DAILY LOBO new mexico
February 9, 2011
C&J students looking for a seat
Arizonans abroad see page 4
wednesday The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
COLD AND ANGRY
by Kallie Red-Horse kallie69@unm.edu
Just as journalists nationwide are scrambling for jobs in a changing market, UNM journalism students are scrambling for class spots in a transitioning department. Fewer faculty members, an influx of students and accreditation requirements are straining required class availability for journalism students. The C&J department has always had issues with “impaction,” or more students trying to get in than seats available to them, C&J instructor Richard Schaefer said. “Our faculty have never caught up to enrollment,” he said. “We were 24 faculty this time a year ago. We knew we were losing a couple of them, but we have lost six now, and we are going to lose our seventh in May.” The journalism accreditation limits class size to 20 or fewer, C&J Department Chair Glenda Balas said. “This accreditation is just so very important to us that we are willing to abide by the rules of the accrediting agency so that we are able to maintain accreditation,” she said. “We also believe that those kind of applied courses are best when they are taught in that smaller environment.” Student Danielle Cohen said the department should increase the classes offered to compensate for the classsize constraints. “I was on wait lists for two classes,” she said. “There was only one section of (C&J) 279, and I don’t know where they got the idea that every kid from 171 who wanted to take writing and editing for media were able to get into this one class.” Schaefer said students’ expectations are sometimes unrealistic. “They don’t understand that we have to stagger these classes,” he said. “Many classes that we offer at the advanced level, we can only offer once a year. We just don’t have enough
see C&J page 3
Roberto E. Rosales / AP Photo Officials from the New Mexico Gas Company, Thomas Domme, center, Annette Gardiner, left, and Ken Oostman hold a news conference on Tuesdayin Albuquerque. Gardiner acknowledged the utility’s initial estimates that service would be restored by Sunday night were off the mark. “We thought this was an attainable goal,” Gardiner said. “As restoration progressed, we realized the work was going to take much longer. We apologize for the delay. Progress has proved to be more difficult than we anticipated.” By midday Tuesday, about 5,600 customers remained without service. Officials said service was restored to 72 percent of customers in Española and 70 percent of customers in Taos. Gardiner said the goal was to complete the work by Tuesday evening.
Senator: Grad students deserve benefits by Shaun Griswold shaun24@unm.edu
The Senate introduced a bill that would grant graduate assistants employee status and allow them full benefits, but the bill’s sponsor said he doesn’t think the state is in a financial position to pass it. SB 400, sponsored by Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino (D-Albuquerque), would give graduate assistants employee benefits, such as sick leave, unemployment and hourly restrictions. “The odds are long that it’ll pass,” he said. “Sometimes you have to introduce these things to get the discussion rolling. It’s the first volley in the process.”
The bill is in the Senate Education Committee awaiting debate, but according to an analysis performed by the UNM Graduate and Professional Student Association, consequences of not passing the bill include, “Low employee morale, poor graduation rates, ineffective learning environments, increased instructional costs, agitated campus climate and student unrest.” UNM employed 1,679 graduate assistants during the fall 2010 semester, according to a state analysis. Nearly 70 percent were combined research and teaching assistants. Graduate assistants are students enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree program and employed as teaching, research, graduate or project assistants at their universities. “It will improve the quality of education in New Mexico,” GPSA Presi-
dent Lissa Knudsen said. “We don’t see much downside.” The University employs half the state’s graduate assistants, according to the Higher Education Department.
“Sometimes you have to introduce these things to get the discussion rolling.” ~Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Pino The positions are also essential to undergraduate course work. Teaching assistants teach 20 percent of all undergraduate classes, according to the
Board of Regents. On average, research assistants are the highest paid, pulling in roughly $1,600 a month last year. In 2010, teaching assistants earned $1,484 per month, graduate assistants earned $1,332 a month, and project assistants were paid $657 each month, according to the GPSA analysis. Along with tuition costs, the average salary is not enough to constitute a fair living wage, Ortiz y Pino said. Although classifying graduate students as employees will cost the state more money, he said the long-term benefit is important. “The reality is that we can do any of these measures if we have the will,” he said. “We would have to plan to increase the revenue stream elsewhere.” Ortiz y Pino said the state can make
see Benefits page 3
Saturday parking meters go unenforced City representative: Drivers still expected to pay despite no parking tickets; business owner says save your change
by Kallie Red-Horse kallie69@unm.edu
Parked at a city parking meter on a Saturday? If you keep your quarters, no one will ticket you. Even though Albuquerque meters instruct drivers to pay 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, no weekend enforcement officers are on duty. Budget cuts beginning in fiscal year 2010 meant city enforcement officers only work Monday-Friday, Albuquerque Parking Director Leona Martinez said. “We cannot keep someone on staff
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 115
issue 95
to help with Saturday meter enforcement,” she said. “Even though it’s not enforced doesn’t mean you aren’t required to pay. It is still expected for anyone using the spots to pay for their time there.” A local business owner said he has been informing those parking outside his store Saturdays that they will not be ticketed. He said he preferred to remain anonymous to avoid retaliation from the city. “One person at a time I am letting them know,” he said. “The person who told me used to be my mailman. He said he would have breakfast with the
meter maids and that they would laugh at how the public would pay on Saturdays when they weren’t working.” Martinez said the city is not trying to trick people. “We can’t control decisions that the public makes for themselves,” she said. “A lot of people also pay after 6 p.m., and we don’t enforce then, either.” The business owner said the city will not change signs to reflect the correct information, because it generates money. “If you multiply all the meters in Nob Hill, UNM and Downtown, there are about 2,000 meters in the area,” he
Where are we?
Need for numbers
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said. “If everybody puts at least a dollar in each meter, that is $2,000 every Saturday — $8,000 a month that the city is making. If you multiply that for the last 10 years, that’s a lot of money.” Martinez said she did not have the specific amount of how much money the city’s generated on Saturdays, but the meters brought in $1 million for the city in fiscal year 2010. She said Downtown, UNM and Nob Hill are the largest revenue generators. The business owner said the city is deliberately deceiving the public to raise money. “I understand the city needs rev-
enue, but this is just an all-out scam to make more money,” he said. “Knowing that they are laughing at the public tells me they are doing it purposefully.” Martinez said the city might eliminate meters altogether if enforcement officers’ funding is discontinued. “It’s something that is on the table for council and the mayor’s office to decide,” she said. “Every entity within the city is dealing with major budget cuts this time around. We may delete them altogether because the city of Albuquerque is looking at losing positions across the board permanently.”
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