DAILY LOBO new mexico
What to do in case of zombies see page 2
April 8, 2011
friday
The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
Regent: More fees to Athletics
QURAN BURNING RIOTS
Fortner suggests $30 student fee hike despite SFRB’s recommendations by Hunter Riley hriley@unm.edu
The Student Fee Review Board spent six hours this semester trying to find a way to reduce student fees, and it did, by 31 cents. But Regent Jack Fortner said at the March 28 budget summit that the board might jack up student fees by about $30 in order to give more funding to Athletics, IT Services and UNM Libraries. He said University parties don’t want Instruction and General funds to go to Athletics, even if it’s for utility costs. “I know some people have heartburn about that, but I don’t,” he said. Fortner said the board is looking to offset a proposed $380,000 cut to Athletics by possibly raising student fees. The Finance and Facilities Committee will meet Monday to discuss the fee increase. Regents will make a decision Tuesday. SFRB chair and ASUNM President Laz Cardenas said students should expect an increase in student fees. “My reaction to it was that I wasn’t surprised, and at the same time, I was a little disappointed,” he said. Fortner said the regents have not approved anything, and the fee increase is only a suggestion that needs to be talked about with students. Fortner, who will meet with ASUNM, GPSA and other student groups, said he is getting feedback to pass along to Regent Don Chalmers, who is on the Finance and Facilities Committee. “I am just one regent,” Fortner said. “And my
see Athletics page 3
AP Photo Smoke comes out from the police compound after it was attacked by insurgents in Kandahar, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday. Insurgent suicide bombers and gunmen, in response to the Quran burning by Florida Rev. Terry Jones last month, stormed an Afghan police compound Thursday, setting off explosions and firing assault rifles in a coordinated attack that killed six members of the Afghan security forces. See story page 3.
Richardson new GPSA president
Guv makes fake pot illegal
by Elizabeth Cleary and Shannon Alexander news@dailylobo.com
Smoke shops may have to throw out product by Shaun Griswold shaun24@unm.edu
Just like the real thing, synthetic marijuana is now illegal. Gov. Susana Martinez signed a bill at a news conference inside a Farmington Boys and Girls Club banning the possession and sale of synthetic marijuana. New Mexico is the 16th state to ban synthetic marijuana. But some feel the law won’t curb drug use. “It doesn’t really matter they banned fake marijuana,” student Kyle Johnson said. “People who want to get high can still find real marijuana, or any other drug, if they really want it. I guess this just stops people on probation from smoking.” Online and local smoke shop
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 115
issue 132
Photo Illustration by Zach Gould / Daily Lobo retailers sold synthetic marijuana under brand names such as K2 Spice, King Kong, Route 69, Texas Tea and Mystic Monkey Potpourri. Now local smoke shops have three months to get rid of stock, but could be arrested if they are caught selling synthetic marijuana brands.
“‘Synthetic’ does not mean ‘harmless’. ’” ~Gov. Susana Maritnez “It puts us in a bind,” said Brian Anderson, a manager at a local smoke shop. “We can’t sell it to any customers, and we can’t sell it to a shop in another state where it is legal. We might have to throw it away.”
In January, Farmington became the first New Mexico city to ban products like K2 Spice. Sen. Sue Wilson Beffort (R-Sandia Park) sponsored the legislation that Martinez signed in front of a dozen elected officials from the Four Corners area. “These drugs are no less harmful just because they are known by catchy names and are chemically different than the substances they are supposed to replicate,” Martinez said. “They can pack a powerful punch and can hold devastating consequences for anyone who uses them.” Last month, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration put products like K2 Spice on its illegal drug list. “Once we heard the feds
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Baseball by fire
Throwing out the book
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Katie Richardson will be the next GPSA president. Richardson received a little more than 50 percent of the votes. Joseph Dworak, the runner up, received about 30 percent of votes. Richardson said she is eager to begin her position as GPSA president. “I am humbled that graduate and professional students have placed their trust in me, and I am ready to be a servant of the students,” she said. “It is crucial that the student voice be heard at this University and that UNM’s academic mission is protected.” A record 20 percent of about 6,000 eligible graduate students cast votes in the election. The 2011 GPSA constitution was also ratified with about a 60 percent approval rate, and the capital expenditure bill received nearly 70 percent of votes. GPSA President Lissa Knudsen said she is confident passing the torch to Richardson. “She is an amazing leader,” she said. “She thinks on her feet. She cares very much about the
constituents. She understands the issues as much as anyone can at this point.” Knudsen said GPSA is in need of a fresh outlook. “I’ve given a couple years of my life,” she said. “I’m so glad that I’ve been given the opportunity to do it. But I think the time is right for a new perspective and a new approach and some new ideas. … I’m looking forward to spending more time with my daughter and getting back to my studies.” Dworak said Richardson has her work cut out. “GPSA needs to do a lot more to work with the University and not create barriers with the administration and the students,” he said. “(Richardson) will have a lot of work to do in rebuilding those connections because I think a lot of them are broken.” Dworak said past GPSA leaders haven’t done a good job working with the administration. “The administration has turned away from GPSA just because of the inability to work with some of the leaders in the past, because they’ve just been so hostile in nature,” he said. “I think next year the GPSA presidential role is going to be to work on smoothing out those relationships.”
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