DAILY LOBO new mexico
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monday
September 12, 2011
The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
THE LIGHT OF PEACE
Pavline Nuñez leans her head on husband Louis Kolkeiz (couple on right) during 10 minutes of silence at a candlelight vigil in Bataan Park yesterday afternoon. Nearly 20 people gathered in the Bataan Memorial Park on Sunday to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of 9/11. Albuquerque’s Peace and Justice Center organized the candle light vigil. Student Sarah Crawford helped organize the event and said it’s important to remember those who died in the 9/11 attacks and the resulting war on terror. “I think it’s important for us as a peace activist organization to honor all the lives of the people who were lost, whether it’s U.S. soldiers or civilians in the countries of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya,” she said. “It’s great that people are able to immortalize and honor the loss of humankind.” Peace and Justice Center member Marianne Kakstis said she hopes for an end to the war in Iraq. “I don’t think some people have gotten the point yet,” she said. “We need to stop warring: torture, killing, and collateral damage aren’t issues that should occur.” Check out more photos online at DailyLobo.com Junfu Han / Daily Lobo
Workshop teaches grad students to find funds by Miriam Belin
mbelin08@unm.edu
Recent budget cuts have left graduate students with fewer options for student employment and loans, but a UNM initiative aims to help them counteract these setbacks. The Graduate Student Funding Initiative (GSFI) offers nearly 50 educational sessions to help students identify sources of funding, prepare résumés and build budgets. The workshops began during
the spring semester and continue this fall. Faculty Research Support Officer Elly Van Mil said the initiative will also help students locate other avenues of funding. “They get information not just about what to do and how to do it in terms of finding funding and writing proposals … but they find out who they can contact if they have questions,” she said. University budget cuts over the course of the last year have lowered the number of available teaching assistant positions, eliminating job opportunities for
Skaters grind on public’s patience by Felipe Medina-Marquez news@dailylobo.com
While dozens of on-campus skateboarders roll by pedestrians on their way to class every day without incident, occasional accidents do occur. Frank Martin, a paraplegic student, said he was hit and injured by a skateboarder, which prompted him to write to administrators at UNM. “The situation for students with disabilities is particularly threatening at the disability ramps where disabled students must run a daily gauntlet with speeding skateboarders, bicycles, inline skaters and motor scooters,” Martin wrote. Student Victor Torres suffers from cerebral palsy and uses an electric wheel chair. He said the skateboarders on campus scare him. “I haven’t been hit by anybody yet, but I can see how it could be dangerous,” Torres said. “I have to
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hit my brakes sometimes because I see a cyclist or a skater coming. I’m really good at stopping, but other people don’t have that possibility of stopping quickly.” Rob Burford, the student conduct officer, said people skating on ramps specifically designated for handicapped students, or those grinding on rails, are violating the official UNM policy for non-motorized vehicles. The policy states that non-motorized vehicles, such as bicycles and skateboards, must be used solely for transportation. The Accessibility Resource Center is an entity that works to provide equal access to students with disabilities. Its director, Joan Green, said more students need to be aware of the needs of UNM’s disabled population. “People need to learn to provide enough safety, enough areas of egress for people with disabilities
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many graduate students. Congress also eliminated all federal subsidized loans for graduate students in August. Julia Fulghum, vice president for research, said the initiative was a response to those concerns. “The idea is to provide support for students who want to look for funding and apply for funding, and it will help them apply for any type of funding opportunities that are out there,” she said. The initiative also offers certificate programs in grant writing and proposal preparations.
Van Mil said the initiative was in its experimental stage in the spring, but major growth is planned for this semester. “The question we have this fall is: Which of the sessions within each of the certificate programs are drawing in more students, and what are (the students) saying?” she said. Van Mil said grant-writing skills are important for students beginning their career search. “Those who review applications will either require or look favorably on those applicants that
have grant-writing skills, either having successfully found funding or even just having it in their résumé, that they have a grantwriting certificate,” she said. Van Mil said she hopes to begin offering GSFI sessions online. The GSFI is a collaborative effort of the Office of the Vice President for Research, Office of Graduate Studies, GPSA, Title V Graduate Resource Center, Center for Academic Program Support, University Libraries, Project for New Mexico Graduates of Color and other student organizations.
Zach Gould / Daily Lobo In this photo illustration, the dangers of skateboards on campus seem all too real. Some students say they fear accidents with skateboards as pedestrians.
The death of a bus
Sweet kicks
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