NM Daily Lobo 091913

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DAILY LOBO new mexico

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The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895

UNM-Los Alamos mill levy tax fails By Chloe Henson

news@dailylobo.com @ChloeHenson5 Despite facing major financial and institutional setbacks, the University’s branch campuses continue to strive for improvement. UNM Los Alamos continues to plan how to maintain its campus offerings going into the future after the Los Alamos community rejected on Tuesday a mill levy tax increase that would have supported the branch. The mill levy tax proposed in Los Alamos would have raised property taxes in the community by 2 percent to help fund UNM’s branch campus. All the money from the tax increase would have gone to UNM-LA. Cedric Page, executive director of UNM Los Alamos, said that although the branch campus started a campaign to garner support in May, the Los Alamos community decided not to pass the measure. Polls counted votes Tuesday night, Page said. Page said the tax would have generated about $750,000 in the first year and $1.4 million to $1.5 million additional revenue in the year after. He said the branch recovered some of the money lost from a decrease in government funding, but the branch still needs additional support. “We’ve lost about 38 percent of state funding because of a number of factors, and we’ve replaced that, to some extent, with grant money,” he said. “But grants end and there’s no guarantee that they’ll be renewed. We really need to ask the local community to step up with their support.” According to the Our Community, Our College, a website run by UNM-LA, the branch campus has the lowest operational and debt service mill levy tax rates compared to any other two-year institution in the state except for New Mexico State University grants. Page said UNM-LA would

continue to “fulfill our mission” and would review “how to move forward in the next couple years.” UNM President Robert Frank said he hoped the community would support the tax because the county had bolstered education in the past. “The community has a strong history of supporting education and that’s part of the additional rationale, that there’s strong community support for education,” he said. “The branch campus believes they can provide more educational programming for the community and that there’s a need for it, but without the additional support that they would get from this bond, they can’t go forward and provide it.” Frank said the tax would have gone towards expanding the curriculum for the branch campus. “It will go towards increasing the types of courses we offer up there,” he said. “They’ve been very innovative increasing some of the courses they offer. Los Alamos is one of our smaller branch campuses, and they believe they can expand the offerings there and offer a few more course offerings that will help people in Los Alamos stay there.” On the other hand, UNM Gallup works to improve its campus after it almost became a standalone community college earlier this year. Frank said Gallup continues to improve its curriculum and to reach out to the community after the state Senate rejected House Bill 71, which would have converted the campus into a community college. Frank said HB 71 was introduced because the main campus thought the Gallup community’s “needs weren’t being met as well as they could be.” He said he thinks steps taken by the university since then have helped the branch with improving its image. “We brought in, in the last year, (UNM Gallup Executive Director) Dr. Christopher Dyer, and I think Dr. Dyer has done of a good job

Daily Lobo volume 118

issue 24

September 19, 2013

COMEDY?

Aaron Sweet/ @ AaronCSweet / Daily Lobo From left, Sarah Mowrey, Wesley Swedenburg, Michael Lovato, Tieshia Francis and Matthew Pruett, all members of UNM improv troupe “Comedy?,” watch as the Upright Citizens Brigade performs. The ASUNM Student Special Events committee brought members of the UCB to the SUB Wednesday night. Comedy? — pronounced “comedy question mark” — opened for UCB at the event. Members of Comedy? performed skits based on ideas from the audience. According to their website, the UCB Touring Company handpicks improv comedians from its theaters in New York City and Los Angeles and then sends them on tour to venues nationwide. UCB’s shows last about 90 minutes and consist of two sections of long-form improv. UCB took audience members for a short interview on stage and asked questions about their degree and about their home upbringing. After the interview, the three women from UCB performed skits based on the interview. For the second half of the show, UCB solicited text messages from audience members to use in their next series of skits.

2013 MAYORAL RACE

Berry extends NRA agreement

see Frank PAGE 3

Ruby Santos / Daily Lobo UNM President Robert Frank discusses UNM Los Alamos and UNM Gallup branch campuses in his Scholes Hall office on Sept 10. UNM Los Alamos plans to maintain its campus offerings after Los Alamos rejected a mill levy tax increase while UNM Gallup works to improve its campus after it almost became a community college earlier in the year.

Inside the

thursday

William Aranda / Daily Lobo Albuquerque mayor Richard Berry, second from right, talks to Police Chief Allen Banks, far left, and APD officers Nick Pearson and Will Taylor next to an APD helicopter at the Albuquerque Shooting Range Park Monday morning. Berry was at the shooting range to speak to members of the NRA before a competition. agreement between the city of Al- Mexico every year, according to by Ardee Napolitano buquerque and the National Rifle the release. news@dailylobo.com Association’s Enforcement DiIn the release, Berry said he is @ArdeeTheJourno vision. The agreement will keep “very excited” to extend the city’s As early voting for the Albu- the NRA’s annual National Police agreement with the NRA. He said querque mayoral election be- Shooting Championships in the the competition helps Albuquerque’s tourism industry. gins, one candidate continues city for five years. According to a press release “This event brings in hunhis support for the National Rifle from the NRA, the NPSC has been dreds of participants from law enAssociation. At a ceremony at the Shoot- held in Albuquerque since 2006. forcement agencies throughout ing Range Park Monday, incum- The competition spans six days see Mayor PAGE 3 bent Richard Berry extended an and draws 600 competitors to New

Global music festival

Don’t forget your fruits and veggies

see Page 8

see Page 10

TODAY

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