DAILY LOBO new mexico
Unbearable hunger see page 4
October 18, 2011
The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
Fire on Central closes shops
White House seeks UNM alumnus’ voice by Greer Gessler ggessler@unm.edu
by Chelsea Erven
news@dailylobo.com An electrical fire ignited at the future site of a health club next to the Mint Tulip Vegan Cafe on Central Avenue near Yale Boulevard this morning. Dan Barrera, the health club’s owner, said he opened the building planning to continue readying the club for its upcoming grand opening, but when he turned on the lights, sparks flew. “I turned the lights on, then they went out,” he said. “When I tried to turn them on again, we saw sparks coming from the electrical wiring in the ceiling and that’s when the fire started.” Albuquerque Fire Department Capt. David Mowery said he was called to the scene at 9:30 a.m. He said the fire was quickly contained, and no one was hurt. “It was pretty straightforward,” he said. “We did have to evacuate some buildings along here.” He said at least one other building next to the health club was affected by the smoke. Rosa Zanora, owner of Mint Tulip, said she and her staff were evacuated. “We’re supposed to be opened right now, but we don’t know if we’ll
Zach Gould / Daily Lobo Firefighters put a ladder away after extinguishing a fire on the roof of a future health club. Several businesses in the surrounding areas were evacuated while the blaze was quelled. be able to open at all today,” she said. “We don’t know if our building has any smoke damage or if we’ll have to check our electrical systems at all.” Barrera said the fire could set back the opening of the new health
club, which he plans to open as soon as he can. “I guess things happen for a reason,” he said. “We expected to open in the next week, but with this, we hope to open by the first of next month.”
LOOK UP, BUT DON’T FALL
Dylan Smith / Daily Lobo Leaves reflect the season’s change near the art annex on the south side of campus. The campus arboretum contains over 320 species of woody plants, many of which are deciduous and change into vibrant hues throughout autumn.
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 116
issue 40
tuesday
The potter’s hands
Fiddle me this
See page 2
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President Obama appointed UNM alumnus Adrián A. Pedroza to the White House Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics last week. Pedroza graduated from the Anderson School of Management in 1998 and helped found the UNM chapter of Lambda Theta Phi fraternity. He also served on UNM’s Graduation Task Force subcommittee and ran a program called “Finishing What We Start: Improving Degree Completion at the University of New Mexico.” He said his work with UNM’s high school equivalency and College Assistance Migrant Programs has been rewarding. “It’s amazing to see students who at one time believed that going to college and getting a higher education was unattainable prepare to begin (for) their first semester,” Pedroza said. Pedroza also serves as the executive director for the Albuquerque Partnership for Community Action, which assists in youth development
against drugs and alcohol, and he is part of the NM Men’s Council for Boys and Young Men through the Albuquerque Partnership. Pedroza will also work side-byside with pop singer Shakira, who is also a member of Obama’s commission. Obama said he is looking forward to working with the commission. “I am grateful that these impressive individuals have chosen to dedicate their talents to serving the American people at this important time for our country,” he said in a press release. “I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.” According to Glorimar Maldonado, chief of staff for the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics, Hispanic populations have the lowest education attainment levels of any group in the country. She said Obama has set a goal of having the most college graduates in the world by the year 2020. According to the Office of Public Engagement, the commission will provide advice to President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan in order to achieve that goal.
Museum studies degree approved by Charlie Shipley
charlieshipley84@gmail.com The Board of Regents approved a proposal last week to create a degree-granting program in museum studies at UNM. Museum studies will offer a Master of Science or Master of Arts degree, as well as undergraduate certification in museum studies. The program is awaiting approval by the State’s Higher Education Department. Graduates from the program will be qualified for careers such as outdoor education in local, state and federal parks, and mid-level careers in field biology, fine arts, anthropology and natural history, according to the proposal. James Dixon, director of the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology and author of the proposal, said the program builds on the graduate minor in museum studies UNM currently offers. “The graduate minor focuses primarily on art and art history,” Dixon said. “This graduate degree is a much broader interdisciplinary program.” Dixon said students would take 15 credit hours in courses that include anthropology, biology and earth and planetary science and 18 hours of museum studies courses. The museum studies minor currently offered requires nine hours of course work and six credited internship hours.
Dixon said the new program will be “budget neutral.” “(That) means we’re not asking the state for any new resources,” he said. “The dean of the College of Arts and Sciences has committed to funding a faculty line for the program, and there will be a tuition differential which will help fund the remainder of the program.” Dixon said private contributions also helped fund the program, and museums and organizations across the city have committed to support graduate students with fellowships and internships. According to the proposal, the total cost of the program for the next two fiscal years will be approximately $174,000, with $42,000 coming from tuition differential revenue. The tuition differential is a fee only students enrolled in the museum studies degree program will pay in addition to UNM tuition and fees. Students can enroll in the program beginning in fall 2012. Dixon said the program will put UNM in a unique position in the museum studies field. “The true advantage of the program is that there’s really not one in New Mexico or across the country,” he said. “There’s no clear path to the museum profession, and this will allow students to advance to this particular profession with state-of-the-art training.”
TODAY
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