DAILY LOBO new mexico
Get packin’ see page 9
monday
January 24, 2011
The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
CAMERA-SHY IN PUBLIC
Police called over camera dispute at student fee hearings; undergrads want out of board by Elizabeth Cleary
Expert: No legal ground for removing camera
ecleary@unm.edu
A
SUNM and GPSA will not collaborate this year on studentfee allocation after a dispute over whether to allow Saturday’s hearings to be video recorded, as well as what ASUNM President called “irrelevant attacks” and “distracting interruptions” during the hearings. Cardenas said in a Sunday evening statement that ASUNM removed itself from the Student Fee Review Board. He said members contradicted a board decision to not allow video cameras to roll during the meeting. “Due to the lack of order and respect present in the business of the board, departments and organizations could not receive fair consideration,” Cardenas said in the statement. ASUNM will submit separate student fee recommendations to the University, and senators encourage departments to re-apply to ASUNM if they felt they weren’t given a fair hearing, according to the statement. Cardenas said he will meet with UNM President David Schmidly today to discuss separating ASUNM from the SFRB. The dispute resulted in Cardenas, serving as SFRB chair, calling in authorities to remove a camera and its operator after the board
by Shaun Griswold shaun24@unm.edu
Laurisa Galvan / Daily Lobo UNMPD Officer Chris Carabajal addresses the Student Fee Review Board as cameraman Radi Abouelhassan looks on during the Board’s deliberations Saturday. ASUNM President and SFRB Chair Laz Cardenas asked UNMPD to remove a video camera from the hearings due to privacy concerns, but the cameraman was allowed to stay throughout the day’s deliberations. voted 4-3 not to allow video recording at the meeting. UNMPD officers said they did not have the authority to take action. The meeting proceeded until the board passed Cardenas’ motion to bring the SFRB
process to a halt, pending a University Counsel ruling, as to whether video recording must be allowed. The controversy began at around 9:50 a.m. Saturday, when, upon media members’ arrival,
GPSA President and SFRB vice Chair Lissa Knudsen gestured to GPSA employee Radi Abouelhassan to set up a video camera. The meeting had already been in
see Camera-Shy page 6
A person who wants to film a public meeting has the same right as a person who sits and takes notes, according to the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government. ASUNM President and Student Fee Review Board Chair Laz Cardenas called authorities to remove a video camera at Saturday’s SFRB hearings. GPSA President Lissa Knudsen said the board had to allow video recording because of the Open Meetings Act, and officers determined they could not legally remove the camera. NMFOG Executive Director Sarah Welsh said since the meeting was open to the public, a camera should have been allowed. “If people from the public are coming in, sitting and watching, taking notes — what’s the difference between taping and taking notes?” she said. The SFRB voted Saturday evening to halt all deliberations until University Counsel investigates whether the board has to allow its meetings to be video recorded. Cardenas said in a Saturday
see Expert page 6
Co-op aims at fast, healthy food on campus by Hunter Riley
we worked over the past year on trying to put together a proposal that was realistic and that would be Students seeking locally grown, able to make a positive impact on organic and preservative-free food campus,” he said. “Through working with Chartwells and the SUB on campus are in luck. La Montañita Co-op opened its Board, we were finally able to reach third location in Albuquerque last an agreement with La Montañita co-op, and they opened last week.” week next to the UNM Bookstore. Co-op Team Leader Mark Student Jake Wellman said stuLane said he is dents want more thrilled with stulocal and organic dents’ positive food. response to the “Students want co-op. He said to eat healthy, and he will work to students want to be select products environmentally students want conscious,” he said. more of, such as “So having a store prepared meals that sells locally students can eat ~Jake Wellman grown food will reright away. ally be a plus for “We carry students walking to Student 1,500 local prodand from class.” ucts produced Wellman and alumnus Abdullah Feroze pro- by over 900 producers in New Mexposed running a student co-op to ico,” he said. “I want as much as the SUB Board last spring. Wellman possible in here, but some of that said a student-run co-op in Wash- local stuff might not fit the specific ington, D.C., as well as a presen- needs of the students. Because a lot tation by Robin Seydel, the mem- of it isn’t quick-consumption type bership director at La Montañita food; it’s take-home and bake.” Co-op, inspired the idea. “There were a lot of hurdles, and see Co-op page 5
news@dailylobo.com
“Students want to eat healthy and... be environmentally conscious.”
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 115
issue 83
Zach Gould/ Daily Lobo Tristan Malin stocks Blue Sky soda cans at the La Montañita Co-op next to the UNM Bookstore. The store opened last week and offers 1,500 local products produced by more than 900 producers, according to co-op team leader Mark Lane.
Visiting hours in Juarez
Save your seats
See page 2
See page 12
TODAY
50 |24