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How the LoboAlerts system works By Kyle Land
@kyleoftheland If you have been a student, staff member or faculty member at the University of New Mexico long enough, there is no doubt that you have received more than a fair share of LoboAlerts. Whether it concerns groping, robbery, assault or a myriad of other issues that require notification, LoboAlerts provide the information needed to keep the UNM campus safe and aware. But how does this system actually function? What is the process from the time an incident occurs to the moment students and faculty receive the text? There are those who feel the timeliness of alerts could be improved. The Daily Lobo recently received a letter to the editor, in which UNM staff member Brian Vineyard lamented about how LoboAlerts on certain crimes, specifically a robbery that occurred at Golden Pride, were received hours after the event took place. He also said he wondered why he received alerts by email faster than he did by text. “Something really needs to be done about the timeliness of (LoboAlerts), or lack thereof,” Vineyard wrote. There are many factors that can affect the time it takes to send an alert to the public, making each instance completely unique to all those that preceded it. The process of issuing a LoboAlert first begins when police dispatch sends an officer to the scene of the reported crime. From there, the of-
ficer will make a determination as to whether or not a LoboAlert is required, said Lt. Tim Stump of the University of New Mexico Police Department. “Every call is different, (therefore) every call is assessed differently,” Stump said. One major factor officers must consider is the nature of the crime committed and if the suspect involved still poses a potential risk to those on campus. UNMPD currently keeps a list of several crimes that require an alert, such as robbery, aggravated assault or hate crimes, he said. However, Stump made it clear that this list does not represent the totality of crimes that can qualify for a LoboAlert. “If a crime occurs that’s not on the list that we feel puts the campus in imminent danger, then we’ll send out an alert,” he said. Potential delays can also be caused due to a lack of concrete information. Once an officer obtains all the necessary information, however long that takes, then an alert can be sent out, he said. Once the incident is reported, UNMPD upper command will send out the alert, which can be received by text, email or on Twitter. As for why someone might receive the alert on one platform faster than another, UNM Emergency Manager Byron Piatt said it could relate to issues with the user’s cell phone, such as a low battery that causes the phone to receive texts at a slower rate. Piatt also said that whether or not a suspect’s ethnicity is included in an alert depends entirely upon if the vic-
File Photo / colton newman / daily lobo
Justin Kerstetter holds out his cell phone displaying a LoboAlerts message on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017 on the UNM Main Campus. It is a federal mandate that UNMPD must provide students with information of dangerous situations that may unfold on campus. UNMPD sends out LoboAlerts when urgent, need-to-know situations around the University take place.
tim disclosed that information in the police report. The quality of the LoboAlert system is maintained through tests made in conjunction with the campus’ warning siren. This test takes place three times a year, Piatt said. As for any possible changes to the system, both Piatt and Stump said they were satisfied with the current
format, citing examples of gropers and robbers that have been arrested as a result of the alerts. “Because students are aware… we’ve been able to apprehend suspects,” Stump said. “We believe it meets the necessity of getting the alerts out.” So, for now, the LoboAlert system will remain intact, ready to alert the
UNM population when need be — but hopefully not too often. Kyle Land is a news editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @kyleoftheland.
Int’l student enrollment Generosity is never out of season rate waxes and wanes COLUMN
By Elizabeth Sanchez @Beth_A_Sanchez
By Rebecca Brusseau
When the holiday season is in full swing, so is giving. But why can’t giving be something we do more of year round? Just last week, I was driving in Downtown Albuquerque and happened to notice quite a few tents and sleeping bags in the area — there’s something beautiful and symbolic and silently loud about the things people choose to carry when there is only so much they can own. It reminded me of the fundraisers, donation bins and meal preps that were abundant over the past two months. Awareness was abundant. Where did all the help go? It seems like I never hear talk about giving when the holidays are through. Every year, the “giving season” begins with Thanksgiving and ends after the first day of the year. Why can’t that same giving spirit be applied in the New Year? Maybe it’s just that everyone is in a giving mood during the holidays, or maybe it’s just that people who give don’t realize their gifts won’t last all year. Do people give during the holidays because they feel guilty or because everyone else is doing it? If
@r_brusseau
The Good Shepherd Center Location: 218 Iron Ave. SW Albuquerque, NM 87102 Phone: 505-243-2527 Website: goodshepherdcenternm.org
Garett Julian / daily lobo / @darkroomduck
An Albuquerque homeless man transports his belongings down Central Avenue via shopping cart on the evening of Jan. 17, 2018.
anything, people should be giving more when they know others are not. What troubles me more is the idea that some may simply not understand what it means to be homeless at all. In the past, people have told me that the homeless got themselves into their situation, are abusing drugs and alcohol intentionally or are simply too lazy to improve their circumstances. But how can someone say that when they haven’t sat down with that person? How can someone Joy Junction Location: 4500 2nd St. SW Albuquerque, NM 87105 Phone: Shelter: 505-877-6967 or 800924-0569 Volunteer: 505-463-4818 Website: joyjunction.org
say that if a person has not told their story? If you’ve ever read The Pursuit of Happyness — the title is misspelled intentionally — by Chris Gardner or similar stories, it’s clear that some people are just dealt unfair cards. Gardner’s autobiography illustrates his childhood laden with poverty, domestic violence, sexual assault and other hardships. After high school, he joined the Navy and later began working in the finance industry when
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Homeless page 2
Saint Martin’s Hopeworks Location: 1201 3rd St. NW Albuquerque, NM 87102 Phone: Administration: 505-242-4399 Shelter: 505-843-9405 Website: hopeworksnm.org
International student enrollment rates at the University of New Mexico have experienced an ebb and flow over the past several years. According to the Global Education Office’s enrollment statistics, from 2012 to 2016 the amount of international students admitted to UNM increased from 1,060 students to 1,340 students. The increase in 2016 from previous years was only 0.64 percent, compared to 5.99 percent in 2015 and 19.85 percent in 2014. “Over the past three to five years, we have seen an increase in international student enrollment,” said Pablo Torres, director of International Recruitment and Admissions. According to the 2017 UNM Enrollment report, the percentage of international students at UNM has risen 80.9 percent since 2016, although the rate of change when comparing 2017 to the four years prior shows that enrollment has dropped by 9.26 percent. “In the past year we saw a decrease in our number of applicants, but the actual number of new international students who accepted admissions offers held relatively on par with the previous year,” Torres said. Nationally, international educators and international admissions offices are engaging in discussion about the potential factors that could be resulting in the drop of international student
enrollment rates, he said. Programs for hosting international students take into consideration what efforts will be effective in gaining greater enrollment, and GEO makes efforts to keep enrollment trends moving in a positive direction, Torres said. “Our staff and our international student ambassadors reach out directly to international applicants throughout the year,” he said. “We also engage with recruitment partners abroad to share information about the opportunities available at UNM for international students.” Competing against other Englishspeaking countries for international students may also be a factor in declining enrollment numbers. “Other English-speaking countries such as Canada, the U.K. and Australia have increased their international recruitment outreach efforts and incentives,” Torres said. “For example, Canada has eased their work visa application requirements for international students who graduate from Canadian universities.” Changes in political climate could be another factor in the fluctuating enrollment trends — in 2017, the GEO responded to anti-immigrant rhetoric by collaborating with the University’s Communications & Marketing department to create a video titled “#YouAreWelcomeHere.” This was an opportunity for the GEO to reach out to prospective
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Students page 2