Daily Lobo 08/30/18

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DAILY LOBO new mexico

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Thursday, August 30, 2018 | Vo l u m e 1 2 3 | I s s u e 5

UNM celebrates Smith Plaza re-opening By Cameron Goeldner @goeldfinger After nine months of construction that made one of the most heavily trafficked areas on campus inaccessible, the newly remodeled Smith Plaza was officially opened on Wednesday with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The plaza was originally constructed in 1972 and hadn’t undergone any major changes since. One major factor motivating the remodel was safety. Among the new additions are wider ramps to make the plaza more accessible, easier access for emergency vehicles and four plateau areas for socialization. The redesign was done by the Jaynes Corporation and designed by MRWM Landscape Architects, McClain + Yu Architects and Surface Design Inc. “I think it’s beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” Stokes said about the new plaza. “I believe in the importance of these outdoor spaces on a campus, places for people to gather. I think being outside is an important part of maintaining good mental health.” Being in the heart of campus, Stokes said she sees this space as the center of campus moving forward, and seems excited about that prospect as well.

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Colton Newman/@cnewman101/ Daily Lobo

ASUNM President Becka Myers and UNM President Garnett Stokes use an oversized pair of scissors to cut a ribbon during the Smith Plaza ribbon cutting ceremony in Smith Plaza on Aug. 28, 2018.

NM to enact straight-party voting What to expect at By Madison Spratto @Madi_Spratto The Secretary of State (SOS) Maggie Toulouse Oliver announced Wednesday that straight-party voting will be an option on the 2018 election ballot, a decision that has already received backlash from both sides. Toulouse Oliver said she promised to implement straight-party, also called straight ticket, voting during her run for Secretary of State, and being on the verge of ballot printing deadline, she said there was no other time to announce the decision, because the office needed time to test sample ballots. She said she believes it provides more options for voters and makes ballots more accessible and easier to cast, adding that straight-party voting is a choice. The Deputy Secretary of State, John Blair, said the addition could help college students, parents and people who cannot stand for longer than 15 minutes, potentially cutting voting time in half. The 2018 ballots will now feature three options for voting: The straight-party voting option is done either by filling in the oval for Republican, Democrat or Libertarian on the top of the ballot. By doing so, a single vote is cast for all candidates of that party for each race. Any section that is not par-

tisan, such as retention of judges and ballot questions, still require their own vote separate from the party oval on top. Individually voting for each race will still be an option. The third option is a crossover between the first two. A voter can

Courtesy Photo

Portrait photo of Maggie Toulouse Oliver. Photo courtesy of New Mexico Secretary of State.

Democrat Toulouse Oliver will be running against Republican candidate Gavin Clarkson. Clarkson called the decision an attack on democracy and law, and is “likely illegal.” “It is clear that Maggie Toulouse Oliver is trying to turn back the clock to an era of back rooms and party bosses,” he said. “Her transparent attempt to unfairly help her own re-election campaign and the rest of her party’s underperforming ticket must be stopped for the sake of public trust in our institutions,” adding that being a candidate and the Secretary of State is “increasingly looking like a conflict of interest.” Politicians and citizens alike took to Twitter to express their views both for and against straightparty voting. Steve Pearce, Republican candidate for Governor, released a statement on Twitter calling the decision an attack on democracy. “The voters of New Mexico deserve free and fair elections, not blatantly partisan and corrupt public officials,” he wrote, adding that he calls on Democratic opponent Michelle Lujan Grisham to join him in denouncing straight-party voting. Grisham did not release a statement or give comment to the Daily Lobo at the time of publication.

fill in one of the three ovals on top of the ballot, and also vote for individual candidates of specific races. Meaning, even if the straight-party oval is filled in, a voter can choose a candidate of a different party for a race. Secretary of State is one of the races on the ballot in November. see

On the Daily Lobo website Shah: UNM Press donates over 800 books

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Zozobra 2018 By Danielle Prokop @ProkopDani

It’s the end of the summer, meaning it’s time for New Mexico’s own “burning man” tradition, this Friday, Aug. 31 at Marcy Park in Santa Fe. For anyone from out of state — the burning of Zozobra (the 50-foot tall figure is affectionately named “Old Man Gloom”) is a Santa Fe tradition, stretching back for 94 years. The word “zozobra” has a few different meanings in Spanish, translated as “ruin,” “anxiety,” and “sinking” in different contexts. According to their site, Old Man Gloom is stuffed with papers collected from the community (mortgages, divorce papers and other tearjerkers) wrapped in linen, that is then burned to “see bad luck, sorrows and unhappiness go up in smoke.” The tradition started in 1924 as a private-party event of local artist Will Shuster , along with artist friends that burned a six-foot effigy in his backyard. Shuster later said he was inspired by Holy Week celebrations of Yaqui Indians in Mexico and the tradition of burning Judas in effigy. Two years later, it became a

File Photo/ @DailyLobo/ Daily Lobo

Photo taken during the 2015 Burning of the Zozobra.

public (and larger) spectacle. According to official Zozobra lore, Shuster oversaw construction of the figure until 1964, when he handed over responsibility to the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe, who continue to operate it. The burning kicks off the Fiestas de Santa Fe, a weekend-long celebration in the Plaza, before Labor Day. Here’s all the information that you need about Zozobra:

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Pennington: Honor students study the archaeology of trails


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