NM Daily Lobo 02 23 2015

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Daily Lobo new mexico

The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895

monday February 23, 2015 | Vo l u m e 1 1 9 | I s s u e 1 0 8

‘Black and blue’ panel examines cultural rifts By Fin Martinez

Diana Cervantes / Daily Lobo / @dee_sea_

Law enforcement officers speak at the Know Your Rights panel on Thursday evening at the SUB. The event was hosted by the Black Student Union as part of an initiative to help bring awareness to citizens about their rights when dealing with police officials.

Student one giant leap from Mars mission Gallegos is among the finalists for the Mars One mission to Mars in 2024 By Jyllian Roach Kids often say they want to be astronauts when they grow up, but graduate student Zach Gallegos has never wavered from that dream. And now he’s closer than ever to getting that chance. After surviving two elimination rounds, he’s made it into the final 100 candidates for a mission to Mars. “It’s definitely a feeling of excitement and fulfillment. It’s like my life’s work, my life’s plan, paid off,” Gallegos said. With only one more round until the final 24 potential astronauts begin their training for the Mars One Mission, Gallegos said he’s stepped up his personal exercise schedule to prepare for the dangerous and taxing travel to the Red Planet. “Gravity is resistance; every day you’re on Earth, you’re doing resistance training,” he said. “But in space, there is no gravity. So the whole way out there I’ll have a lack of that resistance that I’m used to, which means that my muscle mass will go down and my bone density will go down also. So the more muscle I have leading up to that is a good thing.” Gallegos’ seven-day-a-week workout regimen includes rock climbing, biking, running, weight

In the wake of numerous deadly encounters between police and African Americans across the country, an intense national debate has been raging about the intersection of police brutality and race. Last week UNM students joined the conversation by inviting black police officers to share their experiences on the front lines of this battle. On Feb. 19 the UNM Black Student Union held a conference titled “Do You Know Your Rights?”, an event held in conjunction with Black History Month featuring a panel of African American police officers answering various questions about law enforcement issues and the difficulties of being both an African American and a police officer, or being “black and blue.” “For me, being a black law enforcement officer is one of the most challenging things I’ve ever faced in my life,” said officer Dajun Clark. “Just for the simple fact that when we walk into a room we don’t get the benefit of the doubt, and that’s one of the major things that I’ve noticed.” According to the National Institute of Justice website, minorities are more likely than

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Rights page 3

SANE head defends background check policy By Matthew Reisen

Diana Cervantes / Daily Lobo / @dee_sea_

Zach Gallegos climbs at Stone Age Climbing Gym as part of his training to earn a potential spot on the Mars One Mission.

lifting and calisthenics for at least two hours. Now Gallegos said he’ll spend about double that time training his body each day. Training is not the only thing Gallegos is changing, either. He said he is shifting his diet to more closely resemble the menu options that will be available on Mars. His meals now consist of a protein shake and fruit for breakfast, a steak or burger for lunch and salad and chicken for dinner. He has already sworn off candy and sweets, but he said the hardest part will be giving up meat.

“The thing I’m going to have to train myself off of is the meat, because you don’t have cows and chickens running around on Mars,” he said. Protein on Mars will have to come from other sources, he said. Insects, like crickets and worms, are a popular idea for protein for the Mars One participants. Gallegos said his idea is to send tilapia eggs on the mission so that the team can raise fish. In the end, he said he’s preparing for the leanest possible circumstance for the trip.

“I’ll probably go fairly vegan about two years in advance,” he said. UNM President Bob Frank said he’s ecstatic about Gallegos’ move into the top 100 for Mars One. “He’s quite an amazing guy. I’m very impressed with him. He’s like one of our Rhodes applicants,” Frank said. Frank said he has not yet met Gallegos, but he’s looking forward to doing so soon. He said he’s not surprised that a UNM student would be on this list, though.

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Amidst criticism from advocacy agencies, the Albuquerque Family Advocacy Center is defending its policy of requiring sexual assault survivors to undergo background checks, or safety assessments as they are now called, before being treated by specially trained nurses and receiving other services that only they provide. Teresa D’Anza, program director at Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, said she agrees with the policy, and that it has never come up as an issue for those who come seeking services. SANE, which is housed within AFAC, provides important medical services to sexual assault survivors, such as rape kits used to identify assailants. “I have nurses here who are going to be in an exam room with a patient, and knowing what’s in their background allows them to be vigilant if they need to,” she said. “We get very complimentary feedback from our clients about the services they get while they’re here. None of our patients so far have complained about background checks.”

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NM Daily Lobo 02 23 2015 by UNM Student Publications - Issuu