DAILY LOBO new mexico
wednesday
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
February 5, 2014
Scholarship up for debate UNM to give legislators insight on lottery bill. by Chloe Henson
assistant-news@dailylobo.com @ChloeHenson5 A coalition of students from different colleges across the state has decided to offer its support to a long-term solution for the Legislative Lottery Scholarship’s solvency issue. Isaac Romero, president of the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico and a member of the work group, said he supports Senate Bill 150 because it would provide a longterm solution to the shortage in funds for the scholarship. “I think one of my biggest worries is that if nothing happens this session, there’s a good chance that the Legislature will potentially pass another one-time money bill that will continue the lottery scholarship on what it’s currently doing,” he said. “And this issue will be the same one that we’re talking about next year.” SB 150 was introduced by Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, and Rep. Luciano “Lucky” Varela, D-Santa Fe. Jeremy Witte, the governmental affairs director for New Mexico State University, said representatives from his university
and others have been working on a solvency proposal for the lottery scholarship since June and decided to support SB 150. “That is a lottery bill that would increase the eligibility requirements,” he said. “It will increase the GPA requirements to 2.75, it will increase the minimum credit hours to 15 and then it will put a cap on the amount of awards depending on what sector of higher education you go to.” According to the bill, students attending a research institution such as UNM or NMSU could be awarded a maximum of $2,100 per semester. Witte said the increase in credit hours has been controversial, but students need to take more than 12 hours to graduate with the scholarship. “The scholarship only lasts four years,” he said. “And if you take 12 credit hours throughout those four years, you’re not even going to be a junior by the time you stop receiving the lottery scholarship, and that’s when the majority of students drop out. If the state government is paying the majority for your education, we think that there should be some better requirements.” However, students who are already on the scholarship will continue to be held to the current eligibility requirements and will receive a full-tuition scholarship.
“Current students who have the Lottery Scholarship… they will still get full tuition, they will still only be required to have a 2.5 GPA and they will only need to have 12 credit hours,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons we’re supporting it.” Witte said he feels confident the bill will pass. “I think that’s going to be the bill that everybody kind of defaults to,” he said. “There are 112 different legislators, so I assume there are 112 different ideas on how to fix the lottery scholarship. But when it comes to the end, I think this will be the one everyone falls to. It’s a good compromise.” Two other bills have been presented that deal specifically with the scholarship’s solvency, according to the New Mexico Legislature site. House Bill 254 would award students scholarship money based on unmet need and would keep the GPA requirement at 2.5. House Bill 263 would keep a uniform award amount linked to the funds available, to be adjusted annually, maintain the 2.5 GPA and award the scholarship for seven semesters. UNM Day Some UNM departments will travel to the Roundhouse today to showcase the University and talk to legislators. Bernadette Jaramillo-Peck,
File Photo/Aaron Sweet/@AaronCSweet / Daily Lobo Today is UNM Day at the New Mexico Legislature, where UNM students from different organizations will travel to Santa Fe to advocate for the Lottery Scholarship, funding for new improved buildings on campus and other capital improvements. administrative officer for the Parent Association, said UNM Day is an opportunity to show off student organizations and departments. “It’s a recruitment tool, but it’s also showing the state that UNM is a very vital part of the community,” she said. A variety of departments will be attending UNM Day, such as the University College, the Graduate and Professional Student Association, ASUNM, the Global Education Office and UNM libraries. Jaramillo-Peck said students and parents will also get to speak with legislators about issues con-
cerning UNM, such as the lottery scholarship. “(ASUNM and GPSA) have their own initiatives,” she said. “They’ll bring their group up and talk to legislators. The Parent Association has a group of folks that will be up there as well.” Romero said he will attend all of UNM Day. He said he also knows several students who have signed up to go. “If (students) get a chance to talk to legislators, they get to speak on ASUNM’s behalf on… the lottery scholarship, or of the Health Sciences Center, or whatever the topic is,” he said.
