Letter: BOR is unwilling to listen to the community

Editor,

It’s a special “club,” and you are not in it, until we need you. 

That is essentially the message sent to Faculty Senate President Pamela Pyle by Regent Tom Clifford at the meeting on Tuesday, September 11, 2018. We do not want to take your advice on anything to do with UNM decisions, until we need you to give us some cover, was the other message he made clear.

The real coward in this exchange was Regent Clifford. He showed us that he was afraid to stand by his decision to cut those sports instead of football, the logical one to cut. President Pyle got heat because the Regents have rubber-stamped all decisions made by the (Krebs) Athletics’ Department for years and now want her to give them cover for this atrocious decision. Is Regent Clifford trying to hide behind the Faculty Senate? If so, it is not going to happen – he gets to have all the glory associated with this decision on his own.

It is disgusting that no one at the table stood up for President Pyle. Where was President Stokes, who knows faculty are on nine-month contracts? Did she need cover for her acquiescence to this plan? Did she not do her homework and find out that the community came together for these sports last year? Where was the interim-provost? He is a faculty member that has been Faculty Senate President. You would think he is aware of how the Faculty Senate operates. What about David Harris? As VP for Finance for the entire University, he gave Athletics his stamp of approval for years. Did he see fit to defend President Pyle? Not hardly. Did any other Regent speak up or were they afraid Regent Clifford would dress them down, too?

This why having Regents as political appointees is bad for a University. The President, interim-Provost, et.al, are doing their bidding instead of being good stewards of the University.

We must insist on electing our Regents.

Loyola Chastain

UNM Staff