UNM faculty members have drafted an open letter to New Mexicans asking for their support in conflicts with the administration.
The letter, written March 12 and signed by 165 faculty members, states that problems at UNM are problems for all New Mexicans.
Maggie Werner-Washburne, who co-authored the letter, said the misuse of education money is affecting the student-faculty ratio, which has gone from 14:1 to 20:1.
"If we are investing only in the administration, then we are not investing in the future of our institution," she said. "If you look at the age of the people we are investing the most money in, it is not the students."
Student Cindy Carson said that administrative problems should concern students as much as faculty.
"We are paying tuition and we have the right to have the expectation that our education will be taken seriously," she said.
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Carlton M. Caves, Physics and Astronomy distinguished professor, and Eleni Bastea, Architecture professor, also drafted the letter.
Faculty had only eight hours to add their signatures to the letter once it was finished.
Werner-Washburne said she and her co-authors wrote the letter to explain to the community why the problems on campus affect all of New Mexico.
The letter addresses four main issues: the shifting of educational funds, an increase in student-faculty ratio, improper bidding on contracted services, and the lack of confidence in administration.
It was given to every legislator on the Senate Rules Committee, Senate Education Committee and the House Senate Committee, as well as to Gov. Bill Richardson.
Werner-Washburne said faculty are concerned that too much money is being spent on administrative salaries, which will take funds away from the main part of the research and education mission of the University.
"We need a systemic change in the direction that UNM is taking," Werner-Washburne said.
Werner-Washburne said faculty members feel strongly about this and that they are doing all they can to save UNM.
Carson said that, as a student, she agrees with the faculty's call for change.
"Our administration is not conserving. They insist on a corporate model that is not working," she said.
Werner-Washburne said the short-term goal of the letter is to express that faculty do not support Richardson's re-nomination of Jamie Koch to the Board of Regents.
"Moving him down is not the same as putting (in) someone new who understands how a university runs and knows how to communicate with faculty," Werner-Washburne said.
Gov. Bill Richardson was not available for comment Monday. He said in a statement on March 12 that he did not plan to withdraw his nomination of Koch, who stepped down as regents president the same day. He said the UNM community should deal with issues of governance within the University.
Werner-Washburne said she would like to leave UNM in at least as good of shape as it was when she started as a faculty member more than two decades ago.
"I have dedicated my life to changing the institution for the better," she said. "It is hard to imagine that UNM would greatly benefit from Koch staying on the Board for another term."
However, she said she would be satisfied if the letter helped New Mexicans realize that they have a stake in what happens.
"I've taught here 21 years, essentially longer than many administrators, and we have dedicated our entire lives to UNM and to the students," Werner-Washburne said. "I felt like I had to speak out, and I wanted people to realize that this is not a faculty issue, and the trajectory is not sustainable."
The Legislature, which ended its most recent session on Mar. 21, will reconvene for a special session, during which there will be a hearing on Koch's nomination.
