Editor,
Does Regent Jamie Koch intentionally insult UNM faculty, or is he just clueless about how the University operates? In the April 28 issue of the Albuquerque Journal, he was quoted as saying, “Obviously, (incoming UNM President Robert Frank) needs to get paid.
You can’t ask somebody to work for you when he’s not on the payroll.” Apparently Mr. Koch doesn’t know that this is precisely what most faculty do every summer. They work for the University preparing classes, conducting research, meeting with students, performing University service — and they are not on the payroll. I would appeal to my colleagues to stop working when they are not on the payroll, but I know this will never happen, because they are too dedicated to their work, to students and to UNM. We do the work for free. Perhaps it’s too much to ask the incoming president to do likewise.
I do not believe it is too much to ask regent Koch to apologize to the faculty for his thoughtless words.
Sherman Wilcox
UNM professor
