UCAM's News clips for Monday, April 21, 2008

1. Forum Pushes Respect, Not Racism (Albuquerque Journal Op-Ed)
Charles Becknell, Chairman, Diversity Leadership Council

As the 2008 Chair of the Diversity Leadership Council (DLC), I write to clarify what the DLC stands for and what we promote.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21forum.htm

2. NMSU Ticker Displays Stocks (Albuquerque Journal)
By Justin Bannister, NMSU News Service

NMSU business students can now check the financial markets while walking the halls between classes. The NMSU College of Business recently installed a large financial ticker and two large television monitors outside the G. Carl and Andrea Everett Financial Markets Trading Room.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21nmsu.htm

3. Native medicinal herb could become New Mexico cash crop (Las Cruces Sun News)
By NMSU staff For the Sun-News

Through the centuries, settlers in the Southwest have discovered the medicinal benefits of the native plant yerba del manso, commonly called swamp root or lizard-tail. With the renaissance of medicinal herbs in the United States, a New Mexico State University agronomist believes the plant could become a cash crop for New Mexican organic farmers.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/news/ci_8996664

4. UNM Clinical Trials Target Breast Cancer Treatments (Albuquerque Journal)
By By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer

University of New Mexico Cancer Center researchers described several ongoing studies intended to improve the quality of breast cancer treatments.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21unmcc.htm

5. Success Story (Albuquerque Journal)
By By Olivier Uyttebrouck / Journal Staff Writer

Judy Madril beat the odds with a stick.

Doctors could offer her little hope in July 2005 when the Placitas woman was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, a rare and highly aggressive form of the disease. Worse still, the cancer was metastatic, meaning it had spread beyond her breast to her liver.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21success.htm

6. Poison Centers Should Be Funded (Albuquerque Journal)
By Lance Chilton, M.D. For the Journal

YOUR CHILD'S HEALTH: Q: I understand there is a (federal) move to cut funding for our poison center. Given our governments' budget problems and a falling number of kids poisoning themselves, I can see why.

A: You are correct that the number of poisoning deaths in the United States has fallen in the last 50 years, a fine accomplishment, but there were still more than 20,000 deaths in 2004. But one might as well say that one can stop wearing seat belts because the highway death toll has fallen, or stop getting our babies immunized against tetanus- after all, who has seen a case of lockjaw?
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21poison.htm

7. Preacher reaches out from an unlikely pulpit (Daily Lobo)
By: Christopher Sanchez

The Rev. Michael Venyah can't count how many times students have struck him.

They have stubbed their cigarettes out on him, pulled out knives, kicked him, threatened his family, pelted him with eggs and bottles, spit on him, poked him with sticks, choked him and chucked stones at him.

But each time he has been attacked, Venyah has stayed calm, standing tall on his podium, one hand gripping his King James Bible, the other hand pointing at a student, then at his Bible, then at the sky, then at another student, then at his Bible, and back at the sky again, and he continues to preach.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21preacher.htm

News clips from Sunday, April 20

8. Professor's Behavior Divides UNM Staff (Albuquerque Journal)
By Martin Salazar; Journal Staff Writer

Did Mistress Jade cross the line?

Six months after University of New Mexico President David Schmidly learned that a member of his faculty was posing on a sadomasochism Web site, the question remains.

And an even bigger one has emerged: What is appropriate in faculty-student relationships?
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21chavez.htm

9. Gov.'s Diversity Class Riles Lab Workers (Journal North)
By David Roybal For the Journal

It was a hot potato that bounded menacingly on U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson's lap eight years ago. The heat emanated from the always-sensitive issue of diversity, much as it is today in Albuquerque at one of the national laboratories that Richardson once oversaw as a federal official.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21governor.htm

10. Business and government swept up in Earth Day and the environmental movement (Albuquerque Journal)
By Dan McKay , Journal Staff Writer

From oil companies to Wal-Mart, it's obvious that "green" sells. Private companies and government agencies alike have scrambled this year to announce what they're doing for the environment— especially to combat global warming.

