DAILY LOBO new mexico
Acting pretentious see page 7
tuesday
September 14, 2010
The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
Locksley: alleged burglary ‘handled’ by Isaac Avilucea
managingeditor@dailylobo.com The person who stole UNM football player Brandon Lewis’ belongings Aug. 25 confessed to the act, and, as a result, that player was dismissed from the team shortly after the incident occurred, an Athletics spokesman said Monday. UNM sports information director Frank Mercogliano said that one player, who is not named in the UNMPD report, was booted off the team during fall training camp because of the incident. He didn’t say whether anybody else has been implicated in the incident — specifically defensive back Ravonne Carter, who according to the report told a teammate he intended to steal from Lewis’ room the same night. “I believe that’s what the police are trying to determine,” Mercogliano said. Mercogliano said additional punishment could be rendered pending the results of UNMPD’s investigation. The report said $1,800 worth of electronics was stolen from Lewis’ room, including a laptop and an Xbox 360. Lewis’ belongings were returned soon after the incident. “Out of respect” for the player and on account of him being remorseful, Mercogliano said the Athletics Department withheld the player’s name, adding that it didn’t want to damage his chances of playing football at another school. In a Monday radio interview with 610 The Sports Animal, Mercogliano said given the team dynamics involved, Lewis was put in a precarious situation because the theft involved one of his teammates. “It was probably tough, but he did the right thing because I don’t care what team you’re on, that just can’t see Burglary page 3
Robert Maes / Daily Lobo Curator Mike Graham looks over of “Grass Roots Narratives in Oaxaca and Cuidad Juarez,” the collection mounted in the second floor of Zimmerman Library. The exhibit depicts strong images of the troubled Mexican region and efforts of its citizens to temper the violence.
Photos show Mexico from new angle by Sean P. Wynne seanpw@unm.edu
In celebration of the bicentennial of Mexican Independence Day, UNM libraries will exhibit a collection of photographs from Juarez and protest art based out of Oaxaca, Mexico, starting Wednesdsay and running through Oct. 20. The exhibition, “Grass Roots Narratives in Oaxaca and Ciudad Juarez,” portrays the intensity of social struggles in Mexico and celebrates the community’s grassroots counter-effort, said exhibit curator Mike Graham. He said Mexico’s history is rife with public discontent. He said the Mexican revolution was sparked by Porfirio Diaz’s oppressive dictatorship, and today much of the Mexican populace is still fighting for civil liberties. “In the post-revolutionary era, which is now, there is a political party which has ruled many parts of Mexico since the revolution,” Graham
said. “At the same time the revolution promised land and liberty, the indigenous and rural communities are facing a lot of grief.” Michael Wolff, a photographer featured in the exhibit, said the U.S. and Mexican media have focused largely on drug-related violence in Juarez. “There are also people and communities that are doing their own things to move on and recreate a sense of normalcy in their lives,” he said. “Our objective was to focus more on their lives than specifically the violence.” The exhibit features an assortment of paintings, wood etchings and graffiti art from the Assembly of Revolutionary Artists of Oaxaca (ASARO), a Oaxacan-based group of protestors. Graham said MySpace and YouTube have played a role in drawing attention to the problems Mexico faces. Suzanne Schadl, coordinator of Latin American Collections of UNM Libraries, said the exhibit highlights some of the issues neglected by the
media. “There’s definitely some reporting in the U.S., but I don’t think that reporting gives the story that (some) Mexican groups would offer, especially since they are already marginalized within the Mexican context,” she said. Wolff said the exhibit’s theme is overcoming struggle. “To do that amidst such instability, such public insecurity, you have to make pretty impressive individual and social communitarian efforts,” he said. “You see a lot of beauty in human society when you have to overcome something very tragic.”
“Grass Roots Narratives in Oaxaca and Ciudad Juarez”
Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. Zimmerman Library, second floor in the Latin American Reading Room
UNM gets poor marks for curriculum criteria by Laurel Prichard lbrishel@unm.edu
UNM was among more than 60 percent of colleges that received a “C” grade or below for general education, according to a report distributed by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. According to ACTA, UNM only requires a
foreign language, math and science in order to receive an undergraduate degree, but it doesn’t require an English credit, an omission that earned UNM a “C.” Even though UNM requires English 101 and 102, students can test out of these classes if they meet other standardized test criteria. ACTA does not recognize this field because students have the option to substitute these
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 115
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credits. The ACTA report also gave Yale University and Harvard University “D”s. Wynn Goering, vice provost of Academic Affairs, said that ACTA grades schools with incomplete criteria. “They would require economics, but give no points for other social science disciplines like psychology, sociology or political science,” Goering said. “Despite their claim that they’re championing a broad education, they only count composition requirements if the courses are taught by members of the English department, or science courses taught by members of science departments. They allow the possibility of testing out of a language requirement but not writing.”
ACTA’s guidelines require undergraduate students to take English composition,
literature, foreign language, U.S. government or history, economics, mathematics and science. The nonprofit organization is committed to improving nationwide college curriculum, according to its website. Kathleen Keating, a professor at the University Libraries, said the results shouldn’t be cause for concern for students and parents. “If ACTA had accurately understood our State of New Mexico mandated General Education core requirements, UNM may have scored higher,” Keating said. “UNM provides an excellent broad-based education for an intellectually diverse student population.” Amy Neel, associate professor of Speech and Hearing Sciences, said Provost Suzanne
Ortega is creating a committee to review the Core Curriculum Task Force’s report, which the task force created last year.
Convening for controversy
A welcome distraction
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“Although UNM’s current core curriculum is far from disastrous, a task force of faculty members, administrators and students met several times last year to review the core offerings and to make recommendations for how to change it.” Neel said. UNM’s undergraduate learning goals are structured around a national initiative called “Liberal Education and America’s Promise.” It requires students to receive education on human cultures, the physical and natural world, intellectual and practical skills, personal and social responsibility and integrative learning. “I believe that parents and students should research whether the University of New Mexico fits their educational needs and interests rather than relying on simple and facile grades from external organizations,” Keating said.
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