DAILY LOBO new mexico
Climbing the charts see page 8
Number of records requests
wednesday The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
December 9, 2009
Foundation president will pass on new legacy
On the rise
by Kristian Macaron Daily Lobo
64 50 74 137 *
2005
2006
**
2007 and 2008
2009
* There was 74 requests in each year **As of 12/8/09 Source: University Custodian of Public Records Graphic by Sean Gardner
Years
Public Records tries to keep up with requests by Pat Lohmann Daily Lobo
The number of requests for public records has increased more than twofold this year, forcing the University Custodian of Public Records to ask for narrowed searches and extended deadlines. Between 2005 and 2008, the average number of Information and
Public Records Act requests was 65. There have been 137 so far this year. Jeremy Jojola, investigative reporter for KOB Eyewitness News 4, said he filed a request on Oct. 21 asking for e-mails from Athletics Director Paul Krebs relating to the Sept. 20 altercation between head football coach Mike Locksley and assistant coach J.B. Gerald. The request was not filled until Nov. 25, and Jojola said the Custodian pushed the deadline back twice.
“I don’t know how overwhelmed they are over there, but that’s what they told me,” Jojola said. Anne Murray, University Custodian of Public Records, declined to comment and deferred questions to the University Communication and Marketing Department. University spokeswoman Karen Wentworth said an increase in IPRA requests often coincides with controversial events. She said former UNM
President Louis Caldera’s departure from the University in 2006 prompted a similar influx of requests, though it wasn’t quite as drastic. “When he left, there was a big increase in the number of public information records requests, because they wanted to know about the settlement agreement and they wanted to know what his contract said,”
see Requests page 3
The launch of the UNM Foundation’s fundraising campaign next fall will coincide with a transition of the organization’s administration. Foundation President John Stropp announced Friday that he plans to retire at the end of this fiscal year, after a replacement is found and trained for his position. In January, the Foundation should launch a nationwide search for a replacement who can take over the campaign, Stropp said. Stropp, 65, became Foundation president in June 2008. He said the choice to retire was his own. “It needs to be said that nobody influenced me in this direction in any way or pushed me,” he said. “I can only say that I’ve had the greatest amount of cooperation. I’m a little tired and I’m ready to maybe move down the road to something else. You never know how much time you’ve got left. But I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished.” When Stropp became president last year, the Foundation became independent from the University. Stropp said the fundraising
see Foundation page 3
Crisis center gets record number of finance-related calls by Abigail Ramirez Daily Lobo
By the end of this week, the Agora Crisis Center may reach a record 10,000 calls for the year, said Jeremy Jaramillo, ACC director of public relations. Jaramillo said when he first started
working at Agora nine years ago, the center received about 1,200 calls per year. “We’ve been increasing steadily,” he said. The Agora Crisis Center is an all-issue hotline that community members can call to talk about issues from everyday stress to suicides in progress.
Volunteers listen to callers and refer them to community organizations for further treatment. Jaramillo said there has been an increase in suicide-related calls and callers who talk about financial problems. He said the economy is to blame. “Financial stressors complicate
Agora Crisis Center 277-3013 1-866-HELP1NM 1-866-(435-7166) AgoraCares.org every other part of an individual’s life and therefore exacerbate people’s problems exponentially,” he said. Jaramillo said the center
recently began monitoring the number of callers with concerns about financial problems. “For a while we didn’t track financial-related issues as something that people talk about because we didn’t have that ‘checkbox’ in our database,” he said. “I can tell you anecdotally
see Agora page 3
Hokona vegetable garden flourishes by Andrew Beale Daily Lobo
In a few short months, students living in the Hokona residence hall will have fresh vegetables growing outside their windows. Alex Borowski, a freshman living in Hokona, planted a garden in the courtyard about a month ago, and he said most of the produce should be ready by March or April. “It used to just be this big patch of dirt. It was covered with weeds and cigarette butts,” he said. “I just wanted to start a garden somewhere on campus.” Borowski said he is in the Sustainability Studies Program at UNM,
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 114
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and his studies gave him the idea to start the garden, which is about 50 square feet and took two hours to plant. The project was not sponsored by the University, and Borowski said he didn’t get permission from the administration before starting his garden. “All the RAs I’ve talked to, they like it a lot, but I didn’t go out and seek permission before starting it,” he said. “To me it was like a pretty big eyesore, this courtyard. So, hopefully it’s better.” Borowski said the plants in his garden include cabbage, snap peas, broccoli, kale, lettuce, garlic, radishes and onions.
Sevy Gurule, student hall director for Hokona, said the Residence Hall Association of Hokona supports the project. “We think it’s a great idea,” she said. “We are currently starting an Eco-Rep Program within the Residence Hall Association, so we’re all about these types of projects.” The Eco-Rep Program is a collaborative effort between UNM Recycling, Residence Life and Student Housing and a service learning class. Borowski said his friends contributed the money and supplies needed to create the garden.
see Hokona page 7
Emma Difani / Daily Lobo A pea sprout emerges from about an inch of frost in the garden at the Hokona residence hall courtyard Tuesday. Several dorm residents converted the patch of mud, grass and cigarette butts into a 50 square foot garden last month.
Where are we?
Lax fire safety
See page 2
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