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.
Sam Adams went to UNM's kickoff for Black History Month because the celebration brings out feelings of pride, passion and belonging for him, he said. On Saturday, the Africana Studies Department held a brunch titled "From Civil Rights Activism to the Election of Barack Obama.
Students who want to attend the legislative session in Santa Fe on Monday can sign up to receive a free Rail Runner pass to get there. GPSA and ASUNM are providing the passes, and students can sign up online at either group's Web site. ASUNM Chief of Staff Jake Wellman said students should consider trekking to Santa Fe to fight for funding that would benefit them.
Student Health and Counseling's new health education manager plans to revamp the Peer Education Program, after serving as a peer educator while she attended UNM. Jessica Spurrier will oversee scheduling presentations and training peer educators. Spurrier said the Peer Education Program allows students to teach other students about various health topics, such as depression and stress management.
President David Schmidly's campus-wide e-mail, sent out on Monday, gave a positive - but inexact - outline of steps that UNM will take to make up for shortfalls in the state budget. Schmidly said in the letter that the University has already worked to save money, such as through the hiring freeze, but that it will now save more by reducing nonacademic administrative spending by 15 percent in the next three years.
Many campus groups fearing a loss of state funding redoubled their efforts to claim part of the estimated $8 million the Student Fee Review Board can distribute as it sees fit. At forums Monday and Tuesday in the SUB, representatives from African-American Student Services, American Indian Student Services, El Centro de la Raza, the Office of International Program Support, PIRG, the Student Health and Counseling Center, and the UNM Children's Campus argued about why they deserved a part of the more than $500 each UNM student pays in student fees.
The burning question at the Smoke Free Environment Committee's open forums this week was whether designated smoking corridors will be set up across campus. Pug Burge, co-chairwoman of the committee, said she has received positive feedback from the UNM community on the corridor proposition.
Colorado State was like glass at The Pit - Plexiglas. The Rams didn't bend or break easily, even though the UNM men's basketball team (13-8 overall, 4-2 in the MWC) ultimately earned a 68-50 victory. The key word here would be earned. Rams head coach Tim Miles made sure of it.
The Physical Plant Department said it is well on the way to its goal of saving $75,000 in energy costs over winter break. The project, known as the Winter Setback Program, aimed to save money by reducing temperatures in unoccupied buildings and was introduced in President David Schmidly's final Monday Morning Message before the break.
A team of UNM engineering researchers is working to develop a new composite material to rival concrete, which deteriorates after a few decades. The team is looking to make the material as blast-resistant as possible. The research is being funded by more than $2 million in grants from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the National Science Foundation and the Army Research Office.
Solutions by The State News
