DAILY LOBO new mexico
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
Number of int’l. students up 9%
Presidential hypocrite? see Page 4
friday
August 23, 2013
ABORTION PROTEST
by Rebecca Gonzales news@dailylobo.com @beccagonzales22
Pablo Galarza, business major, came to UNM from his home nation Ecuador wanting to play soccer with the Lobos. But Galarza said he hopes to gain more than just goal kicks from his time in the United States. “The U.S. is very prestigious,” he said. “Whether I stay here in the U.S. or go home, there will be so many chances for work. And here, I can improve my second language.” Galarza is one of 60 international undergraduate students who arrived at the University this fall. This semester, UNM increased its undergraduate international students’ enrollment by 25 percent, said Pablo Torres, associate director of international admissions and recruitment at the University. Overall international student enrollment also increased by 9 percent, Torres said. But Torres said the campus could do a lot better. “We have significant room to grow and compete,” he said. According to the Institute of International Education Open Doors Report, UNM hosted 1,115 students last year, while neighboring institutions Arizona State University and University of Texas at Austin hosted 5,616 and 5,324 students respectively. UNM’s Global Education Office began several initiatives last year to recruit and retain more international students, Torres said. He said UNM opened a recruitment office in Beijing last November. Also, Torres said GEO representatives are in contact with government leaders from countries such as Saudi Arabia, which will give financial aid to students who come to the U.S. for their degree. Torres said among the initiatives, the most noteworthy is the restructuring of GEO itself. Within the last year, GEO hired Torres along with Stephen Nussbaum as its new directors, and they are in charge of admission for all international students into UNM. Torres said this duty was previously handled by UNM’s admissions office. “We want to be a one-stop shop for international students,” he said. “We have a new staff just for international students. I think it makes (our program) stronger that we have a devoted team.” Mary Anne Saunders, special
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Inside the
Di Linh Hoang / Daily Lobo Iris Grooms attends a protest Tuesday afternoon at Civic Plaza. Pro-choice advocates met at the event and protested pro-life initiatives of Operation Rescue, a pro-life organization headquartered in Kansas. See full story on Page 8.
Clark Hall slated for $16M face-lift by Roxanne Youngblood news@dailylobo.com @roxxykittyx
Matthew Brown / Daily Lobo A chemistry laboratory awaits renovation inside Clark Hall on Tuesday afternoon. Voters in November approved a bond that allotted $16 million to fund Clark Hall’s renovations and help modernize and redesign the laboratories.
Rugby
Soccer
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Daily Lobo volume 118
issue 6
The long-awaited renovations of Clark Hall are now advancing into the planning phase. After voters passed the Bond C for Higher Education last November, Clark Hall received state funds for renovations. According to a November press release from UNM, “renovations have been needed for more than 20 years.” Associate Director of Capital Projects at UNM Rick Henrard said the bond provided $16 million, although he said construction costs will be slightly less than that. The project is currently in a planning and programming stage, Henrard said. “Our in-house planning and campus development team is planning the scope that was approved for the project,” he said. The renovations were approved by the University primarily because they are highly needed, Henrard said. He said the money will be used to renovate “antiquated systems, teaching facilities and lab facilities.” Money will also be allotted for new restrooms, mechanical and electrical systems and lab renovations, he said. Laboratories in Clark Hall
will become more useful with modernized utilities such as fume hoods, and labs will also be redesigned to make them more useful, said Stephen Cabaniss, professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Cabaniss said the renovations are important because of the age and unfavorable condition of the building. Pipe failures have caused many fume hoods to shut down in Clark Hall because of poor performance, he said. But he said the building’s renovation projects have historically suffered from a lack of money. “As recently as 1970, chemists were breathing a lot of solvents that are now handled in a fume hood,” he said. “We did not have enough funds to modernize the plumbing or electrical systems.” The original wing of Clark Hall, which was called Riebsomer Wing, was built in 1952, and an additional wing constructed on the south end later, Cabaniss said. He said the wing aimed to provide more research and lab space for students. The Riebsomer Wing was renovated “a few years ago,” recent renovations did not address the modern additions the department is now planning, he said.
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Hall PAGE 5
TODAY
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