Daily Lobo new mexico
So...thirsty see page 7
April 25, 2012
wednesday The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
ScottCohen receives degree
Lasting Legacies
Psychology department grants posthumous B.S. by Luke Holmen holmen@unm.edu
Wolfgang Scott-Cohen Junfu Han / Daily Lobo Left to right, Elga Garcia Garza, Jose Garcia, Jorge Garcia perform a traditional Aztec sunrise ceremony Greeting to the Four Directions Sunday morning on Johnson Field. The ceremony kicked off Nizhoni Days, the weeklong celebration of indigenous culture hosted by the Kiva Club and other American Indian student groups. See page 6 for full story.
Roybal recollects teamwork, legislation by Svetlana Ozden sozden@unm.edu
Jaymie Roybal As her term comes to an end, ASUNM President Jaymie Roybal said she is proud of ASUNM’s accomplishments this year and hopes that the administration continues to listen to the student body. She said she aimed to keep tuition low and improve student health facilities because student wellness, she said, should be a priority at UNM. The Daily Lobo sat down with Roybal to reflect on her achievements as ASUNM president and learn more about her plans for the future.
Daily Lobo volume 116
issue 145
Daily Lobo: One of your primary goals was to keep tuition low. Tuition increased by 3.75 percent this year compared to 5.5 percent last year. While tuition increased, it didn’t by as much as in previous years. How much of an effect do you think your actions and the actions of students had in keeping it low? Jaymie Roybal: One of the things I’m most proud of is that I was able to work well with GPSA President Katie Richardson. ASUNM and GPSA have different priorities but we worked together to keep tuition and fee increases low. It’s something that hasn’t been done in the past. ASUNM and GPSA having a united voice had a big impact on keeping the tuition increase low. Any tuition increase is unfortunate for students but 3.75 percent is less than the 5.5 percent increase from last year and students will see that, although it is more money, it means more services for students. Part of library costs will be covered by the tuition increase and next year there will be new professors, graduate assistantships and teaching assistantships. DL: Despite aims to keep student fees low, SFRB recommended a $16.71 increase over last year and the administration is likely to add an additional $50 fee for Athletics. Why did student fees increase so
much this year? JR: SFRB stands behind the $16.71 recommendations. The increase will offer more services for students. It will fund a recreational center and includes extended hours at Johnson Center and a 24-hour library. But I strongly disagree with the $50 fee for Athletics. ASUNM fought against that and I am very unhappy that the regents support it. ASUNM has been very vocal about our dissatisfaction with the additional funding for Athletics. DL: What would you have done differently? JR: I would have liked to create more opportunities for administrators to engage with students because the administration rarely comes in contact with the student body aside from working with ASUNM, GPSA, SFRB and other organizations. It’s unfortunate because as much as student leaders can represent the student body, the administration doesn’t interact with the rest of the student body, and it could have more of an impact if the administration was more involved. I think it’s necessary that they hear the students’ voices as well. DL: What do you plan to do in the future? JR: I graduate in December and I hope to go to graduate school, law school and get my MBA. I
don’t intend to continue a position within ASUNM but I accepted an internship at Northwestern Mutual Financial Network that will start this summer. DL: One of your key goals at the state Legislature this year was the repeal of the tuition credit, which is a tax on higher education that students pay to the government. How did your actions and the actions of ASUNM ensure that got taken off the books? JR: It’s been a lengthy process and a big part of it was educating state Legislature because they weren’t really aware that the tuition credit existed. We explained that the tuition credit balanced the budget of the state and they took it to heart. DL: The bike share program, which would allow students to rent bicycles from electronic pay kiosks on campus, will be funded $50,000 from student fees through the SFRB, conditional on the rest of the $250,000 in funding being raised by ASUNM. Where are you on the fundraising process and will we see that program implemented next year? JR: I hope to see it implemented next year and we’re waiting for the final quote from the company we’re working with that will
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see Roybal page 3
Deceased UNM student Wolfgang Scott-Cohen was awarded a posthumous Bachelor of Science in Psychology by the department. During the Faculty Senate meeting Tuesday, faculty voted to award the degree to Scott-Cohen for his efforts during the three and a half years he spent studying at UNM. In February, Scott-Cohen was in a coma for 11 days after a vehicle collision and died on Feb. 21. Chriselle Martinez, advisement coordinator at the Department of Psychology, said Scott-Cohen was well-liked among his classmates. “He was very outspoken and a lot of classmates were really fond of him,” she said. In a letter addressed to the psychology department, Jane Smith, the department’s chair, said Scott-Cohen was well-known in the department and served as a research assistant with several faculty members. Psychology major Jason Alexander said Scott-Cohen had hoped graduate either this spring or in the fall. ScottCohen had accumulated 110 credit hours, according to the degree request. Alexander said. Scott-Cohen was well known by classmates for his knowledge, not just in psychology but in a wide range of subjects. “He always contributed in class, and he always knew so much,” he said. “Sometimes I think he would get off topic, but what he had to say was usually pretty interesting, off the wall, and well-informed. It’s really too bad that guy will never go to work in his field. I’m sure he would have come up with something no one else did.”
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