DAILY LOBO new mexico
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The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
April 26, 2010
SUB dancers catch students off guard by Kallie Red-Horse Daily Lobo
Terrance Siemon / Daily Lobo The Cellicion Zuni Dancers perform at the Gathering of Nations on Friday at University Stadium.
Gathering of Nations requires deep pockets by Shaun Griswold Dailiy Lobo
Booth fee: $500 Round trip gas from Canada to Albuquerque: $850 Hotel: $350 Participating in the nation’s largest powwow: priceless. The Gathering of Nations powwow stormed into University Stadium this weekend for Native American music, dancing, food, art and seminars. Officials said more than 130,000 people attended the event. However, the rising cost to attend damaged the
perception that the gathering is helping the Native American community, said Wyndsor Yazzie, president of the UNM KIVA Club. “The gathering is too commercialized. It’s a cultural appropriation and cultural commoditization,” Yazzie said. The KIVA Club is the largest Native American student organization at UNM, Yazzie said. According to its website, the Gathering of Nations is a Native American Indian nonprofit organization, “founded in 1983 to promote Native American, American Indian (indigenous) culture and tradition and dispel stereotypes created about Native American Indians.” The organization was created by Derek Mathews — who is not Native American — along with his
wife. They wanted to create a competitive powwow that was fair and neutral from tribal influence. In a Myspace posting, Mathews defended the Gathering of Nations against its critics. “No one is exploited and many people benefit from the event,” he said. “Over $2 million is received by the vendors at the Indian Traders Market. The gathering is a major employer of Natives and nonNatives for the weekend and a major event that stimulates the economy at a local, state and national level. In a phone interview, he said that 90 percent of profits go toward covering the nearly $1 million it costs to put the event together.
see Gathering page 3
Daily Lobo
GPSA President Lissa Knudsen was re-elected to her second term as president. She received more than 50 percent of the vote, and her opponent, Martin Gutierrez, got almost 43 percent. However, Gutierrez is asking for an independent entity to examine the elections process from beginning to end, citing several glitches from the GPSA Elections Committee and Internet Technologies. “The current administration and elections committee have not been transparent about this process,” Gutierrez said in a statement. “Too many incidents have been called into question to simply accept the results. Thus, we will not accept the results of this election without an independent
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 114
issue 142
body with the capacity to review and interpret the elections process.” Before the election, Gutierrez’ name was wrong in a Daily Lobo advertisement announcing the elections. GPSA elections chair Sophie Hammett wrote a letter to the editor apologizing for the misspelling. On April 19, 62 votes were discarded because of a 43-minute elections software malfunction. And the GPSA Elections Committee realized Thursday that 180 graduate and professional students were not invited to vote. Also, the committee informed students who voted within the 43-minute window that their votes were thrown out and asked them to recast their votes. And the committee sent the affected students invitations early Thursday morning to cast their vote. “We, the elections committee, are
see GPSA page 5
see Dance page 5
Azure
Knudsen elected to second term in GPSA by Pat Lohmann
Elvis Presley’s voice suddenly blasted from of a boom box in the SUB Friday, as clusters of students began dancing in unison. Student Lauren Clinger said she felt thrown in the midst of a Popejoy production. “It wasn’t expected, which was really neat — kind of like a musical only in real life,” she said. UNM ballroom dance classes planned this “spontaneous” show, performing all over campus including the SUB, Zimmerman courtyard and by the Duck Pond to advertise the showcase on April 28. Spectators certainly looked shocked at the sudden outburst of choreography, many stopping to observe the more than 50 enthusiastic movers and shakers. Ballroom instructor Brenda Dunagan said she was pleased with her students’ performance and thought it served its intended purpose. “They have been excited about it all semester and did a great job,” she said. “Our goal is to bring awareness to the UNM community that there is a ballroom club and there are ballroom classes and let people know there are events happening on campus that people and UNM can come and attend.”
Gabbi Campos / Daily Lobo Flamenco dancers perform at Fiestas on Saturday. How awesome is this photo?!
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