You'd be forgiven for thinking every day is Earth Day.

But this year's official, annual celebration of the environment is Tuesday. In Albuquerque, it will be a day for recycling on college campuses and giving away energy-efficient bulbs at grocery stores.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21earthday.htm

11. Lobo Football: 'D' Drops Hammer on Offense (Albuquerque Journal)
By Greg Archuleta, Journal Staff Writer

The University of New Mexico football team's intrasquad scrimmage Saturday was so lopsided that the defense didn't even need a modified scoring system to beat the offense.

Lobo back Clint McPeek and walk-on linebackers Seth Johanneman and Chris Biren all returned interceptions for touchdowns to outscore the mistake-prone offense 18-17 in an hour-plus practice at University Stadium.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21football.htm

New clips from Saturday, April 19

12. UNM Dept. Head Has Research Post (Albuquerque Journal)

Julia Fulghum, the chairwoman of the University of New Mexico's chemical and nuclear engineering department, has been appointed interim vice president of research.

"Julia has proven herself to be a great asset to the University of New Mexico as an outstanding professor and administrator," UNM President David Schmidly said in a news release.

An acting chair will be appointed for the chemical and nuclear engineering department, though Fulghum plans to return to the department when a permanent research vice president is named.

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13. UNM Respects Donors' Wishes (Albuquerque Journal Letter to the Editor)

AS MANY PEOPLE know, the University of New Mexico Foundation is streamlining its operations so we can launch a major initiative to fund the scholarships, faculty and grants necessary to accomplish our goals of student success and academic excellence.

The board of the UNM Foundation is comprised of 40 business and civic leaders in this city, state and around the nation who care very deeply for this university and its students and faculty.

For more than five years, university and foundation officials and board member volunteers did everything we could to accommodate Judge Leon Karelitz's wishes and to resolve the lawsuit he ultimately filed. While we obviously can't discuss details while the matter is still pending, our thousands of donors can attest to the fact that we take our moral and legal obligations to them with the greatest seriousness.

On occasion, in fact, we have even turned down gift offers when we knew it would be impossible for us to comply with prospective donors' requests.

This is an exciting time for UNM as we move toward achieving our vision for the university of academic excellence and student success, and as we begin modernizing the foundation to do so. We are at the outset of the largest-ever fund raising campaign that will enhance UNM and this state. Therefore, we are reorganizing ourselves to prepare for this and our focus is on these exciting developments. ...

As chairperson of the foundation board, I trust the readers will realize that the stories regarding two different donations have many more details that we are precluded from discussing because of legal implications. However, the UNM Foundation and its dedicated board members are continuing to work to support this extraordinary university.

THELMA DOMENICI
Albuquerque

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14. UNM Management Is Woeful (Albuquerque Journal letter to the editor)

THE MISHANDLING of the donations of Leon Karelitz and Ray Radosevich reveal the general mismanagement at the University of New Mexico.

As a former teacher and researcher at UNM, I have seen firsthand the consistent lack of commitment to good management, ethical behavior, quality teaching, or welfare of the students. The primary concern is always on bringing in research money.

Petty politics and abusive behavior are widespread, and no effective mechanism exists for addressing unethical behavior. Reports by independent agencies have confirmed serious problems with UNM management, and these problems have not been effectively addressed.

Although there are certainly outstanding individuals and pockets of excellence at UNM, as a whole the management is poor from top to bottom. This is a sad commentary on the status of the state's premier university.

Taxpayers and the governor should hold the regents accountable and demand effective reforms. ...

JON NIMITZ
Albuquerque

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15. Youth Is Served in UNM Production of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Onegin’ (Albuquerque Journal)
By David Steinberg/Journal Staff Writer

Marilyn Tyler says Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s opera “Eugene Onegin” is a good fit for the University of New Mexico Opera Theatre. Tchaikovsky, Tyler said, wrote “Onegin” for students at the Moscow Conservatory, where he was teaching music theory.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21opera.htm

16. Lobo Golf: Ewart Rallies for Individual Championship (Albuquerque Journal)
By Glen Rosales For the Journal

With four holes to go Saturday in the final round of the Mountain West Conference women's golf championship, it looked like it would be a bittersweet afternoon for the University of New Mexico.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21golf.htm

17. Lobo Baseball: Lobos in Thick of Race (Albuquerque Journal)
By Ken Sickenger, Journal Staff Writer

A little disrespect, it seems, can go a long way.

