At its four-hour meeting Tuesday, the Board of Regents passed two resolutions supporting President David Schmidly, Regents President Jamie Koch and Executive Vice President David Harris. The resolutions come a week before the faculty will meet to discuss a lack of confidence in Schmidly, Koch and Harris.
Call him Tom. After moving from Jordan to New York City in 1989 at the age of 19, Haytham Khalil applied for a parking attendant job at a fancy restaurant. The manager stared at his application, then looked at him and said his name was too hard to pronounce.
President David Schmidly said UNM employees who participate in the voluntary furlough program, which he announced this week, will help UNM avoid cutting jobs. "We have got to hold the line on spending. If we don't, we're going to get in a situation where we can't cope with our reduced appropriations without doing something major with our payroll, and I want to try to avoid that," he said.
The Roundhouse was filled with shouts of "Governor! Governor!" as an exuberant crowd cheered Gov. Bill Richardson's support of their cause. About 150 people gathered on Monday to convince New Mexico legislators to repeal the death penalty in New Mexico. The New Mexico Coalition to Repeal the Death Penalty hosted the rally in Santa Fe on Monday.
Students are getting involved in the controversy that has been raging for months between faculty, staff and administration. Graduate student Carl Grover started a petition to remove President David Schmidly and posted it on Facebook and PetitionOnline.com.
Daily Lobo: What does it mean to be a family studies major? Jessica Perry: Basically, that's what you go through to be a therapist, and I'm minoring in psychology. DL: Why do you want to be a therapist? JP: Because I really want to help people, and that's one way I can see actually making a difference in people's lives.
In the Senate Judiciary Committee, a domestic partnership bill was halted in a tied vote on Feb. 9. The bill would allow same-sex and opposite-sex unmarried partners to be eligible for many of the same rights as married couples. It needed a majority vote by committee members in order for it to move to the Senate floor but was split in a five-to-five deadlock.
Staff Report ASUNM will decide whether to issue a vote of confidence in President David Schmidly on Wednesday, one week before faculty members will voice their lack of confidence in the president. "What we are doing is proposing a resolution that is symbolic, in that it's saying we understand that times are difficult and you (Schmidly) have to make difficult decisions, and we believe in you to make good difficult decisions," said Ashley Fate, president of the undergraduate student government.
If you hear what sounds like an air-raid siren today, don't worry - you're probably not in danger. Campus Emergency Services will test its emergency siren at 11:02 a.m. today as part of UNM's emergency-response plan. Emergency Operations Manager Byron Piatt said students should seek shelter in the nearest building when the siren sounds.
Crowds of students flocked to Mesa Vista Hall on Friday for free HIV testing and prevention information during Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The event was hosted at African American Student Services, and local activist Hakim Bellamy did much to promote the event through Facebook.
Staff Report President David Schmidly is inviting University employees to take a vacation without pay. A UNM-issued statement yesterday confirmed a voluntary furlough program will be offered for employees who want to take unpaid leave. "Individuals may find that they could use additional time away from work for family concerns or any number of other reasons," the statement said.
The Board of Regents could see major changes if two bills framed by Sen. Tim Keller are approved by the Legislature this spring. One of the bills would require the Senate to approve all of Gov. Bill Richardson's regent appointees by a two-thirds majority vote, and the other would create a faculty regent position on the board.
For 20 children from local elementary schools, a healthy smile is no longer out of reach. Dr. Charles Tatlock, dentist and associate professor at UNM, hosted Give Kids a Smile day on Friday at a dental clinic in the Northeast Heights. The annual event provides free dental care to 20 children between 5 and 14 who have severe dental problems.
Do you think the faculty's petition is justified? Sean Wynne Senior American and Asian Studies "Yes, because I think that the regents and the president need to answer to the criticisms and the allegations that have been put forth. I think they have the duty to do that.
The Board of Regents will play a more active role in approving the University's budget this year, causing community members to question the balance of power at UNM. In the past five years, the budget process required a summit meeting of University officials and a Finance and Facilities Committee meeting before the final budget got the stamp of approval from the Board of Regents.
President David Schmidly is inviting University employees to take a vacation without pay. A UNM-issued statement yesterday confirmed a voluntary furlough program will be offered for any employees who wish to take unpaid leave. "Individuals may find that they could use additional time away from work for family concerns or any number of other reasons," the statement said.
Sen. Clint Harden has put forward a legislation package of four bills that focus on helping autistic students from elementary to high school. "What we know now is that early intervention and early treatment will help by the time an autistic child reaches eighth grade," said Harden, a Republican from District 7.
The Office of International Programs and Studies could be one of the departments hit hardest by the proposed legislative budget cuts. Thomas Bogenschild, director of OIPS, said nearly half of the office's operating budget comes from legislative support in the form of "special project" funding.
David Harris, executive vice president for Business and Finance, still has not said whether he will attend the special faculty meeting, though the petition mentioned him by name. Harris has repeatedly declined an interview on the subject. Some faculty members have said that Harris is at the center of the University's financial problems.
Solutions by The State News
