Daily Lobo: What do you see as the biggest issues facing the graduate community?
Katie Richardson: Graduate research funding is a big one. $300 million comes to the University from other sources, and graduate students help faculty conduct a lot of that research. We need to make sure UNM is investing in our talent and our graduate students and making sure our resources are maximized so we can receive that funding.
Forty percent of undergraduate classes are taught by graduate students. UNM can only fulfill its academic mission with our help, so I would fight to protect graduate assistant and teaching assistant positions. Sixty percent of graduate students don’t have GA- and TA-ships so they are paying their tuition and fees out-of-pocket.
Nationally, there is a major problem with how we are funding higher education. We need to work on making it accessible at all levels and try to prevent any increase in tuition and fees.
DL: If elected, how will you work to address these?
KR: To some extent, I have already been doing this work for grad students. Fighting tuition increases as the graduate student representative in the cost containment committee, I worked to lower fees by working with the SFRB for the past two years. I have also increased access to research dollars as grants chair for the past two years. I am already doing this work.
I am just asking to continue doing what I can for graduate students. I intend to be a leader who is open, inclusive, and who is accountable. I have always been committed to serving students, keeping costs low and ensuring transparent government. That is what I stand for. That is my arching vision for GPSA?
DL: Would you work with other organizations to accomplish your goals?
KR: I would immediately begin building a network of people who have similar interests. Graduate students need to reach out to groups that receive student fee funding and have common vision. Communicating with staff council, dean’s council, ASUNM. All have best interests of UNM at heart.
I would want to meet monthly with the ASUNM president. At each meeting we should ask ourselves what we have in common and what we do; we ought to work together to achieve those goals. It is easy to focus on the differences between us, but that is not my leadership style. There is a natural bond there because graduate students teach the classes that the undergraduates are in.
We need to determine what we can get done today to make sure graduate students are recruited, retained and have academic success in their careers
DL: How do you feel the debates are going?
KR: I am grateful for the opportunity to talk to the other candidates and exchange ideas. There is a common vision there for GPSA and also I just think it is fun. I get excited about any opportunity to serve graduate students, and talking about how I am going to do that in a public forum helps me get new ideas, hear from the audience and test out ideas.
DL: Why is it important for student governments like GPSA to be active on campus?
KR: GPSA is a powerful resource; it is an advocate for graduate students. GPSA is basically a conduit between graduate students and the structural and budgetary decisions that UNM makes. I really enjoy working with people at GPSA and I am humbled by the talent and skill that is in that office currently.
DL: What are your thoughts about tuition increases?
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KR: I want to make sure we are as aggressive in our cost savings elsewhere in university budget, so the burden does not fall on students. There are some practices we need to discontinue. Currently we subsidize a south course which is $4 million in debt. That is money that could be going towards our academic mission, and it needs to be brought to attention. The University needs to be responsible for how they spend student and taxpayer money.
DL: What do you like about UNM?
KR: I like the people. It’s such a cliché thing to say but I have had the opportunity to work with some of the most skilled people and I have met fantastic friends. I also like to be able to see the Sandias from campus. I am not from here. I was brought in because of those research dollars that I am working to save.
