DAILY LOBO new mexico
A play on wheels
summer
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The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
June 1-6, 2010
Co-op to offer healthy foods by Leah Valencia Daily Lobo
Courtesy of Calvin Tribby / Daily Lobo Dead fish float in the Duck Pond on May 22 after being exposed to dry heat following a routine pond cleaning.
Routine cleaning leaves fish out to dry by Shaun Griswald Daily Lobo
The Duck Pond became a grave site to 45 fish that dehydrated during a routine cleaning that went horribly wrong. On May 20 the UNM Physical Plant Department began its annual operation to clean the sludge from the pipe that maintains the Duck Pond water flow. The water level is lowered to complete the five-day procedure designed to keep the pond clean. On May 22, two days into the process, the water level was so low that the fish and the turtles inside the Duck Pond were above the water level and exposed to dry heat. “We’ve done it many times before,” said Mary Vosevich, the director of the Physical Plant Department. “The water has never reached that low of a level.”
Vosevich said the department did not clean the Duck Pond last year because of financial issues. “It costs $10,000 to clean the pond,” she said. “We have to bring in trucks to transport the sludge.” The excess sludge from not cleaning out the pond last year is the reason why the water level got low enough to kill the fish, Vosevich said. “A lot of stuff gets thrown into the pond,” she said. “We find cell phones, disk drives, chairs. I have seen someone throw a whole loaf of bread in there.” Witnesses said they saw fish flap on the concrete floor and suffocate from water deprivation to a slow death. “The stench was awful, and there were fish visibly dead,” student Calvin Tribby said. Some tried to take the dying fish home
in an effort to save them. However, because the fish are considered UNM property, campus police were ordered to stop anyone attempting to take fish from the Duck Pond, Vosevich said. “I think it’s ridiculous,” student Kassandra Gonzales said. “These people were trying to save the fish’s lives, but they were stopped. If it is routine, UNM should have had a way to save them.” Vosevich said no fish had died before during the cleaning. As a result of the incident, the UNM Physical Plant Department will tentatively monitor the water level in the future, Vosevich said and will also evaluate planting more fish. However, Vosevish said the remaining fish can repopulate the Duck Pond. “We apologize for the incident. It was unintentional,” she said.
Avoiding the freshman 15 or the extra pounds put on during mid-terms could soon be easier thanks to a group of students opening a student run co-op store on campus. Co-op organizer Jake Wellman said the store will be a place for students to get experience running a business while providing healthy food options for students. “We see this as the type of place you can go and get fresh cauliflower,” he said. “The idea is you can go and get something healthy and fresh, something that isn’t dripping in grease or deeply fat fried like other foods in the area.” Co-op organizer Abdullah Feroze said the idea came to him during an internship in Washington, D.C., when he stumbled upon a co-op store on George Washington University’s campus. “It was an idea that really appealed to me, you know, the student-run-student-oriented model,” he said. Feroze said he has since found several other campuses that have a similar co-op models geared toward healthy cost-effective food options. Wellman said once the group heard that the Zia Juice location next to the bookstore would soon be available, he knew it would be the perfect location for the store. Wellman said the group hopes to have the store opened by Jan. 2011. “I think it is a perfect opportunity and a perfect venue to promote healthy eating on campus,” he said. Wellman said he plans to work with the Anderson School of Management, and students who work at the store can earn class credit. He said students will decide the store’s inventory, its cost and what do to with revune and business management. The group said they estimate the store will cost about $5,000 to start and is likely be funded by the Anderson Foundation. The organizers plans to begin community outreach to find out what students want to be sold in the store, Wellman said. “The primary focus is getting a lot of people interested and getting their opinions and making something that students, faculty and staff are really happy with and excited about,” he said. Wellman said they also want to include sustainability principles, like having local foods in the store. “We want local foods that are grown by farmers in Albuquerque, or even on campus at the Lobo gardens,” he said. “We want to pair with organizations around the community like La Montañita Co-op.” Wellman said the store idea received support from
see Co-Op page 2
New, more functional student IDs offer added security by Shaun Griswold Daily Lobo
The people have voted, the printer is running and the new Lobo cards are ready for students to pick up. The University is printing new ID cards for students and staff in the spring semester, said Carolyn Hartley, manager of ID services. The Lobo card office is printing new cards for returning students. Those who are enrolled in summer school can pick up their new card in the SUB anytime during normal business hours. Students and staff who go to replace their old card must bring it with them in order to get their new card. As
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 114
issue 154
of Friday, the Lobo card office reported having printed half of the cards for students registered for the fall semester. The new design is a red card with a black lobo paw in the corner. Students and staff voted on the card. The biggest advantage to the new card is that students’ social security numbers are no longer visible when the card is swiped. “I really like that the social security number is taken off,” student Alyssa Gallagh said. “It’s a big security issue.” Gallagh is a work-study student employee in the SUB for the transportation department. She said a large volume of students have come to her desk with the new
Best believe
cards and requested bus passes. “It’s been really busy,” she said. Besides eliminating the social security number, the new Lobo cards will make it easier for staff to identify students’ needs because the black strip in the back of the card will immediately show the banner ID number, said Dave Herzel, Access Services operations manager. “The strip in back will work everywhere around campus,” he said. “That was an issue with the old cards. It is important because it will make it easier for students to acquire services.” Anyone with the old cards will notice that the
see New ID page 3
Courtesy of Lobo Card Office The new design of Lobo ID card.
Vicious cycle
Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one. -A. J. Liebling Luckily, we own one. -Daily Lobo staff
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