DAILY LOBO new mexico
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May 5, 2011
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Students: Political cartoon is ‘racial propaganda’ by Elizabeth Cleary news@dailylobo.com
Zach Gould / Daily Lobo African-American students rally outside Mesa Vista Hall on Wednesday to protest an illustration that appeared in Tuesday’s Daily Lobo. Read the Daily Lobo’s response to the criticism on Page 4.
African American Student Services gathered outside Mesa Vista Hall on Wednesday to protest what it said was a racist depiction of President Barack Obama in the Opinion section of Tuesday’s Daily Lobo. AASS student employees Christina Foster and Kyran Worrell spoke to a crowd of about 30 people about the illustration, which parodied a scene in “The Lion King.” The original scene showed a monkey, Rafiki, holding baby lion Simba over a cliff. The political cartoon that appeared in the newspaper depicted Obama as Rafiki — his face distorted to look more like the monkey in the film — holding Osama bin Laden’s severed head in place of Simba. Foster said that, historically, African-Americans have been depicted as monkeys to show that they are less than human. She said such a cartoon sends the wrong message to the community. “This is a continual use of racial propaganda,” she said. “… And I stand here today to tell you that is not what we’re going to stand for. This racial propaganda was used to justify the use of slavery and to keep the institution of slavery alive in this nation.” Foster said this is not the first time the Daily Lobo has been insensitive to ethnic groups in its reporting, and that something needs to change. “Our goal is to educate that future journalistic contributions will be representative with what UNM should truly stand for, which is respect and diversity of its students and its community,” she said. In an email to the Daily Lobo on Sept. 29, 2010, AASS Director Scott Carreathers said the newspaper’s coverage of the football team and head coach Mike Locksley was racially insensitive to the African-American community. He said a photo of Locksley printed in the Sept. 13
see Cartoon page 3
Bee swarm removed from car on campus Class Beekeepers use vacuum, box to transport bees
Local beekeepers Zoe Economou, left, and Claude Stephenson were called to campus Wednesday after a swarm of bees set up shop in a student’s truck. The beekeepers take away the insects for free because of a bee shortage. They said bee infestations are common this time of year.
by Chelsea Erven cerven@unm.edu
Beekeepers, firefighters, security personnel and Physical Plant Department technicians gathered Wednesday morning in the R parking lot to deal with an unusual problem — a swarm of bees. The swarm gathered on a dark green truck parked near Coronado dorm. Zoe Economou and her husband Claude Stephenson — beekeepers from the South Valley — were called to address the problem. “Somebody found them on their truck, and they probably want to use their truck,” Economou said. “They’re swarming, probably trying to protect the queen bee. Wherever the queen bee goes, the rest follow.” Residence Life security personnel John Paiz said he was alerted about the problem at about 9 a.m., and caution tape was erected around the infested truck. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. Albuquerque Fire Department firefighters were on scene and brought a generator to power the vacuum cleaner needed to get rid of the bees. Economou and Stephenson
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vacuumed the bees into a box with plans to take the bees back to their South Valley home. “You can pretty much take the swarm and put it in a box, and if you have the queen they’ll all come with,” Economou said. “They don’t really care about you. They just care about the queen.” UNM Physical Plant technician Felix Vallejos said the swarm was one of three this spring that have already been removed, but he’s never seen bees swarm on a vehicle. “They’ll swarm anywhere I guess,
UNM Physical Plant technician Felix Vallejos said the swarm was one of three this spring that have already been removed, but he’s never seen bees swarm on a vehicle.
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but usually it’s on trees and shrubs,” he said. Vallejos said Economou and Stephenson removed bees from UNM’s campus before, and they do it for free because of the state’s bee shortage. Economou said she enjoys working with bees and isn’t scared to get close to them. “Really, it’s not terribly scary,” she said. “Nobody likes to get stung, but bee stings are really not bad at all, and I doubt these are killer bees.”
walks to observe people by Kara Olguin
kolgui02@unm.edu For most, people-watching is a way to enjoy a lazy afternoon, but for some UNM students, it’s a subject to be studied. The archeology of walking is a course on the study of peoplewatching. Dr. Troy Lovata, the founder and professor of the course, said it’s meant to get students out of the classroom and on the field. “It’s really looking at all the ways people walk, use walking and approach walking,” he said. “We’re using walking as a research tool.” Instead of using textbooks to study walking, the students gain information from outside sources, such as pilgrimages to Chimayo or studying trails along the Bosque. English major Vittoria Totaro said a major portion of the class has been going outside and walking, while talking about ways to walk and
see Walking page 3
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