Editor,
Disrespect for staff just keeps on coming. The Daily Lobo, printed issue, dated January 19, 2016 printed an article on page two in relation to the budget. (UNM President Bob) Frank’s statement: “I’m optimistic, I feel like UNM’s always working to improve itself,” he said. “We have great students here right now, we have good faculty, we’ve got hardworking regents and I think we’re facing the challenges that every university is facing about funding, but I feel like we’ve got the team here that can work through these hard issues together and come to joint decisions about it.” Frank did not mention one large part of “the team.” The staff. His not mentioning the staff represents the disrespectful tone Frank has set as the leader of this University. With this tone set how are we ever to become a team?
In the same issue, (it is reported) the (UNM) football coach receives a $50,000 dollar raise as he had a winning season. The definition of a winning season is 7-6 or ~54 percent success. Would that same percentage of success or accuracy be worthy of a raise if this were a staff or faculty member.
The blatant disregard for the people, especially staff, at this University – with the exception of the top five percent – is deplorable. When will the top five percent of the earners at this University realize that this is not their own pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? This is the state’s University and we, as citizens of this state must demand a higher standard from the top five percent earners or so called leaders. We should not allow them to siphon everything they can out of this University while disrespecting the citizens and harming the largest and very high research designation university so they can brand it as if it were a used car lot thereby turning the degrees earned here into lemons.
Margaret Gonzales
UNM alumni, community member
