DAILY LOBO new mexico
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January 25, 2011
tuesday The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
Former student missing; mother asks for help by Elizabeth Cleary news@dailylobo.com
Photo Courtesy of Barbara Davis Colin Bentley, a former UNM student, has been missing since Nov. 29. His mother, Barbara Davis, said she hasn’t heard from her son since a Jan. 3 e-mail, in which Bentley apologized for not checking in. Davis said she is worried about her son’s mental state.
More lab space, fewer professors Biology resources lag behind enrollment by Kallie Red-Horse kallie69@unm.edu
More students are taking biology courses, but the department doesn’t have adequate support to handle the demand. Biology department Chair Richard Cripps said the department has increased offered credit hours by 376 since last year. He said it’s hard to cope with the increase because of limited instructors, lab space, materials and administration. “We have seen the number of biology majors increase by 500 students in five years,” he said. “The numbers have really gone through the roof.” According to the UNM Fact Book, the percentage increase since fall 2006 of both credit hours offered and enrollment in the biology department both fall around 17 percent. However, enrollment has increased 17.45 percent and credit hours have increased 17.2 percent. A quarter of a percent amounts to about 122 students. Associate Chair William
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Pockman said the department increased lab and lecture sections, but it cannot keep up with enrollment. He said the lack of space is alleviated by the new Science and Mathematics Learning Center, but budget cuts could eliminate more teaching assistant positions. “The new center should help in theory,” he said. “Suddenly, we have new lab space that is dedicated to those courses, but at the moment we don’t have enough
More students are taking biology courses, but the department doesn’t have adequate support to handle the demand. money to pay the person who would have to run it.” Biology Adviser Avelina Martinez said the introductory courses are the most difficult to coordinate for students because prerequisites overlap across University-
The mother of former UNM physics student Colin Bentley has not seen her son since Nov. 29, and she said the state of Bentley’s mental health is cause for concern. Barbara Davis said she last heard from her son via e-mail Jan. 3. Before that, Davis said she spoke with Bentley on the phone Dec. 24, and records show that was the last time Bentley used his cell phone. “Hi mom,” Bentley’s Jan. 3 e-mail to his mother reads. “Sorry I have not replied in mucho tiempo. My phone charger stopped working, and I have been unable to locate a new one in the immediate vicinity.” UNMPD Detective Mariann Wallace said in an email to Davis that bank statements from Dec. 1-31 show purchases were made with Bentley’s bank card at eateries in the SUB, various establishments on Lomas Boulevard, at a Smith’s and a Diamond Shamrock. Wallace said more recent bank statements cannot be obtained without a
wide programs. “In one day, I saw over 15 students trying to get into the anatomy and physiology course,” she said. “We had our students e-mail professors and chairs. Because so many students e-mailed and let them know there were so many students, they added a whole other section to the class.” Student Eric Olivas said he had issues getting into the anatomy and physiology course because of lack of teaching assistants. “It seems like really poor planning and budgeting to consider cutting from a program that is so fundamental in getting people started in a health sciences career in any way,” Olivas said. Student Rachel Mnuk said coordinating the lab component of her schedule was difficult. “The labs are sometimes an issue, because unless you get the priority registration, it can be really hard to get it to fit into your schedule, especially when you get to the point where they are three hours,” she said. “If you bug them enough, you can figure it out.” Pockman said the money available in the biology department will determine if it can hire more TAs. At the moment, Cripps said, the department’s lack of resources is discouraging. “We are at a time where resources are limited, money is limited,” he said. “It has been difficult for us to maintain the level of instruction as we want to do.”
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subpoena. Davis said she came from her home in Taos with family members on Sunday to paper the UNM campus with missing person fliers. She said she spoke with one employee from the Sonic at the SUB who recognized Bentley’s picture and has seen him in the past few weeks. Wallace reported in another e-mail to Davis that University records show Bentley either withdrew or failed all of his courses from the fall 2010 semester and that he never registered for courses this semester. Davis said her son is having a mental breakdown. She said Bentley’s hair was slightly longer and that he was 15 pounds lighter when she last saw him compared to the photo in the missing person flier. “He’s the kind of person when you ask him how things are, he’ll tell you everything’s fine,” she said. “He will resist assistance and resist help. ... But he’s not OK. He’s really not OK. He’s not functioning.” The missing person flier says Bentley was last seen living in his car, a gray
1986 Honda Accord hatchback, near UNM Hospital on Dec. 23. However, Davis said Bentley’s car was found near the hospital without a battery and towed. She said she called the towing company Monday and Bentley’s car is still sitting in the Budget Towing Co. lot. She wishes to tell Bentley to come home so she can help him get back on his feet. “He’s brilliant,” she said. “He is a brilliant physicist and mathematician. … We just want to know he’s OK.”
If you have information about Bentley, call APD at: 242-2677 or his friends and family at: (575)613-6090
WELCOME TO CHILE
Zach Gould / Daily Lobo A member of the Pehuenche native tribe in Chile stokes coals while cooking fresh-cut lamb (or cordero) over an open flame. The cooking is a social event common among the tribe’s culture.
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