Editor,
After reading the Santa Fe New Mexican’s story “UNM Sex Scandal Sparks Second Lawsuit,” I am now a disturbed member of the student community.
How is it that acts to ensure the safety of students can result in such dismal reactions of the UNM faculty? Where has all the professionalism gone? As department chairs and professors, these people have the responsibility to be role models and provide good examples for their students and employees to follow — or does a tenure status mean that they have no rules and regulations to abide by? It is unfortunate that ethics appears to be of extremely small importance to the people who students look to for guidance.
At the end of the article, UNM spokeswoman Susan McKinsey is quoted as saying that it was “UNM’s conclusion that a tenured faculty member should not be fired for off-campus conduct,” which brings into question why any regular faculty member or student, then, should get into any type of trouble for their off-campus conduct. It appears to indicate the fact that tenured professors have “earned” the right to do whatever they like, whenever they like, with no consideration for students or colleagues — as long as it is off-campus, of course!
Does UNM not hold its favored professors to a higher standard? Or is it the case that the favorite child can roam around and break things but receive no discipline?
The bottom line is that this story continually shows a lack of respect in many areas — to employees, to females and to concerns regarding inappropriate behavior. I have no judgment toward Lisa Chavez’s desire to work for a sex line, but I am highly offended by her remarks about pregnancy and children. They were highly unprofessional, unethical and disrespectful.
This is such a ridiculous story about the happenings at UNM, and we wonder how we get such a bad reputation sometimes. I vote the University hold all of its students and employees to the same standard. People need jobs these days, anyway. It is not as if we can’t find more well-rounded, respectable and respectful people to take the place of some.
Debbie Nguyen
UNM Student
