NM Daily Lobo 04 17 17

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‘They were not given a chance’ By Matthew Reisen @MReisen88 It started with a text message at 8 a.m. and, by 2 in the afternoon, the program he had been a part of for over 30 years was no more. That was the reality for head ski coach Fredrik Landstedt on Thursday, when UNM athletics announced their decision to dismantle the UNM ski program altogether, a situation that Landstedt describes as “extremely poorly handled.” Athletics Director Paul Krebs informed the coaches in a meeting at 1 p.m. before informing the team’s student athletes at a second meeting 15 minutes later. Athletics Communication Director Frank Mercogliano confirmed that nobody in the ski program was aware before Thursday’s meeting took place and the release of the decision was made public a few minutes after that meeting started. Landstedt said he made it very clear in recent months to inform him if there was ever any talk of cutting the ski team. “It’s pretty clear to me now that

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Cuts page 2

Courtesy / Scott Arnold

Students feel underserved Cutting skiing is by UNM Police Department the wrong solution COLUMN

By Celia Raney @Celia_Raney

By Gabriella Rivera @DailyLobo Two days separated the announcement of Paul Weir as the new head men’s basketball coach and the discontinuation of both the men’s and women’s ski teams. This jarring sequence reflects the wider — and questionable — priorities of UNM Athletics under the leadership of Paul Krebs. Weir’s contract is to be 2.5 times that of his previous salary at NMSU. The base salary for his first year at UNM will be $625,000, escalating to $825,000 by his sixth year. Buyouts for basketball and football coaches have been costly for UNM in recent years, from Locksley to Neal. Meanwhile, despite the fact that the entire operating cost of both UNM ski teams is a mere $600,000 annually in an approximately $35 million budget, cutting these successful programs was somehow identified as the most effective solution to the $1.54 million deficit UNM Athletics faced last year.

Krebs says that this is a bigger problem than buyouts, and that it’s more of a systemic problem. I agree — it is maladministration. I understand that the men’s basketball team makes the largest contribution financially to the Athletics Department. However, neither basketball nor football has been able to break through to prolonged sustained excellence, especially in recent years. What UNM Athletics is promoting is not excellence, nor is it dedication and achievement. It is an acceptable level of mediocrity in the most televised, popular sports. It is generally considered that the goal of university athletics is not necessarily a direct profit; in fact, the athletic departments of many big-name institutions either break even or lose money. Instead, college sports are meant to make the institution more attractive. They are meant to create an involved University community and foster pride among students, as well as publicize the

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Ski page 8

This story is the first in a series on UNMPD and its relationship with the campus community. With car and bike thefts on the rise and seemingly increasing rates of assault on campus, some students question whether UNM Police Department officers are actively doing their jobs. “I feel like (UNMPD) is a bit lacking,” said UNM sophomore Santiago Davila. “Knowing they’re around doesn’t really make me feel all that safer at UNM.” Davila says he almost never sees UNMPD patrolling, especially at night and in high traffic areas like the Duck Pond. In February the Daily Lobo reported that car thefts doubled from 64 in 2015 to 124 last year. UNMPD claims to have at least six officers on-duty at all times, and often more during day shifts, said Police Chief Kevin McCabe. Each shift is 10 hours long. During that time, officers patrol campus on foot, by bike or by driving between UNM and student residential properties using nine marked patrol cars,

David Lynch / Daily Lobo / @@RealDavidLynch

UNMPD officers handcuff a man near the Biology Department on Tuesday, April 19, 2016.

five unmarked patrol cars and one security vehicle. While sergeants are often in and out of the office during the day, they complete nightly building checks during which officers walk in and out of buildings on campus looking for homeless people trying to stay the night, locks that have been broken or tampered with and “just to be on campus.” “By doing the building checks, it’s gotten us out and around. It’s a big campus,” McCabe said.

Despite having six officers on duty at all times and conducting nightly building checks, students do not remember seeing officers on a daily basis. “I do not recall having ever seen UNMPD patrolling campus, save for when local organizations organize events like on-campus protests,” Victoria Miera said. A sophomore at UNM, Miera said she has never needed to call

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UNMPD page 6

On the Daily Lobo website

Narvaiz: UNM women’s basketball adds guard depth

Perea: ASUNM passes spring budget allocating $690,000 to student orgs

Land: Album Spotlight, “Sincerely, Future Pollution” by Timber Timbre

Eisenberg: Fewer international students applying to UNM

Make sure to pick up a copy of this year’s Green Issue, on newsstands Thursday


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NM Daily Lobo 04 17 17 by UNM Student Publications - Issuu