Regents need to use common sense for hiring, spending

Editor,

Despite a spending and hiring freeze across the University and the distinct possibility that once again staff and faculty will receive no salary increase, the regents and President David Schmidly's overpaid administration feel it's OK to go ahead with the renovation of The Pit because the money comes from a different source.

I have some news for them: It's not OK, whatever the source of the money. They are asking staff, faculty and students to cope with the effects of a cut in spending across many areas that directly impact academic study. At such a time, spending $60 million on nonessential upgrades to a sports arena sends exactly the wrong message to the University and the broader New Mexico community.

Marie Antoinette would be proud of them. She also continued to live in luxurious excess while ignoring the plight of the poor. The regents would do well to remember that they are appointments of the governor. Those appointments can be taken away as swiftly as they were given. Certainly, this kind of spending is not what Gov. Bill Richardson wanted when he proposed statewide cutbacks in budgets. Antoinette literally lost her head in part because of her poor judgment. The regents might figuratively follow suit unless they start using some common sense in their hiring and spending practices.

Danny Lee

UNM staff