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GPSA seeks to mitigate loss of loan subsidies
monday
WATER WAR
by Svetlana Ozden news@dailylobo.com
In response to a congressional decision to deny graduate students subsidized student loans, GPSA raised $49,000 in scholarship money that will be allocated to graduate students this semester. Beginning July 1, graduate students are no longer eligible for federal subsidized loans, which are loans from the government that don’t have an interest rate and don’t have to be paid back until six months after graduation. Although graduate students have access to unsubsidized loans, unsubsidized loans have a fixed interest rate of 6.8 percent that will continue to accrue interest even while students are in school. GPSA Executive Finance Committee Chair Sarah Coffey said GPSA started the Graduate Scholarship Fund and raised $49,000 in scholarship money in order to close the gap that was left after graduate students were denied subsidized loans. She said former President David Juan Labreche / Daily Lobo Schmidly’s office matched the $4,000 in donations collected from UNM alumni and the Freshman Leo Martinez (left) flees an incoming water balloon from the green team while attempting to snatch the green flag. The water-balloon capture-the-flag $20,000 from a GPSA Council donation, and game was organized by UNM National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH). UNM senior Eric Silva co-founded NRHH two years ago with the directive to provide leadership $1,000 was donated by the Vice President of opportunities to the top 1 percent of campus residents. Student Affairs Cheo Torres. “GPSA was outraged that grad students were being denied the opportunity for funding,” Cof- improvements and renovations. fey said. “So we decided to put together this “This is a serious issue and we have to scholarship to give graduate students that extra come together as students and as a Univerpush to graduate.” sity and address this issue,” she said. Coffey said the GPSA scholarship is nondiscriminatory and that GPSA implemented Graduate Resources Bookmark an internal FAFSA application so students Silva said that, with the help of the Graddon’t have to have a social security number uate Resource Center, GPSA and GRC memin order to receive funding. She said GPSA is bers compiled a list of graduate resources “Apps and smartphones are making lives a lot by Svetlana Ozden still deciding when applications will be ac- and designed a bookmark for students. The more efficient and a lot more enjoyable in a news@dailylobo.com cepted, when rebookmark inlot of ways.” cipients will be cludes informaThis summer, UNM and the city released Th e city of Albuquerque is hosting a $30,000 chosen and how tion about grants, the “Where’s My Bus” app, which allows users app design contest. many recipients including grant At an Aug. 24 press conference, city of to track bus locations throughout Albuquerwill be allocated amounts and apAlbuquerque Mayor Richard Berry announced que. As part of the release, UNM shuttles were funds, but that plication deadthe beginning of the ABQ Data competition, a equipped with GPS tracking units that allow recipients must lines, as well as city of Albuquerque app-development contest buses to be tracked while en route. be within three a directory for Berry said the city wanted to encourage aimed to improve Albuquerque community ~Sarah Coffey semesters of graduate resource innovation and creativity among community members’ and visitors’ experiences in graduation in orcenters and GPSA executive finance Albuquerque. Eligible participants, including members and that the contest will recognize der to be eligible organizations. talent within the community. committee chair for funding. Silva said UNM students, can design an app using city “We’re hoping to have a really exciting con“We’re still GPSA has never datasets made available online. test,” he said. “I’m excited … to see who’s got it Th e contest, which began Aug. 24 and ends discussing how many students will be allo- had a system that clearly outlined graduate cated the scholarship,” she said. “We’re hop- resources and that it was necessary to com- Oct. 22, requires contestants to use at least going on with their app writing and be able to ing to accept applications in October and pile this list in order to help students suc- one dataset from ABQ Data. Contest winners come forward with the most exciting apps. So will be selected by a panel composed of tech- let’s get out there and have some fun.” actually give out the funds to the recipients cessfully complete their graduate degree. in November, but those dates are subject to “We’re streamlining the information nology experts and community members. The change depending on the council.” For more information about the into a one-stop-shop for all the informa- panel will determine the winning apps based competition or to enter to win follow tion you need about rewarding organiza- on the most innovative mobile application Lobos for Legislation the QR code. tions on campus,” she said. “Our job has for Albuquerque’s cultural resources, doing GPSA President Marisa Silva said GPSA always been to be a resource center and business in the city, and for outdoor fun and has already begun discussions with Lobos to connect grad students to those resourc- healthy living. Winners will be announced in for Legislation, a University alumni commit- es and act as a social hub to offer that November. Berry said the competition is a way for tee that assists communication between the support.” community members to get involved with the University, state representatives and repSilva said that in the future, GPSA and resentative candidates. She said one of the ASUNM might collaborate to make a big- city and write apps that relate to Albuquermain priorities is protecting Higher Educa- ger list of resources that will also include que. He said the apps will help Albuquerque citizens and visitors better enjoy the city and tion Bond C, a bond issue on the 2012 general undergraduate information. election ballot that allocates money to build“We’re trying to make everyone’s life make information about the city more readily ing maintenance of New Mexico colleges and easier,” she said. “We need to ensure stu- available. “Technology is becoming the mechanism universities. dents are finding and getting the support or go to cabq.gov/abq-data Bond C would allocate $19 million in that they need and make sure we’re seeing for getting answers, for getting results for maps, for suggestions, you name it,” he said. funding to UNM for University building our graduate students graduate.”
City to award $30K in app-making contest
“GPSA was outraged that grad students were being denied the opportunity for funding.”
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