Sign-in sheets show that fewer than 40 students attended Lobo Development Corporation’s open-housing forums held since March, prompting officials to try a different approach.
The University created a housing blog that allows students to track housing updates, ask questions and communicate more effectively, since just 112 people attended the LDC’s 17 forums, according to documents obtained from the Office of the Custodian of Public Records.
Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, UNM Student Affairs vice president, said the blog will create an avenue for further dialogue.
“It was created because of the many questions and misunderstandings on what our plans are for Student Housing …,” he said.
Other than University officials, only one person attended a Sept. 9 meeting, three UNM community members were at an Aug. 8 meeting, and six students or community members showed up to a Sept. 2 forum. Twenty-one students, five community members and the UNM Parent Association president attended a Nov. 30 meeting, a few weeks after Santa Ana dorm residents became concerned they’d be kicked out of the dorm over winter break to allow the hall to be demolished.
Several students attended more than one forum, and one sign-in sheet was incomplete.
UNM Real Estate Director Kim Murphy didn’t return phone calls Monday.
In an effort to get student input, Lobo Development administered online surveys to the student body using “Student Voice,” according to the company’s “strategic housing plan.”
The survey was open for 16 days in May 2009 and received 880 completed responses. To increase student participation, LDC gave away a Wii and iPods, and the 3.5 percent response ratio of the 25,000 person student body was considered an “ideal sample,” according to the housing plan.
Lobo Development’s website also listed dates, times and locations for its forums, but at a November Board of Regents meeting, students expressed concerns about the company’s lack of communication over housing plans.
Student Bethaney Fehrenkamp told the regents that the meetings “are not publicized, do not disclose proprietary information and limit input from concerned parties.”
Regent Carolyn Abeita addressed the issue at a December meeting. She told Lobo Development representatives that better communication and information-sharing was crucial to avoiding confusion.
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“It may sound elementary, but it really does make a difference,” she said.
Torres said LDC officials made efforts to attract student input, but had trouble getting them to attend meetings.
“We expected a larger number of students participating,” he said. “And (we) are not sure why attendance was low.”
