Campus/Sports

Downs

Frederick Taylor Downs, former New Mexico State University economics professor, department head and associate dean for the business college, died Sept. 13 at the age of 80. Downs was born in Madison, Wis., on Dec. 29, 1920, to Clarence “Jerry” Downs and Doris Downs-Stanton. He is preceded in death by his wife Patricia “Patsy” Kelly Downs. Downs moved to Las Cruces in 1955. He taught economics at the university for several years before becoming department head and later associate dean. He directed the MBA program from 1969 to 1986 when he retired. He is survived by his sons Jerry Downs and Thomas Downs. In memory of Downs, contributions can be made to the Frederick Downs memorial and be sent to New Mexico State University Foundation, P.O. Box 3590, Las Cruces, N.M., 88033. The memorial will benefit the College of Business Administration and Economics. Downs

Minority undergraduates now majority

New Mexico State University’s undergraduate student population now has a “minority majority,” according to Juan N. Franco, the university’s vice president for student services.

Growth in the numbers of Hispanic, African American and American Indian students pushed the minority enrollment to 50.9 percent of the 12,584 undergraduates at the main campus in Las Cruces, Franco said.

“We are pleased to see this growth in diversity among our students,” Franco said. “One of our goals is to have a student population that closely reflects the diversity of our state’s population.”

He said the university also saw “healthy increases” in the number of minority graduate students this fall.

“This has been a challenge because major corporations compete for our minority graduates,” Franco said. “We’re encouraged to see more of them continuing with us as graduate students.”

About 30 percent of the university’s 2,640 graduate students now are minority students. When undergraduates and graduate students are combined, 47 percent of the 15,224 students at the main campus are from minority groups.

Karl Hill

 

2001-02 New Mexico State Men’s Basketball Schedule Day Date Opponent Time: Sat. Nov. 3 Basketball Travelers* 7:05 p.m. Tues. Nov. 6 Alaska-Fairbanks* 7:05 p.m. Sat. Nov. 17 at Texas-Arlinton 3 p.m. Mon. Nov. 19 Alcorn State 7:05 p.m. Sat. Nov. 24 San Diego State 7:05 p.m. Wed. Nov. 28 Texas Tech 7:05 p.m. Sat. Dec. 1 Texas - El Paso 7:05 p.m. Wed. Dec. 5 New Mexico 7:05 p.m. Sat. Dec. 8 Washington 7:05 p.m. Sun Dec. 16 at New Mexico 3:05 p.m. Thur-Sat. Dec. 20-22 at Yahoo! Sports Invitational (Host: BYU-Hawaii Thur. Dec. 20 vs. Valparaiso 6 p.m. Thur. Dec. 27 at Denver^ 7 p.m. Sat. Dec. 29 at North Texas^ 7 p.m. Thur. Jan. 3 New Orleans^ 7:05 p.m. Sat. Jan. 5 South Alabama^ 7:05 p.m. Thur. Jan. 10 at Middle Tennessee^ 5 p.m. Sat. Jan. 12 at Western Kentucky^(ESPN) 2 p.m. Mon. Jan. 14 Eastern New Mexico 7:05 p.m. Sat. Jan. 19 Louisiana - Lafayette^ 7:05 p.m. Thur. Jan. 24 Denver^ 7:05 p.m. Sat. Jan. 26 North Texas^ 7:05 p.m. Thur. Jan. 31 at New Orleans^ 7 p.m. Sat. Feb. 2 at South Alabama^ 8:05 p.m. Wed. Feb. 6 Florida International^ 7:05 p.m. Sat. Feb. 9 Western New Mexico 7:05 p.m. Mon. Feb. 11 at Texas - Pan American 7:30 p.m. Thur. Feb. 14 Arkansas - Little Rock^ 7:05 p.m. Sat. Feb. 16 Arkansas State^ 7:05 p.m. Wed. Feb. 20 at Texas - El Paso 7:05 p.m. Sat. Feb. 23 at Louisiana -Lafayette^ 6:05 p.m. Thur-Tue. Feb. 28-Mar. 5 Sun Belt Conference Tournament TBA (Host: New Orleans) * - Exhibition Games ^ - Sun Belt Conference Games Home Games in Bold All Times Mountain

