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Thursday, March 9, 2017 | Vo l u m e 1 2 1 | I s s u e 5 0
ASUNM releases list of presidential, VP candidates By David Lynch @RealDavidLynch Elections to select the next president and vice president of the Associated Students of UNM are fast approaching, and for the first time in at least 12 years, the undergraduate student population will have their pick of four candidates at each position to represent them. Monday was the deadline for students to officially file for candidacy, and besides the slightly higher number of prospective ASUNM leaders, there is also a wealth of experience across the board. Among those running for 201718 ASUNM president: Sen. Noah Brooks, Sen. Elena Garcia, former senator and current Lobo Spirit Executive Director Justin Cooper, and ASUNM Communications Director Gabe Gallegos. Each of the candidates for ASUNM president has a running mate they are teaming up with. In order of those listed above, they are: former ASUNM Sen. Sally Midani, Sen. Jonathan Sanchez, Sen. Michael Landgraf, and Senator and Outreach & Appointments Committee Chair Sydnie O’Connell. Keith Blumenfeld, executive director of the ASUNM Elections
Commission, said he believes the number of candidates represents the passion that members of ASUNM have for helping the student body succeed. He said he also believes the amount of candidates will lead to more aggressive campaigning, and hopefully, high voter turnout. “I imagine that they will all try to reach out to the 90 percent of undergraduates who don’t vote in our student government elections,” Blumenfeld said. The upcoming elections mark just the third time since 2010 that there are more than two vice presidential candidates. In 2015 and 2011 a lone student ran for the seat. There’s been a slightly higher number of students running for ASUNM president over that same span, with either two or three candidates every year since 2006. Current ASUNM President Kyle Biederwolf, in the second semester of his tenure, said that he is inspired by the amount of students who have decided to run this year. “Whoever wins the elections, our campus is going to be engaged like never before by this process,” he said. “Student representation is important, and I encourage all
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ASUNM is hoping that an increased number of presidential and vice presidential candidates, along with changes to the election system, results in higher voter turnout than those from recent semesters shown above.
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Law School program Lobos to face Fresno State facing defunding MEN’S BASKETBALL
By Isabel Gonzalez @cisabelg
March Madness is finally here, and with it comes the much-awaited Mountain West Tournament for the UNM men’s basketball team. After a 64-59 victory over San Diego State on Saturday, the Lobos (17-13, 10-8 MW) were able to finish the regular season in the top five of the conference, which earned them a bye that sent them straight into next Thursday’s quarterfinals to face the Fresno State Bulldogs. The tournament is a big deal because it will most likely decide who gets to go to this year’s NCAA Tournament. “I think (the Lobos) understand that and are hungry for that. We’ll find out,” said UNM head coach Craig Neal. “You can’t win the championship unless you win the first one.” University of New Mexico After the Lobos’ win on Saturday, junior guard Elijah Brown went on Twitter to ask the rhetorical question, “Why not us huh” followed by a thinking emoji and two sunglasses emojis. Several fans have also been tweeting the same phrase.
By Elizabeth Sanchez @Beth_A_Sanchez
April Torres / Daily Lobo / @i_apreel
Freshman Jalen Harris leaps through the air during a game against SDSU Saturday, March 4, 2017 at WisePies Arena.
This seems to accurately represent the feelings of the team. Injuries hit the team several times this season. Perhaps the biggest setback was losing senior Tim Williams for a total of nine games. The forward missed two games in December due to concussion protocol and seven in February due to a stress reaction on his left foot. Williams was back on the court for last Saturday’s game. However, the coaching staff is still taking
precautions and had him sit out on this past Monday’s practice, since he is a valuable player in the offense, averaging 17.5 points per game. The only other consistent scorer New Mexico has is Brown, who averages 18.9 points. The Lobos took four losses during Williams’ most recent absences. However, it was also during this period that other players stepped
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Basketball page 3
A UNM School of Law program that works to overturn wrongful convictions could be losing its funding soon. Since 2009, the New Mexico Innocence and Justice Project has helped UNM law students investigate claims of innocence in legal cases after the accused has already been convicted. One of these cases involved a motion to vacate the conviction of Jacob Duran, who was accused of murder in 1987. The motion was made after the program used modern DNA testing to determine that blood and hair found on scene did not belong to Duran, according to Gordon Rahn, NMIJP project director and research professor at the UNM School of Law. With the help of the faculty, students “review case records, read trial transcripts, interview incarcerated clients, visit crime scenes and review crime scene records, conduct background investigations of key people in cases, interview
witnesses (and) attempt to locate physical and/or biological evidence that could possibly be tested for DNA,” Rahn said. But now the program is losing funding, and needs a savior of its own. Grant funds, approximately $200,000 per year, are relied upon to keep NMIJP afloat by providing a means for pursuing investigative and operational costs, including the ability to test DNA, Rahn said. However, that grant expires this May, and the funding stream may be discontinued. “Due to the state’s budget crisis and its impact on UNM and the Law School, there are no funds available through the Law School’s budget for us,” he said. “Without funding from other sources, it is likely the program cannot continue beyond the end date of the grant.” Rahn said that NMIJP, housed at the School of Law, provides “a unique opportunity” that draws students to UNM from around the country. “Losing (the program) takes away a huge advantage that we have of recruiting great minds and
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Law page 2
On the Daily Lobo website GRAY: The UNM Foundation and the Board of Regents are being sued for withholding documents about WisePies/Pit naming rights.
AGUILA: UNM researchers win $7 million Air Force contract SANCHEZ: Crime Briefs for March 9