Daily Lobo 02/15/18

Page 1

DAILY LOBO new mexico

The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895

dailylobo.com Available on the

NM Daily Lobo

GET IT ON

Google play

App Store

Thursday, Februar y 15, 2018 | Vo l u m e 1 2 2 | I s s u e 4 4

Regents approve Abdallah as 22nd prez

Also discuss taproom, athletics debt, communication among regents By Austin Tyra @AustinATyra

The proposed Student Union Building taproom and Chaouki Abdallah’s time at the University of New Mexico were discussed at Tuesday’s Board of Regents meeting, among Coronado dorm renovations, communication between regents and athletic debt. Associated Students of University of New Mexico and UNM faculty representatives expressed concerns regarding the proposition that the athletic department’s $4.7 million deficit be forgiven. The concerns involving the athletics department debt were discussed during the public comment section of the meeting. Pamela Pyle, the Faculty Senate president, was the first to speak against the idea of forgiving the debt. She said she received 25 emails from fellow faculty members that agreed with her aversion to the idea. Regent Robert M. Doughty, president of the board, responded by asking Pyle her opinion regarding the recent forgiveness of the $7 million that was owed by UNM Press. Pyle said, “I don’t think anyone is for absolute debt relief unless you do it for all of our departments.”

see

BOR

page

2

File Photo

University President Chaouki Abdallah speaks in front of a camera as part of a project to promote international students on Feb. 8, 2017 in the UNM SUB Atrium.

Decision on Lottery Romero resigns, cites lack of respect Scholarship bill ahead By Kyle Land

By Madison Spratto @Madi_Spratto

Thursday is the last day of the legislative session, and the fate of a handful of bills are still unknown — one of them being House Bill 147. HB 147 challenges the way the Lottery Foundation allocates money for the Lottery Scholarship. Currently, the scholarship receives 30 percent of the net revenue from the New Mexico lottery, which includes ticket sales. As introduced, the bill calls for an elimination of the 30 percent allotment and instead proposes a flat rate of $38 million allocated to the fund per year. If the foundation cannot provide the $38 million, they would be required to only allocate 30 percent of their net revenue. The bill was passed in the House of Representatives 37 to 30 on Saturday, but not without major changes. Three amendments were introduced and passed. Rep. Jason Harper, a Republican representing Sandoval County, introduced the first amendment, which limits how much the foundation can spend in operating costs to 15 percent of their gross revenue.

@kyleoftheland

Noah Michelsohn, director of communications for the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico, said this amendment ensures that the Lottery Foundation will not keep more money to operate, such as in the form of internal raises, and therefore potentially leaving the scholarship with less money. The second amendment, introduced by Democratic Rep. Matthew McQueen, who represents parts of Bernalillo, Santa Fe, Torrance and Valencia counties, increased the flat rate of $38 million guaranteed to the scholarship to $40 million. The third amendment was introduced by Rep. Alonzo Baldonado, a Republican representing Valencia county. This final amendment makes certain that unclaimed lottery prize money will be alloted to the scholarship on top of the already guaranteed $40 million. David Barden, CEO of the Lottery Foundation, said the unclaimed prize money totals around $1.5 and $2 million annually. The raise in the cap would

see

Lottery page 2

Tensions among Board of Regents members came to a head when one decided to leave the position entirely, citing ineffective communication and leadership. Regent Alex O. Romero resigned from the University of New Mexico Board of Regents Wednesday after only serving in the position for eight months. “It’s a lack of respect,” said Romero during an interview with the Daily Lobo when explaining his reasons for leaving. Romero said his main issue with the board stemmed from the leadership styles of both Regent Robert M. Doughty, president of the board, and Regent Marron Lee, vice president of the board. “Their style of leadership is… not as collaborative,” he said. “It was a bit of a clash.” The Daily Lobo attempted to reach Doughty and Lee for comment late Wednesday afternoon, but as of the publication of this article, has not heard back. Romero was given a recess appointment to the Board of Regents eight months ago — he never received a confirmation hearing for the position prior to resigning.

Courtesy photo / Albuquerque Business First

He first publicly raised concerns about communication and respect among the regents during the previous BOR meeting on Jan. 16. According to the official meeting minutes for Jan. 16, Romero expressed grievances to the board about “an uncomfortable situation the previous week,” further stating that “his voice will not be quieted.” Exactly what situation Romero was referring to is unclear. This exchange continued during Tuesday’s BOR meeting, during which Suzanne Quillen and Romero expressed a need for better communication, as reported in the Daily Lobo. Regent Bradley C. Hosmer, in a written statement to the Daily Lobo,

said he admired Romero during his time on the board, especially his diligence toward the multiple issues facing the University. “He was concerned that the board think carefully about the longer term,” he said. Hosmer also said Romero was particularly concerned about making incoming UNM President Garnett Stokes feel welcome at the University. Romero said he was concerned about the board’s ability to do so. “I don’t see it,” Romero said, in reference to the board being able to ingratiate Stokes into the University.

see

Romero page 2

On the Daily Lobo website HOMLEN: UNM celebrates Mardi Gras at the SUB

NEWMAN: Music review — “Black Panther” album is boisterous and flashy


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.