The highly motivated University of New Mexico baseball team enhanced its Mountain West Conference title chances Saturday, scoring the final 11 runs in a 13-3 rout of Utah at Isotopes Park.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21baseball2.htm

18. NCAA Infractions Committee Hears Lobo Football Case (Albuquerque Journal)
By Tim Korte/ Associated Press

New Mexico administrators have presented their case to the NCAA infractions committee during a full-day hearing in an academic fraud investigation involving two former assistant football coaches.
The panel also heard Friday from Lenny Rodriguez and Grady Stretz, the former assistants who are accused of improperly helping one New Mexico player and four recruits obtain fraudulent academic credits through correspondence courses at Fresno Pacific University.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21ncaa.htm

19. Double In 12th Propels UNM (Albuquerque Journal)
By Ken Sickenger, Journal Staff Writer

How's that for a little razzle- dazzle?

Brian Cavazos-Galvez went 5-for-6, including a game-tying homer, and Rafael Neda slapped a game-winning two-out double as the University of New Mexico baseball team rallied to edge Utah 5-4 in 12 innings Friday night.

The Lobos (25-14 overall, 9-4 Mountain West Conference) trailed 4-0 early but eventually gave a crowd of 1,504 something to cheer about at Isotopes Park.

Unfortunately, many of the 500 Razzle Dazzle youth cheer squad members went home after their seventh-inning performance and before New Mexico's late heroics. Still, the fans who stuck around got their money's worth.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21baseball.htm

20. Lobos Offer Special Attention (Albuquerque Journal)
By Greg Archuleta, Journal Staff Writer

During spring drills, questions abound regarding the University of New Mexico football special teams. Right down to the pronunciation of kicker James Aho's last name. Asked whether it was 'ey-ho' or 'aw-ho,' the redshirt freshman replied, "Either way."
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21lobos.htm

21. UNM Continues Dominance (Albuquerque Journal)
By Glen Rosales For the Journal

It was almost like a scene out of a bad golf cartoon.

For the University of New Mexico's Jodi Ewart, however, it was anything but that Friday.

Stuck in a bunker on the 499-yard, par-5 fifth hole, she flailed away, watching the ball pop back to her once, twice, before she was able to beat the sand monster and get it on the green.
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21dominance.htm

22. News from Inside Higher Education:

* The Graduation Rate Gap
New study asks whether it is appropriate for colleges to see gaps of 20 percentage points and more in the statistics on their white and black students.
http://insidehighered.com/news/2008/04/21/gradrates

* A Test The Education Department Doesn’t Want
Despite domestic push for accountability, U.S. officials are not rallying behind calls for an international measure of higher education student learning outcomes.
http://insidehighered.com/news/2008/04/21/oecd

23. News from the Chronicle of Higher Education:
http://libproxy.unm.edu/login?url=http://chronicle.com

* Imitation Is Key To Closing Racial Gaps, Report Says
Some colleges have found ways to improve the graduation rates of black students, and others should adopt their methods, a new report says.

* Business Students Say Their Idealism Is Blunted By Recruiters
M.B.A. students say they are finding that corporate recruiters aren't nearly as interested as they are in social and environmental issues, according to a report being released today.

