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Thursday, S eptember 27, 2018 | Vo l u m e 1 2 3 | I s s u e 1 3
Construction fumes concern art students By Emily Ashby @emilyashby
Art students are raising concerns of distractions and health problems caused by fumes in the Art Building due to the construction site south of it First reported by KRQE, students say they have been dealing with the fumes for the entire fall semester so far. “We were starting to feel really hopeless,” said Hannah Mora, a fines arts student. Mora described the fumes as “hazardous” and said classes and studio time have been cancelled due to the disturbance of the fumes. She also said sources of the fumes could be fire retardant, metal and a suspicious black substance. Multiple student complaints were passed from instructors to Diana Gourlay, senior operations manager of the Fine Arts Dean’s Office. According to Project Manager Christopher Carian, Gourlay gave the complaints to him, then he communicated them to the construction team. Gourlay declined to comment on the fumes. According to Carian, multiple meetings have been held at the construction site and the fumes have been deemed inconvenient, but not dangerous. He said conditions like
these are inevitable and happen in many construction zones. “We are doing everything we can to be careful for the art students,” Carian said. Students feel as if their voices are not being heard. Mora explained her frustration: “It really bothers me because I feel like art is already put low on administration priority. I feel like UNM doesn’t care about anyone in the art department.” Outreach Specialist for Planning Design and Construction Sarah Scott said the fumes are not hazardous, nor are they coming from the construction site. “They are absolutely not being ignored,” Scott said. According to Scott, third parties have come in to investigate and detect possible odors. The levels of odors are constantly being monitored as well. She also said some complaints do not add up. One complaint said that a class was dismissed around 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, but construction had ended at 3:30 p.m. that day. “We are not sure what smells could’ve been coming off the construction site with no one there,” she said. Scott also said that materials from the art building could be causing the fumes as well. “Some of the complaints that these students are complaining about are coming from within their own department,” Scott said.
Colton Newman /@cnewman101 /Daily Lobo
Construction on the new physics and astronomy building can be seen outside of the art building. Students report smelling chemical fumes that are causing nausea and headaches.
She also reassured that the construction crew is taking multiple measures to ensure the students are not in any danger. “They’re really trying to monitor this, they are not just ignoring it. They’re really trying to work with
the Art department and help them figure it out…what is it that they’re complaining about that we need to address? They are actively investigating these concerns,” Scott said. “They are actually giving priority to it.”
Emily Ashby is a freelance multimedia reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at multimedia@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @emilyashby.
UNM prof weighs in on Kavanaugh UNM bathroom Krasberg and Kavanaugh were classmates at Yale reviews make big splash By Cameron Goeldner @goeldfinger A University of New Mexico professor has found himself in the conversation surrounding allegations against Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh after he was quoted in an article published by The New Yorker following allegations from Deborah Ramirez, a college classmate of Kavanaugh’s at Yale University. Mark Krasberg, a research assistant professor of Neurosurgery in the School of Medicine, was a college classmate of the two and told The New Yorker that Kavanaugh’s behavior was a common topic among his classmates after his nomination was announced. According to the article, “in one email that Krasberg received in September, the classmate who recalled hearing about the incident with Ramirez alluded to the allegation and wrote that it “would qualify as a sexual assault… if it’s true.” Ramirez accused Kavanaugh of exposing himself to her while she was inebriated at a party. She said that she pushed him away, and in the process touched his penis. A devout Catholic, she wasn’t going to touch a penis until marriage. She
Colton Newman /@cnewman101 /Daily Lobo
Clip art made by Colton Newman. Images from UNM School of Medicine and Mediaite.
told The New Yorker that the incident was humiliating and left her embarrassed and ashamed. Krasberg took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to clarify his remarks in the article and express his support for Ramirez. “I am issuing the following statement: First, I would like to commend Debbie Ramirez for being brave enough to share her story,” Krasberg tweeted. “I am humbled by the courage she has shown. Second, I am not a part of some last-minute smear campaign.” He also said that he agrees with Ramirez and would like to see an FBI investigation into the accusations in which all parties are interviewed. He did not say definitively if he believes Ramirez’ accusations. Repeated attempts to
reach Krasberg by the Daily Lobo were unsuccessful. Krasberg came to UNM in 2012 after nine years of working with the University of Wisconsin at the IceCube South Pole neutrino observatory as a research scientist. His work at UNM includes developing new approaches to analyzing physiological data from the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, according to his faculty biography. Kavanaugh and the first accuser who came forward, Christine Blasey Ford, are scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday regarding the allegations brought forth by Blasey Ford. According to Blasey Ford, Kavanaugh attempted to rape her during a party in high school, held her down and covered her mouth
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Krasberg page 2
Madison Spratto/ @Madi_Spratto/ Daily Lobo
A UNM student washes their hands in a bathroom that was recently reviewed on a Twitter page that has gotten attention.
By Isaiah Garcia @DailyLobo Twitter is now flush with reviews of local bathrooms — and some of the University of New Mexico’s toilets are tanking. Nicholas Sandoval, a 3rd year communication and interdisciplinary film and media Major at UNM, has gathered buzz from his bathroom reviews on campus and around the Albuquerque area. Sandoval started the Twitter
account @BathroomReview5 around the beginning of September, and has already gained 127 followers in that time. “It was just something I’ve always done,” Sandoval said. “I always tell people when I come out of the bathroom, ‘That’s a good one in there.’” Sandoval decided to make a Twitter account because he said he believes it has a bigger audience than other platforms. “I did a poll, and people were like ‘Yeah’ and I just made it in like
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Bathroom page 2
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