2001-02 New Mexico State Women’s Basketball Schedule Day Date Opponent Time: Thur. Nov. 1 Basketball Travelers* 7:05 p.m. Sat. Nov. 10 Western New Mexico* 7:05 p.m.   Nov 16-17 at Idaho State Tournament   Fri. Nov. 16 vs. Gonzaga 5 p.m. Sat. Nov. 17 vs. Idaho 12 p.m. Tues. Nov. 20 New Mexico 7:05 p.m. Sun. Nov. 25 Texas Southern 2:05 p.m. Thur. Nov. 29 at Wisconsin-Green Bay 6:05 p.m. Sat. Dec. 1 at Northern Illinois 1:05 p.m. Thur. Dec. 6 at Wichita State 6 p.m. Sun. Dec. 16 Cal State Northridge 2:05 p.m. Tues. Dec. 18 at New Mexico 7 p.m. Thur. Dec. 20 at Texas - El Paso 7 p.m. Fri. Dec. 28 Denver^ 7:05 p.m. Sun. Dec. 30 North Texas^ 2:05 p.m. Thur. Jan. 3 at New Orleans^ 6 p.m. Sat. Jan. 5 at South Alabama^ 6 p.m. Thur Jan. 10 Middle Tennessee^ 7:05 p.m. Sat. Jan. 12 Western Kentucky^ 7:05 p.m. Thur. Jan. 17 at Texas - Pan American 6 p.m. Sat. Jan. 19 at Louisiana - Lafayette^ 6 p.m. Thur. Jan. 24 at Denver^ 7 p.m. Sat. Jan. 26 at North Texas^ 6 p.m. Thur. Jan. 31 New Orleans^ 7:05 p.m. Sat. Feb. 2 South Alabama^ 7:05 p.m. Wed. Feb. 6 at Florida International^ 5 p.m. Thur. Feb. 14 at Arkansas - Little Rock^ 6 p.m. Sat. Feb. 16 at Arkansas State^ 6 p.m. Tues. Feb. 19 Texas - El Paso 7:05 p.m. Sat. Feb. 23 Louisiana - Lafayette^ 7:05 p.m.         * - Exhibition Games ^ - Sun Belt Conference Games Home Games in Bold All Times Mountain

  Geologists challenge belief about prehistoric extinction

Two New Mexico State University geology professors and a former student are causing ripples in the world of paleontology by raising questions about a fossil the size of a speck of dust.

New Mexico State University geologists Katherine Giles, left, and Nancy McMillan are raising controversy in the world of paleontology. After conducting research, Giles and McMillan argue that paleontologists have misidentified a 380 million-year-old fossil. If they are correct, they say the fossil could provide clues about a massive die-off of aquatic animals in prehistoric times. Photo by Meghann Dallin	Katherine Giles, an associate professor of geology who specializes in the study of carbonate sediments, and Nancy McMillan, an associate professor of geology who specializes in geochemistry, have been invited to publish an article in an upcoming special edition of the international journal of Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. They will argue that some paleontologists who study the late Devonian Era, 380 million years ago, have for decades misidentified fossils called phosphatic microspherules. Giles and McMillan said if their theory is correct it will provide an important clue to a massive extinction in the late Devonian Era that was larger than the event in which the dinosaurs died. Their argument is based, in part, on research by Brian L. McCarson, ’96, who did a chemical analysis of the microspherules in 1996 as an undergraduate geology student at New Mexico State. Jack King
		A phosphatic microspherule, shown here greatly magnified, is a tiny fossil only two millimeters in diameter. Scientists have identified it as a "pearl" laid down by a prehistoric creature called a conodont, but two New Mexico State geologists argue it is actually an "otolith," the inner ear bone of a fish.