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While other students took time off early last week for fall break, members of the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico Senate stayed late on campus Wednesday to discuss transparency and Freshmen Week.
The ASUNM Senate passed a resolution to support increased transparency at UNM.
Sen. Earl Shank and Lauren Salvato, president of Transition UNM, introduced the resolution which “requests a strengthened infrastructure of UNM investment knowledge.”
Salvato said Transition UNM was an organization associated with the Sustainability Studies Department. She said the organization aims to “organize on the local level to address issues such as climate change and peak oil.”
The resolution encourages the UNM administration to more openly divulge information about its investments, Salvato said.
“What we are looking to do is ask that the University provide transparency for its investment portfolio,” she said. “The eventual goal would be to ask that we divest from fossil fuel completely so that we are truly representing the University’s vision of sustainability.”
According to the resolution, UNM’s Consolidated Investment Fund (CIF) contained $358.4 million at the end of fiscal year 2012. Increased transparency would strengthen the integrity of UNM and lay to rest “speculation about who the University has chosen as strategic financial partners with whom to entrust funds,” according to the resolution.
According to UNM Foundation’s website, the CIF is the total amount of “pooled assets (that) are combined for investment purposes.”
The fund is managed by the UNM Foundation and is approved by the foundation and the University’s Board of Regents.
Salvato said no investment information for UNM is available online or by request.
Freshmen Week
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Members of Emerging Lobo Leaders and Advanced Lobo Leaders attended ASUNM’s Senate meeting that night to discuss the weeklong event.
Divana Olivas, executive director for Emerging Lobo Leaders, said the students came to the meeting to update and recruit senators for the preparations.
Olivas encouraged the Senate to use social media to promote Freshman Week. She also talked about how the sponsors would be giving away items to students who attend the events.
“Our philosophy is that for every event they come to, they get something free,” she said. “So each event has a free item.”
Richard Jojola, assistant director for Advanced Lobo Leaders, said the organizations had been working yearly to promote the upcoming events this week.
“This is the fourth annual year we’re hosting (Freshmen Week), and we’re really trying to get the hype and the promotions up,” he said. “So we could really use all of your help.”
According to the Dean of Students Office website, Freshmen Week will include three events that will take place Oct. 16, 17 and 18.
The events will feature events, such as a “celebration of writing,” the unveiling of this year’s freshman banner, “mocktails and music,” and an involvement carnival, according to the site.
Jojola said about 23 student clubs and organizations would be at the involvement fair Friday.
“The whole idea is kind of to make sure that freshmen are excited about school and get involved,” he said.
ASUNM Sen. Rachel Williams encouraged her colleagues to get involved in Freshmen Week.
“I would really encourage all of you to jump on the UNM Freshmen Week,” she said. “Show up to everything if you can, promote it as best you can, talk about it as much as you can.”
