DAILY LOBO new mexico
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Campus sees spike in student numbers
monday The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
August 30, 2010
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JUST ONE OF MANY USES FOR CORN HUSKS
by Chelsea Erven cerven@unm.edu
UNM is always bustling with students during the first week of classes, but this year the campus may seem more crowded than usual. UNM’s enrollment grew nearly 6 percent, from 26,187 students to 27,700 students, since last fall, said Carmen Alvarez Brown, vice president of Enrollment Management. The rising enrollment rates are especially evident among National Merit Scholars, nonresidents, freshmen, transfer students and students taking online classes, she said. Brown said UNM’s increased recruiting efforts led to the spike in enrollment. “In the last three years, we have been developing a very aggressive recruiting plan to attract National Merit Scholars,” she said. “We have also implemented a very robust email communication to prospective National Merit Scholars that is second to no other university.” Official enrollment counts will not be released until the third week of classes, as numbers are still fluctuating, but unofficial counts show that enrollment by National Merit Scholars is up by 77 percent since last year. Out-of-state student enrollment increased 10.6 percent, and the number of freshmen shot up by 5.4 percent, bringing the total number of freshmen to a record 3,580. UNM Regent Carolyn Abeita said the University made a concerted effort to spread the message that it provides quality education and opportunities. “We set some enrollment goals, and we really made an effort to get the word out there that UNM offers all kinds of courses and opportunities,
see Enrollment page 3
Junfu Han/ Daily Lobo Zach Gunderson tries on his mask for the Bubonicon costume contest in the Albuquerque Grand Airport Hotel on Saturday. Check out a Bubonicon photo gallery at DailyLobo.com
Now opened, center looks for funds by Shaun Griswold shaun24@unm.edu
More than 200 people showed up last week for the grand opening of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender and Questioning Resource Center. The center, which operates under the Office of Equity and Inclusion, opened Friday. Jozi De Leon, Equity and Inclusion vice president, said the center boasts a variety of resources for students and community members. “We are here to offer services, host events and offer a place for conversations,” she said. The LGBTQ Center, an initiative
spearheaded by students, is located on the northwest corner of the Duck Pond, between Scholes Hall and Dane Smith Hall, in the basement of Building 20A. Services are available to UNM staff, students and faculty Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. “We’ll also offer safe zone trainings that train folks to establish a safe zone in their environment, where they know they can go and talk if there is an issue that involves safety,” De Leon said. The center will also offer community networking opportunities, safe sex information and resources, volunteer events and free HIV testing. Speakers and organizers at the event
made sure to stress that the resource center is intended to be all-inclusive. “It’s also a place for those who are supportive,” said Elisa Pintor, a graduate student working at the resource center. “It doesn’t matter their sexual orientation — we can reach out to be more inclusive and equitable.” Pintor, a Chicago native and selfdescribed “queer chicana,” has 10 years experience organizing community supported groups and said she’s excited to educate people about a host of issues. “This is the first time I’ve been able to specifically work with the queer community in advocacy, safety, education and support,” she said.
Dressed with rainbow lapel ribbons, UNM community members showed support at the grand opening. Breanna Hastings, a junior and president of UNM PIRG, said the center is needed to promote unity. “It’s a huge step and message from the University where they stand on gay and lesbian issues,” she said. Other students touring the resource center, which includes a computer lab, a student lounge, an LGBTQ library, conference and counseling rooms, a kitchen and a gender-neutral restroom, said they were thrilled with the final product.
see Center page 8
History professor’s life honored by Sean P. Wynne seanpw@unm.edu
At a somber service Aug. 27, former UNM professor Ferenc “Frank” Szasz’s life and achievements were honored. The ceremony featured a bagpiper and a recitation of “Auld Lang Syne.” Szasz, 70, died June 20. Richard Etulain, professor emeritus in history at UNM, said Szasz was an asset to the University community. “I knew him as a superb teacher, prolific writer and first-grade departmental citizen. He also practiced peacefulness and kindness,” he said.
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“What Doris Kearns Goodwin says about Szasz’s hero, Abraham Lincoln, was true of Frank. He was a man of golden character.” Szasz taught history at UNM for 43 years, during which he educated more than 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students, according to his wife Margaret Connell-Szasz. Throughout his career, Szasz wrote eight books, edited and coedited four and published nearly 90 articles. In 1985, he received the “Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award.” His scholarship ranged from a wide variety of topics including the atomic bomb, Abraham Lincoln and comic books. His most successful book was
The Day the Sun Rose Twice: The story of the Trinity Site nuclear explosion. Friends and colleagues remembered Szasz for his sense of humor and compassion. “There was the story of him reading manuscripts to his rabbit in the backyard,” Etulain said. “When some unkind predator snatched away his lop-eared companion, Frank confessed his style deteriorated noticeably.” At one point during the ceremony, Richard Robbins, a friend and colleague, read a student’s evaluation form from 1971, the first year UNM implemented faculty evaluations.
see Professor page 8
When does it end?
Full house flop
See page 3
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Kyle Morgan/ Daily Lobo Matt Thomas, a musician from Peralta, NM, shows off a metal riff at his house. Check out the multimedia spotlight on Thomas and his craft at DailyLobo.com
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