New Mexico Daily Lobo 110609

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DAILY LOBO new mexico

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The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895

November 6, 2009

Lawsuits filed over professor posing on sex site

Suit claims UNM improperly handled sexual harassment investigation by Abigail Ramirez Daily Lobo

Two professors have filed lawsuits against the University in yet another chapter of the story that has plagued the creative writing

program since associate professor Lisa Chavez posed with students on a sadomasochistic Web site. The professors, Teddy and Sharon Warner, who are married, claim University administrators retaliated against them because Sharon has continued to speak out against the University’s handling of the incident. “One of the main reasons I decided to file a lawsuit was that there really didn’t seem to be any other way to get UNM administrators to listen to the very serious issues

that my colleagues and a number of students have raised regarding both

“From the time that I looked at that Web site until now, my whole life has been turned upside down.” ~Sharon Warner, UNM faculty

the (administration’s) behavior and Lisa Chavez’s,” Sharon said. But Chavez said administrators have already taken care of the situation. “The University investigated this very thoroughly, and this all should be over by now,” she said in an email to the Daily Lobo. Sharon Warner is an English professor, and she was director of the creative writing program when the photos of Chavez with her students were discovered. Sharon Warner filed her lawsuit Sept. 26,

seeking damages for breaches of implied contract, covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and retaliation. Teddy Warner, a professor at UNM Health Sciences Center, filed his lawsuit Tuesday. In it, he claims the University cut his pay by 20 percent because of spousal affiliated retaliation. Teddy Warner was not available for comment. Sharon Warner said the University cut her husband’s pay because she wouldn’t stay quiet about University

see Lawsuit page 2

Schmidly reports progress at meeting

Making noise for a new contract

by Pat Lohmann Daily Lobo

Junfu Han / Daily Lobo New Mexico Symphony Orchestra player John Marchiando practices during the intermission of the NMSO Player’s Association concert Sunday. The Player’s Association is in contract negotiations with NMSO management. Last year’s contract expired Aug. 31, and the full Symphony Orchestra has not held an official concert since then. The Player’s Association met with the NMSO administration last night to finalize details of the new contract. Make sure to pick up Monday’s Daily Lobo to read the results of the meeting.

National group recruits frustrated UNM faculty Staff Report Daily Lobo

Faculty members are doing more than just speaking out through their Faculty Senate about concerns with the University administration. On Wednesday, before the UNM General Faculty meeting, the American Association of University Professors had a table outside of Woodward Hall to recruit new members. AAUP is a national organization for faculty members at universities all over the U.S. Membership dues are $161 per year in New Mexico, according to flyers UNM AAUP handed out.

Inside the

Daily Lobo volume 114

issue 53

Les Field, professor of Anthropology and AAUP member, said UNM’s AAUP chapter was revived a year and a half ago. He said faculty members decided to unite through this program because of dissatisfaction with the administration, especially with President David Schmidly and the Board of Regents. “To organize through AAUP really is a response to the crisis that this administration has brought about, and the continuing crisis is not going away,” Field said. “It’s fueled by the concerns, the real danger that people feel we’re in.” Field said the AAUP can work in conjunction with the Faculty

Senate, but they are different groups because the Senate works more directly with University administrators. However, he said members of the Faculty Senate can also be members of AAUP. Field said all faculty members should consider leadership positions in AAUP. According to AAUP UNM flyers, nominations for officer positions including president and vice president of AAUP are due Nov. 25. “I think what we’re trying to do is have leadership from across campus,” he said. “You don’t want people burning out when they’re having to work on both sides. You want to have

leaders in AAUP and leaders in the Senate.” During the Wednesday faculty meeting, AAUP members wore stickers which said how many days it would take for the head Lobo football coach, Mike Locksley, to earn their salary. Salaries ranged from one day to 35 days of Locksley’s $750,000 a year salary. Field said it would take Coach Locksley 24 days to earn his salary of about $69,600 per year. He said that the UNM chapter of AAUP is just beginning, but it will likely grow into a strong voice for faculty.

What a headache

Fort Hood tragedy

See page 6

See page 3

see AAUP page 3

President Schmidly had a rough Wednesday. Several hours after fielding questions from reporters at the press conference regarding the Sept. 20 Locksley incident, Schmidly walked to Woodward Hall to listen to the concerns of more than 300 faculty members at their general faculty meeting. The voting faculty called the special meeting to check on Schmidly’s progress in fulfilling resolutions they passed in February. Faculty Senate President-Elect Richard Wood said the meeting Wednesday was a step in the right direction. At the meeting, Wood said it was necessary for faculty to have “a real commitment to recognizing positive changes have happened and that we insist together on the faculty voice as co-architects of bringing this University into the future.” Schmidly said that he made significant progress in three of the faculty’s six recommendations at their Feb. 25 meeting. In particular, the president said he’d made strides to providing a means of “360 degree” evaluation for the University administrators. Also, the president had reached a decision on the faculty’s suggestion that the Office of Facilities and Finance report to executive vice presidents rather than Schmidly himself. This summer, Schmidly asked for input from faculty members by

see Faculty meeting page 3 To educate the students of N.M., I earn: days of the football coach’s salary

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