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Thursday, Januar y 31, 2019 | Vo l u m e 1 2 3 | I s s u e 4 0
ASUNM: $24,359 UNM Day brings big turnout approved in committee
Justin Garcia/ @Just516garc/ Daily Lobo
Members of Something Major A Capella singing Bella Mama to ASUNM Finance Senators.
By Justin Garcia @Just516garc Finance Committee meetings are rarely exciting events. However, Wednesday night’s Associated Students of the University of New Mexico Finance Committee meeting featured an a cappella performance, a remote controlled car and a noise complaint. In all, $24,359 in 11 appropriations were sent up for vote by Full Senate next Wednesday. Two club sports, Lobo Hockey and Men’s Rugby, were over $14,000 of that total. Lobo Hockey was approved for $5,033. The appropriation is for travel costs to attend away games. Like Lobo Hockey, Men’s Rugby was approved for $9,690 to cover cost associated with travel to away games. Sen. Nick Morgan commended what he saw as the Men’s Rugby Club consistently well-written appropriations, adding that it was a “shame they couldn’t be recognized by the Athletics Department.” Something Major A Cappella, a student group of a cappella singers, sang a rendition of Bella Mama to introduce their appropriation request. The group was approved for $2,133, around $200 less than they requested. SCRAP Productions was approved for $639 to pay for supplies for putting on their production of the “Bachelorette” in the Experimental Theater. Health Occupation Student Association (HOSA) requested $770 for conference fees. However, the group was approved for $387. Morgan said the reduction came as a result of an error in the finance standing rules. Morgan added that HOSA should expect to receive more in full senate once the standing rules were amended. Ben Blanco and Cassidy Le said they were expecting to have their
appropriation to be reduced after receiving an email from there sponsoring senator, Mohammed Jaber. Student Organization for Latin American Studies (SOLAS) was approved for $503 for the rights to screen the movie the “El Monte” for an event the host at The Guild. The groups representative, Estevan Pakozdi, told the Finance Committee that the Graduate and Professional Student Alliance had given them funding for four other movie rights. That appropriation hearing was interrupted when Finance Chair Holly Gaggollos called a recess in the middle of the hearing. Morgan then walked across the hall to ask the room to quiet down. Morgan returned to that room twice more. Vice President Emily Wilks also went to the other room for the same purpose after Student Government Accounting Office supervisor Joanna Garcia did the same. The room was being occupied by members of Phi Delta Theta hosting a rush event, according to a man who was apart of the group and said his name was Frank who declined to give a last name. SOLAS also ran into questions regarding whether members of the group received extra credit for attending the event. Pakozdi said they would if they were apart of certain Spanish or Portuguese classes. In Fall 2018, ASUNM passed legislation prohibiting funding for projects that earned credit. Garcia said that SOLAS was not violating that rule because it was “not part of (their) curriculum.” Association for Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility was approved for $428 for a computer, a printer and to cover some cost associated with an upcoming event. The groups representative said the club needed the computer for members to
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Justin Garcia/ @Just516garc/ Daily Lobo
Athletics Director Eddie Nunez speaks to student athletes at the New Mexico Legislature House Gallery.
By Justin Garcia @Just516garc Monday was the day for the University of New Mexico brass at the New Mexico legislature. The hallways surrounding the Roundhouse rotunda were lined with tables staffed by representatives of the many organizations of both
UNM and UNM Hospitals. Administrators, like UNM President Garnett Stokes, Athletics Director Eddie Nuñez, Student Activities Center Director Ryan Lindquist and Student Union Building Director Walter Miller, among others, were all present. Many students also filled the halls of the Capital, including
student athletes. Representatives from the recently cut sports— men’s soccer, beach volleyball and men’s and women’s skiing — were present and viewed the proceedings from the House Gallery. The cut sports teams were invited to the Legislature by the Athletics Department.
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Price for journalism accreditation unclear By Kyle Land @kyleoftheland The Daily Lobo reported on Jan. 24 that the University of New Mexico Communication & Journalism Department was debating becoming reaccredited by the Accreditation Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC), citing a $30,000 price tag as the primary reason for possibly not going through the process. However, the exact cost of the process is more undefined because there are at least two discrepancies between ACEJMC and department heads regarding exact costs of the accreditation and what is required for it. In an interview with the Daily Lobo, C&J Department Chair David Weiss explained that the $30,000 figure was based off the total costs for the 2013-14 accreditation process. “All I can say is that’s what we spent last time,” Weiss said. Of the total cost, $20,000 were spent on stipends for faculty members who spent time working on a self study report, which is required before the ACEJMC performs a site visit. Weiss, who was working for UNM during the last visit, explained that each faculty member received around $2,000 for assembling the reports.
Weiss did say, though, that — in the event of another accreditation process — he is unlikely to pay out stipends to faculty members. This is because departmental revenues are significantly less than they were six years ago, with Weiss pointing to the loss of fees from online courses, which now go the College of Arts and Sciences instead of to the department, as an example. Weiss said, even without stipends added to the total cost, the department could not afford the accreditation process without University support. “Even if it’s $15,000, we still can’t afford it,” he said. Another cost was for the Chair and Associate Chair of the Department to travel to Chicago twice in order to meet with council members of the ACEJMC. Weiss said the second time is to defend the results of the site visit before the council, which he said can last anywhere between five to 10 minutes. In 2013-14, these trips cost the department nearly $4,000. Laura Castañeda, professor of practice at the University of Southern California, confirmed that these visits are required and chairs often present only for a short time. “It’s kind of pro forma,” Castañeda said, adding that “it’s part of the whole politics of (ACEJMC).” Candace Oswalt, project coordinator for ACEJMC, said
On the Daily Lobo website Maler: Men’s Basketball — Lobos prepare for away game against Fresno State
Holmen: Amo ergo sum gallery
the meetings in Chicago are mandatory for department heads to go to, but later recanted her statement in an email saying that information “was incorrect. Meetings are never mandatory.” A yearly dues cost of $2,000 was also included in the cost totals, even though the department pays the dues to the ACEJMC every year and it is not charged solely for the reaccreditation process. Other costs associated with the process included $500 for copies and $800 for miscellaneous supplies. Weiss reiterated that no decision regarding accreditation will be made until he speaks to interim-Provost Richard Wood and President Garnett Stokes to see if he can secure funding for the process. Not being accredited has no direct affect on the worth of students’ degrees like other programs, such as nursing and engineering — but Weiss did say that it could have other effects, like larger class sizes. Kyle Land is the editor in chief for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted by email at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @kyleoftheland.