DAILY LOBO new mexico
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thursday
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January 27, 2011
Grad students fight for LAII
The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
TIME FLIES ON THE FARM
GPSA to weigh in on LAII funding issues
by Kallie Red-Horse kallie69@unm.edu
Graduate students are taking action against proposed Latin American and Iberian Institute funding cuts that, according to institute representatives, could force the LAII to shut down. Last week, the Provost Review Committee released a recommendation that the institution switch from an internally funded to an externally funded budget, which LAII Director Susan Tiano said would be impossible. The LAII facilitates student research across various departments at UNM through scholarships, fellowships and travel grants. “I wouldn’t have come to UNM for my Ph.D. if the Latin American Institute didn’t exist,” graduate student Lucinda Grinnell said in a previous interview. GPSA Council Chair Megan McRobert said law students in the Latin American Studies department drafted a resolution opposing cuts to LAII, which the council will hear Saturday. “It was specifically drafted by people that are impacted by the cuts,” she said.
Zach Gould / Daily Lobo A flock of birds flies over a cow pasture at Rasband. The farm holds 250-300 cows at a time, about 100 of which are too old or too young to produce milk. See page 7 for the full story.
TOPPLING TCU
Program gives sustainable skills by Shannon Alexander sralex2@gmail.com
“I wouldn’t have come to UNM for my Ph.D. if the Latin American Institute didn’t exist.” ~Lucinda Grinnell Graduate Student Graduate student Benjamin Abbott said that on Jan. 20, a group of 15 graduate students delivered more than 50 letters expressing support for the LAII to Chief of Staff Breda Bova at President David Schmidly’s office. He said they requested meetings with Schmidly and Provost Suzanne Ortega, but both requests were denied. Ortega’s secretary confirmed that she is only accepting written feedback regarding the issue. Bova said she would deliver the letters to the Cost Containment Task Force, which will be responsible for compiling the final FY 12 recommendations. The FY 12 budget will be voted on at the April 29 Board of Regents meeting. Abbott said students will now try to get in contact with someone from
see LAII page 3
Inside the
Emma Difani / Daily Lobo Drew Gordon (32) shoots over TCU’s Jarvis Ray on Wednesday at The Pit. The Lobos ended a three-game losing streak with a 71-46 victory over the Horned Frogs.
Backstage
Daily Lobo volume 115
issue 86
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High Roller See page 4
Students have the opportunity to contribute to the growth of New Mexico’s local food system. The Sustainability Studies Program at UNM will be offering an interdisciplinary summer field school the next two summers. USDA HispanicServing Institutions National Program issued Sustainability Studies a $290,000 grant, which made the field school possible, said Bruce Milne, Sustainability Program director. “Students will see … everything from small mom-and-pop operations to full-blown agriculture,” he said. “I really want the students to get the chance to see all of it, so basically they can decide for themselves what area they like.” The field school will take students to four major agricultural state areas to see types and levels of New Mexico food production. The program will also orient students to Hispanic and Native American agricultural traditions. Enrique Lamadrid, a director of the summer field program, said learning about these traditions is important because they serve as models for modern sustainable agriculture. “All of the Indian pueblos in the state come from Spanish land grants,” he said. “To get land from the government, they had to prove that they
could feed and maintain families there. There’s an age-old tradition of sustainability here, and it’s about human survival in a very arid place.” Milne said about 2 million people reside in the state, but only about 2 percent of the food comes from local sources.
“Students will see … everything from small mom-and-pop operations to full-blown agriculture.” ~Bruce Milne Sustainability Studies Program Director “Oddly enough, we ship 98 percent of the food we grow out of the state, and we have to buy it back again,” he said. “Meanwhile, the middle people make all the money, and we’re hemorrhaging profit out of the state.” Lamadrid said current food production methods aren’t sustainable. “We’re all addicted to imported food,” he said. “As we get further into the 21st century and use up more of our oil supply, we aren’t going to be able to sustain the kind of food ways we have now.”
TODAY
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