DAILY LOBO new mexico
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The Independent Voice of UNM since 1895
April 30, 2010
Regents ready to set budget UNM employee wants by Tricia Remark Daily Lobo
Today the Board of Regents will finalize next year’s budget, which includes a 7.9 percent increase in tuition and fees. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. and runs until 11:30 a.m. in SUB Ballroom C. The regents formulated the amount of tuition and fee increase at their annual Budget Summit on April 2, and then based the rest of the budget around it, said Susan McKinsey, UNM spokeswoman. McKinsey said that any changes to the increases in student fees and tuition would be difficult this late in the process, but not impossible. “The regents can make any changes to the budget they want,” she said. “Changes at this point to
tuition and fees would be full-scale changes in the budget, but they can still do it.” However, the regents are supposed to submit the budget to the state by Monday, McKinsey said. “By law, we’re supposed to get it there, so it’s something we’re supposed to do,” she said. Melissa Trent, who participated in the Student Voice for Student Fees movement, said students should attend so regents understand how much students care about how the budget affects them. “It’s crucial that we have students’ presence so when regents look out they can see students that they’re affecting,” she said. Student Voice for Student Fees was formed by ASUNM and GPSA after Eliseo “Cheo” Torres, vice
Painting for Tomorrow
president of Student Affairs, recommended that student fees not increase in late March. The Student Fee Review Board recommended that student fees increase by $10.10. Breanna Hastings, who also participated in the movement, said student presence at the meeting will show the regents that students are in favor of the student fee increase. She said students can voice any concerns during public comment. “We’ll definitely sign up for public comment and try to let the regents know that we respect the administration and the whole process,” she said. “We just really want the SFRB recommendations to be upheld.” GPSA President Lissa Knudsen
see Budget page 5
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skateboard regulations by Kallie Red-Horse Daily Lobo
Sure, it’s a quick way to get across campus, but skateboarding could be hazardous to your health or the health of passersby. Rick Olcott, who works at University College, said he has been hit twice in the past nine months by students whizzing by. “I wasn’t hurt much, but it feels like assault. It really does,” he said. “It feels like someone coming up behind you when you are walking down the street and smacking you in the back of the head.” As a former skateboarder himself, Olcott said he is not anti-skateboarding, but that there is a time, place and manner when skateboarding is appropriate. “It seems like it’s an inappropriate activity,” he said. “Just like I can’t go swinging nunchucks through the library, if I had any. It’s just dangerous.” University policy does not authorize unsafe skateboarding or biking, said Robert Haarhues, UNMPD spokesman, but sometimes accidents happen. “The policy is they can’t ride on structures, do tricks off of the curbs or off the walls and that kind of stuff,” he said. “They are allowed to ride their
skateboard on campus to get from one class to another. Unfortunately they are going a lot faster than the people that are walking, and if people turn suddenly there is an incident.” Such an incident could result in serious injuries, Olcott said. “All it would take is a skateboarder losing control — their skateboard shooting out from under him or her at however fast they go,” he said. “It could easily shatter an ankle and I could possibly never walk again after something like that. I’m just afraid there is going to be a really nasty accident before something is done.” Student John Schooley said he hasn’t seen any collisions. “I have seen a lot of close calls, and I have had some myself, but I’ve never been a part of an actual collision,” he said. “It’s hard to maneuver through a lot of people sometimes, but most people are relatively aware, I think.” Olcott said he doesn’t want skateboarding prohibited on campus, but some regulations would promote safety. “I sympathize with the skateboarders. It’s a fun, nice way to get around, but pedestrians are not stable, reliable objects,” he said. “When I was an undergrad here, back in the
see Skateboard page 3
Joey Trisolini / Daily Lobo Allen Colmenares, an art undergraduate, works on a painting of his mother at the Art Building. Visit the Daily Lobo Multimedia page online to see the second installment of “What Now,” as the Daily Lobo follows art students in their efforts to graduate and build a career.
Weh weighs in against tuition increase by Candace Hsu Daily Lobo
Allen Weh, Republican gubernatorial candidate, wants to fight government corruption, strengthen the school system, fix the budget, create new jobs and make safety a top priority. “I am going to make sure that our University system is responsible so we keep tuition rates under control. Also, we should spend our money on the core mission of the University. That mission is teaching the students in the classroom and keeping our faculty,” Weh said. “You can’t lose great faculty and keep a great University.” Weh is a graduate of UNM and holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. He spoke to students, faculty and staff Thursday in the SUB Atrium. “The University of New Mexico is where I made my formal
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announcement last year,” he said. “The University is and should be our flagship institution, which means it is an institution that will need my help.” Weh said he wants to jump-start New Mexico’s economy and repair the education system. “We shouldn’t have a tuition increase in the double digits. It is not necessary,” Weh said. “The tuition increase means that we are spending money on things that are not necessary. I want to be able to put someone accountable of the spending.” He said New Mexico’s budget problem found its way to the University level, and he wants to end government corruption. “You can’t just end corruption. There is more to it,” he said. “First of all, we need to jump-start our economy. Secondly, we need to create government policies that will help and encourage jobs. I will be an advocate for the growth of the private sector.”
Weh said he understands budgeting and the needs of the economy because of his experience in owning a business. He is the chief executive officer of CSI Aviation Services, Inc. “You cannot lead people if you don’t know how to care for a person,” he said. “I have three children and four grandchildren. One of them has severe autism. I have human issues and I have compassion.” Weh said he will enforce laws on the books regarding health care, public safety and immigration. “I want to tighten law enforcement,” he said. “With this, we will make strides in public safety. I want to enforce the laws that we already have on the book. I don’t need to create new policies or laws; we first need to enforce the ones we have.” Weh sat down with students to answer questions and discuss his platform. Wesley Henderson, a junior,
see Weh page 3
Gabbi Campos / Daily Lobo Will Masker, a CNM student, does a 360-degree flip near the Art Building on Thursday. A UNM staff member claims to have been hit twice this school year by skateboarders rolling by.
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