David Player, a graduate student focusing on sociolinguistics of signed languages in the UNM Department of Linguistics, has begun to document variations in American Sign Language in the Southwest.

Inspired by the Black ASL Project, which studies the variation in ASL in Black communities, Player, who is Black and deaf, is interviewing users of ASL across New Mexico to tease out geographical and cultural distinctions.

“Most people think that the Deaf community is homogenous, and it’s not,” Player said. “Where you grow up, the kind of education you received, the language exposure you’ve had – all of those things are factors and make language variation complex.”

Player first conceptualized the project after he saw students at UNM using a different sign for “lucky” than he was used to. Students from New Mexico told him his sign for “lucky” is used to sign “chile” here.

“What this told me was that there had been an adaptation in the sign for ‘lucky’ so that there’s not a confusion between the sign for lucky and the sign for chile,” he said.

Player found at least four different varieties of New Mexican American Sign Language, including three regional varieties — Northwest New Mexico, associated with native communities, the Middle Rio Grande region, associated with the School for the Deaf in Santa Fe, and Southern New Mexico.

Patricia W. Finn, MD, is the new dean of the UNM School of Medicine. Finn, who was most recently associate dean for Strategic Initiatives and associate program director for the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago, will also serve on the medical school faculty.

Finn, the daughter of immigrants from Ireland who was the first in her family to attend college, calls herself “feisty” and brings a commitment to help the underserved.

 “I want to be a voice for those who may be voiceless — to have a seat at the table to make a difference.”

 “That’s been my passion and commitment, to really integrate scientific discovery with health care for the underserved. My job as a physician leader is to provide exceptional care for all in the context of scientific discovery as we train the next generation, because we are part of a local and global community,” she said. “That’s what I bring to the table.”

Finn graduated medical school and residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and completed a fellowship in pulmonary medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, followed by a postdoctoral research fellowship in immunology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

On North Campus, construction is underway on what will become a nine-story addition to University Hospital. The new Hospital Tower, adjacent to the existing hospital, will eventually add 190 beds and 18 operating
rooms along with other services.

The tower will be connected to a new parking garage with more than 1,400 parking spaces.

In the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings of graduate schools, several UNM schools and programs ranked among the top 20.

UNM was ranked 8th best in Clinical Training in the School of Law; 11th best in Nursing-Midwifery; 14th in Nuclear Engineering; and 8th in photography. The UNM School of Medicine ranked 16th best in primary care and came in at 7th best in Family Medicine, 5th in diversity and 16th in most graduates going on to practice in primary care fields.

UNM has also been named a First-generation Forward Institution by The Center for First-gen Student Success, recognizing the University’s commitment to improving the experiences and success of students who are the first in their family to attend college.

The Center for First-gen Student Success is an initiative of Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, and the Suder Foundation.

Among UNM’s programs geared to first-gen students are its College Enrichment Program and Peer Learning Facilitator Program.