NM Daily Lobo 11 04 2014

Page 1

DAILY LOBO new mexico

The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895

TUESDAY November 4, 2014 | Vo l u m e 1 1 9 | Is s u e 5 5

Students incensed by parking lot security By Erika Eddy

There have been 28 auto thefts and 97 auto burglaries on campus since January, and some students are beginning to wonder if UNM and the UNM Police Department are doing enough to protect their belongings.

Accounting graduate student Aaron Ashe said his truck was stolen from T Lot in early September. He said he suspects thieves hauled his truck on a flat bed, since he had locked his vehicle, which was further protected by a security chip ignition and an alarm.

He said that after paying parking fees, doing his part in securing his vehicle and still losing thousands of dollars due to the theft of his truck, he hopes UNM is able to do more for the security of students and their property. “I was really upset,” he said. “I

have paid (parking) fees for the last six years, and they don’t even have security guards or cameras.” Barbara Morck, director of the Department of Parking and Transportation Services, said that PATS is not responsible for security in the parking lots.

“Our drivers pay attention — our enforcement officers pay attention, in the scope of also doing our regular jobs,” she said. One PATS shuttle driver was an eyewitness to the theft of freshman communications major Andrea

see

Thefts page 3

NEW MEXICO TAKES TO THE POLLS By David Lynch Today is Election Day, and for those planning to vote, The Daily Lobo has compiled the latest updates on the major races. In addition, there are briefs of the state and county bond questions, as well as the advisory questions that will be on the ballot.

Governor race The latest polling numbers compiled by The Albuquerque Journal show Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican, with a fairly comfortable 15 percent lead on Democratic challenger Gary King.

Latinos, however, are swaying in King’s favor, giving him a 50 to 42 percent lead in that demographic. Martinez has said it is important to her that New Mexico expands its economy by looking at business out of state and inviting them in. King, meanwhile, said he would focus on New Mexico’s small businesses for job creation. Concerning education, King said he opposes standardized testing and advocates putting the responsibility in the teacher’s hands. To the contrary, Martinez said teachers should be kept on a shorter leash and that they should be evaluated frequently.

John Sanchez, the current lieutenant governor, is Martinez’s running mate, while Deb Haaland is the Democratic hopeful.

Federal races The Senate race is a much closer one, with the latest data by the Journal showing a 7 percentage point advantage for Democratic incumbent Tom Udall over Republican challenger Allen Weh. According to Weh’s website, he supports less government regulation of businesses, being an entrepreneur himself. In addition, Weh said he advocates exploring New Mexico’s natural resources without burdening taxpayers.

Get out and vote!

Udall said he’s an advocate for diversifying transportation in the state, especially when it comes to high-speed railways. He also says he supports further securing the border and fairer immigration laws. For the House of Representatives, Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham runs for re-election against Republican Mike Frese in the First Congressional District; Republican incumbent Steve Pearce competes against Roxanne Lara in the Second District, covering southern New Mexico; and Democrat Rep. Ben Ray Lujan runs against Jeff Byrd in northern New Mexico’s Third Congressional District.

State and County GO Bond Questions General obligation bonds are ways for the government to raise money for public works that don’t raise revenue. Most of the raised money would come via taxes. State bonds B and C are especially important to UNM. State Bond Question A If passed, $17 million will be spent on improving retirement homes across New Mexico. $742,000 will be allocated to facilities in Albuquerque. State Bond Question B If passed, $11 million will be spent on improvements to librar-

Statewide races Other races for New Mexico positions include Republican incumbent Dianna Duran against Democrat Maggie Toulouse Oliver for secretary of state; Democrat Hector Balderas against Republican Susan Riedel for attorney general; Republican Robert Aragon against Democrat Tim Keller for state auditor; Democrat Tim Eichenberg against Republican Rick Lopez for state treasurer; Democrat Ray Powell against Republican Aubrey Dunn for land commissioner. All 70 state House of Representative positions will be decided, and 34 are contested races.

ies in the state. $805,662 will go to libraries on UNM’s main campus. State Bond Question C If passed, $141 million will be spent on various improvements at colleges throughout the state. UNM in particular would receive $39 million, which would go primarily toward renovating the Farris Engineering Building and the construction of a new health education building. County Bond Question 1 If passed, $1.8 million will go toward updating library resources in Bernalillo County. County Bond Question 2 If passed, $5.74 million will be

see

Voting page 2

ELECTION DAY 2014 Senator considers mental health care reforms U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, left, speaks with Assistant Professors Jonathan Brigman, center, and Jason Weick, right, about an apparatus called a catwalk used to measure gait in animals, in a lab at the Biomedical Research and Integrative NeuroImaging Center at north campus on Monday afternoon. Heinrich came to UNM to discuss health initiatives with members of the Brain and Behavioral Health Institute.

William Aranda Daily Lobo / @_WilliamAranda

By Lauren Topper

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich visited UNM Monday afternoon to meet with representatives of the Brain and Behavioral Health Institute and discuss mental health initiatives. The visit focused on identifying the challenges facing patients with neurological disorders, and increasing communication between scientific researchers, clinicians and the New Mexico community. The BBHI is an organization at UNM focused on brain and behavioral illnesses. “The idea of the Brain and Behavioral Health Institute is

to improve education, research and clinical services,” said Dr. C. William Shuttleworth, director of the BBHI and professor of neuroscience. During the meeting, one of the challenges addressed by the BBHI was the intense stigma surrounding mental illnesses. While other neurological conditions, such as strokes, have long been understood to be the result of abnormalities or damage to the brain, mental health disorders have traditionally been difficult to visualize, and therefore often thought of as less legitimate problems. Using post-traumatic stress disorder as an example, Shuttleworth

see

Heinrich page 3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.