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Thursday, S eptember 7, 2017 | Vo l u m e 1 2 2 | I s s u e 7
UNM marches in support of DACA By Alison Luttrel @Luttrell_Ali Students, staff and faculty gathered together on the University of New Mexico’s Main Campus and marched Tuesday morning in an act of solidarity for fellow immigrant community members.
“ We all learned to love this country, so why can’t this country learn to love us?” Wendy De La Cruz CNM student and leader for the New Mexico Dream Team
April Torres / Daily Lobo / @i_apreel
A protester holds a sign as students and organizers from the New Mexico Dream Team share their stories and experiences on Sept. 5, 2017 at the Civic Plaza. The event drew hundreds of DACA supporters.
After a weekend of rumors, President Donald Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program early Tuesday morning. DACA was implemented under the Obama administration and gives its recipients refuge from deportation and the ability to work in the United States. The deconstruction of the program will impact roughly 800,000
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DACA page 6
ASUNM assesses budget surplus Hiring freeze puts By Brendon Gray @notgraybrendon A nearly $20,000 budget excess has returned to the Associated Students of UNM to finance items cut last year. The balance forward — totalling $18,877 — will be used to restore the funds of the ASUNM agency, Lobo Spirit, which hosts spirit events like this week’s Red Rally. The balance forward is paid for by a portion of extra money not used by ASUNM entities. Specifically, $11,196 is coming from the Southwest Film Center, $2,575 from the Elections Commission and $5,105 from Lobo Spirit itself. ASUNM agencies retain 80 percent of their balance forwards, and the remaining 20 percent returns to the ASUNM general fund. The retained money is typically redistributed throughout agencies to pay for various line items cut in the budget process. Items removed by Senators last year included: $3,000 to pay for various stages and dance floors, $2,000 for Red Rally volunteer T-shirts and $1,200 for “promotional activities and events,” the budget described.
In total, the cuts would have decreased the Lobo Spirit budget by over $25,000. After the balance forward, its available budget has only decreased by about $7,000 from what was requested. “I am confident that the money that was allocated to Lobo Spirit will allow the agency to better serve the undergraduate student body through the events they will put on this coming school year,” said Francine Briones, the chair of the ASUNM Finance committee, which passed the balance forward at its first committee meeting last month. During that meeting, there was no discussion among senators over the balance forward, and Sen. Jordan Montoya posed the sole question to president Brooks, who was making the presentation. There was no further discussion once Brooks responded to Montoya’s question. “I was confident the transfer Brooks requested would be very beneficial to all students,” Montoya said in a written statement after the hearing. While the $18,000 balance forward returning to ASUNM funds a small portion of its total budget, it is over five times more than the average $5,000 that student organizations receive.
Each year, every ASUNM-funded student organization must receive a budget from ASUNM’s nearly $1 million general fund, about $700,000 of which are available for student-serving organizations. Internal agencies within ASUNM — like Lobo Spirit and the Southwest Film Center — also go through that process. In the latest budget period, the 13 ASUNM entities received $510,000 — 74 percent of the studentavailable fund. The remaining 125 student organizations were given the rest. “The goal of my administration is that all of that money is going back to students,” said ASUNM President Noah Brooks. “Sometimes it’s really hard to see why student organizations aren’t getting that money,” he said, adding that the $510,000 is going back to students who wouldn’t otherwise benefit from ASUNM funding of traditional student organizations. “Whether the money is going back to students from us or from student organizations, it really doesn’t matter as long as students have the best college experience,” Brooks said. Of the $510,000, 48 percent
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ASUNM page 6
pressure on depts By Nichole Harwood @Nolidoli1 The University of New Mexico’s hiring moratorium has been ongoing since Sept. 2016 and has resulted in an elimination of vacant positions — causing concern for some departments. “Campus-wide, we have eliminated approximately 120 vacant positions since November 2016 through the hiring moratorium and vacant position review process,” said Kevin Stevenson, director of University HR business services. Feedback on the process addressed concerns from UNM departments and employees, who are continually being asked to take on more job responsibilities using fewer resources, impacting the University’s current employees, Stevenson said. The concerns have not been ignored — as a result of this feedback, Interim President Chaouki Abdallah initiated the development of a new policy to allow departments to give their current employees pay increases when they are required to take on the job duties of a vacant
position has been eliminated, Stevenson said. “This is almost finalized,” he said. “We see it as a great way of rewarding our current employees who are stepping up and taking on extra responsibilities to continue supporting our missions of education, research and service... This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff across campus.” The freeze has impacted departments across the board, both those in the administration and in academic affairs. “Depending on the circumstance and specific employees who are leaving, there have been departments that have been reorganized in a way that allows the elimination of vacant positions and to provide service and support in an effective and efficient manner,” Stevenson said. UNM is still approving exceptions from the hiring moratorium for critical positions, which has lessened some of the impact on departments, he said. “Considering the dramatic fiscal challenges UNM has faced over the
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Freeze page 6
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