DAILY LOBO new mexico
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June 7-13, 2010
The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
Grassroots grow out of oil tragedy
Shear madness
by Tricia Remark Daily Lobo
About 20 protesters braved the 100-degree heat June 5 to voice concerns about the government’s handling of the April 20 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Seize BP, a national organization that calls for the U.S. government to take control of BP’s assets, organized the protest. The money from those assets should be redistributed to aid cleanup efforts, said organizer Preston Wood, and given to those who have been severely affected by the explosion, including 11 workers that were killed. “We want to organize into a political force where we can intervene as a people to demand that the government take action against BP, who are thumbing their noses at the people while still making billions of dollars in profit,” he said. The protest took place at 12 p.m. on Central Avenue and Tulane Drive on Saturday. Wood said protests were held in over 50 cities around the country on Saturday. He said the ANSWER Coalition, a national group advocating for the end of war and racism, hosted
To learn more about Seize BP, visit www.SeizeBP.org the event. According to the New York Times website, the government estimates that between 12,000 and 19,000 barrels of oil are leaking into the Gulf per day. Oil from the spill has been seen from Louisiana to Florida. Also, on Saturday, June 5, during his weekly address, President Obama said 17,500 National Guard troops have been deployed to respond to the spill. “If oversight was lacking — it will be strengthened,” Obama said during the address. Protester Valerie Wells said the relationship between big business and government contributed to the disaster. She said the government needs to monitor oil companies like BP more heavily to make sure they have the technology to keep spills from happening. “(BP) knew in advance that they didn’t have the ability to deal with a problem should it arise a mile underneath the ocean,” she said.
see Seize BP page 3
South campus facelift more than skin deep by Chelsea Erven Daily Lobo
Emma Difani / Daily Lobo Freshly sheared Alpacas look bewildered during the Local Food Festival and Field Day in the South Valley on June 6. Vendors sold sweaters, socks and other Alpaca products at the festival.
PATS offers wait-list space for structure by Kallie Red-Horse Daily Lobo
Parking and Transportation Services is allowing students, faculty and staff to jump on a waiting list for permits to the new parking structure on Yale Boulevard and Lomas Boulevard. The Yale Parking Structure will add approximately 790 spaces for student use, said Bob Nelson, PATS associate director. The permits go on sale August 1, and the structure is slated for completion in lat August. “It’ll provide a pretty good mix of parking options,” he said. “It is six parking levels, three for permitted parking and three for hourly parking.”
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For more information on reserving parking permits visit pats.unm.edu/YaleParkingStructures.cfm To increase convenience, a pedestrian footbridge will extend from the third floor of the structure and feed off onto Las Lomas Boulevard, Nelson said. “When you are coming up Yale, there is an incline, so this bridge will take some effort away,” he said. “Logistically, it will be convenient and a pretty attractive place to park for a lot of students because it is well sit-
see New structure page 2
UNM’s Student Family Housing facility is undergoing some major renovations and management restructuring. Associate Director of Facilities Brian Ward said that aside from new paint and general maintenance when residents move out, the facility on South Campus has not been renovated in more than 30 years. “We really wanted to bring the student housing apartments up to the same level as the main campus housing,” Ward said. The new renovation projects to the Family Housing complex began in fall 2009 and have so far included fixing roofs on all the buildings, bringing the fire alarm systems up to code, re-paving and striping the parking lots and re-surfacing the basketball courts. So far, the project has cost $1.4 million. Ward said all the money for the renovations came from student rent dollars. “It was entirely funded by the rent money from students living on the main campus and in the Family Housing,” Ward said. “And our goal, of course, is still to keep rent rates as low as possible.” David Elder, the lead facilities
services technician for the Family Housing complex, said the renovations really needed to happen. “A lot of these apartments have gotten a bit neglected, and it takes a lot of work to keep them running,” Elder said. “We want residents to have a nice place to live.” Ward said the renovations slated to occur now consist of technological changes throughout the complex. “We are currently in the bidding process for a TV, Internet and phone service for all the apartments,” Ward said. “Right now, it’s up to individual residents to find their own providers, but we are hoping to get a discount from a company providing TV, Internet and phone to all the apartments. The residents have been overwhelmingly in favor of this plan.” Elder also has some improvements he would like to see happen this upcoming year. He leads a team of four maintenance workers and said they have their hands full keeping up on the maintenance for the whole facility. “As part of the improvements going on here, we are hoping to hire a company to take care of the grounds,” he said. “Right now,
see Family Housing page 3
World Cup kicks off
Snake charmers
Stencils for species
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