DAILY LOBO new mexico
Crossing the line
thursday
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September 5, 2013
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
Group to assist assault victims
EN POINTE
by Ardee Napolitano news@dailylobo.com @ArdeeTheJourno
An on-campus team that aims to prevent sexual assaults at UNM shifts into full gear this semester. UNM’s Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) launched at the beginning of this semester and has put into place services and resources for victims of sexual assault at the University. Women’s Resource Center Director Summer Little, who serves as one of the chairs of SART, said she worked with various organizations during the summer to form the team. Little said the University formed the team quicker than expected. “This process to set up a SART usually takes a year or more,” she said. “We did it since May. We’re going to have some refining as we go along. But we feel confident that we have the basic components to serve students.” Little said UNM formed the team to address sexual assaults that happened during the spring semester. “We had incidences in the spring that were public,” she said. “It isn’t that we don’t have sexual assault on campus. It’s just happened that these few things were made aware to the public and helped everybody to come together to work on it.” Two sexual assaults occurred on campus during the spring semester. The first was Jan. 27, when two men allegedly sexually battered a female student at Johnson Field under her clothes. The second assault happened Feb. 4, when a man allegedly sexually battered a female student over her clothes near Castetter Hall. SART welcomes students, faculty, staff and visitors who need help, regardless of gender, Little said. Little said that through SART, sexual assault victims will have medical resources that will help them with recovery. She said UNM’s Student Health and Counseling will help with the medical component of the team. SART has also coordinated with the Albuquerque Family Advocacy Center for services regarding preventive contraception and forensic examinations. SART will also offer counseling services in cooperation with various groups, such as the Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico, Little said. Regarding its law enforcement aspect, Little said SART will work with UNMPD. The police department has already trained
see SART PAGE 5
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 118
issue 14
Aaron Sweet / Daily Lobo A group of dancers warms up Saturday afternoon at the Keshet Center for the Arts, learning and rehearsing repertory pieces as well as taking and teaching classes. See full story on Page 8.
Committee made smoking zones, vanished by Chloe Henson
news@dailylobo.com @ChloeHenson5 While UNM’s website still lists 12 designated smoking areas on campus, enforcement of the policy has gone null. Robert Burford, student conduct officer at the office of the dean of students, said a nonsmoking committee “that was formed in the past” created the zones to reduce smoking on campus. “There was this committee that designated several different areas on campus as ‘smoking areas’ for students, faculty and staff members,” he said. “And the intent was to have UNM at some point in the near future become a totally smoke-free environment.” But Burford said the committee has since “discontinued to meet” because the chair of the committee, Pug Burge, retired. “I don’t know who’s taking it on or if that’s going to continue as far as heading down the path of UNM becoming totally smokefree or if we’re going to stay where we’re at with these smoking zones on campus,” he said. According to UNM Policy 2250, smoking is prohibited anywhere on campus except in designated smoking areas as of Aug. 1, 2009. The policy states that the areas were created to provide a “positive transition
William Aranda / Daily Lobo Junior Silvia Diaz takes a drag from her cigarette at one of UNM’s smoking designated areas. Robert Burford, student conduct officer at the office of the dean of students, said the University smoking policy states that smoking in the designated zones should be community enforced. for individuals who currently use tobacco as UNM phases into a totally tobacco-free environment.” According to a representative from the Physical Plant Department, the cost for maintaining the zones is part of the groundskeeping budget for the campus.
Los Alamos
New task force
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Burford said the policy states smoking in the designated zones should be community enforced. “If somebody sees somebody smoking outside of those zones … that person is supposed to talk to them and inform them about the smoking areas on campus,” he said. “That’s how it’s supposed to
be enforced, and if people aren’t adhering to that, then they can send them over to our office and have our office deal with it via the Student Code of Conduct.” The designated spots are located at the east side of Zimmerman Library, the area east
see Smoking PAGE 3
TODAY
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