DAILY LOBO new mexico
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
SUMMER July 6-12, 2015 | Volume 119 | Issue 160
Daily Lobo to take web-first approach Print editions reduced to Mondays, Thursdays only By J.R. Oppenheim In its most significant shift since becoming a daily publication in the 1970s, the New Mexico Daily Lobo will begin its transition to a digital-first approach this fall semester.
“If we have to position ourselves as reaching students, then we need to reach students in the ways students are also changing and evolving.” Jyllian Roach Daily Lobo editor-in-chief The Daily Lobo, UNM’s studentrun news organization, will focus primarily on its website and social media accounts to report news on campus and the surrounding area, and rely less on its printed product.
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Nick Fojud / Daily Lobo / @nfojud
A newspaper carrier drops off copies of Daily Lobo around campus on April 25. The Daily Lobo will transition to a digital-first format at the beginning of the fall semester.
Regents’ divestment vote fuels controversy By David Lynch Although UNM regents voted not to divest from fossil fuel companies during its June 12 meeting, pressure from proenvironment organizations and individuals continues. Several of those parties don’t think the Board’s vote serves the best interests of those whom the University serves: its students. This has left some, including Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino (D-Abq.), wondering whether University officials have the right priorities in mind. “I am afraid we did not light the fire that we had hoped,” Ortiz y Pino said. “They didn’t even discuss the issue behind the suggestion to divest: the reality of climate change.” Instead, he said the issue was viewed by the regents as merely an advocacy concern without tangible consequences, and that it wasn’t enough to change UNM’s investing habits. Nonetheless, Ortiz y Pino said it is up to UNM to “shake the state out of its denial” when it comes to climate change, something that he said should be held as higher priority than the University’s investment revenue. “I think it is crucial for UNM to join the other leading universities around the country in divesting from fossil fuels,” he said. Such institutions that have
made commitments to divesting from fossil fuels include Stanford, Syracuse and Georgetown, according to gofossilfree.org. While the regents’ vote may be seen as a move to safeguard UNM’s investments, data presented by Tom Solomon of 350.org — a global grassroots climate change movement — shows otherwise. Ortiz y Pino said Solomon’s information suggests that universities that have chosen to divest have not suffered financially as a result. As a matter of fact, it might be a beneficial move for those in charge of finances at campuses nationwide. “The fossil fuel industry, over the past few years, has earned significantly lower revenue for investors than has practically any other index of investments,” Ortiz y Pino said. “It is a red herring to suggest that there would be any risk for UNM to take this step.” Data from the UNM Foundation, which handles the University’s investment accounts, also suggest that, despite the controversy, making everybody happy with an affirmative vote to divest probably wouldn’t give way to cracks in University portfolios. Jennifer Kemp, a spokesperson for the UNM Foundation, said UNM has four direct investments in oil and gas industries, comprising a meager 5 percent of UNM’s portfolio. If the regents’
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“Divestment is the opposite of an investment – it simply means getting rid of stocks, bonds or investment funds that are unethical or morally ambiguous.” -gofossilfree.org
33 Universities
have divested globally
UNM has four investments in gas and oil