7 quarterfinal matchup. And, for the second year in a row, UNM’s season ended on a blown second-half lead. After falling quickly behind to the tune of an opening 18-5 Aggie run, senior guard JaQuan Lyle scored 16 of his 20 points during a six-minute period in the first half, single-handedly willing UNM’s season hopes back to life in what would ultimately prove to be his collegiate curtain call. During the second half, the ever-streaky Lobos proved to be just that. An 11-point UNM lead
see
Basketball page 6
Sharon Chischilly / @Schischillyy / Daily Lobo
New Mexico Lobos falls to Utah State Aggies on Thursday night at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The final score: 70-75
Voting for ASUNM President and VP begins By Alyssa Martinez @amart4447 Four candidates, two positions, one election. Beginning March 9, undergraduate students can cast their votes for either of the two students vying to be student government president and vice president. The election ends March 11 at 5 p.m. Jacob Silva and Emma Hotz — #1 on the ballot for president and vice president, respectively — and Mia Amin and Ana Milan — #2 on the ballot — are running to assume the highest roles in the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico body. The ASUNM president acts as the undergraduate’s representative to the University’s governors. The vice president manages the processes of internal lawmaking and oversees the senate, which affects all student organizations and a number of student hosted campus events. Amin, an international student, majors in business and acts as the director of the Center for Financial Capability (CFC) and the LoboTHON finance director.
Silva is a population health major, the Student Union Building (SUB) board president, a member of the Student Fee Review Board (SFRB) and a member of the fraternity Alpha Tau Omega (ATO), like his would-be ASUNM presidential predecessor Adam Biederwolf, if elected. Their vice-presidential picks, Milan and Hotz, also have lengthy accolades. Hotz is a political science major, the ASUNM president pro tempore, Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG) sorority secretary and the LoboTHON communications chair. Milan is an economics and statistics double major, a finance senator, a resident advisor, an international student and a member of the multicultural sorority Kappa Delta Chi (KDC). Aside from their shared ambitions to become leaders of the student government, their initiatives and approaches to the roles differentiate the dual slates. The slates — a way to organize candidates that run on the same platforms under a banner title — are I AM UNM with Amin and Milan, and UNM Vision 2020 with Silva and Hotz.
Platforms Silva and Hotz are running on a platform to increase inclusivity and college affordability. The biggest initiative the slate would push for in terms of inclusivity is creating a paid ASUNM position they call the ASUNM director of diversity for equity and inclusion. This position would work directly with Assata Zerai, UNM’s vice president for equity and inclusion, the resource centers, student organizations and departments to bridge the diverse student body and ASUNM. The appointee would host trainings, pass along ASUNM events and scholarship information and relay updates from centers to ASUNM leadership, according to Silva and Hotz. Silva said he hopes this position will stay for administrations long after theirs if they are elected. “I think the first semester I would like it to be a $500 stipend because I really want to put a lot of emphasis on this position,” Silva said. The position’s pay would likely come from ASUNM’s internal budget. The pair also said they would enforce a language shift in the
see
ASUNM page 2
Museum of Southwestern Biology opens doors for annual public event By Megan Gleason @fabflutist2716 From cryogenic freezers to butterflies pinned up and trapped behind glass — the Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB) opened its doors to the public Sunday for the second time. MSB hosted the second annual Open Collections Event for the public on March 8, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Museum is a research facility within the Department of
Biology at the University of New Mexico, with research done by both students and faculty. Self-lead tours ranging from one to two hours took place throughout the day via online reservation. Visitors were introduced with a welcome video and then encouraged to travel throughout the building and look at the different collections. A scavenger hunt was also handed out at check-in with the chance to enter a drawing for an MSB shirt. Students, faculty and volun-
see
Museum page 2
Amanda Britt / @AmandaBritt__ / Daily Lobo
Visitors to the University of New Mexico gather in the Museum of Southwestern Biology’s Division of Genomic Resources on March 8, 2020
Inside this Lobo NISOLI: Spruce Park condemns homless shelter in area KNUDSEN: New vaping bill rasies legal age to purchase
BUTLER: Baseball captures three wins against Hofstra