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.
Regents President Jamie Koch will attend the petition-requested faculty meeting after all. Koch said he found out President David Schmidly would go to the meeting by reading Tuesday's Daily Lobo, and now he's decided to do the same. Koch told the Lobo on Monday that he would not attend the meeting, because he had no reason to.
New Mexico natives, including a UNM professor, traveled to Oklahoma last week to help women at a correctional facility express themselves through poetry. Albuquerque's Jimmy Santiago Baca and associate professor Diane Torres-Velasquez visited the Mabel Bassett Correctional Facility for women.
Daily Lobo: Why film? Nathaniel Chavez: Why film? Well, originally I was going to be doing theater because that's my passion. I've been doing it ever since I was little, and then because of my disability - I get money from the (Department of Vocational Rehabilitation), and they kind of wanted me to pick a degree that would really get me more employed right after I get out.
Faculty members will meet with President David Schmidly - but not David Harris or Jamie Koch - within the next 10 days to discuss how administrative actions have affected the Legislature's view of UNM. Richard Wood, chairman of the Faculty Governance Committee, said the Faculty Constitution demands that the meeting occur in a quick and timely fashion.
The Pit poltergeist continued to haunt Wyoming's Brandon Ewing on Tuesday. It got to the point where it didn't matter who covered Ewing. His shadow probably could've gotten the job done. And whatever shooting syndrome the senior contracted, he infected his Wyoming teammates with it, too.
Temperatures may have been low early Monday morning, but spirits were sky high for students hoping to make a difference in Santa Fe. The trip north, sponsored by ASUNM and GPSA, began at 7 a.m. Once there, students made their way to the Roundhouse at a quick pace, eager to voice their concerns about legislative priorities affecting UNM and the campus community.
More than 230 faculty members have signed a petition that calls for a special meeting to address their "crisis of confidence" in President David Schmidly and other administrative officials, whose actions, they claim, have led the Legislature to propose sweeping budget cuts for UNM.
The Student Fee Review Board tabled a funding request from the Athletics Department at the board's first deliberation meeting Saturday. The department's representative could not account for where all the requested funding would go, and SFRB members decided to revisit the issue when the Athletics Department can provide the information.
Faculty members say they are having a "crisis of confidence" in President David Schmidly and other administrative officials, whose actions, they claim, have caused the Legislature to propose bigger budget cuts at UNM. More than 230 faculty members have signed a petition that calls for a special meeting to address their concerns.
UNM students Lisa Remington and Kenny Salazar have been through bad times and good. Now, the couple hopes to seal the deal with the help of the New Mexico Dream Wedding Giveaway this month. Remington and Salazar will graduate with their teaching degrees in May, and they said it would be hard for them to find the money for a wedding.
The New Mexico Legislature will soon vote on a bill that would allow electric vehicles to travel at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour within city limits. Biology research professor Paul Watson is the proprietor of Zenn Electric Cars, an Albuquerque business that sells electric automobiles.
Solutions by The State News
