DAILY LOBO new mexico
Bought and sold see Page 4
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
wednesday
Rio Rancho upholds UNM tax By Ardee Napolitano news@dailylobo.com
For another year, UNM’s newest campus will continue to receive more taxpayer money. UNM West will continue to receive money from Rio Rancho, as city residents voted against a cut to the city’s higher education tax Tuesday in a special election. Of the total 6,091 voters, 3,611 people voted to keep Rio Rancho’s Municipal Higher Education Gross Receipt Tax at one-eighth of one percent, and 2,480 people voted to reduce the tax by half. The voter turnout total represented 10.7 percent of all registered voters in Rio Rancho. UNM West CEO Wynn Goering said he supports continued funding through the higher education tax. He said the result of the vote will not only benefit UNM West students but also the city itself. “This is not a UNM tax,” Goering said. “This is a tax support for your education, and we are the vendor. We are the institution that the city has contracts with to make use of the tax.” Voters approved the higher education tax after it was put on the ballot for Rio Rancho’s municipal and runoff elections in 2008. This allowed the city to use sales tax to fund the buildings and infrastructure projects of higher education
by Jamillah Wilcox news@dailylobo.com @JamillahSW
UNM students can expect a boost to the city’s entrepreneurial and startup scenes near UNM with the initiation of Innovate ABQ. In January, UNM President Robert Frank, along with other University officials, visited the University of Florida at Gainesville to survey its Innovation Square, a business hub that surrounds the university with the goal of jumpstarting the local economy. Innovate ABQ aims to bring a similar business hub to UNM and provide jobs centered in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. In June, Frank said UNM has been discussing the project with Bernalillo County and with the mayor’s office. Science and Technology Corporation CEO and Chief Economic Development Officer Elizabeth Kuuttila said the project has already received money from the Albuquerque City Council and will continue to look for more funding. “We have a commitment from the city for $2 million toward the project,” she said. “We have a proposal into the
Inside the
Daily Lobo volume 118
issue 4
UNM, VA start new veterans initiative New program to stregnthen nursing care by Jamillah Wilcox news@dailylobo.com @JamillahSW
Ardee Napolitano / Daily Lobo Mariano Aguirre, a veteran volunteering for Rio Rancho’s special elections, sits in a room in Rio Rancho’s city hall Tuesday afternoon to monitor voters. Voters decided not to reduce the city’s Municipal Higher Education Gross Receipt Tax that night, which means UNM West will continue to receive $2 million from the city’s sales tax revenues over the next year.
UNM is working to improve veterans’ welfare on campus and in New Mexico. The University’s College of Nursing has been selected as one of six colleges to help train nurses to care for veterans via the Veterans Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership. UNM received a grant of $5 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs last week. The grant will help UNM and the VA to recruit undergraduate nurses and hire new faculty. It means to support hiring and teaching 96 new nurses. Nancy Morton, undergraduate program director at the college and co-director for the program, said the grant will help the college
institutions in the city. Goering said UNM West receives $2 million per year through the higher education tax. But he said that Rio Rancho decides which specific projects revenue from the tax would go to. The funding cut would have
slowed UNM West’s progress, Goering said. “If that (had) passed, that would have had two impacts: We would have lost money, and the degree to which we could go ahead and do what we could in Rio Rancho would depend on other resources
EDA (Economic Development Administration), and we are looking at other sources at the moment.” Kuuttila said the project will allow students to get involved in their fields of interest. She said there are plans for student dormitories and startup commercialized technology companies. “We do envision there being a dorm located on the site that would be of interest to students who have aspirations for entrepreneurial endeavors at some point in their career,” Kuuttila said. “Students will become part of a community, a ‘live, work, play’ community where they can interact with entrepreneurs and others involved in startup companies.” Students may be given opportunities to intern for the companies, and the training they receive could prepare them for entrepreneurial opportunities, Kuuttila said. “We hope to recruit companies that would want to locate at this Innovate ABQ site,” she said. “One of the reasons companies may want to do so is that they want to hire student interns. Companies are looking to hire (full-time) students who they may have hired as student interns.” Even though Innovate ABQ is still in the process of negotiating sites for development, Kuuttila said the University would benefit from working with private and public partners. “It really provides that synergy among multiple parties,” she said.
University Communication and Marketing / Courtesy Photo UNM has been working on Innovate ABQ, which aims to establish an entrepreneurial business and technology hub in the area around the University. The two-phase project consists of the proposed creation of business hubs both at Mesa del Sol and at the intersection of Central and Broadway. Shown here is a mock layout of the downtown part of Innovate ABQ. UNM is currently in talks with the owners of buildings at the sites. “The business community, the gov- from Finance and Facilities before where I live,” Esquibel said. “I feel that ernmental sector, the science com- construction at Mesa del Sol can be- if more was built around Downtown, munity, the business parts of the Uni- gin. She also said the University is still such as restaurants, shopping cenversity (and) students are all working negotiating with the owners of the ters and comfortable places to hang on an innovation.” First Baptist Church site. out, it would be a great way to meet The two-phase project will “We are still in discussions,” she people and interact more with UNM require two separate locations, said said. “Nothing is definite at this students.” Kuuttila. She said one could be at point.” He said if UNM allows compaMesa del Sol’s Aperture Center, and Cory Esquibel, a senior at UNM, nies to hire interns, students can learn that another could be at the site of said he has lived near campus since more. the First Baptist Church near Central January. He said he likes where he “You learn a lot inside the classand Broadway downtown. lives, but the University can help room,” he said. “But I feel that you However, Kuuttila said Innovate by providing students with more learn more when you actually get inABQ, a joint initiative between UNM opportunities. volved and work hands-on.” and STC, is still waiting for approval “Personally I love the location
Business hub may provide internships Innovate ABQ to consist of two properties
August 21, 2013
FREEstyle
So deep it’s offensive
see Page 8
see Page 16
we have,” he said. “We can’t move as far and as fast with less funding available.” Although he said funding for current UNM West projects is secure, Goering said the funding cut would have affected planning
see UNM
West PAGE 11
see Veterans PAGE 5
TODAY
91 | 68