Parent Association weighs in with survey by Ardee Napolitano news@dailylobo.com @ArdeeTheJourno
About two-thirds of UNM students’ parents advocate raising the Legislative Lottery Scholarship’s GPA requirement to ensure its solvency. According to a survey conducted last June by the University’s Parent Association, 64 percent of the 468 respondents are in favor of increasing the s c h o l a r s h i p ’s minimum GPA requirement from a 2.5. On the contrary, 36 percent want the requirement to stay the same. Parents Association President Angie Gonzales-Carver said the survey was sent to the association’s online listserv, which was composed mostly of UNM parents. She said the survey ran for two weeks. Gonzales-Carver said the association did the survey to guide legislator’s decision-making processes. “We felt that it was going to be a hot topic coming into the Legislature. We want to have some kind of information to take
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with us when we go visit legislators and talk about what’s going on with the Lottery Scholarship,” Gonzales-Carver said. Gonzales-Carver said that according to comments submitted by parents to the association, there is push for raising the requirement to at least a 2.75. Although the results do not reflect the association’s official stance on the scholarship’s solvency issue, Gonzales-Carver said she personally sides with the majority. “If a child really wants to go to school, or if a student really wants that education, they’re willing to work for it,” she said. The parents’ a d v o c a t e d solution might disadvantage minority students who receive the scholarship, Gonzales-Carver said. But she said that at the moment, there seems no way around it. “When you have to pay for room and board, and you have to come to school, and you’re working one or two jobs, it’s tough,” she said. “I wish I had a magic wand to help every child, every student to become a better student.”
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Should the lottery scholarship eligibility requirement be increased?
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“Our number one concern is that we support students in their college career,” she said. “And, whatever it is that we need to do as parents to help them to succeed, that’s what we’ll do.” To solve the insolvency issue in the long run, she said legislators should focus on improving elementary, middle and high schools in the state. She said they should especially focus on helping minority students in the Albuquerque Public Schools, who are “not getting the teaching that they should be… We need to help them get there.” GonzalesCarver said legislators should rush to solve this problem. “There has to be some kind of solution now,” she said. “Kids are coming to school. They’re registered for class. They don’t know if they have a scholarship or not. So, it has to be done.”
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Mismanagement of the scholarship program Mismanagement of the scholarship program
Mismanagement of the scholarship program
Higher than projected number of students using scholarsh Higher than projected number of students using scholarsh What do you feel is most responsible for the lottery scholarship funding shortfall?
Mismanagement of the scholarship program Mismanagement of the scholarship program Higher than projected tuition increases Higher than projected tuition increases Mismanagement of the scholarship program Higher than projected number of students using scholarship Higher than projected number of students using scholarship
numbers courtesy of UNM Parent Association
Inside the
According to the survey, 35 percent of respondents blame scholarship’s insolvency on the excessive student demand, while 31 percent say it is the increasing tuition’s fault. About 24 percent say it was because of mismanagement of the scholarship and 9 percent say the insolvency is because of low lottery sales. Bernadette Jaramillo-Peck, administrative officer of the Parent Association, said that instead of placing blame on anything, legislators should focus more on finding a solution as quickly as possible. “There’s many, many solutions, and I’m sure everyone knows that,” she said. “Which one is the best solution? We don’t know. But majority of the parents’ comments is that there has to be a solution of some kind.” She said she demands that legislators issue a solution by this semester. The results will be forwarded to legislators along with parents’ comments gathered from the survey.
Lower than projected sales of lottery tickets
Lower than projected sales of lottery tickets Higher than projected number of students using scholarship numbers courtesy of UNM Parent Association Higher than projected number of students using scholarship Higher than projected tuition increases Higher than projected tuition increases Higher than projected tuition increases
No Higher more Lower than projected sales of lottery tickets increases than projected tuition Lower than projected sales of lottery tickets close calls Lower than projected sales of lottery tickets ...hopefully Lower than projected sales of lottery tickets
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