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By Anna Padilla

The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico Senate voted to oppose the Department of Education’s suggested changes to Title IX.

According to the Department’s one-page summary of the proposed change, sexual harassment would be defined as “unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the school’s education program or activity.”

Sophomore Elisa Davidson brought up Resolution 15F during ASUNM’s full senate meeting on Nov. 28. The resolution urges UNM President Garnett Stokes, the Board of Regents, and other campus leaders to make a statement in opposition to the DOE’s proposed change of the definition of sexual harassment.

Davidson is the Program Assistant for the Women and Health Education Program at the Women’s Resource Center on campus.

In addition to the new definition, the term “actual knowledge” was introduced, meaning that actual knowledge requires that reporters to have experienced something.

Senator Rose Cary voiced her opinion during the meeting, stating that these new definitions would be detrimental and don’t advocate for survivors.

Davidson reached out to Senator Selina Montoya and explained that she wanted to introduce the resolution to full senate. Senator Montoya explained that the resolution had to be introduced through special legislation.

“I read through it, I told her that I applauded her for all of the work for this; she was very passionate about it,” Senator Montoya said.

Once she had a sponsoring Senator, Davidson was allowed to take the resolution to the Senate. Senators Selina Montoya, Mohammad Assed, and Rachel Montoya were the sponsors for this resolution.

“The main purpose of this resolution is to encourage our president of UNM to come out and speak against this redefining of this definition,” Senator Montoya said. “It would essentially be sending a strong message for us as ASUNM leaders who represent the student body, saying that this is how we feel about this particular issue.”

ASUNM senators unanimously agreed to approve the resolution.

Once resolutions pass through full senate, they are given to the president and she can decide whether or not to sign it. If it is signed by the president, it becomes a joint resolution. If it is not signed by the president, it becomes a full senate resolution. In either situation, the resolution is sent to the recipients that were listed in the resolution such as the Board of Regents and elected officials.

Davidson described the work that the program does in consideration of Title IX and research to make UNM campus a safe space.

“Working where I do, I’ve kept pretty up to date with how Title IX works at universities,” Davidson said. “We are looking at how other universities structure their women’s resource centers and Title IX resources as well. So I’ve done a fair amount of research on that.”

UNM requires that students attend a mandatory sexual harassment training seminar called the Grey Area Training. It is a one-time seminar that is meant to provide education on preventing sexual misconduct. The seminar also gives a brief overview of Title IX.

“When this story broke, it was definitely something that interested me and struck me as something that the University should come out in opposition to.” Davidson said.

 

By Andrea Solis, Anna Padilla

The incumbent Sheriff Manuel Gonzales is up for reelection. Lou Golson, a veteran of the United States Air Force and long time APD officer, is looking to come out of retirement and is offering to reshape The Bernalillo County Sheriff Department.

Lou Golson has been in law enforcement since 1977, and in 1979 went active duty for three years, having been stationed in Albuquerque he later joined The Albuquerque Police Department.

During a DWI traffic stop in 2016, Golson was shot four times.

For the next five months he struggled to walk and to top it off, he went into financial ruin. In November of  2016 the doctors said he was not going to be able to return to to his beat. He left APD unwillingly but voluntarily.

“It was brought to my attention that the Sheriff was up for reelection, I started paying more attention to what was going on at the Sheriff’s Department and I was not happy with the way things were going. That was something I could do. I could make a change for the better,” Golson said.

With the support of his family as well as 50 other people, he is working hard on campaigning.

The Democratic incumbent Sheriff Manuel Gonzales III has been in law enforcement since 1989, having served as a cadet, and then worked in the field services position, judicial operations, 10 years in the SWAT team, as well as upper management positions, and has been the sheriff since 2015.

The possible loss of public trust in the sheriff department has be up for debate.

Here is what Golson had to say:

https://soundcloud.com/anna-lisa-padilla/golson-quote-scandal-public-distrust/s-OF0ZR

“There’s scandal, there’s non-transparency if you will, (Sheriff Manuel) is refusing to equip his deputies with cameras, he doesn’t respond to the IPRA’s that have been requested,” Golson said.

Sheriff Gonzales says otherwise.

“I go out in the public literally every day and interact with the public. They reassure me that the trust with the Sheriff’s office is probably at the highest it’s ever been,” Gonzales said.

Public trust has been a prominent topic of discussion. In recent years police brutality has been prominent in the media. The people don’t feel that they trust the sheriff department.