24. News from Diverse Issues in Higher Education:

* Business School Admissions Offices Increasingly Accepting GRE General Test
An increasing number of graduate business schools are accepting the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test for admission, in addition to the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT),according to the Educational Testing Service.
http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_11035.shtml

* Indiana Governor To Propose Free Community College Plan
Gov. Mitch Daniels wants every high school graduate in Indiana to attend college for at least two years — and he is working on a proposal that would have the state pick up the tab for more of them to do just that.
http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_11033.shtml

* ‘Alarming’ Number of Community Colleges Blocking Access to Federal Loans, Report Finds
Though the majority of four-year colleges in the United States participate in federal student loan programs, a new report finds that an “alarming” number of community colleges don’t participate, prompting low-income students to resort to credit cards and other high-interest loans to pay for basic college expenses.
http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_11034.shtml

* Black and Hispanic Students Hit Hardest by Credit Crunch
Opportunities for equitable access to college are harder to come by than ever, with the shift in federal aid policy moving from grants to loans, the passing of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (CCRAA) and the collapse of the consumer credit markets.
http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_11000.shtml

* DIVERSIFYING PEDAGOGY
Indigenous Ways of Knowing has been making its way out of tribal colleges into mainstream universities, but this method of teaching has its critics. Indigenous or native ways of knowing, indigenous knowledge, indigenous science, traditional ecological knowledge are terms that have been making their way out of tribal colleges and into mainstream universities in recent years. What exactly do they mean?
http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_11004.shtml

25. National News:

* U-Md. Officials Approve Minor in Latino Studies (Washington Post)
Undergraduates at the University of Maryland at College Park can now graduate with a minor in U.S. Latino studies after school officials yesterday approved the first such minor at a major university in the Washington region.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/04/18/AR2008041801777.html?referrer=emailarticle

* College-bound face dilemma (Boston Globe)
As loans dry up, some settle for second choice. For Molly Wexler-Romig, Bard College seemed the perfect match. The small liberal arts school in upstate New York has a great academic reputation and strong theater arts program - a must for the aspiring actress. When she first visited last fall, she relished the school's liberal, hippieish atmosphere. So when she received her acceptance letter earlier this month, the choice was obvious.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/04/19/college_bound_face_dilemma/?p1=email_to_a_friend

* Sizing up college financial aid packages (LA Times)
Here's how parents can figure out how much they'll really have to pay out of pocket.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-perfin20apr20,1,3798754.column

* Drew University to build research, nursing facility (LA Times)
The medical school breaks ground for a $43-million building that represents a number of firsts. At Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, the announcement Friday that construction would soon begin on a $43-million research and nursing school building did more than lift spirits around the campus.
http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-drew19apr19,1,7689660.story

* How sunny weather lowers the college admissions bar, and more (Boston Globe)
AS IF HIGH school seniors didn't have enough to worry about: the odds of getting into a college are affected by the weather on the day their applications are reviewed, a recent study suggests.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/04/20/how_sunny_weather_lowers_the_college_admissions_bar_and_more/?p1=email_to_a_friend

* Emotional struggles detailed in essays (Chicago Tribune)
Writings offer candid look at NIU shooter. Well before his murderous rampage at Northern Illinois
University, Steven Kazmierczak described himself as a victim who had overcome hard times.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-kazmierczak-statements_bd20apr20,1,5884836.story

* Fixing the state's colleges (Denver Post)
Make major changes or kids won't feel welcome, experts say. It doesn't take an advanced degree to see the grave challenges ahead for Colorado's colleges. If nothing changes, children getting ready for preschool today will start — and finish — college at an even lower rate than now. Already, the six-year-graduation rate is well below 50 percent at more than half of the public four-year colleges and universities in the state. College enrollment has dropped every year since 2004.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_8986983?source=email

26. Albuquerque Media Monitoring
News clips from Friday – Sunday, April 18 - 20

* Lobo Women Win Golf Tournament
* UNM Administrators Attend NCAA Hearing
* UNM Baseball Team Wins
* UNM College of Nursing Holds Immunization Clinic
* NMSU Alamogordo Has Problems With Accreditation in Nursing Program
* Enerpulse Success
* Motorcycle Ride for Children with Brain Tumors
http://www.unm.edu/news/08AprilNewsClips/21media.htm

Susan McKinsey
Director of University Communication
Scholes Hall 160, Suite 152C
MSC05 3300
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0011
Telephone: (505) 277-1989