Editor,
Is it just me, or do others in the UNM community remember Smith Plaza in front of Zimmerman Library being used by student and campus organizations in the first week of previous academic years? Instead, this week, I see these groups relegated to a relatively marginal area, wedged between the library and the Duck Pond.
I may be dating myself here, but I know that my father went to a college whose central plaza most days was clogged with student protesters against a senseless and drawn-out war the United States was mired in. That may be a bit much to ask from the current generation of college students, but what about a table from the entomology club?
Instead, incoming students are greeted by a daily crucible of aggressive corporate hawksters peddling exploitative plans for the students’ electronic devices. What are we telling freshmen this University is about? Is it a University of the students, by the students, for the students — or a University brought to you by your friends Verizon, Xfinity, and CenturyLink from up there in Scholes Hall?
William Maxwell
UNM student
