Editor,
I was really interested in the political cartoon in the Daily Lobo the week of July 19. It implies that the stimulus will be the death of the Democrats. I’m not sure who draws these cartoons, but if you look around UNM you will see significant benefit from the stimulus. In biology, we have a graduate student evaluator/program assistant, a new full-time adviser and many newly remodeled rooms for student research and conferences, and that’s just from two student research programs. We have 20 new computers and other large equipment for laboratories — and that is only a small, small part of stimulus funding to UNM. I’m sure the Office of the Vice President for Research knows the number of people who have jobs here because of the stimulus, and it wouldn’t surprise me if this numbered in the 100s.
So, before anyone jokes that the stimulus hasn’t done anything for them, think about the future doctors, teachers and other professionals who will be trained on this equipment and the students who will have greater opportunities and graduate sooner because of advising help and jobs. The stimulus will be the end of the Democrats only if the faculty, staff and the University remain quiet about what we have received and the enormous benefits of what we have done with this funding. At UNM, the stimulus is an investment in the future — your future.
Maggie Werner-Washburne
UNM Faculty
