DAILY LOBO new mexico
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The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
October 9, 2009
ASUNM senators want Locksley suspended by Mario Trujillo Daily Lobo
A resolution calling for the immediate, temporary suspension of head football coach Mike Locksley made it through the first leg of the ASUNM Senate on Wednesday. The undergraduate student government’s Steering and Rules Committee drafted a resolution concerning Locksley’s Sept. 20 altercation with assistant coach J.B. Gerald. The resolution will go before the full ASUNM Senate next Wednesday. The resolution calls for “the suspension of coach Locksley until the current investigation into this incident by the Vice President of Human Resources, Ms. Helen Gonzales, is completed.” Senator Laz Cardenas, who drafted the ASUNM resolution, said that in addition to calling for a temporary suspension of Locksley, the resolution asks the Human Resources Department to make the investigation their highest priority. “What we are basically saying is, ‘Hey, Human Resources Department, get on it,’” Cardenas said. “We want to see what this investigation is going to lead to, and I’m sure they are doing that 110 percent.” Locksley declined to comment but has apologized for his actions numerous times. The resolution also expressed disappointment in Athletics Director Paul Krebs’ action. “Vice President for Athletics Mr. Paul Krebs’ resolution to verbally reprimand and place a letter of reprimand in Mr. Locksley’s personal record is insufficient punishment for such grievous actions,” the resolution states. A few days after he announced the punishment, Krebs asked for a human resources investigation into the altercation, which allegedly occurred during a coaches’ meeting. The Human Resources
Department has not set a time limit on the investigation, Vice President Helen Gonzales told the Associated Press. The Graduate and Professional Student Association passed a resolution addressing the Locksley altercation last Saturday. The graduate student government did not condone Locksley’s actions but resolved that he shouldn’t be fired. The resolution suggested that he seek various forms of counseling. Cardenas said that unlike the GPSA resolution, his resolution calls for a punishment that reflects the student body’s opinion. “The GPSA had no spine in their action,” Cardenas said. “I feel, if you are going to go on a position like this, you have to talk to a lot of people, and that’s what I have (done).” But there is no guarantee the resolution will ever get off the ASUNM Senate floor. The resolution made it through the Steering and Rules Committee with three in favor, one opposed and one abstention. Steering and Rules Committee chairwoman Alicia Berry — who doesn’t get a vote in committee but gets one in full Senate meetings — said she plans to vote against the resolution on Wednesday. “It kind of feels like we are kicking him while he is down,” she said. “I don’t think it is going to benefit the football team if we say something. I don’t think he is going to perform any better.” Berry also said she doesn’t condone Locksley’s action, but ASUNM doesn’t have the power to take away his livelihood. “We shouldn’t be able to say that he is getting suspended,” she said. “We shouldn’t be the people that say we need to dock his pay. We are not in the position to do that. Yes, we can say something like, ‘We are unhappy with your actions.’ But we don’t have any rights to really say, ‘You don’t get this,’ because it’s a
see ASUNM page 3
Vanessa Sanchez/ Daily Lobo Veronica Navigato, left, and Madeleine Dorado chat in the National Historic Spruce Park Neighborhood, west of campus, on Wednesday. The two live across from each other in the neighborhood and have lived there for over 10 years. Both are concerned about traffic from the expanding University.
City Councilor sides with UNM neighbors by Pat Lohmann Daily Lobo
City Councilor Isaac Benton was re-elected Tuesday, and he attributes much of his success to his stance on the UNM Master Plan of Development. “I think that a lot of the folks in those neighborhoods (around UNM) recognized that I’ve been fighting for them, and they probably voted for me,” he said. Benton wrote a letter to the Board of Regents on Sept. 22 asking them to postpone the vote for the plan’s approval at their Sept. 29 meeting, allowing for more neighborhood input. “If you are willing to table adoption of the Master Plan at this time, I would be happy to offer my office and other resources that can be provided by the city to assist the University in its outreach to the community,” the letter stated. The vote was postponed, and the plan will be presented to the Regents some time this fall. Two architects from
Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, the architecture firm hired to develop the Master Plan, donated a total of $1,250 to Alan Armijo, Benton’s opponent in the city council race. During the campaign, Armijo said he primarily spoke with University representatives and city officials when addressing the Master Plan controversy, because he was unaware of meeting times of neighborhood associations. Dale Dekker said his $500 donation to Armijo had nothing to do with Benton’s support of the neighborhood associations. “Alan and I go way, way back. I’ve known him for years and years and helped him with his first city council campaign, and that’s New Mexico politics,” he said. “Unfortunately, you know everybody, and (Benton) never called me and never asked for a donation. If he would have, I probably would have given him something.” Steven Perich also said he would have donated to Benton if he had sought his support. “I would probably have helped
him out as well. I’ve known both those guys for years,” he said. “I’ve supported Alan in pretty much all of his past elections as well. We play golf together and stuff like that.” Benton’s campaign received public financing, so he did not seek private donations. However, Benton said the two architects’ donations were not about convenience. “For whatever reason, those folks felt like they’d get an easier time with my opponent, but it didn’t work out that way,” he said. “What we’re hoping for is just a more open collaborative process with all the people who are impacted with these plans — that we don’t just get plans presented to us and that’s called ‘interaction.’” Fran Ahern-Smith, a member of the Summit Park Neighborhood Association, said she voted for Benton because of his stance on campus expansion. “I think he’s a very positive influence. He’s done remarkable things for us in our neighborhood,” Smith said.
see Benton page 3
Johnson Field used as landing site by Kallie Red-Horse Daily Lobo
Kallie Red-Horse / Daily Lobo A UNMPD vehicle arrives to form part of a perimeter around Johnson Field for a helicopter landing Thursday. The helicopter landed as part of a training session for the National Guard.
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 114
issue 35
Student Kimberly Metz awoke in her dorm to loud, frightening noises coming from Johnson Field early Monday morning. “I thought there was a giant lawnmower going off,” she said. “I was really freaked out, because I didn’t know what was going on.” A glance out of the window of her Redondo Village Apartment did not quell her fears, she said, as police cars were scattered over Johnson Field surrounding a helicopter. UNMPD spokesman Lt. Robert Haarhues said that Johnson Field is used as a back-up helicopter landing pad for the UNM Hospital if there are problems with the regular landing pad.
At 7:50 p.m. Thursday night, another helicopter landed on Johnson Field as part National Guard training, according to police at the site. Haarhues said UNMPD officers are alerted before a helicopter lands at Johnson Field so they can create a perimeter. He said a broken helicopter sat on the UNM-H pad awaiting maintenance but is now fixed, so the helipad is back in service. Careflight, the medical retrieval service at UNM-H, owns and operates 12 helicopters in New Mexico. Each helicopter breaks down about four times a year, said Careflight spokesman Charles Reed. “The problems that they have are not predictable,” he said. “You can have something that you think it is simple but the further you dig into
Running out
Unsung defense
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it you find that it is actually not so simple and you have to take it from there.” Although there are no specific requirements for a helipad, pilots prefer open spaces at least 60 feet in diameter, Reed said. This makes Johnson Field an ideal landing space. “Sixty feet would be the very smallest that the pilots would feel comfortable going in and out of,” he said. “It allows for sufficient main rotor and tail rotor clearance.” A helicopter from Santa Fe broke down on top of UNM-H, Reed said, occupying the helipad for several days and forcing all other helicopters to land at Johnson Field. “It landed at the UNM Hospital to
see Helicopter page 3
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