“The problem with the sheriff’s office and the community as a whole is that they link together The Albuquerque Police department and The Sheriff Department into one big department; there’s a huge distrust with the lack of communication. There exists two sides, you either feel safe when you see law enforcement or you feel threatened and want to walk the other way,”  Jacob Silva said, a University of New Mexico student and a member of ASUNM.

In law enforcement, force has to be used at times. The levels of force differ for every situation. The distrust from the public is due to the way law enforcement uses force.

When the question about force was brought up Gonzales said they as a sheriff department follow what the constitution says and abide by the rules, though sometimes situations may put the deputies at risk and they must use force.

Golson sees the way force is being used, having worked for many years in APD.

“(Use of force) needs to be brought in line with what is nationally accepted, and legal. You’re gonna need to use force at some point, but the force has to be reasonable and has to conform with national standards and the law,” Golson said.

Golson’s experience gives him the knowledge of what it means to use force and what type of force to use in each situation.

“In the use of force realm, you have your pepper spray, you have your tazor, you have bean bags, and that’s just the less lethal. Lethal is all by itself. You have your hand guns, your riffles, your shotguns. And I want to make sure they’re trained to the point where they know what the use of force policies are, when they can and can’t use it,” Golson said.

If elected Golson wants to equip deputies with the proper tools that will make the department more transparent. Deputies will have the most advanced lapel and dash cameras available.

Sheriff Gonzales’ priority lies somewhere else.

“Taxpayer money needs to be put into hiring and training more deputies,” Sheriff Gonzales said.

Sheriff Gonzales is looking to be re-elected, though he doesn’t believe the sheriff department needs to be reformed, he is always looking into making it a better, and safer environment for his deputies and the public, he says.

The department is targeting different areas of the city where crime is high, starting in their own backyard, downtown Albuquerque, and moving into the university area.

Sheriff Gonzales has refused to do a live debate with Golson, especially if it was hosted by The Albuquerque Journal.  

This is what he had to say on the matter:

https://soundcloud.com/anna-lisa-padilla/gonzales-quote-denied-tv-debate/s-6eS7W

“I believe he’s misinformed. Obviously, he’s never served a day at the Sheriff’s Office. Maybe if he is listening to people, those people are biased. I believe it’s a desperate attempt for him to try to come into office as a sheriff because he has no experience as an executive, and therefore not having a platform, I believe he has to run a negative campaign. That’s his choice, but I would always take the high road. I’m running on a platform of professionalism. I take the high road of having a platform that serves the citizen, and puts the citizen and community first before self,” Sheriff Gonzales said.

 

  

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

 

By Anna Padilla and Andrea Solis

Valencia County consists of Adelino, Belen, Bosque Farms, Los Lunas, Los Trujillos, Peralta, and Valencia, which also falls under the Metro area.

Valencia County Sheriff Primaries were held on June 5 where Denise Romero Democratic Sheriff won with a total of 2,637 out of 4,906 votes, Republican opposition Jeffery Noah by 982 out of 3,350. Given these totals Denise Romero is projected to win.  

Having been in the police force over 27 years, Jeffery Noah is a U.S. Army Veteran, and military police officer, he was a former police officer and Chief of Police in Mountainair, N.M. and has been a resident in Valencia County for 19 years.

If elected, Noah’s top three priorities, according to a Q&A done by The Valencia County News Bulletin, are working with the community to reduce crime rate, hold employees at a high standard of integrity and trust, and work with the other law enforcement in the surrounding areas.  

Noah is endorsed by the current Valencia County Sheriff Louis Burkard.

“I have complete confidence in Jeff. He will continue the policies of trust, integrity, and high standard of service that make Valencia County a great place to work, live, and raise a family,” Burkard says on one of Noah’s campaign flyers.

Denise Romero, Professional Standards Deputy for the Valencia County Sheriff’s office, was born and raised in Taos, New Mexico. Having lived there for 13 years, she moved, along with her family, to Colorado.

In 1993, Romero moved to Albuquerque, and in 1996 she relocated to Los Lunas where she was given the opportunity to make her dream a possibility.

Romero’s 11 year career consists of mostly detective work, in Los Lunas and in Belen.

“I have not been in a position to make decisions. While I was with the Los Lunas Police Dept. I was considered part of the command staff, therefore, I was able to make changes, make plans, have discussion about how we were gonna combat crimes in certain neighborhoods. With Valencia County, because I am not in any rank there, I have not been able to be participating in any part of that for the department” Romero says.

This has given Romero the incentive to run for Sheriff and be able to make a change in her own community.