Editor,
Several weeks ago and again on Wednesday, "religious Christians" - zealots - came to campus and harassed UNM students by calling us sinners and telling us we are all going to hell.
Questions regarding freedom of speech and the legitimacy of the event itself aside, I believe this event demonstrates one serious flaw in UNM policy that both insults the hard work of UNM student organizations and provides unfair support from the UNM Police Department to zealous religious groups that come to visit campus.
The difference between the religious zealots and student organizations is that UNMPD has provided security to both of the religious zealots that have come to campus while at the same time refusing to provide security at events organized by UNM student organizations.
Instead of receiving much-needed security from UNMPD at the Jason Mraz concert, Red Rally, Spring Storm, the Homecoming dance, various residence hall functions and hundreds of other on-campus events where security is required by UNM, student organizations are required to hire an outside security company.
I am not complaining about having to hire outside security. However, I do not feel that it is in any way, shape or form fair for invasive and offensive visitors to receive free security from UNMPD.
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The ASUNM Lobo Spirit Committee paid $870.33 for security at Red Rally. ASUNM Student Special Events paid $996.67 for security at Jason Mraz. The ASUNM Arts & Crafts Studio will pay $168.45 for security at the arts and crafts fair in December. Last year ASUNM Community Experience paid $92.00 for security at the Spring Storm BBQ, a community service project.
What did the religious zealots pay for their security? Nothing.
The money student organizations use to pay for security comes from funds allocated by the ASUNM Finance Committee that are originally generated by UNM student activity fees collected from every undergraduate student - and if that money is not allocated, the event cannot go on. In simple words, UNM students end up paying outside security companies for security at popular, student-focused events while the UNM Police Department provides free security to ignorant religious zealots who harass students.
I understand UNM police must be available as emergency responders to the entire University community for all types of emergencies, and it would be a tragedy for police officers to be unable to respond to an emergency elsewhere because they were providing security at an organized event.
However, the point remains that the current policy is unfair to student organizations and we must demand that either UNMPD provide the same security to UNM student organizations that it does to visiting religious zealots or that visiting religious zealots and other such visitors to campus must be required to provide and fund their own security in the same way student groups do.
This is an unfortunate example of UNM policies that are unfair and hurt students. Let's organize as a student body to take a stand against such unfair policies so that we can make campus life better for all of us. Wednesday was the fall ASUNM election - can our newly elected senators please do something to correct these unjust policies that hurt the student groups that they represent? I sure hope so.
Matthew Maez
UNM student
