That’s because any UNM staff that cares enough to do their job and about the students are forced to quit through trumped up charges. These employees face hostile work environments everyday by incompetent supervisors and faculty that have the emotional level of high school cheer leaders. UNM dosen’t want employees that work hard, and it shows from the high turn over rates in the staff.

Is reluctance the correct word? I don’t know. A few things to consider however: UNM faculty has been told to make cuts, without lowering student numbers. Ie do more, with less. Then faculty was told that numbers were actually going to increase. In other words, teach more students, with less. They were told there was “no money for a raise”, not even cost of living. Worse yet, insurance went up. Take home pay for many has gone down. Again. Do more, with less. Staff has been told there may be furloughs, their salaries may be cut, their hours may be cut. Do more with less. We’re in a recession, perhaps a depression. I get that. The president does not. The football team went on a 100 thousand dollar weekend retreat. Seems there’s some money available. The coaches receive large raises. Raises that are probably more dollar wise than the Spanish department’s staffs’ total salaries.
I’m sorry your daughter had a bad experience. I don’t believe the faculty is “reluctant” to help students. Just demoralized, tired, and probably a little burned out. A leader knows how to lead in tough times. Schmidley does not.

I have had a similar experience in the Spanish Department. The advisor, Kate, laughed at me when I asked her about Credit by Exam (a.k.a. Course Challenge). This is something IN the UNM catalog, yet this advisor knew nothing about it, actually challenging me to give her the page number in the catalog where the Credit by Exam process is documented. (It’s pg 44, by the way)
It’s really the ignorance that bothered me the most, even more than getting laughed at. Part of this person’s JOB is to know the catalog, specifically but not limited to the section regarding the Spanish Department. Knowing the rules that might help a student get ahead, apparently, is too much to ask.

RE: Regina—With all due respect, the sports programs make much more than they spend, that money goes to research projects, new building projects etc. If sports programs were a money pit, they wouldn’t exist. Its not that staff aren’t ABLE to help, its that the people UNM chooses to employ aren’t competent. I cant begin to tell you how many professors I’ve had give me politically biased grades,(try having your papers graded by 2 professors who dont know each-other.. if you’d like to see.) UNM has second rate staff because anyone with half a brain leaves the University as soon as they are able to.

Mark – The Athletics Department operated at a rather substantial yearly deficit. Like $500k or more. That comes right out of Krebs’ pie-hole.
And not everyone employed by UNM is incompetent, but the current administration is making a point of “letting go” of anyone with institutional memory and especially everyone who won’t follow the corporate mindset they have injected here.

@mark, no, no they don’t. In fact, they receive funds directly from academics. Funds allocated to academics.

Nonsense, it’s a co0rrupt Board of Regents, a greedy, inept and incompetent President and an Athletics Vice President, who’s little more than a jock strap when it comes to athletics planning and a blatantly defective football coach who are denigrating the university’s reputation; not to mention the legal fees these folks are going to cost the university.

Mark,

>> the sports programs make much more than they spend.

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Well, this is the old accounting game, “ Figures don’t lie, but liars figure.”

Why do we not see the Attorney General launching an investigation into this Schmidly, Krebs, Locksley fiasco? At the very least, a thorough investigation can put these accusations to rest. In fact, we should encourage Schmidly, Locksley and Krebs to push for such an investigation and just like the legal costs these three are amassing, the state will pay for it.

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Lawrence-

You are incorrect. Go to the state website and view the state budget for UNM. You will see that the state gave quite a bit of money to the Athletics Department.

Joe, I know that the state legislature gives generously to UNM athletics.

That does not negate the fact they have actually been operating in the red for a long time, as Regina above also points out.

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Hate to see the discussion hijacked like this –

The behavior you describe, Alexis, is certainly unprofessional. And while it’s hard to get a read on this situation (would the advisor, for example, tell a different story?) the fact remains faculty & staff can always do better when relating to the public.