NM Daily Lobo 022014

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DAILY LOBO new mexico

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thursday February 20, 2014

Bill would increase Lobos victory avenges past loss required hours

Michael Sanchez (D-Belen)

by Ardee Napolitano news@dailylobo.com @ArdeeTheJourno

After an all-nighter on the eve of the state legislative session finale, lawmakers will have to issue a final solution to preserve the Legislative Lottery Scholarship’s future. Legislators will have to pass a lottery bill by noon to prolong the Scholarship’s existence. Senate Bill 347, which passed 3111 in the Senate on Monday, seems to be the best bet at the moment, said Senate Majority Floor Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, the bill’s sponsor. “The proposal I’ve made to address the lottery scholarship solvency issue is what I believe to be the most inclusive and fair solution for New Mexico’s students,” Sanchez said in a statement. “This is the only proposal that allows additional money to be put into the lottery fund, rather than only limiting scholarship awards.” Through SB 347, the state would funnel a one-time allocation of $11 million from the general fund for the Scholarship for fiscal year 2015. This is about $8 million more than the general-fund allocation for the Scholarship from last fiscal year. Then, starting in FY 2016, $18.5 million from the state’s liquor excise tax revenues will be used for the Scholarship. SB 347 would keep the Scholarship’s GPA requirement at 2.5, although the credit-hour requirement for four-year institutions, such as UNM, will be raised from 12 to 15 credit hours. If their obtained Scholarship funding still does not suffice, freshmen and sophomores will still be guaranteed a full-tuition scholarship, and juniors and seniors, in turn, would take the cut. “With the additional money coming into the fund, it is estimated that the minimum amount of scholarships should cover at least 89 percent of tuition for juniors and seniors, and 100 percent tuition would be covered for freshmen and sophomores,” Sanchez said. “This means more students have the opportunity to begin and continue their higher education.” Sanchez said SB 347 would

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not result in tax increases for New Mexicans. After the House received the bill from the Senate on Wednesday, representatives have to rush it through committees before a final vote on the floor, said House Majority Floor Leader Rick Miera, D-Albuquerque. Miera said that because SB 347 presents a unique approach to the Scholarship’s solvency issue, it would be an efficient way to solve the problem. He said he would support the bill in the house. “I think it’s a different approach to solving a problem for the lottery scholarship,” Miera said. “All the other approaches have been what we can do to change the lottery in such a manner that less people are going to take advantage of it, so therefore it’s going to save money… This one is saying that we just want to put more money into the bucket.”

According to data from New Mexico State University, increasing the Scholarship’s credithour requirement increase from 12 to 15 credits while maintaining its 2.5 GPA requirement would take away access from 69 percent of currently eligible minority students statewide. Although the bill would not solve the problem at once, it might take a little while before legislators would have to find a future fix for the Scholarship, Miera said. “The solution that this bill brings is not one-year to one-year,” he said. “This would be a three- to four-year operation… Anything that’s up to three or four years is a long-term solution right now.” SenateMajorityCaucusChairman Jacob Candelaria, D-Albuquerque, said that among all the proposed lottery bills, SB 347 looks the best at the moment. “(Senate Bill) 150 is a little too restrictive,” he said. “We’re going to push out lower-income students and especially students from communities of color. I think (House Bill 263) is too draconian. I think it was not well

see Legislature PAGE 5

Isaac Brekken / AP photo New Mexico’s Kendall Williams, left, and Cameron Bairstow, of Australia, right, defend against UNLV’s Kevin Olekaibe as he tries to keep control of the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Wednesday in Las Vegas.

Staff Report

sports@dailylobo.com Lobo guard Kendall Williams scored a game-high 27 points in New Mexico’s 68-56 victory over UNLV Wednesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev. The Lobos contained the

Runnin’ Rebels to three 3-pointers in 21 attempts, a 14.3 shooting percentage. Offensively, Williams sank four of UNM’s six triples as the team shot 40 percent at that 3-point range. Forward Cameron Bairstow added 18 points for the Lobos. Khem Birch led UNLV in the scoring column with 11 points, while

Roscoe Smith and Bryce DejeanJones added 10 points apiece. UNM held a 38-29 halftime lead and outscored UNLV 30-27 in the second half. The win by the Lobos avenged a three-point loss to the Runnin’ Rebels on Jan. 18., UNM will face No. 6 and Mountain West leader San Diego State on Saturday at home.

Lobo women dominate UNLV

Rachel Toraño-Mark / @carpeline/ Daily Lobo Lobo guard Antiesha Brown rises in excitement after scoring a clutch jump shot in the second half at The Pit on Wednesday night. Antiesha Brown had 16 of her 18 points during the second half.

by Liam Cary-Eaves sports@dailylobo.com @Liam_CE

Despite late turnovers and poor free throw shooting, the New Mexico women’s basketball team finally got a

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close game to end in its favor. UNM (9-15, 4-9 Mountain West) ended a three-game losing streak, beating the UNLV Lady Rebels 65-58 Wednesday night at The Pit. Head coach Yvonne Sanchez said that she was very pleased with her

team’s ability to play strong. She said that the “Play 4 Kay” game was not just about coming out and playing to end a losing streak, it was for something much more then themselves. “This game was much more than

see Basketball PAGE 3

TODAY

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NM Daily Lobo 022014 by UNM Student Publications - Issuu